Things I learned today:
1. When you make an appointment at any doctor's office, you always wait, no matter what.
2. 2 year olds do not like to get changed out of pajamas, especially when it is cold outside.
3. It's finally getting cold-and I love it.
4. Amazing grass keeps you energized all day.
5. If you buy a 2 year old a doughnut, he will only eat the icing. Then he won't eat lunch.
6. 70 year olds can have babies (TLCs "70 and Pregnant)
7. Wisdom teeth SUCK. And are unnecessary. So why do we have them? (I guess I didn't learn that)
8. And FINALLY...truffles can be healthy!

Today I decided to make Energy Truffles. The secret ingredient: DATES instead of chocolate (but they taste just as good as chocolate). I found this recipe on Oh She Glows, from a recipe she recently made for Project Food Blog. Jeff and I decided adapt this recipe and make our own brownie flavored energy truffles...dipped in chocolate and topped with coconut!



















Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almonds
• 3 tablespoons cashews
• 1 cup dates, packed
• 2.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch or two of salt
• maple syrup

Process the almonds and cashews in a food processor or blender (we used a blender) until fine. Add in the chopped and pitted dates. Now add the cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and some maple syrup to help everything stick together better. Form into balls or squares and dip into chocolate plus your favorite topping (nuts, coconut, etc.) Place in the fridge or freezer and enjoy!

We had a ton of fun making these! It was easy and not too messy (I hate doing tons of dishes after making something...even though Jeff usually volunteers to do them anyway :)

























Jeff molded the "truffles" while I dipped them in the melted chocolate.





















We tried to keep them healthy and not dip all of them in chocolate...




















So intense. You don't have to be THIS intense when eating them...but I guess it makes it more fun!






































Now we are watching "Punked" and waiting for our dear friends, Nikki and Brandon to arrive for their weekend visit! They are troopers...driving all the way to Long Island just for a weekend visit from southern Maryland. We have lots planned, including: breakfast at Toast, apple/pumpkin picking, baking & grilling, scary movie watching, Chipotle eating and more! Check back on Sunday for pictures of our fun-filled weekend :)

I made this delicious desert over the summer, and thought I would share it now so it can also be in my "Recipes" section of this blog. I first heard of this recipe through my friend Kelvie, who found it on (never home) maker's blog. They are SUPER easy to make and fun to eat :) And being that I have a husband whos top 3 favorite ingredients are probably bananas, peanut butter, and coconut, these made for a very happy Jeffrey.

I'm currently searching for fun recipes (specifially vegan/vegetarian) to make this weekend while the little guy I nanny for is sleeping. Then I'm off to the gym to get in a good run and then home to make Chicken Tortilla Soup for the hubs, and chickpea/spinach/tomato medley for myself. I'll try and post some recipes tonight, but I do have a movie date (on our couch)...so we will see!

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Ingredients:

• 2 large bananas


• 1/3 cup chocolate chips


• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter


• coconut flakes
  

1. Set out a large plate or bowl with wax paper on it.

2. Cut bananas into bite sized pieces.

3. Heat the peanut butter and chocolate chips in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Dip the banana pieces into the peanut butter & chocolate mixture and spread out evenly on wax paper.

5. Top them off with coconut flaxes.

Finally, place in the freezer for about 1-2 hours or overnight. The end product tastes more like ice-cream than banana. YUM.

I thought I would follow up last nights post with a "Whats inside our cabinet" post! You can find all of our not so healthy foods in these cabinets, but everything is oh so tasty, and oh so hard to stop eating once you start! Our apartment, specifically our cabinet space, is very small...so I am apologizing now to all of the organized ones out there- these messy cabinets may stress you out :)

Meet our cabinets.





























Let's start with the snack cabinet...up first...
GOjI BERRIES!!! Goji berries are extremely good for you.
They are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids
such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. You only need
a handful a day, so even though they are a tad bit
expensive, they are worth it!




















We love nuts. Almonds, Cashews, Cashew Crunch.
They are so good. I probably eat way more than I should,
but feel a little better snacking on them than potato chips.
I could most likely survive off of nuts. Ok I'm done...Here they are!




















Did you know just a handful of almonds a day can
significantly reduce cholesterol? They are some of the
healthiest, most "nutritionally-dense," energy-packed
fitness superfoods. And they're really good.




















Even though we try and be healthy, no American can
have a cabinet without potato chips. Thankfully, potatoes
are gluten-free...or else I would die. I love me my carbs.
Here are two of our favorite brand of chips:
















Jeff's granola. Cait's granola. (Jeff has been watching his
weight, so he has low fat granola. KIDDING. If you
know my husband, you know he never needs to watch
his weight. Which is, by the way, not fair :)
















I just started buying Almond Milk. Not only does it
last longer than regular milk, but has less calories and
you can get vanilla flavored which tastes quite yummy.
Tomorrow morning I am going to make myself a smoothie
with this, a banana, and frozen blueberries/strawberries.
I can't wait!




















Last, but certainly not least...I always love the bulk
section of Whole Foods & Wild By Nature. Here I
have bags of whole oats, flax seed, and nutritional yeast.
I use these ingredients to make granola bars, oatmeal,
cheesy oats, or shakes!
















Ok, enough snacks. Moving onto our other cabinet.
This one isn't as much fun...but its where most of our
meals come from. First, everyone should have brown
rice in their cabinet. Get RID of white rice. It lacks the
minerals, vitamins, and fiber that brown rice has.
















Here are some ingredients that I always keep
on hand for some of my favorite soups!
(Chicken Tortilla)




















And finally, I found this at a gluten-free
fair Jeff took me to this summer. Its very easy
gluten-free pizza dough! I LOVE PIZZA.




















So there you have it...a look into what Jeff and
Cait Jensen eat daily! Don't worry, this whole blog
won't be all about my obsession with food. Look back
tomorrow for a new post and remember to check out
my fitness log!