Late Night “No-Bakes” + Suns, Flowers, and Seeds!

Hey my Absolutely AMAZING Buttercups! <3

Thanks for all of your comments on my last post: my Buttermilk Oatmeal Pancakes. Those are seriously my favorite pancakes now: and I love how incredibly filling they are!

There are some “healthy” things I probably will never be able to get my sister to eat. But, when I got her to try one of my single lady banana cream pies, she fell in LOVE.

She fell in love with them so much with that she and I, at 9:30pm at night, were in the kitchen whipping up some yummies.

We took different roles: she prepared the banana filling while I handled the crust.

She had never made them before, so I just guided her through the steps – she caught on pretty quickly.

Lastly, she decorated them with chocolate chips and some almond slices, and then we stuck them in the freezer.

This is what they looked like in the morning!

Awwwwhhhhh, so good. I’m so glad that she loves these as much as I do! I always know something’s good if my sister really likes it.

And just like how my sister has been making a lot of my single lady banana cream pies…

…I’ve been making a lot of these! Practically every day I have one of these, in one form or another.

But there is something different about this one than all the others I’ve eaten!

Can you guess? It involves suns, and flowers, and seeds, and butter.

Yep, it’s SUN BUTTER! <3

Don’t worry; I’ll be sharing the recipe next!

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Here’s what’s been going on with my workouts and sleep goal!

Workouts: I’ve been having fun with my treadmill recently: trying out different inclines, various speeds, interval training, running, jogging, etc. On Monday I did an intense incline workout (my backside REALLY felt it); yesterday was a 5k on my treadmill while singing/listening to the Tarzan and Little Mermaid II soundtracks (I was running at 7 mph to some of the songs) varying between running, jogging, and speed walking; and today was an incline workout with some weight lifting beforehand (total body and abs). Since trying different speeds and pushing myself a little, I’ve found that I CAN run: I am capable of it; I never thought I could, but I’ve found that I CAN!

Sleep: I went to bed at 9:15pm last night! I never thought I would ever be able to go to bed with a 3 digit number on my clock (and to willing do it makes me even more amazed!). Even though I went to bed at 9:15, I realized I was still tired this morning. I guess I am starting to recognize those messages my body sends saying “TIME TO GO TO BED!” Before, collapsing on my bed and practically passing out (three hours past the time my body wanted to go to bed) used to be what told me I was tired. Now I know I CAN go to bed at a decent time. I CAN.

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What are some of your favorite ways to spend time with your family? I like anything that I get to just spend that one-on-one time with them, whether that be folding laundry, doing dishing, grocery shopping, writing cards, riding bikes, coloring in a coloring book (when I have the time – yes, I still love doing that!), or just playing a game!

Do you have a favorite snack you just can’t get enough of? Bananas (frozen) with nut/seed butter for me!

Have you ever thought you would never be able to do something to find out later that you CAN do it? Have you ever just had to push yourself a little to try something to find out you like it? Like with school or work; fitness/working out; or cooking or baking. Overcoming hardships? Conquering fears? Jumping off a pole? (You can read about my experience here.)

xoxox,

My Alibi In Ashes Is Lollihopping

Hey My Beautiful 2011 (soon to be 2012) Snowflakes!

How was your Christmas? Mine was a very quiet but nice one. These past two weeks I’ve spent with my family and  have been weeks I’ll never forget. I truly love just hanging out with my loved ones!

A few of the things I received for Christmas:

The newest Nancy Drew Game!!! I LOVE NANCY DREW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (If you want to see what THIS game is about, go here.) I can’t wait to get the next game, which is all about Egypt!

I also got two gift cards from my sister and my parents: one for Half Price Books and the other for Target.

And then one of my friends gave me a bag of puffed Amaranth for Christmas. I can’t wait to try this with some almond milk.

And that’s it! (Well, if you consider the stuff my parents bought me for college as part of my Christmas, then I would have a larger Christmas, but that’s COLLEGE stuff…. )

For Christmas I made some cake mix peanut butter chocolate chip bars (which have been officially eaten all up as of days ago – ha-ha, they did not last long); we placed a candle in one of them and sang happy birthday to Jesus. It’s a tradition that we do every year that I look forward to. (I also really enjoy making the treat for it every year! Usually we use a cupcake, but I didn’t have any cupcakes at the time, so we used these.)

I can share the recipe for these bars if you want. They aren’t the healthiest treat, but they sure are good! I can try making them healthier for you guys. I want to make them healthier simply because my family loves them so much and I want them to get some goodness while eating them.

Oh, and remember that zucchini bread recipe that I said I didn’t know if I should share because it wasn’t vegan? Well, I made it vegan and it tastes FABULOUS!!! It will be the first recipe for 2012 from me.

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In addition to my Christmas gifts and goodies, I received a trial version of Lollihop. And I got a lot of goodies! This month’s included things like Artisania Raw Cacao Bliss, good health natural foods original Apple Chips, a twin cakes bakery’s biscotti cookie, gluten free Granola, 18 Rabbits organic granola bar with bananas and hazelnuts, MixtBag Yellow and Blue Corn Tortilla Chips, a vegan dark chocolate-pretzel protein bar and a chocolate-peanut butter protein bar, a bag of 479 organic black truffle popcorn, raw almonds, oskri dark chocolate coconut bar, etc! I’m so excited to try out all of these things!

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We still don’t have a Treadmill, but my sister just bought herself a laptop (I didn’t cause I don’t really want one – yet) and my dad got himself a new computer, too.

And I just discovered Cake Boss. Not that he hasn’t been around on TLC for forever, but after I saw one of them I was hooked (thank you Netflix who has all like 78 episodes – don’t worry, they are only 21 minutes each, so I can watch a few and still get stuff done). I adore watching it, but my favorite part is how he SHOWS HOW he makes the cakes: step-by-step. He uses different frosting techniques for the cakes, covers with fondant/molding chocolate, and decorates them with precision! Just by watching this show, I now really want to work at a bakery decorating cakes. Nothing fancy, but maybe a couple days a week I could just go (even if it’s just volunteer work) and work with a cake decorator and learn more about it. I absolutely ADORE making and decorating cakes, cupcakes, and cookies; but I wish they’d make these treats a little healthier. Eating pounds and pounds of cake isn’t the best idea. A slice here and there won’t kill you, but it would still be better if they were healthier and had the taste people love.

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Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? I didn’t really ask for much except the Nancy Drew game. I have been making presents to give to other people. I love doing it. And I don’t expect anything in return. I’m not giving it to them because I want something back: I’m giving it to them because I care for them. I really didn’t care if I got any presents this year – that wasn’t my focus. My focus was on others.

Do you guys prefer if I share sugar-free recipes? Lower-sugar? Doesn’t-matter-the-sugar (like kind or amount)?

Are you looking forward to 2012?! I’m still in shock. It was just this past Christmas that my blog turned one year old. This year has gone by so quickly, but I’m really looking forward to 2012. It’s going to be filled with a lot of change – a good kind of change.

xoxox,

My Life Is Full Of Butterflies!

Hey My BEEA-U-TI-FUL Butterflies!

Both Savannah and Alex awarded me with this.

I am so touched. For this, I need to answer the following questions:

Name your favorite color:

Anything Fall — green, red, brown, orange, warm pinks, gold, maroon, emerald, etc! Maybe it’s because they go with my skin tone and I know they look good on me. Whenever I go shopping, I always gravitate towards those colors.

What whizzes you off:

When people are mean. Or drive crazy — ugggh, that drives me crazy.

Name your favorite dessert:

Hmmmm, probably these. They are definitely one of my favorites.

Best feature:

I love my smile. I love my eyes. I love my hair. I love how the sun naturally brings out the red in my hair.

Your favorite pet:

Chip. He is my best friend. He is there and will always listen — no matter what. He follows me everywhere (if I go downstairs without him, he’ll roam the house and cry and cry until he finds me). He takes over my pillow — I mean sleeps with me, kneads me (literally — like a kitten does to their mother when their suckling — that motion, Chip does on me), and he plays FETCH! He demands a lot of attention (aka, he will stand by our island in the kitchen and CRY until we get him a new bowl of ice with a little water drizzled on top; haha, I’m not kidding). I love him so much. You could say I’m a bit of a cat lover.

Your biggest fear: 

Falling back into my old restricting habits. I NEVER want that to happen again — it just led to unhappiness and sorrow. I know that as I keep focusing on listening on my body, I can stand strong against that fear.

Guilty pleasure:

Hehe, one of these. They don’t give me any guilt since they are so good for you, but they sure taste like they would! And to clarify, if I eat something that isn’t so good for me, I’m not going to feel GUILTY about it. I will just accept and move forward. Eating something not as good for me won’t kill me. It’s part of life. If I balance out the rest of my day, I’ll be fine.

When you’re upset you:

Run it off. Read my scriptures. Go bake something. Play Sudoku. Go read some blogs.

What is perfection:

Balance. Perfection is something I tried to achieve – perfect in how I ate, when I ate, how much I ate; but now I just listen to my body and move forward accordingly.

Well, they didn’t say HOW many I had to tag, so here I go!!

A Full Measure Of Happiness

A Healthy Passion

A New Start

A Nutritionist Eats

A Spoonful Of Peanut Butter

A Spoonful Of Smash

A Tablespoon Of Liz

ABC Healthy

Amazing Asset

Angry Cherry

Apples N Oats

Baking Charms

Beyond Bananas

Big City Lil Kitchen

Bites And Bliss

Body By Nature

Britt Fit

Carrie On Vegan

Chef Katelyn

Chocolate Covered Katie

Clean Eating Chelsey

Clean Teen Kelsey

Cupcake Kat

Dashing Dish

Earth, Love, and Craziness

Edible Perspective

Faith, Food, & Fitness

Family Fresh Cooking

FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Fervent Foodie’s Blog

Finding My Happy Ending

Fit Chocoholic

Fit Foodie Finds

Fit Girl Foodie

Fitness Health And Food

Food For Healing

Fresh Fruitian

Freckled Foodie

Gluten Free Goddess

Go The Extra Mile

Health Nut

Healthful Sense

Healthy Coconut

Healthy Exposures

Healthy Girl’s Kitchen

Healthy Helper Blog

Healthy Life

Healthy Slow Cooking

Healthy With Heather

Hungry Meets Healthy

I <3 Vegetables

Insatiably Healthy

Inspired RD

It’s Only Life, After All

Itty Bits Of Balance

Julianna Banana

Kath Eats Real Food

Keep’n The Faith

Kerry Cooks

Kiss My Broccoli

Kisses For Breakfast

Kit Kat Kate Blog

Lactose Free Lizzie

Lauren Loves Good Food

Lift To Run

Little College Vegan

Little Health Junkie

Little Miss Healthify

Live Laugh Eat

Loves Veggies

Meals And Moves

Mind Running Wild

Molly Runs Fresh

Move Over, Celery

Moves N’ Munchies

My Fabulous Life On The Road

Not The Normal Teenage Fare

Oatmeal With Sprinkles

Oatnelli

Oh She Glows

Omnomally

One Healthy Munchkin

PB Fingers

Peanut Butter and Ginger

Peas And Thankyou

Powered By Peanut Butter

Pumped For Pumpkin

RD Exposed

Read, Eat, Move

Runner N Spice

Running On Apples

Running With Spoons

Runs For Food

Sarah’s Scrumptious Samplings

Savvy Eats

Semi Sweet Blog

Shanna Like Banana’s Blog

Simply Megan

Snack Girl Goes Healthy

Spinach And Sprinkles

Spoonful Of Sugar Free

Stuck Outside the Box

Sweet And Savvy

Sweet Cheeks

Sweet Tooth Runner

Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

Teenage Health Freak

Teenage Taste

The Athlete’s Plate

The Broccoli Hut

The Budget Dietitian

The Chic Life

The Fitness Apple

The Fitness Dish

The Fruit Pursuit

The Health Seeker’s Kitchen

The Healthy Apron

The Little Vegan Baker

The New Healthy

The Scene From Me

The Process Of Healing

The Quirky Kitchen

The Tolerant Vegan

The Wannabe Chef

Tickled Tofu

This Italian Family

Trainer Kim

Vegan Aphrodite

Vegan Lenna

Vegan Sunshine

Veggie Monster

Veggin’ Out In The Kitchen

What Kate Is Cooking

Whole Wheat Or BUST

XC Foodie

Yes, I Want Cake

Your Food Smiles

YOU GUYS ARE THE BUTTERFLIES IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for always being there for me and helping me along throughout my journey! And thank you to my friends and family – YOU ARE MY BUTTERFLIES TOO!

Do you gravitate towards certain colors? I have a TON of red, green, and brown in my wardrobe.

What would you say is your favorite features about yourself? One thing I love about all of you guys is how supporting you are. Thank you for everything!

I am working on two recipes right now: Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes and A Chocolate Lover’s Nut Butter. Which one would you like first? I can’t get enough of either!

xoxox

P.S. Happy Labor Day!

What Would You Have Done?

Hey My Sugardoodles!

You guys are indubitably the BEST readers EVER! Thank you so much for all of your heart-felt comments on my last post. And thank you for all of your suggestions to how I can up my speed and distance in running!

The 1st day of August. What is one thing you have done this 2nd half of the year to give yourself a new start? Has it been a re-commitment to working out? Has it been cleaning out your closet full of clothes that just hang there collecting dust? Or is it just listening to your body and enjoying life? A new month. A new start. And a new bed set!

The one thing I have done this 2nd half of the year is get a new comforter/sheet set for my bed! There is something about getting a new set of blankets and sheets for my bed that really makes me feel like it’s a start of something new.

Monday morning - my mom and I head over to Target and I RUN to the back of the store, TAKE a sharp left, and ZOOM to the row with the bed comforter/sheet sets. I swear, if you had seen me running to the row of bed sets, you would have thought I was a cheetah about to catch her prey. My mom had just bought my sister a new comforter/sheet set (a PINK one, which I am not the least surprised by) and I became a little jealous (ok, maybe a lot jealous). My mom offered to get me a new set too (since it would be the one I would take to college or use at home and go to college). It was a hard decision, looking at all the different patterns, colors, textures. Well, actually, it wasn’t that hard after all — my first glance caught sight of the set I wanted.

After we got through the checkout, we drove home. As we pulled into the garage, I opened the passenger door, grabbed my new set, ran to the front door, opened it, and RACED upstairs. Once in my room, I tore those old and dusty (ok, not dusty) sheets off of my bed. I zip-opened the bag and pulled out the loveliness inside of it. Oh my gosh! SO much better than what it was before. I then proceeded (after I washed all the sheets and pillow cases) to make my bed. Mind you my bed is an XL Twin, so it takes a special sized sets for blankets and such.

I finally got my fitted sheet onto my bed. And guess who decided to jump up on my bed and park himself there?!

Yep! It’s Chip!

I gently picked him up and placed him on the floor, which I had to do a couple of times before I got my next sheet on my bed.

And what did I find when I turned my back?!

Oh yes he did!

He even started playing with my sheets as I was trying to smooth them out!

After many attempts to keep him off my bed as I tried to make it (I don’t mind him on my bed, just NOT when I’m trying to make it!), I finally gave up. If he was determined to stay on my bed, then that’s fine with me. Haha, I know, I have a soft spot for him.

Thinking that putting on the comforter would be the key to unlocking this door, I laid it out on my bed — even on top of him!

He didn’t budge.

And THEN what did my absolutely precious Chip do?

Oh yes he did!

He did it AGAIN!

He is one stubborn little kitty-cat.

Haha, I love you Chip. =D

Oh well. At least I finished making my bed!

Oh, and then what did Chip decide to do?

What can I say? I spoil him enough!

What would you have done? Chip and I are really close and I am not the least surprised by him wanting to be on my bed. He sleeps with me every night — and he is always in the same room as I am. We are like two peas in a pod: made for each other. <3

What are some of your goals this wonderful month of August? This month I want to finish up my Spanish Class, get my body back on its regular schedule (hello 5 am!), and finish reading Pride and Prejudice (Elizabeth is on her the northern tour with Aunt and Uncle Gardiner and about to visit Pemberley, Darcy’s Estate).

xoxox,

Maybe I Ate Too Much Orange…

Hey My Baby Carrots!

Thank you for all of your thoughtful comments on my last post! My life has been really busy with all that has been going on, and by setting my priorities, I have had an easier time staying focused.

I think I need an orange detox.

Pumpkins. Sweet Potatoes. Mangos. Cantaloupes. Carrots. Oranges. Peaches. Spinach. Nectarines.

These are some of my favorite foods.

They all contain lots and LOTS of Beta Carotine.

I would eat these things ALL of the time and forget some of the other colors of fruits and vegetables.

Orange, orange, ORANGE!

Because of all of the excess amounts of orange I ate , I tinted orange (just like Arnold in The Magic School Bus when he ate all of those “spinach” bits). Carotenodermia, an orange tinting of the skin, can be caused by eating excessive amounts of beta-carotine-containing foods over a prolonged period. It’s harmless, but it can be really hard when your friends start comparing their hands to yours.

The pigments in foods are similar to the pigment that is in our skin, melanin. So when it’s in excess, the body just stores it where your other pigments are — right under the skin! I have to be really careful now of how much I eat of it.

Please, do not take me wrong. All of these foods are healthy for you, but too much of anything ISN’T.

This is one reason I am striving for a variety of fruits and vegetables. The balance I am striving for is to

EAT THE RAINBOW!

Not just one color.

Just like how you can’t have a rainbow with only one color, your body needs a variety of nutrients to function at its best. Not only does it need Vitamin A, but it also needs Vitamin C, D, E, K, the Bs, and all of the other vitamins and minerals.

My goal over the past while has been to cut back on the amount of orange I’ve been eating. I must say, it is REALLY hard (since those are some of my favorite foods), but I know it will turn out for the better. I can tell a difference now – my hands are slowly turning back to normal. It’s getting better.

One of the things I’ve done is stop eating an entire cantaloupe in one sitting, stopped buying the 10-pound bag of carrots, and focused on other fruits and vegetables –

Balance With The Rainbow.

Has this ever happened to you?

What did you do to reverse it?

What is your favorite orange food?

Hmmm, I would say – carrots. Definitely carrots. I’m a lil’ ole rabbit. I am so jealous of rabbits that they get to eat so many carrots and not turn orange!

Sweet Potato or Regular Potato?

I love sweet potatoes!

xoxox

What Will Happen?

Hey My Cinnamon Swirls!

Thank you for all of your loving comments on my last post. I’m so glad that so many of you agreed with me about the QOCGBs – homemade is SO much better than the store bought.

This past weekend has been full of a TON of fun! I got to go over to my friend’s house and celebrate her brother’s birthday! My family and I went over to their house early in the morning and stayed all day. I don’t get to see Ana very much, so these get-togethers with her mean a lot to me.

When we arrived, Ana’s brothers told me she was busy in the kitchen. And guess what?

Ana had made my Banana Nut Bread!!!

She had written the recipe on a sheet of paper, and as I was looking at it, I must say — I was a little confused by how familiar it was. I thought it was mine, but I didn’t know. Low and behold, it was. The only changes were we didn’t add the flax and used pecans in place of the almonds. I had some for lunch with Almond Butter on top and it was SO good!

A little later in the day, we went over to my girl Kelsey‘s house! We helped pack up some stuff and got to talk about some of the activities we had been going to. We wrapped the entertainment station, which had already been taken apart, in PLASTIC WRAP — the kind you get in your grocery store! I was astonished by how well it worked!

Just to let you know — Kelsey is doing great! She has been REALLY busy lately with moving and such. I’m sure she’ll update soon about life. Since the moving truck is coming early Friday morning, her family is busy getting their whole house packed up. I’m going to miss her so much! I’ve known her for 5-6 years now, and the thought of her leaving — it’s really hard. But I know she will have a lot of fun in Utah. She’ll be doing a lot of Ballroom Dancing, so I know she’ll enjoy herself.

Also, guess what she gave me for my late birthday present?

CHIA!!! I almost died. I have wanted to try these for the longest time EVER!!!! NOW I CAN!!!!

After we got back from Kelsey’s, Ana and I had fun looking at wedding dresses online – the gowns were STUNNING! Ana wants something with lace and I want something very elegant, and we both want it to have shape. I have so much fun daydreaming about my wedding day and my prince charming.

Dinner!

YUM YUM!

And this was followed by Cake and Ice Cream. Or should I say a Septuplit Chocolate Cake (Tripe Chocolate Cake spread with a Triple Chocolate Frosting and topped with Chocolate M&Ms) and Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream.

Ana and I had so much fun making this.

And I must say that – I was proud of myself. I had a slice.

Not half-of-of-a-slice. A slice.

This was HUGE for me. If you remember my last Q&As ED edition, I couldn’t even eat my OWN birthday cake at my OWN birthday party. I’ve been working on it and talking to some of you guys about it and have come to the conclusion that I need to be able to eat a piece of cake and not feel guilty about it. I rarely eat it ever anyways, so why would a piece at a friend’s birthday party be so “bad”? I did take the frosting off (I thought most of the milk would be there) and passed on the ice cream (that would have given me a GIGANTIC stomach ache), but the cake wasn’t too bad. Very chocolatey, but good.

I am finding that balance with myself. I want to be able to have a piece of cake with all my friends at a birthday party. For years, I refused to even breathe the same air as those ”unhealthy” foods — I just said no thank you and stood there while all of my friends ate it. I felt cut-off, but I just sucked it up. Now, I want to find that balance — to eat healthy, while not striving for 100 percent perfect.

Talking about Balance, there is a blogger sale that is GOING TO HAPPEN THE 25TH OF JULY for Susan, who is a fellow blogger and personal trainer who has just been diagnosed with leukemia.

Please go check out how she found out she had cancer and how she is doing right now. She is about to start chemo, which costs a fortune, and it has been really hard for her. Because she is in the hospital, she can’t work, so there’s no money. Janetha is holding this auction for her to help out, so please check her blog for the details on that. I hope I can help out.

Have you ever eaten those edamame you can find in the freezer section? I just tried them and they are fabulous! Very filling with all of that protein!

Do you like Chia Seeds? Fave way to use Chia Seeds? I can’t wait to make a pudding with them!

Do/Did you ever daydream about your wedding day? I like to watch Say Yes To The Dress.

xoxox

Read This NOW!!!!

You guys are the best commenters EVER!!!! Thank you for all of the time you guys spend reading my blog– it really means the world to me!!!!!!!

I’m blogging over at Lea’s Blog today. Go read about 100 things I’ve learned!  I asked a question that I want to hear all of your responses to. It has to do with my last Q&A Post.

Also, with my last Q&A’s post – your responses really touched me. It really means a lot to me when you guys are there for me. I know that the SF jelly and cake sound like ”silly” splurges, but for me, that in itself is a big step for me. Before, I NEVER would have ever considered even tasting the Jelly, eating a Cookie, having a bite of Cake at a friend’s Birthday Party, tasting the Homemade Frosting when I make Cupcakes, drinking some Crystal Light (yes, I wouldn’t ever drink that if that was my only choice — I would have preferred to not drink anything to drinking that). Now, I am able to do those kind of things and eat a little bit of those not-so-healthy things and be ok with it. For me, it’s the little steps I take each and every day that really make the difference. A hard thing for me to learn has been that eating something unhealthy is fine for me once in a while. I can aim for a 90/10 instead of a 80/20 if I want, but I know that aiming for a 100/00 won’t do me any good. I know that can I enjoy a little something now and again with my friends and I will be fine.

P.S. I realized I never thanked you for your comments on my biscotti. I am so glad that you guys love cookies as much as I do! Biscotti isn’t as hard as it looks. It at first seemed a really daunting task, but really, it’s just mix and bake! See for yourself!