3-Layer Fruit Smoothie

This 3-layer fruit smoothie is the ultimate healthy breakfast! I'll make the whole thing for a special occasion or just one layer for a quick, yummy treat.

Nothing says love like a smoothie, right? 🙂 I love love love Valentine’s Day, but not in the fancy-dinner-prix-fixe dinner sort of way. I love it for of all of the cute things that remind me of being a little kid… tiny paper cards, homemade cupcakes with pink frosting, heart shaped candies… so in the spirit of being crafty, I made this 3-layer fruit smoothie! I always see layered fruit smoothies on Instagram and think, “who the heck has time to make three separate smoothies?” – but here I am doing it. It actually was pretty simple, and while I…

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French Toast Bake

I love French toast, but it's not ideal for serving a crowd. Enter: this French toast bake! Make it for the holidays, Mother's Day, or any weekend brunch.

This French toast bake was my solution to a pressing problem. When I make a big, decadent brunch, I want French toast to be on the menu. I mean, eggy bread that’s soft in the middle, crisp around the edges, and warmly spiced with cinnamon… what’s not to love? But here’s the thing: French toast is a perfect breakfast for two. When I make it, I enjoy flipping slice after slice until I have a stack that’s big enough to serve just me and Jack. When I’m serving a crowd, on the other hand, all that flipping starts to add…

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Apple Cinnamon Crunch Overnight Oats

A simple make-ahead breakfast. Overnight oats are so healthy and energizing - I love this fall/winter version with apples and granola! Vegan

It’s December! How did that happen already? With the holidays quickly approaching, you’re busy (and I’m busy!)… all the more reason to have a super quick energizing breakfast ready to go in the morning. This recipe takes less than 5 minutes to put together at night and it’s ready in the morning. Admittedly, I was late to the overnight oat craze, but I’m pretty obsessed now. What I love is that they’re creamy without being gummy and the flavor combos are endless! I love this version with blueberry jam that I made in the summertime – this fall/winter apple version is…

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Mini Frittata Muffins

Are you a savory breakfast person looking for make-ahead options? Mini frittata muffins are just what you need! They're easy, healthy, and delicious.

These frittata muffins are my solution to a longstanding problem: all the best grab-and-go breakfasts are sweet. Don’t get me wrong, banana bread, scones, chia pudding, and breakfast cookies are all delicious. But if you’re anything like me, sometimes, you’re craving a savory breakfast, and you don’t have time to cook eggs. You wish that there was a tasty, protein-packed option that you could take with you as you headed out the door. Enter: this frittata muffin recipe. Packed with fresh veggies and eggs, these mini frittata muffins have become my favorite meal prep breakfast recipe. They’re great straight from…

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Overnight Oats with Blueberry Chia Jam

Make your overnight oats better with this healthy blueberry chia jam! All you need is some lemon, maple syrup, cinnamon, chia, oats, and blueberries.

Before I tell you about this recipe, I wanted to make a quick announcement to our Chicago friends – this Saturday I’ll be attending the Renegade Craft Fair Chicago at the Quaker Oats booth. Stop by to say HI and enjoy a healthy snack of Overnight Oats. I’ll be doing the meet & greet from 11:30am – 12:30pm, hope to see you there! (click here for details) Ok, back to the recipe! Last week, I was up to my ears in corn… this week, I’ve been eating blueberries until I’m blue in the face. They’re so good right now! Plus,…

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Breakfast Panzanella

When you make a big panzanella salad - turn the leftovers into breakfast the next morning by adding some fresh basil and fried eggs! So easy and delicious!

If you caught Monday’s post, you might have noticed that I made a pretty big panzanella. I think it looked a little smaller in the photos, but it was truly a massive amount of food, especially since there’s just two of us here. As we were cleaning up after that dinnertime photo shoot, I was storing away containers full of leftovers and I said to Jack (half joking), “are you ready to have panzanella for breakfast tomorrow?” And then half-joking turned into all seriousness when we both realized that all of the tomato-ey bread-y goodness with runny FRIED EGGS on…

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Avocado Smoothie

Made with banana and coconut milk, this avocado smoothie recipe is deliciously creamy without any dairy. An easy, refreshing vegan breakfast!

A recent trip to Dallas inspired me to make this creamy avocado smoothie recipe. While we were there, Jack and I went to a popsicle shop that had this dairy-free avocado lime pop that I went crazy for. I’ve wanted to recreate it all summer, and I finally did…in smoothie form! Don’t worry – this avocado smoothie doesn’t taste at all like guacamole. Instead, it’s like a fresh lime sorbet. Thanks to the avocado and banana, it has a delicious creamy texture that makes it a really satisfying breakfast or snack. In fact, it’s so good that I’d even eat…

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Super Fun Summer Smoothies!

Enjoy classic treats in smoothie form! These four fun drinks are inspired by blueberry muffins, PB&J, mint chip ice cream, and peaches & cream.

Every so often, I get on these mean green daily smoothie kicks that, in all honesty, can get a little TOO green over time. The kick starts with delicious well-balanced smoothies, but as the days go on, I start cutting corners. I add too much liquid so that the blender will blend fast, leaving me with a watery smoothie. And speaking of water, that’s what I use when I run out of almond milk. I add ice in the name of “thickness,” and I start skipping all ingredients that actually add flavor. What I (we) are left with to drink first thing in…

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Mango Coconut Muffins

I love to start my day with these bright mango coconut muffins! They're 100% vegan and have fresh flavor from lime, mango chunks & coconut flakes.

Muffins have such a special place in my heart. Growing up, my family ate muffins for breakfast nearly every day, and it was awesome. My sister and I would *think* we wanted the colorful cereals that the other kids had. We’d beg my mom to buy them and when she would, they’d end up going stale on the top shelf in the pantry. Nothing beat a warm muffin and a big glass of milk first thing in the morning. Of course, I’ve since nixed the milk part, but my love for muffins continues. These mango and coconut muffins are my new favorite morning treat.…

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Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

We love snacking on these 7-ingredient carrot energy balls. They taste just like carrot cake, but they're nut-free, vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make!

It’s April which means – time for carrot desserts! Or, well, in this case, carrot snacks. These lightly sweetened carrot bites are great for 3pm snacktime or an on-the-go breakfast. They’re more carroty than cakey – and by that I mean that they’re not cake-like at all and there’s no baking required (if you’re really craving cake click here or here). They’re chewy little balls made from a mix of carrots, sunflower seeds, dates, coconut, and cinnamon. By popular request, I made these nut free (as long as coconut is ok) – I was very tempted to try an almond version, but I held…

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Brussels Sprout Salad Avocado Toast

This smashed avocado toast is topped with a tangy Brussels Sprouts salad. Great for breakfast, a snack, or to serve to family.

There’s a shaved Brussels sprout salad in our Cookbook (page 68) that’s one of my go-to salads in the fall and/or winter. It has a tangy citrusy dressing and it’s tossed with cranberries and pine nuts. A few weeks ago while I was planning to make that salad for Thanksgiving, I saw a sprout and ricotta toast recipe on Epicurious and got the idea that my favorite little salad would make a bright festive appetizer. Instead of using ricotta cheese to hold the filling onto the toast I used smashed avocado – because I can never resist yet another seasonal avocado toast. This…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.