Tag: healthy

Big Little Bites > healthy

Best Eye Makeup Remover

Posted on by biglittlebites

I scrub my face almost every night, with one of my favorite exfoliators, and while I get super-smooth, clean skin, it doesn’t take care of getting the  eye makeup off.  If you’re wearing eyeliner, eyeshadow and/or mascara, you need something that’s going to break down those makeup particles without irritating your eyes.

What if I told you, the perfect eye makeup remover may already be in your kitchen? If you’re like me, you already have a stash of coconut oil for frying up eggs, cooking popcorn on the stove, coating veggies to roast, using as an oil rub on pans before baking, inside of baking recipes… the list goes on! I’m sure you’ve heard by now, all of the touted benefits to using coconut oil on your skin and hair – but have you tried it to remove that stubborn eye makeup? Coconut oil has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, is moisturizing and contains vitamin E which protects the skin from sun damage and the fatty acids in the oil help break down waxy makeup. Coconut oil is safe to use on the delicate skin around your eyes – simply use a cotton ball or your fingertips, to gently swipe over eye makeup, being careful not to tug on your skin. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser afterwards and follow with your favorite moisturizer.

I don’t love coconut oil as a daily skin moisturizer because it is comedogenic and can clog the pores on your face over time, but have no issues with it around the eye area. I have a couple of favorite facial oils I can’t wait to tell you about in a future Monday Must, so stay tuned!

How to Buy:

Always look for a coconut oil that is raw, unrefined, extra-virgin and preferably organic. Unrefined, means it is the least processed and that all of the nutrients (including those important fatty acids, polyphenols and phytonutrients) are still in tact.

This is one of my favorite, trusted brands:

 

 


Vegan Lentil Taco Skillet

Posted on by biglittlebites

You know how we all kind of have our own one-trick, easy dinner that gets us through a busy day with our bellies full? I think there’s zero doubt in my house, that taco nights are my go-to! 

My favorite reasons? The seemingly never-ending variety of main ingredients to put into tortillas, and the simple flavor additions that I always keep on hand! For main ingredients, I love to use up any leftover or extra vegetables I have in the refrigerator with sprouted lentils, black beans or garbanzo beans. Sprouting legumes ahead of time, keeps the Vegan Lentil Taco recipe under a half of an hour in cooking time! Using plant protein over animal protein, also keeps cooking time for the taco skillet minimal, and means you don’t need to worry about whether you have fresh or defrosted chicken or meat on hand. Using fresh ingredients, vegetables, sprouted corn tortillas and whole food sourced plant protein you can easily make taco night a healthy and nutritious family meal!  * When you click on my favorite product links, I may earn a tiny commission from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Big Little Bites blog*

Here’s what I always keep stocked for impromptu taco nights:

  • Chili lime seasoning blend
  • Smoked paprika
  • Cumin
  • Avocados
  • Fresh limes
  • Tomato paste
  • Garlic
  • Red onion
  • Cilantro
  • Sprouted corn tortillas

skillet with lentils lime cilantro and red sauce

Within 30 minutes, I easily throw together this Vegan Lentil Taco Skillet with what I already have on hand or with a quick grocery run! I always sprout legumes in bulk, to freeze, which makes it super easy to add them to the Vegan Lentil Taco Skillet, but you could also use fresh lentils. 

 

Another fun thing about a Vegan Lentil Taco Skillet is that it can feel fancy for weeknight dinners and casual for the weekend. I absolutely love adding leftovers to eggs the next morning, for a savory breakfast or using it up for lunchbox tacos on a school night. Either way, this easy recipe yields tons of flavor that tastes like you’ve been cooking up a storm! Hope you love it as much as we do!

 

skillet with lentils lime cilantro and red sauce
Print Recipe

Vegan Lentil Taco Skillet

Lentil Taco Skillet is delicious served in tortillas, over rice in a bowl or cooked into scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp chili lime seasoning I buy a blend from Trader Joes
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste I buy it in glass jars, to avoid metal and plastic contaminents
  • 1/4 c water
  • 1.5 c sprouted brown lentils pre-cooked, unsprouted will work too!
  • juice of 1 lime
  • handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

  • Heat a cast iron skillet on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
  • Add olive oil and onions, cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Once the onions have begun to brown (please don't burn them), turn the heat to low, add in the minced garlic and stir for 1 minute more.
  • Stir in seasonings, tomato paste, water and lentils. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
  • Remove the skillet from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro.

Butternut Squash Soup

Posted on by biglittlebites

I absolutely love a good butternut squash soup this time of year and I find myself stocking up on squash like I imagine our ancestors may have prepared for the long winters prior to the introduction of grocery stores!

There’s just one problem I have with traditional butternut squash soup – it never seems to fill me up enough to feel like a meal! Admittedly, I have a huge appetite… anyone that knows me, knows I could I’m always hungry no matter how much I eat! Fortunately or unfortunately, our children have inherited this same salacious appetite and never seem to be satisfied. I need soups with staying power! Soup that gives me all the warm and cozy feelings, but doesn’t leave me feeling hungry an hour later. Butternut squash soup can be an easy meatless and plant-based meal, even once my secret high-protein ingredient is added to it!

Butternut squash on its own is so nutritious, being that it’s extremely high in vitamin A, vitamin C and antioxidants. Naturally creamy when roasted, butternut squash makes a perfect thick and hearty base for soup, without needing to add cream or milk. What butternut squash doesn’t have a lot of, is protein. This is where my secret ingredient comes in!

How to Add Protein to Butternut Squash Soup

I had been trying to consume more protein, to put on weight after I finished nursing the youngest of my three girls. Every time I nursed a child, I would end up under my normal weight even though I was consuming more calories than I normally do. We now have four children including a one year old (it’s a boy!) whom I still nurse exclusively, so I need to work harder at getting more protein in my diet. The idea was sparked to increase the protein in butternut squash soup, by adding red lentils.

Lentils are a super lean, plant form of protein, and women should get around 40 grams of protein a day – which I guarantee most of us aren’t getting!

The addition of lentils, makes this soup a fiber AND protein-rich, grain-free, nutritious meal that will carry you over to your next meal of the day! Choosing red lentils over brown lentils, ensures they blend in seamlessly with the color of the butternut squash and are virtually invisible. 

How to Make Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

Sautéing a little onion and garlic with nutmeg, gives the butternut squash soup all the Fall feels and creates the delicious flavor base. I love that this soup can be made in one big pot from start to finish.

Once the onion becomes tender and the garlic fragrant, add some maple syrup to round out the sweetness in the squash with a caramel-like finish. I add the lentils, squash and liquid all at the same time, heat it up to a boil and reduce it to a simmer to meld the flavors. 

When the soup is finished cooking, an immersion blender makes it easy to puree right in the pot and achieve the silky, smooth, naturally creamy finish that butternut squash soup always has. 

Just prior to serving, crack some black pepper over top and sprinkle on pepitas of choice. I love sprouted pumpkin seeds, which are easy to digest and even more nutritious than conventional. If you’re serving kids, try allowing them to dress up their soup themselves! This little trick always makes my littles more curious to give their meal a taste! 

butternut squash soup in a white bowl with pumpkin seeds being sprinkled on
a pot of butternut squash soup on a wood table with a bowl of soup
creamy non-dairy butternut squash soup in a white bowl and pumpkin seeds on top
Print Recipe

Butternut Squash Soup

Not your run-of-the-mill butternut squash soup! This savory and sweet soup packs protein to make it a well-rounded meal suitable for dinner.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lentil soup, red lentils, vegan, vegetarian, soup recipe, meatless, nondairy, vegan
Servings: 6

Equipment

  • Immersion blender

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/4 large onion (or 1/2 a small)
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 c red lentils
  • 5 c water or broth of choice
  • freshly cracked pepper to taste
  • pepitas for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Cut the stem end off of the butternut squash, stand it up on on the cut end, and slice down the middle of the squash to split it in half. Scoop out the seeds, brush the tops of the squash with 1 tbsp olive oil and place faceup into a rimmed sheet pan with an inch of water in it. Place the pan into the oven and allow to cook for 45 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the tops with a fork.
  • In a Dutch oven or stock pot, add the remaining olive oil and heat on medium. Add minced onion and cook until translucent and starting to brown.
  • While your onions are cooking, scoop the flesh from your butternut halves. Add garlic, nutmeg, salt, maple syrup, butternut squash and lentils to the pot with 5 c of water or chicken broth. Bring it all to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer for 20 minutes until lentils are cooked.
  • Add more water as necessary - the soup should be thick, but also “soupy!” Turn off heat and purée with an immersion blender or allow it to cool and add in batches to a food processor.
  • Sprinkle the soup with plenty of freshly cracked pepper and pepitas to serve!

 

 

Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!

Posted on by biglittlebites

When colds are being passed around the house, nothing heals quite like a steaming, hot bowl of mom’s homemade chicken noodle soup!! With fresh, whole food ingredients and a generous amount of egg noodles – the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of this soup will have you well on your way to never wanting to buy pre-made chicken noodle soup again!

We use stock instead of broth, because it is made from the bones, has more healing properties and has a richer flavor profile.

 

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)

1/2 organic, yellow onion

3 organic, large carrots

2 organic stalks of celery

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 pkg organic chicken thighs

3 boxes of organic chicken stock

4 sprigs of organic thyme

1/4 bunch of organic flat-leaf (or Italian) parsley, chopped

3-4 c organic egg noodles

 

Directions:

Rinse your veggies, but don’t bother peeling those carrots – you’ll miss out on nutrients! Mince up the onion and dice the carrots and celery -making a mirepoix. Add your evoo to the bottom of a Dutch oven pot and heat on low-medium. Add the onion and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the minced carrot and celery. Once all of your veggies are starting to soften, add the minced garlic and simmer another minute. Trim the fat from the chicken thighs and lay them atop the simmering veggies, adding all of the stock on top of that. Add in your sprigs of thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes is up, remove your chicken to a cutting board and remove the sprigs of time (it’s ok if some of the leaves stay in the pot – yum!) Add the egg noodles into the pot and continue to simmer another five minutes, while you cut up the chicken into small pieces. Add the chicken back into the pot with the chopped parsley, turn off the flame and cover with the lid for another five minutes. Now you are ready to serve it!

Rich People Chicken

Posted on by biglittlebites

My grandparents were from Provence, so the combination of lavender and thyme is no stranger to me and has always been a favorite in the kitchen. It wasn’t until more recent years, when a friend used it on dark meat chicken in conjunction with honey, and my mind was blown. There’s just something about bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, that work so well with this flavor combo!

Lavender Thyme Chicken smells so good when it’s roasting, your mouth will be watering. Affectionately referred to as “rich people chicken,” it looks even more beautiful than it smells… and you’ll see what I mean, when you feast your eyes on the golden, crispy crust that forms. 

So why and how did lavender thyme chicken become “Rich People Chicken?” It all started when I attended an annual Blogger Brunch here in Atlanta, hosted by my friend Meghan at Donut Worry Be Healthy. I met some amazing new blogger friends that also love to eat (imagine that!) and we were sitting around, each sharing one recipe that we’d love for each other to try making. I started talking about my Lavender Thyme Chicken: “it’s SO good, and looks so delicious on a platter… wait until your dinner guests smell how amazing it is…. they’ll think you spent hours making it… it’s really super easy and is just SO yummy… it’s with lavender, and sounds and smells really fancy…” To which one friend responded jokingly, “oh, so people will think you’re rich if you make it for them?” YES. It’s rich people chicken! You’re super fancy if you make this. Just saying.

How to Make Easy Lavender Thyme Chicken

Stock up on these ingredients and stash them in your pantry! Lavender Thyme Chicken is such an easy, delicious and savory recipe, you’ll want to make it again. I buy dried, culinary-grade lavender buds here, or from a gourmet grocer (like Whole Foods) in the bulk herbs and spices section. Fresh thyme works well (double up the quantity) but for ease, I stick with dried thyme most of the time. 

I love that this Lavender Thyme Chicken recipe works great with any bone-in chicken. Whether it be bone-in thighs, drumsticks, breasts or the whole shebang – start by trimming any fat and seasoning both sides with salt and pepper. I prefer bone-in to boneless because it yields more flavor and is less prone to drying out during cooking. I love prepping poultry on this butcher tray (pictured below) and has a rim to catch any drippings. The butcher tray also fits perfectly onto a fridge shelf and I also use it to defrost meats or chicken, because the lip catches any packaging leaks as it thaws, preventing contamination in my fridge.

* When you click on my favorite product links, I earn a tiny commission from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you*

raw chicken thighs and legs on a butcher tray

If you’re hosting a dinner party, go ahead and prep the lavender, thyme, honey, lemon and oil mixture the day before. Baste the chicken in the marinade, wrap it well and let it marinate overnight in the fridge. The next day, simply transfer the pieces to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and drizzle any juices from the butcher tray, on top. Don’t cook the chicken on the butcher tray! Drizzle the Lavender Thyme Chicken with more olive oil and honey before placing it in the preheated oven, to ensure that crispy, golden crusted skin.

If you’re just throwing together a quick family dinner, it’ll be just fine to make it all the same day! Marinating overnight just allows the maximum flavor to develop.

herb crusted lavender thyme bone in chicken thighs and drumsticks on a butcher tray

I am very conscious of trying to never char our food and I hope you will be too. I know in America, we have this whole thing about blackened grill marks, and extra-crispy food – but guess what? Those black marks? They’re literally chemicals forming, that are carcinogenic! I don’t want you to feed that to yourself, or your littles – so please keep an eye on your food and recognize the exact point to give it a flip, a baste or lower the temperature so you get the perfect bronzed dish, without the char!

herb crusted chicken thighs and drumsticks on a plate

roasted lavender thyme bone-in chicken thighs on a plate
Print Recipe

Lavender Thyme Chicken

Affectionately reffered to by friends, as "rich people chicken," this dish will make you feel and look fancy. Minimal effort. It's a promise.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, drumsticks, breasts or a whole chicken (butterflied)
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 3 tbsp dried lavender buds
  • salt + pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees farenheit.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil and honey, whisking with a fork briefly.
  • Add dried thyme. Working in small batches, roll lavender buds between your fingers to crush them as you add them to the mix. Stir well and let the flavors meld while you trim any fat from the chicken.
  • Arrange the chicken flat in a storage container or bag if you're marinating overnight. If you're cooking that day, arrange the chicken side by side on the baking sheet. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken pieces, and using a basting brush, apply the marinade all over. If it's a roasting chicken, get your fingers up under the skin to loosen it, so you can apply the mixture as a rub underneath (the skin).
  • Prior to roasting, drizzle additional olive oil and a little more honey, all over the top of the chicken.
  • If roasting a whole chicken, stuff the cavity with one lemon cut into quarters and a couple of garlic cloves. Roast for 45-60 minutes.
  • If roasting chicken drumsticks, cook for 45 minutes.
  • If roasting thighs, cook for 30 minutes.
  • If roasting breasts, cook for 40 minutes.
  • * Always check to ensure chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees *

Vegan Banh Mi Pockets

Posted on by biglittlebites

I had a Banh Mi sandwich once at a Vietnamese restaurant.

Seriously – that’s it! That’s all it took ?? The flavor is indescribable, tangy and fresh, I was in love at first bite! Now I’ve created my own plant-based banh mi, that is SUPER delish and hits the spot on any warm day!! This sweet and spicy vegan banh mi sandwich hits all the right notes and can be thrown together in a pinch, or prepped the day before. Feel free to substitute lettuce wraps for the pita pockets – you could serve these taco-style or wrap-style!

We always make sure to use organic ingredients when possible (to avoid toxins), and especially pay close attention to looking for non-GMO soy products like tamari and tempeh. Why? Soy is one of the top genetically modified foods in the USA and a 2 year study of lab rats fed genetically modified corn, developed aggressive tumors and died early. These reactions were observed in rats exposed to Monsantos herbicide at “safe levels” per regulators standards. One of the active ingredients in the herbicide was also deemed to be possibly carcinogenic by the World Health Organization. That’s reason enough for us to avoid GMO’s!

Tempeh Time

When I open a package of a tempeh, I cut the whole loaf in half and put it in a small pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, to remove any bitter taste.  Afterwards, I transfer it to a cutting board to cool, and then thinly slice it. Similar to tofu, tempeh absorbs flavor from marinade well, so I try to marinate at least 20 minutes to a day before I’m using it. I combine the tamari, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic in a flat, glass, rectangle shaped tupperware and let rest while I’m working on the vegetables in this recipe.Tempeh is a less processed form of tofu – it’s fermented soy, and is really more nutritious than it’s sister tofu. I stopped using tofu years ago, since I try to avoid processed foods as much as possible and I like the higher nutritional value found in tempeh.

thin sliced tempeh in a glass dish

sliced tempeh cooking in a skillet

Veggie Prep

I wash all of my veggies first, and then thinly slice them, skin on, with a mandolin. I toss them into a medium sized mixing bowl, as I’m going, because that’s a great place to marinate them too. Simply pour the marinade on top and give a quick stir every few minutes while you start the rest of the meal.

raw sliced veggies in a stainless steel mixing bowl

When you’re ready to cook the tempeh, make sure to baste it in a little bit of the spicy sauce prior to adding it to the heat – it adds so much more flavor. When you’re ready to serve these babies, go ahead and coat the inside of your pita with this spicy sauce also – your vegan banh mi will have some kick! To make the spicy sauce, you combine veganaise and sriracha. Follow your Heart grapeseed oil veganaise is my favorite because it’s made with grapeseed oil, which has some health benefits and has cleaner ingredients than other veganaise varieties I’ve seen out there. Now you could use standard sriracha, but if you compare the ingredients to Wildbrine smokey jalapeño sriracha, you will see why I always choose the latter! Plus, the tangy, spicy, smokey flavor is just second to none, AND it has probiotics in it!!

pita bread stuffed with vegetables and tempeh with a lime wedge on a plate

pita bread sandwiches stuffed with vegetables and tempeh on a plate with a lime wedge

Vegan Banh Mi Pockets

Ingredients:

Tempeh:

Tempeh, boiled for 10 minutes and sliced thin

1/4 c tamari

1/4 c rice vinegar

1/2 tsp minced ginger

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Quick-Pickled Vegetables 

3 radishes (I like using  2 red, and 1 black, for contrasting color), 1 carrot, 1/2 English cucumber and 1 shallot all thinly sliced with a mandolin

1/4 c rice vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

Spicy Sauce

1/4 c veganaise, 3 tbsp sriracha, mixed together

Extras

Pita pockets, small

Lime wedges

Cilantro

Black sesame seeds

Directions:

Marinate sliced tempeh in soy, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic while prepping the vegetables for pickling.

Marinate vegetables in a bowl with rice vinegar, salt and sugar for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix your veganaise and Sriracha.

Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Remove tempeh from its marinade and brush on a thin layer of spicy sauce. Place tempeh slices side by side into a hot skillet and let sit for 3 minutes, then turn off heat.

Toss pickled vegetables with black sesame seeds.

Brush spicy sauce along inside of pita pocket, then stuff with pickled vegetables, and a few slices of tempeh. Garnish with a drizzle of spicy sauce, a squeeze of fresh lime and cilantro. Enjoy!

Ultimate Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Posted on by biglittlebites

Eating healthy, doesn’t mean you can’t indulge. In fact, I indulge my major addiction to dark chocolate often! Ultimate Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes are the most delicious, indulgent and yet clean ingredient weekend breakfast. The whole family will love this healthy take on pancakes so much, that you’ll have everyone convinced it’s dessert for breakfast. You’ll relish in knowing your loved ones are eating nutritious, healthy and wholesome ingredients! So what sets Ultimate Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes apart from traditional cakes?

Ultimate Guide to Making Healthy Pancakes:

“Healthy” should go hand in hand with nourishing. Let go of the idea of counting calories, choosing low-fat, cutting salt, etc… because if you’re choosing real, nourishing foods and balancing what you eat throughout the day then you are living your best, healthy life! I’m going to show you exactly how I clean up the ingredient list for traditional pancakes while maintaining delicious flavor. Swapping and including certain ingredients boosts the fiber, protein and nutrient content in pancakes, while choosing quality ingredients minimizes exposure to toxins. 

Skip Refined Flour.

Standard pancake ingredients include processed all-purpose flour. Why is that a problem? 

Unfortunately, todays flour is a highly refined substance that goes through a LOT of processing. The end result is a product completely stripped of any nutritional value (barely any vitamins or minerals) and what you’re left with is starchy carbohydrates. This nutritionally void refined flour is treated like sugar by your body and thereby contributes to weight gain. Processed flour raises blood sugar and insulin levels and also causes inflammation in the body. Refined flours can include all-purpose flour, unbleached flour, enriched flour, white flour, multigrain flour and stone ground flour. 

Perhaps this doesn’t sound like a big deal to you, maybe you’re not cooking with flour very often and assume your exposure is limited? Consider how many popular foods in the American diet your family may be consuming regularly, made with refined flour: breads, cereal, pasta, crackers, cookies, cakes and other snack foods.

What Kind of Flour is Healthy?

Flour that has the entire grain left intact, is the best choice for making healthy pancakes. Examples of whole grain flour include sprouted whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour (not to be confused with wheat flour), oat flour, brown rice flour or flour you mill yourself at home. You think I’m kidding, but I recently purchased this highly rated home mill, and feel like a modern day pioneer making fresh milled flour on demand! 

Sprouted flour is my preferred store-bought, nutritious flour substitute for healthy pancakes. As opposed to whole wheat flour, sprouted grain flour has no bitter taste and won’t make your food taste different. Cooking with sprouted grain flour produces a light texture, the same as if you’d used refined flour. The best benefit to making healthy pancakes with sprouted flour is that you’re essentially making pancakes out of vegetables instead of starch. Let me explain why!

First, it’s important to know that sprouted grain flour is made from the whole grain, with bran intact, so you are benefitting from vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals found in the complete whole grain.

Second, sprouting actually transforms the grain through germination into a living plant. When grains are sprouted, the nutrients, vitamins, minerals and amino acids are enhanced, the starchy complex carbs are converted to simple sugars which won’t get stored as body fat and are easily broken down by the body and good bacteria is cultivated. Sprouted grain flour is easy to digest, because your body is essentially digesting vegetables.

I love One Degree Organics Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour or One Degree Organics Sprouted Spelt Flour because they sprout pure, non-hybridized whole grains that are free of harmful pesticides and residues. It’s important to remember that just because a product is advertised as sprouted, doesn’t mean it’s 100% what you’re buying. The product could actually only have a little bit of sprouted grain in it, which is why it’s essential to research brands and choose one you trust. 

When cooking with sprouted grain flour, substitute 1:1 for refined flour. 

Skip Refined Sugar.

The word “pancakes” denotes a sweet breakfast treat. Does it get any sweeter than white sugar and syrup? I promise you, there’s a healthier way to make them, and they’ll be just as sweet! 

Ultimate Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes get a sweet substitute with mashed ripe bananas in the batter versus refined sugar, which also keeps the pancakes moist and aids in replacing the eggs we won’t be using.

I also highly recommend tossing out the table syrup in favor of real maple syrup straight from natures maple trees. If you’ve never tasted the difference, I promise you – it’s worth the extra cost and you’ll never look back. Aunt Jemima, Mrs. Butterworth and other table syrups, are highly processed products made from a mixture of corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. Table syrup also contains chemicals, preservatives and fake flavoring while maple syrup just has one ingredient: maple syrup.

Nowadays, we hear a lot about what high fructose syrup does to our bodies. If you’re unsure, a quick Google search about why it’s bad for you, will yield plenty of information. The best part is, the more robust and rich flavor that simply can’t be imitated. Yes, maple syrup costs more than its cheaper imitation. It takes up to 50 gallons of sap from the maple tree, to make one gallon of maple syrup – it’s labor intensive and more difficult to produce. The cost is well worth it, my friends! Please remember to store your maple syrup in the fridge as it’s not preserved like fake syrup. I love the rich, caramel taste of pure, real maple syrup, and the bourbon or vanilla infused maple syrups. I have linked my favorites right here for you: 

Ultimate Guide to Making Vegan, Egg-Free and Dairy-Free Pancakes:

Traditionally, pancakes are also made with eggs, milk and butter, making them a no-go for vegans or those with food allergies.

Ultimate Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes can easily be made with animal fats in place of the plant-based fats. I’m not vegan, but Americans typically consume way more animal foods than plant-based foods, and it’s healthy and nutritious to create balance. I love choosing plant-based fats in my pancake recipe because there is no noticeable difference in taste or texture! Your hungry pancake connoisseurs won’t even notice the pancakes are plant-based. These pancakes are healthy, made with clean ingredients and are the very best vegan pancake recipe there is – but I’d also venture to say the very best pancake recipe in general! 

Below, are the plant-based dietary substitutions I make for Ultimate Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes:

Dairy-Free: use unsweetened plant-based yogurt like this, or plant-based milk, in place of animal-milk yogurt. Coconut oil makes a perfect substitution for butter, and don’t make the pancakes taste like coconut. Finally, choose chocolate chips that are not made with milk or milk-fat. 

Egg-Free: sub 2 flax seed eggs for chicken eggs. Making flax eggs is simple! To make 2 flax eggs for Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Chip Pancakes: combine 2 tbsp of ground flax seed with 6 tbsp water and let sit for 10 min before using in the recipe.

Vegan: make the dairy and egg substitutions. 

1/4 cup of banana chocolate chip pancake batter scoop

I heat the griddle to about 325-350 degrees, and grease it with a little additional coconut oil immediately before adding the batter. I use a 1/4 cup measurement of batter to create evenly sized pancakes. Once I pour the batter onto the hot griddle, I use the bottom of the cup to gently spread the batter out into a circle shape. The batter will be thick, and that ensures a beautiful, fluffy cake!

Let the pancake batter cook on the first side for a few minutes, or until you see bubbles emerge in the top. Bubbles are a great indication that it’s time to flip! The pancakes should be golden brown on the reverse side. 

Banana chocolate chip pancakes drizzled with melted chocolate on a plate

When we are feeling extra fancy, we love to top our cakes with a drizzle of melted chocolate chips! We always choose real maple syrup for our topping, but honestly, these pancakes are so deliciously sweet from the mashed bananas I don’t add any dressing to mine! 

Banana chocolate chip pancakes drizzled with melted chocolate on a plate
Print Recipe

Ultimate Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

The best, decadent, rich, fluffy banana chocolate chip pancakes, without processed sugar and with good-for-you ingredients.
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • Griddle
  • Basting Brush
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 1.5 c sprouted grain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 ground flax eggs
  • 1 c unsweetened, plain, non-dairy yogurt dairy or vegan
  • 2 tbsp virgin, expeller-pressed coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 2 large, ripe bananas, mashed (bonus points if they are turning brown on the outside - they'll be extra sweet!)
  • 1 c dark chocolate chips or carob chips

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt.
  • In a separate large bowl, combine the wet ingredients: maple syrup, eggs, yogurt, vanilla and mashed bananas.
  • Add the dry to the wet, and mix well. It will be lumpy, don't worry!
  • Gently stir in your chocolate chips or carob chips.
  • Heat a griddle to 350 degrees. Once hot, slap a dab of coconut oil on the surface and spread around with a basting brush. Using 1/4 cup measurement, spoon the batter one pancake at a time, onto the hot griddle.
  • Flip the cakes when the tops start bubbling or the bottom edges look cooked. If the pancakes are really thick, gently flatten them a bit with the spatula after flipping them. Aim for lightly browned on each side and be careful not to overcook.
  • Drizzle with melted dark chocolate, carob or maple syrup and eat them all up!

Double Coconut Chicken

Posted on by biglittlebites

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

4 organic chicken breasts, filleted

1/4 c full-fat coconut milk

2 tbsp virgin, unrefined, expeller-pressed coconut oil, melted

1 c unsweetened coconut flakes or chips

1/4 tsp Redmonds Real Salt

1/8 tsp cracked black pepper or red pepper

1/4 c chopped organic cilantro

 

Directions

Place chicken in a bowl or dish and coat breasts in coconut milk. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put coconut flakes in a shallow plate, and coat each side of the fillets, by dipping them into the plate. Last, drizzle tops with melted coconut oil.

Cook for 20 minutes and top with chopped cilantro.

Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Posted on by biglittlebites

stuffed sweet potatoes on a plate

Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes are your gluten-free, vegetarian answer to a meatless meal. This recipe is a go-to for me, when I want a clean, vegetarian meal and a great way for me to get the rest of the family in on going meat-free too! Everyone in this house can get down with Mexican flavors, and we feel like taco night, every night! However, I get tired of bread as a vehicle in too many of my meals, and since it typically lacks any natural nutrients, I really limit using it to once in a while.

Substituting sweet potatoes for tortillas, is a no-brainer since these beautiful orange potatoes are so rich in nutrients and add a lot more value to a Mexican taco style dinner. Sweet potatoes are high in magnesium, manganese, potassium and vitamins A and C. When cooked, you cut a slit down the middle of the sweet potatoes to help shape them into little boats… a new vehicle for taco toppings 🙂

What do I love about Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes? Lots of fiber, protein and healthy fats… all in one meal!!! You guys, this is the combination I strive for to achieve a balanced meal because it makes me feel my best! These stuffed sweet potatoes are full of flavor, aren’t overly complicated and best of all, a plant-based alternative to your next taco night!

This recipe will feed a family of 4 – figure one sweet potato per person.

Print Recipe

Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Course: Main Course
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 4 sweet potatoes
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 avocado, shelled
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 c black beans, cooked I sprout mine first
  • 1/4 c chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 c purple cabbage, chopped
  • 1/4 c carrots, shredded or minced
  • salt to taste
  • black sesame seeds, toasted
  • cotija cheese optional
  • Mary's Gone Crackers Jalapeño flavor, crumbled on top optional

Instructions

  • Wash the sweet potatoes, and rub them down with coconut oil.
  • Pierce the potatoes a few times with a fork and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the oven for 40-60 min.
  • Remove the potatoes from the oven, once a fork easily pierces through to the middle.
  • In a small bowl, mash the avocado with the garlic and lime juice.
  • Chop any vegetables you haven’t prepped yet, and mix them well in a medium bowl with the beans and cilantro.
  • Once the potatoes are done cooking, slice them down the middle, about 1/2 inch from each end. This way, once you open them, you can push the ends together to kind of scrunch it open more in the middle. 
  • Put a scoop of the veggie and bean mix into each potato, then a scoop of the avocado mixture, top with a little more veggies and beans. 
  • Sprinkle with salt, toasted sesame seeds  and cotija. For a crunchy, spicy kick – top with crumbled jalapeño crackers!

Making the Case for Oatmeal

Posted on by biglittlebites

Oats as a breakfast food, are underestimated, and misunderstood. An excellent source of fiber, protein, minerals and antioxidants, oatmeal is the perfect food to start the day with!

How my Love-Affair with Oatmeal Began:

Freshman year of college, almost 20 years ago, I was enrolled in a general education Health course that kicked off the beginning of this life-changing “healthy living” movement for me. One day in the beginning of the semester, the professor spoke of cutting out processed cereals (I was born in 1980 and grew up on that stuff!). The professor suggested replacing less-than-nutritious processed cereals with oatmeal, explaining the health benefits and promising we’d see and feel changes, just by making the swap. He encouraged and challenged us to eat it plain, every day, for two weeks and to watch what happens. Never one to shy from a challenge – I wanted to see what this was all about.

Why two weeks? Well, it was going to be an adjustment period to get used to eating plain oats with nothing to sweeten or flavor it. He warned that it may taste like cardboard but sticking to it for two weeks, would change our tastebuds forever. You see, sugar is a cocaine-like addition, and sugar-laden cereals have participated in creating addicts.

On day one, I was blown away (not in a good way) by the bland, flavorless taste of my bowl of oatmeal. I forced it down anyway, and continued to do so every day. The biggest change I noticed that year, was that I had more sustained energy after breakfast, without dealing with blood sugar spikes, I wasn’t hungry again just one hour later, and I lost a bunch of weight! Guess what? I still eat oatmeal almost every morning to this day, and  four kids later, that weight I lost in college has stayed off.

5 Benefits of Consuming Oats

Why is oatmeal nutritionally superior to processed cereals?

  1. Oats contain a naturally balanced composition of nutrients including antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Abundant minerals present in oats are copper, manganese phosphorus, thiamine, zinc and magnesium. Avenanthramides, polyphenol antioxidants present in oats, are anti-inflammatory and increase nitric oxide production which helps keep blood pressure low.
  2. Oats are a good source of plant-based protein to start the day with. One cup of cooked oats provides 6-7g of protein.
  3. Nutrient-dense oats also have a high amount of soluble fiber (roughly 5g per serving), effectively reducing cholesterol, blood sugar and keep you full longer. Research shows, consuming this type of fiber helps us control excess eating and unhealthy cravings by slowing down digestion. All that fiber (which most Americans are lacking) will also help get things moving, if you know what I mean! Eating more fiber lowers our risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, colon cancer and type 2 diabetes.
  4. Oats are capable of helping lower cholesterol. The soluble fiber present in oats reduces the absorption of low density lipoprotein (LDL) “bad” cholesterol into your bloodstream.
  5. Oats are naturally gluten-free! Some oatmeal sold in stores can be cross-contaminated by other grains which are not gluten-free, so if you suffer from celiac disease or severe gluten sensitivity, be sure to buy a brand which advertises gluten-free.

Steel Cut Oats v. Rolled Oats

Have you wondered about steel cut oats v. rolled oats? Steel cut oats are the closest thing to the original, unprocessed oat groats, and are simply cut into smaller pieces. They are coarse and chewy and take about 20-30 minutes to cook, but this time is cut in half if you soak them the night before. Rolled oats are processed through a steaming and rolling process to make them softer, and to help them cook faster. Since steel cut oats are less processed, it takes longer for our digestive enzymes to break them down which in turn slows down the process of our bodies converting them to sugar. This means, steel cut oats rank lower on the glycemic index, than rolled oats.

How I eat oatmeal today, is a little different than how my professor told me to eat it – but I still avoid refined sugars and have some recipes to share with you! I alternate between plain oats, and “chia oats” which involves mixing chia seeds into your cooked oatmeal. Chia seeds provide additional protein and are a good source of iron and omega-3 fatty acids. As a mom of three little kids, I love making “overnight oats” too. To make overnight oats, put the uncooked oats into a bowl with some water or nut milk, add your mix-ins and leave it in the fridge overnight. You will wake up to a hearty bowl of oatmeal, with absolutely no cooking necessary! (Note: if you are using steel-cut oats, they require an extra-step since they have not been processed the same way as old-fashioned oats – simply bring them to a boil for one minute on the stove, and then add in your mix-it’s and pop them in the fridge overnight). The kids love overnight oats so much, they call it “dessert oatmeal”  – yet there’s nothing unhealthy about it!

When choosing oatmeal at the store, I never buy the instant flavored packets – you’ll end up with too much sugar at the start of your day, and defeat the purpose of trying to be healthier. Try buying old-fashioned, thick oats, or steel-cut oats.

Oatmeal Challenge

I challenge you to two weeks of eating plain oatmeal every single day, with absolutely nothing added in. After the two week period is over, you can try the mix-in’s below, being sure not to add refined sugar and to stick to the recipe. Let me know how it works for you and the changes in your body that you notice after a couple of months!

Breakfast Oatmeal Recipes

For the following mixes, you can choose whether to add chia seeds or not – either way, they’ll be good! Also, these recipes work for cooked, hot oatmeal, or for overnight, cold oatmeal.  Whichever recipe you choose, start with a base of 1/2 c oats + 1 c of water/nut milk. You ultimately want to aim for an intake of 1-1.5 c of oatmeal a day. I always try to add in a little healthy fat, which increases satiety and makes breakfast even more nourishing with that addition.

Blueberry Pie Oatmeal

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut oil, coconut butter or 1 tbsp full-fat coconut milk

1/4 c frozen organic (and preferably wild) blueberries

Unsweetened coconut flakes to sprinkle, optional

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

3 organic dates, chopped and seeded

3/4 of a crisp organic apple, like Pink Lady, diced

1 1/2 tbsp Vietnamese cinnamon

1/2 tsp coconut oil

Cinnamon Nut-Butter Swirl Oatmeal

1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp nut butter of your choice (make sure to buy one with no added oils, sugar or salt)

Chopped walnuts to sprinkle, optional

Banana Bread Oatmeal

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 banana, mashed completely and then stirred in

1 1/2 tbsp Vietnamese cinnamon

A little swirl of Grade B maple syrup

Sub half the water for unsweetened nut milk

Prior to serving, top with walnuts, broken into pieces

Pumpkin Oatmeal

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 c pumpkin squash

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tbsp unsalted grass-fed butter

Pinch of Redmonds Real Salt

A little swirl of Grade B maple syrup

Pomegranate-Coconut Oats

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp coconut butter

2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

Top with raw cocoa nibs, fresh pomegranate arils and unsweetened coconut