bell & basket

cooking. baking. home.

Coconut Date Chia Seed Pudding


I lasted 10 days without sugar in the month of January. That meant no bread, no pasta, no rice and nothing with added sugar (I was eating fruit twice or sometimes three times a day). It was hard. I was really cranky. But it helped me kick my nightly “vanilla ice cream for dessert” habit and now I barely crave the stuff (ha).

But while I was doing this no sugar challenge, I somehow found a way of making “dessert” anyway.

I can’t believe I’m even posting this coconut date chia seed pudding recipe (such a mouthful). In essence, it goes against most of my cooking beliefs. Number one: it’s gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, raw, vegan and paleo. Number two: I don’t post five ingredient recipes. It’s just not my style (yes, I like to make croquembouches). Number three: if it isn’t heated on the stove or baked in the oven, are we even cooking?!

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Savory Acorn Squash and Goat Cheese Muffins

At the turn of fall I get really excited at the farmers market. The colors–greens, purples and oranges–get me giddy. The variety of squash, apples, herbs and everything else transcends me into cashmere sweater and wool sock bliss.

And then finding a recipe good enough to fold all of those colors into is so satisfying. These savory acorn squash and goat cheese muffins are the most perfect vehicle. They’re salty, fluffy and tangy. So often a savory muffin can feel heavy and laden with butter and salt. But these, these are on a whole different level.

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Montreal Weekend Getaway

Have a three or four day weekend coming up? You might want to consider a Montreal weekend getaway. The food is fantastic, the Jazz Festival is incredible and you can explore nature, city and awesome culture close to NYC. I couldn’t say any of this without the help of Journy, a travel company that helped us plan our weekend to the max!

Journy created an itinerary for each day we were in Montreal, packed with lots of adventures. We couldn’t do them all–but we were able to drink really great coffee and eat at some of the hardest restaurants to get into (they’ve got the hookup). When traveling I often suffer from FOMO and Journy helped ease my “I want to do it all” anxiety.

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