The Vegan Challenge [Vegan Bluberry Muffins]

[Aloha home!  Until we meet again. <3]

Ok, I admit it.
 I feel a little bit better.  

We're on day three of our experimental vegan cleanse and I feel slightly better.

A little healthier maybe but my face is breaking out more?  Unrelated maybe, but still.

I read somewhere that a vegan diet for two weeks is a good cleanse for your body and after almost three weeks in California and eating a lot more Mexican food than usual I felt all gross and thought coming back home would be a good time to try it.  

We had no food at home because we got rid of almost everything before we left for California.  

We had ketchup and chocolate almond milk in the fridge pretty much.

So the day we got back from California, yes the same day, like after a 6 hour long flight with 4 young kids, I went grocery shopping.  Not a cool move, I felt like dying when we got home but anyways I got all the stuff we needed to start our Vegan diet thing and we began!  I know some Vegans, I know lots of people who have been Vegan at some point in their life and I am amazed by you.  I can't handle it, it makes me want to cry everyday thinking of all the eggs and cheese and crispy prosciutto I could have eaten.  But we're doing ok.  We're on day three and it has been hard everyday!  Haha.  I have no idea what to cook and beans are not in my repertoire.

 [A stop in Santa Cruz, the swings are just so pretty!]

My cousin texted me that she was going to go Vegan for a week too so we could text each other about how hard it is.  She's already a vegetarian so I think it's a head start, but still.  So here we go!  Looking forward to seeing how I feel on day 7.  We decided to go just one week instead of two because we're lazy and miss good food.  For me it's also a test of willpower.  I don't have any.  If I want something I figure out a way to get it but I wanted to test myself to see if I would actually do what I said I'm going to do.  I say random things I'm going to do all the time like: I'm going to join a roller derby team!  I'll take the bus.  I'm just going to Target for a couple things!  But then I never do those things, so I'm kind of forcing myself to do something I say I'm going to do.

[Sunflowers in Avila Beach!]

So here they are, Vegan Blueberry Muffins.  They taste good I'm just kind of weirded out about the avocado in them, hot or cold I couldn't really taste it so.....yum!  Try them out!

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

[adapted from www.averiecooks.com]

Flesh from 1 very ripe medium Hass Avocado, mashed well.  About 3/4 cup.

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed.

1/3 cup Coconut Oil

1/3 cup Blueberry Coconut Yogurt

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. Cinnamon

3/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1 cup AP Flour

1 tsb. Baking Powder

1 cup fresh Blueberries, tossed in 2 tsb. Flour.

1.  Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F and line 16 muffin tins with liners.

2.  In a large bowl mash the avocado, the softer the better.  

3.  Stir in the oil, sugars, yogurt, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg until all combined.

4.  Fold in flour and baking powder until just mixed.  Do not overmix.

5.  Fold in berries tossed in fruit and divide batter evenly in lined pan.

6.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, lower to 350 degrees and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Veg on. 

Vistorus Interruptus.

As much as I hate to admit it I am a creature of habit.  

I like to wake up every morning, enjoy my coffee, check my Facebook and slowly ease into my day.

Get my burst of energy by the time Andy gets home from work to start cleaning & doing school with the kids, etc.  Everyday may not be the same but most start with coffee and end with me snuggling with my love in bed.   

Having my Mom & sister here visiting from California is so awesome but it definitely throws off my Mama schedule and makes me let things go I might not usually be able to.  And while sometimes that is hard for my Type A personality it definitely does make things seem even more organized when I get back to it. So after a week or so of not blogging I actually missed it!  But time is short so I'll do my favorite type of writing, a list.  

My [current] life in numbers.

[20] minutes until I hope to be in bed. 

[19] the age my sister Jordan turned today!

[18] days till my first Hawaii doula client is due.  

[17] the age my sister Sierra turned today!

[16] my stupidest age, so far & hopefully ever.

[15] pounds I have gained this pregnancy.

[14] days until I start school again.

[13] pages of Fifty Shades Freed I've read.  I give up, I'm over it. 

[12] ingredients in the recipe below.

[11] babies latched on at The Big Latch-On West Oahu I hosted on Friday! 

[10] years I have been with the love of my life. 

[9] years until I am a midwife!  I hope. 

[8] weeks left in this pregnancy! Give or take a little.....

[7] months we have been back in Hawaii.

[6] tattoos I have.  For now.

[5] strawberry shortcakes I made for dessert tonight. 

[4] days left until my baby shower!  Yeay! 

[3] kids I have, for just a little bit longer. 

[2] notifications I have on Facebook, last time I checked.

[1] God I love! 

And by popular demand......

Homemade Jumbo Nutter Butters! 

from www.cookiesandcups.com

Cookies: 

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla

2 1/2 cups AP flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup extra sugar for rolling

Filling:

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tbs. milk

For cookies:

[1] Cream butter, peanut butter & sugar in a stand mixer.

[2] Add eggs one at a time & then vanilla.

[3] In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda & baking powder.

[4] Slowly add dry mixture to wet in mixer, try not to over mix!

[5] When dough has come together roll into 1-inch balls and then form your balls into logs.  Ha. 

[6] Roll logs in sugar and place on ungreased baking sheet.  Keep them spread apart cause they get big!

[7] With a fork make a criss cross pattern on top of each log, while you're doing this pinch the log in the middle so it makes a peanut shape.  Very good. 

[8] Bake at 375 degrees F for about 10 minutes.

[9] Let cool on a rack while you make your filling!

For filling:

[1] Cream butter & peanut butter.

[2] Slowly add powdered sugar.

[3] Check consistency and add milk if you like, may take a little more or less or none at all. 

[1] Spread filling between two cookies & chow down!

Nutter Butter time! 

5 Things I miss about California. & 5 Things I don't.

5 Things I miss about California, and 5 Things I do not. 

I miss.

1.  Being close to almost all of my family.  Having my Mom & some of my siblings in the same town as me.  Family dinners on a whim, the kids being able to see my Grandma.  Helping out, family gatherings, BBQs around the fire pit in our backyard.  Coffee and shopping trips with my little sister.  My kids growing up with their cousins. The free baby-sitting.  Oh, the free baby-sitting. 

2.  The food.  In & Out. Chipotle. Not to mention all the places that are particular to Stockton.  Good sushi at Co Co Ro, fried chicken from Manny's California Fresh.  Oh the list could just go on and on.  Being pregnant just makes me want all the good food that much more.  I would kill for a carnitas taco plate from Tepa Taquiera right about now, well maybe not kill.....but stab for sure.

3. Road trips.  There was SPACE!  Lots of it!  True, some places were far.  But we always loved a weekend of packing our van to the brim and going where the wind blew us.  Down the 1 to visit family in Pismo Beach or a little further down to the Santa Monica Pier.  Stopping at rest stops to run around and enjoy being together in our own little contained unit.  Nothing but wind in our hair, good music on the stereo, the sounds of kids arguing in the backseat, sunglasses and the knowledge that we still have hours to go.  Ahhh, my version of peace. 

4. My best friends.  Two women that will forever impact my life.  That taught me what REAL friendship was, after 27 years of living, to have two people show me THIS is what friendship is.  Not someone using me for their benefit, lying to me, back stabbing or generally acting as if all of life is a shitty fucked up high school experience. [Can you tell I didn't like high school?]  Who I rarely get to talk to now with an ocean between us but I know I could call them at anytime with anything and they would be there, listen without wanting, love without judging.  

5. Seasons.  I love anticipating each season as it comes.  Except maybe Summer in the Valley, ok especially not summer in the Valley.  But feeling those first breezes of Spring, opening up all the windows in our house and soaking it all in.  Or when the leaves first turn colors and the air turns crisp.  Each season bringing new things.  Apple Hill in the fall,  Christmas tree farms in the Winter.  Cherry Festivals in the Spring.  I miss it all. 

I do not miss.

1. The violence.  Coming from Stockton didn't scare me.  I wasn't afraid to walk down the street, to play with my kids in the front yard, to go to the movies at night.  Until people started getting shot everyday, for anything, pretty much anywhere.  I'm not a very paranoid person but I did start getting worried that a stray bullet might find me on a bad day.  Scary crap. 

2. The bad attitudes.  Something about people there gave off an air of entitlement.   I know this is a generalization and not meant to be but it kind of got old hearing people complain about how their welfare was cut or they don't have enough money but they were able to sell their food stamps cause they just "have to have their nails done every month."  I'm sure it happens here too, I just don't have to hear about it.  So that helps.

3. The obsession with looks.  Here in Hawaii you will see some big girls in bikinis.  I don't mean that disrespectfully.  I consider myself a bigger girl, but here big girls ARE beautiful.  Not just hypothetically in a song but really.  People are proud of their bodies, or simply just don't care what you think.  That is a refreshing idea.  When we lived here before and I was about 40 pounds heavier and 9 months pregnant I felt perfectly fine going outside to get my mail in a sports bra and shorts because I wasn't afraid of some asshole driving by yelling "fat ass" out there window like they had done to me in Stockton, while I was pumping gas.  Seriously?

4. Black Widows and Snakes.  We just don't have those here.  Oh yes!  It's nice not to think "There's a spider in my house, maybe it will bite me in my sleep and I'll die.  I guess we'll see." 

5. Running into people you know.  Some people might like this, might like reminiscing, talking about the good old days or other such tom foolery.  Not me, I would prefer not to see you unless I make a point to see you.  Most of the times it's just an awkward hello, like "Oh, hi, yeah I used to know you a long time ago but now I really could care less about what you're doing."  It just takes the ease out of that knowing I most likely won't see anyone I know.  Just because we both never left our hometown doesn't mean we have something in common.  It's especially nice when there are people I know if I saw I might have to practice my anger management more than I have worked on so far, so I just might rip their throat out.  Maybe.