I pretty much eat the same things for breakfast every morning. Either it’s a bowl of gluten-free oats with eggs, banana and peanut butter or a coconut flour breakfast bake topped with peanut butter, unless I’m in a sweets mood in which case I’ll make a paleo mug cake and top it with peanut butter.

Are you seeing a pattern? I really love peanut butter at breakfast time.

The only thing that I enjoy as much as peanut butter at breakfast is chocolate. Naturally, the two can only be better together.

I actually made this recipe last year around this time and completely forgot about it until I was shopping for ingredients. I figured it was time to remake it and take better photos, anyway. And I could never say no to having chocolate peanut butter on hand.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 16oz):

• 12oz(about 1 1/4 cup) plain peanut butter
• 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt(omit if you’re using salted peanut butter)

Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients together and mix until smooth
2. Store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 2 week.

I’ll give you a tip: It’s not going to last 2 weeks once you start tasting.

One of my favorite snacks used to be tortilla chips “with a hint of lime”. You know the ones that were so salty it was borderline sickening but you couldn’t stop snacking on them? I assume they still sell those even though I haven’t shopped for them in ages. But one day it hit me: Why not make my own?

These aren’t made completely from scratch; to start you use corn tortillas, which you can get practically at any grocery store. They’re one of my new favorite things to pick up because they’re so versatile and naturally gluten-free. Besides that you just need some limes and a few other common pantry items.

Because they’re baked, they’re also a little healthier than your average tortilla chip. They’re flavorful enough to be eaten on their on, or go really well with salsa or guacamole.

Homemade Lime Tortilla Chips

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10 6-inch corn tortillas
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Zest from 1 lime
• Juice from 1/2 lime(about 1 Tablespoon)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut your tortillas into halves and then thirds.
3. In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients together until the chips are covered in juice.
4. Lay the chips out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. They don’t need to be in a single layer but do your best to keep overlap to a minimum.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tortilla chips turn golden and are crisp.
6. Remove them from the oven and pick the chips apart so that they don’t stick to each other. Serve hot with salsa or guacamole or on their own.

Next time I might add a bit of sugar to enhance the lime flavor since a little sugar is never a bad thing. Otherwise, I was really happy with these; they were extremely crisp and held up to dipping perfectly.

One of my favorite lunches growing up was a PB&J sandwich on white Wonderbread. Who doesn’t love peanut butter and jelly? And Wonderbread—that was just great stuff before anyone realized bread shouldn’t be glow-in-the-dark white.

I’m getting sidetracked. What I meant to say was that these taste like the filling of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, that point where the sweetness of the jelly meets the smooth salty peanut butter. Since I hardly ever buy loaves of gluten-free bread, that’s not a taste I get to experience much; now I can have it whenever in a tasty raw snack.

You can mix in chopped peanuts at the final mixing step for a crunchier texture. For a different “jelly” flavor, use dried raspberries or dried strawberries in place of the raisins.

PB&J Balls

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 18 balls):

• 1 1/2 cup pitted dates
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 Tablespoons chia seeds(optional but recommended)

Method:

1. Place the dates and raisins into a food processor and blend until they come together and form a dough ball.
2. Add in the peanut butter and chia seeds and continue blending until everything has mixed together.
3. Move the ingredients to a bowl and work them with your hands until it forms one big dough ball.
4. Break off pieces by the ounce and roll into balls between your palms. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week.

I loved these even more after a day when the chia seeds had taken out some of the moisture and made them nice and chewy. It reminded me of a PB&J Larabar, so you could definitely shape these into bar form and have your own homemade ones.

One of the things I said I was going to do now was eat better, especially when it comes to sugar. Now I’m not delusioned too think I could ever give up the sweet stuff; instead I’m just looking to eat more sweets that also have nutrition to them. And for that I look towards dried fruit.

I’ve always loved fruit and nut snack bars like Larabars. They’re one of those all-too-few things that taste good and are good for you. They’re also incredibly easy to make at home, which opens up infinite flavor combinations. The combination of figs, hazelnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg taste like Winter to me.

Fig And Hazelnut Balls

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 14):

• 8oz pitted dates
• 8 figs, chopped
• 3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Method:

1. In a food processor, blend the dates until they form a sticky dough ball. If after a few minutes your dates haven’t come together, they might have been too dry to begin. Simply add a tablespoon of water and continue blending until they do come together.
2. Move the date dough to a separate bowl. Chop the hazelnuts and figs in the food processor until they’re broken into small pieces.
3. Dump the fig and hazelnut bits into the bowl with the date dough, adding in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Knead the two together. Break off pieces to roll into a ball or into a bar.
4. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week.

I used the roasted salted hazelnuts from Oh Nuts! and the little bit of salt really was a nice touch if you like salty-sweet snacks. It’s not going to fool anyone as a dessert but it’s a good snack to keep on hand to fight an afternoon sweet craving.

It’s impossible for me to say “salt and pepper” without finishing it up with an “Ah, push it. Push it good.” Anyone else? No? Just me? Never mind then.

These really are good. Maybe not push-it-good, but good nonetheless.

I’ve roasted a few pumpkins so far this season and every time kept the seeds. I really just want to throw them away because they feel like a hassle but why do that when you can make something delicious with them?

Salt And Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• Seeds from 1 large pumpkin
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper

Method:

1. Clean and rinse the pumpkin seeds to remain any lingering pumpkin on them.
2. Lay the seeds out and dry them on a paper towel
3. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
4. Toss the seeds with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
5. Lay the seeds out in a single layer on a baking pan
6. Roast until the seeds are dry and crispy, about 50 minutes depending on how wet your seeds are.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool before touching.

These are addictive on their own, but even better on a salad or mixed with popcorn for a savory snack.