Brownie Chia Seed Pudding

I have a secret to tell you.

There is no actual brownie batter in this recipe. 

It might be a little confusing at first, but it's the truth. There is no flour, butter, eggs, or refined sugar in this recipe. It is 100% dairy, egg, soy, grain, gluten, sugar and nut free. Well, you can make it nut free, depending on what milk you use. 

Pretty unbelieveable right? I guess you'll just have to make it for yourself and you'll see what I'm talking about. Imagine a rich, fudgy brownie in the form of chia seed pudding. Super easy, yet super yummy. 

I just realized that this is only my second variation of chia seed pudding that I've put on the blog. Wow. I need to get on that. If you have any flavor ideas, let me know, and I'll definitely try them out. For now, try this awesome recipe. It's amazing. I promise. :)

1/4 c. strong coffee (it doesn't matter if it's hot or cold, caffeinated or decaffeinated)

1/2 c. milk of choice

1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T. chia seeds

2 T. ground flax seed

1/2-1 scoop protein powder or 1 T. of this gelatin

sweetner, to taste

1. In a small pot, combine all your ingredients and whisk together.

2. Heat over the stove in medium heat, stirring occasionally. 

3. You know your pudding is done when it starts to bubble around the edges and is very thick. 

4. Top with shredded coconut, walnuts, chocolate chips, or anything else your heart desires. Enjoy! 

Inquiry of the Day:

Any posts you'd like to see more of on the blog? Meal recipes, breakfast recipes, new product alerts, etc. 

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Key Lime Smoothie

It's that time of year, again. The time when I want all things citrus. Especially lemon or lime flavored things. And lemon bars. I really, really want lemon bars. They remind me of sunshine and spring, which is definitely something that I need right now. Even though it's getting gradually warmer outside! Yay!

Now back to the food.

I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post last year that my grandma makes this amazing lime jello with cottage cheese and pineapple in it. And I believe I also mentioned how it is defintely not healthy. Well here is the healthy version. It contains no added sugar, no Jell-O, and is grain, nut, egg, and soy free. The texture might be different from that of my grandma's jello salad, but the flavor is still the same. Okay, it may taste a bit more lime-y than her salad, but still....

The one thing I do recommend is that you use canned pineapple. Do NOT use fresh or frozen. It gives the smoothie a really weird bitter aftertaste that isn't very pleasant. Maybe if you didn't use cottage cheese it wouldn't taste bitter, but you'll have to do some experimenting. And I'm not really sure what to use in place of the cottage cheese. Maybe farmer's cheese? Or I read on one site that you can use tofu. That'd probably give it the same creamy consistency that the cottage cheese does.


1/2 c. milk of choice
1/2 c. apple or pineapple juice
1/2 c. canned pineapple (It can be tidbits, chunks, crushed, etc.)
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1 T. lime juice
1 scoop protein powder (optional)
2 T. ground flaxseed
2 T. chia seeds
5-6 ice cubes

1. Add all of your ingredients to a blender and give it a whirl.
2. Pour into a glass and top with crushed graham crackers or whipped cream. You don't have to do that part, but I highly recommend it. ;)

Inquiry of the Day:

How was your St. Patrick's Day?

My mom made corned beef, roasted cabbage, and potatoes for dinner. It was a very traditional St. Patty's day meal. And on Saturday I made green eggs.

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Cunning Ladies' Friday Party

Today I have been invited to participate in the Cunning Ladies' Friday Party hosted by Shobelyn Dayrit of Easy to Cook Meals! I hope you will join me there where I'll be sharing one of my favorite no-bake recipes! My lemon coconut cookies! :D


So come on over and see the other amazing recipes and sites!

Now for the recipe!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

This weekend I was in the mood for cookies. But, this Christmas season I'm trying to watch how much sugar I eat so I don't gain like 10 pounds this month. Better to limit the carbs now so I can gorge on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. ;)

Anyways, back to the cookies. These cookies are the perfect treat for days when you get that craving for something a little sweet. They won't spike your blood sugar and leave you with that icky feeling a couple hours later. In fact, because they're made almost entirely of coconut, these cookies could be considered healthy. A cookie you can have any time of the day and not feel guilty about

They're also super easy to make, which is a quality I'm always looking for in recipes. If a recipe looks too complicated, it's highly likely that I won't try it. Not that I'm intimidated by it, I just don't have the time. I'm sure plenty of you have the same dilemma, especially this time of year. Good thing I've created this quick, yummy recipe for you to take on the go. ;)

Be warned, though. This is a very coconut-y cookie. So, if you don't like coconut, I would recommend trying a different recipe. But, who doesn't like coconut? ;)

1 c. shredded coconut 

3 T. coconut flour

1/4 c. coconut oil, melted

1/4 c. + 2 T. coconut milk, light or full-fat

1 1/2 T. lemon juice 

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

3 T. honey, maple syrup, or agave 

Pinch salt

1 tsp. lemon zest (optional. I didn't use it because I didn't have any and they turned out lemon-y enough)

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

The first thing you'll probably want to do when you see these muffins is eat your screen.

And if you do want to do that, I completely understand. The first thing I wanted to do when these muffins came out of the oven was devour them. Unfortunately, I would not only burn my tongue by doing so, but I also had to work out first. :(

These muffins are moist, chocolate-y and taste like a Reese's peanut butter cup in muffin form. Amazing, right? I originally got the idea from Perkins (which, in case you have no idea what Perkins is, is a restaurant that is mainly famous for their breakfast food and Mammoth Muffins) when my family went on Saturday to celebrate my grandma's birthday. My dad got the chocolate peanut butter Mammoth Muffin with his breakfast and I wanted one so bad that as soon as I got home I set out to recreate it. And I'm pretty sure this recipe is just as delicious, if not more so, than the original.

On a separate note, I think I'm going to complain about the weather. I mean, what is up with Indiana weather? Yesterday, it was 70 degrees and sunny and I was even wearing flip-flops. Today? It's snowing and only 30 degrees outside. Yeesh. You'd think the weather could make up its mind already. I'm officially done with winter, though, if you couldn't already tell. Hopefully by the spring equinox it'll actually be spring. But one can only hope.

2 c. almond flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 ripe banana, mashed
3-4 T. honey
1/4 c. coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla
12 tsp. peanut butter or other nut or seed butter, divided
crushed peanuts, for topping (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners or grease well.
2. Combine all your dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. In a separate small bowl, mash your banana. Then add the eggs, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla.
4. Add your wet ingredients to the dry and stir well to combine.
5. Drop a scant tablespoon of batter into each cupcake liner.
6. Then drop a heaping teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of the batter. Do not spread, just let it sit there in a ball.
7. Cover with an additional tablespoon of the batter. Top with crushed peanuts if so desired.
8. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Inquiry of the Day:

Are you ready for spring?

I can just feel the green grass under my feet, the warm rain, and see the budding trees and flowers. I am so excited to start wae capris, light jackets, and flip-flops again!

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National Pancake Day! :D

Today is national pancake day! And if that's not a reason to celebrate I really don't know what is. ;)

I actually didn't have pancakes today. I had them yesterday. But I did have a waffle today. Does that count?

What's really ironic is that today is Pancake Tuesday (also known as Fat Tuesday, which is what I call it) for many people who participate in Lent. And it's also national pancake day. How cool is that!?! I love it when strange, yet good, coincidences happen. And we can all agree that pancakes are a good reason.

Speaking of Lent and Fat Tuesday, I'm giving up all forms of sweets. That means, no honey, agave, stevia, or sugar of any kind. Only fruit. And the protein powder that we buy. I'm kind of nervous about it. I mean, 40 days with no form of sugar at all? How am I supposed to sweeten my yogurt!

But I digress. It being national pancake day and all, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite (and my only) pancake recipe. It has 2 main ingredients! And they're so easy to whip up you can have breakfast in about 15 minutes flat. Plus, if you cut the recipe in half it makes a single serving. And I think that single serving recipes are super adorable.

2 bananas, extremely ripe
4 eggs (or egg replacer of your choice)
1/4 tsp. baking powder (optional)
2 T. cocoa powder
toppings: peanut butter or other nut or seed butter, chocolate chips, whipped cream, maple syrup, etc.
oil for cooking

1. Blend together bananas, eggs, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
2. Heat a gridle over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the oil. I used coconut oil.
3. Ladle about a tablespoon of batter for each pancake. Cook until bottom is firm, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional minute.
4. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Inquiry of the Day:

Do you think single serving recipes are adorable? Or am I just weird like that?

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