Flourless Peanut Butter S'mores Cookies {Gluten-free, Dairy free}

Ohhh heyyyyyy.

It's been a minute, huh?

Turns out...parenthood is hard you guys. It's like all consuming and add in trying to keep up with various life things (we got a minivan! James broke Michael's computer! There's a global pandemic!), generally feeding our whole family, somewhat keeping the house clean, trying to spend any time on self care or my relationship with Michael, and the little bit of work I do (seriously NO clue how everyone who works full time does it) aaaand...something had to give. Unfortunately that something was this blog. 

But-as I said, there's a global pandemic going on. Which means that Michael is able to work from home (which we are extremely lucky to have that option and I hate that more people aren't in that position). Which has really helped with dividing up house responsibilities and brainstorming ways to be more efficient. Also I'm no longer working outside of the house either. So we decided to give me a few extra hours a week to just go away from the kiddos, let Michael take over, and I can do whatever work sorts of things I need to do. And that includes finding some time to blog again! So hip hip hooray I have some recipes for you! 

Way back before Rose was born when James was still more toddler than little boy (*sob*) the two of us decided to bake cookies together. And I had seen these cookies on Instagram that looked super ooey gooey delicious but were a little healthier (maple syrup instead of sugar, gluten-free, dairy free, able to use my homemade peanut butter that I always have lying around...) AND they looked really quick and easy to make (necessary when dealing with a toddler). So we made them together (the little cutie loved the part where we flattened the dough balls) and then ate them together and oooooh they were PERFECT. So chewy. So flavorful. So decadent and delicious, you'd honestly never guess they were anything but pure sinful (not that I believe in food having any morality, all food is good food! And this is my mommy soapbox for today.) 

And James pointed to them and said "I made that." So really the accomplishment almost superseded the tastiness. 

Make 'em. Eat 'em. Do a happy dance that I posted a recipe for you and that of course it's cookies.

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!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Nutty Granola

This is my favorite thing I've made lately.

Like...every time I eat it I want to just go "Mmmmm....SO GOOD!" and then I curse myself for not making homemade granola more often. Because then I could have eaten this deliciousness sooner.

This granola tastes better than candy. It's sweet and crunchy and chocolatey and nutty and...it almost tastes as bit caramelized. It's the best granola I've ever eaten and by far the best I've ever made. Before making this recipe I hadn't really thought through how adaptable granola is. Like...you can pretty much throw whatever stuff you want in there. And that is what I did. And it turns out all the odds and ends I needed to use up were the perfect mix. Kismet!

Oats are the base of granola. Then some coconut oil and honey and dark chocolate peanut butter bind and sweeten the entire thing. And then...add whatever you choose. In this case I chose to add whole almonds and chopped hazelnuts and pecans and-my unexpected favorite-toasted coconut flakes. Oh my GAWD, those toasted coconut flakes after they were baked in the entire mixture turned out to be ridiculously irresistible. So friggin delicious. The entire thing was-just the most satisfying snack or breakfast or...heck...dessert!

You have GOT to try it!

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

Healthy Flourless Nut Butter Cookies

Here's the breakdown--these cookies have no sugar (unless you sub in sugar), no flour, no dairy/no butter and a crazy short ingredient list. And they're soft. And delicious. And taste like your favorite nut butter. And there's a wonderful bite of dark chocolate (which I guess you could opt out if you want to be really healthy but...antioxidants?) and that lovely contrast from the salt.

Mmmmmm.

And they're paleo? I think? Um....I'm not gonna claim to know much about the paleo diet-from what I understand the deal is you only eat things a caveman would've been able to eat? I think these cookies fit that bill....sorta....I dunno....just go with it, mk?

The important thing here is how incredibly soft and delicious these cookies are!

They're full of nut-buttery flavor (since you use a full cup make sure you like the flavor of it because it is the predominant taste of these treats!) and then you can taste the honey (I'm pretty sure the maple syrup would be a bit more subtle? And obviously brown sugar would make it taste a bit more traditional cookie-like), but not in an overwhelming way, and THEN the bite of the dark chocolate cuts the little bit of sweetness and the sea salt on top is always our friend. Salt + cookies forevahhhhh.

And if you want proof that these cookies still taste good (even though they're healthyish): my 5 year old twin flower-girls-to-be tried one of these cookies and they proclaimed "You made these? Good job! They're really good." so there ya have it. 

Children don't lie about liking food.

Neither do I!

Trust me, trust Kate and Evie-you'll like 'em!

Healthier No Bake Cookies

 Low fat.

No added sugar.

Gluten free*.

These are not words I would normally associate with tasty, delicious, no-bake cookies.

But all of that has changed!

*gluten free if you use gluten free oats.

No-bake cookies have a special place in my heart from my childhood. I loooved 'em. Still do!

And really, you'd think...how unhealthy can they possibly be? It's just like chocolate, pb, and oats, right?

Um...I guess not?

It's ok all, THESE no bakes are pretty much just chocolate, pb and oats (and like...honey, a smidge of coconut oil, and vanilla. All pretty good stuff!)

You may notice that my cookies don't seem super coated: I've made an adjustment for that in the recipe. I had too many oats apparently. It's ok though, they were still super delish. A bit crumbly, but still full of that familiar chocolatey peanutbuttery flavor. 

Plus-they're an awesome way to avoid turning on the oven in the hot summer weather! Wins all around!

Grab a glass of milk and dig in!

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?

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pecan Truffles

There was a silly time where I didn't think I liked any nuts, except for peanuts. Especially not in my sweets. But then, I discovered the wonderous chocolatey magic of Max Brenner's. In their gift shop (which is where I tend to hang out while waiting for a table) they'll give you a free sample of chocolate covered caramelized pecan truffles or some such and so, that first time, I tried it. Why not, right? It's free!

Fast forward 4 and a half years and those pecans have turned me into a con artist. I crave those little pieces of pecan heaven-the delicious chocolatey treats that made me completely change my mind about nuts (get your mind out of the gutter!) When I find myself in that gift shop, I get my free sample. I linger. I try to go to a new sales person for another one. Did they leave the sample jar unattended? I grab a handful. Yes...I'm pretty much the Bonnie half of Bonnie & Clyde of free chocolates.

*phew* glad to get that off my chest. My secret shame is safe with you guys, right?

So when I saw this recipe...it reminded me of those treats that turned me so villainous. Although they're pretty different...still good. AND bonus points-it's candy, so no baking. Which means no turning on the oven. Which means no melting in the NYC August I-only-have-a-window-air-conditioner-and-its-in-the-living-room-and-can-only-do-so-much-especially-because-electricity-is-so-effing-expensive heat. These little beauts are best served chilled.

Now, warning...these pecan truffles are messy. See that cocoa power? MESSY. Gets all up on your hands and everything it touches. But is a little extra messy chocolatey powder really such a horrible price to pay? I say worth it. Because you know what you get in return? Sweet, delicious, chocolatey, not overly sweet (or bitter) candies with a nice solid feel of firm, velvety chocolate when you bite in, followed by the lovely crunch of pecan. 

And you know what? They're not too bad for ya either. Sweetened only with honey. The only fat comes from good fats coconut oil and a smidge of peanut butter and well...pecans. And chocolate is super full of um...antioxidants and what not...yeah?

Finger lickin' good.

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

Today is Monday! For some reason, I really like sharing breakfast recipes on Monday. Perhaps because Monday is the beginning of the week and breakfast is the beginning of the day? Whatever the reason, this is a super awesome breakfast. Because-get this-it's cookies. COOKIES. FOR BREAKFAST! And not like in a "I don't care how unhealthy this is I'm totally having 3 of these leftover chocolate chip cookies for breakfast because I'm lazy and they're just so good-" kind of way, but in a "these are totally good for me but don't taste like they are" way. They're chock full of things that are a perfect way to start your day: whole grains, oats, protein, fruit.....chocolate....OK-the chocolate is optional. And if you want to be extra good, maybe don't use the chocolate chips. The original recipe didn't even have them. But...I...well...I NEED THEM OKAYYY?! But, it's dark chocolate. And like, a couple chips per cookie. Still totally healthy.

Don't judge me.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Baked Oatmeal

This, right now, is my FAVORITE breakfast.

It's like a chocolate chip cookie.

BUT IT'S HEALTHY!

And oatmeal.

I've never been able to get into oatmeal. I wanted to but...I don't know...it just never has really done it for me. However, I do like oatmeal when it's baked in stuff (like cookies, for instance). So, I was open to the idea of baked oatmeal. But, baked oatmeal usually has like...fruit and stuff in it. I don't really enjoy baked fruit (unlike Michael and his love for fruit pie). Then, Chocolate Covered Katie tempted me with "Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal". Um, yum. It looked super promising. I fell in love. I don't really think it tastes like cookie dough. However, I DO think it tasted like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie! I feel like I've made this like 30 times since then, and with time I perfected it to the way I like it. But the beauty is-you can mess with it to see how YOU like it too! AND it is gluten free, and can be sugar free, soy free, dairy free, and fat free. YEAH. It makes a single serving, and is low calorie, and, in general, just a really healthy way to start your day. So if you're still hanging on to a healthy New Year's resolution, this is for you!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Baked Oatmeal

From Chocolate Covered Katie's Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal

Simple Peanut Butter Granola Bars

This is one of my favorites, and one of the easiest, of my recipe finds. A big problem with a lot of granola bars is that they are secretly full of crap and bad for you. These are wholesome, healthy, and suuuper yummy! I got extremely excited about eating these warm the first time I made these, but I ended up not being a fan (not to mention they were a little overcooked--I adjusted the cooking time the second time I made these, which will be the time you see in the recipe). But, once cooled, they are extremely good, and once made they are great to just wake up and eat a granola bar for a speedy breakfast. Another HUGE perk of these is that they only NEED 4 ingredients. I knew they would be healthier if I'd opt for certain add ins, but I also knew that I'm broke and that that would have to be saved for a later, more lucrative, period in my life (I did put the chocolate chips in, however, I am me after all). And, I always impress people when I tell them I made my own granola bars. So now you can impress people too!