My Favorite Recipes This Summer

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Hello friends! I have definitely been talking a lot more about this lately, but right now, I am extremely interested in nutrition. I love knowing why and how the body needs and uses certain foods, and how we can help our bodies thrive by providing ourselves with nourishing food. Naturally, as I got more and more into cookbooks and food blogs, I wanted to start cooking, not only that, but I wanted to make my own recipes. Today, I’m going to be sharing three of my favorite recipes with you! To be perfectly honest, this post may be all over the place, as these recipes don’t really connect in any way, but I suppose you can determine that for yourself. Nevertheless, they all are relatively easy, quick, and require little clean up, not to mention that they are pretty tasty too! (If I do say so myself…)

Elementary homemade pizza

When I say elementary, I mean it! This recipe is incredibly easy, and the best part is that you most likely already have these ingredients at home, so you can whip up some pizza anytime you want! You can make a classic pizza, or get creative with the toppings! For example, I once topped my pizza with pesto, mozzarella, arugula, and zucchini; it was **chef’s kiss**

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour (I used whole wheat, but you can mix and match- for example, 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose flour)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Dash of salt
• Dash of dried oregano or basil (optional)

Suggested toppings for “classic” pizza:

• ¼ cup tomato/pizza sauce
• ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Add all of your dough ingredients to a bowl and gently combine
3. Knead dough with hands until most of the ingredients are incorporated. The dough should be tense, but not difficult to stretch.
4. Split the dough into two equal pieces and roll into balls. Press the dough down and rotate it while holding onto the edge so it becomes a larger circle.
5. Place dough on a baking pan, and lightly coat both sides with olive oil. Press down the dough once more so it’s around ¼ of an inch thick.
6. Repeat this with the other half of the dough
7. Place in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes
8. After 8 minutes in the oven, remove pan and place desired toppings onto your dough. Be aware that the pan is still hot!! Place back in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
9. Remove after a total of 16-18 minutes and allow to cool before slicing each pie into four pieces to enjoy!

Quick and tasty banana granola

This is a recipe that I originally saw on @thisfruitylife, but after making it once, I decided to wing it and make it my own. This is a perfect snack for anytime, anywhere. I love putting this granola in smoothie bowls, yogurt, or eating it with milk! You can very easily add some chocolatey goodness to this recipe if you desire; I’ll include the measurements for that below.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana mashed
• ¾ tbsp peanut butter
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• 1 tsp flax and/or chia seeds (optional)

If you want to make it chocolate…

• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• Pinch or salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small bowl, mash one ripe banana and then mix in the remaining ingredients
3. On a baking pan, spread your mixture so it’s around ½ of an inch thick
4. Place pan in oven and bake at 350 for 25 minutes
5. Remove granola from the oven and turn the oven off. Break granola up into clusters and then place the tray back into the (now off) oven and leave it in for an hour.
6. After the hour is up, remove granola from the tray and put in an air lock container to store for up to a week at room temperature.

Indulgent chia seed pudding

This is my newest obsession. I took a much needed break from chia seed pudding, but now that I’m enjoying it again I am a happier camper. There are so many variations of chia seed pudding, but after testing different recipes, I have landed on this one as my favorite! Note that it needs to sit for quite some time, but oh boy, is it worth it. Also, be aware that this makes one serving, but it is quite large. I let my chia seed pudding sit for two days because I couldn’t finish it in the first sitting, and it was perfectly fine the next day.

Ingredients:

• ¼  cup almond milk (or any milk that you wish)
• ¼ cup yogurt of choice
•  ⅓ cup whole chia seeds (I usually add a little more than this because I like mine really thick!)
• ¾ tablespoon honey
• Dash of cinnamon

Possible toppings:

• Chocolate chips
• Nuts
• fruit/berries

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into an airtight container, such as a mason jar. Make sure to mix in any clumps of chia seeds that may settle at the bottom or elsewhere!
2. Place the container in your fridge for six or more hours. (I recommend leaving it overnight for a yummy breakfast!)
3. When ready to enjoy, remove your pudding and prepare toppings
4. Top off your delicious pudding with toppings of your choice and enjoy!

I believe that feuling yourself properly is important. However, I also believe that food impacts the mind as well, so I created these recipes as a “healthier version” of some of my favorite foods! That’s not to say that you shouldn’t enjoy food as is, but I truly enjoy altering recipes and staples in my diet to become more nourishing for both my body and mind. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post, as it is different from what I normally post! Let me know if you did, and also be sure to tell me your favorite food in the comments! If you choose to make these bites, don’t be afraid to send me a picture either via email or dm, or tag me in an instagram story- I’d love to see! Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic time in the kitchen!