Make at Home Chai Tea Latte

What you'll need: 

-Chai tea bag

-Vanilla almond milk

-Vega one vanilla protein powder

-Cinnamon

-Nutmeg 

-And a mug of course! 

This healthy drink is great in the morning, before or after a workout, for a snack, before bed, heck-any time you want this, go right ahead and make it. 

What you need to do:

1. Warm 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vanilla almond milk on the stove.

2. Stir in a spoonful of protein powder, a dash of nutmeg, and a sprinkle of cinnamon to the almond milk while the heat is still on.  

3. Brew your chai tea. I just use the Keurig for hot water-small cup-and put the tea bag in after. 

4. Pour in the vanilla mixture and tea into your mug, stir up, and...

5. Enjoy! 

This is really easy, healthy, and delicious! I include vanilla protein for an added bonus; it gives you protein for one, keeps you full, and brings out a vanilla flavor. I always recommend adding or revising recipes with something you like, because most of the time you can't really go wrong. 

my Chai Tea Latte featuring my new book on a rainy morning 

True story: sometimes I question what I'm doing with my life every time I give the cashier my card for a $5 drink at a coffee shop. Don't get me wrong, they are always a pick me up and sometimes you really need it (really want it). But there are times when it's easy to make a similar drink yourself and enjoy it from the comfort of your home (without having to leave). And, you can make probably 10 of these for the cost of one $5 drink! 

Happy sipping friends. 

Fallin' for Fall

Happy fall! September 23 marks the first day of autumn and I am very excited for this season. I celebrated (yes, celebrated) by getting a pumpkin pie almond milk latte on my walk to work yesterday morning. I am on the east coast this fall, Washington, D.C., and have never actually experienced a "true" fall season. You know, where the leaves change and you need to break out a cute peacoat. So that means there will be plenty of photos to come in future posts! Looking forward to autumn always puts me in a great mood and now that it's actually here we can all enjoy the wonderful things it brings. Two of these are...
Pumpkin everything. I don't even have to explain anything here. Pumpkin is to fall as avocado is to summer, but about ten times more extreme. Pumpkin cookies, oatmeal, lattes, soups, and just about anything else you can think of. Let's eat lots of pumpkin. Don't even forget about real pumpkins and seeing them all stacked in front of stores!
Coziness. That's right. Time to snuggle up in your comfiest sweatpants, big tees, and socks. Make some warm tea and enjoy being comfortable. Relax, unwind, simply be. Cinnamon candles, warm scents, and a good read or movie with a soft blanket. Not to talk about the weather, but the cool air is always a nice change from the warm summer sun. This means it's also time to bust out those sweaters, knee high socks, and boots when you go out and about.

http://shopruche.com/blog/first-day-of-fall/

Last night I made a fall-ish inspired recipe. It's only 3 ingredients, real ingredients. Good for you and your lil tastebuds. Here you have it. Oh, and I meant to add black beans to this, but remembered when I was half way done eating it....so add some black beans to yours!
Cook Time: 30 minutes 
What you'll need: 
1/2 avocado
1 1/2 large sweet potatos
1 cup quinoa
Simply cook the quinoa according to the package's instructions. I used Rainbow Quinoa from Whole Foods, which was really good. While the quinoa is cooking, skin the sweet potato and cut into small cubes. Place the sweet potato in a pan and drizzle some olive oil onto them. A dash of cinnamon on the sweet potatoes while they are cooking adds a bit of a fall flavor to the recipe. Let these cook, but be sure to stir and flip them around! Now that your quinoa and sweet potato are both cooking, cut up the avocado and place to the side. After about 20 minutes, both were done. Next, mix your quinoa, sweet potatoes, and avocado together & eat up! Add salt, pepper, or cinnamon to taste. Quinoa is a great source of protein, avocado is your healthy fat, and sweet potatoes are a delicious starch full of fiber. Two big plates later and I was satisfied!

Here's to a wonderful season!

"Thinking 'here goes nothing' could be the start of everything." -Drew Wagner 

Messy Kitchen // 5 ingredient banana bites

Bliss balls, energy bites, no-bake energy balls, call them what you please - I see them everywhere now! After seeing another picture of delicious healthy bites on Instagram, I knew it was time to make them myself. I've made something like this before but wanted to try again with new ingredients. I didn't follow a specific recipe but instead just threw together some bananas, dates, oats, almond butter, and chopped almonds. Only 5 ingredients, all good for you (and your tastebuds). Unfortunately, my banana bites didn't come out quite as I expected, or as pretty as the pictures of others I've seen. It was a little difficult to get the bites to stay into balls, so next time-or if you try this out- more oats will be needed I'm thinkin'. My hands got pretty dang messy as I rolled the dough with my hands. What fun is cooking or baking if you don't make a mess though? The good news is they tasted great and I also froze a few to see how those one's will turn out! I'll get 'em down and even tastier next time (or just read an actual recipe). As for now, my banana bites are a great little snack or energy boost for any time of the day. I know what will be accompanying my breakfast tomorrow morning...
Recipe for my Messy Banana Bites:
1/2 cup rolled oats- this is what I used, however, recommend using 1 cup!
6 dates- remove pits if needed, chop into small pieces, and let soak in water for 5 minutes
2 bananas-mush together in bowl using a spoon
Handful of almonds- chop into thirds or halves (about 1/4 of a cup)
2 spoonfuls of almond butter
Mix all together in a medium sized bowl, roll into small balls, and refrigerate! Add something of your own that you love to the mix, try it out!
Update: I just tasted a frozen one and it tastes like a sweet banana dessert! A bit like banana bread, a bit like a peanut butter frozen banana. MMMM!

"If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good." -Dr. Seuss