Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut butter and chocolate. Two of my favorite things. Two of my favorite things in a decently healthy, dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free cookie!? Yes please. I've been experimenting a lot with the homemade healthy baked goods recently, and have yet to make a recipe that hasn't been absolutely delicious! You could practically eat these for breakfast (although not sure I'd recommend that), but at least they are that guilt free, right!?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats or oat flour (I made oat flour in my food processor - directions below)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (preferably creamy)
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (I used Himalayan)
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
• Optional: 1/4 cup coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor or blender, add the oat flour*, peanut butter, coconut oil, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, almond milk, baking soda, and sea salt.
   • * To make the oat flour, add the rolled oats to the food processor alone, and pulse for about 1-2 minutes until the oats resemble a fine flour.
3. Mix/blend everything together until it resembles a creamy cookie dough.
4. Pour dough into a bowl and add chocolate chips (and coconut flakes if you decided to add those).
5. Spoon cookie dough onto baking sheet (about a tablespoon amount), and flatten each one slightly with a fork.
6. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are slightly browned and no longer sticky.
7. Enjoy!!!

*Recipe adapted from VeguKate

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Matcha Latte in a Nutribullet

I've become such a fan of matcha lately as I've been drinking less and less coffee these days. No, its not just some new year's resolution I'm doing because I feel like it. I'm doing it because coffee actually had a huge effect on your hormones, metabolism and more (a little more on that here), and when you have a tendency to have hormonal issues like I do, it's best to avoid the things that trigger those imbalances. That and coffee gives me the jitters sometimes, especially when I drink it on an empty stomach. Yes, matcha does have caffeine, but it's different from the caffeine in coffee. Matcha also has a ton of other nutrients that coffee doesn't have, and it doesn't have insulin and glucose spikes or crashes. It's a great way to get a little energy fix without all the side effects that coffee gives me.

So with that, I'm going to tell you about my new favorite hot drink: a (dairy free) matcha latte! I make mine in a nutribullet because I don't have a fancy whisk that people use to make matcha lattes, and I loved how it turned out. Sometimes I make mine with only coconut milk (no hot water), to make it creamier. In that case, you'd use about a cup of coconut milk. You can also sub almond milk or any other milk you'd like. The proportions below are just something to go by... I usually want more than a cup to drink, so I'll add a little extra of everything. 

To make, you just throw all the ingredients together in the nutribullet and blend for about a minute. It makes a nice, frothy, delicious latte. Super simple!!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (OR 1 cup coconut milk, & omit the water)
• 1 tsp matcha tea powder (I got mine here for a great price!)
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• 1 tbsp organic coconut oil

PS - you can buy all these ingredients at Thrive at a major discount. I'm absolutely addicted - I order all my super foods and healthy goods from there. Learn more here! 

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Zucchini Noodles with Quinoa & Egg

Happy happy new year friends! I hope you had a wonderful holiday break. I know I did! Sorry for the radio silence on this end. If you followed along on my Instagram though, you'd see that I was relaxing, traveling, and a bit off the grid for some of the time. It was refreshing and rejuvenating to take a little time off! Hopefully you all are on track with your new year's resolutions or goals. One of mine is to cook at home more, which is what brings us to today's post!

I've got news. Big news. Really good news. I bought a Spiralizer, and it is LIFE. CHANGING. It is also the easiest kitchen tool to use, and makes my life and meals so much easier, healthier and yummier. I attempted an easy recipe from the Inspiralized blog (of course, because she is GENIUS), and it turned out absolutely delicious. All you need is a few simple ingredients.

Start by cooking the quinoa according to the package instructions (I cook mine in vegetable broth or bone broth because it makes it a lot tastier!). While that is cooking, make the zucchini noodles with the Spiralizer. I used two large zucchinis because I was cooking for two. I also recommend cutting the noodles in half, because they can get very, very long! Next, heat a sauce pan on medium heat with olive oil or coconut oil, add in chopped garlic, and then kale. Season the kale with salt and pepper and cook it for about two minutes on medium heat. 

Add the zucchini noodles to the pan once the kale starts to wilt after a couple minutes, and immediately add the broth and cook for about another 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese (make sure to buy grass fed dairy always!!), and remove from heat. Divide into bowls, and top with quinoa. Fry a couple eggs quickly and add them to the top of the bowls. Add a little extra Parmesan cheese if you'd like, and enjoy.

Ingredients:

• About 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped/minced
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 2 medium to large zucchinis
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese (+ more to garnish)
• 2 large whole eggs (organic/free range)
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• salt & pepper to taste

*Adapted from Inspiralized

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