chocolate pear hazelnut smoothie {giveaway}

Can you believe how quickly June is flying by? It feels like yesterday I was getting pumped for non dairy month, planning what to wear to Matt & Mitzie's wedding and gearing up for the 30 day ab challenge. Amazingly the wedding was this weekend & fabulous! I am heading towards the 100+ sit up mark in the challenge and this is my last smoothie post for non dairy month.

almond pear cake

Did you know...

My last name translates as "Pear" in french

My sister and I have  matching pear tattoos  

I love pears and cake- together they make my mouth water

I originally had another recipe planned for non dairy month- Peanut Butter Waffles to be exact. However I had a few pears in the fruit bowl just begging to be put to good use.  I wanted a super simple cake with big vanilla and almonds flavor- thus, this cake was born.

almond sea salt chocolate chunk cookies

There are few things in life that I love more than chocolate chip cookies. These are by far my favorite, the added oats give you a boost of fiber and the dark chocolate sea salt almond chocolate is a game changer – these are a must make on a Sunday afternoon!

When Justin bought me my Kitchen Aide Mixer our deal was I would make him chocolate chip cookies once a week...needless to say I don't make chocolate chip cookies once a week, maybe once a month if he is lucky - making them a little less often makes us appreciate them a little more plus I am still able to fit into my jeans- that is a very good thing .

cherry maca almond smoothie {giveaway!}

We are half way through Non Dairy Month- how crazy is that! 

This weeks smoothie features 3 of my favorite things: almond milk, cherries and maca- total goodness in a glass.

Almond Milk is our go to milk for everyday drinking and baking. Nearly every morning during the work week Justin has a couple bowls of cereal drowned in Almond Milk. My Mom, who isn't even vegan or vegetarian has replaced her coffee creamer with Almond Milk - this stuff is good, no lie.

triple berry tart & perfection

Puff Pastry can be a lifesaver in the dessert making department- easy to use, readily available & bakes up fast in a totally impressive way. Normally I have a few sheets of pastry in my freezer, you do need to think ahead a bit in order to defrost the pastry prior to using. I like to pop it in the fridge overnight so it is ready the next day.  I was in need of a quick dessert over Memorial Day Weekend; who doesn't love pastry and fresh fruit? This tart would also fit the bill nicely for 4th of July. 

coconut oat scones // maple cinnamon glaze

I don't make scones very often, but I had a super craving for scones and a cup of tea a couple weeks ago and couldn't get the idea out of my mind. There was only one solution- makes scones! 

Keeping in theme with non dairy month, these beautiful little scones are made with Pacific's Organic Oat Milk. They turned out even better than I had imagined- you will want each and every last crumb.

coconut chai oat smoothie

Out of all the non dairy beverages out there, oat milk is totally new to me. I was taken back of amazing it tasted, truthfully I was a little apprehensive at first- oat milk? I had it stuck in my mind it was going to be gritty and grassy- boy was I wrong! Oat milk is quickly becoming a favorite - just a tad sweet and totally silky smooth, making it the perfect non dairy milk to add to my morning smoothies.

herb pesto pasta salad

Justin and I consider pasta salad the first rite of summer - admittedly we are known to bust out the first pasta salad of the season a little too soon...okay, really early, like at the first sight of a robin or when the temp hovers around 60 degrees and the day light stays with us until 7:00pm. We are like Snow White singing and dancing with little birdies surrounding us in the backyard at the first sight of warm weather. Oh glorious day! We feel free and can't get enough of the warmth from the sun- then it rains for the month of May and we are catapulted back into the reality that we shouldn't have packed away all of our cold weather clothes.

Spring, she is a funny lady- she gives us a taste and then takes it away. It's like taking a bite of an awesome cupcake after a fast and then having someone take it away before you have even finished chewing.

falafel veggie burgers

Veggie burger + falafel = a party in my mouth. Kid you not, this is one of the best veggie burgers I have made to date. Crunchy on the outside and just right on the inside (aka not dry) and holds together incredibly well without the need for any fillers such as rice, oats or bread crumbs. This is a straight bean and veggie burger with flavors of falafel and the middle east- I can't say enough about how good this veggie burger is.

I am willing to bet these would hold up well on the grill but have yet to experiment on an open grate grill. only a tabletop outside grill griddle and they cooked up perfectly. 

kiwi blackberry hemp smoothie {giveaway}

It is rare to see a giveaway or a sponsored review on this blog, come to think about it this is a first. Over the years I have had several companies reach out looking to sponsor a post or send along a product for review, however none of them ever felt like the right fit. A few weeks back Pacific Foods approached me looking to see if I would be interested in participating in their non dairy month during the month of June; I jumped at the chance! First I love Pacific's line of vegan products and have been a loyal customer for several years, secondly I love the fact that there is a whole month dedicated to promoting dairy alternatives. Each week I will be featuring a smoothie and recipe featuring the non dairy beverage of the week. This week let me introduce you to Hemp Milk, which just so happens to be one of my favorites!