Strawberry Banana Smoothie (gluten-free recipe)

The warmer weather and increased outdoor activity always inspires me to eat healthier. I whipped up a homemade Strawberry Banana Smoothie this morning before work which I wanted to share because it turned out pretty tasty! Like any smoothie recipe, omit/ add in additional ingredients as you wish. Also, I don’t like using ice in my smoothies as I feel it waters it down and makes it too cold to drink immediately which I love to do!

Note: all measurements are approximate

  • 8 strawberries, sliced in half
  • 1 medium to large banana, sliced in medium pieces
  • 3/4 cup vanilla soy milk (or use any milk i.e. rice, coconut, regular cow’s milk)
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2-3 tablespoons gluten-free oats (I love Bob’s Red Mill!)

1. Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend for 30 seconds to 1 minutes or until thoroughly mixed. 

2. Serve in a glass & enjoy!

Next time I’ll be sure to add in some blueberries and/or raspberries (my other favorite berries!). 

Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten-free)

I bought an awesome multi-pack of King Arthur Flour gluten-free mixes from GlutenFreeSaver.com a few weeks ago. Last night, I decided to surprise my fiancé with a batch of cookies!

The King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Cookie Mix is basically a cookie base where you add in 1-3 cups of whatever you want (if you want to!). I had some mini-marshmallows and chocolate chips (my fav) in the pantry, so that’s what I used. Next time I’ll use walnuts instead of marshmallows because the marshmallows made the cookies really sticky (thankfully I always use Sil-Pats and the like on my cookie sheets, so I was able to get them off the sheets easily).  

So the recipe…super easy since it’s a mix!

All you need is: 

  • 1/2 cup soft butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 to 3 cups of add-ins (i.e. chocolate chips) - this is optional

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 

2. Put 1/2 the cookie mix in a bowl, then mix in the butter. 

3. Add the egg and water, and beat until fluffy. 

4. Beat in the other 1/2 of the cookie mix, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.  *I use this scraper blade on my Kitchenaid that continually scrapes the sides/ bottom of the bowl. 

5. Add in 1 to 3 cups of add-ins i.e. chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc. (optional!).

6. Drop batter by heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheets with 2” between cookies. Flatten cookies to 1/2” thick (I used the spoon to do this!). 

7. Bake cookies until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. *I live at 5,500 ft. so I had to add on a few minutes of baking time (total baking time: 16 minutes). 

8. Remove cookies from oven, and let them cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Eat while still warm to enjoy the melted chocolate goodness! 

The cookies taste like their “glutenful” counterparts, and are very chewy and delicious. Also, I love the simplicity of this recipe, and will definitely be making it again soon with walnuts and chocolate chips! 

Apple Crumble

What’s a girl to do with 4 organic apples that have been hanging out in her fridge for a week?! Eat them individually? No. Make them into a simple n’ tasty dessert? Yes!

I used the crumble recipe I made a month ago and used apples instead of berries. I’d add a little juice or cider next time because it was a tad dry. Topped it with my fav vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 4 large apples (cored, peeled, & sliced)
  • 1/4 cup apple juice or cider
  • 1 cup GF flour (I used my fav - Bob’s Red Mill GF AP Flour)
  • 1/2 brown sugar (or more if you’d like)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (or more if you prefer)
  • 1/3 cup butter or margarine
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional since the flour mixture doesn’t need to rise)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Prep an 8x8 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Core, peel, and slice the apples. Then pour into the baking dish, top with apple juice and set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix GF flour with brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter or margarine, and rub between your fingers until the mixture becomes crumbly.
  5. Pour this mixture over the apples in the baking dish.
  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the topping turns golden brown.
  7. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve warm with vanilla ice cream &/or whipped cream.

Other Fruits

You can make this dessert with other fruits including:

  1. Blueberries: 3 cups fresh or frozen (thawed & drained)
  2. Cranberries: 3 cups fresh or frozen (thawed & drained) + 1/2 cup of sugar mixed in because they’re so tart
  3. Strawberries: 3 cups fresh (hulled & cut into pieces) or frozen (thawed & drained)
  4. Pears: 5-6 medium size (cored, peeled, & sliced)
  5. Raspberries -or- Blackberries: 3 cups fresh, rinsed & drained *frozen won’t work because when thawed, they get very mushy