4 recipes I'm loving lately

I wanted to share a few recipes that I have been making a lot of lately. Two of them are Fall staples in our house:) My favorite recipes are ones that don’t take too long to make (especially with two boys wanting me/running around the kitchen), and that are overall healthy.

I’d love to know what you think of these recipes I’ve shared! Enjoy! (all came off of Pinterest)

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients: 2 c rolled oats, 1 c chopped walnuts, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 c diced apples (1 medium apple), 1/2 c applesauce, 1/2 c almond milk (room temperature), 2 eggs room temperature, 1/4 c maple syrup, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp pure almond extract, 1/4 c coconut oil (melted & slightly cooled)

—- Preheat oven to 350 F and spray an 8 by 8 inch glass baking dish.

—- In a large bowl combine oats, walnuts, cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt. Mix in diced apples, applesauce, milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir in coconut oil until well combined.

—- Spread mixture into prepared baking dish and bake 30 minutes or until set/ light golden brown on top. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or reheat!

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients: 1 c pumpkin pure, 1 mashed banana, 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce, 1/4 c nonfat milk (I used almond milk), 3 tbs honey, 3 tbs maple syrup, 2 tbs coconut oil (melted), 2 eggs, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1c & 3/4 c whole wheat flour, 1/2 c dark chocolate chips

—-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bread pan (9x5). Stir together the pumpkin, banana, applesauce, milk, honey, maple syrup, oil, and eggs. Once well combined add the cinnamon, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Then stir in the flour. Fold in the chocolate chips, save a few to sprinkle on top.

—- Pour into the bread ban and bake for 50-60 min until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients: 3 c rolled oats, 1/2 c almond flour, 1/2 c + 2 tbs pure maple syrup, 3/4 c almond butter ( I do half almond, half smooth peanut butter), 3 tbs melted coconut oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, 3/4 c dark chocolate chips

—- Line an 8 by 8 inch (or a 9 x 13 pan if your doing 1 layer bars) baking pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, flour, maple syrup, almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla, and cinnamon. So this next part I do a little different but its great either way. (At this step I put the whole mixture in to make one bottom layer instead of making 3 layers…both ways are pictured below. If you’re doing it into 3 layer bars follow these next steps…Transfer half the mixture into the baking pan and push down with a spoon/hands to make it flat. Place in fridge and let harden for at least 30 minutes. After the mixture has hardened melt the chocolate chips along with the remaining 1/4 almond butter ( I usually just melt a bit of coconut oil and chocolate chips). Pour the chocolate on the oat layer and refrigerator until hardened, about 1 hour. Remove from the fridge and place the remaining oat mixture on top. Press down on top and place back in fridge to harden (at least 30 minutes). Slice into 9-12 bars. The bars will keep up to 2 weeks in fridge or 6 months in freezer. *** We enjoy them in the freezer, so good!!

Taco Twist Soup

Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef (we use ground bison in this recipe and love it), 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 3/4 c Swanson beef broth or Campbell’s condensed chicken broth, 1 c Pace Picante Sauce (pick what spice you want it—I did hot last time but was way too spicy for my little boys), 1 can diced tomatoes (don’t drain), 1 c uncooked spiral pasta ( I use whole wheat), 1/4 c sour cream (optional—I’ve never added)

—-Cook the ground beef, chili powder, and cumin in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Pour off any fat.

—-Add the broth, picante sauce, and tomatoes. Heat to a boil. Stir in the pasta. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until done. Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream if you’d like. Dip some chips or Fritos in it, yum! Sort of like chili, but less ingredients + super easy & quick to make.

Hope you enjoy these recipes like our family does:)

xoxo,

MRS T