What’s for Breakfast, Chat? (Part 2)

Where I start questioning AI like it’s a contestant on a cooking show.

If Part 1 was about discovery, Part 2 is where I got bold.

I realized I wasn’t just using AI to hand me recipes—I was workshopping them. Like a slightly bossy (but hungry) test kitchen editor.

I had specific goals:

• Keep it gluten-free
• Use real food, not weird processed ingredients
• Adapt to what I actually had in my kitchen
• And question anything that sounded even slightly sketchy

Spoiler: There were a few moments that raised eyebrows—and a few where I had to politely say, “Nice try, but no, I’m not eating that”

Pushback Is Productive

Once I got my first version of the seed & date breakfast cookies, I had questions. Important ones. Like:

• “Isn’t this going to be too dry?”
• “Will this even stick together?”
• “Wait, how much banana again??”

Turns out, AI isn’t offended when you doubt it. In fact, it kind of thrives on feedback.

Prompt:
“This seems a little dry—should I add more banana or something else to help it hold?”

AI’s response:
“Yes! Adding another banana, or a tablespoon of maple syrup or nut butter, would help add moisture and improve the binding.”

It was like having a laid back friend who never takes things personally, and always has a Plan B. Honestly, better than some actual humans I’ve cooked with.

Customization is the Secret Sauce

Once I got over the fear of “messing up the recipe,” I realized something huge: AI recipes aren’t sacred. They’re suggestions.

So I started swapping.

Prompt:
“Can I make this without coconut? What if I want to use sunflower seeds instead of pumpkin seeds?”

Answer:
“Absolutely! Feel free to sub in any seeds or nuts you like, and leave out the coconut if you prefer. Just keep the dry-to-wet ratio balanced.”

The magic words: “Just keep the dry-to-wet ratio balanced.”

That’s when it clicked. AI wasn’t a recipe god—it was more like a formula buddy. And once I got the hang of that, I could make recipes work for me.

You Don’t Need a Fancy Kitchen

Another win: I realized I didn’t need to have a commercial kitchen setup to make this stuff work.

Prompt:
“I don’t have a food processor—can I still make this recipe?”

Answer:
“Yes! Just chop the dates finely with a knife and mix by hand or use a stand mixer if you have one.”

Translation: Stop overthinking it. Use the tools you’ve got.

You don’t need to have a Vitamix, 12 mixing bowls, or a pastry scraper named Enzo. Just a knife, a bowl, and the will to make something besides sad toast.

What I Learned

• Challenge the recipe. If something sounds off, it probably is. Ask.
• Customize for your life. Food allergies, dietary goals, picky eaters, or just ingredient availability—it’s all fair game.
• Trust your gut, then ask the bot. Or… ask the bot, then trust your gut.

And most importantly: you are smarter than a recipe card.

Pantry Prompt

“I need a recipe for healthy, gluten free cookie bars. Some ingredients to possibly incorporate might be dates, apples, blueberries, coconut, nuts & seeds, cocoa powder. I’d like them to be sweetened naturally & have some kind of protein without the use of protein powder.”

And the recipe result (after a few alterations):

Healthy Gluten-Free Date & Nut Cookie Bars

Naturally sweetened, protein-rich cookie bars with wholesome ingredients.
Gluten-free | Dairy-free | No refined sugar | No protein powder

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Ingredients

• 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce (add 1 tbsp more if batter is too thick)
• 1 egg (or flax egg: 1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 2.5 tbsp water)
• ¼ cup almond butter (or any nut/seed butter)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
• ½ cup gluten-free rolled oats
• ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
• ¼ cup mixed seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, or pumpkin)
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, blend dates, applesauce, almond butter, egg (or flax egg), and vanilla until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, oats, shredded coconut, nuts, seeds, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Gently fold in the blueberries.
6. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan.
7. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool completely before slicing into bars. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage.

Have a Prompt and resulting recipe to share?  I’d love to hear from you!