Looking for a wholesome, make-ahead breakfast recipe? Muesli is the answer! Originating in Switzerland, muesli is essentially homemade oat cereal—to serve, add milk and maybe some fresh fruit. Muesli is similar to granola but lighter, as it’s made without oil and minimally sweetened. It also reminds me of oatmeal, but it’s served cold and ready to enjoy at a moment’s notice.

Not all mueslis are created equally—some are made with raw oats and taste bland. Not this one! This nutritious muesli recipe offers loads of texture and flavor. It features toasted old-fashioned oats, nuts and seeds, optional coconut, and chopped dried fruit.

Toasting the muesli in the oven makes a world of difference. It brings out the savory, nutty flavors in the oats, nuts and seeds and makes your kitchen smell lovely. The oven’s heat also firms up the oats a bit, offering even more texture.

My other trick is adding a small splash of maple syrup to the mixture before toasting. The subtle sweetness substantially improves the flavor.

You probably have everything you need to make muesli already, so let’s preheat the oven and start mixing. Below, you’ll find many options for adapting the recipe to your pantry.

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Perhaps the world needs more banana pancakes. Yes, that’s exactly what we’re missing. Yes, that’s what I’m telling myself right now. This thirteen-year-old (!) recipe website already has several banana pancake recipes, each wonderful in its own way, and here I am with another.

My whole wheat banana pancakes are so nice and fluffy. My banana oat pancakes are tender and flavorful with oatmeal-like interiors. This blender oatmeal pancake recipe yields an all-around great pancake that’s less banana-y than the others. I even have banana waffle recipes—whole wheat and oat-based—those are great, too.

These are the banana pancakes I’m making most often at the moment. They are the quickest and simplest pancakes by far, with only three ingredients at the core: mashed banana, eggs and whole-grain flour (you have several flour options here). I often add cinnamon and hemp hearts or flaxseeds, but even then, they require fewer ingredients than the other recipes.

Nutritionally, these banana pancakes are as healthy as pancakes can be. They’re significantly lower in carbohydrates than the other recipes, and slightly higher in protein. That’s a win! Although they don’t taste as much like a treat as the other recipes, they’re truly very nice.

These pancakes are easy to throw together in the morning while Grace toddles around the kitchen. She loves them and I feel good about them. So, these banana pancakes are definitely baby-friendly and kid-friendly. These simple pancakes are for everyone!

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Looking for an easy way to liven up your meals? Add a fresh sauce! Let me introduce you to my latest favorite—this refreshing cilantro pesto recipe. It’s made simply with fresh cilantro, hemp seeds, garlic, optional jalapeño (for some heat) and olive oil.

Even if you don’t love cilantro, there’s a strong chance you’ll enjoy this sauce. My husband is typically in the “no cilantro” camp, but he kept going back for spoonfuls of this pesto.

I’m using the term “pesto” loosely here, since traditional basil pesto is made with basil, pine nuts and Parmesan. Instead of pine nuts, I used hemp seeds, which are high in protein and key minerals, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc.

When blended, the hemp seeds (also known as hemp hearts) become so nice and creamy that this sauce tastes complete without cheese. This nut-free and dairy-free pesto would be great with basil as well.

This recipe is inspired by a cilantro-hemp sauce that I enjoyed at True Foods Kitchen in Kansas City. They serve it on their “Ancient Grains Bowl,” which is topped with sweet potatoes, onions, portobello mushrooms and avocado. Naturally, this sauce goes well with all of the above, as well as almost any meal with Mexican-inspired flavors. You’ll find more ideas below!

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I should put “Parmesan cheese” in big quotations here, because this vegan version is definitely not cheese. Yet, it tastes quite similar to the real deal! I’m loving this vegan Parmesan cheese recipe and I think you will, too.

This vegan Parm is great sprinkled over savory meals in lieu of real Parmesan. Whether you’re vegan, dairy free, avoiding animal rennet, looking to limit your consumption of animal products, or just plain curious—this recipe is for you.

I’m not the first person to come up with a vegan Parmesan cheese substitute. I’ve tried several recipes over the years, but none quite hit the mark. When I was wandering around Whole Foods the other day, I came across a vegan Parmesan blend in the refrigerated section. It used hemp seeds instead of raw cashews like I’ve used before. I was intrigued.

I didn’t buy that vegan Parm, but the idea stuck with me until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. Hemp seeds seemed like a great choice since they’re tender, nutty, nutritious, and nut free (a bonus for my friends with nut allergies). Hemp seeds are also tiny, which meant that I could simply stir the ingredients together instead of making a mess in my food processor.

So, I bought some hemp seeds on another grocery store run, and came home and started experimenting. Bingo! Meet the best vegan Parm I’ve ever had. You’ll only need five ingredients for this dairy-free wonder.

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When asked what I do for a living, my response lately has been, “I’m a food blogger,” which is usually met with an eyebrow raise. “What kind of food?” they ask. I explain that I publish tasty recipes that just so happen to be healthy. (I probably need a better elevator pitch.)

I stand by my statement with this pesto. Yes, it’s packed with so-called super foods, but it’s also mighty tasty and ready in under 10 minutes.

Hemp seeds are new to me. I’d come across them in health magazines and vegan blogs before, so I knew they’re high in protein and full of essential amino acids. I’m not the kind of person who takes wheat grass shots just because they’re healthy, though. I wasn’t interested in hemp seeds until I read in Martha Steward Living that they actually taste good. Like pine nuts, sorta. Sold!

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