Kale Smoothie for Ladies

I'm not going to lie... sometimes it's hard to be a lady. Sometimes there are days when mood swings get the best of you and you become an emotional mess. An emotional mess for absolutely no reason except that, well, you're a lady.

On days like this it's best to stay away from your kitchen. On days like this don't attempt to create a new veggie burger recipe; chances are very high that the recipe that worked so well in your mind won't work out in reality. And then it's just awkward when your male roommate walks in on you crying on the kitchen floor. Not that this has happened to me or anything...

If you do decide to venture into your kitchen, I advise you keep it simple. Throw some frozen bananas into a blender and blend it up with some kale. Toss in some maca powder to correct those hormonal imbalances and add some raw cacao powder for good measure -- unless, you don't like chocolate? And then be sure to enjoy this soothing, fiber-filled smoothie curled up in a snuggie while watching your favorite romantic comedy.

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Chocolate Kale Chips

Is there really anything more that needs to be said besides chocolate kale chips?  I think that should be convincing enough in itself.

If you're excited about this recipe (and believe me, you should be) be sure to head on over to my guest post on Healthful Pursuit this week!  I am super excited to be guest posting for Leanne and if you have not visited Healthful Pursuit before, be sure to check it out.  Healthful Pursuit is a wholesome living blog written by Leanne Vogel, a holistic nutritionist, with a focus on gluten-free and dairy-free recipes.

I especially love Leanne's creativity around healthy desserts and I highly recommend you check out her Vegan Chili Mac 'n' Cheese Casserole, 5 Ingredient Vegan Rice Crispy Treats, and with fall quickly approaching, Pumpkin Gingersnap Chia Breakfast Parfaits!

See you there!

Chocolate-Covered Banana Bites with Coconut and Sea Salt

Have you ever found yourself standing in your kitchen thinking to yourself "I am culinary genius"?  I had that experience this week.  Okay, to be fair, I am definitely not a culinary genius as I am not the inventor of chocolate covered frozen bananas. But! I think I should get genius credit just for making them.... and then sprinkling them with dried coconut and sea salt.  Don't you agree?

I also had the startling revelation that the three best flavors in the world might just be chocolate, coconut, and sea salt.  Bringing them together is just too good.  And genius.

This recipe will forever go down in my mind as the recipe that finally made me buy parchment paper.  I don't know why I chose to be difficult about parchment paper, but I have never bothered to buy it because it seems silly when I have somehow managed to get around in life without it so far.  Yet here I was today, dreaming up my chocolate-covered frozen bananas and finally convinced into buying parchment paper.  Three hours later I can tell you that it was $5 well spent.

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Samoa Cookies

Somewhere in between a vacation with my partner, a gigantic plumbing failure in our apartment, and baking these cookies... it's suddenly June.  Hello sunshine.

I've appreciated the down time of the last few weeks more than I can possibly explain.  Taking a vacation and focusing on being present, relaxing, and taking care of myself was exactly what I needed.  Thank you for all of your support in the process.  I've missed you. 

And since I've been away from my computer, Blogger seems to have lost my last post and my Feedburner service keeps emailing you folks posts from January.  It's good to be back. 

Now, let's get to these cookies.  If you're one of those people staying away from sugar right now I commend you.  And I'd hate to be the person to spoil that so, please, stop reading and look away.

These are some dangerous ones.  I made these to indulge in my post-vacation sugar cravings and now I can't get enough of 'em.  Some of you may be wondering why there is only one cookie pictured below when this recipe makes two dozen.  Ahem, ahem.  Guilty face.

It wasn't all me, I swear!  They just go fast.

These cookies involve coconut, chocolate, more coconut, more chocolate... you get where I'm going with this.  These are perfect for late-night snacking, picnics, chocoholics, and it doesn't get any better than eating these on your front porch in the sunshine while drinking iced tea.  

Samoa Cookies
Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients
2 cups grated unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup almond milk (or another nondairy milk)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour (I've used both whole wheat and spelt and either works great)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chocolate layer: 1 heaping cup vegan chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot or skillet, pour in the coconut and toast over medium low heat for 5 – 10 minutes, until the coconut turns golden brown. Be careful not to burn it, and stir occasionally. Once the coconut is toasted, remove it from the heat to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, brown rice syrup, almond milk, flaxseeds, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until the batter is thick. Fold in the cooled, toasted coconut.

Drop tablespoons of dough on a parchment lined pan. Using a measuring cup, press down the dough balls until they are flat discs. Bake the cookies for about eight minutes, just until the edges start to turn golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the pan and then cool completely on wire racks.

To make the chocolate glaze: Using a double broiler, melt the chocolate chips and stir in the coconut oil. Allow the mixture to cool for five minutes to allow it to thicken a bit. Once the cookies are completely cooled, dip the bottom in the chocolate mixture and place on a pan lined in parchment paper. Repeat with all the cookies. Use the remaining chocolate to drizzle glaze over the top of each cookie.


To allow the chocolate to cool, place the cookies in the fridge for half an hour, then enjoy!  They are also great frozen and eaten straight from the freezer.

Chocolates, Coconuts, and Self-Care

Chocolate. Thursday was my birthday. I'm not big on celebrations, but (as you may know) I am big on food. These long, summery days and beautiful sunsets call for something sweet. I don't know about you, but I am a huge chocolate fan. This in itself is not a problem. The problem is when you factor in being a vegan and the fact that I love milk chocolate. Well, The Chocolate Shoe Box on 7410 Greenwood Ave N has solved this problem.

I have yet to visit their store in person, but I can tell you that their chocolate is amazing- regardless of whether you are vegan. They have everything from gluten-free cookies to peppermint truffles. A big THANK YOU to a co-worker of mine who organized an entire vegan chocolate tasting for our office on my birthday. I could not have been more thrilled!


Coconuts. Coconut water, huh? Yep, coconut water. The first time I tried coconut water was about five years ago and I thought it was the most disgusting thing I'd ever tasted. Well, let me assure you that tastes evolve. It's taken me several years to learn to like it, but now I love it. In fact, instead of having late-night sugar cravings, I have late-night coconut water cravings. It's that good.

What's the big deal about coconut water? I've read many times that it is the closest thing there is to blood plasma. During WWII, coconut water was used in the Pacific to give emergency transfusions. It's also an amazing source of electrolytes and minerals and is great for hydrating your body.

You can find coconut water packaged at most health food stores and some Whole Foods locations even carry the young coconuts already cut open. It is important to use a young coconut because as the coconuts ripen, the water will turn to flesh. Last night on my late-night coconut water craving run, I was unable to find coconuts that were already cut open, so I embraced my fears and did it myself. In case you've never embarked on opening a young coconut, let me tell you 1.) once it is open, you will be glad and proud that you did it and 2.) it is #*You can find coconut water packaged at most health food stores and some Whole Foods locations even carry the young coconuts already cut open. It is important to use a young coconut because as the coconuts ripen, the water will turn to flesh. Last night on my late-night coconut water craving run, I was unable to find coconuts that were already cut open, so I embraced my fears and did it myself. In case you've never embarked on opening a young coconut, let me tell you 1.) once it is open, you will be glad and proud that you did it and 2.) it is f*$#7% hard to open without a cleaver.

The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose is where I first learned how to cut open a young coconut. Here's how in case you ever want to try it yourself:

Choose a preshaved, young coconut with a white exterior. Set the coconut on a firm, steady surface. Place your non-cleaver hand behind your back and leave it there no matter what happens. Place the cleaver on the upper third of the coconut (about 4 inches from the peak of the coconut), and mark where you will strike it. Lift the cleaver to about shoulder height, and, keeping your eye on the mark, come down on it with force. Work your way around the peak of the coconut such that, once you've made four or five cleaver marks, the top of the coconut will lift off like a little hat. Inside, it should look crisp and white. Enjoy the water or set it aside for later use, and then use a spoon to enjoy the coconut "flesh."

*Please note that if you ever open a coconut and it is even slightly pink, it's gone bad and needs to be thrown out.

Self-care. On my birthday, someone asked me what was the most important lesson that I learned this year. I've spent a couple of days thinking about the answer and realized that this year I learned the importance of taking care of myself and putting my needs first. I am by no means a self-care expert, but I am getting better.

If you are interested in self-care, I highly recommend reading Cheryl Richardson's The Art of Extreme Self-Care. I believe that every person needs to read this book because it will transform your life. I also think it is particularly important for women because of the way that we are socialized to be caretakers for others and put ourselves last. Cheryl Richardson is a life coach and has written many different books on creating changes in your life.

I love all of the lessons that I have learned this past year and how many, many more I know are to come in my life. I love that as I have gotten older, I have learned how to create more meaningful relationships and friendships. I love that my makeup bag has gotten smaller and smaller. (True beauty is on the inside anyway, right?) And I love all of the amazing things I have learned to cook and getting to share them with you.