Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie Bowl (Paleo)

Hello all! It’s been a long time since my last post. For that, I apologize.

Clearly I am not good at keeping promises when it comes to posting.

In my defense though, cooking in Thailand ended up being more difficult than I originally thought. Between traveling on the weekends and teaching during the week, it was hard to find the energy to go to the grocery store and find the correct food items when they were all written in a foreign language. Not to mention, lugging everything back home in 100 + degree weather.

Interestingly, cooking in Thailand is more expensive than just going out to eat (a complete opposite from here in the United States). In fact, most Thai people eat out rather than make their own meals. You can read more about my experiences in Thailand here.

But, as of last week, I am back home in the United States! Meaning, back to home-cooked food.

One of the many things I already miss about Thailand is the fresh fruit. I can’t even describe the freshness… I would often go down the street to the fruit stand and have the fruit lady cut me up fresh pineapple/guava/papaya/coconut/cantaloupe. I couldn’t get enough of the stuff.

Sometimes, I would take the fruit back to my apartment and mash it up with a potato masher to make a fruit smoothie bowl.

And once, when I was visiting Pai in Northern Thailand, I had the most amazing smoothie bowl at a place called Bom Bowls:

Now that I am back home, I have my food processor to do the blending for me (a bit easier than using a potato masher…)

Luckily, I also had the foresight to bring home some hand-made coconut bowls from Thailand. Now I can pretend to be back in Thailand on a regular basis 🙂

Strawberry and Kiwi Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients:

1 banana, sliced and frozen

7 oz strawberries, sliced and frozen

1 kiwi (I kept the peel on)

1 handful of fresh spinach leaves

1/2 cup almond milk (or coconut water or water)

2 tbsp almond butter

1-2 tbsp honey (optional)

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a strong food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Pour into bowls and top with a garnish of foods (sliced fruits, dried fruits, berries, oats, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.)

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Red and Blue Coconut Flour Pancakes (Paleo)

Sorry for the hiatus. A storm swept through New Jersey last week and knocked out my power for 6 days! To make matters more “fun,” I was housesitting in the middle of nowhere, so I was by myself in the dark with no means of cooking 😦

Luckily, my circumstances took a turn for the better as I then got to go to an education conference held in Orlando, Florida! It was so nice to take a shower without using a flashlight…

I will never take a lightbulb for granted again.

Anyways, the convention I went to was awesome! I got to meet and connect with people from all over the country and see how the education system differs from state to state. Not to mention, I got the chance to go to Epcot and Downtown Disney at night!

The New Jersey Delegation (Somehow, I wound up dead center in the pic)

So, I’m finally back now! And just in time for a 4th of July post 🙂

Red and Blue Coconut Flour Pancakes (Paleo)

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/3 cup water

1 tsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 tbsp tapioca flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped strawberries

1/4 cup blueberries

ghee, butter, or oil

Directions:

In one bowl, whisk together eggs, water, honey, and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Pour dry into wet and beat batter until all clumps are gone. Add in berries and let batter sit for 5 minutes to thicken (Note- your batter should be on the thicker side. If not, add in 1 tsp of coconut flour at a time).

Meanwhile, grease cooking pan with ghee, butter, or oil and place over medium-low heat. Once hot, add spoonfuls of batter until desired pancake size and cook, flipping pancakes over when the tops begin to bubble.

Happy 4th!

Red White and Blue Baked Oatmeal

For me, breakfast consists of oatmeal on the weekdays and eggs on the weekends. On holidays though, I like to make something a little more fancy- like waffles or pancakes. For 4th of July this year, I’m doing baked oatmeal! But not any baked oatmeal, themed baked oatmeal! Yeah, it’s a little corny and I know my dad will laugh at me, but oh well. Whatever floats your boat right? Even if it’s carefully constructing a flag out of fruit 🙂

Red White and Blue Baked Oatmeal 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup organic whole milk

2 tbsp organic pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Bananas

Strawberries

Blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8×8 baking dish with cooking oil. In a bowl, mix together oats, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, maple syrup, vanilla and egg. Add in dry oat mixture and mix all together. Stir in 3 tablespoons each of chopped bananas, chopped strawberries, and blueberries. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with more bananas, strawberries, and blueberries to make flag (see picture) or a red, white, and blue “firework” dots. Bake for 25 minutes.

Leftovers? Let oatmeal sit out until hardened. And then, ta-da! On-the-go oatmeal squares! Just store in the fridge.

Happy 4th! 

Strawberry and Goat Cheese Chocolate

From living near the Jersey Shore, I get to see the trends that come and go every summer on the boardwalk.

Lots of times it’s neon colored T-shirts reading messages such as “free hugs,” “YOLO,” and “lifeguard.” I even remember the first summer I began seeing the “futuristic” Dip ‘n Dots everywhere.

A few years ago, I started seeing a bunch of signs for chocolate covered bacon. I thought it was the oddest thing at the time.

But what do you know, the trend stuck.

I’ve never actually had chocolate covered bacon, but it’s one of those things that I eventually want to make.

Since I’m still housesitting, I’ve been eating odds and ends all week. With the stuff I had on hand, I decided to play around with chocolate flavors. Unfortunately, I had no bacon 😦 I did, however, have goat cheese and strawberries. Chocolate goes with strawberries and strawberries go with goat cheese, so why not?

Strawberry and Goat Cheese Chocolate 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp unrefined coconut oil, melted

1 tsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp dark cocoa powder

4 tsp fresh organic strawberries, chopped into tiny pieces

2 tsp finely shredded raw goat cheese + extra for topping

Directions:

Whisk together coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Add in coca powder. Quickly follow by mixing in strawberries and goat cheese. Spoon chocolate onto parchment paper and shape into bars/squares/balls. If desired, sprinkle with extra goat cheese. Place in freezer for 5 minutes, or until hardened. Store in refrigerator.