This Just Happened: Cookie Butter & Banana "Ice Cream"

Cookie butter is an ingredient in this recipe!! Sold.

But if i'm being honest,  this recipe is brought to you by that beautiful bunch of bananas. The bananas make the magic happen. Dave and I don't even have TV, but yet somehow we've heard of the whole Yonana thing--making "ice cream" just out of bananas. I was a bit perplexed at first, but now I get it (not how it works--just that it does work). The best part is that you DO NOT need that silly contraption (now i'm feeling bad and slightly awkward because you might have one and love it...)! Your trusty food processor or good blender will do.

Watching the frozen bananas become a silky, ice creamy-like mixture is pretty cray-cray (I know...And no, it didn't sound right to me either)! It goes from looking almost like Dippin' Dots into this insanely smooth deliciousness. For the most part, this is an uber healthy treat. Given, this particular recipe is more on the indulgent side thanks to Mr. Cookie Butter.

I've tried a few different variations of banana "ice cream," and i've liked them all so far (suggestions below). The first thing Dave usually says is how banana-y it tastes (not in bad way). So yes, making ice cream out of bananas means that you'd better like them! Good thing i love them; my mom says she ate a ton when she was pregnant with me, so it makes sense... I digress.


Moral of the story: So easy. So yum. Try it.

Ingredients:

3 frozen bananas// sliced
1/3 to 1/2 cup Speculoos or Biscoff Spread (depending on how cookie-buttery you want it)
walnuts (as a topping--and only if you want them, of course)

Directions:

1. Slice ripe bananas and freeze them. Once completely frozen, you can make the magic happen.
2. Put the bananas and the cookie butter into a food processor or strong blender (I've used my Ninja blender and a food processor, and they both work great!)
3. Blend until mixed through. Patience. It'll work--promise.
4. You can eat it right away, but it'll be more along the lines of a soft serve. I suggest putting the mixture into the freezer for another hour or two just so it can firm up a smidge. If you don't finish the batch off and want to save some for another time, make sure you take the stuff out of the freezer and let it soften for a while. Otherwise, it'll be a bit sorbet-ish  (nothin' wrong with that either) and require some scraping on your end. 

Other flavors I've tried:

Strawberry (just add about two cups of frozen strawberries & 2-3 tablespoons of almond milk)

Peanut Butter (just add a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of peanut butter depending on how strong a flavor you want)

Chocolate Peanut Butter (just add 1/3 up of peanut butter and about 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 2-3 tablespoons of agave nectar or honey)

Fave toppings:

-unsweetened coconut flakes
-walnuts
-chocolate chips
-crushed almonds
-fresh fruit

Let me know what you think! Even better, let me know if you've tried any other flavors!

A Picture is Worth...

...a thousand words. Sometimes, maybe just a few. Either way, in my book, pictures and words are inseparable. Words evoke countless pictures, and pictures elicit words. When one is at the forefront, the other takes the supporting role. Sometimes they're co-stars.  Match made in heaven. Buddies. Compadres.

More and more lately, I'm appreciating how well they work together.  I usually have a picture in mind first and then the words come later on. Sometimes they're my words. If they're not mine, they're borrowed. Either way, they tend to linger in my mind--painting new landscapes in my thought processes, coloring my mind with new thoughts or growing deeper roots to old ones. Here are just a few examples of the two complimenting each other.

Best Breakfast Ever: No-cook Chocolate Oatmeal

Brace yourself.
Once you've tried this, you'll see that you're essentially eating dessert for breakfast, except without the guilt and remorse. In fact, this breakfast is filling, nutritious, and deceivingly delicious! True story.

If you can pour stuff into a jar and shake it all together, then you can do this. Your fridge will do the rest!

Ingredients:
(4 servings)

-1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 cup almond milk (you can also you soy if you'd like)
- one cap full of vanilla extract (If you use vanilla almond/or soy milk, you can skip this step)
-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (less or more to taste)
- 3-4 tablespoons of agave syrup, maple syrup, or honey 
- a fist full of dried cranberries (more or less depending on your preference)
- a fist full of crushed walnuts (almonds or pecans would also work)
- any other fresh fruit you'd like to incorporate (some toppings that I like: dried/unsweetened coconut, mangoes, bananas...)

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients (everything except for the toppings) into a large mason jar, air tight canister, or a anything else that has a secure lid.

2. Shake vigourously until everything is mixed together. You can also stir it all together if you prefer.

3. Put it in the fridge for at least six hours. I just put the magical breakfast concoction in the fridge, and it's ready for me in the morning.

***the next morning***

4. Scoop out your portion. Top it with fresh fruit or dried coconut (the sky's the limit). ENJOY!

[This will keep in your fridge up to 3 days.]

Roasted Chickpeas: Chili Lime Cilantro Sesame

One word: Genius. Roasted chickpeas are genius. They're filling, they're versatile, they're good for you, and they're so easy to make! Think corn nuts but less chip-your-teeth and better for you.

After going through some recipes online, I decided to make a version of my own. You can literally season these however you'd like--sweet or savory!

Ingredients:

* 2 15-oz cans of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)//drained, rinsed, & blotted dry
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lime juice
* 3 to 4 teaspoons of chili powder (I like 4)
* 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of seal/or kosher salt
* 1-2 teaspoons of cumin (I like 2)
* 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
* 3 to 4 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro (I really like cilantro, so feel free to reduce this if you're not as obsessed. Or, you can use a few pinches of dried thyme or rosemary instead.)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with some foil.

2. Drain, rinse and blot dry your chickpeas. Put them onto your foil-lined baking sheet.

3. Bake for 45-60 minutes (Swish them around every 15 minutes or so. Test a few chickpeas and make sure they're crunchy. If they're not all crunchy, keep them baking a bit longer.)

4. Get all your other ingredients mixed into a large bowl. When your chickpeas are done roasting, pour them into the wet mixture and stir until all the crunchy morsels are coated.

5. Enjoy! You can also store these in an airtight baggie or container and eat them the next day.

Sweet Potato and Brussels Hash

 

I found this recipe on Bexadiary, a great blog I came across a while back. I tweaked the quantity and some of the ingredients, but she pretty much drives it home with this recipe.  It's so good; there are so many layers of flavors. And yes, it's good for you!

Ingredients:

-4-5 small or 2-3 big sweet potatoes//baked, peeled, and diced

-one small red onion//diced

-2-2 1/2 cups of brussel sprouts//quartered

-3-4 cloves of garlic//minced

- 2 hand grabs (yes, hand grabs) of cranberries

-1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 1 cup of chopped walnuts (or pecans, almonds, pine nuts...)

- 1 tablespoon of rosemary (I didn't have fresh, so I used about 2 1/2 teaspoons of dried rosemary)

- salt and pepper to taste

-2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil. Place in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Your sweet potatoes will not be fully cooked at this point as they'll finish cooking in the pan.  So long as the outsides are tender, you're set.

Step 2: Wash and quarter the the brussel sprouts. Make sure to peel of the outer leaves and trim a bit from the bottom of the sprouts just to make sure that they're clean. Don't cut off too much because you want the quarters to stay intact. 

Step 3: Dice the onions. Mince the garlic. Set aside.

Step 4: Remove the skin from the sweet potatoes. Dice the tators into smaller than-inch bites.

Step 5: In a large skillet (I used my dutch oven b/c I didn't want any possible overflow), heat a tablespoon of coconut oil. Once hot, throw in the sweet potatotoes. Cook for about 5 minutes until they're nice and golden brown. Pour them into a separate bowl and set aside.

Step 6: In the same skillet, heat another tablespoon of coconut oil and throw in the brussel sprouts and the onions. Sautee for about another 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent and when the brussels have gotten some color on them. Pour those into the potato bowl.

Step 7: Add nutmeg, rosemary, walnuts and garlic to the skillet. Cook for about a minute or two making sure not to burn the garlic. This step smells A-mazing!

Step 8: Combine all ingredients in the skillet, add the cranberries, and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything together.

ENJOY!

Date Butter: Get your sweet fix!

You can't get much sweeter than this stuff. Date butter (it's called date honey, but I accidentally started and continued to call it date butter) is great in oatmeal, in smoothies, on fruit, and then some! You get all the health benefits from the dates, and you don't wreak all the havoc on your body like you would consuming processed sweeteners.

Oh, and it's pretty easy to make to, which is a bonus. I got the recipe from this site and quadrupled it, so that I could split the batch with some friends. I'll double the original recipe because that seems like a good amount if you're just making it for one household.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups pitted dates (12-16 Medjools or 36-40 Deglet Noors)
- 2 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or however much to your liking)

Directions: 

Pour dates and water into a small saucepan, making sure dates are completely covered (add additional water if necessary). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 45-60 minutes or until dates are very soft and broken down. Remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly for about 15 minutes. Pour mixture (including liquid) into a blender or food processor and puree until completely smooth. Sprinkle in cinnamon and stir well. Store in a sealed container in refrigerator.

Single serving size: 1 Tablespoon.

Enjoy!!

 

My Wedding Dress Went to Goodwill

Our friends were coming to town a few days after Christmas, so Dave and I wanted to tidy up the place since we hadn't been home all weekend and then some. I left my sweet husband a honey-do list, and he honey-did. I came home to a lovely, clean apartment after working the day after Christmas. As I sat down to unwind with my guy, I realized that this box that we had by the door was gone. In my mind, I knew that that box contained both things to keep and things to purge. Well, in my things to keep list was....yes...my wedding dress!

I failed to communicate to Dave that I hadn't sorted through the box yet, and since he was on such a roll with cleaning and stuff, he decided to take a car load of stuff to the local Goodwill. Needless to say, I had a meltdown for fear that i'd lose my wedding dress to someone who wouldn't understand why it meant more than the normal amount to me. Our wedding photographers pursue to inspire forever, covenant, and "Don't Give Up" into the couples' marriage for whom they photograph. They have each couple pick something on which they want to write the word "prevail." In our case, we picked my dress. We would have picked the treehouse, but we weren't sure how realistic it would be to always have that with us wherever we would end up. Who knew that Sharpied fabric would become to dear to me.

Now the only thing I could see was my dress wadded up in a sad ball-- a needle in a haystack post crazy Christmas donations. Dave zipped out the door as soon as I confirmed that my dress just got handed over to unknowing strangers and drove back to see if he could get it back. When he got there, there were different people working and no one recognized him from the earlier drop off and vice versa. He came home--hands empty. The manager told him that they would keep an eye out for my dress (which was for whatever reason really hard to believe). That began the just-in-case grieving process--tears flowing.

I kept on telling myself, "If it's meant to be, i'll get my dress back." I, along with a few friends, said some prayers, and hoped for the best.

Friends, beyond good news!! I don't have to just remember my dress by way of photos. I can keep it and show our kids and maybe even our grandkids one day. Thank you Goodwill for your goodwill. They called Dave to let us know that they'd come across the bag with my dress, in a box, in a pile. Thank you, love, for making it your mission to get that back for me. I love you...so, so much.

That...was a close one.

Brittle-icious: An Easy Toffee Brittle Recipe

Buttery, flaky, nutty, chocolatey goodness. Yeap, that is what you get once you've completed the easy steps for making this toffee brittle. I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites which I frequent on an almost daily basis and adapted it just a smidge. Darling Magazine is not only one of my favorite websites, it's also now one of my go-to magazines and movements because of their mission. Lady friends (and gentlemen too if you'd like), you have got to check it out if you haven't already.

Now to get to these beauties: 

 Ingredients:
 (Adapted just a bit by me)

- 2 sticks of butter
- 1 cup of sugar (white or brown)
- 12 oz of chocolate (a bag of choc. chips)
- 1 cap full of vanilla extract
- 40 saltines (one sleeve)
- toppings (I used dark Almond Roca for one batch and peanuts for another)

Directions:


Step 1 Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Place saltines on the cookie sheet.
Step 2 Melt butter and sugar over medium heat in a small pot, whisking a few times. When the mixture comes to a boil, add in the vanilla. Stir.  Pour it as evenly as you can over the saltines.
Step 3 Put the cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes.
Step 4 Take the toffee out of the oven and sprinkle chocolate over it. Spread with a spatula to cover. The chocolate should melt immediately, but if it doesn’t, pop it back in the oven for 30 seconds to a minute.
Step 5  Let it cool and then place the brittle into the fridge for at least two hours. Then, take the trays out and break the toffee up with your hands or with a serrated knife.

These made the best somewhat last minute gifts (not just for Christmas--they'd be great to bring to a party, potluck, etc...). They're dangerously tasty. Enjoy!

Christmas 2012

I didn't do the best job of documenting our Christmas gatherings this year, but there were plenty. We were in Simi Valley twice, Santa Clarita, Arleta, and Santa Barbara. There was no shortage of family, friends,  sugar, napping, catching up, or good conversations. Ever since Dave and I have been married, we've had the joy of getting to learn and celebrate the different expressions of family between our families.

 

What we used for our Christmas "card."

 

At my parents' house after the annual Christmas Eve service.

 My parents :).

 The Swedish Fish candy cane ornamented tree @ Sam's right before

we opened gifts with mom and sister-in-love.

Oh, aside from great family time, there were plenty of four-legged friends too!

(Pictured furry friend: Biscotti)

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. 

Can you believe it'll be next year next week?!

Are you doing anything exciting? 

We're going to San Fran with some friends (yippeee!)--pictures to come :D.

Turkeys, Friends, and Babies.

Dave and I got the party started early this year--the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was actually our first official celebration. I work at a school where we teach English to international students, so many of them have neither heard of Thanksgiving nor experienced it. Needless to say, we wanted them to fill their bellies to the brim with turkey and all the fixings, so all of our campuses have the tradition of having Thanksgiving catered.  It was a hit! Our students went back for seconds and thirds and probably also learned a lesson in gluttony.

Our second Thanksgiving celebration was at my parents' house where the tradition of Mama Pham's egg rolls and Mom B's sweet potatoes and green beans were present. Dave and I spent two days at my parents just hanging out, going to bed late, and watching random TV shows as we don't have cable at our place (P.s. Have you ever seen the show Tattoo Nightmares?! So good!). We ventured out into the wild that is Black Friday later in the afternoon and hit up some stores. The lines were not long, and it wasn't as scary as it probably was hours earlier in the day. Oh, and an amusing side note: My mom showed me some baby booties she knitted and asked when Dave and I are going to let her make some of those for us. AKA "Have a baby already!"  No pressure...

Our third feast: We had a Friendsgiving celebration at our friends Amber and Chris' abode. They got married in May and have put in so much blood, sweat, and tears into making their house a home. It is such a blessing to be in the company of good friends (after not seeing many of them in forever!) and their good friends. At this stage in life, it's incredibly humbling to know that we have such special relationships with people who've walked through some of the most important stages of life with each other. And although we don't live close together, getting to share in what's going on in everyone's lives [like finding out that our friends Kelly and CJ are going to have a baby girl!!!!] is a privilege beyond words. Albeit transient in nature, our catching up feels like home. We had our fill of friends, food, and yes--fart stories (How is it that that happens whenever my friends and I get together?? Don't judge! :))

 Last but not least, we ended our Thanksgiving travels at our friends Ryan and Sherry's house to celebrate Ryan's birthday. We caught up with old friends, made new ones, and had a grown up sleep over. It is bizarre to be grown up, to sleep over at a friend's house, and to wake up in the morning and get to play with your friends' baby. Life is definitely different these days...

So in other words, we have SO much to be thankful for--our jobs, our families, our friends, laughter, and that fact that God is letting us be a part of such an awesome adventure with each other. I have the most amazing teammate, life-liver, and husband. So. Blessed.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever!

Psalm 107:1

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones: Another Tweaked Recipe

This past weekend I had a serious sweet tooth, so I decided to get my bake on. I realized we were out of butter, but I was determined that there was a way to work around this without having to go to the store. I remembered that I have coconut oil, so I Googled butter/coconut oil substitutions. Lo and behold, it's a no-brainer! You just use the same amount of coconut oil as you would butter. Yay for easy conversions! This was actually an eye-opening experience because that means that I can use coconut oil in place of butter for any baked good--anything to make dessert "healthy" is right by me (use refined coconut oil if you don't want any of the coconut scent, albeit faint).

To be frank:
Milk makes me gassy.
Butter can give me love handles.
Milk-filled, buttery scones: all of the above.

Solution:
Coconut oil and almond milk scones. Dairy and I don't get along too well, so almond milk has been an amazing substitute. Coconut oil has been used in our kitchen as well as in some of my skincare sessions (it's great as a makeup remover or a moisturizing mask). We stock up on these goods at Trader Joe's--really well priced in my opinion. Not only are they good for you, together they bake up some delicious edibles!

The scones came out more tender and lighter than your traditional scone, which I loved! Dave was also a big fan of these fall-flavored morsels of awesome. After I get home from work tomorrow, we're going to drop off some early Thanksgiving scones to some of our neighbors. It may seem like a nice gesture, but it's also partially selfish. I don't want them too easily accessible even though they are a bit less indulgent than your typical scone :).

Give this recipe a try; I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Ingredients:
(Recipe taken from here and tweaked by me)

For the Scones:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 
• 6 tablespoons of coconut oil (in solid form)
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree 
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
• 1 large egg 
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can always reduce or add more to your liking)

Glaze:

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar 
• 2 Tablespoons almond milk 
• 2 tsp cinnamon (less or more depending on taste)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (less or more depending on taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and spray pan with cooking spray or lay down parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the butter and mix with a fork until the dough becomes crumbly. 
3. Fold in the pumpkin, milk, and egg. Form the dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface, making it about 4 inches by 12 inches. 
4. Use a large knife to slice the dough into three portions. Cut an X pattern (four pieces) in each portion so you end up with 12 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
6. While the scones are cooling, make the powdered sugar glaze by whisking all of the ingredients until smooth. 
7. When completely cooled, drizzle the tops of the scones with the glaze (or you can dip them into the glaze if you'd like). Let the glaze set for about an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

No Knead Bread: A Simple Wonder

This was a first for me--homemade bread that isn't a quick bread (AKA banana bread, apple bread, etc...). I found this recipe on another blog and decided to give it a few tweaks and have my shot at bread making. Needless to say, I was pretty happy about the result, and the Mr. also approved!

This is one of the easiest recipes ever! The only catch is that you need time. You can't rush it, so I wouldn't recommend making this when you're looking to somewhat quickly curb a craving. The recipe is really simple; it's a great base, which means that you can add herbs, nuts, seeds, dried fruit or anything else to your liking.

For my first try, I decided to make two loaves--a whole wheat raisin walnut and a whole wheat rosemary loaf. I used all whole wheat pastry flour, which I think made the bread a bit denser than normal. It tasted great, but I think next time I'll do a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose flour.

(Recipe taken from Bex a Diary and adapted by me)
Ingredients:
Makes one 1 1/2 pound loaf

3 cups all- purpose flour [I'd suggest using 2 cups all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour]

1/4 teaspoon yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 cup water 

additional flour or cornmeal

ceramic or pyrex dish with an oven safe lid (I used a cookie sheet as the lid)

[you could also use a dutch oven if you'd like]

whatever mix-in's you'd like (see directions for what I used)

Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl. Mix well. Add water to bowl and mix.

[For the raisin walnut: I added 1 tbs cinnamon, 1/2 cup raisins, and 1/2 cup walnuts to the mix; You'll want to put about a tablespoon of your dried flour mixture in with your raisins and walnuts before mixing it into the main dry mixture, so that they'll evenly distribute themselves throughout the loaf.]

[For the rosemary: I chopped up a few springs of rosemary and mixed it into the dough.]

2. The dough should be sticky and heavy. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 12 to 18 hours, at room temperature. 12 is good but 18 is better. 

3. The dough will rise a good bit and is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.

4. Lightly flour your working surface and dump dough from bowl onto the surface. Sprinkle the dough with a bit more flour and fold it over on itself  2- 4 times. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

5. Working with enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and work surface, quickly work the dough into a ball. Coat generously a kitchen towel {not terry cloth} with flour, or cornmeal (I used a mixture of both). Place the dough seam side down onto the towel and dust the top of the ball with flour. Cover dough with top of the towel and allow to rise for 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is nearly double in size and does not spring back when poked with your finger. 

6. 30 minutes before dough is ready heat the oven to 450*. Place a 6-8 quart covered pot in the oven to warm with the oven. 

 

7. When the dough is ready remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift the dough off of the towel and gently place into the dish. If it looks a bit messy don't worry, shake the pan a time or two to make sure the dough is distributed evenly. The dough will straighten out as it bakes, cover the pot and place it in the oven. bake with the lid on for 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake an additional 15-20 minutes--or until bread is golden brown. Carefully remove dough from pan and cool on a rack. 

Enjoy! 

*Note: I sliced the loaves once they cooked, and kept them in an airtight container in the fridge. Whenever you're ready to eat, just pop your slice into a toaster oven for a bit to get it crispy and delish.

.....................................................

Ch-ch-ch-chia: No Cook Chia Seed Pudding

So the other day I was visiting my old stompin' grounds--good old LBC having brunch with some lovelies. My friend , aka kindred spirit, Temma brought a fruit salad delicately sprinkled with chia seeds. As soon as I found out what those curious little specks were, the catchy jingle I heard so often during my childhood came rushing into my mind: "Ch-ch-ch-chia!" And yes, they are the same seeds that we saw spread on in thin coats on terra cotta animals and Einstein heads.

Chia seeds in my fruit salad got me curious as to what else I can put them in. I found out that you can sprinkle them into yogurt, put them in smoothies, put them in baked goods, and toss them into salads. I read a few blog posts, and some peeps mentioned how they're reminiscent of boba when put into beverages. I'm more than happy to add some more healthy seeds (the other common one in our household is flax) into my diet: Chia seeds are a good source of omega 3s, dietary fiber, and protein.

I grabbed a bag of chia seeds at Trader Joe's and followed the recipe on the back. The pudding is super easy to make. It's not like your average pudding (you're probably thinking "duh"), and I can see how it could be an acquired taste for some, but I think it's fun and refreshing. I asked the hubs what he thought about it, and he said, "It's simple and subtle--and tangy from the strawberries." And you should know that his bowl is empty--seedless. Be creative. The pudding is really just an blank canvas.

Ingredients:
(enough for 2 servings)
- 1 cup coconut milk (the stuff you drink--not the thick canned stuff you make curry with)
- 1/4 cup agave nectar (I used half of this b/c i knew I was going to stir in fruit; you can also use honey)
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- You can also flavor it with vanilla, cocoa powder, pureed fruit, or citrus juices (according to the bag the seeds came in). I decided to mix in fresh strawberries, and it was delish.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Stir well. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Eat up.

 

(Please excuse the weird yellow lighting on the bottom right photo.

 It was late when the pudding finally set.)

DIY Setting Spray

The lowdown:

I'm a sweat-er. This doesn't always help with the makeup staying in place.

My eyeliner always seems to smudge under my eyes, so I use any help I can get to keep it in place. I tried getting the hubs to give me a warning when I get a bit smeary, but I quickly learned that he doesn't say anything because he still thinks wifey still looks pretty when smudgy.

I'm a huge fan of setting sprays, (Mac's, Makeup Forever's, Urban Decay's) but I'm tired of spending 16-30 something odd dollars for them. They work wonders--making skin glowtastic and healthy.
Since I like my makeup to look as natural as possible (especially when the special occasion calls for fuller coverage), I like to have this spray on had whenever possible. All of this to say, I want my "face" to stay in place without spending an arm and a leg. After perusing a few DIY setting spray recipes, I've come up with this:

Ingredients:
- Purified Water
- Glycerin*
- Rosewater Toner (optional)
(You can also use drops of essential oils; e.g. lavender/tea tree)
- 2 Vitamin E capsules
- Travel Size Spray Bottle
* Glycerin doesn't keep for too long, so you'll want to be sure to replace your batch every 2-2 1/2 weeks.

 

 

 

Using this will help you stay refreshed, dewy and fresh. If you need to touch up your makeup throughout the day, spritz some of this onto your face, so that powder or foundation go on smoothly rather than cake-y and uneven. Try it out, and let me know what you think :).

I'm A Big Kid Now.

"We'd like to offer you a full time, salaried position."


Jaw. Floor.

What?!

I couldn't believe it! I've been a teacher (the only teacher) at the English Language Center in Santa Barbara since February. The school is growing slowly but surely, and the President decided to offer me a promotion to Head Teacher. I'll be teaching as well as overseeing the academic/curriculum development side of things. YOWZA. I've never worked full time before. I went straight into my MA after my undergraduate, so I haven't really had time for full time work. I had no idea that an opportunity would come up this soon. *Insert praise hands here.*

In any case, Dave and I feel so blessed. A little in over my head for the first few months in my new position, but blessed.

Who knows? This might mean a relocation to Santa Barbara. Dun dun dun--or would the Jeopardy jingle have been more appropriate?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

A quick post as we're en route to LAX to leave for our quick trip to San Francisco!! I'm so excited to be going to one of my favorite cities with my favorite guy. He won us this weekend trip by being the top salesman at his work last month--I'm a PROUD (and very thankful) wifey.

 I finally found a oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe that I'm happy with. The cookies don't come out flat, and they stay chewy! I adapted some recipes and found the combination that got some pretty good reviews :)

(they're much prettier in natural lighting, but i baked these at night)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I used half apf and half whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp instant espresso/coffee (optional--i find that it accents the chocolate chips)
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 345 F
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture until blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 minutes Cool, and enjoy!

Banana Recipe #5: Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast

This past weekend, Dave and I got to enjoy a lazy Saturday. We slept in and ate breakfast for lunch. Because we still had so many bananas, I decided to incorporate them into something breakfasty. I had seen peanut butter banana french toast before on some diner menus and wanted to give them a try. I found and adapted a recipe that was inspired by one of Bobby Flay's:

Ingredients

Serves 2

-4 slices of bread (I used whole wheat)

-peanut butter

-two small bananas or one large one, sliced

-2 eggs whisked together

-juice of an orange or 4 tablespoons of ready-made orange juice (I used fresh orange juice, so I also added some of the zest)

-a pinch or two of nutmeg (I used about 1/2 tsp)

-a pinch or two of cinnamon (I used 1 tsp)

-a pinch of cayenne (I used about 1/4 tsp)

Directions

Make two peanut butter banana sandwiches.

Whisk egg mixture together, and dip both sides of your sandwich in the mixture.

Place sandwich on a heated iron skillet or non-stick one that has had a small pat of butter melted on it. Allow to brown for 60 seconds or slightly longer on each side.

To garnish, you can sprinkle on powdered sugar and maple syrup. You can even use honey if you'd like.

I served this up with a few orange wedges, which compliments the orange juice that's already in the french toast and also cuts through the richness a bit. 

Enjoy!! 

Banana Recipe #4: A Smoothie For Champs

As it's the 4th installment of the banana recipe series, I'm getting a little tired of baking. This is a bit of a stretch as bananas aren't really the star of the recipe, but they do play a big part in the texture and taste of the smoothie. This smoothie might seem a bit intimidating, but it's a berry-banana meets a green smoothie. It's tasty and really good for you. Feel free to experiment with your ingredients. The sky's the limit with these green(ish) smoothies.

Ingredients
(Yields two large glasses or 4 smaller glasses)

-1 12 oz can of coconut water
-1 1/2 cups water (more or less to your taste--how thick or thin you want your smoothie to be)
-1/2 cup frozen strawberries
-1/2 cup frozen blueberries
-1/4 cup frozen mangoes
-1 large banana
-2 big handfuls of collard greens (no stems)
-1 handful of spinach
-2 Tbl ground flax seed
-2 Tbl ground pysllium husk
-juice of half a lemon
-If you want the extra creaminess, you can add a 1/4 cup of vanilla or plain yogurt

Directions
Place everything in a blender and let it do it's thing until everything's blended and smooth. Drink up. (By the way, these are super filling!)

Banana Recipe #3: Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies

OK, before I mislead anyone to the point of no return. I need to preface that these cookies aren't what most would consider a cookie. If you've ever had a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, you'll know what I'm talking about. These are more cake-like in consistency; they're more like muffin tops (the delicious kind--not the kind you see peeking out over too-tight jeans). These have been preggo-friend-tested-and-approved :).

 

Ingredients

-1 cup all-purpose flour

-1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

-1 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

-1/2 cup granulated sguar

-1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (I used dark)

-1 large egg

-1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (I used two for more banana flavor)

-1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

-8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (you can also used coarsely chopped chunks)

-1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 F. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.

Put butter and sugar into the bowl, mix with hand mixer or in a stand mixer on medium until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Add in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts. 

Use a teaspoon and scoop rounded teaspoons onto your cookie sheet with about 1 1/2 to 2 inches between the cookies. Bake the cookies, rotating the sheet halfway through, until golden brown and just set (about 12-13 minutes). Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes; let cool completely on wire racks. 

Enjoy!

Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe

Banana Recipe #2: Chocolate Banana Bread

On to recipe #2. The banana brownies were a hit: I brought some to my students and sent some off to work with Dave to share with his coworkers. The feedback was that they were nice, dense in a good way, and not too sweet--just sweet enough.

I still had a bunch of bananas left to use up so I decided to look for a banana bread recipe but with the chocolate factor pumped up a bit. I found one for chocolate banana bread on this site:

 

(I usually bake at night and there's no natural lighting. When I wake up, I barely have enough time to get ready, so I just snapped a shot really fast with my phone.)

Ingredients

-1 3/4 cups flour (You can also do a combo of APF & whole wheat flour [1 cup APF & 3/4 whole wheat]

-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

-1 cup sugar

-1 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp baking soda

-1/4 tsp salt

-2 large eggs, lightly beaten

-1 stick butter, melted & cooked

-3 ripe bananas, mashed well

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

-1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions

Mix together the flour, coco, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Stir the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla together. Carefully fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips (and walnuts or pecans if you're using them).

Pour into a greased loaf pan (I just use Pam cooking spray). Bake at 350 F for 55-65 minutes until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Let cool before serving.

[You can also store this in the freezer.]

Enjoy!