Yogurt Coffee Cake

Mother's day is in just two days! Do you have everything ready for the mother in your life?

Sometimes the best thing to share with mom is a memory. My sister and I share one of our favorite memories with mom last Saturday at breakfast. When we were in grade school, mom always packed our lunches. She always wrote love notes on our napkins and tucked them into our lunch boxes. We loved opening our lunches to a love note!

Love notes can come in coffee cake form, too. No worries if you're planning some last minute things for mom. This Yogurt Coffee Cake will please mom with minimal time in the kitchen. Mother's Day is really about spending time and appreciating mom, right? Show mom some love with a quick and healthy coffee cake.

I really just said that.
Healthy coffee cake. Packed with whole wheat flour, oatmeal, and yogurt, this coffee cake gives you a guilt-free memory to share with mom.

Yogurt Coffee Cake:
Serves 9-10

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick cooking oatmeal, ground
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the crumble topping:
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. For a little more fun, use a bundt pan or loaf pan. Think about what mom wants.

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Whisk together brown sugar and eggs. Add yogurt and vanilla and whisk until just combined.

Fold the yogurt mixture into dry ingredients. Scoop the patter into the prepared pan and spread to the edges.

In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, whole wheat flour, and brown sugar. Using a box grater, shred the butter into the mixture. Use your hands to finish breaking up the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

Spread crumb mixture over the batter. Bake 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the coffee cake to cool a few minutes before taking a slice and a fresh cup of coffee to mom.

Cake can be served warm or at room temperature. Bake it the night before for more time with mom on Sunday!

Be sure to share a great memory with the mom in your life!

Three-Grain Waffles

A smirk, because he ate almost all of the raspberries.

For Christmas this year, my in-laws got me a waffle maker.

I jumped up and down on the couch.

And squealed.

I can't begin to tell you how excited I was.

We've had waffles for breakfast every Sunday morning since.

I've used a handful of different recipes and finally smushed them all together to come up with a healthy and crispy waffle. For you!

And for my nephews, because they love food waffles. 


These waffles are still a little calorie-dense, so don't go bananas. Instead of refined flours and mounts of butter, these are packed with three different grains and milk. The corn meal adds to the crispy texture so we don't have to rely on butter for the same result.

They'll definitely keep you full all morning so you won't bother your pew neighbors with a growling tummy.

The hubby & I like to split our waffles when they come out so we can both enjoy them hot.

Shake, shake shake!

I like to quadruple the dry ingredients and store the mix in an air-tight container. It makes the process even easier and leaves you with more time to enjoy your coffee. Just scoop out two scant cups of the mix and add the wet ingredients.

You might even be able to get your super cute nephew to help with the mixing! 

He would have done backflips for a waffle. 

A few tips before you get going:

• Plug in your waffle maker early while you make coffee and whip up the batter. A hot-hot-hot waffle maker will give you a crispier waffle.
• Allow the batter to rest for a few minutes to activate the baking powder and soda. This gives the waffle a light, fluffy texture.
• Swap out the cinnamon for any other flavor -- use vanilla, nutmeg, lemon or orange juice, or add frozen blueberries or chocolate chips.
• Even if your waffle maker says it is non-stick, it helps to use a little non-stick spray. That will keep you from scratching your waffle maker with a fork while prying out your waffles.
• Ease up on the whopping syrup calories by swapping it for a quick berry syrup you can make while your waffles are cooking.
• Your waffle maker is probably different from mine, so have a peek at the manual to see what works best.

Three-Grain Waffles
Makes about 4 8-inch round waffles

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup milk, I use skim milk
1 cup buttermilk (or additional milk)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled

Grind the oatmeal in a coffee grinder or food processor for a few seconds. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, breaking up the eggs. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing until just combined. 

Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes, then add 1/4 of the batter into your waffle maker, about 3/4 - 1 cup. Allow the waffle to cook according to the directions from your waffle maker.

Enjoy your waffles hot with warm maple syrup. Want to add some fruit to your breakfast? 

Toss a handful of berries and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup into a microwave-safe container. Microwave the berries 30 seconds at a time until the berries have burst and turned into a delicious syrup, 3-4 times. Pour over your waffles and enjoy!

Granola Bars

You absolutely have to make these Granola Bars. They are so easy, five minutes max. Seriously. Check out her recipe, I love it!

Lauren only uses seven ingredients. Just seven! Check the box of bars in your pantry, I'm pretty sure there are more than seven ingredients in those puppies.

If nothing else convinces you, check out Alton Brown's view of of all of these "bars", he has some excellent ideas! Lauren's recipe is actually really similar, the quick oats take out the toasting.









I used Quaker Whole Hearts cereal instead of Rice Krispies. Who wouldn't enjoy a little extra love in their granola bar?

The best part of this recipe is that you can create any flavor combination you want. Nuts, dried fruit, spices, use your favorites!

Be sure to really press these down into the pan. You all would have laughed at me me standing on a footstool for extra leverage.
A short girl's gotta do what she's gotta do.

Make up a batch and pack them all in snack-sized zip bags for a fast and easy breakfast or a quick grab for a lunch bag.

Spinach Quiche

Brinner. Who doesn't love brinner? There is something comforting, cozy and fun about whipping up a little breakfast for dinner. We love our eggs, especially when we can get them fresh from the farm. This is one of my favorite things to do with those eggs.

A flaky, buttery pastry crust is always top notch, but you may not always have the time or desire to make one for scratch. Here is a little twist on a quiche crust you will love.

Spinach Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust
Serves 8 (or 4 ravenous people)

1 medium sweet potato, washed
3-4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 eggs
1 cup low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a pie pan with a bit of non-stick oil. Shred the sweet potato and press into the pan to form a crust. Bake in the oven 10-15 minutes, just until it begins to brown.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. When the crust is ready, layer the spinach, onion and cheese in the crust. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pan to saturate the spinach.

Bake 45-50 minutes until the top has browned and the eggs have just set, there won't be too much jiggle left.

Remember the eggs will continue to as the quiche rests for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy your brinner!

Applesauce Crumble Coffee Cake

Mom and I love coffee cake. Love it!
We love it so much I knew I had to find a way to make it easier on our waistlines. Whole wheat flour, oatmeal, and applesauce go a long way toward more fiber and less butter and shortening.

This coffee cake makes a small enough batch for a gift and can easily be doubled to share with visiting family. Make it the night before for an easy Sunday morning breakfast.

Let's go!

Whisk together the flour, oatmeal, wheat germ, salt, baking powder and 2 tablespoons sugar

With a mixer, combine one cup of the dry ingredients with shortening until crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture and set aside. 

Combine crumb mixture, remaining dry ingredients and applesauce. 

Whisk together milk, egg and vanilla. Mix into the batter. 

Pour batter into a greased 8x6 or loaf pan. 

Combine remaining tablespoon sugar and cinnamon with reserved crumb mixture. 

Pour melted butter over batter and top with crumb mixture. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for a few minutes while your coffee brews. 

Applesauce Crumble Coffee Cake:
Serves 4


1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal, ground
1 tablespoon wheat germ (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup natural or sugar free applesauce
1/2 cup skim milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Whisk together the flour, oatmeal, wheat germ, salt, baking powder and 2 tablespoons sugar. Use a coffee grinder, blender or food processor to grind the oatmeal into a flour.

With a mixer, combine one cup of the dry ingredients with shortening until crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture and set aside. 

Combine crumb mixture, remaining dry ingredients and applesauce. Whisk together milk, egg and vanilla. Mix into the batter. Pour batter into a greased 8x6 or loaf pan. 

Combine remaining tablespoon sugar and cinnamon with reserved crumb mixture. Pour melted butter over batter and top with crumb mixture. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for a few minutes while your coffee brews.