Baked by Melissa

10/26/2026

10/25/2026

Maple Tahini Caramel:

¼ cup tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup maple syrup
Whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use it to top your favorite ice cream.

10/25/2026

the best weekend Canyon Ranch ❤️🍂☀️

10/24/2026

My New Favorite Chicken:
2 chicken breasts, at room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper
½ cup corn starch
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon avocado oil, divided
1½ teaspoons sweet paprika
1½ teaspoons oregano
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon turmeric
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400F. 
Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken slightly. It will still be fairly thick. Pat the chicken dry. 
Season the chicken with salt and a few turns of pepper.
Place the corn starch on a plate and cover the chicken lightly on all sides in corn starch. Toss any remaining corn starch on the plate. 
Add 2 teaspoons avocado oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Place the chicken in the oil before it heats up. 
While the chicken cooks, make the spice blend by mixing the sweet paprika, oregano, garlic, turmeric, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon avocado oil together in a small bowl. 
Flip the chicken after about 5 minutes; it should be lightly golden on one side. Cook for another 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
Brush the spice mix on both sides, then bake for 15 minutes, until the internal temp of each breast is 165F (comment TEMP and I’ll send you my fave thermometer!). 
Let rest for a few minutes before slicing, then serve on top of a salad or with veggies.

10/23/2026

Stuffed Dates:
8 large medjool dates
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup peanut butter (divided)
¼ cup sliced almonds
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
Remove the pits and nubs from the dates and pry open. 
Sprinkle cinnamon on top, then use your fingers to press a tablespoon of peanut butter into the center of each date. (It’s easier to do this if the peanut butter is cold.)
Press the almonds into the peanut butter. Add as many as you want to each date, then sprinkle with salt.
Wrap the edges of the dates around the peanut butter and almonds.
Melt the chocolate in a narrow glass in the microwave (I use Hu, which you can melt without adding oil to and it won’t burn.)
Once the chocolate is melted, use a fork to lower each date into the glass to get each one covered fully. Place the chocolate-covered dates on a sheet of parchment paper. 
Let cool in the fridge until the chocolate hardens (about 30 minutes to an hour). Store any that you don’t eat immediately in the fridge.

10/22/2026

Thursday Night Dinner:

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon tamari
1 garlic clove, grated
½ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
Black pepper 
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, plus more to drizzle
½ teaspoon maple syrup
Juice of 2 lemon cheeks
½ lb. salmon fillet
1 bunch bok choy
4-5 scallions
1 teaspoon avocado oil
Sesame seeds, to garnish
Add the mustard, tamari, garlic, salt, a few turns of black pepper, sesame oil, and maple syrup to a small bowl and mix together. 
Squeeze the juice of one lemon cheek over the salmon and season with another pinch of salt. 
Place the salmon on a baking sheet topped with parchment paper. Brush the marinade over the salmon so it’s evenly coated. 
While the salmon marinates, sauté the greens. Cut the root off the bok choy and wash the leaves, then slice lengthwise. Trim the scallions, the slice lengthwise.
Heat the avocado oil in a small frying pan and add the bok choy and scallions. 
While the veggies cook, stir in the juice of another lemon cheek and a pinch of salt into the remaining marinade. 
Once the greens have wilted, pour in the marinade and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Let the marinade caramelize and season with another turn of black pepper and a little salt. 
Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan if needed. 
Transfer the greens to a small bowl and drizzle with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds.
When you’re ready to eat, preheat the oven to 425F. Bake the salmon for 15-20 minutes, until it flakes easily with a fork. 
Serve with the sautéed veggies, cucumber salad, leftover broccoli, rice, rice noodles, and/or nori (serve what you have!). 

Cucumber Salad:
3 mini cucumbers
½ teaspoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Juice of ½ lemon 
Black pepper
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Cut the cucumbers into ½” rounds and add to a bowl. Top with sesame seeds.
Whisk together the sesame oil, salt, lemon juice, a few turns of black pepper, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. 
Pour the dressing over the cucumbers right before serving.

10/21/2026

3-Ingredient Slaw with Leftover Potatoes:

¼ green cabbage
2 teaspoons avocado oil
3 leftover roasted potatoes, chopped
5 pieces salami, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
Simple vinaigrette (or whatever dressing you have batched)
Shred the cabbage using a peeler or by finely chopping with a knife and place in a bowl. (Peeling is way easier. Comment PEELER and I’ll send you the link!)
Heat the avocado oil in a small frying pan and add the potatoes. After a couple minutes, stir so they get crispy on all sides. 
Once the potatoes start to turn golden brown, add the salami to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for another few minutes until the salami is crispy.
Season with salt and give everything another stir.  
Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix well to combine. Serve each portion with potatoes and salami on top. 
Simple Vinaigrette:
Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 -1/3 cup)
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated with a microplane
1 tablespoon white vinegar 
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add the ingredients to a glass large enough to fit an immersion blender, then pulse with the immersion blender until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.

10/20/2026

One-Pot Chicken for Tired Parents:

1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 4-6 lb. chicken, giblets removed
1 large carrot, peeled
1 yellow onion
1 large green cabbage
6 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons white miso paste
3 large Yukon gold potatoes (or a bag of small ones), peeled
2 cups bone broth

Preheat the oven to 300F.
Heat the avocado oil in a large Dutch oven and add the chicken, breast side down. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, just long enough to sear the chicken.
Chop the carrot and onion. Peel off the outer layers of the cabbage and discard, then peel off several more cabbage leaves (5-6) and set them aside for later. Chop half of the remaining cabbage (use the other half to make an easy slaw).
Remove the chicken from the pot and add the carrot, onion, and chopped cabbage. Stir and use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the garlic, sweet paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, turmeric, and miso paste.
Chop the potatoes and add them to the pot, stirring to get them coated in flavor.
Let cook for 5-10 minutes, then remove about half of the veggies from the pot. Pour in the broth and stir.
Return the chicken to the pot, breast side down, and cover with the veggies you removed in the previous step.
Cover the chicken and veggies with the clean cabbage leaves, adding more as needed to get the chicken fully covered.
Place the lid on the pot and bake for at least 2 hours, up to 4 hours.
Tip: Make the chicken the day before and keep it in the fridge. An hour before you want to eat, put the pot in the oven at 300F and cook for an hour to warm.

10/19/2026

Chocolate Chia Pudding:
¼ cup full-fat coconut milk + 1 can coconut milk
½ cup date caramel or maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla paste
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup chia seeds

Add the coconut milk, date caramel (or maple syrup), vanilla paste, cocoa powder, and salt to a blender. Pulse until smooth.
Pour into a container with a lid (I like to use deli containers) and stir the chia seeds in.
Cover the container and shake well, then refrigerate for 6-8 hours. When it’s ready, the chia seeds will have a soft center (it won’t crunch) and the pudding should be much thicker. Serve with yogurt or eat by the spoonful.

10/17/2026

Date Caramel:
15 dates, pitted
½ cup full-fat coconut milk (use the solid part on top), plus more as needed
2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Add the dates to a small bowl and cover with boiling water for 15 minutes to soften.

Using tongs or a spoon (or your hands if the dates are cool enough), transfer the waterlogged dates to a high-powered blender with the coconut milk. They don’t need to be totally drained, but too much water will result in a thinner consistency than you want. Blend until smooth, adding more coconut milk if needed, and pour into a jar.

Stir in the vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.

Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate.

10/16/2026

Chickpea Cake
2 eggs
3 tablespoons coconut oil
⅓ cup date caramel (comment DATE for the recipe)
2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
3 tablespoons maple syrup
¾ cup coconut milk
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup oat flour
¾ cup chocolate chips

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a blender, combine all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips until smooth. The batter should be thick.
Layer the batter and chocolate chips in the prepared loaf pan, saving 1/4 cup of chocolate chips for the top.
Cover the top of the loaf with the reserved chocolate chips.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden. Enjoy as a protein-packed breakfast or snack.

10/15/2026

Melted Cabbage Meatball Soup

For the soup
½ green cabbage, chopped
1 1/2 shallots, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 medium tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups bone broth
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Juice of ½ lemon

For the meatballs
1 lb. ground beef, at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 small tomato, grated with the wide holes of a box grater
½ shallot, grated with small holes of a box grater
½ teaspoon baking soda

For the soup, add the chopped cabbage, shallots, and onion to a large bowl to have ready once the meatballs are done.
Make the meatballs. Add the beef, salt, cumin, turmeric, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, garlic, tomato, shallot, and baking soda to a bowl and mix lightly with your hands, just to get everything combined. Try not to overwork it!
Roll the mixture into ½” balls and set on a plate.
Heat 2 teaspoons of avocado oil in a large Dutch oven and add half the meatballs (so they sear and don’t steam). Cook for a minute, turning once a sear forms, and repeat until the meatballs are seared. Remove the cooked meatballs from the pot and repeat with the other half. Keep the meatballs on a plate while you start the soup.
Add the bowl of cabbage, shallot, and onion to the pot and raise the heat to medium-high.
Use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and give everything a stir. Cook for 3 minutes, then cover. Cook for a few minutes, then remove the lid and deglaze the pan with ½ cup of water to make sure you get all the flavor off the bottom of the pot.
Grate the tomatoes with the wide holes of a box grater into a small bowl. Add the grated garlic and tomato paste to the bowl.

10/13/2026

Buried Alive - available in our Monster Mash 25-pack assortment!

10/12/2026

Juice of 3½ lemons
¼ cup red w**e vinegar
⅓ cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves
¼ cup white miso paste
1 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Add the lemon juice, red w**e vinegar, olive oil, garlic, miso paste, salt, a few turns of black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast to a jar wide enough to fit an immersion blender.
Blend with the immersion blender until smooth and creamy. (comment BLENDER and I’ll send you my fave)

10/11/2026

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
⅓ cup olive oil
Juice of 3 lemons
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup tahini 
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1 tablespoon caper juice
1 tablespoon capers
¼ cup nutritional yeast
Blend with immersion blender 
Chop cucumber, pour a little dressing over it
Add the mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar, garlic, tahini, salt, black pepper, caper juice, capers, and nutritional yeast to a jar and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. (Comment BLENDER and I’ll share my favorite!)
Chop a cucumber and add it a bowl. Pour a little of the dressing over it and mix to combine.

10/10/2026

4 cups bone broth
1/3 cup white miso paste
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons corn starch 
3 large eggs
Add the bone broth to a medium saucepan over medium heat. 
Let cook for a few minutes, then stir in the miso paste, using a whisk to break it up. Season with salt, a few turns of black pepper, and turmeric, stirring to combine. Drizzle in the sesame oil. 
While the broth continues to heat, make the slurry by whisking together the corn starch with ⅓ cup fresh water. 
Once the broth starts to bubble on the sides, slowly pour in the slurry, whisking constantly so it doesn’t clump. Cook for a few more minutes over medium heat to thicken. 
Whisk the eggs well in a small bowl. I like to get them completely whisked together. 
Once the soup has thickened, lower the heat. Pour in a little bit of the egg, get the pot a quick stir, then repeat with the rest of the egg a little at a time, stirring after each addition. 
Taste the soup and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve immediately.

10/08/2026

For the mayo 
1 egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red w**e vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
2 heads roasted garlic (roasted in aluminum foil at 400F for 45 minutes)
¼ cup avocado oil
For the tuna salad
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 cans tuna, drained
Break up the tuna with a fork
Lemon cheek
Add the celery, lemon juice, and roasted garlic aioli
Make the roasted garlic mayo. Add the raw egg, Dijon, red w**e vinegar, salt, and roasted garlic to a narrow jar wide enough to fit an immersion blender. Blend with the immersion blender, slowly pouring in the avocado oil as you go. Continue blending until the mayo emuslifies and becomes a pale yellow. (It will be a bit thinner than store-bought, but it should thicken slightly.
Add the celery and tuna to a bowl and break up the tuna with a fork. Stir in a tablespoon or two of aioli and stir to combine. Keep adding aioli until it reaches the right consistency. Squeeze the lemon cheek into the tuna and stir again. Taste and add salt if needed. Eat on a chip (or however you want).

10/07/2026

For the mayo 
1 egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red w**e vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
2 heads roasted garlic (roasted in aluminum foil at 400F for 45 minutes)
¼ cup avocado oil
For the onions 
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon avocado oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Black pepper
For the egg salad
9 hard-boiled eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
Black pepper
3 tablespoons roasted garlic mayo 
Make the roasted garlic mayo. Add the raw egg, Dijon, red w**e vinegar, salt, and roasted garlic to a narrow jar wide enough to fit an immersion blender. Blend with the immersion blender, slowly pouring in the avocado oil as you go. Continue blending until the mayo emuslifies and becomes a pale yellow. (It will be a bit thinner than store-bought, but it should thicken slightly.
Now make the onions. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and add the oil. 
Finely chop the onion and add it to the pan. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and a few turns of black pepper. Stir occasionally, lowering the heat so they don’t burn. Once you notice brown bits forming on the onions, deglaze the pan with ¼ cup of liquid (water or bone broth). Repeat as needed. 
Cook the onions for 30-40 minutes, until they’re a deep caramel color. 
Peel the eggs and grate them with the wide holes of a box grater. Add them to a bowl, then add the onions, ¼ teaspoon salt, a few turns black pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the roasted garlic mayo. 
Mix together well and adjust seasonings as needed.

10/06/2026

Prime Day deals linked in bio!

10/05/2026

1 carrot, peeled
2 mini cucumbers
Small handful tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
3 tablespoons Castelvetrano olives
Miso vinaigrette

Peel the carrot and cucumbers into ribbons and chop the tomatoes and olives. Add all of it to a large bowl.
Top with miso vinaigrette (comment MISO for the recipe) and serve.

10/05/2026

Introducing our October Mini of the Month, Midnight Munchies.

10/04/2026

4 artichokes, tops trimmed off and stems peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
4 cups bone broth
Peel off any rough looking exterior leaves on the artichokes. Cut the tops and bottoms of the stems off the artichokes and peel the remaining stem. 
Place a large pot on the stove and add the garlic, artichokes, bone broth, and salt. Turn the artichokes to get them covered in broth, then stand them up top-side down. 
Turn the stove to medium heat and cover the pot, until the broth simmers. Lower the heat slightly and cook the artichokes, covered, for around 45 minutes. Pull a leaf off the artichoke with tongs to check if it’s done; the flesh should easily come off the inside of the leaf. If it’s still tough, continue to steam for a few more minutes.
Once the leaves are cooked, remove the pot from heat and let sit, covered, until you’re ready to serve.

10/03/2026

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, skin-on
2 chicken breasts, skin-off
½ teaspoon salt
Avocado oil spray 
3 cups chicken broth
Preheat the oven to 300°F. 
Season the chicken with salt. Heat a large pot over medium heat and spray with avocado oil, then add the chicken to the pot.
Sear for 2-3 minutes, then pour in the broth. Cover, with the heat on medium, cooking until the broth comes to a low simmer. 
Transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (it should read 165°F if you have a thermometer). Remove from the oven and let cool with the lid still on.
Set the chicken breasts in a large bowl and remove the skin. Add ¼ cup of broth from the pot and shred the meat with two forks or your hands, adding more broth as needed so it stays juicy. Stir the shredded chicken and continue adding broth so it doesn’t dry out. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.