Vanilla Chocolate Chip Yogurt Pops

These quick and easy Vanilla Chocolate Chips Yogurt Pops are a yummy frozen treat!

I call these popsicles. It’s a frozen treat on a stick, what else would it be called? But I’m told by my husband that these are NOT popsicles. Apparently “popsicle” is a technical term that involves fruit juice and sugar. Oh, my mistake. So I called this recipe Vanilla Chocolate Chip Yogurt Pops. Hopefully that gets the message across without offending any die hard popsicle fans.

I’m not going to go on and on telling you that these yogurt pops are healthy. It’s vanilla yogurt and chocolate chips – there is plenty of sugar and processed foods in there. It’s better than eating a store bought equivalent, and certainly a better choice than grabbing a bowl of ice cream for your frozen dessert. I find these just as satisfying as other less healthy desserts. Crunchy chocolate chips, frozen yogurt, lots of vanilla flavor. Sub this in for a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream and you will not be disappointed!

These are so, so easy to make. Whip them together in just a couple of minutes or make them with your kids. They’ll love stirring in the chocolate chips! Fill your popsicles molds with the yogurt mix, and then put in the freezer. A few hours later your popsicles will be ready to eat. In the meantime, grab a spoon and eat any leftover yogurt/chocolate chips!

Vanilla Chocolate Chip Yogurt Pops

This ratio of yogurt to chocolate chips make 4 yogurt pops using the molds I have. If you happen to have extra mixture, just eat it with a spoon or store it in the refrigerator like you would any yogurt product. If you run out of mixture, just whip up another batch!

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c vanilla yogurt (I prefer regular yogurt over greek yogurt here)
• 4 Tbs chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a bowl, stir the yogurt and chocolate chips.
2. Spoon mixture into popsicle molds, leaving about half an inch of empty space at the top of the mold (since freezing will make the popsicles expand).
3. Put the popsicles in the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours, or until ready to eat.
4. To remove popsicles from the container, run it under hot water until the popsicles loosen.

 

This post is linked to Gluten Free Wednesdays – a great place to see and find GF recipes. Check it out at Gluten Free Homemaker, Gluten Free Easily, and Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures.

“2 Ingredient” French Toast Pancakes

I’m loving these 2 Ingredient Pancakes. The recipe has been all over the internet lately. Pancakes with a banana and eggs?! Its a revolutionary new breakfast item! This version actually has 5 ingredients, but I think the extra measuring is worth the trade off for extra flavor.

Although I still love Grain Free Banana Pancakes, this is my current favorite banana-based pancake. If you follow me on instagram and twitter than you know I’ve been eating these at least one a week. Why do I love these pancakes so much? Maybe it’s that they mix together quicker than any other pancake batter. Maybe it’s because they’re made with whole foods and clean eating ingredients. Maybe it’s because they taste like french toast. Maybe it’s because they taste like french toast AND aren’t just a plate full of carbs and sugar. Maybe it’s because I can eat the whole batch and still be under my allotted 350 – 400 calories for breakfast. Maybe it’s because I have so many extra calories that I get to add peanut butter to my stack of pancakes.

So many good reasons to love these pancakes.

On a more practical note, these couldn’t be simpler to make. Mash a ripe banana and mix it with two eggs. Add some baking soda, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Cook like any other pancake. Eat the entire plate full. Personally, I like to make mini pancakes, but you could always make full size pancakes. The one trick I have to offer is that I’ve noticed these pancakes cook a bit more evenly if you cover the pan while they are cooking. Once you’ve flipped the pancakes and they are cooking on the second side leave the cover off.

These pancakes are fun, tasty, impressive, and a great way to enjoy gluten free and grain free pancakes with little work!

“Two Ingredient” French Toast Pancakes

Makes about 15 mini pancakes. Recipe easily doubles, triples, etc!

 

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a bowl, mash the banana.
2. Using a fork, whisk the eggs into the banana to form a thin batter.
3. Add the baking powder, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, and whisk again, until the cinnamon is evenly distributed throughout the batter (if the cinnamon is sticking to the sides of the bowl just keep scraping it off and stirring. Eventually it will blend in).
4. Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add batter to the pan using 2 tablespoons for each pancakes. Cover the skillet.
5. When the bubbles on the top of the pancakes have popped and the batter looks more opaque than wet, flip the pancakes.
6. Cook until the second side is golden brown, leaving the lid off of the skillet.
7. Repeat with all remaining batter.
8. If desired, top with peanut butter, syrup, cinnamon, etc.

Basic Cinnamon Vanilla Oatmeal

I really, really though I’d posted this recipe months ago. I eat it at least once a week! It wasn’t until I was on the Daniel Fast and blogging about what I ate that I realized I hadn’t. Oppps! Better late then never, right?

I call this recipe “Basic Cinnamon Vanilla Oatmeal” because it ends up being the base for many of my oatmeal creations. Some mornings I stir in peanut butter or almond butter, other mornings I add some dates and some coconut, other times I top it with chocolate chips. Steve likes his with an apple. There are lots of options for yummy additions. Yet, really, even served with no toppings or additions I find this oatmeal delicious every time. It has a sort of gentle sweetness, perfect for breakfast, but enough of a flavor to keep me interested enough to eat the whole bowl.

This oatmeal recipe class for imitation vanilla extract. Over the past few months I’ve come to prefer the imitation vanilla over the real stuff, especially in my oatmeal. Add too much of a pure extract to oatmeal and sometimes it taste more like alcohol than the flavor I’m shooting for (at least for me – but I hate that alcohol-y flavor). With the imitation vanilla I can dump in a whole teaspoon and get tons of vanilla flavor with no alcohol-y taste. I don’t feel badly about using a whole teaspoon of imitation vanilla in just one oatmeal serving because I know it’s SO much cheaper than the pure vanilla extract. Of course, if you prefer the real stuff then swap it out in the recipe. Just be sure to use less. I’d suggest starting with 1/4 tsp and adding more in 1/4 tsp increments if needed.

Next time you are feeling creative give this oatmeal a try – and let me know what you add in!

Ingredients

• 1/2 c GF oats
• 1/2 c water
• 1/2 c milk of choice
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp imitation vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring the oats, water, and milk to a boil.
2. While the oats and liquid are coming to a boil mash the banana. Slicing the banana, then microwave it for 30 – 45 seconds will make mashing much easier.
3. When the oats begin to boil turn the heat down to medium and stir in the mashed banana. Stir frequently for 5 – 10, until the oats have absorbed most of the liquid and thickened.
4. Stir in the cinnamon and vanilla, and cook for another minute or two (or until the oatmeal reaches your desired consistency).
5. Enjoy as is or top with any nut butter or nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, etc.

3 Ingredient Vanilla Overnight Oatmeal

I hate cold. Just ask any person who knows me. Not only do I hate cold, but I reeeeaaallllyyyy like hot. If it weren’t so expensive, I’d jack the heat up to 80°F all winter long. A more practical solution for keeping warm has been to wear leggings under my jeans. People usually look at me a little strangely when they see the second pair of pants poking out from under my jeans.

I digress.

Another thing I really like steaming hot is my food. I tell you all of this because, somehow, this oatmeal is the exception. It’s now my go-to rushed morning breakfast and it is perfect when eaten cold, just out of the refrigerator. I even tried heating it up once, thinking something along the lines of “If this oatmeal is so good cold imagine how amazing it would be warm”, but it just wasn’t the same warm. How weird is that?! I guess some things are just made to be eaten cold, like ice cream and overnight oatmeal.

If you do want to heat this up, just be careful not to curdle the yogurt. Then it goes from being less good to just nasty.

I’ve talked about oats before, and I really suggest getting some Trader Joe’s oats if you can. Their normal, regular oats are gluten free! How great is that?! I love this because oats are naturally gluten free so I like to support companies that treat oats just as oats and don’t combine in any extra stuff. My nearest Trader Joes is an hour and a half away though, so if my stockpile runs out and I don’t have time for the trip I get Bob’s Red Mill Oats, which are available locally for me. I noticed no difference in quality between the two brands of oats, just the price point.

The recipe below calls for 1/4c of oats, which is smaller than what I consider a normal serving size of oats. I cut the amount of oats down because I found that the bulkiness of the yogurt fills me up faster. Adjusting for larger/small servings is really easy though. The basic recipe is just to mix equal amounts of oatmeal, vanilla yogurt, and milk. Easy! There are two optional ingredients; ground flax and vanilla extract. I like to add the flax for some extra fiber and the vanilla extract adds another layer of flavor. Like I said, both the extra vanilla and the flax are totally optional. The simple three ingredient version makes a very pleasant breakfast. Oh, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of these oats is delicious, too!

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 c GF oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s)
• 1/4 c vanilla flavored yogurt (I’ve been using Activia Greek)
• 1/4 c milk of choice
• optional: 2 tsp ground flax
• optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. In a jar, or other container with a lid, mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
2. Place in the refrigerator overnight. Your oatmeal will be ready to eat in the morning!