Blueberry Biscuits

Prep Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 20 mins | Makes: 12 biscuits

If you’re looking for a quick, healthy treat that can you can enjoy either as dessert OR breakfast, look no further. Usually biscuits can be dry and tasteless, but these are actually fluffy, soft, and full of flavor. Try them for yourself :)

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• ½ cup melted butter (vegan butter optional)

• ¾ cup unsweetened almond or other milk

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• 2 cup flour (regular or gluten-free both work)

• 1 cup frozen wild blueberries

Vanilla Icing (Vegan optional)

• ½ cup powdered sugar

• 1 tbsp unsweetened almond or other milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the melted butter, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and baking powder. Then, mix in the flour. Only mix until the dough is combined. Be careful not to over mix! If using gluten-free flour and the dough seems crumbly, add another 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 1 tablespoon of almond milk and work it into the dough. 

3. Gently fold in the blueberries. Again, don’t over mix! Use a heaping tablespoon to scoop out 12 biscuits and drop them onto the lined baking sheet.

4. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until they are lightly golden on top. Option to broil at the end for about a minute to give them more color on top.

5. While baking, use a whisk to mix your powdered sugar and almond milk to make a glaze. Drizzle over the warm biscuits and serve immediately.

Turkey Taco Cups

Prep Time: 10 mins | Total Time: 30 mins | Makes: 12 taco cups

Taco Tuesday! Or really any day of the week when you’re craving one of the most delicious foods ever created. What I love about this recipe is it’s super simple to make, it comes in a personal serving, or five, and you can make a dozen at a time. Perfect for feeding a lot of mouths all at once or storing to eat at a future time.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 12 Wonton wrappers

• 1 tbsp. Olive oil

• 1 lb. Organic ground turkey meat (ground beef works too)

• 2-3 tsp. Taco Seasoning

• 2 cups Shredded Cheddar cheese

• 1 can refried beans (pinto or black beans both work)

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• I bunch cilantro, chopped

• 2 stalks green onion, chopped

• Sour cream, for topping

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease muffin pan with a little cooking oil. Place a wonton wrapper into each cup of muffin pan, folding the edges if necessary. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and ground meat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Season with taco seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Drain fat.

3. Spoon cooked meat mixture into each wonton. Next, add a spoonful of refried beans and then top with shredded cheddar. Bake until the wontons are golden around the edges and the cheese has melted, about 8-10 minutes.

4. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, or green onions. Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Egg Cups

Prep Time: 10 mins | Total Time: 28 mins | Makes: 12-15 egg bites

If you’re into hosting big brunch parties or just looking for an easy way to feed your kids as they run out the door for school, these eggs cups are a perfect solution. Ready in about 30 minutes and you can eat them fresh out of the oven or store in the fridge to consume at a later date. Best part is you can add anything you’d like: mushrooms and cheese, ham and bacon, tomato and broccoli - or mix and match!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Base:

  • 8-12 large eggs

  • 1 cup cheese, shredded (cheese of choice: cheddar, mozzarella or parmesan all work)

  • 1/3 cup milk, half-and-half or whole milk are best

  • 1 tsp Salt

  • 1 dash ground pepper

• Mix-ins (add a combo of whatever you’d like)

  • 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced

  • 1/2 cup baby spinach, coarsely chopped

  • 1/2 cup ham, sliced

  • 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced

  • 1/2 cup red or yellow pepper, chopped to small pieces

  • 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

  • 1/2 cup bacon, chopped

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 12-cup capacity muffin tin with nonstick oil spray or butter.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Add egg mixture halfway up into each tin of a greased muffin tin.

4. Add your toppings to each tin cup.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until set.

6. Let cool slightly, then serve OR store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat when ready to serve.

Healthy Samoas

Prep Time: 15 mins | Total Time: 30 mins | Makes: 11 cookies

It’s Girl Scout cookie season! If you haven’t seen the purple, green, and yellow boxes all around town, you better find them soon before they sell out. Local Hint: check out the base of Highlands…they even accept Venmo! But if you’re like me and want to enjoy the best Girl Scout cookie (obvi the Samoas) all year round, you have to make this recipe. I found this healthy, homemade Samoa recipe on the food blog Eating Bird Food. Only 4 ingredients AND in a side-by-side taste test, some preferred these to the packaged cookies…just saying :)

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 cup pitted medjool dates, about 10 dates

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate (for a low sugar option, try Lily’s chocolate chips)

• 1/2 tsp coconut oil

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Toast the coconut: Spread the shredded coconut onto a baking sheet. Place in oven for 3-5 minutes, until coconut is a light golden brown color. Make sure to keep an eye on the coconut, as it burns really easily. Alternately, you can toast the coconut in a pan on the stove top.

3. In a food processor, add dates and toasted coconut. Pulse until mixture is combined and starts to form a ball of dough.

4. Take 1 Tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball and then shape into a round cookie. Using a straw or chopstick punch a hole in the middle of the dough. Move the straw or chopstick around a bit to make the hole wider, if needed. At this point you’ll likely need to reshape the cookie a bit.

5. Place all cookies on a sheet lined with parchment and transfer to the freezer for 5 mins. to harden up a bit.

6. While cookies are in the freezer, add chocolate and coconut oil to a shallow microwave-safe bowl and melt in 20-30 second increments until the chocolate is melted enough to drizzle.

7. Grab cookies from the freezer and dip each one in the chocolate to coat the bottom. Place cookies on the parchment and use remaining chocolate to drizzle over top the cookies.

8. Transfer cookies back into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to let the chocolate harden. Once they’ve hardened you’ll be able to easily remove the cookies from the parchment paper.

9. For enjoying later, store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week.

English Muffin Pizza Party

Prep time: 10 mins | Total time: 25 mins | Serves: 8

Who doesn’t like to have a personal pizza party on a random Tuesday! This mini pizza recipe is a no-brainer if you want to create a fun, hands on meal for your family…or just you on a random night. You can create any variety you like (pesto, tomato, or white sauce base) with whatever toppings you’re in the mood for. Dinner in less than 40 minutes - Viola!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 4 English muffins, cut or split in half = 8 halves

• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 3/4 cup pizza sauce (you can use tomato, pesto, or alfredo)

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch black pepper

• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (or cheddar cheese, provolone, or any cheese you like)

• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

• Toppings of choice: mini pepperonis (or regular pepperonis, quartered), peppers, pineapple, spinach, etc.

• Thinly sliced fresh basil, optional topping

HOW TO MAKE:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Pre-cook the English muffins. Arrange the English muffin halves, nooks and crannies side up, onto a baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven and toast until barely golden, about 3-4 minutes. Take out of oven.

• Spoon 1 1/2 tbsp pizza sauce over each one, using the back of a spoon to spread it evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with cheese, Italian seasoning, and any desired toppings.

• Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the muffins are browned on the edges. Top with fresh basil.

Homemade Salsa and Baked Tortilla Chips

Everyone seems to have their favorite salsa and chip combo, but nothing compares to a freshly made batch of salsa and perfectly baked tortilla chips. If you’ve never made your own salsa before, try this recipe. Super quick and easy and perfect for your next family fiesta night. All you need are some additional nacho toppings and you have the perfect meal!

Prep time: 5 mins | Total time: 10 mins | Serves: 14

Fresh Salsa - what you’ll need

• 1 1/4 lbs. ripe Roma tomatoes (about 5 - 6)

• 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

• 2 green onions, ends trimmed, chopped into thirds

• 1/3 cup chopped red onion (about 1/4 of a medium)

• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro (about a handful)

• 1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped

• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

• 1/2 tsp chili powder

• 1/4 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse in 1 second bursts until all ingredients are finely chopped.

2. Serve with homemade tortilla chips. Best if served cold. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors marinate together before serving.

3. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Prep time: 5 mins | Total time: 20 mins | Serves: 2-3

Tortilla Chips - What you’ll need

• 6-8 small corn tortillas (you can substitute flour if desired), cut into six equal wedges

• 1 Tbsp cooking oil (Avocado oil is the best & healthiest)

• 1 - 2 tsp Tajin (optional but makes the chips taste amazing)

• 1 - 2 tsp salt (use less if you are also using Tajin)

How to make

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Stack the tortillas on top of each other, then cut into six equal sized wedges.

2. Place the cut tortillas in a large bowl and drizzle the oil over top. Gently toss the tortilla pieces in the oil until they're all lightly coated. Add Tajin and continue to mix.

3. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, then spread the tortilla pieces out over the surface so that they're in a single layer and overlapping as little as possible. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

4. Bake the chips for ten minutes, then gently stir and flip the chips. Return the chips to the oven and bake until golden brown (3-5 minutes more). Season with salt once more.

5. Allow the chips to cool before serving. They will crisp even further as they cool down.

The Best Ginger Miso Dressing

This is hands down one of the best ginger miso dressings ever! My sister found this recipe on The Delicious Life blog and now I cannot stop eating it. This dressing is part of my daily diet now. I eat it with just about everything - salads, chopped veggies, chicken and rice…it could even end up on my ice cream, who knows. It’s really easy to make and takes not time at all.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 -2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated (add more if you like a stronger ginger kick)

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 2 tbsp white miso paste

• 1 tbsp tamari (soy sauce will work too if that’s all you have)

• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 1/2 tbsp avocado oil or neutral flavored oil (olive oil has a strong flavor and could change the flavor)

• 2 tbsp water, might need a little more if too thick

HOW TO MAKE:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. If too thick, add more water, 1 tbsp at a time.

• Transfer to a jar or airtight container. Keep refrigerated. Should last about 5 days.

Time: 15 mins
Yields: 1 Cup

Healthy Cake Batter Bites

This recipe is a new favorite of my middle school classes. I always get a kick out of watching their roller coasters of emotions when I tell them that 1. we’re making cake batter bites (extreme excitement!) 2. but they are healthy and made with nuts, oats and dates (frowns and skepticism) 3. try them, you will really like these (sheer bliss and they always want more!). As with all my recipes, these cake batter bites are really easy to make as a fun activity for the family or as an after school treat with friends.

What You’ll Need:

• 1/2 cup cashews (or almonds)

• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

• 1 cup oats

• 2 dates

• 3 tbsp cashew butter (or almond butter)

• 3 tbsp maple syrup - or a little more if you want them on the sweeter side. Use your best judgement :)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon all-natural sprinkles (plus more to garnish)

• Healthy frosting (Here is my favorite healthy Cream Cheese Frosting recipe that’s super easy to make) or feel free to use whatever frosting you’d like.

How To Make:

1. Add cashews (or almonds), coconut, oats, and dates into a food processor. Process on high until crumbly.

2. Add in cashew butter (or almond butter), syrup and vanilla and blend again until a dough starts to come together. If that's not happening, add water little by little until a sticky dough forms. Pulse in the sprinkles.

3. Form the mixture into balls.

4. Transfer to a plate, and spread the frosting on top or drizzle (might need to heat up a little to drizzle). Top with sprinkles to finish. Enjoy immediately, or for an even better texture, cool in the fridge for 30 mins or freezer for 10 minutes.

Time: 15 minutes (not including the cooling time)
Yields: 15-20 bites (depending on size)

Emily's Epic Energy Bites

I love making these and often always have a batch in my fridge. They are super easy to throw together, you don’t really exact measurements, and these bites are a perfect snack for a quick pick-me-up. Also, for those of you with kids looking for an afternoon activity, this activity will occupy your little ones for at least 30 - 45 minutes. I make them with my students all the time and it’s fun to watch their different variations. PLUS…these little bites have a healthy, nutritious blend of fats, protein, fiber, and Omega-3s.

What You’ll Need (Base Ingredients)

• 1 cup, or more, nut or seed butter (I typically use peanut or almond butter)

• 1-2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (you’ll add these as needed to make the bites less sticky and hold it all together)

• 1/4 cup or small handful Chocolate chips or raisins OR both!

• 1-2 tbsp Honey or maple syrup

• Cinnamon

Additional Ingredients (If you have at home or want to use)

• Chopped nuts

• Chia seeds

• Flax seeds

• Hemp hearts/seeds

• Shredded coconut (unsweetened)

• Vanilla extract

• Protein powder (great addition if making for sport events)

How To Make

1. Line a sheet tray with parchment or wax paper.

2. Add your nut butter to a medium mixing bowl.

3. Next add the honey or syrup. Mix together. Add more or less depending on the level of sweetness you want.

4. Add in chocolate chips (or raisins) and cinnamon. If you want to add other ingredients, add them now and mix together until a dough-like consistency forms.

5. Lastly, add the oats. Mix about 1/4 - 1/2 cup to start. If too sticky, add more oats or cinnamon. If too dry, add more nut butter.

6. Use your hand or spoon to roll into bite-sized balls.

7. Optional: roll balls into unsweetened shredded coconut to coat the outside or drizzle with melted dark chocolate.

8. Place on a sheet tray and freeze for 10-15 mins. Remove from the tray and store in a sealable container in either the freezer or fridge.