Almond Joy Granola

We have been LOVING this granola recipe we found over at The Lemon Bowl. It is called Almond Joy Granola, but we used pecans because that's what we had on hand. My 4 year old and I have been gobbling it up all week! I know this one will be a family favourite and I love that the chocolate chips and shredded coconut are added AFTER baking the granola! Genius! 

Ingredients

3 cups oats

1/2 cup sliced almonds (I used pecans)

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees and line a baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss together the oats and nuts; set aside. Heat honey, coconut oil, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until smooth and melted. Remove and pour chocolate mixture over the oats mixture. Stir until everything is evenly coated. Spread evenly on baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Let cool completely, then add in the chocolate chips (if using), and the shredded coconut. Enjoy! - Alex

*stores up to 3 weeks in an airtight container

 

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Sorry that we have been so absent lately! Although things are quiet here, we have been posting a ton of recipes as well as healthy meal ideas on our instagram account. Give us a follow over there if you like and we will try to be a bit better at blogging our recipes over here as well!  

I think a cookie recipe is a great way to bring this old blog back to life don't ya think? I thought so too. My friend brought over some of these cookies a while ago and I have been craving them ever since! We finally got around to making some today and the hardest part was not eating them all off the plate! I know they are healthy, but a treat is STILL a treat (that is what I have to tell myself). They will last a week on the counter, or up to 3 months in the freezer. I say that like you will actually have them for sitting around for that long. Not likely. 

Ingredients 

2 cups gluten free quick oats

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup nut butter (I used peanut butter)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 large banana, mashed

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 flax seeds

1/4 cup enjoy life chocolate chips

Directions 

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl or a stand mixer. Mix until well combined. Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet and flatten the tops. They will not spread out while baking. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Allow to cool on cookie sheet before removing or they will fall apart. Try not to eat the whole plate. Enjoy! - Alex

*Slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction*

Whole Wheat, Maple Oat Mini Muffins

Just a delicious and simple muffin recipe that my girls love from Modern Healthy Mom

Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup almond milk, or milk of your choice
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup butter, melted (I have used melted coconut oil with success)
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease the bottoms of a mini muffin pan or line with paper cups. In a large bowl, mix the oats, and milk together. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then add syrup, butter, and egg. Mix well, then add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nuts if using. Stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Wait a couple of minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan. Enjoy!

Mini Apple Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

1 medium sized apple, grated with peel

2 eggs

4 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons olive or coconut oil

1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine the apple, eggs, milk, oil, and syrup in a small mixing bowl. Mix the dry ingredients and the blueberries in a separate medium sized bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Spoon into a well oiled mini-muffin tin, or line tin with cupcake liners. Bake for 15 minutes then enjoy!

- Arianne

Healthy Pumpkin Oat Muffins

Slightly adapted recipe from Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients

3 cups oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves
2 apples peeled and diced

1 can pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon olive or coconut oil
1/3 cup chocolate chips*


Preheat oven to 350F and brush a muffin tin with oil. Place the oats in a blender or food processor and blend until it resembles flour. Place the oat flour in a medium sized mixing bowl then whisk in baking powder, baking soda, and all spices. Place the apple slices in a small pot and cover with water. Boil until the slices are soft, then drain and blend in a food processor or blender. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together apple puree, pumpkin, vanilla, maple syrup, and oil. Slowly add the oat flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, then divide into your muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!


*omit chocolate chips to make baby-friendly, or use Enjoy Life chocolate chips to make vegan/dairy free!


- Arianne

Honey Almond Granola

I like to eat granola now and then, but THIS granola has taken over my life. I made it a couple of days ago and already my family has gone through 2 batches! Maybe I am crazy, but the combination of honey, coconut oil, and almonds just gets me every time. My husband even ate a bowl of it this morning for breakfast and said it was the best he had ever tried. He even added raisins to his just because (what the?). I am happy that he has FINALLY found something he can enjoy using almond milk because I am always trying to get him to try different cereals with it, but he says it's just not the same. We both gave up drinking cows milk a couple of years ago due to dairy intolerances and I am so happy that he was able to enjoy a good old bowl of cold cereal again! I have a feeling I will be making this one quite often, which I am perfectly okay with.

1 cup slivered almonds, divided

3 cups, old fashioned oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1/3 cup honey

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor or blender, pulse 1/2 cup of the slivered almonds until they are finely chopped. Pour them into a large bowl along with the oats, salt, sugar and the other 1/2 cup of slivered almonds. Stir to combine. In a small pot melt the honey and coconut oil and stir to dissolve the coconut oil. Once melted, remove from heat and add the vanilla extract and almond extract if using. Pour the honey mixture over the oats and mix well. Pour the oats evenly on a lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and stir them around, then return to the oven and bake them for another 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Watch them carefully, as they brown VERY quickly and you do not want them to burn! Pour the granola on a piece of wax paper and spread it out into a thin layer. After it cools completely, break into little granola clusters and store in an airtight container. Makes about 4 cups.
Enjoy - Alex

Homemade Pork Sausage Patties

Who doesn't love breakfast food?? It's definitely a favourite around these parts, and I feel so much better about making it when I know exactly what goes into it! These sausage patties are so very simple and contain no ingredients that you don't know how to pronounce! 

Original recipe found at Healthy Recipes

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground pork

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Mix all ingredients with your hands in a medium sized bowl. Form into about 1/2 inch thick patties.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Place the patties on the hot pan, then cook for about 5 minutes each side or until browned.

So simple, it's ridiculous.

Enjoy!

- Arianne

Happy Pancake Day!!

It's National Pancake Day and to celebrate, we made these delicious gluten free pancakes from Super Healthy Kids. They are really easy to make and packed with protein! We have been making and enjoying this recipe for a couple of years now - it's a keeper! 

Ingredients

1/2 cup gluten free oats
1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 eggs or 4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs olive oil

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The batter will be super runny but it cooks up just fine. Cook like you would regular pancakes and top with your favourite toppings. We enjoyed ours with honey, bananas, chia seeds and coconut flakes. Enjoy- Alex

*If you're looking for a great make ahead pancake mix (non gluten free), look no further! 

We have the perfect one right HERE on our blog. 

Porridge breakfast bowl

We have porridge at our house at least 3 times a week. One of the things we love so much about it is that it is so versatile! My oldest daughter loves her porridge with a scoop of yogurt on top. My other daughter loves it with just about anything she and I can come up with. Can you tell who is the more adventurous of the two? :)

We have tried several different combinations and this one has been a huge hit at our house lately so I thought I would share the recipe. You can change the ingredients if you're not keen on them ( I do understand most people are probably not a fan of raisins like we are), or keep the ones you think would be good. It is a perfect, filling and healthy breakfast to start your day right! 

Ingredients

1/3 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cups water

1 banana, sliced

1 teaspoon chia seeds

handful of raisins, craisins or blueberries (whatever you like)

2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut flakes

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter, melted

Directions

Bring water and oats to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until the oats are done. Place in a bowl and top with sliced bananas, chia seeds, raisins, coconut flakes, and drizzle with melted peanut butter. Feel free to put whatever else you think might be good such as nuts, seeds, more fruit etc. This is our favourite so far, but the combinations are endless! Enjoy - Alex

Baked Egg in Portobello with Spinach and Avocado

Ingredients

1 portobello mushroom cap
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 organic egg
spinach
1/2 avocado, sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Clean the portobello cap, remove the stem and scrape out the ribs. I like to pre-bake the portobello a little before adding the egg, but feel free to skip this step if you like. Rub a little bit of olive oil on the inside and outside of the cap and sprinkle with sat and pepper. Sometimes I sprinkle thyme inside as well, but you can use any spice that you like. Place mushroom on a pan and bake for 10 minutes or so. Crack the egg into a small bowl and stir it around a bit with a fork. Carefully slide the egg into the cap and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the egg is done to the consistency you prefer. Remove from oven and place on top of a bed of spinach and top with avocado. Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Supermuffins

When I saw these muffins on one of my favourite food blogs (Cher Stuff) I pinned them immediately, then I forgot about them ha. I was asking one of my friends for her chocolate chip banana muffins and she referred me back to these ones and said they were delicious. I remembered I had pinned them and I am kicking myself for not making them sooner. They are SO good! Healthy, filling and delicious!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups gluten free oats ( I used quick oats)
1/2 cup flour of your choice (spelt, coconut, whole wheat etc)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup chia seed
1/4 cup hemp seed hearts
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

2 eggs
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil

1 cup good quality dark chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, flour, flax seed, chia seeds, hemp hearts, salt, baking powder, baking soda and pecans. In a medium size bowl combine eggs, yogurt, bananas, honey, and coconut oil. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and add chocolate chips. Bake in greased muffin tins for 15-20 minutes depending on your oven.  Enjoy!

*Makes 12 large, delicious muffins!

Vegetable Hash

This dish was amazing! After devouring it, I swiftly came to the realization that vegetables have got to be my favourite food. It is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

Simply omit the egg to enjoy a completely delicious and filling vegan meal.

Recipe slightly altered from Cafe Johnsonia 

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion thinly sliced lengthwise

2 medium sized potatoes cut into 1/4" strips

1 small sweet potato cut into 1/4" strips

1 large carrot peeled and julienned 

1 bell pepper thinly sliced

1 small zucchini julienned 

salt and pepper to taste

2 garlic cloves minced

3 large chard leaves, stems removed and thinly sliced
2 roma tomatoes sliced
fried egg (optional topping)


Prepare all vegetables, then heat the olive oil in a large skillet (preferably one that can be covered). Add all vegetables to the heated oil, season with salt and pepper, then cover. Stir frequently until potatoes are tender. Add the garlic and chard and cook for only a couple minutes more.
Serve with sliced tomatoes and fried egg if you desire.


Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

                 

I have tried several granola bar recipes lately, and they've all been good, but I just found they needed a little something more. I found this one today from chewoutloud and they were a huge hit at my house! I love the hint of cinnamon in this recipe, and they are so easy to throw together. Just keep in mind to press them FIRMLY into the pan so they stay nice and chewy instead of crumbly. 

 

Ingredients

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1/4 cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

4 tablespoons coconut oil, or salted butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

chocolate chips, to taste

Directions

Butter an 8 x 8 baking pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine oats and rice cereal. In a saucepan, melt the coconut sugar, honey, and coconut oil over medium heat, stirring until it reaches a low boil. Reduce heat and boil another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. 

Carefully pour honey mixture, over top of cereal mixture. Stir well. Press granola mixture into the buttered pan and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Using the back of a spoon, or slightly wet hands, press the chocolate chips into the mixture. Place in fridge and wait until fully cooled before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

5 minute, Blender Mini Muffins

I am so happy I came across these muffins from wholelifestylenutrition!

They literally take 5 minutes to throw together, thanks to a blender doing all the work for you. You can top them with whatever you like. I did half chocolate chips, and half coconut. Other topping options are nuts, craisins, cinnamon, jam, or whatever else you can think of! 

Ingredients

1 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew etc)

2 medium sized bananas, the more ripe, the sweeter the muffins

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until well mixed. Pour into greased mini muffin tins and add toppings of your choice. Bake for 10 minutes. Eat and enjoy! 

Tropical Green Smoothie

One of my friends has this great blog called Modern Healthy Mom. She has a tonne of delicious recipes as well as tips for healthy living! I found this great recipe for a smoothie on there. She didn't have a name for it, so I called it  Tropical Green Smoothie because when I tried it, It tasted like something you would find on a beach somewhere! Perfectly smooth and creamy! My girls and I make this one all the time. Thanks for the delicious recipe! Oh and if you are unfamiliar with the ingredient kefir, check out her blog post about it here.

Ingredients

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1/4 cup kefir

1 banana

4 large frozen strawberries

1/4 cup frozen pineapple

3 cups spinach

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and enjoy your delicious smoothie!

-Alex

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Muffins

My husband wasn't terribly excited when I decided to make these "Hippie Muffins" as he called them. 

Let's just say he ended up being pretty excited about the end result.

Like I said before, I looove squash. Zucchini being one of my favourites. This recipe is perfect if you end up with a bunch of leftover zucchini if you're ever making THIS recipe. 

Original recipe found at Hidden Ponies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg beaten

1/3 cup honey

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large ripe banana, mashed

1 cup grated zucchini

1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F then line muffin tin with baking cups and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. 

Make a well in the centre.

In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, honey, coconut oil, vanilla extract, banana, and zucchini.

Add to the dry ingredient mixture and stir until just combined. 

Stir in the chocolate chips, being sure to not over mix.

Divide batter into the muffin tin, using about 1/3 cup of batter for each.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!
- Arianne

* To make recipe egg-free, use 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds and 3 Tablespoons of water. Let sit for 3 minutes, then use as you would the egg. 

Poached Eggs over Asparagus

It's no secret that I love food. I think about it often, probably too much sometimes : )

One of my favourite meal times is breakfast. I love starting my day with a delicious, healthy meal! I have been making this asparagus and egg breakfast a lot lately. The recipe calls for 1 egg, but I always make 2, one for me, and one for my 18 month old who devours this combination almost as fast as I do. This recipe is quick, easy, filling, and downright de! 

Ingredients 

1 bunch of asparagus (about 10), bottoms trimmed

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 egg

Directions

Place asparagus in a large frying pan and fill with water just until they are covered. Bring water to a boil and cook asparagus for a couple of minutes ( 2-6 minutes or until bright in colour). Reduce heat and add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar to the water. Slowly and carefully crack the eggs over the asparagus, and cook for about 5 minutes (or longer if you don't like it runny). If this part scares you too much, you can poach the eggs once you have taken out the asparagus, but I prefer the eggs to be throughout the asparagus stems. Your choice. Drain water, remove from pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I keep mine pretty simple, but you could also put it on a piece of whole wheat toast, or add cheese on top if you like. Enjoy! -Alex

Best Make Ahead Pancake Mix

 I don't know about you, but pancakes are my least favourite thing to make from scratch. It just seems like a whole lot of mess, for not a lot of reward (mine NEVER turn out the way I want).  At least, that's how I felt, until my friend shared her family pancake flour recipe with me. You guys, this recipe is perfection. You mix everything together and store it in jars for later. SO easy. When you need a quick breakfast, all you have to add is milk, and an egg and you're all set. It is no mess, fast, and the results are downright de! 

Recipe by the Gibb Family

5 cups of white flour

5 cups of whole wheat flour

1/2 cup baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

4 teaspoons salt

Mix together and store in airtight containers (mason jars work great). When you are ready to use, mix 3/4 cup of flour mixture, 3/4 cup of milk, and 1 egg.  Top with pure maple syrup and you're all set.  

(Makes about 6 medium sized pancakes.)

Enjoy! Alex

Thank you Leslie, for changing my views on pancakes!

Gluten Free Banana Muffins

 Recipe from Keeping up with the Jonses

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of oat flour

 (make your own in your blender)

1 Cup plain, Greek yogurt

2 eggs

3/4 Cups sugar 

(I wanted to try honey, but had run out)

1 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

2 Ripe Bananas

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. I usually do 1 cup of the oat flour at a time. You will have to scrape the blender a couple of times. Pour into greased muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 mins.  

Enjoy! -Alex 

Choco Coco Granola

                           

 Slightly adapted from budgetbytes

(Gluten, dairy and egg free and De!)

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons of honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cocoa powder 

2 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl mix together the rolled oats, almonds and unsweetened coconut. In a small sauce pan, stir together the coconut oil, brown sugar, honey, salt, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. 

Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until everything is evenly coated. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spread the chocolate oat mixture into a thin layer. Bake in preheated oven for  15 - 20 mins. It will be soft until it cools a bit. You can either break it up into larger pieces or (if you're like me), extra small.  

Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. 

I enjoy this granola in the morning for breakfast (or anytime really), with a nice tall glass of almond milk to accompany it. My kids LOVE it as an on-the-go snack. Either way, it is sure to be a hit! 

Enjoy - Alex

Photography by Everglow Photography