Chocolate for breakfast?! Why have I waited so long to have chocolate granola in my life? What better way to start your day than with chocolate...and almonds?! This Chocolate Almond Granola is full of nutritious ingredients and they all taste delicious because they are coated in a rich and delicious chocolatey mixture and baked to crisp perfection. I'm pretty sure I have my breakfast planned out for the next few months now.

Breakfast, Brunch, or Snack Granola

This decadent granola makes for the perfect midday snack to curb your afternoon munchies yet it's fancy enough to serve up at a holiday get-together, like a Mother's Day Brunch. It's so easy to make and it's one of those recipes you'll want to make again and again. It's so good you may even find yourself eating it for dessert! Now how often do you choose granola over ice cream? For me never, but with this that changed because it happened.

A Favorite Smoothie Recipe!

I love it when I can find something healthy like this that my whole family loves, kids included.

I also love that it's made with ingredients I always have on hand. One of the most convenient and delicious smoothies - what's not to love here?

These were inspired by the Energy Bites and Chocolate Energy Bites I posted last year, they have very similar ingredients so if you liked those you'll love these too.

Energy Cookies - A Healthier Cookie!

We definitely aren't morning people at my house so I'm always trying to find healthy on the go breakfasts. And then there's those days where it just seems like I don't have time to get to lunch by a decent hour so a healthy snack like these are just what I need.

I know there would be the nay sayers that say these aren't healthy because they still have the chocolate chips and brown sugar, but if it doesn't have a little bit of sweet I'm sure I just wouldn't be able to eat it so I need a happy medium, and at least I came way down to 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

That's big for me because I'm used to putting in about a cup for my cookies. You could cut the brown sugar down if you'd like but this was the perfect ratio for me, plus if I went any lower I'm sure there's no way I could get my kids to love these.

Homemade Pumpkin Granola

The spices of fall baked goods are my favorite, so today I added pumpkin pie spice to a traditional granola along with a fair amount of nuts (for good crunch), both pecans and pumpkin seeds, then this sort of concentrated pumpkin puree and I finished it with some tart dried cranberries. The way all of those ingredients pair together is simply dreamy. This granola is amazing, to say the least. It will definitely be my go-to fall granola, forget about your store-bought granola.

I would serve this over yogurt, oatmeal, pudding, in a smoothie bowl, or ice cream, sprinkled on my pumpkin pie or other pumpkin baked goods, and even eat it as a trail mix type of snack!

Most rolled oats and steel-cut oats are gluten-free, so it's possible to enjoy this recipe for a gluten-free or keto diet as long as you check your ingredients. This recipe is also naturally vegan!

Pumpkin Granola Recipe Tips

Pumpkin granola can be a little tricky because of all that excess moisture in the pumpkin. The balance of your wet ingredients and your dry ingredients is really important. With homemade granola, we are working to dry it not make it wetter. After my first attempt of adding pumpkin puree as is I ended up with a pumpkin granola that was slightly soggy,  so I determined to simply squeeze a fair amount of the pumpkin's moisture out using paper towels. It worked like a charm because the second time around I got just what I was looking for. A deliciously crunchy pumpkin spice granola with just the right amount of flavor.

I also changed the recipe to add the pumpkin seeds near the end because I felt like mine were too toasted (the pecans were fine but the pumpkin seeds were too toasty after baking that long). Also, it's likely you'll need the extra 10 minutes at 250 to fully dry the granola out so just plan accordingly.

You can also try adding raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips, toffee bits, chopped candy, or a drizzle of maple syrup.

These remind me a lot of a no-bake cookies, but these are far healthier. It might have something to do with the fact that they don't have 2 cups of sugar and a stick of butter. So, when you get that chocolate or dessert craving, just pop of few of these and you're craving will most definitely be satisfied and you won't have to feel guilty about it. These are also perfect just for a midday snack or even a quick on the go breakfast.

If you haven't ever made energy bites yet, what better time than now? I mean these are chocolate, how could you not want them :)?

Healthy No Bake Energy Balls

Here's a snack that passes as healthy but tastes good enough that it could replace your dessert! So who wouldn't love these no bake protein balls?

Not to mention these no bake energy bites are quick and easy — and they require no cooking or baking of course (as long as you buy pre-toasted coconut, that is).

I could easily finish off the whole batch of energy bites myself. They are so addictive and they really do taste like a treat.

They remind me of something like a granola bar, or even peanut butter oatmeal cookie dough (can't beat that!). They make for a filling snack or they are great for an on-the-go breakfast for those rushed mornings.

I love that they contain protein and fiber so they curb those afternoon munchies (you know around 4:00 when it's like, is it dinner time yet?).

I also love that they are a great snack for my kids that's made with healthy ingredients that they really do love, I'm not begging them to eat them — rather, they beg me to make these all the time!

Try them soon, once you do you'll want to live on these no bake energy balls!