pineapple express cupcakes

i love pink and brown.

i love pink frosted cupcakes.

this post & these cupcakes i am certainly loving.

i have been meaning to make this recipe a while ago but just now got around to actually

doing instead of thinking.

have you ever seen the movie pineapple express? i have. 50% of the movie twice - i kept falling asleep halfway through at the same point in the movie each time. i can't really explain why, it certainly wasn't the lack humor or entertainment factor, because it was definitely was humorous. anyways,

i do have a point here, these cupcakes are named in honor of the movie.

pineapple + hemp = pineapple express cupcake love.

sweet potato kale mac n' cheeze

cold, rainy days are perfect for snuggling with kitty, a cup of tea alongside a good book & chunky cable knit throw and cozy comfort food. the kind of comfort food that wraps around you like a big hug.

one of my favorite comfort food's, hands down is homemade baked mac n' cheeze.

growing up we use to eat Kraft mac n' cheese like it was going out of style.

my mac n' cheeze tastes have grown up a bit. i love pureeing different veggies and using them as the base for my mac n' cheeze. in the fall/winter i usually use some type of winter squash - roasted butternut or delicata being my favorite two. being fresh out of winter squash & frozen bisque's i needed to improvise.

it was raining this past Sunday and i was craving baked mac n' cheeze - who was the super hero of the weekend? sweet potato. sweet potato saved the day and proved to be an awesome mac n' cheeze all star.

coconut quinoa pudding // very inspiring blogger award

i adore spring, a time of new beginnings and fresh starts.

every year i look forward to the freshness & renewed energy spring brings to the garden, neighbors and table. the first beautiful day of spring everyone walks about town with huge smiles on their faces. spring is a happy time - who doesn't like happiness?

this sweet treat reminds me of spring- full of goodness & happiness.

to simply put it, coconut quinoa pudding topped with sliced almonds, chia & wild blueberries puts a smile on my face much like the first day of spring does.

peanut butter bundt // dark chocolate frosted + Leibster!

 

peanut butter & chocolate, is there any better combination?

everything about this cake i love- the pure peanut butter cake, dark cocoa frosting and the chopped peanuts

I'm telling you, this is a cake you will want to eat for breakfast, lunch & dinner.

a cake that is perfect for an after school snack, a potluck or your next book club get together

my book club peeps were quite lucky last week - i made them this cake. 2 days later i made another one, that is how incredibly tasty this cake is; totally worthy of baking twice in one week!

rustic asparagus quinoa tart

to me, at first a lot of things seem intimidating.

becoming a vegetarian - no way to hard. fast forward 6 years later , it had become second nature - a way of life.

taking the leap over to veganism - out the question, life would be so hard without eggs and cheese. 2 years from when that statement was made i find myself flourishing on a whole foods plant based diet and loving it.

gluten free vegan cooking & baking - wow, you have to be some kind of super hero to conquer that one.  come to find out, like with most things you just need to be open, aware and willing to try new techniques. having a few mentors and inspirational bloggers along the way such as Cara from fork & beans, Caitlin from the vegan chickpea and Richa from hobby & more helps too.

inspired by a few of my favorite gluten free vegan bloggers i have ventured into the wonderful world of gluten free vegan, i figured i would take it for a test drive. and you know what, it is a pretty wonderful ride (sorry for the awful comparison, i had too)

eggplant rollatini ~ Guest Post!

quinoa strawberry pistachio cake

an experiment.

that is precisely what this cake was.

a gluten free baking experiment to be exact - oh boy.

this was my first full fledged gluten free baking adventure, all in all it went pretty well. there were a couple "uh - oh is that what it is suppose to look like?" moments - in the end everything worked out ...and tasted good!

chocolate chia cookies

cookies, can they be healthy? i think so.

i love sweets, it is a weakness i embrace. it simply means to

a. work by butt off at the gym

b. find alternative forms of sweetness that isn't all that bad for you

on Friday i had a few extra hours in the morning that I'd thought i would put to good use.

cookies were on the agenda and i was on a mission to make a slightly healthier cookie.

vegan 3 bean chili with guacamole ~ a special guest post!

today is a very special day - you are about to meet the most amazing person. my little sister, sarah  is one of the funniest, compassionate and inspiring people out there. she makes everyone around her want ot be a better person, including me. this year she has been through an incredible personal journey - she actually created a blog to share her story with others that may be looking for inspiration, support and a good laugh too. i have asked her over to sunday morning banana pancakes to share a part of her story and one of her original recipes. i would loveif you headed over to My Big Fat Blog and see for yourself what an amazing & beautiful sister i am lucky to have.

walnut bella "meatball" subs

 i can safely say before going vegan that i have ever had a meatball sub.

meatball pizza - yes! (the best one around was from the old corner deli)

i was introduced to the world of "meatball" subs by Justin. we use to make them fairly often on Saturday nights at the beginning of our relationship.

efforts are being made to avoid "mock meats", they just don't seem to agree with me any longer.

the other day, after seeing a pin for a meatball sub a little craving started to form, then it was all i could think about. my mission this weekend: to create my own tasty "meatball" sub.  i consider this the grown up version of an all American favorite.