It's the weekend and you're wanting something that feels indulgent and sweet, but you also want it to be healthy.

These 5-Ingredient Sweet Potato pancakes are packed with protein and vitamins. The dash of cinnamon and drizzle of maple syrup satisfy the craving for something sweet and VOILA! the perfect weekend breakfast. 

The kids like these topped with berries over nuts, but I prefer the crunch! 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 C. cubed and peeled sweet potatoes
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 TBSP. coconut oil 
• 2 TBSP. maple syrup
• 1 C. chopped pecans and walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Boil the sweet potatoes in a pot of water for 15 minutes or until tender.
• Drain potatoes and let cool
• Place cooled potatoes in a large bowl. Add eggs and cinnamon and blend with a mixer. 
• Heat 1/4 of coconut oil in a pan and add batter a few TBSP. at a time to form pancakes.
• Fry the pancakes until bubbling. Flip to the other side and finish cooking until golden brown.
• Top with maple syrup and nuts if desired. 

What's your favorite breakfast on a slow Saturday? Ours is pancakes, always! Leave yours in the comments below! 

Are you in a breakfast or tea time rut? We were. I was also in this place where for the past couple of years I was craving the Cheese Danish of my child hood.

Except one without all the gluten, dairy, preservatives and other things I didn't know was baked inside that fluffy, scrumptious, cheesy pastry.

Recreating one that would be just as cravable felt like a herculean task, and while it wasn't a "quick and easy" meal, the labor of love and sourced ingredients that went into these made them worth it.  

I made a big batch, just in case they came out good, and so glad I did! They freeze amazingly well, my kids LOVE them and we've been going back for them time and time again. 

The recipe is below and I do want to give one tip: If you are able to have dairy (and are just here because you're gluten free) I would highly recommend using REAL cream cheese to those that can tolerate it. While the dairy-free brand I used worked just fine, I feel like having that TRUE cream cheese flavor would have made these a 12/10! 

Bringing back a CLASSIC breakfast.

My Paleo Biscuits and Gravy was one of the first recipes that debuted on this blog almost TEN years ago (I'll spare you the link, my photography of it back then wasn't stellar, haha. If you look hard enough around here you can find it.) and I wanted to create a new and improved recipe now that I have  mastered flakier biscuits and a creamier gravy than I previously made. 

While not paleo, you could swap the gluten free 1 to 1 with a Cassava flour to keep it grain free. Or you could stick with my OG recipe suggestion of almond flour for a denser, heartier biscuit.  You do you, but I like the FLUFF. 

So much healthier than the restaurant variety, you can make extra gravy and freeze it to keep on hand for weekend brunches and breakfasts. I would suggest making your biscuits fresh, but you can freeze them as well. 

Biscuit Ingredients

• 1/3 C dairy-free butter
• 1/3 C vegan sour cream
• 1/2 TBSP organic sugar
• 1 1/2 C gluten-free one to one all purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1  tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup club soda or sparkling water

Gravy Ingredients

• 1/2 lb gluten free sausage (we love organic AppleGate maple sausage or Jenny-O Sweet Italian)
• 2 TBSP gluten free all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 C. milk alternative
• 1/4 C dairy-free cream
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

​


Directions For The Biscuits

• Preheat oven to 425° degrees.
• Melt 1/3 cup dairy-free butter, to soft but not liquid.
• Whisk vegan sour cream and sugar into melted butter until smooth.
• Add flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar and stir with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add sparkling water and stir until mixture comes together and is sticky. 
• Lightly flour a clean surface and turn dough onto counter, turning to fully coat. Be careful not to mix the flour into the dough.
• Flatten with your hands into a circle about 3/4" thick.
• Fold in half to form a half circle, then in half again to form a triangular shape, and pat to 3/4" thickness again.
• Repeat the last step. This folding is what creates the flaky, layered effect.
• Cut into circles with biscuit cutter or large cup and arrange in a round cake pan so the biscuits are so close they are almost touching.
• Bake biscuits for 7-10 minutes. Remove biscuits just as edges begin to turn a golden brown and don't overbake!

Directions For The Gravy

• Brown sausage in a skillet. If your sausage has a casing, make sure to remove before browning. 
• Once browned, stir in gluten free flour and continue to cook over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Pour in milk while stirring and continue to stir until thick.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
• Serve over fresh biscuits, cut in half. Enjoy! 

​Serve these up with a fresh fruit salad and piping hot coffee or tea for a delectable morning indulgence. This recipe remind me of a rainy day or breakfast at a small-town café. Do Biscuits and Gravy bring to mind any special memories for you?

My delicious Glazed Cinnamon Pumpkin Donuts, which traditionally use Almond Flour and Egg, now have a nut-free, egg-free variation. They are smaller and softer than their nuttier, dense counterpart. A favorite of my husbands these are not grain-free but are gluten-free, of course, and so delicious. See the recipe below!

Ingredients:

Donuts:
dry:
1/4 c. potato starch
1/4 c. oat flour
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. tapioca starch
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. cinnamon 
1/4 tsp. ginger

wet:
1/4 c. honey
1 TBSP. coconut oil
1/4 c. dairy-free milk
2 TBSP. organic applesauce
1/4 C. canned organic pumpkin


Glaze:
1 C. Corn-Free Confectioners Sugar (I use an organic cane sugar/tapioca starch blend)
2 TBSP. Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance Dairy-Free/Soy-Free)
1 1/2 TBSP. non-dairy milk

Directions: 

For Donuts:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease donut pan LIBERALLY with coconut oil or coconut oil spray. Combine dry ingredients and mix well with handheld mixer. Combine wet ingredients and mix well with handheld mixer. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix once more until well blended. Empty contents from bowl into piping bag or ziploc bag to disperse easily into donut pan. Fill donut pan 3/4 of the way and cook for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and glazing. 

​For Glaze:
Mix ingredients once donuts have cooled and dip donuts to cover top. Set for 5 - 10 minutes until glaze solidifies. If glaze hardens before you are finished dipping, or if you are baking multiple batches, simply warm the glaze on low for 2-3 minutes to reuse. 

I recently updated my Pumpkin Spice Donuts that we originally debuted here in 2015 and this recipe is a mouthful of fall deliciousness. 

The recipe below uses almond flour and egg, I do have a nut-free, egg-free recipe for this beauties, just know it does take a few more ingredients, all easy to find, but they do take a little longer. This variation is hearty and dense. Think traditional pumpkin cake donut, while the nut-free, egg-free are small and spongy in a GREAT way. My husband actually preferred those, as they have a more traditional donut consistency, while I like the dense nuttiness of these. 

When we first made these, we headed into the kitchen one weekend and just made batch after batch of donuts until we got the perfect ones. I tried a coconut flour one that was an epic fail. And then I wondered why I even baked that one because time and time again I prove to myself that 1.) I don't care for the taste of coconut flour baked goods, even though I love all other coconut products. And 2.) mastering coconut flour baking is an art form all its own. The donuts came out like little coconut egg-y soufflés. Not quite as gross as that sounded, but certainly not decadent or edible. Which are two requirements for desserts or donuts in my book. 

Below, you will find the recipe for the winner. And again, for the nut-free, egg-free recipe click here. 

Ingredients:
Donuts:
dry:
2 C. Almond Flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. ginger
3 TBSP. tapioca starch
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

wet:
2 organic eggs
1/3 c. organic canned pumpkin
1/4 c. honey
4 TBSP. coconut cream or coconut whipped cream (I used SoDelicious Whipped Cream)
1 tsp. organic vanilla extract


Glaze:
1 C. Corn-Free Confectioners Sugar (I use an organic cane sugar/tapioca starch blend)
2 TBSP. Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance Dairy-Free/Soy-Free)
1 1/2 TBSP. non-dairy milk

Directions: 

For Donuts:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease donut pan LIBERALLY with coconut oil or coconut oil spray. Combine dry ingredients and mix well with handheld mixer. Combine wet ingredients and mix well with handheld mixer. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix once more until well blended. Empty contents from bowl into piping bag or ziploc bag to disperse easily into donut pan. Fill donut pan 3/4 of the way and cook for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and glazing. 

​For Glaze:
Mix ingredients once donuts have cooled and dip donuts to cover top. Set for 5 - 10 minutes until glaze solidifies. If glaze hardens before you are finished dipping, or if you are baking multiple batches, simply warm the glaze on low for 2-3 minutes to reuse. 

​
​Enjoy or gift for the holidays! 

Since learning so much about the food we consume and things we put into our bodies I often look back at periods of my life. How I did things, what I consumed, what was thought about and what was simply routine. 

I think of my childhood and the grilled chicken and veggie dinners mixed with the trips for fast food and boxed breakfast pastries, and honestly, I shudder a bit. Wondering how it all played into altering genes and my autoimmune issues today. However, my parents were amazing parents to my sister and I and did the best they could with the knowledge they had. And so I have to move forward, do what I can to heal my body now, and do the best I can as a parent with the knowledge I have. 

I think back to living on my own in Los Angeles in my early twenties and making healthier, better changes for life in the entertainment industry and all of the physical work I was putting my body through. The gym, running and hip hop dancing. I cleaned up my eating in those years but it still wasn't anything near what it is now, because again, I didn't yet have the knowledge. 

And then the period after I was diagnosed with several food intolerances, genetic defects and an autoimmune disorder is where I took a too strict approach and lost too much weight and adopted a mindset that launched an unhealthy and unwarranted fear of food. 

Thus bringing us to today - a happy place. Where I am knowledgeable about WHAT goes into my body while having a passion to bring back comfort foods, happy foods if you will, into our life. Deprivation isn't a way to live, but neither is giving into desires for food that can cause us harm, so I can say, in the past few years, I have found my niche. My happy place as a chef, a food blogger and a mama in the kitchen. 

Comfort foods that bring connection, warmth and nutrition while being allergen-friendly and more wholesome than a packaged food item. 

Which is why today I present homemade strawberry pop tarts for you and your family to enjoy. Yum! 

Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, corn free and nut free - these pleasant pastries pack delicious strawberry preserves, sweetened naturally and thickened with potato starch versus corn. 

I used gluten-free pie shells and a homemade corn-free powdered sugar glaze to bring back memories of school mornings as a child. Greyson LOVED these and gobbled one up before one of our pre-k home school mornings and I will be making them again as a treat this fall. I am excited to try different flavors as well - such as a warm coconut sugar pop tart in lieu of the famous brown sugar pop tarts - as well as a blueberry and a double chocolate. 

​

This week I started prepping and planning recipes to make in bulk for post baby. She's due in just over 9 weeks! WHAT?! This pregnancy has gone lightning fast (after the first trimester, anyways. Woof. So sick.) and I'm just now trying to get my booty into gear on planning, buying and prepping all the things. 

Sweet girl will be in our room for the first year or so, so no nursery was designed this time around. Keeping it simple helps not only your prenatal sanity but your budget as well.

Which lets you spend more on high quality, nutritious food for pregnancy and post-baby! 

Below is my recipe for a DELICIOUS, easy and homemade Banana Bread Granola. Gluten, dairy and refined sugar free, its much healthier than granola's your find in your local health food store and it took no time at all to whip up. I make this in large batches, dry it completely, then store it in a sealed glass container to eat on for the week or for a couple of weeks. 

I'll be making a triple batch pre-baby arrival, as oats are AMAZING for milk production when nursing. 

Also, you could add nuts to this if you like for added protein and crunch, I however am a banana bread purest and don't care for nuts in it. 

​Enjoy!

Ingredients

• ​3 cups gluten-free oats (not quick cooking!)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped dried banana chips (I use Sun Tropic for the amazing thin chips) 
• 1/4 cup avocado or coconut oil
• 1/3 cup organic raw honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 banana, smashed

​Directions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Whisk together gluten free oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and banana chips in a large mixing bowl.
• In a small saucepan, over low-medium heat, combine the oil, vanilla and honey. Heat until warmed and liquid.  Remove and whisk in banana.
• Gently mix wet ingredients into the dry until fully incorporated. Spread mixture onto your baking sheet in an even layer. 
• Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
• Allow to cool and dry out completely (this takes about an hour or so).
• Store in a airtight container and enjoy! 

We are on a muffin kick lately! These Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (paleo and grain-free) are SO easy, so warm and comforting in the cold winter months, freezable to re-heat on busy mornings and they help keep me on track with getting back into my paleo groove. I always find myself coming back to this diet when I need to lower inflammation, help out my cycle, prep for pregnancy, lower my intake of sugar (preach) or drop a couple of pounds. 

The last breakfast recipe I posted were my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, so naturally, there is a paleo muffin thing happening in our home. 

Other muffin favorites lately have been my Carrot Zucchini Muffins, my Blackberry Almond Muffins and not techincally a muffin but my yeast-free cinnamon rolls keep showing up on the weekends ;)

This was my first time using a recipe with JUST cassava flour (I know, I'm so late to that game) - I've usually mixed it with other flours, but today I made a simple cassava muffin sweetened only with bananas and a dash of vegan chocolate chips.

In our taste test, I thought the family may find them to be not sweet enough but the consensus was that everyone approved and my toddler ate FOUR of them before lunchtime. 

So, they'll be hanging out on the meal plan long term.

Enjoy the recipe below and if you make a bunch, freeze some and invite me over for a warm mug of tea because I'm craving some girl time in my busy schedule and am always down for good convo and muffins.

Also! If you're wanting these completely refined-sugar free and fully paleo compliant, nix the chocolate chips and add some fresh or dried berries, nuts or raisins. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cassava Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon 
• 1/2 C. Chocolate Chips
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Ripe Bananas
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/3 C. Avocado Oil 

​Directions
​

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a muffin tin with parchment paper liners (you won't regret switching to these!) and gather your ingredients, a whisk, a rubber spatula and a large mixing bowl. 
• Place your two bananas in your bowl and mash until smooth.
• Add your eggs to your banana and whisk.
• Add in your avocado oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla. 
• Whisk together wet ingredients until well blended.
• Add in your cassava flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt.
• Once all wet and dry ingredients are well blended, fold in your chocolate chips and any additional ingredients you are adding (nuts, berries, shaved coconut, raisins...)
• Fill your muffin tins 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Enjoy warm and save the leftovers in the fridge for up to four days. You may freeze them and reheat for longer lasting muffins. 

As we entered into this new season of fall and a new home I wanted to move back into more Paleo breakfast options. I felt my energy starting to lag and cleaning up the diet with the removal of grains always helps me. I hadn't made many pumpkin dishes yet this year, so it was time, wasn't it? It. Was. Time.

Grey loved whipping these up in the kitchen with me and they were super simple to make. Moist, chocolaty with just the right hint of pumpkin and spice, we made an extra batch to have as breakfasts throughout a busy week. 

INGREDIENTS
​

• 1 3/4 C. almond flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 c. nut or seed butter
• 1/4 c. pure maple syrup
• 1 c. canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 c. dairy-free chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin pan with parchment cups or grease with avocado or coconut oil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, pumpkin, seed or nut butter, vanilla and syrup together.
• In a small bowl, mix almond flour, baking soda and spices. 
• Add your dry ingredients to your wet and fold in your chocolate chips. 
• Fill muffin cups 1/2-3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean when inserted. 
• Top with additional chocolate chips if desired and allow to cool before enjoying. 

​

What pumpkin recipes are you whipping up this season?