Homemade Granola!

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Since my daughter Emma got diagnosed with nut allergies almost a year ago, we have been very vigilant about avoiding nuts (except for almonds + peanuts which we have confirmed she is fine with)! 

 

But while so many foods on the market claim they don’t contain nuts, they are sometimes processed on similar equipment and can have nut fragments or particles from cross-contamination. We definitely don’t want to take any risks when it comes to Emma’s allergies, so I decided to make homemade granola this past week and it turned out delicious! Here is the recipe! 

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Homemade Granola (gluten & nut free)



1.5 cups oats

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup raw pepitas

3 T maple sugar (or coconut sugar)

5 T raw honey

4 T maple syrup

1/8 tsp sea salt  

2 T avocado oil or melted coconut oil

Stir all the ingredients together, then pour onto a lined baking sheet in a thin, even layer. Bake on 350 for 15 minutes.

Let it completely cool (I waited 2 hours) then break up into granola pieces! Enjoy!!

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Easy Roasted Vegetables

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If there's one thing that I always like to have on hand are ready to eat vegetables. I typically love raw vegetables, but there is something so comforting about roasted and warm veggies during the winter time (even though our weather here has been far from winter weather, but I digress).

I decided to roast up some vegetables on Tuesday to eat with some turkey marinara I whipped up. I boiled whole wheat noodles for Emma, my hubby, and a dear friend from church who came over for dinner! Since I'm gluten free, but don't really like a lot of gluten free noodles out there, I thought I'd try the marinara over roasted vegetables, and it turned out SO GOOD! Here is the recipe for a quick and simple roasted veggies pan that you could use as a side to any meal...breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Easy Roasted Vegetables

1 package butternut squash (I used the Trader Joe's precut one and chopped it up even smaller)

2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved

2 zucchinis, chopped*

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

*And really, you could add any vegetables to this! Bell peppers, onions, eggplant, the stage is yours!

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Chop up all your vegetables and place on greased baking sheet.

3. Mix the oil, vinegar, and spices separately, then pour over the vegetables and toss until they are all evenly coated.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the veggies are crisp and starting to brown.

5. Enjoy!

See? Super simple and now you have zero excuses as to why you can't eat your vegetables! :)

Rosemary Garlic Chicken

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I always dry out chicken. To the point where I don't even want to make it anymore and have been making ground turkey our meal staple for 5 months. But, I told myself to try one last attempt at a baked chicken recipe, and it was a hit! The secret is to put some broth in the casserole dish, and enough butter/oil to keep the chicken moist. Here is my recipe for Rosemary Garlic Chicken that is easy to make, could be doubled or tripled to always have on hand, and goes with practically anything! Enjoy!

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Rosemary Garlic Chicken

 

1.5 lbs chicken tenders

2 T grass fed butter or ghee

1/2 T rosemary

2 T lemon juice

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 - 1/3 cup chicken broth

 

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

 

Make sure your butter is softened. Then, add the rosemary, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper to the butter and mix until it becomes a paste.

 

Rub the butter mixture onto the chicken tenders and place in a greased casserole dish. Pour the chicken broth into the dish.

 

Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until there is no pink in the chicken.

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I've had this chicken with potatoes, atop a fresh salad, and even with some marinara and steamed veggies! It is so versatile and tasty, I hope you enjoy!

Copycat Panera Apple Cinnamon Muffins

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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! 

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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!

Chocolate Chip Oat Bars!

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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! 

 

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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!!

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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!

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Pour mixture into the baking dish.

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

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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!

Quinoa Eeech

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This recipe is a quick, tasty, and healthy summer dish to have on hand. My family has made eeech as far back as I remember (probably not how it's spelled, but that's how I like to spell it!) Eeech is traditionally made with bulgar, which is a healthy whole grain, but it is also cracked wheat and contains gluten. Since I have been trying to lay of the big G, I usually make this dish with quinoa! It tastes the same, is gluten free, and is a complete protein! I made a quick batch last night, so I thought I would share the recipe!

Makes 4 servings 

2 T olive oil 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/4 cup tomato paste mixed with 3/4 cup water 1 cup dry quinoa 2 cups water 1 t salt 1/2 t garlic powder 

In a medium pot, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium heat. While that cooks up, mix the tomato paste with water until it becomes like a sauce. Once the onions are cooked and translucent, add the tomato paste mixture. 

Bring this to a boil, then lower the heat to medium. Add the quinoa, water, salt, and garlic powder. 

Cover the pot over medium heat and let that simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the quinoa is cooked and the water is gone.

 

And here is the finished product! Lovely fluffed quinoa in a yummy tomato sauce!! This is the perfect light dinner and is usually served chilled, which is perfect on a summer night! It can also be paired with some hard boiled eggs for some added protein!! Here are the nutrition facts if anyone is interested: 

Makes 4 servings: 1 serving contains 250 calories, 9g fat, 36g carbs, 4g fiber, 7.5g protein! 

Enjoy this recipe and this beautiful Tuesday everyone!

Spicy Sausage & Taters

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I love potatoes aka taters. If you follow me on Instagram (@tveen_rd), you probably notice that I eat sweet potatoes almost daily! I absolutely adore them. I made this super easy meal last week with spicy jalapeño chicken sausage from trader joes and some taters. The spicy theme has been strong this week on this blog! ;) This dish came out tasting great and I looked forward to it every day I had it! I thought I would share the recipe so you all could enjoy it as well! 

 

Spicy Sausage & Taters! *1 packet (5 sausage links) spicy jalapeño chicken sausage from Trader Joe's...or sausage of choice *2-3 white sweet potatoes, or 2 cups diced *1 T olive oil *Cajun seasoning blend 

Preheat the oven to 450. Slice up the sausage and chop the potatoes. Mix with olive oil and cajun seasoning (to taste). Spread out in a baking dish (grease with spray or oil), and cover with foil. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally! This was so easy and was the perfect meal for leftovers! Enjoy*