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Cheesy BBQ Meatballs

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These Cheesy BBQ meatballs are ready in 20 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner that’s full of flavor. They’re kid-friendly and perfect for food prep.

cheesy bbq meatballs

Hi friends!

I’m excited to share this Cheesy BBQ Meatballs recipe with you guys. If you’ve been around awhile, you know we’re big fans of meatballs. Looking for some other options? 

Try these:

Meatballs in BBQ Sauce

These new meatballs with bbq sauce are sure to be a hit, especially with the kiddos! And they’re so easy to make. They even have carrots in them! I’ve found that carrots are the perfect addition to meatballs especially when you shred and then finely chop them. They blend in nicely and aren’t super noticeable especially when there’s a sauce.

These meatballs can also easily be gluten-free if you use gluten-free breadcrumbs. I use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs most recently but you can also use crushed rice chex, crushed GF crackers (Simple Mills works well!) etc. 

As far as which bbq sauce to use, that’s up to you! For a lower sugar option I love Stubb’s, but I’m a KC girl so KC Masterpiece always has my heart. 

cheesy bbq meatballs with oranges and broccoli

Cheesy Barbecue Meatballs Recipe

Let’s talk about the ingredients:

  • Garlic
  • Egg
  • Shredded carrots – I shred mine by hand and then finely chop the shreds
  • Breadcrumbs- I prefer panko-style, regular or gluten-free
  • Bbq sauce- choose your favorite!
  • Shredded cheese- I use colby jack but cheddar would also work
  • Ground turkey- You could also use ground beef or chicken

how to make barbecue meatballs

Once you mix all the ingredients in a bowl, simply use a cookie scoop to form 20-22 equal-sized balls, brush with bbq sauce and bake. I like to flip mine over halfway through and add a little more sauce.

If you’re not a fan of reheated meat, simply form into balls and stick the pan in the fridge so all you have to do is bake them when you get home.

Here are more detailed directions:

Print

Cheesy BBQ Meatballs

meatballs in bbq sauce
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

These Cheesy BBQ meatballs are ready in 20 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner that’s full of flavor. They’re kid-friendly and perfect for food prep.

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (regular or gluten-free)
1/2 cup shredded carrot, finely chopped
2/3 cup shredded cheese (colby jack or cheddar)
1 cup bbq sauce, divided
pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Place turkey, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, carrots, cheese, salt and 1/3 cup bbq sauce in a bowl and mix until well combined.
  3. Use a cookie scoop to form into 20-22 equally sized balls and place on a cookie sheet (I line mine with aluminum foil and spray with oil or use a Silpat.)
  4. Brush lightly with half the remaining bbq sauce and bake 9 minutes. Flip over and brush with remaining bbq sauce.
  5. Bake an additional 7-9 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees F.
  6. Optional – sprinkle additional cheese on top just before serving.

Notes

To make these gluten-free use GF breadcrumbs and BBQ sauce.

You can sub any ground meat for the turkey.

This recipe can be easily doubled.

So there you go!

Cheesy BBQ Meatballs

These Cheesy BBQ meatballs are ready in 20 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner that's full of flavor. They're kid-friendly and perfect for food prep.

Be sure to let me know if you try these!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Gluten-Free Chicken Ramen Noodles

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These Gluten-Free Chicken Ramen Noodles are perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Transform leftover chicken into a flavor-packed soup everyone will love!

gluten-free chicken ramen noodles

Hi friends!

If you’ve been around a while, you know I’m a big fan of food prep. I often prep lots of different components and then mix and match them during the week for easy meals. One of the things I cook almost every weekend is a batch of chicken. I most often use it for quick salads and rice bowls, but now that the weather is getting colder, I’ve started craving soup.

These gluten-free chicken ramen noodles have become my favorite way to repurpose leftover chicken into a new meal. It comes together quickly on the stovetop, has lots of flavor and a lot of the ingredients are pantry staples. The only one I need to make a special effort to buy is baby bok choy. While it’s a veggie I really enjoy, it’s not one I buy every week. So I try to make an effort to toss it in the cart every few weeks just so I can make this. 

Gluten-Free Ramen Noodles with Chicken

Let’s talk about the ingredients:

  • Cooked chicken- I use leftover chicken for this recipe to make it quick but you could also cook the chicken right before making the soup
  • Baby bok choy – you can sub spinach
  • Carrots – in this batch i sliced them thinly but you can also grate or spiralize them into noodles to help them cook more quickly.
  • Ginger – You can either use grated fresh ginger or a ginger paste from Gourmet Gardens (easy to keep in the fridge so you always have it on hand)
  • Garlic- for flavor!
  • Tamari – I use tamari to keep it gluten-free. You may sub soy sauce if you don’t need it to be gluten-free
  • Eggs – these are optional but if you like soft-boiled eggs you can boil them right in the same pot as the noodles.
  • Ramen noodles- my favorite gluten-free option is Lotus Foods Brown Rice ramen
  • Hot sauce – I love the jalapeno condiment from Yellowbird.

gluten-free ramen noodles with chicken

More recipes ideas:

If you like the sounds of this recipe, here are a few more you could try:

How to Make Gluten-Free Ramen

The key things to note about this recipe that make it gluten-free are the tamari and the noodles. Tamari is a gluten-free sub for soy sauce which is commonly used in ramen recipes and not all ramen noodles are gluten-free so just make sure to check if you use a brand besides Lotus foods. Also, check to make sure your broth is gluten-free.

Here’s how you make it:

Print

Gluten-Free Chicken Ramen Noodles

easy weeknight ramen 3
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

These Gluten-Free Chicken Ramen Noodles are perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Transform leftover chicken into a flavor-packed soup everyone will love!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 Tbps grated fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups baby bok choy, chopped (approx 1 bunch)
  • 2 cups thinly sliced carrots (or spiralized)
  • 3 cups cooked chicken, diced
  • 1 quart chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup tamari (sub soy sauce if not gluten-free)
  • 3 blocks Lotus Foods Brown Rice ramen
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 4 eggs, optional
  • hot sauce and salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium heat.
  2. Add garlic, ginger and carrots and saute 5 minutes.
  3. Add bok choy, chicken, broth and tamari and bring to boil.
  4. Reduce heat to simmer.
  5. Meanwhile, heat water for ramen in a separate pot. Bring to a boil.
  6. Add ramen and eggs if you want soft boiled eggs.
  7. Cook six minutes, then move eggs to ice bath and drain water from ramen.
  8. Taste broth and add hot sauce and salt as needed. Peel eggs.
  9. Put noodles into bowls, add broth mixture. Top with a soft boiled egg and green onions.

Notes

Can sub spinach for bok choy – just don’t add until the very end. You can also throw in some peas if you want.

If you don’t need gluten-free, use regular soy sauce and whatever ramen noodles you want.

This quick and easy meal is definitely a favorite in our weeknight rotation.

These Gluten-Free Chicken Ramen Noodles are perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Transform leftover chicken into a flavor-packed soup everyone will love!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

30 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes

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Looking for healthy pumpkin recipes? Here are 30 recipes to try! Everything from baked pumpkin recipes and pumpkin recipes for breakfast to savory pumpkin recipes.

healthy pumpkin recipes

Hi friends!

Prior to the holidays I shared 25+ Pumpkin Dessert Recipes That Are Not Pumpkin Pie to help with your menu planning. But we are huge pumpkin fans around here. In fact, two of my three kids still eat pumpkin straight from the can as their favorite vegetable. So I didn’t want to stop there. I wanted to collect even more pumpkin recipes for you to explore since it’s such a versatile veggie. 

You can easily use it in both sweet and savory recipes- everything from breakfast to dessert! It has a mild flavor and is an easy way to add nutrients to everything from muffins to soup. 

So I gathered up some canned pumpkin recipes for you guys to try! If you find a new favorite, be sure to let me know!

baked pumpkin recipes

Baked Pumpkin Recipes

easy pumpkin recipes

Easy Pumpkin Recipes

pumpkin recipes for breakfast

Pumpkin Recipes for breakfast

gluten-free pumpkin recipes

Breakfast Pumpkin Recipes Gluten-free

savory pumpkin recipes

Savory Pumpkin Recipes

So there you have it! 30 ways to use canned pumpkin. I hope you got some great ideas!

Looking for healthy pumpkin recipes? Here are 30 recipes to try! Everything from baked pumpkin recipes and pumpkin recipes for breakfast to savory pumpkin recipes.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Almond Flour Butter Cookies

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These Almond Flour Butter Cookies are made with just five simple ingredients and are so easy to make! The gluten-free recipe makes one dozen cookies – the perfect addition to your holiday cookie trays!

Gluten-free Almond Flour Butter Cookies

Originally published 11/18. Updated 11/21.

Hi friends!

I just couldn’t wait any longer to share these almond flour cookies recipe with you. These are egg-free, gluten-free Almond Flour Butter Cookies! Aren’t they just so festive for the holidays? These cookies would be the perfect addition to your holiday cookie trays this season.

They’re so easy to make, require just 5 ingredients….plus some chocolate and sprinkles to make them festive if you want to…and the recipe makes only a dozen, so you can make a batch and still have room to whip up all your other holiday favorites as well.

Almond Flour Cookies

recipe for almond flour cookies

This post was originally sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. I love their Superfine Almond Flour because it is perfect for low carb baking, which is helpful for my husband who has Type 1 diabetes. These almond flour cookies took a few tests but they turned out great!

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you’re looking for a more traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe made with almond flour, this probably isn’t the one for you. These cookies are very tender and trying to mix in chocolate chip cookies might cause them to fall apart.

But you can still get your chocolate fix by melting some chocolate chips and drizzling them on top or even dipping the cookies into the melted chocolate! My go-to chocolate chip cookie that uses almond flour are these Chewy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Looking for another recipe for almond flour cookies? Try these:

almond flour chocolate chip cookies (butter cookies with chocolate chips melted on top)

And these cookies don’t have to be exclusive to the holidays! You can enjoy them year-round with a chocolate drizzle or just plain!

This recipe calls for softened butter and I’ve found in my testing that whatever your definition of softened is will impact how much these cookies spread so yours might come out the same size as mine or a little smaller.

Recipe for Almond Flour Butter Cookies

Print

Almond Flour Butter Cookies

Almond Flour Butter Cookies gluten-free Christmas
Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.6 from 7 reviews

These Almond Flour Butter Cookies are made with just five simple ingredients and are so easy to make! The gluten-free recipe makes one dozen cookies – the perfect addition to your holiday cookie trays!

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Yield: one dozen cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Superfine Almond Flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • optional: chocolate chips and sprinkles for decorating

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a mixing bowl, beat softened butter, brown sugar and vanilla using an electric mixer for one minute.
  3. Add almond flour, baking powder and salt and mix just until a dough forms.
  4. Use a Tablespoon to scoop and roll 12 balls and place on a baking tray.
  5. Flatten each ball using the tines of a fork to make a criss-cross pattern.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-10 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes on baking tray before transferring to a cooling rack.
  7. Let cool completely, then drizzle with melted chocolate chips and sprinkles if desired.

Notes

How soft your butter is will impact how much your cookies spread out.

See what I mean? So so easy and delicious.

These Almond Flour Butter Cookies are made with just five simple ingredients and are so easy to make! The gluten-free recipe makes one dozen cookies - the perfect addition to your holiday cookie trays!

Be sure to let me know if you try these! I’d love to hear what you think!!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

25+ Pumpkin Dessert Recipes {That Are Not Pumpkin Pie}

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Looking for easy dessert pumpkin recipes that are not pumpkin pie? Here are 25+ desserts from pumpkin cake to pumpkin bars to no-bake pumpkin desserts to choose from!

easy pumpkin dessert recipes not pumpkin pie

Hi friends!

When you think of pumpkin recipes easy dessert is probably the first thing that comes to mind, right? Obviously, pumpkin pie is a classic dessert recipe. However, if you’re like me, you may not get all that excited about pumpkin pie. I think it’s just average.

The good news is, there are a lot of other dessert options out there that can give you the pumpkin flavor you love, just not in pumpkin pie form. That’s right- easy pumpkin dessert recipes come in all forms, from cookies to cheesecake to bars to no-bake desserts!

By choosing one of these pumpkin recipes, dessert is taken care of!

pumpkin cookies, mini pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin skillet cookie, pumpkin brownies, pumpkin gingerbread, pumpkin toffee bars

Pumpkin Recipe Easy Desserts

no bake pumpkin desserts: Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip, Pumpkin Mousse, Pumpkin Icebox Cake, Pumpkin Lasagna, Chocolate Pumpkin Cups, No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Desserts No-Bake

easy pumpkin bars recipes: Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars, Pumpkin Pie Bars, Pumpkin Pecan Bars, Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, Pecan Magic Pumpkin Bars, and Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars

Pumpkin Bars Dessert

pumpkin dessert cake: Pumpkin Yellow Cake Mix, Pumpkin Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Dump Cake, Pumpkin Pudding Cake, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Dessert Cake

If you’re looking to go beyond pumpkin pie this year, I hope this roundup of pumpkin dessert recipes gives you some good options!

Looking for easy dessert pumpkin recipes that are not pumpkin pie? Here are 25+ desserts from pumpkin cake to pumpkin bars to no-bake pumpkin desserts to choose from!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups

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These Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups are made with crescent roll dough and are a super easy dinner. They’re kid-friendly and the leftovers can be packed for lunch!

warm turkey and cheese roll-ups with grapes and carrots

Hi friends!

Lately, I’ve been making these Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups several times a month for dinner, especially on the nights my oldest has swimming. They’re quick, easy and kid-friendly and I can prep them ahead of time so my husband can just stick them in the oven when I’m on my way home from dance class with my daughter. Then they can be eaten in the 15 minutes we have before it’s off to the next sports practice!

As an added bonus, my oldest doesn’t mind eating these cold, so I can pack the extras in his lunchbox the next day.

An Elevated Turkey and Cheese Sandwich

These roll-ups are basically just a next-level turkey sandwich. Instead of bread, it uses crescent roll dough, which everyone loves! Then you just need your favorite turkey and cheese to go on the inside. They cook quickly, they come out nice and warm with melty cheese and the whole tray disappears without much effort on our part!

They’re also a great size for feeding a crowd – similar to turkey and cheese sliders- so they make a great party appetizer!

What Cheese Goes with Turkey

You really can’t go wrong with any cheese here. My kids usually prefer mozzarella or colby jack. I personally like meunster. Swiss would also be good. You can use shredded cheese or cheese slices, whichever you prefer. 

turkey and cheese roll-ups side view

Variations

There are lots of ways to add variety to these:

  • Swap ham, or even roast beef for turkey.
  • Use pepperoni instead of turkey, brush with garlic butter and dip in marinara.
  • Thinly slice leftover roasted turkey, instead of lunch meat, and add some leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving!

how to make turkey and cheese roll-ups

How To Make Turkey and Cheese Wraps

A few tips for assembly:

  • Buy the plain crescent roll dough. I just find it easier to work with a solid sheet vs the kind that’s already perforated for crescent rolls.
  • I usually cut the sheet in half. 
  • Layer your turkey and cheese slightly to one side and start rolling from that side. I’ve found that having the empty dough at the end of the roll-up helps it stick together!
  • Once you’ve rolled into a log, slice into the desired size and bake!
Print

Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups

turkey rollups 2
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

These Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups are made with crescent roll dough and are a super easy dinner. They’re kid-friendly and the leftovers can be packed for lunch!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6–8 slices of turkey
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (or 4 slices)
  • 1 tube crescent roll dough (solid sheet)

Instructions

  1. Unroll dough and cut in half.
  2. Layer turkey and cheese slightly to one side of the dough.
  3. Roll up starting at the side closer to the fillings.
  4. Slice and transfer to baking sheet.
  5. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Notes

I sometimes add pepperoni with the turkey or just do pepperoni by itself. Ham would also work!

See what I mean by easy?! Let me know if you try these!

These Turkey and Cheese Roll-ups are made with crescent roll dough and are a super easy dinner. They're kid-friendly and the leftovers can be packed for lunch!

Need more easy kid-friendly dinners?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

20+ Baked Sweet Potato Recipes

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These baked sweet potato recipes are perfect for everything from breakfasts and snacks to dessert. Learn how to bake a sweet potato and use it to make muffins, brownies and more!

baked sweet potato recipes

Hi friends!

If you’ve been around awhile, you know I have a baked sweet potato recipe or two! I bake a sweet potato (or several) pretty much every week when I food prep and while I sometimes use them in Sweet Potato Dinner Recipes, I most frequently bake with them. Baked sweet potatoes are the perfect addition to muffins and bars, brownies and cakes!

But before we talk about the recipes, we need to talk about preparation. 

How to bake a sweet potato

There is a baked sweet potato recipe for pretty much any small kitchen appliance you might have. When I need one quickly, I use the microwave. If I’m cooking several, I typically use the instant pot or air fryer. Here are several options:

Any of these methods will cook the sweet potatoes and make them soft enough for baking. If you haven’t tried already, here are several recipes!

sweet potato muffins and bars recipes using baked sweet potato

Sweet Potato Muffins and Bars:

Here’s a few more:

sweet potato bread and rolls using baked sweet potato

Sweet Potato Bread and Rolls:

dessert recipes using baked sweet potatoes

Sweet Potato Dessert Recipes:

Did any of these catch your eye? Be sure to pin this post and share with friends!

These baked sweet potato recipes are perfect for everything from breakfasts and snacks to dessert. Learn how to bake a sweet potato and use it to make muffins, brownies and more!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

35+ Sweet Potato Dinner Recipes

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Need sweet potato dinner recipes? Here are 35+ recipes by category including slow cooker, with chicken or beef, vegetarian and more!

Sweet Potato Dinner Recipe Ideas

Hi friends!

Let’s chat sweet potato dinner recipes. Sweet potatoes are one of the most versatile veggies.

What are the Benefits of Sweet Potatoes?

So what are the health benefits of sweet potatoes? They’re technically a vegetable, but they’re also starchy so they are a source of carbohydrates as well. Sweet potatoes are a great source of Vitamin A and C so they’re great for your visium, immune system and more. They’re also high in antioxidants which help protect your cells!

As for the benefits of sweet potato skins, they’re high in fiber which is great for gut health. Adding fiber to your meals will help you feel full and satisfied for longer periods of time. Sweet potatoes contain both soluble and insoluble fiber.

How to cook sweet potatoes

If you need one quickly, you can just stab it all over with a knife and microwave for 5-6 minutes for a microwave baked potato. Or you can use a counter top appliance:

These can be used as a base for chili, shredded meats and more!

Sweet Potato Dinner Recipes

Sweet potatoes can also be spiralized and used as noodles. They hold their shape well and don’t get quite as mushy as zucchini noodles. But good old fashioned diced sweet potatoes are great in dinner recipes as well. If you’re looking to include them in your meals, here are some easy sweet potato recipes:

slow cooker sweet potato recipes

Crockpot Sweet Potato Recipes (or Instant Pot)

chicken and sweet potato dinner recipes

Chicken and Sweet Potato Recipes

beef and sweet potato recipes

Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Recipes (or turkey)

black bean sweet potato dinner recipes

Black Bean Sweet Potato Recipe

lentil sweet potato recipes

Lentil sweet potato recipes (or vegetarian)

easy sweet potato recipes

Easy Sweet Potato Recipes

If you saw anything that caught your eye, be sure to pin this post for later!

Need sweet potato dinner recipes? Here are 35+ recipes by category including slow cooker, with chicken or beef, vegetarian and more!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Sweet Potato Chicken Chili {Instant Pot or Slow Cooker}

by 48 Comments

This Sweet Potato Chicken Chili can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker for an easy, healthy dinner. And the leftovers make the perfect packable lunch. 

sweet potato chili real simple

Originally published Jan 2018. Updated Oct 2021.

Hi friends!

Soup season is here! As the weather starts to get colder, I always crave soup and this Sweet Potato Chicken Chili is a forever favorite. I’m not a huge ground beef fan so traditional chili isn’t my favorite but I love this twist because it incorporates some of my favorites. I also love it because like a lot of soups, it gets better as it sits, so making a huge batch on Sunday and eating it for lunch or dinner all week long works out well. If you’re not a fan of red chili, try my White Chicken Chili!

Chicken Chili with Sweet Potato

Here are the ingredients:

  • Onion – White or yellow work best
  • Black beans – Look for a low-sodium can or give them a good rinse after draining
  • Sweet Potato – Leave the peels on! You won’t even notice them. And make sure to dice into evenly-sized chunks.
  • Corn – I usually use frozen corn but fresh or canned would also work
  • Diced canned tomatoes – I prefer the no-salt-added variety so I can salt the whole soup to taste
  • Spice – paprika, chili powder and cayenne can all be adjusted to your taste preferences
  • Chicken – chicken breasts or thighs work for this recipe
  • Broth – Use chicken or vegetable broth
  • Toppings – I top mine with avocado, cheese and tortilla chips

Chicken Sweet Potato Chili Slow Cooker

This is a great soup for pulling out your slow cooker. Just throw everything but the toppings in and give it a good stir. Then cook on low for about 6 hours, shred the chicken and serve with toppings

Chicken Sweet Potato Chili Instant Pot

If you’d prefer to make it in the Instant pot, cook time will depend on the thickness of your chicken. Start with 15 minutes and then check to see if the chicken shreds easily. If not, restart for a few more minutes.

 

Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

chicken sweet potato chili soup

I actually made this soup on a whim. Turns out it was so good that I immediately made a second batch to photograph and share with you guys. I’ve made it both in the Instant Pot and the slow cooker and it turns out great either way. The great thing about chili is that it’s pretty hard to screw up. Like most soups, you basically just throw what you have on hand in a pot, add some seasonings and serve. Plus you can easily adjust this recipe to make it fit your dietary preferences.

Turkey Sweet Potato Chili

In this sweet potato chili turkey or beef (ground) can be substituted for the chicken, however, I would cook the ground meat first before adding to the slow cooker or instant pot and reduce the cooking time in the Instant Pot to about 10 minutes.

No Bean Sweet Potato Chili (Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili)

Not a fan of beans, no problem! You can still enjoy this chili. Just swap the black beans for cooked quinoa or farro! They’re both a great source of nutrients that will add protein and fiber just like beans do but may reduce the intestinal discomfort beans can cause some people.

Sweet Potato Chili Recipe Vegetarian

Another option would be to leave the beans and swap chicken for cooked quinoa or tempeh for an easy sweet potato chili recipe vegetarians will love.

Chicken Sweet Potato Chili

bean and sweet potato chili with chicken

Recipe for Sweet Potato Chili with Chicken

Print

Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

This Sweet Potato Chicken Chili can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker for an easy, healthy dinner. And the leftovers make the perfect packable lunch. 
Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.6 from 5 reviews

This Sweet Potato Chicken Chili can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker for an easy, healthy dinner. And the leftovers make the perfect packable lunch. 

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 12 min
  • Total Time: 22 minutes
  • Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1.5 cups black beans (or one can drained)
  • 2 cups diced sweet potato
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • optional toppings: chips, cheese, avocado

Instructions

Combine all ingredients (except optional toppings) in the instant pot or slow cooker.

Option 1: Use the manual button on the instant pot to cook for 12-15 minutes depending on how thick your chicken breasts are. I usually let the pressure release naturally but if you’re in a hurry you can do manual release. If the chicken doesn’t shred easily, cook a few minutes more.

Option 2: Cook in the slow cooker for about 6 hours on low or until the chicken shreds easily.

Add toppings and serve!

Pretty easy right? Want more soup? Try:

This Sweet Potato Chicken Chili can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker for an easy, healthy dinner. And the leftovers make the perfect packable lunch. 

 

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

100+ Chapter Book Series for Kids {Kindergarten/1st Grade}

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Looking for the best chapter books for kids? Here are 100+ chapter book series perfect for preschool, kindergarten and first graders. Perfect for family read alouds or for beginning readers to try on their own.

chapter book series for kids

Hi friends!

I’ve been working so hard to put together the ultimate list of chapter books for kids! In the past year, we’ve started reading more kids chapter books with my older two (starting around the time they were 4 & 6) and I wanted to put together a list with a bunch of suggestions all in one place so we could work our way through all of them.

With the help of my friend Paige at Food 4 Tots, we came up with over 100 series for you to check out. HUGE thank you to Paige for all her help! For this list, we focused on series (at least 3 books) rather than individual books. These lists are more for read-aloud chapter books versus categorizing by reading level. 

I’m always looking for early chapter books to read to my kids so I wanted to put together a list that I could work my way through. If you’re looking for a printable version of this list, scroll all the way to the end!

Kid’s Chapter Books

preschool chapter books for kids

Preschool Kids Chapter Books (Series )

These children’s chapter books have larger print, not a ton of words and still have a fair amount of pictures. They’d be a great next step after picture books but should still hold the attention of a preschooler. They’re also great for beginning readers to read themselves! An asterisk (*) denotes diverse characters.

  • Narwhal and Jelly 
  • The Adventures of Sophie Mouse 
  • Frog and Toad
  • Wallace and Grace 
  • Poppleton 
  • Charlie & Mouse 
  • Sydney & Taylor 
  • Haggis and Tank 
  • Scaredy Squirrel 
  • Diary of a Pug 
  • Owl Diaries 
  • The Last Firehawk 
  • Owly 
  • A Friend For Dragon 
  • Princess in Black 
  • Billie B. Brown 
  • The Kingdom of Wrenly 
  • Yasmin* 
  • Mia Mayhem* 
  • Anna Hibiscus* 
  • Mr. Putter & Tabby 
  • Henry and Mudge 
  • Monster and Boy 
  • Billy and the Mini Monsters 
  • Mercy Watson 
  • The Critter Club 
  • King & Kayla* 
  • Dragon Masters
  • Amelia Bedelia 
  • Kung Pow Chicken 
  • Boris 
  • Little Bear

Beginner Chapter Books for Kids

kindergarten chapter books for kids

Kindergarten Kids Chapter Books (Series)

These kid’s chapter books are a little bit longer, still have some photos and most have bigger text and short chapters.  Great for read alouds and also for maybe 1st/2nd grade readers to read themselves. This is not an all-inclusive list. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some great ones. There also may be some on this list you’re not comfortable with for your kids. As always, do your own research! An asterisk (*) denotes diverse characters.

  • The Bad Guys 
  • Press Start 
  • Dr. Kitty Kat 
  • Isadora Moon 
  • Geronimo Stilton 
  • Ellray Jakes* 
  • Nancy Clancy 
  • Hey Jack 
  • Stink 
  • Ivy + Bean 
  • Zapato Power* 
  • Captain Awesome 
  • Magic School Bus Chapter books 
  • A to Z mysteries
  • Dory Fantasmagory 
  • Eerie Elementary 
  • Magic Tree House 
  • The Questioneers 
  • Zoey and Sassafrass* 
  • Notebook of Doom 
  • The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian* 
  • Ruby and the Booker Boys*  
  • Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol* 
  • Keena Ford* 
  • Alvin Ho* 
  • Tales from Deckawoo Dr 
  • Lighthouse Family 
  • Piper Green and the Fairy Tree 
  • Jasmine Toguchi* 
  • The Infamous Ratsos 
  • Teddy Mars 
  • Jigsaw Jones* 
  • Mindy Kim
  • Cam Jansen 
  • Nate the Great 
  • Heidi Heckelbeck
  • Jada Jones 
  • Kitty
  • Dog Man 
  • Captain Underpants 
  • Junie B. Jones 
  • My Weird School 
  • Flat Stanley 
  • Kitty 
  • Juana and Lucas*
  • Polly Diamond*

Chapter Books for First Graders

longer chapter books for kids

Longer Chapter Books For Kids

These books are a bit longer, have longer chapters and are mostly text. 

  • Hank the Cowdog 
  • Heartwood Hotel 
  • Tanglewood Animal Park 
  • Moomin
  • Judy Moody
  • Ramona Quimby
  • The Carver Chronicles* 
  • The Magnificent Makers *
  • Boxcar Children 
  • Henry Huggins
  • Gooney Bird Greene 
  • Mrs. Piggle Wiggle 
  • Whatever After
  • Pippi Longstocking 
  • Hotel Flamingo 
  • The Last Kids on Earth 
  • Toys Go Out 
  • The Mouse and the Motorcycle 
  • Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys
  • Little House on the Prairie

I hope this list was helpful! A few other notes:

kid's chapter books

I encourage you check your local library to borrow these books or to shop local/independent bookstores if you want to buy them! Check out bookshop.org to find one! If you’d like to find them on Amazon, I’ve put the first book in each series in my Amazon shop. Click the link below to shop my affiliate links!

Kid’s Chapter Books Amazon Shop

chapter books for kids printable list

If you’d like a printable list so you can keep track of the series as you try them, I’ve made one for you! Click the link below:

Chapter Books For Kids Printable List

If you want to see the inside of a book, check out the “look inside” feature on Amazon or search the name on google books for a preview. I’m also starting a chapter book highlight on IG where I do a quick flip-thru of the books on this list as I check them out from the library so you can look there too!

If you found this post helpful, please pin it for later!

Looking for the best chapter books for kids? Here are 100+ chapter book series perfect for preschool, kindergarten and first graders. Perfect for family read alouds or for beginning readers to try on their own.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Kid Gift Ideas
{ages 4-7}

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Need kid gift ideas for ages 4-7? Here are toy ideas for everything from arts and crafts, building and educational toys to pretend play and outdoor toys. 

kid gift ideas ages 4-7

Hi friend!

I’ve been blogging for 10+ years now and have done my share of gift guides. I wasn’t planning to create any more but then I realized that in the kid gift department, I kinda left off at the toddler stage. Now that I have 2/3 of my kids out of toddlerhood, I thought I should put together a new kids gift guide for our current stage of life. So, here are some things my older two (who are about to turn 5 and 7) have been into the past couple of years!

If you need more ideas, check out my past gift guides:

As always, you know who you’re buying for. Some of these could be used by kids younger or older than this age group. This is also kind of a tricky age group because there are often two versions of things and a 4-year-old could do the “junior” version while a 7-year-old could do the regular version so be sure to consider that!

Remember that I’ve tried to provide links but there are often several similar versions of each idea out there so do some research if needed to find the best one for you! I also encourage you to shop from small businesses whenever possible. I’d love to see you take an idea from this post and purchase it from a small or local business! Or check FB Marketplace or your local selling groups and find one secondhand. Kids don’t need all brand new toys all the time!!

Most of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. That means that I make a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Lean Green Bean.

arts and crafts for kids ages 4-7

Arts & Crafts for Kids

Let them express their creativity with all sorts of projects.

art supplies for kids

Art Supplies for Kids

Build a robust art station and let them create with anything that is out and available!

building toys for kids

Building Toys for Kids

These building toys for kids give them a chance to let their creativity shine!

games and puzzles

Games and Puzzles for kids

Games that are easy enough for kids but still fun for adults to play, plus puzzles!

educational for kids

Educational Toys for Kids

Let them research and learn, experiment and build! Plus you can never have too many books.

subscriptions for kids

Subscription Boxes for Kids

Monthly subscription boxes for kids- everything from cooking to magazines to coding and clothes.

active and outdoor toys for kids

Active and Outdoor Toys for Kids

Get them up and moving. There are so many options out there for some of these that you’ll have to do your own research to find a good one. But here are some general ideas, some with links, some without

imagination toys for kids

Imagination Toys for Kids

Look for all this stuff secondhand! I scored a great deal on a dollhouse in perfect condition plus a huge bunch of barbies. Around and after Halloween is a great time to look for dress up clothes.

Whew! There you go. Hope that helps give you some ideas. Would love to hear your favs in the comments.

Need kid gift ideas for ages 4-7? Here are toy ideas for everything from arts and crafts, building and educational toys to pretend play and outdoor toys. 

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

 

Best Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Flax

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This Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe with flax are lightly sweetened and packed with fiber. They make a great addition to breakfast, lunch or snack time for kids and adults!

Chocolate chip banana muffins recipe with ground flaxseed

Hi friends!

These are the BEST Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Flax. They are my latest muffin creation and they’ve been a big hit around here. You guys know that my Lentil Banana Muffins are my go-to, but I wanted to create an alternative for those times when you don’t have any lentils on hand or just don’t feel like getting out the food processor. In some banana chocolate chip muffins coconut oil adds a nice flavor. I have this Coconut Oil Banana Muffins recipe that made for years but I just rarely have coconut oil on hand anymore.

So here is my latest and greatest version, made with simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand:

  • Bananas – I usually use 2 medium-large ones, the riper the better to help sweeten the muffins.
  • Milk – Dairy or plant-based milk will work.
  • Oil – I use avocado oil because of its mild flavor.
  • Sugar – The recipe calls for only 1/4 cup. If your bananas are super ripe, you can easily leave it out.
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla and cinnamon – For flavor.
  • White whole wheat flour – In these banana chocolate chip muffins whole wheat flour (white whole wheat is preferable to regular whole wheat) adds fiber.
  • Ground flaxseed – Adds a dose of heart-healthy omegas 3 fatty acids and fiber.
  • Baking soda
  • Chocolate chips

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins Recipe

banana chocolate chip muffins recipe with flax

Let’s talk about some possible varieties:

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Vegan (Substitutes for eggs in muffins)

We don’t have any egg allergies but if you need to replace the eggs, flax eggs work well. Just combine 1 Tbsp ground flax with 3 Tbsp water, mix well and let sit a few minutes to thicken. You could easily use these in this recipe in addition to the ground flax you mix in. 

Banana Bread Nut Muffins

If you prefer nuts over chocolate, you could easily swap chopped pecans or walnuts for the chocolate chips in these muffins! Added bonus is that they will pair well with the ground flaxseed to add even more heart-healthy omega 3’s!

Recipe for healthy banana muffins

This recipe is great if you’re looking for a recipe for healthy banana muffins. It’s low in added sugar already but if you have bananas that are nice and ripe you could leave the sugar out. You could also swap chocolate chips for dried fruit like raisins to lessen the added sugar, or nuts to less the sugar overall. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Gluten-free

Want to make these gluten-free? Use a 1:1 swap like King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free baking mix for the flour and make sure to get ground flaxseed that’s designated as gluten-free.

Here’s how you make them:

How To Make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Print

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Flax

Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

This Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe with flax are lightly sweetened and packed with fiber. They make a great addition to breakfast, lunch or snack time for kids and adults!

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Yield: 12 large muffins 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup mashed bananas (approx 2 medium large bananas)
  • 2/3 cup milk (dairy or plant-based)
  • 1/3 cup oil (I use avocado oil)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup sugar (can omit if bananas are extra ripe to reduce sugar)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1.5 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl combine mashed bananas, milk, oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and mix well.
  2. Add flour, flax, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips and stir until just combined.
  3. Spoon into greased or lined muffin tins. Recipe makes 12 large muffins (or 14-16 smaller muffins)
  4. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes.

Easy right?! Let me know if you try them!

And if you need more banana baking recipes try these:

Want more variations?

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Applesauce

You can swap applesauce for the oil in this recipe.

Recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I haven’t tried it myself, but you should be able to bake this recipe in a regular loaf pan! It will probably take about 40 minutes to bake but I would start checking on it around 30.

This Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe with flax are lightly sweetened and packed with fiber. They make a great addition to breakfast, lunch or snack time for kids and adults!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Easy Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

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This Easy Pumpkin Bread will become your go-to quick bread recipe for fall. Just one bowl, a handful of ingredients and the perfect loaf every time. Customize with your favorite mix-ins or try baking two mini loaves and giving one for a friend!

Easy Pumpkin Bread - two mini loaves, on with chocolate chips

*Originally published Oct 2014. Photos updated Oct 2018*

Hi Friends!

Everyone needs a pumpkin bread recipe easy enough to make quickly in one bowl. I first created this recipe when I was almost 41 weeks pregnant with my son because believe me, if there’s ever a time you need easy recipes, that is it.

This recipe uses basic ingredients and comes out great every time. You need:

  • Melted butter – You can experiment with swapping some of the butter for oil or Greek yogurt.
  • Pumpkin puree – Be sure to use 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
  • Eggs
  • Brown sugar – White sugar would also work
  • Cinnamon and vanilla – for flavor! You can also add some ground ginger if you like the taste.
  • White Whole Wheat Flour – you can sub a 1:1 gluten-free blend if needed

I personally like making mini loaves because they’re just so much more fun to eat. You can also give the second one away to a friend or stick it in the freezer!

Easy Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

Two loaves of easy pumpkin bread with a cup of coffee

 

Chocolate chips are always a great mix-in option but if you want to change things up, you could try fresh cranberries! Or if you’re looking for a fall recipe that’s a bit more unique, be sure to try my Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins!

But let’s get back to this bread shall we? Whip up a batch today and enjoy some with your morning coffee all week!

Here’s how you make it:

Pumpkin Bread Healthy Recipe

Print

Easy Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

Easy Pumpkin Bread
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

This Easy Pumpkin Bread requires just one bowl and a few simple ingredients. It will quickly become your go-to fall recipe.

  • Author: Author: Lindsay L
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 1 loaf or 2 mini loaves 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 Tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar (I often use 1/2 cup)
  • 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1.5 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 tsp ground ginger (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine butter, pumpkin, eggs and sugar in a large bowl and mix well.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.
  3. Pour into greased loaf pan (or two mini pans) and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (If using mini loaves, you may want to check on them sooner).

So there you have it, pumpkin bread quick and easy? One bowl, minimal effort, delicious result! Now let’s talk about some variations:

Pumpkin Bread Cream Cheese

The pumpkin bread cream cheese pairing seems to be very popular. While I haven’t tried this myself, I’d imagine this is the perfect recipe to add a cream cheese swirl to! Just take a packaged of room temperature cream cheese and beat until smooth, then add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and beat again. Swirl into loaf before baking. Or try these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins from The Novice Chef.

Pumpkin Bread Vegan

This is likely not the best recipe to try to make vegan. If you really wanted to try, you could swap the butter for oil  or an oil/applesuace combo and use flax eggs but I think it would make it much denser. If you’re looking for a pumpkin bread vegan recipe, I would try this Vegan Pumpkin Bread from Well Plated.

Pumpkin Bread Gluten Free

You could easily make this recipe gluten-free by swapping King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten-Free mix for the white whole wheat flour. I’ve done it myself and it’s great! OR you could try my other favorite pumpkin bread recipe: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bean Bread or make these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Yogurt Bars.

Pumpkin Bread Healthy

This may not be the very best pumpkin bread healthy recipe you can find, it’s certainly not the worst. When I make it, I reduce the sugar from 2/3 cup to 1/2 cup. You can also experiment with replacing some of the butter with oil or Greek yogurt. I also always use white whole wheat flour vs regular white flour.

Pumpkin Bread Dairy Free

I don’t have a dairy-free pumpkin bread recipe for you but I do have these Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bars!

Recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I don’t have a recipe for pumpkin bread pudding specifically, but I do have this Instant Pot Gingerbread Bread Pudding (with an oven option) and you could easily add some pumpkin and take away the molasses and ginger!

This Easy Pumpkin Bread will become your go-to quick bread recipe for fall. Just one bowl, a handful of ingredients and the perfect loaf every time. Customize with your favorite mix-ins or try baking two mini loaves and giving one for a friend!

Now, who wants a slice?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Easy Lunch Box Ideas For Kids

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Need easy lunch box ideas for kids? Here’s exactly what a Registered Dietitian mom packed her son for the first month of elementary school, with real life photos.

easy lunch box ideas for kids with photos

Hi friends!

A couple of months ago I was asked to share healthy lunch box ideas for kids so I put together a guide – A Month of Packed Lunches for Kids. It’s been a huge hit and given lots of parents quick and easy lunch box ideas for kids. The thing I’ve heard most frequently is that the pictures are SO helpful. A lot of you are visual people! In the packed lunch guide, there are 24 lunch ideas with photos. But I wanted to add more! So, since the first day of school, I’ve been photographing the lunches that I pack for my first grader. I wanted to share some of the real life lunch boxes examples.

How To Pack Easy Lunch Box Ideas For Kids

At first I was alternating between the Bentgo Fresh lunch box and a Lunch Bots lunch box (aff links) but I now use just the Bentgo. While I like that the Lunch Bots one is stainless steel, it’s not completely leakproof even with the silicone cup inserts and my son found it a little hard to get open.

I pack the Bentgo box every evening and store in the fridge. In the morning, I put it inside this Arctic Zone insulated lunch bag and add an ice pack. My son eats all of the foods I send cold/room temperature. Even things like quesadillas and tortellini that he’s used to eating warm at home. So far it hasn’t been an issue at all for him but some kids don’t like changes in temperature. In that case you could invest in a thermos or practice eating things at different temperatures at home so they get used to it. 

Photos of Easy Lunch Box Ideas For Kids

So here are some of the actual lunch boxes I packed. I snapped a photo every day and then just used Pixlr to remove the countertop in the background and make them prettier to look at. A few things to note-

  • Our school is not nut-free. 
  • Reminder that even if you kids prefer a similar lunch every day, there are ways you can add variety – try prezel sticks one day and twists the next. Try a peanut butter and jelly on bread one day, then on a sandwich thin or pita the next, etc!
  • There’s nothing wrong with hard-boiled egg yolks, my kids just don’t like them.

kids lunch box with applesauce, carrots, cheese stick, hard boiled egg and pretzels

#1 Quick Kids Lunch Box with hard-boiled eggs

  • Motts Applesauce
  • Carrots
  • Cheese stick
  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Pretzels

kids lunch with granola bar, turkey sandwich, grapes and ants on a log

#2 Simple Kids Lunch Box with turkey sandwich

  • Quaker Reduced Sugar Granola Bar
  • Grapes
  • Turkey & Cheese on Brownberry Sandwich Thin
  • Ants on a log

kids lunchable with wheat thins, turkey, pepperoni, yogurt and cookie

#3 Easy Lunch Box Idea for Kids – Homemade Lunchable

  • Wheat Thins
  • GF Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie
  • Applegate pepperoni
  • Dietz and Watson Originals Organic Turkey
  • Roasted sweet potatoes
  • Chobani less sugar yogurt

lunch box with muffin, chicken sausage, strawberries, cottage cheese and crackers

#4 Nutritious Lunch for Kids with Chicken Sausage

  • Zucchini Apple Muffin
  • Simple Mills Almond crackers
  • Buttered Corn
  • Al Fresco Chicken Sausage
  • Strawberries
  • Cottage Cheese

kids lunch with banana bread, egg wrap, carrots with ranch, sun chips and grapes

#5 Quick and easy lunch box idea for kids with Pepperoni Egg Wrap

  • Simple Mills Banana Bread
  • Grapes
  • Sun Chips
  • Pepperoni and Cheese Egg Wrap
  • Carrots with ranch

lunch box for kids with baked beans, turkey cheese roll up, trail mix and dried pears

#6 Good lunch box idea for kids with turkey roll-up

  • Crinkle carrot, carrot ribbon, mini pepper
  • Wheat Thins
  • Dried pears (i get them at Costco)
  • Bush’s Baked beans
  • Turkey wrapped mozzarella cheese stick
  • Trail Mix with pepitas, Cheerios, raisins and mini marshmallows

 

kids lunch box idea - chicken nuggets, yogurt tube, cheese and crackers and fruit

#7 Lunch box idea for kids with chicken nuggets

  • Cheese and Triscuit thins
  • Canned pineapple
  • Kidfresh Foods Chicken Nuggets with ketchup
  • Stonyfield yogurt tube

easy kids lunch - quesadilla, chips and guacamole, hard boiled egg, clementine and fruit snacks

#8 Simple lunch box ideas for kids – Quesadilla

  • Tortilla chips with Good Foods avocado mash
  • Cheese quesadilla
  • Hard-boiled egg
  • Reduced sugar fruit snacks
  • Clementine

kids lunch box with peanut butter and jelly bagel, fruit salad, banana bread and cookie

#9 Good lunch box ideas for kids – PBJ Mini bagel

  • Peanut butter and jelly mini bagel
  • Cookie
  • Chomps beef stick + cheese stick + cherry tomatoes
  • Fruit salad
  • Banana bread

elementary lunch box with lentil banana muffin, turkey roll up, dates with peanut butter and graham crackers

#10 Quick lunch idea for kids turkey pickle wrap

  • Lentil Banana Muffin
  • Graham cracker
  • Turkey pepperoni pickle roll-up
  • Roasted broccoli
  • Dates with peanut butter

breakfast for lunch box with pancakes, egg waffle, banana carrot muffin and strawberries

#11 – Healthy lunch box ideas for kids – egg waffle and mini pancakes

grade school lunch box with pizza, ants on a log, wheat thins and kiwi

#12- Easy lunch box ideas for kids – mini pizza

So there you go – There are 12 of the first 30 lunch boxes I packed for my son. Want to see the other 18? Check out my Month of Packed Lunches for Kids guide!

A month of packed lunch ideas for kids, including 24 lunch box photos, tips for adding variety and nut-free ideas!

HERE’S WHAT’S IN YOUR PACKED LUNCH IDEAS FOR KIDS PDF:

  • Product recommendations – I share my favorite lunch boxes.
  • Prep ahead tips – A few tips for things you can prep ahead of time in the fridge and freezer to make lunch packing easier.
  • Lunch Packing Cheat Sheet – lunch ideas divided into protein, carbs, vegetables, fruits and snacks so you can mix and match from each category to pack a balanced lunch quickly.
  • 24 lunch box photos – full-color photos of bento-style lunch boxes showcasing different lunch item ideas
  • Nut-free product recommendations – If your school is nut-free, here are some peanut/tree nut-free snacks you can pack for your kiddos.
  • BONUS REAL-LIFE LUNCH BOXES PDF! (Where I share the other 18 real-life lunch boxes!

–> GRAB YOUR COPY OF THE PACKED LUNCH IDEAS FOR KIDS PDF <–

Need easy lunch box ideas for kids? Here's exactly what a Registered Dietitian mom packed her son for the first month of elementary school, with real life photos.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Pumpkin Yogurt Dip

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This recipe for Pumpkin Yogurt Dip is made with just a few simple ingredients and is the perfect afternoon snack! Try it paired with cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips or graham crackers. 

Pumpkin Yogurt Dip with Cinnamon Sugar tortilla chips

*Originally published 9/2015. Photos updated 10/2018*

Hi Friends!

Pumpkin season is here again and lately we’ve been loving this Pumpkin Yogurt Dip, especially for an afternoon snack. It’s so easy to whip up and my kids love helping me make the cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips to go along with it. This may be evident by the heavy-handed amount of cinnamon on some of the chips 🙂

Recipe for Pumpkin Yogurt Dip

Pumpkin Yogurt Dip with homemade cinnamon sugar tortilla chips

Easy Pumpkin with Yogurt Idea

This Pumpkin Yogurt Dip recipe is SUPER easy! But if you’re pressed for time, you can make it even easier by pretty much just combining vanilla yogurt and pumpkin puree, topping with a little cinnamon and serve it with graham crackers.

To jazz things up a little, I made myself some cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips because they’re equally as easy and fun for dipping but you could also take a lesson from my two year old and just eat it straight out of the bowl with a spoon.

Here’s how you make it:

Print

Pumpkin Yogurt Dip

Easy Pumpkin Yogurt Dip
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This Pumpkin Yogurt Dip is made with just a few simple ingredients and is the perfect afternoon snack! Try it paired with cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips or graham crackers. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp ginger (ground,dried)
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl.
  2. Stir to combine.
  3. Taste and adjust spices and sweetener if needed.

Notes

To make the Cinnamon and Sugar tortilla chips, cut whole wheat tortillas into triangles. Spray with oil or brush lightly with oil or melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake at 350 for 12 min, flipping once.

To make this even easier, start with vanilla yogurt and skip the vanilla extract and maple syrup.

Be sure to use two baking sheets if necessary for the chips so you don’t crowd the pan. I only put the cinnamon and sugar on one side but you could certainly repeat the process once you flip them over if desired.

Looking for more pumpkin recipes?

Pumpkin Bread with yogurt

Pumpkin Bread with Yogurt

If you’re looking for a great pumpkin bread recipe, try my Easy Pumpkin Bread. To make it pumpkin yogurt bread, try replacing half the butter with yogurt. 

Or if you want gluten-free pumpkin bread, try my Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bean Bread.
Gluten-free pumpkin yogurt muffins (or bars!) with peanut butter and hemp seeds

Pumpkin Yogurt Muffins

While I don’t have a recipe for pumpkin muffins with yogurt, I do have these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Yogurt Bars which are one of my absolute favs. You could probably try them as muffins if you wanted!

I also love these Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins. The perfect transition from Fall to Winter.

 

This Pumpkin Yogurt Dip is made with just a few simple ingredients and is the perfect afternoon snack! Try it paired with cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips or graham crackers. 

And way back when I first wrote this post, I teamed up with some food blogger friends who also created some pumpkin recipes you should check out:

 

6 Healthy Ways To Eat Pumpkin from breakfast to dessert!

Paleo Pumpkin Pie
via Julia @ The Roasted Root

No Bake Pumpkin Pie Protein Bites
via Alexis @ Hummusapien

3 Minute Pumpkin English Muffin
via Arman @ The Big Man’s World

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies
via Sarah @ Making Thyme For Health

Pumpkin Pancakes for One
via Kylie @ Yeah Imma Eat That

Go make them all right now!!!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

The Ultimate List of Blueberry Muffin Recipes

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Looking for blueberry muffins recipes? Check out this list to find your new favorite, whether it’s paleo, gluten-free, vegan, cornbread or streusel-topped!

From scratch blueberry muffins

 

 

First here are some of my favs:

best blue berry muffins

Best Blue Berry Muffins

blueberry muffin recipes

Blueberry Muffin Recipes

Some of the best traditional blueberry muffins to try!

paleo blueberry muffins

Paleo Blueberry Muffins

Paleo options that are gluten-free and grain-free:

gluten-free blueberry muffins

Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

For those who follow a gluten-free diet. I personally love the King Arthur ones!

vegan blueberry muffins

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Made without eggs or traditional dairy products. Reminder you can also sub flax eggs in many non-vegan egg recipes!

blueberry cornbread muffins

Cornbread Blueberry Muffins (Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins)

Some blueberry cornmeal muffin options:

blueberry streusel muffins

Streusel for Blueberry Muffins

Nothing better than a streusel topping on your favorite muffin!

See anything that caught your eye?

Looking for blueberry muffins recipes? Check out this list to find your new favorite, whether it's paleo, gluten-free, vegan, cornbread or streusel-topped!

Enjoy!

–Lindsay–

How To Make Roasted Lentils

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Want to learn how to make roasted lentils? Here’s an easy way to make delicious crunchy lentils (sweet or savory) that are perfect for a high protein, high fiber snack!

roasted crunchy lentils

Hi friends!

I wanted to share a quick little tutorial with you on how to make roasted lentils. I’ve been on a bit of a lentil kick lately since they’re one of my favorite plant-based proteins. I shared a couple of roundups: 15+ Easy Red Lentil Recipes and 20+ Green Lentil Recipes if you’re looking for ways to add more lentils to your meal plan. And if lentils give you a little intestinal trouble, learn How To Sprout Lentils to make them easier to digest. 

Today I want to show you how to roast them for a deliciously crunchy snack.

how to make roasted lentils

Roasted Lentils and Chickpeas

If you’re wondering why you should ever make roasted lentils, I understand…but roasted chickpeas are a popular snack right? I’ve got a whole post on How To Roast Chickpeas and I use them all the time in Roasted Chickpea Snack Mix. Lentils are similar, just smaller. This actually makes them perfect for toddlers and younger kids because they can still enjoy some crunch, without it being a choking hazard. 

Depending on whether you make your roasted lentils sweet or savory, they can be a great addition to a nut-free trail mix or sprinkled on a salad for some extra protein!

how to cook lentils

How To Cook Green Lentils

Before you can roast lentils, you have to know how to cook them. Here’s my method:

Add green lentils and water to a pot. I usually use a ratio of 1 cup lentils to 4 cups water because they triple in size when cooking. Cover and bring to a boil, then crack the lid, reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes. Drain extra water. 

A reminder that you can cook the whole bag of lentils at once, then divide them into 1-2 cup portions and freeze until you need them. That’s what I do so that I always have them on hand to make my Lentil Banana Muffins.

roasted lentils snack

Roasted Crunchy Lentils

When you’re ready to make roasted lentils, spread a cup of cooked lentils on a paper towel. Let them dry for an hour or so.

Transfer to a baking sheet and spray lightly with oil. 

Add seasonings. For a sweet version, I like to use cinnamon and sugar For a savory version I’ve done cayenne pepper and paprika or garlic powder and salt. 

Roast, stirring occasionally. 

Let cool.  

Want to make roasted lentils in air fryer? You could! Just make a foil tray to hold them in the bottom of the air fryer. And make sure you leave enough room around the edges for the air to circulate.

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Roasted Lentils Recipe

how to make roasted lentils
Print Recipe

Want to learn how to make roasted lentils? Here’s an easy way to make delicious crunchy lentils (sweet or savory) that are perfect for a high protein, high fiber snack!

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup cooked lentils

spray oil

seasonings

Instructions

  1. Spread 1 cup of cooked lentils on a paper towel. Let them dry for an hour or so. Transfer to a baking sheet and spray lightly with oil.
  2. Add seasonings. For a sweet version I like to use 1/2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. For a savory version use whatever spices you like – I’ve done cayenne pepper and paprika, curry powder, garlic powder and salt, etc.
  3. Roast at 300 degrees F, stirring every 10-15 min, for 40-45 min.
  4. Let cool.
  5. Add to trail mix, salads etc or snack on them by the handful!

 

Notes

You could probably do 2 cups of cooked lentils on a large baking sheet at one time but I wouldn’t recommend more than that or you’ll crowd the pan and they won’t get crispy!

Pretty easy right?! These are perfect to snack on by the handful, or you can add them to snack/trail mix, sprinkle on soup or salad etc.

Want to learn how to make roasted lentils? Here's an easy way to make delicious crunchy lentils (sweet or savory) that are perfect for a high protein, high fiber snack!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Individually Wrapped Snacks

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Looking for individually wrapped snacks for school, parties, sports games and more? Here are some healthy options from a Registered Dietitian.

individually wrapped snacks

Hi friends!

I’m wrapping up my snack series with a post specifically dedicated to individually wrapped snacks. I shared several in my Healthy Amazon Snacks post but wanted to share some available from other stores as well. Single-serving snacks come in handy if you need to provide snacks for a whole classroom at school, for a sports team or party snacks, if you’re not allowed to send reusable containers and more.

We’ve all seen the individual packages of cookies, chips and pretzels (which have their place) but I wanted to go beyond that and give you some healthy everyday options for both adults and kids. These items would also be great in lunch boxes. If you need more lunch box ideas, check out this resource: A Month of Easy Packed Lunches For Kids.

If you’re looking for more snack ideas, check out:

Beyond those, here are some individually wrapped food ideas:

Good individually wrapped snacks

healthy individually packaged snacks for school

Healthy Individually Wrapped Snacks For School

Here are some of my favorite individually wrapped snacks for school that are nut-free:

individual school snacks not nut free

School snacks that are not nut-free or may be processed in a facility with nuts:

Some chips/crackers I’ve seen in single-serving packs:

healthy snacks from amazon

For more online options, see the post below:
I rounded up a bunch of individually wrapped snacks you can order from Amazon: Healthy Amazon Snacks.

individually wrapped party snacks

Individually Wrapped Snacks for Party

Need ideas for individually wrapped party snacks (individually wrapped snacks birthday treats)? Look for single-serving bags of things like:

  • Rule Breaker
  • Gogosqueez fruit sauce/pudding
  • Kirkland Trail mix
  • Baked Lays Potato Chips
  • Skinny Pop Popcorn
  • Nature’s Bakery
  • Chex Mix
  • Popcorners
  • Quaker Reduced Sugar granola bars
  • Welch’s Reduced Sugar Fruit Snacks
  • Annie’s Bunnies
  • My Superfoods Super Cookies

individually wrapped snacks Costco

Healthy Individually Wrapped Snacks Costco

Here are some of my favorite Costco snacks that can be found in small bags:

  • Skinny Pop – nut-free
  • That’s It Fruit Bar Minis – nut-free
  • Made Good Granola Minis – nut-free
  • Country Archer Mini Beef Sticks – nut-free
  • Gogo Squeeze or fruit cups – nut-free
  • Trail Mix packets
  • Clif Kid Z Bars
  • Clif Nut Butter Bars
  • Kind Minis
  • Larabars
  • Kirkland Cheese Fruit & Nut Packs
  • Cheese Sticks
  • Babybel cheese
  • Kirkland Hard-Boiled Eggs
  • Wholly Guacamole or Made Good Foods Guacamole Minis
  • Kirkland hummus singles/ Sabra singles with pretzels
  • Whisps Cheese Crisps
  • Sun Chips

For a full list of Costco snacks I like, see this post: Healthy Snacks At Costco For The Whole Family

trader joe's individually wrapped snacks

Healthy Trader Joe’s Individually Wrapped Snacks

Trader Joe’s has a lot of granola bars that are great options:

  • Trader Joe’s Raises The Bar
  • Trader Joe’s These Peanuts Went On A Date Bars
  • Trader Joe’s ABC Bars
  • Trader Joe’s Organic Hemp Seed Bars
  • Trader Joe’s Organic Chia Bars
  • Trader Joe’s This Coconut Brings Chocolate on a Date Bars
  • Trader Joe’s Mixed Berry Granola Bites
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly Frooze Balls
  • Trader Joe’s Apple Carrot Fruit Sauce Crushers
  • Trader Joe’s Squishers Yogurt Tubes
  • Chomps Meat Sticks

For a full list of my favorite Trader Joe’s Snacks see this post: 35+ Best Trader Joe’s Snacks

individually wrapped snacks walmart

Healthy Individually Wrapped Snacks Walmart

Need single-serving snacks from Walmart? Try these:

  • Stonyfield Organic Kids yogurt cups
  • Breakstone’s Cottage Doubles
  • Frigo Combo Pack – Colby Jack cheese & turkey sticks
  • Chobani drinkable yogurt
  • Horizon Organic shelf-stable milk
  • Great Value cheese sticks
  • GogoSqueez Morning Smoothies
  • Great Value Bursting Berry fruit pouches
  • Freshness Guaranteed Mild Guacamole (great with plantain chips!)
  • Wymans Just Fruit & Greek Yogurt Bites
  • Mamma Chia Squeeze
  • Great Value Unsweetened Applesauce
  • Great Value Diced Fruit in 100% juice
  • Nature’s Bakery Baked-Ins
  • Belvita Soft Baked Cookies (a little higher in added sugar but also have some protein and fiber)
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Date & Nut Bars (very similar to Larabars)
  • Happykid Bars
  • KIND Dark Chocolate Chunk Bars
  • KIND Nut Butter Filled Snack Bars
  • KIND Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars
  • Kashi Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Bars
  • Larabar Minis
  • Simple Mills Dark Chocolate Almond Soft Baked Bars
  • RX Kids Bars
  • Chex Mix Multipack

Here’s a full list of the Best Healthy Walmart Snacks.

Best Individually Wrapped Snacks for Adults

Most of my snack posts are focused on kids because I have 3 of them and I feel like I’m constantly feeding them snacks. But adults need snacks too. A few of my favorite single servings snacks:

  • Larabars
  • String cheese + That’s It Fruit Bar
  • Kind Nut Butter Bars
  • Skinny Pop + Kirkland Hard-Boiled Eggs
  • Tuna Pouches + Simple Mills crackers
  • Fruit with single-serve nut butter

Get any new ideas? Pin this post for later!

Looking for individually wrapped snacks for school, parties, sports games and more? Here are some healthy options from a Registered Dietitian.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

20+ Healthy Green Lentil Recipes

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Looking for green lentil recipes? Here are 20+ healthy lentil recipes to try! Everything from curry and soup to salads and tacos, they’re plant-based and full of protein, fiber & flavor.

easy green lentil recipes

Hi friends!

A couple of weeks ago I shared 15+ Red Lentil Recipes and you guys were excited to have so many plant-based recipes all in one place. So today I’ve put together another plant-forward roundup using green lentils. 

How To Cook Lentils

I love lentils because they’re a quick-cooking protein and I always make sure to have them in my pantry. There are several different kinds of lentils and they all cook a little bit differently. I love using red lentils in soups and curries because they lose their shape and blend into the soup. For things like tacos and other places I’m looking for more of a ground meat substitute, I prefer green lentils because they hold their shape and are soft but not mushy. 

I never follow the directions on the bag to cook mine because I find it overcooks them. My go-to directions for green lentils are cook in a large pot. They triple in size when cooking so I use 3-4 cups water for every one cup lentils. Put lentils and water in a pot, cover and bring to a boi. Crack the lid, reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 12 minutes. Drain extra water. 

If lentils are hard for you to digest, learn how to sprout lentils and then add them to lentil recipes. 

How To Freeze Lentils

I usually cook a whole bag all at once and freeze the extras because it’s so quick and easy. I make muffins with lentils every week so it’s nice to be able to just pull some out of the freezer and not have to cook them every time. Just cook and cool completely, then portion into Ziploc bags and freeze. I use one cup portions for the muffins and 2 cup portions for other recipes. When ready to use either thaw overnight in the fridge or microwave to defrost.

Here are some recipe ideas for you!

green lentil recipes

Green lentil recipes

You can easily add lentils to all your favorite soups and Mexican dishes!

Spicy Lentil Nachos via Pinch of Yum

Lentil Vegetable Curry via The Lean Green Bean

Best Lentil Soup via Cookie + Kate

Instant Pot Lentil Tacos via A Couple Cooks

Slow Cooker Lentil Quinoa Chili via Aggie’s Kitchen

Lentil Tabouli Salad via Feasting at Home

healthy lentil recipes

Healthy Lentil Recipes

Lentils make a great substitute for ground meat!

Grillable Vegan Sprouted Lentil Burgers via Feasting At Home

French Lentil Nicoise Salad via The Full Helping

Lentil Sloppy Joes via The Lean Green Bean

Salsa Verde Lentil Tacos via Ambitious Kitchen

Trini Chicken Pelau via Sweet & Sorrel

Lentil Minestrone via Peas and Crayons

lentil recipes not soup

Lentil Recipes Not Soup

Lentils are great in soup but can also go beyond! Use them to make meatballs, meatloafs, salads and more!

Sunshine Lentil Bowls via Pinch of Yum

Moroccan Lentil Meatballs via Dishing Out Health

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie via Spend with Pennies

Lemony Lentil Salad via Gimme Some Oven

Maple Glazed Lentil Loaf via Eating Bird Food

BBQ Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes via Emilie Eats

 

Instant Pot Lentil Recipes

First learn how to cook them in the Instant Pot to use for any recipe.
How to Cook Lentils In The Instant Pot via Platings & Pairings

Or try these to get started:
Instant Pot Lentil Soup via Well Plated or the Instant Pot Lentil Tacos linked above

Lentil Banana Muffins - perfect for breakfast or snack

Here are two more from my blog to try- including my all-time favorite muffins!

Spicy Sausage Lentil & Kale Soup via The Lean Green Bean
Lentil Banana Muffins via The Lean Green Bean

See something you like? Pin it for later!

Looking for green lentil recipes? Here are 20+ healthy lentil recipes to try! Everything from curry and soup to salads and tacos, they're plant-based and full of protein, fiber & flavor.

Enjoy!

–Lindsay–

15+ Easy Red Lentil Recipes

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Looking for easy red lentil recipes? Here are 15+ to add to your lunch and dinner rotation. Recipes for curry, dahl and soup, plus red lentil muffins, cookies, meatballs, hummus and more!

easy red lentil recipes

Hi friends!

Recently I shared a recipe for Apple Cinnamon Red Lentil Muffins and it sparked some interest in red lentils! So I thought I would pull together some recipes using red lentils to show you guys just how versatile they are! They are super easy to cook, they cook quickly and then don’t have a strong flavor so they easily blend into almost every recipe.

How to cook red lentils

If you’ve never cooked with red lentils, they’re a little different than green/brown lentils. While green lentils hold their shape well, red lentils are smaller and already split. They often lose their shape which makes it easy for them to blend into things like soups and curries to add protein and fiber without being very noticeable. 

To cook them, simply place 1 cup lentils in a pot with 3 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, crack the lid and simmer. I cook mine for 5 minutes but you can do anywhere from 5-10. Then drain the excess water. Here’s a helpful tutorial from Kitchen Skip for How To Cook Red Lentils. You can also often cook them right in the dish you’re making.

Since red lentils cook so quickly, you don’t really have to worry about it but if you’re using green lentils you can cook a whole bag at once and freeze the extras so they’re ready to use. I often freeze in one cup portions to use in my Lentil Banana Muffins or two cup portions to add to soups, casseroles and curries.

Are lentils healthy

Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse. They’re full of polyphenols which can have anti-inflammatory properties. They’re high in fiber and protein, naturally gluten-free and also contain calcium, iron, potassium and folate.

They do contain some antinutrients which can reduce the absorption of some nutrients but cooking lentils takes care of a lot of these. If you’re worried, you can take it one step further by soaking lentils overnight before cooking (and discarding the soaking water) or sprouting lentils before cooking! Learn how to sprout lentils here. But remember that most red lentils are split and won’t sprout well. Green lentils will though!

Ready for some easy red lentil recipes?

lentil recipes vegan

Lentil Recipes Vegan

Among lentil recipes curry and dahl are the post popular, as well as soup! Most of these recipes are already vegan or can easily be made vegan with a simple swap.

red lentil soup recipes

Red Lentil Soup Recipes

Red lentils are a great addition to any soup. Cook them right in the pot and add fiber and protein to any dish.

red lentil recipes

Red Lentil Recipes

If you’re ready to think beyond curry, dahl and soup there are tons of other ways you can use red lentils!

easy red lentil recipes

See anything you like? Pin it for later!

Looking for easy red lentil recipes? Here are 15+ to add to your lunch and dinner rotation. Recipes for curry, dahl and soup, plus red lentil muffins, cookies, meatballs, hummus and more!

If you’re ready to go beyond red lentils, here are 20+ green lentil recipes to try. Some of my favorites are:

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–