 I was wandering the aisles of Trader Joes the other day and I happened upon a new possible smoothie addition in the frozen fruit aisle, Acerola Puree Packets. I was excited to learn that each 3.5oz packet contained 1180% vitamin C! I thought it would be a perfect ingredient to incorporate for a new immunity boosting smoothie I was working on. My favorite thing about using Acerola puree is that they contain NO sugar, making it a perfect low calorie addition to my morning smoothie!
Immunity Boost Smoothie (makes 2 smoothies) 1.5 cups of Unsweetened Almond Milk 1 frozen banana ¾ cup of frozen strawberries 1 Acerola Puree Packet (3.5 oz) 1.5 T nut butter (I use peanut butter) 2 tsp ground flaxseed 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp hemp seeds Directions: Combine all of the ingredients (minus the hemp seeds) into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Divide into two glasses and top with the hemp seeds. Directions to Make Ahead: Combine the banana, strawberries, Acerola packet, nut butter and ground flax into a freezer safe bag. Store in the freezer until ready to use. Add the contents of the bag along with the almond milk and vanilla to a high speed blender and blend until smooth!
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I am always amazed by some people's creativity with granola recipes. A few years ago I purchased some grain-free granola and I was blown away by how tasty it was! I couldn’t believe that granola didn’t need its usual main ingredient, oats, and that it could be just as flavorful without them. I found myself dreaming of that granola a few weeks ago as I was wandering the aisles of Trader Joes. I grabbed as many raw seeds and nuts as I could and decided to work on creating a similar recipe. The results were fantastic, and my family really liked it too. This granola is VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE and packed with plant power! I made a double batch this morning and enjoyed the sweet aroma that filled our home. The best part about granola is that it is PERFECT for a quick make ahead breakfast, or snack. We hope you enjoy this Seed and Nut Grain Free Granola recipe. Let us know if you try it!
Ingredients
¾ cup raw cashew pieces ¾ cup raw sunflower seeds ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds ½ cup chopped raw pecans ¾ cup sliced raw almonds ¾ cup unsweetened coconut chips (I found mine at Trader Joes) 1T raw flax seed ½ T melted coconut oil ¼ cup maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla ½ tsp cinnamon ¼-½ cup of raisins or mixed dried berries Directions
Weed Water has been a staple in my family for many years (no, not that kind of weed...). It was created by my uncle as a way to use up all of the mint and lemon balm in my grandma’s summer garden and has since then been something we’ve all enjoyed year after year. It truly isn’t summer until we’re enjoying weed water by the pool.
Weed water?! Why is it called that? Well, in truth, mint and lemon balm, the primary ingredients in weed water, are quite invasive plants. You need to be careful when planting them, making sure to use separate containers or they will slowly but surely take over your garden much like weeds do, hence the reason we call it Weed Water. This is a wonderful make ahead solution that will reduce the temptation to turn to sugary drinks on warm summer afternoons. While there is no right or wrong way to make this, please make sure that all of your herbs are rinsed thoroughly! Leave a comment and let us know what you used in your “weed” water. Happy summer!! 
Ingredients
A handful of fresh spearmint (leaves and stems)* A handful of fresh sweet mint or peppermint (leaves and stems)* A handful of fresh lemon balm (leaves and stems) Water Directions
* You can use any type of mint but this recipe is my favorite. ** Make sure your pitcher is safe to handle boiling water. 
This week I was on a quest for easy freezer friendly waffles. I haven’t been able to find a good frozen waffle from the grocery store so I decided to try making my own recipe. I also wanted to incorporate Buckwheat flour because I read that it is a good source of easily digestible plant based protein and is good for heart health. The results turned out great! I was able to enjoy one (ok.. more like 2) and place the cooled waffles directly in the freezer. The next morning I popped one in the toaster and within minutes I had a “fresh off the waffle iron” crispy waffle!! I made some blueberry jam from my Peanut Butter and Blueberry Chia Seed Oatmeal recipe and stored it in the fridge for an easy topping! These are the PERFECT make-ahead solution for your busy weekday mornings. I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients (makes 5-6 waffles) 1 T lemon juice 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup buckwheat flour ¼ cup all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1T ground flaxseed 3T coconut sugar (or white sugar) ½ tsp cinnamon ⅛ tsp nutmeg Directions
I have been experimenting and doing lots of research with protein powders and vitamins this past week. As a vegetarian I am often searching for creative ways to add protein to my diet. I came across the brand Nuzest and I ordered a small pack of their vanilla pea protein powder with the intent on adding a couple of scoops to my smoothies. I really liked the idea of pea protein vs. soy! It was expensive vs. other brands that I have seen, but I was fun to try something new. If you are making this smoothie, feel free to use ANY brand of protein powder. Please share in the comments section below and let me know what your favorites are so I can try them too! If you don’t have protein powder, just eliminate it from this smoothie and add raw hemp seed instead. I also discovered some amazing peanut butter from Trader Joes, “Organic Creamy Peanut butter with Valencia peanuts.” It only has one ingredient, organic peanuts!! My trick with one ingredient peanut butter is to turn it upside down in your pantry so that the oils incorporate. Your peanut butter will be super creamy without all the oil on top and no need to stir!! I combined these new found ingredients with three kinds of berries and some oat milk and the results were fantastic!! I Hope you enjoy this Make ahead of Monday treat as much as I do and I hope it makes for a yummy start to your Monday morning!
Ingredients 1.5 cups unsweetened oat milk ½ tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp vanilla protein powder (optional) 1 frozen banana ½ cup frozen strawberries ¼ cup of fresh or frozen raspberries 1T creamy peanut butter 1 acai packet (can be found at Trader Joes in the frozen aisle) Directions
I have a fond memory of going to my Great Aunt Rosemary and Uncle Mickey’s house in Arizona when I was a kid. They had a large pool in their backyard and we would swim and have lunch with them each time we visited Arizona. My Aunt always served good food, and I especially remember loving her sloppy joes! My sister and I would add chips to our sandwich for an extra crunch and scoop up the extra filling on our plates with more chips. There is something special about a sloppy joe sandwich that makes me think of those sunny days by their pool in AZ. Today this Vegan version is dedicated to my Great Aunt and Uncle who have since passed away. I hope you enjoy this flavorful sandwich and that it is accompanied by sunny days and happy moments.
Ingredients ½ cup diced yellow onion 1 small green pepper diced 1T olive oil 16oz tempeh ¾ cup of tomato sauce ½ cup ketchup 1T yellow mustard 1T apple cider vinegar 2 tsp brown sugar ½ tsp onion powder ½ tsp garlic powder 1tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper Directions
This past fall I had the privilege of taking a 10 year college reunion vacation with my college roommates/best friends. We decided on Portland because it was a new place for all of us and one that we have heard great things about in the past. For the first time in my life, my high expectations were truly exceeded, Portland was MAGICAL. If you know me well, you know that I am quite shy and that I don’t often talk to strangers, well not Portland Danielle, I was having full on conversations with uber drivers, feeding the homeless, asking baristas what their favorite drink was on the menu, actively looking for an opportunity to meet the members of my favorite band, Ages and Ages, and smiling while walking in the rain … Portland. Was. PERFECT! We stayed in the cutest AirBNB along a street packed with culture, unique shops, vegan and vegetarian restaurants, a kombucha bar and a double decker bus that was actually a tea place! We stayed up late doing nails, sipping tea, chatting and acting like we did when we all lived together. One of my roommates Traci is an incredible artist and she documented the joy of that trip perfectly in one of her daily drawings. She creates a Daily “Quipple” which is an inspirational drawing or quote and if you sign up, it gets delivered to your inbox every single day! In college she would literally document every single day with drawings of “us” that we housed in “the book.” This was one of her inspirations for creating the Daily Quipple! Please check it out, she’s AMAZING! Click on the picture to see more of her amazing work and to learn more of her story!!
Anyway, back to food. My other roommate/best friend, Olivia, found this great smoothie place for us to have breakfast at and we went every day while we were there. I ordered the same smoothie each day and have been dreaming about that smoothie since our trip to Portland. It has been my mission to recreate it as best as I could... so, today, I decided to and.. WOW, I did it! This is my dedication to Portland, my soul city, and one that showed me one of the best vacations of my life!!! Cheers to soul friends, soul cities, health and happiness!
Ingredients (makes one large or two small smoothies)
1 frozen banana ½ cup frozen strawberries 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk 1-1.5 T creamy peanut butter 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 acai packet (can be found at Trader Joes in the frozen aisle) Sprinkle of raw hemp seeds Directions to enjoy right NOW!
Directions to Make Ahead
I always love a good recipe that sneaks in vegetables and other nutritious ingredients without sacrificing any of what we all crave. These brownies are inspired by the leftover sweet potato that has been sitting on my counter since last weekend + a strong craving for chocolate! My friend Dave got me interested in Cacao powder and I decided to give it a try in these brownies as well and they turned out GREAT! The best part of these brownies is that they are AMAZING as leftovers straight from the fridge. They take on a fudge like quality and can be enjoyed all week!
Ingredients 1 cup almond flour ½ cup of Cacao Powder (or cocoa powder) ¾ cup of coconut sugar or white sugar 1tsp baking powder 2 flax eggs (2T ground flax + 6T water) ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk ¾ cups of chocolate chips (make sure they are vegan) ½ cup coconut oil ½ tsp vanilla extract ⅓ cup creamy almond butter 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato **see notes Directions
NOTES *** These brownies are moist and fudgy, they may look like they are not done, but they are! Make sure you let them cool completely before cutting, eating and enjoying. ** SUPER EASY Sweet Potato Mash
Does anyone remember that silly song, I like to eat apples and bananas?” Creating these muffins brought me back to those fun lyrics, and truly made me miss my students even more! I always sing this song for my 1st graders around this time of the year, and now with the distance learning taking place, I am really truly missing seeing their faces light up when we do fun silly songs such as this one. Anyway, back to the world of food. These VEGAN muffins are stuffed with plant based goodness and are easy to make and a fun breakfast treat you can enjoy throughout the week. I also snuck in some protein with the addition of the oat flour, which, if you haven’t tried making oat flour before, is VERY easy. You simply add whole oats to a blender and blend until it looks like flour! I use oat flour in pancakes too, so I always make a bunch and store it in a large airtight container for easy use! I hope you enjoy these muffins! If you make them tag us on social media!
Ingredients (makes 12 muffins)
1 flax egg (1T ground flax + 1.5T water) - you can also use 1 chicken egg if not vegan 2 overripe bananas mashed ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup avocado oil ½ tsp vanilla 2T unsweetened plain almond milk (or any other non dairy milk) ½ cup oat flour (oats ground up in high speed blender into flour) 1 cup all purpose flour 1+1/2 tsp baking powder 1tsp cinnamon 1 heaping cup of peeled green apples diced very small 
Directions (updated 05/05/20)
For those of you who don’t know, I come from an amazing and rather large extended Italian family. My great grandma, Nana, and grandma, whom we call Mima, along with my mom and all of her five brothers are amazing cooks! When I was growing up we used to gather at Mima and Papa’s house for weekly Sunday dinners where we almost always had pasta. I loved Spaghetti dinners so much and these dinners have always been some of my favorite childhood memories. Before I left for college many years ago, I asked my Mima to show me how to make her marinara sauce. She told me that fennel was the KEY to the tanginess, and that red wine really added depth of flavor. I hope you enjoy this simple Red Wine Marinara sauce that is even BETTER the next day and therefore perfect for your Make Ahead of Monday needs! Bon Appetit!
Ingredients
½ yellow onion chopped 2 cloves of garlic minced 1T olive oil 4 - 16oz cans of organic tomato sauce 2 tsp crushed fennel seed (or more for taste) 2 - 3 T of dry red wine 2 tsp dried basil or 4 tsp chopped fresh basil Dash of salt 
Directions
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AuthorI am a music teacher, professional musician and a vegetarian. I created this site with the mission to share recipes that make life a little more organized, and enjoyable! Archives
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