Reduced Ebook pricing!

Now that we are well into the new year, I wanted to re-post OUR EBOOK at an even lower price to help you keep going in your resolutions. By the end of January is when I'd rather let go of some of the 'uncomfortable' changes I've tried to make for myself. I hope that our book can give you some motivation to keep going, eat clean, add more fruits and veggies. You are worth it and I know you can do it, because you can do hard things.

Baby steps remember. Maybe add a few more vegetarian meals, a few more salads and work up from there. It doesn't have to be cold turkey on every guilty pleasure all at once!

Keep going, and hopefully this $0.99 book can help you along your way!

Creamy Peach Smoothie

Summer is in full force! Can we say HEAT WAVE! It seriously is so hot, which is why I love, love, love to whip up something to cool me off. Unfortunately most cool treats are high in processed sugars and calories. So how to we combat this....SMOOTHIE!!!

I love fresh peach it is so perfect in the summer with it's smooth flavor. I designed this smoothie to go along with my plan to lose the baby weight. I loved the result and so did my little people, they thought they were getting quite the treat.

The wonderful thing about the creamy peach smoothie is it is so simple and has very little ingredients to it.

If you want a wonderful, smooth, creamy, guiltless treat to survive this heat wave this is it. This smoothie would be the perfect smoothie pop for the kids...or you!

Creamy Peach Smoothie

1 chopped fresh peach

2 bananas

1 T greek yogurt

1 tsp honey or stevia

1/8-1/4 cup almond milk (depending on how you thick you like it)

a large handful of ice

Add peach to the blender, then a layer of ice, add bananas, then another layer of ice, add remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. At least 90 seconds. Enjoy frozen as a popsicle or just drink the smooth, cool smoothie!

What are your favorite summer tricky treats?

Vegan Strawberry Cobbler

Okay here is my promised, not forgotten "U" day! Alphabet days is coming to close. I switched up "V" day and today because I was so anxious to share the Rumbi Salad. This is also a stretch for the letter "U", I'm going to pretend to call it strawberry upside down cake, but really it's a cobbler...it's no big deal!

Have you ever sat in your quiet house, if you have kids, after the kids go to sleep and just had a craving for something sinfully delicious to enjoy while escaping into your favorite TV show? Introducing this cobbler! That is exactly what I experienced last night! I needed something sweet, but healthy so I could sit and soak up the drama of Army Wives....okay yes I love Lifetime shows, it's not a problem!!!! This was such a fast prep work I couldn't believe it, and the end result fit my need. This will not be as sweet as traditional cobblers, however the upside is you can eat two servings without so much guilt! I'm all for that. This would be delicious with some vegan ice cream snuggled right next to it, melting all over the place with the warm cobbler!

I'm going to try this cobbler in our dutch oven soon and see how the end result turns out. You can use any fruit you'd like. I was going to use peaches, but Derek requested that I didn't, he just isn't a peach fan that crazy guy! So I pulled out the strawberries. It was wonderful too. Please excuse the pictures, it was dark outside and my house lighting is just the pits, it looked amazing and tastes even better!

Vegan Strawberry Cobbler

Crust

3/4 C whole wheat flour

1/4 C coconut sugar (optional)

1/4 C agave

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

5/8 C almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

Filling

4 C chopped strawberries frozen or fresh

1/8 C  coconut sugar

1 T chia seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place all the filling ingredients in a 9x9 baking dish and place them in the oven to heat while you mix the crust ingredients.

 Pull baking dish out of the oven and pour crust mixture over the top.

 You can sprinkle top with raw cane sugar if you'd like but that is optional. Bake for 30 minutes until crust is baked all the way through! Serve warm! Enjoy

No Bake Pumpkin Mousse Pie (GF)

 Okay, this may be a somewhat fast post...we're on mini vacation and heading to the lake ASAP for some fun boating and tubing....so here we go!

We've been at my parent's house for the night and I made this with my mom in mind. She's really cutting back her sugar intake at the moment and also has Celiac Disease, so she is all gluten free all the time. I knew that for our alphabet day "P" I wanted to make something with pumpkin, I had originally set out to make pumpkin cookies, but this mousse pie sounded a bit more fun! I think traditional pumpkin pie needs to run for cover this Thanksgiving! I had my mom be my critic since she is a pro at gluten free. She said it tasted really nice and she felt like it was healthy with no guilt. The original recipe is made with vanilla ice cream, I made it with bananas. She said if you want more of a dessert taste than use ice cream. We both suggest Coconut milk Ice cream, it's lower in calories, fat, it's vegan and it's all around healthier. If you'd like a yummy tasting no guilt, really healthy treat, follow the original recipe. Some things that are officially on my budget wish list since staying with my parents, a nice food processor and a nice fandangled camera!!!! Love it!

No bake Pumpkin Mousse Pie

4 frozen bananas

1 C canned pumpkin

1 T vanilla
1/4 C almond milk

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 C coconut sugar or agave

Crust

1 C almonds (or almond meal)

1/4 C brown rice Flour
1/2 C almond butter (or any nut butter)
1/4 C agave or honey
1/2 tsp almond extract

For the Crust: place almonds in food processor and process until they are a flour. It tastes better smoother and less chunky so if you'd like just use almond meal. Add processed almonds to medium bowl. Combine with brown rice flour. Combine agave, almond butter and almond extract to small bowl. Microwave for a few seconds until it's melted together slightly. Combine wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well, you're probably going to have to use your hands, so get in there and get dirty! Smash crust on the bottom of a spring form pan.
For the Mousse: Add bananas, almond milk and vanilla to  food processor and process until you have a soft serve consistency. Add pumpkin, coconut sugar, and spices to the soft serve and process until completely combined. Spread topping over the crust and place in the freezer to set up. *Personally I liked it better thawed out and more mousse like, so after it has set up, I would move it over to the fridge so it thaws a bit before eating it, but it you'd like it frozen go for it! Store in freezer or fridge, it should keep for 2 days in the fridge. Enjoy

*remember if you'd like to use already made ice cream try the coconut milk ice cream instead of the bananas!

Fresh Raspberry Soft Serve

Ice cream. Do I miss not indulging in creamy, sugary ice cream from Farr's or Ben and Jerry? NO! Want to know why, because I can make this baby!

It's fast and it satisfies! It's also full of completely natural ingredients. Challenge yourself to try using bananas for your soft serve instead of using cream! It really is wonderful. So do I still think dairy ice cream tastes good....you bet I do. Is it worth it to me? Nope it's not. I'd rather eat a huge bowl of this and not finish it, than give myself two small scoops of other ice cream with maybe a small amount of toppings and then leave myself wanting more, but I can't have more because then I'll kick myself for it later! No thanks, it's more fun to eat as much as I want :) I made this after the kids went to bed because I was in a selfish mood and wanted it ALL FOR MYSELF! So I snuggled in from of the computer ate my huge bowl and worked on my eBook! Talk about De-stressing....for me at least. Enjoy this, I know you will!

Raspberry Soft Serve

1/2 C frozen raspberries

1-2 frozen bananas

almond milk, just until you get the consistency you want, I used about 1/4 C.

fresh raspberries to top it with

Place bananas and raspberries in the blender. Slowly add milk while blender is going until you reach the soft serve consistency. You may have to scrape the sides of the blender! Top with fresh raspberries and enjoy. 

Sub out raspberries for any fruit or berry you want!

Quinoa Garden Burger

A few weeks ago my hubs took me out for a nice dinner. It can be really challenging to find healthy food to eat when you go out to eat. We settled on a local restaurant and much to my surprise they had menu that was entirely vegetarian!!! Wow, I was impressed. I ordered a really flavorful garden burger and I loved it. I knew I had to recreate something similar at home where I knew for sure everything that was going into it!

I'll admit I've never had much luck with garden burgers. They either are really bland or they fall apart. It's been quite disappointing.

After playing around a little bit I decided instead of rice I wanted to use quinoa with the beans and vegetables. I wanted to have kind of a southwest burger that had some kick to it. I will say I think I should've added a few more spices, but this has turned into the best garden burger I've made! I was really happy with how it turned out. Thank goodness! It makes me feel much better knowing that I've got natural, whole food in these babies and very low sodium! You can add different vegetables, or use rice instead of quinoa. You can change the beans you use, these are very versatile!

I was worried that I would spend two hours making them, but they were put together really quickly that is always a plus in my book! Make these your own, and you will adore them! Enjoy

Quinoa Garden Burger

2 C cooked quinoa

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 red bell pepper

1 C frozen corn

1/2 C chopped green onion

3 carrots, grated

1/2 C sunflower nuts

1/2 T cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 T Mrs. Dash seasoning

1 tsp taco seasoning (optional)

Chop vegetables and combine with seasonings in small bowl

In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa and beans and mash together. You can leave some beans whole or mash them completely! Get a great arm workout while you cook! Combine quinoa mixture with vegetables in the large bowl.

Shape into small patties and place them in oiled skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned on both sides. Be careful not to let them burn, however you don't want the insides to be mushy and cold. 

Serve warm with all the burger fixins you want! For a gluten free option try them in a lettuce wrap, or just eat the patty with a BBQ dipping sauce! 

Yes I love pickles, and I added a big fat one to my burger :)

"Lazy Lime" Breakfast Smoothie

It's the letter "L" today, I'm not sure if I'm going to do a letter tomorrow, I'm having a tough time finding time to do alphabet day on the weekends so it might just be a Monday-Friday deal :) Today is my "Lazy Lime breakfast smoothie! I have never really been able to take a lovely picture of a smoothie, this one is no different I'm afraid. It was much greener than the picture lets on and more appetizing to look at! I'm working on my photography skills guys :)

 I call it lazy because you really can't beat the speed and ease of a smoothie, and everyone in my family drinks one, so no need to try and make a huge breakfast for everyone! It's lazy, but oh so healthy! I had never used lime in my smoothies before, I liked the subtle hint of lime. If you want more lime taste you might want to throw some zest into yours!

The great thing about smoothies is how many nutrients you can back into them or proteins and all you really taste is a super yummy drink! I used to feel that I needed yogurt in my smoothies at all times, but now I am totally satisfied just stuffing it full of bananas, fruit, and I use almond milk a lot in my smoothies! I always add Chia seeds, and Flax seeds to my smoothies to get the calcium and omega 3's.

P.S. I may start a rumor that there may be a giveaway on here soon....just sayin' :)

Lazy Lime Smoothie

1 fresh banana

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 C frozen strawberries

1/2 C frozen blueberries

2 limes, juiced

2-3 large handfuls of spinach

1 T ground flax seed

2 T Chia seeds

Oats, for top (optional)

1/4 C water

1/4 C almond milk

Combine all ingredients, apart from oats, to blender. Blend on high until completely smooth! About 90 seconds. Add oats and fresh lime zest to the top if you'd like!!! Sleep in, be lazy, it's a weekend :)

Tootie Fruity Freeze Cups

It was a nice hot day today, so after dinner I wanted to make a treat that would cool us down. It still is "F" day for our alphabet days and we are honoring fruit today, so what more could I do than a delicious fruit cup. I wasn't sure how they would turn out, since I just invented them today :) Well, I invented the filling, for the crust I used the berry pie crust and just put in a cupcake pan instead of a pie dish! It worked out really great, they actually popped out easily, that's the part I was most worried about do you know what else is great, they are gluten free and vegan, what do ya know! 


*I also think if you want to do a revamp of the berry pie you could put it in cups like these and have mini berry pies!!!!

 I did a banana filling, and after you pop it in the freezer for a couple hours it comes out much like a banana Popsicle in a crust...Next time I think I'm going to puree all the fruit and turn the whole thing into a fruit freeze instead of topping it with the fresh fruit, not that it wasn't good, I just want to shake it up! Go ahead and play around with it, it's quite simple to make, it just needs time to set up, make it your own! Enjoy

Tootie Fruity Freeze Cups

1 recipe of berry pie graham pie crust (link above)

1 fresh banana

1 frozen banana

1/3 C agave or raw honey

2 T fruit jam (optional)

1/3 C almond milk, or any non-dairy milk

2 T cornstarch

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

cut fresh fruit

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pie crust according to directions. Smash crust into cupcake pan. Bake for about 8 minutes. Watch closely, these are smaller so they will burn much faster! Set aside to cool slightly. Add frozen banana and almond milk to blender and blend until broken up and blended slightly. Add fresh banana, agave, jam, vanilla, and almond extract. Blend until very smooth and no banana chunks. Add contents of blender to a small saucepan, heat over med heat, add cornstarch and cinnamon, whisking constantly, until it seems quite thick. Pour banana mixture into the crust cups and put in the freezer for about 2 hours to set up. Remove from freezer and top with any fresh fruit you'd like. I used raspberries and nectarines! If you don't like it so frozen, take it out earlier so it more of a soft banana filling! 

*Just so you are aware, the filling thaws quickly. So if you have left overs cover and store in the freezer.

"D" day treats and snacks, Dip day!

I love a fun snack that really can be a whole family affair! This idea for Alphabet Days was really to involve my kids in learning, so these two snacks were really fun because they were able to help out a lot. Do you want to know something that makes it even better...no baking, I'm so sick of my hot oven in the middle of July...sweet. To go along with "D" day I decided to have a chocolate dipping sauce that would harden for a little extra sweetness. Don't be fooled though, the chocolate sauce is made with natural ingredients and the super bars are chuck full of nutrients! That's why I call them super bars, they have three major super foods all rolled into them! These were simple to make and kids can easily help you assemble them. The super bars just take some time to set up in the freezer before they are ready to be gobbled up! My family specially sets aside one night a week for a "family night" we teach lessons about values and we of course always have a treat, I thought this would be a perfect  family night snack! Enjoy

Graham Cracker Sandwiches

8 full graham crackers

All natural peanut butter

Break graham cracker pieces so they are in the smallest pieces they can be, spread peanut butter in desired amount. Sandwich peanut butter in between crackers. Set aside. Dip in fudge sauce (recipe at the bottom)

Super Bars

3 c oats

1 c chopped almonds

1 c chopped cashews

1 c dried blueberries

2 T ground flax seed

2 T chia seeds

1 c natural peanut butter or almond butter

2 T coconut oil

3/4 c raw honey, or mixed with agave

1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/4 c chocolate chips (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl. In small microwaveable bowl combine coconut oil, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until all ingredients have melted together. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Stir and fold together until completely combined. Smash into a baking dish until the bottom is completely covered. Put in the freezer for about an hour to stand up. Take them out and cut them into squares. Dip in chocolate sauce if desired! Store in the fridge! These are great for workout recovery!

Chocolate Sauce

1 T peanut butter or other nut butter

1/4 c cocoa

1/4 c coconut oil

1/4 c agave

combine all ingredients into small sauce pan. Heat over medium, whisking continuously until all the ingredients have turned into a thin chocolate sauce. Pour into a bowl so you can dip your snacks. This might firm up in the fridge if you'd like to use if for ice cream or something instead, so you may have to re-melt it down!

yes we got some slobber mixed in with ours, our sweetie couldn't keep her hand off the chocolate! :)

*For gluten free option be sure and get gluten free graham crackers and gluten free oats!!!

Banana Fudge Cups

This was a fun little snack/treat to tie into our "B" day! They are soooo tasty too! They use natural sweeteners and topped with yummy bananas make it a guiltless little treat! The original recipe used mini cupcake tins, but I only have large ones so that's okay though they still turned out great!

These were so quick and use ingredients that I had on hand anyways, I didn't have to do any special planning. I found the recipe at ohsheglows.com right here and only made a few tweaks, this is a fun recipe to do with kids, they could be in charge of scooping the fudge sauce, or putting the bananas on top!
We had a great time spelling out banana, and quizzing each other on what ingredient started with what letter! I think you could coat the tortillas in cinnamon for a sweet shell, or top this with different fruit, like berries or something! Enjoy

Banana Fudge Cups

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 c agave (or maple syrup)

1/4 c coconut oil 

1 T nut butter any type (I used cashew because of the milder taste)

3 wheat tortillas 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If you're using mini cupcake pans cut 2 inch circles out of the tortillas, if you are using larger cupcake tins cut the tortillas into fourths and place the tortilla pieces into the tins

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Be sure to watch closely. There is no need to grease the pan they just pop out!

Meanwhile place all ingredients into sauce pan and heat over med-low until coconut oil and nut butter are completely melted together, whisking constantly. 

Spoon fudge sauce into tortilla cups. You can just tip the ends of the cups with the fudge then fill with fruit, or fill the entire bottoms of the cups for more chocolate (that's my favorite option) Place in the freezer for 15 minutes so fudge sauce stands up. Top with whatever you'd like, I liked the bananas, but I also think raspberries would be awesome...or why not just go for it and add some more dark chocolate chips! :)

Enjoy!!!

for a gluten free option use gluten free tortillas...easy right!

Creamy Chicken & Wild rice Soup

Well the kids are sick! Blah....but out pops mom who has a need to nurture! What's the classic I'm sick soup...chicken noodle right! Well we're on a pasta overload I feel like lately in this house so I decided to use rice in this comforting soup, it turned out really great, a perfect sick soup in my opinion, full of veggies and nutrients and low fat! Most creamy rice soups that I've made in the past are full of canned soup, or cream cheese, well that would kind of defeat my purpose here, so I used a cashew sauce to thicken it up and make it creamy and it worked like a dream! If you love broccoli flavor like I do then I would for sure leave the broccoli in, but if you don't you might want to omit that veggie, it did give off it's flavor pretty strong. This has a vegetarian/vegan option by just taking out the chicken, and it is gluten free as long as you use cornstarch in the cashew sauce...so this is one for everyone!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2 c cooked diced chicken-seasoned to taste

2 c wild rice cooked

2 celery stalks chopped

1 c chopped carrots

1 c frozen corn

2 c broccoli (optional, I think mushrooms might fit in nice in it's place)

1 can vegetable broth

Cream Sauce

2 cloves garlic

3/4 c raw cashews

1 tsp onion powder

2 T nutritional yeast (optional)

1 T cornstarch/flour

3/4 c non-dairy milk

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 c extra water (put this in after blending)

Cook rice until tender. Cook and season chicken until cooked through. Add all soup ingredients into pot cover and simmer on med heat. Meanwhile, add all cream sauce ingredients except extra cup of water to blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until mixed and smooth. Add cream sauce to pot and extra cup of water. Cook over medium for 10- 15 minutes. Enjoy

Berry Healthy Soft Serve!

It's HOT! It's July and I boil just about every day! So what do you want when it's hot....cold! I want a shake, Popsicle, really anything to cool me down! Well today I felt like making some soft serve for my little ones. I've really tried to avoid dairy with my kids. They eat some cheese now and then, but typically I try and keep them off it. My kids have red bumpy skin on their faces and arms when they have too much dairy and they always get colds, so to avoid the dairy issue, but still give them some creamy ice cream we made some soft serve in the blender. If you want a five minute, cold treat this is for you! Its full of nutritious ingredients and it is so nice on those hot days! We made two different kinds, blueberry, and strawberry...both were great! I'm going to do the blueberry recipe, but just add whatever fruit you'd like in it's place if you don't want blueberries. 

Berry Healthy Soft Serve

2 frozen bananas

1/2 c frozen blueberries

1/3 c non-dairy milk

1 tsp cane sugar (optional)

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender on high. Blend until smooth like soft serve ice cream! Serve immediately! Now go out on your porch and enjoy the summer!

*you may have to scrape the sides a few times during the blending process depending on what type of blender you have!  

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Rainy weather always brings a sweet tooth for me, I don't know what it is! I just want to get into sweats, with a treat and watch a movie with my family! Today was no different....the rain hit and I left work with the intention of whipping up something sweet and popping in a Disney movie with the kids :) Well because of the holiday I wanted to clean it up a bit with the sweets, but I still wanted the taste...just not the waist right :) Well I found this recipe on Chef Chole's website, and loved the idea. I changed a few things around to make it even a little bit cleaner than the original, I was completely happy with the results, you can find the original recipe right here.

  These are really easy to make, you just need to wait a bit for them to chill and set up! These are keepers though in my recipe box :) Start by creaming the sugar and margerine, then adding the rest of ingredients and mixing it all together to form the dough

 

(Happy kids during this step)

Now comes the waiting game, you need to let the dough chill for about an hour before making the balls! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

1/2 c vegan margarine (or a I'm a fan of smart balance, non-vegan)

2/4 c coconut sugar

1/4 c lite brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 T vanilla

2 T water

1 1/4 Spelt Flour (or all purpose flour)

1/3 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

12 ounces semi sweet chocolate (for dipping)

Line cookie sheet with wax paper. In medium bowl beat with mixer margarine, sugar, vanilla, salt and water, until creamy. Add flour and chocolate chips until smooth and combined into a dough. Place dough in refrigerator for 1 hour until chilled. 

Roll chilled dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes. Meanwhile melt remaining 12 ounces of chocolate on stove top or microwave. Dip cookie dough balls in chocolate and remove with two forks. Place balls back onto cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator until chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes. Keep in the refrigerator until serving. 

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Crunch "blizzard"

Is it possible to have creamy, tasty shakes anymore without cream, sugar and milk? How can your ice cream taste creamy while being vegan? You have just discovered your answer!!! This creamy, tasty gem is so smooth and satisfying to me there's no reason to buy my shakes again :)

I LOVED this recipe! It was so fast, I had everything on hand, it gave me a fun way to use the peanut butter cookie dough ball recipe and it is good for you! It's summer and it's hot what better way to spend an afternoon than with a frozen treat! My little boy couldn't get enough of this. My little girl wasn't as easy to warm up to the idea of her ice cream coming out of our blender...I think she thought I meant I was going to take her to get ice cream when I asked if she wanted to make ice cream...so she boycotted the treat...silly girl. But my little man and I downed it! I found this recipe at ohsheglows.com at this link, I love how easy she made it! And I have been dying to try it out to see how it compared to a sonic shake, I was totally satisfied, I loved it and  now I don't even have to leave the house to go and get a shake :)

Peanut Butter Crunch Blizzard

4 frozen bananas

1T heaping with peanut butter

3-4 peanut butter cookie dough balls to pulse in

2 cookie dough balls to sprinkle on top

Add bananas and peanut butter to blender and blend until smooth like soft serve. Add peanut butter balls and blend together until chunky. Serve into cups or bowls and sprinkle with remaining peanut butter balls! Serves 2-3!

* If you really don't want to use bananas you can use your fav ice cream too!

Decadent Chocolate Torte

Are you kidding me!!!!! Can this recipe really be vegan, and taste this AWESOME!!! This was so rich and chocolatey it will satisfy any choco-holic in no time. I got this recipe from my favorite healthy vegan recipe site you can see it at this link. This has sugar in it, but my goodness compared to other desserts this rich there is no comparison which is a healthy choice! It has whole grain flour, almond milk, and the secret ingredient! I have been waiting to try this recipe for two months, honestly because of the secret ingredient! I was a little nervous, but I am so glad I did (and so are my kids)
      There are a few things that I really don't like just because of the texture...green peppers, I use them all the time in my cooking but by the end of my meal I see I have subconsciously picked them out and they are off to the side...and avocado. I really don't like the weird soft texture...like at all....so this brings me to the secret ingredient!!!


Avocado!!! Don't run away...remember what I just said I HATE avocado! You cannot taste it I promise...all you taste is silky chocolatey goodness! I am so glad I braved up and tried this. I had this dilemma you see, next week we're having a big family party and I'm in charge of bringing a dessert...well I thought okay this is my chance to show how I eat and cook how I want to cook no matter what I do so I can still eat healthy and enjoy those awesome family get togethers. Well this has solved my problem! I know this will be a hit and I'm not going to say what's in it until someone asks...I want the shock factor :) I'll update how it goes later!  Here it is

Decadent Chocolate Torte

Crust

1 c + 6 T Spelt flour

1/4 c + 2 T cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 c + 1/3 c sugar (any type, I used pure cane, but next time I might try coconut sugar)

1 T arrowroot powder (you can also use 3 T flour for the thickener)

1 tsp salt

4 T + 2 tsp canola oil

1/2 c almond milk

3 T maple syrup

Filling

2 C avocado (about 3)

1/3 c almond milk

2/3 c maple syrup

1 T peanut butter

1 T arrowroot powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 c + 2 T chocolate chips (melted)

1/4 c cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl sift together dry crust ingredients. In a small bowl combine wet crust ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Scoop crust batter into spring form pan or pie dish. Spread out along the bottom, it will be a little sticky. Bake for 22-25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare filling in blender. Combine all filling ingredients except chocolate chips. While ingredients are blending melt chocolate chips in microwave. Add to blender and blend with other ingredients. Remove crust from oven and let cool 10 minutes (mine was pretty cake like). When cooled spread filling over the top of the crust until completely covered. Put in the freezer and freeze 1.5- 2 hours.


* don't leave out for a long time because of the avocado. Store in the freezer if you have leftovers. I wrapped and then put them in a container with a lid to store. Enjoy

No Bake Peanut Butter Crunch Cookie Balls

This is a super fast way to get a yummy, no guilt treat in your hands! To me there aren't many things that are better than peanut butter and chocolate. I love fast recipes for when I'm craving something sweet and this is one of those! I found this recipe on ohsheglows at this link, I added almonds to mine instead of peanuts and left out the rice cereal, but I still think they turned out great!

No Bake Peanut Butter Crunch Balls

1/2 c unsalted cashews

1/2 c oats

1/4 c flour (I used spelt)

1/2 tsp salt

2 T sugar

3 T peanut butter

3 T maple syrup

1/4 semi sweet chocolate chips

1/4 c almonds

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond milk

Put cashews and oats into processor or blender. Blend together until they are flour like in texture. Add flour salt and sugar to blender to combine. Add vanilla, peanut butter, almond milk and syrup and blend until mixed. Scrape the sides of blender or processor, mixture may be sticky, if it is too sticky add more flour or if it is too dry add a little more syrup or milk. Put mixture in a bowl. Place chocolate chips and almonds into blender or processor pulse until chopped. Add chocolate chips and almonds to mixture. Roll into balls and place in freezer for a few minutes to set up. There you have it a fast easy treat at your fingertips!!


* these can be Gluten Free, simply use a gluten free flour!

No bake banana cookies

This is a great way to get your chocolate fix the recipe came from here. They are only 80 calories and super easy to make, about 5 minutes of prep work, then you just need to wait for them to set up. I didn't use vegan chocolate chips for mine like the original recipe, I just used semi-sweet chocolate chips, I still thought it tasted good with it. It does have a very strong banana taste, basically chocolate banana treat!

No Bake Banana Cookies

1/2 C rolled oats

1/4 C chocolate chips

1 banana

1 tsp vanilla

1 T chia seeds

1 T buckwheat groats

1 tsp cocoa

sweetener to taste (optional)

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, be careful not to let them burn. About 60 seconds then stir to melt the rest. Add chopped banana and mash together. Mix with other ingredients until coated. Drop in spoonfuls on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Freeze for 1 hour. These cookies will set up, however they will remain chewy. 

Raw Granola Bars

Granola bars have always been a tricky thing for me. Usually I have a really hard time getting them to actually stay in a bar form, but these were great they stayed in the little squares I cut them into. I've put these little babies into three different categories, treat, snack, and raw. They are so delicious and healthy, but they still taste like a treat to me, they make a great snack, and they have all raw ingredients so there you go. They are also so simple. They were a huge hit

Just combine all your dry ingredients, and then add the wet (you might want to microwave the wet for a few seconds to make sure you get all the lumps out)

Smash it all in a cake pan, and freeze it for about an hour! Your done

*Tip keep them in the fridge, if left out they will start to fall apart, but hey I guess you have some granola then :)

Raw Granola Bars

3 C oats

1/2 C chia seeds

1 1/2 C cashews (or almonds)

1 1/2 C coconut flakes

3/4 C sesame seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1 C sprouted buckwheat groats (optional)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 raisins (or chocolate chips if you don't want completely raw)

1 C natural peanut butter (or almond butter, I use half and half)

3/4 C raw honey (I have also used agave)

5-6 T coconut oil

 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla

Combine dry ingredients into bowl. Combine peanut butter/almond butter, coconut oil, honey and vanilla in separate bowl. You may have to microwave wet ingredients to make sure coconut oil and nut butters are smooth. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pack into cake pan and place in freezer for about 30-hour or until desired hardness is achieved. Keep refrigerated

Red Lentil Chowder

This is comfort soup at it's best! I only really discovered the use of lentils a few months ago. I love them! They can be used in mexican food, soups, salads...it's great. I really felt like making some yummy, thick soup on these chilly spring days...so I gathered some things here and there to whip up this chowder. This doesn't have to be blended together you can pulse the soup together so it's a little chunkier, or you don't even need to blend it at all and leave it more full lentils and vegetables! I felt like making a thick mess of soup and naming it chowder...and that's just what I ended up with :) perfect for dipping some yummy bread or rolls into! So curl up and enjoy some yummy, healthy, comfort in this lentilly goodness!

Red Lentil Chowder

2 c red lentils

1 c shredded carrots, or chopped carrots

5 small potatoes cubed

1 c frozen corn

2 tomatoes diced, or 1 can diced tomatoes

2 c vegetable broth

3 c water

1 T pepper

1/2 T onion powder

1/2 T garlic powder

2 bay leaves

1/2 T Italian seasoning

Combine broth, water,lentils, vegetables and bay leaves in large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining spices. Cook over medium heat until lentils and potatoes are tender. At this point decide if you want to blend it or not :)

* If you decide to blend the soup at this point put it three cups at a time into blender and pulse, if you want it blended but chunkier, ease up and only pulse it a few times until the entire soup has been pulsed. Put back into pot and make sure it is still warm. 

* If you don't blend the soup simmer for 10 more minutes until desired tenderness and thickness is achieved. Serve with rolls and salad!