Two friends, miles apart, who love to bake!
It’s hard to believe that 2015 is over and what a year it has been! Here are some highlights of the past year for LDB, starting with the one that will make 2016 even more memorable! Life Highlights Post: I’m Engaged!!! Steph gets engaged to …
I’m on a health kick… again. Remember, I strive for progress not perfection blah, blah, blah… but with this smoothie, I don’t feel like I have to give anything up! This is the summer of oatmeal and coconut. Lately, I can’t seem to make a recipe …
One major perk of the fiancé’s new job is that we both get memberships to the athletic club in town. I attempted to get into running a few summer’s ago, when Kelly and I did the San Francisco Half Marathon, buuuuttt after we ran that race I kind of got out of my work out routine. I think part of me died on the Golden Gate Bridge that morning and I never fully recovered.
Now that we’re officially in our first Southern summer, I’m realizing you don’t actually do anything outside. The humidity hasn’t been terrible yet, but you do any sort of physical activity outdoors and you’re sweating. It’s disgusting. Needless to say I’m pretty excited we have a gym.
I’ve never been that great about eating those protein packed pre or post workout snacks. That is what you’re supposed to do, right? I don’t even know. I do know though that the fiancé always makes himself chocolate milk and I’m always jealous. Why does he have a tasty treat and I just pour myself water?!
That’s when I decided to combine a few of my favorite things (pb, bananas, and chocolate) into a delicious smoothie as a reward for actually going to the gym and not binge watching Season 3 of Orange Is The New Black.
Obviously I knew this was going to be good, this is one of my favorite flavor combinations, but I didn’t realize just how good it was going to be! I originally planned on sharing the smoothie, but then had to make a second because I slurped the first one down too quickly. And also because I’m a terrible sharer. But seriously! This is one of the best smoothies I’ve ever made. Not exaggerating.
It’s sweet enough it feels like a treat, yet healthy enough you don’t feel guilty drinking it after the gym. If you’re like me and love the peanut butter, banana, chocolate combo you’ve got to give this a try!
~Stephanie
This post sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
*Alternatively, use 1 fresh banana and a few ice cubes if you don’t have frozen bananas on hand
*I personally like to put the smoothie in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to make it more of a frozen slushy/milkshake consistency
You all know what salad I’m talking about. The one that has been served at every potluck and BBQ in the history of ever? Well I have a confession: I’ve never made it before. My family has never made it either. It’s always been a mystery …
What?! I know… just go with me on this. We LOVE peanut butter here on LDB. Whereas my love for Nutella is reserved solely for desserts (for fear I will eat the entire container if I have it around), peanut butter is a staple in …
This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.
Every year my family (my big family of aunts, uncles, and cousins) rents a beach house for a week in Aptos, CA. It’s amazing and wonderful and fun! Some of my favorite childhood memories are from the beach house and even though we see our extended family on a fairly regular basis, it’s nice to enjoy each other’s company for week at the beach!
Since we all stay in one beach house, that we’ve dubbed The Beach House, everyone contributes money for food and we all eat together. We usually have a pizza night, Fiesta night, Italian food, Tri-tip/hot dog night, etc… My cousin Nizam does a lot of the cooking and this year he has tasked me with, you guessed it, cornbread. He specifically asked for jalepenos in the cornbread but for this first trial run, I decided to keep it simple and basic.
The original recipe calls for buttermilk but I decided to switch it out for Blue Diamond Vanilla Almond Milk w/Hint of Honey instead. This stuff is fantastic! I have been an almond drinker for about two years now so when Blue Diamond sent us some goodies and this was included, I was in heaven! Not only is this a healthier substitute in many recipes but I am an avid cereal eater (yes, sometimes I eat it for dinner even) and only eat it with almond milk. Double score for me!
Buttermilk is thicker and heavier than almond milk so out of fear of the batter being too soupy, I adjusted the recipe to use more almond milk and more cornmeal. Plus, the almond milk adds a little more sweetness to the bread and that’s always a good thing! Hope you enjoy!
-Kelly
Adapted from Southern Living
Ingredients:
Directions:
My grandmother once told me that ice cream “is just milk, cream, and sugar- it’s really not that bad for you, Kelly.” I chose to believe her and as a result, I liberally consume ice cream on a regular basis. Thanks, Mimi, for justifying my …
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