Hello everyone!!  It's the weekend at laaaaast!!  This week went by slowly and quickly all at the same time.  I hope it went amazingly well for each and everyone one of you!!

I wanted to thank you all for your warm birthday wishes on my last few posts.  You guys are the SWEETEST!!!  I did have a wonderful birthday - my friends and I went bowling!  We aren't very good, but it was really fun anyway!  Although this guy bowling a few lanes down got nine strokes in a row.  It made us feel like really bad bowlers! ;)

Since I promised the sprinkle recipe a week ago, I'll start with it first (best for last isn't always true ;)

Mmmm... I LOVE stir frys!!  Something else I love?  Meals like the following:

Steamed veggies over a bed of brown/wild rice, fresh raspberries, and a sweet potato with coconut oil and carob chips.  To me, that's the ultimate comfort meal!

Have any of you ever tried soba noodles?  If not, change that!!  They're incredible!  Especially when they make an appearance in these Japanese Soba Noodles from Vegan Fire and Spice!

Next up are the Katie meals of the week!  (Yes, they deserve their own section ;)  First, I finally made her Hot Cocoa Fudge Babies!

Why, oh why, did I wait so long???  Fudge? No.  Better than fudge?  Yes.  Very much yes!!  Please don't make my mistake and don't wait to make these.  Make. Them. Now.

And while you're in the kitchen, why not make some Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies?

You won't be sorry, and my dad can attest to that.  "THOSE. ARE. GOOD." were the exact words he said when I came home from school to find many missing cookies.  He them went on to say how very lucky I was that there were any left.  If that's no proof of how amazing they are, I don't know what is ;)

Just one more...

I've been dying to make Katie's Oatmeal Pudding, and I finally made it!  Does anybody know Katie's secret?!  If they do, I want to know it ;)  Hehe, that's code for "that breakfast was incredible and I want it again RIGHT NOW!!"


And now, I want to thank the sweet, lovely Kathleen for nominating me for the following.....

1) Tell you guys who nominated me (done!)

2) Share 7 facts about me

3) Nominate 15 (8..) other bloggers 

7 facts about me:

1) I used to be allergic to peanut butter (and all other nuts).  It wasn't until about a year ago that I got tested and found out that I'm no longer allergic.  How did I ever live without peanut butter?!

2) I'm a science nerd.  I love all things to do with science and plan to major in either chemistry of physics in college.

3) I volunteer at a vet because I love animals and wanted to be a vet since I was a little girl.

4) I HATE yellow mustard!  I love honey mustard, but I just can't stand yellow mustard.

5) I love teaching!  I've tutored my friends in math, mentored elementary kids for a science fair, and help my classmates at school all the time.  I LOVE it!! :) (Maybe I could teach science? ;)

6) I live to ride my horse!  We live at a house where he can live at our house, and it has been the best experience of my life.

7) I make my own lunch for school every day (random, I know ;)

Kathleen already nominated many of the blogs I love, but here's a few more:

1. Nicole @ Of Cookies and Carrots
2. Ryan @ Aloha Appetite
3. Rachel @ Tea and Chocolate
4. Ellie @ Fit for the Soul
5. Whitney @ Vegan Sunshine
6. Ann Claire @ The Flourishing Foodie
7. Molly @ Molly Runs Fresh
8. Emma @ Sweet Tooth Runner

I hope everyone has the most amazing weekend!!

<3

Happy Easter!!!  So, is the Easter bunny going to your house today?  He sure is coming to mine! ;)  But for now, let's examine some recent eats...

That would be Chef Roy's Pasta from Tofu 1-2-3 along with steamed zucchini topped with peanut butter.  What?!  You've never heard of topping steamed veggies with PB?  Well, now you have! :)  The pasta was incredible!  Did any of you ever eat Spaghettios?  Well, if you did, it tasted like that only WAY better!  And the "cheeze" was made using silken tofu!  Isn't that cool?!

Next up, I made Tara's Pancakes!

Mmm... I think I just found my new go-to pancake recipe!!  They reminded me of cake (I guess they lived up to their name! ;)  I topped mine with PB frosting (PB, water, stevia), chocolate chips and peanut butter chips!  YUM!

I also made Katie's Breakfast Polenta one morning:

Not only did I discover that polenta was amazing for breakfast, but I also learned that chocolate and peanut butter pair rather nicely with polenta!  As my dad would say, "Who woulda thunk it."

While we're on the topic of Katie recipes, I also made her Gluten-free Pizzert!

Ok, I am officially the world's worst when it comes to plating my meals.  In spite of the ugly, tan glob above (which my mom was convinced was chicken), the pizzert was incredible as ALWAYS!!!  I put cinnamon and carob chip in mine and topped it with PB.  Katie, what would I do without your pizzerts?

Have you guys ever tried these?

Or these?

I'm obsessed with both, so you should really try them if you haven't already!

And in case you're wondering about my birthday cake, I made Katie's Healthier Chocolate Cake, and topped it with fudgy chocolate frosting from VCTOTW (actually my mom frosted it, and I must say that she did a mighty fine job! :)

The cake was a little crumbly, but it was packed with so much amazing chocolate flavor that I'm sure none of my friends knew it was vegan and whole grain!  I definitely recommend it to anyone wanting a delicious, vegan cake! :D

And now for the award!  Both Tara and Molly awarded me the following!




The Rules:

1. Post this award with the picture and name of whoever awarded it to you

2. Do the stuff

3. Award to 7 others and tell them you did so

The stuff:

1. Name 3 things that are lying right next to you

2. Name 2 foods that you cannot live without

3. Name 1 thing you did today 


All righty!

1) My bamboo that I've had for about six months.  That's quite the accomplishment fo me as I have a very black thumb!  Proof of that is my cactus cemetery.  Has anyone else ever shriveled a cactus to death?  It's very sad! :(

2) A sketch that I did of some flowers:

3) Daily sudoku puzzles:

Let's see, two foods I could not live without??  There's no way I could pick just two, so instead, I'll show you two foods I've had recently that I now wonder how I ever lived without them! 
1) Ellie's Reese's Oat Bake:

2) Olivia's Hummus Pizza:

I really haven't done much today other than clean and take care of my animals.  I think the most exciting thing was eating my delicious carrot cake oatmeal (meals are always the most exciting part of the day ;) 

Thanks so much for the award, girls!!  And now I award it to the following lovely bloggers:

1) Olivia @ Little Health Junkie
2) Ann Claire @ The Flourishing Foodie
3) Ryan @ Aloha Appetite
4) Whitney @ Vegan Sunshine
5) Kayla @ Little Miss Healthify
6) Teenage Healthy Freak
7) Heather @ All Sizzle, No Steak

Congrats you guys!  Of course, anyone who wants to do this can!

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

<3

Good morning, everyone!!  Just a quick post to tell you guys...

Happy Earth-day!

And to tell myself...

Happy Birthday!

Yep, it's officially official!  Good-bye 15, hello 16!  (Gosh, I feel old! ;)  And since I was born fairly early in the morning (maybe that's why I get up so early? ;) I was 16 as soon as I hopped (more like rolled...) out of bed!  Now, birthdays just can't be celebrated without sprinkles, and here' proof:

Recipe to come!!  Fifteen was a wonderful year for me!  I learned a lot both in terms of academics and about life in general and how amazing it is!  But most importantly, I started this blog and met all you lovely people :D
In remembrance of the great 1-5:

By the way, that's not my dog; she's my best friend's dog, Tulip. (Isn't she adorable?!)

I'll be back later this weekend with a real post.  I hope you all have an absolutely fabulous weekend!!! 

<3

It's not for another week, but in one more week, sixteen I will be!!!  That means that this is probably my last post I'll do when I'm 15... wow, time goes way too quickly!!

So first off, I promised you guys that I would give you this recipe:

Peanut Buster Oats

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 to 1 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 heaping tablespoon chocolate chips
1 tablespoon almond milk
1/2 to 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (or honey or agave)
2 heaping tablespoons roasted peanuts

Directions:
Combine the oats, water, and almond milk together in a small pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer until the oats are creamy.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  While the oats are cooking, combine the chocolate chips and one tablespoon almond milk in a small saucepan, and turn heat onto low.  Stir frequently until the chips are melted, and stir in the maple syrup.  Now comes the fun part!  Put half the oats in a tall glass, follow with half the chocolate fudge sauce, and half the peanuts.  Repeat and eat!!!



I would take this over a real peanut buster parfait any day!

Here's another breakfast that I ate a while ago, but didn't get a chance to put in my last post:

Chocolate Raspberry Oats

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 to 1 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
1 small (or large ;) chocolate bar 
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, set out at room temperature for at least 10 minutes
A handful of roasted peantus (optional)

Directions:

Combine the oats, water, and almond milk together in a small pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer until the oats are creamy.  Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate bar and then the raspberries.  Top with peanuts and chow!!


Chocolate + raspberry.  You really can't ask for much more.

Moving on...
At about one o' clock last Saturday, a craving hit me.  "A craving for what?" you ask.  Well, a craving to make some cookies!!  I knew that I just wouldn't be happy until some cookie dough was sitting in my stomach (oh, and I planned to make a few baked cookies too ;)  As soon as I knew cookies were on the agenda, I flew over to Nicole's blog because, um, she is a cookie genius. :D  I quickly settled on her Chocolate-PB-Chocolate Chip Dough Balls as I had been dying to make some myself!!!

THE BEST COOKIES EVER!!!  And I mean EVER!  Soft, chocolaty, peanut buttery, and beyond incredible all rolled into one!!  I halved the recipe because I didn't have enough chocolate chips, but I wish I had gone out to buy more chocolate chips so there would still be some little chocolate gems left.  My whole family loved them, and they are officially my go-to cookie recipe!  (And they work beautifully with whole wheat pastry flour - just saying)

What else was tasty this past week?  The following plate of food:

Steamed broccoli, snap peas, carrots, and water chestnuts, barley, wild rice, and mushroom "meatballs."  Mmmm.... my favorite part was the barley!  I loooove barley but don't eat it nearly enough due to how lengthy the cooking time is :(

I also had the most incredible post-workout snack this past week!  Try not to drool...

Does that look amazing or what?!

Banana Toast

Ingredients:
1 banana scramlette (I added 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter)
1 piece of sliced bread, toasted (I used Rudi's Nut and Oat loaf)
A handful of chocolate chips
Almond milk, for drizzling

Directions:
Top the piece of toasted bread with the warm banana scramlette.  Sprinkle on the chocolate chips and drizzle with almond milk.


I'm definitely making this again SOON.  It was that incredible!!  And I think it would make a perfect breakfast!

Have any of you guys ever tried peanut butter chips?  If not, fix that right away!!  I found these ones sitting on the shelf at Whole Foods and since I can't find peanut flour anywhere, I bought them to console me ;)  And they sure did do the trick (although I still am on the peanut flour search)  I enjoyed the chippers a top some rolled oats along with some regular 'ole peanut butter (there's no such thing as too much peanut butter in my world ;)

Love in a bowl!
Some other meals I love:

Who says oatmeal is just for breakfast?  I enjoyed a sweet potato with sunbutter + cinnamon, steamed broccoli and zucchini, fresh tomatoes, and of course the oatmeal for dinner one night (and somehow chocolate chips made their way onto the scene - how did that happen? ;)

And one morning for a pre-(2)tests breakfast, I had a protein packed meal starring oatmeal, Greek yogurt, and an egg.  And of course berries because I eat berries every day :D

Last but definitely not least is Katie's Carrot Cake in a Bowl topped with cinnamon and raw macadamia nuts (I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely adore raw macadamia nuts)

So as soon as you get done making Katie's Cake Batter Pizzert, you HAVE TO make her Carrot Cake in a Bowl.  Yes, it's an order ;)  But as soon as you've taken one bite of the amazing carroty goodness, you are going to thank me for forcing you.  I promise.  :) :) :)
A long side the carrot cake, I had my usual green tea and 8 oz of some greens:

Green tasting?  No.  Delicious tasting?  Ohhhh yes!!

Well, that's all I have for you guys for now!  Have an amazing weekend everyone!  Next time I talk to you guys, I will probably be 16... ahhhh!!!

<3

Hiiiiii lovely people!!!  I hope you're all doing fabulously well!  I missed you all SO, SO, SO much!!!  And thank you so much for understanding about the ACT.  All your support means so much to me!

Cherry Cream Oats
(Using Katie's Blended Grain Technique)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk (plus another 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup thawed frozen cherries
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coconut butter
Chocolate chips (yes, they're mandatory ;)
And I think that's everything (I made this a while ago)

Directions:
Cook the oats in the water and 1/2 cup almond milk until creamy, and then blend away with the remainder of the almond milk (the 1/4 cup), the cherries, and vanilla extract.  Pour into a bowl and top with coconut butter and chocolate chips.


Cherry "pudding" in a bowl!  It really doesn't get much better.  Of course, the real credit goes to Katie.  Really, how does she come up with such amazing ideas as blending oats?! That's just plain genius!!

Next... its another Katie meal!

Not to be bossy or anything, but if you haven't made Katie's Cake Batter Pizzert yet, go make it right NOW!!!  You won't be disappointed!  It was pretty much the best thing ever and tasted even better then real cake batter :D  

I also enjoyed this yummy parfait one morning:

Made by layering chopped mango, rolled oats, and unsweetened shredded coconut, drizzling the whole thing with almond milk, and then sprinkling the top with cinnamon, the parfait was tasty and refreshing!!  It came from one of my favorite little books, Raw Energy.

This pesto omelet also made its way into one of my breakfasts:

Pesto Mushroom Omelet

Ingredients:
1 whole egg + 1 egg white
Butter (for sauteing)
2 button mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
A large handful of spinach
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons pesto

Directions:
Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet.  Add the mushrooms and scallions and saute until they begin to brown.  Add the spinach and cook until wilted.  Beat the egg, egg white, and pepper together in a small bowl and the pour it into the pan.  Cook for a few minutes and the flip over and cook the other side for about another minute.  Fill with pesto.


I also considered putting goat cheese in it, but I didn't have any (really, what is this world coming to?!)  But it was still fabulous, and I'm already craving another one!

Let's seeeee..... ah yes!  Olivia's Tahini Chocolate Chip Oatmeal!

Awwww.... that was too ridiculously amazing!!!  I want it again RIGHT NOW!  And as a matter of fact, I had it again for dinner last night only I used carob chips instead of chocolate chips (also incredibly delicious)!  If you haven't tried the chocolate tahini combo yet, you must!  And I highly recommend Olivia's recipe! (We have yet another genius among us :)

Oh, I tried my first frozen waffles!

They may have been my first, but they definitely won't be my last!!  Especially when topped with almond butter and chocolate chips (almond butter + waffles = heaven)

Another eat over the last few weeks:

I think that this recipe will be for another day (although its one of my favorites!)  But doesn't that just make your mouth water?!  It was one of the best breakfasts ever (yep, its a breakfast, not a dessert - although it was good enough to be!)

And its another Katie recipe!

This time, I present her Pineapple Stir Fry.  Although in my case, it was more of a mango stir fry, and I also added some fresh cilantro and served it with brown rice couscous.  To make this a true Katie-inspired meal, chopsticks were definitely involved.  Needless to say, it was a meal that made my taste buds dance like stars, and they're already begging me to make this dish again!

Finally (at least for this post), I made Heather's Indian-Spiced Teff Pancakes in celebration of Pancake Sunday:

Ok, these were pretty amazing.  Really, if you haven't tried teff flour, try it.  If you haven't tried Heather's pancakes, try them.  The teff flour did have a different flavor, but I really liked it!  And the spices in Heather's pancakes complemented the teff flavor perfectly!!  Just plain perfectly! :D  I drizzled mine with coconut butter and peanut butter thinned with water.  It was a breakfast of champions!  Here they are again, only this time in the light box:

Wow, Alex.  Back up a bit.  What's this about a light box?  What are you talking about?  Well, this is what I'm talking about:

Yep, I made a light box!!!  I was SO excited and started experimenting right away!

Those are Katie's Lil Lemon Poppies (SO cute and very tasty - although I don't recommend using chickpea flour... it accidently made its way in and it wasn't a meant to be combination; just follow Katie's directions though, and you will end up with best lemon poppy seed muffins ever!)  And some other random pictures:

Quite the difference, huh?


And look at my avocado seed!!!

Two months later and look at it grow!!  Its root is at least two inches lond!

I'm so sorry for the novel-like post.  I didn't even get show you guys everything I wanted to!

Well, I guess I better get to studying.  But even through all this studying, I've managed to keep a smile on my face! (I love playing with black and white! :)

Talk to you later!!  Love you guys! <3