Hummus is life

One of the best parts about being home? The free and endless supply of delicious, healthy, foods. I am so lucky to have been raised on a wholesome diet with a love for simple, healthy foods, and I make sure not to take mamutschka (check that Russian doe😉) and her superior cooking/ baking skills for granted. Especially after living on my own and cooking for myself for a semester? I appreciate these homemade feasts more than ever. Which is saying something, since I already appreciated em before college!
Anyways, here’s some snaps of a little homemade hummus/ veggie platter I threw together when I got home from work today.. Snacking done RIGHT. (I should’ve gotten a picture of the to- die- for chickpea falafels featured on tonight’s dinner menu).

RAW BROWNIES

This recipe will change your life. Haha. But really.. soo simple and NUTRITIOUS and DELICIOUS.. what more could you ask for!? 

Here’s how ya make em:

In a food processor, blend up 1 Cup pecans. Add 1 1/2 Cups dates (pitted if you care about your food processor) + 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder + 3 Tablespoons Agave nectar.

Press “dough” into a brownie pan and either refrigerate for 3 hours of freeze for one. Then cut em up in squares, and voila! You got yourself some raw, vegan, gluten- free, sugar- free, but definitely not FLAVOR/indulgence/dessert- free brownies. 🙂 

Guilt- free pleasure, what’s not to love!? 😉 

oops few more from our military- inspired shoot

my beautiful and so photogenic baby sister, whose birthday was YESTERDAY 

me, (photographer: see above)

best part? fun editing effects duh

aand, some close- ups…..

Oldie- but- goodies

Going through old pictures and came across some recipes I wanted to share. If I can even call them recipes.. They’re more of meal/ snack ideas, with no set measurements and a lot of flexibility based on preference. The two I wanted to focus on are: 1) tofu scramble and 2) chocolate- dipped frozen bananas.

For the tofu:
Sauté desired amount of tofu in either soy sauce or teriyaki sauce, adding a little water if you want less sodium and flavor. Add chopped celery, onion, spinach, cumin, minced garlic, and whatever else you would like to throw in. Stir/ sauté until tofu is browned and crispy on the outside. My favorite way to eat this is as lettuce wraps; simply wrapped in large romaine lettuce leaves, but it’s great on a bed of baby spinach or brown rice too.

Chocolate- dipped frozen bananas~~
**FAVORITE TREAT

soo easy. Take a couple bananas (or several, if you’re me😉) break them into bite- sized pieces (5ths), and freeze, overnight if possible. Otherwise, a few hours should do the trick!
Once you have your bananas, melt some chocolate chips in a flat bowl (once again, I use the gold bag Ghirardelli chocolate chips because they’re vegan but no more expensive) for about a minute (until chips are mostly melted) and stir. This is all pretty self- explanatory, but I’ll just walk you through the rest:)
Dip the frozen banana pieces into the chocolate, then sprinkle which chopped nuts and/ or shredded (unsweetened) coconut, if you wish. Stick back in the freezer until the chocolate is frozen, so about another hour or two, and then ENJOY. These are a crowd pleaser, so if you by any chance have any left over, drop some off for a friend to make his/ her day:)

Change of plans? Optimism is key

I’ve learned that when ya can’t change a situation, it’s just best to go with it and make the best of the new one. I get to put this easier- said- than- done gem into practice, seeing as my upcoming adventures have been delayed due to visa issues. This really isn’t a huge deal, and definitely not a trial by any means, but it’s times like these that I find myself complaining, when I should be taking advantage of an opportunity to spend more time with family and friends, earn a little more money, appreciate where I’m living at the moment, and really just relax, what with no schoolwork or grocery bills right now in my life.. Perks of living at home for a solid month during college.😉 Plus, a little extra time = more thorough packing and preparation on my part before my trip!
So, while a part of me is so ready to GO already (as seen in the pictures.. Lol) and get on with my life and upcoming adventures, I am realizing that a little more downtime than expected before I leave won’t be too bad either!

shoutout to Samsung

had a fun little photoshoot with the sis after Christmas with the new camera, and I must say I was very impressed with the quality. It is a Samsung “smart camera”, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a high- quality photography device that is a little more compact and travel- friendly than a typical DSLR model. I’m no photographer, but that’s my unprofessional opinion/ recommendation;)

Life- changing cookie recipe

Can’t believe I haven’t posted this ridiculously simple and (even more ridiculously) delicious recipe! Peanut- butter/ chocolate combination? Check. Waaaay healthier but still “tastes like dessert”? Check? Going along with that last one, packed with protein? Check. Quick and easy to whip up a batch? Super easy/ minimal cleanup? Once again, check!
Need I convince anymore!? These little “cookie- dough bites” are pretty much the best.

In a food processor (I’m sure a blender would work fine as well), combine:

1 1/4 C chickpeas (*secret ingredient! Yup)
3t vanilla extract
1/2 C natural peanut butter (100% natural is by far the best, both in taste and nutritional value)
1/4 C agave nectar
1t baking powder

Then mix in 1/2 chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli gold bag because there is no milkfat).

Here you go, some delicious peanut- butter/ chocolate- chip cookie dough! And unlike most cookie doughs out there, this kind is free of salmonella worry, which means eating half the batch by the spoonful is totally okay. That’s what I do, at least.

But if you’re more of a fresh- baked- cookie kinda person, just stick em in the oven (350) for 20min, then let em cool for about 5.

ENJOY! Hope you love this recipe as much as I do. Or at least almost as much as I do😉 can’t get enough of it.