Coconut Poppy Seed Protein Banana Bread

Sometimes I enjoy my roommates company....

Other times I wanna punch them in the eye.

So last night I was fighting off a very strong urge to binge....which I did...

and then in strolls my roommate and tells me he has bananas that we going bad (which I of course had already had my eye on) and that I should use them before they go bad..

What, am I going to say no?

Of course I was gonna make some bananan bread!

But I love putting my own twist on things

So I present to you,

Coconut Poppy Seed Protein Banana Bread 

Chocolate Coconut Mug Cake...and my San Fran trip!

AHH I'm so sorry!

I've been seriously MIA for so long! I've been crazy busy, plus my friend just came to visit and we took a trip to San Fran which was AMAZING.

I loved it! Such a gorgeous city I want to move there....maybe one day

I did however cheat...not A LOT....but I drank beer and consumed quite a bit of wheat :(

But I'm getting back on track! Today was a good day for me! No binges! No cheats! I love it!

Key Lime Pie Steel Cut Oats

Who loves key lime pie?

I DO. I FREAKING LOVE IT.

But I'm vegan now :/ So that makes things a little more difficult...

Luckily, I love to cook! I plan on trying to make my own vegan key lime pie soon...that will hopefully be sooner than later :D

But for now, I'll settle for some dessert for breakfast, oatmeal style!

Cinnamon Kettlecorn Popcorn

Late night snacking...I'm the queen at that.

And a sweet tooth? 

Yes, why yes I cannot control it. I feed it when it needs to be fed because if not, it will attack with a vengeance later

Ok so this is another one of those simple recipe posts, but I just discovered a little secret that I'm such I'm not the first person to discover this, but here ya go.

To Die For Coconutty Coconut Cake

So you're probably wondering what that Panang Curry is doing in this post...

Well when I made this bread, I took it over to my friend Natalie's house for her birthday and we ordered out from the Vegan House in Hollywood.

And let me tell you...this was AMAZING. Both dishes that is.

Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake Bars

I AM SO EXCITED TO POST THIS

I used to make these bad boys at home for birthday parties and 4th of July get togethers and they always disappeared the first time I passed them around (Yes, when I make desserts for parties, I tend to like to carry them on a tray and pass them out, telling people what they are and asking them if they like them haha)

So I got the bright idea yesterday to try and make them healthy...and vegan of course!

Only thing is....I really need to stop baking. It's taking a toll on my body.

Ok so with less complaining and more deliciousness, let's get on to how to make this amazing creation.

Mother's Market Grocery & Restauraunt... (AKA the greatest place on earth)

So on this blog, I plan to have some reviews...I guess you could call them...of different local whole food stores and vegan restaurants and then I'll post a bit about them and what not.

So what better place to start than with my first (and definitely not last) trip to Mother's Market in Costa Mesa!

Before I went perusing around the grocery part of the store, my friend and I visited the restaurant in the back, which was vegan.

And I had this:

It was a (my first) vegan burger made with high protein tempeh, vegenaise, tomatoes, bean sprouts, lettuce, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and the most delicious guacamole I ever tasted. And a side of steamed veggies. That burger was in the top 5 burgers I've ever had. I canNOT wait to (at least try) and recreate this at home. Seems simple enough.

So NOW onto the grocery part of the place.

Almond Butter & Caramelized Banana Sandwich

I know, I know...I need to post something that doesn't contain bananas or nut butter....

Hopefully (and reluctantly) after this week, when I go meal prep shopping, I'll force myself to not buy PB or bananas....or maybe just less? 

Anyway, I don't usually eat bread that often. I try and stay away from carbs when I can...at least the bread kind :D

But since I had to carb up for a crazy glucose insulin test last week I had to buy a loaf of bread (which I have not done in months)

So since I do NOT waste food (thanks, mother) I did not want to just toss the bread! I decided to use it.

Strawberry Pistachio Vegan "Chicken" Salad with Maple Coconut PoppyseedDressing

Oh this is DEFINITELY a favorite...

And the dressing is to DIE for.

Blueberry Yogurt...with goodies

Ok so there are recipes...

And then there are little things I have put together that aren't really recipes....but more like a "here ya go try this"

So here's one of those:

Bumps on a Log...Banana Boat Style

It's finally live! Eek!

So nervous....sweating...shaking...need peanut butter...

Ok I'll be fine, I've done this before.

I wanted to put a super interesting post on here, but this is all I could come up with since I have a super busy day ahead of me....and heading back to work today :/

Oh well, this sure cheered me up!

It's my Bumps on a Log made Banana Boat Style....now doesn't hearing that just make you miss summer?!

5 Ingredient Almond Joy Ice Cream

Random fact of the day: I HATED Almond Joys growing up

I thought they were so gross and actually anything with coconut made me want to gag...the texture freaked me out...but now...I'm in love with ANYTHING coconut.

Which pairs well with my insatiable love for ice cream.

So with that, I now bless you people with this amazing yet simple recipe

Chocolate Chai Flour-less Cookies

Who would have thought that today, I, ALEXIS, who used to HATE tea...would now not only be drinking tea, but using it to make cookies?!

Simple Breakfast Idea

This post is more so just to give you ideas on healthy cereal mixtures and toppings and what have you..some of my favorites being:

Bran flakes (make sure they are vegan)

Grapenuts (so much fiber!)

Barbara's Bakery Puffin Puffs Cocoa Crunch

Barbara's Bakery Puffins Peanut Butter

Barbara's Bakery Shredded Wheat

just to name a few...

And my favorite toppings to go with any of these fabulous choices are:

Strawberries

Blueberries

Bananas

Dried Cranberries

Cinnamon

Chia or Flax seeds

Sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans, or sunflower seeds

Unsweetned Shredded Coconut

Unsweetned Cocoa

There are so many healthy options people! Get going and eat your breakfast!

Tropical Goodness

Ok so I promise I'll be posting better pictures, I just am trying to get as many old recipes out of the way and I'll start posting new ones as I make things :)

This is a favorite smoothie of mine. 

I tried recreating one I had at a local smoothie shop and this is what came of it: