Lemon Poppyseed Secret Squash Quinoa Muffins

Today was not the happiest day in Mommyville: lots of hitting by one eldest child, some serious tantrum action by the second, and I'm starting to tire of the baby-weight from number three.  I don't feel like I accomplish much more than constant chastising on some days. Which is why I think I keep writing this blog even though I'm certainly never going to be blog-famous--it makes me feel like I did something productive. At least I managed to nourish these dear children that are nearly impossible to feed!

I have posted a squash lemon poppyseed bread before, but this new edition is more nutritionally dense with the addition of chickpeas and quinoa. They are low in sugar as well!  The kids ate them without complaint, and I felt like I had at least had one small victory this day...

 


1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. stevia powder
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup plain non-dairy milk
1/2 Tbsp. lemon extract
zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 small yellow squash, finely grated
1/3 cup poppyseeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line 12 muffin cups.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and stevia.
3. In a food processor or blender, blend together the quinoa, chickpeas, non-dairy milk, lemon extract, lemon zest and juice, coconut oil, and maple syrup until smooth.
4. Add the wet ingredients to dry and stir just until completely combined. Fold in the poppy seeds and squash. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on wire racks before serving.

Here are some of our happier moments recently...

This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday,  Whole Food Wednesday and Wellness Weekend.

Sunflower Seed Ranch Roasted Chickpeas

Emelise Marie was born 5 1/2 weeks ago, and I am slowly figuring out how to do life with three kids. After months of ignoring all the cooking blog posts in my inbox, I like food again and am starting to find time to putter around in the kitchen, trying to satisfy that seemingly insatiable nursing mother's appetite in healthy ways.

In the first few weeks after Emie's birth, when I was in full recovery mode, Anthony did the grocery shopping. I sent him to the store for some dried beans, and he came home with about $50 worth.
(I should have been more specific as to how much exactly we needed.) As a result, I have been seeking ideas for new ways to use chickpeas. When I ran across a post for BBQ-ranch pizza on the Sweet Roots blog, the thought occurred to me that BBQ ranch roasted chickpeas may be good. So I gave it a try tonight, whipping up a sunflower-seed based sauce instead of the usual tofu-based. I couldn't stop munching them! We did try them on top of pizza, which was yummy, but I think I prefer to eat them straight so that the flavor is undiluted.

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed, if canned)
1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 tsp. sea salt
3/4 tsp. onion powder
3/4. tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried dill
dash of pepper
3-4 Tbsp. plain non-dairy milk, to thin

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In your food processor or blender, blend all of the ingredients except the chickpeas, starting with 3 Tbsp. milk and adding more if necessary to get a smooth, dressing-like consistency.
3. In a medium bowl, add the chickpeas and blended sunflower seed ranch and stir to evenly coat all the beans.
4. Spread the chickpeas out in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Flip them around and then bake for 20 mins. more. They are done when golden and a bit caramelized.

This recipe is linked to Allergy-Free Wednesday  Slightly Indulgent Tuesday Allergy-Friendly Friday 
Wellness Weekend.  

Jelly Donut Pancakes

I had been dreaming about chocolate chocolate chip pancakes all night, but of course when I mentioned pancakes in the morning, Sawyer insisted on the white ones.  Bummer for me, until I thought up this yummy idea of putting jam on the inside and powdered sugar on the outside for a healthier take on the donut treat.  Sorry gluten-free folks--I made these with whole wheat flour because I live in gratitude daily that we actually aren't allergic to that, but you could certainly try subbing your favorite GF flour blend.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. preferred sweetener (I used evaporated cane juice.)
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
A few Tbsp. jam of choice
1/3 cup powdered sugar

1.  In your food processor, combine flour, oats, seeds, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until oats and sunflower seeds are completely ground up.
2. Add the coconut oil and buzz until crumbly. Then add the milk, sweetener, and vanilla and process just until smooth.
3. Heat your pancake griddle or frying pan over medium heat and drop large spoonfuls of batter onto the heated pan. Dollop about a tsp. of jam in the middle of each pancake and then cover up the jam with a bit more batter. Flip when bubbles form around the edges and cook for about 2 mins. more on the other side, until just lightly browned.
4. Let the pancakes cool for a few minutes so as to not melt the sugar. Spread powdered sugar onto a large plate and place pancakes one by one in the sugar, lightly coating each side. Serve warm--no butter or syrup needed!

We decided we were tired of the cold and pretended it was summer all morning. The kids even wore their bathing suits to the grocery store. Heck, I already get enough looks from people as it is with all the ruckus we make going up and down the aisles while struggling through crises of lost gum in hair, towers of bread and beans tumbling from the cart, wails of despair for unrequited cookie cravings, etc.--I figure I might as well give people something to really snigger about!

This recipe is shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Allergy-Free Wednesday.