Strong, Healthy, Fit

A Goodbye, For Now

September 7, 2011

It’s been a few weeks now since the Healthy Living Summit, and I’ve had some time to process that experience and some unexpected feelings about blogging that came up during that weekend.

The Summit was great, for the most part. Most of the bloggers I met were lovely, friendly, interesting and intelligent. However, I didn’t realize until I was walking into the elevator to get to the floor of the hotel where the Summit was being held that it might cause some anxiety for me. I don’t do so well in large groups or at parties sometimes. I’d rather be with a smaller group of people, and feel much more comfortable and outgoing in such situations. Sometimes it takes me awhile to meet people, and find others I can relate to when I’m in a large group as well. Thank goodness, by the end of the Summit, (and I mean the end, as in Saturday evening after all the workshops were done) I found a few girls who I fit in with.

Feeling out of place at the Summit made me think about my place in this blogging community. My blog has fallen into that category of “here’s what I ate and how I exercised and everything else I did today”. I guess that happened because I was reading blogs like that at first, but now I’m branching out and I don’t feel like I want to write about my everyday life in such detail anymore. I also feel like I’ve been spending more time than I’d like to writing about my day and not enough time actually living each day. Does that make sense?

I need a break.

I’m taking a hiatus from Strong, Healthy, Fit and may never come back.

I still love writing and blogging I do feel strongly about healthy living, but I don’t think I want to write so much about that anymore. I have some ideas for a new blog, but I just need some time to mull over it. And to do other things.

I just moved, I want to decorate.

I need to spend more time with my piano.

I miss being crafty and creative.

I’ve had a lot of fun writing this blog, and thank you for ever stopping by to read it.

Bye, for now.

-Annie

{Vegan} Minty Choco Cookies

August 25, 2011

I’ll tell ya right now, I’m no vegan. I would describe myself as an almost vegetarian and justify that by saying that my husband and I very rarely buy meat to prepare at home, when we do eat meat we make conscious choices about where it’s coming from and try to eat locally, making sure it is “clean” meat (no hormones, etc.), and I hardly ever crave it. I have found that I feel good eating meat once in awhile and eating eggs, fish, and dairy on a semi-regular basis. I’ve cut way down on my dairy intake recently and I also feel good (mentally and physically) about that.

That all said, I love vegan baking. For a few reasons.

Less to worry about. Sometimes I get crazy about touching and using raw eggs. Plus I like to eat cookie batter and when it’s vegan it’s totally ok! … Right?

Usually, I have everything on hand. I don’t always have eggs and milk and butter in the house.

It’s just yummy.

Especially this time.

I remembered that I had some mint extract on hand from the holidays when I just had to make chocolate-mint biscotti. I haven’t used it since then and I really felt that that was an issue.

Also, I finally went and bought myself a portioning scoop for cookie dough. I think it’s actually meant to be used for melon but we just won’t talk about that.

Obviously, I needed to use my new cookie dough scoop a.s.a.p.

Isn’t it cute?

Look how perfect those mounds of cookie dough are.

And they even crinkled! As my Minnesot-an Aunts would say “Oh, for cute!”.

I also busted out my brown rice flour for the first time. I loved the texture it gave to these cookies- a little gritty, super moist and a bit crumbly. I might never go back to using wheat flour for cookies ever again.

I know it’s August and it’s flippin’ hot out there, but trust me on this one. I mean, they’re minty cookies. That means they’re refreshing.

Vegan Minty Choco Cookies

Makes 12 cookies

adapted from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup evaporated cane juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 heaping cup brown rice flour (or substitute flour of your choice)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup agave nectar

3 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)

1 teaspoon mint extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Line cookie sheet with parchment. Or, grease it. Or, if you’re fancy, use a certain silicone mat, one of which I am dying to acquire.

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet ingredients in another, slightly smaller bowl.

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and combine.

Drop by tablespoon or scoop onto cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool or not.

Devour!

No joke, these are so simple and incredibly scrumptious cookies. They’re like the inside of a thin mint but more of it and it’s softer and chewier.

Next time I’m doubling the recipe.

-Annie

Fun in the NYC Sun

August 23, 2011

I’m so glad I decided to extend my HLS weekend and stop in NYC for a few days! I don’t get to see either of my brothers that often (the one I’ve been visiting is a busy musician and the other one lives in the San Fran area) so I take any opportunity I can get to see them.

Yesterday I went for a run in Prospect Park. Hello amazing. One thing I love about a lot of the cities I’ve visited is that there are plenty of parks and designated pedestrian and cyclist paths. I can only dream of something like this back home in the country.

I had a few hours to myself while my bro was doing some mixing- ah, the life of a fabulous musician.

I bummed around Union Square for awhile. It was HOT outside, so I ducked into the nearest shop to escape the heat. It happened to be a Lululemon. What are the chances?

It was my first time in one of their stores. I bought a headband and a wrist cuff and am now $25 poorer. It was a gift to myself. Their clothes are as awesome as they’re made out to be. I’m over it.

There was an impressive farmer’s market happening yesterday!

Yet again, I can only dream.

Pete took me to a great little burrito shop for lunch, and then indulged me in my quest to find a certain cupcake shop.

I made it to Babycakes! It was amazing. I loved everything about it. Especially the girls behind the counter, dressed like they were from the ’40′s. So. freakin. cute.

The shop itself was much smaller and much less flashy than I was expecting, and I was happily surprised. It felt super vintage, and it was nice to see that their fame and fortune had not gone to their heads. They have a tiny kitchen, a tiny display, and this small operation is why their product is so fabulous.

I took a few pictures inside before I noticed their sign about not taking photos or videos in the shop. I’m sorry, Babycakes. I meant no disprespect. Thanks for not yelling at me.

We got three cupcakes to share (a friend of Pete’s was also with us).

Carrot cake w/vanilla frosting

Banana w/maple frosting

Chocolate w/chocolate frosting

Banana Maple was my favorite (no surprise there), Carrot was my second favorite, and surprisingly the chocolate was my least fav. The cake itself had some strange flavor to it (maybe from the spelt flour? It was gluten-free), but the frosting was delectable.

If you’re one of those people who thinks that vegan sweets are going to taste gross, these cupcakes would convert you. They are every bit as decadent, moist, and full of flavor as conventional cupcakes. Probably more so, since they’re made from scratch with real ingredients. My banana cupcakes had chunks of real banana in it. Lots of bakeries (and supermarkets, obviously) are using packaged cake mixes so you really have to seek out the bakeries that are the real deal.

Pete and I had a late dinner at a nearby sushi restaurant. We used a Groupon and our bill was $5.75. What?!