Cheesy Bran Muffins

Yep, the bran in here will counteract the stopped-upedness of the cheese. We make these minis and keep on hand for the kids' lunches. They also pair well with chili or soups etc.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bran
1 TBL baking powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4oz (1 stick) melted butter
1 beaten egg
2-3 TBL of ground flax (optional)

Put dry ingredients in a bowl and mix. Put cheese in flour mixture and mix together.
Make a well in the bowl of dry ingredients.

Mix butter, milk and egg in a separate bowl.
Pour wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients.

Mix together using more more than 15 strokes. (the batter will still be lumpy)

Spoon into greased mini muffin pans until 3/4 full.
Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, or until golden.

Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. Muffins can be frozen in a sealed bag for up to 1 month.

Since Freya has started school, I have been using Tuesdays as my do everything day. The day to do the laundry, clean bathrooms, plan and shop for meals and bake up the woo-hoo for the week (or hopefully 2 weeks!) etc.

Today we also made some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. The recipe is the basic recipe, I just change it up using half whole wheat and half all purpose flour. I also always add some ground flax to it for added nutrition. Today we had some Texan Pecans so those went in there too. I always make a large batch because inevitably one of my friends has done me a favor and I love to say thank you with baked goods.

Speaking of oatmeal, I found this great recipe for Amish Baked Oatmeal. I followed the recipe except I put half the sugar and added some raisins. Next time I will try honey or agave instead of the sugar. It was fabulous! Prepare it the night before and put it in the fridge. When you wake up, pop it in the oven and it's done when you get out of the shower! The kids loved it. We put it in a bowl then topped off with milk. Chloe said it tasted like oatmeal cookie cereal.