The First Date Shake.

There was never really an official first date, I guess. Weston never had to ask me out or even ask me for my phone number. We were two people in a group of friends who got to know each other a lot before ending up alone at a dinner together. The rest of our friends were going to a movie that wouldn't end until after my high school curfew, so Weston offered to stick around and take me to dinner instead of joining them. And that was our first "date".

We sat across from each other for dinner on a rainy Friday night in February. I had just stepped in a massive puddle in the parking lot, wearing ballet flats, and sat shivering at the table (always the epitome of grace) when I ordered my dinner - "Just a chocolate milkshake, please."

Weston stared at me. "That's all you're having?" Um, yeah, Weston. When you're alone at dinner with a boy you've secretly had a crush on for like, a year, it's a little nerve wracking and I couldn't exactly think of stomaching actual food at that moment. I didn't care how rainy or cold it was or how wet the bottoms of my pants were. Chocolate shake for me. 

Lately, my goal has been to maximize the amount of whole foods that I eat and minimize the amount of  sugar loaded processed stuff. The first week was easy but by week two, my sweet tooth was not being satisfied by fistfuls of fruit anymore and that's when Weston came up with this.

It's a chocolate shake. Made with almond milk, cocoa powder, and dates. And therefore we've come full circle.

On my first date with Weston, I had a chocolate shake. And last week, he made me my first date chocolate shake!

(Please humor me, I'm incredibly proud of this realization.)

If you like frozen, dairy free, chocolatey treats that can be part of a balanced diet… here's what you do...

In a blender, combine:

1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup almond butter
12 pitted dates
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp coconut flakes
And ice - anywhere between a few cubes and a cups worth. The more ice you add, the thinner the drink will be. Just depends on your preference! I've been adding about two handfuls worth.

If you try it out let me know what you think!

And just for fun - since I shared a little bit about my first date with Weston… 

here's a picture from around that time, 6 years ago haha. Aye… look at these kids!

Pumpkin Muffins. (Gluten & Dairy - Free)

These delectable little pumpkin muffins started showing up in our kitchen a few months ago. And every time we bake a batch, they are pretty much all I eat until the next day when they're all gone. Luckily, they're pretty easy to make, so we're able to whip up some more in a hurry and my strict pumpkin-muffin-only diet can continue.

It's been rainy the last few days, which has made the mornings perfect for baking. 

Considering my attempt to show up here a little more often, I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

It suits the needs of my diet by being free of gluten and dairy, but you could modify it accordingly to use whatever flour and milk you have available to you at the time. Even as a gluten free treat, it's not dry or crumbly at all, thanks to the pumpkin! A rare gem.

I've brought these to every work breakfast/brunch that we've had so far this year and believe me, there've been a lot of them. As long as I don't label them as "DAIRY AND GLUTEN FREE" people love them. Haha it's all in your head! ;)

You should also know that doubling this recipe is totally seamless.

The following measurements will get you about 9 little muffins.

ingredients:                                                                                  directions:

1/2 c. brown rice flour                                                                   - Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

1/2 tsp baking powder                                                                    - mix together dry ingredients and set aside

1/4 tsp baking soda                                                                        - cream together pumpkin, egg, honey, and vanilla in a large bowl

1 tsp cinnamon                                                                              - add half of the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Combine.

1/4 tsp salt                                                                                    - add the milk and combine

1/2 c. pureed pumpkin                                                                   - add all remaining dry ingredients and combine 

1 egg (I just use the yolk, vegans could use egg replacer - modify it!)                                    - add oil and combine

3 T honey                                                                                     - bake for 20-25 minutes

2 T brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 T almond milk

2 T canola oil

these muffins are a modified version of this cake from The Novice Chef

Scratchy Throat (& Tea).

Third week of school and I'm already feeling the beginnings of my obligatory, semi-annual, "working-with-children cold".

As much as we talk to the kids about germs, promote hand washing, and avoid touching our faces..
it seems like there's no avoiding it a couple times a year.

I really try not to take medicine when it's not an absolute necessity. I figure I've had to take enough of that stuff over the last few years, and nowadays, I turn to natural remedies whenever possible.

This afternoon, I turned to a cup of  Throat Coat. Add a teaspoon of honey and you've got yourself the only cup of tea I'll willingly drink. I know tea is cute and poetic and stuff, but I just really don't have a taste for it, hard as I've tried. This stuff is delicious, though, and almost instantly soothes a scratchy throat which makes it even more worth drinking.

Do you have any other home-remedies to suggest for the common cold?

Stay healthy and have a beautiful rest of your week! :)

Tunes : For Yoga Practice.

I have never been a big fan of "workouts" but after lots of attempts at a range of physical activities, last year, I finally found something that I love to do, that's good for me - yoga!

Since then, I've been increasingly interested in everyone's different preferences when it comes to exercise.

I've mentioned before that Weston is a runner. He finds a quick 7 miles "relaxing". When I run, I feel like every stride just gets me one step closer to my death haha, that is only a slight exaggeration. Less dramatically... running is just not for me.

But yoga I love. Yoga I can do.
Not super well yet.. but it challenges me to improve, which is one of the reasons I love it!

I like my practices at home to be energizing, challenging, and refreshing. A gradual warm up, increased heart rate and some strength building in the middle, and a calm ending before my favorite pose - savasana.  ;) 

I try to put my playlists in that order to keep things flowin' smoothly.
Even if you aren't into yoga at all, these are some good jamz. Give 'em a listen!

So tell me - what is your favorite way to exercise?

And more importantly - what do you listen to during your workouts?!

I'm really (strangely?) curious about this one, so I hope you'll share, haha.

Keep those endorphins pumpin', people! ;)

Peach, Apple, Blueberry Cobbler : Gluten Free, Dairy Free.

I don't think I've ever bought a box of peaches without eventually wanting them turned into a peach cobbler.

Don't get me wrong, I love peaches on their own, but during the summertime, I crave peach cobbler like it's nobody's business. Since I eat gluten-free and I'm trying the whole dairy-free thing for a while, I decided to try to get creative and make a 'healthy' peach cobbler. I read a few recipes before starting, to get an idea of what people usually use, and tried to think of good, healthy alternatives for things like butter, flour, and sugar before concocting my own little dish.

And maybe it's because I haven't had a 'real' dessert in a while, or maybe it's because of how desperately I wanted a peach cobbler, but I thought it was pretty good! 

I wrote down the ingredients and measurements as I went, in case I wanted to make it again and I'm certain that I will. :) We all know that I'm not a chef by any sense of the word, so this is clearly a simple creation, but in case you feel inclined to try it, here it is!

Ingredients:

for the filling:                                                                                     for the topping:

- 6 peaches, sliced                                                      - 1 cup oats

- 1 apple                                                                   - 1/3 cup granola

- 1 cup blueberries                                                     - 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp cinnamon                                                        - 1 tsp agave

- 1.5 tbsp honey                                                         - a dash of cinnamon

- tsp vanilla

- a dash of nutmeg

- 1 cup applesauce

1) Combine the peeled, diced fruit in a bowl with the cinnamon, honey, vanilla, nutmeg, and applesauce. Pour the fruit mixture into an 8x11 pan.

2) Combine the oats, granola, salt, and agave in a small bowl, then spread on top of the fruit mixture.

3) Drizzle agave and/or add cinnamon to the topping.

4) Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.

Only thing I might tweak next time is adding a little bit of applesauce to the topping too.

Enjoy! Even for breakfast, if you'd like.. It's practically just oatmeal and fruit. 

I mean... doesn't get much more guilt free than that, right? ;)

post-holiday cleanse.

a week before thanksgiving i promised myself that as soon as my fifth thanksgiving celebration was over (and cider and donuts) i owed my body a 5 day health cleanse.

i didn't want to go on a juice diet, or lose a bunch of weight, or anything really abnormal.. i mostly just wanted to give my body time to recuperate after all the junk food i ate during the holiday.

i decided to stick to a few basic rules : no dairy. no artificial sugars. minimal processed food. no red meat. no gluten. no alcohol. 

basically, it seemed like all things delicious were off the table. (this turned out to be untrue, of course)

i was also searching for a good morning/cleanse drink and read about several variations of them so i tried a few different ways before i ended up deciding what was best for me.

a hot cup of water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tsp of honey.

as soon as i got out of bed, i'd make the drink and sip on it while i did my makeup, read my daily blogs, and etc. it was a great way to wake up my body and warm up my throat in the morning.

i don't really like to cook, that's never been my thing. but this week i totally had to get creative and spend time preparing meals. i'm also pretty picky about fruits and vegetables but i was able to find a few things that i really like and kind of mix and match. (here's just a few)

my favorite dessert was this little beauty.

a halved pear, drizzled with organic peanut butter and agave sweetener.
topped with red grapes, carob chips, cinnamon, and crushed raw almonds (which i forgot for this picture - oops).

weston also invented an "orange soda substitute" which was really just because i was being ridiculous one night and complaining that i missed orange soda when i literally drink orange soda maybe twice a year. but this was a yummy treat with the carbonation and flavor i was looking for.

AND i made my own vegan pesto with no dairy! which was delicious and i was so proud of it! i'll totally make it on a regular basis and i'm hoping to start growing my own basil and garlic for it in my little garden!

after this week i'm mostly excited to have cheese back in my diet again. that was the thing i missed the most. even more than sugar, surprisingly.

long term, this isn't something i will stick to as diligently, but i think after this week i'll be much more conscious about ingredients and nutritional value in food. i want the food i'm eating to count for something positive!

but right now i just want cheese.
bye!

the davis farmer's market.

i can get down with farmer's markets.
i really think they're awesome.

and of all the farmer's markets i've been to (all three of them) the one in davis is the most awesome and legit one, by farrrrrr.

the morning of the race, after a quick breakfast by the pool at the hotel, we rode into town to do some shopping.

the whole market was incredible. so many vendors with literally everything imaginable. of course flowers, fruits, and vegetables, but they also had homemade breads, pastries, cheeses, jams, nuts... you name it, they probably had it.

a lot of the vendors kept offering samples to us as well - it was like hipster costco! all about it.

i ended up buying some really sweet and juicy peaches from one stand, a couple apricots, and a strawberry lemonade popsicle that was amazingly refreshing (and healthy, yay!)

shelley bought some cheese curds (sounded disgusting - but totally not disgusting at all) and a really great loaf of bread, some blueberries, and cinnamon covered almonds. weston was really hesitant to eat anything that might not make him feel well before the race, so while he snacked on his lunch of bread and fruit, we sat on a bench and did some fun people-watching.

mmmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm.
delicious.

now to find a farmer's market nearby that is as legit....
suggestions, southern californians?