It's so nice to make your own bars + be prepared for the week ahead with snack ammo. These are slightly sweet with no added sugar. If you want to make them a wee bit sweeter you could add 2 tablespoons of agave or honey. yum!

{If you do more goji berries and add a tablespoon of Berry Bliss, this would be the perfect bar for valentines day! Use a heart cookie cutter to make them beautiful little hearts! Great gift for kiddos to give their friends since you could omit the cashews and they would be nut free/gluten-free!}

• 1/4 C + 1 t coconut oil
• 1 C [packed] Medjool dates, pits removed
• 1 T vanilla extract 
• 1 T green dream powder
• 1 T cacao magic powder
• 1 1/2 C gluten-free rolled oats
• 1/2 C coconut flour
• 1 handful raw cashews [optional]
• 1/4 C coconut milk or any dairy-free milk
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1/3 C hemp seeds
• 1/2 t sea salt [i used pink Himalayan]
• 1/4 C cacao nibs [optional]
• 1/4 C goji berries [optional]

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with 1 t coconut oil, or use parchment paper. 

In a small saucepan, melt the remaining coconut oil into a warm liquid. Pour the coconut oil into a food processor, add the dates, coconut milk, vanilla extract and Philosophie superfood powders [green dream + cacao magic]. Blend until a smooth paste ha formed, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides when needed. I added a handful of cashews at this point, it's completely optional + the bars will taste awesome without them!

In a large bowl, mix together oats, flour, baking soda, salt and hemp seeds. Stir in the date mixture and mix well. Fold in the cacao nibs and goji berries.

Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet with a spatula [or fingers, like me] forming it into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the wet dough into about a dozen rectangles or desired shape. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until edges begin to turn golden brown and are cooked through. Let cool, then separate the rectangles and in-joy! 

Orange fleshed squash such as acorn and butternut are a large storehouse of beta-carotene. On top of being an antioxidant to help fend off those pesky cell-damaging free radicals, beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body that helps with immune defense and good vision. You could also do this entire recipe with pumpkin... or half and half! the bonus of sneaking Philosophie Green Dream in this recipe helps boost the nutrition and adding protein!

2. Scoop the squash out, allow to cool and puree in your food processor. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, chia seeds, green dream, baking soda & powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and pumpkin spice and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the agave, vanilla, eggs substitute and butter. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Then whisk in the butternut squash puree. My batter was a little dry so I added a little almond milk and Organic canned pumpkin.

5. Prepare your muffin pan and add the batter a little over halfway. I made 12 cupcakes, you can make more. Bake at 350º for 18 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center and check to see if it comes out clean.

       
 

Yesterday was my son Kai's (3rd birthday). We had a superhero joint birthday party for Kai and Leo and the kids had such a blast! Obviously Philosophie superfoods were ever present at the party...we had superfood smoothies, cacao magic (healthy, kid friendly) cupcakes, and a green dream banana smash cake for our big 1 year old!!

         Green Dream Smash Cake          

Cacao Magic Cupcakes

Cacao Magic Cupcakes Recipe: (cake be made as a cake as well)

1 cup boiling water
4 ounces Cacao Magic
10 1/2 ounces dark brown sugar
9 1/2 ounces gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup applesauce
4 1/2 ounces plain non-fat greek yogurt, at room temperature
2 large whole eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

Whisk the boiling water and Cacao powder together in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whisk the applesauce, yogurt, eggs and egg yolks in a large pourable vessel. Add the applesauce mixture to the Cacao and water mixture and slowly whisk to combine. With the mixer on low speed, add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture over 30 seconds. Continue to beat on low speed for another 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat on low speed until the batter is smooth, 10 to 15 seconds. Pour into lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. (for a cake bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes).

I've been really missing my moms chewy, rich, homemade fudge. It was her grandmothers recipe + it left you feeling hung over + depressed because of the sugar rush. This recipe was an attempt to recreate the fudge satisfaction I so long for, without the downsides of having processed sugar + a crash. (bonus of being vegan, raw + gluten-free!)

{gather this}

1 C Cacao Magic powder

1 C cacao butter

1/2 C cashew butter (or almond/peanut)

1 1/2 C liquid sweetener

1/4 t pink sea salt

1 T vanilla extract

1 T hazelnut or almond extract

{GARNISH}

chopped candied hazelnuts, goji berries, cacao nibs and/or candied walnuts

{ DO THIS }

Prepare 9" square cheesecake pan by greasing the sides with coconut oil and lining the bottom with parchment paper.

Blend all ingredients except candied hazelnuts until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Add garnish. Put into freezer until fudge is solid. Serve at room temperature. 

Yields ~ 3 dozen pieces

This recipe is for the most delicious and nutrient-dense protein bars you could ever make.

I've been getting kind of grossed out lately when I eat store bought protein/energy bars. The fact that most of those bars (even the most healthy ones) can sit on a shelf for over a year and not sprout an inch of mold concerns me. That I could save one of the boxes until I'm a grandma and feed it to my grandkids is just not cool. Don't get me wrong, they are GREAT to have on hand in emergencies and I definitely store them in my diaper bag and car, I would just PREFER to feed myself and my family something more fresh and handpick the ingredients myself.

These bars aren't very sweet, in fact, the only thing they are getting any sweetness from is the stevia in the whey protein I use. If you want them a tad sweeter, I would add a local, organic, raw honey from the farmers market. Honey would taste amazing in these!

Gather:

• 1/2 C sunflower seeds
• 1/2 C pumpkin seeds
• 1 C oats
• 1 T green dream powder
• 2 T coconut oil (i like Garden of Life brand)
• 3 T cashew butter (Artisana has a great one)
• 4 T vanilla whey protein powder
• 2 T goji berries
• 1 T berry bliss powder
• optional 1 T honey, agave or coconut sugar
• any baking pan or dish, I used a 9x12 ceramic baking dish.

Combine: (in food processor)

1. Take the oats, sunflower seeds, goji berries and pumpkin seeds and grind in the food processor until they form a powder/flour.
2. add the green dream, berry bliss and vanilla whey protein powder. pulse a few times.
3. add the cashew butter, coconut oil and optional honey and mix until combined.
4. test the consistency. If it's too dry to from into a ball then add 1/2 T cashew butter and 1/2 T coconut oil and mix again. if it's too moist add 1/2 T whey protein powder. When desired consistency is reached, press the mixture into the pan and flatten. Put the dish, uncovered, into the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Remove from fridge, cut into bars. Cover individual bars in foil/wrap or put a couple into plastic baggies. I've been doubling this recipe and making on Sunday's to have for the week for the family. It's the perfect snack on the go! We've been eating it for breakfast with fresh fruit :)

Note: keep the bars in the fridge. Don't remove until just before you're going to eat them. They get really crumbly and melt when they aren't refrigerated! 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 C chia seeds*
• 
1 C unsweetened vanilla almond/coconut milk
• 
2 T Cacao Magic powder*
• 1 T Coconut oil
• 2 pitted dates
• 1/2 Avocado
• 1 t Green Dream powder*
• 1 T Agave, Honey or a few drops of stevia
• 1/2 t vanilla extract or fresh vanilla


Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the food processor or high speed blender. Let sit for 30 minutes in fridge or overnight until mixture has thickened. Stir and enjoy! 

*if you don't use Cacao Magic and Green Dream and are using plain Cacao Powder, add an extra 1/4 C chia seeds since there are chia seeds in both the Philosophie superfood blends. 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 C chia seeds*
• 
1 C unsweetened vanilla almond/coconut milk
• 
2 T Cacao Magic powder*
• 1 T Coconut oil
• 2 pitted dates
• 1/2 Avocado
• 1 t Green Dream powder*
• 1 T Agave, Honey or a few drops of stevia
• 1/2 t vanilla extract or fresh vanilla

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the food processor or high speed blender. Let sit for 30 minutes in fridge or overnight until mixture has thickened. Stir and enjoy!

*if you don't use Cacao Magic and Green Dream and are using plain Cacao Powder, add an extra 1/4 C chia seeds since there are chia seeds in both the Philosophie superfood blends.

Kelp noodles rawk!!! They are virtually calorie free and don’t taste like the sea at all. There is no sugar, gluten, wheat, rice or flour. Kelp is known to aid the metabolism, boost energy, aid in digestion and they contain an abundance of minerals.

• 2 packages Kelp Noodles
• 2 large bushels of fresh Basil leaves
• 1 C fresh Spinach
• 1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 C raw Pinenuts
• 2 fresh Garlic cloves
• 1/2 t Celtic Sea Salt

Do This:

1) soak kelp noodles in warm/hot water for at least 20 minutes. Drain and  wring out excess water.

2) combine all ingredients in food processor/Cuisinart (except kelp noodles)

3) taste the pesto. It may need more sea salt or garlic for your taste. Also, if it's too chunky, add more olive oil or a little bit of filtered water. If it's too watery, add more pine nuts or spinach/basil.

If you want a variation, try my recipe for Cheezy Kelp Noodles!

Tonight we are having a holiday party and I want to make something festive!!!

• start with 2 Cups of a non-dairy milk such as almond/rice/hazlenut (recipe here)

• add 2 tablespoons agave

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• fresh vanilla bean (1 tablespoon vanilla extract is fine)

• 1/2 teaspoon cloves

• 2 teaspoons nutmeg

• rum or brandy if you want alcohol

• add 2 drops of vanilla stevia if you want it sweeter

Enjoy!! Happy holidays from the Philosophie!! Blend on a low speed for 45 seconds, sprinkle nutmeg on top before serving!

Today I am home, visiting with one of my oldest and dearest friends on the east coast near Washington DC. It's so nice being here with our new baby, in the fall season. I took a jog today to really soak up autumn-the changing and falling leaves, the cool air against my skin, and the crisp colors.

We decided to make a big feast for dinner! We made one "regular" lasagna (gluten-free and free range meat) and one DELICIOUS vegan pumpkin lasagna. here's the recipe!

for the layers:

• *brown rice lasagna (you could use quinoa also, or any lasagna that's gluten-free)

• *1 1/2 C Pure canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) I like Trader Joes Organic canned pumpkin

• *for mock ricotta, see below
• *1 egg (or egg replacer like flax and water)
• *almond milk
• *4 C spinach
• *nutmeg, salt, pepper, sage to taste (i like a lot!)
• *nutritional yeast sprinkled on top for mock parmesan
• *cream sauce: 3 tbsp vegan butter (or regular if you don't care), 3 tbsp tapioca starch 1 1/4 almond milk

Time to play!

1. Prepare the brown rice lasagna according to the box instructions, until al dente (firm, not hard)

2. For the pumpkin sauce, mix pumpkin, egg replacer and 1/4 C almond milk. Then mix in nutmeg, salt, pepper and sage.

3. For the mock ricotta cheese:

• ½ cup macadamia nuts
• ½ cup almonds
• 1 can water, or enough to cover to the level of the nuts 
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, you may want to add up to 2 more tsp
• 3 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup almonds, or up to 2 cups

Preparation for Mock Ricotta Cheese:

In your high powered blender, blend mac nuts, almonds, water, 1 tsp of salt, and apple cider vinegar. This will take about 7-8 minutes. Blend until very smooth.

Add the rest of the almonds, 1/4 c at a time, waiting until they are finely ground and fully incorporated. Taste and add more salt, if desired.

Blend until smooth, with a very slightly grainy texture (It should NOT be gritty). You may want to finish this in your food processor (unless you have a great blender).

4. Make the "cream" sauce by melting the butter on low heat. When it's melted, whisk in tapioca starch, then remove from heat. Slowly whisk in almond milk, then turn the heat back on and whisk constantly until the consistency is thickened enough to coat a spoon. (about 3-5 minutes)

5. Begin layering all the ingredients. Start with a small amount of the pumpkin sauce to layer on the casserole dish and to act as a non stick ingredient. Then add strips of lasagna. Then pumpkin sauce, then mock ricotta cheese. Add a layer of fresh spinach leaves. Then

drizzle the cream sauce on top.

Repeat the layers until you reach the top of the casserole dish. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast on top for a mock parmesan flavor.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for 10 minutes and serve warm.

7. Enjoy your delicious lasagna and store the leftovers or have a big meal and share with friends (with wine!!)!