I know that there is occasionally a debate as to whether or not a baked donut really qualifies as a donut, but let's table that until this whole quarantine is done with, shall we? If my kids joyfully scream "donuts" when they see these little beauties during a time when we are only making necessary trips out of the house then I'm saying that they qualify! This recipe creation also came together based on what I had in the pantry, making it low maintenance and simple...and they didn't last a day around here.  I don't know how many they each had but the recipe makes about 9 donuts...we're currently a family of 5 and the toddler isn't capable of getting his own soooooo....

Here's how we made them:

Ingredients
(makes approx. 9 donuts)

-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gf baking flour)
-Juice and zest of 1 lemon
-1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt

For the Glaze
-1 cup powdered sugar
-3-4 TBS vanilla almond milk
-Sprinkles (optional)

Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and spray the wells of a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine the oil and sugar and mix together.  Stir in the eggs one at at a time and then add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and juice and almond milk and stir.  Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together until the batter forms.  Spoon the batter into the donut pan wells and lightly tap the pan on the counter to help the batter set.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, remove from the oven.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

While the donuts cool, mix together the powdered sugar and almond milk to form the glaze.  Pour the sprinkles into a separate bowl.  Dip each cooled donut in the glaze and then immediately into the sprinkles and allow to set.  Done! Enjoy!

I've made banana oatmeal pancakes in my blender for years, but I just never got to putting pen to paper, measuring everything out and getting the recipe finalized...until now.  Maybe it took this quarantine to get this out of my head and onto the blog.  These pancakes are a weekend favorite around here and our toddler especially loves them.  They're easy to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge for a reheated, quick breakfast too and you can make these vegan or gluten free by subbing in GF oats and/or using a flax egg instead of regular eggs!

Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients
(makes 10-12 pancakes)

-1 cup vanilla almond milk (you can sub in your choice of milk here)
-2 eggs or flax eggs
-2 ripe bananas
-2 cups oats (sub in GF oats for GF version)
-2 tsp baking powder
-pinch of salt
-1-2 tsp cinnamon

Directions
Heat a skillet on medium heat and coat it with non-stick cooking spray.  In a high powered blender, add the ingredients in the order of the milk, eggs, ripe bananas and then the dry ingredients. Secure the lid and turn the blender on low and then increase speed to medium/high.  Once the batter is formed together, turn off the blender and pour out each pancake onto the heated skillet, approx. 1/3 cup batter at a time.  Allow to cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side.  You will see the edges forming, turning golden and bubbles appearing in the pancake when it's time to flip.  Continue the same on the second side.  Remove from the pan and continue until all of the batter is used.  Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup or store in an air tight container in the fridge for a quick breakfast another day.  Enjoy!

Who doesn't love sprinkles? Don't they just level up the fun factor in a recipe? While I've usually associated sprinkles with more indulgent recipes like a birthday cake or an ice cream sundae, these little rays of color work beautifully in this no bake, grain free, protein bite recipe.  While these are a great little snack to keep in the fridge for a healthier pick me up throughout the week, you just might find that they don't last that long because they sure didn't last long in this house.  Our kids gobbled them up. Maybe the COVID-19 quarantine is to blame as I made these the week that all started setting in, but I don't think they would last long whether or not in the middle of a global pandemic.

Here's what you'll need to make these:

Ingredients
-1 cup almond butter
-12 pitted dates
-2 scoops vanilla protein powder ( I used Bob's Red Mill)
-2 TBS maple syrup
-2 TBS water
-funfetti sprinkles for decoration

Directions
Place the almond butter, dates and protein powder in a food processor and pulse/process until it starts to come together.  With the food processor running on low, drizzle in the maple syrup and water.  The mixture will come together as a sticky "dough."  Stop the food processor and using damp hands, roll the mixture into small balls and then roll each ball into a bowl of sprinkles.  Allow to set in the fridge for 1-2 hours.  Store in an air tight container in the fridge and enjoy!