campaign for confidence

getting ready to join miss lacy and her campaign for confidence--you should too!!!!

check it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

monday loves...cupcakes or cake

i am not much of a cake fan, but i have to admit these cupcakes are fabulous and yes of course they are vegan and pretty darn easy to make!!!

here is my recipe (i altered the original a bit)

OH SO YUMMY-vegan choco cake

cake...

1 1/4 organic whole wheat flour

1 cup raw sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (i was super excited to find a brand that was organic and fair trade!)

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup warm water

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

1/3 cup organic olive oil 

1 tsp vinegar

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  mix flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking soda and stir well with a fork.

slowly add mixed water, vinegar, oil and vanilla 

cook for 30 minutes and let cool for 2 hours before frosting.  (i didn't have time to wait 2 hours so after it cooled for little bit i tossed it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process)

chocolate glaze...

1/2 cup raw sugar

4 TBSP earth balance vegan spread (i used the earth balance coconut spread)

2 TBSP almond or coconut milk

2 TBSP cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

in a small saucepan, bring to boil sugar, spread, milk, and cocoa. stir frequently, then reduce heat to a simmer for two minutes, stirring constantly.  remove from heat and stir for another five minutes.  add vanilla, stir and immediately pour.  let cool for about an hour.  i have made this recipe into cupcakes and also in a cake pan.  works both ways, but the glaze works better over a cake.

ENJOY...

i made these for a friend for her birthday so i dressed them up with these candy making sticks and some fun little recycled cards and paint samples!!!!!

i was super excited to find these if you care baking cups at one of our local stores.  i previously had only seen them at whole foods (not in alaska:(  and was beside myself when i saw these along with some coffee filters on the store shelf!!!!!!  if you care makes unbleached chlorine-free products that are compostable, biodegradable and did i mention they look super cute!!!!!!

surprise

my parents and i surprised the kiddos for thanksgiving.  a visit from grandma and grandpa that they had no idea about.  it was so sweet to see their little faces when they saw them.  it has been such a nice week to relax (i took some time off work) and visit.  our weather has 

been super cold (mostly below zero all week).

 hope you all had a fabulous thanksgiving.

my loves

so as usual i failed to get our pictures done for our holiday cards so i was frantically taking some today.  it was a little interesting.  the kids we not feeling it, the weather was not cooperating and my husband does not enjoy getting his photo taken.  these are a few of the pics from today and then in the end i decided to use a pic that my brother took this summer of us in california.

my favorite

i let them wear whatever they wanted!!  nice combo

our son took these of us 

hope you had a great weekend!!

miss lacy at lacylike...

is doing something amazing!!!!!

as you know i am very passionate about food and how it fuels our lives.  i was super excited when i saw lacy's post the other day about her devotion to a healthy lifestyle.  lacy young is a health coach and you can find out so much more about her here.  so, with so much joy i would like to share with you her group health coaching course called thriving through the holidays.  starting november 22 - january 31st.  she is teaming up with lisa who is a lifestyle and gluten free expert.  so exciting!!!!  hop on over to lacy's blog and check it out!!!!

  

not out of the box

here is a lovely little vegan pancake recipe that i had to share with you.  my husband and i love these and it has become a little sunday morning tradition.   mmmmmmmmm, so good!!!!


i originally found this recipe in one of my favorite books, the rave diet and lifestyle.  this is the book that started it all for me 6 years ago.  along with fabulous information it is also filled with tasty vegan dishes.  


don't be scared they really are super easy so good for you and so worth the few extra minutes they take to prepare over boxed pancake mixes.  


old fashioned pancakes


1 ripe banana, mashed (you can also use pumpkin)
1 cup non dairy milk (i use almond)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp sodium free baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda


mix flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda.  in a large bowl, combine banana, syrup, vinegar and milk.  add flour mixture, stirring just enough to remove any lumps and make a batter.  add more milk if batter seems to thick.  on a non stick skillet or griddle, our small amounts of batter onto the heated surface and cook until tops bubble.  turn carefully with a spatula and cook the second sides until browned.  


i top with fresh sliced banana and raspberries!!!!!  YUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

good morning, snow

it is truly a winter wonderland outside my window this morning.  as much as i really don't like the snow, it is simply beautiful and calming today.   

us...a love story

the other day i was thinking about time, how fast it goes, and how quickly one year turns into 5 and then 15.  i have lived up here in the last frontier for 15 years.   seems like just yesterday that i stepped onto a plane and headed north to visit this boy i met, fell in love with and couldn't stop thinking about.  


in the summer of 1996 i had just finished my first year of college.  i was attending our local junior college because i really had no clue what i wanted to be when i grew up.  i was still living at home and set to be one of the bridesmaids in my big brothers wedding that june.  i knew all the groomsmen except one.  this guy i had heard so much about who went to college with my brother and was from alaska.  my brother is four years older than me and i honestly had never thought about dating any of his friends.  "alaska" would be flying in the week before the wedding to hang out and see california.  i arrived at the airport to pick him up with my brother and when i saw him i had this feeling.  a feeling that is so hard to describe, but i knew right then that this was the "one".  i know it sounds impossibly crazy, but its so true.  we spent the entire week together and after he left we spent another two weeks on the phone and planning for me to come to visit.  i had never really been away from home and never traveled by myself, so this was pretty exciting.  all my friends thought i was crazy, but it all felt so right.  i spent two weeks here visiting, seeing alaska, and meeting his family.  after the two weeks i flew home to california, packed my stuff, hopped back on a plane to my new home, alaska.   


we sit here tonight 15 and a half years later with our two kids, two dogs and some old videos of our high school days.  our kids think its hilarious to watch us and while they are giggling, i start to think as i watch my husbands senior year football tapes and wonder what i was doing then, 3000 miles away and 5 1/2 years younger.  wow!!  5 years was an eternity back then.  


i have to say thank you, to my brother for introducing me to my alaska, my best friend, my hero, my soul mate.

so funny to look back at these photos!!  we look so young!!