I got misty eyed with happy tears this morning. I went to the kitchen. where Grey is always eager to help alongside me while I'm recipe creating, baking and cooking. However, today was a little different and was just another glimpse into him growing up so very quickly before my eyes.

As I gathered ingredients for one of the first Italian recipes that will be rolling out on the blog (I have a book in the same vein up my sleeve for 2020) - Grey crawled down the stairs to the living room. I thought he had abandoned ship for legos or super heroes, when not five minutes later, he returns, his akwardly-big-for-him footstool from the bathroom held in front of his little frame as he carried it towards the kitchen.

"Now I can help you!" he exclaimed excitedly as he put the stool down and pushed it against the kitchen island all on his own. 

Guys, WHERE did my baby go? This sweet moment was definitely one for the books this morning. 

We got to work on these and he surprised me again when he asked if he could crack the eggs today. Usually one of the jobs I deem "moms territory", I let him, he did GREAT and I only had to fish out a littttttttle shell. He also sat in as my model to capture a cute photo of the lemons we used. 

Seriously guys, it was the best morning which ended with sharing these DELECTABLE cookies that I remember enjoying around the holidays as a young girl who grew up in an Italian household.

These cookies are crunchy on the outside, moist and soft on the inside. They have the PERFECT hint of lemon and the glaze is sweet without overpowering the cookie to much. 

A great pairing with a warm mug of tea or a strong shot of espresso if you want to enjoy it the way my Grandma did. 

One of my FAVORITE treats as a kid were Rice Krispy Treats. Gooey, sweet and ever-so-addicting, we didn't make them often because they'd get gobbled up in record speed. Surely, my parents didn't want me and my sister high on sugar as much as I don't want my kid zipping around all crazed on sweets. 

But today was another 105 degree day and I was blanking on any preschool lesson since I'm slowly putting together our Fall curriculum, so into the kitchen we went. Educational, I get content for the blog and we get a treat at the end. Sounded like a wonderful way to spend a Thursday to me. 

That, and I found patriotic straws in the drawer and BAM! these became a dessert for Labor Day that is this coming long weekend. 

If you are lacking star spangled straws, fear not, these babies are JUST as festive, beautiful and delicious sans prop. 

And in true Nosh and Nurture fashion these are not the Rice Krispy Treats of our youth. With Dandie's Marshmallows (not sponsored, just love these little things) the marshmallows are corn-free. The cereal I used is an organic brown rice variety that I picked up at Sprouts because I don't care for the additives and folic acid found in the popular mainstream white rice cereal traditionally used in these. 

I also used an organic coconut oil and vegan butter to get them to be ooey gooey and pure perfection. 

I can attest that the little ones will love these as much as I did as a kid. Grey even posed his perfect little hand in the photo and I had a proud food blogger mommy moment haha. He literally gets cuter every day. 

What was your favorite childhood treat and have you found a way to improve upon it now that you're an adult?

In celebration of #NationalWatermelonDay with WTRMLN WTR, these coconutty and creamy watermelon popsicles are perfect for a hot summer day for adults and kids alike. My little guy devours these and we love to enjoy them at home or by the pool. 

INGREDIENTS: 
1  +  1/4  cup  cup  fresh  watermelon  slices 
½  cup  WTRMLN  WTR   
½  cup  coconut  milk 

PREPARATION: 
Puree  1  cup  of  chopped  WTRMLN  slices  with  ½  cup  WTRMLN  WTR  and  pour  into  popsicle  molds  so  molds  are  2/3  full. 
Freeze  for  30  minutes  and  pour  chilled  coconut  milk  on  top  of  frozen  watermelon  blend. 
​Top  with  remaining  watermelon  slices  and  freeze  for  an  additional  30  minutes.  Rinse  molds  under  warm  water  to  release  popsicle, add dried or toasted coconut for crunch  and  enjoy  somewhere  near  a  pool  or  beach.    

Rich, ooey and gooey, this Dark Chocolate Bundt is a decadent treat for your holiday feast.  

Ingredients:
Cake

• 2 C. gluten-free all purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
• 3/4 c. cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cup dairy free milk of choice 
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/3 cup coconut sugar (I get mine at Trader Joe's)
• 1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon avocado or grapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
• 1 cup dairy free dark chocolate chips

Chocolate Ganache

• 1 cup dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup corn-free powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons dairy free milk (I use almond)

​
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bundt cake pan with coconut or avocado oil spray. 

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and sea salt. Set aside.

In large bowl, stir together milk, water and acv until well blended. Add coconut sugar,  oil, and vanilla. 

Slowly whisk in flour mixture to liquid mix until combined. Stir in 1 cup mini chocolate chips. Pour cake batter into pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring onto cooling rack. 

For the ganache, place chocolate chips and 4 tablespoons of the milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on low for 40 seconds, stirring halfway through. 

Mix in additional milk, powdered sugar and vanilla and pour a top cake once cake has cooled. 
​

An alternative to the classic Peanut Butter Cookie, these gluten-free, dairy-free and peanut-free darlings are seriously delicious and completely addicting. 

My son, now fourteen months, is at an age where I'm also SERIOUSLY addicted to him. His personality brings us SO much joy and he LOVES helping mommy in the kitchen.

Which, of course, makes this foodie's heart soar. 

You can credit little Grey with the impressive fork criss crosses in most of these cookies and he is becoming a champion stirrer of all batters and doughs. Give this kid a spoon and a bowl, and instead of drumming, he will always prefer to be "cooking". 

I know, I can't stand the cuteness either folks. Letterboard below inspired by my sons love of all things Sesame Street and Cookie Monster, or "cook cook" as he's called around here. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic sugar
• 1 stick dairy-free butter, softened (I use Earth Balance for baking)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup smooth Almond Butter (I Use Barney Butter's Bare Smooth for no added sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour 

​Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly grease your baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
• In a medium sized bowl, cream together sugar, almond butter and butter.
• Mix in egg and vanilla until smooth. 
• Stir in salt, baking soda and flour until well combined.
• Roll dough into 1 inch balls and press down slightly, flattening with a fork in the traditional criss-cross pattern. (My one year old LOVED helping with this part while I guided his little hand!) 
• ​Bake for 15 minutes. 

​Our first Christmas with little Grey was pure sweetness.Enjoying going through all of his photos and still making our way through opening our Christmas packages, because, new parents and the activities apparently take a lot longer to accomplish, haha. 

And speaking of sweet, this pumpkin pie was the perfect finish to a delectable Paleo Christmas feast.

​Sweetened with maple syrup and warm coconut sugar, this gluten-free and vegan Pumpkin Pie tastes just the real thing. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cans Organic Pumpkin
1/8 C. Maple Syrup
1/8 C. Coconut Sugar
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
2 1/2 TBSP. Tapioca Starch
1 TBSP. coconut oil
1/3 C. Coconut Cream 
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ginger 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingrendients in a bowl with a hand mixer until smooth. 

Pour into premade or homemade gluten-free pie crust. (I use Wholly Wholesomes Gluten-Free crust)

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Allow to cool and put in fridge overnight to set.

Serve with coconut whip cream. 

Ingredients: 

9 tablespoons ground espresso beans
5 tablespoons coconut sugar 

Directions: 

• Brew fresh, strong coffee with 5 cups water and espresso. Transfer hot coffee to a cake pan or shallow bowl, add sugar and stir until dissolved. Taste coffee and add more sugar of desired. 

Enjoy a cube of this decadent cake with coffee in the morning, tea at night or as a mid-day snack. The sweetness comes from bananas and dates, while the richness comes from light coconut milk.

This treat is especially helpful to those of us in our last trimester of pregnancy, as the dates can help prepare our cervix for a smoother natural birth. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup gluten-free oat flour
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour 
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 very ripe bananas
4 ounces dates (about 8 large), pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut


Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, both flours, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. Whisk thoroughly to eliminate any lumps. Set aside.
• Add bananas, dates, coconut milk, 2 tablespoons water and vanilla to a blender. Blend until dates are chopped very small and the mixture is thick and smooth, About two minutes.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the banana mixture and fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, taking care not to overwork the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle coconut on top. Bake until the top is firm and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
• Let the cake cool in the baking pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove cake from the pan and cool completely. Peel the parchment paper off the cake and cut cake into small cubes for serving.
  
• Wrap any remaining cake tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

These brownies work well with most diets if cocoa is tolerated. They are easy to make ahead of time and take on the go. 

This recipe relies on unsweetened applesauce and almond milk to provide the classic moist texture of traditional carrot cake in a vegan form.
​

Ingredients: 

Carrot Cake
2 1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons egg replacer
2 cups light brown or coconut sugar
1 cup avocado or grapeseed oil
1 cup almond milk
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 pound carrots, finely grated (about 3 cups)
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 cup seedless raisins

Frosting
12 tablespoons vegan butter
1 1/2 pound Daiya or soy cream cheese, cold
1 1/2 cup corn-free powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease three (9-inch) round cake pans; set aside.
• For the cake, put flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and egg replacer into a mixing bowl and whisk together to blend.
• Put sugar in a separate large mixing bowl and whisk in oil, almond milk and applesauce. When fully combined, add almond milk mixture to flour mixture and mix just until smooth. Stir in carrots, walnuts and raisins, then divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the center springs back gently when pressed. Remove from oven and transfer to racks to let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat margarine in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add cream cheese in pieces and mix until thoroughly blended. Slowly add sugar and vanilla and mix until blended. Increase mixer speed slightly and continue mixing for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
• Place a cake layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate or pedestal. Spoon one-quarter of the frosting onto the top and spread it evenly. Place a second cake layer, bottom side down, on top of the first, and spread with an equal amount of frosting. Place the final cake layer, bottom side down, on top of the others and frost the top and sides with remaining frosting. Cover and chill until ready to serve or set aside to let set for 30 minutes, then cut into slices and serve.