homemade fruit and veggie wash

I used to think a quick rinse under the water faucet was enough to wash all the gunk off my fruits and veggies. Wrong! Produce, even organic, is covered in all sort of nasty stuff. Think about how many hands have touched that apple at the store. I'm no germaphobe, but that's just gross. And if you're not buying organic, then your produce is more than likely also covered with pesticides. There are a bunch of great fruit and veggie washes on the market, but it is so easy (and cheap!) to make at home.

Homemade Fruit and Veggie Wash

4 parts water

1 part distilled white vinegar

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Spritz mixture on produce and rub it around a little. Let it sit for a minute or so, then wash off.

You can also mix up a big batch of this in a bucket or your sink and soak all of your produce at once. It's easy to just throw everything in, let it soak for a bit, then rinse. Now all your produce is ready to eat!

two ingredient ice cream

My sister in law told me about putting strawberries and a banana in the blender, and out comes ice cream. Actually she said it feel just like Dippin' Dots in your mouth. Say what? I just had to give it a try and you know what? She was totally right. Delicious! And it's the most beautiful shade of pink you ever saw. I'd like a pair of pants in this color, please.

Two Ingredient Ice Cream

10 frozen strawberries

1 banana 

(I used an unfrozen, ripe banana. I'm sure frozen would work great, too)

Blend in a blender or food processor. Blend longer for a smoother consistency. Shorter for the "Dippin' Dot" consistency. 

Makes about 2 cups

Stand there in awe at the beautiful creation you just made.

smoky sweet potatoes

We started eating sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes when I did my first Whole30 about three years ago. I have grown to love them way more than their white relative. These sweet potatoes are smoky and sweet at the same time. They have become a staple in our house, and it doesn't matter how many I make, there are rarely leftovers.

Smoky Sweet Potatoes

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne (less if you don't like a little kick)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cube sweet potatoes, add to a bowl and toss in olive oil to coat. Mix all spices in a little bowl, then sprinkle over the potatoes. I usually sprinkle a little, then toss to coat. Sprinkle a little more, toss to coat, until the potatoes are nice and coated. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the potatoes out on the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing about half way. Then bump the temp up to 425 degrees and bake for 15-20 more minutes, or until slightly brown.

cold brew coffee

Hello, my name is Katie, and I'm a coffee addict. It's seriously what gets me out of bed in the morning. Well, other than the two small people in my house who refuse to sleep past 6am. Come on, boys, it's summer for crying out loud.

I've always been a hot, black coffee in the morning kind of gal, but a few years ago my mom turned me on to iced coffee during the summer afternoons. The problem with iced coffee is the minute you pour hot coffee over ice, it turns into watered down coffee. Now we can't go around drinking watered down coffee, can we? Enter cold brewed coffee.

This recipe takes a little time, but trust me, the result is so worth the wait. This recipe is very forgiving, so don't worry if your measurements aren't exact.

Cold Brew Coffee

4 oz coffee grounds (about a third of a bag)

8 c water

Put grounds in a large bowl and pour the water over the grounds. Give it a good stir, then cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours. Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth, or use a nut bag, and set over a pitcher or other container. Pour the coffee/water mixture through the strainer, then discard the grounds. Store coffee in fridge. 

There are so many ways to jazz up this coffee to fit your liking. I drink it straight up, over ice, but it would be tasty with cream or almond milk added in, too.

frozen hot chocolate

When my husband and I were first dating, frozen hot chocolate from Serendipidy in NYC made Oprah's Favorite Things list. I thought it sounded so delicious, and he secretly ordered some packets straight from New York City, so we could make our own at home. Awww, so sweet.

(Photo from Serendipity website)

For some reason I was thinking about it the other day, so I recreated it using better ingredients. When I told the boys I was trying to make frozen hot chocolate, they looked at me like I was crazy. Everett said, "Mom, hot chocolate can not be frozen." But the result of my more unprocessed version was pretty tasty! They even requested that I make it again at breakfast. Um, probably not!

Frozen Hot Chocolate

2 tbsp raw cacao powder

1/4 c maple syrup

1 tbsp coconut sugar

2 c milk

2 c ice

Blend all ingredients until smooth. 

Makes about 4 cups.

Ingredient Notes:

-You could use cocoa powder in place of the raw cacao powder, 

however sometimes cocoa powder is over processed. I use this brand of cacao, which can

found at most health food stores.

-Coconut sugar is made from the sap of the coconut palm tree. 

It is lower glycemic on the index than regular sugar. I use this brand. 

This sugar is a great 1:1 swap for regular sugar in most recipes.

-I used 2% dairy milk, but you could swap it out for almond milk, 

coconut milk, or any other nut milk.

grainless zucchini bread

Last summer we grew the world's largest zucchini and I immediately thought about loaf after loaf of this glorious bread from Against all Grain. I shredded the entire thing in the food processor, then froze it in 1 cup portions for zucchini bread deliciousness all year long.

If you haven't checked out Against all Grain, you're really missing out. Danielle basically cured her own autoimmune disorder through food. She drastically changed her diet by eliminating all the foods that cause inflammation, such as grains and dairy. She now has a website and two best selling cookbooks, which are my go to resources for all things paleo.

Just a quick note about almond flour. Blanched almond flour is finer than the regular almond flour you find at the grocery store. It really does make a difference in grain free baking. I buy mine in bulk from Amazon.

Grainless Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 c blanched almond flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 eggs

1/4 honey

1 ripe banana

1 c shredded, unpeeled zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use coconut oil to grease two mini loaf pans. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Place the wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, then beat on medium for 1-2 minutes until fully combined. Add the zucchini and mix again just enough to incorporate. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer until all the flour mixture as been incorporated. Spoon batter evenly into the two mini loaf pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the middle is set and a toothpick comes out clean.

Can also be made into muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes

real food snacks

I don't know about your house, but snack time has become a real problem. I'd love to do away with the snacks and just eat three meals a day, but the little people in my house seem to think they need to eat all. the. time. Instead of filling up on crackers and goldfish, which really do nothing but make them hungrier, here are some real food ideas for those, "Mom, I'm hungry!" moments.

Ants on a Log 

What's not to love about this darling little snack? Swap out peanut butter for almond butter or sunflower seed butter for a tasty alternative. Theses can even be made ahead and kept in the fridge.

Smoothie Pops

I try to keep these on hand in the freezer during the hot summer months. These reusable popsicle molds work great and you can fill them with any concoction you wish.

Apples and Peanut Butter

This is a household favorite, and one snack both of my boys will eat. That is a real Christmas miracle, my friends. Again, swap out the PB for any other nut or seed butter.

Popcorn

This popcorn maker gets more use than most of our other small appliances. Ditch the microwave kind and pop it yourself - it's tastes so much better! I use a little coconut oil and top it with sea salt. If the hubs is in charge of popcorn, it usually gets some butter on top, too.

Nuts and Seeds

One of my boys eats pistachios like it's his job. The other won't touch them. What gives? Look for nuts and seeds without added oils.

Homemade Baked Goods

Muffins and even cookies that you make at home are way better than the packaged junk. You can control the ingredients, specially the sugar, and know exactly what's in them. Here are some of our favorites:

These chocolate chip cookies from Against all Grain - seriously so good!

These muffins I posted last week

Start with this whole wheat muffin base and add whatever you want!