Category Archives: Dessert

September 28, 2018 · 7:42 pm

Gluten Free & Paleo Berry Crumble

So….it has only taken me 3 months to post this recipe (Eek! Sorry.). This recipe came to mind this morning as I started daydreaming about apples and how great this berry crumble would be with an apple filling. Time to get this on the blog.

I looooooove this time of year when the mornings and evenings are cool and crisp, yet the days are still sunny and beautiful. If you have never experienced an Idaho Fall, you really need to. The leaves are starting to turn all sorts of gorgeous colors which makes hiking extra fulfilling.

My little one and I have already begun fantasizing about apple picking; I’m pretty sure it’s in the cards for us one of these next few weekends. All that to say that this Paleo Crumble will become an apple crumble here real soon.

FILLING INGREDIENTS

6 cups packed sliced fruit (I used strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries)
1 Tbs. arrowroot powder
Juice of ½ lemon
2 Tbs. coconut sugar

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour
3 Tbs. coconut sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
6 Tbs. cold organic cultured butter
¼ cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees convection bake.

Mix the filling ingredients together in a large bowl and pour them into an oven safe baking dish (I used a 2 ½ quart Corning Ware glass baking dish).

In a separate bowl add all of the dry ingredients and whisk together. Once whisked add in the vanilla and cut in the cold butter until it resembles a coarse meal. At this point the crumble topping will stick together a bit when pressed.

Place the crumble on top of the prepared berries and distribute evenly.

Bake at 350 convection bake for approximately 35-40 minutes (turn the crumble 180 degrees halfway through baking) until the fruit bubbles and the topping is nice and golden brown. Watch closely so the topping does not burn. If your topping is browning too quickly, tent with foil.

Remove from oven and allow to cool 10-15 minutes prior to serving. Pairs well with vanilla ice cream.

For a printable version of this recipe click HERE.

3 Comments

Filed under Cooked Fruit, Dessert, Fruit, Gluten Free, Paleo, Pie / Crumble / Cobbler, Recipes

Tagged as berry cobbler gluten free, berry crumble recipe, Bob's Red Mill, bobs red mill paleo baking Flour recipe, gluten free berry crumble, gluten free dessert, gluten free dessert recipe, grain free dessert, grain free dessert recipe, paleo berry crumble, paleo cobbler gluten free, Paleo dessert, paleo dessert recipe

June 1, 2016 · 7:20 pm

Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas

Healthy Chocolate Covered Bananas Balanced Grettie Fitquestmom

Over the Memorial Day Weekend we went to a BBQ at a friend’s house and I was tasked with bringing a healthy-ish dessert.

Frozen chocolate covered bananas were always my favorite Disneyland treat and I think it is because that was the only place I ever saw them when I was younger. I had a MASSIVE sweet tooth, yet I would choose those every time over a Mickey ice cream sandwich or the other fun ice cream treats they sold.

I thought that chocolate covered frozen bananas would fit the bill and would be fun for my daughter and I to make together. She is the age now where I am wanting to give her more freedom in the kitchen and this was the perfect recipe for that.

This dessert ended-up being a hit with kids and adults alike…I’m pretty sure they will make a regular appearance this summer.

INGREDIENTS

Ripe Bananas (not too ripe though)
Popsicle sticks
Chocolate chips for melting (I used Enjoy Life brand)
Various toppings
- Trail mix (we chopped ours up in the blender)
- Nuts
- Mini marshmallows
- Raisins
- Cereal
- Sprinkles
- Coarse sugar

METHOD

Cut bananas into 3″ slices
Stick a Popsicle stick into each banana piece
Place the banana pieces on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour or longer
Melt the chocolate chips (I used the double boiler method)
Coat each frozen banana with the melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle on the toppings (the chocolate will harden FAST)
Lay the finished product back on the cookie sheet and into the freezer until ready to serve

What’s your favorite healthy-ish summertime dessert???

2 Comments

Filed under Dessert, Frozen Treats, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday, Ice Cream, Kid Friendly, Quick, Recipes, Sorbet, Vegan

Tagged as banana, chocolate, chocolate covered banana, chocolate covered banana recipe, Enjoy Life chocolate chips, healthy frozen dessert, how to make chocolate covered bananas, How to melt chocolate on double boiler

May 10, 2016 · 2:23 pm

CRAZY PROTEIN BREAD

Crazy Protein Bread

I posted a picture of this extremely macro-friendly protein bread the other day on my Instagram account and there was a lot of interest in the recipe.

I based the recipe very closely on iheartmacro’s recipe for protein bread, however I am personally not a fan of cooking with protein powder and I am back off dairy, so I could not use Greek yogurt.

I am also a big fan of Crazy Richard’s Pure PB powder and added that to the recipe because PB makes EVERYTHING better!

This bread is awesome for those who struggle to get in all of their protein for the day and is VERY filling thanks to the coconut flour.

WET INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (I prefer organic)
2/3 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
2 farm fresh eggs
OPTIONAL – stevia to taste
- Use if you want sweet bread
- Omit if you want more neutral tasting bread

DRY INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup Pure PB powder (replace with almond flour to make it Paleo)
1 tsp baking powder

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl until fully incorporated
In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until very smooth
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan
Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean in the center of the cake
Cool and slice into 8 slices
Store in the fridge (I place the bread in a tupperware along with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture).

MACROS PER SLICE – 5C/9.5P/2.9F

*Use code “FITQUESTMOM for 10% off Crazy Richards Products. Shop HERE.

2 Comments

Filed under Breads / Crackers / Muffins, Breakfast, Cake, Dessert, Gluten Free, Paleo, Recipes

Tagged as coconut flour, coconut flour bread recipe, crazy richards, crazy richards discount code, crazy richards peanut butter powder, healthy bread recipe, iheartmacros, IIFYM, macro friendly bread recipe, protein bread, protein bread recipe

January 12, 2016 · 8:45 pm

Cauliflower Oats

One of my nutrition clients was just mentioning how much she loves the cauliflower oats I posted about on my Instagram page and thought I would share it with all of you. I know it sounds weird, but you really don’t taste the cauliflower at all and it majorly ups the volume! I also like to mix riced cauliflower (HERE’s how to make it…you can also buy it at Trader Joe’s) in with rice because again, it ups the volume you get to eat and you primarily taste the rice.

You can use different amounts based upon the macros you have available to you, but here is an example of how I like it:

INGREDIENTS

1/2c oats

1 1/2c water

2/3c riced cauliflower (I put it in raw)

1/3-1/2c egg whites (optional, but a great way to get more protein in)

Toppings: Nut butter (Crazy Richards is my favorite*, fruit, shredded coconut, raisins, dried fruit, OR go the savory route and top with veggies and protein, hot sauce, etc.

METHOD

Cook the oats, water, and cauliflower on the stove over medium/high heat until it comes to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook until your desired level of thickness.

Whisk in the egg whites and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat, put the lid on, and let it sit on the stove until you are ready to eat it.

Oftentimes I will make the oats at lunchtime and then will leave them on the stove with the lid on and not eat them until after dinner.

If you know you won’t be eating them for a long time, obviously store the cauli-oats in the fridge.

* Get 10% off your Crazy Richard’s order with code: FITQUESTMOM

1 Comment

Filed under Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, Grains, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Quick, Recipe Redux, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as cauliflower, cauliflower oatmeal, cauliflower oats, cauliflower oats recipe, crazy richards, crazy richards discount code, Crazy Richards Peanut Butter, how to make cauliflower oats, IIFYM, macros, oatmeal, volume foods

November 12, 2015 · 9:50 pm

No- Bake Protein Bar Base Recipe

LJ Protein Bar Base (3)

My nutrition client LJ posted this recipe from the Power Hungry blog on our Team Facebook page and I loved the simplicity of it. With 5 ingredients (all of which you can pronounce) these bars go together in a snap.

I whipped-up a quick batch and these protein bars have been a savior for me the last few days since I have been crazy busy and have been eating on the run a lot. An added bonus is the fact that these are really filling.

The only modification I made to the recipe was to use 1 cup of almond milk versus the 1 1/3 cups the recipe called for. Years ago I learned to always add less liquid initially to a recipe than it calls for because you can always add more if necessary and you can’t UNadd liquid once you have too much.

Ingredient-wise I used Trader Joe’s gluten-free old fashioned oats, unsweetened almond milk, Crazy Richard’s Crunchy PB, Kirkland vanilla, and PlantFusion protein powder in Cookies and Cream.

LJ Protein Bar Base (2)

The add-ins you could include in these bars are endless:

Powdered PB
Cocoa powder
Shredded coconut
Chocolate chips
Carob chips
Sprinkles
Nuts
Dried fruit
A layer of low sugar jelly (PB & J bars)
Pumpkin
Pumpkin pie spice
Cinnamon

Here are the nutrition facts for the bars as I made them (It made 8 bars):

LJ Protein Bar Base Nutrition Facts

P.S. If you are interested in giving Crazy Richards a try use the coupon code FITQUESTMOM for 10% off.

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie Recipe

I am going to “white girl” it up here with a healthy Pumpkin Spice smoothie/shake recipe. Who doesn’t love a little (or a lot) of pumpkin in the Fall? This recipe also works really well with persimmons or you could use sweet potato or kabocha…you get the idea…it’s versatile.

This recipe could easily serve 2 people, but I’m a little piggy and keep it all to myself. If you want to share it with someone else, just divide the macro counts below by two.

RECIPE

1 scoop PlantFusion protein (chocolate or vanilla)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 Tbs pumpkin pie spice (you can use less, but I LOVE it)
2/3 cup organic canned pumpkin
2-3 tsp fresh ginger (I like a lot)
2 Tbs Sugar Free Italian Sweet Cream Coffeemate (my smoothie secret)
2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2-3 big handfuls of ice (I use a lot)

Add all of the above ingredients to your high speed blender and blend away.

PB CUP / FUDGE RECIPE – Healthy Halloween Candy

I teamed-up with Nuts.com in an attempt to make Halloween less scary for your waistline. Nuts.com has been working hard on their Healthy Snack Page and I am happy to help spread the word.

Of course when you think of Nuts.com you think of nuts. One of the world’s best flavor combos in my opinion is PB and C. Who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate (other than my very own daughter…what???).

I set off on a quest to make a healthier peanut butter cup / peanut butter fudge and the results taste amazing if I do say so myself. My son offered to eat all of them (such a kind boy). What’s even more awesome is how quickly these come together.

It’s up to you whether or not you add chocolate. These cups / fudge taste great either way.

INGREDIENTS – Makes 10

40g dark chocolate

2Tbs (28g) raw cacao butter

1/4c (64g) peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

1/4c (24g) peanut butter powder

1/2 dropperful Liquid Sweetleaf Stevia (English Toffee flavor is my favorite)

Method

If using the chocolate, place 4 grams of chocolate into each of the 10 candy molds (I used THIS one). Microwave in 15 second increments to melt (you have to be REALLY careful not to burn the chocolate in the microwave). Once sufficiently melted, spread the chocolate and place the mold into the freezer.

In a double boiler melt the cacao butter, chocolate, and peanut butter powder stirring constantly with a whisk.

Once melted, remove the molds from the freezer and divide the peanut butter mixture evenly between the 10 candy molds.

Place the candies in the fridge to set-up. Store uneaten candies (if there are any) in the fridge or freezer.

Nutrition Information:

Per Candy (Chocolate & PB) – 82 cal / 2.7C / 3P / 6.8F

Per Candy (Just PB Mixture) – 75 cal / 1.8C / 2.8P / 6.3F

My Favorite Gluten-Free Lower Carb Waffle Recipe

This is my go-to waffle recipe. It has taken me a while to perfect, but I know it’s good when the rest of my family actually likes them and tries to steal bites when I make one for myself. Let’s face it, I like a lot of foods that the general public probably wouldn’t be into…this is a recipe the general public will be into.

I like this recipe as either a HUGE Belgian waffle or pancakes. The only difference between making these into waffles or pancakes will be the batter consistency (aka how much water you add). Waffle batter tends to be thicker and pancake batter thinner (it is basically personal preference).

I like to eat the whole recipe myself, but you can easily split it in half or eat as much as your macros allow. I also like to top my waffle with strawberries, but again that is personal preference.

If you don’t want to use syrup you can add a little stevia to the batter.

INGREDIENTS

40 grams Krusteaz gluten -free buttermilk pancake mix

1 Tbs coconut flour (pack it into the Tbs vs. the scoop and scrape method)

2 Tbs Fufu (Plantain Flour)

6 Tbs organic egg whites

Water (amount varies)

METHOD

Preheat your waffle maker or a pan on medium heat if making pancakes.

Place the pancake mix, coconut flour, and fufu flour into a mixing bowl. Add the egg whites and a little water to start (2-3Tbs). Mix.

The coconut flour will absorb a lot of water, so add water a little at a time until it reaches the right consistency. It seems like the amount of water I use is different every time, so play around with it. You can also add some more egg whites if you have more protein macros to use-up. I have used as little as 4Tbs and as much as 8Tbs with great results.

Spray coconut oil onto the waffle maker or pan.

Cook as you would any regular waffle or pancake.

Here is the macro breakdown for the recipe as written:

1 Comment

Filed under Breads / Crackers / Muffins, Breakfast, Cake, Dessert, Family Recipe Make-Over, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Quick, Recipe Redux, Recipes

Tagged as coconut flour, coconut flour waffle recipe, counting macros, Fufu Flour, gluten-free, gluten-free waffle recipe, healthy waffle recipe, How to use fufu plantain flour, IIFYM, iifym waffle, low-carb waffle recipe, lower-carb waffle recipe, macros, Plantain Flour, waffle recipe

October 2, 2015 · 5:39 pm

Low Cal Chocolate Pudding Recipe

This recipe couldn’t get any easier. I have been eating this for dessert lately and can’t believe how good it is for how few calories there are. Is it the exact same as regular pudding taste-wise?…No, but it is pretty darn good.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup almond milk
2Tbs. cocoa powder (I like THIS one by Valrhona)
1 tsp. xanthan gum
Sweetleaf Stevia to taste (THIS one is my favorite)

Possible add-ins:

Chia seeds (I use 15g)
PB Powder
Organic Flavors like mint, almond, butterscotch, cherry

Place the almond milk, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, and stevia in the blender alond with 4 drops of organic flavor (if using). Blend until nice and creamy. If adding chia seeds, pour them into the blender with the pudding and pulse very quickly (you want to mix them in, but not blend them).

When I make the pudding with the chia seeds I like to pour the mixture into a container and put it in the fridge to allow the chia seeds time to expand.

Thanks it!

Here are the macros for the pudding:

Here are the macros for the pudding WITH 15g of chia seeds:

6 Comments

Filed under Dessert, Dip, Gluten Free, Paleo, Pudding / Mousse, Recipes, Vegan

Tagged as chocolate pudding recipe, healthy chocolate pudding recipe, IIFYM, low cal chocolate pudding recipe, low calorie chocolate pudding recipe, macro friendly recipes, paleo chocolate pudding recipe, silk almond milk, Sweetleaf Stevia, valrhona, valrhona cocoa powder, vegan chocolate pudding recipe, xanthan gum

December 4, 2013 · 2:30 pm

MASALA SPICE COOKIES – Gluten Free & Paleo & Recipe Contest FOR YOU!

My life has taken some crazy turns in the last month. My family and I are currently preparing for a move out of state. Having spent my entire life as a Californian, I am excited for the adventure that awaits while also nervous, giddy, and BUSY! Needless to say, I haven’t been giving Veggie Grettie much attention lately. Did I mention that my son also broke his wrist…craziness I tell ya!!!

In the midst of the broken wrist debacle, the folks over at Grandma’s Molasses called and provided me with some much needed cooking inspiration and a wonderful distraction to the endless lists of tasks still to be done. I needed some time in the kitchen (my therapy) and here was my excuse. The task I was given was to come-up with a cookie recipe using molasses that wasn’t your standard ginger snap (Put your thinking caps on because YOU will have an opportunity to enter their recipe contest!!!…see below for details).

When it comes to sugar, molasses is one of the all-stars. I am not saying it is OK to go out and over-consume any sugar, but when it comes to molasses it actually does have some redeeming qualities. One hundred grams of molasses contains 50% of the RDA for calcium, 95% of the RDA for iron, and 38% of the RDA for magnesium. I dare you to find another sugar with the same nutrition profile.

When I think of molasses I think of spice and as I pondered spice my mind wandered to Indian flavors which led me to the flavor profile of this cookie. Garam Masala and curry came to mind. Mix that with molasses, honey, and ginger and you have one heck of a cookie on your hands; crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle, not too sweet, and packed with flavor.

I wanted to have the cookies be very thin, use a cookie cutter, and have the cookies keep their shape… a difficult feat when baking gluten-free and paleo. I came upon this method on Primal Palate and had a good hunch it would work…it is brilliant. Basically you spread the dough on parchment cookie that is on a cookie sheet, bake it for 5-7 minutes, allow it to cool quickly, and then roll it out, use cookies cutters, and repeat until you have used up all of the dough. This method worked so well and for the first time I was able to use cookie cutters for gluten-free cookies and have them keep their shape. Again, revolutionary!

INGREDIENTS – Makes 2 dozen 2 1/4″ square cookies

1 cup blanched almond flour, packed

1 Tbs Garam Masala

1 tsp curry powder

2 tsp finely shredded fresh ginger

2 Tbs. ghee ( I make my own), room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbs Grandma’s Molasses

2 1/2 Tbs. orange honey

1 egg, room temperature

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (I used convection bake).

Pack the almond flour when measuring it and then place it in a bowl. Use a fork remove the lumps from the almond flour. Add in the Garam Masala, curry powder, and fresh ginger making sure to distribute the spices well.

Add the ghee and mix well with the fork until small lumps are throughout the crumbly dough.

Add the vanilla, molasses, and honey and stir well.

Lastly, add the egg and stir well until a batter forms.

Pour the batter onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet carefully spreading it into a thin rectangle. Bake for 8 minutes rotating the cookie sheet half-way through.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow it to cool to the point where you can safely touch the batter. Make a ball with the batter and roll it out between two sheets on parchment paper until it is 1/8″ thick.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookie shapes of your choosing (I used a 2 1/4″ square cookie cutter). Roll the excess dough into a ball and repeat the process until you have used-up all the cookie dough.

Place the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes (rotate 1/2 way through). Watch carefully to prevent burning.

Allow the cookies to cool and enjoy!

For a printable version of this recipe CLICK HERE.

….

1. On Dec. 3rd, Grandma’s Molasses will launch a Facebook recipe submission contest and will showcase 12 featured blogger recipes over 12 days and celebrate recipe sharing in general, so check out their Facebook Page for details.

2. The Cookie Exchange Recipe Submission Contest will begin on Dec. 3rd and is open to the public

3. Entrants are required to submit an original cookie recipe that includes the use of Grandma’s Molasses

4. One lucky winner will receive a $500 Visa gift card and the original recipe will be featured alongside the 12 featured recipes created by our esteemed bloggers

*** I was compensated for this post, however the opinions and content of the post belong solely to me…It is so fun when a company gives you creative control and lets you run with it!

To learn more about molasses click HERE.

6 Comments

Filed under Cookies / Bars, Dessert, Gluten Free, Holidays, Paleo, Recipes

Tagged as curry cookie recipe, Garam Masala, gluten free cookie cutter recipe, gluten free indian spice cookie recipe, gluten free Masala spice cookie recipe, how to make ghee, paleo cooie cutter cookie, paleo indian spice cookie recipe, paleo masala spice cookie recipe