Baked oatmeal is one of my all-time favorite breakfasts. If you’ve never tried baked oatmeal, let me fill you in. Instead of cooking oatmeal on the stovetop or in the microwave, you bake the oatmeal in the oven. The oats are soft, creamy, and che…
Baked oatmeal is one of my all-time favorite breakfasts. If you’ve never tried baked oatmeal, let me fill you in. Instead of cooking oatmeal on the stovetop or in the microwave, you bake the oatmeal in the oven. The oats are soft, creamy, and chewy. The texture reminds me of bread pudding that isn’t overly…
These healthy breakfast cookies are amazing: no flour, refined sugar or dairy, yet they taste like an oatmeal raisin cookie! Morning win.
The path to healthy breakfast ideas is difficult, especially for meals on the go. So here’s a make ahead breakfast that fits in the palm of your hand: these Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies! Yes, it’s magic: oats, nut butter, applesauce, and maple syrup transform into cookies that you can eat for breakfast. There’s none of those traditional cookie ingredients: no flour, no butter, no oil, and no refined sugar. How is it possible? You’ve got to taste. Read the post for some important pointers.
Ingredients in breakfast cookies
Eating cookies for breakfast? Breakfast cookies are a handheld cookie made with healthy ingredients intended tp be eaten for breakfast or snack. They’re similar to a granola bar, but the texture is softer like a cookie. Breakfast cookies are conveniently easy to make in advance and refrigerate or freeze for meals on the go.
These healthy oatmeal breakfast cookies have no flour and no oil, opting for healthy alternatives. They also make both a vegan breakfast idea and gluten free breakfast option! Here are the 8 ingredients you’ll need:
Unsweetened applesauce
Creamy peanut butter or creamy almond butter
Maple syrup
Old Fashioned rolled oats
Baking powder
Cinnamon
Kosher salt
Raisins
Calories per cookie and serving suggestions
These breakfast cookies we created for a friend who asked us for healthy breakfast ideas for on the go (hi Chelsea!). She had particular dietary considerations, resulting in these cookies being vegan, gluten-free, and full of nutrient-dense ingredients. Here are a few notes on calories and serving the cookies:
The recipe yields 11 to 12 cookies. You’ll get 11 cookies if you make ¼ cup scoops, or 12 cookies if you make them slightly smaller.
The cookies are either 270 calories or 247 calories, depending on whether you made a batch of 11 or 12.
Serving size is 1 cookie. The cookies are fairly sweet so we’d suggest another item if you want a more filling breakfast. Add an apple or other grab-and-go item.
A few breakfast cookie tips before you start
These breakfast cookies are not like a traditional cookie! There are a few things that are a bit different and pointers to note:
The dough is very wet. It’s not like a normal cookie dough, so don’t expect it to be! It’s very wet.
You’ll have to form the dough into the cookie shapes with your hands. Again, it doesn’t shape like you expect it to: but that’s ok!
They also don’t spread when baking like a normal cookie. When you shape it, that will be the final shape of the cookie when baked. You can press a few extra raisins into the top before you bake if the cookie looks a little sparse on top.
Storage info
The best thing about breakfast cookies? They’re easy to make ahead and store for on-the-go breakfasts! Here’s what to know about storage:
Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for 3 months. Then grab them on your way out the door.
You can also store at room temp for about 5 days. They get very soft when stored at room temp (and delicious!).
The cookies become softer when stored. You’ll notice they’re a little crisp at the edges after baking, but they hydrate more during storage.
More healthy breakfast ideas
Looking for easy healthy ways to start the day? (Who isn’t?) Here are a few healthy breakfast ideas:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the applesauce, maple syrup, and peanut butter. Stir in the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix very well to combine into a dough. Add the raisins and stir until combined. The dough will be wetter than you expect, but it’s as intended.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out 1/4-cup portions of dough and use the palm of your hand to gently shape it into a cookie to about 3/4-inch thick. The cookie won’t spread while baking, so make it the shape you’d like the final cookie. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. If it doesn’t pop right out of the cup, you can remove it with your hands, form it into a ball and then flatten it into a cookie shape with your hands. Again, the dough will be wetter than a normal cookie dough. Repeat to make 11 ¼ cup sized cookies or 12 slightly smaller cookies. Press a few extra raisins into the tops of any cookies that seem sparse.
Bake until the cookies are golden and firm, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. The texture becomes softer during storage. Leftover breakfast cookies will store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 3 months (you can wrap individually in foil if you like or place in a freezer proof container).
If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, then you know how much I love lentils. They’re cheap, easy to cook, and are a blank slate for flavor. This week I decided to take one of my favorite spice combos and add it to some lentils. Warm cumin, garlic, and ginger pair with the subtle sweetness of ginger, cinnamon, and carrots to create a complex flavor that is simply out of this world. Spoon these saucy spiced lentils over something starchy like polenta, rice, or mashed sweet potatoes and you’ll be in lentil heaven.
Spiced but not Spicy
These lentils are seasoned with a slew of warm, sweet, and savory spices, but they are not hot or spicy. I did add a ¼ tsp crushed red pepper to the mix which gives the back end just a slight kick, but I still wouldn’t consider it spicy by any means. If you do happen to be sensitive to spicy flavors, you can reduce or eliminate the crushed red pepper.
What Kind of Lentils to Use
This recipe is designed for brown or green lentils (not French green lentils, which take much longer to cook). This type of lentil cooks in about 20-30 minutes of simmering, does not require soaking, and they hold their shape when softened. I do not recommend red, orange, or yellow lentils for this recipe because they break down quickly when cooked and will leave you with something more like a mush or porridge.
How to Serve Spiced Lentils
You can serve these lentils in a bowl on their own with some crusty bread for dipping, or spoon them over just about any type of starch. I served mine over a cornmeal mush (like polenta or grits), but you could also serve them over rice, mashed white potatoes or sweet potatoes, farro, or any other grain that you might like.
Meal Prep It!
I think these spiced lentils would make a fabulous vegetarian or vegan meal prep. They’ll keep well in the fridge for four to five days and should reheat quickly in the microwave. They’ll also freeze well, so you can stock a few extra portions in your freezer!
Spiced Lentils with Carrots
These warm, sweet, and savory spiced lentils hold up well as leftovers and make the perfect cozy vegetarian meal prep.
Dice the onion, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, and peel and dice the carrots.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and olive oil to a deep skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about five minutes).
Add the diced carrots, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, and crushed red pepper to the skillet. Continue to sauté for about two minutes more.
Next, add the uncooked lentils, tomato paste, and broth to the skillet. Stir until the tomato paste has dissolved into the broth. Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat up to high.
Allow the broth to come to a full boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the lentils simmer in the broth with the lid on for 30 minutes, stirring only occasionally.
After 30 minutes the lentils and carrots should be very tender. Give the lentils a taste and add salt or pepper if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth, I did not add any).
Serve the spiced lentils with crusty bread for dipping, or over a bed of polenta or mashed potatoes. Top with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
*Raisins are the more economical choice here (golden or purple raisins), but I happened to have dried apricots on hand so I used those instead of buying raisins specifically for this recipe.
How to Make Spiced Lentils with Carrots – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion, mince four cloves of garlic, grate about one teaspoon fresh ginger, and peel and dice four carrots. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a deep skillet along with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the chopped carrots to the skillet along with 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp allspice, and ¼ tsp crushed red pepper. Continue to sauté for about two minutes more.
Add one cup uncooked brown lentils, 3 Tbsp tomato paste, and 3 cups vegetable broth to the skillet.
Also, add ¼ cup chopped dried apricots or raisins to the skillet. If using dried apricots, chop them to about the same size as raisins.
Stir everything together until the tomato paste is mixed into the broth. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and let the broth come up to a full boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the lentils continue to simmer, with the lid in place, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
After 30 minutes the lentils and carrots should be tender. Give them a taste and add salt if needed. I did not add any, but depending on the salt content of your broth, you may need a bit to make the flavors pop.
Serve the spiced lentils with crusty bread for dipping or over a bed of polenta or mashed potatoes. Top with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Bread pudding, also known as French Toast Casserole, is what all your cozy weekend breakfast dreams are made of. It’s basically bread soaked in a sweet and creamy custard, then baked to perfection. The edges of the bread get deliciously crispy while the inside stays moist and custard-like. It’s so much easier than cooking individual […]
Bread pudding, also known as French Toast Casserole, is what all your cozy weekend breakfast dreams are made of. It’s basically bread soaked in a sweet and creamy custard, then baked to perfection. The edges of the bread get deliciously crispy while the inside stays moist and custard-like. It’s so much easier than cooking individual slices of French toast in a skillet, and it’s a great way to use up leftover stale or day-old bread. Win-win! So let me show you how it’s done.
Originally posted 5-5-2010, updated 9-18-2021.
Is Bread Pudding for Breakfast or Dessert?
There are many, many different versions of bread pudding, some of which are downright decadent. You’ll even see it on the dessert menu in a lot of restaurants across the south (usually drenched with a delicious bourbon sauce). The version I’m presenting here is the kind I grew up eating for breakfast. It has milk instead of heavy cream, fewer eggs, and a lot less sugar. The addition of applesauce to the custard also keeps things a little lighter and more toward the breakfast end of the spectrum. All of that said, I would still consider it a sweet, special occasion type of breakfast.
What Kind of Bread to Use for Bread Pudding
It’s important to use a hearty bread for bread pudding rather than a soft white sandwich bread. Softer bread will disintegrate in the custard and won’t give you the nice toasty edges on top. Bread pudding is the perfect way to use up leftovers from your loaves of Italian bread, baguettes, or any hearty artisan loaf you may have. And if you don’t have enough leftover bread from one loaf, tear that bread into pieces, pop it into a freezer bag, and save it in the freezer for later when you do have more bread!
What Else Can I Add?
The classic apple cinnamon flavor of this bread pudding is a great base to add even more flavor. You could toss in a handful of walnuts or pecans, or maybe even some dried cranberries. If you want more texture in your bread pudding, try chopping up a fresh apple and stirring that into the mix. If you want to go more toward the dessert route, you could top your bread pudding with a cream cheese icing or caramel drizzle!
Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding
Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding (also known as French Toast Casserole) is a rich and sweet breakfast treat or after-dinner dessert!
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. If your bread is not already in pieces, tear or cut the bread into one-inch pieces.
Spread the bread pieces out on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes to slightly dry the bread. After baking, let the bread cool for a few minutes to allow the remaining steam to evaporate.
While the bread is drying in the oven, prepare the apple cinnamon custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, 1 cup of applesauce, vanilla extract, sugar, and cinnamon.
Transfer the par-baked bread to a large bowl, add the raisins, then pour the apple cinnamon custard over top. Stir to combine and allow the bread to soak for at least 15 minutes to absorb all of the custard.
Meanwhile, use 1 teaspoon of the butter to grease the inside of a two-quart casserole dish. Transfer the soaked bread to the casserole dish and spread it out evenly. Cut the remaining butter into chunks and sprinkle it over the bread pudding.
Bake the bread pudding for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF.
After removing the bread pudding from the oven, add the remaining ½ cup applesauce in dollops on top of the bread pudding. Serve warm.
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Tear your bread into one-inch pieces. You’ll need about 6 cups of torn bread.
Place the torn bread pieces on a large baking sheet and bake in the preheated 325ºF oven for about 10 minutes to dry it out. Let the bread pieces cool for a few minutes after baking. This will allow the rest of the steam to evaporate and dry the bread further.
While the bread is drying, prepare the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups milk, 4 large eggs, 1 cup applesauce, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Place the dried bread cubes in a large bowl along with ⅓ cup raisins. Pour the custard mixture over top and then give everything a stir until all of the custard has been absorbed by the bread.
Set the mixture aside and allow the bread to soak in the custard for at least 15 minutes.
Use one teaspoon (out of the 2 Tbsp total) to grease the inside of a two-quart casserole dish. Transfer the bread pudding mixture to the casserole dish and spread it out evenly. Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and sprinkle them over the bread pudding.
Bake the bread pudding in the 325ºF oven for about 45 minutes, or until it’s brown and crispy on top and the internal temperature reaches 160ºF. After baking, spoon the remaining ½ cup applesauce over the top.
Cut into six pieces and serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup or a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top!
If you think a salad can’t fill you up, think again. This awesomely crunchy and flavorful Kale and Chicken Salad is chock full of juicy chicken breast, almonds, celery, and lots of fiberlicious kale to keep your belly full. And flavor? Oh don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the flavor. A tangy, sweet, and creamy […]
If you think a salad can’t fill you up, think again. This awesomely crunchy and flavorful Kale and Chicken Salad is chock full of juicy chicken breast, almonds, celery, and lots of fiberlicious kale to keep your belly full. And flavor? Oh don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the flavor. A tangy, sweet, and creamy honey Dijon dressing drenches the salad in tons of flavor. Throw a few sweet golden raisins on top for a pop of sweetness and you’ve got salad magic. And the best part? All of these ingredients hold up well to refrigeration, so this salad is perfect for your weekly meal prep. 🙌
Originally posted 7-28-2014, updated 8-16-2021.
If you love regular chicken salad, I think you’ll love this kale and chicken salad as well. It has all the same flavors as traditional chicken salad, but the ingredients are piled onto a bed of greens and the dressing is made slightly thinner so that it’s pourable instead of acting like a thick binder. And just as with regular chicken salad, there is a lot of room for customization here, so keep reading for some ideas.
Can I Use Different Greens?
Sure! If you’re not into kale, you can swap it out with your favorite greens. I think a crunchy green like Romaine or finely shredded cabbage would probably be best, but you could use any green that you like to use for fresh salads.
What Kind of Chicken to Use
I used plain chicken breast that I cooked quickly in a skillet and then diced, but you can take a shortcut and use store-bought rotisserie chicken instead. You’ll need about 1.5 cups of chopped cooked chicken for this recipe.
Raisin Substitutes
I love the mildly sweet golden raisins in this recipe, but you could swap them out with dried cranberries, chopped apples for more crunch, or even fresh grapes (sliced).
Dressing Options
If you don’t want to make your own homemade dressing for this salad, a store-bought honey mustard or poppyseed dressing would be awesome with the flavors in this salad.
How to Meal Prep Kale and Chicken Salad
The sturdy, crunchy nature of the ingredients in this salad means that it holds up extremely well to refrigeration without much effort. I would store the dressing on the side just to maintain maximum crunch-factor, but other than that, all of the ingredients can be stored together in single-serving containers. The prepped salads will stay good in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
Crunchy Kale and Chicken Salad
This Crunchy Kale and Chicken Salad is full of flavor, texture, and a tangy-sweet homemade dressing. It's perfect for your weekly meal prep!
Chop the cooked chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Clean the celery and chop into similar small bite-sized pieces.
Remove the kale from the stems, tear it into 1-2 inch pieces, rinse well in a colander, and drain well.
To make the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, Dijon, salt, and pepper.
To build the salad, start with a base of kale, top with the chopped chicken and celery, almonds, and raisins. Drizzle the dressing over top, toss until everything is coated, then enjoy.
How to Make Crunchy Kale and Chicken Salad – Step by Step Photos
You can us any pre-cooked chicken for this recipe and you’ll need about 1.5 cups once chopped. I used one chicken breast (⅔ lb. total) that I filleted into two thinner pieces so that it would cook quickly in a skillet. Once browned on the outside and cooked through, I simply let it cool for 5-10 minutes and then chopped it into small pieces.
While my chicken was cooling, I made the dressing. This dressing is very similar to a dressing you’d use for chicken salad, but it’s a little bit thinner so it’s pourable and will easily coat all of the kale. In a bowl, whisk together ½ cup mayonnaise, 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1.5 Tbsp honey, ½ Tbsp Dijon mustard, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.
Next, prep the kale. I used bagged kale that comes pre-chopped because it’s super convenient and just about the same price as bunched kale. If your kale is still on the stem, simply pull it off the stem and tear it into 1-2 inch pieces. Rinse it in a colander and then let it drain well. Watery salad is never good. I used ½ of a one-pound bag, or about 6 cups of chopped leaves.
Next, dice two ribs of celery, or about 1 cup once chopped.
Chop the cooked chicken to similar sized pieces (about 1.5 cups chopped).
Then just build your salad(s)! You can either build one large salad or build it as four smaller single-serving portions. Start with your bed of chopped kale, then add the chopped chicken and celery…
Then add ⅓ cup almonds (sliced or slivered) and ⅓ cup golden raisins.
Pour your dressing over top just before serving.
Toss to coat everything in dressing and enjoy! (I added a little extra cracked black pepper on top because I love pepper!)
Zucchini Cookies are a surprising way to use up your summer zucchini harvest! These sweet cookies are a bit cakey and infused with plenty of lemon for a bright citrus flavor. I cannot garden to save my life. Seriously, I kill mint. Those of you who garden know that mint is often deemed “unkillable,” if …
Zucchini Cookies are a surprising way to use up your summer zucchini harvest! These sweet cookies are a bit cakey and infused with plenty of lemon for a bright citrus flavor.
I cannot garden to save my life. Seriously, I kill mint. Those of you who garden know that mint is often deemed “unkillable,” if that’s even a word.
Mint is definitely not unkillable. I‘ve killed it – several times.
But for some reason I always think my black thumb will turn a pretty shade of green every single spring – that I’ll miraculously transform into some kind of amazing farmer.
Well, folks that doesn’t happen – ever.
So despite my best efforts year after year, I’m pretty much gardenless and have to rely on veggies from our friends or the farmers market.
Thankfully, I still always end up with plenty of zucchini because it seems to grow like mint for everyone but me.
The search for the BEST oatmeal cookie is over! And it just happens to be vegan and gluten-free. These chewy oatmeal cookies are studded with raisins, laced with cinnamon, and oh so perfect. Plus, just 30 minutes and simple methods required! Let us sho…
The search for the BEST oatmeal cookie is over! And it just happens to be vegan and gluten-free. These chewy oatmeal cookies are studded with raisins, laced with cinnamon, and oh so perfect. Plus, just 30 minutes and simple methods required! Let us show you how it’s done.
These cookies start with a wholesome base of almond flour, rolled oats, and our DIY gluten-free flour blend.
If you like carrot cake, you are going to LOVE these Carrot Cake Muffins. They taste just like carrot cake but are totally acceptable for breakfast because they are muffins. YES! The muffins are super moist thanks to the fresh carrots and perfectly spi…
If you like carrot cake, you are going to LOVE these Carrot Cake Muffins. They taste just like carrot cake but are totally acceptable for breakfast because they are muffins. YES! The muffins are super moist thanks to the fresh carrots and perfectly spiced thanks to the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. They may look…
We have a serious thing for golden milk — the traditional Indian beverage that has its roots in Ayurveda and is most traditionally known as haldi ka doodh. In its simplest form, it’s a combination of warmed milk and ground turmeric, which may sound lik…
We have a serious thing for golden milk — the traditional Indian beverage that has its roots in Ayurveda and is most traditionally known as haldi ka doodh. In its simplest form, it’s a combination of warmed milk and ground turmeric, which may sound like an interesting combination, but once you try it, you just get it. It’s not only comforting but also incredibly anti-inflammatory and delicious. This granola is an homage to golden milk.
All of the flavors of carrot cake baked into oatmeal! Swoon! What started as carrot cake overnight oats morphed into So. Much. More.
The flavors of carrot cake really pop here thanks to freshly grated carrot, maple syrup, cinnamon, walnuts, and raisin…
All of the flavors of carrot cake baked into oatmeal! Swoon! What started as carrot cake overnight oats morphed into So. Much. More.
The flavors of carrot cake really pop here thanks to freshly grated carrot, maple syrup, cinnamon, walnuts, and raisins. It’s springy and light yet hearty and satisfying. Plus, just 10 ingredients and 1 bowl required. Let us show you how it’s done!