Brunch

March Snapshots

8:00:00 AM


It's been a crazy spring. Honestly, it has been a crazy semester in general, and not wanting to leave this space without any new content for too long, I thought I would just pop in and put some of the photos I've been taking on here! The weather has been so iffy lately and the colors haven't quite popped yet, but I cannot wait until they do! 

Wisconsin

Nature

One day, before Spring break, the weather was incredibly nice! 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1*C). There weren't very many colors but it felt nice to finally get rid of the dull gray sky and feel the warmth of the sun. It had been way too long! Sadly, the warmth was cut short by Old Man Winter and there were a few inches of snow yet to be dropped.  After a few busy and hectic weeks of projects and deadlines, it was finally spring break/Easter holiday. I spent a lot of time walking up the nearby mountain. I spent my week relaxing and enjoying my time off. 
Wausau
 In preparation for the Easter holiday, family dinner, we stopped at the cheese factory that isn't too far away from my home. (Luckily this was before my challenge and I could sneak a few bites in!)
Cheese
 Easter morning we woke up and had a delicious brunch and sought out our Easter baskets before heading off to church. If your parents don't hide your baskets, I'm so sorry. I honestly look forward to this every Easter and I'm so glad my mom still hides them!
Pouring Champagne
  Like every holiday, there was a lot of food! My favorite dish is probably the sweet potatoes, so delicious! Sorry I didn't take more photos of the food, I was a bit busy and totally distracted by this cute pup!
Chicken Dinner

Mixed puppy

Being back at University keeps me busy, and makes me anxious to have warmer weather so I can go out and take millions of photos! I plan on exploring a bit more once the weather warms up. It's been a day consisting of 3/4 of the seasons. This morning it was sunny and blue skies, this afternoon it was snowing, and I just walked in from class in the rain/hail.
I hope you all had a great Easter holiday! Hopefully you enjoyed these photos! Did you do anything exciting for Easter? Make sure to follow me on any of the social media sites listed on the side bar to keep up with posts! 
xx Kenzie

April

April's Challenge

9:00:00 AM




We all love something that gives our life a bit of a challenge. I mean, how can you know whether or not something is right for you if you never try it out? Giving up sugar for me last year, meant not feeling as anxious and jittery. Yet as much as I tried to explain that to everyone, I still got sugary sweets in my gifts. In January, I changed my lifestyle again and started clean eating. It went really well at first and I was even down 4 pounds in two weeks, and then it got increasingly hard as school started. I gave up meat for Lent this year and honestly, I really loved it. I was still really intrigued  by plant-based diets. And in April, that's what I'm challenging myself to live by. 

I'm not going to force my views onto anyone in these posts, but I hope you stick around and discover fun recipes with me. If you're looking for answers to that big "why" questions, then I'd suggest youtube-ing the answer. There are so many benefits to living plant based and I think it'll be a good change.This link is one that I think is really helpful and useful in talking about veganism and how even little changes in diets can make a big difference.  I've made a few vegan snack recipes before and my campus has a few vegan alternatives that are actually really delicious! I just want to feel my best. Especially with having about 5 weeks left in the semester!  

Honestly, with summer coming soon my diet will probably change again since watermelon is cheaper and that's all I really like to eat when it's warm outside! 
If you want to follow me on twitter (I actually created a new account for just tweeting food) because sometimes I like to just look at photos of food okay? Otherwise you can make sure to follow my main account and my instagram!  Also my brand new Facebook page is up and running and it would mean a lot if you shared it and gave it a like! :) 

Did you participate in Veganuary? Have you ever given veganism a go? What are you most excited for in April? Let me know what kind of posts you'd like to see in the future! Sorry this one is so..wordy!
Looking forward to hearing from you in the comments! 
x Kenzie

Banana

"Nice"cream

8:30:00 AM


I will be the first to admit, finding foods to enjoy without any added sugars is really hard and sometimes I give in. Scrolling through my instagram feed, I kept seeing users post colorful photos of nicecream. Nicecream? My first thought was something like "it's run by someone who lives a vegan lifestyle so it must just mean it's dairy-free." I actually wanted some so bad. It looked so good! And who wouldn't want an ice-cream inspired dish for breakfast? 

 I thought I would never be able to have it because added sugars. That is, until I found out that nicecream just simply meant, frozen bananas blended up in a blender with soy or nut-based milk. SUPER easy. SUPER...nice. 

 Here are some of my favorite flavors that I've made with my mini blender (my $15 purchase is definitely getting great use.) 

 1. Peanut-Butter Banana

        -2 medium bananas, sliced and frozen
       -1 spoonful of peanut powder
       -soymilk
       -cinnamon

Banana Icecream
I totally combined the top recipe and the bottom, just with a bit less pb powder and cinnamon! 

2. Simple Berry Pick me up
  -2 medium bananas, sliced and frozen
  -berries of your choice (I used raspberries and blueberries)
  -soy/whatever nut milk you prefer

Link

3. Just Bananas

     -2 medium bananas, sliced and frozen
    -nut milk
   
Nicecream



 4. Banana Bread Nicecream

   -2 medium bananas, sliced and frozen
  -cinnamon
   -nutmeg
  -walnuts to top
  -choice of milks




5. Blueberry Banana 

    -2 medium bananas, sliced and frozen
   -handful of blueberries frozen, or thawed
  -nutmilk
 -some cacao



I like to add chia seeds sometimes to these if I think I want some more fiber. I love these so far and I can't wait to try some more! Honestly these are so simple, and so much more healthier for you than what's sold at the store, though you can still go out and get them. I like to freeze the bananas for about a day before making them, if I wait too long they'll go brown when I take them out of the freezer pretty quick. Because I live in a dorm, I like to be the courteous neighbor and make my breakfast nicecream the night before so that I'm not waking up anyone super early!

Have you ever made these before? I was so excited it worked that I nearly ran down the hall making everyone try it! You can mix and match flavors as well!
I hope you enjoy them, especially as it gets closer to summer!
x Kenzie

Chicken

Cashew Chicken Zoodles

8:30:00 AM


I love Chinese food. There's just something about it that is so good tasting to me. When I saw this recipe from my favorite food blogger, I knew I had to give it a try and put my own twist on it. If you love Chinese food like I do, but want a healthier take on it. You have got to try this recipe out right now. 
Real Food
Link

It's not too spicy and not too hot, and perfectly real food. 
Zoodles


Here's What You'll Need:
2 skillets
Spiralizer
2 Tablespoons seasame oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup sliced cabbage
1 large bell pepper
1/2 chopped green onion
2 medium zucchini (spiralized) 
3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
3 ounces cashews

Sauce:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1-2 teaspoons Sriacha (or other hot sauce)

Here's what you do:
  1.  Cook Chicken and shred, set aside and cut up veggies
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil and garlic over medium. Add carrots, cabbage and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes until tender. 
  3. Add zucchini noodles and shredded chicken along with onions and cashews. Cook and stir for about 3-5 minutes Turn to low heat
  4. Combine Sauce ingredients in small saucepan over low heat. Whisk until peanut butter has melted and everything is combined. (About 5 minutes)
  5. Add sauce to chicken and veggies, toss together and combine. (about 2 minutes)
  6. Enjoy! 
Zucchini Noodles

This was our favorite recipe so far, and I hope you give it a try! I love spiralizing and creating new recipes and now that I'm on a 10 day break from school, I'm excited to try even more and share them with you all! 
What is your favorite dinner recipe? Do you have any plans for Easter? Find anything new that you've loved lately? Let me know in the comments! I am so ready for the weather to get warmer now! 
xx 
Kenzie

Happiness

Why I Love Being a Morning Person

9:00:00 AM




Great Britain

Yes, there are people who actually enjoy waking up at 7am, opening the windows and listening to the world wake up. I for one, really don't mind waking up early on a weekend. You're probably wondering why, and don't worry, I've made a list for you to try to explain. 

1 & 2 .I have more time. I'm not on a schedule, and I'm not hopping out of bed in a rush to get anywhere. I can drink my chai latte, have a little dorm-room workout session and scroll through my blog feed on bloglovin. Because I have more time, I'm not stressed. It's relaxing, especially in the spring when I can (wait until my roommate leaves) and whip open the windows and hear the birds chirping and see the sun. 

 3.I'm more productive. Personally, I feel much more productive during the morning hours than in the evening. The evening makes me want to curl up on the sofa and watch some tv, youtube videos etc. I just get a lot done and by the time I look at my clock it's only noon! 

 4. I feel happier. It's probably because I'm less stressed and not groggy or unmotivated. I'm one of those people who love breakfast, and there's a part of me that cries everytime I don't have time for a satisfying bowl of oats. 
Vegan Food

5. It's handy when I travel. Because I'm kind of on a schedule of waking up around the same time every morning, when I get to travel it's not a big deal if I have to wake up early. Whether or not I'm properly dressed is another story!


Are you a morning or a night person? What do you consider early? For me it's 7am. I mean, I can wake up earlier, but I tend to scroll through my phone first! It's a system! 
I hope you're all enjoying the weather wherever you are! 
It's nearly officially spring! 
x 
Kenzie

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