Sugar-free PB & Chocolate "Milkshake"

Know this- the exact second that I tell myself I am eating healthy, the ONLY thing I have an appetite for is pizza and milkshakes. It is the truth and I am not ashamed. Buttttt with RK and I heading to the tropical paradise that is the Dominican Republic in just over two months (it's really closer to three... but who's counting....) I have to get ready for the 6 (yes, 6) new bikinis that I just ordered in anticipation! So, milkshakes and pizza out... healthy options in!

Last night I made the most delicious eggplant "pizzas" which will be coming to a blog near you very VERY soon.... but for now I will treat your taste buds with this pretty much calorie free "milkshake."

No, I am not kidding.... it is actually almost no calories. Only 64 calories to be exact (140 if you add the peanut butter) which is AMAZING and totally bikini appropriate!

Ingredients: 
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2-3 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons all natural peanut butter (the kind that is ONLY peanuts)
8 drops liquid stevia
1-2 cups of ice

Method:
Throw these few ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth, and voila! That's it!
A totally guilt free chocolatey treat!

Fudgesicles!

Remember when you were a kid and your mom would strip you down to your undies and send you out into the backyard with a popsicle in one hand, which would of course turn you into a stick mess from head to toe, and a water gun in the other, eventually bringing your brothers to their watery death? Ok, so that was my mom and my childhood, but it was a good one and my brothers DID deserve to die. Growing up in Arizona, we would literally spend every waking hour outside in the pool, running through the sprinklers, and trying to drown each other with the garden hose. Without water, there is no life... especially during an Arizona summer. Or an Arizona winter. Or any time in Arizona. It's a friggin' desert. I am sure that most of us have our most fond childhood memories of summer because being a kid in the summertime is the very best time to be a kid! No school, loose bedtimes and all the icy, sweet treats you can handle! Sounds a lot like my life now.... you know, no school, very loose bedtimes and I usually lose count of how many popsicles I consume in a day when it is hot outside. Seriously, there are popsicle sticks piling up everywhere. And I am a sticky, blonde mess.

I have always been a sucker for fudgesicles (once you go fudge, it's hard to budge), but lemme tell you.... those things are filled with more crappy ingredients than a box of blue box blues (also delicious...) And while they may only be 100 calories, I would rather put 157 calories of pure organic sugar in my body than all of that crap... Because I live in Los Angeles, love Gwyneth Paltrow, and have lots of free time on my hands. Plus, I took the time to read the ingredient label. I'm still sounding out half of the words...

"nonfat milk, sugar, corn syrup, whey, high fructose corn syrup, water, palm oil, cocoa processed with alkali, tricalcium phosphate, mono and diglycerides, cellulose gum, guar gum, malt powder, salt, polysorbate 80, polysorbate 65, carrageenan" 

Yup..... Those are the ingredients in one fudgesicle! Am I crazy or should the ingredients be far more simple? Perhaps "fudge" and "sicle" would do? Since I couldn't find any pre-made sickle's I came up with my own recipe consisting of milk, sugar, chocolate, vanilla, butter, and cornstarch. That's it!

So, break out your popsicle molds! These fudge popsicles are creamy, chocolatey, and made from scratch! NOTE: No brothers were harmed in the making of this recipe.

Fudgesicles!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons unsweetened all natural cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups organic whole milk 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 

Popsicle mold

Sticks

Method:

Combine chocolate chips, cocoa powder, milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until all ingredients are melted and combined. Continue stirring until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract. 

Let the mixture cool for about 30 minutes. Pour into popsicle molds, insert sticks, and freeze until completely frozen before serving! 

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Spelt Brownies

We are just over two weeks into 2014 and I must say, I am doing some really impressive things this year. Things like going to bed a little bit earlier, eating a little bit healthier, and drinking a little less... Like almost 1/2 a glass less, per day! Also, in an effort to find my long lost abs, I've started doing Pilates... ok, I'm only two classes in, but how many have you done this year!? And, get this, I have even started washing my face before bed. Maybe it was kind of gross that I didn't already do that, but that's beside the point. My point, my as ever, long winded point, is about making good decisions. But, here's what you have keep in mind: Good decisions are actually bad decisions if they are not as much fun as the bad decisions. Which mean if good decisions can become bad decisions they are actually good decisions because... Oh my God I've gone cross-eyed. This is why I can never watch "Back To The Future."

Now, lets put today's lesson into food terms, which are the best terms.

Bad decision: 
Coming home from Pilates and eating a brownie.

Look, I am all for indulging, but that brownie just negated my entire workout that was hard enough to drag myself to in the first place.

"Good" decision: 
Coming home from Pilates and eating some stupid boring greek yogurt or protein bar thing that leaves my mouth tasting like monohydrogonatedmadeupfoodstuff and still craving that damn brownie.

Best decision:
Coming home from Pilates and indulging in a brownie that actually tastes as good as the real thing, but has just a hint of nutrition. Not a healthy brownie, but a browny with a hint of health, a whisper of well-being. I am not talking about some disgusting, cardboard resembling, makes you want to puke brownie. I am talking about a brownie that actually tastes as good as the real thing, made with real ingredients, with real names and that has some whole grain goodness!

Yes I said whole grains! More specifically: spelt.

Now, you may remember spelt because that's how your "special" friend in elementary said and spelled "spelled." Or, hopefully, you remember it from the best ever peanut butter cookies that you can find the recipe for HERE. Spelt is a relative of wheat, so, while it is low glycemic, it is not gluten free (which unless you're celiac, doesn't matter. Sorry, hip actresses.). Spelt is, however,  packed with nutrients that regular old white flour is stripped of when it is bleached and processed (like manganese and fiber). And, if you've ever eaten Cheerios, you will know that whole grains are good for your heart. Duh!

Thankfully, switching spelt for regular white flour is not like switching it out for whole wheat flour. That would be a BIG mistake. Whole wheat flour tastes a little bit like burnt chalk, while spelt flour has a toasted, nutty flavor... kind of like walnuts!

Ok, sales pitch complete. Go buy some spelt flour (I always buy this one) and get baking! And for the record... I'm not saying to eat a brownie every day after your work-out, because, let's be honest, those LuluLemon pants will not make your ass look good for very long. And while these brownies are high fiber, they do still have butter and sugar in them... I am not some hot ginger wizard. But, I do believe that everything in moderation is a-ok and, eating cardboard is just going to leave you with a raging sweet tooth anyways!

Dark Chocolate Spelt Brownies

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate, chopped (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 large, organic eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup spelt flour

Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a heatproof bowl, combine chocolate and butter and whisk over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in sugars. Whisk in eggs one at a time, until combined. Mix in cocoa, salt, vanilla, and then the spelt flour.

Pour batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Let cool completely before cutting and enjoying... and I mean REALLY enjoying.

Makes about 16 brownies.

When life gives you scrapes, cuts, and bruises.... make CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!

My titles are just getting longer and longer....

I am not known for being the most graceful woman (or even one of the top 10). So, as much as my mother tried to give me grace with the 10 years of ballet classes she put me through (see flat, even length toes below), not much stuck... except band-aids, thank god. On any given Wednesday, you will most likely find me with at least one bruised knee, a few cuts, and a couple scrapes. (Congratulations, Rich, you married a 3rd grader.) So what about today, you may ask? Today is just like any other Wednesday.

- I ran into MY OWN shopping cart at Whole Foods this morning (yes, that is actually possible) and did quite the sexy little number on my chicken nugget toe (fun fact: contains as much actual chicken as a McDonald's Chicken McNugget.)

- I sliced my thumb on my mandolin. (the kind for slicing, not the Asian string instrument)

- I gave myself a paper cut with a CARDBOARD BOX! (WTF? It's not even paper!!!)

- And I burnt my hand on a hot bowl that ended in broken China everywhere and a whole big mess. At least the dogs were happy. (No they didn't eat the China)

Oh, and this was all before 10:00am.

So, yes. That has been my day so far. And when life gives you lemons all of the ridiculous things above, there is nothing else to do but make lemonade ICE CREAM!

chocolate ice cream (in a grown up cone...)

As many fancy-shamncy (kinda douchey) ice cream flavors as a girl can come up with, there's nothing better than the originals. Chocolate ice cream and I go wayyyy back... even before all of those useless ballet classes... and we are still going strong. This is another eggless recipe because I care about your heart and my mother-in-law, Cindy (she has an anaphylactic egg allergy, poor woman.) But trust a ginger when I say, you won't miss them one bit!

Ingredients:
1 cup cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cup whole milk
3 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Method:
Combine all ingredients, try not to hurt yourself, and churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions. Store in an airtight container in the freezer (duh.)

Look, it's my ice. creaming!