Tag Archives: easy

gluten-free pumpkin oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies

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Happy Friday, everyone! I can’t remember if I mentioned it on the blog yet, but my brother has recently started eliminating gluten from his diet, so I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen to see if I can come up with some yummy gluten-free treats! Here is a recipe that went over well in my household. Hope you enjoy!

pumpkin cookies

gluten-free pumpkin oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies

– 2 cups gluten-free oats
– 1 egg
– 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave
– 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)
– 1 ripe banana, mashed
– 1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter
– 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
– 2/3 cup dried cranberries
– 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
– 1 tbsp cinnamon
– 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
– 1 tsp vanilla
– 1 tsp baking soda
– 1/4 tsp salt
– 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Beat the egg. Stir in maple syrup, mashed banana, peanut butter, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oats, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.

4. Slowly, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and stir until combined.

5. Add chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and walnuts, and mix well.

6. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set in the middle and browned at the edges.

Enjoy! And have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 🙂

MPM-Spring
This post is featured on Menu-Plan Monday!

dairy-free butternut squash quinoa mock risotto

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I am SO excited to share this recipe with you today! A few months ago, I had a delicious butternut squash risotto at a local Italian restaurant, and when I went to the grocery store last weekend the butternut squashes were calling to me. So I thought I would do a little experimenting in the kitchen and see if I could come up with a healthy, dairy-free, quinoa-based “risotto” … and I was super pleased with the results!

{My family was pleased, too … this dish makes great leftovers, which did not last very long in our house!}

butternut squash quinoa risotto

– 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
– 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
– 1 bay leaf
– 2 cups roasted butternut squash, mashed
– 1/2 cup water
– 1 cup baby spinach
– 1 cup arugula
– 2 tsp minced garlic

Optional toppings:
–  slivered almonds
–  dried cranberries
– feta cheese
– salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook the quinoa in the low-sodium chicken broth with the bay leaf for seasoning.

2. While quinoa is cooking, warm the garlic in a bit of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the mashed butternut squash and cook on medium-low.

3. After about 3 minutes, pour in the water and stir. The consistency of the squash will becoming more like a thick sauce.

4. Add the spinach and arugula and continue cooking on medium-low until the greens are fully cooked, stirring frequently.

5. Once the quinoa is fully cooked, remove the bay leaf. Pour the butternut squash mixture over the quinoa and mix well to form a “risotto.”

6. Top with slivered almonds, dried cranberries, and feta cheese if desired. {To make this recipe dairy-free, simply skip the feta cheese.}

There you have it! An easy, healthy, filling and nutritious meal! This has been my go-to lunch of the week.

butternut squash quinoa

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy these recipes:
– cilantro-lime quinoa with chicken
– veggie-filled pasta bake
– pumpkin pasta

MPM-Spring
This post is linked up with Menu-Plan Monday!

my favorite. dessert. ever!

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Happy Friday, friends! Hope you have something fun planned for this weekend. 🙂 I am getting ready to head to LA this afternoon for my cousin Amanda’s bachelorette party! I am so excited! It will actually be the first bachelorette party I’ve ever attended. I’m looking forward to seeing my cousins and friends and celebrating Amanda’s final days of singledom!

I have a delicious recipe to share with you today! I made this for my dad’s birthday cake on Monday. He loves peanut butter and chocolate, so I took my peanut butter cup brownies and upgraded them to a “brownie-cake” … and the highlight is definitely the homemade peanut butter frosting! This frosting is SO simple to make, and if you like peanut butter, you are in for a treat! I predict you will be licking the bowl. {Or maybe that’s just me!}

pb brownie cake

I will warn you in advance, I didn’t even try to healthify this dessert … I don’t even want to know how many calories/fat/sugar/etc. is in a slice of this! Sometimes you just have to treat yourself, right? But I did just come across this recipe by Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean for healthy sweet potato brownies that I might try using in this recipe in the future! If you try it out, let me know how it goes!

I used my fave boxed brownie mix … Ghiradelli dark chocolate!

brownie mix

I made the batter as directed {if you’re trying to healthify things a little, you could substitute unsweetened applesauce for half of the oil} and poured the batter into a lightly greased 8 x 8 pan. Then I stuck in mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups in a tic-tac-toe pattern.

brownies prebake

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

brownie cake

Once the brownies were cool, I frosted them with homemade peanut butter frosting!

homemade peanut butter frosting
– 1/4 cup butter, softened
– 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
– 3/4 cup powdered sugar
– 2 tbsp milk {to taste … depending on your frosting consistency preferences!}

1. Mix together the butter and peanut butter until well blended.

butter pb

2. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add milk until it gets to desired consistency.

frosting

After frosting the brownies, my final step was sprinkling mini chocolate chips over the frosting layer. Ta da! My favorite dessert ever!

pb dessert

These disappeared from our house in record time!

Thank you also for the sweet birthday wishes! I had a wonderful birthday. My family took me out for dinner and even surprised me with sunflowers! How pretty and happy are these flowers?

bday girl

Thanks also to everyone who took part in my birthday beauty giveaway, and welcome to all our new subscribers! The two randomly selected winners are:
– Big Beauty Basket: Anna Wang
– Travel Beauty Clutch: Jo Tran

I will email you both to get your mailing addresses to send you the prizes!

Happy weekend, everyone! Eat something yummy and spend time with those you love!

MPM-Spring
This post is linked up as part of Menu-Plan Monday!

guest post on AndreaDekker.com!

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Hi everyone! I’m excited to share that my guest post “A Random Acts of Kindness Challenge” is being featured on one of my favorite blogs, AndreaDekker.com! In the post I share five easy, inexpensive kind acts that you can do today to brighten the lives of others.

random-acts-of-kindness

Read it here: http://andreadekker.com/random-acts-of-kindness-challenge/

Happy Friday! Hope you have a lovely day and enjoy the long weekend!

kitchen tip tuesdays: my favorite {healthy!} chicken salad

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kttovenmittbanner425

Hi, friends! I have a quick, easy and healthy recipe to share with you today as part of Kitchen Tip Tuesdays! I love chicken salad but I don’t like mayonaise very much, so I was on a mission to find a healthier recipe for chicken salad that I could make at home. I think I found a winner!

I like to bake chicken breasts ahead of time during the weekend {see my earlier post about making the most of oven time} so I typically have cooked chicken breasts in a tupperware container in my fridge. Often to save time and extra dishes, I mix up the chicken salad in the tupperware container, and I’m ready to grab and go if need be!

chicken salad

healthier chicken salad
– 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
– 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt {you could add more or less yogurt as desired}
– 2 tbsp hummus
– 2 stalks celery, chopped
– 1/4 cup dried cranberries
– 1/4 cup slivered almonds
– salt and pepper to taste

1. Stir Greek yogurt and hummus into chicken until fully incorporated.

2. Add chopped celery, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and mix well.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

It’s a great lunch, especially as the weather continues to warm up! I like serving the chicken salad over a bed of baby spinach.

chicken salad lunch

Have a great day! I’ll be back tomorrow with a post I’m really excited to share with you! 🙂

Till soon,
Dallas

MPM-Spring

This post is also linked up with Menu-Plan Mondays!

organizing your car’s glove box

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Happy Friday, everyone! I have a quick and easy organizational project for you today!

ezzie glove box

Remember a few months ago, when I posted about making the most of long car rides? I mentioned how I like to bring small projects I can do in the car, like knitting or bill-paying or even cleaning up the clutter that’s accumulated in the car.

Well, during one car ride I brought a small accordian file folder {from the $1 section of Target — I’ve used similar folders to organize my stationary and take-out menus!} and I organized the glove box while I sat in the passenger seat. Now all the important auto-related documents are together and accessible in one easy-to-find place!

glove box organizer

All you need for this project is some sort of small file folder and a pen to label each section. I made sections for important documents like the car registration and insurance, instruction manual, receipts from maintenance, etc. I also included a map of the area and a notepad and pen.

When I was done fitting the documents inside, the file folder closed up and fit perfectly in my glove box. Hooray!

Now I feel better than ever hitting the road, knowing that I have all my car-related documents in one easy-to-find place! This is a great example of a simple, quick, inexpensive organization project that makes your life easier and less stressful.

Have a super weekend, everyone! And if you have a moment, send up a prayer for all of those in my hometown area who are being affected by a raging wildfire, including the heroic firefighters who are battling the blazes.

springtime veggie pasta bake

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Hi everyone! I have a simple, delicious and healthy recipe to share with you today. This meal is simple to make, easily adaptable to your preferences, and is bursting with fresh veggie flavors! Hope you enjoy!

springtime pasta bake

– 1/2 box whole-wheat pasta {I used rotini}
– 1 yellow squash
– 1 green bell pepper
– 2 roma tomatoes
– 1/2 sweet onion
– 1 cup fresh baby spinach
– 1 tbsp minced garlic
– a drizzle of olive oil
– your sauce of choice {I used a combination of tomato sauce & pesto}
– 2 cups shredded cheese {I used an Italian blend}

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.

3. Chop and dice the veggies. Toss them in olive oil and saute them in a large pan on medium heat, until onion and garlic are fragrant and spinach is wilted.

4. Drain the pasta and pour cooked noodles into a large casserole dish. Toss with sauce and veggies until everything is well mixed.

5. Top with shredded cheese.

6. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve and savor! This is one of those recipes that makes terrific leftovers, too!

pasta bake

What are some of your favorite springtime recipes?

if you liked this post, you might also enjoy:
– easy veggie, potato & sausage bake
– cilantro-lime quinoa with chicken
– tilapia with pineapple salsa

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: 3-ingredient banana cookies

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kttovenmittbanner425

Hi everyone! Time for another Kitchen Tip Tuesdays post! {Here are links to my previous posts about making the most of oven time and reusing leftovers in new recipes.}

I have a quick recipe to share with you today — it’s an easy and delicious cookie that is also healthy for you! And it only has three ingredients {one of which is chocolate!} 🙂 That’s my kind of recipe!

This would make the perfect sweet dessert, kid-friendly snack, or grab-and-go breakfast. It’s also a great way to use up spotty bananas before they go bad.

banana cookies

All you need to make these babies are:

  • 2 bananas
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips {if desired; I used mini chocolate chips for mine}

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mash bananas in a bowl. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips and stir until well combined.

banana dough

3. Plop dough onto a greased cookie sheet {I greased mine with coconut oil} and bake for 15-18 minutes.

Done and YUM! How easy is that?

banana cookies done

This recipe is also easily customizable to suit your tastes! You can add chopped nuts, raisins, peanut butter, coconut … whatever your taste buds desire!

What are some of your favorite grab-and-go recipes?

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if you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
– peanut butter breakfast cookies
– chocolate strawberry coconut cookies
– 2-ingredient pumpkin spice cookies

baked cinnamon french toast

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Do you have stale bread to use up? This recipe for baked cinnamon French toast is a winner! As soon as I saw this drool-worthy recipe on The Pioneer Woman’s blog, I knew I had to make it.

The recipe would be perfect for a weekend brunch, and it’s so easy you could make it on a weekday, too! Here’s my recipe, slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s original version:

baked cinnamon french toast

  • 1 loaf slightly stale sourdough or French bread
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 cups skim milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon

for the topping:

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 stick cold butter
  • fresh fruit {optional}

1. Grease a 9 x 13-inch glass baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.

torn bread

2. Beat eggs. Add the milk, cream, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, and vanilla.

3. Pour the egg mixture evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.

with egg

4. In a separate bowl, make the topping: mix flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, and salt.

5. Cut butter into small pieces.

6. Stir the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine pebbles. If you are baking the casserole in the morning, keep the topping in a plastic bag or container in the fridge until ready to bake.

7. When you’re ready to bake the casserole: preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8. Remove casserole from the fridge and sprinkle flour crumb mixture over the top. {If you’re using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture. Next time, I’m going to try using apples. I think strawberries would be delicious, too!}

9. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.

french toast

10. Scoop out individual portions with a large spoon. Top with more fruit if desired and drizzle with maple syrup.

Enjoy! Store any leftovers covered in the fridge and microwave to reheat. I enjoyed this dish for a decadent breakfast three days in a row. 🙂

How do you add little moments of luxury to your weekday routine?

year of kindness challenge: week 10

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year of kindness button

Happy Monday! It doesn’t quite feel like Monday to me because I’m on Spring Break and with Daylight Saving “spring forward” yesterday, I’m still a little off timewise. But I’m thrilled to get to spend the whole week soaking up time with our little man, plus it feels so nice to have daylight until 7pm!

Let’s move on to the kindness. Last week’s challenge was inspired by Operation Beautiful, which I discovered via this moving post by Anne at Fannetastic Food, and was pretty simple: write a kind or inspiring note and hang it up in a public place. I hung up some post-it notes in a school restroom:

kind note

DSC00030

DSC00034

My dad hung up a wonderful sign in the bathroom at the local park, where he goes for runs every day and where many youth soccer teams practice:

soccer team sign

It was probably the easiest kindness challenge yet, and definitely something I want to do again. It took maybe two minutes and made me feel happy the whole week! A perfect example of how doing something to brighten others’ days immediately brightens your own day!

Does anyone else drink Yogi brand tea? One of my favorite things is the fortune-cookie-like sayings printed on their tea bags! My cup of green tea two days ago had a very appropriate saying printed on it:

tea saying

{I know the type looks a little strange: I couldn’t get my camera to focus on the tiny print, so I used a bit of photo editing to make it clearer.}

Here are a couple more kindness-related links I came across this past week:

The Week 10 Kindness Challenge was jointly inspired by Moore Love: do something surprising and kind for a child. You might donate toys or art supplies to a local school, leave quarters on top of a gumball machine in a restaurant, or even buy a toy for a child you don’t know like Rhiannon did. Think about what would have seemed totally magical and wondrous to you as a child — and then make that happen for a child {or children} today!

As always, blog about your experiences and include your links in the comments section below, or feel free to send me an email at dallaswoodburn <AT> gmail <DOT> com.

Have a marvelous week!

-Dallas

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year of kindness archives:
– week 1 challenge: donate items to those in need
– week 2 challenge: leave quarters & note at laundry machine
– week 3 challenge: write & send a kind handwritten note
– week 4 challenge: give hot chocolate to someone outside in the cold
– week 5 challenge: do something kind for a neighbor
– week 6 challenge: deliver valentines to a nursing home
– week 7 challenge: donate to a food pantry
– week 8 challenge: donate toiletries to a shelter
– week 9 challenge: post a kind note in a public place