Hey there, my little broccoli sprouts!
With this year quickly coming to an close, I thought, what better way to spice up this last boring Monday than with a little foodie celebration? I mean, today and tomorrow aren’t going to be very productive for many of us out there anyway. So let’s break out those party hats and noisemakers a little early…and heck, if you wanna pop open a bottle of champagne while you’re at it, you won’t hear any complaints from me! So here we go. Based on you guys’ happy little clicker fingers, I present to you…
Your TOP TEN recipes of 2014!
PS, you really don’t want to know how long it took me to make that collage. And now you can all pause for a moment to admire its beauty before reading any further. Really…scroll back up…ahhhh, that’s better. 😉
1. No-Bake Protein “Buzz” Bites
It’s really no surprise that these little cuties made the top of the list. Healthy foodies everywhere are always on the hunt for a good portable snack. These No-Bake Protein “Buzz” Bites meet those nutritional needs you’re looking for and can also put a little pep in your step too thanks to the addition of JAVAPRO protein powder!
Ahhh, my post Christmas reboot! This Detox Quinoa Salad is a good way to get yourself back on track after an indulgent holiday season…with REAL FOOD! With nutty quinoa, creamy avocado, juicy pomegranate seeds, and a bit of lemon, it is an absolute explosion of flavors and textures. And damn, you just feel good eating it! <- Kinda like all those pictures you see in magazines of girls eating salads with HUGE smiles on their faces.
The thickest, creamiest smoothie I’ve ever made WITHOUT protein powder! Cottage cheese, avocado, and beets come together to make on hell of a drink. Ditch the straw…the only way to enjoy this baby is with a spoon. And I promise, it’s too sweet to even taste the beets! Oh snap, I made a rhyme! 😉
Oh look, the bars I took 409,239 pictures of! Besides helping me “teach” class on food photography, these chewy Chunky Monkey Granola Bars, filled with peanut butter, bananas, and mini chocolate chips have gotten me through many of a hangry state this year…since I was smart and froze half the batch!
Another gem from my little experiment with the SP Food Cleanse. While I only made it nine out of the twenty one days before yielding to the lords of bread and eggs, I have to say it really helped me get more imaginative in the kitchen. Coming from a person who’s never really jumped on the chia seed bandwagon, I have to say this Carrot Cake Chia Pudding helped sway me a bit. And I only ended up with two stuck in my teeth!
The #strangebutgood recipe that surprised even ME! But just like my “Spring” Pea Dip, I proved that we all need to give peas a chance…as dessert! This Vegan Sweet Pea Smoothie combines frozen peas and banana with a hint of mint to make a flavor that is just almost shocking to believe…kind of like the existence of aliens. Yes, this is just a green, sippable crop circle.
If there is one thing I love more than the near instant gratification of a microwavable mug cake, it’s the fact that I can stuff all kinds of vegetables in them and no one would be the wiser. *insert evil laugh here* This Valentine’s Day Mug Cake, with its unBEETable texture will let you have your cake and hey, why not eat two? 😉
8. Vegan Beautifying Beet Smoothie
With the same game plan as the original, this VEGAN version of my Beautifying Beet Smoothie uses tofu instead of cottage cheese to pack in some protein that’s seriously fit for a princess. And just in case you’re wondering, yes, I do still have my tiara from prom.
Not many people think of quinoa as a sweet dish, but if you consider it as just another grain, like oatmeal, it doesn’t sound all that strange. Getting in touch with my ninja farmer side again, I packed TWO servings of vegetables in this Carrot Cake Quinoa. Then I topped it with melty coconut butter and birds started singing outside my window. No really. It went something like this.
Ok, so I literally jumped up and down in my seat when I saw that my PB&J Granola made the cut…fuck save the best for last, that’s what I always say! This was another recipe that I had a lot of fun with (read: took an embarrassing amount of pictures of) and oh my god, those clusters! Ugh, I really need to get some more peanut flour soon!
Did YOUR favorite KMB recipe of 2014 make the list?
