Honestly, I am not a procrastinator.  At least not when it comes to school.  I've never waited until the last minute to study for a test or been up late to start a project the day before it's due.  But like I said, that's school.  As far as household chores go... well, let's just say I put them off for as long as I can.  I finally de-weeded my garden after the weeds had grown about four feet (not even joking), and cleaning my shower, well that's still a work in progress (actually, it's not even a work in progress - more like a work that needs to be in progress...).  Something else I procrastinate on?  Blogging.  Not so much writing posts, but more things like the seven or so other recaps I have.  Or recipes... stuffed spaghetti squash (still trying to find where I put that recipe...), peanut butter spelt bagels (I promise to post the recipe sometime, but I actually think I want to rework it a bit since they tasted a bit too "healthy"), baked pasta dish, and I even have a few quesadilla recipes that I want to post.  It's not that I don't want to do the recaps or I don't like the recipes (I love them or I wouldn't even think about posting them), but I think it's the thought that they're there to do that turns me away from them.  Sometimes, I just want to post about the present.  And sometimes, recipes are just so good that I simply can't put them off at all.  I mean, I know you at least got a little excited when you read the post title.  Right?  Chocolate, macadamia nuts, oats... some of your favorite foods, right?  If not, I completely wash my hands of you (just kidding... kinda ;).  So anyway, enough babbling, well maybe just a little more ;).  Where did this recipe come from?  Well, my mom and I were standing in line at the grocery store, and we saw this:

We began guessing what the enchiladas were stuffed with.  We had our guesses, but I just had to know for sure.  So I snatched up the magazine and peered inside.  Recipes like Pumpkin Pesto and Spinach and Olive Melts immediately drew my attention.  The magazine eventually made its way into the cart... I didn't even realize it was a diabetic magazine until we got into the car!  Then, that night I was looking through it, and I saw a recipe for Chocolate Orange Pistachio Bars.  I had no oranges and not a lot of pistachios, so I revised the recipe to make it suitable for what ingredients I did have and, in the process, made the bars gluten-free, low sugar, and vegan.  Please tell me you're excited by now. ;)


Chocolate-Macadamia Oat Bars
Adapted from Diabetic Living's Chocolate Orange Pistachio Bars

Ingredients:
1.5 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped (measure first, then chop)
2.5 tablespoon brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons almond milk
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons agave nectar*
5 drops stevia*
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Heaping 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used 60%)
2-3 tablespoons (I filled a 1/3 cup measuring cup half full) macadamia nuts, finely chopped

*These bars aren't really sweet (which I personally like), but if you want a sweeter bar, you can add more agave, stevia, or probably even a dry sugar.  If you increase agave, you may need to decrease the almond milk, and if you add dry sugar, you may need to increase the almond milk.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease an 8x8 inch pan (I used coconut oil), and set aside.  
Combine the oats, 1/3 cup macadamia nuts, rice flour, and baking soda.  Then add the almond milk, coconut oil, agave, stevia, and vanilla extract and mix well.

One good thing after the next!  Wait, there's only one recipe there!!  Right, let me explain.  It's actually quite simple: Katie's Cookie Dough Dip!  Unfortunately, my camera was dead (had run out of battery), but there's always good ole' Photobooth to save the day!

Then, I got into the effects!  First, I tried to make the bowl bigger (bigger bowl = more cookie dough = very good thing).

Got into some swirl fun...

And finally, did something I really wish I could do.

Make TWO bowls of it!!  So I think you get it by now... it was soooo delicious!!  A winner without a doubt, and something I will definitely make again! :D  Great as a dip...

In a sandwich...

AND by the spoonful. ;)  It was also great on oatmeal.  A little to great for a picture, if you know what I mean. ;)  So if you haven't made Katie's cookie dough dip before, um make it!  I do have one complaint - it only made one bowl.  As seen above, I tried to fix that, but sometimes there's only so much I can do. ;)


Questions:
Are you a procrastinator?
Do you like macadamia nuts?

Have a great week everyone!

<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