Monday Musings

Monday Musings

By Lauren, on February 4th, 2013

1. Prior to being contacted by a representative of the company to sample their range of products, I had never heard of FOCO coconut water… but of course I jumped at the chance to try it as I love coconut water.

So far I’ve been really impressed with those I’ve tried, and just check out the variety of fun flavors (pink guava, pineapple, pomegranate, regular, mango, and lychee)!

2. We’ve attempted two grocery shopping trips with Lily in tow, and both were rather disastrous… and by that I mean she was NOT a happy camper. Our temporary solution is for John to do the grocery shopping on the weekends.

I’ve benefited from this new set-up in many ways, one of them being the fun snacky items John picks out that I would otherwise overlook.

A few of note: Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels (insanely addictive) & Freeze Dried Mango (strangely crunchy, but delicious), and Whole Foods Organic Dried Mango (basically all-natura, one-ingredient  fruit leather).

3. Every now and then I come across a song (or a few) that I instantly become obsessed with, immediately download from iTunes, and proceed to play on repeat until I either a) learn the lyrics by heart or b) become sick of it/them.

My current picks are Half Moon by Blind Pilot and Lego House by Ed Sheeran (the unplugged version which – by creepy coincidence – JUST came on the radio via Acoustic Sunrise as I typed its… not joking!!).

4. Which brings me to my next musing. If you’re in the Boston area and aren’t listening to Acoustic Sunrise on 104.1 Sundays from 7-11 AM, you are missing out!

Make it a new weekly tradition.

5. You know how certain men just look better scruffy (case in point: Russell Crowe in Gladiator & Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings)?

Yes.

Well, my latest favorite scruff-ified celebrity is Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto in the incredibly talented photographer Warwick Saint’s new series of photos.

View the original article here

Monday Musings

Monday Musings

By Lauren, on February 4th, 2013

1. Prior to being contacted by a representative of the company to sample their range of products, I had never heard of FOCO coconut water… but of course I jumped at the chance to try it as I love coconut water.

So far I’ve been really impressed with those I’ve tried, and just check out the variety of fun flavors (pink guava, pineapple, pomegranate, regular, mango, and lychee)!

2. We’ve attempted two grocery shopping trips with Lily in tow, and both were rather disastrous… and by that I mean she was NOT a happy camper. Our temporary solution is for John to do the grocery shopping on the weekends.

I’ve benefited from this new set-up in many ways, one of them being the fun snacky items John picks out that I would otherwise overlook.

A few of note: Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels (insanely addictive) & Freeze Dried Mango (strangely crunchy, but delicious), and Whole Foods Organic Dried Mango (basically all-natura, one-ingredient  fruit leather).

3. Every now and then I come across a song (or a few) that I instantly become obsessed with, immediately download from iTunes, and proceed to play on repeat until I either a) learn the lyrics by heart or b) become sick of it/them.

My current picks are Half Moon by Blind Pilot and Lego House by Ed Sheeran (the unplugged version which – by creepy coincidence – JUST came on the radio via Acoustic Sunrise as I typed its… not joking!!).

4. Which brings me to my next musing. If you’re in the Boston area and aren’t listening to Acoustic Sunrise on 104.1 Sundays from 7-11 AM, you are missing out!

Make it a new weekly tradition.

5. You know how certain men just look better scruffy (case in point: Russell Crowe in Gladiator & Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings)?

Yes.

Well, my latest favorite scruff-ified celebrity is Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto in the incredibly talented photographer Warwick Saint’s new series of photos.

View the original article here

Monday Musings (flapJacked, T Shirt Printing, & Yumvelope)

Monday Musings (flapJacked, T Shirt Printing, & Yumvelope)

By Lauren, on March 25th, 2013

1. Saturday morning offered the perfect opportunity to try the Buttermilk flapJacked Protein Pancake Mix sent to me from the company’s owners.

Stirred with a cup of cold water and ladled into a warm skillet, this mix yielded light and fluffy pancakes that rival your favorite diner short stack; though they are a bit less sweet (that’s what maple syrup is for!). The simple mix-and-stir method is especially appealing to me now that mornings aren’t quite as laid-back as they were B.L. (Before Lily).

One 4 oz pack serves 2; each serving clocking in at 200 calories, 3 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 6 grams fiber, and a whopping 17 grams of protein. Not too shabby when it comes to pancakes!

I still have two other varieties to taste and share with you, so stay tuned.

2. The sweet Emily from T Shirt Printing offered to emblazon a tee shirt with my blog’s logo, and it turned out perfectly!

It took zero effort on my part; the company was able to download the image directly from my blog and print it onto a high-quality, soft, fitted tee. Unfortunately, the shirt is a bit too snug on me, (I mistakenly requested a small), but I’ll save it for Lily when she gets older ;).

3. Yet another freebie (I love being a food blogger)!

I was lucky enough to be able to sample this month’s snack box from Yumvelope.

So far I have only sampled the granola (which was really tasty!) but I’m eyeing the dark chocolate bar and bagged cookies ;).

4. Speaking of cookies, I made – yet another – version of my beloved coconut-oat macaroons, and will be sharing the recipe with you this week. If you’re a chocolate-lover, you’re not going to want to miss it!

View the original article here

Monday Musings… on a Tuesday

Monday Musings… on a Tuesday

1. Apparently WordPress has felt my absence and decided to pay me back by being resistant to a posting yesterday. So here we are with a Monday Musings post… on Tuesday!

2. It’s been nearly a month since my last post, and for that I apologize! Cuddling and playing with my sweet baby girl has occupied the majority of my time, though I have been cooking every now and then.

John has continued to offer his help in the kitchen, and one of his recent meals of note was an amazing buffalo chicken pizza. He breaded chicken tenders (technically “stir fry” chicken strips, I think) with panko breadcrumbs, pan-fried them, cut them into pieces, tossed ‘em in buffalo sauce, and scattered them over whole wheat pizza dough with shredded mozzarella and cheddar. I tossed together a blue cheese dipping sauce consisting of Greek yogurt, olive oil mayo, crumbled blue cheese, and milk. I didn’t think to take a picture of the finished product – and it doesn’t really require a written recipe – but it was fan-flipping-tastic! Definitely my new favorite homemade pizza, and it will undoubtedly become a regular in the Friday Pizza Night rotation.

3. I turned the big 3-0 on February 27! For some reason being 30 makes me feel like more of an adult than I felt when buying a house or having a baby.

I’m pretty sure the third decade will be my best yet :).

My actual birthday was pretty low-key, but the weekend prior I test-drove and John bought me a brand-spankin’ new 2013 silver Jeep Grand Cherokee, which I am absolutely in love with! I’ve always driven sedans (though I learned how to drive in the family mini van), so driving an SUV is foreign territory for me. I’m really enjoying it!

4. I do have some recipe ideas brewing in the back of my mind, but I’ve found that my culinary creative juices have not been flowing like they used to. Brainstorming recipes just isn’t one of my priorities lately, so if you have any requests for healthified recipes you’d like me to experiment with, please let me know!

View the original article here

Double Chocolate Macaroons

Double Chocolate Macaroons

By Lauren, on March 27th, 2013

Blame “mommy brain”, tiredness, or just plain old laziness, but the only recipe I could come up with for you this week is another version of my beloved coconut-oat macaroons.

I’m nearing double digits with the number of macaroon variations I’ve posted, but I just can’t get enough the the crisp outside, chewy inside, and overall deliciousness of these coconut-oat cookies.

Why it took me so long to put chocolate into ‘em, I haven’t a clue, but thank goodness I finally did because these cookies are a.maz.ing.

Cocoa powder + chocolate chips = double chocolate, and who can argue with that?

Dare I proclaim these to be my favorite coconut-oat macaroon flavor to date?

Double Chocolate Macaroons

by Lauren Zembron

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert vegan vegetarian coconut chocolate oatmeal cookie cookies

Ingredients (20 cookies)

8 oz full fat flaked (or shredded) unsweetened coconut (I like the Let’s Do Organic brand)1/4 cup cocoa powder1 cup reduced-fat shredded unsweetened coconut (I like the Let’s Do Organic brand)1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B1 tsp pure vanilla extract1/4 tsp salt1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chipsInstructions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

In a food processor, process full fat flaked (or shredded) coconut for about 5-8 minutes, until a thick, smooth coconut butter forms, scraping down the sides as needed (this will yield about 1 cup of coconut butter). Add in the cocoa powder and process until smooth, again scraping down sides as needed.

Combine the coconut butter and all of the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Stir until well-combined.

Using a mini ice cream scoop or a small spoon, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet (no need to leave much room in between as they do not spread out). Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until set. The macaroons will be very soft at this point.

Allow the macaroons to sit at room temperature on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until they firm up and cool down.

View the original article here

Dark Chocolate Swirl Coconut Almond Butter (aka Almond Joy Butter)

Dark Chocolate Swirl Coconut Almond Butter (aka Almond Joy Butter)

By Lauren, on March 15th, 2013

I’m finally back with a recipe!

Inspiration for this delectable almond butter came from a cup of Chobani’s Almond Coco Loco flip yogurt. As I savored devoured each bite of the creamy coconut yogurt studded with crunchy almond slices and sweet dark chocolate, it occurred to me that the almond joy flavors would be awesome in a nut butter.

All you need to do is process together some unsweetened coconut flakes and roasted almonds, then toss in some chopped dark chocolate.

So where does the swirl come in? As the food processor works to butterize the almonds and coconut, the steel blade heats up; when you add in the chopped chocolate, it melts and swirls into the coconut almond butter.

Clearly you should make a batch of this dessert-worthy almond butter this weekend!

Dark Chocolate Swirl Coconut Almond Butter

by Lauren Zembron

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Keywords: side snack vegetarian almonds chocolate coconut

Ingredients (1 small jar)

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes2 cups dry roasted almonds1/4 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolateInstructions

Place coconut flakes into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and process until a paste forms.

Add in the almonds and process until a smooth, drippy butter forms, scraping down the sides as needed. This may take 5+ minutes… be patient! Let sit for a few minutes to partially cool.

Add in the chopped chocolate and pulse a few times. The heat from blade will partially melt the chocolate.

Store at room temperature.

View the original article here

Caramelized Apple + Ham Grilled Cheese

Caramelized Apple + Ham Grilled Cheese

Are you sick of seeing recipes featuring leftover Easter ham? I hope not, because I have one more for ya.

My in-laws sent us home with a generous portion of the delicious ham that we enjoyed last weekend in CT, and I was dreaming about this sandwich before we even got back to MA.

Sweet-smoky ham paired with sharp cheddar and maple-y caramelized apples makes for one fantastic spin on the classic grilled cheese!

Caramelized Apple + Ham Grilled Sandwich

by Lauren Zembron

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 5

Keywords: fry sandwich main bread ham apples cheese Easter

Ingredients (1 sandwich)

1/2 large apple, preferably organic, sliced thinly1 tsp butter, plus more for spreading on bread2 tsp pure maple syrup, preferably grade B2 slices hearty whole wheat bread1 thick slice leftover baked hamenough slices of sharp cheddar to cover one slice of breadInstructions

Heat 1 tsp butter in a medium skillet set over medium-high heat. Add in the apple slices and cook, stirring occasionally until light brown, about 2 minutes. Add in the maple syrup, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 2-3 additional minutes.

Layer the ham, caramelized apples, and cheddar slices onto one slice of bread. Top with remaining slice of bread. Lightly spread butter over top of sandwich. Place sandwich, buttered side down, in the skillet over medium heat and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Flip sandwich, lightly spread top side with butter, cover skillet, and cook until the bread is browned and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes.

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No-Cook Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding

No-Cook Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding

By Lauren, on February 12th, 2013

If you’re both a food blogger and a new mom, you can empathize with me when I say that the amount of time it takes to prepare a dish, photograph said dish, edit the photos, and then compose a blog post is about tripled when you have a little one attached to you when compared to the time it took prior to having your mini-me.

Hence the decline in my frequency of posts as of late.

Lil’ Belle (one of my many nicknames for our sweet baby girl) has really taken to being “worn” by me for pretty much the entire day, every day. Although I love cuddling her close, baby-wearing has its drawbacks: a) the inevitable backache by the end of the day, which I can also partially blame on my complete lack of abdominal muscles (thanks, pregnancy) and b) it makes everyday activities and chores just a little bit more difficult.

Example 1: Emptying the dishwasher requires mad quad strength, as I have to squat rather than bend over. What I’ve lost in ab muscle, I’ve gained in leg muscle!

Example 2: When stirring something on the stovetop or putting something in the oven, I have to shield Lily with one arm, angling my body so I’m holding her away from potential splatters and burns.

Example 3: Setting up a photo shoot and actually photographing food for the blog takes some finesse as I work around the warm, cooing bundle strapped to my torso.

But you know what?

It’s all worth it.

I wouldn’t trade anything for our little baby girl because she is my world. Lily is the perfect result of two pretty awesome people (If I do say so myself) joined in love.

Speaking of two awesome entities joined to create something perfect, let’s talk about this chocolate peanut butter pudding (how do you like that segue?!).

When it comes to food pairings, nothing can top chocolate & peanut butter.

That’s why I’m urging you to make this luscious (and no-cook! and vegan! and easy! and healthy!) pudding for your valentine on Thursday, whether that person is your significant other, child, parent, best friend… or yourself, because let’s face it, you deserve something special and delicious.

This avocado-based pudding is dominated by chocolate, but the peanut butter flavor comes through as well, and the texture is perfectly smooth, creamy, and lush. There’s no denying that it’s high in calories and fat, but there’s no refined sugar and the fat is the healthy kind. Just keep the portions in check, and this pudding is a delicious way to healthfully say “I love you” this Valentine’s Day!

No-Cook Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding

by Lauren Zembron

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Keywords: dessert vegan avocado chocolate peanut butter pudding

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Ingredients (4 servings)

2 medium-sized ripe Hass avocados, (they should have black skin & yield slightly when gently squeezed), peeled & pitted1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup1/4 cup smooth peanut butter1 tsp pure vanilla extract1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder1 tsp instant espresso powdertiny pinch saltInstructions

Place avocados, maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla extract into the bowl of a food processor and process until well-blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add in the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt, and process until well-combined.

Divide pudding evenly among 4 dishes.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

342.2 calories, 23.0 grams fat, 4.4 grams saturated fat, 10.4 grams fiber, 18.3 grams sugars, 7.8 grams protein

View the original article here