Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Kittens, February Challenge and a recipe!

Guess what. We have kittens! We're fostering two cute kitties for a couple months named Vito (pictured) and Momo. They remind me of my old kitties Mille and Mango when they were best friends!

For my challenge in February, I decided to do the green smoothie 30 Day Challenge. Basically, you eat green smoothies every day for 30 days. I started on the first and so far so good! The same people also do a 21 day cleanse, so I decided to take that next step and join the cleanse as well. I've been enjoying all the recipes so far and haven't really experienced any withdrawal symptoms, besides being tired and not being able to drink caffeine.



Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

I actually got this from the carton of So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut milk which was on sale at the bargain grocery store. The milk really grew on me, and it's especially delicious in these pancakes!

1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
3 tablespoons natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup pumpkin purée
½ very ripe banana, mashed
1 cup So Delicious® Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vegetable oil + extra vegetable oil or coconut oil for pan
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl,
whisk together wet ingredients.
2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just combined. If using nuts, fold
them into the batter. Let sit a couple of minutes while your skillet is heating up.
3. Lightly oil a large skillet with vegetable or coconut oil and preheat over medium heat.
Pour batter in ¼-cup measurements into the pan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until edges are firm. Flip and cook other side 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with maple syrup.

They were so good! But, I wanted chocolate with mine. So I started my making a simple ganache with melted dark chocolate and a splash of the coconut milk, and then had the brilliant idea to add almond butter. It was so good! I layered the pancakes with the chocolate almond butter and sliced bananas.

Grocery Shopping on a Budget Week 4

Another Trader Joe's trip! I actually spent quite a bit more than my budget, but I still had some money on the gift card. I bought a couple non food things, like a lavender plant, and a couple fun things like freeze dried raspberries and Thai lime and chili cashews. And chocolate....

I calculated what I spent on normal groceries, and it was on budget. Plus, I didn't even spend it all because of the gift card!


  • Organic brown rice cakes - $2.49
  • Onions - $.69
  • Salsa - $2.29
  • Power greens - $1.99
  • Raw mixed nuts - $6.99
  • Clementines - $2.99
  • Curry powder - $1.99
  • Bananas - $1.33
Total: $20.76

Grocery Shopping on a Budget Week 3

Sorry this took so long to post. I did try to post it a long time ago and it didn't work.... but then I didn't try again. Anyways. I went to Fred Meyer, and got

  • Dark Chocolate Almond milk - $2.50
  • Peanut butter - $2.00
  • Frozen corn - $1.00
  • Power greens - $2.00 (with coupon)
  • Hummus - $2.99
  • 2 yogurts (greek with cow and goat milk) - $1.00 each
  • Fuji apples - $.89
  • Amy's burrito - $1.50
  • Cantaloupe - $2.20
  • Organic grape tomatoes - $2.50
  • Baby bella mushrooms - $1.99
  • Cucumber - $.58
  • Bananas - $.89
I also bought soap, which is not included in the budget, and had a coupon, so the total for groceries was $22.37