*Raw*nola

I've been really trying to eat mostly raw food lately and I love the sweetness that this raw granola adds to any breakfast smoothie or dessert jar! It really is so delicious and sweet you won't believe your mouth. ANNDDD the fact that its raw and pretty good for you is an added bonus! I seriously have trouble not eating it all if I am sitting near this jar for too long. TOO GOOD.

Such simple ingredients!

Do you love my seashell spoon orrrr…? Of course you do.

It's a beauty.

Toss into your food processor 

7-8 Medjool Dates (pitted of course)

1/2 C Raw Oats

1/2 Cup desiccated Coconut (I used organic and unsweetened but use whatever you have)

1 Tsp Coconut Sugar or Agave

1-2 Tsp Cinnamon (depending how spiced you want it)

BLENDDDDDD and of course demolish. Like usual.

This makes about 8 servings

NUTRITION INFO

Calories (g): 105

Fat (g): 2.3

Sodium (mg): 5.8

Potassium (mg): 146.2

Carbs (g): 21.5

Fiber (g): 2.1

Sugars (g): 15

Protein (g): 1.3

Iron (%): 2.3

Best Friend Smoothie Bowls

Today I had to say goodbye to one of my very best friends in the whole world.  Jocelyn has always been such a blast to hang out with and we could honestly laugh at each other for days.  I'll miss her very much.  She drove all the way to Utah from California for my farewell and I am so grateful that she did. Love you JO JO. So, before she left I made her and I a delicious smoothie bowl to cry over....I mean eat. If you didn't already know, I LOVE SMOOTHIE BOWLS.  They are so much more fun than normal smoothies because you can put delicious things on top and eat it with a gigantic spoon to shovel that stuff in the pie hole. So delicious and very nutritious. Oh anddddd I had to use some of my gazzillion peaches that my bountiful tree produced this year! Juicy, juicy, juicy and all over the place lol.

This is about 1/3 of them…..yeah. I have plenty to chow down.

I know this isn't the most attractive thing i've made but it was super delicious so I had to share!

This bowl looks small but it's actually really big.  And i ate it all…..the whole dang thing haha.

P.S. I love love adore love puffed kamut. (the puffed rice looking stuff in the middle) It's so light and fluffy but adds a delicious crunch and earthy flavor to everything! Sometimes I just have it by itself topped with frozen blueberries or oranges and agave and almond milk! It tastes like heaven and replaces my sugary cereal when a craving strikes.

Serves Two

BLEND TOGETHA

2 C Spinach

2 Sticks of Celery

3 Baby Carrots

1/2 C Almond Milk

1 C Coconut Water
(I usually put these in the blender and blend at a high speed for about 20 seconds so it's really smooth)

3 Small or 2 Medium/Large Peaches (peeled)

1 1/2 C Mixed Frozen Berries

1 Banana

2 Tsp Coconut Sugar or Agave


Top with COCONUT my favorite thing in the world, puffed kamut, granola, broken up BLYSS balls, or more fruit!
 Devour.

<ENJOY>

Raspberry-Peach-Protein-Jars

I honestly didn't know what to call these works of art, but they are delicious and have many beautiful layers and I think I'm in love.  Why does putting something in a mason jar automatically make it better in my brain? I don't know but you should try these for yourself and tell me what you think! They look complicated but I promise they are really simple, and well worth your 15 minutes+30 seconds to Devour! Get your spoons ready….

I actually bought this Quinoa at TJ Maxx. Who woulda thunk?

Favorite Dairy Free Alternatives!

Some Home-grown-at-grandma's peaches!

These peaches were so juicy and fragrant! I love Fresh Peaches.

I love the color that this chia compote turned out to be!

Perfect texture….so creamy!

GLORIOUS.

I seriously can't handle how good these turned out! I ate mine warm but you can always put it in the fridge and wait until it's all cooled. The quinoa gives such a nice nutty flavor and the berries give a tang but it's still perfectly sweet and perfectly healthy! 

What you need

-2 tsp Coconut Sugar (seperated)

-1/3 C Quinoa

2/3 C+ 1/8C Almond Milk

1/3 C Coconut Milk

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 Tbls Chia seeds

2 Small Peaches (peeled)

1/2 C Raspeberries

1 Ripe Banana

1 Scoop Vegan Protein Powder

2 Tsp Maca Powder

a few drops of Stevia or half a packet of Truvia (sweetener)

For the Coconut Quinoa Base: Start by boiling the 2/3 Almond Milk and the Coconut Milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, add Quinoa and Cinnamon let simmer for 15 minutes. While this cooks make the other layers! When it's finished stir in 1 Tsp coconut sugar.

For the Compote: While that is cooking, put the Peaches and Raspberries in a saucepan and turn it onto about medium heat.

As they soften, mash them with a potato masher or a fork and stir while they continue to soften and break down, let them simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Add the Chia seeds and 1 Tsp Coconut Sugar when it looks like the fruit is bubbly and pretty soft and mix them in well. 

For the Banana/Maca Protein Whip: Blend the banana, Maca Powder, Protein Powder, the Stevia sweetener and 1/8 C Almond milk together in a blender until it looks like a thick "Whip" or pudding. 

Layer the Quinoa Base, then the Compote, and lastly the Whip into two mason Jars. Try Not to lick the spoon EVERY time you put an ingredient into the jar…. :) 

Top with anything you want! I used more fresh raspberries and some organic shredded coconut. Mhmmmm.

Nutrition facts

1 Jar

Calories: 350

Fat(g): 8

Sodium(mg): 95

Potassium(mg): 548

Carbs(g): 42

Fiber(g): 14

Sugar(g): 20

Protein(g): 14

Calcium(%): 40

Iron(%): 35

ALL VEGAN

and PERFECT for breakfast or a dessert! Dig in! 

Berry-Acai smoothie bowl

I love a giant fruit smoothie every once in a while and nothing beats eating a thick one…...out of a bowl…...with a huge spoon! Its better that way so you can top it with all the crunchy/sweet things you want.  Personally, I love the taste of Acai powder, but not everyone agrees.  You can simply omit the powder if you don't want it, but it makes it so much more nutritious (and the purple smoothie color you get is gorgeous!) It turned my whole mouth purple and I felt like a kid again.

THROWWWW into a blender

-1 frozen banana

-1 tsp Maca powder (optional)

-1 C frozen berries

-1 C coconut water

-1/2 scoop vegan (or non vegan) protein powder

-Vegan greek yogurt ( I used So Delicious Vanilla Coconut greek)

-1 Tbls Acai powder

-1 C spinach or kale 

I always keep a big bag of frozen spinach or kale in my freezer to add to my smoothies.

Blend it up, pour it in a bowl, and add your desired toppings!

I put dried organic coconut flakes, dried mulberries, and a broken up BLYSS BALL from my last post!

ENJOY!!!!

BLYSS BALLS

Since I've been craving sweets pretty badly lately, I figured I would do some BLYSS BALLS. They are just that, BLISS BLYSS.  They are a tiny package of goodness. I think it's fun to adjust the recipes I see of these, being made on Pinterest and other blogs, and add in the flavors I want.  They are perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up or a pre-workout boost. These have plentiful amounts of nutrition smashed into them as well! Healthy fats, iron, protein, good sugars for energy and many other things that your hot bod craves. I love them! Here is the recipe I made today. Feel free to add more sweetener, but I don't do very much because i'm a sugar lover  hater.  I rarely eat processed sugar (and for good reason.) Last night I had a (generous) bowl of SUGARY Fruity Pebbles because they sounded so delicious and due to the fact that I don't have much sugar hardly EVER, I was literally bouncing circles around my mom while she was trying to watch TV, assuredly driving her insane, and I made her go on a walk a few minutes later and I crashed…. hard and felt soooo sick.  I'm not about that. She almost had to drag me by my shirt around the block because I felt like a zombie. That's what I get for being healthy I guess…. haha. *thumbs down*

Don't you love my cute periwinkle nails? I may or may not have used my mom's polish that I got for her….She loves me.

I probably ate more carob chips then I actually put in the recipe.  They are like healthy vegan chocolate, you can't go wrong.

YUM. They are pretty delicious, I must say.

To make these balls of Blyssfulness just add to a food processor

-1 cup+ pitted dates (add until you get that sticky consistency that you need)

-1/2 cup raw almonds

-1/2 cup sunflower seeds (shelled obviously)

-1/3 cup sesame seeds (I used black but you can use whatever kind)

-1/4 cup dried goji berries

-2 Tbls unsweetened dried flaked coconut

-2 Tbls carob powder

-1 1/2 Tbls Carob Chips

-1 1/2 tsp ginger powder

-a pinch of coconut sugar (or any kind of sweetener-trivia, agave, honey, etc.)

-a Tbls or less of water

BLEND BLEND BLEND until you get all of the stuff pulverized. Press into little balls! It may take a while but just smash that stuff together really hard and they'll stick. Stick them in the freezer and eat whenever your little heart desires! 

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Servings 18

1 ball per serving 

Calories 113
Fat (g) 4.4
Saturated 0.8
Sodium (mg) 16.6
Potassium (mg) 132
Carbs (g) 16.3
Fiber (g) 2.2
Sugars (g) 12
Protein (g) 3
Calcium (%) 2.9
Iron (%) 3.5

LA (wedding) story

So in my brain this was a slight upset, but nonetheless I am happy for my best friend Jocelyn and her new hubby! I can't believe that it actually happened because it was kind of a long time coming, but she is officially a Mrs! Jocelyn made one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen.  This was my 4th time being in a line (1x a maid of honor, 3x a bridesmaid) and I have always enjoyed helping the Brides with whatever they have needed, but I definitely feel like I was needed most in this wedding and I LOVED IT. I had the opportunity to visit Joc in LA beforehand for about 4 days and we had so much fun catching up since she had moved there about 6 months after I had moved to SLC for school. She came back to Cedar City with me and we played for two weeks straight (and i worked her out so hard she probably hates me)! I helped throw her an amazing bridal shower and then we went to Provo together to do the last fitting of her Zac Posen gown. MAN, that gown was unreal. I'm serious. She looked hottttt. It was a mermaid fit with a bussel. A BUSSEL. Anyways, my mom and I made a trip down to LA and the wedding was insanely beautiful. Great Gatsby never looked so good.  I loved being there for her. I also would like to publicly thank her for picking such a wearable and cute dress for us girls to wear.  Black and tight, just the way I like it ;) (AND it was modest for my missionary needs lol.)

Here are some random shots from our trip and the wedding!

The beautiful couple coming out of the LA temple (which looks like an aztec temple its awesome.)

see that BUSSEL

smooches for my momma

ummm she is soo gorgeous I can't even.

The three sassy Bridesmaids

I love this Asos one piece!

The beach was COOO-HOLD.

There were these amazing swings and things at the Santa Monica Pier. Lets just say I had some fun.

First up, NICE CREAM

Mmmmm…. one of my favorite summertime breakfasts, snacks, desserts, cravings, obsessions. Ever since I found out that I had an intolerance to lactose, I have been searching for something to satisfy my creamy-cold-sweet ice cream craving. It gets hard during the summer to stay away from that stuff.  However, I was introduced to nana "ice cream" or NICECREAM through a girl i follow on instagram.  Not only is this stuff WAY better for you, but it offers that amazing banana flavor that I personally adore.  I have failed on many levels while attempting to make this stuff but once I failed enough, I hit the sweet spot, both in my tummy and on the recipe. This stuff consists of….drum roll please….. frozen bananas. Yep, that's it! Unless you want to get fancy, and I usually do, it's really so simple.  I usually add some vanilla and a dash of water so i get the right flavor and consistency but it really does taste DELICIOUS on it's own. All you have to do is:

Freeze 2-3 sliced bananas (however much you think you'll want, I'm usually satisfied with two)
and let them thaw out for a few minutes before you want to make it.
Toss them in a high speed blender or food processor and add a tsp or so of water and VROOM, lactose free deliciousness.
If you do want to add some flavor, try
-a dash of vanilla, lemon, almond, or peppermint extract!
You can also add frozen fruit at the end and you'll end up with a chunky fruity concoction.
-DELICIOUS TOPPINGS ARE REQUIRED. Seriously you can get crazy people. DO it.
(frozen berries, chocolate chips, coconut, dried fruit, nuts, etc)

I made my own this morning for a post workout cool-down treat. I threw into my blender
-2 chopped and frozen nanas
-Mexican vanilla extract (Seriously like a tsp)
-a little water
 and pulsed for a few minutes while scraping the sides every once in a while.
Then I just blended for a little while longer on a low speed and waited for that perfect creamy consistency.
On top I added a sprinkle of
-Dried white Mulberries
-Dried Goji Berries
and my new favorite thing
-Unsweetened Carob Chips.

Talk about SUPERFOOD MANIA.

Mulberries are a Turkish Superfruit that contain 4g of dietary fiber per ounce along with Calcium (who most lactose intolerant people need a little extra of since they can't get it from dairy), antioxidants (a main one being resveratrol, promoting a healthy heart), iron, vitamin C, and taste delish of course.

Goji Berries are a Himalayan Superfruit and is said to be one of the most nutrient-rich foods on the earth (WHAT) It's a great vegetarian source of protein and is also packed with essential amino acids, vitamin A, and have a great crunch that adds goodness to anything you sprinkle them on!

Here are the brands I have been using as of late.

and here is my finished product this morning! You can thank me later for this.

YUMMMMM

Finding pure bliss in everyday

xoxo, Lyss

Intro Time!

Just thought you'd like to know

who the blonde chick is running this blog! Well, my name is Alyssa or Lyss, hence the bLYSS. I'm 19 and about to head out on the journey of a lifetime! I'm going to the Belgium/Netherlands serving an 18 month LDS mission.  I thought it might be convenient to start this blog up and let my mom take over the reins while i'm gone, enlightening you with some of my words of wisdom from the mission field and a few amazing stories, quotes, pictures, etc. straight from Holland.  I'll be speaking dutch so i'm sure you'll get some of that too! As of now, I still have a month and a half until I ship out and have a little (lotta) extra free time on my hands. I'll be baking up delicious vegan or just dairy free creations and sharing their selfies and recipes to go along with them! My obsessions include fitness/fashion/beauty (seriously, it's a problem) so there might be some of that thrown into the mix! 

Finding pure bliss in everyday

xoxo, Lyss.

P.S. I love kitties.