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

Avocado Fudge Pops

It has been super warm and muggy here and maybe it is just the point of summer that me and my family start to get super tuckered out and needs a few days of no sitting in the sun and trying to pull back from crazy activities. Have you experienced this at all? It seems crazy to want to stay inside and rest when you wait so long for summer to get here in Michigan, but about this late July every summer I find myself being so exhausted and tired that all I want to do is stay in a dark cool basement and do a winter activity of crafts and movies LOL Well, maybe for a day or two and then I see the sunshine and think of the beach again and there we go...

But these little fudgesicles came into creation a few days ago when I was using up some fruits and veggies and the kids were asking for a treat. It is similar to my freezer fudge or avocado pudding recipes...

But just a bit more fun for the kids (and me too !) I love that you can disguise some nutrient dense foods into a sweet little treat for the littles. They love it and want them again and again and you can only say "yes!" So here's a little fist-pumping-mom recipe for you saying YES we can do this summer-mommy-warrior thing and we are strong and mighty!!!! Hope you give these a try even if you don't have littles ;) They are a super great treat for all!

Avocado Fudge Pops Recipe
{gluten, dairy, soy, egg, nut, seed and corn-free}

1 ripened avocado
1-2 frozen bananas
1 cup of date puree paste
1 cup of coconut milk or other plant based milk of choice
pinch of sea salt
2 TB of cocoa powder (or carob powder works too!)
2-3 TB of maple syrup
1/3 cup boiling water poured over 1/3 cup ENJOY LIFE chocolate chips
(other optional additions could include pure vanilla, lime juice or other citrus flavoring)

Put all the above ingredients in the blender and blend on high until rich smooth and creamy milkshake. Then pour the mixture into BPA-free popsicle holders. I have a variety of these small and large to fill up that the kids love and we usually even choose and make these together to make it fun!

 Hope you give these a try and ENJOY! Much summer love and light to you this week friends!

Zucchini Oatmeal Bread

Who has zucchini coming up like crazy this year?! I didn't plant any myself sadly, but I love to grab some at road side stands and the farmer's market 4/ $1 ! It has to be one of the best cost efficient veggies this time of year. I love it sauteed and added over rice or quinoa with a side of protein. Of course there is the 'zoodle' recipes which are all fabulous and so fresh and wonderful too! I also try and freeze some already sliced to add to soups and stews over the winter months, and.... OF COURSE I love to bake with it as well...

This year I experimented with another zucchini bread recipe. My last one I made was years ago, and I love it, but it has eggs in it, and I wanted to give a try at a vegan one for my allergy sensitive daughter. So this one is made with alot of GF oat flour and date paste, both of which have been staples in my GF/DF/egg-free baking as of late.

You can easily put in the eggs in this recipe too, I would just add 2 of them right in. They will bake in just fine.  This recipe will make 3 mini/smaller loaves, or 2 larger loaves. I guess you could make a cake of it too and spread it out in a 9x13 pan if you wanted. I was going for a cute little loaf with this recipe and even brought out some mini pans I had in the pantry ready to use.

This bread is super moist and heavy. Those zucchini baked right in make is one-of-a-kind! I might find myself doing more zucchini bread experimenting before the summer is up because it is always so easy to whip up and enjoy. So do yourself a favor and make some zucchini bread this week- it's just one of those you can't pass by this time of year- ENJOY!

Zucchini Oatmeal Bread Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, seed, nut and refined sugar-free, plus VEGAN}

2 1/2-3 cups of freshly ground certified gluten free oat flour (depends on how wet your zucchini is...) I start with 2 1/2 cups and then add another 1/2 cup of flour if the batter is a little loose after adding in the grated zucchini

1/2 cup of white rice flour
1/4 cup of coconut flour
1/4 cup of tapioca flour
1/4 cup of potato starch
1 1/2 ts. of baking powder
1 ts. of baking soda
1 ts. of sea salt
1 ts. of ground cinnamon
1 ts. of ground nutmeg
1 ts. of pure vanilla
1-2 TB of molasses
3/4 cup of coconut palm sugar
1/3 cup of date paste (or applesauce works too)
1/3 cup of pure maple syrup
1/2 cup of coconut milk beverage with 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar add in separately
3/4 cup of avocado oil (or melted coconut oil) Or a mix of each
2 packed cups of freshly grated zucchini squash (1 large squash or 2 small)


In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients, then add in the wet, and the zucchini and stir all together well so there is no clumps. Pour into parchment and oiled bread pans. This recipe will make 2 medium larger loaves or 3 smaller mini loaves. I sprinkle a little nutmeg and cinnamon over top with maybe even a few more zucchini strands to dress up the top of the bread. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes depending on your oven. This bread bakes longer because it doesn't have the eggs in them and so it just is a slower bake. When you pull from the oven let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into for best results. Let store on the counter covered for 3 days for best bread too. 

Hope you give this recipe a try and dress it up however you see fit. Maybe even some dried fruit, fresh blueberries, chocolate chips :) I personally love it just as it is. I love the simple but unique flavor of a moist and heavy zucchini bread. Much love and ENJOY!