It’s been a long time guys! I’m so very sorry! Life has been busy. I’m back now and I will be sharing some of our favourite recipes with you all. I also have a video version of this recipe on my YouTube channel and I will be sure to include the link below. I know some people like to see me visually make the recipes.
I decided to start off with this cookie recipe because it’s an absolute favourite at my house! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
I made this recipe during the holiday season and for my 12 Days Of Christmas Videos on YouTube. It has become a staple cookie recipe that is eaten anytime of the year however.
These cookies have the perfect amount of chocolate flavour and the hint of peppermint works perfectly with it. I love how fluffy and delicious they are too! Every time I make them, they just don’t seem to make it past a couple days in this house. They just get gobbled up!
I also tried keeping them as healthy as possible. I didn’t add obnoxious amounts of sugar in them. Little by little you can decrease sugar in the diet quite easily. Before you know it, you don’t crave the over sugary treats anymore. If you are still used to very sweet desserts and snacks then you might want to increase the sugar in the recipe a touch. I actually add less sugar for myself personally but since others eat them (including teens) I decided 1/2 cup of sugar was needed. I want to please everyone. You be the judge of how much sugar you want to add.
I have used a variety of sugars for this recipe and they all work just fine. I use coconut sugar most often at my house but sometimes I use cane or brown sugar too.
I also like creating oil free recipes so I can save on a ton of calories. I replace the oil with unsweetened apple sauce in this recipe. Each tablespoon of oil is 120 calories and I won’t add all those unnecessary calories to my meals or desserts. Oil is also highly refined and extremely unhealthy. It offers no nutritional value and just helps pack on the pounds to in my opinion.
As far as the optional items in my ingredient list it’s up to you if you want to add those in or not. The cookies taste great either way. I add the chocolate chips in but rarely add the candy canes. The peppermint flavour is enough for me and my family. It does look pretty on the cookies during the holidays however.
I leave my baked cookies on a cake stand because they are gone within a day or two. I would toss them into an airtight container and pop them in the refrigerator to maintain freshness if you can’t eat them that fast. They will last up to a week in the refrigerator.
These cookies are great for taking on the go too. They hold their shape and can be added to a ziplock bag, reusable bag or small Tupperware container for travel. I love having healthy treats like this when I just need a little something while I’m on the go. I work long 12 hour shifts so having snacks like this save me when I’m getting that snack urge. It’s better than buying a calorie loaded unhealthy vegan treat. I feel satisfied with my cookies and I’m able to stick to my wellness goals.
Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Makes 18-20 cookies
Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup of Cacao Powder
1 tsp. Flaxmeal
1/3 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips (Optional)
Crushed candy canes (Optional)
Sprinkle of Salt
Wet Ingredients:
1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract
3/4 cup unsweetened Apple Sauce
1/2 cup Plant Based Milk
3 Tbsp. Of Warm Water
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Add all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Combine well.
3. Next put the one tablespoon of flax in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of warm water and give it a mix. Allow to sit and thicken for five minutes before using.
4. Add all the wet ingredients as well as the flax egg in a small bowl and mix well.
5. Transfer the wet ingredients to the dry and give it a good mix. Go ahead and add the chocolate chips and if you are using them.
6. Transfer to a lined baking sheet. Add optional, crushed candy canes on top if using.
7. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes.
8. Allowed to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container for storage.
Enjoy! 💚
I hope you all enjoy these cookies and be sure to also visit my YouTube channel for more recipes. Thank you for the support and love here in the blog and on YouTube.
As many of you already know (if you follow me on YouTube), I decided to do a 10 day Oat Mini! I ate yummy oats at every meal and created some interesting recipes during these ten days.
For those of you who don’t know what a “Mini” is I will explain. Mary McDougall who is Dr. John McDougall’s wife created this diet. It’s basically a short ten day diet where you eat very simply. You give your digestion a break and food is only used for fuel. It’s a time where there is very little variety. During this 10 days you pick one starch that will be the star of the show. You will eat this starch at every single meal and pair it with non starchy veggies. As far as the starch goes you can choose whatever you prefer. You can try foods like rice, potato, sweet potato or oat as the starch of choice. Just keep in mind that you will need to eat this starch for ten days. Make sure it’s a starch you really enjoy eating!
I’ve written a blog post about my experience with the Mary’s Mini so be sure to check that out. In that post I go into detail about this simple diet and the benefits of it. See February 24, 2020 for this post.
In a nut shell though it basically gives your body a much needed rest! We constantly eat such a wide range of foods and many of us over indulge constantly. This is a time for the body to relax and repair. Most people will also shed weight during this short diet. This can be for a variety of reasons but I think it’s mostly from only consuming what your body actually needs. You really get a good grip of hunger cues and eat only the amount of food you require.
I typically lose between 6-9 lbs in 10 days when I’m on the Mary’s Mini Diet. As far as weight loss goes I’ve been the most successful on rice mini’s. I don’t focus on how much weight I lose but instead I focus on how I’m feeling. I notice that any bloating that I had goes away and I’m just feeling fantastic over all.
I made quite a few interesting recipes during the 10 day Mary’s Mini. One of those recipes was my Mushroom & Oat Stew. It was a little weird at first because I always ate sweet breakfast type oats in the past. I’m so glad I stepped outside my comfort zone though because this recipe turned out delicious! I had a lot of requests for the recipe so I promised I would post it here. It’s easy to find for future reference here on the blog.
I love how easy the recipe was to make and it was loaded with flavour. It’s also super packed with nutrition which is a major plus! I love using mushrooms in this meal because as we approach the colder months immune boosting foods are really important for me to incorporate in my meals. You can add any additional veggies in the recipe if desired. I also like to place a bed of spinach down first in my bowl or plate. This is a great way of incorporating more fresh veggies into our diet. I think the spinach is a wonderful addition to this meal and it also makes it a nice presentation if serving it to others. I then top the spinach with this delicious stew. I like the additional option of hot sauce on top too for extra flavour. You can add oil free condiments to meals on the Mary’s Mini.
I’ve done many rice mini’s, a couple potato mini’s and those all went very well. I decided to try the oat mini since I hadn’t yet tried it out. It was actually super easy to do. The 10 days didn’t drag on at all. I felt satisfied and content. I ate a lot of traditional oatmeal with blueberries or mango and I added cinnamon for extra flavour. It was nice adding in some savoury dishes during the oat mini. Oat’s s can be used in so many different ways and it always tastes great. I also get that cozy feeling after enjoy warm sweet oats. I usually paired it with whatever extra veggies I needed to use up. It was sometimes bell peppers or a yummy side salad with a sprinkle of lemon on top.
I also really like the simplicity of this short diet. It really makes life quite fuss free. You always know what starch you will be eating so all you have to do is make sure you have a good mix of non starchy veggies on hand. I found it very helpful for my work lunch too. It was very easy to pack up my food. Not much prepping required at all. This was such a time saver for me!
Here is the super easy recipe for you to enjoy! Let me know if you try it out in the comments below. I will also add the video version of this easy recipe in this post in case you prefer to watch me cook it up! If you can also take a moment to Subscribe to my YouTube channel I would truly appreciate the support and love! Giving the YouTube video a Like also helps my channel tremendously. Thank you!
Mushroom & Oat Stew
⁃ 4- 5 cups chopped Mushrooms
⁃ 4 cups Oats
⁃ 2-3 minced cloves of garlic
⁃ Dry Thyme, Dry Oregano, Paprika and Onion powder
⁃ 5-6 cups of filtered water
⁃ Fresh parsley (optional)
Method:
1. Water sauté the garlic in a large pot or Dutch oven.
2. Add the seasonings & herbs
3. Add the oats and water. Combine well.
4. Keep an eye on it and mix it up to make sure it doesn’t stick to your pot and burn. Add extra water as necessary.
5. Cook for 20-30 minutes on a medium heat.
6. Serve by adding fresh parsley on top and optional hot sauce or any sauce that is oil free.
Today I’m sharing literally the easiest recipe ever with you all! This is my go to meal when I have no time at all and still want to eat healthy. This keeps me on track with my health and wellness goals. My yummy Tomato & Chickpea Soup is so delicious and filling.
I also love how easy it is to whip up for work. If I’m unsure as to what to bring with me, this recipe is great. It takes very little time to make and it’s packed with nutritious ingredients to fuel me for a long shift ahead. It’s also great as a meal prep option for go to dinners after work. It’s easy to store in a container and reheated for a quick dinner option.
I like adding chickpeas to my tomato soup to bulk it up a little and make the meal more filling and satisfying. Chickpeas are a powder house of protein too! They pack in at 14.5 g of protein and 12.5 g of fiber in just one cup of chickpeas! They also contain magnesium, iron, calcium and potassium. I feel so good about adding them to my meals for all the added health benefits.
I don’t add any oil to my meals in order to reduce the over all calories content. Just one tablespoon of oil is an added 120 calories. I don’t feel good about adding empty calories into my meals. Most people will add way more than one tablespoon of oil to meals. That’s a lot of extra unnecessary calories! It won’t add any added flavour to the meal. I feel like people put in their heads that they need it for flavour. In reality you really won’t miss it! You can add extra flavour with oil free broth, bouillon, herbs and other seasonings. Skip the oil to save on calories!
I hope you enjoy my easy recipe. Please tag me on IG @ VeganMommyDee if you decide to make it. I hope it helps you on busy days when you don’t have time to cook a complicated recipe. This recipe takes very little time and it’s absolutely delicious. I will also add the recipe video below for those of you who enjoy watching me make my easy recipes. If you haven’t already Subscribed to my YouTube channel, then please consider doing so now. I have loads of easy to make recipe videos on my channel. Thanks for the support and love! I appreciate each and every one of you!
Tomato & Chickpea Soup
Ingredients:
⁃ 796 ml can of fire roasted tomorrow
⁃ 796 ml can of whole peeled tomatoes
⁃ 398 ml can of chickpeas, rinsed
⁃ 398 ml of water or oil free veggie broth
Seasonings:
⁃ 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
⁃ 1 tsp. Onion Powder
⁃ 1 Tbsp. Dry Oregano
⁃ Sprinkle of Black pepper
⁃ Sprinkle of Umami mushroom seasoning
⁃ 1 Tbsp. of Basil, fresh or dry
⁃ 1 tsp. Oil free Veggie Bouillon (Optional)
Method:
1. Add the tomatoes, water and seasonings to a soup pot.
2. Use a potato masher to chop the whole tomatoes a little. You can also just buy chopped tomatoes in a can and skip this step all together.
3. Allow to cook on a medium heat for 15-20 minutes with the lid on.
4. Add the chickpeas to the soup and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes with the lid off.
5. I add a little Himalayan pink salt when serving the soup.
Hi everyone! Hope all is well with you all. It’s still quite cold and damp in my neck of the woods. The rain and dampness has made me crave comforting baked goods so I’ve been revamping my banana bread. It’s just a cold, cold Spring!
I’ve enjoyed baking and creating lots of cozy meals lately. It’s all about the comfort meals this time of year. I have so many recipes to share with you all this year and I’m hoping to get them posted soon. I’ve been recipe testing and trying my best to create healthy versions of my favourite meals. Many of them have been a huge success but a few still need to be tweaked a tad.
I’ve recreated my original banana bread and made it as healthy as possible without sacrificing the taste of this epic treat. I’m so very happy with the result! This is the most often made treat at my house. It’s easy to make, includes staple ingredients that pretty much everyone has on hand and it’s guilt free. It’s healthy and delicious! No need to have any guilt about indulging in this banana bread. You’re fueling your body with nutritious ingredients instead of the typical store bought version that’s full of sugar and fat.
I also love using this recipe for mini muffins and mini loafs. Just bake them for a shorter period of time. I love how versatile this recipe is.
I really tried to break this recipe down to minimal ingredients so that everyone can feel like they can make it easily. It doesn’t matter what your skill level is in the kitchen either. This recipe is so easy that anyone can make it, and end up with a perfect snack. I also like to create meals that children can make as well. My son is usually my assistant in the kitchen. I want him to learn the importance of making home cooked meals and desserts. My recipes are easy enough for him to help me with and learn some skills. If you have little ones too, then you can definitely make this recipe with them!
My recipe is less calorie rich than my original version. I decided to eliminate the nuts and oil to save on calories. I realized that they were honestly unnecessary ingredients in the recipe. Any type of oil is still refined and not healthy by any means. It provides no nutritional benefits and makes baked goods very calorie rich. I know the hype right now is eat all the fat you can because it’s said to be healthy for us in our diet. The reality is, it’s not. Yes we need some fat in our diet but it really should be from the whole food source such a yummy avocado.
I will add my video version of this recipe below. I know a lot of you enjoy watching the recipe video on my YouTube channel. Thank you for the continued support on my channel. I really appreciate it. If you haven’t already Subscribed to my channel then please consider doing so if you enjoy health and wellness videos. I make healthy yet satisfying meals on my channel and provide wellness tips as well.
Ok so let’s get to the good part …
Here is probably one of my most favourite recipes that I’ve ever created! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Healthy Guilt Free Banana Bread
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups of oat flour
1 cup of oats
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 cup hemp hearts (optional)
2 Tbsp. Ground Flax
Optional : 1/4 – 1/3 cup Vegan Chocolate chips/chocolate chunks or cacao nibs
Wet Ingredients:
6 Tbsp. Warm Water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 of a cup of plant-based milk
3 regular sized spotty bananas, mashed
1/3 of a cup of sugar. I use coconut sugar, brown sugar, or maple sugar.
* Preheat oven to 350 F *
Method:
1. In a large bowl place 2 cups of oat flour and 1 cup of oats. Next add in 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/3 cup sugar of choice. Combine well. Toss in the 1/4 cup of hemp hearts if you are using them in your banana loaf.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of flax meal to a small bowl with 6 tablespoons of warm water. Mix well and allow to thicken up
3. In another large bowl mash three spotty bananas well. Add in 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and the 1/2 cup of plant-based milk. Mix well.
4. Add the flax egg into the wet ingredients. I use a fork to mix it well.
5. Next add the wet ingredients into the dry and combine everything very well.
6. Transfer your batter into your baking dishes or loaf pans. Bake at 350° for approximately 40 to 50 minutes.
ENJOY! 💛
Let me know if you try my recipe out in the comments below! Have a wonderful week everyone!
We are definitely in the heart of the fall season and cozy recipes are required! It’s the time of year where we feel the need for those comfort meals as the days get darker, quieter and colder. We crave the cozy warm recipes that just make us feel good inside. This is my favourite season to create recipes. I get so inspired by all the foods in season during this time. Everything looks absolutely delicious and I start to think of all the recipes I want to try making. It’s just simply a wonderful time of year!
Many people will say that during this time of year they typically put on weight because they eat more decadent meals. Some say they crave “bad” foods. I feel like anything that’s a favourite cozy fall meal can be made into a healthier version. You can enjoy the wonderful much loved meal and still stay on track with wellness goals. I love to create meals that are guilt free and healthy but still taste fabulous. I know I’ve said this before but you CAN have it all! No more beating yourself up about eating naughty meals! You just have to get in the mindset of adjusting the recipe to meet your health and wellness goals. Also I’d like to add that if you do enjoy indulgent meals here and there, that’s also totally ok. It’s all about balance in life. I say just clean up your act and eat as clean as possible after that meal. It will be just fine.
I created this very simple butternut squash soup recipe using wholesome ingredients and it tastes fantastic. This recipe is a crowd pleaser and it’s perfect for entertaining during the holiday season as well. Now that covid restrictions have lightened up and families can get together we can finally start having guests over! Wow this is exciting! Everyone will enjoy this soup! My feedback after posting this recipe on my YouTube channel was excellent. I feel so good knowing that people are enjoying this hearty yet healthy soup!
Squash is abundant in every grocery store or farmer’s market this time of year. It’s definitely easy to find because they seem to be the star of the show in October and on into the colder months. Squash can be inexpensive as well and it’s quite hearty. You can make this whole recipe using just one butternut squash. A little goes a long way. My recipe will serve 4 people, so if you want to make it for a larger gathering then just make sure you pick up extra squash. I bought mine from Costco and they actually came in a two pack which is great. They worked out to 3.5 lbs each.
What if you don’t have fresh produce available to you? Depending on where you live or your budget you might not be able to get fresh squash. That’s totally ok! You can definitely use canned squash of any variety to make this recipe if needed. They do sell butternut squash in cans so this might be a good solution for you. You can also use frozen squash if that’s all you can find as well. Find whatever works for you because my recipe is very adaptable. Creating these healthier options doesn’t have to be complicated. I find sometimes we get into these rigid rules when cooking and that is just way too stressful. We tend to over complicate things and it doesn’t have to be this way.
Butternut Squash is full of Vitamins, Fiber and Antioxidants. It’s loaded with vitamin C, vitamin A, and B Vitamin’s as well. It’s rich with magnesium and potassium which plays an important role for us in our bone health. It’s so nice to know that something so delicious is actually really beneficial to our health.
I decided to add some apples to this recipe because we had picked a whole bunch from our tree in the backyard. They needed to be used up and they taste so incredibly good! I’m not sure what the variety is but they grow perfect and I love how sweet they are. I don’t put any pesticides on my tree and they still turn out perfect. No bugs either! The only battle I have is the Toronto raccoons eating them on the tree and then throwing half away onto the ground. They basically eat half of the apple and throw away the rest! Ugh! Why can’t they just eat the whole thing?
Fresh Apples from my Backyard!
I hope you enjoy my easy Butternut Squash Soup recipe. Let me know if you make it and if you make an adjustments to the recipe. I will post the video version of this recipe below if you would like to watch me cook this lovely soup. Enjoy this amazing time of year and the gorgeous fall season!
Easy ButternutSquashSoup
Ingredients:
⁃ 1 Butternut Squash, peeled & chopped Look for one around 3.5 lbs.
⁃ 1 tbsp. Bouillon
⁃ 4 1/4 cups water
⁃ 1/2 onion, chopped
⁃ 3 medium sized apples, chopped
⁃ 3 cloves of garlic
Herbs & Spices:
⁃ Paprika
⁃ Curry powder
⁃ Onion powder
⁃ Cumin powder
⁃ Dry Oregano
⁃ Black pepper
⁃ Himalayan pink salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400F
3. Peel & chop the butternut squash. Add it to a lined baking pan.
4. Peel and chop apples and add them to the baking pan.
5. Chop up onion and peel garlic cloves. Toss into the pan. Add the spices to the mixture as well.
6. Pop the baking pan into the oven at 400F for 30 minutes. I gave it a mix at the half way mark.
7. Add the butternut squash mixture to a large pot. Add the bouillon, and water as well.
8. Use a hand blender to purée the soup or add it in batches to a blender.
9. Add more spices if necessary according to you taste.
10. Add the soup to bowls and enjoy!
Note: garnish with some pumpkin or squash seeds on top if desired.
I’m sharing my Best Ever Vegan Lasagna with you all today! Welcome back to my blog! This recipe is seriously pretty epic and I’m so excited to share it with you!
It has such a depth of flavours and it’s easy to put together. I feel like even a beginner cook could make this lasagna pretty easily. The only time consuming part is cooking the elements for the layers of the Lasagna. Assembly goes quite fast and then it does it’s thing cooking up in the oven for 1 hour. You don’t have to keep checking it while it cooks up either. I suggest just uncovering it for the last 10 minutes.
My lasagna is made using wholesome ingredients and you can feel good about eating it all up. Trust me you will want to eat every last bite of it! As always with my recipes I always make sure I’m using easy to find ingredients. All of the components to this lasagna are super easy to find at any grocery store. I feel like there is nothing more annoying than having to search multiple grocery stores looking for certain ingredients. You won’t be doing that with this one. You actually probably already have most of the ingredients on hand at home. I love making pantry staple meals. I don’t like having to buy too many ingredients for my meals.
The cheese sauce used in my recipe is a modified version of a recipe I found on YouTube. I will make sure to add it to this post for your reference. The thing I love about homemade “cheese” is that you can customize it to your liking and needs. You can make it thick and spreadable or on the runny side depending on what your cooking.
I love how little money I spent on the ingredients needed for this recipe as well. Most of the ingredients are staple items I always have at home. I love when meals are low cost and provide an abundance of nutrition. You can find cans or a jars of tomato sauce for pretty cheap at pretty much every grocery store. Just make sure it’s pure tomato sauce without any added oil. This will keep the calories lower by skipping any added unnecessary oil to the meal. Lasagna noodles are inexpensive as well and a fantastic variety can be found depending on where you shop. Organic tofu is often on sale, and frozen veggies are the cheapest to buy at the grocery store. The only ingredient I find that can be sometimes costly is the nutritional yeast. If you can buy it in bulk that will save money. You only need a little amount for this lasagna and the rest will store for a long time in the pantry.
This recipe will be enjoyed by even the most picky eaters. I’ve even served it to meat eaters and they loved it too! I think that says a lot because they tend to be quite reluctant to try meals like this in my experience.
Best Ever Vegan Lasagna
Ingredients:
– 2 680 ml cans of tomato sauce – 500g firm tofu – 2 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast – 2 tbsp. better than boullion – 2 tbsp. Garlic power – 2 tsp. Onion powder – 1 tsp. Dry Oregano – 1/3 cup fresh Basil – 3 cups frozen mixed veggies – 1 cup frozen edamame – 1 package frozen spinach, thawed – 1 box 375g whole wheat lasagna noodles – homemade cheese sauce or a bag of vegan shredded cheese
Method:
1. Thaw out the spinach before hand.
2. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
3.In a frying pan cook up the frozen vegetables and spinach. Use water instead of oil to cook them up. Add 1 tbsp. Of better than boullion, 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder and 1 tsp. Onion Powder to the vegetables. Set aside until ready to use.
4. Add the tofu to a pan and crumble it up using your spatula. Saute in water instead of oil. Add 1 tbsp. of Better Than Boullion and 1 tbsp. Nutritional yeast. Cook well and set aside until you need it.
5. Add the tomato sauce to a pan and add 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder, 1 tsp. Onion Powder, 1 tsp. Dry Oregano and 1/3 cup fresh Basil. Heat up on a medium heat for 10 minutes with the lid on.
6. Make cheese sauce or skip this step and just use store bought vegan cheese. The homemade cheese sauce only takes a few minutes to make in the blender. Just heat it through in a pan on the stove top.
7. Cook the lasagna noodles as per box instructions. I splash some cool water on them in the colander just to make sure they don’t stick together too much.
8. Grab your lasagna baking dish and start to assemble the lasagna. I add tomato sauce to the pan first and the lasagna noodles. Then I add the veggie mix, a drizzle of tomato sauce, tofu mixture and then the cheese sauce on top. Keep repeating until you’ve filled the lasagna dish. Finish with tomato sauce. Add more cheese sauce on top too if desired.
9. Cover with foil and cook for 1 hour at 400° F. Uncover for the last 10 minutes.
10. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing it up.
ENJOY!
NOTE:
I used a modified version of Jill McKeever cheese recipe. I added lots of garlic powder, extra onion powder, black pepper and extra water to the sauce when I made it. I also transfered the sauce from the blender to a pot to thicken up. Keep a close eye on the sauce because it will stick to the bottom of the pan easily.
I will add a link to Jill’s recipe video below.
I will also add my video version of my recipe below. I know many of you prefer to watch the recipe video.
Thank you for the support and love on my YouTube Channel. If you find my recipes helpful on your health journey then please Subscribe to the channel. Please give the video a Like as well because this helps my little channel tremendously. Thank you!
Do you think you can pull together real meals with Dollar Store items? I was pretty skeptical myself. I didn’t think they had much to offer. I also worried that I wouldn’t find oil free items there as well.
Where I live in Canada our Dollar Stores don’t have freezer sections sadly. Pre COVID-19 days, we crossed the border to shop I was amazed to find out that the Dollar Stores in the USA have freezer sections. They keep them stocked with some pretty amazing choices too! If your Dollar Store has a freezer then this challenge will be much easier for you. It will provide you much more to work with.
Here in Canada it’s not uncommon to find $3.00 and $4.00 items at the Dollar Store. I’m not sure why we even call it the Dollar Store anymore. It’s actually pretty hard to find $1.00 items these days.
I challenged myself to find $1-$2 items that I could pull a meal off with. I wanted to make sure each meal I made was between three and four servings as well. I wanted these meals to be something a family could enjoy or to have leftovers for lunches. Meal prepping is always such a great time saver! I’m not going to say I had tons of choices but honestly it wasn’t that bad at all. I was surprised at what I was able to find. I had to think outside the box and try creating family meals out of just a few ingredients. It’s definitely possible with a little thought and effort.
Many of us are trying to cut food costs and save some money. Shopping at the Dollar Store can help you save money and still put together some healthy meals. I plan on continuing to tinker in the kitchen and create more yummy inexpensive meals. It’s become a challenge that I’m now quite enjoying. I wonder what else I can come up with?
I don’t consume any added oil in my diet so I also had to make sure that foods were compliant. I originally wanted to make a pasta using traditional tomato sauce but every brand had canola oil in it. I had to pass on that idea and think of something else. I wanted to make a comfort meal using pasta. I decided to make my own healthy sauce. I threw only a few ingredients together and came up with a yummy pea sauce. This idea was actually way better and this sauce has become a staple in our house now!
I’ll add my video where I made this yummy recipe in this post so you can see how I made it. I made a Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in the video below. If you haven’t already Subscribed to my YouTube Channel please consider doing so now. That way you don’t miss any upcoming recipes videos!
Spinach Pasta with a Garlicky Pea Sauce
I hope this inspired you to visit your local dollar store. Grab some staple ingredients and I bet you can create some great meals too! Let me know what you come up with in the comments. If you recreate my recipes please tag me on IG. I love seeing you guys make my recipes. It brings me so much joy!
Do you want to make a spread/dip that taste delicious and is good for you? Yes healthy spreads like this one can actually taste fantastic and be full of flavor!
I love how I can quickly make this recipe using my food processor and it stores so well in the fridge for up to a week. Part of staying on track is having those healthy snacks and foods handy. You don’t want to get tempted to eat unhealthy options. We don’t make the greatest choices when we’re hungry and in a hurry. We need easy healthy options that are already ready to go in the fridge in order to be successful.
I love making this spread because I can create a meal that’s fiber and protein rich. It keeps me feeling full for a long time and it pairs great with potatoes or rice.
I add kale in this recipe because I have an abundance of it growing in my veggie gardens. If you prefer spinach you can also use that in this recipe. Both healthy greens will work great in my recipe.
This recipe is oil free so this lowers the calories considerably. Added oil would add hundreds of calories to this recipe. In my opinion that totally unnecessary. Why add refined unhealthy oil to such a healthy recipe? I love cooking oil free. It keeps my food lower in calorie density. Less calories and more food is a reality when you eat this way. It’s life changing!
BLACK BEAN & KALE SPREAD
INGREDIENTS:
2 cans of black beans
3 large kale leaves
Juice of 1 medium lemon
Spices: Garlic Powder, Paprika & Chili Powder. Start with 1 tbsp. and adjust flavor according to preference
1 tbsp Hot sauce (optional)
METHOD:
1. Rinse canned beans and add them to a food processor.
2. Add the juice of 1 lemon and spices.
3. Place the kale in the food processor.
4. Pulse until a smooth consistency.
5. Place the bean spread into an airtight container and add the optional hot sauce if desired. Mix well.
6. The spread will stay fresh in the fridge for up to one week. If it lasts that long!
ENJOY!
I will add a video of me making this yummy dip to this post. If you haven’t already Subscribed to my YouTube channel please consider doing so if you enjoy healthy recipes.
My most popular homemade cookie is my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. It’s healthy, nutritious and keeps you feeling full super long. They even qualify as a great breakfast cookie in my opinion. I say if they include oatmeal then they qualify as breakfast!
This recipe can also be altered to suit your preferences. You can mix it up a little by replacing the chocolate chips with raisins or cranberries if you prefer. Those options would be tasty. My kids like them best with vegan chocolate chips, so I stick with this option pretty much every time I make it.
I feel good knowing that although I’m eating a cookie that it’s a healthy alternative. I love guilt free options!
I will indulge in store bought baked goods sometimes but they just don’t seem to settle with me well. These treats are usually too sweet and contain oil in them. I’m not used to either of those things in my diet. I now avoid outside treats as much as possible and try making my own healthy snacks.
If you don’t like bananas then I apologize because the star of the show is banana in my recipe. It binds everything so nicely and provides all the sweetness we need without adding any extra sugar. I avoid adding extra sugar in my baked goods whenever possible. You can use sweet potato as an alternative to banana however and that should work really well too.
FLAX EGGS: 1Tbsp. Flaxmeal + 3 Tbsp. Water. This will make 1 Flax Egg. Allow to thicken up for 5 minutes.
Preheat Oven to 350 F. & Make your Flax Eggs
1. Mash Bananas and add Vanilla
2. Add in the thickened Flax Eggs and mix with a fork 3. Toss in the Oats and combine well 4. Next add in the Oat Flour
5. Add in the Hemp Hearts & Vegan Chocolate Chips 5. Combine Well 6. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and shape the cookies out with a spoon. Flatten them as well. 7. Bake for 18 Minutes at 350 F
ENJOY!
Bake at 350° for 18 minutes. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
My simple Guilt Free Cookies!
I hope you enjoy my recipe as much as we do at my house! Healthy foods can taste exceptionally good when you use the right ingredient combinations. These cookies make me feel like I’m eating a decadent treat but in reality it’s just a wholesome snack.
Stay Healthy my friends! Much Love & Positive Vibes to you. 💚
I want to share with you some of my simple healthy habits. I often get asked what people should start doing on their wellness journey. This is sometimes a difficult question to answer because we can implement many small yet important steps.
These healthy habits are surprisingly super easy to implement and they sure do make a huge difference in our health. These habits are also super easy for people who are just stepping into the wellness zone. It can all seem so overwhelming but really it’s not that hard at all. Back when I started my health journey I started by eliminating flavoured coffee whitener and implementing more water into my diet. Two pretty simple things but yet I instantly lost 10 lbs by making these changes. Every small change makes a big impact on our overalls health and wellness.
Let’s get into my favourite easy healthy habits. These habits are simple and anyone can truly implement them in their lives.
Wellness is a big picture with many pieces to the puzzle. By implementing these small tasks one at a time it makes sticking to them long term very possible. I feel like adding too many new healthy habits to your routine all at once is just too overwhelming. Most people will get frustrated and stop everything all together with time. I always suggest that people pick one or two healthy habits that they want to work on. Implement changes slowly and they will just become a natural way of life. This will help you stick to this long term and truly benefit from it.
I add simple things to my diet but over all they make a huge impact on my health, energy levels and the way I look at wellness as a whole. All these pieces together make the future brighter.
One of my favorite things that I implement into my diet and lifestyle is Lemon Water. I love the energy lemon water gives me and I always have a water dispenser dedicated to it. This is such a basic health addition to my diet but yet it makes a huge impact. Lemons are known to purify the blood, improve our skin, they have Vitamin C, and they aid in digestion. The list can continue with all the amazing benefits of lemon water. I feel much more energetic when I consistently add this one simple healthy habit to my life.
Another one of my favorite additions to my wellness routine is adding Chia Seeds in my diet. If I had to pick one thing that I couldn’t live without, yep this would probably be it! These tiny amazing seeds are full of protein, iron, omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, fiber and calcium. I love making easy treats like chia pudding for the family. We love to make vanilla or chocolate chia pudding. It’s so easy and super healthy! I even add chia seeds to my water and drink them up when I don’t get a chance to incorporate them into my day.
I included simple things like Gratitude Journaling because this will definitely start your day off on positive note. It puts us in a state of joy and we can really feel appreciatation for all that we have. It keeps us focused on all the good things happening in our lives. It has been proven to increase self esteem as well. This is a great way to really reflect on all the things we have accomplished. Also by putting ourselves in a positive state we reduce stress. When you put yourself in a state of gratitude and positivity it completely shifts how you feel and the way you look at things. Negative feelings and thoughts seem to float away. I like to start my day off with writing in my Gratitude Journal because it starts my day off on a great note. It only takes a few minutes and it makes a tremendous difference in how I feel and sets the tone for the day ahead. My journal asks that we reflect on 3 things that we are grateful for and it also includes a positive quote as well. Find a journal that suits you and try implementing this simple habit.
Check out my YouTube video to learn about further simple healthy habits that I implement in my life.
~Vegan Mommy Dee~ 
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