Dairy-free

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Japanese Sweet Potato Mash

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If you haven’t tried Japanese (or murasaki) sweet potatoes yet, I don’t know what you are waiting for! These are becoming more widely available in grocery stores and in my opinion, they are the most delicious sweet potato variety (although I must say I love all varieties). These are the ones with a reddish purple skin and white “meat” inside. Anyways, I love them so much, I make them into everything including this delicious mash! You can totally do this recipe with another variety of sweet potato as well. Also note, I leave the skin on for extra fiber and texture but you could remove the skin.

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Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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My obsession with tahini is no joke. I love tahini - sweet, savory, in a sauce, in a baked good, on veggies, you name it! These bars are no exception. Tahini is made from sesame seeds, so this recipe is nut free for those with allergies. Tahini also naturally adds lots of protein, calcium (you wouldn’t guess that but it is one of the best sources), and healthy fats. The tahini also balances the sweetness in this recipe. They have that chocolate chip cookie taste but with an interesting twist and are not overly sweet but will satisfy your sweet tooth. Like I said, these are nut-free (allergy friendly), paleo, grain-free, gluten-free and refined sugar free! They make a great filling grab and go snack or dessert, or hey, even a breakfast. Hope you try them out!

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Coconut Sea Salt Caramel Snack Bars (Paleo-friendly, No-bake)

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These bars taste like candy if I do say so myself. I had a few toddlers taste test them and they agreed ;) However, they’re made from all whole foods ingredients. They’re super easy to whip up (you don’t even need to turn on the oven and you ONLY use your food processor) so there is minimal mess. Plus they’re full of filling healthy fats and fiber that help balance your blood sugar with the natural sweetness from the dates. So they’ll give you that long sustained energy instead of that spike, crash, then craving for another spike (we’ve all been there).

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Lemon Blueberry Muffins (Paleo-Friendly)

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These muffins truly encompass summer flavors in my opinion! They are a great breakfast or grab and go snack and have natural protein from the eggs and are lower in sugar. Like I said in the instructions, they are best when served warm, I love to reheat mine in the toaster oven. These can also be a great addition to meal prep!

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Banana Bread Blondies

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I’ve mentioned before that I have an issue where I HATE letting ripe bananas go to waste without baking with them. The benefit to you guys is lots of banana recipes! (If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you try my paleo banana donuts, banana flax waffles, granola stuffed banana cookies and my no-sugar-added banana bread!) Anyways, these blondies were the result of more ripe bananas and I thought, what HAVEN’T I made with ripe bananas … blondies! These also have no sugar added (sweetened only by banana), are paleo-friendly, gluten-free and make a great snack or dessert! They are a perfect healthy grab and go treat to add to your weekly meal prep!

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Bakery Style Choco-Chip Zucchini Muffins (paleo friendly)

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I don’t have kids yet (at least not kids that are outside of my stomach and that I have to feed separately from feeding myself) but I will very soon. And from what I’ve been told, lots of kids don’t love veggies. And let’s be honest, I meet lots of adults who don’t love them either. This is the perfect recipe for those people because the veggies are completely disguised in chocolate chip muffin form. And even if you LOVE veggies, this is a great way to get even more into your day. In my opinion, there is rarely such a thing as too many veggies. Anyways, this easy muffin recipe is paleo-friendly and free of all the usual suspects (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free) but it’s SUPER fluffy and satisfying. I hope you try them!

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Cocoa Cashew No Bake Energy Bites

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These energy bites seriously hit the spot… they’re fudgey and chocolatey and don’t require baking (hello summer is coming and I’m pregnant so oven-free will be KEY!). They have minimal sugar (and it’s coming from nutrient-dense sources like raw honey) plus they are packed with all my other faves - fiber, protein, healthy fats! They also have superfoods like cacao which is rich in magnesium, a mineral many Americans are deficient in. I used Thera Treats CBD dark chocolate in this because not only is it super high quality soy-free, organic dark chocolate but it has healing properties. CBD can help with pain management, anxiety, relaxation, sleep and more! You can use code CPRESS on your own CBD treats from their website if you want.

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Creamy Coconut Chia Pudding

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This recipe is stupid easy. You’ll do it once and be like “that was it?” … which, is one of the many reasons I love it so much. It’s also great for meal prep since it’s easy to make ahead, very portable, and lasts most of the week. This creamy coconut chia pudding can be eaten as a breakfast, snack, or even a topping for another food (ahem waffles and pancakes!) Bonus, it is completely free of processed ingredients and is full of healthy fats, fiber and protein to keep you full for a long while! Can’t wait to hear what your favorite toppings are.

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Avocado Hemp Seed Pesto

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This pesto is LOADED with healthy fats and is creamy and delicious to boot. The avocados and olive oil both provide those Mediterranean monounsaturated fats while the hemp seeds provide essential, anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. The hemp seeds are also a great plant-based source of protein (one of the few providing all 9 essential amino acids). So this recipe is doing all sorts of good for you! It’s also super decadent tasting and delicious on so many different foods (suggestions below). Bonus, it takes under 10 minutes start to finish!

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Sweet Potato Toast

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This recipe is SO easy it’s barely a recipe. But I find people do need instructions to make it, so here it is. I like to meal prep these and make 2-3 potatoes at once then take out a few slices when I’m hungry. They last pretty well in the fridge so it just makes it a lot easier later on.

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Paleo Fudge Brownie Protein Bars

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I’m pretty obsessed with these bars. They come out thinner than a brownie, and more like a protein bar thickness but they are fudgy and chewy! They are really filling from all the natural protein, fiber and healthy fats in the almond flour, flaxseed meal and collagen. Plus the cacao and CBD both give them a relaxing property. This makes them the perfect afternoon treat, when you hit that mid-day slump or after dinner treat to wind down before bed time. I used the thera treats caramel coconut drizzle flavor of CBD chocolate bars. Code CPRESS saves you 10% on their website! Recipe below.

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Honey Beet Muffins

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Get it it… honey beet like honey bee… ok never mind, I thought it was clever. Anyways, the honey and the beets go together perfectly in these muffins! They really compliment each other’s flavors. There isn’t too much honey, so they aren’t super sweet, but that makes them the perfect blood-sugar-balancing snack for any time of day! And they sneak in a serving of veggies, which is always welcomed! The amazing thing about beets is that they help our blood carry nitrates around our body, which means better oxygen flow, which means better heart health and cardiovascular function overall! That’s a win if you ask me. I used Cece’s Veggie Co beet noodles to take an extra step out of the process, plus they’re organic. You can find them near you here. Now for the muffins…

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Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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Who doesn’t love a good oatmeal cookie? These are perfectly chewy and not overly sweet, and they use almond flour instead of wheat flour so they are allergy and gut friendly! I used dark chocolate instead of raisins because who doesn’t need more chocolate in their life? Also this dark chocolate is special because not only is it high quality organic (gluten-free and vegan), it contains CBD, which, is a hemp extract that has a lot of healing benefits. CBD can help reduce physical pain, reduce anxiety and is overall calming and soothing. Since Theratreats only uses full spectrum organic CBD oil, there is no THC in it, so you don’t need to worry about any crazy side effects. I used the raspberries and cinnamon organic dark chocolate bar from Theratreats, you can use code CPRESS to save 10% off anything on their site!

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Cardio Collagen "Zoats"

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You may be thinking - what are “zoats”? Zucchini oats of course! The beautiful thing about these is that they are a great way to sneak in veggies without having to taste them. The zucchini just makes the oats fluffier, more voluminous and filling without adding a veggie flavor. It also adds fiber, vitamins and minerals! The oats take on the flavor of whatever you add to them or, if left plain, just taste like plain oats (which, is never a bad thing).

I love adding the Resync collagen blend to my “zoats” not only for the berry flavor but for all the health benefits. Collagen adds protein, supports joints and connective tissue, strengthens gut lining, reduces wrinkles in skin and so much more. And the unique Resync blend (which has been third party tested) contains red spinach, aronia berry and beet extract to improve blood flow and cardiovascular function, prevent oxidative damage, promote restful sleep and more! Hence why these are called “cardio” collagen zoats.

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Mini Chocolate Coconut Happy Muffins

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You might be thinking, why are these happy muffins? First of all - how can anything mini, chocolate and coconut not make you happy? Second of all - I added “Pretty Mushrooms” bliss blend (no it doesn’t taste like mushrooms). This blend contains medicinal mushrooms which are different than the creminis or shiitakes you buy at the store. These mushrooms are adaptogens, which, means they help our bodies adapt to and combat certain stressors and imbalances. This particular bliss blend contains reishi (which is known for relaxation), cacao (which contains magnesium that also helps with relaxation and tons of antioxidants), eleuthero root (which is known for mood boosting and relaxation) and ashwagandha (which is known to help combat stress). Winning combo if you ask me. Now to this recipe - it’s paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar free but not at all flavor free. And I love the mini size for when you just want something small and sweet or you can have a bunch at once for a filling snack.

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Cherry Chia Jam

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The peanut butter (or almond butter) and jelly classic combo truly never goes out of style in my opinion. However, some store-bought jellies can be full of extra, unnecessary ingredients that aren’t so great for you (refined or fake sugars, inflammatory oils etc.) This EASY 2 minute recipe makes a good sized batch of healthy jam that can be used in so many ways. By pairing the fruit with chia seeds, you achieve my “magic 4” of blood sugar stabilizing foods (protein, fat, fiber and phytonutrients). The cherries have fiber and phytonutrients and the chia seeds have protein, fat and fiber so this will leave you or your little ones feeling full and satiated not cranky and hungry. Bonus is that you get some gut-healthy apple cider vinegar snuck in with your PB&J!

I used “Seal the Seasons” frozen cherries for this recipe but you could also try it with another frozen fruit. I love Seal the Seasons since they source locally grown produce and freeze it at the peak of freshness and are available all over the country! They strive to make quality frozen produce affordable and available to the masses, and that is something I can get behind!

Cherry Chia Jam

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Butternut Squash Tahini Zig Zags

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So… I think you all know my love for tahini by now. Not only are sesame seeds (what tahini is made of) full of nutrients and amino acids (building blocks of protein), but I truly think tahini takes on a kind of unique flavor profile depending on what it’s paired with. I created this recipe when i was feeling “lazy” in the kitchen, and I knew I loved tahini and ghee together on cauliflower (see tahini cauli recipe) so I figured why not do a similar mixture on butternut squash. Well, the result was AMAZING, so I just had to share it on here. I used the Mann’s butternut squash “rotini” but if you can’t find that, there are similar products out there. You could also use butternut squash cubes, although you will need to increase cooking time. Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

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Citrus Ginger Winter Stir-Fry

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This recipe contains all the essentials for staying healthy through the winter cold and flu season, and all year for that matter. The ginger is anti-inflammatory, the dark leafy greens contain lots of anti-oxidants and nutrients like vitamin A & K, the meat contains energizing vitamin B-12, and the citrus and the beets have good ol’ vitamin C. It’s also easy and great for meal prep. Here is a link to the Mann’s veggie slaw blend I reference in the recipe.

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Broccoli Tots

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As if I needed another way to eat broccoli… for any of you that follow me on social media, you know that it’s my FAVORITE vegetable. However, this recipe is great, because it sneaks broccoli in for even the pickiest of eaters who think they don’t like broccoli. Broccoli is in the cruciferous vegetable family and contains beneficial compounds that help the body detox harmful substances and also fight free radicals in the body (AKA it has powerful antioxidants). You don’t need to memorize all that nutrition jargon but I think the jury is out, that broccoli is great for us! This recipe is super easy to make, grain and gluten-free, and can easily be made dairy-free with a substitution.

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Tahini Roasted Cauliflower

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The healthy fats in the tahini and ghee combine to make this cauliflower taste nothing short of decadent. It’s a quick recipe to whip up and I always crave it, so it has become one of my meal prep staples! It’s friendly for almost all diets, to make it vegan, you can switch the ghee to coconut oil. I hope you love it as much as I do!