the past couple weeks in pictures..

pie a pi phi philanthropy event. lemme tell you, whipped cream is not easy to wash out of hair!

toffee bars nommm so good

Recipe for these found here. Unfortunately they’re not super healthy 😉 maybe someday I’ll try to recreate them!

spring formal with my loves hayley and arielah

yummy carrot veggie quinoa with watermelon and more carrots on the side..i love my beta-carotene!

whole earth festival for mother’s day! fluffy chicken in the upper righthand corner!

enjoying the summer sun

making fresh juice! chard, cucumber, carrot, mango, celery and parsley!

failed peanut butter protein granola…it was all good until i added too much stevia and it had a very bitter aftertaste! i’m perfecting a recipe and will be sharing it with you shortly!

a 5 mile hike and a beautiful view of lake berryessa!

monster salads!

kayaking in lake shasta

pre-workout snack! my favorite luna bar and triology kombucha (one of my faves)

my crazy friends

a HUGE veggie and chickpea naanwich from raja’s tandoor at the davis farmer’s market!

we made sliders! in every flavor you could think of: teriyaki burgers with grilled pineapple (which cj is holding), falafel burgers with cucumbers and tzatziki sauce, turkey burgers with brie cheese and apples…..best idea ever!

healthified lemon cornmeal pancakes – recipe coming soon!

homemade funfetti/cookie bottomed cupcakes!

And that about wraps up the last few weeks I haven’t been able to blog. A few of these photos were taken using Instagram (follow me @kelundeen)!!! Check back soon for a product review and revealing of my Foodie Pen Pal gift!!!!

xoxo

Kara

WIAW #12

Hi loves!

Happy hump day! It’s almost Friday! This week just flew by dontcha think?!

I haven’t done this in a while but today is WIAW, and I am taking part in the delicious food-fest over at Jenn’s adorable blog, Pea’s and Crayons! Thanks for hosting Jenn :)!

<center><a href=”http://www.peasandcrayons.com/&#8221; target=”_blank”><img border=”0″ src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qddsgy21QHs/T3ZiNc9sjwI/AAAAAAAAFwk/AhxNjWpB4Y0/s1600/wiaw+serve+up+an+extra+cup+button.jpg&#8221; /></a></center>

For breakfast I felt like trying something new so I made (never home) maker’s hearty pecan chip micro muffin! But instead of pecans I used dried cranberries and instead of whole wheat flour I made it gluten free and used brown rice flour and gluten free oats (I’m not gluten free but my roommate/bff is and I wanted her to be able to try it out too!).

my very first micro muffin!

It was delicious, but I made the mistake of adding too much stevia to the peanut sauce so it was like sweetness overload and for some reason I just can’t handle overly sweet things in the morning. I think next time I’ll make the muffin with pecans and dried cranberries or add less chocolate chips!

In between classes, I snacked on a pink lady apple but forgot to take a picture. You guys are really missing out..what an interesting picture that would have been 😉 but it was crunchy and delish!

After a cardio chisel and spin class today I was starvinnn! Don’t get in between me and the refrigerator…you’ll get hurt hehe.

wrap time!

I sauteed some mushrooms in coconut oil, added 3 scrambled egg whites and some herbs de provence! I laid that mixture on a bed of spinach on top of a La Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious tortilla and chopped up red bell pepper, a low sodium slice of turkey from TJ’s and feta. Loooooved it.

new favorite bars!!!

Snack time. These are literally too good to be true. I am obsessed. I want to try out every flavor! Or find out a way to make my own because there’s no way I can afford having one a day haha! #poorcollegehealthnutproblems

vegetarian lettuce wraps!

My roommate, Elana’s mom signed us up to get a box of all organic veggies from local farms delivered to our doorstep. The goods showed up this week! But unfortunately I was too excited I forgot to snap a picture! A big thank you to Nina for getting this for us!!!! 🙂 The lettuce, onion and red bell pepper in the lettuce wraps were from the box. If you’re interested in participating in this and supporting your local farmers visit the website itsorganicdelivery.com for more info!! A couple strange looking radish/parsnip looking things were in the box as well as a vegetable called Kohlrabi. We’re not sure what to do with that yet!

To make the lettuce wraps we sauteed half a white onion with two cloves of garlic in about one tablespoon sesame oil. Then we added in chopped bell pepper (about a half of one), one grated carrot, celery, and one package & a half of TJ’s baked tofu. Bragg’s liquid aminos was used to give it some more flava! I whipped up some dipping sauce with one heaping tablespoon of raw almond butter, about 2 tablespoons liquid aminos, the juice of half a lime, one tablespoon agave, and a little bit of ground chia seeds to thicken it out.

topped with some peanuts for crunch and a squeeze of lime!

This dinner was sooo easy and delicious. Plus it’s pretty low calorie, gluten free and is filling! Elana and I were proud of ourselves and we even made enough for leftovers :).

I needed a little something sweet to end the day off right so I made some hot chocolate!

would you like some almond milk with that cocoa powder?!

Although, I accidentally dumped too much cocoa powder into my mug so it was more like clumps of cocoa powder floating in almond milk. Yuck. I had to doctor it up a bit, add some water to thin it out and stir it a ton for it to finally be drinkable! I didn’t take a picture of the final product though…ugh! I added a few drops of liquid stevia and cinnamon and it was delicious end to my night of studying!

Hope you guys had a fabulous day! I hope it’s sunny tomorrow here so I can go for a nice run outside!!

missin this face.

I get to see Lily again this weekend! Soo excited.

xoxo,

Kara

WIAW #11

Hiii loves!

Okay so I’ve literally been the worst blogger ever. I’ve missed you guys! How are ya?!

I am proud to announce, I survived the two weeks of being vegan! Sorry for the lack of posts of what I ate, I have one coming up! Since then, I’ve been still eating vegan at home, although I went out to eat a couple days ago and I ordered chicken. I also made catfish for the boyf the other night (it was delish, recipe to come). The hardest thing to live without has definitely been cheese, and vegan cheese really doesn’t compare unfortunately.

After being vegan for 2+ weeks, I didn’t feel much different (I think it’s because I didn’t eat that much meat and dairy to begin with) and I’ve maintained the same weight. As of right now, I’ve decided that I will eat mostly vegan, but occasionally have some cheese, chicken or fish if I want when I eat out or am really craving it.

Today, I ate vegan!

Let’s see what it was….

pre-cooked quinoa (instead of oats! highly recommend!!) with half a banana, vanilla almond milk, cinnamon and topped with banana walnut brulee (recipe to follow).

Banana Walnut Brulee

serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 c walnuts

1 T agave (can also use honey or maple syrup)

1/4 t cinnamon

tiny dash vanilla extract

1/2 banana, chopped

dash of cayenne

cooking spray

Directions:

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and set it to medium-high heat. In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Add to skillet and let it saute for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat, and add to whatever you like!

On Wednesday’s I have five classes, including a 3 hour biology lab, so I don’t have much time to eat! I practically swallowed a whole smoothie in one gulp as I ran after the bus on the way to my next class…..

green smoothie with spinach, spirulina powder, half a frozen banana, frozen mango topped with homemade granola. sorry for the awful photo, again, i was in a rush!

I came home ravishing (remind me to pack a snack next Wednesday gahhhhhh!) and fixed that with this:

mary's crackers, tj's hummus and bolani pesto while making dinner

some nasty looking black bean soup (my recipe with added carrots and onions) and angela @ ohsheglows dinosaur dill crunch salad (made with curly kale instead of dinosaur kale) - pretty good! i think i needed to let the kale marinate in the dressing a little longer, it was a hard to chew and i'm not used to eating it raw.

And of course……

best. dessert. ever. almond breeze vanilla ice cream with blueberries and homemade chocolate sauce (cocoa powder, agave, and a little splash of almond milk!). sweet tooth satisfied.

Yum!!!!

Okay off to do some Stats homework and read pages and pages in my Biology book! Soooo freakin excited.

LOVEEEEEESYAA

Kara

happy, healthy holidays!

Hiii!

Oh how I’ve missed you guys! My excuse to explain my absence is that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with friends and family, sans technology. Who can blame me?

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and safe New Years! I’ve been a busy girl so here are some pictures to catch you all up :)!

sf with ceej

dinner at fishermans wharf!

my very first bite EVER of crab cocktail! i definitely have been missing out.

my plate of deliciousness. already full from looking at it. lobster, filet mignon, mashed potatoes, rice & vegetables. sooo freakin good & plenty of leftovers!

he was so excited to wear that bib.

buttery crabby hands ahhh!

afterwards, we went to the ghiradelli chocolate factory and even though my tummy felt like it might explode, we ordered a peanut butter chocolate sundae to share. we barely finished half of it. butttt it was tasty.

christmas eve day with the cousins!

sista friend

time to open presents!

OH MY GOD!!!! A Vitamix!

my dad knows me so well. i love dogs and peanut butter! best card ever and best dad ever.

after exchanging & opening gifts we nibbled on these babies and sipped tea (from Aveda...ya I know weird. it's a hair salon that sells tea! but it's my new favorite!) while watching christmas with the kranks.

all ready for santa!

don't mind me in all my early morning glory. i just rolled out of bed to make this green smoothie in my new vitamix!!

green smoothie creation (spinach, almond milk, frozen pineapple & mango) topped with pomegranate seeds!

Christmas morning, I woke to find some sparkly Juicy Couture stud earrings, Burt’s Bees hand cream, lotion & chapstick (addicted to their almond milk beeswax hand creme and chapstick), yoga pants & other goodies! Then my dad, Kristin and I had a plane to catch! Every winter, we meet up with my dad’s side of the family for a ski trip. We’ve been going to Big White in BC, Canada for years but just last year switched to Whistler. I LOVE it!!

kristin and i in front of the olympic rings!

veggie burger at a cute cafe in Whistler called Ingrids!

Kristin and I are the only snowboarders in the fam so we usually stick together – getting stuck in powder, falling while exiting the chairlift, flying off jumps in the terrain park, braving cliffs, and taking pictures on the slopes.

say cheese! notice our face masks...it is really cold in Whistler for these cali girls!

beeeeyouuutiful.

baby cousin gus, kristin, me and jen-ai (our aunt!)

After a great ski trip in Whistler, it was time to head back to the states to celebrate 2012!!!!!

nye dinner at scott's seafood

cj's fooood. i ate some of his "plants" and stole a bite of halibut.

my salmon with sundried tomato pesto and white beans.

dysfunctional new years pic with my friendsss.

it's almost midnight!

It was a fabulous night to say the least. And I’ve finally decided on a New Year’s resolution. My friend Sheeva came up with one that was too good, I had to steal. It is to make sure my friends and family know how much I love them because the unexpected sometimes does happen, and life is much too short.

Tonight my sister, mom and I are going to watch the documentary, Forks Over Knives. I heard about it from a friend who told me I must watch it!! I’m excited and will have a review tomorrow :).

xoxo

Kara

 

WIAW #9

Hi sweet thangs!

Hope you all had a fantabulous Wednesday!!!

Mine started out like this…

coconutty chocolate oatmeal

In the pot went 1/3 c oats, 1 cup water, 1/2 banana, 1 heaping T cocoa powder, 1 tsp coconut oil, and cinnamon. I proceeded to top it with unsweetened coconut shavings, strawberries and raw almonds.

purty food

Then I was off to zee gym to get some sweatin on! I made up this workout which was adapted from the Tone It Up girl’s Bikini Max Burn workout (love them btw, check them out if you haven’t!):

20 jumping jacks

10 burpees

20 walking lunges (a lung on each leg counts for one)

30 jumping jacks

20 burpees (OMG kill me)

30 walking lunges

5 minute cardio (I ran on the treadmill at speed 7 for all of these)

10 pushups (no girly ones!)

10 tricep dips

20 walking lunges

5 min cardio

20 second plank (go directly into the next thing without collapsing on the floor in between ;))

20 tummy tucks (bring knee to the outside of your chest to work your obliques, doing the same for the other side = one rep)

5 min cardio

20 bicycle crunches (each side counts for one)

5 min cardio

[insert relaxing yoga class taught by my momma]

After, I did the Itty Bitty Bikini Workout by the Tone It Up girls (found here) and ran for 5 minutes to finish up my awesome workout!

YAY for sweating.

That intense workout made this girl hungryyyy for lunch. I decided to make a “healthy tostada.”

whole wheat tortilla heated on the skillet + brown rice...

then a layer of each: black beans + sauteed celery, onion and carrots + sprouts & cucumber...

topped with chopped spinach, avocado, sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast!

Seriously so good. I wished I had a whole other one to devour, but that thing filled me up! The only downside was that it was hard to eat, I basically ate it like a salad and ripped off pieces of tortilla.

Next on the agenda: time to hunt for the perfect Christmas tree! My dad, sister and I had one of these on our way to the Christmas tree farm:

 

soo good. get these.

(source)

And once I was home, I whipped up a little snacky snack.

plain greek yog with cinnamon & walnuts and an apple for dippage!

Later came some oven drama…my oven at home is broken and won’t be fixed for 4 weeks!! Ahhh that means NO BAKING?! No christmas cookies?!! 😦 I will find a way…

And finally dinner! Made by moiii.

Mediterranean Quinoa

serves 4

Ingredients:

1 c quinoa (I used TJ’s red quinoa)

olive oil spray (or EVOO, we were out)

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

4 baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 package savory tofu

1/2 c cherry tomatoes

3 big handfuls spinach

medium stalk fresh rosemary

handful of chopped basil

2 small heads broccoli

1/4 c sun-dried tomatoes

zest from 1/2 a lemon

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/2 c crazy feta or regular feta

1/4c toasted pine nuts

1/3 c kalamata olives, halved

whatcha need!

Directions:

Bring 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan, then let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the quinoa has fluffed up and there is barely any water left. Set to the side. Spray a large frying pan with olive oil spray and saute onions and garlic on medium-high heat until somewhat transparent. Add the mushrooms and tofu stirring occasionally for about 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms look tender. Next, throw in the basil, rosemary leaves, handfuls of spinach and cherry tomatoes. Cover and let sit while you go on with the next step. With the saucepan of quinoa you set aside, add about 1/3 cup water plus the broccoli florets, cover and steam over medium heat until the broccoli is a bright green. Stir your sauteed veggies, watching until the tomatoes are soft and the spinach has wilted. Transfer the quinoa and broccoli into a bigger bowl. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, feta, pine nuts, olives and finally, when ready, the sauteed veggies. Mix it all up and serve!

the finished product! yummmy

Chocolate cravings ensued…

UM EWWWWW

Okay well, I have some explaining to do, but the result was DELICIOUS I SWEAR!

I’ve heard about chocolate pudding made with avocados in the blogging world but have never found the courage to try it! Tonight was the night. It was a success and a perfect way to satisfy a chocolate craving!

Chocolate Almond Pudding

serves 1-3 people (depending on how much chocolate goodness you’re craving! warning: it is very rich though)

Ingredients:

the meat of 1 ripe avocado

4 heaping T cocoa

1/2 t vanilla

1 T almond butter

4 T maple syrup or agave

couple shakes cinnamon

~1/2 c water (add in at the end if you’d like it to be less thick)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor except for the water. If your pudding is too think, add the water in slowly. Keep blending until it’s completely smooth! This only takes a few minutes! Enjoy!

such a transformation!

topped with frozen blubes and mangoes!

The above was enjoyed while decorating the Christmas tree and dancing to Christmas music! Am I the only one who has memorized Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt (and plays it on repeat)?!

xoxox,

kara

 

 

 

WIWEFW: What I Will Eat Finals Week

Happy tuesday punkins!

It’s the beginning of a new week…and finals for me! Bleh.

During finals week, I need lots of brain food to keep me alert and sharp for the endless hours of studying.

I will be starting off my days with something like…

2 scrambled eggs with one morningstar sausage pattie, yellow bell pepper, crazy feta, spinach and an apple on the side!

1/4 c oat bran, 1/4 c oats, 1 scoop sunwarrior vanilla protein powder, cinnamon & water microwaved for 3 min. topped with chopped apple, walnuts & maple syrup.

a green smoothie. love my carlos cup from urban!

Snacks to quietly munch on in the lib…

the only flavor of zing bar i've tried! chocolate and coconut is a winning combo. definitely recommend!

one banana halved and slathered in ab, and topped with either coconut & choco chips or hemp seeds and goji berries! maybe too messy for the lib!

up close because they're soo pwetty.

luna chocolate dipped coconut

look at those chocolatey drizzles. my favorite luna bar flavor yet!

apple sprinkled in cinnamon which happens to be awkwardly next to my senior pictures...supes cheesy!

Lunch & dinner…

spinach salad with chicken, cukes, feta, red onion, cherry tomatoes, mustard, olive oil & balsamic!

rosemary chicken and steamed broccoli with lemon

spaghetti squash with meatless grounds, tomato sauce & assorted veggies

brinner! scrambled veggies & eggs and toast with chia seed jam

curried vegetables and tofu!

And knowing me, finishing with something sweet!

this will do.

Tonight as a little good luck token for finals I whipped up these babays.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

Ingredients:

3/4 c brown sugar

1/4 canola oil

3 egg whites

1 T vanilla extract

1 c whole wheat flour

1/3 c oats

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

~ 1 c chopped mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8 by 8 dish with cooking spray. Mix the sugar and oil in a large bowl with a wire whisk. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and whisk again.

Add the flour, oats, baking power, and salt. Stir until just combined.

stir stir stir!

Chop up the mini Reese’s. I chopped them in quarters first, then got lazy and just halved them!

chop chop chop!

Add the Reese’s and fold.

reese's goin swimmin! (i think i used a lot more than a cup)

With a rubber spatuala scoop the mixture into the baking dish.

top with chocolate chips if desired!

Bake 25-30 minutes, until the dough is firm in the center and a toothpick/fork comes out clean when inserted.

come to mama!

Enjoy :)!

P.S. These will go fast, so you may want to make another pan for yourself…just kidding..sorta.

Have a great week!!!

xoxo

Kara

it’s been a while…hello WIAW! and thanksgiving recap.

Hi lovelies! Hope everyone had a delicious and memorable Thanksgiving. I know I sure did! It was full of nomzzz and my favorite people. Here’s a quick photo recap before I get into what I ate today…ahem…yesterday….

from left to right: turkey, stuffing for the vegs, stuffing for the carnivores, mashed sweet potatoes

roasted potatoes, green beans with slivered almonds, steamed brussel sprouts, carrots, and two weirdos...

the table all set up and plates of my grandma's deeelicious salad

my plate! mmmm drooling

time to eat!

hey grandpa, smile!

Unfortunately I couldn’t wait to dig into the dessert that I didn’t take a picture, but I had a huge slice of apple AND pumpkin pecan pie. And an even bigger scoop of vanilla ice cream, obviously. Oh baybayyyyy.

lil miss cooksters aka the vacuum cleaner hiding under the table

❤

modeling, the ushe.

i got it from my momma.

And that ends the Thanksgiving recap! I wish I had taken more pictures. The yummy cheeses for our cheese + cracker appetizer were placed on colorful fall leaves from the backyard, Kristin and I made the flower centerpieces, and the gravy transformed from a lumpy mess to pure deliciousness! (Secret ingredient(s): everything in the kitchen. Cornstarch? Check. Whiskey? Check. Beer? Check.) Shhh I didn’t tell you that. Anywhoo, I sucked at taking pictures on Thanksgiving. End of story.

Onwards!

Breakfast on this gloomy/foggy/horror-movie-esque day was:

smoothie in a bowl topped with oats, walnuts, raw almonds and cacao nibs!

Late lunch was:

tj's collard greens mix sauteed in EVOO and sliced garlic + tj's chile lime chicken burger + H2O on a cute urban outfitters coaster (gotta stay hydrated!)

Snack was: My favorite kind of apple. A Pink Lady! Mmmm sweet and tart!

Din din was:

tempeh veggie brown fried rice. i used tj's stir fry veggies, tj's 3-grain tempeh, handful of collard greens, an egg, sesame oil and braggs liquid aminos! topped with sesame seeds and grated ginger.

No workout today. Instead I studied and consumed large quantities of these:

can't. stop. eating. them. hoomygod.

Later….after hours of studying (finals week coming up!) slash online shopping slash blog stalking…the roomies and I came up with a brilliant idea.

to mix the best two things on earth: chocolate and peanut butter.

Anyone confused by Skippy’s “Natural” label? I would think natural would mean peanuts and maybe  salt, but the ingredients also include palm oil and sugar. What’s different about this and regular Skippy?!

anyone down for a late-night chocolate fondue party?!

We made chocolate fondue by microwaving chocolate chips for 1 minute, and made pb chocolate fondue (lighter one on the left) by mixing a huge scoop of pb into another bowl of microwaved choco chips. The featured dippers: frozen strawberries (ehh, not as good as they sounded), bananas, almonds, brown rice cakes, and sliced apples!

the ugly frozen strawberries were not popular.

Sugar highhhhhh + studying = success?!

On another note, I painted my nails today! Aka procrastination at it’s finest. You can’t do anything but sit there and wait for them to dry :).

still goin strong with the ring-finger-a-different-color trend!

Ring finger color: Urban Outfitters Chrome Pewter 1. Other fingers: OPI Russian Navy.

I hear navy nail polish is the new black ;). What do you think? My roommate says it reminds her of a robot. Haha. I think it also looks wintery..?!

Off to bed! I have a midterm tomorrow morning.

YAY.

xoxoxxoxo,

Kara

brb

Hi lovebugs!

So, it’s midterms week (ah how I love love love the quarter system…grrr). I’ve been a busy bee attending classes, catching up on missed classes (my bad), doing homework, studying, etc. And in between all that fun stuff I’ve been a busy bee eating, cooking, baking, laughing, dancing, singing, working out…ya know, the ushe. Minus blogging. I’m sorry!

And now to be even more of a disappointment, it’s really time for me to buckle down and power through these 3 midterms I have coming up, so I would like to apologize in advance for  being MIA these next couple of days.

While I’m gone, I beg you to enjoy one of these for me..

cake batter funfetti blondies from girl meets life.

Or these…

peanut butter fudge pretzel brownies from how sweet it is.

Or both. Like what happened at my apartment this weekend. No. Regrets. At. All.

Calories don’t count during midterms week anyways. Everyone knows that.

Ta ta for now!

Kara