Choco Vanilla Banana Cinammon Millet

Try saying that title six times fast!

I heart millet <3 It's like oatmeal x10000000. Or something. And what's better than starting out your day with a breakfast that's ten times healthier and tastier than any drive-thru donut? Um yeah, nothing :D
So dig in, foodies! Here's to chocolate for breakfast, and food that fits your bikini!

From my kitchen, to yours <3

Ingredients:
1/2 cup millet, dry
1 1/2 cups water
1 small ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1 1/2 tbs cocoa
2 tsp cinammon
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup almond mylk

Directions:
1) Combine millet and water in your rice cooker and turn it on. Once cooked, scoop into a bowl.
2) Mash all remaining ingredients into your cooked millet until well-combined.
3) Feel appreciation & love for each and every bite :)

peace, love, food <3
Char, xo

Coconut Millet

Om nom nom. I lovelovelove millet. It is seriously one of my favourite grains because of its texture & flavour. To me, it has a soft, sweet, nutty taste, & is a perfect breakfast food! I used to eat it all the time….why the hey did I stop??
Anyhoo, I made this recipe on a whim, needing to use up my coconut mylk. You can also cook it with just water for this recipe. Totes up to you <3

From my millet-lovin’ face to yours <3

Ingredients:
½ cup millet
1 cup coconut mylk
1/2 cup water
Cinnamon & maple syrup, to taste

Directions:
1) Put millet, coconut mylk, & water into your rice cooker.
2) Once cooked, scoop millet into a bowl. Season with cinammon & agave to taste.

**Alternatively, if you don't want to use maple syrup, mash in a ripe banana. SO YUMMAY!!

Peace, love, food <3

Char, xo

Chocolate Martinis & Vanilla Pancakes

It's just not possible to bring in the New Year on a positive note without a little chocolate and pancakes ;)
My Auntie Rigel sells and uses Epicure's products religiously, and with good reason. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of gourmet meals and drinks for days, created by her and her husband (my Uncle Roger) while staying with them in Calgary. We used the Epicure chocolate sauce recipe for these martinis, but changed it slightly to make it a little healthier :)
Keep scrolling after the chocolate martini recipe...there are pancakes, too! ;)

Epicure Chocolate Sauce:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Epicure cocoa (or regular cocoa powder)

1 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup water

Directions:

1) In a saucepot over high heat, whisk all ingredients together and bring to a boil.

2) Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for three minutes.

3) Remove from heat and set chocolate sauce aside to cool.

Chocolate Martinis:

1) Combine 1/4 cup vodka with 1/4 cup chocolate sauce in a martini shaker. Shake, baby, SHAKE!!

2) Poor equal amounts into two glasses and garnish with berries (we used blackberries!).

3) Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly ;)

New Year's breakfast? Everybody loves pancakes! After waking up to a destroyed house, we all worked together to get the bottles, glasses, streamers, party hats, confetti, and food cleaned up. I found a basic vegan pancake recipe online, and adapted it, using the ingredients I had available. Results? Everyone loved 'em :) They were light and fluffy, and the vanilla almond mylk added just enough sweetness :) Topped with vegan margarine and pure maple syrup, it was a delicious start to 2011!

Vanilla Pancakes (makes 16)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups sweetened vanilla almond mylk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1) Sift together all dry ingredients, then mix in wet. Stir until well-combined.

2) In a greased pan over high heat, drop 1/4 cup scoops of batter and spread evenly. Flip pancakes when bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes.

3) Remove from heat when both sides are golden brown.

4) Serve with vegan margarine and pure maple syrup.

5) Om nom nom :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

peace, love, food<3
Char, xo

Tofu Scramble

When I was at respite care the other day, C's mom offered for me to use up the tofu and whatever else I could find to throw together for dinner. It had been more than a year since I made tofu scramble, but I'm sure glad it came to mind :)
Tofu scramble is one of my favourite dishes to make, because you can throw in whatever is in your fridge and have a meal ready in ten minutes. Plus it's freakin' delicious :D
I also sliced potatoes & yams into fries and baked them, and then steamed some veggies. It was a quick, easy, throw-together meal that we all loved! In fact, they loved it so much that they keep asking me to make it! If you want the scramble to be 'cheesy,' feel free to add in some nutritional yeast or Daiya.

From my kitchen to yours <3

Ingredients:
1 tbs coconut oil, for the pan
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
8 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 block firm tofu, pressed
soy sauce, to taste
optional: nutritional yeast or Daiya, to taste

Directions:
1) In a large frying pan or wok over medium heat, warm up the coconut oil. Add in garlic, onion & yellow pepper and saute until golden.
2) Add in mushrooms and crumble in the tofu. Tofu should be in small chunks. Cook until golden, stirring occasionally, adding soy sauce to taste. If using, add in the nutritional yeast or Daiya and allow to melt.
3) Remove from heat & serve!

peace, love, food <3
Char, xo

Pumpkin Pie Mylkshake

Bippity, Boppity, BOO!
While this delicious breakfast dessert will never turn into a royal carriage, it also won't make me look like one, either. I played with a few ingredients & finally came up with a treat that is so smooth, delicate, & satisfying, it should be sinful. If you want to make it thicker, you can try adding some non-dairy vanilla nice kream, but I found it to be thick & creamy enough as is :)
What's with the Halloween characters, you might ask? The kitten card is from my closest girlfriend and the pumpkins are supposed to represent my roomie & I. Yeah, I'm a dork like that. I believe we should all have pumpkin head alter-egos.

Cheers to dessert for breakfast & pumpkins for heads!


Ingredients:
1 cup almond mylk, unsweetened
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinammon
1 banana
pinch nutmeg
optional: add 1 cup spinach. nom nom

Directions:
1) Toss all goodies into a blender & puree!
2) Sip pumpkin pie mylkshaky goodness :)

peace, love, food <3
Char, xo

Green Satin Smoothie

This smoothie is so simple & so perfect. Spinach is my favourite in smoothies, because it makes everything taste smooth & creamy. I have been obsessed with this drink lately: It gives me energy, and I don't have cramping after because there is nothing but fruit & leafy greens. It's perfect for keeping my mind clear and helping me focus on school work & my jobs, and it is soooo easy to throw together.
For those watching their weight, it's light on calories and will help you fit into that green satin mini dress sooner ;) If you need a denser smoothie, feel free to add a larger quantity of fruit. I don't eat too much in the morning, so this was perfect for filling my tummy without making me feel bloated :D
Of all my smoothies, THIS is my favourite! You MUST try it :) lovelovelove <3

From my kitchen, to yours <3

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 cups water (add as needed)
2 cups spinach
1 peach, cored & sliced
1 ripe banana, peeled

Directions:
1) Blend all ingredients until smooth.
2) Sip satin.

peace, love, green food <3
Char, xo

Banana Carob Smoothie

Happy Day, foodies!! I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but my schedule between 3 jobs, school & life has been craaaaaazy busy & only gets busier. C'est la vie :)
Though I drink smoothies everyday, it's been awhile since I've created a new recipe for them. However, I've been finding that I can't really tolerate too many types of food anymore.
I used to be able to have gluten here and there, but I got sick from eating it this weekend. And protein powders, I have found, are partly to blame for my digestive issues & cramps.
So what's a girl to do? I've found what helps me thrive, feel energetic & remain focused is.....low fat, raw foods! I'm still eating plain, steamed veggies as well (brussell sprouts, broccoli, etc), to help with digestion. But other than that, my diet has been entirely fruits & veggies for about a week (except for the killer pizza). I do still have some older recipes to post, though, so you will see some cooked foods here & there. I love how this is pushing me to get more creative :) Because oohhhh, I have!
Sooooo after a large introduction, here is my new, naked smoothie, the way nature would want it to be :) lovelovelove this smoothie, & I know you will, too! <3

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water (or more, as needed)
2 tbs carob powder
2 cups spinach
1/2 cup mango
2 bananas

Directions:
1) Blend! Drink! Love :)

peace, love, food <3
Char, xo

P.S. more smoothies to come! Including a Satin Green Smoothie ;)

Banana Oat Pudding

Okay, so weird, but this actually tastes like bubblegum! My brother & I were so shocked by it! Obviously the texture wasn’t the same, & you couldn’t really sit & chew it for hours, but the taste!! Holy wow. The chlorella gives it a lil somethin-somethin', & is also obviously what makes it green.
You’re not going to be surprised, but I discovered later that it tastes even better with chocolate!! I am sowwie if you truly do not have the same sick passion for chocolate that I do. But you can always make this without ;)
I didn’t take a picture of the chocolate version, though, because it wasn’t as eye-appealing as the one without, haha. Make it yourself & you’ll know why ;)

From my kitchen, to yours <3

Ingredients:
1/4 cup steel cut oats, soaked overnight & drained
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 tsp chlorella
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbs cacao powder, optional
Raisins, for topping

Directions:
1) Combine oats, banana, chlorella, cinammon & optional cacao powder in a food processor. Process until well-combined.
2) Scoop "pudding" into a bowl & top with raisins.
3) Serve!

peace, love, food <3
Char, xo

RAWKIN' Chocolate Coconut Banana Oatmeal

Okay. Yes. You've got me. I'm an obsessive choco-holic, always looking for her next fix. I can't help it!!! More & more lately, I am seeing information about ingredients such as cacao & agave being "raw junk food" ....WELL, if the worst thing I am eating is raw chocolate, I'm not gonna stress about it :) I don't eat meat, dairy, sugar or gluten, & I barely touch soy. So bring on the chocolate!! :D
While I agree our approach to health should be based mostly on fresh fruits, veggies, & green smoothies, mine is. I really don't eat a lot of fat or cacao: maybe 1tbs of cacao daily, & I hardly ever consume agave. What is important, as well as being nutritionally healthy, is keeping a healthy state of mind. If you feel deprived & angry because you miss a certain food, you're not setting yourself up for success. Find balance, find love for yourself. Focus on adding more whole fruits & veggies to your diet, as opposed to thinking about everything you're not having. And if you're feeling bitter & resentful, have a raw cookie, dammit!

From my "junk food" kitchen to yours!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup steel cut oats, soaked overnight & drained
1-2 tbs raw cacao powder
2 tsp cinammon
2-3 tbs coconut mylk
1 ripe banana

Directions:
1) Stir cacao, cinammon, & coconut mylk into steel cut oats.
2) Peel banana. Put on top of chocolate-y oat mess. Get your mash on! ;)

Char xo

Cinammon Orange & Kream Oatmeal

Here we go again; me & my oatmeal. I lovelovelove oatmeal/carbs so much it's ridiculous!! Good thing it's good for me, right?
This would also be yummy without the almond mylk in it, but if you're going to omit it, I would add a teaspoon of agave, just for sweetness. That, or you can just mash up the orange real good :)
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before or not, but oatmeal is actually a "happy" food. It increases serotonin levels in your brain & creates feelings of happiness. I know I always feel good after a bowl of oatmeal :) It also gives me a lot of energy, & is great for improving digestion.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup steel cut oats, soaked overnight & drained
2 tbs raw vanilla almond mylk
1-2 tsp cinammon
1 small satsuma orange (or half of a large orange)

Directions:
1) Top oatmeal with mylk, cinammon, & peeled orange. Mix together & enjoy :)

Banana Oatmeal RAWKS ;)

Once upon a time, in a land called Errington, a raw foodie princess woke up very hungry. Tired of the same old agave, & wanting a nutritional boost in her oatmeal, she discovered *cue angels singing* BANANAS TASTE BETTER!!
I'm sure I've rambled on about this before. I lovelovelove bananas!! I read a whole two page article on bananas awhile ago: they are good for everything from your brain, to your mood, to your digestive system, muscle contractions, tastebuds...I probably eat waaaaaaay too many bananas, but you can't stop me!!! mwahahaha :) I always feel so good after eating a banana (ummm...or 3).
Anyhoo, yeah...this picture looks pretty, but it's not exactly how I ate it...afterwards, I took the whole banana & mashed it into my oatmeal with the cinammon. Perhaps you're getting a clear mental image of why I took the photo beforehand :)
OOOOOOOO, & in case you're a chocolate junkie like I am (just put it in my veeeiiinnnss!!), I added a tablespoon of cacao powder after. Chocolate Cinammon Banana Oatmeal. omg. LML <3 I was seriously heading upstairs to my room with just the banana & cinammon in my oatmeal when my brain suddenly went, "omfg, chocolate." I ran back downstairs & corrected my error :) Choose whichever modification suits your tastebuds/mood best. Personally, I go for chocolate 99% of the time ;) om nom nom.

From my kitchen, to yours <3

Ingredients:
1/2 cup steel cut oats, soaked in water overnight
1 banana (it's gotta be a mashable texture. obvs.)
cinammon, to taste
1tbs raw cacao (optional. but are you seriously gonna leave it out?)

Directions:
1) Drain water from oats.
2) Mash banana into oats. Sprinkle in cinammon & cacao. Continue to mash.
3) Eat it. Because you shouldn't make food & not eat it :)

Char xo

Raw Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

*sighhh* There is truly, honestly, no greater joy than having chocolate for breakfast. For real. You know what's even better?? When it's good for you :)
You may remember me posting the recipe for my Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal back in February, but this one is raaawww!! And I'm sure you're noticing a pattern; I like everything raw.
This gave me the boost I needed in the morning, satisfied my chocolate craving with only a small amount, made me happy, & was super filling without causing bloat. I'm......not quite sure what more you could ask for? haha. This little lady only has one true love; and it's chocolate <3

From my kitchen, to yours <3

Ingredients:
1/2 cup steel cut oats, soaked overnight
1 tbs raw cacao powder
1 tsp agave nectar
1-2 tbs cacao nibs

Directions:
1) Drain any remaining water from your soaked oats.
2) Stir in cacao powder, nibs, & agave nectar.
3) om nom nom. *Wipe chocolate smear from face*

Char xo

Raw Oatmeal!

One of my favourite, favourite things about this cleanse is that I have been learning to soak & sprout grains, which I have never ever done before. I used to eat oatmeal all the time, but stopped after adopting a mostly raw diet. But, after talking to a nutritionist, I learned that hulled oats are raw. I soak them over night (for at least 12 hours). You have the option of grinding them as well, but they have a soft-chewiness to them that I like. It makes eating it take longer, which means I'm eating slower and getting fuller faster. (I have a bad habit of wolfing down food. My food photos may look appealing, but it wouldn't be so much if you saw me eating them!)
You can try any fruit in this; I used pear because that's what I had. To be quite honest, though...it's better with just the cinammon & agave. I prefer to have a piece of fruit on the side, as opposed to actually in the dish, but the choice is yours. It definitely looks prettier in the bowl :P
Side note: I just discovered I can actually sprout these, too! So I'm gonna be trying that soooon! :D

Happy munching, oatmeal lovers :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hulled oats, soaked
1 tsp agave nectar
1-2 tsp cinammon
1/2 pear (or apple/ banana/ whatevs)

Directions:
1) Soak oats overnight, covered in water. Drain in the morning.
2) Top with agave, cinammon, & fruit; stir it all together, and enjoy :)

Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal!!

I can never, ever, ever get enough chocolate. I've honestly tried very hard to limit myself, but I've found it only makes the Chocolate Monster in me growl louder. So, I've learned how to incorporate it into my days, everyday, in a healthy & moderate way. This way, there's no risk of health effects such as diabetes, and I'm a happy person :) You only live once, right? Right! So I had this for dinner last night.
Chocolate has a calming, relaxing effect on the brain and body. This is due to the high amounts of magnesium in it, which assists our bodies in the absorption of calcium and production of serotonin (the happy hormone!!)
My emotions have been all over the place, and I've been feeling pretty stressed lately; chocolate & bananas have helped me cope. I've been following another online blog, titled Sexy Food Therapy. Melissa, the author, talks about "eating emotionally; the right way." In truth, food has always been my comfort, though not always in healthy ways. Since becoming a vegan, and more recently raw, I've learned how much taking care of myself has made me a better person towards other people. I wake up every day with a true passion for life. I've become an incredibly positive person in the past two years. Eating well helps me to cope with the little stresses life throws my way; it's so much easier now to let things slide off my back.
There is no sugar in this recipe, so you won't feel a "crash" after your mood-boosting chocolate high. Agave nectar releases slowly into your bloodstream, rather than shocking it like sugar. Keep in mind, though, to use it in moderation (as you should with pretty much any food). Also, I've used raw cacao nibs in place of traditional chocolate chips. You'll get a way better mood-boosting effect from raw, unprocessed, sugarless cacao than you will from that bag of no names. (And not to mention the beneficial antioxidants.)
At work (I work in a health food store), we brought in a new product that I'm sooooo excited about!! They are shreds of raw coconut, which you can see in the picture of my bowl of oatmeal. Nothing added to them; no sugar, sulphites, nada! Just pure, beautiful, raw coconut :)
If you want to keep this totally raw, use oat groats in place of the rolled oats I use here. Simply soak your groats overnight, and drain the excess water. Done! You've made raw oatmeal :) If you want to follow my lead...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry rolled oats
1 cup water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1-2 tbs cacao (or cocoa) powder
1 tbs cacao nibs
1 tbs shredded, raw coconut
2 tsp agave nectar (or to taste)

Directions:
1) Put oats, water, and sea salt into a rice cooker and let it do its' thing. You can also cook on the stove, according to package directions. But pleeeaaase, for the love of GOD, do not put it in the microwave!! You destroy 100% of a food's nutrients when you nuke it. Wanna be healthy and lose weight? Ditch the cancer box.
2) Stir in cacao & agave until oatmeal is chocolate-y. Top with cacao nibs & shredded coconut. Ta Da!

While my oatmeal hit the spot last night, I was feeling a little low today, too. Well that, coupled with low blood sugar, made it easy to get into a spat with my mom on the phone...I hate fighting with my mom, so I felt even more stressed. Knowing I had to pick up my brother from his dive (yes, my bro scuba dives), and not wanting to bring down his excitement, I knew I had to do something about my mood. Sooooo chocolate & a banana to the rescue!
It's rare that I get a chocolate Easter bunny, because they tend to be full of dairy. However, this little bunny (from Denman Island Chocolates) had a few broken parts and needed some love. Because we couldn't sell him at the store, I took him home. (Okay, okay, I took two home.)
Anyhoo, while I typically prefer raw chocolate, this one had a whopping three ingredients!! Cocoa mass, cocoa butter, & cane sugar. Okay little bunny, we can be friends.
I savoured my bunny, piece by piece. And then I savoured my banana, breaking off bites and placing them in my mouth. Two hours later, I'm still on my choco-banana high :) Oh, and my bro seemed to appreciate his enthusiastic sister who asked him all about his day.
I don't believe in extremes; don't sit down to an entire box of Turtles, but also don't ban yourself from chocolate (unless, of course, you have an allergy). Truthfully, I eat small helpings of chocolate everyday, and I maintain my 122lb frame. So go ahead; indulge :) Just do it in moderation.

Peace, Love, & Chocolate <3

Cinammon Banana Oatmeal

This is another great recipe where your rice cooker comes in handy; I just love that thing! You can use it for rice (obvs), oatmeal, millet, quinoa, amaranth, steamed veggies, etc. BUY ONE!
I like how easy and low-maintenance this recipe is to make. It's perfect for when you're rushing around in the morning, but want a warm breakfast. You can get ready while your oatmeal cooks, and throw a few toppings on it. You can use my suggestions, or create your own. I had this yesterday and today. The second time, I replaced the sliced banana with a handful of almonds, because I felt crunchy :D Another good idea would be to use raisins instead of banana. Keep in mind, though, that you should add agave nectar (or some other sweetener) if you don't add in the vanilla almond mylk. If you don't want to make the almond mylk yourself, buy some :) It's pretty cheap.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry oats
1 1/4 cup water
pinch sea salt
1tsp cinammon
1/2 small banana, sliced
1/4 cup vanilla almond mylk

Directions:
1) Cook oats, water, and sea salt in your rice cooker (if you don't have one, boil on the stove, following package directions).
2) Stir in remaining 3 ingredients. Ta-da!!

Homemade Muesli

Pretty sure I pointed this out before...I'm a breakfast girl. I love my cereal, oatmeal, granola, pancakes, etc. WELL, I had a handful of almonds in the fridge that had already been soaked and dried, and a few dried figs left that were screaming, "eat me!" Okay, I lie, they weren't. But these things needed to be eaten, as well as the last little bit of vanilla almond mylk in my fridge. Soooo, I got creative :) The almonds alone are packed with calcium & magnesium (and a host of many other vitamins and minerals), and I added some sesame seeds for a bigger calcium punch. Topped with the almond mylk (and the other ingredients), this breakfast is a nutritional powerhouse that is not only delicious, but will keep you satiated for hours ;) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds

2-3 tbs sesame seeds

3 dried figs

1/4 cup steel cut oats (or soaked oat groats, to make it totally raw)

1/2 small banana, sliced

1 1/2 tsp cinammon

1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1) Toss all ingredients (except bananas) into food processor, and process until desired texture.

2) Empty muesli into bowl. Top with mylk and sliced bananas.

3) Smile. Eat :)

gRAWnola!!

A few posts ago, I had tried my raw vanilla almond mylk with Nature's Path hemp granola. WELL, I wanted to make my own granola this time. And since it's waaay easier (and healthier) to make it raw than cooked, I thought I would try it this morning. Ummmm, WOW. Combined with vanilla almond mylk, pretty sure I died and went to heaven. It was a softer, yet somewhat chewy texture, compared to store-bought granolas. Because of this, I felt like I could taste it more. I will definitely be making THIS again! :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts, soaked overnight

2-3 tbs almonds, soaked overnight

2-3 tbs sunflower seeds, soaked overnight

3 dates, pitted

1/4tsp-1/2tsp sea salt

1tsp-2tsp cinammon

Directions:

1) Process all ingredients together in a food processor, until well combined and at ideal texture. Serve immediately with mylk, or store in the fridge for later.

Raw Vanilla Almond Milk, and Spaghetti "Bolognese"

I'm a girl who loves her cereal. I love carbs, especially when they come from grains. I've had this box of hemp granola cereal for so long (btw, Nature's Path cereals are incredible!!), but no mylk. I've been trying to cut back a lot on soy. I do enjoy it, but I know that too much is not good for you. I can honestly go weeks without it, and if I had to, I could stop eating it. But I still love it.

Anyhoo, as a transition from soy, I had thought about making my own almond milk, rather than buying it. Not only would it be so much cheaper to make it, but also so much healthier. Not implying that store-bought almond milk is bad for you, but I definitely believe a smarter choice is making it raw.

Sooooooo I made vanilla almond milk to go with my granola :) I used another of Ani's recipes, but I replaced the vanilla bean for some vanilla extract. My mom and my brother both actually enjoyed it more than cow's milk! (And my mom is a tough cookie to crack.)

As for the spaghetti...my brother went vegetarian for 2 weeks awhile ago, and my mom had bought some veggie "beef" (from Yves Cuisine) for me to make him some spaghetti. Well, I was in school, and never had the time until now. Since I have been "hired" to do the cooking (yeeaaah free rent for making dinner every night!!), I decided to try making this. I'm going to be honest, I was nervous. I've made vegan spaghetti many times, but never tried to replace the meat. I just used veggies. And, well, my mom loves her beef. My brother is easier to please, but my mom knows what she likes.

Knowing full well I had a challenge ahead, I wasn't shy in using various flavours. I generously doused my sauteed veggies and "meat" with lots of minced garlic and seasonings. HOLY CRAP it was so good!! My brother had devoured half his plate of food before it hit him: there's no way I would cook and/or eat meat, so this couldn't be meat! My mom was also shocked! She loved it also. After some self-restraint on licking his plate, my brother went back for another large helping. I was worried about leftovers. Silly me :)

Raw Almond Vanilla Mylk

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates

1 tbs vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

5 cups of water

Directions:

1) Blend, baby, blend ;) Store in your fridge. No one likes warm mylk.

Spaghetti "Bolognese"

Ingredients:

1lb pasta noodles

2 tbs coconut oil

6 cloves of garlic, minced (yep, I did)

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped

sea salt, to taste

italian seasoning, to taste (or use a mixture of dried basil, oregano, etc.)

1 package Yves Cuisine Original Ground Round ("beef")

1 jar of your favourite pasta sauce (I believe I used roasted garlic)

Directions:

1) Boil water and cook noodles acoording to package directions. Duh :) Set aside.

2) In a large pot over medium heat (don't use a frying pan), saute garlic in coconut oil until browned and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.

3) Add celery and carrot, and sautee until tender, 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt and seasonings.

4) Add the veggie ground round. Break it, but before mixing in with the veggies, generously season again with sea salt and herbs. Incorporate well with veggies.

5) Add sauce and reduce heat to minimum. Stir, and let everything heat through.

6) Scoop yourself some noodles, some sauce, and dig in :) Watch out for spaghetti face.

Butternut Squash Hashbrowns!!!

Oh wow. I LOVE hashbrowns!! So I sorta got the idea for this recipe awhile ago, when I saw it on the internet somewhere. It had more ingredients, though, and I'm sure you can add some and it would taste great. But I'm a simple girl, and I just love ketchup :) Onions, garlic, chives...I'm sure all these things would taste great, too! The texture of this was soft, yet the crunchy, burnt bits were also awesome!! This was breakfast AND lunch today...

Ingredients:

coconut oil, for frying

one peeled, grated butternut squash

Directions:

1) Heat oil in a pan, over medium to high heat.

2) Add shredded butternut squash. Let cook for several minutes, turning every so often to make sure it is all cooked. Don't be scared of it sticking or browning; that's the best part!

3) Scoop onto a plate, with all the ketchup your heart desires :)

Peaches 'n Creme Oatmeal

I have always loved oatmeal, anytime of the day. When my siblings and I were little, our parents would buy those variety packs of instant oatmeal, and we'd have it for breakfast. Lucky for me, my mom and sister hated the peaches n' cream flavour, because it was my favourite. Anyway, I've been eating oatmeal for breakfast every morning lately, and I'm starting to miss my favourite flavour. Of course, it's not vegan, so I decided to make my own. I threw oats, water, and chopped peaches into my rice cooker (I love that thing!) and let it be. When it was all done, I stirred in cinammon, agave nectar (similar to honey, but way yummier), and some soy creamer. MMMMMM!!! The only thing I wish I'd done differently was make more :(