[Recipe] Dairy-Free Chocolate Protein Shake with a Hint of Honey Vanilla Almondmilk

May 30, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze Almondmilk.

We have been having some crazy hot days around here and when it’s 80F I really have no desire to cook or really spend any amount of time in my hot kitchen. So, whenever that happens I bring out the blender and start whipping up smoothies and shakes. This week Neil and I were all about the chocolate “[almond]milk shakes”.

Our milkshake bases always start with a heap of frozen bananas and a non-dairy milk from there we like to mix it up depending on what we have on hand or are in the mood for. This week we had a carton of Almond Breeze Almondmilk in the Hint of Honey-Vanilla flavor so that is what we used as our liquid for our shakes. We also added in some chocolate protein powder and in this particular one a chocolate peanut butter but most of the time we use almond butter.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Protein Shake
Serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry you are)

5 frozen bananas
1 scoop of your favorite chocolate protein powder or alternatively a scoop of cacao powder
1-2 heaping tablespoons of your favorite nut butter
16-24oz of Almond Breeze Almondmilk in the Hint of Honey-Vanilla**

Blend until completely smooth.

*Tip 1: Freeze your bananas when they are super spotty because that is when they are the sweetest and easiest to digest.

**Tip 2: For a shake start with 16oz of almondmilk and add more as needed. If you are more into a smoothie/thinner consistency than start with more almond milk.

I found the Almond Breeze Almondmilk in the Hint of Honey-Vanilla to give this smoothie a subtle extra sweet taste. I tasted it on it’s own as well and it’s sweet but a much more mellow sweet – perfect for smoothies and shakes.

What’s your favorite warm weather breakfast?

Are you a thick smoothie/shake fan or a thin?

WIAW | Vegan Lactation Cookies | Featuring Blue Diamond Almonds

May 20, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 7 Comments

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

It seems that everyone we know is either pregnant for the first time or second time or are just having their babies. Today I am meeting up with an old friend who just had baby boy #2 and since I believe that if you visit with a new mama in the first 4-6 weeks postpartum that you must bring food and/or do something to help around the house. That being said I decided to bake cookies because who doesn’t love cookies and I may have wanted a few for myself.

While these are lactation cookies you don’t have to worry if you eat them you won’t suddenly start lactating it just means they are filled with ingredients that help mamas milk supply. All it means for you men, kids and non-breastfeeding women is that you’ll be enjoying some nutrient dense cookies that are really good anytime of the day. I actually think they would be the perfect breakfast cookie.

This recipe was inspired by How Sweet Eats Lactation Cookies, which you could always veganize if you wanted (I have and they are insanely amazing). So why didn’t I just make How Sweet Eats? Well they are a little higher in fat and sugar than I was interested in this time around. Although I think she is spot on to add the chocolate chips and if I had any I would have added them as well. Either way I think these are yummy and fingers crossed so does my mama friend.

Dark Chocolate Almond Lactation Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons brewers yeast
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 super ripe medium bananas
1 cup coconut sugar
14-15 sticky medjool dates (if yours are not soft soak them in warm water for 20 minutes before or sub 1/2 cup coconut sugar)
7 tablespoons Earth Balance
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Dark Chocolate Almonds, chopped
1/3 cup coconut flakes
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl whisk together the oats, flour, brewers yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle beat the bananas and dates together until mashed. Add in the Earth Balance, coconut sugar and vanilla and beat until creamed together.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Then stir in the almonds and coconut flakes.

Scoop out 1-inch balls of dough and place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet.

WIAW | Almonds That Taste Like Churros

April 22, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 6 Comments

I usually go for a savory nut because that’s just the type of girl I am but as soon as I tried these I fell in love. Instantly they brought me back to my childhood and the many Disney trips my family took together and those hot churros you could get at all the parks around Disney. Seriously friends these taste like a Disney World churro. So maybe it’s the nostalgia talking or maybe it’s the fact that they taste so good that I just loved me some Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Cinnamon ALmonds.
You know how I mentioned that they tasted of those hot churros? Well to make them taste even more like that I like to put them in a microwaveable dish and heat for 20-30 seconds. They come out all warm just like a hot churro. Some might say they taste like cinnamon roasted nuts, you know the warm ones you can get at theme parks, farmers markets, special events, etc and why I do agree my instant thought was those churros.

On the downside Edith loved these nuts as well and she loved them so much that she decided to lick her hand and stick it in to grab up all the honey and cinnamon flavor. Needless to say once she was done doing that we had to toss out the remainder of the container because ….well you get it. I guess I’ll have to buy myself a new container or rather buy one for me and one for her…and maybe one for Neil too.

Is there a food the takes you back to your childhood?
This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

Every Day Health | 5 Tricks To Stay On Track

February 24, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 8 Comments

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Stayfree® via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Stayfree®.

Every Day Health: Tricks To Stay On Track

I think we too often focus on staying healthy in broad terms such as eating healthy or working out and this can cause actually attaining our health goals a little more daunting. I personally like to focus on the little things that help me stay healthy everyday. I find by doing this I am able to reach my bigger goals more easily without all the stress.

Tips:

– Drink Water. I know that I have said this in a number of posts but seriously if there is one thing that the majority of us (myself included) should be doing more of it is drinking water. Drinking water keeps us hydrated, flushes out all of the toxins from our body, helps to keep us going throughout the day and basically it’s overall just something great to do for you body. Side tip: If you find drinking water a challenge add a little bit of fresh fruit or a drop of essential oil (I like wild orange) to your water.

– Eat The Rainbow (and I’m not talking about those sugary, food dyed things). I’m talking about eating a variety of fruits and vegetables everyday. Different colored fruits and vegetables have different nutrients that are important to our body. I like to make big salads filled with different veggies or big grain and veggie bowls or when I’m feeling lazy I just throw a bunch of fruits and veggies in the blender for a smoothie. If you’d like to see a more detailed “eat the rainbow” post let me know in the comments.

-Move. Just do it. Move for a little bit everyday. I don’t care what it is that you do but find time to move that body and try to do it for a minimum of 30 minutes (in a row) per day. I like to get out for a 30 minute run, HITT or at home yoga session when I am crunched for time. If you have more than 30 minutes then by all means keep moving!

– Prepare yourself. Instead of making excuses as to why you can’t do something make sure that you prepared. Spend a little time on the weekend cutting up veggies and doing a little meal prep for the week. Make sure your workout clothes are clean and ready to go for the week and if you are forgetful like me, keep a second pair of shoes and a stash of socks at work so you never forget your sneakers (does anyone else call them that?). Other things you might want to consider if you are a lady is preparing for that time of the month and keeping something on hand just in case; for me that would be Stayfree Ultra Thin Liners.

Now I’m not perfect and I have my days where I don’t drink nearly enough water, I eat too many beige foods, my only means of exercise are chasing two kids and I find myself without any clean workout clothes, but every day is a chance to practice implementing the healthy tips and so that’s what I do.

What are your tips and tricks to stay on track with your health and wellness goals?

New year, new you! Yoga is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and who better to lead the yoga-lution than you. Inspired by athletic wear, Stayfree® pads feature flexible layers that move with your body from child’s pose to side crow. Visit http://www.stayfree.com/ to find which product best fits you or visit our Facebook to learn more about our mission. Also, don’t forget to use your Stayfree® purchase to get a 30-Day membership to My Yoga on Gaiam TV and access FREE yoga classes online now through March 12!

Game Day Sweets with Blue Diamond Almonds

January 29, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 13 Comments

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. For more Game Changing Snacks, visit Blue Diamond Almonds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

While I tend to not be too interested in the game, I am all about the party and the snacks that go along with it. However, I feel like whenever I go to these types of gatherings there are tons of savory snacks but not too many sweets. And, certainly no salty sweets. I decided to change all of that this year and came up with this AMAZING (toot, toot) smokehouse caramel cup.

If I’m being completely honest, this recipe came from a failed attempt at making smokehouse almond brittle. I don’t know if it was the temperature, the use of coconut sugar or my fear of setting the stove on fire again (er… yeah It’s happened before while making brittle) but my sugar didn’t get to the right temperature so instead I made it into a yummy caramel instead. Since I recorded exactly what I was doing, I figured I’d try to rescue my failed brittle. I threw the caramel nuts into a blender, whizzed it together until it was smooth and then tasted. OMG. Amazing. Keep reading to see how to make these for yourself.

Smokehouse Almond Caramel Cups

2015-01-30 03:45:58

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Ingredients

2 cups coconut sugar
1 cup water
6oz Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds
coconut oil or coconut oil spray
2 cups of chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil
mini cupcake liners

Instructions

Grease all sides of heavy bottom bottom pot with coconut oil or coconut oil spray. Place coconut sugar and water in the pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes stirring occasionally - you must stay with this so it doesn't boil over. reduce heat to medium for 2 more minutes and then stir in the nuts and allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Once cooled place in a food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth.
To make the cups: Lay out 9-12 cup cake liners. Heat 1.5 cups of chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave until melted. Quickly stir in the coconut oil and the remaining chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Add a large spoonful to the bottom of each of the cups. Spoon in a heaping teaspoon of the smokehouse almond caramel and then top with another layer of chocolate. Place in the fridge to set.
You'll likely have extra caramel and I suggest eating it with pretzels, celery, apples or simply by the spoonful.

By Lindsay Ingalls - Running With Tongs

Naturally Lindsay http://3.232.172.97/

What are your favorite game day snacks?

@Foodie | 12 Healthy Quick Meals

January 14, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Foodie. All opinions are my own.

Happy Wednesday Friends! I haven’t done a Foodie round up post in a few months so I thought why not? I know that many of you, like myself, are trying to clean up our diets and have set out to eat healthier in 2015. While we all have good intentions sometimes life gets in the way or frankly we usually just get in our own way. To help make eating healthier a little bit easier I have rounded up 12 of my favorite recipes for quick and healthy breakfast, lunch and dinners. Check them out below.

Breakfast Cookies: Obviously you want to make these because cookies, duh. These things are so good (I have made them) and they are packed full of nutrients. These are a favorite of mine and Edith’s, my toddler.
Yotam Ottolenghi: Have you checked out any of his cookbooks yet? Seriously amazing and my library is hating me right now because it’s (way) past due. Anyways if you haven’t here is your chance this butternut squash recipe is to die for.
Cannelini Bean Stew: If you don’t know by now I’ll tell you that I a. LOVE Deliciously Ella and b. love cannelini beans. This recipe is so quick and so easy you’ll be making it all the time.

What are you favorite quick, easy and healthy recipes?

A Minted New Year

January 5, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 7 Comments

If you are a Naturally Family reader you know how much I love Minted. We used Minted for our birth announcements and New Years cards (p.s. I’m sending them out today). We also gifted my grandmother the Vermont photo art print for Christmas this year and ordered ourselves Naturally Family business cards. As you can see I’m just in love. I love the designs, the customer service and the selection of products.

The newest addition to my Minted collection are their notebooks and planners. If you know me you know how obsessed with notebooks I am. I love the feeling of putting pen to paper (pen must have the cap on the end of course or it cannot be used) and just writing down anything I am thinking. My best blog posts are the ones that I put down on paper first. I make notes regarding blog ideas, recipe ideas, menu planning, homeschool planning or just simply anything that I am thinking at the moment. While I obviously love using my blog to write and share I first love to brainstorm and/or outline on paper first. I am also that way when it comes to planners.

Planners are another item you could say I collect; I usually have at least three going at one time. I like to have a planner for both of my blogs and one that is for our family and my workouts. I have tried to convince myself that online planners or iPad apps work just as well but for me they just don’t. Just like with blogging I like to put things down on paper first. That being said if it is an important task or event I will also put it in my Google Calendar so that I get an alert but first it always goes in my paper planner. There is just something about seeing everything laid out on paper.

One new thing I am doing this year is taking daily notes of what we did or a little anecdote from the day and recording it in my planner. I also have two notes books one for each of the kids to take notes about their year so that they will have it when they get older and can go back and see what they were doing or a funny quote they said.

I credit the idea of daily journaling to my grandmother for this idea because for as long as I can remember she has written in her journal everyday. It’s not a dear diary type of journal but more of a line of the day style where she records notes from the day such as what she did that day or who came over to visit. Often when we visit she will pull it out to tell us what was going on that same day the year before or if we are trying to remember when something occurred she can pull out her little journal planner and tell us. I love this about her and I have decided that I want to continue this practice myself.

Well ‘cheers’ to the new year and to new notebooks and planners. Is there anyone else out there that also shares my love for the handwritten word? Also if you love planners and/or journals you can get Enjoy 20% off all day planners, notebooks, and address books. Code: DAY20 but the promo code ends today January 5th so take advantage!

Also….I know that this is a big year for weddings and lots of friends are getting engaged (Congrats to our friends Laura and Aaron) so you or a loved one might be on the looking to send Save The Dates; while we are far beyond that point I can’t help but lust after the beautiful options on Minted

Disclaimer: Minted provided me with a store credit in exchange for posting my honest opinions. I would like to note that I loved Minted and shop the site often regardless of any store credit. Seriously I have an obsession.

Naturally Lindsay

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