Oatmeal Cookies

Last night I attended a great lecture titled "Feeding Your Children Well in a World That Doesn't. Let's Talk Sugar!" A lot of the information was stuff I alreeady knew and have been implementing for myself. The kids are not as much on board just yet much as I wish they were. One of the new ingredients I learned about and tried is Hemp Seed. This is a food loaded with protein and fiber. This morning I "snuck" it into my 5 year old's blueberry yogurt smoothie and he loved it and did not even seem to notice this secret ingredient along with the flax seed meal.

One of the samples we tried last night was a cookie made with whole grains and no sugar. While I liked the sample it seemed a bit oily/crunchy from the use of cocnut oil. So I came up with a similar version that I baked this morning for my boys. Sadly they didn't love it but I think I can make it better on the next run to entice them more. They did both at least try it :)

Here is the recipe below with my thoughts on improving the next batch. I welcome any feedback you may have when trying this in your kitchen.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
6 oz Plain Greek non fat yogurt ( I would double this amount to make the cookies more moist or even add a small amount of unsweetened apple sauce or banana puree)
1/2 cup barley malt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups oat flour
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup almonds chopped fine
dash of cinnamon ( I would use at least 1-2 tsp next time)
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened carob chips
1/4 cup raisins ( I might soak these next time to insure more moisture)

Blend wet ingredients first then add remianing dry ingredients. Finally carob adn raisins. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins

With the wonderful fall weather comes some amazing squashes and root vegetables. Last week, I got a "pie pumpkin" in my farm share so I decided to see what it'd be like if I cooked it myself. It was delicious and so much better than the stuff in the can. To cook the pumpkin all I did was cut it, scoop out the insides, peel the skin and steam it. Once it was soft I put it into my Vitamix which is my new favorite kitchen appliance and pureed it in just a few seconds. From there I created the following yummy recipe for pumpkin muffins. It yields 24 muffins and tastes great served with a piping hot cup of apple cinnamon tea.

Ingredients:
1 small pie pumpkin steamed and pureed
6 oz plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup barley malt
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup apple sauce
3T pumpkin pie spice
1 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup oat flour
1 cup brown rice flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup millet
2tsp baking soda

In a mixer, combine the pumpkin, yogurt, apple sauce, egg, barley malt, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Blend well. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix well. Spray muffin pans with Pam or other similar cooking spray. Sprinkle oats on top of muffins before baking. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

The brown rice flour gives the recipe a nice nutty flavor. I have greatly reduced my use of whole wheat flower recently in exchange for oats, oat flour adn millet which are all alkaline foods. I love the way the millet adds a crunch to the texture of the muffins.