Low Carb Chicken Nuggets | 1g of Carb Per Nugget! | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Keto | Whole30 | Paleo

These chicken nuggets take about five minutes to put together and twenty minutes to bake (or ten if you’re using the air fryer!) They have white meat in the center but are golden and crispy outside with the almond flour coating.  It doesn’t matter how old you are; chicken nuggets are second to best next to pizza. Pizza is always my number one.

The last time I went to Chik-fil-a, I had them give me a ton of their sauce packets. Actually, I heard you could purchase their sauce on Amazon now! I may have to do that. But, dipping the chicken nuggets in the Chik-fil-a sauce has been pure heaven! You could also make these and top them with buffalo, barbeque, or any sauce you like to make a boneless wing style entree!

Speaking of, I’m going make a huge tray of these for the Superbowl with different sauces! They’ll be my boneless wing appetizer for game day. The funny part is I have no idea when/who is playing in the Superbowl. I’m just here for the commercials, the halftimes how, and the food. 

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Carbless Chicken Nuggets | Simply Taralynn

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch,, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken nuggets, gluten-free, dairy-free, low carb, dinner, kid-friendly, keto, low carb diet, carbless

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt

Instructions

• preheat oven to 385
• In a bowl, combine the almond flour, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and garlic salt together.
• Roll oversized tablespoons of the ground chicken into chicken nugget shapes.
• Coat the chicken with the almond flour mixture and place on a baking sheet.
• Cook each side for about 10-12 minutes.

I found these cute little food baskets at Hobby Lobby in the picnic section. They’re so fun to use for fries, burgers, hot dogs, and other summer style foods. I place parchment paper down first and then add the food. It also saves on dishes, too!  I cannot wait to hear what you think of these carbless chicken nuggets! Make sure to tag me or come back and share your feedback!  Have a wonderful weekend. Everyone!

Questions for you!

1. What is your favorite sauce to dip chicken nuggets in?
2. Do you want to see more low carb Superbowl recipes?
3. What movie/show should we watch tonight?

There’s nothing better than ending a summer night with homemade ice cream. We love making new flavors, but cookie dough has been a popular one lately. This flavor is vegan, gluten-free, and easy to customize.
It’s safe to say that the ice cream maker we purchased last summer has been the best investment. I sometimes dread buying an appliance because I feel like I won’t use it and it’ll take up shelf space, but our ice cream maker gets used more than the toaster. And I eat a lot of avocado toast, so that’s saying a lot. I already have my pumpkin spiced latte ice cream ready to go for a Fall recipe, so if you don’t have an ice cream maker yet, you may want to invest in one! It’s a lot of fun coming up with your own flavors, and it’s much cheaper than buying those overpriced pints at the grocery store. 

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a boomerang of my cookie dough ice cream on Instagram. I didn’t realize so many people loved cookie dough ice cream, but the requests for this recipe was high. I’m so excited for you all to try this one because it’s practically heaven in a bowl. We sat outside on the patio last night with our bowls of ice cream, and I had the “I never want summer to end” feeling for the first time in a long time. 

Making ice cream used to sound intimidating to me, but it’s one of the easiest desserts to make. For the base of my ice cream, I add light coconut milk, almond milk, sugar, tapioca flour, sea salt, and vanilla. This is almost always my ice cream base to make it creamy while keeping it dairy-free. You can make swaps to change it up, which we do all the time if we don’t have an ingredient on hand. You can change the sugar to monk fruit or stevia if you want to keep it sugar-free, and you can use any nut milk to replace the almond milk. 

I start by blending all the ingredients on high, giving it a taste-test with a spoon to see if it needs a splash of anything else, and then add it to my ice cream maker. We always keep the base of the ice cream maker in the freezer that way we can have ice cream anytime we want.  

Since I was making cookie dough ice cream, I added a few cookies to the oven while the ice cream churned.

I took the easy way out and bought vegan cookie dough for this recipe. 

If you don’t feel like purchasing the store-bought cookie dough, you can make homemade vegan and gluten-free cookies for this recipe. I’ve done it plenty of times, and it turns out delicious. I use my chocolate chip cookie recipe and keep the baking soda and flaxseed out. There’s no need to add them in if you’re not baking the dough.
If you don’t like coconut, you should still try out this recipe. The coconut tastes is so mild, and most non-coconut fans who try this recipe end up loving it. 

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Homemade Cookie Dough Ice Cream | gluten-free & vegan

Course Dessert

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Equipment

• Ice Cream Maker

Ingredients

• 1 can light coconut milk 13.5 FL OZ
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk any nut milk works
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsps tapioca flour
• 1/3 cup sugar or any sweetener of your choice
• 1 cup vegan cookie dough homemade or store-bought

Instructions

• Add the coconut milk, unsweetened almond milk, vanilla, sea salt, tapioca flour, and sugar to a blender. Mix on high until smooth
• Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and let it churn for 25-minutes.
• Fold in the crumbled up cookie dough.
• Enjoy!

I’ve never been a huge fan of the store-bought cookie dough ice cream. I feel as if you don’t get many chunks of cookie dough and it’s just globs of vanilla ice cream, but with this recipe, you can add as much cookie dough as you’d like, and the coconut makes it more of a creamy soft-serve, which is my favorite!

I hope you all have an amazing weekend! Ours will be filled with backyard picnics and sticky ice cream fingers!

Questions for you!

1. Come up with the coolest ice cream flavor, and I’ll make it for the blog! 
2. Do you have an ice cream maker?
3. What are you doing this weekend?

Good Morning,

I’m sipping some coffee and putting off packing until the last minute. I have to be at the airport in a few hours, but packing is the last thing I want to do right now. I’m taking in all the dog cuddles as they sit next to me while I blog. Before I head to Miami, I wanted to share a recipe for pumpkin spice energy bites! These are delicious, and I’m bringing a batch with me on the trip! Even my non-pumpkin-loving boyfriend loves them. 
These pumpkin spice bites are made with only four ingredients: pumpkin spice, dates, cashews, and almonds. They taste like a decadent pumpkin pie and are the perfect treat for fall. They take about ten minutes to make and perfect for on-the-go.

I think they go even better with a homemade pumpkin spice latte  
I bought most of the ingredients from Trader Joe’s because I find that they have the best selection of nuts for the best prices. I never feel bad about using a whole bag of nuts on a recipe when they come from Trader Joes. Now, if I buy them at Whole Foods, I try to be stingy with my nuts because hello, expensive! Anyone else?  
If you can’t use almonds or cashews, you can sub them for walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, or any other nuts! And if you do not want to use dates, go ahead and use dried figs as a replacement. I’ve used dried figs for a lot of my energy ball recipes, and they turn out just as good. 
In the food processor, I crush the almonds and cashews. Once those are all chopped, I add in the dates. If it’s too crumbly, I’ll add about a teaspoon of water until I get a perfect consistency. You want it to be gooey, but not too gooey. Makes sense? Cool.

Then, add in the best part…the pumpkin spice!  
I used a tablespoon to measure and rolled them up into bite-sized balls.

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Four-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Energy Balls

Keyword gluten free, dairy free, vegan, energy balls, pumpkin spice, paleo, whole30, healthy, snacking, vegan, vegetarian, raw diet

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Author Taralynn McNitt

Equipment

• food processor

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Raw Cashews
• 1 Cup Raw Almonds
• 7 Dates (pitted)
• 2 Tbsps Pumpkin Spice

Instructions

• Add cashews and almonds to the food processor and chop.
• Add the dates.

  **you may need to add tsp of water to help combine**
• Add in the pumpkin spice
• Roll into tablespoon sized balls!
• ENJOY!

I’m so excited to head out with my best friend on a trip today! When I get back, expect some fall decorating videos, fall recipes, more California blogs (i know I’m behind), Miami blogs, VLOGS, and…….the big news!!! xo xo

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Remember to take a moment of silence today for the families & beautiful souls who lost their lives 18 years ago today. 9/11 NEVER FORGET  

Questions for you

1. Do you ever get the nut-guilt when they are so expensive?
2. Are you team pumpkin pie or apple pie?
3. Anyone else still facing the upper 90-degree temps!

When we have cooler temperatures and overcast skies, I get the urge to blog more fall content. After posting a photo of my homemade pumpkin spice latte on my Instagram a few days ago, I had a ton of DM’s asking for the recipe. I was going to hold off until later this month, but since we’re having one of those cooler days, I thought it would the perfect time to cozy up on the couch and share my go-to pumpkin spice latte recipe!  
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share this recipe. I’ve been making my homemade pumpkin spice lattes for the past couple of years, and they never let me down. They are much healthier and cheaper than the ones at Starbucks.

Let’s just say you were going to order a tall almond milk PSL at Starbucks without the whip. Here’s what you’re workin’ with!

Almondmilk [Filtered Water, Almonds, Sugar, Calcium Carbonate, Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol)]
Pumpkin Spice Sauce [Sugar, Condensed Skim Milk, Pumpkin Puree, Contains 2% Or Less Of Fruit And Vegetable Juice For Color, Natural Flavors, Annatto, Salt, Potassium Sorbate], & Brewed Espresso.

Starbucks: 180 Calories, 4.5g Fat, 31g Carbs, 1g Fiber, 28g Sugar, and 4g protein. 

Pro tip: if you want to go lighter, ask for a tall, no whip, pumpkin-spice cappuccino with only one pump of the syrup. It’s just as good and pretty much cuts the sugar in half. 

The drink is filled with a lot of added sugar. Lately, that has been my main concern with my eating habits. I’ve been trying to avoid added sugar as much as I can because it doesn’t agree with me. Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat yourself to a spiced pumpkin latte at Starbucks this fall, but it does mean you shouldn’t treat yourself to a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks every day. But, if you make them at home, you can treat yourself to one every single day without feeling any sugar crash. 

The homemade pumpkin spices lattes I make have:

homemade: 66 Calories, 8g Carbs, 3g Fat, 1g Protein, 2g Sugar, 1g Fiber

ARE STARBUCK’S PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES VEGAN?

A lot of people assume that if they order the pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks with almond milk and no whip that they are dairy-free, but that’s not true. The pumpkin spice sauce has condensed skim milk. So the rumor going around saying that the pumpkin spiced lattes were vegan is false. I believe that some of the Starbucks in Europe carry the vegan pumpkin spice syrup, but not over here in the U.S.
If you do not have an espresso machine or milk frother, no worries; you can warm up the milk on the stovetop, and the blender will give your warm milk the extra froth it needs. If you do not have espresso, make extra strong coffee, and use that instead. You can also buy canned espresso at the grocery store, which works great in this recipe.

All you need is 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp pumpkin spice, 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree, two shots of espresso, and monk fruit if you like your coffee drinks sweet.

I started by frothing my milk and making my espresso shots.

I added the frothed milk, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice to the blender on high for 30 seconds. If you do not have a milk frother, this will be the step that fluffs up your latte.

I poured the pumpkin spiced almond milk into my mug with my espresso. You can add a coconut whipped topping if you’d like, but I keep mine pretty simple. 
I seriously look forward to my pumpkin spice latte every afternoon. Whenever I’m doing any fall baking for the blog, I put myself in the mood with one of these!

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Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Keyword vegan, dairy free, gluten free, healthy , pumpkin spice latte, psl, starbucks, coffee drink, espresso, fall, pumpkin

Prep Time 4 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (i use the 365 brand because it froths the best)
• 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla
• 1 Tsp Pumpkin Spice
• 2 Shots Espresso (or extra dark coffee)
• monk fruit optional

Instructions

• Froth milk and brew espresso
• Add frothed milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and vanilla to a blender on high for 30-seconds. (this would be where you add your monk fruit sweetener)
• Add pumpkin flavored milk to the mug with the espresso
• Sprinkle pumpkin spice (Or coconut whipped cream) on top.

I hope you all enjoyed this pumpkin spice latte recipe! Make sure to tag me if you make it at home. I love seeing your recipes creations and sharing your pics! Have a great day!

Questions for you!

1. Do you love the pumpkin spiced lattes?
2. My favorite drink is the peppermint mocha from Starbucks! Should I make that one this December?
3. What do you look forward to in the afternoons?

PS: I finally got around to filming my pantry clean out the video!! It was SUCH A DISASTER! Make sure to check out that video!

I wish you all could see my set up right now. The windows are open because it’s 64 degrees outside, I have half of my computer screen playing fall craft videos, and I’m currently sipping on a homemade pumpkin spice latte. Remember when I said I was going to enjoy the season I’m in? Well, this summer is starting to look a bit like fall. Although, in about two more hours, we’ll be hitting close to the nineties. Funny how that works.

A few minutes ago, I posted a photo of my breakfast on my Instagram story. I have never received so many DM’s in under a minute asking for a recipe before. Apparently, you all are craving pumpkin spice as well. I decided to hop on the blog to share how I made my pancakes this morning. I sometimes forget that a blog post can also be a quick write-up and doesn’t have to be this well thought out blog post with high definition photos. To be honest, I miss this style of blogging. I love being able to hop on whenever and write whatever I feel, even if it’s a recipe filled with iPhone pictures.
This weekend, Kyle and I are going to be getting the house ready for my fall takeover. The pink rug in the living room is going to be rolled up and stored in the attic because it’s not going to fit my fall decor. I do love that rug, so it will be making a comeback in the spring. We are going to look for an ivory rug and a rustic coffee table. We would use the old one, but that has found a new spot in the guest bedroom, and it’s perfect for storing all the extra pillows and blankets. My kitchen table is currently covered in fall crafts just waiting for me to dive into them. I’m pretty excited about bringing that content to the blog this year. I’m taking DIY to a whole new level, and you’d believe me if you saw that twelve large paper mache pumpkins sitting in the dining room…
I had been craving pancakes for the past month. I just finished the Whole30, and that post will be up tomorrow! Even though ingredients are compliant with Whole30, you still cannot have them. It’s a weird rule that I didn’t like, but I decided to stick to it. Now, I am making Whole30 compliant pancakes that the 30 days are up. I’m still trying to eat as Whole30/paleo as possible, but not limiting things like honey, compliant recipes, or their meal plan format. I hope that makes sense!

But these pancakes were outstanding and super quick to make! The pumpkin spice flavor is STRONG, so this isn’t for the “I’m not sure if I like pumpkin” type of person. It’s either love pumpkin or go home for this recipe! Oh, and the egg whites in this recipe make these pancakes super duper fluffy!

Anyways, here’s my recipe!

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Pumpkin Spice Paleo Pancakes

Course Breakfast

Keyword pumpkin spice, healthy recipes, breakfast, gluten free, dairy free, paleo, pancakes, low carb, no added sugar

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 4 Large Egg Whites
• 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
• 1/4 Cup Almond Flour
• 1 Tbsps Pumpkin Spice
• 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are soapy looking. (about 1 minute)
• Mix in the pumpkin, coconut flour, almond flour, pumpkin spice, and sea salt.
• Spray pan with avocado spray, and add 1/4 cup of the batter to a pan on medium heat.
• Cook the pancakes 2 minutes on each side.

Notes

Recipe makes 3 medium pancakes 

Nutrition for entire stack: 290 Calories, 16g Carbs, 14g Fat, 22g Protein, 4g Fiber, 6g Sugar

I ended up drizzling honey and almond butter on top of mine! 

I hope you all enjoyed this quick blog post! You’ll have to let me know if you’d like me to do more of these fast “pop-ins” on the blog! I hope you feel all warm in cozy with the fall vibes! Have a great Thursday & take alllllll the deep breaths because tomorrow is Friday!

Questions for you!

1. Are you looking forward to the fall DIY projects or pumpkin spice recipes?
2. Have you had anything pumpkin spice this week?

I have been cooking everything in it lately, and my oven has been feeling a bit neglected. About three weeks ago, I cut out all processed foods and added sugar from my diet, and I’ve been using my air fryer every night to make healthy and wholesome dinners. It’s made this new food journey a slice of cake, well not literally.

I get asked daily on Instagram for air fryer recipes, so I decided I’d document today’s lunch and share a little tutorial for those of you interested. I know I’m getting ahead here, but this weekend, I’ll be blogging air-fried almond flour chicken fingers (yum!)
The best part about this meal is that it takes about fifteen minutes to make, it’s easy cleanup, and I don’t have to worry about any leftovers. I purchased a pound of salmon from Trader Joe’s and cut them into individual portions for my meals. I’m usually team leftovers, but not when it comes to salmon.

Cooking vegetables in the air fryer is incredible as well. The oven takes about an hour for them to roast, but the air fryer is within minutes. In the summer, there’s nothing worse than a giant oven heating your entire house, and I love that the air fryer doesn’t heat things up. 
In the air fryer tray, I spray it with avocado oil to prevent anything from sticking. The tray itself is super non-stick, but the olive oil also adds an extra crisp to the food. The oil is optional, though. That’s the beauty of the air fryer,

I seasoned the salmon and brussels sprouts with onion salt and everything but the bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s. I cooked them at 375 for about 10 minutes. I always cook my salmon until it reaches 145-degrees. You never want to overcook salmon! 
While the salmon and brussels sprouts are cooking, I massaged the kale with Habanero Ranch dressing from Tessemae’s. This is the only non-dairy ranch that I have fallen in love with. I’ve been eating it on my chicken, vegetables, salads, and chopped veggies every day! It adds the perfect flavor and a small kick of spice to all of my food.

I love when the kale has time to sit and marinate in the dressing, so if you want to do this step first to give it more time, that’s what I usually do!
I’ve loved this little avocado & cucumber combo lately!

I chop up half of an avocado, two tbsps of red onion, one mini cucumber, and mix it with onion salt.

oh…perfection!! 
I topped the kale with the salmon, brussels sprouts, cucumber & avocado salad, and baby tomatoes.  I usually add an extra drizzle of the Tessemae’s dressing over the brussels sprouts to add more flavor.

This has been my go-to for lunch for the past few weeks, and I plan to keep on havin’ it!  
Questions for you!

1. Do you have an air fryer?
2. What is your go-to lunch?
3. Any request for air fryer recipes?

I’ve been focussing on eating less processed, more whole, and lower-sugar foods this summer. A few months ago, I found myself eating way too many “healthier” processed foods and not paying attention to added sugar in anything. I’ve been focussing on eating more “real-food” protein sources instead of relying on my protein powders or snack bars. I feel a lot better. I hardly ever need my afternoon cup of coffee, and I don’t experience the “sugar crash” at the end of the day.
These 3-ingredient brownies are WHOLE as it gets. A few years ago, I was on peanut butter and banana brownie kick. I made a recipe similar to this one with peanut butter, brownie, egg, and sweet potatoes. It was one of my favorites! Since I needed to use up the bananas before they went bad, I decided to make a similar recipe using only two other ingredients: almond butter & banana.

Please follow me on Instagram for more food inspiration! —> @TARALYNNMCNITT

These brownies are going to impress you! They are fudgy, super chocolatey, and just as sweet as the real deal. We don’t give bananas enough credit for their sugary goodness. You could probably trick your kiddos into thinking that they are eating the most demanded brownies. The top of the brownie’s texture reminded me of those cosmic brownies I used to eat as a kid.

This recipe makes 12 brownies, and the nutrition facts are pretty good!

98 Calories, 11g Carbs, 3g Fiber, 6g Fat, 3g Protein, 4g SugarTHREE INGREDIENTS
-Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
-3 Extra Ripe Bananas
-Salted OR Unsalted Almond butter.

And just because I used three ingredients for these brownies doesn’t mean you have to. You can use this recipe as your “base” and then add things you like such as cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate chips, or icing on top!
You can replace the almond butter with ANY nut butter of your choice. 
My favorite part is how easy these brownies are to make, and you probably already have all the ingredients in your house!  
Don’t let the batter go to waste. Grab a spatula and eat all the leftover batter! It’s the best part about making brownies.

Look how incredible they look! Hard to believe they’re made with only three ingredients. 😮 & if you want me to blog the sweet potato brownie recipe, let me know! It’s been a while since I’ve made them, but I’m sure I can figure out how I did it. This recipe makes 12 brownies!

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3-Ingredient Fudgy Brownies

These healthy fudgy brownies are made with only three ingredients! They're vegan, gluten-free, paleo, and budget-friendly.

Course Dessert, Snack

Keyword brownies, paleo, whole30 compliant,, snack, breakfast, healthy, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, on the go, whole foods

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 19 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Brownies

Calories 98kcal

Author Taralynn McNitt

Equipment

• oven

Ingredients

• 3 large bananas extra ripe
• 1/2 cup organic creamy almond butter salted or unsalted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350-degrees
• In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas until lump-free.
• Mix in the almond butter, and cocoa powder.
• Grease a baking sheet, and evenly distribute the batter into the pan.
• Bake 17-20 minutes.

  Use the toothpick method to determine if they're done.
• Let the brownies chill in the refrigerator for 45-minutes.
• Store in the refrigerator for best results.

I hope you try this recipe out! & if you do, don’t forget to tag me so I can see your creations! ♥️

Questions for you!

1. Do you have a favorite 3-ingredient recipe?
2. Do you find yourself eating healthier in the summer or winter?
3. Are you team walnuts in your brownie?

you may also like…

I have made these brownies weekly! Here are more photos. With an almond butter swirl on top! 
With sugar-free chocolate chips on top! 
Try it with unsweetened coconut! It toasts up perfectly! This time with an almond butter swirl and caramel chocolate on top!

SHARE YOUR PHOTOS WITH ME! (check out other submissions)

One of the first things I do when I wake up is preparing my coffee before my dog walk and grabbing a small bite to eat like half of a granola bar or a homemade muffin in the refrigerator. I’m one of those people that always wake up super hungry! I like to have something small in my stomach before going out on my walk or drinking a cup of coffee. That is why I love keeping energy balls or homemade muffins accessible in my refrigerator. Yesterday afternoon, I made a batch of double chocolate banana & almond butter muffins to store in the fridge for my mornings. I was peeling the bananas to put in the freezer for smoothies, but decided to use three of them for this muffin recipe! 
When I make muffins, I usually document them just in case they’re good enough to share. About 70% of the muffins I bake never make it to the blog. After taking a bite into these, I knew I had to share. I wanted to put this recipe out into the world as soon as possible!

One of my favorite parts about this recipe, beyond the taste, is the ingredients used. First off, you can make some easy swaps if you don’t have everything, but I love the simple ingredients! This muffin is made with coconut flour, almond butter, bananas, cocoa powder, sea salt, flax seeds, almond milk, baking soda, vanilla, and the chocolate chips and agave are totally optional! I may even leave the agave out next time because the bananas made the muffins naturally sweet on their own. I love a recipe with simple and whole ingredients. Plus, you probably already have most of these in your house!
These muffins pack a lot of energy and are the perfect pre or post-workout snack. They are also great for on-the-go breakfasts! If you’re a meal-prepper, I’d totally add this one to your list for the busy mornings. I think kids would also love this too! Chocolate for breakfast? Win! They won’t even know that it’s hiding almond butter, bananas, and flaxseeds behind all the chocolaty goodness. 
Let’s talk swaps!

NUT BUTTER

*peanut butter, cashew butter, tahini, or any nut butter can be used!

FLOUR

*you can replace the coconut flour for any all-purpose flour (almond flour will not work 1:1 as a replacement)

SWEETENER 

*the agave can be substituted for maple syrup, honey, or can be left out completely!

MILK

*almond milk can be replaced with any type of milk

COCOA POWDER

*even the cocoa powder is optional.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS

*don’t like chocolate chips? try adding in walnuts, white chocolate chips, or cranberries!

If you have any questions about replacements, let me know in the comments! 
.

I know it’s hard to wait, but allow these sweet muffins to cool before biting into one! 

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Double Chocolate Banana Almond Butter Muffins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 24 minutes minutes

Total Time 34 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Muffins

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 3 Large Bananas extra-ripened
• 1/4 Cup Almond Butter or any nut butter
• 3 Tbsps Ground Flaxseeds
• 6 Tbsps Warm Water
• 1/4 Cup Agave (honey or syrup)
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips I used EnjoyLife brand.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the warm water and flaxseeds. Set aside. 
• Sift together the coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt together. Set aside. 
• In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher until they are smooth.  Mix in the almond butter, agave, vanilla, and flaxseeds. Gradually add in almond milk. 
• Slowly add in the flour mixture and combine well.  Mix the cocoa powder into the bowl. 
  
• Fold in the chocolate chips. 
• Fill a muffin pan with liners and add about 1/2 cup of batter to each slot. 
• Bake 20-24 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean.)

  allow 20-minutes for cooling. 

  Best stored in refrigerator! 

Notes

Per Muffin: 180 Calories, 27g Carbs, 8g Fat, 5g Protein, 9g Sugar, 5g Fiber

This recipe makes 12 muffins!

Nutrition Per Muffin: 180 Calories, 27g Carbs, 8g Fat, 5g Protein, 9g Sugar, 5g Fiber
Allow the muffins to cool, and enjoy! I think I’ll try out this recipe again, but add in some coconut, or maybe even a coconut frosting on top for a decadent dessert. 
In my opinion, these are best served with a hot coffee!   If you have an Easter brunch planned, these would be great for the dessert table!
Questions for you!

1. Do you wake up hungry?
2. Should I try these with a coconut frosting?
3. Muffins with coffee or milk?

It’s going to be 65-degrees today, so after I close the laptop, I’m heading out on a long walk, and I may break out the bike! Before Kyle headed out the door for work this morning, we talked about picking up salmon and grilling out on the patio after the gym. That reminded me that I had forgotten about sharing my grilled salmon recipe from last summer! I went back into my albums, found the photos, and decided to get it up for you just in case you’re looking to grill this afternoon as well. We have flavored our shrimp, tofu, and chicken the same way, so if you’re not a salmon lover, you can replace it with your choice of protein.
When it’s warmer out, I crave anything with citrus flavors, especially on the grill.

This salmon recipe is absolutely to die for. The salmon had so much flavor, and it just fell apart so perfectly. The only regret was not making more! It’s easy to make, and I bet you already have most of the ingredients in your house. It’s also easy to customize! If you don’t have an orange, replace with a lime, lemon, or even grapefruit. No avocado oil? Any oil with work! No honey? Try agave or maple syrup.

For the shishito peppers, I pre-boiled them for about ten minutes, and then finished them on the grill with a little avocado oil, sea salt, and pepper! If you haven’t had shishito peppers yet, you’re in for a real treat! 
This post has me excited for tonight’s dinner!

Questions for you!

1. What fruit do you crave in the summer?
2. Have you ever had shishito peppers? (you can usually find them at Whole Foods & sometimes Trader Joe’s!)

Hi, Everyone! I’m finally back home from my long Disney trip, which was a blast by the way! It was an excellent way for me to take a break from the cold weather and escape my computer for a bit. Sometimes when I’m in a rut, a little vacation helps me dig my way out. I’m back home feeling refreshed and ready to work hard. I got home late last night and haven’t had a chance to stop at the grocery store to pick up my groceries. I knew I had bags of vegetables and cauliflower gnocchi in the freezer, so I wasn’t too concerned. I have a couple of appointments tomorrow, so I’ll stop by the store then! As I was making my cauliflower gnocchi for lunch this afternoon, I decided to take a few photos and share with you how I get the gnocchi extra crispy and firm. I get asked this question multiple times a day when I post the dish on my Instagram stories. The trick is to not follow the directions on the bag! I learned that one real quick.

Please follow me on Instagram for more food inspiration! —> @TARALYNNMCNITT

I went on a year hiatus from Trader Joes because I moved so far away from one. Since my tennis group plays near one, I stop by afterward to get all of the goods. A lot of you told me to try the cauliflower gnocchi, and now I’m hooked. Thank you for that. You can eat the gnocchi with any sauce, on top of a salad, or plain. After making this gnocchi extra crispy, I weirdly wanted to dip them into ketchup because they tasted like french fry meets tater tot.

You don’t need an air fryer or any other fancy appliance, but you will put these through the kitchen trio: microwave, stovetop, oven.

The cauliflower gnocchi is going to be frozen. To cook them evenly, you’ll want to microwave (not on the defrost setting) them first. Place the frozen gnocchi on a plate and microwave for 45 seconds. Use a spoon to toss them around and then microwave them for an additional 45 seconds.  While you’re doing this, preheat the oven to 435 degrees. 
You can choose any oil you want to cook these in. I usually go for a sesame oil when I’m making a spicier dish, or avocado oil when I add Kite-Hill cream cheese. For these, I used sesame oil. I added about two tablespoons of sesame oil with the defrosted gnocchi to a frying pan on high heat. Cook each side until they are golden brown and crispy. This is going to give you a nice crispy outside texture, but cooking them on the stove top isn’t going to take away the doughy and gumminess inside the centers. That’s where the oven comes in!
Once both sides of the gnocchi are golden, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14-16 minutes. When they are done, they’ll feel more like potato wedges and when you press down on them, they won’t be squishy or gooey.
I literally wanted to dip these all in ketchup because they were just like breakfast potatoes! Baking them after frying them is the key to making them super crispy! Now, as for the leftovers, you’ll have to rebake them to get them to crisp back up again, but they will still be more firm in the fridge than normal.
You could try giving them a toss halfway through baking, but I didn’t flip them at all, and they turned out evenly crispy. Since they were already crispy on the outside, I was more focused on firming up the gooey centers. 
Of course, everything is better with Everything But The Bagel Seasoning! It’s worth the hype. 
I like to keep the frozen french green beans from Trader Joes in the house too because they are so quick to cook up. I eat them with the gnocchi almost every night. Sometimes I’ll cook them in a gluten-free soy sauce or a Kite Hill cream cheese sauce. These green beans are always on my Trader Joe’s grocery list. 
I hope this little tutorial brings some extra crispy cauliflower gnocchi to your future!

Questions for you!

1. Have you tried the cauliflower gnocchi
2. What is one staple on your grocery list?
3. Are you a “directions on the box” follower?