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Januar-ily

Posted on January 31, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

Hey, hey and happy last day of January!

This is probably the ONLY time I’ve ever said this, but umm, FINALLY? Just looking back at some pics while I was getting this post together, I felt like the first of the year was forever ago…I mean, didn’t I make that Detox Quinoa Salad like last year or something? Oh wait, I did! 😉

So, like I mentioned last month, I really like doing my “Currently” posts each month as I feel it’s a great way to look back on the last few weeks, but this year, I’m going to make a few tweaks to make them fit a little better. Enjoy!

Current Book:

I finished up the last of the Inn BoonsBoro* trilogy last weekend…and surprised the heck out of myself when I realized it only took me three weeks to read all three books! 😀 Seriously, I was a MACHINE this month…but it’s great to finally get back to my old bookworm days! Now I’m just trying to decide what to read next. I’ve got a lot on my
to-read list, but I’ve also got a few lying around the house that I feel I should pick up. I read a few chapters of Lost & Found yesterday, but I’m not sure if I’m loving it…so we’ll see.

*I just went to link this and found out that it’s actually a REAL place!! Omg, so cool!

Current Music:

Basically everything from this post…and this song…thanks Pandora! Just TRY to tell me you can’t listen to that without whipping out the air guitar!

Current Guilty Pleasure:

Facebook stalking…which is like masturbating…no one admits to doing it…but we all know the truth! 😳

Current Nail Color:

I’ve been rocking the “Ruby Slipper” from the super thoughtful package Melissa sent me a couple of weeks ago and while I don’t normally go for dark colors, I am absolutely loving this one…now I need to find a bigger bottle!

Current ~~Favorite Show~~ Entertainment:

Triple B, baby! Not to be confused with my love for a certain Guy who I’d love to trade professions with! No, I’m talking blogs, books, and my latest obsession, Buzzfeed! <- read that article! Omg, I died!

Current Wish/Needs:

A shower…and breakfast! I just got back from a 5:30AM Body Pump class and while I’m TRYING to put some finishing touches on this post…my arms are shaaaaaaking SO BAD! Haha!

Current Food:

Over the last few weeks, the largest meal I’ve eaten was ONE plate at the Chinese buffet where I met Broccoli Mama and Broccoli Sister for dinner on Tuesday…lately, my meals have been more of the “snackish” variety but there’s still been room for a few of my food phases…

Why yes, those ARE Scooby Doo Puffs…with peanut flour and banana!

Turkey tortilla with Greek yogurt, salsa, and gauc…

And of course many many ~~monkeys~~ granola bars! 😉

Current Drink:

I couldn’t resist when I saw this on sale at Publix earlier this month…it doesn’t really taste like eggnog, but reminds me a lot of my other seasonal favorite, Sugar Cookie Sleighride! In other words, YUM!

Current Triumphs:

Running a mile! Cutting down my time on that mile! Averaging 8 hours of sleep almost every night (Benedryl induced, but still). And clocking in at TWENTY accepted Foodgawker submissions! I’m still working my way through old posts, but the hardest thing is going to be deciding on which pic to submit for my PB&J Granola in a couple of days! 😯 #foodbloggerproblems

Current Bane of Existence:

The wind, the cold, the static, my innate desire to become a human slip ‘n slide…somebody bring on the summer heat so I have something new to complain about!

Current ~~Celebrity~~ Blogger Crush:

I think it’s safe to say that I really love to spoon! I mean I LOVE SPOONS!

Current Indulgence:

Ok, not really an “indulgence”…I just wanted to post the pic of my Peanut Butter Pumpkin Banana Wrap again, but I have been on a healthy chocolate sauce kick again…as in I’m putting that shit on errrrythang! Honestly though, I’m proud of myself for the amount of non-food indulgences I’ve been lately…bubble baths, Victoria Secret shopping, and a little extra time primping…even if I’m just going to work!

Current Blessing:

The INCREDIBLE support of family and friends while I’ve been working to sort through some personal stuff over the last couple of weeks. Seriously, you know who you are and I cannot thank you enough!

~~Current Slang:~~

So this is totally getting the boot! After a detailed discussion with Broccoli Sister over dinner the other day, I thought I’d share the fact that “selfie”, while I am an absolute ~~narcissist~~ lover of the act, the word has never actually left my lips. Maybe I’m too old for slang, but every time I hear “totes magotes” I think of this. 😆

Current Outfit:

Fuzzy robe, slippers, glass of cab…it’s an accessory! 😉

Current Excitement:

After much thought and consideration (for the linings of my wallet), I decided this week that…I’M GOING TO BLEND!!!

Who’s going? Are YOU going? I know Spoons is going! AndI’msoFREAKINexcitedtofinallymeether! 😀

Current Link:

Dropbox…because never again will I cry over ~~spilled milk~~ lost pictures!

Current Mood:

A good night’s sleep last night and a workout before sunrise today? I’d say I’m feeling pretty damn accomplished!

What’s the last book you read?

Are you going to Blend…to meet ME?!

Posted in Currently | Tagged Blend 2014, books, cereal, nails, peanut flour, running, tea, wine | 50 Comments

Chunky Monkey Granola Bars

Posted on January 28, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

I’m a big time snacker.

And when it comes to my favorite snacks, bars are near the TOP of that list!

But not just any bar will do.

I’ve gotta have texture, flavor, and well, it’s gotta keep me satisfied for longer than forty-five minutes. 😉

I’ll admit that most often, I take the lazy way out and buy pre-packaged bars, but that wasn’t always the case. Anyone remember The Great Granola Bar Phase of 2012? There were ALMOND butter bars, peanut butter CHOCOLATE bars, and my personal favorite, cranberry and coconut PROTEIN bars! I had a million ideas for all sorts of other flavors, but well, since that last batch was made in my usual way of “oops, too wet…oops, too dry” and ended with a hefty amount of bars, I was pretty set on snacks for a while. And then my ADD set in and I was off to my next food phase.

But the other day, I made a SOLEMN VOW to start saving my pennies and get back to my bar-making ways!

Ok, so maybe that’s not exACTLY how it happened since these started as a batch granola, but WORK with me people! 😉

Besides, these babies are delicious!

Don’t just take my word for it…after two more test-batches to check my measurements and play around with substitutions, they went through a strict taste-testing panel of “normal” people…aka my coworkers…and PASSED! But the best part?

They didn’t even know they were gluten-free AND VEGAN! 😀

Chunky Monkey Granola Bars (GF, Vegan)

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast dessert snack dairy-free gluten-free vegan vegetarian kid-friendly bananas peanut butter oats chocolate chips bar

Ingredients (8 bars)

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/8 cup oil (or applesauce)
1/8 cup maple syrup
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
1/2 teaspoon banana extract/flavoring
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup peanut flour*
1 Tablespoon ground flax
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons dairy-free mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)
2 Tablespoons crushed freeze-dried banana chips (optional, but highly recommended for an even GREATER banana flavor!)*Use coupon code QQQ940 at iHerb.com for 5-10% off your first order!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and coat an 8×8 baking dish with oil or non-stick spray.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine peanut butter, oil (or applesauce), maple syrup, banana, and banana extract/flavoring. Stir and heat for 30 seconds on high.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine oats, peanut flour, flax, cinnamon, mini chocolate chips, and banana chips.
4. Pour microwaved peanut butter banana mixture over dry ingredients and stir well.
5. Transfer mixture to baking dish, pressing into pan, sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top if desired.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges start to brown.
7. Cool in pan for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing into 8 bars.
8. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for later!

In other words, I think I’ve found my latest addiction!

I thought the bars made with oil (I used grapeseed, but you can use whatever you have on hand) had a bit more flavor, but one of my coworkers said she really liked the ones with applesauce better. Either way, I thought both batches held together nicely. I also made a batch using this brown rice protein powder instead of peanut flour…DON’T DO THAT! They got a thumbs down all around due to the fact that they turned out dry and tasted kinda fonky! Yes, I said FONKY! 😉

Again, this just serves as yet MORE proof that peanut flour absolutely rules and each and every one of you should have some in your pantry! Baaaaaa-hut, if you want a substitution, I think a GOOD-tasting vegan protein powder would work fine…or you could just add more oats. Either way, you’ve GOT to make these bars!

What are YOUR favorite homemade snacks?

Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Gluten-free, Recipe, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged banana, bars, chocolate, gluten-free, oats, peanut butter, snacks, vegan | 49 Comments

Confessions of a Bad Blogger

Posted on January 26, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

1. I just sat down and realized I had no idea what to post today.

And since we all know how much TV I watch (read: none), Arman’s link up isn’t really an option. So, I figured I’d just go and get all truthsie on you today. Because yeah, I’m not a planner…and if you were on my side of the blog right now, you would see no pre-written posts, partially written posts, or even fragments of posts. Yeah…

[original source]

2. Yesterday, I answered comments from a post I wrote three weeks ago. I want you all to know that I do read (and treasure) each and every comment left on the blog, but if I don’t remember to do it BEFORE publishing another post, they tend to get lots in my little comment window thingie. <- Because that’s totally what it’s called!

3. Even though I’ve ~~read~~ skimmed at least a half a dozen articles on it, I really have no idea what SEO means…all I know is that I should title my recipe posts by the recipe so people can actually find them with Google. So now, every time I go back and see an old post where I thought I was just the cleverest little thing with my super quirky title, I want to kick myself…

4. One word. BlogLovin. Two words. RUN AWAY!

5. Remember these guys? No? Good. Then maybe you forgot how I promised I would try making a vegan version of these not long after I posted them…over a year ago!

6. Or how about that life-changing book I was going to review? While I have no excuse other than my aging mind for the nuggets, I’m gonna pull my ADD card on this one! I sat down…I made notes…I made more notes…and by the time I was finished, I had HALF A BOOK…for a review. Needless to say, I got overwhelmed! 🙁

7. My ‘About Me’ tab STILL hasn’t been updated! I write about myself all the time…so why do I find it SO hard to write…about myself?

8. I forget to promote my posts on social media. I have an automatic tweet set up whenever a post goes live…and anything I upload on IG, I typically post to Twitter, but I forget I even HAVE a Facebook page…Pinterest is really where things just go to die…and Google+? What the heck IS that? And why do I have one?

9. Sometimes I just wish I could use Instagram to blog. But then I get attacked by spammers and lose the motivation to post anything for days.

10. I feel like I need to put something up about the recipe I created and photographed this weekend just to hold myself accountable for 1. A recipe post and 2. A photography post. Plus, I hated to end on an odd number. I promise I WILL have these two posts up later this week…as soon as I sort through the 200+ pictures. 😯

And you KNOW that’s not an exaggeration!

What do you confess today?

Please tell me I’m not the only one completely lost when it comes to social media?