Tag: vegetarian

Overnight Oats in a Jar

Melissa King 78 Comments

I am a fan of all things oats.  Loaded with protein and fiber, but relatively low in calories.  The high amount of fiber keeps you with a full feeling for a long time afterward.  Something that boxed cereal could never do.  I often have homemade granola for breakfast.  This is so easy, I wonder why I didn’t try it sooner!

overnight oats watermark

I initially saw a recipe on Food Babe’s blog called, The Perfect Parfait.  Her recipe inspired me to try it.  So good!  I love how this recipe is very adaptable.  You can really add whatever you like and change it up daily so you never get bored. I used a recycled pickle jar to hold my oats, but a mason jar would work well too. This is great for those mornings that you really have to rush.

Overnight Oats in a Jar

Overnight Oats in a Jar

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Prep Time 5 min

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Rinse your groats beforehand. Throw everything in the jar the night before.  If you like things a little sweet, you could throw in some chopped dates or raisins. 
  2. Store in the fridge overnight.  Just pull out and eat in the morning.  Easy as that. This will be a breakfast I will have at least twice a week. I love it and I hope you will too.

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Healthy Homemade Pop Tarts

Melissa King 103 Comments

I made Healthy Homemade Pop Tarts for you.  I have been thinking about doing a pop tart recipe for quite some time.  After looking at the ingredients on the label, I knew I would never buy those again.

You can get decent store bought pop tarts with the Nature’s Path brand, but I wanted a homemade pop tart version as well.  Now, I know that store bought pop tarts are normally crisp.  I tried two batches and mine didn’t get crispy.

Mine are on the softer side.  Most likely due to the applesauce and coconut oil.  However, all my taste testers thought they were good.  So I thought I would share anyway. 🙂  Maybe if you put them in a toaster oven, they will crisp up.

 

healthy homemade pop tarts

I filled mine with two different fillings.  Some have my Blueberry Chia Jam and some have my Homemade Vegan Nutella. Make these ahead of time for a quick breakfast on those busy mornings.

Healthy Homemade Pop Tarts

Healthy Homemade Pop Tarts

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Prep Time 30 min Cook Time 15 min Serves 15 pastries     adjust servings

Ingredients

    Healthy Pop Tarts

    For the filling

    • Your favorite fruit spread

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350. 
    2. Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl |.
    3. Mix wet in another bowl |. 
    4. Add dry to wet and mix until combined. 
    5. Wrap the dough in plastic and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. 
    6. Once the dough is firm, cut two pieces of parchment paper the size of your baking sheets . 
    7. Lay one of the sheets out on the counter. 
    8. Using a bench scraper , cut the dough in half. 
    9. Using a rolling pin , roll the dough ball out onto the parchment, putting the plastic wrap between the rolling pin and the dough. 
    10. Rolling it onto the parchment will make for easy transfer to the baking sheets .
    11. Try to roll the dough into a square shape.  Roll out to about 1/4 in thickness. 
    12. Using a pizza cutter , cut the dough into even squares. 
    13. Put a spoonful of jam on a square and cover with another square of dough. 
    14. Use a fork to press the sides together. 
    15. Repeat this until all have been done. 
    16. Do all the same steps with the other half of the dough. 
    17. Transfer the parchment paper onto the baking sheet and put in the oven. 
    18. Bake for about 15-17 minutes.

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    Recipe Notes

    I got 15 small sized pop tarts out of my batch. These should last a couple weeks in the fridge. You can also freeze them for longer storage. Enjoy!

    Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries

    Melissa King 23 Comments

    On Memorial Day, my daughter wanted to have a picnic at the park.  It was kind of impromptu, so we stopped by Whole Foods to pick up a few things.  One thing we got was this delicious salad with wild rice and kamut.  I decided right there that I would have to create my own version.

    wheat berries watermark

    I used wheat berries and black rice instead of kamut and wild rice.  It turned out even better that way.  This is perfect for summer.  If you have never had wheat berries, they have a nutty flavor that goes perfect with the long grain black rice.  This is the kind of meal that will keep you full for quite some time.  Since it contains wheat berries and black rice, it could be a complete meal as well.

    Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries

    Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries

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    Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 30 min

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups wheat berries
    • 7 cups water
    • 1 cup long grain black rice
    • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
    • 2 T fresh thyme
    • 2 T fresh parsley
    • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    • Juice from 1 large orange or 1/4 cup orange juice
    • 2-3 T oil (I used avocado oil)
    • salt to taste

    Instructions

    1. Put the 2 cups of wheat berries and 7 cups of water in a large pot on the stove. 
    2. Bring to a boil and then turn down, cover and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed.
    3. Cook the rice according to the package instructions.  You can even do both of these steps a day ahead if you like.  I did that myself. 
    4. Once the rice and wheat berries are cooled, add in the thyme, parsley, cranberries and salt. 
    5. In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together to make a dressing. 
    6. Pour the dressing over the dry ingredients and mix well.

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    Recipe Notes

    This makes at least 4-5 good sized portions. Enjoy!

    Blueberry Chia Jam (Vegan)

    Melissa King 147 Comments

    Blueberry Chia Jam is super easy to make! I first got the idea of doing a chia seed jam from my friend Miryam over at eatgood4life.com. Did I mention she is also selling an ebook? Check it out if you get the chance.

    Her recipes are great! Anyway, she came up with this recipe and I knew I had to make it! I used blueberry instead of raspberry for mine.

    Blueberry Chia Jam

     

    On Saturday, we picked up our co-op basket. This week, there was an optional add-on for 12 pints of organic blueberries. So we took it! I already had used some of them to make my Grain Free Blueberry Tart. So with some of the remaining blueberries, I made this jam. Adapted from eatgood4life.com

    This healthy chia jam should last at least a week in the fridge.  You can also freeze it for longer. It makes about 2 cups worth.  It also makes a great filling for my Blueberry Crumb Bars or my homemade Nutri-Grain Bars.

    You can really use any fruit you like to make this.  I have also used apples and peaches and both jams turned out great.  The apple spice jam was great for Fall.  You can also put it in overnight oats.  Yum!

    Blueberry Chia Jam

    Blueberry Chia Jam

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    Prep Time 5 min Serves 1 cups     adjust servings

    Ingredients

    Instructions

    1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is well mixed.
    2. Put the mixture in a covered container and place in the fridge for a good 3 to 4 hours.

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    Recipe Notes

    Once it’s set, use it as a topping for yogurt, on toast or even on waffles instead of syrup. My two year old absolutely loved it. Then again she does love anything chia seed related. She tears up my chia seed pudding . Enjoy!

    Crock Pot Baked Beans

    Melissa King 54 Comments

    I just love crock pot meals.  I am more of a baker than a cook, so I tend to make my cooking recipes super easy.  I have had a lot of requests lately for toddler friendly recipes.  This is one!  When I was a little girl, my favorite meal was baked beans.  Of course back then, I ate the pork and beans in a can.  No pork in this, but I promise it is delicious! I also have my Healthy Toddler Crackers.

    baked beans watermark

    Crock Pot Baked Beans

    Crock Pot Baked Beans

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    Prep Time 8 hr Cook Time 4 hr

    Ingredients

    Instructions

    1. Soak the beans overnight.
    2. In the morning, add all the ingredients to the crock pot. 
    3. Cook on high for the first hour and turn down to low for an additional 3 hours.

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    Recipe Notes

    You can cook it longer if you like. The longer it cooks, the more the flavors develop. This made at least 4-5 servings. You can eat it right away, store it for later, or even freeze it. Enjoy!

    Grain Free Blueberry Tart (Vegan)

    Melissa King 69 Comments

    Grain Free Blueberry Tart.  Today we got our co-op basket.  There was an optional add-on for blueberries so I took it.  12 pints of organic blueberries!

    We gave some to my in-laws and we took the rest.  My older daughter just LOVES blueberries.  She ate a whole pint in one sitting.  I can’t say I blame her!

    They are so good!  I have been wanting to do a fruit tart recipe for a while now, so I thought I would make a grain free blueberry tart. I can tell you my family was not disappointed.

     

    Grain Free Blueberry Tart

     

    It was awesome!  This tart is not only grain and gluten free, it’s also vegan! 🙂  It’s super easy to make too.

    Grain Free Blueberry Tart

    Grain Free Blueberry Tart

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    Prep Time 20 min Cook Time 10 min Serves 12 slices     adjust servings

    A no fuss dessert that looks fancy, but is really easy to make!

    Ingredients

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350.
    2. In the food processor, grind the almonds.
    3. Once they are ground to a course consistency, add in the dates, coconut oil and a small amount of water.
    4. Pulse until a dough forms.
    5. Press the mixture into a greased tart pan.
    6. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.
    7. While it is baking, drain the soaked cashews and throw them in the blender with the maple syrup and vanilla. You can probably use a food processor for this as well.
    8. Blend up the cashews until they are a smooth cream. You may need to add a small amount of water or milk to get it smooth. You will want a cream-like consistency.
    9. Spread the cashew cream over the tart crust and top with blueberries.

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    Recipe Notes

    I would imagine this would keep in the fridge for a week at least. If you can get it to last that long! Enjoy!