Clean Candy (Homemade Truffles)

Easter may be over, but you don’t have to give up the candy just yet! Especially if it’s homemade, and packed with clean ingredients that are easy to find.

Over Easter weekend, I experimented with two versions of homemade truffle-type candy (adapted from here) and both are amazing in their own way. The dark chocolate+PB ‘bunnies’ or ‘eggs’ are perfect for chocolate and nut butter lovers, and the carrot cake truffles are a little less indulgent but still tasty and perfect for spring. The best part is, both are very adaptable to what you have on hand and your flavor preferences!

Chocolate+PB bunny (a little creepy-looking, but still cute!)

Chocolate PB Bunnies (vegan, gluten free, grain free)

2 tbsp dark chocolate chips or chunks

1/2 tbsp coconut oil, separated

1 scoop Sunwarrior/Vega chocolate protein powder, or 3 tbsp coconut or almond flour

2-3 tbsp peanut butter (can sub other nut/seed butters)

sweetener, to taste (I used ~1 tbsp maple syrup the first time, then used stevia+a little almond milk)

In a small bowl, mix protein powder/flour, nut butter, 1 tsp coconut oil and sweetener (if using). The mix should be combined but thick. Place bowl in freezer for 5-10 minutes to set. In a separate bowl, add remaining coconut oil and chocolate chips. Melt in microwave (~30 seconds to 1 minute) or in a small pot over medium high heat. Stir together and set aside. Remove bowl from freezer and roll batter into egg shapes or bunny heads and ears. Dip into melted chocolate, and place bunnies/eggs in muffin holders or on parchment paper. Return to freezer, and leave to harden up. Stores best in freezer (remover for 5 minutes to soften up to eat). Makes 4-5 bunnies/eggs. 

Carrot cake ‘white chocolate’ truffles.

‘White Chocolate’ Carrot Cake Truffles (vegan, gluten free, grain free, no added sugar)

1/4-1/2 cup carrots, shredded (I used a food processor to chop them up)

2 tbsp raisins

4-5 Medjool dates, pitted

2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp raw cacao butter (should be white in color)

1 tbsp coconut butter

In a food processor or high powered blender, mix shredded carrots, dates and coconut until mix comes together. Add in raisins and almond milk if needed to combine. Set aside in a bowl and place in freezer for 5-10 minutes to set. In a microwave safe bowl, mix cacao and coconut butters and melt in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute (or melt in small pan over medium high heat). Remove bowl from freezer and roll mix into small balls. Dip each into the ‘white chocolate’ mix and return to the freezer. Makes 10+ truffles.

What candy would you make at home or healthify if you could? 

WIAW: Easter Weekend

It seems like Easter was weeks ago, but nope, it was just a couple of days ago! Obviously I’m great at procrastinating on posting about it But seriously though, it’s getting to be that busy time of the semester, when everything is just starting to pile up so apologies if I go missing around here for a few days!

Easter weekend was one of the best weekends I’ve had in awhile. I really needed the long weekend after a rough post-spring break week back at school, so the fun and rest was much appreciated. I’ll break it all down for you in some pics I snapped over the weekend.

OOTD March 28: black studded tank (F21), black/white printed harem pants (F21), white watch (AE).

Thursday started out with morning classes, and then my mom drove up to bring me back home. She got up to my apartment around noon so we stopped for lunch before hitting the road. We went to Wahoo’s, one of our old favorites that we now can’t get back home since all the locations shut down. Luckily my college town still has one–Wahoo’s has the best guac, hands down. I got a surprisingly amazing salad topped with guac, salsa and roasted veggies.

Fast forward a couple of hours. My parents were both in a Holy Week play at our church so my sister and I went to go watch them. For not having many rehearsals, everybody was really good and a lot of the monologues were very emotional.

Some new-to-me groceries.

Friday morning I got to sleep in a little, and then after lunch my mom and I went out to find birthday presents for my dad. Shhhh, don’t tell him I told you but he’s turning the big 5-0 today! Anyways, we also hit up Whole Foods as per usual so I could pick up groceries for the week ahead. I got a few new things as usual too–the Sunwarrior chocolate was ordered by my dad off Amazon, but everything else was bought by me. So far, I loved the sweet potato apple fruit strip–it was delicious and only a couple of grams of sugar–the nori sheets (perfect for raw wraps) and the kale chips. Seriously, the Kale Krunch brand is the best, I’ve loved all their flavors I’ve tried.

Artisan pizza to celebrate my dad’s birthday a little early. This was Saturday’s leftover dinner (over a bed of spinach+balsamic) but I ordered a pizza with kalamata olives, artichokes, capers, garlic and oregano (no cheese of course).

This may seem weird as a clean eating vegan, but I LOVE pizza! By pizza, I don’t mean mass-produced Domino’s or frozen pizza with greasy cheese and no veggies. I love good quality, hand tossed pizza from authentic restaurants topped with classic Mediterranean toppings like olives and artichokes and thin crispy crust. And of course, no cheese! Even when places offer vegan cheese, I never order it because I like to keep my pizzas focused on the veggies. We ate dinner pretty late since we went to the Good Friday service at our church before (always a very moving service) but surprisingly, I wasn’t too freaked out about eating dinner around 9. I even ate 4 out of 6 of the slices…and had two leftover for a great dinner on Saturday!

My diva Easter eggs, thanks to a Target egg kit.

Who needs to dye eggs when you can accessorize them? At my house, we’ve decorated Easter eggs since I was little and I can’t imagine not doing it. This year, I convinced my mom to buy the diva decorating kit from Target rather than the usual glitter and dye kits. Yes, I’m still 5 years old My sister and I had a blast glamming out our eggs to be rocker chicks on Saturday night. Easter eggs have never been this cool!

Grain free carrot cake pancakes for Easter breakfast.

What’s better than homemade pancakes on Easter morning? Ok, for me, waffles would win, but my waffle maker lives at my apartment while I’m at school so sadly I couldn’t make them. But I settled for carrot cake pancakes, made with almond and buckwheat flours (so technically grain free, since buckwheat is a seed, like quinoa), shredded carrot, raisins and topped with peanut flour paste and cashew butter and more raisins, dipped in real maple syrup. If only I could make pancakes every morning!

My Easter outfit (actually the exact same as last year!)

I didn’t realize it until looking at my photos from last year, but I wore the same dress last Easter. Oh well, I’m sure no one but me noticed. Easter is usually snowy and cold here for some reason (April is one of our snowiest months, go figure) but this year we had no snow at all and it was actually sunny and in the 60s. So I could wear a dress without bundling up in a coat and sweater too!

Finally tried the strawberry Zevia!

Sprouts is my savior…first they had the ALT Larabars, now they have strawberry Zevia. And unlike the grape, which I only sorta liked, this one was delicious and almost tasted like watermelon (always a good thing). And I just love the light pink can color!

My Easter basket!

Another Easter tradition that never gets old? Hiding Easter baskets! My mom hid one for me, my sister and dad this year and I still loved searching all over the house for it. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that she had filled it with my favorite nail polish color, great smelling lotion and vegan candy from Whole Foods. Now, to be 100% honest, I’m still a little wary about this candy–it’s healthier than most but it still doesn’t have completely ‘clean’ ingredients up to my ridiculous standards. However, I know she wanted me to be able to enjoy some candy, so I’ll try to get over my fear and enjoy a little of it every day. It’s not even that unhealthy, to be honest, just another issue I’m still dealing with.

So Delicious sugar free vanilla coconut milk ice cream topped with frozen blueberries.

Easter dessert was something I haven’t had in awhile–ice cream! I love coconut milk ice cream, but again, it was something I pushed aside because it wasn’t totally ‘clean’. However, I really like the no sugar added kind by So Delicious and it’s really not that processed so I enjoyed a small bowl of the vanilla with blueberries and a homemade chocolate PB bunny on the side (recipe to come).

Carrot cake ‘white chocolate’ truffles (recipe soon!)

Easter weekend was extra long because I didn’t head back up to school until early Monday morning. Once back at my apartment after classes, I whipped up another batch of the homemade chocolate PB bunnies (this time I made ‘eggs’) and also experimented with making a carrot cake inspired version. Both kinds turned out amazing, so look for those recipes very soon! Both recipes have no added sugar, and are super easy to whip up.

What was the best part of your weekend? Are you a snob about any foods (like me with pizza)?

 

 

 

WIAW: Loving Lately

Happy WIAW! I swear, this year’s gonna be over before I know it. I can’t believe I’m already almost done with midterms, am about to sign up for classes for next semester and Christmas is almost 2 months away. I’m one of those crazy people who can’t wait for it to be the holiday season so I’m already counting down to Thanksgiving. But can you blame me, I need a break!

Unlike my most recent WIAWs, this one isn’t documenting what I ate on a certain day. I used to like doing that but then I always ended up posting similar items each week. I don’t feel like I eat the same things all the time, but I almost always end up taking pictures of the same things. So this week is all about what I’ve been loving on lately.

Apple nachos. Half a sliced Jazz apple. Peanut flour drizzle. Mini chocolate chips. Raisins. Maple almonds.

Not much to say about these, except you’ve gotta try them. They take apples to a whole new level!

One minute coconut flour carrot cake. Coconut flour. Chopped carrots. Cinnamon. Chopped dates. Ground flax. Almond milk. Peanut flour paste.

This was a microwave cake, but I’m working on a vegan, grain free coconut flour based carrot cake for the oven. Stay tuned!

Coffee roasted squash seeds. Ground coffee. Kabocha seeds. Maple syrup. Coconut oil.

These were even better than the original squash seeds. But then again, anything coffee-flavored is.

Dirty chai waffle. Buckwheat and almond flours. Cinnamon and nutmeg. Ground coffee. Raw cacao powder. Topped with raw pumpkin chocolate protein frosting, mini chocolate chips, fresh figs and maple syrup.

What’s dirty chai? Apparently it’s chai tea mixed with espresso, and this waffle was inspired by that delicious combo. The best part of any waffle is the toppings though!

Roasted kabocha with peanut flour drizzle. Coconut flour microwave cake crumbles. Frozen grapes. Alter Eco dark mint chocolate. Justin’s vanilla almond butter.

This snackplate style lunch was perfect right before class. This week I roasted my first kabocha and I’ve gotta say that now I understand the addiction. The texture is a little weird but it’s so tasty!

Kale topped with nooch.

So simple, so good. Seriously, try this and you will be amazed how good kale can be when topped with plenty of nooch.

My macros. So proud of that 25% protein!

I don’t really talk macros on here much, but I really love tracking mine. Usually my carbs are around 45%, protein at 20% and fat at 35%, it’s just what works for me. But there are a few days that I definitely love my protein and fats more. Who says you can’t get enough protein as a vegan?!

Spicy Italian-style kelp noodles. Sauteed kale. Half a chopped Field Roast Mexican chipotle vegan sausage. Nooch. Olives. Spicy harissa hummus. Kelp noodles. Basil pasta sauce.

Who knew I’d end up loving kelp noodles even more than my beloved quinoa pasta? It’s really just so cool how kelp noodles are pasta-like but are made from a sea veggie instead of grains. I love having them any way, but the Italian way is my fave. Bring on the olives and the nooch!

Whole Foods salad bar box. Crushed homemade tortilla chips (the best!). Curried wild rice. Cold sweet potato salad. Coconut curry tofu. Orange chipotle tofu. Calabasitas (mixed grilled squash).

I wish this weren’t true, but the Whole Foods salad bar at my home WF is so much better than the one at the WF near school. I love the store near school, but the salad bar rarely has many tasty vegan options like the one at home has. As you can probably guess, this particular box was from a weekend trip home.

What foods have you been loving lately? What do your macros look like (if you track them)?

Alter Eco Giveaway WINNER!

Hey guys! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I have a quick recap of mine later in the post but first I want to announce who won my Alter Eco giveaway.

And the winner is… Sabrina @ Living, Learning, Eating! Congrats girl! Shoot me an email at ashlauren711@gmail.com so I can have Alter Eco ship out your goodies!

This weekend was Homecoming/Family weekend on the CSU campus so my dad made the drive up to spend the weekend with me. Two years ago my mom and sister were also able to come up but since I was still living  the dorm life then, we had to stay in a hotel. But now that I’m in a single lady pad (aka a one bedroom apartment) I can actually have people spend the weekend with me. We had tons of fun, despite the less-than-stellar weather. And by that, I mean it was literally in the 30s for most of the weekend. Not normal for October but it was still a good weekend.

On Friday night, my dad and I had a late dinner at Tasty Harmony, a mostly-vegan restaurant downtown. It was our first time eating there, but luckily it won’t be our last because it was so good! My dad isn’t a vegan or even vegetarian but he’s definitely willing to eat more plant-based foods. He got a garlicky hummus and veggie sandwich but I went with something a little more adventurous–the raw enchiladas. It was my first time eating a raw entree in a restaurant and it definitely didn’t disappoint. It was made with flax tortillas and filled with raw pepita “cheese”. It came with guacamole, salsa, cashew cream, a side of “rawfried” beans and a really good mixed greens salad. The beans were the real star of the plate–they literally tasted like refried beans, but our waiter said they were made with a mix of nuts and seeds.

Not my picture, but they looked pretty similar to this!

Now normally I don’t order dessert in a restaurant, partly because they rarely have a vegan option but also because it’s a big ED fear of mine. Well, I was really wanting one of their desserts because they all sounded so good, plus they were all wheat and refined sugar free. So my dad and I split a piece of carrot cake and it was literally the best cake I’ve ever had! Carrot cake is the only kind of cake I really like but I’d never had a vegan version until Friday. It was so cinnamon-y and just fresh tasting, plus not heavy at all. Well, that makes sense because Tasty Harmony makes everything from scratch, uses purified water to make their food and drinks (they even have a bar!) and most of their menu is vegan and gluten free. So it was definitely my kind of place and I hope to go back soon. My dad even wants to go back again!

Saturday morning we ran a bunch of errands, like filling up my car tires with air (sooooo fun, especially in the cold…NOT!), getting gas and grabbing some snacks at Whole Foods for the tailgate. Of course I couldn’t go a week without going to Whole Foods I got a few really tasty things, like black bean dip and veggie chips, plus some old favorites I was running low on. Then we had a quick lunch (Whole Foods’ sweet spinach salad is a total winner!) and headed out for the tailgate. Little did we know how cold we’d be! I was wearing a pair of skinny cords, a sweatshirt, a jacket, boots with thick socks and I brought mittens but I was still freezing, even with a thick blanket over me for the entire game! It didn’t go below freezing but it almost did. Of course, today it was back to the 70s…that’s Colorado for ya!

I look pissed…I wasn’t, but I was cold!

You could see “The A” from the parking lot of the stadium. There’s a big A on the mountain because CSU used to be the agricultural school, aka the Aggies.

The game itself…well, let’s just say that CSU sucked. As usual. I’ve only been to two of their games (the other one being the homecoming game 2 years ago) and they only won that first one. They only win a few games each season but it was still fun to cheer them on. The stadium was probably halfway full (since it was so cold out) but by the 4th quarter it felt more like a high school game by how few people were left! CSU was playing against Fresno State and both teams had pretty awful offensive lines so Fresno only got a few touchdowns, but CSU was scoreless until the end of the 4th quarter. They finally made a touchdown, so it was totally worth it to see them get a score right at the very end.

Go Rams (even though you aren’t the best team)!

On Sunday we ran a couple more errands, went for a long walk around campus and checked out some flowers (that were sadly dead) and had gelato for lunch. Yep, sometimes it’s totally acceptable to skip lunch in favor of the best gelato in the world. At least in my opinion! Guess what flavors I got? Pumpkin and soy chocolate. I am so predictable But seriously, I couldn’t not get pumpkin this time of year, and it was just begging to be paired with chocolate. My dad also got pumpkin and we agreed that it was perfect. We even got to eat them outside since it was way warmer, like in the mid 50s. Yeah, totally not warm but it felt like a heat wave after Friday and Saturday!

One of the best gelato flavor combos!

Before my dad had to head back home, I made dinner for the two of us. I used some Whole Foods multigrain pizza dough (love that stuff) to make us a pizza. It was half red sauce with artichoke hearts, half vegan creamy garlic sauce with navy beans and kale. My dad went for the red sauce side and I went for the garlic side. He loved it, so I got him to eat two meatless meals this weekend and he loved both of them. I’d call that a major win!

Now it’s back to normal…or maybe not. I have a lot to do this week, like a midterm on Wednesday and a group video project to work on. Plus my fridge has been acting up and not keeping things cold enough. A repairman came by earlier and said he fixed it but I haven’t noticed much of difference yet. We’ll see though. Hopefully it’ll be fixed soon since I can’t live without a fridge!

What was the most fun thing you did this weekend? Have you ever gone to a cold football game?

WIAW: On and Off

Sorry about the lack of posting lately! But it’s back-to-school time and this year means moving into my own apartment and getting all settled into a new routine. But now I’m back and ready for another WIAW!

This week, I’ve just got a random assortment of what I’ve been eating and doing, on and off campus. Even though I’m finally living off campus this year, I’m spending more time on campus with all my classes, working at the campus TV station 2 nights a week and a possible new job.

Almond peanut cashew butter mixed with maple syrup and chocolate chips, protein cereal bowl (Nature’s Path sunrise vanilla and PB Puffins mixed with Plant Fusion vanilla pro powder, u/s almond milk and raisins).

Protein powder is a must on my busy days for getting protein in. Now I love mixing it in the bottom of my cereal with some almond milk and enjoying the extra flavor and texture boost.

Pretty flower on campus!

My sister and I headed to campus a few days early to hunt down my class locations (some were in buildings I’d never been to before!) and we saw this awesome flower on our walk. I obviously love how pink it is!

Quinoa pasta and vegan ravioli mixed with basil merlot pasta sauce, mini bell peppers, olives and nooooooooch!

I can’t get enough of the nooch lately, seriously. It might be a problem, but it’s a good problem

A pool? A short walk away? Yes please!

Yes, there is a pool at my apartment. Have I gone in yet? No, but I did spend some time tanning by it with my sis over the weekend. Let’s just say it’s a prime tanning and hang out spot.

Hummus and fresh veggie salad on a pita.

My mom and I tried a new-to-us place just down the street from my apartment. It was super fast, super fresh and really yum. I didn’t eat the pita part of this pita, but the hummus and veggies were outta this world!

3 minute carrot cake protein oats.

This was so good, for a super quickie snack! I mixed thick rolled oats with Truvia, almond milk, chopped carrots, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla protein powder and ground flax and topped it with Nature’s Path sunrise vanilla cereal (so good, and gluten free!) and almond peanut cashew butter.

Car selfie FTW!

Can I just say I love having a car? Not only does it make things more convenient, I can also take awesome selfies in it. Alejandro, you’re the best!

My reward after my first day of classes: grande passion iced tea (unsweetened).

I was in desperate need of some Starbies love after my first day of classes. I hit the nearest one up right after my 4 pm class for one of my fave summer drinks and enjoyed it in the sunshine.

Easy breakfast: chocolate mint protein muffin topped with homemade almond butter cup, grapes.

I’ve definitely been getting my kitchen experimenting on, now that I actually have a kitchen! So far, I’ve made no bake peppermint patty bars, mint chocolate almond butter cups and mini buckwheat corn muffins. The bars and cups are the best though–I’ve been on a mint chocolate kick lately.

First dinner in my new place: vegan nachos! Made with Late July multigrain chips, pinto beans, spicy guac, peach mango salsa, kale sauteed in coconut oil and nooch.

I finally got over my fear of the white stuff and bought some coconut oil. I’ve heard so many good things about the health benefits of it and was sick of avoiding recipes because they included it. I accidentally got the refined kind, but next time I’ll know to get the extra virgin kind for coconutty flavor!

Have you used coconut oil? How do you use protein powder?

Friday Faves (June 1st)

Hi guys! Happy first day of June! I can’t believe we’re already almost halfway done with 2012–crrrrrrrazy stuff. I’m excited though because in a little less than 2 months, I’m turning 20 which is also crazy. Where is my life going?

I wanted to start doing Friday Faves posts to highlight some of the things I’m currently loving so here goes!

Favorite Song: Titanium (David Guetta ft. Sia)

I don’t know why, but I’m just loving this song. The music video is a little out there, but it kinda goes along with the lyrics. I like them because they’re talking about inner strength, which is something I always need a little more of.

Favorite Nail Color Combo: Teal and sea foam

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Blue Streak (teal), Nicole by OPI in Peas and Q’s (sea foam).

Apparently I’m taking my nail polish inspiration from the ocean! I really love how these two shades play off each other and work so well together. And they’re bold but not too flashy.

Favorite Lunch

Kale massaged with Ginger People hot ginger jalapeno sauce, mango-glazed tempeh (recipe to come), watermelon chunks, Alvarado Street sprouted sourdough toast with carrot cake toppings (almond peanut cashew butter, raisins, carrots, cinnamon).

I’m loving random lunches lately. The one above covered all the bases: veggie, fruit, grain, protein, fat. But more importantly, it was delish! If you’ve never tried sprouted sourdough bread, you must. It’s flour free but has that great hint of sourness and is perfect for toast. The mango-glazed tempeh was also a winner and beyond easy to make.

Favorite Website: The F***ing Weather

Don’t go here if you don’t like, um, not so nice language. But it’s kinda hilarious.

Favorite Outfit

Dark grey lace tank (Hollister), hot pink twill shorts (Abercrombie & Fitch).

Lace anything is my favorite right now, as are neon-colored shorts. What can I say, I like to make a statement! Dark grey and hot pink look amazing together and are just as good of a color combo as black and pink–I hate black, so this is how I roll.

Favorite Thing I’ve Made: Spicy Nacho Cheez Sauce

Uh, doesn’t this look tasty!

I love love love cashew cheez! Seriously, it’s perfect in every form–cream cheez, mascarpone cheez and now, nacho cheez. Who would have thought a simple nut could make delicious vegan cheese sauces?! I don’t question it, I just make it! Now you can enjoy some vegan nacho cheez to drizzle on nachos (duh), tacos or whatever. I made mine thick, like a hummus, but you can thin it out with more almond milk. So far, I’ve had it as a dressing on a veggie burger salad and as a carrot dip and it’s sooooo creamy and spicy.

Spicy Nacho Cheez Sauce (vegan, gluten-free)

1/4 cup raw cashew pieces 

1/2 can white beans, drained and rinsed (use any kind of white beans that are soft, like navy beans)

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 

1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

sea salt, to taste

1/2 large jalapeno, sliced

cayenne pepper, to taste

In a food processor or blender, process all ingredients until smooth and thick. Add more jalapeno slices or cayenne pepper, if needed. Serve warmed over multigrain tortilla chips, or chilled over salads. Makes about 1 cup.

Favorite Purchase: AE Metallic T-Strap Sandal

I love American Eagle’s leather sandals!

They still haven’t come yet (stupid slow mail) but I’m beyond excited to wear them. I love that they’re simple yet still dressy and they’ll go with a lot. Plus I got them for only $18…with free shipping. Score!

What’s your favorite song right now? What have you bought lately?

Pancake Party!

I get into breakfast ruts a lot. For most of my life, I ate cereal with skim milk and possibly a side of waffles for breakfast basically every single morning. I’ve never been a savory breakfast kind of girl, because I’ve always hated eggs, bacon and sausage. Within the past year, though, I’ve moved away from having cereal for breakfast. First, I was on an overnight oats kick that started about a year ago. I was obsessed and came up with a million different combos. I still love overnight oats, but now I’ve been having them for snacks more often than for breakfast. Just a couple of weeks ago, I started having a smoothie-in-a-bowl basically every single day, topped with fruit or crushed cereal. So good. But since I’ve been home for the summer, there’s been only one thing on my mind–pancakes.

Before a week ago, I don’t think I’d ever made pancakes from scratch. Sometimes on the weekends I’d whip my family up a batch made from an Archer Farms mix. While they have tons of awesome flavors, they aren’t super healthy (or vegan–why do so many things have to have milk in them?) Earlier last week, I made my first homemade, single-lady pancake batch and I was hooked!

If you’re intimidated by making your own pancakes completely from scratch, fear not. They are super simple to make, take practically no time at all (maybe 10 minutes at the most, if you make a batch for just yourself) and are totally customizable. Here’s the basic formula I’ve been using…

3 T to 1/4 cup flour (I like peanut flour or oat flour)

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 to 1 T flax seed, ground and made into flax egg

2-4 T unsweetened almond milk (any flavor) plus extra water to thin

sweetener (I’ve been using Truvia packets or flavored liquid stevia)

Stir flour and baking powder together in a small bowl until combined. Add in liquid ingredients until mixed well. The batter should be thin enough to drip off a spoon but thick enough to hold together. Makes 3-4 small pancakes.

The baking powder is really the only thing you can’t substitute. You can use any flour you like, gluten-free or whatnot. If you’re not vegan or don’t have flax on hand, sub in egg whites or chia seeds. You can use all water, or all almond milk, or any kind of milk you want. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, you can leave out the sweetener or you can use a liquid sweetener like maple syrup or honey. And of course, any add-ins  and toppings you like! You can even play around with the texture. I love mine really thick and fluffy, so I make tiny, pillowy pancakes.

I’m sharing some of my favorite combos that I’ve made so far–all of them have been amazing and so much better than pancakes made from mixes!

Carrot cake pancakes made with oat flour and shredded carrot/fresh pineapple chunks/cinnamon/raisins, topped with peanut flour sauce and raisins.

PB&J pancakes made with peanut flour and topped with homemade strawberry jam and sunflower seed butter.

Cookie dough pancakes made with oat flour and chopped vegan chocolate chips, topped with honey vanilla agave syrup.

Tiramisu pancakes made with oat flour and Starbucks instant coffee powder, topped with homemade cashew ‘mascarpone’ cream, dusting dark cocoa powder and honey vanilla agave syrup.

Cashew ‘Mascarpone’ Cream (vegan, gluten-free, no added sugar)

1/4 cup cashew pieces, soaked in water overnight

2-3 T unsweetened almond milk (vanilla or plain)

5-6 drops liquid vanilla stevia, to taste

Drain water off cashews and pour into food processor or high powered blender. Add in almond milk and stevia and process until mostly smooth and creamy. Serve on top of pancakes/waffles, as a dip for fresh fruit or as sandwich filling. Makes about 1/4 cup.

Do you prefer pancakes, waffles or crepes? What are your favorite toppings for pancakes?

WIAW: (Almost) Wordless

Heeeeey guys, I loved hearing what you think about Larabars! I always like to know what other people’s preferences are and try out new things based on a good review.

Today’s WIAW will be basically wordless, besides the captions, and just a mishmash of foods I ate throughout the weekend and early part of this week. Obviously this is not all I ate, nor was it all eaten in one day, it’s just some of the highlights of what I’ve been noshing on.

Baby carrots and (shiny) red grapes.

I love Whole Foods' no salt no oil popcorn, especially sprinkled with nooch!

Peanut butter Puffins in unsweetened vanilla almond milk are my crack.

My first time trying kale in a smoothie--and it's actually delicious, mixed with u/s vanilla almond milk, frozen banana and Truvia.

My latest Larabar find--peanut butter and jelly. It was just okay, not bad, but I wouldn't buy it again. Bring on the cappuccino and chocolate chip brownie flavors instead!

Carrot cake overnight oats (topped with raisins, almond peanut cashew butter and peanut flour) with a side of fashion magazine reading and a stuffed Medjool date.

Frozen grapes > fresh grapes.

Raw massaged lemon pepper kale topped with nooch and crumbled hempfast Sunshine burger. I have been obsessed with nooch on everything lately!

Another of my typical snack plates, with nooch-ified edamame, Late July sweet potato multigrain chips, mini sweet pepper, plain popcorn and kettle corn, kalamata olives, Medjool date and dark chocolate espresso bean.

What is the best thing you ate this past weekend? Have you ever tried kale in a smoothie?