Paleo Banana Bread French Toast

This morning, Daniel and I had a very serious discussion as to whether or not it’s okay to put ketchup on your french toast. I swiftly voted no and he swiftly voted yes. The disappointment that this conversation brought was immense because now I married a man who puts ketchup, THE BEST condiment in the world, on both french toast and macaroni & Cheese…the word disappointment can’t even begin to describe how I feel about this.

Thankfully, the disappointment didn’t last long as I turned back to making french toast…

This recipe came about because my two staple breakfasts just weren’t fancy enough for Sunday brunch, plus I figured, we’re quarantined right now so why not change things up!

I looked around my kitchen and noticed a half-eaten loaf of Paleo Banana Bread I had made the other day and figured, Banana French Toast was the best way to go.

Makes 2 servings (about 4 slices)

All you need is...

• Your favorite banana bread! I used a paleo banana bread from @ambitiouskitchen

• 1 Egg

• 1/4th cup Almond milk

• 1tsp cinnamon

• 1/2tsp vanilla

• coconut oil

Directions

Heat up a pan on low to medium heat

Mix together the milk, egg, cinnamon, and vanilla in a pie plate.

Place the banana bread in the mixture for about 20-30 seconds on each side.
Melt your coconut oil in the pan to coat the bottom and then add in the french toast. Making sure to cook each side until it's crispy but not burnt!
Top with your favorite goodies! I used agave, blueberries, cinnamon, and sunflower butter.
Enjoy!

Here’s the Link to the paleo banana bread!

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/almond-flour-banana-bread/

PIN IT!

Dairy Free Frozen Yogurt Bars

I don’t know about you, but today was one of those days where I just didn’t want to drive to the grocery store. YOu might ask “Sonya, isn’t that your job?” Well yes, it is my job to think up recipes, but the products, and then we’ll give you a new product, but who says you can’t get a little creative with what you have at home!
So today I bring you THE BEST frozen yogurt bars because the best things always happen when you are forced into being creative! lazy =’s success!…at least, some of the time.

I made these thinking it would be a tested recipe, but once they came out of the freezer and saw that they were both beautiful and delicious, I knew there was no use tweaking the recipe.

I used WHole foods Dairy-free almond milk yogurt because it is one of the cheaper options out there, without having a million ingredients or hoards of sugar added! I will add the sugar on my own, thank you very much!

I also used a 60% dark chocolate bar which didn’t melt as well as the enjoy life chocolate chips, but I think worked better for the recipe anyway! Having the ribbons of thick chocolate and almond butter with the combination of the sweet/tart blackberries and the crunchy texture of the sunflower seeds were everyyythinggg. Not to mention the flavor combination of dark chocolate, almond butter and blackberries is an opportunity we are missing out on!

SO without further delay, let this ice-cream loving, frozen yogurt convert teach you how to make frozen yogurt!

Makes: 9 Servings

Total TIme: 3 &1/2 - 5 & 1/2 hours

Assemble time: 30 minutes

Freeze time: 3 & 1/2 hours

Ingredients: 8

Ingredients

                Base

·         2 cups Dairy free plain yogurt

·         1/4th cup syrup or agave

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings

·         Blackberries

·         1/4th cup Dairy free chocolate

·         2 tbsp. coconut cream

·         1/4th cup almond butter

·         2 tbsp. sunflower seeds

Directions

Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper so all the sides are covered as to prevent leaks, and set aside.

Combine the yogurt, syrup, and vanilla together and then pour into the lined pan. Drizzle in the almond butter and Berries and put in the freezer. This will allow your toppings to set a bit before adding more so they don’t all mix together.

Using the double boiler method, melt together the dark chocolate and coconut cream together until smooth. Take the pan out of the freezer and drizzle the chocolate sauce on top. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and then freeze for at least 3 hours.

Take out of the freezer and enjoy immediately!

Don’t forget to pin it!

Healthy Gluten & Dairy-free Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

Something urged me to make oatmeal cookies this week, I don’t know if it was the fact that I had an abundance of oats in my house, or I just wanted something sweet to dunk in my morning coffee! Who knows, probably both!

Anyway, I just wanted to bring you a simple and easy recipe that will fill your bellies with something wholesome and sweet!

These cookies are made gluten-free by using gluten-Free oats which you can find at your local grocery store, or online. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s because you get a lot for what you pay for!

When it came to the chocolate I didn’t have any chocolate chips on hand, so I just chopped up a chocolate bar! I love doing this because the chocolate bars I buy are always at least 65% dark chocolate, making them usually dairy-free! So if you like things less sweet, go for the dark chocolate trick, but if not go for some dairy-free chocolate chips! Either way, you won’t be sorry you made these bad boys!

Time: 30-35 minutes

Makes about 12 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup GF oat flour

• 1 cup GF whole oats

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4th tsp salt

• 1tsp cinnamon

• 1/3rd cup coconut sugar  

• 2 large eggs

• 1/4th cup coconut oil

• 1/4th cup almond milk

• ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips (or chunks)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare your baking sheet.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and then whisk in the wet ingredients until a batter forms.

Gently fold the chocolate into the batter.

Scoop the dough into 1 inch balls using an ice cream scoop and place on the prepared baking sheet about 1 to 2 inches apart.

Place in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes.

Let cool on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes and enjoy!

Psst….dont forget to pin it!

FLUFFY OAT PANCAKES // GLUTEN FREE & DAIRY FREE

I don’t know about you but when it comes to pancakes, Daniel and I mean business. We even have a weeknight dubbed pancake Saturday, where I come home from work, we make pancakes and watch a movie. Our favorites being Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings!

Every week it seems that I try a new recipe for myself since Daniel makes his perfect gluten and dairy-filled pancakes. He guards the secret family recipe with his life so don’t ask…sigh*

Anyway, each week I make my pancakes and have always faltered between near perfection, and pancake scramble that might sometimes taste like baking soda…I decided it was time to change so I gathered myself together and went to work!

My criteria for the pancaked were that they would be accessible for everyone, gluten & dairy-free, and if you don’t have allergies can be made with normal ingredients. I wanted the pancakes to be on the hardier side as well to keep you full and satisfied while maintaining that fluffy texture!

For the flour, I chose oat because it’s cheap, easy, and easy to make! All you have to do is blend up your gluten-free or non-gluten free oats in any blender until a fine powder forms. If there are some larger pieces left that’s okay too! Just get it to the finest flour for the best results!

For the Dairy-free yogurt, I use an almond-based one. It is thicker than a lot of coconut yogurt, but feel free to either replace the dairy-free yogurt with regular yogurt, or even apple sauce. They will have a different flavor with the apple sauce of course and won't be as fluffy, but still very good!

Now all you have to do is combine all the ingredients and cook on a skillet at medium heat. This batch makes about 6 medium-sized pancakes. (I used a 1/4th cup measure).

Now without further delay, here is the Perfect Pancake recipe!

Time 30 MInutes

Serving Size: 2

Makes 6 Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup oat flour

• 2 Tbsp. coconut sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 eggs

• 1/4th cup dairy-free yogurt

• 1/4th cup plant-based milk

• 1 tsp vanilla

• coconut oil for the pan

Directions

Whisk together the dry ingredients and then add in all of the wet ingredients. whisk until fully combines.

Grease a skillet and turn stovetop on medium heat. Let warm before pouring pancake batter onto skillet. Once bubbles begin to form and the edges of the pancakes are cooked about halfway through flip them.

Continue until all of your pancakes are cooked.

Serve warm with maple syrup, banana, chocolate chips, and almond butter for a breakfast/brunch/dinner you won’t forget!

Enjoy!

don’t forget to pin it

cinnamon oat muffins // Oil free & Gluten-free

The one thing I do have to say about muffins is that they are very underrated.

These gluten-free, dairy-free, and oil-free muffins are simple and delicious! With only 8 ingredients they are simple to whip up and enjoy immediately, or store for meal prep!

Using oat flour is great, but don’t feel the need to go hunting for a GF oat flour brand. All you have to do is blend regular oats until a fine powder forms and voila, you’ve got oat flour! When you use oat flour it's good to let your mixture sit for a few minutes to absorb some of the liquid. For this recipe make sure you set aside the mixture for about 10 minutes.

Another nice thing about this recipe is that it’s customizable! I left the flavors simple so that you have the freedom to add in chocolate chips, blueberries, cranberries, etc. If you want to leave them plain, the cinnamon, maple syrup, and applesauce give it a great light flavor that is sure to please everyone!

Check out the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Serving size 1 muffin

time 40-45 minutes

Makes 9 muffins

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

• 1/3rd cup Dairy Free unsweetened yogurt (I used Kite Hill)

• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups oat flour (Make your own by blending whole oats until a flour forms)

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp baking powder

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 350F and grease a muffin tin.

If you are making out flour at home, blend up just over 2 cups of oats until a fine powder is reached and set aside.

Mix all of the wet ingredients together and then slowly add in the dry ingredients.

Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.

once thickened add the mixture into your muffin tin about 3/4ths of the way full.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, let cool and enjoy!

pin it!

Homemade cinnamon vanilla granola // Gluten free & Dairy free

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to giving gifts around the holidays, I tend to lean towards making huge batches of granola to share! When I do this I like to add in a lot of fun bits and pieces that add extra texture and sweetness.

I came up with this recipe because I had mixed up my own trail mix for my husband and me to snack on while we put up our Christmas decorations up this past Sunday. Even though he didn't love some of the components, when eaten together we were both big fans!

I had used a combination of dried cherries, coconut chips, walnuts, chocolate chips, and man oh man was it delicious! When I woke up the next day I was craving some more and decided it needed a little bit of a crunch! What better way to make that happen then to mix it with granola!

The minute I thought of this I knew that this would make a perfect Christmas gift! SO here we are now, with a simple recipe that will have everyone asking for more!

Ingredients

Granola

• 3 cups gluten-free oats

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• pinch of salt

• 1/2 cup agave

• 1/4th cup coconut oil

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 egg** (Vegan option below)

Trail Mix

• 1/4th cup walnut pieces

• 1/4th cup coconut chips

• 1/4th cup dried cherries

• 1/4th cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Directions

preheat your oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together the oats, cinnamon, and salt, then mix in all of the wet ingredients.

Spread evenly on your baking sheet, making sure the mixture is less than 1/2 inch thick.

bake for 12 minutes, take out of the oven and mix with a wooden spoon. Making sure to re-spread the oats as they were before.

Bake for another 12-15 minutes, making sure the granola does not get too dark, instead it should be golden brown when it is finished.

Let cool and then combine in the trail mix ingredients. Once you are done seal into individual ball jars for a cute Christmas gift, or just enjoy it right there!

• **If you are a vegan feel free to omit the egg and instead up the coconut oil from 1/4th cup to 1/3rd cup coconut oil.

Enjoy!

Psst…before you go here are the items I used for the trail mix!

Bare Toasted Crunchy Coconut Chips 1.4 oz

Sunrise Fresh Dried Fruit Company No Sugar Added Dried Dark Sweet Cherries, 16 oz. Bag

Nature's Eats Chopped Walnuts, 32 Ounce

Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet, Dairy Free, Nut Free Vegan Chocolate Chips, 10 Ounce (Pack of 6)

PIN!