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Saturday Night + Dark Chocolate Avocado Cookies
My Saturday evening was a low-key night at home. Sometimes, when the weekend comes around I am ready to dress up and go out with friends. Other times I’m so ready to spend time at home in comfy clothes and messy hair. Last night was one of the latter. It was a perfect compilation of making a healthy veggie-filled dinner, sipping on Sprout’s coffee, listening to new music (Echosmith’s album obsession), watching the latest Grey’s Anatomy episode, reading some of 50 Shades of Grey (more on that further down) and spontaneously creating a vegan-ish, gluten-free, and (most importantly) super-chocolately dessert.
Last weekend was full of craziness; next weekend I have all sorts of fun plans. So I really didn’t mind a casual Saturday night at home this weekend. It was so relaxing :)
Before last night, I hadn’t watched any television shows (including the news or Sports Center *gasp*) in over two weeks. Too busy playing catch-up from missing a week of school due to my internship! But now that I’m getting back on schedule, I had the series finale of Parenthood and the return of Grey’s Anatomy waiting for me in my Hulu queue.
In between though, I was struck with inspiration to raid my kitchen cupboards and create something for dessert that was still semi-healthy. Also….Sprout’s had avocados on sale this week so I bought 5. Then all 5 proceeded to ripen at the same exact time. This is my alternative to guacamole:
That adorable mug is from one of my best friends, Miss Chelsea! It is too perfect for me. (Chelsea and I are no strangers to baking with avocados, either!)
Chocolate Avocado Cookies:
Makes 20 soft cookies
- “meat” of 1 very ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup stevia (or substitute regular sugar)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup Chobani Greek yogurt (0% fat, plain flavor)
- 1 egg
- 1 tps. vanilla
- 1 Tbs. instant coffee granules
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup oat flour (ground oats)
- splash of almond milk (approx. 3 Tbs)
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the avocado, stevia, and sugar with a mixer until smooth.
3. Add in the yogurt, egg, and vanilla.
4. In a small bowl, combine oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and coffee granules. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir to combine.
5. Add in almond milk as needed to thin out the batter.
6. Use a spoon to place batter on baking sheets. **Note: this batter will not flatten out or expand, so the “shape” it goes on the pan is the shape it will come out in.
7. Top cookie dough with chocolate chips. Bake for 10 minutes, and allow to cool before enjoying with a steaming mug of delicious coffee or a cold glass of milk. Sharing is highly recommended.
The recipe really was just an experiment, and thank goodness it turned out. My roommate and I polished off that place seconds after this photo was captured ;)
Now on to my reading material…. I love to read. My book shelves at home are completely filled with novels I’ve read but can’t bare to get rid of, mostly fiction. When I received a book for Christmas that I had already read, I decided to exchange it for 50 Shades of Grey and finally see what all of the hype is about.
Guys…… the writing style and the conversations between the characters are so weak, it ruins my interest in the plot! I know this book has millions of fans and maybe it improves? I wanted to finish reading the book before the movie comes out next week but honestly, I’d rather just read some blog posts instead :)
What’s your ideal Saturday night?
Virgin Pina Coladas for Breakfast
Gooooood morning!
My breakfast today was as bright as the morning sunshine. My best friend came over for a HIIT workout together in my apartment’s gym. She is following Kayla Itsine’s Bikini Body Guide, and I like to join her on Friday’s to sweat together. Body weight exercises and strength training is something I skip many times when I’m by myself because I’d rather jam out on the treadmill. But Kerri’s workouts always leave me dripping with sweat and grateful for a workout buddy.
I requested a non-leg workout and she delivered with an ‘Arm & Abs’ routine that murdered our shoulders. The workout consisted of 8 different exercises, completed through 4 rounds of 7 minute intervals. The exercises included alternating mountain climbers and pushups, squats to cleans, and weighted jackknives. We got through it with some country music and recovered with this beauuuuutiful breakfast smoothie:
Virgin Pina Colada:
Serves 3
- 1 ripe pineapple, cut in wedges
- 3 bananas
- 1 cup ice
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup coconut water with pulp
- pineapple for garnish
Just add everything to a blender, and serve in a chilled glass! Can’t go wrong with pineapple, coconut and banana. We sipped on our smoothies with a side of hazelnut coffee. It was a well-deserved relaxing morning after such an intense fitness session.
And some fun nutrition facts for you:
- Coconut water is tapped from young, green coconuts. It has simple carbohydrates (sugar) and electrolytes, along with more potassium than a banana.
- 1 cup of pineapple provides more than your daily requirements for Vitamin C. It also contains beta-carotene, and it’s enzymes have been linked to decreasing inflammation.
- Americans consume more bananas than apples and oranges combined.
And because it’s SO sunny and warm in February I think I’ll take a little run outside as soon as I hit ‘publish.’
Oh and one funny story! Kerri and I have had many strange cases where we think/say the same thing at the same time. We also like to immediately share our new favorite songs with each other. Today, I said “Oh I Shazam’ed 2 new songs! There’s one I thought you would like.”
Kerri said, “So did I…..”
I said, “Wait….is one of them” and at the same time we both said “BRIGHT?!”
Ahhhhh best friend telepathy. We had both heard the same song, both used the Shazam app to find out what it was, and both wanted to share it with each other. <3
Happy Friday! :)
#DeliciousBowl by Chobani
Let’s just get right into it: I’m very excited to bring you today’s recipe!
I am participating in #DeliciousBowl by Chobani, with an original Super Bowl snack incorporating Chobani Greek yogurt. (You can search #DeliciousBowl on Instagram and Tumblr to find other participating bloggers!) Whipping things up in the kitchen is way too fun. (Remember my football snackies?) I won’t be hosting any Super Bowl get-togethers this year…but if I did, this Creamy Butternut Squash Dip would be there with some pita chips!
The hardest part of this recipe-creation was deciding between sweet or savory. My sweet tooth screamed caramel apple dip… but in an unexpected twist, I went with something herb-y and cheese-y. And whaddaya know, it turned out pretty great.
Super Bowl Sunday Delicious Bowl Appetizer: Creamy Butternut Squash Dip with Pita Chips
- 1 butternut squash, cubed
- 4 Tbs. olive oil
- dash of salt
- dash of pepper
- 1 Tbs. Garlic powder
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1 cup Chobani Greek Yogurt (Plain flavor, 0% fat)
- sprinkle of Parsley
- 1 Tbs. Oregano (I’m in love with the smell of oregano right now)
- 1 Tbs. ground Sage
- Pita chips for dipping (I used Wheat Thins’ new product Toasted Pita Chips)
1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2.) Toss the butternut squash cubes in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
3.) Roast for 30 minutes or until very soft, flipping half-way through.
4.) Combine the roasted squash, feta cheese, and remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil in a food processor. Place mixture in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely.
5.) Once the squash is totally cool, add Chobani Greek yogurt, sage, oregano, and parsley to the food processor. Combine until it’s one creamy mixture!
6.) I topped this #DeliciousBowl with some more parsley and feta for color and served with pita chips on the side.
I’m happy I went with the ‘savory’ selection! The spices and herbs are crazy-flavorful, and this recipe is a much healthier option than traditional cheesy or cream-based dips like ranch or onion. Greek yogurt adds fat-free creaminess with extra protein; herbs flavor the dish without sugar or excess sodium; squash and feta round out the recipe for some uniqueness.
Maybe this can even something to add to your Super Bowl XLIX menu…?
XOXO Kenz.
Strong Like My Coffee 