It's back! The FREE Warming Breakfasts ebook is back for another winter season to warm you from the inside every single morning. There are endless recipes of oatmeal, variations with other whole grains (the buckwheat bowl with poached pears is killer!), there are overnight oats for a quick breakfast dashing out the door in the morning, there is a raw cashew buckwheat bowl that only takes a minute to whip up, and then there is the new Breakfast smoothie for those days you don'

Originally I wanted to call this corn bread cheese cornbread, but I know that is misleading. I never use real cheese in my recipes and I would be lying if it tastes exactly like the real thing. So over the years I have tried not to call recipes by their inspiration, and instead take them just for what they are: delicious foods that nourish my body from the inside out. For this recipe I do use a plant-based cheese. I have linked to my favorite kind below, but you can use any y

We have put so much love and care into our garden this summer, and it is rewarding us handsomely. We are flooded with apples, zucchini, celery, lettuce, and more, and I am loving it. It makes me be creative in the kitchen with the sudden influx of certain produce. We have made an endless amount of zucchini noodles, I have made huge batches of this summer squash lentil soup, and last night we had the zucchini spring salad. I often add zucchini to baked goods, but have realized

Today is the day - summer break is over and Baby Zand started school. She was so good. Walked in, said hello, and started playing. She gave me a quick kiss, and that was it. I am so glad she didn't cry, but I was bawling on the inside. After spending the last two months with her every single day, this was a huge adjustment. I've been feeling naked all day - somehow like a part of me is missing. But I also got to have some time to think, which was epic. My brain was suddenly f

Last weekend we went cherry picking for Father's Day. It was a huge success! Arman was happy, Baby Zand had a blast, and we ended up carting 10 lbs of fresh cherries home ... plus some apricots and peaches and nectarines. Our dining table is bending under all the weight of these glorious fruit, and I now have the task to quickly make something with these, so we don't end up wasting them. Making anything with cherries is a lot of work, because of the pit. Getting it out takes

I am kicking off my birthday week with a delicious sticky date pudding. This recipe is so easy - inspired by the amazing Nigella Lawson. Pouring boiling water over a sticky dough? Only she can pull that off, and come out of it all with a sticky toffee sauce that is to die for. I have taken her original recipe that I found 15 years ago (in her cookbook Nigella Bites), and have made it into a plant based and gluten free version that will not disappoint! Come and join me for bir

Tahini and sesame are some of my favorite ingredients to give a recipe an interesting, almost bitter flavor, but I know not everyone loves that. I do hope that with these yummy energy balls I will change your mind though. The very subtle sesame and tahini flavor make these balls more than just sweet little treats. Sesame is actually a fabulous seed us women should really eat more of. In a world that is so estrogen dominant with pesticides, plastic's BPA, ingredients from our

Easter is almost here, so it's time for yummy carrot cake. Even though carrot cake sounds healthy - carrots are a vegetable after all, right? - most are filled with processed vegetable oils, refined sugar, and gut inflaming flours. And as you may know by now, I set out to make every holiday a little healthier because it should never just be bland, boring food for you while everyone else enjoys treats. I take this approach with my daughter, too, making sure she has access to s

We are currently in Singapore visiting my sister and Baby Zand's cousins. It's been a week of fun, sunshine, and swimming. Plus an entire new household of toys - needless to say Baby Zand has been in heaven. For me, I've been able to test out what it's like having 4 kids - it's a never in a million years for me! :-) Plus we've been enjoying some of my favorite dumplings, coconut buns, and lots of fresh tropical fruit. Last week I had a lovely friend from Shanghai come over, a

Stews and soups are my go-to recipes right now. I make them in big batches, then eat them for days. Plus, there is no reason you can't reinvent them for new meals, so it doesn't get boring. For example, one day I serve this chili with the cornbread, then I mix it with quinoa the next day, and on the last day I top it with mango slaw. Delicious and easy! This recipe makes enough for 4 servings, but you can easily double the recipe for more leftovers :-) Preparation time: 1 hou

My favorite chocolate from childhood is a German chocolate crossie. It is basically crunchy cornflakes and almonds coated in chocolate. To die for! Since I haven't lived in Germany in forever, I make them myself every year for Christmas, and ever since Arman tried them, he requests them as soon as December 1st rolls around. Make them, you won't regret it. They make the perfect gift that will satisfy everyone. Preparation time: 30 minutes Hardning time: 1 hour Makes 20 pieces:

More gift ideas are here for you! Today I have two recipes for delicious holiday nuts. One is a savory, one is a sweet recipe, and both will be complete winners - whether you are hosting at home or giving these as a gift. You can wrap the nuts in little cookie bags or gift them in a beautiful holiday bowl. Chocolate spiced holiday nuts Preparation time: 5 minutes Baking and cooling time: 45 minutes Makes 2 cups: 1/3 cup honey 2 Tbsp raw cacao powder 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 t

The first of the homemade gift recipes is here, and it's so delicious: a Christmas granola that you can whip up quickly and in big batches. It is definitely a crowd pleaser with all the Christmas spices coupled with dried cranberries and maple. And even if you don't make it as a gift, it is fabulous to have at home for this season! Preparation time: 40 minutes Makes 4 cups (2-3 gift bags): 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup melted virgin coconut oil 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp vanil

Clearly Baby Zand's birthdays have a chocolate theme :-). This is the third year running with a delicious raw chocolate cake. Check out the previous two: White chocolate berry cake Chocolate raspberry cake I want her to have everything she wants - which is usually chocolate - but I also want her to be healthy and strong and not throw sugar tantrums. I want her to know that we can indulge every day when we make foods that nourish us from the inside out. And birthdays to me are

Here is the next Halloween recipe I promised you after the delicious pumpkin chocolate rice crispy treats. As you can tell, we take Halloween very seriously. Our fridge is stocked with healthy treats for the big day, and our costume has been in production for the last month. I can't yet share what it will be, because we need to make sure it actually works :-). But here is our costume from last year. Baby Zand's favorite song at the time was "The wheels on the Bus". Preparatio

It's that time of the year again when I make my favorite treats into healthier versions! Have you checked out some of the previous year's yumminess? Spider chocolate mousse Chocolate coconut cups Crooked teeth Raspberry jam peanut butter cups This year it's all about the pumpkin. I've got two delicious recipes for you, one today, and one coming on Thursday, so make sure to check back in! This is a fall version of a rice crispy treat with pumpkin, pumpkin spices, and chocolate

As I mentioned last week, snack things that can come with me all day and even tide me over a missed lunch break are my go-to right now, as I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I honestly don't know how to do this working mama thing plus keep our house tidy, make three healthy meals a day, commute to Baby Zand's school for 30 minutes (one way), do laundry, go on fun adventures with Baby Zand, tend to our veggie garden, have something that resembles a relationship

School has started back up for Baby Zand, and honestly there is not enough time in the day to ease myself into working mommy life, keep the house from becoming a hoarder's paradise, and also prepping 3 meals a day. So I resort to some of my tips and tricks from when I used to work full time: every meal I cook needs to feed us three times: this is perfect for any kind of veggie side dishes. For example if I roast a tray of veggies, I will make extra that can easily end up in B

Summer time is my favorite time for raw desserts: cakes made from nuts and fruit without the use of flour, refined sugar, or even the need to bake. These desserts are filling, but feel much lighter in your belly. They aid your digestion, which means less bloating, because who wants to be bloated in the summer time?!? And they are not going to add to your waste line, because there are no highly processed ingredients in them. The most amazing thing is that everyone absolutely l

Ah, I have already mentioned how much I am in love with summer produce with last week's asparagus risotto recipe. Let's talk about rhubarb, and my love for this epic fruit (actually it's a vegetable :-)). Rhubarb is super popular in Germany in the late spring/ early summer, and I remember how my grandmother used to cook jars and jars of rhubarb compote during its very short season. This would then be dessert for the rest of the summer, served with either creamy vanilla ice cr

As you may have gathered from my posts last week, I just celebrated birthday week. Every day I had another fantastic vegan treat (a couple non vegan ones, too :-)). There were some seriously delicious organic, vegan donuts from a place just down the road, and now that I know about them, I think I have to practice all my willpower to not stop there all the time. I will feature this amazing place on the blog here soon. Most of the treats I actually made myself. Every year since