chocolate covered almond cookie dough bites

Sometimes I think I've got my priorities a little screwed up. Like how on most mornings, I have my first cup of coffee pulsing through my veins before I even put my glasses on, or how I waste way too much time scrolling through my Instagram feed before starting school. Or like that time (actually many times) when I went straight to the kitchen for dessert before even showering after a five mile run. Yah. Ew?

Side note: dark chocolate + run = so many endorphins. 

I've found myself baking a lot lately whenever I can find a minute to calm myself.  Most of the things I've been baking, although vegan, haven't really been super healthy. The aftermath of the holiday season has had my tastebuds getting used to sugar. I'm totally all about balance and moderation, but let's just say I've eaten my fair share of cookies. 

So in honor of the new year and getting back on track, let's eat some chocolate! Wait what? Yes! These bad boys are totally yummy and indulgent and can cure the strongest of sweet tooths (sweet teeth?) without any highly refined anything. I'll warn you, these things are dang addictive. But have no fear! They're full of good things. Healthily indulge away, my darlings! 

chocolate covered almond cookie dough bites (R, V, GF) 

3 tbsp. coconut oil, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. almond butter

2 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup or honey

2 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk

1/2 c. ground almonds

1/2 c. coconut flour

pinch of sea salt

1/2 c. dairy free chocolate chips 

1/4 c. raw almonds, roughly chopped 

In a small bowl, combine coconut oil, vanilla, almond butter, sweetener, and almond milk. Whisk until smooth. Add in ground almonds, coconut flour, and sea salt. Mix until well combined. Scoop and roll into balls (about 1 tbsp. each) and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place in freezer to set about 5-10 minutes. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl (3-4 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring between each). Roll balls in chocolate and sprinkle with chop almonds. Place back in freezer to set another 5-10 minutes. Store in freezer. Yields 10-12 balls. 

honey wholewheat cranberry nut bread

Happy 2014, wonderful humans! Can you believe 2013 has come and gone? My brain just can't wrap itself around that fact. 2013 was quite the year for me. It was our first full year in Africa, I had some really tough times with friends, I learned a LOT about myself and about other people {they suck. not all of them though.}, I discovered my deep passion for health and fitness, learned a lot about health, fitness, food, and photography, grew much closer to my wonky-tonk family, and expanded my blog considerably. I've had many, many lessons that I know will get me places in 2014. I'm so ready for a fresh new start and to leave the past behind me. Come at me, 2014! Also, thank you to all you lovely people who read my blog each and every witty and weird post. I heart you big time and I hope this new year is full of rainbows and butterflies. 

I'm not really one to make resolutions. Probably because I have a little trouble with keeping them, but I think that's all the more reason to make a few this year, however small they may be. 1) step out of my comfort zone more often and do things I normally wouldn't. 2) DO MORE FOR OTHERS. 3) run longer distances. 4) experiment more with baking vegan/GF. 5) finish 10th grade early. and 6) dedicate more time to my blog and all you lovely people. 

What are some of your resolutions? The most common is probably "eating better, ya da ya da ya da." AMIRIGHT? It's supposed that people lose motivation and are already slacking in their resolutions by the second week of January. So instead of going from the holidays and stuffing yourself to drinking 5 juices a day, I'd like to suggest easing into healthy eating. You're so much more likely to stick with it then! As we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And sadly, eating cookies or cake isn't the best way to rev up your metabolism first thing in the morning. I have a solution! MAKE THIS QUICK BREAD. It's super quick and easy, has only a few really basic ingredients, is healthy, and highly adaptable! For this one I used chopped nuts and cranberries, but you could chop up different nuts, use different dried fruit, and throw in some seeds for good measure. The world is at your fingertips. 

honey wholewheat cranberry nut bread

2 1/2 c. wholewheat flour

1 c. quick cooking oats

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. honey

1 2/3 c. milk {I used soy}

3/4 c. chopped nuts

3/4 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, and baking soda. Add honey and milk and stir until combined. Gently fold in nuts and cranberries. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 35-45 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.

ginger carrot cake energy bites

I think it's safe to say my family officially thinks I'm crazy for making healthy desserts. They eat them every once in awhile and occasionally approve of them, but they really do have a mad love for anything containing butter, sugar, and flour. I do too, but I really enjoy seeing what I can make healthy without having it taste super overly healthy. It's like a challenge and I do love me a good challenge. My blog roll is a good mix of "normal" baking blogs and healthy baking blogs. I'm all for balance! ;) While I was reading a post earlier, I said "OOOH this shake sounds so good. With cocoa and coffee and walnuts and banana." My mom goes "Soph… Do you ever read NORMAL food blogs?" Yeeeeeeeeeeeees. 

One of my brothers' favorite healthy treats I make are those brownie energy bites and the chocolate chip cookie dough energy bites. They'd probably eat a whole batch of those things if I didn't scream and jump on top of them if they eat more than one. Just kiddingggggg… Kinda. They really love their chocolate so it's easy for them to get behind the chocolate variations of my energy bites. Not sure they'll fall for veggies in these though so I think I'll have this batch to myself. {Yusssssss.}

Okay guys. So we're getting fancy smancy up in herrrrrrrrrr. Not only are we making our own energy bites, but we're filling 'em up with spices and veggies. I promise you it's not as weird as it sounds. Dudes and dudettes! These little energy bite thingy ma bobbers give you a little oomph before a workout, satisfy your sweet tooth without busting your pants button, and taste like CAKE. Life is good. 

I seriously can't quit these things. I have SO so so so so many variations I can't wait to try out. I'm making smaller batches lately so that they're gone quicker, thus enabling me to make more quicker. Mhmmmm. Also, ya know that banana "ice cream" that's basically taking over the interwebs these days? Yah, make that and crumble one of these on top. Dessert for breakfast! 'Cuz that's just how we dooooooo. OOH!! Pssssst. I made a energy bite page for your viewing pleasure. Check itttttttttttt. 

ginger carrot cake energy bites

1/4 c. coconut flakes

1/3 c. raw nuts 

2/3 c. oats

1/2 c. chopped dates, tightly packed

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup {or honey}

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tbsp. milk

1/4 c. shredded carrot {about 1 carrot}

1/4 c. raisins

Place coconut flakes, nuts, and oats in a blender or food processor and pulse until a flour forms. Add dates, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, and milk. Blend until combined. Place dough in a large bowl and fold in shredded carrot and raisins. If the dough seems too wet, you may need to add a handful of coconut or oats until it becomes the texture of a cookie dough. Roll into balls; place in a plastic container and refrigerate. Makes about 7-8 large balls. 

coconut almond granola clusters

Oh you guys. This granola took up basically a whole afternoon of my life! Not like I had anything better to do. But I am stubborn and things gotta be what I want it to be. Thats sounds so horrible… Ehhh well. I took pictures in a different spot than I usually do. Those basically sucked, so I wasted forever and a day only to delete them. Then I retook them, edited them, deleted like a 100, uploaded them, and even now I hardly like them. Then I had this post all written up, closed the page because I thought my eyeballs might fall out since I had been sitting in front of the computer, staring at pictures of granola for about two hours. 

It gets even better. When I went back in, HEY LOOK. All my hilarious, witty writing was GONE. Nowhere to be seen! Shoot me in the face and kill all my dreams of unicorns and rainbows, why don't you. I almost cried. Not even kidding. {Hashtag blogger probs.} On top of that, because of all the shooting and reshooting and moving to and fro from different bowls and what not, the granola was so crispy that it kinda lost it's chunkers. UGH. I initially made it for my pre-gym snacks this week, but it didn't even make it to Tuesday.

So yah, this granola has to be a big deal for me to spend hooooooooours relentlessly working on a post. I think I'm becoming a granola expert, not to toot my own horn or anything. But just click on the granola tab on my sidebar and you'll see what I'm talking about. There's pages and pages {and paaaaages} of the stuff.

I am really picky when it comes to the granola I shove in meh face. It has to be crunchy, crispy, super duper sweet, and CLUMPY. I'm a clump-freak. And if you're a fellow clump-freak, this granola is for you. I've made far too many granola recipes that turn out basically like dry oats. That's disgusting and disappointing. So I set out on a journey… A journey to clumpy granola happiness. 

I did my research on granola and I came up with four steps necessary for that chunkage we just love and adore. NUMERO UNO- egg whites. I've never used egg whites in my granola up until now but have seen many recipes using them. The egg whites add crisp and crunch to the granola. We're heading in the right direction, amiright!? Secondly- quick cooking oats. As much as I love the rustic look of those huge rolled oats floating around my cereal bowl, they're not your friend in this situation. Quick cooking oats are smaller and thus will stick together easier than rolled oats would. We want our oats to stick together. Know what I mean?? Neeeeext- low and slow baking. This ensures that the granola gets evenly baked and all golden brown like we love. Last and most importantly- Minimal stirring. We all know I'm the most impatient lady around so this is where I basically have to sit on my hands, eyes glued to the oven, spatula out of reach. We only stir the granola ONCE through the entire baking process because we don't want to break up their happy little friendships that are being built. {Sorry, I'm tired.} Stick to those steps and you, my friend, are on your way to GRANOLA CLUSTER HEAVEEEEEEN. 

coconut almond granola clusters 

2 c. quick cooking oats

1/2 c. coconut flakes

3/4 c. raw almonds, roughly chopped

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 egg white

1/3 c. dark brown sugar

1/2 c. maple syrup or honey

2 tbsp. oil

Preheat oven to 325ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until evenly combined. Pour onto baking sheet, pressing down with a rubber spatula like you would press down granola bars. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly stir around. Press down again and return to oven. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool before breaking into chunks. Store in a jar or airtight container. 

almond coconut crunch bars

The past few weeks, our life has been so crazy and school has definitely taken the backseat. It seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day for me, even though I feel like I have absolutely no life. Weeeeeeird. After two weeks of doing only a science or math lesson here and there, I'm back to school this week. UGH. I always tell myself if I keep putting it off, I'll pay for it later. And I am. I'm paying alright. After my morning run, I was literally plopped in front of the computer, sitting on my exercise ball for like 6 hours straight studying and catching up on the schoolwork I'd been putting off. The worst part was that I didn't have time to eat a good lunch {I'm so high maintenance.} and ended up eating a bowl of steamed veggies at 2 while studying science. Whenever I have such long days, I always ALWAYS end up in the kitchen. It's approximately 1909998º outside and still quite steamy in the house even though the curtains are closed and we have a million fans blowing in our house that looks more or less like some sort of dark dungeon. The only way to stay cool is by sitting in front of a fan ON HIGH, not moving an inch, with minimal clothing, and some ice on yerrrrr neck. What I'm trying to say is… Turning on the oven was tooooodes out of the equation unless I had a death wish. And I really hate summers in Africa. Yuck.

Ok, so these bars? Ugly, I know. They're definitely not the most photogenic things I've ever made. I absolutely hate when pictures don't turn out the way I'd like {or… Anything for that matter.} BUT. They're so unbelievably quick and easy to make, I'd be some kind of foodie criminal to not share them with you. I've seen recipes for homemade crunch bars popping up on Pinterest and food blogs like some sort of forest fire spreading. I was skeptical when I saw that the base was coconut oil and cocoa powder. GROSS? Nope. It literally tastes like you just melted a whole bunch of chocolate chips. I'm so excited to experiment with that base recipe and see what else I can come up with. But for now, these bars are pretty dang amazing. I feel like I say this every single post {I do, in fact say this every post.}, but these bars are surprisingly healthy, raw, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. My family, who usually totally rips on all my healthy desserts actually loved these and they were gone in about 24 hours. You know they're good, you knooooow ittttttt.

P.S. If you're wondering, no. These are not three of the same picture.

almond coconut crunch bars 

3/4 c. melted coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. liquid sweetener {I used maple syrup, but you could use honey.}

1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 c. raw almonds

2 c. puffed brown rice

1/3 c. shredded coconut

line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper. in a large bowl, combine melted coconut oil, vanilla, sweetener, and cocoa powder. Add in puffed brown rice and almonds. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with coconut. Place in freezer for at least an hour before cutting into squares. Store in freezer. 

banana bread granola parfait

I'm an absolute freak about breakfast. Like a total, legit fuhhh-reeeeeak. You know those people who couldn't care less about breakfast and are like "OOOOH YERRRRRR, I forgot to eat this morning."?? I'm the absolute farthest from that person that you'll ever meet. I go to bed with breakfast on the mind. I wake up with breakfast on the mind. I workout with breakfast on the mind. It's like some sort of disease I have. OOHHHH WEEEE-AAAALLLL. 

Even though I love it, doesn't mean I get bored though. As we all know, I have the attention span of an ADHD ant, so I need to switch it up quite often. I kind of go through spurts with my breakfasts. One week all I want is oatmeal. The next is smoothies. Sometimes eggs. Toast with peanut butter, banana, honey, and cinnamon. Toast with smashed avocado and fried eggs. I love it all. Espeshhhh granola. My favorite way to eat it is with yogurt, but then I realized that dang dairy is what makes my skin get all wonky-tonk. I didn't totally give up dairy because herrroooo, it's one of my favorite foods ever. But I still eat yogurt about once a week to prevent me from opening the fridge and downing a whole container of it. It could happen. 

Anywho, this parfait is pretty dang simple. Banana bread granola- which totally tastes like banana bread. Ironic, no? It's sweet, chewy, and chunky. Mehhh jam. Layered with plain yogurt and sliced 'nerrnerrs. Now you've got yourself a banana-rama-licious breakfast! Rejoice. DISCLOSURE- Usually when I eat granola and yogurt, I just throw it in a bowl with some fruit. It's never layered and pretty like you see herrrrrr. In fact. After I finished the pictures, I just dumped it in a container to eat for breakfast the next morning. HEHHH. Classy. Oh, P.S. Combining the granola, yogurt, and banana in a bowl and letting it sit in the fridge overnight… NOT a bad idea. Like my beloved overnight oats but with a little more chew to it. Noms. 

banana bread granola 

2 c. oats

1/3 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 c. mashed banana

1/4 c. honey 

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 c. banana chips

1/2 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a baking sheet; set aside. In a large bowl, stir all ingredients except banana chips and nuts until evenly combined. Pour onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes stirring about 3-4 times until golden brown. Add in banana chips and nuts and transfer to an airtight container or jar. 

Parfait: 

1/2 c. granola

1 large banana, sliced

1/2 c. plain yogurt

In a small bowl or glass, layer half the granola on the bottom of the glass, half the banana, half the yogurt and repeat. 

salted dark chocolate almond coconut oil cookies

 So the other day while grocery shopping, my brother made this weird face as we trotted on by the health food section {i.e. a little 3 foot shelf full of gluten free flours, molasses, and xylitol. that's aboooout all. } and exclaimed with a questionable tone, "COOOOOconut oil?" I was all like "WHAAAA FOOOO!" I've been wanting to use coconut oil for um ever since I saw it making appearances in healthy recipes all over the interwebulars. So when my brosophegus spotted it I totally freaked out. Likeeeeeeeeee full on freaked. Did a little jig? Sang a little bit? Made a fool out of myself in front of the entire population of the grocery store? Why yes. Indeed I did. No shame.

Immediately my mind went all the places. Cookies. Muffins. Blondies. Cake. Where the heck am I supposed to start experimenting? There's no telling when I'll quit. Or if I ever will.  After discovering that replacing butter with coconut oil seriously didn't change the flavor or texture of cookies, there's no turning back now. I've gone to the dark side. Errr actually, the light side! These cookies kinda blew my mind. Ya know when you try to healthify cookie recipes and use yogurt or banana instead of butter? Things don't go right. Things get cakey and weird and not like how cookies should be. Cookies that are more like muffins are just not okay. BUUU-HUUUUUT. No butter here. And no muffin-y cookies. Mind bloooooooooown.I've been really wanting something to dunk in my morning cup of coffee and pretty sure these cookies couldn't be any better for the job. Nothing wrong with starting out the day with some chocolate! The fact that they're healthy and actually taste like normal cookies makes me super excited. No guilt and no surprise breakouts due to dairy!! 

salted dark chocolate almond coconut oil cookies

1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. wholewheat flour
1 c. oat four
1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. dark chocolate chunks/chips
1/2 c. raw almonds, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease/line a baking sheet; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk coconut oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flours, oats, salt, and baking powder. Stir until just combined. Fold in almonds and chocolate chunks. Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before removing to a wire rack. Recipe yields about 15 cookies.

loaded multigrain muffins

Praise the heavens, I am finally done with that raw thing. I was technically supposed to go until Monday, but decided that if I looked at another leaf of spinach or bowl of hummus, I might cross off health food forever. A girl's gotta have her meat and muffins. I decided that was that on Sunday afternoon when I dug my face into a jumbo bowl of popcorn. Oh, my dearest, how I missed thee. Seriously, if I was stranded on an island and had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my years, it'd be popcorn. No doubt, I cannot quit the stuff. Could be worse, I guess. 

Anyways. I was hit with the baking bug and wanted to whip something up that I could grab for a quick breakfast or after my runs throughout the week. I opened the cupboards to find tons of opened, half-gone bags of nuts and seeds. SO I did what any normal person would do and threw all the stuff 'n things in a muffin. A little piece of advice: no matter what the question, the answer is "Throw it in a muffin." Those words will get ya places in life. 

As the title suggests, these muffins are loaded with all sorts of good carbs, protein, and fiber that are good for those innards of yours. Gotta keeps your innards good and healthy, amiright? They're basically one of those recipes that's like "Open the cupboard and throw every thing your eyeball sees into the bowl." Feel free to switch things up and add different kinds of nuts, seeds, grains, and dried fruit. They make a great snack or quick breakfast on the go. 

With a cup of coffee of course. I've missed my coffee. 8 days was way too long. I think my body learned how to actually function without caffeine during that time and then as soon as I could, I downed two big mugs and was seriously bouncing. off. the walls. BOUNCING. And twirling around the house singing "Augustus Gloop. Augustus Gloop." from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which I, in fact, haven't seen in ages. I thought I might be losing my mind. Maybe. 

Anyways, muffins.

loaded multigrain muffins

2-3 bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. soymilk

1/2 c. ground flax

1/2 c. ground oats/ oat flour

1 c. wholewheat flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 c. almonds

1/4 c. sunflower seeds

1/4 c. pumpkin seeds

1/3 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease or line a muffin tin; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, honey, soy milk, and banana. Add flour, ground flax, oats, cinnamon, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir until just combined. Fold in nuts, seeds, and raisins. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. 

cookie dough greek yogurt

Hmm. Totally not sure how to start this post. Or what to write in general. SO HEY. HI. HELLO. 

Here's some news! As if I'm not already totally obsessed, I'm becoming even MORE infatuated with healthy treats lately. Yup, I didn't think it was possible either. But it is, guys. It gosh dang IS.

I totally 1111100009% blame this issue of mine on Instagram. Seriously, whoa. There is a wealth of people out there posting beautiful photos that make me drool my eyeballs out {what?} over perfectly presented bowls of overnight oats, yogurt, nuts, and berries. I may or may not be becoming one of those people. HAAAAAALP.

Instagram is making me think it's totally a normal thing to lay the fruit in a perfect pinwheel, sprinkle it with pretty things, and take 10 minutes holding my iPod over my food trying to get the perfect picture. Gone are the days when I just mixed up granola, yogurt, and fruit and ate it right then and there. 

HEEEECK to the no. I have to make it PRETTY. Even if it means eating cold oatmeal or mushy fruit for breakfast. Meh fave.

{if you wanna follow my pretty food problems, click here. come to the dark side.}

Anyhoo, seeing that I follow about 400 people posting pretty food by the minute, it's no doubt, my issue is only getting worse. I wouldn't say it's a bad thing though. I'm becoming inspired to satisfy my sweet tooth with healthy things. No, not just an apple and peanut butter. Way too boring. 

ENTER cookie dough greek yogurt. YAAAH, I todes went there. And you should too. It tricks your brain into thinking you're eating something totally indulgent and calorie-laden. But nope, you're not. Take that BRAIN!!

P.S. If you need help justifying eating cookie dough for breakfast, don't worry your pretty little heart. I got chooo back… Top it off with banana slices and raw almonds. BOOM BANG POW SHEBANGG! Breakfast. 

cookie dough greek yogurt

3/4 c. greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. honey
1/2 tbsp. nut butter {i used peanut butter}
2 squares dark chocolate, chopped {I used 70%}

Mix all ingredient in a small bowl until evenly combined. Top off with fresh berries, banana, or almonds.

raw chocolate truffles

Oh my woooooooord, I haven't posted in a week! Hmm, let's not be stereotypical and go into this whole shebang about "ohemmgeeeeeee I've been so busy lately." and this, that, and the other thing. Instead, I'm going to tell you I was busy sitting on the beach. {for three days not 7 since my last post. But gimme a break people.} Trust me, it's not as glamorous as it sounds. We drove three hours to a German beach town on the coast of Namibia called Swakopmund. That place is seriously an oasis in the desert and our favorite place to escape to. 

But ya know how it's winter right now? Yah, well multiply our cold weather in Otji times 50. We were seriously freezing our buns off for those three days in Swakop. It was kind of sort of miserable. COLD WEATHER IN AFRICA! Isn't this a strange world we live in? Methinks yes.

Since all my brothers wanted to do was run around on the beach {where it's coldERRR} and swim in the water {where it's coldESSSST}, my mom and I did everything in our power to stay warm. This required coffee- much coffee. I had 5 cups in a day once. Or twice. 

Also some emergency shopping trips whose purpose was to find some wooly infinity scarves. But then we found snazzy sunglasses fooo cheeeeap. And boyfriend jeans were on sale. Oh gosh. My mom and I can do a lot of damage in not a lot of time. My dad just adores it. 

Surprisingly, we didn't only drink coffee and shop while we were there. We also took a little boat tour where we saw beautiful pelicans, seals, and dolphins. The morning fog that faded into the oceans expanse was a sight to behold and no photo or fancy camera lens could ever do it justice! I could just sit on a boat wrapped up in a blanket staring out into the distance for the rest of ever.

Whenever we're in Swakop, we always stuff ourselves to the brim, binging on sushi, pastries, gelato, and pretty much all the carbs in the land. I kept thinking "Ugh, this is so unhealthy. I'll just skip when we eat at the bakery." But then I realized was being to hard on myself and was missing out on some dang good food. I can just diet when I get home. So that's what I did. I ate what I wanted and I freaking enjoyed it, thank you very much. 

But when got home, I was seriously more than eager to dive back into green smoothies and salads. Since going on that diet a few months ago, I've realized dairy really is the culprit to my skin issues. If I over do it on yogurt for breakfast during the week or eat one too many cookies, my skin breaks out horribly. But when I cut dairy out completely, it worked wonders! The amount of dairy and sugar and gluten I consumed over the weekend was enough to make my skin go all wacky, so I'm back at it. 

These truffles are the perfect way to cure a sweet tooth the healthy way. They're raw, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, no-bake, require only five ingredients, and take only a few minutes to throw together. Plus, there's chocolate involved. Win win.  

{new nail polish. hardy har har.}

raw chocolate truffles

1 c. ground almonds {or 3/4 c. raw almonds, ground in a food processor or coffee grinder}

1 c. finely chopped dried dates

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder + more for rolling

1/4 c. honey

1 tbsp. soymilk {or other non-dairy milk to keep it dairy-free}

Combine all ingredients using a fork or pressing with the tips of your fingers until the dough resembles a coarse crumb. Add more milk if it seems to dry. Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls and roll in extra cocoa powder. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate. 

strawberry shortcake smoothie {healthy, dairy-free, gluten-free}

Ok, confession time. I am the biggest, fattest emotional eater there ever was and is yet to come on this entire universe. When my friends left for the states a few weeks ago, I immediately turned to food. I mean, I made these healthy brownies and ate like a million {give err take… ya know.} but at least I satisfied my… issues with something somewhat nutritious. 

Needless to say, the last few weeks haven't been good food-wise. I'm starting to see my old habits of binging and snacking throughout the whole day sneaking back in. 

And it's honestly really making me depressed. I mean, not depressed depressed. But it is effecting my emotions and the way I view myself and I hate it. 

I'm reminding myself of how when I started my dairy, sugar, and gluten-free diet awhile back, my skin cleared up and I felt so much better about myself. Since stepping off the track, I feel like I'm back to where I started a few months ago. 

Now that I've eaten my fair share of cookies and other assorted carbs, I've decided to kick it up again and in full gear. 

I am super determined. And with determination, I can get there.

To get back to where I was and back into those healthy habits I'd worked so hard to gain, but not get so mad and guilt myself if I over do it at dinner or eat a little too much chocolate. {Dark chocolate isn't that healthy when you eat half the bar. Take note.}

You've heard it before and you'll hear it again… Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 

If you skip breakfast, you're more likely to shove your face hole with all the things when hunger strikes later. 

If you eat a nutritionally unbalanced breakfast, you're energy level will crash and you'll be hungry in two hours flat. 

On the other hand, if you eat a GOOD breakfast, full of good things {protein, whole grains, fiber, fruits, etc.}, it'll fuel your body for the day and keep your full until lunch. 

As you can probably tell, I have quite the sweet tooth. I prefer to have sweet breakfasts {but still healthy!} like smoothies or overnight oats because they keep my sweet tooth and snacking at bay for the rest of the day. 

This smoothie? It tastes like cake. Like legit. 

I'm not just telling you this so a boring strawberry smoothie will get a million pins and bring in more traffic to my blog. {wouldn't that be nice?}

Nope, this is real life guys. 

Somehow adding oats, almonds, a bit of vanilla extract, and a dash of cinnamon switch up a basic smoothie and turn it into something FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! 

Cake + Smoothie + Healthy = MINDBLOOOOOWN

strawberry shortcake smoothie {healthy, dairy-free, gluten-free}

1 large banana
3/4 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 c. soy milk {or any other kind of milk}
3 tbsp. almonds
1/4 c. oats {use gluten-free for a GF option}
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp. organic maple syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. ice cubes

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more milk or ice as needed. Pour into one large glass or two smaller glasses. Enjoy!

almond joy popcorn

It is times like these I seriously begin question my sanity.

… And my self control which I know I have a minuscule amount of.

Seriously, you guys have mega permission to get yo juuuudge on.

I purposely made this popcorn in a small batch because I was home alone and knew I'd eat it up 'til the cows came home.

Just wait.
It gets better, you guys.

I'm well known for my patience {psyyyyyyyyyyych!} and decided I didn't want to wait, oh I don't know, an hour for the popcorn to set so I put it…

in the freezer.

Like I said. Judge.

And it still wasn't even that set when I took the pictures, but cha know what?

I like messy, chocolatey, almondy, coconuty, popcorn that gets in all the crevices of my fingers, in my hair, in the corners of my lips, and hey, what's that on my leg?!

Chocolate.

What's that up there tickling my brains?

An almond gone astray.

What feels like little baby dragons playing hopscotch in my ear?

Shredded coconut.

And because I'm doing everything humanly possible to justify the uhhhhh, quantity of this I shoved into my face hole, I'm calling this snack healthy. 

Popcorn is pretty low calorie. 

Chocolate is full of all sorts of shnazzy antioxidants. 

Almonds are a good source of protein and healthy fats. {sidenote: I just typed farts.}

Coconut is good for your… Umm…  Hold on while I google this… BLOOD SUGARS! 

Have I ever told you about the time I was Type 1 Diabetic? 

Well technically… AM Type 1 Diabetic. 

Come to think of it, I mentioned it once at least a year or more ago.

But that was back in the baby stage of my blog and no one knew my food-crazy self existed. 

Anyways, yah… I'm Diabetic. 

People always ask me if I can have sugar and I'm like, "Uhhhh…. why, yes. Yes, I can." while proceeding to consume twenty cookies, eight brownies, three candy bars, and a bowl of skittles. 

JUUUUST KIDDING. 

That's a little extreme. 

Just wanted to make that clear. 

Anyhoozles. 

I made some stinking good popcorn.

And I think you should make it. 

And be like me. 

And then eat the whole dang batch by your lovely self while proceeding to scroll through Pinterest and see totally unrealistic diet plans and workouts for "bikini bodies". 

Bikini body, shishini shoddy.

P.S. I'm taking part in a really cool "competition" of sorts put on by the lovely ladies behind White Lights on Wednesdays and Four Marrs and One Venus. The challenge was to come up with a recipe using chocolate, and this is my sinfully delicious contribution. Stop by their wonderful blogs to check out all the choco-liciousness :) 

almond joy popcorn {gluten-free}

4 1/2 c. popped popcorn {microwave or stovetop is fine}

2/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

1/2 c. raw almonds, roughly chopped

1/3 c. shredded coconut

Evenly spread the popcorn onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; pick out any extra kernels. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Sprinkle on the almonds and coconut. Let set before serving.