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Cha- Cha- Cha- Chia Pancakes!

Posted on July 22, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Here it is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for!

Allow me to refresh your memory…

Cha- cha- cha- CHIA!!!

But don’t just think I’m stuttering when I utter those words that will forever be a part of American pop culture, because there is an explanation behind every extra syllable.

Cherry…

Chocolate…

Chip!

Oh…um, sweetie? I think you have a bit of drool on your chin there 😉

These cakes have morphed into more than you can even imagine this week…in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if my skin started to take on a rosy glow from the amount of cherries I’ve consumed…but come to think of it, I DO think my hair is a bit shinier now…thanks Mr. Chia! 🙂

Remember my “retail therapy” on the fourth? Well, I decided this week, I was going to experiment with my newly acquired quinoa flour and I think I have officially found my new favorite baking ingredient! It has a bit of an earthy smell to it, but with the addition of a little cinnamon and some flavor extract, you can’t taste it at all. Besides the fact that one serving has a little bit extra “oomph” in the protein department, it has amazing absorption. So what does that mean?

More absorbable flour means more liquid needed means…

BIGGER PANCAKES!!!

I tried the same recipe with brown rice flour and with whole wheat pastry flour and while they still tasted great, to my disappointment, they produced much smaller cakes. And well, I’m all about quality AND quantity!

A very wise woman once said it best:
“I’m a woman of the modern age…I want it all!” 😉

So after not one, not two, but FOUR plates of different versions of these beauties over the last several days, I can safely say we have a winner with today’s batch. I’m not one to call myself a “lover” of chocolate (I know, I’m weird), but there are just some combinations that just can’t be ignored. One is my beloved peanut butter and chocolate and the other, cherries and chocolate! They were TRULY meant to be!

But don’t take my word for it, try them out for yourself!

Cha- Cha- Cha- Chia Pancakes

By: Heather Powers

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12-15 minutes

Keywords: fry breakfast pancakes gluten-free paleo vegan vegetarian dairy-free chia seeds chocolate quinoa flour summer

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1/4 cup quinoa flour*
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum**
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk*
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (can use vanilla, but almond brings out the cherry flavor more)
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
1/8 cup chopped, pitted cherries

Instructions

1. Heat skillet to medium heat and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Fold in chocolate chips and cherries.
4. Spoon onto skillet, forming 3 small to medium-sized pancakes and allow to cook 5-6 minutes per side.
5. Plate and top with yogurt, cherries and chocolate chips.

*If you don’t have access to quinoa flour, you can sub in any gluten-free flour (or whole wheat, just omit the xanthan gum), but reduce the amount of almond milk to 1/2 cup and once combined, set the bowl aside for about 5 minutes so that the chia seeds can expand and “plump” up the batter a bit.

**If you don’t have xanthan gum (which I really recommend for gluten-free baking AND it makes an excellent smoothie), try subbing in the same amount of cornstarch for thickening purposes.

Nutritional stats (pre-toppings): 298 calories, 13g fat, 39 carbs, 8g protein

A little sinful…

A little more healthy…

And a whole lotta delicious.

Happy Pancake Sunday!

What is your favorite thing to pair with chocolate?

Posted in Breakfast, Gluten-free, Pancake Sunday, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged cherries, chocolate, Greek yogurt, pancakes, quinoa flour, recipe, summer | 28 Comments

Friday Fun & A Giveaway!

Posted on July 20, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

Whelp, it’s FINALLY Friday! You guys have any big plans for the weekend? BB is on his way home THIS minute so the only plan I have this weekend is to get my fill of snuggling!

Cheesy, mushy, “gag-me”, I know…but it’s true! 🙂

So I thought I’d have a little fun with this post before I get to the second half of the title…yes, a giveaway…but you can hold on to your britches for just a couple of minutes can’t you?

No scrolling down to the end now! 😉

You see, sometimes it feels like I have TWO blogs…one on here and one on Instagram. Every now and then they merge, but I thought I’d do a post to kinda fill in the gaps as of late and show you a few of my latest uploads!

So here goes!

Remember that spinach pasta I picked up from Whole Foods waaaaaaay back when? Well, I finally ran out of arugula this week and was sadly left with no greens the other day when I was craving a huge salad beast…

So meet my “pasta” salad! 😉

I know a few of you were interested in how the pasta tasted, so I’ll tell you…

It tasted like nothing…Not good. Not bad…just nothing! Lol

But my salad sure was delicious! I threw in some crumbled tempeh, raw okra, carrots, red bell pepper, and some tomatoes and topped it ok with a bit of nooch…

Ok, a LOT of nooch!

I took my first spin class in over a year today…I was totally siked when I realized my favorite trainer, Claudia, was teaching the class and she quickly reminded me why she’s my favorite…

Because she totally kicks my butt!

I’ve recently become obsessed with self manicures…

My first try at a variation of the “gradient manicure”

And my most recent, what I’m calling “summer fun”

I may or may not have done this one while on the clock…spread out over my shift, I’m pretty sure it was the longest manicure ever! Lol

Speaking of the night shift,

For the first time in over TWO MONTHS, I had my second cup of coffee today.

I have been SUCKING in the sleep department recently…really hoping I can find a good plan soon so that I don’t become super dependent on caffeine to keep me awake or pills to keep me asleep! :-/

On a more positive note, I went shopping with a friend yesterday! She took me to Ft. Campbell where we stopped by the GNC before heading to the brand new Commissary (grocery store).

And I scored some pretty awesome goodies that I can’t wait to try!

I also picked up a new Camelbak bottle…you know, because the four I already have isn’t enough! But check this, it has a built in water filter! I bought one for BB for Christmas and he loves it!

I managed some restraint at the Commissary since I’m mulling over the idea of doing Lindsay’s Survive on 35 Challenge next week…

Seaweed seasoning, mango coconut pepper sauce, chocolate mocha coffee (which is deeeeelicious btw), PB2 (whoop whoop!), and Soy Joy bars for 50 cents each!

Oh and I also snagged a fresh spring roll from the sushi counter!

Which I devoured in the car, but not before proclaiming it’s deliciousness to my friend at least a dozen times!

Then I decided I wanted to make my own so we stopped by one of the Asian markets on the way back home.

Rice paper x TWO, a roasted seaweed snack, and some ginormous puffed wheat cakes!

Once home and settled in for the evening, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to munch on:

Mutant puffed wheat cake, meet my new casein protein, chocolate, cinnamon, bananas, and SPRINNNNNNNNNKLES!

And it was even BETTER than it looks! 😉

I’ve been looking for a good casein protein powder for a few weeks now. After 15 minutes or so of comparing labels, I decided to go with the Re-Feed from GNC’s line of protein powder because it A.) had pretty good stats and B.) had the least amount of ingredients and NOW I can add a C.) tastes AMAZING!!

And lastly…

I’ve been a bit of a tease…

On more than one occasion.

But, you’ll just have to wait until Sunday for the recipe to my latest creation…
Cha Cha Cha Chia Pancakes!

Until then, how about I tide you over with the dream of owning this bad boy:

Stainless steel with a locking lid AND a spoon holder!

The lovely people over at SlimKicker recently contacted me explaining that they are looking for some fresh ideas for health and fitness challenges for their website so much so that they are willing to give one lucky commenter this amazing slow cooker for FREE!

SlimKicker is a calorie counter and game that turns your diet and fitness goals into a level-up game with points, rewards and challenges. You level up by tracking healthy calories and exercises, and completing challenges such as quitting soda for a week. They also have recipe suggestions for many diets such as Medifast and Weight Watchers.”

You guys know that I recently started tracking my calories and I’ve checked out SlimKicker’s site and think it’s a fun way to help motivate and support people through their weight loss journey. And now we can have a bit of fun too!

All you have to do is leave a comment with an fun idea for a fitness and diet challenge.

Here are a few examples:
The Green Meal Challenge: Eat something green in every meal, no matter how small the portion size is.
Exercise before Facebook: For the next week, you can’t check Facebook or your favorite website unless you did 15 minutes of exercise (a short walk if it’s a rest day)
Stress Relief: Find a way to relieve stress 10 minutes a day.

And the best part is there are examples and ideas inside each challenge to help get people going! Neat, huh?

Whoever comes up with the best, most creative idea will be selected by SlimKicker as the winner!

Only open to US residents. Giveaway will run until next Thursday (11:59pm CST) with the winner announced on Friday’s post!

Good luck!

Posted in Friday Fun, Giveaway, Product Review, Shopping, Snacks | Tagged Camelbak, Instagram, pancakes, protein powder, shopping, sprinkles | 49 Comments

Meet My Blends: Katie @ Talk Less Say More

Posted on July 19, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey boos!

Imma keep this short and sweet because I have my very first…totally official…debut…

GUEST POSTER!!

I know, right? It only took me a month and a half! 😉

Tonight’s post is from the beautiful Katie of Talk Less Say More!

I had the privilege of meeting Katie and getting to know her while attending the Blend Retreat in Colorado in May. Recap posts here, here, here, here annnnnd here! 😉

We hiked, we boot-camped, and we noshed our way through the a wonderfully wild weekend and I only wished we had had more time to get to know each other. Since the retreat, I have absolutely LOVED getting to know her even more by following her blog and ~~occasionally~~ frequently stalking her via Instagram 😉

I thought it would be great to have a “meet and greet” sort of theme for this post, so I threw some questions her way and she came back with some great answers!

So without further adieu…or anymore of my rambling…how about a nice warm welcome for Katie? 😉

How long have you been blogging and what inspired you to start your own?

I started blogging in January 2011 as a way to share my journey of healthy living, fitness and life. I needed to find an outlet to express the way I was feeling and to document my adventures.

How much time do you spend on your blog each day?

On average I spend about 1-2 hours per day, depending on the post. Some days I can spend a lot less time but others I may spend longer.

What is your favorite thing to write about?

I love writing about life. Honestly as much as I love healthy living and fitness, it’s the little things in life that carry us through each day. Talking about the fun or little things that have brought me joy are definitely the most fun to talk about.

Where were you born?

I was born in a small suburb of Chicago and lived there for the first 18 years of my life. (And then I haven’t been able to stop moving!)

Do you have any siblings?

I have one sister who is two years older than me. Her name is Bethany and I often refer to her as a much better person than me. While I move from state to state, she often moves from country to country, including multiple moves to Senegal to support the Peace Corps and/or assist with research and training. I’m the one who went to school for Rock & Roll… 😉

Ok, just popping in for a minute…is she not utterly breathtaking in this pic?!
That’s all! 😉

Did/do you have any special nicknames?

My parents used to always call me “Katie girl” as a kid. I kind of hated it but I dealt with it. Thankfully they no longer use that nickname. And the only nicknames I have are “Katie” or “Kate” as no one calls me “Katelyn.” (Did you even know that was my real name?)

What motivates you to live a healthy lifestyle?

Someone told me when I was in college that you’re in the best shape of your life in your 20s. Whether this is true or not, I decided that the best shape of my life should be something I was proud calling my best shape. Even if it all “goes downhill from here,” it can never be that bad.

How is the Fitmixer challenge going? What is your favorite & least favorite thing about the program?

The FitMixer Bootcamp has been awesome! I decided to join the program as a way to change up my workout and that’s exactly what it has done. I went into the program not looking to necessarily lose weight, but if it happened along the way, then I was okay with it. And I’ve actually lost 4 lbs – what?!

While I expected to hate counting calories, I actually have enjoyed it as it’s allowed me to look further at what I eat and when, and analyzing if I’m eating out of hunger, boredom, or emotion.

I’m not sure I necessarily have a least favorite thing as I’ve really enjoyed the Bootcamp. But with that, the hardest thing for me has been motivating myself to complete some of the workouts. If they don’t catch my attention or there’s a specific move in the mix that I’m not looking forward to, I have a hard time motivating myself to actually complete the whole activity.

What is your favorite sport/outdoor activity?

I love hiking but I also love a little yoga overlooking the ocean. It’s definitely a nice perk of living in SoCal near the beach.

What is your favorite food?

Peanut butter and almond butter!! Can I call that my favorite food? 🙂

What kind of healthy snacks do you reach for the most?

I often reach for fruit, nuts, granola / protein bars or smoothie / protein shakes.

What is your one food vice/kryptonite?

I have the biggest sweet tooth ever! Put chocolate, cookies, or ice cream / frozen yogurt in front of me and I have the hardest time saying no!

What did you do for the fourth of July?

I was in NYC visiting friends. We went to the roof top of my friend’s apartment in Jersey City and got a 360 degree view of fireworks, including an amazing view of the NYC fireworks.

What’s the last book you read?

Harry Potter 7! A couple months ago I finished reading and watching each Harry Potter book for the first time, ever! I’ve tried to read a few books since but have hardly made it more than a couple of pages.

What song/album can you just not get enough of lately?

Of Monsters and Men – My Head is an Animal

Top three things you want to do or see before the end of summer 2012!

Hydrobiking – I actually have done this! We went for my friend’s birthday and it was SO fun!!

Wine tasting

Get a massage

Ahh, I’ve been wanting to try hydrobiking since I saw her post on Instagram and had to ask BB what the heck it was! Lol

Thank you SO much, Katie, for being my very first guest post!

I would absolutely LOVE to start up a series and introduce you guys to ALL my Blends (Blogger + Friend = BLEND)! If anyone is interested in doing a guest post, just shoot me a quick email and we’ll work out all the deets!

Until then, tell me something:

What are three things YOU want to do or see before the end of this summer?
Here are mine:
1. Go canoeing on the Red River
2. Stick my toes in ocean water (BB promised me a beach vacation this summer!)
3. Learn how to use my camera off of “auto mode” 😉