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. 

Check out our latest episode of In The Kitchen With Nosh and Nurture to snag a delicious fluffy pumpkin pancake recipe just in time for fall.

In partnership with My Give Garden, we were delivered our monthly subscription box to foster connection and life skill development with our son in the kitchen. 

In the video I show you how to swap out the included ingredients for gluten free and dairy free subs. 

Also, it's worth watching JUST to see the hilarious faces Grey starts to make about halfway through. 

Kind of obsessed with this child I made. 

So I did a thing.

And it was amazing.

My son asked for donuts last weekend and I awoke to find I was out of our gluten free 1 to 1 flour. What's a mom to do?!

S'Mores Donuts. 

I grabbed a bag of our gluten free pancake and waffle mix and decided to sub it for my normal donut recipe flour. Having just returned from his first camping trip, with a newfound love of S'Mores, I tossed a few mini marshmallows on top and some crumbled GF graham crackers.

He. Ate. It. Up. Literally. And I have to say, I love my original donut recipe, but the pancake mix added a subtle sweetness and moist, chewy, cakey consistency that made these highly addictive and disappear before the weekend was over. 

INGREDIENTS:
Donut
2 1/2 C. Bobs Red Mill Gluten-Free Pancake Mix
1 1/2 tsp. Corn-Free Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/2 C. Cocoa Powder
1 c. Coconut Sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 C. Almond Milk (or other non-dairy milk for nut-free)
1/2 C. Avocado Oil (olive oil or coconut oil also work)

Frosting + Toppings
2/3 C. Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Coconut Oil or Avocado Oil
1/8 C. Almond Milk
2 Gluten Free Graham Cracker Sheets
1/2 C. Mini Marshmallows

​DIRECTIONS:

Donuts
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease your donut pan or pans lightly with coconut or avocado oil.

I use two six space donut pans for this amount of mix.

Mix all dry ingredients until blended well. Add wet ingredients and stir or mix with a hand mixer until batter consistency. Add more milk of choice if needed.

Add batter to piping bag to pipe into pan (easiest method for perfect circles, or spoon batter into pan evenly. Fill almost to top for fluffiest donuts.

Bake regular sized donuts for 12 minutes, mini donuts (if using a mini donut pan) for 7. Check for doneness and remove to allow to cool for 15-20 minutes on a wire rack.

Frosting
Start by warming a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Add chocolate chips and coconut oil until they start to melt.

Add vanilla and mix.

When mixture is completely melted together, add dairy-free milk of choice until desired frosting consistency is achieved.

Pour immediately into a wide, ceramic bowl and dip cooled donuts to frost. Allow to set and cool for another 15 minutes. Crush gluten free graham crackers and sprinkle on top, use a small flame to scorch mini marshmallows and add to donut. 


Enjoy!

This past weekend on Friday night we decided to visit our new property and take Grey camping on site! I purchased the hubs a blackout tent for Christmas and wanted to try it out before braving the true wilderness with a toddler.

I'm happy to report we all had a BLAST, invited some friends to boot and cooked our dinner, dessert and sunrise breakfast over an open flame.

Returning home smelling of smoke and the outdoors, we were craving a more fanciful breakfast come Sunday. We whipped up these little scrumptious Veggie Loaded Baked Egg Bites with some vegetables and fresh OJ and it was just the perfect return back into home life. 

INGREDIENTS:
​

• avocado oil cooking spray
• 9 large organic eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
• black pepper
• 3 tablespoons thawed frozen kale, drained
• 3 tbsp diced organic tomatoes
• 3 tbsp diced onion
• 3 tbsp diced bell pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
  
• Spray muffin tin with avocado oil cooking spray.
• In a large bowl whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
  
• Mix in kale, tomatoes, onion and bell pepper. 
• Fill muffin tin cups and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until set.
• Serve with fresh juice, vegetables or breakfast sausage. 

I'm currently on Day 25 of a Proverbs 31 study that is life changing. 

It's amazing what God will do when you ASK him to move in and help change your heart, your mind and how you live your day to day life.

I've been feeling "less-than" in so many areas since becoming a mama, and I've really needed to call on him and let him take over. I've wanted to improve how I take care of my home, how I love my husband, how I mother our son, how I pour into my relationships and serve others and how I go about my work. 

The Proverbs 31 woman always intimidated me, but by doing my current study (with the book Becoming The Woman God Wants Me To Be) I see now I don't need to be perfect. I just need to be OPEN to allowing God to motivate me. Strengthen me. And empower me to improve in all areas of my life. 

Just twenty-five days in, I'm feeling the challenges. The changes in my heart. Some things have not come easy, but I do feel a higher sense of peace. Of joy. To get up each day. To care for my home and our little family. And that is what is so life changing. When you align your hopes and actions and daily tasks with God, even the tiniest mundane things can feel joyous and purposeful. 

One of my goals was to get BACK into the kitchen like I use to and create healthy recipes for my boys. These Carrot Zucchini Muffins were a hit this morning and we have leftovers to munch on through the week! 

​gluten free - dairy free - vegan - nut free - yeast free - soy free - egg free

I've been thinking a lot about childhood lately. 

I love seeing the world through Grey's eyes. How he lights up at every little thing. How the simplest joys make him laugh those beautiful deep baby belly laughs. It all got me thinking about my childhood. Joy. Innocence. Peace. Playfulness. 

I adored my childhood. I was blessed to have attentive, loving parents, a mom who stayed home with us and a dad who worked so hard for us but then gave his all on evenings and weekends. I want to make a happy home for Grey to thrive and feel like his imagination can soar to heights greater than I could imagine. And I want to go on that incredible journey once again, this time, letting him take the reigns and just really let him be little and be uniquely him. 

(just took a quick break to let him chase me in his walker, emitting squeals of laughter)

See what I mean? Glorious. 

And reminiscing about my childhood got me thinking about the food of my childhood. 

Which got me thinking about comfort foods.

Which, of course, led to thinking about donuts. 

Which if you've hung around here since my pregnancy you can see it's become an obsession of mine to perfect the allergy-friendly donut. My Blueberry Powdered Sugar Donut, My Double Chocolate Donut and my Apple Cinnamon Glazed Pumpkin Donut are a few of my top recipes here at Nosh and Nurture, proving to me that other people have a love for the circular pastry as much as I do.

Have I told you lately that I love you?

One of my favorite donuts to get at the shoppe on weekend mornings with my dad was the Pink Frosted with Rainbow Sprinkles. Because it was colorful, girly, sweet and just made me happy. 

But, of course, loaded with yeast, gluten, sugar and dairy, (and God knows what else) these are no longer on my list of accessible morning breakfast items. So when weekends roll around and I find myself reminiscing of sweets of the past, I get my booty into the kitchen to try to create something that hints of days can by while meeting my nutrition seal of approval. 

And these babies (colored with freeze-dried strawberries) allowed me to visit a bygone era where sprinkles and pink stained confectioners sugar were the staples of a Saturday morning cartoon binge. 

I'm thinking of adding 10 or so more custom donut recipes to the blog (I have plans for an allergy-friendly Apple Fritter, A Maple Bar, a Cinnamon Roll and more) and then maybe turning them into a book. Not sure yet. Still feeling it out as I have another book on my 2017-2018 business plan that's been in the works for some time. That's all to say, enjoy them while they're here, as they may move into a little book home of their own one day. 

Would love your ideas on some others to recreate! What is YOUR favorite donut that you miss?

Ingredients: 

​Dry: 
1 c. Gluten-Free Flour (I used Bob's Red MIll 1-to-1)
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Wet: 
1/4 C. Honey (Maple Syrup or Agave for vegan)
1/4 C. Dairy-Free Milk of Choice (I used Trader Joe's boxed Coconut Milk)
1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 1/2 TBSP. Avocado Oil (Coconut or Grapeseed Oil would also work)

Frosting: 
1 C. Confectioners Sugar
1/2 C. Freeze Dried Strawberries, ground to dust
1 TBSP. dairy-free milk
Dye-Free Rainbow Sprinkles (I use India Tree) 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a donut pan with coconut oil lightly. (My donut pan makes 6 donuts, to make a full dozen you will need to double the mix)

In a small mixing bowl, mix together all wet ingredients.. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Slowly mix wet ingredients into medium bowl with dry ingredients. 

Using a piping bag, ziploc bag or spoon, fill donut pan rings 3/4 of the way. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to wire rack. 

While the donuts are cooling prepare your frosting. Mix all ingredients and microwave for 30 seconds. 

Once the donuts are cooled completely (10-20 minutes total) Dip 2-4 times per donut to get a good, thick glaze and top generously with sprinkles. 

My baby is SIX MONTHS OLD. A half a year old. My goodness. It DOES fly. 

He is SO much fun right now and so far, it's my favorite stage. He plays with me, his laughs are infectious and he even tries to make ME laugh now. Which is the cutest thing ever. EVER. 

Since he is playing more on his own now, I've had more time to get into the kitchen and cook up some yummy stuff, which I want to share with all of you this season. This one is SUPER simple. SO simple, that I almost didn't put it on here, because, it's JUST eggs. But these are so yummy, and they are dolled up JUST a bit, so I thought, hey. Why not?

People are always asking me what I eat, and for a long time I only put my fancy, more elaborate recipes on the blog. But on the day to day I don't whip up batches of waffles or donuts (donuts are weekend food in my book) - I eat more simple and more clean. Eggs. Roasted veggies. Lean meats. And so this year I am going to start sharing ALL my good eats so that the blog can be more helpful when meal planning. 

A lot of my clients, readers and friends come here to make menus and I want you to have easy 5 minute options that are practical for the every day. So enjoy these SUPER simple 2 ingredient dairy-free cheesy eggs. 
​

Ingredients:

• 3 Organic Eggs
• 1/4 C. Daiya Mozzarella Shreds
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

• Spray a small frying pan with olive or coconut oil spray and heat over medium
• Crack eggs into a bowl and scramble with a whisk
• Pour over heated pan and  cook until near desired texture
• In the last few moments, add in the Daiya cheese shreds so they get melty
• Serve and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper

and voila! Super easy, super yummy, I serve these with a side of veggies, green juice or sweet potato hash. 

You know when you get breakfast envy?

Like when you go to a restaurant and you order but then the person who you're dining with, their food arrives and it looks way better than your food and so you're a little sad inside.

That's how this omelette was born. 

Never a fan of green onions growing up and even into adulthood, my husband offered to make me an omelette one morning and it was the veggie we had on hand so I declined. I made myself my regular Paleo meal of scrambled eggs, sweet potato and bacon and felt like I had a rock star breakfast.

While cooking up his omelette he ran out of mozzarella and asked if he could use my Daiya mozzarella and once it was done and placed on his plate, I looked at my dish and looked at his and I knew I ordered wrong. Even though I was in my own kitchen.

And once I tasted it, it became a definite craving many weekends to follow, including this weekend. 

Who'd have known? There was a green onion fan deep down inside of me. It just needed to be in this yolky, cheesy breakfast creation. 

Ingredients:

• 3 Organic Eggs
• 1/4 C. Daiya Mozzarella Shreds
• 1/8 C. Chopped Green Onion
• Olive Oil Spray 

​Directions: 

• Spray frying pan with olive oil spray and heat over medium heat. 
• Crack eggs and separate yolk from the white allowing the three egg whites to fall into pan.
• Place the three yolks on the left side of pan. 
• As it starts to cook, rotate the pan around so that the egg white covers the pan, ensuring full coverage to create your omelette. 
• Once whites have hardened, add in Daiya cheese, green onion and fold omelette over until cheese is melted. 
• Serve hot with shredded sweet potato, bacon or breakfast juice. 

Energy these days is definitely fleeting. Last Friday I hit month 9 in my pregnancy and tomorrow we hit 37 weeks. Which means Baby P can make his or appearance any time between now and the next three weeks. 

We are trying to get everything wrapped to prep for babes arrival. The hospital bag is packed, all essentials have been purchased and the nursery is almost done. I'm working later in the day now as I wind down into my maternity leave next week and am soaking up the mornings sleeping in because I know they will soon be a distant memory. 

All worth it in the name of our little miracle. 

Today's doctor appointment made us super happy as my placenta has moved up further (praise Jesus!) and we got to see Baby P's chubby cheeks and HAIR!! My heart is just so happy and content.  

Yesterday I had a little burst of energy, so aside from cleaning the house up pretty good I got into the kitchen to whip up some baked goods and try out some new recipes that were floating around in my over- packed little mind. 

I have a few fruit-based donut recipes that I've been meaning to experiment with and I had a bunch of organic Farmers Market blueberries that needed to be used so I gave these Powdered Blueberry Donuts a go. And they came out SO scrumptious. The donuts don't contain any refined sugar in the mix, just a little honey (or maple syrup/agave if you are vegan) so I dusted them with a little corn-free confectioners sugar to add a little something as I didn't want a heavy or sugary glaze. 

These are great without the powdered sugar as well. More diet friendly and more Blueberry Muffin like. Which, if you throw the batter in a muffin pan, they can totally become! Light, fluffy and not overly oily or sweet, they were perfect with my morning pregnancy tea. 

These donuts take just minutes to mix up and just 10-12 minutes in the oven which make them a convenient brunch or weekday option. I baked them on a Wednesday so I could share them with Mr. Charming and while I was in the kitchen also made some yeast-free biscuits to serve with dinner last night. 

Ingredients:
Dry: 
1 c. Gluten-Free Flour (I used Bob's Red MIll 1-to-1)
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Wet: 
1/4 C. Honey (Maple Syrup or Agave for vegan)
1/4 C. Dairy-Free Milk of Choice (I used Trader Joe's boxed Coconut Milk)
1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 1/2 TBSP. Avocado Oil (Coconut or Grapeseed Oil would also work)
1/3 c. Fresh or Frozen Blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a donut pan with coconut oil lightly. (My donut pan makes 6 donuts, to make a full dozen you will need to double the mix)

In a small mixing bowl, mix together all wet ingredients except for the berries. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Slowly mix wet ingredients into medium bowl with dry ingredients. Fold in berries. 

Using a piping bag, ziploc bag or spoon, fill donut pan rings 3/4 of the way. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to wire rack. 

Cool for an additional 5-10 minutes. Enjoy plain, dust with powdered sugar or use a for a sweeter donut. 

There are many flaws in our food system today and I believe a large part of the way we think about and view food is broken. Not to call out any one company intentionally, but there is a motto that's been sticking out in my mind lately. 

"America Runs on Dunkin'"

And it got me thinking. A lot of our population does run on fast food fuel. Our society is largely dependent on the convenience of fast-foods, and short on food knowledge. Dependent on caffeine, sugar binges and eating what they grew up on or what surrounds them. And again, short on nutrients, taking the time to do the research on our food industry, labels and ingredient sources and true nourishment. 

One of the reasons I became a nutritionist wasn't just to help people navigate their food intolerances, lose weight or improve nutrition overall. It was to change the mindset that you must eat what's there. I love showing people that they can make a meal for the same price or cheaper that's healthier. I love helping people fall in love with cooking again and appreciate where our food comes from and I LOVE taking "traditional" comfort food and revamping it into something that can feed us more and harm us less. 

When I had to cut out pretty much EVERYTHING I was eating in 2011, it hit me hard. And I know it hits hard with a lot of clients who have yo go gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, nightshade-free, low histamine, low-sodium, no sugar.... etc. overnight. The list is endless to the changes that could arise. The beauty is, there is hope and healing in it. God put beautiful, natural, clean food to nurture, nourish and heal our bodies. Slowly navigating back to that when you've healed can be such a fun experience. 

For me I did Whole 30 and lean meats and veggies for months and I was missing traditional "comfort foods". Knowing I didn't want the processed packaged foods, food dyes, chemicals, GMO's, preservatives and white sugar I started experimenting. A large part of our health depends on psychology as well. So, while I shunned all "comfort treats" in the beginning, I've been in many conversations with Naturopaths and nutritionists, therapists and fitness minds that agree, that when done healthier, instead of cut all-together, its better for not only our minds, but our bodies as well. (However, if you do suffer from an eating disorder, or are unable to control portions when enjoying these "comfort" options, please speak to your doctor.) 
​

Some of my examples of "comfort food made healthier" recipes I've made in the past include my Burger, Fries and Shake combo, my dairy-free Lasagna and my Banana Bread French Toast. All gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and made with organic, whole food ingredients that nourish the body. 

Do note, these are not the staples or mainstays of our diet at home. For breakfast we primarily eat eggs, lean meats, fruits, vegetables, green smoothies and oatmeal throughout the week. Lunches are usually Paleo wraps and salads, while dinners are lean meats on the grill with vegetables. These recipes are reserved for leisurely weekend brunches, dinner with friends and special occasions, but it's nice to have them as options. Life is about balance, experiences, joy and tastes that can be enjoyed by many. 

INGREDIENTS: 
Donut
1 1/4 C. Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour 
3/4 tsp. Corn-Free Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/4 Cocoa Powder
1/4 c. Coconut Sugar (add more to up sweetness, I prefer less sugar)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 C. Almond Milk (or other non-dairy milk for nut-free) 
1/4 C. Avocado Oil (olive oil or coconut oil also work) 

Frosting
2/3 C. Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Maple Syrup (optional but adds complexity to the flavor) 
1/8 C. Almond Milk 

​DIRECTIONS: 
Donuts
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease your donut pan or pans lightly with coconut oil. 

I use one regular size donut pan for 6 donuts and a mini donut pan for the leftover batter with this amount of mix. For a dozen regular size donuts you will need to double the recipe. 

Mix all dry ingredients until blended well. Add wet ingredients and stir or mix with a hand mixer until batter consistency. Add more milk of choice if needed. 

Add batter to piping bag to pipe into pan (easiest method for perfect circles, or spoon batter into pan evenly. Fill to top for fluffiest donuts. 

Bake regular sized donuts for 12 minutes, mini donuts for 7. Check for doneness and remove to allow to cool for 15-20 minutes on a wire rack. 

Frosting
Start by warming a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Add chocolate chips and coconut oil until they start to melt.

Add vanilla and maple syrup (optional), mix. 

When mixture is completely melted together, add dairy-free milk of choice until desired frosting consistency is achieved. 

Pour immediately into a wide, ceramic bowl and dip cooled donuts to frost. Allow to set and cool for another 15 minutes and enjoy! 

I made mine for a brunch event so I added dye-free, preservative-free sprinkles. Companies such as King Arthur and Natural Candy Store offer healthier alternative decoration options for special occasions. 

These also store beautifully. I put mine single layer in a Tupperware container and they last up to a week.