The following post was originally featured on Eating Bird Food| part of POPSUGAR Select Fitness.

Classic no-bake cookies get a healthy upgrade with the addition of quinoa flakes. They’re the perfect sweet treat for the season. Gluten-free & vegan.

You know what makes Mondays in December better than all the other Mondays? Christmas music! I am currently jamming out to A Very She & Him Christmas and it’s making my Monday morning so much better. Mariah is next! I’m also sipping coffee . . . a HUGE cup.

Baking cookies for Christmas is one my favorite holiday traditions. I know I’ve mentioned it before| but every year the ladies in my family get together for a holiday cookie bake. We bake all morning before our family holiday celebration and bring a bunch of treats to share with everyone. There are a few cookie staples that we make year after year (like Nanny’s Crescent Cookies) but we always try out a few new recipes as well. I like to make at least one healthier option so a few years ago I revamped our recipe for the Chocolate No Bake Cookies| one of my absolute favorite holiday cookies. This year I’m doing it again . . . with the help of Ancient Harvest.

I fell in love with using quinoa flour for gluten-free baking a last year (these Quinoa Gingersnap Cookies sealed the deal) and now quinoa flour is one of my go-to flours. It works in pretty much any recipe! This year I wanted to test out quinoa flakes| which are similar to oatmeal. I immediately decided I needed a quinoa no bake cookie and went to work creating a version with quinoa flakes and desiccated coconut.

They turned out to be quite delicious . . . obviously. Peanut butter| chocolate and coconut together is never a bad thing. Am I right?

The quinoa flakes and coconut make the perfect base for the cookies. I love the added coconut flavor and the small texture of the quinoa flakes. The cookies look like little mounds and taste like chocolate macarons.

And since they’re sweetened with only coconut sugar and little maple syrup| they’re not overly sweet| which is nice this time of year when practically everything we eat is super sweet. It’s also nice because you can feel okay about having theses cookies as snack or for breakfast with coffee. Quinoa flakes are technically a breakfast food after all.

Everyone who has tried them agreed that they are flavorful| tasty and would make a great addition to a spread of holiday cookies. The best part| you don’t even have to turn on your oven to make them!

If you want a heartier ¡ª and healthier ¡ª bowl of oatmeal, choose less-processed steel-cut oats. The only issue is that they take much longer to cook ¡ª at least 40 minutes. Making a big batch to freeze is a great option, but if you didn’t have time to do that over the weekend, this is the quickest, easiest way to wake up to a warm, comforting bowl.

All you need is a slow cooker and a good night’s sleep. Just pop a few ingredients in, turn it on before bedtime, and the cinnamony smell will lure you out of bed into your kitchen. This is a pretty basic recipe, so you can dress it up however you like. Below, you’ll find nutritional info for a few flavor combinations, but feel free to get creative. This recipe makes four servings, so if you don’t have anyone to share it with, just save the rest in the fridge. Then in the morning, with a few beeps of the microwave, you’ll have breakfast waiting for three more days that week.

This avocado-based snack will help you lose weight for two awesome reasons: it’s full of healthy fats and fiber. Consuming healthy fats and fiber keeps that “I’m full” feeling going strong, so hunger and cravings will be brushed aside, and you’ll be full for hours. Add the protein, crunch, and saltiness of sunflower seeds, and this snack is a weight-loss superstar. It also helps that you can whip it up in two minutes.

Cut an avocado in half. Use the side without the pit, and save the other half for later since the pit can help keep the green flesh from browning.Sprinkle one tablespoon of salted sunflower seeds in the middle.Use a spoon to scoop out bites right out of the avocado peel. You don’t even need to bother with dirtying a dish.

This avocado-based snack will help you lose weight for two awesome reasons: it’s full of healthy fats and fiber. Consuming healthy fats and fiber keeps that “I’m full” feeling going strong| so hunger and cravings will be brushed aside| and you’ll be full for hours. Add the protein| crunch| and saltiness of sunflower seeds| and this snack is a weight-loss superstar. It also helps that you can whip it up in two minutes.

Cut an avocado in half. Use the side without the pit| and save the other half for later since the pit can help keep the green flesh from browning.Sprinkle one tablespoon of salted sunflower seeds in the middle.Use a spoon to scoop out bites right out of the avocado peel. You don’t even need to bother with dirtying a dish.

If you’ve yet to hop on the overnight-oats bandwagon| this is the perfect recipe to get you started. It’s not only quick and delicious| but it’s chock-full of ingredients that can offer you a flatter| less-bloated tummy. The oats offer complex carbs that fill you up longer and take a while to digest| keeping hunger cravings at bay. This whole grain is also full of fiber| so it keeps you regular| and is proven to speed up metabolism. The added chia seeds are also high in fiber and| once soaked| develop a gelatinous coating which some raw foodists believe helps them to move swiftly through the digestive track.

The yogurt offers probiotics to boost the good bacteria in your gut (go for dairy-free if you’re lactose intolerant). For added fiber| blueberries are a juicy addition| and the banana is rich in potassium| a mineral that helps your body get rid of excess water weight. Pineapple adds a tropical twist| as well as an enzyme that helps ease digestion and banish bloat. Research shows that the calcium and healthy fats in the almond milk and chopped almonds can reduce belly fat. Sprinkle in some cinnamon to kick up your body’s temperature| speeding up your body’s fat burning process| and skip added sweeteners because the fruit is naturally sweet enough.

See how easy it is to use the first meal of the day to battle bloat? And it’ll only take five minutes to make. Just throw everything in a mason jar| put it in the fridge and tomorrow you’ll be spooning into the sweet flavor of flat-belly goodness.

If you’ve yet to hop on the overnight-oats bandwagon, this is the perfect recipe to get you started. It’s not only quick and delicious, but it’s chock-full of ingredients that can offer you a flatter, less-bloated tummy. The oats offer complex carbs that fill you up longer and take a while to digest, keeping hunger cravings at bay. This whole grain is also full of fiber, so it keeps you regular, and is proven to speed up metabolism. The added chia seeds are also high in fiber and, once soaked, develop a gelatinous coating which some raw foodists believe helps them to move swiftly through the digestive track.

The yogurt offers probiotics to boost the good bacteria in your gut (go for dairy-free if you’re lactose intolerant). For added fiber, blueberries are a juicy addition, and the banana is rich in potassium, a mineral that helps your body get rid of excess water weight. Pineapple adds a tropical twist, as well as an enzyme that helps ease digestion and banish bloat. Research shows that the calcium and healthy fats in the almond milk and chopped almonds can reduce belly fat. Sprinkle in some cinnamon to kick up your body’s temperature, speeding up your body’s fat burning process, and skip added sweeteners because the fruit is naturally sweet enough.

See how easy it is to use the first meal of the day to battle bloat? And it’ll only take five minutes to make. Just throw everything in a mason jar, put it in the fridge and tomorrow you’ll be spooning into the sweet flavor of flat-belly goodness.

You open up a box of chocolates and choose carefully. Maple cream? Nah. Cherry cordial. Ugh| no. Chocolate-covered caramel? Yes| please! You can indulge in one of these for 95 calories| or make your own using four basic ingredients| for only 60 calories.

No candy thermometer needed! These babies couldn’t be easier to whip up. Just place sunflower seeds| dates| and sea salt in a food processor. Press into a pan and freeze.

Cut into squares| smother with melted chocolate| sprinkle on some sea salt (I used pink Himalayan)| and pop them back in the fridge. Now there’s a sweet treat you can feel good indulging in.

These are nut free| gluten free| dairy free| and absolutely delicious ¡ª they taste just like the real thing! Give them as a homemade gift| bring them to your next pot luck| or just keep a batch in the fridge when sweet| chocolaty| chewy caramel cravings strike.

You open up a box of chocolates and choose carefully. Maple cream? Nah. Cherry cordial. Ugh, no. Chocolate-covered caramel? Yes, please! You can indulge in one of these for 95 calories, or make your own using four basic ingredients, for only 60 calories.

No candy thermometer needed! These babies couldn’t be easier to whip up. Just place sunflower seeds, dates, and sea salt in a food processor. Press into a pan and freeze.

Cut into squares, smother with melted chocolate, sprinkle on some sea salt (I used pink Himalayan), and pop them back in the fridge. Now there’s a sweet treat you can feel good indulging in.

These are nut free, gluten free, dairy free, and absolutely delicious ¡ª they taste just like the real thing! Give them as a homemade gift, bring them to your next pot luck, or just keep a batch in the fridge when sweet, chocolaty, chewy caramel cravings strike.

Any self-proclaimed cauliflower hater will be forced to change their tune after tasting this creative recipe. Crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside| these cauliflower bites are the closest a vegetarian gets to a “real” buffalo wing experience. Before they’re baked| a dip in the garbanzo bean batter gives each cauliflower bite a crisp coating that tastes like it’s straight out of the fryer. Use your favorite hot sauce for a nice kick; it offers a boost of vitamin C and capsaicin| and both have been shown to assist in revving up your metabolism! Keep friends close when you try out this recipe| otherwise you’ll be tempted to polish these addictive bites off in one sitting.

On a cauliflower kick? Be sure to check out our Low-Carb Cauliflower Pizza Crust.

Any self-proclaimed cauliflower hater will be forced to change their tune after tasting this creative recipe. Crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside, these cauliflower bites are the closest a vegetarian gets to a “real” buffalo wing experience. Before they’re baked, a dip in the garbanzo bean batter gives each cauliflower bite a crisp coating that tastes like it’s straight out of the fryer. Use your favorite hot sauce for a nice kick; it offers a boost of vitamin C and capsaicin, and both have been shown to assist in revving up your metabolism! Keep friends close when you try out this recipe, otherwise you’ll be tempted to polish these addictive bites off in one sitting.

On a cauliflower kick? Be sure to check out our Low-Carb Cauliflower Pizza Crust.