I LOVE WAFFLES! There's something special about them... Maybe it's because they taste like pancakes... but you don't have to stand in front of the pan and watch them cook forever.   The machine does it all for you!  Or maybe it's because of the little squares that perfectly hold the maple syrup and other toppings... Not quite sure, but every time we have waffles, everyone in my family is super excited! One of the multiple joys that comes from being a stay at home mom is having the freedom to do my own daily schedule.  Priceless.  If we feel like having waffles for breakfast, waffles it is! 

This past week I’ve baked all sorts of delicious goodies (and far too many gingerbread cookies ended up in my belly!).  As soon as Thanksgiving was over, I had this uncontrollable desire to decorate my house for Christmas. I've always been the girl complaining about stores and people taking out the Xmas stuff too early... but this year we've cut our own Xmas tree (what a fun activity by the way!) before the end of November! Really?!! I Guess this time of the year makes me even more nostalgic of my family and friends and I needed to fill this emptiness with a warm and charming house.  

Hello friends! How have you been? Awesome, I hope. 

I'm back from a road trip around South California.  Wow! Grand Canyon and Death Valley were both breathtaking.  I don't know if it's all the time I had for myself during the long-hour drives or the ridiculous amount of pasta and pizza I had during these few days in the desert (yeah... cowboys and a meatless diet don't go very well together...) but my inspiration is back and I'm super happy that I can finally share this incredible recipe with you: these delicious apple, almond & salted caramel shortbread crumble bars. 

This "Black forest in a jar" is a chocolate chia pudding, layered with a homemade cherry chia jam and topped with coconut whip, shaved dark chocolate, sliced almonds and fresh cherries.  It sure sounds like a dessert to me... and I've served it as a dessert in the past, but since this chia pudding is not too sweet, we enjoy this recipe in the morning as well.   

The cherry chia jam is adapted from my Strawberry chia jam.  I love chia fruit jams because they take only a few minutes to cook and don't require any "jam maker" skill at all! If you can't find good affordable cherries, you can use frozen cherries without a problem! It's also a good way to enjoy this fruit all year long! 

This "black forest overnight oats" was adapted from my Matcha overnight oats recipe by adding raw cacao powder instead of matcha tea powder.  I served these soaked oats with coconut yogurt (or you can use sheep's yogurt), fresh cherries (or unsulfuried dried cherries), shredded coconut, cacao nibs and bee pollen. It might be one of my favourite overnight oat recipe (and I tried a lot of them!).  This breakfast is just slightly sweeten with mashed bananas, decadent enough and as all the flavours that remind me of the famous black forest cake!  

I wanted to share this recipe for a long time because it's one of our favorite healthy go-to breakfast.  When I was experimenting with this recipe, I was looking for the perfect sweetness (obviously I didn't want it to be too sweet so we could eat it in the morning) and texture (not sticky or too thick) and thankfully I think I got it right! But feel free to play around with the recipe if the balance (sweetness) isn't right for you.  I've said it before, our family doesn't have a very sweet tooth.  

I'm excited to share this super moist plum "upside down" yogurt cake recipe. It's one of my favorite cake in the world! This cake is perfect for afternoon tea, snack time or as a light dessert after a heavy meal.  The texture reminds me of a cheesecake and the fruits are infused with a slight touch of ginger.  This recipe includes yogurt (note that you can use dairy-free yogurt if you're intolerant or allergic) and eggs but is completely gluten-free since the base ingredients for this cake are almond meal and a small amount of gluten-free flour.  I like to use amaranth flour in this cake because this Aztec "pseudo-cereal" is a little powerhouse :  it's naturally gluten-free, a good source of high quality protein, magnesium, iron, fiber and calcium.  Amaranth flour has a nutty taste that can be strong and bitter, but mixed with other flours as I do in this recipe, it's delicious!  You can also use millet, buckwheat, spelt or whole wheat flour if you want.  

I can't believe I waited 32 years to taste my very first passion fruit.  I mean... I had some passion fruit juice blends or desserts before, but never tasted the whole fruit.  I think it might be the most delicious fruit in the world!  The flavour is so delicious, fun and exotic... Kind of hard to describe.  When I was a kid, I hated candies and sweet desserts... But  I couldn't resist sour candies ! Well... These sour and crunchy passion fruit seeds reminded me of those candies! Felt like a kid again :)

Also know as grenadilla or "lilikoi", passion fruit is a tropical fruit that contains crunchy edible seeds and sour juice.  And the passion fruit flower is so beautiful! You want to pick the ones that are sweet and ripe enough, meaning you should choose those who are slightly wrinkled and that have a deep purple color.  You can also shake the fruit.  If it feels like there is a lot of liquid inside, it also means there should be a lot of delicious seeds to eat.  

This vegan coconut panna cotta is gluten free, dairy-free, soy free, and is the perfect quick dessert! It only takes a few minutes to make and requires only four ingredients!  My favorite way to enjoy this dessert is to serve it with my strawberry chia jam.  I also like to use a few other toppings, which probably makes it one of my most versatile dessert.  Remember when I posted this vegan pumpkin panna cotta topped with coconut whipped cream, caramel and candied pecans last fall ? 

Açai bowls are so freaking good! Oh my goodness!!! As I explained in one of my previous post (Blueberry, acai & coconut paletas), an açai bowl is like a frozen yogurt/sorbet/thick smoothie topped with granola, fresh fruit, coconut flakes and other healthy garnishes.   The small purple berries are full of antioxidants, omega fatty acids, fiber, minerals and other incredibly powerful nutrients, making this bowl the post-workout treat or the perfect breakfast.  

Fresh cherries might not be the most affordable fruit, but they sure are worth every penny! They are SO fresh and juicy at this period of the year! The first thing that "popped" into my head when I bought my first bag of organic cherries at my local farmer's market is a black forest cake.  Not that I ever particularly enjoyed this cake... It's usually made with cherry pie filling (most brands are made with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, artificial colours and other ingredients I can't even name), white flour and refined sugar... But I kind of liked the idea of the combo "chocolate and cherry"! 

My three breakfasts are all vegan, refined-sugar free, rich, satisfying and incredibly nutritious!

If you haven't tasted roasted chickpeas yet, this recipe might be a revelation for you (it was for my family just a few months ago)! It's actually one of my kids favourite snack.  When we do a "special movie night",  my son will often choose to munch on this healthy treat over homemade popcorn... It's also the perfect grab-and-go snack for an outdoor trek.  These crunchy little guys are TERRIBLY addictive! 

HAPPY SUNDAY!!

I'm very excited!  The Nutrition Mama has invited me to do a guest post over on her blog! Chelsea and I connected via the blogosphere and I was thrilled when she asked me to be part of her series called "Mama Monday" where she introduces her readers to moms from all over the world that are passionate about feeding their families healthy and nutritious food.  If you have a child that tends to be very picky or if you're planning to raise your baby in a healthy environment, be sure to head over to her blog! I'm sharing my very best granola bar, as well as my professional and personal mama tips for getting kids to eat a wide range of healthy foods. 

For this special kids week, my son specifically ask me if I was going to share and I quote : his favourite-muffins-in-the-entire-world! So here it is, my incredible banana & chocolate spelt muffin recipe! 

Sprouted spelt flour is the only flour that is not "gluten-free" that I have in my pantry. You can buy it in natural food stores (like Whole Foods Market) or online.  It's pricy, but when this ancient grain is sprouted, it increases its nutrient content and digestibility.  For this muffin recipe, you can also use regular spelt flour (or even whole wheat flour) if you can't find it near you.  

So, what do the best-muffin-in-the-entire-world taste? Well, well... They are chewy gooey, moist, not too sweet, wholesome and have this inviting banana flavour that kids (and adults!) like so much.  

Popsicles (or "paletas") can be a great nutritious and fun snack if they are made with wholesome ingredients. These refined-sugar, dairy-free and vegan "blueberry bliss" popsicles are made with fresh blueberries, açai puree, maple syrup and coconut milk.  

Açai is a superfood that is grown in South America (Brazil) known for its nutritional value.  The small berries are loaded with powerful antioxidants, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as essentiel amino acids.  

HAPPY MONDAY!!

I'm very excited! Today's the first day of my special kids week where I'll be sharing one healthy, whole food and kid-friendly recipe each day! Be sure to follow me all through the week, since I'm going to share my kids favourites recipes! You sure don't want to miss my best vegan mac & cheese ;) 

This smoothie is a classic strawberry and banana smoothie with a healthy twist.

This carrot cake is a healthier version of our family "classic" carrot cake and it was on our Easter brunch table last weekend.   

My grandma used to do her famous carrot cake on every Christmas Eve.  Her version had everything of an "old-school" cake, super sweet, moist and decorated with a bright green frosting.  My mom now has its own gluten-free version (with an all-purpose gluten-free flour) with a cream cheese lime frosting.  She bakes this incredible cake every single time we visit her (or for our birthdays!).   

I must tell you that the original recipe has its own little story... that now became a legend among our family. 

These gooey double chocolate oatmeal cookies have everything of a traditional oatmeal cookie, but they could totally be called the "free cookies".  They are gluten-free, vegan (which means dairy-free and egg-free), nut-free (if you choose the sun butter or tahini butter), almost refined sugar free (except for the sugar in the chips...) but they are certainly not tasteless! If you do the version with the dates instead of the coconut sugar (see the note in the recipe below), you could even eat them for breakfast! 

Recently, we have been making a lot of different porridges or smoothie bowls in the morning.  I like to experiment with different flavors, toppings and presentations. My kids both really love porridges, particularly cold and raw ones.  Every time I put a tiny bowl of porridge and a spoon in front of Mila, we don't hear a single noise from her until she's done.  

With the first organic strawberries of the year now available at the Farmer's market, I was looking for a new breakfast idea more appropriate for the summer weather. 

When I was a child, my grandmother used to do a mile-high meringue lemon pie.  Every time, she'd let my tiny hands whipped the egg whites until the peaks were just perfect. Recently, a friend brought me a bag full of freshly picked Meyer lemons.  To satisfy my childhood food cravings, I knew I had to do a vegan version of my gandma's lemon pie.  I chose to do bars instead of a pie so my kids could easily hold them in their small hands and eat them as a snack (though you could still do it as a pie!). 

Turmeric is gaining in popularity this year.  I was already using it a lot (I have a 1 kg bag of organic turmeric in my pantry!), but I only recently started using turmeric in other recipes that only Indian curries. For example, my favorite hot drink when I feel sick is a Roiboos tea with fresh ginger, raw honey, cayenne, lemon and ..... turmeric !  Maybe you caught my recent post, Zen turmeric pancakes w/blood orange syrup ? These are so delicious they've become one of our top morning treats ! You probably also heard about the golden milk, which is a sweet turmeric plant-based milk with a touch of black pepper.  

Eating a plant-based diet doesn't mean you have to forget that your body needs good fats to function at its best!  Kids need a certain amount of fat in their diets in order for their brain and nervous system to develop correctly. That's why vegetarian and vegan toddlers (as well as adults!) need to eat a diet that includes a variety of nuts, seeds, good quality oils and butters (like coconut butter) and avocados.

This year, Noah and I decided to do a little surprise for daddy on Valentine's day.  My son really enjoys being in the kitchen with me, so I thought it would be a nice idea to make our own raw chocolate. And you know what ? You don’t need to be an expert to make this easy recipe!  In fact, I've done it a few times and I've always been thrilled about how great they turn out.  On top of that, it's a 5 minute recipe!  My son always has a blast when it's time to choose the flavours and toppings... and he's surprisingly creative!

This smoothie is so refreshing! My son loves it ! Every time I give my baby girl her own little bowl of that bright and citrusy smoothie she also asks for "more more more" (in the sign language of course... ;)! When we don't feel like drinking a green smoothie, this one's definitely one of our favourites! The blood oranges and the lime juice pair perfectly with the hemp seeds and the goji berries.  

When you move to another country, you try to find things you like and know well.  Food is so important for me that the first thing we did when we arrived in California was a gigantic grocery at Whole Food Market (my new favorite natural store!). 

Veggie "pâté" is a vegetarian spread.  It's one of my favourite thing to put in a sandwich or in a wrap.  It's also very good as an appetizer with crackers, olives and raw veggies.  I remember searching for it without any success on this very first grocery when we only had a pan and a knife in our temporary house...  

My new obsession is vegan caramel.  Try it!  And I'm pretty sure it's going to be yours too!

I first did that recipe for my Thanksgiving pumpkin panna cotta, and since then I always try to keep a jar ready in the fridge. Seriously...  It's totally decadent !!! Let me give you a few ideas on how to use it... 

Christmas countdown has officially begun! I can't realize we are in December.  My definition of December = snow, red cheeks and snowsuits...  Last weekend, on our way to the beach, we could see hundreds of christmas trees tied on top of car's roofs!  That's when it hit me:  it's already been 6 months since we moved to California.  Our baby girl will be turning one year old in a few days.

Reality check. 

Easy to make ! Easier to eat ! Especially if you're a peanut butter fan ! I've been making peanut butter cookies for a long time now, since they are my husband's favorite cookies. But this variant is so good and by FAR the best peanut butter cookies I've ever made. 

My baby girl has been teething and inevitably transformed into a "scotch tape baby" so in the morning... forget about pancakes for awhile! Among my top breakfast recipes there is my homemade nutty chai granola (as well as my basic overnight oats recipe and my chia pudding !).  This is totally the kind of recipe I need when I don't have a lot of time (or hands untied!). Therefore, I always make sure I have 1-2 jars in my pantry.  

Soaking ingredients for the next morning has now become a part of our family night routine, just like brushing our teeth or feeding the cats.  Chia pudding and overnight oats takes 2 minutes to prepare.  You can make a big jar of both and enjoy them 3-4 days later! These are two simple recipes that you can adapt to fit your taste.