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  • Honeybee Sour — A Version of the Bee’s Knees Gin Cocktail

    This is basically a fancified Bees Knees cocktail. I’m calling it, “Honeybee Sour.” We used grapefruit gin, lemon juice, almond extract, honey, an egg white and some club soda. This would have been great with some thyme or rosemary as a garnish but I didn’t think of it in time. There’s always tomorrow!

    For two:
    Grapefruit gin (click here for one we love)
    Juice of a whole lemon
    About two tablespoons honey
    1 tsp. almond extract
    1 egg white
    Shake all of the above ingredients with a couple cubes of ice. Pour into glasses like these and top off with club soda. Enjoy!

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  • Gluten-Free Brownies (with hidden spinach)

    Brownies are asked for all the time in my house. It is difficult to get just the right combo of chewiness and fluffiness – the ratios have to be just right to get them how you like them. I have probably made 20 different brownie recipes and experimented with several of my own. This one is a little chewy, a little cakey, very moist, and has a sweet and saltiness I love. It also includes my favorite chocolate bar in the world — Cadbury Dairy Milk — and two cups of spinach, which serves to cut the sweetness, add moisture, and force some nutrition into my picky children. If you have picky eaters like I do, these brownies feel like winning.

    Ingredients

    • Two sticks of unsalted, grass fed butter. (Click here for the one I like)
    • One large Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate bar
    • 1 cup organic semi-sweet chocolate chips
    • 1 cup coarse sugar
    • 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
    • 1/4 cup oat flour
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon butter extract
    • 1 teaspoon almond extract
    • 3 large eggs
    • 2 cups fresh spinach
    • 1/2 cup unsweetened raw cacao powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt

    Directions:

    Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare your pan. I like to use a 9×13 Pyrex lined with parchment and sprayed with coconut oil spray. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave. Stir to mix it. Place the spinach in a blender and pour the butter mixture over it. Blend until totally smooth and there are no chunks of spinach.

    Crack the eggs into a batter bowl and whisk lightly until they are completely blended. Slowly whisk in the chocolate/butter/spinach mixture. Once blended, slowly add in the sugar, flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add the extracts, and mix just until blended (don’t over mix).

    Pour the mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Bake about 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (check it at 25 minutes because ovens vary).

    Allow the brownies to cool at least 30 minutes. These do crumble a little bit when warm, so send the kids outside to enjoy them!

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  • Caipirinha with a twist

    Caipirinha with a twist

    After several hours of yard work yesterday, I was craving something light and fresh. This is a take on the classic caipirinha, with a mix of different citrus flavors and some added herbs. I also rimmed the glass in a combo of sugar, salt and tajin for a little more of a kick. Recipe below: (this post contains affiliate links).

    For two:
    4 oz cachaça liquor (if you don’t have this, some people sub rum, but I think it tastes more like tequila)
    2 oz lime juice
    2 oz grapefruit juice
    1 oz simple syrup
    4 mint leaves
    Several sprigs of thyme
    Lime flavored lacroix water to top off

    For the glasses (I love these)
    1 tsp sugar
    1 tsp tajin
    1/2 tsp salt
    Mix together on a small plate

    First, wet the rims of the glasses and coat them in the tajin mix.
    Place the liquor and the herbs in a shaker and muddle them well, until you can smell the thyme and mint. Add the juices and the simple syrup and a cube or two of ice and shake for at least 30 seconds.

    Strain into glasses over an ice cube. Top off with lacroix. Garnish with lime or another mint sprig.

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  • Five Kitchen Swaps to Reduce Waste in Your Home

    Five Kitchen Swaps to Reduce Waste in Your Home

    The kitchen may be the hardest place in the house to be eco friendly. Yes, we have reusable straws and a compost bin, but paper towels and zipper bags are a hard habit to break. It’s tough to switch food products you’ve been using for years to one with recyclable packaging. Bringing your own bags to the grocery store is hard to remember. I have been trying to be less wasteful in the kitchen, and these are the products that are helpful in my household:

    1. Reusable towels instead of paper towels

    I’ll admit, I haven’t been able to completely get rid of the paper towels. There are a few types of spills with kiddos around that I still don’t want to use a reusable item on. I’ll get there, but in the meantime, we have dramatically reduced our paper towel usage with reusable versions. Click here for one of the top rated brands: https://amzn.to/2ZF5Yvv or here for some cotton towels with a cute blue stripe: https://amzn.to/3uqijBI.

    2. Plastic or cloth sandwich and storage bags

    Yes, even in the kids lunches. This one is definitely the hardest for me to stick to just because of how often we use storage bags. But keeping those little plastic suckers out of the landfills goes a long way towards saving the planet! Click here to purchase clear plastic reusable bags in several sizes and colors: https://amzn.to/2NNRert or here for some very cute, patterned cloth bags: https://amzn.to/3kpu1IB.

    3. Sustainable replacements for plastic wrap

    I know…it’s so easy to just toss a bowl in the fridge with some plastic cling wrap and toss it when you’re done. But creation of single use plastic items need to be reduced as much as possible, according to this report. Mighty Nest, a company that sells all sorts of sustainable and nontoxic home items, has several great options for this purpose. Not only are they totally sustainable made, they are super cute. Click here to shop!

    4. Nontoxic cleaning supplies

    It’s hard to let go of the bleach kitchen cleaner smelling vaguely of lemons, because we’ve used it forever and it does work. But these chemical laden cleaners are not only terrible for the environment, they are terrible for you! And they often come in single use plastic bottles, which as we discussed above, needs to stop. Mighty Nest sells nontoxic cleaners at really good prices and uses refillable containers to cut down on packaging waste. Click here to explore what they have to offer. If you prefer wipes, you can go nontoxic there too! Click here for wipes that are nontoxic and biodegradable.

    5. Glass storage containers instead of plastic

    This one is probably the biggest investment, if, like me, you store tons of leftovers and baked goods and had dozens of cheap plastic containers. Glass doesn’t leach out toxic chemicals and doesn’t fill up landfills when tossed. This set has four pieces and two sizes. Click here for a 24-piece set with cute colored lids: https://amzn.to/3aH4sPI. Click here to shop Mighty Nests wide assortment of glass storage. If mason jars are more your style, click here: https://amzn.to/3bwSd7K.

    These five steps will have you on your way to kitchen sustainability! This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I will post more ideas and products as I come across them. If you likes this post, follow me on Instagram @modernhippiekitchen for daily content!

  • Gin Fizz with Garden Herbs

    Gin Fizz with Garden Herbs

    This cocktail is light and fresh, and since it’s officially spring herb season feel free to sub the rosemary for your favorite or what you have in your garden!

    Ingredients (serves two):

    • 2 oz gin
    • 1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc
    • 1/4 cup fresh berries (raspberries or cranberries work well)
    • 2 oz lime juice
    • Two tablespoons raw honey
    • About six or seven mint leaves
    • A rough tablespoon of rosemary
    • Two sprigs of rosemary for garnish
    • Ice for the shaker
    • Topo Chico
    • Two small coupe glasses or some mismatched glassware like these.

    Muddle the berries and herbs until the berries mush and you can smell them mixing with the rosemary and mint. Add the honey and muddle to mix. Add the gin, wine and lime juice and shake vigorously.

    Pour equal amounts in to the glasses (they will be about half full). Top off with Topo Chico and add rosemary for garnish.

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  • Cabbage slaw with tarragon dressing, an easy salad idea

    This one came from a need to use a head of cabbage I’d picked from the garden for this recipe. I’d only used a couple of leaves and wanted to do something with the rest before it became forgotten in my crisper. I also had some fresh snap peas harvested this morning, so I decided to put them together. This ended up being tart, spicy, sweet and crunchy with the added depth of the tarragon’s light licorice flavor.

    Recipe:

    For the slaw:

    • One small head of cabbage (if store bought, use half or less), chopped into bite size or smaller chunks
    • About a cup of fresh snap peas or green beans, ends snapped off and cut into thirds
    • 10-12 cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in halves
    • 1/2 a red onion, diced

    For the dressing:

    • 1/4 cup lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons raw honey
    • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
    • 3-4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
    • 3-4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
    • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
    • Cracked pepper, to taste
    • A light dusting of cayenne pepper

    Combine all of the vegetables and toss in a medium sized bowl. I love this bowl for everything.

    Combine all of the dressing items and whisk. add the dressing to the slaw and toss. Enjoy on its own or as a side dish.

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  • Gluten-free Blueberry Pie

    Gluten-free Blueberry Pie

    Last week my three-year-old son Gus asked me: “Mom, you make me a blueberry pie?” Of course I immediately ordered the ingredients. This one was made with frozen wild blueberries and definitely had a fresh texture. You can use any gluten free pie crust doe this! This one is my go to. And my favorite gluten free flour (King Arthur) can be purchased here: https://amzn.to/3c8lneK.

    Ingredients:

    • Three cups frozen organic wild blueberries
    • Three tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot powder
    • 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup honey, to taste
    • 1 tsp cinnamon (or more to taste)
    • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/4 tsp cardamom
    • A dash of sea salt
    • 1 apple, peeled and grated (I used honey crisp)
    • Five teaspoons butter
    • 1 egg (for an egg wash before baking)

    After rolling out one half of the crust and lining a pie pan with it, mix all of the filling ingredients except the butter. The apple helps it hold together, but you won’t taste it or see it in the final product. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Drop the teaspoons of butter into the filling, evenly spaced.

    Add your top crust. I did mine in a lattice style (Here’s a tutorial!). Brush the beaten egg over the top of the crust with a pastry brush. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until it’s golden brown. Let cool completely.

    This pie has a very fresh texture! If you like more of a jelly-like filling, you can cook the ingredients in a saucepan for ten minutes before filling the pie.

    *This post contains affiliate links.

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  • Chicken chili—an easy, gluten-free, one-pot dinner idea

    This recipe was borne out of the need for an easy, fast dinner that also packed nutrition and flavor. I’ve been down with terrible allergy symptoms since planting my garden last weekend and needed something requiring minimal work and even less cleanup, but it also needed to be warm and satisfying. I’ve made many different chicken chili variations before, but this one is by far the easiest. You literally put everything into a Dutch oven or heavy lidded pan and throw it in the oven. The only other step is slicing the chicken and placing it back in the pan at the end. We were so hungry when this came out of the oven that I didn’t manage to get a photo of the final product!

    Ingredients (makes 4 large servings):

    • Three medium sized chicken breasts, thawed (they can still be partially frozen if you are pressed for time)
    • One 4 oz can of green chilis
    • One 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes (click here for the ones I love)
    • One can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
    • One onion, diced
    • 2 tsp cumin
    • 1.5 tsp chili powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp white pepper
    • 2 tsp smoked pimenton (paprika)
    • A handful of your favorite chopped herbs (I used a spicy oregano and cilantro from my garden)

    Directions: Preheat the oven to 350. Place the chicken breasts in the pan. Pour all other ingredients on top. Stir slightly, just to mix. Cover pan and bake for one hour. Pull the pan out and take the chicken breasts out with tongs. Place them on a cutting board, and, when cool enough to handle, dice them. Put the chicken back in the pot and stir gently. Place the pot back into the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and enjoy with your favorite tortilla (I like this kind, which are gluten-free and paleo).

    This post contains affiliate links.

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  • Chocolate Dessert Shakes With Protein for Kids

    Chocolate Dessert Shakes With Protein for Kids

    This one is a kid favorite. And a hot tip, the leftovers can be combined with some baileys for Mom for after they go to bed.

    Recipe:

    Two tablespoons good cocoa powder. This kind is my favorite.

    A half scoop of grass fed whey. We use this kind.

    3 cups ice

    One cup of coconut milk (the kind in the carton, not a can)

    About a tablespoon of raw local honey.

    Blend! This makes three 8 oz servings or four 6 oz servings. I also added a couple of marshmallows for my kiddos.

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  • Top 5 Sustainable Kitchen Swaps to Reduce Waste in Your Home

    Top 5 Sustainable Kitchen Swaps to Reduce Waste in Your Home

    The kitchen may be the hardest place in the house to be eco friendly. Yes, we have reusable straws and a compost bin, but paper towels and zipper bags are a hard habit to break. It’s tough to switch food products you’ve been using for years to one with recyclable packaging. Bringing your own bags to the grocery store is hard to remember. I have been trying to be less wasteful in the kitchen, and these are the products that are helpful in my household:

    1. Reusable towels instead of paper towels

    I’ll admit, I haven’t been able to completely get rid of the paper towels. There are a few types of spills with kiddos around that I still don’t want to use a reusable item on. I’ll get there, but in the meantime, we have dramatically reduced our paper towel usage with reusable versions. Click here for one of the top rated brands: https://amzn.to/2ZF5Yvv or here for some cotton towels with a cute blue stripe: https://amzn.to/3uqijBI.

    2. Plastic or cloth sandwich and storage bags

    Yes, even in the kids lunches. This one is definitely the hardest for me to stick to just because of how often we use storage bags. But keeping those little plastic suckers out of the landfills goes a long way towards saving the planet! Click here to purchase clear plastic reusable bags in several sizes and colors: https://amzn.to/2NNRert or here for some very cute, patterned cloth bags: https://amzn.to/3kpu1IB.

    3. Sustainable replacements for plastic wrap

    I know…it’s so easy to just toss a bowl in the fridge with some plastic cling wrap and toss it when you’re done. But creation of single use plastic items need to be reduced as much as possible, according to this report. Mighty Nest, a company that sells all sorts of sustainable and nontoxic home items, has several great options for this purpose. Not only are they totally sustainable made, they are super cute. Click here to shop!

    4. Nontoxic cleaning supplies

    It’s hard to let go of the bleach kitchen cleaner smelling vaguely of lemons, because we’ve used it forever and it does work. But these chemical laden cleaners are not only terrible for the environment, they are terrible for you! And they often come in single use plastic bottles, which as we discussed above, needs to stop. Mighty Nest sells nontoxic cleaners at really good prices and uses refillable containers to cut down on packaging waste. Click here to explore what they have to offer. If you prefer wipes, you can go nontoxic there too! Click here for wipes that are nontoxic and biodegradable.

    5. Glass storage containers instead of plastic

    This one is probably the biggest investment, if, like me, you store tons of leftovers and baked goods and had dozens of cheap plastic containers. Glass doesn’t leach out toxic chemicals and doesn’t fill up landfills when tossed. This set has four pieces and two sizes. Click here for a 24-piece set with cute colored lids: https://amzn.to/3aH4sPI. Click here to shop Mighty Nests wide assortment of glass storage. If mason jars are more your style, click here: https://amzn.to/3bwSd7K.

    These five steps will have you on your way to kitchen sustainability! This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I will post more ideas and products as I come across them. If you likes this post, follow me on Instagram @modernhippiekitchen for daily content!

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