Travel Snacks: Roasted Peanut and Dark Chocolate Energy Squares (Vegan, Gluten Free) + A Giveaway!

I'm antsy. I get that way sometimes. 

It usually goes something like this: I'm going through life as everyone does; showing up to work on time, try to be a decent employee and attempt to be a better human being. I cook dinner some nights, some nights I'm lazy and order yellow curry or just eat a mishmash of what I find in my refrigerator. I shower most days: shampoo, soap, conditioner, face scrub (sometimes I get a little crazy and wash my face before I condition my hair). I complain about a new zit, wonder why my hair does nothing, but lay flat and stick straight, tell myself to exercise more- I really should try out that yoga studio down the street, ask myself when was the last time I bought an article of clothing that wasn't a V neck t-shirt from Target. I wipe down the counters in the kitchen, sweep the floor, clean the bathroom...and then somewhere in the middle of scrubbing the toilet this thought pops in my head: "I have got to get out of here." 

This thought isn't necessarily born out of boredom or out of discontentment with my life, I just truly like variety. I like to be kept on my toes. I like to explore new places and get away. In the last ten years I have barely stayed in one place for longer than a year. I have been fortunate that life has afforded me those opportunities, always providing employment and shelter. Austin has been my home now since last August and that itch to get out is getting stronger and stronger everyday. Again, I'm not miserable with my life by any means, there's just so much to see out there, why just stay here forever?

Moving is not on the table for me right now so that means I get to do the next best thing: Sunday morning I am headed to Puerto Rico for a week with one of my favorite friends. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have a solid week of Alisha time, warm weather, exploration and the ocean- oh, the ocean how I have missed you! The paddle-boarding, free diving and kayaking cannot begin soon enough!

Whenever I travel I like to be prepared. I like to have books to read, podcasts downloaded and food packed. If I leave for a trip unprepared with snacks I find myself wandering the airport on a layover, pacing back and forth, my stomach telling me just to pick something anything 'cause it's starving! -while my brain is saying, well now wait a second, how will that seemingly "healthy" cup of frozen yogurt make us feel later?

For this trip, I will be leaving my house around 8:30am and arriving in San Juan around 7pm. That's a long time for me to fight off my stomach's pleas for unhealthy airport food (plus, it's just so stupidly expensive!).

Here's what I'll be bringing with me:

-My Nalgene water bottle always comes with me. It is so, so important to stay hydrated while traveling, especially on airplanes because that stuffy, recirculated air will do nothing, but dehydrate you. Just be sure that your water bottle is empty when going through the security lines and refill it at a water fountain afterwards.

-Two organic apples. I always bring apples with me when I travel. They're easy to pack and full of fiber- which is very beneficial since the last thing you want to be on your vacation is constipated, making sure you're consuming plenty of water and fiber will help prevent that.
-A few homemade energy squares. I don't always make the same kind every time, but I love bringing these with me. These squares are filling, easy to pack, don't make a mess and are full of nutritional goodness! Check out the recipe I made for this trip at the end of this post.
-Crackers. This one is a new addition to the list, but the last couple times I've flown I've felt nauseous and found myself wishing I had some crackers to help settle my stomach. I found this great brand called Mariner at Whole Foods. I bought they're Olive Oil and Sea Salt crackers. Their non-GMO ingredients are so simple: unbleached wheat flour, olive oil, a little sugar and sea salt. Perfect.

-I'm also bringing a simple trail mix I made for Alisha and I to share throughout the week or when we're hiking through the rain forest. I like making my own trail mix. It takes seconds and gives me control over what is in it. I can chose which nuts I want raw or toasted or salted. I can also make sure the dried fruits aren't loaded with added sugars, preservatives or other unnecessary additives. For this trip the trail mix is made up of dry roasted peanuts, raw pecans, raw almonds, raw shelled sunflower seeds and raisins.
-Lastly, I've packed some store bought energy bars. There are many kinds out there, many of which I avoid because as healthy as they advertise themselves to be, it's just not the case. However, I've found two brands that only use ingredients I'd use when making my own bars that also don't break the bank. One is an Austin-based company called Thunderbird Energetica. The other is called Pure Organic (scroll to the bottom of the post for more information and for a give-away). I'm bringing these for Alisha and I to share as a snack, a quick breakfast or as travel food on the way back if we don't end up eating them before then.

Roasted Peanut and Dark Chocolate Energy Squares

• 1 cup pitted dates (approximately 10)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons non-dairy dark chocolate chunks

Makes 8 squares.

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the ingredients begin to stick together. You may want to turn off the food processor and test the mixture to make sure it sticks together. If you want the fruit and nuts in smaller chunks continue to blend until you've achieved the desired consistency. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Press the fruit/ nut mixture firmly and evenly into the pan. Place in the fridge to set for at least half an hour (or in the freezer for at least ten minutes) before cutting into squares. Store the squares, wrapped in parchment paper, in the fridge or freezer until ready to eat or travel. 

Notes:

-If you have a gluten intolerance or allergy be sure to use certified gluten free oats or just omit them altogether.

-This recipe if very flexible, if you don't like peanuts or sunflower seeds substitute pecans, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, etc. 

-If you want the chocolate fully incorporated into the bars blend them with the other ingredients straight away. If you want more of a chocolate chip effect, blend them in after the other ingredients are partially or entirely blended. 

Now, on to the giveaway. This is the second giveaway I'll be sharing on the blog. This first was for some of my vanilla extract last summer... so it's been awhile. Anyway, I am very excited to be giving away some Pure Organic Bars. The company has not paid me or asked me to do this (although if they'd like to, I'll take their money!), I just really like these bars. They are as close to perfect as I've found when it comes to prepackaged energy bars that cost less than two dollars each. There are lots of great flavors like Apple Cinnamon, Wild Blueberry, Chocolate Brownie and Cherry Cashew. They are made up almost entirely of organic fruits and nuts- very similar to the ones I make at home. All you need to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment on this post. That's it. Pretty simple. I'll be picking a winner at random after I come back from Puerto Rico. 

Phew, this felt like a really long post. I've done enough talking. I want to hear from you guys.

What travel snacks do you like?

What do you do to keep yourself occupied on a plane?

Are you a window, aisle or middle seat (do those people even exist?) person?

Have a fabulous week!

P.S.- For those who don't know, I am now on Instagram! So if you want behind the scene pictures of the blog and my life follow me --> loveofleaves

Vegan Banana Bread Revisited

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend and a fantastic Thanksgiving! My holiday was great, I spent it in the country with Sam's family. His aunt has a beautiful ranch about an hour south of us. We went home that night with a dozen fresh eggs from her chickens, some of her homemade green salsa, at least four pounds of potatoes and a ton of bananas that Sam's grandmother brought. Like, a lot of bananas.

I took this picture after I had already made several loaves of banana bread.

What better way is there to use up a bunch of overripe bananas than to perfect my banana bread recipe? So that is what my weekend consisted of mostly. I even tried making some vegan, gluten-free banana bread, but it just didn't come out right. I have the hardest time baking with coconut flour. I don't know what my problem is. 

Anyway. You may remember I posted my recipe for vegan banana bread back a few months ago. But I posted that from Colorado and the bread didn't rise correctly. Baking at high altitude is not fun. It's frustrating trying to figure out if the recipe is off because the measurements are off or if it's just because you're thousands of feet higher than you normally are. Hence the number of raw recipes I posted while living in Colorado (like this one, this one and this one). I knew my recipe for banana bread was good from the countless times I had made it down at sea-level, but I just didn't like having such flat looking bread in my pictures when I knew that wasn't a true representation of what the bread was like. My initial plan was just to update the photos on the post, but I figured while I had all the bananas I could hope for at my disposal, I might as well experiment a little and perfect the recipe.

After all my experimenting I was very encouraged to find that I really did have a great recipe and it really didn't need to be tweaked too much at all. So I basically ended up just recreating that same recipe, but with some of my new favorite ingredients and simplified it so it only takes one bowl. Less dishes to clean up afterwards is always a good thing.

Vegan Banana Bread

• 3 Large Overripe Bananas
• 1/4 Cup Unrefined Coconut Oil, Softened (melted is fine too)
• 2/3 Cup Coconut Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 Cups Whole Spelt Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseeds
• 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Makes 1 loaf.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with coconut oil; mix in sugar then the almond milk and vanilla. Add the flour, flaxseeds, salt, baking powder and baking soda to the bowl and mix until combined. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly and the top feels slightly firm. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:
-As always feel free to mix in whatever you feel like... chocolate chips, nuts, cinnamon, coffee, shredded coconut, berries....the list goes on...

-This recipe comes out fine without being too dry if you choose to leave out the coconut oil, but I highly suggest adding it. I can't remember what it is...baking soda? bananas? flax seed? something in this recipe mixed with coconut oil gives it a buttery flavor that shouldn't be missed. Plus, coconut oil is good for you :-)

How was your Thanksgiving?

What's your favorite "mix-in" for banana bread?

Oh! P.S.- I have a killer banana ice cream recipe coming your way soon. My other favorite way to use up overripe bananas!

Vanilla Cranberry Chia Jam (Vegan, Gluten Free)

My original plan for today was to make a bunch of recipes, photograph them and get them ready to blog throughout the week. This is how my plans always start; thought-out, organized, efficient... but then something always comes along and derails me. Ask anyone who knows me. I am the master of procrastination and side-trackery (yes, I just made up a word to describe how I get side-tracked so easily). Today what threw off my groove was how delicious this jam is. I mean, I expected it to be good, it's cranberries and vanilla and chia seeds for goodness sake! What I wasn't expecting is for it to be downright addictive. What else could be done besides drop everything and share the recipe right away?

Not only is this jam super delicious, it's also crazy easy to make. All you need is a food processor and five minutes of your time (besides the ingredients of course). You literally just throw all the ingredients into the food processor, press puree and let it do it's thing unless it's a smooth consistency. That's it!

Plus, it's healthy!

Cranberries are great sources of antioxidants, vitamin c, vitamin a, carotene, folate, potassium and manganese. Studies have shown that consuming berries have the potential to help protect against cancer, aging and neurological diseases, inflammation, diabetes and bacterial infections. [source]

Chia seeds are full of antioxidants, fiber, protein, healthy fats like omega-3, iron, calcium, magnesium and because of their gelatinous quality, they help clean out your intestinal track of unwanted junk. If this jam doesn't sound like the best topping for toast I don't know what does. 

Vanilla Cranberry Chia Jam 

• 1 1/2 Cups Fresh, Organic Cranberries
• 3 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
• Seeds from 1 Vanilla Bean or 1 1/2 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup (or to taste)
• Dash of Cinnamon (optional)

Makes 1 Cup of Jam.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until a smooth consistency is reached. Serve on toast, mix into oatmeal, spread on a muffin... get creative! It's especially good paired with almond butter on toast! Store extra jam in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

I think I might make up a big batch, put it in some cute jars and give it out as holiday or hostess gifts! I mean people are probably going to get enough cookies, right?

Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Quinoa Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Happy Wednesday everyone! Wednesday already. Man, this week is flying by. We're almost already through the first week of November! I can't believe it. I blame the daylight savings this past weekend. It's been getting dark around 6 o'clock here which seems like such a drastic change. Once the sun goes down so does my productivity. I just want to cuddle under some blankets and watch a movie or read a book. Last night, to my great embarrassment I fell asleep at 8 o'clock. 8 o'clock! I feel like such an old lady! 

To help make up for my lack of motivation in the evenings I've been focusing on getting more done during the day while the sun is still shining. So I've been setting my alarm a half hour earlier which allows me to fit in a quick workout and still have time to make myself breakfast before heading out the door to work at 6:40am. Then on my way home from work I take a longer and round-about route on my bike that way by the time I'm home my workout is done for the day. It's been a great plan so far! However, waking up earlier and exerting more energy leaves me hungrier which is where this delicious Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Quinoa Salad comes in. It's great because you can make up a big batch on Sunday and then have lunch all set for the rest of the week. Plus it tastes great hot or cold which makes it a great on-the-go meal.

Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Quinoa Salad

• 2/3 Cup Quinoa
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 Small Yellow Onion, Diced
• 1 Clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1-2 Large Sweet Potatoes, Diced
• 2 Large Collard Greens Leaves*, Stems removed and Sliced
• Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook quinoa according to package instructions adding the bay leaf to the water. While the quinoa is cooking and once the oven is preheated, place the diced sweet potatoes on a silpat, aluminum foil or greased pan and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until soft. While the potatoes and quinoa are cooking, start caramelizing the onions. To do so, pour the olive oil into a skillet and cook the onion over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the onions begin to brown add the garlic and continue cooking until all the onions are a nice, golden brown.

At this point the quinoa should be about done, once it is, remove the bay leaf and add in the onions and garlic. Once the potatoes are done, mix those in, too. Then add in the collards to allow them to wilt slightly. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and you are done! Portion it out into to-go containers to store in the fridge and lunch is one less thing you have to think about.

*Feel free to substitute your favorite green; kale or mustard greens would be great.

Are you affected by the change in daylight?

What do you do to stay motivated?

Pecan Plum Oatmeal (Vegan)

I love plums, but I forget about them all the time. Same with nectarines. Poor stone fruit not getting any love. This week I was reminded of my love for plums when they were only a dollar and change for a pound at the grocery store. Win! (It should be noted that I will notice anything if you show me how inexpensive it is. I don't care what it is, if it's cheap you've got my attention).

Apart from stuffing my face with plums this past week, I've also been trying to figure out healthy breakfasts to bring to work with me. Most mornings my stomach can only handle a small glass of kombucha and a piece of fruit if I'm lucky. By the time I bike to work I'm ready for something more filling, but if I don't come prepared my only option is a muffin the size of my face (or the banana bread that feels like a brick). This oatmeal has been a lifesaver (and waist saver). It's delicious, satisfying and filling, plus it takes less than a minute to put together in the morning. And with these snazzy, perfectly sized Pyrex dishes I found at Target it also helps save the earth from the hundreds of oatmeal packets I could be going through. 

Pecan Plum Oatmeal

• 1 Cup Old-Fashioned Oats
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Flax Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Vegan Sugar (I use Coconut Sugar)
• 1/4 Cup Pecans, Chopped
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 Plum, Sliced, Diced or Chopped

Makes 1 Serving.

Combine all the dry ingredients and stir to avoid any clumps. Add hot water and allow to steep for a minute or two. Stir in the plums and enjoy.

Notes:

-I buy all my ingredients in the bulk section of the grocery store to save money and packaging.

-I never measure the ingredients in the morning. Once you have an idea of what the amount looks like, just throw it in the container to save time and dishes. I also store the ingredients in jars for easy access.

-When I take this oatmeal on the road with me, I just assemble the ingredients at home and then when I'm ready to eat it, I simply add hot water. 

What's your go-to easy and nutritious breakfast?

Vanilla Almond Freezer Fudge (Vegan, Gluten Free, Grain Free)

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a delightful weekend! My weekend basically consisted of watching movies (Lilo & Stitch is on Netflix!), finding a new favorite restaurant for Thai takeout, the farmer's market, a Target run and hanging out with Sam. I also babysat for some friends in desperate need of a night out on Saturday; Sam came too (it was his idea in the first place), plus I am basically clueless when it comes to children. Case in point: I changed a diaper for the first time this weekend, I am 26 years old and had never changed a diaper before. I also tried to go paddle boarding Saturday afternoon with a new friend, but after much miscommunication and riding my bike around town, it just turned into hanging out and drinking smoothies which is totally cool with me. 

Sometimes it's nice to have a simple, chill, laid-back weekend. And sometimes it's nice to have a little something sweet to snack on during a movie, something that's really easy to pull together. You may remember a few months back I posted a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Freezer Fudge, well, I've got a new one for you. Vanilla Almond Freezer Fudge. It's perfect for when you want something sweet, but not super rich, but are too lazy to make something complicated or wait for it to bake. You just simply mix the few ingredients in a bowl, stick it in the freezer and minutes later you've got some fudge. Does it get any better than that?

Vanilla Almond Freezer Fudge

• 1 Cup Almond Butter, room temperature
• 4 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup or Agave (or Honey for non-vegans)
• 1 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Vanilla Bean, Scraped
• 4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, softened

Makes 1 loaf pan, approximately 8 squares.

Simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Line a loaf pan with wax paper. Pour fudge mix into the pan, smooth it out with a spoon or spatula and place in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. Once hardened, remove from freezer and slice into squares. Store in the freezer.

Notes:

-If you do not have a vanilla bean, double the amount of vanilla extract, if a stronger vanilla flavor is desired, try tripling it.

What did you do this weekend?

What's your favorite easy-to-make sweet treat?

Simple Summer Squash Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Summer appetites are strange things. 

One minute you're craving a light, crunchy salad, the next a cold, creamy ice cream cone, then something charred and savory from the grill and before you know it you'll want to bite into a giant slice of fresh watermelon with the juice running down your arms. It's a funny time of the year for food. In the winter, I just want something warm and comforting. In the summer, my taste buds change with the wind. 

Maybe I just think about this stuff too much.

This salad was the result of trying to use up what I had in my fridge and pantry, but it tasted so good I just had to share it. Plus I had warned you all the other day about the amount of squash recipes that would be bombarding the site and I have yet to make good on that promise. 

I think the reason I enjoyed this salad so much is that it hit almost all my summer food cravings in one dish. You obviously get the crunchy salad from the the romaine, the juicy sweetness from the red peppers and the savory charred flavor from the sauteed garlic, veggies, and chickpeas. I guess I'd just need to finish it all off with a bowl of ice cream to make it complete. 

This salad is super easy to make, is done in minutes and is made using ingredients you probably already have on hand. Plus, it's a light enough meal for a hot summer night, but keeps you full due to all the fiber and protein.

Simple Summer Squash Salad

• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Yellow Summer Squash, chopped
• 1 Red Pepper, sliced
• 1 Can Chickpeas, drained
• 4 Cups Chopped Romaine
• Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1-2 Tablespoons Thyme
• 1/2-1 Cup Green Onion, chopped

Makes 4 salads. 

Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and allow to cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss in the squash and red pepper, turn up the heat to medium-high. Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Be careful not to overcook them, you want them to still have a bit of a crunch. Turn the heat back down to medium, add salt, pepper, thyme and chickpeas. While the chickpeas are warming, arrange the romaine on plates (approximately 1 cup per plate). After about 5 minutes, turn off the stove and divide the chickpeas and veggies among the plates of romaine lettuce. Garnish with green onion. Serve with a smile and enjoy. This salad is particularly delicious when enjoyed with friends outside during sunset.  

Do you have specific cravings during different times of the year?

Tropical Green Tea Smoothie (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Some days you need a little extra help in the morning. Those days are usually Mondays. You're unmotivated to go back to work after a fun weekend and the alarm always seems to go off a little earlier. On days like that I like to trade in my usual almond or coconut milk based smoothie for a green tea based smoothie. It gives me that little bit of a caffeine boost I need to get my day started.

For this smoothie I used Yerba Mate instead of a traditional green tea. I like using Mate because you get the initial jolt of energy you would if you were drinking coffee or espresso, but without the jitters or the crash later. It's a gentler pick-me-up, that's also gentler on your intestines. To save time in the morning and for a smoother tasting smoothie, brew the tea the night before and place it in the fridge to cool. Or if you plan on drinking one of these smoothies everyday, just make up a pitcher at the beginning of the week.

In this smoothie I used papaya, pineapple and banana for the fruit which are all great to have after a weekend of probably not eating like we should and drinking a little more than usual. Papaya is full of water and fiber to help flush your system, pineapple had lots of  vitamins and minerals and sweetens up the grassy tasting Yerba Mate, and bananas are full of potassium which helps regulate the water and pH balance in our bodies. Feel free to use frozen of fresh fruit. Always try to buy organic, especially papaya which is one of the top genetically modified foods. For a bit more of a nutritional boost I added a couple handfuls of spinach which also helps give this smoothie it's oh-so delicious looking swamp green color (Sam tells me the more a smoothie looks like something scooped out of a swamp the better, not sure I agree, but this smoothie does taste great!).

Tropical Green Tea Smoothie

• 1 Banana
• 1/2 Cup Papaya chunks
• 1/2 Cup Pineapple Chunks
• 1/2 Cup Yerba Mate (or your favorite green tea)
• 2 Handfuls of Spinach

Makes 1 Smoothie.

Throw all the ingredients into a blender and blend away until smooth. Depending on the strength of your blender, you may need to add a little more liquid, feel free to add more tea, water or your favorite non-dairy milk. Pour the smoothie into a pretty glass, sit back, relax and enjoy. You deserve it, it's Monday.

Have you ever tried tea in your smoothies?

Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Don't worry. Your eyes are not playing a trick on you. This really is a new blog post. The first one in almost two weeks. The worst part is I tried to be super organized; I made and photographed a bunch of recipes ahead of time so all I had to do was edit and post (which surprisingly is many times what takes the longest). 

But then life happened, I picked up extra shifts at work (working 17 hours in a 24 hour block of time at one point) and then headed down to Austin for five days to hang out with this guy. Sorry no pictures to share this time. This trip was much more laid back, but still so much fun! We got to chill out in the studio while our friends The Baker Family recorded some music, had dinner with our friends Andy and Julie and their two fun little kids, made more black bean burgers, I even watched two zombie movies in honor of Sam's birthday. And you know what? I didn't hate them!

You know what else I really didn't hate?

These Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries. Smooth segue, right? But seriously, I'm glad I only made a dozen because I could have just kept eating an endless supply. They're just sooo good! Way better than that boxed chocolate covered cherry crap (say that 5 times fast!). And they're so simple to make, yet pretty enough to impress your friends with.

Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries

• 12 Cherries (preferably organic)
• 1/3 Cup Non-Dairy Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil

Set some wax paper or silpat on a plate or cookie sheet next to the stove. Using a double broiler (or a heat safe bowl over a pot of water), heat the chocolate and coconut oil on low heat. Be sure to continually stir so that it doesn't burn. Once the chocolate is completely melted and smooth looking, dip and roll the cherries into the chocolate one at a time. Place onto wax paper and repeat with the rest of the cherries. Once all the cherries have been dipped in chocolate, move them to the refrigerator to set (about 30 minutes). Once the chocolate has hardened, serve and enjoy. Or just hoard them all. I'll leave that up to you.

Options:

-To make these cherries extra tasty, before the chocolate has hardened, gently roll them in shredded coconut, crushed almonds, cacao nibs or powder or whatever you fancy.

-You will have some chocolate left over. Feel free to use it to drizzle a little extra chocolate on the cherries once they've hardened to give plain ones a little more pizzazz or just spread it on wax paper and refrigerate to make a chocolate bar. There's never a reason to throw away perfectly good chocolate.

Which do you prefer? Chocolate covered cherries or strawberries?

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Guys, I'm excited. I have so much to tell you. 

First things first. I attended my very first hot yoga class last night. It was power yoga and it was sweaty and it was awesome! I must say I have never attended a yoga class that played Blister in the Sun before so that was new and different. I was on a high for a good long while afterwards. In fact, I was so excited that I enrolled in a free online course through Stanford University's School of Medicine about child nutrition. I think it'll be a great supplement to the courses I'm already taking.

Then, on my way home from work this afternoon I stopped into Nourish to grab a smoothie (my mantra has been "smoothies not bagels" this week, yeah bagels are free, but what's it really going to cost me, ya know?) and I happened to run into the Vegan/ Vegetarians of Colorado Springs Meet Up group. How cool is that? The two women who organize it gave me their business cards. They're having a vegan cheese and wine tasting on Saturday, I may just have to go check it out!

Plus this weekend I'm hopefully going to check out a scooter Molly's co-worker is selling. And I helped one of my co-worker's land an awesome new cottage. Life is good, guys, life is good.

Now before you run away thinking I lured you here under the false pretense of a tasty looking recipe just so I could babble on about my life, let me tell you about this delicious Raspberry Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding. Do you like like Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream? Do you like Chia Pudding? Do you like tasty food that is also loaded with vitamins and minerals? Than this is a recipe for you! It makes a wonderful dessert or it'd be totally cool if you wanted to eat it for breakfast (I did!).

Here's what you do:

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding

Adapted from this recipe.

• 1 Cup Almond Milk (Coconut or Soy works, too)
• 3 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
• 1/2 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4-1/3 Cup Raspberries (Fresh or Frozen works)
• 1/8 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• Sweeten to Taste (Use Agave, Pure Maple Syrup or Honey for non-vegans)

Makes 1-2 Servings.

In a blender or food processor, blend the chia seeds and almond milk until a uniform consistency is formed. Add the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly mixed in (feel free to just pulse it a few times if you'd like to have some raspberry and chocolate chunks). Pour or spoon out into a dish and place in the refrigerator to set for a couple hours or overnight. Once it's set, either eat it plain or garnish with more chocolate chips and unsweetened shredded coconut. Enjoy each tasty spoonful without an ounce of guilt!

Have you ever been to a hot yoga class?

What did you think?

Are you a part of a Meet Up group?

How do you like it?

Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies (Vegan, Gluten Free)

This morning I woke up to this...

...and this...

No one warned me before I moved out to Colorado that springtime in the Rockies is unlike springtime anywhere else. Apparently, it is the coldest, snowiest, cloudiest season and if you know me, you know I do not enjoy any of those things. I thought I was out-smarting Mother Nature by moving in here in April, but clearly the joke was on me. 

I'm trying to maintain a good attitude about it and tell myself it'll feel like spring soon and that we need the precipitation since we're in a drought, but when that didn't work I took to the kitchen. Homemade cookies are one of my ultimate comfort foods and when those cookies are actually good for you, so much so it's acceptable to eat them for breakfast... double win!

Don't you love the old school blue mason jars Molly found in her grandfather's basement?

These cookies are full of nothing but wholesome ingredients like old-fashioned oats, ground flax seed, almond butter, bananas and a hint of honey. They're soft and chewy and I definitely did not burn my mouth taste-testing one straight out of the oven. They make the perfect grab-and-go breakfast on those cold mornings like today when you hit the snooze button a few times in an attempt to avoid the chilly air. Or bring them on a hike or on a picnic or to the beach. They're filling and satisfying without weighing you down. They're loaded with protein, fiber, potassium, Vitamin E and healthy fats like Omega-3. Plus, they're cookies for breakfast, how can you complain about that? 

*Since we just moved our pantry is still a little sad and empty so I used what nuts and nut butter I had on hand, feel free to substitute walnuts (which I would have preferred to use) or other nuts in place of the almonds and feel free to substitute peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, mac nut butter....or whatever you fancy. You will notice very quickly that both Molly and I love almonds.

Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies

• 1 Ripe Banana
• 1/4 Cup Almond Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1/4 Cup Almond Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Honey (Vegans substitute Pure Maple Syrup, Agave or Brown Rice Syrup)
• 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed
• 1/4 Cup Sliced or Chopped Almonds
• 1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats (make sure they're Gluten Free for those with sensitivities)

Makes 12 cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium size bowl, mash banana and add the almond milk, almond butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and flax seed. Mix thoroughly. Add the almonds and oats, mix to combine. Batter with be slightly loose and wet. Spoon batter onto a silpat, wax paper or greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 until slightly toasted looking and slightly firm to the touch, be careful not to over bake or they may become crumbly. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and dig in!

*Feel free to mix in other fun ingredients as well such as shredded coconut, dark chocolate chunks or dried fruit.

Are you one of the lucky people experiencing spring weather? 

Tell me about it so that I may live vicariously through you.

Honey Almond Milk Latte (Gluten Free, Vegan Alternative)

Some days you wake up at 4 AM  for no reason. And once you're awake you wonder how you were ever asleep to begin with because your mind is buzzing. Sometimes when this happens you think to yourself, this would be a great time to catch up on any one of the four books I'm reading at the moment. And sometimes you have every intention of doing just that, but somehow when reaching beside your bed your hand "mistakes" your ipad for one of your books. Before you know it you are deep into the throws of reorganizing your Pintrest boards and reading blogs for two and a half hours. ....This is all completely hypothetical of course.

When one wakes up at four o'clock in the morning, coffee is of no question. That is unless it's freezing cold outside and really, since you don't have a job you shouldn't be spending money on coffee even though there are so many adorable coffee shops downtown that you can't wait to try. 

Enter the homemade latte. The best part? You can make it without an espresso machine! Even though I'm probably making my old Starbucks manager and all the Italian guys at the little cafe I used to work at cry. But when you're pinching pennies sometimes you just have to make sacrifices. Sorry guys.

Honey Almond Milk Latte

• 1 Tablespoon Instant Espresso, feel free to do more or less depending on how strong you want it. (I recommend the brand shown above, it's good as far as instant coffees go)
• 1 Tablespoon Hot Water
• 1-2 Cups of Almond Milk (basically you want enough to fill your mug, if your mug is huge, double the espresso amount)
• Honey to taste (Vegans feel free to use Maple Syrup or Agave)
• Sprinkle of Cinnamon (or any other spices you have-nutmeg, cocoa or vanilla powder would also be good)

Over medium heat warm the almond milk in a small pot until it's reached your desired temperature, if you have a thermometer aim for around 145-160 degrees. Use a whisk to quickly stir the almond milk while it's heating if you want to create some foam for your latte. Once it's warm, stir in the honey to melt it. Next, dissolve the instant espresso in hot water in the bottom of a mug. After stirring and completely dissolving the espresso slowly pour the almond milk/ honey mixture over the espresso. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and enjoy your homemade latte.

P.S.- The good news in all of this Pintrest reorganizing- You can now follow me on it! Just click here to get to my boards.

Happy Wednesday!

Love, Joy

Curried Lentil Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Sometimes you experiment with great results, other times not so much. I am pleased to say that my Curried Lentil Salad was the later.

 When you first move you don't have a lot of food or a lot of spices or a lot of tools to work with. Sometimes you aren't used to your new refrigerator and its frigid temperatures and wake up to find all of your produce frozen. And sometimes you're sick of eating cereal and want to eat something cooked, homemade, something that was cooked with care, not poured out of a box. Insert this salad. This was a concoction derived from saving my produce that had frozen so they didn't taste so good fresh anymore, but hadn't gone bad and also wanting to use what I had in my pantry so I didn't need to buy more food at the grocery store.

The only pot we have (while we wait for the rest of our stuff to show up) is my wok. So that is how I cooked the lentils. I wouldn't recommend it, it's takes a long time, but if that's all you have it works. Plus, that means that's this entire salad was prepared in one pot, that's how simple it is.

Yes, I did use a frosting spatula to stir this salad with. Hey, sometimes you just have to work with what you have. This simple, tasty salad would be great as a side, a light lunch or dinner or just because you want to impress your friends and family with a pretty dish. No one said simple can't be fancy.

This recipe is more of a guideline to recreate the salad yourself. None of the measurements need to be exact. Just play around with it to make it match your taste preferences. Feel free to add some fresh ground pepper if you'd like, I just didn't have any.

Curried Lentil Salad

• 1/4 Cup Lentils
• 1 Red Pepper
• 3 Cups Spinach
• Sea Salt to taste
• Muchi Curry Powder to taste
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Splash of Red Wine Vinegar
• A Few Cilantro Sprigs

Makes 1-3 servings.

Cook lentils according to package directions, adding the muchi curry powder and a pinch of sea salt. Slice the red pepper and saute with the olive oil until browned on the outside. Remove from heat and add the spinach, stirring it occasionally, just until the spinach is slightly wilted. Add salt, cilantro and red wine vinegar to taste. Add the lentils. Serve and enjoy!