Ari, Author at Ari's Menu

Skinnified Sunday: Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

March 17, 2013 · by Ari ·

I don’t like to make things I’ve already made. I mean, I make the same thing for breakfast every single day, and I order the same thing every time at my favorite restaurants, but I don’t like to bake things more than once, even if it’s a different recipe. Well, unless it’s cookies. Cookies are my favorite. I will make them over and over and over for no reason at all. Cake on the other hand? Meh, I can take it or leave it. I will always eat a dessert, but cookies and fro yo are my true loves.

Well, that is the case with most cakes anyway, but every once in a while, I come across one I really love. 😉

I’ve already made a regular tres leches cake, and a vegan tres leches cake. I had no desire to make an other one, but when people make birthday requests, I can’t say no.

I wanted to try something new and different, and I immediately remembered this recipe that caught my eye a few weeks ago. I’m pretty sure I’ve said about 5 billion times that Jessica’s blog is my very very favorite. She is my blogspiration–her writing, her recipes, her gorgeeeooouuusss photography….everything is just soooo good. If you haven’t you must go check it out rightthissecond.

And as usual, she doesn’t disappoint! Soft, gooey, milk soaked banana cake? Sign me up. I may even like it better than cookies.

My swaps:

White whole wheat flour for all purpose (+fiber, +protein)
Applesauce for butter (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
Less sugar (-sugar…obviously)
Unsweetened almond milk for light coconut milk (-calories)
Sweetened condensed coconut milk for regular condensed milk (-calories)
Regular sliced bananas for caramelized bananas (-fat, -calories, -sugar, -cholesterol)

Skinnified Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

adapted from How Sweet It Is

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch cinnamon
pinch salt
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 medium bananas, mashed
2/3 cup + 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, divided
1/2 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
1-2 tbsp powdered sugar
2-3 bananas for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In an other small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together egg yolks, applesauce and sugars until creamy. Add vanilla and mashed bananas and beat until well combined. Add half of the flour mixture, followed by 2/3 cup almond milk, then the remaining flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in egg whites.
Transfer batter to prepared baking dish, and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Cool completely
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup almond milk, sweetened condensed coconut milk and evaporated milk. Pour the milk mixture over the cake in 3 small batches, brushing with a pastry brush in between each time. Cover and let cake sit in refrigerator for at least 1 hour (overnight is preferable).
To make the whipped cream topping, in a large bowl, beat whipping cream on high until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar slowly to reach desired sweetness mixing on medium speed. Spread evenly over cake.
Top with freshly sliced banana just before serving.

Chipotle Black Bean Burgers {vegan + gluten-free}

March 14, 2013 · by Ari ·

These healthy, vegan and gluten-free chipotle black bean burgers are so full of flavor they will knock the socks off any meat burger!

Do you guys have those foods that you ALWAYS order if they are on the menu? I sit down at a restaurant, scan the menu for goat cheese and sweet potatoes, and then if it’s a burger type place, I always look for a black bean burger.

I also spend lots of money on those frozen black bean burgers. I eat them as a burger, I crumble them up and put them on a salad. They are versatile, and delicious, but I much prefer to create my own food, and not spend tons of money of frozen goods.

I’ve been wanting to create my own black bean burgers for, well, ever. In fact, I honestly can’t believe I didn’t make them sooner. They were super simple, and the whole process only took about 30 minutes. Not to mention the batch makes several, so I was able to have them in salads and in my scrambled eggs (it was delicious) for almost a week.

The only tricky part is the flipping. Black bean burgers are very delicate, and if you flip too soon, or aren’t careful, you will end up with a big mess on your hands. I also had a lot of black bean mush left over. It took me a few times to get it right. I’m not the most patient person, and I didn’t even think to handle them with extra care. Once I did, they came out perfectly!

The secret ingredient (or not so secret since it’s in the title…) in these babies are the chipotles in adobo sauce. Would you believe I’ve never bought them/eaten them before? I see them in all sorts of recipes, and people are always raving about them, but for some reason, I had never used them. They added so much spice and flavor! I can’t wait to use them in 5 billion more recipes!

I topped mine with roasted red pepper (check out those char marks!! mmmmm) and fresh avocado slices. I love them with goat cheese too, but of course that makes it no longer vegan. The pan frying provides the perfect crispy outside, and soft, but not mushy inside. They are spicy and bold, and will easily become one of your go-to meals!

Chipotle Black Bean Burgers {vegan + gluten-free}

Yield: 6-8 burgers

Serving Size: 1 burger

Chipotle Black Bean Burgers {vegan + gluten-free}

These healthy, vegan and gluten-free chipotle black bean burgers are so full of flavor they will knock the socks off any meat burger!

Ingredients

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 teaspoons cumin
pinch salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
handful fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon sriracha
1/2 cup rolled oats (use gluten-free if that's important to you)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Place half the black beans, onion and garlic in your food processor. Blend for 20-30 seconds until combined. Add chipotle, cumin, salt, cornstarch, cilantro, and sriracha. Blend for an other 10-20 seconds. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in oats and remaining black beans.
Heat olive oil on a large skillet over medium heat. Form mixture into patties and carefully transfer to the skillet. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the bottom is browned and set. Very carefully flip and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes until the opposite side is browned and set as well. Serve immediately, or store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

https://arismenu.com/chipotle-black-bean-burgers-vegan-gluten-free/

Cranberry Almond Granola

March 11, 2013 · by Ari ·

While you’re reading this, I am currently living it up in New Orleans!

I can’t tell you what the heck I’m doing, because Steve and I left with absolutely no plan.

Okay, that’s a little bit of a lie. I had 2 plans. Bourbon and beignets. Have I ever mentioned my life revolves around food? In fact, I’ve spent the last week being suuuuuper food conscious just so I could live it up a little on this vacation. I was pretty cranky for most of the week because I reallllllly hate anything resembling a diet, but I’m pretty sure it was worth it. 😉

Okay, enough about my trip–let’s talk about granola! One day I had the brilliant idea that I was done buying things at the store that I can make myself. I made my own Larabar replacement, and granola was the next thing. I literally eat it every single day, and it is not cheap!

So then, in true Ari fashion, I tried to bake like 7 things in a 2 hour time period, declared that making things from scratch was a big waste of time, and I would immediately be going back to buying granola, and granola bars for that matter, at the store.

But after one bite of this stuff, I was sold. As I was taking pictures, I kept sneaking little nibbles. I must have eaten at least an entire serving just during my photo session!

The robust, nutty flavor is more full and bold than any granola I’ve ever bought at the store. It baked up perfectly crunchy with next to no oil in the entire batch, and the soft, sweet cranberries are the perfect touch to balance out the flavors and textures.

Then I realized that this made enough granola to last me at least a month! 12 cups of deliciousness for about 1 hour of time? Totally worth it!

**Note: I wanted to add dehydrated apple chips to this, but I couldn’t find any. If you have them–they would be delicious!

Cranberry Almond Granola

yield approx 12 cups

adapted from David Lebovitz

5 cups rolled oats (use gluten-free if that’s important to you)
3 cups almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup finely shredded unsweetened reduced fat coconut
1/3 cup milled flax seed
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch cloves
heavy pinch sea salt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey or agave
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300. Line two large baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a very large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, seeds, coconut, brown sugar and seasonings.
In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce, maple syrup, honey/agave, and coconut oil until well combined, whisking constantly.
Add the applesauce mixture into the dry ingredients and toss to combine. Divide mixture evenly between your 2 prepared baking sheets.
Bake until browned and crispy, about 1 hour. Lightly toss granola every 10-20 minutes while cooking. The more often you toss it, the less clusters you will have.
Cool completely, then add cranberries. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The granola will stay fresh for at least one month. I’ve never made a batch last any longer than that, but it’s still great a month in!

Crispy Ranch Chicken Strips

March 8, 2013 · by Ari ·

I’m so excited to share this with you today. You see, I’ve been making this chicken for almost 4 years. It was one of the first healthy recipes I ever cooked!

I started making this chicken when no one else in my life was quite used to my new healthier habits. I had gone away to college weighing 23o lbs, eating fast food for every meal, and calling a pint of ice cream one night’s dessert. Of course everyone was happy for me, but it also takes some getting used to when someone comes back with such drastically altered priorities.

I made this recipe for Steve and some of our best friends before I even knew how to cook, but it was so easy and fool-proof that everyone loved it!

Ever since, it’s been Steve’s #1 favorite dish. He always requests it, and I continue to surprise him with it on special occasions. It’s always the simplest things that people seem to love the most. I love to over complicate things, but when it comes down to it, 90% of the time, simple ends up being the way to go.

I love this dish because anyone can make it. It doesn’t require a lot of prep work, or a long list of ingredients. It’s approachable, and it tastes like indulgent comfort food–crispy baked chicken, zesty ranch seasonings browned to perfection. It is one of those healthy meals that makes you love eating healthy, and shows just how easy it can be. If you can boil spaghetti, you can make this chicken. 😉

Crispy Ranch Chicken Strips

barely adapted from Spark People

yield 6 servings

1 and 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
2 egg whites, beaten
1 oz ranch seasoning (store bought or homemade)
2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
1/4 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Place a cooling rack inside of a large baking sheet. Line with tinfoil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Place beaten egg whites in a shallow bowl. In a large separate shallow bowl, combine ranch seasoning, cereal and cheese.
Dip each chicken strip in egg whites, then fully coat in cereal mixture. Place on the lined cooling rack. Repeat with remaining chicken slices.
Bake until golden brown and chicken is cooked throughout, about 30 minutes (depending on how thick you slice the chicken). Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Drink & Dish: Vegan Shepherd’s Pie {with video!}

March 7, 2013 · by Ari ·

Do you guys celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? I’ve never really done much, but green is my favorite color, so I do enjoy an entire holiday dedicated to it. 😉 I really like to get holiday themed pedicures (my bank account doesn’t, but that’s an other story…), and I always get really excited to get something green in March!

To be honest, I had no idea what the heck people even eat for St. Patty’s Day. After some brain storming, Nicole suggested shepherd’s pie, but I didn’t even really know what went inside the thing. I knew it was meat and potatoes, but that was about it.

I did some research, swapper the meat for lentils, swapped the mashed potato topping for a sweet potato puree, and all of the sudden I had a delicious, hearty, and filling vegan shepherd’s pie.

Can we talk about how shepherd’s pie is the hardest thing ever to photograph? I felt like every single photo I took just looked like vegetable mush. In fact, it took me 2 takes (one during testing, and one during filming) to get even a handful of photos that I liked between the two.

I should also mention that this makes a LOT of food. Like, I hope you have a big family, and are looking forward to healthy left overs because it will last you forever, and only gets better the next day! I tested this recipe out on a Tuesday, ate the leftovers all week long, and then made it TWICE for filming. I’ve pretty much been eating nothing but shepherd’s pie for the last week and a half.

In fact, I can’t believe I’ve gone this long not eating this regularly–savory, rich veggies topped with creamy, sweet potatoes? It just screams the makings of a perfect dinner!

Oh, and it’s especially delicious with Nicole’s Irish maiden cocktail (AKA my new favorite drink ever). Make sure to check out her recipe as well! And here’s our latest episode of Drink & Dish!

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

yield 10-12 servings

3 large sweet potatoes
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth, divided use
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large squash (zucchini or yellow), sliced
1 lb cooked lentils
1 cup frozen peas
sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and thyme for seasoning
cashew cream for topping (optional)

Directions:

To make the sweet potato puree, roast sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Cool slightly, then remove skins and transfer to a blender. Season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup vegetable broth with corn starch. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots and squash. Season with salt, pepper and thyme (I used a heavy pinch of each), and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add lentils, peas and vegetable broth/corn starch mixture. Add an extra 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Cook until all ingredients are heated throughout stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a large casserole dish (or individual serving dishes). Evenly spread sweet potato puree on top.
Broil for 20 minutes. Top with cashew cream if desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips

March 5, 2013 · by Ari ·

I have a really bad habit. It goes a little something like this:

“Hmmm…I’m hungry. I’m gonna go see what’s in the pantry”

…looking, looking…

“Uggghhh, everything requires cooking. I’m soooo hungry. Wait, chips! I’ll just stand here and eat a few while I decide.”

…a few handfuls of chips later…

It’s bad. I am just so impatient, and I am a horrible snacker. I’ve always liked to eat often. The boys in my family? They like to eat an entire days worth of food at one sitting. I don’t understand it one bit. If I had it my way, I would just eat all day long. It’s pretty much my favorite thing to do other than running and theatre.

The problem is once I started eating a healthier diet, so many of my favorite snacks were gone. Most snack type foods end up being calorie dense–and empty calories at that. I was so excited when Green Giant sent me some of their new lower fat snack chips to try out!

I tried the Zesty Cheddar Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips and the Sea Salt Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips. I loved them both, but obviously the sweet potato ones were my favorite. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you are well aware of my sweet potato obsession, and these chips don’t disappoint–they are made with real sweet potatoes, and you can tell!

Green Giant is calling these chips their Giant Surprise new talent. Well, I am a big fan of surprises, especially when they involve food, and this one certainly delivers! These are perfect for a get together, or even for just a healthier option as a side for your lunch sandwich or salad. I hope you guys love them as much as I do!

In the spirit of surprises, you can find some more surprised talent on Green Giant’s youtube channel.

Thank you to The Green Giant™ for being a sponsor. Show the Giant your surprise talent at www.facebook.com/greengiant

ITBS Recovery Week 6

March 4, 2013 · by Ari ·

Hi friends. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, feel free to check out my first recovery post. Here’s a little reminder.

How I’m feeling physically:

Honestly, I’m feeling about the same. I have good days, and bad days. I don’t feel better than last week, but I don’t feel worse. Walking still feels…odd. When I walk for a long time (a long time being one side of the house to the other), it feels like fluid builds up in my needs. It’s weird, and I don’t know if that’s an accurate statement, but that’s what it feels like. I tested out the rowing machine this week. The first day it felt fine; the second it hurt afterwards. I don’t really understand my body. It’s a mystery.

How I’m feeling mentally:

Just like physically, I have good days, and bad days. One aspect that is incredibly frustrating is not being able to do my job. I’m a choreographer. I have to be able to dance, and right now, I can only mark things when I teach my kids. I can’t give 100%, and show them what I want from them. It’s a mental battle for me. Then sometimes after a great yoga class (I never thought I’d say that…), I feel so grateful to be able to move at all. I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore new things, and for my own determination and commitment to staying fit.

This whole period is really testing that commitment. It would be so easy to not do anything at all since there is so much that I can’t do, but I do feel really proud of myself for sticking with it, and finding workouts that still feel good. Here’s how this week went down.

Monday:

Tuesday: Yoga. We did normal yoga-y things. I didn’t hate it. I’d call that a win.

Wednesday: Massage. Ugghhh…they are so painful, and no fun at all, but hopefully it’s helping. Pretty much the entire section from my butt to underneath my knee on the left side causes lots of crying and cursing. It’s a fun 90 minutes, let me tell you.

Thursday: Gym. I tested out the rowing machine with 2,000 meters, then did a bunch of strength training that left me sweaty, and with all my muscles feeling like jello. I used to really love strength training, and I’m trying to get myself back into it.

Friday: Yoga. We did yoga-y things, and I REALLY LIKED IT!!!! Who am I??? My favorite work out buddy came with me, and it was almost like old times with our Friday am workouts. They’re my favorite part of the week, and while I, of course, wish it was a long run, or even a long bike ride, nothing beats a good workout with a great friend!

Saturday: Dr D. & gym. Dr D. adjusted me, and did all of his painful ART tricks. It was sososo painful. I cried a little, and started to feel frustrated about the past 6 weeks of putting myself through painful treatments for minimal results, but it did help. I went to the gym after, and did an other 2,000 m of rowing and strength training. This time the rowing didn’t feel so great, and my knee started acting up later, so I think I’m gonna steer clear of all cardio equipment again for a while. Just means I need to get more creative!

Sunday: Rest. I was going to try out a hot yoga class, but after a few hours of filming for Drink & Dish, I just was not in the mood, so I gave myself the day off, did some editing, and worked on some other blog stuff.

This week: I plan to get a little creative with my workouts. Heather suggested checking out a barre class. She mentioned the teachers she’s taken from are really great at working with injuries. I was also thinking about trying out a strength training class at the gym or a studio just to shake things up. I’m also going to really focus on what I’m eating. The truth is, I’m no where near a comfortable place with my body, and if I’m going to be mentally okay with this break with running, I need to get back to my normal weight. I want to go to New Orleans next week feeling good and not anxious about food, so this week is time to buckle down!

Weekend Ramblings

March 2, 2013 · by Ari ·

1. EEEEE!!!!! I can’t believe it!! I’ve been nominated for Arizona Foothills Magazine’s Battle of the Blogs!

This is the first time my little blog has been nominated for anything like this, and the prize is incredible–a feature with the magazine, guest posts, dying of happiness…you know, the usual. 😉 It would mean sososo much to me if you would take a moment and vote for Ari’s Menu. The contest goes until April 15th, and voting is unlimited. So if you’re feeling extra generous, you can vote multiple times, and share with all your friends.

2. I LEAVE FOR NEW ORLEANS IN ONE WEEK!!!! A real vacation! No to do list. No work. No outside world. Just me, and my cute husband. Oh, and tons of beignets. Duh. I started a pinterest board for the trip, and right now it’s pretty much all food. I’m sure that comes as no surprise. 😉

3. For months, and months I’ve been searching for cute little ceramic spoons like some of my favorite bloggers use in their photos, and I finally found some cute ones at World Market! They were just sets of measuring spoons, but they work perfectly, and were only like $5 per set. Look how much better they make things look!!! So cute.

Riggghhhttt??? My Samoas Donuts only look good because they’re sitting next my new cute spoon. 😉

4. Speaking of World Market, is it now just the most amazing store on the planet??? Every time Nicole and I go in, we can’t leave without looking at allllll the pretty food photography props. So many pretty things. So cheap. Also, they have things like potato chip chocolate, and some kind of chocolate bar with pop rocks in it. Hello childhood. Why yes, I’d love to go back.

5. You know those weeks where it seems like everything you do is 5 billion times harder? Well, this was one of those weeks. I may have cried a little over photos of one of my new fav meals not working out for the second time in a row. Then, I had some Drink & Dish technical difficulties, and it was just one of those weeks. All of this was made better by #1, though. And I feel like it just means next week is going to be really great!

6. I beat my Bop It. Or at least the first level. You see, I was having a really good go around with it, and then all the sudden, it did this happy little beep, and told me I passed the novice round because I got to 100. Then it moved on to some harder round which I didn’t understand at all because it doesn’t tell you what to do! It just makes the noises, and I was all kinds of confused. I got a zero in that round, and I haven’t played since. Maybe I’ll bring it on the plane to New Orleans. That would certainly win me a lot of friends. 😉

7. One of my favorite bloggers-turned-friends Sally is in a really awesome contest with Nestle. The prize is super amazing, and she totally deserves it. Please go show her some love. All you have to do is go here and repin her salted caramel dark chocolate cookies.

8. Recipes that made my jaw drop this week include these brownie peanut butter cup cookie bars, this pistachio cardamom hot chocolate, and this spaghetti squash baked eggs.

Samoas Donuts {vegan}

March 1, 2013 · by Ari ·

It’s here. The season I love to hate. Or hate to love. Yes, definitely hate to love: Girl Scout Cookie Season.

For the past few years, I’ve avoided purchasing any all together, but this year a special girl in my life was selling them, and I just couldn’t let her not win the special prize for selling the most boxes, right???? But really, girl scout cookies happen only once a year, and the two boxes I purchased aren’t going to be the end of the world, as long as I don’t eat them all in one sitting. In fact, I’m proud to announce that a week in, and only one box has even been opened!

This is what we call MASSIVE WILLPOWER over in my house. Plus, now that I have these donuts, that opened box of samoas isn’t drawing me in quite so heavily. The unopened thin mints in my freezer? Well, that’s an other story. Those long tubes of cookies are portion control’s worst nightmare. Oh, you say all of these delicious cookies come in 2 tubes? Well, clearly one tube is a “serving”, right?

I’m actually trying to save them for when I decide just how I want them to be a part of a cupcake, or milkshake, or cookie inside of a cookie.

So how did I make these indulgent cookies into a completely vegan, and health(ier) dessert? Well, the donut part was easy. I have a pretty basic donut recipe that I love, and it didn’t require too much tweaking. Chocolate and coconut? Piece of cake. I don’t even buy that sweetened coconut. I love the finely shredded unsweetened low fat stuff. You can, of course, use whatever you want, but if I can get that delicious coconutty taste without the added sugar, I’ll take it!

The caramel portion was tricky. I’ve seen date caramel all over the internet, and I’d been dying to try it. Dates are so sweet and gooey that it seemed like they could definitely do the trick! So I got out the food processor, played around, heated the mixture on the stove a little to get that extra-gooey effect, and voila! Now, I’m gonna be real with you here. It doesn’t just just like that gooey buttery caramel we’re all used to and love. It is not an exact replica, but it does give you a sweet, caramel texture with no added sugar. I could have just eaten it with a spoon if I didn’t have donuts to make!

And not just any donuts–ultra soft, pillowy donuts that taste like biting into a sweet, fluffy cloud. I don’t know why anyone fries these things when they bake up perfectly soft and sweet on their own. Add rich, bold dark chocolate, and you have everything you could ever need in a dessert.

**Note: To get closer to the Samoas look, you can also coat the bottom in chocolate, but I was trying to keep this light, so I just drizzled it on the top. Also, you can totally drizzle it in a straighter line for the resemblance I tried…we all have our strengths and weaknesses 😉

Samoas Donuts

yield 6 donuts

1 cup white whole wheat flour
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp corn starch
dash salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, divided use
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil
20 pitted dates (and water for soaking)
2 tbsp reduced fat unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp coconut oil, at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray, and set aside.
Place dates in a bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to soak while you prepare the donuts.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, corn starch and salt. Stir in 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk, vanilla and melted coconut oil. Gently stir until ingredients are just combined.
Evenly divide batter between 6 donut molds. Smooth out tops. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in molds.
Transfer dates + 2-3 tbsp of water from soaking to your food processor. Process until dates begin breaking down to more of a paste, about 2-3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt (you can also add a dash of vanilla extract if you’d like) and 2 tbsp almond milk. Continue to process until a caramel texture forms, about 2-3 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a small saucepan, and cook on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes whisking constantly. Return back to the food processor, and blend again for about one minute.
Top donuts with date caramel sauce, followed by a heavy pinch of coconut.
Melt chocolate and room temperature coconut oil in the microwave for about 90 seconds, stirring every 20-30 seconds. Transfer melted chocolate to a large ziplock bag. Snip off the corner of the bag, and drizzle chocolate over donuts. Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

Whopper Cookies

February 27, 2013 · by Ari ·

One time I went on vacation with my dad, and he tried to take a box of whoppers through the line at security. It had already been opened, and they wanted to check inside the box. He then had a legit argument with the TSA about how if they wanted to dig inside his candy box, they were going to need to buy him a new one.

Well, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to know, they bought him no new box of candy. I mean, you just don’t argue with the TSA. Listen, I don’t like it any more than you do when they put me in that machine that basically shows them my naked body (does anyone else feel like this is the most awful part of traveling????) butI like to actually be able to get on the plane, so I would rather keep my mouth shut.

Steve likes to make things difficult, and refuse to get him, so they make him get a pat down. I feel like that would be, umm, way worse, but he is stubborn. Anyway, enough about airport security. Cookies are, like, 5 zillion times cooler!

I feel malt is sooooo under rated. I really don’t know why I haven’t put it into every baked good I’ve ever made. The sweet, strong taste pairs perfectly with milk, chocolate, beer, you name it!

These cookies give you a double dose with malted milk powder in the cookie base, and then the dough is stuffed with chocolatey malty Whoppers candy, and of course chocolate chips for an extra dose of chocolate–extra chocolate is always necessary. The Whoppers get a little soft as the cookies bake, but as they cool, they quickly return to their crunchy texture bringing a nice texture to these ultra-soft cookies.

Peanut butter cookies are usually my favorite,. but these babies give my normal peanut butter love a run for it’s money. They stay soft for days too–if you can keep ’em around that long. 😉

Whopper Cookies

yield 3 dozen

2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup malted milk powder
1 tsp baking soda
dash salt
1 cup fat free (or reduced at) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
5 oz box of Whoppers

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, malt powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixture, beat softened cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in sugars until well combined. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time.
Slowly, stir in dry ingredients until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl when necessary. Gently, fold in chocolate chips and Whoppers.
Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Line two large baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.
Roll chilled dough into 1″ balls and transfer to baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden and cookies are just set, about 10-12 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a not quite airtight container (if they don’t breathe, they lose their texture, but I wouldn’t leave them next to a vent either) for 5-7 days.

ITBS Recovery Weeks 1-5

February 26, 2013 · by Ari ·

I never intended to write posts recapping my injury recovered, but then again, I never thought I’d be out for 5 weeks going on what feels like forever. These posts will mostly be for me–to see my progress on paper, so that I don’t feel like “OMG the world is over! I’m making ZERO improvements. Woe is meeee.”, but hopefully they will also help someone who might be dealing with the same thing. But remember, I’m not a doctor, so if I say _____ works for me, you should not take that as me giving you medical advice. I mean, I love to give advice and tell people what to do, but I’m not even close to being qualified to do so, unless you count being bossy as a qualification.

The backstory (abbrev version): I developed ITBS (probably) in mid December, and it got like a billion times worse after my durring/after my marathon.

What is ITBS? It looks like IBS, but it’s not. I’m not sure which one is less fun, but I’m glad I don’t have both, because that would be confusing. Essentially, my IT band is inflamed, and when I bend/straighten my leg, it rubs up against my knee cap causing a a feeling I would compare to someone stabbing me in the knee, but that’s only a speculation. Here is an article with more info if you’re interested.

What’s been happening: I got an xray and an MRI, and everything came back clean. I’ve been taking prescription anti-inflammatories, doing pt, seeing a chiropractor who also does acupuncture and ART (active release therapy), sports massage, yoga, lots of stretching/foam rolling/strengthening.

Progress so far: After the marathon, my pain level was off the charts. Walking, and bending/straightening my leg at all seemed impossible. The limp is now 95% gone, although on bad days, walking is still painful. Things like squats feel fine now, but lunges don’t. Elliptical and bike still hurt–especially later in the day. If I walk too much, or do too much of anything, after I sit down for a bit, everything kind of tightens up, and bending/straightening becomes really painful again.

This past week:

Monday: Physical therapy. Exercises/stretching/astym/electrical stim.

Tuesday: Dr D. (the chiro/acupuncture/art guy) & yoga. Dr. D did all of those things he does. He also found a really tight spot in my calf that he thinks might be contributing to the problem. He dug fingers and needles into my body, and I grunted. It was cute. Yoga and most strength training are pretty much the only work outs that don’t effect my injury. I’m trying to learn to love yoga. It’s a process. I enjoy the poses, and the part where my muscles get tired and I sweat, but I am not a huge fan of the mental part. Shocking, right? I’m also not a fan of savasanah. All I can do is think of the million other more productive things I could be doing opposed to lying on the floor trying to “relax”. It’s not my style.

Wednesday: Massage. Not the fun relaxing kind. She did some heat/icey thing on my calf where Dr. D had pointed out that things were messed up. I may have yelled out some 4 letter words in the process.

Thursday: PT & yoga. New harder exercises/stretching/astym at PT. Yoga was yoga.

Friday: Dr. D + 15 min on the elliptical. Dr D did his thing, and I was actually feeling pretty good. I’d had a couple really good days in a row where WALKING DIDN’T HURT. I was so excited. I tested out the elliptical. I had done it as a warm up in PT on Thurs for 10 minutes, and for the first 2 it hadn’t hurt, then it only hurt a little. I was hopeful. This day it hurt the entire time, but in a dull way, not a stabbing way. I was happy.

Saturday: 25 min elliptical + 30 min strength training. My knee didn’t hurt for the first 10 minutes of the elliptical, then was again just a dull pain. I went straight into some strength training, felt great, got super sweaty for the first time in a long time, and was on top of the moon. Then, that afternoon the pain was back, and hurt like it did 2 weeks ago. Total bummer.

Sunday: Rest. I wanted to test out spin class, but my knee still hurt when I woke up, so I took a rest day, and moped about how my progress earlier in the week had only led me to taking 1o steps back.

This week I plan to do less. Dr. D suggested that I may be over treating, and that I keep pushing the irritated area, but never give it time to actually heal. I am also going to try out a more running-specific physical therapist. It’s tough because I’ve been going to the same place for a long time, and had a lot of luck treating my achilles tendons, but I feel like I need a second opinion from someone who actually runs. I’ll let ya know how it goes!

Caprese Pasta

February 25, 2013 · by Ari ·

I find that people have strong opinions on tomatoes. Either you’re ordering them on all your salads and sandwiches, or you absolutely hate them.

I used to be a total hater. I always loved salsa, and I liked tomato sauce as long as it wasn’t chunky, and I liked ketchup, although I’ve never been one of those people who goes crazy over ketchup. There are so many awesome condiments out there with so much more flavor! I’ve never understood the people that put ketchup on everything.

Like my husband. He puts ketchup on macaroni and cheese. WHAT IS THAT??? I will season the crap out of some meat, and we will sit down to dinner, and he grabs the ketchup bottle. What a jerk.

Anyway, I never used to be a tomato fan. My dad would order a caprese salad, and I would just eat the cheese. Not that this was abnormal behavior for me with any dish. All my friends still make fun of me about the way I used to eat. I would order food, eat until I started to get full, then proceed to pick all the cheese out. What can I say? I’ve always loved my cheese. 😉

Somewhere along my healthy living journey, I turned the page on tomatoes. Now, I eat the whole caprese salad (or pasta), but the best part is still the mozzarella cheese. 😉

In this pasta, the cheese gets just warm enough to get a little soft, melty, and gooey. I could have picked it out all night long, and lived on the cheese alone, but it was even better paired with the fresh basil, and juicy tomatoes.

This pasta takes everything I love about a caprese salad, and translates it to a full, protein packed, delicious dinner. It was so easy–ready in about 20 minutes, and my whole family loved it!

Caprese Pasta

yield 8 servings

13 oz box whole grain penne (brown rice, whole wheat, quinoa, whatever you like)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper
3 chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
8 oz part skim mozzarella, cubes
2 big handfuls baby spinach, stems removed
10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package instructions.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil until fragrant. Add cooked and drained pasta, and toss with remaining oil, vinegar and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
Add chicken, cheese and spinach, and gently toss until spinach slightly wilts, and cheese softens. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

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ITBS Recovery Weeks 1-5

Caprese Pasta

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