Everything-but-the-flour Cookies

I am always on the lookout for meal cookies. You know, the ones that don't have added sugar and have lots of healthy ingredients so they can be eaten for breakfast on those mornings when your alarm clock goes on strike and you wake up 3 minutes before the school bus shows up. Or they can tide your kids over when they are starving and dinner isn't quite ready yet. Or they can keep you going on those days when you're so busy you forget to eat. 

So I was super excited when I came across this recipe over at My Whole Food Life. A few tweaks later and we were in cookie heaven. The base of the cookie itself is soft and chewy, with bits of sweetness from the raisins and chocolate chips. Healthy and satisfying, these cookies are a win-win! 

Garlic Knots

I love garlic knots. You know, those chewy little bits of pizza dough tied up all perfect with garlic and butter in every little nook and cranny. They taste so good, but I hate the price. Around here, the pizza shops charge $3.95 for 4 of them. That's crazy! For some dough that costs them like 2 cents to make with some garlic and butter thrown on top?? No, no no, it's definitely time to make my own.

Oatmeal Almond Fruit Bars

I recently went to Trader Joe's for the first time. Among a million other cool things, I picked up a jar of Organic Super Fruit spread. It was hiding in a row of cute little jars on the very bottom shelf under the specialty peanut butters and I just had to have it. We brought it home and tried a tiny bit straight out of the jar to see how it tastes. While it was really, really good, it seemed a little too sophisticated for plain old peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, so it sat on the counter while I waited for my muse. Then I remembered we used to eat a lot of toaster pastries and breakfast fruit bars. I thought this might be just the thing I needed to create a homemade version that was versatile enough for breakfast or dessert. OMGosh - where have these been all my life??

Magic Double Berry Coconut Cobbler

I have been craving something fruity and summery lately. I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted, but I knew I'd know it when I saw it. Then I went to the grocery store and they had the most beautiful blackberries. Now I don't buy blackberries very often because I rarely see them for less than $5 for a tiny 6 oz. container, but they were on sale for two bucks! I got two of them and some strawberries and I knew a cobbler was in our future. To really up the ante on my summer craving, I used coconut oil instead of butter. It added such a nice touch to the sweet berries and the crispy topping. It was the perfect thing to tide me over these last few days of winter.

Chocolate Pumpkin Mini Muffins

We love my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, but they are a little too big to fit in K's bento-style lunch box. Besides, him and dairy aren't getting along at the moment so that means the chocolate chips were a no-go. I reworked the recipe to make smaller muffins that skip the chips. They worked out beautifully and he can have them whenever he wants - breakfast, lunch, after school, or as a bedtime snack. The cocoa makes them decadent, the pumpkin makes them moist, and the oats make them a "healthier" option. You (and your kids) are going to love them!

Hint of Strawberry Scones

When I lived in Utah, there was this awesome little restaurant called Sconecutters. They served everything from sandwiches to fried shrimp platters, but they were most known for their scones. It was kind of like a west coast version of Dunkin Donuts, serving combo meals like two scones and a coffee. They were open 24/7, they had a drive-thru window, and I simply couldn't get enough of them. What's a scone, you might ask? Well, if you've never had one before, they are this crazy cross between a biscuit and a sugar cookie. Not too sweet, dense but flaky at the same time, and completely addictive.

Fresh Hamburger Buns

I got a bread machine for my birthday a few months ago. I figured I'd pull it out once or twice a month and make some bread. Boy, was I wrong. I use this thing at least twice a week. White bread, wheat bread, half-and-half bread, breadsticks, rolls, buns, Italian loaves; I make it all. We actually stopped buying bread from the store over a month ago.

There is just something so amazing about taking some flour and water and yeast and turning it into bread. If you don't have one, I highly suggest you try to get your hands on one. And when you do, come right back here and make these hamburger buns.

Apple and Pear Crisp

There is usually a ton of fruit in our house - fresh, frozen, and canned. If nothing else, we always have lots of fresh apples and pears on hand. I even had to get a second fruit basket just for them. Because we eat so much of them, I am always trying to come up with special ways to use them up. An alternative to a labor-intensive pie, I love this crisp. It comes together quickly, it's not overly sweet, and it tastes just as good right out of the oven as it does cold the next morning.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

The first year I had my big garden, I planted a lot of zucchini. Apparently, you only need one plant per person in your family. No one told me. We had three people; I planted eight zucchini. Eight! We had SO much zucchini that year - I was giving it away daily and still had 10 on my counter at all times. I learned how to make a lot of zucchini recipes that summer. But I sure wish I knew this one back then.

Nutty Breakfast Cookies

Isn't it every kid's dream to have cookies for breakfast?

Isn't it every mom's dream to have kids who don't fight about what you serve them and actually finish their morning meal before the bus comes?

Well, have no fear, Foodie Mama is here! Healthy enough to make you happy, cookie enough to make them happy. Serve these. Tomorrow. And you could be, like, "the best mom EVR"!

Cinnamon Vanilla Biscotti

To me, biscotti has always been a fancy treat, a special kind of cookie best left to the pros. I would have never considered making it from scratch back in the day. But it was on my 2013 bucket list, so I did it. It was so easy, I laughed at myself for avoiding it for all those years. It uses ingredients I'll bet you already have in your pantry, so there's no excuse for paying for overpriced, rock-hard cookies from the store.

Meringue Cookies

I did it! I did it! Seven batches and dozens and dozens of cookies later, I finally got these to turn out exactly the way I wanted them to. The funny thing is I avoided making them forever because I was terrified of messing them up, but they are actually really easy. The hardest part is waiting for them to "cook" or dry out.

Black Bean Cocoa Bars

Stop! Don't run away! I know what you're thinking - black beans? In my brownies?! Really? Is this chick crazy?? You're just going to have to trust me on this one. Take a deep breath. It's going to be ok, I promise.

Easy Perfect Apple Pie

As promised, I have another apple recipe for you. This one is super easy and makes the house smell so good, you're going to love it.

Andrew is an apple pie snob and only loves his mother's apple pie, but he officially declared this one the best he has ever had. And no, he isn't just saying that. He's completely honest about my food, too honest sometimes, and will be the first to tell me if I make something terrible. Thank him - he has saved you from some of my worst cooking disasters.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls


When I made the breadsticks for the red lentil soup, I had some dough leftover that wouldn't fit on the pan. I didn't want to just throw it away, so I made some quick cinnamon rolls with it. These are not those fluffy cinnamon rolls you get from the mall, but they were a decent little dessert after our very savory french dinner.

Banana Nut Bread Muffins (aka The 3 Banana Tragedy)




This recipe was born the same way most banana recipes are born in my kitchen - by three bananas that were ready to kick the bucket. I'm not sure why, but no matter how many (or few!) bananas I buy, there always ends up being three left on my counter.

Every. Single. Time.



Flourless Banana Cookies




Every year for Christmas, I bake cookies for my family. They each get their own little tin filled with several varieties. Some classics, some new and different. This year, one of my sisters asked me for a banana cookie.

Apple Spice Cake - 3 Ingredients!

If I could eat birthday cake every day, I would. I can't get enough of the stuff. But buying and/or making birthday cake when there is no birthday starts to seem a bit odd after a while.

Family and friends stop by and say things like, "Whose birthday is it?"

Then I say, "Nobody's..."

This is usually followed by awkward silence at the realization by all parties that I am eating a sugar-packed calorie-laden once-a-year treat on a Tuesday afternoon for no apparent reason whatsoever.

3 Ways with Angel Food Cake

I love cake.

I love a bargain.

I love recipes that require 4 or fewer ingredients.

This post combines them all, making me one very happy mama.

Peanut Butter Kisses

These have always been one of my favorite cookies, but I have never made them before. So when I finally ran across the recipe in the Walgreen's circular the other day, I was shocked at how easy they are. Four ingredients and you're in chocolate peanut butter heaven.