Copycat Panera Apple Cinnamon Muffins

If you know me, you know I LOVE Panera. Mostly because of their baked goods. One of my favorite items that they have is their Apple Crunch muffin. It's so delicious and fluffy and tastes like apple pie in a muffin form. I wanted to recreate the recipe in a healthier, gluten-free way, and I think this recipe is SPOT ON to how these muffins taste! My husband tried one this morning and immediately said that I have to blog this recipe because they are THAT good. So here we go! 

Makes 12-15 muffins

1 cup Pamela's Gluten-free all purpose flour

3/4 cup almond meal

1/2 cup oats

3/4 cup sweetener of choice (I used sugar but usually use stevia, but I'm all out!)

1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 small apple, chopped 

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a muffin tin or use lining.

Mix all the ingredients together except for the apple. Then, chop the apple and fold it into the batter. Pour into muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy warm! Store in the fridge for 4-5 days. These taste so good with a cup of coffee in the morning! I hope you all enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I have been craving baked goods lately, like WHOA. I'm 37 weeks pregnant today and until now sweets weren't really my thing (except for a small bout with brownies in my second trimester). But lately, I've been all about the sweets. I really like baking my own treats and sweets because it's fun for me and I get to control what goes in them. So I decided to whip up some banana chocolate chip bread over the weekend, and it turned out delicious! Super easy ingredients and ready in under an hour!

Makes 1 loaf

4 bananas (the browner the better!)

3/4 cup gluten free pancake and baking mix

3/4 cup almond flour

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

10-12 packets stevia

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2-3 T chocolate chip morsels 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Then, place the bananas in a mixer and blend them up until they are mashed and smooth. Then, add the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and mix thoroughly. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips!

Spray or grease a standard loaf pan. Then pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean! 

Enjoy on its own or smeared with some peanut butter! So delicious! 

Chocolate Chip Oat Bars!

I'm I have been craving chocolate and baked goods like no other. But I don't want to give in to all the cravings since I know how terrible commercially sold products can be! They are full of tons of sugar and sketchy trans fats! I'd much rather eat something more homemade and wholesome. So when I got home from work yesterday, I whipped up these delicious Chocolate Chip Oat Bars and they totally hit the spot! 

I ordered gluten free oat flour in bulk a while ago, but haven't gotten a chance to use some of it! I decided to use it in this recipe to make it gluten free and bulk up the fiber a bit! The bars were so cake-like and soft, they tasted just like the coffee cake at Starbucks!!

This recipe makes 16 long bars that I cut out in a 9x12 baking dish! Enjoy!

2 cups oat flour

1 cup plain greek yogurt

3 eggs

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

12 packets stevia (or equivalent of 1/2 cup sugar)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x12 baking dish, then set aside.

Mix all the ingredients together except for the chocolate chips, then fold those in at the end!

Pour mixture into the baking dish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean!

Cut into 16 bars, then enjoy!! These tasted so good as an afternoon snack, and as breakfast this morning too! Chocolate chips for breakfast? YES please!

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

I've always wanted to like Greek yogurt. I mean, with the probiotics and protein, why not right? I just can't seem to get myself to like it though! My husband swears by his yogurt, granola, and berry bowls, and I almost gagged when I tried a bite of his last week. And this isn't a pregnancy thing; I just have never seemed to like the tartiness of yogurt! Unless it's froyo...that's a whole different story...but I digress...

However, these pancakes, I can get behind! We were out of whole eggs yesterday morning, so I whipped up some pancakes with multigrain pancake mix, Greek yogurt, and liquid egg whites and they turned out delicious! Here's the recipe for the easiest pancakes ever! 

Makes 4 medium sized pancakes  (2 pancakes = 1 serving!) 

1/2 cup multigrain or gluten free pancake mix 

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt  

1/2 cup liquid egg whites 

optional dash of cinnamon!  

Mix all the ingredients together, then heat up a medium skillet, grease it, and pour 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake. Flip when it starts bubbling! 

I topped our pancakes with frozen berries that I microwaved to make a nice syrup, without the syrup! So delicious! 

Hope you all get to enjoy this recipe soon!  

Blueberry Oat Bake

Good morning everyone! I had quite an interesting morning today, as my brain was in about 40 places at once. I have been wanting to bake a Blueberry Oat Bake recipe that I had thought up as a way to use all of the blueberries we have in the house! I brainstormed the recipe this week and finally decided to bake it this morning as a pre-workout snack before heading to the gym! After my morning quiet time, I headed to the kitchen and got to work:

Makes 16 squares (one 8x8 baking dish)

1/2 cup Gluten-free oats

2/3 cup Pamela's Gluten-free Pancake and Baking Mix

1/4 cup almond flour

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 T olive oil

1 whole egg

1/3 cup liquid egg whites

1/3-1/2 cup blueberries, washed and dried

16-20 packets stevia (optional)

I mixed all of the ingredients, first the dry...then the wet, then folded in the blueberries. In the meantime, I was separating laundry, and starting to make tea for my Mama. I sprayed my 8x8 baking dish, poured the batter into the dish, and stuck it in the oven. Then I changed into my workout clothes, continued separating laundry, and took the tea to my Mama. About 15 minutes later, I went to check on the bake and saw that it wasn't cooking! I was so confused and stared at the oven for about 30 seconds before figuring out that I had forgotten to turn the oven ON! Oh goodness, it was one of those mornings! I was definitely trying to do too many things at once, so it was inevitable that one vital component of baking would get lost in the process! I turned the oven on (350 degrees by the way) and decided to just scramble an egg while I waited for the bake in order to digest my food before my workout:

After 30 minutes, I pulled the bake out of the oven (and turned the oven OFF). I headed to the gym, resolving that I would just taste my bake when I got back. It looked so good, so I was definitely excited!

I can't wait to enjoy these little baked squares with my tea the next few days since we have some cold weather coming!

So, lessons for today: don't try to do too many things at once and always turn the oven ON when you are attempting to bake something. I hope you guys get to try this recipe soon!

Nutrition facts per square: 60 calories, 2g fat, 6g carb, 2.5g protein

Healthy Carrot Cake

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! I have a new recipe for you all today and, surprise surprise, it's something BAKED! What can I say, I just love making my favorite baked goods healthier so I can enjoy them! :) My dad is a huge carrot cake fan so I decided to do our own little rendition of carrot cake! This recipe came out tasting great, moist, and delicious! It is also gluten-free, high in protein, and full of one of my favorite vegetables, carrots! Carrots are filled with vitamins and antioxidants that are so healthy for us and help fight certain cancers and improve our eye sight! I hope you all get to try this recipe soon!

Carrot Cake (makes one 8x8 dish, or 16 squares)

3/4 cup Pamela's Gluten Free Pancake and Baking mix

1/4 cup almond flour

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

3/4 cup baby carrots

1/2 cup liquid egg whites

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 T olive oil

2 T chopped walnuts

1/2 T cinnamon

1/2 T nutmeg

16-18 packets stevia

1/2 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray your dish to pour the batter in.

The first thing I did was place the baby carrots in my ninja chopper. A food processor would work for this step as well!  

Pulse the carrots in the food processor until they reach a grain-like consistency, like rice.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together and add the water until the mixture becomes like a batter. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean!

And here is the finished product! I just love my baked goods so much! :) They taste great and also allow me to enjoy the deliciousness of my favorite foods without the added sugars and butters that most of them contain. There are so many varieties that you can try (check out my other recipes!) to make any of your favorite baked goods healthier! I hope you all get to enjoy this yummy and nutrient-dense cake! Nutrition facts are below:

1 square: 70 calories, 2.5 g fat, 5.5 g carbs, 5g protein, 13% daily need of Vitamin A!

Oatmeal Breakfast Biscuits

Before limiting my gluten intake, I used to love spreading peanut butter on whole grain toast or tortillas as a pre workout meal. I looked forward to it nearly every morning! Well now, I have a gluten-free option for this as well! These oatmeal biscuits are healthy and delicious and are perfect for spreading peanut butter, jam, or anything else you may want to! They taste great fresh out of the oven and can be reheated in the toaster for a few days after!! Here is my recipe for Oatmeal Breakfast Biscuits!  

Makes 9-10 biscuits

3/4 cup gluten free pancake and baking mix (I use Pamela's...the BEST!)

1 cup gluten free rolled oats

1/4 cup almond flour

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

1/2 cup applesauce

1 whole egg

1 t cinnamon

1 t vanilla extract

stevia if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry, then wet ingredients into a mixing bowl. The batter should resemble a muffin-type drop batter consistency.

Drop the batter onto a lined and sprayed cookie sheet. Make sure to leave enough room between the biscuits because these spread!!! Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. These turned out sooooo huge and unbelievably delicious!

I stored them in a tupperware container and have been reheating them in the mornings in my toaster, then spreading some peanut butter on top! YUM-O!

I hope you all get to try this recipe soon! It's easy, delicious, and the perfect pre workout treat!!!

Nutrition facts per biscuit: 125 calories, 4g fat, 17g carb, 8g protein

*Don't fear the fat people! It comes from the egg and almond flour...both good sources!! :) And the combination of fat, protein, and carbohydrate in this biscuit makes it the perfect fuel before your workout! I hope you all get to try out this recipe soon! Have a great Monday!

Sausage & Veggie Frittata

 am SO happy it's such a short week this week. It's already Wednesday! Since I have a late shift on Wednesdays, I decided to take advantage of my extra time and make a frittata that would last me for the rest of the week for breakfast! This frittata turned out so yummy and had all the usual ingredients most people would typically have in stock at home. It was also ready in under an hour! Here is my recipe for my Sausage and Veggie Frittata!  

Makes 1, 8x8 pyrex dish (about 4-6 servings, depending on how hungry you are!)

*6 whole eggs

*1/2 cup liquid egg whites (or additional 2 more eggs, I just wanted to finish off my whites!)

*2 spicy chicken sausages (I like Trader Joe's brand, but you could use any!)

*1/2 cup almond milk

*1 cup kale

*2-3 mini bell peppers

*1 T olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat (on the stove top). Add the kale and peppers and sauté until soft.

While the veggies are cooking, start cracking those eggs. Add in the egg whites and the almond milk, and whisk them all together. I also microwaved the 2 chicken sausages while waiting for the veggies to cook as well. Once those are cooked, add the veggies and the chopped-up sausages into the egg mixture.

Grease your pyrex with olive oil, then add the frittata mixture.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a fork/toothpick comes out clean. I waited for it to cool for about 5 minutes, then couldn't wait any longer! This frittata was SO YUMMY!

I added half an avocado and some berries and a plum to round out my breakfast. SO GOOD.

I hope you all get to try this quick, easy, and DELICIOUS frittata recipe! Have an awesome Wednesday everyone!

Paleo Banana Bread Bars

This is my first time trying a paleo baking recipe. I've tried making a few grain free ones in the past, but they always included whey, which has been disagreeing with me lately. I decided to try this all paleo (except for a bit of stevia!) and it turned out incredible!!! I can say it's even better than typical baked goods!! I hope you all are able to try my paleo banana bread bars soon!

Makes 24 bars

3 bananas, mashed 1 cup almond flour 1/3 cup coconut flour 1/2 cup almond milk 1 t baking powder 1 t baking soda 3 eggs 1 T coconut oil 1/2 cup almond butter 1 cup stevia 2 T enjoy life dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with coconut oil and set aside. 

Mash the bananas, then add the coconut oil and almond butter. Place in microwavable bowl and heat for about a minute, until it is easy for all of the ingredients to melt together.

Wait for the mixture to cool a bit, then add all the rest of the ingredients! Mix together, then pour into your greased pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

And there you have it!!! This is suchhhh a delicious recipe, you would never know that there was no wheat in it!! I am definitely going to be experimenting with more paleo baking soon!! :)

Banana Oat Pancakes

I love pancakes, as you can probably tell by the rest of my blog! This morning, I added some oats to my pancakes for a little extra flavor and fiber. They turned out so yummy and very healthy! I love healthy versions of my favorite treats, so I thought I'd share this one with you all today!

Banana Oat Pancakes (makes 1 serving) 

2T Pamela's Gluten-free pancake and baking mix 1T almond meal 2T rolled oats 1 banana, mashed 1 egg Dash of cinnamon 

Mash the banana first, then add the rest of the ingredients.

Heat a skillet with oil or nonstick spray and pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet at a time. This should make about 3-4 pancakes! Quick, easy, and delicious!