These healthy dark chocolate chunk pumpkin cookies are the perfect snack or dessert during the fall season. The cookies are soft and chocolatey. The sweetener for these delicious cookies is coconut sugar, which is healthier, unrefined alternative to cane sugar and brown sugar.
These cookies are extra spiced and taste just like fall. Easy to make and require very little time in the oven. *Note: They tend to keep longer if stored in the refrigerator.
In a mixing bowl, add the pumpkin, coconut sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
3
Next, add all the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips last. The batter tends to be somewhat sticky.
4
Scoop the cookies out onto a sheet pan. Slightly flatten each cookie and place in the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are set and the edges are slightly browned. It’s easy to overbake them!
5
Finally, remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the pan for a few minutes until transferring to a rack to cool. Enjoy!
This recipe for autumn granola is simple and delicious! Every ingredient is healthy, and perfect for the fall season. It features a variety of nuts, as well as a good for you sweetener. Maple syrup is a go to in our home, as it adds a great flavor to your recipe and is better for you than other refined sugars.
Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, as well as other minerals. Both pecans and almonds have antioxidants and are also great for heart health and inflammation.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
Steps
1
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
2
Next, add butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and peanut butter to a small sauce pan. Heat the mixture together until incorporated.
3
Add the saucepan mixture to the bowl and mix until the dry ingredients are coated.
4
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Add the granola to a large baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes.
5
Remove from the oven and cool. The granola will be golden and toasted when finished. Enjoy!
The granola is great on top of yogurt bowls, with milk added, or as a crunchy snack. Avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil can be substituted instead of coconut oil if desired. My favorite parchment paper to use with recipes like these is an unbleached parchment paper linked here.
This recipe for homemade red pepper flakes is very simple and doesn’t require a dehydrator. I’ve found that the flavor of making your own flakes is superior to the store bought kind. I enjoy adding them to fried eggs, pasta, marinades, and many tomato dishes.
Ingredients
cayenne peppers (any amount works)
Steps
1
First, wash the cayenne peppers and dry with a paper towel.
2
Trim off the stem of the peppers (wearing gloves if preferred).
3
Next, preheat the oven to 180 degrees (see notes below). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the peppers on the baking sheet, so they’re spread out and not touching each other.
4
Place tray in the oven for approximately 6-8 hours. The peppers are ready once they’re crisp to the touch and hollow sounding. Check the peppers every so often, as the smaller ones will be done sooner.
5
Once the peppers are finished, move on to crushing them. A mortar and pestle (linked here) is a good option and fun to use! However, a few pulses in a blender or food processor also works well to break down the peppers. Store away in a jar and enjoy adding the flakes to all your favorite dishes!
*NOTES*: My oven was hot enough on the ‘warm’ setting to dehydrate the peppers. I’ve also found that staying under 200 degrees to dehydrate is best.
I prefer to use a unbleached, chlorine free parchment paper, linked here.
This strawberry lemon electrolyte drink is so easy to make and absolutely delicious! With no added sweeteners or preservatives, it’s hydrating and refreshing for a hot summer day.
The lemon electrolyte powder is my favorite. It supplies you with essential minerals and tastes great when added to water or any other drink.
Enjoy this healthy and clean electrolyte drink all summer long!
These chocolate overnight oats are the perfect way to start your day. They’re delicious and extremely beneficial to your gut.
First lets read about the ingredients. Oats, cacao powder, chia seeds, and collagen are great foods to add to your daily diet.
Benefits of rolled oats:
Oats are high in fiber, therefore helping support digestion. They’re filling and provide a nutritious breakfast or snack during the day.
Benefits of chia seeds:
Chia seeds are packed with antioxidants as well as high in fiber and omega 3 levels. They can be helpful for lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation and bloating.
Benefits of cacao powder:
Cacao powder is beneficial for heart health and digestion. It also contains fiber, as well as iron and magnesium. Both those minerals are good and necessary for your body.
Benefits of collagen:
Adding collagen to your daily diet is a good way to improve gut health. It also supports healthy hair, skin, nails, and bones.
This is my and my husbands favorite breakfast. It’s great for prepping ahead of time or if you’re on the go!
CHOCOLATE OVERNIGHT OATS
Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 Tbsp. cacao powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 scoop collagen (opt.)
Steps
1
In a jar, mix together oats, chia seeds, cacao powder, and collagen.
2
Then, add the milk, yogurt, and maple syrup to the dry ingredients.
3
Stir to fully combine.
4
Place in refrigerator overnight and enjoy the next morning. Top with granola, peanut butter, nuts, fruit, or chocolate chips. All are delicious!
5
Note: Overnight oats store well in the refrigerator, so making 3-4 jars at a time is a time saver. It’s a great way to prep breakfast for the week!
It’s important to gain knowledge on the foods we eat everyday. These five simple ways to eat healthier are completely practical and attainable!
1: use anti-inflammatory oils
Oils are used in so many recipes as well as ingredient lists in everything you buy at the grocery store today.
Canola, sunflower, cottonseed, corn, and other seed oils are highly processed and can cause inflammation and diseases. The oils are processed and refined, which means these lose any nutrients and vitamins they contained.
Good substitute oils with healthy fats are:
extra virgin olive oil coconut oil avocado oil
2: switch to better for you sugars
White sugar and brown sugar are refined and can be disrupting to your gut. These sugars can contribute to weight gain, health issues and cravings.
Alternative sugars and natural sweeteners that are much better for you:
coconut palm sugar maple syrup honey evaporated cane sugar sucanat
3: use produce wash or buy organic
A lot of the fruit and vegetables we buy have lingering pesticides and fertilizers that can be harmful to us. It’s important to wash the produce thoroughly, especially if it’s not organic. A way to do this is to make your own produce wash or buy it somewhere.
A simple alternative that I love to use is to soak your fruit in water then adding a splash of vinegar to remove any harmful pesticides.
Another way to keep up with buying produce is to check the ‘dirty dozen’ list. The list will inform you which twelve fruits and vegetables are a must to buy organic, and which ones are perfectly fine to buy otherwise.
4: switch out to better grains
Much of the flour and grains we consume today are refined, bleached, and very hard for our bodies to digest. They no longer contain the minerals and enzymes that we need, and leave us with digestion issues and allergies.
A good way to add nutritious grains to our diet is to soak our grains before we consume them, as they are much easier to digest.
Alternatives to bleached white flour:
spelt flour einkorn flour almond flour coconut flour organic unbleached white flour
5: learn to read the ingredients
Many items in the grocery store can appear to be both beneficial and healthy, however, that is often not the case. A lot of foods contain preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, and artificial colors. These things and many more are terrible for your body. In time, they’re known to be a cause to health issues later in life.
Natural flavors is another misleading and bad for you ingredient, especially since you can find it in so many items at the store. It appears to sound healthy, and it may be based from a natural ingredient. However, a natural flavor can be manipulated in a lab, and often includes potentially toxic substances.
For more information on these simple tips to healthy eating, included below is book recommendation, as well as a favorite YouTuber I enjoy watching for information on clean eating.Thank you for reading!
Check out this recipe for a simple way to make homemade vanilla extract! It requires only a little patience and you’re left with a strong and rich homemade vanilla extract. Links to purchase the bottles and vanilla beans below!
