Easy Blueberry Muffins

Easy Blueberry Muffins are an easy way to get some fruit (bananas and dates), flax, berry, and grain Daily Dozen Checkmarks with out any added sugar, oil, or salt!

Easy Blueberry Muffins

14 pitted dates
4 ripe bananas
1/4 c ground flaxseed
1/2 c warm water
2 c whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 c wild blueberries, tiny, frozen

In large mixing bowl, combine flour and powders. In high-speed blender, combine fruit, flax, and water. Add wet ingredients from blender to dry mixture. Combine only until dry is all wet, careful not to over-mix. Fold in berries. Fill muffin pan. I love silicone bakeware. I make a dozen muffins and then make what's left into "cookies" (you could probably get another 2-3 muffins). Bake at 350 for 60 min.

After you let them cool, muffins come out of silicone pan easily - no need to grease the pan. 

BERRY BUZZ
Try to have at least 1/2 cup of berries or 1/4 cup of raisins every day! It'll help your brain stay young and keep those aging free radicals way! Cherries and grapes also count! The darker the better! So for grapes, choose red over green, blackberries over raspberries, dark raisins over golden. More color means more benefit to your body! 

Easy Blueberry Muffins are very similar to Chocolate Cake Breakfast Muffins and Smooth and Sweet Banana Bread, and more flavors are coming! 

Feel free to share your concoctions here!!!

Peach and Oat Hotcakes and My New Awesome Ozeri Pan!

I can't make these fast enough for my kids, or me!  Simply sweet and fresh taste, yum!

I used My Whole Food Life's Melissa's recipe for Apple Cinnamon Waffles as a starter to make this pancake recipe!  Thank you Melissa!

Peach and Oat Pancakes

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c oats, ground
1 t cinnamon
1 t baking powder
1/2 t nutmeg
1 c nectarine, pureed (or apples, peaches, mango, blueberries, pumpkin...any fruit perhaps!)
1 c almond milk
1 T flaxseed, ground with 3 T warm water
1 t vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients (top five).  Separately mix the wet ingredients (last four).  Make a well in the dry to pour in the wet, and mix. I use an Ozeri non-stick and non-Teflon pan, which my hubby recently gave me as a gift, pancakes without oil :).

The Ozeri pan has a ceramic coating so food won't stick to it with no use of oil, and no heavy metals or chemicals.  It is a really awesome pan and you barely have to clean it!

Maybe this pan with be on your wish list in the future!

YUM!  Peach and Oat Hotcakes!

COMMENTS: What new gadgets in your kitchen are making you smile?

8 Tricks/Tips for Picky Eaters

1. Offer 2 or 3 healthy CHOICES -- this increases the likelihood that your child will eat!  As a bonus, you will builds his or her CONFIDENCE at the same time.
2. Enlist little HELPERS for ANY of the steps in the food process -- there are so many chances: gardening or grocery shopping, cleaning fruits and veggies, chopping at your discretion!, cooking and baking!
3. Always serve and require the child to taste a "THANK YOU PORTION".  Perhaps a bite per age, 2 bites for a 2 yr-old, etc.  It can take up to twenty "tries" before a person's taste preferences change.
4. Be a good EXAMPLE -- this one is simple: EAT what you hope you're kids will!!  They love you and want to be like you, so they will follow suite whether or whether not you eat your spinach :)  I came across an interesting article about "Taste Psychology" that may be especially interesting to you if you may need to work on this tip!  Summer Tomato looks like a great website overall!
5. Finger foods and dipping (Greek yogurt, homemade hummus low on spices) always go over well!
6. Get CREATIVE with faces - animals - monsters - it's easy AND fun for everyone!
7. Notice what your little one likes: flavor, texture, color, temperature, smells AND combine familiar with NEW!
8. Sometimes FROZEN is FUN!  Below these foods are all listed!

100 DAYS OF REAL FOOD is another great WHOLE foods website/blog that has some other awesome suggestions to add to your tool box!  and some other terrific tools here!


This PURPLE BABY FOOD is simply a combination of the foods above in a food chopper: frozen blueberries, edamame beans, and a mango chunk or two!  My 18 mo-old ate it all up in a flash!  Here are some other BEGINNER BABY FOODS!

Frozen RAINBOW above:

Each are a great VALUE:

Super sweet organic white kernel frozen CORN by Bybee Foods, Costco.
Organic frozen RASPBERRIES from Cascadian Farm, Costco and other grocers.
Frozen shelled EDAMAME beans, Whole Food, and I think Trader Joe's.
Wyman's wild BLUEBERRIES, Costco and other grocers.
Frozen MANGO chunks (YUM!!), Trader Joe's.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Organic or conventional?  Fresh or frozen?  For me, if the price is right - organic for sure!  Fresh AND Frozen -- frozen is often even healthier!!