Tag Archives: oil free

Tropical Trail Mix & Traveling Snacks

Before I left for Indio last month, I knew that I would need to bring some snacks with me. I’m glad that I planned ahead, because our team was stuck without breakfast for the first few days we were out there. Yikes! With this post I’ll give you some tips on what to bring with you when your options are limited.

Of course, there are a crazy amount of vegan snack bars that you can choose from, when you need to hold yourself over. I love bringing a couple in my purse when I’m flying, to replace the typical “pretzel or nuts” choices. My bars of choice are Vbars, PureFit bars (which are a lot like Power Bars) and usually Clif bars (only because they are everywhere). The good thing about these types of snacks is that they are small and easy to fit in luggage/bags.

If you have a little more room to bring stuff with you, say you’re driving to a family member’s house or something like that, I would highly suggest making foods that really only need a bit of hot water added to them. Take for example, my Portable Oatmeal Breakfast. You can pack three day’s worth of breakfast into one large jar! Plus, it’s easily customizable to your preferences.

But, what I ended up making for this trip was downright awesome. It took some time because I dehydrated most of the fruits at under 118ºF, but that’s not something that you need to do. Here we have a mix of mango, banana, tart berries and coconut roasted almonds. Crunchy, chewing and filling it’s all you want from a trail mix. Next time, I’m making a massive batch of this and adding it to granola and yogurt for breakfast, it sounds so good!

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Filed under Healthy Recipes, Raw Recipes, Sweet Recipes

Banana Cream Chia Pudding & A Tribute

Before I show you this amazing recipe, today, let me talk about last year for a moment. As I’m prepping myself to write this, is still feels like I have a pit in my stomach, but this will end in a positive light! Some of you may have read about my grandmother last year. I very briefly mentioned that she would be moving in with my family because she wasn’t doing well and had lung cancer. After that, I didn’t say anything else about her, and it wasn’t for no reason.

Soon after she moved in, she mentioned that she had felt bloated and never hungry, and really couldn’t eat much. I would give her a tiny smoothie and she would be full. I felt like I couldn’t help her nourish her body, so that she could heal, even just a little bit. But, two weeks or so after she came to California, we had to take her to the ER; turns out that she had a perforated ulcer (basically a hole in your stomach) and needed to be operated on. While doing tests on her, they found out that the cancer had already spread to her liver; which was, in a word, terrifying.

They decided to go through with the operation, and everything was going well for a couple of days. Then liquid started to build up in her lungs, they couldn’t stop it, then everything started falling apart. She ended up on life-support with failed kidneys and so many things wrong with her. And I’ll never forget the way she looked, and I would never wish that upon anyone. When it was clear that she would not be coming back from this, our family said our goodbyes and her soul left her body. It was a terrible day, less than a month before her 80th birthday. All of us were deeply affected by her passing, and as I type this, I am realizing that this still weighs very heavily on my heart.

My grandmother was a crafty woman, she’s the one that taught me how to crochet; but she was also an avid quilter. She had tons of quilting fabric, yards and yards of it in so many colors and patterns. Plus, some awesome kitchen ware, which her, my mom, and I share the same passion for. Support was something that my grandma often offered, with the turn of events in my life, which led me to where I am today (photography/blogging/etc.). She would tell me that I was capable and creative, which helped me immensely through some tough times. But, I don’t think she knew just how much she would help me.

Soon after we sorted through the fabrics, I got the photo gig with Happy Herbivore. Knowing that I would need to photograph 80 different recipes gave me a bit of anxiety. How would I make these shots so different? Then the light went on, Grandma’s fabrics! Without those, it would have been 80% harder for me to do what I did, and I just wish that I could thank her now. I’ve chosen this post to tell you all this, because three of the items in the photograph belonged to her. Two of the fabrics and this delightful dish, used for cooling food to be served. I’m so glad that I can have her continue to help me in my quest to become a better photographer, and I dedicate this post to her. <3

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Filed under Healthy Recipes, Sweet Recipes

Raw Easter Cookies

It has been a while since I’ve done a raw recipe, and what better way to usher in the new season than with some easy-to-make, fruity, raw cookies? I have to admit, there are some ingredients that aren’t completely raw; such as vanilla extract and store-bought raisins, but they’re nearly there! 

Also, here is some surprise news that I’ve been waiting to share with you, and now is the time. In January, I mentioned that I was working on a large project that I was very excited about; no, it’s not a cookbook of my own, BUT it is someone else’s. You may have heard of her and her brand Happy Herbivore. :) I was fortunate enough to take a majority of the pictures in her newest cookbook, “Happy Herbivore Light & Fit“! The book will be officially on the market in the fall, but is available for pre-order now. I am so, so elated about having my work published, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

Now, that we’ve got that covered, I can tell you about these tasty and festive cookies. I shaped them like eggs for the sake of Easter and having them in a basket, but flower shapes would be great, too! Maybe daisies or tulips? Each cookie has minimal ingredients in it and really couldn’t be easier to make and/or eat. ;) I used a dehydrator to keep these as raw as I could, but if you don’t have one, you can bake these on a low-temp. setting in your oven for a couple of hours.

All of the flavors are fresh and fun: Strawberry Mint, Berry Vanilla and Pseudo-Carrot Cake Cookies. I even tested these flavors out on my omnivore parents and got their approval. Not really necessary, but always appreciated. These recipes also work if you want to make Lara Bar-like snack bars, for on the go!

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Filed under Healthy Recipes, Holidays, Raw Recipes, Sweet Recipes

Glazed Mint & Chip Cupcakes

Do you ever have those days where you’re starting out with an awesome recipe idea, and then it keeps morphing? Yesterday was definitely one of those days, for me. I knew that I wanted something minty, chocolatey and green so share with you all, but wasn’t sure about just which way to do it.

First, it started out as a cookie; minty, green and lil’ chocolate chips. But, after seeing the consistency of the dough I thought that maybe this was better suited to be a muffin. So, I baked a couple of test muffins. As good as they were, I knew that they needed something else, a little more of a minty kick. Let there be glaze! A minty sweet glaze was then poured over the top and I adjusted the recipe some more so that it would be a fluffier cupcake.

You better believe that I was in a sugar/carb coma after all that taste testing. But, I will do what I must for you! ;) Even if that means a couple of extra work outs this week. So, now, we have an adorable cupcake that is perfectly suited for St. Paddy’s day! Plus, there’s veggies in it, spinach to be exact; that’s what gives these cuties their terrific color.

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Filed under Holidays, Sweet Recipes