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Welcome to 2012!

by Sarah on January 1, 2012

Adios 2011- make room for 2012!!

2011 was an awesome year! I got to go lots of places- Jamaica and Cozumel on a cruise, Austin(here, here and here), Philly(here, here, and here), New York(here and here), and San Francisco(here, here and here) and had a blast in all those destinations! I got to make lots of new blogger friends (now real life friends!) at HLS and Foodbuzz fest! I got really good grades in school (hello 4.0!), and I also got to quit my job working in retail to focus on school. I also ran a 10K AND a half marathon!! And I only got sick once this year (Bronchitis- I get it every year!)- shout out to all the fresh fruits and veggies(and vegetarian living) for giving me an amazing immune system! All in all I have to say that 2011 was a pretty great year!!!!

But 2012…. it’s going to be even better!!! I’m not going to get to travel as much (hubby is about to start a new job. It’s a promotion in title, but the money will be a lot less. Yikes.). But traveling is not the end all to be all. Getting to travel a lot does not determine my happiness even though it is fun. So I’m okay with it!

I’ve decided that I’m pretty much going to kick ass in 2012! I’m not really into resolutions(they’re kind of lame honestly). I’m not really much into goals and numbers either(I feel like some people spend their whole lives making all these goals for themselves that have all these specific numbers and deadlines that they don’t spend any time actually living their lives!!)

But I do have a few things that I would love to do this year…

Learn to juggle (I know it sounds silly, but I’ve always wanted to learn!)
Get to my goal weight (I’m not really that far from my goal weight, but I honestly didn’t lose ANY weight this year. I would lose a couple of pounds and then gain them back. Up and down all year. So. Freaking. Frustrating! This is the year that I’m going to get it done!!)
Go skydiving (another thing I’ve always wanted to do- which will probably be my present to myself when I finally get to my goal weight!)
Keep being awesome in school (keep getting good grades and focus on doing some volunteering for some RDs)
Do better at balancing life (I was so focused on school this semester that I literally did laundry maybe twice all semester and my house constantly looked like a tornado blew through it. I need to work on balancing my work better so that I don’t have to go through this again! It’s really stressful!!)
Save more money (things are going to be really tight this year. I need to make priorities on my spending and we need to start doing a better job of saving. If you ask me to go out with you I will probably have to say no unless I’m able to plan far in advance. Please don’t be insulted. I need to start doing what’s best for our future and not so much having fun in the moment. It would also do me well to remember when I spend money that I don’t have a job and I’m technically spending my husband’s money)

Hmmm… I think that’s all!! Bring it on 2012!!! Hope everyone has a great New Year- don’t forget to eat your black eyed peas (and maybe listen to them too for a little extra good luck- ya never know! Winking smile )

{ 3 comments }

December Foodie Penpals, Part 1

by Sarah on December 30, 2011

Hey y’all! It’s that time of the month again- foodie penpal time!!! The reason that this post is going to be in two parts is because I just got my Foodie penpal package and haven’t had time to write about it yet (It came all the way from Japan and it’s the holidays as well so it took a little while to get here.) so I asked the awesome gal that I got this month as a penpal to do a guest post for me. Lindsay is fabulous and as you’ll see in her guest post she’s a great writer- so I think we should all talk her into starting a blog. I’m just saying!

So here’s Lindsay!!!

My name is Lindsay and I am just a reader, not a blogger. #truestory So I love the opportunity to get involved in the blogging community and Lindsay’s Foodie Pen Pals is the perfect way to do so! This month I was lucky enough to receive goodies from Sarah, and after I began reading her blog, I couldn’t be happier! I knew I was in for a real treat! Her recipes always look decadent, so I was ecstatic when my package this month contained many of her homemade items! (Please excuse my amateur photography skills with the pictures to follow. Amazing photography runs in my family, but it’s most definitely not me.)

My package came in this adorable snowman box! It is so cute and so festive and I can definitely reuse it, which I love! #gogreen!

In Sarah’s initial e-mail to me, she had asked if I celebrate Christmas or Chanukah. Being Jewish and celebrating Chanukah made me truly appreciate Sarah’s consideration. Don’t get me wrong, I get excited about the holiday time and love all of the festivities, but Santas and reindeer and ornaments just don’t excite me as they might do some. I just thought it was so sweet of Sarah to ask when most of our country assumes everyone celebrates Christmas. It says a lot about Sarah’s character and the type of person she is and I’m grateful for her thoughtfulness. I promise I’m not a Scrooge and I hope everyone who celebrates had a very Merry Christmas! (And for my fellow Jews a Happy Chanukah!) Along with the sweet Chanukah card, Sarah also sent some of Mama Pea’s Ranch Oyster Crackers! I had seen these on Mama Pea’s blog and thought they looked delicious, but, of course, hadn’t gotten around to making them yet. And delicious were they ever! Mmm mmm mmm! The bag is actually only halfway full because I tore into it immediately! #wannabebloggerfail

Godiva Chocolate Truffle Coffee? Yes, it’s really as good as it sounds! I’m not a huge coffee drinker, but have definitely enjoyed my fair share during this cold, wintery week off work. This coffee was the perfect treat! (My husband thanks you, too, Sarah!) Also, in the package was a Scentsy air freshener! This has a nice clean scent that is not too overpowering.

The three snack bars are right up my alley! I love having these treats as snacks throughout the day or pre/post workouts! Pecan Pie is definitely one of my favorites and I’ve never had Chocolate Peppermint Stick or Gingersnap, so I’m excited to try some new flavors.

How cute are these little guys packaged? It may seem simple, but each one is wrapped individually with a ribbon tying the top. I must apologize to my Foodie Pen Pal, Jordan, for not packaging any of my stuff as nicely as Sarah did! They tasted good, too!

I had to save the best for last. Dark Chocolate Almond Butter and Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter. #puredeliciousness I’m such a sucker for any kind of nut butters, and these sure did not disappoint! Seriously, I have been enjoying both of these butters on absolutely everything and anything. Oatmeal. Toast. Bananas. Straight out of the jar with a spoon. Or a fork. Or a knife. ~~Or a finger~~

. And, Sarah included the recipes for both! I even got the Dark Chocolate Almond Butter recipe before she posted it for everyone else! Heh heh heh. And you know what? Neither of the recipes look too terribly daunting! I may even attempt it myself when my jars run out. (Like yesterday.)

So, thank you, Sarah, for my amazing package! I greatly enjoyed each and everything you sent me. I’ll let you send me homemade goodies anytime! Seriously, though…

Thanks again for the awesome guest post Lindsay! I’m so happy you liked everything, and I’ll definitely send you some more goodies in the future!

{ 8 comments }

Chocolate Chip Scones

by Sarah on December 29, 2011

Weather you make these as a sweet treat or to go with some tea, coffee and girl talk they’re delicious! They come together very quickly and the ingredients are things I typically keep on hand so if I need to make them in a hurry it’s a cinch!

Chocolate Chip Scones
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 T earth balance (or butter)
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup nondairy milk, plus more for brushing on top of scones
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Mix together flours, baking powder, salt.

Cut in butter (you can use a pastry cutter or knives but I think it’s simpler to just use your fingers!) until it resembles little pebbles.

Stir in chocolate chips (yes, before the wet ingredients)

In a separate bowl or a measuring cup mix together sugar, nondairy milk, and vanilla.

Mix the wet mixture into the dry mixture until combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a circle.

Cut into 8 wedges.

Place wedges on baking sheet (I use a baking stone- I love it more than anything else in my kitchen!), brush tops with nondairy milk, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with your favorite tea or coffee.

De. Lish.

{ 1 comment }

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter

by Sarah on December 27, 2011

I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a few weeks because I sent my foodie penpal Lindsay some this month and I wanted her to get a chance to sample it before I posted the recipe. I’m super excited to get to share it today!

There’s a certain brand name of chocolate almond butter that I sometimes buy. It’s delicious but it’s $10 for a jar so I don’t buy it often! Here is my version of that, which is much much less expensive seeing that I typically always have these ingredients in my cupboard. And it tastes exactly the same!

So move over chocolate and peanut butter… there’s a new match made in heaven- chocolate and almond butter!

P.S. If you’ve never made your own nut butter before I suggest taking a peek at my almond butter tutorial before you start!

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
2 cups raw almonds
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I’m in love with the Guittard brand)
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Pour almonds onto a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Let almonds cool to room temperature and pour the almonds in a food processor and process until the almond butter just starts to come together(this will take a little while so be patient!).

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove.

Add melted chocolate, vanilla, and salt and process until all ingredients are combined and almond butter is smooth in consistency.

Delicious chocolatey almond butter!

Enjoy!

{ 3 comments }

Apple Spice Donuts

by Sarah on December 21, 2011

There’s not much that’s more cozy when it’s cold outside that any thing that is apple-spiced! If you don’t have a donut pan you could totally make these into muffins and they would be amazing!

Apple Spice Donuts (makes 10 regular sized donuts)
(Print this recipe)

Ingredients:
For Donuts:
1 cup AP flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup peeled, grated apple
1 cup nondairy milk
1 t vanilla
pinch of salt

For Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 T nondairy milk
a small pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

In a small bowl combine applesauce, grated apple, nondairy milk, and vanilla

Add wet to dry and stir until just combined.

Spoon mixture into a donut pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 12-13 minutes until donuts are firm and slightly brown.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes.

For glaze mix together the confectioners sugar and milk and dip each donut into glaze. Let donuts sit until glaze hardens. (NOTE: if you store these in an airtight container the glaze will melt so plan accordingly!)

These are SO good!

{ 2 comments }

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

by Sarah on December 19, 2011

Good morning!!! School is officially OVER for the semester, grades are in (p.s. I got a 4.0 this semester- woo hoo!!!), and it’s Christmas break!!

When I think of winter break I automatically think of sleeping in, lounging with a cup of coffee, reading, and home made goodies like these cinnamon rolls. These would also be great to serve on Christmas morning!

I make my dough with a bread machine on the dough setting, but if you don’t have a bread machine (first of all, why in the world don’t you have a bread machine- they’re amazing!) you can certainly make this dough by hand.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
For Dough:
1 cup warm water
2 t yeast
2 t sugar
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 T Earth Balance (or butter)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 t salt

For Filling:
1/4 cup Earth Balance, softened (room temperature)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

For Icing:
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 T nondairy milk
1/2 t vanilla

Directions:
Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in bread machine and allow the yeast to “proof” for 10 minutes.

Add the rest of the dough ingredients, turn the bread machine to “dough” setting and let it do it’s thing. (If you’re making the dough by hand you’ll combine the dough ingredients after the yeast “proofs” and knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic. Then cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours)

When dough is ready it will be a tiny bit sticky coming out of the bread machine- sprinkle with a little flour before you try to roll it out.

Roll dough into a rectangle (around 12 inches or so)

Brush on softened Earth Balance, sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts evenly over the dough.

Roll the dough into a log and slice into 16 pieces for regular sized cinnamon rolls or 8 pieces for gigantic cinnamon rolls.

Arrange pieces on a baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, or until they’re doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes before icing.

To prepare icing, combine confectioner’s sugar, nondairy milk, and vanilla in a bowl.

Drizzle icing on top of cinnamon rolls.

Delish! Enjoy!!

{ 5 comments }

White Rock Marathon Recap

by Sarah on December 15, 2011

I really should have posted this last week but since we’re in the midst of finals at school I decided to wait on it a bit. I still have one more final which I should be studying for right now but I’m feeling kind of unmotivated to study right now honestly.

So I started training for the Half Marathon portion of the White Rock Marathon in September. Before that the longest I had ever run was a 10K. Training for this pretty much took over my life because I wasn’t honestly sure that I could do it. So I made training for this a huge priority. Absolutely no regrets- this was kind of the most awesome thing that I’ve ever done!!!!

My brother is a pretty accomplished athlete- he’s done just about everything: half and full marathons, triathlons, etc… He’s also been a personal trainer and he and my sister-in-law also happen to be my Chiropractors! So when I decided I wanted to do this he was the first person I talked to about a training plan. Between the two of us we made a plan work with my schedule and I got busy running.

My only regret from training was that I didn’t go in for regular adjustments. My knee started giving me major problems about a month before the race and I iced, rested and kinesio taped it. What I should have done was go in for an adjustment- I went right after the race and my knee pain was immediately gone and hasn’t hurt since. Something to keep in mind for the next go round!

I followed my training plan and I was pretty much good to go for the race- just really really nervous! Plus the forecast looked horrible- rain, rain, and more rain.

I headed to the expo the day before to pick up my race packet. I’ve only done one other race with an expo so it was really cool to get to walk around and check things out. And hellooooo… free stuff!!

Ideas for future races…

Bought a few things…

Just a note- I had never tried that brand of kinesio tape before so I thought I’d give it a try cause it’s pink and all. Don’t waste your money- it sucks. It started peeling off before I even got to the race! The Kinesio Tex Gold is the best brand- go for this one if you need some kinesio tape!

And I absolutely love this headband. How can you possibly go wrong with a sparkly headband?! It’s a sweaty band. I have three others in varying widths and they are the ONLY headbands that do not slide right off of my head when working out. I highly recommend them!!

Then I headed home to relax for the rest of the day!

Race Day…

I tried to pack my bag the night before and get my stuff ready for the next day but I was so nervous that I forgot a major item that I needed. Fuel. And I didn’t notice that I didn’t have anything until I got to the race. I found a larabar in my glove box so that’s all I had for fuel the whole race. Major fail.

Race day there was a torrential downpour. I don’t mean sprinkling. Or drizzling. Or even raining. I mean serious gully washing going on here. But I’m cheap and I paid a $100 entry fee for this race so I was going to run it rain or shine.

And rain it did.

It was actually clear when I lined up in my corral and when the race started. Then around mile 2 it started pouring. And it poured the whole rest of the race.

I had a rain jacket so it wasn’t too bad until mile 5 then I just kind of was over the rain and just wanted to be done with the race at that point. Did I also mention that the temperature was falling the entire race? We started out somewhere in the upper 40’s and it was barely hanging out at 40 by the end of the race. No joke my lips and toes were blue by the end of the race!

It. Was. Miserable.

I just focused on the finish line the whole time. Finishing was my goal and I was going to finish. I was slow finishing with 3:04:28 but I finished! And I also ran the whole thing! (I only walked through water stations since I’m not coordinated enough to run and sip at the same time!)

The course was awesome. I will definitely be running it again next year- hopefully it will be dry! There were just a few slight inclines- not really anything I would consider a hill. We started at Fair Park and went through Dallas and some really pretty residential areas in Highland Park. There weren’t many people out because of the weather. But there were lots and lots of water stations. I didn’t need all of them, but I tried to alternate water with some Gatorade hoping the Gatorade would at least give me some carbs since I had forgotten my fuel.

My brother and sister-in-law were at mile 6 but I didn’t see them unfortunately. Around mile 8 I started getting bored and I was tired of my music. Around mile 10 I was feeling cranky and cold and wet and I was just really really really ready to be finished.

At mile 12 our course met up with the Marathon course so I found a new surge of energy and at 13 we rounded a corner and I could hear the crowd and was starting to see the finish line. As soon as I saw it I could NOT stop smiling! And as soon as I crossed it I totally started crying! I had dreamed of that moment for months and it was finally there. I ran a half marathon y’all!!!!!!

And Laura was there to meet me after I finished! She brought me snacks and took a few pics for me! (see my blue lips?!) Thanks for coming Laura!!!!

After that I headed to see my brother for an adjustment and he got my knees all fixed up and I went home and CRASHED. I was exhausted y’all! And p.s. calf sleeves totally rock- my calves were not a bit sore the next day!

Sorry that this turned into a monster post, hopefully you made it all the way through!!!

{ 4 comments }

Blueberry Glazed Donuts

by Sarah on December 1, 2011

There’s not much that’s better than a delicious donut. Especially one that’s… healthy? Wait, what’s that? Donut? Healthy?

Of course- and it’s all thanks to this!

Now you can BAKE a donut. You get to control the ingredients in your donuts. And they’re baked, not fried so it won’t leave your tummy hurting (I have a pretty sensitive stomach and too much fat really does a number on my tummy!).

I got my donut pan on Amazon. I originally got the regular sized 6-count donut pan. Then I was browsing around Hobby Lobby one day and I noticed that they had donut pans too. So I got one of the 12-count mini donut pans. I’m having so much fun experimenting with different recipes for donuts!

First up is a blueberry glazed donut that will knock your socks off! These donuts are low fat and vegan but don’t let that fool you because they’re amazing!!

Blueberry Glazed Donuts
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:

For the donuts:
1 cup AP flour
1 cup Whole Wheat pastry flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 cup blueberries

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1-2 T non-dairy milk (depending on the thickness that you prefer for your glaze)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

In a small bowl combine wet ingredients.

Add wet to dry and stir until just combined.

Carefully fold in blueberries.

Spoon mixture into a donut pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 12-13 minutes until donuts are firm and slightly brown.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes.

NOM!!

Enjoy!

{ 3 comments }

Foodie Penpals, November Edition

by Sarah on November 30, 2011

Hey boys and girls! We’re creeping up on finals here and we’re pretty slammed with lots of last minute assignments, so my posts will be pretty sparse till finals are over.

Even as busy as I am I always find time to post about Foodie Penpals! I think that most everyone posted theirs yesterday since it’s also WIAW, but seeing that I haven’t really been doing WIAW in a while I just decided to stick with the schedule and post mine on the last day of the month. Check out what everyone else got here.

This month Caitlin from Cait Plus Ate was my foodie penpal.

Here are the goodies I got….

Chocolate pita chips. They’re delicious- they taste like crunchy little chocolate cookies!

Two of my favorite things- dark chocolate and coffee…

Caitlin really hooked me up with the chocolate! NOM!

And mint jelly. I’m intrigued by this. I’ve never had mint jelly before, so I’m not really sure what to do with it? Any suggestions??

Thanks Caitlin for the goodies!!!!

Here are the deets if you want to join in on the foodie penpal fun!

On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. *US Residents only please at this time- hopefully we can expand soon!*

If you’re interested in participating for December, please send an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)

She will need to hear from you by December 4th as pairings will be emailed on December 5th!

{ 10 comments }

Tourist in San Francisco

by Sarah on November 21, 2011

Here are some more of my walking around pics from San Francisco! I don’t have much time for narration since I’ve got a test tomorrow that I haven’t started studying for yet, but I’ll do the best I can.

The steepest hill I’ve EVER seen! (so steep that it has this zigzag road so that cars can go down it! So cool!)