Vegan Spinach, Tomato, and ‘Cheese’ Gnocchi

I’m here to share with y’all the easiest, fastest, yummiest recipe I’ve tried in YEARS. Believe me when I say that mealtimes can be frustrating at our hive. Fortunately my little bees aren’t super picky eaters, but they definitely have their opinions, and the bay-bee has been throwing fits at the supper table for awhile now. (He’s just at that glorious age where he realizes he could be playing instead of eating at that time) There have been plenty of nights when I’ve served sandwiches for supper, ordered pizza, or hit up a drive thru. There is NO SHAME in that, y’all. We’ve got to be gracious with ourselves.

So when I do come across something that is a hit...I always share it here for y’all...ans for my own filing away for later purposes. ;) I made a pretty big batch because I’m all about having leftovers. This recipe will feed our hive of five (2 adults and 3 kids ages 9,6,2.5) three times. Keep that in mind if you follow the recipe below. Of course...who doesn’t love having extra to put in the freezer for later on? Did I mention it was super duper easy, extremely fast, healthy and vegan, and DELIGHTFULLY DELICIOUS?!

Ingredients:
4 16oz packages of store bought Gnocchi (I like using Gia Russa because they have a vegan option. Actually I like making my own gnocchi, but that’s a different post for a different day)
5oz Spinach
4 cans diced tomatoes, drained (or dice 6-8 fresh...that’s best, I just had canned on hand)

For the Sauce:
4 cups Almond milk (or whichever milk you prefer)
2 cups raw cashews (I use unsalted halves)
3/4 cup Nutritional Yeast (This is the ‘cheese’ part)
8 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt

Directions:
1. Bring 6 quarts water to boil, then add gnocchi. You’ll know the gnocchi is finished when they float to the top! Takes about 3 minutes.

2. Place your spinach in the bottom of your colander, and drain your gnocchi through it! This will wilt your spinach for you in one, easy, foolproof step. You’re welcome. ;)

3. Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. (We have a Vitamix. If you don’t have a high powered blender you’ll need to soak your cashews overnight or bring them to a boil for a few minutes first to soften them.)

4. Place gnocchi and spinach back in your pot. Add your diced tomatoes and sauce.

5. Return pot to the stove to warm together for a few minutes and for sauce to thicken just a bit.

6. Dip out in a bowl, grab a spoon, and be prepared to be amazed.

This maybe took me 20 minutes to throw together, and most of that was just waiting on the water to come to a boil for the gnocchi to cook in! I’m so excited about this recipe and hope you love it too! All my bees gave it a 10/10. The hub-bee even had a second helping and asked for it to be a monthly meal.

I’m planning on experimenting with this recipe again to make another yummy pasta dish, and y’all will be the first to hear all about it. Let me know if you try this out!

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Sauteed Garlic Chickpeas, Onions, and Spinach with Quinoa

During the summertime I love finding new recipes to try out for my Hive. Here's one that I've been wanting to share with y'all. It's super easy, requires few ingredients, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, is healthy, and...oh yeah...yummy too! I should also note that this is a vegan recipe, but I encourage you to give it a try even if you don't typically eat that way...you made find that you love it anyway!

This feeds our family twice in a week when we eat it alongside a salad, but you could easily double the recipe to feed more people or have bigger portions, if needed.

Ingredients: 

5-8oz Spinach (depends on how much you prefer)

1 Onion diced

1 15oz can Chickpeas

1 tablespoon Minced Garlic (about 2 cloves minced)

1 teaspoon Cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive Oil for sauteing (is that even a word?!)

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Water

You'll want to make the components of this dish simultaneously, but since I'm not your Momma, I'm not going to tell you what order to do it all in...so here's the directions for how to cook both parts. ;)

Directions for Chickpeas and Spinach:

1. Heat oil in large skillet.

2. Drain and rinse your chickpeas.

3. Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant...about 1-2 minutes.

4. Add diced onion and cook until soft.

5. Add spinach, chickpeas, and cumin to the skillet. Your skillet will look very full, but don't worry! The spinach reduces itself as it cooks.

6. Stir, stir, stir until spinach fully wilts and chickpeas are cooked through.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste, and that part is done!

Directions for Quinoa:

1. Combine 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a pot and bring to a boil.

2. Turn to low, cover, and let simmer about 15 min, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.

3. Uncover for about 5 min and fluff before serving.

I like serving this dish all combined...I just go ahead and mix it all up so it's evenly distributed. Supper is served!

Y'all let me know if you tried the recipe and how you enjoyed it!
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Change Around the Hive

So much has happened in the past few months, and I've just been so busy buzzing around that it's hard to get a minute to myself these days.

Little Jackson celebrated his first birthday recently, and as we were driving to pick up his cake Ava said, "Mom I can't believe it's been a whole year already! You were right when you said that the days are long, but the years are short. This year with Jackson has been short!"

She's so right...but don't let her know that. ;)

One of the biggest changes, and partial reason for my absence here on the blog, is that I started a new job! Hooray! Actually not only did I start a new job...I started a new business! And I'm super excited to tell you about it.

Y'all know that I'm slightly on the 'crunchy' side of life...I try my best to eat healthy and mostly vegan, I make my own cleaning supplies, etc. Well one very natural addition to my lifestyle is me starting my Beautycounter business. I cannot tell you enough how passionate I feel about this company and the mission that we have. We are devoted to educating others about the ingredients in their skincare and beauty products. Our mission is to get safe products into the hands of everyone. I could not be more on board with this!

I shared this on facebook before, but it's definitely worth repeating...

Just a few months ago I began working for Beautycounter, and I need y'all to hear me out for just a bit...

Some of you may think that me working for Beautycounter is just cute. Some of you may think that it's annoying. Some of you may think that it's not a 'real' job. Let me set the record straight for you though...this is in fact a very real and important job for me.

I get to help others live healthier lifestyles by educating them about the ingredients in their skincare and beauty products. I get to help protect those that I love most...family members, friends, and even strangers by putting safe products into their hands. I get to work alongside some of the most encouraging and inspiring people I've come across in my life. It may sound silly to you, but this work that I'm doing is life changing and I'm proud of it.

I want to take a moment to thank each and every single on of you who has been, and is supporting me in this business.

You see, when you support me by...giving an encouraging word, providing feedback, making a post about a product, asking a question, making a purchase, hosting a Social, becoming one of my Band of Beauty Members, or joining my team to work alongside me...you are truly supporting me in all aspects.

You are making it possible for me to buy groceries for my family, buy diapers for my baby, pay my monthly utility bills, pay down debt that we owe, buy birthday or Christmas presents for my kids, allow my girls the opportunity to take dance lessons, and so much more!

Even more importantly you are changing your own life by switching to safer products. You are taking a stand for your health. You are showing that you care about not only what is going into your body, but what is going onto your body.

You have already helped me achieve more success in my business than I thought possible. You have already helped me reach goals that I thought may be a little too out of reach. You have already changed my life, and my family's life for the better.

I can't thank you enough.
We all deserve better...and I think the best is yet to come.

If you have been following along with either my 'Beautycounter with Lyn' or 'The Florida Peach' facebook pages you need to know that they are now combining! Our new name around here and on facebook is: 'The Florida Peach: A Beautiful, Healthy Life'

This perfectly combines what I'm trying to achieve, and help you achieve as well...A Beautiful, Healthy Life! I can share about all things Beauty...all things Health...and all things Life!


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