Monthly Archives: October 2013

• ‘Tis the Season

  Posted at 5:26 AM by Brittany, on October 31, 2013

  Happy Halloween everyone! In spirit of today’s holiday, I have a recipe to prepare you for the NEXT holiday! Too soon? At least I don’t have any Christmas music playing…

  It’s no secret that I love to bake. I also happen to love almost everything I bake, but I have found that my taste buds are accustomed to flavors that some people would call bland. I enjoy the flavor of plain grains and veggies, my meals don’t get extra seasonings, and I am a coffee and tea purist to the max. I don’t add cream or sugar to either.

  

  I’ve been wanting to attempt a gingerbread cookie recipe for a while now, and finally gave it a shot. As per usual I LOVED them, but I wanted to see what the civilians thought (non vegan eaters.) Most people I know are skeptical of my treats before they try them, and I get a total baking high when I introduce my friends to the better side of vegan baking.

  

  I wanted to make all these cookies into maple leaf shapes, but had too much batter and not enough patience, so I made some circular cookies as well. These are perfect for those of you that enjoy a simple cookie that’s not overpowering in the sweet department. I LOVE extra sweet treats, but these mild cookies were delicious. Perfect along side a cup of black coffee.

  Super Soft Gingerbread Cookies

  

  • 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp of a chia or flax egg (I used chia)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan butter
  • 3/4 cup xylitol
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 3 tblsp vanilla almond milk
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • a couple more pinches of raw sugar

  

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Combine your flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and chia or flax egg in a medium sized bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together your xylitol, sugar, coconut oil, and Earth Balance vegan butter. Then mix in the vanilla almond milk and molasses.
  4. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until mixed
  5. Form into small balls (or shapes), sprinkle the top with sugar, and bake for 8-10 minutes.

  A few notes: I used part xylitol, and part sugar because I wanted to lessen the amount of sugar, but you can use all sugar if you want. I also ran out of coconut oil, so I used part oil and part butter, but you can use all of one or the other. I liked the combo of both.

  

  I had to…because I am 12. It is Halloween after all!

  This was my first time baking with molasses and I have to say I was scared of the smell. Thankfully it tasted nothing like it smelled, and I already have requests to bake a second batch! Oh how I love seasonal baked goods, bring on the eggnog cupcakes!

  Q: Do you like gingerbread cookies?! If you said yes, you must make these.

  

  | 39 Comments Tagged Cookies, Halloween, Recipe, Vegan

• Three Activities

  Posted at 9:20 AM by Brittany, on October 28, 2013

  Lately I have noticed that I go through phases of activities. By this I mean I will enjoy a certain activity more than others and focus on that certain activity with more energy than all my other activities. These activities are broken into three categories: Food, Running, and Adventuring.

  Right now I am in the adventuring phase. I haven’t baked anything in weeks, and I have only run four times since my half marathon a couple weeks ago. Right now I am focusing on going out with my friends and taking advantage of fall.

  

  Fall foliage between the fence.

  These activities are the core of this blog, and as you may notice I talk about these three things in bulk when I am going through each phase. While training for my last half, I had more posts about running, when feeling crazy in my kitchen I have more posts about creations, and while feeling adventurous I blog about my random adventures. I still partake in ALL these activities year round, but only one gets top spot at a time.

  

  Random giant pumpkin, of course I want a photo with you.

  Last week I was very spontaneous. This doesn’t happen often, as I usually prefer things planned far in advance. My coworker and I decided to take a last minute day trip to a town over three hours away. By last minute I mean we said, “hey wanna go tomorrow.” OK!

  

  With views like this a long car ride is tolerable.

  Our destination was a small Bavarian town called Leavenworth. I had been before, but not for many years. Our initial plan was to make it for Oktoberfest, but that never happened. Instead of bagging the trip, we decided to make our own Oktoberfest.

  

  Fall decorations and FIRE tables at an outdoor beer and brat place.

  The town itself is adorable and very touristy. There is a lot of character all throughout it.

  

  

  

  I wonder what they sell here…

  The shops were great, but the real show stopper was the scenery. The mountains overlooking the town took my breath away, and the fall trees gave me chills of happiness.

  

  After wandering the town for an hour or so, I completed the task I came to complete. I was so jazzed that the spot with the fire tables served Field Roast, and I got myself a “brat.”

  

  This is the face of a very tired, but content soul.

  The day was long (I had been awake since 3am for work, and didn’t get home until around midnight) and the drive was far (approx 190 mi from my house EACH way) but it was an adventure to remember and it sparked a whole new level of spontaneity in my world.

  I shared my adventures in a local town, my footsteps through the corn, last week I went to Leavenworth, yesterday I went to Seattle for the last professional soccer game of the season, and I even made it to a haunted house with some of my coworkers. The phase of adventuring is coming to an end (not for good, just as the main phase and topic of my posts lately) and I see some more running posts in my future. I have my eye on another half marathon very, very soon! I also need to get my butt in the kitchen and BAKE!!

  Q: Do you go through phases where you do/talk about certain activities more than others? GET OUT AND EXPLORE! 

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Adventure, Day Trip, Leavenworth, Random, Running, Spontaneous, Vegan

• Footsteps Through the Corn

  Posted at 10:47 AM by Brittany, on October 25, 2013

  Thank you everyone for your input on my last post! If you’re at all interested in self hosting your blog, check out some of the comments! I know self hosting is my next step so stay tuned because I’m not sure exactly when it will happen! Now, onto today….

  I went to a corn maze. It’s not officially fall until you visit the corn maze/pumpkin patch. Sadly, no ninja moves were allowed so I kept my nunchuks in my pocket.

  

  Throughout the maze there were pumpkins with random paintings on them. My favorite was a self portrait of my child, equipped with a device for eating cereal, or ice cream.

  

  

  The objective of the maze was to solve a riddle. Random letters were sprinkled all over the maze and we were to write the letters down onto a sheet of paper, and then unscramble.

  

  S is for chicken.

  

  Any guesses? I couldn’t figure it out and had to resort to Facebook for help. I don’t know how I passed third grade. After finding all the letters, I enjoyed the sun through the corn.

  

  Obligatory corn maze photo.

  The farm also had chickens, goats, sheep, and one lone llama.

  

  To wrap up my trip, I searched the pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkin to bake.

  

  

  

  

  This one..I want this one.

  When I went to pay for my pumpkin, the man did not know how to use the mobile device required for payment with a card. After asking him to find someone to help me, he asked me if I could wait a while. So I put the pumpkin back and I left. UGH I was so upset. Looks like I’ll just have to visit another pumpkin patch to get my pumpkin to bake!

  Q: Have you been to a pumpkin patch or corn maze this year? Now I want to go apple picking!! I just don’t want to find any larva in my apples….eww…

  

  | 49 Comments Tagged Adventure, Corn Maze, Fall, Pumpkin, Random

• I Need Your Help!

  Posted at 6:43 AM by Brittany, on October 23, 2013

  The last month I’ve been trying to live my life with less fear. Less fear of the unknown, less fear about the future, less fear about not knowing ABOUT the future, less fear about dancing in public with strangers, less fear about letting go of control, and so much more.

  

  I went here last weekend and screamed like a 12 yr old girl.

  Fear does nothing but hold me back, and I’m ready to move forward. I’ve realized life is too short to always stand in the shadows, and taking leaps of faith are a must. I could ramble on for days about this, but you get the idea, and I promise I am going somewhere with this.

  Something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but have been afraid to jump into, is changing my blog to a self hosted site. I started this blog two years ago with hopes of connecting with people, and if I’m being honest..to get FREE STUFF! I’ve received my fair share of things, but now I want more. I want to look at my blog like a proud mother cat looks at her kitten and thinks, “I just birthed you..you’re beautiful.”

  

  The part that scares me is messing it up. I want to make the switch on my own, and I fear losing everything. I want to do the work myself, because that will make me the most proud. Designs and fancy bells can come later, but I want to do as much myself as I can. So here’s where you guys come it! A lot of my readers have self hosted sites and I need to pick your brains! I want your brain inside of mine..in a less morbid sounding way.

  • What website did you go through? I’m looking at Bluehost.
  • What was the best reason for making the switch for you?
  • Did you notice any major changes? Of any kind.
  • Did you loose your readers?
  • Were you able to keep your blog looking the way it way? I kinda like my simple look.
  • Was it easy to figure out how to add advertising to your page?
  • How did you collect $$ from advertising, PayPal?
  • Was it worth the work?
  • Will it be easy to figure out how to export/save all my content?
  • I use WordPress, will my home page be the same and will writing my posts be the same?

  I’ve done some research, but also want opinions straight from the sources: you guys. I’ve been a slave to YouTube tutorials, and have a good idea of what to do, but I still want some input from my readers that have made the switch on their own as well!

  Pleaseeee share with me any tips and tricks you have about making the switch, and I will love you forever. The time has come, and I feel ready..hurry and help me before I change my mind and settle back into my comfort spot!! 🙂

  Q: Are you self hosted? HELP ME! 

  

  | 67 Comments Tagged Blog, Random

• Enjoy Life: Decadent Bars

  Posted at 7:16 AM by Brittany, on October 21, 2013

  I love to bake. I love shopping for the ingredients, I love the process of mixing things together, and most of all I love to eat what I have created. I don’t buy a lot of baked goods at the store because most of them contain dairy, and are full of things that remind me of pets and anti freeze fluid- tastes good, but eventually kills you. Oreo’s are an exception…

  One company that has continued to impress me with their baked goods is Enjoy Life Foods. In fact, I have a box of their snicker-doodle cookies hiding in my cupboard for my morning coffee pairing. I have reviewed some of their products before, but the last two reviews weren’t for baked goods, which just proves how versatile Enjoy Life products are. SO YUM!

  

  One of the best sights in the world.

  

  I was asked to try the four new decadent chewy bars and review them. All opinions listed below are my own, and while I did get these bars for free, I was not compensated for this review. Let’s start with my least favorite two of the group.

  Cinnamon Bun

  

  I opened this one first, because my mood decided this would be the best one. I was sadly disappointed and didn’t think this tasted much like a cinnamon bun at all. In fact I didn’t think it tasted much like cinnamon even. It wasn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t buy it.

  Cherry Cobbler

  

  I didn’t like this one at all. I don’t know what else to say about it..I just didn’t like it.  
  

  Now for the two I LOVED.

  Chocolate Sunbutter

  

  I gave up on sunflower seed butter after overdoing it a few years ago. This was a nice welcome back snack to the world of sunbutter. This was DELICIOUS and tasted JUST as the name implied..chocolate shell with a creamy sunbutter filling. Two thumps up.

  S’mores

  

  BOOM. This was my favorite one. Are you shocked? I wasn’t either..chocolate and more chocolate..yes please. I wouldn’t say this tasted just like a campfire gathering with marshmallows and crunchy graham crackers, but it was SO good. Two thumbs and one big toe UP UP UP! I would buy this one again, TOMORROW!

  I would recommend this company to anyone, but specifically to those with allergies or dietary restrictions. All of these products are free of: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, and shellfish. These are also a great healthier option for kids (or kids with allergies) as a quick snack! If you’re interested in trying these decadent bars, enter the code: DECBLOG10 at checkout for 10% off your first order!! WHOO DISCOUNTS!

  Q: Which of these four bars sounds the best to you?

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Enjoy Life, Review

• Dancing with Hippies

  Posted at 8:57 AM by Brittany, on October 18, 2013

  Yesterday my friend and I hit the streets of a local town and enjoyed the lovely fall day.

  

  

  Something about wandering outside with leaves littered along the streets makes me feel so warm and full of life. I had the most wonderful day, and fall continues to make me swoon. There were plenty of photo ops, and naturally I had to take part.

  

  

  

  I’m not sure what’s going on the last photo, my face is clearly facing the wrong way. This is definitely my kind of girl though, having two of the same outfit. I also ran into Gigi, and by ran into I mean I superimposed her face into the hole next to mine so I wouldn’t be alone.

  

  How neat is this building? I want to live here.

  I also made some new friends.

  

  Bullfrog rides: $0.25

  

  Yoga with the locals.

  The only downside was not being able to find any vegan treats. Only one bakery had a slab of cake (only one option) but I didn’t have cash and that’s all they accepted. I went into every cafe/bakery in attempts to find something. While rounding a corner to another cafe, we saw some local hippies dancing at an intersection. My friend called them crazy, I called them intriguing. So…I went and danced for 19 seconds with no shame.

  I don’t know what compelled me to do this, but it was liberaring!! What I do know is that my dancing skills are zero (I was trying to mimic that lady) and this lady had the hairiest armpits I have ever seen. Once I saw that I ran the other way. Dance on my friends!

  We ended our afternoon at a coffee shop that was connected to a wine bar with live music. I swooned so hard over the guy singing. His voice was like a combination of Fergie and Jesus. Inside the adorable coffee shop I saw the most adorable sign. I want.

  

  “Luv can be so blind. & strangely blissful. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

  Amen.

  Q: Do you like wandering cute local towns?

  

  | 55 Comments Tagged Adventure, Fall, Hippies, Love, Random, Vegan, Yoga

• Poulsbo Half Marathon

  Posted at 8:02 AM by Brittany, on October 14, 2013

  BOOM shaka laka-I am now a third time half marathoner. I have to admit I was slightly worried going into this race for multiple different reasons. One reason being that my training wasn’t quite on par and I actually ended up skipping my last long run due to the fact that I was a week off when I started…oops. Mentally this sort of tripped me up.

  

  Ever seen a fish with legs?? This is my shirt.

  Secondly, and as much as I hate to admit to this, I was worried to be alone during this race. Emotionally this was a huge accomplishment for me and almost as if I was fully closing a door to my previous chapter in life (almost.) Running this race alone meant that if I hit the wall, I had to pull myself through. Thankfully my mind was right this entire run.

  

  The course was amazing, with winding back roads and views of the foggy mountains and colorful leaved trees around every corner. Views of the water and farm land for 80% of the course. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful location. October is officially my favorite time of year to race. Perfect fall running month.

  

  This is what happens when you ask a stranger that doesn’t know how to use an iPhone to take your picture. Blurry photo. Owell it’s all I’ve got!

  I prepared the day before by consuming carbs slowly throughout the entire day, and capped off my night with a giant bowl of veggies and pasta. I also made sure to guzzle water and ended off with 100oz by the end of the night. I’m OK with that!

  

  Miles 1-8 were great. I felt strong, and I knew at this point the run was going to go well. Once I hit mile 8 I needed to stop for the bathroom..NEEDED. This added 3 minutes to my chip time, but I made sure to stop my Garmin while I…was…going to the bathroom. HA.

  The hills started to get intense around mile 8. Giant hills, which would then balance out into mild, gradual hills, which would turn back into giant hills. I had to walk a few of the intense hills and I have no regrets about that. I was already sitting good for a PR.

  Mile 10.5 was the game changer. I suddenly felt something sharp on both of my calves in almost the same spot on each side. I thought maybe I brushed against a thorn, but then realized that would only make sense on one side. When I looked down I got my answer. Still clinging for dear life onto my pant leg, butt inside my skin, was a hornet. Ugh. One of them fell off or escaped who knows, but I had to flick the other one off while running.

  At first things felt fine, but when I got to mile 12 my calves were KILLING. All I could feel were the throbs from the stings. Of course the last 3miles were some of the hilliest and I was dyyyinnngg. Finally at mile 12.5 it was smooth sailing and the roads balanced out.

  

  I stopped my Garmin when it reached 13.1, with a time of 2:09:28. A twelve minute PR from my last half marathon. I kept running about .1 of a mile more to cross the finish line and accept my medal. Second proudest running moment of my life. First was Disney. Along with my bee stings, I got my first subungual hematoma on my right foot. Real runner alert.

  To be honest the last two weeks leading up to this race I was ready to take a break from running. I even said to myself a couple times during the race, “just finish this up and then you can take a break from running.” After getting a PR and once again experiencing that high of crossing the finish line..I already want to find another half marathon. This race empowered me in ways I thought impossible, and re-sparked my fire for running.

  

  Thank you to all my blog friends and family for the texts, and messages wishing me luck.

  Q: Do you stop your Garmin when you take a bathroom break? Maybe it’s cheating, but I always stop my watch. My time is for when I RUN, not for when I go to the bathroom!! 
  

  | 86 Comments Tagged Accomplishment, Disneyland, Half Marathon, PR, Running

• Seeing Double

  Posted at 6:09 AM by Brittany, on October 11, 2013

  I don’t shop for “regular” clothes often. I get easily frazzled, and I rarely find things that I like. Running clothes are a different story, I could max out my savings on running gear. When I do find something “regular” I like, I will buy multiple of that one item if possible.

  

  Same shirt, one pink and one black.

  

  Same dress, flip flopped colors.

  

  Same jacket, one pink and one black. I also had one in yellow that I gave away.

  

  Same flannel..one red and one blue.

  Do you see the pattern? Well, the other day I mentioned I bought a new dress. I immediately fell in love, but then I saw the same dress in a different pattern. I tried to figure out which one I loved more, and ended up going with my second choice. When I got home I showed my mom and told her my dilemma, and she said the most magical words, “Go get the other one, why not have both!?” GENIUS! So I did..dilemma solved.

  

  My mom told me I look like a Mennonite with my hair like this. Isn’t she sweet? I actually wear my hair like this a lot, it’s just easy. The very next day a visibly drunk guy came into my work and told me he liked my hair. Thanks man..thanks.

  

  I LOVE the black one the most, but the colorful one is fun too. I am so obsessed with these! I would like to note that tights are probably one of the worst articles of clothing to put on. I would compare myself to two cats in a brawl while trying to maneuver into these tights, but they sure sucked me in! As you can see I have been spending a good amount of time in my windowless dungeon working on my pasty white glow.

  

  If anyone is curious, yes I took the cover from your grandmas couch to make these dresses. I am clearly channeling my inner old soul. So there you have it, if you find something you like..buy DOUBLE. HAH! Also, please don’t judge my photo quality. I felt lazy taking these photos, and my iPhone is starting to struggle. Happy Friday! 

  Q: What phone do you have, and does it take good photos?

  

  | 59 Comments Tagged New Digs, Random, Running, Shopping

• Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Run

  Posted at 3:57 AM by Brittany, on October 9, 2013

  How’s that for a title? This just about sums up the run I had on Saturday. It was my scheduled long run for the week, and I had high hopes going into this run because I took it easy on my runs all week leading up to Saturday. Things were fine the first mile or two, and then it just went downhill from there. Actually it went uphill..lots of uphill.

  

  Always..

  I was supposed to run 11 miles. Ok cool. Nothing I couldn’t handle after annihilating my 10miler a couple weeks prior. Well, my body had a different plan for the day. My run went a little something like this..

  • Mile 1- Felt pretty good, Katy Perry’s song Roar made me feel like a boss.
  • Mile 2-Feeling good still.
  • Mile 2.5- HOLY CRAMP WHERE DID YOU COME FROM..OWWW
  • Mile 3.48- Shit I am DEAD..how am I going to complete 11 miles today.
  • Mile 3.5-STOPPED TO BREATHE
  • Mile 5-STOPPED TO BREATHE
  • Mile 6.5- STOPPED TO BREATHE
  • Mile 7- STOPPED…FOR GOOD.

  Around mile 3 I was already dead. Struggling, needing to stop, guzzling my water, and chewing my Shot Bloks like I hadn’t eaten in 5 days. I was suddenly very fatigued.

  

  ALL THE CAKE!

  I had to stop at least 3 times to breath and then I noticed a blister forming on the arch of my left foot. Awesome. After feeling like I couldn’t go on anymore, I called it at 7 miles. Ugh. Mentally this sucked. Come to find out it’s almost “that time” which not only explained the fatigue, but also explained why I wanted to cry for stopping.

  

  Every time…

  I was able to end my run on my favorite road and admire the farm land while I waited for my mom to come and pick me up. Mom to the rescue once again (number 6.)

  

  I came home, got cleaned up, went for a walk, and ended my day with a drive through the mountains. I was bummed for not completing the scheduled 11 miles, but I let it go and accepted the 7 that I did accomplish..even if it was a struggle. Time to up my food intake!

  

  

  View from my drive. I love where I live!

  The very next day I checked my training schedule to find that I am a week behind..OMG WHAT!? That meant I needed to attempt this run again..so I did. I ate an entire loaf of bread and a giant potato the night before, and I ran/walk/hobbled 10.8 miles in just under 2 hours. Slowest run I’ve had in months..but I did it. My entire being is just “off” right now mentally/physically/and emotionally, but this too shall pass! Bring it on half marathon #3!

  Q: What do you do when something doesn’t go according to plan?

  

  | 58 Comments Tagged Carbohydrate, Half Marathon, Running

• Sharing is Caring

  Posted at 7:43 AM by Brittany, on October 7, 2013

  When I try to explain my blog friendships to my real life friends I feel a bit awkward. It’s hard to explain and I can tell some of my “real life” friends think I am crazy, and that it’s weird to develop such close bonds with people that I have never physically met. The funny thing about it is that I feel closer with some of my blog friends than I do with my real life friends..go figure. One blog friend I did happen to meet was Megan, and I adore her.

  

  Oh look…goodies in the mail from Megan!

  Ohh but there is more.

  

  I absolutely LOVE maple leaves. They are the epitome of fall, and sometimes I even think about getting a maple leaf tattoo. Such a gorgeous leaf. MAPLE LEAF COOKIES HERE I COME! I couldn’t get over how cute the little owls were.

  

  Plus a pumpkin delicious candle for my romantic solo dinners.

  I love sharing goodies with my real life friends, but I SO wish I could share them with my blog babes!! I’m sure I could mail some of the baked goods I create, but I never know if they will hold up during transport. I made a delicious treat that is worthy of sharing with all my blog friends, if only we could have a huge blogger party in my living room! A combination of three delicious elements all in one created this delicious masterpiece. I saw a photo of this on Pinterest, and I just HAD to recreate it myself.

  Chocolate Dipped Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites

  

  For the cookie dough:

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1 cup flour
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

  Mix everything together in a medium sized bowl. I added the dry ingredients together first, and then the wet, but you can add it all in any order. You may need to add a bit more milk also.

  

  Once the dough is complete spoon small scoops onto your pretzels and then smoosh another pretzel on top. Then dip into melted chocolate and place onto wax paper. Place finished sandwiches into the fridge for 20 minutes.

  A few notes:

  • The chocolate chips in the dough got in the way at times when trying to sandwich two pretzels together. You don’t need the chips because you are dipping these into chocolate. Next time I will leave the chocolate chips out.
  • The pretzels will get soggy from the moisture in the cookie dough, so these are best eaten within a few hours of being made. Good treat for a (blogger) party. If making for a small group, half the cookie dough recipe (or use your own dough recipe) because my cookie dough made over 20 pretzel bites.
  • These were do delicious I died and was reborn 7 times while eating them. SO GOOD.

  Chocolate, cookie dough, AND pretzels..that’s what I call a triple threat. The salt from the pretzels added the perfect balance to all the sweet! Go make these, they are easy!

  Q: Are you a fan of the salt/sweet combo? YES YES YES!

  

  | 73 Comments Tagged Bloggers, Chocolate, Recipe

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