Extreme Self Control (making homemade Larabars)

Today, I bring you not only your new favorite recipe, but also a test in self-control.

I seem to really like putting food in strange places, then taking pictures of it???

I failed it.

I made a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough Larabars, (each batch makes around 2.5 full sized bars). Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture of them before someone DEMOLISHED them... (me) Sooooo I did the only logical thing and made another batch. This time they were key lime pie.

looks like granola but it's not...

Luckily I was able to get these pictures before they too were GONE. I don't know what it is about Larabars, especially homemade ones...but they're just so, so, so, so, so, SO good. They're easy to make, raw & vegan, (unless you stuff them with chocolate chips...) sweetened with dates and limited to three or four ingredients, and overall perfect. That's all.

aw baby larabar

Not to mention you can do all sorts of cool things with these crazy good snacks. Example A, roll the dough into mini energy bites. Or cut it into the traditional bars, as thin or thick as you want. Sculpt a small scale Mt. Rushmore. Seriously, as long as it ends up in your mouth, who cares?

So, moral of the story, make these when have one of those I-rule-the-world-I-am-Beyonce-my-life-is-so-in-order-I-love-myself-I-am-so-in-charge-and-in-control days. Hopefully you won't end up like me, finishing off half a container of dates and bloated for days. (WORTH IT)

Homemade Larabars - my two favorite flavors

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

1/3 cup pitted soft dates (I get mine at Trader Joe's)

1/2 cup raw, unsalted nuts - I've found I like to use a mix of almonds and walnuts

1/2 tsp vanilla

tiny bit of salt

1 tbs (or more!) chocolate chips

put the dates and nuts into a food processor and pulse until the nuts are mostly ground up and the dates don't really look like dates. This is a horrible attempt at describing this...but basicially, it will look like a loose Larabar. At that point, add in the vanilla, salt, and chocolate chips. Pulse a few more times, then roll into balls or bars. For an easy way to make the bars, put the dough between two pieces of wax paper and roll it out as thick or thin as you want. Cut into squares/rectangles. I store mine in the fridge or freezer.

Key Lime Pie: (guys...these are incredible)

1/2 cup pitted soft dates

1/2 cup raw, unsalted nuts

1/3 coconut

zest of 1 lime

1/2 TBS - 1 TBS fresh lime juice (depends on how lime-y you want it)

tiny bit of salt

Follow the same instructions as above!

Enjoy! (& good luck with that whole self control thing...)

Carrots & Classics

This post, like my last one, (in November...oops) must start with a song. I shazammed this gem from Veronica Mars. And don't worry, I linked the Listen on Repeat version to spare you the trouble of clicking "replay" over...and over...and over.

I got home today and was tired beyond belief and craving something good. I didn't even know what I wanted. I just knew it had to be good. I've been making Oh She Glow's carrot cake smoothie a lot lately. Breakfast, dinner, mid-afternoon snack, this smoothie has seen it all. And it is deeeee-lishhhh-ousssssss.

Disclaimer: I didn't actually open these books today...but Carrots & Classics was just way too cute of a post title to pass up

As soon as I remembered the carrot cake smoothie, I knew it was The One. The perfect pick-me-up after a (very) long day at school. I whipped it up in record time and took 50328 pictures of it before I let myself take a sip. It was torturous. 

I was probably drooling at this point. really. 

This smoothie is gorgeous. Not only is it ORANGE (!!!) but it is smooth, sweet, and cinnamon-y. Not to mention raw, vegan, and crazy healthy. Your mom was right about that vitamin C!! It tastes exactly like carrot cake batter, but better. No weird baking soda-y aftertaste. No one hounding you about salmonella from raw eggs (but let's be honest, I've never listened to that anyway...cookie dough is my friend). I sound like a desperate advertiser right now, but only because you need to try this smoothie. It's good. 

please admire a) my chipped nails b) my workout shirt c) my porch in the background

I've adapted my recipe from the Oh She Glows one to make it a little simpler. 

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2-3 carrots, peeled and chunked (cut into 1 inch "chunks")

1/2 banana, preferably frozen

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinammon

5ish ice cubes

Pour the almond milk into the blender, and drop in the carrots. Blend until it's as smooth as possible. Then add in the banana, vanilla, and cinnamon. The vanilla and cinnamon are really a matter of taste. Once I accidentally put in so much cinnamon that the entire smoothie turned brown but I was EXTREMEMLY desperate for breakfast and drank it anyway. My throat burned for hours. Moral of the story: be gentle with your cinnamon shaker. Add in the ice cubes, and blend again. Enjoy!