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! 

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!

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! 

As a mama who strives to make better choices for my family year round, I've been frustrated in years past when it comes to finding a balance of avoiding all that's unsafe for my son's body (food dyes, artificial flavoring, and ingredients I just don't feel great about such as gluten, dairy or possible GMO ingredients) and allowing him to feel like he got to have a fun holiday. 

Now, we are BIG promoters that holidays are NOT about candy. That they aren't about food or treats in general, but as he gets older and participates with family and friends, I do allow him to have fun and have some treats. Thus the inspiration for this post. 

I wanted parents, grandparents, teachers and anyone who will be treating kids to candy this season to a guide to all of my favorites as well as a couple of tips to keep your kids safe. 

Summer and me have a love/hate thang. On the one hand we get swimming, beach days, staycations, all the popsicles we can take, celebrating our independence and sunshine into the late evening

On the other we get temps hitting 115. And all the bugs. 

So I’m all about making happier moments INDOORS when it’s positively scorching outside and getting into the kitchen with my little sous chef was a perfect summer activity.

He loved helped molding the BIGGEST cookie he's ever seen, helping me spread on the cream cheese frosting and placing the berries. When it came to the whip cream dollops, I think he ate more than he placed haha, but such is true with toddlers.

This recipe is extremely kid friendly from prep to enjoying a slice with a tall glass of icy lemonade and we will definitely be making again, fourth of July or not. 

Ingredients
​

• 12-16 oz GF/DF sugar cookie dough (refrigerated)
• 8 oz softened vegan cream cheese 
• 1/8 c sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• Vegan whipped topping (I use almond milk Reddi Whip) 
• 12 oz organic raspberries  2 c. organic blueberries 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Open tube or pack of cookie dough and place on a lightly greased 12 inch pizza pan and roll or press into an even layered circle. (You may use a pie tin or large bowl to get a perfect circle)
• Bake cookie crust 11-12 minutes until lightly browned.
• Cool cookie completely. 
• Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. 
• Scoop cream cheese mixture onto the cookie crust once cooled and spread it to the edges. 
• Use blueberries to outline the pizza and create the blue portion of the flag. 
• Use raspberries to create your flag stripes. 
• Use your vegan whipped cream to create dollops in between rows of raspberries.
• Keep in fridge until ready to serve.

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. 
​

​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.