Baking Pants

Hey guys! How’s your hump day treating ya? Hope you’re having a wonderful day <3 Has anyone hit up the Indian Food buffet yet?

This morning, after a BEAUTIFUL yoga class (on the mat next to Ashley!), I came home and put on my baking pants.

It’s been a while since I’ve created a recipe for ya’ll, and I had pumpkin on the mind after this morning’s post. (Thanks for all of the recipe ideas, btw!)

I went into the kitchen and after fumbling around for a while –I still have no idea where some of my aunt’s supplies are, haha- I did my thang.

Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

-2 C flour of choice (I used Bob’s Gluten-free Baking Mix, but spelt or whole wheat would be lovely)

-2 t baking powder

-1/4 t sea salt

-2 t cinnamon

-1/2 t nutmeg

-1 bar dark chocolate (I used the kind with cacao nibs in there, too), chopped- your call on this one. You can use less, but I say go big or go home

-1/2 can pumpkin puree

-1/2-3/4 C sucanat (or brown sugar), depending on how sweet you want it

-1/2 C rice milk (I prefer almond, but my cousin is allergic to tree nuts so I’ve been rolling with rice milk for baking so she can feast too!)

-1 t vanilla

-1 t molasses

-2 flax eggs (2 T ground flax soaked with 4 T water)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, and whisk to “sift”

Add the chocolate chips and stir

Next, add in the remaining ingredients and mix to fully incorporate all the goods- don’t overmix, though

Bake in a loaf pan for 30 minutes, then remove, cover with foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. (Toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean)

Feast

Some of ya’ll have asked about how I come up with recipes. It used to NOT be intuition at all, but after cooking a lot more by following recipes and going to raw culinary school, it’s gotten a lot easier.

Usually I’ll write down an idea of what I want to do, and will notate changes I make as I go along.

In addition to the dough I left myself in the mixing bowl and a hunka chocolata, afternoon snack was a bowl of pumpkin protein pudding (pumpkin, Sun Warrior and almond milk to thin it out) and a salad of lies.

I say “salad of lies” because I was so excited to try this dressing because it kinda looked like the Vegan Miso slaw dressing from Whole Foods that I’m obsessed with.

This:

(greens, dulse, tomatoes and carrots)

did not taste the smallest bit similar to this.

Oh well. At least I have plenty of pumpkin chocolate chip bread to snack on

I’m off to take the puppers for the walk since the weather is SO AMAZING!!!, then pack up linner, paint my nails a fun color and head to work.

See ya laterrrrr <3

xoxo,

Gina

Upcoming: That BC update post

*I’ll have the circuit workout up tonight for the early AM workout birds

Update: Here’s that circuit workout!

As always, check with a doc before starting any new fitness plans

-Warm up 5 min cardio of choice

-Superset 1: Bicep curl and tricep dip (15 of each, repeat 3 times)

-Superset 2: Lunge R 10 times, L 10 times, squat 10 times, calf raises (10) – repeat 3 times

-Cardio blast: 5 min. Start at an easy jog or walking pace with 5-6% incline. Add 1% incline every minute until you have reached 5 min (if you need to take it down before then, do it)

-Superset 3: Pushups (12- start in full plank and drop to your knees to finish if you need to), bent-over fly (15)- repeat 3 times

-Superset 4: Stability ball back extension (12-15) and Stability ball crunch (hold a weight at the ends with both hands,keeping your arms close to your ears to make it more challenging- 15)- repeat 3 times

-Cardio blast: 5 min sprints. Go for 1 min at an easy pace, 30 seconds at a very challenging pace, alternating for 5 minutes total.

-Cool down (5 minutes), stretch.

Something to think: From today’s yoga pep talk aka savasana: “We can’t just stop when things get difficult. If we stop and do nothing when life gets hard, our life will be full of nothing. By doing something, you get something. By doing nothing, you get nothing.” Writing it out, I couldn’t help but think “well, duh,” but I really needed to hear it today. When things get a little hectic and crazy, or we have a lot going on, the best thing we can do is… anything