I snuck away to Park City for two days for some fresh air and a change of scenery! Â I am looking forward to skiing since I didn’t get much in when we were here in December. Â I do no take a break from the dinner planner though, especially with a few holidays happening! Â Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading
Pitaya Pancake Stack Recipe
I debated whether or not this “recipe” actually deserved its own post, but I thought it was too fun not to share with you all. Â I had this idea of a huge, layered stack of pink pancakes for Valentine’s Day. Â I visualized everyone digging into it and enjoying a different flavor with each bite, bananas commingling with raspberry chia jam with a hint of shaved chocolate. Â I thought about other fillings like almond butter or date caramel sauce or yogurt, too. Â How much fun would this be even if it’s not Valentine’s Day? Â I am definitely going to make this for a family breakfast/brunch when my daughters come home for spring break.Continue reading
A Valentine’s Day Snack Board
I am so fond of food boards in any shape or form.  Cheese, charcuterie, crudités and dessert boards have been having a moment.  They’re a very modern and beautiful way to present small bites.  But I have also been doing less traditional, but equally as fun, lunch and snack boards.  Put a bunch of colorful, easy and pre-made snacks on a wood board, cutting board or baking sheet and you’ve got yourself an instant party.  Everyone can help themselves and you look like a star!Continue reading
Dinner Planner – Week of February 5th 2018
Happy weekend! Â I had a really busy week and I have a busy weekend, too. Â But I will squeeze in a grocery store run this morning and do some prep today for Super Bowl Sunday. Â I wish for a close and exciting game and some good commercials + all the vegan queso!!!! Â Have fun!
Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading
Grain-Free Peanut Butter Banana Cake Recipe
This post is sponsored by Vitamix and The Feedfeed. Â All opinions are my own.
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I’ve had my Vitamix for many, many years and it’s the only appliance that stays on my counter 24/7 because we use it so much.  So when Vitamix offered to send me their new Venturist, I almost cried.  The day it arrived was like getting a new car.  I proceeded to make millet flour for my classes, nut milk for the week, and I forced my son to eat an açaà bowl, which was as smooth as silk.  I pretty much want to make everything in my Vitamix. Â
Next up was this grain-free peanut butter and banana snacking cake (a cake that is suitable for snacking and not quite as indulgent as dessert) which I blended up in the Vitamix with ease. Â Instead of one bowl, one blender. Â 14 seconds is how long it took me to make this batter, and because there’s no gluten, I don’t have to worry about the batter getting overmixed. Â I love grain-free cakes because the protein content is high and they stay perfectly moist for days. Â In fact, the texture even out of the refrigerator is great.
There are so many food trends that I get excited about, so many new ingredients to play with. Â But I will never tire of a classic combo like peanut butter and banana. Â This cake is simple, easy and tastes of peanut butter and banana in every bite. Â It is not too sweet, in fact it is only sweetened with 1/4 cup of maple syrup and the natural sugars from bananas. Â I ate a GIGANTIC wedge of this cake in the middle of the afternoon and it did not give me any sort of sugar crash. Â My son, who we all know is rather picky, inhaled this cake. Â Let’s just say it didn’t last long.
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- coconut oil for greasing the pan
- 1 cup creamy or crunchy, unsweetened, unsalted peanut butter, raw or roasted
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup very ripe mashed bananas (2-3 bananas)
- Optional: ¾ cup chocolate chips
- ½-1 extra banana, sliced to place on top of the cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with coconut oil and line the bottom with unbleached parchment paper.
- Place all ingredients (except optional add-ins) in a Vitamix and blend until completely smooth and well combined. Stir in chocolate chips if using.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pan. Arrange banana slices on top of cake and bake for 25 to 35 minutes until just set and a toothpick comes out clean or with dry crumbs. Cool for a few minutes before removing from pan and allowing to cool completely on a cooling rack.
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Chipotle Cauliflower Tacos Recipe
I am very likely doing a taco bar for Super Bowl Sunday because it’s easy and everyone loves tacos. Â Plus, I always put out lots of options for everyone who is gluten-free, dairy-free, Whole30, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, cleansing, or just suffering from PMS. Â A taco bar is a way to not only cover all your bases but also to get everyone to make their own food so you can sit back with a cocktail and watch all the commercials.Continue reading
Dinner Planner – Week of January 29th 2018
I am finishing up this month’s menu this week and then I will have the recipes available through my online classes. Â I have had a small technical hiccup, but I think it should be worked out soon! Â Super Bowl Sunday is next weekend and it’s not too soon to buy your avocados LOL! Â Buy them rock hard and allow them to ripen on the countertop where no one will molest them and cause them to bruise. Â Once they achieve the desired give, stick them in the fridge until it’s time tomato guacamole! Â Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading
Lemon-Ginger Chia Seed Pudding Recipe
Do you ever think to yourself, who discovered this food that I am now obsessed with and how did I live without it my whole life?  I do.  All the time.  Let me list a few things I never ate or heard of when I was a youngster:  avocados, hemp seeds, almond butter, almond milk, coconut milk, hemp seeds and pretty much anything that Navitas Organics sells, cauliflower in any form other than as a floret, sweet potatoes except on Thanksgiving, kale, açaÃ, quinoa, millet, spelt, rice that wasn’t white, and chia seeds.  And this is actually just the tip of the iceberg.  I also think, if all this happened in the last couple decades, what’s coming?Continue reading