Smoothie Fun

Tags

breakfast, comfort food, cooking, easy, food, fruit, fun, green, health, healthy, smoothie, snack, snacks, wellness, yummy

I have recently been trying to focus my energy on planning meals, and eating out less to save some money. Quitting my job to teach yoga full time has been quite the challenge on my budget, so being more frugal with groceries is a huge help. I have started to drink more smoothies for snacks in between meals or including one with breakfast or lunch. I have even had success making some in advance and keeping them stored in mason jars (my new favorite thing!) and they actually taste great the next day and super cold!

Berry Smoothie

• 2 cups of spinach (fresh and washed)
• 2 cups of Almond Milk (unsweetened)
• 1 cup of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 banana

Mix altogether in blender and enjoy. Tip: blend liquid and greens first, then add in fruit. Also having one frozen item will make the smoothie nice and chill to drink right away!

Orange Ya Glad Smoothie

• 2 cups of spinach (fresh and washed)
• 1 cup Almond Milk (unsweetened)
• 3-4 oranges peeled
• 1 Banana

Blend all together and enjoy!

Peachberry Smoothie

• 2 cups spinach (fresh and washed)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 banana
• 1 orange
• 2 cups of peaches (fresh or frozen)

Blend everything together and enjoy over ice, or add frozen fruit as ice cubes!

Green Machine Peach Smoothie

• 2 cups spinach (fresh and washed)
• 2 cups of water (or coconut water)
• 2 cups of peaches (fresh or frozen)
• 1 banana

Blend all ingredients together.

 

Let me know what your favorite is ❤

Love and Light

Veggie Ash

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Easy Chia Breakfast Cup

Tags

breakfast, chia seeds, comfort food, easy, food, fruit, fun, health, healthy, snack, sweets, vegetarian, wellness, yummy

I am horrible when it comes to eating breakfast, I either don’t have anything, or just inhale any leftovers in my fridge. A friend of mine told me about these chia breakfast cups that she made, and they sounded so easy and delicious I had to try them. The journey then began to find mason jars to put my overnight chia seeds in, let me tell you the journey is still going for them. I eventually found some singles at Michael’s, they have been doing the trick until Canadian Tire gets restocked on the 12 pack of ones I want!

Here’s what you need to get started:

• Mason Jar (or something to let the mix sit overnight in)
• 3 tablespoons of chia seeds
• 1 cup of non dairy milk (I use vanilla coconut milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 – 3 teaspoons of honey, maple syrup or agave nectar (I used honey)
• Your choice of fresh fruit, granola and or brown sugar for topping it off

Directions

• Mix the chia seeds, non dairy milk, vanilla extract and your choice of sweetener in the mason jar, stir until you get a good consistency (no clumps of the chia seeds)
• Put in fridge overnight or for at least 2-3 hours, during this time the chia seeds will expand and you will get a thicker consistency
• Open, stir and top with your favorite fruit, granola and brown sugar!
• Enjoy

Note: My favorite combination so far has been chia seeds, vanilla coconut milk, vanilla extract, honey, strawberries, blueberries, black berries, vanilla granola and a sprinkle of brown sugar! I have also gotten in the habit of making three or four at once to make life a little easier if I need an extra one for a snack 🙂

Veggie Ash

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Tags

baking, cookies, cooking, food, oreo, oreo cheesecake cookies, sweets

Whenever I am going to a party or heading away for a weekend, I am always asked to bring my Oreo Cheesecake Cookies! They are becoming quite the hit. I stumbled upon them on Pinterest one day and have played around with the recipe a little bit.

Try them out and see how many you eat, and how many friends and family are begging for the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/3 cup of cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of mini semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup of Oreo cookie crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line cookie trays with parchment paper

2. Cream together butter and cream cheese on a medium speed until smooth

3. Then you add in sugar and vanilla extract to the mix until everything is combined, then add in flour and mix on low until you have everything mixed together. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

4. Place Oreo crumbs in a small bowl, roll dough into 2″ balls then roll them in the cookie crumbs, then place on baking tray. Bake 12-14 minutes (usually 12 minutes is enough depending on the size) remove from oven when golden brown, let the cookies sit a few minutes before taking them off the baking sheet. (Makes roughly 2 dozen cookies)

5. ENJOY!!!!!!

Fluffy Vanilla Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Tags

baking, cookies, cooking, fun, yoga

Hi everyone 🙂 

It’s been a long time coming, who knew so soon to after starting this blog I would get so busy, and not spend time doing what I love….cooking and baking! Well, the long wait is over. I’m here, I’m back and I’m ready to spend more time doing what makes me happy. Quick update in the personal life, I started the journey to become a yoga teacher, and you will be happy to know I will be done my course in November. I can’t believe how the time has flown. I’m sure in my upcoming posts I will link in back to yoga, so don’t be surprised. 

I am off work today, but am going in for a quick meeting this afternoon, so I decided why not bring a snack for everyone. I went through Pinterest last night and a few recipes stood out to me. I finally landed on Puffy (or Fluffy) Vanilla Peanut Butter Chip Cookies! I got the recipe here if you want to check it out http://www.averiecooks.com/2012/03/puffy-vanilla-and-peanut-butter-chip-cookies.html

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of Crisco (or vegetable shortening, unsalted butter or margarine)
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 3/4 cups of peanut butter chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 and line your cookie pans with parchment paper. In a medium to large bowl mix together, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, Crisco, water and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until it get’s to a thicker creamier texture. Next add in cinnamon, flour, baking soda and salt, using the mixer again on medium until you get a consistent thickness. Add in peanut butter chips with a wooden spoon, folding them into the dough. Cover and place in fridge approx 30 minutes. This will give the cookies the fluffy look! 

When the dough is ready roll into small balls about 1 inch in size and bake in the oven 8-10 minutes. I got about 30 cookies out of this depends the size you make them. Make sure not to overcook, 8 minutes was perfect, and they were a nice golden brown colour. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes before taking off the sheet.

 

Enjoy! Happy Eating

Veggie Ash ❤

 

 

Vanilla Cashew Milk

Tags

cleanse, health, juicing, milk, raw, snack, vegan, vegetarian

 

This vanilla cashew ‘milk’ started out as part of a juice cleanse I did about a month ago. It was one of my 8 juices I drank every day for 5 days. I am not vegan and I love a big glass of milk every now and then, but something about the taste and texture of this has kept me coming back for more. I find myself making this on a weekly basis, and having half a glass after a work out to give me some energy, or a glass in the morning with a slice of toast. I used the recipe I found here http://www.choosingraw.com/vanilla-cashew-milk/ and have tweaked it a little bit time after time. This is a great example of an awesome drink or snack that is full of the good fats. 

Vanilla Cashew Milk

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of unsalted raw cashews (soaked in water over night)
• 4 cups of water
• 4 pitted dates
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• pinch of pink himalayan salt
• two pinches of cinnamon

Directions:

Soak cashews over night in water. Add all ingredients into blender or food processor and blend 2-3 minutes or until very smooth. I don’t have the most hi-tech blender and mine does the trick so don’t fret, any type of blender will work. Chill, and shake well before serving. There is always the option of throwing a light cloth over a container and in batches let the milk strain out. You can then use the bits and pieces for any raw snacks you want to make. I prefer mine thick and creamy, especially when I was drinking this on the cleanse, it made it feel like a real meal.

 

Cheers ❤ Veggie Ash

Coconut Fruit Dip

Tags

dessert, dips, food, healthy, snacks, yummy

 

Happy Friday everyone. I’m sure there has been a time where you are casually making plans with friends or family for the weekend, and then you forgot about them until the day of and think what the heck am I going to make, or bring. I have the easiest fruit dip recipe that goes great with all types of fruit, and takes less then 10 minutes to make. Simple and quick, what’s not to love right?! Oh and did I mention it tastes phenomenal. 

Coconut Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup softened cream cheese (half a block)
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer and beat for two minutes or until all the ingredients are blended well. Serve with fruits of your choice: pineapple, berries, apples or grapes. Keep chilled if not serving right away.

 

Quick Breakfast Sandwich

Tags

breakfast, food, healthy, vegetarian

Breakfast. The most painful meal for me to make each day. I much rather sleep an extra 10 minutes then wake up to make myself something to eat. A few posts ago I shared some of my favorite smoothie recipes with you which are a classic go to for me, but there are a few mornings when i’m craving something more. I got this breakfast sandwich idea off of Pinterest and added my own twist to it. What’s great about this is that you can make a week’s worth and keep them in the fridge and they are ready to go super quick.

 

Ingredients:

• eggs or egg whites
• spinach (a handful washed)
• half a pepper diced (i used yellow)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• spray muffin or cup cake tins with pam
• pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• fill with either a whole egg or egg whites (I prefer the egg whites)
• put in a piece of spinach and 3 to 4 small pieces of pepper, top with salt and pepper
• make sure the spinach is under the egg and does not float to top (I use a spoon to assist this process)
• bake in ovel 15 minutes
• Let cool and refrigerate
• in the morning toast an English muffin, warm the egg up for 1 min in the microwave, you can also add a slice of cheese to the egg as well

This is the perfect on the go breakfast and I hope you enjoy making this as much as I do!

Happy cooking 

Veggie Ash ❤

Sweet Potato Pasta with Kale

Tags

dinner, healthy, italian, kale, pasta, vegetarian

 

It has been a little while since I have taken the time to do some serious cooking and writing.  My new year’s resolution is to try and cook something new once a week, and then take the time to share with everybody. Last night I was craving something cheesy, full of carbs and really filling. I cruised through my pasta board on Pinterest and finally decided (with the help of my cooking partner) on sweet potato cream pasta with baked kale on top. It looked great, was veggie friendly, and topped in cheese and greens, perfection. Original recipe found here :http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/03/sweet-potato-cream-pasta-with-crispy-kale/

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato – peeled, boiled, mashed
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1 shallot – chopped
• 2 garlic cloves – chopped
• 1 table spoon flour
• 1 1/2 cups of skim milk (or whatever you have available)
• 2 tablespoons of shredded Romano cheese
• 1 package of whole wheat pasta (I used spaghetti)
• 1 head of kale (leaves torn from stem)
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

Boil sweet potato for 15 minutes then mash

 

Pre heat over to 350. In a mixing bowl add kale,sesame oil, Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Toss kale using hands to coat completely, approximately one to two minutes. Lay kale on baking tray and cook 15 minutes or until crispy and golden, toss mid way through. 

 

Boil pasta as per instructions.

For the sauce use a large size pan or skillet mix butter, olive oil, shallots and garlic over medium low heat on stove. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Add in flour, increase to medium heat, whisk to create a roux type texture. Once golden, use whisk to mix in the milk and mashed sweet potato. It will take few minutes to thicken up, once it has come together turn to low and add in about another 1/2 cup of Romano cheese. If the texture is to thick, just add a splash of milk to thin out. Next, mix pasta and sauce together top with more Romano and the baked kale. Also, if you are into spicy feel free to add in chili flakes for some kick.

 

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did, a glass of red wine goes perfectly.

❤

Ash

 

Smoothie Time

Tags

food, healthy, smoothie, snack

Everyone who knows me, knows about my love for having smoothies, I always have one in my hand! They are so quick and easy to make, I like to experiment with flavors and they are perfect for my on the go lifestyle. Usually I like to make them juice based, but I’ve been trying to increase my calories so I have been using almond milk as a yummy alternative. Below are two of my favorite recipes, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

This has to be my number one smoothie pick, it makes a great meal replacement for lunch or an after the gym snack. It’s filling and tastes amazing.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of vanilla almond milk
• 1 banana
• 2 spoonfuls of organic peanut butter
• 1 spoonful of vanilla yogurt
• 6-8 ice cubes
• 1 tsp of unsweetened coconut 

Directions:

Add all ingredients except the coconut into the blender and blend on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes, top with unsweetened coconut. You can also omit the yogurt to lower the calorie count. 

 

 

For this smoothie I played around with coconut water and fruits, I have found myself making this the last few days and I just feel so refreshed and renewed after drinking this.

Renew Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of coconut water
• 1 banana
• 5-6 pieces of pineapple
• 5-6 black berries
• 6-8 ice cubes

Directions:

Place all ingredients into blend and mix on a medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes and then enjoy!

Cheers.

Ash ❤

 

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese. YUM.

Tags

comfort food, grilled cheese

My obsession with grilled cheese started when I was a kid. Living on my own, this is always my go to meal if I’m in a rush or on the go. It’s quick, yummy and full of cheese. I started looking up so many recipes on Pinterest I had to start my own board just for grilled cheeses. You can check out my Pinterest account here: http://pinterest.com/ashleighannei/ 

While looking through sweet, salty and even stuffed mac and cheese grilled cheese, I decided to try a jalapeno popper one first.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of bread, any kind (I used a whole grain white)
• butter, softened (enough to cover one side of each piece of bread)
• 2 tbsp of cream cheese softened (I found it easiest to get a block and cut 3 to 4 thin pieces)
• 4 to 6 pickled jalapenos, sliced, seeds taken out and patted dry
• cheese slices (2) or any cheese you prefer (I used medium cheddar, shredded so it melts easier)

Cooking Directions:

1. Butter one side of each piece of bread

2. Spread the cream cheese or place the slices you cut on the non buttered side, then add in the sliced jalapenos, put cheese slices or shredded cheese on top then add on your last piece of bread, butter side up.

3. Heat up a large non stick frying pan on medium heat, add a tad of butter to get the golden brown finish, place sandwich in and cover with a lid to retain heat to help with the melting of the cheese, cook each side until desired temperature, cut in half and serve warm!

You can also check out the original website where I got this fabulous idea here:

http://foodgawker.com/post/2012/01/23/143353/

Happy Eating ❤

Ash