Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie on a Sweet Grain Free Crust

It's time for Pecan Pie! (But say that in a loud, drawn out southern twang with pecan pronounced "pee-can" like the coke).  I'm serious, I LOVE PECAN PIE SOOOOO MUCH.  It's rich, buttery, woodsy, and makes me think of my grandparents- who doesn't love that association.  This crust and caramel topping is made with butter and I love it for that.  I know some people would prefer a dairy-free option and I think grapeseed oil, refined coconut oil (for less coconut flavor) or earth balance would be good options, although I'm not sure how earth balance cooks up and melts. If you make this dairy free, would you let me know?  And I like the addition of dark chocolate in this recipe, although if you wanted to keep this totally refined sugar free, you could leave it out and double the caramel pecan filling.

You may like my Vegan Pecan Pie Bars made with coconut palm sugar
Grain Free Pecan Pie with a crust made from coconut flour and maple sugar and cream in the filling
This inspiring story of one woman's rare intestinal condition and finding her way to a healing diet
These look divine- I can't wait to try a version made with honey and almond flour!
And yummy Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies (paleo and vegan)

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie on a Sweet Grain Free Crust
makes one 9" pie, serves 6-10

Sweet Grain Free Crust
1 1/2 C blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 C butter melted
2 T honey
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Filling
1/2-1 C chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips)
1 C toasted pecans
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C butter
1/4 C honey
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare the pie crust
whisk the melted butter, honey and vanilla to combine
mix the blanched almond flour, salt and baking soda
pour the wet into the dry and mix well
plop into the pie pan (i've used foil and ceramic, they cooked the same) or use a 9" square pan
with clean hands press on the dough from the center out so it creates an even coverage
then press out and up the sides, finally pressing the top of the sides down slightly to create an even edge
poke with a fork a few times and bake 12-14 minutes
you could probably bake it a little longer if you like a crispier crust, but be careful not to burn
remove the pie from the oven and let cool a couple minutes, but keep the oven on
pour the chocolate chips over the crust and return to the oven for 3 minutes so the chips begin to melt
they will look glossy but not bubbly- you don't want the chocolate to actually cook, just melt
remove from the oven and spread with a clean spatula until there is a smooth even layer of chocolate
let cool again while you cook the topping
you are now done with the oven, and will move to the stove top
I used pre-toasted pecans which worked fine, or you can toast them yourself.  But definitely used toasted pecans since this pie filling is not cooked in the oven
in a sauce pan combine the butter, honey and vanilla and melt over low to medium heat
stir continuously until bubbling and then add the toasted pecans and salt
stir for another 2 minutes so the pecans have a chance to blend with the caramel
remove from the heat and using a metal spoon, dollop the caramel pecan topping over the chocolate
gently spread the pecans to even them out and pour the remaining caramel over the top
you want the caramel and pecans to spread evenly over the chocolate without mixing with the chocolate too much.  The chocolate layer is still soft though, so a little mixing is okay or you could chill the crust with chocolate before topping with the caramel and pecans.
Let cool before serving for a softer chocolate layer, or chill in the fridge for a hard chocolate shell.

The Perfect Chocolate Cake (gluten, grain & refined sugar free) And Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  Mom, I love you! 

And I love this chocolate cake recipe. It's very rich, dark and decadent. Strong enough to stand on its own with tea or coffee, and it also pairs very well with a flavored frosting. It's a tiny bit chewy, a little fluffy and not too crumbly. See I told you, perfect.

I doubled the recipe and made a Layer Cake with Strawberry Buttercream
I made minis last summer and added chopped strawberries and dark chocolate pieces 
I might die for this Grain Free Chocolate Truffle Cake (a mix between chocolate truffle and a brownie)
I'll have to dry this Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake with sugar and dairy free strawberry cream!
Uh oh, Chocolate Cake for One
and if you're not already swooning, No Joke Dark Chocolate Cake

The Perfect Chocolate Cake (gluten, grain & refined sugar free)
makes 9-12 cupcakes, 24 minis or 1 cake layer

2 eggs
3 T melted butter
1/2 C honey
1/4 C palm sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 C blanched almond flour
3/4 C cocoa powder

preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper liners
first whisk the eggs, melted butter, honey and vanilla
in a separate bowl (very important) use a clean, dry whisk and mix the blanched almond flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda until throughly combined.  There should be no lumps if possible!
mix the wet into the dry ingredients and combine
use an ice cream scoop to fill the paper liners.  Using a full scoop will yield 9 cupcakes or a 3/4 full scoop will yield 12 shorter cupcakes.  These will take less time to bake and will leave more room for frosting!
bake 12-14 minutes until the tops are round and dry but the edges are not burnt- watch carefully as burning happens quickly
remove gently from the oven so the cupcakes do not collapse (it's okay if they do) and let cool
then eat as is, or top with a yummy frosting

Week 2 Meal Plan: A Menu and Grocery List for Two

A long while ago I posted a meal plan for the week:
Week 1: Menu and Grocery List for Two

Today I give you the second week's installment:
Week 2 Meal Plan: A Menu and Grocery List for Two

Week 2 Menu:

Sunday
B: Blueberry Pancakes with baked bacon and cheesy scrambled eggs (make Yogurt- ready in 24 hours)
L: Tuna melt (no bread) with avocado, cucumber and tomato on the side
D: Pan seared chicken with cauliflower mash and steamed peas

Monday
B: Left over blueberry Crepes with baked bacon and cheesy scrambled eggs
L: Ham Lettuce wrap with sprouted navy bean hummus (or store bought) and veggie sticks. (I buy Applegate Farms ham.  For no sugar you could buy the turkey, and for no fillers or sugar you could buy the roast beef)
D: Left over chicken, cauliflower mash and peas

Bake Banana Muffins 

Tuesday
B: Bacon, plain scrambled eggs and a banana muffin
L: Left over tuna melt with avocado, cucumber and tomato
D: Beef stroganoff (I left out the gf flour and beef broth, and you could use yogurt instead of sour cream) with broccoli mash 

Bake Simple & Savory Rolls

Wednesday
B: Bacon, cheesy scrambled eggs with avocado
L: Sandwich on a roll with veggie sticks and yogurt ranch dressing
D: Left over beef stroganoff, broccoli mash and a simple green salad with oil and vinegar or lemon

Thursday
B: Bacon, plain eggs and a banana muffin
L: Lettuce wrap with veggies and hummus
D: Arugula stuffed chicken with sauteed asparagus

Friday
B: Toasted roll with swiss cheese and a fried egg
L: Left over arugula stuffed chicken over a simple green salad with oil and vinegar or lemon
D: Cheddar and caramelized onion pizza with veggie sticks and yogurt ranch dressing

Saturday
B: Scrambled Eggs with ham and swiss cheese and a banana muffin
L: Left over Pizza in a lettuce wrap, then dip it all in yogurt ranch dressing
D: Date Night!

Week 2 Grocery List:
4 ripe bananas
blueberries
hummus, (or makings for sprouted navy bean hummus: dried navy beans, garlic, lemon and tahini)
Farmer's cheese
parmesan (optional for the broccoli mash)
cheddar cheese
swiss cheese
greek yogurt (or make your own with starter yogurt and half and half)
sour cream (optional for the beef stroganoff, or just use yogurt)
1 package bacon
2 packages chicken breasts
1 lb beef
2 packages deli ham or other deli meat
roasted red peppers (make sure they are gf)
asparagus
1 lg onion
cauliflower
broccoli
frozen peas
2 avocados
2 tomatoes
1 cucumber
2 peppers
baby carrots
2 packages mushrooms
arugula
salad greens
green leaf lettuce head
2 dozen eggs
4 cans tuna
canned or jarred crushed tomatoes
pumpkin seeds (optional for the banana muffins)

Staple Items you will need for this week:
almond meal (trader joe's brand)
blanched almond flour (Honeyville brand)
vanilla extract
coconut milk
salt
baking soda
butter
olive oil
red wine vinegar
Lemon
honey
mayo
canned or jarred crushed tomatoes
onion powder
cayenne pepper
dried basil
dried dill

Icebox Pie with Creamy Lime Filling and Berry Medley

We've eaten this pie now for dessert, snack and breakfast.  It's sweet, tart, creamy, fruity and a little bit decadent while still being light and refreshing.  Icebox pie is meant to be refrigerated or frozen with a topping that doesn't have to be cooked.  This crust is a press-in pecan crust that's baked and cooled, and it's made with honey and maple sugar granules.  It's good right away, but definitely gets better after sitting overnight.  I can't wait to make this again, possibly with cinnamon in the crust, lemon in the filling and blackberries on top. 

You may also like:
Grain Free Chocolate Icebox Pie (made with cocoa, cream and a walnut crust)
Strawberry Icebox Tart made with avocados and bananas!
Whipped Coconut Cream Freezer Pie with a Mint Swirl and Chocolate Crust and
Grain and Dairy Free Grasshopper Pie

Icebox Pie with Creamy Lime Filling and Berry Medley
makes two 9" pies or one 13x9" pan

Sweet Pecan Crust
2 1/2 C almond meal
2 1/2 C ground roasted salted pecans
1/2 C butter melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C honey
1/4 C maple sugar granules (or Palm Sugar)

Creamy Lime Filling
2 blocks cream cheese room temperature
3 C greek yogurt (or omit the cream cheese and use 5 C yogurt)
zest and juice of 2 limes
1 T vanilla
1/4 C butter melted
1 C honey

Berry Medley Topping
1 container each of organic blueberries, raspberries and strawberries
a drizzle of honey and vanilla


First preheat the oven to 350 and choose two pie pans or one large baking dish
(no need to butter these, there is enough butter in the sweet pecan crust)

Prepare the crust by grinding the roasted salted pecans in a food processor.  Grind until the pecans are small bits, but be sure to stop before they turn into pecan butter.
Mix with the almond meal, melted butter, salt, honey and maple sugar granules or palm sugar
Divide evenly between the two pie dishes and press from the center out to form an even layer
(you can leave the crust flat or push it up the sides of the dish for more of a pie crust edge)
Bake for 12-25 minutes depending on the size of the baking dish- watch carefully so the edges don't burn- this will happen fast!  You want the crust dry looking on top and a little browner on the edges.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before topping

To prepare the Creamy Lime Filling, make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature
Use a hand mixer to blend well with the greek yogurt, lime zest and juice, vanilla, melted butter and honey
If just using yogurt, blend until combined.  If using cream cheese and yogurt, blend until there are no lumps.
Set aside in the fridge until the pie crust is cooled and ready for topping

Prepare the Berry Meddly Topping by first washing and dicing the strawberries
Mix with the other berries and top with a drizzle of honey and a splash of vanilla
Blend gently and let sit before serving

Assemble the pies by dividing the creamy lime filling evenly into the crusts and spreading flat across the top
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving, but overnight is best.  Freezing works well too!
Top with the berries right before serving, or set them in a separate bowl with a spoon for people to top as they please.  (If you top with the berries too early, the juices will seep out and spread across the creamy filling and look messy).  To serve, slice the crust with a sharp knife into triangles or square pieces, wiping the filling from your knife after each slice. 

Food Confessions: What's in my Fridge

My recipe for Grass Fed Beef in Tomato Sauce over Yogurt Dill Green Beans

Curious about what we eat on a weekly basis? I've found that I tend to buy the same things every week and just use them in different variations.  I'll always buy chicken breasts, but some days we make pan seared lemon chicken and others we make sauteed chicken pieces with mushrooms and onions.  I tend to make simple dishes, there aren't many multi-step meals in my daily routine anymore.  This helps me enjoy the cooking process in the evening, which is important because we cook a whole lot.

When I'm planning meals for the week, I plan around the meats and vegetables and buy enough so there will be left overs for me to take for lunch.  I also make my grocery lists according to the food sections in the store. I group dairy items together, then the meat, then the fruits and veggies, etc.  This helps me to remember items for my list that I may have overlooked and it makes the shopping trip faster.

Snacks are sort of my downfall.  I try to eat small snacks often during the day, but they have to be healthy. Otherwise I'll eat anything because I'm so hungry and five cookies a day is a BAD idea. So I try to add a few extra easy to prepare and bring to work snacks every time I food shop.  This way there are always options in the fridge and in my lunch bag.

What's in my Fridge:
2 dozen cage free eggs
grass fed butter
cheddar and swiss cheese
greek yogurt
grass fed beef
organic/free range chicken
chicken apple sausage
all natural bacon
applegate farms ham
red grapes (organic if possible)
lemons
oranges
honeycrisp apples
frozen green beans
frozen peas
broccoli
cauliflower
organic mixed greens
big leaf green lettuce
cucumber
red pepper
tomatoes
carrots
hummus
Tuna salad
synergy kombucha
organic carrot juice

Fruit Salad Yogurt Sweetened with Honey

Hello there!

The weather turned hot and muggy this week (thank you east coast virginia marshland) and my food cravings instantly changed.  Does that ever happen to you?  I went from wanting baked chicken with mashed cauliflower to cucumbers and coconut water.  Sometimes foods just perk you up, make you feel lighter and energized, and that's just what I needed after these hot days.

Lately I've also been craving ice cream, something that usually happens every few weeks.  I'm now able to eat ice cream and other dairy products every now and then, but a few years ago when I was first diagnosed with Celiac disease, I was also lactose intolerant.  A lot of foods were hard to digest and my stomach was upset a lot of the time.  Luckily, my body and digestive system changed and healed after eating gluten, grain, and sugar free.  In addition, a big part of the diet I followed was taking high doses of probiotics and eating home made yogurt that's also high in probiotics.  The gluten, grain and sugar free foods help to reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in your gut, while the probiotics recolinate your insides with good and helpful bacteria.

While I do eat some ice cream here and there, I also really love thick yogurt.  Sometimes I even prefer it to ice cream. I make it at home and ferment it for 24 hours, but I also buy delicious plain greek yogurt too. It's a great snack or dessert on hot days, it's lighter and has less sugar than ice cream, but it's still filling and satisfying.

Fruit Salad Yogurt Sweetened with Honey

slice a handful of organic grapes
orange segments from one orange
a few organic strawberries
and part of a banana slices (if you like)
add a big spoonful of plain greek or homemade yogurt
enough honey to sweeten your concoction
and a dash of vanilla (my secret to all sweetened yogurts)

Mix it all up and enjoy

My Favorite: Cookbook Covers

Don't these cookbook covers make you want to bake, eat, draw, have a dinner party, have a tea party and cozy up with a blanket on the couch?

Home Made books by Yvette Van Boven, Food & Illustration
Katie Quinn Davies from WhatKatieAte.com
TheSproutedKitchen by Sara Forte
100% Natural LARD from the editors at Grit Magazine
Small Plates, Sweet Treats by Cannelle et Vanille
Heather Baird from SprinkleBakes.com

Vegan Breakfast Cookies

Sweet plump raisins, dark dark chocolate, and my new favorite combination of honey, vanilla and coconut oil.  These vegan breakfast cookies have a chewy goodness that's great for the morning.  They're not too sweet, and have a lovely layered flavor. Perfect for on the go too! Coconut oil makes them dairy free, and applesauce keeps them egg free.

I've used Baker's Chocolate which is totally sugar free, very dark and a tad bitter.  You may want to substitute with dark chocolate morsels or pieces.

You may like my Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Waffles
Read how to Choose a Good Coconut Oil- the definitive guide by the Food Renegade
These Grain Free and Vegan Spiced Carob Cookies look tasty
I can't wait to make the Perfect Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookie by The Urban Poser

Vegan Breakfast Cookies
makes 18

1 1/2 C almond meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C coconut oil melted
1/4 C honey
1/4 unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C organic raisins
1/4 C dark chocolate, pieces or morsels

Preheat the oven to 350
Use a mini ice cream scoop to place balls of dough evenly on a lined cookie sheet
Dip a spatula in water and push the top of each cookie into a flat circle
Use the edge of the spatula to push in sides of the cookies if any stray pieces of dough stick out
Bake around 15 minutes, or a little less if you'd like these chewy
Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes before eating

My Favorite: Alone Time

Chris and I realized the other day that we've been together for 7 years, SEVEN YEARS!  Craaaazy.  That's a little less than a quarter of my life.  We have so many memories of us together and so many choices are made with each other in mind. Once we really got serious, when we moved in together, and now that we're married, making time for ourselves has been an pertinent discussion. We talk about it often, and we both want to make sure that we're always giving each other what we need, but also taking care of ourselves.  We want to make each other happy, but we also want to keep ourselves happy.

I think I do a pretty good job of fitting things that I want to do into my daily schedule.  But there are days when I NEED alone time.  Life catches up to me and I find that I really need a day or a big chunk of time where I'm on my own schedule and I just do what I want.

Sometimes I just need a quiet space where I can let go and be with myself.  I read, I cook dinner for myself or eat a bowl of cookie dough. Other days my alone time gets me out of the house.  I'll get a cupcake and stop by the Anthropologie sale section.  Or I'll take as long as I want at the farmer's market, stop at the wine and cheese shop, and then go to a few thrift stores.  

Alone time is a way for me to wind down, meditate a little and think about what I truly want.  It's something all for me, where I don't have to be on anyone else's schedule, I don't have to make decisions  based on others' needs or wants.  It's just what I want.  Alone time brings me back to myself, and then I'm a better person the rest of the time.

How do you think about Alone time?  Is it a necessity, an after thought, awesome or scary?

Strawberry Buttercream Chocolate Layer Cake

My new friend asked me to bake a cake for her birthday.  I WAS SO EXCITED.  I love making things for people that will make them happy.  She eats gluten free by choice most of the time, and baking a gluten free layer cake is pretty daunting for a lot of people not in the know.  My training at Cake Love last summer helped me with some of the details in preparing this cake- like trimming the cake layers and icing a crumb coat.  But you do not need professional training to make this cake, I promise.  The chocolate cake is made with yogurt and honey, totally refined sugar free, low lactose and low carb.  I do apologize for this delicious strawberry buttercream icing.  There are a lot of refined-sugar and dairy free alternatives to icing out there, but for a true buttercream you need butter and powdered sugar.  Sorry friends. 

And here's my Pep Talk:
Clean your kitchen, make space to prepare everthing, allow enough time for all of the steps, and enjoy the process. Don't worry if you mess up, just fix it and no one will know. They'll be so distracted by your delicious gluten free layer cake! And if all else fails, tear up the cake and layer it in a big bowl with icing and strawberry slices to make a trifle. 

Strawberry Buttercream Chocolate Layer Cake
serves 12

Chocolate Cake for Two Layers
4 eggs
1/4 C + 2 T full fat plain yogurt
1 1/2 C honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C cocoa powder
2 1/2 C blanched almond flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Strawberry Buttercream
5 medium strawberries
1 stick room temperature butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 T honey
1 lb bag powdered sugar

You will need:
Hand held mixer
Food processor (A vitamix might work for this too, but I haven't tried it)
2 9" circle cake pans
8" Parchment circles
8" cardboard circles and 12" cake box (optional and can be found at craft stores)
Offset spatula
Plastic baggie for decorating

Preheat the oven to 350
Prepare the cake pans:
Butter them and lay a parchment circle in the base of each pan
(To make the parchment circles, pull out two pieces of paper, layer them together, trace the bottom of the cake pan, cut out the circles, trimming them a little smaller so they definitely fit in the cake pans.)
Set the prepared cake pans aside and prepare the chocolate cake

Make the cake batter:
Whisk the eggs, honey, yogurt, vanilla
In a separate bowl mix the cocoa powder, blanched almond flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix very well with a whisk so all of the blanched almond flour combines with the cocoa, and most of the lumps are gone
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
Pour the chocolate cake batter into the two cake pans, dividing it as equally as you can
Use a spatula to spread the batter to the edge and even out the top
Bake 20-22 minutes until the top is dry and the edges have just pulled away from the pans
You can certainly cook this a little longer if the cake it still undercooked in the center, but watch it very closely as you don't want the edges to burn and become bitter and the cake too dry
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before icing- at least an hour!

Make the icing:
You can prepare the icing the day before, while the cake bakes, or even while the cake cools.  The icing is very fast and easy to make.
First wash, trim and cut the strawberries into pieces.  Place them in a food processor and process 3 times until the strawberries are cut very small.
Then slice the room temperature butter and place it in the processor with the vanilla, lemon juice and honey.  Process 3 times until everything is a mixed up- don't worry that it has separated into smaller pieces. 
Next pour in a third of the bag of powdered sugar, process and wipe down the sides.  Repeat this two  more times until the bag of sugar is empty and the icing is mixed. By the end the icing will be thick and not mix very well- you will know when it's done.
Carefully remove the blade from the processor and wipe off the icing, then place all of the icing into a large mixing bowl.  Use a hand held mixer on high speed to whisk the icing and make it a little fluffier.  Set aside until ready to ice the cake.  If you make the icing way ahead of time, you can refrigerate it, then when you're ready to use just let it come to room temperature and whisk.

Assemble the cake:
First level the cake.  This video shows how.  If the edges are a little burnt, you can carefully turn the cake on the side and trim off the edges with a serrated steak knife.  Don't worry if it's not totally smooth, you can smooth it out with the crumb coat later. 

Place the bottom layer on a plate or cardboard circle and top with a big scoop of icing.  Use the offset spatula to spread the icing out to the edges in an even layer.

Top with the next layer of cake and center the layer.  If the edges are uneven or poke out, hold the serrated knife vertically and trip around the sides so they are flat and even.  Wipe off the crumbs.

Now for the crumb coat.  This video shows how. The crumb coat is nice on a cake because it contains all of the crumbs that would normally mix into the icing.  After you ice the crumb coat, place the cake in the fridge for a few minutes to harden the layer of icing.

To ice the cake, remove the cake from the fridge and place a big, oversized scoop of icing on the top.  Spread the icing out to and then over the edges; and then spread evenly over the edges.  This video shows how.

Finally, to decorate the cake you can use a fancy piping bag.  Or, you can use a ziploc bag, fill with a scoop of icing, then snip the edge off to create a very small hole.  Squeeze the icing down with your hands, twist the top of the bag so the icing is very dense and squeeze dots of icing where desired.  I put them around the base and top of the cake and then made a big "K". 

Hand Painted: Wedding Mat

Hand painted wedding mats began with my grandfather.  He was a wood worker on the side and made his own picture frames. As gifts he would create a dried flower design on the mat and frame it in one of his own.  Now, I paint designs on mats around photographs or wedding invitations and give them as gifts, each one is different and specific to the invitation or person. They're inspired by the colors of the invitation and personalities of the receivers, but they also end up taking on a life of their own.


Sometimes it's much easier to create for other people than it is to create for yourself.  It's hard for me to paint something that I'm going to see everyday- I'll get tired of it, I'll find flaws, I'll think it's too simple.  Luckily, inspiration struck after I saw this quilt and I was able to paint this design that I love.    This is a photo of Chris and I on our wedding day with our friend Vic marrying us- I love this particular photo because Chris had just made me giggle and said something ridiculous and sweet.

This is a really simple, satisfying project to do when you need a dose of hand made creativity.

You will need:
A frame with a mat: this one sized for a 4x6 photo from Target
A correctly sized photo
Acrylic paint: I used Geranium by Martha Stewart Crafts
A paint palette: I just used a thick piece of scrap paper
A water cup: I love my favorite chipped mug from my mom
A nice skinny brush: I use a size 3/0 Princeton Select Round from Michael's
A paper towel near by to dab your brush and soak up spills

Directions:
Begin by squeezing a small amount of paint onto your palette
Practice dabbing your brush and making small lines- you can do this on your palette or another scrap of paper
Notice the viscosity of the paint, you may want to add a touch of water to thin it out
Once you feel comfortable painting even lines, begin in one section of the mat
Paint a few lines at a time, either in even or jagged rows
Continue up from there to create the organic shape
Stop every so often to check your shape for balance and completion
Once you are done with a shape, leave enough negative space in between before you start the next shape
After every shape is painted, reevaluate the space to figure out the size, direction and contour of the next shape
When finished, take a final look for any spaces that need filling or contours that need editing
And as you go, remember the art rules that I review constantly with my students:
Try first and when you make a mistake you can fix it and turn it into something, leave it and move on, or start over if really necessary. Have fun! 

Dairy Free Cinnamon Crumb Muffins

Yummy, yummy, yummy, I have been waiting for this crumble topping.  The almond and vanilla extracts add a hint of richness to a normally simple muffin and the crumble topping is a nice bit of cinnamon texture with each bite.  These are dairy free made with coconut oil, which tastes so good with honey and cinnamon but you could substitute any fat you'd like to use.

You might also like Blueberry Coconut Crumb Muffins at Fast Paleo
Blueberry Almond Crumb Muffins from Nourished Kitchen
Paleo Crumble Topping from Empowered Sustenance
Peachy Grain Free Frangipane Crumble by Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried
Banana Bread with Walnut Crumb Topping at Our Nourishing Roots

Dairy Free Cinnamon Crumb Muffins
makes 12

Sweet Muffin Batter
4 eggs
1/2 C honey
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 C melted coconut oil
2 1/2 C blanched almond flour
1 T coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cinnamon Crumb Topping
1/4 C melted coconut oil
2-3 T honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C blanched almond flour
2 tsp coconut flour
1 T cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
First prepare the sweet muffin batter by whisking the eggs, honey, vanilla, almond extract, and melted coconut oil.
In a separate bowl blend the blanched almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt, then mix this into the wet mixture.
Using an ice cream scoop that is almost full, fill each paper liner.
Next prepare the Cinnamon Crumb Topping by whisking the melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla.  In a smaller separate bowl mix the blanched almond flour, coconut flour, salt and cinnamon, and then mix this into the wet mixture.
To apply the crumb topping, use a table spoon to measure a scoop of topping mixture onto each muffin.  Press down with clean fingers and presto! You are good to go.
Bake 15-18 minutes and let cool before eating.

Food Confessions: Junk Food

I have had my relationships with junk food.

• For my birthday one year, friends gave me one of those huge jars of UTZ Cheeseballs.
• When I lived alone in my first apartment, I left my friend a voicemail describing all of the different desserts in my kitchen. I think it was 20- no joke.
• For two weeks after my wedding I ate our left over cake for breakfast. Turns out it's really good with tea.
• In middle school my favorite snack was skittles. And because they're so fruity you need to get a snickers, and because those are so chocolatey you need to balance it with a salty bag of potato chips. Makes total sense.

And I wasn't even that unhealthy. I wasn't over weight as a kid -- I played soccer and was involved in a lot of different activities. But oh goodness, I got really used to eating crappy food as a quick snack or a treat -- and those habits carried into my twenties which was not so good. But then I got really sick, found out I have Celiac Disease, went gluten free immediately, and then eventually went grain and sugar free as well. You can read more about that here. 

And that, my friends, is what finally kicked my junk food habits!

Why it worked for me:

Basically I started cooking meats and veggies with fresh, simple sauces. I avoided all pre-made marinades and mixes, leaving me with only cleaner options. Think lemon and olive oil instead of teriyaki and bbq.

When I cut out sugar and grains I started baking all of my breads and confections with almond flour and honey (hence, this blog!). And I baked a lot of them, so when I was short on time, craving something cozy and yummy like a honey butter biscuit with tea, or out of the house and hungry, I had a snack option that was on my food plan. This way I could avoid relapsing and grabbing a snickers or bag of trailmix with chocolate M&M's.

I changed my diet cold turkey, which was absolutely necessary for me. Some people work well in moderation, but I do not. If my diet allowed for the occasional serving of cheese fries or caramel sundae, I would eat those things as many times as I could within dietary limits. But if certain things are just simply not an option anymore, I would find other solutions -- and in this case those other solutions were healthier, real foods that I insisted on making tasty so I could still enjoy cooking and eating.

I cut out a lot of things when I changed my diet but I never felt deprived. I still ate plenty of meat and fatty foods, and I filled up on a lot more veggies, which really is surprisingly satisfying. And of course I ate sweet things, just with honey instead of processed sugar.

Where I am now:

I still think about my favorite gluten free cupcakes from Buzz Bakery and that fake cheese flavor (why do I love that so much!?) but when I go down that road, I can't stop. On the rare occasion that I do give in and have a sugary treat, which happens from time to time, it takes huge effort afterwards to break the cycle and get back to my gluten, grain and sugar-free diet.

Make You Smile

Isn't it the sweetest when dogs lay on your feet!

Cashews are the new thing: Yum and Yum

Kid President, again

Uh, WHAT!

Dogs sneezing.  We laugh this hard every time Clover sneezes...thank goodness we're not the only ones.

This Saturn print made in Spain and this Andy Warhol painting

My old friend is coming with this band in April! 

Brownie Pie

Um yes, Brownie Pie is here.  I don't know why some things take me forever to make. I have been thinking of making pies for probably 2 years and honestly, I've just been scared that the crusts won't turn out right.  Well that was ridiculous because making this press in pie crust was super easy.  The brownie filling is also super easy and bakes very nicely in little time.  I ate this with a glass of cashew milk and now I'm inspired to make all things cashew!  To me, it still tastes a little nutty, just like almond milk does, but it's a really nice milk alternative that's slightly sweet and creamy.


Brownie Pie
serves 8-10 rich pieces

Pie Crust
From Elana's Pantry's book: The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook pg. 78
1 1/2 C blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 melted butter (she uses grapeseed oil)
2 T honey (she uses agave nectar)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Brownie Filling
3 eggs
3/4 C melted butter
1 C honey (or slightly less if you want this super dark)
1 tsp vanilla
1 C cocoa powder
2 C blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350
Mix the pie crust ingredients in a ceramic or glass deep pie dish and press evenly to form the crust
(There is enough butter in this recipe that you do not need to pre-butter the pie dish for the crust)
Bake the crust for 15 minutes until it looks dry and slightly browned
Remove from the oven and let cool about 30 minutes, prepare the brownie filling

To make the brownie filling, whisk the eggs, melted butter, vanilla and honey
In a separate bowl, mix the blanched almond flour, cocoa, and salt
Blend the dry into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth- it should be slightly thick
Check the pie dish to make sure it has significantly cooled and butter the visible top edges of the pie dish
Pour the batter onto the crust, it will come up above the crust edge (hence the butter on the pie dish)
Smooth the batter to the edges so it has an even top
Bake for 22 minutes until the top looks dry and stable but the center is still slightly undercooked
Remove from the oven and let cool so the brownie filling can solidify
Slice and enjoy!