Tag: healthy recipe

Pumpkin Bars

Leave a comment

4498736464_IMG_3666

4498591328_IMG_3678

4606528880_IMG_3674

Ingredients:

1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c almond meal
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4th tsp cloves
1/4th tsp ginger powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c pumpkin puree
6 tbsp coconut oil (softened)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Combine flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, vanilla, and coconut oil (softened). Mix the two bowls together. Add a splash of milk or almond milk if batter is too thick. Pour into baking pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 min. Cut into 8 pieces.

Cream cheese icing (from carrot cake recipe on the blog): Combine 1 box (16 ounces) powdered sugar, 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 1/2 cup margarine, softened and 1 teaspoon vanilla in medium bowl. Beat until smooth.

Once the pumpkin bars have cooled, top with the cream cheese icing.

Sweet Potato Butternut Casserole with Candied Pecans

Leave a comment

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it is time for my favorite Turkey Day staple. Here’s a recipe for my family’s sweet potato butternut casserole with candied pecans — a fail-proof winner! My family typically makes it with only sweet potatoes but I modified the recipe this year to incorporate butternut squash. It makes the dish lighter and is still incredibly delicious — more like a sweet potato/ butternut crumble than a veggie side.

4592183312_IMG_3812

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c mashed sweet potatoes

1 1/4 c butternut squash (alternatively, swap this amount for sweet potatoes)

1/4 c brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 c melted butter (I used earth balance)

3 tbsp milk of choice

1/4 tsp salt

Roast sweet potatoes and butternut squash at 350 until done. Cool, and scoop out with spoon. Puree in food processor until smooth. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased casserole dish and top with the following just before baking.

Pecan topping:

1/4 c almond meal

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c chopped pecans

3 tbsp c melted butter

Mix the first three ingredients together and sprinkle on the casserole. Then pour melted butter on top. Bake uncovered for one hour at 350.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Leave a comment

The season of bulky scarves, pumpkin spice lattes, and colorful leaves is upon us. Happy fall folks!

Now that it’s officially pumpkin season, here’s one of my favorites – spiced pumpkin bread!

4489481808_IMG_33094489623760_IMG_32964489618352_IMG_3303

1/2 c honey, maple syrup, or agave

1/4th c brown sugar

1/2 c coconut oil

2 eggs

1/4th c almond milk (or milk of choice)

1/4th c apple sauce

1 c pumpkin purée

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp baking soda

2 c whole wheat flour

Pecans or walnuts (optional)

Sprinkle oats on top (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Melt the coconut oil then immediately mix it with the honey, sugar, and eggs. The coconut oil will begin to solidify so stir in other ingredients right away. If clumps of coconut oil begin to appear, place in warm place (for instance, on top of the oven). Then add in the almond milk, pumpkin purée, apple sauce, and vanilla.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients together (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and flour) then combine it with the coconut oil mixture.
  4. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan (9″ x 5″ x 2 1/2″). Sprinkle a few oats and cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, around 35 minutes.
  5. Let cool and serve with pumpkin butter from TJ’s.

Energy Balls

Leave a comment

Matcha and coconut and cocoa, Oh My!

If you are low on time, these energy balls are great to have on hand as a snack or healthy dessert. They are kid-approved and last up to 2 weeks in the fridge. So this year, fill your Halloween bag with energy balls coated with your favorite toppings.

S/o to my little brother for being my hand model! 6180853072_img_0040

1 c old fashioned oats

1/2 c cashews

3/4 c dates (chopped)

1/3 c flaxseed

2/3 c shredded coconut

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c agave or honey

1/4 c coconut oil

Preferred Toppings (Pictured: matcha, black sesame seeds, cocoa powder, coconut shreds, flaxseed)

  1. Mix the dry ingredients (oats, cashews, flaxseed, coconut, cinnamon, and nutmeg) together in a food processor or Vitamix.
  2. Once the dry ingredients have reached a flour consistency, add the wet ingredients (chopped dates, vanilla, honey, and coconut oil). Blend together. The mixture should resemble cookie dough. If the mixture is too dry, add a splash of soy or almond milk.
  3. Roll into 1 inch balls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Stone Fruit Galette with Banana Ice Cream (DF)

Leave a comment

6241761280_img_01746241761280_img_01646241761280_img_01786241761280_img_0186

Crust

I followed Food52’s 7 step recipe.

Filling

3 cups peaches and plums (berries or apples also work well)

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut the peaches into roughly 8 pieces. Mix the fruit, lemon juice, maple syrup, and vanilla together. Pour the fruit into the center of the dough, leaving 1 1/2 inch border. Fold the corners over the filling. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Sorbet

See my recipe here.

Some more cookies for ya!

Leave a comment

Oatmeal Cookies with either raisins or blueberries 

6178862560_img_0431

6178862560_img_0438

6241761280_img_0224

6241761280_img_0219

These are my favorite (relatively) healthy cookies. They are a great snack, dessert, or complement to your afternoon tea. Add pecans or walnuts to make them more filling.

Ingredients:

¼ c earth balance

¼ c peanut butter

1/2 c maple syrup

½ c brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 ¼ c whole wheat flour

1 c oats

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ c flaxseed

½ c raisins or blueberries (fresh is best but frozen also works)

pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Heat the earth balance and peanut butter together on the stove top or in the microwave.  Transfer to a bowl and combine with the maple syrup, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk together.
  2. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pinch of salt, and flaxseed. Combine the flour mixture with the wet ingredients. Then fold in the raisins or blueberries.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop the cookies into ~15 cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Guilt-Free Banana Bread (v +gf)

2 Comments

img_1164

img_1159

img_1156

img_1178

Ingredients

3 tablespoons stevia (alternatively use 1/2 cup maple syrup or agave)

2 ½ cups gluten-free flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

5 ripe medium bananas

1 egg

1/3 cup almond milk

½ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

optional

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)

* To make this recipe vegan, substitute 3 tablespoons of water + 1 tablespoon flaxseed for the egg.

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. In another bowl, mash the bananas, and then add the egg, almond milk, and OJ. Mix well.

Combine the two mixtures together then fold in walnuts and raisins. Pour the batter into a well-greased baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees F until a toothpick comes out clean.

Take out and place on a wire rack to cool. Wait until the bread has cooled completely before cutting.

Gluten-Free Almond Breakfast Cake

Leave a comment

img_7353

img_7358

Serve for breakfast or as a healthy dessert. To make it more decadent add maple syrup or honey on top. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 lemon (juice + zest)

1 banana (mashed)

1/4th c honey

1/2 c sliced almonds

125 g almond flour

1 t nutmeg

1 t cinnamon

1 t vanilla

butter or coconut oil for greasing

Directions:

  1. Mix the eggs, lemon juice and zest, banana, honey, and vanilla together. In a separate bowl combine the almond flour, 1/4th c sliced almonds, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
  2. Combine the two mixtures and transfer the batter to a greased baking pan. Sprinkle the rest of the sliced almonds on top.
  3. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Berry Banana Bread

Leave a comment

14680749_10208740279161745_4837993868832778026_n

img_3571

14691133_10208740279441752_9124129021452310006_n

Ingredients:

1 ½ c whole-wheat flour

½ c oats

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

½ c butter (I used earth balance)

½ c brown sugar

½ c honey

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 bananas (mashed)

1 c fresh berries

Directions:

  1. Mix the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda together.
  2. In another bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, eggs, and vanilla.
  3. Combine the two bowls together thoroughly then mix in mashed bananas and berries.
  4. Pour mixture into a well- greased baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chickpeas

4 Comments

14731111_10208740258801236_7304436386437435356_n

I made this recipe with organic whole-wheat noodles, but you can also use vegetable noodles, such as spiralized zucchini or carrot.

Ingredients:

8 oz pasta

2 cups veggie slaw (I used TJ’s organic broccoli carrot slaw)

1/4th cup sesame oil

2 limes

½ cup peanut butter

1/4th teaspoon ginger (minced)

1/4th teaspoon garlic (minced)

1/4th cup soy sauce

1/4th cup coconut milk

½ cup chickpeas

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Prepare your noodles of choice according to the directions.
  2. Sauté the vegetable slaw in a tablespoon of the sesame oil for a few minutes until cooked.
  3. Add all the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor— sesame oil, lime juice, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and coconut milk. If it is too thick add a splash of water. Pour in a bowl and set aside.
  4. Mix the pasta, vegetables, peanut sauce sauce, and chickpeas together. I used organic canned chickpeas but if you have the time, make your own! Sprinkle chili flakes on top and serve.