Some (delightfully delicious) Amazing Oatmeal - Black Forest Cake

Good afternoon everyone!

Here is a sneak-peek of me ;D

   If you have been following me on instagram, then you should probably already know that I am no doubt, oatmeal obsessed. I am so in love with the fact that you don't have to just have some plain old card-board tasting oats just to fill you up in the mornings (or nights- whatever floats your banana boat). There are so many flavor variations that you can recreate to taste like desserts for your morning breakfast. 

Whenever I eat a warming bowl of magic for breakfast-which is every morning- I always think about how much I've grown this past year. I have been more than creative and open to new ideas. One of my favorite quotes that has helped me pave my way through this dark and deep world is by one of my favorite inspirational people. Ghandi said that we should all "Live as if you would die tomorrow, and learn as if you could live forever". is so wonderful because we should all live with yolo in our hearts and with the spirit to learn. I learn new things everyday. My grandpa even learns new things every day. So here is your lesson on how to cook some of my favorite oatmeal ever. 

Don't worry that clear goo is just agave nectar

What you will need:

*2/3 cup old-fashioned oats that are NOT quick-cook

*1/2 pitted cherries + more for decoration if you would wish to dress it up a little bit

*1/3 of a ripe and mushy gushy spotty-dotty banana that is smashed

*1/2 tbs. carob/cacao powder

*1 tsp. each vanilla bean paste and coconut sugar

*1 cup plant based milk (I use almond milk)

*1-2 pitted and pureed medjool dates (optional but preferred)

How to create this magic:

1. Boil the milk and vanilla, then stir in the oats and mashed banana. Make sure your banana is thoroughly mashed- you will not enjoy bits of banana floating around in this bowl of oatmeal!

2. Once your oats have gotten thicker, stir in the carob powder, coconut sugar, and medjool dates. (If you don't have carob powder, then no big deal. You can of course sub it for cacao powder instead! I personally like the sweet and warm taste of carob instead of the dark and bitter taste of cacao.)

3. Once your oatmeal has gotten thicker and the coconut sugar has dissolved, lightly fold in the cherries. 

4. Now you're done! Pour the oats into a colorful bowl and top with any topping you'd like. You can top with: more pitted cherries, carob chips, cacao nibs, date sugar, more almond milk (I always do for more moistness), crushed almonds and cashews, strawberries, dark chocolate bits, even some coconut flakes, and honey/agave nectar. 

5. ENJOY AND HAVE THE MOST LOVELIEST DAY ;D

Peachy Pear and Plum Maple Banana Ice Cream (vegan, gluten free, vegetarian)

          Ahh yes. These are the wondrous days where I get to cozy up with a warm blanket and drink packs of yogi tea and eat pumpkin-spiced everything! I was at Trader Joe's last Sunday and I noticed that there was pumpkin everything! There was pumpkin cornbread, butter (that stuff is quite divine), granola, breads, pie pumpkins, pie, and even….. wait for it…. PUMPKIN BODY BUTTER!! Oh my goodness gracious-the body butter is the best stuff I've ever  slathered on! It has a perfect autumn aroma and a crisp pumpkin scent that adds sparkle to it. Anywho, am I making your tongue watery? I cannot wait to shower you guys with pumpkin recipes that are perfect for fall.

   Another fruit that is very compatible with the season are peaches! My favorite peaches in particular are Hale peaches; They are huge babies. A couple weekends ago, I went to the Sandy farmer's market with my grammy, my little twin-sisters Audrie and Arissa, and my adorable cousin Madi (Go check out her blog! It is http://madiriye.blogspot.com ). It was so fun walking around and piling wooden crates sky-high with the juiciest and most delectable peaches we'd ever seen. You can never have too many peaches, am I right? Pears were also abundant as I tried more samples than I should have. 

        Crisp fruits and veg are my favorite things to eat during this chilly season of black cats and ugly witches.

This recipe for Peachy Pear and Plum Maple Banana Ice Cream will literally melt you away. Blend it up and put in the freezer, eat it in a mason jar and jump outside into the pumpkin colored leaves, or even catch up on ANTM whilst snuggling up to a heat-blankie. Needless to say, Autumn has officially arrived and so lettuce make the best of it. 

What you will need:

*2 small or 1 very large super squishy and spotty-dotty FROZEN banana(s)

*1/2 frozen D'anjou pear and large Black Velvet plum

*1-2 very ripe and juicy Hale peaches or 3 small peaches

*1/2 tsp. each coconut sugar and vanilla bean extract (I use TJ for both) 

*4 oz. any plant based milk you desire (I use Almond Breeze almond milk)

*5 ice cubes

*either 1 tbs. pure maple syrup or 1 tsp. maple extract (I used the extract)

**OPTIONAL: 1 scant tsp. lucuma or maca powder

How to make this beauty: 

1. With your Blendtec blender(what I use)/food processor/vitamix, put in all of the ingredients except the coconut sugar and peaches. press the ice-cream or frozen yogurt button for 50 sec.

2. Add in the last two ingredients and pulse. You should have a really creamy and smooth ice-cream like texture.

3. Top with any ingredients you would like. You could use: coconut sugar, sliced nuts, granola, grawnola, maple syrup, agave, more delectable fruit such as apples or slice pears, pumpkin seeds, or even some carob sauce. My carob sauce recipe will be up with the next post.

4. ENJOY ;D