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Root + Savor

Connecting with food in a healthy way

Karis Alex

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Paleo Broccoli Cabbage Coleslaw

Make this crunchy, healthy paleo broccoli cabbage coleslaw for a lunch or a side dish with tacos, bbq chicken or any of your favorite meal!

When I think of coleslaw I think of crunchy, light on the cream, and bright shredded vegetables. I think of coleslaw as the perfect topping for fish tacos and barbecue chicken and the best salad topper (or salad itself). I think of coleslaw as packed with flavor, yet subtle, and bold enough to stand on its own.

This coleslaw is going to be all the best things that coleslaw is. And if you’ve ever had any bad experiences with it, this recipe will not be the case here. Because I don’t mess around with coleslaw. There isn’t a coleslaw that’s like, “yea, I suppose I could eat it.” For me, I’m either ALL in or all out.

Guess which one this is?

Ok, so we get down to the ingredients here. If I’m feeling up for it, I’ll shred my own carrots, cabbage, broccoli or another crunchy veggie. But, if you go to the store and you find one of those already prepared, ready for you bags of goodness, go ahead and grab it. Cause then you’ve got one less step. I found a great organic super blend with kale, carrots, cabbage and broccoli for the win! I also know that Trader Joe’s has a nifty package of shredded vegetables.

If you have apple cider vinegar in stock then use that, otherwise I’m sure that a white vinegar or even red wine vinegar would work great! Then we just need 1/2 cup of my easy paleo mayonnaise or another favorite mayo you have. For the seasoning we use sea salt, pepper and onion powder and then you mix it all together and you’ve got a slaw.

And if you are feeling adventurous, add fresh chopped parsley, or some slices of red onion, or avocado cubes because why not?!?

There you have it. The cole to your slaw.

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Paleo Broccoli Cabbage Coleslaw

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 8.5 oz package of mixed carrots, cabbage, broccoli, kale
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise* see notes
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder

Instructions

  1. If you bought a package of shredded veggies go ahead and put them in a bowl. Otherwise, use a cheese grater and get to shredding! 

  2. Add the paleo mayonnaise, acv, sea salt, cracked pepper and onion powder to the bowl and mix it all together. 

  3. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*If making your own mayo, follow the directions on my recipe for "Easy Paleo Mayonnaise."

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How To Make Bone Broth (2 Ways!)

How to make bone broth in a crock pot and pressure cooker!

Yes, believe all the hype. Bone broth truly is an elixir of life. People are drinking it left and right, making it homemade, buying it in the store, finding powder potions. It’s almost replaced coffee!

Ok, that was a bad joke not to be joked about. Coffee still stands first place in my book.

But really, get on the bone broth train/wagon/horse…ALL THE THINGS. Because it’s at the station and the steam engine is a rollin.’

Yea, I don’t know if I’ve ever been good at those whatever you call them. Anyhow, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. BONE BROTH.

You probably want to know all the secrets and benefits of the broth so I’m going to tell you just that.

Bone broth is incredible for gut health. Did you know that 70% of our immune system lies in our gut? So by drinking this you are building up your immune system. This is why we all hear that chicken noodle soup is the best when you are feeling sick because back in the day, they knew the benefits of the slowly, simmering chicken stock! So kick the canned soup to the curb cause it ain’t got nothing on this stuff.

Your gut will thank you as bone broth helps break down proteins making it easier to digest food and build up good bacteria called probiotics.

Another popular word you may have heard is collagen. That is a protein that makes up the lining the GI tract which is important so that food particles are digested and won’t cause acid reflux, IBS and leaky gut syndrome. Another important word is gelatin (hello gelatinous bone broth!) which is the breakdown of collagen. The gelatin in bone broth contains amino acids arginine and glutamine which is beneficial to your skin rebuilding connective tissue, improves muscle building and keeps your immune system strong!

As the bone broth slowly simmers (or cooks in the pressure cooker!) minerals are extracted from the bones such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and other essential nutrients (source). Bone broth has over 19 essential and non-essential amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins (source). What we get is amazing gelatin to protect our joints, repair cartilage, promote heart health and bone density. Also, many people report back saying how amazing their skin and hair looks due to the collagen forming elastin, which is what keeps our skin looking young!

I’ve made the bone broth two ways. The first way you can make it in the crock pot. I like to leave mine low and slow for at least 30 hours. Another way is using a pressure cooker. You can obtain the same results in two hours. It’s just a personal preference on which electric pot you have!

After you let the bone broth cool, make sure you keep the fat from the top because you can use that in cooking. Just put it in a small mason jar and refrigerate it using it up within a few days. There will be some moisture in the fat so if you want a longer shelf life you’ll have to render it (similarly to making ghee). Otherwise, I’ve skimmed the fat off, melted it down and poured it into silicon ice cube trays (see below pink tray!) and then stored it in the freezer. When I want to cook with the fat I just pop one container out and use it in the pan.

I like to store my bone broth in these silicon molds because it makes for easy storage in the freezer. Then, once they are solid frozen, I pop them out and store in baggies in the freezer. I’ll take a few out at a time and heat them up in a pan on the stove top for some yummy sipping bone broth! Or you can put a few in your veggies to steam and also have amazing stock for soups and sauces!

If you are planning to use up the bone broth within a week, just store in a medium size mason jar in your fridge. Don’t worry about getting all the herbs out of the stock you’ve made, it continues to add flavor! You can buy your bones at a local grocery store, but make sure they are organic grass-fed beef or chicken bones that you are using. Or what I do is buy a whole organic chicken and cook it, then debone the chicken and save the bones in the freezer and use them when I’m ready.

And if you are making beef or lamb broth, it’s a great extra step to roast the bones to enhance the flavor. If you are making chicken, turkey or fish stock then it’s ok to just put it straight in the pot. And remember, don’t be afraid to use those necks and wings from the chicken!

You can add vegetables into the mix like an onion, garlic, celery, or carrots to boost the flavor and extra nutrients. Then a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and filtered water into the mix and you are good to go!

Just look how beautiful this full jar is. And how beautiful it could be sitting in your fridge! I know it sounds intimidating to make bone broth all by yourself, but now you know, it’s easy and really so much cheaper to make than to buy.

Here’s to your new days of sipping this golden elixir of life!

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Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker Bone Broth

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4-5 lbs meat bones, feet, neck
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 onion cut in half, skin on
  • enough water to cover the bones
  • other vegetables like carrots, celery, garlic
  • fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, parsley

Instructions

Pressure Cooker

  1. If using chicken bones, put directly into the pot with apple cider vinegar. If using beef bones, roast at 400 for 30-60 minutes until golden brown. Add desired vegetables and fill with filtered water right above the bones.*

  2. Follow the directions on your pressure cooker by placing the lid on and locking it securely. Cook on high for two hours. Strain broth in a colander and allow to cool. Remove fat from top layer. Store in mason jars or silicon molds.

Slow Cooker

  1. Follow first step*

  2. Cook chicken broth for 24 hours. Cook beef broth for 48 hours. 

  3. Strain broth in a colander and allow to cool. Remove fat from top layer. Store in mason jars or silicon molds.

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Ginger Coconut Smoothie Bowls

Are we still on a smoothie kick? Can we transfer it to bowls? Cause sometimes ya just need a spoon with your smoothie when it’s SO thick and then why not just pour it into a bowl…aka smoothie ice-cream. Ok, ok maybe greens in your ice-cream is going a little far but I’m telling you smoothie bowls are just the best to eat! Creamy, thick, and even better when you let it sit in the freezer for several minutes.

What I love about smoothie bowls is I tend to load them up so they are filling enough for a meal. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I’m just drinking a liquid smoothie out of a cup, I don’t feel like I’m really digesting a meal. Taking the time to sit down with a spoon and a bowl and have breakfast is one of my favorite things (hello to Caramelized Banana Steel Cut Oats).

One of the biggest differences between regular smoothies and smoothie bowls is just the texture. I don’t add as much liquid, and generally only milk instead of water (i.e. coconut milk or cream, almond milk, full fat grass fed cow’s milk). I also combine various veggies + fruits + fats + protein in the smoothie bowls. My all time favorite is peeling fresh ginger (use the spoon to scrape off the skin!) and grating it right in the smoothie.

When I think about veggies to add in, I want them to be hearty, leafy greens like kale or spinach. I love finding them at the grocery store in power green blends because I can use it during the week for my salads, sautéed with eggs, and I can freeze some for later prepping smoothie bowls! Getting a thick smoothie is all about freezing your veggies + fruits before hand. What I like to do is make extra cauliflower and zucchini for dinner and then chop it up to freeze for breakfast smoothies. These are the perfect thickening agents (and I promise you that you won’t taste them!) plus you aren’t loading up on tons of fruit.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to tell you to leave out the fruit in your smoothies. I’m not crying about frozen bananas because there is too much sugar in them. I actually love chopping them up and putting them in the freezer for smoothies (also banana nice cream anyone?) But what I am saying is think about how to cook a meal. Think about making a green salad–you probably wouldn’t add piles and piles of fruit. We are building a balanced meal bowl full of veggies + fruits + protein + fats.

Let’s get on to the fats. Don’t fear the fats! They are great for keeping you full longer, balancing hormones, boosting your immune system and are anti-inflammatory. Ideas include but are not limited to: ground flax, chia, or hemp seeds (richest in fiber too), full-fat dairy (like raw milk and Greek yogurt are the best!), kefir, nut butters, avocado (don’t throw away your about-to-go-bad-‘cados but dice them up and freeze them!), coconut oil and cocoa powder. I like topping my smoothies with coconut shreds and granola as well for an extra crunch!

Make sure you add a protein source! My favorite is using organic grass-fed whey protein which balances blood sugar, reduces cravings, strengthens muscles and burns fat. Another option is bone broth or collagen powder, pea, brown rice or hemp protein powder.

Now you can pretend that you are on a vacation, in the tropics and make these Ginger Coconut Smoothie Bowls!

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Ginger Coconut Smoothie Bowls

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1-2 cups frozen fruit (mangoes and mixed berries are my favorite!)
  • 4 inch cube fresh ginger
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 2 cups spinach or kale best if frozen
  • 1 tbsp flax, chia or hemp seeds
  • 2 servings vanilla or unflavored protein powder
  • handful of ice optional
  • 1/2 cup yogurt or kefir optional
  • 1 tbsp coconut or MCT oil optional

Instructions

  1. Scrape the skin off of the ginger with a spoon and chop into 4 pieces. Combine all the ingredients in a blender on high speed for 1-2 minutes. 

  2. I like to add yogurt or kefir if I have on hand for probiotics! It will also add to the creamy texture of the smoothie. 

  3. Pour smoothie into bowls and pop in the freezer for 15 minutes for more "ice-cream" like texture! And enjoy 🙂

Recipe Notes

Pro-tip: If you have extra smoothie and just can't seem to finish it all, pour into ice cube trays and store them in the freezer. Then next time when you are making a smoothie, take the "smoothie cubes" out of the freezer and let them thaw a bit so you can pop them out and put them in your blender!

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Easy Paleo Mayonnaise

Whip up this healthy paleo mayo in 5 minutes or less!

Some people are balsamic & olive oil dressing and others are creamy, dreamy dressing. The thing is, I am totally both! I know, I know, how can I be both? I think some people are secretly the EVO & balsamic because they think it’s healthier for you. Which, can generally be the case. But what if I told you that you can make healthy creamy, dreamy dressing?

Alright, so we need to get down to the basics. Aka the base of the creaminess of all dressings & dips & real deal sauces. Ready for it?

It’s called MAY-ON-NAISE.

See that luxurious, silky smooth mayo? I’m telling you that you’ll never go back to store bought again when you find out how ridiculously easy this is. All you need is light extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. You don’t want to use regular extra virgin olive oil because the taste will be too overpowering, that’s why we go with the light flavor! Then you’ll want to bring an egg to room temperature, which you can just do by taking it out of the fridge the night before or about 30-60 minutes before you make the mayo. I’ve heard that you can also put it in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes (just not too hot because it might cook it).

Ok, so maybe you are thinking, why would I want to make mayo? Especially if you are the balsamic & EVO person. But here is the thing, with mayo you can make ranch dressing & dip, hollandaise sauce, chipotle bbq dip for you chicken fingers, slather it on your baked salmon, or a fancy garlic aioli for your fancy truffle fries.

Yea, I know, I got you on that. But for the time being we will stick to this basic, easy paleo mayonnaise. And then soon young padawan I will show you how to make all the ranch. And I will also sneak it in coleslaw which is coming up in a few blog posts 🙂

Now, get to making this stuff cause guess what else you can put this on? Sourdough grilled cheese!

Alright, already I’m done.

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Easy Paleo Mayonaise

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 1 egg room temperature*
  • 3/4 cup avocado oil coconut, macadamia or part EVO
  • 1 tsp water
  • 1/2 tsp mustard
  • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • salt & pepper to taste (about 1/4 tsp each)

Instructions

  1. In your food processor, add the egg, water, mustard and apple cider vinegar. Let sit 1-2 minutes. Turn on food processor for 30 seconds until everything is mixed.

  2. SLOWLY pour in the oil in a steady stream while the food processor is still on. You want to make sure that you are slowly pouring it in because that is the key to make the mayo thick & fluffy! This takes about 1 minute. 

  3. Use salt & pepper to taste. Store your mayo in a mason jar for up to two weeks! 

Notes*

  1. Make sure the egg you use is brought to room temperature. You can leave it out the night before (if you remember!) or like me, just take it out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before making the mayo.

  2. I use my food processor to make this mayo. I've heard that a high speed blender also works (I haven't tried) or an emulsion blender as well. 

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One Pan Greek Lemon Chicken & Vegetables

Make this yummy and easy one-pan meal for a flavorful weeknight dinner!

Ok, so you know how you have those staple meals every week? The ones where you keep on repeat because they don’t fail you. The meal when you need to throw something together in the same pan because you just can’t have so many dishes this night. Well this is one of my go-to-no-fail-recipes. The one that can really incorporate a variety of vegetables, potatoes and meat. I’ve used chicken drumsticks because I think chicken tastes the best when it’s on the bone, but you could use chicken thighs too or a variety grill pack!

I love having these back pocket recipes because you can also mix it up! If you’d like to add some golden potatoes, just put them in the oven the same time as the chicken. Or if you’d rather use broccoli or cauliflower instead of zucchini, go for it! This recipe is very forgiving but packed with so much flavor. The best part is the pan juice from the chicken broth, olive oil, lemon juice and white wine. Sometimes I’ll take the pan out from the oven in increments and pour the juice on top of the veggies and chicken to get more of a glaze! I’ve also taken the juice and made lemon rice to go with the meal!

Seriously guys, pan juice, you don’t want to waste it.

The rosemary and oregano pair so well with the chicken and vegetables with just the right amount of spice! And don’t forget the fresh crushed garlic and lots of lemon juice that slowly cook with everything. Have I got your mouth watering yet? And keep that chicken skin on! Cracked pepper and sea salt help that chicken get a little golden crispy. Plus, don’t get me started on the leftovers. Sometimes I wonder if I should make all my meals the day before so they can sit in the fridge and gather up all the flavor. This is a great option to take to lunch the next day!

If you are feeling real “Greek” then you should probably serve this meal with a side of lots of tomatoes, olive oil and feta or go the whole way and make a big Greek salad. And don’t forget all the kalamata olives!

Kosta, my husband, will always try to get me to make 3 things every week: feta guacamole, Greek salad with feta, and this lemon chicken piled up with lots of feta. But even if I don’t have those things every week I know that feta will get him through because he puts that stuff on EVERYTHING.

So, I’ll leave you with this. Even though feta is not “technically” in this recipe, Kosta would say that it’s basically not Greek then because it has to have feta.

Feta = game changer.

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Greek Lemon Chicken

Servings 3 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken drumsticks
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp crushed garlic
  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tbsp cracked pepper
  • 1 tbsp rosemary
  • 3 medium zucchini
  • 1 tbsp oregano

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Place the chicken drumsticks, broth, olive oil, white wine, lemon juice, and crushed garlic in a cast iron pan or a baking pan. Top with sea salt, cracked pepper, rosemary and oregano. Bake for 30 minutes. 

  3. Slice zucchini in half then cut lengthwise. Add to the pan of chicken and pour the pan juice on top of zucchini to coat. Bake for an additional 30 minutes. Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Caramel Shortbread Bars (Gluten Free, Vegan + Paleo)

So it’s the New Year and so many people might be doing the “healthy” thing. Which is totally cool. But you know what is also totally cool? These bars. Cause technically they are healthy. I mean, they don’t have any refined sugar in them. They are made with molasses (blackstrap to be exact) which did you know has tons of vitamins and minerals? It has iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and selenium. And that means it can improve your skin, promote healthy bones and relieve stress! Who knew that you could eat eat dessert bars that are actually packed with vitamins and minerals?

This caramel sauce is vegan and paleo which means that for anyone who is dairy-free or looking for a naturally sweetened caramel sauce, this one is for you! Plus, it is super easy to make. All you need is canned coconut cream, coconut sugar, maple syrup and a little sea salt. A little stirring and then voila! you have the creamiest caramel waiting for you to pour over these bars. And if you are feeling like you need a little taste tester, why not add a bit to your coffee? Pretty sure that is a wonderful idea…

Caramel sauce, dark chocolate, shortbread and pumpkin, so really what’s not to love? The dark chocolate is only made with two ingredients: cocoa powder and coconut oil. Bam. So simple! If you want it to be a little sweet you could add a drizzle of maple syrup. But I’m all about the 100% dark chocolate. I’m sure you could also melt your favorite chocolate bar that you have on hand! And let’s not forget how great dark chocolate is for your health. It is high in antioxidants, contains flavanols which helps heart function, and may help prevent cancer (source).

This shortbread crust is the base of the bars, then a layer of pumpkin spice goodness, which I think most resembles a fudge consistency. But back to the crust, all you need is coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut sugar and an egg or flax egg. You can tell you’ll be needing a few coconut ingredients! If you are looking to buy coconut oil, you’ll notice one jar will say “refined” or “unrefined.” One of the differences is that “refined” will be more of a subtle coconut taste. I prefer using “unrefined” coconut oil because of the minimal processing therefore having the most health benefits (source).

Let’s talk about the spices in this pumpkin layer. First we have ginger, which reduces inflammation, improves digestion and boosts immune system! Don’t be afraid to add grated raw ginger root if you don’t have powdered ginger on hand! Then we have cinnamon, which is high in antioxidants, anti-bacterial and is a natural sweetener without adding sugar. And lastly, we have my favorite spice which is cardamom (I put it in my coffee every morning!), also contributing to help improve digestion and is in the same plant family as ginger. These spices aren’t just for fall anymore! I’m using them all year ’round.

Now, the top of the bars are just as important as the rest of the layers. Flaky, crackly, sea salt. And you guessed it right! I’m going to tell you about the health benefits of sea salt. They contain a high level of minerals, are a great source of electrolytes (yes, you can sprinkle sea salt in your water for a workout recovery!) and helps regulate blood pressure (read more about sea salt benefits here)!

So now you know that healthy bars do exist (with vitamins!) You can eat your bars and have them too.

Does that saying work on these? Yea, I think so.

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Pumpkin Caramel Shortbread Bars (Gluten Free, Vegan + Paleo)

Servings 12
Author Karis Alex

Ingredients

Pumpkin Layer

  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin cooked
  • 1 tbsp Molasses
  • 1/2 tbsp Maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp Cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Ginger

Shortbread Crust

  • 1 Egg flax egg if vegan
  • 3 tbsp Coconut oil or ghee
  • 3 tbsp Coconut sugar
  • 4 tbsp 1 tsp Coconut flour

Chocolate Sauce

  • 1/4 cup Coconut oil
  • 1/6 cup Cocoa powder

Caramel Sauce

  • 1/2 cup Coconut cream
  • 1/4 cup Maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup Coconut sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Place parchment paper in a 8x8 or a rectangle pan. Mix together the shortbread ingredients and then place in the pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes (or just place in freezer!)   

  2. Mix pumpkin ingredients in a bowl and then pour over shortbread.
  3. Make the caramel sauce on the stove in a medium sized pan on high heat by mixing all the ingredients and stirring constantly until bubbles form. Then turn the temperature down to low and continue stirring until the sauce turns into a thick consistency. Then pour caramel mixture over the pumpkin layer in the pan.

  4. Make the chocolate sauce by melting cocoa powder and coconut oil over low until fully incorporated. Pour chocolate over caramel layer and allow to cool until firm in the freezer about 30 minutes. You'll want to make sure the chocolate isn't too hard so it's easy to cut. Or just flip the bars upside down so the shortbread crust is the top layer and then cut into desired square sizes! Serve right away or store in the freezer for snacking later 🙂

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Silver Dollar Pancakes (GF, Paleo & Vegan)

 These healthy pancakes are super easy to whip up and great for weekend brunching!

Happy New Year!! This is my first blog post of 2018 so I figured it should start with my favorite kind of meal, which of course is breakfast food! I’m the type of person who loves to make pancakes on weekday mornings but sometimes you just gotta reserve pancakes for special weekends. And today is an honorary weekend day because it’s a holiday! I hope you all had a wonderful New Years Eve celebrating last night. Let me tell you that we had a low-key party drinking ginger tea and relaxing on the couch with the electric fireplace going. You guys, I didn’t think I was going to make it until midnight! But I knew the champagne was coming so we popped some bubbly and cheers’d into the new year!

And now it’s that lazy kind of morning when you wake up at 11am, pour some coffee and make yourself a batch of these pancakes. Plus, they are healthy too! No refined sugar or gluten and they are dairy free as well. They are the super cute bite sized pancakes, but I’m sure they would work as a normal size too 🙂 This recipe is for for 1-2 people and is very easy to double or triple the recipe. And if you have any leftovers, they work great if you put them in the freezer and heat them up for weekday breakfast!

If you prefer your typical maple syrup, that’s fine too. But I think this chocolate drizzle on the pancakes are so dreamy. A little bit of nut butter, cocoa powder, coconut oil and maple syrup and you’ve got a warm, creamy topping. With the banana in these pancakes, they are naturally sweetened! Plus, you are getting protein packed pancakes with the egg, which almost makes the texture a little fluffy! If you are vegan, just sub the egg for a flax egg which I’ve done before. I made these with oat flour but just putting oats in my blending and grinding them up to a fine powder. You could also sub almond flour if you are paleo.

Enjoy the rest of the day celebrating with friends and family! I’ll be making a batch of these pancakes and sitting by the fireplace sipping on cappuccinos and dreaming of this new year!

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Silver Dollar Pancakes (GF, Paleo & Vegan)

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 10 silver dollar pancakes

Ingredients

Pancakes

  • 1 egg sub flax egg if vegan
  • 1/4 cup oat flour almond flour if paleo
  • 1 banana 1/2 mashed, 1/2 topping
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • dash of sea salt
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut oil for frying

Chocolate Drizzle

  • 1/2 tbsp almond butter
  • 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tbsp water

Instructions

Pancakes

  1. Mash 1/2 of banana and slice the other 1/2 into rounds. Add egg and almond extract to mashed banana. Mix in baking powder, oat flour and sea salt. 

  2. Pour olive oil in cast iron pan on medium heat. When pan is hot, use a tablespoon to make pancakes (yields 10 silver dollar pancakes). Serves 1-2 people. Add your favorite toppings like fresh berries, whipped coconut cream and chocolate drizzle!

Chocolate Drizzle

  1. Melt coconut oil and almond butter over low heat until fully incorporated. Add cocoa powder, maple syrup and water. Pour over pancakes and enjoy!


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Sunflower Butter

So I have been wanting to make sunflower butter for several months now. But I felt like it was such a huge task. Like blending up several cups in the food processor would just be too difficult. I couldn’t simply possibly do it! And then it came. The day I took the sunflower seeds out of the cupboard. And placed them on my counter, turned my oven on, got my baking sheet and roasted them right up. And then it was just my food processor and the sunflower seeds and all of the sudden we had butter on hand. Almost faster than driving to the store and buying it for myself.

So smooth. So creamy. So perfect.

Once you place the sunflower seeds in the food processor, it only takes about 5 minutes until the consistency turns a little pasty. But give it a few several more minutes and it will be smooth and creamy, almost a chewy texture. I like my sunflower seed butter a little more drippy, so I add a few tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil. And of course the flakiest sea salt, which I’ll always be generous with! Then you can store the sunflower butter in a mason jar in the fridge or if you end up using it during the week you can just keep it in your cupboard. This has been my new favorite butter to add into treats like my peppermint fudge and I’m sure you could substitute it in my peanut butter cereal bars too!

This week, I’ve been making a quick breakfast with rice cake, sunflower butter and a sliced banana on top. I’m sure this would be a great topping for smoothies, oatmeal bowls, pancakes, ice cream, toast and baked into goodies! I also know that some schools can’t have nut butters because of allergies, so this would be a perfect substitution for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And it’s also a cheaper option to make it yourself than buying a container. Plus, if you want you could add super fun mix-ins like chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut flakes or to make it a bit sweet some maple syrup. And if you need a last minute Christmas gift, here is a great option!

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Sunflower Butter

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Sunflower seeds (roasted)
  • 1-2 tbsp Good quality oil (olive oil or coconut oil)
  • 1 tsp Sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 3 cups of sunflower seeds on a large baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes or until golden and fragrant. 

  2. Put the sunflower seeds in a food processor and blend on high, scraping down sides when needed. This time varies but I've found it can take up to 15 minutes until it gets to the creamy consistency of butter. Add 1-2 tbsp of oil about halfway through (and more if desired). Store in a mason jar in the fridge! 

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Peppermint Fudge (GF, Paleo, Vegan)

Fudge is definitely a classic holiday treat. Quintessential for a Christmas party. Better yet, make it Peppermint Fudge. It’s so chewy, so creamy, and so very Christmas.

This dessert is made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. Literally you only need 5 items. Cocoa powder, coconut oil, nut butter, peppermint extract and sweetener of choice. The best part is you don’t need to bake and you it only takes 5 minutes to make. The rest of the process is to let it harden in the freezer and then you have a treat in just 20 minutes! 

This fudge is sweetened with natural sugars and if you’d like to make it less sweet you could just use half the amount of maple syrup.  And for anyone who is gluten-free, paleo, or vegan this fudge is for you! I also like to store this fudge in the freezer and enjoy it right away but if you like it on the softer side you could store it in the fridge. And then of course if you are feeling festive then add a little bit of crushed candy canes on top cause they add a whole lot of merry to this fudge!

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Peppermint Fudge

Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 15 squares

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Coconut oil
  • 1/4 Cup Maple syrup
  • 1/2 Cup Sunbutter or other nut butter
  • 1/2 Cup Walnuts
  • 1/2 Cup Cocoa powder
  • 1 Tsp Peppermint extract

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a pan to melt on the stove. Once the chocolate is  melted then pour into a loaf pan with parchment paper. Let cool in the freezer for 20 minutes and cut into desired sized squares. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint on top and enjoy! 

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Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

Crunchy, peanut butter, chocolatey goodness all made up into a cereal bar for a delicious treat!

Remember the packaged cereal bars ready to go for breakfast mornings? The kind that said “real milk” dried up into your favorite cereal? Why are they so nostalgic? Maybe they are still a part of your mornings and so they aren’t nostalgic but all I know is they weren’t a part of my favorite past time. But I wanted them soooooo badly to be. When I was little, I begged my Mom to buy them at the store and so once in a while we’d get the healthy “pop tarts” but they were mostly dry and just not even close to the real deal.

Now that I’m older, I can make my own decisions and buy as many packaged breakfast cereal bars as I want. But I don’t. Cause then I’d be eating dessert every morning…which I’m totally not for cause you know that wouldn’t be grown up like or anything…

So then I came up with and idea.

What if I made healthy cereal bars?!? The ones where you can eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, brunch, in between lunch and dinner…oh wait that’d be snacks…

You get the point that dreams really do come true!

They are super easy to make, no baking required plus there is a cereal box involved. Which means you can pick out your favorite. Which I totally recommend getting the peanut butter Panda Puffs cause they are crunchy and really that’s what you needs for these bars. And extra peanut butter flavor, yes please, and maybe even if you can find chocolate peanut butter mixed into one?! You could also get gluten-free cereal if you needed or really, really healthy no sugary cereal too! But I don’t know if grape nuts would work…I haven’t tried that one yet…

Really you can make these in no time. But then you gotta freeze them. So make them the night before and you can have them for breakfast! The reason why you want to freeze them is because they get even crunchier and kinda chewy and wonderful all at the same time. And then the chocolate drizzle on top because it’s just necessary okay? And the coconut oil helps the bars to harden plus you get all the healthy coconut oil benefits in your cereal bar treat!

I just loved taking photos of these bars because I mean look at them. They really do deserve their own photoshoot.

Like I said, crispy, crunchy and chewy all at the same time. And now you can have all your cereal bars ready in the freezer to grab on the go or even if you aren’t on the go and just walking to your couch. Peanut Butter Cereal Bars you are a dream. 

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Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 15 servings

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Mixture

  • 4 cup peanut butter cereal I love Nature's Path Panda Puffs
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Chocolate Drizzle

  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Heat coconut oil, peanut butter and honey in a sauce pan until fully melted. 

  2. Put 4 cups of cereal into a big bowl. Then add the melted mixture to the cereal bowl and the chocolate chips. Place parchment paper in a 9x13 pan and then the cereal mixture. 

  3. For the chocolate drizzle melt the coconut oil, cocoa powder and maple syrup and then pour on top of the cereal bars. 

  4. Place the pan in the freezer for 1 hour or more and then cut the bars!