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We love Chipotle. We discovered it back in 2010. Once we tried it, we loved it. One of the reasons we loved it was that all of our family could eat there.

Between my eating gluten-free and my daughters having food allergies, finding a place we can all eat is hard. Chipotle quickly became a favorite.

However, I like to make at-home versions of food we love. So, I instantly started working on a Chipotle like rice that I could make at home.

I found quite a few recipes, but most of them didn’t even sound close to what Chipotle served, so I went to work on my own version.

What I came up with was a rice we love. It is not quite the same as Chipotle’s, but very close. I think this would work well with any type of Mexican meal.

Now my family can enjoy a Chipotle-style meal at home without spending time or money going out.

We also love this rice with my bacon salmon.

This cilantro lime rice is delicious with so many things. It is a versatile rice recipe that you are sure to love.

This recipe calls for basmati rice. I really think basmati does work best here. It gives it a texture and taste very close to the real thing.

And in case you are wondering, yes, the water to rice ratio is correct for this recipe. It is not the exact ratio you would use for regular rice cooking, but it works in this recipe.

Ingredients

oil
fresh cilantro
white basmati rice
water
salt
lime juice

Yield: 6 servings

Cilantro Lime Rice

A make at home version of a restaurant favorite.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 teaspoon oil
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
2/3 cup white basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lime, juiced (please use the real thing here it is so much better)

Instructions

In a saucepan, heat oil until hot
Add rice and stir for 1 minute, you are basically frying the rice in this step.
Add lime juice, stir for 1 minute more.
Add water and salt, bring to a boil
Cover and turn down to simmer until rice is tender and the water is absorbed about 18-20 minutes. Do not over cook this or it gets mushy.
Add in the cilantro, stir, and serve

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 31Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 178mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g

Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.

Originally posted April 2010. Updated April 2026.

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Menu Plan April Week 4

Lynn — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 10:24:00 +0000

This week’s menu plan is full of easy meals for the last week of April.

Menu Plan April Week 4

This week's menu plan is full of quick and easy meals for April.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Baked Oatmeal

Kids and adults will love this breakfast

Martha Stewart's Cottage Cheese Pancakes

An easy to make high protein breakfast or breakfast for dinner.

Homemade Frozen Breakfast Burritos

Make ahead breakfast your family will love.

Apple Bacon Cheese Frittata

Delicious breakfast or breakfast for dinner.

Martha Stewart's Stove Top Mac and Cheese

Skip the box and make it homemade.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut butter and chocolate are combined in this quick and easy no bake dessert.

The post Menu Plan April Week 4 appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Lynn — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:45:00 +0000

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars are an easy no bake dessert!

If you love peanut butter and chocolate as much as my family does, these are a must make!

Peanut butter and chocolate are a classic combination. They go together so well.

No-bake Peanut Butter Treats are a recipe I used to make all the time. Then my daughter developed her peanut allergy. For years, we kept our home completely nut and peanut butter free, so I could not make this recipe.

Now that she no longer lives at home, I am having fun making all my favorite peanut butter desserts like these bars.

I made these peanut butter bars recently, and I knew that it was time to update the recipe and pictures.

I love that these no bake peanut butter bars are a no bake dessert because they are perfect for summer.

They are also easy to make gluten-free with gluten-free graham crackers.

If you do not need a huge batch, although they are so good you might want a full pan, you can cut the recipe in half and make them in a smaller pan.

If you want to change them up a little, use chocolate graham crackers. I actually love to use gluten-free chocolate graham crackers if I can find them.

Chocolate graham crackers make them double chocolate, and they are delicious! I love the extra chocolate that the chocolate graham crackers give them

They are the perfect quick and easy dessert. And now I remember why I missed them so much!

Ingredients

butter
chocolate graham cracker crumbs, chocolate graham crackers, and gluten free graham crackers work well, too
powdered sugar
peanut butter
chocolate chips
peanut butter
peanuts, optional

Yield: 24 bars

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut butter and chocolate are combined in these easy-to-make no-bake peanut butter bars.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups graham crumbs or crumbs made with chocolate graham crackers or gluten-free graham crackers work
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter
chopped peanuts, optional

Instructions

Mix together the butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended.
Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Melt chocolate chips with peanut butter. Stir until smooth.
Spread over crust.
Sprinkle with chopped peanuts if desired.
Refrigerate several hours before cutting into squares.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free graham crackers and read labels to make sure your ingredients are gluten-free.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 392Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 223mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 2gSugar: 35gProtein: 5g

Nutritional values are approxomite and aren't always accurate.

Originally published July 2016. Updated April 2026.

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Menu Plan April Week 3

Lynn — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:25:00 +0000

Spring recipes are on the menu plan! I love this time of year. Well, I don’t love spring allergies, but I love it when I can change up the menu plan with some more spring like recipes.

One of my favorite spring foods is lemon bars! I know you can eat lemon bars all year long, but they always seem like such a happy spring like food to me.

Here is the plan.

Menu Plan April Week 3

Spring like recipes perfect for April.

Scrambled Eggs with Sausage, Onions, and Peppers

Quick and easy breakfast or breakfast for dinner.

Peanut Butter Chex Granola Bars

Peanut Butter Chex Granola Bars are a quick and easy homemade breakfast, snack, or lunchbox treat.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

A simple crustless quich. Great breakfast, lunch, or breakfast for dinner.

Eggs and Rice with Soy Sauce

A simple inexpensive breakfast for dinner.

Taco Quesadillas

Change up taco night with taco quesadillas.

Homemade Cheesy Tuna Helper

Homemade Cheesy Tuna Helper as good as the real thing.

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Chicken Salad Sandwiches are a simple lunch or dinner!

Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker mac and cheese is creamy and delicious. It makes a weeknight dinner special.

Creamy Lemon Squares

Martha Stewart takes a basic lemon bar recipe and makes it extra special.

Easy Triple Chocolate Cake

Triple Chocolate Cake is a simple and delicious cake recipe.

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Gluten-Free Menu Plan April Week 3

Lynn — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:20:00 +0000

Here is this week’s gluten free menu plan. I made notes next to the ingredients that need to be gluten free, but as always read labels to make sure that your ingredients are safe for your family and use gluten free ingredients like gluten free pasta, gluten free soy sauce, etc.

Gluten Free Recipes April Week Three

Gluten free recipes for the last week of April.

Gluten Free Pancake Mix Recipe

Make gluten-free pancakes at home with this homemade gluten-free pancake mix.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins are so good that no one will know that they are gluten free.

Eggs and Sausage { Freezer Friendly and Make Ahead Breakfast Idea}

Eggs and sausage are a great make-ahead freezer-friendly breakfast.

Crustless Bacon Cheeseburger Quiche

A delicious bacon cheeseburger quiche without a crust.

Cheesy Crock Pot Potatoes

Cheesy Crock Pot Potatoes are a simple crock pot side dish.

Martha Stewart's Chili Recipe

A delicious homemade chili.

Gluten Free Pizza Recipe

Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

My favorite think crust gluten free pizza.

Gluten Free One Pot Spaghetti

Gluten free dinner made easy with this gluten-free one pot spaghetti.

One Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole

One pot cabbage roll casserole is an easy one pot dinner.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Doughnuts

Easy and delicious gluten free doughnuts!

The post Gluten-Free Menu Plan April Week 3 appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Menu Plan April Week 2

Lynn — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 10:21:00 +0000

It is the time of year when I struggle to menu plan because the weather is all over the place. Sometimes, it is cool outside, and I want a bowl of soup. Other days are warm, and I feel like a big salad for dinner. This week’s menu plan is a mix of both.

Menu Plan April Week 2

Quick and easy meals for April.

Peanut Butter Pancakes

Peanut butter pancakes are a delicious way to make your pancake breakfast a little more special.

The Best Banana Muffins

The best banana muffins make a great breakfast, lunch, or dessert.

Martha Stewart's Classic French Toast Recipe

A classic French toast recipe made with a few easy tips.

Triple Berry Chicken Almond Spinach Salad

Triple Berry Chicken Salad is a delicious main dish salad or lunch for any day of the year.

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Combiines breakfast and grilled cheese into one delicious sandwich.

Air Fryer Nachos

A quick and easy lunch, dinner, or snack.

Oven Tacos

Change up taco night with oven tacos.

Easy Cheeseburger Pie

The flavors of cheeseburgers in an easy to make casserole.

Apple Bacon Cheese Frittata

Apple, bacon, and cheese are combined in this delicious breakfast or breakfast for dinner recipe.

Martha Stewart's Brownie Recipe.

A simple, but delicious brownie recipe.

The post Menu Plan April Week 2 appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Gluten Free Menu Plan April Week 2

Lynn — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 10:16:00 +0000

Here is this week’s menu plan.

This week I am sharing a recipe from one of my favorite gluten free bloggers on the menu plan. I hope this helps you find some new delicious gluten free food.

I made notes next to the ingredients that need to be gluten free, but as always read labels to make sure that your ingredients are gluten free.

Gluten Free Menu Plan 4.14.24

Quick and easy gluten free recipes for April.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

The flavors of a cinnamon roll in the form of a muffin.

Martha Stewart's Deviled Eggs

The best deviled eggs!

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal combines raspberries and oatmeal into a delicious breakfast.

Low Carb Cheeseburger Casserole

A simple gluten free low carb dinner.

Crustless Cheese Quiche

A favorite breakfast for dinner at our house.

Triple Berry Chicken Almond Spinach Salad

Triple Berry Chicken Salad is a delicious main dish salad or lunch for any day of the year.

Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese

Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

Skip the box and make it homemade.

Flourless Gluten-Free Low-Carb Pizza Recipe (Keto Friendly, Too)

Photo Credit: glutenfreeeasily.com

Easy low carb casserole.

Gluten Free Lemon Bars ~My Mom's Lemon Bars Made Gluten Free

Gluten Free Lemon Bars are my mom's lemon bars made gluten free.

Slow Cooker Strawberry Cobbler

Strawberry cobbler in the slow cooker is an easy and delicious dessert.

The post Gluten Free Menu Plan April Week 2 appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Nut Free Larabar Recipe

Lynn — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:58:00 +0000

Larabars are easy to make nut free with this simple homemade nut free larabar recipe!

My oldest daughter has a tree nut, peanut, and sesame allergy. She developed the allergy when she was twelve, which means it is not an allergy she will outgrow. It is with her for life.

It is also a true allergy. It is not an intolerance or just something she avoids. It is the kind of allergy that can kill you. She always has an epi-pen with her. Nuts, peanuts, and sesame are not allowed at all.

For years, when she was growing up and lived at home, our house was completely nut-free. She had to worry about food all the time, so we wanted to create a completely safe place for her to eat at home.

In many ways, this has just become our life. We read labels. We are extremely careful, and we keep our home nut, peanut, and sesame-free.

She is grown and no longer lives at home, but we still eat nut and peanut free when she is at our house.

I learned so much over the years of having kids with severe allergies. One of them is that sometimes you just want to eat what everyone else eats.

It makes it so hard, especially for kids. Life with nut allergies is not always easy.

Over the years I developed so many homemade versions of our favorite foods. Today’s homemade nut-free Larabar recipe is one of them.

This recipe is nut-free, so it is inspired by a Larabar rather than a true copycat.

One of the toughest areas for me when dealing with a child with nut allergies has been snack food. Meals are pretty easy to keep nut-free as long as I read labels. Snacks, on the other hand, are much harder.

So many snack foods contain nuts, peanuts, or sesame. Granola bars, crackers, and trail mixes all contain nuts or sesame. There are some available that are nut-free, but most are high risk because of cross-contamination.

There are some allergy-friendly brands out there, but the high cost makes them a treat instead of an everyday thing. I quickly learned that homemade snacks are the best and most affordable option. I can make sure the food is safe without breaking the budget.

Over the years, homemade nut-free larabars have become a favorite for us.

I had trouble getting the recipe just right, and it took me quite a bit of time. I made so many batches of these to get the taste and texture just how we like them.

After a lot of trial and error, though, I developed a recipe that we love!

We love these! If you or someone in your family has a nut allergy, these are a must make!

One quick note. This recipe is for homemade nut-free larabars, but I know not all my readers are nut-free. If you can have peanut butter or almond butter, use it in place of the Sunbutter. It will work fine. If you have a nut allergy use Sunbutter. I have tried these with soy butter and other nut-free butters, but the Sunbutter or sunflower seed butter is our favorite.

Yield: 24 bars

Nut Free Larabar Recipe

Larabars can be nut free with this homemade larabar recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups pitted dates
3/4 cup Sunbutter, see note below
1 cup dried cherries, see not below
1/2 cup chocolate chips ( We use Enjoy Life)

Instructions

Place dates in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse food processor a few times to chop up dates. You don't have to chop them up completely, but you want them broken up a bit.
Add Sunbutter and dried cherries to the food processor.
Process until the mixture is chopped well. It should all be chopped up, yet form a soft mixture that balls up.
Add chocolate chips and pulse a few times just enough to chop and mix in. If your food processor is small, you may need to do this in two batches.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap on a cookie sheet or sheet pan. Place the mixture in the pan.
Place another sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap on top. Press the mixture out to form a rectangle. This takes time to press evenly. You can use another cookie sheet pressed down on top or a rolling pin to help you press the mixture out.
Refrigerate the mixture for several hours or until they have firmed up. Cut into bars or squares.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

If you do not need these to be nut-free, you can use peanut butter or almond butter in place of the sunbutter. Wowbutter also works in this recipe.

Other dried fruit can be used in place of dried cherries, or you can use a combination of dried cherries and other dried fruit like raisins.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24 bars

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 124Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 28mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g

Originally posted March 2017. Updated April 2026.

The post Nut Free Larabar Recipe appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Menu Plan April Week 1

Lynn — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:23:00 +0000

This week’s menu plan is full of easy to make comfort foods.

Menu Plan April Week 1

Easy meals for cold winter weather.