Why hello there Monday morning… you always come to soon! How are you today friends? I hope you had a fabulous weekend. We certainly did. Nothing too out of the ordinary here- Friday night we shared a delicious dinner with Dustin’s parents.

Saturday, I hit the gym first thing in the am for a weekend workout since I didn’t get to fit in a workout on Friday. After that, I headed to the grocery store to pick up the deliciousness that I am going to share with you today, as well as all of the ingredients to make our first batch of eggnog for the season (I will share that recipe this week too!).

Saturday night we did a little bit of Christmas tree decorating and then turned in for a fairly early night. Sunday we cooked breakfast, watched church from home instead of attending, bathed the pups, took care of a little bit of work that I had been putting off and then I spent the rest of the evening in the kitchen preparing food for the week! Crockpot oats, green smoothies, BBQ roasted chickpeas and a couple of casseroles for one of the hubs final road trips of the year!

Anyway, enough about the weekend and on to this yummy, savory dish your entire family is sure to enjoy! 

Years ago, I made a “Vegan Chicken Pot Pie” that certainly was tasty but very “bready” to say the least. With the help of Mama Pea, I used her recipe as a backbone and then made it work for us with a gluten-free bread-like topping but not a bread only dish like the one I made years ago! Gluten-free, vegan and full of protein, this is a dish that I will certainly make again – in fact, I already made it twice this past weekend! It’s fairly easy, pretty cheap and one that you can make in advance and then throw in the oven as soon as you walk in the door. Next time, I am going to try it in the crock pot too!

Chick Pot Pie

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 small Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• 1 28 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2.5 tsp gluten free flour
• 1.5 cups unsweetened plain almond milk
• 3/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth

For the biscuit topping:

• 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 + 2/3 cups gluten free biscuit flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill… Bisquick now has their version too)
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4.5 tbsp coconut oil (still hard, cut into chunks)
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast (or Parmesan cheese)
• 1/2 tsp dried basil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a large casserole dish with non-stick spray.
2. Prepare filling first. Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil over medium high heat. Add diced onion, garlic, celery and potatoes and sauté until the mixture begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in frozen veggies and continue to sauté, string in salt, pepper and herbs. Gently fold in garbanzo beans, careful not to mash. Turn heat to low.
3. Prepare roux next. In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil over medium high heat. Add 2.5 tbsp of flour, using a whisk to combine – string constantly. Slowly add the almond milk and vegetable broth, continuing to whisk until combined and thick, bringing the combination to a boil. Pour the sauce over the vegetable combination, gently stirring to evenly coat the veggies.
4. Pour the vegetable mixture into the large, well-sprayed baking dish.
5. Prep the biscuit topping last. In a medium bowl, combine the almond milk and the lemon juice and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper). Cut in the coconut oil using a fork until it is evenly distributed but still in chunks. Add in the nutritional yeast (or Parm) and basil. Pour in the soured milk and mix until just moist (remember you don’t want the combination too liquidy!)
6. Using two spoons, scoop a spoonful of the batter up with one spoon and push it onto the dish using the second spoon until your biscuits make a lovely topping for the casserole.
7. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for ~45 minutes, after 30 minutes checking every 5-10 minutes to prevent biscuits from burning.
8. Enjoy alone or with a green salad to start!

I am certain that this dish will satisfy all members of your family!

 

Version # 1

 

Version # 2

 

What did you do this weekend? Any cooking?!

 

Have an awesome Monday!

Good health!

 

The post Meatless Monday: Chick Pot Pie appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Hi there! Happy Tuesday! I’m back with round two of sweetpotato week!

As I mentioned yesterday, this week I am participating in a California sweetpotatoes: “One Word, Endless Possibilities” Recipe ReDux Challenge sponsored by the California Sweetpotato Council.

Disclosure: I received free samples of California sweetpotatoes mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Sweetpotato Council and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time. 

What’s the difference in the sweetpotatoes (spelled as one word) versus the other sweet potatoes and white potatoes? Quite a bit! California sweetpotatoes are an entirely different vegetable. “They are grown in soft sand and are hand sorted during harvest to minimize scarring and scratching. The result is a visually, higher quality sweet potato.” according to the California Sweetpotato Council.

Yesterday, I shared a delicious dinner side dish (or lunch or snack!). If you haven’t checked them out yet, give these Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes a try! Today, we are talking something entirely different: cookies!

Now before you judge these cookies all because of their name, remember what your mom taught you many moons ago: “Never judge a book by it’s cover,” and never judge a cookie by it’s name.

Animal products and gluten are the only this missing from this tasty recipe. And if you needed another reason to fall in love with these cookies: it’s completely safe to lick the bowl once you are finished making the cookies! No salmonella scares here!

Busted! 

Gluten-free Vegan Sweetpotato Cookies

Makes 15 cookies

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups oat flour (I just blended 1.5 cups of old fashioned oats until a fine flour was reached)
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup Stevia in the Raw (or omit and just use 1/2 cup of granulated sugar)
• 3/4 cup cooked California sweetpotato
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (vegan if using vegan chocolate chips)
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup craisins

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, and salt. Stir until evenly combined.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil, vanilla and sugars.
4. Pour the coconut oil mixture into the flour mixture and then add the sweetpotato. Stir until evenly combined and moisture is spread throughout.
5. Add in the dark chocolate chips, pecans and craisins.
6. Using a spoon, drop cookie batter on a well sprayed cookie sheet, making ~15 cookies.
7. Lick bowl.
8. Cook for ~10 minutes or to desired consistency, serve and enjoy!

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A healthier cookie recipe packed full of vitamin A, vitamin C, whole grains, healthy fiber, and good fat! Who would want to turn these delicious cookies down!? Not me!

Have a great day!

Good health!

The post Gluten-free Vegan Sweetpotato Cookies! appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Hi friends!? I know what you’re thinking, “It’s Saturday, Ashley… we don’t hear from you on Saturday.”

But in addition to Saturday it’s also the 21st which means it’s time for The Recipe Redux! If you missed my first post as a member of The Recipe Redux you can check it out my Garden Harvest Pickled Okra here.

In a nutshell, The Recipe Redux is the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians “taking delicious dishes, keeping them delicious and making them better for you.” The founders believe that healthy eating should be delicious too and I couldn’t agree more!

This month we were given the following challenge,

No-Cook Desserts - The raw food trend is sweetening things up with all sorts of treats from cocoa clusters and energy balls to puddings and panna cottas. Please share a no-cook dessert you are serving. No-cook usually means ‘super-quick’…and we always want to make time for a healthy dessert!

You guys know I’m all in for raw or no bake desserts! From the Red, White and Blue Cake to the Chocolate Torte to the Banana Soft Serve, I have shown you that healthy food can taste great too! And today we’re going to do that again.

A few weeks ago, in celebration of by brother’s birthday, my mom made these yummy little no bake treats. As a health nut himself, my brother left my parents house with only one question, “Can I please have that recipe?” And my mom was kind enough to share it; not only with him, but with me and all of you as well!

These little bites take no longer than 15 minutes to prep and are the perfect mini-dessert for any occasion. There’s only one problem though; once you try one, there’s no stopping there!

Mini Peanut Butter Pies

Ingredients

• 12 ginger snaps (preferably gluten-free, Mi-Del are pretty tasty and minimum on the ingredients list)
• 1/4 cup natural crunchy peanut butter
• 1/4 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tbsp honey, maple syrup or agave (optional)
• 1 banana (sliced into 12 slices)
• 1 oz dark chocolate

Directions (Pictures of each step below.)

1. Place 12 ginger snaps down on a platter.
2. Mix together the peanut butter, yogurt, and honey/maple syrup/agave until evenly combined.
3. Place the mixture in a ziplock bag with a spatula. Zip up the bag and cut off one corner, large enough to allow the peanuts to push through.
4. Place a dollop of the mixture on each cookie.
5. Place a slice of banana on top of each dollop.
6. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for ~1 minute, longer if necessary, until it is fully melted but being careful not to burn.
7. Drizzle the chocolate over each cookie.
8. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve!

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So easy and so delicious! These little bites are sure to please all tail gaters!

Speaking of tail gating, what games will you be watching today?! I’m hoping to catch a little bit of the LSU vs Auburn game! Geaux Tigers!

I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday! We’re about to head out for a run and to check out the farmer’s market in this small south Georgia town!

Good health!

Be sure to check out what some of the other members are doing in the Link-up below!

The post Mini Peanut Butter Pies {The Recipe Redux} appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Oh the Monday morning blues. I sat in front of my computer pretty much all weekend long, besides a Saturday morning run and yoga and church (well online church, so I guess that’s still me sitting in front of my computer!) yesterday, so I feel like the weekend came and went. You probably do too, even if you had a fun filled weekend behind you. I seriously need to consider investing in a standing desk like this one from The Lean Green Bean with all of this computer sitting! Dustin would love if I tried to pack that in the car too!

Anyway, today I want to share a recipe with you that will make your Monday a little bit “easier.” It’s a makeover of an old favorite, that is both nutritious and delicious too!

This peach crumble recipe takes me back to my childhood summer days when my mom would serve up a similar yet slightly less healthy treat! Now she’s cleaned it up even more with this tasty recipe and has shared it with me! It is gluten-free and vegan but you would never know by taste test alone!

Fit and Delicious Peach Crumble

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Earth Balance (preferably the red, soy-free container)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 8 peaches (preferably organic, peaches are one of top highest sprayed fruits in pesticides)
• 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place Earth Balance and coconut oil in a medium casserole dish (~8×11). Melt in the microwave for ~30 seconds. Swirl to cover the bottom of the dish.
3. Cut up the peaches (leaving the skin on if using organic peaches) and place on top of Earth Balance/coconut oil to cover the bottom of the dish.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, oats, flax meal, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
5. Add in almond milk and pure maple syrup and stir to combine.
6. Pour flour mixture evenly over the peaches.
7. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
8. Brown the top on low broil for 1-2 minutes or until perfectly browned!

I hope you enjoy this treat as much as we did! Tonight or any night! Eating healthy is all about moderation and using good ingredients when your going to splurge a little!

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If you didn’t see yesterday, the third set of  my “Six Night General Healthy Dinner Menu” with the recipes and a grocery list was posted yesterday. Check it out in yesterdays post or over in my $5 Meal Plans Tab!

I’m off to take a mid-day gym break! I hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Good health!

The post Easy Like “Monday” Morning: Peach Crumble Recipe To Kick Off the Week! appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

If we are friends on Facebook or if you follow me on IG than you might have seen that Dustin and I spent the past few days in Asheville, North Carolina (more on that tomorrow!). Asheville spoke to my soul on so many levels. From foodie to vegan to gypsy to hippie and beyond, if this city did one thing it reminded me that healthy food can taste good too (more on that tomorrow too!). This trip reminded me that yes, while we should “eat to live,” in doing so, we should also eat good tasting food too.

Dustin always tells me that he “doesn’t eat for taste anymore.” Should I take that as an insult? Absolutely so, but I’m not the only one to blame. He will eat cold chicken for the “lean protein,” and you better believe I’m not the one encouraging that.

However, I will admit, our meals have been pretty boring over here when I’m the one preparing the meal, no new and exciting recipes, just plain Jane healthy stuff. But I have to change that and change it fast so that my husband will stop saying that he “doesn’t eat for taste anymore” and can start enjoying good tasting food again prepared by the hands of yours truly. I know it’s in me and thankfully, Asheville brought it out!

I’ve been lazy, scattered and uninspired in the kitchen but that’s all about to change. Asheville, I thank you (and so does my husband) for giving me my kitchen mojo back and inspiring this tasty pasta dish that I am about to share today. On our stop home between Asheville and our next destination, I was able to whip up this tasty dish that even the hub said, “Man, I’m glad Asheville inspired you to start cooking good food again!” Wait was that an insult or compliment? I’ll go with compliment.

This recipe is quick, easy, minimal on the ingredient list and would be the perfect dinner for your next Meatless Monday or any night of the week meal! The lentils give this dish a savory meat like texture as well as provide plenty of protein to keep everyone satisfied! 

Creamy Neat Sauce Penne Pasta

Gluten-free and Vegan

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1.5 cups dry lentils
• 1 jar your favorite marinara sauce (or homemade – I used Harvest Farms Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce but I also like Classico’s Tomato Basil)
• 1 box brown rice penne pasta cooked
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup flax meal

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring the water + bay leaf + lentils to a boil. Once boiling, bring to a simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook the pasta.
3. Add the marinara sauce and spinach directly to lentils.
4. Remove bay leaf.
5. Drain pasta and add to lentil pot.
6. Stir in nutritional yeast and flax meal until evenly distributed.
7. Serve alone or alongside a tossed salad and enjoy!

–

I hope you have a great afternoon!

Good health!

The post Asheville Inspiration + A Creamy Dinner Recipe appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Hello Monday and hello friends! How was your weekend? Mine was full of relaxation and family so no complaints here!

Friday I went to lunch with my mom and her two dear friends at Alpine Bakery instead of Roux, which was the original plan. If you live in the Alpharetta area, I highly recommend you check this place out. The food was delicious and the company was even better.

The past few weeks, my father-in-law has been collecting old window frames for me, so Friday night my mom and I assembled another picture frame hanging window. I can’t share with you the final product because I haven’t given it to our friends yet, but I can say that it turned out great and I think they will really love it!

Saturday I spent the day with my grandfather at a “cookout” hosted by his residence and then my dad and I then ventured over to the mall to do some last minute Father’s Day shopping (I was able to purchase his gift without him even knowing! Well, at least one of them.)

Saturday night, it was an empty house so I spent some quite time writing, reading, practicing some yoga and even working on one of my summer goals of being able to do a back handspring again – I was successful! My parents were pretty surprised when they returned home and asked what I had been doing and I showed them a video of me doing back handsprings in the front yard again!

Sunday, we started the morning in the house of the Lord with a great sermon and then returned home to prepare a Father’s Day feast.

Lots of great food was cooked and I’m even going to share another recipe that we made later this week, but today I want to cut straight to the chase aka the dessert. (And just to note, I’m sorry for the autocorrect errors on my FB/IG picture yesterday. My iPhone made flourless flour less and dessert desert. What’s one to do!?)

So on to that cake!

Like most of us, my dad loves a little something sweet. But there’s nothing worse than something like a sweet cake makes you feel. Bloated, tired, and overstuffed. But not this one! I found this recipe from This Rawsome Vegan Life on Pinterest and decided to follow it, mostly. It is a two layer, raw, vegan cake. The first layer is white, the second layer is blue and it is topped with blueberries and edged with strawberries. It is delicious!

Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Cake

Recipe adapted from This Rawsome Vegan Life

• ~10 strawberries for outside, cut in half

Vanilla ice cream cake layer:

• 2 cups raw cashews (Publix sells them in their produce section, just incase you are having trouble finding them)
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup pitted dates (make sure you buy them pitted)
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk

Berry layer:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup vanilla almond milk, use as needed
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 tbsp chia seeds (to thicken – the original recipe doesn’t call for this but I found that the berry layer was a little too watery without them)
  

To make the first layer – place the halved strawberries around the edge of a spring form pan. Set aside. Now blend all the vanilla ice cream cake ingredients together until smooth, adding almond milk as needed. Spread into the bottom of the pan,which should press the strawberries to the outer edge. Place in the freezer.

To make the berry layer – blend all berry layer ingredients until smooth. Carefully spread over top of the vanilla ice cream cake layer and put in the freezer for about 2 or 3 hours or until it’s set. Once cake is set, top with blueberries, cut and serve!

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I hope you all enjoy this summertime treat as much as my family and I did! The hubby flew back late last night so I’m off to spend the day with him! Have a great Monday!

Good health!

The post Have Your Cake and Eat It Too appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Good morning friends! Tuesday already!? Sorry for my absenteeism yesterday – I spent the day with a few very special people instead of on my computer. I started the morning with a dear friend who flew in town just for the night from San Antonio and I then spent the afternoon with my grandfather, who spent some time in the hospital this past weekend. Thankfully, he is home and recovering and back on the up!

Unfortunately, my grandfather and I didn’t get a picture together yesterday so this picture is from last year. Yesterday, I did however, share with him a lot of pictures from my computer and he loved seeing everyone and everything that has been going on in my life these past few months. I just love him.

Speaking of weekend, it was an awesome one besides my grandfathers hospital scare. Saturday started with green smoothies for all followed by a beautiful engagement party and ended with homemade pizza (more on that in the Tip of the Week later!).

Sunday too was an awesome day. I worked on backbends/wheel pose early in the day and then took my mom and two great friends through a yoga class in the afternoon. I was exactly what the four of us needed – stretching, breathing and peace.

Yoga was followed up by an awesome dinner prepared by my personal chef aka mom – like always, it was delicious!

Black Bean and Rice Stuffed Mushroom Caps, Corn Salad, Marinated Cukes and Onions, Grilled Basil Tomatoes, Roasted Whole Onions, Roasted Rutabagas and Potatoes, and Fresh Fruit – Quite a delicious spread! 

After dinner, the night somehow rolled on until 4 am, as we sat on the front porch, catching up and sharing good laughs!

So on to that pizza! Rewind to Saturday.

After returning home Saturday evening, while the hubby was working and my parents were still at the hospital – I decided that it was time that I too be useful. I opened up a gluten-free, vegan cookbook by blogger Allyson Kramer over at Manifest Vegan that my mom had recently purchased and picked out a way to put myself to use!

I found a delicious-looking homemade pizza and decided it was time to get dirty in the kitchen. You might remember that I have had some pretty rough experiences when trying to make my own gluten-free pizza crust, but the recipe that I am going to share today is very simple, minimal on the ingredient side and light and crispy. I used and recommend using a Hefty (or any brand) 12 inch EZ foil pizza pan for the crust. It worked best because the crust starts out pretty thin and the lips of this pan help create a perfectly round pizza.

Farinata Pizza

Adapted from Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats

We doubled the recipe and made two!

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 2 cups garbanzo bean flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp water

For the Toppings (you can really do any toppings you want, this is just what we chose)

• 3/4 cup homemade or purchased pizza sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, sliced very thin
• 1/2 cup green or red pepper, diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 large portobello or 6 small portobello mushrooms, sliced into strips
• 1 medium tomato, cut into round slices and halved
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives
• 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese
• Italian herbs to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 385.
2. Heavily spray round baking sheet.
3. In a large bowl (or blender), whisk together all crust ingredients until smooth.
4. Pour the batter evenly into the round sheet.
5. Bake the crust for 13 minutes.
6. Saute the olive oil, garlic, onion and bell peppers over medium-high heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar.
7. Remove the crust from the oven and increase the temperature to 450.
8. Spread a layer of sauce onto the crust and then add the sautéed and raw toppings – adding the cheese last will help hold the toppings in place. Sprinkle the herbs on top.
9. Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the toppings are browned.
10. Watch carefully to ensure that the pizza doesn’t burn.
11. Let the pizza cool briefly and then slice a serve.

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It may seem like a lot of steps but really this pizza took about 20 minutes to prepare and about 30 minutes total to cook – it really was easy! And delicious too!

We’re off to the gym and to run some errands. I hope you have a great Tuesday!

Good health

The post TOTW Tuesday: Make Your Own Pizza Crust appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Good morning and happy hump day! This morning already started out a little crazy over here, as I was supposed to have an appointment an hour away but woke up exactly one hour before the appointment. No time to get ready, no time for breakfast … no thank you. Luckily they were able to reschedule for tomorrow. I hope your morning has been a little bit more smooth.

Anyway, something to take your mind away from any morning bumps and on to things like sand, waves, and warm summer nights is this healthy summer treat recipe.

Growing up, I was never really a popsicle kid… I’d rather have something like fresh watermelon slices ice cream, banana splits or blizzards. (Just kidding, I did love watermelon too!) Not Dustin. He’s always loved a good popsicle to cool him down on a hot summer day. Over the years, I’ve learned to love a tasty popsicle too, especially a healthy one! With summer in full force, give this recipe a try whether it be for your kids, your hubby or yourself. No one’s too old to enjoy a tasty summer treat! Not only are they easy to make but minimal on the ingredient list as well.

Pineapple Coconut Popsicles

• 2 cups diced pineapple
• 1 banana
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (plain, vanilla, or coconut will all work)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds (optional)

Throw all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth and pour into popsicle molds.

Freeze until hard and voila! A healthy summer treat!

I hope you have a great day!

Good health!

The post Healthy Summer Treat: Pineapple Coconut Popsicles appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Good morning! Happy Friday from the beach! I thought I was in Destin, FL but apparently I’m not. A friend and local to the area informed me that I’m actually about thrity minutes from Destin. Oops! Where ever I am, it’s gorgeous (Grayton Beach actually)!

So far the trip has been awesome. Lots of yoga, sprints, healthy eats and much, much more. My kind of paradise!

My sister-in-law and I rode down together and thankfully have the same foodie and fitness taste! She is such a blessing to me.

On to even more delicious things, today I want to share with you a perfect weekday or weekend pancake recipe to start you weekend off right!

Growing up, in our house, we ate pancakes pretty often: mostly weekend mornings and always with blueberry syrup. When friends would come over and ask for maple syrup to go with their pancakes, we would have to dig deep back in the pantry or refrigerator to satisfy their request. Although the type of pancakes I eat now might be a little different, my love for pancakes has certainly not disappeared. Even though I don’t live with my fellow pancake loving siblings anymore, I luckily found a pancake loving husband too. When we lived in Jacksonville, since we always watched our hometown church online rather than attending a local church, Sunday morning pancakes became a pretty normal, delicious routine.

It wasn’t until I married and began cooking for Dustin that my idea of the perfect pancake changed. I used to love them incredibly sweet and covered in syrup. All jokes a side, as a teen, I would request that extra sugar was added to my pancake or waffle batter when ever ordering at restaurants. Hello 8:00 a.m. sugar rush and crash! This is proof that if you think you can’t ever eat healthy, you can! While I no longer add “extra sugar” to my pancake batter, I still want them to be slightly sweet and perfectly brown.

The only problem with pancakes it that they seem to take so long to make. A few mornings ago, however, I made them in record time. Now, pancakes are no longer reserved for weekend mornings only.

Easy Yet Delicious Blueberry Pancakes

Makes ~ 12 medium sized pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup flour (I used a rice/flax flour mixture; whole wheat would work too)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Lightly coat griddle/pan with olive oil/coconut oil and heat on medium-high.
2. Place all ingredients except banana and blueberries into a blender and blend for about 30 seconds.
3. Add banana and blueberries and continue to blend until the fruit is smooth.
4. Pour pancakes to desired size and cook. Once the pancake bubbles on one side, flip to the other side and cook until even on both sides.
5. Serve with you favorite toppings and enjoy! This morning we enjoyed them with almond butter and a small squeeze of agave. Perfectly delicious even to this former sugar lover!

Have a great day and weekend! I’m off to get ready for the beach!

Good health!

The post Easy Yet Delicious Blueberry Pancakes appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.

Okay, okay so I might not be the best “sushi maker” or form the tightest wraps or rolls but sometimes taste can overcome poor presentation/appearance, right? Let’s at least hope so. Even I can admit that ginger root is rather ugly but it sure does taste good. Same with okra or split pea soup.

But as the old adage goes, practice makes perfect.

I’ll practice.

We’ll practice.

Spending so much time on the road with Dustin right now leaves me very little time to get my groove on in the kitchen. Because of this, every time I go home to visit my family, the kitchen is the only place I want to be. I can hear you now, “Who would ever want to spend more time in the kitchen?”

Me. It’s what I do. It’s what I love.

I love playing with or recreating recipes. Trying. Failing. And trying again. I love experimenting with foods that I have never tried or maybe never even heard of before. I love introducing new foods to people, helping them see that healthy can be tasty too.

This past weekend, I was determined to pull out my nonexistant sushi making skills and make either veggie sushi rolls, using this recipe from my Forks Over Knives cookbook, or some kind of fresh spring roll.

Dustin and I always order spring rolls when we see they are offered in the ‘non-fried’ variety at restaurants, so it was these that I really wanted to recreate.

The plan was to take either recipe to my sister-in-laws birthday dinner party on Saturday night but that didn’t quite work out. After searching for rice paper at three different grocery stores, I should have known all along that Whole Foods was the place to go to gather the ingredients for my recipe (which I finally found on Sunday, the day after the party, rather than Friday).

This spring roll recipe, or my own variation of, was not only fun to make, but also easily adjustable for my family’s preferences:

“I don’t like the avocado.”

“It needs more spice.”

“Less spice.”

“Too much peanut butter.”

“Not enough peanut butter.”

And each roll was made differently to satisfy the requests! The following recipe is what we determined to be the best.

Warning: these were so tasty that they never even made it to the dinner table. Rolling and eating worked just perfectly for us.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls with Peanut Butter Sauce

Recipe adapted from Foodista

Ingredients

• 1 Head Butter Leaf Lettuce
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Jicima
• 1 Bag Shredded Carrots (or shred your own)
• 4 Scallions (Shredded/Julienned)
• 12 Rice Paper Sheets (or more depending on how many you want to make) – I found mine at Whole Foods. Publix nor Kroger carried them
• Dried Basil (to taste) … fresh would be even better
• Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)

Note: we added Sriracha to a few of the wraps to give them a little more spice.

Peanut Butter Sauce

Recipe adapted from Splendor in the Raw

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter
• 1/4 cup Toasted Sesame Oil (I subbed olive oil here and it worked fine)
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice (Lime worked too)
• 2 tbsp Agave Nectar
• 1/2 cup water

Note: the original recipe also calls for 1 tbsp of chipotle peppers but we used red pepper flakes instead since that’s what we had on hand!

Directions:

1. Prepare peanut butter sauce first. Add all ingredients to bowl or blender and mix until evenly combined.
2. Julienne pepper, jicama, scallions and carrots (if not pre shredded) into 2 inch long strips.
3. Fill round pie pan/shallow plate with warm water. Dip one rice paper in the water, soaking both sides. Lay on a flat flour towel cloth. Allow to dry for about ten seconds before using.
4. Lift/peel rice paper off of cloth.
5. Place half of one de-ribbed piece of butter leaf lettuce in the center of the wrap.
6. Top lettuce with a spoonful of peanut butter sauce, spread evenly.
7. Add basil and red pepper flakes to taste.
8. Add a layer of each vegetable.
9. Starting at one end. fold the edge towards the middle. Repeat with the parallel side. Rotate the spring roll by 90 degrees and roll from one end to the next (Note: I did not follow this last step. In fact, I don’t think I even read it. I just started rolling. Maybe that’s why my rolls were a little messy!)
10. Cut each roll diagonally and place facing up on a serving plate.

Easy does it! A tasty appetizer, lunch, dinner or anytime snack!

If you try them, let me know. I’d love to hear about your wrap rolling success or tips you might have to improve mine!

Also, my new site is planned to go live this weekend! Same site address but entirely new look. I’m so excited!

I hope you have a wonderful evening!

Good health!

The post Vegetarian Spring Rolls with Peanut Butter Sauce appeared first on The Gypsy Dietitian.