Breakfast

Sorry, no picture accompanies this post about gluten-free pancake mix, but you can see a photo on the Bob's Red Mill website.

This mix was such a success, I'm very surprised. It was easy to prepare, and the batter seemed to make perfect little circles on the griddle. No one ever would have known I failed to beat out all the lumps. I did add a teaspoon or so of vanilla flavoring, which the recipe on the back of the bag didn't call for. However, I think the flavorings are essential for making pancakes a bit sweeter and less like biscuits. They cooked up fluffy and golden. They didn't break apart easily when spread with peanut butter. (Even some regular pancakes do that!) I finished the last of them for breakfast this morning after our guests left. I was sorry to see them go, but was not sorry to have the last two left just for me.

At about $4.50 a package at Whole Foods (which fed three adults and two kids about two breakfasts), it might seem a steep price to pay, but if you have guests who are allergic to gluten and don't have a good collection of wheat-replacement ingredients, Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix will like save you time and money. And I'd be willing to bet, you wouldn't even know they were flour-less.

I was running dangerously low on cereal. I went to Publix and came across the Quaker Oats Squares on BOGO (buy one, get one free) with $1 coupons beside the boxes. (At my Publix, you can use a coupon on the purchased product and on the free one.) Although it was more than I would like to pay normally $1.25 for a box of cereal seemed like a good deal since I was about to be desperate for cold cereal and could review it for EatLikeaRabbit.

I bought one box of the Brown Sugar and one box of the Cinnamon. We opened the brown sugar first, and I loved it. I felt like I was eating the healthy-for-you Shredded Wheat, but it didn't taste as bland. I noticed even Paul, really, really not a fan of sweet cereals was also sneaking some of my brown sugared squares. (Paul does eat Shredded Wheat.)

Another free sample from Kashi! Sadly, this one didn't come with coupons for more free cereal. Anyway, it's a granola with dried berries. It tastes a good deal sweeter than my much preferred Kashi Blueberry Cereal. And, honestly, I feel like you could make granola with great dried fruit so much cheaper at home. It's not my favorite cereal by far.

From one of the discussion companies I signed up for, Vocalpoint, I received a free sample of Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon cereal. The box also came with a coupon for a free full-size box of any Heart to Heart cereal. Once you tried the free sample box, you were asked to rate the box on the Vocalpoint website with A, B, or C just like school grades. I rated the cereal a B. Although I enjoy lots of cinnamon, I found the cereal too crispy to chew. I recognize Kashi products often have that stigma. Paul also mentioned that the cinnamon cereal was sweeter than it needed to be. I noticed some comments on the website agreeing.

I've held onto this photo for quite some time hoping to do a calculation of how much it cost me to make these biscuits. But now, my receipts are jumbled together as I've been too tired to keep them well organized, and it would be a great challenge to get an estimate. Maybe I'll update this with the facts around tax time when I don't have a choice but to go through all of them.

All that being said, this is one of those recipes that is worth a fortune to us. I frankly don't care how much they cost (but with only 5 ingredients, don't expect it to be much). They are so easy and fast to make and are completely delicious. One accidentally dropped into my soup, and it was still wonderful!

Paul is in California without me for a death in the family. We'll skip over the fact that I feel horrible being unable to travel and unable to join the family in support. When Paul left Thursday night, he took my suitcase instead of his own, which is considerably smaller because he packs significantly less than I do when we travel--especially to Europe where you often have to carry your own luggage up stairs. Anyway, it's not surprising based on our past posts about our visits to Trader Joe's in California and Washington that Paul wanted as much space as possible to do a bit of grocery shopping while on the other side of the country.

Applesauce making had a few changes this year. I don't know for sure if it was better than last year. That was too long ago and the applesauce didn't last long then, either! But, I'm happy with the changes and will continue on with these improvements.

On my list for using up our Michigan apples was to try my hand at dehydrating apple slices into chips. I found an improved source of information for how to do so effectively at Seasonal Chef.

It takes about one small-medium apple to fill each jar with chips. (I used two larger Golden Delicious and two smaller Jonagold.) However, I'm warning you, they don't last long. My jars lasted about a week with Paul and his folks hanging around. I'm not complaining at all. After all, you cook for people to eat, and I still believe the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. But, you may find it's a lot of work for such short-lived pleasure.

I added Smitten Kitchen's recipe for breakfast apple crisp to my recommended links about three weeks ago. The recipe was a use for my large batch of Michigan apples. Not surprisingly, it was amazingly good, and I'm happy to say I have a couple gallon bags full of already diced apples that I can whip this easy recipe up again and again over the next few months. I know another apple crisp will be top priority for breakfasts over the holidays.

One of the cool things about this recipe is the fact that it's actually meant to be served cold, which is a great time-saver on busy mornings. But at the same time, I heated some for trial and was in love with it, too. Turn this dish into a great dessert just by warming it and serving it with vanilla ice cream instead of eating it cold in a bowl with yogurt.

Cost Per Person $0.44

In reading up on how to get children to eat healthy, I learned that some foods should be given more creative or less scary names. I took this step when adding spinach to my smoothies. The spinach (green tops) reminded me of eating fresh mint or even the tops of organic berries in my drink when you aren't worried about eating the leaves. The bitterness of the spinach is non-existent; so, I have no fear of suddenly realizing that the "tops" aren't tops at all. I have fought "green smoothies" for quite some time, but the fruit hides the look, which makes me more likely to drink it. Also, the additional vitamin C from orange juice increases absorption of iron, which is just as important for my body as eating the iron to begin with.

Sadly, my fetal-brain-drain kicked in and sometime last weekend I failed to put my frozen bananas back in the freezer, and they weren't very acceptable for smoothies after spending the night in the fridge. I used frozen peaches (Yes, we have a variety of fruit in our freezer. Just wait until all the applesauce and squash come into season.) as an alternative. The downside was that the color came out funky. One person at work thought my drink was pasta sauce to go with my EMT's pasta, and another person thought I was drinking salsa. Well, no matter the look, it tasted just fine.

Recipe for Berry Banana Smoothies

Serves 2

• One frozen banana
• 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 6 large frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

I defrost my strawberries for a minute in the microwave because the banana often adds enough thickness on its own. Blend the raspberries first because they're smaller. Add the strawberries for some liquid, then spinach, banana, yogurt, and juice. Lighten up on the liquids if the smoothie is getting too thin or add an extra banana. The raspberries are the strongest flavor so those are what you need least extra of. If spinach is necessary in your diet, too, you can get away with adding more "green tops" without tasting the bitterness.

As with all smoothies, it's easy to be creative and explore. No two are alike. For my mid-morning drinks, I used just strawberries (defrost again) and peaches with the juice and spinach. I eliminated the yogurt because at work it takes me a while to sip my drink.

This open-faced sandwich recipe comes from Marsha via a favorite bagel joint of hers in the Newport Coast area of California. I don't remember the name of the store, but it's not a chain, which makes it difficult to order it out. Just get the supplies and eat in.

Although I'm doing better eating plain bagels or buttered bagels, Paul really enjoyed this bagel creation served on an Andy Warhol Marilyn plate. In fact, Marsha was quite proud when Paul gave up half of a bagel he would usually put peanut butter on to have an additional half of the sandwich. It was a great and filling breakfas. I know the quality of the bagels and freshness of the avocado had a huge part to play in the flavor. We'll be planning such breakfast sandwiches for guests in the near future.

This is a great way to practice eating avocados for a natural way to lower cholesterol. In that case, a doctor would also likely recommend lightening up on the cream cheese and switching to a whole wheat bagel or even a slice of whole wheat bread instead.

Avocado Bagel

• 1/2 Sesame Bagel, Toasted
• 1 Tablespoon Cream Cheese
• 1/5 Avocado, Sliced
• Lemon Pepper in Grinder, To Taste
• Salt, To Taste

Cover the bagel with the cream cheese. (Marsha is very generous with the cream cheese.) Top with the avocado slices, sliced your preferred thickness. (Marsha's son, Austin, likes his slices super thin.)

Sprinkle with Salt and fresh ground lemon pepper to taste.

CVS had these bars on sale last week. They cost me roughly $0.75. We are big fans of energy bars, especially when we're training--Paul more than me--for races. My very distant and morning-sick opinion is that they didn't look large enough to be worth $0.75 each.

Garret and Paul graciously agreed to be the guinea pigs and downed the strawberry and Raisin Almond bars, respectively. Quotes aren't necessarily in the order in which they were spoken.

Tastes like tofu with raisins.It has milk in it?Yep. Tastes like rubberized tofu.Dry.

Another more detailed review of the energy bars can be found at Healthy. Happy. Life.

I think we'll stick to Cliff or Bumble Bars in the future.

If it was all about price, this would be a fabulously cheap meal because the pancake mix cost me $0.69 at Target, and I only used a couple cups, the strawberries were on sale the same day at Freshfields Farm, and the "sausage" links were 50% off at Publix some time ago, and I stocked my freezer. But in theory, this post is more about what we thought about the Quaker Oatmeal Pancake Mix. I had two coupons; so, I gave one to Mom, and we each brought home a box of the mix to try. I made pancakes and Mom made waffles. (She has my waffle iron.)

Mom's Waffle Recipe

• 3 ½ C sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 T baking powder
• 2 T sugar
• 1 ½ t salt
• 4 egg whites
• 2 ½-2 ¾ C milk
• 6 T Smart Balance cooking oil

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Set aside. Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Continue beating adding milk and oil. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour 1 cup batter on preheated grid. Close unit and bake until light goes out (about 5 minutes). Makes 8 large waffles.

Mark, my local store manager, returned my phone call a bit ago, and was very kind--even asking me to stop in and see him with an example coupon on my next visit. I took notes during the conversation and have some interesting items to share.

Firstly, a BOGO is considered a "deal." There should be no issue with coupons when the "deal" is something completely different. Secondly, he says it is OK to "stack" a Publix coupon with a vendor/manufacturer coupon (which I was surprised about because the Publix coupons say "Cannot be combined with any other coupon." You just can't accept two of the same coupon for one product (naturally, this is the situation and all stores). Thirdly, he says he will accept Walmart and Target coupons. (Never really thought of that.)

On the down side, Mark says there is no number to call should I get into a jam at the checkout and there is no coupon policy printed anywhere to reference. A manager should accommodate the patron or make their own reason why a coupon is not acceptable.

Mark apologized for the difficulty at the Michigan Ave. store and said that part of the mission statement for Publix is to be a "good steward of Publix" and sometimes staff get a little "overzealous" regarding couponing.

I had a small problem today and just need to vent more than anything. I do have a call in to the district manager at Publix and have been asked to patiently await a call within the next couple business days.

Right next to Trader Joe's is a Great Harvest Bread Company that Leann introduced us to.This little shop has such a variety of bread that it has to follow a schedule to produce the different loaves on different days. When I walked in, they offered us a taste of three or four options. One looked more like a pan of brownies than bread. Having a sweet tooth, I would have been very happy to go for the brownie, but in effort to experience the new and to give a true opinion of the selection, I decided to try a slice of garlic cheddar. The slice was soft and white with complete, but not strong, flavor of cheddar and garlic bits. I was very impressed with my taste test. Leann bought a loaf of cinnamon bread, which has the same idea of a good quality bread recipe bits of flavoring stirred in at regular intervals. Leann and I had the same idea that the loaf of bread is done as soon as you open it. So, you just can't open it. You just have to sit and watch it on the counter while it's calling your name.

When I was a kid, we ate MorningStar Farms Bacon Strips at least every Saturday morning before church. My dad would fry them in oil and they came out dark and crispy. As I got older, I learned it was faster to cook them on high 20 seconds per strip in the microwave. As I got even older and started paying attention to taste and health, I learned that it's just as easy to cook the strips on medium in an ungreased Teflon skillet and turning often until they are browned and crispy.

Visit the MorningStar Farms website for photographs of the box, other breakfast items, and nutritional information on the products.

I've been reading a new cooking book called Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less. And no, I'm not on a diet. One of the authors happens to be Mollie Katzen, the author of the Moosewood Cookbooks that I adore, and the woman who started the Moosewood Restaurant in New York. I received the diet book for my birthday for two reason: 1)There are a number of new recipes in the back of the book and 2) my office (a cardiology clinic) started a Health and Wellness program at the beginning of the year and Paul thought the book would be helpful in the way I deal with my patients. I can't believe some of the statistics I read. Indeed, it will help a lot of people!

Paul wanted some poached eggs to go with some English muffins I got on sale. His mom had a very simple plan for accomplishing the meal. I also acquired some Simply Potatoes on sale at Publix and thought this would be an opportunity to try something new. I love the speed and ease of poaching the eggs in the microwave and how our small Vignelli bowls are a perfect size for accomplishing the task. Paul used our "splurge" item of white cheddar from the imported shelves at Costco and sliced tomatoes on his sandwich and topped the eggs with dill, salt, and pepper. It really was good.

The following is a copy of an email I sent to our most devoted house guest, Garrett Nudd, for which our "Gachett Suite" is named. (Those not in the know may not know how much fun I get out of calling Garrett this name. It originally came from Paul and Garrett's barber who has a hard time saying Garrett because of the language barrier. However, she's great at cutting hair, and that's most important.) Paul was reading over my shoulder and said I wrote a complete blog post to Garrett and was leaving out important information other readers may glean, too.

I picked up a sore throat earlier this month, and Paul was so helpful. He said it was time we used some of our own herbs to make tea. Before our herbs had matured, we purchased a variety of teas at Publix. It being Florida and generally hot around here, we don't regularly drink tea. So, we do tend to have an excess of herbal teas lying around. This Sunday morning, Paul made our tea from scratch. He started with enough water for two mugs full (about 2 to 2 1/2 cups) and boiled it in the microwave. Meanwhile, he filled a tea egg with dehydrated herbs I had taken fresh from our garden and put on our dehydrator.

This is a great snack or dessert option. On occasion, Paul and I will have a breakfast item for dinner, especially if we had rich lunches and were still a bit full from a late lunch. This night, we had small smoothies with peanut butter toast. Certainly, if I can get a concoction that I really like and can remember, I won't want to make so many trips to Planet Smoothie. This recipe makes 16 ounces of smoothie, which is perfect for us. Sometimes, if I make more than that, it goes to waste.

Recipe for Smoothie

• 8 frozen strawberries
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2-3 Tablespoons peanut butter

Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

In a floundering market consumers are looking for good food that is as cheap and nutritious as possible. I hope this post will be the first in a continuous series that focuses on time-saving dishes that don't break the bank while they impact your menu.

I have previously mentioned that applesauce is a annual tradition at our house. The following is my process.

The biscuit recipe came from my mother and the gravy recipe came from Paul's mother through her mother-in-law.

I love scrambled eggs. Who doesn't? As a child, I watched my grandparents put chives in theirs and it made me sick. Now, I can't eat my eggs plain. Paul put his eggs on top of his English muffin, poured Cholula Sauce over it, and garnished it with Raspberries. All of my items were neatly separated. The differences between a husband and a wife! I will say, I was out of spinach this day. I missed it.

This was such a fun activity last winter. The local Christian elementary school was selling cases of Washington Apples as a fund raiser. Now you don't have to support Christian education, but everybody wants fresh, tree-ripened fruits instead of the painted green objects from the grocery stores. I believe the variety we ordered was called Jon-a-Golds, but I have no record of that. They were a cross between sweet and sour.

This is absolutely the easiest recipe ever. I used a recipe for regular pancakes. I chose to pass on the "Buttermilk Pancake" recipes because buttermilk is so expensive. After all, what will you do with the rest of the drink when you have made your pancakes? There might be a lot left. Moreover, I want to make pancakes when I want them and do not want to worry about whether or not I have all the ingredients. Naturally, I also like to be able to control the fat in my foods as well. So, I used a regular recipe that used regular milk and whole beat eggs. I like fast cooking adventures and don't have the patience for beating egg whites and folding them into the batter. Nevertheless, use the recipe you are happiest with when creating pancakes from the heart.

I suppose in my writing I have neglected to point out that my mother taught me how to cook. She helped me get my cooking honor in Pathfinders and still watches over me in the kitchen. This is one of my favorite recipes of hers.

This post is in honor of our dear friend, Garalynne, a nutritionist in Savannah, Georgia. Garalynne has been taught how to eat well, and when she and her husband, Trevor, lived in Orlando, they would come over many Saturday nights for smoothies. Paul has a 3-ish cup blender that is perfect for individual drinks. We love our memories with our friends.

The best healthy late evening snack is smoothies and popcorn. Be creative with both. Here are some options: