Saturday, September 12, 2015

Sweet Spot

Late Thursday evening my mom flew in from Indiana for a long weekend visit. Yesterday she was on her own as both Jon and I had to work all day so she took her time relaxing on the beach, enjoying a local coffee shop, and touring downtown.

Last night my mom and I headed downtown for some homemade ice cream.


We both chose to get one scoop of the coffee ice cream and one scoop of the salted chocolate caramel ice cream. This made for a delicious combination and satisfied our late night sweet tooth!


We decided to go on a walk through downtown, ice cream in hand, to tour some of the local shops.


Downtown was packed with people as there was an event going on. In Florida it seems that the cool thing to do is to take your dog with you everywhere you go. There were dogs in the wine bar and laying under the tables in restaurants while their owners ate! I wonder if they allow cats in places too...  ;)


Thursday, September 10, 2015

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Earlier this week as I was cooking dinner I saw my KitchenAid sitting in the corner, unloved and collecting dust. I'm pretty sure the frequency of my baking has a lot to do with the size of my counter and oven! I definitely lost a lot of kitchen space when we moved so it makes baking and cooking a bit of a challenge. As I was cooking I was trying to think of something to make for dessert that Jon would love. I figured that chocolate and peanut butter would do the trick. I mean, who doesn't love that combo?!

I thought about making brownies drizzled with peanut butter but then I would have to make one huge pan. I decided that baking individual desserts would be much more fun! Plus I always feel 10x better seeing mini individual brownies disappear than one giant pan!


After doing a bit of brainstorming, these Peanut Butter Brownies Bites were born!


You've seriously got to make these.




Peanut Butter Brownie Bites


Ingredients

1 1/4 c. sugar
11 tbsp. butter (1 stick + 3 tbsp)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs, cold
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. arrowroot powder (can substitute with cornstarch)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup peanut butter
chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the butter and sugar together for 1 minute 30 seconds. Remove, stir until mixed, and cool for 5 minutes.
3. Once butter/sugar mixture has cooled, stir in the vanilla extract and cocoa powder.
4. Pour the butter/sugar mixture in the mixing bowl and slowly add in the eggs one at a time.
5. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, arrowroot powder, and salt. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix until no flour pockets remain.
6. Grease a muffin tin and evenly distribute the brownie mixture into 12 brownie cups.
7. Place in the oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Flip the brownies over onto a baking sheet or plate.
8. Take a small spoon to remove some of the brownie from the center of each cup. Be careful not to go all the way through the bottom of the cup.
9. Place a spoonful of peanut butter into the center of each brownie and top with chocolate chips (optional).
10. Enjoy immediately or allow to cool so the peanut butter has a chance to set.

I preferred these still warm with gooey peanut butter while Jon liked them better after they cooled so it's totally up to you! I suggest trying them both ways, I know I did ;)



Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Not-Your-Average Strawberry Banana Smoothie

When I have a few extra minutes in the morning I like to treat myself to a delicious smoothie rather than my usual banana/fruit and nut bar combo. Lately I have been loving this "Not-Your-Average Strawberry Banana Smoothie" that I whipped together.


Most strawberry banana smoothies have - you guessed it - strawberries, bananas, and milk as their only ingredients but I've amped this one up to add a burst of extra vitamins, minerals, healthy fat, and protein!



Recipe


Ingredients
1 frozen banana (Note: it's much easier to blend if you slice it before freezing - using frozen bananas replace ice cubes)
1 handful of strawberries
1 tsp chia seeds
1 packet Artisana raw coconut butter
enough almond milk to get things movin'

Directions
1. Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth
2. Enjoy!




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