The Secret to my Famous Avocado Toast!

This is my all time favorite meal, whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner. I'll happily make breakfast for dinner too, which we do frequently in our household. Avocado toast is nothing new, nor is it complicated, but there are some small tweaks that I do to mine to make it exceptionally good. 

The most important part is the egg on top. The way you cook the egg is what makes the toast! My favorite way is the crispy fried egg, or soft boiled, neither of which are shown here unfortunately. The crispy fried egg gives it a little extra crunch that is oh so satisfying.

To do so, heat oil (I use coconut oil or olive oil) in a pan over medium heat until almost smoking. Crack the egg in the pan and turn the heat down to low immediately. The egg will sizzle and cook pretty quickly because of how hot the pan was when you first dropped the egg in. Cook until the yolk is cooked to your liking - do not flip. 

For the soft boiled egg, bring a small pot of water to a boil (the water level should be just enough to cover the egg or eggs). Drop the whole egg in (inside shell - do not crack open) while the water is boiling, and cook for exactly 7 minutes on high. Remove the egg promptly, and rinse with cold water. Peel and cut in half or in pieces and put on top of avocado toast!

The toast and avocado mash is the easiest part! I always go for gluten free bread, because Nick can't have gluten, and it usually tastes just as good if you buy the right kind. A couple of my favorite brands are this and this. I toast the bread in a toaster or in the oven for extra crispiness, and then slather it with coconut oil. Next, you add the avocado and mash it with a fork (or you can mash it before you add it to the toast, depending on how soft your avocado is). Top with whichever egg you chose to cook!

As for additives, I love sprinkling some hemp seeds on top, as you can see from the photos. Gives the toast a little extra superfood kick as well as extra protein. I always season with Himalayan salt and pepper too. 

So that's it! That's how I make my favorite meal. The coconut oil on the bread, hemp seeds, Himalayan salt, and way you cook the egg is what takes the toast up a notch. Let me know how yours turned out - Tag me on Instagram or comment on this post!

Perfect Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Raise your hand if you're in favor of chewy cookies vs. crunchy cookies! Good. Because I found the recipe for the PERFECTLY chewy, delicious, sweet yet salty, paleo chocolate chip cookie. And I'm even going to claim that these are better than the original flour, butter, crisco, filled chocolate chip cookies that your grandma made. Yea, they're THAT good.

My pictures aren't all that great because I made these at night and took the photos immediately since I was so excited, but trust me, they taste 100 times better than they look. Plus, I have to add of course, that they're grain free, refined sugar free, gluten free, paleo, and all that jazz. I just cannot get over how good they tasted either - blew me away!

As you can see, it's been a while since I've baked cookies, and I forgot the whole "make sure you leave space between each blob you place on the tray", but even though I pretty much baked one large cookie, they still tasted just as delicious.

And guys, these are simple to make. I promise. You will need to have a good amount of almond butter, paleo flours (I ALWAYS have coconut and almond flours in my pantry) and of course chocolate chips on hand, but those are things you should be keeping in your pantry anyway! I mean, who can live without almond butter and chocolate chips!? I chose this dark chocolate option from my favorite Thrive Market, but you can grab any brand you'd like. I actually get ALL my baking ingredients from Thrive, but I provided some other great alternatives from Amazon below too, especially if you've got that Amazon prime membership like I do.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 6 tbsp coconut oil or unsalted butter (room temperature). Coconut oil should be a softened butter consistency - not liquid. Throw it in the fridge for a bit if it is. 
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 6 tbsp almond butter (room temperature) 
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg (room temperature) 
• 1 cup (or more) chocolate chips (I use the Thrive Market brand)

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir all the dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda & salt) together in a medium bowl.
3. Using an electric hand mixer in a larger bowl, beat together the coconut oil and coconut sugar for about 1 minute. If you don't have an electric mixer, you could use your hands, but it needs to be mixed very well.
4. Add the almond butter and vanilla extract to the wet ingredients, and mix until well combined. Add the egg and beat for about 1 minute.
5. Stir in the flour mixture until everything is mixed well and forms a dough like texture. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Roll the dough into small balls and place on the baking sheet. Press down slightly with your hand. You can also add more chocolate chips to the tops of the balls.
7. Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are nicely browned and the surface no longer appears wet.
8. Let cool completely before storing!

Life Lately

Wedding season with my love, (Washington, Connecticut). Wearing probably my absolute favorite dress to date - splurge on this one you guys, you will not regret it.

Kind of healthy, yet not really, gluten-free cheesecake. I mean, how healthy can cheesecake (made with cream cheese) really get?! I used the real stuff too (organic of course). Recipe here.

Not sure why this hollow back handstand pose is SO DARN HARD for me, but I'm getting there! Practice practice practice.

Finally made it out to Sunday in Brooklyn for Nick's birthday. Incredible menu, full of light, healthy, delicious small plates. Highly recommend  the chicken drumsticks (SO good), and the super unique craft cocktails ("Champagne Problems" specifically, because it has beets, mint, and is so delicious).

I had the opportunity to spend 4th of July at the most incredible house I've probably ever stayed at. I spent the weekend in this pool, getting some much needed vitamin D, and explored the town of Amaganssett (which I'm entirely obsessed with now - so cute!). 

I've been on a huge matcha kick these past few months and have finally gotten to a point where I can make a great one at home. It's become my daily morning routine. I originally purchased Sunfood matcha, but it just wasn't the kind I love in a drink (its the type that would work better with baking). So a couple weeks ago, I finally splurged on some real, true, matcha. Yes, it's pricey, but it's much cheaper than going and buying a $5 latte every day! Stay tuned for a post on how I make my matcha lattes soon!

One more shot of this dress, because it really is that good.

Cutest shop in Amaganssett - I wanted all the baskets! I can't remember the name, but it was on the right hand side as you're just entering town.

I couldn't get enough of this bathroom, which was in the house we rented while in Washington, CT for the wedding. Goals.

Meat sauce is on repeat in our household. Warming, hearty, healthy, and delicious, it's the perfect meal (and we always have leftovers for the next day). Throw it over some zucchini noodles for a lighter dish in the summer! Recipe here.

One of my favorite views of NYC.

Slightly obsessed with all the Beautycounter products I just stocked up on, this mask being one of them. It brightens, firms, lifts, and gives my face this fresh and clean glow in 10 minutes flat. To top it off, it's non-toxic and full of natural ingredients. But then again, I wouldn't let anything else touch my skin, would I?

I've just recently started putting brazil nuts in my smoothies. Did you know that only one a day gives you 100% of your daily intake of selenium?! Pretty cool, and a very easy way to get it in.