Woman in Real Life

Make your partner or BFF one of these 17 delicious homemade vegan chocolate bar recipes for a unique and tasty treat this (Galentine's or) Valentine's Day!

I always think a healthy, homemade chocolate bar is preferable to a store-bought treat. That's not to say I don't buy store-bought treats, or that store-bought chocolate bars don't have a place in a balanced, happy lifestyle! It's just nice to know what ingredients are in your snacks and desserts, and keep them as natural as possible a good portion of the time. 

Healthy or not healthy aside, if you are a vegan or dairy-free eater by choice or necessity, often it's easier to make your own chocolate treats at home. Store-bought vegan chocolate bars in particular can be expensive and difficult to find.

It's surprisingly easy to whip together your own dairy-free vegan chocolate bars at home. Just take a look at the 17 recipes I've gathered here (with the permission of some expert vegan recipe creators). Whether your old childhood favourite chocolate bar was an Almond Joy bar, a Twix or a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, you can produce your own vegan copycat version at home by following these easy recipes.  

Many of these chocolate bar and chocolate confection recipes are also gluten-free. As long as you source your ingredients carefully, those with gluten allergies or intolerances can enjoy a tasty, homemade, dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate bar as well!

If you watch food and recipe videos on Youtube, you can't help but see how popular oatmeal is for a healthy breakfast. Personally I find there's a limit to how many bowls of oatmeal (aka porridge) I can eat. For a (delicious) change, baked oatmeal is a nice choice. You get the health benefits of oats - they help you feel full, they are a good source of fibre, they may lower blood sugar levels and they contain important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants - in a different, palate-pleasing, almost dessert-like format. 

For a nutritional punch that can't be beat, add apples to your baked oatmeal. This apple and cinnamon baked oatmeal calls for Cosmic Crisp Washington Apples, a new and tasty apple variety that's been in development for two decades. Cosmic Crisps are classically bred (non-GMO) to be crispier and sweeter than other apple varieties and naturally slow to brown.

*This post is sponsored by Cosmic Crisp Washington Apples. All opinions are authentic and my own. Thank you for supporting the awesome companies that partner with Woman in Real Life.*

Crunchy Cosmic Crisp apple chunks in a delicious mix of mashed chickpeas, vegan mayo, pickles, dried cranberries and more. This easy chickpea salad recipe can be used as a sandwich filling on toast or in a wrap, or put the chickpea salad on top of lettuce for a grain-free, low-calorie lunch option.

This easy chickpea salad recipe is a lunchtime staple in our house. We serve it in tortilla wraps with lettuce, on toast with avocado slices or simply on top of lettuce, without bread. Sometimes I eat it straight out of the bowl! Chickpea salad is popular with us because it's fast and easy to prepare, as well as being healthy and tasty. You may have seen similar chickpea salad recipes before, but did they contain crispy chunks of fresh apple? That's my (now not-so-) secret ingredient! The recipe calls for Cosmic Crisp Washington Apples, and they add a crunch that contrasts beautifully with the creamy mashed chickpea filling. 

Cosmic Crisps are crispier and sweeter than other apple varieties. They add increased nutrition to this already healthy chickpea salad - one medium apple contains just 100 calories, negligible fat and six grams of fibre. Cosmic Crisps are a perfect addition to this salad because, in addition to being sweet and crisp, they are naturally slow to brown when cut, meaning you can use leftover chickpea salad the next day (store it in a tightly covered container in the fridge). 

*This post is sponsored by Cosmic Crisp Washington Apples. All opinions are authentic and my own. Thank you for supporting the awesome companies that partner with Woman in Real Life.*

Happy New Year! As we turn our calendar pages over to a new year, making resolutions isn't mandatory by any means. But it can't hurt to put a renewed focus on healthy eating and getting more veggies and plant-based proteins into our diets. (You might even be participating in Veganuary?) With this in mind, I created a very simple, weeknight meal recipe to add to the wealth of inspirational plant-based recipes on the Reducetarian website. 

My Healthy Tofu and Cashew Stir Fry recipe is easy and fast to make, and calls for simple ingredients, but it's also warm and filling, for a perfect mid-winter healthy, nourishing lunch or dinner meal. 

Head over to Reducetarian.org to get my recipe.