Category:

Recipes

  • 1 (15 ounce) can Organic Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained (chickpeas)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup creamy almond butter (just almonds + salt)
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or sub honey)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup small wild frozen blueberries OR 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top (dairy-free, if desired)

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with 10 muffin liners (we’re only making 10 muffins) and spray the inside of each liner with nonstick cooking spray so that the liners do not stick to the muffins — this is important.


Step 2

Place chickpeas and 1 egg in the bowl of a food processor or high powered blender and process until beans are well blended. Add two other eggs, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, baking powder and salt and process again until smooth. Fold in ⅓ cup chocolate chips.

Step 3

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips evenly among the tops of each muffin batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Let me know what you think! Don’t miss my reel featuring this recipe.

Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

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Every morning we make pancakes! I use coconut oil to grease the pan and love all my kitchen gear especially my All Clad pots and pans – on sale!

Below is my recipe for maple flavored syrup for the kids, and cheaper than maple syrup.


1 cup water

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon maple flavored extract

Bring the water, white sugar, and brown sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and stir in the maple extract; simmer 3 minutes longer. I love this recipe, let me know if you try it! My shop page is open 24/7! Happy Weekend!

The kids really wanted homemade chocolate chip cookies and I really wanted a cute picture, so win win! I found the best recipe so I had to share. I love these so much. I ball up all the dough, and freeze the balls in zip lock bags for later. Half my house likes chewy cookies and the other half likes crispy, so these are a happy medium. How about you, what’s your favorite? Recipe adapted here.

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
 2 teaspoons hot water
half teaspoon salt
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto un-greased pans.

3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

See my shop page below! Happy Saturday!

Do you have 3 rotten bananas at home?

Those rotten bananas can easily be made into yummy gluten free and dairy free banana muffins. I made these last night to go with our dinner and I got requests for seconds and thirds, a rounding success! Here’s the recipe for the blueberry version of this recipe.

Read on . . .

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups almond flour (I have the one I use on my Amazon page)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (I use aluminum-free)

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup avocado oil or coconut oil

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

3 eggs

3 ripe bananas, smash and mix them in.

A dash of cinnamon (optional, but I love the added flavor)

Mini Chocolate Chips (optional but wow this adds tons of flavor)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients, bake for 20-25 min. They’re ready when the toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Enjoy!

Sweatshirt in medium // Biker Shorts // Bag

I keep getting asked, what’s in my salads? I love love a good salad to the point that I get excited to eat it! Here’s the ingredients give or take a couple extra items I have in the fridge.

Organic Spring mix (I place a paper towel in the plastic container so it doesn’t rot the next day)
1 ripe Avocado
Green (I like manzanilla don’t get low sodium) and black olives (I liked sliced in a can)
Roasted sunflower seeds
Homemade balsamic vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe can be doubled)

Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add the following ingredients in a small jar with lid:

1/3 cup avocado oil (or canola oil)

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar or 1 tablespoon of agave

1/2 t. salt (I use pink salt)

Shake vigorously and serve. Store in fridge up to a week.

Let me know what you think or any variances you add. Have a great weekend. We’re having friends over this weekend and grilling out on Reid’s new grill. The kids are trying to talk us into a beach morning, but we shall see. What are you up to? Have a great weekend!

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Things change but I wanted to give you an update of what I eat regularly. I tend to go in cycles. Just ask Reid, as he rolls his eyes. Ha! Sometimes I omit the toast and go for a fab4 smoothie. Lunch is basically a soup and salad and dinner is chicken and rice. As a general rule, I try and stay away from refined sugars and bread simply because I don’t feel great when I eat them. I also believe “everything in moderation,” so an occasional sweet treat is totally game! Additionally I try to drink 8 glasses of water.

Getting personal

I hesitated sharing this story here, but here it is! I hope it can serve as an encouragement to a reader who may have suffered similarly.

I had an eating disorder in college. I felt pressure to be “perfect.” Perfect grades, perfect body. While I was only an average student, I felt pressured to control what I ate. I deprived myself and deep down wasn’t happy. While I’m grateful this disorder didn’t last long for me, I learned a lot about myself and what real health looks like. It isn’t the seemingly happy skinny 4.0 GPA sophomore but accepting oneself as you are, as God intended you to be. I did a lot of research at the library (before laptops were everywhere!) and studied how our body works with food and how it can affect how you look and feel. From there, I started a healthy relationship with food and I discovered how much I enjoyed researching food and diet. I never shied away from a healthy food just because it didn’t taste good. If it was good for me, I’d learn to like it. I’m here to report that deprivation doesn’t work. When I feed my body healthy food, am active, giving myself grace in my imperfection and being grateful for the body God has given me, I FEEL MY BEST.

“Deny your weakness, and you will never realize God’s strength in you.”
― Joni Eareckson Tada (the kids and I studied more about Joni’s journey with quadraplegia and I encourage you too!)

A note about fats which is contrary to what you’ve believed or been told. And the opposite of the food pyramid.

Healthy fats (i.e. avocado oil, almond butter, organic peanut butter, avocados)

1. These fats keep you fuller, for a longer period of time. Studies have found that healthy unsaturated fats (like monounsaturated or polyunsaturated omega-3 or omega-6 fats) have a positive effect on satiety and help to regulate your appetite by controlling the release of appetite hormones. More on this discussion HERE.

With that in mind, I try and sneak good fats into my diet. Like breakfast! Many of you AREN’T getting the amount of fat you need in your diet. I know I wasn’t, and it left me craving more SWEETS and SNACKS.

Breakfast

16oz or more of celery juice. Here is the recipe for the celery juice. Our juicer broke, so I’ve been using my Vitamix. I let the celery juice settle for 30min to 1 hr.

coffee – almond milk latte –

Ezekial bread toasted with almond butter or coconut oil or gr8nola with almond milk

OR

Fab4 smoothie


#FAB4Smoothie: Protein (20g minimum) + Fiber (10g minimum) + 1 Tbsp. Fat + Handful Greens + 1/4 Cup Fruit + Superfoods + Liquid

1 TB almond butter// 1 frozen banana // 1 cup frozen pineapple // 2 cups frozen organic spinach // 1 TB chia seeds // unsweetened almond milk // 2 meyer lemons (add at the end) //

Directions: blend till smooth in a vitamix or blender. I add the lemons at the end and drink immediately.

I explain more in this post about how I am changing the way our family eats.

Lunch

Protein salad – whatever veggies I have on hand blended with butter lettuce, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, olives. Coupled with 2 almond flour blueberry muffins, or a (no corn) veggie burger.

Also, for lunch, I usually have bean chips and a smashed avocado. Depending on how busy I am!

Dinner

Sample dinner: Stir Fried Veggies, bok choy soup (always use this chicken broth)

I had coffee ice cream as dessert yesterday and I had the worst stomach ache. The night before that, Reid made me a glass of celery juice after dinner and I slept amazing, no stomach aches. I think it’s important to listen to your body, see what agrees with it and go from there. I eat healthy because I want to feel good. After so many years of trial and error, I’ve figured out what foods make me feel horrible. It’s not worth it to me to not feel great after enjoying 10min of consuming sugar.

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

Hippocrates

Dessert

Here’s a recipe for Vegan Coconut ice cream I’m trying today. It has two cans of full-fat coconut milk in it. We ate it right out of the container last night. AMAZING. Making it again today.

  • 2 14-ounce cans coconut cream* or full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (sub up to half with agave nectar or maple syrup)
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 vanilla bean pod (split and scraped // or 1/4 – 1/2 tsp vanilla powder per 1 pod)
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  • The day or night before, place your ice cream churning bowl in the freezer to properly chill (see notes if you don’t have an ice cream maker).
  • The following day, add coconut milk, organic cane sugar (sub up to half with natural sweetener), sea salt, scraped vanilla bean and vanilla extract to a high-speed blender and blend on high until completely creamy and smooth for 1-2 minutes to fully dissolve the sugar. Add more cane sugar or agave if it needs more sweetness, or more vanilla if it needs more vanilla flavor.
  • Add mixture directly to chilled ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions – about 45 minutes. It should look like soft serve.
  • Once churned, transfer the ice cream to a large freezer-safe container (such as a loaf pan) and use a spoon to smooth the top.
  • Cover securely and freeze for at least 4-6 hours or until firm. Set out for 5-10 minutes before serving to soften – a hot ice cream scoop also eases scooping.
  • Will keep in the freezer for up to 10 days, though best when fresh.

Thank you for reading and coming to my blog!

For more food items that we buy, see what our family buys from Amazon HERE

My morning coffee wasn’t cutting it, so I started juicing celery juice! The benefits are numerous so I thought the gross taste would justify a clean gut, and glowing skin. I’ve been fighting random pimples showing up on my nose so why not try something natural to help? I mean who doesn’t want to feel lighter and younger?

I didn’t know what I was doing so one day I threw a bunch of celery into the Vitamix and added some water to blend. The first day I won’t lie, it tasted pretty disgusting especially after I was used to enjoying my yummy cappuccino. The two doesn’t mix.

I’m in day 25 (give or take a couple days I lost on our road trip) and WOW, I feel lighter and glowing, honestly the best I’ve felt in a while.

I grew up thinking celery was a humble vegetable, devoid of vitamins. I would occasionally buy it for the kids to eat with peanut butter and raisins, aptly named, “ants on a log.”

The best way to consume celery juice is by itself, however you can add one cucumber and one apple to the celery juice to adjust the flavor.

Celery juice drank best alone without any other fruits, is a medicinal drink not a caloric one so I usually eat breakfast 15 min or later after I’ve consumed the celery juice. I like toast and coconut butter on Ezekial bread or oatmeal.

Ok, ready for some important facts? Most people do not know that celery juice is a healing tonic, liver cleanse, helps with chronic illness, increases and strengthens your bile as strong bile breaks down fats, which helps eliminate waste from your body.

Many of you have asked since I started, “what improvements have you noticed since drinking celery juice?”

  1. First of all complexion. The pimples on my nose are gone, my skin glows, (I didn’t think that was possible?)
  2. My stomach feels good. It has been known to help the gut. What I’ve noticed is that the more you drink celery juice, the more your body will crave it. Which leads me to my next benefit of drinking celery juice . . .
  3. LESS CRAVINGS. Crazy right? I haven’t experienced as many cravings for my nightly dark chocolate peanut butter candies and has curbed my appetite all together. Everyone’s experience will be different, so be patient!

RECIPE:

1 bunch of organic celery (wash and cut off the end)

2 cups water (give or take here, sometimes I add more)

Add both the celery stalks and water into a Vitamix and blend. drain in a strainer, add ice and drink immediately.

Tip: drink immediately or store in a mason jar in the refrigerator. It tastes better consumed right away. To save time in the morning, chop and wash the celery stalks the night before. For my readers who want to go one step further, drink chlorophyll water! Who wants to join in and try it? be sure to let me know you did!

Still curious? Here is a great article highlighting the benefits of celery juicing.

As always, my shop page is open 24/7, and all looks uploaded 7 days a week on the Liketoknow.it app, “shalice noel.”

My mom has been making feijoada for as long as I can remember! She’s Portuguese with family in Macau and Porto, Portugal, so she has enjoyed the real thing for years. I personally love it with rice. It is my favorite comfort food. This recipe was originally made with sausage and or chicken. Since we didn’t have any yesterday, we enjoyed this nonetheless! I actually like this better than the sausage version. You decide, and let me know what you think!

Veggie Feijoada

1 Large sliced onions

3-4 Cloves of garlic

Bacon (for flavoring)

1 Small can, tomato paste

Chicken broth, 2 cubes

3 Cans garbanzo beans, drained

2 Cans kidney beans, drained

Fry in a large pot: onions, garlic, bacon. Slowly add beans and tomato paste and stir. Discard bacon. If you make it the day before, it tastes better. Serve on a bed of rice or a loaf of bread.

Enjoy!

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Steve Madden Use code SPRING60 for up to 60% off, excludes Travel Tan. I’d go for 1/2 size smaller for the Travel Tan.

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I was searching the internet for a MAYO FREE broccoli salad. . .

My dad hates mayonnaise after getting sick about 20 years ago. Honestly, after he told me how he got sick, I started to hate mayonnaise too. The story goes, he ate a fast food burger and apparently the mayonnaise they used was not fresh. He was sick for days after and hasn’t had mayo since. I’m pretty excited that my search for the BEST mayo-free broccoli salad has ended. This recipe is adapted from this site. Here’s to trying new things. Hope you enjoy!

Note: I tripled this recipe for 9 people.

1 pound of broccoli (I like it chopped as small as you can chop it)

1/2 cup (salted) sunflower seeds

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup dried cranberries (optional) I left this out, but it is a pretty pop of color!

For the dressing

1/3 cup avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

one medium clove of garlic minced

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Get two bowls out, one large bowl and one small one. In the large bowl, add sunflowers, chopped broccoli, onion, cheese and cranberries. In a smaller bowl, combine the dressing ingredients: oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic and salt. Whisk until the mixture is well blended. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until all the broccoli is lightly covered in dressing. If you have any self-control, marinate 20 minutes or even overnight in the fridge. 
5. Divide salad into individual bowls and serve. Leftovers will keep up to for 3 to 4 days in fridge, covered.

Cookie + kate suggests:

MAKE IT VEGAN: omit the cheese,

MAKE IT DAIRY FREE: omit the cheese, use maple syrup instead of honey

MAKE IT NUT FREE: use sunflower seeds instead of almonds

Let me know what you think? I think this will be a new favorite recipe in our house. Is it addictive? You betcha! The whole bowl was gone tonight! Bonus, it travels well if you need a yummy picnic food. Check out more of my recipes like blueberry muffins and puffed pancakes or search “foodie friday” on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

xx Shalice

Margarita Friday

Reid and I have been trying Margaritas! We usually have NO idea what to do when it comes to cocktails. I love an extra salty margarita on occasion and Reid likes his plain. I usually ask to lick his salt off. Through trail and error, we found a yummy recipe that works for us! Let me know, do you have a good receipe?

2 ounces of Tequila (any brand)

The juice of 4 tangerines, 2 limes, 2 lemons. Extra to line the rims of the glasses before salt.

4 fresh mint leaves

Ice

2 Tablespoons agave or honey

Kosher salt (Or chili salt) place in a plate and coat the rims.

4-6 Cucumber slices

Jalapenos (optional)

Mix and enjoy! My shop page is open 24/7, hope you have a nice time with family or a good book. We have a “social distancing” neighbor chat around the cul de sac. Its a fun way to get to know the neighbors. What are you up to?

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