Cinnamon Roll Muffins

I don't know about you, but if I have a pan of cinnamon rolls sitting on my counter, they talk to me. They convince me that it is better to have a cinnamon roll than to eat a healthy lunch. My workout earned me two cinnamon rolls. You know what would go great with a cup of hot cocoa? A cinnamon roll. And after I go for a long walk? I should have a cinnamon roll.

If I bake my cinnamon rolls in muffin tins, I can eat one or two and pop the rest of them in a freezer. Then I can zap one at a time and they don't talk to me nearly as much :)

 

3T Thrive Powdered Milk

2T Thrive Butter Powder

1T Thrive Whole Egg Powder

2/3c Hot Water

3c Thrive Whole Wheat or White Flour, divided

1 Package Instant Yeast
1/4c Thrive White Sugar
1/2t Thrive Salt
1/4c Water

1c Thrive Brown Sugar
1T Ground Cinnamon
1/2c Thrive Butter, Prepared

Preheat oven to 375. In a container with a screw on lid, combine powdered milk, butter powder, whole egg powder and hot water. Shake well and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2c flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add water and milk/butter mixture and beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2c at a time, until the dough just pulls together. Knead on a floured surface until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough out on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about 12x9. Spread dough with butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Roll up and cut into 12 equal sized rolls. Place each in a greased muffin cup and bake at 375 for 25-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

These cinnamon roll muffins can be frozen for up to six months. To defrost, microwave for 30 seconds.

French Toast with Blueberry Syrup

There's nothing like breakfast for dinner after a long day! It's quick, easy, and generally pleases everyone in our house. Tonight I decided to do a little something special and make blueberry butter and blueberry syrup to top our french toast - yum.

Blueberry butter is amazingly simple. Mix 2T Thrive Butter Powder with some powder from the bottom of your can of Thrive Freeze Dried Blueberries. No powder? Just crush a few in a zip top bag by smashing them with a mallet or rolling over them with a rolling pin. Add a little bit of honey and 1T water. Stir, adding more water if necessary until you reach a consistency you like. Chill it in the fridge until your french toast is done.

Yes, it really is that purple!

 To make your own blueberry syrup, combine 1/2c Thrive Freeze Dried Blueberries with 1c maple syrup and simmer gently in a saucepan. The berries will rehydrate and soften nicely while you make your french toast. If your family isn't a blueberry fan, feel free to use any of the Thrive berries.

While the syrup warms on the stove, make your french toast:

1c Thrive Instant Milk, prepared
6T Thrive Whole Egg Powder
1t Ground Cinnamon

Mix all ingredients well. If you have a martini shaker, it will make this process much easier. I like to use the Ziploc containers that have a screw on lid. Once your dip is mixed thoroughly, pour it into a shallow dish. Heat a griddle or skillet to medium high heat and grease well. Dip the bread of your choice into the egg mixture, coating each side well, and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve topped with blueberry syrup and blueberry butter!

What is your favorite "breakfast for dinner" meal?

Cornmeal Cookies

Our daughter Annika recently decided that she thought cornmeal cookies would be good. I've never heard of cornmeal cookies, but I like cornmeal and I like cookies so they can't be all that bad, right? Wrong. They weren't "all that bad"... they were amazing. I mean it - amazing. They were light and fluffy with a great texture from the cornmeal and just the right amount of sweetness. These are an absolute must try!

Cute little cookies baking in the oven.

1 1/2c Thrive Flour (we used a combination of whole wheat and white)
1/2c Thrive Cornmeal
1/2c Thrive White Sugar
1t Thrive Baking Powder
1/2t Thrive Salt
1T Thrive Whole Egg Powder
2T Water
4T Butter (we used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light)
2T Applesauce
1/2t Cinnamon
1/4c Agave Nectar (you could use honey or molasses)
1/4c Chocolate Chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a large cookie sheet. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl using a hand mixer on low speed until dough forms. Spoon by heaping tablespoon full onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Makes 28 large cookies.

What Do You Do With Whole Egg Powder?

We're going to call today "What the Heck Wednesday".

When you start cooking with food storage products, inevitably some items will make you say "what the heck do I do with that?" Thrive Whole Egg Powder was a head scratcher for me when it first showed up in my Q shipment. I know it is a crucial part of my well stocked food storage pantry, but it looks kind of funny and I found it intimidating. Surprisingly enough, it is actually very easy to use and is far more convenient than using traditional eggs in a lot of recipes.

I am notorious for spending a good four or five minutes fishing egg shell pieces out of whatever it is I'm trying to cook. I don't know what my problem is, I guess I just missed the how-to-crack-an-egg lesson, but you can imagine how happy I am to avoid that lovely exercise in patience now! No cracking, no fishing, no slimy counter top (I always manage to drip some egg white somewhere). All I have to do is open the container, measure out one tablespoon of Whole Egg Powder and two tablespoons of water for each egg my recipe requires, and stir. That's it. Genius!

Thrive Whole Egg Powder brings some excellent attributes to baking: it is always consistent in volume, it rises beautifully and evenly, and it is lower in fat and cholesterol than traditional eggs. Using egg powder allows me to fit normally high calorie desserts into my diet more often, and I feel better serving these desserts to my friends and family. Baked goods still taste rich and delicious, they just come with a little less guilt.

A few other ideas for incorporating Thrive Whole Egg Powder into your daily meals:

• Blend with milk and cinnamon to make a delicious dip for your french toast.
• Replace half of the eggs in your favorite quiche recipe with egg powder to reduce the calories, fat and cholesterol.
• Make your favorite cookie dough using whole egg powder, and eat the dough raw without worrying about salmonela.
• Make home made mayonnaise that travels - it won't spoil nearly as fast.
• Add a tablespoon or two of egg powder to your Thrive 6 Grain Pancake Mix for fluffier pancakes.
• Scramble up a quick omelet using egg powder and your favorite Thrive veggies.

 Question of the Day: What is your favorite egg dish?
I love bacon, spinach and swiss quiche. I usually have the necessary ingredients on hand, and it bakes up pretty enough to serve guests at a nice brunch. It can also be made into mini quiches if you bake it in a mini muffin tin. I'll share a recipe soon!