Category: Quick and Easy

Peanut Butter Cluster Nice Cream

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It’s summer so bring on the ice cold treats! Nice cream is one of my favourites because it’s super fast, tasty, and CREAMY, all without any dairy or refined sugar. I’ve made Neapolitan Nice Cream in the past, but today I made PEANUT BUTTER CLUSTER NICE CREAM. There are actual PEANUT BUTTER CLUSTERS in here. Summer, here we come.

All nice cream is is basically blended up frozen bananas. It has an amazing texture and is also really good for you:) Because of this magic, I ALWAYS include a frozen banana in my smoothie bowls. From now on I might throw these peanut butter clusters on my smoothie bowls too cause they’re pretty darn delicious. I made them using oat flour- which is just ground up oats. So yeah, you’ll be needing a good blender to make this recipe. The peanut butter clusters also contain peanut butter 😋, maple syrup, vanilla, and some dark chocolate chunks. I DEFINITELY recommend using crunchy peanut butter for these, because then you get some peanut pieces in there. I’ve actually been converted from team creamy to team crunchy, cause I love those peanuts❤️ If you don’t feel like making nice cream, these clusters would make a greet breakfast with some almond milk or yogurt, or a nice snack on their own.

Once you have the nice cream made and the peanut clusters rolled and frozen, you fold the two together and BOOM! A super delicious summer treat. Let’s be honest though, I will probably be eating this all year long. Hope you enjoy this recipe, and be sure to let me know some other nice cream flavours that you want me to make a recipe for!

Peanut Butter Cluster Nice Cream

Serves: 3

Total Time: 210 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Peanut Butter Clusters:

  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 2 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp runny or melted crunchy peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp dark chocolate chunks

For the Nice Cream:

  • 3 bananas, sliced and frozen
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • Splash of water

Directions:

  1. Mix all of the peanut butter cluster ingredients together in a bowl. Roll into 1/2 tsp sized balls, then put into a container and freeze for about 2 hours, so that they’re easier to mix in with the nice cream.
  2. Once the peanut butter clusters are ready, throw the frozen banana, vanilla and SPLASH of water into the blender. You don’t need to much water, or else you’ll miss out on that creamy texture. Use the tamper to push the bananas down and blend until smooth. You want a nice swirl like this:

3. Scoop the nice cream into a parchment lined loaf pan, and mix in about half of the peanut butter clusters. Place in the freezer for another hour until the texture resembles ice cream. Serve with the rest of the clusters on top!!

This stuff is legit SO good and you should for sure make some ASAP. Perfect for a hot day!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Roasted Carrot and Onion Dip

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Dips are where it’s at, you know? Whenever there’s hummus in the house I eat it all in about 5 seconds because I throw it on everything. But when I don’t have hummus OR chickpeas around, I still need my dip/spread fix! So I present to you, ROASTED CARROT AND ONION DIP.

Ok guys, this dip… where do I even start? First off, it’s incredibly easy to make. You just roast a bunch of delicious veg, including carrots and red onion (who would’ve guessed😂), then toss them into the blender with parsley, olive oil, and some water. So freaking simple and so freaking worth it. After you get past the gorgeous colour, you will notice that the flavour of this dip is insaaannneee. Like insane. Mainly because you will be roasting garlic alongside the carrots and onions, and have you ever tried roasted garlic?!?! I need to roast it more often cause it’s amazing. On top of that you have some lime juice, which is just the cherry on top. All of these sweet, smoky and sour flavours working together are just heaven for your tastebuds.

I’ve eaten this dip/spread in a salad, with some brown rice crackers, and with some snap peas, but there are a whole lot more ways that I’d like to enjoy it. It would be SO GOOD in a sandwich or wrap, with some toasty pita, or on your morning toast. Honestly, just slather this on anything and it will make it 10000 times better. That’s 4 zeros my friends👌

Hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know how it turns out when you make it😊

Roasted Carrot and Onion Dip

Serves: 4

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 5 small carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 small red onion, sliced
  • 2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp + 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup packed parsley
  • 4 cloves or garlic, skins on
  • 3 tbsp water
  • Juice of 1/2 a lime
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. On a parchment lined baking sheet, toss the carrots and onions with the 2 tbsp olive oil and some salt and pepper.
  3. Place the garlic cloves on a small piece of aluminum foil (shiny side up) and add the 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Fold the foil around the cloves to make a little packet. Place on the baking sheet.
  4. Roast the carrots, onion and garlic in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, until soft and caramelized. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
  5. Add the parsley, lime juice, water and 1/4 cup olive oil to a good blender. Remove the garlic cloves from the little packet and from their skins, and add them to the blender as well, along with the carrots and onions. Blend the mixture until fairly smooth; you should still be able to see the green flecks of parsley.
  6. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
  7. Serve with crackers and veggies, or in bowls, sandwiches and wraps!

Definitely try this one out! See you Wednesday:))

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

3 Flavours of Crispy Chickpeas

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Chickpeas are just the best. They have to be one of the most versatile ingredients out there. You can make hummus, falafel, edible cookie dough, cookies, or blondies from them, and you can even make meringues if you whip up the water or aquafaba from the can. But today we are celebrating the humble chickpea by just crisping them up in the oven- one of my favourite methods of preparing them.

These crispy chickpeas are the PERFECT addition to your salads, bowls, and wraps, plus they make a great snack on their own. Also, have you ever tried a chickpea salad sandwich?!!? Mix up your roasted chickpeas with some mashed avo and green onion, throw it in between two pieces of bread, and you’ve got yourself a LUNCH!

While just roasting chickpeas with salt and pepper is pretty delish, I’ve come up with three spice combos that take them to the next level. We’ve got taco-spiced chickpeas, curry-spiced chickpeas, and some soy-maple chickpeas. I think the soy-maple ones have to be my favourite, but the other two are pretty darn good as well. You could use the taco-spiced ones as a replacement for beef in tacos, and the curry-spiced chickpeas are a great snack by themselves. Make sure you try all three and let me know which one is your fave!!

3 Flavours of Crispy Chickpeas

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Taco-Spiced Chickpeas:

  • 1/2 a can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Sprinkle of salt and pepper

Curry-Spiced Chickpeas:

  • 1/2 a can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • Sprinkle of salt and pepper

Soy-Maple Chickpeas:

  • 1/2 a can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • Sprinkle of chilli flakes
  • Sprinkle of salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In three separate bowls, mix together the chickpeas with the spices and oil for each flavour. Dump the chickpeas onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  3. Bake the chickpeas for about 30 minutes, until they’re nice and crispy. Remove from the oven and enjoy!!

Have fun with this simple snack recipe!!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Chocolate Date Puffed Wheat Squares

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How’s it going guys? Oh, you’re asking what you should do today? Well I have a great answer because you NEED to make these Chocolate Date Puffed Wheat Squares!

I don’t buy dates very often because they’re a tad expensive, but someone gave me a bunch a little while ago so I knew I had to do something special with them. I’ve been eating them by themselves (which is amazing), and I’ve also heard that they’re spectacular with peanut butter, but there are so many awesome desserty things you can do with dates. I decided to make these CHOCOLATE DATE PUFFED WHEAT SQUARES. Sweet, gooey, and a little crunchy, they’re the perfect treat!

These squares are pretty easy to make, too. You just soften up some dates in warm water, them blend them up to make a kind of paste. Then you mix that with cocoa, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla, heat it up a bit, and mix it in with puffed wheat. I let mine harden in the fridge overnight after I pressed them into a greased pan, but you should be good to go in a few hours. That simplicity mixed with the fact that these squares taste AMAZING and have no refined sugar makes them a winner in my book.

So yeah, go make these squares and you WILL NOT regret it:)

Chocolate Date Puffed Wheat Squares

Serves: Makes 9 squares

Total Time: 30 minutes, plus at least 3 hours cooling time.

Ingredients:

  • 10 large Medjool Dates
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 3 cups puffed wheat

Directions:

  1. Heat some water in a small pot over the stove until it just begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and add in the dates. Let them sit for about 10 minutes to soften them up.
  2. Remove the pits from the dates and add them into a blender or food processor. Blend until a kind of paste forms, but don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be completely smooth.
  3. Transfer the date paste back into the small pot and add the cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. Place over low heat on the stove for about 2 minutes as you stir to combine.
  4. Remove the date mixture from the heat. Dump the puffed wheat into a large bowl and mix in the chocolatey dates. Press the soon-to-be puffed wheat squares into an 8×8 pan greased with coconut oil.
  5. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until firm enough to eat; around 3 hours. You can try and speed up this process by throwing the squares into the freezer.
  6. Once the puffed wheat mixture has cooled, cut it into 9 squares and enjoy!
  7. Store in the fridge.

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Yours Truly,

Olivia;))

Vanilla Protein Oats

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Before you ask, Karen, I know I’ve done breakfast bowl posts lately, but they’re just so good. If I keep making freaking awesome breakfasts, am I not supposed to share them?!!?? Didn’t think so. Yes, these protein oats fall into the awesome category, and yes, you get to see the recipe.

I’ve just been really into the protein powder recently, as you can tell by my recipe for Mini Berry Protein Muffins, which you should DEFINITELY check out. It makes stuff super creamy and adds a nice flavour. And adds protein😂 Usually I’ll add a scoop to my morning smoothie bowl, but today I didn’t have any frozen bananas at the ready, so I tried these Vanilla Protein Oats!

They’re super simple and taste AMAZING (like most of my recipes, tbh). These oats will definitely fill you up and fuel you through your day! (I need this because of this pesky little thing called summer school😂) Don’t forget to throw lots toppings on there- toppings MAKE the bowl. Am I right or am I right? I used cherries, bananas, and lots of crunchy peanut butter, which is my new obsession. Any other fruits or nuts or other good stuff also works though, because the base of these oats is vanilla.

In a nutshell: THESE OATS ARE DELISH AND THEY’RE FULL OF PROTEIN AND CARBS AND GOOD STUFF AND YOU SHOULD MAKE THEM EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK AND TOP THEM WITH MORE DIFFERENT AWESOME STUFF EACH DAY. Sign me up!! Enjoy your oats☺️😋😉😉

Vanilla Protein Oats

Serves: 1

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup quick cooking steel cut oats
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Some cherries for topping
  • Lots of peanut butter for topping;)

Directions:

  1. Mash half of the banana in a small pot, then stir in the oats, protein powder, cinnamon, and water.
  2. Bring the mixture to a simmer on the stove, then let cook for about 7-8 minutes, until the oats are cooked through. Add more water if needed, because the protein powder sure soaked up a lot!
  3. Remove the oats from the heat, scoop into a bowl, and top with the rest of the banana, some cherries, and some peanut butter. Yum!!

See you tomorrow with a new post!!:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))