Happy Birthday to Me: Gifts and Fudge Cake

The day has finally arrived! Hello, Thirty!

The older I get, the more I see value in experiences opposed to physical possessions. I like vacations, good food, movies, and true friendship. Sure, I still like the newness of getting things (like a car or clothing), but once the luster has worn off, it’s hard for me to connect the item to the person who gave it to me. It just becomes stuff.

I received an amazing birthday gift when I volunteered in Theodore’s 1st grade class this morning.  I usually sit in the teacher’s lounge and file paperwork, sharpening pencils (the most annoying task ever), prep for their math and language activities, etc.

When I came back into the class, the students sang happy birthday to me and made me a crown (everyone signed it). Sooo sweet! I didn’t even realize my little guy told the class about my birthday.

THIS is my favorite kind of gift! The type of gift that stays with you forever and doesn’t need to be replaced or maintained.

The Hubs said he would pick up a vegan cake at Whole Foods for me, but I decided to make my own instead (and save him a 30 minute drive).

I made Ani Phyo’s Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake a few days ago and it looked like this…

I made another one after returning from school this morning….

I didn’t use raspberries this time and it was still very good. 

Ingredients:

Fudge cake

3 cups dry walnuts

2/3 cup unsweetened cacao powder or carob powder

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup pitted Medjool dates

Frosting

1/3 cup pitted Medjool dates

¼ agave syrup

½ cup ripe avocado flesh

1/3 cup cacao powder

Filling

½ cup raspberries

Instructions:

To make the cake, combine the walnuts, cacao powder, and salt in the food processor and pulse until coarsely mixed.  Avoid over processing. Add the dates and pulse until well mixed. Shape into 2 stackable cakes of desired shape and set aside.

To make the frosting, combine the dates and agave syrup in the food processor and process until smooth.  Add the avocado and cacao powder and process until smooth.

To serve, frost the top of one of the cakes with half the frosting and top with raspberries. Stack the second cake on top and frost the top and sides.

Cake is good for up to one week in the fridge.

I’m off to enjoy this cake, some tea, and a few hours of silence.

Thirty never tasted so good!

Recipe adapted from Ani's Raw Food Desserts: 85 Easy, Delectable Sweets and Treats

Make Your Own Vegetable Broth (VIDEO)

I like using vegetable broth in place of water to bring out more flavors in my recipes.  I often pick up a few boxes at the grocery store, but it can get quite expensive at nearly $4 each.

While at DC VegFest this past weekend, best selling vegan author, Isa Chandra Moskowitz mentioned she uses vegetable scraps to make vegetable broth.

I chop vegetables daily, so I thought it was a great idea to reuse the scraps and save money.

I saved my veggie scraps (including onion and garlic skins) in a plastic container for the last few days.

I filled a pot with water on medium heat until boiling.

Added the scraps, covered and boiled for 30 minutes. You can also add herbs and spices for additional flavor.

I then drained the liquid and cooled it on the counter.

Store in glass jars (or other containers) for up to a week in the refrigerator.

I love simple ideas!

Watch me make the vegetable broth in the video below.

Simplify Your Life: 5 Ways to Get In and Out of the Grocery Store

As much as I love cooking and learning about food, I can’t say I feel as enthused about grocery shopping. With planning my menu, too many indecisive people in the aisles, and long lines at the register, I would rather just outsource this chore. 

Since this isn’t a reality in my world, here are some methods I use to make it easier:

Come prepared with a list- There was a time when I NEVER shopped with a grocery list.  I used to figure out meals as I walked around.  Not only was this method time consuming, but also it became expensive because I picked up more impulsive items. Try to at least have a list handy for dinner planning and stick to staples like oatmeal, toast, and smoothies for breakfast to keep it simple.

Avoid the middle aisles-In my experience, those aisles are more congested and overstocked with highly processed food.  Stick to the perimeter of the store to take advantage of produce, grains, and nut milks.

Leave the kids at home-I do like taking my kids to the grocery store because it’s such an educational experience.  I enjoy letting them choose healthy food and getting their input on meals, but overall, they bust my budget.  On more than one occasion, I‘ve spent about $50 more than expected dealing with those little crumb snatchers. lol

Shop early morning (on the weekends) or mid-week at night-These times work best for me because it’s less crowded and you’re more likely to see what you want, grab it and go.

Stay off your phone- I'm guilty of this tip the most. I had my list, went at the right time, and still spent double the time in the store because I chose to chat on my phone.  

Those are my tips, what about yours?  Let’s talk about it in the comments section below.

Lessons from a Water Gun

My chipmunks went to a birthday party last weekend and brought home some tiny water guns in the goodie bags.  After tossing out the mini bags of glitter, fake coins, and blow horns, we filled up the water guns and tested them out on each other in the front yard.

As we enjoyed the sun, cool water and laughter, Alvin suggested we purchase bigger Nerf water guns from Target.  His request made me think about how culturally we’re conditioned to get bigger and better, and how many of us are not taking the time to appreciate everything we already have.

Bigger isn't always better

As we stood in line waiting to refill our water guns (we had to do this quite often), we chatted about mosquitoes, school starting soon, and what I should cook for dinner.  If we had the bigger guns, this interaction wouldn't have played a role in our fun, as I know how my kids are. For instance, I know for a fact, based off past experiences, that they would play with the new water guns for a week, and then they would be either broken or misplaced.

No storage worries and saved a few dollars

We saved about $20 by not purchasing the new guns, but for me its much more than just savings, especially since I won’t have to think about where to store the water guns during the winter months.

I don't feel like I'm depriving my kids by not feeding into their desire for bigger and better.  From my perspective, even though the water guns are smaller, they’re still getting the same fun experience as other kids with their bigger water guns; just a more valuable lesson for when they get older is the important difference.

Second Thoughts: Cable TV

I saw on Twitter how upset Netflix subscribers are about the company's decision to increase their rates to offer more services to customers. Many have threatened to cancel and voiced the dissatisfaction with the lack of new releases in Netflix's instant stream library.

We have been Netflix subscribers since early 2008 and I am quite satisfied with the service.   I texted The Hubs to advance of the change (since he pays that bill) and he also seemed a bit annoyed at the increase.  I jokily responded that we can cancel the cable and it wouldn't matter.  To my surprise, he texted that he agrees and we should cut that expense.  I didn't respond right away because I was actually quite amazed that he was seriously thinking about eliminating the cable. I actually felt a little bad and decided not to cancel it right away because I wanted to make sure he truly agreed. He likes to relax with a comedy and sometimes a documentary, and now that I was having the chance to make a change I wanted, I didn't want him to feel like I was bullying him into it.  I wanted to be sure the decision was mutual.

When he came home last night, we discussed it more and decided that eliminating this bill will not only save us several hundred dollars per year, but also hopefully divert our attention to more meaningful experiences.  Don't get me wrong, I like watching TV like the next person, but I think we have a tendency to use TV as a distraction more than a means to educate ourselves.

In Karol Gajda's book, Luxury of Less: The Five Rings of Minimalism, he writes, "Think about one of your heroes right now.  It can be anybody...Do you think any of them got to where they are by, for example, watching TV?  Not a chance."  I agree! People who are doing many great things in their lives aren't usually sitting at the tube like zombies.  They are spending valuable time researching, being mentored and making positive moves in their lives.

As much as I agree with what is said above, something a little unexpected happened after I called Directv to cancel.  I had a moment of regret.  What if there's something I really want to see and Netflix isn't an option?  What about  when football season starts or there's a sensational public figure being interviewed by Diane Sawyer?  I was having second thoughts. I think it's natural to have second thoughts when making changes in your life.  I have been watching countless hours of TV since I was a kid, so of course this change is overwhelming.

Where do we go from here

Our decision to not have a TV in our room or cable doesn't mean that we will no longer watch any TV.  In fact, we have decided to continue with our Netflix subscription.  If there's a program that I've missed the Internet is more than willing to give me a recap.  Also, since ABC offers full episodes of their shows online for free, I can still watch Modern Family. :-)

Making this change wasn't because I think TV is necessarily evil; we will continue to watch it.  I just feel turning off paid programming will hopefully curb some of the senseless hours of watching TV just because it's available.