Maple Pumpkin/Squash Muffins

I made these muffins today: Maple Sweetened Pumpkin Muffins with Oats by Cookie and Kate. They were excellent! I used flax eggs (1 Tb. ground flax and 3 Tb. water - stir and let sit for 5 min), and I used butternut squash for the pumpkin, and I ran out of whole wheat flour half way through, so I subbed quinoa flour for the rest! And....I used apple sauce instead of coconut oil.... when I have more time, I will write it out as my own recipe. But this one's a great base for now!

Picture from HERE

Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Muffins

I adapted this recipe from the cookbook "Peas and Thank You," "Beg-Worthy Banana Bread." I really like Sarah Matheny's ideas, but she uses a bit too much sugar and processed vegan food for my liking, so I love changing her recipes to my own taste. So here is my version, and it's delicious! I let John help me make these tonight, and he had so much fun. He mostly just played, and made a way huger mess than I would have by myself, but I know we are making fond memories, and he will remember baking with Mama in the kitchen, and how he loved it, and how I let him lick the spoon and the bowl, and even eat the batter out of the bowl with the spoon, and stick his hands in the dry ingredients, feel the texture, and play in it like it was a sand box (until he realized that it makes a fun dust cloud and a mess if you throw it up in the air). It's a good thing we washed his hands very thoroughly before we started. He had so much fun, and I love him, and I love making delicious treats for my husband and son that are much healthier than the alternatives. John could've probably eaten half the batch if I'd let him!

Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Muffins

Makes 24 large muffins

Ingredients:
Dry:
- 4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)
- 1/4 cup ground raw flaxseed (don't get roasted. I promise you'll regret it if you do...)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 2/3 cup organic brown sugar or cane sugar

Wet:
-1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup natural apple sauce (no sugar added)
- 4 heaping cups banana, mashed (about 6-7)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla if you don't have almond extract)
- 1/2 cup almond milk (or non-dairy milk)

AND:
- 2 handfuls of chocolate chips (you can decide how much that is :)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 muffin tins with coconut oil (or line with paper muffin cups and lightly spray with vegetable oil)
2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients with a whisk.
3. In a medium sized bowl, mix coconut oil, almond butter, and apple sauce (using a fork). Then add mashed bananas, almond extract and almond milk.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, then fold in chocolate chips.
5. Divide evenly into muffin tins (makes 24).

6. Bake for 21-23 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

P.S. I know that my pictures of the food I post are usually only slightly better quality than you would find on the menu of an authentic Mexican restaurant, but I don't make many dinners or desserts in the morning when the lighting is great like many food bloggers do... And when I photograph our food, it is usually the moment before we pray at dinner and then eat it. So, I just don't have time to get out my giant higher quality camera, and try to make space around my galley kitchen and usually half covered in wheatgrass trays dining room table to set up a beautiful photo shoot space. Some day I will. And when that day happens, all of the children that we have will probably be in school, and at that point, I will probably have invented enough recipes to write my very own cookbook, which I will do. And at that time, I WILL redo all my photos, and they will be gorgeous. I do believe that the photos in a cookbook make all the difference. But, until that time, I will be content with my iphone photos and be grateful that I can take them instantly, and upload them right to my blog. A picture is better than no picture.

Wagner Muesli

Dry Ingredients:

Bulk measurements:

14 to 15 cups regular oats/42 ounces of oats

1 cup Chia seeds

1/2 cup whole flaxseed (opt)

4 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

3 to 4 cups dried fruit (raisins, or Craisins, etc.)

4 to 5 cups chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.)

Individual serving: - 2/3-3/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
- 2 TB. unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2-3 TB. dried fruit (ie. craisins, raisins, chopped dates, etc.)
- 2 TB. raw unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 TB. whole chia seed
- 1 TB. ground flaxseed
- Optional: any other nuts you would like to add: almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.

Tip:
- Making a huge batch is really the best use of time, and it lasts for a while. But if I am doing individual servings, I like to make a week's worth and put them in sandwich bags or Tupperware. It makes for a very quick, easy and healthy breakfast!


Add-in Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups almond or coconut milk (or milk of your choice)per 1 cup dry muesli
- 1/2 - 1 banana, diced
- other fresh fruit (ie. berries, 1/2 diced apple, a peach, etc.) 
- Use agave to sweeten if desired 

Directions:
1. Soak your dry ingredients in your milk for at least 5 minutes. I like to soak mine for 15-20 minutes to get the oats a little softer. You can even soak your Muesli overnight in the fridge like the Swiss do. That's our favorite way.
2. Cut up your banana and any other fresh fruit into your Muesli and enjoy!

Overnight Wagner Muesli by Emily Wagner 2015

Dry Ingredients- Bulk measurements:

- 14 to 15 cups regular oats/42 ounces of oats

- 1 cups Chia seeds

- 1/2 cup whole flaxseed (opt.)

- 4 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

- 3 to 4 cups dried fruit (raisins, Craisins, etc.)

- 4 to 5 cups chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.)

One serving is about 1 cup of dry ingredients. So if you are making the muesli for more than one person, plan accordingly.

Add-in Ingredients per serving:

- 1.5 to 2 cups *almond, soy, or coconut milk (or milk of your choice)

- 1/2 to 1 banana, diced

- Fresh fruit, diced (any kind of berries, 1/2 diced apple, a peach, etc.) 

- Use 1 tsp. agave to sweeten if desired (this is a friendly option for anyone with sugar level problems)

Directions:

- The night before you want to eat your Muesli, pour your dry ingredients in a bowl or container that has a lid. (We do 3 cups of dry ingredients for the 3 of us.)

- Add the desired amount of almond milk and stir. You want it to be a soupy consistency when you put it in the fridge so that the oats, flax and chia seeds can expand. Cover and soak overnight in the fridge.

- In the morning, stir your Muesli and add more milk if you would like it to be less dense. Add your banana and berries (or other fruit). Enjoy!

Alternate Directions:

1. Soak your dry ingredients in your milk for at least 5 minutes. I like to soak mine for 15-20 minutes to get the oats a little softer.

2. Cut up your banana and any other fresh fruit into your Muesli.

*Almond Milk has 50% more calcium than dairy milk and way less fat calories. If you want to up the protein level, you can do half soy milk and half almond milk.