Category Archives: Breakfast

Chia Blueberry Muggin – Muffin in a Mug

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After a month of nonstop holiday baking, cooking (and, naturally, eating), I’m trying to wean myself off sugar. After only a few days of so-so success, I feel as if I should be sainted. Yikes. I’ve heard sugar is as addictive as hard drugs and I believe it.
So while I was experimenting in the kitchen with a no sugar brownie recipe (which was nothing to blog about!) I heard on the news that there is a recipe contest using chia seeds.

big as the tip of a pencil


My ears perked up. Chia Seeds! You know, those cute little black dots that look like poppy seeds. They actually sport a variety of subtle shades of brown, grey and black and are the size of the top of a pencil.

I do enjoy using chia seeds and happen to have a couple of bags of them on hand. My mind raced with all the fun things I could make. Everyone seems to love the simplicity and variety of the Muggin – or Muffin in a Mug. So Voila! A Chia Blueberry Muggin.
The most popular item on my blog is the Cinnamon Muffin in a Mug. So I know the simplicity of a muggin is an easy way to get a ton of nutrition in a tasty package.

chia seed varieties

The contest rules say that you need to use 2 Tablespoons of chia seeds in each recipe. To make this even more nourishing, I used blueberries and walnuts; both superfoods. Add the oatmeal and this includes FOUR superfoods!

If you don’t know much about the chia seeds, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to know they contain all kinds of omega-3 fatty acids. Not that I really know what that is or why anything called a “fatty acid” would be a healthy addition to a diet. It’s a mystery, but I’ll accept it on faith.

Chia seeds also absorb moisture in our stomachs, so they expand and help us stay full longer. There’s tons more information about this superfood in dozens of websites. This one seems to lay out the facts simply about chia nutrition.

I made a few versions before the master taste tester, my hubby Ken, tried a bite and his eyes lit up. “This is really good,” he said sounding like Dr. Oz who says that after trying every culinary item presented to him. I do hope Dr. Oz likes them because the contest prize is a trip to New York to present the item to the great Oz himself. And this is a prize winning recipe. Try it and see if your taste buds don’t cheer!

Be careful not to “over bake” this. The chia seeds will expand with moisture, so I took it out of the microwave when it was just set up in the middle and still a bit gooey on the bottom when I flipped it onto a plate. That was perfect.

Note: For those who follow my blog and have a container of “Muggin Mix,” yes, you may use the mix. Just delete the flour, oats and baking powder from the ingredients below and use 3 TBS + ½ tsp of Muggin Mix.

Gluten Free option – swap out the flour for quick oats.
Dairy Free option – swap out the yogurt for applesauce or oil.

Chia Blueberry Muggin – or Muffin in a Mug
Ingredients
1 egg
2 TBS plain yogurt
1 TBS honey
½ tsp almond extract
2 TBS chia seeds

2 TBS flour
1 TBS quick oats
½ tsp baking powder

4 TBS blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 TBS chopped walnuts

Directions
Whisk the egg in a large coffee mug that will hold at least 12 – 16 ounces.
Add yogurt, honey, almond extract and chia seeds and mix well.
Stir in the dry ingredients until well blended.
Carefully fold in the blueberries and walnuts.
Put in microwave for about 1 ½ – 2 minutes. Don’t over bake.
Tip out onto a plate and enjoy.

The perfect breakfast – or dessert. High in protein, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, whatever they are! Three superfoods cha cha together using ch-ch-ch-chia seeds.

The most popular item on my blog is the Cinnamon Muffin in a Mug. Please give it a test drive.
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Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes

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pumpkin pancakes


While we were visiting our son and his family in Florida, he treated us to many incredible meals. One morning, he awoke with the idea for these pancakes. He kept track of the ingredients in case they were a hit and they were! Isaac is a trained chef who no longer works in the food industry, but he still loves to cook for family and friends.

Kara with Oliver on his 1st birthday


Isaac and his wife, Kara, have three adorable little ones who enjoyed every bite: Sophia, 7; Clare, 6 and Oliver who turned one while we were there.

Sophia

Clare


I hope your family enjoys these light and fluffy Pumpkin Buttermilk pancakes.

Isaac with Oliver

pancakes sit on a bit of butter

side two puffs up

Ingredients
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 TBS vanilla – Ike doesn’t shy away from flavor!
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter (or canola or coconut oil if you prefer.)
4 TBS cinnamon
3 TBS Agave nectar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (Ike used fresh, not powdered)
1/4 cup whole milk

Directions
In a large bowl, add the first four ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Next add all the remaining ingredients, except for the milk.
Whisk everything until it’s blended.
Add the milk and let the batter rest for a moment.
Heat a griddle.
Ike likes to butter his griddle as well.
Cook as normal for pancakes – a minute or so on each side.

We were pleased to watch as these puffed up nicely. They had volumes of flavor and the added fiber from the pumpkin. A great way to start the day.
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Fruit, Nut and Cheese Bread

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OK, I know what you’re thinking. “Are there prunes in this bread? Nana Clare, just because you’re old, you don’t have to start featuring prunes!”

Fruit, Nut Cheese Bread


I get it. When I was a kid, there were ads of sour faced old folks slurping down prune juice. Not a great incentive to try it. The other ad I remember was a young mother asking, “What should I serve my family? Are three prunes enough? Are five too many?” This was way before Dr. Oz blasted on the scene, so I don’t know if she ever got an answer to her dilemma.

Somewhere over the decades, I realized that prunes have gotten a bad rap. They need a new marketing image. Yes, some distributors are trying by selling them as “singles” or as “pitted plums.” But they need to embrace their “pruniness” and celebrate the sticky sweetness of these high fiber goodies. As for me? I like to sneak them into baked goods because they add a sweet moistness that enhances the flavor of anything they encounter.

And this Fruit, Nut and Cheese Bread is a perfect example. The original recipe called for apricots and I used the few I had on hand. But the majority of the fruit was sliced prunes and you can see how moist and delicious they look. I was afraid I wouldn’t get a picture because my hubby attacked the bread as soon as it came out of the oven. So delicious.


This is another heirloom recipe and one that my daughter has fondly remembered. The original recipe came from a Family Circle Favorite Cheese Recipes Magazine, 1975. I paid $1.25 for the magazine and found many keepers in its pages. Yes, I’ve updated a few of the ingredients to make it more versatile. This bread is one you may enjoy for breakfast, for an after school snack or for dessert. And I think you’ll feel good about serving it…as long as you toss a few extra prunes on the plate.

Ingredients
6 TBS butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 TBS grated orange peel
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup yogurt – plain or vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped dried apricots and prunes
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions
Grease a 9″ square pan or two small loaf pans.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter in a large mixing bowl.
Add sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add eggs, beating after each one.
Add orange peel, vanilla, cottage cheese and yogurt
Mix dry ingredients and add them to the butter batter.
Beat just until blended.
Fold in the fruit and nuts.
Bake about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

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Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffins

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Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffins – wow! This is a baked muffin recipe, as opposed to the microwave Muggins I often feature. I was asked to bake for a church group and I wanted to make something that was new to me because I’m on a quest for new muffin flavors. This one was a hit – or so I heard. Coffee aromas, blending with chocolate in a moist muffin – really how could I go wrong?

Coffee enhances chocolate, even when chocolate doesn’t realize it. And the coffee essence usually bows to chocolate so the deep rich flavors you crave really come through.
That is certainly the case in my family’s favorite cake: Cowboy Cake.
It’s also the case in the Brownie Lover’s Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Glaze.

raw sugar sparkles

cappuccino muffins

But I digress. This muffin recipe is from “Our Best Recipes” from Better Homes and Gardens, 2003. I stayed pretty true to the recipe to give it a fair try. Naturally I changed a few things because I just wanted to improve it. This is what I made:

Ingredients for Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
3 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp instant coffee crystals
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
Dash salt

1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/4 cup sliced almonds – for topping
2 TBS Turbinado (raw) sugar – for topping

had to try just one

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Prepare muffin pans with 18 paper cups or by greasing the pan.
If you use paper muffin liners, you may want to lightly spray the inside of the liners to keep the muffins from sticking to them.
In one bowl, whisk the 8 dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, egg and oil.
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Fill each of 18 muffin cups 3/4 full.
Sprinkle the almonds and sugar on top of the muffins. The sugar will make them sparkle!
Bake about 16 – 18 minutes, depending on your oven.
Use the toothpick method to be sure they’re done.
Cool on a rack for five minutes and enjoy these warm or cool.

That’s it! Another great muffin to add to your family favorites.

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