Remember the chia seed crackers that we ate at Chocolatree Café just before hiking up 0.6 miles of rocky mountainside?

Here they are in all their glory.

We kicked some major mountain booty that day and I’d like to think the chia seed crackers had something to do with it. After all, the Aztecs and Mayans used chia seeds (known as a “running food”) for hundreds of years to fuel their long journeys!  (source)

As soon as I got home, I knew I had to bust out a version of these in my own kitchen. I was “running” on 3 hours of sleep thanks to a 4am wake-up call and the chocolate I was inhaling wasn’t making me feel any better. The chia crackers came to my rescue!

Endurance Crackers

These Endurance Crackers are extremely light and crispy while providing long-lasting energy. They are also vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, and oil-free to boot! Feel free to change up the seasonings and spices as you wish. Nutritional info follows.

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Inspired by Chocolatree Café.

Yield: 22 large crackers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chia seeds*
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pepita seeds (or pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup water
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp grated sweet onion
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• Herbamare & kelp granules, to taste (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix the seeds together. In a small bowl, mix the water, grated garlic, and grated onion. Whisk well. Pour the water mixture onto the seeds and stir until thick and combined. Season with salt, and optional Herbamare and Kelp granules, to taste. Add spices or fresh herbs if you wish.

3. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet with the back of a spoon until it’s less than 1/4 inch thick. Not to worry if a couple parts become too thin, you can just patch them up.

4. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, slice into crackers, carefully flip onto other side with a spatula. Bake for another 30 minutes, watching closely after about 25 minutes. The bottoms will be lightly golden in colour. Allow to cool completely on the pan. Store in a container or plastic baggy.

Note: See the bottom of this post for where you can purchase chia seeds.

Nutritional Info: (per cracker, makes 22 large crackers): 77 kcals, 6 grams fat, 4 grams carbs, 0 grams sugar, 3 grams fibre, 3 gram protein.

The nutritional stats are impressive, eh?

As I reached for my garlic powder, I thought why not use fresh garlic instead? My mom recently shared a trick with me for mincing garlic: just use a fine grater instead of chopping it. I used my Microplane and it was the perfect consistency for these crackers. Just be careful you don’t saw off the end of your nail like I almost did.

10 seconds flat for fresh garlic!

I also used the same method with the sweet onion.

After grating, I whisked the garlic and onion in a glass with the water (note: I ended up using a full cup of water instead of the 1/2 cup shown here).

Pour the water mixture into the seed mixture and stir well. It will be thick and gel-like in consistency.

Now season as you wish.

I used a mixture of Herbamare, kelp granules, and kosher salt for maximum flavour, but you can really play around with the seasonings any way you like! Add some spices too if you wish. Taste and adjust if necessary.

This picture hates me, clearly.

Spread onto your baking sheet lined with parchment (or a non-stick mat, but you will have to bake them a bit longer). You want to spread the mixture as thin as possible.

After baking for 30 minutes at 325F, remove from the oven and slice crackers with a pizza slicer.

I did a large diamond shape. You can do any size and shape you want, depending on how much ninja power you are looking for!

With a spatula, carefully flip the crackers and bake for another 30 minutes until toasty and golden on the bottom. Mmm.

My new favourite cracker, easily.

Not only are they vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free, nut-free, and sugar free, but they can be made raw if you dehydrate them.

After cooling, they are crispy, chewy, and basically mind blowing ninja fuel perfect for dipping into hummus. Eric said they taste better than the ones at Chocolatree, but he may be biased. I couldn’t get over how light and crispy they are!

The question is: Whose butt do you want to kick this week?

Your boss, tough assignment, killer workout, or midterm exam?

Go make a list of things to butt kick.

Eat these crackers.

Kick some butt, ninja style.

It’s like bird food, but waaaaay better.

Do you ever see a tired bird?

I rest my case.

~~

Many of you ask where you can buy chia seeds. I buy my chia seeds from Canadian online retailer superseeds.ca. I’m still working on the 50 pound bulk order that I ordered for my bakery! If you are looking for an online retailer in the US, try www.chiaseedsdirect.com. I’ve found both of these businesses to have very competitive prices. You can also purchase chia seeds from bulk food stores like Bulk Barn here in Canada or in natural food stores! Update: More readers also told me Costco sells them (in the supplement section) and even Winners and Homesense! Who knew?

Anxiety is something that I’ve been trying to understand and deal with my entire life. It works behind the scenes, constantly telling me that I can’t do this or I shouldn’t do that, while other people do those exact things seemingly without much grief. I’ve always been so envious of people, like Eric, who aren’t impacted by these constant worries and fears. To be able to do something so freely, is something I’ve always dreamed of my entire life. There are so many opportunities and experiences I’ve missed out on because of debilitating fear.

And that almost happened yesterday.

After enjoying a nice lunch out with my mom and John, Eric and I set out to tackle our next hike on the famous Camelback Mountain. Naïvely, we had no idea just how “strenuous” this climb would be. Still riding yesterday’s hiking high at Pinnacle Peak, we were eager to tackle the next mountain. We set out on the Echo Canyon trail- the most difficult climb of all 4 trails on the Camelback. We didn’t know this at the time though!

A website describes it as the following: “Beyond the first ¼ mile the hike up Camelback becomes physically demanding and potentially hazardous. The slope is quite steep in spots (there are hand rails and chains to steady your ascent) and the hundreds of trampling shoes have produced a fine coating of slippery, pulverized rock. Many hikers are very fit and use the trail for fitness training.” (source)

Right from the get-go we knew this would be a whole other kind of hike, and at first, I was excited.

The start of the trail is a series of large stairs and rocky parts, but nothing that we couldn’t handle. Within minutes, we arrived at a steep part of the mountain and this is exactly when my anxiety started to kick into overdrive.

I had to climb this…without killing myself?

The pictures really don’t do this climb justice, by the way. I took one look at it and told Eric I was turning back. “I can’t do this, I’m scared”. I felt paralyzed, unable to move forward.

“You can do it Ange! We’ll go slow and you can hold onto the railings as much as you need to. Look at all the other people who are doing it just like you can.”

Looking around, he was right; I wanted to be one of those people overcoming this amazing challenge. I took a deep breath and said, “I’ll TRY,” but expecting to fail. I never considered myself to be afraid of heights, but that became apparent as soon as I got half way up this first steep climb.

I stood there in fear once again unable to proceed. My anxiety was so strong I felt a bit panicked as I thought about how the hell I was going to get down. Eric gave me another pep talk.

“Do you want to let your anxiety win again and miss out on this experience? Imagine how proud you will feel when you overcome it.”

He was right.

I was sick and tired of letting my anxiety win. If I turned back, I was accepting defeat to my fears like I have done so many times in the past. I knew physically I was in good enough shape to climb the mountain, but it was my mind that I had to train. In the end, I decided to give my anxiety a big f-you, imagining myself sticking my middle finger up at the anxiety. As silly as it sounds, it was just the visualization I needed to set myself back on track and proceed forward.

If you would’ve told me I’d be hiking in a desert mountain and not worrying about rattlesnakes, I would have said you are crazy, but that was the last thing on my mind yesterday!

As we climbed and climbed, I felt more and more fear about how I was going to get down. I pictured myself getting stuck at the top and having to be rescued out. I told Eric this and we talked about how my anxiety leads me to think too much in the future, constantly worrying about things that probably will never happen.

“How about we take this climb one step at a time?” He asked.

Not only did I think that was a great idea, but I realized that this climb was a metaphor for life. I always worry about the future and I dream up bad outcomes that are “likely” to happen, so instead, I don’t bother doing them many times. This was exactly what I was doing on this mountain: self-defeating by thinking too far into the future.

“That’s a great idea.” I finally admitted. And that’s exactly what I tried to do for the rest of the hike. One step at a time. I wouldn’t think about the heights, falling, getting stuck, or slipping on a big rock and hitting my head. I would just think about which step I had to take next.

We climbed higher and higher and an hour passed. My confidence was growing, but the fear about getting down still lingered in my mind.

We finally reached the top after about an hour and 15 minutes (I’m not really sure as my Garmin lost reception!), and we were blown away by the 360 views.

“You wanted to quit”, Eric reminded me.

I was so glad that I didn’t.

We grabbed our bag and took out the energy balls that I made before leaving. I suspected we’d need some energy on this hike, but I never knew how much!

While standing at the summit and feeling proud, I decided to call them “Reach Your Peak” energy balls. It just seemed so fitting.

We bit into these crispy and chewy balls and suddenly everything seemed right in the world. Our energy lifted and I felt ready to tackle the long, steep descent.

“We better get going. Sundown isn’t far off.”, I worried looking at Eric’s watch reading 4:15pm.

The descent turned out to be fine and we just took it slow. The hardest part I had was not slipping on the rocks with my runners (proper hiking sneakers are highly encouraged!!), but we just took it easy. I was jealous of Eric’s long legs, able to reach the ground without having to stretch and slink downward on a big rock.

We finally reached the bottom of the mountain after about 2.5 hours, with legs like Jell-O and a pride for overcoming such an amazing challenge. This climb taught me so much and I felt myself feeling emotional by the end. I walked away feeling more proud than I felt after my half-marathon races.

I also realized after this hike just how much Eric enjoyed this type of activity. I’d never seen him so eager and excited about any type of “exercise” like this! And I use the term exercise loosely here, because while it’s a KILLER workout, that doesn’t seem to be the main point. It’s much more than that.

Eric kept saying how much he loved it, and I’ll admit, his confidence and enthusiasm was infectious.

I think we are hooked.

Here’s a short video I put together about our experience. Please excuse how tired I am in the video!!! Also, there is a really shaky part in the video that Eric taped, so if you get nauseous easily I would take caution when watching.

Now that I’ve overcome such a strong fear, I find myself asking: What else can I do?

Have you ever overcome a strong fear?

There are fancy squares and then there are not-so-fancy squares.

These are the not-so-fancy squares. In fact, they are downright boring, but the beauty is you can dress them up anyway you like. Just like a basic bowl of oatmeal, these squares can be changed up on a whim.

My goal was to make a basic everyday oatmeal square for on-the-go breakfasts or snack attacks. They aren’t super sweet or bursting with chocolate and fancy mix-ins, although, you could make them that way if you wanted too! Filled with flax, chia, and whole grains, it’s functional food at its finest. The nutritional stats are also impressive packing in 7 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protein per large square.

Despite eating half the batch, I actually made these for Eric (remember that guy who loathes oatmeal?). He’s been insanely busy with his new role at work and now spends the better part of his days trapped in meetings without any healthy food on hand.

His options in meetings are usually the following: 1) cookies the size of his face, 2)  pizza, or 3) a muffin the size of his butt (which is cute and perfectly rounded).

While it’s true that he loathes traditional oatmeal, if I bake it up in a square he’s all over it. And by all over it, I mean he needed to slather Earth Balance all over the square before deeming it perfect. Like I said, these can be dressed up any way you want…

On The Glow Basic Oatmeal Squares

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Think of this oatmeal square as basic baked oatmeal that can be dressed up any way you like. Each large square contains a tablespoon of flax and a teaspoon of chia seeds as well as 7 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protein. Feel free to add in nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, and other mix-ins as you desire. Just be careful about frozen fruit. When I made a trial with frozen blueberries they became quite soggy. Use fresh blueberries and you should be fine.

Yield: 9 large squares

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups regular rolled oats (not instant oats), divided
• 3 tbsp chia seed
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1.5 cups almond milk (or other milk)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 2 tbsp nut or seed butter
• 1 banana, chopped small
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• Dry sweetener, to taste if you want them a bit sweeter

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8 inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper.

2. In a blender or food processor, blend/process 1 cup of the oats until a flour forms. Or you can just use 1 cup of oat flour.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oat flour, 1.5 cups rolled oats, chia, flax, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, syrup, nut/seed butter, banana, vanilla until no clumps remain. Add wet to dry and stir until combined. Add dry sweetener to taste if desired. Fold in any nuts or dried fruit that you desire.

4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 35-40 minutes until lightly golden along edge and it springs back slowly when touched. I baked them for 40 minutes, but baking time may vary. Place pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, carefully remove, and cool on rack before slicing.

Nutritional Info: (per square, makes 9 squares): 228 kcals, 9 grams fat, 110 mg sodium, 33 grams carbs, 7 grams fibre, 13 grams sugar, 6 grams protein.

The first trial I made was with frozen blueberries (above). Unfortunately they made the bars quite soggy (although tasty). Fresh blueberries would probably be a better option, so I will try that in the summer when they are in season. Sadly, that is a long time away…as I sit here watching a snow storm outside my window!

For the second batch, I left out the blueberries to see if I could get the consistency a bit better.

[Notice my hand writing is getting a bit neater? Ok not really, but I’m happy to say I now keep all my recipe trials in one notebook. No more scattered pages all over the house!]

Anywho, mix the dry ingredients together: ground flax, cinnamon, oats + oat flour (I ground up 1 cup of oats), chia seed, baking powder, and a touch of salt.

Then the wet ingredients: pure maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla, nut/seed butter, and a chopped banana. Feel free to use another milk, nut/seed butter, and liquid sweetener if desired.

Whisk together in another bowl, making sure to break up the nut/seed butter.

Add the wet to dry and mix well.

I planned on adding chocolate, but discovered that I was all out. How does that even happen?

Pour into an 8 inch square pan lined with two pieces of parchment paper.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, cool, and enjoy! I baked them for 40, but I have a feeling that baking time will vary depending on the brand of oats used. I’ve found that some rolled oats absorb more liquid than others. Just watch it closely after 35 minutes. When it slowly springs back up when you press it, it should be good to go.

These are very soft and fluffy with tiny bites of banana throughout. We found that they are a bit plain on their own, but I still managed to eat 3 in a row just to be sure. I like to slice the square in half and make a jam & sunflower seed butter sandwich.

Note to self: restock chocolate chip supply stat.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Chocolate.

PMS.

Mood swings.

Cravings.

Sore boobs.

Tearing up over random TV shows (example: Redemption Inc).

Chocolate.

Uncontrollable yawning.

Random anger.

Healthier chocolate pudding.

I am a woman, hear me roar!

This is the pudding I make when I feel like inhaling a bag of chocolate chips.

It lets me return to my normal self, at least for now…

My chocolate cravings are satisfied and I feel like a million bucks, minus the sore boobs, mood swings, and yawning of course.

I wouldn’t say that it’s for everyone though; if you aren’t into soaked chia seeds (and their slim-factor) you might not like this pudding. You could try adding rolled oats for a chewier texture and do more of a vegan overnight oats recipe if that floats your boat. I added in a couple tablespoons of oats at the last minute.

Top it with a bit of shaved dark chocolate on top…and it’s pretty much my favourite snack going. I also love it heated up with a spoonful of coconut cream stirred in! Want to thicken it up? Mash in a banana just before serving.

Healthy Chocolate Chia Pudding

I make this pudding when I want something indulgent tasting, but don’t feel like eating a ton of sugar. It satisfies and energizes me while letting me get on with my day. I love mixing carob powder and cocoa powder for a more complex chocolate flavour. The carob powder also adds a natural sweetness that I love. If you don’t have carob, I suggest using a bit more cocoa powder and sweetener since it will be less sweet without the carob. Serve cold or heated up!

Adapted from Repair and Recover Chia Pudding

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/4 cup to 1 & 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, as needed to thin out
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp carob flour/powder (I buy it at Bulk Barn)
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• Shaved chocolate for garnish (optional)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients (starting with 1 & 1/4 cup almond milk) until the clumps are gone. Place in fridge for 1-2 hours, until thick or overnight. Stir well, add more milk if desired to achieve the thickness you desire, and serve chilled. Alternatively you can heat in the microwave and serve it warm. It’s nice with a spoonful of coconut cream mixed in or a mashed banana too.

Nutritional Info: (per serving, without shaved chocolate): 197 kcals, 12 grams fat (healthy fat from chia/almond), 26 grams carbs, 15 grams fibre, 9 grams sugar, 8 grams protein.

Also try Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding Parfait.

This morning, I enjoyed heated-up chocolate pudding and a breakfast cookie.

I should be a lot nicer today.

Well, I didn’t end up making the Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies, but I did end up making an off-spring!

Meet the carrot cake cookie in breakfast form. I cut down the oil (using applesauce to replace some of it) and amped up the protein, fibre, and healthy fats naturally using ground flax.

In my first version, I used protein powder instead of flax, but the texture was weird and the flavour was off. Ground flax all the way!

I also left them chunky instead of flattening them down. Much better.

The cookies are lightly sweet, with a lovely carrot cake flavour and the texture of a muffin top. I added in a full cup of grated carrots and a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger for a boost of nutrition and an authentic carrot cake flavour. Ginger also aids in digestion as an added bonus.

Eric summed them up nicely, “If I was looking for a healthy cookie, I would be happy with these. If I wanted a regular unhealthy dessert cookie, I might be a bit disappointed. But they are perfect for breakfast or a snack and I like that they taste like a muffin.”

I’m not sure I can add anything to that, so I’ll just give you the recipe! Nutritional info follows.

Oh Mega Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies

Like a healthy breakfast muffin in carrot cake cookie form. Coconut oil, maple syrup, and fresh ginger work well to create a nice carrot cake flavour, however if you are without those ingredients you can try subbing in another light tasting oil of your choice, other liquid sweetener, and ground ginger (maybe 1/4 tsp?).

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Adapted from Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies, which was adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Yield: 13 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 3/4 cup ground flax
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup regular rolled oats
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 cup lightly packed shredded carrots (use finest grate)
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (other liquid sweeteners should work)
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and toast the pecans for 10-11 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the batter. In a large bowl, mix together the flax, flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and raisins.

2. Grate the carrots and ginger using the finest grate. In a smaller bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave for about 45-60 seconds. You want the oil hot so it doesn’t clump up when adding the cold wet ingredients. Now add in the maple syrup, carrots, applesauce, grated ginger, and vanilla. Stir well.

3. Remove pecans from the oven and add to the dry ingredients. Increase oven temp to 350F. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. The dough will be very sticky, so not to worry.

4. With a spoon, scoop about 13 cookies onto a lined baking sheet. They don’t spread much so you can put them an inch apart. Bake for 14-15 minutes at 350F and allow to cool on baking sheet.

Nutritional info (Per cookie, makes 13 cookies): 186 kcals, 9 grams fat, 24 grams carbs, 5 grams fibre, 10 grams sugar, 4 grams protein. You also get 620 mg Omega-6 and 31 mg Omega-3 fatty acids per cookie thanks to all the flax!

Just a word of caution- the dough is very sticky so don’t be alarmed when you mix it up. It’s easiest to just scoop the dough with a spoon and drop it onto the baking sheet.

They are a lovely cookie for an on-the-go breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack. And like Eric says, keep in mind that it’s a healthier cookie and you won’t be disappointed.

Breakfast this morning was a lovely Green Monster with a side of cookie.

Superfood Green Monster

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This Green Monster packs in superfoods like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, chia seeds, and spinach! For more Green Monster recipes, visit the Green Monster Movement.

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 large handful spinach
• 1 cup + 2-3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 scoop Garden of Life Raw Protein powder, or other powder
• Ice, if preferred

1. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Add ice if desired.

Nutritional Info (serves 1): 349 kcals, 14 grams fat, 39 grams carbs, 21 grams fibre, 12 grams sugar, 27 grams protein.

Note the hot tea in the background to warm me up!

[Mason glass was picked up in November while visiting Fish’s Eddy in NYC]

I thought I would pass along a couple fun vegan links for you today…

1. Check out the PPK’s Vegan Top 100 of 2011 list

2. VegNews Top 10 Vegan trends of 2011

3. I also wanted to point out that I added some social media icons on the right hand sidebar of my page for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Email Subscribe, and RSS! Sorry it took me so long…I’m a bit slow with figuring out these things! In case anyone else is interested, I used this WordPress Social Media Widget.

Have a great day!

It’s the day after the American Thanksgiving and I’m sure the last thing anyone wants is an energy bar.

However, it’s also Black Friday in the US and I figured maybe you could use some energy after all! There is very little that could pull me out of bed at midnight to enter long, cold line ups for hours on end, but these bars could just about do it.

I actually whipped up these bars because we’re leaving on a vacation tomorrow. I always like to bring some type of energy bar with me when I go away and stash a couple in my purse when we’re out walking around. If I find myself without any vegan options, I have a bar that will hold me over until my next meal.

I’ve never made an energy bar quite like this before. I added protein powder to rev up the protein in these bars, making sure they would give me sustainable energy when out and about. I wasn’t really sure what they would taste like with 1/2 cup of protein powder, but I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome!

I made two batches, on the left, using 1/4 cup protein powder and on the right, using 1/2 cup protein powder.

The bars using 1/2 cup protein powder were a bit more dense and the batter was drier, but otherwise I didn’t notice much of a difference taste-wise. Eric tried the bar on the left and he said he couldn’t even detect the protein powder at all. My suggestion is to use a very mild-tasting protein powder. I loved using Garden of Life Brown Rice Protein Powder as it has a fairly neutral taste and it’s not sweetened. Just make sure whichever protein powder you use, it tastes good because you will taste it in the bars if it has an “off” flavour. Of course, you could also skip the protein powder all together if you prefer.

If you cut 10 bars out of the batch, each bar has about 8 grams of protein when using protein powder such as this one below (17 grams protein per scoop).

These no-bake bars take just 5 minutes to throw together…love that.

I added a very THIN layer of melted chocolate on top of the bars and then chilled them in the freezer for 10 mins.

I also made these nut-free, using the amazing Sunbutter sunflower seed butter! I found it at Whole Foods and it’s almost an exact knock-off of Trader Joe’s sunflower seed butter (or maybe TJ’s is a knock-off of this stuff!). Either way, it’s amazing stuff. If you haven’t tried lightly sweetened sunflower seed butter, you really must. It’s ultra drippy and smooth.

Feel free to use any kind of seed or nut butter you prefer, but if it’s not very drippy you will probably have to add a bit more syrup. I also tried the bars (batch #2) using almond butter and it was also good, but I still preferred the sunflower seed butter.

A couple weeks ago, I bought this new Holly Nog (vegan egg nog) that I picked up at Loblaws. It’s just 60 calories per serving and has a simple ingredient list. I’m really impressed by the flavour of this nog…it’s amazing! The only thing it’s lacking is a really creamy texture, but for 60 calories a serving I figured I could work with it to make it into the nog I dreamed it would be…

(click to enlarge)

I blended a half cup of Holly nog, 1/2 cup almond breeze, a frozen banana, nutmeg, and cinnamon and I was absolutely blown away by the outcome. It was exactly the texture I was looking for with the wonderful nog flavour that I love so much!

This is what a picture looks like when the drink is SO good, I can’t even wait to snap the photo!

I can’t control myself around this stuff. A proper photoshoot will likely never happen. This is as good as it gets.

Oh wait, I just remembered I did take a photo of it a couple weeks ago! Here it is…before guzzling!

Creamy Holly Nog Smoothie

Yield: 1 serving

• 1/2 cup Holly nog (or try coconut milk nog)
• 1/2 cup almond breeze
• 1 peeled and frozen banana
• 1/4-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste

1. Blend and enjoy!

~~~

Updates:

In case some of you didn’t see all my crazy updates/messages/panic attack yesterday, I found a discrepancy in my gluten-free pie crust recipe (thanks to Jesica for letting me know!). I said to pre-bake the crust at 350F and 425F, when it should be 350F and NOT 425F. Please accept my apology! I felt so horrible all day yesterday. The recipe is now updated to reflect 350F. I will be quadruple-checking my recipes from now on…

I’ll be back this weekend with photo clues of where we are travelling…I’m excited to see if some of you will be able to guess it right away. I might have to make it challenging.

Up, up, and away…

Have you ever been at a point in your life when you feel a creeping urgency to do stuff?

Important stuff. Fun stuff.

I’m not dead yet stuff.

I’m not getting any younger stuff.

Life Crisis stuff.

I need to stop watching Fall TV and get off my butt stuff.

Eric and I came to this conclusion the other night. We had an amazing conversation about life, goals, and making sure our days are meaningful.

Then we each made lists. Bucket lists. A bucket list is sort of like a to-do list, but much more fun. I’ve made a Fitness Bucket List before too. Some of these things below I’m already working on, but putting them on paper makes them more mindful, real, and exciting. The list is also a great motivator to get off the couch at night and do something other than watch TV!

Write it down. Dream big. Allow yourself to write “crazy” ideas. Some of mine include:

• Learn how to horseback ride. Maybe even do a jump. Don’t die.
• Learn to play the piano. Play at upscale restaurants complete with sparkly evening gown. <—don’t ask.
• Create elaborate Halloween costumes complete with professional make-up.
• Be a fashionista, or at least learn how to dress myself like a grown up instead of leaving the mall with a bottle of nail polish, a necklace, and another bra.
• Write books. Cookbooks. Life books. Picture books. <—working on it
• Manage anxiety better. <—working on it
• Be a peaceful animal rights activist <—working on it
• Take professional photography courses
• Rescue dog from shelter
• Stuff a piñata full of homemade vegan candies and beat the crap out of it with friends. Stuff face.
• Start my own charity
• Make the best vegan brownies of my life. <—Did it
• Live in different parts of the world & travel
• Weight train consistently <—working on it
• Sign up for Toastmasters. Charm and dazzle. Pretend I’m George Clooney.
• Make favourite cracker recipe. Repeat as necessary.

Did it.

I’ve attempted to make crackers on a regular basis, but it never stuck. I realized if I’m ever going to make my own crackers regularly, they had to satisfy the following:

• Healthy ingredients I’d feel good about eating on a regular basis
• Low in added fat
• DELICIOUS
• Quick and easy to throw together

Jackpot.

You might be thinking, how can rolling dough be quick and easy?

I know, I know, no one wants to roll out dough. Even when I see recipes that require rolling, I usually pass them by. Rolling out dough can be scary even for practiced bakers. But this dough is honestly so easy to roll out.

It’s not sticky, rippy, or annoying in any way. Trust me, I would complain bitterly if it was.

In minutes you have crackers ready to go into the oven.

The only work you have to do after that is trying not to burn your tongue when they come out of the oven!

I finally feel like I’ve found “the one”. I’ll be seeing these again real soon, and next time, doubling the batch.

We enjoyed some with almond butter.

Mmm.

Best brownies of my life, you’re next.

What’s on your bucket list?

~~~

Today is the final day to vote in the Foodbuzz Awards! You can vote for all of your fav blogs here until 5pm Pacific time. Thank you guys for your support!

I know, I know quit it with the pumpkin recipes already! It’s inadvertently turned into Pumpkin Week. I promise to lay off pumpkin after this.

Wait, no I don’t. Who do you think I am here? I can’t make any promises when it comes to pumpkin. I can only promise that I fell in love with this pumpkin pudding and I think you will too. I’ve made it 3 times already and it’s strangely addictive.

I don’t know why, but I haven’t made chia pudding since 2009 or early 2010. I guess I didn’t like it as much as I thought. I think the problem with my original attempt was that I made it too slimy. It was too heavy on the chia seeds (slim factor) and too light on filler ingredients.

Last week while I was busy screwing up perfectly good pumpkin pies with avocado, I decided that I really want to eat an entire bowl of pumpkin pie filling. You know, normal thoughts. If you’ve made the Pumpkin Pie Brownie you probably know how delicious the pumpkin filling is! I could live off that stuff. Or I wish I could live of that stuff.

My goal was to make a pumpkin-based pudding made with chia seeds. I envisioned it very similar to my Vegan Overnight Oats, only without the oats, but with the addition of a vanilla protein powder for some staying power. I also wanted it to taste like pumpkin pie filling, of course.

I Googled ‘Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding’ to see what was already out there. I found recipes by Living Lindsay, Spinach and Yoga, The Non Dairy Queen, Confessions of a Young Woman, Choosing Raw, Edible Perspective, The Challenged Health Nut, and Pure 2 Raw, to name just a handful! Apparently, I’m not the only one who wants to eat a bowl full of pumpkin pie.

After checking out a few recipes I decided to just throw stuff in a bowl and taste test as I went. This recipe is very similar to my Pumpkin Pie Vegan Overnight Oats. It’s not too heavy on the chia seeds and it’s thinner and smoother in consistency than many pudding recipes. I didn’t find this pudding too slimy unlike my previous attempts.

This pudding takes just 5 minutes to throw together. Exactly why I’ve made it 3 times already!

I recommend chilling your can of pumpkin if you can. This just means that your pudding will chill faster after making it. No big deal if you don’t though.

A peek at the ingredients I used:

After mixing:

The pudding thickens slightly in the fridge, but the consistency is still pretty thin compared to “normal” puddings. If you want it thicker you can try using less Almond Milk. Personally, I like more volume.

I’m working on a gluten-free version of my Wedded Bliss Soft Ginger Cookies and made parfaits for Eric and I for dessert. It was such a tasty, light dessert for the Fall season! I love a dessert that doesn’t weigh me down.

You can also try adding raisins or walnuts, or whatever tickles your fancy.

What I like about this recipe is how versatile it is. So far, I’ve had it for breakfast, a snack, and now dessert.

When I start eating this for dinner, I think an intervention might be necessary.

~~

I’m off to finally get my ultrasound results this morning! My doctor was away for a couple weeks, so I haven’t been able to find out the results yet. My food sensitivity testing, which was scheduled early this week, was also rescheduled to next Wednesday. So I’ve been playing the waiting game which is why you haven’t had any updates from me yet.

Anyways, fingers crossed for good results! If you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, see this post.

Happy Friday!

Before I became a vegan, I never really put much thought into getting the proper amount of vitamins and minerals. When I was struggling with an eating disorder, I would restrict my calories to an unhealthy level, exercise intensely 7 days a week, and eat mostly processed ‘fat-free’ foods. When my body couldn’t take the starvation any longer, I binged on sugary processed junk food, often consuming 2,000-2,500 calories in a single sitting. Round and round the emotional rollercoaster went for years.

Not surprisingly, aside from being miserable, I also suffered from vitamin deficiencies, including low iron levels. Deep down I was concerned that I was harming my body, but I was so caught in the disorder I didn’t feel like I could change. I also felt like being a certain size or weight was much more important than being healthy.

Boy, how things can change.

Slowly but surely I turned a new page in my life, by renewing my focus on my health and decreasing my focus on my weight. I took all that negative energy and flipped it into something positive.

These days I don’t care much about calories, but I do care about eating quality food and getting proper nutrients.

These days I don’t care about the number on the scale, but I do want to feel in shape and fit into my clothes.

These days I don’t care if something is fat-free, sugar-free, or low-carb, but I do care if it makes me feel good when I eat it.

These days I don’t care if every day is the picture of perfect health, but I do strive for an overall balance in the “big picture”.

These days, I’m a whole lot happier than I used to be.

And those vitamin levels? Right where they should be.

Blackstrap molasses is one of my favourite vegan iron sources! And so fitting for September 1st.

In two tablespoons of molasses you get a powerhouse of iron and other nutrients:

• 7 mg of iron
• Approx 350 mg calcium (more than a glass of cow’s milk!)
• Over 1000 mg potassium
• As well as Vitamin B6, magnesium, copper and more

For more info about molasses, check out World’s Healthiest Foods.

I LOVE this smoothie. It tasted like a big bowl of gingerbread, much like my Gingerbread Vegan Overnight Oats.

Be sure to enjoy this smoothie (and other iron rich foods) with Vitamin C to help the iron absorb and also avoid consuming it with caffeine which decreases the absorption. Other iron-rich foods include whole grains, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, dried herbs, lentils, cooked spinach, tofu, beans, dried apricots, cocoa powder, etc. It is generally recommended that adult females need between 15-18 mg of Iron per day, but everyone’s needs will differ depending on activity level, menstruation, and other factors.

I told Eric how much iron was in this smoothie and he said, “That’s good, but does it taste like motor oil?”

I almost spit the smoothie across the room from laughing. Oh brother.

Lululemon Giveaway Winner!

The winner of my $50 Lululemon giveaway is…#293- Danielle!! She wrote, “Love your blog, you’re too kind with the giveaways!”

Congrats! I emailed you this morning to collect your shipping info.

Eric says I make my best recipes when I’m pmsing.

Wait, is that a back-handed compliment?

Errr…

And how did he know I was pmsing?

“Well,…remember the other night when you started to cry watching that wedding dress show…?”

“When the Dad cries, everyone cries.”

“…and the other day, I caught you with chocolate all over your face talking about some chocolate river…”

“….and how is that different from any other day?”

“Good point. Or yesterday, when you were yelling on the phone with the phone company…”

“She was a phone robot, that doesn’t count! Robots have no feelings, pulse,…or comprehension of the English language, evidently.”

“Or this morning when…”

Ooooooook, no need to live in the past. I’m sure we all get the point.

After some careful thought, his statement did make sense.

PMS –> increase in calorie expenditure (yay, eat more) –> increase in hunger –> empty stomach feeling 24/7 –> chocolate river dreams –> cooking/baking success.

Now, let’s look for concrete proof of his claims over the past week:

• Quick & easy Tortilla Pizza
• Chocolate Cake Batter Smoothie
• Stuffed Phyllo Rolls
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Glazed Doughnuts 
• Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts
• 5 Ingredient Cheeze Sauce

Guilty as charged.

If that is hard evidence, these Chocolate Chunk Toffee Bars are the final nail in my coffin. Eric declared the recipe ‘in the vault’ and mumbled something about chocolate while his eyes glazed over. Typical. The stash quickly disappeared in the span of 3 days. Not surprisingly, more by him than me!

I guess he’s suffering from Male Menstrual Syndrome. I better keep my distance…there’s nothing worse than MAN-MS, right ladies?

And don’t worry, I pointed and laughed at the chocolate smudges on the side of his mouth.

These granola bars took me a few tries, but I finally got the outcome I was looking for- a crispy, toffee-like exterior with a chewy, chocolaty middle. They have a slight toffee flavour and are like a less sweet, more natural candy bar!

The bars will firm up a bit once cooled which is exactly how I prefer to eat them. Their flavour and chewy texture gets better with age.

Ok, I just Googled ‘male PMS’ for fun and there’s an actual term for it called Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS). 

I can’t wait to tell Eric I found his diagnosis!