Ninja Turtle Vanilla Chai Microwave Cake

Sometimes, you just want cake. You can make a gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free cake with veggies, FIBER, and omega-3s in just a few minutes!

1.5T coconut flour
1 chia egg
1T pumpkin
1T vanilla protein or green powder
3 drops stevia
1/4 tsp
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1T coconut milk
1/2 T coconut oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Microwave 1:30-2 minutes. Top with 1/2 to 1 T nut butter and eat!

The Comeback Trail Detours in Boston

Happy Earth Day! In the worlds of running and cooking, we have so much catching up to do!

This town loves the marathon.

In the past 2 weeks, I've been able to run 2-3 miles about every other day. My foot has been cooperative, for the most part.

We traveled to Boston for the marathon. It was dreadfully hot on race day. I ran the first three miles of the race and then ducked off the course and onto the commuter train in Ashland, MA, with a few other spectators and heat causalities.

My registration fee into the race was not a complete waste, as it did allow me to go to the start at Hopkinton, start the race with Tuna, and make my way into runner-only territory at the finish. I was inspired by Big Spoon's efforts at Chicago.

Race number was very useful for my duties as #1 fan/groupie for Tuna. 

In Boston, we did the tourist thing which resulted in a lot of standing and walking. This flared up my foot for 2-3 days but by Thursday, it was back to pain-free. Some of our adventures are pictured below.

Game at Fenway.

Sam Adams Brewery.

I must confess, there is a voice in the back of my head that regularly nags "will I be able to train the way I used to again?"  But for now, I just ignore it and take one step at a time (literally)

I made a few delicious treats for a sushi making lesson with our DFAS friends and Chef Becky Nation. (Leave a comment with your email address if you want info on cooking lessons with Becky). They were all inspired recipes, rather than originals, but I will post the links with my modifications below.

Sushi night was incredible. We made sushi/maki rolls, pot-stickers and Pad Thai. Never a dull moment when we get together with the DFAS crew.

Remaining ingredients and Sonya rolling (back )

Finished maki roll! Sliced and ready to enjoy.

Fill the dumpling.

Fold and crimp.

Pot stickers.ready to eat!

Toss that Pad Thai! YUM!

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip (from Chockohlawtay)

The only change I made was adding a lot lot LOT more almond milk. Maybe this is because I cooked my own beans and they were not as soft. Or maybe my oats were thirsty. Either way, I added about 1/3 cup more almond milk than what was recommended. I also chose to swirl the peanut butter in at the end, just for fun. Next time, I might half the oats. Or leave them out all together. Because grain free is great. We dipped chocolate bears, animal crackers, gluten free bunnies, and pineapple into the delicious dip.

Cookie dough dip. Un-eaten eggs from Pad Thai in the background. Oops.

Everyone loved this dip! Even the guys (not pictured).

Next up was a lemon-blueberry pie. I used inspiration from The Crosby Kitchen and Gluten Free Fix which are both blogs that are new to me. I love the world of vegan/gluten free blogging. Always new things to discover!

I made a mock graham crust from Gluten Free Fix. I used coconut oil in place of butter. Amazing. I may never, no... I will never, make graham cracker crumb crust again. Why go to all the trouble of grinding up grahams when almond meal is already ground! Plus it makes a grain-free, gum-free, processed-free crust. I am in love.

I followed Crosby's vegan lemon tart filling recipe almost exactly, except I used 2 1/2 TBSP cornstarch instead of using ANY flour (for gluten free). When the pie came out of the oven, it was a bit too brown and I feared it would scare my non-vegan friends. So, rather than placing blueberries on top, I simmered some fresh blueberries with 1 TBSP coconut sugar and the juice of half a lemon to make a glaze. To cover the brownish-yellow. It worked beautifully. Everyone loved it and no one cared it was vegan, even after I told them.

And finally, I wanted to celebrate a BIG milestone with one of my Monday kids, but I wanted a somewhat healthy treat. So I made some gluten free, vegan, mini strawberry tarts. I used inspiration from Gluten Free Fix, again. I left out the whipped cream. The only other change I made was omitting the gelatin. I had planned to use agar agar, but I couldn't find it. So I decided just to omit, given how beautifully gelatinous my blueberry glaze turned out (above) without either gelatin or agar agar. Not sure how well they will stick together, but they sure look pretty!

Alas, a wonderful weekend of baking. Apologies if the links are frustrating. I just don't feel right about posting another blogger's recipes with such minor modifications. But, now you have three awesome new blogs to check out! You're welcome. :)

Carrot Cake Breakfast Cupcakes

I got a new food processor for my birthday! And I love it. It is a 7 cupper, quiet and it pulverizes food about 90 billion times more effectively than my old 3-cup FP.

What did I not get for my birthday? A cake. Why? Because I'm a picky, picky lady. I obviously didn't want gluten, dairy, or eggs in the picture. And I also didn't want weird, unknown vegan and gluten free ingredients, such as gums, margarines, or other chemically produced shenanigans. I did want carrot cake. Because my momma always made me (each of us) cake for our birthday. And I always wanted carrot. Much to my older brother's dismay. So, my birthday present to you, carrot cake breakfast cupcakes with coconut cream, is a twist on a nostalgic favorite.

Cake Ingredients:
1 c almond meal/flour
1/2 c coconut flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 T cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 T diced crystallized ginger
1 T pumpkin purée
2 flax eggs
1/4 c honey
2 T melted coconut oil
1.5 cups grated carrots (about 6 carrots)
3/4 cup chopped pineapple (I thawed some frozen pineapple)

Topping Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk (not light)
1 tsp stevia
1 tsp cinnamon

First, the day before you want cupcakes. mix the topping ingredients in a container with a lid. Put it in the fridge. This will allow the cream from the coconut milk to rise to the top. If you have a high tolerance for frustration, you can try, multiple times, to skim the cream off the top and whip it into a fluffy topping. If you want to save your sanity, just skim and plop the cream on top of the cooled cupcake. I digress...

Now for the cake. Grate your carrots! It is a good thing I hate this part. Otherwise, I'd have carrot cake every week. What is that you say? The FP has a grating attachment? What a wonderful reason to make carrot cake more often!

Here we go, carrots! Cut them into similarly sized pieces.

It's working! Instant grater carrots.

Grated carrots in less than 3 minutes.

On a side note, organic carrots taste like a completely different product than conventional carrots. Reason number 204828375236420394 to buy organic.

Transfer carrots to a bowl. Mix in pineapple, flax eggs, coconut oil (melted!) pumpkin and honey.

In another bowl, mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, crystallized ginger.

Add the wet to the dry. Or the dry to the wet. And mix until blended. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Cool and top with coconut cream, as described above. If you are interested in sharing your cupcakes with your coconut-disliking, cream cheese loving husband, you can leave a few unfrosted so he can top his cupcake with another form of frosting.

Cream cheese (business) in the front. Coconut cream (party) in the back.

Up close and personal

Mmmmm. Happy belated birthday to ME!

I dubbed these "breakfast cupcakes" because again, they are healthy enough to eat for breakfast. At least on your birthday. And because the texture is closer to a muffin than a cupcake. I think omitting the pineapple might help. If you try it, let me know in the comments below.

Getting frisco-y

Place the top cookie and you've got yourself a Frisco.

What a difference a week can make! I'm halfway through my 2x/wk x 3 weeks of ART. I've had another PT evaluation. And, perhaps most news-worthy, I'm attempting another return to running number. Comeback number three. The new additions to my rehab include low-dye arch taping (below), ultrasound, and a tweak to my calf stretch to avoid compensatory eversion and keep my posterior tibialis happy.

I also have a better understanding of why my foot and ankle share the hurts. And have resolved to wear a shoe or tape (no bare feet) at all times until my foot pain is a distant memory.

I'm not getting my hopes up too high and I'm not going to be pushing the limits, but I am feeling good about this.

Wrinkles. What happens when you tape your own foot.

As expected, with the potential for running comes an increased loathing of cross training. So, Saturday I headed to Velocity Cycle Studio in Powell for a great 60-min spin class.The studio is in the back of a personal training gym and has about 8 bikes.  The class was great! Exactly what I needed to break up the monotony. The teacher warned us that interval training was on the menu. I wasn't intimidated. After one-song warm-up, the intervals set in. About halfway through song number two, my heart rate was high and I was thinking, "I am SO out of shape." But much to my surprise, without too much coaxing, almost naturally, my thoughts turned into "Wow, I haven't worked this hard in a while." My heart rate has stayed in the 150-160 range for most of this cross training quarter. It is no wonder why I felt uncomfortable when my HR was pushed near its maximum. I haven't training like this, via running or cross training in over three months! As I said, the class was great, but really the highlight of Saturday was this quick and subconscious change in mindset. Tayler has told me all along, "your foot is pissy for a reason." Maybe cross training will teach me something after all.

Enough mushy mush stuff. The real reason you visit this blog isn't to hear of my petty foot drama. It is for the food. Am I right? Today I set out to make another version of gluten free deep dish pizza and some carrot cake cupcakes to celebrate a belated birthday with... myself. I ended up with an extra flax egg. Not a bad problem to have. So I ended up making some peanut butter cookies. They reminded me of the peanut butter cookies at Pasquale's Italian Restaurant, specifically of the delicious cookie they use to make a Frisco. What is a Frisco, you ask? It is a Reese's Cup/Peanut Butter Blossom combo on steroids. More specifically, it is creamy peanut butter and melted  chocolate (that has solidified) smashed between TWO peanut butter cookies and drizzled with more  melted chocolate. It is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. And it will cost you about half the amount of dessert at any other restaurant. Needless to say, I have missed Pasquale's and their Frisco since going dairy/egg/gluten free. I have been meaning to recreate it, but hadn't made a peanut butter cookie worthy of the name. Until today.

Gluten free, vegan peanut butter cookie:

1/2 c oats
1/4 c coconut flour
1/2 c coconut sugar
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 t baking powder
1/8 t baking soda
1/4 t vanilla
1/4 c non-dairy milk

1/4 c add ins, if desired- chocolate chips, raisins, peanuts, etc

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all ingredients. The peanut butter can be hard to blend in, so you may want to plan on being patient or just use a hand mixer. Scoop onto cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Cool completely.

Delicious vegan, gluten free peanut butter cookie

To make the Frisco-
1-2 T creamy peanut butter per person. I love Trader Joe's creamy.
melted chocolate (did you know Trader Joe's chocolate chips are vegan?) OR homemade vegan, loaded chocolate (recipe below)

Homemade vegan loaded chocolate:
Coconut oil
Chocolate greens powder (Barleans, Amazing Grass GreenSuperfood, etc)

Melt coconut oil and mix in chocolate greens powder. Put it in the fridge to harden 10-15 minutes. Melt ever so slightly again, if needed. You want the chocolate to be slippery enough to get out of the bowl but it can still be in hunks.

Melty and delicious vegan chocolate sauce.

To assemble to Frisco (first in words, then in pictures)

1. Turn your cookies upside down
2. Spread chocolate on the bottom of one cookie.
3. Spread peanut butter on top.
4. Add more chocolate on top of the peanut butter
5. Top with another cookie

Voila! Best dessert ever. And save the rest of that chocolate sauce for your Strawberry Chocolate Chip Milkshake. You'll be glad you did!

Vegan, Grain-Free and Nut-free Chocolate Brownies with Mint Topping

Next week is Golden Gopher's birthday (henceforth referred to as GG or Geej). But today was the last day we would both be at work before her birthday. So we celebrated today. Geej loves the chocolate mint brownie from Sugar Daddy's, so I have started a tradition of chocolate mint creations when celebrating with her.

Now, creating treats for co-workers has become a challenge. Moreover since my cleanse, but even before. You see, Tiny Dancer is allergic to ALL nuts and eggs. Meanwhile, Crunchie Bar and I are still holding strong with gluten-free and dairy-free eating.  The challenge was to make a delicious, chocolate-mint creation that was (deep breath) gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free and free of all products processed in a facility with nuts. Oh, and it meant I couldn't use my food processor or blender, which have weekly, if not daily, contamination with nuts or nut products.

Challenge accepted.

I scoured the net. I really wanted something without tofu since I didn't think I could get it creamy enough without electricity. I couldn't find something that didn't have nuts as a substitute for grains. Or eggs as a substitute for flour. Or dairy in the frosting. I was also afraid black or garbanzo beans wouldn't mash up without a blade.

So, I decided to try an original creation. Chocolate brownies with white beans with avocado mint chocolate chip frosting and a chocolate shell. The result? Complete indulgence.

I wanted to use a sugar with a lower glycemic index. I ended up using white sugar out of necessity when I noticed my date sugar had a nut warning on the label as I was filling the measuring cup. Phew!

Here is what you need:

6 T pumpkin

3/4 cup white beans soaked and cooked

6 T melted coconut oil

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup cocoa (Hershey's, to be nut-contaminant free)

1" of a vanilla bean, scraped or 1 tsp vanilla extract

2 avocados

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp mint extract

1/4 cup + an extra 1 cup "Enjoy Life" chocolate chips

In a ziplock bag (or in your food processor if nut contamination is not a concern) mash beans and pumpkin. I did this with a rolling pin and then with me hands. Pour into a bowl. Add melted oil, baking powder, sugar, vanilla and cocoa and stir until combined. Spread into greased 9x9 baking pan or muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes (baking pan) or 15 minutes (muffin pan). Cool completely.

In the meantime, peel and mash the avocados in a bowl. I used my hand mixer. The beaters had been removed and cleaned compulsively. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar while beating. Stir in extract and chips. When brownies are cool, spread with mint frosting. If you are worried about the frosting browning, don't be! It doesn't! But if you are, add 1 T cocoa and it will be brown from the start.

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl 3 x 15 seconds, stirring between intervals. Spread on top of mint frosting.  I think the extract prevented the avocado from browning.

The frosting is a bit more like a mousse because it is rather runny I read something about adding melted coconut oil to solidify the texture but I forgot to add it to this batch.

Everyone LOVED these. Well, Crunchie Bar, Tiny Dancer and I did. Geej thought the flavor was good but wasn't sure about the texture. Two out of three ain't too bad. My other two Wednesday co-workers were out sick today (not at all related to brownies) so they didn't get the change to weigh in. We will see what the Tuna has to say!

Brownie pan at the end of the day. Looks like success.

Variations of this recipe are definitely in my future!

In other news, I am contemplating calling Tiny Dancers and Crunchie Bar Juniors' allergist for some testing. Details to come, as available.

These are a few of my favorite things.

It's 12pm, and I haven't gotten out of bed yet. Well, I have, but only to rinse my sinus cavity (hold on, I'll explain), take a decongestant, and make a smoothie. I suppose I can no longer live in denial and admit to myself that I'm sick. No running, today or tomorrow. Under normal circumstances, if someone instructed me to go a day without spinning my wheels a little bit, it'd be a miracle if I listened to them. If I did by slim chance, I'd be surprised if it didn't drive me borderline nuts. Clearly I'm pretty sick, because there is not a single cell in my body that wants to run. Or shower. Or eat solid food. Or perform any task that requires functioning on a higher level than that of say, a toddler.

Sometimes I think of me as two different people: sick-Tayler and me-Tayler. Sick-Tayler refers to me before I gave up eating all the allergens that I go without now. I was sick, tired, miserable, and frankly, not nearly as good as me-Tayler, or present-day Tayler. Of course, I'm sick today, but Sick-Tayler being sick was a totally different story than the girl most of you know being sick. Before, being sick was much much more than a physical thing;  it had heavy emotional and mental effects. Before, I still had the brain, personality, and all the physiological traits that I have now, but it was like someone had taken a little gray veil and pulled it tightly overtop, dulling and restricting them. You could see through the gray haze what was inside, but it wasn't anywhere close to what it could be.

No one likes being sick, so to say "I admit that I hate being sick" would be a stupid statement. I still am slightly annoyed that I'm sick, but I'm not fixated on the work that I'm not getting done, the miles that aren't getting run, and all the other things on my to-do list that are going to go untouched. I'm in attack mode: be proactive as possible to help my immune system beat the shit out of this bug who has robbed me of a sunny afternoon 400m session. I got a decongestant. I've been taking echinacea and zinc. Instead of eating any junk that sounds appetizing, I'm slamming juices and smoothies with as much nutrition as I can cram into about 16oz.


Being sick is obviously not what the title of this entry references. Among the things I that I do like is Brother's Drake mead. If you don't know about mean, it's just wine made with fermented honey instead of grapes.  Isn't that a lovely little shot? That was taken at Bodega where they have a cocktail on the menu with the Drake elixir and a splash of ginger ale. Divine. I like to rep the local businesses. However, I advocate avoiding the sauce when you're sick (yes, even in that Hot Toddy.)

I love these temporary tattoos. I exercised a little retail therapy whilst licking my sick-wounds today and bought the awesome chubby baller-man.

I love this mango veggie smoothie from Naked Juice. Anything with sweet potato in it is fine by me.

I love this fresh juice of lemon, ginger, celery, grapefruit, and green apple. I can't say enough about lemon juice. It's antioxidant power is beastly; have you ever put lemon juice on sliced apple or avocado to keep it from turning brown? I want that awesomeness in my gut.


Another one of my favorite things: flavors for smoothies that involve non-drinkable foods desserts (cake, pie, cookie...). You might notice a pattern. Red velvet cake, snickerdoodle, German chocolate cake, key lime pie. You get the point. I could keep going. Another one of my favorite things: Amazon Subscribe and Save. Ironlady, another member of the Columbus Running Company family who is also gluten and dairy intolerant, told me about it and recommended it as a great place to get a huge selection of gluten free products with free shipping and and discount for subscribing. Choose your own shipping frequency. No contracts. Cancel anytime. Seriously. After going through 4 cans of pumpkin last week, I decided to add that to the list of things Amazon sends me on a monthly basis. Ridiculous?

Maybe. But it's wonderful for everything, including desserts in a glass. Cue electro dance mix and boogie to the blissful thoughts of cool, creamy pumpkin pie through a straw. I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan, probably because compared to chocolate pecan or nonveggie-based pies it tastes a little...healthy. It's a different story if you throw some vanilla coconut milk ice cream on top. Then I'm sold. Before I gave up the cow, I would die a little bit inside when Edy's pumpkin ice cream was discontinued post-Thanksgiving season. This smoothie is basically like an Edy's pumpkin milkshake, but with Superman nutritional value. To kick it up even one notch further, I add Trader Joe's Very Green powder to all my smoothies. It looks like mold. It goes completely unnoticed in smoothies. I feel good when I know I'm drinking chlorophyll. And no, I'm not kidding. I'll hide as many good-for-you things in a smoothie as I can without it turning into a non-dessert, so I threw in 3 aspsaragus spears for a little extra zinc content. Spinach or any other green would work, and zucchini is pretty easily camoflaged as well. 

Pumpkin Pie in a Glass

 Ingredients


1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
tsp vanilla extract
3 asparagus spears (optional)
3 oz silken tofu
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Very Green powder (optional)
3-4 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender until well combined. Since you can't lick the inside of a glass, I suggest serving in a bowl.

Monday Pick-Me-Up: Microwave Cake for One!

Today was a remarkably good Monday. I noticed that when my days are slamma-jamma busy, it puts me in a good mood. Weird. But the big reason it was a good Monday was that I was able to run 12 glorious minutes at the Monday Night Run!!

I've been in a melted chocolate and peanut butter on fruit kick the past three days, trying to finish up some left over fondue. Today was day one without fondue. I needed something to fill my chocolate peanut butter void.

Enter: chocolate peanut butter cake for one. Vegan and gluten free.

Ingredients:
1 T coconut oil
1 T pumpkin
2 T garbanzo bean flour
1 T rice milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 T date sugar. Or you could use 2 T any sugar, to taste.
2 tsp agave
1.5 tsp cocoa powder
Crunchies as desired- I used about 1/2 T "Enjoy Life" chocolate chips
1 T peanut butter

Here is how it went down.
1. Melt coconut oil in a bowl in the microwave. 3 x 15 seconds ought to do the trick.
2. Swirl oil around to coat bowl
3. Add all ingredients except peanut butter and mix
4. Add dollop of peanut butter in the middle
5. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula and cover peanut butter with batter
6. Microwave 2 x 30 seconds
7. Eat out of the bowl or invert onto plate and eat

In college, my bestie Jen-Jen and I would add a splash of milk/non-dairy milk to all our baked goods. Probably to make up for the lack of fat. So, I added a splash of rice milk to the top, which is why this photo looks glittery. And festive on a Valentine's Day plate! Also left over from the fondue/party.

Even better: a brownie recipe for an allergy-free crowd...coming soon!

Priorities, perspective.

Sundays are habitually a day of reflection for me, a hybrid of the diminuendo of the preceding week and the crescendo into Monday and the warp speed of the week. I do a lot of talking to myself on Sundays. Literally, I will have a conversation with myself. Out loud. I'm not sure what it is about the thinking process that is enhanced for me with just spoken word, but no matter the context, problem solving happens for me most efficiently if I explicitly say out loud what it is that I have, where I want to get, and then stumble along various paths until I find the right one.


I've decided that life is just one big balancing act-or perhaps more like a continuous series of balancing acts one after the other separated by little blips that might shuffle the positions of priorities on their totem pole of utility. There are two tricks, then, that we need to be able to identify: the first is actually deciding what our priorities are and which ones are most important. The second is then teeter-tottering appropriately given the leaders on the priorities totem pole. The second is tough, but nearly impossible if you can't explicitly identify what is truly important to you. The more I ponder this, the more I realize that many people are trying to do just that: run the balancing act without the proper weights installed on either end.


We, as people, are so aware of so many things, including the other people around us and those that are far away from us no matter what distance metric you use. We're aware enough of the moon and its properties, which is over 238,000 miles away, that serious consideration of colonizing it has been tossed around. Why, then, is awareness of ourselves so elusive? So elusive, in fact, that the lack of self awareness is not even a second thought to the majority of us? It requires an extra muscle, an extra oomph to shove us into a perspective that lets us see what we're doing in a way that makes us ask why we do what we do and how what we do effects everyone else around us. It requires work, and that I think is the answer to the previous question-why so many of us don't do it.


I've never been an unhealthy eater. I've always been into the idea of taking care of myself above the average maintenance standards that most would agree are "normal." However, it wasn't until becoming a mostly-vegan and a 90-100 mile/week girl that I became immensely aware of my eating habits and how I made food decisions on a day-to-day basis. I am certainly not perfect, nor do I expect to be, but each day I feel like I get better and better at being completely aware of what I'm putting into my body and why. Most people would say that running 100 miles in a week is grounds for being a garbage disposal-any and every food is fair game. The reality is precisely the opposite: my body undergoes far more stress than the typical person, making it even more important  that I flood this thing with as much nutritional value as I can given the amount of food I can comfortably take in on a daily basis. 


Running is a funny thing. Some days, running dropkicks my appetite into full gear, but if the exercise bout is intense enough, it really does a lovely job of pissing on all my desires to ingest solid food. The idea of choking down a bowl of oats with nut butter and fruit is enough to make me dry heave immediately (or even an hour after) some of the mid-September 20 mile marathon work days. It's then that you have to plan: I can (have to) stomach liquid. What can I get in that can be liquid form? Later in the day, I have to ask what did I not get in earlier that I need to have now?  I stumbled on this article on http://www.seriouseats.com. A meat-eating manly man takes a "30-day vegan challenge" and kept a daily journal about his experience. It was clear from his writing that he very much intended to go back to his burger-and-wing lifestyle after the challenge and that the challenge wasn't going to do any magical transformation and veggie enlightenment. However, I found great pleasure in reading this statement he makes on day 6 of the challenge:

"Veganism has forced me to be constantly aware of what goes into my mouth and this has consequently resulted in a big decrease in calories that I consume and an increase in the regularity of my meals."

I don't believe veganism is for everyone. If you're cool with eating hormone-free chicken, then by all means, nomnom on some of that.  I'm completely cool with eating some forms of seafood. But I will say that it unquestionably benefits everyone to be aware of what you're eating, when you're eating it and why. The relationships that people develop with food are extremely interesting to me. From a biological point of view, food is simply the fuel we put into our bodies to live. Ben Franklin was the one who said "eat to live, not live to eat."  Most people don't have an emotional attachment to the unleaded that they throw in their car. I also don't think that one should sacrifice flavor, taste, and the occasional indulgence for optimal nutrition. It all goes back to balance and moderation-that annoying teeter-totter. 


I don't have time to cook is something I hear all the time, and I'm here to tell you that you don't have to spend tons of time on a meal for it to rock your tastebuds and be good for you. I'm constantly eating on the move; I'm a grazer and eat fairly constantly all day long rather than eating separate, designated meals. Cue breakfast on the go:




 Red Velvet Cake Smoothie, v2.0


Ingredients


1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 swiss chard leaf (or your favorite green)
1/4 cup roasted beet puree
1/4 summer squash
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp coffee grounds
3 oz. silken tofu (I just used 1/5 of the package)
pinch of sea salt
tsp vanilla extract


Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.






One of my favorite snacks doesn't require a recipe, but it's genius:

PB&J Boats


Ingredients


1 medjool date
1 tbsp peanut butter


Cut the medjool date like a hotdog bun; remove the pit. Stuff with peanut butter. Inhale. Repeat.









I like to eat a reasonable combo of carbs and protein post-workouts. No, I do not bring my food scale and make sure I'm eating a ratio of 4:3. If I'm in a reasonable neighborhood of that ratio, I'll chalk it up as a win. These dudes taste so good, I feel kinda like a rebel eating them right after I've stepped off the track:

White Chocolate Pistachio Protein Bars
Inspired by Chocolawtay


Ingredients


For the shortbread layer:
1 cup GF oat flour
1 1/2 scoops vanilla protein powder*
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/8 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (or just more vanilla)
2 tbsp stevia powder





For the pistachio layer:
1 cup pistachio butter* (no salt, no sugar added)
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp honey
2 medjool dates
3 scoops vanilla protein powder*
pinch sea salt


For the white chocolate layer:
2 tbsp almond butter
4 oz. white chocolate
tsp honey


1 scoop = 30g


Line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment or wax paper.


For the shortbread: combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. The consistency will become that of stiff dough. Press the dough into pan and place in freezer to set while you prepare the second layer.


For the pistachio butter layer: to prepare the pistachio butter, place 1 cup of roasted pistachios in food processor and process until butter has formed. Since the oil content of pistachios is lower than that of most nuts, this may take a while and you may have to stop the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. If necessary, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil to help develop butter. Once the pistachio butter is prepared, add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and combine. This dough will be looser than the shortbread layer. Press the dough onto the shortbread and place in freezer to set.


For the white chocolate layer: place all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 10-second increments until the chocolate is melted and ingredients are combined. Spread onto the chilled bars. Work quickly, as the chocolate sets fast on the cold surface. Refrigerate until the chocolate has just barely hardened and remove and slice the bars. Store in refrigerator and remove ten minutes before noshing to soften. 

Red Velvet for Iceman, Chococado for me.

First post. I must say, I was a little overwhelmed. First impressions are very important, and I've thought extensively about how to make this post just perfect. It has to pull the readers in and give a sense of who you really are, what you stand for and why. You need to be funny. But not lame funny. Or too funny! But don't be too methodical and logical. Don't be dull. Don't curse too much! Make sure you appear informed and knowledgable...dear lord.

I just finished up a cleanse. I will do these periodically (I will shoot for 4 times annually) just for digestive "maintenance" if you will. Yeah, I hear what you're saying. Aside from a small handful of people, I'm sure you're thinking something along the lines of hippie or weirdo or...well, probably a whole slew of  things far worse than that. I'll go ahead and be up front: I have the mouth of a sailor, and I don't really give a sh!* what you think. I know that I've spent an extensive amount of time thinking about my body, why it behaves in ways that I don't like, and what I can do to fix it.

I don't know anyone else that's spent as much time pondering the subject, and I know that I've figured a lot of things out and am doing a lot of things that works for me. I'm not a medical doctor; I'm a statistician. I have done a ridiculous amount of reading from various sources, and I know how to problem solve, but I've never taken a single nutrition class. A bit about me: I'm horribly curious. I ask tons of questions. I get almost as many answers. Repeated empirical evidence, though not proof, is pretty much enough to convince me that these "cleanses" (which might be mistaken for torture by some) work. In fact, this week is the most normal my digestive system has felt in a long long time. To top it off, I had settled on a full 72-hour cleanse, and since I have been feeling so good, I have just finished day 5 following the rules save the two half cups of cold-brewed coffee split between yesterday and today, a handful of strawberries, and a cashew cookie Larabar.

And truthfully, I don't feel too deprived. I do miss texture; all my meals have either been juiced or pureed. And everything has been raw, and while I'm down with raw food, sometimes I just wanna roast those veggies. I thought I'd share a "recipe" with you that makes me believe that I could keep up this cleanse (almost) indefinitely. I had dessert tonight. Yeah. For real. Skinny vegan girl eats dessert. Believe it. Every night. Tonight: behold the chococado frosty with sea salt.

Like a Wendy's frosty in a bowl. And the sea salt. I know, you're doubting me. But stop it. I know what I'm doing. Just try it. You'll never eat chocolate without it again. It makes sense. Salty sweet. People dip their fries into their frosties. This is why.

Rich, creamy, almost zero sugar, full of healthy omega-3's, protein, and fiber. And tastes GOOD. Listen, I don't eat s*@! that tastes bad. This is good. My buddy Iceman is cleasing right now and tryin' to quit the horrible white beast we all know as sugar. Don't get me started on sugar. It'll kill you. I'm meeting him in the morning at Highbanks for some easy miles, and I'm bringing him a red velvet cake smoothie. Yeah, liquid cake that adheres to a very restrictive cleanse. Magic. Vegan magic.

Both were good enough to have me tilting the blender pitcher high above my head to suck down the last drop.

Chococado Frosty with sea salt


1 avocado
1/6 package silken tofu (I used organic)
1 - 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Stevia to taste
sea salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth and pour into a shallow container; freeze overnight. After frozen, thaw container so that you're able to break up the mixture and add to food processor or blender. Add almond milk as needed to thin to desired consistency. Top with course sea salt. Eat, lick bowl, be happy.

Red Velvet Smoothie

1/2 avocado

1/4 package silken tofu (I used organic)

1 - 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

tsp butter extract (don't worry, it's vegan!)

2 heaping tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp beet juice

Stevia to taste

pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Inhale.