It seems like every year when autumn hits, I get a serious baking itch and I start baking like crazy. Anyone else do the same thing? I especially get into the quintessential fall baking ingredients - including pumpkin, apple, cinnamon and nutmeg. I feel like I can't get enough! I mean, is there anything that smells better than all of those delicious flavors baking in the kitchen? Playing around in the kitchen with my favorite sweet fall ingredients is precisely how this recipe was born. I'm not normally a juice drinker, but I bought apple cider a few times this season after trying some at a local orchard and remembering that apple cider is in fact delicious. This recipe puts a twist on pumpkin bread by including apple cider and diced apple in the batter. I also made ... [Read More]
breakfast recipes
Anti-Inflammatory Banana Turmeric Smoothie [vegan + gf]
Who else is a summertime baby? Today is my birthday! My 31st birthday celebrations kicked off with a Saturday night out in downtown San Diego with my cousins and husband, when we enjoyed Spanish tapas, then sang the night away at my favorite piano bar. The birthday celebrations continue today, and I plan on spending the day doing some of my favorite things: A morning beach walk with my pup, an afternoon of wine tasting with my hubby, and an appetizer style picnic lunch at a winery are all on the agenda. Speaking of favorite things, today I'm talking about one of my favorite types of easy meals to whip up: a nutritious, delicious smoothie. Smoothies have long been one of my favorite ways to pack in fruits, veggies, protein, vitamins & antioxidants in one small meal. But lately I've ... [Read More]
Baked Strawberry Donuts with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting {vegan}
Healthier than your typical fried donuts, these vegan baked donuts use fresh strawberries, oats & cashew butter in the batter, & are topped with a strawberry cream cheese frosting! I haven't shared a sweet tooth recipe with you in a solid six weeks. The madness! Truth be told, I've been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen with new snack & dessert recipes, but many of them have been freelance projects. But today I'm back with a very delicious donut recipe... my very first donut recipe on the blog! Over the holidays, my hubby's grandmom & mom gave us a gift card to Stonewall Kitchen, and I went ahead & purchased something I'd been meaning to nab for awhile... a donut pan! I've been playing around with my first batches of homemade donuts, & ... [Read More]
Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana French Toast
One of the things that I love so much about connecting with other foodies and bloggers that are passionate about delicious eats is getting inspiration from them. So often I'll see a food combination in a recipe and think 'What a great idea!' and sometimes it really helps to spark creativity in my kitchen. I adore that I can get tips about eateries to check out via people I follow on social media, or fall in foodie love with pictures of a fellow food blogging friend's recipe. I love food as it is, but this connection makes cooking, baking, eating, and recipe creating even more fun! One of the food bloggers that I've been reading for years is Sarah from Making Thyme for Health, who I got to meet at Natural Products Expo West last year. Her and I share a passion for healthy, plant-based ... [Read More]
Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Protein Pancakes {dairy free + gluten free}
Hi friends! Things have been quiet over here this week... because my real life has been hectic! The past week has been a whirlwind, between getting through the busiest time of the year for my publicist job, celebrating a friend's birthday locally in San Diego (with a private Pilates class & smoothie hangout!), then packing, getting organized, and setting off to Las Vegas for work. Last night I flew from Vegas to New Jersey, where we are in the midst of wedding busyness leading up to my brother's wedding this weekend. So, as you can imagine, there has been a lot happening in my world. BUT! Today I'm back to share one of my favorite recipes. It's a goodie! Pretty much everyone that knows me well knows about my love for pancakes. They're my favorite fancy breakfast, hands down. I've ... [Read More]
Sunflower Butter Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies [dairy free & gluten free]
Hi friends! I have been down for the count with a killer ear infection + upper respiratory sickness. It's a major bummer because I've gotten sick the last couple of times that I've visited Jersey to spend time with family, despite my nonstop rubbing of essential oils and drinking of green tea. I almost never get sick otherwise, and I think it's the combination of a cross-country flight (the woman next to me was coughing the entire time!), going nonstop making plans with family & friends, the weather change, being around my adorable but very germ-y nephews, and drinking wine multiple days in a row. So, now I'm back home in Cali, resting up this week and taking it easy so that I can get back to normal. But let's talk about something more fun... like cookies! Breakfast cookies ... [Read More]