Snacks

Almond Flour Freckled Blondies

January 9, 2018

Well, y’all, I think my goals are taking a bit of a turn this new year. Currently I am trying to find a way to consume as many desserts as possible without gaining sixty-two pounds. It’s way easier said than done. Okay, I’m just kidding. I am not really trying that. But I do want to be able to enjoy desserts without feeling guilty. Or more importantly, without feeling sick. And since I am working on my very first hard copy cookbook this year, I feel like it’s the perfect time to experiment with all of these factors. These almond flour freckled blondies are the product of my weekend experimentation tradition….

The Best Chocolate Chip Muffins

December 11, 2017

Alright, my muffins lovers, this one is for you. I have been wanting muffins for the last few weeks, but we are a strict diet (not a “diet,” but a strict lifestyle to heal my husband’s gut). Eliminating things often means sucking all the fun out of life— like baking. But for real, I love fun, and I love baking. So I got to work to come up with the perfect chocolate chip muffin that my husband could enjoy.

I could have come up with a lot of other things, but here’s the deal: we love chocolate chips in the Crawford home. We literally eat a few for dessert… like every night. (I know, I know, it’s not really dessert. But it does the trick for us and probably saves us a few hundred calories).

…

Pumpkin Spice Granola

October 8, 2017

I really hope y’all aren’t tired of pumpkin yet, because I honestly feel like I am just getting started. This easy pumpkin spice granola is pretty much going to carry me through the season. I’ll eat it for breakfast with almond milk (hello delicious cereal option), I’ll eat it in handfuls as a snack, and I will eat on top of my all time favorite Trader Joe’s item… pumpkin greek yogurt.

Basically, I will be eating it nonstop. And then I will be working out extra to make up for it. Or maybe I will just eat it WHILE working out.

As a side note, my friends always laugh at me for saying that I will need to work out more to make up for eating my treats. Why? Because even though they taste like a million calories, they are as clean as can be. That goes for this granola as well. It is totally clean and totally guilt free….

Honey Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

August 4, 2017

Can I get a big ole FRI-YAYYYY?

Seriously, you know how some weeks just seem to drag on and on and on? That was this week. I woke up wondering if I was dreaming because it’s finally Friday.

But you know what? I’m gonna make it.

Because cookies. So many cookies.

Sometimes you just need a Friday a morning dance party and a perfect plate of cookies to lift your spirits and put you in a good mood.

And these aren’t just any cookies. These are the oatmeal raisin cookies my best friend has been requesting for months. These are the cookies I have made and remade SEVEN times trying to get the perfect balance of healthy, chewy, gluten free, and delicious. These are the cookies that made the cut after seven batches went straight to the trash. (I know you think I’m crazy but #fitnessgoals)….

Easy Banana Bread

July 14, 2017

Okay, I have to admit that I am not really a banana lover.

Actually, I hated bananas before I got pregnant. One of the first clues I had as to the fact that I was pregnant was that I said to my husband, “babe, I need a banana.” We both just stared at each other for a second and we knew.

But, even though I am not a banana lover, I do think they serve a purpose in the right place at the right time. Like, in banana bread. Because banana bread without bananas is just… bread.

And we all know I am not bread crazy either.

So, if I am going to eat banana bread, I need it to meet a few requirements. I need it to be moist but not mushy- that grosses me out. I also need it to be sweet but not too sweet- because that grosses me out as well. I feel like bananas that are too sweet on just on the cusp of fermentation and that’s nasty. I also need it to be a bit dense, because banana bread wasn’t meant to be super airy….

Easy Homemade Salsa

July 10, 2017

Chips and salsa have their own tier on the food pyramid, amiright? I’m not even gonna ask if y’all like chips and salsa because I’m pretty sure all humans do.

What I really want to know is whether there are other chips and salsa lovers out there like me?

Anybody else eat the chips as a vehicle for the salsa? I’m pretty confident the salsa is what it’s all about.

My husband and I are both salsa lovers, although he admittedly loves the chips as well. The problem is, we both like very different salsas. I like mine to have tons of textures and ingredients and enough spice to make my eyes water. He’s… you know… a pico de gallo kind of guy. (Is that really even salsa?) So even though we both love salsa, it’s really hard for us to find a salsa we both love.

Why is life so hard?…

5 Ingredient Energy Bites

June 23, 2017

I am going to just keep this one short and simple… Just like the energy bites.

I have needed to come up with a quick and easy energy bite for a long time. Over the last week, in the crazy routine of life, I found myself not only searching for a quick energy source on my way to a workout, but also looking for something nutritious and filling that I can pop in my mouth when I just don’t have time for lunch.

This 5 ingredient energy bite absolutely meets both of those needs. It is a super easy pre-workout fuel source, but it is also pretty filling and entirely delicious. I can eat two of these for lunch with a piece of fruit or a few strawberries and be totally satisfied….

Blueberry Oat Muffins

May 22, 2017

Blueberry. Oat. Muffins.

Three of my favorite things got married and became one. Something about that is wrong, but let’s just move on.

If am going to eat grains, it is almost always oats. And if I am going to eat baked goods, it’s almost always muffins. And blueberries are like little balls of blue candy full of nutrients.

When my friend Bridgett asked me for a gluten free blueberry muffin recipe, I instantly said yes. I always look for excuses to make muffins. And then when my husband comes home and sees more muffins, I’m like, “sorry babe, Bridgett made me do it.”…

Homemade Flaxseed Crackers

April 10, 2017

Back in the day (whatever that means), I absolutely loved cheese and crackers. I could slice a block of cheese and eat it with club crackers until I was too sick to stand.

But that was bad. So I stopped.

I didn’t stop loving it, I just stopped doing it.

I have wanted to come up with a grain free cracker for a long time because those little round rice cracker things just don’t cut it for me. I need something with more flavor and with a texture that doesn’t resemble plywood. Or cardboard….

Maple Almond Granola

March 31, 2017

If you’re anything like me, you might just absolutely love granola, but absolutely hate how much sugar and wheat is crammed into most of the store bought options.

For the last few weeks I have basically been avoiding greek yogurt (which used to be a breakfast staple for us) because I just really need granola with my greek yogurt, but I just couldn’t seem to find the right one. I finally decided that I was desperate enough to have my yogurt that I would make a granola.

I have worked on a few granolas in the past, but for some reason I just wasn’t quite sold on any of them. Some thing was missing. You know… that granola-y granola thing… the thing about granola that makes you want a little bit in every single bite of your yogurt or your smoothie bowl….