Five Pies to Celebrate National Pie Day!

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It's already March! Spring is coming (the official start this year is March 20), my birthday is coming, and, before either of those, Pi Day is coming! March 14, aka Pi or Pie Day, is a great excuse to bake a pie!

...or lots and lots of pies...

Here are five great pies to consider making this Pie Day!

Southern Living's Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie

I grew up in North Carolina and, though my family has since moved out of the South and I don't expect to have any personal connection to the South in the future, I still fondly recall the sweet, slow, summer (but really spring and fall, because summer is an unbearable sauna). This pie is as smooth and sweet as a southern summer Sunday!

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Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

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Banana bread is a classic. Chocolate is delicious. Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a no-brainer!

This loaf is sweet, with the delicious moist crumb that makes banana bread a favorite for many, and it's studded with chocolate chips for a yummy surprise in every bite!



Read on for the simple to follow recipe. It's great for a sweet breakfast or a snack, either on its own or toasted and topped with whatever spread you desire!

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Recipe: Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I love trying out all sorts of different cookie recipes and cookies around the holidays. There are so many fun varieties! 

But when it comes down to it, you can't beat the nostalgic appeal of the classic chocolate chip cookie around Christmastime. 

This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe I use anymore! The cookies are amazing and everyone loves them.

Everyone.

Read on for the recipe. You'll be glad that you did!

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Recipe: Impossibly Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Happy holidays! Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year and while I go hard all December, I already start prep back in September.

By prep, I mean I start listening to Christmas music, planning Christmas presents, testing recipes, and watching Christmas movies.

Thanks to my obsessive extensive preparation, this Christmas chocolate chip cookie is the absolute best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there. I've tried so many, I know what I'm talking about!

I love to make the dough for these the night before and then bake them shortly before serving, because they look great after the dough has been chilled and they taste amazing warm and fresh from the oven.

Read on for the recipe!

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Healthy Hosting: How to Throw A Healthier Holiday Party

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It's finally November and that means the holidays are finally here. Holiday party season is upon us!

To keep us all feeling our best during the holidays, it's important to work in some balance among the indulgence. That's the best way to have happy, healthy holidays that stay great from beginning through end!

If you're the one hosting, take it as an opportunity to throw a healthier get-together. I'm not suggesting that you serve only celery sticks and lemon water to your poor guests, but rather that you find a middle ground.

Here are some helpful tips for finding that happy balance!

1) Try to offer at least one veggie dish.

Whether it's crudites and hummus, a delightful salad, or a big bowl of kale chips (cheap and easy to make yourself, if you have a little extra time), your guests are sure to appreciate the option.



The veggies will also nicely balance out the rest of the richer foods to lead to less digestive upset post-party and more long-term happy guests who reflect positively on the entire experience of your party!

2) Include a whole grain bread offering. 

This one is most relevant to those throwing dinner parties. Instead of having exclusively white dinner rolls, offer a hearty whole grain loaf or some whole grain rolls alongside the white ones.

That way, those who prefer the traditional rolls can still have those, but more and more people are coming to love whole grains.

With all their health benefits, ranging from lowering blood pressure to helping maintain a healthy weight, it's unsurprising why. And the nutty flavor is quite enjoyable to many!



If you have some time on your hands, or find bread baking as relaxing as I do, try your hand at making a homemade whole grain loaf!

3) Pick natural versions of party favorites.

Everyone loves a great party mix! They're easy to snack on while chatting, offer delicious combinations of flavors, and somehow just seem to shout 'celebration'! 

It's also quite easy to sub out an unhealthy, refined party mix for a natural one.

I recommend Animae Mix, an all-natural mix of dried fruits and nuts (and even chocolate, depending on which mix you choose!) that's sweetened with a natural sweet potato and maple glaze. 

It's paleo, all-natural, gluten-free, and vegan (in the case of the Nut & Fruit Mix), so it fits a lot of different diets to accommodate all of your guests' needs.

They offer a delicious Nut & Fruit Mix and an equally delicious Nut & Chocolate Mix. 

Each mix is offered in a small 3oz bag, as well as larger 8oz and 12oz bags if you're hosting several guests, so if you happen to rip a small bag open before the party and find that you've gone straight through it before the party starts, you're fine. 

That built-in portion control is helpful for many during the sometimes stressful holidays and the blend of almonds, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, Turkish apricots, and dried cranberries (in the Nut & Fruit mix) is every bit as good for you as it is decadent.

Same goes for the Nut & Chocolate Mix, with its delightful blend of almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, antioxidant-packed cocoa, and dark and white chocolate chips. It's indulgent, but still packed with heart healthy fats and much needed vitamins and minerals for the holiday season. 

4) Put out a fruit bowl or platter!

Many people remember clementines as part of their childhood holiday celebrations, but don't think of them when they're doing holiday shopping. 

Adding some to your party spread will not only rouse up a little happy nostalgia (perfect for the holidays) but will also provide your guests with a vitamin-packed healthy snack that will help strengthen their immune systems and keep the bugs of flu season at bay. Win-win!

5) Put out pitchers or bottles of water - plenty of them!

Drunken displays at holiday parties are great material for holiday comedies, but less positive in reality. It's (a) not good for you/your guests, (b) probably not going to facilitate the most pleasant possible holiday party experience for all involved, and (c) could contribute to seasonal increases in drunk driving -related accidents, injuries, and even deaths.

Stay safe by helping your guests stay hydrated! 

Even if you're not the host, you can do some things to make the party healthier and happier for everyone. Bringing a dish along is rarely ever an unappreciated gesture. Bring along a healthy trail mix, some all-fruit juice, or a box of soothing herbal teas for guests (and the host!) to enjoy.

Want to get double points as party guest of the season? Bring along a snack option that doubles as a gift! If the host could use more snacks, s/he has the option of putting them out for guests. If not, s/he can enjoy them later!

Animae Mix is great for this, because they're offering an Etsy exclusive holiday pack just for the most wonderful time of the year!

It's beautifully presented and thus the perfect duo-gift/snack contribution.

Are you hosting any parties this holiday season?

How many parties do you attend on average each holiday season?

What's your favorite healthy holidays tip?

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Recipe Review: Starbucks Restaurant Copycat Recipe

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My big sister introduced me to this Starbucks Very Berry Coffeecake Copy-Cat Recipe over winter break. At first, I wasn't too enthused about the recipe - I'm not a big fan of desserts that lack chocolate (unless they're frozen/ice cream/ice cream-y). 

Because where's the chocolate?

Beyond that, I'm really not a huge Starbucks fan. Don't get me wrong, I like them as much as the next girl - but I don't go out of my way to find a Starbucks unless I'm really caffeine-deprived and then it's the tea and frappuccinos that I'm bee-lining for, not the pastries. When I do go for a sweet treat at Starbucks, it's more often a cookie or brownie than a slice of cake.

Still, I allowed myself to be persuaded to give the recipe a go. 

Thank goodness. It's ridiculously yummy! The combination of the tart lemon zest and creamy tart sour cream (I used Hood All-Natural Sour Cream to add that extra moistness that make this cake an mmmmm good treat) take this above and beyond your traditional coffee cake.

It's easy to make, the ingredients aren't too crazy, and my goodness is the addition of the sour cream and lemon zest brilliant! 

You don't even need much sour cream - just 3 Tbsp. in the full recipe for a whole 9" square cake (I quartered the recipe to make just a mini loaf pan, since I was baking just for one) - but including that little bit of sour cream makes all the difference.

I followed this recipe to the letter, with the exception of mixing by hand (I didn't have an electric mixer #studentproblems), adding a little squeeze of lemon juice since I couldn't find my grater and didn't feel like zesting by hand with a knife, and using frozen instead of fresh mixed berries for convenience.

I really recommend giving this recipe a whirl! And check out my Ultra Easy Twice Baked Potatoes recipe to use up the rest of your tub of sour cream!

What's your favorite thing at Starbucks?

What are your favorite secret ingredients?

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Review & GIVEAWAY - Garden Lites Veggie Muffins

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Garden Lites has an exciting new line of healthy foods that I had the pleasure to review recently! While I really enjoyed their souffles, I'm really more of a sweets girl. The new Garden Lites Veggie Muffins are perfect for those of us whose sweet teeth are numerous, but who still want food that makes us feel good from the inside out - like veggies!

I love veggies plain, cooked, raw, steamed, baked, roasted, sauteed, and whatever else. But when you want a sweet baked good, even the most delicious bowl of roasted brussel sprouts (is it weird that I love them?) won't do the trick.

And when you want a delicious baked good, you probably don't want the veggie flavor in there at all - so how do Garden Lites Veggie Muffins stand up to the taste test?

 They certainly have a more impressive nutritional profile than standard muffins.



They're a good size - not particularly large, like the huge ones at cafes, but they're not smaller than the usual freezer muffins and they're a very good size. It's also convenient that they're individually wrapped in little plastic packets, so you could theoretically take a frozen one to work or school and let it thaw out over the day, until you want to eat it.

There are five scrumptious varieties, available in the freezer section of a variety of grocery stores (check out their store locator online).

Veggie Blueberry Oat



Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip



Zucchini Chocolate



Carrot Berry



Golden Corn



All five were absolutely delicious, though my favorite was (unsurprisingly) the decadent Zucchini Chocolate Veggie Muffin, studded with smooth chocolate chips that melted into pure chocolate heaven in the microwave. So of course I enjoyed those.

But I was pleasantly surprised to really enjoy the Golden Corn Veggie Muffins!



They're also very moist and flavorful and the perfect amount of sweet. The texture is definitely cake-y and the small kernels of corn throughout are a pleasant textural addition.



These were fluffier/taller muffins than the Carrot Berry muffins or Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip muffins, but those were great, too.

Another pleasant surprise was the Carrot Berry variety.



The muffins tasted like a very moist carrot cake, though I found they could stand a bit more carrot flavor and to be perhaps be a little less sweet. The little bits of berry were a fun texture and color addition, though they didn't add very much for flavor. I think they might have been blueberries, possible blackberries?



All varieties were delicious and one lucky reader will get to try all five varieties, as well!

Enter the sweepstakes through Rafflecopter, below, by February 11 for your chance to win the same mixed pack of Veggie Muffins!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

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Recipe Reviews: Coffee Spiced Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Stop whatever you're doing.

AND MAKE THESE COOKIES.

Cait's Plate Coffee Spiced Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are a new favorite of mine, as well as of the neighborhood children (one of whom demanded that I teach her how to make them).

They're a grown up chocolate chip cookie where the coffee makes the chocolate even mire chocolate-y. Seriously, make these now.

Like right now.

On her blog, they look like this:



In my reality, they look like this:

My photo is admittedly not stylized, taken at night under fluorescent light (=worst lighting ever), and un-edited. But it gets the idea across that the cookies look like pretty standard oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but hold their shape nicely and don't get too flat. 

I made a few changes (I know you're all so surprised, since I normally follow directions so well...right). 

Changes to the recipe:

* 1/2 cup of unsalted butter instead of the 1/2 cup of Earth Balance

* All-purpose flour instead of white whole wheat flour

* slightly less than a teaspoon of instant coffee, a pinch of nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves instead of the teaspoon of Baker's brew coffee spice

* 2 Tbsp. less than 1/2 cup of white sugar and 2 Tbsp. of honey instead of the 1/2 cup of brown sugar

* Regular chocolate chips instead of mini chocolate chips

I also didn't use the optional milk, as I found that my dough wasn't too crumbly (probably since I used some honey), but that wasn't really a change to the recipe, since that was optional to start with.

I found the cookies really easy to make and everyone loved them. I get bored by chocolate chip cookies sometimes because they're so plain and, well, boring. The coffee spice and texture from the oats kept these interesting and I liked them!

As did my little sister's best friend, who demanded that I teach her how to make them, and my little sister, who demanded that I teach our mom how to make them. 

She's adorable.

I will try to try these with the white whole wheat flour that the recipe calls for sometime, as whole wheat generally just tastes better to me, but even my makeshift version of the recipe turned out really well. 

This recipe gets a thumbs-up!

Do you substitute on purpose in recipes or because you realize you're missing ingredients? It's generally the latter for me, but we can pretend that it's the former and I have my glitter together.

Did you become more or less bossy as you grew up?

What are the most boring foods in your opinion? Sugar cookies, plain chocolate chip cookies, fluffy cake, plain pasta, water chestnuts (in Asian food), mousse, and cheese sandwiches without some sort of tomato or veggie or something bore me beyond belief. I can't be bothered.

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Guest Post: Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

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Hi guys! Today I have a special post for you guys - a guest recipe post from mom and baker Kristine!

Hello everyone, I'm Kristine Williams, a mom who loves to bake and has a strong passion for writing, and fortunately for me, Sabrina has been kind enough to let me share my writing on her wonderful blog. So today, I'd like to share with you a Thanksgiving dessert my family has every year, my Pumpkin Cheesecake! 

I absolutely love fall, and that is in no small part because of the Holidays. Thanksgiving has always been a favorite of mine. It’s wonderful to get the whole family together under one roof and share a delicious meal. 

While there is certainly no shortage of delicious recipes for Thanksgiving dinner, today I’m going to share my personal favorite, my Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake. 

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 

* 1/2 cup white sugar 

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

* 2 eggs 

* 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust 

* 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 

* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

* 1 pinch ground cloves 

* 1 pinch ground nutmeg 

* 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed 

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2) In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

3) Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

4) Bake in preheated oven for 40 minute to 45 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. 

Optional: Cover with whipped topping, or ice cream before serving (I usually like to keep these on the side so people can decide for themselves).

After all is said and done the whole project should only take you a little over an hour including prep-time. 

No one in our family can resist a good cheesecake, and nothing beats a special Pumpkin treat once the Holidays roll around.  

Who's in charge of holiday baking at your house?

What are your favorite holiday treats?

What treats have you been enjoying the most this holiday season?

If you would like to guest post on Living, Learning, Eating, email me at livinglearningeating AT gmail DOT com!

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Recipe Reviews: Little Bites of Comfort Oatmeal Jam Bars

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The new semester is starting around now (or soon) and the holiday glow is starting to wear off for a lot of us. As are lives become more stressful and less Christmas happiness-tinted, it's important to take some breaks to enjoy life. It's a long time until Christmas rolls around again, so we need to make the most of the rest of the year, too!

While baking won't cure SAD (seasonal affective disorder), it can cheer us all up a little. It's a stress buster to relax elbow-deep in flour and it's spirit-lifting for those that you share the treats with, too!

Stresscake's Little Bites of Comfort Oatmeal Jam Bars might make you feel like erecting one of these guard snowmen in your yard so that you have more for yourself.

But the batch makes a lot and they're easy to make, so forget about the evil snowman and share!

This is what the bars look like on her blog:



And here's how they turned out for me!

....

Okay, so somehow my camera ate all the photographs of the finished product. Because they looked that delicious? Anyway, my bars looked very much like her picture, so I was pleased.

Pre-baking

 The only changes I made where the size of the pan (not quite sure what the size of mine was, but I doubt it was whatever she asked for) and that I used water instead of rum.

I'm 20, I can't buy alcohol in this country. I also don't like the taste of alcohol and my roommates both don't drink for religious reasons, so we don't keep alcohol in the apartment. No loss, the bars were amazing without rum!

I also didn't use high quality jam because it was the evening and I didn't feel like making a grocery run. I was in a sort of anti-social mood and while taking a break to bake (especially since I needed to for a class get-together) was fine, I didn't feel like extending that break and risking social interaction by going grocery shopping. 

My textbooks would miss me too much and small talk was not high on my priorities list.

So instead of going out and hunting for a vague 'high quality jam' I used Smucker's orange marmalade. Deal with it.

It was delicious and none of my classmates (aka undiscerning college students) are foodie-sophisticated enough to turn up their nose at this fresh-baked dessert.

These were a huge hit at my Thursday evening class party/study group (only at Harvard can that be a thing) and I think my classmates are thoroughly impressed.

Shhhh, don't tell them how easy these are to make.

Or that I used Smucker's jam. So not hipster, ya know.

When were (are) the holidays over for you?

How do you keep balance in your life when you're busy?

How often do you bake?

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Christmas Breakfasts to Start the Day Right!

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I love breakfast on Christmas morning. Delicious, sweet breakfast foods eaten around a merry table with family, post-presents (or pre-, depending on the extent of your self-control around presents/how hangry you get). What could be more perfect?

If you're one of those people who wakes up at 4am on Christmas, you can put together a delightful breakfast for the rest of the family. They'll like that a lot better than if you wake them up at that ungodly hour!

Here are some delicious-looking recipes from around the internet. Make one (or several!) of these and you'll be one of the most sought-after Christmas guests around!

Lulu's Pop's Pancakes



The ingredients are pretty easy to find in most pantries, with buttermilk as the only slightly unusual one.

Don't worry if you're out of buttermilk, you can easily sub in just under a cup of regular cow's milk with a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice (I tend to get the best results with lemon juice) for the buttermilk. I haven't tried it with non-dairy milks, however, so be wary if you're going to try to make these with almond or soy milk - I don't recommend it!

To turn a great breakfast into a stellar Christmas breakfast, turn the above pancakes into a winter treat:

Alternate options for fruit lovers are blueberry 'coal' buttons/eyes/nose and shaved coconut snow. Feel free to frost the snowman with vanilla greek yogurt and/or powdered sugar. Also, vegetarian breakfasters will be pleased if you sub out the bacon scarf for a row of strawberries!

If you're serving a real health nut or need a lot of energy for your Christmas morning activities (snowman building, anyone?), this next option is a great choice!

Kristen's Peanut Butter Quinoa with Caramelized Banana & Walnuts

To make it even more Christmasy, add some chopped peppermint bark and/or candy canes. Yum!

Or maybe you're hosting a granola skeptic.

WHAT? THOSE EXIST?

Convert even the most stubborn cereal-foe with the following recipe.

Nancy's White Fudge Peppermint Oreo Granola

So it's definitely not the healthiest breakfast around, especially since it's almost begging to be combined with ice cream. But it's Christmas and a sugar high is almost a requirement!

As fun as these breakfasts are, don't forget that simplicity can be a real winner. For example, my little sister loves bacon.

We don't have it very often, so making sure to put a rare, but loved, treat like that on the menu can go a long way towards awakening those Christmas morning happy tummy smiles!

If you got up way too early to make anything less than gourmet, turn it into Marla's Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bacon.

Or get fancy and French with Marie's Bacon Quiche. 

Or you can just serve chocolate on bread. That works.

YUM.

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?

What are you serving on Christmas this year?

Are you planning on trying any of those recipes?

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Endulge Your Sweet Tooth!

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[Sic]?

Nope, it's endulge in the title for a reason.

Atkins Endulge treats are low-carb, low-sugar candy bars that provide diabetics, dieters, or just someone who's trying to watch their sugar intake with a way to indulge their sweet tooth! The ingredients list is pretty long and there are some artificial ingredients, however, so it varies from person to person how they feel about using those things versus natural sugar.



There are a whole assortment of sweet treats, with several parallels to popular candy bars. I tried four of their treats - chocolate candies (reminiscent of M&Ms), chocolate peanut candies (reminiscent of peanut M&Ms), chocolate coconut bar (think Mounds), and nutty fudge brownie.

The chocolate coconut bar was sweet and coconutty and Mounds fans would be sure to love it. There wasn't any sort of weird artificial taste, like with some artificially sweetened desserts (definitely not a Jello situation). It's perfectly chewy and the only thing that I would want is a thicker chocolate coating because I prefer a higher chocolate : coconut ratio.



It's pretty much spot-on with the Mound bars in terms of chocolate : coconut ratio, though, so that's probably just me and my chocoholic preferences.



The Chocolate Candies are pretty spot-on for M&Ms, which aren't my favorite candy in general, but are tasty. There's no weird artificial sweetener aftertaste and the chocolate is smooth and creamy. Yum!

Chocolate Peanut Candies

The Chocolate Peanut Candies are great if you're a fan of peanut M&Ms. They're not quite the same, but they do have a good strong peanut flavor and the nice crunch of the peanuts. The chocolate coating itself isn't that amazing, it's more dominated by the candy coating flavor (think: Smarties) but still good!



The Chocolate Brownie wasn't really like a brownie in my opinion. When I think brownie, I think fudgy, rich, stick-to-your-teeth ooey gooeyness. But brownies also don't have these nutritional stats:



That's why these are great to alternate with the real thing. They're still chocolatey and delicious, if not as decadent!



Some of their other treats look pretty great, too - especially the caramel nut chew bar, peanut butter cups, and chocolate caramel mousse bar!

Have you tried any Endulge products?

Do you have any diabetics in your family?

What are your favorite candy bars?

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