Tag: Summer

• Mount Rainier

  Posted at 7:46 AM by Brittany, on July 7, 2015

  Does anyone remember back in January when I had my first public, “I can’t even” moment? For those of you that don’t know what this means, (mom) it’s an abused phrase that I really can’t stand, yet found myself using…again.

  

  A phrase used when something is so monumental that “I can’t even” think of words to describe how I feel. All that comes out is “I can’t even.”

  

  I was so enraptured by the wonder that is Mount Rainier that I really had no words, just feelings. Lots of feelings. Like the kind you get when you are eating cake.

  

  I’d been wanting to make my way to Mount Rainier National Park for quite some time now. On most of my hikes this volcanic mountain is what I search for off in the far distance as it’s the highest mountain in Washington.

  It was indescribable to be this close to it.

  

  

  This park is so big that I was overwhelmed with where to start exploring. Thankfully I have adventurous friends that also like to explore, and when one of them asked if I wanted to go hike a specific trail I didn’t think twice before saying yes.

  Plus my dad appreciates when I take a buddy.

  

  

  

  Burroughs mountain trail brought me to the view in most of the photos above. I felt almost close enough to touch the top, yet we were only halfway there. The peak of this active volcanic mountain is 14,410 ft above sea level, and we were merely at the 7400 ft mark. We were like ants in a sea of evergreen trees.

  

  Because you gotta drink a Rainier while next to Rainier.

  

  Unless you don’t drink beer, then eat a Larabar.

  The Burroughs trail brought us to this view, but I wanted more. The thing about Rainier National Park is there are trails..everywhere. Literally days of exploration.

  

  A fire lookout sat atop an adjacent mountain, and I wanted to see the view from it.

  That was a great decision on my part.

  

  A perfect shot to celebrate independence day.

  

  This adventure filled my soul with 5 hours and 8.2 miles of mountain goodness. I can’t wait to get back and explore even more. Next time I want to camp.

  

  

  

  I started a pin collection, because I’m too lazy to work with patches. Now I need to get my fanny to more national parks and get my bag some legit bling. I also bought a mug because coffee tastes better in a good mug, and because I fell prey to the tourist traps.

  

  

  

  Yea, that coffee tasted like adventure.

  

  Q: Have you been to a national park in or near your state?

  

  | 69 Comments Tagged Explore, Hike, Hiking, Mount Rainier, National Park, Summer, Washington

• Raspberry Oat Crumble Bars

  Posted at 9:16 AM by Brittany, on July 17, 2014

  I didn’t plan on posting today, or even posting this recipe at all. I had a couple people ask for it though, and I decided that I wanted to link up with the Virtual Vegan LINKY Potluck, the only link up I ever participate in! Any excuse for baked goods is a good excuse!

  

  With an abundance of raspberries in my house these days, it’s no surprise we’ve been creating all kinds of raspberry based recipes.

  

  This recipe cred actually goes to my mom, the angel that had these delicious bars baked and ready for consumption the moment I arrived home after a morning run in the hot hot sun.

  

  We made these gluten free, but you can easily sub whole wheat flour if you prefer. Either way, prepare for a raspberry flavor bomb.

  Raspberry Oat Crumble Bars (V/GF)

  

  Ingredients

  For the cake: 

  • 1 1/2 cups GF flour (I suggest Namaste Perfect Flour Blend)
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil cut in pieces
  • 1  chia egg  (1 tbsp ground chia and 3 tblsp of water)
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries

  For the crumble topping:

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tblsp of gluten free flour
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 2 tblsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats

  

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F and oil an 8in square baking pan.
  2. For the crumble topping stir together the brown sugar, flour, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Cut in your coconut oil* with a knife and mix-stir until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans and oats.  Set aside.
  3. For the cake stir together the flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in your coconut oil* until mixture is crumbled. Add chia egg, almond milk, and vanilla. Stir until combined.
  4. Pour batter into your pan and scatter your raspberries evenly over the surface. Sprinkle the set aside crumble topping evenly over  the berries. Bake until cake is well risen and golden- about 50 minutes.
  5. Remove, let cool, serve, and ENJOY!

  Notes: *You don’t want to use melted coconut oil for this recipe, but solid oil can be difficult to cut. Allow your oil to be somewhat softened as if you were using room temperature butter.

  

  I suggest serving these with a side of more berries, some banana, alongside your morning coffee, or underneath a blob of vanilla coconut ice cream. These were gone in a couple days, and now I need to decide what to make next! Suggestions welcomed! 🙂

  Q: How are you taking advantage of summer berries? We’re on our second batch of fresh picked, local raspberries. We’ve gone through almost fifteen containers.

  

  | 38 Comments Tagged Gluten Free, Raspberries, Recipe, Run, Summer, Vegan, Virtual Vegan Potluck

• Does It Make Me…

  Posted at 8:37 AM by Brittany, on July 9, 2014

  Does it make me un-American if I say I didn’t watch fireworks on the fourth of July? I did eat some Mac and Cheese though, which I think balances out the former sentence. Vegan of course, and Brittany-fied.

  

  Tomatoes, jalapenos, broccoli, and avocado added to the mix.

  Does it make me innovative for chopping up some chocolate salted almonds for my banana/oat cookies because they’re all I had? I totally turned on the oven despite the 80 degree temps. Priorities.

  

  I just really wanted to use my fancy knives.

  Does it make me a lazy runner for switching from a half marathon to a 5K this weekend? I can’t pretend to be Zues anymore, running 13 miles with zero training just isn’t going to work. So I’ll run 3 miles and then eat donuts as if I ran 13. This sounds much better to me.

  

  This has nothing to do with running a race, but they portray why I am not in running shape. Hiking shoes = hiking instead of running.

  Does it make me inappropriate for saying that due to the aforementioned comment about the warmer temps, I’ve been sleeping with minimal zero clothing? I want to die every night.

  

  Does is make me obsessed if I can’t stop eating/thinking about the flat of raspberries in my kitchen? Local, organic, and only $10!

  

  Does it make me a genius for unintentionally figuring out how to soften dates? I left them in my car and the hot temps made them so perfect. Soft mushy sugary heaven for my crunchy salty rice cake.

  

  Does it make me easy to please if my morning cup of coffee at home right now is already the highlight of my day? I’ve been opening at work every day the last week, and coffee on the go is nothing like coffee at home with nothing but empty, quiet space around you.

  

  Does this make me an acrophile?

  

  Q: Fill in the blank: “Does it make me ________?”

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Coffee, Does it Make Me, Hike, Mountain, Random, Summer, Vegan

• Bandera Mountain – The Sun it Shines

  Posted at 3:48 AM by Brittany, on July 7, 2014

  The last handful of “big adventure” hikes (anything I have to travel over an hour to get to and consists of at least 4-8 hours of hiking) I’ve gone on have been on cloudy days. Temp wise this is ideal, but for a good view and full proof navigation it’s not.

  

  BIG difference in the view driving up from the last hike I went on. NO clouds. YES!

  

  You can imagine my excitement when I ventured to Seattle/North Bend on a bright sunshiny day. Bring on the fantastic views!!

  

  

  The must see attraction on this hike was Mount Rainier. As the elevation grew, the views became better and better. What first started at just a tiny peak of a view, grew to a mass pile of gorgeous. 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  This hike was rated a 4/5 for difficulty, but once it got steep I personally rated it a 4.5/5. I was also hot and I was tired. As always though, the views from the top were well worth the climb.

  

  

  Snow on one side, dirt on the other.

  

  

  

  Due to the activities that took place on my last big hike (getting lost and almost starving to death) I packed my bag full. I had an apple, a plum, two tortillas with an avocado smashed inside, a Vega bar, dry roasted edamame, leftover brown rice noodles with beans and tomato, and a vegan/gluten free berry scone I bought at WF.

  

  

  My one and only complaint on this hike was not having a personal zap gun for all the bugs swarming me. It was legit ridiculous. Thankfully as I sat at the peak and enjoyed my food feast, the annoyance of the bugs all seemed to fade away.

  

  

  I have 4 bug bites that have lasted over a week, but I ate every last morsel of the food I brought. I call that a success.

  Blogging has been on the back burner right now due to work, school, and my hiking adventures. I will pop in for a post or two whenever I have some down time to write! As always, you can follow my adventures outside of the blog through my Instagram photos! 🙂

  Q: What’s your favorite hiking weather? I like a slight bit of overcast to keep things cool, but not enough to skew the view! 

  

  | 51 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bandera Mountain, Hiking, North Bend, Summer, Sun

• A Much Needed Foodie Adventure

  Posted at 1:35 PM by Brittany, on August 16, 2013

  My soul feels rejuvenated after a full day of amazing eats, and even better company. You know your day is going to be great when it starts out with a view like this.

  

  Vegan cupcakes galore at my favorite bakery. I behaved and ate brunch before I got a cupcake, although my meal was more of a snack/treat.

  

  Corn cakes with the most amazing vegan cream sauce and fresh berries. I cannot wait to go back and get a real meal. Any excuse to get more cupcakes…and a ginger molasses cookie.

  After a walk, skip, and a jump it was already time for lunch/another snack before dinner. The last time I had a legit vegan pizza was almost three months ago. Vegan pizza by the slice? YES, sign me up. The only thing missing from this pizza was potatoes.

  

  I don’t think they could have squeezed anything else on there if they tried. This slice gave me just enough energy to partake in some shopping, and some berry picking.

  

  I need pie…now. OK OK, now for my favorite meal of the day..summer is almost over and I had yet to make burgers. Better late than never right!?

  Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers 

  

  • 15 oz black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1  med/large cooked sweet potato
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
  • 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 6 tblsp rolled oats
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tblsp olive oil

  

  1. Preheat your oven to 375F, once you finish cooking your quinoa and sweet potato.
  2. Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.
  3. Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.
  4. In a separate bowl, mash the sweet tater, but you don’t want it creamy.
  5. Stir in the salt, pepper, cayenne, and olive oil, until combined.
  6. Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, and ground oats, until just combined.
  7. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.
  8. Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 medium/large patties.
  9. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15min, flipping once, half-way through. Finish and serve!

  I topped mine with tomato, roasted red pepper, avocado, swiss chard, and BBQ sauce. As always I make my burgers and sandwiches so tall I can barely fit my mouth around them.

  

  Bon Appétit!

  Oh and I saved the best for last..somehow I managed to save the cupcake I got at brunch for after dinner. Seven hours after purchase I sunk my teeth into the most gorgeous sight.

  

  Lemon Lavender..swoon.

  Q: What does it take for you to recharge after a long week? Good food, and great company did it for me this week! 

  

  | 45 Comments Tagged Cupcake, Recipe, Summer, Vegan

• Love is in the Air

  Posted at 9:02 AM by Brittany, on July 23, 2013

  Saturday I went to a wedding. This was my first wedding in two years, and maybe my third wedding total. I went to weddings as a child, but I don’t remember them, so for my adult life we will just count the ones I know of..which makes the total three.

  

  “Hi. I’m Brittany and don’t know how to stand for pictures when I am alone. I am awkward.”

  

  Shameless selfie/proof I don’t always look like a wet running dog.

  Truth be told, I love weddings. I love the energy of a good wedding, and I turn to complete mush during the ceremony. This wedding was different though, this wedding was unique.

  

  The groom(s) yes..plural

  This was the most adorable wedding. Backyard, country, relaxed, eclectic themed bliss. The groom on the left has the most amazing decorative eye, and I want him to plan my wedding. Their house is so tranquil it’s like a secret garden getaway.

  

  Random sink coming out of the porch? LET’s PUT A PLANT IN IT! Genius..

  

  Old chair? Blue spray paint and a hole for a plant..LOVE THIS!

  

  This wedding was almost completely DIY and there is something so romantically adorable about that to me. So much love was put into creating such a unique experience.

  

  

  The bar, complete with orange solo cups.

  

  Follow the sign, you don’t have to tell me twice! THE GARDEN in the background..OHH I just swoon.

  I couldn’t help but secretly wish I had offered to make cupcakes for them. Not only would I have had an excuse to bake, but to be able to secretly give all these people vegan cupcakes would have been amazing. Owell, next time..

  

  What’s a wedding without a photo booth? I think I prefer this rugged “face in hole” style better. Get you cameras out, this is a snap it yourself photo booth.

  

  

  I could not get over the adorableness of his outfit.

  

  The altar

  The love and support from the friends and family of these two men was amazing. It’s refreshing to be around people who are accepting of all people, and I feel blessed to live in a state that is allowing everyone to show their love. Equality at its finest.

  

  

  Caught laughing

  Q(s):

  • Do you like going to weddings? YES YES YES! 
  • Traditional church weddings, or unique outdoors? OUTSIDE! 

  

  | 76 Comments Tagged Equality, Summer, Wedding

• Hot Hot HOT!

  Posted at 7:13 AM by Brittany, on July 8, 2013

  The temperatures have been (finally) rising in Washington and we are away from 50-60 degrees and into the 80 degree range. This is nothing for some of you, but for me I die. I die at night when I can’t sleep because it’s too hot, I die in the day when I get into my car and can’t breathe until my AC gets going, and I die when I try to run while it’s still 80 out.

  

  The heat just ZAPS my energy, but I am really loving the fact that this is my “slower” pace lately. My slower pace used to be 10:30-11:00 miles, but for the last month it’s been 9:30-9:40 miles. I can feel the difference when I am running slower, but even this “slow” pace is fast for me. I talk about pace too much, but only because I get so excited!

  

  Check out that vein in my hand…

  The real test will be when I start running longer distances again, but I am still content with my 3-5milers. On top of melting out of my own skin, I am 90% positive I had a slight case of strep last week. Aside from having someone in a lab coat swab my tonsils and smear my mouth bacteria on some agar agar, I let the symptoms describe themselves. My tonsils were the size of ping pong balls, my throat keept me awake at night it hurt so bad, and there were small white bumps on my throat. So gross, and def strep symptoms. I rode it out though, and tried at home remedies like ACV and honey with cayenne.

  I mentioned in my last post that I just can’t hang when it comes to eating ice cream on a hot day, but give me a cupcake and I will pummel through walls. Even poorly frosted cupcakes get a chance. This frosting melted into a sad puddle, but was delicious!

  

  Much less heavy than ice cream, but still satisfies my ferocious sweet beast. I also like my brownies and cakes cold, so they get put into the fridge immediately. Along with cold cakes my diet has been consisting of cold fruit and cold grains. Starbucks just started selling the most epic salad, and it just so happens to be vegan!! I am so obsessed, man I love my job.

  

  

  Gorgeous layering!

  The dressing is delicious, but way too oily so I only use a skosh, just enough to give the kale some flavor. I’m a plain grain eater anyway. Well done Starbucks, well done.

  While I enjoy the heat in moderation, I have to admit that I am already looking forward to the fall months. October is my favorite month of the year, and I’m already day dreaming about all the pumpkin and cinnamon I will be consuming around Thanksgiving. Too soon?

  Q: How do you handle the heat?? I’m a big wimp, I like 65F and sunny..anything more and I wine like a squeaky door handle. I don’t know how my family in Arizona handles the 120F months. Too hot, TOOOO HOT! 

  

  | 63 Comments Tagged Cupcake, Garmin, Hot, Running, Summer, Vegan

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