Chai Tea Oatmeal | Popcorn & Chocolate

Chai Tea Oatmeal

Chai Tea Oatmeal | Popcorn & ChocolateWe are back! It has been an amazing vacation and it has taken us a little while to get back into the swing of things but we are back to share some more yummy recipes and fun DIY’s with you. We just spent nice long weekend visiting my parents in NH where we could relax and plan a few things for the future (stay tuned!). Whilst we planned and crafted we also enjoyed trying some new recipes, one of which we are here to share with you today. This is no ordinary oatmeal. What makes it so special you ask? Well, this delicious pile of oats is made with chai tea.Chai Tea Oatmeal | Popcorn & ChocolateI love a good bowl of oatmeal in the morning and I also love a good cup of tea in the morning. Why not combine the tea with some chai tea oatmeal?! This oatmeal is warm, spicy, and energizing; the perfect thing to wake you up in the morning.

Chai Tea Oatmeal | Popcorn & Chocolate

Ingredients:

Serves 1

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 cup milk or water (we used almond milk)
  • 1 chai tea bag
  • Toppings of your choice such as honey, nuts, fruit

 

Directions:

  1. Boil 1 cup of milk or water in a saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add the oats and the tea bag and stir consistently for 5-10 minutes or until the liquid is gone.
  3. Take the tea bag out and top your oats with whatever you like!

 

Chai Tea Oatmeal | Popcorn & ChocolateThat’s it! A super simple recipe to change up your morning oats. We made ours with almond milk and found it creamy and delicious but feel free to just use water. If you prefer stronger chai tasting oats then you could put two tea bags in. We drizzled ours with some honey and pecans but you can throw on any toppings you prefer.

Is it excessive to also have a cup of tea with this oatmeal? Nah…Chai Tea Oatmeal | Popcorn & Chocolate

Tell us, what are your go to oatmeal toppings?

Green Smoothie | Popcorn & Chocolate

Grapefruit Green Smoothie

Grapefruit Green Smoothie | Popcorn & ChocolateRose and I sometimes like to play this hypothetical game where we choose a color and then list the types of food we would be able to eat if we could only eat foods that color. For example if the color was red you could eat red apples, strawberries, red peppers, tomato sauce, etc. etc. It’s rather fun and addicting although sometimes the yummiest colored food don’t lend well to a very healthy spectrum of foods (i.e. brown for nut butters and chocolate except what fruit or veg is brown..? Potatoes? lots and lots of potatoes).Grapefruit Green Smoothie | Popcorn & ChocolateGreen would be pretty nice to have because you would get some leaves, avocado, green apples, Brussels sprouts, pesto… lots of fresh foods, although sweets would be difficult to come by (Avocado pudding??). Although, now that I think of it if you like green apple flavored things you would be able to have those lollipops and hard candies. Green apple was my go to flavor for candy – especially with jolly ranchers, so I would be pretty smitten.Grapefruit Green Smoothie | Popcorn & ChocolateAnd if you chose green you would get to drink green smoothies, like this refreshing grapefruit green smoothie we have here. I mean just look at that lovely shade of green – doesn’t it make you so thirsty? There is something so refreshing about a green smoothie, especially after a workout – I can just feel the health benefits running through me. Sometimes I wonder if I’m too healthy at times… then I go eat chocolate and forget what I’m thinking about.Grapefruit Green Smoothie | Popcorn & ChocolateAnyways, back to green foods, in particular this green smoothie. It has spinach, grapefruit (yum!!), some banana and some mango and some coconut water and that’s it! Grapefruits are fast going out of season so I wanted to take advantage of them while I can, so I’ve started adding grapefruit juice to my smoothies. It adds a nice twist to the whole smoothie, and I wonder why I’ve haven’t been doing this all winter.Grapefruit Green Smoothie | Popcorn & ChocolateGrapefruit Green SmoothieRecipe_GrapefruitGreenSmoothie_P&C

Simple as simple can be. I guess I could do pretty well if I only had to eat/drink green foods…

Grapefruit Green Smoothie | Popcorn & Chocolate

What color of food would you chose if you could only eat one color of food?

What I Ate Wednesday 9/16/15

Hi all! I’m here sharing a what I ate Wednesday for you. I thought it would be fun to show you what a typical day of meals for me is. Plus, who doesn’t love stalking what everyone else is eating??

Greek yogurt bowl

Greek yogurt bowl

Breakfast: Plain Greek yogurt with figs, strawberries, blueberries, ground flax seed, and Mamma Chia cinnamon pecan clusters. This is one of my go to breakfasts because it is quick, easy, and filling. I usually throw in whatever fresh fruit we have and top with my favorite granola or cereal – the more the better!

Quinoa salad with a side of grapes

Lunch: Salad with quinoa and roasted veggies with some cotton candy grapes on the side. Lately I have been trying to roast or stem a bunch of veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini) on Sunday so I can throw them into my lunches for the week. I also have been making a big batch of quinoa on Sundays. Can we talk about something for a second? Cotton candy grapes. Like what? How? Yum? These things taste exactly like cotton candy it is kind of crazy and you kind of need to try them. Okay done rant.

Luna bar

Snack: Luna Protein Bar. I like to have a snack around 3:30/4pm to tide me over until dinner. I had a meeting at this time so I had to grab something quick and this protein bar definitely did the trick. Plus who doesn’t love some cheeky afternoon chocolate?

Cuban salad bowl

Mind the messy avocado..

Dinner: Cuban Salad Bowl from Simple Roots. We love love love this salad bowl. We bought some plantains last week and needed to use them up so we whipped up this delicious bowl of goodness.

Tea and chocolate

After dinner treats: Celestial Bengal Spice Tea and some peanut butter chocolate. I love ending my day with a warm cup of tea even if it means I pee 9428 times in the night. I also got to have something sweet to go with it!

I hope you enjoyed peaking into my food life. Comment below what you ate today too!

Thanks Peas And Crayons for linking up!

What We Ate 8/2/15 – 8/8/15

Hello my friends! This past week has been pretty low-key for us; nothing too exciting going on now. We were back in Cape Cod the previous weekend and are headed to New Hampshire to visit my family this upcoming weekend. It has been a busy summer but a great one so far! I can’t believe it is already August and stores are putting out all their back to school stuff. I also can’t believe I haven’t been in the back to school rush for 2 years now. These years after graduation really fly by! At least we have good food to enjoy them!

Egg dinner

Sunday: Breakfast for dinner. We had just driven home and didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking up dinner so we threw together some scrambled eggs and steamed veggies. I always love eggs for dinner for something quick and easy.

Vegan creamy pasta with veggies

Monday: Easy Vegan Alfredo by the Minimalist Baker. We were craving some cheesy pasta but since Rose has recently decided she thinks she is lactose intolerant we skipped the cheese and made a vegan alfredo instead. The recipe was good and we of course added some veggies to ours because that’s what we love to do!

Vegetables

Spring rolls

Spring roll

Tuesday: Spring Rolls with Carrot-Ginger Dipping Sauce from Martha Stewart. We tried a new spring roll recipe and this one did not disappoint! Something about the summer just makes me want fresh raw veggies. The carrot-ginger sauce was messy but oh so good.

Wednesday: Leftover pasta!

sweet potato falafel

Thursday: Sweet Potato Falafel Pitas from Sweat Peas and Saffron. These falafels came out so well. I love sweet potatoes in pretty much anything so I was dying to try this recipe and I’m so glad we did. It was delicious and we now have plenty of leftover falafels for the week!

Friday: Leftover falafels- yum yum!

Zucchini bread pancakes

Saturday: Vegan Zucchini Bread Pancakes by The Vegan and The Chef. Apparently breakfast for dinner was the theme for this week because we couldn’t resist making these scrumptious pancakes after I saw the recipe online. I know zucchini pancakes might sound a bit odd but you must try these they are so delicious! Caroline also has a beet pancake recipe that we are going to try next.

Happy Pancake Day!

IMG_5252This holiday, yes Pancake Day counts as an official holiday (at least in our books), was introduced to us 2 years ago to be precise. We were wee little ones roaming around in London, having the time of our lives thinking nothing could get any better than this. Well, it did get better, so much better when Pancake Day was introduced to us. IMG_2393 When we heard about Pancake Day we grew very excited for the fast approaching holiday. We knew exactly where we would go: The Breakfast Club. If any of you have been to the Breakfast club in London than you will understand how excited we were to get to celebrate Pancake Day there. The Breakfast Club typically has about a 30 minute wait outside at all times, but it is always well worth it. Once you walk in you can tell you are in for a feast. Piles of eggs, bacon, toast, waffles, and pancakes clutter everyone’s tables as waiters whip past you carrying more delectable treats. We looked at the menu and went straight for the pancakes, because how could you not in a place like this? We decided to share two types of pancakes so we could really get the most out of this glorious holiday. This was probably one of the best decisions we made while in London. We ordered chocolate banana pancakes and… wait for it… peanut butter and jelly PANCAKES!IMG_2386 I had never tasted something so delicious before, and I grew up only eating peanut butter sandwiches sans jelly as I thought it was icky. The peanut butter and jelly was smeared between each stack of pancake, creating a melty oozy pile of deliciousness that we just couldn’t stop eating. There were even strawberries and peanuts crumbled over the top that added that perfect crunch to every bite. And the chocolate banana pancakes were okay too, I guess.

IMG_2384 IMG_2391

If we ever When we go back to London you bet one of the first places we will be visiting is The Breakfast Club. But, in the meantime, seeing as how neither of us are planning on going to London anytime soon, we had to find a remedy for the peanut butter and jelly pancake shaped hole left in our stomachs. IMG_5284 Meet our version of the peanut butter and jelly pancake. Ours, may not be quite as amazing as The Breakfast Club, but they sure do hit the spot when you are craving pancakes and peanut butter and jelly all rolled into one. Plus, they are super duper healthy, which means you can eat twice as much (right!?)IMG_5269IMG_5279Now, onto the best part of the pancakes: the peanut butter and jelly topping. For our jelly we made a simple batch of raspberry chia seed jam. For this all you need is 2 cups of fruit, 1 tablespoon chia, and 1 tablespoon plus a little extra of sweetener. We chose raspberries for our jam and honey for our sweetener, but we debated whether to do maple syrup or honey for a while. IMG_5083 IMG_5115 Heat the 2 cups of fruit and the sweetener on low, stirring so it doesn’t burn. Once the fruit is soft (about 5 minutes) mash it with a fork to the consistency you prefer. We wanted ours to be a bit chunky so we didn’t mash it thoroughly. Once the fruit is mashed, add in the chia stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes so the chia can set up. Serve warm over a big stack of pancakes or let it cool completely and store in a jar in the fridge.

IMG_5164 IMG_5182 IMG_5195 IMG_5207

For our peanut butter we just used the kind you grind yourself at the grocery store. We bought ours at my local food store in Hanover, NH. Any type of nut butter would also work well. We just wanted to go for the classic.IMG_5213 Onto the pancakes! We followed Top With Cinnamon’s Two Ingredient Pancake recipe. We chose this recipe because it was quick and simple and we always, I mean always have over ripe bananas on hand. But we both thought this might have been a bit better with a more traditional pancake recipe if you had the time to make it. We also decided to add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of oat flour to the batter to make it less eggy and more fluffy. This is just personal preference though. Feel free to add in any fixings you enjoy such as cinnamon or some more peanut butter! IMG_5267 IMG_5281 We smeared peanut butter and jam between each of the pancakes and then stacked them on top of each other. IMG_5242 IMG_5305 These pancakes were so hard to resist eating while taking pictures! IMG_5234 IMG_5235Olive agreed! IMG_5266 Happy Pancake Day everyone, we hope you enjoyed our pb&j pancakes! Leave a comment below if you made your own version or what your favorite pancake toppings are!

Valentines Day Trays

IMG_4950

Valentine’s day is upon us my friends. I feel like this holiday is either dreaded or loved; I used to be someone who dreaded it but now I am slowly moving towards the latter category. With all sorts of Valentine’s goodies in stores and seeing fun blog posts and pictures of homemade treats on the internet, I’ve gotten excited for Valentines day this year. I guess I appreciate it more from a crafters standpoint nowadays, and have even given into the reds and pinks and heart shaped everything.

IMG_4879 We tend to be suckers for holiday goodies and end up falling into the trap of buying everything just because it is pretty and holiday related (exhibit a, and b, and c – okay I’ll stop now). Therefore, to justify our purchases we have decided to put together two Valentine’s day themed trays. We have done a breakfast in bed themed tray and also an evening dessert tray. These trays are quite versatile and are a cute way to say I love you. Even if you don’t have a date, you can share these goodies with a friend, a neighbor, or just enjoy it all yourself! IMG_9988 When you wake up in the morning on a holiday it is fun to be surprised with a present or homemade breakfast. On this tray we have put all the things that we would like to be surprised with in the morning, such as a cute hand made note, a delicious homemade breakfast, and some nice, warm tea. IMG_9992 IMG_0036 These little notes are simple to make – all you need is some paper, stamps and ink. We got most of these stamps at A.C. Moore last year for sale for super cheap. A homemade made card adds a cute little touch that shows your creative side. Plus, you can customize them to fit the person you will be giving it to. IMG_4905 IMG_0023 We also added a simple breakfast that you can make ahead and have ready to go in the morning with minimal work. We made Chocolate Covered Katie’s Customizable Breakfast Granola Cups. These were very easy to make and you can do so the night before and then just add in Greek yogurt or whatever filling you wish (peanut butter anyone?) We added some fresh fruit to the cups to make it a well rounded breakfast treat. IMG_0033IMG_4946 Lastly, we added two cups of warming tea to the tray. You, of course, could have coffee or even some mimosas if you’re feeling indulgent! We love these new mugs we got at Target. Target does it again!IMG_0087 Our second tray is more of an afternoon/night time treat tray. This one features rosé wine, some popcorn and some chocolate covered fruit delights. Some other ideas to put on it could be a movie to watch, a game to play together, or a candle to light. IMG_4960 IMG_0109 For the chocolate covered fruit, we bought this mold at A.C Moore for $2 and melted some chocolate chips in the microwave. We then cut out whatever fruit we had on hand – cherries, raspberries, and strawberries, blackberries – into little hearts. We piped a layer of chocolate into the molds and placed the heart shaped fruit on top. Then we stuck it in the freezer for about 30 minutes or an hour to harden. This treat is truly delicious, and it adds a nice indulgent counterpart to some salty popcorn. You all know we need some chocolate to go with our popcorn! IMG_0105IMG_0110 No nighttime treat would be complete without a glass of wine or a cocktail to pair with it. We went for some rosé as it is pink and fitting for Valentine’s day, but feel free to add in any cocktail or type of wine you prefer. There have been a lot fun cocktail recipes I’ve seen lately that would make a great edition to this tray. IMG_4992 We scattered the table with some heart confetti and some red arrows that Rose cut out to add to the festiveness of it all. The hearts were made with a little heart punch from A.C. Moore and some colored card stock. IMG_0092 We hope you enjoyed our two Valentine’s day themed trays. It was a lot of fun to put together and to make two different types of trays as well. Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s day!

Our first acai bowls

Have you tasted the deliciousness of an acai bowl? Haley has been wanting to try acai bowls for a while now so we decided to make some last week. Well before we could actually make them we went on a wild goose chase trying to find out where they sell frozen acai smoothie packs in Boston. We found them at our local Whole Foods and wiped them out of stock. On our first attempt, the acai bowl didn’t work. Basically we just put milk and an acai smoothie mix (frozen) into a food processor and couldn’t figure out why it was so liquidy… I mean obviously blending liquid with a liquid makes more liquid, but nothing seemed to work. We tried it a few more times and tried adding frozen fruit and whole bananas to try and help thicken it up but this still didn’t help. We were starting to think that maybe that’s just how they are supposed to be… But then this weekend we went to a place called Jugos in Boston to try some real acai bowls. We were skeptical because ours hadn’t been working. But low and behold they were amazing! They had all sorts of fun ingredients blended into them (including one we didn’t try with kale and spinach). We tried one with cashews blended in and loved it, so we decided to try that in our next attempt. Somehow with the cashews and a mixture of flaxseed and granola, the consistency was a bit thicker and the taste was delicious!photo

Ok, it could be prettier, but this was our first shot. We’ll perfect them and post more, but we wanted to post this because it was easier than we thought as soon as we had some basic ingredients to thicken up our acai soup from before.

Here’s what we used:

serves 1

1 frozen acai smoothie mix, we used Sambazon. They have both sweetened and unsweetened. (We used unsweetened — purchased from Whole Foods)

1 banana

8-10 chopped strawberries

1/2 cup milk of choice (we used So Delicious Coconut Milk, you can also use greek yogurt)

1/3 cup cashews

1/3 cup Kashi Go Lean Crisp Cinnamon Crumble cereal

1/2 Tbl ground flax seed (you can omit if you don’t want this, or sub with anything like it, chia, etc)

*we would have used protein powder as well to thicken it but we didn’t have any

Toppings: banana slices, strawberry slices, blueberries, any other fruit, extra cereal or granola, more cashews or other nuts, coconut flakes. Go wild!

photo 1Here’s what we did with a Magic Bullet:

1) Blend the banana, strawberries, or any other fruit you want, with milk until almost smooth. Remove from blender.

2) Run the frozen acai smoothie mix under water for a few seconds until it melts enough to break it into chunks (don’t melt it all the way). Add the acai smoothie mix to the blender with a few spoonfuls of the fruit/milk mixture for more liquid. Blend until smooth.

3) Add flax, cashews, and cereal to the blender and add back the fruit/milk mix. At this step everything should be in the blender. If it doesn’t all fit, do it in chunks.

4) Pour mix into a bowl and top with anything you want! We topped ours with banana, strawberries, cashew butter and some more granola!

Give this recipe a try and comment what you topped yours with or any other suggestions on what to add to the mixture!

photo 3