Tag: Vegan

• Gluten & Dairy Free Carb Loading

  Posted at 6:20 AM by Brittany, on May 7, 2014

  Once upon a time I used to eat lbs of spaghetti with nearly an entire loaf of sourdough bread before a half marathon. These days, the breads don’t sit well in my gut (womp womp) which meant I had to come up with other options the day before my recent race.

  Bare with me on these photos, I lazily used my iPhone. (Except the last two.)

  Breakfast – Wheat free vegan berry muffin from TJ’s (ohh SWOON) and strawberries.

  

  70% of the way through my breakfast I decided to snap a photo.

  Lunch – A huge bed of steamed kale (which you can barely see) topped with tofu, carrots, yellow bell pepper, and half of an avocado. With a mango chili sauce and cayenne pepper.

  

  Pre Dinner Snack – Apple (no need to photograph this, if you don’t know what an apple looks like please find the closest kindergarten classroom.)

  Dinner – A medium sized sweet potato (hidden under the mix) topped with lentils, cucumber, tomato, salsa, and cayenne. Plus 2-3 servings of black bean quinoa chips.

  

  Post Dinner Snacking – Figs and almond butter, a (large) handful of chocolate chips, a few bites of fresh fruit, and a few bites of some vanilla coconut milk ice cream.

  

  So there you have it, a day full of food to power me through 13.1 miles. If you read my recap you’ll know the race didn’t quite go as planned, but I wasn’t hungry once. All problems were definitely caused my lack of pre race expulsion and lack of training.

  When I ran the Seattle Half Marathon last December, I remember getting ravenous around mile 9, I made sure that didn’t happen this time. I didn’t even need the ALT bar I brought with me. I hope I made some squirrels day by tossing it into the woods.

  

  Post race I skipped the sugar bombs I bought from the bakery and face planted a salad.

  I don’t even know who I am anymore.

  Q: What’s your go to carb loading meal?

  

  | 44 Comments Tagged Carbohydrate, Gluten Free, Half Marathon, Run, Vegan

• Tacoma City Half Marathon

  Posted at 9:19 AM by Brittany, on May 5, 2014

  Yesterday I ran my 5th half marathon.

  

  It wasn’t my best race, in fact it was quite the struggle, but I am proud of my finish and even learned a few things throughout the run. Despite my desires to be a natural born cage fighter runner, I’m not. If I want an “easier” race I have to prep myself by training. My training for this half was sub-par, and not a single long run was successful for me.

  

  I fell off the running bandwagon that last week and did whatever I wanted for workouts.

  I made a plan for one month. My weekday runs were decent (always 9:30-9:40 pace range), but when I got to my 8,9,10 mile runs I had to walk..too much. Mentally I just couldn’t focus and I caved when my mind told me to walk. I didn’t complete the month.

  

  A midweek run. Proud of that pace, but I had to push it.

  Fast forward to race week. After a pathetic excuse for a 10 miler, I went in to the race yesterday with the hopes that adrenaline and fellow runners would carry me to the finish.

  

  My race partner!

  

  I had at least six new (unbeknownst to them) best friends that were twinning with me and my Seattle Marathon shirt.

  Pre race we had to wait for two hours inside a building built for small planes. My one and only complaint about this race. Everything else along the course was beautiful, and while the hills kicked my under trained ass, it was lovely and I would definitely do it again.

  They won my heart when they provided us with food and coffee.

  

  A giant plate of PB. I hadn’t had PB in months and I welcomed this plate onto my face.

  

  Brittany’s plate on the left, everyone else on the right.

  Here’s what I learned while running this race:

  1. When they tell you to never buy brand new shoes the day before a race…listen to them. Blisters on blisters on blisters.
  2. When your body says, “I HAVE to go!” You stop..even when it adds 6 minutes to your official time. Trot, trot, TROT.
  3. When your legs, knees, back, and joints start to physically hurt..it’s OK to walk.
  4. When you puke while running…you’re officially a bad ass.
  5. Sometimes listening to your body outweighs finishing with a certain time.
  6. A finish, is a finish, is a finish.
  7. I am not a super hero. I can run a half marathon (as can YOU) on minimal training and dead legs, but it won’t be pretty, and my ego will be bruised when I walk.
  8. It is possible to buy vegan treats and not want a single one of them.
  9. Not every race will go as planned, but every finish is something to be proud of.
  10. Running can always relate back to life. If you want something you have to work for it. If I want a new PR, or to run (mostly) pain free, I have to train. Simple as that.

  I bought new running shoes much too late, and although they were the newer model of what I ran in before, they hadn’t been broken in and gave me blisters.

  

  I had stomach issues for nearly the entire run (I’ll spare the details) and my legs were dead by mile 3 (this was ridiculous.) I walked…a LOT, and stopped to use the Randy Can which took literally 6 entire minutes (I def stopped my Garmin).

  While waiting in line I decided (mile 6) that this was a race I just wanted to complete regardless of my time. Stopping made my “official time” and my Garmin time different, but I’m going with Garmin. I also ran another .2 mi after I stopped my watch. Longer course.

  

  I may sound like I’m complaining, but really I am quite humbled and I’m not at all upset about my performance. Overall I had a good time! I embraced the slower pace, I was able to run across the bridge I have been wanting to run for years, and I finished strong when I wanted to crawl. That’s what I call success. I’m a slower runner, and I finally accept that!

  While I am most proud of my first solo half marathon (which holds my current PR), this race I’m proud of myself for not being too critical and embracing another finish!

  

  OH, and did anyone catch what I said about the treats? You know your stomach is in shambles when you buy FOUR treats from your favorite bakery and don’t want ANY!

  

  Not to worry though, I ate the bottom right hours later after destroying a giant salad.

  Q: How do you handle humbling experiences like this?

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Asics, Bearded Lady, Cupcake, Half Marathon, Run, Vegan

• Speaking of…

  Posted at 8:26 AM by Brittany, on May 1, 2014

  Ask me why I blog and I’ll tell you a few different things. I love the motivation to continue to achieve my goals with the option of sharing on here, I love the connections I’ve made with people all over the world, and I love the inspiration I find to bake and create new treats in my kitchen. I also reallllyyy love getting free stuff.

  

  Vega is one of the few vegan friendly products I will buy. These recover bars are ideal after a long run for me. While I’d much rather refuel with whole foods, sometimes when I’m in a pinch a bar with 15G of plant based protein, and an ingredient list that I understand works for me! I was given these bars for free, but the opinion is my own.

  Speaking of bars, I am taking a bit of a break from treats (again.) I do this from time to time, but I’m trying to find loopholes. Instead of buying a rice milk ice cream bar with over 20G of sugar, I opted for these Mojo bars. They rock my face reallllll hard.

  

  The S’mores bar didn’t stand a chance, eaten before the photo.

  They still have sugar, but I treat them like a candy bar. They are so freaking GOOD! After my half marathon this weekend (EEEK) I will be face planting a giant cupcake for sure.

  SPEAKING OF SUGAR, it’s officially Frappuccino Happy Hour at Starbucks. AKA from 3-5 PM all fraps are half off. AKA I have never hated fraps more in my life. Thankfully I mainly work mornings, but this Saturday I have the pleasure of handcrafting sugar bombs from 8a-5p. UGH. My shoulders already hurt from all the syrup pumping to come.

  

  TRUTH

  Speaking of Starbucks, (I’m purposely working these smooth transitions into this post) I bought myself a new mug. This is the 4th mug I’ve purchased since starting at the Bucks last year. I wait for the mugs to go on sale, and then I pounce. I spent $3.79 on this.

  

  Summer means lots of fruit and a fresh white mug.

  Speaking of mugs/jars/glass stuff, (last segue I promise) I bought these measuring cups months ago from World Market, and never got around to sharing.

  

  

  I love.

  Tip of the day: If you must buy yourself a half off frap, try one of my favorite creations. Get a coffee frappuccino (because this is just coffee and a skosh of milk (I use soy) ) and sub in a banana INSTEAD of the sugar frap base. The banana acts as a binding agent and the base is no longer needed. This makes your “frap” just coffee, milk, banana, and ice.

  Also, don’t be a douche. Tip the baristas.

  Q: How do you recover after an intense workout?

  

  | 50 Comments Tagged Half Marathon, Run, Starbucks, Vega, Vegan, World Market

• Uncommonly Delicious Pairings

  Posted at 8:17 PM by Brittany, on April 23, 2014

  Sometimes things just go together. Peanut butter and jelly, chocolate and bananas, mornings and coffee…but all pairs need to be discovered by experimenting.

  1. Multigrain chips and chocolate chips – As if chocolate could go wrong. I found that the salty chip and the sweet chocolate were harmonious in a way that only salty/sweet can be.

  

  Who needs salsa? Just kidding…I do, I need salsa.

  2. French press coffee and citrus peels – One of my favorite customers at work (Hi Drew!) told me to put a citrus peel of some kind in with my coffee. I took it up a notch and chose a specific coffee (Starbucks Kenya) because this coffee already has citrus notes, and I tossed in an orange peel. The citrus flavor was taken from an 8 to an 11. It was awesome.

  

  3. Peanut butter Clif bar and almond butter/cinnamon – Ever slathered your PB energy bar of sorts with more nut butter? It’s mind blowing. Better yet, warm it up in the oven.

  

  4. Frozen and fresh – I have a confession…I buy frozen waffles because I am too lazy to buy myself a waffle maker! I try to make myself feel fancy by jazzing them up.

  

  5. Mexican spices and chocolate – OK so this isn’t uncommon, but this Mexican spice espresso cupcake rocked my face so hard. Obviously paired with coffee…

  6. Pink boxes and sugar – I don’t know who decided that good things come in pink boxes, but they were right. First VooDoo, now Bearded Lady Food Co…I ran 7 miles, walked 3 more, and drove 2 hours round trip JUST for these…happy Easter to me.

  For the record I shared these…except for bottom right. That was all me.

  

  Do not eat the box.

  Speaking of Bearded Lady, I am currently (aka always) obsessed with all things cupcake. They make the best vegan/GF treats I have ever had. I blogged about them once upon a time, but recently revamped my love for them. Cupcakes the size of my palm? Hell yes.

  

  I want to live under their kitchen table…troll style.

  Q: What pairings do you love that aren’t very common?

  

  | 43 Comments Tagged Bearded Lady, Coffee, Cupcake, Vegan

• Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies – Gluten Free & Vegan

  Posted at 7:22 AM by Brittany, on April 23, 2014

  When I first took the plunge and adapted a vegan lifestyle, I felt inspired. Suddenly my meals and baked goods were each a new experiment, and I was revamping my old favorites to make them new. I fell completely in love with plant based foods.

  

  Fast forward two years and my baking sometimes has another label slapped onto it -gluten free. I haven’t talked about it much on the blog, because I really dislike labels, but I have adapted a 95% GF diet. Simply because I feel better without all the breads/wheat intake.

  My digestion is amazing, and I don’t feel sluggish or bloated. I say 95% because I will occasionally eat a roll, a cupcake with whole wheat flour, or if I go out to a restaurant I will eat what I am served, but when I am at home I go GF for most of my meals.

  

  I’ve been baking a lot of treats lately that don’t call for flour at all, which has made this adventure easy, but I decided it was time to revamp my all time favorite cookie recipe. I made it gluten free, and added ground coffee…because I could. Don’t let the terms “vegan” and “gluten free” fool you though, these are one of my more naughty treats.

  Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies

  

  Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose GF flour (I use Namaste Foods GF flour, it’s a cupforcup flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1.5 tablespoons fresh* ground UN-brewed coffee beans
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup xylitol (or raw sugar)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips

  *fresh coffee has the most flavor

  

  Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. I use stone wear to bake my cookies so that I don’t have to line a baking sheet, but if you don’t have any line a cookie sheet and set aside.
  2.  Combine the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, ground coffee and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil, brown sugar and xylitol until well combined. Mix in the vanilla, and applesauce until light and creamy. Mix in the dry ingredients until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Place cookies onto a lined cookie sheet, or large pizza stone. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
  4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted.

  

  Now..keep in mind…these are gluten free. The raw cookie dough itself is not as tasty as regular floured dough, but I did still eat enough dough to feel slightly sick. What can I say, I’m a dough digger. These are fluffy, soft, and full of sugar. Perfect.

  

  I shared these treats with some civilians* and they loved them. I found that the flatter and wider the cookie, the more balanced the flavors. Shorter and taller cookies had a bit of the flour taste, so make sure you make them an even size. I am officially obsessed.

  *non vegan/GF eaters

  Q: Does the title GF/Vegan scare you…or intrigue you? 

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Cookie, Dessert, Gluten Free, Recipe, Vegan

• Blueberry/Banana Oatcakes

  Posted at 3:41 AM by Brittany, on April 18, 2014

  Whenever I increase my running distances, my appetite goes up too. Go figure right? I find that I get by fine on shorter runs with a big bowl of fruit, but sometimes I like to add just a little bit more into my tank before jetting out the door.

  

  Pancakes are a classic breakfast for “lazy mornings,” but I had a 5 miler planned which turned these pancakes into power oatcakes. Plus, they are thick and packed with goodness.

  

  Running takes effort, but making these oatcakes was easy. I used one bowl and cleanup was easy. Once my pan was ready to go it took less than 10 minutes to make these. Don’t be fooled, these are not your grandmas light and fluffy pancakes. They are meant for a morning full of adventure and movement. I was full for hours!

  Blueberry/Banana Oatcakes

  
  Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup quick cook oats
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tblsp brown sugar
  • 1 tblsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 flax egg (1 tblsp flax + 3 tblsp warm water)
  • 1 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup frozen blueberries

  

  Directions

  1. Prepare your flax egg and set aside.
  2. Combine your flour, oats, salt, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a medium sized bowl and combine well.
  3. Add in your flax egg, almond milk, and vanilla and stir until combined. Fold in your blueberries.
  4. Use a well sprayed pan or skillet and depending on how large you want your pancakes pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan and cook until brown on each side.
  5. Top with bananas and maple syrup. I also added some almond butter to mine!

  

  These powered me through my run, and a shopping trip to Costco. Booya! It’s officially that time of year where running is once again enjoyable. I love spring running!

  Q: Do you like fluffy pancakes, or dense pancakes? I like both, but for different occasions!

  

  | 30 Comments Tagged Pancakes, Recipe, Run, Running, Spring, Vegan

• Poo Poo Point

  Posted at 7:13 AM by Brittany, on April 16, 2014

  Hi, my name is Brittany, and I am 25 going on 12.

  

  When I first heard about the poo poo point trail, I wanted to hike it simply because of the name. I knew nothing about this hike other than the fact that it had “poo” in its title.

  

  Much to my surprise, this was not only a legit climb, but it had one of the best vantage points of any of the hikes I’ve done. Yeah, that’s a big deal. The journey to the top had some photo worthy scenery as well. I was very impressed with this trail!

  

  

  

  I was able to wrangle a fellow nature lover along for the ride. This meant I was finally able to see what I look like in my natural habitat – aka taking photos of nature.

  

  So serious.

  Round trip this hike was about 7.5-8 miles, and the vegan scone I had tucked safely in my Camelbak kept me moving on the way up. Despite my heart feeling like it was going to burst a few times, I didn’t dare stop moving.

  

  I lasted all of 30 seconds at the top for a photo before digging into my scone.

  

  

  Remember that time I ventured to Seattle and missed my chance for a vegan scone? I made sure to get one this time…and nearly bought 10 things. SWOON. Made my world. Ironically, I also got a free piece of chocolate from the same chocolate shop I wandered into after missing out on my scone last time. Originally $2.25 for the chocolate, I got fo free.

  Good things come to those who wait.

  Q: Anyone else chuckle at the name of this trail….please tell me I’m not alone. 

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Adventure, Explore, Hiking, Nature, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 7:32 AM by Brittany, on April 14, 2014

  1. I bought a new French press, and I don’t know how I ever lived without this gorgeous piece of pastel. The colors are legit and it screams, “I’m 12 at heart, but LOOVEE coffee.”

  

  2. Speaking of coffee, today I start my training to become a coffee master..aka a coffee ninja. I credit my soul mate Gigi for coming up with that term. Click here to learn more. When I complete the training I will be gifted a fancy black apron (ninja.) Stoked.

  3. Continuing with the topic of Starbucks, three of my coworkers and I “gave back” last week and volunteered to stuff Easter eggs with candy for kids. They are lucky I don’t like mints…I would have struggled not smuggling all the candy out in my pants.

  

  4. Yesterday I went to Darby’s Cafe in Olympia. I’ve been wanting to go there for about a year now, mainly because I saw it on DDD. I’m a sucker for Food Network. It was delish.

  5. I’m training for my 5th half marathon, it’s in three weeks. I’ve been running on roads like this…

  

  ….and refueling with treats like this….

  

  I totally had a giant bowl of vegetables before I face plated a cupcake..I promise.

  

  6. I spent $150 at REI the other day on a rain jacket…it’s been 70 and sunny all week.

  7. I’ve made headway onto foodgawker..and I couldn’t be more elated. I still haven’t read my dSLR manual, and I know nothing about food photography. I shoot what I think looks good, so this is extra exciting for me. I’ve had three photos accepted..starting somewhere!

  

  8. I have complete plans of going back to school, but I’m taking my sweet, sweet time.

  9. I’ve managed to fit some exploring into my schedule. Total necessity. 

  10. Life is good, and I want to own a bakery.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Adventure, Coffee, Confessions, Half Marathon, Random, Running, Vegan

• Vegan Coffee Fudge

  Posted at 5:35 AM by Brittany, on April 11, 2014

  Remember this post I posted a few weeks ago, when I attempted to make some fudge? I ended that post with a simple request: please share with me a delicious vegan fudge recipe. Well, my request was granted by the fabulous Brandi over at The Vegan 8.

  

  

  I’ve been in love with Brandi’s blog for a while now, but never attempted any of her recipes despite how amazing they all look! Simple, but delicious recipes with 8 ingredients or less? Count me in. Brandi shared with me her 3 ingredient fudge recipe, and while this recipe looked perfect as it was, I decided it needed one more ingredient.

  

  Vegan Coffee Fudge

  

  Ingredients:

  • 1 heaping cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup solidified coconut butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 tblsp fresh ground UN-brewed coffee beans*
  • Sea salt to sprinkle on top

  *Make sure your coffee is not only freshly ground, but also freshly purchased. Old coffee has minimal flavor.

  

  Directions:

  1. Line a baking pan with wax paper and set aside. The dimensions will depend on how thick/wide you want your fudge. I used an 8×6 pan, because that’s what I had.
  2. Using a double boiler melt your chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Then stir in the coconut butter, vanilla, and 1 tblsp ground coffee. Stir until melted and well combined.
  3. Pour mixture into your pan, and smooth out with a spatula. Mix your remaining ground coffee with some sea salt (about 1 tsp, depending on how salty you like things) and sprinkle generously on top of the fudge mixture.
  4. Place into your fridge to set for a couple hours. Or if you’re impatient like I am, place into the freezer for less wait time.
  5. When ready to consume, set out on your counter to soften for about 30 minutes.

  

  These…are…unreal. SO epic and delicious. I am amazed. I ate enough coffee fudge to power me through a non stop spin class, and that class justified every bite I took. If you are looking for an easy vegan fudge, make these. You won’t be able to stop with just one.

  

  Q: Coffee flavored treats yay or nay? Ohhh HELL yay!

  

  | 53 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Dessert, Fudge, Recipe, Treat, Vegan

• Roaring Good Times

  Posted at 6:10 AM by Brittany, on April 7, 2014

  If you’ve been following my posts lately, you’ll know I was on the east coast for some fun adventures. Although I love the idea of a completely spontaneous trip, this one was planned for months and had a purpose. I flew to DC to stay with Megan, and she and I drove north to Michigan to attend Lily’s wedding. Us bloggers are crazy folk I tell ya.

  

  Somewhere in Pennsylvania…

  Megan and I had met before, so I knew being with her for a week straight would be fine. Neither of us had physically met Lily, but somehow I knew that would be fine too. There is an unspoken bond between bloggers that makes it totally normal to do what we did.

  

  I don’t usually do well on long car rides…I drink a lot of water, which means I pee a lot. I get antsy easily, which means I need to punch dance a lot. I don’t like sitting too long because my butt goes numb, and frankly being in a confined space for 8 hours is rough.

  Much to my surprise, the long ride with Megan was not only tolerable, but dare I say fun?

  

  View from the hotel room.

  

  Canadaland!

  

  That view…

  Lily did an amazing job with this wedding, she handmade her invites, seating cards, gifts, and more. Not to mention the cathedral was gorgeous. Detroit was just littered with cathedrals. I think one of my favorite parts, was how vegan friendly she made this.

  

  Personalized/hand stamped gift. Swoon.

  

  Lily, this meal was amazing. I think marriage was on your mind while making the seating cards, because MRS.Brittany sure looks good on me!

  Oh – and she was absolutely stunning. SO unbelievably gorgeous I can’t even describe it.

  

  

  This is as Gatsby as I get…haa.

  

  My hot date.

  The theme was 1920’s and everything was perfect. I drank, I ate, I danced, and I had a roaring good time. I’ve been dying to use the photo booths at weddings, and I finally did.

  

  Congratulations to Lily and her new hubby Cory, they are wonderful together and I just adore them both to pieces. Thank you for everything Lily, your wedding was perfect.

  

  The lost face of one too many wedding induced beverages. (Britta-wemissedyou)

  

  I’m partial to this photo, I think it captures our true personalities. I also see a pirate.

  These are the friends that will last a lifetime.

  Q: What’s something crazy you’ve done recently?

  

  | 45 Comments Tagged Adventure, Bloggers, Detroit, Vegan, Wedding

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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