While I’m not a lover of breakfast per se, I am a lover of breakfast baked goods. Muffins, scones, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, and quick breads are my love language. I mean is there anything more satisfying than a warm muffin and a cup of strong coffee in the morning?

But out of all the baked goods, I love blueberry muffins the best.  It probably stems from growing up in Michigan. I have very fond memories of blueberry picking with my mother. We’d come home with buckets and buckets of fresh blueberries, my fingers stained blue from all the blueberries picked.

Most would get frozen to last through the year, but a few quarts would go into making her homemade blueberry pies and blueberry muffins. Two staples I would live on through the summer months.

However, as I’ve gotten older Mother Nature has played her cruel tricks and I’ve found I can’t eat my beloved pies and muffins with abandon like I used to. My cravings for both of these, of course, has not stopped which has sent me on a mission to find a healthier version of my two favorites. 

For the pie, I’ve found the best thing to do is re-imagine my mother’s pie into a blueberry handpie. The smaller hand-pie size, which are easily freezable, prevents me from being found sitting on the sofa pie dish in-lap. Portion control is the key.

As far as the muffins are concerned, I’ve tested a few recipes throughout the years, but today’s recipe for Dairy Free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins is by far the best.

Made with quick oats, chia seed, wheat flour, cinnamon, almond milk and plenty of fresh blueberries today’s Dairy Free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins recipe is one you’ll definitely want to bookmark. Plus, it’s only 135 calories! Considering that the average blueberry muffin contains 425 calories I would say these muffins are already a winner!

And bonus, because they’re made with quick-oats they’re much denser and more filling than your standard muffin.  So I can have one for breakfast and feel full.  I even tried to eat two for breakfast the other day and I couldn’t finish the second one.  

What I also love about these Dairy Free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins is that you can double up the recipe and freeze the second batch. That way when you haven’t properly prepared breakfast you can just grab a muffin and go!

I can honestly say these muffins were incredibly easy to make and completely satisfying. I mean anytime you nail a from-scratch baking recipe on the first try they get classified as easy.  And as far as the statement of them being completely satisfying let me clarify.  

Will any healthy-ish muffin ever taste as good as a true butter, sugar, flour, no-counting-calories muffin…no. Just no.  But, these Dairy Free Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins are delicious, and completely quell my craving for that no-abandon bakery muffin.

So trust me on this, pour yourself a cup of coffee and whip up a batch or two of these easy, and healthy-ish Dairy Free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins this weekend. If you’re following on Bloglovin, click into the post to find the recipe and enjoy!  Truly, MKR
 

Recently I’ve been on a homemade granola kick.  If you’ve never tried making homemade granola you should!  Honestly, granola the easiest thing I’ve ever baked, if you can even call it baking.  Besides being beyond easy to make, homemade granola is one of those things that you can really customize to your tastes.  My easy homemade granola crunch is filled with almonds, pumpkin seeds, coconut, cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, and maple syrup.

After testing out a few different ways to make easy homemade granola, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s basically fool proof as long as you stick to three main notes. 

One, bake it low and slow.  Don’t rush homemade granola, as that’s when it can burn.  Bake it as 300 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  I burnt this recipe the first time as it didn’t feel like it was crisping up. Come to learn, it won’t crisp up in the oven. Granola only crisps up when you take it out and let it cool.

Two, make sure you have a large enough baking dish to allow for stirring.  I bake homemade granola in my turkey roasting pan, and treat it very similarly to my homemade Chex Mix recipe.

Third, add your soft items like cranberries during the last 10 minutes of baking.  Otherwise they become hard as a rock and can possibly break a tooth when biting into! Yikes!

While not a deal breaker, I also think it’s very important to use the highest quality of organic honey and maple syrup.  By using the best of the best you’ll need to add less because the flavor will be so much more vibrant.   Honey and maple syrup are not items you want to skimp on.  You can truly taste the difference when comparing quality.

And homemade granola is not just a snack to munch on. My favorite way to enjoy this easy homemade granola crunch recipe is in a breakfast bowl.   I love filing a shallow bowl with my homemade granola crunch, adding in seasonal fruits, and a bit of almond milk.  This easy homemade granola recipe is also great as a yogurt and smoothie topping.  The possibilities are truly endless.

Plus, you can make this granola recipe in larger batches, to enjoy throughout the week.  And as long as you’re cognizant of how much honey and maple syrup your adding, my easy homemade granola recipe is an overall healthy recipe. Click through (below) to snag the recipe and whip up a batch for yourself this week!  Truly, MKR