What You Will Need For This Recipe:

Coconut milk

Vanilla extract

Maple syrup

Strawberries

Freeze dried strawberries

Vegan & gluten free vanilla sandwich cookies

Other Healthy Recipes To Try:

Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

These vegan cookie dough ice cream sandwiches are also gluten free and paleo. The perfect healthy dessert if you love ice cream and you love cookie dough. The cookie dough is made with almond flour and the ice cream is made with frozen banana. No baking involved in this recipe! If you’re also dealing with this summer heat, this is the perfect dessert.

Vegan Tortellini Pasta Salad

This vegan tortellini pasta salad meal prep is another easy and healthy lunch recipe. Or dinner. Or even a side dish! It works for so many different meals. The flavors are so summery which I love because I’m hanging onto summer for as long as possible, anyone else?

Vegan Cookie Dough Brownies

These vegan cookie dough brownies are gluten free and absolutely delicious! I love brownies and I love cookie dough so combining them into one recipe is a pretty epic dessert! The brownies are made with sweet potato, maple syrup, cashew butter, cocoa powder, and some other easy ingredients. The cookie dough layer also has minimal ingredients and it’s so good on its own if you don’t want to go through the trouble of making the whole recipe.

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars

Vegan & Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars! So easy and sooo delicious for summer nights. Enjoy!

Prep Time

12 Hours

Serves

6

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Ingredients

Ice cream bars:

1 14 oz can full fat coconut milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 cup strawberries, tops cut off 

Topping:

1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries 

⅓ cup crushed vegan & gluten free vanilla sandwich cookies 

Method

Combine all ice cream bar ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour the ice cream mixture into popsicle molds, cover and add a popsicle stick into each mold

Then put the popsicles in the freezer for at least 6 hours- up to overnight.

When you’re ready to add the topping, remove the bars from their molds. Line a pan with parchment paper and add the popsicles to the pan. Let them thaw a little bit so the topping will stick to them.

While they thaw, add the freeze dried strawberries & cookies to a food processor and pulse for just a bit, leave the mixture not perfectly crumbled.

Once the bars are a little thawed, it’s time to coat them! 

Place the ice cream bars into the coating, pressing it lightly into the bar. Make sure to get all sides. Repeat for each bar!

You can enjoy them right after you coat them or put them back in the freezer to harden more.

You can also store these in an airtight container in the freezer! 

Makes 6 ice cream bars.

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PB Banana Muffins Recipe Steps:

This recipe doesn’t take much work at all. First, you need to preheat your oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, mash your bananas. Then add in the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut flour, and baking powder. Mix everything together well. You could add in some chocolate chips here if you wanted!

Then grease a muffin tin or a mini muffin tin. Add the batter about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 23-26 minutes. Let cool before removing from the muffin tins.

Substitutions:

For the maple syrup- you can sub honey.

For the coconut flour- I haven’t tested any other flours

And for the peanut butter- you can sub any other nut butter.

These muffins are great stored in the fridge then reheated later or even eaten cold. I store for 4-5 days in the fridge. Top with a little more peanut butter and pair with a yogurt and some fruit for a well rounded breakfast. I love meals that are balanced (haha hence my blog name). Hope you all enjoy these pb banana muffins!

Other Healthy Breakfast Recipes:

Looking for other healthy breakfast recipes? Check out these easy breakfast recipes below! The strawberry crumble bars and the banana bread are both vegan and gluten free as well if you’re looking for recipes that fall in those categories.

Strawberry Crumble Bars

Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

PB Banana Muffins

These vegan, gluten free 5 ingredient muffins are a great easy, healthy breakfast. A kid friendly recipe, a meal prep breakfast that the entire family will love! #veganbreakfast | #mealprepbreakfast | #healthybreakfast | #glutenfreerecipes | #healthymuffins | #healthyrecipes

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes

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Ingredients

3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup peanut butter 
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut flour 
1 tsp baking powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a bowl, mash the bananas
3. Then add in the peanut butter (I used organic peanut butter so it was nice and runny), maple syrup (can sub honey), coconut flour (haven’t tested any other flours), and baking powder
4. Optional: add in some chocolate chips or berries
5. Mix everything together well with a hand mixer mixer (leave out any add ins like the chocolate chips)
6. Grease your muffin tin, fill the tins with batter about 3/4 of the way.
7. Bake for 23-26 minutes.
8. Let cool completely before removing from the time.
9. Makes 15-17 mini muffins.

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Recipe Steps:

I pressed 1 package of extra firm tofu for 20 mins. You need to wrap the tofu in paper towels or a dish towel, place on a plate, and lay something heavy on top. Now, I’ll literally place anything heavy on top of mine… including a case of Spindrift sparkling water haha. You just need something heavy, pans work great!

Then cut the tofu into cubes and add to a bowl.

Coat with 1/4 cup hot sauce and 1 tsp garlic.

Air fry at 400F for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Then pair with your favorite dipping sauces. I used this Siete Foods Vegan Nacho Cheese which literally tastes EXACTLY like traditional nacho cheese. Seriously. Get your hands on this ASAP!

I also used Hope Foods Roasted Red Pepper Dip. I picked it up at Natural Grocers but sometimes I’ll find it at ALDI.

Added some celery to combat the spice. A delicious, easy 15 minute vegan meal!

What Air Fryer I Use:

This was my first time cooking tofu in my air fryer and I think this method has been my favorite thus far! I use the Ninja Foodi Oven which has an air fryer option but I’ve used this one before.

Are you a fan of the air fryer method?! It took me awhile to get on board but now I am seriously obsessed! Every time I make a new food in it, I’m constantly impressed. If you have one, definitely try tofu even if you don’t use this recipe!

Other Ways To Use Buffalo Tofu Bites:

I love to toss leftovers into a big bowl with a bunch of roasted veggies. I’ll roast a bunch of veggies on Sunday to have for bowls like this all week. It’s a great way to switch up a meal so you aren’t eating the exact same thing even with leftovers. In this bowl, I had sweet potato, cauliflower rice, broccoli, avocado, tomatoes, and air fryer buffalo tofu bites of course!

Other Air Fryer Recipes:

Air Fryer BBQ Cauliflower Gnocchi

Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Paleo BBQ Chicken Tenders

Air Fryer Buffalo Tofu Bites

These air fryer buffalo tofu bites are a delicious, simple, healthy vegan dinner. Gluten free + made with minimal ingredients. Ready in just 15 minutes! A great vegan recipe for beginners. #airfryer #veganrecipes #airfryerrecipes #veganairfryerrecipes #healthydinner

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Ingredients

1 package extra firm tofu

1/2 cup hot sauce 

1 tsp garlic

Olive Oil

Method

1. I pressed 1 package of extra firm tofu for 20 mins. You just need to wrap the tofu in paper towels or a dish towel, place on a plate, and lay something heavy on top.
2. Then cut into cubes and added to a large bowl.
3. Coated with 1/4 cup hot sauce and garlic.
4. Preheat air fryer to 400F
5. Add oil to it if your air fryer calls for it.
6. Add tofu, air fry for 7 minutes, flip, air fry 7-8 more.
7. Add to a bowl and add another 1/4 cup hot sauce.
8. Served here with two amazing dipping sauces, Hope Foods Roasted Red Pepper dip and Siete Foods Vegan Nacho Cheese.

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*This post contains affiliate links which I may earn a small commission off of. It doesn’t change the price of the item for you. Thanks for supporting Choosing Balance and my recipes!*

Why We’re Doing Meatless Monday:

We’ve been trying to do one to two meatless dinners over here for about half a year now. With the new year, I’m really trying to commit to doing meatless Monday. Tying it to one day seems to make it easier for me to remember to include it in our weekly meals.

The reason we’re trying to eat more meatless meals in general is 1) to save money. Meatless options are normally a lot more affordable than high quality meat. Especially lentils, you can get those in bulk for just a few dollars. 2) Eating meatless is better for the environment. 3) Eating meatless is better for you. I am definitely of the mindset that personally I need meat a few times a week. But we tend to overeat meat so limiting it a few times a week is a good way to start eating less meat.

Recipe Tips:

My biggest tip for this recipe is to make the quinoa and lentils ahead of time. Doing this eliminates about 30 minutes from the recipe day of. You definitely don’t have to do this but it’s a big time saver and makes this recipe less intimidating.

Recipe Steps:

First, you’ll make the quinoa and lentils. Then you’ll add the cooked quinoa and lentils into a food processor along with nutritional yeast and oatmeal. If you have a smaller food processor, you can do it in batches. I haven’t tried it in a blender but I think you’d have to have a pretty high powered one to make it work.

Saute 1/2 of an onion, then add to a bowl along with the food processed mixture. Add in the rest of your ingredients and mix together to form a dough.

Once a dough has formed, roll into small balls. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the balls into the skillet with a little oil once it’s hot. Don’t overcrowd the pan because you want room to be able to flip the meatballs.

You’ll want to rotate the meatballs so they don’t burn and they get done all the way through. Once they’re done cooking (about 12 minutes), add 2 cups marinara sauce and simmer for 3ish minutes. Then these vegan meatballs are ready to eat!

What To Pair Them With:

Add these vegan meatballs to any pasta dish, make a vegan meatball sub, to some zoodles with them, or just eat them plain.

Other Healthy Vegan Recipes:

No Bake Sugar Cookie Bars

Spicy Vegan Cashew Cheese

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Vegan Meatballs

Healthy, gluten free, vegan meatballs. Made with quinoa and lentils and other plant based ingredients. Packed with flavor and made with real, whole foods. 

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Ingredients

1 cup uncooked lentils
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 cup gluten free oatmeal (I used @bobsredmill)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 onion
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp coconut aminos

2 cups marinara sauce 

Method

1. cook quinoa and lentils according to package instructions. You can even do this the day before.
2. dice and then sauté the onion in a little oil
3. once the quinoa and lentils are cooked, combo with the oats and nutritional yeast in a food processor. Pulse until it’s well combined.
4. add the mixture in a bowl along with the spices, onions, and coconut aminos.
5. mix together with a spatula until a dough forms
6. heat a skillet over medium low heat
7. once the skillet is hot, form balls with the dough, add a little oil to the skillet, then add the balls. Cook for 6 minutes, rotate, cook for 6-8 more minutes. You’ll want to outsides to be browned
8. turn down to a simmer then add 2 cups marinara sauce ( I used @aldiusa organic) + 1/4 cup water
9. let simmer for 3-4 minutes
10. enjoy with pasta, zoodles, plain, however you want!

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