Theirs, Mine, and Ours

Before I even jump into today’s post, I want to express my sincerest thanks for all of your comments on the vlog that I posted Friday. I cannot even tell you how hesitant I was to share it, and then how much I dreaded my decision in the few hours after. Where you all called me “cute” I saw myself as “flighty.” Where you said that I seemed so “relaxed” and “real” I thought rather that I was “rambling” (as I appropriately indicated in my post title for the day). I still think that most of you were just being nice, but all the same I appreciate you taking the time to watch it. I have no idea when I will make another or IF I can even gather up the courage to make another, but I’m glad I bit the bullet and did a second one (my first was all the way back in October 2012, more than a year ago!).

Also, another note before sharing some delicious food pictures with you all, I’m going to be blunt and admit that I have no idea how much time I will be able to spend blogging this semester. Right now in fact I should be reading for one of my classes but that will come in due time and staying up just a little bit later is definitely worth it.

At the start of 2014 I had all of these big plans for Eating 4 Balance including finally getting a self-hosted site, upgrading to a new theme, working on more professional pictures/recipes. Yada yada yada. Oh, and being more faithful with comments too. I know that January is not even half way over yet, but can I just say MAJOR FAIL? Sorry everyone. I’m going to do my best. It’s not really an option for me to quit entirely or take a break because blogging IS MY BREAK. Really, reading blogs and blogging is my relief from college life and classes. Take that away and you have a Madison ten times more strung out and scattered than you saw in my video (I think beginning to refer to myself in third person may be a sign that the craziness has already begun? Is there no hope of turning back?!!! 😉 ).

With those hundreds of words put out there, this WIAW will be probably less wordy and more picture-heavy than normal.

I called this post “Yours, Mine and Ours” to represent the variety of food that I made over the holidays and am about to unload on you. There are some pictures of food that I made for my parents and/or brother (theirs), some food that I made for myself (mine*), and the food that I made for both (ours).

*Although as noted on Friday, I have basically backed off of trying to add anything new. Simple is the name of the game once more as I try to go back to how I felt before the holidays. Meat and veggies here I come… Already feeling much better though thankfully!

THEIRS

Gluten-free buckwheat pancakes inspired by Gluten-Free Goddess

Homemade macaroni and cheese

Whole wheat pasta, organic cheese and milk

Pumpkin oatmeal with granola and almond butter

Oatmeal with pears, almond butter and maple cinnamon pecans

Quiche inspired by Meghan

Made with an almond flour crust, eggs, milk, cheese, seasonings, onions, squash and broccoli

Puppy chow for my brother’s New Year’s Eve party

MINE

Gluten-free and vegan biscuits

Oh so moist, flavorful and crumbly!

Homemade ice cream with goat’s milk and stevia

Gluten-free, vegan, and sugar-free pancakes

Sweet gluten-free and vegan pancakes made with potatoes

Potato pancakes topped with New York maple syrup

Whole Foods salad bar: red quinoa, grilled chicken and cucumber slices

Chocolate pudding: cocoa powder, pumpkin puree, tapioca starch, water, stevia and frozen blueberries… yum!

Goat’s milk yogurt with stevia and frozen blueberries

OURS

Alright, so we didn’t actually share THAT much food-wise over vacation

Paleo pumpkin chocolate chip cake with a chocolate frosting (I just ate some of the frosting. It was amazing and tasted like a rich chocolate pudding.)

I do have plans to share some of these recipes eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later! 🙂

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Questions for you:

• Can you guess what inspired the title of this post?
• Do you make food that is just for someone else, yourself, or even both?
• What is your favorite food to make? Obviously mine is pancakes!

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins-In-A-Jar (Recipe Redux)

Do you know what happens when you are a recipe fiend like myself? You write them down on random scraps of paper and then lose them. You type them up in random word documents and forget to save them. Both happened to me yesterday as I went to work on this post for my first ever Recipe Redux.

Amazing first impression, no?

Thankfully I have a wonderful mother at home who is an expert at finding those random scraps of paper when her daughter texts her at obscene hours in desperation. Two hours away and she is still taking care of me.

It is with a smile on my face that now I am finally typing up my entry for Recipe Redux’s November 2013 of Adding Merriment to Mixes. The description for this month’s challenge is:

From hostess gifts to holiday gifts, it’s the season for DIY offerings from your kitchen. And homemade mixes couldn’t be easier! Think about healthy bread, hot cocoa, cookie bars, dressings or even spice mixes. Share the recipe for how you package up a little shelf-stable love from your kitchen!

I have always wanted to make one of those cookies-in-a-jar mixes that just look so incredibly seasonal and crafty. With this challenge I had the perfect excuse to do so. Except my favorite muffin recipe was on my mind instead of cookies and I just knew that a recreated grain-free version would be absolutely perfect.

Check out my instructions below for how to assemble (and bake) these scrumptious muffins!

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins-In-A-Jar

Grain/Gluten/Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free Options, Paleo/GAPS-Friendly

Makes approximately 18 muffins

Dry ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour*
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Wet ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup honey*
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted*
• 1 cup chopped apples (about 2 small)

Optional streusel topping:

• 3/4 cup ground sunflower seeds*
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup honey*
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted*

*Ingredient substitutions: You can use any kind of nut or seed flour in place of the almond flour to make this suitable for allergies. Ground chia meal would also work subbed in for the flaxseed in equal amounts. Instead of the honey maple syrup can be substituted. And if you don’t have coconut oil on hand, melted butter, ghee or a neutral-tasting oil should work fine as a replacement. For the ground sunflower seeds 3/4 cup of any nut or seed flour would be great.

Instructions for muffin mix jar:

Combine all of the dry ingredients into a glass mason jar or other container. (If you want to include the streusel, mix up just the dry ingredients of that in a separate bowl, put into a small ziploc baggie, and place that in the top of the jar/container before closing). Attach a fun gift tie or a handwritten note with the directions below. Prepare for family members to love you even more! 😉

Directions for mix:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 18 muffin tins with paper liners (to prevent sticking you can further spray the liners with oil).
2. In a large bowl beat the eggs and then add the pumpkin puree and honey, mixing well.
3. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Mix in the chopped apple chunks.
5. Divide the batter equally among the 18 muffin tins.
6. If making the optional streusel combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients (it should resemble a sticky dough). Break the dough up into little pieces and sprinkle over the muffin batter.
7. Bake the muffins for approximately 30-40 minutes (oven times may vary). The muffins will be done when the tops spring back when slightly touched and the streusel topping is a dark golden brown.
8. Let cool for about 10 minutes before eating.

After you whip this mix up, check out the collection below for more mixes to enjoy this holiday season:

Also shared at Real Food Forager.

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What is Recipe Redux? 

Great question!

As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians,The Recipe ReDux is focused on taking delicious dishes, keeping them delicious, but making them better for you. Dietitians Regan Jones (of ReganMillerJones, Inc.), Serena Ball and Deanna Segrave-Daly (both of Teaspoon Communications) founded the group on the belief that healthier eating should always taste delicious. As the Latin term “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, we are reinventing the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach. We aim to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover.

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Questions for you:

Have you ever made or received a baking mix as a present before?

What is your favorite holiday muffin recipe?

Any requests for a paleo/grain-free/allergy-friendly recreation this season?

Fall Flavors (Chopped Kitchen Challenge and WIAW)

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of What I Ate Wednesday!

Along with Jenn’s weekly party I am also participating in another fun link-up hosted by Sarah at Slices of Sarah Pie called Chopped Kitchen Challenge. This month’s theme was Flavors of Fall which is just perfect because I already have so many Fall recipes that I’ve posted recently.

The Fall flavors that are being showcased in Sarah’s challenge are Apple, Chili, Pumpkin and Ginger. Surprisingly I actually have recipes in all of these categories! And at the end I have a brand new recipe for you to enjoy.

First up is APPLE.

Just as a side note, I have WAY more apple recipes than I previously thought, so I just picked out the best.

Dairy and Grain-Free Cinnamon Apple Pancakes // Grain-Free Apple Crumbly Bread // Microwave Apple Protein Crisp // Irish Soda Apple Bread // Apple Chunk Cinnamon Rolls // Vegan Apple Crisp

Next is CHILI POWDER.

For which I only have a single recipe, but don’t fret because it’s a good one.

Chili, Chips and Cheeze

Now it’s time for PUMPKIN.

Apparently I am a pumpkin fiend as well as an apple one!

Grain-Free Pumpkin Calzones // Pumpkin Pie Bars // Pumpkin Bread Bake with Pumpkin Frosting // Microwave Sandwich Bread // Microwave Protein Brownies // Pumpkin Banana Bread Batter

Finally I present to you my GINGER recipe.

This also happens to include PUMPKIN as well.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Grain/Gluten/Wheat-Free, Nut-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Option, Vegan Option, Paleo/GAPS-Friendly

Makes approximately six 1/2 cup servings 

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
• 1/2 cup yogurt (coconut or almond yogurt to make this vegan)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (any type of milk will work here)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup honey (maple syrup would work here too)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt (optional but it helps to bring out the flavors)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Place the frozen banana slices in a food processor or strong blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Then add the remaining ingredients and blend again.
3. Pour the mixture into freezer-friendly container. You can use a bowl or tupperware container (I used an empty yogurt container).
4. Place the container in the freezer and stir every 30-60 until minutes until thick. This is more of a soft serve type ice cream, but you could try freezing it solid and using an ice cream scoop dipped in hot water for more of a hard pack ice cream.
5. Distribute between bowls and serve! (This would also be amazing topped with nuts like pecans and walnuts).

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking through my collection of Fall Flavor recipes. If you have a recipe that contains apple, chili powder, pumpkin or ginger, go link-up with Sarah’s challenge now! It’s over in less than 24 hours. Also make sure to check out Jenn’s WIAW which I am sure is filled with even more amazing fall food ideas and recipes.

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Questions for you:

What is your favorite ingredient? Apple, chili powder, pumpkin or ginger?

What is your favorite recipe that you have made this Fall?

Is anyone else still getting used to the time change or is it just me?

Grain-Free Pumpkin Calzones (WIAW)

Continuing on with the pumpkin trend that has swept the nation blog world I have for you today a delicious new way to consume the ever popular squash.

Surprise surprise though. It’s not a sweet meal that I’m sharing today but a savory! I seriously cannot remember the last time that I didn’t post something fruity, sweet or dessert-like. Probably the reason is that I usually think of sweet dishes as being more exciting and savory ones being… not.

However, no worries with this pumpkin recipe being less than exciting.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Calzones

Grain/Gluten/Wheat-Free, Vegan, Nut-Free, No Refined Sugar, GAPS/Paleo-Friendly

Makes Two Calzones (about 8 inches wide approximately)

Dough Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ground flax seed + 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (any other squash puree would work as well)
• 1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup to make this vegan)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (ghee or butter would be fine too)
• 2/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• Filling suggestions listed below

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix together the flaxseed and water until thick. Then add the pumpkin, honey, and melted oil mixing well.
3. After the wet ingredients are combined mix in the remaining dry ingredients until you have a thick dough.
4. Divide the dough into two and roll out thin rectangles/ovals on more parchment paper (I found that it was actually easier to use my hands and prevented the possibility of the dough sticking to a rolling pin).
5. For ease of use transfer the first dough rectangle to the baking sheet and add your filling to one side, leaving about 1/2 inch on the edges to close the calzone. Once you have your filling in there flip over the empty side and press down on the edges to close. Move the calzone over to make room for the next dough rectangle and repeat. You can also take a fork and make a pattern along the side of the calzone but of course that’s optional.
6. Place the calzones into the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and the crust is firm to the touch. Depending on how thin you roll your dough determines both how long it will take to bake and also what the end result will be as far as texture goes with being crispy or doughy.
7. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. I served the calzones plain because I didn’t want to open a big can of tomato puree, but next time I will definitely whip up a quick sauce with some salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and a little bit of honey.

Filling Suggestions:

I made a filling of 1/4 lb cooked grass-fed ground beef per calzone along with some sauteed onions, red peppers and a few slices of organic mozzarella cheese. For a vegetarian or vegan option you could use diced mushrooms in place of the beef or amp up the vegetables with a greater assortment like broccoli, wilted spinach/kale, squash, or even diced tomatoes. If you want it to still be cheesy you could add in some nutritional yeast or use my cheeze sauce spread on the dough before adding the other add-ins (you could even replace the butternut squash in the cheeze recipe with more pumpkin!!!).

Whatever you choose, I would suggest adding some extra seasoning to the filling like some sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, etc. to give extra flavor.

And for all of you just as crazy about pumpkin as me, here are…

9 more pumpkin recipes from other bloggers:

Pumpkin Pie Banana Smoothie with Diary of a Semi-Health Nut

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter from Sprint 2 the Table

Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa from Hummusapien

Pumpkin Protein Ballz from A Piece of Cait

Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins from The Big Man’s World

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Oat Bran from Kiss my Broccoli

Pumpkin Donut Holes from The Healthy Maven

Pumpkin Black Bean Quinoa Burgers from Peachy Palate

Pumpkin Plantain Bread from Edible Balance

And for those of you NOT CRAZY about pumpkin, make sure to check out my previous WIAW recipe round-up WITHOUT the pumpkin.

Then visit Jenn at Peas and Crayons to see what everyone else posted for their WIAW today!

Also shared at Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesday, Fat Tuesday, Gluten Free Tuesday Linky
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Questions for you:

Do you usually prefer making sweet or savory dishes?

What food is featured on your WIAW today?

Do you have anymore awesome pumpkin recipes to add to my list?