Raw Nut and Seed Bites

Hello blog world!
Happy Monday!

I am at it again! I just keep on making little bite size snacks and we keep on eating them so darn quickly! Dan said these ones are his favourite, so I figured I should share the recipe with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. 

This recipe makes 25.

Here is what you need to do. Start by processing the following ingredients in your food processor.

• 1 cup pitted, dried dates
• 1 cup lukewarm water

Once that becomes a paste add the following ingredients and process until all the nuts are in small pieces but not too long that they become a butter.

• 1 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• handful of chia seeds
• handful of flax seeds

Lastly add in...

• 1 cup of oats

Now scoop out the "dough" and make cute little two-bite balls. That sounds bad, but I don't know how else to say it! Place them on some wax paper for a bit and then you are all done!

 Now I am off to read and then to get some sleep. We did a quick road trip to New Brunswick to visit Dan's brother and his girlfriend/my childhood friend Kelly. It was a nice trip, short & sweet. We drove through a crazy snowstorm yesterday (what the heck mother nature! It's SPRING!! Rant over) and it took us a few extra hours to get home. We are both exhausted today. So sleep time for me!

I hope you all have a beautiful Monday evening!

xo

Ham and Cheddar Cauliflower Soup

Hello, Hello!

I am here with a yummy, let's use up our leftover ham, soup recipe! We made a big roast and we have way too much ham. We have made sandwiches, omelettes, salads, you name it. Now it's time for a soup. I enjoyed this one very much and I hope you do too!

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Here's what you need:

• 1 diced onion
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 4 cups of cauliflower
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of cooked ham, chopped
• 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sage

Step one:

Fry up the onion, garlic and the celery in the 2 tsps of olive oil. Once the onion starts to go clear add in the cauliflower, chicken broth, parsley, sage , salt and pepper.

Step two:

Bring the broth to a boil. Cover and let it simmer at medium to high heat. You want to do this until the cauliflower becomes soft. 

Step three:

Once the cauliflower is cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Process the mixture until it becomes smooth and there are no more chunks. 

Step four:

Now it's the last step. Add the cooked ham and the cheese. VOILA.. time to eat.

Serve with some extra cheese on top. Yes please!

xo

Maple Walnut Scones

Happy Monday friends!

Yes, it is Monday. The day that we all dread. But to be honest, this Monday hasn't been so bad. I only worked 4 hours, had lunch with my love, I have a Zumba class tonight and to top it all off, I ate one of these yummy scones for breakfast. Okay, maybe I ate two.

Maple syrup season is starting here in Quebec. The month of April will be spent visiting sugar shacks, eating pancakes every weekend and buying lots of maple syrup on sale. So of course I felt inspired to make these scones! Oh how I love le temps des sucres!

Here's all that you need to make these yummy scones yourself.
(This recipe makes 12 normal sized scones or 8 BIG scones)

• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup crushed walnuts

Step one:

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. 

Step two:

Add all of the wet ingredients into the center on the dry ingredients. Mix until combined evenly.

Step three:

Spoon onto a greased baking sheet ( or a non-stick sheet like what I use). Bake at 425F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. So keep an eye on them! Do not over bake them or else they will get dry. We don't want that!

Next step... eat one fresh out of the oven with some warm butter or better yet, some maple syrup!

...Until next time!

Xo

No Bake Nut & Oat Balls

Good morning folks!

Today is going to be a good day, I just know it. I have my morning off work, so I plan on going to the gym, and catching up on my favorite show. I only work two hours this afternoon, and then I will go into town to get some shopping done. Like I said, this day sounds sweet.

Lately I have been trying out all sorts of healthy granola bar, and snack recipes for Dan. Here is the latest, and I love how it turned out. I hope you guys love it too! This recipe makes 24 and each ball has only 58 calories!

All you need is:

• 1 cup of pitted, dried dates
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chopped, unsalted peanuts
• 1 tsp coco powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups quick oats

Step one:

Process the dates and water in your food processor until it becomes a paste.

Step two:

On your stove heat up the peanut butter,date paste, chopped peanuts, coco powder and milk on medium heat. Heat it for a few minutes and continue to stir so it doesn't burn.

Step three:

Remove from heat and add the quick oats. Stir until everything is combined. Spoon out small balls and place on wax paper to cool. Enjoy one for me please :)

Have a wonderful day!

-Britt xo

Orange Cranberry & Chocolate Scones

Hello darlings!

How are you doing today? Well, my day started out a little crazy. My car wouldn't start this morning due to the -30 weather, and the car wasn't plugged in properly so it was frozen. Dan came home from work with a friend to boost me and that took about 30 minutes to get the car going. Because of all the craziness, I missed my morning shift and I think I got frost bite. 

Seeing as I was stuck in my home all morning, I made some of these yummies. They are basically cookies, but whatever we will call them scones ;)

Here is what you need:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup softened butter (olive oil works as well. The consistency will be slightly different, but still delicious)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup or less of chopped semi sweet chocolate
• one orange grated with the juices squeezed 

Step one:

Mix up all the dry ingredients. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

Step two:

Make a little hole in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients there. Add the egg, milk, butter, orange peel and squeezed juice.

Step three:

Mix in the chocolate and cranberries.

Step four:

Bake the scones at 425F in a preheated oven on a greased sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes. This recipe makes one dozen.

Enjoy this yummy treat! I know I enjoyed one too many.

Here are some pics from our weekend. The weather was so mild that we were outside the whole weekend!

 xo

Creamy Yogurt Balsamic Vinaigrette

Happy Monday friends!

I hope you are all doing marvelous today! My day has been lovely. Dan was home all morning and he made a delicious seafood chowder. I'm a little spoiled.
On top of that the weather is mild and I only worked 4 hours. No complaints here.

Also my lunch was delicious. Let me show you how to make this yummy vinaigrette.

All you need to do is mix up the following ingredients and pour it on your salad. Simple.

• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 tsp sugar ( or honey)
• salt and pepper to taste

Have a great evening!

xo

Indonesian Chicken

Good evening friends!

I've missed ya!

I am back with a delicious recipe. This flavorful chicken won't disappoint.
My trip to Indonesia back in 2010 is the inspiration for this meal.

Here is what you need:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp ginger root
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 10 almonds
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp ground lemongrass
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp chili sauce

Step one:

Brown the chicken chunks with oil in a wok or deep skillet. Once all the sides are nicely browned transfer the chicken to a bowl.

Step two:

Now use the leftover oil to cook up the onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander, lemongrass, and almonds. Cook on med-high heat until the onions soften. 

Step three:

Put the onion mixture into a food processor with the chicken broth, coconut milk, soy sauce and chili. Process until smooth.

Step four:

Return the sauce to the wok and add the chicken. Cover and cook on low for about 30 minutes. Make sure chicken is fully cooked. 

Serve with some fluffy, white rice.

ENJOY!

xo