Hello! and welcome back! 🫶🌸

Recently, Mena and I have been testing so many of our recipes. Just a couple weeks ago we made our blueberry shortcake with convenient “one pan” biscuit-cake for the shortcake. We honestly did not expect it to work because biscuits require specific instructions to actually work.

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I was so happy when I saw how many of you loved the blueberry shortcake photography when I posted the recipe poll. I really tried to make the top look pretty :)

At first, I was going to just plop a little spoon of blueberry filling over each scored piece of shortcake, but realized it still looked kind of boring (?). So I took a toothpick and pulled the blueberries vertically and horizontally, then diagonally both ways to make a pattern. I guess that did it. The best thing about this shortcake was how it just got better then longer it sat! The first day we had it, it had a very rich, buttery taste from the biscuit and the heavy cream in the whipped cream topping. As it chilled over the days, the biscuit slowly absorbed the sugars and flavor from the blueberry filling and the whipping cream got firmer and sweeter.

The reason that we categorized this as a breakfast rather than a dessert is because, first of all, this is homemade and we always keep our sugar low when possible! So the blueberry filling really relies on the natural sugars from the blueberries, with of course, a little sugar added while it cooks (because this is still a treat!). What really helps it get sweeter, is sitting in the fridge…longer…for more days.

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Oh! And another suggestion! After tasting it I told Mena, “a little lemon juice or zest in the biscuit would really make the blueberry flavor pop!” So if you’d like to, you could add a teaspoon of lemon juice or some lemon zest in the biscuit batter.

That also reminds me…the biscuit will be a batter! Not a dough. It will be runny, BUT I guarantee you it will come out of your oven tasting just like a biscuit. Trust the process…

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Equipment for this recipe:

8x8 inch baking dish

Beaters for whipping cream

Mixing Bowls

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Could not wait to share this one!! Haven’t tried it with all the add-ins, but I’m hoping some of you guys will give ‘em a try 🥰🥰

Alrighty, so this is pretty much a simple breakfast cake that’s, of course, delicious with coffee, but it’s so moist and crumby! I hope you’ll make this recipe a couple times to try all the different add-ins ;)

Made this recipe? Tag us here and on Instagram — Lizzy the Matcha Ronin & Mena the Writer. DM us your pictures so we can see your result! Don’t forget to share feedback about the texture and taste cuties. ☕😘

If you’re just starting your cooking journey, check out my amazon affiliate kitchen shopping list for essentials that you might want to have on hand! For more fun shopping lists, follow my amazon associate account 💗🍵Lizzy the Ronin!

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Thank you so much for testing this recipe! We can’t wait to hear what you think! Don’t forget to subscribe to get more delicious treats in your inbox, as well as updates for our first cookbook! 📕🔪🍴🍪💌

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If you’ve been subscribed for a while (Thank you so much!!!) you may know that Mena and I are on our way to completing our first cookbook! We’ve been on quite a long break (also due to sc…

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The results are in from Instagram, and the Chia Chai Banana Smoothie was the clear winner! (If you missed the vote, make sure you’re following me on Instagram at @lizzy.thematcha.ronin and my sister @menathewriter)

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I was Hungry. This Drink Was My Tummy’s Calling…

Long story short, I was picking up a letter from one of my professors at the college and me and went to take a look at the cafeteria’s menu and we saw a chia chai smoothie. I thought “mmmm…that sounds fire.” But since I worked here before, I knew the chai came from a concentrate that had added sugar. Don’t need all that…and it was pretty expensive too.

Mena suggested we go home and craft our own version for lunch; and so glad we did…it’s my new favorite smoothie now! It’s thick, creamy, incredibly filling, and provides the protein and caffeine boost I need for a workout. Plus, I made sure there is ZERO added sugar in this! The bananas have PLENTY of natural sugar!

What You Will Need

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• Ripe Bananas: For natural sweetness and energy. The riper, the better!

• Chai: Forget the concentrate. Simply steep your own tea bags in water for pure flavor.

• Vanilla Extract: To make the chai and banana notes pop.

• Milk & Yogurt: For that smooth consistency, protein, and a refreshing calcium boost for strong bones.

• Chia Seeds: To keep you full and add those essential Omega-3s and fiber.

Now that you know exactly how these function and help your body, let’s make this delicious treat!

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I made them a few months before Thanksgiving last year and they loved them so much they wanted me to be in charge of them for the big day! Usually our oldest brother would make them but mine turned out to be better than the usual.

Whenever I make this, my three brothers will ask why we don’t have it more often, and usually end up eating the whole pot on day one. This recipe is a lifesaver literally for me-they’ll stop being annoying at least long enough to eat them and say they’re delicious.

Soooo….now I’m going to share my secret with y’all!

Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make it perfect:

• golden potatoes (you can use russet but it won’t be as buttery)

• warm milk (if it’s cold it will react with the hot potatoes, leaving it lumpy)

• cold butter (you’ll let it melt in the steaming potatoes)

• salt to taste (I use salted butter so watch the salt! It’ll still need plenty but taste it as you go)

• chives, scallions, or parsley (this are optional but make it pretty!)

The process

Here’s the basic process, step by step, with some tips:

• Peel the golden potatoes, chop into bite size pieces. Place in a pot, fill with water, and turn on the heat. You’ll want to chop them small so they will boil faster. They are done when you can easily slide a knife through them.

• Heat milk in a small saucepan when the potatoes are done. Drain the water from the pot by placing a lid on it, leaving it open for water to escape.

• Leave the potatoes in the pot while adding the rest of the ingredients. Add cold butter to the potatoes, letting it melt.

• Use a mixer to blend the potatoes with the butter, and with the mixer still on, add the milk slowly so it won’t splash.

• Add salt to taste; Kosher helps break up the potatoes more so they will be smooth.

• Serve with your choice of chives, scallions, or parsley.

Recipe

Servings: 10 (or 5 if you have ravenous brothers)
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 lbs golden potatoes
1/2 to 1 cup milk
8 tbsp salted butter
salt to taste
chives, scallions, or parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Peel 4 lbs golden potatoes, chop into bite size pieces.

2. Place in a pot, fill with water, and turn on the heat.

3. Boil until able to slice through easily with a knife.

4. Heat 1/2 to 1 cup milk in a saucepan.

5. Drain potatoes and add 8 tbsp butter. Mix with electric mixer.

6. Add milk slowly, while still mixing.

7. Add salt to taste.

8. Serve with chives, scallions, or parsley as garnish.

Why it may have not come out right

If it is lumpy, you may have not boiled the potatoes long enough, the milk was not warm enough, or you did not mix it long enough.

If it is watery, you may have added to much milk. That's why there is a range of milk; you may need more or less.

Thank you for reading! Let me know if you try this recipe and how it turns out! Would love to hear your thoughts!

As promised on my Instagram, this is the drink for ultimate healthy skincare. I’m probably one of the few people who doesn’t use makeup products, and very rarely, skincare items. Of course, I wash my face at least twice a day, but the reason why I don’t buy these products is because I simply don’t have the time to use them. I also tend to stay at home most of the time, so why would I wear makeup?

First of all, I know a lot of girls love to wear makeup to feel confident. My mom is like that and I truly understand that! But when I went and bought my first eyeshadow palette with at least 20 different colors, when I was 15 years old, I thought I’d use that stuff up in a couple months. Guess what? It ended up sitting in a makeup bag in my closet for almost three years. I used it a couple times, then realized “i don’t like this color” or “I don’t have time today” and even came to realize “it’s the makeup that’s making my face break out!”

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I understand there are so many brands of makeup made for every skin type, but my skin is extremely sensitive (heck, my mom washes my clothes with Dreft, commonly used for sensitive baby skin, instead of bleach or the usual cleaners because I get extremely itchy at night when my pj’s and sheets…everything is suddenly so scratchy). I loved that the makeup could cover up my acne so that I didn’t have to give up some foods…but I just felt so dirty in all the makeup, and I hated how old it made me look.

What did I do? I quit. I told myself “you know what? I can go another three or four years without this extra expense…” I threw away all my makeup, gave up crappy snacks, and tried to exercise more.

In a couple years the stress kicked in. I graduated high school at 16 and started college at 16. I thought I was ahead until I realized I had absolutely no idea what the heck I was going to college for.

Then I tried skincare. Perfect! This was the solution over makeup…But this was also pretty expensive as well, and again, the time to do it was quite exhausting.

So I put two and two together. What do I enjoy? Cooking. Where do I like to be? The kitchen. What is my go-to for reducing stress? A healthy snack…and finally, what can I do about it without taking time out of my day? Create a recipe in my kitchen that’s healthy and clears my skin! Hey, why not..? Everyone gets bored of water sometimes and needs a hydrating and refreshing change…😉

How much time out of my day did this take? No more than 10 minutes. Super easy. Uses common pantry/fridge ingredients. Both healthy and sweet! It has very little calories compared to your go-to Starbucks drink, no caffeine jitters, and all natural sweeteners and ingredients. And of course, the main ingredients have Vitamin C from the pineapple and antioxidants in the cucumber which are what do the "skincare" work.

Instead of buying your $6 Starbucks order this week, give my homemade “Skincare Slushie” a try for a one-time purchase of only $3!

Skincare Slushie Recipe

Ditch the sugar this week, and get that healthy glow you’ve been dreaming of before the summer heat hits!

Enjoyed this recipe? Leave a thoughtful comment below!

Matcha is becoming more and more popular by the day. Is it the vibrant green glow? The intimate, earthy flavor? Or is it that rare, calming energy that quiets the noise in your brain? Or possibly even the stress-reducing preparation method?

For me it’s a combination of all of these, and if I’m being honest, I was ADDICTED to matcha since I first tasted it. At first I thought “hmm…it tastes a little like dirt…” but after just a few short minutes, I felt relaxed; calm; peaceful. Worries just disappeared.

Matcha contains L-theanine, a powerful amino acid. It works by boosting alpha brain waves and neurotransmitters like GABA, dopamine, and serotonin. It’s what gives that 'calm-alert' feeling that prevents the dreaded caffeine crash… This feeling happens so fast, I quickly adapted to the flavor and started pairing it with other flavors and made my own matcha concoctions. My favorite concoction was matcha with pineapple juice and a splash of coconut milk. It tasted so “Florida-ish” and refreshing!

I soon started baking with it as well; from cakes to muffins and even French toast. But the most delicious one that turned out super fluffy, moist, and spongy were the matcha cupcakes. Oh! These were gorgeous! Adding a little rose petal or dried strawberry for garnish topped it off perfectly!

I will say one thing about matcha that you should watch out for…

Don’t quote me on this, but the two times that I added matcha powder to icing it made it gooey and not able to hold its shape. I’m not 100% sure if this was due to the matcha, but if this happens to you as well, please let me know! I don’t want to try it again and ruin my icing. 😥

So I kept my buttercream simple and simply dusted the top lightly with matcha powder. And Voila! A beautiful green cupcake :)

If you’d like to try my recipe (and the buttercream too!) use the button below! It has the ingredients and instructions for the cupcake and buttercream on a printable recipe card. Let me know what you think and if it turns out fluffy and moist. Don’t forget to enjoy with a cup of matcha as well 😉💞🍵

Try My Matcha Cupcakes Recipe!

Shop My Matcha Cupcake Recipe!

If you’ve tried my Dream Whip, but want to do fully without the peanut butter, then try this alternate recipe. It captures that LUXURIOUS tiramisu profile but of course with high protein and is 100% skin friendly. It has the most amazing, dreamy taste when paired with a crisp apple slice.

Giving up peanut butter was a game-changer for my skin clarity, but I refuse to give up the 'dip' experience. This recipe satisfies that creamy craving without the breakout-heavy fats.

Link to my “Dream Whip” recipe:

I’m going to keep this super short, because today was super busy for me. I spent the whole morning rehearsing for my Cafe Business Presentation and I’m all “coffeed” out right now…

But I promised this recipe so here is what you need to do: go raid your pantry for these ingredients—

Instant coffee, Greek yogurt, cocoa powder, and sweetener of you choice (I use Stevia to keep the calories low). It’s as easy as mixing them all together, slicing an apple, and boom! A yummy, healthy snack :)

Tried this recipe? Tag me in your photos and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

What recipe should I post next? 😉💞🥷

Now, I may have mentioned this before, but I’ll mention it again…

I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. But I did help my father lose weight. It was simply a change in diet. He was moderately active, but he didn’t need to add any more exercise to his schedule.

His diet mainly consisted of protein, fiber, and fat. No carbs. Of course, I told him he could slowly add them back with a balanced and monitored diet. He ate specific things at certain times of the day, or when he most needed them.

Recently, I created an AMAZING recipe that you MUST absolutely try! I just made this recipe yesterday and my little sister fell in love with it! And she is one to not care for protein dense foods. I was surprised when she told me she would make it again for me the next day for breakfast.

This recipe is relatively simple to make and has absolutely ZERO added sugar. It is full of protein and healthy fats to get your day going after a hearty work out.

If you love coffee and chocolate, this recipe is for you! If you only like one, feel free to leave the other one out, or if you like neither, leave both out, and keep it a simple vanilla flavor.

All you need are these ingredients:

Oat flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, an egg, Greek yogurt, zero calorie sweetener ( I used Stevia), a little olive oil, and of course if you’d like you can add some Instant coffee.

I used RYZE superfood coffee because I had it available and it adds even more benefits with the mushrooms.

In a bowl, add your dry ingredients together, then add all your wet ingredients in another bowl, including the egg. Whisk the wet and dry ingredients together and add a tablespoon of milk at a time (this could be any type of milk: oat, almond, soy, whole milk—your choice!) until the batter is a little runny, or a consistency that you think is good for you. It shouldn’t be too thick.

Use a ladle to pour some batter in a skillet with melted butter until you use all the batter. Enjoy with whipped cream ( a low calorie topping), or a light drizzle of maple syrup or honey. My sister made me an orange cream cheese drizzle with orange marmalade. It was so good, it tasted phenomenal with the chocolate in the pancakes :) It was like an orange cream sickle with a chocolate shell.

Yield: 4 large pancakes.
Servings: 2 (two pancakes per person)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oat flour (I grind my own using whole oats and blending then very fine in a coffee bean grinder).
2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 scoop of protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 teaspoons RYZE coffee (or 1 Tbsp Instant coffee)
1 whole egg
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1-2 tsp Stevia (or your zero calorie sweetener of choice)
1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp milk (add more to adjust the consistency)

Instructions:

1. Combine dry ingredients (oat flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder, and coffee) in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, whisk the egg until frothy then add the Greek yogurt, Stevia, oil, and vanilla and stir to combine.

3. Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Stir until well combined. Add 1 Tbsp of milk and whisk, adding more milk if needed, until it comes to a smooth and slightly runny consistency.

4. Heat up a skillet on medium-low heat. Add a little butter and let it melt and brown slightly. Use a ladle to pour a fourth of the batter in the skillet. When the pancake starts to bubble around the edges, flip the pancake with a spatula. let it cook another minute or two. (Note: once you flip the pancake, they tend to cook quickly in the center. Even if they still seem a little raw, you can remove it from the skillet to your plate, as they continue to cook a little after they are off the heat).

5. Serve with your choice of toppings: a dollop of whipped cream for a low calorie treat, a light drizzle of maple syrup for that classic ‘diner’ pancake plate, or a handful of berries for extra nutrition.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a thoughtful review in the comments! I’d love to hear your feedback and if this satisfied your cravings after a nice workout :)

Enjoy!

I know, I know. I’ve made Ceremonial Grade Matcha my entire personality…

But when a bag of RYZE showed up, I had to see if the mushroom coffee hype was actually real or if it was just clever marketing. 😉So let me tell you my honest thoughts on this interesting twist on coffee…

YES! I may be trading my matcha ceremonies for a MUSHROOM of all things! 😭😭💔🍵

I filmed my very first time making and tasting this because I wanted you guys to see my reaction; Just me and a very suspicious-looking mushroom powder.🤔

The package came with three ADORABLE items: The mushroom coffee powder, a little RYZE mushroom sticker (his name is Rye I believe!), and a little wooden spoon.

Now the taste…It’s... earthy? But in a “cozy cabin” way, not a “dirt” way. It tastes like I should be drinking it out in the woods or in the mountains on a snowy or rainy day. It’s seriously strong and bold, but the mushroom is NOT overpowering! In fact, you can barely taste it. Yes, it tastes slightly different than a normal brewed coffee, but I LOVE a drink where you can literally taste the benefits.

Speaking of the benefits, you could feel exactly what this coffee promises! Usually, by this time of day (it was 3 pm…), I’m either anxious from caffeine or ready for a nap. This feels... weirdly calm? Like I can actually focus on writing my cookbook without my heart racing. It was what you’d call a calm energy, even though those two words are almost complete opposites—

I felt so clean, satisfied, energetic, calm, caffeinated—Everything I needed to feel to make my day a whole lot better.

The preparation instructions suggest 1 spoon of the coffee….Did I use one? no…because I love my coffee strong. So I did two! But please, do one if it’s your first time. This stuff is POWERFUL! But I loved every sip of it.

I drank it straight to get the full RYZE experience of course :)

I don’t know how else to describe the feeling in words how this coffee made me feel so if you haven’t, do give this coffee that is “steaming with benefits” a go!

Are you a bean purist, or have you joined the mushroom side?

yours truly….

Lizzy 🍄☕

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When I was 13 years old, that was when the break outs started. I gave up every single junk snack for the next four years: peanut butter, chips, nuts, and even cheese. I have extremely sensitive skin, and stress only made it worse.

When I turned 18, I gave peanut butter another try. It didn’t make my face break out as much as it used to, but it still gave me minor acne. This is when I invented my “Dream Whip” to enjoy with celery and apples. Imagine a velvety, chocolate, mousse-textured whip with perfectly balanced sweetness and is actually healthy, and satisfies the nutty craving without the oil overload.

Yes, I’m not kidding; this was the best thing I’ve made in my life that I was able to enjoy without the guilt of an acne battle afterwards and washing my face four times a day. It’s such a simple recipe, you’ll wonder how it can be so good and healthy at the same time. With just a touch of peanut butter for that nostalgic flavor, you get a richness that feels like a total indulgence.

The recipe is so simple and uses common pantry ingredients: yogurt, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and peanut butter. Yes, there is peanut butter in this recipe, but rather than having an apple with 100% peanut butter, you get an elegant mousse-like whip with only about 10% peanut butter (because why not still have that intense nutty flavor and sweetness?) If it’s still not sweet enough for you, add a touch of honey to sweeten it a little more without adding more peanut butter. A dollop is just enough to still taste it!

The 10% Rule Recipe: The secret is getting that intense nutty flavor with only a fraction of the oil.

• 1/4 cup Plain Yogurt (Greek or Coconut works great!)

• 2-3 tsp Cocoa Powder

• 1 drop Vanilla Extract

• 1 pinch of cinnamon

• 1 small dollop Peanut Butter

• Optional: A touch of honey for extra sweetness.

Instructions: Simply whip it all together until it’s light and airy. It’s an elegant, delicate flavor profile that feels like a treat but acts like fuel!

If you try this, let me know! Is it the best 'Dream Whip' you’ve ever had? It’s far better than any store-bought dip: an intensely delicate flavor profile you can enjoy without needing an ice bath for your skin every day.