Holiday Cranberry Peppermint Chocolate Ba

This Holiday Cranberry Peppermint Chocolate Bark is the perfect balance of festive indulgence and wholesome ingredients. With a mix of crunchy pumpkin seeds, sweet dried cranberries, and a touch of peppermint, it's a treat that brings joy and health. Plus, it's vegan-friendly and full of good-for-you ingredients like coconut and almonds. It's the perfect bite-sized way to add a little magic to your holiday season or anytime.

Serves 16

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

• 3/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds and/or chopped almonds

• 3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

• 2 12-ounce bags vegan chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips

• Natural crushed candy cane pieces in top (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a baking sheet, spread coconut and pumpkin seeds.

2. Bake for approximately 3 minutes or until coconut is lightly golden and fragrant ( keep an eye on this).

3. Add cranberries to parchment lined baking sheet and mix with coconut and seeds. Set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm chocolate chips, stirring until chocolate is mostly melted. Remove from heat and keep stirring until chocolate is completely melted.

5. Pour chocolate over coconut, seeds, and cranberries. Using a silicone spatula, spread out into a smooth layer covering the baking sheet. Sprinkle crushed candy cane on top of chocolate mixture if desired . Let cool in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until completely cool and solid. Once chilled, remove, break bark into pieces, and serve.

6. You may freeze for a later date …if its lasts that long!

   Note: If you choose not to use candy cane, you can add a few drops of mint extract to the chocolate.

Refreshing “Nice” Cream

Are you ready to dive into a delicious, light, healthy, and refreshing treat? Ready to make some "NICE" Cream? It's fun, simple, and a fantastic way to cool down while enjoying something tasty and nutritious.

Preparation Steps:

1. Ripe Bananas: Ensure your bananas are ripe (with some brown spots on the peel). Peel and cut them into pieces. Freeze in a ziplock bag or container. You can prepare the bananas days, weeks, or even months in advance to have them ready whenever the craving hits.

2. Blending: When you're ready, toss the frozen banana pieces (about three bananas’ worth) into a food processor or blender. For regular blenders, or if your bananas are very hard, add a few tablespoons of your favorite plant milk or another liquid to help blend.

3. Consistency: Blend until smooth, resembling a thick, soft-serve ice cream. Enjoy immediately for a soft texture, or transfer to a container and freeze for about thirty minutes for a firmer consistency. Scoop and serve for that classic ice cream feel.

My Favorite Flavor Inspirations:

• Chocolate Banana: Blend 3 bananas with 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and 3 tbsp cocoa powder.

• Mint Chocolate Chip: Blend 2 bananas with a pinch of salt and 1/8 tsp peppermint extract. Add chocolate chips or cacao nibs post-blending. For an extra nutrient boost, blend in a pinch of spirulina or a handful of spinach.

• Peanut Butter: Add 2-3 tbsp peanut butter (or any nut butter) before blending.

• Cool Colada: Use 1/4 cup canned coconut milk and blend with 1/2 cup frozen pineapple. Top with shredded coconut if desired.

• Bountiful Berry: Blend your bananas, then add 1 cup frozen berries of your choice and 1/8 tsp vanilla extract. Add fresh on top .

• Silky Strawberry: Blend 2 bananas with 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and an optional dash of cinnamon.

• Vanilla Bean: Blend 3 bananas with a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste.

• Cashew Crunch: Blend with 2-3 tbsp cashew butter and 1/8 tsp vanilla extract. Sprinkle crushed cashews ( or a variety of nuts) on top if desired.

A few of My Helpful Hints

• Creaminess : Adding a little fat, like peanut butter, almond butter, or coconut milk, enhances the creaminess, making it taste even closer to traditional ice cream.

• Ripeness: Let bananas ripen fully before freezing if you want a sweeter taste . Brown spots indicate they are sweet and ready. Green or all-yellow bananas are not fully ripened and will taste less sweet ( up to you).

  Health Tip: Ripe bananas are a wonderful natural sweetener, ideal for replacing added sugars in various recipes.

• Versatile Treat: This banana nice cream is so healthy, it can be enjoyed for breakfast, snack or dessert. It’s dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, raw, paleo, and gluten-free, making it a win win !

Enjoy this delicious and refreshing "NICE" Cream.

Happy blending!

Vanilla Cake Bites

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups packed pitted medjool dates (measured after pits removed)

• 1 1/4 cups raw walnuts

• 1 cup almond flour (or sub almond meal, but the cake flavor is more pronounced with flour)

• 1/3 cup coconut flour (or sub more almond flour)

• Pinch sea salt

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• Finely shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)

Instructions

1. Add pitted dates to a food processor and mix until small bits remain or a ball forms. Remove from food processor and set aside.

2. To the food processor, add the walnuts, almond flour, coconut flour, and sea salt. Blend until a semi-fine meal. Add dates back in (in bite-sized pieces) as well as the vanilla extract. Pulse until a loose dough forms. Be careful not to over-blend. Make a pliable dough, not a purée.

3. Scoop out 2-Tablespoon amounts using a cookie scooper and roll into balls with hands or release lever on scoop and place directly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all dough is used up.

4. Roll in finely shredded coconut or leave as is.

5. Store in refrigerator or freezer. Will keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 1 month.