Apple Fritter Rings (a non-Paleo treat!)

Hey all,

To celebrate losing my first few pounds, I decided to treat myself with a light, fun, and seasonal snack: Apple Fritter Rings. Ron and I made these Sunday afternoon for a snack after shopping, and wooo, these Fritter Rings are so yummy! You get all the delicious flavors of a fritter (sweet, cinnamon, and spice) in the healthy ring of an apple.

I have to admit, the Rings shown are not gluten-free (I ran out of gluten-free flour!) and they are fried. But I am sure this fun snack or dessert could be made with any standard gluten-free all purpose flour, and the rings themselves are so light that even a little coconut or vegetable oil will keep these treats within a healthy range. They taste wonderful drizzled with a little maple syrup or sprinkled with powdered sugar. Happy Fall, everyone!

Sugar & Spice Vanilla Creamer (dairy free, and perfect for Fall!)

Hey all,

I know I’ve been woefully absent, and I’m sorry! Things have been crazy with all the recent repairs we had to do here. Remember how our electricity was turned off? It turns out our electric company mixed up the meters in our building, which means they’ve been charging us for the wrong meter for MONTHS. Crazy, right? They said they’d rectify our billing, but I’m skeptical. Our Electric company seems to have really made a mess of things.

Nothing else new here– I’m actually feeling great! Pinup perfect!

I started taking Chinese Ginseng (along with my million other supplements), and I’m positive it’s giving me more energy. I’m also allowing myself one to two cups of coffee in the day. I actually think coffee makes me feel great…to a point. When I drink more than one and a half cups of coffee or so, I definitely feel it, and I don’t mean that in a good way.

Admittedly, I have had one bad incident so far– I’m experiencing a new symptom. At the doctor’s, I noticed that my blood pressure was 98/72, which is Normal/Low. That’s not quite low (low is 90), but not quite normal (normal is 110-115). Later in the week, I went to the gym for the first time in a month. I must have overworked myself, because as I was doing resistance training, I felt myself feel faint. As in, I became dizzy and had to concentrate not to faint! I also felt a little nausea and vertigo. It took me about 30 minutes not to feel weird. Strange, right? I’ve never experienced anything like that before! I had only drank coffee that morning before the workout, and I think that may have had something to do with it. Note to oneself: don’t overdo it at the gym, and remember to eat breakfast. (I know better than that!)

Speaking of coffee, I’m in love with a new creamer that I made! As you all know, I love coffee. I’ve also tried to cut any fake sugar out of my life, except for stevia. Ugh! But I’m stuck on my aspartame coffee creamer. The only creamy, low calorie creamer (1 tbsp=15 calories) I can find is Coffeemate’s Vanilla Sugar-free Creamer. I’ve drank this stuff for years, and it’s made with apartame, of course. With my new lifestyle changes, I’ve decided to try my hand at making my own creamer at home with stevia. Why not give it a go, right? I saw Danielle’s great recipe for a French Vanilla Dairy-free Creamer on her blog Against All Grain (which is based in San Francisco, you know how I miss California!), and I knew I had to adapt her creamer! I made a few changes to her recipe: I used stevia and light coconut milk to lower the sugar and fat content of the creamer, I added a thickening agent and simmered the creamer for longer to thicken the overall product, and I added a cinnamon stick and Pumpkin Pie Spice because I love my coffee sweet with a slight spiciness! I also added just a touch of maple syrup and honey to give the creamer scant undertones of honey and maple. Honestly, this Creamer would also be delicious as a dairy-free, Fall-inspired Hot White Cocoa. Just combine the ingredients (minus the coconut flour) and heat til warm and serve!

Sugar & Spice Vanilla Creamer

• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• 2 1/2 tbsp stevia
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 shake of Pumpkin Pie Spice (to taste)
• 1 tbsp coconut flour (for thickening, you can try other thickening agents, as well!)

Optional:

• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat til boiling. Lower heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick, and serve with a cup of joe!

Baked Apple Smores (my new favorite!)

Hey all,

I am so excited for fall that I’ve begun dreaming of fall foods (as well as fall-themed pinups, of course!)

In the midst of my day-dreaming, I created my new favorite (healthy) everyday fall dessert: Baked Apple Smores. (Okay, I know it’s not fall yet, but I love apples and Smores! Who doesn’t??) And last week I made the mistake of not having any of my usual “healthy” desserts on hand, and after having a vodka soda… or two… with friends, I was a little less careful about my eating when I came home. So less disciplined, in fact, that I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and ate three! Bah!

How about making Smores with apples and adding cinnamon and coconut on top? That’s right–Baked Apple Smores with cinnamon, spice, and everything nice!

I baked open face, cored apples with dark chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, tiny smidgeons of butter and coconut, and cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice for some added sweet and spiciness. These are so fun for the fall! I also love that they’re kid-friendly, healthy, nutritious, and indulgent (without all the guilt!). I am making multiple Baked Apple Smores and storing them in tupperware for dessert at night during the week. Yum!

Hot Banana-Almond Flour Cereal (gluten-free, no added sugar, high protein)

Hey Burlesquers,

It’s been a busy but great week! First, Ron and I had three dinner/dessert guests for three nights in a row! It all started when we had one person over for dinner. Then, the word got out we were beginning to host friends….And suddenly, everyone wanted to drop on by! Totally cute. Loved it. Two of the people only had two days left in town, and they chose to spend some of their time with us. Yay! On the menu for our entertaining? We made Japanese curry one night, and Spicy Honey Chicken another night. Delicious! I will post the chicken recipe soon!

I also went to drinks with some friends last night. I haven’t been going out much because of my two jobs and dissertation work, so relaxing at an outdoor bar on the deck with a vodka soda in hand was totally fabulous! We talked about everything from food blogs and tv to politics and what’s going on in our lives. I love these kind of moments, you know?

Now, I’m up on a rainy Saturday morning and just aching to bake! I knew immediately one recipe I’ve been dying to share: my Hot Banana-Almond Cereal (HBAC)!! I’m giving this cereal a shortened name because I know I will be eating this forever. I’m not joking. I am not the girl who craves cereal like oatmeal or corn flakes, but now I wake up every morning with a craving for HBAC. And guess what its made of? Almond flour, of course!!

This breakfast is so simple and quick. It’s made of 5 ingredients: almond flour, cinnamon, banana, egg whites, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It’s also so healthy! No added sugar, gluten-free, low-carb, and you get filling protein and fats from the almond flour, yum! (FYI, 1/4 cup almond flour provides 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein, wooo!) This hot cereal tastes like a mash between Cream of Wheat and Banana Pudding. The almond flour is smoother than cream of wheat or grits, the banana gives it a natural sweetness, and the egg whites thicken the cereal.  Ron tasted it and (as someone who doesn’t like cereal at all) he said, “Wow, I would actually have this in the morning!” Try it, burlesquers. You won’t be disappointed! Now, we’re off to the gym!

Almond-Chocolate Chip Thumbprint Cookies (almond flour, gluten free, low sugar)

Hey all,

I did it. I jumped on the Almond Flour bandwagon. I had to! I was so curious! Plus, as a woman with a sedentary job, I do try and watch my carbohydrate-intake. I’m not a crazy low-carb person… I just try to not have bread, pasta, and rice at every meal! I also am not going to be “grain-free” just for the hell of it.

In fact, here’s an academic tidbit from me that teases the new Paleo, grain-free Diet craze: many of the recommended foods on the “Paleo” plan are in fact relatively new foods to western civilization. Many of these foods weren’t available around the globe. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, potatoes, avocados, pecans, cashews, and blueberries are all New World crops, while grains have been around for more than 20,000 years. And the racket about humans not being “adapted” to eat grains because of lectins, but able to eat lentils and kale? And no fermented foods on the diet, like wine? That’s snake oil, too, my friends. Humans’s adaptability to food–no matter where you live and what climate produces the crops available– is the hallmark of the species. Cavemen lived off of fermented foods (people picked rotting/fermenting produce off foliage on a daily basis—this isn’t hard to imagine!), and there is solid evidence that different tribes of cavemen ate grains 30,000 years ago. Different tribes also consumed different crops depending on their location (wow! read up on your anthropology, folks.). Also, lectins are in multiple food groups–not just grains–and you typically denature lectins through cooking, such as in cooking beans. There is nothing “old”, ancient, or “Paleo” about this diet plan. I do like this diet, though, and I think it has its merits. You’re eating less caloric grains—-essentially following a low carb, higher protein, and high healthy fat diet. This diet is a smart choice for people who have sedentary jobs.

BTW, here’s a hilarious quote from an anthropologist describing an actual Paleolithic diet if tried today:

You really want to be paleo? Then don’t buy anything from a store. Gather and kill what you need to eat. Wild grasses and tubers, acorns, gophers, crickets- They all provide a lot of nutrition. You’ll spend a lot of energy gathering the stuff, of course, and you’re going to be hungry, but that’ll help you maintain that lean physique you’re after. And hunting down the neighbor’s cats for dinner because you’ve already eaten you’re way through the local squirrel population will probably give you all the exercise you’ll ever need.
—Dr. Britta Hoyes

(Funny, right?)

Anyway, I love nuts and OF COURSE, a flour actually derived from nuts would taste delicious in the form of a cookie! Why not try Almond flour? I spotted this recipe for “Grain free” Chocolate Chip Cookies (The Urban Poser blog) on Pinterest, and decided these were just too cute not to try! Well, I can officially say these cookies are Ron and BB-approved!

I made these tonite after eating some leftover Peruvian food from a dinner we went to last night. (I’ve told you my dad is half Peruvian half white, right? I’m a 1/4 Latin American, love it!) And Ron and I liked them alot! These cookies are dense, crumbly, nutty, and sweet. They’re definitely a different “taste” than regular cookies—but in a good way! Like always, I made some changes to their recipe. I swapped the coconut oil and coconut milk for vegetable oil and cow’s milk, and I used a combination of oat flour and almond flour (rather than all almond flour). I also used a combination of stevia and honey with dark chocolate chips. (You could definitely make these completely no sugar added cookies (aside from the chocolate chips) if you use all stevia.) Finally, I added a pinch of cinnamon in the recipe with cinnamon and sugar on top! I really like that these cookies don’t use eggs or butter and are relatively low in sugar (for a cookie!)

As I mentioned though, they are a bit too crumbly, but that’s because my particular brand of Almond Flour isn’t ground fine enough for baking (it’s an almond meal/flour). I might try adding an egg to hold them together more? I also read on multiple blogs that Honeyville Almond Flour is the way to go for more fine almond flour that’s proper for baking. They sell bags of their almond flour online! I might have to invest.

(Healthy) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Hey all,

I just got back from participating in a national conference recognizing under-represented and minority undergraduate students (kids from lower socio-economic backgrounds and people of color) as a mentor and moderator. BB loves reading, writing, and teaching!

1946 pinup by Edward D’Ancona

I led discussion for a 100 student breakfast (with a microphone and everything!), moderated a 5 person panel of undergraduate humanities research, and wrote up feedback for all the students I reviewed. Overall? The event was fun,  but also admittedly exhausting. Don’t get me wrong: I like going out, meeting new people, and dressing up. But, honestly, I like doing that sort of thing once a week, maybe even once every few weeks. Not an entire weekend. Hell no. From Friday through Sunday, I had to wear fancy clothes (dress, heels, and black tights), meet tons of new people, and present and speak in front of crowds. When Sunday rolled around, I was exhausted and had a stomach ache, y’all! I’m thinking it was either from the rich conference food we were served (steak, smothered chicken, mousses, alcohol, ice cream…the list goes on) or from my anxiety about public speaking. It was alot!

Now I’m home and ready to detox and get back to eating better. To jump start my healthy eating, I perused Pinterest…. and then I proceeded to join the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip craze! (I suspect you think I’m crazy for equating healthy eats with cookie dough dip.) I’ve seen this recipe idea for awhile on Pinterest, but I never had an interest in trying it. Now that I’ve been eating healthy (and I had a somewhat terrible weekend for eats at the conference), I wanted a yummy sweet treat for myself this week that was guilt-free and fun. How about THIS delicious dip on an apple slice or a honey graham cookie?!

This dip is a combination of multiple recipes with some new additions. I spotted Oh She Glows’ recipe that uses white potatoes and Chocolate-Covered Katie’s recipe that uses Chickpeas. How about combining those two ingredients? I wanted something thinner than chickpeas, but not quite as thin as mashed potatoes. (Why not use an old potato and chickpeas for a delicious dip for fruit?) Voila! A sweet dip made from chickpeas and a small potato! No one will know!

I added extra ingredients that I knew would appeal to my sweet tooth and boost the flavor: cinnamon and molasses for a little more rich, spicy sweetness, a tad bit of vanilla protein powder to boost the protein, and stevia and a date to cut down on (some) of the added sugar. This dip tastes alot like my Chocolate Chip Chick Pea cookies. Of course, this dip isn’t exactly the real thing, but for a low cal treat (around 50 calories a tbsp or less), this is fabulous! (And ridiculously filling.) I’d recommend making yourself a double batch of this for the week. I really liked the dip scooped with apple slices. Fun snack or dessert!

Rustic Chocolate Cake (dates and whole wheat flour)

Hey all,

As I told you, I’ve been busy, and my cooking/baking time has dwindled. However, I finally had some free time this past weekend, AND it was the first weekend below the mid 80s. (Yay for cooling off periods!) I’ve told you I hate hot weather, right? I grew up going to school on the coast of California (from San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz to my parent’s house by San Francisco!), and I grew to love cool, coastal weather. Bring on the sweater weather! I want to see overcast skies and fog! Anyway, because of it being a weekend with cool weather, I went kinda crazy on the baking and cooking. I’m pretty sure I made 5 different dishes, and one of which was for Ron.

Ron has made great strides with his health since we started dating. He went from being a smoker with high blood pressure to a healthy and fit person. He has come so far! I made Ron this healthy rustic cake to say “I love you!” and to give him something enticing to eat for after dinner.

Guess what is the base of this cake? Wait for it…….Dates and whole wheat flour! I am really trying to learn how to change my baking AND eating patterns; why not make a recipe that is heart-healthy and delicious? Ron couldn’t tell that this delicious dessert was full of fiber and whole wheat flour! Considering half of this cake is gone, I’d say it was a success!

DIY Home: Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cubes

Want pretty and pink ice cubes for those hot summer nights?

Star-shaped ice cubes. Fun, right?

Make Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cubes for summer! Blend fresh or frozen strawberries with equal parts lemonade (I used light lemonade), pour in an ice cube tray, and freeze overnight. This concoction makes fun and fruity ice cubes, or even Strawberry Lemonade Pops, that are perfect for a hot summer day or festive party. I like to put mine in sparkling water to give my drink more pizzazz! I also tend use over-ripe fruit and/or fruit that has too much freezer burn (for regular consumption). And, fyi, I bought this ice tray at Walmart for $1!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey all,

I’m going to be MIA for awhile because of my move (no internet and cleaning!). But, in the mean time, I made some of the best traditional chocolate chip cookies that I have to tell you about!!

My “welcome back” gift!

The professor I’ve been house-sitting for finally came home from her trip abroad. I knew she’d be exhausted from her long trip, and I decided to bake her some “Welcome home!” chocolate chip cookies (her favorite!) and leave them in a decorated to-go container. (Who knew I’d be in my late 20s and still baking for my teacher??) Anyway, I had a sturdy black and white to-go container from a restaurant (that I kept for a day like this!). I soaked the container in hot, soapy water to clean and freshen, and I also had some pretty $1 orange ribbon and labels on hand.  I looked for a recipe online and saw the “Best Chocolate Chip Cookies” Recipe on Allrecipes.com. There were 4 thousand reviews of the recipe with a high 4 and 1/2 stars rating, which means this recipe HAS to be good. (Or, at least decent, right? ) I decided to give it a go.

I can honestly say this is the best standard cookie recipe I’ve ever found. My cookies came out crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. They even came out aesthetically pleasing! Perfectly round and thick. I really loved this recipe! I used the recipe without changes, although I added a tsp of cream of tartar as suggested in a few of the emails. I also cooked my cookies a bit larger than suggested, which means they took about 15-20 minutes to bake, as opposed to 8-12 minutes. Honestly, I recommend this recipe if you need to bake some crowd-pleasing traditional chocolate chip cookies. Here’s the recipe from Allrecipes with my addition!

BB’s Peppy Purple Smoothie

Happy Tuesday, Burlesquers!!

Ron and I are exhausted, but happy. We’ve moved in all my stuff to our new apartment–no movers needed! We did it ourselves! (We, in fact, moved all my books, clothes, kitchen stuff, and bed and mattress down two flights of stairs and up another flight of stairs to our new place. Let’s just say we’re both taking aspirin right now for sore muscles!!) We thought about hiring movers, but we already don’t get enough exercise as academic researchers. And movers are expensive! Why not workout and save money in the process?

As for my wellness, I still feel excited about losing weight and eating well, but admittedly yesterday we ate Chinese food for dinner. And I feel heavy! Unless you eat steamed vegetables and rice, it’s hard NOT to feel a little icky after Chinese Food. Some of the dishes seem like just meat and oil (with no veggies). Ron and I did have one dish we loved though–it was a peanut satay-type dish that offered lots of fresh mixed vegetables in a coconut peanut sauce. The dish was high in fat, but nutritious. We took some of this satay dish home and decided to try and make a copycat recipe: Asian Satay Roasted Pork! We found a recipe online and tried it….

Good, but not post-worthy. Booo!

Looks so scrumptious, right? We liked the roast, but unfortunately, there was something OFF about the final product. Too much lemon juice? Or too much Rice Vinegar? I am not posting this dish, unfortunately, because I wasn’t sure how to fix it!

That’s ok, though—I instead decided to post my new favorite healthy vegan smoothie recipe! And you’re never going to guess one of the ingredients. You know how I’ve been on a coleslaw and broccoli slaw kick? And I’m trying to eat more vegetables? Well, why not change my usual oatmeal and fruit smoothie breakfast and add some greens– specifically broccoli slaw!

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. That’s broccoli slaw with fruit in a blender! This smoothie is a mix of cheap (and in season!) bright summer fruits (blueberry and cantaloupe), broccoli slaw, a smidge of protein or fiber powder (optional), and almond milk. I love everything about this smoothie. I threw together unusual ingredients I had on hand one summer morning–just to experiment– and it came out beautifully! This smoothie is also low in calories, because its base (unsweetened almond milk) is only 40 calories a cup! And you can’t taste the broccoli/carrots despite it being a third of the produce–the blue berries and sweet melon dominate the flavors of this peppy purple smoothie.

I say “peppy” because numerous studies have shown that blueberries’ powerful antioxidants improve memory and learning, while broccoli and cantaloupe contain high levels of immune system-loving and energy-boosting Vitamin C. Because this is such an easy breakfast, why not give it a shot? I even prepped this smoothie ahead of time with my Almond Overnight Oats (oats greek yogurt, almond milk, water, cinnamon, and almond butter). Rather than use a ton of milk in my overnight oats, I use greek yogurt mixed with water, almond milk, and a bit of nut butter as my base. This is a much less caloric and higher protein option!

My overnight oats and bagged smoothie ready to toss into my blender! I want to be bright eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow.

Hope you all love it! Back to work for me!