Healthy Vegan Black Bean Brownies

My name is Danielle and I am a chocoholic. There, I said it. I LOVE chocolate. So much so that saying I "love" it is probably an understatement. Whether it be liquid or solid, ice cream or candy bar, milk or dark, cake or cookie butter, I enjoy whatever form it comes in to the very last bite... or lick. My borderline addiction has surely led to a few extra LB's, so I do what I can to avoid it. But as any other addict knows, quitting cold turkey isn't usually the most effective way to drop a bad habit. That being said, I try to practice moderation and sneaking it in to healthier recipes, which is where these brownies come in to play.

I will admit I was skeptical to try brownies made from black beans. Not that I don't like black beans-- I do-- but in a burrito, not as a dessert. And not with chocolate. The idea was intriguing though, and if the recipe wasn't too good to be true that would mean I could get my chocolate fix for a handful of calories while sneaking some nutritional ingredients into my diet. Who was I kidding, I couldn't get my oven mitts out fast enough.

After I baked my first batch of black bean brownies I was sold. I honestly could not tell there were beans in them and I was so impressed that I tried shoving them down everyone's throats before telling them the "secret" ingredient. However, I was a little disappointed after logging my original recipe and finding that the calorie count wasn't as low as I'd hoped due to the high amount of sugar and chocolate chips. So I played around with a few different recipes and found one that contained healthy ingredients, only 48 calories per brownie, and just happened to be vegan, too-- bonus! Check out my modified version below, and make substitutions based on your own diet or ingredients on hand. 

Adapted from Minimalist Baker
Yields 12 Mini Brownies
Ingredients:

• 1 cup black beans (about half of a 15-oz can), well rinsed and drained
• 1 large flax egg* (combine 1 tbsp flax meal with 3 tbsp water)
• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil**, melted
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder 
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• heaping 1/4 cup baking stevia***
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp water or almond milk
• 1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional-- I like to add because it enhances the chocolate flavor)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Other topping ideas include (but are not limited to): PB2 or peanut butter, chopped nuts, almonds, dried cranberries, peanut butter chips, and more... get creative!

*1 egg or 3 tbsp egg substitute may be used
**Canola or vegetable oil may be substituted. I've even used applesauce with great results! 
**Granulated sugar or other sugar substitutes may be used

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare the flax egg by placing flax meal and water in food processor, pulse a few times, and let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in food processor and blend until completely combined. 
4. Pour mixture into a 12 cup mini-muffin pan or 11 x 7 pan
5. Allow to bake for 15-20 minutes. Brownies are finished when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Set pan on wire rack and let cool.
7. Dig in and enjoy!

Nutritional Facts:

Calories: 48 | Fat (g): 2.6 | Carbs (g): 5.9 | Protein (g): 2 | Fiber (g): 2 | Sugars (g): .4 

If you want to use the whole can of beans you can certainly double this recipe, I always just make this amount because I'm typically the only one who eats them (I knew I shouldn't have let Eric watch me make them-- he hates black beans). Also, because they are made from such natural ingredients, they tend to go bad within a few days, so this makes the perfect amount for me.

I hope you enjoy as much as I did! Comment below and let me know what you think and/or how you modified. Thank you so much for reading! xox

Seven Day Detox Diet: Recap

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was... detox week.

I'm going to start off by saying the week went better than expected. Day two was the only day that made me feel like I was a crazy person for taking on this challenge, but to be honest, it was a small price to pay for what I gained (and lost) from this detox.

I'm sure you all are wondering how much weight I lost. On average, this detox claims you can lose 5-11 lbs. Now, I wasn't doing it solely for weight loss purposes-- any pounds dropped would be a bonus, but I mostly just wanted to flush out my system and get back on track with a healthy lifestyle. I admit I am an extreme person. If I don't follow a training schedule, it's hard for me to motivate myself to run. If I don't see results from eating healthy, I get discouraged and bury my face in a half gallon of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (and then wonder why I don't see results...). I knew that by following a strict, healthy diet for seven days my will power would be tested and I'd see, or feel, results by not caving, and that I could draw on that for strength in the future every time I reached for the cookie jar-- or in my case, the freezer. And that is precisely what happened. On top of that, I did end up losing 4 lbs-- WOO HOO! Leaving me just 1 lb shy of where I wanted to be for my first dress fitting. I'm sure I can lose it by Saturday. ;)

More than losing that weight though, I gained a crap load of self-control. Case and point: Sunday. I was baking cupcakes for my boss' birthday and it was no normal baking session. Eric called me a goody two-shoes because I wouldn't even lick the spoon of cake batter. Those homemade chocolate cupcakes came out of the oven smelling better than I ever remember cupcakes smelling. I topped those bad boys off with whipped chocolate frosting and sprinkles and they just stared at me, into my goddamn soul I tell ya. Normally I am obligated to try one (I have to make sure they're good enough to allow others to eat, duh!) and I didn't want to disappoint the cupcake by not following my ritual, but I was on day 7 of my detox and double chocolate cupcakes were unfortunately not on my menu that day. Eric must have witnessed the cat-and-mouse game going on because he asked if I was going to stay up until midnight just to try one. I didn't.

Monday morning I woke up feeling like a million bucks. I don't know if it was because I could now eat whatever my little sugar-loving heart desired, or if it was the results of the detox. I'm going to go ahead and guess it was the latter, and here's why: I could eat whatever I wanted for breakfast... and I opted for a green smoothie. And a half a cupcake. I'm only human.

My co-worker told me I was glowing and wanted to verify I wasn't pregnant (no... hell no). When it came time to sing 'Happy Birthday' and pig out on the birthday treats, I had zero. Yep, ZERO. I felt energized and couldn't wait to get to the gym and do some cardio. I NEVER go to the gym on Mondays. I'm normally still exhausted from the weekend and dragging butt, the last thing I want to do is break a sweat. But not this Monday.

I am so happy with the results of this detox. I took a before and after photo just out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised to actually see a difference between the two. It motivated me seeing what I could do in a week, and it is pushing me to continue eating healthy and working out to continue seeing bigger and better results.

I strongly suggest trying this detox to anyone looking to get their motivation back and feel better about themselves. It's a challenge, but you feel like a badass once you complete it. Just don't half ass it. I didn't cheat at all and that's why I saw the results I did. So test it out, and feel free to holler if you'd like any pointers.

Thank you for reading! Wish me luck at my fitting this week-- I'm so anxious to see everything all pulled together!

xo D

Seven Day Detox... Ready, Set, Go!

Well hello again! It has been a few months since I last wrote and I'm ashamed for disappearing as long as I did after promising to post consistently. Unfortunately, life has caught up with me and I've hardly had a moment to breathe let alone blog. But going forward I will try my best to post as much as possible. I will not be able to post every single Monday for Motivational Mondays or every Friday for "Bride Day", but I will start doing what I can. :)

And today I wanted to share with you the detox I am preparing to embark on starting tomorrow. I am aware of the stigma attached to detoxing-- so no need to warn me-- but as of late I've been bloated and uncomfortable on the reg, as well as experiencing regular breakouts, which isn't normal for me. I'm sure it has to do with wedding stress, but it's still gotta stop. I've been working out consistently and eating healthy (with the occasional weekend cheat day) but the number on the scale continually fluctuates and it's quite discouraging. After doing some research, I felt like a detox was exactly what I needed to rid my body of all it's toxins and lose these last few pounds before my first dress fitting in a couple weeks (btw, eeeeeeeee!).

Fridge is stocked and ready for the week!

So here are the rules to the 7 Day Detox Diet I decided upon:

DAY ONE

Fruits. All fruits are allowed except bananas.

DAY TWO

Vegetables. Either stir-fry or salads. Start the day with one baked or boiled potato to make up for loss of energy from Day One. Upto one teaspoon of olive oil can be used as salad dressing today.

DAY THREE

Fruits and vegetables – as much as you want. No bananas and no potatoes.

DAY FOUR

Bananas and milk. You can eat up to 8 bananas and 3 glasses of skim milk to restore potassium levels.
DAY FIVE

Protein and Tomatoes. You can have a piece of meat/fish either grilled or baked for lunch and dinner with tomatoes.
DAY SIX
Protein and vegetables. Same as Day Five except, add more vegetables either in salad or stir fry form.

DAY SEVEN
Fruits, vegetables and juices. Consume an assortment of fruits, vegetables and vegetable juices. Half a cup of brown rice is optional – but not recommended.


In addition to following this daily schedule, you are also allowed to eat an endless amount of Cabbage "Wonder Soup" whenever you'd like on any given day. However, according to other reviews and blog posts, this soup is borderline edible... but is filling. Can't wait to try it! *End Sarcasm*

Wonder Soup Recipe

"Consume “Wonder Soup” each day. This is a vegetable cabbage soup rich in fiber, vitamins & minerals and can be consumed in unlimited quantities throughout the 7 day period.

• 64 oz water (add more if needed)
• 6 large onions
• 2 green peppers
• 3 whole tomatoes
• 1 cabbage
• 1 bunch celery - add herbs and seasoning as desired.

Boil all ingredients together for 45 minutes on medium heat and eat."


So wish me luck! I am preparing for energy loss, headaches, chocolate withdrawal, and even more irritability than normal. Poor Eric. Haha, in all reality though I am actually quite excited to begin this detox. If you know me, you know I love nothing more than a challenge, and a challenge this will be. I will try to update throughout the week on my progress.

Thank y'all for reading! I must go prep this delicious soup and fill up on a week's worth of ice cream and other sweets to get me through the next seven days. ;) 

xoxo D

Skinny Pumpkin Cookies

 

As I've mentioned in one of my last posts, Fall is my favorite season. I adore absolutely everything about this time of the year-- particularly the fact that I have an excuse to indulge in anything pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin! This morning I made my first pumpkin meal of the season; Bethenny's SkinnyGirl pumpkin pancakes, and boy were they were amazing. I will be posting that recipe soon, too, don't you worry. The pumpkin madness didn't end there though, I mean I had to use up the leftover pumpkin puree from the pancakes! ;) So just a few hours later I began baking some "42 Calorie Pumpkin Cookies" (which were actually 49 cals according to my calculations) that I found on Pinterest (where else?). I put my own spin on the recipe though and added chocolate chips to a third of the batter, butterscotch chips to a third, and kept the other third plain. I had my bag of white chocolate chips out, too, but I figured I'd use those for the next time-- as I was sure there would be a next time just after test-tasting the batter. All versions were super tasty, but surprisingly I loved the pumpkin-butterscotch combo the best (I expected to like the chocolate chip version best... if you know me, you understand, if you don't, you'll come to.. my name is Danielle and I'm a chocoholic). Needless to say, this recipe did not disappoint, which is why I just had to sure it with you all. :)

Skinny Pumpkin Cookies

Adapted from The Realistic Nutritionist

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15-18 minutes
Yields: About 34 cookies

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (you can use vanilla if you prefer)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie  mix)
• Cooking spray

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
• Cream sugar, applesauce, pumpkin and almond extract together.

• In another bowl, or if you're like me, in the same bowl, mix flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spice. Once mixed, add to bowl with the wet mixture and combine well.

• Add chocolate chips or butterscotch chips to mixture (optional).

• Drop rounded spoonfuls of batter onto pan and bake for 15 – 18 minutes, or until browned.

• Enjoy!

Nutritional information per cookie: 49 calories, >1 gram of fat, 9 grams of carbs and >1 gram of protein. 
(I added these to MyFitnessPal-- you should be able to find them by searching Cupcakes and Corgis).


There you have it, 49-calorie pumpkin cookies that don't taste like cardboard, but rather taste extremely delicious. Not only are they lo-cal, but they're very easy to throw together. Hopefully you enjoy them as much as I did. 

And there is a lot more where these bad boys came from! I have several more healthy recipes on my radar, so look forward to more skinny-deliciousness in upcoming Motivational Monday postings. Use these recipes as a reminder that eating healthy doesn't mean having to break the bank, or sacrifice flavor or time. I hate, I mean hate cooking (baking is another story), so a majority of the recipes coming your way will mean minimal cooking time and easy prep-- although I can't promise the same for my baking recipes. Regardless, you can expect most healthy recipes I share won't contain 2334546 ingredients, take hours to prepare, or require you to buy high-end ingredients. I hope these recipes motivate you to make smarter meal choices and ease you into adapting to a healthier lifestyle. I will also be sure to include nutritional information with these recipes as well, just to make it easier in keeping yourself on track.

Thank you so much for reading, have a wonderful week! xox
 <3 Danielle

Celeb Weddings That Take the Cake

So I've got some great wedding-related posts in the works-- in my mind that is. As far as taking the time to do my research and put it all down on paper; that's another story. But I can go through my favorite celeb weddings and point out what I love-- and don't love-- about them... so let's do that! ;) Below is a compilation of some of my favorite celebrity weddings to date.. enjoy!

Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel

Love it: The groom. And the flowers and decor. But mostly the groom.
Leave it: The dress. Don't get me wrong, my girl looked unbelievable, and this is just my personal preference, but I think the pink could've been toned down a bit. There also could've been less ruffles. Once again, just my tastes. If I were into pink and ruffles, I wouldn't change a thing about this gorg wedding. Except maybe I'd put myself in the dress and tell Jess to take a hike for a minute.. or forever. ;)

Prince William & Kate Middleton

Love it: That train, the groom's attire, the party, the entrance, the exit... I mean come on, they seriously look like they stepped right out of a Disney movie, seriously. You don't think the above image went viral for no reason, do you?
Leave it: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Ooooh, except that the royal Corgis should've been invited.

Molly Sims & Scott Stuber

Love it: The mismatched bridesmaids are done so perfectly in my opinion, I can't get enough of this trend. The ceremony location is also to die for.
Leave it: Not a huge fan of the bouquets-- especially Molly's. The feel of the wedding seems so shabby chic to me and I think looser, more free-flowing bouquets would look better with the whole ensemble.

Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie

Love it: THAT DRESS. I die. It's Vera Wang's "Gemma" and I tried on one similar to it and it's just breathtaking. I could stare at it for hours. I wish I was kidding.
Leave it: The bow tie. Not a fan. Besides that everything else looked stunning.

The Kardashians

Khloe & Lamar

Kim & Kris

Love it: Khloe's dress and bridesmaids dresses, as well as Kim's mermaid reception dress. I also adore the simplicity of Khloe's all white flowers and Kim's all white attire; perfection.
Leave it: While I like the all white for Kim's bridesmaids, I don't know if I'm necessarily crazy about them being actual wedding dresses. I think flowy or all fitted gowns vs. the mermaid silhouette would've been a better choice. I'm also not all that into Khloe's sash on her wedding gown.

David & Victoria Beckham

Love it: Quick back story; this is the wedding that pretty much started it all as far as my wedding obsession goes. I remember buying the issue of Vogue that featured their wedding specifically to read all about it and drool over the photos. And that I did. I couldn't believe my eyes as I read that her gown estimated about $100,000 (and still to this day remains one of the most expensive celebrity wedding dresses) and I flipped through each page slowly, fully taking in the fabulousness that was their wedding. At the time I loved every detail of their day. But especially that custom-made Vera.

Leave it: Looking at their wedding now, as a grown woman and bride-to-be, I have a couple critiques of the Beckhams' big day. First, why was Mel B. wearing black while Emma and Mel C. sported white? Huge problem. Next, explain the cake to me. It's unique and different and I respect that.. I'd just like to understand it. And finally, I'm just not feeling the purple reception outfits the couple changed into. Vic, you were wearing a $100k custom-made Vera... rock that sh*t as long as you can. 

Ok, there you have it, the wedding police's my thoughts on some of the hottest celeb weddings. Do you agree with my favs? Which celebrity wedding takes the cake in your opinion? 

I hope you had a fab Bride Day Friday and that you have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for reading,

xox D

Accountability is Key

 Confession time: I fell off the fitness wagon last week. I started slacking a couple weeks ago, but made up for my missed lunges (see lunge challenge) and stayed strong with 3-4 days of cardio (not my ideal 5), and I was even using MyFitnessPal to track all of my meals-- and snacks! I was in a good rhythm, that is until last week. I don't know what happened... wait, I take that back. Laziness happened. I succumbed to that little voice in my head telling me not to go to the gym, that I was too tired to do my run, and to eat as many breadsticks as I wanted to. And now I want to kick that little voices ass because I just gained back all those cals I burned weeks prior. The truth is being lazy is easy and getting off your tush can be rough sometimes... I decided to go with the easy route. But oh well, the show must go on, and that it will-- and in a bigger way I might add. Because now that I've gotten so off course from the lunge challenge, I restarted today (you will get those after pics). This week also marks the first week of half-marathon training-- in which I will be the sole participant in my own personal halfie, which will consist of me running 13.1 miles, probably in the snow, on the trails and roads of Lansing and East Lansing. It must be done though; I won't hold myself accountable if I'm not following a strict schedule... so a strict schedule it is!

That being said, what makes you accountable? Perhaps it's writing it down, or having a friend or family member keep you on track, or maybe you're like me and you need to follow a schedule. Whatever it may be, practice it. You know yourself better than anyone, so just do what you have to do to get on track-- regardless if it's for an active lifestyle, or better eating habits, or just life in general. Don't make excuses, hold yourself accountable for your actions-- or lack thereof.

Sure, I may have fallen off a bit, but the moral of the story is that I'm not staying off; I'm putting on my Nikes and jumping right back on. I realize what I did wrong and I know what it takes for me to be accountable, so rather than setting myself up for failure, I'm going to follow my schedule to a tee and tell that little voice in my head to shut up, and I'll just watch as the pounds fall off and the abs form. ;) That's my recipe for success-- what's yours?

If you couldn't think of anything to make you accountable, maybe Ryan Gosling will do the trick. He has faith in you, girl! ;)

Fall Wedding Inspiration

Walking out to the chilly, sweater weather with that lovely cool, Fall breeze just does something to my blood. 

I love everything about the season; the cider mill and the caramel apples, the smell of pumpkin, the taste of pumpkin... pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. Then of course there's my favorite holiday-- Halloween, and the comfy clothes; the scarves and hoodies, and football and tailgating and the gorgeous fall colors and tailgating and... OK, I think I made my point; Fall is the cat's pajamas. And considering that today is the first Friday Sunday of Fall, I wanted to make today's Bride Day post all about Autumn-inspired weddings. So I bring to you my inspiration board of Fall weddings; enjoy and have a PSL on me. ;) Oh and be prepared for a slew of pumpkin recipes coming your way soon.

Fall Color Schemes

 Love the shades of orange, red, and brown

 

 

Adore the simplicity and fall-feeling of the brown and cream color combo

 

 

Flowers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Table Settings 

 

 

 Venues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Desserts

 

Attire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tried on this ombre dress and absolutely loved it; perfect for a Fall wedding with a gold/ brown color scheme

 

 

Obsessed with this one as well..

 

 

Photo Opps

How dreamy are these shots. *sigh*

 

 Well there you have it, my favorite color schemes and details for a Fall wedding. Hope you enjoyed and maybe gained a little inspiration for your own Fall fiesta one day. ;)

xo D