simple & nutritious eats
It’s the perfect breakfast on chilly autumn mornings! They’re creamy, vegan, and gluten free. They’re also nutrient dense with lots of Iron, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E.
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Quick Oats with Water
1/4 Cup Canned Pumpkin Purée
Dashes of Saigon Cinnamon, Allspice, and Nutmeg to taste
Sweetener of Choice (like maple syrup)
2 Tbsp Sunbutter
Directions:
Cook up the oats with water
Stir in the pumpkin, then spices, then sweetener, then Sunbutter
Enjoy!
Are you in need of a nutritious and delicious snack for the whole family?! I’ve got you covered. These NO BAKE MANUKA ENERGY BALLS are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast, school lunch treat, or after school snack. Plus they’re all-around allergy friendly!
Ingredients:
1 Cup Sunbutter
1/3 Cup Manuka Honey
2 Tsps Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/4 Cup Salted Pumpkin Seeds
1/3 Cup Hemp Hearts
(I used the varieties linked!)
Directions:
Stir together the sunflower butter, manuka honey, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
Stir in all of your remaining dry ingredients.
Roll into balls and enjoy!
(Leftovers can be stored in the fridge.)
An Italian twist on the French classic, this dish is extremely versatile. It can be enjoyed on its own, over pasta, as a side, however you like! Plus it’s vegan, dairy free, and gluten free.
We personally loved it over pasta with sausage.
Ingredients:
1 white onion
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 eggplants
3 medium zucchini
1 jar Mezzetta Artisan Ingredients Italian Plum Tomato Marinara
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
cayenne pepper
black pepper
sea salt
Directions:
Dice the onion
Finally chop the garlic or use a garlic press
Peel & chop the eggplant into small cubes
Chop the zucchini into small cubes
Add the onion, garlic, and first 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a pan and sauté over medium heat until the onions are translucent
Add in the eggplant and the third tablespoon of olive oil, then continue cooking until eggplant is soft
Add in the zucchini
Once the zucchini is thoroughly cooked as well, turn down your heat to low and stir in the marinara
Stir in the parsley as well as small dashes of cayenne pepper and black pepper, plus a pinch of sea salt to taste
Enjoy!
Looking for the easiest way to whip up a satisfying non-dairy frozen dessert? I’ve got you covered. (Although let’s be honest, I’ve eaten this for breakfast too!)
Ingredients:
2 frozen/sliced medium-sized bananas
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (For this recipe I love the Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini chips)
Directions:
Add your frozen banana slices into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy
Either pour your chips on top once in the bowl (what I do), or stir in to your liking
Enjoy!
This frozen-yogurty smoothie tastes just like a healthy neapolitan ice cream! It only takes a couple minutes to blend up and is awesome for breakfast / a midday sweet tooth / or a healthy dessert.
Ingredients:
1 cup greek plain nonfat yogurt
2 cups frozen strawberries
1/2 cup apple juice
1 drizzle (around a couple tablespoons) carob syrup (I use Australian Carob Company)
Directions:
Blend up the yogurt, frozen strawberries, and apple juice in a Nutribullet (or equivalent) until thick and creamy
Top with carob syrup
Enjoy!
On weekends like this past one, where temperatures were over 100 degrees, you need an abundance of cold treats on hand. I’m a huge frozen yogurt fan, but usually not a fan of the options available at my local stores. They often contain a lot of gums which are difficult for someone with a sensitive digestion system. The solution: 5 Ingredient Carob Frozen Yogurt!
There is no ice cream maker required. The prep only takes about 5 minutes!
Recipe makes about 2 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups nonfat plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup roasted carob powder (I use Australian Carob Company)
1/3 cup coconut sugar
around 3/4 of a small avocado
2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Blend up all of your ingredients in a food processor until smooth
Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe pan (around 9×9) and spread evenly
Cover with plastic wrap
Freeze for 1 hour
Remove from the freezer and evenly stir with a fork
Repeat for 3 additional hours
Let freeze for an additional couple of hours for a more solid consistency
Enjoy!
I absolutely love pesto. However, as someone with nut allergies, 9 times out of 10, I’m not able to eat it. Most restaurants and grocery brands make their pesto with pine nuts. This pesto is 100% nut-free, and can easily be made vegan if you leave out the parmesan or use a vegan alternative.
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
4 cloves garlic
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Wash and prep the basil leaves.
Combine basil leaves and garlic in a food processor, and then add in the oil to make it easier to blend until all of the oil has been added.
Add in sea salt and black pepper to taste and mix again.
Pour the pesto into a bowl and stir in the cheese. (This can be skipped, or subbed with a vegan alternative.)
Add extra sea salt and black pepper if desired, but do a taste test first on your pasta or meal of choice and see what you prefer.
Enjoy!
I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m in need of a good banana recipe, it’s when I’ve gotten down to those last couple of brown and spotty ones. I rarely have a whole large bunch on hand as I’ve usually eaten the first few already.
Voilà! This recipe makes between 6-8 muffins depending on how large your bananas are.
Servings: 6-8 Muffins
Ingredients:
2 Bananas (just on the verge of being too ripe…starting to get some brown speckles)
Just Under 1/2 Cup Sugar (I used cane sugar)
1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour (such as King Arthur White Whole Wheat)
1 Egg
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (almost melted)
3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
A Pinch Of Salt, Around 1/4 Teaspoon
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°
Add your muffin liners to the muffin tin
In a large bowl, combine your bananas and the sugar with a fork, then whisk together once combined
Whisk in the egg, melted butter, and vanilla
In a smaller bowl, stir together your dry ingredients: the flour, baking soda, and salt
Add the combined dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until batter is evenly combined
Add the batter to the lined muffin tin. Fill them just below the tops so they have room to expand
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (I always choose to undercook ever so slightly)
Enjoy!
Notes:
While they’re delicious the day of baking, beyond the first 24 hours I recommend storing these in the fridge. When ready to eat, pop in the microwave for 10 or 15 seconds, top with butter if you so desire, and they’re back to their “just out of the oven” soft warm form!
Ingredient recommendations linked!
Whole Wheat Salted Caramel Pretzel Blondies! I’m all about salted caramel. It’s truly one of the best flavors out there. The secret to these blondies is the caramel syrup. It’s meant as a coffee flavoring syrup, but when poured over the top of these blondies it gets soaked in over 24 hours and makes them perfectly moist!
Ingredients:
1 & 1/4 cups crushed mini pretzels
1 cup light brown sugar, slightly packed
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 & 1/2 cups flour (I use King Arthur Flour White Whole Wheat!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup Joe’s Organic Syrup – Caramel Syrup
Pinch of sea salt
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter or your preferred ingredient
Take your mini pretzels, add them to a sealed ziplock bag and crush them. I use the bottom of a can on an angle! The pieces should be very small. Set aside
In a large bowl beat the butter and sugars on a low setting until combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract
In a small bowl stir together the flour, baking soda and salt with a fork or whisk
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using the lowest beating setting
Stir in the broken pretzels with a spoon
Spread the batter into the greased pan and bake for around 23 minutes OR until the edges are just turning golden. I usually keep mine on the undercooked side
Let fully cool
Slowly pour the caramel syrup evenly over the blondies. Sprinkle a TINY pinch of sea salt over them evenly as well
Ideally they should sit for about 24 hours until the syrup has completely soaked into the blondies as you don’t want the liquid sitting on top. It’s worth the wait!
Enjoy!
I am such a huge fan of all things lemon. Our wedding cake had three tiers: Vanilla, Cinnamon, and Lemon. The lemon was the winner by a landslide!
For my husband’s birthday, I whipped up this simple lemon cake. The glaze is a perfect textural combination with the light cake-y texture! It’s delicious served all on its own, but also works wonderfully side by side or topped with some vanilla ice cream.
Servings: Approx. 9
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter (Or Cultured Unsalted Butter!)
1 1/2 Cups Cane Sugar
4 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour (I love King Arthur‘s)
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
For the glaze:
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
Directions:
For the cake:
Let the butter soften to approximately room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low, combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest
Beat in the eggs
Beat in the lemon juice
In a separate small bowl, stir together the flour and salt
Slowly beat the flour mixture into the wet ingredients
Grease a 9 inch square or circular pan with a speck of butter and pour the batter in
Bake for around 35 minutes…Keeping an eye on it until a toothpick in the center comes out clean
For the glaze:
Simply stir together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl
Wait until the cake has cooled to spread the glaze evenly across the top
To let the glaze solidify, it’s best to let it sit and harden for a few hours
Enjoy!
Ingredient recommendations linked!