Colors of Life: Daily Eats (Gluten and Lactose Friendly)

Hello!

Today, we’re talking food. Woohoo! I get quite a few questions about what I typically eat on a daily basis and as y’all know, I have an allergy to gluten and lactose. I know there are some people out there looking for healthy alternatives or who have been diagnosed with a food allergy and need some guidance. HAVE NO FEAR, MOLLY IS HERE!

I am no nutritionist (I KNOW, SHOCKER). But this is what I’ve found that’s working for me right now. I do A LOT of research any time I can, so I just want to share it with you guys. Cooking is a hobby of mine. Finding foods that I can eat, that are healthy, and that I can create is one of my favorite things to do. So it works for me.

Some things to know:

1. You have to experiment with foods/times/etc. Finding what works best for you and your schedule is going to be key. I love to get ideas from others, hence the constant research i’m doing, but ultimately it’s about me and my body.

2. I try not to eat the same thing 2 days in a row. Not that eating the same meal 2 days in a row is bad, but I think it’s important to switch it up. Moderation is key. Besides that, i’m the queen of finding something I love, eating it for weeks straight, and then burning out on it completely and I don’t want to do that!

3. I listen to my body. If I know I should eat some fish, but i’m craving a pizza, then I go with pizza. Chances are i’ll just keep thinking about the pizza and the fish won’t satisfy me. And if i’m full, I stop eating. And if i’m not hungry, I don’t eat. I know many say to eat snacks in between meals even if you’re not hungry, but I personally disagree. I think eat when you’re hungry…

4. I eat when i’m hungry. If you read my COL on eating disorders, you saw that I didn’t eat when I was hungry. I ate when the clock told me I could. I look back to that now and wonder how I ever did that.

5. I watch what I eat. I try not to cut out any particular food groups. That’s just cruel! But if I have some carbs for lunch, I don’t load up on carbs for dinner too. I like to keep a healthy balance of what goes in my body. That said, I don’t eat many packaged foods. I just don’t like them or the way they make me feel.

6. I don’t drink my calories. I was the kid that hated soda, lucky for me. I was also the kid that hated milk though (foreshadowing of lactose allergy?). I don’t drink soda, sweet tea (anymore…which is so sad), juice, or creamers/sweeteners with coffee. I like my coffee black except when I add some almond milk or soy milk to it. AND I LOVE WATER. I always have water on me and i’m always drinking it. Just check my day in the life!

7. Stock up on the freezer foods. I only cook for myself. My family doesn’t like my food so when I cook it’s usually for me and it goes bad quickly. This is why I like freezer chicken, fish, etc. It saves a lot of money too.

Alright, those are just a few tidbits on me and my diet. So here we go…

G’Mornin’!

At 6:54, it’s go time. Time to get that coffee brewing and the ice water cup filled. If necessary, i’ll grab a little trail mix to snack on before the gym.

Breakfast

For the LONGEST time, I was not a breakfast eater. From middle school through college I didn’t eat it. But after being told approximately 395873 times how important it is for you, I’ve attempted to start making it part of my routine. Now, when 10:00 hits, it’s breakfast time.

Something you may not know is that when we wake up in the morning hungry, it’s really our body telling us that it’s needs protein, fat, and carbs. This is because we broke all of these nutrients down throughout the night and it needs the fuel. Therefore, one of the best breakfasts you can have (and my personal favorite) is…

Avo-Toast

Toast up a piece of your favorite bread, smear 1/4 of an avocado on top, and spread 1/3 cup scrambled egg whites on top. I love picante on mine.

I love a good egg-white omelet…

…and an egg-white scramble.

Protein Pancakes

1 banana
1 scoop protein powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup egg whites (or 1 egg)
milk until you reach desired consistency (I think about 1/2 tbsp…I usually just pour)

Mix together and make like a regular pancake.

Creamy Chocolate Fudge Protein Shake

If I make this, it’s usually right before I walk out the door and I sip on it while i’m at work. I like this because it lasts longer than just eating breakfast and being done 🙂

Frittata a la Veggies

Make this on a Sunday, cut it up, and store in your fridge for a quick breakfast to heat up on the go!

4 Ingredient Pancakes

1 Banana
1 Egg
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (I like a lot, choose how much you want)
1/2 package travel size flax seeds
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix in a bowl, and cook like a pancake. Serve it up with a side of cantaloupe for your sweetness instead of syrup!

Momma’s French Toast

And sometimes you just need some good ol’ carbs on a weekend morning. If you can’t already tell…I LOVE egg whites for breakfast. They’re light, they’re nutritious, and they’re easy to make. You’ll soon learn about my love of vegetables as well!

Snack

Usually by 12:30/1:00, it’s time for a snack.

I like almonds. Scratch that, I love almonds. Almonds, cashews, pistachios, peanuts. I’m not picky. Just make sure you watch your portion size with nuts because although they’re healthy fats, they can be high cal if you’re not paying attention.

Other times, it’s just an iced coffee.

I get an iced doppio espresso in a grande cup. Then I fill it with my own milk and sprinkle some cinnamon on top. You  have to like your coffee black if you order this!

If i’m wanting a little bit of a heavier snack, I go with some tuna and cucumbers. And I make my own dressing on top.

Apple cider vinegar, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice. Yum and refreshing.

Lunch

Around 2:30/3:00 I have lunch. I eat a lighter breakfast and a small snack so when I get home for lunch i’m usually pretty hungry. Therefore I want something delicious and satisfying.

Chicken, fish, and tofu are my go-to for lunch. I love proteins and these are my favorite sources.

I like to make chicken breasts at the beginning of the week and keep them in the fridge to put in recipes throughout the week. But when I don’t have chicken breasts we buy John Soules’ freezer grilled chicken breast strips and just keep them in the freezer. All you do is put them in a pan to heat up and then you can eat them. Sometimes i’ll sauté some peppers and make chicken fajitas.

Speaking of that chicken, I like to make it with roasted sweet potato fries and broccoli as a side. I love to make my plate colorful!

Speaking of sweet potato fries, they are the best!!! It’s simple really. Cut up a sweet potato, heat the oven to 425, drizzle some avocado oil and salt and pepper on top, and then bake them until they turn brown and roasted. It’s about 25-30 minutes.

That bowl is holding my tofu noodles and they’ve become a staple in my diet recently.

This is what they look like at the store and I get them all the time.

You can do so much with them! But I usually make them like the package says, add some chicken, some pesto, some herbs and enjoy!

Speaking of tofu…

I usually have a large block sitting in my fridge. This is great for all you meatless folks out there. This day I made Tofu Cauli Fried Rice. Deeeeelish. Right now my mom is gagging. She likes pizza for lunch every day.

In the freezer we always have a big bag of Costco’s individually wrapped cod, tilapia, salmon, mahi mahi. I love to grill some fish and serve it with some guacamole, avocado, mango, etc. It’s fun to get creative with fish! You can easily make fish tacos too.

Dinner

Unless my mom is making a new recipe for dinner, this is the least exciting meal in my opinion. I usually have commitments during the dinner hour so I eat at random times, but I still try to make it healthy and protein packed. This is when prepping, planning, and pre-cooking comes in handy for easy heat up. I’ve learned that if you have a decent sized, protein filled dinner, the less likely you are to snack late at night. So somewhere around 7:00, it’s dinnertime.

I sometimes make a burrito bowl…lettuce, beans, tomato, cheese, beef, and guac. It’s the cheaper version of Chipotle 😉

But more often than not, it’s leftovers. Whatever we have that sounds good and can be re-heated. The crockpot is my best friend when it comes time for dinner. I like to make different crockpot recipes/soups to keep in the fridge. Bison quinoa chili was delicious this night.

Vegetable soup is good for the soul.

Shay’s sweet corn chili is never a bad idea.

And I love a good salmon burger or a turkey burger. With some greens on the side of course! Check out my recipe for basil mayo.

On the nights i’m not as hungry, I just like to saute some vegetables and drizzle balsamic vinegar on top.

Now i’m not going to pretend that I don’t ever eat pizza or anything like that…because I totally do when I get the craving. Sometimes I can’t decide, so I do 1/2 BBQ chicken, 1/4 Hawaiian, and 1/4 Canadian Bacon and Sauerkraut. Yup.

Dessert/Snack

I usually either have a snack between lunch and dinner or after dinner…depending on what the day holds.

I enjoy snacking on fruits. Ever since I’ve been cutting down on the amounts of sugar I eat (blog post to come), I crave fruit. Grapes are one of my absolute favorite snacks.

Other times, I need something more substantial…so i’ll toast up some bread, spread some kind of nut butter on top of that, and then slice banana on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon and it’s divine!

Peanut Butter Cup Protein Pie

A protein packed chocolatey dessert? You got it dude. I made this when my sister was home from college this winter and I only had one piece…because she ate it in 3 days. “It’s healthy right?” is what she kept asking me.

Another one of my favorites is a quest bar. Heat it in the microwave for 23 seconds, then spread some nut butter on top. Ohhhhh it melts in your mouth and hits the spot without you feeling guilty!

I could go on and on about Larabars. I always keep them in my backpack for my night class.

And then at 8:00 i’m in bed. Just kidding…but I wish. It’s usually more like 11:00.

Well. That’s a day on my plate. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments!!!

For my gluten and lactose sensitive friends, later this week or next week i’m planning a blog post about all my favorite food allergy products that you can buy at the store. Seriously, after trying SO many different products, wasting a lot of money and time, I think you all will want to read that post 🙂

You can check out my most recent Day In The Life post to see how closely this correlates.

And how I stay healthy in college as a commuter.

Happy Eating!

Friday Favorites

Hellloooooo Friday. So happy to see you!

If you’re a blogger, link up with Erika, Andrea, and Narci and share your FAVORITES. If you’re a reader, so glad you’re here!!

This goes without saying…but my FAVORITE family is back in action tonight. Oh, I am pumped…as are most of you from reading everyone’s What’s Up Wednesday post this week.

I might stay up and see if it comes out at midnight (which will have passed by the time you read this) otherwise I guess I will have to watch after work sometime. Which is going to be interesting considering i’m working both my jobs today. NOOOOO I NEED MORE TIME TODAY!

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that our pastor challenged each of us to fast social media for one day.

And it was the best thing ever.

And then a couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going to go a whole weekend without social media.

And it was the best thing ever.

And now I do it one day every single week. It’s my FAVORITE day of the week now. I loved it so much that I could probably give up social media for an extended amount of time, but it’s also how I engage with you guys so I don’t want to! You’ll be surprised how difficult it is. I would open up Instagram multiple times, remember I wasn’t suppose to, and close it out immediately. But you’ll also be surprised with the amount of free time that you have. Communicate with your family! Get some work done! Don’t look at other people’s pictures and be like “wow she looks great why don’t I?” And in today’s world, I think a lot of us could use that every now and then.

I would seriously challenge you to do this. Just one day – no Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Pinterest, nothing. I told my girls to do it one day this week after a long conversation about comparison at our retreat.

Speaking of retreats, I want to recap this past weekend, even though I mentioned it on Wednesday. But it was just so GOOD and I don’t want to forget it!

Friday night we had to be at one of our campus for check in and I of course go in my signature outfit. Cute sweater? Check. Jeans? Check. Booties? Check. Long necklace? Check. Selfie? Check. A room that I just switched into and haven’t organized yet? Check.

Friday night they catered Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, we had worship and service, and then we went back to our host home for a Bible study and girl talk. After Bible study, the girls wanted McFlurry’s. Who are we to deny them such a glorious dessert? PS…I MISS MCFLURRY’S. They got a kick out of my wedges with socks, but I didn’t wanna wear booties and my feet were cold. So I improvised!!!

Saturday morning, we woke up and did a Bible study before going to bowl that morning. I sat at the kitchen table drinking some coffee and chatting with one of the girls.

After bowling we had free time and our first stop was to Starbucks because this was my group, remember???? Haha, total shocker but this was my first Starbucks in weeks!!

We hung out at our host home for a couple hours while the girls went swimming and took naps. Then we headed up to the Church for a cookout, service, and it was my FAVORITE night. So 15 passenger van selfie was in order.

We broke up into small groups and I had 3 girls with me who just opened up completely about stuff that’s been going on in their lives, things that were bothering them, and their relationships with Jesus. This night was the reason I started praying about volunteering with high school girls in the first place. There were tears, prayers, re-dedications to Christ, and lots of hugs. At the end of our conversation the girls said: “wow, that felt so good to talk about. We don’t have to do anything else this weekend because we’ve accomplished everything we wanted to”.

Cue the tears. Except I don’t cry…but if I did. I WOULD HAVE!

After service, we left the Church and the girls requested Braum’s. And thus #friesbeforeguys was born. BECAUSE I AM A GREAT LEADER AND KNOW WHAT’S TRULY IMPORTANT IN LIFE. 😉

We went back, hung out, snap chatted, and talked. Us leaders went to bed before the girls because we can’t hang! Megan and I shared a room so it was fun getting to know her a little better and realizing how much we have in common 🙂 I am so thankful that I was able to work with Jen and Megan this weekend.

We all went to sleep and woke up Sunday morning in desperate need of some coffee. Us 4 went to Starbucks again and the other girls went to Smoothie King.

And then we went to our third service and went home. I’m still trying to catch up on sleep i’m so tired. But it was SO worth it.

 

Because I have been getting so many questions about the food i’m posting lately, I decided one day next week I will post about them. If you’re one of those people, be on the look out. That means you’ve got to come back next week so I can share some of my FAVORITE recipes!!

If you have any requests for particular recipes I have talked about, for recipes you’re not sure that i’ve made, or recipes you’d like me to make…leave them in the comments or e-mail me.

As for being gone the past two weeks, it was so worth it. But coming back and seeing your comments about missing me?? Also worth it!!!! You all are my FAVORITE. I’m not sure what i’m going to do in the future, but it’s possible that I might start taking one week off a month or something like that. I could go into a lot of detail, but I learned a lot during that time. I’ll just keep you posted. But seriously thanks for your sweet words about my return. XOXOXO

Alright. That’s enough for one post. ‘Cause you know I could go on! 🙂

One more thing: Bible Study girls, I will be posting Week 8, 9, and 10 in the next couple weeks. Don’t forget about our study. Catch up beforehand by clicking HERE.

Creamy Chocolate Fudge Protein Shake

You guys.

I finally accomplished something i’ve wanted to for a while.

I found a protein shake that I love.

I found a dessert I love.

I found a snack I love.

I found a breakfast I love.

All in one. Because this protein shake has been breakfast, lunch, a post-workout snack, dinner, and a dessert for me at some point. I can’t get enough of this thing! But I try not to have one every day because I don’t want to burn myself out and hate it (this happens to me a lot, ha!). Normally creamy is a word that would make me sick (hello food allergies) but not this time.

I named the shake Creamy Chocolate Fudge Protein Shake because that’s exactly what it tastes like. Chocolate Fudge. In a Protein Shake. And extra creamy.

I mean look how good!!! Chocolate and peanut butter anything is right up my alley. I’ll swear by this shake.

I’ve been playing around with some of my favorite ingredients hoping to find a protein shake that I like. Usually protein shakes taste chalky to me or have a high calorie count…like more than a normal meal should be. Usually protein shakes are for body builders, etc. because they are meant to give you a lot of protein (obviously) and in essence, replace a meal. But I like them for the added nutrition to my diet as a snack. Or quick meal if i’m on the go.

A few days ago, my favorite health and fitness trainer, Kayla Itsines posted a blog about post-workout smoothies. Um, I love her. I love blogs. And I love smoothies. So I clicked…and found a recipe where she was using pretty much the exact same ingredients to what the ones i’ve been mixing and matching. Check out her blog post for other smoothie recipes! The only difference with hers was the addition of two ingredients.

What you’ll need:

1 scoop protein powder* (THIS is the most important part!!!)
1/2 avocado (I know it’s weird, but this is what makes it creamy)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp pb2 (can sub almond putter, peanut butter, jig’s powdered peanut butter)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp rolled oats (I use my gluten free Bob’s red mill)
1/2 frozen banana (frozen is important. it gives it the icy/shake texture)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
5 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until you get your desired consistency. And really, you could take peanut butter out, or the chia seeds, add some flaxseed, whatever you like. If you want less calories and fat, take out the avocado. This is such a simple, nutritious, and filling shake you won’t be able to get enough of! High fiber, low sugar. Yes please!

Nutrition:

398 calories, 19.6g fat, 24.9g (net) carbs, 17.7 fiber, 8.1g sugar, 19.1g protein

*This is what makes my protein shake. I currently use Orgain Organic Protein Powder. I have tasted and tried so many protein powders over the past couple of months and this one is by far the best tasting. I have to be picky about my powders because they can’t have lactose or gluten so that automatically sets me back…but this one exceeded all my expectations! This is plant based and food allergy friendly. I found mine at Costco for about $30. And no, I wasn’t paid to write a post for them! I just truly like it.*

You can absolutely double the recipe. I would be too full if I did that, but some people can handle more in a sitting than me! Now i’m off to make one…with a side of egg whites and cottage cheese. #givemealltheprotein

Enjoy!!

Why Tara loves Cooking, and you can too!

Guess what? It’s time for another guest blogger around here! Today we’re welcoming Tara over at A Hill Country Heart! Tara started commenting on my posts back in August and I always love to return the favor because it’s how I meet most of my blogger friends, so I quickly clicked on her page and it was history from there! I love her page first of all. It’s so simple and easy to navigate (something i’m working on for my own blog). But I also love that she’s close to my age and in the same stage of life as me. I feel like her and I are alike in many ways so that’s always fun too!

And she has family up in my area so i’m like come up here and let’s be friends!

_____________________________________________________

Hi y’all! My name is Tara and I blog over at A Hill Country Heart! I’m here today to tell you why I love cooking, and why I believe you can too!

But first, I actually have a funny story about Molly and me!  I found Molly’s blog through a link-up (What’s Up Wednesday I think?) and loved it and her immediately! I started following her blog daily and would gather here and there that she maybe lived in Texas too, but I wasn’t sure exactly where. Well…it turns out we actually worked for the same hospital (a chain of 6 hospitals) but in different cities and we didn’t even know it! I had even, as we later came to find out, made two trips to her hospital and met a bunch of people she works with! I was so surprised when we finally put two and two together. Such a small [blogger] world!

Anyway, I am more than honored and extremely excited to guest post for Colors of Life! I wanted to write about something that I used to think was hard and just not for me, but that I have come to love. I also thought “Why Tara loves drinking margaritas, and you can too!” was too easy (plus, I know you ladies love margaritas ☺). But really, I want you all to know that if you also think like I used to – that is that cooking takes too much time, is too hard, and is more of a chore, that it’s not! It can be easy, quick and it can even be fun!

Here are some reasons I love to cook:

1. It is so fun to cook for and with other people! It’s a great bonding experience. It’s also extremely satisfying to cook and eat your own meals! So pat yourself on the back when you do! 
2. I’m big into health and fitness and cooking allows you to know just how much sugar, fat, etc. you are getting from what you eat (what’s really in fast food anyway??) 
3. I really love eating and get sad when it’s over so cooking makes the process last longer (and you can taste test along the way ☺) 
4. I LOVE the presentation of food! For me it’s fun. I can’t draw or paint all that well so it kind of brings out my artistic side in a different way. 
5. Unlike baking (which I also love), you can kind of add as much as you want of what you want (pick your favorite spices, veggies, etc.)

Some tips for cooking:

1. I like to wash and pre-chop veggies and fruit so that when I do cook, I don’t have to spend extra time doing this. For example, I’ll chop green onions and stick them in a little baggie in my fridge. This way, I can just grab them and throw them in when I’m ready to cook. 
2. If I like a recipe I make, I’ll make it a few times so that I can remember how to do it and just whip it up real quick ☺ 
3. I got into cooking by taking a food and nutrition class my senior year in high school but there are so many classes out there you can take to get a grasp on cooking (I have taken classes at Sur La Table and they have been GREAT!), OR these days you can take online cooking classes or use Youtube!
   
   
4. Pinterest is a great place to find recipes, as you probably know! I get so many of my recipes from off of Pinterest but I always make sure to read comments that people leave on the recipes first! Sometimes you can tell whether or not it’s a good recipe by the comments.

Thank you all for stopping by to read about why I love cooking and thank you Molly for having me over to your blog!

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Yep, Tara I pretty much agree 100% with everything that you mentioned here especially prepping everything beforehand. Mom and I will prep Thanksgiving way in the morning, rest during the day, and start cooking up early afternoon. It’s a good process for us! Also friends, if you’re interested in the Paleo diet (I actually might be doing this for health reasons soon so that’s why i’m mentioning it) you should read her 30 days of Paleo. It’s so interesting!

 Thanks, girlfriend!!! MOVE UP TO DFW ALREADY! 🙂

And if you’ve missed any other part of this series about what we love, check them out:

Why I love running, and you can too!
Why I love yoga, and you can too!
Why Kylie loves Spinning, and you can too!
Why Jamie loves Celebrating, and you can too!
Why Christina loves Hosting, and you can too!
Why Julie loves Hiking, and you can too!
Why Randi loves Pittsburgh, and you can too!
Why Angie loves Self Care, and you can too!
Why Mattie loves Zumba, and you can too!
Why Katie loves Reading, and you can too!
Why Lindsay loves Hot Yoga, and you can too!
Why Emily loves Decorating, and you can too!

Friday Favorites

Whew! Today has been an on-the-go, non-stop day! I’ve been housesitting for a friend and for some reason I can’t connect to her wifi, so I just got to thinking…what in the world did people do without the internet?? I don’t know, probably be more productive. That leads me to favorite number one this week for

 with Andrea, Erika, and Narci.

Fav 1: The internet is such a beautiful thing. I really think there are many pros and many cons to the invention of the internet, but all I can say is today I am grateful for it. It’s how I created my blog!

FAV 2: My Vera Bradley Planner. Yes to organization! Can I get an amen? This is my favorite thing ever, to be organized! I just got this for the school year and so far it has been wonderful! Please ignore all my color-coded events, I promise i’m not a freak! 😉

Fav 3: These s’more faces. I nanny these kiddos and their brother twice a week after school and they are fun. We play board games, take them to their sporting events, and we run around the house and act crazy. They just want to get their energy out from school! Every once in a while i’ll let them have a s’more. That’s giant. And messy. But it’s fun memories!

Fav 4: People magazine. Oh, I love me some good ol’ people gossip! I always read people as soon as it comes in the mail, when i’m sitting in doctor’s office (like this below pic) and I get to find recipes, or even when i’m going to bed at night. Gotta keep up with the world!

Fav 5: Music. There’s nothing better than your favorite song coming on the radio and you turning it up to jam! I love how music can cause different emotions in everyone. I especially love listening to music when i’m running.

Psssstttt. 9 hours until THESE BOSE HEADPHONES aren’t 47% off anymore! Snag ’em while you can!

Also, I found another deal for you today!

If you’ve ever been a fan of Izumi Women’s Running Shoe

they are only $50.00 for 9 more hours!!! Hop on it 🙂

Have a great 3 day weekend everyone!

#FoodieToosdy Week 5

Yummmm…I like Tuesday’s because I like being a foodie. Earlier on my July goals post, I decided that I wanted to make 8 new recipes for the month of August, you know the 8th month of the year. So, I had already started on that. This weeks #FoodieToosdy is going to feature three of those new recipes. Yay!

Before we left for vacation, my new recipe book came in the mail, and I was so excited about it I read it on the car ride up to my grandpa’s. Total foodie nerd, I know. So my recipes this week are all three out of my new cookbook. Y’ALL. Gluten-freers, Lactose-freers, Paleo-diet. Whoever you are, PURCHASE. THIS. BOOK.

Recipe #1: Pastry Crust

First of all, I just want to say how much I loooooove Danielle Walker and her cookbook. I loved her story because I felt it resembled my health story so much. And who doesn’t love when they can relate to someone? With this cookbook you have to invest in some new ingredients but seriously it is so worth it.

Get:
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 large cold egg
5 teaspoons ice water
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 1/2 tablespoons palm shortening

How to:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Place the first 5 ingredients in a food processor and process for 30 seconds. Add the shortening (we used crisco) in small spoonfuls, spacing them out around the bowl. Pulse 4-5 times, just enough for the shortening to be mixed in and the dough to come together.

3. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Created fluted edges.

4. Cut a circle of parchment and fit into the bottom of the pie shell. Fill with pie weights and dried beans. Bake until the edges begin to turn gold, about 10 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper and bake 5 more minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool.

Consensus: Buttery crust, not good used for a pinwheel, it works but came out as a crumble the first time.

 Recipe #2: French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

This recipe was not very good in my opinion. However, I would try and make my own changes next time. I thought it tasted a little burnt. I would add less coconut milk and more almond milk, because i’m not too much of a coconut milk fan. I didn’t get much vanilla flavor, so I might add a little vanilla extract because vanilla beans are pretty expensive. Maybe adding cinnamon or nutmeg the next go-around. I’ll let you know how it turns out next time.

Get:
1 cup almond milk
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 vanilla bean

How to:
1. Place first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to low boil, and remove from heat.

2. Split vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds. Place seeds and bean in milk, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.

3. Strain and bring to room temperature before covering and storing in the refrigerator for later use.

Recipe #3: Fried Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower

If you hate Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower, then you won’t like this dish. If you are open with you food options, try it!

Get:
3 cups macadamia oil (use butter)
3 springs fresh rosemary
1 pound cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 1/2 teaspoons garum fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

How to:

1. Place the oil in a deep skillet and heat to 350 degrees.

2. Drop rosemary in the hot oil, add cauliflower and brussels sprouts in batches, frying each batch for 3-4 minutes or until browned and crispy.

3. Remove each batch to a pan lined with paper towels and drain while the next batch cooks.

4. Transfer the vegetables to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the fried rosemary and discard the stems.

5. Pour in the fish sauce (like worcestershire), lemon juice, and salt. Stir gently.

Consesus: Mom says it’s not worth the effort. Grandpa doesn’t like. Not a vegetable person. I really liked with the rosemary. The first time I used peanut oil…no! I’d use butter next time.

Danielle’s recipes don’t have a long process involved with them, and I think that is what I like so much about her. Danielle, thanks for being you!! Check out her page, y’all! And get her book for yourself! Less than $20! I can’t wait until I get her next one, too.