Need to Bring a Little Party Dish?

This apple dip is literally TO DIE for... and it's gluten free! If you are looking for some easy, gluten-free side dishes to bring to your next party, this is an AWESOME contender!

Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Apple Dip

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 8 oz. bag of Heath Toffee Bits (you probably won't use the entire thing)

What to do:

• Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan. 
• Cook over medium heat, stirring until it becomes a dark caramel color (be careful not to burn!). Immediately add the butter and cream (be careful, it will bubble up). 
• Add the salt and vanilla.
• Spread the cream cheese into the bottom of a pie plate or shallow dish. 
• Pour cooled caramel over the cream cheese. 
• Sprinkle with Heath bits. 
• Store in the refrigerator 

Enjoy!

-A

Gluten-free Holiday Snack... REINDEER CHOW!

Looking for a really easy holiday snack to bring to your next party? These are really yummy, SUPER easy, and you can make them gluten-free!

Reindeer Chow

What you need:

2 cups Rice Chex

1 cup pretzels (if you use gluten free pretzels this recipe will be gluten free!)

1 cup mini marshmallows 

1/2 cup M&Ms 

1/2 cup salted peanuts

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate (I believe that's 9 oz. white chocolate)

What to do:

Combine the Chex, pretzels, marshmallows, M&Ms, and peanuts in a large bowl. Set aside.

Melt the white chocolate (if using white chocolate chips instead of baking chocolate, turn the microwave power down to 50% and stir every thirty seconds until melted). 

Pour the melted white chocolate over the Chex mixture and stir to coat evenly. Spread onto a large sheet of parchment and let cool until hardened.

Cupcake Alert! 30-Calorie Frozen Yogurt Cupcakes

Let's talk about these for a second... when I first came across them on the interwebs, I was doubtful. I mean, look at them. They're beautiful, but 30 calories? Come on, folks.

Let me just set the record straight. They are freaking delicious. And anyone who knows me KNOWS how I feel about my cupcakes. So at this point you're probably thinking, "Alright Alison, cut to the chase. How do I make these bit size delights?" Well let me show you...

Here's what you'll need:

• 9 ounces vanilla Greek yogurt
• 8 strawberries
• Half a ripe banana
•  teaspoon mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1.    Place 12 mini silicone baking cups on the top of an ice cream tray or small wooden cutting board.

2.    Fill each of the cups halfway with yogurt, using one six-ounce container.

3.    Puree the strawberries and banana. Add a small spoonful to each cup, so no white is showing.

4.    Add a dollop of yogurt to each cup using the last three ounces of yogurt. Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on top of each cup. Gently place the tray in the freezer for at least an hour.

5.    Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 10 minutes before eating.

Makes 12 servings. Check out the nutritional serving for one mini frozen yogurt cupcake.

Clean, Dairy-free Pumpkin Spice Icecream...

... or did I mean iceDREAM?! Haha OK, I'll stop being corny. But seriously, y'all. This gem has the consistency of the real deal, and the taste of a pumpkin spiced heaven. Plus, it's completely clean. No dairy, no sugar added.

Bask for a second... doesn't this look beautiful?!

So I'm sure you're wanting to know how to whip this puppy up... here's the sitch:


You'll need:

• 4 medium bananas, sliced and frozen overnight
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (the natural kind)
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (no sugar added)

Directions:

Using a food processor, blend the ingredients thoroughly. I don't personally own a food processor, so I just use my Ninja blender. I pulse, then puree. Every 30 seconds or so I just push the "ice cream" that builds up on the sides down, then continue blending until the consistency is smooth. You can eat it right on the spot, or transfer it to a freezer-safe container and enjoy it later. 

Serving size: 1/6 of the recipe

Calories: 131

Total fat: 1g (no saturated or trans fats)

If you enjoy it, share it! :) That's what this blog is for. 

Much love!

Alison 

Looking for Some Gluten Freedom for your Sweet Tooth?

Ok... so I'll admit... it's pretty rare that I find a gluten, dairy, and egg-free chocolate chip cookie recipe that actually tastes good. However, these are definitely worth your time.

These are deliciously chewy chocolate chip cookies, and yes... no gluten. No dairy. No eggs. SO DELICIOUS. Wanna try them?

Here's the recipe:

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: about 2 dozen
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (butter would also work)
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (or rice, almond, or real milk)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup white rice flour
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons potato starch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (you can buy dairy free chocolate chips if you want to)
•  
• Mix together the sugars and oil. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until well combined. 
• Mix together the dry ingredients and add the the sugar mixture. Add the chocolate chips. 
• Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake cookies on a well greased cookie sheet for about 10 minutes or until desired "doneness" is reached.

Healthy Holiday Cookies? Ummmm YES PLEASE!

So I DO realize that it's been a while since I've written... honestly, I had to really think about the direction I wanted to go with this thing, and really make it worth your while. It's also very important to me (and hopefully to you, too) to remain true to myself.

With that said, anyone who knows me well (or, hell.. at ALL) knows I have a massive sweet tooth. I absolutely LOVE desserts. Since losing 25lbs this year, I've been working toward my own personal goal of becoming the healthiest and fittest me possible. Dessert doesn't exactly fit into that equation often. Don't get me wrong... I'm still following my "80/20 rule" that I blogged about during Easter, I'm just at a point where I'm starting to collect CLEAN versions of some of my favorite treats, and they taste amazing... and they are guilt-free! Part of the 80%! Is this cheating? Maybe. But honestly... do you care?

Since the holidays are fast approaching, I'll be posting some healthy (or healthiER) holiday decadence, along with clean versions of some of my favorite comfort foods. If you like what you see, please share the wealth!

First up: Triple Threat Peanut Butter Cookies.

I could basically eat an entire jar of peanut butter with a spoon if I wanted to, so these really hit the spot. It makes sense, with my peanut butter obsession, that these would be the first to share!

Yield: 24 cookiesServing Size: 1 cookie

These cookies are packed with peanut butter flavor! Be sure to pull them out of the oven by 12 minutes to ensure they stay really soft.
¾ c all-purpose flour
½ c whole wheat flour
½ c powdered peanut butter (such as PB2)
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
3 egg whites
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 c light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ c peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Lightly spoon the flours into the measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add to a medium bowl, along with the powdered peanut butter, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and egg whites. Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 1/3 cup of peanut butter chips. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared cookie sheets. Shape the cookie dough so that it’s as tall as it is wide. (This is important!!) Press 2-3 of the remaining peanut butter chips into the top of each dough ball. Reshape the dough if necessary (make sure they’re as tall as they are wide!), and bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Note: The cornstarch and taller-than-normal balls of dough help ensure that the cookies stay soft. 

Enjoy! BTW, if these look yummy to you, don't forget to pin it or share it on social media!