Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Another baby/toddler approved recipe--that's also endorsed by the hubby. This oatmeal is awesome because it is super versatile, you can totally play around with it a bunch, and it's healthy AND tasty! And-bonus for a busy parent or any busy adult-suuuper quick and easy to make. You just mix everything together, spread into a pan, and bake!

I love baked oatmeal-I think it's so comforting and tasty and I like that it's not as messy as unbaked oatmeal, lol. James loved this too-it's nice and filling and flavorful. I haven't made it in awhile now and the only reason for that is a current "bopple" (AKA apple) obsession that little man is going through. No apples survive his appetites long enough to end up in anything else. He so much as glimpses an apple and he immediately starts clamoring for "BOPPLE BOPPLE BOPPLE!"

But I swear as soon as I figure out how to successfully hide an apple from his little eagle toddler eyes I will be making this again!

Banana Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes {Baby Led Weaning Recipes}

I've got another baby-approved recipe for you!!! These pancakes are AHHMAZING for everyone because they're super quick and easy to whip up and so healthy AND delicious!! Seriously, Michael and I both loved them almost as much as James (it's hard to compare to the amount of enthusiasm that little guy had for these pancakes. He devoured them in no time flat!) They also freeze great, I made a big batch and then froze most of them so I could easily just take one out and microwave it anytime little man needed his pancake fix.

I just love how healthy these pancakes are, they're mostly just bananas and oats! And you just blend all the ingredients in a blender: COULD NOT BE EASIER. I also added blueberries for my boys and because I'm a grown up and I can-and I don't dig blueberries-I added chocolate chips for myself. These were actually one of the first foods that baby James got excited about (he ate 2.5 pancakes in one sitting) and no one can blame him. You'll love them and feel good about eating them/feeding them to your family!

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies {Baby Led Weaning Recipes}

James is 9 months old which means we've been on our baby led weaning journey for about 2 and a half months. I'm not going to try to sell you on it or be terribly informative I'll just sum it up by saying: when babies are at least 6 months old and able to sit up unassisted you offer them table foods, usually whatever you're having-just cut appropriately(aside from choking hazards, like nuts, or things babies can't have, like honey)-instead of doing purees. There's a bunch to it and I highly suggest you look into it if you're interested, I've loved it. Anyway, thanks to BLW James is an awesome eater and I get to have tons of fun making him lots of different foods. But I also want him to be healthy, so he hasn't had any real desserts yet. His kind of desserts are like nice cream (AKA blended frozen bananas that have the texture of ice cream) and these cookies. Which I'm good with. And, frankly, they ARE tasty. So he's not missing out!

I mean, clearly he couldn't keep his hands off them:

3 ingredients: oats, peanut butter, and bananas. That's it. It's pretty epic. And not just for babies! I would have called them "breakfast cookies" prior to mommy-dom and been perfectly happy eating them then, too. This recipe is super duper insanely easy to whip up and it's also very customizable-you can add in all sorts of mix ins and sub out different nut butters if peanut isn't your thang. You can even add some maple syrup or honey if you feel like they're not sweet enough. Let's be honest, if these had just been made for me they would have had chocolate chips. But James is not ready for chocolate, he'll love it too much. Gotta keep some surprises for him. So for now he'll happily munch away on his special little baby cookies because they're tasty and I'll be happy that they're healthy! Win win win win!

{Gluten-free} Salted Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies

YAY! I BAKED A SWEET AGAIN! I'm so happy I could cry.

AND AND AND Michael finalllyyyyy really loved a healthier dessert I made (usually he's like "it's fine but it'd be better if it was normal" blah blah). So we've got double the reason to celebrate!

The blondies are AMAZING because they're INSANELY gooey and rich and soft and chewy but then there's also the crunchy toasted pecans on top and melty dark chocolate and-obviously-sea salt on top to make everything even tastier. And yeah they just so happen to be like gluten free, dairy free, and paleo. Which is like WHAAA? You'd seriously never guess there's anything healthified about them. You can trust the Michael seal of approval!

You know part of what makes blondies sosososo yummy?? 3 words: toasted.pecan.butter. YEAH. It's what's holding together a lot of this recipe and allowing it to be its dairy free and gluten free self, but it's also what makes it taste so rich and decadent and gooey and....perfect. Just...perfect. You're gonna love these. I mean it. MAKE THEM!

Paleo Chocolate Chunk Blondies

...hi again. Erm...didja know moving sort of is a big time commitment and thusly I am terribly sorry for how scarcely I've been seen 'round these parts? Cuz yeah...it's all true.

I'm kinda sorta super into paleo desserts. Like...I like 'em. I love coconut sugar and coconut oil and nutty flours and...yeah. I'm a fan. I feel like I'm eating something delicious and decadent, but I know it's not like....terrible for me. And that makes me a happy Kayle :)

I will admit that Michael wasn't huge on these blondies. But I think he's dumb and smells funny, so there!

...ok he actually smells good, but still, I think he's crazy for not liking these. But I guess that means more for me!

I mean...what's not to like? They're soft and chewy, with just a little but of crunch, and so much depth of flavor and gooey dark chocolate and...yeah. I'm a fan. ESPECIALLY when warm. Full support of eating these warm. Which...I mean...that's nothing new.

Michael and I are in the midst of attempting to be healthier, but I still need dessert sometimes. And honestly these blondies are the perfect thing. All I need is one and I'm happy. 

...I mean...I really want more than one. But, one will do :P

Chocolate & Salted Caramel Swirled Meringues

Remember how we made that creme brulee last week that used 4 egg yolks? Remember how I said I had the perfect way for you to use those leftover egg whites? HERE IT IS!

Gaze upon the most glorious meringues of all time:

Crisp and light and airy and chewy--these are facts about meringues. And they're even better when you swirl dark chocolate and salted caramel in them and top them with a bit of sea salt. It's like magic. 

They were so magical (and the recipe made so many) that I felt I needed to share them. I gave some to a bride I met with (whose wedding was on Saturday, actually) as well as my boss, Val (and her husband, Darrin-who was pretty stoked to be getting gifted with treats). Val & Darrin loved them, as did Michael, as did I.

Really-there's no reason to make any other kind of meringue cookie, in my opinion. Because once you go caramel and chocolate...you don't go back, ya know? Sometimes we spoil ourselves.

Zucchini & Tomato Skillet

I know. I disappear for 2 weeks and then I come back to you with vegetables. Like...who am I even?

Don't worry, I'm still me. I made this for Michael :P

BUT I tried some and actually didn't mind it. And it was a super simple thing to throw together as a healthy side dish for the boy. You're gonna agree-trust me!

Michael was a little wary at first...he said it looks like minestrone soup (of which he is not a fan). I informed him that it was literally just some garlic and chopped tomatoes and zucchini with some seasonings. He gave me a suspicious look and took a bite...

...and he was pleasantly surprised! "This is REALLY good, actually!" he said.

*huff* I can't believe he doubted me.

SO don't you all start doubting me either! This is seriously the simplest (and most adaptable) weeknight skillet idea that works as a side or it could even be an entree if that's your thing (whether you're a vegetarian or if you wanted to mix in some cooked meat with the veggies). You can also of course mix up the vegetables according to your preference but the zucchini and tomatoes really worked out nicely. The zucchini ended up perfectly tender and the tomatoes started to cook down so that they almost became a sauce--which I didn't expect (I suppose I should have but I didn't). Anyway--flavorful, quick, easy, healthy. These are words that describe this one skillet dish that I hope your family likes as much as mine does! :)

Paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookies

When I saw Ambitious Kitchen share these cookies...I had no intention on making them anytime soon. But then How Sweet It Is raved about them. And I realized I had all the ingredients on hand. So I made the best decision ever and decided to give them a try. And they're one of my all-time favorite healthier cookie recipes.

Michael's really becoming a cookie connoisseur, I'm a little proud of it. I like to think I'm responsible. I decided not to tell him there was anything different about these cookies but he immediately was like "Hmm...they're a little nutty. The texture is different too-is there almond butter in these?" And I mean...almond flour...he wasn't too far off. I then came clean and he just shrugged and ate the rest of the cookie happily. Ahh how far we've come.

That reminds me of a funny story-we were voting early for the upcoming primary and I was apparently just out of sorts that day because I kept asking questions and then seeing there were very obvious answers around me. And Michael kept teasing me every time. The people at the election office were getting a kick out of it and the one older woman asked if I was sure about him. I then informed her we were married so I'm fairly stuck with him. She giggled and said well a sense of humor is always good for a long lasting relationship. I agreed. And then glared at my oh so funny husband.

Anyway--back to the cookies. 

They're chewy. Just a little bit nutty (part of why I'm so impressed Michael picked up on it). The coconut sugar gives them a deliciously complex and almost caramelized flavor. Gooey dark chocolate chunks are the things I dream of...and sea salt on top because I firmly feel all ccc's need it. My cookie jar was a happy place when these resided there. And they couldn't be easier to make-you just mix them up in a bowl, you don't even need an electric mixer! And there's no chilling required soo...you can pretty much have cookies in your belly in less than 30 minutes. SCORE!

Double Chocolate Coconut Flour Muffins {Gluten-free, Dairy free, Paleo, Low fat}

Hurray! I did it! I made a healthy-like really...actually healthy-thing and Michael liked it and complimented it and had no comments like "yeah it's ok but it would be better if it were sweeter..." etc. These muffins are that healthy thing.

Now-if you're into the paleo thing or if you're gluten-free or dairy free, good news! You can totally eat these muffins! And if you're not paleo or dairy free? Feel free to use peanut butter and cow milk in this recipe (which I, in fact, did). I was super excited about the gluten-free aspect because I was able to use some of the coconut flour that I've had just sitting in my refrigerator, and these muffins were by far the best recipe I've made using it! Anyway, regardless of dietary needs--these are just taaasty tasty muffins! The texture is really nice and they have a perfect amount of chocolate flavor. They taste like a delicious and healthy treat that make an amazing breakfast or snack! (And if you're really being good-you can even make these your dessert.)

Michael even let one of his co-workers try a muffin and she raved about them. She loved that they're not too sweet but they don't taste like health food either. They're just...good! 

Which is good becaaaaause....I've got a wedding dress to wear in 10 days!

eep.

Chocolate Chewies

Allow me to gripe about something wholly un-food related (although you could somewhat blame my love of food for part of this...)--I went shopping for tank tops the other day and firmly realized that it is a difficult time to be a curvy (yet still petite?) girl. 90% of the tank tops were cropped, sheer, and/or possessing an open back or some such where you cannot wear a bra. Y'all...I NEED to wear a bra. And I need to not flash my tummy. And I have 0 idea how anyone can wear those sheer tops because they're too small to wear anything under them and if you don't then...you're just essentially naked? So...anyone who makes clothes that is somehow reading this...do us young curvy ladies a favor and make more tank tops that allow us to wear bras. kthanks.

Speaking of those silly tank tops--my cousin is a twiggy little thing and I complained to her about this, while she nodded and commiserated. Not 3 days later I see her in a cropped tank where you can see her bra and belly! I mean..no big deal but cmon girl, where's the solidarity? Even though she betrayed me I still allowed her to partake in the treats I had brought to our grandma's house for her Memorial Day party-these cookies!

And boy, were these little beauties a hit! One of my cousin's kids ate half of them before anyone even knew what hit them. One of my teenage boy cousins was thrilled when he heard I had brought cookies and I know he ate at least 4. Everyone raved about how chocolatey they are, how they taste almost like brownies...but also sort of like meringues? And they're crisp on the outside and super chewy on the inside...really...they sort of perplexed everyone. But in a "how can this be so tasty?" sort of way.

To be fair-these cookies ARE sort of strange. They're sort of a meringue cookie, but not exactly? They definitely have the whipped egg white thing going for them. They also reminded me a bit of macarons when they baked, because they have those little "feet" and that shiny shell-like exterior. Whatever they are, they're made with only 5 ingredients (egg whites, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract), are pretty quick and easy to make, and they're lovely little bites of bliss. The texture is super unique and addictive and if you like chocolate...oh you'll love 'em!

{Healthier} Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl "Cupcakes"

Are these muffins? Are these cupcakes? Are they some sort of healthier hybrid?? We may never know. But-for simplicity's sake...we'll call them cupcakes. Even though they have no frosting...and are actually acceptable for breakfast...

...just....go with me on this.

These cupcakes are made with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, egg whites, TWO bananas, and  swirl of peanut butter (or-in my case-homemade almond peanut butter). They also have unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips which are perfectly fine. And...and I mean...there's also a little bit of all purpose flour, sugar, and some peanut butter chips. But not much of them! So I definitely still ate these as my healthy snack and for breakfast. (Not that I've never eaten a full on cupcake or cookie for breakfast...I have...I just, ya know, felt semi-bad about it.)

My brother and I were big fans of these--which makes sense. They combine chocolate, banana, and peanut butter. Which we love. Our only complaint is a wish that there was more peanut butter sooo---if you wanna be extra generous with your peanut butter swirl...I certainly would approve. Michael didn't adore these (he thought they were fine), largely because they have a fairly obvious banana flavor and he is not a banana fan. But that's ok! They're so moist and soft and there's gooey chocolate chips (if you're smart and eat these warm) and a bit of peanut butter and just...mmm. They're delicious enough that I don't mind not sharing!

Greek Yogurt Chocolate Chip Cookies

When you just want a classic chocolate chip cookie but you also don't want to a FULL ON unhealthy one because it's the day of one of your final wedding dress fittings and you reeeeally don't want your alterations woman to poke your fat again.

That's the time for these cookies.

FYI-I got validation that I have lost weight at my fitting so...good news!

And these cookies-while not as overtly healthy as some others I've been posting (like the chickpea deep dish ones!) are still pretty decent. They have no butter-the fat comes from coconut oil and greek yogurt, and those are pretty darn healthy sources. And there's whole wheat flour! So, not healthy. But not horribly unhealthy either. And they are taaaasty.

I will warn you: these are best warm. Which...is generally true of cookies but when my brother tried a cooled cookie he said it tasted kind of funny. Whereas I always eat them warmed up and they just taste like a good old fashioned delicious CCC to me. So, really, why aren't you eating your cookies warm anyway? What are you-a Michael? (Seriously...that boy. He's a silly silly head.)

3 Ingredient Almond Butter Cookies

So, as you may know, I had my first bridal shower this past Saturday. One really cute aspect was that every place setting had a little recipe card holder (which was a favor) that held a recipe from THIS blog (and a photo). It was super adorable and made my heart smile to see people fight over who got which recipe and to hear my future mother-in-law tell everyone about my blog in a proud voice.

The poor thing, though. When she was putting together all the recipes she was trying to find recipes that weren't too long-so that they would fit. It was a bit challenging for her. It's a shame that I hadn't made these cookies yet, because I bet they would have been PERFECT.

These are probably one of the shortest recipes I've ever written on the blog, The ingredient list? 3. The preparation? Essentially just mix it together and bake. It's a little craaazy. But also awesome.

And oh hey-they're pretty healthy. Due to the fact that the only ingredients are almond butter, an egg, and sugar. The sugar is the sole not very healthy factor BUT...there's not much of it.

The cookies are chewy and have a perfect texture (kind of shocking, due to the ingredient list). They taste pretty fab also. One major thing to keep in mind, though--make sure you use an almond butter whose flavor you LOVE (you can also sub in any kind of nut butter). Due to the fact that these cookies are mostly almond butter...that's pretty much all they taste like. So, if you like the nut butter, you'll love the cookies!

Healthy Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookies {Gluten-free, Vegan}

I wanted to believe in the whole "chickpeas can totally taste like chocolate chip cookies" thing. I did.

But there was a part of me that just...couldn't really trust it.

Until I made these. And now I am a TRUE believer! BECAUSE OMG YOU GUYS IT'S TRUE! IT'S REALLY REALLY TRUE! Not like when people say cauliflour can taste like potatoes (it does not) or that green beans can taste like french fries (NEVER!)--no....hear me when I tell you that these cookies that have no flour, no butter, no eggs, and a whole can of chickpeas....they taste like ooey, gooey, decadent, CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

My life begins today.

First of all, a logistical note: you can double this recipe and make it in a pie dish (the baking time would just be a bit longer). However, I love single serving little deep dish cookies in ramekins. So that's what I decided to do. And these are probably the easiest cookies ever. You just throw the ingredients into a food processor and process everything together. Sort of like cookie dough hummus :P And you mix in chocolate chips (because we need those...for life.) and bake these little treats up! And they just taste like a warm, soft, gooey deep dish chocolate chip cookie. No one will ever guess that they're healthy!

Our little secret ;)

Healthier Dark Chocolate Brownies-Peanut Butter & Co. #MysteryIngredient Challenge

Did you know that March in National Peanut Month? Well-IT IS! To celebrate, Peanut Butter & Co. wanted to showcase the versatility of peanut butter by providing a mystery ingredient {to those of us who accepted the challenge} to be paired with peanut butter in a recipe. ((And, also to celebrate, we're having a PB & Co giveaway! Scroll past the recipe to find out how to enter))

My mystery ingredient? Espresso powder.

Truthfully, I'm not a fan of coffee. I don't like the flavor (although I ADORE the scent). However I have heard multiple times how adding coffee/espresso to certain chocolate desserts just intensifies the chocolate flavor. And...um...I LOVE chocolate. The more deep, dark, and intense the chocolate flavor the better! So I knew that I would be pairing the espresso with my favorite PB & Co peanut butter: Dark Chocolate Dreams.

In case you haven't read any of my previous posts about Peanut Butter & Co, here's why I love them (aside from the sole fact that they make a dark chocolate peanut butter...which is pretty epic on its own): their peanut butters are natural (hooray-a short and pronounceable ingredient list) and no-stir and they contain no cholesterol, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, or high fructose corn syrup (and they're also certified gluten-free, vegan, and kosher!) If I'm not making homemade nut butters, PB & Co is pretty much the only peanut butter brand I use.

Back to these brownies. I knew I wanted to use the espresso to really amp up the chocolate flavor of whatever I would make, and that Dark Chocolate Dreams would help me do that. I'm also still trying to make healthier treats since I'm pre-wedding. So I decided to adapt a recipe that I found for whole wheat brownies (which already called for instant espresso) and replace ALL the butter in said recipe with the Dark Chocolate Dreams. Oh yeah. I also significantly decreased the amount of flour (the peanut butter is much thicker than regular butter, so this worked out nicely) and slightly decreased the sugar and...well...I was pretty nervous about how they would turn out.

But omigosh these brownies came out PERFECTLY! Even Michael (Mr."I don't like when you healthify my desserts I just want brownies that taste like my mom's") adored them-especially the texture! They're dense but feel like just a classic, comforting brownie. And, as desired, the chocolate really shines. So much so that you can actually barely taste the peanut butter (it's just a little hint of that tasty peanutty specialness). The espresso really does add some smoky nuance and just lets you taste the chocolate to its fullest potential. Dark chocolate chips are studded throughout and help add to the experience even more.

To sum up: this challenge was a success! The brownies are soft, gooey, chewy, and intensely chocolatey.

And they happen to also be low-fat, whole grain, and dairy-free ((I mean...aside from the choc chips))

*happy dance*

Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt Bars {KIND Bars Copy Cat}-Guest Post at American Heritage Cooking

Hey friends! Do you remember Lindsey, from American Heritage Cooking?

She guest posted over here for me while I was in the midst of that whole annoying moving situation. And now SHE'S living in NYC and attending culinary school and it's all crazy exciting and I'm so happy for her but she's super busy so I'm returning the favor and posting over there today :)

Now-on to the wonderful treats that I'm sharing. They're awesome, all. They're a copy cat recipe for KIND bars (a kind of granola sort of bar)--and these are cheaper, healthier, and tastier! And they're super simple to make, I promise! They're subtly sweet and crunchy with just a touch of sea salt on top to balance the whole thing. If you love nuts and dark chocolate (and like...who doesn't?) these are the perfect healthy snack for you!

So if you want the recipe for the delicious Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt Bars, click on over to read the post on American Heritage Cooking! xoxo

Peanut Butter Compost Cookies {Gluten-free}

Ok before we get into tasty cookie talk...I need to make a confession: I overcooked them. Like...I either didn't set the timer or didn't hear it go off or I don't know what but all I know is that I'm lucky I decided to go check when I did or all I would have had to share today were blackened hockey pucks.

Luckily these cookies still turned out fine (Michael actually likes the fact that they're probably less soft than they would have been if baked for the proper time)-good, in fact. But I haven't overcooked cookies in QUITE some time, so I just needed to come clean about it. Glad that we got that out of the way.

You know what's great about compost cookies? You can pretty much throw in any random stuff you have into them. I happened to stay fairly close to the ingredients listed in the original recipe but that is because I just so happened to need to get rid of some of those things. Like...guys...I have so much shredded coconut. And I rarely use it. And cornflakes--I have them. Rarely use 'em. So, this recipe was super helpful (although, admittedly, I did not use up much of them...maybe I should make 5 more batches?)

Once again we're doing the healthyish cookie thang. Peanut butter and nuts are the main source of fat (and it's a good kind of fat). There's a minimal amount of flour-like substance that is used to help hold them together (I used almond flour, you can use some other sort of thing, or...just regular flour. Your call. But if you use a non gluten flour-such as oat flour or almond flour-then these cookies are gluten free! Hooray!) And um...yeah you get it. I love how chock full of mix ins they are (you almost think there's not enough dough to hold it all but, don't worry, there is!) so they're full of varying textures and flavors. An adventure for your tastebuds! And I def. dub them able to be eaten for breakfast. And cookies for breakfast are as wonderful and miraculous as unicorns.