WIAW: The First Week in Our New Apartment

I love New York! We haven't even been here a week, but so far Brett and I are having a great time exploring different parts of the city and getting settled into our new apartment, which we couldn't be happier with. It's located right on the edge of Jackson Heights, a subway stop is literally right across the street, and there's tons of natural lighting from the wall to wall windows in our family room. Also, there is the best international food mart right across the street that has a wide variety of produce, cheap sushi and so many ingredients I've never seen or used before. The inspiration is endless and I've been cooking/baking up a storm since we moved in.  So today I'll share with you a day of eats and some of the different things I've been creating in my new kitchen!

Breakfast has mainly been different types of oatmeal. I've cooked rolled oats on the stove and made a few batches of muesli using steal cut oats. Brett is even starting to eat more oatmeal in an effort to cut back on sugar! We did have one special breakfast when I made Vegan Nutella Stuffed French Toast. I used homemade nutella and also prepared a strawberry syrup to top everything off. I'll share the recipe soon because it was amazing!

Oatmeal cooked with chia seeds and topped with banana, peanut butter and sunflower seeds.

Photo from my Instagram.

Lunches have been leftovers from the first meal I made when we got into town. I made a big batch of Asian Coleslaw Salad and it's been lasting us for days. We've been wrapping it up in spring rolls too which gives us some variety. 

Asian Coleslaw Salad with Edamame and Peanut Dressing

(Recipe coming soon!)

Snacks have been veggies and hummus (Sriracha Hummus!) and lots of different fruits. When we were in China we found our new favorite way to "eat" watermelon: blended! It's so refreshing and one of Brett's new favorite drinks.

Sriracha Hummus

Fresh Watermelon Juice!

Dinners have been quite varied. Last night we actually did a progressive dinner with 23 of our new friends and I was in charge of the main course! I made Massaman Curry over brown rice and Chapati (traditional Indian flatbread). Everyone said it was delicious, so I'd call that a success!

Massaman Curry with Sweet Potatoes

Chapati (You can find the recipe here!)

Another dinner we've been eating a lot of is Ratatouille topped with Vegan Parmesan Cheese. I'll be sharing the recipe tomorrow. It turned out amazing and was so easy to make!

Do you enjoy cooking or is it a chore?

What is your typical go-to breakfast?

That's all for now! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. If you need some inspiration for meals this week, check out Jenn's blog Peas and Crayons.

Eat Consciously,

Faith

5 Ingredient No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars!

We've all had them. Those chocolaty, chewy oatmeal cookies made with tons of butter and sugar. While they can sometimes look like little cow pies, Chocolate No-Bakes Cookies are delicious. 

One of my first memories of Chocolate No-Bake Cookies was the summer after my freshman year of college. I was out in Colorado being a camp counselor at an outdoor adventure camp. I was living at 9,000 feet, hiking, making forts out of tree trunks, swimming in freezing water and running after energetic kids from the inner-city. It was an amazing fun job...if you're into that kind of thing. And I was!

My mom, being the thoughtful person that she is, probably knew that I was expending tons of energy everyday living at such a high altitude and constantly being active. So throughout the summer she sent me care packages of delicious home-made goodies. 

The first package she sent me had no-bake cookies in it. Wow oh wow. I had never had them before and I couldn't get enough. Let's just say they didn't last long, especially once my friends found out about them.

While your typical, no-bake cookies are stinkin' delicious, I'm not a huge fan of the amount of processed sugar and butter that can be packed into them. The other day I figured I'd try out my own recipe. I'm on a peanut butter kick so I thought I'd keep that the main flavor. I knew I'd have to sweeten them some, but I didn't want to use white sugar. I also knew that there had to be an ingredient that would hold everything together. 

I only experimented once and was happy with the result! There are only five ingredients and these bars are dairy-free and sweetened with agave instead of white sugar. I also used coconut oil to hold everything together. They're chalk-full of energy and are delicious! Soon I'll be experimenting with no-bake bars that are only sweetened with bananas. I'll keep you posted:)

Peanut Butter No-Bake Oatmeal Bars

(Serves 16)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup almond milk

Directions:

1. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium sized sauce pan combine the peanut butter, agave, coconut oil and almond milk. Slowly increase the heat while mixing constantly until the mixture starts to boil. 
3. Let the sauce boil for one minute while you continue to stir.
4. Remove the sauce pan from the heat and stir in the rolled oats 1 cup at a time until all the oats are fully covered in the peanut sauce.
5. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish and use a spatula to even everything out. Use your hand or the spatula to firmly press the mixture into the pan so that when everything cools, the oats will stick together.
6. Place the baking dish in the refrigerator for about 30 to 1 hour until it has cooled. 
7. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy!

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Almond Pulp Freezer Fudge

I love Saturdays. Period.

Brett and I left the house this morning at 8:30 for a morning of fun errands. First, he went to a boxing class while I hit up Whole Foods. I got rolled oats, nutritional yeast and wheat bran from the bulk section and two cartons of almond milk (to try and make homemade yogurt with...I'll keep you posted) and only spent 8 bucks! That's a win.

After Brett got out of class we sold some of our books at a book store. We only made $25 for a lot of books, but it felt good to get them out of the house and to make some money. We are slowly trying to get ride of things we don't need and sell some of our bulky furniture in preparation for moving to NYC. Slowly being the key word. We're getting there though!

Next was the Farmer's Market in Winter Park...or at least so we thought. Traffic was crazy the closer we got to the market. Luckily we found parking not to far away. Once we made it to Park Ave, the main street in Winter Park, we realize why there was so much traffic. There was an art show! Hundreds of people were there perusing the art, eating popcorn and hot dogs and just enjoying the beautiful, Florida weather. The Farmer's Market wasn't happening, but all the art we got to see made up for it. I'm amazed by people's artistic abilities. Incredible. 

We walked around for a while until Brett wanted some food. He got a Burger at BurgerFi, a new-ish restaurant in Winter Park and then we headed home. 

I guess I'll stop boring you with Brett and my Saturday shenanigans and get to the good stuff. Fudge! The last recipe I posted was for Homemade Almond Milk and I mentioned that there are different ways you can use the almond pulp that is left over after you make your milk. No reason to waste all that nutritious goodness!

This fudge is easy and healthy and I just keep it in the freezer for a quick sweet tooth fix. Enjoy!

Almond Pulp Freezer Fudge

(Makes 30 squares)

 Ingredients:

· 1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

· 1/2 cup raw almond pulp

· 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

· 2 tablespoons agave nectar

· 1/4 cup almond milk

· 2 tablespoons coconut oil

· 2 tablespoons applesauce

· 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

  

Directions:

1. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with wax paper and set aside.

2. Using a food processor, start by processing the 1/2 cup of rolled oats into oat flour.

3. Add in remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. You may need to stop and push down the sides with a spatula occasionally.

4. Once smooth, pour into your prepared baking dish.

5. Freeze for 2-3 hours. Then remove the fudge from the dish and cut into pieces. I cut mine into 30 pieces, but you can make them whatever side you want.

6. Store in the freezer and enjoy!

Notes: Adapted from here.

 

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

From Oatmeal to Smoothies to "Cheesecake"...A Day of Vegan Eats!

Welp. Here you have it. A day in the life of my belly.

Breakfast:

Plain ol' oatmeal with chia seeds, ground flaxseed and almond butter.

Morning Snack:

An unpictured plum

Lunch:

Homemade Vegetable Vegan Lasagna with salad.

It's my own recipe and it actually turned out really good.

Afternoon Snacks:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Lara Bar

Decaf american with steamed soy from Starbucks

And later a smoothie made with this homemade vegan protein powder from The Daily Garnish.

I'll be posting a review about it soon!

In said smoothie: 

1/2 banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, a couple strawberries, a leaf of kale, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup water, and 2 tablespoons of protein powder. 

Dinner:

Chickpea and Rice soup with Kale from the Post Punk Kitchen.

Grilled flatbread

Cucumbers and tomato wedges

No pictures sorry! Was at a friends house:)

Dessert:

A slice of the Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake with Peanut Butter that I made

from This Rawsome Vegan Life.

We all weren't sure how we felt about it at first, but the longer it sat out and got soft and the more bites we took, we grew to like it more and more.

I can't wait to tweak it and try out my own "cheesecake"!

That's it! Head over to Peas and Crayons to check out other people's eats for recipe inspiration:)

Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

The first thing I wanted to eat for breakfast after getting home from a week in Arkansas was oatmeal that hadn't been zapped in a hotel microwave. Cue overnight oats. The cold, flavorful oats were a nice change from my plain, hot oats from the past week.

If you try to cram a lot into your mornings and need a quick breakfast, overnight oatmeal is a great solution. Just take a few minutes at night to prep them and then you'll be all set to run out the door with a healthy breakfast. 

To be honest, the last time I got sick it was right after having peanut butter. I couldn't eat it for a week or so without having some kind of physical reaction to the thought of it. Thankfully, I got over that food aversion pretty quickly and was excited to enjoy this simple and delicious combination. 

Four ingredients.

Mix and pour into a jar.

Let sit overnight.

Done.

Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

(Serves 1)

 Ingredients:

· 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

· 1 tablespoon chia seeds

· 1/4 cup peanut flour

· 3/4 cup almond milk

Directions:

1. Pour all of the ingredients into a mason jar or bowl and mix well.

2. Let sit for 4 hours or over night.

3. Stir before eating.

4. Enjoy!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (No Refined Sugars!)

Saturday mornings. You gotta love 'um. Especially when you've been traveling a bunch and haven't had a day off in a while. Brett and I got home Friday night from Arkansas and went to bed excited for a weekend without work. 

When we're in town, we love the Saturdays mornings when we get to spend time with our friends Mary and Justin and their two kids. What started as Brett and Justin working out every once in a while has turned into Saturday morning workouts with sometimes all four of us in their garage lifting weights, jumping rope and getting our sweat on. Since I often do cardio to workout, these high-intensity interval workouts are always a welcomed change of scenery...not to mention they kick my butt. Also if you're injured like I am and can't run, interval workouts are another great way to get out some endorphins while you (patiently) wait for your body to heal. At the bottom of this post you can find the 30 minute interval workout we did (or check out the new workout tab for other workouts I've posted before!)

Yesterday Mary and Justin were free so we planned for a late morning workout with lunch afterwards. Since I had the morning off I figured I make some banana bread to take over. I've been wanting to try out an oatmeal banana bread recipe, with minimal sugar, for a while and I'm happy with how this loaf turned out! It's subtly sweet, but if you add the chocolate chips you won't miss a thing!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

(Makes 12 servings)

 Ingredients:

· 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3-4 ripe bananas)

· 1/4 cup agave nectar (or liquid sweetener of choice)

· 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

· 1 flax egg (1 T ground flaxseed + 3 T water)

· 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

· 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

· 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

· 1/4—1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl mix make your flax egg by whisking 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of water together. Set aside for 5 minutes

3. In a medium sized bowl combine the wet ingredients, from the  mashed banana to the almond milk.  Then add in your flax egg and stir until well mixed.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, from the whole wheat flour to the nutmeg.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

6. Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips.

7. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Let the loaf cool and then slice and enjoy!

This bread was delicious right out of the oven (of course I had to try some before I served it to people. Each slice has almost 5 grams of fiber and almost 4 grams of protein! If you like a sweeter bread, up the liquid sweetener to 1/3 cup.

30 Minute "Spartacus" Interval Workout

1 minute for each exercise.

15 second rest between exercises.

1 minute rest between sets.

1. Spider Man Push-Ups

2. Russians

3. Plank Push-ups

4. Side Plank Arm Raises (30 seconds each side)

5. Groucho Walks

6. Mountain Climbers

7. Squats with Press

8. Alternating Bicep Curls

9. Calf Raises with Shrugs

10. Hand Stand (against a wall)

For definitions or pictures of each workout see below!

Spider Man Push-Ups 

Russians:

Start in a table top position with one leg raised. Then quickly alternate kicking one leg up at a time.

Plank Push-Ups:

Side Plank Arm Raises:

Groucho Walk:

Get in a low squat and stay squatted as you take six steps forward and then six steps back. Repeat.

Mountain Climbers:

In a plank position, alternate bringing one knee up to your chest and then back out. Move quickly.

Squats with Press:

Alternating Bicep Curls:

Calf Raises with Shoulder Shrugs:

With weights, raise up onto your tip-toes and while on your toes do two shoulder shrugs. Repeat.

Hand Stand:

Hold a handstand as long as you can while your feet are resting against a wall. 

Eat Consciously,

     Faith