everyday oats

kate bakes

kris — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:15:59 +0000

And she sure does it well!

I recieved these bars from Katelyn last week and have been munching on them since. And now they’re all gone. wahh.

When she originally reached out to me to see if I would be interested in trying her bars, I was more than game. I’m all about snack bars as they’re super convenient and are usually full of nutrition making awesome travel or midday pick me ups. And these, my friends, are no different. In fact I’d have to say they’re better than a whole lot of the other bars out there, baked with only 11 or less ingredients and a whole lot of love.

Katelyn, former blogger of New Kid On the Vegan Block is now the owner of Kate Bakes, a vegan and gluten free snack company based in Washington DC.

She sent me all the flavors currently available on her website - Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal, Chocolate Coffee, Sunflower Butter Raisin, and Cardamom Date.

{All her bars are around 220 calories using only certified gluten-free ingredients and dedicated gluten-free equipment.}

As a chocolate and coffee lover, I knew I would love the Chocolate Coffee bar, however the one that really got me was the Cardomom Date. Uh, holy yum. It had the perfect amount of spice and sweetness and was so different from all the other bars I’m used to eating.

All four of the bars were unique in their own way and definitely lived up to their name/description. You know how some bars state that they’re a certain flavor, but taste nothing like it? I hate when that happens! You definitely won’t have that problem with these bars. Something else that really surprised me was the fact that they have soy protein powder in them, which was truly undetectable. I didn’t know it until I read the ingredient list.

My favorite thing about these bars, other than the flavor, is the perfect amount of sweetness. Sometimes bars can be so sweet it overpowers all the other flavors. Not a problem here.

Plus, if you’re a coconut fan like me you’ll especially love these bars because they all have a hint of a coconutty aftertaste. And goes extremely well with an iced cold glass of vanilla almond milk.

Overall, these bars get two thumbs up from me!

You can find Katelyn and her bars on twitter, facebook, or her Kate Bakes webpage.
Support a fellow blogger!

Are you a bar eater?
What do you usually look for in bars?

coconut butter vs. coconut oil

kris — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:39:02 +0000

Hey guys!
I missed my normal Monday post because I had some issues with getting my photos onto my blog. I’m running out of space which has caused my computer to lag and I really need to get it delete stuff and cleaned up. It had a major spazz out yesterday as I was trying to upload photos and ended up freezing multiple times. After a few attempts to restart and reload with no success I just gave up and went to bed.

But I’m here today! And it’s been a heck of a rainy day here. Thunder, lightning, and just a whole lotta wetness.

Which for some reason makes a plate of snackimals (forgot how good these are!) + a cup of tea all the better to sit down to.

Also perfect for some evening blog time and for me to introduce you to a little friend of mine.

Meet my bff.

Coconut Butter.

I want to slather it on everything.

I still love this guy…

But now that it’s getting hot out, all of my coconut oil has become liquified and is better used in baked goods or drizzled on smoothies to create magic coconut shells. Coconut butter on the other hand is still thick, delish, and spreads on just about everything. Not everything though. Some things can do without it.

I especially love it on toast. Bonus points if it’s cinnamon raisin.

This is my favorite cinnamon raisin bread. Currently on sale at whole foods thru tomorrow, I believe. But I think it’s always a good price over at Trader Joes.

This morning I added the coconut butter to my pancake-y breakfast of 1 egg + 1 super ripe banana + 2 tsp coconut + 1 tsp cinnamon combined and cooked on medium heat.

It’s in a bowl because it broke as I was flipping it, but it was still definitely just as yummy. And coconutty. Mmm.

And just in case you’re curious, I find that there is a slight difference in taste between coconut oil and coconut butter. Coconut butter has a richer flavor and taste while coconut oil has more of a light coconut essence and not as strong of a taste. Both are fabulous in my opinion. Just depends on what you’re adding it to.

{If you’re interested to know more, here’s an article of the benefits of using coconut oil.}

—

My thoughts and prayers go out to Oklahoma today.
Tornado and thunderstorm warnings have been popping up like crazy down here in the South recently and the massive tornado that blew through Moore, Oklahoma yesterday was incredibly destructive. Brings back memories of all those tornado drills we used to do in grade school. Back then they seemed kind of pointless, but now its nice to know that we all know how to prepare/hide in the event of tornadoes.

—

Coconut butter or coconut oil?
What’s your favorite way to use them?
Did you ever do drills (fire, tornado, lock downs, earthquake..) when you were in grade school?

bright breakfast + rice salad

kris — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:21:45 +0000

TGIF!

It was still dark out when I made breakfast this morning so I took the opportunity to add a little brightness to my day with something fruity.

I doctored up the usual two ingredient pancake and used 1 mashed banana + a little over 1/3 cup egg whites (about the equivalent of two whole eggs) + 1 tsp cinnamon + fresh blueberries and raspberries. Mixed and cooked it all in a greased pan on medium heat for about 5 minutes each side. I love it when the juices start to leak out of the fruit onto the pan and sizzle/caramelize yielding extra sweet flavors. I made sure to pick out the juiciest/plumpest berries out of the pint to use.

I wouldn’t exactly call this a pancake with the amount of egg that goes into it as it affects the texture. I’d say 30% pancake, 70% omelette.

Spread with coconut oil, I ate half before heading to the gym for a group circuit workout and placed the remainder in the refrigerator to finish once I returned home.
I may have also made a drive by at Starbucks for an iced latte enroute home. Mmm.

I wasn’t sure what the pancake would taste like straight out of the fridge and cold, but I might actually like it more than the warm version. Which makes it perfect because then I can make it the night before and place it in the fridge for a easy breakfast/snack on the go. And now that it’s nearing summer, my coconut oil is getting to the liquified stage even at room temp so I can easily just drizzle it all over.

I’ve been using a ton of coconut oil lately because it’s at my favorite stage where it’s soft and spreadable at room temperature. Give or take a week and I’m sure it’ll be in a complete liquid state. It’s getting hot down here in Texas!

My morning was fairly busy so lunch came around quicker than expected. My stomach alerted me that it needed food stat, so I came up with the quickest possible solution. Leftovers.

I mixed my leftover salad bar box from last night’s trip to Whole Foods with heated up leftover fried rice and added in some freshly cubed avocado.

It might sound or look strange, but I actually really enjoyed it. The warm fried rice melted the avocado and wilted the greens a bit, bringing it all together for one awesome lunch.

Also enjoyed this afternoon was a Kate Bakes bar.

More about them next week, but let me tell ya, they’re delicious!

Wayy more so than the herbal meds I ~~drank~~ gagged down this morning. Holy blech. It’s getting harder and harder to drink them each day. I actually “forgot” to drink them yesterday so I need to make sure I get in that 2nd dose today for sure.

Guess I should go do that now…

Have an awesome weekend!

What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Do you enjoy your leftovers or would you rather have fresh food?

protein pancake

kris — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:11:12 +0000

Hello!
It’s pretty late and I’m way overdue for some sleep, but I wanted to pop in and share with you the breakfast I had this morning.

I’ve been following the Tone It Up girls for sometime now, and time and time again their perfect fit protein pancake has come up as peoples favorites. I made it once last year with Garden of Life Plant Protein Powder and it came out tasting like paper. No joke. After that I set this recipe on the back burner.

Ever since Monday’s post I’ve been thinking about pancakes and with no pancake mix at home it was the perfect opportunity to try the protein pancakes once again. This time I had perfect fit protein that I ordered a few weeks prior (they have sample packs to order and try – 3 packs for $5, I think).

Just mixed everything together and cooked it in some coconut oil, then topped with more coconut oil, strawberries, and blueberries.

While the pancake doesn’t have the exact same consistency as a regular pancake (they’re a bit more dense) they do stand in as quite the suitable alternative. I think the protein powder used will definitely affect the texture of the pancake in the end. Perfect Fit protein is a brown rice based protein, but I’m pretty sure Plant Fusion or Vega would work well too.

This is a nice and filling breakfast that I’ll probably interchange with this 2 ingredient pancake on the days where I don’t have pancake mix at home.

Just 1 large egg + 1 mashed banana mixed up and cooked in a pan. Mix-ins (flax, chia, juicy blueberries, nut butter, etc.) are always fun additions.

Otherwise, it’s kodiak cake pancakes all the way : )

And now I’m off to bed! Night!

Pancakes or Waffles?
What are your favorite pancake toppings?

*Sending positive thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the tornados tonight in Granbury, Texas and the surrounding areas!*

a stroll down foodie lane

kris — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:45 +0000

Happy Monday!
And a Happy Belated Mothers Day to all you mommas out there! I hope everyone had a lovely day yesterday!

I spent the day with my mom, beginning with a mother-daughter workout and ending with a family dinner of hot pot.

Lots of veggies and fish was consumed. And a lot of dessert. hehe.

And while we’re on the topic of food, (wait, when are we ever not on the topic of food?) I was organizing my photo library on my computer the other day and came across a little revalation. The food I used to eat, especially breakfasts, were so much more visually appealing than what I eat nowadays. It’s not even that I used to take more time to make my food…I guess there was just more variety. And colors.
Lets take a walk down ~~memory~~ foodie lane shall we?

Remember when I used to love pancakes? I still do, but for some reason I’ve stopped making them. I kinda just…forgot about them? It’s time to get my kodiak cakes flapjack mix out again.

Some waffles would be nice too.

Banana Bread french toast also needs to happen for me soon.

I used to make banana bread french toast with my recipe flops and they were still delicious. I can only imagine what they taste like with perfected fluffy banana bread.

When is fig season? I fear it may have passed already. Figs + bananas make a heck of a combo.

Overnight oats used to be a daily occurrence around here as well.

So much variety when it comes to oats, especially in almost finished nut butter jars

And sandwiches!
How come I never eat sandwiches anymore?

I still remember making sandwiches everyday for weeks after my 21st birthday when my aunt gave me a panini press as one of my birthday presents. I was obsessed! And for a good reason. They take a normally good cheesy sandwich to the next level. Thats right, I bet you didn’t know there was a next level. Let me tell ya, there is.

And, hey, even my juices used to be prettier.

My meals need a makeover.

Have a good one!

What did you do for mothers day?
Whats something you used to eat all the time, but haven’t in a while?
Do you ever eat something daily and then just completely forget about it?

gone herbal.

kris — Sat, 11 May 2013 12:00:24 +0000

Hey hey!
Hope your weekends are off to a fresh start!

Lets talk herbs today!
Last week I finally went to see a Traditional Chinese Herbal Doctor regarding two separate health issues I have. The first is a mild case of digestion/gut problems and the second is monthly cramps. I’m really more into natural ways of healing and was tired of having to take pain medication every month. There would be times when I tried to go without, but it would become so painful I’d end up caving in and taking a painkiller in the end. I prefer the ways of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine because of their natural ways and it can’t hurt in the end whether they work or not.

So off to the doctors I went. I ended up going to two different traditional Chinese doctors just to make sure they both came to the same conclusion and diagnosis. And they did.

It’s amazing what they know by just taking your pulse on each wrist and looking at your tongue! It’s like magic. Anyways after talking to the doctor I was prescribed a variety of “herbs” to take – two packets each time, twice a day.

Normally, or more traditionally, the herbs are packed up whole and given to you to take home to cook on your own (or they can cook them for you for an additional fee), however, I chose to go the powder route for convenience. All the herbs are mixed together in powder form and packed up so that I can take them with me anywhere and just add hot water. Technically it’s slightly not as effective as the whole herbs, but convenience won out in the end for me.

Boy do they taste amazing! Y’all need to jump right on this boat of yum.

Just kidding – That was total sarcasm.
The herbs are so bitter my only savior is the haw flakes they sent me home with. Haw flakes are basically just hawthorn fruit + sugar made into a sweet little flake. They cut bitterness really well.

I’ve quickly discovered the best way to drink the herbal medicine is to add as little water as possible, wait for it to cool off a bit, and chug it all at once while attempting to not breathe or taste anything. Then finish up with a couple haw flakes. That is what I’ll be doing for the next 3 weeks until I finish off my dosage and go back to the doctor for my next diagnosis.

So what’s wrong with me? According to both doctors my body has been thrown off balance because of what I’ve been eating. When it comes to health and food the Chinese culture often views health differently than the western culture and sometimes it can be difficult for me to understand what is good for me and what is not. I know for a fact that cold items are often thought to be bad for the body especially in the morning.
Basically I’ll be cutting down on smoothies, yogurts, raw juices, certain fruits and raw veggies, and other various items that are not working well with my body right now. I don’t think I can give all these things up completely, but there will be less of them in my daily food routine. Boo. I’ll also be adding a lot more ginger and as it will help my body balance out.

I’m not sure how certain everything is and how much these herbal medicines will help me, but I’m willing to give it a shot and see how it goes the next month or two. I know for a fact that they work though when prescribed correctly because I’ve seen it work wonders for some people.

I’ll keep yall updated with how it goes the next month or so.

Have a jolly weekend : )

What are your thoughts on medicine?

yogurt + a juice latte

kris — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:58 +0000

Good Morning!

Todays post is on the shorter side. Originally I had planned to share with you my visit to a traditional Chinese herbal medicine doctor, however, while I was uploading photos something went awry and I lost the majority of what I had typed up. Now that I’m running short on time we’ll just talk breakfast.

No oats this morning. I kept breakfast on the simple side with a sliced banana over plain yogurt with a drizzle of roasted almond butter.

Along with a cup of juice.
Todays mix was just spinach, pineapple, and ginger. Easy peasy, but very delicious.

Mint would have been a nice addition.

I love how pineapple and spinach get so foamy. The layers and foam always remind me of a latte, but a juice version.

Next post I’ll talk more about my Chinese Medicine visit!
Hope your day is great!

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

the weekend.

kris — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:25:45 +0000

Hi there! Hope y’all had fabulous weekends – Lots of fiestas i hope!

I started my weekend with something sweet.

A creamy chocolate banana smoothie with a spoonful of roasted almond butter dunked in.
{vega chocolate protein powder, almond milk, frozen almond milk ice cubes, frozen banana, drizzle of almond butter}

Got in a bit of studying.

Made it to the gym for a morning workout.

{note to self: iron shirt before leaving the house next time}

Had a cooking lesson from the grandma making a specialty dumpling from her hometown.

We made the dough out of steamed/mashed sweet potatoes and sweet rice flour. Then rolled and stuffed each dumpling with veggies. Immediately fried and eaten, they were so so delicious. The dough was perfectly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. My mouth is kind of watering thinking about them as I type this.

The sun tried to peek out all weekend.

But was fairly unsuccessful.

Which made spending time indoors drinking tea all the better.

Osmanthus jelly, one of my favorites, was also happily eaten. Osmanthus has a floral smell and taste that makes a really refreshing dessert that is especially delicious in the summer straight from the fridge.

Speaking of refreshing, this iced barley tea is another hot weather favorite.

It has the slightest hint of sweetness that complements the nuttiness of the barley.

And lastly…sadly no margaritas were consumed this cinco de mayo, but there was wine and chocolate.

Because we all know no weekend is complete without them : )
{i do not recommend this wine, btw)

Have a great week, friends!

What did you do this weekend?
Did you celebrate cinco de Mayo?

{vegan} samoas

kris — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:20:23 +0000

Happy Friday Friends!
Who has some bake time scheduled for this weekend? If so, might I suggest some samoas?
Girl scout cookie season may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can no longer eat girl scout cookies!

I made these cookies once before and I remember loving them, but I never wrote out the full recipe. I had originally found the recipe on the a blog called The Baking Stone, making only a few substitutions, however when I went back to remake them recently I discovered that the blog is no longer around. I racked my brains and a very smudged/handwritten piece of paper and came up with what I believe to be the recipe I originally used. In the end it doesn’t matter if this is the same recipe as before because these cookies came out amazing. Therefore, I am posting the recipe here before it gets lost again.

{vegan} samoas
(makes 28 – depending on size)

- 2 heaping cups unsweetened coconut flakes (reduced fat coconut flakes for lower fat cookies)
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup nut milk of choice, near room temperature
- 1 cup sucanat or brown sugar
- 1 T ground flax
- 1 t pure vanilla bean paste or extract

chocolate drizzle:

- 6 oz dark chocolate
- 1 t extra virgin coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Toast coconut flakes for 5-7 minutes or until slightly golden. Make sure to stir after 3 mins so they don’t burn!
Once toasted, put aside coconut flakes.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, & salt.

In a larger bowl mix together coconut oil, sugar, milk, flax, vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture. Once combined, fold in the toasted coconut flakes.

Using a melon scooper or spoon, roll the dough and place on cookie sheet. Make sure to press the dough balls down because they will not spread.

Bake for 10-12 mins or until edges are slightly golden. Longer for larger sized cookies.
The cookies will still be very soft when you take them out of the oven and will harden as they cool. At this time poke a hole in the middle with a chopstick or similar sized utensil.

While the cookies cool, melt the chocolate and coconut oil over a double boiler or in the microwave (stirring every 20 seconds until melted). Dunk the bottom of the cookies into the chocolate and let cool on nonstick foil or parchment. Once all the cookies bottoms have been coated, use a fork and drizzle remaining chocolate over cookies.
(I actually did it the other way around, but recommend coating bottom of cookies before drizzling)

Place in the freezer for 20 minutes to let the chocolate firm up.

Then package and give to your cookie loving friends : )

Orrr just save them all for yourself ; ) They keep very well in the freezer just FYI.

I’d venture to say these taste even better than the actual girl scouts samoas. The ingredients are definitely better. And the best part is they’re really simple to make.
Whether you’re a vegan or not, I guarantee these will be enjoyed to the fullest. So get baking!

Have a lovely weekend y’all!

Have any fun plans this weekends?
Do you like girl scout cookies? Which kind is your favorite?

vanilla bean chia pudding

kris — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:33 +0000

Well, hello May!
Can you believe in one month we’ll be half way through 2013? Craziness!

Last night I decided to make some chia pudding because I was itching to make something. Anything, really. I thought since I was already making something, it may as well be my breakfast for the next day. Less work in the morning : )

Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding
{serves 2-4, depending on how you eat it}

- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 2 large medjool dates, pitted (3 if you like your pudding sweeter)**
- 3/4 cup hot water (to soak dates)**
- 3/4 to 1 cup nut milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)***
- 1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste or extract
- optional: add a banana instead of the dates for a vanilla-banana pudding

**Soak your dates in the hot water for at least 2 hours or overnight. Keep the water to use in pudding.
*** Use less nut milk if you prefer a thicker pudding consistency

Place chia, soaked dates, date water, nut milk, and vanilla into blender. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes, or until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour into air tight containers and place into refrigerator to set overnight.

Should keep for about 5-6 days if stored well.

I poured my pudding into two glass containers to be kept in the fridge.

Overnight it will set up and develop a thicker consistency.

One that goes very well eaten as is or topped with some fresh fruit and drizzled with maple syrup or honey if a sweeter taste is preferred.

My favorite way to eat the pudding is mixed with plain yogurt as I love the creamy consistency it takes on. I’ll usually throw on some fruit and additional nut butter.

Perfect way to start a fiber-ific day!

And it was a nice change up from the quick, no mess breakfasts I’ve been eating the previous mornings.

Have a great day!

{Article of interest: health benefits of flax, chia, and hemp seeds}

Whats your favorite breakfast to make in advance?
Do you eat Chia? If so, what do you use it in?
Any plans for May?