chocolate

Vegan Banana Bread Donuts (GF)

June 11, 2020 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

I have been buying bananas in bulk thinking my kids are going to eat them all. Let’s be honest though most just get left sitting on our fruit shelf until they are brown and mushy. Well I have found the perfect use for those bananas your family didn’t eat. Make them into donuts because donuts will always be better than bananas.

Banana Bread Donuts

Inspired by The Little Plantation

Note: I used a scale to weigh my flour, sugar and chocolate chips based on the measurements from the original recipe. Pssst these doughnuts are also gluten free!

Ingredients

FOR THE DONUTS

185g gluten-free pastry flour (I used Jovial**)
⅔ tsp baking powder
75g coconut sugar
35g vegan chocolate chips
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (+ extra for greasing the doughnut tin)
1.5 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 4.5 tablespoons water
1.5 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup vanilla vegan yogurt

FOR THE TOPPING

1 bar of your favorite chocolate
Flaked Coconut

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the circles of your doughnut pan with coconut oil and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients – the flour, baking powder and sugar until nicely combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix in well. Set aside.
combine the ground flax seeds with the water in a small bowl and let rest for 5 minutes.
Over a very low heat, melt the coconut oil.
In a small bowl mix together the melted coconut oil, the mashed bananas, the yogurt and the water/flax seed mixture; stir to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe circles of dough into the prepared doughnut pan. Spread evenly. Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
While the donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze by melting the chocolate in a double boiler or simply a bowl placed over a pan with water that’s been gently brought to the boil. Do not microwave the chocolate or it may burn.
Once the donuts have cooled down, dip them in the chocolate glaze and top with coconut chips.

I recommend eating these donuts right away or store them in the fridge. If you and/or your family is anything like me and mine these won’t last more than a day anyways.

Five Healthy Snacks You Need In Your Life

May 17, 2017 by Lindsay Ingalls 4 Comments

At 8 months pregnant snacking is an essential to my everyday life. Things are getting really crowded which means those big meals I once preferred have turned into small meals with snacks in between. I always have to have a snack on hand because if I don’t this mama gets hangry real fast and you don’t want to be caught in cross hairs (just ask my husband). So what snacks have been keeping me happy and satisfied right now? Keep reading to find out.

Simple Mills Crackers. I am telling you friends that these crackers are addictive. I have been ordering them off Thrive Market* for months now and my family and I go through them as soon as they show up at my door. Luckily I just found the mega boxes of them at our local Costco so instead we can go through one club sized box in a day instead of one of those tiny regular size boxes.
Kombucha. My first pregnancy I was far too worrisome to indulge in kombucha but this third time around it’s a staple. It satisfies my desire for a special effervescent drink and it also helps keep my digestion in check. Don’t worry I rarely drink an entire bottle because I have two small children who are addicted to kombucha and like to “help me” drink it whenever I open a bottle.

Chocolate. When I speak of chocolate though it’s not just any chocolate it has to be Hu or eatingEvolved. These chocolates are both paleo and vegan and don’t contain all those extras that you just don’t need. I purchase both on Thrive Market because it’s the best deal that I have found and while the Hu can be a little pricey anyone who has had it will tell you it’s worth it.

Goodbites Date Cookies. No surprise here another Thrive Market find and no I’m not sponsored by them I bought my own membership and I shop via their site regularly because I find that it has the best prices and it’s delivered straight to my door. Anyways back to the cookies. These little date cookies are another household favorite and the best part these little treats are raw, organic, vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO. Based on all of those details they really shouldn’t taste as good as they do but they are delicious.

Better Beans (on toast). If you were to ask me what my one pregnancy craving is this time around it is beans on toast. Specifically Better Beans and even more specifically the Skillet Refried Red Beans. I had a very similar craving when I was pregnant with Edith however it was beans on brown rice tortillas with Vegenaise. I don’t know what it is but I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and have been known to).

What are your favorite snacks right now? Are you a sweet snacker or a savory? In general will gravitated towards savory foods but I do love a piece or five of some really delicious dark chocolate.

*This post is NOT sponsored however it does contain affiliate links where (*) are indicated.

Food Find Friday | Thrive Market Haul

April 22, 2016 by Lindsay Ingalls 10 Comments

[This post is not sponsored – I am not working with Thrive Market just sharing the love.]

I know I have been a little absent when it comes to post but let me tell you they are coming while we wait to get back to our regularly scheduled posting why not be nosey and see what I bought on Thrive Market? I have to say one of my favorite types of post to read and YouTube videos to watch are food hauls. I love to see what people spend their money on and if there are new things I just might need to try.

This order was a bit of random one filled with a few staples and a few fun things. Let’s start with the boring things first like the aluminum foil and compost bags. I also was sent a free deodorant which is pretty cool minus the fact that it’s floral scented and that’s just not my thing. I’ll probably toss it in my gym bag as a backup.

Next it’s a few essentials that I just have to have in my kitchen at all times. While I love things like tamari and soy sauce I am over the moon about coconut aminos. It’s sweet and salty and just perfect on rice or over stir fried veggies. Ume Plum Vinegar is another staple that I use in almost every single sauce or soup that I make; it’s like magic it helps to balance all of the flavors. Lastly, nutritional yeast or nooch as I like to call it. Honestly this bottle will make last us a week but the price was right on Thrive Market so I bought it until I stock up in the bulk section at our local co-op.

Now on to the really good stuff the snacks and fun pantry items. I picked up a few different cookies from GOODBITES and some crackers as well. I’ll report back on how they are once I give them a try. Then there is some applesauce and Harvest Snaps for my littles and some Chaga for me.

Oh and then there is the pasta. I absolutely love Tolerant but a box of red lentil rotini goes for $8-9 most places so I never buy it but again the price was right and it was even better for the shells and macaroni. I also picked up a few cans of my favorited refried beans because I just can’t live without them.

I feel like I have talked about the above two items in a previous post but if I haven’t they are so delicious. Again another super expensive item, I think I saw them for almost $9 a box at Whole Foods, so I was thrilled to find them for around $6.50 on Thrive Market.

A few more snacks for my littles, these Ruby Rocket’s vegan yogurt tubes. I have no idea if they will like them but here’s hoping because I bought all three flavors. We love the Ruby Rocket’s popsicles so I am betting there are equally as good.

Lastly it’s all about the good stuff aka the chocolate! I know this seems a little excessive but Thrive Market was doing a chocolate package deal for these six chocolates so I said yes please and added it to my cart. I mean someone needs to fuel our family chocolate addiction right?

I have to say I am usually a Vitacost person but decided to give Thrive Market a try and I am super impressed with their selection. If you want to try it out for yourself just copy and paste this [affiliate] link http://thrv.me/naturallyfamily to get 15% off your first order.

Do you shop Thrive Market? What items are you loving?

2-Ingredient Salted Caramel Almond Bark

August 25, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 7 Comments

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

My sweet tooth is pretty limited to coconut milk “ice cream” and chocolate. I hate to admit that I have been indulging in both a bit too much lately but c’est le vie. One of my favorite combinations with both coconut milk “ice cream” and chocolate is salted caramel a trend that I will be riding out until the end (and beyond).

Of course when these salted caramel Blue Diamond almonds arrived on my door step my first thought was these would go fantastic with chocolate and guess what? I was right.

For this (non)recipe you will need two things: Blue Diamond Salted Caramel Almonds and dark chocolate chips. Easy as that.

Once you have acquired these two items you will also need a sheet of parchment paper. Measure out about 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips and set aside. Measure out another 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and melt in the microwave in 30 second increments stirring in-between until melted. Stir the reserved 1/4 cup of chocolate chips until melted as well; this will help to cool down the chocolate mixture faster. Then stir 2 heaping tablespoons of Blue Diamond Salted Caramel almonds into the mixture and then pour the mixture on to a sheet of parchment paper and smooth out into a thin layer.

Sprinkle the top of the chocolate bark with leftover chocolate chips and almonds. Place in the fridge and cool for at least an hour and store in the fridge.
I tell you this is an easy (not really a) recipe that pairs two delicious things together. Now I’m off to steal another piece or two for an afternoon treat.

What is your favorite flavor/food to combine with chocolate?

{Recipe} Chocolate Protein Milk Shake

October 11, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

Being a stay-at-home-mom is more time consuming than you might imagine and finding time to eat can sometimes be a challenge. Lately I have been turning to quick and easy meals that take a matter of minutes to put together and a huge bonus if I can eat and nurse at the same time. Lately my go to meal for both breakfast and lunch has been a chocolate Vega Energizing Smoothie.

You can just take the smoothie powder and shake and go but I love to blend mine with a few other ingredients to bulk it up and make a real meal.

Chocolate-Almond Butter-Banana Vega Shake

Serves 1

10 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 cup ice
1 medium banana
1 scoop Vega Energizing Smoothie– chocolate flavored (you could use any flavor)
1 tablespoon natural unsweetened almond butter

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth.

I love to add the ice to the smoothie because it make is more like a chocolate milkshake which makes it super indulgent. This is the basic recipe the I use but I often add some frozen fruit instead of the ice when I have it on hand such as blueberries or raspberries and if you have frozen banana you could use that as well.

What is your go to shake or smoothie?

What is your favorite meals when you only have a few minutes to put something together?

{Recipe} Chocolate-Coconut-Walnut Cookie Pie

October 2, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

Chocolate-Coconut-Walnut Cookie Pie

I had a hankering for pie and cookies the other day so I decided what better way to combine the two cravings than making a cookie pie? Plus rather than having to scoop out a bunch of individual cookies you save time and have one tasty giant cookie to share. Also the baked cookie pie freezes really well so you can save some for another day when that craving strikes again.
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil, liquid
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 flax “eggs” (1 flax egg = 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F.
Brush the pie pan with a layer of coconut oil.
Whisk together the flours, coconut, soda and salt.
In an electric mixer beat together the oil, sugars, flax “eggs” and vanilla with the whisk attachment.
Reduce speed and slowly add in the flour mixture just to combine.
Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Pour mixture into the pie pan and press down into an even layer.
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool.

WIAW: Thai Me Up With Chocolate

March 14, 2012 by Lindsay Ingalls 3 Comments

We are back from vacation but I still haven’t done any major menu planning or grocery shopping this week which resulted in Thai takeout last night for dinner. It was tasty but it was a reminder that I’d much rather cook us as healthy dinner at home rather than eat out of cartons. So on the agenda today is a trip to Costco and the natural foods store to pick up the necessary goods to make healthy meals for the rest of this week/month.

Breakfast: Smoothie of frozen pineapple, frozen mango, banana, almond butter and unsweetened almond milk topped with a sprinkling of Nature’s Path Hemp Plus Granola. I have been addicted to Nature’s Path Hemp Plus oatmeal and now recently they sent me some of their granola and I’m addicted to it as well. I actually just had some this morning on top of my granola to add a nice little crunch.

Snack: Pear and another handful of Hemp Plus Granola (not photographed)Lunch: Leftovers–> black beans, cilantro-lime brown rice, sauteed cabbage, mushrooms and onions, roasted asparagus, avocado and a nice drizzle of sriracha.

Dinner: Thai/Vietnamese Take-out –> vegetable fresh roll, lemongrass tofu and vegetables and curry noodles with vegetables and tofu. We had leftovers of this for lunch today.

What I DIDN’T Eat Wednesday but I did eat half of sunday with some strawberries and a scoop of coconut milk ice cream –> Chocolate Inspirations Vegan Brownie. This brownie was so good! Neil and I both thought that it looked like it was going to be a little dry but it ended up being really moist and tasty. I also tried a few other items over the past few weeks from Chocolate Inspirations including Peanut Butter Pillows with Chocolate, Michael’s Favorite Chocolate Combo with Pretzels (dark chocolate, vegan caramel, pretzels and peanut butter) and Vegan Caramel Corn. I have to say my favorite was the caramel corn and I honestly love their toffees, brittles and barks which I first tried a few years ago more than the peanut butter confections. I still have one of their hot chocolate stirrers to try and I’ll let you know how those are .

Naturally Lindsay