Brunch

10
Apr
2014

Banana & Coffee Protein Smoothie: Licuado de Proteina con Banana y Café

categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Coffee, Drink, Healthy, Smoothie

Have I told you that I’m getting married…in 10 days??

Have I also told you that I’m not your typical bride??

Like, the kind of bride that doesn’t have decorations yet kinda bride.

So needless to say, I haven’t really been a morning person lately…

Usually I am just fine with green tea or a smoothie in the morning but these last few days

that stuff is just not cutting it.

I had to upgrade my morning stimulant to get me going on this whole wedding thing

& since crack is whack & I like keeping my teeth, I decided to upgrade to coffee.

The problem: I don’t like the taste of coffee…like, at all.

So I decided to disguise my coffee in a delicious & healthy fruit-filled concoction that draws on my Latin & American roots…

And so was born the Banana & Coffee Protein Smoothie

a.k.a. Licuado de Proteina con Café y Banana!

(keep reading to find out what a “licuado” is!)

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27
Mar
2014

Tart Cherry-Berry Kale Smoothie

categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Drink, Healthy, Smoothie

You know when you buy something really expensive & you’re riddled with guilt so you try to use it as much as possible to justify the expense?

Yeah, that’s pretty much what my recent “smoothie-revolution” was born out of.It’s also probably why you may just see me wearing my new orange heel$$ to the supermarket.

I had spent all of this money on a VitaMix & I figured I shouldn’t just make dough & chop nuts in it. Do you even know how many loaves of bread I’d have to make for this little beauty to pay for itself?

So I decided to get on this smoothie bandwagon & what do you know?
It’s totally paying off!

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02
Mar
2014

PeachBerry Bellini

categories: Boozy, Brunch, Cocktails

So some pretty awesome stuff has been happening in my life.

I bought a VitaMix. Only fellow food nerds will understand why this is amazing. It’s like the Mercedes-Benz of blenders…& yes, I just said this & yes, I love it.
I finished planning my wedding. Like, from start to finish & with a month to spare! Shoot, even I’m amazed I didn’t wait to the last minute!
One of my recipes was featured on Today.com Food Section. I’m a little overwhelmed that anyone reads my blog, let alone anyone from the Today show. That’s legit.

So for all of these really amazing things to happen in one week, I thought I deserved a little celebration in the form of a Sunday Bellini.

This drink is also going to make a great addition to our Oscar Party tonight,

so don’t feel like you have to have a celebratory day drink like me.

You can celebrate at night where the darkness will hide the judgement from others…

but if like me, you don’t really give a poo & love yourself a Sunday Champagne Brunch,

have at it!

Being that I had this brand new blender just sitting there begging to be used, I decided to think outside the box & jazz up my usual o.j. & champagne mimosas.

So I raided my fridge & came up with this PeachBerry Bellini!

Not only is it full of fresh fruit (which is totally healthy, duh) but it makes the champagne feel so much fancier & look amazing which is perfect for a celebration!

I paired this cocktail with my Vegetarian Hash & Basil Vinaigrette Brunch recipe & they were perfect together!

A little sweet, a little savory, a little buzzed.

Yeah, Sunday just became my favorite day of the week.

Enjoy!

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02
Mar
2014

Sunday Brunch: Vegetarian Hash with Basil Vinaigrette Dressing

categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Potatoes, Vegetarian

Ok, so I’ve been really good these last 6 months.

Most days I try to eat healthy & try to keep my alcohol intake at a minimum…

Then Sunday hits & I don’t know what comes over me

but apparently all bets are friggin’ OFF when it comes to brunch.

(I said I try, not promise!)

However, these last couple of Sundays have been a little different…

You see, in about 1 month I will have to partake in the shame-inducing act of squeezing myself into a unforgivingly tight wedding gown & parading all of this goodness in front of close friends & family as I repeat “don’t trip, don’t fall, don’t throw up” over & over again in my head.

So this Sunday, all bets were slightly back ON.

Now, I don’t believe in giving up everything to fit in said wedding dress.
That would just be crazy.

So I took my favorite recipe for skillet potatoes or “hash” as some fancy-schmancies like to call it, & I kicked the veggie & flavor up a notch while limiting the fat & calories by removing the meat from the hash. Instead, I used chunky, hearty vegetables to replace the typical “corned beef” & made a kick ass flavorful vinaigrette to make this dish more satisfying & savory.

Now before you get all cray- cray on me & say, “Hey, olive oil is FATTY”, listen here:

Yeah, I know olive oil is fat. However, it is GOOD FAT.

& yeah, there is such a thing.

You need a little fat to keep your skin & hair soft, deliver, store & absorb fat-soluble vitamins in your body & it provides a highly-concentrated form of energy.

(Do I really have to say more after the whole “keeps your skin & hair soft”?)

So make the vinaigrette, toss your hash in it & don’t worry so much!
It’s the weekend!

Trust your belly as well as your face & hair will thank you!

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23
Jan
2014

Baked Banana Nut Oatmeal

categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Healthy

So every morning I wake up I have this battle in my head about what’s for breakfast?

If it were up to me, I’d only have green tea.

Straight.

No Frills.

Yeah. I know.

I can be pretty hardcore in the mornings.

But according to everything I read & my super concerned fiancé,

I’m supposed to eat something before noon.

Pfft. Fine.

Cut to me standing in front of my pantry for about an hour looking at all of the things that have been forgotten & potentially may go bad in another day or two,

& pondering if eating chips at 7 am qualifies as breakfast & whether I will ever be into the 5 gallon protein shake powder I bought last year…

Then after about 20 minutes of that, I usually promise myself I will finally stop wasting food when there are starving children in ________ & try to figure out what to do with todays’ saddest-almost-dangerous-food in my kitchen.

The winner today: Ripe Bananas

So of course I just had to make:

This is a really easy one-bowl recipe that uses a lot of what you may already have in your kitchen. It’s pretty healthy for you if you use Splenda brown sugar vs regular brown sugar & 1% milk instead of whole milk.

It tastes a little like a cross between banana bread & an oatmeal bar. It’s warm & extra delicious with a little extra milk (or cream if your motto is calorie shmalorie) & even more bananas & walnuts sprinkled on top.

I’ve even heard of some making it the night before & eating it cold…

I don’t know why but do whatever tickles your pickle.

It’s your world.

I just live in it.

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Category: Brunch