Raw, Gluten-Free Vegan Mixed Berry Muffins

Here was my breakfast this morning: a Raw, Gluten-Free Vegan Muffin with Brazil Nut Butter- yum!

I have a thing about wasting and, when I am cooking, I try to use everything. So, what to do with my leftover almond and juice pulp...muffins!!! Whether you juice or not, or make your own almond milk or not, these healthy muffins can be made lickedy split and you can have a whole bunch to eat for breakfast or as a pre- or post-workout snack. Although these say "raw," I will heat my kids up in the oven for a bit and they love them too!

Don't be afraid to be creative! If you have bananas that are turning brown, use those. If you only have spinach but no kale then go with that too. If you love apples, add them in. Experiment and have fun!

Gluten-free, Raw Vegan Mixed Berry Muffins
2 cups almond meal (I used the leftover pulp from my homemade almond milk)
1 cups grated veggies (I used the leftover pulp from my leftover juice that was a carrot green juice)
1 avocado
1 cup ground flax seeds (to bind)
1/4-1/2 cup almond milk (just so mixed together)
1/4 cup agave nectar (could use maple syrup or raw honey as well)
1 heaping tbsp coconut butter (I used Vivapura's Coconut Cream Vanilla)
1 cup frozen blueberries
6-8 strawberries


Leftover pulp

Mix all of the ingredients in a cuisinart aside from the berries until mixture smooth. Below is what the mixture should look like at this point.

Add in and stir the berries by hand.

Place mixture in a muffin pan with liners.

Then, place the tin in the dehydrator.

Depending on how big your muffins are, it can take anywhere from 14-20 hours to dehydrate. I put mine in at 4pm and took them out in the morning to flip over then put them in the dehydrator again for 6 hours.

By the way, if you are looking for more ways to use your pulp, check out Gena's Juice Pulp Cracker's on her always inspiring and informative blog, Choosing Raw!



Or, you could make my Mixed Berry Pancakes!

Get creative and have fun!!!

As a sidenote, ANY of these can be cooked and taste just as good for those of you either with a dehydrator or who do not want to eat them raw!

What's for Breakfast?

My daughter had to get to school early today and, as you can see, it was early morning in the Pennington household.We are NOT, I repeat, we are NOT early risers and this pic encapsulates how we were all feeling!!!

Breakfast had to be easy this morning. Friends and clients are always asking me, "so, what do you all have for breakfast every morning?" Well, my son, Oliver is on a gluten-free diet so the kids had gluten-free bagels with almond butter and St. Dalfour's jelly and some sliced fruit. 

Udi's gluten-free bagel with almond butter and jelly

For those of you who are looking for more gluten-free options, these Udi's gluten-free bagels are the way to go! When my son had to go on a gluten-free diet, the thing he was most upset about missing were his bagels. Many gluten-free products taste like card board but these are delicious and even satisfy my bagel-loving boy!



Udi's bagels



You can find Udi's bagels in the freezer section at Whole Foods and many other health shops. Udi's makes delicious gluten-free muffins (the blueberry and lemon are favorites in our house,) breads (whole wheat and, even "white") and a wide variety of granolas! Whether you are eating a gluten-free diet or not, these are products to get to know!

So, what did I have for breakfast?



Laughing Giraffe's Cranberry Orange Granola


I go in waves but right now I am in my cereal kick so I had Laughing Giraffe's Cherry Ginger Granola with tons of blueberries and my homemade almond milk! Laughing Giraffe's granola are gluten-free, organic and raw. Laughing Giraffe also has a delicious Cherry Cacao Ginger cereal.

Did you know that blueberries contain the highest amount of antioxidants than any other fruit? I am writing an article for The Family Groove right now on the topic of Protecting Your Skin from Sun Damage through Your Fork and was pleasantly surprised when I came across this fact! Dr. Perricone has been advocating blueberries for antiaging for years. Luckily for me, I am almost certifiably addicted to blueberries and have them on my cereal every morning!

Another Laughing Giraffe Cereal with, of course, blueberries!

When I am not having Laughing Giraffe, another favorite is Rawnola by Earthling Organics.

Rawnola with, Of course, blueberries and homemade almond milk

Am I boring? Do you see a pattern??? Do you often have the same breakfast every morning?

When I am not having granola or another cereal, I am definately a smoothie girl. Here are some of my other favorites:

 My Chocolate Banana Smoothie is always a hit in my family and is great for breakfast or for an afternoon snack. I adore having one after a strenuous workout and it always perks the fam up to have something decadent (and still healthy!)


Chocolate Banana Smoothie

My Power Me Up Green Smoothie is always a go-to breakfast for me!

Power Me Up Green Smoothie

 Sometimes the kids get turned off by the green color, so add some frozen berries...and, viola!

Green Smoothie with Frozen Berries

Really, you can throw anything into your blender. I made this smoothie from pineapple, mango and almond milk when my son was feeling under the weather!

Pineapple and Mango Smoothie

And, finally one of my very favorite breakfasts Raw Mixed Berry Pancakes.

Raw Pancakes with Mixed Berries

I adore having these on the weekend when my husband makes the kids homemade pancakes! This way, I feel like I am participating and having something delicious and healthy!

What do you do for healthy breakfasts?

Homemade Healthy Blueberry Muffins that Your Family Will Devour!

It is a lazy Sunday morning here in New York City and after a late birthday celebration last night for my son's 10th birthday, everyone woke up just wanting to putter about in their pj's. I looked in my pantry for some inspiration and came upon the Purely Elizabeth gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free muffin mix that had been given to me in a care package by Integrative Nutrition (thank you so, so much IIN!)

The instructions say to add water, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla and frozen or fresh blueberries but I put my own little spin on it and added almond milk that I had just made the night before, some hemp seed powder for extra protein, and some flax seed oil for extra omega 3's. Instead of the olive oil, I used coconut butter. And, I used my new secret ingredient- the best alcohol-free vanilla from Sun Organic Farms .

I served the muffins with a side of raw almond butter and the crew completely scarfed them down!!! And, the best part yet was it only took me 5 minutes to whip up and just 20 mins in the oven!

Delicious, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free and Nut-Free Muffins in Under 15 Minutes!

We have recently taken my son off gluten (more in a later post about celiac and gluten sensitivities and our personal journey) but my son was having a huge craving for blueberry muffins this morning. And, since he was having a special field trip today I wanted to make them for him!!!

Instead of just caving and going across the street to H&H, I just pulled out a bag of Namaste Foods Gluten-free Muffin Mix, which makes muffins are gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, soy-free and sugar-free and taste delicious! And, in 15 minutes Voila!

There is no need to laborously start from scratch when there are such good products on the market and you can personalize them by adding berries for a mixed berry muffin, chocolate chips for chocolate chip muffins or even carrots, zucchini or bananas for a yummy healthy morning muffin! The possibilities are endless.

Following is the recipe:

Mixed Berry Muffins
Namaste Foods Gluten-free Muffin Mix
2 eggs (I used E-nerg egg replacement powder)
1/4 cup oil (I used a combo of coconut butter, hemp and Earth Balance but you can also use olive or sesame oil)
1/2 small bag of mixed berries
Add: ground flax seeds, ground chia, ground hemp seeds (I used them all!)
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a cuisinart or mixing bowl, mix everything but the berries until very smooth. Hand mix in the frozen berries. Grease muffin tins and fill with mixture. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!!! I serve these with a side of almond butter. Healthy, guilt-free and so, so delicious!