my favorite quick, healthy + gluten-free breakfasts

Posted on August 13, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

I’ve recently began eating a gluten-free diet — my brother found out that he is allergic to gluten and feels much better on a gluten-free diet, and since we share the same genes I thought I would give it a try, too! Breakfast was the meal I felt most stumped by: my quick go-to breakfast used to be a whole-wheat english muffin or toast with peanut butter. I haven’t yet found a gluten-free bread loaf that I love, so I went back to the drawing board.

Here are four of my new favorite healthy, gluten-free breakfasts. They are delicious when enjoyed slowly over the morning newspaper, and are also perfect for busy mornings when you need to eat something quick!

1. Oatmeal with nut butter & fruit. Make sure you use gluten-free oats. I like topping mine with blueberries, walnuts, and a spoonful of almond butter.

2. Greek yogurt + fruit, with a handful of walnuts or almonds on the side. My favorite combo lately: plain greek yogurt + a drizzle of honey + a sliced banana.

3. A smoothie made with greek yogurt and/or a spoonful of nut butter, plus spinach & chia seeds of course! Right now I am loving a combo of strawberries + mango + a sliced peach. And here is a delicious looking recipe from Danica at It’s Progression that I am planning to try out this week.

4. Homemade muffins topped with peanut butter. I try to make a batch of banana muffins or apple-cinnamon muffins {substituting a gluten-free flour blend for the wheat flour} every weekend, and then I get to enjoy them as breakfast and snacks throughout the week.

What are your favorite quick, healthy breakfasts? Please share in the comments below!

goals + meal-plan for the week of 8/11

Posted on August 11, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Sunday! I can’t believe how quickly this week flew by. I got to enjoy a lot of friend & family time this week, catching up with some old friends I haven’t seen in a while and grabbing brunch with my Gramps … nothing makes me feel loved and happy like nice long conversations with the people I love! Yesterday I taught a successful College & Scholarship Applications Seminar, which was a lot of fun.

On Friday night, my parents and I went to happy hour at an amazing local Japanese restaurant and then we saw the new Woody Allen movie “Blue Jasmine” … it is intense but very good! I thought Cate Blanchet’s performance was absolutely stunning. The only annoying thing was that the person sitting behind my mom kept tapping his foot throughout the entire movie to the jazz score … it was so distracting! Have you ever had an annoying experience at a movie theater?

Cute doggy photo of the week:

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– finish rough edits on first half of YA manuscript draft {this got pushed back a little due to preparation for my College & Scholarship Application Seminar}
– ~~complete the #yearofkindness challenge~~
– ~~promote my College & Scholarship Application Prep Seminar & teach a successful class on Saturday~~
– ~~volunteer at the Food Pantry~~
– ~~work-out/do yoga at least three times~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– finish rough edits on first half of YA manuscript draft
– complete the #yearofkindness challenge
– get together with two friends
– create a flyer advertising my tutoring services
– clean out my email inbox
– volunteer at the Food Pantry
– work-out/do yoga at least three times {including my Weds. zumba date with Emily!}

Finally, here are some recipes I’m hoping to try this week:
– asian lettuce wraps via The Lean Green Bean
– quinoa black bean burritos w/southwest sauce via The Pajama Chef
– heirloom tomato pesto galette via Two Peas & Their Pod
– s’mores peanut butter bars via Chew Out Loud
– gluten-free chocolate oatmeal cookies

What are your goals & meal plans for the week?

This post is linked up with Menu-Plan Monday!

my 3 favorite ways to use sauteed spinach

Posted on August 6, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Spinach is SO good for us. This superfood is high in fiber, antioxidants, cancer-fighting flavonoids, vitamin A and vitamin K — promoting healthy bones, skin, vision, brain and nerve function. {Read more here.}

I always put a handful of raw spinach into my smoothies {I promise, you can’t taste it!} and lately I’ve started sauteeing spinach and using it in many of my favorite recipes. To sautee baby spinach, simply spray a frying pan with a bit of olive oil, add minced garlic if desired, and cook the spinach for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-low heat, until the leaves are wilted.

Here are my top 3 favorite ways to use sauteed spinach {other than as a side by itself, which is also de.li.cious!}

1. Atop a veggie pasta bowl. I love to layer a bit of brown rice pasta, some roasted veggies {zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, yum!}, sauteed spinach, and then top the whole she-bang with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of feta cheese. NOM!

2. Wrapped up inside an enchilada. This would be the perfect way to sneak more veggies into a non-veggie-lover’s diet. I layer some sauteed spinach on top of the ground turkey mixture, pour on some sauce, wrap it up and pop it in the oven to bake.

3. In my morning scrambled eggs. One of my favorite combos of the moment is sauteed spinach, avocado, onion and chicken sausage. A great power-breakfast to get your day off on the right foot!

Do you eat spinach regularly? If so, I’d love to hear some of your favorite recipes! Any other superfoods you can’t get enough of lately?

my 3 fave ways to use chia seeds

Posted on July 30, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

In the past year, thanks to some of my favorite bloggers {I’m looking at you, Julie and Lindsay!} I’ve been introduced to a nutritional powerhouse: chia seeds! In just one tablespoon of chia seeds, you get six grams of fiber, three grams of protein, and 2.9 grams of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Here are three of my favorite, no-fuss ways to use chia seeds in my daily life:

1. Smoothies. Just sprinkle some chia seeds on top of your fruit and ice and blend away! A smoothie combo I’ve been loving lately is strawberry + banana + mango.

2. Salads. I love adding a tablespoon of chia seeds on top of my favorite healthy chicken salad.

3. Baked goods. Stir a spoonful of chia seeds into your muffin or bread batter — or hey, why not even try some in brownies, cookies or cakes? I just made a batch of chocolate-chip banana muffins with some chia seeds added in!

When the weather cools down a little, I know I’ll be switching out my breakfast smoothies for a warm bowl of oatmeal — another great dish to sprinkle chia seeds on! I’ve yet to try overnight oats but I’ve heard chia seeds are a crucial ingredient in helping the oat mixture thicken overnight. This and this are both on my “to try” list of recipes!

Have you ever tried chia seeds? If so, what are your favorite ways to use them?

meal plan & goals for the week of 7/14

Posted on July 14, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Sunday, friends! Just poppin’ in to share my meal plan and goals for the week!

I was super excited to cross off every single one of last week’s goals, woo-hoo!
– ~~write 2 chapters of my YA manuscript~~
– ~~complete the #yearofkindness challenge~~
– ~~prepare for my Summer Writing Camp~~
– read first 100 pages of 1984
– ~~volunteer at the Food Pantry~~
– ~~update my website~~ {you can check it out here: http://dallaswoodburnpr.com}

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:

goals for the week of 7/14
– finish YA manuscript first draft (!!!)
– complete the #yearofkindness challenge
– volunteer at the Food Pantry
– read & respond to all submissions in my queue for Sycamore Review
– take donations to Goodwill
– have a “sibling date”: go out to brunch with Greg

And here are some meals I’m looking forward to trying out this week:
– tilapia with pineapple salsa
– cilantro-lime quinoa with chicken
– this coconut green smoothie via Two Peas & Their Pod
– these quinoa breakfast bars via The Lean Green Bean
– these super easy gluten-free brownies via OrgJunkie

Now I’d love to hear from you! What are your goals for the week? What delicious recipes are on your menu plan?

This post is linked up with Menu-Plan Monday!

gluten-free oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies

Posted on July 9, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

I have an easy recipe to share with you today — another winning gluten-free cookie!

– 1/4 cup butter
– 1/2 tsp baking soda
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 1/2 cup agave or maple syrup
– 3 cups gluten-free rolled oats
– 1 cup chocolate chips
– 2 eggs
– 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
– 1 tsp vanilla
– 1 cup peanut butter

for chocolate drizzle:
– 1/2 cup chocolate chips
– 2 tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, agave/maple syrup, and butter. Beat until creamy.

3. Add the eggs, vanilla, baking soda and baking powder and beat well.

4. Add peanut butter and mix.

5. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts.

6. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes until lightly brown around edges.

7. To make chocolate drizzle: microwave chocolate chips and butter for 20 seconds. Stir until chocolate and butter and melted and well-combined, microwaving more if needed. {Be careful not to burn the chocolate!}

8. Once cookies are done, let them cool and then drizzle with melted chocolate.

Enjoy! I love these with a big glass of milk!

happy 4th of july! + chocolate pb rice krispies treats

Posted on July 4, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy 4th of July! I’m taking a few minutes today — as I try to every day, but especially today — to be grateful for all the men and women who have fought to establish and protect our nation’s independence. We are all so blessed to live in freedom. Every human being should have that blessing — in fact, it shouldn’t even be a blessing. It is a basic human right.

I’ll also be thinking today of the Four Freedoms Speech that FDR gave in 1941, and especially of the Norman Rockwell paintings that were published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. I was fortunate enough to see the original paintings a number of years ago with my Gramps and brother when a traveling exhibit came to town. I feel incredibly blessed to enjoy all of these freedoms. Clockwise from upper left: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear.

What are you doing today to celebrate the 4th of July? We’re going over to my aunt and uncle’s house for a backyard barbeque and pool party. I’m looking forward to a sunny day of relaxing with my family.

I signed up to bring dessert {no surprise there!} and I decided to bust out a new recipe that didn’t require me to turn on my oven. {It’s been so dang hot out!} I was inspired by this recipe on Money-Saving Mom for chocolate oatmeal no-bake bars. I love rice krispies treats, so I adapted the recipe to use mostly rice krispies. Here’s my take on it:

chocolate peanut butter rice krispies treats

– 1/4 cup coconut oil
– 1/4 cup maple syrup
– 1 cup peanut butter
– 2 cups mini marshmallows
– 1 cup chocolate chips
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 cup rolled oats
– 3 cups rice krispies

1. Grease a 9 x 13 glass pan and set aside.

2. In a big pot over medium-low heat, melt coconut oil, maple syrup, and peanut butter. Stir until melted and well-combined. {Be careful it doesn’t burn!}

3. Add vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is all melted.

4. Add marshmallows and stir until the marshmallows are melted.

5. Remove from heat. Add rolled oats and stir. Add rice krispies, one cup at a time, until well-combined.

6. Pour into the glass pan and refrigerate until chocolate has hardened and the bars have “set.”

Enjoy!!

If you liked this recipe, here are a few similar desserts that would be great to bring to a 4th of July party or potluck:

– rice krispies treats with mini M&Ms
– classic lemon bars
– patriotic fruit cobbler
– pb cup brownies
– red velvet crinkle cookies

guest post: banana monkey bread muffins

Posted on July 2, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Today I’m excited to share a guest post from my foodie pen-pal Becca, blogger at BeeSweetSurrender. She always features amazingly delicious recipes, and I asked her if she would mind sharing a guest post recipe with us. Here is her drool-worthy recipe for banana monkey bread muffins! {You can see the original post on her blog here.}

banana monkey bread muffins

for the dough:
– 3 cups flour
– 3 tbsp sugar
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 package Red Star Active Dry Yeast
– 1/2 cup water
– 1/4 cup whole milk
– 2 and 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
– 1 large egg
– 2 ripe bananas

cinnamon-sugar topping:
– 1/2 cup butter, melted
– 1 cup sugar
– 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon (you can also use less if you aren’t that big on cinnamon)

vanilla glaze:
– 1 cup powdered sugar
– 2 tbsp milk
– 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl place 2 and 1/2 cups of flour, sugar, salt and yeast and mix together.

2. In the microwave melt together the water, milk and butter until the butter is melted and it is too hot to touch. Add this to the flour mixture and stir together. Add the egg and mix well. Lastly add the bananas– it will create a very wet dough. This is when you’ll need to add more flour, I needed the full 1/2 cup of flour. Your dough will be ready when it springs back from your touch and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It will be slightly wet which is ok, but you don’t want it to be too sticky!

3. Flour a clean surface and turn out the dough, kneading well for a few minutes. Add flour by tablespoons if it is still too sticky. Lightly butter (or use a non-stick spray) a bowl and place the dough in, let rest for 10-20 minutes. Place cupcake liners into your cupcake tin.

4. In a medium sized bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon. In another bowl melt the butter completely. Taking the dough, roll it into small balls, about 1/2- 1 inch in diameter. Dip the ball into your bowl of butter and then transfer it to the bowl with cinnamon sugar, and roll it around (we all like sugar right?!) so it’s well coated. Place 3-5 in each liner until the dough is all used up. I purposefully made only 12 but depending on how large you would like your muffins you could make 12-18. Set aside for 30-45 minutes to let the dough rise a bit more.

5. Preheat the oven while the muffins are rising to 400. Bake for 20-23 minutes and let cool. While they are cooling make the icing. Remove the muffins from the tins and pour the icing generously on each and… Enjoy!

Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us, Becca!

Check out Becca’s blog at http://beesweetsurrender.wordpress.com/

This post is also linked up to Menu-Plan Monday!

weekend fun {+ trying to stay cool!}

Posted on June 30, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Sunday, friends! Hope you are having a joyful, relaxing, rejuvenating day!

It has been H-O-T here in Southern California, and especially in my little beach community where few of us have air conditioning, this weekend has been all about trying to keep cool! I have been downing Gatorade, homemade iced tea, and smoothies.

As I mentioned the other day, I have been all about the smoothies lately! I am a little late to the smoothie party, and I don’t know why it took me so long. I think I was intimidated by the blender {and blender clean-up} but it really takes me all of five minutes to assemble my smoothie, blend it, and wash the blender. A smoothie has become my go-to breakfast! I normally blend some fresh or frozen fruit, a couple spoonfuls of greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of coconut water, a handful of baby spinach, and ice. Here are a few of my favorite fruit combos:

– strawberries, banana, pineapple
– peach, strawberries, blueberries
– mango, peach, blueberries
– raspberries, strawberries, banana, blueberries

Also, if anyone is like me and feels a little wary about adding spinach, trust me: you really can’t taste it! It’s a great way to get a little more green into your diet.

On a more decadent note, I also made these chocolate butter cups which are currently chilling in the freezer … I will let you know how they turn out!

me beachin

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the beach with my dear friend Patty and her family, who were sweet enough to invite me out to their beach house. It was a beautiful day at the beach and the nice ocean breeze cooled things off a little!

Then, last night my mom and I kept cool in the air conditioning: we went to a local restaurant and saw my amazing friend Lauren Sexton in concert! She is such a talented songwriter, singer and guitar player. She just released an album and the concert was a celebration. You can check out her music on her Facebook page — two of my favorites are her songs “In the Morning” and “The Highway.” Her music is beautiful and I was so proud to be there last night! Congrats, Lauren!

This morning began with a smoothie, the Sunday comics, a slobbery doggy kiss from Murray, and a beautiful sermon at church. Today’s sermon was about delighting in the abundance and joy of the summer and taking time to relax and recharge your batteries. After I got home, I’ve spent the rest of the afternoon sprawled out on the couch reading a great book — Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout. {I love her! Her novel Olive Kitteridge is another great read!}

As I’ve written about before, sometimes I feel this pressure to be go-go-go all the time, like constant busyness makes my days more worthwhile, but I’ve found it’s really quite the opposite. On those rushed, forced go-go-go days I typically climb into bed feeling depleted and frazzled, like my gas tank is on empty. Not a good feeling. I’m learning to give myself permission, especially on Sundays, to just relax and savor this amazing life I’ve been blessed with. There was nothing I felt more like doing today and curling up with a book, and it has been a delightful Sunday.

What are you doing to relax and recharge your batteries? What are you delighting in this summer?

gluten-free pumpkin oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies

Posted on June 21, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday, everyone! I can’t remember if I mentioned it on the blog yet, but my brother has recently started eliminating gluten from his diet, so I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen to see if I can come up with some yummy gluten-free treats! Here is a recipe that went over well in my household. Hope you enjoy!

gluten-free pumpkin oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies

– 2 cups gluten-free oats
– 1 egg
– 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave
– 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)
– 1 ripe banana, mashed
– 1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter
– 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
– 2/3 cup dried cranberries
– 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
– 1 tbsp cinnamon
– 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
– 1 tsp vanilla
– 1 tsp baking soda
– 1/4 tsp salt
– 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Beat the egg. Stir in maple syrup, mashed banana, peanut butter, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oats, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.

4. Slowly, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and stir until combined.

5. Add chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and walnuts, and mix well.

6. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set in the middle and browned at the edges.

Enjoy! And have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 🙂

This post is featured on Menu-Plan Monday!

Day-By-Day Masterpiece

Category Archives: recipes