Bran Raisin Muffins

Don't knock the bran muffins till you try them! They are a huge hit for breakfast with Jacob and such a quick, easy breakfast or snack in his lunch (and mine!).  One muffin will fill you up for the morning.  My original recipe had 1/3 cup molasses for the sweetener, but it needed to just be a tad sweeter.  The molasses did give it an excellent flavor, so next time I’ll follow the instructions below for a sweeter muffin.

Dry Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup course bran flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup raisins

Wet Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar, or to taste

1/3 cup molasses

2 eggs

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with Pam Cooking Spray for Baking.

2. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat together the wet ingredients another bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating and stopping as soon as all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth, and thick but quite moist; add a little more milk or other liquid if necessary.

3. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full and handling the batter as little as possible. (If you prefer bigger muffins, fill 8 cups almost to the top; pour 1/4 cup water into the empty cups.) Bake for about 20 -25 or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before taking them out of the tin.

Beans

This toddler food turned into toddler food as my mistake.  My husband started soaking the beans overnight to make baked beans the following day for our family that came up to visit for a bbq.  They have to boil for an 1/2 hour to an hour (give or take) then get bbq'ized and baked.  I was put in charge of watching the beans while he mowed the grass.  I watched them all right, I watched them get really soft and start to break open (thus becoming to soft to then bake and make into baked beans).  Instead of wasting an entire batch of beans, we came up with a bean recipe that Jake (and we) loved as a side dish. My husband and I ate them as a side dish to sandwich night, and Jake ate them (scrap that, devoured them) when I mixed in some fresh corn from the cob that I had made the night before.

We use Rancho Gordo yellow eyed beans.  All the beans that we've ordered from these folks have been delicious!

www.ranchogordo.com

Ingredients 
1 lb. beans
3 tablespoon table salt (or 6 tablespoons if using Kosher salt) + pinch for seasoning
2 sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon oregano (dried)
1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped into quarters
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
Olive oil 

Directions
1. Soak beans overnight with 4 quarts of water and 3 tablespoon of table salt. Soak at least 8 hours but no longer than 12 hours.
2. Rinse beans thoroughly and place in pot with enough water to cover by an inch.  Add thyme, oregano, black pepper, onion and garlic.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer until tender, approx. 45 minutes to an hour.
4. When beans are done cooking, remove thyme, onion and garlic, discard.
5. Drain beans and toss with drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

I found the best way to save them as toddler food to dish them in a muffin tin, freeze and when they are frozen, pop out each muffin tin into a freezer bag for single serving portions.  To reheat, put in a microwave safe bowl, cover with a wet paper towel, and microwave on high, approximately 45 seconds - 1 minute. 

Mix with your child's favorite diced veggies or a good side dish, or even main course for lunch or dinner.

Spinach Pancakes

These were recommended to me from another mom as a good toddler food.  I was skeptical at first ... spinach?? But after popping one in the microwave for 2 minutes, cutting it up and feeding to my toddler, I was sold.  They are very tasty, made of real veggies, and Jake LOVES them.  They will be a staple item in our house for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.

Todder, approved!