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  • Tag: Plant Based

    • Early Morning Confessions

      Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on April 27, 2017

      1. I had a coffee date with a woman I met through pet sitting last week, and she is such a gem. She gifts me with things each time I watch her cat and on our date she gave me a card with ten euros inside for my upcoming trip.

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      2. I get overly excited when I enter a bathroom other than mine and find the toilet seat up. To me this means the bathroom was freshly cleaned (usually at 6am when I arrive at work) and mine will be the first fanny of the day to grace the seat.

      3. I have been trying to get back into a running groove lately, and had a few runs last week that really made my soul sing. I managed a 5 miler that I didn’t think I had in me. Proof that whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.

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      4. I’m writing this to kill time before my bimonthly massage. I’m anticipating the jello like state my body will be in post rub down. The woman I see is a magician. Update: this massage was so good I couldn’t think straight.

      5. I have some kind of OCD when it comes to containers of food. Specifically nut butter jars. I need the sides clean of product as the jar is used. I do not like when there is butter all up the sides when the jar is half gone.

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      Possibly hard to tell, but the top of the PB must have an even line. Minor residual remnants at the top are OK, but clumps are no no no.

      6. I’ve had this song on repeat. Tell me, would you dive with me?

      7. One of my runs last week was along the water. In the pouring rain. After a 15 hour work day. It was awesome. image

      8. I watched La La Land for the second time, and it was just as depressing as it was the first time I watched it. The end makes me feel sooooeemmpptyyy.

      9. I’ve been riding the veggie train haarrrddd lately because they make me feel good. I love when I share photos with my friends and their reply is, “looks good, but where’s the protein?” Then I proceed to school them.

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      Legit this plate of plants has over 35g of protein. Thanks for the concern though. 😉

      10. Asparagus pee. That is all.

      Q: What’s your confession?

      brittany

      | 61 Comments Tagged Early Morning Confessions, Ireland, Peanut Butter, Plant Based, Run, Running, Vegan
    • Since You’ve Been Gone

      Posted at 9:00 AM by Brittany, on April 3, 2017

      Oh hi. I wasn’t gone long was I? Truth be told I can be a bit impetuous when I get emotional and my last post declaring a blog break was just that. I don’t feel like three weeks was long, and possibly not worthy of a declaration, however it allowed me to fully step away with ease.

      I missed this space which was a nice refresher for me. This outlet keeps me somewhat whole in the times I feel like I’m falling apart. Which has been the story of my life lately. The exciting thing is that these times of our lives are completely normal, and learning to be comfortable during the times of discomfort is amazingly freeing.

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      The weather has been hit or miss in my parts lately, but I still try to get outside as much as I can. Fresh air is like an instant serotonin boost and LAWD knows I need sum-o-dat. Walking has been soothing for me lately, and while I’ve had a couple runs here and there I find that what my body is truly craving is slow paced, stress-less walking.

      Also jogging.

      I think I’m officially a believer of the jog.

      I’m not fully adjusted to the lifestyle change that comes with an autoimmune disease. The scaling back of physical activities to honor my fatigue is something I mentally struggled with for a while. As with all sudden changes this can take time, but I’m getting there each day. Moving is moving amirite?

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      I’ve also slowly but surely been trying to find my way back to a mostly plant based diet. At this point I believe a lot of my struggles around what my body can and cannot handle is more mental than physical. At the end of the day I’m mentally conflicted over just about everything so I might as well ethically feel good, HA! I am putting my focus onto healing my mental state rather than worrying so much.

      Worry is an emotion reserved for those who don’t trust.

      I trust. I trust God, I trust my body, I trust my intuition, and I trust my life is falling into place just how it was meant to. I also trust the sun will come out sooner or later here. We’ve had a few previews and oh boy, o berto am I excited. 🙂

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      I spent 10 days last week with my first client Emma, the catalyst to my pet sitting adventures. She is also one of the only clients I continue to stay with because I realized pet sitting (specifically dogs) was a huge stress addition for me.

      My mom tells me I will be a good mother one day because I’m very attentive to the pets in my life, but with that comes added stress. Unfortunately for her I still don’t want kids. “OH Brittany, you’ll want them when you’re older!” I’m 28…not getting any younger here. Still don’t want crawling drool producers, sorry mom.

      Also, I really like referring to these animals as my clients. #sidehustle

      I was happy to pull back the reins on this side hustle for less stress in my life. I do like staying with Emma though, she is easy and she and I have a bond that started with her ability to produce a RBF much like mine.

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      I very much enjoy the company of Emma’s mom, and I think this is also why I continue to stay with her. I don’t have many people in my life that make me feel refreshed after we speak, but this woman makes me feel so happy inside. She has a solid 45 years on me, but she’s good people. I flock towards the older crowd, I’m told I have an old soul.

      So where am I going with this post? The moral of my story is to continue to be at peace with myself. Continue to trust my body, trust my mind, be gentle with my mind, and be gentle with my progress. Autoimmune diseases are a fickle beast and I’m certain mine was thrown into acceleration because of stress, so continuing to stress about little things will only make matters worse.

      This means giving my mind a hug at times with muffins. Paired this one with a cup of coffee and a walk in the rain. 

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      An added benefit of walking more is that I am more aware of the ground. When I run I mostly focus on not dying so it’s harder for me to notice shiny objects on the ground. Walking allows me to pay attention to my surroundings. This attention brings me more money. One year I found over $10 on the ground.

      A penny isn’t just a penny when you find 250 of them.

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      That’s almost enough to buy me another muffin. We’re making moves people, we’re making moves.

      Q: Do you pick up spare change when you see it? I know some of you do…you know who you are. #soulmates

      brittany

      | 67 Comments Tagged Baking, Free Money, Life, Plant Based, Vegan
    • Banana Buckwheat “Hikecakes”

      Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on February 17, 2017

      So this happened last week. 

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      The thing is I used to really dislike when it snowed. Borderline despised it. The snow either put a damper on my plans, or caused me anxiety because I “had to drive in it.” Before my current HR job with Starbucks I’d worked in customer service. When you’re scheduled to work in a job like that, your team relies on you to be there. There were many times I drove to work in the snow when I should have stayed home.

      I had momentary thoughts that there wasn’t quite enough snow for me to call out. How often do we tell ourselves something isn’t enough, when really it has far surpassed any quantifiable amount? Or rather it’s not something that needs a defining amount at all?

      It’s not that my job now doesn’t need me, or that I enjoy abandoning my team, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized it’s OK to put your safety before anything else. My commute to Seattle would have made for a treacherous adventure in this, and despite the twinge of guilt I felt for staying home, I relished in the joy of this white blanket of death.

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      I slowed down. I savored coffee. I reflected. I found the beauty in the snow. The above photo pointed out the multiple difference species of trees that surround my house. There are five showcased in this photo, but there are more in the surrounding panoramic view. I stared at these trees for many long minutes, thinking about how thankful I am to live in a place like this.

      The snow held strong the following few days, and by day three I was ready for it to go. For me snow is best kept in the mountains, where I have a choice to spend time with it or not. Regardless I enjoyed my extra day away from work, giving me a total of six days off. Oh how I love working part time.

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      Slowing down and staying inside inspired me to test out a new pancake recipe. I don’t often create new recipes these days for a myriad of reasons, but I was determined to find one that my body would handle. I often have to trade presentation and texture for taste, or vice versa, but I found a combination of ingredients that made my soul sing.

      Living with an autoimmune disease is a constant adventure in determining what foods will work with me, and what foods won’t. I’m at a place now on this journey where I no longer work myself into a tizzy of stress over my new lifestyle, and instead I take each challenge as a test of character. The best part about the pancakes I’ve been making is that they’re vegan, gluten free, and refined sugar free, yet they don’t taste like cardboard.

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      They’re easy, they hold well, and they’re tasty. What they’re not is low calorie, but the beauty of using real food is that the calorie count doesn’t matter. These are my new go to hiking fuel, and for that I call these “hikecakes.” They won’t taste like pancake house cakes, but they do the job.

      All you’ll need are six ingredients, and a high speed blender (or food processor.) I wanted to find a combination of ingredients that allowed me to avoid adding sugar, and to avoid adding baking soda/powder. The sodium content of both baking soda and baking powder adds up quick and sodium is not something I handle well. A scoop of plant based pea protein provided enough sodium to give a good texture, without the added facial swelling.

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      Banana Buckwheat Hikecakes

      Ingredients

      • 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk (from a can with NO added ingredients)
      • 1/3 cup + 1.5 tblsp H20
      • 1 medium overripe banana
      • 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
      • 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
      • 1 scoop pea protein (I use this brand because it’s one ingredient)
      • cinnamon (I don’t measure this, it’s dependent on preference IMO.)
      • coconut oil (for the pan)

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      Directions

      Combine coconut milk, water, and banana in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients one at a time in the order listed above, blending each before adding the next. Add more water in half tablespoon increments if necessary. Depending on the size of your banana you may need more water. Be careful not to overdo it with the water though, your hikecake texture should be thick, but it should still move.

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      Heat a non stick pan with a glob of coconut oil and pour batter into pan, batter makes around three circular cakes slightly larger than a sand dollar. Be sure not to overdo it with the oil in the pan, but put enough to ensure the cakes won’t stick.

      Tasting notes: because these are only sweetened with a banana I added some frozen berries to mine with a drizzle of pure maple syrup. The maple syrup is optional, but I find it necessary. If you’d like to sweeten the cake itself you can swap out the tablespoons of water for maple syrup. If you don’t want to use protein powder you can add a couple tablespoons more of flour, but I make no promises on texture.

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      Optional pairing: A piping hot cup of coffee, preferable a Latin American blend with a full body and strong cocoa and nutty notes. I’ve been pairing my hikecakes with Starbucks Organic Yukon Blend and the balance of flavors work wonderfully together.

      That’s all I’ve got for today! Just helpin ya’ll out for the upcoming pancake Sunday.

      Q: What’s your go to pancake recipe?

      brittany

      | 46 Comments Tagged Gluten Free, Pancakes, Plant Based, Recipe, Snow, Sugar Free, Vegan
    • Early Morning Confessions

      Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on November 28, 2016

      1. I ran my first 5K race since 2012. I run the 5K distance all the time, but I once told myself it was a waste of money to pay for one as a race. Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2016 – I ate those words because just the thought of a 10K winded me.

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      I still managed a 9:42 pace though. I’ll take it.

      2. My pre race meal consisted of an entire package of tofu. I don’t recommend that, the GI struggle was so real.

      3. Thanksgiving was all kinds of marvelous. My angelic mother and I made a raw pumpkin pie that is so decadent I’m still nursing it five days later. Who lets pie last five days!?

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      4. Christmas music has been playing in my car since before Thanksgiving. I have no shame.

      5. I’m on a solid whole foods kick and loving it. I’ve been trying to ditch terrible eating habits for months now.

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      6. I’ve been tearing though cruciferous vegetables and jars of peanut butter. That combo is enough to do some damage to the ozone layer due to all the methane I’ve produced.

      7. I worked on black Friday, which is fine by me. I don’t partake in the shopping madness and already had three days in a row off. It was bizarre being in such a large building with so few people. The 8th floor cafe was closed and I had the entire lobby to myself.

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      8. I’ve dipped my toes back in to the rivers of coffee. I limit my intake to no more than 10 oz, and water it down significantly, but I’m thrilled to be slowly drinking it again after months away.

      9. I continue to be charmed by the holiday vibes of the workplace. Thanks for being awesome Starbucks.

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      10. I’ve been indulging in “self care” lately. By that I mean I’ve been getting massages twice a month because it makes me happy. I even went as far as getting a pedicure with a girlfriend last weekend. I don’t get pedicures…but I wear sandals year round and my feet were looking pretty rough.

      The last time I got a pedicure was April of 2012. You can read my experience here. I don’t dare get a mani/pedi combo EVER again.

      Q: What’s your confession?

      brittany

      | 64 Comments Tagged Confessions, Plant Based, Race, Running, Starbucks, Thanksgiving, Vegan
    • Early Morning Confessions

      Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on October 10, 2016

      1. I write this post from a place of pure joy and content. I have no school related tasks for five whole days, and I assure you those five days will be like finding the golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

      (RIP Gene Wilder.)

      2. I’ve had a handful of runs lately that have left me feeling like a gazelle gallivanting through green grass. I was house sitting in one of my favorite towns, and a fun town means fun runs.

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      3. Foggy tree lines, rainy evenings, mugs of cinnamon tea, colors of orange and brown, leaves of red and yellow. Fall is here, fall is here, FALL IS HERE!

      4. My mouth has fully boarded the squash train, and I’ve been having daily sweet potatoes slathered with some kind of fat (coconut oil, or nut butter), but I’m still showing mad love to the not so common fall themed foods.

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      5. I’ve recently become a pleasure reader. I struggle to stay focused at times, and am currently reading two books at once (something I swore I could never do), but there is beauty in finding free time to read because you want to and not because you have to.

      6. I haven’t created anything new for my “What I’d Sell In My Food Truck” page in a while, but I busted out an old favorite and got my face dirty with my chocolate avocado pudding.

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      7. My work building is located about 1.75 miles from the ferry I take that drops me into Seattle. On Thursday’s I walk from work to the ferry, and have recently decided to run. Last Thursday I was reminded what it’s like to be winded. Seattle is not a flat city. My ferry was late forcing me to run another 1.25 miles rounding my distance to 3 miles. #OCD miles.

      8. This. You need this in your life. Go to the store yesterday and buy this. My goodness I cannot stop.

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      9. I recently saw a pair of underwear with a Star Wars theme. The backside of the garment had the iconic phrase, “may the force be with you.” On the rear. The buttock. The fanny. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

      10. While out for a casual stroll I stumbled upon a hat. A green hat. A free hat. My new hat. The hat looks good on the cat.

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      Q: What’s your confession?

      atterned-n

      | 60 Comments Tagged Cat, Early Morning Confessions, Plant Based, Run, Vegan
    • When the “Other Plan” Comes to Fruition

      Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on July 18, 2016

      You know when things don’t go the way you might have initially hoped and you tell yourself (and others): “it’s OK, life must have another plan for me!” I’m big on this mindset, and truly believe that life works itself out the way it’s supposed to. The hard part is listening to the inner pulls that try to guide us.

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      I also find that when you really, and I mean “deep in your soul really” let go of whatever kind of control you’re trying to take on life that isn’t working, things start to unfold like a blooming flower.

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      For example: my meals lately have been very whole foods based. It should come as no surprise that “real food” works best, but once I stopped trying so hard to figure out what foods were bothering my system and really listened to my body, things slowly got better.

      Once I stopped listening to outside opinions and advice from doctors that didn’t align with my beliefs I started to feel better.

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      Fun Fact: Did you know that if you leave the pit in the avocado, it stays green?

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      I have an insatiable sweet tooth, so I like to make my own desserts.

      I was dealing with food intolerances for the last year, and it wasn’t until I simply let go of the control and the obsession (and stress) of “figuring it all out” that my mind, body, and spirit all started to work together.

      I’m over the moon about all that food stuff, but this post is more about something else. Some of you may remember this post, which was then followed up by this post.

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      The CliffsNotes version of those two posts are this: I knew in my heart it was time for me to pursue something more with Starbucks. I felt that my current position had expired its purpose, and because this company is paying for my bachelors degree I couldn’t yet pursue outside options. With that said, I started looking into jobs at the corporate office.

      I had one fish bite my line back in April, but it wasn’t the right fit. Instead of sulking about it I stayed positive and knew life had another plan, and it did. Fish number two bit my line about a month ago and today I start my new role in Seattle. Oh, and this role is 10x better than the first bite and I am so thankful that didn’t work.

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      Every aspect of our life has a purpose. Some things are only meant to last a short while before catalyzing us to our next adventure. I’m notorious for staying in my comfort zone, and while I’m thankful for everything that has come in my time working retail for Starbucks, I’m long overdue for my next chapter.

      I started with this company 3.2 years ago at a time in my life when I needed a place to heal after a tumultuous break up and an unclear life path. The store saved me in so many ways, and leaving there yesterday had me in tears.

      Like, ugly cry tears. 

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      Yesterdays post work 3.2 miles to commemorate my time at the store. Oh and I got a new Garmin. Mad love – more on that later.

      I think staying in my comfort zone too long, and not accepting that this time of my life was meant to end sparked some of my health problems. I’m a believer of that “woo woo hippie dippie” mind/body/soul connection stuff and when one thing is out of whack the whole bus slows down.

      So what’s the moral to my story? If you quit on life, life will quit on you. When you feel like nothing is going your way, and that life is kicking you while your down, you MUST trust that your other plan will come. Sometimes it takes a month, sometimes it takes two years, sometimes it takes a decade. -OR- perhaps it’s time to take that leap without knowing quite where you will fall. 

      In my case I had to leap, I wouldn’t have made it the last year without some hard core faith. 

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      This transition is going to be very bittersweet because the first part of my journey with Starbucks came at a time in my life when I felt very lost, and it gave me a purpose for a chunk of time. The store, my coworkers, and a handful of my customers became my family, and I have nothing but positive experiences there which is rare to find.

      It also sprouted a passion for coffee in my soul that I will never outgrown. I’ll no longer be making lattes the way I did, but I plan to bring my passion with me into my next adventure and see where it takes me. Look for me as the annoying corporate worker that forces coffee tastings on her coworkers.

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      Corporate on the outside, 12yr old on the inside

      My new job requires me to be at a desk, which I don’t love, but my desk will be standing. I will be helping other Starbucks employees from the US and Canada with any inquiries they may have in regards to human resource policies and practices, benefits and pay information, manager questions, etc…another stepping stone onto something more.

      I have no idea what’s ahead with this new journey, but what I do know is that I am more in tune with myself now than I ever have been before. I’m sad to leave this chapter, but ready for a new one. We are wired with sensors that communicate effortlessly, and it’s only when we actively choose to ignore them that we max out our effort meter. Try listening to the signals next time, it’s a whole lot easier

      I promise. 

       No questions today 

      atterned-n

      | 90 Comments Tagged Coffee, Life, Plant Based, Starbucks, Vegan, Whole Foods
    • Discovering New Identities

      Posted at 7:05 AM by Brittany, on April 15, 2016

      Blogging has always been a fantastic outlet for me to share my self proclaimed creativity through adventures, food, coffee, and whatever else life throws my way. It’s been a huge part of my life for five years now (wow), but I’d be lying if I said it’s been easy lately.

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      I’ve been sharing my love for vegan food, coffee, and running for most of those five years, and all of these things have given me a solid chunk of personal identity. I’ve been struggling with health issues lately that have caused me to give up coffee, take a vegan vacation, and step back from running – aka 90% of what I blog about/talk about/dream about/live about.

      To say I feel like my identity has been stripped would be an understatement.

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      I’m still running…sometimes, I still eat predominately plant based…most of the time, and I still tried to drink coffee…until finally accepting that I just can’t. I still don’t know the underlying cause behind my symptoms right now (an ongoing process that’s been going on for years) but I’m determined to figure it out.

      I’m beginning to suspect that stress may be a large part of why I’ve been having issues lately. I’ve never thought much about it, but I do tend to let my mind take me down the rabbit hole if I’m not careful. I hereby declare that I will put my energy into things that calm me, and stop focusing on things that don’t.

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      I’m not writing this seeking sympathy, but to simply share that I’ve felt like a blogging zombie lately. Although I’ve still had great adventures to share, I feel like I’m in a limbo right now where I’m trying to fit a square block into a hole for a circle block. I’m also a sucker for transparency, and I don’t blog for a job – I blog for connections.

      Plus I feel like getting this off my chest (as it’s been on my mind for a while) will help me feel more authentic with my blogging again. 

      I know this isn’t forever, and I’ll find my way back onto the wagon soon enough, but for now I’m going to use this as an opportunity to add new things to my list of identity characteristics. I’ll still be sharing any runs I go on, plant based foods I eat, but coffee and I are on a solid break until I start feeling better.

      Thankfully my mountain adventures are still going strong.

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      I’m always talking about how life is fluid and changes whether we are ready or not, and while it feels like my adventure has had constant twists the last couple years, I still have complete control over how I will use these twists to build an epic life full of experience and multiple identities.

      Not to be confused with multiple personalities. 

      Overall life is good, and I’m extremely blessed. I’m off to Portland tomorrow to run this race and I’m excited to get away for the weekend. I’m not stressing about the run despite the fact that I haven’t had my heart rate out of the resting zone much the last couple weeks. I’ve always said running is more mental anyway so I’ll let you know if my theory is true.

      Wish me luck, and pray I don’t pass out on the side of the road. 

      Q: What are your plans for this weekend?

      b

      | 100 Comments Tagged Explore, Hike, Life, Plant Based, Portland, Running, Vegan
    • Runners Trots

      Posted at 6:25 AM by Brittany, on November 30, 2015

      Working retail has given me a perspective on people that I am immensely thankful for. While you might think (and hope) people are kinder around the holidays, sometimes it’s the complete opposite.

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      Serving impatient and sometimes unkind people has made me more compassionate, more understanding, and more willing to help others. I am thankful for this perspective because heaven forbid I loose my shit when a coffee shop runs out of cookies. OK so I kind of understand…

      I’ve worked the morning coffee crowd the last two Thanksgivings, so this year I was excited to have the entire day off. This meant I could participate in my first Turkey Trot. What kind of runners trots were you thinking?

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      I dragged my family with me at 6:45 am to come stand in 30 degree weather while I ran 6.2 miles. The course was gorgeous, the sun was shining, and the hills kept me warm despite the cold temps.

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      I didn’t see any other runners wearing Vibram’s, but I saw enough spit on the ground to worry about my feet catching hepatitis. I didn’t verbalize any goals, but secretly I wanted to beat my previous “official” 10K PR, and finish in under an hour.

      Turned out despite my lack of running lately I not only accomplished this, but I had plenty of wiggle room. 6.2 miles in 58 minutes and 11 seconds, plus an extra .07 miles due to spastic running tendencies.

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      Post trot shenanigans I found my way into the kitchen to prep for the feast.

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      What does a dairy, and meat free Thanksgiving look like? It looks like real food. I find great joy in making feasts from scratch. Everything was homemade, from the love of my fingertips. Like a wizard.

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      Then of course, the real reason I ran…my version of pumpkin pie.

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      I took this photo three years ago!

      With a full belly, and a happy heart it’s safe to say my Thanksgiving was fantastic.

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      Q: How was your Thanksgiving?

      b

      | 50 Comments Tagged 10K, Plant Based, Race, Running, Thanksgiving, Vegan
    • No Bake Coconut Creme Breakfast Pie

      Posted at 7:00 AM by Brittany, on September 3, 2015

      Alternatively titled: Carrot Coconut Creme Breakfast Pie, until I realized this really had no flavor of carrot despite the full cup of shredded goodness in the crust. Believe it or not I am in fact sharing a recipe after a hard core hiatus. Not just any recipe, but one that requires putting the words “breakfast” and “pie” in the same sentence.

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      It may be somewhat ironic that I post a pie recipe just a few days after posting about avoiding added sugars, but that’s the beauty of eating “real food,” no processed sugar necessary. Just turn your eye to the bit of honey used, at least it’s raw. 😉

      I tend to get on a solid raw food kick when the summer months hit, and this year was no exception. It’s easy to eat raw for most of my meals (don’t get me wrong, I’ll easily throw back a back of chips with a side of fresh baked scones) but for raw “treats” it requires just a bit more experimenting.

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      After my lovely mother made a raw blueberry pie, I knew the time had come to start creating allthepies. I don’t typically go for carrot cakes or pies, but I wanted something different and carrots hold a natural sweetness that can’t be denied.

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      Carrot cake turned into a coconut creme pie, but I’m not complaining. The crust is made from the natural goodness of nuts, dates, and carrots, while the filling rounds it out with a creamy combination of more nuts, coconut oil and cream, and sweetened with honey. Good enough to eat for dessert, but hearty enough to eat for breakfast.

      Boom…clap…BAM.

      No Bake Coconut Creme Breakfast Pie

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      Ingredients

      For the crust:

      • 1 cup shredded carrots (pat with paper towel to remove extra moisture)
      • 1 cup medjool dates, packed
      • 1 cup raw pecans
      • 1/4 cup raw unsweetened coconut flakes

      For the filling:

      • 1.5 cup raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours and drained
      • 1/2 cup coconut oil
      • 1/2 cup full fat canned coconut milk, stirred well before measuring
      • 1/2 cup raw honey (sub maple syrup to make this completely vegan)
      • 1 tblsp vanilla

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      Directions

      1. Combine all crust ingredients into a food processor and combine until sticky and malleable.
      2. Once combined, press crust evenly into a 7 in spring form pan and set aside.
      3. Combine filling ingredients in a high speed blender until well combined, and pour on top of crust mix.

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      I sprinkled more coconut flakes on top before setting in the freezer overnight. I wanted this for breakfast, and that’s exactly what I did hence the “morning light darkness” in my photos. Sometimes when you don’t want to wait for the daylight you settle for semi decent photos. I just wanted the pie.

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      I let mine sit overnight, but a few hours will do fine. This pie is softer than most raw pies so it will need some time to set. Once it was ready to eat, I felt it needed just a little something more….

      IMG_3041

      Ah there we go, and a sprinkle of cinnamon to boot.

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      Next time you want to go for that breakfast pastry try this on for size instead. This pie fueled me on a handful of runs, including a solid 8 miler.

      Q: Pie for breakfast, yay or nay? BIG FAT YAY when it’s packed with goodness. 

      atterned-n

      | 54 Comments Tagged Pie, Plant Based, Raw, Recipe
    • When I’m Not

      Posted at 5:47 AM by Brittany, on June 22, 2015

      One of my favorite things about blogging is having a space to purge all the random thoughts that swarm inside my brain. Doing this also allows me to connect with other like minded bloggers, forming lifelong connections and genuine friendships.

      IMG_2012

      My number one friend.

      Sharing my love for plant based food and cats allowed me to connect with Kayse, a creative girl with a green thumb and a hand for art. After lusting over her art work for months, she kindly sent me a customized dapper cat portrait of my dude.

      IMG_2041

      Words cannot express my gratitude. Please do yourself a favor and check out her online shop, the art she creates is so unique and fabulous.

      Ok, time to purge some thoughts.

      When I’m not blogging, or having a stare off with my cat, I’m usually eating. I haven’t posted a recipe on the blog in MONTHS, simply because I’ve been enjoying exploring OTHER peoples food. I’ve found a few companies that cater to walking science projects like myself, and I happily support them. Local eats are my favorite.

      Local pizza, I’m all about that pie life right now.

      When I’m not eating I’m running. 100 mile May gave me my recent running mindset. I’m in a fantastic routine where I am excited about my daily runs, and on the off chance I’m not I skip it for something else. It’s a beautiful thing.

      IMG_2043

      There’s also more room for cupcakes when I have a consistent running routine, that’s also a beautiful thing. Balance in bliss.

      IMG_2025

      You’d never guess these cupcakes were dairy free, gluten free, soy free, rice free, nut free, egg free, dinosaur free, spinach free, & broken glass free.

      They fall into the “if one doesn’t take up your entire hand you need two” category.

      Just like these donuts.

      Just like these donuts.

      I think I need to make these two hand treat photos a thing.

      When I’m not eating or running I’m playing with coffee at work. I haven’t created any of my own coffee tastings lately, but I have been putting together mini ones at work for my coworkers with featured coffee’s and Starbucks food. 

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      This blend has a beautifully complex flavor of red currant, with a bright and sparkling acidity typical of African grown coffee. I don’t prefer these tasting notes, but I try to explore other options once in a while.

      When I’m not working I’m still spending time with my coworkers. We’re family.

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      My fellow coffee master ❤

      We all love to drink coffee.

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      When I’m not with other people I’m exploring alone.

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      My happy place.

      I love blogging, but lately I’ve been enjoying life away from it all more. Eating, running, working, and exploring have taken top spot which is typical of the summer months. I just can’t soak up enough adventure fast enough!

      On that note, I’m off to explore. I mean…off to work.

      Q: What things take up most of your time?

      b

      | 59 Comments Tagged Bloggers, Cats, Coffee, Coffee Master, Cupcake, Donuts, Plant Based, Running, Starbucks, Vegan
    • BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalistic nomad striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long bike rides, deep connections, exploration, and lots of cucumbers.
    • If this blog does not meet your standards, please lower your standards.

    • Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com
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