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In The Kitchen: Adding New Purpose To Your Cooking Routine

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I have always known that I have an affection for healthy food, a fascination for the origin of where organic produce is grown and harvested, and a love for experimenting with new recipes and flavors, but I have come to notice that time and lack of energy from a full schedule eliminated space to explore and grow in these passions. Cooking became more of a chore, gardening was a no-go since we weren't at home long enough to sustain it, and sometimes just picking up dinner from the Erewhon food bar was way easier than thinking about what to whip up. Not to mention, the task of cutting veggies and doing dishes just seemed daunting and anything but enjoyable.It's like a new world has opened up during this quarantine time. Cooking has become what I look forward to every day, our garden is thriving, the local farm we discovered is my happy place to buy organic and biodynamic produce + support a small business, and dishes seem like a breeze. I have been cooking almost every night with the windows open and the Florida Georgia Line radio playing, and Jase sometimes is creating the most beautiful cocktails next to me with freshly squeezed watermelon and orange. I am more intentional about using the produce we have because not many other options like we had before are available, and I have such a strong desire to feed our bodies with nutrition to keep our immune systems strong!I started a Master Class and Alice Waters is inspiring me to plan meals based on the ingredients I get from the farm, and it has brought about this whole new light and intention to cooking and meals! This time is truly bringing new purpose to what used to be a mundane activity. Now I cook out of necessity for health, conserving the produce we have, and it has allowed so much space for creativity. Who knew that I would develop a new excitement for making homemade salsas from the pretty tomatoes or roasted carrots from the cookbook I never had a chance to look through? There are truly so many silver linings in this time of unknowns, sadness, loss, and confusion. Embracing them makes every day a little brighter!How has this time added to your cooking routine?I'm excited to share with you over the next few weeks a few of the things I'm doing in my kitchen right now as a part of my In The Kitchen series – things like how to maximize your produce, what to grab when shopping, growing your own greens, and more.Follow along with me here, or at my Instagram where I often post a meal I'm cooking or kitchen must-have I'm loving. xShop My Look Here: Top, skirt, sunnies

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Recipes Recipes

chocolate almond butter cups.

I heart chocolate, and almond butter is a pantry staple of mine. I also aim to eliminate dairy and gluten as much as possible in my diet. All this to say, I am kidnapping this recipe from this new blog I came to adore today. I can hardly wait to make these yummy gluten free, dairy free treats!Screen Shot 2014-02-15 at 7.10.59 PMChocolate Almond Butter Cupsmakes 4 large cups (probably 8 or so servings)Base:1 cup dates1/2 cup oats1/4 cup water2 teaspoons cinnamon1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanillaBlend together all ingredients. Shape into cup base either just by using your hands or by pressing into parchment paper lined muffin pan. Place in refrigerator to stiffen.Chocolate topping:1 cup dates1/4 cup maple syrup2 tablespoon cacao1 tablespoon coconut oilMix together all ingredients until fluffy and smooth sauce is formed.Center:1/2 – 3/4 cup almond butterRemove bases from refrigerator and fill half way full with almond butter. Top with chocolate sauce. You can add hemp seeds, chia seeds, or any other seeds to top them off if you’d like as well. Serve, enjoy!Screen Shot 2014-02-15 at 7.10.00 PM

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