I love granola, and this grain-free granola is no exception. Most granola recipes are oat-based, but this one is oat-free. Regardless, it offers a sweet, nutty crunch that’s reminiscent of my most popular granola recipe. Like any good granola, it’s irresistible.

When I first heard of grain-free granola, I was perplexed by the concept. I’m a big fan of oats and whole grains, of course, and I still am. Unfortunately, I was forced to become more carb-conscious while I was pregnant to manage my blood sugar (gestational diabetes is zero fun).

This grain-free granola livened up my breakfasts and snacks during that time. It’s a kitchen staple for me to this day, and I’m always sad to run out of my most recent batch. I found the original recipe in a book by dietitian Lily Nichols called Real Food for Pregnancy. I couldn’t help but play around with it, so I’m sharing my version and some fun options with you today.

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You’re going to love this chocolate chia seed pudding. Seriously, though! I’m always suspicious of chocolate “desserts” made with sneaky healthy ingredients like avocado or sweet potato. I can taste them, so they don’t taste like a real dessert.

This chia pudding, however, is a wholesome treat that I truly enjoy. It actually boasts some impressive nutrition stats, including 8 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and some healthy plant-based fat. It’s easy to make, too—much easier than traditional custard-based puddings.

You’ll need only four ingredients for the base recipe: your milk of choice, chia seeds, cocoa powder and maple syrup. Once mixed together and left to chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, the chia seeds plump up and offer a subtle texture. The end result is rather magical!

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Are you craving sunshine and warm days like I am? Let’s divert our eyes from the cloudy weather and focus on these vibrant, refreshing açaí bowls instead. They’re like a tropical vacation in a bowl, minus the jet lag and sand in your pants. You can enjoy them in the morning before work!

I’ve been curious about açaí bowls for a while now, after seeing them pop up on my friends’ vacation feeds from trips to Southern California and Hawaii. Like always, I researched acai bowls to the end of the internet and played with my own acai bowl recipe until it was just right.

Since acai grows in the Amazon, it seemed natural to blend acai with tropical fruits. These smoothie bowls are simply and naturally sweetened with frozen banana, mango and pineapple. If you’ve been looking for a fun way to eat more fruit, this is it.

These vegan acai smoothie bowls are cold, creamy and almost sorbet-like in texture. In fact, the smoothie portion is so delightful that you could serve it as a light after-dinner treat. Or, load it up with crunchy granola, nuts or seeds, and fresh fruit, and you’ll have a nutritious and satisfying breakfast.

Bonus? Unlike most smoothies, this one keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.

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I’ve been making batch after batch of overnight oats, and taking notes. Overnight oats are a healthy, make-ahead breakfast option, but they’re not always enticing enough to get me out of bed.

I’m sharing my best tips and my favorite overnight oats recipe today. Ready? These overnight oats are legitimately delicious, and so easy to make!

Overnight oats are typically served chilled, straight from the refrigerator. That makes them perfect for warmer months, but you can certainly enjoy overnight oats year-round.

Overnight oats keep well in the refrigerator for up to five days. So, prepare your oats on Sunday night, and you’ll have breakfast covered for the workweek. If you really want to get ahead, you can freeze jars of overnight oats and defrost individual jars overnight in the refrigerator.

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I’m sharing my new go-to breakfast recipe today—chia pudding. I’ve not been a big fan of chia puddings in the past (this creamy blended treat being the sole exception).

This citrusy version completely changed my mind about chia pudding. This vanilla-orange chia pudding tastes like sunshine in a bowl.

Now, I wake up craving chia seed pudding. Which is awesome, because I can make individual servings of chia pudding today, and enjoy them for the rest of the week. Breakfast is ready!

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This easy chia jam is a delicious way to eat more berries on a regular basis. The recipe has been a long time coming. I received an unsettling call from the doctor’s office early last year. Don’t worry, I’m completely fine. I am, however, as neurotic as ever. I’m also a natural-born researcher, so I dove straight into the internet for more information. It’s better to do something than to do nothing, you know?

I opened at least fifty tabs to read the latest research about the cancer-fighting, insulin-stabilizing, life-giving powers of whole foods. Food really can be the best medicine—or at least, the best preventative medicine. I love that blogging allows me to promote whole foods via delicious recipes. I don’t talk much about nutrition since I’m not a dietitian, but here we go!

I zeroed in a fascinating phytochemical called ellagic acid, which is found in strawberries, raspberries and other (mostly red-skinned) fruit. Ellagic acid shows a lot of promise in preventing and fighting cancer, among other rather miraculous attributes.

I resolved to eat more raspberries. I really don’t eat enough fruit as it is. Fresh raspberries posed a problem, though—they aren’t in season year-round, and they’re really expensive when they’re not.

Have you ever spent five dollars on a tiny container of organic raspberries, only to find that they’re moldy when you get home? Majorly disappointing. Plus, I’m only one person, and sometimes fresh fruit gets lost in my refrigerator before I can get to it.

Watch How to Make Easy Chia Seed Jam

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I met Amie Valpone in New York a few months ago, at the International Year of Pulses launch party. I was surrounded by people I didn’t know and feeling a little shy, and Amie bounded up and introduced herself, bubbling over with enthusiasm. I was so glad.

She kept referencing how sick she had been—a decade of chronic illnesses (lyme disease, hypothyroidism, leaky gut syndrome and more) slowed her down immensely. She is finally cured after seriously detoxifying her life, from the products in her home to the food she eats.

I had a hard time imagining this vivacious woman with glowing skin being sick and bedridden, but I could sense by the passionate tone in her voice that her illness and recovery were both very real. The motivation behind her website, The Healthy Apple, and her new book, Eating Clean, is to help others get better and feel better.

She sent me a copy of her book, which is full of solid information and practical advice for detoxifying our homes and diets. I like to think I run a pretty clean operation over here, but she has inspired me to do even better. I can’t wait to make her simple (and cheap) cleaning solution of orange-infused vinegar.

Her book offers over 200 simple and healthy recipes (that’s right, 200!). The chia seed pudding in the breakfast chapter caught my eye, and I enjoyed it so much I just had to share it. I’ve tried chia seed “pudding” before and just couldn’t get behind that oddly gelatinous texture. Amie’s version, however, is blended with cashews and dates for ultra creamy pudding. She added a swirl of chia gel to hers, but I think I like mine best all creamy. It’s up to you.

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I made another batch of rhubarb jam as the sun went down yesterday, so I could share the recipe with you this morning. I finally captured a bunny and a couple of squirrels outside my window in the process—proof that I really do live in Bunnyville.

Sometimes I judge recipes too quickly, as was the case with this rhubarb jam. It’s lovely, pink, sweet-and-sour goodness. You can spread it on toast or swirl it into yogurt or oatmeal.

I based this jam on my strawberry chia jam recipe. Chia jams are really easy to make. They’re made of fruit, mostly, and naturally sweetened with honey, so they’re healthy, too. The chia seeds are rich in Omega-3s and help the mixture thicken into a nice, jammy consistency.

I’m going to keep this post short because it’s a beautiful day and I want to get out and enjoy it. I hope you’ll get a chance to try rhubarb chia jam before rhubarb season is over!

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Other potential titles for this post included, “Three of my favorite things” or “Recipes I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You About.” I’ve been feeling under the weather for the past week, but now that I can finally smell and taste properly again, I’m back to make up for my absence with three recipes in one. (A better blogger would have recipes on reserve for occasions like these, but then again, I have to be sufficiently excited about a recipe to post it and I could hardly stand to sit on a good one.)

Each component is delightful on its own, but they just so happen to combine marvelously well in one breakfast bowl. Nutty, fruity, creamy—yes, more, please.

I’ll give you a rundown of each. The oatmeal cooking technique, which I discovered in Megan Gordan’s Whole-Grain Mornings cookbook, yields nutty and fluffy (not at all mushy) oatmeal.

The strawberry chia jam utilizes summer’s finest [frozen] strawberries, a dollop of natural sweetener and thickens with the help of “superfood” chia seeds. It cooks down in under thirty minutes and tastes much fresher and brighter than store-bought jams.

Lastly, coconut whipped cream has already taken the internet by storm, for good reason. I like it just as much, if not more than, freshly whipped cream. It’s better for you, too.

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