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. 

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. 

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. 

Waffles have become a new weekend obsession around here. 

Mr. Charming and I bought a waffle maker many, many MONTHS ago. O.K. it may even been a year or two, who knows, and it just sat and sat, All lonely, just begging to make fluffy brunch goodness. 

I finally got around to whipping up an Oat Flour Waffle Recipe last month that was super tasty and we paired them with fresh coconut whip cream and blueberries. But, when we are on our Paleo kick, or for my Paleo readers and clients, I wanted to come up with a recipe that was Paleo friendly and equally fluffy and yummy. 

And while the two look similar, their tastes and ingredient make-ups are quite different and cater well to different dietary needs. While these are Paleo, my nut-free readers enjoy the Oat Waffles and vice versa for those seeking something grain free in these beauties. 

Mr. Charming and I realize that having breakfast items made on hand and in the freezer to reheat has been SUPER helpful in these early days of parenthood. We've made breakfast burritos, pancakes and waffles almost every morning and it's allowed us to spend snuggly family time with Little One before Mr. Charming has to head off to work. 

​These are best served hot, with a mug of coffee (decaf for me) with a rich little drizzle of pure maple syrup and a pat of vegan butter. 

Ingredients

Dry
1 cup blanched almond flour
1 cup tapioca flour
2 TBSP coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp sea salt

Wet
2 organic eggs
¼ cup melted coconut or avocado oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup almond milk (or dairy free milk of choice) 
½ tsp organic vanilla extract

Directions

Spray or coat waffle iron as directed. 

Place all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. 

Add wet ingredients and mix for 2 minutes or until batter has thickened slightly. It will still be thin. 

Fill waffle maker with batter and follow your appliances instructions.

​Serve with maple syrup, honey or fresh fruit. 

Waffles can be frozen and then reheated at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes. 

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. 

Can I say, again, how much brunch is my favorite thing in this world? Well maybe not my favorite thing in the WORLD, but I adore brunch. Sipping hot Crio Bru with a plate of gluten-free, refined-sugar free breakfast food goodness surrounded by people I love is just the best. 

I actually made two variations on this waffles last weekend with Mr. Charming and they were both so good I couldn't decide which ones would go up first. But these, with a little coconut whip and berries were just too yummy and too pretty not to debut right away. 

Mr. Charming and I received a waffle iron for our wedding, in 2011, and we JUST now broke it out to use it. I know, I know, terrible. But we were blessed with so many awesome kitchen gadgets, it's taken us some time to get through trying them all out. I am so glad we did! And now that it's been broken in, these baby's will be a staple in our home on weekend mornings and friend and family brunches. 

The recipe is also super simple even though it looks like a long list of ingredients. Once you get it all in a bowl you just whip it up and pour it in the hot waffle iron and within minutes you will have fluffy Belgian waffles that are crunchy and golden on the outside and just perfect with any topping you choose. 

Serve and enjoy with fresh berries, dairy-free whip, maple syrup, jam, applesauce, honey, vegan butter or plain! 

The baby has been kicking like crazy lately. 

There are no words for what their little exploring hands and jabby feet mean in mine and Mr. Charming's life. 

Each little movement means life. It means Gods favor. It means a blessing, a miracle from the ashes when I thought for so long I was broken. We were broken. Persevering through the enemies lies that we are broken, that we are incapable, that we are not meant for something can be a challenge. A really hard, overwhelming, burden of a challenge. 

But when we turn our eyes upward, as tear filled as they may be, we can be at peace knowing anything meant to harm us can be turned to good. That there is truth in the fact that maybe we are broken or incapable, but God isn't. He is whole. He is capable. He can create miracles. Rest in Him, be patient in Him and let Him write your story. 

I'm so glad I turned my pen and paper over a few years ago and just asked Him to take this. He wipes away tears, He mends heartache, He fills voids and most importantly, He gives peace. Peace in situations that have the potential to drown you.

And then this baby. October 2015, our doctor had given up. Three years, one loss, she decided we needed to move on to specialists. As she deemed us infertile and it was time to go for more invasive tests and speak to clinics that our insurance wouldn't cover. 

Then by God's grace and miraculous blessing, we found ourselves pregnant ONE DAY before we had scheduled the appointment with specialists that we were going to have to cancel because of it's cost. Our doctor was elated to say the least, and when people ask me if it was a vitamin, a supplement, my diet....? I have no answer other than God. This was all God.  

So when I feel each tiny kick. When I hear each quick heartbeat. Or when I stare endlessly at his or her perfect little ultrasound photos... I am reminded what He is doing and working in our lives. And there are no words. We are just so grateful. 

And being grateful means celebrations. And celebrations often bring about delicious eats, as does pregnancy, haha. So I've been experimenting in the kitchen a lot lately. Breakfast and brunch have become my favorite time of day because the baby loves eggs and protein and I have most of my energy from around 9 am until noon. Plus the light is great for shooting photos, so win/win/win. 

I had been CRAVING French Toast for DAYS. Something I haven't eaten since Pre-2011, because gluten-free bread leaves much to be desired most of the time. I whip up Oat Pancakes and from time to time & I enjoy Van's waffles, but I really wanted French Toast. Piping hot French Toast with a drizzle of pure maple syrup. #NomNomNom

Then an idea hit me. An idea I want to hug and squeeze and love on because these came out tasting like little pieces of banana heaven. My goodness you guys. These should be a Sunday staple in EVERY home. Just saying. 

I decided to whip up my Banana Bread muffin recipe, but instead of muffins, I'd throw it in a loaf pan to make bread. I made this the night before and sliced it up so that it wouldn't be as moist and soft when I coated it in my egg wash.  

The next morning I woke up and took the sliced pieces from the refridgerator and coated them GENEROUSLY in my cinnamony-vanilla infused egg wash and voila! Epic french toast that is gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free and delicious. 
​

Ingredients: 
1 Loaf of my Oat Flour Banana Bread (ideally made the night before, cooled and sliced for morning)
4 Organic Eggs 
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 C. dairy-free milk of choice (I used almond for its flavor, but any will work) 
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 C, pure maple syrup (Optional)
Vegan Butter or Coconut Oil (For Coating Pan)

Directions: 
Coat a ceramic frying pan with a dairy-free butter or coconut oil. Preheat your pan over medium heat.

In a shallow, medium sized bowl mix eggs, cinnamon, milk and vanilla until blended well. 

Take pre-sliced bread slices or sticks (I chose to make thick sticks from my loaf) and dip GENEROUSLY in egg wash mixture on both sides. Place in pan and cook until golden and crispy on each side. 

Warm pure maple syrup just before serving and serve the french toast warm with vegan butter, maple syrup or other topping of choice. 

*As a treat for the weekend, I did dust ours with corn-free confectioners sugar, because it reminded me of my childhood & I wanted that familiar taste. DO keep in mind if you do so, it is no longer refined-sugar free. 

​And then enjoy! Because, YUM. 

My oat pancake recipe is back!! After a long hiatus from being removed during a Paleo blog cleanse, these gluten-free, refined-sugar free, dairy-free, nut-free beauties return. Because, honestly, I have been making them so much lately and people keep asking for the recipe. In the photo they got an extra addition of chocolate chips for a special morning treat, but normally they are plain with just cinnamon to spice them up. 

INGREDIENTS 
1 C. Gluten-Free Oat Flour 
I Large Organic Egg
1/4 cup Plain Coconut Milk Yogurt (may be omitted, these makes them extra fluffy) 
¾ cup Water
1 tsp. Baking Powder
Dash of Salt
Cinnamon To Taste (I use a lot)

INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a small separate bowl mix wet ingredients.

Pour wet into dry, mix and cook on non-stick, or lightly oiled griddle. Pancakes are ready to turn when edges are golden.
​
Serving Size: 6-8 pancakes

A Secret: Sometimes I omit the cinnamon and yogurt and use them as hot dog buns. SO good.