1. everyone says it and i’m joining them: homemade almond butter is a lifechanger.

    Oh. My. Goodness.

    That has to be the beginning of any blog post written about almond butter. It may have been the easiest thing I have ever done. Almonds meet food processor. Ten minute date. And it’s done.

    I was apprehensive about starting with a full 2 cup batch, so I halved it. It will be interesting to see just how long it lasts! I am also interested in experimenting with different ingredients but I felt it was necessary to start with a base and be able to note the differences.

    So here goes..

    1 cup of almonds straight from the bag into the food processor.

    This was probably the most difficult part about the process. By difficult, I mean irritating. About 5-7 minutes in, the almond meal begins to move from its mealy stage into its butter stage and really stick to the sides of the bowl so I found myself scraping the sides quite often. Does anyone have a solution for this?

    So much so in fact, that I may have processed a whole wooden spoon into three pieces. Don’t ask me how I manage these things.

    The result is something amazing though. Despite it being pretty late when I finished up, I couldn’t resist and spread some on a piece of whole wheat toast drizzled with agave. It was heaven. It tasted so absolutely decadent that I went back for a second piece. I must say, I thoroughly look forward to experimenting a tonne with almond butter <3

    PS. I have some almonds soaking for my soon to be homemade vanilla almond milk. You can look forward to that post in a couple days.

    Happy first day of Spring everyone! Now go on and jump in a puddle ;)

  2. Edmonton, you are so typical

    I was listening to the good people over at Sonic the other day and heard someone call in about taking their snow brush out of their car. Garner Andrews told him if he did such a thing it was likely to snow again. I blame the guy that took his snow brush out of his car because a snow storm is on its way..

    Wait a second.. it’s only March. Okay fine, I won’t complain. But I will still continue to use my BBQ. =)

    I have tried many a veggie burger out there. I have been quite lucky with them too. The in house made one at Local in South Common has definitely been one of my favorite restaurant burgers. I always find that the weird extremely circley (circley?) ones that you buy in store are just that.. very circlish. Does that make sense?

    The ones from costco are fantastic though: Kirkland Garden Burgers. Highly recommended. As an at home meal, I absolutely think you can skip the bun all together, or at least enjoy it open-faced. Today, I paired mine with some pickled jalapenos and goat cheese on the grill. I also threw half of a yellow pepper on the grill thinking I would eat it all together, but ended up dipping it in some greek yogurt on its own. =)

    By the way, Greek yogurt has become a part of my new love affair. I just don’t know how it is soo creamy and not bad for you at the same time. I won’t question it though! <3

    I love making a big batch of homemade veggie burgers that are ready to thaw out when I need them but haven’t had the chance quite yet this year. Has anyone else tried a really good store-bought veggie burger?

  3. I made my delicious spinach smoothie again this morning. It was unlikely to fall on the seat of my car at this point, so I grabbed at the opportunity to snap a shot! Click the photo to link back to the recipe.

    I made my delicious spinach smoothie again this morning. It was unlikely to fall on the seat of my car at this point, so I grabbed at the opportunity to snap a shot!

    Click the photo to link back to the recipe.

  4. Brain food for an afternoon study sesh (Taken with instagram) My short disappearance may have caused you to think I ended up a statistic, forgetting about my blog weeks in. On the contrary, the boy finally moved home so I have been caught up cuddling all weekend! I love going back to classic dishes that are super simple, quick and always delicious. This is absolutely one of them. Sautéed mushrooms and peppers over spinach with a balsamic olive oil dressing. It&#8217;s a beauty. The spinach warms just a touch, and if you have some goat cheese, the dish is just to die for. Unfortunately, all my goat cheese had been consumed yesterday. It really was just as good. I sauté my mushrooms and peppers in more of a steaming fashion. Start with a non stick pan, add about 1/4 cup water and the peppers and cover. Once the peppers begin to tender(3-4 minutes) add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. The salt at the end of the cooking time brings out the flavour of the mushrooms, so don&#8217;t skip out on seasoning =) 2 cups spinach 3-4 medium mushrooms 1&#160;1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup goat cheese 1 tbsp pine nuts (optional) 1 tbsp hemp hearts (optional- I add just for the extra nutrition.. No real taste change) Salt and pepper to taste 1. Sauté mushrooms and peppers. 2. Mix together vinegar and olive oil. 3. Serve mushrooms and peppers over spinach, pine nuts, hemp hearts and goat cheese. 3. Top with balsamic olive oil dressing. 4. Enjoy! So go ahead and make your Monday a little bit better, especially if you are from my snowy little hometown.

    Brain food for an afternoon study sesh (Taken with instagram)

    My short disappearance may have caused you to think I ended up a statistic, forgetting about my blog weeks in. On the contrary, the boy finally moved home so I have been caught up cuddling all weekend!

    I love going back to classic dishes that are super simple, quick and always delicious. This is absolutely one of them. Sautéed mushrooms and peppers over spinach with a balsamic olive oil dressing. It’s a beauty. The spinach warms just a touch, and if you have some goat cheese, the dish is just to die for. Unfortunately, all my goat cheese had been consumed yesterday. It really was just as good. I sauté my mushrooms and peppers in more of a steaming fashion. Start with a non stick pan, add about 1/4 cup water and the peppers and cover. Once the peppers begin to tender(3-4 minutes) add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. The salt at the end of the cooking time brings out the flavour of the mushrooms, so don’t skip out on seasoning =)

    2 cups spinach
    3-4 medium mushrooms
    1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
    1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    1/4 cup goat cheese
    1 tbsp pine nuts (optional)
    1 tbsp hemp hearts (optional- I add just for the extra nutrition.. No real taste change)
    Salt and pepper to taste

    1. Sauté mushrooms and peppers.
    2. Mix together vinegar and olive oil.
    3. Serve mushrooms and peppers over spinach, pine nuts, hemp hearts and goat cheese.
    3. Top with balsamic olive oil dressing.
    4. Enjoy!

    So go ahead and make your Monday a little bit better, especially if you are from my snowy little hometown.

  5. Anyone else have that problem where you cut open an avocado even though you know it isn&#8217;t ripe? I do it all the time. I get seriously avocado impatient, squeezing them every day in hopes they are ready to be inhaled. And you know what, they definitely do not continue to ripen once cut open. But the fantastic news is that today I took a page from my baked egg in an avocado book and found something fantastic. Cut up the avocado pretty thinly and grill it in a dry pan. I&#8217;ll follow with a recipe later for that quesadilla but I didn&#8217;t want to keep that valuable avocadoinformation from you ;)

    Anyone else have that problem where you cut open an avocado even though you know it isn’t ripe? I do it all the time. I get seriously avocado impatient, squeezing them every day in hopes they are ready to be inhaled. And you know what, they definitely do not continue to ripen once cut open. But the fantastic news is that today I took a page from my baked egg in an avocado book and found something fantastic. Cut up the avocado pretty thinly and grill it in a dry pan. I’ll follow with a recipe later for that quesadilla but I didn’t want to keep that valuable avocadoinformation from you ;)

  6. Whole Wheat French Toast with Berry Compote If you need something to impress your sweetie for valentines day but are looking to still squeeze into those specially-purchased unmentionables, I have exactly what you need. In fact, in the short time it takes for this lovely little brunch to cook, you can just throw an apron over top have a quick bite and get straight back to working off all those chocolate-induced calories! Prep time: &lt;5 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Serves: 2 Ingredients: French Toast 4 slices whole wheat bread 8 tbsp Liquid Egg white or 2 Large Egg whites 1/2 cup Almond Milk (other milk substitutes or nonfat milk will do) 2 tsp cinnamon Compote 2 cup frozen or fresh berries 1/3 cup water 1&#160;1/2 tsp cornstarch or other thickening agent 2 tsp splenda or other sweetener 1. Mix together egg whites, milk and cinnamon in bowl. 2. Prepare nonstick pan by spraying with nonstick spray such as Pam, over medium heat. 3. Drench individual bread pieces and place in pan. By the end, all the liquid should be used up by the bread. 4. While the french toast is toasting, begin the compote. Heat berries over medium heat in sauce pan. In seperate bowl, mix cornstarch and water. Allow berries to heat in their own juices for about 3 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture slowly. You should see the compote begin to thicken. The more mixture you add, the thicker it will become. Do this to your desire consistency. Reduce heat. 5. Add splenda to compote to desired sweetness. 6. Serve compote over toast with icing sugar if desired. Calories: 286 Note: I usually do servings for one but because I am a one of two this year, I jumped on that lovey-dovey bandwagon and doubled it up. I ate my first batch on my own, and it was just as enjoyable. Happy Valentines Day!

    Whole Wheat French Toast with Berry Compote

    If you need something to impress your sweetie for valentines day but are looking to still squeeze into those specially-purchased unmentionables, I have exactly what you need. In fact, in the short time it takes for this lovely little brunch to cook, you can just throw an apron over top have a quick bite and get straight back to working off all those chocolate-induced calories!

    Prep time: <5 minutes

    Cook time: 10 minutes

    Serves: 2

    Ingredients:

    French Toast

    • 4 slices whole wheat bread
    • 8 tbsp Liquid Egg white or 2 Large Egg whites
    • 1/2 cup Almond Milk (other milk substitutes or nonfat milk will do)
    • 2 tsp cinnamon

    Compote

    • 2 cup frozen or fresh berries
    • 1/3 cup water
    • 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch or other thickening agent
    • 2 tsp splenda or other sweetener

    1. Mix together egg whites, milk and cinnamon in bowl.

    2. Prepare nonstick pan by spraying with nonstick spray such as Pam, over medium heat.

    3. Drench individual bread pieces and place in pan. By the end, all the liquid should be used up by the bread.

    4. While the french toast is toasting, begin the compote. Heat berries over medium heat in sauce pan. In seperate bowl, mix cornstarch and water. Allow berries to heat in their own juices for about 3 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture slowly. You should see the compote begin to thicken. The more mixture you add, the thicker it will become. Do this to your desire consistency. Reduce heat.

    5. Add splenda to compote to desired sweetness.

    6. Serve compote over toast with icing sugar if desired.

    Calories: 286

    Note: I usually do servings for one but because I am a one of two this year, I jumped on that lovey-dovey bandwagon and doubled it up. I ate my first batch on my own, and it was just as enjoyable.

    Happy Valentines Day!

  7. Baked Egg in an Avocado I have a love-hate relationship with procrastination. On one hand, I get none of my much needed studying done but on the other, I discover amazing creations like this that I just have to share. Baked egg in an avocado! Simple, quick and most of all, delicious enough to have me scraping out every last bit from the avocado skin! Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Ingredients 1/2 avocado pitted 1 egg (I used All Whites Liquid Egg Whites because it is what I had on hand) 1/8 cup shredded cheese ( I used Kraft Tex Mex Shredded Cheese) Seasoning to your taste 1. Preheat oven(or microwave oven to use less energy) to 400 degrees. 2. In small bowl, mix egg and seasonings. I used a generous dash of Greek seasoning mix along with freshly ground pepper. 3. Pour the egg mixture into the avocado. Depending on the size of your avocado, you may have too much egg to fit. Using that other half of the avocado is not a bad idea here as they are dangerously delicious. 4. I use a cast iron pan to cook my avocado in, but any baking dish will do, especially one that will prevent your avocado from tipping over! 5. Cook for about 5-7 minutes then top with cheese. At this point, the egg will still be liquidy. 6. I prefer a well done egg, so I cook mine until it gets nice and puffy. About another 5-7 minutes. 7. Enjoy straight out of its skin or use a spoon to scoop it out. Calories if using Liquid Egg Whites: 239 cal. =)

    Baked Egg in an Avocado

    I have a love-hate relationship with procrastination. On one hand, I get none of my much needed studying done but on the other, I discover amazing creations like this that I just have to share. Baked egg in an avocado! Simple, quick and most of all, delicious enough to have me scraping out every last bit from the avocado skin!

    Prep time: 5 minutes

    Cook time: 15 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 avocado pitted
    • 1 egg (I used All Whites Liquid Egg Whites because it is what I had on hand)
    • 1/8 cup shredded cheese ( I used Kraft Tex Mex Shredded Cheese)
    • Seasoning to your taste

    1. Preheat oven(or microwave oven to use less energy) to 400 degrees.

    2. In small bowl, mix egg and seasonings. I used a generous dash of Greek seasoning mix along with freshly ground pepper.

    3. Pour the egg mixture into the avocado. Depending on the size of your avocado, you may have too much egg to fit. Using that other half of the avocado is not a bad idea here as they are dangerously delicious.

    4. I use a cast iron pan to cook my avocado in, but any baking dish will do, especially one that will prevent your avocado from tipping over!

    5. Cook for about 5-7 minutes then top with cheese. At this point, the egg will still be liquidy.

    6. I prefer a well done egg, so I cook mine until it gets nice and puffy. About another 5-7 minutes.

    7. Enjoy straight out of its skin or use a spoon to scoop it out.

    Calories if using Liquid Egg Whites: 239 cal.

    =)