What’s for breakfast?

I have a confession to make, I get into different workout trends about every other month! Not that I’m super proud of it but I can tell you from experience, for the most part there is no one workout that will instantly melt the fat away (apparently it takes time). Although the latest, P90X, which is definitely passed its trendy time, actually seems to be making a difference. It could be because the friend that passed these DVDs over insisted on me taking the nutrition guide to follow along.

Now I would assume you all know me well enough to know I couldn’t bring myself to stick to the P90X recipes. I mean i will work for food, but good food. Ironically the book has inspired some better choices to fuel my body for the gruesome workouts. I have stayed within the amount of each food group I’m supposed to eat, but…. I foodied it up a bit (yes, I know I made that word up).

That being said, I have been missing baked goods terribly, prime example this week I paid 5 dollars just to get a brownie I could eat (gluten free and sweetened with agave), needless to say it was devoured in under 30 seconds.

My name is Ashley and I have a problem, I am addicted to sweets. They say that’s the first step, right? No….. I think the first step must be to make changes, I shall never give up sweets. For example, there is a recipe with banana and protein powder in a smoothie in the mornings that isn’t bad. So what I did was adapt a smoothie recipe to a Paleo friendly breakfast bread packed full of protein and fiber, but seriously good! You know I don’t joke about food, seriously it’s good!

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp coconut oil melted (plus additional to grease the pan)
4 eggs
3 Tbsps honey
1 Tbsp apple butter
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
2 Tbsps flaxseed meal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup extra dark chocolate chips chopped

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Prepare loaf pan (9 by 4) by greasing with coconut oil

In a mixing bowl, mix wet ingredients (coconut oil, eggs, honey, apple butter) until smooth

In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients (coconut flour, almond flour, protein powder, flaxseed meal, baking soda, sea salt), then add it to the dry mixture

In one last bowl mash up the bananas and coconut milk, then add the mash in with the batter. Once mixed smooth add the chocolate chips.

Now pop it in the oven and wait 50 minutes or until the bread springs back up when touched.

Hint! I have shopped for all kinds of baking ingredients and a lot of them have cost… Well… More than I’d ever like to admit. I have recently discovered the bins at Sprouts… Bins… Like by the candy bins. The prices are about half of the repackaged ones across the store. I knew I loved Sprouts grocery stores but this just pushed them to the top of my list!

And…. Before you know it your house smells wonderful and the bread is ready! I recommend letting it cool but I mean seriously….. If your baking this you obviously practicing enough will power with your healthy lifestyle.. Plus when you smell this bread fresh out of the oven, waiting on it to cool could bring a entirely new meaning to practicing will power.

Last lather a slice in butter (cultured because that makes it healthy…right?) and enjoy!

The best chocolate chip cookies….ever

I love chocolate chip cookies. When my husband and I were dating we’d try a different version of the classic cookie every weekend. One of my favorite memories is us slow dancing in the kitchen waiting on the cookies to finish baking with the smell of butter and sugar filling the room…. It was heaven…. at least thats how I think heaven will be.. Yes definitely.

This is one of our favorite recipes of all we have tried.. The recipe below was derived from the Jacques Torres’ secret chocolate cup cookie recipe but we’ve made it into our own!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1 pound butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 cups dark brown sugar
4 eggs
3 cups pastry flour
3 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp baking soda
2 Tbsp vanilla
12 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
12 oz milk chocolate

Make sure it’s real vanilla extract…. It makes a huge difference

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a electric mixer to mix the butter and sugars. Add the eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl whisk the dry ingredients together. Slowly add the dry ingredients one cup at a time to the dry ingredients, until well blended. Last add the vanilla and chocolate into the mix. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the cookie dough out and place on the cookie sheet two inches apart. Bake the cookies until lightly browned, roughly 20 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Don’t forget to share! Perfect for all ages, who doesn’t want a homage chocolate chip cookie… I mean seriously?

Happy Mother’s Day to all the fabulous mothers out there! Enjoy from our home to yours!

Rice Crispy Treats all grown up

It’s the summer of 1997, I’m nine years old and hanging out by my Aunt Lakay’s pool. Aunt Kay walks out with a warm casserole dish full of rice crispy treats. Me, my sisters, and my cousin fight with our wet hands to get the first of the gooey treats…..

We all have foods that bring us back to a memory, a place, a time…. This is one of those foods for me. What is one to do to possibly make, melted marshmallows and cereal an age appropriate desert? Brown the butter……sounds simple right? It is…..but it’s flavor magic…

Grown Up Rice Crispies

6 cups of rice crispy cereal
10 oz bag of mini marshmallows
3 Tbsp Butter

1. Brown your butter… WARNING… If you have never cooked with browned butter, this is a life changing moment… Your welcome…

You’ll know its ready by the nutty smell and the color changes to the carmel color in the picture above.

2. Pour the browned butter over the marshmallows, don’t forget to get the brown bits (that’s where all the flavor is)

3. Microwave the marshmallow mix for 3 minutes, mix about half way through

4. Pour in a well greased or parchment lined pan. Cut into squares and enjoy with grown-up friends….. With no shame at all….

Second WARNING… People will want to know what your secret it is but don’t worry it’s safe with me. From my home to yours, happy eats!