The weather is cooling down slowly but surely! Even in my little corner of Southern California, where the sun is always ablaze, the days don’t seem as hot. Lately, I’ve been starting my mornings by opening the windows all over my house. I love to feel the freshness of the outdoors come into my house. It not only invigorates me to get my work out on (so I can warm up!) but it also makes me crave some warm drinks.
So, today, I bring you five of my favorite winter drink recipes! (No alcohol involved 😉 )
Some Tone it Up recipes can be a miss but, other times, I love their ingenuity. Beets in a latte? It sounds a little funky but it is totally worth trying! It’s a cozy beverage to have in the morning or filling enough to satisfy a sneaky late-night craving.
The classic hot water with lemon has its benefits but it can get a little dull. Upgrade the classic combo with this recipe that includes some yummy ginger, honey, and cloves!
If you haven’t heard of golden milk, you’ve surely been living under a rock, right? No offense but golden milk is only the best thing to ever happen to coffee-free lattes. Like, ever. I dig this recipe for Golden Milk because of the added spices. Some recipes only ask for turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. That tastes swell but I LOVE a little cardamom or nutmeg to give a more elaborate flavor profile. Plus, dates as a sweetener? You can’t go wrong there!
Again, another basic but essential recipe for your drinks arsenal. I love the warm scents of cinnamon and baked goods and homemade cider provides a similar appealing aroma. Plus, is there anything more delicious than cider?! I think not! I’m planning to cook up a pot (maybe in a crockpot ala Half Baked Harvest ) soon!
I’m wishing you all good health this upcoming holiday season. Though, if you happen to feel the start of a cold coming on, be sure to load up on some healing tonic. This anti-inflammatory tea only takes three ingredients and it feels so soothing in the body.
Thanks for reading my list of favorite warm beverages. You may have noticed something chocolatey was missing from the list? Yeah, rest assured, I will be drinking some hot cocoa this season! I’ve been working on a sugar-free protein-packed hot cocoa recipe for you all so stay tuned. 😉
Almond, chocolate, and coconut come together to give you the magic that is Frozen Almond Joy Layer Bars. My spin on the classic treat is low-sugar and ultra creamy thanks to some simple ingredients and the trusty freezer!
Brr! Is that the first hint of cold weather that I’m feeling? My mom always jokes that I am the first one to pull out my boots and cardigans the moment a breeze is in the air. Basically, at this point, I’m restraining myself until November rolls around…but come November 1st, the boots are ON.
For now, the only cold weather I’m getting is coming from opening the freezer to grab one of these Frozen Almond Joy Layer Bars! LOL. Even as the winter season approaches, I love the taste of coconut treats. After all, it can’t be all pumpkin and gingerbread flavors all the time. (Though, I will certainly be enjoying some of both!)
So, make these whenever you’re feeling some fresh, cool, creamy, dreamy coconut, almond, and chocolate vibes.
Frozen Almond Joy Layer Bars
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12 bars
Almond, chocolate, and coconut come together to give you the magic that is Frozen Almond Joy Layer Bars. My spin on the classic treat is low-sugar and ultra creamy thanks to some simple ingredients and the trusty freezer!
Ingredients
Crust
¾ cup almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
½ scoop protein powder (I like Tone it Up Peanut Butter or Vanilla)
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
2-4 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp honey
Filling
½ cup coconut butter
½ cup almond milk
½ tbsp honey or maple syrup
½ cup shredded coconut
Topping
2 ½ tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tbsp creamy almond butter
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Grab a loaf pan and line it with some wax or parchment paper. I don’t always do this but it makes it a little easier to remove the bars from the pan.
Next, in a bowl, combine the crust ingredients. The batter should be on the crumbly side but smash together between your fingers. If the mixture only crumbles without the mash, add another tablespoon or two of almond milk and combine. Then, press the mixture into the bottom of your (lined) loaf pan and set in the freezer.
At this point, wipe out any crumbs left behind because we’re using the same bowl! Add the coconut butter to the bowl with the almond milk and microwave for 15 seconds so it is warm and mixable. Then mix in the honey and shredded coconut.
Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and add pat down the filling layer before returning it back to the freezer.
For the final step, wipe out the same bowl and begin adding the topping ingredients. Make sure not to leave any clumps or that will show on top of the bars. Again, remove the loaf pan from the freezer and spread the chocolate topping over the filling. Note: if for some reason the filling seems wet, leave it in the freezer for 10 minutes before adding the chocolate topping.
Lastly, I recommend freezing the bars for at least 3 hours before cutting into them. The Frozen Almond Joy Layer Bars can then be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
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They are just the ticket when I’m craving a fresh treat that won’t mess with my blood sugar! Healthy fats from coconut butter + chocolate is simply the best combo! Let me know if you guys try these bars out.
Around this time of year, 3-4pm becomes the new “evening”. Once night time hits around 5pm, it is hard to feel inspired to go out and do things. Somehow, the earlier darkness and chilly weather encourages me to stay in. I love utilizing this sort of ambiance to make flavorful one-pot meals like hearty soups or pasta dishes. You already saw my five favorite soups in last week’s Friday Five. Therefore, today, I bring you five of my favorite pasta dishes.
Pasta is the ultimate comfort food. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike can find something to enjoy in the carbalicious entrée. Even if you’re gluten-free (like I’ve recently become), there are pasta options for you! My thing is to always include vegetables in a meal so it isn’t just a purely starchy meal. The following pasta dishes are vegetable-filled and sure to be satisfying!
I can’t be the only one who still has cobs of corn and baskets of tomatoes to use up, right? I love cooking with fresh herbs and this pasta is an excellent way to utilize them. Pesto, corn, and tomatoes are a trifecta of deliciousness you must try! I don’t consume dairy so I omit the cheese in the recipe but otherwise, I love everything about it! The basil vinaigrette is dreamy makes this pasta ideal for a simple lunch or even a side dish!
I’m sure anyone who dabbles in plant-based cooking has heard of Minimalist Baker. This pasta dish with roasted cauliflower is seemingly simple but incredibly flavorful! Take my word for it and just roast double the amount of cauliflower. Trust me, you’re going to want more of that tender and crispy veggie to pile onto your spaghetti.
I’ve got to throw a mention to my good ol’ pumpkin pasta that I created last year. I created the recipe last year for a competition with Banza pasta company but, of course, use whatever pasta brand you like. The recipe is a perfect single serving but multiply as needed to feed more people! I love enjoying pumpkin pasta with warmed spinach, oven-crisped kale, or even some sautéed yellow squash.
Jeanine from Love and Lemons is a queen at building pasta dishes around vegetables. Her one-pot vegetable penne pasta is one of my most favorites because it includes leeks. Yes, leeks! If you haven’t cooked with these babies, they’re similar to onions—which I’m also wildly obsessed with adding to everything I cook. Jeanine only uses the white part of a leek in this pasta but I often double the recipe and use the entire white and green parts of the leek!
Butternut squash might be a little more accessible all-year round nowadays but it is fall produce. I stockpile my butternut squashes until the following year: I’ll chop it into cubes and store it in freezer bags to use in the spring or summer if I so desire! If you haven’t tried turning butternut squash into pasta sauce, you haven’t lived! Okay, exaggeration aside, you’ll want to keep butternut squash on hand in your freezer like me just to make this pasta!
Now go enjoy yourselves some pasta dishes of your choosing!
Pasta is a creative base that can do no wrong in my book. I’m always looking for new ideas to experiment with. Feel free to tell me what your favorite pasta dishes are!
In honor of fall, I’ve assembled a list of my 5 favorite soup recipes! Funny enough, when I was a kid, I used to hate soups. If my mom said soup was for dinner, I’d anticipate something brothy where I’d need to dig around for substance. I’d also expect to eat 2-3 bowls just to feel satisfied. There’s a place for simple broth-based soups (*cough cough* when you’re sick.) but for the rest of the time, I like a hearty bowl of soup!
In essence, I’m pretty much a low-key connoisseur of soups. Therefore, I’m only recommending soup recipes that I’ve tried and enjoyed multiple times! So, you can be rest assured that these are delicious and will keep you satisfied as the weather cools down!
This recipe is a feature from Angela Liddon’s Oh She Glows Everyday Cookbook. I actually own the cookbook but, prior to that, I was frequently referring to the recipe here. Blended soups can seem a bit boring…texturally. So, the tamari almonds included for topping are essential! You’ll be swooning over how sweet, salty, and luxurious this recipe is.
Sometimes you feel like a giant bowl of vegetable soup, right? Though, the standard onion, celery, and carrot triad of vegetables isn’t the most exciting. I love that this soup utilizes some hearty cabbage, kale, and broccoli! The colors and unique combination of ingredients makes this soup taste like it comes from a gourmet restaurant! Oh, and I also like to squeeze extra lemon into my individual soup bowl—it really makes the flavors sing!
In my hometown, there was a restaurant my family and I would always go to called Millie’s. Literally, we would be there once a week, if not more. I could probably recite the menu by memory. One dish that they offered was a chicken tortilla soup. Ohhhh that soup. Due to my previously mentioned ideas about soup, I wouldn’t usually order it myself. Though, my dad would often order it and I’d steal some from him 😉 So, to my delight, this tortilla soup has all of the classic flavors but it’s made vegetarian. And please, do not pass up making your own tortilla strips for the soup. It is simply essential!
You guys might not know it but Minestrone Soup is probably one of my favorite soups ever. It can be made so many different ways. There’s team pasta and no pasta. I’ve also seen potato and, other times, no potato. What is consistent is that it is a good way to utilize lots of vegetables! With that being said, I often reminisce on the minestrone soup offered at Olive Garden. Whether the restaurant is true to Italian food or not, their soups are still the bomb. This recipe is the closest thing I’ve tried to OG’s classic minestrone.
Again with my Mexican roots! I take for granted how much I actually enjoyed the Mexican dishes I grew up with. Soups like menudo and posole are staple dishes in Mexican culture. It wouldn’t be a holiday or family get-together without one of these. Kate, the culinary queen, once again proved that a traditional meat-based dish can be made vegetarian. I’m positive you’ll enjoy this pinto bean version of posole even if you don’t follow a meatless diet. Fun fact: the cover photo for this post is actually my recreation of the Pinto Posole! 🙂
Thanks for checking out my favorite soup recipes!
If you make any of them, let me know. Oh, and be sure to let these fantastic bloggers know you found their recipe through me. I hope I’ve provided some fall meal inspiration. Be sure to let me know what you’re cooking up this fall! Also, would you be interested in some other Friday Five recipe round-ups? Perhaps snacks, entrees, breakfasts, and such? Comment below or on Instagram and let me know what you think!
Would you guys believe that I’ve been saving this French toast recipe for weeks just so that it would be closer to fall? I don’t know if anyone would’ve been on board for warm French toast when its 90-125 degrees outside.
Weirdly enough, this summer I’ve been eating a lot more warm foods for breakfast than ever before. If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’m a hardcore smoothie enthusiast. Yet, as I’ve dabbled in ways to improve my digestion, I found a new love for warm breakfasts.
This recipe came about one morning when I was low-key craving cinnamon raisin buns—using this recipe from RachLMansfield—but did not have any of those around. Her recipe is super simple but when you want breakfast now, not hours from now, you get creative.
Here was my thought process:
Ooh cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread in my freezer? This might taste similar to cinnamon buns.
Let’s use some vanilla unsweetened almond milk, too. Oh, maybe French toast?
Hmm but then I need to turn on the stove and that takes too long. GROAAANN.
Wait, how about the ol’ microwave? Yeah, this could work!
Honestly, the microwave is never my first choice for cooking but I knew it would provide the dried-out top the way the oven does for baked goods. I had a very specific texture I desired: crisp top and chewy center. I am happy to say I achieved this!
As a final note: I whipped this all up in the morning but, if you’re a planner, this would probably be excellent made-ahead. You could set it in your fridge overnight and then microwave it in the morning.
Single French Toast Bake in a Microwave
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 serving
Ingredients
½ cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
½ tsp cinnamon
½ scoop vanilla protein powder
½ scoop collagen peptides (optional, but adds a “chewy” texture)
A tiny pinch of sea salt
2 slices cinnamon raisin Ezekiel
Instructions
Cut the bread slices into cubes. I did three slices horizontally and vertically for 9 cubes per toast!
In a microwave safe bowl or wide ramekin, mix the milk, cinnamon, protein powder, and collagen until combined.
Then, dredge the bread cubes into the mixture. Lightly press them down while trying to coat all sides of the cubes. After all of the bread cubes have been dredged, press the cubes into a flat, even layer and place in the microwave.
Cook for 3-4 minutes, depending on your microwave. The top should look and feel dry to the touch.
Be careful when removing because the bowl will be HOT! Let cool for a few minutes before adding syrup, yogurt, or additional raisins to your French toast (microwave) bake!
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It makes me excited when I can discover a shortcut to something that usually takes a lot longer to make. I’m planning on just prepping containers of this in my fridge and warming them up for the weekday mornings. 😎
Let me know if you give this recipe a try! Comment below or tag me on Instagram!
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