Theme of this quarantine: I think constantly about what I can bake/cook next.

Problem: I’m limited on the variety of ingredients I have available and, of course, am avoiding going to the store unless absolutely necessary.

Other problem: I don’t want to bake a bunch of unhealthy stuff and be tempted to eat it…considering there’s only two of us.

#covidproblems

Solution: Make breakfast cookies that utilize pantry staples and trick yourself into thinking you’re getting a treat.

Happy quarantine baking to YOU!

Ingredients:

1 large banana
1 egg
1/3 C. creamy, natural peanut butter (natural peanut butter that’s JUST peanuts & salt — check the ingredients next time you pick up “natural” peanut butter)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 C. quick oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 – 1/3 C. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (this is a range because sometimes you just need a little extra chocolate in your life)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Or, skip the parchment and spray the baking sheet lightly with cooking spray.

Peel the banana, then place it in a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash the banana well.

To the mixing bowl, add the egg, peanut butter and vanilla. Mix with a spatula until everything is well combined.

To the wet ingredients, add the oats, baking soda & chocolate chips. Stir until combined. Don’t worry about over mixing since there’s no flour.

Using a spoon, scoop dough into a loose ball shape. I made my scoops about the size of two tablespoons, but you choose your size! Drop the dough ball on the cookie sheet and flatten slightly (they won’t flatten as they cook). Continue with the rest of the dough. These won’t expand like normal cookies, so you can place them on the pan about 1/2 inch apart.

Once all the cookies are on the pan, place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Don’t forget to share your end result with me over on Insta!

The post Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.

I dare you to make these and withhold from eating the entire pan.

You might think you have enough will power to resist, but I wouldn’t be so sure. Believe me, I’m a girl who has a lot of willpower but with these bars, I feel a bit powerless.

I’ve also made them for my sister several times and I know she’d agree — these are IRRESISTIBLE.

The nice thing is, they’re healthier than your average peanut butter bar. I like to remind myself of that when I’ve eaten half the pan…

Enjoy, and share them with someone who loves chocolate and peanut butter. AKA, everyone that knows what’s good in life.

recipe slightly adapted from: https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/healthy-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-bars/

Ingredients:

1 C. creamy natural peanut butter
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. honey
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
4 Tbsp. melted coconut oil, slightly cooled
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. quick cooking oats
1/2 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 C. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish (or two 8×8 baking dishes if you want to make one for you and one to share!) with nonstick cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the peanut butter, brown sugar, honey, eggs and egg yolk, coconut oil and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well combined.

To the same bowl, and the oats, flour, salt and baking soda. Mix on low until just combined.

Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips to the bowl (save back about an 1/8 of a cup for sprinkling on top!). Fold or mix slowly to combine.

Place the bar batter into your baking dish and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is set and slightly golden.

Cut into bars, enjoy, and try to resist eating all of them!

The post The BEST Healthy Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Chips! appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.

Every year, I love to find new cookie recipes to try and this year is no exception!

The cookies below are the ones that turned out really well and I’d recommend making…there’s definitely a sugar cookie recipe that didn’t make the cut for the post.

I hope you enjoy this Christmas season (my absolute FAVORITE time of the year) with your family and friends and eat plenty of delicious baked goods!

Let me know which one was your favorite by posting a picture of the finished product and tagging me in your story on Instagram!

Oatmeal Cookies with Apricots and White Chocolate:
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/oatmeal-cookies-with-dried-apricots-and-white-chocolate/

Crispy Peanut Butter Balls:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/crispy-peanut-butter-balls/

Rolo Pretzels:
https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/rolo-pretzels/

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles:
https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/pumpkin-snickerdoodles/#wprm-recipe-container-46600

Brown Sugar Toffee Cookies:
https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/brown-sugar-toffee-cookies/

Soft Chewy Christmas Molasses Cookies:
https://www.crazyforcrust.com/soft-chewy-christmas-molasses-cookies/

Cookie Dough Fudge:
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a54830/cookie-dough-fudge-recipe/

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nancy-fuller/peanut-butter-bars-with-salted-chocolate-ganache-3287824?soc=socialsharingpinterest

Lemon Crinkle Cookies:
https://www.howsweeteats.com/2018/12/lemon-crinkle-cookies/

The post 2019 Cookie Round Up! appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.

Where are my pumpkin spice, fall, sweatshirt, leggings & boots loving people?

Just because you can’t see me doesn’t mean I didn’t raise my hand…

There’s a reason so many grocery items come out with a pumpkin spice version the minute the leaves start thinking about falling.

These bars are perfectly pumpkin-y and super easy–the perfect fall snack!

Now, go grab yourself a PSL and get to baking these up. Immerse yourself in pumpkin!

Then, take a picture with said latte and tag me on Instagram with your latte in one hand and a pumpkin bar in the other — just living your best fall life!

Slightly adapted from Allrecipes: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16706/banana-pumpkin-bread/

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 C. canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1 C. white sugar
• 2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/3 C. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 15×10 inch baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the bananas and beat on medium speed to mash. (Or, mash with a fork if you’d rather not use an electric mixer.)

To the mashed bananas, add eggs, oil, vanilla, pumpkin, and sugar. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Stir into the banana mixture until just combined.

Add the chocolate chips to the mixing bowl (saving a few to sprinkle on top!) and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into the prepared pan, making sure to spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the batter.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool.

The post Pumpkin Banana Bread Bars (with chocolate chips!) appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.

This bread is SO TASTY.

The texture is exactly what you hope for in zucchini bread…moist, tender and soft.

It’s not quite ‘health food’, but it does use whole wheat flour and contains less oil and sugar than most zucchini bread recipes.

Feel free to get creative with this recipe – throw in some chopped walnuts, add in other warm spices you like (like nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice), etc!

Show me how it turned out for you by posting a picture to your story on Instagram — I’ll be sure to share it to my story as well!

Slightly adapted from: https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-zucchini-bread/

Ingredients:

1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/4 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 C. unsweetened applesauce
1/3 C. vegetable oil
3 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 C. grated zucchini

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well combined.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon & zucchini to the mixing bowl. Stir just until no dry flour remains, trying not to over mix.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the bread should come out with moist crumbs on it.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing.

Store covered on the counter or in the refrigerator.

The post Classic Zucchini Bread appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.

The best compliment I can get when I make a healthy dessert is, “I don’t believe you, there’s no way this is healthy.”

Disbelief means I met my goal.

I didn’t get an…”it’s good, but there’s just something different about it.”

Nope, this recipe is just plain really good with the benefit that it happens to be a healthier alternative to classic zucchini breads.

It’s so chocolatey that it feels indulgent, but it’s sweet enough with the honey and applesauce that no one misses the refined sugar.

Give this one a try — you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients:

1 C. packed, shredded zucchini, squeezed of excess moisture
4 oz. cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 C. natural, creamy peanut butter
1/3 C. cocoa powder
1/3 C. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. white whole wheat flour
1/4 C. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (+ a few more for topping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 inch glass loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

To the bowl of an electric mixer, add zucchini, applesauce, peanut butter, cocoa, honey, vanilla and eggs.

Mix on medium speed until well combined. Be sure to stop and scrape down the sides at least once while mixing.

Add baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour to the mixing bowl.

Mix on low speed until just combined. Be sure not to over mix.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the chocolate chips. Mix until chocolate chips are just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with a few additional chocolate chips.

Bake for 50 – 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.

When ready to eat, place the slice in the microwave for a few seconds so the chocolate chips melt. I also like to spread a bit of peanut butter on mine!

The post Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.

I’m not sure why I keep planting so many zucchini plants in my garden every year when I know that one plant produces more zucchini than I can possibly use.

But, here we are.

Another zucchini season = another opportunity for me to find creative ways to use it!

One recipe I’ve been testing and looking for for a LONG time is the BEST zucchini brownie recipe.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve found some good ones in my hunt. However, I think you’re going to like this one the best. I sure do.

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/4 C. real maple syrup
1/4 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1/4 C. creamy almond butter
1/4 C. non-fat, plain greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. cocoa powder
3/4 C. white whole wheat flour
1 C. finely shredded zucchini, squeezed of all excess moisture — this is IMPORTANT. (I use the fine grate side of my box grater & squeeze the zucchini out in a paper towel until all extra moisture is out.)
1/2 C. mini semisweet chocolate chips + plus more for the top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8×8 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, place the egg, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, almond butter, and greek yogurt. Mix until well combined.

Add baking soda, salt, cocoa and whole wheat flour. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix!

Add in the zucchini and chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.

Pour the brownie mixture in the prepared dish and top with a few additional chocolate chips, if desired.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.

The post Healthy Zucchini Brownies appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.

I like to think that at some point I’ll be that person that has enough time in the morning to make myself a perfectly balanced egg white omelette or stand by a pot and make slow cooked steel cut oats.

But, let’s be real, I’m not a person with that kind of time in the AM.

These healthy blueberry muffins make me feel like that person though…without actually having to wake up earlier.

WIN.

Show me how you enjoy these muffins during your breakfast routine!
Share a picture on Instagram and be sure to tag me (@nefarmgirlnextdoor)!

Ingredients:

3 medium very ripe bananas, peeled
2 large eggs
1/2 C real maple syrup or honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C nonfat plain greek yogurt
1/4 C natural creamy almond butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C (less 1 Tbsp–>set aside for the blueberries) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C fresh blueberries, rinsed & patted dry

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 18 of the cavities in a muffin tin(s) with liners. I prefer foil liners over paper to lock in moisture.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the bananas and mix on low/medium speed until completely mashed.

Add eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, greek yogurt, almond butter & cinnamon to the bananas in the mixing bowl. Mix & combine completely.

To the mixing bowl, add both flours, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined, be careful not to over-mix.

Take the 1 Tbsp of flour that was set aside, and toss the blueberries in the flour.

Carefully fold the blueberries in the batter with a spatula.

Fill the 18 liners in the muffin tin with batter. (I like to use an ice cream scoop like this one to make it fast & easy.) Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a few extra blueberries, if desired.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffin.

Serve warm out of the oven or heat for 10-15 seconds in the microwave when ready to eat.

The post Healthy Blueberry Muffins! appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.

When you feel like ice cream, but decide you shouldn’t have the real deal for the 3rd day in a row…
Yes, the situation above may happen to me frequently. And yes, ice cream is my weakness when it comes to dessert.

This recipe still impresses me every time I make it–HOW DO BANANAS TURN INTO THE CREAMY CONSISTENCY OF SOFT SERVE??

I’ll continue to try to find the answer to that one with more “testing.” You do the same, we’ll compare notes.

Ingredients:

4 small bananas or 3 medium to large bananas, sliced & frozen overnight
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4-5 Tbsp. milk
toppings/mix ins: cocoa powder, peanut butter powder or peanut butter, crushed peanuts, strawberries, chocolate sauce, etc.!

Directions:

After your bananas have been frozen overnight, (I like to slice and toss in a zip loc bag before placing in the freezer) place them in a food processor.

Hint: You need a GOOD food processor for this or you won’t achieve the ‘ice cream’ consistency. My Ninja works wonders, and it’s the only one I can speak to as far as results. Here’s the link to the one I use:

Add the vanilla and start with 2 Tbsp. of milk. Process until smooth and no chunks remain. Add more milk to get the bananas to your preferred consistency. Add your favorite add-ins at this stage as well!

My favorite add-ins: peanut butter powder (2-3 Tbsp.) or cocoa powder (2-3 Tbsp.) If you use fruit, like fresh strawberries, be aware that you’ll need less milk because of the water content in the strawberries.

Top with your favorite toppings & serve! Store any leftover ‘ice cream’ in an air-tight container in the freezer.

The post Banana “ICE CREAM” appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.

Avocado is such a perfect ingredient to replicate the texture of pudding while providing health benefits that regular pudding doesn’t have. These health benefits include potassium (more than a banana!), heart healthy fats, fiber, and other important nutrients in your diet, including Vitamin K and Vitamin C.

Another ingredient that may be new to you is peanut butter powder! I use this in a TON of recipes. PB powder is not only wonderful for the texture and flavor for this pudding, but it is also fantastic when added to smoothies & oatmeal.

Give this recipe a try and be sure to post a picture, tagging me on Instagram or Facebook when you do–I can’t wait to see it whipped up in your kitchen!

Ingredients:

2 medium RIPE avocados
1/4 C. powdered peanut butter
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. REAL maple syrup or honey
(optional: crushed peanuts for topping)

Directions:

In a bowl, mash the avocados with a fork until NO lumps remain! You can also use a small food processor instead of a fork. It’s important the avocados are ripe, or the texture will not be smooth like chocolate pudding.

Add the powdered peanut butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and maple syrup or honey to the mashed avocados. Mix well to combine.

Separate the pudding evenly among 4 bowls and serve immediately with crushed peanuts sprinkled on top. Or, store pudding in an air tight container in the refrigerator to enjoy later, topping with the peanuts when ready to serve.

The post Avocado Chocolate Pudding appeared first on Farm Girl Next Door.