This raw chocolate tart, made with cashews and cocoa and an almond coconut crust is a decadent gluten-free dessert that doesn’t require any cooking!

What if I told you that you can make a decadent chocolate dessert that doesn’t require any cooking?

This raw chocolate tart is one of my favorite chocolate-y desserts. Not only is it made with real food ingredients, but it is also vegan, gluten-free, and raw-diet friendly. Remember when I got certified as a raw chef? (It feels like a lifetime ago) I actually posted this recipe years ago, but the pieces were hidden amongst random blurry photos and word soup and it really, really deserved its own post. It’s one of my top recipes I’ve posted on the blog ever!

Note: this tarte is not nut-free, but the nuts and coconut give it that decadent flavor.

This recipe can also be made ahead of time if you’re making it for a special occasion – simply store it in the fridge!

You can top it with fresh raspberries, sea salt, or coconut whipped cream – whatever your heart desires. Enjoy 🙂

The Best Raw Chocolate Tart

Ingredients for the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups almonds
• 1 1/2 cups coconut
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 dates, pitted
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. almond extract – optional

1. Measure the almonds, then in a Vitamix or a food processor, grind into a fine flour.
2. Add the dates and chop with the almonds.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the maple syrup, almond/date mixture, melted coconut oil, vanilla, coconut, sea salt and extract (optional – I used almond). Add in about 1/2 cup more coconut if you need it – this mixture was a little too wet.
4. Press the mixture into a large tart pan, or mini tart pans and dehydrate for 1 hour at 105 degrees. If you don’t have a dehydrator, place the tart crust in the oven on the lowest setting for 30 minutes.

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 2 1/2 cups soaked raw cashews
• 1 1/2 cups cacao powder
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil

1. In a Vitamix blender, add the cashews, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, sea salt and water. Blend well until smooth and creamy.
2.  Add the cacao powder and blend until mixture is

Sharing some last-minute gift ideas and stocking stuffers for everyone on your list!

Hi hi! How are ya? I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was low-key and perfect. Friday was a bit wild (girl scouts, dance, a bday party) but Saturday was gloriously low-key. We watched movies and baked Christmas cookies, and I took a hot yoga class. Sunday morning was a hike, work, and putting lights up at nana’s house.

Today, I have some work to do for Fit Team (getting January workouts and our challenge ready to go!), but wanted to pop in and share some last-minute gift ideas. I’m finishing things up over here – I dubbed tomorrow “Holly Jolly day” and am spending the day wrapping and getting any remaining gifts – and wanted to share some inspiration if you’re doing the same this week! A lot of stores have shipping cutoffs, but if you order in the next couple of days, you should be good to go. Here are some ideas if you’re checking off gifts this week!

Last-minute gifts and stocking stuffers

Last-minute gifts that will get here on time:

For her:

– This sweater! I got this and absolutely love it. It’s high quality and on sale right now, and the camel color is gorgeous.

– This gorgeous apron

– This velvet jumpsuit (or get this one for yourself)

– This rose half-zip

– Water resistant Chelsea boots (I have these in black and wear them constantly)

– A sauna blanket or PEMF Go Mat. My liiiiiiiiiiiife and two of my very favorite things. I use the Go Mat daily for meditation, and use the sauna blanket 2-3 times per week and it feels amaaaaazing. I sleep so well and it makes my skin glow. Use FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off HigherDOSE faves.

– The best crosstraining sneakers

–A trendy asymmetrical bra for yoga.

– TRX Go Suspension trainer.

– Cookbook with new fuel ideas

– A theragun.

– A Sakara delivery! These meals are so fresh and beautiful, and will feel like such a wonderful gift for a sleep-de

Helloooo! Happy Friday! How’s the week going and what are you up to this weekend? December is acting like it has somewhere to be, and even though I tried to get ahead on things, I still feel behind. I keep trying to remind myself that you don’t have to do ALL of the things for the holiday season to be memorable and fun, but I tend to put that pressure on myself, ya know? I’d love to hear what you have going on! P has a birthday party and we have an event on Sunday. It will be nice to sleep in and catch a yoga class!

Friendly reminder that you have one week left to enter this year’s favorite things giveaway!

Pic of our tree:

It’s tiny compared to last year’s 15 foot giant, but Frida has prime real estate in there now. I can’t move her! So we put our Christmas tree in the den (where we have shorter ceilings) and I have to say, I’m a fan. It’s so cozy and I feel like we get to see it and enjoy it more than we could in the formal living room.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

Friday Faves

Life:

We enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner with friends last weekend. Their house was decorated like a winter wonderland, and we enjoyed the best Mediterranean food and appetizers, wine, and the kids played before having their own Secret Santa exchange. We even had a surprise visit from Santa – it was amazing. 

(He had his beard up high to help conceal his identity lol)

Read, watch, listen:

These five things can shrink your brain.

The “red beret” girl in the new Matilda movie. (Her real name is Meesha Garbett!) I can’t wait to watch this on Netflix with the crew next weekend.

I didn’t love the book, bu

Hi friends! Hope you’re having a lovely week. So excited to share today’s podcast episode with you! I’m chatting with Lauren Papanos, MS, RD, CSSD about fitness, hormones, and nutrition.

118: Strength training, carbs, and happy hormones with Lauren Papanos, MS, RD, CSSD

Here’s what we talk about in today’s episode: 

– Strength training and its impact on hormone function

– Why we need carbs and which carbs to choose

– How our habits affect hormone function

– What an ideal day of nutrition looks like for her

and so.much.more.

 Here’s more about Lauren and her background:

Lauren Papanos is a nationally licensed and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She holds her board certification in Sports Nutrition as well as advanced specialties in integrative medicine and women’s endocrine nutrition. She is the owner of the private practice, Functional Fueling Nutrition where she offers consulting, group programs and courses. She has been featured on national television and in Women’s Health, Shape Magazine, Insider and Today’s Dietitian magazine. She is the host of the Strength in Hormones Podcast where she educates and empowers women on sensible and natural solutions to hormone healing. You can learn more about Lauren and her practice at functionalfueling.com and connect with her on Instagram.

Resources from this episode:

The weather is cooling down, and I’m still obsessed with my sauna blanket. It feels even BETTER when it’s chilly outside and you can use the code FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off! This is one of my favorite ways to relax and sweat it out. I find that it energizes me, helps with aches and pains, I sleep better on the days I use this, and it makes my skin glow. Link to check it out here. You can also use my discount for the PEMF Go Mat, which I use every day!

I love love love the meals from Sakara Life! Read more

Sharing my thoughts on what fitness gear is worth the hype, and worth the investment, and what I think is overrated and should be skipped. 

Helloooooo! How are ya? I hope you’re enjoying the week. Thank you so much to those of you who have entered the giveaway and answered my yearly survey – I appreciate your help so much.

We’re in the middle of the December sprint – so many events and fun parties – but I’m popping in to chat about fitness gear. I feel like so many people are getting a head start on things this year, especially with New Years’ goals and prep. Group fitness classes are already bumping, and my fellow trainer friends said they’re also getting booked quickly for January and February. (I have 3 coaching spots left for Jan. If you’re looking for 1:1 nutrition coaching or fitness programming, you can apply here.)

Since many of us are prepping home gyms, scoping out fitness gear, wellness goodies, and nutrition options, I thought I’d do a roundup of some of my top picks. There are a LOT of things to choose from and it can get overwhelming! Also, I’ve found that some hyped-up options have been disappointing in real life. I’m sharing my picks in the list below, and also sharing your submissions from Instagram. (Ones with a * are from Instagram responses.)

Worth the hype:

Peloton

I’ve had my Peloton for about 4 years now, and love it just as much as I did when I first got it. The bike is high-quality and I always enjoy the classes. You can check out my full review here!

Oura ring

The Oura ring is the same thing; it still brings me as much joy as I did when I purchased it. My only gripe now is that the battery life seems to work for less time and I have to charge it more frequently, but it seems to happen with most electronics after a couple of years. My full review is here. 

Apple watch

The Apple watch is another thing I wear every day and love it. It does encourage me to move more throughout the day, even though sometimes I think it encourages overtraining. For example, my Oura ring will tell me I need a rest and my Apple Watch tells me to crush my next workout. I do think it’s very handy and w