Now these are a tall stack that you won't feel guilty about! Who knew that a quick mix of oats, ripe bananas, and eggs would make a satisfying alternative to regular pancakes? These whole grain pancakes are naturally sweetened and flavored with ripe bananas, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. You can keep em simple, or add fruit or chocolate chips to the batter!
Frozen Yogurt Bark
I am soo excited for this week's recipe. Yogurt is one of my favorite snacks, and adding fresh, seasonal fruit and granola to it is simple and delicious. Nonfat plain yogurt is a great source of calcium, protein, and probiotics. Adding your own fruit cuts down on excess sugar that comes with fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt from the grocery store. I love using Driscolls's #FinestBerries and Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Seed Granola in mine :)
With summer heating up, Frozen Yogurt Bark is a fun alternative snack for your family. It takes minutes to put together, and once it's frozen, all you've gotta do is break up the yogurt into pieces of 'bark'! This recipe is a great activity for kids to get involved in the kitchen. I love its adaptability - Frozen Yogurt Bark can be made with any combination of fruit and granola, and can be doctored up with extras like chocolate, flax seeds, chia seeds, protein powder, maca powder...the options are endless. I love recipes that can hide nutrition boosters but still taste great!
Breakfast Yogurt Bowls
I like to start every morning with a bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit. It's a really satisfying way to get the day going. Yogurt has tons of health benefits, including a hefty dose of animal protein, calcium, vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium, and magnesium. Whenever you hear about yogurt, you hear about probiotics. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that are naturally present in the digestive system. Eating yogurt regularly helps to regulate the digestive system, and making yogurt bowls at home is a really great way to cut down on unnecessary sugar that can come with pre-made fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt cups. Plus, they're simple to make, since you can use whatever you've got at home! Use your favorite seasonal fruit and granola in a hurry, or add in fun twists like toasted coconut, chia seeds, maca powder, or other nutritional boosts. There's not much to this recipe - I'm here to give you some inspiration (and food porn!) Let's get eating!
Lemon Cream Stuffed French Toast
Mother's Day is just around the corner! For some reason, this holiday always makes me think of French Toast. Maybe it's because Mother's Day feels like one of those mornings you wake up to sneak to the kitchen and surprise Mom with breakfast in bed. Or going out to brunch with family - either way, French Toast is pretty to look at, simple to make, and delicious to eat. Check out my other French Toast recipes for Hot Chocolate French Toast, Pumpkin French Toast, and King's Hawaiian French Toast! :)
One of the most popular items on a brunch menu is often a Lemon Ricotta Stuffed French Toast. The idea of making this at home was intriguing to me - how hard could it be? Turns out, it's super simple and only takes 20 minutes. What I love about this recipe is that you can substitute ricotta for mascarpone or cream cheese like I did :) Adding fresh lemon zest and juice to the filling gives the perfect punch to this sweet breakfast. Top it off with your Mom's favorite fresh fruit and you'll be chalkin up all kinda Brownie points :) Let's get cookin!
Breakfast Tarts
I'm going to get this year started with a fun way to empty your fridge. The holidays may have left you with a bunch of leftovers that you don't know what to do with. Breakfast tarts are made from delicate puff pastry and are topped with whatever you like! I love classics like egg, prosciutto, spinach, and cheese; but these babies have infinite possibilities. Pesto, sundried tomatoes, leftover rotisserie chicken, smoked salmon, arugula, asparagus, even good ole ham and cheese.
Hot Chocolate French Toast
The smell of hot chocolate is so comforting to me. It reminds me of my childhood. When it comes to breakfast, my family has always been about waffles. What is it about wanting what you don't have, even when it comes to something as simple as breakfast? :) As a kid I always craved French Toast. I imagined the crisp edges and custardy center...while munching on waffles. Now as an adult, I eat French Toast when ever possible ;) Check out my recipes for King's Hawaiian French Toast and Pumpkin Spice French Toast as evidence! For Christmas breakfast, I thought, why not combine these two fantastic flavors? Soaking eggy brioche in a custard mixture spiked with hot chocolate mix is as decadent as you can get. Hot Chocolate French Toast is perfect for the holidays. Let's get cookin :)
Pumpkin French Toast
#PSL... not Pumpkin Spice Latte, but Pumpkin Spice Life. Are you about it? I personally don't drink coffee but tend to get a kick out of how the food industry rolls out countless Fall twists on our favorite foods; simply by making a Pumpkin Spice version. I decided to give in a little this year, and experiment with pumpkin! I love Pumpkin Pie... the ginormous $5 Pumpkin Pie from Costco is one of my favorite things about the holidays. Adding pumpkin puree and a few spices to a classic French Toast recipe is an easy way to get in the holiday spirit. I love the twist on simple French Toast. The spices are so warming and cozy, and the pumpkin flavor compliments the custard so well! Let's get cookin :)
Dutch Babies
Food firsts are so memorable. You remember the excitement over trying something new, the first bite, who you were with, and how delicious this new dish was. Whoa. Was that too serious? Is it just me? Well, if it is, I’m totally ok with that because that’s exactly how I feel. There’s something about trying something new that is so special.
While visiting my God Father in Palm Springs, I had my first German Pancake at Elmer’s. It was love at first bite, as cliche as that sounds. I had never had anything like it - slightly crisp and puffy on the edges, soft, warm and almost custardy in the middle. And how could a pancake be so light? It was unbelievable to me. What was even more shocking was how the fluffy batter was perfectly paired with a little butter and squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Leftover Corned Beef Hash & Eggs
I don’t know about you, but I have a TON of corned beef in my fridge. Maybe that’s because I cooked 3 slabs of corned beef last week, but let’s not focus on that :P Naturally, I’m looking for different ways to eat all my leftovers. One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to Seal Rock Inn in SF on the weekends with my cousins. I’d always order Corned Beef Hash & Eggs, and it always came in the cutest little skillet. It made me feel like a grown up :)
There’s something so comforting and delicious about corned beef hash and eggs - the combination of crisp potatoes, salty corned beef, and perfectly runny eggs is just too good. Last week I had an inquiry about canned corned beef, and I am totally the first one to say that I love canned corned beef. It’s what we all grew up on, and let’s face it, not everyone is trying to cook some brisket for 2 ½ hours just so they can have some leftovers to eat with eggs. What I love about this recipe is you can substitute the leftover corned beef with canned corned beef and it’ll all work out the same. This is the perfect hearty meal that isn’t just restricted to breakfast time :) Let’s get cookin!
Simple King's Hawaiian French Toast for Two
King’s Hawaiian Rolls make everything better, and the fact that King’s Hawaiian makes a giant round loaf is sheer genius. The sweetness of the Hawaiian bread is perfect for French Toast. In the past I’ve been frustrated by recipes that yield 4-6 servings of French Toast - not everyone is trying to feed a family or have a ton of French Toast sitting around. Sometimes you just want to make a little batch to satisfy your cravings. This recipe is perfect for one or two people to indulge in some delicious breakfast in bed.