coconut quinoa + caramelized bananas

[artwork by one life in stills]

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. It's the nutritional kick-start for the whole day and gets me revved up and refueled after tough morning work outs. Side note: I ran 5 miles this morning then did an intense heart opening yoga class! I feel SO GOOD and the recipe I'm about to share with you will hit your post work out sweet spot. Speaking of sweet, I like sweets. Actually, I LOVE sweet things. I have the Stillians family to blame for that. I believe that every single person in my immediate family and extended family has a sweet tooth, some far more than others. Having uncontrollable sweet tooth cravings can potentially be extremely harmful to one's health if you don't chose healthier sweet options. I keep mine under control by not consuming processed sweets and sweets using refined sugar. I look for treats that are clearly one step healthier than hideous candies, cakes, and doughnuts. Sweets I eat: organic dark chocolate, dates, dried mangos, these amazingly delicious and addicting chocolate peanut butter cups that are vegan and gf, and acai sorbet with granola, strawberries, and bananas. See...I can satisfy my sweet tooth without risking good health.    

Whoa. I totally just went on a sweet tooth rant. Whoopsies!

What is the topic of this blog post? Oh right...I wanted to share with you a delicious, easy peezy breakfast recipe I kind of concocted as I went along. To caramelize the bananas I used maple syrup and lemon juice instead of brown sugar and molasses so its not overwhelmingly sweet. The bananas pair perfectly with the coconut quinoa! Hope you try it and like it!

What you'll need: (serves 2)

- 1 cup quinoa

- 1 cup water

- 1 cup nut milk (I used almond milk)

- 1 tbsp shredded coconut

- 1 medium banana

- 1 tsp butter (I used vegan Earth Balance butter)

- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- small handful dried cranberries (I didn't like the tartness of the cranberries in this so I would use blueberries or strawberries next time)

Do it!:

1. Place quinoa, water, nut milk, and coconut in a 1-½ quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes). You will know that the quinoa is done when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated.

2. Cut banana in half crosswise then lengthwise.

3. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet and place the bananas in the butter, coating them using a pastry brush.

4. Move the bananas to one side of the pan.

5. Slightly tip the pan (with bananas on upper side), then add the maple syrup, vanilla and lemon juice.

6. Sprinkle the cinnamon and give the mixture a good stir.

7. Lower the pan and blend the sauce with the bananas, spooning the sauce over the top.

8. Cook for 5 minutes.

9. Arrange the banana pieces on top of quinoa is a bowl.

10. Garnish with additional fruit of your liking (mango, strawberries, blueberries would be nice).

11. Gobble it up!!!

pumpkin monkey bread

Need or want to score some major brownie points with your family? Then I suggest making this pumpkin monkey bread! I made this Christmas morning for my family and although the process took about 2 1/2 hrs (yikes), it was well worth it because it tastes as good as it looks and everyone was oohing and ahhing :) Don't feel intimated by the process. It's fool proof so long as you follow the directions. Hope everyone had a merry merry Christmas day!

Side note: I adapted the recipe from Tracy of Sugar Crafter and 

changed a few of the ingredients to make it vegan friendly 

What you'll need...

 for the dough:

- 3 1/4 cups flour, plus extra for kneading (I used whole wheat flour, but you can use white as well)

- 1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- 1/8 tsp ground cloves

- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (I used vegan butter by Earth Balance)

- 1/2 cup warm milk

-1/4 cup warm water

- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree

- 1/4 cup sugar (I used Agave nectar)

- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

for the coating:

- 1 cup sugar (use maple or cane sugar, it's better than refined white sugar)

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 6 tbsp butter, melted (again, use Earth Balance if you want it vegan friendly)

for the glaze:

- 2/3 cup powdered sugar

- 2 tbsp pure maple sugar

- 1-2 tsp milk (I used organic soy milk)

Do it!:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and spices.

2. In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, water, pumpkin puree, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.

3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in the wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir until the dough comes together. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray (I used Coconut Oil Spray) and place the dough inside. Cover with a clean dish towel and let dough rise until it doubles in size - about an hour.

4. In the meantime, mix together the cinnamon and sugar, and melt the butter for the coating. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray. Once the dough has risen, shape the ball into a large rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into roughly equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball (I had about 32 pieces, but you may have more or less).

5. Dip each ball of dough into the melted butter and then the cinnamon-sugar mixture, layering them in the bundt pan as you go.

6. Once you’ve used all the dough, cover the bundt pan and let the dough rise again for another hour.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before turning out on to a platter. To make the glaze, stir together the powdered sugar and maple syrup. Pour over the bread while it’s still warm.

8. Optional but highly recommended: Enjoy with a mimosa! See the raspberry face??! 

while visions of "holiday sweets" danced in their heads

[collage for one life in stills]

[collage for one life in stills]

Here are some merry and irresistible mouth-watering holiday treat recipes ideal for christmas parties, gifts, yourself, and the big guy (Saint Nicolas duh!):

1. Melted Snowman Cookies - via Crazy Domestic

2. Festive Holiday Caramel Pretzels - via Squidoo

3. Etched Hot Cocoa Jar - via Oopsey Daisy, creative gift for your friends and family!

4. Cranberry Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark - via Skinny Taste, healthier option than traditional peppermint bark, cheaper, and only takes three ingredients to make! Sold!

5. "Egg" Nog Smoothie - via Oh She Glows, vegan, creamy, and healthier than the classic version has me going HO HO HO! corny? that's me.

6. Peppermint Lollipop Cupcakes - via Munchkin Munchies, These are almost to cute to eat! Who am I kidding? I want to nom nom nom on some right now!

7. Holiday Cocktail - via What Katie Ate, jolly good cocktail using cranberry juice, apple juice, vodka, and ginger ale! 

8. Sea Salt Caramels - via Judicial Peach, ...and my mouth is watering. Would it be too much to cover these suckers in dark chocolate? I think not.

9. Dipped S'mores - via Tip Junkie

10. Red Velvet Brownies - via Our Footprints, OH MY GAWD! I'm making these ohhhh yeah.

Merry baking!