Brownies, Baby!

Hi long lost friends,

 

It sure has been a while… I have my reasons. I caught the flu (102 fever on New Years Eve. Bummer.) and that turned into pneumonia. I had to miss the first week of classes and, two weeks later, I am finally caught up. I’ve spent the last few days getting my life back in order; scrubbing the kitchen, cleaning out my closet and getting some groceries.

Somehow, I have managed to stick to my paleo plan. We have had a few minor slip ups….. a bag of dark chocolate raisinettes (the big ass “family” kind with the zipper… I think by “family” they meant Graduate Student) at the movies and some queso on a cold night to be exact. Despite my lack of self control around candy and cheese, I have still managed to lost 3.5 pounds. Yay!

Sidebar: The candy incident (#raisinpocalypse2016) happened I went to see Good Dinosaur with some girlfriends. Its really great. Go see it.

---

 

Like I’ve mentioned before, the hardest part of dieting, in my opinion, is temptation. I have found if you have healthy treats like fruit around, it is not that hard to make a good choice. The truth remains that sometimes a girl just needs some dang dessert.

 

Enter paleo brownies.

---

 

This all started with the horrible mistake of buying 100% cacao chocolate. PSA: that stuff does NOT taste like the dark chocolate that coated the raisins of doom. What to do with it…. Throwing it away wasn’t an option because 1. I paid for it and 2. I have become really strange about wasting… like, I re-use my ziplock bags. Maybe it is all the homeless people roaming around downtown Gainesville. I digress. The brick, I mean chocolate, had to be used.

In class I was studiously pinning while listening to lecture and I stumbled across a little recipe on a super great blog: http://cookeatpaleo.com/one-bowl-coconut-flour-brownies/

I was hesitant. Coconut flour and I don’t get along. It can get a little ugly. Once I tried to make an oatmeal-like dish with it and the only good thing that happened was it ruined my appetite.

So I gave it a go, mostly because I was procrastinating on some thesis work, and let me tell you…. It was the best decision I’ve made since deciding to finish the grad student sized bag of raisinettes so they weren’t tempting me any more.

I made a few changes. Here is how I made these little squares of goodness happen.

 

Oven at 350

8×8 pan greased

¾ cup of organic coconut oil

The remainder of the large 100% cacao bar that I did not consume after I spit that one bite out

¾ cup of organic agave syrup

A splash of vanilla extract

3 organic, free range, eggs

A dash of sea salt

3 TBS of organic coconut flour

 

Throw the remainder of that nasty chocolate bar in a glass bowl with your coconut oil and put it in the microwave in 20 second increments-stir in between each.

Don’t burn it… that would be gross.

When your concoction gets smooth and chocolatey let it cool a little

Now add your splash of vanilla extract, agave and dash of salt

Stir that baby again

Now, put in your three eggs and whisk, whisk, whisk

Finally, sift the coconut flour in SLOWLEY

Don’t be cute and try to add more. Don’t. That stuff will dry your batter out like night of drinking cheap tequila. It would probably work to make industrial strength paste or to block holes in a sinking ship.

Whisk, whisk, whisk then pour it into your pan

Cook that pan of fudgy gold until a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean. I don’t have tooth picks so I used a steak knife. It’s called ingenuity, folks. My brownies took exactly 22 minutes.

Let them cool and store in the fridge! Or on your counter. It’s really up to you. Sorry for being bossy.

 

I don’t know how many calories are in there. You can add it up if you’re that concerned. Let’s focus on what’s really important here: I ACTUALLY MADE SOMETHING EDIBLE with coconut sand. Did I say sand? I meant flour.

 

Enjoy!

You’re welcome.

Giving Christmas Away

 

Those of you who actually read “almostenough” have probably discovered how important Christmas is to me. It is a time where life is supposed  to come into focus. The magic seems to fade a little more every year. Even though it is slipping away, I refuse to let go. I refuse to let this season become all about consuming food and gifts. Most of all, I refuse to become one of those people who sleep-walks through this beautiful time of year.

What can a girl do? Each year, I seem to have more adult responsibilities and more on my mind. Jobs, bills and grades cloud my once peaceful relationship with Christmas. In high school, a viewing of my favorite Christmas movie (Eloise at Christmastime) and some peppermint stick ice cream would do the trick. Today, it takes more to get me into the Christmas spirit. Maybe it is because I am more aware of the suffering of others and maybe it is simply because I let myself give-in to the anxiety that family time brings me- either way, when this Christmas season began I knew I had to do something.

Sometime in November, I decided to “give Christmas away.” I stopped to consider what I believed in and what was important to me at this point in my life. After some reflection, I decided that I wanted to do something for children, women and my community. I started to google (isn’t that how all good things begin?) and I found a small non-profit ministry in Georgia that gathers Christmas wishes from families going through hard times. Reading through the descriptions of how each family ended up in their unique and desperate positions made my heart heavy. So many people need help. I am only one shopaholic.

I chose a family that lived in my area and was starting over after escaping an abusive relationship. I’ll never meet these people for their own safety, but I hope that my mission to find Christmas spirit and give Christmas away will make a difference. The children’s lists were small and simple- two gifts and things that were necessary to start over- underwear, socks, shampoo…

The final product of 6 weeks of work.

Any one who knows me personally knows that I go big or I take my big butt back home. I decided to rally the troops. Between my family, the angels in my graduate program and friends, we got everything on the lists and then some. I found myself making hard decisions that this woman has to make for herself and her children every day. As my beautiful friends would ask “how can I help?”, I would have to decide what this family needed most. Do I ask them to buy a warm coat or food, tampons or socks? All of these things I take for granted were important to this family and who am I to decide what they need most? What a wake up call.

Helping this family helped me. I spoke to people willing to give whom I haven’t heard from in a while. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people willing to help me help this family without a second thought. I can never feel alone at Christmas time again because I know wonderful people are waiting in the wings to support me. What more could I ask for?

In an hour, the couple that runs this ministry will come to my house, pick up the Christmas I collected (with a TON of help) and drive it to the safe house this family is staying in. An empty government issued apartment. I am sitting in a leather recliner in a beautiful room surrounded by artifacts from all over the world. How in the world can I feel like I am losing my Christmas spirit when I am cozy and safe and full? Maybe Christmas isn’t this rosy, warm feeling that you get when you watch a movie about Santa, maybe it is the way you behave and carry yourself during a season that reminds others of what they do not have.

I hope this post can give you “almostenough” inspiration to give a little of your own Christmas away. Even if you just drop a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket or bring some clothing to a homeless shelter, the fact remains that a single spark can light a fire, or burn down your Christmas tree.

I would love to hear about the charitable acts you took part in this holiday season in the comments below! 

Fierce Females

Hi everyone! I am so glad you have been following me on this blogging journey. I like to make it a habit to embrace and appreciate bad ass women. Thus, I am starting a series of blog posts called “Fierce Females.” In the next few months, we will have the pleasure of reading “almostenough” posts by yoga instructors, models, academics and other really, really amazing women that I admire.

This week, I am posting an article written by one of my oldest friends. Anna is independent and intelligent and has phenomenal fashion sense. Here, she is going to give us all a lesson about holiday style.

Enjoy!

 

 

Hello everyone! My name is Anna De Loache and I am 24 years old. In college I minored in Journalism and definitely have a love for writing, but for my current job, I wholesale ladies clothing. I live and breathe it whether I like it or not! I am definitely not an expert on fashion, but I do have a good idea of what looks good and I especially love picking outfits out for special occasions.

 

With Christmas and New Years Eve approaching faster than we realize, I think it is safe to say that all women (no matter what age) have one question in common: what am I going to wear?  Whether your style is; preppy, conservative, edgy or just completely unique to you, I hope to give you all some fashion advise along with affordable stores to purchase your holiday outfits from. Just to give you an idea of what my style is, I definitely go for the conservative but cute look. My go too this time of year is a pair of spanx tights just about every day, a dress, and either a sweater, poncho or blanket scarf. Even though that is my everyday outfit I am not afraid to dress “edgy” or out of my comfort zone for a certain occasion!

 

Somewhere that is a guarantee go-to for me whenever I need an outfit for any occasion is Ann Taylor Loft. Not only is it affordable, but they have something for everyone. The sizing is great as well because their clothing typically runs bigger so wearing a size smaller when compared to other places is a confident booster in itself! Another convenient thing the Loft offers is three body type options: petite, regular, and tall- there is something for everyone. Below is the dress I bought for Thanksgiving but I have been able to wear it to work and other social events since:

 

 

Green Dress

The best way to complete this outfit is with a statement necklace and a cute pair of boots. Pictured below is a necklace that is also from the Loft just to show an example of something to wear to accessorize the dress:

 

Necklace 

 

Finally, to complete the outfit, add a pair or boots or booties! Below is a pair from Steve Madden and is available at Dillards in taupe and black. For this particular outfit I would choose the black pair.

Boot

 

Another great thing about this outfit is, if you go to church on Christmas eve or Christmas day, it transitions perfectly from church to your holiday festivities!

 

Something else I believe most women have in common is that we like to look great and feel comfortable at the same time. The next outfit I’m focusing on is a swing dress from Anthropologie- BONUS, it is a reasonable price! Its official title is “the turtleneck swing dress” and it comes in a pretty red/blush color. I have not purchased this dress but I do own similar swing dresses and they are vey comfortable.

 

Turtle Swing Dress

 

As you can see, the model is also wearing a statement necklace and what seems to be some fabulous snake skin boots. She is surely very comfortable. An outfit like this is perfect for the holidays because, again, you can wear it to work or an evening out for drinks depending on your weather all the way through March! A dress like this is definitely a go-to for those of you who think comfort and style are both equally important!

 

Already have an outfit but feel like its not complete? Not a problem! There are so many options to complete an outfit: think jewelry, jackets, and vests. Something I want to talk about next is my love for vests. I ADORE vests. In fact, I probably have a problem because I own so many. Honestly vests are perfect for any outfit and any occasion. They go great over dresses, a simple top and jeans, and even a pencil skirt with a blouse tucked in. Below is a faux fur vest made by Wayf and is available at Nordstrom:

Fur Vest

 

I love this type of vest because you can dress it up or wear it casually. Below is another vest I really like and it also available at Nordstrom:

Vest

Finally I want to talk about a fun new years eve outfit you can wear to just about any party you are going to attend! It is casual and dressy at the same time. On the Nordstrom website, it is under the category for New Years Eve dresses but it is so appropriate because along with being a fun dress to wear to a party,  you could definitely get away with wearing it to a casual event too.

Dress

 

For some reason, this dress really stands out to me and it also comes in several colors! The best way to make a dress like this more appropriate for a cocktail party is to add a pair of heels like the pair below made by Kate Spade New York, also available at Nordstrom:

Shoe

The outfits listed above are just a small portion of what you can do for the holidays, but I hope it will give you some ideas! Shopping for holiday events certainly is not easy, but I think we can all agree that it is fun once we finally find the perfect outfit. Happy holidays!