Banana Blueberry Oat Cookies!

Posted in Breakfast, Snack, Vegan Baking by Vegan Mommy Dee

Healthy Banana Blueberry Oat Cookies!

My recipe for Banana Blueberry Oat Cookies only has 4 ingredients in them …yes only 4! I want to be able to enjoy a cookie or treat without all the guilt associated with it, which is one of the reasons why I like to come up with my own recipes. The other reason is I strive to eat healthy on a daily basis. I want to be able to eat a cookie that only contains a few ingredients not chemical sugar loaded junk that’s found on super market shelves! These cookies have no added sugar in them! The bananas add enough sweetness so I don’t add any extra sugar to them. I’ve been trying to stick to sugar free snacks now and I’ve also been experimenting with stevia as an alternative. I’m also on a fitness quest so it’s important to for me to not set myself backwards by eating unhealthy treats. These simple cookies are so easy to take on the go too which is super handy when the hunger bug hits ya and all you have around you is junk food/fast food. They are very helpful to me when my daughter is at glee club and dinner time is approaching. All they have in the community center are vending machines full of junk! Tempting at times but no thanks I’ll just enjoy a healthy banana blueberry oat cookie instead! 🙂

Banana Blueberry Oat Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free old fashion rolled oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill organic brand)
2 organic mashed banana
1 tsp. cinnamon, or to taste
1/3 cup blueberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 F
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Mash the two bananas in a medium sized bowl
Add the oats and cinnamon. Combine really well.
With a spoon scoop out the mixture and place on the baking sheet to make your cookies. Make them whatever size you prefer and top each cookie with desired amount of blueberries.

Note:

* You can also gently add the blueberries into the mixture before you scoop it out to make your cookies. I don’t prefer to however because I think they look pretty topped with the blueberries and I don’t risk breaking them in the batter. *

* These quantities made 9 cookies for me*

Enjoy! 😀

5Jun2013

Healthy Strawberry Quinoa Bake

Posted in Breakfast, Vegan Baking by Vegan Mommy Dee

This is one of my most often made recipes at my house. LOVE it! It’s crazy fast and easy to prepare too! Everyone who has eaten it can’t believe it’s made with quinoa. SURE IS and it tastes soooo good!

I add 2 TBSP of maple syrup to my recipe below but you can add an extra one if you enjoy things more on the sweeter side. You could also substitute it for agave if you wanted. One of my favourite things to throw into this bake is protein packed hemp hearts because it adds a bit of a nutty flavor to the bake. I often eat this strawberry quinoa bake for breakfast. Hey why not? It’s full of super healthy ingredients so I feel good about enjoying this yummy treat in the morning. See healthy can taste fantastic!!! 🙂

Ingredients:

1 Cup Quinoa Flakes
1 TSP Cinnamon (I sometimes add more though :))
2-3 TBSP Hemp hearts
1-2 TBSP Dried Coconut flesh (I use Coconut Manna by Nutiva)
1/4 Cup melted Coconut Oil
2 Cups chopped Strawberries
2-3 TBSP Pure Maple Syrup
3 TBSP Flaxmeal (ground flax seeds)
1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Add 1 cup of quinoa flakes into a baking dish (I use a round glass pie plate).

3. Mix in the cinnamon, hemp hearts and flaxmeal.

4. Next add the 2 cups of strawberries and the dried coconut flesh.

5. Pour in 2-3 TBSP’s of pure maple syrup and the 1/4 cup coconut oil and give it a good mix.

6. Even it out in the baking dish and pour 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk on top.

7. Pop into the oven for 35 minutes at 350

8. Once Baked and removed from the oven allow to fully cool before cutting because it needs to set! If your in a hurry like I am at times scoop it into a bowl and eat it hot in a bowl.

Enjoy!

29Apr2013

Banana Oat Breakfast Bites with Cranberries & Walnuts

Posted in Breakfast, Vegan Baking by Vegan Mommy Dee

One of my favourite things to whip up are these easy to make Banana Oat Breakfast Bites!!! Many people make similar cookie versions to this recipe but the great thing is that everyone can make it their own way using ingredients that work for them. The great thing about this recipe is that you can tailor it to your own tastes and preferences! I find that they are a great idea for a fast breakfast when you’re in a hurry which really saves time. Have them with a healthy green smoothie and your good to go! I always have organic bananas on hand as well as oats so this recipe is made very often in my home. I also add dried sulfate free cranberries and walnuts sometimes too. The recipe I’m posting will be this version. 🙂 My kids like my vegan chocolate chip version best of course but then they are a treat and no longer a super healthy breakfast bite! LOL You can also make them into cookies if you want but I like making mine smaller so that’s why I call them “bites”. I find that they are the perfect size to pop into a little container and pack them into a lunchbox or throw into a purse. They are a great on the go healthy snack. I always make sure I have healthy snacks in my purse because I’m vegan and it’s not always easy to find healthy vegan snacks on the go. Hey non vegans you should definitely be trying to bring healthy homemade snacks with you so you’re not tempted to buy sugary & fat filled treats while your on the run too!

Banana Oat Breakfast Bites with Cranberries & walnuts

Healthy Breakfast Bites

Ingredients:

2 regular sized Bananas
1 TBSP Cinnamon
2 cups Oats
1 1/2 tsp. pure Vanilla extract
1 TBSP Sulfate free Cranberries
Handful of chopped Walnuts

Method:

In a medium-sized bowl mash both bananas with a fork really well.
Add the vanilla and mix.
Throw in the 2 cups of Oats and the 1 TBSP of Cinnamon. Combine well.
Now you can go ahead and add the cranberries and walnuts. Give it another good mix.
Shape into small round balls and place on a lined cookie sheet. Flatten the balls down slightly with the back of a teaspoon.
Pop them into the oven for 10 minutes. If you want to make them bigger or into cookies then they will bake between 12-14 minutes.
After removing them from the oven let them cool down on the pan. Transfer them to an airtight container once they have cooled off.

Other Versions of my Banana Oat Breakfast Bites:

Vegan Chip: My kids favourite version has 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips thrown into the banana and oat mixture. They are such a tasty treat!

Plain Banana & Oat: I also make these banana bites without adding any dry fruit and nuts and they turn out great as well. Simple and super fast!

Protein Boost: I also make a version of these breakfast bites with peanut or almond butter added to the oat mixture! YUM! Just add 2 TBSP nut butter to your mixture. Be sure to combine it well I bake them 10-12 minutes depending on their size. *I omit the cinnamon, chopped nuts and dried fruit for this version.*

Coconut & Almond: Toss in a handful of chopped almonds as your nut for these banana bites and instead of adding the cinnamon I throw in 1 TBSP of shredded coconut in it’s place.

*ENJOY your yummy & fast to make Banana Breakfast Bites! Have fun with them and try out different combinations to suit your needs*

*Makes 12-15 Banana Bites depending on their size*

4Mar2013

Blueberry Quinoa cake

Posted in Breakfast, Vegan Baking by Vegan Mommy Dee

I’ve been on a bit of an organic blueberry kick lately! It seems that somehow I’m always throwing blueberries into my baking these days! These antioxidant rich berries have so many health benefits so I feel good about incorporating them into my baked goods. They also help to boost your immune system which is especially important to me during these wretched winter months. [insert rant] … Yes I HATE WINTER with a bloody passion! Stupid cold never-ending months of torture!

Ok I’m done now. 🙂

As I was saying blueberries have many health benefits such as aiding in heart health, brain function, helps reduce belly fat, helps with constipation and digestion and they are known for being natures anti-depressant!

This recipe is super easy as are all my recipes. I’m a mom of three and I don’t have the time to make fussy recipes! I’m also a strong believer in the fact that less is more when preparing food! This blueberry quinoa cake is also great for breakfast despite the fact that I’m calling it “cake”. Another added bonus is that it is flour free, so our waistlines are thanking us!

BLUEBERRY QUINOA CAKE

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup organic blueberries
1 cup quinoa flakes
1 cup almond or soy milk
1 heaping TBSP of cinnamon
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave
3 heaping TBSP of ground flax seeds (flaxmeal)
handful of chopped nuts of choice or raw pumpkin seeds

Method:

In a medium-sized baking dish combine quinoa flakes and cinnamon
Add the flaxmeal and blueberries, mix
Next add the melted coconut oil and the maple syrup or agave. Combine well.
Throw in a handful of chopped nuts or my favourite raw pumpkin seeds
Add the milk and give it one last mix to combine all the ingredients well.

*Pop it into the oven at 350 F for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool for a while so it can set properly and you can slice it up.

NOTE: If you want your cake to take on more of a bright purple colour instead of having all the blueberries in tact like mine in the pictures you can give it a mix at the 20 minutes mark. The blueberries will be super soft and will release their beautiful bright colour into your cake. I’ve made it both ways and either way it’s yummy!

Enjoy!