Paleo Plum Pie with Crumb Topping

This is a totally delicious breakfast, snack or dessert. Make it when plums are in season and top with ice-cream or Greek yogurt for some totally non-paleo deliciousness! 🙂

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Ingredients

For the crust

  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 1 egg
  • dash of salt (optional)

For the filling

  • 4 cups sliced plums
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder (I used 1 Tbsp potato starch instead since I didn’t have arrowroot powder)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the topping

  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Place almond meal and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly. Add coconut oil and egg and pulse until mixture forms a ball, adding a little water if necessary to make dough stick. Press dough into a 9-inch pie dish.
  • Toss together filling ingredients in a bowl; arrange in pie crust and pour remaining liquid over the top.
  • Stir together topping ingredients and crumble over filling.
  • Bake until the filling is tender and the top is golden, 35 to 45 minutes.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets for the inspiration!

dit-elle-Esther

Healthy Bake at Home Pizza

Some nights pizza just sounds good.  Ok, most nights pizza sounds good haha, but that’s not going to happen… I love trying to make healthy options that our teenage boys will still like.  Do they like it as good as our favorite delivery?  No…but they still chow it down, and I feel good.  Oh, and it’s pretty easy too!blog Costco Healthy Cheese Pizza Aidells Chicken Sausage Peppers Avocado Basil-1Ingredients

  • Pizza crust or ready made frozen cheese pizza of your choice (you can find gluten free options easily now!)  I used Costco’s Frozen Cheese pizza-not greasy at ALL!
  • Aidell’s Chicken Sausage (I used apple), diced.  Amount varies on how many you are feeding.
  • Red, Yellow, and Orange Bell Peppers (diced) Amound varies on how many you are feeding.
  • 1 Avocado diced
  • Handful of Basilblog Costco Healthy Cheese Pizza Aidells Chicken Sausage Peppers Avocado Basil-2What to do
  • LOAD the pizza up with the chicken sausage and peppers.  That way, everyone is filling up on healthy stuff!  Cook as per directions.
  • Once cooked, top with avocado and basil and serve it up!

blog Costco Healthy Cheese Pizza Aidells Chicken Sausage Peppers Avocado Basil-3 blog Costco Healthy Cheese Pizza Aidells Chicken Sausage Peppers Avocado Basil-4Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

Potato Egg Baskets

Potatoes, eggs, prosciutto and some herbs all in one! These are a very pretty addition to a breakfast or brunch spread, or keep in the freezer for a great protein snack!

Blog potato egg baskets-4 Blog potato egg baskets-3 Blog potato egg baskets-2 Blog potato egg baskets-1

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and grated (super fast – run potatoes through your food processor with grater blade)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 12 eggs
  • 3 slices prosciutto, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 425° F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
  • Combine potatoes, butter, 1/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl. Divide potato mixture evenly among prepared muffin tin and gently press to form a thin layer on the bottom and sides of each cup.
  • Bake until just golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350° F.
  • Gently crack 1 egg into each potato basket. Sprinkle with prosciutto, chives and parsley.
 Top each egg with remaining cheese.
  • Return to the oven and bake until eggs are set, 10 to 13 minutes. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper before serving.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets!

dit-elle-Esther

Wide Leg Denim + Pastel Tops…for the both of us!!

 YES!!  I found wide leg denim for the both of us!!  Thrifting no less! (insert hands in the air emoticon!!)

Ok, but first… It’s really not that big of a feat to find wide leg denim for me.  It’s out there.  It’s popular.  I love it.  Some don’t, so yay for me!  I thrifted this particular pair for $16, which (might shock you) is more than I would normally spend.  BUT…wide leg, fun zipper pockets, and fit almost perfectly, except the length?!  I was sold.  I can’t blame my abnormally short legs too many times.  They do a LOT for me… (fyi, I’m 5′ 8″ and am wearing 4″ heels wedges-GRRRR)Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-1Honestly, I had thought about pairing this top with a high waisted pair of wide legged jeans, but  then said F it, and wore it with low rise.  Yes, I’m over 40.  Yes, my tummy is a few shades lighter than my arms.  Yes, I kiiiiinda care.  But…no time for all of the above-DONE! Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-2Maya’s like “Um….Mom?!  Over here!!!” 🙂 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-3 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-4 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-5 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-6 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-7 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-8 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-9 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-10 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-11 Blog Zara Mint Crop Tank 7FAM Dojo Wide Leg Flare Banana Republic Espadrilles-12Cannot get her out of my neighbors yards!!!! {sorry neighbors!!!}Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-1Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-2Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-3I mean…could you DIE over how cute wide legged jeans are on a toddler??  I thrifted hers last week for $9, which (again!) is more than I would normally spend, but…TODDLER FLARES?!??!Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-4Oh, and then…the dancing began.  Because what else would make you want to dance than flared denim??  🙂Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-5Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-6Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-7Seriously?  LOVE!!Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-10Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-11Blog Pink Old Navy Tank Wide Leg Flare Toddler Joes Jeans Eddie Mark Kids Sandals-12On me…

Top- Zara (last year)
Jeans- 7 For All Mankind (thrifted, similar here and here)
Shoes- Banana Republic (old, love these here)
On Maya…
Top- Old Navy (thrifted, but similar here)
Jeans- Joe’s Jeans (thrifted)
Shoes- Zulily (search Eddie Marc Kids)
Keeping it Real…
Because I noticed that my lovely sports bra was showing and couldn’t adjust it in time for the self timer to go off (OOPS!), oh and there’s the MOON, AND…what happens when you try and set a toddler down…
Blog Outtake
(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Summer Dresses…

 I say all the time that I’m not a “dress” girl, but over and over when I wear them, I think… “Why don’t I wear more dresses??!”  This is one of my favorite summer dresses.  I’ve been wearing it every summer for the past 8+ years (am I the only one that gauges time on occasions?  I know I wore this on our honeymoon which was 6 years ago, and it wasn’t new… 🙂 )  It’s a convertible dress-meaning you can wear it a ton of different ways, depending on how you tie it.  It’s a no brainer to take on vacation because of it’s versatility, comfort, oh and spray it a few times with a water bottle and wrinkles be GONE!

I love that I can wear it around my neighborhood with flip flops and it’s totally casual.  Yet, if I throw on some fancier sandals-date night!!Blog Rachel Pally Mexico Convertible Dress Silver Havaianas-1 Blog Rachel Pally Mexico Convertible Dress Silver Havaianas-2Let’s all just pretend that I don’t have a total farmer tan, ok?  Great… Blog Rachel Pally Mexico Convertible Dress Silver Havaianas-3Twirling.  Cos, she makes it look so fun! 😉 Blog Rachel Pally Mexico Convertible Dress Silver Havaianas-4 Blog Rachel Pally Mexico Convertible Dress Silver Havaianas-5 Blog Rachel Pally Mexico Convertible Dress Silver Havaianas-6 Blog Rachel Pally Mexico Convertible Dress Silver Havaianas-7 Blog Rachel Pally Mexico Convertible Dress Silver Havaianas-8Loooooove this next shot!  Look at her face!!  LOVE!!Blog Rachel Pally Mexico Convertible Dress Silver Havaianas-9Blog Mignone Butterfly Sparkle Twirl Dress Umi Silver Sandals-1Hahaha!Blog Mignone Butterfly Sparkle Twirl Dress Umi Silver Sandals-2There was a ribbon hanging down from our neighbors tree.  I’m assuming from a balloon?  In any case, she was determined to grab it!Blog Mignone Butterfly Sparkle Twirl Dress Umi Silver Sandals-3Blog Mignone Butterfly Sparkle Twirl Dress Umi Silver Sandals-4Blog Mignone Butterfly Sparkle Twirl Dress Umi Silver Sandals-5Oh, and could I Photoshop that GINORMOUS bruise from Maya’s leg?  Yes, faster than I can type this sentence.  But…that’s toddler life.  And, that’s what I want her and ME to remember.  She basically looks like Child Protective Services should haul me in at any minute, but…she’s having fun!!!Blog Mignone Butterfly Sparkle Twirl Dress Umi Silver Sandals-6My favorite…Blog Mignone Butterfly Sparkle Twirl Dress Umi Silver Sandals-7And…there are still people in our neighborhood who water their lawns… Which is heaven for Maya.  Preeeeeetty sure they wouldn’t be overly excited that she was running through their yard, but whatever.  OOPS!  And, truth be told, this happened at the BEGINNING of our walk, but I thought it looked better to have it at the end hahaha.  Thankfully the sun dried her dress and hair out quickly!Blog Mignone Butterfly Sparkle Twirl Dress Umi Silver Sandals-8Blog Mignone Butterfly Sparkle Twirl Dress Umi Silver Sandals-9On me…

Flip Flops- Havaianas
On Maya…
Dress- Mignone (thrifted, but love this one here)
Shoes- Umi “Tamela” (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
Obviously, Maya isn’t used to seeing me in dress either!!  Oh, and “hide and seek” is her favorite game haha.Blog Outtake
(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Mango Pineapple Smoothie

Mango, pineapple and coconut give this smoothie a delicious tropical flavor. Not to sweet, not tart.. it’s the perfect summer snack! There was so much smoothie, I made popsicles for the kids as well! 🙂

Blog mango smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Greek Yogurt
  • 1 1/2 Cup Pineapple (I used frozen, but can also use fresh)
  • 1 Cup Mango (approximately one whole mango, if not using frozen)
  • 3/4 Cup Coconut Milk
  • 1 TBSP Chia Seeds

Directions

  • Blend all ingredients together and enjoy! 🙂

Thanks Athleta for the inspiration!

dit-elle-Esther

Paleo Coconut Almond Butter Mug Cakes with Banana Ice Cream

Do you ever have a craving for cake, but don’t want to make/have to restrain yourself from eating an entire cake?  ME TOO! 🙂 Mug cakes are easy to make, SUPER easy to clean up from, and take a little over 5 minutes from start to finish-WIN!

I’d heard about mug cakes before, but had never really thought to try my hand at them until I saw Regina from Leelalicious  post this recipe.  Once I saw that you could make them relatively healthy, I was all in!  I’m already thinking of different variations I want to try next!

Blog Paleo Coconut Almond Mug Cake with Banana Ice Cream-Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons Almond Butter
  • 1-½ tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 1-½ tablespoons raw honey
  • 1 tablespoon almond milk (or any milk you’d like)
  • ½ a vanilla bean (scrape out the inside, throw away the shell) or ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4-5 dollops of Medjul Date Caramel Sauce (omit if strictly Paleo)
  • Other topping ideas- chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or berries (dried or fresh)!

Directions

  • In a separate bowl whisk together coconut flour, and baking powder.
  • Add egg, almond butter, coconut oil, honey, almond milk and vanilla bean and blend until creamy.

Blog Paleo Coconut Almond Mug Cake with Banana Ice Cream-1Blog Paleo Coconut Almond Mug Cake with Banana Ice Cream-2Maya loved doing this part, but of course just wanted to eat the batter 😉  Yes, I know…raw egg batter = a no no, but I did it as a kid all the time and turned out just fine! Blog Paleo Coconut Almond Mug Cake with Banana Ice Cream-3Instead of pouring the batter into one large mug, I greased up two ramicans to make two little cakes! Blog Paleo Coconut Almond Mug Cake with Banana Ice Cream-4 Blog Paleo Coconut Almond Mug Cake with Banana Ice Cream-5 Microwave for 2 minutes (depending on your microwave) and you magically have cake!!Blog Paleo Coconut Almond Mug Cake with Banana Ice Cream-6 Blog Paleo Coconut Almond Mug Cake with Banana Ice Cream-7 It turned out surprisingly moist, but I wanted to add a little something to it.  You could do a healthy frosting, but I added some banana ice cream to go along with it.  Only added 2-3 minutes to the process and was SO GOOD!

Take 2 frozen bananas (cut in 3rds before you freeze), add 1/3 cup almond milk or enough to get a creamy consistency.  Blend in Cuisinart or high speed blender for a minute or two.Blog Paleo Coconut Almond Mug Cake with Banana Ice Cream-8Enjoy!!dit-elle-Lauren

Chia Seed Pudding Cups

Chia Seed Pudding Cups are super easy to make and a tasty and healthy paleo snack! You mix chia seeds into a cup of coconut milk, add some flavor and toppings, refrigerate for a few hours and voila! 🙂 No baking, no cooking, no fuss!

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Ingredients (1 serving)

  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds
  • Flavor/topping of choice (pick one or make up your own combo!) 🙂
    • 1/2 tsp almond essence + chopped almonds
    • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom or cardamom seeds (open the pod)
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla essence + fresh berries (I used red currants)
    • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + cinnamon sticks

Directions

  • Mix the coconut milk, chia seeds and flavor well
  • Pour into serving cup
  • Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or up to a couple of days
  • Serve and enjoy

dit-elle-Esther

Medjul Date Caramel Sauce

I’ve seen/heard about people making caramel sauce out of dates, and have been wanting to try it out.  I finally did last week, and YUM!!  No refined sugar, just a few ingredients, and super easy.  Pretty much a win in my book!  Oh, and it’s yummy!Blog Caramel Medjul Date Sauce-3Ingredients

  • 8-10 Medjul Dates (pitted)
  • 1/4-1/3 cup Almond Mild (or milk of your choice) Amount depends on the consistency you want and how many dates you used.
  •  1/2 a vanilla bean (inside scraped out).  Could also use pure vanilla extract
  • A few grinds of sea salt

Directions

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender or Cuisinart and blend until creamy.  You’ll need to scrape the sides a few times.  I started out in a Vitamix, but I don’t think I was making enough so it didn’t blend well.  I dumped everything in my Cuisinart and it turned out great!

Maya loved helping me pit all the dates, and of course hitting the pulse button 😉Blog Caramel Medjul Date Sauce-Blog Caramel Medjul Date Sauce-2Blog Caramel Medjul Date Sauce-4You can dip apples in this, spread on toast, or put over ice cream (or banana ice cream!), or put dollops into a cake (THAT is coming on Wednesday-so good!!!)

Blog Caramel Medjul Date Sauce-6Blog Caramel Medjul Date Sauce-5Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

 

White Denim Addict…

 This was such a gorgeous night.  The only problem was that the clouds kept going in and out.  Bright warm sunshine and then chilly clouds…

Oh well!  Of the things I could complain about…that’s not high on the list 😉Blog Micheal Stars Striped Tunic Genetic Denim the Shane White Silver Studded Superga-1Yes, I’m slightly obsessed with white jeans… Blog Micheal Stars Striped Tunic Genetic Denim the Shane White Silver Studded Superga-2 Blog Micheal Stars Striped Tunic Genetic Denim the Shane White Silver Studded Superga-3 Blog Micheal Stars Striped Tunic Genetic Denim the Shane White Silver Studded Superga-4 Blog Micheal Stars Striped Tunic Genetic Denim the Shane White Silver Studded Superga-5 Blog Micheal Stars Striped Tunic Genetic Denim the Shane White Silver Studded Superga-6Nose kisses! Blog Micheal Stars Striped Tunic Genetic Denim the Shane White Silver Studded Superga-7She started off with a jacket, but that came off quickly!Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-1Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-2Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-3Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-4Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-5Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-6Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-7Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-8Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-9Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-10There were two women there feeding the seagulls, so of course Maya wanted to do it too.  They were nice enough to give her some bread.Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-11…and of course she had so much fun.  I’m actually kind of scared of birds in general, so I reeeeeeeaaaaally didn’t like her being this close to them.  SHE however, loved it!Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-12Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-13Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-14Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-15Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-16And then the sun started to set.  SO PRETTY!!!Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-17Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-18Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-19Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-20Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-21Blog Little Boogaweezin Beautiful Hearts Tee Joes Jeans Pink Check Vans-22On me…

Top- Michael Stars (eBay, similar here)
Jeans- Genetic Denim “the Shane” (eBay, similar here)
Shoes- Superga Silver Studded (eBay, without the studs here)
On Maya…
Jeans- Joe’s Jeans (thrifted, but similar here)
Shoes- Vans (thrifted, but similar here)
Keeping it Real…
That big ol’ stick that Maya was waving around?  Yeah, she threw it at my head right after that last shot.  It wasn’t malicious.  More her trying to do kung fu.  BUT…instant gash and goose egg for me, and later a nice big black eye.  Sweet…
And…this is what we look like right before the first shot when I haven’t moved the focusing stand out of the way haha.
Blog OuttakeWHOOPS!Blog Outtake 1
(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren