Busy. Despite the more laid back schedules that seem to accompany summer...or winter, spring, or fall for that matter...it's still so busy! Whatever makes your life busy here's a quick, simple and healthy muffin for breakfast or snack with no need to even turn on the oven.

 

I don't know about all of you out there, but breakfast at our house can get a little monotonous.  Do you want oatmeal, or eggs?  When we have time, gluten free pancakes or waffles can be added to the list of possibilities.  But, more often than not even those choices get reduced to, "Here, scarf this down while we drive or you'll be late for school!" So I decided to break up the reruns with these Breakfast Fruit Tarts.  You can make the tart mixture the night before so all you have to do is pop them in the oven the next morning while you get ready.  A healthy breakfast is served and you can eat it on the run too!  

It's kind of a funny story how this cake came to be...it all began with a lemon and an idea to make healthy lemon squares.  After some experimentation, major failure (twice), contemplation and adaptation out of the oven came this beauty. The end result...moist almond cake with lemony hints topped with sweet coconut cream...you might forget its good for you ;)P.S. I was in too big of a hurry to let my coconut milk cool in the fridge so it was a little runny, but don't worry it was still super yummy!

This one's perfect for a Hawaiian vacation or whenever you're just imagining yourself on a beach somewhere.4 bananas, peeled and frozen1-2 tsp. vanilla extract1 large mango, peeled and cut into small chunks4 oz. blackberriesServes 2Peel bananas and place in either a large plastic container.  Cover and freeze overnight.When you're ready for ice cream simply place frozen banana pieces and vanilla into a good food processor into an ice cream consistency. Have your mango chopped up and ready to go before you start whipping though.

Today my kids were asking for something "yummy" to snack on after school.  Sound familiar?  The after school snack rush is always eventful with my 7 year old frantically scavenging through the pantry and fridge.  He's convinced that if he doesn't eat in the next five seconds he will literally "starve to death".  So while they helped themselves to some "ants on a log" (only the best healthy kid snack ever: celery stick topped with peanut butter and raisins or "ants") I whipped up these pumpkin surprise muffins for when the peanut butter ran out. Wondering what the surprise is?  Don't tell the kids, but these muffins have no refined sugar like most muffins, ground flax, and....(pause for effect)....pureed black beans in place of oil.  Yep, amazingly you don't taste the beans, but you get all the fiber, protein and vitamins anyway. These muffins are moist and filling.  Perfect for those starving growing 7 year-old's snack attack.  Just tell you're kids that the dark chocolate chips and crunchy walnuts are the surprise, they'll never know :) P.S.  Don't you just love the tin foil instead of muffin liners.  Guess I better put that on my grocery list for next time :)

  I love desserts, but they don't always have to be puffed pastries and chocolate (although that is nice ;)  Sometimes you need something sweet and fruity!  The nectarines looked so good in the grocery store so I decided to adopt them, grill them, and top them with  some maple balsamic reduction (a.k.a sticky, goodness).  So yummy! The nutrient content of real maple syrup is higher than that of imitation syrup, which is composed mainly of sugars with no vitamins or minerals.  Real maple syrup has manganese and zinc, minerals that can boost immune health. It also contains small amounts of other beneficial minerals and vitamins, including calcium, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, potassium and magnesium.Balsamic-Maple Grilled Nectarines 4 nectarines or peaches 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp. 100% pure maple syrup (no corn syrup flavored substitute!)And that's all :) Begin by cutting your nectarines in half and removing the stone inside.  They need to be a firm ripe, but not ripe enough that they're squishy or you'll just end up with a mushy, albeit tasty, mess.  Place nectarines cut side down onto your grill or griddle. Grill for only a couple minutes Meanwhile pour the vinegar and REAL maple syrup into a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and allow the reduced maple vinegar to thicken as it cools.  The nectarines are probably done at this point. Place nectarines on a plate, drizzle with maple vinegar and enjoy your sticky guilt-free dessert! Enjoy! 

This was a staple food item in our home growing up.  My mom, an avid gardener, always had more fresh zucchini than she needed and that meant lots of zucchini muffins.  So for me, late summer means zucchini muffins.  Since I'm prone to nostalgia, I don't venture too far from mom's classic zucchini muffin recipe, except that it's gluten free and no refined sugar.

 

You know whenever you see the bananas on your counter start to go brown and get a little mushy that it's time to make banana bread! I may be biased, but my mom makes the best banana nut bread.  I was hesitant to mess with the perfection of her recipe. Obviously it needs to be gluten free so I'm going to have to make some changes anyway, but aside from that I've made a commitment to myself to significantly cut out refined sugars and over-processed foods from my family's diet. I was pleasantly surprised that by switching out a couple ingredients with healthier alternatives, the bread still tasted as good as mom's!

Awww, chocolate :)  It makes you smile just saying it.  Can you believe that this delectable dessert contains no flour, eggs, vegetable oil, butter, milk or sugar? It's not even cooked.  In fact this cool treat is practically ice cream (without the cream). First you'll need a good blender or food processor.1 cup walnuts1/4 cup raw, unfiltered honeyBlend until walnuts and honey stick together and look sort of like crumbs then add remaining ingredients one at a time.  Blending as you go until smooth and creamy.  You're going for pudding consistency.2 tbsp organic peanut butter, almond butter, or sunbutter

 For all those birthdays or parties when you just need to throw some confetti. 1/2 cup honey1/2 cup melted butter3 eggs1 1/2 tsp. vanilla1 tsp. almond extract1/2 cup almond milk (original, not sweetened)1 tsp. orange extract + 1/2 tsp orange zest1/4 tsp. sea salt1-1/2 cup gluten free flour blend6 tbsp. ground flaxseed Mix all wet ingredients together then combine the dry and mix all together.  Preheat oven to 350. Pour mix into 12 cupcake cups 3/4 of the way full then bake for 30-35 minutes. While they're baking make the confetti top. Almond orange glaze1/4 cup organic powdered sugar1-2 tbsp. almond milk 2-3 tsp. orange juiceWhisk together (adjust almond milk and sugar until its a thick creamy consistency) Almond chocolate Confetti1/4 cup almonds, slivered or chopped 1/4 tsp (just a drizzle) agave nectar 1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips In a small pan place chopped almonds and agave nectar and toast for a minute. When cupcakes are done remove from cupcake pan to cool for a few minutes.  Drizzle a little glaze on tops of cupcakes so the almonds and chocolate chips have something to stick to.  Top with your confetti concoction, then drizzle a little more glaze over top the almonds and chocolate chips.  (If you eat them while they're still warm the chocolate chips are soft and slightly melted)  So, so yummy! *Flaxseed is not only the highest plant derived source of omega 3 fatty acids and a great source of fiber, but can be substituted in place of butter, margarine, oil, and eggs. * Almonds are "very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Riboflavin, Magnesium and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol)." It is also a mild anti-inflammatoryRead More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3085/2#ixzz1NJIXI05h Here's a fun tip if you look at the shape of nuts like walnuts, what do they look like? A brain.  Now look at an almond.  It shares a vague resemblance to reproductive organs, like woman's ovaries.  So guess what.  Walnuts are great for your brain and almonds are great for...yep your reproductive organs.  Kind of cool right?    "Products which balance hormones [are] primrose oil, flaxseed oil, soya products...and nuts like walnuts, almonds...."

Read more: http://www.lifemojo.com/lifestyle/tips-for-women-to-fight-hormonal-imbalance-6563154#ixzz1NJKo87iG

 

 This is a camping favorite, wrapped in tin foil and set in the fire coals. It also is a yummy oven baked dish on any night. The apples are soft, but still with a slight crisp and the stuffing is caramelized and crunchy.  Yummy!