Almond Maple Cookies

I've been craving cookies for the past few weeks and these hit the spot! They are sweet, delicious, and healthy. What more could a girl with a sweet tooth ask for? These cookies are very delicate so make sure you handle them with care. 

Mom's Apple Crisp

I am in the middle of a 
sugar/sweetener detox right now but I've been thinking about sweets for the past few hours. Because I know I can't have any I've actually enjoyed thinking about them. Yesterday in my post about food rules I shared that I think it's important to break my rules every once in a while. This crisp is one of those ways I break my food rules. The trick is that I only make it when we have people visiting or my mom makes it when I am home. 

New Mexico Tea Company

Lucky Summer Tea

I am a BIG fan of tea! I try to stay away from caffeinated tea because I usually have tea in the afternoon or evening. I used to drink a cup of tea every morning but I switched it to lemon water and save my tea as an afternoon or after dinner drink. When I lived in New Mexico I found the New Mexico Tea Company. They are a cute little shop located near Old Town with a great selection of loose teas. 

Chocolate Banana Pudding

Steve and I love Costco. The only problem is that the closest one to us in in Austin so we only go every few months. We went to Costco last weekend and I got a bag of 5 avocados. I love avocados so it isn't a problem but I always try a few new recipes when I have that many of them. I also got a big bunch of bananas for only $1.50!! 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is not the version of Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies you are thinking of.  This is a healthy version with no flour and no refined sugar!! But don't think that takes away from how delicious they are.  With the holidays starting I've been itching to make cookies but I know that I can't go overboard because I won't be able to resist eating any cookies I make.  This is a healthier version so I won't feel badly eating it.

Banana Peanut Butter Truffles

One of the great things about being home (at my parent's house) is being able to make lots of food and not feeling like Steve and I have to eat it all by ourselves. Also my brother, Bram, eats about the amount of Steve and I together so I can always try out new recipes. Bram has been known to eat four large meals a day. When we are home he regularly has two breakfasts, lunch, a big afternoon snack, dinner and a bowl of ice cream.

Chocolate-Swirl Cheesecake Bars

On Saturday we had our family Thanksgiving.  We didn't have turkey on Thursday so we made our own turkey with my two grandmothers and some extended family.  For desert I made Chocolate-Swirl Cheesecake Bars.  They are raw and vegan but really, really yummy.  The trick is not to tell people what they are or what is in them before they try them. About half the people I gave them to didn't like them but that might have been because my food processor isn't that strong so there were small clumps. But I LOVE THEM!!

This recipe is somewhat labor intensive but it's a great recipe to make when you have the time. Make sure to give yourself time to soak the cashews for an hour and then let the bar sit for 4 hours before serving.

Four Berry Pie

Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries all combine to make a perfect pie in our house!

We use Mom's Pie Crust for every pie we make and then make the filling depending on what season it is and who is going to eat it.  Her Four Berry Pie is definitely a bit more of a complicated process compared to some of the others.

My mom uses frozen berries because where we live all four of them are never ripe at the same time. She always has a big bag of frozen berries in the freezer so she can make this pie throughout the entire year.

Baked Apple Chips

Yesterday we passed 3000 visits to our blog! Thanks so much for everyone to their support for the past three months. I'm having a blast writing and sharing all of our recipes and what is going on in our life. I hope you continue to visit us here. We really appreciate all the support.

I had a big bag of apples that I wanted to use up before I left for my trip home. The only fruit Steve eats are clementines so any other fruit I leave at home will just go bad.  I usually like to juice my apples but I have too many to keep having juice for the next few days.

Also apple chips seem like the perfect snack to bring with me. I usually just bring raw fruit but these will be an extra special treat! Steve even tried these and asked if he could take some as a snack for lunch!

Mom's Pie Crust

Over the long weekend I made a lot of great food with my family. I couldn't wait to share some of the recipes but I haven't gotten a chance to upload all the pictures.  I will update the pictures later!

My mom makes pies all year round and she has made them for as long as I can remember. Some years for Christmas she has given my grandpa a "Pie of the Month" club where she makes him a pie every month. It's definitely one of his favorite presents.

The secret to this pie crust is vodka. Yes, I know some of you must be thinking my mom is crazy but it truly works.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is a little treat for the weekend! We made these a few weekends ago and loved them. I'm in the middle of an 18 day detox as a part of my Yoga Teacher Training. It's consists of eating mostly fruits, vegetables, oats, rice, and quinoa.  I've had to get even more creative with the small list of things I can eat but it's a great exercise in self restraint and creativity.  I'm having a lot of fun even though there are some hard times.  I will post more about my detox another day.  Since I can't have cookies please enjoy them for me!

Angel Food Cake

Steve's birthday was this past weekend and we celebrated it with a lot of rich, fancy food.  His favorite dessert is Angel Food Cake so that's what I made for dessert.  His mom and Grandma's make it regularly but it was my first time.  I got my recipe from Cook's Illustrated and followed it to a T because from just reading the directions it sounded like there was a lot that could possible go wrong.

Coconut Cookies

These cookies are amazing and they are VERY healthy!! There are five, yes I said five, ingredients, and no white sugar!!! Over the past year I've fallen in love with coconut...again.  It seems like every few years I remember how much I love coconut.  The last time I fell in love with coconut was when I took a vacation to Brazil and was able to drink coconut water from fresh coconuts on the beach in a remote town.  These cookies remind me of that vacation and remind me how much I love coconut!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

It's almost fall! Well, at least in the northern states, but in Texas that means that the temperature has dropped to the high 80s which is a nice relief.  Last weekend we spent most of the time at home hanging out with Ollie getting to know him better.  He's such a sweet dog and we are all madly in love.   We hadn't made anything for desert in a while so we decided to make some pumpkin bread.  And in Steve's mind a sweet bread isn't a real sweet bread without chocolate chips.