November 30, 2011

Coconut Lime Bars

I think you’ve heard me confess in some other post that I am not a big chocolate lover. Yeah, I said it! I like chocolate, I just don’t LOOOVE it like I love desserts starring coconut, citrus, nuts, cinnamon, or fruit. When Christmas rolls around, I have a bunch of chocolate related gifts from people and what do I do with them? I pass them off to my husband, who happily devours anything sweet in nature.

If you were to give me any type of homemade treat for Christmas, I’d happily enjoy a little package of these Coconut Lime Bars. Let me tell you why! Imagine two outrageously chewy cookies (one coconut & one macadamia nut lime) placed on top of each other & smooshed together in bar form. That’s what these bars taste like. The bite is AMAZING and that crunch from the macadamia nut? I die.

So when you’re thinking of homemade gifts, consider your friends (like me!) who don’t go gaga for chocolate. These will certainly do the trick! Besides, your bars will stand out in a crowd and you know how much we want that 😉

recipes, Uncategorized

November 29, 2011

Grape Cucumber Pear Juice

I get the feeling that everyone who owns a juicer is juicing this week. Am I right or am I right? I was toying with the idea of doing another 3-day juice cleanse this week, but my head’s not there yet. I’ve got have a whole box of crackers in the pantry and a few coconut lime bars (recipe soon!) to eat through first. I did however, juice til dinner on Saturday and that felt pretty great.

In the 3 Day Cleanse book, they describe this juice as being “very clean tasting.” After my eat week, that was all I needed. The grapes are sweet & juicy. The pear & cucumber are both pleasantly mellow and the ginger is a nice kick in the pants. This what I like to call a spa juice. Put some cucumber slices on your eyes, wrap a towel around your head and drink away. Clothing is totally optional.

recipes, Uncategorized

November 27, 2011

Kale Salad w/ Coconut & Sesame Oil

While everyone was reheating their leftover Thanksgiving dinner Friday night, I rushed out to the grocery store (which was nice & empty BTW) to fill up my cart up with vegetables to juice and kale to inhale. It seems that last week I ate like my life depended on it; it’s the holidays!

Saturday morning I woke up and juiced, went for a walk, cleaned house, worked in the kitchen, decorated our house for Christmas, drank water like a fish, juiced again and made this amazing kale salad for dinner.

One of the reasons I picked this recipe from the Super Natural Every Day Cookbook was that it looked extremely healthy, yet filling. I also thought it would help get my taste buds in check since they were accepting nothing but pumpkin pie and my mom’s stuffing for 24 hours straight. I found myself scarfing down the salad, but it wasn’t because I was super hungry. The toasted coconut and the crispy kale coated in olive oil, sesame oil and shoyu created a buttery/salty/ crunchy effect that I like to call instant crack! It’s a delightful thing when “health food” becomes addictive, isn’t it?
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my everyday life, Photography

November 26, 2011

365- Week 47

A food related photo everyday until 2012. Here’s week 46:

326/365 Candy Cane Joe Joe’s on my counter = dangerous!

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Uncategorized

November 25, 2011

I love lists Friday!

My friend Sally has the coolest DIY push pin project. It involves nail polish!
A very cool retro/modern advent calendar DIY. We totes need one of these.
Banana Snacking Cake with Cashew Cream. I love any cake that’s called a SNACKING cake.
I wonder if I’d like amaretto if I made it myself?
Sweet Potato biscuits with faces on them! Hilarious, Deb!
Guinness Chocolate Cake with Whiskey Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting. ‘Nuff said.
If you’ve wanted to start food blogging, Irvin’s got you covered!
I absolutely LOVE these posts: Dating My Husband: How To
Thanksgiving may be over, but check out this pretty table. So inspiring!
I love reading through the comments on this post.
Kill some time, draw a stick man! Or anything for that matter. It’s really fun.

But wait! There’s more:

-This week on High Straightenence over at Homefries, you can check out how I’m tackling my obscene paper situation with my new Paper Station!

-There’s a new Joy the Baker Podcast. We talk about Surviving Thanksgiving (or any holiday for that matter!). Lots of giggling this week.

-If you’ve wondered what it’s like to be a food blogger during Thanksgiving, here’s my take on the Shutterfly Blog.

around the home, Uncategorized

November 23, 2011

I am thankful for:

I am thankful for YOU. That’s right, YOU. I love your comments. I love your love. I love it when you tweet me or post pictures on my Facebook page of a recipe you’ve made from my website. You brighten my day and you keep me going. You make my life happy. THANK YOU!

There are other things in my life that I am thankful for. First! I am thankful for my camera phone which allows me to take pictures of what I am thankful for. Here we go!
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Uncategorized

November 22, 2011

Last Minute Thanksgiving

Here we are, two days away from Thanksgiving. TWO DAYS. Truth be told, I haven’t given much thought to what I’m making this year because I’m living in a place called DENIAL right now.

What I do know is that I’ll be making a scrumptious sweet potato puree with pecans that I’ve never posted before cuz I always make it last minute and never have enough time to photograph it. Maybe one year I’ll get around to it. This year I’ve been given the responsibility of making a fancy dessert and I’m thinking this Pear Cranberry Crumble might fit the bill! My mom always makes a traditional pumpkin pie but we always like something new and different to serve with it.

If you’re waiting til the last minute like me, let me throw you a life raft. I’ve got a few ideas for you!