Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie

Oats, ripe bananas and chocolate chips – these healthy, "breakfast" cookies are chewy and delicious, and made with just three ingredients.

I was craving chocolate this morning, and decided to whip up a batch of these yummy cookies for breakfast (I ate 4 cookies, for 4 points). Some of you may recognize them, in the past I made them with walnuts in place of chocolate chips.

I would never eat cookies for breakfast, but these are made with healthy ingredients – oats, bananas, and a handful of chocolate chips (antioxidants, right?) with no added sugar or flour. If you wanted, you could replace the chocolate chips for cocoa nibs, raisins, craisins, whatever! Perfect for breakfast, snack or any time you crave a sweet healthy treat. And these are nut-free, gluten-free and egg free so they are perfect for different diet restrictions.

The riper your banana the better, so make these when your bananas are almost black and freckled with dark spots.

I personally think these are best eaten warm, right out of the oven. They taste almost like mini banana bread muffins, the texture is soft and chewy, not crisp like a dessert cookie. If you're expecting a crispy cookie you would keep in your cookie jar – you WILL be disappointed. But if you have a very ripe banana hanging around your counter, and you are craving chocolate... make these! You will be happy you did.

If you want more of a "traditional" oatmeal cookie recipe, then try my Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies instead... but I wouldn't eat them for breakfast.

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Skinny Pumpkin Spiced Snickerdoodles

These cookies should really come with a warning label, because they are so good and hard to stop at just one! A snickerdoodle is a type of sugar cookie made with cream of tartar and rolled in cinnamon sugar. This pumpkin spice version was inspired by my Skinny Snickerdoodles. I wanted to see what would happen if I coated them with pumpkin spice instead – pumpkin spice heaven!

They are lighter than traditional Snickerdoodles, made with white whole wheat flour, but they taste every bit as sinful. I notices some people commented on the original skickerdoodle recipe that the dough was too dry, and yes, the dough will be dry. I've made them several times with success; using wet hands to form them into balls is a must and will help moisten the dough. Next time I make these, I may add a little more pumpkin spice to the dough to make them extra pumpkin-licious!

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Grilled Shrimp Tostadas

Grilled shrimp, homemade guacamole, fat free refried beans and lettuce on top of a crispy tostada. Super easy and quick – you're going to love these!!

I've been dying to make share this shrimp tostada recipe with you guys and finally got around to photographing it. It's still hot enough this week to make these outside on the grill, but if you prefer to keep it indoors, just use a grill pan, you can make them all year round.

Seasoning the shrimp with salsa verde and crushed garlic is my secret to fabulous tasting shrimp. I discovered this from my friend Doreen, who also added sofrito to her shrimp and I just couldn't stop eating it. I didn't have sofrito, but it was just as good without. These are super filling, one is all you need! If you have a crowd, you can easily double or triple the recipe.
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Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

If you're looking for a heart healthy, dairy-free breakfast loaded with fiber you can eat on the run, this is it!

In South America, it's common to drink avena, a delicious oatmeal shake usually made with whole milk, cinnamon and sugar. My oldest daughter loves it, you can see my original recipe here. I've made it with pumpkin, but I was curious to see what would happen if I used unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze almond milk instead, along with blueberries and banana. The outcome was really good, I added some raw sugar to sweeten it, but you could even use stevia or whatever sweetener you would normally use.

This is best if you make it and drink it right away. If you only need one serving, cook all the oatmeal in water as instructed below, but use only half of the cooked oatmeal in the blender and save the other half for the next day.

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Skinny Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These mini pumpkin spiced muffins are made light with pumpkin puree and egg whites and loaded with chocolate chips in every bite!

I don't know about you, but I'm so ready for Fall... cozy sweaters, boots and jeans, changing leaves, apple picking and of course pumpkin! Even if it's still warm out, these mini pumpkin muffins will get you in the Fall spirit and they are perfect for breakfast with a Skinny Pumpkin Latte or to put into your kid's lunch box for a healthy, homemade snack.

You can make them in a regular sized muffin tin if you prefer, you should get around 14 larger muffins and the nutritional info should remain the same. And if you want more pumpkin recipes, I have TONS, check out my Skinny Pumpkin Recipes in the Index or follow my Skinny Pumpkin Madness Pinterest Board.

Enjoy!!

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Loaded Turkey Chili Baked Potato

This loaded baked potato is stuffed with lean turkey chili, reduced fat shredded cheese and topped with some fresh chives – a quick, easy weeknight meal.

I love a dish that can be served many ways. Last night I asked my husband Tommy how he wanted his chili (yesterday's crock pot kid-friendly turkey chili) and he told me on a baked potato. Of coarse he would. So I popped a few russet potatoes in the microwave (sure, you can do this in the oven too) topped it with shredded cheese, turkey chili and some chopped chives from my garden and dinner was ready in less than 10 minutes – and my husband was a very happy man.

Can you do this with sweet potato? Sure you can! But just to clear up the confusion, white potatoes aren't all that bad for you. Potatoes are have gotten a bad rap as a white starchy food, but when they're not drowning in butter or deep fried as french fries, they are actually a healthy, low calorie, high fiber food and a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, copper, potassium and manganese. They also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity so if you want to stick with a traditional baked potato, go ahead... enjoy!

Tip: If you buy bag of russet potatoes, the potatoes are much smaller than the ones they sell individually, they average about 5 to 6 oz each.

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Crock Pot Kid-Friendly Turkey Chili

This one's just for the kiddos (or picky family members)! A mild, kid-friendly chili is made with ground turkey, corn, bell pepper, tomatoes and spices. Top it with your favorite toppings, and serve it with some chips on the side for the perfect, back to school lunch.

My youngest daughter is heading to school next week (Pre-K) and this year she'll be bringing lunch to class for the first time. She doesn't eat sandwiches (neither did my oldest), so I'm going to have to get pretty creative to make sure she's still eating healthy balanced meals. I just ordered this Foogo Stainless steal leak-proof thermos from Amazon, which I also did with my oldest daughter and I'll be filling it with some of her favorite warm meals.

Now I love me some chili, and I'm super excited for the colder weather to make some of my faves like Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili, Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili, and Turkey Chili Taco Soup, but for my little one who doesn't like beans... or spicy food, this recipe is perfect (it's also gluten-free). It's super easy to make, I did it in the crock pot, but you can also simmer it on the stove. It makes 5 adult size servings, and you can easily double the recipes and freeze it for future freezer-friendly meals.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!
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