can you take…

Yet another breakfast bake??  I hope you’re not getting sick of seeing these, because I am not getting sick of eating them!

Yesterday, a reader asked if you can make these in a muffin tin.

Question answered!  I’ve also been asked if you can use a real egg instead of a flax or chia “egg”.  Yes, 1 egg white will do the trick!



The batter fits perfectly in 3, almost full muffin tins.  You could also use 2-3 single serving ramekins as well.



Today’s variety was blueberry buckwheat!  THREE muffins means THREE times the fun with the toppings.  And now I’m one cheesy line away from having you all hit X and close out of my page.



Coconut butter…oh yes



Peanut butter…oh yes



It’s not the weekend, but close enough.  Helloooo maple syrup!



Third muffin in a bowl?  Another reader told me something she likes to do with breakfast bakes like this…





Muffin n’ milk…almond milk!



Blueberry Buckwheat Bake [serves 1]

• 4T raw buckwheat flour [ground from raw groats, not toasted, aka Kasha]


• 1T raw buckwheat groats


• 1/2 banana


• 1 egg white [or 1 flax or chia “egg”]


• 1/2t cinnamon


• 2t vanilla


• 1/2c blueberries


• 1/4t baking powder


• 2T chopped nuts


• 4T almond milk


• 1T chia seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350*


2. Mash banana with a fork, unlike gooey.


3. Whisk in milk, vanilla and egg white.


4. Mix in buckwheat flour + groats, cinnamon, blueberries, baking powder, and chia seeds.


5. Grease 3 muffin cups, or ramekins, or individual soup crock.


6. Pour in batter and bake for 25-30min.


7. Slide a knife around the edge, pop out of the pan and eat!

*This is the same size as the other breakfast bakes, but just split into 3 muffin cups.

*To check out nutrition stats, check this post.  It varies, only slightly.



Is it strange that I have SO MUCH FUN making breakfast?  Send help now!



1 piece of advice. Please don’t forget to spray your pan…

FAIL.



Piece of advice #2 – Soy is in EVERYTHING.



Oh yes, for 3.5 lovely weeks of detoxing my body from soy, I never even THOUGHT to check my Spectrum spray oil.  Tisk tisk on me.  I can’t imagine having a soy allergy!!



I had a fancy lunch out today at Tasty Harmony, which is one of my favorite local spots.  This massaged kale salad was GIGantic!



But who was I dining with?

[veggie quinoa gumbo + pesto portabella samich]



The ever so lovely Maddy, from Love Grown Foods!  She got to take a work break and headed up my way for a fabulous lunch.  One thing I’ve never mentioned about Maddy + Alex [her boyfriend + biz partner] is that they are TWENTY THREE years old.  Impressive, no??

Absolutely lovely lunch!



One of the most kind + generous people I know, Maddy brought me boxes of goodies!  Some to be shared with YOU!



She also brought me a box of all her favorite foodie finds.

• chobani yogurt


• Justin’s nut butters!!


• gourmet butters


• fancy crackers


• chocolate


• tea

Can you believe I feel like I’m getting sick??  Uh-gain!?  This is absurd.  I’ve been sick about 4 times in the past 3 years.  I tried to give it the 1-2 punch today.



Time to juice!



I peeled the grapefruit, because I thought if I didn’t the juice would be bitter.  Well, that was a good call, but I should have DEFinitely peeled the oranges as well!



This will be delicious next time!

Vitamin C JUICE

• 3-4 oranges, peeled


• 1/2 grapefruit, peeled


• chunk of ginger

As you saw in the current giveaway I made brownies.



And I ate brownies…



And, I made frosting!



Coconut peanut butter frosting!



It came from the idea for coconut cream, from The Non-Dairy Queen. I saw it on HEAB’s blog the other day.



This is not your average sugar-filled frosting.



And if you can believe it’s made with coconut flour!



Coconut Peanut Butter Frosting [yields 1c]

• 3T coconut flour


• 8T unsweetened almond milk [or other milk]


• 1T brown rice syrup [or agave/honey]


• 3T creamy peanut butter


• 1/2T coconut oil


• pinch of salt

1. Blend until creamy smooth in a blender or food processor.

You could slather this on….

• cookies


• brownies


• buckwheat bakes


• oatmeal


• apples


• carrots


• sweet taters

Maybe bath in it?



Now if you will excuse me…

I need to clean my plate!



And now you can X out of my post!

<3 Ashley

adventures of ashley + abby

I forgot!  On Saturday, I had an amazing day of pampering.  I got a massage from a woman my whole family has used for a few years now.  She is amaaaazing.  The best massage, by FAR, I have ever had.  If you’re in Cleveland and looking for a good masseuse let me know!  Then, my mom + I got pedicures together.  I went with a fun purple color for something different.  Such a fun day :)

Abby from Abby Normally came to visit today!!!  It was so so sweet of her to drive in from Pittsburgh to see me!  This was the first time we met in person but I felt like I was getting together with an old friend.  She was super sweet, just like she seems and we didn’t stop to take a breath from talking the entire time :)

I took her to a fabulous veg-friendly place, in a fun little area called Coventry.  It’s filled with little art stores, clothing shops, restaurants, bars, etc.  We went to Tommy’s and mulled over the menu for a long time.  It’s huuuuge and a million non-meat options.  They have a lot of vegan + GF options too!

We both got the same thing!  A whole wheat wrap stuffed with black bean chili, brown rice, lettuce, pickles and a few other things!  It was deelicious! 

Did I mention that Abby has Vibrams too??  She has posted about them quite a bit recently and just has a great blog in general. 

Adventure Tiiiiime

Vibrams in the bookstore.

Hangin’ out on a bench!

Then we drove to the North Chagrin Metorparks [close to my house] and went to Squire’s Castle.  I remember coming here a lot when I was a little kid.  The park is HUGE and has a lot of walking/running paths in the woods.  When I was younger I remember getting completely lost with my brother.  We were at a big picnic with tons of family and friends.  We decided it would be fun to go exploring.  I was probably about 8-9yrs old and we were lost for hours [which felt like days].  I was SCReaming “helllllllpppppppppppppppppp!!!” LOL  We finally made it back hours later, and I was still hysterically crying.  hehehe

I printed out a park map so we wouldn’t get lost!!  I was seriously nervous, haha.

In the castle looking UP!

Feet in the window!

We started our hike….then Abby got a stick caught between her toes.  Silly “shoes.”  We had a blast talking about our feet + food.  Great combo right?

Abby studied the signage.

And I documented just in case. 

We made it back after about 3 miles with no problem.   They really should have a few more trail markers than they do.  The paths are very windy.  I brought snacks just in case :)

Then we said our sad goodbyes!  But it was so much fun and I’m so so glad it worked out!

Foot friends fo’ life!  Or as Abby says…”sole-mates” hehe

Abby left me with some yummy cookies too!!  She made me her avocado Ogre cookies!  She subbed the avocado for butter just like in my chocolate avocado cake.  They had a super soft cakey texture and were filled with yummy surprises [chocolate, raisins, almonds + more]. 

Then I made a quick + easy dinner to eat with my parents.  If you’re ever in a pinch for an easy dinner that is seriously delicious, try this out.  Perfect for summer!

Veggie Grill Samiches

• hearty bread [ciabatta, italian loaf, etc.] sliced thick
• provolone, or other
• zucchini
• mushrooms
• eggplant
• onion
• salt/pepper/garlic powder/olive oil

1. Slice veggies thinly + dress with olive oil + seasonings.
2. Grill over medium heat, in a grill pan or foil, for about 15min.
3. Grill bread and melt cheese on top.
4. Top with veggies. 

This hit.the.spot. 

I cut up fruit, threw it in foil, and grilled that up as well.  I also had a small salad on the side.

Extra shrooms…mmm

Such a fun day!!  I’m going on an adventure tomorrow too, but this time I’m leaving Ohio to go somewhere.  I wonder where I’ll end up!!??  You’ll see Tuesday :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Ashley

Dessert Recipes

Peanut butter, chocolate chip, cream cheese ball – from How Sweet It Is

Dessert Pizza – from How Sweet It Is

Sugar cookie recipe that we used for the dessert pizza – from All Recipes

• I made this recipe exactly as written.  After combining ingredients I pressed it in a greased/floured large jelly roll pan and baked for ~12min, until slightly browned around the edges.  I pressed it very thinly around the pan and it still puffed up a good 1/4-1/2.”

Vanilla Bean Cake – my version

• I left out the almond extract entirely.
• I also subbed vanilla bean paste 1:1 for the vanilla extract.  It worked perfectly and had a much better vanilla flavor and pretty bean flecks!

S’mores Frosting – my “go to” rich + creamy butter cream frosting edited:

• 1c unsalted butter, softened
• 1c pure cane sugar
• 4T all purp flour
• 1c milk [I used whole milk]
• 1t vanilla extract
• 1 bag chopped marshmallows [I used a natural, vegetarian kind from WF]
• 3/4c chocolate chips
• 2 sleeves of graham crackers [usually 3 in 1 box]

1. Over medium heat, in a small saucepan, cook the milk + flour stirring frequently with a whisk.  Watch carefully so this does not burn!
2. Cook until a very thick paste-like consistency is reached.  It takes about 10-20min depending on your stove!
3. Let cool to room temp [fridge/freezer helps!]
4. In a large bowl, beat the sugar + butter until the sugar has almost completely dissolved and the mixture is fluffy, 3-5min.
5. When the milk mixture has cooled, combine together and beat again until fluffy. 
6. Beat in the vanilla.
7. Mix in chopped marshmallows + chocolate chips.
8. Refrigerate [covered] at least 30min to help stiffen the frosting.
9. Before frosting the cake let the frosting sit out for 15-30min to soften so it can spread easily.
10. Break grahams and line edge of cake with grahams. 
11. Crush some of the crackers and sprinkle crumbs on top of the cake.