egg-less chocolate chip cookies

recipe adapted from bakerella.com (milk and cookies)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour (substituted for total 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp ground flax mixed with 6 tbsp water (substituted for 2 eggs)
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.
3. With a mixer, beat butter and both sugars until well blended.
4. Beat in egg substitute (or eggs) and vanilla.
5. Add flour mixture in two additions until combined.
6. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.
7. Use a mini ice cream scoop to drop cookie dough on a parchment covered cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Tip from bakerella: About half way through baking, sprinkle reserved chips on top of cookies. This is just to make them prettier so, some of the chips are seen on top.

bonus to using the egg substitute: this is a cookie dough you can safely sample! ;) cookies are definitely denser with the addition of the whole wheat flour, but consensus in our house is the chocolate chips more than make up for it! super-tasty!
the dough freezes perfectly...nice to have for rainy days.

edit: i've now made these with eggs and somehow, even though it's how the recipe was created, we didn't find them near as tasty. hum? fluke maybe?

lunchbox muffins

recipe adapted very liberally from sneakychef.com

SCORE! mama felt like super-mama with this one!!!

1/3 c. wheat germ
1/3 c. oat bran
1/3 c. white whole wheat flour (i use king arthur's)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each salt and baking soda
2 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp water to form thick consistency (substitution for 2 large eggs)
1.5 tbsp light agave nectar (substiuted for 2 tablespoons sugar)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 single serve container mott's (no sugar added) applesauce (i used cranberry-apple flavor) or 1/2 c. if using the big jar.
1/4 c. pureed carrots (i used baby food)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the wheat germ, oat bran,flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the flax mixture (or eggs), agave nectar (or sugar), oil, applesauce, and carrots. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing until the flour is just moistened.

3. Fill each muffin cup almost to the top, spooning about 1/4 cup of batter into each and bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm out of the oven or wrap and store in refrigerator (for up to 3 days) or freezer (for up to 3 months).

notes: these aren't your average indulgent muffin...but surprisingly, they aren't bad. they aren't very pretty and they don't rise. texture is different...very much like an oatmeal cookie. just a hint of sweetness (i would, of course, like more...but i'm addicted to sugar). amazingly, the kids were in love with these and thought it was super-special to have a muffin for lunch! and as mentioned, i felt like super-mama thinking of all the wholesome goodness they were putting in their bodies!

tonight's meal: spaghetti (with marilyn's meat sauce)

appx 30 min from start to finish.

ingredients:

1lb ground turkey or beef (we usually use turkey)

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tbsp parsley

1/2 tbsp basil

3/4 tsp salt

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste + 1 can filled with water

1/2 tbsp sugar

angel hair/thin spaghetti noodles (we usually use whole wheat)

1. brown meat slowly.

2. add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer.

3. boil noodles, drain and top with meat sauce.

notes: this is also the meat sauce for the lasagna we make (the very first casserole i would ever eat!). it's definitely one of our go-to meals. the kids gobble it up (like they both had three helpings kind of gobbleitup). it's so easy, healthy, and tasty... you'll never serve a sauce from a jar again!

*bonus: add jar or two of carrots stage 1 baby food for extra hidden nutrition. it'll be your little secret. i usually leave out the sugar (or at least reduce it) when i do this.