Leprechaun Muffins.... shhhhh, it's spinach!

 

Sneaky little leprechauns putting spinach in the muffins!! 😉

Sharing this recipe again because it is perfect for one of my fave holidays... St. Patrick's Day!!

Kid friendly, naturally GREEN, and full of good stuff, with none of the bad!

Leprechaun Muffins aka Green Hulk Muffins

2 C Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (Sarah's Blend)

¾ cup coconut sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

¼ cup coconut oil

¾ cup coconut milk

1 (6 ounce) bag fresh baby spinach

½ cup mashed banana (from about 1 to 2 bananas)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin pans with paper liners or oil.  Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.  In a blender, place everything else and blend until completely puréed.  Pour puréed mixture into dry mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until completely combined.  Fill muffin cups about ⅔ full and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy for a fun and healthy St. Patrick's day breakfast or snack!! 

Quinoa Pizza Crust... gluten and dairy free

Sharing this post again because apparently it's national pizza day... and it's just that good!! 

 

 

I had been looking for a healthier and easier pizza crust that was naturally gluten and dairy free.  This is it, and I found it here!  

Seriously, the hardest part about this is remembering to start soaking the quinoa in the morning.  But if you have your shit together more than I do (which is highly likely) you won't have a problem! LOL!

 Quinoa Pizza Crust

¾ C quinoa- soaked covered by 1 inch of water for 6-8 hours (or overnight)

¼ C water

½ t baking powder

½ t sea salt

2 tablespoons EVOO

Soak the quinoa in water, covering it by at least 1", for 6 - 8 hours.  


Once you're ready to make the crust, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 12" pizza pan with parchment paper and drizzle one tablespoon of oil in the center. Spread around with your hands until evenly coated and set aside.  Rinse the quinoa in a strainer, then add to a blender. Add water, baking powder, sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of EVOO.  Blend on high until smooth and creamy, kinda like pancake batter.   Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove, flip and return to oven baking for another 10 - 15 minutes until browned and edges are crispy.  Top with whatever you want....sauce, cheese (dairy free if you are like me) and any other toppings you'd like.  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until cheese has melted and started to brown.   Remove, let cool for a few minutes in the pan, and slice.  Garnish however you like!

Ninja Turtle Green Smoothie

 

This tastes like a turtle sundae, but packs some serious nutritional punch... sneaky ninja-style. And it's oh so green, just like those crazy turtles.

I could ramble about avocado love for days... but let's  keep this simple and save that for another post.

I love this smoothie so much because you get the healthy fat and fiber from the avocado, lots of leafy green goodness, all the goods from the almond milk, some plant based protein, some extra antioxidant love from the cocoa, and to top it all off some omegas from the pecans.  And it can all pass for dessert... Perfection! 

Ninja Turtle Green Smoothie

1 1/2 C almond milk

1/2 avocado

1 scoop vanilla rice protein powder- make sure it's gf and df 

1 heaping T cocoa powder- use some good stuff

5 ice cubes

1 big handful of spinach

1 t vanilla

1/4 C pecans

Some chocolate chips if you want to be extra fancy

Blend it all up and enjoy!  This makes a big smoothie. Maybe you'll share, maybe not... I won't judge! 😉

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup... Gluten & Dairy Free

 

A healthy, nutrient packed way to get your thai fix on a cold rainy day!

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup

 

3 T red curry paste

2 12 ounce cans of lite coconut milk

4 C chicken broth

2 T fish sauce

2 T brown sugar

2 T peanut butter

1½ pounds chicken breasts, cut into pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into ¼ inch slices

1 jalapeno- seeded and diced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 C carrot slices

1 heaping T fresh ginger, minced

4 garlic cloves- minced 

4 inch stalk of lemongrass- just throw it in the pot

1 C mushrooms- sliced

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 tablespoon lime juice

cilantro for garnish

 

Mix the curry paste, coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter in a slow-cooker bowl. Place the chicken breast, red bell pepper, jalapeno, onion, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.  Add in the peas and mushrooms and cook for ½ hour longer. Remove the lemongrass, stir in the lime juice and serve with cilantro.