{healthy} chocolate muffins

oh yes I did say healthy and chocolate

and it gets better

sugar free

with vegetables

and amazingly delicious

:: Chocolate muffins ::

1 C dates 

1 C coconut oil

2/3 C raw honey

4 large or 5 smaller eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

4 C shredded zucchini & carrots

2/3 C cocoa powder

3 C spelt or wheat flour

1/2 - 1 C cranberries

1/2  - 1 C nuts

1/2 C dark chocolate chips :: optional

1-2 Tbsp reserved date soaking water if needed

{depends on how moist your zucchini is}

soak dates in boiling water for 5 minutes

 drain water and save for later

add coconut oil to dates and puree into a paste

add in each ingredient

if it seems a bit too dry add in the date water 1 Tbsp at a time

bake at 350 for 25 minutes

I enjoy them plain

but for a treat we sometimes top them with raw honey peanut butter icing

:: Raw Carmel Dip ::

:: Raw Carmel Dip ::
1 C. dates {soaked in boiling water}

1 C. cashews {soaked 30min}

1/2 C. maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

dash of sea salt

cover dates with boiling water and let sit for 5-10 minutes to soften

drain & save date water

drain cashews

puree dates with maple syrup

add in cashews, vanilla & salt

puree and add in saved date water until desired consistency

I usually use most of my water

I hope you enjoy

and i'd love to hear what you think if you give it a try.

:: ice cream love ::

oh do we love ice cream

and with being sugar & mostly dairy free

...it's either make it or forget it

and this pregnant mama has been craving ice cream

so it was time to make it

:: ingredients ::

2 cans full fat coconut milk

1/3-1/2 C raw honey

2 tsp. vanilla

{optional flavors}

raspberry :: 1 bag frozen raspberries, zest & juice from one lemon

peanut butter :: 1/3 C peanut butter

lemon :: zest & juice from 4 lemons

kale :: 1 bunch kale plus additional 2 tsp. vanilla

mint chocolate chip :: 2 tsp. peppermint extract, 1/4 C chopped dark chocolate {added at the very end}

blend it all together

put it in your ice cream maker

wait 30 minutes

and enjoy

or you can put it in the freezer for an hour or so to harden more

when you get it out of the freezer if it is too hard just let it sit for 15-30 minutes

:: granola bites ::

or gorilla bites

...as my kids named them

2/3 C. almonds

2/3 C. peanuts

2/3 C. raw oats

1/3 C. raw honey

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. real salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 C. chopped cranberries {optional}

1/3 C. dark chocolate {optional}

toast the nuts in the oven until lightly browned

chop oats and nuts in a food processer

mix everything together until thoroughly combined

if you are adding the chocolate, it will melt from the warm nuts

...which to me makes them all that much better

especially when you are only adding 1/3 C. it makes the chocolate spread further. {grin}

add coconut oil to your hands

take a scoop into your palm and roll into a ball

let them cool for 20 minutes {if you can} and then enjoy!

some of us

...really wanted to make this

so some of us collected ingredients

and some of us poured coconut milk into the bowl

then some of us mixed...

and mixed

some of us ate huge spoonfuls

and some of us used a care bear for a spoon

some of us spilled on our shirt

and some of us laughed...

a lot

some of us spilled on the table

but we all LOVED

snow ice cream!

.snow ice cream.

big batch

16 cups fresh snow {not hard packed}

2 3/4 cups coconut milk

1 dropper full of liquid stevia

3/4 cup demerara sugar

2 T pure vanilla

mix. mix. mix.

and enjoy! {grin}

Yeah

it was...

that good...

this isn't really a recipe

but in case you were wondering how we make hot chocolate...

hemp milk

dark chocolate, chopped until almost powder

unsweetened cacao powder

liquid stevia to taste

Happy Sunday!