grow your own wheat grass

Isn't it pretty?? Whether you want to grow it for home decor or to juice, you can in less than a week.
I bought some wheat berries in bulk at a grocery store for less than 50 cents. And here's what i did:

Fill a container with soil.



Sprinkle wheat berries on top. And cover them with a thin layer of soil.


Set containers somewhere that gets sun. And be sure to water everyday.
And in 5-6 days you'll have a huge thing of wheat grass.
your house with have some life. your cats will graze. and you can juice it.

healthy rice crispy treats and xagave

So i'm going to be sharing quite a few recipes in the coming weeks featuring agave.. and more specifically xagave. I have been a huge fan of agave for a long time now. I like to keep my diet free of refined sugar but i also have a ginormous sweet tooth. Agave is a lifesaver in so many recipes and it really can be "the complete sugar replacement" (thats xagave little catch phrase and i love it). There has been some controversy over the topic but i'm just here to tell you about my opinions and experiences with it.

When I am eating too much sugar, i can feel it. I get headaches, i have no energy, i feel spaced out all day, my skin reacts badly, and in the end i still crave more sugar. When I cut sugar out and use agave in its place there are no side effects. No sugar rush then crash. It's an amazing thing! And thats enough proof for me that its a healthy alternative.

Read more here about other health benefits
Read more here about how its safe for diabetics
And here for some FAQ


That aside, you can use it in everything (sauces, jams, ice cream, cake, cookies, ect) and i'll be showing you how!

The first recipe is a favorite of mine because it is so simple. (very similar recipe here)

Healthy rice crispy treats

1/3 cup xagave
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rice crisp cereal (trader joes sells a rice crisp cereal with no HFCS)

Heat agave and peanut butter over medium heat until it looks like a thick syrup, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla.
Spray a medium sized bowl with oil and add the rice cereal, pour syrup mixture on top, and mix until evenly coated and chocolate is melted in.
Press into oiled 9x9 dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour.


Other recipes i have using agave: chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies & breakfast parfait

halloween 2010

This halloween i dressed up as a 1920's flapper.
I bought this dress last year for $14 to wear on new years or something special but it was never worn.. so it became this years halloween costume. (Although I might still wear it on new years eventually)
I bought a feather and the sequin trimming at a craft store.
And I was busy making caramel apples so i didn't have time to curl or do anything with my hair.
What did you guys dress up as??


(pardon my "poses".. haha. it feels really awkward for me to have my picture taken by myself. i never know what to do with my hands! anyone else have this problem?? they always end up on my hips.. which feels ridiculous too)

carving pumpkins

it's been awhile since i've carved a pumpkin and i forgot how fun it was. pulling the guts out might be my favorite part.
i tried to be creative and carve an owl.. and josh did kermit. And they are both almost completely rotten now so it looks like we'll be carving a couple more for the pumpkin carving contest we're having with friends sunday.

san francisco (2)

we ate lunch at the cliff house and it was AMAZING. It had a beautiful view and i felt fancy. I ordered sourdough french toast with apple compote.. (bliss!).

and i'll conclude the san francisco pictures with a dorky one of me in front of the bridge at dusk.

San francisco!! (1)

I got the opportunity to go to san francisco with my sister and her husband last week, and i'm soo happy i went. I had been to san francisco before but i didn't do much of anything as far as actually seeing the city.. so this time i was really excited. And luckily for us, my brother in law's aunt lives there and she showed us around the entire day. (Traveling tip: go with someone who knows the city!) She took us around to all the touristy spots, but also showed us around some not as touristy but super amazing neighborhoods and areas. And thats when i fell in love with san francisco. It's a GORGEOUS city.. (it probably helped that it was clear skies and 80 degrees)

peanut butter chocolate cupcakes

Hello!


I guest blogged last weekend over at the dujour magazine blog.
They are the most delicious cupcakes i've ever made, so i would strongly suggest checking it out.



Click here for the recipe!

p.s
i was traveling around california last week. i have tons of pictures and stories to share soon!

fall(ish) recipe: breakfast quinoa parfait

i saw this recipe the other day. and knew i had to try some version of it. here's what i came up with.

i cooked red quinoa with apple juice instead of water.
cooked down one chopped nectarine, 1 tablespoon agave, cinnamon and nutmeg.
and layered them in a small glass with greek yogurt.

it. was. amazing.

i want to add pumpkin puree next time.. make it even more fall.