From the Kitchen: Pancakes from Scratch

I love when I'm putting my son to bed and he tells me as I walk away..."see you in da mornin' and don't forget to make panpakes!!"
I was looking for a 'from scratch' recipe for pancakes and found this one on food.com.
It's a simple, basic recipe and I always have the ingredients needed on hand. From this recipe you can alter it however you like. I've noted below how I've tweaked this recipe for the blueberry pancakes I made over the weekend. I've also made banana, banana and walnut, I've added apples/applesauce, peanut butter etc. Although I'm guilty of still buying boxed waffles from time to time as I do not have a waffle maker, I never buy boxed mix or frozen pancakes anymore. This saves money, it tastes better and is a healthier option. It's perfect! 

Blueberry Pancakes 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use 1 cup unbleached, white flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
2 tablespoons sugar (I substitute with brown sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (plus more for cooking. I prefer canola oil.)
cinnamon (I just add a few shakes to the batter. You can omit if you prefer.)
blueberries (frozen or fresh) (You can omit or replace if you prefer.)

In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk. Add the two eggs, vanilla and oil, whisking until mixed but still a bit lumpy. Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a pan on medium. Once heated, use 1/4 cup scoop and add pancake mix to pan. Sprinkle blueberries on top. When pancakes start to bubble and are golden brown on the bottom, flip and continue cooking until both sides are golden brown. The oil will create a nice, crisp ring on the edge of the pancake. You will want to make sure to add more oil in the pan as it gets cooked away with the pancakes.
Serve with butter, pure maple syrup, additional fruit on top, etc. 

Original Source: food.com


See how easy it is to adjust according to your preference or what you have on hand?! What's your favorite way to make pancakes? Let me know if you give making pancakes from scratch a shot!

From the Kitchen: Three-Bean Chili

Ohhh it's Friday! I always love to see Friday.  

I was flipping through my Rachael Ray magazine the other night and found a recipe for Three-Bean Chili.
I typically make a basic chili with kidney beans but this recipe called for black beans, chickpeas and pinto beans. Yum!  I was a little worried about the husband and kiddos liking this take on chili but they loved it!

I haven't made a recipe from a magazine in a while because sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed by the ingredient list. But this one was simple with basic ingredients but a nice twist on a classic, hearty recipe.

Rachel Ray's Three Bean Chili

2 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small jalapeno, minced (I omitted this)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed
1 15oz can pinto beans, rinsed
Sour cream, cilantro, shredded cheese, green onions for topping
Optional: 1 1b ground beef, cooked

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium. Add the bell pepper, onion, jalapeno and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder and cumin. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium.(Add the ground beef here if you want to add meat to your chili.) Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chili thickens, 20 to 25 minutes; season. (I added Wondru/flour to help thicken the chili a bit.)

Original Source: Rachael Ray Mag

It's the perfect season for chili so let me know if you give this a try! I'd love to know what you think or if you made your own tweaks to the recipe.

My {Current} Favorite Snacks

WARNING: I love to talk about food. Almost as much as saving money.

Did you eat as much delicious, calorie laden food as I did over the holidays?
Now that the holidays are over and the new year has begun,
I'm trying to get back into eating a bit better.

I'm a snacker but I have a serious sweet toothe so I'm always looking for ideas that are a bit healthier. 

Here is a list of my current favorite healthier snacks:

{Tomato and Marinated Mozzarella Balls}

 {Salted Caramel Pita Chips and Vanilla Greek Yogurt}

{Blue Corn Tortilla Chips and Guacamole}

 {Wasabi Peas and Cashews}

 {And let's be honest....Ghiradelli Squares for my sweet tooth}

What snacks are you munching on?

Disclaimer: I am not being paid to post about any of these products. They are just food products I am currently loving and wanted to share with you all.