Cinnamon Almond Butter ~ YUM!

I LOVE almond buter! 

I use it all the time. I eat it everyday with my green apple as my afternoon snack, but I also use it in a lot of my recipes. Yes, you can totally just buy almond butter, but I prefer to make my own, its really not hard at all, and you can control exactly what goes into it. The price is pretty comparable to buying a container of almond butter, you get a bit more than a cup from 2 cups of nuts. Below is my personal recipe, now you can make it with all almonds if you like- this is just how I like it, its yum!

Cinnamon Almond Butter

1 + 3/4 cups organic roasted almonds
1/4 cup raw organic cashews
1-2 tsp organic cinnamon
1-3 TBS roasted almond oil

Place everything but the almond oil in your food processor and blend until it starts to become a butter. This will take a few minutes, be patient, it will happen. Once the mixture starts to come together, add in the oil a tablespoon at a time, until you get as smooth of a consistency as you like. Thats. it.

Couldn't be easier.

You can figure out if you want more or less cinnamon, or cashews....I find the cashews just give a creamier taste than all almonds, but thats me. I don't like my butter too thick also, so I add a good amount of oil as its easier to spread and spoon out when using in recipes. Store in the fridge.

I have also started making my own almond milk (pictured above)- as we don't drink cow's milk, I am not giving it to my daughter either. Most of the store bought almond milk does have a lot of sweetener in it, this just allows me to control how much of it is in there. Its pretty easy as well, and you can utilize everything, even using the pulp to make almond flour to bake with.

Homemade Almond Milk:

Soak 1 cup of organic raw almonds overnight in filtered water. The next day, drain and rinse the almonds and place them in  a food processor with about 7 cups of filtered water. Add a pinch of himalayan pink salt, and blend for  a few minutes. The almonds will blend into small pieces and the water will start looking like milk. I usually just check after a few min, and taste. Once its starting to become milk, Add some agave- totally up to you taste. I usually add 2-3 tablespoons, but you can do more or less to your liking. Blend another minute or so to get the agave mixed in, then using a cheesecloth, pour the milk through the cheesecloth into a bowl, squeeze the pulp through the cheesecloth to extract all the milk out, set aside the pulp. Then just pour your milk into a container and enjoy! You will notice the milk will separate in the fridge, just give it a shake before you use it. Its good for about a week in the fridge.

To make the pulp into almond flour, turn oven onto to 175, spread the pulp onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for about 2 hours until the pulp has dried out. Place it back in the food processor once it's cooled to blend into a smooth flour. Be careful not to blend for too long because it will start to turn into butter! Store in the fridge and use for baking. ***NOTE this is not almond meal!~ almond meal is made with blanched almonds, so using this flour will not give you the same results.

I use this for amaretti cookies, and also in some of the patties I make for Lennon as a binder instead of gluten free breadcrumbs. Just make sure when using in any baking recipe that it calls for almond flour not almond meal.**

Healthy Baby "cookie" recipe:

I wanted to make a "cookie" for Lennon that was healthy and....well, not really a cookie LOL. Listen, I don't want to deprive my kid, but at the same time I am trying to build her a healthy pallet so she's not constantly craving sugar. So, she thinks this is a cookie, and I'm fine with that. She absolutely looses her shit when she sees these, and they are absolutely healthy, gluten free, high in fiber, no eggs or flour and they look exactly like real cookies. Super easy to make and taste great too. This recipe makes quite a few cookies, I store these in the freezer and this is her treat after lunch, or for an afternoon snack.

1 1/4 cup organic sweet potato, steamed and mashed
2 cups organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup almond milk
2 TBS golden flaxmeal
1/2 cup oat cereal or ground oats
2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 350. Place everything in the food processor and blend until smooth and everything is incorporated. I usually add half the milk first and blend and then add the rest to make it easier to blend. Once everything is mixed, spoon the batter out onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and then just bang the baking sheet on the counter a few times to flatten out the cookies. Pop em' in the oven on the bottom rack for about 20 min, then move to the top rack for another 15-20 min. Cool completely. Keep a few in the fridge for a few days or store all in an air tight container in the freezer.

1st Birthday Celebrations and a healthy Birthday cake recipe

We had Lennon's 1st Birthday festivities this weekend, super cute! She had a blast and so did the adults lol. We had an Alice in One-derland theme. Here are a few pix from the party

absolutely LOVED Lennon's sugar skull dress!!! couldn't be cuter!

So I totally wanted Lennon to be able to go nuts on a cake, but I still don't want her to have refined flour or sugar, and as nice as the cake was that we got, I didn't want her having all that sugar, so I decided to make her a little personal mini cake, that she could eat and I wouldn't have to worry. I know eventually she is going to eat sugar and candy....but I figure the longer I can keep her from it, and help her establish healthy eating habits and tastes, I'm setting the groundwork for a healthy kid....hopefully!!!

This cake recipe is modified from the birthday cake recipe in my cookbook: http://www.blurb.ca/ebooks/p4305e8b0fae6d8c5cd44

I took out the agave, and added cinnamon. It's not a super sweet cake to begin with but with the agave and some frosting its a perfect indulgent cake to me! Its made with almond flour so high in protein and has a nice nutty flavour. I usually make a vegan frosting with earth balance and icing sugar, but again I didn't want to use the icing sugar for Lennon just yet, so I made a "frosting" with dates, super easy and pretty yummy.

for the cake:
2.5 cups of almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup almond milk
3 organic eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, then blend the wet in a separate bowl. Combine wet into dry and mix well. I used a mini cake pan and lined it with parchment, but I have used this in a regular 8 inch pan, it comes out as a thinner cake that way, so you can make 2 and put a filling in it that way also. I cooked this for about 25 min bottom rack, and then moved it to the top for another 5-8 or so, I just kept my eye on it as its thicker then I usually bake it. Its denser than a regular cake but has a really nice flavour

For the Date frosting:
1 cup of organic dates- soaked in water for a few hours
1/4 cup cocoa
couple tablespoons of almond milk or milk of choice

Blend the dates in a food processor until the form a paste, then add in the cocoa and a tablespoon of milk at a time until it has the consistency of icing, you don't want it too thin or thick. Wait for your cake to cool before icing it. I kept mine in the fridge until I frosted it, and then again in the fridge until about half hour before I served it.

and Lennon definitely enjoyed it!!

a gals gotta have cake on her birthday!!!

New Recipe: Baby Vegetable Falafels

I have a falafal recipe (it's in my cookbook) I always keep in my freezer. I just take it out and eat it with some avocado and tomato, or break it up and put it on a salad. Super easy to make ahead, delish and healthy.

Doesn't this look awesome??

I wanted to make something like that for Lennon, so I'd have it ready in the freezer for a quick healthy meal. I kept out all the spices so it was a more neutral flavour as I like to use lots of cumin and cayenne in the adult version. The first time I made them I had some sweet potato so I threw that in as well, and just used whatever veggies I had in the fridge, so you can be creative with them. I used broccoli and kale. I also used ground almonds as a binder instead of gluten free breadcrumbs, for added protein. (regular breadcrumbs are fine too if you are ok with wheat)  Quick, easy, portable and Lennon loves them! I made her some avocado hummus to go along with the patties, froze a few containers of that as well, so I grab a patty or two and a container of hummus and there's lunch!

Vegetable Falafel Recipe:
1/2-1 can organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sweet potato (take or leave) ** use whole can of chickpeas if you don't use the sweet potato
1 cup organic broccoli, steamed and  chopped finely
1 cup organic kale, steamed and chopped finely
1 organic egg
handful of ground almonds or breadcrumbs
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. If using the sweet potato, steam it and mash it up. Steam the veggies for a few minutes til soft. Throw the veggies and chickpeas in the food processor and pulse until they are broken down, you don't want it pureed, small chunks are good. You can blend smoother if you prefer. Remove the mix from the food processor and mix together with the sweet potato if using. Once blended well, beat the egg and add into the mix, stir around until mixed well, add olive oil and breadcrumbs/almonds to get a stickier batter. Line a bakiong sheet with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and spread around the paper. Then make little patties with your mix, roll into balls and once on the baking sheet, press down into patties. Bake for roughly 20 min. I usually put them in for 15 min, check em, and change racks when I put them back in for  a few more min. Let them cool before you store in an airtight container. These don't only have to be for baby, you can def just put in some spices and make em for the grown ups too! see this link for my cookbook for the grown up recipe : http://www.blurb.ca/b/4785802-healthy-eating-never-tasted-so-good

Lennon enjoying the vegetable falafel version

Another version of these is a spinach falafel, basically just spinach or whatever greens you want and the chickpeas

Spinach Falafel Recipe:
1 Can organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 organic egg
2.5 cups greens
handful of breadcrumbs or ground almonds
olive oil

pretty much the same deal as the vegetable ones....Preheat oven to 400. Throw the greens and chickpeas in the food processor and pulse until they are broken down, you don't want it pureed, small chunks are good. You can blend smoother if you prefer. Remove the mix from the food processor and mix together with the egg and a bit of olive oil, stir around until mixed well, and  add breadcrumbs/almonds to bind. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and spread around the paper. Then make little patties with your mix, roll into balls and once on the baking sheet, press down into patties. Bake for roughly 20 min. I usually put them in for 15 min, check em, and change racks when I put them back in for  a few more min. Let them cool before you store in an airtight container.