breakfast

Even if it has been two decades since you've made or eaten chocolate chip pancakes, there's no reason you can't resurrect the breakfast of your childhood dreams. In fact, I encourage you to go all out and top the stack with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

The base is a golden-hued buttermilk pancake with plenty of melted butter to make the batter moist and rich.

Right before the batter hits the griddle, fold in chocolate chips.

Once the cakes come off the grill, don't be shy with the toppings. I used the MarieBelle chocolates from my Must Have box.

The whipped cream and melted chocolate chips make these pancakes so sweet and moist, I don't think they need any other adornments (like maple syrup), but I'll let you be the judge! Are you ready to be a kid again? See the recipe.

Part of the fun of making homemade buttermilk pancakes is adding mix-ins, and these banana walnut pancakes are a delicious way to start your morning.

A sprinkle of powdered sugar and a dollop of crème fraiche make them extra special.

Fluffy and moist, with a nice crunch from the walnuts, these banana nut pancakes will get even the grumpiest morning person to skip happily out of bed.

Keep reading to see the recipe.

When it comes to breakfast, fast and healthy often don't go hand in hand. You can grab something at a café, but even if you opt for granola or oatmeal, it's usually unhealthier than if you made the same meal at home. If you're looking for a quick and healthy breakfast, try this apple cinnamon smoothie from registered dietitian Erin Palinski.

"Not everyone has a lot of time in the morning. That's why I love [this] cinnamon apple smoothie, which has good, natural fats, a punch of protein, and a wallop of fiber to keep you full longer, as well as natural sugars and electrolytes," Erin says. "What makes this great for people on the go is you can even make this the night before and have it ready to grab in the fridge in the morning." Adding ground flaxseed helps makes the smoothie a substantial drink that gets thicker as it cools in the fridge overnight, meaning it will definitely keep you full for hours.

Read on for the recipe.

The beginning of March is a funny fruit season. Despite living in Northern California, where produce is typically bountiful, the fruit section seems pretty dismal lately, save for the large triangular stacks of citrus fruit. Here's a fruit salad to satiate you until Spring officially begins and brings in apricots and fragrant strawberries.

Your taste buds will delight in the textural roller coaster: first, you'll crunch into the pomegranate seeds and pistachios, which pave the way for velvety goat cheese, and finally burst into the juicy pockets of the citrus fruit and kiwi. This sweet-sour salad is like nature's most succulent bowl of SweeTarts.

See the simple fruit salad recipe.

Look, I'm all for making traditional homemade-dough cinnamon rolls, but sometimes you just want the piping hot buns, dripping with butter and brown sugar, ASAP. When you're experiencing an uncontrollable jonesing for a homemade batch, but don't want to go through the whole trouble of making the dough, you'll want this easy cinnamon roll recipe that gets the job done in 30 minutes.

The secret's in the refrigerated crescent roll dough, which is the perfect cocoon for your cinnamon-brown sugar filling.

That — and drizzling lots of melted butter to ensure the filling will stay in place as you tightly roll the dough into a swirled log. Are you dizzy with desire yet?

Once you've cut the eight slices, the buns will fit snugly in the pan.

The cinnamon rolls will emerge from the oven sizzling and cracking, and that's when you should immediately cover them in a tangy vanilla, lemon, and cream cheese glaze.

I'll bet these cinnamon rolls will be eaten so quickly, the glaze won't even have a chance to ooze onto the napkin.

Keep reading for the quick cinnamon roll recipe.

Forget doing another set of crunches at the gym. Tomorrow morning, sip on this deliciously sweet smoothie packed with ingredients that fight belly fat and reduce bloating — all for under 300 calories.

The Greek yogurt in the recipe provides a good amount of calcium and protein, both of which can aid in weight loss. The smoothie also contains several ingredients — like blueberries — which have been shown to help diminish belly fat. If that's not enough, you also get the sweetness of pineapple, which contains an enzyme that helps ease digestion and banish bloat. You won't be able to taste the kale, which is full of fiber to prevent constipation, as well as calorie-free water to help clean you out.

From Jenny Sugar, POPSUGAR Fitness

Flat-Belly Smoothie

Ingredients

3 ounces vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon almond butter
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup kale
3/4 cup water

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
2. Enjoy immediately.

Makes one serving.

Source: Calorie Count

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