These Healthy Strawberry Shortcake Bars are sooo delicious!

You would never be able to tell that they were healthy if it wasn't in the title.

Gosh I love creating healthy treats that taste sinfully delicious! I like to eat them for breakfast just because I can.

I kind of feel like a rebel. Like I'm cheating somehow. How can healthy taste this good?! How can I be eating strawberry shortcake for breakfast knowing that I'm actually making a healthy decision that is good for my body?!

If I would have told my younger self who was chronically on a diet that I could eat cake for breakfast and not gain weight, it would have saved me years of feeling deprived.

I would have felt free.

That actually perfectly describes how I feel when I eat foods like this - FREE!!! And so darn happy. Cake for breakfast for all!

Cost per serving: $0.54
Calories per serving: 66
​Equipment you'll need: blender, large mixing bowl, 8x8 baking pan

Ingredients: makes 9 bars
1.5 cups gluten-free quick oats
1 tsp xanthan gum
3 Tbsp water (more if needed to facilitate blending)
200g yellow squash
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp natural butter flavor
1/2 tsp liquid stevia
3/4 cup granulated erythritol, or other granulated sweetener of choice (I use Swerve)
1/4 tsp salt
​1.5 tsp baking powder
1 cup strawberries, sliced

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F, spray 8x8 baking pan with non-stick spray, and set aside.
2. Add oats to blender, and process until flour-like consistency is reached.
3. Pour oats into large mixing bowl and add xanthan gum.
4. Add all remaining ingredients (except strawberries) to blender, and blend until smooth.
5. Add in oats and xanthan gum, and blend until smooth.
6. Pour mixture into large mixing bowl, add in sliced strawberries, and mix.
7. Spoon into prepared baking pan, and bake for 35 minutes or until edges begin to brown slightly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

It's almost Valentine's Day!!

I love Valentine's Day.

Actually, I love any excuse to eat a large amount of treats!! I have the biggest sweet tooth ever.

That's why I love creating sweet treats like these that are actually good for you so you feel like you're indulging in something sinful when you really aren't!

Anyway, mug cakes are seriously amazing (I don't know how I am just now hopping on the bandwagon).

A single serving cake made in the microwave and ready in 5 minutes or less.

​Can't get much better than that!! Make one for you and one for your sweetheart this V-Day and enjoy the heck out of your guilt-free chocolatey sweet treat!

PS - here are a few more Valentine's Day treats that you'll love! Valentine's Day Vanilla Cupcakes, Healthy Chocolates, Chocolate Cookie Dough Bites, and Healthy Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

Cost per serving: $0.85
Calories per serving: 82
​Equipment you'll need: medium mixing bowl, microwave-safe mug or ramekin

Ingredients: makes 1 serving
2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp powdered erythritol, or other powdered sweetener of choice
1 Tbsp granulated erythritol, or other granulated sweetener of choice
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 dash salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp applesauce, unsweetened
2 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp liquid stevia
1/4 tsp natural butter flavor
1/8 tsp white vinegar
Optional: Low-Calorie Chocolate Frosting & sprinkles!

Method:
1. Spray microwave-safe mug or ramekin with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl, and whisk with a fork until well-combined.
3. Add in wet ingredients, and stir.
4. Pour batter into prepared mug or ramekin, and microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes and 30 seconds or until top of cake is slightly firm to the touch. Let cool, frost and add sprinkles if desired, and enjoy!

I am still always so thrilled when the words "healthy" and "brownie" appear together - it just never gets old!

These are so yummy, easy to make, and full of secretly healthy ingredients. When I say easy to make, I mean you literally cannot mess them up.

Just throw all ingredients in a blender and then pour into a baking dish!

These brownies are perfectly fudgy and sweet (even though they are actually sugar-free) and absolutely divine.

You feel like you're cheating but you aren't!!

At only 59 calories a pop, how could you go wrong? One "regular" brownie made from a traditional mix like these from my childhood would be 333 calories for the same size serving!!!

Not only that, those contain all kinds of weird things like "artificial flavors" and "partially hydrogenated oils."

I'll take my clean and healthy version, thanks!

​Actually, for the same calorie value, I'll take half of the pan of mine!

Cost per serving: $0.44
Calories per serving: 59
Equipment per serving: blender, 8x8 baking pan

Ingredients: makes 9 servings
3/4 cup gluten-free quick oats
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup cooked or canned black beans
200g yellow squash
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated erythritol, or other granulated sweetener of choice (I use Swerve)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp natural butter flavor
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp liquid stevia

Optional: powdered erythritol to sprinkle on top!

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F, spray 8x8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, an set aside.
2. Add oats to blender and process until flour-like consistency is reached.
3. Add in remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
4. Pour into prepared baking dish, and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Once brownies have cooled, dust with powdered erythritol, if desired.

Thank you for supporting the brands that I am passionate about, as your support helps me run this site and continue to create these recipes for y'all :) This post contains affiliate links.

PS - for more healthy brownie recipes like these, head over to the Fave Healthy Recipes site! You will get lost in all the deliciousness for hours!

I originally created this recipe back in July 2014, but I have given it a little makeover! Purely cosmetic.

This is one of my favorite recipes of all time, so I thought it's original photos need some revamping.

Not only is it one of MY favorite recipes, it is actually the first recipe I give to anyone who approaches me wanting to transition to a plant-based diet (or just incorporate more plant-based foods).

There are a million reasons why this is my go-to such as:

1. It is ridiculously easy to make (only 6 ingredients!), and is not one of those recipes where you're going to be slaving away in the kitchen and be so annoyed that you deem veganism way too much work to ever adopt into your lifestyle.

2. They are super healthy, but don't taste healthy.

3. Along those lines, they are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and fat-free, making them perfect for pretty much any dietary restriction!

4. They are perfectly spiced and full of flavor!

5. They don't fall apart.

6. They will definitely fill you up! Another common issue with people transitioning to a more plant-based lifestyle is they complain they never feel full. You'll feel full with these - promise!

Anyway, although I revamped the photos, this recipe stayed 100% the same as when it was originally created because it is literally PERFECT! You will love them.

Cost per serving: $0.29
​Calories per serving: 133
Equipment you'll need: large mixing bowl, baking sheet

Ingredients: makes 4 burgers
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/3 cup gluten-free quick oats

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400F, spray baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. Mash beans in mixing bowl until there are no whole beans left.
3.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir until well-combined.
4. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, and roll into balls with clean hands.
5. Place on prepared baking sheet, and flatten with the palm of your hand.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, flip (carefully!), and bake for another 10 minutes on the other side.

This recipe was adapted from Lindsay Nixon's original recipe. Find it here.