Lexie's Review and Giveaway of my Dairy-Free Ice Cream book

My good friend Lexie surprised me with a review and giveaway of my latest book. So I'm surprising her back by posting about it here :-) Head over to see what flavors Lexie has made, and enter to win.

To see Lexie's review and giveaway click HERE. 

♥, Kelly

Baby Food Pops

Ginger has been loving feeding herself these pops. I'm fondly referring to them as "baby food pops." They're just pureed fruits and vegetables, frozen in BPA-free molds. The first ones we made were cherry and steamed green beans. She liked them, but they could have used some coconut cream or avocado to smooth out the texture.

(click to see it larger)

The last two flavors we made have been smooth and delish. They are avocado pear (pictured at the top) and nectarine kiwi banana (in the photo with Ginger). And not only does Ginger love feeding herself these baby food pops, but they're great for her teething gums!


Acocado Pear Baby Food Pops

I pureed:
2 avocado
2 pear (skin removed)

I filled the molds half way, insert sticks, and froze.

I soaked in hot water for a minute to remove the pops from the mold.

Made about six.

Nectarine Kiwi Banana Baby Food Pops

I pureed:
3 nectarines
1 kiwi
about 2 inches of banana

I filled the molds half way, insert sticks, and froze.

I soaked in hot water for a minute to remove the pops from the mold.

Made about six.

Note: Everything I used was organic and ripe.

♥, Kelly

P.S. I know you're going to ask what age these are for, but it all depends on the baby. Ginger is ready to eat them now, at ten months.

Sour Cherry Acai & Chocolate Chip Bars (grain-free, dairy-free)

Last week I posted my Vanilla & Toasted Coconut Bars (with a mock-peanut and chocolate chip variation). After they were all scarfed down eaten I decided to try another flavor. I added some acai powder which gave the bars this great dark color. I think the same amount of cocoa or raw cacao powder would work if you prefer. I also added dried sour cherries and dairy-free chocolate chips. They are so delish. I hope you enjoy them too.

Sour Cherry Acai & Chocolate Chip Bars

Add to a mixing bowl:
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

To make the base:
Add to the food processor:
1/2 cup melted coconut cream concentrate (from Tropical Traditions)
NOTE: I think this coconut butter would also work, but I haven't tested it yet. (I think if you use it you will need to add some coconut oil.)
1/2 cup soft pitted medjool dates
1/4 cup almond butter)
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp acai powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp vanilla stevia (to your taste)

Puree. You may need a couple more tablespoons of water, depending on how dry your nut butter is. Add extra water slowly so your base doesn't become thin. You want it to look like thick nut butter.

Add 1/2 cup dried sour cherries to the base and pulse to roughly chop the cherries.

Add the base to the bowl with the chocolate chips and shredded coconut. Combine.

Using a flexible spatula (or your hands), press the mixture into a square dish lined with unbleached parchment paper.

Freeze for half an hour then cut into bars and store in the fridge.

Makes about 8 bars.



♥, Kelly

Now available! The Spunky Coconut Dairy-Free Ice Cream: Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan. 8.25 x 8.25 in., 90 pp., 55 recipes, 17 full-page color photos Paperback: 978-0-98278116-6, $20.00 on amazon.com or 10% Off at my eStore with code APYTME6C

Follow me on:

Vanilla & Toasted Coconut Bars (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free)

Please join me today over at The Balanced Platter, where I share this recipe for Vanilla & Toasted Coconut Bars, plus what we like to take for traveling. ♥, Kelly

Now available! The Spunky Coconut Dairy-Free Ice Cream: Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan. 8.25 x 8.25 in., 90 pp., 55 recipes, 17 full-page color photos Paperback: 978-0-98278116-6, $20.00 on amazon.com or 10% Off at my eStore with code APYTME6C

Follow me on:

Flower Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

A few weeks ago I was at Michael's and I saw this book, Birthday Cakes for Kids. It was so cute I fell in love with it. Zoe and I spent an hour on the swing studying every picture. Then I had a thought: Wouldn't it be fun to have a GF/DF cake business?! I asked Zoe what she thought of the idea. She loved it.

A cottage food law was passed in Colorado this April, allowing us to sell baked goods made at home. I'm taking a class, and a test will follow, and soon I will be in business. The gluten-free / dairy-free cake business. So excited =)

In preparation for my upcoming business I've been making some cakes, inspired by the book I found. Zoe asked for this one first—the flower cake. It's a rectangular cake with regular and mini cupcakes on top.

This cake and frosting are made with my strawberry cake and frosting recipes. My other flavors will include:

Divine Vegan Fudge Cake (from this book)
Vanilla Bean Cake (from this book)
Carrot Cake

They will all be made (like this one) with India Tree NATURAL food coloring.

I'll post more cakes (like my retro car with flames cake) that I'm going to offer soon =)

I would also like to enter this cake in my friend, Iris's birthday cake challenge. Head over there to see all the other fun cakes that are being submitted. Happy 30th Birthday Iris!


♥, Kelly

Now available! The Spunky Coconut Dairy-Free Ice Cream: Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan. 8.25 x 8.25 in., 90 pp., 55 recipes, 17 full-page color photos Paperback: 978-0-98278116-6, $20.00 on amazon.com or 10% Off at my eStore with code APYTME6C

Follow me on:

The Spunky Coconut Podcast: Episode 10: Kelly and Stacy of Paleo Parents

In this podcast I talk with Stacy, co-author of PaleoParents.com and Eat Like a Dinosaur.

We discuss breastfeeding, Stacy's interview in Woman's World magazine, my new dairy-free ice cream book and much more.


Subscribe on iTunes
Listen to Episode 9 in a new window.

If you enjoy the podcast please leave a review on iTunes.
If you haven't been seeing me on Facebook lately, it isn't because I'm not there. Facebook went ahead and made changes again. So, some of you who like The Spunky Coconut on Facebook may be missing my updates. Hover over the "Like" button at the top right of the Spunky FB page and select "Show in Newsfeed" to remedy. Thanks so much!

click to see larger

♥, Kelly

Now available! The Spunky Coconut Dairy-Free Ice Cream: Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan. 8.25 x 8.25 in., 90 pp., 55 recipes, 17 full-page color photos Paperback: 978-0-98278116-6, $20.00 on amazon.com or 10% Off at my eStore with code APYTME6C

Follow me on:

Chia Pudding with Acai or Raw Cacao

I have been craving chia lately. And fish. And I never crave fish. This is my body's way of telling me I need more essential fatty acid. I'm sure I'm giving most of it away to Ginger in my milk. So I've upped my intake of fish oil supplements, and I've been eating chia non-stop. 

Last night I decided to make my breakfast chia pudding ahead and refrigerate it overnight. The longer chia sits in liquid the softer it becomes, and I was in the mood for some really soft chia. This pudding is a lot like tapioca, if you're a fan of tapioca pudding. 

I also thought it would be fun to mix in a spoonful of acai powder. It's pretty (and full of antioxidants), and I like how it tastes. It isn't very sweet though, so I did drizzle some honey on top.

You could leave out the acai powder, or use another powder. Zoe had hers with a little raw cacao powder. That was yummy too - I tried it :-)

Chia Pudding with Acai or Raw Cacao

Combine 1 cup of coconut milk and 2 tbsp of chia seeds in a dish.
Sprinkle about a teaspoon of Acai Powder or raw cacao powder on top.
Swirl the powder in with a spoon. (I didn't combine it completely because I thought it was pretty like this, above)
Refrigerate overnight.
Drizzle with honey before eating.


Read more about chia HERE.

♥, Kelly

Now available! The Spunky Coconut Dairy-Free Ice Cream: Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan. 8.25 x 8.25 in., 90 pp., 55 recipes, 17 full-page color photos Paperback: 978-0-98278116-6, $20.00 on amazon.com or 10% Off at my eStore with code APYTME6C

Follow me on:

Spunky Facebook

If you didn't see me on Facebook yesterday, it wasn't because I wasn't there. Facebook went ahead and made changes again. So, some of you who like The Spunky Coconut on Facebook may be missing my updates. Hover over the "Like" button at the top right of the Spunky FB page and select "Show in Newsfeed" to remedy. Thanks so much!

click to see larger

♥, Kelly

Yummy Yogurt Drink (dairy-free, vegan)

I know summer is normally a time of year when some of us kick things up a notch. Kids are home, there's lots of activities and racing around.

For me it's kind of the opposite. I don't do much running around during the (home)school year, but in the summer I do even less.

Lazy days of summer.

Maybe it's partly because I don't keep the house very cold and the heat makes us sleepy ;-)

And we really do eat ice cream all year round, but more than ever in the summer.

Here is a recipe from my new book, Dairy-Free Ice Cream:

Yummy Yogurt Drink

You can use this Yummy Yogurt Drink to make the frozen yogurts in my dairy-free ice cream book, or use it to create a recipe of your own. It's so simple, the only hard part is waiting while it does its magic.

I gave away one recipe page from my book over on my good friend, Lexie's Kitchen, and now I'm giving away just one more. Click to see it larger:

Click HERE for a cashew milk video.

Click HERE for a heating pad with NO automatic shut off.

If you like my ice cream book, please leave me an Amazon review. It helps people find the book. I really appreciate it!


♥, Kelly

Now available! The Spunky Coconut Dairy-Free Ice Cream: Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan. 8.25 x 8.25 in., 90 pp., 55 recipes, 17 full-page color photos Paperback: 978-0-98278116-6, $20.00 on amazon.com or 10% Off at my eStore with code APYTME6C

Follow me on: