my nourished vibes

let me just tell you how cool my husband and i are.  every year on valentines day, we get super excited for the food that we'll be celebrating with.   no romantically plotted dates. no forced cheesiness. no flowers. just food.  you better believe im all about chocolate!  i usually make one thing for valentines dessert, but perhaps being nine months pregnant has influenced me towards the decision to make multiple treats for us to enjoy this year;) among them will be my favorite cupcakes. this chocolate cupcake recipe has been under my belt for a few years now.  i love to feed it to non gluten free people and watch as it rocks their world.  this cupcake is so smooth, moist and chocolatey, that you would never guess its base is black beans, let alone gluten free!  its light and fluffy, leaving you feeling heavenly with each bite ling ering on your taste buds:) oh i can't wait for valentines day! GRAIN FREE CHO...

"sorry this is so crappy guys. but at least try to get full." dinner should never start off with such harsh words, and yet it did last night.  to my horror, the homemade gluten free ravioli i had envisioned to serve my husband and son for dinner, played out far worse than my scariest nightmares.  spending hours in the kitchen, using up expensive gluten free flours, and six freaking organic eggs!!!....only to have it land on a  plate as a total disaster, literally left me feeling unsatisfied with my whole day as i laid my head on my pillow last night.  am i crazy or what? not only did it taste horrible, but it looked horrible as well so let's start from the beginning.  ever since we got to germany, i've had strange longings for foods that i haven't had in a while.  some may say pregnancy, but i know myself, and i say it's desiring to eat for comfort and to induce feelings of familiarity in a foreign place.  cheese filled ravioli has always had...

homemade chocolates are my favorite  and apparently, they're my husband's favorite too...a tray of twelve was gone in a week!  and i only had three! when i decided to come up with the recipe for these chocolates, i wanted them to be bigger than bite size, but small enough that they could be eaten in two or three bites. an ice cube tray was the perfect mold for the job.   smooth velvety homemade chocolate will make your conscience feel good about eating a sweet treat at any time:) since it's loaded with healthy fats from coconut oil, sunflower seed butter and almonds, you'll be nourishing your body as you tame your sweet tooth as well. with two layers of filling, your tongue will dance with delight, as the chewy nougat mixes with the cookie layer!  i was even surprised at how well this combination worked out to transport me to that magical chocolate candy bar land .... but on a more important note, the nougat i created for this chocolate bit...

oh the christmas season....sigh....it comes and goes so fast.  and what is there left to do once all the hustle and bustle have died down, the presents have been opened and the egg nog has been drank?  make delicious broth of course!  our christmas morning was rather quiet this year.  we only had ourselves, and our plans included nothing more than watching dimitri tear through his presents, and eat my homemade gluten free cinnamon rolls while lounging in our pajamas all day.  it was a very successful christmas!  so my number one priority once all the fun was had, was to get the bones from my beautiful christmas eve turkey boiling away on the stove top.  our christmas smelled delicious:) so what's so great about making your own broth?  why not just buy broth from the grocery store?  if you ever ask me these questions, ill slap you across the face and tell you to snap out of it!  not only is homemade broth filled with much more complex...

christmas day will never be complete until i have my glass (or too many to count) of egg nog .  end of story.  i am lucky enough to have never had the misfortune of drinking store bought egg nog from those scary cartons that show up every year after thanksgiving.  i dont even want to know what kind of chemical mess these companies are trying to pass off as a traditional holiday drink.  so, i apologize to any of you reading this who have ever had the unpleasant experience of drinking said concoction and coming to the terrible conclusion that you dont like egg nog.  but not me...i have lived a life filled with hope , because every year on christmas eve my aunt would serve us homemade egg nog.  you can often find me on my knees thanking god that this tradition was always a part of my life;)  as we would walk into her house every year on christmas eve around 7 pm, paradise beckoned from the kitchen.  a crystal punch bowl filled with that oh so creamy...

well hello there old friend:) its been quite some time hasnt it? a lot of things have changed since we last sat down to chat.  lets start with the big stuff! as of now i am 28 weeks pregnant with our second child!  if it werent for the circumstances i would not have received an ultrasound with this pregnancy either, but since the doctors needed it for their peace of mind i gave in.  and found out that our next angel will be a GIRL !!! we are so thrilled that she will be joining our family in february:) i no longer live among my people.... yes, i am now a foreiner ;)  my husband and i, along with our two year old son packed up and said good by to the good ole' U.S. of A. two months ago to move to germany for his job. we were so excited to move on and see what was in store for us in this big adventure. heck i was just excited to move to a place where they still understood the greatness of bakeries, butchers and markets! my dream came true when we found our house a...

apparently i only blog well in the dreary winter months...  i hope that you have been enjoying your summer as much as i have:)  im so sorry for keeping this diamond from you for so long words cannot even describe how incredible this pie is! its hard to believe that this pie is raw, or even to believe that its not from a famous bakery.  the crust is deep and chocolatey, reminiscent of brownies with an added crunch that has you searching for oreos in the recipe. the filling is smooth with a little tang to offset its dreamy sweetness.  i promise you, this pie will not last long in your house! ALMOND BUTTER PIE crust: 1 1/2 c walnuts 1 1/2 c pecans 1/2 c dates 1/2 c cocoa 2 tsp honey 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 tbs cacao nibs *grind walnuts and pecans in food processor until fine and crumbly. add in all other ingredients except cacao nibs. process until a dough starts to form. *press crust in the bottom and u...