gluten-free

No-Bake Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars

One of our favorite on-the-go snacks are granola bars. Granola bars are portable and tasty! We’re currently in love with these bars from Kind. I love the Kind bars because they’re a healthier bar. They’re chock-full of real ingredients like nuts, whole-grains, berries and dark chocolate. There is nothing processed in their bars, which makes me feel good about serving them up to my kids. Zoe’s favorite Kind bar (and mine as well) is their peanut butter dark chocolate bar, but she’s not entirely in love with nuts, so I decided to play around and create a “nut-free” granola bar version for her. I played around with a few different versions and came up with this bar, and let me tell you, it was a HUGE success, not only with Zoe, but with friends that I pawned them off on! These bars are not the traditional crunchy bars, they’re on the chewy side!

March 16, 2015 24 Comments

Almond Flour Pancakes

These are pancakes that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating because they’re made with almond flour, use raw honey for the sweetener, almond milk for the dairy, and coconut oil as a substitute for butter or vegetable oil, which will not only speed up your metabolism, but fuel your brain.

September 8, 2014 34 Comments

Rosemary Skillet Chicken

This is the perfect weeknight chicken recipe folks. The marinade comes together in a flash and can be made ahead in the morning, so when you get home from work or just from a long busy day, all you have to do is roast up the chicken. Yippee! The chicken takes under 30 minutes to roast up to perfection, but tastes like a chicken that has been cooking for hours.

February 18, 2014 20 Comments

Quinoa Snack Bars

These are not the prettiest bars I’ve ever photographed, but they sure are tasty and pretty healthy to boot. They’re filled with the goodness of quinoa, quinoa flour, chia seeds, goji berries, local raw honey and so much more. You can even make these gulten-free by using gluten-free oats.

February 9, 2014 33 Comments

Bolognese simmering in a pot on the stove

Weeknight Bolognese -Dairy-Free

This is hands down my GO-TO bolognese! It’s seriously the perfect and tastiest bolognese for those busy weeknights, as it takes under 45 minutes start to finish, but the sauce tastes like a sauce that’s been cooking on your stove top all day, not for just 30 minutes.

December 4, 2013 17 Comments

Homemade Almond Joy and Mounds Bars

There’s no better way to steer your kids away from all of the store-bought Halloween candy than to make up a healthy homemade alternative. For years, my family has been making healthier versions of classic candy favorites like homemade peanut butter cups, homemade dark chocolate bark and these no-bake, vegan Almond Joy bars. These bars are an easy and fun recipe to make with the kids. For parents concerned about nut allergies, you can make the classic Mounds bar, because as they say, “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t” These bars are vegan, no-bake and take about 30 minutes to make. So come on, let’s make up some bars!

October 1, 2013 58 Comments

Citrus marinaded chicken- three pieces on the table.

Citrus-Marinated Chicken

Ok, I have to say that this is one of my favorite chicken recipes ever, and Zoe and Eli both agree with me. We tried this the other night, gave each other the thumbs up, and said that this chicken was totally blog worthy and need to be posted sooner than later. The chicken is SO moist and full of flavor from the citrus marinade, and the skin gets all crispy and yummy from cooking under the broiler. This is seriously going to be one of my new go-to recipes for chicken, and the best part is that it can be made year round because it’s cooked under the broiler. Yippee! You could also grill it up, or even sear it in your cast iron skillet and then bake it off in the oven. Hey, it’s a flexible chicken recipe! I can see paring this chicken with some 5-minute roasted cauliflower or 5-minute roasted Brussels sprouts in the fall and kale mashed potatoes in the winter. This chicken is total comfort cooking anytime of year.

August 6, 2013 43 Comments

Pesto-Yogurt Roasted Chicken Drumsticks

These pesto yogurt drumsticks are the bomb! The marinade is super simple to throw together and uses supermarket staples

July 25, 2013 35 Comments

Easy Overnight Steel Cut Oats

So most of you know that I was a cereal addict since the age of 17. I literally ate a bowl of cereal everyday, usually grape-nuts topped with some other kind of fiberish cereal and granola. I’m one of those people that wakes up hungry and can’t sit around and wait a 1/2 hour for breakfast to cook, so cereal was the breakfast of choice, or should I say breakfast of convenience. Steel cut oats were reserved for those fancy hotel vacations or breakfast out with the family, as I was under the assumption that steel cut oats were a labor intensive and timely breakfast to whip up. I changed that way of thinking though when I cooked up my hot quinoa and oat cereal for the first time. I learned the trick to a quick breakfast of steel cut oats, and that was to bring them to a quick boil and then let them sit out overnight. I still eat cold cereal on occasion, but lately I have been devouring these steel cut oats, my 5 minute quinoa cereal and my quinoa and oat cereal. I would have to say that my breakfast routine has changed for the better!

June 6, 2013 209 Comments

Peanut butter chocolate rice crispy bars

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Rice Crispy Bars

I know, don’t these look amazing? I’ve never been a huge rice crispy bar fan, as I’m more of a cake or cupcake sort of gal, but this particular recipe caught my eye. I just love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate and to throw it together in a crispy and crunchy treat, yum! These bars were a total hit in my house, and I was sort of surprised because as I said before, rice crispy bars are not our go-to choice for dessert. John and I kept sneaking back in the kitchen for seconds and even attempted to share a third. I even think we liked these more than the kids, which is funny because I usually associate rice crispy bars as more of a kid kind of dessert rather than an adult one.

May 1, 2013 25 Comments

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Dairy free green goddess dressing. This is my dairy free, vegan take on a green goddess dressing. I wanted to create a tasty dairy free version, while focusing on keeping the ingredients ultra clean, so I used a coconut based yogurt @cocojune_organic that doesn’t contain gums, or other ingredients you can’t pronounce.

Comment “green” and I’ll DM you the recipe link.

The result, we love this dressing and have been making it on repeat. I love how creamy and vibrant this dressing is and how it coats each piece of lettuce. I also love how interchangeable the herbs are. You can truly use what you have on hand.

This dressing isn’t just for salads, you can use as a dip for veggies, (Eli love to dip carrot 🥕 sticks in this dressing) sweet potato fries, or drizzle over grilled or roasted chicken. The possibilities are endless. 💕

#greengoddessdressing #greengoddesssalad #greengoddess #healthyfood #saladdressing #dairyfreesalad #dairyfreerecipes #vegandressing #vegansalad #salad #healthysalad #healthysalads

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How to make nettle tea using a French press. Recipe 👇 This is a herbal medicine for your body. I love brewing try tea this way because I get big batch of tea in under 10 minutes. This tea is naturally caffeine-free, so you can add it to your daily water intake. Nettle is like drinking a potent green juice, and the zing of peppermint gives a kick of flavor. I love adding a pod of @kovikai organic fresh pressed turmeric for some anti-inflammatory benefits.

I drink this tea all morning and sometimes add a teaspoon of local raw honey to help with seasonal allergies. Drink it hot, then warm or pour over ice for a refreshing iced tea!

Healing benefits of Nettle:
Nettle has a mild spinach-like taste and is a highly nutritious infusion that supports your body physically. Nettle is high in vitamin K. A good source of vitamin A, calcium and magnesium. Nettle also offers anti-inflammatory benefits, high in antioxidants, supports bone health, has skin-healing properties and helps with seasonal allergies. Nettle is great when you feel worn out and drained.

Healing benefits of Peppermint:
Peppermint helps with digestion, boosts focus, and can help relieve tension headaches and migraines and may help with seasonal allergies.

Recipe: (you can use more or less of any of the below)
5-6 cups hot filtered water
3 tablespoons Nettle leaf tea
2 tablespoons peppermint
Optional 1 pod @kovikai turmeric

Directions:
Add teas to carafe. Pour hot water into the carafe, slowly lower the plunger to the bottom. Let tea brew for 5-7 minutes, or more depending on how strong you like your tea. Pour tea into a heat proof container and enjoy!

You can find nettle loose leaf tea on Amazon if your local grocery store doesn’t have loose tea. Nettle can also be called stinging nettle.

#nettletea #healingtea #nettleleaf #nettle #antiinflammatoryfood #antiinflammatory #antiinflammatorytea #herbalmedicine #herbaltea

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Here’s the perfect snack for those of you trying to cut back on refined sugar. These healthy no bake cacao oat bars are super addicting, once you have a bite, you just can’t stop.

Comment ‘oat bars’ and I’ll DM you the recipe.

They’re made with whole food ingredients like:

Almond butter

Maple syrup

walnuts

Raw cacao wafers

Hemp seeds

Gf oats

Unsweetened coconut

Coconut oil

They’re loaded with protein, healthy fats and antioxidants, making them the perfect snack.

They’re DF, GF and refined sugar free. I love having these on hand for that afternoon, or post lunch craving. They hit the spot perfectly. #healthy #healthysnacks #healthysnackideas #healthysnack #refinedsugarfree #norefinedsugar #healthydesserts #healthydessert #healthydessertrecipes #healthysnackrecipes

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How to wash and store romaine lettuce. You can do this with any fresh organic lettuce. 🥬

Fresh organic lettuce tastes so much better than the pre-washed boxed, or bagged versions.

Yes, it takes time, but it’s worth it! Do this when you get back from the grocery store. It will keep lettuce fresh for a week or more.

Also, don’t wash lettuce in the sink. I took a serve safe class in natural chef school and our sinks are not fit to wash greens, as they are full of bacteria. Use a clean bowl instead. Also, feel free to wrap lettuce in a flour sack towel as well. Happy salad!🩷
#lettuce #salad #marinmamacooks #howto #tipsandtricks #quickandhealthy #mealprepping #asmr #mealprep #saladprep #asmrfood #asmrfoodsounds

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Dairy free green goddess dressing. This is my dairy free, vegan take on a green goddess dressing. I wanted to create a tasty dairy free version, while focusing on keeping the ingredients ultra clean, so I used a coconut based yogurt @cocojune_organic that doesn’t contain gums, or other ingredients you can’t pronounce.

Comment “green” and I’ll DM you the recipe link.

The result, we love this dressing and have been making it on repeat. I love how creamy and vibrant this dressing is and how it coats each piece of lettuce. I also love how interchangeable the herbs are. You can truly use what you have on hand.

This dressing isn’t just for salads, you can use as a dip for veggies, sweet potato fries, or drizzle over grilled or roasted chicken. The possibilities are endless. 💕

#greengoddessdressing #greengoddesssalad #greengoddess #healthyfood #saladdressing #dairyfreesalad #dairyfreerecipes #vegandressing #vegansalad #salad #healthysalad #healthysalads

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I want to share with you guys a simple lesson about reading ingredients. Here’s my favorite brand of coconut milk, Native Forest. As you can see, they have 2 kinds of the full fat unsweetened coconut milk, one is called simple, and one is classic. The difference here is in the ingredients, one contains guar gum and one doesn’t.

You really want to look at the labels and the ingredients, and not just trust the brand is the same across all products.

I love this Native Forest, Simple, because again it clearly states no quars, and if you look in the ingredients, you’ll see organic coconut milk, organic coconut, filtered water. Simple whole food ingredients, no added fillers, gums, or flavors. You always want to look for a BPA free cans and the USDA organic stamp, which means its certified organic, so there’s no GMO’s, pesticides etc.

What is guar gum, and why is it bad?

Guar gum, which is derived from the guar bean is a thickening agent that can wreak havoc on your digestive system by causing bloating, gas, and discomfort. It can disrupt the delicate balance of your gut microbiome, leading to inflammation and impaired nutrient absorption. It’s also seen a lot in non-dairy creamers or milks.

Was this helpful? If so, let me know in the comments below, 👇 as well as what else you would like to see, or know more about?

#readlabels #readfoodlabels #guargum #guthealth #guthealing #inflammationrelief #antiimflammatory

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