Double Chocolate Brownies

As I mentioned on Monday, I started a fruit cleanse this week.  I'm not going to lie.  I didn't make it very long.  About 12 hours.  At first I felt pretty embarrassed about that.  I still feel a little embarrassed, but basically, it just wasn't working for me.  Not right now at least.

However, doing even just 12 hours of the cleanse made me realize exactly what I crave and when.  Mid-morning, I need some carbs.  Then at about 1:30, the sweets cravings kick in.

I mean, I knew that I craved those things, but doing this, made me really realize just how much I relied on those foods.

And at 3:30, I had the biggest realization: you should not under any circumstances watch the Food Network when you're doing a cleanse.  You actually shouldn't watch any TV at all.  There are a lot of commercials advertising delicious looking food.

I was having some major daydreams about these brownies.

Coconut Blueberry Banana Smoothie

I'm doing this yoga program with my studio - it's called "40 Days to Personal Revolution."  Part of the program is a "fruit feast."  For three days, all you eat is fruit (well, anything with a seed) to cleanse your system.

When I woke up this morning at 5:30 to get to the 6:00 a.m. power hour class, I was feeling optimistic. After I had my delicious smoothie, I was feeling even better about it.

Then at about 9:30, I wasn't feelin' it anymore.  I got hungry, verging on hangry.  Then I started feeling pretty sick.  You don't really need to know anymore than that, but the point is, if you start out your day with this smoothie, you'll probably feel pretty optimistic too.  Even if a couple hours later you get hungry and you eat a piece of toast with almond butter, your day will still have started out strong.

COCONUT BLUEBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE
2 bananas
1 1/2 c. blueberries, frozen
1/4 c. coconut milk

1.  Blend it all up, pour it into a cup!

Project 365: Week 6

Feb. 4 - Making backgrounds for my pictures on this here blog after work!

Feb. 5 - Had to take the Dingo to get spayed on Tuesday :(  She wasn't so happy about her sleepover with Dr. Takahashi.

Feb. 6 - Have you ever tried to keep a 20 week old puppy from jumping and playing?  Yeah, it's impossible.

Feb. 7 - Put on a big fundraiser for Legal Aid.  This was before everyone else showed up and the chaos of setup began.

Feb. 8 - Out on our daily walk - there were kids playing frisbee out in the field.

Feb. 9 - We made it through 4 hours of Ikea without this happening (it's hard to tell what happened with the couple behind Austin who are debating plastic chairs though).  Ended up eating Swedish meatballs, buying the dishes we went for - and a rug, chair, and pillows that we didn't go for.

Feb. 10 - Our brand new cow pillow!!

Valentine Cocktail

Valentine's Day is kind of a weird holiday.  People get really upset about it.  If they're single, they don't like the flaunting of hearts and love all around them.  If they're in a relationship, the grand gestures are never grand enough.

Austin and I went on our first date when I was 16 years old, so needless to say, we have had a wide range of Valentine's dates.  Our first Valentine's Day, we watched a movie, then ordered a pizza from Domino's which we ate in Austin's old Jeep.  It was...something :)

The past few years, we've basically decided to not make a big deal of it.  I think this year, we'll just rent a movie and drink a cocktail.

VALENTINE COCKTAIL
1.5 oz. white rum
2 oz. cranberry juice
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
2 oz. orange juice
2 oz. lemon lime soda

1.  Combine all ingredients.  Serve over ice.

Vanilla Cupcakes

There's a problem in American school systems.  The problem: the food.  I'm sure you've had plenty of time to form your own opinion on the matter, and while I love my desserts (obviously), my opinion is that we should get rid of a lot of the junk served in school cafeterias.

Maybe I can illustrate my point better.  In middle school, almost every day I ate 1 (or 2) "pink cookies" and a strawberry kiwi Snapple.  That's it.  The pink cookies came wrapped in plastic.  They were not homemade.  They were not cafeteria-made.  They were most likely made in China, packed with preservatives, and then shipped to the hands of 13 year-olds all over the country.

So here's my official stance on school lunches: I don't mind desserts.  I don't mind that kids are eating chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes.  What I do mind is that the food is prepackaged, frozen, and full of chemicals to keep it "fresh."

That's pretty much my stance on the way everyone should eat.  If you want to eat cookies, that's fine but make them yourself.  If you like fried chicken, take the time and prepare it yourself.  At least then you know what's going into it.  Anyone who knows me, knows I don't eat "healthy," but what I do eat is homemade.

In my opinion, and probably every other kid I went to middle school with, these "pink cupcakes" are better than the "pink cookies."  And when you put your own time and energy into your baked goods, they will taste all that much better.

VANILLA CUPCAKES
1 c. butter, room temp.
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
5 eggs
2 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
For the Icing:
1/2 c. butter, room temp.
2 c. +/- powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
3-5 Tbsp. cream
2-3 drops red food coloring
sprinkles, optional

1.  Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add vanilla. Mix in eggs one at a time.

2.  Whisk together flour and baking powder.  Slowly add to butter mixture.

3.  Place 18 paper cups into muffin tins.  Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake at 325˚ for 20 minutes.  After cooling in the muffin pans for 5 minutes, remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

4.  Prepare the icing: beat butter and powdered sugar together first.  Add vanilla and salt.  Slowly add cream until icing reaches the desired consistency.  Taste test and adjust ingredients as needed.  If it is too wet add more sugar, too dry, add more cream/milk.  Mix in food coloring until the icing is light pink.

5.  After the cupcakes are completely cool, spread icing over the top.  Decorate with sprinkles (optional).

Project 365: Week 5

Jan. 28 - Finally, we got a little bit of snow this winter!

Jan. 29 - Snow and giant tree branches are the Dingo's favorite.

Jan. 30 - I've been reading up on food photography and I was really excited to go home and practice.

Jan. 31 - Found my favorite boots buried deep in my closet.

Feb. 1 - I have the best BFF ever!  That's homemade holiday jam!

Feb. 2 - Austin has had his eye on this bike for a long long time.  He talked to the manufacturer and they brought him one to test ride (it doesn't come out on the market until March) - hence the big smile!

Feb. 3 - Like everyone else in America, spent Sunday evening watching the Super Bowl.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

There's this thing that happens to me when I am invited to go to parties.  I never know what to bring.  Maybe you've been in this situation before?

Well, since I write a food blog, people kind of expect me to bring something over the top and better than anything they've ever had.  But then at the same time, I have this problem of being really bad at managing my time only before parties.  Any other time, I am really good at it.  I get where I'm going, on time.  Something about having a social event to attend, makes me late.

This usually means I am scrambling last minute to put something together, hoping that it turns out because if it doesn't, it's going to be really embarrassing when the "foodblogger" shows up with store-bought cookies.  

I think I've found a solution in this roasted red pepper hummus.  It's really fast and it also won't disappoint people who are expecting something good because of your reputation.

p.s. Remember this recipe when you are supposed to be over at your friend's house on Superbowl Sunday in 20 minutes and you're panicking.

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS
Recipe from Missy

1 can white beans

1 roasted red pepper (jarred or fresh)

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 cloves garlic

pinch salt

1.  In a food processor, blend until smooth.  Refrigerate and serve with cut up pitas.