Tag Archives: treat

Banana Oat Breakfast Bites with Cranberries & Walnuts

Posted in Breakfast, Vegan Baking by

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

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:

  1. In a medium-sized bowl mash both bananas with a fork really well.
  2. Add the vanilla and mix.
  3. Throw in the 2 cups of Oats and the 1 TBSP of Cinnamon. Combine well.
  4. Now you can go ahead and add the cranberries and walnuts. Give it another good mix.
  5. Shape into small round balls and place on a lined cookie sheet. Flatten the balls down slightly with the back of a teaspoon.
  6. 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.
  7. 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*

Banana Vegan Chip Muffins

Posted in Breakfast, Vegan Baking by

My kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Banana Vegan Chip Muffins!!! I have many recipes that I use but this recipe is their favourite one! It’s very fast to make and they taste super yummy and moist. It’s loaded with ground flax seeds (flaxmeal) and even my very picky 6-year-old gives these muffins the thumbs up. By the way she doesn’t even like bananas and eats these muffins! I make these muffins and almost all my baking period with brown rice flour. It has many health benefits such as its rich in fiber, manganese, selenium, zinc, calcium and B vitamins. I also add healthy oats to these muffins but it would work with wheat germ as well. These muffins are made so often that when we don’t have them the kids ask me “mommy where are the muffins???” LOL  I’ve also made them without the vegan chocolate chips and they are still super good! I add in the chips to make the kids happy! I do however sometimes only add in 1/4 cup of them instead of the 1/3 cup and they actually notice! Then they ask me why there are less vegan chips in the batch of muffins when that happens. Sheesh!  This is why I put 1/3 cup in the recipe below! I also added a picture of them cooling off on the wire baking rack but sadly it’s not the greatest picture. Oh well you get the idea …

Yummy Banana Vegan Chip Muffins!

Yummy Banana Vegan Chip Muffins!

 

 

Banana Vegan Chip Muffins

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 Bananas, mashed
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil or oil of choice
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3 TBSP ground flax (flaxmeal)
  • 6 TBSP water
  • 1/2 cup oats or wheat germ
  • 1/4 cup sucanat sugar or other sugar of choice
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
  • 3/4 cup almond milk (I use unsweetened)
  • 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

Tools:

  • 2 muffin tins
  • paper muffin liners
  • 2 medium-sized bowls

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F
  2. Place 3 TBSP of flaxmeal in a small bowl add add the 6 TBSP water to it. Mix well and set aside for a few minutes.
  3. With a fork mash 3 ripe bananas in a medium-sized bowl.
  4. add 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup sugar to banana mixture. You can add more sugar if you like sweeter muffins but I think 1/4 cup is enough for us.
  5. In another medium-sized bowl add the 3/4 cup brown rice flour and oats.
  6. Add the baking powder to the flour mixture and combine well.
  7. Add the flaxmeal mixture into the wet ingredients and mix well.
  8. Next add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Now add the 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk. Combine.
  9. Toss in the vegan chips  and give it another mix.
  10. Line 1  12 muffin baking tin with paper liners and fill them half way for medium-sized muffins. Grab another muffin tin and place 4 more paper liners in it. Fill those suckers up too! You could also just do 12 larger muffins and bake them for 25-27 minutes. We prefer medium-sized muffins however.
  11. Pop them into a 400 F oven for 23-25 minutes.
  • Once they are baked I let them cool off inside the tins for about 5 minutes. Then I transfer them to a wire baking rack and let them cool completely before placing them into a air tight container.

*Makes 16 medium-sized muffins or 12 large muffins*

Enjoy! 🙂

Healthy Oat Bars

Posted in Vegan Baking by

Here is my favourite recipe for healthy oat bars! I love this recipe that I came up with because it’s made with healthy dates and prunes. Dates have iron, calcium and fiber in them as well as countless other healthy benefits. Prunes also have fiber in them as well as vitamin C, A, K and they are said to be a good anti colorectal cancer food choice. I really like how the dates and prunes act as a sweetening agent in the recipe! I’ve added the option of adding pure maple syrup to them as well if desired. I’ve made them with and without the maple syrup and both ways taste really good to me. The maple syrup adds a bit of extra sweetness and of course a tasty kick to the bars though. I love oat bars because they are easy to make and can be a great snack to eat on the go! Another bonus is that this recipe is flour free too!

|**The bars do have almonds in them but you can make them nut free if allergies are a concern. **

 

Healthy Oat Bars

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 Cups Gluten Free Oats
  • 1 TBSP Cinnamon
  • 3/4 Cup Cranberries or other dried sulfate free fruit of choice
  • 3 TBSP Flaxmeal
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
  • 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 TBSP Pure Maple Syrup (optional)
  • 12 Dates (I soak mine over night to make them easier
  • 6 Prunes
  • 1/3 cup warm water
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds or you can substitute another seed

 

You will also need these simple items …

  1. Food Prosser or high-powered blender
  2.  You will need a baking pan. Depth will depend on how thick you want your bars to be.
  3. Parchment paper to line your baking dish or coconut oil to oil your dish with.

 

 

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In a food processor add the dates and prunes
  3. Add 1/3 cup warm water into the food processor and process until smooth. Add more water if needed until it’s well combined. Also add the vanilla extract and combine all ingredients well.
  4. In a large bowl add the oats, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds and flaxmeal.
  5. Add the cranberries or other dry fruit of choice & finely chopped almonds to dry mixture. Combine well.
  6. Add the date & prune mixture into the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix everything up well.
  7. If you’re adding in the maple syrup then toss it in now and combine well.
  8. Line your baking pan with parchment paper or oil it well
  9. Add the mixture to the baking pan and even it out well.
  10. Bake for 3o minutes

*Let rest until cooled off before cutting into bars*

 

Enjoy them! I know I do & they don’t last long at all! 🙂

 

 

Date Cranberry bars

Peanut Butter Spelt/Oat Cookies

Posted in Vegan Baking by

This is the cookie which is most often made in my home! It’s very easy to make, healthy and doesn’t have  a lot of ingredients. Bonus! 🙂

*Preheat oven to 325 F*

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Natural Peanut Butter (I use natural & unsweetened)
  • 1/3 cup Sucanat sugar or Coconut sugar
  • 2 Tbsp of brown rice or quinoa flour
  • 3 Tbsp flaxmeal with 4-5 Tbsp water
  • 1/3 cup Spelt flakes or Oats

Method:

  1. In a small bowl add flax and water. Mix and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl add the peanut butter and sugar. Combine.
  3. Add flaxmeal and flour and give it a good mix. Make sure the flaxmeal is distributed well!
  4. Lastly toss in the oats or spelt flakes and combine.
  5. Roll into small balls and place on baking sheet.
  6. Flatten slightly with a fork or push down with the palm of your hand
  • Bake at 325 F for 12-14 minutes depending on the size of the cookie.

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Granola Coins

Posted in Vegan Baking by

These granola coins are so easy to make and are so handy to have in the house.  I throw them into my purse in case I need a snack on the go.  I found a recipe in Today’s Parent but had to change it up to suit my vegan needs. The original recipe called for eggs so I use flaxmeal in my recipe. I also added shredded coconut to my recipe as well because I think it add’s incredible flavor and texture to the coins.  Another change to the original recipe is that I added cinnamon too! We LOVE cinnamon! Making this recipe really got me thinking about other combinations I can make as well. I will be trying out some different ideas before my kids head back to school.  Sadly summer holidays are almost over. I’m starting to think of new easy to make snacks that the kids would be able to take to school. I think that these granola coins would be a great snack to throw into their lunch boxes! They are super yummy and very healthy for them too!

Granola Coins

*You will need a muffin tin for this recipe*

  • 3   TBSP  Flaxmeal
  • 7-8 TBSP Water
  • 1 TBSP Vegetable oil or coconut oil
  • 1 cup oats
  • 2 TBSP Pumpkin seeds
  • 1 TBSP Sesame seeds
  • 2 TBSP Shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup 100% pure Maple syrup
  • Cinnamon to taste … I add at least 1 teaspoon to mine 🙂
  1. In a small bowl add the 3 TBSP of Flaxmeal with 7-8 TBSP of water. Add 7 and if it’s still a tad dry add more water. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
  3. In a medium bowl add maple syrup and oil. Mix.  
  4. Stir in the oats, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and sesame seeds, cinnamon, shredded coconut and add the flaxmeal.  Give it a good mix.
  5. Coat your muffin tin with coconut or veggie oil
  6. Add the granola mixture into the muffin tin, dividing it equally.
  7. Use the back of a teaspoon to press the mixture firmly down into the muffin cup.
  8. Bake at 35o F  for about 12 minutes
  9. Let the coins stay in the muffin cups for at least 5 minutes after taking them out of the oven. This will let the shape fully set.
  10. Transfer to a storage container

* Makes 12 granola coins *

Healthy Chia Seed Pudding!

Posted in Vegan Baking by

I’ve falllen in love with this easy to make and healthy pudding! I like to top it with fresh strawberries or blueberries. It looks so pretty and tastes yummy!

Chia Pudding

  • 3/4 cup organic chia seeds
  • 2 cups almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
  • just a pinch of Himalayan salt
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon

 

Combine the above ingredients in a large bowl or glass Tupperware. Mix it up for a couple minutes until it starts to thicken up. Give it a good stir every 10 minutes for about an hour. Pop it into the fridge overnight so it thickens up to the pudding consistency we’re looking for. When your ready to serve it place the desired amount into serving dishes and top with some healthy fruit!

* Makes 4-6 servings *

 

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Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

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I found this recipe on VegWeb.com and the source is www.luxhippie.com

  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter ( I prefer smooth peanut butter )
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour ( I use spelt or brown rice flour )
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt ( I just threw in a pinch of Himalayan salt )
  • 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In a large bowl mix bananas, vanilla, peanut butter and maple syrup into a creamy consistency with a hand blender.
  3. In another bowl combine oats, flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine well.
  5. Fold in chocolate chips
  6. Place tablespoon sized balls of batter onto baking sheet
  7. bake for 15-18 minutes

*Makes about 15 cookies*

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Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Posted in Vegan Baking by

These muffins are really tasty and very easy to make! They are also pretty fast to whip up which is a total bonus! I’m usually baking with my kids so I try to keep recipes pretty simple and fast to make. My new baking buddy is my 5 year old who is pretty darn good at it actually. She is also now at an age where she understands that  mommy doesn’t use any animal ingredient’s, so we are always putting in alternatives into our recipes. She even knew that we used flax in this recipe instead of eggs. I guess kids do pay attention to their parents!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

 

  • 2 cups spelt flour or brown rice flour
  • 1/3 cup cane or sugar of your preference
  • 1 tbsp ground flax (flax meal)
  • 3 tbsp of water
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • Pinch of Himalayan salt
  • Cinnamon to taste
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled & chopped apples ( I use Gala )
  • 1/4 cup vegan butter, coconut oil or veggie oil

(Optional) Topping: 1 tbsp of cane sugar mixed with 1/2 -1 tsp of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a little bowl put the 1 tbsp of the flax meal (ground flax) and add 3 tbsp of water to it. Mix & let stand for a few minutes. Cream together the sugar and butter. Add in the flax and mix well. In a large bowl add the spelt flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix well. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix well. Add in the chopped apples and give it a quick mix. Line your muffin tray with paper liners and fill them up with the yummy mixture. If you’re using the topping then sprinkle a touch of it on each muffin. Pop them into the oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

 

*Makes 1 dozen muffins*

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