Banana Nut Waffles

I recently had the pleasure of trying the new LARA branded nut butters, and let me tell you they are no joke! These delicious nut butters can be found exclusively at Costco in the Northeast and Bay Area, and they definitely live up to the LARA name. This banana nut cashew & almond butter is just so good that I obviously needed to make it the center point of a waffle recipe. It really turns the ordinary waffle into the perfect, better for you treat!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1.5 cups quinoa flour (or the flour of your choosing)
-1 cup unsweetened almond milk
-1/4 cup water
-1 egg
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp coconut oil, melted
-4 tbsp LARA banana nut cashew & almond butter
-Pinch of sea salt

Makes 2 waffles

Instructions:

1) Preheat your waffle makers and spray or coat it with the cooking oil of your choosing (I use melted coconut oil).
2) In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until smooth.
3) Pour half of the mix into the waffle maker, and cook according to waffle maker instructions.
4) Remove the waffle, and repeat with the second half of the mixture.
5) Remove the second waffle, add the toppings of your choosing, and enjoy!

I topped mine with a little extra nut butter, and fresh bananas would also make a great addition! Let me know how you had your waffle and what you think in the comments below!

Back to School Pipcorn Snack Mix

It's September which means it's that time of year again - back to school. Schedules are falling into place, lunches are being packed, and that back to school traffic is back in gear. So how can we beat the back to school blues? It's simple really, with this delicious Pipcorn snack mix.

Whether you're packing lunch for your kids or yourself or even just looking for a quick and easy throw together snack for an upcoming Labor Day weekend party, this mix is perfect. It has that sweet and salty combo which will have you eating by the handful. I'd honestly even eat it for dessert. 

It takes just minutes to mix together. Then all you have to do is pop it in the freezer for about an hour, and you're ready to go. It doesn't get much easier. You can even make it in a dorm room (I see you college students). So let's get started!

Here's what you'll need:

1) Two cups sea salt Pipcorn
2) 1/2 cup raw pistachio kernels, lightly chopped
3) 1/4 cup dark chocolate bing cherries, chopped (dark chocolate coated raisins work just as well)
4) 2 tbsp original Essentially Coconut coconut butter, melted

Instructions:

1) In a large bowl, combine the Pipcorn, pistachios, and dark chocolate cherries.
2) Evenly pour about half of the melted coconut butter over the top. Mix the ingredients using a spatula. Pour the rest of the coconut butter in, and mix again.
3) Cover the bowl with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about an hour until the coconut oil has solidified.
4) Using a spatula, scrape the mix off the sides of the bowl and de-clump any huge clumps of the mix. 
5) Place in a serving bowl, and enjoy!

If you aren't going to eat the mix immediately, you can store it in the fridge. If you're taking it on the go, it doesn't need to be refrigerated, as the coconut butter will stay solid as long as it isn't too hot out. If you're serving it at a party, I might suggest at least doubling the recipe because it will be gone pretty quickly, trust me!

Let me know how you use this snack mix and what you think in the comments below!

Gluten Free Broccoli and Cheddar Waffles

If you haven't gathered this already, I love playing around with waffles. I especially love making out of the box, savory waffles. I was going through my fridge this week, and the broccoli and cheddar combo just popped. It's such a good combo in and of itself, so why not try it out in waffle form?

So that's what I did, and it did not disappoint! Dare I say that it might be my favorite savory waffle combo yet? I know that's a bold statement, but you should try it out for yourself and let me know where it stacks up for you!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 cup quinoa flour (or the flour of your choosing)
-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
-1/2 cup water
-1 egg
-1 cup broccoli florets
-1/4 cup shredded organic cheddar
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp ghee (original or garlic), melted
-Pinch of sea salt

Makes 2 waffles

Instructions:

1) Heat your waffle maker according to its instructions.
2) Steam the broccoli florets on the stove top or in the microwave until cooked or just under cooked. I placed mine in a microwave safe bowl with a little water, topped with an offset plate to allow steam out, and microwaved the bowl for about 90 seconds. Strain the broccoli.
3) In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa flour, baking powder, water, almond milk, egg, salt, and ghee.
4) Add in the broccoli florets and cheddar, and mix to evenly distribute.
5) Spray or coat your waffle maker with the cooking oil of your choosing. I used a little bit of melted ghee.
6) Pour half of the mixture into the waffle maker, spread the broccoli and cheddar evenly through out.
7) Cook according to waffle maker instructions.
8) Repeat with second half of batter.
9) Serve, top with desired toppings, and enjoy!

Savory waffles are a bit harder to top, and to be honest, this waffle tastes great on its own. I topped mine with a runny egg which I would highly recommend, or adding a little extra melted ghee would be a great option!

If you don't have or aren't familiar with ghee, you can use coconut oil or grass fed butter. But I would definitely recommend checking ghee out! It has some great health benefits and tastes delicious!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Blueberry Superfood Frozen Yogurt Bark

I can't believe summer is winding down so quickly, but I refuse to accept that it's over (I mean c'mon, we've got almost a whole month left)! I'm still over here grilling, enjoying the fresh produce, and eating all of the frozen desserts. Case and point - this blueberry superfood frozen yogurt bark. It's SO easy to make, so summery, and so delicious! And I will most definitely be whipping up a batch or three for some labor day weekend festivities coming up.

Here's What You'll Need:

-Four 6.6 oz containers of blueberry Epic Seed Greek Yogurt + Chia
-1/4 cup Wyman's of Maine fresh frozen wild blueberries
-1/4 cup dark blueberry or plain chocolate of choice, chopped

Instructions:

1) Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or wax paper.
2) Mix together the Epic Seed packages either in a bowl or as your spread them onto the baking sheet. The packages have the fruit and chia portion at the bottom, so we want that spread evenly throughout the Greek yogurt. 
3) Spread the yogurt evenly, covering the entire baking sheet.
4) Sprinkle the frozen blueberries and dark chocolate pieces over the yogurt.
5) Place the baking sheet into the freezer for 2+ hours until it's fully frozen.
6) Once frozen, remove the yogurt from the pan, cut it into chunks using a knife, and enjoy or place back into the freezer until serving time.

The frozen yogurt bark will melt, so make sure to keep it cool until you're ready to eat it. It's the perfect picnic (or really any day) guilt free dessert. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Vanilla Chai Protein Waffles

Coming off of the Newport Beach Cleanse this week, I was really excited for waffle Wednesday. I couldn't really think of a way to incorporate waffles, even spiralized ones, into the cleanse without using eggs (which weren't permitted) as a binding agent. But that gave me two full weeks to think of some new, delicious waffle combinations, and trust me they were brewing (see what I did there). 

Besides waffles, I was thinking about this Chai tea conentrate I received from Dona Chai, which inconveniently came right around the time I was starting the cleanse (and caffeine is not permitted). Chai is easily one of my favorite flavors. I'm not super into very sweet things, but give me something that's a spice-y sweet, and I am SO in! 

As I was really getting into the details, I thought, is there anything better than chai? Only vanilla chai. So why not add in a scoop of my favorite superfood powder, Ka'Chava and also keep it gluten free and protein packed by using Almond Pro almond flour. So it was pretty much all laid out in my mind, I followed it through, and the result is REALLY. FREAKIN. GOOD. So let's get into it.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1/2 cup Almond Pro almond flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 scoop vanilla Ka'Chava (you can use the code allroadshealthy10 for a $10 store credit)
-1/4 cup Dona Chai chai tea concentrate
-2/3 cup water
-1 egg
-Pinch sea salt
-1 tbsp coconut oil

Serves 2

Instructions:

1) Heat up your waffle maker. I also usually coat mine in a little coconut oil so that the waffle doesn't stick, but do whatever you normally do.
2) Mix together all ingredients in a bowl. Yes, it's that simple. I generally do the dry ingredients, and then add in the wet. But realistically, it's all going to the same bowl eventually.
3) Add half the mixture to the waffle maker, and cook according to your waffle maker's instructions.
4) Remove the cooked waffle, and repeat with the second half of the batter.
5) Serve, top with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

I cooked up some peaches in a little maple syrup and cinnamon to top mine, and I would definitely recommend the combo! But feel free to do whatever works for you. Let me know what you think in the comments below and what toppings you are going to add or have added to yours!