Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Bread

Definitely a keeper- definitely!! I am munching on this moist and 'just enough' sweet bread as I type. I just might make this for Thanksgiving- maybe for our Thanksgiving breakfast. Our family of four (ok, ok, it was mostly my husband and I) went through an entire loaf in less than 24 hours! It's just that good!

• 3 cups Bob's Red Mill GF flour mix plus 2 tsps xanthan gum
• 2 organic eggs
• 1 pint fresh cranberries (organic if possible) or 2 cups defrosted frozen cranberries, chopped- or you can pulse it your blender or food processor for a few seconds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup xylitol, mixed with 2 tsps molasses (to make a 'brown sugar')
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon orange zest or 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon clove
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Grease 2 loaf pans.
2. Beat eggs and xylitol mix with electric beater or mixer (or fork if you are lazy like me). Add oil, milk, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Slowly beat in baking soda, baking powder, salt, all spices xanthan gum and flour. Mix until combined.
3. Gently fold in chopped cranberries. Pour into loaf pans and smooth the top of the loaf with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 1 hour.
4. Allow to cool slightly in loaf pan before inverting onto cooling rack.

Delicious fresh from the oven with a little organic butter or coconut oil melted on top!

Tropical Dairy Free Smoothie

Enjoy a glass of this nutrient-packed smoothie! So refreshing, delicious, and healthy!

You will need:

1/2 can coconut milk
1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh)
1 cup frozen strawberries (organic is best)
1 orange, peeled
1-2 bananas

Blend it all up until completely smooth. Enjoy!

Oat Biscuits For Baby

I make these for G, but the rest of the family likes to munch on them too, especially with honey on top! :) I love these because, right now, Gia is wheat-free. It's hard to find 'munchies' for her that don't contain wheat or sugar. You would think baby and toddler food would not contain sugar... ha! Even the organic kinds do! Such a bummer. Ok- back to the oats. So I bake these little puppies for her and store them in the freezer. I think they also make an excellent teething biscuit, especially when frozen!!

Ingredients:

2 cups organic buttermilk

3 tbsp. organic butter

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

1 ½ tsp. xanthan or guar gum

2 ½ cups oat flour- you can make this by grinding oats in your blender.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet with grapeseed oil spray.

2. Beat butter, baking soda and xanthan/guar gum on medium speed until well blended.

3. Wisk in buttermilk until mixture is frothy.

4. Fold in oat flour.

5. Drop by tablespoon onto greased (grapeseed oil spray) baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas For Kids

I've been wanting to write this post for a long time. I don't know what most kids eat for breakfast nowadays, I just remember what I ate as a child. My favorites included: poptarts, toaster strudel, sugar cereals such as Lucky Charms, Life, Honey Nut Cheerios, etc., packaged cream of wheat and white toast with butter, white sugar and cinnamon. Every single one of those choices contain tons of sugar. Processed sugar. Not the best way to start your day. No wonder I was so ADD!

I recently read a blog called raisinghealthyeaters.com. I read a post on the 10 best cereals for kids. I was honestly appalled at some of the cereals- Life and Honey Nut Cheerios were included in the top ten. I will now list the ingredients for Honey Nut Cheerios as I am an ingredient girl :D
Ingredients
Whole Grain Oats (includes the oat bran), Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Honey, Brown Sugar Syrup, Salt, Tripotassium Phosphate, Canola and/or Rice Bran Oil, Naturan Almond Flavor. Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.
And Life:

• Ingredients

  Whole Grain Oat Flour, Sugar, Corn Flour, Whole Wheat Flour, Rice Flour, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Disodium Phosphate, Reduced Iron, Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, BHT (A Preservative)Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Thiamin Mononitrate( One of The B Vitamins)Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (One of The B Vitamins)Riboflavin (One of The B Vitamins)Folic Acid (One of The B Vitamins)

Ok, let's be real here. Should 2 cereals with SUGAR as a SECOND ingredient really be considered healthy, let alone in the top ten of all cereals or even breakfast options? And Life also contains artificial dyes Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. One thing I would like to say to the writer of raisinghealthyeaters.com is, well I guess I would have more than one thing to say! Seriously though, I don't know what she is thinking. She should not be encouraging parents to feed their children like this, telling them this is healthy. And this is why... wait for it.... we must educate ourselves. So ignore every little thing I am telling you until you get out there for yourself and learn! Check those ingredients! (No, I did not make them up) :)

Alright. My rant is done. I would now like to share with you a few of our favorite breakfasts, that yes, my daughter loves. I feel good about giving her (and myself!) these choices. Now here are some good ways to start your day! Raisinghealthyeaters top ten cereals for kids move aside!!!
May I introduce...

Top Ten Breakfast Ideas For Kids (That are truly healthy and fun too!)

1. Green Eggs
Or 'green eggies' as my daughter calls them. Here is a great way to sneak in some greens and make it fun for kids. Simple ingredients: Free range eggs, raw organic spinach, sea salt, pepper and diced onion (optional). Mix them together in your blender then scramble.

2. Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothies
No, there is actually no jelly in this smoothie.... Mix in your blender 1 Banana, 1/2 cup strawberries, 2 heaping tablespoons smooth peanut butter (no sugar added), 1/2 tsp. organic vanilla extract (optional), 1/3 cup almond milk and ice cubes.

3. Honey Nut Oatmeal
We buy quick oats in bulk, we actually eat oatmeal quite a bit! It is super easy to pour boiling hot water over the oats in your bowl just to moisten them. Then, add in to taste, raw honey, cinnamon, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1/4 cup finely ground walnuts, and as much milk as you like (almond, raw cow's milk, etc.). Mix together and serve. For variety, you could also swap the oats for quinoa.

4. Very Berry Breakfast Quinoa
Quinoa is very high in protein and therefore a great start for the day! Cook quinoa according to box directions. In your bowl, mix with raw honey to taste, some cinnamon, 1 tsp. coconut oil, and thawed mixed frozen berries. Delish! Again, you can swap the quinoa for oats for variety.

5. Carrot and Fruit Smoothie
Our blender gets a lot of use.... Blend one raw carrot, any kind of frozen fruit- about 1 cup, 1 banana, 1 cup plain full fat yogurt (organic is best), and 1 cup raw milk or almond milk. You can also sneak in some greens- raw kale or spinach, however, depending on the fruit you use it may turn the smoothie a more brownish color. If you are avoiding dairy, coconut milk can r eplace the yogurt, but it will not be as high in protein.

6. Gluten Free Morning Glory Muffins
I am attaching a recipe here. I recommend using the gluten free version for breakfast, as quinoa flour is high in protein. Of course, these make a delicious snack too. :)

7. Blender Pancakes
1 cup grain of your choice, 1 cup of yogurt or buttermilk, 1 tsp of lemon juice: Add ingredients to a blender or food processor and mix up creating a vortex. The vortex is key to make sure there is enough liquid… add more liquid sparingly, if there is no vortex (mixture will get too runny otherwise). Whirl mixture for a few minutes in order to break up the grains. After the grains have been ground up let mixture sit overnight (8-10hrs).In the morning begin mixing below ingredients in blender: 1 tablespoon – melted butter or coconut oil, 1 egg, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp of Pumpkin spice or cinnamon, up to 1 tsp vanilla extract and/or sweetener of your choice (optional). Cook on your skillet using coconut oil, butter or grapeseed oil spray, and be sure to top with fruit or real maple syrup.

8. Veggie Frittata
Frittatas are very easy to make. You can do a lot of different versions. Basically just throw some free range eggs, lots of veggies, some organic cheese, sea salt and pepper together and mix up. Then pour into a hot buttered skillet for a few minutes. Then bake at 400 degrees until done. Very easy. This slices like pie, so it's kind of fun compared to regular scrambled eggs.

9. Full Circle Organic Oat Bran Flakes Cereal
One of the only cereals we tend to eat other than oatmeal! I am not able to find the ingredient list online, so I will have to post it next time I buy a box. Or you could go check it out for yourself. ;)

10. Overnight Blueberry Stuffed French Toast
Lastly... a special treat breakfast that you can feel good about feeding your family! Everyone needs a little breakfast 'treat' now and again. You can find the delicious recipe here.

Ok, so there it is. Top ten. Longest blog post ever? Maybe! Happy breakfast eating. Happy healthy choices!!

Overnight Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

I made this Friday night as a special breakfast for Saturday morning. Everyone loved it and we had enough for Sunday morning too (I even halved the recipe). If you have a special breakfast or brunch coming up (Easter maybe?), THIS is your dish. Scrumptious!

Overnight Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1 inch

cubes (we used a whole wheat sourdough with all healthy oils!)

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut

into 1 inch cubes (organic, if possible)

1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries

12 free range eggs, beaten

2 cups milk (raw is best)

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

1/3 cup real maple syrup

1 cup xylitol

2 tablespoons arrowroot starch (also called arrowroot powder)

1 cup purified water

1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries

1 tablespoon organic butter

Directions:

1.	Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or grapeseed oil spray. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
2.	In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3.	Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4.	Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
5.	In a medium saucepan, mix the xylitol, arrowroot, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast. YUM!

Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins (Gluten Free)

Can I just say.... I love quinoa flour!!! mmmmm....

Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins

1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup oat bran flour
3/4 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup ground flax
3 eggs
2/3 cup applesauce (no sugar added)
3/4 cup Xylitol

2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips (use dairy free for dairy free muffins ;))
1/2 cup coursely chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs, xylitol, applesauce, and vanilla. Next add your flour (s), flax, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts. Fill greased (grapeseed oil spray) or lined muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick placed in center comes out clean.

Chocolate Coconut 'Larabars'

We love bars in our house.... especially my 3 yr old! We make a version of 'mock larabars' quite often. Here is another creation:

Chocolate Coconut Raw Bar

2 cups dates, pitted and soaked
1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp Cocoa
1/3 ground flax seed
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 raw almonds, finely ground
2 Tbsp raw honey

I grind my almonds, chocolate chips and flax first in my Blentec blender (a food processor will work) and set aside. Next pulse dates. Add cocoa, coconut, coconut oil, honey, flax, almonds, and ground chocolate chips until mixed. Press into a glass pan and refrigerate, cutting into bars when ready to serve.

Raw Food Bars (LaraBars)

Here is a lovely version of a mock larabar. Never had a Larabar? You're missing out! So delicious, and so pure. Simple ingredients, and very little for that matter! They are pretty pricey, so here is a version you can make at home.

Mock Larabar Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

1 cup oats
2 cups dates
1 cup organic raisins
1/2 cup ground nuts- almonds or walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Soak 2 cups dates in water for a few minutes.
Grind up your oats, then nuts and set aside.









Pulse dates in blender or food processor a few times, then add raisins. Add vanilla extract (might need to add a touch of water too if it's not mixing well).





Mix in ground oats and nuts. Transfer to a mixing bowl and mix together by hand, forming into a ball.







Press into a square dish and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.







Cut into squares or bars. Store in fridge.

Zucchini Rice Flour Muffins

After my mother in law gave me a bag of rice flour, I had some experimenting to do! I had never used it before. Can't say it's my favorite flour (NO comparison to coconut flour- yummm!), but it did the trick. Hubby came home to these fresh out of the oven, and ate 5 before returning to work, so I guess they're keepers? Not super sweet, just a simple, healthy, gluten free snack.

Zucchini Muffins

1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup xylitol or 1/2 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 free range eggs
1 cup zucchini, shredded
1/4-1/2 cup organic raisins (these added a wonderful sweetness to them)
1 cup nuts (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients except zucchini, raisins and nuts in mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed scraping bowl, until all is blended. Mix zucchini, raisins and nuts in with a spoon. Pour into greased (grapeseed oil) muffin tin or cupcake liners. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes (mini muffins) or 20-25 minutes (reg muffins) or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Makes 1 to 1 1/2 dozen.

Coconut Apple Nut Raw Food Balls

Just whole food yummy goodness! This recipe was inspired by my friend Julie, who cracked the "Larabar" secret. I wanted to try them using real apples... and well.... the bars didn't work quite right, but these balls are just as delicious! It was a good disaster. ;)

2 1/2 cups dates

2 organic apples, sliced or shredded (with skins)

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup flax seed, ground fresh
3 to 4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Grind almonds to a fine meal by pulsing in your food processor or blender. Set aside. Mill flax seeds, and also set aside.

Soak dates in warm water for a few minutes (until soft) and drain. Process in food processor or blender (may need to add a tiny bit of water to the blender). Add apples and cinnamon. Process until apples are fully incorporated and as small as they will get. You can finish the rest in your processor, or transfer to a bowl and mix by hand.

Add almond meal and flax, mix well. Add walnuts/pecans and pulse just a few times to mix in. Stir in coconut. Shape dough into balls and store in freezer.

Even Better Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls (Sorry Paula Deen)

Ok- so a friend mentioned she was making a recipe from The Pioneer Woman's website, and I just had to make these as well because they looked TOO good! Her recipe is here:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/

And if you are interested in making them just a little more healthy, you can use these substitutions:

Ingredients

Pioneer Woman: My suggestions:

• 1 quart Whole Milk- use raw milk
  
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil- use coconut oil
  
• 1 cup Sugar- use xylitol, raw honey or cane sugar (I tested out the raw honey in the dough, but not in the filling)
  
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour- use whole wheat or experiement with your favorite gluten free flours
  
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt- use sea salt
  
• Plenty Of Melted Butter- use organic butter
  
• 2 cups Sugar- use xylitol or raw honey or cane sugar
  
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
• _____
• MAPLE FROSTING:
• 1 bag Powdered Sugar- use powdered xylitol or powdered cane sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring (I did not use this, but I am sure you could use real maple syrup)
  
• ½ cups Milk- use raw milk
  
• ¼ cups Melted Butter- use organic butter
  
• ¼ cups Brewed Coffee (I also did not use this)
  
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt- use sea salt
• * I use organic vanilla extract instead, and it tasted fine :)
  

Green Smoothies

Bored with breakfast? Give a green smoothie a try! Either for a healthy breakfast, a quick lunch or just for a mid-day snack, this smoothie will give you fuel for your day!

2 cups organic full fat plain yogurt (or coconut milk for dairy free)
1 cup raw milk (or almond milk for dairy free)
2 cups raw organic spinach
2 cups organic frozen fruit/berries- you choose, we love strawberries and mango
1 banana
1-2 tbsps Standard Process Whey Pro Complete**
1-2 tbsps Standard Process SP Complete Powder (with or without dairy)**

Blend all ingredients in your blender until smooth. You may add some raw honey or stevia for a sweeter smoothie.

**Standard Process Whey Pro Complete and SP Powder (comes in dairy free or with dairy) are available from Doctors only. Restoration Wellness carries these products (www.restorationwellness.com).

Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

• Cook Time:

  30 min

• Level:

  Intermediate

• Yield:

  12 to 15 servings

Ingredients

Dough:

• 6 tsps dry active yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded raw milk
  
• 1/4 cup xylitol or cane sugar
  
• 1/3 cup organic butter, melted
  
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 free range egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups whole wheat flour

Filling:

• 1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup xylitol or cane sugar, plus more for pan
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  
• 3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Cranberry Walnut Apple Bread- Whole Wheat

Cranberry Walnut Apple Bread

• 16 Servings
• Prep: 10 min. Bake: 1 hour + cooling

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup raw honey
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 free range eggs
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 cups chopped peeled tart organic apples
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt;. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, honey and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be very thick). Fold in apples, cranberries and walnuts.
• Transfer to an 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan coated with grapeseed oil spray. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).

Homemade Granola Bars

Making your own granola bars is one of those "throw whatever you have on hand in" type of recipe! Here's one that I did:

GRANOLA BARS

3 cups oats 1/3 cup organic raisins 1/3 cup dried organic cranberries (watch out for added sugars and hydrogenated oils) 1/3 cup dried cherries (same) 1 1/4 cup nuts (any kind), chopped 3 tbsps flax seed 3 tbsps sesame seeds 3 tbsps sunflower seeds 6 pitted and chopped dates 1/4 cup raw honey 1/4 cup molasses 1/2 cup sucanat 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 free range egg, beaten 2/3 cup organic butter or coconut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla Making the Granola: Add all ingredients to a large bowl, mixing well. Press firmly into a 15"X10" glass pan which has been generously sprayed with grapeseed oil spray. Bake at 350°F for about 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned along edges. Cool. Cut into bars. **Mine did not stick together well after sitting for one day. I think if you refrigerated them, they would stick better right away. It's possible to make a double batch for granola cereal two ways; before adding the honey, remove half of the mixture and store in refrigerator to be used as breakfast cereal, or combine all ingredients and toast in oven on a baking sheet, using a spatula to mix/turn. Proceed with remaining mixture as above to make the bars.

Dana and Matt's Breakfast Delight!

Matt and I used to make this breakfast all the time when we were dating. Really, it could be a quick lunch or dinner too! It's super yummy and just fun to make. Bake it a little more and you have a breakfast pizza, bake it a little less and you can roll it up as a breakfast burrito.

Makes 2:

2 whole grain tortillas, such as Ezekiel brand

About 4 free range organic eggs scrambled

4 slices of uncured turkey bacon cooked

1 organic potato washed and sliced thin

1 onion chopped

raw cheddar cheese shredded (about 1/2 cup or so)

sea salt and pepper

Cook onions and potatoes in a pan, covered, over medium high heat. Stir often. Add salt and pepper and some grapeseed or coconut oil so it doesn't stick.

Meanwhile, scramble eggs in another pan and cook the bacon when the eggs are done.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place in this order on your tortilla: eggs, chopped cooked bacon, potatoes and onions, cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes, give or take depending on how crispy you want it and if you want a pizza or a burrito. :)

Yum.

Blueberry Muffins Revised

Check out some changes I have made to my blueberry muffin recipe. Even more healthy and delicious! MMMMMM....

http://cleanoutyourpantry.blogspot.com/2009/07/blueberry-muffins.html

Come to think of it, I've revised a lot of my recipes and I have added several sweeter options to the recipes, that way you can choose which one you like best :) I personally like the raw honey and sucanat currently. Have fun experimenting!

Apple Breakfast Bars- FAST!

I found this recipe online, and decided to try it because it looked so easy and healthy. Scarlotte and I made them this morning and easy and healthy they are!

Apple Breakfast Bars (or snack bars!)

Good and healthy!

1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 orange juice (I only had apple juice and used that instead)

1 1/2 cups raw apples, shredded (about 2 medium)

cinnamon

honey

Place first 7 ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with honey (almost doesn't need the honey, but I added it anyway to find out later it was sweet already). Let stand 10 minutes. Press into a greased (grapeseed oil spray) 8 by 8 pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Serve warm. Freezes well.

Monique's Praise and Glory Muffins

My version of my friend Monique's recipe for 'Praise and Glory' muffins. You can find the original gluten free recipe at http://www.chariscreationsrecipes.blogspot.com/. Please note that my version is NOT gluten free unless you use the gluten free flour version ;). These muffins are just like my favorite muffin at Whole Foods that my Hubby buys me once in a while for $1.25 per muffin! So yummy! My favorite and now I can make them at home!

Monique's Praise and Glory Muffins

350 degrees

1/2 cup raisins

1 large organic apple, chopped small

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (or use a meat tenderizer to smash!)

3/4 cup shredded coconut ( make sure it is ONLY coconut with no added sugars or anything else!)

2 cups grated carrots (about 2 large carrots)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

**2 cups whole wheat flour
(For gluten free, use 1 1/4 cup oat bran flour and 3/4 cup quinoa flour. Delicious!)

3 eggs

2/3 cup applesauce (no sugar added)

1/2 cup raw honey or 3/4 cup Xylitol

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs, your choice of sweetener, applesauce, and vanilla. Next add your flour (s), cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix in carrots, raisins, nuts, coconut and anything else you want (we tried sunflower seeds today). Fill greased (grapeseed oil spray) muffin tins very full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick placed in center comes out clean. For me, it made 14 large muffins. Or 24 mini muffins and 6 large muffins.
**We absolutely love the gluten free version with xylitol of these! So healthy, light and delicious. Try it!