Simplicity.

As a mother, I have really come to appreciate the simple things... Early bedtimes, a few minutes of peace and quiet before the kids awaken, a 10 minute long shower instead a 3 minute rinse off, I'm sure you get the idea. With my busy life, I also appreciate simple and quick goodies to get me through the tough days. 

I love pears, they are juicy, and scrumptious. I most commonly eat them alone or in a salad, but not this time. Nope, I went all out last week (and by all out, I mean I spent 5 minutes halving them, basting on the marinade, and chucking them in the oven and forgetting about them until the timer went off). Home run recipe for sure!

Baked pears:

Note: The best pears for baking are firm varieties of pears, I used brown Bosc pears, but firm green Anjou pears work just as well. 

Half and core your pears (how ever many you desire, I used 3) and rub a baking dish down in a little coconut oil. Mix in about 1/4 c coconut oil, 2 tablespoons of agave nectar, and 1 teaspoons of cinnamon in a small bowl. Baste mixture all over both sides of all the pears and then place them skin down in the oiled baking dish.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Serve warm! 

I topped mine with a heaping tablespoon of organic vanilla rice dream and a few coconut flakes.

With the toppings it only came to about 100 calories, without the scoop of rice cream it's only about 75-80 calories per half. But you might feel like your sinking your teeth into a decadent, sugar laden apple pie. My kids literally fought over the last one, and they didn't even have or want any ice cream on theirs. 

Now about mid day Saturday I had the crazy munchies and a sweet tooth...yes, I am human too! But I also have goals, and determination so I wasn't about to get glutenous. Instead I whipped up a pumpkin smoothie!

The perfect pumpkin smoothie:

Blend following ingredients until smooth:

1/2 large frozen banana

1/4 c of organic canned pumpkin

1 c almond milk

1-2 tsp grade B maple syrup

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a dash of nutmeg, ground cloves, and cinnamon)

Then, garnish with a dash of cinnamon.

I doubled this recipe and shared with my husband and children (because I'm thoughtful like that)...and my son repetitively told me that it was the best smoothie I ever made. Winner! And I've already discussed the benefits of pumpkin here, so you know it's great for you and can fulfill any sweet tooth you might be suffering from!

Simplicity.

That's how I roll- and you should too!

xoxo

Simply, Healthy, Nikki