Vegan Raspberry Banana Coconut Breakfast Cookies

Quite the mouthful for a simple little cookie. But these things.. yum... they are worth it!

Recently I embarked on a serious journey to remove the toxins from my home, my body, and my food. This is something I've always said I was going to do, but I never completely give in... I'm giving in! I've been doing tons, and tons of research, because I actually find it all fascinating. But I am totally over the "ignorance is bliss" idea. I could go on for a while about that, but you really came here for the cookie recipe...I understand :)

I do have a sweet tooth, and I'm also super lazy, specifically in the morning. So the idea that I could whip up a quick little cookie and feed myself breakfast for a few days is the ideal situation!

Aren't they so adorable?

And now for the super easy recipe! (Would highly suggest you scroll down and read the notes section first)

1/2 cup rolled oats (I just used the Muesli I had in the pantry)

1/2 cup mashed banana (1) or raw applesauce

1/4 cup almond butter (or any nut butter, just remember PB is higher in fat)

1/4 cup raw unsweetened coconut flakes

1/4-1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F, or 176C (if you're like me) 

Mix banana (or applesauce) with almond butter

Mix all the ingredients together

Spoon onto a greased (with coconut oil) cookie sheet

Bake for 14-16

Allow for the cookies to cool 10 minutes or so before trying to remove them from the cookie sheet

Now, enjoy these little things! I plan on having mine in the morning with almond milk. But they'd make a great snack, or an evening sweet tooth killer!

NOTES: The best part of this recipe is that it's totally changeable! Hate bananas..no worries just use applesauce. Coconut reminds you too much of the rum you threw up this morning...cool, leave it out, and feel better. You can also use fresh, frozen or even dried fruit.

Some other great additions would be dark chocolate chips, or if you have a real sweet tooth you could add some honey or agave syrup. 

How did you make this? Any changes? Curious to hear your thoughts!

The Great Outdoors

The weather around Stuttgart has been getting better...finally. Nearly all the snow is melted, and yesterday it actually reached 57 degrees! With all this sun I can't help but get excited for spring, and anxious to start my flower beds and vegetable gardens!
This past Sunday, with the sun shining and the thermometer stretching up to 55, we christened our new outdoor fire pit, put on some music, and enjoyed the backyard for a bit. And I do mean a bit. The sun started going down, it got cold! Perhaps we were a little premature...but sun for two days in a row after the grayest winter in German history calls for a little celebration! But when I noticed I could see my own breath, we packed things in!
Fingers crossed that the weather doesn't dip back into the freezing temps, and a beautiful spring is right around the corner!

Sarah's Visit

I've been neglectful of this blog lately because I've been busy entertaining one of my best friends, Sarah, who came for visit. Sarah and I have been friends for nearly 24 years! Crazy! We traveled around Stuttgart, took a trip to Prague, and Paris, and toured a gorgeous castle! It ended way too quickly! But I thoroughly enjoyed having her here and hope she'll be able to come back again! When your life is so different from the norm (living in Germany!), it's nice to share it with your favorite people!

Paleo Chicken Salad

Even before I started eating mostly Paleo I hated mayo...come on, it's gross. But I do love chicken salad, and not the chicken salad that you scoop and it stays in the shape of the scooper...yep, you know what I'm talking about, and it's disgusting!
This Paleo Chicken Salad is super duper easy, and extremely filling, oh, and not to mention.. delicious! It's 5 ingredients...possibly 6, but that's easy. And NO MAYO..not ever!
Here it goes:

Ingredients:

2 organic, free-range boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pre-baked)
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup of grapes (any color, I prefer purple, they aren't as sweet, and they add a pop of color)
2-3 stalks of celery diced
black pepper for seasoning (optional)
4-5 drops of fresh lemon or lime juice (optional)

Directions:

So once you've cooked your chicken breasts (I eat them on the daily, so usually cook 5 at a time, seasoned with a little black pepper), dice the chicken into larger chunks (bite-size).
Slice of your celery stalks, whatever size works for you.
Cut and mash your avocado
Slice up your grapes.. I 1/2 mine, but my husband prefers them 1/4...to me that's just more work.
Throw everything in a bowl and mix, the avocado binds everything together. Add lemon/lime juice and a little black pepper and eat!
BOOM! How easy is that?!
I eat mine on it's own or served over some fresh romaine or spinach. This is a quick, easy lunch, especially if you make it ahead of time. Keeps me full for hours.
Enjoy! And did I mention mayo is gross?!

Staycation

This past week James was off work. Since we have some upcoming travel plans, and we haven't done much of the touristy stuff around Stuttgart, we decided to have a staycation! To make the most of his time off, we constructed a mini list of things we'd like to do, and I'm happy to say we did most of them! We spent the week hiking in the fresh snow with the dogs, enjoying the fresh fruits and veggies at the Markthalle, trying new restaurants (and some of our favs), touring the Mercedes museum, and doing all those little things you always put off until another day. It was much needed for all of us, and I truly value the quality time we get to spend together. I hope you all had a nice week!
Cheers!

Simple Engagement Gifts

It happened a while ago, but on Christmas Day our dear friend here in Stuttgart asked a very special, and beautiful, lady to be his bride! We are over the moon for them both. They're such a gorgeous couple and we're happy to get to enjoy this special time with them. 

From what I understand engagement gifts can go either way. Some people give them, some don't, for others it depends on if there is an engagement party. Personally, we received zero engagement gifts, but we didn't have an engagement party. In my opinion, I feel like if you have the means (or the creativity) then you should provide a gift to celebrate the engagement of close friends. 

These were things I made for K&S. Nothing that required too much difficulty, or broke the bank.

My first gift idea was a group of wine/champagne bottles with cute poems attached to each. I chose to do a bottle for Wedding Night, First Anniversary, Christmas Eve, and First Baby. But I am going to include the poems for a few other. Unfortunately the printable I used is no longer available (Page Not Found), but you're creative, I know you can design your own! Just a tip, card stock works very well for this, I would suggest regular printer paper, unless you were going to attach to a thicker paper. The bottle and ribbons are just suggestions..do what you like best!

Here are the poems:

Wedding Night - Champagne (white tulle ribbon)
The night you have dreamed of is finally here
The future surrounds you with hope and yet fear
You’ve wanted so long to find your perfect mate
Sip this wine and toast this perfect date
The night is meant for you to share
Enjoy each other – a perfect pair!!

First Fight - Red Wine (black tulle ribbon)
When fights occur and tempers get hot
Pour a glass and be thankful for what you’ve got
If you always agreed it would certainly be a bore
And by asking for her hand  he's surely in for more!

First Anniversary - White Wine (paper is a traditional gift, so simple with yarn)
Been married a year, where did time go?
No longer newlyweds, now you are pros
Hope the days found you in good health and good spirit
Keep saying I love you – one always needs to hear it!
Now toast this first date, it’s certainly not the last
And as you build your future don’t ever forget the past!

First Dinner Party - White Wine (gold tulle ribbon)
Open your home to entertain and eat
Catch up with old friends and new ones to meet
When the night is over share this bottle of wine
But don’t sit down yet – it’s clean up time!!

Christmas Eve - Something Christmasy (Something red or green)
A wise man said wine is better than beer
And now is the season for lots of holiday cheer
So pop the cork and relax a bit,
And when the night is through,
Kiss goodnight, close your eyes
And Santa will be good to you!

First Baby - For him only, so his favorite (Pink or Blue, or gender neutral)
The news that a baby will soon share your life
will make you a mother, not only a wife
You’ll see it through good times and sometimes through bad
______ the loving mother, and _____ the dearest dad
Sadly _____ (groom) must drink this one alone, and _____(bride) with an empty glass
Sit back and relax – nine months will quickly pass!

And there is my finished project. Sorry for the quality, I just used my iPhone camera, but you get the idea.

The second thing I did was a heart made from printing out two maps. 1/2 of the map represents where he is from and 1/2 where she is from. This was the easiest thing to do and my only costs were the 8x10 frame, printer paper, and printer ink. So yeah, this cost $6. Could be even cheaper if you have a frame laying around! With the help of Google maps I was able to find the maps I needed. I sized each accordingly, printed, stacked them together (facing each other), cut the right shape, glued the pieces to another sheet of paper and stuck it in the frame. So simple, and so sweet!

 Cute, right?! You could also add their names, engagement date, wedding date, etc.

I have to say that K&S seemed to really enjoy the thought, creativity and love that went into these gifts. Again, these were super simple and rather cost effective. The bottle tags would also be great for a bridal shower, or even a wedding gift.

Enjoy, and be creative!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

So I know there are tons of recipes all over Pinterest for homemade laundry soap, but this one could not have been easier. 3 ingredients...that's it. Not to mention, 3 ingredients I found in Germany..so if I can find them here, you can find them anywhere!
In our household we've been trying to cut down on chemicals; in our foods, soaps, cleaning supplies..etc. Not only are we losing the chemicals, we're saving ourselves money! We're an average family of two, but our laundry detergent and fabric softener cost was close to $15 a month. Ugh! Had I known how easy it was to to make these products myself, I can't even imagine how much I would've saved in the past. Oh well, now we're saving money, and I hope your family will be able to save a little as well.
So for this super easy laundry soap you need the following ingredients:
3 TB Borax
3 TB Super Washing Soda (later I'll tell you how to turn baking soda into washing soda)
2 TB Liquid Soap (I used Dr Bronner's Castille in Peppermint)

That's it, just those 3 things. The best part... NO GRATING A BAR OF SOAP!!!
Now here's the supplies you need:
A tablespoon
Measuring Cup
1 Gallon jug
Pot to boil water
A funnel (it's helps!)

So first thing's first. If you can't find washing soda, like me, follow this easy process to turn baking soda into washing soda. Super duper easy, just involved heating the baking soda to change the crystallization. Here's the link... http://naturesnurtureblog.com/2012/05/08/ttt-turn-baking-soda-into-washing-soda/

Now that you have all your ingredients the process starts. And the whole process takes about 10 minutes!

Step 1: Boil 4 cups of water
Step 2: In a clean gallon jug add the Borax, soda and liquid soap (the funnel helped a lot on this one)
Step 3: Add the 4 cups of boiling water to the jug. This dissolves everything. And let cool.
Step 4: After the liquid as cooled, fill the rest of the bottle with water.

That's it! I guesstimate that this costs about .50 per gallon. Dr. Bronner's is a little expensive in Germany. But a gallon will last me at least a month. I'm sure if you used another type of liquid soap it would be cheaper. But still I think I can manage spending .50 a month on laundry detergent.

And for an organic, natural fabric softener, I've found the perfect solution.. white vinegar. Yep, that's it. And no, it doesn't leave your laundry smelling.

We have a front loading washer and dryer, and this has worked perfectly. I can't predict how it'll do with your washer and dryer, but for me, it was worth a try!

I hope you all find this useful! Save yourselves from the chemicals, and save a little money!

Cheers!

A Day in the Park

I'm convinced our dogs love nothing more than being outdoors, especially with the freedom to run and chase their ball. This past weekend we took a family trip to the park. It was picturesque, with fresh snow, and not a soul in sight. I always cherish my family time, even when it's freezing cold!

Holidays

I got so caught up in the holidays and celebrating that I didn't even take the time to post about our Christmas, which was amazing! We enjoyed the holiday as a family of 4 in the morning... opening gifts, watching movies, eating a yummy breakfast. Our favorite thing was watching the pups open their gifts, and be so excited with what they found!
Later that evening we were joined by all our friends here in Germany. If we couldn't be with our biological family on Christmas, our Euro family is the next best thing. We shared laughs, memories, and the news of an engagement! {Congratulations, K&S!} It was a perfect way to spend the holidays, and I'm thankful we have  the most amazing friends to share it with!

Another New Year

What happened to 2012?! And have we really lived in Germany for over two years now?! Time is going rather quick...too quick! This year I am not setting resolutions.. I'm setting goals.
My 2013 goals include:
Post more on this blog
Continue pursuing a healthy, fit lifestyle
Take more photos!
What are some of your resolutions and/or goals? Remember, take it one day at a time, and set smaller stepping stone goals to achieve those larger ones!

We wish you and yours an amazing 2013!