#2,783: Apple Sauce Puffs

This got super mixed reviews in our house.  I thought these were dry and just OK, but my kids loved them.  I'll be honest, I'm not really sure why?!  On the first bite, when you get the cinnamon and sugar topping, it's so good, but then you keep eating it and it's super dry.  The kids asked me to make them again though so they must have really liked them and were not just being nice.  Let's be honest, they will always tell me if something is just OK or if they don't like them! Would I make these again, probably not.  They were definitely easy though.  I made homemade biscuit mix because I didn't have any on hand (and it's cheaper) and I also tried making these with a homemade gluten free biscuit mix (those were even drier!). 

2 c. Bisquick

¾ c. sugar (divided)

3 t. cinnamon (divided)

½ c. applesauce

¼ c. milk

1 egg

2 T. oil

5 T. melted butter

Combine Bisquick, ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Stir in applesauce, milk, egg and oil until well mixed. Fill greased muffin pan ⅔ full (I put parchment paper on my baking pan and just used a cookie scoop AND I tried making these as muffins.  The cookies were better and easier in my opinion).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min or until lightly browned on the bottom.

In a bowl mix ½ c. sugar with 2 t. cinnamon.

Dip hot puffs in bowl of melted butter and then in bowl of cinnamon sugar.

#2,782: Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal Bars

The picture of this does not do this recipe justice.  I first gave my kids a piece after dinner to see if they liked it...they all asked for a second piece.  They also ate it for breakfast the next day and then asked me to make it again.  Uh, sure! It is SO simple to throw together and if you don't have oat flour, just throw some old fashioned oat in your food processor and pulse it a little.  It's also a great way to use up those over-ripe bananas too! The original recipe says to pour more peanut butter over the top, but I didn't do that...and my kids didn't seem to care! 

1 ½ cups quick cooking oats

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 overripe bananas mashed

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup pure maple syrup (I used honey)

1 large egg lightly beaten
¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I used skim milk)

Mini Chocolate chips (about 1/3 cup)

Topping:
¼ cup creamy peanut butter melted ( I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9” square baking pan and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the quick cooking oats, baking powder, sea salt and ground cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix mashed banana and peanut butter together until combined.  Add in the vanilla extract, maple syrup (I used honey) and egg. Mix until combined.  Add the almond milk and mini chocolate chips, and stir until batter is mixed.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8x8 cake/baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Or until the top slightly springs back when touched and the edges are just barely brown!

I skipped this step: Melt the extra peanut butter and drizzle on top.

Cut into squares and store in refrigerator.  Reheat in microwave or enjoy cold!

#2,781: Asian Inspired Pork Bowls

I found a simple recipe to make Asian pork bowls and figured I'd could make it a little healthier (and heartier) by adding in some grated carrots, edamame, and riced cauliflower.  Although mine did not caramelize as much as the original recipe did, I still really enjoyed this and ended eating it for 2 or 3 days for my lunch.  This would be good served over white or brown rice, but I chose not to.  I think this would be great in a lettuce wrap too!  The cucumber on top gives it a nice crunch/texture, but some Chinese noodles would be good too! 

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 tsp grated ginger
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 birds eye or Thai chili, deseeded and finely chopped (I used jalapeno)
1 lb ground pork
5 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce (I used more like 1 ½ tbsp….fish sauce is strong in my opinion)
1 green onion, sliced
I also added 1 finely grated carrot, about 1 cup of thawed edamame, and about 1 ½ cups of riced cauliflower

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.

Add the onion, ginger, garlic and chili and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the ground pork and cook for 7 minutes or so until cooked through, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.

Add the sugar and fish sauce. Stir, then leave it to cook without touching until all the juices cook out and the pork starts caramelized - about 2 minutes. Then stir it and leave it again, without stirring, for around 30 seconds to get more caramelization. Repeat twice more until caramelized to your taste. (No matter how long I let this cook it would not get super caramelized). 

Add in the grated carrot, edamamde, and riced cauliflower. Stir well to combine. 

Serve over rice if desired, and garnish with sliced green onion and cucumber (if desired). 

#2,780: Easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

I was looking for a super easy, Mexican side dish and this Restaurant Style Mexican rice was not only easy, but I really enjoyed it as well.  Personally, I thought this was great with some fajita veggies and sauteed chicken on top and eaten more like a "bowl."  My kids weren't big fans because they could SEE the cilantro in it.  That's fine...I didn't have to share as much then. 😉 I made this on the stove top, buy you could easily make this in the instant pot too.  I love making rice in my instant pot, however the last time I tried to make Mexican rice in the instant pot I kept getting the burn notice, so I figured I'd go the stove top route this time.   It turned out perfectly too.  

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup long grain rice, uncooked

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 cup tomato sauce

14 oz chicken broth

3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the rice and gently stir until rice begins to lightly brown.

Add the garlic, salt, and cumin and stir the rice til it looks golden.

Add the tomato sauce and chicken broth and turn the heat up to medium high.

Bring the mix to a boil then turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.

Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from heat and fluff with a fork, then stir in chopped cilantro.

#2,679: Corn and Edamame Salad

Mmm....this corn and edamame salad was a big hit!  It was so easy to make and it makes quite a bit!!  I think I ate this for 3 meals straight!  This is good as a side dish, and with tortilla chips (ha!), or even added to tacos.  I'll definitely be making this again! 

Plus, I made it easier by just cleaning the fresh corn and then cutting it off the cob without cooking it.  I added some canned corn too because I wasn't sure I was going to have enough...(I had plenty!).  So easy, so healthy. 

2 ears fresh sweet corn, husks and silk removed (or about 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed)

1 (10-ounce) bag frozen shelled edamame (thawed)

1 pint (10 ounces or about 1 1/4 cup) cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 small red onion, diced

5-6 medium basil leaves, chiffonaded

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste

I skipped this step: Set a large pot of water over high heat. Bring to a boil. Carefully add the corn cobs. Boil for three minutes. Remove with tongs and set aside to cool a bit. Add the edamame. Cook for three minutes. Drain and let cool for a bit.

Cut the corn kernels off the cob.  Add them to the bowl along with the thawed edamame. Add the cherry tomatoes, onion, and basil.  Drizzle in the olive oil and vinegar. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Toss well. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Keeps well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

#2,678: Low-Carb Cheesy Sausage Puffs

These little sausage puffs are so simple to make, and are a perfect make-ahead breakfast for on-the-go/back-to-school meals!  I whipped these up one night for breakfast the next day, and after inhaling 3, I knew I had to put the rest right into the freezer so I wouldn't eat the rest!  I'll be honest, I didn't even let my kids have any, I wanted to save them for myself.  I used pork sausage, but you could use ground Italian sausage and it would give it a totally different flavor.  You could also change it up by the cheese you use as well.  I personally used a mild cheddar because that's what I had on hand, but I'm sure I'll make these with mozzarella at some point, since we always seem to have that on hand.   

1 pound pork sausage, browned and drained (I like mild, but if you prefer heat, grab a hot sausage instead)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 eggs

4.5 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 tbsp sour cream

1/3 cup (heaping) coconut flour 

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder 

Melt the butter, and then place it in the refrigerator to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil or parchment paper. (I did not line my baking sheet, I just sprayed it with a little non-stick spray)

Brown and drain the sausage, chopping it into small chunks; set aside.

In a medium to large size bowl, combine the melted and cooled butter, eggs, sour cream, salt and garlic. I also added some black pepper.  Whisk together.

Add the coconut flour (slightly more than 1/3 cup) and baking powder to the mixture and whisk until well combined.  Stir in the browned sausage and cheese.

Roll or drop batter into 1 inch balls onto your lined baking sheet, spaced about 1/2 inch apart.  (I used a small cookie scoop and then just rolled them into little balls.  Mine were pretty close together on the baking sheet because I knew they wouldn't spread out). 

Bake for 14-18 minutes or until slightly browned. (I flipped mine half way through) Enjoy immediately, and store any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.  These can also be frozen.  Just let thaw in the fridge overnight or pop them into the microwave for about 15 seconds.

#2,677: Rhubarb Banana Muffins

I was trying to clean out and arrange my freezer a little bit and I found some chopped rhubarb that I wanted to use up.  We also had quite a few bananas browning on our counter (why do I keep buying them?!), so I figured I'd find a recipe to use both.  Plus, rhubarb is such as different flavor, I wasn't sure my kids would like just rhubarb muffins. I added a little bit of mini chocolate chips to sweeten the deal for them (no pun intended!).  

They LOVED these.  They were arguing over who got the last one and kept asking how many they could have for breakfast (uh, 2 is PLENTY kids!).  I don't know how often I'll have rhubarb in my house, but these were definitely worth making with the leftovers that I did have.  

PS...my rhubarb was chopped fairly small, but I was afraid it would be too big for my kids to want to pick out, so I threw the piece (still frozen) into my mini food processor and gave it a few good whirls to chop up even more.  It was perfect!  And yes, I threw the frozen rhubarb right into the batter, no need to defrost. 

⅔ cup sugar

½ cup oil

2 eggs

⅔ cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium sized bananas)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1⅔ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup finely chopped fresh rhubarb 

I also added about 1/3 c mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease cups.

In medium bowl, whisk sugar, oil, eggs, bananas and vanilla until well blended. Set aside.

In large bowl stir together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients.  Gently fold in rhubarb and chocolate chips.

Add batter to muffin cups, filling about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Move muffins to wire rack to cool.

I refrigerated our muffins since we ate them so quickly, but these could easily be frozen too for a quick grab-and-go breakfast.  

#2,676: 4 Ingredient Banana Cake Cookies

I wasn't sure my kids would like these as much as they did, but they definitely surprised me!  The coconut flour gives this a little bit of a different texture, and you can definitely taste the banana in this, but my kids didn't mind at all.  I put these in the freezer and we are eating them frozen/cold, but they were good at room temperature too!  The chocolate chips started to melt a little bit from the warmed up peanut butter, but we didn't mind. 

The original recipe says to sift the coconut flour, but I'm way too lazy for that!  It didn't affect the taste of these.  LOL 

1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted

1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium ones)

1/4 cup cashew butter (I used peanut butter)

1/4 cup maple syrup (I used honey)

Dairy-free Chocolate chips (I use mini chocolate chips, not dairy free ones)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking dish with baking paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the coconut flour and banana and mix well- This should be very crumbly.

In a microwave safe bowl or stovetop, melt your nut butter with liquid sweetener and pour into the dry mixture. Mix until fully incorporated and a thick batter is formed. Add chocolate chips if desired.

Form into balls (I used a cookie scoop) and transfer to the lined cookie sheet. Press down to flatten a bit and bake for 12 minutes. Remove and allow to sit for 10 minutes until they firm up slightly.

These cookies can be kept at room temperature covered for up to 3 days, and can also be kept frozen.

Cauliflower Gnocchi with Roasted Broccoli

I know we don't have a Trader Joe's in our town (sorry local friends!), but if you have one near you, or you are travelling near one, you really should stop and grab a few bags of this cauliflower gnocchi!  All you have to do is heat it up in a pan with some oil (quite a bit of oil in my opinion...or at least my pan is losing it's non-stickiness) for about 10 minutes or so, or until your cauliflower gnocchi is nicely browned.  Then I added some leftover roasted broccoli the last 2 minutes or so to reheat the broccoli and combine some of the flavors.  I topped it with some Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning and it was a FANTASTIC dinner (for me, not my family.  1. They wouldn't eat this, and 2. I wouldn't have shared it anyways!).  This would also be good with some chopped up chicken sausage too! 
Here are the Trader Joe's ingredients you should go buy:

#2,675: 90 Second Low Carb Bread (GF)/ Pizza Bread

Here's a recipe for an easy low carb "bread" that's been floating around Facebook.  I was more intrigued to make these than anything else, and I figured it would be a great base to make some pizza bread with...I was right!  I was able to cut this into 3 pieces (as you can see from the photo above), and although it was good with some butter or ghee on it, it was better as a pizza bread.  This takes 90 seconds to make in the microwave, and I just combined everything in the coffee mug, so it made cleanup even easier.   I was afraid it would taste "eggy" (I wouldn't have liked it like that!), but it totally didn't.  I will definitely make this again!

1 Tbsp Coconut Flour

1/4 Cup Almond Flour

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1/4 Tsp baking powder

1 Egg

Place all the ingredients into a mug. Mix until combined with a fork. Microwave for 90 seconds. Cut and enjoy.

If you are making these into pizza bread, let it cool a little bit so that you can cut it into pieces.  Then place on a cookie sheet and top with pizza sauce and cheese (and any pizza toppings if you prefer!).  Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  I turned my broiler on for a minute or two at the end to get the cheese a little more browned. 

#2,674: Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Blender Muffins

Anything that requires me to throw (almost) everything into a blender to make it is my kind of recipe!  I love easy and I love shortcuts!  This recipe was super simple and my kids loved these muffins.  EXCEPT I can't get them to come out of the paper liners so you'll have to grease your muffin tins and not use paper liners instead!  Lesson learned!  I should have known...there's not enough fat in these to get them to not stick to the liners.  You could totally customize these to whatever ingredients you love and have on hand.  Peanut butter and any sort of nut would be great in these too! 

2 cups oats (quick cooking or old fashioned)

2 large very ripe bananas

2 large eggs

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 to 3 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Up to 1/2 cup mix-ins: chocolate chips (mini or regular), chopped dark chocolate, nuts, dried cranberries, or blueberries (fresh or frozen and rinsed)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup standard muffin tin.

Place the all ingredients but the mix-ins in a blender: oats, bananas, eggs, Greek yogurt, honey, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt. Blend on high, stopping to scrape down and stir the ingredients once or twice as needed, until the batter is smooth and the oats have broken down almost completely, about 3 minutes. 

By hand, stir in the mix-ins. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each no more than three-quarters of the way to the top. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips or nuts if desired. 

Bake for 15 minutes, until the tops of the muffins are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes. 

Note: These will deflate when cooled, but still taste delicious.

#2,673: No-Bake Coconut Almond Keto Cookies

The actual name of this recipe is coconut fat bombs, but that just sounds so unhealthy so I cannot and will not call them that.  I'm going with No Bake Coconut Almond Keto Cookies instead.  :)  These cookies are so simple to make and I just leave them in my freezer and grab a cookie whenever the mood strikes me.  Actually, I still have quite a few of these in my freezer still (you really only need one at a time...unlike something like Oreos which I can never seem to just eat one of).  My kids haven't tried these because I haven't let them.  LOL  I'm not into sharing cookies!  Kind of like the Friends episode where Joey doesn't share his food!.  

1 cup shredded coconut unsweetened

3 tbsp virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp stevia or granulated sugar sweetener of choice
2 oz softened cream cheese

½ tsp vanilla extract

1/8 cup sliced almonds

Put the coconut, coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla in a blender and mix them together.  Add the cream cheese and mix again.  Mix in your almonds with a spoon (don't blend it!).  I used a cookie scoop but you can just use your hands to roll into small balls (think just smaller than a ping pong ball).

Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for several hours.  I personally like these directly out of the freezer but you could keep them in the fridge too.