Fall is in the Air

That is, if you forget the fact that it's ridiculously hot and humid outside. However, I know that fall is around the corner when I start stocking up on canned pumpkin and notice that other people are doing the same thing due to Whole Foods being almost sold out each time I've shopped. If it were up to me I'd buy every can they had in stock, but I resisted...for now.

First up for my pumpkin adventures is breakfast. I've had hot pumpkin oats and they were delicious, but I much prefer cold oats lately. I've had my share of the typical blog overnight oats, but I wanted something more traditional. Enter: muesli.


Harvest muesli
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 banana, mashed
- 2 tbsp soyogurt
- 2 tbsp non-dairy milk
- 1/2 apple, divided
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tbsp each pumpkin seeds + slivered almonds
- 1/2 tbsp hemp seeds
- Sprinkle of dried cranberries
- Cinnamon and nutmeg, to taste

Instructions
- The night before, soak oats in banana, non-dairy milk and soyogurt.
- The morning of, grate 1/4 of the apple and cut the remainder into bite-size cubes. Add apple and remaining ingredients, stir and eat!


I know this isn't technically traditional muesli since it uses more oats than normal, but this took overnight oats to a whole other level. I LOVED the addition of the apple and using less milk resulted in creamier, heartier oats. It basically tasted like autumn in a bowl; I can see myself eating many of them through the coming months.


The bowl is the one I painted at All Fired Up in Winter Park. I'm in love.

How-To and A New Spice Blend

I was especially excited for breakfast this morning because I was testing out two new things: Dragon fruit and homemade chai spice blend. Thankfully, both turned out fantastic.

How to: cut a dragon fruit

1) Look at it for a moment and soak in its beauty. Seriously, it was hard to cut into this thing.



2) Cut it in half and soak in its beauty once again.



3) Like an avocado, make cube slices with a sharp knife stopping when you hit the peel. Take a spoon and go around the outside of the fruit, applying pressure to pop out the cubes. Put the cubes back inside the shell for a pretty presentation.



That's it! It's very mild and refreshing, similar in texture to a kiwi. I really enjoyed it.

I had this alongside a frosted vanilla chai breakfast cookie (1/2 cup oats, 1 tbsp sunbutter, 1 tbsp rice protein, 1/8 cup soymilk, 1 tbsp coconut, chopped cashews, 1 tsp chai spice blend, 1/2 tsp vanilla) topped with cinnamon banana soft serve.


For the chai spice blend, I mixed together:
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground anise
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp black pepper


It smelled and tasted exactly like drinking chai tea. I LOVED this breakfast cookie creation, and now I'm inspired to make actual cookies using this spice blend. If you make it and want to actually have chai tea, just combine 1 tsp with any black tea and drink up!

I'm feeling incredibly uninspired for dinner ideas and I don't know how to correct it. I've had failed ideas and recipes and I just don't know what to make or what I want. I wonder what will get me out of this food rut because it's honestly bumming me out.

Cookies and Dal

Why is it always nicer to wake up when you know you have a delicious breakfast waiting for you in the fridge? This morning I couldn't wait to get up and finish my yoga session so I could give into this delicious breakfast cookie:


1/2 cup oats, 1 tbsp rice protein, 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp dark chocolate pb, 1/8 cup soy milk, raspberries and gojis topped with banana and a cocoa dusting (I seriously love doing this).



I also love making food presentations look nice. Even though I'm spending time making food look pretty that is just for me, it's nice to treat myself to something that both taste and looks good. Why should we just throw stuff on a plate and eat it? I am important to myself and I deserve to take a little extra time to make things a bit special.

For lunch I decided to make red lentil dal, which is one of the dishes I planned to make last night. It was super simple to make; most time was spent waiting for the lentils to cook.


Red lentil dal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked through
- 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 finger hot chili, de-seeded and minced
- 2 tsp homemade curry powder (or whatever you have on hand)
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp parsley or cilantro, some reserved for garnish
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Add coconut oil to a skillet on medium/medium-high heat. Add aromatics and saute until translucent and softened.
- Once translucent, add curry powder and stir constantly to combine. Once combined, add lentils and vegetable stock (or water). Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until most of the water is absorbed and lentils are tender. Serve hot and garnish with chopped tomato and extra herbs if desired.


I had mine with carrots, kiwi and half of the most best pita I've ever had (from the Winter Park farmers market).


The texture and heat of this dish was spot on, but unfortunately it was too salty for my tastes. I think next time I'll either use water instead of stock, or use salt-free stock. It wasn't overwhelmingly salty, but I tend to like my food on the less salty side. That aside, this dish was easy, fast and deliciously heart warming. Dare I say it was dal-icious? I know, I know.

Work It Out

This morning before my work out I had what I'm calling "brownie batter overnight oats".


The night before I mixed 1/2 cup oats, 3/4 cup soy milk, 1 tbsp flax, 1 packet cacao infusion Amazing Grass and this morning I topped it with a sliced banana, a scoop of dark chocolate pb, a garnish of raspberries and a dusting of cacao.


I want to eat these forever. If only I could afford a tub of Amazing Grass.

I've received a few emails asking me about fitness advice. I'm not a fitness guru and I don't do anything too special when it comes to my schedule, but I figured I'd share my typical weekly workout schedule with everyone, including some advice and tips. Note: I am not a certified personal trainer or anything of the sort, I'm just sharing what worked for me.

The most important bit of advice is that you need to find what works for you. Some people are runners, others swimmers, others take up pilates or yoga. Don't force yourself to do a work out that you don't enjoy because you won't stick to it. Find something (or multiple things) that get you excited about working out and go with it. Engaging in unhappy workouts is a quick way to quit.

Here is my typical week:

Every morning starts with a 20 minute yoga session. I do it right after I brush my teeth and before breakfast to get my energy going and my body warmed up. I switch it up daily (go to Yoga Download for free 20 minute sessions).

Day one: Moderate cardio. I typically do 30 minutes on the elliptical, stairmaster or cross trainer and a 10 minute cool down incline walk on the treadmill.
Day two: Strength training.
Day three: 40-60 minutes of yoga.
Day four: Interval cardio. This usually includes 20 minutes on the elliptical (5 minutes forwards at 5 resistance, 5 minutes backwards at 10 resistance) and then 10-20 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill.
Day five: Strength training.
Day six: 40-60 minutes yoga.
Day seven: Active rest day. This can include yoga or light cardio.

- Don't work out the same muscle groups in consecutive days. If you do choose to do strength training on consecutive days, use different muscle groups (e.g. legs one day, chest/triceps/shoulders the next)

- Always follow up a work out with a good protein source within 30-60 minutes.

- Stay hydrated! You always want to aim for 8 glasses a day, especially if you're working out daily.

- Use intervals when doing cardio. It will improve your endurance and raise your heart rate.

- Most importantly: listen to your body. Push yourself, but don't kill yourself. If you overwork your body, you'll burn out and could harm yourself. I always adhere to the "5 minute rule" if I'm not feeling 100%, in which I give myself 5 minutes of working out and if I feel alright after the time elapsed, I continue, but if not, then I stop and rest.

- Don't beat yourself up if you have to take a rest day, if you have to stop to walk instead of jogging/running, or if you have to use lighter weights than you'd like. Your body knows what it wants and needs and at the end of the day, you're still getting exercise, and that's what matters.

Today was leg day for me. I have a love/hate relationship with leg day because I always end up wobbling out of the gym, but it's such an awesome feeling. I did:

- 3 sets, 10-12 reps.
- 5 minute treadmill warm up. 3.5MPH @ 2.5 incline
- Leg extensions
- Calf raises (using 15lb weight)
- Pilates leg circles (10 clockwise and 10 counter-clockwise on each side and front)
- Hamstring curls
- Wall squats (Hold 30 seconds, 3 times)
- Dolphin plank (30 seconds), side plank (30 seconds each side), dolphin plank (30 seconds)
- 10 minute cool down:
0-3:00: 3.5MPH @ 2.5 incline
3:00-6:00: 3.5MPH @ 5.0 incline
6:00-9:00: 3.5MPH @ 10.0 incline
9:00-10:00: 3.5MPH @ 2.5 incline

Then after walking back in the pouring rain, I refueled with this baby:



- 1/2 cup frozen berries
- 1/2 frozen banana
- Handful of kale
- 1 tbsp each hemp + rice protein
- 1 tbsp spirulina
- 1 tbsp flax
- 1 cup water
- 4-5 ice cubes

Natural protein powa! :D Also, note the Aventinus glass, my new love.

The final piece of advice I can offer is to just go for it. Stop making excuses for not working out and just do it! You can do exercises at home, the gym, or the great outdoors. When all is said and done, it's only an hour or so out of your day. What will you do instead of working out for that hour? Most of us spend much more time than that just lounging around the house. Get up and go! You'll feel better afterward.

New Flavors

I've been craving more of my raw cupcakes for a while. Actually, I've been wanting more since the minute I finished them. Thankfully I had all of the ingredients to whip some up yesterday and some additional ingredients to spice 'em up a bit. I really like how flexible these are and how many flavor combinations can come from just the basic recipe.


The two new flavors are Mexican hot chocolate and vanilla goji berry.

Each start off with the basic recipe. I divided the "dough" into two bowls so it would be easier to make each flavor separately.


For the Mexican hot chocolate, I added 1 tbsp cacao, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cayenne.


For the goji vanilla, I processed softened goji berries into the "dough" and mixed in vanilla.

I used the original frosting for the goji vanilla, but added cinnamon to the Mexican hot chocolate which created a nice color and extra spice.



The Mexican hot chocolate is KILLER! The spice is subtle but you can definitely taste the heat on your tongue. The cayenne lingers a bit but the sweetness from the other ingredients mellows it out and works super well. I haven't tried the goji vanilla yet, but I'm sure it'll be delicious. One day I'll have to get a large amount of ingredients to create a bigger batch because two cupcakes at a time just doesn't work.


Is there anything more satisfying than a cupcake? Cute and decadent.

Also, check out this fluffy cloud I made for breakfast:


Overnight oats (1/2 cup oats, 1 cup soy milk, 1 tbsp flax, 1 tbsp rice protein, vanilla, cinnamon) topped with maple banana soft serve. I just added 1 tbsp maple syrup while processing the soft serve and then drizzled more over top. T'was divine.

Cookie Monster

Disclaimer: I found a 1lb bag of goji berries at an Asian market for $5.99, so there may be goji overload here for a bit.

This morning started off with a delicious breakfast cookie:


1/2 cup oats, 1 tbsp sunbutter, 1 tbsp rice protein, 1/8 cup coconut milk, cinnamon, sea salt, 1/2 mashed banana, goji berries and shredded coconut. Topped with the other banana half. Dee-lish.


Which segues nicely into the cookie creation I made yesterday afternoon!



Go go goji cookies
Makes 12-15, depending on size (I got 13)
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup oats
- 1/4 cup raw sugar
- 1 tsp whole flax seeds
- 1/4 cup goji berries
- 1/4 cup almonds, chopped
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, liquid
- 1/3 cup agave
- 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Combine all dry ingredients aside from goji berries and almonds.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Add wet to dry and mix until batter begins to come together.
- Add goji berries and almonds. Mix again to thoroughly combine, but don't overmix.
- Using 1/8 cup measure*, scoop mixture and press into the cup. The cookie should pop out easily, but if you're worried then feel free to coat the measuring cup with non-stick spray or coconut oil. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. The inside will still feel a little soft, but will harden as they sit out. Allow to cool and try not to eat them all in one sitting.
* If you want smaller cookies, then feel free to measure them out differently. I found this worked best because the batter is on the crumbly side, so pressing it into the measuring cup worked marvelously. Plus, I love big cookies.


This was another recipe that had me going "Oh my God" Usher style. I had to use all my willpower not to eat them all. The edges are crispy and buttery and the insides are chewy and dense. There are nice chunks of oats and almonds and the goji berries have a tartness which offsets the sweetness of the cookie nicely.


These are just...divine. And large. Two adjectives I want in a cookie. Aside from my raw cupcakes, this is the best sweet treat I've ever made.



This afternoon I'm heading to Tampa for my first blogger meet-up! I'm so excited! Have a fab day. :)

Wilderness Champ

Friday I came up with the grand idea to go hiking. Coming from Massachusetts, hiking always meant climbing hills and mountains in beautiful 60-70 degree weather. It meant pretty vistas, a cool breeze, and being elevated. I guess I had that idea of hiking when I decided I wanted to try it in Florida. Unfortunately, I forgot that the sunshine state lacks hills and the vistas I'm used to, but definitely has a plethora of sunshine and heat. I know, hello Captain Obvious, but it didn't register at the time. So, I hiked through the wilderness. By hike, I mean walked along paths in the woods for a long time. Almost four hours to be exact.




It was beautiful, but most of the views looked like this. Long, winding paths surrounded by trees and long blades of grass. I was entranced for about an hour before it all started to look the same.


I saw some turks.


Couldn't resist.

I only packed one bottle of water. Ironically, it was around this time that the fact that I ran out of water started to get to me. I could have drank that entire bucket of horse water, easily.



More water that I couldn't drink.




Thank God for Clif shot blocks. What I didn't bring in water, I brought in Clif products - I packed bars and shot blocks galore. After running out of water and sweating it all out, this girl needed her electrolytes.


I hit the "whine wall" here. I swore, jumped up and down, and complained about the heat and the feeling that I wasn't going anywhere. It all felt like one continuous circle of woods and sandy paths and lizards.

Seven miles later and I heard the sounds of people. Seven miles later and I almost raced to the car with excitement. Seven miles later and I would do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I think I will soon.

Oh, did you want to see some food?


My breakfast this morn'. Protein OIAJ (1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup each water & coconut milk, 1 tbsp rice protein, 'nilla, whipped banana and strawberries) topped with extra banana, strawberries, flax and cinnamon. There are few things better than scooping up every bit of nut butter and few things worse than realizing all your nut butter is gone. Farewell, sweet cashew butter.

Raw-colate

Told you I wasn't done with those puns yet. But, before we get to the most important part of this post, let me introduce you to my new (to me) breakfast: The Fitnessista's breakfast cookie, with a Krystina twist.



I followed her basic recipe, adding 1/2 cup oats, 1 tbsp cashew butter and 1/2 scoop protein powder, then mixing in about 3 tbsp soy milk. For the mixin's I added about 1 tbsp each of goji berries and dried cranberries. Then, I mashed the mixture on my brightly colored plate to set overnight.

After reading comments where people talked about it being too moist, I decided to nix the mashed banana. The end result was something crisper and firmer; I could actually pick it up! So, if you want a more cookie-like 'cookie', then don't add mashed banana to the mix.

In the morning I whipped up some blueberry banana soft serve (~1 banana, small handful blueberries, pinch of cinnamon) and spread it on top of the cookie like frosting. It was DELICIOUS! I love the addition of the soft serve because it adds a layer of creaminess to the dense cookie. Glad I finally tried it!

****

Now, here is a recipe I'm REALLY excited to share with you. I created these on a whim yesterday and they came out beyond yum. I intentionally made a small recipe for three reasons: 1) I wasn't sure how they'd come out, 2) If they came out delicious I feared eating 10 at a time, and 3) I'm going away for a few days and didn't want to make more than I'd use. Feel free to adjust the recipe.




Raw-colate cupcakes
Makes two
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 3 pitted dates
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Pinch of sea salt

Instructions
- Add cashews and dates to a food processor and process until crumbly.
- Dump into a bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir (spoon or hands) until everything is thoroughly combined.

Mixture should look like this:


- Take half the mixture and press into a cupcake liner. It'll take a few minutes, but make sure to pack it tightly and mold it well into the shape of the liner. If you don't pack it tightly enough, the resulting cupcake will crumble too much.
- Set into the fridge or freezer to set while you make the frosting.

Naked cupcakes should look like this:





Easy frosting
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, mostly solid*
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tsp agave, depending on how sweet you want it.
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice

Instructions
- Whisk coconut oil so that it forms a somewhat fluffy consistency. It won't be exactly like frosting, but you want it to be on the creamy side, not a solid mass.
- Fold in remaining ingredients.
- Pop your cupcakes out of the fridge/freezer, spread on frosting to your heart's delight, and pop them back into the fridge/freezer until serving. I topped mine with a little shredded coconut, feel free to omit or top with whatever you want.


* My container was completely liquid, so I put 1/4 cup liquid oil into the freezer to firm up for a few minutes.




Frosted!


Innards. If you can't tell, I eat cupcakes in bed.

Try these. Now. Remember those cupcakes I posted about here? Well, these tasted better. Also, they're arguably healthier. I was worried the frosting would be too coconutty, but it wasn't at all. It tasted like honest to goodness cupcake frosting on top of chewy, fudgey, dense cupcakes! I'm so enamoured with these little guys.