Raspberry Cream Cheese French Toast

Ingredients:
-half a loaf of French bread, cut/torn into cubes (mine were about 1")
-2 cups frozen raspberries
-4 T. cream cheese
-4 eggs
-3egg whites
-1/2 c. milk
-1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350; grease 8" square pan.  Place bread chunks in bottom of pan, and sprinkle the berries over.  Put little dollops of the cream cheese throughout.  Beat the eggs, whites, milk, and vanilla.  Then pour over the bread and berries to coat well.  Bake for about 20-25 mins.

****You can also make this the night before and just kinda stir everything around in the morning as the egss mixture will settle at the bottom.

Birthday Carrot Cake

I'm not ashamed to admit, I made myself a cake for my birthday.  Some might question why I didn't let my husband make it, but if you've heard of the "Tortuna" then you'd know why....

I found a recipe for Carrot Cake (my fave) on Food Network's site, under Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa).  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/carrot-and-pineapple-cake-recipe/index.html

I did not healthify anything--it was my birthday after all!--- although I did use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil.  The only other change I made was I added a layer of apricot jam in the middle (carrot cake is so much better with this little surprise!). 

No, that is not my chubby little hand

Mads is starting off early: going straight for frosting, just like momma!

Oatmeal

For those of you who know me, you know I like oatmeal a lot.  For those of you who know me really well, you'll know I eat my oatmeal items cold----I can't stand hot oatmeal, don't ask why!  I try to eat it more mornings than not, so I try to mix up the flavors.  Here's some that I make; I simply stir in the ingredients into plain, cooked, old-fashioned oats. I also usually add a spoonful of ground flaxseed with all the varieties.  ( I always make mine the night before and refrigerate for the next morning so it's cold.) 

Apple Cinnamon:Stir in unsweetened applesauce and a dash of cinnamon.  Sometimes I add diced apple too.

Coconutty-Apricot:
Stir in chopped, dried apricots, a little coconut (sweetened or unsweetened), and a spoonful of almond or peanut butter.

Berry Nutty:
Stir in a handful of berries and a spoonful of almond or peanut butter. 

Banana Nut:
Stir in mashed banana and chopped walnuts.

Peanut Butter Banana:
Stir in mashed banana and peanut butter.  Can even add coconut.

Pumpkin Pie:
Stir in pureed pumpkin, cinnamon, and a little honey.  I usually add a splash of cream/milk (or even whip cream if it's the holidays).  Good with chopped walnuts, too.

My Favorite:
Stir in dried cranberries, scoop of peanut butter, and a handful of coconut.

Decadent:
Stir in diced apricots and a spoonful of Nutella.