3 Replies

I’ve been seeing so many pictures of Nana Ice Cream on Instagram, and have been dying to try my own version. Funny thing…I’m not really a big fan of bananas haha. So, I added a few other things into the mix to see how it turned out. OMG, it was so creamy and delicious!!! One of my favorite desserts (crazy, I know!) is just a plain soft serve ice cream cone. I am TOTALLY doing that with this recipe later!!

I’ve also been itching to make a crust out of almonds and dates, so….I figured why not make them both…TOGETHER! You’d think you were eating a decadent dessert, yet not! Now, with all the almonds and dates, it’s not necessarily low calorie/low fat, but it’s all good for you, so toss the guilt aside, and ENJOY!So the crust on these…OMG. I am a die hard LOVER of graham cracker crust. Like, I double it every time I make a cheesecake or other recipe that calls for it :} This was pretty darn close and so much better for you! Totally converting!Ingredients (makes 8 little pies, or could make one 9 inch pie)

Ice Cream

6 frozen bananas
1/3 Cup Almonds
1 Can low fat Coconut Milk
2 Medjul Dates (pitted)

Crust

12 Medjul Dates (pitted)
1 1/3 Cup Almonds
2 1/2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

Directions

In a food processor pulse the ingredients for the crust until it starts to clump together. I took 1/3 of a cup and put it in the bottom of each little glass bowl (could use ramicans or place most of it all in a 9 inch pie dish). I kept a little left over to sprinkle over the top of the pies.
I a blender, mix all the Ice Cream ingredients until smooth and creamy. I spooned 1/2 cup into the little bowls, and then sprinkled the leftover crust mix.
This really is best served right away, but you can freeze them and then let them sit out for about 15-20 minutes before serving.
I topped with shaved unsweetened coconut and fresh blueberries. Really, the possibilities are endless on how you can vary this! And…I WILL!

ENJOY!!

Nutritional Facts (I entered all the ingredients into Calorie Count)

Per Individual Pie

Serves 8 // Calories per Individual Pie- 351 // Total Fat- 17g // Saturated Fat- 7g // Total Carbohydrates-55.8g // Dietary Fiber-7.3 // Sugars- 33.1g // Protein- 5.8g

Summer Neutrals…

Summer Fruit & Coconut Milk Popsicles

1 Reply

It’s summer! And nothing says summer like sweet refreshing popsicles! This is a GREAT kitchen project to involve kids in – Ava LOVES to help make these. I chop the fruit, she adds it to the cup and pours the coconut milk in. Together we use the blender to mix it all up and then we fill the popsicle forms. And it is SO exciting to take them out of the freezer later. So easy, fun and these make a great summer snack.

Ingredients

Note that quantities will depend on how many popsicles you are making – this batch made 8 for us. Also – you can throw in whatever fruit or berries you have. Strawberries make a beautiful pink color, blueberries will turn everything purple. Enjoy! 🙂
1 peach or nectarine
1 orange
1 large slice of cantaloupe
2/3 cup coconut milk

Directions

Peel, chop and blend everything till smooth
Pour in your popsicle molds
Freeze and serve

How many pairs of distressed skinny jeans does a girl need…

3 Replies

Apparently at least one more 🙂

I posted a glimpse on Instagram of one of my latest thrift hauls (actually a different outfit that I have yet to wear!). Is that something anyone would want to see more of on the blog? Like how much I score things for, or no? In any case…this entire outfit cost me less than $20! Retail would have been more than $250 🙂 The other thing I love about thrifting, is buying brands I may never have bought otherwise. I don’t think I’ve ever shopped at Talbots, but since scooping up this top I’ve worn it twice in 3 days haha :} So…the upside to this school playground that we’ve been going to pretty much every other night. There’s usually only a few people there (if any!), so I don’t feel as self conscious setting up the tripod to take pics. AND…Maya just plays on the playground while I snap a few quick pics of myself…all within eyesight! Total win. Then, I can usually lure her over to play in front of the camera for a few of us together… 🙂 The downside is… that if there are other kids there, she certainly is not in the mood to take pics with me haha. Not that it’s really a downside. I LOVE that she run, run, runs here. Am I the only mom that loves going to school playgrounds more than actual playgrounds because there are no swings or sand pits? Kind of defeats the point to have Maya go and want to swing the entire time or sit in the sandbox and dump sand over her head over and over (total mean mommy admission!!!)

Anywho! There was NO getting her in front of the tripod on this night, but the Huz was there (yahoo to that after him being in NYC all week!!!), so he took these next few of us as I was wrangling her to go home 🙂 Oh magical sun setting light. How I love you… And that adorable nugget?? TOO CUTE!! It was a good night…On me…

Top- Talbots (thrifted, similar here)

Jeans- Paige “Blue Heights” (thrifted, similar here)

Shoes- Betula by Birkenstocks (thrifted, similar here)

On Maya… (total outfit cost-$5!)

Dress- Hanna Andersson (thrifted)

Shoes- Stride Rite (thrifted, similar here)

Keeping it Real…

I am almost caught up with work, so I’m doing links again. Not sure how long that will last or if anyone cares 😉

(all pictures of me taken with a self timer and tripod, ones of me with Maya by the Huz :))

Lemon Granita

2 Replies

Well, it’s pushing 90 in Seattle this week which really is not bad given the damp chilly weather we had this winter. OK, 90 does start to feel a little hot, but that’s when you make awesome Lemon Granita! 🙂

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 cup sugar (or 2/3 cups honey)
2 to 3 teaspoons chopped fresh basil, mint, lemon balm or rosemary (optional)
1 1/4 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest

Preparation

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat and stir in optional fresh herbs. Cool to room temperature; strain.
Stir together herbed simple syrup, lemon juice and zest. Transfer to a non-reactive baking dish and freeze for 30 minutes. Thoroughly scrape the entire pan with a fork, breaking up ice crystals. Repeat this freezing and scraping process every 30 minutes, until granita is firm but not frozen solid, 2 to 4 hours.
Spoon into small glasses and serve.

Thanks and inspired by the PCC Granita de Limone recipe!

Zara Sale….take 2 :}

2 Replies

Ok, so my Zara sale “Happy Birthday to me” purchase was not just limited to this. 🙂 I got these shoes too!! They were only $29!! I have to admit…they aren’t as comfortable as the leopard ones (which I wore on a shoot the other day-passed that test!). That’s ok though. They aren’t uncomfortable, and they are so flipping cute!! Oh, and this boxy tee too 😉 Because, you can never have too many white tees (they never stay white…)! Maya found some sidewalk chalk on the playground…

“Mommy, draw a cat?”

“Sure…”

“With a tail!”

“Sure!”

“And a cow!”

I’m actually a pretty good artist, but a cow? Why are those so hard to draw??

“Um, he’s sleeping…” (My answer to everything I don’t want to/can’t do :))and…she accepts it every time hahahaBecause, she has Goffrey2. Why does she need a cow??OMG, I don’t even know what she is doing here, but it cracks me up!!!I’m only including this picture, because it’s actually a big deal. Maya is SO cautious at any playground!!! She was pretty early/advanced in all her verbal/mental stages, but late in most of her motor skills. She’s still totally cautious to climb anything and still won’t stand up on the slide platform no matter how high/low the slide is. She crawls… SO, the fact that she wanted to climb up this “rock wall” thing was pretty cool! This was about as far as she went, but still! 🙂On me…

Top- Zara (on sale now!)

Jeans- Current Elliott (ebay, similar here)

Shoes- Zara (sold out :()

On Maya…

Dress- Old Navy (thrifted)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted)

Keeping it Real…

Honestly, I don’t even remember what was going on here. Might have been that she saw the chalk, yet I wasn’t sure what she meant? Or maybe…Goffrey2 got dropped?? (insert horror emoticon!!) Either way…it’s not always smiles, hugs, and kisses 😉

Blog Old Navy Striped Dress Brown Converse-7

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes // Gluten Free

6 Replies

What makes Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins even better? FROSTING!! 🙂 I didn’t have any cream cheese on hand, so I thought I’d try something with goat cheese. I love getting creative with what’s on hand! I left the room for a minute. When I came back, Maya had taken a bite out of every carrot and was working her way through this one 🙂I’m reposting the recipe for the muffins turned cupcakes 🙂

Ingredients (makes 12)

Muffins

4-5 small organic carrots (about a cup)
1/2 Cup unsweetened applesauce
6 Medjul Dates (pitted)
2 Eggs
1/8th teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8th teaspoon salt
1/8th teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8th teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I cheat and use this)
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 Tablespoons Pure Organic Honey
1 Cup Cooked Quinoa
1/4 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Frosting

3 oz goat cheese (I get the little individual 1 oz packs from Trader Joe’s)
2 6 oz containers of Non Fat Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Pure Organic Honey

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
Peel and break in half the carrots and pulse in a Cuisinart til shredded.
Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse til blended.
Scoop 1/4 of a cup of the mixture into muffin tins
Sprinkle shredded coconut on top
Bake for 50-55 minutes.
Place a big dollop of frosting on and ENJOY!
These are really moist. I’m not sure why. They don’t do well if you seal them up in a container, so just refrigerate what doesn’t get gobbled up immediately, and they will not dry out.

Nutritional Facts (I entered all the ingredients into Calorie Count)

Cupcakes

Serves 12 // Calories per frosted cupcake- 160 // Total Fat- 5.9g // Saturated Fat- 3.9g // Cholestererol- 35mg // Sodium- 178mg // Total Carbohydrates-18.7g // Dietary Fiber-1.5 // Sugars- 12.6g // Protein- 8g

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

5 Replies

I’ll admit…these were my 2nd attempt. I’ve been wanting to make a carrot cake version of the Banana Muffins I made, and my first attempt were just a liiiiiittle too healthy tasting haha. Maya gobbled them up, but that’s not really saying much 😉 So…I made them a little bit sweeter, and loved them! There’s still no refined sugar, so they are much healthier than the standard carrot cake. They are super moist, not heavy like other carrot cakes, and delicious!

Ingredients (makes 12 muffins)

4-5 small organic carrots (about a cup)
1/2 Cup unsweetened applesauce
6 Medjul Dates (pitted)
2 Eggs
1/8th teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8th teaspoon salt
1/8th teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8th teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I cheat and use this)
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 Tablespoons Pure Organic Honey
1 Cup Cooked Quinoa
1/4 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
Peel and break in half the carrots and pulse in a Cuisinart til shredded.
Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse til blended.
Scoop 1/4 of a cup of the mixture into muffin tins
Sprinkle shredded coconut on top
Bake for 50-55 minutes.
These are really moist. I’m not sure why. They don’t do well if you seal them up in a container, so just leave them out and they will not dry out. Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts (I entered all the ingredients into Calorie Count)

Serves 12 // Calories per muffin- 98 // Total Fat- 3.4g // Saturated Fat- 2.2g // Cholestererol- 27mg // Sodium- 146mg // Potassium- 198mg // Total Carbohydrates-15.1g // Dietary Fiber-1.5 // Sugars- 9g // Protein- 2.2g

Zucchini Crust Pizza

Prim and Proper + A little Edge…

Paleo Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pies

Summer Neutrals…

Summer Fruit & Coconut Milk Popsicles

How many pairs of distressed skinny jeans does a girl need…

Lemon Granita

Zara Sale….take 2 :}

Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes // Gluten Free

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

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