Blackberry + Orange Almond Flour Muffins with Streusel Topping (GF + Vegan)

Breakfast for me has always been a happy alternation between oatmeal and eggs. Both satisfying and simple but not always my favorite to whip together when I’m half awake. Sometimes what I really want to do is just grab a muffin. And is it too much to ask for that muffin to be more nutrient dense than your run of the mill cupcake-disguised-as-a-muffin situation? I say, heck no! Here is a recipe that brings plenty of feel-good nutrients together to carry you through your morning while still fully satisfying your muffin craving. The blackberries and orange flavors are so bright and refreshing and the streusel topping makes them feel EXTRA. Whip them up on a Sunday and grab them from the fridge and enjoy while you sip on your coffee throughout the week. Zero regrets.

Blackberry + Orange Almond Flour Muffins

Streusel Topping

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Muffins

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 4 tablespoons ground flaxseed

• 3/4 cup warm water

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

• 2/3 cup maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest

• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

• 5 ounces blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking sheet for your streusel. Then either spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with paper liners. I generally don’t have paper liners on hand so I just bake them directly in the pan and they turn out totally fine.

The streusel

Combine the almond flour, coconut oil, and maple syrup in a small bowl. Crumble the mixture onto the greased baking sheet and baking for about 18 minutes or until the streusel begins to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

The muffins

In a small bowl whisk together the ground flaxseed and warm water. Set aside and allow to gel together. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the flaxseed-water mixture, coconut oil, maple syrup, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you have a smooth batter. Fold the blackberries into the batter. Scoop the batter into 8-10 muffin tins depending on how full you like them. Sprinkle the streusel on the muffins and bake for 23-26 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool completely. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheating before eating is completely optional, but my preference.

3-Ingredient DIY Face Wash

As with most things, this face wash was discovered while searching for something else. I was searching for something to heal a scar that I had gotten on my lip. While researching, over and over both lavender oil and tea tree oil came up as solutions to my problem. I figured, if one of them would be helpful, BOTH would be unbelievably healing. I used the combination faithfully on my scar and what was supposed to leave a very prominent mark, has become hardly noticeable. Somewhere along the way I began using this little spot treatment as a full face wash. and I absolutely loved the results. While my scar isn’t completely gone and my skin is FAR from perfect, this oil based face wash daily leaves my face feeling dewy and fresh. It’s all natural so I feel super good about using it, but more than that IT WORKS. It’s gentle and powerful at the same time. If you’re not completely satisfied with your current face wash, give this combo a try and let me know what you think.

3-Ingredient DIY Face Wash

• 1/3 cup coconut oil

• 6 drops lavender essential oil

• 6 drops tea tree essential oil

Heat the coconut oil in a microwave safe container until fully melted, 30-45 seconds. Add in the lavender and tea tree oil drops. Stir. Store in an airtight container in the bathroom and use daily as a face wash. I like to use mine nightly to get all my makeup off and leave my skin feelin’ all dewey before I crawl into bed.

Note: Depending on the temperature in your bathroom, the oil will fluctuate between liquid and solid. Above 76 degrees it will be liquid. Below that and it will be solid. No matter which state it is in it will work well as a facial cleanser.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ginger {GF + Vegan}

It’s Tuesday and you deserve a cookie. I deserve a cookie. WE ALL DESERVE A COOKIE.

Chocolate chip is my go-to. This recipe maintains the comfort of my classic favorite, but adds a little pizazz to keep me a little more interesting than I actually am. The spiciness of the ginger combined perfectly with a soft and gooey base of a cookie is just what this not-even-quite-hump-day needs. Whether you’re looking for a good chocolate chip cookie that will satisfy your sweet tooth or a variation of an original, this is your recipe.

Sending cookies and prayers and hope that the rest of the week speeds by faster than it’s begun for you all.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ginger (GF + Vegan)

Inspired by Jessie Mae

• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

• 3 tablespoons water

• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup oat flour, fluffed with a fork

• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and water. Mix and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.

Add the almond butter, brown sugar, and vanilla to the flax mixture and beat with a spoon until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the batter and mix until the dough begins to come together - then add the chopped chocolate and grated ginger.

Scoop the  dough into 12 equal cookie dough mounds. I always recommend using a cooking scooper. It’s a life saver! Roll into balls, and press down gently to form into thick disks.

Bake for 9 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the pan. The cookies may seem too soft when you initially remove them from the oven, but keeping them on the pan will allow them to cook just a little bit more. Just the perfect amount. Once they have completely cooled, remove them from the pan and store in an airtight container.

Overnight Chia Oats with all the toppings {GF + Vegan}

This breakfast falls into both my lazy breakfast and fancy breakfast categories. It’s fancy because, i mean, JUST LOOK AT IT! It might just seem like oats, but look at all the extra bursts of flavor and separate textures coming through. But here’s the secret, here’s why it’s lazy, it really just requires you to throw the ingredients in a mason jar or container of choice and then say SEE YA IN THE MORNING! No jokes. No gimics. That’s it.

I use this as my holy-crap-I-only-have-five-minutes-before-I-have-to-leave, but I could also definitely justify it as a “fancy breakfast” on the weekends. You can meal prep it on Sunday and eat on it all week. You can feel both a little lazy and a little fancy. Skeptical? I get it. But give it a try this week and I think you’ll be convinced.

Overnight Chia OatS

Serves 4-6

• 1/4 cup hemp seeds

• 1/4 cup chia seeds

• 1 cup oats

• 2 1/2 cups almond milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Optional

• peanut butter

• almond butter

• berries

• additional maple syrup

• nuts

• yogurt (I used this brand)

In a large mixing bowl combine the hemp seeds, chia seeds, oats, almond milk, vanilla, and maple syrup. Place the mixture in the refrigerator overnight or at least 2 hours. Remove the desired portion from the refrigerator and add toppings. In the winter i like to warm the mixture up and then add the toppings, but in the warmer part of the year i like eating it cold. Choose whatever appeals to you!