Warm Blueberry Ginger Smoothie A.K.A Divine Immunity Boost Shots

It's been a dark, cold, wet and gloomy day here. It seems like the sun didn't come up at all! I've also been feeling like my body has been struggling to resist the germs going around and it's fighting to stand it's ground from the sickness. Or maybe it's just because the sun has been missing too. Don't they call this seasonal sadness or something?!? If you live in an almost sub-Arctic climate in the winter months like I do then I think you probably understand :) So I brought a little TLC to my body [and my whole life!] with some fresh ginger as my little sunshine friend in the kitchen.

You cannot simmer, blend and drink this smoothie with a frown on your face. It just brings so much happiness and love. [Anther favorite warm smoothie from last fall...Cranberry Pear Ginger.... and a summer version of this smoothie...well a tonic really :)]

I know I'm a crazy lady that likes to think as foods as my friends and blueberries and ginger are some of my besties. We do not go through life alone people! :) But seriously- if you follow my recipes at all you know all about me and blueberries. I still have [I'm hoping!] about 40 pounds left so maybe it will get me to spring/summer to pick some more. I'm going to start having to ration them- especially after this divine goodness!

Warm Blueberry Ginger Smoothie Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nut, seed, and sugar-free}

2 cups of frozen blueberries
2 cups of 100% fruit juice or tea of choice [I used a combo of orange, pear and elderberry tea]
1/4-1/3 cup of grated or pealed and chopped fresh ginger chunks
1-2 slices of fresh organic lemon or orange and it's juices

optional: add 1 TB of pure honey after you simmer/before you blend so as to keep as many beneficial enzymes for your immunity- but also adds some extra sweetness if the ginger is too much!

Put all of the above in a saucepan and simmer until blueberries are bursting and the smells and colors are divine. Then let cool for a minute and slowly pour into your blender or Vitamix and blend slow and then on high for a minute and then pour into your shot glasses or mason jars and drink up!

This recipes makes about 2 pint- sized ball jars or 4 half-pint jars, so you may want to double it if you are making for a crowd or want to have extras to warm up and enjoy for a few days.

I hope you are finding ways to stay warm, full of light and love, and even add in an immunity boost to keep those germs at bay. Much love, friends xoxo

Raisin Bread with Berry-Chia Jam

January is for snuggling, hygge-ing, and bread making :) It is for me at least. I told you I have challenged myself to a plant-based diet for a few weeks and no sweets except those in fruit. Well for breakfast I have been enjoying Buckwheat-Date Porridge or some GF quick cooking oatmeal topped with blueberries, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes and chia seeds...BUT when it comes to breakfast, I still love a piece of whole grain toast smothered in a seed butter and jam ;)

This bread recipe is a combination of [this oat and this buckwheat-quinoa-millet] beloved bread favorites and my favorite homemade jam [from all those frozen blueberries] that I make weekly, but this time I threw in a few new twists so as to avoid sweeteners other than fruit and add in a few other parts to get the most I could out a having bread and jam for breakfast. The raisins were added in to help bring out some natural sweetness and honestly I LOVE a breakfast bread with a little dried fruit. I am already thinking up some future bread recipes... ones with cranberry, orange and seeds, or a molasses and raisin one. I cracked open a multitude of ideas... some of those have been tucked back there for a while. But for now- it is raisins, lightly sweetened with applesauce and cinnamon, and the love is ever great and nourishing.

Raisin Bread Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, yeast, nut, seed, and sugar-free}

3 TB of psyllium husk powder (must be powder, not seed or husk)

2 cups of pure water or non-dairy milk (or a combination of both)

3 TB of apple cider vinegar

3 TB of unsweetened apple sauce

2 TB of olive oil
1/2-1 cup of organic raisins

1 TB of cinnamon

1 cup of finely ground fresh GF oat flour

(grind 1 cup GF rolled oats in high powered blender)
1/2 cup of quinoa flour
1/2 cup of buckwheat flour
1/2 cup of millet flour
1/2 cup of rice flour

1 ts. of sea salt

2 ts. aluminum free baking powder

1 ts. of baking soda

sprinkle up to 1/2 cup extra oat flour for kneading 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the psyllium husk powder, water, milk and apple cider vinegar together. It will turn into a thickened blob in a few minutes, then whisk in the oil and applesauce in together. Lastly mix in the raisins and let them get wet before mixing in the dry...

Then, add all of the dry ingredients, flours, cinnamon and salts, and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until all of the flour is blended, but be careful to not over mix and make it too sticky. Then use your hands with a sprinkle of extra flour if needed to knead and roll our the dough until it starts to get a skin and no longer sticky. Once you got a nice skin on the dough and have rolled around you will have less cracks and stickiness. This is where I roll out to a long oval-shaped loaf and tuck all the spots under the loaf that have cracks or whatever. It doesn't have to look perfect because the skin will turn into a thick crunchy crust after baking. 

No need to proof or prove or whatever you normally do with bread because there is NO YEAST!! So just after rolling out a loaf, put on a parchment papered baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Let cool for 20-30 minutes before cutting into. Serve warm, which is my favorite! But also let it cool and slice out the loaf and save in a bread container for the rest of the week. It does a great job at keep at room temperature but you may find that you still like to toast it to warm it up a bit. 

Berry Chia Jam Recipe
2 cups of frozen blueberries or a mix of whatever berries you have
1/2 cup of juice (I used Antioxidant Force by Smart Juice) but you could use pomegranate or other no sugar fruit juice like cherry, berry mix, or grape
1/2 cup of pear or apple juices for sweetness too
also, you can use elderberry tea as in sub from the juice (as in my other chia-jam recipe)
1 TB of grated fresh ginger
1 organic orange grated for zest and squeezed for juice
pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup of whole chia seeds

In a medium saucepan, pour in the 2 cups of frozen berries with the tea and the juice and let cook to defrost and get soft. Then add in the ginger and orange juice and zest and bring to a soft boil and bubble and cook from any where to 10-15 minutes until the berries are very hot, juicy and mushy. You can use an immersion blender to blend in half of the mixture to be more smooth and have less chunky fruit if you want a smoother jam. After this it looks like a fruit soup. Turn off the heat and then add in the chia seeds. Stir in well so not to be clumpy and then let it sit in the pan and cool and let the chia seeds soak up the moisture and turn into a thick jammy substance. When it cools for 10-15 minutes you can pour into a pint jar to continue to cool and thicken in the fridge. It will be best after at least 4 hours in the fridge. This recipe makes 1 pint jar and will keep up to 2 weeks. 

There you have it, my most favorite recipes adapted to have NO sweetener but fruit. I hope you give them a try regardless and ENJOY! It is a great way to start off the new year trying to love and nourish the body with ways that it cannot hide behind sugar, caffeine and crappy processed foods to feel numb and yucky. Feed your body LOVE, friends!

Much love as always, xoxo

Blackberry Basil Coconut Ice Cream

Yessss, it's another vegan ice cream experiment!  Over the weekend, I was inspired by the plump gorgeous blackberries at the farmer's market and the strong aroma of fresh basil. My husband has been loving basil this season almost as much as me :) so it's also motivating to use it in just about every dish ;) 

Yes even in ice cream. Somehow that flavor of basil, almost liquorice-like, that adds just the right match to the sweet-tart of berries. I have added it to berry crisps before but to the coconut cream ice cream it is just about the perfect subtle touch. I didn't even add the leaves into the blend... just let them soak and simmer into the coconut milk before it's blended. Sooooo good!!! Be inspired by fresh colorful amazing food and let yourself be nourished and ENJOY!

Blackberry Basil Coconut Ice Cream Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nut, and seed-free}

2 cans of coconut cream (14 ounce cans, just scrap out the cream and discard/reuse water)
1 TB of tapioca starch
1 lemon squeezed
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of coconut palm sugar
pinch of sea salt
1 handful of fresh basil tied with twine

1 pint of fresh blackberries

In a saucepan, put the coconut milk cream on low heat and let it get soft and liquid. Then sprinkle in the tapioca flour and put in the rest of the ingredients. Keep the basil in the twine because it is just soaking in the cream and not being blended in. In a seperate saucepan, cook and mash blackberries until soft and juicy. Then pour over a micro-sieve and use all of the flesh and juices but omit the blackberries seeds to have a creamier ice cream finish. If you liek the texture of seeds then just add the berries right into the milk mixture. 

Take out the basil and cool down the coconut milk mixture and then add to the high powered blender with the berry mix and blend on high until creamy and smooth. Then pour into a container to cool down more if it is still warm, and if you need to refrigerate for a while that's fine. When room temp or cooled down, add to a ice cream maker and let it do it's job for 20 minutes or so and then spread into a container to sit in the freezer for 1 hour or more. Then you can pull out and use a regular ice cream scoop to serve up perfectly. Serve with fresh fruit or with or however you like ice cream best!

If you have not invested in the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker- then you might want to in time for this summer. I got this as a birthday gift last year and have enjoyed using it. The instructions before you make the ice cream is to deep freeze the mixture container. It must be super cold! Then once you do that you can hook up the container and follow the instructions- which for this ice cream includes just pouring in the mixture while it has already started spinning. This will take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to thicken up the ice cream. It is like soft serve and ready to top or eat, but if you want a more scoop-able ice cream then let the machine run for the allotted time and then pour into a container and put in the freezer and within 30 minutes it will be a perfect scoop!

ENJOY and much love as always xoxo

Ginger-Lemon-Blueberry Shots

It's summer. And it's hot. And you may not be thinking about warming ginger root as much. I know I wasn't until this week I came down with a little sniffle in the nose and immediately I drove myself to my local health food store and bought myself a giant ginger claw. It is my fall back immunity booster. It's a root, a super food, and if you make and drink this shot you will know exactly the energy and awakening it can bring. 

You may not have a cold sniffle in the middle of summer like me, but you may deal with allergies and    heartburn or other heat producing health issues. Then this is a tonic for you too. It is a bite to swallow this tonic, but what shot of whatever isn't... amiright?!? It will make you feel fabulous though and if you own a high powered blender you need to start making this a part of your daily/weekly routine. It's pretty simple, but I wanted to share it anyways because it is a super easy and fun way to bring a shot of health and wellness and love to your body.  CHEERS!

Ginger-Lemon-Blueberry Shot Recipe

{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, sugar, nut and seed-free}

1 cup of frozen blueberries

1 large claw of ginger pealed and roughly chopped

1 large organic lemon sliced to remove seeds but keep the peel on 

2 cups of pure water

Put all the above ingredients in a high powered blender (I have a Vitamix ;)  and start on lower power to get it all blended and then put it on full-force-power and blend it for another 20-30 seconds. Then it's done, pour it into 4 8ounce glasses and serve it up to your family and friends. Drink up! It may be a bite or you may need to plug your nose to get it down.... and it may be an aquired taste...but if you get it down, you will start to feel amazing within minutes as it surges through your bloodstream.

SIDENOTE: I think this would make a base for an amazing summer lemonade just would need to add some simple syrup sweeteneer or even stevia and a ton of water and ice and place ina pitcher for serving with maying some lemon slices or fresh blueberries.... doesn't that sound lovely!

Hope you give it a try :) Hope you are finding hope and healing :) and hope you know you are loved and worth all the effort and time you spend on yourself and your whlole body-mind-soul.

Much love as always  xoxo

Cherry Blueberry Crumble

People ask me all the time what I do with all the fresh fruit I pick. When you eat gluten-free and have a handful of other allergies in the house, a crisp or crumble, is an easy and crowd-pleasing dessert. So much of our frozen berries and cherries end up in smoothies and muffins over the winter months, but making a crisp with the berries is one of the best ways to enjoy all those berries and cherries! 

The oozing juices and crispy crumble topping...it's best from the oven warm with a little vegan ice cream but also a great cooled off or leftover breakfast too. I make these fruit crumbles in my sleep. This crumble specifically has the fruit made into a jelled juicy filling and the crumble is like a cookie batter...

Ohhhh the smells I wish you could get through the screen...but I guess the colors are gorgeous too. So hopefully you are inspired to make a dessert for yourself and all your people :) 

This specific crumble my husband announced was his favorite. And that is a compliment to me since he alone knows how many versions of fruit crumbles I have made over the years. The additions of coconut flour add a crunchy component and the shortening also makes it more crumbly in my opinion. I love trying a few new ingredients to my usual to find out it's fabulous. I guess practicing and experience do pay off- so get started today and start baking and making a celebration of the fresh fruit season. This is a dessert you can say YES too and share with ALL!

Cherry Blueberry Crumble Recipe

{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, seed, nut, and corn-free}

In a saucepan, stir the following on low to medium heat for about 5 minutes...

5 cups of fresh or frozen fruit

(I used 3 cups of pitted cherries with 2 cups blueberries)

1 fresh lemon squeezed for about 2 TB of juice

2 TB of honey

2 TB of maple syrup

test your sweetness level and if you want more add in 2 TB of coconut palm sugar

sprinkle of sea salt

1 ts of ground cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg 

In a small cup or pyrex, whisk the following and then pour into the fruit pan and let heat for another few minutes for it to get thickened....

2 TB of tapioca starch in 1/3 cup of water whisked until creamy and no clumps

After the sauce has thickened turn off the heat and pour into a 9x9 Pyrex pan and let cool off a bit more.

Then in a separate bowl, mix together the following...

Crumble Topping
1 1/2 cup of quick cooking GF oats
1/2 cup of white rice flour
1 TB of potato starch
1 TB of tapioca starch
1 TB of coconut flour
1/3-1/2 cup of coconut palm sugar
pinch of sea salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
1/4-1/3  cup of maple syrup
2 TB of palm oil shortening
2 TB of coconut oil

Mix all the above ingredients together with a spatula or your hands. It should feel like a cookie batter in your hands. A bit sticky and clumpy. I made estimates for the sweetener because I estimate every time depending on what tastes good and what I want... the point is that you can add more or less depending on your preferences. Then sprinkle the crumble batter over the fruit in the Pyrex. Then put into a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes when the fruit will be bubbling and smell fabulous!

Let cool for at least 20 minutes before you serve so that you don't burn your tongue. But this is served wonderfully warm but also is a great cooled off treat too. I think because the fruit is jelled a bit it is a bit easier to serve and take along with to gatherings because it is less soupy. 

SIDENOTE: If I am making for a crowd besides just my family, I will make this recipe in a 9x13 Pyrex pan and add 2 more cups of fruit, and 1 TB more of each of the sweeteners in the fruit gel and in the crumble you can eaither leave the recipe the same and spread more thin over the fruit, or add 1/2 more of oats and flour and 1 TB more of oils to make enough crumble to spread over all the fruit. This recipe is VERY flexible with the sweeteners and with making a 9x9 or a 9x13 pan.

I hope you have found ways to connect to this berry season enjoy its bounty and find gratitude and thankfulness for it's gifts. If you are feeling discouraged and sad because of a limited diet I encourage you to try a recipe like this very soon. This will fill you with so much nourishment and happiness for all the foods you CAN enjoy. Much love and light to you xoxo

Cinnamon Crunch Granola Cereal

This has got to be one of my most favorite ways to enjoy fresh blueberry season here in Michigan. Waking up to fresh plump berries over some cinnamon cereal granola and add in some coconut milk or yogurt. It is good both ways! It is so simple and fresh and perfect for breakfast this time of year. Yes you could arrange your bowl with color and flash... maybe some special slices of cherries or peaches or banana too :) You could add in nuts, seeds, chia, hemp, and whatever you like and got. You just go crazy with it. But this. This simple and plain good ol' way to start your day has me saying extra thanks for this season.

I've had a few other favorite granola and cereal recipes over the years. But this one has me all love-struck because of it's simplicity and ability to just be as it is and if you want or can add in the seeds and nuts and such then by all means. But for me and my allergy sensitive house this one is just about perfect! Plus you can add in all the fresh or dried fruit you love along side or however you like. Easy to pack up and easy to enjoy... I hope you give it a try!

Cinnamon Crunch Granola Cereal Recipe

{gluten, dairy, nut, seed, egg, and soy-free and VEGAN}

2 cups of rolled certified gluten free oats

2 cups of rice puff cereal

1/3 cup of date paste puree

1/3 cup of maple syrup

1/3 cup of melted coconut oil

2 TB of molasses 

pinch of sea salt

and a sprinkle of cinnamon 

Mix all of the above ingredients in a large mixing bowl with your hands and then spread thin on a parchment covered 11x15 baking sheet and bake at 350 for 25 minutes until crispy golden brown. Pull from the oven and let cool and dry for another 30 minutes and then your cereal is ready for crunchy, tasting, and packing up in a jar for the pantry and ready to pull out for breakfast. 

It is so easy to half the recipe or double the recipe. It is just super basic, but I love it dearly for that. It is just about perfect for your summer fruit breakfast routine and why not add it on a smoothie bowl or chia breakfast pudding too :) It is my favorite!

I hope you have these pantry items by now after reading my recipes. The date paste and GF oats are major pantry items for my family and my recipes. This one should be easy to give a try too and match with all those gorgeous berries. Happy breakfast and much love as always...xoxo

Blueberry Cake Donuts

Last week we celebrated the start of blueberry picking season here in my neck of the woods, and now we are enjoying the pounds and pounds of fresh blueberries in and on everything. It may seem I'm a bit obsessed about fruit picking here in Michigan (and yes, I probably am :), but it also has become a part of our summer rhythm because we truly enjoy the fresh goodness. I love the connection of the mind-body-soul while out in the bushes of blueberries and the work it takes to accumulate these berries in your bucket. It does take time. It isn't an easy task, but when you connect the movements of your body and the focus of your mind to being among the trees that supply this gift of these berries. You will find your heart filling with abundant gratitude for this gift of food and for the Divine maker of it all. It is one of those moments that you can nourish your whole self though these beautiful berries.

We also love to enjoy these sweet blueberries all winter long. And they are the easiest berry to freeze in my opinion. I pick, come home and rinse under cool water, dry and lay out on a towel on the counter, and then when dried, I bag up in BPA-free quart or gallon sized zipper lock bags and stack them in the deep corners of my chest freezer. They freeze so nicely and easy to pull out for a winter crisp or you can easily make a sauce or jam throughout the winter too. But the week of our first pick of blueberries, I make a crisp or pie or even some fresh muffins to celebrate the season.

This year, the kids (and me too ;) were excited to try making donuts. So I tried my magic at making some traditional Blueberry Cake Donuts without eggs and dairy and of course the gluten.

They turned out super moist- but because of the bits of coconut flour still have structure and hold together. Blueberries are a fragile and delicate addition to the donut, but with a little care it makes them feel like jewels in a crown. They sparkle and melt all over these sweet treats. I hope you find some space to connect your body/mind/spirit to the earth and the food you nourish it with.
Much love and ENJOY!

Blueberry Cake Donut Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nut, seed-free}

1 cup of finely ground GF certified oat flour
1/2 cup of white rice flour
1/4 cup of coconut flour
1 TB of potato starch
1 TB of tapioca flour/starch
1/3 coconut palm sugar
1 ts. of baking powder
1/2 ts. of baking soda
1/2 ts. of sea salt

1/3 cup of maple syrup
2/3 cup of date puree paste*
1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar mixed with---
2/3 cup of coconut milk beverage (or other plant milk)
1/3 cup of oil (avocado or melted coconut)
1 ts. of pure vanilla
1 ts. of fresh lemon zest

1 heaping cup of fresh (or frozen) blueberries

*First make a batch of date puree by letting 1 cup of dates saok in 1 cup of boiling water and then blending in a high powered blender to make a puree paste. You can do this in any amounts of equal dates to equal parts water. I usuaally make a 4 cup to 8 cup batch and have it in jars in the fridge ready to use in recipes or in smoothies :)

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and then pour in the wet. Mix well together and then lastly fold in the blueberries. Use a spoon to pour in the batter into the donut pan. I usually grease my donut pan with a little coconut oil first to help the sticking. You can also decide to do muffins with this batter if you 'do not' have a donut pan :) 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-23 minutes until golden brown. Then let sit in the pan from the oven for at leats 10-15 minutes before popping donuts from pan to help decrease the amount of donut breakage and keep them all together. Then I continue to let them cool on a baking rack. If you want to add a drizzle of glaze (1/2 cup organic powdered sugar to 1 TB of water or milk or lemon juice) whisk together and drizzle with a spoon over cooled donuts. They are great without the added sugar too- but if you want to dress em up- thats a simple way to make it :)

Donuts make you feel like you are having an extra special bakery treat when you are gluten-free. These are the goodies that you can create for yourself and not feel like you are missing out on the donuts of the gluten world. Such a fun way to use some fresh berries too- Hope you give this recipe a try and ENJOY!

Much love as always :)

Vanilla Bean Vegan Coconut Ice Cream

Summer brings about the love and craving for ice cream more than any other season. Not sure if it's just part of our American heritage or the fact something cold and creamy just tastes better while we sweat and soak in the summer sun. 

This recipe is basic. A classic. A plain-Jane-vanilla-bean ice cream kinda recipe. But maybe plain, simple, classic and basic is where it's at! This recipe also serves as a good base for almost any vegan ice cream and then when you want to take away the vanilla and add in more or differing flavors....you got it!  This one is my absolute favorite to top all the summer fruit crisps and crumbles. Or just keep it even easier and top (or mix-in) all the fresh berries you can get your fingers on. 

This handful of berries came from a friends backyard that backs up to a bike trail that has dozens of wild bushes of wild black raspberries growing. My daughter thought this find was the best thing ever- some how it brought out her own independent declaration of not needing me anymore for snacks :) I'm glad she loves to pick berries as much as I do. Hopefully you can hunt down some berry goodness this summer for yourself. For most of us GF or allergy people berries are a great treat just by themselves. Focus on the sweet treat and beautiful food you CAN have and forget about the sweet and sugary foods that hurt and harm you. This simple berry and coconut ice cream treat will have you forgetting any past desserts you can no longer enjoy. If you are looking to make some homemade vegan ice cream I'll share a few of my secrets below... 

Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream Recipe
{gluten, dairy, soy, egg, nut, seed, and refined sugar-free, VEGAN}

2 cans of full fat coconut milk cream - should amount to 2 cups of cream
(scoop out the cream and save/discard the water in the can)
1 vanilla bean pod scraped
1/2 lemon/lime/orange/grapefruit squeezed (1-2 TB's of juice)
2-3 TB of pure maple syrup
hearty pinch of sea salt


optional: 1 TB of tapioca starch (this ingredient helps the ice cream to be so much easier to scoop from the freezer and even I think allows it to be creamier and melt just the right way instead of it being too hard or icy- you can omit it too, but from my experiments I like it better added!)


In a small saucepan, warm up the coconut cream with the rest of the ingredients. DO NOT warm too much to a boil. Just warm enough for the starch to thicken and turn off the heat and let it cool off. Then use an immersion or regular blender and blend the mixture to get a bit frothy and bubbly. Pour into a container and let full cool off in the fridge for 2 hours- overnight, or in the freezer for 30 minutes. 

Then if you have not invested in the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker- then you might want to in time for this summer. I got this as a birthday gift last year and have enjoyed using it. The instructions before you make the ice cream is to deep freeze the mixture container. It must be super cold! Then once you do that you can hook up the container and follow the instructions- which for this ice cream includes just pouring in the mixture while it has already started spinning. This will take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to thicken up the ice cream. It is like soft serve and ready to top or eat, but if you want a more scoop-able ice cream then let the machine run for the allotted time and then pour into a container and put in the freezer and within 30 minutes it will be a perfect scoop!

Once you got your ice cream steps down- you will be willing to make this more often and enjoy it's creamy presence in your life. This recipe can be easily doubled and this recipe recipe makes about a pint of ice cream. This is a great 4th of July treat paired with fresh fruit, picked cherries or wild black raspberries...Did you notice the red white and blue happening here ;) haha!

I hope you give it a try and truly ENJOY it's wonderfulness :)
Much love as always xoxo

Strawberry Banana Blender Waffles

Have you been enjoying all the fresh local strawberries?! Here in Michigan the strawberry season marks the true beginning of summer and the days are long and hot and it's strawberries that help us ring in the the summer solstice. My family likes to pick and eat as many as we can while they are perfectly sweet and fresh from the plant. Don't you think they are just sweeter we you eat them right from the plant?!? Maybe it's just the whole fun sensory experience, but I think they just taste best too!

If you haven't made it to the farmer's market or u-pick field yet- I think there is still time to look for some... at least I think that is how it is here in Michigan, maybe another good week or so of picking... so get out there and hunt some down. 

And then you can think about making these waffles, pie, jam, and put some away in the freezer for smoothies and crisps this winter... they are so many ways to enjoy frozen berries that you won't regret putting some away!

But while you got fresh strawberries these waffles make it feel like you are running a fancy pants diner with a gorgeous breakfast and a decent cup of coffee and good conversation. I hope you give this recipe a try. If you got a blender and a waffle iron- then you got it! Happy summer, friends!

Strawberry Banana Blender Waffle Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, seed, nut and refined sugar-free}

In a large high powered blender add the following....
2 ripe bananas
2 cups of fresh or defrosted frozen strawberries
1/2 cup of date puree paste
1 lemon squeezed and zested
1 cup of plant milk (coconut, rice or others....)
2 TB of maple syrup
2 TB of avocado or olive oil
2 TB of apple cider vinegar

2 cups of certified GF rolled oats (or a mix raw dry quinoa and oats here)
1 cup of rice flour (or sub sorghum, quinoa, or millet)
1/3 cup of tapioca flour
1/3 cup of potato starch
1 TB of baking powder (corn-free version)
1 ts. of baking soda
1 ts. of sea salt

Put all of the ingredients above in a blender and blend.... until it is smooth and bubbling. If your mixture seems a little too watery you may need to add 1/4 cup of flour to the mix depending on how watering your berries were... but add the oat or rice flour to thicken up if needed... It is so great because all the mess is in your container- that you can even pour right to the waffle iron or skillet! SCORE!

Then I use my waffle iron according to it's instructions and then even cook for a bit longer than that to get the crispiness we desire. Because this recipe is vegan and has no eggs it can tend to be a bit soft (or soggy) if you do not cook long enough. So its about a 3-4 minute cook time on my iron- but that might be different on yours.  This recipe makes about 6 waffles or 12 pancakes. When I make them, we usually eat half and have the rest in the fridge ready to toast up for the rest of the week- so a great leftover!!! Make a big batch and stick them in the freezer ready to go! 

You can also make pancakes with this recipe. Pour from the blender onto a skillet and make small or large pancakes if you desire. I usually cook with some coconut oil on the skillet to get a crispier finish to pancakes.  Cook 3-5 minutes on a skillet to each side. 

Top the finished product with more fresh bananas, berries, organic powdered sugar or pur maple syrup. It feels like you reached fancy breakfast heaven, especially if you haven't had such since going GF. These little babies have a way of bringing more hope (and healing) to the GF/vegan journey if you ask me. You all of a sudden believe in making your food options feel that much bigger and better and more open! Your willing to leave the losses and bitterness behind and keep going forward.

I hope that for you my friends. Much love and light as always, xoxo

Fruit-Tea-Lemon Slush

We've had a few days of intense heat and humidity here in my neck of the woods. And even with the heat we've been spending long days of cleaning up the yard, playing at the park and splash pad and even enjoying our Lake Michigan beaches.  It's not even "official" summer yet- summer solstice begins next week- YAY!

It's hot out there though! And we have been trying to keep hydrated with water, herbal tea concoctions, fruit and now that I have a Vitamix- smoothies, popscicles, ice cream, and slushies ;)

This is really just a "smoothie" but it totally tasted like an old timey fruity slushie to me. I love the added lemons and dates for staying hydrated and tart sweetness too. It cooled me right down after a long day of outdoors work and it was just right thing when I had no appetite for dinner after a long day in the heat. This is a very 'loose' recipe. The main parts that got blended that I think are great are the hibiscus tea, lemon or lime and berries- oh and the dates ;) But truly you can easily add or take away- I just super loved this combo and have already made it two more times since the first.  Hope you are finding ways to stay cool and yet also enjoying the first days of summer heat. Much love and ENJOY xoxo

Fruit-Tea-Lemon Slush Recipe
{free of gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, and sugar, vegan and paleo too ;)
made best in a high powered blender like a Vitamix or others out there...

1 cup of hibiscus tea or (Tazo Passion Tea already brewed) In the summer months, I brew 6-8 bags of this tea in a 2 quart Ball jar and keep it in the fridge and whenever I am needing to stay hydrated and sick of water this is my favorite go-to iced tea mix with a slice of lime. Hmmm, almost could be dessert :)

1 cup of coconut milk beverage or other plant milk of choice

1 frozen banana

2 cups of frozen berries/cherries (I did a mix of blueberries, cherries, and strawberries)

1/4 cup of leftover date puree (or 2-3 whole pitted dates)

1-2 slices of washed organic lemon (lime would be amazing too )

Put all of the above in a high powered blender and it should turn into a slushy within a minute. The vitamix makes everything so creamy and smooth- If I sound like I am gushing- I still am ;) The above ingredients measure out to 1 large cup for 1 or easily split between 2- you can play around with the measurements tho to make enough less or more and also depending on some of your favorite flavors and options. 

Perfect treat to the end of the hot day. Sometimes in the heat I have no motivatiom or appetite to cook or make a heated mess in the kitchen, so this was an easy way to ease into the hot evening. Then after getting hydrated you might have more of an appetite for something more. Hope you are well and much love xoxo