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. 

salted caramel peanut butter cups

Things are all of a sudden moving quickly. Boxes are being packed. Belongings are being sold. Memories are being remembered. Goodbyes are being said. And time is being savored. 

The thought of what the next few weeks and months hold send my mind spinning. I'm overjoyed, excited, and relieved to be heading home. But when you're in one place for two and a half years, there's something still there, pulling you back, asking you to please not leave. 

I have difficulty falling asleep at night, reliving old memories of game nights with friends, pool parties, and singing in the streets past dark. But those memories fade to gray and I'm brought to now; the reality that things have changed since then. The thought of going back home, starting over, and beginning a new journey sends shivers down my spine. I can't wait. 

These next few weeks, I'm vowing to relish in every moment left here. To soak it all in, tucking these moments away to relive when I'm no longer here, but 9,000 miles across the globe. 

There's a limited amount left of coffee dates with my parents, trips out to see kids who have stolen my heart, peaceful mind-clearing evening runs, and game and movie nights with my family.  It's hard to believe that soon these things will be nothing but used-to-be's. But the future excites me. New adventures, new challenges, new people, new lessons to learn. It's all so exciting to me. 

Please bare with me over the next few weeks and months as my life speeds up and my blog slows down. 

salted caramel peanut butter cups (raw & vegan) 

chocolate coating: 

1/2 c. coconut oil, melted 

3 tbsp. honey/maple syrup

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

dash of vanilla

pinch of sea salt 

peanut butter filling: 

3 tbsp. creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp. honey/maple syrup

1 tbsp. coconut oil

date caramel: 

1/2 c. chopped dates

1 tbsp. honey/maple syrup

dash of vanilla extract

Begin by preparing the chocolate coating, whisking together all ingredients until smooth. If it seems to liquiddy, let chill for a few minutes until it thickens up. Pour into 10 small paper cups, coating the sides. Reserve about 1/3 c. of chocolate and set aside. Place chocolate cups in freezer and chill while you prepare the fillings. First, prepare the peanut butter filling by whisking all ingredients until smooth; set aside. In a small bowl, soak dates in boiling water. Drain and place in a blender. Add sweetener and vanilla and pulse until smooth, adding more water as needed. Take chocolate cups from freezer. Spoon peanut butter filling into each cup and repeat with caramel. Top with remaining chocolate. Chill for 5-6 hours or overnight. Store in freezer. 

raw banana nut bars

I've said it before, but since becoming health-conscious, I crave really weird things which is satisfying and terrifying all at the same time only because I wasn't always like this. It's so cool how our tastebuds adjust after only a few weeks or even a few days of eating a certain way. This is the only explanation I have for nights I no longer crave ice cream and bread, but steamed spinach and homemade energy bars. For this reason, I always have the fridge and freezer stalked with homemade goodies (and bags of spinach.)

The other day I was perusing through the greatness that is Oh Lady Cakes and was immediately feeling inspired to experiment with some more raw desserts. I jotted down tons of ideas I had popping up left and right, but first up were these raw banana nut bars. I almost called this recipe raw banana bread because that's really what they taste like. I figured some people (namely my family who I had a conversation with about this earlier) would be out for my head though, considering these things are nowhere NEAR bread with the absence butter, sugar, flour, and baking. So raw banana nut bars it is. 

I'm secretly hoping that I'll forget these are stashed away in the freezer drawer when I go rummaging for something to satisfy my sweet tooth. But let's be real here. I'm not gonna stop thinking about these anytime soon and they'll most likely be gone within the next 24 hours. 

raw banana nut bars

1 c. chopped dates

1 c. raw nuts (I used pecans), finely chopped

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. pure honey or maple syrup

1/4 c. flax seeds

1 c. quick cooking oats

pinch of cinnamon

In a small bowl, soak dates in boiling water. let sit for 5-10 minutes or until soft then drain and chop finely. In a large bowl, mix dates, bananas, vanilla, and honey. Add in flax seeds and oats. (You can either leave the dough like this or place in a food processor for a more fine texture. I like them chunky though!) Press dough into a small pan lined with parchment paper and cut into six squares. 

chocolate peanut butter oatmeal thumbprint cookies

Saturdays are my favorite. Because not only are they… Saturdays… They're my cookie day. Every Saturday morning, I have my weekend breakfast, linger in my pajamas for as long as possible, and then out comes the chocolate (almost always), the flour, the (coconut) oil, my favorite spatula and pink mixing bowl as I make a mess the kitchen that even a three year old would be proud of. Usually, the fruits of my weekend labor are what I post on the blog the following week, so I take time to photograph, write, upload, and edit since it's hard for me to find time after the weekend. It's my weekend ritual and I love it.

My original plan for this recipe didn't have chocolate as the center. But when I realized I was out of the other ingredient (which shan't be named because I want to use it in the future!), I remembered the two- not one, but TWO- bars of dark chocolate I had stowed away in the freezer that my parents gave me for my birthday. Give me chocolate for my birthday, and I won't complain. What else could you need? 

These cookies taste like peanut butter cups but they have about a tenth of the amount of ingredients you'll find on that neon orange package, are vegan and gluten-free, and somewhat healthy. Until you eat half of the batch for lunch, that is. Thank god calories don't count on the weekends. 

chocolate peanut butter oatmeal thumbprint cookies (vegan & GF)

3 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. peanut butter
3 tbsp. pure maple syrup/honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats + more for rolling (optional)
3 tbsp. dark chocolate chunks
sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk coconut oil, peanut butter, sweetener, and vanilla. Add oats and mix until well combined. Scoop into balls and roll in oats if desired. Place on prepared cookie sheet and make an indent in the enter with your thumb. Place chocolate in each indent, distributing evenly. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt and let cool before transferring to a jar or container to store. Recipe yields 12 cookies.

seed & date power bars

Typically, I thoroughly enjoy turning not-so-healthy desserts into healthy ones and do my best to make them taste like the real thing. But sometimes those escapades turn into chocolate cookies that are an odd shade of matte brown with a taste somewhat resembling play-doh. BLEHHH. It's really disheartening when I'm craving something rich, chocolatey, and satisfying and don't want to feel like a whale. But then there's other times where I actually CRAVE healthy food. I crave spinach and big bowls of roasted veggies allthetime and bananas pretty much every day. I crave things that taste like they've been birthed from the earth {sorry, too much?} and taste natural and wholesome. That's when I whip up batches of granola bars, energy bites, and things like that to have stored away in the freezer {if they make it that far} for when the craving strikes. 

I made some bars similar to these awhile ago, but it was one of those days where writing down measurements and snapping photos was just about the last thing I wanted to do. Of course, it's those days where my recipes always turn out the best, so I decided to remake them for the blog because they were just that good. This is one of those recipes that can be made from whatever you have around. I chose some oats, coconut, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds. I threw in a dash of cinnamon for good measure and just a teensy bit of honey because the dates already bring a lot of natural sweetness. I bake these for a few minutes just to set them up, but you could just as easily leave them raw since there's nothing that requires cooking in the recipe. I have to say though, straight from the oven, they're pretty bomb. 

These bars are packed full of good-for-you ingredients that leave you satisfied without a drop in energy an hour later. They're jammed with tons of superfoods, healthy fats, protein, fiber, and antioxidants all needed for a healthy, happy body! The bars are so soft and chewy {I want to say like a candy bar, but let's be real here… Dates = candy bar? No.} and taste very sweet and caramely thanks to the dates. Of course, this recipe is so easily adaptable, you could sub in different kinds of nuts, sweeteners, seeds, grains, or dried fruit. No matter what you fill them with, you have a healthy, nourishing, and satisfying snack or quick brekkie.  

date & seed power bars {vegan & GF}

1 c. dates 

2 tbsp. softened coconut oil

1 tbsp. honey

1/4 c. desiccated coconut flakes

1/4 c. sunflower seeds

1/4 c. pumpkin seeds

3 tbsp. flax seeds

1 tbsp. poppyseeds

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

1/4 c. quick cooking oats

vanilla {optional}

cinnamon {optional}

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line an 8x8 in. pan with parchment paper. Chop dates until fine and add a little bit of hot water to soften if needed. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and stir until evenly combined. Pour into prepared pan and press down firmly with the back of a spatula. Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool before slicing into 8 even bars. 

no bake brownies with chocolate ganache

Oh man. I am coming at you today, full-force, fudgey brownies, chocolate smudges all over my face {and arms and legs}, yelling REALLYLOUD with all my chocolate-induced energy and jubilee. This is a good day, my dear friends. A good day indeed. 

We all know brownies are the lifeline for many. But when you live an emotional life *cough cough*, brownies probably shouldn't be on the menu every day if you still want to squeeze into those skinny jeans with out producing an impressive muffin top. HOWEVER. If we're eating raw brownies, then go at it. Eat them. They're amazing, satisfying, fudgey, and nourishing to your body. Chocolate for all!

At first, I was just planning on making plain raw brownies. But then I decided to take it to a whole new level with some chocolate ganache made from coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. Whisk it up until it thickens and at this point, it's probably you've died and gone to heaven. I drizzled the ganache over my brownies and had a little left over, so I decided to just smear it on there afterwards instead of putting it a "container" "to save" "for another time". Let's face it. It'd be in the fridge for about two minutes and then I'd be eating it with a spoon. Or better yet my fingaahhhhs. 

It honestly irritates me when people are like "EWW, I can't eat healthy because all you can eat is sticks and twigs and kale." But those people are doing something wrong! They're thinking about what they can't eat instead of making do with what they can. I'm not saying I'm just "making do" with these brownies though. They're more than satisfying, filling, and give the kind of energy that actually sticks around unlike the crashes that sugary sweets provide. 

These brownies can be whipped up in a flash, especially if you have a good food processor unlike me who has an average blender and has to grind the ingredients separately. They don't require too many ingredients and will definitely satisfy your chocolate cravings like no other. The ganache is optional, but… not really. After drizzling/drenching the brownies with the ganache and chilling, the ganache firms up only slightly producing the fudgiest, most rich brownie of my dreams without even turning on the oven. Huzzah. 

no bake brownies with chocolate ganache {vegan & GF}

brownies: 

1/3 c. raw almonds

2 tbsp. flax seeds

1/4 c. oats

1/2 c. chopped dates, tightly packed

1 tbsp. coconut oil

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp. maple syrup/honey

2 tbsp. non-dairy milk

ganache: 

2 tbsp. melted coconut oil

1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Place all brownie ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until evenly combined. If it seems to dry, you can add more milk and if it seems to wet, you can add more nuts or oats until it reaches the consistency you want. Press into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the ganache until smooth and slightly thickened. Drizzle over brownies. Slice into 6 bars or squares. Store covered in a freezer until serving.

coconut lemon poppyseed muffins

I was afraid these muffins didn't have a future as a published blog post. I was so excited to bake these and the batter was seriously amazing {IT'S VEGAAAAAN!!!}, so I knew they were at least going to taste great. 

But when I popped them in the oven, for some odd reason, they did not rise into the beautifully round, domed muffins I was envisioning. Instead, I got some flat, lifeless looking things.  When I took them out to cool, the paper cups were pulling away from the muffins and I was like yay close to losing my mind and falling into a crying pile of Sophie on the kitchen floor. 

It'd been a pretty horrible day, and I did not need a baking fail to top it all off. I look for therapy in baking! NOT MORE STRESS. If I was wanting more stress, I'd have studied for that quiz and that test that were technically due yesterday.

HOWEVER. All hope was not lost. When I tasted one I literally said "How the heck are these vegan and gluten-free?" Guys, they taste amazing. AMAZING. Fresh, lemony, zingy, coconut-y, and just lightly sweetened. 

The texture is also SPOT ON, and you'd never be able to tell that they're made from gluten-free flour. I think I added the perfect flour ratios. 

So since the texture AND the taste were so divine, I figured I'd let go of my dome-shaped-muffin-filled dreams because even my mom sampled these and loved them, saying I should post them. 

I like pretty food, so I did all that I could to try to make these look appealing. I removed the paper cups because WHY did they pull away from the muffins, I do not know. It was weird. That made them a lot easier on the eyes. 

But ya know what? Some foods are butt-ugly, but they taste fantastic. And that is these muffins. 

 

coconut lemon poppyseed muffins {GF & Vegan}

1/4 c. corn flour

1 c. ground oat flour

3/4 c. sorghum flour

1/4 c. tapioca flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

3/4 c. coconut milk

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/2 c. canola oil

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375º and grease or line a muffin tin; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, and poppy seeds until combined. Add coconut milk, lemon juice, oil, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Stir until smooth. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool. 

PB&J crumb bars

These bars have been on my to-bake list for quite a long time. Isn't it the best feeling to check things off a list? Whether it be school assignments, miles to run, or things to make, it feels good to get things done. I'm definitely one of those people who gets high off of the a sense of productivity and accomplishment. 

Anyways, when we were out of town a few weeks ago, I found this cute, dinky little store that had a bunch of health food. I got some gluten-free flours I was excited {maybe a little tooooooo excited.} to try out. At first I was a little worried these flours would turn out gummy textures like some other GF flours. Um EW, you guys. In case you didn't know, gummy cookies and bars are not a good situation. 

Well those flours delivered! No gumminess and you'd never know they were gluten-free. I ended up making these bars both gluten-free AND vegan. I was feeling rather adventurous. Living on the edge. My family LOVED these bars and as we all know, they're the real stamp of approval. My brothers and my dad inhaled these and claimed they were the best bars I'd ever made. {I've kinda made a lot of bars in my day, so…} I said I'd keep my lips shut, but ended up blurting out that they were gluten-free and vegan. My dad's reply was "Oh don't tell me that bad stuff." It's not bad, it's good, believe it or not. But to each their own. 

These bars are simple, require only a few easy ingredients, are healthy, naturally sweetened, gluten-free, and vegan. They're chewy and crumbly {the good crumbly}, and taste like a peanut butter and jelly SANDWICH. It's been way too long since I've had one of those. But now I can have them in the form of these bars! They make great snacks or if we're being real here. BREAKFAST. Dewwwitttttt.

PB& J crumb bars {vegan & GF}

3/4 c. peanut butter

1/3 c. honey/maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. tapioca flour

1/3 c. sorghum flour

3/4 c. oats, divided

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 c. jam {I used cherry}

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line a 9x13 in. pan. In a large bowl, whisk peanut butter, vanilla, and sweetener. Add flours, baking powder, and 1/2 c. of the oats. Press about 3/4 of the dough evenly into prepared pan. Spread jam in an even layer, keeping about an inch away from the sides. Add the rest of the oats to the remaining dough. Crumble on top of the bars and bake for 10-15 minutes. Let cool before slicing. Yields about 12 squares.

honey peanut butter & coconut cookies

Recently, I've been having some major baking fails. I'm guilty of sticking to what I know, failing to think outside the box. But when I do, things go majorly wrong. Not always. But it's more common than not. Last week, I had a stressful day of school {oh wait. that's every day.} and went into the kitchen for some baking therapy. I made some cookies out of dates, cocoa, and oats, and oh my heavens. They were absolutely horrid. When I tasted one, they resembled the texture and taste of play-doh. Yup, I've tasted play-doh. Have you not?! 

Those obviously didn't satisfy my cookie cravings; play-doh just doesn't do it for me these days, ya know? I've been having some thoughts of these peanut butter oatmeal cookies for awhile, trying to come up with some sort of creative way to remake them. They're like little chewy, peanut butter-y nuggets of my dreams. AMAZING. And you guys seem to like them too! They're among the popular bunch of recipes on this here blog.

Although the original recipe isn't vegan, this one ALMOST is. You can easily swap out the honey for maple syrup and ba-da-bing ba-da-boom, you've got yourself a vegan cookie! These cookies are so simple {SO. SIMPLE.} and require very few ingredients, all of which you most likely have lingering around in the neglected corners of your cupboards. They're gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, naturally sweetened, and somehow they magically taste like totally normal peanut butter cookies! I love when that happens. 

P.S. Sorry about these photos. Love rain. Hate the light. 

honey peanut butter & coconut cookies

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

6 tbsp. honey {or maple syrup for a vegan version}

1 tsp. vanilla 

1 c. oat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/3 c. desiccated coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk peanut butter, honey, and vanilla until smooth. Add oat flour and baking soda. Stir until combined. Scoop dough into balls and roll in coconut flakes. Place on baking sheet and press down with a fork, forming a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Yields 12 cookies. 

mini almond snickers bars

boyohboyohboyohboyohboyyyyyyyyyy. SNICKERS FOR YOUR FACE. They're raw, healthy, vegan, gluten free, tiny, naturally sweetened, delicious, and really magical. Oh, my heart. BUT they're healthy you guys! So that means that when you have them all out of the freezer to take pictures of them like the weirdo that you are and they get all melty and messy, you just eat them. It makes cleaning up a whole lot easier, ya know? Oh man you guys. These are so good. I may have had like 5 already today, but its taking every ounce of self control {left} in me not to go ravaging through the freezer and shoving two at a time in to my pie hole. MMM. 

It's been ages since I had a legit Snickers bar. The last time I had one I was probably all looking like a toothpick, red, and pimply. Although I could easily have one since they have them at the grocery store here, I honestly won't. Too much sugar and gross things in there, it scares me! Oh how I've changed. When I gave these to my family to try, my dad asked if they were real. Hmmph. Well if "real" means full of processed sugar, chemicals, additives, and fake flavoring, then no. They're not real. But if by "real" you mean birthed from the earth {ew, sorry.}, then YES. They're real. So real. 

I'm not sure I have my family 100% convinced. My little brother is the pickiest eater and when I said there were dates in them, he spit it out. Not because he thought it tasted bad or he sensed something weird in there. Just because I mentioned there was fruit in his chocolate bar. My bad. I made these bars twice- first time around, I had no patience, cut them like 8 hours before I should have, and things got oozy and cracked. It was like a caramely murder scene. Second go-round, I had my method all thought out and things went way better. Until I realized we were clean out of peanuts. NOOO I NEED MEH NUTSSSSSSSSSSS. So I compromised with almonds. I was all freaking out like "WHAT! I CAN'T PUT ALMONDS IN THESE AND CALL THEM SNICKERS! THAT'S LYINGGGGGGG!" But my mom lovingly assured me that almond snickers are indeed a thing and all was well in the world. 

mini almond snickers bars {vegan & gf}

yields 14 small squares

date caramel

1/2 c. chopped dates, tightly packed

pinch of sea salt

splash of vanilla extract

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

shortbread

1/3 c. chopped dates, tightly packed

3/4 c. oats

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

chocolate coating

1/3 c. melted coconu oil

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

1/3 c. raw almonds {or peanuts}

Prepare the date caramel: In a kettle or sauce pan, bring water to a boil {enough to submerge the dates.} Place dates in a small bowl and submerge in water, soaking for 5-10 minutes until soft. Once softened, drain the dates preserving the date water. Add dates to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Depending on the strength of your processor, you may need to add some of the reserved water to get things moving. 

Prepare the shortbread: Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse until combined. Press into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Top with date caramel, spreading evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with raw almonds. Place in freezer for 6+ hours or overnight. 

Slice into 14 squares. And place back in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate coating by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth, letting sit for a few minutes and allowing to thicken slightly. Remove bars from freezer and dip in the chocolate individually, placing onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place back in freezer for 2+ hours or until set. Store in freezer. 

chunky monkey granola

I got sick last week. For the first time in over a year. I guess my green smoothies and excessive workouts failed me. I came down with this nasty cold, complete with a congested chest, a nose that ran like Niagra, a scratchy throat, and what seemed like a little soldier playing drums around in my noggin. What a dream those few days were. My life consisted of hot food, reruns of the Office, and Pinterest for four days straight. Seeing that I workout 5 or 6 times a week, it's become a part of me. And when I CAN'T do it, I honestly feel like a whale. Light yoga and short walks don't do for me what benching and leg presses do.

I have a long {and I mean LONG.} list of recipe ideas lingering about on my desk with only about 5 of them actually crossed out. I had big ol plans to make a dent in it this weekend, so I dragged myself out of bed to make a cake. Yes, after three days in pajamas, a runny nose, and pounding headache, I decided I'd make a cake. 'Cuz I'm sure pretty much everyone does that. I was so excited and it lifted my spirits a little! … Until I pulled it out of the oven. It sank into this gooey disaster and I kid you not, I had tears streaming down my face as I bent over the stove, fork in hand, emotionally eating half the cake straight from the pan. That was quite the sight to behold. *Sniff, snort. Sniff, snort.*

My brother loves when I make granola, so I thought I'd be that super cool sister that I am and make him a batch when my family went to church and I stayed home and watched Friends in my pjs because that dang sickness just wouldn't leave me alone. I wasn't planning on posting it, but ohmahwerrd. You guys it's amazing. It's full of chocolatey, peanut buttery, banana-y goodness, crisp and crunchy and it ranks pretty high on the scale-o-chunkage! OH YAH. I live for granola chunks. I'm not even going to tell you, because I say this every single time I make granola. But… 

It's the best. It's a universal truth that can not be ignored. 

chunky monkey granola

1 1/2 c. oats

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 banana, mashed

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

3 tbsp. pure maple syrup

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. rice cereal

1/2 c. peanuts

1/2 c. banana chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until evenly combined. Pour onto prepared baking sheet, spreading it into a single layer. Bake for 15-25 minutes, stirring once throughout. Let cool before transferring to an airtight container or jar. 

peach crisp smoothie

So I'm halfway through my second week back to school and I'm already missing sleeping in, eating pancakes for breakfast on a Wednesday, laying in bed browsing Pinterest foreversssss, and eating cake for lunch. Well the cake for lunch thing doesn't depend on if I'm on break or not, but you know. Being back to normal life has me hurting. My brain. My heart. {dramatic.} My abs. Seriously did someone somehow punch me in the stomach without me knowing errrrrr what?

The thing about being a blogger is that you pick and choose what you share. I think everyone tends to leave out the awkward or embarrassing parts and that ends up painting the picture of a perfect person. And I am far from that. So lest you people think I'm not totally loony and don't make a fool out of myself constantly, I'm gonna tell you a funny story. That happened at the gym this afternoon. It's already wonderful, isn't it? 

So at my gym, there's this really tiny trainer and this really huge trainer. The huge trainer is really serious, intimidating, has a freakishly low voice, and his biceps are about the size of a watermelon. When I started going to the gym, I kid you not, he scared the crud out of me and I would fumble trying to figure out how to turn the treadmill on for like HOURS {dramatic.} rather than ask him for help. As time went on, the tiny trainer ended up being my trainer- less scary, ya know. 

ANYWAYS. Today, I noticed I had squats as part of my program and I was dying a little bit inside because the gym was packed and I hate squatting in front of people. I mean, is it even possible to enjoy that? Not after watching some girl nearly touch her booty to the floor and bounce up effortlessly. When I moved over to the squatting cage {pretty sure that's not the right term.}, I asked my trainer to help me and give me some tips because I was pretty sure I wasn't doing it right. 

WELL. No, he called the other trainer to help me. Oh my gosh you guys, I wish I could have just ran out of there like the speed of light. As he meandered on over to me, he set up the barbell, explained what to do, and made me face the WALL. After he walked away, I decided I'd had enough of staring at a wall and sticking out my butt for all the world to see so I thought I'd move the hooks so I could squat the other way.  BAD IDEA, YOU GUYS. BAD. I. DEA. Bolts went flying, dinging off of this thing and that thing. My friend tried to help me move the barbell and we nearly hit a few people in the schnoz. The huge trainer yelled to the tiny trainer that I needed to face the other way, and me being the stubborn brat that I am said I didn't want it that way. 

MORAL OF THE STORY. I totally made a fool out of myself, made a crap load of noise, nearly took a few precious lives with a barbell, and made the trainer who already dislikes me dislike me a teensy bit more. 

I'm trying to think of how to segway from that gem of a story to this smoothie, but can't really think of anything. So here ya go! A smoothie for your face! I think you'll love it. It tastes like dessert and you can totally have it for breakfast. Or if you're a freak stress-eater like me, eat it for lunch. 

peach crisp smoothie 

1/2 banana

1 frozen peach

small handful of raw walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

2 tbsp. oats

dash of ground cinnamon

2 tbsp. soymilk or other non-dairy milk

handful of ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Add more ice or milk as needed. Pour into a glass and serve immediately. Makes one large smoothie. 

chunky peanut butter oatmeal dark chocolate cookies

I've been feeling really crappy about my blog lately. I haven't been posting as much as I used to and my stats are nearly a third {A THIRRRRRRRRD!} of what they were at one point. It's kind of discouraging to see how much work I put into each post being rewarded with that. I've also been getting sick of people's comments on my healthy eating/exercising. I know that this is for me, not anyone else and it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks. It doesn't. But it's disheartening to hear the things people say sometimes. When I told my mom about my blog stats deteriorating, she said "I think I know why." referring to my healthy recipes. If that's the case, c'est la vie. Because healthy eating is my passion and I want to share it with anyone and everyone, unless of course, they don't care about it. Then by all means, go on eating your crap-laden cookies and cakes and let me know how you feel a few years from now. 

We went on a little road trip for a few days and you better believe I was that weirdo chick wearing hippie pants and TOMS, walking around with bananas and homemade energy bites in her bag. I don't care what people think if I have salads for every meal while we're eating out. I don't care if they judge because I drink fresh green juice. I don't care if they think I'm a freak for losing my mind over the sale they had on super cute bowls. {"My oats will look SO cute in there." -my mind.} Or if they rip on my cookies being free of eggs, butter, sugar, and flour. Trust me, I'll hear no end from my brothers. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST MAKE NOOOOOORMAL COOKIES?!" "Because I don't want you to clog your arteries and eat yourself to your death. PLUS. Don't you want to live to be 230?" That's why. 

But no matter what the heck you do, someone will always judge you for some reason. Healthy eating and healthy living isn't about other people. It's about doing something for YOU. So do it and be done with what people think. Eat your salads and enjoy your vegan, soy-free, nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free cookies. Dance with jubilee when you find a really great sale on bowls or find huge bags of flax seeds for cheap. Celebrate with a chocolate protein shake when you survive leg day. Do good for your body and be happy. THE END. 

Ok, rant over. Time for cookies.

I'm experiencing with vegan baking. DISCLOSURE: I'm not going vegan. Mostly because my parents seem like they would excommunicate me to an island or something. But I just think it's fun to mess around in the kitchen and come up with recipes that are suitable to different dietary needs. And I like to see how much nutrition I can pack into a thing before it starts tasting like twigs and grass. These cookies don't taste like twigs and grass, I can very much assure you. They're really simple and CHUNKY. I love chunky cookies. Forget those little thin ones. I like something you can really sink your teeth into. TA DA. I present to you… Chunky peanut butter oatmeal dark chocolate cookies. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, processed sugar-free, and 100% fantabulous. 

chunky peanut butter oatmeal dark chocolate cookies {vegan, DF, GF}

1 3/4 c. oat flour
1/3 c. rolled oats
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 tbsp. melted coconut oil
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. dairy-free milk
1/4 c. dark chocolate chunks {I used 85%}

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large combine all ingredients and only about half of the chocolate chunks. Roll dough onto balls {it should make about 12} and press remaining chocolate chunks into the tops of the cookies, smushing down slightly. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack before transferring to an airtight container.