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Pasta with pesto and broccolini.

Pasta with Pesto and Broccolini

This pasta with pesto and broccolini is an easy weeknight, 30-minute, one-pot, one-bowl meatless pasta from Marin mama cooks.

Kale spinach and basil pesto in a food processor

Kale, Spinach and Basil Pesto

Oh my gosh, this kale, spinach and basil pesto is SO tasty, fresh and chunky that it’s seriously bowl licking and spoon licking good (yep, Zoe and I licked our bowls clean)! I’ve made this pesto up twice already and Zoe and I couldn’t keep our spoons out of the jar. We kept opening the jar taking a spoonful, closing the jar and then sneaking back for another spoonful, you get the picture…  We were totally digging this pesto.

Coconut granola bark

Coconut Granola Bark

What?? Another granola recipe Marin mama? Yep, I’m posting another granola recipe peeps, because I’m an oat crazed gal who loves something sweet and crunchy to nosh on in the afternoon, and this granola bark fits the bill! It’s crunchy, sweet, (but not too sweet) full of goodness and very addicting! I made this bark up the other day and it went very fast, so fast that I had to make another batch the next day so that I would have something to photograph. The kids and I couldn’t stop ourselves, we kept going back for seconds, thirds and so on…

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with milk

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, I’m being a bit naughty and giving you all a sugary treat today! I’m posting a new cookie recipe that has been happily tested on at least 40 kids and adults, ranging in age from 6 to 44 (yes, you guessed it, I’m the 44-year-old)! These cookies got the double thumbs up, and there were even some kids that gave me the feet thumbs up as well! Crazy kids! These cookies are chock-full of flavor from the cinnamon, allspice and the turbinado sugar. The turbinado sugar helps gives the cookies a nice crunchy texture. You can also tastes bits of salt in each cookie bite, and those bittersweet chocolate chips, wow, they just make anything better in my opinion. Give me a cookie with some oats, sugar, butter and chocolate, and I’m a happy gal.

Sweet potato tacos with avocado cream

Sweet Potato Tacos with Avocado Crema

If you’re looking for a new meatless taco recipe, then you’ve come to the right place! Sweet potatoes make the perfect hearty filling for a taco when you’re craving a meatless meal. Insert them in a corn tortilla with some black beans, cotija cheese and the avocado crema and you have yourself not only a beautiful looking taco, but a tasty and healthy one as well.

Avocado yogurt cream served with tortilla chips

Avocado Yogurt Crema

This crema is the perfect compliment for tacos, nachos, quesadillas, burritos and even tastes great alone paired with your favorite bag of chips. It also serves as a great dip for sweet potato fries!

Peanut butter chocolate chip granola

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

This granola is not what I would classify as a healthy breakfast alternative. I would say that it falls into the sugar cereal family rather than the Ezekiel cereal family, but that’s ok. My philosophy when it comes to food is that it’s all about balance, and some days we want something healthy for breakfast, and some days we want something naughty like this granola! This granola is a cinch to whip up, as it only takes 30 minute tops, and requires only 6 simple pantry ingredients! Easy peasy!

Toasted overnight steel cut oats

Toasted Overnight Steel Cut Oats

I love steel cut oats. I love their chewy texture and creamy consistency. They’re the perfect comfort food on a cold morning, and ever since I figured out the lazy overnight way to make them, I eat them at least 2 times a week, if not more. Goodbye instant oats, say hello to rich and chewy steel cut oats! My favorite go-to toppings are peanut butter and fresh fruit! YUM!

Popovers with rosemary

Video on How to Make Perfect Popovers

For those of you that follow my blog, you know that I’m pretty much obsessed with kale and popovers. I have 20 kale recipes on my blog (wow, I guess I really am obsessed) and a mere 6 popover recipes, so maybe I’m a tad more obsessed with kale than popovers, but I still love popovers! My friends actually tell me that when I open my Marin mama cooks cafe, (I’m going to try and go for this in the next year or so) that I need to have popovers on the menu, as they’re one of my signature things. I agree, as they’re the perfect carb to pair with soups and salads! Keep your fingers crossed on my cafe idea! It’s one of my dreams!

Granola bars on table with milk

No-Bake Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars

One of our favorite on-the-go snacks are granola bars. Granola bars are portable and tasty! We’re currently in love with these bars from Kind. I love the Kind bars because they’re a healthier bar. They’re chock-full of real ingredients like nuts, whole-grains, berries and dark chocolate. There is nothing processed in their bars, which makes me feel good about serving them up to my kids. Zoe’s favorite Kind bar (and mine as well) is their peanut butter dark chocolate bar, but she’s not entirely in love with nuts, so I decided to play around and create a “nut-free” granola bar version for her. I played around with a few different versions and came up with this bar, and let me tell you, it was a HUGE success, not only with Zoe, but with friends that I pawned them off on! These bars are not the traditional crunchy bars, they’re on the chewy side!

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