Healthy Food For Living

White Mocha Almond Butter

By Lauren Zembron, on May 3rd, 2013

I’ve been off of caffeine since before John and I started trying to get pregnant. When I used to enjoy a daily cup (or two), I never felt as though I needed the jolt to get my day started (I’ve always been a morning person), but if I didn’t have my daily dose of caffeine, I would inevitably get the dreaded withdrawal headache by the afternoon.

My solution was to slowly wean myself off by gradually increasing the ratio of decaf:caf in my morning coffee. After a couple of weeks or so, I didn’t miss the caffeine one bit!

I’m still off of caffeine for the most part since I’m nursing Lily - I do savor a small cup of coffee every weekend when John makes a pot – but I just had to make a mocha-flavored almond butter.

White mocha, actually.

That’s white chocolate + coffee. In homemade almond butter. What’s not to love?!

I’ve never had the decadent-sounding white mocha beverage from Starbucks, but it was the inspiration for this deliciously thick and creamy almond butter.

The coffee flavor (from instant espresso powder) is subtle, so add more according to your taste preference.

White Mocha Almond Butter

by Lauren Zembron

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Keywords: breakfast side snack vegetarian almonds white chocolate

Ingredients (1 small jar)

2 cups dry roasted unsalted almonds
1/3 cup all-natural white chocolate chips (such as Sunspire) or 1/3 cup finely chopped white chococlate
pinch of salt
1/2 Tbsp (1 1/2 tsp) instant espresso powder (or more, to taste)

Instructions

Place almonds into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until almonds break down into a smooth butter, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. This may take up to 10 minutes.

Add in the white chocolate chips and process until fully melted and incorporated into the almond butter. The heat from the steel blade will melt the chocolate.

Add in the salt and espresso powder; process to combine. Taste and add additional espresso powder if desired.

Other recipes to check out:

Almond & Dried Cranberry Cookie Bites (gluten-free, paleo, & vegan)

Monday Musings (Boston Strong!)

By Lauren Zembron, on April 22nd, 2013

1. I have never been more proud to be from Boston (well, technically I was born in Newton, MA… moved to PA, and now live in another Boston suburb).

Last week was a roller coaster of emotions: devastation, outrage, fear, confusion, anticipation, hopefulness, satisfaction, comfort, and pride.

To the incredibly courageous and diligent members of the Boston Police Department, FBI, SWAT team, bomb squad, and all others who spent countless hours hunting down – and finally capturing – the suspects (whose names do not deserve to be mentioned) of the Boston Marathon Bombing: THANK YOU a million times over. Your perseverance ensured our safety and proved to the entire world that we are BOSTON STRONG. If I could cook you all a huge meal to show my appreciation, respect, and love I would!

2. Watching coverage of the lives lost at the marathon finish line hit me especially hard now that I am a mom. What a scary and potentially dangerous world I have brought my dear daughter into.

I feel grateful that Lily is not yet old enough to understand what happened, but as a responsible parent I will one day have to do my best to explain to her that unfortunately this world is not always kind or fair; nor does it always make sense.

I will also point out to her – however – that the overwhelming love, support, and spirit exhibited by the first responders, EMTs, doctors, and all other residents of this incredible city overshadowed the evil unleashed by those people who so selfishly took the lives of 29 year old Krystle Campbell, 23 year old Lu Lingzi, and 8 year old Martin Richard and wounded over 170 others.

What we need to remember are not the names or faces of the suspects, but those of the innocent people whose lives were so prematurely lost. We will remember them always, and memorialize their short lives not only on every future Marathon Monday, but also every time we think about the spirit of our great city of Boston.

3. I do have a few new recipes in the works, but wanted to devote this Monday Musings post to my thoughts on the atrocities of last week. If you’re still reading this post, I ask that you please take a moment of silence in remembrance of those who lost their lives, appreciation for those who provided aid, and support of Boston… a city full of heart that I am proud to call home.

White Mocha Almond Butter

Other recipes to check out:

Monday Musings (Boston Strong!)

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