It's Friday, and I feel like this Friday calls for a chocolatey recipe! Shall we dive into it? I've often mentioned my love for on-the-go snacks on the blog. Even though I work from home most of the time, I seem to always be eating in my car bouncing around from place to place. I have the protein bar and smoothie stains on the seat of my car to prove it. Whoops. I often whip up some type of bars or balls to have as snack options throughout the week, and today I have a new one to share that I'm loving: Chunky Monkey Protein Bites. We've got some rolled oats, chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, and hemp hearts as our base. These ingredients get thrown into the food processor with some smooth peanut butter, maple syrup, and banana to hold them together well. ... [Read More]
vegan recipes
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins [vegan]
In my household, we eat a lot of bananas. We're not quite up to par with some plant-based eaters that I've come across who routinely eat 10 bananas in a day (whoa right?), but my hubby and I go through around a dozen bananas a week together. I primarily eat them in smoothies, with nut butter, or atop yogurt and smoothie bowls. My hubby usually eats them in his protein shakes or on their own, especially to refuel after he's gone for a run or bike ride. Since we love our naners, it only makes sense that we both dig banana bread! Last weekend I wanted to make a chocolate chip banana bread as part of a gift for our friends' birthday party for their 2-year old - who I remembered loved my banana bread the last time I shared one with them. I have a go-to vegan banana bread recipe that I've made ... [Read More]
Mini Pretzel Twists with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Ooooh, do I have a yummy recipe for you guys today! So, I think that part of being a foodie is often getting mildly obsessed with a certain food or meal. For me, this can go 2 ways: 1.) Sometimes I get a craving for something, and I simply must eat it because the yen just doesn't go away. I eat it once, feel satisfied, and then I'm over it. 2.) I get really into a food/recipe, and I just want to keep making it. I can eat it every week for months on end - such is the case for almond butter, this orzo veggie soup I've been into this winter, or the protein pancakes I've been making every week for heaven knows how long. This leads me to today's recipe. I hadn't had a soft pretzel in years and years, and then my hubby and I went on a weekend adventure to Big Bear Lake, where ... [Read More]
Copycat Lemon Twist Hummus
Last fall, my friend Danielle came into town for the weekend and we had a girls' wine tasting day in Temecula. We had a picnic at one of the wineries, and I had brought apples, cheese, pretzels, almonds, pumpkin bread, and a new flavor of hummus from Sabra called Lemon Twist: We pretty much housed the entire container of delicious hummus into our wine-filled bellies, and I made a mental note to try to recreate lemon twist hummus at home. Last week, my favorite HIIT studio, The Fit Mill, hosted a membership event where we worked out, then enjoyed snacks & wine afterwards. I recently began partnering with The Fit Mill with my health coaching biz, and for the occasion I whipped up a few of my recipes. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to create a copycat lemon twist ... [Read More]
Banana Coconut Matcha Smoothie
When I think of the start to a new year, I think of a fresh start.... excitement at a whole new year to set goals, go on adventures and start new ventures. What I don't think of is laying on the couch because I'm too exhausted to do anything or talk to anyone with my hoarse, sore throat - a box of tissues in hand, the constant taste of herbal lozenges in my mouth, an inhaler nearby in case I go into another coughing fit, continuous cups of hot tea being sipped, ear drops handy to crackle and pop my ears, and not being able to hear anything well because my ears and head are completely clogged. Well my friends, as we all know, sometimes life throw you not so fun little curveballs, and me being the sickest I've ever been in my adult life was the way I started 2016. Typically I rarely get ... [Read More]
Smoky Almond Hummus
Hi friends! Happy almost Thanksgiving to all of you fellow Americans! I am really looking forward to a nice long weekend full of fun. If you're still trying to figure out what you're making for the holiday, check out my 20 vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe ideas post. And here are links to a few other holiday recipe roundups that I came across: Our Favorite Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Thanksgiving Side Dish Superstars 30 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes for Every Course Besides my favorite fall things and the holiday season kicking off, another reason why I love autumn is that it's glorious football season! I was born into a football family with a dad whose a football coach, and I'm a huge fan of the sport. Lately I've been loving low-key football Sundays when I spend a bulk of the day ... [Read More]