Strawberry Fields Forever Whole Wheat Pancakes

As the light streamed through my window this morning, through the slivering cracks of the blinds, I knew that today was going to be filled with much appreciation and lovely food.

It took me a while to fully awake from my sweet dreams of my friends and I skipping through a shower of sprinklers in my backyard. Clad in our best swimsuits, me in my lavender and blue bandeau bikini and my friends in their halter tops, their triangle swimwear, and flip flops, I was having a glorious time.

My gang and I have a special name for the group: the Unholy Trinity plus one. We're a gang of squabbling, awkward, special girls. We are loud, wild, free-spirited, and the bee's knees. 

I'm more than blessed to have them. I fantasize us riding along somewhere in the heart of the US in a bubble-gum pink Chevrolet convertible, yapping about whatever. I imagine always keeping in touch, even if I'm halfway across the world tasting some exotic jasmine tea. 

I'm celebrating Easter without them this year. We always dye Easter eggs, no matter how old we become. One best friend is swimming in the Maldives. Lucky ducky! One day we'll travel 'round the world together.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I really love them, my Unholy Trinity friends. And the next time we're all together again, then these pancakes will be first on the list to make!

Late last night, around 22:30 on the hour, I felt this overwhelming surge to create something creamy and dreamy and decadent. After scouring the web and redesigning my blog (FOR THE LAST TIME) and adding a Pin It Button (which you should totally do, pin some of my recipes please!), I created some strawberry fairy cakes in pancake form. 

It's safe to say that I like to use a lot of different filters for my pictures. 

After much deliberation and listening to some good 'ol Enya songs to get my creative mind working, I decided I'd create another one of my own pancake stack.

A dash of cinnamon here, some baking powder there and a hearty scoop of white whole wheat flour, and you're off to the races!

Be prepared for a delicate and creamy, uber fluffy stack which makes eleven 6" pancakes! In these pictures, I only used six and froze the other five for later. (or tomorrow- depends how antsy I get for pancakes!)

HEALTHY WW STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER PANCAKES:

*1/3 C of oat flour (either buy it store-bought or save money and blitz oatmeal up in a blender)

*1/2 C of white whole wheat flour (I used Trader Joe's)

*1/2 C of any non-dairy milk mixed with a T of lemon juice for a vegan buttermilk

*diced strawberries mixed with honey or agave

*2 tsp. baking powder and cinnamon each

*vanilla extract, about 1 tsp. 

*1 mashed banana 

*1 flax egg for a vegan substitute, or just use one egg

*2 T plain Greek yogurt (or use coconut yogurt for a non-dairy sub)

DIRECTIONS:

1. make your flax egg and buttermilk and store them in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes to thicken up

2. mash the banana (it better be spotty dotty and super ripe with black spots all over it fora  natural sweetener)

3. stire the banana with the flours, baking powder, yogurt and milk

4. whisk in the flax egg and the other ingredients 

5. flip your pancakes and top with tons of fruit, nuts, and nut butters with some pure maple syrup! ENJOY!

Love, Alli 

other amazing recipes:

Coconut Cashew Ice Cream with Strawberries

Wild Blueberry and Cinnamon Mylkshake Pancakes

VBK's Best Healthified Pancake Saturday Stack [wild blueberry and cinnamon mylkshake pancakes]

So many Pancake Sundays have gone by without notice. Such a shame. At least tomorrow shall be celebrated and praised with pancakes. I'm not sure why-maybe it's because making pancakes and taking pictures of them and noshing decorations for them making them pretty cute takes a long time. I am a girl with not a lot of patience. I like to get to the end of the story, where the girl lives happily ever after in the spotlight. I like my banana ice-cream right out of the blender, as opposed to letting it freeze for 2 hours just for the consistency. And I like pancakes that take less than 30 minutes. I'm pretty sure I've just done that. 

So fluffy, so light, and cinnamony with warmth and a heavenly scent that fills the house. I guess I should really take the time to make some delightful pancakes like these more often, because it's obviously all worth it! 

Cinnamony cinnamony eat it up, yum! These taste even better with wild blueberries inside them. They burst with a jammy flavor in your mouth- but don't let the wild blueberries spill everywhere! That happened to me and it was so not fun sweeping them up while they're juices spilled purple all over the place! 

VBK''S BEST PANCAKE SATURDAY STACK   

*1/8 C of coconut flour and pumpkin puree each

*1/2 C of oat flour (you can either buy this or grind rolled oats up in a blender/food processor.) + 1 Tbs. of rolled oats

*2 Tbs. of greek yogurt, plain or vanilla works well

*1 tsp. each of baking powder, vanilla bean extract, cinnamon, and either natural maple syrup or maple extract

*1/2 tsp. each of nutmeg, optional maca powder, and coconut sugar

*1/4 C of coconut milk

*2 egg whites or for a vegan substitute, use 1 flaxseed egg

Method to happiness:

1. Mix everything together and flip on a pre-heated pancake pan and top with lots of goodies.

2. ENJOY!! 

Let's go wild blueberry picking please

Xxxx, Alli

Blueberry Bushes Forever & The Blue-Miracle Bowl Straight From Heaven

Ahhh…. the simplicity of it all. Isn't it incredible how the simplest fruits and vegetables can color and fill your life up?

I need a blueberry bush in my garden. In my cozy, homie, and not-green-enough garden. I mean, my garden is very green, but I'd like it to be a bit more versatile- with snow peas and watermelon sprouting voluntarily in the summer and avocado trees and broccoli bushes showering me with love during whatever season they are best in. Overall, I would like a lot of things. I would like a kitten named Coffeepot, a new screen in replace of my shattered on one my phone, and a towering blueberry bush that would last forever.

My summer trip to Seattle was lovely (you can read more about it in one of my recent posts). Blueberry picking and sight-seeing was the highlight of the trip, but mostly blueberry picking. It felt super therapeutic to roam and skip through the large bushes that seemed never ending. The blueberries were ripe and juicy- almost too juicy not to eat every one of them! I was in heaven. I was in a grassy green land where I felt like I belonged somewhere. I belong in a blueberry bush! We took home 8 pounds of pure, unadulterated blueberries that evening. Picking the berries became a full-on competition to see who could grasp the biggest and juiciest berries, and I think I won. (even though I pretty much ate all of  the bluebs anyway! Teehee)

Blueberries actually are not my favorite fruit, it's just the joys of picking them. Simplicity is best, so lettuce (pun pun!) water our broccoli gardens and carry on with the blueberry picking and eating. You can learn a lot about yourself by finding therapeutic adventures you love!

THE BLUE-MIRACLE BOWL OF LOVELY AND BLUEBERRIES (along with the recipe):

For the Vanilla Lovely Ice Cream

*1 tsp. of vanilla bean paste and date sugar each

*1 scant tsp. of lemon juice- freshly squeezed or from the bottle

*3/4 tsp. of maple extract

*2 ice cubes

*1 3/4 spotty-dotty frozen banana

*1/4 C coconut cultured yogurt or greek yogurt

For the Pink and Pretty Ice Cream

*3 frozen bananas -spotty and dotty indeed

*Either 3/4 C of frozen raspberries, or even better, one frozen pitaya/dragon fruit packet 

*2 ice cubes

*1/4 C of pineapple and frozen orange each + the orange zest

METHOD:

1. In your Blendtec blender/food processor, blend the solids first for the vanilla part, and then add the liquids and pulse. If your blender/food processor has a difficult time doing this, then add 2-4 Tbs. of any plant based milk you prefer. (I use almond milk from Trader Joe's) Scoop that into a big bowl and place it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

2. blend the frozen things first for the pinky-party-whatever flavor. Add in the rest of the ingredients by pulsing and then fully blending. scoop this on top of the vanilla flavor.

3. Now you're ready to top your ice cream with toppings! I topped mine with (of course) blueberries, more berries, and desiccated coconut. Now Enjoy! 

***NOTE: this bowl is bigger than all of the other ones, but you can of course halve the recipe. I usually eat these rainbow bowls as my meals, so they have significantly more ingredients to fuel and fill me up for hours.***

Xxx, Alli

Sweetie Pie Lemon Poppyseed bowl, figs, and fruit puns!

                                     These fruit puns are more than funny; They are simply the best.

                        Sometimes, my little sister likes to eat the watermelon rind. What an entertaining little eater she is!

   Today's recipe is all about my prismatic bowls! Lemon poppyseed might just be my favorite flavor of all time. Honestly, it rules over every other sweet and tart flavor in the flavor hand-book. I like lemon poppyseed better than chocolate, dark chocolate, carob, vanilla, carrot cake, and even angel food cake! This recipe is much like my recent post on lemon poppyseed perfect pancakes. It's still creamy, sweet and tart, and makes you want to have it for breakie, lunch, and even dinner!

   Share this with everyone, because soon love will die, and only our minds will be able to free the fray whilst sharing warmth and kindness. Because soon love will die.

LEMON POPPYSEED- WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
*1/2 C of rolled oats- NOT quick-cook
*1 C of any plant-based milk (I used coconut milk for a creamier and more tropical flavor)
*1 tsp. each of poppyseeds, coconut sugar, vanilla, and maple extract
*half of a spotty-dotty mashed, and ripe banana
*2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
**OPTIONAL** I put in a bit of fig puree- about 2 Tbs. for some extra sweetness and flavor***

HOW TO MAKE LOVE (THE RIGHT WAY):
1. In a small sauce pan, boil the coconut milk and vanilla. Once it is boiling, add in the oats and a pinch of salt for added flavor since oats tend to be really bland themselves. Constantly stir the oats so they don't stick to the pan.
2. Once the oats are thicker, add in the mashed banana lemon juice, and pureed fig if you're using the pureed fig. Don't you dare stop stirring! 
3. Once the oats are thicker with not alot of liquid left, stir in the coconut sugar and let sit for about 3 minutes.
4. Pour into a bowl and enjoy! Top your soon-to-be-food-baby with lots of fruit, more plant-based milk, nuts, berries, exotic fruit, and even mulberries and granola/grawnola.

ENJOY AND I LOVE YOU ALL. DON'T FORGET YOU TELL SOMEONE YOU LOVE THEM, BECAUSE MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, LOVE WILL SOON DIE.

Seattle, sippin' fruit and juice, and lots of laughs!

                                                               Whether it's in Utah,

or Seattle, 

green smoothies make up at least 25% of my diet. I'm not going to tell you that they refresh my mind or that they let my inner organic shine through. Green smoothies make me happier-inside and out! I'm not sure what it is, but something about green makes me want to eat it and makes me not want to at the same time. You can literally make any kind of green smoothie taste good, no matter what shade of green! (I personally like lime green best, like the Seattle picture one) 

   In July, I took a trip to Seattle with my cousin Sarena and we went alone on a plane to see our dear aunt, Ching. Auntie Ching is a flight attendant who travels many places! She gets to explore Paris, Amsterdam, Alaska, and many more places that I cannot think of at the moment. Us three girlies had the time of our lives! AC (short for Aunt Ching) was so kind and lovely to have us. She really was the star of our trip with her great wit! We probably pulled muscles in our tummies from laughing so much.

                                         We went to Pike's Market and sampled the tastiest treats!

AC took us to her nail person and we brought her some lovely flowers from Pike's market!

To be morally honest, we spent most of our time there eating! I didn't mind that.

We at least bought 8 pounds of blueberries at this one blueberry farm. They were big and fresh, juicy and sweet, and probably perfect for a hangover for anyone who needs them, haha! XD

 Every morning for breakie, we slurped on some smoothies. AC had just bought a new Ninja Blender, so every night and morning was a blast of fun creating lots of smoothie recipes. I always took a green smoothie that was filled with lots of greens! At the Pike Market, greens were literally around every corner.

YASSSSSSS

   Anywho, the asian stores we went to had so many exotic fruits to behold and try. There was jack-fruit, pitaya/dragon fruit, lots of lychee (I kind of…. ate a whole bag myself! oops), berries that were insanely sweet, and even durian was there. Oh and the pineapple was good too, mmmm. Of course we had to experiment smoothie recipes, so below is the recipe we all came up with:

SEATTLE'S GREEN MONSTER DRINK-WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 

*2 celery stalks- cubed

*2-6 oz. of freshly squeezed orange juice

*1/2 a granny smith green apple 

*10-12 green grapes 

*3/4 of an asian pear

*about 5 strawberries (LEAVE THE STEMS ON. IT IS ADDED NUTRITION)

*1 whole cubed and diced cucumber- peeled

*a handful of both spinach and kale

BLEND IT ALL UP AND ENJOY! I SUGGEST YOU DRINK THIS BY A BEAUTIFUL HYDRENGEA BUSH LIKE I DID.

AT-THE-TOP-OF-THE-PAGE GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE-WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

*2 oz. each of almond milk and coconut milk (I used Trader Joe's) 

*1 tsp. each of date sugar, hemp seeds, and maple extract

*4 oz. of frozen pineapple and raspberries

*3 ice cubes

*HUGE handful of baby spinach (Yeah, baby! XD)

*1/4 each of a Fuji apple and a very huge and juicy orange

BLEND IT ALL UP AND THERE YOU GO HAVE A NICE DAY XD

Friends, going bananas, and lemon poppyseed pancakes!

 
   These girls plus a very wonderful friend from London, are some of my very favorite friends right now. I love making new friends out of nowhere and I find that my expectations towards how people should act are decreasing, as I have learned that everyone is different and nobody can read my mind. I used to fret when somebody would not smile back at me or if somebody accidentally commented something stupid on a very sensitive topic. I would fear for our friendship if someone would not text back in 24 hours. I used to, and I would worry about silly little things, but I have realized that the world does not revolve around me. Nobody can read your mind. Without asking or telling them, no one can know what you want them to say and do. YOU must do it for them. You must reach out and stop waiting for others to reach out to you. If you don't reach out, then you just might miss out on some great life experiences and friendships that could've been great life experiences and friendships.
   You might be surprised when I tell you this, but I was a very shy and timid little girl a couple years ago. I would not raise my hand in class when I had a question in fear of a wrong answer/dumb question. My little voice was my shield against the dark and bloody world. My very small and quiet voice was because I didn't want to be heard. I would try to talk and make great conversation with a new 'loud' and 'booming' voice, and you probably could have heard my loud voice booming with confidence at very rare moments- even though I really had none most of the time. I spent years following people around being ignored and used because I was (and still am) very gullible, and my sweet figure looked like I could've been easily shoved around. I had no real friends who actually knew me because I would not let them know me.
   I expected people to pry deep into my heart and find some gold and silver. When that didn't work I decided I would do it for them. I let others see the real me, not the superficial happy person mask I always put on. I became a real person with real friends; I took my mask off. I became a bright light in a dark world, and you can too! You can either choose to hide behind superficial masks, or choose to take off your mask and reveal the real you. THAT is how you make friends. The girls in the picture above cannot see through me anymore because I am real and whole. I cannot show up to school half of me and half of somebody else- because I am a whole. You must be 100% you and nobody else. Sorry, but even 75% does not cut it, sweetie.

   Any-who, lettuce get on with the lemon-poppyseed pancake recipe because I know you will all love it! These pancakes are fluffy, tart and sweet, and oh-so-good! You only need a few ingredients to make this stack of heaven, so lettuce begin!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
*4 egg whites from the carton (I used Kirkland)
*1 cold, spotty-dotty banana
*3 oz. of old-fashioned rolled oatmeal (I used Trader Joe's)
*3 Tbs. of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1 tsp. of poppy seeds
*1/2  tsp. each of coconut sugar, vanilla bean extract, and baking powder
*2 Tbs. of any plant-based milk (I used almond milk from Trader Joe's)

HOW TO MAKE: 
1. Blend the oats, banana, and egg whites in your blender/food processor (I used my Blendtec)
2. Pour all of your ingredients into a big bowl and stir until the batter is thick and creamy. Pour about 2 oz. of the batter onto a preheated stove at medium-medium low heat.
3. Now you should have really fluffy and light pancakes! You can top them with whatever you'd like. You could use: sliced fruit, pure maple syrup, agave nectar, kisses, nuts, cacao nibs, soy/coconut milk yogurt (for vegans, or even for anybody!), greek yogurt, love, and any nut butters you desire. Happy eating!

                                                                    LOVE you all!