Easy SunButter Breakfast Cookies

I wanted to share a healthy recipe with you that my kids just gobble up. These Easy SunButter Breakfast Cookies are great solutions for a fast breakfast or snack. I usually make a double batch and store them in the freezer. They defrost rather quickly so you can pop them in a lunch bag or eat them as a bedtime snack.

Oh, and you know they have to be egg free, dairy free and nut free!

My 2 year old toddler ate 4.5 of these yesterday. Honest!

You know what? I didn't mind that she chowed down on them. I truly love these breakfast cookies because they:

• Are made of whole foods and real food
• Are vegan (egg-free, dairy-free and can be made with maple syrup instead of honey to be truly vegan)
• Are gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats
• Taste just a little sweet, almost like a healthy granola bar, but not too sweet
• Have no added refined sugar
• Are easy and you probably have most of these ingredients

See? You probably already have all this in your kitchen!

Easy SunButter Breakfast Cookies
Print this recipe
Adapted from a Breakfast Cookie Recipe in Dr. Oz's magazine
Makes 20 cookies

Ingredients:

Mix together first:
3 ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup SunButter
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp honey (or maple syrup to make it truly vegan)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Fold in at the end:
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut (or coconut flakes)
1/3 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds + sunflower seeds (any combination you'd like)
1/3 cup dried fruit (in the past, I've combine raisins, Craisins and dried dates - use any combination you'd like)

Directions:

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
• Mash bananas with fork
• Stir in oats, SunButter, honey (or maple syrup), vanilla, salt and cinnamon
• Fold in coconut, seeds and dried fruit
• Let mixture sit for 10 minutes so oats absorb liquid
• Drop by about 1/8 cup fulls (scooped about half of the mixture into a 1/4 cup and used a spoon to drop it onto the cookie sheet) onto baking sheets
• Flatten cookies with a fork
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or until slightly golden brown

This is a photo of the cookies before baking. It was hard not to eat the "batter".

If you like nut-free SunButter recipes, you might also like:

SunButter Baked Oatmeal

No Bake Oat Balls

Chocolate Coconut Oat Bars

SunButter Chocolate Cups

SunButter Baked Oatmeal: Dairy-free and Egg-free

I'm always looking for new and healthy breakfast and snack ideas for the kiddos. Of course, it needs to be dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free and sesame-free, which isn't always easy. This SunButter Baked Oatmeal recipe is free of all those things, and VERY tasty too.

I didn't know what to name this great dish. It's really a mix between banana bread, oatmeal cake, and baked oatmeal. It's a hearty bread-like texture, but it's filled with healthy protein like SunButter and oatmeal. I toyed with a few names, but decided to keep it simple because it IS simple.

Why do I love this recipe so much?

• It's food allergy friendly for our family: Dairy-free and egg-free unlike usual baked oatmeal
• It's full of protein from the SunButter and oats, which it makes it extra hearty and filling
• It includes no added refined sugar - only sugar from the honey and dates!

Plus, it's a recipe that's great for a Sunday morning brunch, or a quick on-the-go breakfast or snack.

You can serve SunButter Baked oatmeal any style you want: In squares, bars or as a piece of breakfast cake! Some fresh fruit and yogurt on the side would also taste fantastic.

Don't ya just want to take a big bite? It's moist, hearty and a little sweet. Yum.

 

So, here's how you make this wonderful SunButter Baked Oatmeal recipe.

SunButter Baked Oatmeal
*Print this recipe

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped dates (I used these chopped dates (affiliate link). If you don't add them, add 1 Tbsp more honey to sweeten the recipe).

Wet Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups milk (I used rice milk but use whatever kind you wish)
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp SunButter
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 flax egg: 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 large chopped banana

Directions:

• Mix your flax egg and set aside
• Stir together the dry ingredients with a whisk
• Stir together the wet ingredients
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and gently stir to combine. 
• Pour into an 8x8 greased pan (I love my Misto (affiliate link) for easy and healthy greasing!)
• Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean

*Recipe adapted from Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

By the way, I'm now a SunButter Blogger! You may see a few more SunButter-focused recipes on the blog, but that's not too much of a change. I've depended on SunButter for 4 years so, so I hope to share some new fun SunButter recipes with you!

What's your favorite SunButter recipe? Are there are any new recipes you'd like to see with SunButter?

Sunbutter Overnight Oats

I wish I had the time and skill to create beautiful blog posts full of high quality, professional looking photos and amazing recipes. But that's not what this blog is all about.

This blog is a little more "real" since I don't have time to setup beautiful food photography shots or try out tons of different recipes until it's perfect. I might have time to put the ingredients in one shot, or put everything on a colorful place mat, but that's usually it!

The recipes I make are exactly what I feed my family. The photos I post are taken right before we EAT! So, when a toddler and preschooler are whining for food, the photo is going to be....let's just say...REAL.

Since life is so busy, I appreciate fast and healthy food, just as I know you do.  

So, I give you my favorite breakfast of the moment. 

Sunbutter Overnight Oats

This "mix and eat recipe" is super easy, healthy, and it tastes like a cool, creamy treat. I eat it for breakfast a few times a week, and I even eat a few spoonfuls at night sometimes if I'm hungry before bed.

I also love this because I make it the night before work, pop it in my work bag, and I know I'll have a healthy breakfast to eat right when I sit down at my desk.

The night before, you start with an empty Sunbutter jar like this. Actually, I like a little more leftover Sunbutter in the jar than is pictured.

You gather your ingredients: Sunbutter, soymilk, quick oats and ground flaxseed.

Measure the ingredients the first time, and wing it once you know how much to put in the next time!

The next morning, your oats are perfectly creamy and ready to eat. I like taking the jar to work with toppings like coconut yogurt or a banana.

It's not the prettiest picture, I know, but it's a perfectly delicious breakfast!!

Here's the recipe:

Sunbutter Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

• 1 jar "empty" Sunbutter (you know, the kind where there's a little left in the jar but not enough to spread on a sandwich)
• 1 cup soymilk (The soymilk give this a sweet taste. If you use no sugar soymilk, you may want to add a little sweetness to this with maple syrup or honey).
• 1 cup quick oats (make sure they're not steel cut or whole oats as the texture won't be as creamy after soaking overnight)
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• Toppings: I use banana, but it's also fun to add yogurt, berries or other fruit.

Recipe:

Mix all ingredients together the night before.  Add toppings right before you eat this creamy concoction!

Are you an overnight oats fan? How do you like to eat your oats?

Sunbutter did not sponsor this post. We eat it every day in our house! This post includes Amazon affiliate links which means if you buy something through them I receive a few cents, at no cost to you.

Banana Bread Oat Muffins

I know I recently posted a food allergy friendly muffin recipe, but I couldn't resist posting another! Especially since the recipe is egg free, dairy free, gluten free and so tasty. Muffins are such an easy breakfast or snack option for kids. They're also portable and easy to freeze. I try to make food allergy friendly muffins every few weeks, eat some, and freeze the rest. These Banana Bread Oat Muffins are such an easy and healthy breakfast or snack option.

I love this muffin recipe because:

• It's egg free and dairy free.
• Even though Little Guy can now eat wheat and gluten, this recipe is gluten free. Great for those who need it.
• Even though it's gluten free, it only requires one kind of flour - oat flour - and no "gums" like xantham gum.
• It uses coconut and mandarin oranges in addition to bananas to make it moist and give it lots of flavor. 

I based this recipe off of one of my favorite food allergy friendly cookbooks: Sophie-Safe Cooking.  

I've used this cookbook OFTEN in the past 3 years of cooking food allergy friendly recipes for our family. I especially like the baking recipes because most of them are based on oat flour and are very simple to make.

The only issue I have with this book is that some of the recipes are very high in sugar and the muffins come out VERY small. My kids have BIG appetites!

So, I changed a few things about the recipe to work better for our family.  Here's my version:

Dry Ingredients:

• 5 cups oat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 mashed bananas (medium to large)
• 1/2 cup shortening. I use Spectrum Organic Shortening. You could also use safe margarine or butter substitute like Earth Balance.  
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup coconut. I use Let's Do Organic Shredded, Unsweetened Coconut
• 1.5 cups mandarin oranges, drained. 

Recipe:

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix on low speed with mixer. Spoon into 24 lined muffin cups (I use a measuring cup for the spooning part!). Each muffin cup will be about 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22 - 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Mine takes about 22 minutes, but ovens will vary.

This recipes makes 24 muffins. I always want some to freeze, so 24 works best in our house.

Who doesn't like a warm muffin with butter (allergy-friendly) melted on it?  YUM.

What's your favorite kind of muffin?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

If you don't know by now, I'm a little obsessed with pumpkin.

I've posted a number of pumpkin recipes on this blog because:

• I love the taste of pumpkin.
• Pumpkin is healthy (Some people call it a superfood because of it's Vitamin A, fiber and other amazing nutrients!).
• Pumpkin is a great egg substitute. It gives egg-free baked goods a wonderful moist quality, and it holds everything together so well!

I knew I had to share these AWESOME pumpkin chocolate chip muffin tops with you.  I call them muffin tops because they're almost like the thick and dense top of muffins...the part that many people eat first and love the most.

Oh, and they're also gluten-free and free of refined sugars.

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite food allergy friendly baking cookbooks. I wish I could say they're vegan, but I did use honey in them!

Recipe
*Makes 12 muffins (I doubled the following recipe and made 24 muffins. They go fast in our house and I like to have some to freeze!)

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 and 2/3 cups oat flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup (or more or less!) Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips 

Liquid Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup soymilk (or ricemilk or coconut milk - any milk will do)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup agave nectar (you could probably use 1 cup honey or 1 cup agave nectar, but I chose to try half of each
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil

Directions:

• Mix all the dry ingredients (a whisk or electric mixer makes it easier)
• Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well
• Spoon about 1/3 cup of the mix into greased muffin tins until you fill up the 12 tins. I greased the tins using my trusty Misto Olive Oil Sprayer.
• Temperature: Bake at 350 degrees. 
• Time: Set your oven for 27 minutes, and check to see the muffins are golden brown. My oven took about 28 minutes, but ovens do vary.
• Makes 24 muffins.

Also, I've been the guest pinner on WeGo Health's "Healthy Eating" Pinterest Board all month. I'm actually kind of sad this is my last week as I've had tons of fun! I've been actively seeking out healthy recipes and finding some great eats on Pinterest!

If you aren't following me already, please follow my Mamacado Pinterest Board for lots of food, family and fun!

Products included in the post you may like:

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Bites

'Tis the season for warm and comforting recipes, especially those made with pumpkin! I've been making different forms of warm and comforting baked oatmeal for the past few months. Baked oatmeal is such an easy breakfast.  I mix everything together the night before, then the next morning I pour it in a pan and bake! This recipe for Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Bites is one of my favorites because:

• It includes pumpkin!
• It only calls for a little bit of honey as a sweetener. No processed sugar added.
• It's made in muffin tins for nice baked oatmeal bites. Perfect portion control, great for kids to pick-up and eat, easy to freeze, and easy to transport for a breakfast on the run or a lunch box.
• It's egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and allergy-friendly for Little Guy.
• I usually have all of these ingredients in my house, so it's an easy breakfast solution.

I made two different forms of these Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Bites. One using gluten-free oatmeal only, and the other using half gluten-free oatmeal and half quinoa. I think we all prefer the oatmeal bites, but add quinoa too if you'd like to try a different form of protein.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free, but you can use any oats you like) OR you can use 1 cup oats and 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1 cup milk (I used soymilk but any will work)
• 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal mixed with 3 Tbsp water) - this replaces 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp honey (or more or less depending on how sweet you like your baked oatmeal!)
• 1 tsp cinnamon*
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt

*It's easy to make this recipe even more pumpkin-liscous.  Just add other spices like pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg or even more cinnamon.  I was making this to please the palates of a 3 and 1 year old, so I used milder spices.

Directions:

• Mix everything together in a big bowl (I do this the night before to make it easy)
• Spray the muffin tins with oil (I use my trusty Misto Olive Oil Sprayer)
• Add oatmeal mix so it's just about even with the tops of the muffin tins
• Put in pre-heated 375 degree oven
• Bake for 25 - 30 minutes minutes, or until firm and a little brown around edges

Here are both the Pumpkin Baked Quinoa/Oat Bites and the Oat Bites only.  Both were tasty.  The quinoa bites just have a different texture and flavor than the oat bites.  I prefer the oat bites, but try them both and see what you think!

Everyone in our family enjoyed these including 1 year old Little Gal, 3 year old Little Guy and the
Hubs and me! I also love them because they're easy to freeze and pop in the microwave to reheat.



Are you a baked oatmeal fan? What's your favorite way to make/eat oatmeal?

Here's another one of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal: Vegan Overnight Oats

This smoothie would round out the pumpkin baked oatmeal bites nicely!: Green Ghostbuster Smoothie

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Healthy Green Ghostbuster Smoothie

Lately Little Gal hasn't cared for any veggies I give her. Carrots, broccoli, peas, butternut squash...you name it...she takes a few bites and doesn't eat the rest. So one day last week I decide to make a tasty smoothie filled with spinach - a sneaky way to get in those veggies!

I was worried that Little GUY would reject the smoothie since he's a very "visual" eater right now. Ahhh, 3 year olds. So, in order to get Little Guy to like this smoothie too, I named it the Green Ghostbuster Smoothie. 

We've been playing Ghostbusters for the past month or so after my Dad pulled out some old Ghostbuster toys for Little Guy. We've also been in the Halloween spirit around our house so it fits in nicely with the time of year and decorations.

As a result, I've been making Healthy Green Ghostbuster Smoothies ALL week for my two little loves! They love them because they're yummy. I love them because it helps them eat veggies in an easy way.

Ingredients:

• 1 large banana
• 1 cup fresh spinach (believe me, you can't even taste it)
• 1/2 container vanilla coconut yogurt (or other yogurt you prefer)
• 1/4 cup soy milk (or other milk you prefer)

Directions:

Blend it all together and eat or drink!  Both Little Gal and Little Guy like to eat this smoothie with a spoon. If you like your smoothies a little thinner, then add more soymilk, or even some ice to make it a little frosty.

This makes one smoothie which equals about two perfect portions for two little ones.

Yes, I know it looks VERY green, but it tastes REALLY good.

 

It's perfect for little fingers to dip in too. Little Gal enjoyed a few tastes of the smoothie while Mama took a few photos :)

Little Guy actually calls them Slimer Smoothies since he recently learned all about the famous Ghostbusters ghost. Slimer Smoothie really doesn't sound that appetizing though, right?

Little Gal calls them "Moo".

I call them delicious.

Here's another healthy dairy free smoothie we love. What's in your favorite smoothie?

SWEET Breakfast Plans

I have an allergy-friendly meal plan ready this week not for lunch or dinner, but for BREAKFAST! Usually breakfast is a quick throw-it together kind of meal that includes either a Sunbutter banana sandwich, warm oatmeal, vegan overnight oats, or allergy-friendly muffin with fruit on the side.

Why a breakfast meal plan?  Well, I'm inspired by this....

I was so happy to see a big box outside my door just FILLED with SWEETNESS!  Whoo hoo!  I actually won this box of goodies from Clean Eating Magazine. My recipe suggestion for one of their contests was a top pick, and this box of Wholesome Sweeteners was the prize! They're testing out the top recipes and the winner will be featured in Clean Eating Magazine. Fingers crossed!

The cool thing about this SWEET box is that it's full of wholesome sweeteners that are Fair Trade Certified and organic. I can do a TON of baking with all of these products, and spruce up our usual breakfasts and desserts with the fun flavored agave syrups. Here's some great info about the health benefits of agave if you've never tried it before.

I was also excited to see some allergy-friendly recipes on the back of the bags of organic sugar. I'll have to adapt the recipes a little for Little Guy's food allergies, but I'm excited for some new recipe inspiration.

Here's my allergy-friendly breakfast meal plan for the week. As you can see, oats are key to our breakfasts. We use these oats as a staple. Read the label every time to make sure the oats are safe for your family!:

Monday: Easy waffle with fruit and a Tbsp of vanilla agave syrup for dipping on the side.

Tuesday: Baked Oatmeal from Chockababy using the organic sugar I received. Fruit on the side.

Wednesday: Repeat of baked oatmeal from Tuesday. (Repeats are the key to my meal planning!)

Thursday: Gluten-free and nut-free granola. Notice the use of agave! Since it's 4th of July and we have a day off of work, I plan to eat this outside on our porch over yogurt! 

Friday: Gluten and nut-free granola mixed into warm oatmeal with a Tbsp of Sunbutter on top.

Here's a good illustration of my surprise and excitement to find this SWEET box at my doorstep. 

As Little Gal says, "OH" look at the box of goodies!

Wholesome Sweeteners make me happy. What a nice surprise!

Now let's play some frisbee!!

Any good ideas for recipes I can use for all this sweetness?

Easy Breakfast: Vegan Overnight Oats

Eating a healthy and quick breakfast is always a challenge, especially on the two days a week when I drive an hour to work in the office. Many times I eat a Sunbutter banana sandwich in the car, but I also like a little variation. I've found vegan overnight oats to be the key! They're not only a great source of protein, but they're also a great dairy free and egg free breakfast option. Perfect for those dealing with food allergies, or just following a vegan diet!

Vegan overnight oats are a great option for easy breakfasts that you can make the night before. It's basically just oats soaked in your choice of milk with yummy toppings. The milk softens the oats overnight with no cooking required.

You can find MANY great recipes for overnight oats online. Some of them use way too many ingredients for someone who needs a quick breakfast. This one is my go-to recipe that includes easy, healthy and whole-food ingredients with no added sugar.

I actually don't even like calling it a recipe as all you do is dump everything in a jar and stick it in the fridge. No cooking or mess required. My kind of meal.

Vegan Overnight Oats Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup oats (gluten-free if needed)
1 cup rice milk (or any milk you'd like)
1/2 container coconut yogurt (or any yogurt you'd like)
frozen berries (fresh would be better, but this works too)
ground flaxseed meal (sprinkle as much as you'd like on top)

Directions:
Add oats to a small Ball jar (or any container). I love making it in a Ball jar as the ingredients stack so nicely and make it look pretty :) It also takes up less space in the refrigerator and in a work bag, so it's easy to transport.

Pour in milk. Add yogurt. Top with frozen (or fresh) berries.

Sprinkle with flaxseed.

I just pop off the top at my desk and eat it with a spoon. No microwave or fuss required.

Some other fun ingredients for overnight oats: Shredded coconut, agave nectar, honey, cinnamon, raisins or other dried fruit, or nuts (of course depending on whether or not these are allergy-safe foods for you and your family).

Do you have any other healthy, easy and/or portable breakfast ideas?

Food Find: Gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free waffles

Oh how I'd love to say I make homemade waffles for my family every weekend.  Not just homemade waffles, but gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free  waffles.  We don't even have a waffle iron, so there's no waffle making going on around here. But there IS waffle-buying!

I was excited to find these Nature's Path Organic Gluten Free waffles at our local Giant grocery store. They're the BEST tasting gluten-free frozen waffles I've found. If you grew up with Eggo waffles, you'll probably like these even better. Even my non-gluten-free husband loves these!

Just pop one out of the freezer, put it in the toaster oven for a few minutes, and it's ready to eat. It comes out perfectly warm, toasted and sweet. I like to give my toddler some coconut or soy yogurt on the side for dipping instead of syrup to reduce the sugar and increase the nutrition!

This day he had apple slices to round out his breakfast.

This has recently been a go-to breakfast that he eats at least 2 times a week. It's helpful for those busy mornings  when you need something quick and delicious.

I find breakfast to be one of the most difficult meals to make healthy and interesting while avoiding dairy, wheat, eggs and peanuts. I constantly need fresh ideas for my son so please comment if you have any good breakfasts to share!