Hello everyone!
Here I present you with my first attempt at an ombre cake...
I always see these online (especially on pinterest)

In my opinion they looked pretty cool, but how easy is it really?
Ever had one of those moments where your on pinterest (or some other social media) and you see a really cute diy and your like, yeah I can totally do this...
11 minutes later you're downstairs in your basement with a glue gun in hand and about to have a mental breakdown.

I knew this cake wasn't going to give me a complete mental breakdown, but I didn't really want this cake to give me too much stress.

Well, like most of the recipes on this blog, this one isn't as difficult as it looks.

Oh. and to make it extra ombre, I dyed coconut flakes in different shades of color also!

Pretty much this cake started from a basic vanilla recipe. 

Then I split the batter in three bowls and added a few drops of food coloring in each (making sure each bowl was gradually darker).

Now for the coconut... 

actually it's the exact same concept but you're putting the coconut in a bag and shaking it with the food coloring.

Sooo the whole reason I made this cake was to surprise my mom for her birthday (mostly because I couldn't find her a birthday present #oops)

But hey food can count as a present right?

Anyways... if you're itching to try an ombre cake... go for it!!

See you soon!

XO

Lauren

"It's Complicated" Nachos

Hello everybody!! I'm baaacckk

and this time I come with cheese and chips (like how can this end up badly?)

Being tired of lacking inspiration in the kitchen,  I picked up a copy of the latest Epicurious magazine. 

It was actually a really good issue that features recipes from different sections of America. After flipping through it rather quickly, these nachos caught my eye in the Southwest section.

I'v always had a soft spot for nachos, of course I never really had them often except on Super Bowl sunday. They were just the classic, simple ones though, just really salty chips and sharp cheddar cheese.
I really loved the idea of these more complicated nachos that introduced even more flavors for more complex pallets.

BAM. No plans for lunch plus plenty of time (I'm on break from classes)…. this was happening.
I kind of took the recipe from Epicurious and changed it up a bit.
soo i added…
-cheddar + monterey jack
-feta
-black beans
-onion
-cilantro
-shredded chicken
-and a good shaking of chili powder:)

then add to the oven at 350 degrees for a little less than 10 minutes

There ya go… "It's Complicated" nachos
XO
Lauren

Homemade Chex Mix

Yep you heard me right… homemade chex mix.
It's a slightly (emphasis on the slightly) healthier version of the store bought.
Personally, I love it even more than the original.

I originally made this for a super bowl party, but hey, we all get busy.
The saltiness and the crunch make this snack a touchdown (see what I did there… yeah that pun should have been used a long time ago)

I have to say I always find myself picking out the bagel chips and pretzels (they're the best part!!)
Sooo enjoy this favorite snack… but don't enjoy it too much as I said before they're not that healthy:)

You can find the recipe here .
XO
Lauren

Super Greens Cocoa Nut Muffins

Hello again, today I have some muffins for you, BUT there's a catch… there actually healthy and good for you *gasps*

I know what your thinking, how can these super chocolate muffins be healthy? 

Well for starters this recipe uses quinoa flour and it has a bunch of fruit aaaanndddd super protein powder.
I picked up this fantastic breakfast recipe from Suzy Brown (she's a awesome nutrition counselor)…. sooooo credit to her:)
Basically I love making these ahead of time and freezing them to reheat for a fast breakfast the next morning. My brother (who is not the best eater) always gets so excited when I make 'em.

Go go give them a try! I know some of the ingredients look a little scary, but trust me it tastes fantastic together.

Super Greens Cocoa Nut Muffins

www.wellnesstoliveby.com

1 cup quinoa flour

1 cup almond meal (ground up almonds)

3oz (about 11 pitted) Dates (soaked in 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 bananas

1 tbs. coconut oil (or canola)

2 tbs. baking powder

½ cup raw agave

2 tbs. chocolate soy nut butter

2 scoop Amazing Grass Greens Super food (chocolate flavor)

Soak pitted dates in unsweetened vanilla almond milk for about 20-30 minutes. Pre heat oven 375. After soaking add pitted dates and almond milk to blender with 2 bananas, 2 eggs, melted coconut oil, raw agave, chocolate soy nut butter, and greens chocolate powder. Blend on medium to high till puree. In large mixing bowl put quinoa flour, almond meal and baking powder and pour in liquid from blender and stir in all together till smooth.

Grease muffin baking tin with canola spray and pour in 2/3 liquid in each. Top each muffin with your choice of toppings: organic chocolate chips, raw coconut,  raw oatmeal, walnuts, almond shavings, bananas, apples or strawberries.

Candied Almonds

Lets just say every time the holidays roll around everyone gets a little "nuts" over these almonds (no pun intended:) but actually pun totally intended). These nuts are a perfect little gift for those people you don't really know what to get (and/or too lazy to actually think of something). These nuts are so simple to make and only have a few ingredients. I used this recipe to make these.




These only have 4 ingredients…
-almonds (duh!)
-sugar
-brown sugar
-egg whites

It totally can't get any easier than that, can it?




And after I finished baking these I put them in these little cute mason jars and tied a ribbon around them. What can I say? Pinterest has been getting to me:)

Come on, they're pretty cute, you know it. Christmas gifts done! (check that off)

Hope you guys have a wonderful holiday!
XO Lauren