Tag Archives: almond butter

Snapshot Sunday

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Loved this feature in the current issue of O magazine with Michael Pollan. “Cooking connects you to plants, animals, nature- and to other people”  He also says, “Cooking is how we transform nature into culture”. 

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Grocery haul

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Veggie soup {carrots, celery, kale, broccoli slaw, onion}

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Homemade body scrub: one of my IG friends gave me the recipe: 1 cup ground coffee + 1 cup sugar (I used coconut) + 3-4 tablespoons of sweet almond oil. Heaven!

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Big bowl of comfort food: spicy chicken drumsticks, cauli mash and salad

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Roasted sweet potato fries and homemade vanilla almond butter

Happy St Patricks Day!
How are you celebrating? (If at all)

Coconut Flour Banana Pancakes

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I didn’t sleep well last night. I woke up at 1:30am to the sound of footsteps, the gate to our backyard opening and closing and two guys talking. I got up out of bed to see who the yard intruders were, and they were on the roof of our neighbors garage. (??!!) Then they vanished.  I don’t even know how to make sense of it. Who does that?! Why the roof? I.just.don’t.get it.

While I was waiting to fall back asleep, I planned out my breakfast. Coconut flour pancakes. With bananas. And crunchy almond butter. What an interesting life I lead.

Coconut Flour Banana Pancakes – Gluten Free
Serves 1; yields 3 large pancakes

Heat a frying pan on medium heat, and lightly coat with cooking oil/spray of choice. (Coconut oil is a good choice, btw. ;) )

In a blender or food processor, combine:

3/4 cup egg whites
1 small banana
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
dash of cinnamon

Pour batter into preheated frying pan, and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes each side, flipping once.

Serve with toppings of choice. Suggestions: fresh peach slices + a tiny drizzle of maple syrup, strawberry jam + hemp hearts, whipped cream + banana slices + blueberries.

I typically top my pancakes with a combo of crunchy almond and peanut butter.  The fats add additional staying power to the meal, allowing the stomach to empty it’s contents a little slower. Meals like this are ideal fuel for someone like me, who is on their feet and on the go all morning.

I have an announcement to make about almond butter. Blue Menu brand (from Real Canadian Superstore) makes an outstanding crunchy almond butter.  It’s thin, crunchy and doesn’t dry up halfway through the jar. I eat a jar a week. :o

What breakfast(s) do you eat to fuel a busy day?

What’s your favorite brand of peanut butter/almond butter?

Sweet Potato Muffins

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Cue the Oprah voice:  You. will. LOOOVE THESE MUFFIIIIINS!!!

I’m so excited about this recipe for a few reasons.

  • It’s based on leftovers I found in the fridge, like quinoa and sweet potatoes
  • They turned out perfect, after one try (don’t you love that?)
  • They’re absolutely delicious, filling and have some real staying power

Promise me you’ll make them! Or don’t. Friends off forever. But hopefully that convincing Oprah voice did the trick.

Sweet Potato Muffins
Makes approximately 8 regular sized muffins. I made 18 minis. The nice thing about using sweet potatoes or yams is they add natural sweetness and moisture to baking, without overpowering the recipe with a distinct flavor.

Note: These are actually yams, but for some reason, grocery stores and some food companies label yams as sweet potatoes. To make it less confusing for people shopping for ingredients – go with the orange variety. ;)

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly coat a muffin tin with oil/butter/cooking spray

In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients:

1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour (or spelt/all purpose)
1/2 cup rolled oats or flakes
1/4 cup raisins
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tbsp hemp seeds (for a little crunch)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, mix together:

1 cup mashed sweet potato (cooked)
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup maple syrup (or agave)
2 tbsp palm sugar (or cane)
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp egg whites
1 tsp vanilla

Add dry to wet, fill muffin tins and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I immediately ate a couple muffins (actually, it was probably more like five) topped with almond butter as a pre-dinner snack. Then, as I was cleaning up my dinner mess, I was about to put away the goat cheese when a strange idea entered my mind.

Creamy, goat cheese + sweet potato muffin = healthy frosted carrot cake.

It was a strange phenomenon that just…. worked.