Wordyless Wednesday + Mission: I Feel Pretty!

Good morning chickadees! Happy Hump Day! How are you?

Today’s post is going to start out wordy, and then it is gonna go wordless. Get ready for a post that is moody mood!

I am so glad you all loved the recipe yesterday! Looks like quick and simple meals are your thang;)

Anywhos, yesterday I came home super tired, so I ate a quinoa-hummus-raisin-balsamic bowl and took a napsky with my neck heater pillow.

I am somewhat obsessed. It smells so. good. I am pretty sure it is filled with magic beads?

Lately my neck/shoulders have been SO tight! Can you say shoulder massage?! (preferable by a tall, dark, and handsome man that likes long walks on the beach, cooking, watching the Bachelor, and giving massages:))

I. freaking. love. naps.

As a student, I have learned to embrace the afternoon siesta with open arms. If you haven’t tried it, you should. Way better than using carbs/chocolate/caffeine to stay awake.

Oh, and remember when a friend of mine thought I was eating a bowl of cheese?

Yesterday he thought that my quinoa-lentil-raisin-balsamic bowl was Cocoa Krispies. When I told him what it was, he thought it was so cool that my food was exotic.

I told him only if exotic means not WonderBread:)

Hahahaha he liked that joke.

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Mission: I Feel Pretty

Alrighty tighty, time for some wordlessness! Here are some of the Mission: I Feel Pretty submissions I have received so far.

Enjoy!

Note: It is NOT too late to send your Mission: I Feel Pretty picture! I think I am going to make this a more permanent feature on the bloggy (with its own tab and errthang:)), so feel pretty loves, and send yours in!:)

Alyssa:

Brandy:

Kayla:

Linda:

Alyssa:

Katy:

Lauren:

Kaila:

Brittanie:

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That’s all for today loves! Don’t see your picture here? Shoot me an e-mail! Or better yet, take your Mission: I Feel Pretty picture and sendity send it to chefkatelynblog@gmail.com 🙂

Have a rockin’ Hump Day, loves!

What is your best neck/shoulder pain relief trick? Please tell me I am dying here!

So far sleeping and using my neck heater pillow, but it is not working very well..

Are you a nap person?

I used to swear I hated naps and would never ever take one, but now I am in luuuurve:)

How are you feeling pretty today?

Once you figure it out, capture the moment! Send it in to be featured on the bloggy. Feel free to send a sentence or two about why you feel beautiful, a link to your blog, or post about it on your own bloggy!

xoxox,

Are you eating a bowl of cheese?!

Hi love doves, and Happy Bunny Bunny Day!! How are you? Hope everyone avoided a case of the Mondays:)

I loved all of your responses to my first vlog!! And I was surprised to find that many of you thought my voice was exactly what you were expecting. Glad I didn’t sound like a man:)

And secondly, I have to thank you all times a million from the bottom of my heart. CK hit record-high views this past Sunday night, and it is all thanks to you, best friends! Thank you so much for all of your love and support, you have no idea how much you all mean to me! ❤

Anywhos, before I forget, be sure to send in your Mission: I Feel Pretty pictures!!

Tomorrow I am going to put up some of the pictures I have received so far, so don’t wait, chickadees! Feel pretty and snapdiddlydoo a photograph!

Bee tee dubs, my raisin burnout didn’t even last half of the day. I was eating half of the container by 10 AM. I think it is safe to say I need an intervention;)

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So, the crazykins title comes from class today. I was sitting and enjoying some cauliflower rice (recipe below:)), and my friend that sits next to me asked, “Are you eating cheese?!”

I pretty much died right there. I was laughing so hard I thought I was actually going to pee my pants.

In order to understand why, you must realize that I can never eat normal portions of anything. I always eat redonk amounts. So picture me eating a GIANT tupperware full of this stuff, coated in tomato goodness and nooch.

So I told him, yes, I was eating a giant tupperware full of cheese.

And since CK has been lacking a tad in the recipe department, I thought I would share this simple, quick, and delicious recipe with you. It is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner, and especially great for a student like me:)

Quick and delicious? That’s my middle name;)

Cauliflower Rice Primavera

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• Italian seasoning (or thyme, basil, marjoram, rosemary, oregano)
• Small handful of fresh basil, chopped
• Nutritional yeast (nooch)

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse cauliflower until it resembles rice. Scoop into a large bowl, and serve yourself desired amount.
2. Mix together the diced tomato and seasoning. Put on top of cauliflower rice.
3. Sprinkle with nooch and top with freshly chopped basil. Mix it all up, and enjoy!

This was so yummy, and the perfect way to get in my veggies! (except I never really have a problem with that because I am addicted to all things veg)

It reminded me of a way healthier version of my lazy-girl rice “spaghetti” that I make when I have leftover rice/grains and am too lazy to make noodles

Don’t you just love the word “noodles”? Nooooooooodles:)

Edit: After seeing some of the comments, I realized that I didn’t mention the twelve and a half quinoa-hummus-raisin-balsamic bowls I ate with this. By no means is this a complete meal! ‘Tis just the veggie portion. As with every meal, be sure to include modest portions of carbs, protein, and fat.

That is all for today bloggy boos! I have a long day of classes, working out, and hummus-raisin-balsamic bowl eating ahead of me:)

Have a fun Tooooosday!

p.s. Go check out my girl Lee’s bloggity blog post! I am so proud of her, she is spreading the raisin-balsamic loveeee🙂

What is your favorite lazy-girl (or La-Z-Boy) meal?

Quinoa, hummus, balsamic, and raisins, all mixed up in a bowl. I think I am in a food rut:)

What is your favorite way to get in your veggies?

Um, eating them every second of the day! And green monsters/salad beasts. My tummy lurves:)

Have you ever gotten questions about food you bring to class/work?

Yessss errday, some people don’t even know what quinoa is…whaddafuh?!

xoxox,

Let Your Garden Grow

Good morning love doves! Happy almost-Friday

I’m so glad that y’all love carbs as much as I do! In case you missed it, I wrote a poem for carbs. You should probably check it out. You might pee yourself.

Just sayin’.

AAANYwho, ever since I’ve been going high-raw, I’ve been interested in funky sounding things like…sprouting.

So, I decided to take it for a whirl and try it for myself!

Black quinoa and azuki beans.

First, I soaked them both (uncovered) in their jars overnight.

Then, I covered each jar with a piece of cheesecloth, rinsed the quinoa and beans (to get rid of the digestive inhibitors that are released during soaking), and then propped the jars up at a 45-degree angle in a pan.

About every few hours, I rinse them and invert them again. This keeps them moist so the sprouty sprouts do their growing!

See the little bean sprout? ^^

Can I just say that sprouting is SO fun. I love seeing the little sprouties do their thang!

WAY more entertaining than cooking in a pot, let me tell you.

I feel like a gardener:)

And I love the crunch of sprouts – it’s so refreshing.

Want to try sprouting?

Here are some tips to get you started!

Sprouting is a great method for the lazy-loos (like me), and those that like crunchiness.

The main appeal of sprouting, however, comes from the fact that everything remains raw and it much more easily assimilated in the raw, sprouted form.

The digestive inhibitors are released and washed away, and the starches, fats, and proteins are converted into their simplest, most easily digestible and usable forms.

That means less stress on your digestive system, and more energy for you to kick toosh on the Dreadmill!

Plus, I can never get enough crunchy goodness.

Have you ever tried sprouting?

YES, this is fun:)

Do you have a garden, or do you grow any of your own plants?

No, I am a lazy-loo, but in the spring I might bust one out:)

What are your favorite grains/beans/nuts?

For grains, I luuurve quinoa and amaranth. Garbanzos because of hummus, but azuki because they are yummy. And almonds are my favorite!:)

 

That’s all for this morning loves! Have a great Thursday

xoxox,

The Stylish Last Supper

Good evening all! Hope everyone’s had a relaxing day:)

Mine was jam-packed with schoolwork and my econ paper. I didn’t have class until noon, but I went to the library anyway and CRANKED OUT a lot of my paper and a ton of the work I’ll be missing while I’m de-chipmunking

I had planned on going to the gym after school, but my stomach was NOT agreeing with me! I think the ibuprofen I’ve been taking has made my stomach all messy, but I’ve been eating anyway. Did you know that eating is not as fun when you’re not hungry?:(

Before I get to my “Last Supper” before the surgery, I must thank Sophia and Stefanie both for giving me the Stylish Blogger Award! Thank you so much ladies, you’re sweethearts:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s how it works!

There are 4 duties to perform to accept this award:

1.  Make a post + Link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2.  Share 7 things about yourself.
3.  Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4.  Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won!

Alrighty tighty, here are my 7 Things!

1. I get really excited about little things. I love it when the marshmallow melts perfectly in hot cocoa, or something awesome happens like Dennis Quaid being on the Ellen show;)
2. When I was an itty bitty child, probably two or three, I lived in Minnesota where mud comes to visit a LOT during the spring. So, being the little kid that I was, I fell flat on my face and ended up with a mouthful of mud. And I have the picture to prove it. I guess mud doesn’t taste good or something?
3. I’ve been wearing rings since I was five. Currently, I wear a claddagh and a peace sign ring (soooo 2010..I need a new one;) I remember the day I got my first ring:) I was at an arts fair with my Mom in New Hampshire, and I saw this ring that was knotted into a “forget-me-knot” (ha). She got it for me, and I had to save it for my birthday but it was SO worth it! It was sterling silver and I wore it until I outgrew it around age ten or eleven.
4. I’m organized…in a disorganized way. Although I tend to be a neat freak and keep things spotless all the time, eventually things get messy. And honestly, you would look at my mess and think “dang, how does this girl find anything?!”, but I know where everything is. Don’t touch my stuff, ya hear?! 😉 (I heard that most geniuses are “organized” this way..maybe that says something about me? 😉
5. I eat grapes on my pizza. No, I don’t cook it with the grapes on top. When I’m about to take a bite, I plop a grape on it. You probably are thinking about how gross it sounds but IT IS SO GOOD. The sweet and tartness of the grapes PERFECTLY compliments the saltiness of cheese (in my case, Daiya;). If you don’t believe me, try it out. Do it. Now. (p.s. this also semi-works with apples and other such fruits, but none can compare to grapes. none.)
6. I’m kind of a dork. Okay, that you probably already know but know this: in the sixth grade I single-handedly read 3 books in one day. Let’s just say it was rainy and the books were goooood. I still love me some books, but somehow blog-reading always takes precedence over my leisurely reading time. Any recommendations?? I need to get back on that bandwagon:)
7. I make weird noises. When I’m tired or really happy, I sometimes make this pterodactyl noise. Other times, I just make my own sound effects. You will often hear superfluities of onomatopoeias in my everyday jargon. Like when I’m on the treadmill, I occasionally will blurt out zooooom! When I turn off the shower, I do a “raspberry” but with just my lips. So it’s like pppppphhhh! Okay, if the grapes didn’t freak you out, that one definitely did.

Now onto my bloggie girls! I am awarding:

Janae

Kailey

Gabriela

Hillary

Anne

Ashley

Amy

Molly

Hollie

Lisa

Dorry

Celiac Teen

Maya

Allie

Heather

Congrats ladies! I just recently found all of your blogs, and I love:) Keep bloggin’!

Onto another note, I’ll be pureeing all of the food I usually eat and having it as “soup”. I can tell it’s going to look incredibly nast, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do;)

So, to celebrate my last night before what will probably be a week of non-solid food, I made some yummy goodness that didn’t end up as a plated picture. Let’s just say I was more excited to eat real food than to take a picture of it:)

My homemade hummus:) Recipe to come!

Brussels sprouts! Mrawrrrr

Eggplant. Looks appetizing, I know;)

Red quinoa! I can’t get enough of this stuff! It tastes and smells like Grape Nuts cereal, aka nutty heaven.

Slash I love my rice cooker even though it tends to “singe” instead of “cook” some of the time. It’s fine, any reason to be an octopus and doing a million things at once = fine with me:)

PARSNIP FRIES ahhhhh:)

That’s all for now loves! Hope you all have a good evening (slash now it’s semi-late..don’t let the bed bugs bite!)

I’ll be up until midnight eating everything in sight since I can’t eat at all after midnight…my tumbly will be grumbling for oatmeal!

Slash please entertain me with fun comments and blog posts for me to stalk all night in my Google Reader:)

Have you ever eaten Grape Nuts cereal? Wasn’t it AWESOME?

Yes, it was:)

How do you keep yourself entertained/distracted when you are trying not to think about scary things like surgeons and knives poking in your mouth?

Please help me out here.

What are your favorite late-night snacks?

I need ideas:)

Catch ya later dolls! I’m going to go read some of Crazy Sexy Diet, stalk blogs, and eat:)

xoxox,

 

 

 

 

 

p.s. expect a hilarious video of me with chipmunky cheeks in the near future

FREAKING Out.

Good morning lovies! Hope everyone had a good Monday

But as for the title of this post, I am actually FREAKING OUT for at least 3 reasons.

1. I am getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow!! AHHHH

I hate needles and all things surgical, especially the thought of people I don’t know poking around in my mouth…

Slash I won’t be able to eat or drink anything after midnight tonight which will be REALLY hard for me, since I eat all the time and I’m always a ravenous beast when I wake up in the morning. So, surgeons, if you get a growl or two don’t freak out, it’s just my poor tummy:(

Double slash I’m going to have chipmunk cheeks and do crazy stuff that I’m making my padre record on video…get excited to pee yourself.

Triple slash I have a college interview Saturday and let’s just pray to GOD that I still do not look like THIS by then:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  My Econ term paper is due tomorrow.

Any paper is a good reason to be fuhhhreakin out, especially when it’s a term paper. All-nighter, anyone?

Slash my Econ teacher is hilarious, only he would make “QUAZINOTOLICIOUS x 2π” an answer choice with THIS sucker as an illustration:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love my life.

And to be serious, the thought of going under the knife tomorrow (okay, it’s a teeth pulling, but it’s STILL SURGERY) is semi-distracting. But tomorrow was the only time when I could get my toothies out before midterms, and I canNOT wait a whole ‘nother month to get these babies extracted.

In my mind, I know I would turn into Dracula.

Stand back, this girl needs her ibuprofen!

3. I have a Lit paper due Friday.

Hopefully my chipmunky condition won’t impair my essay-writing skills (skillz? hollla). Slash I will be bloggy blogging while I’m stuck on the couch with chipmunky cheeks and up on vicodin. I’ll be relying on you all to entertain me. And my dog, Lilly – I think she has dog ADHD? If that’s possible, she’s the poster dog for it. I love her:)

 

So, tonight I’ll be prepping loads of smoothified-food for myself to slurp tomorrow. Basically anything that I usually eat will be slurped in pureed form. Sounds gross, but maybe if I eat it with a spoon it will be like soup?

My dinner last night was a BEAST of quinoa, hummus, and raisins with a salad, but I didn’t snap a picture because I was STARVING after my run. Slash I actually wasn’t that hungry, but my runner self just wanted food and knew my muscles would like it.

You’re welcome, muscles.

So, here’s a picture of dinner from a couple nights ago, times two and plus a banana with almond butter..and an Orange-Cranberry cookie😉

That would be dal (dhal? dahl…?) made by yours truly, with red quinoa. I LOVE this stuff, it tastes and smells like Grape Nuts cereal which I used to scarf when I was an itty bitty child while all the other little girls were eating lucky charms. Healthy eating starts young:)

 

What are your favorite smoothified foods?

I love Green Monsters…groar!:)

What’s your favorite running workout?

I love speed intervals and hills…zooooom!

What are your tips for getting wisdom teeth out? Do you have any funny stories? Tell me and make me laugh:)

xoxox,

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for Breakfast

You heard me! Chocolate chip cookies – well, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Katebars, to be exact =)

I took my favorite brekkie, as per usual, and mixed in a chopped up one just before it finished cooking. Melty, gooey goodness! Get in mah belly:

With some almond buttah lovin, of course! Straight into my mouth 🙂

Pre-mixin'

With a fresh plum and half a grapefruit, of course!

As you can tell, I was really hungry. I’ve been hungry for lots of food lately, probably due to the huge increase in intensity of my running! I need lots of good fuel to help my muscles grow =)

Today I took a rest day and slept in until 5 (yes, that felt like sleeping in compared to yesterday..holy man), and boy, did my muscles need it!

I had a rough sleep, waking up every couple of hours and having some crazy dreams, accompanied by achy muscles – oh, the joys of 5K training =)

For lunch at work, I had leftover Kabocha Squash with Azuki Beans (yum), Carrot Cake Quinoa, a pink lady apple (see it on the top edge? so yummy!), and assorted raw veggies (carrots, baby tomaters, red pepper, and cukes).

I also had some of my homemade Kombucha tea for dessert! Happy tummy at work =)

After work, I came home to relax for a bit and then make din din, one of my all-time favorites: Portobella Mushroom Burgers!

I could eat these things every night of the week.

Yes, yes I could.

We topped them with smashed avocado slices, Amy’s Low Sodium Marinara, and squeezed between beautifully toasted Ezekiel 4:9 burger buns =)

Portobella Mushroom Burgers

Ingredients:

• 4 portobella mushroom caps
• 3-4 tbsp. EVOO
• 3-4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Wash portobella caps and allow to drain, face-down, on some paper towels for about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix EVOO, balsamic vinegar, and garlic in a shallow bowl – allow to sit for a few minutes to absorb the flavors.
4. Dunk mushroom caps in the mixture, covering each side thoroughly and then place dark side up in a casserole dish (so the caps become like “bowls”).
5. Once all are completely dunked, use a spoon to spoon the remaining mixture into the caps, creating pools.
6. Bake, covered with tin foil, for 30 minutes. Then uncover, flip caps, and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Serve on a bun (or by itself!) with your favorite toppings – avocado, marinara sauce, agave-sweetened ketchup, tomato, onion, mayo, etc. – and enjoy! =)

These are to die for. I literally would do anything for another one right now – unfortunately, we only had 4 portobella caps in the house and there were 4 people. *Sad face*

Starring as supporting roles were: Roasted Brussels and Kabocha Squash with Azuki Beans. Somehow, I don’t ever get sick of those!

Then, it was off to Wegmans for some grocery shopping – I picked up some goodies that you’ll be seeing tomorrow 🙂

That’s all for tonight! I’m off to go finish read a few chapters of Beowulf…I’m supposed to be done with it by Tuesday, but who really does summer reading anyways?

…Oh yeah, I do! Boooo.

What are your favorite books from required summer reading?

Beowulf is actually pretty good, so that would be in the top few – I just can’t get around to reading it! I do remember reading many a good book during junior high when they gave you novels (that they knew you would read!). I always enjoyed those, and the fun projects they would assign – like making a movie poster for the book! I always got crafty =)

See you tomorrow lovlies! I have the 10 am shift tomorrow, thank goodness!

This will be a more normal morning, which makes me very happy – sleeping until a normal (humanly) hour, running (yay! 2 days until the 5K) and eating breakfast and lunch at the usual time.

Today and yesterday I’ve had to eat at the bright morning hour of 6 – and then given lunch break at 10:30. Talk about a crazed-up appetite clock!

Goodnight! xoxox,

Happy Bunny Bunny Day!

You’re probably thinking, what the heck is Bunny Bunny Day? Well, I’ll tell you!

The first day of every month, as soon as you wake up, jump out of bed and hop three times and spin around three times, saying “Happy Bunny Bunny Day!” for good luck in the coming month.

It’s so goofy and you look ridiculous, but it’s a cute tradition.

In my high school, on the first day of every month, the morning show puts up decorations, the hosts eat bunny-shaped chocolates, and remind you to hop out of bed next month and get some good luck!

Awe, how cute!

As far as my life goes, I’ve been working my tail off these past few weeks at my new job (which I love by the way 🙂 ), and spending more hours running, standing, and walking around to do so.

I mean, I’m not complaining – I am getting paid after all! But it would be nice to have a foot massage at the end of the day…or a swiss massage…

What are your solutions for the end-of-the-workday slump?

I have to apologize for not blogging as often as usual – getting used to this new schedule is so draining! I’ve had plenty of time to cook and photograph, though, so don’t fret – we’ve got yummy deliciousness coming up.

We’ll start with brekkie for the last two days – since it’s my favorite meal of the day =)

BREAKFAST:

As usual, my butt-whoopin’ workout left me wanting something loaded – with almond buttah. Ain’t nothing betta than my almond buttah.

Oh, and lots of blackberries, bluebs, cherries, and strawberries – can you say cherry-stained fingers?

This was actually my Brunch for Lunch on Tuesday – so no lunch. That’s why it’s so loaded!

Finished devoured. Clean bowl =)

Today’s was similar, but I took an even larger portion (hungry hungry!) – the giant dollop of almond butter is not pictured, mainly because it immediately went in my mouth.

I also added in a chopped up Apple Pie Katebar just at the end of cooking the buckwheat – ooey gooey goodness =)

p.s. I was eating at 6 am – I woke up at 3:45 am to wake up, run (4.25 miles! yayay), shower, and eat brekkie…I had to make it to lunch! I did enjoy a mid-morning snack of an organic pink lady apple, though!

Oh, almond buttah, how you make me swooooon.

LUNCH:

Lunch the past couple of days has been equally delicious. I had Brunch for Lunch Tuesday as you saw before, but today I had lunch at work for the first time!

So, I packed up my big-girl lunchbox with Kabocha Squash and Azuki Beans, roasted cauliflower (350 degrees, drizzled with EVOO, sea salt, and your favorite seasonings for 20-25 minutes), fresh veggies (carrots, green peppa, cukes, and baby tomatoes), and Italian Mushroom Savory Buckwheat.

I used to despise leftovers because then I would have to have the same thing two nights in a row, but now I enjoy them at lunch and switch it up at din din!

Isn’t my wittle lunchbox adorable? I absolutely love it.

DINNER:

Last night I made Kabocha Squash with Azuki Beans, one of my all-time favorites. It got a little messy though, so I had to whip out the apron for the first time!

Who woulda thunk this little girl would be a messy cook?

Of course, it yielded a generous (to say the least) amount! This is something that I always look forward to eating as leftovers!

CK Dad modeling the food:

Oh yes, a generous amount.

Definitely not the prettiest dish, but one of the absolute tastiest – I guess this kind of goes along with the theme that sometimes the best things come in the ugliest packages =)

We also had some Italian Mushroom Savory Buckwheat which was just as delicious as the night before. I love my buckwheat at every meal, but it still wins my heart at breakfast ❤

I also whipped up some roasted cauliflower as mentioned in lunch, which was so perfectly seasoned – I use Simply Organic All-Purpose Seasoning for quick and delicious seasoning.

Oh, and of course leftover Beet Still My Heart Farmer’s Market Salad!

Tonight for dinner I whipped up some Carrot Cake Quinoa – and it went perfectly with the Kabocha Squash with Azuki Beans, salads, and roasted cauliflower. Mmmm.

Carrot Cake Quinoa

If I didn’t have this at dinner, I might actually have thought it was carrot cake! Well, not really – but it’s about as close as you can get without a ton of added suga =)

Ingredients:

• EVOO
• lemon juice
• 1.5 cups freshly grated carrot – fresh! About 2 large carrots worth
• 1/2-3/4 cup raisins
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat about 1-2 tbsp. EVOO with a tablespoon or so of lemon juice. Add grated carrot and raisins and saute for a few minutes, or until heated and juicy.
2. Add water and quinoa and bring to a boil. Add lots of cinnamon (more the merrier!) and reduce to a simmer and cover, stirring every few minutes for about 15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.
3. Serve warm or cool, and enjoy! =)

This dish is always a hit with the fam, and has me going back for seconds thirds. Its natural sweetness and nuttiness is a perfect combo – it’s also a super healthy way to satisfy your cravings for something a bit sweet!

Plus, it makes for great leftovers! Can you say Chef Katelyn’s lunch tomorrow, anyone?

After dinner I made some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Katebars! They smell amazing and I am beyond dying to try these all melted in my buckwheat tomorrow =)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Katebars

Makes 5 Katebars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pitted, packed medjool dates
• 2 tbsp. raisins
• 2/3 cup almonds
• pure vanilla extract (alcohol-free) – about 1 tsp.
• 2 tbsp. mini vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse almonds into small pieces, or until no whole almonds are left.
2. Add dates, raisins, and vanilla extract and pulse until combined and it starts to roll around in a ball.
3. Add chocolate chips and pulse a few times, then place in a bowl and mush-mash with your hands (the fun part!). Your hands will get all sticky but it is so worth it.
4. Break up into 5 equal sections and form into bars. Wrap with wax paper, plastic wrap, or plastic baggies – whateva you got!
5. Store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them. Enjoy! =)

Ideas for optimum Katebar enjoyment!:

• Chopped up and combined with your morning hot (or cold!) cereal. It’s a mind explosion/dream/the most delicious thing in the world chopped up and added just as your hot cereal is just about to finish cooking – then remove from heat and keep covered for a few minutes. The result? Ooey gooey goodness!
• A pre- or post-workout snack
• Dessert!
• Chopped up and mixed or blended/processed with Banana Soft Serve!
• Chopped up and in your cookie/brownie/pancake/waffle/bread/muffin dough! Bake according to recipe directions and enjoy melty in-your-mouth goodness =)
• The possibilities are endless.

Let me know if you think of any other fun ways to enjoy a Katebar! =)

That’s all for tonight, lovlies! I’ve got the 7 am shift again tomorrow – I have the joy of waking up at 3:45 am again to get in my 5K training!

The race is currently 4 days away! Holy moly.

Hope everyone has a relaxing evening! I know I will =) I’ll be in bed within 10 minutes of this post going up…I’m an early birdy.

Nighty night!

xoxox,