A Grateful Meal

Snack

Vanilla Mug Cake

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This vanilla mug cake is perfect when you just need one serving or don’t want to fuss with making a big dessert. This recipe can easily be doubled if you need extra!

I really love to bake – at least sometimes I do. Other times, I just want a piece of cake. And part of intuitive eating, I’ve learned to honor my hunger and satisfy my cravings. Unfortunately, I can’t always have everything I want when I want it. Sometimes, I forget to put certain things on my grocery list. Other times, it’s just not reasonable to satisfy a craving at that moment, or I don’t want to go through the work (like baking or going back to the store) to satisfy.

I love this mug cake recipe for that reason – I can truly satisfy my craving with minimal effort. It’s a mug cake made with ingredients that generally go into larger cakes (and none of that cardboard tasting diet-y stuff), and it’s easy. (Side note: it’s not diet-y to use some substitutes for ingredients that I mentioned below if you’re opting for a more plant-based eating pattern or adapting for an allergy like celiac disease. I’m referring to the substitutes just for the sake of low calorie.) While this “serves 1,” it’s okay if you need more – intuitive eating teaches us that no one else knows our own hunger or desires, so it can be easily adjusted to give you the right amount for you and what you want.

Close up of the vanilla mug cake with whipped cream and mixed berries on top.

Ingredients for the Vanilla Mug Cake Recipe

Butter: I love the taste of real butter in cake, but if you’re plant-based or vegan, you can use your favorite buttery spread.  

Sugar: Plain old white sugar is best to use. You can sub in brown sugar, honey, or agave nectar, but it might change the texture.   

Milk: I used 2% milk because it’s what I had, but again feel free to use a plant-based milk if you want. Vanilla-flavored plant-based milks might give a little extra vanilla kick for more flavor.  

Vanilla extract: Do yourself a favor and always buy the 100% vanilla extract, not the imitation – the flavor is so much better.  

Baking powder: No swaps here – baking powder is needed to make it rise.   

Salt: Just a tiny pinch is all you need. Salt makes the flavors more pronounced.

Flour: I used all-purpose flour. You could go with cake flour also, but if you’re gluten-free, I would try a gluten-free baking mix of flours or this one here.

Toppings: My favorites are whipped cream, mixed berries, and/or sprinkles, but you do you – top with whatever you like!

Close up of a bite of the vanilla mug cake with the cake in the background on a white surface.

How to Make a Vanilla Mug Cake

Mug cakes are the easiest thing to make on the planet. Just like making a regular cake, you’ll mix your wet ingredients separate from your dry ingredients and then mix them together until smooth. I used a large ramekin for mine, but all you need to “bake” the cake is a large coffee mug. You’ll microwave the mug cake about 60 seconds, then top with your favorite toppings.

Overview of the vanilla mug cake with a white spoon on a white surface with whipped cream and mixed berries.
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Vanilla Mug Cake

Overview of the vanilla mug cake with a white spoon on a white surface with whipped cream and mixed berries.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 4 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 minute
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: microwave
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp. sugar
  • 2 tbsp. milk
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp. baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. flour
  • Toppings (optional): whipped cream, mixed berries, sprinkles, etc. 

Instructions

  1. Whisk butter and sugar into a small bowl with a fork. Add milk and vanilla extract and whisk again. In a separate small bowl, whisk together baking powder, salt, and flour.
  2. Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until no lumps remain. Add batter to a large mug or large ramekin.
  3. Microwave for 60 seconds. Allow to cool (or serve warm if preferred). Top with favorite toppings like whipped cream, berries, or sprinkles.

Keywords: dessert, mug cake, cake, snack

Instant Pot Apple Butter

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This Instant Pot Apple Butter has all the tastes and smells of fall. And with just five ingredients and 20 minutes, it couldn’t be any simpler or quicker.  

Who doesn’t love apples in fall? This is the time of year I usually bring my favorite two apples, McIntosh and Honeycrisp, home with me after visiting my family in Western Pennsylvania. When I get home, the apples that survived the car ride home, I’ll make into festive apple desserts. I could not make the trip this year thanks to corona, but I wanted to make something with spiced apple. Apple butter is probably one of the easiest things to make with apples, and it’s also great to use up bruised or damaged apples that you don’t want to eat raw.

Jar of instant pot apple butter with a spoon resting in the jar with toast and whole apples on the side on a white background.

 What is Apple Butter?

Apple butter is simply cooked, spiced, and pureed apples. Contrary to its name, it doesn’t contain any butter or oil. It is very spreadable and works perfectly in place of jams or jellies. My favorite ways to enjoy apple butter are on my morning toast or swirled into some plain yogurt for a fall twist.   

Apple butter vs. applesauce

You might be asking, so what’s the difference between apple butter and applesauce? Not much. It comes down to how much water is in the puree and how long you cook the apples. Apple butter is a more concentrated version of apple sauce. Since applesauce tends to be more watery, apple butter is cooked longer and has that spreadable consistency I mentioned above. If your apple butter comes out more like applesauce, you can switch the instant pot setting to the sauté feature and let it comes to a boil to evaporate off more of the water. Be careful, though – it will burn quickly on the bottom, so make sure you stir it frequently to prevent scorching.

Apple butter on a spoon above a jar of the instant pot apple butter

Ingredients for Instant Pot Apple Butter

Apples: That’s an easy one.  According to several articles, the best apples to use are softer varieties, such as one of my favorites, McIntosh. However, since you’re using an Instant Pot, which uses heat and pressure to break down the apples, it’s pretty safe to use whatever apple you enjoy.

Water or apple cider: To prevent scorching in the Instant Pot, it is a good idea to add just a little bit of liquid so it doesn’t burn before the apples have a chance to release their juices.  For the best flavor, I prefer to use apple cider or apple juice as the liquid.

Spices: I used a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. If you want to make it super easy, use pumpkin pie spice, which contains all of those fall-like, warming spices.

Overview from above of a jar of instant pot apple butter with whole apples and toast on the side on a white-gray background.

How to Make Apple Butter in the Instant Pot

This recipe is a set it and forget it type of recipe with very little hands-on time. You start by slicing and coring the apples. You keep the peel on the apples. Keep the slices about the same size – about a half-inch across. You’ll then cook the apples on high pressure for 18 minutes in the Instant Pot. Once complete, you release the steam and cool a bit before transferring the apples into a blender or using a stick blender to puree the apples until smooth.

Like I mentioned above, if the apple butter is a little too watery for your liking, you can return the apple butter to the Instant Pot and cook on the saute feature, continually stirring until more water is removed (about 5-10 minutes depending on how much water your apples contained). You can also use a large soup pot on the stove to cook the water out of the apples some.

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Instant Pot Apple Butter

Overview from above of a jar of instant pot apple butter with whole apples and toast on the side on a white-gray background.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Total Time: 22-28 minutes
  • Yield: 1 large container 1x
  • Category: instant pot
  • Method: instant pot
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. of apples, cored and cut in large chunks (keep the skin on) – about 10 small apples
  • ¼ cup water or apple cider
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp. cloves

Instructions

  1. Put all of the ingredients into the instant pot. Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes using the manual feature. Quick-release steam valve. Let cool for about 10 minutes with the lid off.
  2. Blend apples with a stick blender or transfer to a regular blender to blend. Serve immediately or keep in a container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or 1 year in the freezer.

Keywords: instant pot, apples, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, fall

Pumpkin Pie Hummus

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This Pumpkin Pie Hummus is the tastiest, sweet spread to dip pretzels, apples, or graham crackers into for the perfect snack. 

Let’s talk snacks, y’all. I’m definitely pro-snacks, and I’m always down for snacking just about anytime. For me, snacks fall into three camps – sweet, salty, or sweet-salty. You can hit both the sweet and the sweet-salty with this Pumpkin Pie Hummus, depending on what you choose to dip into this hummus. 

I also like to choose snacks that include protein and a higher fiber carb for sustained energy from a nutrition perspective. With the pumpkin and the white beans in this hummus dip, I hit all of the criteria — taste and nutritionally.

Close up of pumpkin pie hummus with dried cranberries and crushed nuts.

Ingredients

White beans: White beans make the creamiest dips when blended together. I also use them to make my Buffalo Chickpea Dip extra creamy.

Pureed pumpkin: Any brand of pureed pumpkin will do, just don’t make the mistake of getting the canned “pumpkin pie mix” – it comes pre-sweetened and spiced, and we want to spice and sweetened our own way.

Maple syrup: Maple syrup gives all the fall vibes, so it’s my favorite to use. If you don’t have any maple syrup, it’s okay to substitute agave nectar or honey. 

Pumpkin pie spice: This is a pre-blended spice usually made with cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. 

Cinnamon: I wanted a little extra cinnamon in my pumpkin pie hummus, so I opted to add extra. Feel free to substitute more pumpkin pie spice if you prefer. 

Coconut oil: This will add a silky mouthfeel to the hummus spread.  

Garnishes: I like to garnish with a handful of nuts and dried fruit. I used walnuts because it’s what I had on hand, but pepitas (pumpkin seeds) would be very fitting. I also garnish with a handful of dried cranberries for a little tart flavor.  

Dippers: Apples, graham crackers, and pretzels all make great dippers for this spread. I also dipped some amaretti cookies into the hummus, and it was SO good. Amaretti cookies are crunchy, little Italian almond cookies, and there are one of my favorites! 

How to Make and Serve Pumpkin Pie Hummus

Like most other hummus recipes, it’s as easy as can be. You’ll literally just blend everything up in a food processor or blender until completely smooth. . If you are feeling fancy, you can add a handful of nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or pepitas and/or dried cranberries on top for garnish. Beyond that, it’s just dipping whatever you can get your hands on into this silky pumpkin pie deliciousness.

As far as serving goes, it makes a crowd-pleasing dip for parties or gatherings, but I mostly make it to have on hand for snacking. As I mentioned above, the beans provide a good dose of protein and fiber, and the pumpkin is also packed with fiber. Because protein and fiber take longer to digest, it can give us a more sustained energy source rather than if we only at the apples, crackers, pretzels, or cookies by themselves.

Close up of pumpkin pie hummus with dried cranberries, crushed nuts, and an apple dipped in the hummus.
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Pumpkin Pie Hummus

Overview of pumpkin pie hummus in a bowl on a white background with cookies crumbled on the side.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
  • Category: appetizer, snack
  • Method: food processor
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cans of white beans
  • 1 can of pureed pumpkin
  • ½ cup maple syrup (or agave or honey)
  • 1 ½ tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp. coconut oil
  • Dried cranberries and nuts (such as walnuts, pecans, or pepitas), for garnish (optional)
  • Apples, graham crackers, pretzels, or amaretti cookies for dipping

Instructions

  1. In a food processor bowl, pulse together all of the ingredients until completely smooth.
  2. Serve in a bowl with garnishes (if using) with preferred dippers – such as apples, graham crackers, pretzels, or amaretti cookies.

Keywords: hummus, dip, appetizer, snack, pumpkin, fall

Vegan Coffee Cake

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This Vegan Coffee Cake is tender and full of warm cinnamon spice. Like any good coffee cake, it’s best served with a piping hot cup of coffee. 

Sliced vegan coffee cake on a white background with a cup of coffee

Coffee cakes are one of my favorites. In my mind, many sweets go with coffee because the bitterness of the coffee helps balance the sweet dessert. This coffee cake very simple and has a warm, cinnamon flavor that I love pairing with my coffee. Whether you are vegan or not, this recipe is a crowd-pleaser. 

Ingredients

Coconut oil: If you keep your coconut oil in the fridge, take it out before making this recipe and let it soften a bit.  

Brown sugar: You can use dark or light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will give it a richer taste as it has more molasses in the sugar.  

Flax egg: The easiest vegan substitute for eggs in baking are flax eggs. A flax egg is simply 1 tablespoon of ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. 

Applesauce: The applesauce gives moisture to the cake and adds some natural sweetness. 

Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar adds a nice flavor. Most importantly, vinegar is needed to activate the baking soda to produce more lift or rise in baking. 

Vanilla extract: Use the real deal if you can. The flavor is better.   

Flour: I used all-purpose, but you could split half and half of all-purpose and whole grain if desired. 

Baking powder and soda: Using the combo helps give the lift we need for the cake to rise.   

Ground cinnamon: It’s a must in the coffee cake, in my opinion. If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can sub in pumpkin pie spice. 

Oats: The oats add a nice crumbly topping for the cake. 

Icing (powdered sugar, non-dairy milk, vanilla extract): What’s cake without some icing? You can use any type of non-dairy milk you like (almond, coconut, oat, etc.)

sliced vegan coffee cake with drizzles of icing

How to Make Vegan Coffee Cake

This cake is pretty typical to other cakes – you mix dry and wet ingredients separately and combine them together. After the cake batter is in the pan, you can top the cake with the crumb topping. After baking, you let the cake cool a little before drizzling on the icing.  

Why Vegan? And, how does cake or veganism fit into Intuitive Eating?

As you may know, I consider myself a non-diet dietitian and a proponent of Intuitive Eating. If you’re not familiar with intuitive eating, it is a practice that shrugs off the external food rules of dieting and focusing on internal cues such as hunger, fullness, and satisfaction in eating. Intuitive eating doesn’t mean eating whatever you want, whenever you want – although you have full permission to do that. 

One of the principles is something called gentle nutrition. Gentle nutrition isn’t food rules or dieting. It still focuses on your individual needs but shifts your focus to not feel guilty even if you eat food that isn’t as nutritious as others. 

So, cake absolutely fits this model. Cake can be super satisfying, and there is no reason to feel guilty for eating cake (or really any food). As far as veganism goes, you could argue that veganism has “rules” that you have to follow. As with anything in intuitive eating, it is more about your intention. Are you following a vegan diet because of sustainability, environmentalism, or other reasons that feel “aligned” with yourself? Or, are you doing it because some random influencers on social media suggested it, and you feel like you “should?” Ask your why and whether that feels in line with your values. Those are two vastly different intentions. Intuitive eating is about finding what feels good, both mentally and physically.

Personally, I eat vegan food, and I eat animal-based food (clearly based on my recipes). All foods can genuinely fit into an intuitive eating model. 

Again, if you’re new to intuitive eating, you can find more information about the intuitive eating principles in my free ebook.

a stack of two pieces of vegan coffee cake
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Vegan Coffee Cake

A stack of three pieces of vegan coffee cake
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12–16 slices 1x
  • Category: cake
  • Method: baking
Scale

Ingredients

Cake:

  • ½ cup of coconut oil, softened (plus extra for the pan)
  • 1 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax with 3 tbsp. water)
  • 1 cup of applesauce
  • 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ½  tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Crumb topping:

  • 3 tbsp. melted coconut oil
  • 3 tbsp. brown sugar
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup flour or oats

Icing:

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp. non-dairy milk
  • ½ tsp. vanilla or almond extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9×13 pan with cooking spray or the extra coconut oil and line with parchment paper.
  2. Mix together the coconut oil, brown sugar and beat together in with hand mixer or stand mixer until fully incorporated. Add flax egg, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla extract and mix again until fully combined. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon). Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and combine until fully mixed. 
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together all ingredients for crumb topping (should be clumpy) with a fork or your fingers. Put batter in a parchment paper-lined pan and top with crumb topping. Bake for 45-50 minutes. If crumb topping gets too brown, tent with foil. Allow cake to cool.
  4. While the cake is cooling, mix all icing ingredients together in a bowl and drizzle on top of the cake. Let icing set before cutting into squares and serving.

Keywords: vegan coffee cake, vegan, baking, coffee cake

Ranch Chex Mix

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This Ranch Chex Mix is the ultimate party mix or simple snack that can be made right in the microwave! Crunchy, savory, salty, and tangy, this snack mix is definitely a crowd-pleaser.

Everyone loves a good snack mix, and this Ranch Chex Mix is a winner.

Ranch chex mix cooling on a sheet pan

Ingredients

Butter and oil: Butter and oil are what you need to make sure the seasoning spreads and coats the snack mix evenly. It also makes it so that the mix is extra crunchy. You can use only one or other, but I like to have a blend of the two.

Worcestershire sauce: This sauce adds an umami flavor, which makes the flavor pop with some boldness.

Dill: Dill is one of the main ingredients and flavors in ranch flavoring and dressing. It’s an absolute must. Dried works best in this snack mix instead of fresh.

Garlic and onion powder: These two flavors are necessary for the ranch and savory flavor of the Chex mix.

Dried chives: Chives add a little extra oniony flavor with a nice burst of green color.

Cayenne pepper: Keeping the cayenne to about 1/8 tsp. works well for most palates, but if you want a little extra kick, you might want to up the cayenne to ¼ tsp.

Chex cereal: I used three different kinds of Chex cereal: rice, wheat, and corn. If you want a gluten-free snack mix, use only rice and/or corn Chex, but you’ll also have to trade out pretzels for a gluten-free version.

Pretzels: You can use salted or unsalted pretzels, depending on your taste desire for salt or if you’re watching your sodium.

Mixed nuts: Feel free to use mixed or your favorite nut by itself. You can’t go wrong here. Use salted or unsalted depending on your preferences.

How to Make Ranch Chex Mix

Chex mix is so easy because it involves merely mixing ingredients together and “cooking” it in the microwave. It doesn’t get much more straightforward.

You’ll need to first melt the butter and oil in the microwave, then add the seasonings. After this, you’ll need to add in the cereal, pretzels, and nuts to evenly coat with the butter, oil, and seasoning mixture. Then you’ll microwave the mixture for about 5-6 minutes, stirring the mixture every 2 minutes or so. Lastly,  you’ll need to spread the mixture out on a sheet pan to cool. At this point, you’ll only need to try to refrain from snacking on the mix until it’s cool. Good luck.

Ranch chex mix in a bowl next to a sheet pan of ranch chex mix

Other appetizers or snacks to serve for get-togethers

Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

Pepita and Red Pepper Salsa

Buffalo Chickpea Dip

Air Fryer Calamari

Pepper-Pepperoni Rolls

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Ranch Chex Mix

Ranch chex mix in a bowl next to a sheet pan of ranch chex mix
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 11 cups of snack mix 1x
  • Category: snacks, appetizer
  • Method: microwave
Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. light-colored oil (light olive oil or avocado oil)
  • 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp. dried dill
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tbsp. dried chives
  • Salt/pepper, to taste
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne
  • 3 cups of rice Chex
  • 3 cups of wheat Chex
  • 3 cups of corn Chex
  • 1 cup pretzels
  • 1 cup of mixed nuts

Instructions

  1. Melt oil and butter in microwave. Add in seasonings.
  2. Pour butter/oil/seasoning mixture over cereal, pretzels, and mixed nuts in a very large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave uncovered for 5-6 minutes – stirring every 2 minutes.
  3. Spread out on sheet pan until cool.

Keywords: snacks, appetizer, chex mix