“Candy is basically fake fruit that wishes it was fruit and is doing its best to smell and taste like it.” - Cameron Diaz, The Body Book Happy, happy Friday! Speaking of the word 'happy,' I'm usually a pretty happy woman, and it typically doesn't take much to put me in a good mood. Let me play with puppies? I'm happy. Bring me to a winery and let me hang out (and drink wine) all day? I'm happy. Take me to watch the sunset on the beach? I'm happy. Find me a farm stand with sweet, super ripe strawberries just before their season ends? I'm a happpppy girl. Because I'm happy Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth Because I'm happy Clap along if you know what happiness is to you Because I'm happy Clap along if you feel like that's ... [Read More]
vegetarian recipes
Apple Blueberry Oatmeal Ramekin Crisps
Like any good foodie, at any given time, I have a couple of foods, meals, grocery spots, and kitchen tools that I'm particularly loving. Lately, I've been obsessed with a grocery store near me called Frazier Farms Market. They look like your typical big food store, but they carry a lot of specialty items that I can't find elsewhere, and are actually reasonably priced. My favorite part about Frazier Farms? They're not a chain store! I love supporting small business. They have 2 locations, both of which are nearby, and they carry a ton of locally made products, like cheese from farms in my county and honey from bee keepers located in the town next to me. Naturally, I've been obsessed with the above pictured honey. I love honey in general, but locally made unfiltered honey is even ... [Read More]
Cocoa Banana Blueberry Protein Pudding
Happy Friday!! I'm currently en route to Miami for my friend Meaghan's bachelorette party - I haven't seen her since last fall and am really excited to have an awesome girls' weekend! - but I have a yummy recipe to share with you guys... If you read this blog often at all, you probably already know that I love making dessert-like recipes that are actually healthy and can be eaten as snacks or meals as well. Enter Cocoa Banana Blueberry Protein Pudding. Blue Diamond recently sent me their dark chocolate almonds as well as sea salt almonds to try, and not surprisingly, I'm kind of in love with the dark chocolate ones. ... [Read More]
Crispy Zucchini Parmigiana Sandwiches
Growing up as a vegetarian surrounded by meat eaters, the cooks in my life would often make "meaty" meatless dishes. My mother, bless her heart, would often make 2 versions of dinner: one with meat for everyone else, and another one for me - and eventually my little sister as well, who also became a plant-based eater at a young age. For instance, I remember this spaghetti pie she would make that had crumbled beef in it, but for us, she made a mini spaghetti pie using meatless crumbles instead. It's kind of a weird dish to describe, but I used to love it. My grandma's go-to "meaty" dish for me was eggplant parmigiana. In typical fashion for her drastic personality - a trait that everyone knew her for - she knew that I liked it, so she proceeded to make eggplant parm just about every week ... [Read More]
Avocado & Chickpea Salad Cups
Happy Friday! I'm very much looking forward to the weekend, because later today my hubby and I are heading out on a little weekend getaway. It's a place just a few hours away from home that we've never been to before.... Palm Springs! Just a couple of days full of what will hopefully be fun: relaxation, hiking, good food and exploring a new area. But first, onto today's recipe! This recipe will provide you with a good dose of produce. It's vegan, gluten free, nutritious, and simple to throw together. Call me a nut, but it seems kind of fancy to me because it involves scooping the salad mixture back into the avocado skins. And speaking of nuts, recently Blue Diamond sent me a few boxes of their Almond Nut Thins to play around with. They're gluten free nut & rice ... [Read More]
5-Ingredient Creamy Honey Fruit Dip
Happy weekend everyone! I'm looking forward to a few days being home with my hubby. Last week he was away training for the Marine Corps Reserves, and then I left for Vegas for my work trip before he got back last weekend, so this weekend we're excited to get some time together. On our agenda is finishing up our bathroom revamp, repainting part of the exterior of our house, and also having some fun outdoors and relaxing. Any fun plans for your weekend? Speaking of weekends, last Friday night I got together with my friend Tiffany for a wine night. We see each other pretty often, but usually we make workout dates, so it was nice to chill, talk, drink wine, and munch on snacks together (and not be sweating while I was with her for once!). For our wine night I whipped up a few healthy ... [Read More]