Bring on the Heat (Plus WIAW and Recipe!)

Well, summer is certainly not over yet! That much is clear from the absolutely scorching temperatures that we had today. It’s quite deceiving to wake up in my dorm room to probably 65 degree frigid air and try to decide what to wear. A smart person would in fact check weather.com; however today I had my 8:00 am class so all that I was interested in was breakfast and high-tailing it out of there.

What was my clothing of choice? A blue, long sleeve thermal shirt and skinny jeans. I kid you not.

It was actually this shirt that I got for Christmas. Just swap the pajama pants for real pants. Now that I think about it, I think this shirt might possibly be meant for nighttime use only… Oh well.

For the sake of clarity it’s not really a thermal shirt as in say, oh I don’t know, long johns… But it sure felt that way from the looks that I was getting as I crossed campus later on. My fellow 8:00 am classmates all apparently missed the memo too so I was blissfully unaware of the lurking heat until I stepped outside after class was over.

That and the fact that my Business Communications teacher declared that we were going to be having a heat index of 100 degrees as she laughed out our choice of pants. Yes. Laughed.

I have to say that during my World Cultures Music class today though it was my turn to laugh as while the rest of the students were cold in their short shorts and tank tops I was just right (minus my uncovered sandal-adorned feet).

If you would like an exhibit of the immense heat that was felt by all in a 100 mile radius, check out this little guy that I snapped a picture of:

Before you ask NO he is NOT dead. I checked.

He was just one tuckered out dude. I would imagine that he could have really gone for a glass of cold lemonade or a nice Popsicle…

Or perhaps some vegan biscuits?

Is that a nod of your head that I SEE sense?

Glad you agree. 😉

Grain-Free Vegan Biscuits

Grain/Gluten/Wheat-Free, Vegan, Nut-Free Option, Sugar-free, Paleo/GAPS-Friendly

Makes 4 ramekins

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (ghee or butter works too)
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour (use a seed flour to make nut-free)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2-1 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, rosemary (depending on taste preference)
• 1/2-1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease/oil 4 ramekins (you could also do approximately 6-8 muffin tins).
2. Mix flaxseed and water in a medium sized bowl. Let set for a few minutes to thicken (or microwave to quicken process).
3. Add the coconut oil and combine well.
4. Then add the coconut flour, almond flour, sea salt, and seasonings. Mix thoroughly.
5. At this point you will need to add in the coconut milk. Add in about 1/2 cup to start and increase by spoonfuls until the mixture is beginning to stick together (it should be very thick, but not crumbly/pourable.
6. Mix in the baking soda.
7. Distribute the dough evenly between the ramekins and use a spatula to spread out.
8. Bake for around 30 minutes or until they are golden brown on top. Slice and serve however you wish.

Note: The biscuits are moist on the inside so for something like a sandwich I sliced the biscuits in half, put them open face on a baking sheet, and baked them for about 10-15 extra minutes will I was preparing the sandwich fillings. This made them much crispier but it all depends on your preference!

For serving ideas, these biscuits would make great bases for breakfast sandwiches (egg, tofu, bacon, cheese, etc.), topped with gravy for biscuits and gravy, or made into burgers like I did:

Grass-fed burgers topped with sautéed onions in ghee and paired homemade butternut squash fries on the side.

Thanks to Jenn for hosting this weekly shindig, even though she is obviously super busy with her little bundle of joy (Congrats! 🙂 ). Still, why don’t you head on over and give her a big virtual hug. And check out all of the amazing WIAW food link-ups!

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Questions for you:

How has the temperature been for you recently?

What is your favorite way to eat biscuits?

Are there a lot of friendly little squirrels where you are at?

What recipes/food pictures did you share today?

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Edited to add:

I basically forgot that today was September 11. At first I was really angry with myself in forgetting, but it really made me realize that our country has come so far from that day. It used to be when I was younger that people talked about what happened all of the time. Conspiracy theories especially, which did absolutely no credit to the men and women who lost their lives on those flights, or the brave people who lost their lives trying to save them. I just want to take a second to say how grateful I am to be living in this country, and also how thankful I am to all of those who protect and serve us.

(Source)

I was in Elementary school when planes went down. I remember my second grade teacher turning on the television to the news footage for just a few minutes. I was young and couldn’t really comprehend what was going on. I had no idea that the twin towers ever existed let alone the fact that they were now just rubble. Maybe that’s why I don’t remember that day in an emotional context for me personally.

What I do remember is the emotions from that day forward however and how much it affected the lives of our country. My heart is with all of those who knew someone affected by the events on September 11.

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

Quite the Collection (WIAW)

Okey dokey. Like I said on Friday’s post, I have a lot to share in the upcoming weeks, so let’s just jump right in and get started. Up first are some recent, random pictures from the end of my summer and the beginning of school.

My mom, being a middle school teacher, started class a few days before me, so I helped her with some back-to-school crafts! (Both Pinterest-inspired of course).

The first one was for her open house. We made all of her students these cute pencils… out of Rolos!! My mom did most of this craft in wrapping the candy rolls in the pink/yellow paper and aluminum foil. I went out and picked up some sticky dots at the dollar store to attach the Hershey kisses. I think the turned out adorable and provided that extra boost of excitement to the beginning of the year.

The next craft we did was for my mom’s fellow teachers. This one was much simpler but extremely useful. Basically she just typed up all of the teacher’s names on her computer in a nice font, printed them out, cut them out, and then I modge-podged the names onto one side of a binder clip. At only $1.00 for a pack, this craft literally cost pennies apiece. As a final precaution I also modge-podged over top of the names to make sure that they didn’t peel off. Within a few hours they were completely dry and ready to go.

There were a few leftover binder clips so I got to keep them. Instead of putting my name on the clips I just took a black permanent marker and decorated them in cool designs. I didn’t think I’d really use them but I’ve already employed one for holding all of my Astronomy homework assignments together.

You can also throw in some school and clothes shopping in there as well, but sadly I don’t have many pictures of that. I can say however that I got some excellent deals. For clothes my mom and I went to our favorite thrift store and each walked out with two huge bags full of name brand clothing in great condition. I think I paid around $65 for about 20 or so things (pants, capris, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, skirts…) and my mom paid a little less (she got a boatload of capris- 10 maybe? All Eddie Bauer, Loft, etc.). For shoes we went to the closest outlet mall about 45 minutes away and I found two pairs of shoes. One pair of new tennis shoes for $35 and another pair of slip-ons for around $!5 when it was all said and done (50% second pair!).

Now let’s move on to the bulk of today’s pictures. No recipes today (sorry!) because as soon as I’m done here I’ve got some Accounting and Statistics homework to work on.

Let’s leave homework out of our minds for just a few more minutes though, okay? I’ve great a great collection here of four things that I’ve made recently and I hope that you all enjoy them!

In order of creation:

Chocolate Pancakes

Or carob pancakes. Whichever you prefer. I just made these based off of my Unbelievably Grain-Free Berry Pancakes (minus the berries), substituting 1/4 cup of carob powder for the almond flour. They turned out well; however next time I will try adding an additional source of moisture like maybe an avocado or an extra banana (we were out of both when I made these for my parents so I couldn’t experiment).

Grain-Free and Vegan Biscuits

Along with these biscuits I also made up some great sandwiches so I’ll be sure to post about those soon too.

Strawberry and Carob Chip Pancakes

I made these pancakes as part of Sarah Pie’s Chopped Kitchen Challenge. I’m linking up today sans recipe but will be sharing it soon and add in the link here for future reference later.

Vegan Blueberry Pancakes

That’s right! Grain/Gluten-Free Pancakes that are also Vegan.

Alrighty. I know that’s kind of cruel to leave you hanging, but I’ve really got to get a move-on! Pages to read and financial statements to analyze… You know how it is 😉

After you leave a comment here, don’t forget to check out the hundreds of other bloggers who posted their delicious eats today. Thanks Jenn 😀

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Questions for you:

What has been your most successful Pinterest creation thus far? (If you have never made anything off Pinterest, what are you planning to make in the future?)

How has the weather been in your area recently? Last week it was positively steaming over here, but thankfully things have cooled down a bit to the mid 70s. It’s also not rained much yet while I’ve been at school, but it was wet at home over the weekend.

Happy Wednesday everybody!

WIAW: ABC Survey

Howdy! It’s that special time of the week where we all gather together and share our wonderful eats! Today I’m going to again combine two link-ups, Together Tuesdays and What I Ate Wednesdays and intersperse in my post some recipes that I’ve seen from fellow bloggers that I think look share-worthy.

The meat of this post is going to be comprised of that ABC survey that you’ve seen from a gazillion and one other bloggers already. (I’m not going to apologize though because surveys make me happy 🙂 ) Thanks to Alex for tagging me and fueling survey addiction!

A- Attached or single?

Single.

B- Best friend?

I have a group of a few really close friends that I’d call my “besties” (if I was one to use that word 😉 ). We actually did a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-esque thing this past year where we each had a blue notebook for a week, wrote in it, and then mailed it down the line. We were supposed to do it over the summer too but someone (me) has had it since Memorial Day and I keep on forgetting to write in it and send it. Whoops.

Speaking of best friends, I actually just posted this link in the group my friends and I created on Facebook to stay in touch. I found it via Bean Bytes:

(Click picture for link to blog post)

C- Cake or pie?

Why choose? Why don’t you just eat a cherpumple?

Totally kidding. But isn’t that one of the craziest creations you have ever seen? It’s a three layer “cake” with a pie baked into each cake portion.

Apple pie in spice cake. Pumpkin pie in yellow cake. Cherry pie in white cake. (Click picture for link to blog post)

D- Day of choice?

Ummm. Saturday? I won’t think too hard because that’s a tough one.

E- Essential item?

I’m going to be practical here and go with my contacts. I hate wearing glasses because I feel like I’m always looking out of a window and I get headaches whenever I have to wear them for very long. My contacts are my savior. (See glasses picture farther down for another reason- no matter how many times I get them adjusted they just won’t stay on my nose!).

F- Favorite color?

Pink. I also like purple, lime green, teal. Classic girl colors, I know.

G- Gummy bears or worms?

It would have to be sour gummy worms. Those are addicting.

H- Hometown?

Super small with less than 1000 people. Surrounded by corn fields and farms. Your classic one stop light country town.

I- Indulgence?

This probably makes me a total nerd but the first “indulgence” that popped into my head was books. Go ahead, laugh all you want. I considered posting something classier but I’m trying to keep it real.

J- January or July?

Definitely July. January is pretty depressing because it’s right after Christmas and the whole month I’m just thinking, “I can’t believe I have to wait another year until December 25.” Oh, and the obvious thought of “It’s cold.”

K- Kids?

I know that just because the answer to A is “single” doesn’t guarantee that the answer to K is “no.” But there really should be a “If you answered ____ to Question A, then skip question K. Ha 😉

L- Life isn’t complete without…?

Love. Happiness.

M- Marriage date?

If you answered “single” to A then skip this question. (See? How hard was that?)

N- Number of siblings?

One brother. He just turned seventeen about a month ago.

O- Oranges or apples?

Apples. You can’t make a pie out of an orange. Actually, you probably can, but nothing beats apple pie.

P- Phobias?

I’m sure I have one, but I can’t think of any right off the top of my head. Here’s a good one though: Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. A fear of long words.

Q- Quotes?

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt (repeated by Joe from The Princess Diaries 🙂 )

R- Reasons to smile?

It’s almost time for school again! 😀 (Reason I’m a nerd Numero Dos).

S- Season of choice?

I have such a hard time picking. There are parts that I like about them all!

T- Tag 5 People…

(I just picked bloggers that I hadn’t seen do the survey yet. If I missed you, you are officially “tagged” and if you already did this, consider yourself “untagged”).

Andrea @ Pencils and Pancakes

Anna @ Anna the Apple

Diane @ Life of Di

Rebecca @ Half Baked Bec

Chloe @ My Search for a Healthier Life

Fiona @ Fit Fiona

Jessie @ Jessie Bear What Will You Wear

Meghan @ Clean Eats Fast Feets

U- Unknown fact about me?

I’m super woman!

Bahaha. Or not.

V- Vegetable?

I think I like most vegetables. The only kind that I’ve tried and didn’t particularly like was a radish.

But how good do these radish chips look from Clean Eating Veggie Girl? (Click picture to be taken to recipe)

W- Worst habit?

Saying “sorry” all of the time. I apologize out of habit, even when I’m not at fault.

X- X-rays or Ultrasounds?

X-Rays most definitely (at least in my experience so far). I had to have an ultrasound of my bladder and as such wasn’t allowed to use the restroom all day because it had to be “full.” Oh goodness was that fun.

Y- Your favorite food?

Seeing as how this has no other stipulation I am going to go with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

Homemade chocolate chip cookie dough bites (with peanut butter) from Julianna Bananna! Grain-free, dairy-free and egg-free! (Click on picture to be taken to recipe)

Z- Zodiac sign?

Aries I believe. However I don’t think I really match up with the Aries (March 21-April 19) description. I was actually born 3 weeks early so I’ve always wondered if I was more like a Taurus (April 20-May 20). Can zodiac signs work like that?

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Questions for you:

Have you ever had a cherpumple before?

What zodiac sign are you? Do you read your horoscope frequently?

Have you linked up at Together Tuesdays or What I Ate Wednesday yet? What recipes did you share?

Summer Loving Survey (WIAW)

I wish I could say that I spent my weekend relaxing like so many of you kindly suggested on Friday. While I did lounge around for most of the weekend, it was anything but relaxing with our air conditioning being broken. The thermostat stayed around 86-88 degrees from Saturday morning when I woke up to Sunday afternoon when I left.

Call me a wimp, however since I am used to a cool 70 degree atmosphere in both my apartment and office the heat at my house was basically unbearable. My fingers and toes were bright pink and swollen. It doesn’t really help that all of our fans are in my mom’s classroom at school since we never need them. I guess we should have realized that the air conditioning wouldn’t last all summer because every year something breaks.

Eventually I pulled out an unopened fan… Only to find that it didn’t come in one piece and I proceeded to spend 30 minutes with a Phillips head screwdriver putting it all together. Multiple episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer were consumed while I assembled the fan and later laid in its direct path with a bag of ice at hand to cool down.

On Friday I mentioned that this week I would share pictures from a few birthdays over the weekend- my mother’s on Friday June 21st and then my brother’s on Monday June 24th. Unfortunately though my brother woke up on Saturday sick and later on we found out he had strep throat so no party for him. Hopefully this coming Saturday he can have his friends over like planned without any glitches.

Speaking of all things summer, I’m finally getting around to this neat survey that I saw on Sarah’s blog last month. Created by Abby at Abby Eats Almonds, this survey is so fun to fill out.

1. Describe your perfect summer day.

Source

I am not one for calling anything “perfect” because to me a good day can comprise of so many things. Friends or family. Inside or out. It’s all about the right combination. One example of an ideal day for me would be a trip to the park complete with a big ice cream cone and later on a good movie with my favorite people.

2. Favorite BBQ food.

Slow Cooker BBQ Baked Beans from Better with Sprinkles

Nothing brings back memories like a plate full of grilled hotdogs, homemade baked beans, homegrown corn on the cob, and freshly baked rolls topped with butter and jelly.

3. Favorite article of clothing to wear in the summer.

Source

Shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops.

4. What color is your favorite swimsuit?

Black. Judge all you want but bathing suits (does anyone else call them that?) make me very self conscious. That will never change. It’s not entirely a body image thing for me. It’s more a I-don’t-like-feeling-like-I’m-not-wearing-any-clothes issue. Until full piece body suits become the acceptable fashion in swim wear I am always going to roll with the two piece tankini in the boring color of black.

5. Ice cream or Popsicles.

Cookie Jar Ice Cream from Koko Cooks

I have to be honest- when I saw the choice I just laughed. Is this really a tough decision for anyone? Right now if offered the two I would have to choose a Popsicle for the sole reason that the ingredients in ice cream wouldn’t settle well with me. However, ice cream will also be my #1 food. In particular, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream served in a cone.

6. Which is better 65-degree or 85-degree weather?

Source

As long as I have a functional air conditioner I would pick the 85-degree temperatures. If some type of cooling machine was not included though, I would greatly consider picking the 65 degree option.

7. Pick one- a day spent hiking or at the beach.

Since I am allergic to mosquitoes and swell up terribly when bitten, I am going to have to say the beach. Who wouldn’t want to get tan, swim in the ocean, and collect seashells? If only there was some way to prevent all of that sand from sticking to you and from accidentally swallowing sea salt water every time you enter the ocean.

8. Current favorite song of the summer.

Radioactive by Imagine Dragons.

9. Favorite summer workout.

Even though it will sound completely cliche, swimming is definitely my favorite workout of all time no matter the season. Sadly I haven’t had a chance to swim in our pool yet this year because of the weather, being away from home, and my brother being sick this past week.

10. Baseball games or music festivals.

Source

There is a local band shell at a park that puts on events every week during the warm season months. They showcased blue grass bands and local music groups. At the end of the summer they also hold a ballet put on by the premier ballet studio in town. The ballet includes the oldest and most experienced dancers in a combination of classic pointe work as well as modern freestyle. One year they had a few dancers do an entire set using desk chairs. It was so well-choreographed and fun!

11. What is your favorite month of the summer?

Source

June is probably my favorite month because summer is still fresh and new. July just drags on and August goes by way too fast!

12. Favorite summer memories.

I was really lucky growing up that both of my parents were teachers so they didn’t have to work over the summer. That meant that almost everyday we were all home together (except for my dad who sometimes picks up extra college classes over the June-August months). This gave us plenty of time to go on day trips to the zoo with my cousins as well as the best vacation of my childhood- Disney World! I went with my parents and brother, as well as my aunt who helped watch over my brother and I while my Dad was in class (he was on a business trip and wasn’t able to go to the parks with us every day).

I am linking this post up with both WIAW at Peas and Crayons

and Jessie Bear’s Together Tuesdays because of all of the fun recipe recipe links that I shared!

 

Random fact: There is a thunderstorm going on right now. I LOVE thunderstorms.

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Answer any of the summer questions above!

Do you call it a bathing suit or a swimsuit?

Do you have either an air conditioner or fan at home?

Are you a wimp when it comes to the heat?