On The Menu: Lemony Scones & Almond Beauty Bars

As you can probably tell, Taylor and I have been trying to eat very healthy lately. We're trying to incorporate as many fruits, veggies, and super foods into our diet as possible. We do generally eat pretty healthfully, but I feel like we've been kicking it up a notch lately! It's crazy how different you can feel based on the foods you consume.

Weekly meal planning helps us plan ahead and stay on track - plus, it makes me feel organized and confident that we're going to eat great (and healthy) things all week. It helps me to write out our meal plan somewhere - sometimes I use my phone and sometimes I literally write it out like I did this weekend. I'll post this week's meal plan later today!

This weekend I whipped up two new healthy recipes in preparation of the week ahead: Lemony Scones & Almond Beauty Bars. The scones are going to be breakfast for a few mornings, and the beauty bars are afternoon snacks. Both recipes are from Drew Parisi (a nutritionist - her website is here) and Robin Long (a Pilates instructor - her website is here).

I adapted the scone recipe a bit based on what I had on hand, but they turned out great! I swapped out 1/2 cup ground flax seeds for the 1/2 cup ground chia seeds, and then used 1/2 tsp chia seeds instead of the 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (what the heck is xanthan gum anyway!?). They were tasty and filling. I paired my breakfast scone with a hot mug of black tea - yum!

Lemony Scones

(Makes 6 servings)

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond flower

1/2 cup ground chia seeds

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp xantham gum

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients:

1 egg

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, mix together dry ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.

Add wet ingredients into the food processor with dry ingredients and pulse until combined.

Form into a ball of dough and place onto the prepared baking sheet.

With slightly wet hands, press the dough into an even circle, about 1/2 inch thick.

Score the scone circle into 6 wedges. 

Bake 10 minutes, cut through wedges to separate.

Bake for 2-4 more minutes.

Almond Beauty Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds

1/3 cup pitted medjool dates

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs cocoa powder

1 Tbs raw honey

Directions:

Place almonds in a food processor and process into a fine meal.

Add remaining ingredients and process into a dough-like texture.

Either roll dough 1/2 inch thick and cut into bars or simply roll into energy “balls”.