Showing all posts in RECIPES

 

Come on, fall!!  Summer has been great.  It really has.  But I’m ready for cooler days, non-humid air, changing colors and all the autumnal feels.  The ever trendy pumpkin-spice-everything season is upon us — but honestly, it still feels like the middle of summer here in Georgia.  All the spices were half off while I was grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago though and I couldn’t resist the ‘pumpkin pie’ spice!  I have been enjoying this smoothie every morning for the past week — it sort of makes me feel like I’m still celebrating the upcoming pumpkin season — with a little summer twist:)

 

A few quick tips before you start … I usually buy two big bunches of bananas at once and end up peeling, breaking into pieces and freezing a few once they are perfectly ripe.  Frozen banana works well for smoothies and keeps it nice and cold.  Also, I cooked and blended two sweet potatoes the morning I first made this smoothie.  I stored the leftovers in a glass bowl so that I could just have it ready for the next few days.

 

Anyway, moving on!  Eamon is a huge fan of this one — this recipe makes one BIG glass, so if you have someone constantly stealing sips like I do, there should still be enough:)  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

DAIRY FREE PUMPKIN SPICE SMOOTHIE

1 banana
1 cup spinach
1/3 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional -- I like a little extra cinnamon flavor)
1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
handful of ice cubes

Directions:  Blend all ingredients until smooth.  If your smoothie is too thick, add a dash of water.  Enjoy a bit of fall flavor in your glass:)

 

 

I first tried overnight oats at our favorite restaurant back in Belfast — General Merchants.  It was dairy free and healthy but it still tasted rich and sweet.  I’ll admit, theirs was a little fancier than our homemade version was going to be (I mean, they topped it with edible flowers.  Hard to compete with that!).  While it tasted amazing, Niall and I soon realized that paying six pounds for something we could probably replicate at home didn’t make much sense.  We also thought it would make a healthy, no fuss breakfast for weekdays.  And it does.

 

There have been periods where we’ve strayed from this morning habit, but we are most satisfied and feel our best when we don’t.  It’s fast and healthy and requires ZERO work (the morning you eat it, that is).  I love that I can make my husband breakfast without doing anything at 6 am;)

 

One piece of advice — put your bowls together the evening before while making dinner, or late in the afternoon while you’re waiting for laundry to finish or something.  Don’t wait until the end of the night when the show you’re watching finishes and you barely have enough energy to brush your teeth before hitting the sack.  I’m still learning to follow my own advice with this one!

 

Along with the energy balls I make, a lot of people have asked about our overnight oats habit so I thought it deserved a post!  There are dozens of versions of this recipe but here’s how we make it:)

 

OVERNIGHT OATS

*makes one bowl

1/2 cup quick cooking oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
handful of frozen berries (we buy a raspberry, blueberry & blackberry mix)
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup almond milk*
sprinkling of cinnamon or honey to top (optional!)

*if you find the consistency the next morning is too thick for your liking, just add more milk.

 

Combine all ingredients and give it a good stir so that everything is mixed together — then sprinkle some cinnamon or drizzle some honey on top if you like.  Pop your bowl into the fridge, give it another stir in the morning and it will be ready to go.  Enjoy!

 

Quick tip:  Once you make these a few times, you will be able to measure everything by sight — so it will only take a couple of minutes to throw your bowl together.  I bought a big set of glass jars at Walmart and I keep nuts, chia seeds, etc. out on the counter so I don’t have to get the big bags out of the pantry every time.  Give it a try:)