Go for the Gold

I'm sitting on my sectional IN MY HOME IN CANADIA. Can't believe my first year at BYU is done!! I've had such an amazing year and met some really (and I mean REALLY) stellar people. Ugh I miss them all already!!

So basically this last couple of weeks have been very crazy. Pretty much everything I thought was happening actually wasn't, and now I'm readjusting my thought process. I've learned A LOT about life and what I want out of it (and a few things I definitely DON'T)!

Some life lessons from Annie as of 2015:

• Go for the GOLD.
• Work Hard, Play Hard.
• FOMO Isn't a Real Thing. 
• Have Courage.
• Be Kind. (I know it's from Cinderella.... stop it. It's the best advice I've probably ever heard)
• Let Love In.

I kind of want to talk about each of these things separately... PROOOOBABLY in different posts ;)

First of all: GO FOR THE GOLD.

Oh my gosh. This one is so real. Through my experiences (and experiences of others I've talked to) it never pays off to listen to ANYONE who tells you to do less, be less, reach less, dream less, or achieve less. If anyone tells you that you can't do it, or that you shouldn't try, or that it's too hard... DON'T LISTEN.

Seriously. It's gunna take too long?? The time's going to pass anyway. And then you'll wish you had done it.

It's too hard? Other people probably have done it... and if they haven't? There's gotta be a first. Why not you??

Here comes the hard one...

You might not make it. True... but then again... you might! And hey, even if you don't... chances are your efforts won't be in vain. You'll learn invaluable lessons. You'll grow. You'll move on and find something even MORE wonderful!!

So seriously guys. Be your very best!! Don't settle for less. Push yourself. Stretch. Be uncomfortable. Pack in all the incredible, wonderful, and astounding things life has in store for you!! You're worth more than you could possibly imagine.

And now? There must be cashew butter.

Coconut Cashew Butter.

LOW CALORIE COCONUT CASHEW BUTTER.

Staaaaaahp.

Coconut Cashew Butter (with optional protein boost!)

Ingredients:
1 Cup Cashew Pieces (I like them roasted AND salted)
3/4-1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
3/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (I like Silk!)
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I like Cellucor)
Sweetener to taste (I use Splenda and Truvia Brown Sugar Baking Blend)












Directions:

Put cashew pieces in a food processor and let er rip!! Add the almond milk, protein powder, and sweetener and blend until SMOOOOOOOOTH. Add in the coconut and pulse till combined. I like it super chunky ;)

This recipe is lower calorie, high protein, and DELICIOUS on anything!!

I like it on overnight oats :) and sandwiches. And 1 minute cake. And ice cream. And spoons.


















Much love

xo

Annie

Cookie Dough Cravings

Finals... They're coming here!!

It's my last Monday of the semester and I couldn't be more conflicted!! On one hand... I am SO excited to go back home. I miss the homeland like crazy and can't wait to see everyone... AND sleep in my queen bed! No more twin XL for me!

Buuuut on the other hand.... I'm going to miss this beautiful place!! And in the Summer it is even more stunning. The music, the weather, great food, MY FRIENDS!!! *crying*.... Next year is going to be so different. Tons of my favourites are moving on to the bigger and better (you know who you are!) and while I'm so thrilled for them, I'm going to miss them!!

Missing people is weird. It's like... something I'm not super used to experiencing. I'm pretty accustomed to constantly starting over and making new friends. Friends have always been pretty transient for me. Family has been my constant.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my friends. Always have. And I'm always so so so excited to meet up with people I haven't seen in a while. But active missing? Like that hole in your heart when you don't see them? Not as much.

Things are different now. And that's scary/crazy/wonderful/terrible!! I'm pretty lucky I have people in my life and heart that I can miss :)

Anyway. The real reason we are here: Cookie. Dough. That you can feel great while and after eating. This exists? Yeah baby, it exists. Do I eat it on the daily? But of course. Can YOU?... well, now you can ;)








Single Serving Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Ingredients

2 TBSP coconut flour (I like Bob's Red Mill)
1-2 TBSP milk of choice (I like Silk Unsweetened Cashew Milk)
A few drops of vanilla extract
2 drops of butter extract
Pinch Salt
Pinch Baking Powder (Sounds weird, but it lends that raw cookie dough taste)
Sweetener to taste (I like using Splenda and Truvia Brown Sugar Blend)
Add ins! Chocolate chips, rolled oats, cinnamon, pecans, coconut, oreos.... anything you like in YOUR cookies :) Keep in mind this alters the nutritional value!



Directions

Add everything but your mixins and stir with a fork! If you need a little more milk to get the consistency you want feel free! Coconut flour is a VERY thirsty flour and soaks up liquid like a sponge. Unfortunately it cannot be substituted in this recipe....

Add in your mixins and get ready for some cookie-dough-lovin! Roll it into little balls and freeze it, crumble it on a smoothie, spread it on pancakes, or just spoon it onto some healthy peanut butter mousse like me ;)

Couldn't be easier!!

I'm always looking for suggestions on what to healthify... anything in particular y'all want to see on the blog? Let me know here, fb, insta, whatever!!

xo

Annie

thunderr_katt <--- my insta handle ;)

#becausehelives, and zucchini loaf!

Happy Easter Everyone!

I hope you all had a marvellous weekend full of family, friends, and good food :) It's my first Easter I've ever spent away from my family! I didn't even realize it was happening to be honest..... But it came and went just the same.

Today I want to share a couple of things. Some thoughts, something special, and finally something healthy and delicious.....

.....And YES, in that particular order.

First, some thoughts for today. The past few days have been trying to say the least. I won't go into the details (because hey, there's delicious food to be baked) but I have been forced to take a good hard look at my life and where I want it to go.... and how this all fits with my faith. I have wondered why certain doors have closed that seemed so perfect at the time. Even options that would be "alright with me" or "decent I guess" have been whisked away before I could catch hold.

General Conference could not have come at a better time. I still felt some concern after the Saturday sessions... but just as the sun silently breaks over those beautiful Utah mountains each day, hope came quietly this morning. I was able to breathe for the first time in a long time and be still. I felt my worry quelled and my fear fade. My choices were reaffirmed and I'm grateful.

I'm grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives. I know that He loves each of us so perfectly and blesses us abundantly every day. I know His hand is in my life always. I'm sure many of you have seen this... but in case you haven't:

http://www.mormon.org/easter?cid=HP_SA_4-4-2015_dMIS_fMRMN_xLIDyMSTHD1_

Watch this. It's truly beautiful.

And now.... Some food to go with my thoughts. What's a girl to do when she's away from home for her first Easter ever?? Clearly go buck in the kitchen. TONS of SKINNY french onion soup, coconut cashew butter, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and healthy chocolate chip zucchini streusel loaf to start off the week!















How's about that zucchini bread recipe... hmmm?


How does a protein packed, dense and springy loaf with a coconutty, pecan, cinnamony, sweet topping sound? With a big spread of butter? Hold me back. Did I forget to tell you it starts with a pancake mix....? BUT STOP. It's Kodiak Cakes Powercakes. The Holy Grail of pancake mixes!! It's flipping delicious, just needs water, and is SUPER healthy!!

 This is how I've been eating it.... with a big smear of Brummel and Brown Yogurt spread. #todiefor.

 It's also pretty divine with a drizzle of honey, or a bit of cookie butter. Or Nutella. Or anything. Ugh stop me.

 Look at that thick slice! Served up alongside some peanut butter mousse :) Breakfast is the best!!

 Sorry about the plastic spoon.... #studentprobs

Please make and enjoy!

xo

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Streusel Zucchini Loaf (With POWERCAKES!)

1 cup Kodiak Cakes Powercakes*

1.5 scoops protein powder of choice (I used Cellucor* Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough)

1/3 cup Truvia baking blend* (or granulated sugar of choice)

2/3 cup splenda (feel free to sub for 1/3 cup more sugar)

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 egg

1/3 cup applesauce

1/3-1/2 cup milk of choice (I used Silk Cashew Unsweetened*)

1 medium zucchini, grated

1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping (Optional… but not really ;) feel free to play with this! Different nuts, chocolate chips, granola….)

¼-1/3 cup old fashioned oats

¼ cup pecans, chopped

¼ cup unsweetened flaked coconut

½ tbsp. cinnamon

1-2 tbsp Truvia baking blend

Combine all dry ingredients listed above, then add wet. Mix until the batter is just blended. It should be about the consistency of regular quickbreads! If it’s not quite right, add a little more milk to thin it out. Pour into greased and parchment lined loaf pan.

In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients for the streusel topping. Sprinkle evenly over the top of your loaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean!

This came out springy, moist, cinnamony, streusely, and not overly sweet! Perfect for a breakfast bread alongside of a protein shake or as a snack with a steaming cup of tea J If you aren’t a fan of fat free baking I would substitute some of the applesauce with a neutral flavored oil, or even coconut oil!

This recipe is: low sugar, high protein, low fat, and delicious!!

*I'm clearly not affiliated with anyone, much less these great companies (but I'd like to be!!). These opinions are completely my own. 

Breakfast: The Moste Potente Potion

I love breakfast. I can't even tell you how much I love breakfast.

Pancakes. Waffles. Crepes. Cereal. Granola. Yogurt. Smoothies. Toast. French toast. French toast crunch. Oatmeal. Cream of Wheat. Bacon. Sausage. English Muffins. Biscuits. Eggs. Fruit.

I am a HUGE breakfast advocate. It's really the most versatile, delicious, and important meal out there.... but second breakfast comes pretty darn close ;)

I also think that having a good, filling and balanced breakfast is as important as eating it at all!! Lots of recipes I see out there for healthy and hearty breakfasts leave something to be desired....

Why should healthy mean it can't be delicious!! Take my Peanut Butter Mousse and Toffee Crunch Peanut Butter Stuffed French Toast for example.... :)

This was totally delicious, satisfying, and didn't leave me sugar coma'd for the rest of the day.

What You'll Need:

For the Peanut Butter Mousse Filling:
1/4-1/3 cup Greek Yogurt
Pinch salt
1-2 TBSP Peanut Butter or Peanut Flour
Sweetener to taste (I like Splenda)
Extra nut butter/toasted nuts (optional) I used my Pecan Toffee Crunch Protein Peanut Butter (I'll do a post on it soon ;) )

For the Toast:
2-4 pieces of whole wheat light bread
1 egg
cinnamon
splash of milk (I like Silk Cashew Unsweetened)

Preheat a frying pan!

Mix all ingredients for the mousse filling VERY well. Set aside.


Add egg, cinnamon, and milk to a bowl and whisk until well combined. Pile peanut butter mouse on one piece of the bread. Smear on extra peanut butter and toasted nuts if desired. Place the other piece of toast overtop. (Think PB Mousse Sandwich ;) )

Dip your sandwich into the egg mixture and coat both sides! Spray some nonstick spray on your nice hot frying pan and put your egg-dipped sandwich right in there. Cook 1-2 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is done!

You should hear a good sizzle when you lay it on the pan :)










Voila! Serve with butter, syrup, whip cream, or whatever your heart desires! I stuck with sugar free syrup this time.... I was so hungry I couldn't wait!!

I love skinnifying decadent recipes for everyday use! I don't think that just because something is good for you it has to be boring, bland, or basic!

You can play around with healthy alternatives and have delicious things like Pasta Alfredo Bakes, Stuffed French Toast, Meatloaf Sandwiches, Cinnamon Streusel Cake, and Funfetti Cake every day of the week (and twice on Thursdays)!! Happy Breakfasting!

xo

Annie

Skinny Struggles

I'm asked a lot about how I can eat so many desserts and indulgent food and stay so skinny.

First you should know that I SERIOUSLY don't feel "so skinny" lots of the time. Most of the time... ever. Imagine that!

Second you should know that I work very hard to balance my diet not just to maintain a certain weight, but to maintain a certain level of HEALTH. I 100% believe that you are what you eat. The fuel you put IN your body has the biggest impact on what you get out of it. If you feed yourself crap, that's how you're going to feel.

What many people don't understand is that it's not one piece of cake or an order of fries that will ruin you. It's all about your lifestyle.

I have a ravenous sweet tooth that seriously CANNOT be satiated by one freaking square of dark chocolate, nor by a splurge once a week. In fact, I fundamentally disagree with a planned weekly splurge meal. I think the psychology behind that is so skewed. You're depriving yourself fun experiences and making yourself miserable during the week so you are ravenously craving something good by the time it rolls around. So you indulge. Hard. You eat WAY more than you are even comfortable digesting, let alone discussing, and then you are overstuffed and have a mega food hangover the next day. Then comes the weekly detox of lemon and cayenne and maple syrup (gag) and the cycle resumes.

Splurge meals don't work for me. Never have, never will.

You know what does? Finding healthful alternatives to sweet treats and adapting my taste preferences. Sure, my healthy desserts won't taste exactly like a Cinnabon or a cheesecake brownie or my beloved red velvet birthday cake. There are differences in taste... but there are also differences in how you feel after.

I don't believe in eliminating food groups, following fads, or buying into all the zillions of blogs that claim coconut oil is a miracle food that you can drink by the cup and lose weight.... but I'll save that rant for another post ;)

Anyway. Maybe there are some people who can eat six poptarts and a pizza and deep fried cheese on the daily and always look great naked. I don't know anyone who's like that and I'm certainly not one of them... and truthfully? I'm so glad. I taught myself how to fuel my body properly and I can share what I've learned with others :)

Healthy food is beautiful food. Take care of your body. It's one of the most wonderful gifts God has given you. Treasure and protect it. Use it how it is meant to be used.

 xo

Annie

The Calm Before the Storm.... and BREAKFAST :)

Ohhhh my gosh. This week's gunna be nuts!

Final month of classes. Can't even breathe. Everything somehow snowballed into one week... midterms, labs, papers, cleaning checks, presentations, hosting my bio innovation class, errands... the list goes on!

So you may have noticed the construction going on with this blog. It's kind of a process. I'm exploring what I want my life to be... so the blog is going to be evolving with me. The most obvious change I guess would be the blog name! I liked Cakerella... but it didn't really ever sit right with me. It's not something I really am anymore.

I like this new name. It's ambiguous, mysterious, and hard to nail down. It's attractive but doesn't scream for attention. It's individualistic without self obsession. It's what I'm going for these days ;)

I'm going to share with you all my latest obsession: overnight oatmeal. I've seen this crap ALL OVER pinterest and was extremely resistant. But WOW. Never again. Today I'm going to share my favourite flavour so far: Chocolate Peanut Butter. Classic.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

1/3-1/2 cup Rolled Oats
1/3 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1-2 TBSP Cocoa Powder (depending on how chocolatey you want it!)
1-2 TBSP Peanut Butter, Peanut Flour, or Peanut Butter Protein Powder (I like Cellucor)
1/2 Cup Milk of Choice (I like Silk Cashew Unsweetened!)
Sweetener to taste
Pinch of Salt

Mix everything up in a jar and pop in your fridge! Let it sit at least overnight, if not two days. In the morning you'll have cool, creamy, oatmeal pudding with a bit of chewiness. SO good. I topped mine with peanut butter cheerios and a spoonful of white chocolate peanut butter. #heaven

Here's to a breakfast to look forward to!

xoxo

Back By (popular?) Demand!

Well hello beautifuls <3

Ew. It's seriously been forever. Whyyyyyy?.....

Here's why. I finished school (yay!). I started working (also yay!). I decided to apply to BYU (wha..?) and move to Utah. So now I'm a 20-something freshman working towards my B.Sc. with an alphabet of letters already attached to my name*.... What on EARTH Annie? For real.

In a nutshell. I love my job. It's so great. But I love learning a lot too... and I wasn't done. I want to SEE more. DO more. BE more!! It didn't make perfect sense when I was applying for school and studying for the ACT at the same time as studying for my graduate tests and two sets of boards exams  either.... and to be honest I'm still stumbling around in the dark a little bit!

Here's what I do know: I'm happy. I'm healthy. I'm learning. I'm starting fresh.

I'm happier than I have been since I can even remember. I feel so much like myself it's scary!

I'm running a lot now that ballet is (seriously) over. It's REALLY hard, and I still cry when I hear my old music. I know I would have loved just one more year... but really it would never be "time" for me to quit. I could dance until I literally fell apart. And even then I'd still try and pick up the pieces.

I'm so wrapped up in this new life and I got sick of just blogging about cake. As awesome as it is.... there's gotta be something else yo ;) AND THERE IS! There's so many wonderful and beautiful things in this life to share and to experience!

Don't worry. Cake will still come. There will always be cake. Speaking of which... want some? In about 5 minutes flat? I got your back.

*Cake in the Microwave*
Attempted by many, perfected by few. This cake is actually HEALTHY and is easily transformed into any variation of your favourite. I've been asked way too many times how I make this so here's the recipe!

2 TBSP Coconut Flour (if you use regular, I'd increase to about 3 TBSP)
1 TBSP Your favorite protein powder (optional, I like Cellucor!)
1 tsp baking powder
Dash of Salt
Sweetener to taste (sugar, splenda, stevia, coconut sugar... whatever you're into)
1 egg or 2 egg whites
Splash of vanilla
2-3 TBSP milk
1/2 TBSP applesauce
Add ins: chocolate chips, coconut shreds, crumbled oreos, canned pumpkin, streusel topping.. anything you're feelin.

Add everything together and whisk until smooth. Pour into a ramekin or mug sprayed with nonstick spray. Microwave for about 1:30-2 mins, just until done. Try not to overbake.

Pop your little beauty out and let it cool. I stick it in the freezer for super fast chilling. Then top it with whatever you like! Frosting, peanut butter, melted chocolate, greek yogurt, honey and butter.... Serious options people.

Here's some ideas to get you started...

 

Top Row: 1. Basic cake stuffed with nutella and topped with nutella sauce. 2. Peanut butter cake with chocolate chips, chocolate frosting and peanut butter swirl. 3. Cookies and Cream cake with peanut butter greek yogurt frosting and a crumbled oreo on top.
Bottom Row: 4. Funfetti cake with chocolate chips, chocolate frosting in the middle, and ice cream and a red velvet oreo on top. 5. Cinnamon streusel cake with honey and butter on top.

So there you have it. Healthy cake in a ramekin just for you in 5 minutes flat. Life is so sweet, right?

XOXO

Annie

*All those letters? Two sets of full ultrasound credentials. Kind of weird. Kind of awesome. #imanadult