Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

4 large eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup shredded zucchini (I used one green, one yellow)

Combine the wet ingredients with a hand mixer until well combined.

1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
sprinkle sea salt
1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips

Add dry ingredients into wet and mix well with hand mixer.  Finally, fold in chocolate chips and place evenly into 12 muffin tins.  Bake at 350 for 22 minutes then let cool for 10+ minutes.  Enjoy!

Banana Bread/Muffins Two Ways!

The other day I felt like baking and had a bunch of over ripe bananas so here we go!  One is a more basic, gluten and refined-sugar free banana bread and the other is a double chocolate banana bread.

Banana Bread/Muffins with Chocolate Chips:

3 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup raw honey (pure maple syrup could work or a version of sugar)
1/3 cup unsweet applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp avocado oil
2 cups flour blend (I used 1 cup brown rice flour and 1 cup ground gluten-free oats finely ground)
2 Tbsp ground chia seeds
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips

1.  Mash bananas with masher or in a mixer.  Add vanilla, eggs, oil, applesauce/honey and combine well.
2.  Mix all dry ingredients together and add the the wet mixture until well combined.
3.  Stir in chocolate chips last and spoon into loaf pan or muffin tin.
4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread:

3 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup unsweet applesauce

1/2 cup raw honey or maple syrup (I did a mixture of the two)

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 cup flour blend (I did 1/2 cup rice flour and 1/2 cup ground oat flour)

2 Tbsp ground chia seed

1/3 cup raw cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

sprinkle sea salt

2/3 cup enjoy life chocolate chips

1.  Mash bananas and add wet ingredients (applesauce, sweetener, vanilla, egg)

2.  Add dry ingredients and combine well.

3.  Fold in the chocolate chips (saving a handful for decoration on the top)

4.  Put mix in a baking pan and sprinkle chocolate  chips on top.  

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until knife comes out (almost) clean.

Enjoy!

Homemade Lara Bars

Enjoying the new Ninja and had to try these with the processing attachments.  You could really add/omit anything here using basic mixture of 1/2 cup pitted dates/raisins and 1 cup dry nuts/seeds/granola/oats, 1 Tbsp water and any other add ins...here is what I used!

1/2 cup Medijol Dates, pitted
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/3 cup 70% dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins
1 Tbsp water (more or less to consistency)

Blend until the consistency you would like then mash into a parchment paper lines dish (mine is about 4 x 8 inches).  Later, I will cut and place in single serve baggies for easy snacks on the go!  Yum!

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

I found this recipe, tweaked it a bit and these are a delicious "treat" and easy to snack on at home or on the go!

1-3/4 cups Organic Oats (gluten-free if needed or I used an oats/quinoa blend)
1/2 cup Organic Coconut Sugar
3/4-1 cup Organic Brown Rice Flour (original recipe called for whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup Raw Organic Honey
2 Tbsp. Melted coconut oil
1/4 cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
1/4 Cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds
1/4 cup enjoy life chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients together (I did the wet first), then press into a greased pan (mine was 8 x 11)-dough will be a bit crumbly but presses in well.  Bake at 325 for 25 minutes (pulling it out after 20 minutes to sprinkle the chocolate chips on the top so they do not fully melt-or you could drizzle melted chocolate on top afterwards).  Take out and let cool entirely before cutting into rectangles and place in snack size baggies (if they can last that long, my family devoured these)!

Banana Pancakes Two Ways

Here are two delicious ways to make banana pancakes (quick and cheap too), one is grain-free and the other is simply gluten free but both are healthy and tasty (and filling)!

Paleo Pancakes:
2 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1 Tbsp chia seed
1 tsp cinnamon
coconut oil (for cooking in hot skillet)

1.  Using an electric mixer, mash the bananas and mix in the eggs.  Combine until frothy.
2.  Add in remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.
3.  Let batter sit for 5-10 minutes then cook (you need to cook extra on side one so they flip nicely).  Serve hot with pure maple syrup (or raw honey as my daughter and husband prefer)!

Gluten-Free Rice Flour Pancakes:
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1/2 Cup Coconut/Almond Milk
1 egg (two if you prefer pancakes a bit fluffier)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
sprinkle sea salt
1 cup Organic Brown Rice Flour (cheap at all stores)

1.  Using electric mixer, mash the bananas and combine wet ingredients until smooth.
2.  Add dry ingredients then mix well again until batter is smooth.
3.  Add in berries, chocolate chips, nut butter or prepare plain.
4.  Use more coconut oil to cook 3-5 minutes each side.
Serve hot with pure maple syrup or raw honey!

These were both tasty!  The coconut flour version was tougher to flip and a bit more cumbly and did not store batter well for leftovers, but the rice flour blend was like a "normal" pancake and great left over as well!

Coconut Flour Cheddar Biscuits

Okay, so they are not Red Lobster quality but they were tasty and filling!

1/4 coconut oil or butter, melted (I think butter is better for this one)
1/3 coconut flour
4 organic eggs
Sea Salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Baking Powder
1/3 cup shredded organic raw cheese

1.  Combine Eggs, melted oil, sea salt, onion and garlic in a bowl and whisk together well.
2.  Add in the coconut flour and baking powder and whisk until combined and not lumpy.
3.  Fold in the cheese until combined.
4.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes (makes about 8 biscuits).

I served these with chicken and veggies for dinner but they might be good with eggs for breakfast!  Also, you could skip the spices and sweeten with raw honey for a sweeter biscuit.

Slow Cooker Applesauce

I have never tried making my own applesauce, so decided to give it a try!

8 medium apples (I used a mixture of granny smith and pink lady)
1/3 cup water
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp raw honey

Slow cook on high for 4 hours, them mash or blend.  Refrigerate leftovers!

Zucchini Bread

So, many of you saw that was doing Whole 30, well, I had to give it up for a few reasons but I have still been doing mostly paleo when I can so grain-free and refined sugar-free.  This Zucchini bread was moist and tasty!

1.5 cups almond flour/meal (I get mine for only $3.99/bag at trader joes)
1.5 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup grated zucchini
3 eggs
1/3 cup unsweet applesauce (the original recipe called for one mashed, ripe banana but I was out so I tried this and it was great)
3-4 Tbsp. raw honey
1 Tbsp.melted coconut oil (I am sure olive oil or butter would work as well)

1.  Mix together all wet ingredients using a hand mixer until frothy and well mixed.
2.  Add in dry ingredients and blend until well combined (my batter was fairly thin).
3.  Pour into loaf pan (I did 3 mini-loaves this this and added good life chocolate chips to one loaf for a treat).
4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Enjoy!

Coconut Almond Pancakes

I am on day 4 and needing a "treat" so I made these pancakes and topped them with blended berries that I warmed up!  They were tasty, and my family had them with chocolate chips and loved them!

2 eggs, room temp
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp coconut water
1/8 cup coconut flour
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/8 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
coconut oil (for frying)

1.  Whip eggs with an electric mixer until frothy, add the rest of wet ingredients and combine well with hand mixer.
2.  Combine all dry ingredients and add to the wet, using the electric mixer until thoroughly mixed (batter is thin)
3.  Using a cast iron pan, make small pancakes-I used a 1/8 cup scoop and made several smallish pancakes.
4.  For the berries, I simply blended a berry blend then simmered over med-low heat until warmed!

Monkey Bread

Prior to this, I had never made "monkey bread" before, I had tried it once at a friend's house growing up and my husband had grown up with it and loved it.  Obviously, the original was is soooo unhealthy so I researched and found a better version and tweaked it myself.  Here it is-fun for a Christmas morning treat!

1 package immaculate baking company biscuits/trader joes dough mix (anything decent)
2 Tbsp. coconut palm sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweet applesauce
1/4 cup melted organic butter
1/4 pure maple syrup

1.  Cut the dough into small, bite size pieces.
2.  Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and dip each dough piece into the mixture to coat (you might even be able to skip the sugar and just use cinnamon).
3.  Place the coated pieces in a baking dish/I used a pyrex 8 x 8
4.  Mix melted butter, applesauce, and syrup together and cover evenly.
5.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees and enjoy!

My husband and daughter loved these, I still thought they were a bit too sweet but tasty!

Granola

This was a first for me, I have never ventured to make my own granola cereal.  I have never been a big cereal fan, and most are so unhealthy that breakfast at our house is usually a smoothie of some sort, oatmeal for my daughter sometimes (filled with berries or nuts), and an occasional day of omelets or gluten-free pancakes.  But, I do enjoy granola sometimes, though buying organic granola in a box is expensive and you hardly get any in the box (plus it's contains hidden sugars).  So, I looked online for hours to find a recipe I liked and did not find one so I made it up myself.  I hope you like it!

3 cups organic oats (gluten-free if you prefer)-not quick cooking oats
2 cups nuts (I used raw almonds and pecans)-I lightly food processed them so they were in pieces
2/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup organic raisins
2 scoops MILA chia seed (about 1/4 cup)
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp raw honey (I maybe did not need this but my 4 year old was helping me make it and she said honey would be good so I added a bit and it was yummy)

1.  Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl until mixed.
2.  Spread on a large cookie or baking sheets.
3.  Bake at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until browned, stirring every 10 minutes.  The granola will crisp up more as it cools.

My husband was eating this by the handful, but I enjoyed it for breakfast the next day with a splash of almond milk, and my daughter liked it too.  This was a perfect example of a great recipe to make with your child, my daughter can be a creature of habit but she loved this (mostly because she helped make it).  This was a sweet and hearty way to start the day without eating refined-sugar filled boxed cereal!

Chocolate Nut Crunch

I found this paleo recipe online when I was hunting for a sweet treat!  This is a perfect snack!

2 cups raw nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.)

-Slightly break down in a food processor until broken into smaller chunks
-Pour into a large bowl

3 T butter
1/4 cup raw honey
Sprinkle Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 T Raw Cocoa Powder
Sprinkle cinnamon

-Melt butter and honey together over low-medium heat.
-Add sea salt, vanilla, cocoa powder and cinnamon
-Whisk together into a chocolatey sauce.
-Pour the sauce over the broken down nuts and mix together thoroughly
-Spread the chocolatey mixture on a baking sheet
-Bake at 200 degrees for 3.5 hours
-Let cool completely and then remove from pan and break into pieces (I dare you to try and get it put away before everyone eats it all)!

Pecan Crunch Banana Cake

My family and I are going mostly grain-free with out eating for a while so I have been on the hunt for some new recipes.  I got this one from civilizedcavemancooking.com and it was so tasty!  My husband has also requested for me to make it again next week for him to take to share with his workout buddies!

Cake:
3 mashed bananas
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup raw MILA chia seed
1/4 cup coconut flour
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cinnamon Swirl:
3 Tbsp. raw honey
2 Tbsp. cinnamon

Crunchy Topping:
1/8 cup 100% pure maple syrup
2/3 cup raw pecans chopped or whole

1.  Use a  hand mixer to mix the cake ingredients until well combined.  Pour thick batter into an 8 x 8 pyrex/glass container.
2.  In a separate bowl, whisk the raw honey and 2 T cinnamon together and drizzle on top of batter in pan.  Swirl however you want!
3.  Place cake in the over and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, taking out after 15 minutes to add the candied pecans.
4.  While the cake is starting to bake, saute' the raw pecans (walnuts would also be great) in the maple syrup for 5-6 minutes on medium heat stirring often-BEWARE NOT TO EAT THEM ALL BEFORE YOU PUT THEM ON THE CAKE!
5.  After 15 minutes of baking, pull out the cake and sprinkle the candied pecans on top of the cake and then finish baking for 15-20 more minutes or until knife/toothpick comes out clean.
6.  Let sit for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

At our house, this started as a snack, and the next day we had it for breakfast!  Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Banana Bread (another recipe)

Banana Bread is a fan favorite in our household, and today I was cleaning out my cupboards and make a batch of super yummy stuff!

5 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup raw honey (agave or raw sugar would also work)
2 organic, eggs
3 mashed, ripe bananas

-Combine wet ingredients. Then add:

1 3/4 cup flour mixture (pamela's gluten-free baking mix would work also)
*1/2 cup almond flour
*1/2 cup brown right flour
*1/2 cup coconut flour
*1/4 cup MILA chia seed
1 tsp. baking soda (omit if you are using baking mix since that is included then)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Mix together well and place into bread loaf pan (I used a mini loaf pan) and cook at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until a knife comes clean. This got a bit brown and crispy on top but stayed moist in the center-I loved it! Enjoy!

Tri-Berry Muffins

Growing up, my dad used to make these super yummy tri-berry muffins but as I changed the way we eat, I realized that these are not at all healthy (I thought they were all those years)-lots of sugar, white flour, etc. So, I tweaked a recipe to make some healthy, high fiber muffins

6 eggs
1/3 cup oil (olive, coconut, grapeseed)
1/3 cup raw, organic honey (agave would also work)
2 tsp. vanilla

*Whisk together until completely combined. Then add:

1/2 cup organic coconut flour
1 scoop MILA chia seed
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt

*Continue Whisking together until well combined and there are no lumps.

*Then, fold in 1 cup (I actually ended up putting in about 1.5 cups) of fresh or frozen berries (I used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries but you could try any combination)

*Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes and enjoy! These were gooey and fruity!

Cinnamon Swirl Blueberry Muffins

So, I found this great recipe blog-The Almond Flour-and immediately decided that I needed to try some baking from this site! I altered it a bit since I was out of a few items, and I added the blueberries and these were awesome!

Dairy Free Muffin Batter
1/2 C brown rice flour (the original called for coconut flour, but I was out)
1 C blanched almond flour
2 scoops MILA chia seed (1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1/4 C coconut milk
1/3 C honey
1 cup fresh blueberries

Cinnamon Swirl
1/4 C honey (or less, they were super sweet)
1/4 C melted organic butter (coconut oil would make this dairy free)
2 T cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (next time I would add even more of these)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk egg, coconut milk, vanilla, and honey together. Then, slowly add dry ingredients (salt, Chia seed, almond flour, brown rice flour, and baking soda and whisk until lumps are gone-batter will be quite thin!
3. Optional: Add blueberries (the original recipe did not have any berries, but this made them so gooey and sweet) and stir together.
4. Scoop batter into lined muffin tins (makes 12 large or more smaller muffins)
5. Melt butter or coconut oil and then whisk together the butter, honey, cinnamon, and walnuts until combined well.
6. Spoon a teaspoon (or more) of the swirl topping onto each muffin-use a toothpick to swirl it around a bit.
7. Bake for about 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

These were so tasty, and I can't wait to make them again! They didn't last long in our house! I also thought these might be tasty in a loaf pan served at a brunch! Enjoy!

Protein Packed Banana Bread

I have posted a banana bread recipe in the past that used coconut flour, and it's super tasty, but a friend of mine from Symon's Family Chiropractic shared this protein packed version with almond flour. It was so quick and easy, and I did part as muffins and part in mini-loaves and both were tasty and simple!

1.5 Cups Blanched Almond Flour (Target, Whole Foods, Valley Natural, Cub)
1 scoop Mila Chia Seed
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda (xanthan gum also works)
2 eggs
2-3 mashed bananas
1/4 cup grapeseed or olive oil
1/4 cup raw pure honey (agave would also work)
1/4 cup 70% or darker chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients, then mix wet ingredients. Combine well and pour into oiled pan or lined muffin tin (I did two mini-loaves and 6 muffins so I could try both). Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, loaves may take longer, or until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Try them both and let me know which one you like better!

Mushroom Tomato Eggbake

It's been a while since I have posted a recipe! I have been making old favorites instead of trying new things...oops! A few weeks ago, I went to a wonderful brunch with other wonderful Mommies that I attend church with-it was great fellowship and great food. After I got home, I just had to ask for the recipe for the vegetarian eggbake that I tried out, and I was pleased to find out that it was actually not terrible for me. I used their recipe (it actually came from wholefoodsmarket.com), but I tweaked it a bit and made it for my family. My husband and I enjoyed it (he even ate the leftovers cold-yuck) but my daughter wasn't a fan (she said she's rather have an omelet instead-I can handle that).

3 Ezekial Sprouted Grain English Muffins (found in the freezer section-I've seen them at Target, Cub, Rainbow, Valley Natural, and Whole Foods)-thawed
2/3 lb mushrooms (I used a combo of cremini and button mushrooms, sliced)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
5 organic eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
Any seasonings you like (I used basil, rosemary, and oregano, and more sea salt)
2/3 cup raw, organic cheese (I used sharp cheddar)-shred

1. Cut English Muffins in half and spread in bottom of a casserole pan (I used an 8 x 8 glass pan). I had to cut some to make it fit.
2. Saute' mushrooms and tomatoes in a bit of butter or coconut oil until softened. Spread mixture on top of english muffins in the pan. Let cool.
3. Combine eggs, almond milk, and seasonings and whisk. Pour on top of mushroom/tomato misture in pan.
*I put mine in the fridge overnight and baked the next morning at this point, but you could also bake right away.
4. Top with raw, organic shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until eggs are firm and cheese is browned.

Next time, I might try this with asparagus, peppers, or any other kind of veggie as well! It would be a perfect holiday morning meal for your family! Enjoy!

Coconut Blueberry Muffins

I don't eat muffins very often at all, mostly because they are full of flour and sugar and are not good for you at all. But, the other day, we bought a huge container of blueberries so I decided to search for a healthy and yummy recipe. I found this one, but altered it quite a bit and it worked (sometimes that doesn't always work out)! My 3 year old even said, "Mommy, thanks for the yummy cupcake!"

6 organic eggs
1 stick organic butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup raw organic honey (you could also try agave or raw maple syrup as well)
2/3 cup organic coconut flour
2 scoops Mila Chia Seed (about 1/4 cup)
1 tsp. baking powder
4-6 Tbsp. water
1 cup blueberries (or if you're like me I used way more than that)-or any berries you like!

1. Whisk the eggs, add the melted butter, vanilla, and sea salt and continue whisking until well combined.
2. Add the honey (or other sweetener) and whisk in well.
3. Add the dry ingredients (coconut flour, chia, and baking powder) and continue whisking (batter will be somewhat thin at first but will thicken up).
4. Whisk in the water 1 Tbsp. at a time to desired thickness.
5. Fold in the blueberries carefully (I used fresh berries, but I am sure you could also do frozen).
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 16-18 minutes until toothpick comes out clean and slightly golden brown on top.
*This made me 12 muffins, plus one mini-loaf.
*Be sure to line muffin tins or else grease them with coconut oil or butter.

I can't wait to try them with raspberries (my favorite berry) next time! They are very tasty and not "heavy" tasting, perfect for breakfast with some fresh fruit or a smoothie, or great for an afternoon snack (I just had to try them)!

Afternoon Smoothie

My husband and daughter both LOVE smoothies, so he came up with this quick afternoon smoothie to help pick you up and get you going for the rest of the day! We had a whole coconut so the meal and water is fresh!

1 cup coconut water
1/2 coconut meat
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 scoop MILA chia seed

If you don't have a whole coconut, then use coconut milk instead! Enjoy!