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The Balanced Kitchen

Time for food. Time for Life.

Wild Blueberry Oatmeal Waffles

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“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Wild Blueberries and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

When we think of holiday meals we tend to think of the dinners. Those big, heavy meals that leave us feeling comatose and overfull. But what about the other meals on those days? For me, I always try to start the mornings of the big holidays off with a good, healthy breakfast so that I can face the day knowing that I started out on the right foot. I also am fan of a hearty breakfast on those mornings because it helps me to not get too hungry too early in the day, which helps to minimize snacking. So when I was invited through The Recipe Redux to come up with healthy holiday recipes that included frozen wild blueberries my first thought was breakfast. I wanted to create a recipe that would be healthy and hearty, but also one that would feel special enough to use on a holiday morning and I think that these wild blueberry oatmeal waffles fit the bill perfectly!…

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Mom’s Gluten-Free Fruit Crisp

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The boys and I are in Colorado this week visiting my parents for Spring Break. Coming home to Colorado is always wonderful because we get to see friends and family, we spend time in the mountains and with horses, and we spend lots and lots of time outside. But the other reason I always love coming home is that I don’t think there has ever been a time when I didn’t fall in love with some new recipe that my mom has either developed or discovered and this week is no exception!…

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“Oatmeal Cookie” Oatmeal

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Here in the DC area this past February was the coldest February in 36 years. And now we are bracing for another snowstorm. It has been quite a long haul, for this region (although nothing in comparison to Boston!), and so I have felt the need to change up my regular winter breakfast routine. One way that I have been doing that is by playing with the toppings on my oatmeal. I have tried defrosted frozen blueberries, mango chunks, chopped up apple, apple sauce, every nut you can think of, and the list goes on. They have all been tasty, but the biggest hit in our house has been what we are calling “Oatmeal Cookie” Oatmeal….

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7-Minute Granola

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As I have mentioned on the blog before, I avoid eating wheat at breakfast and lunch. I have found that I have much more energy and no longer get the 2pm slump. This has changed my life for the better in so many ways, but it has also posed some challenges. I love baked goods—muffins, scones, and bagels for breakfast and sandwiches on really good bread for lunch are my faves. One of my go-to breakfasts since this transition (along with baked goods made with spelt flour like this one and this one) has been granola. I make a batch pretty much every week. I love that it is quick and that I can mix in lots of fruit, have it with some protein-rich yogurt, and be good to go for the whole morning. The only problem is that sometimes I don’t have time to bake that next batch and then I am left struggling to find a quick breakfast.

Well, no more! I have recently discovered skillet granola and my life is forever changed! Yes, I will still bake big batches. But for those times when I need some quickly, this skillet granola that takes only 7 minutes to make (including chopping up nuts!) is a delicious alternative! And when you eat it right away it has the added perk of being warm, but not hot like oatmeal. I’m in love and I think as soon as you try it, you will be too….

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Slow Cooker Overnight Oatmeal: A solution to the breakfast struggle

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Breakfasts have been a big topic of conversation in my world recently. Between running a workshop on it last week and multiple conversations with clients about the importance of a healthy start to the day with breakfast, it seems like people just feel stuck with breakfast.

People tell me that they just don’t have time, that they need it on the go, that they are sick of eating the same thing every day, that they can’t bear the thought of food first thing in the morning. Sound familiar? …

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Oatmeal “Muffones”

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For reasons that are unclear, there has been an organic and cage-free egg shortage that has been wreaking havoc on our food plans. We usually have a freezer stockpiled with muffins that we use for breakfasts and in school lunches. Our boys often have eggs for breakfasts. We are big fans of fried rice for a quick weeknight dinner. All of that has become much less possible when you can only get half-a-dozen eggs for more than $4……

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Spelt Sweet Potato Muffins

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I don’t know about at your house, but things at our house have been crazy busy! One way you can tell is that our freezer has gotten very, very empty. How is that a sign? Well, it means I have been depending heavily on my leftovers stockpile for dinners, as well as my quick breakfasts stash.

So today I am replenishing my stores a bit. I made a big trip to the grocery store (first trip since our CSA ended for the season, such a hard transition) and have been whipping up some goodies. One of which is a new favorite recipe in our house: Spelt Sweet Potato Muffins.

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Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers

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This weekend was a time when I was repeatedly reminded of how fast time is flying by. We spent a wonderful evening with a large group of friends and their kids and, for the most part, the kids just played on their own. Sure there were a couple skirmishes, especially as the evening wore on and kiddos got pooped, but for the most part it was really the grown-ups talking and the kids off, doing their own thing.

Then we spent a late evening with an old friend, playing cards and laughing a lot. It was a wonderful reminder that even as time goes by, even the closest relationships that continue to grow and change.

And then the weekend ended with a family dinner with all the cousins running around (4 boys in 4 years). Similar to the friends gathering, the kids were off entertaining themselves, having an amazing time, and the grown-ups could watch from a distance and enjoy each other.


This feels like a major milestone in parenting—that time when the kids are off entertaining themselves and you can (sort of) trust that no one is going to fall from a great height or poke their eye out. It feels like the time just flew by, and yet I am SO GRATEFUL to be here now….

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Granola Bar Goodness

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I have always been a big fan of granola bars. I love taking a bite and getting something different each time. I love the fact that they have good-for-you stuff in them. I love that they transport well. Love them. For years and years I always had the store bought ones around and although I was aware that they were sugar-packed and not-as-good-for-you as we’d like to think/are led to believe, I sort of shrugged it off and kept on buying them. Eventually, though, I started to lose the joy in eating them and really felt a twinge of guilt every time I gave my kid one, so I decided to try to make them….

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