Have you gotten bit by the holiday baking bug? I definitely have! Last weekend I baked up a storm making treats to give to my San Diego friends and neighbors this week to spread some holiday cheer. It was quite a festive weekend for me, because I also watched Elf and visited a neighborhood in a town called Poway nicknamed Candy Cane Lane. My friend Tiffany had told me about it, and while she probably knows about it because she's a mom, I'm a little kid myself when it comes to the holidays...so I was thoroughly intrigued! Naturally, my hubby and I headed to Candy Cane Lane on Saturday night to check it out. You guys, it was amazing - so many gorgeous houses decorated so beautifully for the holidays! Some houses even were showing movies on projector screens and giving out ... [Read More]
dessert recipes
Healthy Apple Almond Crumble {vegan + gluten free}
Happy Friday! I felt like this work week has gone by so fast - not quite as fast as last week's three day work week, but still quick! I have a feeling that's how the entire month of December is going to feel. I don't know about you guys, but I always get in sweet tooth + baking moods on the weekends - especially in the fall and winter when it gets cooler out. One way that I satisfy it without getting off track with my daily macro and calorie goals? Baking healthy of course! A few of my healthy swaps are using fruit and cinnamon to naturally sweeten baked goods up, using oats instead of white flour, and including sweeteners like maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Today's recipe includes all of those tricks! I first made this apple almond crumble a few months ago. ... [Read More]
Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cereal Bars [gluten free]
As a traveler, I'm not usually the person that seeks out the best shopping spots in a given area. I'm not huge into shopping and my husband absolutely loathes it, so shopping is never on our vacation checklist. While I prefer making memories, taking photos, and going on adventures while traveling, I do enjoy nabbing a souvenir that reminds me of the trip and is unique to the area. For instance, I picked up coasters in New Orleans that have the city's symbolic fleur-de-lis design on them. When I put my drink on one, memories from my time there come to mind. The last time I was in Italy, I bought a bracelet from a street vendor. Every time I wear it, I think of the magic of Venice. During my trip to Ireland a few months ago, the souvenir that I took home was a jar of locally ... [Read More]
Apple Pie Banana Bread {vegan + gf}
Hello, hello! Today I have what's quickly becoming a new favorite recipe of mine to share with you guys, so let's dive right into it! Banana bread is one of my favorite ways to use ripe bananas, and I'm sure a lot of you would agree with me on that! There's just something so comforting and yummy about a banana bread fresh out of the oven. I like to eat a slice with a cup of hot tea. Today's recipe takes a twist on banana bread - a cinnamon apple twist, because hello October! This is my last recipe creation using the fruit from my apple picking excursion in Julian. There's been lots of apple eating and baking in my kitchen over the past month! ... [Read More]
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies [vegan + gluten free]
Hi friends! Hello from San Diego, where it is hot, hot, hot! We're having a heatwave here, and today is warmer than any summer day I've experienced here. I'm working from my pool this afternoon after seeing that temperatures were hitting the triple digits. There's this strong hot breeze going on and it's pretty crazy for us spoiled San Diegans (many of whom do not have AC, myself included)! The heatwave started a few days ago, so I spent a ton of time at the beach over the weekend. Coastal walks with the pup, a burrito picnic dinner at sunset, the dog beach, watching NFL Sunday football games on my phone with my feet in the sand.... I practically lived at the beach for a few days! No complaints there! Rewinding back to two weekends ago when it was feeling more autumn-ish, ... [Read More]
Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Brownies [vegan]
Who's in the mood for some dessert? If you have a sweet tooth like me, you read that and thought it was a trick question.. When could I not go for dessert?! I'm excited because today's post is in celebration of Izzy from She Likes Food. Izzy is expecting a baby boy, and some other blogging ladies and I are throwing her a virtual baby shower to celebrate! I'm "bringing" a chocolatey crowd pleaser to the party. I don't think I've ever met a soul who doesn't like brownies, and today's recipe takes a twist on classic brownies. It all started when my first Thrive Market order recently arrived. For anyone not familiar with them, Thrive Market is an online food delivery service that offers lots of organic, healthy products for cheaper than you typically see in stores. ... [Read More]