Blueberry Lemon Loaves with Lavender Yogurt Topping

Anything made with lemon vanishes quickly around here. Jasmyn my 12-year-old made a lemon yogurt loaf cake over the weekend and by the next day it had vanished.  I guess I understand why the triplets teachers laughingly tell me the boys are always raving about the food the eat at home, there is always something cooking. 

Ingredients

2/3 cup coconut oil

½ cup  sugar

4 tbsp lemon juice

4 eggs

1½ cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt
2 drops of DoTerra lemon oil (optional)

1 cup coconut yogurt or greek yogurt

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Glaze

1 cup coconut yogurt

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

1 drop of DoTerra lavender oil

1 drop of DoTerra lemon oil 

1/4 cup oj

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray mini loaf tray with nonstick cooking spray or use a standard loaf pan also spraying it with a nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine sugar, eggs, lemon juice and melted butter. Whisk until creamy.

In a separate bowl sift together all dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and salt.

Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture alternating between the yogurt and flour until well combined. Gently fold in blueberries, don't over mix.

Bake for 30-33 minutes or until tester comes out clean. 

Once done baking remove from oven and let cool in pan 10 minutes. Transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool. 

Make sure you have parchment paper under the wire rack so when you drizzle on the glaze it catches the drips and you won't end up with a sticky counter.

Enjoy!

Parmesan Pizza Bites (Big Batch)

Parmesan Pizza Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 Tbsp  yeast
2 tsp honey
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
4 teaspoons sea salt
8 cups whole wheat flour (more or less as necessary)

Topping

1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp Basil

1 Tbsp Oregano

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Olive Oil

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup warm water, yeast, and 2 teaspoons of honey.  Stir this together and allow it to sit.  Meanwhile, heat butter, milk, 1/2 cup honey, and salt in a medium saucepan on the stove until mixture has reached 120°.  Stir contents in saucepan into the yeast mixture.  Begin adding flour, two cups at a time until a nice dough has formed.  Knead for 3-4 minutes.  Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow it to rise for 1-2 hours.

On a well floured surface, roll fistful sized balls of dough into “snakes.”  Cut into one inch bites.

Place on a baking sheet or stone.  No need to allow for rising time, but if they sit there a while, that’s okay too.  Bake in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

While pizza bites are baking in a small bowl mix together Parmesan, brown sugar, Basil and Oregano

Place baked pizza bites in a bowl, drizzle on some olive oil, toss until coated, then sprinkle sprinkle with Parmesan cheese mixture.  Serve warm, serve cold, or cool and freeze the bites in a freezer bag for up to three months.  Thaw and reheat in the oven.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes (Big Batch) with Apple Pumpkin Pie Butter

Easy Pumpkin Spice Pancakes (Big Batch) with Apple Pumpkin Pie Butter

These are great to make on the weekends. There is enough to enjoy for a nice breakfast and save the extra for a healthy weekday breakfast and quick and easy lunch served with the Apple Pumpkni Pie butter. 

Servings: 16

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups whole wheat flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 heaping tsp pumpkin spice

3 Tbsp Chia Seed

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 cups milk (Room temperature) + 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 cup water

2 tsp vanilla

2 egg

1/4 cup applesauce

2 cups pumpkin purée 

2 Tbsp coconut oil 

Apple Pumpkin Pie Butter

Maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

* you can preheat the oven to 200 degrees to keep pancakes warm till ready to eat. 

1. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chia and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg,applesauce, pumpkin purée and coconut oil ; mix until smooth. Batter will be slightly thick

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Pumpkin Spice Lara Bars

Pumpkin Spice Larabars.

4 cups gluten free oats 

2 cups  craisins 

2 cups prunes

2 cups raw almonds (40g)

1 1/2 cup pumpkin purée 

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin spice

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)

Pulverize the oats in a food processor, then add all other ingredients and blend very well. Form into balls or bars. (If you want, you can portion the dough into plastic bags before smushing the bars, so your hands don’t get sticky.)

I pressed these into a pan and then sprinkled the brown sugar on top. 

Caught a crumb snatcher in the act. 😄

Crazy Simple Salsa Chicken

Crazy Simple Salsa Chicken

Ingredients 

3 lbs chicken breast

1 bottle organic salsa

Directions: 

Put chicken in crockpot and pour salsa on top of chicken. Let cook for 8-10 hours. 

Once done let chicken cool and transfer to bowl to bowl to shred with forks or with paddle attachment on mixer. 

I usually keep 1/2 in the fridge and freeze the other 1/2 in a freezer safe container. 

This chicken can be used in a multitude of ways. We typically use it for tortilla soup, taco, enchiladas, serves over quinoa and veggies. The possibilities are endless. 

Tortilla soup: add chicken stock, 1/4 cup salsa, shredded cheese, a dollop of Greek yogurt and avocado (optional). Serve with corn tortilla on the side. 

Yummy tacos. 

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS

9 ripe bananas, smashed

1 cup applesauce

2 Tbsp heaping coconut oil

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chia seed

3 eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 Tbsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 cup shredded carrot

5 cups whole wheat bread flour

1 cup broken up homemade granola, chocolate chips or craisins (optional)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 

With an immersion blender, mix applesauce and coconut oil into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla and chia seed. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour and carrots last, mix. Pour mixture into a loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Yield: Makes 3 loaves

Whole Wheat Spinach Calzone

1. Whole Wheat Spinach Calzone
2. 
3. 1 cup Greek Yogurt
4. 4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened 
5. 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
6. 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
7. 1 cup organic salsa
8. 1 teaspoon chipotle sauce
9. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
10. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper $
11. Whole wheat pizza dough recipe
12. Olive Oil
13. 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
14. 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese $
15. Pizza sauce recipe

Directions

1. 
   
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. Combine first 4 ingredients; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until well-blended. Stir in spinach, salsa, chipotle sauce,garlic powder, and black pepper.
4. Pat pizza crust onto a baking sheet coated with olive oil; pat into a 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread spinach mixture over half of the crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar over spinach mixture. Fold dough over filling; press edges together to seal.
5. *I doubled the Whole Wheat pizza dough recipe and made mini calzones to freeze for the kids lunch later. 
6. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until browned. Cool on a wire rack 5 minutes. Heat pasta sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cut calzone into 6 squares, and top with sauce.

Spicy Kale/Spinach Cranberry Salad

Spicy Kale/Spinach Cranberry Salad

Spicy Kale/Spinach Cranberry Salad

Ingredients:

1½ Tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

4 cups Kale, chopped

6 cups Fresh Spinach

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

4 Tbsp Coarsely chopped Almonds

4 Tbsp Chicken Stock

1 Roasted Chili Pepper diced

Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add kale with 2 Tbsp chicken stock. Cook, stirring frequently, until kale has softened, 3-4 minutes.

I love how bright green the kale gets when it heats up. :)

Add cranberries and continue to cook 2-3 more minutes.

Add in spinach a stir in. 

While spinach is wilting/heating...

chop almonds 

Sprinkle almonds on top of salad. 

Enjoy all the yumminess!!!!   :)