Shannon Yee

I love breakfast and I enjoy cooking and baking in the morning. By the end of the day, I’m tired and it’s hard work to make dinner for my family. Research has shown (somewhere, I’m sure) that it’s good for us to eat breakfast. So, here is a list what my family eats for breakfast. I included links to the recipes that I started with, but for almost every recipe I have adapted it to be gluten-free and with much, MUCH less sweetener. I also usually reduce the butter because while we love butter, there is a limit to the amount we need for our healthy brain function. Cereal in our house is a great bedtime snack, but not great for breakfast since we all seem to be hungry again well before it’s time for lunch. We typically have pancakes at least once a week, which we serve with peanut butter and a small amount of maple syrup or jam. Eggs and muffins make regular weekly appearances as well, sometimes served with veggies or fruit, but usually just on their own. Oatmeal, cookies, biscuits, toast and smoothies are in the rotation every other week on average. For gluten-free toast, I sometimes use frozen gluten-free waffles. Occasionally, we will eat leftovers for breakfast, but that is rare. To make breakfast and pack lunches each morning for our family of five, it takes me about an hour. We eat together and then head off in different directions to work productively and efficiently since we are so well nourished. At least, this is what I tell myself.

The Yees enjoy: pancakes, biscuits, scones, pumpkin muffins, almond muffins, blueberry or bran muffins, cinnamon roll muffins, or other muffins, Scottish oatmeal, eggs, smoothies (usually with oatmeal or biscuits instead of honey/jam), hot chocolate and toast, toast and peanut butter, breakfast cookies, baked oatmeal, ricotta pancakes, overnight waffles, french toast, popovers, and fruit with grilling cheese or yogurt and granola.

Time flies when you’re having fun. We must be having a lot of fun!

I think we really are, but we’re so busy it’s hard to be certain. School, church, sports (basketball for Josiah and gymnastics for Eila, plus exercising for me too), and home make up the routine of our days. We are trying to keep Sundays as our family day and play games, take a walk, or watch a movie together. Brian has been traveling for work about once a month, so that adds a little variety to the schedule. Eila’s gymnastics competitive season is in full swing and we are traveling at least a few weekends each month with her. In January, we went to Toledo and then on to Columbus to visit my family. It was so much fun for all of us – playing games with our cousins, shooting pumpkins, eating well, and just catching up with each other. At the beginning of February we enjoyed a long weekend in Chicago where Brian and I celebrated all of our special occasions for the year with a most delicious and fabulous meal at Moto. We also loved exploring the Museum of Science and Industry as well as doing a little shopping. One of the highlights of that trip was the stop we made on the way home to visit some dear friends. This weekend, Eila and I will take a girls’ trip to Holland; we’ll probably try to squeeze in a little shopping during our time away.

That’s what we’ve been doing for a very long while and apparently recently it takes up all my time and energy. That, along with all the other stuff related to living life to the fullest! (Hence, the lack of activity here.)

As previously mentioned, over the past year Eila, my beloved 7 year-old daughter, has been complaining almost daily of stomach aches that she describes as constant, extremely painful and unbearable (with a very whiny voice). We took her to the doctor who said she has no obvious problem that he could fix, but it could be anxiety or she could out grow it or he could run lots of test or refer us to some specialists to try to figure it out more. So, on his recommendation, we tried to eliminate gluten, which didn’t really help and then dairy, which also didn’t make any difference. We prayed and waited and then did a few more tests with some specialists and eventually decided to change her diet to exclude wheat and corn. Now, we have been very proactive in trying to treat the cause of her complaints rather than just alleviating the symptoms and the main tool that we rely on is prayer. I believe fully that God made Eila and He is able to heal her. I also know that His ways are not my ways, which is why we have prayed for wisdom and guidance in addition to requests for complete health for her. We have also asked others to pray for her and we have seen great improvement in her health. There have been a few complaints, but 1-2/month compared to 5-6/day is great. The fact that she is not 100% better leads the doctors to believe that there are likely other issues too and so we are still pursuing complete health and healing for Eila, who would really like to eat in a restaurant again or have a piece of candy one day.

NB:If you think you eat a lot of wheat, check again and see how much corn you ingest… It is everywhere! And we haven’t bought things with HFCS for years, but we do like to eat out. 🙂

Eila has been complaining on and off for several months about stomach aches at school. Mostly after lunch, but sometimes in the morning too. At first, we thought it was nerves. Then we wondered if it might be something else, so we took her to the doctor, who said she is fine and that lots of young kids complain and it’s usually anxiety. Well, we were wondering if she might be having some indigestion or maybe something she is eating is upsetting her stomach. Our doctor recommended trying to eliminate some common problem foods (first gluten, then milk, then both, then eggs, soy, etc.) and see how she feels.

So, I thought that making stir fry would be one of the meals that we ate that was already gluten-free, but then I realized that the oyster sauce and the hoisin sauce that I usually use in my sauce both contain wheat flour. This recipe that I made up turned out to be better anyway.

Easy Stir Fry Recipe
3 T. peanut or vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t. grated ginger root
1/2 small onion, diced
8 oz. firm tofu, cubed
2 packages frozen stir-fry veggies
1/2 c. chopped toasted cashews

sauce:
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. rice vinegar
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. sherry
2 T. honey
3 T. soy sauce (gluten-free)
1 T. corn starch
pinch white pepper

1. Mix sauce together in measuring cup or small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat large pan or wok over high heat and add 1 T. oil, when hot add aromatics (garlic, ginger and onion) and quickly cook them until fragrant then remove from pan and add to sauce mixture.
3. Add 1 T. oil (if needed) to pan and heat until just smoking. Add tofu and fry until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside (on paper towel-lined plate).
4. Use final 1 T. oil in pan, reheating until smoking. Add vegetables and stir frequently until heated through.
5. Add sauce and tofu to veggies and simmer 3-5 minutes until thickened. Add cashews and serve over rice.

Last Friday, my kids and I cemented into tradition the way we greet the end of spring. We started the day picking up our canning supplies, which included new lids and some canning utensils. I cannot overemphasize the benefits of those tongs for removing the jars after they are processed in the boiling water bath, absolutely worth $5. From our local Kmart, we headed to the farm where we spent approximately two hours picking the best berries. I suppose “we” is a bit optimistic. Eila helped and picked about 3 quarts total, eating a quart. Josiah ate every single strawberry he picked. Thaddeus ate strawberries that Eila or I picked. After about an hour, the boys tired of the berries and decided to play in the paths around the field and in the car. All in all, we left with about 40 quarts of strawberries, twice as many as previous years.

The children got to work hulling the strawberries and mashing them up. Josiah helped stir while we cooked the berries, pectin and sugar. Then we sealed the jars and I started over again with another batch when the kids went to bed. It was a long day, but I now have a year’s supply of jam, plus nice presents to give to some lucky loved ones. I froze several quarts, made a strawberry pie for Father’s Day, strawberry muffins this morning, and have been enjoying fresh berries in salads and for snacks. I love the last week of spring, not only because it means it’s finally summer!

Every morning I get up and make a big breakfast for our family to enjoy together. It always includes coffee, water, and vitamins, but the rest varies with the day. Some of our breakfast staples include pancakes, waffles, scottish oatmeal, biscuits, and almond muffins. Each morning I try very hard to get everything on the table so that once I sit down, I don’t have to get up and I can imagine that I am in a lovely restaurant. The illusion is really very nice. I cannot think of a better way to start the day than the Yee Family Restaurant.

Here is my pancake recipe:
Soak 2 cups whole wheat flour and 2 T. ground flaxseed in 1-3/4 cups buttermilk, 1/2 cup milk, 2 T. butter, melted. (Mix together and leave on the counter overnight.)
In the morning, add 2 beaten eggs, 2 t. baking powder, 1/2 t. baking soda, 1/2 t. salt, and optionally 1 t. sugar and mix well.
Cook on hot griddle, flipping once when bubbles appear. Keep warm in oven. Serve with warm maple syrup, peanut butter, or fresh fruit.

So, I finally bought a Nutrimill. And, I’ve been using it and enjoying fresh flour in all sorts of baked goods. Today, I made some pretty yummy muffins. Here’s the recipe:
Muffins
2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup applesauce
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups blueberries (I used frozen.)

Crumble Topping – mix well with fingers or fork
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg and salt
2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature

Mix dry ingredient together in large bowl. Mix wet ingredients and add all at once to dry. Stir until just combined. Add blueberries, folding in gently. Scoop approximately 1/4 cup of muffin mix for each muffin into buttered muffin tin and top with about 2 T. crumble. Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

After a fabulous week in Los Angeles, visiting my sister, we are enjoying some serious home time. The overnight flights were great for us and the time in the sunshine was just what we needed to survive the rest of this winter, which apparently is still going strong as we got another inch or two of snow last night…

Well, we are back home. Thaddeus is still pretty sick with his second case of stomach flu in two weeks. We are in quarantine mode and it actually suits us just fine. Eila is still going to school, which gives the big ones a much needed break from each other every afternoon. I’ve re-discovered the wonders of the Ergo and am very much enjoying the cuddle time with my sick baby. I am trying out some new – and very delicious – bread recipes from a book that Brian got me for my bday. Now, I just have to order my grain mill and I’ll be in the real bread business.

So, for my birthday, I made myself two cakes. One for breakfast and one for dessert. It was a wonderful way to start and end the day, and they were both delicious.

The coffee cake was inspired by Ina Garten’s. Here is my yummy breakfast cake recipe:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or yogurt (I did a mixture)
2 cups white whole wheat flour
8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sucanat
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the streusel:
1/4 cup sucanat
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped pecans

For the glaze, whisk together:
1/4 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 t. real maple syrup
few drops water

Mix together buttermilk/yogurt and flour and allow to rest covered at room temperature or slightly warmer for at least 8 hours.

After flour has been soaked, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and rest of ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the batter mixing until mostly smooth.

Pinch together streusel ingredients with your fingers until it forms a crumble. It’s easiest to add nuts at the end, but it doesn’t really matter. Put 1/2 the streusel in the pan, pour half the batter on top and then sprinkle with remaining streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Eila says it’s “Onolicious!”

If you know me well, you know that I enjoy freshly baked cookies over just about everything else. But for a birthday, the kids informed me that I had to have a cake, so I found a chocolate chip cookie cake that looked like it would fit the bill.

Cookie Cake
4 T. (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup succanat
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour 9-inch round cake pan.
Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugar, scraping down sides as needed. Add egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly, another minute.
Add the dry ingredients and combine on low speed until just a few dry streaks remain. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Press the batter into a smooth and even layer in the pan. Bake until lightly golden and puffy around the edges, approx. 25 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes and then run a paring knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. Cool in pan on wire rack for several hours.

I know you must be crazy with worry about what is going on in my head and in my life. Well, do not fret. No terrible calamity has befallen me. I’m simply maintaining the same routine as always which leaves me with very little to say at times…

We are sequestered at home as a bad cold/flu bug creeps through each family member. Plus, it is so cold and snowy that I don’t know why we haven’t relocated to someplace much, much closer to the equator. On a happier note, our home is pretty clean and we have plenty of food and are playing lots of fun games.