Chocolate Drizzle Salted Popcorn

September has always been a transitional time of year for me. You get the final days of summer mashed up with the beginnings of fall. Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations invade stores, pumpkin spice everything returns and the temperatures begin to cool. 

During this transition, it can be a little bit difficult to pick what sorts of foods to eat. At least it is for me. Part of me still craves light and fresh summer cuisine but another (slightly stronger) part of me is totally ready for the savory and warm-your-belly goodness of autumn. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you will have already gotten a sneak peak of this deliciousness. This snack is my current go-to for curbing my "fall" cravings. 

Popcorn is such a versatile snack and you can really customize it to suit your preferences. While it isn't particularly nutritious, it is better than greasy potato chips. This particular recipe reminds me of the Moose Munch I used to eat by the bucket-load as a kid. The mix of sweet and savory has always been a favorite of mine and this chocolate drizzle salted popcorn really hits the spot. 

The best part is that while it feels like I'm eating something very special, it is so easy to make. In less than five minutes you are left with a seriously delicious and filling snack. 

In the past, I have tried to drizzle melted chocolate and have failed. Miserably. I ended up with a clumpy mess that was less than pleasing to look at and therefore less appetizing. But I have come up with a solution.

The secret ingredient: Coconut Oil.

By adding coconut oil to the melted chocolate, the chocolate becomes smooth and silky and perfect for drizzling. But if you're not careful, you'll over do it (if it is possible to over do chocolate). What was a light and healthy snack will turn into basically a bowl of chocolate with a little bit of popcorn mixed in. While I'm sure that would be delicious, it isn't really the goal here. You've been warned!

The second secret ingredient is a handful of pepitas- shelled pumpkin seeds. Not only are these delicious enough to eat on their own but they add the perfect amount of crunch and texture. Plus, these little guys are packed with health benefits. They contain magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fats, protein and free-radical fighting antioxidants. And that's just the start. Google "health benefits of pumpkin seeds" and you will be seriously amazed. 

AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO...



Chocolate Drizzle Salted Popcorn Recipe
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Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time: 5 Minutes

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Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for cooking the popcorn)
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• Handful of roasted unsalted pepitas; approximately 1/8 to 1/4 cup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Place olive oil and popcorn kernels in a medium sized saucepan (with a lid). Stir around to be sure that each kernel is coated in oil. Cook on medium heat. Everyone's stove is a little bit different but the key is to give enough heat to pop the kernels without burning the pieces on the bottom of the pan. Shake the saucepan to keep the kernels moving to avoid burning.
2. In a small bowl, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave for approximately 30 seconds. Stir. Place the mixture in the microwave for another 30 seconds, or until completely melted. 
3. Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the freshly popped popcorn to your heart's content.*
4. Sprinkle pepitas and sea salt over popcorn and chocolate
5. Enjoy!

Notes:

* If the chocolate mixture begins to thicken, place the bowl back in the microwave in 10 second increments until desired texture is achieved. 

I'd love to see your popcorn creations! Be sure to tag me on Instagram or send me photos on Twitter. I rarely hear from you lovely readers but I love it when I do.

Also, leave a comment down below with your favorite snack recipe and I can do my best to recreate them.

Thank you for reading- I can't wait to hear from you!

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Protein Banana Bread

Well, it's happened again. As it's been a while since my last recipe and I was going through some pretty severe baking withdrawals, I decided to do some experimenting. Banana bread has always been one of my favorites. You can have banana bread for breakfast. You can have banana bread for a snack. You can have banana bread for dessert with a little cup of tea. It is basically the king of all (sweet) breads. 

While I do love banana bread, I sometimes feel a little guilty after chowing down on a big slice. Traditional banana bread recipes have a lot of sugar and butter. So what I've done is take this recipe from Pinch of Yum (one of my all-time favorite food bloggers) and I have made it my own- I replaced the butter with olive oil + swapped some of the flour for protein powder. Now I will admit that these changes made the bread a little dry in comparison to traditional banana bread. But overall, it was a delicious success! 

Let's talk protein powder for a minute. There are so many out there that it is virtually impossible for me to know if your specific protein powder will react the same when baked. From what I found in my research, whey protein powder is the best for baking. Something to bear in mind is that if you decide to add more protein powder, you will need to add some sort of liquid to balance it out. When you use too much whey in a recipe the result is a rubbery, chewy mess. Not good. You can avoid this by making sure the amount of protein only makes up about 1/4 of your batter. This might not seem like enough protein, but in my mind it was just enough to get rid of the "banana bread guilt" in the morning.

Now, you're probably asking yourself "Why would anyone in their right mind use olive oil instead of butter?!". And normally I would agree with you. I was the kid who ate butter right off of the tray. Trust me when I say I love butter. Whenever Golan and I get butter, we get a higher quality Irish butter and it is amazing. But when I sat down to create this recipe, we had enough butter for about half a slice of banana bread. We did, however, have plenty of olive oil. If you have never baked with olive oil- try it. In every recipe I have used it in, the result was a fluffy and delicious baked good. It didn't mess with the texture much and it didn't leave an overpowering olive oil taste either. You can find a handy-dandy conversion chart here. Plus, olive oil has about 25 percent less fat (non of which is saturated) than butter and has zero cholesterol. Win, win in my book.

Now that I've covered all of the technical stuff, can we all just take a moment to appreciate the fact that this photo of the batter is just screaming "fall"? If you are in fall fever like me then this recipe will be perfect for you. Cinnamon, walnuts, vanilla, warm bread? What more could you need?

Now without further ado, the goods...

Protein Banana Bread Recipe

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

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Ingredients:

- 2 large very ripe bananas

- 1/4 cup milk

- 2 teaspoons vanilla

- 1 1/2 cups flour

- 2 scoops whey protein powder (roughly 60g)

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

- 4 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 2 large eggs

- 1/4 crushed walnuts

- cinnamon to taste

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a separate bowl, mash bananas and combine milk and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, mix olive oil and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. This mixture will be much more of a liquid than what you may be used to because of the olive oil. Don't worry, it's meant to be that way.
5. Slowly incorporate each of the small mixtures into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. You can use an electric mixer if you'd like but hand mixing works just as well.
6. Add crushed walnuts
7. Spray your pan with olive oil to prevent stick. You can use butter here or another type of oil if you prefer. 
8. Bake for 35 minutes. Watch for a nicely browned, springy top. 

Now you have a delicious, "guilt free" breakfast treat to enjoy all week long. If you are looking for more breakfast options that don't taste or feel like breakfast then check out my Five Ingredient Breakfast Cookies. They are vegan, clean and can be eaten like candy. 

Have you ever baked using olive oil? Let me know in the comments- whether it worked for you or it didn't, I want to know! If you decide to give this recipe a try, be sure to take a photo and tag me on Instagram (@fashionablymfrench) and Twitter (@meagan_french). 

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Five Ingredient Breakfast Cookies

Every few weeks or so, Golan and I find new resolve and get back on the clean eating wagon. We cut out processed foods and sugars and stick to fresh healthy foods. While I love eating clean, it can be incredibly difficult to kick cravings.This recipe has come about as a result of my experiments for finding a breakfast muffin/pancake/bread alternative. It was adapted from this recipe by Oh She Glows.

The best part? This recipe has five ingredients and NO ADDED SUGAR. Clean eaters rejoice! Now, I won't say that this recipe is particularly groundbreaking. I'm almost certain I have had this breakfast cookie in some form or fashion in the past. But it is so simple and quick that I just had to share.

I kept my recipe very basic so that you can tailor it to your tastes. Like cranberries? You can add them. Feeling like adding some chocolate? Mix in mini chocolate chips. Like most recipes, the cookie itself won't really be affected if you want to add in a little something extra.

Above is a photo of me flattening the cookie dough with a fork prior to baking. Below is a photo of the cookies after sitting in the oven for roughly 20 minutes. The shape and color of these breakfast cookies barely changes. You might see some slight browning, but that is just about it. Despite the slightly crisped exterior, they are soft and chewy on the inside. Pretty much perfect. 

I have loved dipping them into my English Breakfast tea and G has been popping them like candy. The oats and golden flax help keep you full and provide lasting energy throughout the morning and the banana gives you that perfect subtle sweetness. These little guys are ideal for those mornings when you just can't be bothered to cook up breakfast or simply don't have the time. We will definitely have a small batch of these on hand most weeks!

Five Ingredient Breakfast Cookie Recipe
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Prep Time: 5-10 Minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 Minutes *

Yield: 10 Cookies

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Ingredients:

- 1 cup rolled oats, blended
- 1 very ripe banana
- 1.5 tablespoons golden flax
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Put rolled oats into blender and pulse until roughly half of the oats reach a consistency of flour. ** Pour newly blended oats into a medium sized bowl.
3. Add banana into bowl and mash together with the oats. This might take a few minutes and a little bit of elbow grease. The dough will appear dry.
4. Add the golden flax and cinnamon to the dough and mix thoroughly.
5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and lay on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. There is no need to spread out the cookie dough as the cookie does not expand during baking.
6. Use fork to flatten each dough ball evenly to roughly 1/4 inch thick.
7. Sprinkle sea salt over each breakfast cookie.
8. Bake cookies for 15 minutes.
9. Place on cooling rack for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Notes:

* This is where preference comes in. I like my breakfast cookies after 15 minutes when they are more on the softer side. Golan prefers that I leave his in for another 5 minutes or so to crisp them up.

** What I mean by this is that there will be pieces of rolled oats that slip through and stay relatively whole and this is perfect for this recipe. It gives great texture while still replacing the need for flour.

And there we have it- a delicious andhealthy breakfast option that feels more like an indulgence. Be sure to post photos of your Five Ingredient Breakfast Cookies on social media and tag me! I'd love to see how you get on. Also, don't be afraid to share your thoughts in the comments.

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Egg Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last weekend, Golan and I had the pleasure of spending Memorial Day at our friends' house in Elizabeth. We had a lovely day out at their place filled with sunshine, animal lovin', and amazing food. Although I live in the suburbs and rarely venture into Denver, it is always a treat to head in the opposite direction and relax in the country.

As our friend's were providing most of the good eats, it was only right that I bring some sort of dessert. There were a few variables in play here: Our host doesn't eat eggs and we weren't sure just how many people were actually going to be there. Neither of these things are a big deal but I decided to keep things simple with a classic chocolate chip cookie. These are great because you can make as little or as many as you need (unlike a pie or cake which takes a little more work to meet a large range of attendees) and you can switch out ingredients as necessary.

These cookies were particularly exciting for me. I got my inspiration from this crispy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies recipe on Oh! She Glows. As I am not vegan- I only needed the egg free solution- I didn't follow this recipe too closely. Instead, I created my own recipe loosely based on the inspiration. GUYS- I CREATED MY OWN RECIPE! This is a big deal. I have tried to do this in the past and let's just say that no one was asking me how I made them.

And yes- that is my measure of success in cooking and baking. If someone has a genuine interest in your recipe after they have eaten the food, you have succeeded. But seriously all modesty aside, these little guys are the best cookies I have made in a long time. They are chewy and buttery without losing their shape when you pick them up. Great on their own but with the firm (not hard) texture they would be ideal for dipping into a tall glass of milk.

Without further ado- I give you my first cookie recipe! 

Egg Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

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Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 12 Minutes

Yield: 22 Cookies

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Ingredients:

- 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 teaspoons water)

- 1/4 cup butter (slightly softened unless you want to spend 10 minutes creaming it later)

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 cup white whole wheat flour

- 1 cup almond flour (I found mine in the bulk bins at Sprouts but this is pretty easy to find)

- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

- Splash of milk (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and prep baking sheet *

2. Mix your flax egg in a small bowl and let sit for five minutes

3. Cream together butter and both sugars **

4. When butter and sugar are fully combined, add flax egg and vanilla extract.

5. Mix in all remaining dry ingredients until fully combined. It was at this point that I realized my dough was a little dry so I added a splash of milk. 

6. Mix chocolate chips into batter.

7. Roll out 1-inch thick balls of dough and place on baking sheet roughly two inches apart.

8. Bake for 12 minutes. Cookies will be puffier while in the oven but will flatten out as they begin to cool.

9. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.

NOTES:

* I like to use parchment paper for the easy clean up but you can use a spray oil or whatever it is that you prefer.

** This is where you would use an electric mixer if you have one. I do not have one so I simply used the flat of my wooden spoon to thoroughly cream together the butter and sugars. While this does take longer and your arms might be a bit sore, it will still work just fine to do this step by hand.

 And there you have it! My very first recipe. Whip up a batch any time and be sure to send me photos on social media and comment down below if you try it out. Also, please share any of your favorite egg free recipes or baking experiences! This is my first experience with it and I would love to know more. As I am fairly new at this, any and all suggestions or comments are welcome.

Be sure to follow the Fashionably M. French Facebook page for updates or you can find me on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Thanks for reading! x

Valentine's Day Treat :: Yogurt Covered Strawberries

In the spirit of being prepared and planning ahead, I have already begun looking over holidays and special days in the year. First up is Valentine's Day. This is the time of year when we all see our single friends post about their anti-Valentine's parties a la "Valentine's Day" and those in relationships begin to upload sappy photos to Instagram and gush about their love life. I am proud to say that I have found a happy medium. I am in my third year of a wonderful loving relationship but I spare everyone on social media from having to read about it all of the time.

Last Valentine's Day, Golan and I thought we would go out and have an absurd amount of food at one of our favorite pizza places nearby (Hellooooo, garlic knots!). Turns out that this particular establishment had decided to create an entirely new menu for Valentine's Day. Not only did they not disclose this vital piece of information when we made the reservation, but they didn't even have pizza available! Not that that mattered much because, after being seated, we waited almost half an hour and were never greeted or even given a glass of water. Needless to say, we decided to leave and try to find another place to eat. We were dressed for the occasion after all and determined to have a romantic evening. Fast forward another hour and we had driven across town and had called all of our favorites with no luck. We ended up eating at Red Robin. We had to eat somewhere or things would have gotten ugly. The food was less than spectacular and our evening ended in the mall food court downing Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

After last year's fiasco, Golan and I have decided to stay in this Valentine's Day. What's better than a Netflix marathon, comfy pajamas and yummy treats? Yeah, I couldn't think of anything either. We have been taking the whole "New Year New You" thing pretty seriously and that means sticking to our clean eating. I would love nothing more than to sit down with a spoon in a big tub of icing but that doesn't exactly look good in my food log. So I decided to try something new! Say hello to one of my new favorite desserts: Yogurt Covered Strawberries. 

This was very much a trial and error process. I tried to make some of the strawberries look like hearts (only some of them were successful) and I thought I would stack one on top of the other (those ended up looking very phallic which might be great for a bachelorette party but not for a cozy night in with my boyfriend). Eventually I just settled for cutting the tops off and popping them on a stick. I loved the way these simple ones turned out and had fun experimenting with different ideas. Get creative and see what you can come up with! I would love to see what your creative minds can think of so please share what you make on Instagram and Twitter. Now, on to the actual recipe.

Voila! Now you can enjoy these super simple treats any time. I recommend taking them out of the freezer to thaw a little before eating them. Golan didn't wait to eat one and he chomped down on a little brick of ice. Let me know if you have any healthy recipes for Valentine's Day. Also, be sure to post your photos of this recipe on Instagram and Twitter and tag me! I would love to see what you all do. 

Please be sure to subscribe via Bloglovin' and follow the Fashionably M. French Facebook page for regular updates. Thanks for reading! xo

All of the little bits and bobs used in this post were found at Target. I went a little mad in their dollar section located at the front. I found the white paper straws with pink hearts, the bronze metal pail, the "Happy Valentine's Day" stamp, the lace heart stamp all for under five dollars! This is not sponsored - I couldn't find links online to any of these items anyways. I just thought I would throw that in here just in case any of you wanted to take a look! <3 

Fall Foodie: Roasted Artichokes

Hello There! Every now and again I have a few days where my eating habits are less than perfect. I will quickly notice the difference in my body - low energy, weight shift, breakouts. In order to reboot and cleanse my system, I search from inspiring recipes to kick start clean eating habits once more! Recently, I broke out a favorite of mine from last fall, ROASTED ARTICHOKES. 

The Ingredients: fresh artichokes, lemon, garlic, pepper, and olive oil.

I found the original recipe here - the Organice Your Life YouTube Channel. That Lonneke Engel is a genius. She is so inspiring to live a clean and healthy life. 

The Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut the stem off of the artichoke at the base
3. Cut the top of the artichoke to expose the inner portion as well as the lower leaves
4. Spread the leaves a bit and insert a clove of garlic into the center of the artichoke
5. Add pepper (and salt, if you like) to taste
6. Place artichoke on a large sheet of aluminium foil 
7. Add fresh squeezed lemon juice (I tend to use about a quarter of a lemon)
8. This is an added step on my part- I decided to add some minced garlic onto the top of the artichoke as a bonus
9. Wrap the artichoke snugly with the aluminium and place in a baking dish of your choice (I use stoneware) 
10. Cook for an hour! You will know your artichoke is done if you stick a fork into the middle and it feels soft.

How to Eat:
Remove the leaves, starting with the outer edges and working your way in. Scrape the inner portion of the leaf with your bottom teeth and enjoy! I know that sounds beyond appetizing but just trust me - it is. This was harder to explain that I had anticipated so feel free to watch the original video by Organice Your Life HERE.

Your finished product should look something like this! I'm getting hungry just writing this post. 

 I hope you enjoy this wonderfully light fall recipe. I like to pair this with a homemade tea consisting of black tea, cardamom, saffron and more! I'll be posting that recipe on here soon! 

Let me know in the comments if you have any recipes that are your "go to" recipes for fall! I'd love to hear from you! For more random bits from my life please subscribe in the sidebar! x