Hello, hello! Today I have what's quickly becoming a new favorite recipe of mine to share with you guys, so let's dive right into it! Banana bread is one of my favorite ways to use ripe bananas, and I'm sure a lot of you would agree with me on that! There's just something so comforting and yummy about a banana bread fresh out of the oven. I like to eat a slice with a cup of hot tea. Today's recipe takes a twist on banana bread - a cinnamon apple twist, because hello October! This is my last recipe creation using the fruit from my apple picking excursion in Julian. There's been lots of apple eating and baking in my kitchen over the past month! ... [Read More]
snack recipes
Cherry Pistachio Energy Balls [vegan, gf]
Hi friends! Today we're talking about nuts and balls! ;-) Everyone has their go-to favorite foods that they're constantly eating, and for me, one of those categories is nuts + nut butters. I usually eat a serving of one on the daily. Healthy fats like nuts keep my belly happy & satisfied. Almond butter and peanut butter are my all-time favorites, and I was pretty into cashews & cashew butter for awhile there. Somehow I tend to forget that I like pistachios too. Recently I was about to whip up a batch of energy balls, and instead of using my go-to nuts of choice, I decided to switch it up and break open a bag of pistachios. ... [Read More]
Cherry Coconut Chocolate Chunk Hemp Granola [gf, vegan]
Happy Hump Day! How's your week going? I've gotten back into the swing of things in SoCal since getting back from vacation. While Mexico was a dream, it's not too shabby coming home when you love where you live, so I can't complain! My work week is a bit more exciting than usual because an East coast friend of mine is in town and will be staying with me for a few days. I love when friends from out of town visit! But I digress, onto food... Question of the day: Coconut - do you love it, hate it, or feel indifferent to it? I used to not like coconut at all, and then all of a sudden last year, I developed a thing for shredded coconut. While I still don't love most coconut flavored things, coconut shreds are now routinely sprinkled on top of my smoothie bowls - hence why I've shared two ... [Read More]
Apricot Almond Energy Bites [vegan, gf]
Hello, hello! I hope that you had a lovely weekend. Mine was pretty relaxing except for some power outage shenanigans. My hubby was away for the Marine Corps, and on Friday night my pup and I went for a long sunset walk along the beach. We came home to the power being out and I was unable to get into my house. Let's just say I had to get creative and borrow a neighbor's garbage can to hop onto and climb over my fence to get to a spot where I could let myself in. It was eventful! I was pretty proud of myself for being resourceful. :) Besides that little bit of craziness, it was a low-key weekend. My cousin visited from Long Beach and stayed with me. We took Harley for a little hike at a nearby park, and went out for Mediterranean food, wine and live music on Saturday night. It was ... [Read More]
Blueberry Chia Oatmeal Bars [vegan, gf]
Last year when I shared a recipe for cinnamon baked apple & peanut butter oatmeal, I proclaimed that it'd probably be the only hot oatmeal recipe that I ever post since I'm not a huge oatmeal bowl fan. However, what I've realized is that I love to use oats all the time in recipes. I love what a great source of fiber oats are, which definitely keeps my belly fuller for longer. When people come to me and ask how they can add more fiber into their diets, guess what one of the foods is that I always tell them to eat more of? OATS! They're a staple in my kitchen, and there have been countless recipes incorporating use of them on the blog - including PB & J oatmeal crumble bars, oatmeal walnut hemp energy bites and dark chocolate peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies, to name a few. And ... [Read More]
Chunky Monkey Protein Bites [vegan, gf]
It's Friday, and I feel like this Friday calls for a chocolatey recipe! Shall we dive into it? I've often mentioned my love for on-the-go snacks on the blog. Even though I work from home most of the time, I seem to always be eating in my car bouncing around from place to place. I have the protein bar and smoothie stains on the seat of my car to prove it. Whoops. I often whip up some type of bars or balls to have as snack options throughout the week, and today I have a new one to share that I'm loving: Chunky Monkey Protein Bites. We've got some rolled oats, chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, and hemp hearts as our base. These ingredients get thrown into the food processor with some smooth peanut butter, maple syrup, and banana to hold them together well. ... [Read More]
