it's no secret that i'm more of an everything in moderation type of cook and less of a healthy, animal free, gluten free, paleo, atkins, juice cleanse kind of cook. 

i mean, do you. but i never met a carb i didn't like, beef gives me life (literally & figuratively) and i can't go more than a few hours with out solid food.
but now that i'm teaching yoga pretty regularly, i'm definitely becoming more sensitive to the food needs of others. 

my good friends and yoga teachers recently relocated and relaunched their studio and this weekend they celebrated with a fabulous wellness fair serving their clients and community. i did a little food drop off for the event since i wasn't able to attend for long, and these tasty, energizing treats were the bell of the ball. 

tropical chocolate bites
serves: 25ish bites (depending on how big you cut them or how tall you make them)
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
cool time: 4 hours - over night
ingredients: 12 oz semi sweet chocolate morsels. 12 oz bittersweet chocolate morsels. 1 cup roasted nuts (i used almonds, brazil nuts, cashews), chopped. .25 c dried mango, chopped. .25 c raisins, chopped. .25 c dried cranberries, chopped. .25 c shredded coconut. 3 tbs sunflower seeds. 3 tbs chia seeds. wax or parchment paper. 

pour all the morsels in a glass or stainless steel bowl. fill a large pot with water and place the bowl of chocolate over the pot to create a double boiler. a double boiler is used so you do not burn the chocolate and it melts smooth. bring the water to a boil and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every few minutes. this should take about 10 minutes.

when the chocolate has melted, pour in the sunflower seeds, chia seeds, nuts, raisins, cranberries, half the coconut and half of the mango. stir till the mixture is well combined. 

lay out the wax or parchment paper on either a rimmed baking sheet or square baking pan. spread the chocolate out evenly. top with remaining coconut and mango and allow to cool in the refrigerator for four hours or over night. 

remove the chocolate from the paper and slice it into equal bite size pieces. serve cool or at room temp. 

xo, a

tropical chocolate bites
serves: 25ish bites (depending on how big you cut them or how tall you make them)
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
cool time: 4 hours - over night
ingredients: 12 oz semi sweet chocolate morsels. 12 oz bittersweet chocolate morsels. 1 cup roasted nuts (i used almonds, brazil nuts, cashews), chopped. .25 c dried mango, chopped. .25 c raisins, chopped. .25 c dried cranberries, chopped. .25 c shredded coconut. 3 tbs sunflower seeds. 3 tbs chia seeds. wax or parchment paper. 
pour all the morsels in a glass or stainless steel bowl. fill a large pot with water and place the bowl of chocolate over the pot to create a double boiler. a double boiler is used so you do not burn the chocolate and it melts smooth. bring the water to a boil and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every few minutes. this should take about 10 minutes.
when the chocolate has melted, pour in the sunflower seeds, chia seeds, nuts, raisins, cranberries, half the coconut and half of the mango. stir till the mixture is well combined. 
lay out the wax or parchment paper on either a rimmed baking sheet or square baking pan. spread the chocolate out evenly. top with remaining coconut and mango and allow to cool in the refrigerator for four hours or over night. 
remove the chocolate from the paper and slice it into equal bite size pieces. serve cool or at room temp.

ummm.... hello september?! 

where did 2016 go? in my mind i just got married last week so it could only be mid january right? RIGHT?

wrong.

this year is just one holiday season away from being over. and while there is a lot to look forward to, i have a very special anniversary coming up this month. 

september 21st marks one year since i left my corporate job that left me stressed, unhealthy and downright unhappy. but i shed that former skin and embarked on a new journey to create the life that i dreamed of living. 

the last year has been spent hustling and planning and learning and practicing. and while my wallet is a little tighter than my previous life, there are WAY more ups than downs. 

but most importantly, there is a lot of really delicious food. 

last week, after a cancelled swim lesson, i found myself at an empty produce store in the middle of the day. and when you are the only lady in a produce store, you get some extra attention. the man working there introduced me to these stunners...

welcome to my life "elephant heart" plums. 

and i knew the perfect thing to do with these beauties. 

plum tart + hazelnut crust
serves: 8
prep time: 20
bake time: 40 minutes
chill time : 1 hour
total time: 2 hours
ingredients: crust. 1.5 c hazelnut meal (if you can not find hazelnut meal, no problem. purchase a pack of skinned hazelnuts and blend them yourself in a food processor until they are fine). 4 tbs of butter, melted. 1 tbs honey. 2 tbs sugar. .25 tsp salt. .25 tsp baking soda. 

filling. .75 c sugar. .75 c milk. 6 oz greek yogurt (i used blueberry but you could use your favorite fruit flavor or no flavor at all). 2 eggs. 2 tsp cornstarch. 1 tsp vanilla extract. 1.5 cups sliced plums (your favorite kind or whatever you can get your hands on).

start by preheating your oven to 325 f. in a medium bowl, whisk together your dry crust ingredients. drizzle in the honey and pour the butter over the top. mix until just combined. 

butter an 8 inch springform pan and turn the crust dough out onto the pan. use your fingers to press the dough around to cover the bottom of the pan and start to press it up the sides. when the tart crust is nice and even, bake it till set and light golden brown. about 20 minutes.
when your crust is finished, up the oven temperature to 375 f.
whisk together all remaining ingredients except the plums. you have a choice here. you can either add in the plums to the wet ingredients after they are combined, or you can wait to make a design with them once you have poured your wet filling into crust. bakers choice. 

when you have poured your filling into the crust and set your plums, bake the tart just until set. about 20-25 minutes.

allow the tart to cool and then refrigerate it for at least an hour. this well ensure easy and pretty slices. serve cold or at room temp. 

xo, a

plum tart + hazelnut crust
serves: 8
prep time: 20
bake time: 40 minutes
chill time : 1 hour
total time: 2 hours
ingredients: crust. 1.5 c hazelnut meal (if you can not find hazelnut meal, no problem. purchase a pack of skinned hazelnuts and blend them yourself in a food processor until they are fine). 4 tbs of butter, melted. 1 tbs honey. 2 tbs sugar. .25 tsp salt. .25 tsp baking soda.
filling. .75 c sugar. .75 c milk. 6 oz greek yogurt (i used blueberry but you could use your favorite fruit flavor or no flavor at all). 2 eggs. 2 tsp cornstarch. 1 tsp vanilla extract. 1.5 cups sliced plums (your favorite kind or whatever you can get your hands on).
start by preheating your oven to 325 f. in a medium bowl, whisk together your dry crust ingredients. drizzle in the honey and pour the butter over the top. mix until just combined.
butter an 8 inch springform pan and turn the crust dough out onto the pan. use your fingers to press the dough around to cover the bottom of the pan and start to press it up the sides. when the tart crust is nice and even, bake it till set and light golden brown. about 20 minutes.
when your crust is finished, up the oven temperature to 375 f.
whisk together all remaining ingredients except the plums. you have a choice here. you can either add in the plums to the wet ingredients after they are combined, or you can wait to make a design with them once you have poured your wet filling into crust. bakers choice.
when you have poured your filling into the crust and set your plums, bake the tart just until set. about 20-25 minutes.
allow the tart to cool and then refrigerate it for at least an hour. this well ensure easy and pretty slices. serve cold or at room temp.