Vegan Chocolate Monkey Smoothie

I know what you need in your life.

A healthy chocolate, banana smoothie that's so good it tastes like a milkshake.

My weekday breakfast & lunch eating is fairly simple, and it includes a smoothie 4 days out of 5. A shake is almost always my breakfast of choice on the days I go into the city, partly because they're healthy and keep me full for hours, partly because they're quick and I can take them in the car with me to drink on the way to the bus station, and partly because they're just so good and I crave them constantly.

Depending on my mood or the fruit I'm using, I'll use either whole milk or coconut water as the liquid in the smoothie. I typically use Cocozia because it's organic, one-ingredient (no additives) and comes from young green coconuts, unlike many mainstream varieties. When I found out they were offering chocolate coconut water, I couldn't wait to try it out.

Jackpot. This coconut water tastes like chocolate milk, is slightly thick, and gives smoothies a nice deep cocoa flavor and creamy texture without having to use milk (good for vegans, and good for when you want a creamier smoothie but the health benefits of coconut water). This chocolate version does have some sugar and other ingredients that are not in the plain coconut water, but all the ingredients are readable and there is nothing nasty in it. 

Blend it up with frozen bananas and peanut butter, and you've got dessert for breakfast.

Vegan Chocolate Monkey Smoothie

Ingredients

1 frozen banana, chopped
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder (I use Natural Factors Raw Organic Vegan Protein*)
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
6 oz. chocolate coconut water

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

*Protein powders are not all created equal. Make sure you read the ingredients on the label or you could be ingesting a lot of sugars, fake flavors and synthetic vitamins. 

Note: This post was sponsored by Cocozia. As always, however, all opinions are my own.

New Year Muffins (Paleo Banana Walnut)

Happy belated New Year friends! We rang in the New Year in a low key way this year, starting with a quiet dinner for two at a local seafood restaurant, Latitudes, where we ran into our friends Forrest and Casey whom we shared a drink with as well.

We ordered calamari with spicy pickled peppers for an appetizer, followed by salads and then entrees of surf & turf and lobster mac & cheese.

I literally never order mac & cheese since I usually feel guilty about eating something so rich, but it was a special New Years menu and I was dying for lobster, so I took the plunge. I have to say, I was a tad disappointed. The "mac & cheese" was more like penne alfredo and the lobster was overcooked and a little tough. Sometimes I wonder if I watch too much Top Chef because I might've liked it had I not been so nitpicky. Oh well. Foodie I am!

After dinner we spent the rest of the evening at Matt's parents' house with them and MomMom and Riker, eating snacks (like we needed more of them), some dessert (I had made a chocolate walnut strudel for the bunch) and watching Rockin' New Year's Eve.

We let Riker stay up until midnight to watch the ball drop. I honestly didn't think he'd make it, but he was a trooper and sat snuggled up with me for the last hour watching the show and waiting for his sparkling grape juice at 12:00. He slept in until 9:30 AM the next day so it was a win for all of us. ;)

***

Today is my last day of vacation, and we're going out with a bang. It started snowing like crazy around 6:00 last night and we woke up to a winter wonderland.

I love it!

Matt went back to work yesterday but had a snow day today (nothing like a 1 day work week!) so our little troop is cozied up at home together. When Riker woke up he asked for muffins for breakfast, and I heartily agreed. Not only can I not say "no" to that little Mickey Mouse voice asking for muffins, but snow days call for warm, comforting breakfasts.

 

That said, now that the holidays are over I'm getting back on the wagon with healthy eating. I threw out the remaining Christmas cookies the other day and shopped for all new, fresh foods yesterday, and it feels really good to have the house stocked with clean foods again rather than all kinds of cheeses, olives, fudge and other holiday snacks. Sooo, I didn't want to break down and make sugary, carby, buttery muffins on January 3.

I whipped up a batch of paleo muffins using coconut flour, coconut oil, bananas and walnuts. No sugar and no refined flour. These muffins are not sweet, but they have a good bread texture and a crunchy walnut top. We all enjoyed them. I liked mine best smeared with a little organic natural peanut butter.

Everything is closed today so there isn't much on the agenda other then some snowman-making once it warms up, and starting Season 5 of Sons of Anarchy when Riker goes down for a nap. We finished Season 4 last night and are on another of our SOA benders. :0

Paleo Banana Walnut Muffins

Makes 12 muffins (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

4 bananas

4 eggs

1/2 cup pecan butter

2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup coconut flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Mash bananas with a fork, then add to a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, pecan butter, coconut oil and vanilla; blend to combine.

Add all dry ingredients. Mix well, using a hand mixer or wooden spoon. (Batter will be a little chunky, do not overbeat.) 

Pour batter into greased muffins tins, and top with chopped walnuts. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. 

Healthy Banana Bread (Grain-Free)

I promised you a banana bread recipe.

Here it is!

I'm a huge lover of banana bread, have been my whole life. Now a lot of banana breads are unfortunately, in my opinion, really dry and flavorless. I've perfected my version of this warm fall/winter loaf over the years, adding more cinnamon and nutmeg, more bananas to keep things moist, walnuts, chocolate chips (I mean, banana and chocolate, come on) and a sugary crust on top. It's to die for.

But I'm actually not here to share that one with you. Sorry!

That one I actually haven't made yet this year, and am trying to hold out on doing so. As you can imagine, it's pretty carby and sugary, and not very healthy at all. It's a great treat, but ends up getting eaten for breakfast and snacks until the whole thing is gone in less than 24 hours. I wanted to stay away from that, but I can't shake my annual fall banana bread baking/eating craving completely - especially when there are two sad-looking brown bananas sitting in the fruit bowl begging to be mashed up and bread-i-fied.

So for this recipe, I swapped out wheat flour for nut flour, cut the chocolate chips from half a bag to only a few teaspoons, removed the walnuts (nut flour is nutty enough so you don't need the extra crunch), and traded my usual refined brown and white sugar for unrefined, all natural coconut palm sugar. I also used grapeseed oil instead of canola oil or butter, since it's a healthier fat.

The result was delicious (note: that piece up there looks a little smooshed because I couldn't wait more than 5 minutes to cut a piece and eat it, warm with a smear of butter). I'm not going to lie and tell you I liked it better than my chocolate chip sugary crust loaf, but I could eat it guiltlessly for breakfast with a little peanut butter, and it honestly is really moist and flavorful. It's also gluten free if you're into that. Unfortunately it still disappeared in 24 hours, so I'm probably going to have to make another one on Sunday.

Grain-Free Healthy Banana Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup organic coconut palm sugar
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup agave nectar (may substitute honey or maple syrup)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grapeseed oil or other flavorless oil
2 eggs

Topping (Optional)
1 tsp. coconut sugar
3 tsp. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and sugar. Set aside

In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas, agave nectar, milk, oil and eggs. Whisk well to combine. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine; do not over beat.

Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Top with remaining coconut sugar and chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

End of Summer Bounty

So how's everybody's Sunday going? I just came back from a Bed, Bath & Beyond trip and a little pampering at the nail salon, and am currently feet up watching the football games while Riker naps, windows open and fall scented candles burning. I'd say it's a pretty good end of the weekend around here. :) I had a lot of housework and running around to do the last two days so it feels good to relax.

Yesterday after a quick workout, meals planning and grocery shopping, I stuck around the house while Matt and one of his work friends made a short voyage up to north Jersey to claim a large piece of meat they'd ordered earlier in the year. That's right, a large piece of meat. A whole side of beef, to be exact.

I came across this company, Vermont Natural Beef, while home visiting my parents last winter and really wanted to give their program a try. They have a farm of all natural, grass fed, well treated and happy cattle, and they sell it at practically wholesale prices. The catch is you have to buy an entire side (that's nearly 300 pounds of beef) and they only sell once a year. So we got a few friends to join in and split it amongst 5 couples. I think we have enough ribs, steaks and ground meat in the freezer to last Matt and Riker the entire winter. I won't be partaking, but I like knowing that my family is eating healthy, humanely raised beef.

Getting the delivery yesterday meant one thing for Matt: steaks for dinner. So we invited Heather & Kevin and their two girls, Delia and Avery, over for dinner.

The boys had grilled T-bone steaks, which they said were super tender and really delicious, but I made habanero peach grilled shrimp for me and Heather. The shrimp were part of an organic delivery service we're trying out (they deliver wild caught seafood and local organic meats and other products right to your house), and were pretty good.

Before dinner we had a few simple snacks of veggies with spicy dip, and tomato mozzarella salad with fresh basil and tomatoes from my garden.

My basil was dying a few weeks ago, but all the sudden it's become huge and healthy, so I'm taking full advantage. I actually roasted the tomatoes with garlic before adding them to the salad, which made them super juicy and sweet. The warmth was also a nice change to the typical chilled caprese salad.

Heather and I chatted over Blue Moons and glasses of white wine while I cooked and the boys played with the kids outside. It was so nice to just sit and catch up. I'm telling you, I am ready for fall and nights at home. :)

I made a few different sides for dinner, including baked sweet potato fries, grilled zucchini and summer squash, and a winter slaw I saw on Barefoot Contessa a week or two ago. The slaw had raw Brussels sprouts, radicchio and kale with a lemon vinaigrette and parmesan cheese.

All dressed up:

I loved this salad. It was crunchy and colorful, and slightly bitter. All that raw greenery also made it feel like a power salad with so many vitamins in one bowl.

For dessert I made homemade watermelon pops for the kids - which they actually didn't eat since they opted for carrot cake that Delia brought over instead, and honestly, I would've made the same choice. ;) For the adults I made chocolate avocado mousse parfaits with strawberries and homemade whipped cream.

Yum! I can promise you I'll be sharing this recipe later in the week. What a great night with our good friends!

***

Today started with paleo apple cinnamon "pancakes", coffee & day planning, and clearing the garden of the last of its bounty.

We got one really good final crop.

Eggplants, peppers and tomatoes, oh my!

I see eggplant rollatini and a large pot of chili in my future. Speaking of, I'm giving myself another 20 minutes of being a couch potato before getting my butt into the kitchen for some meal prepping for the week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Cauliflower Crust Repeated

Hello, friends! How was everyone's first day back at work? It's never easy going back after a long weekend, but it also felt kind of nice getting back into a routine. After my family left yesterday, I spent the afternoon cleaning the house, getting groceries, running a few errands and making my breakfast and lunch for today since I had to be up early to go into the city.

When dinnertime rolled around, I decided to give the cauliflower pizza recipe another try. I had bought a bunch of cauliflower and needed a way to use it up - and I realized that the last time I made the crust, I cooked it at a lower temperature than the recipe called for which is why it didn't come out right. Duh! When I cooked it at the higher temp last night, it actually came out pretty perfectly.

I could hold the crust like real pizza! Flavorings were way out there this time, and inspired by an Indian flatbread recipe I saw Bobby Flay make on Food Network last weekend. I topped the crust with homemade tomato jam and fresh mozzarella cheese, and when it came out of the oven I added a dollop of cumin Greek yogurt. Weird, right? It was SO good.

I made two pies so leftovers is on the agenda tonight. Time to eat, pack a lunch and crack open a new book before doing it all over again tomorrow. G'night!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Taste Test

This has been a dinner cooking-drought kind of week. We all have them, right? Monday night was busy so we had breakfast for dinner; Tuesday I had a karaoke outing with my office after work, where I nibbled on some sushi platters they had ordered, which was a good thing since I got home at 11:30 pm which is way too late to even think about eating a real dinner; and then last night I just didn't have an appetite at all. After I fed and put Riker to bed, I cuddled up on the couch to finish the third book of the Trylle trilogy, Ascend. Not impressed with that ending, by the way! :(

Around 9:00 I got a little hungry so made a big bowl of steamed broccoli with parmesan cheese - quite the late night treat, huh? Well I won't be cooking again tonight, but I will be making up for the improper dinners of the last three nights. After work we're meeting up with 3 other couples for dinner at a funky little restaurant called Labrador Lounge, and I can't wait. My entire family is coming into town tomorrow for Labor Day Weekend, I love that place and am looking forward to kicking off Labor Day Weekend a bit early with our friends. I woke up extra early this morning to squeeze in an at-home workout (I've been slacking lately...) since I know there will be wine and dessert on the menu later.

Since I haven't done much cooking this week I thought I'd share something I made a few weeks ago, because I also need some suggestions from you guys. I've been wanting to get on this new cauliflower pizza crust craze, so a couple of weeks ago Matt and I blended up some of the veggie on a Friday night to give this new pizza variation a whirl.

We had so many tomatoes from the garden and I'd already made two batches of marinara sauce for the freezer, so pizza seemed like the next logical way to use them. Plus, you know how I feel about Friday night pizza. It's my fave.

We used this cauliflower crust recipe from Paula Deen that I found on FitSugar, which seemed like it would work well and hold together nicely. Toppings included ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella, garden tomatoes, olives, mushrooms and fresh basil.

We made his & hers versions: his in a pie plate (deep dish style) and mine on a pizza stone. We wanted to see which style worked best.

In the pie plate:

On the pizza stone:

Both were good, but I liked it on the pizza stone better since it came out looking more like a pizza once it was sliced.

So now for the verdict. I mean, it was good (actually really quite good), but it didn't taste like pizza. It tasted more like polenta pie. The recipe said you could pick this up like a regular slice of pizza, but unless I made it wrong that was a straight lie. Maybe I put too many toppings on, but it definitely had to be eaten with a fork.

So I know that a lot of you out there have been trying different cauliflower crust pizza recipes, so if you have a good one you like, please share! I need this in my life.

Off to do the work thang!

Shell-Less Tacos

Who says you can't eat tacos when you're trying to eat low carb (at least during the week)?

Last weekend Matt's sister Missy told us how she had been making shell-less tacos, using Romaine lettuce leaves instead of taco shells or tortillas, and I immediately added the idea to my dinners list for this week. I love lettuce cups but have only ever used them for Asian style wraps, and really, why have I never thought of this before?

For background, last night just screamed for Mexican food. I had a busy day at work, Riker was acting like a crazy person who hadn't napped in 3 days (not sure why since he actually did have a good nap at daycare yesterday), Butters was barking at every living and non-living thing and making my ears bleed, and Matt was a bit of a grump since his mountain biking buddy canceled on him for biking today. We were one loud, grumpy family in need of something good for dinner.

Tacos. And a cold beer. Eaten at the bar in front of the TV.

Riker needed to immediately eat and go to sleep, so I fed him spaghetti and put his butt to bed while giving directions to Matt on prep work to be done for the tacos. I have to say, he did a pretty amazing job pulling them together.

In the "tacos":

- Tequila lime shrimp (barely marinated, sauteed in a bit of oil with a splash of the good stuff)
- Cilantro lime slaw (made with a head of "cone cabbage" my mom left here last week, and with the addition of garden jalapenos)
- Chopped tomatoes from the garden
- Avocado (smashed lightly with lime, salt and pepper)
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Hot sauce

I have to say, the lettuce shells were awesome. They were crunchy and held everything together just fine, and after eating them I did not feel stuffed and bloated the way I normally do after taco night.

The beer was not my idea. Buttt it was just what Matt needed, and when he said he was opening a bottle of the precious Pliny we got in California, I had to have a sip to wash down my tacos. I had just a smidge - it was a Monday after all - but it was just the right amount and the citrusy IPA went perfectly with the tacos. Plus, not eating carby shells left plenty of of room for the more important glass of carby beer, right?

Big bite!

These will definitely be on the dinner menu again.

Fast Fish

If I could describe this week in one word, it would be "hectic." Matt was taking a biology course every day over an hour away and then had soccer functions every night, and I was in the city multiple days and trying to juggle work and Riker solo. Suffice it to say I'm glad it's the weekend! Also suffice it to say that cooking was the last thing on my mind when I rolled home from work at 8:30 pm after a 13 hour day. Matt's family took really good care of me this week, keeping Riker for long hours and inviting me over for late evening dinners.

I ate once at Matt's mom's house and twice at his sister's new place with the whole family. Their new home is really coming along and looking so cute.

She's a huge Caesar Salad lover and, after eating it at her house twice this week, she's starting to make me an addict as well. Yum.

I did have to force myself to cook a few days, though, since on Sunday we took a trip to our favorite fish market, Ahearn's, and came home with a bunch of fresh, wild caught seafood that I really didn't want to freeze (it's so much better fresh). Poor planning, huh?

The seafood is so delicious that it doesn't need much to pull together into a dinner, and all these meals were quickies - but I have to say, they came out looking pretty stylish. A pound of shrimp got tossed with my favorite smokey paprika and fresh garlic, then baked in the oven while I blanched two heads of broccoli rabe.

I saute my blanched broccoli rabe with olive oil, fresh garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and s&p. It comes out perfect every time. Matt and I sat with this big platter between us and ate "family style," picking at shrimp and grabbing forkfuls of the rabe.

Seafood meal #2 was Asian style Ahi tuna. To make the tuna, I coated it with black sesame seeds and seared it in my cast iron skillet for a few minutes on each side; when it came off, I doused it in a mixture of low sodium soy sauce, wasabi powder and ginger powder.

The sides were even easier. I had picked up some seaweed salad at Ahearn's, which required no prep at all. We actually got the edamame free from the owner of Silverton Organic Farm - I swear, every time we go he gives us something free. Love it. I blanched the edamame for about 8 minutes, then tossed it with sea salt. The whole dinner was on the table in about 20 minutes, can't beat that.

And seafood meal #3 was herb encrusted halibut. I really love halibut and was excited when I saw it at Ahearn's. The crust is a play on a Weight Watcher's recipe I've made a bunch of times, but I adjusted it slightly based on what I had in the cabinet and garden.

In the crust:

- Hazelnut flour
- Fresh basil, thyme and parsley
- Lemon zest (a ton of it)
- S&P
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Red wine vinegar

I baked off the fish in the oven, and in the meantime julienned a couple of garden zucchinis and carrots. I like julienning veggies because they look pretty and cook super fast - about 3 minutes in a steamer basket. I tossed the steamed veggies in a little butter, topped them with the fish and then dinner was on the table.

Lunch too. There were leftovers, so I packed them into a glass Tupperware container and filled in the gaps with garden cherry tomatoes, and lunch was ready for work the next day. Cherry tomatoes cook in the microwave in about 2 minutes, so I love throwing them in raw to any lunch for an extra boost of veggies.

Riker just went down for a nap so I'm going to get myself a shower and then I think we're heading out to the beach for the day. Enjoy your Saturday!