My morning started of with this guy, followed by a quick, but intense swim. Don’t worry, I waited 20min before getting in the pool ;)

I made a carob/banana/blueberry buckwheat muffin cake. FYI - Blueberries + carob go really well together!

Carob Blueberry Buckwheat Muffin Cake [serves 1]

1/4c ground raw buckwheat flour [grind raw groats into powder]
1T raw buckwheat groats
1T chia seeds
1 flax egg [1T ground flax meal + 2.5T warm water, whisked]
1/2 banana
2T unsweetened almond milk
2-3t maple syrup
1T unsweetened carob powder
1/2t cinnamon
1/3c frozen organic blueberries
1t vanilla extract
1/4t baking powder

Mix the flax egg and set aside for 3-5min.
In a bowl mash the banana until very mushy.
Whisk in milk, vanilla, and maple syrup.
Mix in buckwheat flour, groats, chia seeds, cinnamon, carob powder, baking powder, until well combined.
Mix in flax egg and then mix in the blueberries. [feel free to also add coconut + chopped nuts too!]
Grease a microwave safe bowl [about 5-6” diameter] and pour in mixture.
Cover with a paper towel and microwave about 1min30sec – 1min45sec.
Eat out of the bowl with toppings, or flip out of the bowl onto a plate, top + scarf!

This was of course topped with the latest and greatest nut butter.

chocolate chip cookie dough almond butter

ohhh.yaaah.

Tuesday was quite the crazy day. Tons of coordinating going on with the house right now. We’re on schedule to close Friday [wooohooo] and have about 12 people coming over tomorrow to give us estimates on various things. Phone calls are exhausting. Anyone with me?? I also had a handful of errands to run. All good things, but nonetheless, tiring!

I did have a nice break in my day for lunch though. Melissa [Jake’s mom] and I met in Denver, at Gaia Bistro, one of my favorites!! Melissa and I go way back…to middle school! :)

To start things off, I needed some caffeine. I’ve brought coffee back into my diet about 2-3x per week. It seems to be working really well for me, instead of drinking 1c every morning. I did not drink this whole French press. Didn’t want to have the shakes for the rest of the day! The coffee was organic, fair trade, smooth and delicious.

It was a gorgeous sunny day and actually hit the upper 60’s. So nice we ate outside! Upper 60’s and sunny in Colorado can actually be really hot! The sun is more intense here, I swear!

Gaia Bistro is even gluten free friendly. Yes, I’m eating gluten again, but decided to go with the gluten free option today.

Homemade gluten free bread? Yes please! I have no idea what this bread was made of, but it had a very soft texture and delicious light flavor. It held together really well, too! It was definitely a yeast bread, but I have no idea what flours were involved. I should have asked, but forgot.

This samich was filled with portabella, gouda, lettuce + tomato.

I caught a quick pic before devouring the entire plate.

The food was good but the company was better!! Melissa is 7 months preggo and is looking fabulous. She + her hubs are waiting to find out the sex of the baby. She’s convinced it’s a boy, but we’ll just have to wait and see. I don’t think I could wait to find out!

How adorable is this restaurant?? I’m telling you, if you live in Denver, or the surrounding area you must check it out. I’ve eaten there 4 times now and every time it is just as delicious as the last.

We walked around S. Pearl Street, checking out some of the shops and then I stopped in a bakery before leaving. I couldn’t resist this gluten free cookie.

A chocolate chewie. I’ve never had one of these before, but it was AHmazing. I must recreate it!!! It’s made with egg whites, sugar, walnuts, cocoa powder, and what tasted like butter or oil.

The texture was the best part. It was a cross between brownie and raw cookie, with a crispy edge and the most delicious chew ever. Outstanding!