Honest Whole 30 Recap, Week One + Coco-Berry Superfood Smoothie Recipe!

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you might have already seen I’m smack dab in the middle (er…the first week) of a Whole 30. One of the questions I got when I so boldly announced I was going to swear off cheese for thirty days to a world full of internet friends and strangers was, “What the heck is a Whole 3o?” Great question. I can point you to the official website where they explain this cray to the cray endeavor I’ve decided to journey on. But, I’ll give you the gist: It’s thirty days. No grains, beans, dairy, sugar, or anything processed. You can eat all the veggies, meats and fruits that you want, along with nuts, seeds and good fats like coconut oil or coconut milk.  Try to keep it organic. The less processed the better. You know — blah blah blah — healthy things. […]

Double Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Vegan Cheesecake

There are few things more unsettling than when people utter the words “nut cheese”.  I understand your concerns. You’ve probably been strolling the aisles of a Whole Foods and come across a slab of shrink- wrapped-orange-hell-sponge that they refer to as “Almond Cheese”. Don’t let that weird hunk-a-fake-cheddah ruin everything in the nut cheese family for you. Speaking as someone who once tried to make a grilled cheese with almond cheese (ugh), trust me on this.  I’ve since gotten over my fears (we’ve even made some here before!). Heck, we’ve even made some delicious nut milk, and now we’re moving into some next level nut cheese magic: CHEESECAKE! […]

Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I’d like to write an open letter to California Weather. Here goes nothing…
Dearest California Weather,
I am confused. Please, help me understand.
I’m sure you get a lot of letters. In fact, most of them are probably thank you letters. You’re not a terrible state to live in. I realize we’re spoiled. Strawberries are in season. I should probably just shut my face now, right? Oh, well. […]

Fig & Dark Chocolate Scones {Gluten Free & Paleo}

For most of my life, I thought Figs were a mythical kind of fruit. You know, like the fruit equivalent to a Pegasus or a Griffin.
To be fair, I never actually saw a whole fig in the flesh until my adult life. I had two fig references in my wheelhouse:
1) Fig Newtons: A delightful snacking cookie. I thought the person who made these cookies was named Mr. Fig Newton. I once asked my Grandfather what the filling was inside these cookies, to which he replied “something prunes.” As you can imagine, this threw me off the scent. As far as I was concerned Mr. Fig Newton was sitting in his house baking cookies filled with “something prunes.” I asked no questions.
2) Christmas Caroling: You know those lyrics in We Wish You A Merry Christmas? There is a whole verse where we demand something called “figgy pudding.” In my mind this sounded totally gross, and I didn’t ask questions. I assumed this so-called pudding was probably mushy, stinky, and something from tales of yore. I had visions of people clad in bonnets and bodices scooping chunks of wobbly pudding out into the hands of Christmas carolers. Whatever this stuff was, it was for sure old timey, as I’d never heard of it in my modern world. What ancient sorcery was this?  I don’t know. Maybe it was “something prunes.” Probably “something prunes.” […]