Simple September Meals as seen on Your Morning Ottawa

September’s here (I can’t believe it?!), routines are back, and the last thing anyone needs is mealtime stress. That’s where Simple September Meals comes in: simple, delicious & doable recipes you can actually pull off using pantry staple items. Nothing fancy, just real food for real life. You’re welcome!

Breakfast: Get Up & Go Morning Muesli

Fuel up with a simple, delicious and nutritious ‘no-cooking’ required breakfast. Simply stir together all the ingredients and voila! Bonus: only one bowl and a spoon to clean-up. This muesli was a go-to recipe in our home while Tyler & Colgan (now 22 & 24) were growing up (and they still make and eat this muesli!). It makes a great breakfast, lunch box treat and/or afterschool snack!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) large flake oats
• ½ cup (125 mL) dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) each of green pumpkin seeds and shelled sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) each of ground flaxseed, chia seeds and hemp seeds
• 1 cup (250 mL) plain Greek-style yogurt
• finely grated zest of one orange
• ¾ cup (175 mL) orange juice
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) Crosby’s Fancy Molasses (click here for product info)
• 2 tsp (10 mL) pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) each of ground ginger and salt
• 2 small Ontario apples; well washed, cored and finely diced *leave skin on for added fibre

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
3. Makes 4 cups (1 L).

Delicious & Doable Tips:

~ Use raisins, sliced dried apricots, or dried cherries instead of dried cranberries.
~ use a coconut based yogurt for a vegan variation of this recipe.

Muesli Variations:
~ Chocolate Cherry & Orange Muesli (click here)
~ Coconut Pumpkin Muesli (click here)

Loaded Supper Sandwich

Often used as the base for party spinach dip, I love using a big pumpernickel loaf as a blank canvas for all those leftover bits and pieces hanging around in the fridge. This was actually one of the very first recipes I taught Tyler and Colgan how to prepare on their own. This sandwich is more about assembling than cooking, and it showed them how to get creative with leftovers. Hands down, this sandwich became a family favourite in our house. Slice into wedges, add a side of kettle chips and dill pickles, and you’ve got yourself a simple, delicious meal!

Ingredients

• 1 large (approx. 600 g) round pumpernickel or sourdough loaf
• ⅓ cup (75 mL) mayonnaise + 2 tbsp (30 mL) Dijon mustard
• 2 cups (500 mL) lightly packed baby spinach leaves or mixed salad greens
• ½ lb. (250 g) thinly sliced deli-style meat (turkey, ham, or roast beef)
• 1 cup (250 mL) grated quality aged cheddar cheese
• ½ cup (125 mL) Char’s pickled onions (click here for recipe)
• Half cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 small apple or pear, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Cut a round cap off the top of the cottage loaf. Reserve top. Hollow out the inside and top of the loaf to make a bread bowl, leaving about ¾ -inch of bread inside the crust.
2. Stir together mayonnaise and mustard. Spread over the inside of the bread bowl and inside the cap.
3. Place spinach leaves at the bottom of the bread bowl and layer with remaining ingredients. Place the cap back on the sandwich and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. To serve, remove plastic wrap and cut into 8 wedges.

Tip:

~ No deli meat? No problem! Add sliced hard-boiled eggs or a can of tuna or salmon (drained) to the sandwich in place of deli meat.

~ Use prepared hummus or Pumpkin White Bean Dip (click here for recipe) instead of may/Dijon mixture.

After School Snack/Dessert

~ Crunchy Maple Peanut Butter Bars (click here for recipe)

These bars are absolutely delicious, and use one of my fave pantry staples: peanuts & peanut butter. They are so good that I actually double the base ingredients (so they are super thick) and then ice them (no need to double the icing, but you’re welcome to!). No doubt your gang will devour these bars. You have been warned! Note: I suggest lining the baking pan with parchment paper before pressing base into pan. *See parchment trick/tip at bottom of post*

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Where to Find ‘Delicious & Doable’ Across Ontario

Find ‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life’ on Amazon (click here) or at one of the below retailers across Ontario:

Type Books ~ 883 Queen Street West, Toronto
Lemonberry ~ 2 Orchard Heights Blvd #10, Aurora
Fanfare Books ~ 92 Ontario St, Stratford
Casual Gourmet ~ 1027 King Street West, Hamilton
The Post Office – 18 Front St. N, Thorold
Chef’s Paradise ~ 1314 Bank Street, Ottawa
Gift It Grey ~ 19492 Opeongo Line, Barry’s Bay
Creative Cook ~ 35 Manitoba St, Bracebridge
Muskoka Brewery ~ 1964 Muskoka Beach Rd, Bracebridge
Stephen’s Butcher Shop ~ 8 Harris St, Port Carling
Hilltop Interiors ~ 1150 ON-141, Rosseau
Cedar Canoe Books ~ 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Clark’s On Main ~ 1090 Main Street, Dorset
Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen ~ 39 Bolton St, Bobcaygeon
Farmer’s Daughter – 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Kitchen Bits ~ 1390 Kingsway, Greater Sudbury