Welp. It happened. We hit our first 100+ degree day here in Arizona and it's only May.

It's fine. I'm fine. We're fine. 

Summer heat usually puts me in a big funk (bring on alllll things fall and winter and I'm a happy girl) but the last two years have left most of us in a big funk and I am determined to inject so much joy into this year I started with healthy ice cream.

Or what is most commonly called "nice cream".

Made with three simple ingredients, this was a HUGE hit with the kids. They feel like they're getting an indulgent treat every day and we are finding a fun way to connect in the kitchen AND stay cool.

Because the good Lord above knows we will need it for the next few months. 

Do you have a favorite Nice Cream flavor? We also did  a batch of Cinnamon Roll that I will add to the blog soon too!

​ We just got new popsicle molds and are on the hunt for a good ice cream maker and we have SO many ideas for this season!

Share your favorites below! 

It's officially winter here in southern Arizona - which means it's 70 in the day and our coats and fuzzy socks come out for the 50 degree mornings. 

A girl that's never spent more than a weekends vacation in the snow, this is winter to me and with that comes the want for cozy, warm, rich and comforting foods. 

And the occasional warm, fresh-from the oven, ooey-gooey treat.

I was never a chocolate lover as a young kid or teen, and even my son is just starting to come around to the deep, rich flavors of a good cacao, so it wasn't until much later in life that I started to appreciate the brownie. 

As a matter of fact, making these this weekend was the first time my six year old son had ever tried one. 

What I love most about these? They are moist and fudgy and grain-free! Also gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free and soy-free, they will fit nicely into most food allergy families. Just skip these ones if you can't bake with eggs. 

Quick to whip up, I suggest making a double or triple batch. Especially if you plan to share - because these go quick! 

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 C. avocado oil or vegan butter
1/3 C. cassava flour (I use Otto's, Anthony's or It's Just)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. coconut sugar 
1 C. dark chocolate chips (we love the Enjoy Life morsels)
2 TSBP. cocoa powder
pinch of sea salt (optional, but great for minerals and flavor!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 cake pan with avocado oil or avocado oil spray. 
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. If not using butter pour oil into saucepan. Add chocolate chips and heat until melted. Set melted chocolate aside.
3. In a medium bowl, or in your standing mixer bowl, beat eggs and coconut sugar until frothed.
4. Add in melted chocolate until mixed.
5. Add cassava flour, cocoa powder, sea salt (if using) and vanilla. Mix until combined.
6. Pour batter into oiled pan and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and tap to remove air bubbles. 
8. Bake for an additional 12 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean. 
9. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Top with fresh fruit or dairy-free vanilla ice cream. 

THESE. ARE. SO. FLUFFY.

SO fluffy and easy. A cutie little cookie that is so quick to whip up with my kindergartner while wearing my baby so we can have a little treat filling our cookie jar. They are vegan, gluten free and soy free and while not completely guilt-free (they do contain brown sugar), they are a tasty way to end a homeschool day and bond us in the kitchen. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free 1-to-1 all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 TBSP arrowroot starch
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup vegan unsalted butter, softened
• 2 ripe bananas peeled
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips

Instructions

• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, arrowroot starch, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Cream vegan butter, bananas, and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract until combined.
• Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375F. 
• Use a parchment lined cookie sheet and spoon dough out into slightly flattened rounds.
• Bake cookies for 10 minutes or just until they brown. 
• Let cool and enjoy!

For Lexi's sweet little 1/2 birthday celebration we made pink champagne cupcakes with velvety vanilla buttercream frosting and pink molded chocolate hearts fit for a princess.

​Gluten, dairy and soy free, they are moist, delicious and perfect for any girly party.

The recipe can be found below. Enjoy! 

INGREDIENTS

For the cake

• 2 C. Gluten-Free Cake Flour (I used Pamela's)
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 1/2 C. organic cane sugar
• 3/4 vegan butter 
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 C. pink champagne (or you can opt for stevia ginger ale)  
• 2 TBSP. sour cream
• 2-3 drops natural, dye-free food coloring

For the frosting

• 16 oz. dairy-free cream cheese
• 1 C. vegan butter
• 32 oz. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 

​

​DIRECTIONS


Prepare the cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with parchment liners or spray with avocado or coconut oil spray. 
• In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and sea salt. 
• In a medium bowl beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy. 
• Add the egg whites, beat to combine.
• Add the egg and vanilla. Beat once more. 
• Add the wet mixture into the large bowl with the flour. 
• Add your champagne, sour cream and coloring. Mix. 
• Fill cupcake cups 2/3 full and bake for 20-22 minutes untila toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to fully cool before frosting.  

Prepare the frosting 

• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese and butter. Beat until light and fluffy. 
• Slowly add sugar to the mixture until light and creamy.
• Add vanilla and mix once more. 
• Transfer to a piping back and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. 
• Top with chocolate molds, sprinkles, edible glitter or cupcake toppers. 

We are just ELEVEN days out from Christmas! ELEVEN PEOPLE! I haven't finished shopping (who I am kidding? I'm still in our newborn bubble with Miss Lexi, I barely just began shopping!) - we haven't planned our Christmas menu (the horror for a baker and chef!) and the house is mostly decorated.

At least we will get to enjoy the festive decor throughout January when I probably would have it all finished by, haha. My husband still has to build our mantle (if you are new, we renovated a 1950's farmhouse late last year and we are doing project by project on a fun never-ending improvement spree on our sweet place.) 

I HAVE however been successful at delivering magic for our four year old. Christmas light drive-thrus and ALL the baking and he is a happy camper. So, I bring you our latest baking endeavor that's a hit here and sure to be a hit in your home as well. 

One of my FAVORITE holiday recipes is the classic Pumpkin Roll - but this spin makes it an Allergen Friendly Pumpkin Roll. It's one of the recipes my dad would make from scratch EVERY year for Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

(If you've watched my show, The Clean Plate with Mandi on Amazon Prime, you'll know I've spoke about how much my dad would cook and bake for us.)

It's rich pumpkin flavor, moist cake and creamy center makes it a craveable treat year after year. And it presents beautifully, a must for when I'm choosing what to serve for family and friends. ​

Ingredients:

Dry:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract

Filling:

• 8 ounces vegan cream cheese , softened (I LOVE GoVeggie brand!) 
• 2 TBSP vegan butter , softened (I use soy-free Earth Balance)
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar + more for dusting (I get corn free at Sprouts or Trader Joes)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, leaving an extra inch of parchment sticking up on both long sides of the pan so that you can easily lift the cake out after baking. 
• In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, sea salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
• In a separate small bowl mix the eggs, coconut sugar, vanilla and canned pumpkin until smooth.
• Add wet ingredients to the dry mix bowl and stir until combined well.
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Bake for 14-15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Immediately lift the payment paper and hot cake out of the pan and onto a flat surface - such a your flat stove top.
• While the cake is hot, starting at one of the short ends, use your hands to gently and slowly roll the cake (and parchment paper!) all the way up. Allow it to cool completely, on top of a wire cooling rack. (This allows it to cool underneath the roll, and keeps the cake from sweating).
• While the cake roll is cooling, mix the vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until it is fluffy and smooth.
• Once the cake roll is cooled completely, unroll it very carefully. Gently smooth the filling in an even layer over the cake.
• Roll up the cake without the parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, before serving.
• Dust the top with powdered sugar, if desired.
• Cut into slices and serve.
• Store in the fridge, covered, for up to three days.
• You may also freeze and enjoy within 2-3 weeks. 

Do you have a favorite family recipe you enjoy during the holidays? Need help making it allergen-friendly? Leave it in the comments below! 

My healthier Rice Krispy Treat got a cute Halloween Fall make-over and I wanted to share it with you all for something fun and festive (and super easy!) to make with your kids this season. 

Before our new baby arrives (possibly this week!) I've been trying to squeeze in all the Halloween and Fall fun with Grey before we enter our newborn bubble. 

These are healthier because they use organic brown rice cereal, corn free marshmallows and vegan butter - making it a better option than store bought treats! 

The recipe below is from my original Rice Krispy Treat post - all you need to add to this recipe is vegan chocolate sauce to make the face and the cookie cutters of your choice! 

Well, we hit six months pregnant today and the countdown is on to prepare for little baby girl! 

We are so beyond excited, have a short list of name ideas (although we can't decide/agree on any quite yet) and instead of prepping at the speed I feel I should be, I've been mainly baking. 

We are trying to stay entertained and connected through these weird quarantine times of 2020. Which proves difficult most days for a very active 3.5 year old, but we're making due and God has blessed us with some beautiful mornings and evenings outside of the 110 degree days, which allows for some fresh air, sunshine and free play. 

Weekly I get a craving to bake something fun or sweet and these Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are refined sugar free, dairy free and gluten free and SO good.

And the BEST part, was I didn't realize how dense the dough would be with the two butter mixture and this made FORTY cookies. YES, FORTY. So feel free to make them all and gift them/save them, or cut the recipe down for a smaller batch. 

But I always say, if you accidentally make 40 cookies you just roll with it and keep this recipe real close, haha. 

Ingredients:
​

• 2 1/2 C. All-Purpose GF Flour (you may use cassava flour for grain-free cookies!) 
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt (and optional rock sea salt to sprinkle on top)
• 1 1/2 C. coconut sugar
• 1 C. vegan butter, softened
• 1 1/2 C. almond butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 C. vegan chocolate chips

Directions: 

​

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two large cookie sheets with parchment. 
• In a standing mixer (or medium bowl with handheld mixer), mix flour, baking soda, sea salt and coconut sugar. 
• Once mixed, remove from mixing bowl and use bowl to  cream coconut sugar, almond butter and butter together. 
• Add eggs one at a time, mix and add vanilla
• reintroduce the dry ingredients and mix all together.
• Pour in chocolate chips and mix a final time.
• Using a teaspoon, drop dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet (for more rounded cookies, I rolled them with my hands and then patted them down on the pan. It gets messy, but worth it for pretty cookies!) 
• I baked forty cookies on two large cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden and cookies are still soft. 
• Allow to cool a bit before transferring them and cool for an additional ten minutes before enjoying!
• I saved these for a week in an airtight container and shared them with family! 

​
A great recipe for a party or to take to your neighbors!

This morning was an absolute blast! To see our segment and how to make these live you can see our clip on our channel by clicking here! 

I was invited on AZ-TV 7's morning show, The Arizona Daily Mix, to present a recipe for #NationalChocolateLoversMonth, so along with Wholly Wholesome we whipped up these easy, family friendly and wholesome S'Mores Pie Pops just in time for Valentine's Day. 

The set environment was really fun and even Grey and Doug got to tag along and hang in the green room to watch all of the action. Brad Perry was super sweet and the segment aired at 8:45 on channel 7 in AZ. 

In honor of National Chocolate Lover's Month these S'mores Pie Pops are kid-friendly, vegan, gluten-free and DE-LICIOUS. 

My easy recipe is below, along with where you can get Wholly Wholesome ready-to-bake products as well as Blissfully Better Chocolate, a low glycemic chocolate sweetened only with coconut nectar! 

Ingredients

• 1 Package of Wholly Wholesome Pie Crust
• 1 C. mini marshmallows
• 4 oz. vegan chocolate or Blissfully Better low-glycemic chocolate
• 1 egg white (omit if vegan or egg allergy)
• 1/8 C. sugar for sprinkling
• 1/2 C. GF flour for dusting surface
• Avocado Oil (for your baking sheet)
• Vegan chocolate sauce to drizzle (optional)
• 4 Cake Pop Sticks

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease your baking sheet with avocado oil.
• Transfer your thawed pie crusts (use both in the package) to a well floured surface and roll out. 
• Using a rectangle cookie cutter or with a knife, cut 4 rectangles, gather scraps, roll out once more and cut 4 more rectangles.
• Lay out your first four rectangles and place a cake pop stick about half the way up. 
• Layer the centers of the rectangle with chopped chocolate and mini marshmallows.
• Place your additional 4 rectangles a top your stuffed pops, press down edges and seal lightly with a fork. 
• If your fork sticks, you can use a little avocado oil on your fork to keep it from sticking in your pie crust. 
• (Optional) Brush with an egg wash to give it a golden top and sprinkle with organic sugar or coconut sugar. 
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Wait to cool COMPLETELY before transferring on cake pop sticks to a container or serving tray or your stick will come out. 
• Enjoy with chocolate drizzle! 

You can find more Wholly Wholesome goodness at www.WhollyWholesome.com. 

Blissfully Better Chocolate can be located through Blissfully Better.com. 

What chocolate treats are YOU celebrating with this month?

For those of you that have been following the blog for a while know I like to make a celebration out of Grey's half birthday. (Ok, I really love the opportunity to make a celebration out of anything) but half-birthdays have just been a special thing since my little babe hit his first half-bday milestone at just six months old. 

Each year we bake cupcakes and just talk about his year so far and I always write an open letter to my sweet little guy. You can read this years, as he turns 3 and a half, here, as well as reflect back on our previous celebrations. 

As I said in that post, I would share a recipe for gluten free lemon cupcakes that you all could whip up, that is allergen friendly and toddler approved. We Disney-fied it a bit for fun! 

DIrections

Lemon Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 c. gluten-free flour 
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 c. softened vegan butter
• 1 cup coconut or date sugar 
• 2 TBSP. lemon zest
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. vegan sour cream (Follow Your Heart is soy free!)
• 3 TBSP. dairy-free milk
• 3 TBSP. lemon juice from a fresh lemon

Vegan Buttercream

• 3/4 cup softened vegan butter
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 - 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (Trader Joes is corn-free!)

Directions 

Lemon Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
• Line a muffin pan with parchment cup liners. 
• In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
• In a standing mixer bowl, or in a large bowl with a handheld, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest until fluffy. 
• Add in eggs and vanilla. Beat until mixed. 
• In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, milk substiture and lemon juice. 
• Add 1/2 of your flour mixture into the butter mixture, followed by 1/2 of the sour cream mixture. Make sure to scrape the sides of your bowl as needed. Repeat the process once more.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each liner about 3/4. 
• Bake for 17-19 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean.

The Frosting

• In a large bowl beat the butter until light and airy.  
• Add in your salt. 
• Add in 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix. 
• Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time until the desired consistency. 
• Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a large tip and frost in a dollop as shown above.

Do you have a favorite cupcake flavor? Grey's changes daily, but such is the life of a three year old. 

Do you do anything special for half-birthdays in your home?

Hello my lovelies! 

With this being a very busy year that included renovating our new home, moving into said home, buying a new business, growing our current ones and raising and homeschooling a busy toddler, I have intentionally decided to slow waaaay down in December. 

It has felt so good.

It's hard for me to lay things down. Especially when they feel like they are 'good' things. Yet I had so many balls in the air that I just couldn't handle all I was juggling and I was starting to get sick more often (which hasn't been the case in our home since we went more natural), and I was just run down and on edge and I finally said, no more. 

Our month has looked a lot like more intentional family time, date nights, traditions new and old, a lot of Christmas movies and baking. All. The. Baking.

We have some exciting news announcing in January, and it's sure to be a new season of busy, so for now I will bake and ice to my hearts content and enjoy every moment of peace this season of our Savior offers my weary heart. 

These Gingerbread Men are gluten-free, dairy-free, extra moist and subtle. 

We served them to family before a night of looking at lights and we got an overwhelming response of these being the "best gingerbread cookies ever!"

So, not to toot my own horn, but I've heard these are pretty good. ;) 

If you're looking for a Paleo/Grain-Free version, you can swap the All-Purpose Flour for Almond Meal. 

Ingredients

• 2/3 c. molasses
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 c. vegan butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. coconut or maple sugar
• 3 1/2 c. all-purpose GF flour (almond flour for paleo)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 TBSP. ground ginger
• 1 TBSP. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 

optional: royal icing or allergen-friendly, dye-free white icing. 

Directions
​

• In a large bowl beat butter for 30-60 seconds with a hand mixer until creamed. 
• Add coconut or maple sugar and molasses and mix again until blended. 
• Beat in the egg and vanilla on high speed for 1-2 minutes. Scraping bowl as needed. 
• In a medium bowl, whisk your GF flour, baking soda, salt and spices until mixed well. 
• Add the dry mix into your wet ingredients and bear on low until combined. Your dough will be very sticky.
• Divide dough into two halves and wrap each in plastic wrap, forming into a thick disc. 
• Refrigerate for a minimum of four hours, overnight is best. We did ours for six hours. 
• Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a few baking sheets with parchment. 
• Remove one disc of your dough and on a generously floured surface roll out 1/4 inch thick. Use your cookie cutters to make your desired shapes and transfer to your sheets.
• Bake for 10 minutes for medium shape cookie cutter cookies, for smaller cookies, bake for 8 minutes and for oversized or large cookies bake for 12 minutes. 
• Allow to cool for ten minutes before transferring to cooling rack. 
• Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.  
• Enjoy your little festive friends!