This exotic tasting custard is so much more than it looks.  It’s rich, it’s creamy, it’s sweet, it’s spicy and it’s probably nothing like anything you’ve had before!

This is one of those recipes that I’m kinda proud of.  I developed it with my Detox Kitchen partner Ryan McGrath for a recipe redux contest that’s all about honey.  Yummy, ooey, gooey, delicious honey. Don’t you love it?  I do. Honey is a good thing.

I like my honey raw.  Raw honey isn’t filtered, strained, or heated above 115 degrees (natural hive temperatures), which can destroy the beneficial enzymes, nutrients, and antioxidants.  I always use raw honey in place of other sweeteners like agave or sugar in recipes, as it doesn’t compete with other flavors and it provides added texture and balance. You also don’t have to use as much of it as you would table sugar, since it’s a little more sweet.  It can help thicken up dressings and marinades and provides a great stabilizer for my no-bake energy bars!

But let’s get back to my unique and lovely dessert, shall we?

From this picture you would never think there was so much goodness inside this glass. Chopped fresh mango, roasted macadamia nuts, coconut milk, raw honey, chili powder and the Indian inspired garam masala.  I think it’s the perfect dinner party or special occasion dessert that will have everyone asking you what’s in it!

Disclaimer: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by National Honey Board and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I received a gift card to offset the expense of my ingredients.

The post {recipe redux contest} Honey Macadamia Nut Chia Custard appeared first on Food Confidence.

Do you need a go-to dish to bring to all those graduation parties, barbecues, wedding and baby showers on your calendar? I’ve got your problem solved. Everyone loves this tasty Asian-inspired salad. It’s perfect for brunches and parties because it just gets better and better the longer it sits.  It’s also super easy to make.

Have you ever tried kelp noodles before?  They’re actually quite versatile.  They’re all natural and made from preserved raw kelp.  They don’t require any heating, but I do soak them a while before I use them to soften them up a bit. They’re crunchy at first but the longer they sit in the marinade or dressing, the softer and more noodle-like they get.  They don’t taste fishy at all and are the perfect substitute for  pasta.  I also love to combine them with julienned zucchini to mix up the flavors a bit.  They’re a great way to add some sea veggies into your diet for thyroid function and as a great source of natural iodine.

This recipe is courtesy of Ryan McGrath.  She is my partner in The Detox Kitchen, my un-cooking inspiration, and an amazing raw foods chef.

Here’s the recipe:

It’s recipe redux so don’t forget to check out my awesome reduxers below for more healthy brunch and party food!

The post {recipe redux} Ryan’s Famous Almond Sesame Noodles appeared first on Food Confidence.

I was talking to my girlfriends last night at Supper Club about the process of planning for and preparing a decent dinner meal. There are seven of us and we’re pretty evenly split — half are married with kids, and the other half are single. While we obviously enjoy food and eating it (hence our monthly Supper Club) the consensus was the same regardless of family status: dinner can be a chore. Especially so during this time of year when we’re all busy with work, family and end of school year activities. With so much else going on, dinner just becomes one more thing to think about.  I actually enjoy cooking, but I get it. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t hungry at dinner time so I didn’t have to cook!

As I write this I’m actually thinking about what to make for tonight’s dinner, as I won’t get home until almost 7:00 pm.  This is pretty late for us and leaves little time for much else before Norah’s 8:30 pm bed time.

One of my strategies (and what I write and talk about often) is keeping a stocked pantry.  This certainly makes whipping up a quick dinner meal easy, and allows for little thought going into it.  Below are some pantry dinner meal ideas that you can easily create with a stocked pantry and freezer.

7 Easy Weeknight Pantry Meals:

1. Sauté 2-3 minced garlic cloves in olive oil until lightly brown.  Add 1 can diced tomatoes + ½ tsp dried parsley + ½ tsp basil + salt + pepper.  Add frozen turkey  meatballs or frozen shrimp and simmer on low heat.  Toss sauce with cooked quinoa, pasta or rice and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
2. Combine 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice + 1 cup light coconut milk + 1 cup water or chicken stock + 2 Tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut + sea salt in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to boil, reduce to low, cover and simmer 16-18 minutes or until rice is cooked.  While rice is cooking, sauté frozen shrimp with 1 bag frozen Asian vegetables, season with salt + pepper.  Serve shrimp over rice.
3. Cook and drain 1 pound linguini pasta, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.  Sauté ½ cup frozen peas in 1 Tbsp olive oil in large skillet until softened.  To the peas add 1 can drained and rinsed cannellini beans + 1 can drained tuna + 1 tsp oregano + 1 tsp red pepper flakes.  Cook until beans and tuna are heated through.  Add reserved pasta water to pot to form a sauce.  Serve sauce over pasta.  Season with salt + pepper to taste and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Whisk together 1 large egg + 4 egg whites + salt + pepper in a medium bowl.  In another bowl, combine ½ cup drained and rinsed black beans + ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese + ¼ cup chunky salsa.  Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Pour egg mixture into pan and let set slightly. Tilt pan and lift edges of omelet with a spatula allowing uncooked egg to flow underneath cooked portion; cook 3 minutes. Spoon bean mixture onto half of omelet and fold in half. Cook 1 minute or until cheese melts. Slide omelet onto serving plate, serve with whole grain toast.
5. Cook and drain 1 pound spaghetti pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons of cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot along with reserved cooking liquid. Stir in 1 jar store bought basil pesto, stir over low heat until spaghetti is evenly coated.  Add 1 jar chopped roasted red peppers + toasted pine nuts + grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with your favorite steamed frozen veggie blend.
6. In medium bowl, lightly mix 1 can red or pink salmon (drained and flaked) + 1 sliced green onion + 2 Tbsp horseradish + 2 Tbsp bread crumbs + 1 tsp soy sauce + salt and pepper.  Shape mixture into 4 round patties.  Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat until hot.  Add salmon cakes and cook about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Serve with romaine lettuce leaf wraps or whole grain buns + frozen edamame.
7. Sauté 1 bag frozen red pepper veggie blend in 1-2 Tbsp olive oil with dried raisins (or any dried fruit). Sauté until raisins are plump and veggies are tender. In a separate bowl, mix 1-2 cups cooked quinoa with 2 Tbsp almond meal + 2 Tbsp ground flax seed. Combine quinoa with cooked veggies and raisins. Drizzle olive oil over quinoa and season with sea salt and pepper.

I hope you can see from these meal ideas that dinner doesn’t have to be stressful or boring and can be thrown together pretty quickly with a stocked pantry and freezer. I would love to hear your tricks for getting a good meal on the table after a crazy day! 

The post Easy Weeknight Pantry Meals appeared first on Food Confidence.

I’m always trying to convince my clients to try chia seed.  Some of them are already on board and some look at me like I have two heads. Chia is your friend! It’s so easy to incorporate into your diet and once you get used to the texture, you’ll be adding it to everything.  But first….

What is Chia?

Chia seeds come from a flowering plant in the mint family and are native to Central America. They’ve been considered a superfood dating back to the Mayans and Aztecs. Chia seeds dissolve in water and create a gel. When this happens in your stomach, it slows the  conversion of carbohydrates into sugar, making chia a great long-term fuel for athletes. This can also help curb your appetite and help you eat less at meals.  Also, unlike flax seed, chia seeds don’t need to be ground up to get at the omega 3 fats.  They also don’t go rancid the way flax seed does.

Why Should You Eat It?

Emerging research suggests that chia can help improve cardiovascular risk factors such as lowering cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. Packed with omega-3 fatty acids, they also contain protein, fiber, antioxidants, and minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron. Adding just two tablespoons of chia seeds to your daily diet will provide  about seven grams of fiber, four grams of protein, 205 milligrams of calcium, and five grams of omega-3.

But don’t take my word for it, try some yourself!   Here’s how: 

10 Ways to Add Chia to Your Diet

1. Create a Mexican chia fresco by soaking chia seeds in 100% fruit juice or seltzer water
2. Add two tablespoons to cooked oatmeal.  They are a staple ingredient in my morning muesli bowl!
3. Blend into your smoothie for a little crunch
4. Sprinkle onto Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for some added fiber
5. Create a delicious pudding by mixing 1/4 cup chia with 1 cup almond or coconut milk, honey, vanilla and cinnamon.  Let sit in the fridge overnight (or for just 15 minutes) and enjoy!
6. Whip us  a quick salad dressing with chia seeds, vinegar, oil and honey
7. Add seeds to stews and soups
8. Add to homemade energy bars or balls (like these)
9. Mix into homemade hummus or other dips
10. Sprinkle onto salads (or sprout them!)

Chia seeds can be stored for quite a while  in your refrigerator or pantry without going rancid, so it makes sense to save money and buy them in bulk.  I’ve found organic chia at my local Costco!

What’s your favorite way to use chia?

The post 10 Ways to Eat Chia appeared first on Food Confidence.

Ever had an “adult” cupcake? One that’s a bit healthier, with more complex flavor, and a little less sweet? I created one for this month’s Recipe Redux cupcake challenge. These peanut butter coconut peppermint cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting are luscious little treats, made entirely without flour or dairy.  Yup, they’re totally raw.

My batter is really the beauty of these cupcakes. I make almond milk pretty regularly in my house and I used the leftover almond pulp as the cupcake base. Using my food processor, I mixed it with some unsweetened coconut, cocoa nibs, and peanut butter along with a few drops of liquid stevia for sweetness (you can definitely make this base using agave, honey or real maple sugar, I tried all three). I have a slight obsession with making traditionally sweet things sugar free, so I tried it with just stevia. I really like the result, but you might want it to be more sweet. If so, just add more sweetener! You can’t really mess these up. Again, they have more of an adult taste, not too sweet at all, but very moist and cake-like due to the almond pulp.

Not sure what almond pulp is? It’s just the remains of the almonds after you make almond milk. To make almond milk, you soak raw almonds overnight in water in the fridge and then rinse. Then blend them with fresh water in your high speed blender. Once the almonds are blended to all liquid, you drain the “milk” into a nut bag or a cheese cloth.  The “pulp” that’s left over in the bag is the almond pulp. You can do a ton of stuff with it…I made cupcakes!

These cupcakes are moist and delicious with a very rich, luxurious chocolate frosting…very dark, and very decadent.  The frosting is made with lots of organic cocoa powder, honey, coconut oil, and cinnamon. The flavor is pretty intense chocolate, so probably not super kid-friendly. Norah took a few licks and was a little overwhelmed. But I loved it!

I really hope you experiment with these “adult” cupcakes. I am already thinking of the many flavor combinations I could whip up. Chocolate raspberry, coconut cherry almond, pumpkin, carrot cake…YUM!

Here’s the recipe with tips for substitutions:

Don’t forget to check out what my fellow reduxers came up with for their healthy cupcake creations below!

The post {recipe redux} Not Your Daughter’s Cupcake appeared first on Food Confidence.

I pretty much wear my workout clothes all day long.  If I’m not seeing a client, that’s what I’m wearing. Because I wash and wear mine so much, I don’t like to spend a ton of money on fitness attire.  Yes, I’d love to lounge around in Lululemon garb, but at $60+ just for a pair of running shorts?  No thanks.

So when the folks at Ellie offered to send me a free outfit to test their line of workout gear I was like, heck yeah!  I just got my outfit in the mail and I kinda love it.  My fitness style is comfort, but practical. In other words, I want to be able to go to Target, pick up my daughter at school, and sit around in it comfortably, but I also want to be able to go for a run or do yoga in it, too.  So comfort without looking like I just stepped out of the gym.

I admit the outfit I chose to test is kind of boring. I was thinking of the summer when it’s super hot — but I don’t want to be in public in just a sports bra!  I love the cut-out style in the back of the peek-a-boo top. It’s open just enough back there so you can get some air in! The pants are pretty light weight and didn’t sit too low on my waist (bad things happen when my pants are too low). They were also just snug enough to keep me tucked in, but not uncomfortably so. I also like that all their clothes are made in in the USA.

Here’s my {somewhat wrinkled} outfit:

How does Ellie work?

You can just go to their site and buy items from their collection separately as you would do on any other website. You can even click here to get 20% off your first order!

OR

Ellie has a fun subscription service program called the “Fit Fashionista” club program. As part of the program, you choose two pieces every month for just $49.95 — plus free shipping!  The great thing about that is they roll out a new collection every month, so there’s always a new batch of outfits to choose from. I admit, I’m a sucker for these programs! I love getting a new outfit in the mail every month. My Ellie outfit is from February’s Little Black Collection. April’s collection is Coral Crush — there are some very cute pieces in that collection, too!

So, for $49.95/month you can join the Fit Fashionista Club and get to:

• Select any 2 pieces you want from their current collection (any combo you want, i.e. two shirts, two bottoms, shirt and bottom)
• Get free shipping and return shipping
• Get early access to pieces before they’re sold to the public, and exclusive access on some items

One Caveat: You must choose your two items by the 7th of every month otherwise Ellie will select a combo for you. You can also cancel at anytime.

If you don’t want to commit to the Fit Club, you can you can just be a non-member and buy an outfit whenever you’d like. Want to try Ellie? Click here to get started and get 20% off your first order! 

Let me know if you try them out and how you like the clothes!!

The post {Review} Ellie: Your New Favorite Workout Wear appeared first on Food Confidence.

I love sprouting.  It’s so easy and fun to do with Norah. You don’t need any fancy equipment, just a jar and some cheesecloth. Pretty much anyone can do it!  It’s also a great way to save money on produce.

All you do is soak your seeds overnight, then place them in a jar sealed with cheesecloth and a rubberband.  Rinse the seedlings with water 2-3 times each day, making sure there’s no water left in the jar after rinsing, then store in a dark place. I turn my jar upside down in a bowl on the kitchen counter to let the water drain out.  After 3-4 days, the seeds will have grown into sprouts right before your eyes! Once they’re ready, just pop them in the fridge.  For more detailed instructions, click here.

What’s fun is that you can’t get bored because you can sprout seeds, grains, and legumes.  Yes, you can even sprout quinoa!

Here’s a quick list of what you can sprout:

Seeds:  alfalfa, sunflower seeds, fenugreek, celery, leek and also Brassica sprouts like broccoli, cabbage, mustard and radish

Grains: wheat, rye, hulless barley, triticale, oats, spelt, kamut, quinoa, sesame, millet and amaranth

Legumes: lentils, chick peas and mung beans, peas, adzukis, and mung beans

So you see, the choices are endless! You might be asking yourself, why bother sprouting? I get it. You don’t know why sprouts are so darn good for you. Well, I’m gonna tell you.  Sprouts are nutrition superstars, loaded with antioxidants, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Broccoli sprouts are especially nutritious.  They’ve been shown to contain 50 times as much of the antioxidant sulfurophane as mature broccoli.  They are also much easier to digest than their mature counterparts!  But don’t take my word for it, click here for more sprout nutrition facts!

I did some sprouting this week with my favorite…lentils.  This salad is inspired by my neighbor, who recently ventured into sprouting.  I was at her house for a birthday party last weekend and she served this refreshing mung bean sprout salad.

This is my take on her salad.

Ingredients are simple: sprouts, cucumber, endive, orange pepper, scallions, and celery

I put my sprouts in a bowl, then quickly realized that this bowl was too small.  Can you believe all of those sprouts came out of that jar?  About 1/4 cup of lentils made a whole salad!     After chopping up the veggies and dousing them with freshly squeezed lemon, I sprinkled on some Chat Masala, courtesy of my neighbor. Chat Masala is an Indian spice blend of salt, dry mango, cumin, musk lemon, pepper, pomegranate seeds, coriander, mint leaves, dry ginger, nutmeg, chili powder, caraway, Bishop’s weeds, cloves and asafoetida.  Yes, it’s quite amazing, right?

I mixed everything together with a can of mandarin oranges and the result was this really refreshing sprout salad, with just a little kick of heat!

  I hope you experiment with sprouting this summer…especially with your kids.  Show them how easy it is to sprout and let them experience eating food that they helped grow.  You can buy everything you need from sproutpeople.org, including a sprouting jar!

The post My “What to do with those sprouts?” Salad appeared first on Food Confidence.

Ever had a savory scone? I hadn’t…until my sister brought over these tomato rosemary scones for Easter brunch.  I love scones, they’re probably my most favorite bakery food and I would choose a scone over a donut or a bagel any day. I’ve tried to make them a few times before but being the non-baker I am, it’s always been a total fail.  In fact, the last batch I made my mom deemed “inedible” and I haven’t had the nerve to try again since.

I didn’t know what to expect with these savory scones, but I was pleasantly surprised. The texture was definitely different — it wasn’t dry and crumbly as you would normally expect. These were very moist, almost cake-like in consistency and easy to slice.  These scones are not made with any cheese or butter, so they’re vegan. You can mix up the flour to make them gluten-free as well.  My sister made hers with white flour, but she first tasted them from a friend who used garbonzo bean flour.  You could use whole wheat flour, too.

The color is kind of cool as well, a beautiful burnt orange from the tomatoes.  I think a smear of goat cheese would be awesome on these, yes?

They’re the perfect compliment to an Easter or Mother’s Day brunch or a wedding shower.  Below is the recipe…given to me by my sister, who got it from her friend, who adapted it from the cookbook Vegan Brunch.

The post {recipe} Tomato Rosemary Scones appeared first on Food Confidence.

I revamped my pantry!!! Woo hoo! It seems like I’ve been working on this project for months and I am finally finished!  I’m calling this phase one. At some point in the future I’d like to paint the walls and cover the wire shelving, but for now I was lucky enough to get this much done.

I’m lucky that I have a pretty big space. My pantry is an L-shape walk-in type, with two walls for storage. Here are some BEFORE pics of the mess:

My main goal was to transfer all the random opened bags of rice, nuts, seeds, pasta, grains, beans, dried fruit, etc. into glass jars. I also wanted a designated spot to put the paper plates and silverware that were taking over the pantry. (I don’t even know where it comes from, plastic cutlery seems to just appear in my pantry.)

We always have a lot of beans and canned tomatoes on hand so the cans needed to be organized as well. For only three people, I think we have way too much food in our house! I tried to cook through it last year during my Pantry Challenge, but we still have a lot, especially since I eat mostly from the fridge and not from the pantry.

So how did I do it?  I pulled everything out of the pantry first. I tossed what I didn’t need or what I knew would never get eaten –like the 3-year old soda we keep for “guests,” the pumpkin butter I thought was so cool in October, and spice packs that pre-date my marriage.  Then I consolidated like items and transferred what I could into my glass containers.

I re-purposed a few baskets and big bowls for what didn’t make it into a jar and then I attempted to label the jars with chalkboard paper.  Of course it didn’t turn out as I imagined. I didn’t like the look at all with the stickers on the jars; the chalkboard paper didn’t lay flat on the face of the round jar and I just thought it looked messy. I tossed that idea but was sad because I was really excited about those labels.

I found my jars on Amazon and also at my local Home Goods store and TJ Maxx.  The large jars are Bormioli Rocco Fido glass canning jars.  They’re made in Italy and are large enough so you can easily empty a box of pasta into one of them.  I got a really good price on Amazon for these! The other jars are Ball Mason Jars and you can find them on Amazon as well, in a ton of different sizes. I found the smaller jars at Home Goods to store items I don’t have in large quantity like cocoa nibs and goji berries.

Here’s what it looks like now:

The two boxes with the chalkboard front on the floor are from TJ Maxx.  I got the plastic stacking bins (mine are not stacked) for the potatoes and onions from the Container store, along with the clear handled storage baskets and the stacking baskets with handles for snacks.

The expanding shelves for the canned stuff is from the Container store too but I think you can find them at Target!  I moved some cookbooks onto the top shelf and then was able to clean out another cabinet in the kitchen which was nice. I have a lot more space now than before, mostly due to consolidating and throwing stuff away. Once you do this you can really see what you have on hand, it will definitely save me money at the grocery store and, since I can see what I have, I’m a little more inspired to cook!

So that’s it! It’s still pretty clean after a few weeks living with it, but I find that I need more jars so some bags have crept back in.  Gotta make another run to Home Goods!

If you want more tips and tricks for cleaning out your pantry and getting organized in the kitchen, sign up for my newsletter and get a copy of my “7 Ways for 10 Minute Dinners” guide!

Happy organizing!

The post A Peek Inside My Pantry Makeover appeared first on Food Confidence.

It’s Friday, friends.  Time for some fun food finds for you. Today I’m talking kitchen gadgets. Things that make your life easier in the kitchen. I kinda love gadgets…but only truly useful ones.  That’s why I’m sharing a few favorites I turn to every day to store, cook, and prep food easier.

Here you go:

This lemon squeezer is what I get asked about the most in my Detox Kitchen cooking classes.  It never fails that someone will ask where to find this. You either love using it or you don’t, and I love it!  I also have one for oranges and limes. You can find it on my Amazon store here;  but I’ve seen it at World Market, Bed Bath and Beyond, and TJ Maxx.

These fridge coasters are the best, they literally are “fashion for your fridge.”  They keep your drawers and shelves clean and they look pretty, too. I recently got a new fridge and I couldn’t wait to put these puppies on every shelf!  Learn more about fridge coasters here.

This Simple Human sensor soap dispenser is the best. I wash some serious dishes in my house and I love not having to use both hands to add soap onto my sponge. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but once you’ve tried this baby, there’s no going back.  Just place your sponge under the spout, and out pours the perfect amount of soap…every time.

Okay, I admit it.  This one I don’t have personally…my sister has it.  But I LOVE it and I totally want it. I mean, who wouldn’t want an automatic one-handed pepper grinder, right?

What’s your favorite time-saving kitchen gadget?

The post {Friday Food Finds} Time Saving Kitchen Gadgets appeared first on Food Confidence.