Last week, we started a new chapter in our lives. We moved to into our first house!! Our house seems to have been built with our family in mind, and our neighbors are fantastic! The kitchen was a MAJOR selling point for us, I finally got the gas range I have been lusting after. Now if I could just get the hang of cooking on it... Until then, we will be eating toast for most of our meals until I can figure out how to not burn everything aside from eggs and soup. This recipe is for those times when you need a healthy, delicious, somewhat creative snack or a lovely vegetarian/vegan pleasing appetizer (and for those times when your brain must still be packed somewhere).
Healthier Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
These bars are already healthier than your average cookie or dessert bar, but I wanted to see if I could make them even healthier by using a mix of different flours, some wheat bran, flax seed eggs, and cutting down on the sugar and coconut oil by adding dates. My thought was that I could use them on my long runs, since I had run out of Picky Bars. The second version was packed with fiber….and therefore not a good choice for before or during a workout…. Know what I’m sayin?
I finally found the perfect mix! It just happens to be gluten free, and includes the option to make them vegan/egg free.
Blood Orange Kale Salad with Farro and Crispy Rice Clusters
One of the highlights of Citrus Season are Blood Oranges!!! They are so beautiful and happen to be one of the most nutrient dense citrus fruits out there! The next best thing about this salad aside from the blood oranges, are the crispy rice clusters. They are SUPER easy to make, delicious, and add a slightly spicy crunch to the salad. Who knew they would be so DARN good on a salad? They are also really good on their own. I've been eating these clusters by the handful....
Ode to Rustica: Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookies
I was home for a week in October, and the morning I left, we got up early and had breakfast at Rustica Bakery in Minneapolis. Everything we had was extraordinary and since Chris wasn't with me, I had to bring back some treats for him. Miraculously, the box of cookies stayed shut the whole entire flight back to Nashville. It didn't last long in the parking lot of the airport! Where most people have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads at this time of year, we've had visions of bittersweet chocolate chip cookies on repeat.
Espresso Shortbread with Butterscotch Glaze
As much as I enjoy decorating these cookies, I am not convinced that they are memorably tasty. I think I love the first cut-out sugar cookie. They are a little too sweet for me and the clean up and prep takes too much time. So my goal was to find something different, delicious, a little bit easier with less prep work, and memorable. And then I read about Espresso Shortbread with Butterscotch Glaze. Does it get more unique than this?
Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie (NO BAKE!)
I made this Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie and then realized it was perfect for our vegan friends. The other reason I made these is because I have a friend who much prefers savory over dessert, and Take 6 bars are her favorite. I wanted her to be able to enjoy a little something sweet too! And anyways, I have never met someone who didn't like a peanut butter/pretzel/chocolate combo. Have you?????
CHRISTMAS WORKOUT/Running PLAYLIST
The holidays are HERE. I like to incorporate the holidays into every single part of my life, and so, of course, that includes my workouts! Ever wonder what the true spirit of Christmas sounds like? Need help propelling yourself up a big hill during a run? I've compiled a list of joyful Christmas songs to infuse your workouts with hot beatz, cheer, and joy! From Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, to Diplo, to Justin Bieber, I've got you covered!!
GOTR Community Impact Project & #GIVINGTUESDAY
Anyone who spends at least a little bit of time with me, knows how much I love Girls on the Run. There are SO MANY things I love about GOTR (you can read them here, here, and here), but there is one part of the curriculum that is particularly perfect for #GivingTuesday. Part of the Girls on the Run curriculum focuses on empowering girls to share their strengths and use their unique gifts to positively impact those around them. At the end of the season, every Girls on the Run team creates their own Community Impact Project. The projects are driven by the girls, they are responsible for planning, collecting materials, etc, which gives them a strong sense of ownership and accomplishment. They walk away feeling empowered and realize that together they can have an impact on their communities or towards a cause they are passionate about.
Thanksgiving Leftover Sliders!!!
Obviously, breakfast on Friday is always BRÛLÉED MAPLE PUMPKIN PIE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST and then for lunch you have leftovers, of course. Growing up, I loved leftovers on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Everyone loves the first round of leftovers.
Its day 4 of leftovers that I dread. The turkey is dry. The rolls are rather stale. Someone ate all the marshmallows off of the sweet potato casserole. And I wouldn't touch the green bean casserole with a ten foot pole, no matter how fresh they were.
Brûléed Maple Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust
The memory of this pie tugs at me during the hottest months of the summer. It is that good.
I love pumpkin pie, and always have since I was little. Growing up in Minnesota, the weather was usually pretty cold by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, so we could just store pies in the garage. I used to sneak out to the garage with a fork and just help myself from time to time. I consider myself a pumpkin pie enthusiast. It's possible I gave myself away by leaving pits of crust behind. Friends, I believe I have solved the problem of boring crust.