25 Years Young

Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday morning I thought to myself about turning 25. Instead of looking at it from a negative point of view, I thought of all the amazing things that happened during my 24th year of life. I was three months into a new relationship and I'm so happy to say it's still going strong. I let go of negative people in my life and was rewarded by meeting the most amazing new friend. The biggest accomplishment for me was overcoming an obstacle that had taken over my life for the past 3 years. Becoming free of something that holds you so far down is the most amazing feeling. I know that it wouldn't have been possible for me to move on without the love and support from those closest to me. I'm so thankful to be surrounded by such wonderful people. I'm excited to be 25. 24 was the best year of my life and can't wait to see what this next year will bring.

Smith hates photos but I always get my way on my birthday. The one on the left was from last year and the once on the right was from last night. They were taken in the same photo booth. It brought back the happy memories of last year and I'm so happy to be spending another year with him in my life.

Awesome Etsy Find

While I was browsing through Etsy tonight I came across the cutest storm cloud necklace. I am the biggest fan of rainy days so I immediately fell in love. I viewed her other items and fell in love a million times again. Original hand painted necklaces as well as other accessories... So cute. They are such happy pieces of art. Most of them are now on my wish list. 

View her Etsy shop here

Etsy.com/shop/HeatherKent

Here are some of my favorites.

 

 

Gluten Free Coconut Oat Date Bars

These bars are quick and simple to make without any baking required. They are free of gluten and refined sugars.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecans

6 coconut date rolls

1/2 cup gluten free oat flour (You can buy oat flour at the store but I ground regular oats in my food processor. I like the coarse consistency better than the fine flour.)

1 Tbs brown rice syrup

1 tsp coconut sugar
pinch of salt

3 Tbsp dark chocolate chips

Instructions

In a food processor, blend pecans until crumbly. Set aside in a large bowl.

 Next, add coconut date rolls to food processor and blend until a dough forms. 

Add dough to bowl with ground pecans and add all remaining ingredients. This gets messy but fun. Mix well to combine with your hands.

Line a 9x9 inch pan with wax paper and add the mixture. 

Use your hands to press it down evenly throughout the pan. 

Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes. 

Remove from pan and slice for desired size of bars. 

I like to store these bars in the fridge. The cooler temperature keeps them firm and gives the chocolate a nice crunch. These bars are great for breakfast, a snack, or an even sweeter treat crumbled over yogurt or ice cream.

If you feel like sharing you can wrap them up and give them to your friends. I took some over to my friend Wallace's house tonight. 

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe New Years Eve and is enjoying the new year. Last night before I went to sleep, I thought about what I want to accomplish this year. Continuing with this blog was one of the them but to make it more interesting and fun for me, I want to include more than just food. I want to include things that make me happy and inspired. The idea for this blog was just that but I really only ended up posting food or recipes. I will still do that but I think it will be more fun for everyone to see a mix of things.

First item I would like to share is a movie I watched yesterday morning called Craigslist Joe. It was fitting for the first of the year and very inspiring. It's about a guy who embarks on journey for 31 days with no money, no contacts, and survives entirely off of Craigslist posts. It was heartwarming to see how kind and generous people in the community can be.

I was also able to start the new year off right with some exercise. My friend Wallace and I went on a long walk together. It was fun to have girl time and enjoy the scenery of the Valley. It's so pretty this time of year. 

The rest of my afternoon consisted of crafting. I was able to work on some Valentine's Day cards I'll be adding to my etsy shop. I'd say that yesterday was a great start to the new year!