Marionberry Nice Cream

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to go berry picking. There is something so nourishing to the mind and body to be able to pick your own food and then enjoy it. I cry a little inside because we don’t have much of a backyard to grow anything right now. But, I sure am grateful to live in a place like Oregon, that has endless areas to get fresh, seasonal produce.

We are big blueberry fans at our house, but lately, I have been loving marionberries. They are actually a blackberry that was developed at a college here in Oregon (pretty cool, huh?). They call it the “cabernet of blackberries.” Ha! It has a strong flavor, so I typically like to bake with them. This time, however, since the weather has been so warm, I opted to make an “ice cream” with it.

This is a really refreshing twist on ice cream and I can promise you that you won’t have that yucky post-ice cream feeling. It is also a big hit with Parker, so this is very toddler-friendly.

Marionberry Nice Cream

2 frozen bananas
2 cups of frozen marionberries
1/2 cup coconut cream
Maple syrup to taste
Top with chia seeds

Directions:

Place banana, berries and coconut cream in a blender and blend on high.

Add in maple syrup (I would start with 1 teaspoon and add more if needed). Blend again.

Pour mixture into 4 small ramekins or a large glass tupperware dish. Cover, and place in freezer for 3-4 hours.

Once frozen, stir the nice cream, and serve with chia seeds sprinkled on top.

You can’t really go wrong with 5 ingredients!

Enjoy! xx

Healthy Banana + Peanut Butter "Milkshake"

I’m a firm believer that you have got to let the kids live a little when it comes to food. It’s inevitable that they are going to get some not-so-healthy food elsewhere: from friends and even family sometimes (smh). But if I can control what I give Parker at home and help show him that healthy food can taste REALLY good too, then that makes me feel a bit better about it.

I love to tell him what certain foods do for us. Eggs make us strong, carrots help us see better and berries help us poop! LOL. If you could only see his cute little inquisitive face when I say this stuff. He goes “yeah!” while nodding his tilted head up and down with his big, bright eyes.

Anyway, a little while back one of the grandparents gave Parker a sip of a milkshake (a very real, very dairy and sugar heavy milkshake). Parker’s eyes lit up and the first thing out of his mouth was “ooooh MMMM.” He was a happy kiddo. And hey, I totally get it! I’d probably say the same. But after that, I was determined to get that same reaction out of a healthier milkshake!

Say hello to banana + peanut butter milkshakes…

I have been making him these ridiculously simple things ever since and he inhales them. No dairy and added sugars needed! And I always advise you to make the full recipe so you can enjoy some yourself : )

Toddler Banana + Peanut Butter “Milkshake”
serves 2

2 medium bananas (frozen)
1 c. vanilla unsweetened almond milk
1 heaping spoonful of organic peanut butter (almond butter is fine too)
1 tsp. ground flax or chia seeds
2 shakes of cinnamon

Directions:

Place bananas, almond milk, vanilla and nut butter in a blender.

Blend for 1 minute.

Add in cinnamon and flax.

Blend again until smooth.

So easy and so yummy!

A Healthy Apple Crumble

What’s fall without some apple picking? If you are like me, you go apple picking and in the midst of the thrill of loading your bag with apples, you end up getting a ton (emphasis on ton) of apples and then return home questioning what exactly you thought you were going to be making with those apples. As if I ran a whole restaurant or something…

So, apple crumble for dessert every night for the next month!

I mean, you really can’t get enough of this stuff anyway. I also like to justify this version of an apple crumble below as a totally acceptable breakfast.

Basically like oatmeal, just with butter. : )

A Healthy Apple Crumble

Ingredients:

6-8 apples
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almond meal
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch of sea salt
+ 1 1/2 tbs of coconut oil
*optional 1 tbs of gluten free all purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Chop apples into small cubes and place at the bottom of an 8×8″ baking dish.

Coat the chopped apples with the coconut oil as evenly as possible.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, add in all dry ingredients and pulse until well-blended.

Once processed, transfer to a bowl and add in melter butter. Mix well until a crumble/dough-like texture appears.

Then, take the dough mixture and cover the baking dish filled with apples to create a nice even layer over the whole dish.

Place dish into the oven and bake 25-35 minutes or until top is slightly golden. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

I highly suggest pairing this with a scoop of vanilla coconut milk ice cream or organic vanilla ice cream. hehehe

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Cookies (Paleo)

It’s that time of year! Seriously, I don’t know about you, but I feel like I come alive in the fall time. I always have. The cozy, not too cold weather; the fruits and vegetables that are in-season, the colors, the smells, the comfy clothing, the excuse to do nothing at all.

I just love it.

I also love the pumpkin craze. Yep, I’m one of those… I like to stock up on as many cans of pumpkin I can possibly get my hands on. And maybe some pumpkin yogurt, coffee, crackers, hummus. You name it.

So, naturally, I had to kick the season off right by making some pumpkin pie cookies. I love these cookies because I get my sweet tooth fix and just so happen to feel great after having one. I also don’t mind giving Parker one since the ingredients are so simple.

Pumpkin Pie Cookies (Paleo)

makes about 10 cookies

1 cup of peanut or almond butter

1 cup of blanched almond flour

3/4 cup of pumpkin puree

1 egg

1/3 C. coconut sugar

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of vanilla

1 1/2 tbs of pumpkin pie spice

1 pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl and mix well.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

With a spoon, scoop out a heaping spoonful of mix per cookie.

Mold the cookie into a ball with your hand, place it on the parchment paper and lightly press the cookie down to slightly flatten it.

Optional: sprinkle a pinch of coconut sugar on top of the cookies.

Bake for 12-15 minutes and enjoy!

Grain Free Snickerdoodle Cookies

Happy Sunday! How is everyone’s weekend going?

Well, clearly I did some baking, so mine is going well! Tyson and I were able to get a decent night sleep the last few days, so that is definitely helping my batteries recharge. We also got to head out on a date last night, leaving Parker with the Grandparents. We went to Edgefield, one of our favorite places around town. If you come to Portland, it is a place you have to visit!

Okay, let’s get to the cookies… So prior to our date night I whipped these up. I found the recipe on Delighted Momma’s blog and altered a few things. And wow, these are seriously good and made without flour. Here you go!

Grain Free Snickerdoodle Cookies

1 1/2 cups of almond meal

1 tbs of coconut flour

1 egg

1/4 cup of honey

1/4 cup of melted coconut oil

1/2 tsp of cinnamon + extra for rolling dough in

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/4 tsp of sea salt

1-2 tbs organic cane sugar (for rolling and sprinkling on top)

Directions

Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Cover the cookie dough and place in the fridge to chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the cookies into small balls and coat in cinnamon and sugar.

Use the bottom of a cup or mason jar to flatten them out.

Place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Let the cookies cool and sprinkle them with more sugar!