Saturday, April 20, 2013

Chocolate Banana Milkshake

Sometimes I just really need a milkshake. Actually, I need one every day. I've been making these for breakfast daily for at least two weeks now and have yet to tire of them. They're really simple and quick and taste like heaven. Whether you need a milkshake for some 420 cravings or just for a delicious snack, this recipe is definitely worth making. It's so smooth and creamy and is perfect for those times when you miss going to the Burger King drive-through and getting some disgusting thing reminiscent of a milkshake (not that I ever miss that or anything). You can also add in some ground flaxseeds or chia seeds or hemp seeds or any sort of healthy addition that makes you feel happy, but it won't necessarily be as creamy; some nut butter could be good too, but I haven't tried that yet! 


Chocolate Banana Milkshake
  • 1 medium banana
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • sweetener of choice (2 dates, 1 TBL syrup, 1 TBL sugar, or 1 packet of stevia powder)
  • 1/2 cup nondairy milk
  • 1 to 2 cups ice, depending on how thick you want it (I usually use as much as possible because I like thick smoothies!)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional (you can also try adding coffee extract ((to taste)) for a mocha flavor!)

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender for several minutes until completely combined and no ice chunks remain.

Makes 1 big serving or two smaller servings (the yield amount really depends on how much ice you add though)


Wednesday, April 3, 2013

It's April Already?!

My mom and I have been discussing ways to save money, and for a while now we've been considering actually organizing a menu for the week and buying our groceries accordingly. Until now, we've always kept a general supply of foods and made a trip to the grocery store whenever we've needed something (the store's within walking distance).  But this way, if we get everything we need at once, we can make a trip to one of the less expensive supermarkets that are just a bit further away than our usual store and save some money (we actually saved $50+ on our most recent shopping trip). My town's farmers market opens next month too, so if I know ahead of time what veggies I need, I can get most of them there.


The other day I was looking through my copy of Veganomicon when I realized that, for a book I only just got at Christmas, I've cooked an awful lot of the recipes. And there hasn't been a single one I haven't liked. So I'm making it my goal to make everything in the entire cookbook, with the exception of some of the desserts and cookies. I'm not going to go full out Julie & Julia and cry while cooking and almost lose the people I love just because I have to finish the damn cookbook, but I hope to make everything eventually. I'm going to start posting more pictures of what I cook too and not just my own recipes. We'll see how this goes. 

For dinner I had bok choy with crispy shallots and roasted sesame seeds, marinated Asian tofu, and quinoa, plus a side salad with lots of veggies and a homemade Asian sesame dressing. And for lunch I had a vegetable sandwich that wasn't from a cookbook, but okay please just look at how beautiful that sandwich is.