Juice Pulp Bread

My Husband and I are big juicers. We love the jolt it gives us in the morning and typically 3 times a week we juice a vegetable blend for breakfast and sip while we get ready for work. On weekends however we prefer a fruitier mix. Makes it taste more like a weekend treat. Also we usually drink a much smaller portion followed by homemade chocolate chip pancakes (because that's what you just do on Saturdays!). This is what we do with all that fruity juicy left over pulp!

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups pulp from fresh juice (see below for my favorite mix)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 or 2 very ripe bananas
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tbsp flax meal (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 medjool dates (pitted) 
• Toasted coconut flakes for topping (optional)

This is my go to juice blend: 3 large carrots, 2 large red apples, 1 large cucumber, 4 celery stalks, 6 medium sized strawberries, and occasionally one orange. The juicer I use is this one and I love it. It's affordable, easy to clean, and pretty compact.
     After I make the juice I set it aside.  I put a hand full of kale or spinach into my magic bullet and puree. Then I mix the juice and the puree together. It's refreshing and delicious!! To make bread or muffins with the pulp left over from the juice blend, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Put all the above ingredients (minus the coconut flakes) into a blender till it's well blended. Then I either just make muffins or one whole bread loaf, and top it off with the toasted coconut before baking for 30-40 minutes.  
    The medjool dates add just a hint of caramel sweetness. If you want a sweeter taste feel free to add 2-3 tbsp of brown sugar. Personally I enjoy mine best when cold, but I can never help myself when it's hot right out of the oven! This recipe will work with any juice pulp really so feel free to get creative.

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Marble Almond Coconut Bark

My instagram buddie Katie posted her recipe for peppermint bark and it instantly inspired me to create a version using three of my favorite things; chocolate, almonds, and coconut. I will warn you, this little treat is pretty sweet, but absolutely indulgent.

Recipe adapted from Katie's instagram pic

12oz semi sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1lb white chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut extract (I used pure extract but it's tough to find so imitation will work too)
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup coconut chips (I purchased these at Trader Joes, but regular plain old toasted coconut will work too)

Line a 9x13 pan with foil.
In a double boiler melt all semi sweet chocolate but leave 3/4cup on the side. When it's smooth remove from heat add the 3/4cup of chips and sir till melted. Add chopped almonds mix well, then add 1 tsp coconut extract.
Spread into the pan nice and evenly. Let the chocolate sit out at room temperature until it's almost hardened. (I waited about 15 min) Repeat with white chocolate, adding 1 tsp extract. Keep mixing then spread on top of semi-sweet chocolate with a spatula. The white chocolate wont spread over too nicely but that's ok, that will create the marble effect. Keep spreading/mixing till it's smooth enough on top. Sprinkle coconut chips on top, and lightly press into the chocolate mixture. Let it sit till it's fully hardened. (I let mine sit over night). Enjoy!

3:00 Pick me up

I know its been a while but this is a good one! I adapted this recipe I found on my Favorite Food Blog Smitten Kitchen for Strawberry Ricotta Tartlets.

I most definitely didn't have time to make graham crackers from scratch but I figured just the boxed kind would be good enough and I didn't want to used processed granulated sugar so I used my tried and true agave nectar which was perfect for this recipe because it gave the strawberry mix the perfect syrupy texture and I added bananas bc well I LOVE bananas esp with strawberries! My adaptation came out great, super easy and super fast and I'm having them as a snack for that 3:00 lul here at the office! Of course I brought some in to share! Here's my adapted recipe

For the Ricotta mix

1 1/4 cup ricotta

2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar

mixed very well

For the strawberry mix

1 1/4 cup strawberries - sliced

2 tablespoons agave nectar

1 good squeeze of lemon juice

mixed well and let stand for 15 min or so

Then I sliced a banana thinly and after putting a smear of the ricotta mix on the graham I added 3 slices and a spoon full of the strawberry mix.

I would assume one can use any kind of fruit of their liking on top of the ricotta mix and it would taste great! I think next time ill try making a various fruit mix, with blueberries and raspberries, and maybe even pineapple! But these are so tasty! They sorta taste like a strawberry shortcake! YUM!

xx M

3:00 PICK ME UP!!!

It's a bit late today, but better late than never! Picked this up as a surprise for my boyfriend who was out of town because he has said he had been wanting to try it and only saw it in a small food market by me so I was trying to be super sweet and surprise him with a super sweet treat...the only problem was that I decided to try a bit....wound up finishing off the entire thing in two sittings!!! This is my new FAV Ben and Jerry's Ice cream flavor!!! Vanilla with chunks of chocolate cookie, chocolate chip cookies, and fudge swirl. Sooo decadent but honestly it was worth it! ...and I did pick up another carton for the boyfriend...I'm not THAT mean!!!