Vegan Coconut Chunky Monkey Smoothie

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Vegan Coconut Chunky Monkey Smoothie

We went to Shady Shack, a very popular vegetarian restaurant, because I saw online that they had smoothie bowls. I had their Cacao Dreams Smoothie Bowl, which had a base of cacao, dates, bananas, cashew butter, and coconut milk. I loved it so much that I just had to share a copycat version with you guys! The dates gave the smoothie a perfectly thick texture, and when combined with coconut milk, it was extremely filling. The coconut milk also lends itself to creating a creamy and rich taste. The recipe only requires a few ingredients, and only takes a couple minutes to make. Like I mentioned already, the smoothie is rather filling, so feel free to save any remaining amount in the refrigerator for a treat later on!

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Cozy Winter Fruit Crisp

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Cozy Winter Fruit Crisp

Now that we are back home, I am so excited that I can stay inside and be cozy on this overcast, freezing day, instead of feeling the need to get out and explore a new city. Today calls for a warm treat, and this Cozy Winter Fruit Crisp is exactly what I need. This dessert is filled with pears and apples and topped with a walnut oat streusel. This recipe is gluten free and uses minimal amounts of added sugars. Seasoned with maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, and cloves truly makes this the perfect winter treat! Top with some vanilla ice cream to add some additional flavoring and sweetness!

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Nutty Fruit Chocolate Bites

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Nutty Fruit Chocolate Bites

This recipe LITERALLY only has 4 ingredients - chocolate, hazelnuts, pistachios, and dried cranberries. It is the perfect post holiday treat when you want something sweet, but not heavy like most holiday desserts. These chocolate bars are gluten free, and you can even change the type of chocolate that you use in order to also make them vegan/dairy free. And the best part is that they are incredibly easy to make! Not a hazelnut and/or pistachio fan? Feel free to change out the type of nuts that you use (keeping to the same overall quantity, of course). The versatility, yet simplicity  of this recipe are my favorite things about it!

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Tuscan Kale Salad

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Tuscan Kale Salad

Thank goodness it’s summer! But probably not for the reason that you are thinking. Last week our car started malfunctioning in that it wouldn’t go above 20 mph, sometimes even 10 mph. Obviously this makes it near impossible to drive in a city. But thankfully because it is summer and not snow-covered winter, we have been able to get around via our bikes. And we are even more thankful that we live close enough to our places of work that riding our bikes is easy. We carefully drove our car to a nearby Autozone to have the “check engine” code read. Unfortunately, while there were codes that they could pull, none of the codes would transfer to the computer to be read. We tried a different car shop, and the same issue occurred. Our only other option was to…

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Matcha Pistachio Coconut Macaroons

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Matcha Pistachio Coconut Macaroons

Since graduating college almost 4 years ago (how has it been that long already?!) I have started Kayla’s Itsines’ BBG workout program about 5 times. I tend to always stop around week 8. It either happens because I am busy doing something else and lose endurance or simply because I become disinterested in it. So, I made it one of my new year’s resolutions this year to finally complete the entire program! Anddddd right at week 8 again, I stopped ahah. But it’s because

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

The day after this past Christmas, Alex and I headed north to a resort on Lake Superior for a mini getaway to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary! The weather that week was even more freezing than normal. The coldest day had a high of -15°F (feels like -35°F), and the warmest it ever got was 2°F. Like, why?? On the way there we stopped at REI and gifted each other new, fancy Norweigan gloves as our “cotton” anniversary present...

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Flourless Peanut Butter S'mores Cookies

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Flourless Peanut Butter S'mores Cookies

It has been a busy last couple weeks, filled with traveling, the holidays, hosting, and working. We were so fortunate to have our friends Josh and Cate come to visit us for New Years. They live in the Bay in California – and when California friends voluntarily come to the artic tundra that is Minnesota during the winter to visit you and your husband, then you know they must really love you lol. Unfortunately was unusually colder than normal while they were here – staying below zero degrees Fahrenheit for the majority of the time, with the “feels like” temperatures ranging between -30F to -15. But they were troopers...

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Gluten Free Chai Protein Pancakes

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Gluten Free Chai Protein Pancakes

How would you describe your perfect weather? For me, it an overcast and quiet day. Sitting on my bed, covered in soft blankets, and listening to the rainfall. Windows open, I would feel the cool air travel into the apartment, prompting me to wear fuzzy socks to stay warm. Sipping on hot green tea with lemon and honey, while surrounding by fragrant burning candles as I read one of my favorite books. My husband finds me odd that ...

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Gluten Free Apple Crisp

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Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Autumn is hands-down my favorite season, which is why I was so excited to experience my first REAL autumn here in Minnesota. I could spend hours just sitting outside, staring at the beautiful changing leaves as the cool breeze blew across my face. I read a quote once that said, "Fall is the beautiful moment between sweating and hypothermia." I couldn't agree more! The summers here...

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