The Healthy, Caffeinated Smoothie

ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION! I have seriously just discoverd the most amazing smoothie on the planet. Or…discovered someone who already discovered it. I’m getting really good at finding people who have found/created amazing things. Back to the smoothie. The Elvis Buzz, as I like to call it. It’s essentially a Peanut butter Banana Frapaccino. (Get ON THAT Sbucks!) If your tastebuds are anythning like mine, then they are in love with the whole banana/peanut butter combo. Bet you didn’t know that coffee is dying to have a threesome with those two. I mean yeah I have coffee every morning, yeah I love me some peanut butter butter bananas. But to combine these things into the perfect drinkable breakfast? Who would have thunk it? Well, Woman’s Health Magazine did. And yes, I might have had one of these guys for breakfast AND a late night snack yesterday… Here it is. You’re welcome!

I used nonfat vanilla soy milk and it worked out beautifully!

1 very ripe banana
½ cup strong coffee
½ cup milk
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp agave syrup
1 cup ice

Blend and enjoy! A lot!

And if you need any more reasons to be happy, check out Real Simple’s 9 Things You Can Do to be Happy in the Next 30 Minutes. Perfect when you’re feeling a bit sluggish and down (me this morning). Give it a shot!

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving was AWESOME- despite being away from my family. I have SO MUCH to be thankful for- one thing being that I have friends that can cook!  I was lucky enough to spend the evening at la casa de Nichols with good friends and great food! Thank you Jesus for all of this:

My contributions to dinner (and I would recommend them ALL!):

Cranberry Sauce with Pears and Cardamom.  This is a slightly elegant twist on a classic Thanksgiving Day staple. First time trying my hand at cranberry sauce and it turned out beautifully! Recipe found here at Epicurious.com 

 

Mom’s Apple Cake via Smitten Kitchen. This was probably my favorite item of the evening- and not just because I can get away with eating the leftovers for breakfast. This cake was so full of fall flavors, so moist yet SO incredibly simple. This recipe is a keeper ladies and gentlemen.

 

I’ve made these before and I’ll sure as heck be making them again. I wouldn’t say they’re a knock-off of Starbucks’ Cranberry Bliss Bars- more like a reinvention of an already delicious blondie. Ok-yeah, they’re a knock -off. Cranberry, orange, white chocolate, chewy cookie…ness. Why wouldn’t you want to know that off??

 

Also my first time making yams- of any variety. Brown Sugar-Glazed Sweet Potatoes-  This dish was a hit. Even with people who weren’t yam fans. “So glad they’re not covered in marshmallows,” people commented as they shoveled them into their mouths. Umm…they totally used to be until they melted into invisibility! Sshhh….

 

How gorgeous was the table setting? I know, right?!  Tina never ceases to amaze me.

 

Big, beautiful, delicious bird. This was  Tina’s first time preparing the turkey and most definitely not her last. It. was. perfect.

 

This, ladies and gentlemen, is Brian the vegetarian. THAT’S how good the turkey was!

 

Mrs. Nichols also made a killer pumpkin icebox pie and chocolate ganache tarte.

 

Needless to say, I had to be rolled out the door.

 

Hope everyone had a fat and blessed Thanksgiving!

Blackberry Muffins

Well blackberry season has just come to an end and I found myself with a freezer full of frozen blackberries waiting to be used. What to do? I bought them because I’ve been heavy into smoothies lately and I thought they would be a nice addition to my morning routine. Turns out, I’m not such a huge fan of blackberries in my smoothies. Same reason I don’t use raspberries- just too seedy for my to drink. Emphasis on DRINK…not eat. I could eat seedy berries all day long and throw them in about any dessert and be happy.  So I searched for the perfect blackberry muffin recipe and I think I might just have a winner.

This recipe from SimplyRecipes.com is simple (no way…), moist and easily adaptable depending on what you have on hand. They don’t come out looking perfectly symmetrical and that’s what I love about them. They’re rustic, messy and stick to the paper a bit. Perfect.

I made a few changes to the recipe when I made them. One being: I split it in half! I’ve quickly learned that making full batches of ANYTHING proves to be difficult when you don’t live in a full house. I find myself pushing baked goods on my boyfriend and friends so often I feel almost guilty. It makes much more sense and I might prove to have skinnier friends if I simply limit the quantity of goods poppin’ out of my oven! (The oven in my kitchen. Don’t go there…) I also didn’t have sour cream so I substituted Chobani Greek Yogurt- this substitution I would definitely recommend. I’m a big fan of Chobani subs for a lot of things! (Check out a Chobani substitution list here.) I also used Splenda in place of sugar, coconut milk in place of regular milk, and used half whole wheat flower and half all purpose.

I’m sure the recipe is super delicious just the way it’s written too. Give it a shot!

Blackberry Muffins Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 Tbsp warm melted butter (1 stick)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups (about 5-6 oz) of fresh blackberries, cut in half (often available at Trader Joe’s, you can use frozen blackberries if fresh are not available, defrost and drain them first.)

Directions

1 Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12 muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups. (Actually, with the berries you’ll have more batter than just for 12 muffins. This batch made 18 muffins.)

2 Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

3 In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, sugar, butter and vanilla.

4 Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the berries. (If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, then drain the excess liquid, then coat them lightly in flour.) Do not overmix! Overmixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. The batter should not be smooth.

5 Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes (or longer). Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack.

Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking.

Yield: Makes about 18 muffins.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Stop what you’re doing, go find some pumpkin butter, and make the heck out of these cookies. Please. I’ve been completely overwhelmed with pumpkin dessert recipes this fall- trying to find one to put all my time and effort into has been no easy task. But I’ve done the work for you. Or at least found someone who’s done the work for you. Jessica, author of the How Sweet It Is blog is my new hero. CHEWY, to die for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Don’t let this season go by without making these babies!

Annie Hall

It’s been waaaay too long since my last post. Just want to share my costume inspiration from this Halloween. A beautiful movie with beautiful people: Annie Hall.

How amazing are these prints by Mike Oncley??

Annie Hall inspired fashion:

THE Annie Hall

Annie Hall costume inspiration

Raw Strawberry Oat Bars

When I think raw food, I think celery sticks and apples. I do NOT think delicious filling meals and desserts. Did you know you can make indulgent, healthy RAW DESSERTS?  Uh yeah…I have been completely blind to all the amazing raw recipes that are out there- widely available, might I add. The book I mentioned in my last post, Going Raw, is an excellent resource as is the wondrous, world wide web.

So in attempts to broaden my raw recipe repertoire,  I am going to attempt to participate in “Raw Wednesdays.”  So basically, I’m going to try my hardest to eat nothing but raw foods every Wednesday. Hopefully this encourages me to actually experiment with raw food recipes and not just scarf down salads and berries all day long. You should definitely check out Lindsay Funston as she blogs about her Raw Challenge here on Whole Living Daily. She gives a lot of really great advice and insight into the seemingly scary raw world.

Meatless Monday. Raw Wednesday. What’s next? I’m thinking Fried Fridays and Street-food Sundays.You know, just to even things out.

Raw Strawberry Oat Bars. I found this little gem of a recipe in the August issue of Whole Living.  So simple, so delicious AND completely raw! You MUST give this recipe a go!

Strawberry Oat Bars

Ingredients:

Makes 6

• 1 1/2 cups pitted dates
• 1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

Directions:

• Pulse dates, nuts, oats, and salt in a food processor until combined.
• Press the date mixture into the bottom of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
• Mash half the strawberries and spread on top of date mixture. Top with remaining strawberries. Slice into rectangles

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Strawberry Oat Bars

Mucho Verde

I started my day in a green way! In other words, I made a green smoothie for breakfast. I have really gotten into these guys lately. So versatile, so yummy, so healthy AND my favorite color. I just got an awesome new book in the mail yesterday, Going Raw by Judita Wignall. I am, by no means, “going raw” anytime soon. But I have realized that incorporating more raw meals into my diet has made me feel awesome and I’m interested in learning more creative ways of doing it!  So here’s a simple green smoothie recipe straight from Mrs. Wignall’s beautiful book:

Going Raw by Judita Wignall

     Peaches & Greens Smoothie

     Ingredients:
     3 cups (510 g) chopped peaches
2 cups (60 g) chopped spinach
1 cup (150 g) sliced bananas|
1 cup (235 ml) nut milk

     Directions:
 Blend and enjoy!

( So apparently, by blending green veggies we’re able to use their nutrients better than just chewing them! “The chlorophyll, minerals, and protein content are easily assimilated and used by our body, as opposed to only 30 percent of it being usable if we chew greens with our teeth.”  And here I’ve been wasting so much time CHEWING! Good to know…)

This past weekend was also very  green for me. Mostly because I spent it in Palos Verdes, California and partly because I spent it being jealous of people who live there. Palos Verdes is amazing little peninsula located on the coast of soutwestern LA county. So it’s not far from where I live, maybe just over an hour, but it’s one of those places that makes you feel like you’ve traveled hundreds of miles to take a tranquil vacation away from the city. Here’s a few pics to prove just how awesome this place is.

Overnight Oat Sensation

Seems like every blog I’ve stumbled upon lately has been raving about ”Overnight Oats.” Honestly, it seemed really gross to me. I mean, I love oatmeal. I’m CRAZY about rolled oats- I feel like I’m sticking them in everything. But to let oats get soggy in the fridge overnight and then eat them cold the next day? Ummm…no thanks.

BUT- I am the kind of person that will always try something once. Most things once.  I happen to have a lot of rolled oats on-hand right now, so I went ahead and gave it a go last night. And now….I’m a believer. This stuff is awesome. End of story. And they kept me full and satisfied for a LONG time. The best thing about overnight oats is that you can dress them however you want! I honestly measured nothing that I threw into my little tupperware. I went through the cupboard and threw in what I thought might work. I ended up with a combination of rolled oats, So Delicious Coconut Milk, 0% Fage, a mini smashed banana, splash of vanilla, a sprinkle of wheat germ, handful of almonds, and some raisins. I stuck them in a tuperware, threw them in the fridge overnight and then let them sit on the counter for about 10 minutes this morning to take the chill off. I threw in another little splash of So Delicous and then topped it with some fresh blueberries and crushed pecans before I inhaled this stuff. I’m telling you- try this. You won’t regret it.

If you’re looking for actual Overnight Oats recipes, here are a few different places you can find them!

Kath Eats Real Food

Eating Bird Food

Whole Foods Market

Cool as a cucumber

After spending the last month of summer working on a desolate pacific island, I was eager to get back to some normality. In other words, I wanted to be lazy and eat something that wasn’t a pineapple. I was excited to jump right into my next book club meeting! (Yes, I am in a book club and no, I’m not a middle aged woman) My book club is the bomb-diggity.com. For realz, ya’ll.  Somehow, I got lucky enough to have friends that are all amazing cooks with amazing tastes for food. So every last Sunday of the month, we get all dressed up (pearls included), present our fabulous food finds and dish on the girliest gossip you’ll ever hear. Oh yeah, there is some book discussion in there somewhere.

This past meeting we talked about The Violets of March by Sarah Jio. Jio also happens to write for Glamour Magazine (I often find myself reading her Glamour Tweet Blog Posts) and is an avid blogger as well. This book was truly the perfect end of summer read. It was a beautiful, not-your- typical-love story. I was lucky enough to be reading (or, a-hem..listening to it on audio book) as I took my early morning runs on a Hawaiian coast. So maybe my love for this book was aided by the fact that it was my “escape” from work and screaming kids and because I read it while watching the sunrise in a tropical paradise. Worth reading, people- even if you’re not on an island!

For the meeting, I ended up bringing sourdough bread with a to-die-for browned honeyed butter spread (which I will blog about VERY soon) and Cucumber-Mint Yogurt Dip with raw veggies which I found on WholeLiving.com (btw: Whole Living is my new favorite magazine. it’s AWEsome). This dip is very similar to a Greek tzatziki sauce but with a bit of a light, minty twist. Perfect for raw veggies or whole wheat pita chips.

Ingredients:

Serves 4 to 6

• 2 containers (6 ounces each) 2 percent Greek yogurt (1 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 English cucumber, halved, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Cut vegetables, for serving

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, mint, cucumber, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Lucky 3

As of today, I’ve been lucky enough to have been dating a pretty awesome fella for three years now. THREE! Wow…Most of my fillings haven’t lasted three years. Unfortunately, I’m not able to spend today celebrating with him. I’m still stuck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I will however be very close to matching his Mexican skin tone by the time I get back to LA.

When I first got to Kona, three weeks ago, I wrote his name in white rocks along the shore where I go jogging. Somehow it remained untouched the majority of my trip so I was able to see his name beautifully contrasted among the black lava rocks every morning. A wonderful reminder of how lucky I am to have been a part of his life for so long. I can honestly say that he’s made me feel more beautiful these last three years than I’ve ever felt-EVER. He’s a special guy who is ridiculously good at making me feel special.

OK- that’s more sap than I’ve dished out in a LONG time.

Love you Paul. Here’s to three more beautiful yrs!

<3