Creating a healthy and purpose-driven life.
It’s only a few more days until Fall officially begins! (Five more days to be exact, from the time I’ve written this post up, but who’s counting!) I’m as excited as can be, and I’ve been cooking and baking in the kitchen with fall in mind. All the typical fall flavors are suddenly speaking to me and pumpkin, butternut squash, and cinnamon are in almost every dish (not simultaneously though). I seriously love me some fall flavors!
Is anybody else as into dark sweet cherries as I am? Right now I’m on a cherry kick, maybe due to the ending of summer. (Btw I’m fully prepared for fall, even though fall hasn’t fully hit yet.) I’ve had this smoothie almost every morning for breakfast, and can’t imagine starting my day without it. I don’t know what it is about it that makes it so delicious, but it’s just the right combination of berries and sweetness from the cherries that it blends into a delicious smoothie!
Who doesn’t enjoy brownies? To me, brownies are the perfect compliment to a movie marathon or a ladies’ spa night. A few weeks back I was invited to go to a spa night one of my girlfriends was hosting, and was asked to bring something. I had been dying to have brownies again, so I selfishly decided that was what I was going to do. These brownies were such a hit and I was asked to share the recipe several times!
One of the newer obsessions of Instagram is the ever popular matcha latte. Matcha is a type of green tea, available in powder form. With summer weather having arrived in the DMV area, it makes for a simple yet refreshing treat.
I love starting my day with a hot mug of tea in hand. There’s just something so right about it! It’s comforting, and helps me start the day off slowly. To be honest, I’m kind of a tea fanatic. I buy teas wherever I go. In fact I just brought 6 different kinds of teas from my trip! To me tea is part of my self-care ritual, and in the summer, when it’s too hot for hot tea, it’s a very big part of my normal routine that’s missing.
In the winter the last thing I want to do is go outside. I love running, but I don’t love it enough to brave the ice cold weather. Running while sniffling and teeth chattering is not my idea of a fun time (no matter the health benefits). However I have been loving the weather lately! Yesterday it was a beautiful 70 degrees outside with tons of sunshine to make this wannabe-Floridian happy. So I decided to start my training for the several 5ks I have planned for the summer.
Hey guys,
so each and every time I try to commit to a certain blog schedule, I end up having an issue with my blog….is it a sign? Psh..of course not! Or if it is, I’m going to stay in blissful ignorance! 😉 So I have my wordpress problems all sorted out, and can finally return to posting regularly! It’s half-way through January and I feel like either time has flown by or the new year hasn’t started yet. However, since it IS January, it’s time for a January Favorites again! I have so many new monthly favorites, it’s hard to narrow them down!
I miss fresh berries. I really do! I already am anticipating the return of my favorite fruits and other produce, that are only available in the summer months. However, I’m very grateful for all of the frozen berries one can buy at the local health store year-round! My parents had fixed something similar to this blueberry crumble following a Tosca Reno recipe a year ago. I couldn’t find the same recipe, when my mom was invited to an outing with friends, so I found a similar recipe and changed several ingredients (since I didn’t have the time nor the will to run to the grocery store to buy the necessary ingredients).
Yesterday I ate 10 protein bites. It wasn’t exactly ideal, especially considering how stuffed I was, but they certainly were worth it! Cranberries and pumpkin work so well together! I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin, but this worked perfectly. They generally had me thinking pumpkin cranberry cookies, scones, etc…my mind just goes to all sorts of places in food land! Next time I’ll be trying chocolate chips instead of cranberries, for a dessert-like treat.
Apples, apples, apples! They’re everywhere this season and in all different varieties, too! A staple snack of mine was apple slices with almond butter, but then I realized a perfect healthy dessert or treat would be a dessert “nacho” recipe made with sliced apples! Yes, I’m well aware that they’re not quite what others would consider nachos, but they’re awesome in their own way. So if you’re craving a dessert/snack/post-workout meal, grab some apples from your local grocery store (or your fridge) and get going! 🙂
