"Cheesy" Popcorn

No cheese whatsoever! Instead, sprinkle your air-popped popcorn with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor.

My method:

Put two tablespoons of popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch bag. Fold the opening twice (about 1/2 inch increments). Place in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30-40 seconds. Ta-da! Air-popped popcorn! 

My verdict on vegan cookies.

I did my grocery shopping this weekend at Whole Foods and came across this vegan cookie dough.

This has 28 servings at 50 calories per cookie. I'm pretty sure I'll be set this month when it comes to my cookie cravings.

Once I got home, I tried them out right away.

My verdict? They're so damn delicious! Better than the non-vegan doughs I've tried!

Peach-nana and Straw-nana Green Smoothies

Green smoothies! Here's a simple and quick recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup of spinach
1/2 a banana
1/2 cup of frozen sliced peaches OR strawberries
3Tbsp of water (or more to reach the consistency desired)

Blend! Ta-da!

*The first photo is made with strawberries and the second is made from peaches. Excuse my pj's ;]

Reese's Hot Chocolate

I'm calling this "Reese's Hot Chocolate" because after seeing my baby cousin eat this:

I knew I had to find a replacement for that. So PB2 and Cocoa Powder to the rescue!

In one mug heat up a cup of unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice) for 1-2 minutes until hot. While the milk is warming up, mix one tablespoon of PB2, one tablespoon of cocoa powder, and 1 or 2 packets of stevia (depending on how sweet you want it, you can always add it after if you aren't sure) in another mug. Once the milk is warm, pour it into the mug with the dry ingredients. Stir well to make sure everything dissolves or stir as you drink (since the powder has a tendency to sink and sit on the bottom).

It definitely took away my craving, lasted longer than the few fleeting bites my cousin had, and was a healthier option compared to the process stuff.

*Note: This drink is very rich and may not suit everyone (because of the peanut buttery taste). To make hot chocolate, just omit the PB2 and use 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder instead.

Healthy Take on Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite. I can literally eat a dozen of them in one sitting. So I decided to put my own spin on it in a half dozen batch that is completely guilt-free!

Makes 6 cookies, bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Just simply mix all ingredients together.

1 packet of instant unflavored plain oatmeal
1 tbs unsweetened applesauce
2 tbs unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tbs of sweetener of your choice
pinch of salt
dash of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 mini box of raisins (or about a tablespoon)

 Mix!

 Divide into six cookies!

And after waiting patiently, dig in!

Update on yesterday's banana ice cream!

So this morning for breakfast (yes, ice cream for breakfast!), I made the chocolate ice cream that I wrote on my previous post. It was delicious!!! Although, it came out more like a soft serve texture. I think next time I'll try mixing greek yogurt with sweetener and cocoa powder, then freeze it for a few hours to see if that texture is creamier and ice cream like. Once I do, I'll make sure to update you all!

Superfood: Chia Seeds

I wanted to see what the chia seed hype was so I bought some at whole foods!

I made chia seed pudding with almond milk and it tasted pretty good. The texture reminds me of sweet basil seed drinks that I liked as a kid.

Here's an article from the New York Times about chia seeds.
Here's a link on uses for chia seeds and a link for recipe ideas.