DANIELLE AT HOME

Recipes

Detoxifying Green Smoothie

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Today I’m sharing my favourite go to smoothie of the moment. I love to make smoothies for breakfast because they’re filling yet lights and I can pack them with vegetables. I like to get a good amount of nutrition in for breakfast. Then if I have to grab something quick for lunch that inst very healthy it’s not as important.

Detoxifying Green Smoothie

This smoothie is packed with vegetables. Spinach, cucumber and even some riced cauliflower. You can’t taste the spinach or the cauliflower and the fresh flavour the cucumber adds pairs really nicely with the fruit.

I like fresh oranges in this smoothie, it pairs so nicely with the cucumber. Plus the citrus really brightens your morning. This smoothie also has fresh ginger. I promise it won’t taste like ginger but it adds just a tiny zing that enhances the citrus flavour. If you like your smoothies sweet add a pitted date or two. I love to use them as a natural sweetener.

Detoxifying Green Smoothie
Detoxifying Green Smoothie

Ingredients

  • Oranges – Vitamin C
  • Spinach – Iron & Calcium
  • Cauliflower – Vitamin K
  • Ginger – Reduces Inflammation
  • Dates – Potassium
  • Chia Seeds – Omega 3 & Fibre
  • Almond Milk – Low Glycemic

If you are lucky enough to have a high speed blender (this one is on my wish list!) you should be able to get all these ingredients nice and smooth. Just blend on a medium to low speed for a few minutes. If you are like me and have a standard blender I’d recommend peeling your cucumbers before you blend. Just like a high powered blender blend the smoothie on a low to medium speed for a few minutes. The hardest item to blend is the chia seeds. Personally there so tiny that I don’t mind if they don’t fully blend into the smoothie, but I have a few tips if they bother you. My first tip is to hydrate your chia seeds with some water over night. About 1 cup of water to 2 tbsp of chia seeds. Then when you’re ready to make your smoothie blend the chia seeds on a very low speed before adding other ingredients. Then continue to make the smoothie as usual.

More Smoothies: Peach Mango Green Smoothie / Superfood Smoothie

I hope you enjoy this smoothie as much as I do.

Danielle xo

Detoxifying Smoothie

Detoxifying Green Smoothie

A delicious citrus flavoured green smoothie packed with nutritious vegetables. Perfect for breakfast.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 2 smoothies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 oranges, peeled and quartered
  • 1/2 cucumber, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup riced cauliflower
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 date, pitted

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to the blender and run on low to medium low speed until smooth (about 2 minutes).
Keyword Breakfast, Chia, Drinks, Smoothie

Hearty Vegetable Soup – like Grandma made

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Today I’m sharing one of my favourite soup recipes. Not only is it super yummy, filling and packed with nutrition it’s also super nostalgic. My Grandma used to make this delicious vegetable soup. It was based off an old weight watchers recipe and was full of veggies from her massive garden. I loved eating that soup. My mom has tried to recreate it before and has gotten close but it just never tastes quite the same.

Hearty vegetable Soup

Now funny story, I wasn’t trying to copy her soup. It wasn’t until I was on my second bowl that I realized something about it was so familiar. I guess when I think vegetable soup I think of the flavours in my Grandma’s. I like to think she’d like this unintended version. Although I don’t know how she would feel about all the extra herbs I added, she was a simple salt and pepper gal.

For this soup I used vegetable broth (duh!) and fire roasted tomatoes as the base. Now of course you can use regular tomatoes but the extra flavour fire roasted adds lots of extra flavour.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

As for the veggies here’s what I like, onion, carrots, zucchini and green beans and cherry tomatoes. Of course you can add whatever vegetables you love you’ll just have to adjust the cook time.

Now unlike Grandma I have a cupboard full herbs, spices and vinegars. I really went to town on the Italian seasoning in this recipe and finish it off with a nice splash of rice vinegar.

This soup is flavourful, filling and so good for you. Now to just make my self half a ham sandwich on white bread to eat with it, like Grandma would!

Danielle xo

Hearty Vegetable Soup

An accidental reincarnation of my Grandma's famous vegetable soup recipe. Packed with hearty vegetables this is the perfect lunch or side dish.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Lunch, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Onion, finely diced
  • 3 Carrots, sliced
  • 1 Zucchini, sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups Green Beans, chopped
  • 1 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 15 oz can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • 8 cups Vegetable Broth
  • 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium low heat. Add diced onions, cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add carrots, italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Turn up the meat to medium. Add canned tomatoes and vegetable broth. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables to the soup, cook over medium low for 15-20 minutes or until the green beans and carrots are tender.
  • Stir in rice vinegar. Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper to your desired taste.
  • Enjoy soup on it's own or with a piece of crusty bread.

Notes

Adapted from Love and Lemons.
Keyword Healthy Food

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

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Today we’re talking breakfast! I love breakfast, but during the week I need to keep things fast and simple. I’m sure you can all relate, leaving early to commute to the office doesn’t leave much time for breakfast. And that brings us to todays recipe, breakfast cookies. Sounds good right?

Healthy Breakfast Cookies
Healthy Breakfast Cookies

So these cookies are super tasty, but I refuse to eat un healthy food for breakfast, so I knew I had to make these taste good while still being full of nutrients. These cookies have oats, whole wheat flour, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and raisins. All of those tasty ingredients get mixed with mashed banana, almond butter, maple syrup and almond milk to create a delicious dough. Oh and theres a few chocolate chips thrown in there for good measure! Mix all of the ingredients together to create a dough and bake for 12-14 minutes!

These turned out so much better then I ever expected! Believe me I was skeptical, but they were so yummy! They’re filling, nutrient dense, full of fibre and protein. Grab one or two on your way out the door for a great on the go breakfast!

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Delicious and nutritious cookies packed with oats, chia, nut butters and dried fruit.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 24 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup rasins
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 banana, mashed
  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
  • In a medium sized bowl mix together oats, flour, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips, cinnamon and salt.
  • In a small bowl whisk banana, almond butter, maple syrup and almond milk together.
  • Pour wet ingredients into the dry, stir to combine.
  • Form into 12 cookies and bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool and enjoy!
Keyword Breakfast, Chia, Oats

Healthy Fall Sheet Pan Supper

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Fall Sheet Pan Supper

I love a simple one (or two!) pan meal! Sheet pan dinners are part of my weekly rotation. I make a variation of this meal every season! I’m sure you’ve made a sheet pan supper before, they are so simple. Choose a variety of seasonal vegetables we approximately the same cook time. Add them to a pan with your favourite protein, easy and delicious!

Fall Sheet Pan Supper
Fall Sheet Pan Supper

For this meal I chose butternut squash, potatoes and brussels sprouts. For the protein I chose chicken breasts, because I wanted this meal to be fast! I made a quick marinade for the chicken to give it lots of flavour. The marinade had soy sauce, garlic, maple syrup, dijon mustard and thyme. It was super yummy and differentiated the flavours of the chicken from the vegetables. For the vegetables, I kept it simple. I love the flavour of vegetables and didn’t want to over power them.

I made this recipe with 4 chicken breast, so to fit all of the vegetables you may need to use two sheet pans. You need the vegetables to be spread out in a single layer to get crispy bits, so make sure not to over crowd the pan! Believe me, you want crispy bits!! So yummy!

Once all of your vegetables and chicken are on the sheet pans, bake for 30 minutes, yep thats it! Easy, healthy, seasonal, delicious and fast! Give this recipe a try! I hope you really enjoy it.

Healthy Fall Sheet Pan Supper

Fall vegetables, chicken breasts all baked on a sheet pan!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Marinating Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Chicken

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Vegetables

  • 1/2 butternut squash, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 3 white or yukon gold potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and cleaned
  • olive oil
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Marinade

  • Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a resealable bag or air tight container, pour marinade over chicken. Place in the fridge for a minimum of one hour, or overnight.

Sheet Pan Supper

  • Preheat oven to 400 °F.
  • Place vegetables in a large bowl, toss with olive oil (about 2-3 tbsp), thyme, salt and pepper.
  • Drizzle 1-2 sheet pans with a small amount of olive oil. Arange marinated chicken breast on the pan. Arrange vegetables around chicken breast in a single layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked though and vegetables are tender. Serve and enjoy!
Keyword Fall Food, Healthy Food, Sheet Pan Supper

Black Widow Cocktail with Spun Sugar Webs

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With just a little over a week until Halloween it’s time to share a spooky cocktail! This one is inspired by spiders! It may look spooky but it tastes delicious and is perfect for any Halloween party your having this weekend!

Black Widow Cocktail - Halloween
Black Widow Cocktail - Halloween
Black Widow Cocktail - Halloween

This cocktail is super simple, it’s just blackberry pomegranate juice muddled with blackberries, a squeeze of lime and some tequila. Super delicious, sweet and refreshing. The natural deep purple colour is great but if you want to make it extra dark and spooky add a drop or two of black food colouring!

The impressive part of this cocktail is the spun sugar spider webs. Now of course this is totally optional but its fun and no where near as hard as it seems. Basically you melt the sugar in water until just slightly golden. Allow the sugar to cool for a few seconds. Grease a small bowl or cup and flick strands of sugar over the bowl using a fork. Let cool for 5 seconds before removing from the bowl. Then you’ll have a spun sugar spider web! These can be made a few days in advance and stored in an air tight container.

Black Widow Cocktail - Halloween

I hope you’re intrigued to give this cocktail a try for Halloween! It’s delicious and impressive!

Black Widow Cocktail with Spun Sugar Webs

Berry and tequila based cocktail garnished with spun sugar spider webs.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 4 cocktails

Ingredients
  

Cocktail

  • 4 cups pomegranate juice blend
  • 1/2 cup blackberries
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 6 ounces tequila

Spun Sugar Spider Webs

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup white sugar

Instructions
 

Spun Sugar Spider Webs

  • Add water and sugar to a pot. Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves and turns slightly amber, about 15 minutes. Set aside for 5 seconds to cool slightly. Using a fork, flick the sugar in different directions over your greased mold (I used a small jam jar, but a bowl or cup would work). Allow to cool for 5-10 seconds to avoid burning your hands. Gently lift sugar from the mold and set aside. Repeat.

Drink

  • In a pitcher add berries, lime juice and tequila. Using a muddling tool or the back of a wooden spoon muddle the berries. Add juice and stir. Pour drinks over a glass filled with ice, garnish with spun sugar webs and serve.

Notes

Spun sugar recipe adapted from Sunset.
Keyword Cocktail, Drinks, Halloween

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

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Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all are enjoying your holiday weekend with family and lots of pumpkin pie! Today I thought I would share my Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. It’s creamy delicious, tastes like desert, but packed with healthy ingredients. Sweetened with maple syrup and it’s entirely dairy free! So yummy it can pass as breakfast or dessert!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!

For this recipe I use pumpkin puree, this is the unsweetened pure mashed pumpkin. That’s what you want for pretty much every recipe out there. We will add our own spices and sweetener. Pumpkin is full of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, it’s also super nutrient dense so it’s perfect for a smoothie.

I use a frozen banana in this recipe to keep the smoothie creamy and super cold. You won’t really taste it but it adds natural sweetness and keeps things cold. The sweetener for this recipe is maple syrup, being Canadian maple syrup screams Thanksgiving for me, but you could toss in a date or two if you’re really watching your sugar source. And of course no pumpkin pie would be complete without a little pumpkin pie spice, here’s a link on how to make your own blend if you can’t find it in the store.

Last but not least lets talk dairy, now something you don’t know is I’m actually about 80-90% dairy free. I cut dairy for my skin, but theres still a few things I can’t give up, like cheese. So I only have dairy when it’s truly worth it to me, like on holidays or in my very favourite dishes. Since we eat at other peoples homes so much this time of year I’m strict on dairy when I’m cooking for myself. This recipe is make with almond milk, coconut yogurt (this is the best brand I’ve found!) and coconut whipped cream ( I use this one, so yummy). Of course it will taste delicious with dairy products, but I thought I’d share just incase you struggle with dairy as well.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!

As for the process for this recipe, well it’s pretty simple. Dump, blend, top and enjoy!

My husband was super skeptical of pumpkin in a smoothie, would it taste good, would it be too healthy tasting, or to make it delicious would it be so sugary that it really shouldn’t be eaten at breakfast? In the end he was really impressed!

This really is a must try for the fall and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

The creamy, delicious flavour of pumpkin pie without the guilt. A perfect festive breakfast, or a guilt free dessert!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 2 small smoothies

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup dairy free yogurt (I use coconut yogurt)
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1 tbsp real maple syrup (more or less to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup nut or dairy free milk (I used almond)
  • prepared coconut whipped cream (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Add pumpkin, yogurt, banana, maple syrup, spices, and milk to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and top with coconut whipped cream if desired.

Notes

This recipe makes two small smoothies, or one large one. When I make this for breakfast I have one large one without whip.
 
Optional add ins/swaps:
  1. If you eat dairy feel free to use regular yogurt and milk.
  2. Swap maple syrup for a date if you want a more natural sugar source.
  3. Add flax, chia or hemp hearts to increase nutrition.
  4. Protein powder can be added if desired.
Keyword Pumpkin