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It may make me sound basic, but avocado toast is probably my favorite breakfast (or snack, or lunch) ever. It can be dressed up so many ways, I never get tired of it! If you’ve clicked over here, that means you and I are kindred spirits and I’m glad you’re here. I’m excited to share some of my old and new favorites with you. Shoot me an email, or leave me a comment with your favorite toppings!
If you follow me on Instagram and happen to be a habitual story-watcher, chances are you’ve seen my fuzzdogs. Just add Crazy Dog Lady to my list of eccentricities. I won’t be mad about it. For those not in the know, I have a 2 year old Shih Tzu named Remington vonWigglebottom (not joking) and a now 13 years young Lhasa Apso named Sparkle. I don’t usually throw them birthday parties–I mean, I totally have before… just not always on consecutive years–but I figured my OG needed a big day for the big 1-3. Her actual birthday was May 1st, so I’m a little late. Better late than never!
We’re dog sitting right now, so we were able to include Ollie as well. I threw this together this morning, figuring Miss Sparkle needed some fun in her life. Looking at the pictures, it doesn’t exactly look like she had fun, but I’m sure she appreciated the effort.
PS You can find this happy birthday banner here, and those cute pom banners here and some similar mini party hats here!
If you’re interested in these pupcakes, I wrote down the recipe for y’all. Because our pups don’t eat much (if any) people food, I limited their intake today to just a few bites…sorry little friends. No tummy aches (or barfing on my floor) allowed today. And then they all got a few baby carrots as treats. Those dogs go nuts for carrots.
PUPCAKES
Makes about 4
1 c whole wheat flour
1 egg
1 t baking soda
1 c shredded carrot
1/4 c. PB2* (mixed with water) + ~1 c. to frost pupcakes
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c water
Preheat to 350. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. You don’t need to worry about mixing wet and dry separately…. they’ll turn out just fine. If the batter is too dry, add a bit more water until everything is wet. Bake for 20 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few crumbs. Let cool and “frost” with more mixed up PB2.
*PB2 is powdered peanuts that, when mixed with water, makes peanut butter. If you’re making this for your furbabies, make sure you’re using something like PB2 or a peanut butter that contains only peanuts. It’s much better for their tummies.
So, while I may be a little cuckoo about my fuzzy friends, there’s no denying they live good lives. Tell me, do you celebrate your dog’s birthdays? Have you ever thrown a party for them? Do you think I’m a little crazy? 😉
These dense, power-packed muffins are tasty and a great snack or grab-and-go breakfast for busy mornings. They have no added sugar, wheat, dairy or eggs so they’re vegan and all that good stuff. And yes, they have beans in them (whaaa?). Don’t think about it, you won’t taste them or feel their texture, I promise.
I love these guys for a quick after the gym snack. Don’t let the long list of ingredients daunt you, half of them go into the food processor in one easy step. Give these muffins a try, my house loves them and I never feel bad about eating a second.
These beautiful gold measuring cups and spoons are courtesy of Styled Settings. I can’t get over how pretty they are! They’re the perfect pop of color in my otherwise white kitchen. We moved in 6 months ago, and I still can’t figure out what color (if any) I want in the kitchen, so we’ve left it pretty simple.
If you’re looking to add some color to your place settings and cooking utensils, you have to check them out. I’m eyeballing their gorgeous boho place settings right now…. Maybe I can convince Brian that gold eating utensils are absolutely essential for such a white kitchen….
Preheat: 350
Bake Time: 30-40 minutes
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Makes: ~15 muffins
1/4 c. black beans–cooked and drained
1 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
15 dates, pitted
2 t. vanilla extract
1 T. orange zest
1/4 c. coconut oil
1 1/2 c. oats blended into flour + 3/4 c. whole oats
3 t. cinnamon
1 t. allspice
1/4 t. salt
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
3 T. arrowroot powder
3-4 medium carrots, grated
1 medium apple, chopped small
1/2 c. unsweetened dried cranberries
1/2 c. nuts of your choice (pecans are awesome in this recipe)
1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine black beans, applesauce, dates, vanilla, zest and coconut oil and puree into a thick paste. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine oat flour, oats, cinnamon, allspice, salt, baking powder and soda and arrowroot powder. Take your puree mix and add it to the dry ingredients, stir to combine well. The mixture will be dry and not like a batter at all. Don’t panic. 😉
Add carrots and apple, then fold in the cranberries, nuts and coconut until just combined.
This mixture will be thick and almost dry. Scoop it into sprayed muffin tins, and pack down. These guys really don’t rise, so fill to the top.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. The tops will be a little golden and the centers will be set. Allow to cool. This recipe makes about 15 muffins.
Let me know in the comments if you make them! I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Send nooooods.
I meant to post this earlier today, but if you follow me on Instagram and saw my stories, I had a bit of an adventure this morning. I had some curtains ordered that were delivered to the wrong address and I went to pick them up from the gentleman who received them and was kind enough to call me.
Has that ever happened to you? Would you go to a stranger’s house to pick up a package?
Anywho, I made this Asian Tuna Salad yesterday for lunch and it was so good, I made more for dinner! I love how light and summery this feels. The tang of ginger with the roasty sesame oil…Ugh. It’s heaven. This is perfect as leftovers, too, because that dressing soaks into the soba noodles even more and *hallelujah!* It’s even better tasting, even if it’s not as pretty the next day.
This is the perfect lunch to make en mass for a summertime get together. Be sure to make a double batch of that dressing to use on a salad or as a marinade for chicken, because, quite frankly, it’s BOMB. I was even eating it on plain soba noodles while taking these pictures…. Don’t judge me.
Who says tuna salad has to be weighed down with mayo? Tangy, gingery, garlicky goodness awaits you! **You can also substitute regular lettuce for the soba noodles and have an even lighter, carb-free option!
Asian Tuna Salad w/ Buckwheat Soba Noodles
Makes: 2 servings
Total prep time: 15-20 minutes
For the salad:
1-2 5 oz. cans tuna in water, drained (I used 1 can, but you can up the protein by adding more)
1 bundle buckwheat soba noodles
1/4 large carrot, shredded
1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
~1c . cabbage, shredded
3-4 radishes, chopped small
2 T. cilantro, chopped fine
1/2 bundle green onion, chopped fine
For the Asian dressing:
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/8 c. + 2 T avocado oil
1 T. tamari
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1/4 tsp. fresh ginger, grated fine
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. fresh ground pepper
1/8 t. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Cook soba noodles according to package, rinse with cold water and refrigerate.
Combine ingredients for dressing, whisking well.
In a medium bowl, toss tuna, cold soba noodles, dressing and salad ingredients together, making sure to everything is well coated. Serve cold!
And like I said above, you don’t have to use noodles. Toss all ingredients with some crunchy romaine for a bright summery salad, or just drizzle the dressing over plain tuna and munch away!
That’s what I love about food: there’s no wrong way to do it.
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I drank a lot of coffee growing up. I started when I was about 10! I loved it, but as the years progressed, I realized my beloved drink was beginning to give me a stomach ache.
Nowadays, I can have about a cup. Of decaf. And even then, most days I just stay away from it because I don’t want to deal with the nausea. So I started looking for an alternative to coffee–something with a little caffeine (I’m SUPER sensitive to caffeine, iced tea gets me wired!) but that wouldn’t keep me up at night or give me a sour stomach.
I’ve always been a tea fan, and I just happened to stumble upon matcha one day and, well, game over.
Matcha is made from the entire green tea leaf. Instead of steeping the dried leaves, they are ground into a fine powder and dissolved in water for supercharged health benefits. Matcha contains a class of antioxidants called catechins, believed to have cancer-fighting abilities; it also has high levels of cholorphyll, known to reduce inflammation in the body.
Plus, I like the way it tastes.
It’s smooth and green and super refreshing when blended with my favorite coconut water. It may not be summer yet, but I’m sure dreaming of it while sipping this tasty drink!
Interested in making your own? It’s important to use good quality matcha, or you just won’t get the full experience and health benefits.
The matcha on the right was bought from my local grocery store, a rather inexpensive brand. The one on the left is from my favorite matcha retailer, Mizuba Tea Company. All of their tea comes from their organic farm and 100 year old family matcha tea manufactory in the Uji region of Japan. When I drink my matcha from Mizuba, I know I’m drinking preservative-free, radiation-free, non-gmo pure tea. It’s pretty awesome to know the exact type of quality tea you’re putting into your body.
Since matcha is very finely ground, it needs to be mixed really well or you’ll get green lumps and that is not delicious. You can do this a few ways, depending on the appliances you have: with a chasen in a chewan, (a traditional Japanese whisk and bowl), a shaker bottle (like for protein shakes), or a blender. I use a shaker bottle because I’ve yet to get my hands on an authentic chewan.
Whichever you decide to use, grab it and add:
1 teaspoon of Mizuba Tea matcha powder
2 cups of Coco Vita coconut water (1 regular carton)
That’s it! Shake it! Shake it! Shake it like a Polaroid picture! Ahem. That’s if you opted for the shaker bottle approach, of course. Grab a glass, fill with ice, pour and ENJOY! If you like it a little sweeter, add a dash of honey. Or if you like it a little creamier, add a splash of coconut milk on top!
Now, join me in dreaming of warm summer days.
We live in Arizona, so I can’t really complain when the temperatures get to the 60s and low 70s this time of year, but to me that’s just not warm! The desert has claimed me as her own. I get chilly in anything below 80 degrees.
Be sure to @ me on Insta if you try this recipe! Have a beautiful weekend, friends!
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