I think almost everyone has a wonderful, happy memory that revolves around ice cream.  And if you don’t….go grab someone you love, take them out for ice cream and make that memory!  After you’ve had your fill of the real stuff and you realize that you want to button your pants, wear a swim suit, live to see your kids graduate college….then make the decision to indulge in a more healthy version of ice cream.

This recipe definitely seems a bit strange, but the flavor and the texture is incredible!  You’d never guess that this ice cream is loaded with veggies!  Yes, vegetable ice cream!

Avocado Ice Cream

• 2 Ripe Avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1 can Full Fat Coconut Milk (organic if you can find it)
• 1/2 cup Raw Honey
• 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips or Cocoa Nibs (Optional)
• 1/8 tsp – 1/4 tsp Mint Extract (Optional)

Combine all the ingredients except chocolate chips in a blender or food processor until completely smooth.  Pour into an ice cream maker, following manufacturer’s directions.  Stir in the chocolate chips after the ice cream machine process is complete.  Transfer to a freezer proof container (please don’t freeze plastic!).  Allow to freeze an hour or more.  Scoop and Enjoy!

Blend until smooth in a blender or food processor.

Pour into an ice cream maker and watch the magic happen!

Tada!

Ooops!  I accidentally added chocolate!  What a surprise, that never happens!

This ice cream is so tasty and the best part is that you can get that mint chocolate chip flavor withOUT the artificial food coloring and the fatty-pants, heart-clogging, cholesterol-soaring side effects of traditional ice cream.

Plus, your kids will never know they are devouring a bowl full of veggies!  SCORE!

If this veggie ice cream seems too crazy for you, then take baby steps and start out with this incredibly good for you and delicious Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream!

Whitney

 We worked in 2 shifts.  Due to space and the need for cooktops. The first shift cooked in a church kitchen.  We all brought our kids with us and were totally out numbered by the kiddos!  But they had just as much fun as we did in the kitchen!  The second shift was able to make everything in one person’s home.

Prior to our cooking day we all picked a freezer friendly recipe, then shopped for all the goodies.  We brought everything we needed to cook with us and had a huge cooking party.  Each person made 20 of the same meal.  Then we divided all the meals into freezer bags and then traded them off with each other.

Lots and lots of food!

 Lots of stirring.  And yes, do you notice that belly sticking out in the picture?  That’s my baby in there!!!

Here is my favorite part about this cooking co-op.  Some of my friends aren’t as weird as I am and don’t love to cook everyday.  And this is a GREAT way to make sure that more families are eating home-made meals.  It’s so much better than drive-thru, fast food, store bought stuff.

 Here are some of the recipes we used:

Indian Chicken Curry

Turkey Tetrazzini 

Baked Cheesy Spinach Tortellini 

Beef Stroganoff

Black Bean Turkey Tacos

Chicken and Rice

  It is such a wonderful feeling to have my freezer stocked with meals!  Before Miss Ava was born I cooked like crazy to build up a stash in our freezer.  And now I’m due to have another little baby any day, and it feels incredible to have this checked off my 4-mile-long To-Do List.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends and fellow moms!

Cheers to you all!

Whitney

Mini Banana Nut Muffins

• 1 Banana
• 1 Egg White
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Butter or Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp Milk
• 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 Tbsp Walnuts, chopped
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Fresh Grated Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a mini muffin pan with paper or grease lightly.  Mash the banana and stir in the brown sugar.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Fill the mini muffin tins half full and bake for about 8 minutes.

Find an adorable little kid to help you mash the banana.

Let her mix in the brown sugar and then the remaining ingredients.

Bake and allow to cool in the pan for just a minute.  Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Go ahead, share with a friend!

Happy Snacking!

Whitney

My mom watched Ava for a long weekend and my husband and I spent the entire time cleaning out the lower level of our house and finishing Ava’s big girl bedroom.  It was such a fun project and Ava loves her room!  It was worth all the effort!

First up is the bed.  Okay, this might seem like a giant bed for a 3-year-old, but we already had a perfectly good queen-size bed and I’m not going to go out to buy a toddler bed.  So we took the frame off of it and it’s sitting sideways against the wall.  She sleeps right in the middle and it’s great!  Believe it or not those adorable lamps came from Hobby Lobby!  Who knew!?!  And the bedding came from my all time favorite, Land of Nod.  Except the square pillows are a little DIY project.

 The artwork hanging over the bed are framed book covers from some of Ava’s favorite books.  She has never liked the paper book covers and this was such a fun project.

 I scoured the internet looking for the perfect bookcase/storage case for her room and I never found the right piece.  Well, alright, I found a few but they were a wee bit out of the budget.  So it was time to pull out the bookshelves from college and let Chadman sand and paint them for his little girl.  The little storage bins are perfect.  The doll house used to be her bookshelf in her old room and now it is loaded with dolls and goodies!

We had one random wall that we couldn’t decide what to do with and I love these cubes that are attached to the wall.  Ava can reach the bottom 4 cubes and the top 2 are filled with more delicate items.

   There is a giant window in Ava’s room and when it’s time for lights out, these curtains were a must!!  I bought the fabric for cheap cheap cheap at Joann’s the day after Thanksgiving and sewed blackout lining to the back.   I have decided the blackout curtains are essential for baby and toddler rooms!

I hope you enjoy!  Maybe I’ll post some pictures of the nursery for this new baby….if I ever finish it!

In other news, make sure to check out AllFreeKidCrafts, they have featured me as a Craft Designer!

Whitney

Lentil Sloppy Joes

• 2 cups Water
• 1 cup Lentils
• 1 small Onion, diced
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Carrot, diced
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 28 oz can Diced Tomatoes (look for BPA free or use 3 fresh tomatoes chopped)
• 3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• 1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp Mustard

Rinse the lentils thoroughly and place in a pot with the 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for approximately 20 minutes.  Do not overcook.  You want the lentils soft they will continue cooking with the other ingredients.

In a separate large pan, saute the onion, pepper and carrot in olive oil or water for 5-10 minutes.    Add the garlic, chili powder and paprika.  Cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Drain the lentils and add to the onion veggie mixture.  Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat for about 20- 30 minutes.

Cook the lentils.

Prep the veggies.

Cook the veggies.

Add the seasonings.

Add the lentils and remaining ingredients and allow to stew 20-30 minutes longer.

Serve on whole wheat buns and Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli as a side dish.

Whitney

These cookies are so healthy and good for you that you could even enjoy these as a breakfast cookie!  Seriously!  No sugar, loaded with good carbs and a touch of protein.  What’s not to love!

Sneaky Carrot Cookies

• 2 Bananas
• 3 Tbsp Almond Butter (or peanut butter)
• 1/2 cup Applesauce
• 2 cups Oats
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Grated Carrots
• 1/3 cup Dried Cranberries (or your favorite dried fruit)
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional but really, when is chocolate optional)
• 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds (optional but these are so good for you)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl.  Stir in the almond butter and then the applesauce.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.  Drop the dough onto a cookie sheet and slightly flatten with the back of a spatula.  Bake for 10-14 minutes, until nice and firm.

Peel and mash the bananas in a large bowl.

Stir in the almond butter and then the applesauce.

Add the remaining ingredients.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets and flatten slightly.

These cookies are so delicious!  I strongly encourage you to share them with a wee tot!

Happy Baking!

Whitney

Red Bell Pepper Candy

• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 tsp 100% Pure Maple Syrup

Wash the peppers, rinse thoroughly and slice.  Drizzle the sliced peppers with maple syrup and toss to combine.  Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.  (I’ve made these and skipped this step once and they turned out tasty but the flavor wasn’t as rich)

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees and line a baking sheet with a cooling rack with parchment paper on top of the cooling rack.  Line the peppers onto the parchment paper, make sure they aren’t touching.  Place in the oven for 6 to 8 hours.  This will dehydrate the peppers and make them crisp.

Slice the peppers.

You need the real stuff here, folks!  Sorry but Aunt Jemima’s high fructose corn syrup just won’t work for this!!  Okay?  Okay!

 Toss the maple syrup with the peppers and, if you have time, let rest in the refrigerator for about an hour or two.

Place a cooling rack on a cookie sheet and top with parchment paper.  Line the peppers up and roast for 6-8 hours.

They will be thin and crispy when finished.

Source: SkinnyMs.com

Whitney

Lasagna Roll Ups

• 1/2 lb Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
• 8 oz Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
• 1 Egg
• 5 oz Frozen Spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups Marinara Sauce
• Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook the noodles in boiling water according to package directions, drain and set aside.  Combine the thawed spinach with the egg, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and salt and pepper.  Lightly grease a casserole dish.  Lay out the noodles on a flat, clean surface.  Spread a couple spoonfuls of the cheese mixture on the noodles.  Roll them up and place in the casserole dish seam side down.  Pour the marinara sauce over the noodles.  Cover the dish and bake for about 30 minutes.

Cook some lasagna noodles.

Combine the cheeses, egg and spinach.

Spread the filling onto the noodles. Not too much but spread the filling to the edges.

Roll them up.

Transfer to a baking dish, top with sauce, cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Whitney

Lentils are super cheap and a great source of protein and fiber.  Especially important for any of you prego or nursing mamas.  This recipe is one of my family’s favorites!   It’s crazy easy and can be used for tacos, burritos, quesadilla (Ava’s favorite) or even use for a tortilla stack up.  

Lentil Tacos

• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Carrot, finely chopped
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup Dry Lentils, rinsed
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 2 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth
• 1 cup Salsa

Heat a large pot over medium heat add the oil and saute the onion, carrot and garlic until tender.  Add the lentils and seasonings and stir for 1 minute.  Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.  Or until the lentils are tender.  Uncover and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.  Gently mash some of the lentils and stir in the salsa.  Spoon the lentil mixture into taco shells and top with your favorite ingredients.

Chop some veggies.

Saute some veggies.

Add seasonings, lentils and broth – oh my!

Tada!  Tacos!  I topped these tacos with sauteed red peppers and Avocado Salsa.

 Whitney

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Filling

• Chocolate Cookie Recipe
• 1/4 cup Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
• 2 Tbsp Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 Tbsp Honey

Prepare the cookies, chill and roll out the dough.  Use a small heart cookie cutter to cut the cookies.  Bake and cool completely.  Combine the peanut butter, yogurt, vanilla and honey. Stir until smooth and combined.  Once the cookies are cooled spread about 1-2 teaspoons worth of filling onto one cookie, then place another cookie on top to make a sandwich.

Roll the dough out and cut with cookie cutters.  This is so much fun to do with kids.  Messy, but fun!

Fill the cookies with the peanut butter filling and watch them disappear!

Note: I keep these in the refrigerator due to the yogurt in the filling.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Whitney