Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Bread

I had THE MOST incredible loaf of cinnamon sugar swirl bread and it haunts me.

I wanted to replicate it. So I tried. I adapted the recipe slightly to try to add my favorite component of the bread I so adore---cinnamon sugar crusted around the outside of the bread. At that I succeeded. At the attempt to copy it? I failed. *sigh*

So if anyone knows how to make a smaller, skinnier loaf with lots of swirl and really just SO much cinnamon-sugar....let me know. Or I'll just cave and buy it. Either way. 

My failure stated-I still really loved this bread. For the record. It was delish. Especially toasted. With butter. Yeah...that was good.

I don't know what it is but the smell of cinnamon (and bread-always) is so crazy comforting and homey. And when you are baking it this bread smells AMAZING. You're going to just want to curl up in your Christmas blanket, watch some home movies, and call your mom. And if you bake yourself a loaf on Christmas eve this is so perfect for Christmas morning breakfast!

So. This bread. The top is a little crunchy because of the cinnamon sugar. The bread itself is soft and chewy (although, as stated, I like it best toasted. My bread was too big for my toaster so I just put it under the broiler until toasted--which is dangerous and a couple pieces may have been sacrificed to the burnt toast gods. Oops.) The cinnamon swirl is buttery and rich and super flavorful. I love it. You'll love it. Everyone's happy.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

My brother was so excited one day. He was like, "Have you ever had chocolate chip pancakes with peanut butter on them? They're SO good! And healthier than like butter and syrup." "I know," I responded, "that's the only way I eat pancakes." And he was all like, "Oh." And then he wanted me to make him pancakes. Healthyish ones. And then, after I'd purchased all the necessary ingredients....he cut out carbs.

*facepalm*

After I ensured that he was, in fact, not going to be eating pancakes in the immediate future, I bit the bullet.

I made pancakes for myself. And only me. (Michael doesn't love pancakes.)

And it was glorious.

You're probably all, "Kayle! It makes so many pancakes! You couldn't eat all of them!"

You're half right, I couldn't eat all of them at once. Leftover pancakes are easy-peasy. You just heat them up in the oven (250F-300F degrees, usually) for 10-15 minutes and they're all warm and crispy again, just like when they're fresh!

I would take 2 pancakes, heat them up, slather them in peanut butter, and then go work out. Perfect system.

And yes-these pancakes ARE fairly healthy! They're made with whole wheat flour and filling/heart healthy oats. Throw in some Greek yogurt for protein + fluffiness. Minimal other stuff. Plus you can totally customize what you do with them--I chose to use chocolate chips and top with peanut butter. Maybe you want to put some chopped up apples + cinnamon in them. Or bananas. Or nuts. Really...you can have a lot of fun with these lovelies. And they are super thick, hearty, soft, filling, and just....my new favorite pancakes.

Nut Butter Banana Oat Smoothie

I've been meaning to make smoothies more often. My brother's consistently healthy diet totally makes me want to be better. So, in the efforts to bring myself and you more smoothies--I froze some bananas and put 'em in the freezer. Because in my world every good smoothie begins with frozen bananas.

And, obviously, the point of these smoothies is to try to get some healthy stuff up in my system. So I also put some nice oats and flaxseed meal in there (they also help keep ya full! So you don't overeat later!), milk for...whatever milk does...and nut butter for protein! Yayyy!

Fun story related to my brother and trying to get into shape: Josh came over and we went to my fitness room (finally) and he proceeded to help me do a "Kayle version" of his workout regimen for the next hour. At the end of that hour Josh was like "Eh, not the best workout but it was better than nothing." and Kayle was like "Uh...I cannot walk. My legs hurt super duper bad."

Technically the next 2 days were where the pain set in but...I fel wiped out from that workout. And I know it shouldn't have been that hard. But ugh, man oh man...I am NOT in shape. Plus-I have never done any kind of weight training and Josh had me using all the weights and stuff (admittedly mostly the 8-10 lb. weights but...still.)

Moral of the story is: I need to get my act together. And I started yesterday--I am going to try reeeeally hard to start working out on the regular. Here we go! Keep me honest, guys!

But enough about my weak out-of-shape-ness.

Smoothie time. It's all thick and kind of gritty (but like...in a good way? Makes ya feel healthy.) and it tastes super yummy. All nutty and banana-y. As a smoothie should be.

If you have spinach, I suggest you throw some in. I was out so...I couldn't. But you totally should.

(Side note: I convinced my brother to start putting spinach in his smoothies. He was suspicious but I reassured him he wouldn't taste it. He then returned to me and was like..."Dude...you don't taste it. That's awesome. Spinach in all my smoothies from now on."  But I digress.) 

PB AND BANANAS FOREVAHHHH

Cinnamon Sugar Popovers

I don't know why popovers aren't more of a thing? Are they a thing where you live?? All I know is I had never heard of one, much less had one, until a couple years ago via this bloggy-verse I inhabit. And I looove them! They're like...part pastry, part roll, part donut (like, the freshly fried dough kind, not the Dunkin Donuts kind). And how easy are popovers to make? SO. DANG. EASY! Again...why are these not more of a thing??!

I don't know what it is...but there's something about biting into a crunchy coating of butter and cinnamon sugar, and then being greeted by an airy, yet chewy, center that is just...heaven.

I would not be too surprised if I saw a little baby angel fly out of one of these lovelies. True story.

I mean...magic has got to be involved. Somehow a tiny little amount of batter rises up into these gorgeous pillars-like....what's the science involved?? I have absolutely no clue. Sooo....let's just call it magic.

If I was one of those super cool people that I see all the time on Instagram or that I knew back in NYC, I would create a beautiful tablescape (with some stunning flower arrangements-maybe peonies-in a vintage "oh I just had this laying around and it happens to be super artsy" kind of way. Ditto to a bunch of mismatched plates and maybe mason jars as glasses.) and serve brunch to my super cool group of friends, and I would probably have mimosas (using fresh squeezed orange juice), local and organic milk, a bunch of beautiful jams and honeys, European butter, waffles, French toast, and various pastries-INCLUDING these popovers.

Well...even though I am positive I could never in 100 years make the rest of that artsy, hip, lovely brunch happen, at least I've got these cinnamon sugar popovers!

Theoretically you could coat these popovers in anything you want (omigosh I wonder if I tossed them in powdered sugar if they would taste even more donut like??!) but...cinnamon and sugar just scream DELICIOUS BREAKFAST to me! You can also drizzle some honey on there. Or serve with jam. But...again...I liked them just like this.

Don't mess with perfection my friends! 

...Unless you want to, totally do what you want.

Browned Butter Belgian Liege Wafels

I dare you to take a bite of a waffle that is crisp and chewy, with pockets of caramelized sugar, that (according to my brother) "tastes like a cookie", and NOT became a full on addict.

I'm gonna stop you right now: YOU CAN'T!

Just ask Hayley....and...I'll admit it: ME.

I have found that the #1 food related thing I miss from NYC is probably the liege waffles (the "other" Belgian waffle. It's essentially like the long lost, prettier, more talented, and overall better sister of the Belgian waffle we all know and grew up with) from Wafels and Dinges. It makes me sad that it took me so long to discover them...I only had a year with those flavorful little beauties. And I didn't even appreciate them fully (I mean...I did but like...not enough) until I knew I would be leaving them. Before leaving NYC I probably ate 3+ of those waffles that I dubbed "my last"...but then...I'd see another truck...and I had another! #noregrets

Anyway, I had anticipated that I would go through sugary-waffles-from-heaven withdrawal so I bought myself some pearl sugar before I'd even made the move home (I had it shipped to my mom's house).

And then, as fate would have it, I found myself in possession of a jar of Nutella-my dinge (topping) of choice! Obviously it didn't take me long to tackle making my own homemade liege waffles!

To make the liege waffles you make a thick, yeasted dough and fold in big old chunks of pearl sugar. The pearl sugar chunks caramelize in the waffle iron and create those gorgeous sugary bites as well as the crisp exterior, while the yeasted dough gives us a chewy structure. 

...and this recipe called for melted butter, so I decided to brown it. Typical Kayle move.

Did I notice the browned butter? Ermmm...a little. Not a huge difference. Def. not a necessity. 

Did I love 'em? OF COURSE! They're so PRETTY! And they were sooo delicious, especially smothered in nutella with a good dusting of powdered sugar, and when you get a goood bite of caramelized sugar! 

Are they as good as Wafels and Dinges? Not quiiite (but close!) I think the dough might have been a smidge over-yeasted. That's ok, I'll just continue my quest and try more recipes!

Oh noooo....more liege waffles? Gosh darn it. Life is hard.

:P

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes-Guest Post with The Messy Baker

Thank you all so much, again, for hanging in for all the guest posts! I promise by July we'll be back to 100% me all the time-seriously though, I feel like I may be a disappointment after all the awesome bloggers I've had swooping in to help me out. Like today's!

Jennie is back! One of my best bloggy buds-Jennie (AKA The Messy Baker)'s photography skills are amazinggg, her food is delicious, and she's also genuinely a gal that I would be-and am-friends with! My current obsession is trying to convince her and her hubby (affectionately referred to on her blog as "Squirrel") to move to the Cleveland area. (JENNIEMOVETOCLEVELAND). I'm super subtle about it, though.

I should just let Jennie show you the depths of her perfection:

Hello again, Cooking Actress fans!

I’m here to fill in while Kayle settles into her new home in Ohio and adjusts to life in the country. Well, it’s the country in comparison to New York.

My name is Jennie. I’m gal who makes a mess over at The Messy Baker. This isn’t my first rodeo at The Cooking Actress. I wrote a guest post back in October for Kayle while she was celebrating a relative’s wedding. Being the cookie queen that Kayle is, I made a batch of Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies.

I decided to go a different route this time and make a breakfast item. How does Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes sound?

Like breakfast to your ears, right?

I don’t know about you, but I can manhandle a stack of pancakes with no problem. I don’t make them very often because Squirrel poo-poos them (the weirdo), so when I get my hands on a plate of hotcakes, you bet I’m going to go a bit overboard.

I like my pancakes crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The secret to crisp edges is adding a little canola oil to the bottom of a non-stick pan. Once the canola oil is hot, you’ll ladle in a scoop of pancake batter. I cook my pancakes until I see bubbles form, then I give ‘em a flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds to a minute.

We can’t have a stack of pancakes without syrup, am I right? I prefer all-natural maple syrup. Call me a syrup snob, but there’s no way maple-flavored corn syrup is even going to look in my stack o’ cake’s direction. 

Today I decided to raise the bar and make homemade blackberry maple syrup to drown our pancakes in. Lemon and blackberries just make sense.

The blackberry maple syrup comes together in under 10 minutes. Add 7 ounces of fresh blackberries to a saucepan. Add ½ cup of pure maple syrup, ¼ cup water, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Mash the berries using a fork or potato masher, and then bring the mixture to a gentle boil, allowing the cornstarch to thicken the mixture. Once the mixture thickens, take it off the heat and allow the mixture to come to room temperature. Strain the syrup through a mesh sieve and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds before drizzling over your hotcakes.

Viola, homemade berry-infused syrup.

The pancakes are perfectly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The combination of lemon and poppy seeds is a classic combination that’s sure to impress. Drizzled with homemade blackberry maple syrup, and these hotcakes are irresistible.

Savory Cornmeal Waffles with Eggs and Salsa-Guest Post with Joanne Eats Well With Others

Guys-I have the honor of introducing you, today, to Joanne from Eats Well With Others! Joanne and I met at a brunch (ironically?) with a bunch of food bloggers in the city, about a year ago, and I totally fell in love with her and her blog! She is so down to earth, sweet, funny, smart, and omgoshhh her food is gorgeous AND delicious! Plus-this lady can totally relate to me right now. She is also in wedding planning mode (she actually recently shared some beautious shots from her engagement shoot!)-funny story: at the brunch, it was pretty evident that 3 of us ladies were at a "just about ready to get engaged" point in our lives (Joanne, I, and Tara)  and then time passed and I watched as Tara and Joanne both got engaged. And I stared at Michael, like, "See? THEY'RE BOTH ENGAGED! It is myyyy turn!" And then it was. And all was right with the world.

Anywhozzle, I love Joanne. You'll love Joanne. Commence the lovefest.

The Brunch Dilemma.

We've all been there.

You finally get seated at your (and everyone else's, apparently) favorite spot, ready to eat your own hand out of severe hunger.

And then you're expected to make all of these life (or at least mood) altering decisions!

Savory or sweet? Breakfast or lunch? Carb coma or protein overload?

It's a wonder our heads don't explode.

Thankfully, I have come up with a solution to this predicament of all predicaments.

Savory waffles! Topped with a hefty dose of spicy salsa and your eggs of choice. I happen to live with a sad soul who is afflicted with runny-yolk-a-phobia, so I went the scrambled route, but you should go with whatever your tastebuds desire.

This way you get your carbs, your proteins, breakfast, and lunch in every bite.

No decisions required other than how many people you want to invite over to brunch with you. And once word gets around that you'll be serving up these waffle treats, methinks your friends will be banging down your door for an invite.

Thanks so much, Kayle for inviting me to guest post! I'm sure you're breaking in your new home with lots of good food, and hopefully there's some brunch-ing included in all of that!

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Smoothie

And finally, it is week 4 (the FINAL WEEK) of the Knockout Peanut Butter Smoothie Sweepstakes!

(Read my posts from week 1, week 2, and week 3)

The final rundown: Peanut Butter & Co and Rocky on Broadway have teamed up with four food bloggers (including myself) to bring you 4 different smoothie recipes a week. From April 14th-May 9th (TODAY-THE LAST DAY!), with 4 week-long entry periods, everyone has been invited to vote for their favorite smoothie recipe at Facebook.com/peanutbutterco and www.KnockoutPeanutButterSmoothie.com for a chance to win two tickets to see Rocky on Broadway and a year’s supply of Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter (50 jars). Winners will be randomly selected, totaling four winners by the end of the promotion period. There is no purchase necessary to enter the sweepstakes. Certain restrictions apply.

Rocky on Broadway (which opened March 13, 2014 at the Winter Garden Theatre) brings the story of Rocky Balboa (from the Rocky films) to the Broadway stage. I was able to see a preview and I totally fell for it. You should really go see it if you have the opportunity (or win!) Visit www.ROCKYBROADWAY.com for more information on the show and you can also refer to my post from week 1.

Some quick facts about Peanut Butter & Co: what began in 1998 as a little sandwich shop here in NYC (which I've been to!) is now one of the fastest growing natural/specialty food companies in the US! Their ten varieties of all natural, flavored peanut butters (made exclusively from USA-grown peanuts) are available in over 15,000 supermarkets and specialty retailers. So really you should make them your new favorite.

“Whether you’re training for a boxing match or fueling up for a busy day, peanut butter smoothies can make everyone feel like a champ!” said Lee Zalben, Founder & President of Peanut Butter & Co. “We’re so excited to be partnering with Rocky on Broadway, which is sure to be a knockout hit!”

Today I'm sharing my 4th and final smoothie (featuring one of Peanut Butter & Co.'s peanut butters):

I'm pretty proud of this one. I'll pat myself on the back. This smoothie is so tropical and thick-almost like a coconut milkshake but so much healthier! And it incorporates one of Peanut Butter & Co.'s most popular flavors-White Chocolate Wonderful. You really just need to head over and check out the recipe guys. You'll see!

For the smoothie recipe click here.

Smoothies shared from the last 3 weeks:
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Monster Smoothie
Honey and Pretzel Peanut Butter Smoothie
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Apple Banana Smoothie

Disclaimer: I was provided with product, tickets to a preview of Rocky on Broadway, and monetary compensation for my participation in this program. However, I was under no obligation to write a review and all opinions, as always, are my own.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Apple Banana Smoothie

It's week 3 of the Knockout Peanut Butter Smoothie Sweepstakes!

(Read my posts from week 1 and week 2)

Sum up: Peanut Butter & Co and Rocky on Broadway have teamed up with four food bloggers (including me!) to bring you 4 different smoothie recipes a week. From April 14th-May 9th, with 4 week-long entry periods, you're invited to vote for your favorite PB smoothie recipe at Facebook.com/peanutbutterco and www.KnockoutPeanutButterSmoothie.com for a chance to win two tickets to see Rocky on Broadway and a year’s supply (50 jars) of Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter. Winners will be randomly selected, totaling four winners by the end of the promotion period. There is no purchase necessary to enter the sweepstakes. Certain restrictions apply.

Rocky on Broadway (which opened March 13, 2014 at the Winter Garden Theatre) brings the story of Rocky Balboa (from the famous Rocky films) to the Broadway stage. I was lucky enough to see a preview and I LOVED IT. If you want to read more about Rocky on Broadway visit www.ROCKYBROADWAY.com (you can also refer to my post from week 1!).

And, to give you a bit of background on Peanut Butter & Co-they began in 1998 as a little sandwich shop here in NYC (which I've been to!) and now it's one of the fastest growing natural/specialty food companies in the US. Their ten varieties of all natural, flavored peanut butters (made exclusively from USA-grown peanuts) are available in over 15,000 supermarkets and specialty retailers. GOODNESS.

“Whether you’re training for a boxing match or fueling up for a busy day, peanut butter smoothies can make everyone feel like a champ!” said Lee Zalben, Founder & President of Peanut Butter & Co. “We’re so excited to be partnering with Rocky on Broadway, which is sure to be a knockout hit!”

All of this means 4 new smoothie recipes from me (featuring one of Peanut Butter & Co.'s peanut butters)!

So far I've shared these two smoothies:
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Monster Smoothie
Honey and Pretzel Peanut Butter Smoothie

And today?? The most fruity fresh tasting of all the smoothies. This one incorporates apples and bananas and then...I mean...because I had to...my favorite: Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter! Sweet and light and lovely! I'm so sad Michael wasn't able to try this one, it would have been his fave, I am sure!

Click here to view the recipe!

Disclaimer: I was provided with product, tickets to a preview of Rocky on Broadway, and monetary compensation for my participation in this program. However, I was under no obligation to write a review and all opinions, as always, are my own.

Honey and Pretzel Peanut Butter Smoothie

Hooray! It is week 2 of the Knockout Peanut Butter Smoothie Sweepstakes. 

(click here to read my post about week 1)

In case you're not up to speed: Peanut Butter & Co and Rocky on Broadway have teamed up with four food bloggers (including yours truly) to bring you 4 different smoothie recipes a week. From April 14th-May 9th, with 4 week-long entry periods, you're invited to vote for your favorite peanut butter smoothie recipe at Facebook.com/peanutbutterco and www.KnockoutPeanutButterSmoothie.com for a chance to win two tickets to see Rocky on Broadway and a year’s supply of Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter (50 jars). Winners will be randomly selected, totaling four winners by the end of the promotion period. There is no purchase necessary to enter the sweepstakes. Certain restrictions apply.

Rocky on Broadway (which opened March 13, 2014 at the Winter Garden Theatre) brings the iconic story of Rocky Balboa (from the famous Rocky films) to the Broadway stage. I am totally loving it and if you want to read more about it you visit www.ROCKYBROADWAY.com and you can also refer to my post from last week.

And, in case you didn't know about Peanut Butter & Co-in addition to being my favorite brand of peanut butter, Peanut Butter & Co. began in 1998 as a little sandwich shop here in NYC (which I've visited!) and is now one of the fastest growing natural/specialty food companies in the US. Their ten varieties of all natural, flavored peanut butters (made exclusively from USA-grown peanuts) are available in over 15,000 supermarkets and specialty retailers. And uhhhh yeah....tastiness.

“Whether you’re training for a boxing match or fueling up for a busy day, peanut butter smoothies can make everyone feel like a champ!” said Lee Zalben, Founder & President of Peanut Butter & Co. “We’re so excited to be partnering with Rocky on Broadway, which is sure to be a knockout hit!”

Anyways, this means 4 new delicious recipes from me (featuring one of Peanut Butter & Co.'s peanut butters)! Last week's smoothie was Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Monster Smoothie. And this week?

A super creative idea if I do say so myself!! Peanut Butter & Co.'s Bees Knees peanut butter, honey, and pretzels are the main flavor profiles at play here and it is so wonderfully subtly sweet and salty-and with such a thick, creamy texture-you are gonna LOVE IT!

To view the recipe click here!

Disclaimer: I was provided with product, tickets to a preview of Rocky on Broadway, and monetary compensation for my participation in this program. However, I was under no obligation to write a review and all opinions, as always, are my own.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Monster Smoothie

GUYS! Big big news! So, Peanut Butter & Co (which you may remember them as the peanut butter company I've gushed over this time and that time and also this other time), has teamed up with Rocky on Broadway (a new musical that I'll talk about in a bit) and four food bloggers (including MOI!) to bring a little thing called the Knockout Peanut Butter Smoothie Sweepstakes!

Basically, from Monday, April 14, 2014 to Friday, May 9, 2014, all you peoples are invited to vote for their favorite peanut butter smoothie recipe at Facebook.com/peanutbutterco and www.KnockoutPeanutButterSmoothie.com for a chance to win two tickets to see Rocky on Broadway and a year’s supply of Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter (50 jars). There will be four week-long entry periods (with 4 different sets of 4 smoothie recipes for each week), during which winners will be randomly selected, totaling four winners by the end of the promotion period. There is no purchase necessary to enter the sweepstakes. Certain restrictions apply.

Rocky on Broadway (which opened March 13, 2014 at the Winter Garden Theatre) brings the iconic story of Rocky Balboa (from the famous Rocky films) to the Broadway stage. It has already garnered so much praise and I am NOT surprised. You guys...I was shocked by how much I loved this musical. It did the perfect job of translating the movie but being its own thing (and in case you were wondering-Andy Karl as Rocky did a fantastic job of being very true to the character but not a caricature of Sylvester Stallone. Could not have been a better performance.) and the way it finagled some of the things for stage was just....amazing. And the love story....I am a SUCKER for a good love story and Rocky on Broadway made me get all swoon-y. *sigh* Anyway. Obviously I'm hooked. For more info about the show check out www.ROCKYBROADWAY.com.

“Whether you’re training for a boxing match or fueling up for a busy day, peanut butter smoothies can make everyone feel like a champ!” said Lee Zalben, Founder & President of Peanut Butter & Co. “We’re so excited to be partnering with Rocky on Broadway, which is sure to be a knockout hit!”

Sooooo every week for the next 4 weeks you'll get to see a new, fun, smoothie recipe from me (featuring one of Peanut Butter & Co.'s peanut butters). And we are starting with my FAVORITE!

Green monster smoothies=the ultimate way to drink yourself some healthy spinach while thinking you're enjoying a sweet treat! This is my absolute favorite green smoothie recipe-it uses Peanut Butter and Co.'s Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter so it tastes so sweet and rich while still being refreshing. You really have got to try it!

Click here to view the recipe!

Disclaimer: I was provided with product, tickets to a preview of Rocky on Broadway, and monetary compensation for my participation in this program. However, I was under no obligation to write a review and all opinions, as always, are my own.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Pastries

Things are just getting too real for me.

Michael started his new job Sunday (which....he hates). In 2 weeks we'll be moving to Ohio. And my stress levels are through the roooof. So...in times of great stress...you sometimes just need to revert to childhood. That's where these breakfast pastries come in. They're like the poptarts I so loved from my youth but...homemade. From scratch. And filled with delicious chocolate peanut butter instead of that weird chemical-y strawberry filling that I adored for some reason (ok...cuz it's tasty. But when I read what's in it I fuhreeeak out!)

Comfort. With less guilt (cuz I mean...they're still full of butter and all that good stuff.)

These pastries are incredibly flaky and melt in your mouth. And then...obviously...chocolate peanut butter is heaven on earth. Michael had some of these before he left and he said he really liked them (he just wishes the choc pb had been spread throughout the pastry a little more evenly. I agree. So keep that in mind when assembling these lovelies.)

Now...I know making pastries from scratch might sound intimidating and time intensive. But these really weren't. They were ridiculously simple to throw together-the hardest part was rolling them out and assembling them, but that still wasn't difficult. So impress your friends. Impress your S.O. Impress your mom (Mother's Day is in less than a month!). Impress that random dude on the corner. Impress whoever you choose to share these with! And if you don't want to share?

Impress yourself!

Peanut Butter Oat Balls

I have an irrational fear (ok...I have many. But today we're just discussing one).

I am terrified of having a child with a peanut (or any nut) allergy. Because...um...would I have to give up peanut butter? I CAN'T DO IT GUYS! I CAN'T! I don't even know what I would feed my childrens. So...this is a very real fear that I think about a lot (because I'm neurotic.) And it's so sad because some kids can't even be NEAR peanuts. And it's like...how can they go out in the world? In Disney World, my brother and I were snacking on some peanuts before Fantasmic! when a mother asked us to please stop eating them because her son (who was in line near us) is allergic. Apparently she had an Epipen just in case but...still. Like....she has to try to make sure no one eats peanuts around her kid. That is rough. So..I'm scared.

(and I hope no one with nut allergies or children with nut allergies take offense to this, I'm merely recognizing the challenges I imagine you must face)

Anyway. Currently, there's nothing in my life impeding me from my beloved peanut butter. Which is good because...not only is it gosh darn delicious, it's pretty darned healthy (if you use the right kind any way). So with the assistance of that magical spread, you can make healthy little treats that taste like cookies or candy.

My kind of healthy eating.

This recipe is SO. GOOD! The perfect breakfast or snack: they're bite sized, chewy, full of filling fiberlicious things like oats and flaxseed, and they have tasty chocolate and peanut butter. WIN. They're miraculous little bites. You can take them on the go for an easy breakfast or quick treat. BUT WAIT-there's more!

It takes like....10 minutes to make these yummy little balls of goodness. And there's no baking. You just mix em up, roll them into balls, and eat or store them! THE END. It doesn't get any simpler. So. You're smart people. You're probably going to go make these now, yes?

Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

These are the first pancakes that I have eaten in a very long time that didn't have chocolate chips and peanut butter. Because....streusel. Yummy. Wonderful. STREUSEL. So it's like a merger between pancakes and coffee cake: breakfast power couple. What I'm saying is...the pancakes are Shiloh Jolie-Pitt.*

*just kidding. They're pancakes. DELICIOUS pancakes.

I don't know that I've ever before bitten into a pancake and just marveled at how buttery it tasted. And then the delicious crunch and flavor of brown sugar and cinnamon....mmm it's enough to make your mouth water.

Look, ok, let's just say....if I were to open a restaurant, or host a brunch...

...these would certainly be made! Even Michael liked them, and pancakes are like his 3rd favorite of the sweet breakfast carbs (for him the order goes french toast, waffles, then pancakes. For me it goes waffles, pancakes, then french toast. Clearly no one can ever be satisfied).

There's only 1 downside...

The sheer QUANTITY of pancakes this recipe makes. If you have the skills to make large ones (which I do not) it'll yield 6, if you're like me and making medium ones, you're looking at 12-14 pancakes. That's a lot for 2 people to eat. It makes me long for the days when I'll have a whole family to feed. Or ya know...this fall when my brother will probably be living with us for a bit. Pretty sure that kid will eat everything in his path. This recipe would definitely be no problem for him to help demolish. In the meantime, freezing a few helps keep it manageable. 

Now, to serve these: I actually like them as is, or just with a little butter. The streusel adds plenty of sweetness and butteriness, in my opinion. Michael had syrup too, though, so it's really up to you! If you wanna be fancy with a little mound of butter like in these pictures, use a melon baller to scoop out some softened whipped butter.

And then you, too, can feel like you're fancy whilst in your pj's and watching Charmed on Netflix.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins {HEALTHY}

Muffins get kind of a bum rap in the breakfast world.

Not that people don't love em...oh no...people LOVE muffins. But everyone says they're not healthy, it's cake for breakfast, sugar, carbs, blah blah blahhhhhh. Well, worry no more my friends! You can eat THESE muffins and not have your annoying best friend who's going to grad school for nutrition and food science giving you a hard time about it (wait...is that just me?). REGARDLESS-muffins. Healthified. Oh yeah.

These muffins taste healthy. But like...in a good way. In a hearty, filling, makes you feel good about yourself kind of way. There are oats, whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, peanut butter....and....well....ok....chocolate chips. BUT you can omit them if you really want. But like...dark chocolate is an antioxidant. And really, there are NOT a lot of choc chips in this recipe.

Really. Seriously. I'm not kidding. Scout's honor.* (I really was a Girl Scout so you know that's legit.)

The only problem I have when I make muffins is....there's 12. For just me and Michael. And we can each really only eat like 1 a day soooo it's a smidge difficult. But no worries, these beautiful muffins did not go to waste-I gave a few to the parents of a little girl I babysit, and Michael and I managed to finish off the rest. :D

Of course you can always freeze leftover muffins. Or, if you have a big family, do not worry because these will get gobbled up before you know it! Perfect for breakfast or a nice healthy snack!