Banana-Chocolate Chip Pancakes

This recipe is my go-to for easy pancakes. I always have bananas in the fruit bowl and chocolate chips in the cupboard so I know I can whip these up in no time at all. They're easy, fast, delicious and sweet enough so you don't have to add any maple syrup on top.

Back to Basics 19 - Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Behold, the humble chocolate chip cookie. Is there a better dessert? I think not. You can make it crispy or chewy, thin or fat, fill it with whatever you want, and it comes in a nice little convenient package. All you need is one free hand to savor it and you're good to go.
My favorite is thick and chewy, with dark chocolate chips and nuts. And to make us feel less guilty, we make it with whole wheat flour and oats, we also replace some of the butter with canola oil. Perfection.
Now, stop drooling over that picture and let's see how you can make these.

Coconut-Almond-Cranberry-Chocolate Granola Bars

This is a recipe tweaked from Joy Wilson's cookbook. I got her book and was obsessed with it because of the beautiful pictures and the sweets. But once I saw this granola bar I realized how well-rounded it was. Not only does it have DELICIOUS deserts (that maybe aren't so low in calories) she also has some very California-ish healthy meals.

Bakin' up a storm!

Lately, I've been obsessed with Joy Wilson, or Joy The Baker. I found her on a website that listed all the best food blogs and it was love at first sight. I got her book last weekend and have been dying to try stuff out, so today I finally made a couple of her recipes. I want to eventually do a Julie and Julia thing, making every single one of her recipes, but with a twist, turning them a little bit healthier. Here are the two things I made today.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

I like to keep my cookie jar constantly full, so when my boyfriend and I ate all of the cookies in it yesterday, I started scrambling trying to think of what to make next. I saw this recipe for coconut cookies, but I had to leave my butter out to come to room temperature and that would just not work for tonight, I needed a cookie NOOWWW. Sooooo I went to the cookie I always go to when I just want soft, chewie, chocolate-packed, simple goodness. I love that this isn't just an excuse to eat sugar, it actually has healthy stuff in it like whole wheat flour, olive oil, almond milk. You can even put in dark chocolate chips for antioxidants. Bonus: it's also dairy and egg free! Which means it's vegan, wohooo!!! Although if you're being strict you should make sure your chocolate chips are also vegan.

Anyway, let's get started!