We made this AMAZING vegan chocolate cake for our dad’s birthday the other week, and HAD to share the recipe with you all. SO many of you all asked about it, and this INCREDIBLE whipped coconut cream frosting we made to put on top.
We found the recipe for the cake from Beaming Baker, and it was absolutely delicious. HIGHLY recommend. The whipped “frosting” is even easier to make, and tastes so decadent. See recipe BELOW a little further down in the post.
For the cake, we followed the recipe, and added the whipped frosting on top, and some fresh strawberries.
Our favorite kitchen gadgets
Here are some of our most used kitchen gadgets! Whether we are making a salad, dinner, or baking, the tools are what we rely on.
Spiralizer: we use this all of the time to make zucchini or carrot noodles! SO easy to use and clean.
Le Creuset Cast Iron Dutch Oven: we invested in one of these because they are such good quality, and last forever. We use this to cook our pasta, quinoa, and other dishes.
Vitamix: this is definitely an investment, but it really does blend everything so WELL. We have had ours for so many years, and still works perfectly. This Ninja blender is a less expensive option.
Baking Sheets: these are essential for baking or cooking anything in the oven. We usually line ours with parchment paper.
Hand Blender: this tool is so handy. We use it to whisk things, and you can also use it as an immersion blender.
Wooden Cooking Utensils: we love cooking with wooden utensils, especially when you are cooking with heat.
Measuring Cup: this is great for measuring liquids for any recipe.
Colored Knife Set: our mom bought us these and they are so sharp and easy to use. Not overwhelming to hold in your hand! Love the colored handles, too.
Whipped chocolate cream
See the recipe below on how to make this super easy cream/”frosting”.
There are so many ways you can enjoy this cream that we shared in the recipe notes. We love using it on top of cakes or cupcakes, but it is also so amazing with some fresh fruit dipped into it!
This post has been a long time coming! We have been getting asked for so many months if we could share a post on what we have been eating at home and out since going plant-based 6 months ago. We shared a video a couple months ago in this post and are excited to share some raw, unedited photos taken straight from our Instagram accounts! You all are getting the real deal 😉
In case you all didn’t know, we share a ton of what we eat in our stories and story highlights on Instagram!
Here we gooooo!
BREAKFAST:
Take our liquid B12, then we have our lemon water (HUGE mug) when we first wake up to rehydrate after sleeping.
20-30 minutes after that, we have our celery juice. We use this juicer and you can find all info about the celery juice here.
20 minutes after our celery juice, we will have breakfast. This will either be this smoothie OR we will make a shot glass of Spirulina and Barley Grass Powder and mix those powders with water before a big plate of fruit. Usually, we will have at least one banana, one big bowl of wild blueberries with unsweetened almond milk and cinnamon, and a big apple. Other times, we may have some strawberries, papaya, or any other fresh or frozen fruit we have around!
We usually like to stick to fresh fruit or breakfast, but the other day, we made these Apple Pie pancakes that were AMAZING and so easy to make.
LUNCH:
Honestly, we pretty much snack/graze all day, but for lunch, if we are at home, we almost always make some sort of salad, and we are not talking a little, baby salad. We eat out of big serving bowls, and usually fill those up once or twice with salad.
We also will eat an apple or pear or some kind of carb like chickpeas or roasted potatoes if we are still really hungry!
Some examples of what we eat at home are the salads below! We stay pretty low fat, meaning we don’t use a TON of olive oil, but do use a little bit on our salads or in our dressings.
We love using Tahini as a dressing thinned out with some water and/or lemon juice, or using it in a dressing with other ingredients.
We don’t use a ton of vinegars right now, but will occasionally use red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar on our salads. We also love using some salsa or coconut aminos as dressings– such good flavor! For seasonings on our salads or vegetables, we love black pepper, himalayan salt (has minerals in it!), Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Seasoning (so good on anything!), red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and so many more!
EATING OUT:
If we are eating out, we try to opt for a salad somewhere (more on our favorite spots in this post), or we will order some kind of vegetarian dish like steamed or sautéed vegetables, and a plain or sweet baked potato!
DINNER:
For dinner, we are usually over salad, but occasionally, we will opt for some salad with other things! Typically if we are eating at home, we will make sautéed vegetables of some sort with a carb of some sort whether it is this chickpea pasta, this red lentil pasta, or roasted potatoes.
When we cook our vegetables, we don’t use a ton of oil, we just sauté in a pan with some water, and then put a lid on top to let the veggies cook. After that, we will add spices like garlic powder, black pepper, Himalayan salt, cayenne pepper, liquid aminos, and coconut aminos (so good on salads or in sauces!).
SO many of y’all were asking for this recipe, so here y’all go!
RECIPE FOR SOUP:
INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 new potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
2 medium zucchini, cubed
1/2 head broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3 cups canned tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
5 cups vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups water
INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat olive oil in large pot over moderate heat. Add garlic and chopped vegetables and half the parsley and sauté for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, bay leaf, broth, water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover partially and simmer 30-45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf and serve!
These potatoes are our FAVORITE! We use any kind of potato (sweet potato, golden potatoes, etc.). Simply slice potatoes and bake on parchment paper with spices like garlic powder, pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bake at 400 until cooked through!
Also, we LOVE using our air fryer to roast potatoes. So easy and convenient!
We love making zucchini noodles (we use this tool to make them)! Either serve with plain tomato sauce (this Pomi brand is our favorite!), or make a sauce out of potatoes and carrots we found on Instagram!
Another sautéed cabbage and veggie meal!
EATING OUT:
When eating out, similar to lunch, we will order some kind of salad (dressing on the side) or veggie plate!
As far as snacks, we eat TONS of fruit. Literally, we probably eat at least 3-4 large apples a day, haha. We always have to eat something before bed, so we will either bake something fun with almond flour or oat flour, or have some fresh fruit like apples, pears, mango, or berries.
We hope this was helpful to you all! It is not exciting at all, but we feel a million times better and there are so many recipes and ideas on Pinterest and Instagram, if you’re looking for more!
Happy Wednesday! So excited to be back with you all for another Wellness Wednesday post! This week, we are sharing this cute athleisure look you can wear straight from the gym to errands or meetings, and, our favorite part: 5 easy and quick breakfast ideas that are vegan, and that we have made and loved!
Before we get into the recipes (or y’all can just scroll down to see them!), we wanted to share these black joggers that we LOVE. They are not supper fitted (we have size xs) and they are so comfy, so they are great for traveling, too!
APPLE PIE OATMEAL: We love a warm and cozy oatmeal bowl, and we love how clean and natural the ingredients are! You could make this one ahead of time, too!
Recipe + images via thegraciouspantry.com
WILD BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE BOWL: This one is one we make a lot, especially in the warmer months! This is loaded with antioxidants and powerful nutrients to heal your body. We sometimes add spirulina and other greens in there, too!
Recipe + images via medicalmedium.com
WILD BLUEBERRY MINI MUFFINS: we made these a couple weeks ago, and LOVED these so much. They are crazy easy to make and taste delicious. Our mom couldn’t stop raving about them! You could bake these on Sundays and have them for the week, too!
**PS- be sure to pin and save this image for later so you can come back to these yummy recipes!
Happy New Year! We are going to be starting to share a lot more health and wellness posts on here since so many of you all had been requesting that! So, let’s kick off our first Wellness Wednesday for 2019!!
As you all know we live in Dallas and we have more recently been eating plant based the last few months. If you all want to read more about that, you can read more here and here. We get asked all of the time what our favorite spots in our city are for those of you who are visiting for the weekend, or just looked for some new spots to try! We are avid users of yelp, and absolutely LOVE finding new places at home, or in new cities we are visiting, so we are super excited to share some of our favorites with you all!
So quick story on these pictures: we took these at one of our favorite juice bars #1: Juiceland: this spot is actually in Austin, too! They have the best smoothies and juices, and they even have some great salads and wraps!#2: Lala’s Mexican Cuisine: as so many good, healthy Mexican options, and you can even get your tacos wrapped in lettuce OR your enchilada wrapped in zucchini! All of their food is organic and non-GMO. Gather Kitchen is a great breakfast, lunch, or dinner spot. You can create your own bowl, too. True Food Kitchen is a lot of people’s favorites and SO many healthy options!
It also happens to be walking distance to two of our other favorite spots: Gather Kitchen and True Food Kitchen.#5: FlowerChild: has a ton of vegan and vegetarian options! You can also create your own bowl, and they have sustainable protein options like chicken and salmon, too.
#6: Tribal All Day Cafe: you all may know of their juices, but they also have a food menu in Dallas. They have things like tacos and migas, smoothies, bowls, and wraps. Everything is so fresh!
#7: Snappy Salads: our go-to salad spot! We like to get the large size and fill it up with all the veggies!#8: Kozy Kitchen: LOVE this spot for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Their portions are huge and they have an amazing roasted vegetable plate, amongst other great dishes. The breakfast there is also killer.
#9: Origin Kitchen And Bar: This place has a ton of paleo and vegetarian options! We love their salads, and they have a ton of great bowls and healthier options!#10: Mudhen Meat and Greens: Another great spot in the Dallas Farmer’s Market. They have a board in the restaurant with all their fresh, in-season vegetables and label them if they are vegan. We also love their spring roll appetizers!
#11: Reverie Bakeshop: if you love dessert, you all HAVE to try this one! They have all plant-based and vegan treats. SO good!And some on our list to try (we have heard all great things!):
#1:V Eats Modern Vegan: Sam’s boyfriend said this spot was actually pretty good and he isn’t vegan!
#2: Be Raw: this spot has all raw foods and looks delicious!
#3: Cosmic Cafe: the food looks really good here, and the stir fries sound delicious!#4: Sundown At Granada: this is actually very close to where we live, so we have to pop in sometime!
#5: Spiral Diner: they have a lot of options that are usual favorites, but made vegan.
#6: Goji Cafe: this place is a vegan restaurant with Asian and Chinese cuisine! All of the food looks amazing.
#7: Recipe Oak Cliff: they have a ton of fresh juices, salads, and even zoodles!What is so great about most of these places is that a lot of them are walkable to each other! Of course, if you’re going to be doing some walking, you need some comfy shoes.
These blush ballet flats are SOOO comfy– perfect for walking and grabbing a bite! We know when we worked our corporate jobs, or even a lot of days now, we want to get some fresh air and grab a bite somewhere where we can walk to. Not only are these ballet flats comfortable, they are great for work, too, and they come in several colors like black, gold, and silver.
So, we know you’re probably wondering… another pair of ballet flats. They all look the same! Welllll, this pair is different for several reasons, and we know you will love them as much we do!
This blush pair feels like you’re totally wearing sneakers (in a good way), but look like a sleek pair of ballet flats. They’re super bouncy and cushion-y, and so light! We love this blush color as a great neutral, but we also have our eyes on the metallic gold or silver.
In case you missed our last episode of An Extra Dose, you can listen to that here! In case you can’t find us on apple podcasts, you may have to unsubscribe from our old podcast, and then search again for “an extra dose” and then resubscribe! You can now listen to us on Spotify, too!
In case you miss any of our future episodes of An Extra Dose, you can listen to them under on our main page (adoubledose.com > Lifestyle > Podcasts).
A little about this episode:
The Belbel sisters talk about their past weekend and upcoming travel to Austin. The girls give ideas on how to stay stylish at football games. Samantha and Alexis also give an update on their plant based diet and what benefits they have seen from it. The twins share how they each met their boyfriends, and finish off with their favorite places to get affordable home decor.
We would LOOOOVE to hear your feedback. We are just starting out, so any tips or anything you want answered, we are all ears! Also, don’t forget to rate + review us on iTunes.
To listen to the episode, click the PLAY button at the top, or you can search “an extra dose” in iTunes or the podcast app!
Send any questions you wanted answered on An Extra Dose to [email protected] OR comment below on this post.