Happy belated Mother’s Day to all the amazing mothers out there. On Sunday I had to go to work, but I woke up early and made my mom this coconut bake with the paleo option.
She loved it and like I always say, she is a picky eater. I also had her little gifts and a vanilla version of this cupcake. Who doesn’t love a cupcake?
My friend/ co-worker asked me to make a sugar-free cake for her family. Isn’t it cute?
At work (I work in an Italian specialty market, by the way), they made Italian chocolate covered strawberries. Oh my gawsh, they were delicious. My boss gave me three and I resisted and manged to only eat one and saved the rest for my parents. 
I was also made a sandwich; it’s this multi-grain bread they have with maple turkey, romaine, swiss cheese and olive oil. Yes it was wheat, yes I was sluggish. Was it delicious? Oh yeah.
Today I actually went to buy a couple of outfits; one for my birthday and one for a concert I am going to on Saturday. It’s a dress of course, but hey, that’s me and my dress addiction. I also got a new workout top. I love that it’s air-y and looks pretty darn good. It was only $10.00 at JC Penny.
I haven’t been feeling to great and my body is over-trained. I’ve been cuddling a lot with this guy and I’ve been taking active rest days. I definitely feel better and know tomorrow, I can go hard in my workout.
Today I also kind of fasted, in the sense that I didn’t eat much (sorry for the blur!). All I had was fresh fruit, nuts/seeds and oats twice made with flaxmilk and honey. I felt like my body needed to just take a digestive break and I feel better, stomach wise. I don’t like to be below calories so between now and I bed time, I’ll probably munch on more fruit and nuts. Something like that…
Question: How was your Mother’s Day weekend? Ever done a fast or detox? If so, which one, how long and how did you feel?
Tag Archives: Vegan
A Bit Of Yesterday; A Smidge of Today
Chocolate Clusters & Almond Butter Cups (Vegan)
So glad that many of you loved the sugar-free chocolate dip. Boy do I have some fun treats for you to try with it. I hope you like them as much as I do!
I’ve been on a nice clean eating streak and have eliminated a lot of added sugars. I was eating milk chocolate like crazy. Heck I was drinking too much of milk anything.
I’m lactose intolerant plus nothing was organic. Meaning more estrogen in my body, meaning off-balanced Sabrina! And too much dark chocolate messes with my bile reflux. What’s a girl to do? 
Take the sugar-free chocolate dip and get creative, but make sure you cool it for at least five (to ten) minutes. Here are two little “recipes” I did with the dip which have no added sugar, unless you use maple syrup. Feel free to try your own variations.
Maybe try making the clusters maybe with blueberries, coconut flakes and almond slices? That is my next attempt! And for the almond butter cups, maybe try a different nut butter? I think some raw cashew butter would be divine. Enjoy!
Sabrina’s Fruit & Nut Chocolate Clusters Ingredients (Makes 6 Servings)
- 1 Serving of Sugar-Free Chocolate Dip (w/ maple added if desired)
- 1/2 Cup of Frozen Raspberries, Thawed A BIT (or your choice)
- 2 Tbsps of Pepitas (or your choice nuts)
- 1 Tbsps of Raisins (or your choice dried fruit)
Put all the ingredients into a bowl and stir gently to mix. 
Place the clusters into cupcake liners (mines are silicone, for non-stick action) or drop them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
Remove from freezer and enjoy!
Chocolate Almond Butter Cups Ingredients (Makes 2-4 Servings)
- 1 Serving of Sugar-Free Chocolate Dip (w/ maple added if desired)
- 1 Tbsp of Raw Almond Butter, Divided
- 1 tsp of your choice vegan protein powder mixed into almond butter (Optional)*
Take two big (pictured above) or four small cupcake liners and spread a little bit of chocolate dip on the bottom. Then divide the almond butter between the liners sections.
Then add the remaining chocolate to cover the almond butter. Freeze for at least 30 minutes (or try in the fridge for an hour?). Remove and eat!
Question: Do you have a recipe that is versatile? My chocolate mousse is definitely good for a brownie filling. Even can be used as frosting. Mmmm, mousse frosting!
Sugar-Free Chocolate Dip (GF & Vegan)
This morning I was feeling me some oats. I had these oats with some soymilk, pumpkin seeds, almonds and a maple syrup drizzle.
Mr. Hercules was being really lazy. I mean… really?
It’s okay, I was doing the same yesterday. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to take my studying outside. Tell me this isn’t an awesome study view?
All that studying made me crave something sweet. I wanted chocolate, but not in candy form. I read Ashley’s blog yesterday and saw her pudding recipe, which was super simple!
I didn’t exactly want pudding, so I took her awesome recipe and tweaked it to make more of a “dip.” Best of all? It’s sugar-free (w/ sugar added option), gluten-free, and vegan. There are options below to make it with added sugar or non-vegan. Check it out!
Sugar-Free Chocolate Dip Ingredients (Inspired by this recipe)
- 2 Tbsps of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil
- 3 Tbsps of Non-Dairy Milk, Divided
- 1-2 Packets of Stevia*
- 1/2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
- OPTIONALS*
- 1 tsp of Pure Maple Syrup or Agave* (again if you don’t mind the added sugar)
- 1-2 Tbsps of Plain or Vanilla Greek Yogurt* (adding this makes it non-vegan)
Place all ingredients (using only 2 Tbsps of non-dairy milk first) into a bowl and stir a bit. Then place in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.
Remove from microwave, stir well and add remaining milk (add Greek Yogurt or maple syrup here, if desired). If it get’s a little “clumpy” just add a splash of milk and place back into the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Enjoy hot or let it cool for 5 minutes, dipping your favorite fruits.
Or pour onto your pancakes, waffles, french toast… get creative! Serves Two! Recipe makes about 1/4 Cup (with Greek Yogurt; about 1/3 cup); 2 Tbsps is nice a serving size. Enjoy!
Question: What’s your favorite kind of dip?
I’m going to have to go with Auntie Anne’s sweet cream dip thing. Cinnamon sugar pretzels and sweet cream = heaven! I don’t eat that anymore due to my allergies. Probably a good thing!
*Awesome tip: Turns into a “mousse” if you leave it in the fridge for like 20 minutes You can eat it all for under 200 calories (depending on the ingredients you use)!*
Just remember… it’s super rich, so a little goes a long way!
Pear, Spice & Everything Nice (Oats Recipe)
I got a little bored of granola. It has been two weeks of eating granola. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cascadian Farm’s granola, but I needed a change. I decided to whip up two servings of oats and get funky.
This recipe is GF, vegan and delicious! Now you have a couple of options here; you can either prepare the oats the hot way over the stove or via microwave and eat it hot or cold (put into fridge after cooking).
Or you can just make the base from this overnight oats recipe and just layer it with the pear and goods since it has everything mixed in already, if you don’t need it to be vegan.
It’s your choice but this recipe below is if you prepare it the hot way. When preparing the oats, you can use GF steel cut, rolled, instant, whatever. Just make sure that it’s two prepared servings. I know it probably sounds more complicated then I am making out to be. My bad.
You can feel free to use non-dairy milk or water when making the oats. I used a half non-dairy milk/ half water ratio, doesn’t matter it’s your choice. Once the oats were done, I put it in the fridge for 15 minutes because I wanted to eat it cold (but you can eat it hot) and then got my layer on. Check it out!
Pear, Spice & Everything Nice Oats Ingredients (Makes Three Servings):
- Two Servings of Cooked GF Oats (Prepared To Your Liking)
- 1 tsp of Cinnamon
- 2 tsps of Agave or Pure Maple Syrup
- 1/4 tsp of Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 Packets of Stevia (or your choice or omit!)
- Base: Slice Up 1 Bartlett Peat
- Toppings: I used 1 Tbsp each of pepitas (pumpkin seeds), raisins, cranberries and almond butter, but feel free to top it your way!
- Don’t forget three small containers for storage!
Taking your cooked oats, add the next four ingredients to it and mix well. Take your Bartlett pear slices and divide it among the three containers. Then take the oats and divide that between the three containers making a layer on top of the pears.
Next divide your toppings between the three containers, sprinkle with a pinch more cinnamon and maybe drizzle a bit extra agave or maple. Eat cold or heat it up for a warm, delicious breakfast. Enjoy!
Question: Oats or Granola? I think I’d have to go with granola despite the fact that I am granola-d out!
Dark Chocolate Coconut “Gelato” (Vegan, Dairy & Soy Free)
What is one of my favorite things?
Gelato. So creamy. So rich. So heavenly.
Believe it or not, I was aiming to make chocolate bars with this particular recipe. But somehow I ended up making what tasted like Talenti’s double chocolate gelato chips sans the chips but with a hint of coconut.
If I had Popsicle molds, I would have totally put this mixture into it. If you have them I would so urge you to use them. This recipe is vegan, dairy and soy free. How much better can it get?
A serving is less then 200 calories and has about 8g of fiber. Wow. Seriously go and make this now. It taste super yummy, is full of yumminess and is so simple to make. Enjoy!
Dark Chocolate “Gelato” Ingredients (Makes Two Servings)
- 1/2 Cup of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2-3 Tbsps of Cream of Coconut (Be sure the mix the can well)
- 1/2 Cup of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (You can use any non-dairy too)
- Dash of Sea Salt
- Optionals: Throw in some coconut flakes, chopped almonds, dark chocolate chips… go crazy!
Take the cream of coconut and place in the microwave for 20 seconds. Then slowly mix the cocoa powder and salt into the cream of coconut. Once that is well mixed, add the almond milk slowly and mix well into the chocolate coconut mixture.
Place into the freezer for about 30 minutes or you can put it in the fridge if you want more of a mousse. If you leave it longer in the freezer, it will get hard. Just be sure to take it out about 10 minutes before you eat it if you do leave it longer. Top with some sliced almonds or coconut flakes and eat!
Question: Gelato or ice cream? I love ice cream but when it comes to gelato, I have to be in the mood. Usually that’s because I can eat copious amounts of it!
Dark Chocolate & Coconut Almond Butter “Truffles”
What has healthy fats, some protein and of course, dark chocolate?
These delicious truffles. They are so rich and decadent, definitely one of my favorite recipes from the blog. Along with the vanilla cake and of course the chocolate mousse, I can’t decide which is my favorite.
Luckily they are all in different categories I suppose? Well now this recipe makes about twelve* little chocolate dipped “truffles” and each one has about 55 calories, 4g fat, and 2.5g protein. This obviously will vary depending on what ingredients you use.
I honestly have nothing else to say about them because they are just that good. They need no words. Just your hands to make them and mouth to eat them. Enjoy!
Dark Chocolate & Coconut Almond Butter “Truffles” Ingredients (Inspired by this recipe)’
- 2-3 Tbsps of Smooth Almond Butter (Raw is yummy, but you ultimately can use your choice, maybe some raw cashew butter?)
- 2 tsps of Coconut Butter
- 20g of Melted Dark Chocolate (70% or higher)
- 1 – 1 1/2 Scoop of Vega All Natural or try the Chocolate Energizing Smoothie Powder
- 1 tsp of Agave Nectar (or try honey)
- Coating: 40g of Dark Chocolate + 2 tsp of Coconut Butter (melted together!)
Place the nut butter and coconut butter in the microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds to softened. Then mix the next three ingredients very well to form a soft dough, that can be made into a ball either using your hands or melon scooper. I just use my hands… I like to get dirty.
If too thick, add a little more agave. If too liquid-y, add more of the Vega energizing smoothie powder. Then make into ten to twelve* truffles. Place in the fridge while you prepare your dark chocolate coating. Take the dark chocolate and coconut butter and melt it together to form the coating.
Let it cool for a couple of minutes, then get your truffles from the fridge. Dip them into the chocolate coating and place on a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper. Put into the fridge for about ten minutes and then eat! Or if you are like me and can’t wait, I put it in the fridge for a minute.
But I promise waiting a bit makes it taste better. Maybe even try using white chocolate instead? Sprinkled with some cinnamon, oh yum!
Question: Truffles or Chocolate? I’m going to go with truffles on this one. Especially Godiva’s cappuccino one. Pure chocolate and coffee bliss.
25 Before 25 Change: A Paleo Week?
Instead of doing a week vegan, I am deciding to do a week Paleo.
Why? Well I have been doing a ton of research the past few days on soy and the Paleo Diet after watching the movie “In Search of The Perfect Human Diet.” It goes into great detail about food during the time of our ancestors and how they didn’t suffer with any food related problems until the introduction of grains, soy, dairy and, of course, processed foods.
Soy Products
If you haven’t seen it, I definitely recommend you check it out. I know for my New Year’s Resolution I opted not to eat meat and do Vegetarian. But like the weather in Massachusetts, I always change my mind. Now, doesn’t mean I am going to grab any piece of meat I find. I still stick to the “buy organic, humanly raise, grass-fed antibiotic and hormone free” mantra I declared last year. Easier said than done, I know.
Local, Grass-Fed Beef? Yes, Please!
Through all my research, the best article I found related to all this was this one from Cave Girl Eats. It summed up information on soy and grains (and their “anti-nutrient” properties) as well as the health benefits from eating a Paleo Diet. How do I feel about Vegetarian diets? Honestly, I still feel like eating Veg gives me the most energy and feels best for my *ehem* bowel movements.
Vegetarian Food Pyramid
When will this occur? Well I do have to finish up my groceries and not having a million dates with people before I leave. To be honest I am tired of labels. I try to stick to what my body enjoys which is mostly vegetarian, eliminating oats and brown rice, and eating dairy products. I also got rid of the scale and calorie counting. Honestly some days I eat 2,600 calories and others 1,600.
Ditch the Scale!
Granted I know more about nutrition then the average American, but I know what works for me. And how I am now seems to work but now I want to try out this challenge of eating a week Paleo. My bile reflux is under control and I am not as gasy anymore with my current diet.
Paleo Food Pyramid
However, I still am a tad bloated so I want to see what this diet will do for me. Maybe it will do wonders. Maybe it will do nothing at all. But I am going to give a go. Oh and check out my meal planning for this week. Yes, I’ve been good. Just click the image to enlarge, will ya?
Looks Like Paleo Week Starts This Sunday!
Question: Have you heard of the Paleo Diet? What’s your take on it? And have you heard any crazy information on soy and it’s “anti-nutrient” properties. Gee nutrition information seems endless.
I’ll just stick to what works and call it a day. (Note: Click images for their original source!)
Amaretto Fudge “Truffles” (GF & Vegan)
Amy from DAMY Health posted a link for some Valentine’s Day desserts. The one that caught my eye was the amaretto fudge truffles. However, I didn’t have any dates. I needed to improvise, so I tweaked the recipe a bit and came up with my own little dessert version of her yummy truffles. For this recipe, I added a scoop of this all natural deliciousness.
If you so happen to eat half of this recipe like me, you will have eaten one full serving of veggies! I love this Vega energizing smoothie powder for that. Oh, but please feel free to use your favorite protein powder and let me know how it goes (and what kind too). This particular batch of six* truffles that I made have about 3g of protein and 75 calories per truffle.
You will notice there are two nut butter options; I highly recommend using raw cashew butter for this recipe, because the taste is way creamier and decadent. Since I know cashew butter is more expensive, you can also use raw almond butter. It won’t taste as rich, but it will certainly do. Enjoy!
Amaretto Fudge “Truffles” Ingredients (Inspired by this recipe)’
- 2 1/2 Tbsps of Smooth Almond or Cashew Butter (Raw)
- 1 – 1 1/2 Tbsps of the Homemade “Caramel” Sauce (makes all the difference! Or try coconut oil or just Earth Balance, but that may change the taste, so beware!)
- 1 Scoop of Vega All Natural or Chocolate Smoothie Powder (or try vanilla almond?)
- 1/4 tsp of Almond Extract
- Filling: 2 tsps of almonds, 2 tsps of dark chocolate chips or your choice of crunch (or omit!)
- Coating: Roll truffles in cocoa powder, the Vega energizing smoothie powder (if you don’t mind the green look) or chopped almonds.
Prepare the “caramel” sauce before making this recipe. Then place the nut butter in the microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds to softened. Then mix the first four ingredients very well to form a soft dough, that can be made into a ball either using your hands or melon scooper.
If too thick, add more “caramel” sauce. If too liquid-y, add more Vega energizing smoothie powder. Then add your choice of filling, the ones pictured have chopped almonds. Make into six to eight* truffles and roll in your choice coating.
The truffles above are rolled in cocoa powder and below rolled in the Vega all natural energizing smoothie powder. Maybe even try and dip the truffles dark or white chocolate for a decadent treat!
Question: Are you a fan of truffles? My favorite are from Godiva and Lindt. Delish!
Things That Make Me Better
This cat… I don’t know. Some days I hate him, others I just want to kick his tiny butt. 
The most precious thing happened the other night. I had my hand out because I was half asleep and Mr. Hercules put his paw into my hand. I nearly melted at how cute he is. 
I love him so… 
This weekend I went and got my gym on. It felt so good to feel strong and amazing. I’m not even embarrassed anymore to do regular weights in front of people. Why should I be? 
I also went to pick up the Vega smoothie powder. I decided to get the natural flavor and just add vanilla or maple extract. It was on sale for $14.99 from $16.99. Each serving is only $1.25. Not too bad.Why didn’t I think of adding some to my daily coffee? I usually drink two cups, so I will add half a scoop to each one. I know, looks weird but whatevs, taste delicious!
Lastly, my mom gave me these samples of Burt’s Bees lotions for day and night. So far I love how they brighten my face. I may have to go out and buy me the big bottles because my skin feels amazing in just two day. Why yes, some will be given away soon for sure!
Question: Have you ever tried any Burts Bee’s products? If you’re a coffee drinker, have you ever added protein powder to your coffee? I find some dissolve better then others, how about you?
Getting My Protein On
Happy Birthday to the most awesome dad ever. Yes, we mostly at times clash. But no matter what happens between us, I will always love you. Forever and ever.
I arrived yesterday to New York safe and sound. It was a pretty quick drive. Blasting techno always helps. I wanted to have some food to make breakfast tomorrow, so my brother took me to Fairway to grab a few things (review coming soon).
I ended up making a little parfait for this morning using the Chobani honey bee-nana, almond butter, maple drizzle, cinnamon and almonds.
It was super delicious and now one of my new Chobani favs!
I also got to making some protein cakes using the Vega vanilla almond smoothie. I added it to my breakfast cake recipe plus adding a tsp of almond butter.
I sampled a mini one and it was really good. I love that this powder has omega 3′s and two servings of veggies. I’m not the type to drink something, which is why I add it to recipes.
I even added some to my coffee. It didn’t blend too well, but perhaps in an iced coffee it would.
This morning, before the doctor’s, I went for a jog in Orchard Beach. It was freakin’ cold, but I enjoyed every moment. It’s just calming and relaxing.
I also went to the gym to get my Arc machine and lower body weight training on. My legs are sore but hey, look what I did! I’m at 130 lbs on the adductor. I remember a few months ago I started at 80lbs. Yay for strength! 
Question: Any accomplishments for you this week or this month? I am off to dinner soon, mmmm can’t wait!
