Tag: Brownies

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on December 4, 2024

  1. It’s no secret fall is my favorite time of year, however the past month has felt more like WINTER. Too dark, too dreary, too much rain, daylight savings kicked my butt, and my motivation for nearly everything has gone down the drain.

  However, one thing that gets me jazzed every year is a holiday cup from Starbucks. It’s an instant nostalgic mood boost.

  

  2. I know once the holiday festivities are over, and the days get even shorter I will want to permanently keep my head attached to my pillow. In an attempt to mitigate such behavior I have signed up for another spring half marathon. Training for one this past year during Jan/Feb/March was a helpful way to stay active. I also love having a goal to look forward to.

  Having a focus and training regime for the upcoming winter will keep me from turning into Jabba the Hutt. I think this will be a new annual routine for me.

  3. Since we’re on the topic of running, I went for a trail run recently. While it’s not normally my thing, I didn’t hate it. I enjoy running solo, but I won’t trail run solo, so I don’t trail run. (That and I don’t love giant hills.) My friend who will also be running the spring half marathon (his first one!) likes trail running, so I accompanied him on a 5 miler.

  The run felt good, but the sight I came home to afterwards felt even better.

  

  4. After a routine trip to Sprouts recently I noticed one of my back tires was low. I drove to Costco to fill it with some air, where I discovered the tire had a screw in it. Ooofff. I thankfully managed to drive to Discount Tire where I was jazzed to discover I had a warranty on my tires. I got a new tire for free, but I was bamboozled by the guy helping me.

  He asked me when the last time I changed my wipers was. I told him it had been a looonnngg time, and that I knew how to do it, but I was being lazy. He told me he could make me a great deal, so I told him if he could replace them for under $20 I was in. He said he could, and I was shocked. He manipulated his computer to get the $50 pair for just $19, but they are AWFUL.

  Note to self: not all wipers are created equal. At least I got a free $118 tire…

  5. Speaking of saving money, I officially had to buy a new pair of Merrell’s. I bought a pair of Move Glove shoes in 2021 and beat the ever living life out of them. I refused to buy a new pair until the pair I had were shot, and I think having a hole in the heel I can fit multiple fingers through counts as getting my moneys worth.

  

  6. Duncan and I are going to a candlelight Vivaldi concert in two weeks, and I am beyond excited. I had seen the candlelight concert ads for years, and always thought they were a scam. Then I had a friend who went to one, and she confirmed it was no only NOT a scam, but a wonderful experience.

  The candles are most certainly not real, but the ambiance will still be lovely. I haven’t been to a classical concert since I lived in Europe.

  7. Little free library boxes bring me so much joy. I recently commandeered THREE books (two of which I already wanted to read) from three different ones. I don’t know who first started this trend, but I am so thankful for the pockets of joy. Once I finish these three I will return them to another box, and the cycle will continue.

  

  8. Speaking of books, I set a goal to read 25 books this year. Then that goal was bumped to 30, then 45, and then to 60. I have decided to leave the goal at 60, even though I have surpassed the goal (currently at 65 books.) This may not be many books for devout readers, but as someone who only recently got back into reading for hobby I am quite chuffed by this. My favorite books of the year thus far are:

  • I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Iain Reid (Psychological)
  • It Happened One Summer – Tessa Bailey (Romance)
  • The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah (Emotional)
  • Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal – Mary Roach (Science)
  • The Tattooist of Auschwitz – Heather Morris (Historical)
  • Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers – Mary Roach (Science)
  • Educated – Tara Westover (Memoir)
  • And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie (Mystery)
  • The Women – Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)

  9. I’m not one to collect many souvenirs, but one thing I try to get from every national park I visit is a pin. I’ve kept all my pins in a small box, and when I told my friend Caitlin this she offered to make me something to display them on. She hand sewed some felt pieces together, and it turned out so adorable.

  The best part is that she gave it to me with a pin already in it. I didn’t get a pin in YOHO National Park back in September when she and I went, so she found me one online and bought it for me. What a pal, I am so thankful for her.

  

  10. I ran a Turkey Trot this year against my better judgement. It was a 5k, and while 3.1 miles is a respectable distance to run, for me it’s my baseline. Because of this I don’t like paying to run a 5K. Paying for a 10K or higher pushes me to train longer miles, and therefor is justifiable to pay.

  I digress.

  This trot was only $20, so I decided to sign up after a friend told me he would be running it. I arrived early the day of the race to pick up my running bib, and the poor volunteers were deep in the storm of chaos. I registered the day prior, so I gave them grace when they couldn’t find the bib attached to my name. I assumed I didn’t have one because I signed up too close to the day of the race.

  The woman helping me then handed me a random running bib, and with no further direction said “ok, here you go” (after expressing she could not find mine.) Thankfully I overheard another volunteer tell someone else the random bib’s were not attached to anyone, and we would just have to look up the numbers for results under anonymous runner.

  OK, no big deal.

  I run the race, and I end up quite proud of my time (29:56), and while I know my name won’t be on the results page I still want to see my number for my official chipped time. Lo and behold, the number I ran with was attached to a Mr. Mark Kimball. I decided to type my name in just to see, and SURE ENOUGH, there was a bib attached to my name and SOMEONE ELSE RAN WITH IT.

  I am aware this is the epitome of what’s considered a “first world problem” (this is a confession posts after all), but I was admittedly bummed because I like collecting the running certificates with my name and my times. Duncan convinced me to reach out to the people who ran the event, and they were able to attach my name to the number I ran with and all was well in the world. It’s ok if you judge me for this confession.

  Q: What’s your confession? Favorite books this year?

  

  | 31 Comments Tagged Brownies, Coffee, Early Morning Confessions, Reading, Running

• Double Chocolate Banana Brownies

  Posted at 5:25 AM by Brittany, on February 28, 2014

  I read a lot of blogs, but only a handful of them are vegan blogs. I read running blogs, I read lifestyle blogs, I read random adventure blogs, and I read carnivorous steak eating blogs…I don’t discriminate! With that said, I rarely make any recipes posted on the blogs I read because while they may look good, they are definitely not plant based.

  

  Some recipes are easy to veganize, and others not so much.  When I’m inspired by a recipe I love turning it into my own, but once in a while it’s nice to let someone else do most of the work. I found a recipe on one of my go to blogs that I knew I just had to make. Only one small tweak was necessary in order to make this a Brittany approved recipe. 

  She called them muffins, I call them brownies. These are so simple, but SO delicious. With a prep time of no more than 5 minutes, there is no reason not to make these! Unless you don’t like bananas or chocolate, but in that case we can’t be friends. Kidding..kind of.

  Double Chocolate Banana Brownies

  Inspired by Amanda @ runningwithspoons

  

  Ingredients  

  (these will be listed in the order I think works best in your blender)

  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 ripe medium sized banana
  • 1 flax egg (1 tblsp fresh ground flax seed + 3 tblsp water)
  • 1/2 cup creamy almond butter ( self ground would not work here )
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup raw honey (sub maple syrup for a true vegan recipe)
  • 2 tblsp fresh ground flax seed
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips & then some to top

  

  Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375F. Spray or line a muffin tin with 9 spots, and set aside. OR pour entire batter into an 8 x 8 pan for more of a “brownie” look.

  2. In your high speed blender or food processor combine the vanilla, banana, and flax egg and pulse until combined. Then add the remaining ingredients (except for the chocolate chips) in the order listed. Use the same measuring cup for the cocoa powder and the honey, the cocoa powder will coat the sides of the cup and the honey will slide right into your blender. Like magic. Blend until well combined, and then fold in the chips by hand.

  3. Pour batter evenly into the 9 spaces prepped. Don’t get overzealous or your brownies will be huge. I learned this the hard way.

  4. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the tops of your brownies spring back to the touch, or a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes after removing from the oven.

  

  These are bursting with chocolate/banana flavor, and the texture is perfect. Soft yet sturdy and holds its shape. To see the original recipe, and Amanda’s amazing photos, click here. This recipe is one of my new favorites! As if they weren’t decadent enough on their own, try pairing with some vanilla coconut ice cream for an out of this word experience.

  

  Q: Do you make recipes off of the blogs you read? Very rarely!

  

  | 55 Comments Tagged Brownies, Chocolate, Recipe

• Black Bean Blender

  Posted at 9:51 AM by Brittany, on November 12, 2012

  What would you guess this pile of slop was meant to make?

  

  If I told you which setting I used would that help?

  

  What if I told you what was in the blender? Bananas, maple syrup, cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, salt, oats, and black beans..yes..BEANS. What if I told you this combination made the silkiest brownies I have ever had? Would a picture help?

  

  Black Bean Brownies

  • 1 15oz can of black beans drained and rinsed (I used these ones because they are unsalted)
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup oats
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

  Preheat your oven to 350. Grease your 8in pan. Combine all of your ingredients into a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth. Add chocolate chips and stir with a spoon. DO not blend the chips. Pour batter into your pan and bake for 30 min or until a toothpick comes out clean! SO easy! I also added a super secret ingredient for extra OOMPH..

  

  Instant coffee for extra flavor! Seriously, these brownies are SO silky. They don’t have the texture of regular brownies, but boy are they good!! High in protein, and high in fiber..I’m sold. Lets just look at that picture one last time.

  

  Swoon ❤

  Q: What’s your favorite bean recipe? Link it to me! Beans beans the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot! I LOVE BEANS!

  

  | 57 Comments Tagged Brownies, Recipe, Vegan

• Virtual Vegan Potluck: Save The Best For Last

  Posted at 1:41 AM by Brittany, on May 12, 2012

  A few weeks back, I jumped for joy at the opportunity to take part in a vitrual potluck put on by the adorable Annie at An Unrefined Vegan. What a fabulous idea. I was given the option of making an appetizer, beverage, salad, bread, main dish, side dish, soup, or dessert. I’ll give you eight guesses as to which option I chose, this shouldn’t be hard. I chose dessert..shocker I know. Any excuse for chocolate is a great excuse. Besides, I like to save the best part of the meal for my ending bites. Dessert is last for a reason.

  I wanted to make something safe, but unique at the same time. Something I knew would taste good. This was no time to experiment and be left at the pot luck eating my dish alone in the corner. I want people to crave my chocolatey goodness! The dishes had to be vegan, which was no challenge for me. I knew exactly what I was going to make.

  Chocolate Chunk Cookie Topped Zucchini Brownies

  

  • 1.5 cups of raw sugar
  • 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
  • 2 cups of whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup of cocoa (and then some)
  • 3 cups of shredded zucchini
  • 2 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp of baking soda
  • 1 cup of chocolate chips/chunks (and THEN some!)
  • 1 cup of warm water to start, and gradually add a bit more (if needed) until mixture is wet
  • 1 package of “Oreo” style cookies. If you are a strict vegan and don’t want products made on a facility that shares milk and eggs then Newman-O’s are certified vegan. Otherwise you can use any other brand as long as no dairy is listed in the ingredients. Newman-O’s tasted off, so I would use Late July brand, or even Trader Joe’s chocolate vanilla Joe-Joe’s. Don’t buy them off of Amazon. Joe-Joe’s are $2.99 in the store.

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease an 8×11 pan and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, coconut oil, and flour, combine until mixture resembles wet sand. While mixing, add cocoa, zucchini, vanilla extract, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Add water (as much as you need) and stir in the chocolate chips.
  3. Pour brownie batter into prepared pan, crush cookies ontop, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the brownies are set.

  

  Once brownies are done, you must eat at least half of the pan before completing a new task.

  

  Although, I like to wait until the next day when the chocolate chunks have set in and have hardened back to a thick chocolate. These brownies lasted all of two days.

  

  This is just the beginning of the dessert portion of the pot luck! If you want to see more dessert, or jump back to previous dishes click the photos below. These will lead you to the dishes before and after mine. Once you are on a new page you can continue to bounce from page to page by clicking the buttons! Have fun!

  

  

  

  | 45 Comments Tagged Brownies, Chocolate, Recipe, Vegan, Virtual Vegan Potluck

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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