Category Archives: Sweets and Desserts
Picking Right Back Up
You’re never really sure how to break the news. Mostly, you just don’t want to talk about it. You want to process it on your own, crying on your kitchen floor or hitting on a stranger or whatever it is that you do. Broadcasting your breakup on a blog? Not exactly appealing.
Things have sunk in though, and it’s much easier to talk about after a few days have elapsed.
{And after plenty of splurge-worthy heart-healing chocolates have been consumed}.
In the end, the coach and I realized we were better at being friends than we were at dating. I’m relieved that we were able to figure this out in time to salvage some semblance of a friendship, before we became resentful of each other for not quite fitting the right mold. And yes, I’d much rather have that than a resentful, stressful, mentally and emotionally draining romance any day. As right as the decision was, it was still rough to realize that someone you loved for a year and a half isn’t going to be a daily fixture in your life anymore. The first day, it knocked me on my ass, but the more I’ve processed it and seen how much easier things are now, the easier its been to cope.
I was so touched by everyone who reached out with support and encouragement {and dinner 
}
Thank you so much, Sarah, for taking care of me!
Time to pick everything back up right where it got left off!
A Performance Boost for Warm Weather Workouts
Is anyone else excited that it’s starting to stay lighter later? I love that there was enough daylight to hit the pavement and clear my head after a mentally challenging day at the office.
A quick mile and a half was all I needed to wind down after spending the day writing about the ghosts of biology classes past.
Somewhere along the line, I carved out a quick break for brain food:
Tempeh deli salad, romaine and an orange.
As well as happiness-and-sanity food:
The caramel kisses are addictive, but the real mood-booster was the fresh air at the end of the day:
Thanks to the longer, lighters days, I’m also reminded that spring and summer are right around the corner – and along with them, sweatier outdoor runs!
Gearing up to get the most out of your warm-weather workouts? Cool your neck, according to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Hot environmental conditions can slow down an endurance athlete by about 10 percent of their time. Bad news for us Florida runners! When athletes’ necks were cooled with a cooling collar, however, they actually increased their performance by up to six percent.
The Roehampton University study also found that athletes exercised longer before voluntarily terminating their workouts when their necks were cooled. Better time and more stamina? I’m game!
Do you notice a difference in your athletic performance when you work out in the heat {or in the cold?} Do you have a specific climate that your body naturally prefers?
Easy Health{ier} Zeppolis
In retrospect, yesterday should have been the day I gave you a recipe for a simple, sweet dessert.
Then again, planning has never been my strong suit. In planning my trip to my best friend’s wedding in Illinois, I decided a day-and-a-half bus ride from Florida to Illinois was in fact, a good idea. That, my friends, is a planning failure.
At least these zeppolis require essentially no planning and are basically fail-proof!
I brought them to an Italian potluck at work yesterday, and they were promptly demolished. I’ve learned that the trick to potlucks is bringing something simple but unarguably delicious. Potlucks aren’t the time to try out a frou-frou recipe. Salad? Good. Greens? Good. Pasta? Good.
Sugar-covered dough balls? Better.
These are literally the easiest dessert ever – pinch of little stubs of premade pizza dough, bake for 10 minutes, then stuff in a paper bag with powdered sugar and shake-shake-shake until they’re totally coated. Throw in some orange extract if you’re feeling fancy and you’re home free!
Sure, that’s not how the authentic Italian zeppolis are made, but those require making fresh dough and deep frying it. Not only am I saving you time here, but I’m making them lazier heathier, too! {Ignore the fact that they’re carbs coated in sugar. They’re healthier.}
Easy, Health{ier} Zeppolis
Vegan, makes 2-3 dozen, depending on how big of balls you make
Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 ball premade pizza dough {aka from Publix bakery, Whole Foods or your favorite local pizzeria}
- 1-16 oz bag confectioner’s powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange extract {optional}
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Pinch off stubs of dough, roll between your hands to form small balls. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- IF you are adding the extract, gently sprinkle it over naked zeppolis.
- Remove zeppolis from pan, place directly into paper bag with powdered sugar. Shake until coated and serve warm!
Are you a good planner? I’m great at planning events and parties, but sometimes it’s the little details in life-planning that make me go DUH – what were you thinking, Faith???
Normalcy is Relative
Let’s play a game, shall we? It’s called “Commiserate over the weird things we do so we all feel less like whackadoodles…or at least realize we have plenty of company.”
I’ll go first.
I caught myself planning to stockpile at least 10 shelf-stable cartons of Westsoy chocolate peppermint stick soymilk before Winter is over.
Holy non-dairy mint chocolate love in a carton. I can’t wait to get my hands on the pumpkin spice version I’ve seen floating around the blogs!
I physically couldn’t sit down to enjoy said chocolate soy milk last night until my entire living room had been cleaned. Partially because there was absolutely no place to sit, and partially because I was thisclose to having a panic attack if I didn’t actually mark something productive off of my to-do list.
I could, however, scarf down a quick dinner before the clothes had been cleared from the floor and the mountain of mail had been sorted through and recycled.
Priorities, people!
Lemon-pepper seasoning is so underrated as a tofu topper! I simply grilled tofu slabs in olive oil and sprinkled them with the tangy seasoning before serving with some organic canned corn.
Last night, I literally dreamed about a lunch I had a few weeks ago. I was a realtor trying to sell the entire town of Orlando, so I brought the prospective buyer to several popular restaurants downtown. Pine 22 was the final stop on our “tour.”
In real life, I wasn’t such a huge fan. Most of my coworkers rave about the place, but when I visited, I was really underwhelmed by their (soggy) veggie burger and their substitution of regular fries for the sweet potato fries I’d ordered.
It was good, but not $10 good. Apparently, however, it was good enough to make its way into my nighttime subconscious!
Your turn: What’s one weird thing you’ve caught yourself doing lately?
Girl Bonding
Confession: I don’t have that much “girl time” in my life. I really miss it.
My two best (female) friends live on the other side of the state and the other side of the country, respectively, and I haven’t made many substantial female friendships since moving to Orlando in February. It’s just not something I’m great at initiating, although I wish I were!
That said, sometimes a woman just needs to hang out with another estrogen-pumping woman, get elbow-deep in chocolate and commiserate about life. Last night, after a long day, I dialed up one of my girlfriends and enjoyed an evening full of female bonding.
When dinner choices were made, Kaitlin rolled with a personal cheese pizza, and I opted for sushi.
Sweet potato rolls just never get old. They’re even better with a side of juicy gossip!
The only time I ever miss meat is when I order sushi. I always loved the adventurous rolls, and sometimes I feel dull with the same order I always enjoy. To spice things up tonight, I tried to make a chia caviar by soaking the seeds in soy sauce. It added a fun texture – somewhat similar to the roe that’s often used on top of certain rolls – but it was supremely salty!
We immediately dove into a choco-bomb after polishing off the “real food.” No Y chromosome would ever appreciate the mountain of brownie, fudge and m&m’s as much as we did.
On the food run, we also picked out some new sunny flowers for my apartment. The last bouquet I’d purchased was beginning to need some Viagra, and fresh yellow buds were our choice to replace them.
Have a great Friday!
Do you prefer female bonding time or hanging out with the guys?
It’s All in the Details
My brain is jam-packed with useless details. I couldn’t tell you anything I learned in freshman science or what my mother’s telephone number is, but I do remember useless bits of information such as:
- I wore a green sweetheart-necked sundress to my 16th birthday dinner, where I ordered minestrone soup at Olive Garden.
- My first cell phone was a massive 17-pound Motorola with a sparkly blue cover and silver buttons.
- The couch in my childhood home was an outrageously ugly red and cranberry plaid print.
- I was wearing a green UnderArmour tank the very first time I ever ran for a full mile.
This flood of useless memories all started last night, when I painted my nails with a sparkly hot pink polish that I vividly remember wearing on my first date with the Coach, just over a year and a month ago. (For the record, I also remember that I was wearing J.Crew from head to toe and jammed out to Ke$ha while I drove to meet him at Chilis)
I never said I was a hand model.
Sometimes, it’s the little details that make all the difference…
Like adding a splash of vanilla almond milk to iced coffee:
Like adding a pinch of cinnamon to a batch of orange scones:
Like blueberries baked into your waffles (Van’s knows what’s up)
And yes, three waffles with chia seeds and jam constitutes a meal. I’m – ahem – carboloading for a workplace bowling tournament tonight. Hopefully I can kick butt break 100 again!
Question of the Morning:
Do you have a brain for details? What are some of the most random details that you remember about your life?
Hungry? Grab a -
This afternoon, a co-worker and I found ourselves in a tizzy trying to remember whether “Need a moment? Grab a – ?” was the tagline for a Twix or a Snickers bar.
We turned to the ever-wise Google for answers, which told us that we were were confusing two separate commercials: “Hungry? Grab a Snickers” and “Need a Moment? Chew it over with a Twix.”
Before giving us the real answer, though, it told us “Need a moment? Grab a gun.” If it’s alright with you, I’ll just take the Twix 
Upon getting home, I was definitely hungry and needed to grab something before hitting the gym, so I blended together a quick protein smoothie.
I’ve been loving Bob’s Red Mill Hemp powder lately because it’s so much cheaper than expensive non-Whey-based protein powder blends. It doesn’t come in fancy flavors like protein powders do, but the hemp itself is mild and blends right into any shake or smoothie!
My pre-workout smoothie included:
- 1 banana
- 1 plum
- 2 tablespoons hemp powder
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- ice
- a few kale leaves
Today’s plan was to run two miles – plain and simple. I ended up using a similar pace to what I ran on Tuesday, and ended up with negative splits.
After the run, I tried my hand at some new-to-me strength exercises, including bench presses and squats. What can I say – I have a very limited arsenal of non-cardio movies!
The squats were sheer misery, but the bench presses were – gasp – fun! I settled on 40 pounds worth of weight and completed 3 reps of 15. My muscles were fatigued (but not failing) by the time I’d finished. I’m hoping to do some more research on how to properly select weights for bench pressing (and other strength exercises). If anyone has any favorite resources to share, I’d be thrilled to take a look.
With one serving of tempeh and two slices of bread left in my fridge, picking a post-workout dinner was extra easy.
Everything is better with Veganaise!
And to think I was once a mayo-hater. What has this world come to?
Dessert is served…
Off to enjoy it with a few episodes of Greek. Would anyone {other than my boyfriend} mind terribly if I married Cappie?
Question of the Night:
Is/was anyone else a Greek fan? Who is your current TV crush?
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pudding
If the title of this post didn’t make you drool, then there really is no help for you.
If that was the case, I also suggest that you donate your body to science. I’m no laboratory researcher, but I can only assume that something is misfiring in your brain and that some serious condition is preventing you from fully understanding the glory of this concoction.
Allow me to repeat myself: Chocolate. Peanut butter. Cheesecake. Pudding.
Would it help if I mentioned that it was vegan? Or if I told you that it was an unbelievably rich and decadent dessert that also manages to be light and fluffy at the same time?
With less than two minutes of prep time, this cheesecake pudding is the perfect single-serving dessert to satisfy a spontaneous sweet tooth. Top it with your favorite cheesecake toppings such as fresh raspberries (my all-time favorite), a drizzle of chocolate syrup or a spattering of crushed peanuts.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pudding
Vegan, gluten-free, serves one.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy cream cheese (I used Follow your Heart)
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon creamy peanut butter
- (Optional) fresh berries, chocolate chips or nuts to top
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a tall bowl and using a hand mixer, whip until combined.
You now have two options:
- A.) Head over to the kitchen and whip up a batch of this spoon-able cheesecake dip
- B.) Contact the Mayo Clinic for professional advice regarding your brokentastebuditis. I hear it’s a real hassle to treat in the later stages.
Question of the morning:
If you had to diagnose yourself with a non-official condition, what would it be? Mine would have to be addictedtochocolateitis!
I’ve Got a Secret {Vegan Snickerdoodles}
Sugar and spice, and everything…naughty?
Not exactly the way the nursery rhyme goes, but let’s be rebels and shake things up a little bit here.
After all, cookies are “nice” no matter what – right?
I recently found out about the secret recipe club, and I couldn’t wait to join! My first assignment was to recreate a recipe from Hoosier Homemade.
Since I knew I was making a trip up to Jacksonville this weekend, I picked an easy-to-share dessert recipe. Liz’s snickerdoodles sounded amazing to both the coach and I, and Sunday night while he was at the office analyzing film and doing other sexy, sporty things, I borrowed his kitchen and got to baking!
While I kept to her recipe as closely as possible, I did swap out the dairy products for their vegan equivalents.
-
Butter-flavored Crisco > Earth Balance
-
Milk > Almond Milk
-
Egg > Flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 1 tablespoon water, chilled)
The final result?
Chewy, slightly cakey, golden vegan snickerdoodles! I loved the crispy edges and the pillowy insides.
Bring on next month’s challenge!
Question of the morning: Have you ever participated in a blog challenge or project like the Secret Recipe Club?
Is the Added Sugar Epidemic Over?
Let’s be honest – most of us eat way too much sugar over the course of the day.
Personally, I try to limit my dessert intake, but I’m a total sucker for vegan baked goods (and the Nerds in the office candy bowl)! I try to “healthify” my own dessert recipes, but even though I’m well aware of the negative effects of a high-sugar diet (obesity and a higher risk for diabetes and heart disease, for example), I still hit the sugar pretty hard at times…
It’s probably safe to say I ate half of these vegan carrot cake cupcakes within a two or three day span…
I’m clearly not an advocate of passing up every dessert that comes your way, but I do understand that sweets are meant for moderation, and that moderation doesn’t actually mean “one super-sized dessert a day.” Most of the time I can put that into practice, and I love looking for other ways to cut unnecessary sugars out of my diet (like my no-sugar added peach chia jam!)
While there are a lot of mixed messages about what is “healthy” or not in the long run, most of the nutrition experts agree that lowering our sugar intake is something we should all be working towards. Even the Obama administration’s “Let’s Move” campaign makes a point to reduce sugar and fat!
Encouraging news from an Emory University project shows that these programs are actually affecting American’s dietary choices. The study shows that despite all of the criticism about the modern American diet, the average person has actually cut over 25 grams of sugar from their daily diet between 1999 and 2008.
Other major takeaways from the study:
- 2/3 of the total decrease was attributed to lower soda consumption.
- Sugars consumed from energy drinks actually increasedduring the time period.
- The average intake of daily added sugars in 2008 was 76.6 grams (an improvement on 1999’s 100+ grams, but still higher than the recommended limit!)
***
After coming across this study, I couldn’t have been less in the mood for the sugary yogurt-and-granola breakfast I had in mind when I woke up, so I swapped meals at the last minute!
No sweets in sight: just tofu cooked with nutritional yeast and onion powder, broccoli and a touch of Daiya pepper jack “cheeze”.
It was my first time cooking with the pepper jack style shreds, and I was expecting a more spicy kick than there actually was. It was still delicious, but when I’m using it in a flavorful Mexican dish, I’ll be sure to bump it up by adding my own spices!
As far as I know, there’s no correlation between garlic powder consumption and any major illnesses…probably a good thing, or I’d be the first to be diagnosed!
Let’s get real: how often do you eat sugary snacks or rich desserts? What’s your interpretation of “sugar is okay in moderation?” Do you make a conscious effort to reduce the sugar in your diet?
