Vanilla Spice Almond Butter

Hey My Vanilla Swirls!

Thanks for all of your encouraging comments on my last post. Living without air conditioning can be very brutal. The heat really killed my energy. But at least the air conditioner guy finally came and we are back in business!

What do I eat like — every morning?

Can you guess?

Vanilla Spice Almond Buttah drizzled on top of oatmeal, cinnamon, and chopped apple.

OATMEAL!

A Black Raspberry Cream Pie inside of a jar! Oatmeal, black raspberries, vanilla, cinnamon. OH MY GOSH!

Oh, and OIAJ.

My favorite part of OIAJ is when you reach the bottom and find the jewels.

The very best part -- the treasure trove at the bottom.

And what do I eat on top of my oatmeal every morning??

My Vanilla Spice Almond Butter!!!

OH YE-YE-YE-YESSSSSS!

Toast the almonds at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant. (SKIP THIS STEP IF YOU WANT RAW NUT BUTTER.)

Blend almonds in the blender. It’s best if you let the almonds cool slightly after being toasted before blending in the blender. The blender works more efficiently.

Once in crumbles, add spices.

Scrape the sides to make it go faster.

Add oil 1 Tbsp at a time, if needed.

It’s getting creamy!

Once smooth, pour into a jar and store in the fridge.

Or just grab a spoon and dig in! (highly recommended)

Ingredients

• 3 cups almonds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg and cloves
• optional: up to 3 Tb coconut oil or canola oil (use only if needed)

Directions

Toast the almonds at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant (SKIP THIS STEP IF YOU WANT RAW NUT BUTTER). Start blending the almonds in the blender. (It’s best if you let the almonds cool slightly after toasting before making into buttah. The blender will work more efficiently.)

Add the spices. You may have to scrape the sides to keep it going. If needed, add the coconut oil 1 Tb at a time. Once all smooth and creamy, pour into a jar and store in the fridge. Or, just grab a spoon and dig in (highly recommended).

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Heaven in a Jar.

Do you like Vanilla? I love the flavor vanilla brings! It is so amazing!

Do you like Nut Buttah? Oh yes!

When do you start your classes/school for this coming year? I get to start this morning — full-time.

xoxox

Walnut Almond Butter!

Hey my Doves!

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! :D I had so much fun spending time with my family — I truly treasure each minute I get to spend with them.

I have SO many recipes to share with you (including smoothies, nut buttahs, muffins, breadsticks, and so much more) I just don’t know which one to do first. But I did ask you guys which one to do this time, so here it is!

I love that this nut buttah is a combination of nuts other than peanuts. don’t get me wrong — peanuts are VERY good for you, but variety is something i strive for with nuts — each nut has a different nutritional profile, so each provides different vitamins and minerals. That’s what I love about this! It’s a combination of two different kinds of nuts.

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makes about 3 cups total

Ingredients

• 3 cups of walnuts (raw if desired)
  
• 3 cups almonds (raw if desired)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Lay out the walnuts and almonds on two separate baking sheets.

Toast the nuts @ 400 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant. (SKIP THESE FIRST TWO STEPS IF YOU WANT RAW NUT BUTTER.)

Scoop almonds into blender.

Blend on high until the almonds because a meal.

Transfer the almond meal into a bowl. Add the Walnuts and salt to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

This might take some patience and lots of scraping the sides.

(though walnuts actually take less time to cream than peanuts do!)

Once the walnuts are creamy,

add the almond meal and blend until combined.

Pour into your container and store in the fridge.

Dive into this loveliness! I have already gone through my first jar and have already dug into the 2nd.

It is just SO delicious! I’ve been using it wherever I would use peanut butter. I’ve also been using it in my Protein Granola Bars, which will be one of the next recipes coming up.

What do you want next? My Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie? My Protein Granola Bars? Or my Fig Walnut Bread?

What is your favorite combination of nuts?

xoxox

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Hey my Chocolate Chips!

Thank you for your comments on my last post. Your comments really make my day bright. You guys are so sweet! Remember: YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!

I asked if you wanted Healthified Biscotti.

You heard my cry.

I responded with a treat,

that you can try.

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Notes: The sweetness is perfect. But if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, try halfing the stevia. You can use whatever kind of sweetener you’d like. WHOLE GRAIN. VEGAN. VEGETARIAN.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup baking blend stevia (or simply use sugar or maple syrup; if you use maple syrup, cut back on the applesauce a little bit)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped

optional: chocolate chips, melted, to drizzle on cookies

Directions

Toast chopped almonds in a dry skillet until flagrant (about 2-3 minutes). You can also do this in the oven.

Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, stevia, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

In another bowl, combine the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla.

Beat in the flour mixture.  The dough should be stiff, but not sticky. Mix in the almonds.

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper (wax paper will work too). Roll dough into a log (mine was about 13 inches long).

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Transfer the biscotti log to a cutting sheet. Cut the log on the diagonal with a serrated knife.

Lay the cookies onto the cookie sheet again on their sides and bake for 10 minutes at 325*F.

Turn the cookies onto their other side, and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool on cooling rack.

Optional: melt chocolate chips in a sandwich baggie. Cut the corner of the bag, and drizzle chocolate onto cookies.

EAT THEM UP!!!!

They are perfect to dip in Hot Chocolate and Vanilla Almond Milk!

Questions of the Day

Do you drink Hot Chocolate in the Summer? I love it so much that I just can’t only drink it to the winter months.

I want to know: How do you view the sugar in fruit? I see it as an essential nutrient, but not to be eaten in excess (of course). Fruit still provides many imperative nutrients that the body requires. I’d rather eat the sugar in fruit than regular white sugar, which has been stripped of all of its beneficial nutrients.

I just came home from a week-long Camp (Girl’s Camp), so I’ll update you guys on that soon. Also, I just finished a couple of Challenges, so expect a post coming up soon!

xoxox