Tag: Vegan

• Nontraditional Ways to Eat Things

  Posted at 7:01 AM by Brittany, on January 20, 2015

  A quick note before I jump into this post: as I type this I’m running off of 1.5oz+6oz+12oz+anentirefrenchpress of coffee, which equals a lot of coffee. I cannot be held responsible for what I do or say within the next few paragraphs.

  I also just got back from a run. Adrenaline is at an all time high. Disclaimer complete.

  

  Plus two treadmill miles.

  I like to live life on the wild side. For me that consists of staying awake until 9PM, not wearing deodorant, going 6mph over the speed limit instead of the allowed 5mph, and taking traditional food items and making them…well…nontraditional.

  I also sometimes like to drink a shitton of coffee like I mentioned above. I assure you that’s not an everyday occurrence, but that’s a story for another time.

  Nontraditional food pair #1: Dates and chips on a sandwich.

  

  Not just any sandwich, but an almond butter and cinnamon sandwich. Ever subbed dates for your jelly/honey/WhateverYouUseForSugar? Do it. I hope by now in your life you’ve put chips on your sandwiches, and if you haven’t do that too…do that yesterday. What you might not have tried is chips on your nut butter sandwich.

  This genius idea was presented to me by my younger brother. I’d always had chips on the side to balance the texture/salty/sweet/spice for my face hole, but this combination of everything in one bite is so.legit.

  Nontraditional food pair #2: Sweet potato and banana pudding. For breakfast.

  

  I’ve been on a huge pumpkin kick the last few months. I eat an entire can mixed with protein, cinnamon, some kind of crunch topping, and once in a while some almond butter. When faced with the “I’m out of pumpkin” dilemma I decided to try a sweet potato instead. HOLY BUTTERSCOTCH! It tasted like pudding.

  

  Pudding so good you need Buzz Lightyear to guard it from the cats.

  I blended a large (baked) sweet potato with a frozen banana, cinnamon, a scoop of (plain) protein powder, one dropper full of liquid NuNaturals vanilla stevia, and enough water to blend. Topped with another banana and granola for crunch.

  Best part? No can! Ob.Sessed.

  Nontraditional food pair #3: Chocolate avocado pudding with coconut milk.

  

  This is not a new combination, avocado puddings have been around for a while, but THIS one…THIS recipe made me a slave to my fridge. I wish I were kidding, but I woke up TWICE at 2am craving this stuff. It was quite a sight to see me in the kitchen at 2am, spoon in hand, chocolate on face. No shame. OK maybe a little shame.

  

  I’ve made avocado pudding before, but hated it. It tasted WAY too much like avocado. The banana in this recipe is KEY. It must not be omitted. Topped with pure coconut milk (the fuller the fat, the better) and a sprig of mint for a refreshing finish!

  

  Chocolate Pudding

  •  2 overripe avocados
  • 1 frozen overripe banana
  • 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1 heaping tblsp raw honey
  • 2 tblsp room temperature coconut oil (semi solid)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp GROUND chia seeds
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 dropper fulls of liquid Nunatural vanilla stevia

  –Combine everything into a high speed blender or food processor in the order listed above (liquids/mushy items on the bottom to blend easier.) Once well combined place pudding into the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes.

  I topped mine with both full fat and low fat canned coconut milk, but I found the full fat to be more ideal for a topping due to its thick texture. If you’re looking to minimize some of the fat, low fat works with some chia seeds to thicken. Add a dropper full of stevia for added sweet. I never thought I’d see the day I liked anything stevia related.

  

  I draw the line with this pure liquid though, and still don’t like any other stevia products. It weirds me out and the aftertaste is too much for me. I’ve always been a “real deal” sugar kinda girl, but to minimize my consumption this vanilla bottle gets some good use. I blame this girl for sending it to me.

  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some mac and “cheese” to finish.

  

  …with added spinach, tomato, and tempeh, because keeping it plain would be too traditional…

  Q: What are your favorite nontraditional food combinations?

  

  | 123 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Recipe, Running, Vegan

• Unplugged

  Posted at 6:57 AM by Brittany, on January 5, 2015

  I’m back from my week long Arizonian adventure, and I was almost 100% absent from anything and everything blog related. I did read some posts each morning to accompany my coffee in order to make room for my breakfast, and I even posted one measly post, but the rest of my time was spent…away from my computer.

  

  In typical recap format, here’s a count up of a few things I did last week.

  One – trip to the theater. This show was FANTASTIC.

  

  Two – mountains climbed.

  

  

  

  Three – lovely bike rides. I rode a tandem bike for the first time. Scariest moment of the entire trip and I nearly lost my lunch out of fear, which could go two ways.

  I’ll let you use your imagination for that last sentence.

  

  

  Four – pots of coffee. I use a French press at home, but without this I brewed my morning coffee in a pot. I drank about four pots this trip which is 2x more than my normal coffee consumption. No regrets.

  

  This is not a pot of coffee, rather it is a coffee roaster I saw at the Phoenix airport. Random, and photo worthy.

  Five – days of running. Loved kicking off my half marathon training in the flat lands.

  

  Six – Marvel movies. Last year my family and I had a Harry Potter marathon and finished them all. This year we started watching Marvel movies. Not in order, so I still have more to watch, but I greatly enjoyed oogling Tom Hiddleston in Thor.

  

  Other honorable mentions

  • I ate the best $2 tacos I’ve ever had .

  

  • I was gifted 20 pounds of food for Christmas that took up two giant shopping bags. Including multiple grains and pastas. I got it all home.

  

  Kinda like this.

  • I got a new iPhone. Somuchfaster. I used it to snap multiple photos of the mountains on my flight home.

  

  

  Unplugging was great, and I’d like to give a shout out to my Arizona family for handling my “hanger” when it reared it’s ugly head. Similar to the Hulk in all those Marvel movies, I’m a different person when I get hungry.

  They handled me like a champ. Thanks guys.

  …and just like that, it’s back to school and work today. Happy Monday.

  Q: Favorite Marvel movie?

  

  | 67 Comments Tagged Arizona, Coffee, Explore, Running, Vacation, Vegan

• What’s a Party without Cookies?

  Posted at 4:01 AM by Brittany, on December 18, 2014

  After a month and a half, I finally got my fanny in my kitchen and baked. Nothing new, and nothing too wild, but boy did it feel good. Work party = cookies.

  

  I made my favorite chocolate chip coffee cookies, because what’s a Starbucks party without coffee in your cookies. I subbed some Trader Joe’s chocolate bars for chocolate chips, which resulted in chocolate CHUNK cookies. So.Good.

  

  I was amazed by how different each of the chocolate bars I used were. Of course I had to sample them as I chopped them up. My next goal <—chocolate connoisseur.

  

  I used decaf Christmas blend in these cookies because I wanted to highlight the beauty of this blend, but I also wanted to sleep that night. Thus decaf. While I waited for my second batch of cookies to bake I had a quick and easy coffee tasting.

  

  Tasting Notes: Christmas blend has been a yearly tradition for the last 30 years. It was first introduced with the hopes of building a small following, and has become one of the most popular blends Starbucks sells. Rare aged Sumatra beans give this blend a spicy, cedar, and syrupy flavor that pairs well with the flavors of the season.

  The coffee itself has an intense, but lovely bite to it, and the cookies have a smooth and subtle sweetness. The spice from the coffee balanced well with the sweet from the cookie. Cookies and coffee were made for each other, wouldn’t you agree?

  Good friends, good food, good life.

  Q: Do you have holiday work parties? I have the most amazing coworkers, we enjoy spending time together outside of work. It’s quite a blessing. 

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Christmas, Coffee Master, Coffee Tasting, Cookies, Starbucks, Vegan

• Empty Mind, Filled Soul

  Posted at 4:40 AM by Brittany, on December 15, 2014

  I have a tendency to wander. Wander in life, wander in my mind, and wander with decisions. I often end up with three cupcakes instead of one because life is too short to settle on one thing. I adore this mindset, but sometimes it backfires. I don’t necessarily feel lost, just a bit ADD at times. Tolkien said it best after all. 

  As I mentioned in my last post, I’m <finally> on a break from school for the remainder of the month. Despite the fact that my final was last Wednesday, I skipped out on studying last Monday and headed to the mountains instead. I needed to wander.

  

  It had been two months since I last hiked, and three months since I had been to the area where I spent most of my summer exploring.

  

  What was once a simple 4 mile hike that I could do with my eyes shut, quickly became a moderately difficult hike that caused me to loose my breath a handful of times.

  It was never “I need to stop I’m going to die” difficult, but it wasn’t a cake walk like it used to be. This made the view from the top very rewarding.

  

  I can’t put into words the feeling I got when I stepped foot on those rocks. I almost wanted to cry. After struggling to find my footing with a school/life balance the last few months this solo hike was beyond necessary. I was the only person at the top and I took full advantage of it because this hike is typically PACKED with people.

  No people means you have to take your own photo at the top. I hate selfies, but I tried.

  

  No adventure to the mountains would be complete without a solid refuel. I needed a foodie adventure because as I previously mentioned, my eats have been rather boring.

  I drove all around Seattle for some good eats <—true story.

  

  I didn’t plan on a slice of pizza, but once I saw it I had to have it.

  I found my way to a local vegan bakery that I had been wanting to try for a while.

  

  Lemon blueberry cupcake.

  

  Chocolate mousse filled cupcake.

  I also snagged a mini pumpkin bread, which didn’t stand a chance for a photo. I tornado inhaled that the second I got back to my car. I got concerned stares.

  ..but when treats taste this good, all cares go out the window.

  

  They say to do what you love and the money will follow, but what if you’re not concerned about money? Sure I want to be able to survive, but I’m a minimalist and I’m OK with a minimal lifestyle. I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I do know that today my soul is filled, and my life is balanced once again.

  Q(s): 

  • Thoughts? 
  • Cookies or cupcakes?
  • Did you settle on one thing you wanted to do for a living? I suspect I’m going to be a personal chef/mountain tour guide/novice blogger/treat baker/coffee guru/cat wrangler for many years to come – – – for now I’m OK with that. 

  

  | 80 Comments Tagged Explore, Hiking, Rattlesnake Ridge, Vegan

• Traveling the World One Bite at a Time

  Posted at 7:20 AM by Brittany, on November 28, 2014

  I hope everyone woke up safely from their Thanksgiving day comas. I volunteered to sling coffee all morning to ensure maximum movement, which enabled me to eat all the food. I’ll spare you any photos and just tell you I’m still obsessed with squash.

  I made GF biscuits for the first time, and I ate so many I had my own turkey wattle.

  

  I did manage to get a run in after I worked the morning shift!

  After my encounter with these bark thins last week I decided to take a break from sweets for a whopping five days. It’s amazing how such a short time can help balance things back out. I was getting wayyy too comfortable eating all the chocolate.

  

  This leads me to the topic of this post. How freaking cute is this chocolate passport?! I’m seriously so obsessed I don’t even want to eat them!…but I will.

   

  

  I found these at Trader Joe’s last weekend while I was shopping to escape chemistry homework, I call it grocery store therapy. Each chocolate is from a different location, ranging from 60-73 percent dark chocolate. Bring on the antioxidants!

   

  

  I think my favorite part is the addition of an ideal pairing. I’m all about pairings and tastings as most of you know, so this tickled my fancy big time. Tickle tickle.

  This makes the perfect holiday gift for…yourself.

  

  One of these bars has an ideal pairing of a cappuccino, but I suspect all of them will be good with a coffee like Caffe Verona or Ethiopia. Both have strong cocoa notes.

  Speaking of coffee, I just realized it’s almost December and I never brought out my fall coffee mug. I rotate between 3-4 mugs throughout the year, and the beginning of fall means it’s time for my favorite pumpkin orange mug. Coffee is better in a good mug.

  

  27 days until Christmas…just thought you should know.

  Q: Are you a sucker for great marketing? Guilty as charged. 

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Coffee, Starbucks, Trader Joes, Vegan

• Elastic Pants, Here I Come

  Posted at 4:01 AM by Brittany, on November 21, 2014

  I’m always craving sweets, always. I eat 75% plants and 25% sweets which usually keeps me satisfied and in balance. On the off chance I don’t get my full 25% portion of sweets, I may splurge to a solid 30-40% instead. This is not a pretty sight.

  I successfully avoided the seasonal Bark Thins at Costco, until yesterday.

  

  Don’t ask how many servings I ate upon opening this package. I will lie to you and say less than one. OK I had more than one…more like..three. I then proceeded to run, do a Jillian Michaels workout, and cool down with an incline walk. If you’re looking for a way to ensure you want NOTHING TO DO WITH all the chocolate this is it.

  I felt sick for hours, resulting in plants on plants on plants for dinner.

  

  I ate 213874 lbs of spinach.

  You win this round Bark Thins.

  Speaking of food, I’m still super jazzed for Thanksgiving. Can we just take a moment to talk about how cute, perfect, and TRUE these cards are!?!

  

  The inside says: “And you. Happy Thanksgiving.”

  Seriously, get these in your life ASAP. Buy them here. Elastic pants, here I come.

  In completely unrelated news I made a smoothie a few days ago that I thought had the taste and texture of butterscotch pudding. I had my mom try some so I could gather information for scientific research(aka an outside opinion), and she said it tasted like a candle. This was moments after my sister said her cereal tasted like dog poop.

  Either my taste buds are skewed, or I should be concerned about what my family does when I’m not around. Or both. Happy Friday!

  Q: Have you had any of the Bark Thin flavors? They are all CRACK, crack I tell you!

  

  | 64 Comments Tagged Plants, Random, Run, Smoothie, Vegan

• Christmas at Starbucks

  Posted at 6:18 AM by Brittany, on November 19, 2014

  I’m not one to spend my money on random items. I have been known to hoard my pennies which has allowed me to have a comfortable pillow to sit on should any emergencies arise. I’ve never felt a strong pull towards impulse purchases, and will usually only buy something if I really, REALLY love it. Or if it’s food…

  I spend all the pennies on food.

  

  $3.00 for one cupcake, sure take my money.

  With that said, I try to balance things out every so often by buying something for myself…just because. I usually end up buying a Starbucks mug, but only when they go on sale. I cannot justify spending more than $5 on a mug, so I wait.

  This Christmas season Starbucks has over 100 different mug designs, and while I see many that I adore, none spoke to me enough to purchase. Except this one.

  

  This 3 oz demi cup is the perfect addition to my collection. Once I saw the trees I knew I had to have it. I also decided to buy this years advent calendar. I wanted it regardless, but really jumped on the opportunity when one wound up having a broken package.

  

  The merchandise itself is 100% in tact, but with a broken outer shell it was “un-sell-able.” I got it for 80% off, meaning I spent a whopping $6 on it. OH and it comes with a $5 gift card, so I spent $1. I didn’t want this for the chocolate treats that I won’t be eating, but FOR THE MAGNETIC REUSABLE CHALKBOARD!!!

  Ready or not it’s Christmas at Starbucks. This is my favorite time of year and all the Grinch’s that come in complaining about the decor make me want to pull them a decaf shot faster than Mary Poppins can pull a tree out of her purse.

  While I love the holidays, I don’t love the temperatures that come with it.

  

  Who needs feelings in their fingertips anyway?

  

  Time for 3987238957 layers.

  Try not to be envious of my selfie photo quality. This is why I don’t take selfies.

  Despite all my Christmas talk, I’m so excited for Thanksgiving and I’ve got my stretchy pants ironed, pressed, and ready to be worn for approx. 15 days post feast. I’m going to need all the help I can get with that elastic waistband. Real talk in 3..2..1..

  

  Q: Who’s ready for the holidays!?!?!

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Christmas, Mug, Starbucks, Thanksgiving, Vegan

• No, I Don’t Even Lift

  Posted at 7:47 AM by Brittany, on November 15, 2014

  It’s cold. Not Midwest cold, but IT’S COLD!

  

  Elsa, is that you?

  The drop in temps has resulted in any running being swapped out for spin classes and a Jillian Michaels DVD. I’m being a wuss and staying inside.

  I follow a good number of people on Instagram that lift weights. They are toned, tiny, and pack away a solid amount of “comfort foods.” I on the other hand lift nothing but my cats, and the occasional cookie to my mouth. After seeing bowls of nut butter cereal cookies with ice cream and so on, I decided to make my own version.

  I took my morning oats and jazzed them up a bit with some toppings.

  

  Whole grain oats with pumpkin, cinnamon, a blob of peanut butter, and CINNAMON PUFFINS! How I’ve never experienced this cereal is beyond me, this is my new favorite breakfast combo. This is as crazy as I get though, the thought of eating Oreo’s everyday makes my brain go into a diabetic coma.

  

  No…no I do not.

  I also lift 5lb bags of coffee daily, real talk.

  Speaking of coffee, I was so jazzed by a coffee tasting my coworker put together. I delegate one barista a week to do a coffee tasting with the crew in an attempt to broaden coffee knowledge. This barista took it to the next level and I was so proud.

  

  He made a poster board, and bought VEGAN cinnamon donuts from a Seattle company to pair with Christmas Blend. I usually have to make my own treats for tastings, so this was a real treat having him buy something Brittany friendly.

  Terrible paragraph transition in 3…2..1…I discussed my love for curled up chips a few posts back and discovered many of you also enjoy the curled chips. I thought about how genius it would be to create an entire bag that was just curled chips.

  Well, Target stole my idea. Rude.

  

  I “lifted” this entire bag to my face in less than 2 days. So good. Also good…

  

  This also finds its way into my morning oats sometimes.

  Q: Is it cold yet where you are? Did I mention how excited I am to escape to Arizona next month!? GIVEMEHEAT

  

  | 63 Comments Tagged Coffee, Nog, Starbucks, Vegan, Winter

• A History of Memorable Events

  Posted at 3:49 AM by Brittany, on November 6, 2014

  – 1989: Shot into the world, or “birthed.”

  

  Note: I did not come out looking like this. I was 8 mo. here, and already loving everything Halloween.

  – 1991: Stepped on a giant slug, proceeding to give me a life long phobia. Real talk.

  – 1992: Had the best hair I’ll ever have, this cannot be repeated.

  

  – 1997: Became the coolest kid on the block with my authentic Japanese Pokemon cards. Thank you dad for living in Japan and sending me this gold.

  – 2000: Hit puberty, tried to fight it by wearing the same soccer shorts and Old Navy tech vest…everyday. This lost me my title of coolest kid on the block.

  I also had a hair cut like this for years…thanks mom.

  

  – 2004: Introduced myself to coffee at the orthodontist (totally ironic.) Put enough cream and sugar in my cup to give five people diabetes for life.

  – 2005: Got braces. This sparked my fascination of teeth.

  

  16 yr old black haired Brittany.

  – 2007: Became a carbotarian by giving up meat, but eating all things bread and chips.

  – 2009: Got a job at a smoothie shop and found my love for veggies, and wheat grass.

  

  – 2011: Started this blog, ran my first race, unleashed the (slow as molasses) beast, got a job at Trader Joe’s, and met a boy.

  – 2012: Gave up all animal products, and perfected the art of roasted vegetables. Ran my first half marathon through the happiest place on earth.

  

  – 2012: Sparked my insatiable appetite for cupcakes.

  – 2013: Had a life changing breakup with aforementioned boy, which taught me peace, patience, and balance. I’m now very (possibly too) comfortable being alone.

  

  Balance is bliss.

  – 2013: Got a job at Starbucks. Cracked out on coffee even more than at the orthodontist when I was 15. Discovered a new passion for the bean.

  – 2014: Fell in love with the mountains and with my life, despite my always changing path. Learned that change is constant and adaptation is key.

  

  – Yesterday: Reminded myself why I never wear LOOSE fitting cotton bottoms while running. Everything moves. Everything.

   Q: What was a memorable moment in time for you?

  

  | 64 Comments Tagged Mountain, Random, Running, Starbucks, Trader Joes, Vegan

• All Hallow’s Eve

  Posted at 8:20 AM by Brittany, on October 31, 2014

  Halloween – You either love it or you hate it. I happen to love it, but not for the reasons that most people do. I associate Halloween with October, and October with fall, so when these are all wrapped together I love Halloween just by fate. I also don’t complain when there is a holiday dedicated to candy.

  I’m not one for dressing up, and parties aren’t my thing. The last Halloween party I attended was in 2009 and I was a pepper shaker. I know, I’m wild. The year after that I dressed up as my cat. Last year I wore a mask and went trick or treating. Yes, I am 25.

  

  No, not “a cat,” but “MY cat.” There is a difference. A regular cat is too cliche.

  

  Twins

  These days I stay home and try to earn the title of “best house” by giving handfuls of candy to undeserving children. Whatever it takes to get the candy out of my house. Not that I am tempted by it, we usually buy candy I don’t like anyway. Plus, Halloween candy is usually filled with milk and other junk so I don’t eat it.

  Or so I thought…

  

  

  I stumbled across these two vegan friendly Halloween treats and about lost my marbles. I bought both bags. While everyone is out strolling the streets for free candy, I’ll be tucked inside my house with too much candy to handle, and a box of Halloween Joe-Joe’s I’ve been patiently waiting to open. I should probably go for a run today…

  On a somewhat related note, Halloween is the one time of year I haven’t been to Disneyland, but MUST. I missed the start of all things Halloween by ONE DAY this year!! I still got to see pumpkins everywhere, but the main Halloween celebration didn’t start until the next day. That’s OK..just another excuse to go back.

  

  Q: What’s your favorite Halloween candy? I still have a spot in my heart for the pumpkin shaped Reese’s PB cups even though I don’t eat them. 

  

  | 48 Comments Tagged Candy, Halloween, Vegan

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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