March: The Month of Rebellion

Posted on March 28, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

What up, broccoli kissers!

Well, it’s about that time of month again…can you believe it? As much as I’ve complained about winter, I honestly didn’t think it’d EVER come to an end, and here we are saying good-bye to March and hello to ~~spring~~ four weeks of continually grey skies and lots of rain. Hey, what can I say, I’m a realist!

N-E-wayyyy, let’s get this post a-going with a red-lipped rockin’ selfie, eh?

For the record, I was ~~stopped at a stop sign~~ totally driving when I snapped this pic! 😯

Current Book:

After flying through some pages in February, I actually had a hard time getting into the reading grove again this month, but I will say that picking up this bargain book at the store a couple of weeks ago was a bright idea…Theresa Weir really has a way of transporting you right into the scenes she paints in this enchanting memoir.

Hmm, what do ya say, have I got a future in literary criticism? 😉

Current Music:

I’ve alluded to my knew-found infatuation with Lana Del Ray and other songs that give me an excuse to bust out the sailor language (as if I really need an excuse), but this on is actually on the PG side…and has been on repeat for the last few weeks…just ask Melissa! 😉

Current Guilty Pleasure:

Yep, totally beat the system with these No-Bake Protein “Buzz” Bites! Muahahaha! Just um…don’t tell my therapist, mmmkay? I may be a rebel but I’m a goody-goody at heart!

Current Nail Color:

Nubbaaaaaay! 😉

Current Entertainment:

Spot-i-fy! Oh and randomly going through my social media pages and deleting people…it’s my version of Spring cleaning!

Current Wish/Needs:

The bites are good y’all…no lying there…and I’m all for settling out the matter of this insomnia nonsense, but for serious?! Can a girl getta cup of friggin’ COFFEE?!?! Never has it been clearer to me that you always want whatever it is that you know you can’t have!

Current Food:

As of yesterday…the cheese stands alone. As in GONE. Ok, so maybe the table stands alone? Whatevs…the funny thing is the blue cheese, which was the first one I tried, was the last one I finished! The Sartori Espresso (as in coated IN espresso) was my favorite…for many obvious and continually rebellious reasons!

Current Drink:

Hello, my name is Heather and I’m a ~~recovering~~ practicing alcoholic! Laura, you should know that I ~~blame~~ THANK you for this! 😉

Current Triumphs:

Finally realizing that I’m more intuitive now than I’ve been in several years. Not saying I’m completely “healed” as far as my relationship with food, especially since this has been a trying week for me, but like I mentioned in THIS POST, I’m well on my way…and definitely proud of myself for it!

Current Bane of Existence:

My back! I’m not sure why, but for the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the worse shooting pains come out of nowhere…to the point where one day I couldn’t even bend over! Definitely hasn’t made the last week any easier. 🙁

Current Blogger Crush:

Have you met Tatum? I’ve totally been blog/Instagram-stalking her for over a month now. This girl’s attitude and sarcasm…seriously? My sister from another mister. And just when I’m planning on confessing my love and adoration of her at Blend this summer, she totally breaks my heart and puts her ticket on sale on IG!

So yeah, if you’re looking for a ticket…you can take her place, but you will never TAKE HER PLACE! Why Tatum…whyyyyyy?!?!

Current Indulgence:

And a much-needed indulgence at that (see Bane of Existence). Not one but TWO massages this month…and I swear, if I had the time, I’d have gotten another! Or maybe the trouble is that I haven’t been drinking any wine this week. Hmm…

Current Blessing:

A good job that pays well enough for me to indulge myself in two massages in one month, my mama who picks me pretty spring flowers, getting to spend an entire weekend with Melissa, good friends who offer great advice and a change in perspective, Snapchat…because well, I’m addicted, and ALL THE HOT YOGA!

Current Outfit:

Tie-dyed harem pants, a thick headband to tie up my new dreadlocks, a tree of life medallion, and an overall scent of patchouli… 😉

Current Excitement:

I’m going with the rebellious theme here and I’m…not telling!

Current Link:

Spotify…24/7! Did you know from the computer, you get unlimited skips?!!

Current Mood:

Anxious! Come back Monday and I’ll tell you why!

Posted in Currently | Tagged blends, cheese, family, friends, hot yoga, insomnia, music, Spotify, wine | 30 Comments

No-Bake Protein “Buzz” Bites

Posted on March 27, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of JAVAPRO.

COFFEE

Alright, who out there perked up just by seeing that word? 😉 I have to say, even with my caffeine sensitivity, I could never live without coffee for too long. Hence the reason I’ve gone absolutely MAD since my doctor told me to discontinue my coffee drinking until we solve my little “Night of the Walking Dead” problem.

So can you imagine the distress I was in when I discovered that FitFluential had chosen me to review and sample the coffee protein powder from Nature’s Best?? I swear, I had it on my kitchen counter, just staring at it, for a week before I FINALLY came up with and idea that would later cause me to lose my breath, let out a very audible sigh, grin and promptly pat myself on the back.

Because hey, the doc never said I couldn’t EAT my coffee! 😀

JAVAPRO is a protein powder made with REAL coffee and comes in six different flavors (French vanilla, latte, hazelnut, caramel, espresso, and mocha). One serving provides 80mg of caffeine and TWENTY grams of high quality great-tasting protein!

I was given the mocha flavor to try (but omg, I’ve seriously GOT to get my hands on that caramel!) and I was pleasantly surprised to find no “fake” coffee flavor and no weird aftertaste.

The idea for these No Bake Protein “Buzz” Bites (cute name, no?) was in my head for a few days before I finally got my booty in the kitchen and made my dream a reality. Without having made any sort of energy snack thingy before, I’ll admit, this was a bit of a shot in the dark (ahhh, see what I did there?), but I have to say, they came out even better than I imagined!

These babies come together in less than 15 minutes and taste amazing eaten straight out of the food processor (no shame) but I’ll tell you, if you practice a bit of self control, you WILL be rewarded. After a couple of hours in the fridge, the flavor intensifies to smack yo’ mama level good!

I dare you to stop at just ONE! 😉

No-Bake Protein “Buzz” Bites

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: N/A

Keywords: food processor dessert snack gluten-free high protein dates protein powder almond butter

Ingredients (24 Bites)

10-12 large dried dates, pitted
1/2 cup creamy unsalted almond butter
1 serving JavaPro Protein Powder
2 Tablespoons melted coconut butter
1 1/2 cups crisp brown rice cereal
Dried unsweetened coconut for coating

Instructions

1. Process dates in a food processor until a sticky dough ball forms.
2. Add almond butter and protein powder and process until a crumbly mixture results.
3. Slowly drizzle in melted coconut butter until another sticky dough ball forms.
4. Transfer to a bowl and using a wooden spoon (or your hands), work the brown rice cereal into the dough ball.
5. Roll into 24 evenly-sized balls and coat in shredded coconut.
6. Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for about a month.

Better yet, rest easy knowing these are the nutritional stats for TWO! 😀

JAVAPRO - No-Bake Protein BUZZ Bites - Made with almond butter and REAL coffee protein powder!.jpg

I was compensated for this review of Nature’s Best JAVAPRO protein powder, but all opinions expressed within this post are of my own. For more information on JAVAPRO and other Nature’s Best products, including where to purchase, check out their
Facebook page!

Are you a coffee drinker? What’s your go-to energy boosting snack?

Bites? Balls? Mama-smackin’ morsels?? 😉

Posted in Product Review, Recipe, Snacks | Tagged almond butter, coconut, coconut butter, coffee, dates, food processor, protein powder, snack | 27 Comments

WIAW: The Animal Edition

Posted on March 26, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

Happy Wednesday people!

Grab your hats and noise makers and tie on that bib! It’s time to get this party started! And today? Well today, we’re taking a little foodie field trip to the zoo…or maybe the farm…heck, let’s do BOTH!

Last Friday, I woke up a bit later than I intended. With an appointment at 9am, I ran around like a CHICKEN with my head cut off trying to get out of the house in 30 minutes. Luckily, it only took me about 3 minutes to inhale breakfast…

I’ve been feeling like a MONKEY lately with my newfound love for Oikos’s Banana Greek yogurt…especially topped with peanut butter cereal (from Food Lion)! And don’t let that bag of coffee in the background fool ya…starting last week, my therapist has “advised” me to stay away from my boyfriend Joe while we heal up other matters of the ~~heart~~ circadian cycle. 😉

So, I ~~begrudgingly~~ happily fixed a cup of this new-to-me Earl Grey and rushed out the door (only to end up drinking half the cup before I forgot about it and it got cold…#fail)

Back at the house a couple of hours later and throughout the afternoon, I was back to my BIRD-eating ways…

A PERFECTLY baked cookie dough Quest bar around 11am

And a crunchy Pink Lady apple on my walk at the park around 1pm

Back from the park and FINALLY feeling my appetite coming on, I whipped up a quick salad around 3pm and enjoyed it while sitting on the back patio!

Spinach topped with steamed kabocha, sautéed onions, spinach and fontina CHICKEN sausage and more cheese in the form of grated parm…because this MOUSE will ALWAYS take extra cheese! 😉

On a whim, I decided to go sweat like a PIG at a hot yoga class that night…midway through class, I realized it wasn’t such a good idea to eat onions two hours before sweating anything and everything out of my body…oops?

When I got back from class and showered up, I actually wasn’t feeling all that hungry, but veggies sounded good so I made myself a little RABBIT fare…

Broccoli and carrot sticks with the most amazing mustard dip ever invented (TJ Maxx find). And then a couple of hours later, before I hopped (ha, see what I did there?) into bed, I decided to have a little “dessert”

The rest of my steamed kabocha from lunch topped with almond and chocolate coconut butter. Not exactly the prettiest thing to look at, but delicious all the same!

At the end of the day, I realized that I really didn’t eat all that much. You guys know how I feel about judgment and comparison and how it has no place here on WIAW, but I still couldn’t help but think maybe I should try to share a day where I had more of an appetite. Never really knowing what the day will hold when it comes to food (can I get a heck yeah for intuitive eating!?), I decided to photograph the next day’s eats…

Just swing, fly, or hop yourself on over to Peas & Crayons to check out my guest post and see just what the next day held…serving to prove EXACTLY what I’ve been saying all along…the body truly KNOWS how to balance itself. You just have to trust it!

What is your spirit animal?
I’m a swan! Hey, wait a minute, does that mean I was once an ugly duckling?! 😯