I’m glad the cute Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls caused such excitement! Sounds like they brought some cheer to an otherwise hum-drum Monday. Couple reports back from the field already were that they do work with almond or even just whole wheat flour.
Moving along….
I love this stuff and I know you will too if you give it a try.
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Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chex Mix (Vegan, Gluten & Soy Free)
Melt Together: 1 c dark chocolate chips
1/2 c Peanut Butter
1/3 c Earth Balance (or butter, other margarine, etc.)
After melting, add 1.5 Tbsp Vanilla Extractto the mixture
Pour Mixture over 7-8 cups of Rice Chex
Transfer to a Plastic Baggie & Add 2.5 Cups of Powdered Sugar to the Bag and Shake It Up, Baby!
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Super easy and realllllly good! Is this health food? No. Is it ok to have splurges? Yes!
And every once in awhile I find a few Chex pieces that were stuck together by the chocolate and PB gooey-ness and didn’t get the appropriate sugar dousing. Poor babies.
So I just eat those or shake it some more, baby!
Moving right along to something much healthier…Broccoli Salad.
I love cruciferous veggies which include brock, Brussels’s, cauli, you get the picture. It depends on my mood, sometimes I lightly steam them for 30 seconds in the micro, or sometimes I eat them raw. One of my favorite ways to eat broccoli is with this awesome salad dressing recipe because the ACV (apple cider vinegar) actually “cooks” the brock. The acidic nature of the vinegar breaks down the tough plant fibers so you get to enjoy raw brock, that’s been “cooked” a little, without any stinky house action going on.
But back to Averie’s Raw Broccoli Salad & Dressing Recipe
3 Heaping Tbsp Vegan “Mayo” (Spectrum or Veganaise are nice. In general I avoid soy, but in this small quantity, I am ok with it. If you really wanted to avoid the soy all together, I would soak and then Vita-Mix or food processess 1/4 c raw cashews + 1 Tbsp water)
3 Tbsp Sugar (or Lucama or Agave to preserve raw status)
1 Tbsp ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar)
Whiskingredients together
Add about 2 c Brock(basically most of 1 big stalk)
Spoon the mixture over the Brock and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but this is one of those salads that is better the 2nd Day. Sort of like chili, the flavors marry better and it just gets better with age. Kinda like all my lovely bloggie friends do.
When you’re ready to eat your Brock Salad, here are some garnishes and add-in’s to consider:
Red Onion, Raisins, Sunflower Seeds, Slivered Almonds, (Soy-Based) Bacon Bits (all the aforementioned are very traditional if you look up brock salad recipes on the internet. If you know me, you know I hate onion and bacon is outta the question, but just brainstorming for you to help you jazz it up!)
Other Dried Fruit like cranberries or craisins
Other seeds/nuts such as pine nuts, cashews, walnuts
Black Pepper or Salt to taste
Even after all those add-ins & extras, I opted for Plain Jane Brock. I love the way the brock has been softened but is still crunchy, and there’s a definite bite to the dressing because of the ACV but it’s balanced really well with the sugar or sweetener of your choice. The plain brock was all I needed.
I also decided to make some Roasted Sweet Potato Fries. I sliced a gigantic sweet potato into fry pieces, drizzled heavy-handedly with EVOO, dash of salt & pepp.
After roasting at 350F for an hour, the first 30 minutes covered with foil, and the second 30 minutes, I flipped the fries over and uncovered them. Voila.
And plated them up with a salad big enough to make all the rabbits jealous. Greens, cukes, carrots, orange & yellow peppes, dressed it with the juice of half an orange, agave, and cracky blacky.
For dessert after getting in on a little bit of the Vegan Chex Mix Action…
…I got in on the Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ball action. Yummmmmy.
Yoga Today is Tolasana (Scale Pose)
Tip of the Day: Avoiding the stinky house smell when cooking broccoli. Yeah, that smell. When cooking brock in the micro or steaming it in general, the minute you smell it, it’s done. Do not keep cooking it! Actually, it’s done before you smell it. The reason why the broccoli stinks is because of the sulfur content. The more you cook it, the more sulfur that is released as the plant fibers are breaking down through the cooking process. So try to anticipate, and get it outta the micro, stat. You’re scared it won’t be cooked enough and will be tough? Well, there will be some carryover cooking as the internal temp of the brock doesn’t immediately drop the minute you remove the heat source. Hopefully this helps you to never get brocky-stinky house again!
Seriously with the "nice apples" comments! Why bother? I would much rather have quality comments with less frequency, and that is what I try to do in my commenting, too. I support ya!
Very fun to see Skylar's Halloween costume!
Aww, I'm glad you had a good Halloween, and your girl is so adorable! I had a pretty pink princess costume when I was little, too :) I know what you mean–leaving thoughtful comments are SOOO time consuming when you've got a lot of blogs to check! And I'm with you–I'd rather give no comment than if someone write a long post and i just write "yummy oats" and thats it. haha!
I completely 'get' the posting thing, it's hard and addicting…we gotta draw the line somewhere. But I must tell you that I have a bowl of your cocoa chia pudding sitting in front of me as I type and can you say Mmmm Mmmm Good?! Thanks for all the great food tips.
Keep on Keepin' on…
xoxo
Berni
Glad that you and your family had a great halloween. The sis and I did a little work than watched a movie and enjoyed some wine. Then went to bed…. no big or exciting plans. But much needed down time! :) I agree with you on commenting ..etc. I feel your pain. There is really not enough time in the day. We are going to have to cut back too. Though we plan to keep reading as much as possible.
hi mama love!!!
your halloween sounds so fun!!! AND AHHH, how jealous am I that you are wearing shorts?! the joys of AZ!
your little one looks adorable, and i love that their was a pink witch outside hot topic. hilarious.
your eats this week have been MORE than amazing- nutritonal and healthy, plus eye pleasing and yummy!
don't worry bout the commenting! it is hard hard hard. one time i wrote down how many blogs i was commenting on and it was a bit of a shock!! family is def. first! and school in my case!
HAPPY SUNDAY AVERIE!
Very impressed with your yoga pose! And your daughter is a beautiful princess!
I don't blame you for not wanting to comment on everything. I would much rather be able to comment on something sincerely than just for the sake of commenting.
awww your daughter is FOR SURE your twin! so so so cute :)
girl you gotta do your thang! blogging HAS to come after all the personal things in your life so don't even stress about it! you'll be around when you can!
just promise to not stop making us drool haha
why was there never a disney themed halloween celebration when I was a tike?! I totally would have been snow white.. she's my girl!
crazy how many people free candy can attract! if they were given out jars of PB well – I would've been there in a hot minute!
girl – i hear ya on the commenting thing! comment when you can!!! I felt at one point that blogging was consuming my soul – I would feel guilt for not having time to comment – that is NOT okay at all! do what works for you honey :)
love you babes!
Adorable pics of your little one!! Have no fear on commenting Averie.. I don't always comment on Everyone's blog EVERY day.. you would need like 7 extra hours of your day if that was the case!
As for Thanksgiving, hub and I are solo this yr.. too far to travel up north when we will be going home for Christmas a few weeks later. Our families get the whole vegan thing.. especially my parents b/c my brother was vegan a long long time ago. They are accommodating and love to try new things. Hub's parents find it a bit weird but whatever.. we always pack TONS of food when we travel for holidays!
my all time favorite part of halloween is watching all the little kids walk around the neighboor in the cutest, creative costumes! your little fairy is adoraaablleee!!
my halloween consisted of going out to dinner with the bf and his family, and then grabbing a drink at a local bar then coming home and sleeping!! we did catch a few trick or treaters before we went to dinner! they were so cute!!
your recipes are fantastic! that chia pudding does look sinful!!!
I have found sometimes I start blogging and then look u p and HOURS have gone by! i totally understand that a gal has got to liveee!!!
xoxo
I have made that same recipe for cocoa and I adore it!! I will definitely be drinking it a lot during these colder months. I have also experimented with chia pudding but I haven't made a chocolate version…that sounds delicious!
Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!
Aww, Skylar is such a cutie. Glad you both enjoyed the day, and it sounds like you got just enough Halloween fun!
I HAVE to comment about headstands… when I first started yoga a few years back, I couldn't do them right away, even though I was a gymnast prior to yoga. But when I finally ended up being able to do headstand, it felt like SUCH a wonderful accomplishment in my yoga. LOVE the pose!
I think there are times when we all need a bit of the breaks from the blogs. Blogging and reading blogs is something we should be doing because we enjoy it and find it as a way to relax and have fun. But if it turns into something where you feel like you are forced to blog and read blogs and are neglecting other aspects of your life, you are only going to resent it. Do whatever makes YOU comfortable and happy Averie!
xxoo
Heather
Those pics are so adorable! And how cool that the mall gives out candy?! My mall gives out flyers for the new phone store or 50% off men's suits :P
I have pulled back the reigns in my commenting lately too…only so many hours in the day and whilst blogging is fun and important to me, I kind of am starting to feel like my online life is bigger than my real time life and I want to put more time into doing things rather than sitting in front of a computer for hours :/
Food holidays- I eat meat but I don't eat other people's cooking, as a general rule (aside from your macaroons! Hehe!) Offering to take a dish usually goes down well- one year I made stuffed butternut squash with a filling made from wild rice, cranberries and almonds which was a hit with the vegetarians and meat eaters. I have also made a root vegetable crumble (you could do a sauce with soy milk + nooch) with crushed hazelnuts/breadcrumbs for a topping. My family keep kosher so side dishes are dairy free- kugel is another good one. I bet one made with sweet potatoes would be awesome. Also, a traditional Jewish dish is tzimmes which is amazing made with pears and prunes…goes really well with meat, but I like it straight up. Lentil bake/nut cutlets go well with traditional side dishes too :)
Ahh Skylar is so cute!
I totally know what you mean about commenting. Full-time school, volunteering and still trying to have a social life = less blog writing and reading and commenting. Well, I'm always reading (thanks, iPhone!) but not always commenting. Doesn't mean I'm not drooling over everyone's amazing creations!
As for holidays that center around a big hunk of meat, I normally just eat the sides. Well, I did that when I was vegetarian and ate dairy, but now almost NOTHING is vegan. I generally bring a big fall-inspired salad (greens with cranberries, walnuts, maybe some butternut squash or beets and a nice vinaigrette), some cinammon baked sweet potatoes, and a vegan dessert. I used to do it selfishly so I would have something to eat, but now I want to share the goodness with my fam and let them know that things don't need a stick of butter to taste good. Of course I used to eat faux-meat and would make some type of protein replacement, but nowadays I don't care too much about that.
No worries! Life is causing me to have to cut back on my blog activity too. When you work 11-8:30 every day, it's hard to have time to cook. I barely have time to keep my house clean and spend a little time with my husband! Your family is, and always should be, your number one priority.
For Thanksgiving, I generally make my own little meal and just enjoy myself. If someone wants to try my food, that's awesome! If not, I am happy knowing I am not hurting or dishonoring my body. Besides, holidays are about spending time with family and friends, not about the food. (contrary to popular opinion) I do always make a crustless, GF and vegan pumpkin pie and GF/vegan cranberry apple crumble to contribute to the dessert table!;-)
With misusing the word there/their and dropping words out of sentences – maybe THAT's why I shouldn't be blogging at all! ;)
I hear ya on the comments – I just can't do it. I usually leave a few comments a day, spreading out the comment love over the course of a week. Some days I don't have time to leave any comments at all. I finally came to peace with it by thinking that if the only reason someone reads what I write because I comment on there's… maybe I shouldn't be blogging at all. I had to let go and just focus on my writing and if commenting less means less visitors then so be it. But so far – that's not been the case. There just aren't enough hours in the day to read and comment on them all.
Looks like you guys had a fun Halloween! And I agree – less is more. Especially at this age, it's really about the experience and doing something fun and new, they don't have to do it all!
Looks like you had fun! And Sklar is too cute! We had an exciting evening, or at least in the eyes of a 4yr old. My sister and her family came down for the day and we had a cookout for dinner then got Blaine dressed as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Dan, Uncle T and my mom drove him around the nieghborhood in our golf cart to gather the candy. I stayed at home with my sister and her 9 month old to hand out candy and rest. (Race day today!!!!)In bed by 9 pm. We had such a good time. Very G and full of family fun.
I was wondering how you we're fitting in all the blog time. I have just gotten in to blogging and I only read them and I keep finding more and more I am enjoying reading. I wish I didn't need to sleep then I could do everying I want to do…TIME all I need is a little more time. I think everyone will understand. You and Scott had a child to be a family. and to me these arethe days to enjoy she will only be this fun and magical for a couple of more years.
Thanksgiving….that holiday not so bad for the paleo eater. And I'll probably have the fsmily at my house so that I can controll the food and have plenty for Dan and I to eat. For me the x-mas holiday parties will not be good. No body serves any real food just apptitizers aka a small piece of dairy, wheat and sugar all cooked up to your liking. Anyway better run along! (really since in about 2 hours I'll be running 13 miles!) I made a silly! Have a fab day – Rach
Ooh Averie you didn't dress up….I was hanging out to see what you would wear :D
Your little darling looked delightful in my favourite colour! PINK. Happy Halloween honey x
yay thanks for my very first comment on my very first blog! :) excited bit much… I know I know I'm a dork, it's all good.
your little girl is such a cutie! when I was little I always dressed up as a princess or something girly, never anything scary.
have a great night!
You totally had a fun Halloween week!
JJ's first Halloween, consisted of tacking up those GEL clings to the back door window, getting his costume and than not wanting to wear it tonight, playing with glow sticks, using a pumpkin straw all day, freaking out over the pumpkin carving me n hubs did, tasting roasted seeds last night…skipping the candy and eating plantain chips and playing at or friends home for a few hours in costume (shew) oh and we watched Monsters vs Aliens today
I loved every single stinkin minute of our quiet but swine flu friendly and toddler friendly Halloween!
I am sure next year will be more candy infused. Can't wait!
and lil princess is so adorable in her dress.
and yes Thanksgiving plans are already in the air and for us that is fun because we normally have no clue what's happening till the week of!
yippee!
We just stuck with the traditional neighborhood Trick Or Treating. The other events in our area were during times when I was at school or work :( …next year. Your little princess looks just like you!
Hey darling, I totally hear you on the commenting thing. It gets to be so much. I've been cutting back recently and it helps my sanity :P I'm always reading though! (And making your yummy goodies of course.)
Happy Halloween!
i completely and totally understand about the commenting! a gal needs to live! i am all about leaving less frequent but more thorough comments where i can actually get in-depth and carefully read things.
i love your recap posts by the way. it is a great way to make sure i haven't missed anything from your sweet blog. skylar looks TOO CUTE!
happy weekend mama!
As I've said privately I totally 'get that' about the time-vortex that is the reading/commenting NOT To MENTION the actual writing/photographing etc of our own blogs! No worries at all- smart to look out for yourself and your familia. Love the "nice apples"- ;-)
BTW- I made the pudding with chia, choc almond breeze & carob (love love love carob even more than choc). I did have to add some ice and XG/GG as I just can't NOT do that- loved it. Thanks!
Such a cute post–your little girl is adorable in her princess outfit! :) I remember dressing up as Cinderella when I was little!
Mmm, great eats too! Those cookies look delicious!
<3 jess
xoxo
Our Halloween was so low key – we just hung around and passed out candy. We didn't get as many trick or treaters as I would have hoped, so I have lots of candy left.
And of course we all understand about your comments. :) I know, it does take up alot of time! Have a great Sunday! :)
I\’m out of league here. Too much brain power on dpsilay!
Oh, one more Halloween on the bag, no pun intended : ) Glad you had a nice one with your adorable princess!
Oh, I forgot I was going to make those pumpkin donut holes! I need to get on that one!
I totally understand about the excessive computer time. My hubby always reels me back in and reminds me of what my real job is : ) I totally get what he's saying because he works 60 hours a week so I should be working the same around here. Darn it! ; )
I made a vegan pumpkin pie a few years ago and my dad and husband said it was the best they ever had. Of course after I told them it was vegan they said it tasted a little funny. Oh men!