Dairy-Free Blueberry Yogurt Bars (Yes, Really!)

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SwapMilk4Silk #CollectiveBias

Going dairy-free? You can still enjoy these blueberry yogurt bars-- yes, really! Using Silk Yogurt Alternative, these bars have all of your favorite flavors-- oatmeal, fresh blueberries, and the creaminess of yogurt-- but without any dairy at all. They taste JUST like a blueberry muffin and make a great breakfast, dessert, or mid-day snack. #SwapMilk4Silk #Ad

Since starting this blog, I’ve been asked a lot about modifications for various nutritional needs– it’s not uncommon for me to get messages or emails asking if a certain recipe can be made dairy-free, or gluten-free, or vegan, or… but what I didn’t realize was that a dairy free recipe could be SO flavorful, or still include the creaminess of yogurt. Yeah, sure, most of you wouldn’t think that my blog’s very first entirely dairy-free recipe would be a yogurt bar… but that’s exactly what makes this one so delicious. So grab a bowl, and some Silk, and a few other ingredients, and let’s make these delicious bars, shall we?

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“The Chicken or the Egg” Hashbrown Casserole

This casserole is for breakfast. Wait! No. It's for dinner. Wait! No. Brunch. Actually, it's for anytime!  This casserole won't answer the age-old question of which came first, but it does put chicken and egg and hashbrown in one delicious casserole.

This casserole is for breakfast. Wait! No. It’s for dinner. Wait! No. Brunch. Actually, it’s for anytime!  This casserole won’t answer the age-old question of which came first, but it does put chicken and egg and hashbrown in one delicious casserole… which is pretty special, actually.

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Microwave Coffee Cake

Need a last-minute idea for mother's day breakfast? Here's a great plan-- microwave coffee cake that takes less than 20 minutes, start-to-finish! It's delicious and easy, the perfect breakfast recipe or brunch recipe!

Mother’s Day is Sunday. Here’s a tip: don’t forget that Mother’s Day is Sunday! If you need a last-minute recipe idea, here’s one that will work really well for you– it’s coffee cake. But without any prep work. It literally takes minutes to prepare, and you bake it in the microwave! Because it’s quick and easy, you’ll be able to make this not just for mother’s day, but any time!

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Easy Apple Crisp for One or Two

A heart healthy dessert featuring oatmeal ad fresh sliced apples, you'll love this quick and easy dessert perfect for one or two. It's a great, homemade, easy dessert that takes minutes to prepare and tastes fresh!

I love a warm, delicious treat that is pretty heart healthy. I’ve shared my personal story about heart problems, and I do my best to try to stay as healthy as I can, even though I don’t always succeed. But, a dessert like this does help make things a little bit easier. Featuring oatmeal, proven to be heart healthy, and freshly sliced apples, which are a serving of fruit, this is an all-around healthy dish that takes only a few minutes to prepare. Plus, as a dessert for one, it’s easy to make just as much as you need and not have any extras to tempt you!

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Cranberry Pecan Tea Cake Bars featuring Bigelow Tea and Truvia Natural Sweetener

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SweetWarmUp #CollectiveBias

Looking for the best treat to pair with Bigelow tea? Try this tea cake, which is easy to make, sweetened with no-calorie Truvia natural sweetener, and doesn't taste "diet" at all. It's delicious and filled with flavor-- perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea time. #SweetWarmUp #ad

 

It’s no secret that I’m quite the coffee addict. And with coffee comes a very strong-handed pour of flavored creamer, which, you know, has all kinds of sugar… and calories… and other fun stuff that is far from healthy OR natural. As I’ve worked really hard to lose some of the weight I put on over the past couple of years, I realized I had to make some changes. That meant cutting back on coffee (it’s just too hard to drink it without the flavored creamer) and cutting back on my sugar intake, too. That’s where Bigelow Tea and Truvia zero-calorie natural sweetener come in. And what’s tea time without a delicious, low-sugar treat? That’s where this delicious cranberry pecan tea cake come in! Made with Bigelow Tea and Truvia natural sweetener, you’ll not even believe me when I say it’s low-sugar, because it doesn’t taste like it!

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Müller Ice Cream Sundae Yogurt Mini Pies

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. Any opinions are my own. #MüllerMoment #CollectiveBias

Looking for a really indulgent, flavorful treat? Try these Ice Cream Sundae yogurt pies, which are made with Muller Ice Cream Inspired yogurt. Packed with nutrition, these are a hit at any party, with all ages, and are a more nutritious way to indulge. Plus, look at that hot fudge!   | #ad | #mullermoment | yogurt recipe | mini pie party recipe | easy recipe | 5 ingredients or less |

Is anything better than an indulgent treat at the end of a long day? Well, I think a not-so-bad for you indulgent treat may be better! I grew up an ice cream addict. My family regularly had homemade ice cream at celebrations and holidays, and I love sitting down with a bowl of ice cream at night. And my favorite flavor? Mint chip. Mmmm… Müller created a line, brand new in stores, of ice cream inspired yogurt, and they even have a mint version… and when life gives you ice cream inspired yogurt, it’s pretty much a given you’re going to make a delicious sundae-inspired treat, right?

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Star Spangled Velvet Waffles for 4th of July!

So yeah, we’ve all seen those pinterest posts about moms slaving away over cutesy themed breakfasts for birthdays, holidays, breast cancer awareness, and about 80 billion other things that I simply don’t have the time to redesign my entire menu around. But seriously, I’m about to give you a mind-blowingly simple recipe that is pretty much as easy as pulling pancake mix out of the pantry, and tastes about a million times better. Patriotic Velvet Waffles. Yeah, I said it. I’m making a theme breakfast…. and it’s not one that I had to slave for hours over, either.

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Lemon Poppyseed Breakfast Rolls

Oh, honey. I don’t even know where to begin with these breakfast rolls. They’re so simple. They’re so versatile. They’re perfect for breakfast or brunch or after dinner or anytime, and they’re just so refreshing and really, really simple to make. If you’re like me, you open your pantry door and you have a variety of cake mixes for “just in case.” You know the story– just in case someone in the church has a baby and you need to whip up a quick cake, or just in case you forgot it was someone’s birthday and you need to make something quickly, or just in case you see a to-die-for recipe using a cake mix on Pinterest.

Well, darlings… these simple Lemon Poppyseed Breakfast Rolls are going to make use of that Lemon cake you have tucked in the back of your pantry, somewhere behind the Funfetti and Chocolate mixes. And trust me, you’ll be stocking up on Lemon cake mix after you try this, because it’s oh-so-yummy.

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Watermelon Quick Bread (Or How To Make a Sweet Bread out of ANY Cake Mix!)

I’ve mentioned a lot lately how much I love spring. It’s that 70 degree weather and the delicious seasonal foods that appear in stores about this time, for sure. So the other day, I was shopping at Target, wandering the store the way I do… you know how you go into Target for one thing and there’s that unspoken law that you can’t leave without spending $50 even if you went in for just one $5 item? Yeah, so, I was wandering. And stumbled upon a Target exclusive.

Oh my goodness, Target, you kill me with those exclusives…

Betty Crocker got sneaky and made a WATERMELON cake mix. And frosting to go with it. And oh my goodness, this cake mix, it’s just like a watermelon. But like, in cake form. Psht, like I needed another excuse to eat cake!

So I gathered my Betty Crocker Watermelon Cake mix, a box of Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding, 4 eggs, 1 cup of water, and 1/2 cup oil, then preheated my oven to 350.

Now, I want to tell you here, I used the Watermelon Cake mix because I really wanted to have that amazing watermelon bread flavor. The vanilla pudding compliments that well, but you can use literally any flavor of pudding and cake mix. Want chocolate bread? Try chocolate cake and chocolate pudding. Want chocolate covered strawberry? Use a strawberry mix and chocolate pudding. Want lemon? Use lemon cake mix and lemon pudding and add some poppyseeds… or, use lemon cake and vanilla pudding for a lighter flavor. The sky is the limit!

But for today– Watermelon Cake Mix, Vanilla pudding. Everybody still tracking along?

Put your dry ingredients in the bowl, then add in your wet ingredients while mixing.

Aww, look at all of the fun “seeds” in the watermelon mix! This is a good time to mention that, while these great black seed bits came in the mix, you CAN add in mix-ins like chocolate chips or poppyseeds when making a cake mix quick bread. Use your imagination!

 

I divided my batter among 4 mini loaf pans, but you can make two regular loaves instead. I like mini loaves because they’re so cute, and great for sharing! The baking time should stay the same or increase just slightly if you’re using the regular loaf pans. Always insert a toothpick or use your method of choice to check for doneness!

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until edges are golden. Then, cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes to an hour before slicing and serving. See, breads will continue to bake just slightly after removed from the oven, so cooling them before slicing allows that soft center to get fully cooked.

Cake mix quick breads are great because they use ingredients people usually keep on hand, and they’re so easy to take to friends or family, serve as a breakfast or dessert, and are just a great treat.

The best thing about the Watermelon quick bread is it’s delicious watermelon flavor that tastes so true to the actual fruit. This is the moistest sweet bread you’ll ever taste!

 

What cake mix/pudding combo would you try in your Cake Mix Quick Bread? Let me know in the comments below!

Valentine’s Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy

Valentine’s Day is approaching fast, and I’m really excited, actually! I wanted to make sure that Valentine’s Day would have a breakfast as special as the holiday. While visions of pink pancakes with strawberries danced in my head, I knew that a marriage of two family recipes would be perfect for V-Day… which is why I had to try biscuits with chocolate gravy!

The biscuit recipe is an old family recipe that I found in a church cookbook from about 40 years ago. I’m a huge fan of old church cookbooks– they seem to have the best recipes in it, some great down-home cooking. What I loved was finding this gem of a recipe– not only was it in a church cookbook I’ve almost worn out, but it was a recipe from my own family!

As for the chocolate gravy, I had honestly never heard of such a thing until my grandfather moved to Arkansas. In visiting, many of his friends would mention chocolate gravy. I was a bit alarmed– chocolate gravy?! That sounds… odd. However, after he grabbed the recipe for me, I was able to find out why it was such a beloved recipe.

As a bonus, one part of the recipe is kid-friendly, which means it’s even better for Valentine’s Day– the kids can pitch in and make breakfast in bed!

You’ll want to gather the ingredients shown above, plus your favorite red food coloring. I personally love Americolor’s “Red Red.” It’s the most vivid with the least amount of effort. Of course, if red isn’t your thing, you can try any color– your loved one’s favorite color, or a muted Valentine’s tone, like purple. You can also switch the red out for team colors on gameday– think Chicken and Biscuits in team colors.

Start by sifting together 2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Next, add 1/3 cup of shortening (you can also substitute butter for a buttery flavor). This should be COLD. Like, nearly ice cold. You want it to kind of chip when you cut it. The colder it is when you add it at this step, and the less the dough is handled, the flakier your biscuits will be. See, when your fat (which is either shortening or butter, or lard) is cold, and it hits the hot oven, it will melt, leaving pockets of air where it melted. If you use warmer butter or shortening, it will melt, but it won’t be in chunks to leave those layered pockets, leaving a denser, less flaky biscuit.

Add in two cups of milk. Again, the milk should be very cold– the colder it is, the colder the butter or shortening stays as you combine the ingredients and roll it out, which will leave that flaky texture I mentioned earlier.

It’s now that the fun starts…

Add in a couple of drops of food coloring, then fold and pull to get a swirled effect, not combining too much– if you knead too much, you’ll warm up the butter. You want a very lightly swirled effect.

Gently flour your surface and rolling pin, then roll out your biscuit dough to 3/8 inch (you can eyeball it! Just try to get it under a half inch). When you get your dough rolled thin, you’re going to fold it in half, then fold it in half again the opposite way (so fold it towards you, then side to side, or vice versa). Roll it out slightly more– to just over half an inch. This folding and re-folding will also add layers to your biscuits, allowing that flaky texture (in addition to the cold shortening).

Cut the biscuit using a round cutter (or a heart cutter, if you want to be extra festive. Or a glass if you don’t have a round cutter. Or a knife).

You’ll want to place your biscuits fairly close together on the greased pan. If they’re close together, they’ll rise up instead of spreading out. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-9 minutes, until they’re golden.

The biscuits are very easy for kids to help with! They can sift, mix, knead, and cut the biscuits out.

While the biscuits bake, you can start on your chocolate gravy!

Start by melting a full stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add in 4 tablespoons of flour and 4 tablespoons of cocoa; you’ll also need 3/4 cup sugar at this stage. Keep stirring!

Stir in 2 cups of milk.

You’ll want to keep stirring over medium heat until it’s thick. When I first made chocolate gravy, I thought “Is this thick enough? How will I know when it’s thick?” When you first start to notice it’s getting a touch thicker, keep stirring a little longer and you’ll see what I mean when I say “You’ll know it when you see it.” When it’s about gravy consistency, you’re there. Think about the consistency you want when you pour a ladle of delicious gravy over your biscuits, and when you get there, stop stirring, remove from heat, and serve.

Now, take your honey some breakfast in bed and enjoy!

 

Valentine's Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy
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For the Biscuits
  1. 2 C Flour
  2. 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  3. 1/4 tsp Salt
  4. 1/3 C cold shortening
  5. 2 C cold milk
  6. Food coloring, if desired
For the Chocolate Gravy
  1. 1 stick butter
  2. 4 Tbsp flour
  3. 4 Tbsp cocoa powder
  4. 3/4 C sugar
  5. 2 C milk
For the Biscuits
  1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Add cold shortening until just combined.
  3. Add milk to form dough, being careful not to over-handle.
  4. Gently add in food coloring.
  5. Roll dough out to 3/8 inch, fold over twice, and roll to 1/2 inch.
  6. Place close together on a greased baking sheet.
  7. Bake 8-9 minutes at 450 degrees.
For the Chocolate Gravy
  1. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir constantly while adding sugar, cocoa, and flour until combined.
  3. Stir in 2 cups milk, continuing stirring until thickened.
Mama Plus One https://www.mamaplusone.com/

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For those of you counting calories this Valentine’s Day, one biscuit and a ladle of gravy nets you about 322 calories. The biscuit alone is 145 calories and is delicious when topped with anything your heart desires. However, all calorie counts and nutrition information is based off the of the ingredients I used. Your mileage may vary.
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Do you have a special V-Day food that you love to enjoy with your family? Ever heard of chocolate gravy? Sound off in the comments below!