what's for breakfast this morning {gluten free strawberry shortcake muffins}.

i love a good muffin.

over the last few months, we've been cutting back on gluten so i have really enjoyed finding some yummy gluten free recipes and being creative in the kitchen!  i stumbled across this one the other day when the girls were wanting breakfast and i hadn't made a trip to the grocery store in a while.  we planted a few strawberry plants in our garden this year, so i've had strawberries on the brain and i thought "i want to try making strawberry muffins!"  so after a google search, i realized that not only did these muffins sound delish and we happened to have all the ingredients in our pantry, but they were also gluten free.  

score.

these are really pretty tasty and there are lots of options to change it up in terms of fillings or toppings.  i normally can't think straight in the morning until at least nine o'clock so i forgot the little fact that my children are super weird about cooked fruit.  they go NUTS for blueberries, but won't eat blueberry muffins or blueberry pancakes.  i think they're a little bit crazy ;)  so instead, i scooped some strawberry-less batter for them and topped their muffins with a few chocolate chips.  they loved that idea.

here's the recipe:

gluten free strawberry shortcake muffins

* 2 1/2 c. old fashioned oats

* 1 c. lowfat greek yogurt

* 2 eggs

* 1/2 c. sweetener of your choice

* 1 1/2 t. baking powder

* 1/2 t. baking soda

* 1 1/2 c. strawberries, diced

- put all ingredients except strawberries in a blender or food processor and pulse til smooth.

- transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in strawberries.

- scoop into a muffin pan (if you use liners, make sure they're foil!  paper ones apparently stick) and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

these are perfect for on the go breakfasts too! unlike other gluten free baked goods i've tried, they keep pretty well for a few days.  i've been enjoying them on my work days which can usually pose a challenge in finding quick and healthy breakfast options!  so glad i found this recipe.  

happy baking!

what's for breakfast {whole spelt pumpkin muffins}.

before i swapped out my pantry and started on this clean eating endeavor, i researched different recipes for hours.  i'll have to do a post soon on why i gave most processed foods the heave-ho (okay, we don't do as well as i'd like to on the weekends... but still...) and why i make everything from bread to granola to crackers from scratch.  for now, i'll stick to the post on these muffins.  so, i have a few staples in our house at all times, and one of them is organic whole spelt flour.

spelt is a much finer flour than whole wheat, so it's a great substitute for baking!  baked goods don't come out as dense and heavy.  when i saw this recipe on one of my new favorite websites, 100 days of real food, i knew i had to try it.  a good recipe for clean eating pumpkin muffins was one of my must-finds for the fall.

and these are goooooood.  

they have no sugar, which is amazing, and they bake up nice and fluffy.  they're a must try... clean eating or not!  

one day bella had three.  don't judge me.

whole spelt pumpkin muffins

* 1 1/2 c. whole spelt flour

* 1 T. pumpkin pie spice

* 1 t. baking soda

* 1/4 t. baking powder

* 1/2 t. salt

* 2 eggs

* 1/2 c. honey

* 1/3 c. butter, melted

* 1 c. pumpkin puree

- mix together dry ingredients.  make a well in the center of the mixture and add eggs, honey and butter.  combine.

- gently fold in pumpkin puree, being careful not to overmix.  pour batter into greased muffin pan and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.

i just made one batch this time, but soon i plan on doubling this recipe so i can freeze half of them for us to eat on busy mornings.  seriously, these are so good and good for you!  

light a fall-ish candle, pour yourself a hot cup of coffee and enjoy one warm from the oven (if you have kids, preferably while they're napping).  

happy baking!

what's for breakfast this morning {french breakfast muffins}.

i.love.these.muffins. when i was little, my mom made them all the time. i have memories of waking up on snowy winter mornings to find out we had no school, and the smell of these cinnamon-and-sugar muffins warming the house.

this morning has been lovely. it's been a busy and exhausting couple of weeks. my dad has been in the hospital in boston because his liver disease is advancing so aggressively, so we've spent alot of time in the city lately. which has also meant i've had to spend lots of time away from my bella :( i don't deal with that well!

i couldn't wait for today because we have NO plans. no plans except for staying in our pjs, making muffins, listening to christmas music and waiting for our new living room furniture to be delivered. lots of reading, snuggling and playing. perfect.

bella "helped" me make these muffins this morning but i forgot to put baking powder in. oooops. i was craving them so badly that i had to make a second batch! they are so delish.

french breakfast muffins

* 1 1/2 c. flour

* 1/2 c. sugar

* 1 1/2 t. baking powder

* 1/4 t. cinnamon

* 1/8 t. salt

* 1 egg

* 1/3 c. butter, melted

* 1/2 c. milk

topping:

* 1/4 c. sugar

* 1/2 t. cinnamon

* 1/3 c. butter, melted

- preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. in a separate bowl, whisk together egg, butter and milk.

- make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour the egg mixture into the middle. stir just until moistened.

- scoop batter into muffin tins, bake 20-25 minutes until done.

- melt butter into a small bowl. in a separate small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. dip the tops of the muffins into the butter and then into the cinnamon&sugar to coat.

- *note: after i've dipped all the muffins, i combine any leftover butter and cinnamon&sugar and drizzle over the muffins.

i hope you enjoy these muffins as much as our family does :)

what's for breakfast this morning {apple pie muffins}.

yes, you read that right.

apple

pie

muffins.

i devised a baking plan this weekend in order to use up all of the apples that we picked last sunday. there's not many things i love more than fall baking. it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. saturday morning i was craving an apple-y, struesel-y muffin and i stumbled upon this recipe on one of my favorite cooking websites, allrecipes.com.

oh-my-deliciousness.

my whole family (including myself) were big fans of these muffins. and they were relatively easy to make, which made me an even bigger fan.

apple pie muffins

* 2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

* 1 t. baking soda

* 1/2 t. salt

* 1 egg

* 1 c. buttermilk (a good buttermilk substitute i use: 1 c. regular milk and add a splash of vinegar)

* 1/2 c. butter, melted

* 1 t. vanilla

* 1 1/2 c. brown sugar

* 2 c. diced apples

topping:

* 1/2 c. brown sugar

* 1/3 c. flour

* 1 t. cinnamon

* 2 T. butter, melted

- preheat oven to 375 and prepare a 12 c. muffin tin.

- in a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. in a smaller bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, butter, vanilla and brown sugar. add to flour mixture and stir in apples. blend just until everything is combined. fill muffin cups.

- in a small bowl, mix ingredients for topping. sprinkle over tops of muffins.

- bake for about 25 minutes. enjoy!

it's a rainy fall day here and i am curled up on my couch with a mug of coffee and a warmed apple pie muffin. these make for yummy afternoon snacks aaaand delicious breakfasts :)

are you making them yet??

this post was linked to these *lovely* blogs:
southern lovely

what's for breakfast this morning {peanut butter chocolate chip muffins}.

so, it's no secret that i love cooking&baking. mostly because i love food. i have been blogging "whats for dinner tonight" posts a couple times a month for a while now and wanted to add to my collection of recipes. look for some more posts including "what's for breakfast this morning" and "sweet treats" for some more ideas for your cooking, baking and eating needs.

you're welcome.

i always *try* to keep things healthy, but sometimes i feel the need to spice things up a bit when i get bored of the same ole healthy recipes (let's face it). so here is a recipe that i made this morning for a nice lil breakfast (or middle of the day) treat.

peanut butter chocolate chip muffins

* 2 c. flour

* 1 1/2 t. salt

* 1 T. baking powder

* 1 c. milk

* 2 eggs

* 1 c. peanut butter

* 2/3 c. sugar

* 1/3 c. oil (i used canola)

* 1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

- combine flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.

- mix the rest of the ingredients separately, and then add to the dry and combine until moistened.

- spray a muffin tin and fill each cup about 3/4 full. i had enough batter to fill one 12-cup muffin tin and a 6-cup muffin tin as well.

- bake on 375 for about 15-18 minutes.

DEEELISH. it made enough to keep for breakfasts throughout the week and i froze a few to enjoy in the future. these would make a great after school snack for the munchkins, too.

happy baking!