Blueberry Raspberry Pancake Muffins

I think I’ve expressed more than enough times already that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I swear I always find new ways to jazz up my breakfast or to make it easier for me to get breakfast in my day. Hence…pancake muffins.

Pancakes are on of those traditional breakfast options, but just plain old pancakes can get boring. So, I added blueberries and raspberries to them to give them that extra flavor and boost. You can basically add whatever floats your boat to pancakes. Whether it’s pecans, walnuts, fruit, chia seeds, raisins…there is no right or wrong way to do this.

Some people make their own pancakes using a combination of flour, eggs, milk, etc. However, I opted to use the Aunt Jemima Original Complete Pancake mix. There are a ton of other pancake mixes you can use, but this one works best for me. For most of these, all you have to do is add water to the flour mixture and stir. It’s super simple and much more convenient.

What I love about this recipe is that I was able to have this throughout the week. As I was preparing to leave out for work that day, all I had to do was grab it and pack it up. No extra cooking. No extra time spent. It was so easy. And the best part, it tastes just as amazing the next day reheated.

Blueberry Raspberry Pancake Muffins

These Blueberry Raspberry Pancake Muffins are perfect for those on the go mornings.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins | Total Time: 20 mins
Course: Breakfast
Servings: 6 muffins

Ingredients
2 cups pancake mix
1 cup water
18 raspberries (3 per muffin)
12 blueberries (2 per muffin)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In a bowl, add your pancake mix and add water. Stir until a smooth consistency and there are no lumps
3. Take a non-stick muffins pan, and apply small spoonfuls of batter to pan. Apply to the halfway mark of the pan
4. Add your raspberries and blueberries for topping to each muffin
5. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until pancake muffins are a lightly golden brown on top
6. Let sit and cool before removing from pan

Notes
You can also use homemade pancake mix and any other fruit toppings of your choice

Very Berry Smoothie

Okay, I confess. I’ve been on a smoothie kick lately. And the best part, I’ve been killing it with bananas.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, my family LOVES bananas. So much so, that very often I tend to over buy the bananas and they go brown faster than I expected. The best way to make use of them at that moment is to put them in a smoothie. But c’mon…I’ve already made a banana smoothie.

What I love about adding a riped banana to a smoothie combination is that it instantly sweetens it up. I could take the most bitter fruit ever, add a banana, and it tastes amazing! This day in particular, I decided to pair it with some berries.

Blueberries and strawberries are so rich in antioxidants and fiber. All of that power is just one cup. Unfortunately the berries I picked up weren’t the sweetest in taste, so I added a banana to sweeten it up along with my almond milk.

All of my smoothies contain almond milk. I’ve seen several that likes to add yogurt, but I honestly just prefer almond milk or even the vanilla flavored almond milk. It works for me, and I feel turns out just as amazing.

Smoothies are one of those power drinks that you can have for breakfast or as a snack in between. Anything that I can get versatile with I am a huge fan of. Now that I’ve mastered making smoothies for myself, I love that I can experiment with different fruits and simply blend them all together.

What are your favorite smoothie combinations?

Very Berry Smoothie

This amazing smoothie is filled antioxidants and fiber to keep you fill for longer
Prep Time: 1 min | Cook Time: 1 min | Total Time: 2 mins
Course: Breakfast, Smoothies
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients
1 cup Blueberries
1/2 cup Strawberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Instructions
1. Add your blueberries, strawberries, banana, and almond milk to your blender
2. Blend for 45 seconds or until smoothie reaches consisstency of your liking
3. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Notes
If you prefer a thinner texture you can add water or more almond milk to loosen
You can use a fresh banana

Garlic Butter Green Beans

It’s that time of the year again. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we’re all narrowing down our menu options. Something that we ALWAYS have for Thanksgiving are green beans.

Green beans are just one of those vegetables that doesn’t get enough credit. It’s the perfect side dish, and pairs perfectly with just about any meal.

Growing up, my mother would use sausage or bacon to add a boost of flavor to her green beans. Can’t lie…it was amazing. She had the best green beans. Just something about the spiciness and savory flavors from the bacon or sausage really made the green beans delicious. But, now that I no longer eat meat, I had to find other ways to season my green beans without the use of meat.

I decided to go with something very subtle yet poweful…garlic and butter. BOOM. It doesn’t get anymore simple as that. I decided to add a dash of red pepper flakes as well to give it that same spiciness that my mother had with her green beans, except it’s not from the meat flavors.

This side dish took me no longer than maybe 10-15 minutes to prepare. I ended up pairing this with some pasta (because I love pasta) and it was quite the balanced meal.

Give it a try and tell me what you think? Do you all serve green beans for Thanksgiving?

Garlic Butter Green Beans

This Garlic Butter Green Bean recipe is the perfect side dish for any main course meal
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins | Total Time: 15 mins
Course: Side Dish | Cuisine: American, Vegetarian
Keyword: Vegetarian
Servings: 5 servings

Ingredients
12 oz fresh or frozen green beans
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp crushed red cayenne pepper

Instructions
1. In a pot, add your 1/2 cup of water, butter, garlic powder, salt, and red pepper to a boil
2. Add green beans and allow green beans to steam for 10-12 minutes or until tender
3. Drain your beans and allow to sit for flavors to settle

No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bites

I recently started keeping track of what I eat in a day, and how much time is in between each meals. I  noticed that very often I start to get groggy somewhere between 2PM and 4PM. You know? Those afternoons, time is winding down and you’re just waiting to get off of work?

Sadly, I would find myself binge eating during that time. I’d want something to boost me up. I would grab a soda, a chocolate bar, chip. Anything that I could just pop into my mouth to wake me up.


These Peanut Butter Energy Bites are the perfect snack. Not only does it give you that of energy to wake you up, but it’s give you an extra boost of protein and fiber. And best part…it doesn’t take long to cook.

No hot ovens. No stove. It’s literally that simple to make.

You don’t need a ton of ingredients to create this. If you want a little more, you can throw some almonds, raisins, or chia seeds for even more nutritional value. This is the perfect snack for those in between meals and you’re trying to avoid eating junk food. It was exactly what I needed, and kicked that groggy yearn for chips right out.     

No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls

These no bake peanut butter energy balls are the perfect pick me up snack for those late afternoons
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 10 mins
Course: Snack | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Snacks
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup peanut butter or almond butter
1/2 cup honey

Instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl combine your oats, nut butter of your choice, and honey
2. Put mixture into the fridge for approximately 20 minutes so it cools to roll into balls
3. Take small handfuls and roll into small-medium sized balls
4. Store in fridge when completed!

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

As we inch closer and closer to November, I always begin to crave those fall Thanskgiving comfort foods. Roasted potatoes are probably one of my favorite and easiest sides to prepare for a pot luck. You guys know me…Any meal that has minimal ingredients and doesn’t take too long to prepare is automatically a fave.

The awesome part about these potatoes is that although they are mainly a side dish, I can eat these alone too. You don’t have to limit this recipe. It’s that delicious, that you can simply bake this up for whenever you want it. Now based upon my photo below, I didn’t have any clean sheet pans to use to roast these. I ended up using a cake dish to put these in, but they still turned out just the same. The truth shall set you free.

I find that most times I will improvise when following a recipe. Whether it’s substituting an ingredient or simply using something else to cook it in. You make it work for you.

This may sound weird, but I actually like to drizzle a bit of ranch on top of my potatoes. Sometimes ketchup as well. But, these taste just as great even if you eat them alone. I hope you all enjoy it!

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

These oven-roasted red potatoes are the perfect side dish to pair with any meal.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Total Time: 30 mins
Course: Side Dish | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Vegetarian, Potatoes, Oven Roasted
Servings: 5 servings

Ingredients
1 1.5 lb bag of baby red potatoes
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Thoroughly wash red potatoes and pat dry. Begin cutting into halves or quarters
3. Spread out onto a baking dish, and apply vegetable oil over the top of potatoes
4. Add in your salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder and massage into potatoes. Mixing so that all potatoes get covered
5. Add potatoes to the oven and allow to bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes become crisp
6. Remove potatoes from oven and stir over with butter

The Best Damn Veggie Omelet

Have I ever told you guys that breakfast is legit my favorite meal of the day? I just feel that preparing breakfast is so exciting to me. It’s as though I have endless options and can mix and match anything at my first meal of the day.

Seriously, I love breakfast food.

Truth be told, I feel like breakfast is when I really get most of my nutrition in. Creating a veggie omelet allows for me to mix in spinach, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms (also my favorite veggies if you haven’t noticed). And then, I always have a smoothie or a cup of fruit on the side.

Omelets are definitely a staple for me. The eggs give me that protein that I need to start my day, and it’s just so damn easy to make.

I will admit, though, that it took some practice to master my omelets. I’ve experienced the over cooked eggs. I’ve had the omelet that just wouldn’t flip properly. I’ve had the omelet that stuck to the frying pan. It happens. They don’t always come out pretty.

I don’t add salt to my eggs. I usually season my omelets with garlic powder and pepper. I’m that weird person that doesn’t too much mind the fresh taste of produce. Adding the cheese over top also gives it that extra flavor.

The Best Damn Loaded Veggie Omelet

This Veggie Omelet is packed with a ton of vegetables to leave your tummy full and satisfied for breakfast
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins | Total Time: 15 mins
Course: Breakfast | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Breakfast, Omelet, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients
2 large eggs
steamed broccoli
mushrooms
chopped red onions
grape tomatoes
green bellpeppers
finely diced jalopeno optional
1 tsp vegetable oil or butter for cooking
shredded four cheese blend

Instructions
1. In a small frying pan over medium heat, add vegetable to pan and begin to fry vegetables
2. Stir veggies until cooked or slightly tender. Set aside
3. In a separate small frying pan, add your egg mixture. Allow eggs to spread evenly in pan. Do not stir
4. As eggs begin to settle, take a spatula to lift one end of the egg while tilting the frying pan to allow the liquid egg to slide underneath.
5. As egg is cooking, add your cooked veggies to the center of the egg pancake
6. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top your veggies
7. Take your omelet and slide onto a plate halfway, flipping the other half of the omelet over top. You can use your spatula to help it fold over

Notes
If frying pan is not evenly coated, it will be difficult to slide omelet onto plate
You can add as little or as much of the veggies to your omelet. There is not exact amount.

Vegetarian Fajita Pasta

It’s been a while since I’ve features a pasta recipe. Pasta is always my immediate go-to whenever I’m looking for a cheap inexpensive meal. But sometimes regular old spaghetti or alfredo can get old.

This Vegetarian Fajita Pasta is my take on combining fajitas with pasta. Swap the tortillas for penne pasta and you have yourself the best Mexican dish for dinner.

This recipe doesn’t take a long time to prepare, and it doesn’t take a lot to make either. What really brings this recipe together are the spices. I opted to make my own fajita seasoning (you can get store bought too). In the past, I have always used store bought fajita/taco seasoning mix. But lately, I’ve been wanting to minimize how much added salts from processed foods I’ve been using for my recipes.

Vegetarian Fajita Pasta

This Fajita Pasta is a vegetarian take on your favorite Mexican dish.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins | Total Time: 35 mins
Course: Main Course, Vegetables | Cuisine: American, Mexican, Vegetarian
Keyword: Fajita, Mexican, Pasta, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients
5 cups cooked Penne Pasta
2 green bellpeppers
1 yellow bellpepper
1 orange bellpepper
1/2 of a red onion diced
1 cup chopped white muhsrooms
1 tbsp Sour Cream
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup water

Fajita Seasoning
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp salt

Instructions
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook penne noodles until soft.
2. Drain noodles and set aside
3. Finely slice your bell peppers, then add to a wok with your diced onions and chopped mushrooms
4. Allow veggies to become tender stirring ocassionally
5. In a separate mixing bowl, combine your spices for your fajita seasoning
6. Combine your cooked noodles with your veggies, adding in your fajita seasoning. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
7. Add your small cup of water to evenly combine spices and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
8. Take your sour cream and combine in with pasta to add extra creaminess
9. Remove from heat and allow to sit for an additional 5 minutes for flavors to settle

Loaded Breakfast Quesadilla

Who the hell craves quesadillas for breakfast? This girl!

I’ve been on a quesadilla kick ever since I made those Black Bean Quesadillas a couple of weeks ago. Usually for breakfast I like to keep it pretty simple. I tend to stick to quick, ready to grab, and go options. But on this day, I had time to do a little extra before heading out for work.

I love a filling breakfast, and this quesadilla was nothing short of that. I wanted to make sure I added my usual favorite ingredients that I normally include in my Loaded Veggie Omelets.

If you’d like to give this quesadilla an extra kick, try it with some salsa or even avocado on the side. But, trust me when I say that it gives this breakfast quesadilla some extra flavor. The options are limitless.

Loaded Breakfast Quesadilla

This breakfast quesadilla is loaded with spinach, mushrooms, and eggs to guarantee a filling breakfast.
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 10 mins
Course: Breakfast | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Breakfast, Eggs, Quesadilla, Vegetarian
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients
2 small flour tortillas
2 eggs
1 tbsp Sprinkle of Fiesta Shredded Cheese Blend or more to your liking
1/3 cup chopped spinach
1/3 cup chopped mushroom
1 tsp vegetable oil

Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, take your two eggs and scramble
2. In a small pan, lightly coat with vegetable oil and cook chopped spinach and mushrooms. Allow mushrooms to become slightly tender and spinach slightly wilted
3. Add eggs into the pan with your veggies and begin to stir until eggs and veggies are mixed
4. Once eggs are cooked, set aside
5. Take one flour tortilla and lay flat onto the frying pan. Apply shredded cheese on top.
6. Take your scrambled egg and veggie mixture and apply to the tortilla
7. Sprinkle another layer of shredded cheese on top
8. Apply second tortilla and flip over to allow the second tortilla to brown as well

Notes
You can add as little or as much cheese and veggies to this recipe as you like.
If you prefer a toastier tortilla you can allow both sides to cook a little longer

Crispy Fried Cauliflower Wings

One thing that I miss as a vegetarian is fried chicken. Occasionally, I find myself craving fried chicken or just wanting some chicken tenders from Chic-Fil-A. So I knew that I needed to give fried cauliflower wings a try.

I will admit that creating this dish was a first for me. I wasn’t entirely sure where to begin to create cauliflower wings, so I pulled up a ton of Pinterest and Youtube recipes. But you guys know me…I’m lazy.

Most of the recipes I found had so many spices and different ingredients that I needed to add to my mixture, and it became discouraging. So I used what I had in my pantry and I must say, it turned out pretty well.

You’d be surprised to see that I didn’t use any flour as most other cauliflower wings recipe have called for. I would suggest adding flour to the ingredients if you plan to eat this on a second day. The flour gives it an extra crunch. If you choose to opt for using flour like myself, you can double up on the “dry” ingredients.

Crispy Fried Cauliflower Wings

These crispy fried cauliflower wings are a perfect substitute for your classic chicken wing.
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 45 mins | Total Time: 1 hr
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cauliflower, crispy fried cauliflower wings, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 cup Red Hot’s Sauce

Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F
2. Cut your head of cauliflower into small florets. Have a nonstick baking sheet ready to lay your cauliflower wings
3. In a small mixing bowl, add you salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and bread crumbs
4. In a separate bowl, add your hot sauce and olive oil
5. Begin dipping your cauliflower wings into the bowl of hot sauce, and then dip into your other bowl with dry ingredients
6. Repeat this step if you’d like a crispier taste
7. Line cauliflower wings onto the baking sheet flatly and add into the oven for 30-45 minutes. Flip cauliflower over halfway between

Notes
You can use frozen cauliflower florets as well but will need to thaw out first
You can use flour in addition to the breadcrumbs if you’d like a crispier taste

Zesty Pasta Salad

It’s Labor Day weekend and you know what that means…Cookouts!!

Whenever I get invited to a gathering, I like to have something to bring. There’s just something about coming over to a party empty handed that makes me feel guilty. Should I bring wine? Should I bring a dish? Should I bring dessert?

My go-to item to bring to any cookout or social gathering is my Zesty Pasta Salad.

Before becoming a vegetarian, I used to make this dish all the time including several meats. I would add pepperoni slices, shrimp, and diced ham. It was always a hit. Initially, I didn’t know how to spice up my pasta salad without meat. It took some experimenting, but I finally figured it out.

What I love the most about this pasta salad is that it’s so darn easy to make. The most work you’ll put into making this dish is dicing up your vegetables.

The Mrs. Dash seasoning gives this pasta salad that extra kick and flavor that meat used to give this dish. It has several spices included and is packed with lots of flavor.

I’ve seen several recipes use a variety of different salad dressings, but the Zesty Italian is by far my favorite. I love that garlic, lemon, and vinegar flavors. Give a try. This will surely be a hit at any cookout or social gathering for your Labor Day.

Zesty Pasta Salad

This Pasta Salad is the great dish to bring to your Labor Day celebration.
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 Mins | Total Time: 30 Min
Course: Side Dish | Cuisine: American
Keyword: Side Dish, Pasta, Salad, Pasta Salad, Zesty, Labor Day
Serving Size: 5 servings

Ingredients
12 oz Garden Rotini Noodles
16 fl oz Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
5 oz grape tomatoes
1 1/2 cucumbers
1/2 red onion
2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Original Blend Seasoning

Directions
1. In a pot of water of lightly salted water, bring noodles to a boil or until they are tender. Drain your noodles once completely cooked
2. Dice your cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions into small chunks
3. In a large bowl combine your noodles and vegetables together.
4. Add the Zesty Italian Salad Dressing until your desired taste or evenly coated
4. Sprinkle on top the Mrs. Dash Original Blend seasoning mix
5. Set salad in fridge to cool

Blackened Tofu Alfredo

Have I ever told you all that anything with pasta is my favorite? Well...anything with pasta is my favorite. Spaghetti, alfredo, lasagna...I can eat just about any noodle you name.

So of course, when I decided to become a vegetarian I HAD to figure out how to prepare my favorite pasta dish without my usual chicken breasts.

You can mix this recipe up with just about anything. You can use mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli or just anything to give it that extra texture besides noodles and sauce. But, since I've been on a tofu kick lately, I decided to try this dish with tofu.

Now, I wish I could say that I created my own alfredo sauce. But, if you've been following me you know that I'm no professional chef. There's a plethora of homemade recipes out there alfredo sauce, but this mama here needed a simpler approach.

And there you have it! A very simple dinner for those nights where you don't have a whole ton of time, but want something that will leave you satisfied.

Want to add some more green to this dish? Steam some broccoli or asparagus tips. There's no such thing as too much or too little with this dish.

Blackened Tofu Alfredo

Blackened Tofu Alfredo is an amazing meatless pasta dish featuring a spiced tofu.
Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Total Time: 1 hour
Course: Dinner, Entree | Cuisine: Italian, American
Keyword: Tofu, Pasta, Alfredo, Vegetarian
Servings: 5 servings

Ingredients
16 oz. fettuccine noodles
1 pack extra firm tofu
vegetable oil for coating pan
15 oz Bertolli Creamy Basil Alfredo Sauce
1 tsp of salt and pepper
1 tbsp of Garlic powder
Parsley to top off

Directions
1. Take your tofu and wrap in a cloth or paper towel. You can place a plate or pot on top to press the excess water. You will need to get as much moisture out of the tofu as possible. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes
2. Once moisture has been removed from the tofu, you can cut the tofu into little cubes. You can season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I go heavy on the pepper here.
3. Add tofu into a well coated pan. I used oil of my choice. Allow the tofu to cook on each side or until a crispy golden brown. Set aside when done.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your fettuccine noodles. Allow noodles to cook until soften.
5. Drain the water from your noodles.
6. In your pot, add the noodles and Bertolli Creamy Basil Alfredo Sauce. Allow for sauce to thicken and evenly coat the noodles.
7. Add tofu cubes over top. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy

Notes
If you'd like the tofu to be coated in the alfredo sauce, you can also mix in with your noodles and sauce
Add salt and pepper to your liking. I found that one teaspoon was enoug for me

Easy Chickpea Salad Sandwich

One of my favorite lunches to prepare is my version of a tuna salad sandwich. Instead of using tuna, I go with chickpeas. Now I won’t lie to you all. Chickpeas by no way resemble the texture or taste of tuna. But, it’s a damn good replacement and a great source of protein.

UPDATE: This recipe was originally posted on August 9, 2018. I have added some updates to the recipe 

I love pairing the sandwich with a pickle or even a handful of plain chips. The best part about this chickpea salad sandwich is that you can jazz it up with a bit of everything to your liking. There is no right or wrong way to making it. I personally try to make it as close to the traditional tuna salad as I can. I even like to add a bit of mustard on top for a bit of a tang.

And there you have it. I promise it’s quick, simple, delicious, and filling. If chickpeas don’t do it for you, I have seen some use Heart of Palm for a more tuna texture. Again, this recipe is so flexible that you can jazz it up depending on how you may be feeling for the day.

Easy Chickpea Salad Sandwich

This Chickpea Salad goes perfectly for your lunch on a sandwich
Prep Time: 5 mins | Total Time: 5 mins
Course: Lunch
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 can Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
1 tbsp Sweet Salad Cubes
1 tbsp Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Finely diced yellow onions
1 Small handful of spinach

Instructions
1. Open your canned chickpeas and drain
2. Using a food processor or a fork, smash your chickpeas until they become a mashed consistency. Try not to oversmash. Leave some chunks there
3. Add the smashed chickpeas into a bowl and throw in your mayonnaise, salad cubes, and onions
4. Stir everything together until everything is evenly mixed
5. Add to your sandwich!!

Notes
You can use raw chickpeas for this recipe, but you will need to soak them overnight prior to preparing