Easy Breakfast Cookies

This is basically a simplified version of cookies I've posted before. Simple is better these days!

Ingredients:

1.5 cups quick oats
1 egg
3/4 cup milk of choice
1 large banana
2 Tbs chia seeds or ground flax seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
2 Tbs chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins or chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium bowl, mix the egg, milk, banana, vanilla, and chia/flax seeds until smooth. Add oats, nuts, cinnamon, salt and mix until incorporated. Fold in the raisins or chocolate chips. Place on greased baking sheet in golf-ball sized scoops. Bake for 11-14 minutes. Makes 18 cookies.

*Hint: They taste extra awesome with a bit of peanut butter spread on top!*

Easy Stovetop Granola

Why have I never made stovetop granola before? It's seriously SO easy!

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 Tbs butter on medium heat and stir in 2 Tbs maple syrup, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

Add 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal, 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut, and 1/4 cup walnut pieces.

Cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Then, remove from the burner and let it cool in the pan, stirring occasionally.

So easy!

The BEST Gluten Free Pancakes

I've tried A LOT of gluten-free pancakes over the past 5-6 years. A lot. Some are decent. Some are awful. Most are mediocre. Some taste decent, but the texture is way too starchy. Some (like my favorite buckwheat pancakes) have a good texture, but don't taste like the quintessential pancake. Sometimes you just want a stack of pancakes.

This weekend, I mashed a few recipes together and totally lucked out. These were so good. Like, Ross took a bite and asked, "are you sure these are gluten free?" So. Good.


Gluten-Free "Buttermilk" Pancakes
makes 15 pancakes

2 cups almond milk
3-4 Tbs lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
2 eggs
4 Tbs butter, melted
2 Tbs sugar
2 1/3 cups Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Mix (do NOT substitute other flour blends here)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

1. Add the lemon juice or vinegar to the almond milk and mix. Let sit for 5 minutes to curdle. This is your dairy-free "buttermilk."

2. Whisk the eggs, butter, and "buttermilk."

3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

4. Let batter sit for 5 minutes.

5. Scoop 1/4 cup of pancake batter at a time onto a hot skillet. Cook until the first side just starts to bubble, and then flip and cook until both sides are very light golden brown.

6. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!


THIS is a recipe you can serve to your gluten-free and gluten-loving friends alike. That's always my barometer of whether a recipe is worth posting or making again.

Flourless Peanut Butter Muffins

We've made this muffins a few times, and they couldn't be easier. I love that they barely have any added sugar, and they don't require having gluten-free flour on hand. We buy the Trader Joe's organic creamy peanut butter, and it works great with this recipe. These muffins are ready in 30 minutes from start to finish! (FYI the banana flavor is not pronounced at all... you mostly just taste peanut butter.)

Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
2 ripe bananas (about 1 cup, mashed)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon

Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup fresh raspberries or strawberries (for a PBJ muffin), or 1 sliced banana.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a muffin tin with 12 liners

2. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients until smooth (you can also do this in a food processor). Once the batter is smooth, you can fold in one of the optional add-ins if using.

3. Divide the batter between 12 muffin liners and bake for 15 minutes.

4. The muffins should be firm and lightly golden on top. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

5. Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week, or in a sealed bag in the freezer.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a meal I often make to take to new moms, and it's nice that it automatically makes dinner for us, too. We used to love using Old El Paso's hot enchilada sauce, but these days we stick with mild or medium because... toddler. I also don't want to shock anyone's tastebuds if they dislike spicy food. You can always add some pickled jalepenos or your own hot sauce to the finished product to spice it up!

Chicken Enchiladas
makes two pans of approximately 6-8 enchiladas each

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (a combo of breast/thigh meat works well, but all breast is fine, too)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 20oz can enchilada sauce
1 10oz can enchilada sauce
1 10oz can Rotel-style diced tomatoes and chiles
1.5 cups Mexican-style shredded cheese (optional)
12-16 6- or 8-inch tortillas, depending on what size baking dish you're using
sliced olives, avocado, green onions, and cilantro for garnish (optional)

Put the chicken in the crockpot and layer the diced onion and the tomato and chile mixture on top of it. Then add the larger can of enchilada sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the chicken is easily shreddable.

When the chicken is done, preheat the oven to 375. Pour half of the smaller can of enchilada sauce into a shallow pie pan. Take one tortilla, dip it in the sauce, fill it with roughly 1/4 cup shredded chicken, and wrap. Place in the pan seam-side-down. Repeat until the pans are full of enchiladas. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce (in the can and in the crockpot) on top of the enchiladas. Then top with cheese and olives (if using).

Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh toppings and dig in!

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

I can't think of the last time I felt like cooking dinner, but now I'm in the second trimester and this was a great recipe to get back in the kitchen to! Recipe via Smitten Kitchen. It was the first time I have made risotto since going dairy-free. I left the cheese out, but it was still so flavorful we didn't miss it!

Tomato and Sausage Risotto
Serves 4-6

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bunch spinach (10 to 14 ounces), washed well, and chopped (about 7 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
2 tablespoons butter 

1. In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes. 
3. Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute. 
4. Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid). 
5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan (if using), and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Lemon Ginger Meatballs

Another Whole 30 recipe we loved this week! I served these with some roasted yams whipped with ghee and fresh lemon zest (a nice change from the usual coconut oil and cinnamon that I tend to default to). Even Noah inhaled this dinner!

Lemon Ginger Meatballs adapted from Homegrown Paleo
(served 2 adults + 1 toddler for dinner, and leftovers for 1 adult + 1 toddler for lunch)

1 lb ground turkey or pork
4 shitake mushrooms, stemmed and minced (I couldn't find any, so went without this time)
1 tsp dried mint (or 1Tbs fresh)
1 tsp dried basil (or 1Tbs fresh)
1 tsp dried Italian parsley (or 1Tbs fresh)
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425. Add all ingredients to a medium bowl, and combine until spices are well-incorporated. Form into 18 meatballs and place them in a glass pie dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes, and dig in!

Sausage and Veggie Roast

This is barely a recipe, but we inhaled it this week, and I'm making it again next week... that's how much we loved it! I'm on day 12 of the Whole 30, and these meals have been a great change from the norm for us. This one was particularly simple, and a perfect winter meal. We couldn't stop picking bites off the baking pan!

Sausage and Veggie Roast (Paleo, gluten free)
makes 3-4 servings

4 bratwurst (we used Gilbert's chicken brats)
1.5lbs fingerling potatoes, rinsed and dried
1 10oz bag frozen green beans
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1-2 Tbs olive or avocado oil
juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1-2 tsp Cajun spice blend, or Italian spice blend
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the sausage into bite size pieces. Add sausage, potatoes, garlic, and green beans to a large jelly roll pan (something with sides, as opposed to a cookie sheet). Drizzle with oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with spices as desired. Mix together and bake for 45-60 minutes, flipping once or twice during cooking, until potatoes are cooked through.

The veggies, sausage, and seasoning are basically endlessly adaptable. I can't wait to try more combinations!

Seared Scallops with Wilted Greens

Another Bev Cooks recipe, because hers are easy but GOOD. This one is not a casserole. It's actually kind of fancy, and really only serves 2 adults. But I definitely want to make it again!

Seared Scallops with Wilted Winter Greens from Bev Cooks

Ingredients

* 8 large dry-packed scallops (about a pound)
* 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
* 5 oz arugula
* 3 cups chopped kale
* 1/2 cup Chardonnay
* 3 Tbs. butter, divided
* 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
* salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the arugula and kale; toss to wilt. Season with a small pinch of salt. Remove from the skillet.

2. Back in the pan, add another Tbs. oil and 2 Tbs. butter. Once the butter has melted, add the scallops. Sear for a minute and a half; flip and sear another minute. You should see a nice sear-y crust on one side. Remove the scallops and set aside.

3. Back in the pan, add the remaining Tbs. of butter, the wine and lemon juice. Whisk and simmer until reduced by half. Taste and add a tiny pinch of salt, if needed!

4. Serve the scallops over a mound of wilted greens, finished with a good drizzle of the wine sauce. Add lemon zest as a garnish if you want! You should want.

Greek Chicken Casserole

THIS. My new favorite way to cook chicken. So easy! So delicious! So different from what we normally eat (i.e. lots of Mexican and Italian flavors).

Greek Chicken Casserole straight from Bev Cooks

Ingredients

* 1 cup jasmine rice
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast (about four)
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp thyme
* 1 tsp dried oregano
* 1 tsp onion powder
* 1 tsp garlic powder
*1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
* 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
* 1/2 cup diced cucumber
* 1/3 cup halved Kalamata olives
* fresh parsley leaves
* one lemon, for squeezing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Pour the rice in the bottom of an 8x12 casserole dish.

3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, thyme, oregano, onion powder and garlic powder. Rub all over the chicken breasts.

4. Place the chicken on top of the dried rice. Evenly pour the stock over the chicken and rice.

5. Cover and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the rice is cooked through, but not mushy.

6. Once out of the oven, evenly sprinkle over the casserole the feta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives and parsley leaves. Give the entire thing a good squeeze of lemon, and serve with extra lemon slices. YUM.

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole

I'm really trying to get out of a cooking rut. For a long time after having a baby, it was an achievement to get ANY sort of dinner on the table. It's still a monumental task some days, but other days, Noah helps out and we make dinner without meltdowns (from either one of us-- ha!). I'm a huge fan of casseroles because they are often easier, they warm up the house, and they're usually even better as leftovers! So forgive me while I share a few of them here, for easy access to make again later.

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole modified from PaleOMG

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 600 grams)
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 eggs, whisked
• (you can add anything else you like with pizza: veggies, cheese, etc)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds out. Place spaghetti squash cut side down in agreased 8x8 dish and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skin of the squash gives when you press on it. 
3. Remove squash from over and reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
4. Scoop the threads out of the squash, squeeze over the sink to remove excess juices, and put the threads into the 8x8 greased baking dish. (Discard the squash skin.)
5. Place a large pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Cook onions with some oil until they are soft. Add onions to squash.
6.  Cook sausage in the large pan until pink no longer remains in the sausage and it is broken up into pieces.
7. Add dried basil, salt, pepper, and eggs to the squash and onion, and mix well. Drizzle the pizza sauce over the top of the mixture, and top with sausage crumbles.
8. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until the top of the mixture forms a slight crust that doesn't give when you press on it in the middle of the dish.

Brownie Muffins

So... these are not flaky, fudgy brownies. They're more like a brownie/cupcake hybrid, based off of Brownies Done Better by the Suja Juice Solution. But good nonetheless, and filling. Also delicious baked with some strawberry jam plopped in the middle of each muffin.

Brownie Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup almond butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond milk
2 Tbs butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs instant coffee powder
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.

In a large bowl, mix the almond butter, syrup, almond milk, butter, egg, coffee powder, and vanilla. Then stir in the cocoa powder, baking soda, coffee, and sea salt. Divide batter between 12 lined muffin tins.

Optional: Swirl 1 tsp strawberry jam into the top of each muffin before baking.

Bake 20 minutes, and allow to cool before removing from pan.

Durango Chicken

I was blown away with the generosity of friends and family after Noah was born. I was so afraid that gluten-free, dairy-free (with the exception of butter) post-partum meals would be too intimidating for people. But wow, we ate like kings for a few weeks there!

One meal in particular struck me as super easy to make, as well as comforting and delicious, and I find myself making it over and over.

Just wanted to record it here, since it's one of our new favorites.

Durango Chicken
(originally from Lindsay Lady)

4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to even thinness
Juice of 2 lemons (I often just use 1-2 Tbs of lemon juice)
1/2 cup of melted butter
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Melt the butter and add the lemon juice, paprika, oregano, and garlic.
3. Dip the chicken into the butter mixture in an oven-safe dish, making sure both sides are covered.
4. Cover the dish and store in the fridge for up to 6 hours before baking.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is done.

My friend brought this meal over with cooked wild rice* and a side of canned green beans with minced onion and garlic. Such a delicious combo! The rice makes a great vehicle for the leftover cooked butter sauce, too!

*Also something I learned from my post-partum meals: did you know you can cook rice like pasta?! Life. Changing.

Toddler-Approved Breakfast Cookies

Since Noah can't tolerate dairy, I'm a little bit obsessed with finding other ways to be sure he still gets enough healthy fats. Because, well, Mama can't breastfeed forever.

Anyway, these cookies totally fit the bill. And he loves them! In fact, if I take one away to warm it up in the microwave, he cries actual real tears.


Toddler-Approved Breakfast Cookies
 makes 2 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (may also use equivalent amount of applesauce or mashed bananas)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup softened coconut oil (butter would work, too)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut (shredded, dried, unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, egg, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Add oats, almond meal, coconut, salt, and baking powder and mix well. The dough isn't as sticky as normal cookie dough, so a cookie scoop works wonders here. If you don't have one, form Tablespoon-sized balls of dough to put on a lined cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. These cookies don't really fluff up, but that's okay!

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

Sorry, not sorry about the title there. I'm still nursing and while the insatiable hunger and thirst of those early days is long gone, there are still some days where I can tell I really need to ramp up my intake. Enter: cookies, of course.

These are dense and hearty, and based off of another recipe I use and love.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies
makes 2 dozen cookies

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 flax egg (1 Tbs flax + 3 Tbs water) or 1 egg
1 tsp vanilla 
1/4 cup softened coconut oil (butter would work, too)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut (shredded, dried, unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, syrup, egg, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Add oats, almond meal, coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder and mix well. Stir the chocolate chips in. The dough isn't as sticky as normal cookie dough, so a cookie scoop works wonders here. If you don't have one, form Tablespoon-sized balls of dough to put on a lined cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. These cookies don't really fluff up, but that's okay!

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Clouds

I had these at a friend's house recently, and begged her for the recipe when I couldn't stop thinking about them the next day. They're so different from the cookies I usually make, and a nice summery change from dense wintery baked goods.

Chocolate Chip Clouds from Skinnytaste.com 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 300°F. Cover cookie sheet with silpat or nonstick silicone pad.

Using a mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together in large bowl at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar a little at a time, then vanilla, beating well after each addition until you get stiff peaks, the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is glossy.

Sift cocoa onto egg white mixture; gently fold until combined.

Fold in chocolate chips. Drop mixture by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Makes 30 to 32 cookies.

Bake 34 to 40 minutes or just until dry. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely on wire rack. Store covered, at room temperature. 

Baked Oatmeal Squares

Continuing on the theme of quick, healthy snacks, I adapted these oatmeal bars for a change up from cookies for a few days. But instead of making bars, I divided the batter between 12 muffin tins for ease of individual serving.

• 1.5 cups gluten-free rolled oats (not instant oats) 
• 1 cup brown or white rice flour
• 3 tbsp chia seed
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1.5 cups almond milk (or other milk)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 2 tbsp nut or seed butter
• 1 banana, chopped small
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup toppings as desired

Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tins or an 8 inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, blend the milk, syrup, banana, nut butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add oats, flour, chia seeds, flax, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and stir until combined.

Pour mix into prepared pan and top as needed. (I put chocolate chips on half of mine and swirled strawberry jam on top of the other half.)

If using an 8x8 pan, bake for 35-40 minutes.

If using muffin tins, bake 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!



(((In addition to these and lactation cookies, I've been eating lots of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins from PaleOMG and protein bites from Fitnessista. That is, when I'm not eating cookies or muffins my mom made for us!)))

Lactation Cookies

Now before you get grossed out, let me explain. These are basically just glorified oatmeal cookies, and they're pretty tasty. I've made them for friends in the past, and when we got home from the hospital a few weeks ago, it was so cute when Ross said, "hey, now you can make those cookies for us!" So I did. Repeatedly.

The reason behind the name is that oatmeal, flax seed, and Brewer's Yeast have all been touted as galactogogues, meaning that they can help increase milk supply. I think technically the evidence-based verdict is still out, but many moms swear by these ingredients. Even if it's a myth, those are all also healthy ingredients and I'm pretty darn hungry right now. If nothing else, this is a good excuse to eat cookies in the middle of the night!

I based my recipe off of this one, but of course I lightened it up a bit and made it gluten-free as well. We love them!

Gluten-Free Lactation Cookies
(makes about 2 dozen, depending on how much dough you eat first!)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbs water
2 Tbs ground flax seed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup rice flour (brown or white will work)
1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour
2 cups gluten-free oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 Tbs Brewer's Yeast (or nutritional yeast)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Cream the butter, sugar, water, flax, eggs, and vanilla with a beater. Add rice flour, almond flour, baking soda, salt, and yeast and mix well. Stir in the oats and the chocolate chips and roll into Tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.

Quick Cookies

When I'm in the kitchen these days, I'm all about instant gratification. I'm hungry and busy and impatient. Convenience foods aren't bad in and of themselves. There are certainly plenty of healthy options out there these days, if you're willing to pay a little more. But there's the rub. When you buy them, you're saying that for this meal/snack/week/season, my time is more valuable than my money. Sometimes I'm definitely willing to trade a little more money to buy a little more time. But sometimes I'm just being lazy.

Over the past few weeks, more and more frozen foods have made their way into our shopping cart because frankly, I am too tired to cook. We don't have a lot of time, but to be honest we really shouldn't be spending money quite so freely either with a house and a baby on the near horizon.

So today, I decided to suck it up and bake something. I'd actually gone to swim laps before my night shift nap and the heater at the pool was broken. The water was 73 degrees, which doesn't sound cold until you're fully submerged and your skin is in shock and you're brain is like, "what the heck just happened?!" I made it 23 minutes before I was too cold to keep swimming. Being freezing cold was good incentive to turn on the oven when I got home. It also helped that the dough didn't have raw eggs, so I could snack as I hungrily waited for the cookies to bake!

Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 very ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup almond or peanut butter
about 2 cups of rolled oats
1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients together until well combined. You may need a little less or a little more oats depending on how big and how ripe the bananas are. You're looking for a wet cookie dough texture that's still firm enough to shape with your hands. Divide into 12 scoops, place on a lined or greased cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

15 minutes for healthy cookies from start to finish? Sold.

The Proof is in the Pudding

I feel like I need to start this post by saying that this little baby I'm carrying is awesome. I sure hope I'm taking good care of him or her, because he or she is certainly being kind to me. I mean, the baby appears to be craving veggies?

I was at Whole Foods this week grocery shopping on an empty stomach-- always a bad idea. I figured I'd get one of those flourless fudgy chocolate cookies in the bakery as my treat (I was addicted to them last spring). But as I walked past the bakery case, suddenly I realized that what I really wanted was... kale salad? Garlicky kale salad. So I got some from the salad bar, and it was awesome. Who am I?!

It's been a huge relief to crave savory, salty, or spicy foods the last few months instead of sweet stuff. Like, a huge mental relief. That being said, it's still really hard to stop once I do start on the sweets. And I'm still enjoying plenty of sugar, as evidenced by this post! But by and large I feel much more free (freer?) of that vicious sugar craving cycle than I used to, if that doesn't sound too melodramatic.

But that brings us to this dessert recipe. I've been wanting to make this vegan pudding for a while, but never really got around to it. Until I tracked my protein intake a few days ago. Did you know that pregnant women need 60-100 grams of protein a day? It appears that I hover around 60-70g most days. So I thought upping my protein might help with my waning energy levels, and this pudding seemed like a delicious way to sneak some in. It contains 12g of protein per serving! I feel compelled to tell you it also contains 28g of sugar per serving, so don't get too excited. Either way, it's truly delicious. Even my husband agrees. Don't knock it 'til you try it!

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 10-oz bag of vegan chocolate chips (Trader Joe's chocolate chips are the cheapest vegan ones I've found)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
12oz silken tofu, drained (make sure it's silken tofu)

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Of if you don't have one, put them in a microwavable bowl and warm in 30-second increments, stirring between each one. Meanwhile, dump the tofu, milk, and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and blend again until silky smooth. Refrigerate for at least one hour and enjoy!