Healthier Red Velvet Pancakes and my week

I love red velvet cake. Don't you? They're so delicious, especially since there's that hint of chocolate with it. I love chocolate.
Yes, I've made red velvet cake before, a long time ago. But, I never took pictures of it because it was my first time. My classmates actually liked it and said it's hard to make red velvet cake taste good. I was surprised. I'll post my recipe once I make it again and take pictures of it. I just never got around making it again since my family prefers ice cream cake.
Anyway, I've been having cravings for red velvet cake but I knew that I couldn't make the whole cake. Also, it's so unhealthy! So, I decided to make these healthier red velvet pancakes. They're quite delicious (but a little high in sugar). The finished pancakes are a bit sticky but that's how they are. I like that kind of texture. If not, then you can just reduce the greek yogurt and add more almond milk. Also, you can bake these if you don't like to make pancakes with them. They'll be like red velvet cupcakes but a bit sticky. A picture of the cupcakes are posted below the recipe. So, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2 or 3 drops red food coloring
• a dash of salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. 
2. Mix in all the wet ingredients. 
3. Heat a non-stick skillet and spray with cooking spray (such as PAM or something like that). Mine is the olive oil spray. You can use butter as well, if you like the taste of butter. 
4. Take about 1/4 cup of the mixture and pour it onto the skillet, pan or whatever you are using to cook the pancakes. Once bubbles start to form, flip the pancakes. I warn you, it will be a bit hard to flip them. 
5. Cook on that side for about 1 minute and the pancakes are done. 
6. Serve and enjoy!
7. If you would like to bake these instead, then pour the batter into the cupcake tins and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes. 
8. They will deflate once you take them out. Let them cool and enjoy! They will stick to the paper liners (if you're using them). I highly suggest you spray the tins with cooking spray so that it won't stick to the tins. 

 I hope you guys enjoy these pancakes or cupcakes. 

So, my week has been quite busy! Here's what I've done this week. For one thing, I went grocery shopping. I love grocery shopping. Here's what I got. 

I bought the Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, Van's Whole Grain Waffles, non-fat vanilla greek yogurt, two ProMax Bars (one of which is the ProMax Lower Sugar Chocolate Fudge) , 1 Clif Bar and the Kellogg's Double Chocolate Crave Cereal.

Both of the cereals were delicious. I'm definitely buying the Peanut Butter Panda Puffs again or the Koala Chocolate Crisp one.

What's cool is that I also went to Dollar Tree and bought these two healthier snacks. So, yes, you can buy healthy foods cheap!

Glories Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips and the Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cakes. The chips were delicious and everyone in my family loved them. The peanut butter cakes were small and tasted decent. They weren't bad, at least. We finished them all on the car ride to Stanford yesterday (which I will talk about later in this post).

On Wednesday, I went to campus to work on my debate outline. I bought this to drink on when I was working on it. It's the No-Calorie Lemon Brisk drink. At least I ate a healthy lunch of my asian black bean burgers and steamed vegetables.

After working on the outline for a couple of hours, I went to volunteer at the hospital. I bought this for my early dinner at their cafe before volunteering.

I bought the Napa Chicken with Avocado Wrap and Mint Dark Chocolate M&M's. The wrap was decent but I wish I bought the regular dark chocolate M&M's. These were just TOO minty.

I met a volunteer that was volunteering at the same department as me. He's been volunteering there for a year now and gave me some advice. His name's Antonio. He also attends the same uni as me. While volunteering, they had an apple brandy cake for the workers and volunteers to eat. It was so good. I have to make that one day. Well, once I get the brandy, I'll make the cake. It was a pretty easy day for volunteering though.

Friday was work and it was pretty much a good day. A lot of typing and filing. It was fun. Also,  I bought the Black and White Mocha from Fluid and it was delicious! I go to Fluid every week when I go to work. I've been tempted to buy their burritos but I always end up buying a baked good instead. Their whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are the best!

Then, yesterday, it was a busy day. We went to Redwood City to do some stuff. Then, we went to visit Stanford University. My mom always wanted to go visit there, so, we finally did since it's close to Redwood City. Here's some pictures of Stanford (and me there). Just to let you know, I normally don't post pictures of others. Only of myself. Most of the time, my friends and family don't want their pictures posted, so, I respect that.

The campus was so beautiful! I mean, I visited Stanford before, 2 years ago, but it was cloudy that day and it was rainy. But, today, it was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect too. It was a lot of walking but a great workout too. My dad took these pictures.

Also at Stanford, I saw this 20th Century propaganda during the wars.

I just had to take a picture of it since I'm learning about this in my history class.

Anyway, we ate those sweet potato chips and peanut butter cakes on the car ride.

After, we went to San Francisco and went to a shopping mall. I've been wanting to go to the Asian store, Yes Style, for the longest time. I tried going last year around this time, but they were closed. But, yesterday, it was open. I was so happy! The store is on the 2nd floor, located next to Macy's. The store is small and the prices aren't that great. But, the style is from Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong. I looked through their dresses and some of them were actually cute! I ended up buying the 59 Seconds Lace Panel Keyhole Back Skater Dress. It's a Hong Kong brand. The dress is so cute. Here's the link to the website.

Here's my failed attempt at taking pictures of my dress.

Then, we went to the food court to eat some dinner. I went to California Crisp and bought the BBQ Chicken Flatbread. It came with this past salad.

The flatbread sandwich tasted pretty good. They even make it fresh. I didn't eat much of the pasta but it tasted okay.

I also tried making a mocha drink with instant coffee. I added half a hot chocolate packet, a teaspoon of instant coffee, hot water, almond milk and a packet of stevia. It tasted alright but I'm going to perfect it one day.

Sorry for this long post.

Anyway, how was your week (and weekend)?
Did you go to my friend's band's performance last night?

Do you live in SoCal or are in the SoCal area?

If you do, then come listen to my friend's band, Revolt With Reason!

Revolt With Reason is an alternative Rock Band and they released their first album, We're Not What We Seem, in December. They will be performing at Butler's Coffee this Saturday, March 30, at 7 pm. Come check them out. They're an amazing band.

Melanie Devaney will also be preforming at this time. So, you get two shows for free. It's suggested that you buy Butler's Oreo Shakes (I hear that it's delicious!). Get there early if you want a good seat. =) 

Revolt with Reason and Melanie Devaney

Butler's Coffee 

40125 10th St West, Suite i, Palmdale, California 93551

March 30, 2013 @ 7 pm

Here's a link to one of their songs (for a preview). 

And here's their facebook page. 

Peanut Butter Agave Protein Balls

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys today? It's my first official day of Spring Break and guess what? It's spent at home, relaxing.
I guess it's okay, even though I'd like to travel instead. I want to visit Spain, China, Hawaii or some other places. Anyway, I'm satisfied that I've been pretty much productive on my first day of break. I finished writing my history paper and I ran 6 miles today. For my history paper, I had to read Slaughterhouse Five and write a response paper to it. As for my running, I had to run on the treadmill. It was okay though. I wasn't even planning running that long but I guess I just kept going since I was listening to my favorite songs.
Anyway, I'm here to post this recipe, my Peanut Butter Agave Protein Balls. I just made them recently and they are delicious and addicting. If you add dark chocolate chips, it tastes even better (well, if you like chocolate, that is). These still taste great just as is. So, here's the recipe.

Servings: ~ 21 peanut butter agave balls
Calories: ~ 70 calories each

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup agave
• 1 cup oats
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream together the agave and the peanut butter. 
2. Mix in the oats, protein powder and ground cinnamon. 
3. Form into balls and place on a plate.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
5. Enjoy!

I hope you guys enjoy the protein balls. 

So, the past weekend has been fun. On Saturday, I went to Starbucks and In-N-Out Burger. It was fun and it was nice. It's been such a long time since I last ate a cheeseburger. I felt like a pig eating it but it was alright. I ordered the White Chocolate Mocha with Soymilk from Starbucks.

Yesterday, I went to Six Flags with the family. It was fun. I'm just scared now, since for the roller coasters that go upside down, it doesn't feel that secure. The safety belt is kind of loose on me. Other than that, I love roller coasters. 

I also ordered the Shamrock Shake from McDonald's after spending a few hours at Six Flags. 

It actually looked somewhat like the actual picture. The cherry looked fake though. I didn't eat the cherry. However, the rest of the shake tasted like a vanilla milk shake with mint flavor mixed in. It wasn't bad. It looked kind of cool since it's green but it's not something I would order again. I just wanted to try it since it's only available in March. 

After, my family and I went shopping and I bought these heels. 

I know, I bought heels on Saturday but I couldn't resist buying these. They were only 10 dollars! They look good on me too. I'm getting obsessed with heels now. Well, maybe it's because I'm short....Anyway, I just hope I don't trip while walking with them on. They're 5 inch heels. The other pair is 4 inch. 

Also, I've been using this No. 7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Exfoliator

I actually really like this product. After using it, it makes my skin feel softer and smoother. My acne also is looking better too. I'm not breaking out that much and I've been using it for a couple weeks. 

I guess that's it for now.

So, do you like writing papers?

What's your favorite type of shoe?

What exercise do you do?

Healthier Spicy Mac N Cheese

Hey everyone. How are you guys doing today? I've been busy all week, thank you very much. However, I have to share this recipe with you. I'll tell you guys more about my week later in this post. Good thing I'm on Spring Break now! It's only one week though. 

 Anyway, this recipe is a very easy mac n cheese recipe. It's also so much healthier. I really hope you guys enjoy it. I used laughing cow swiss cheese and I used some sriracha. You have to love sriracha. It adds the spice that I love. I also used whole wheat noodles. Here's the recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried whole wheat noodles
• 2 wedges laughing cow swiss cheese
• sriracha (or hot chili sauce)

Directions:

1. Cook the whole wheat noodles. Boiling them for about 9 minutes should be enough. Drain the noodles. 
2. Mix in the cheese until it melts. 
3. Pour into a bowl. 
4. Drizzle sriracha on top. 
5. Enjoy

It's so simple and easy, right? And, it tastes so good! You can also add some garlic powder/salt if you want a bit more flavor. But, this is sufficient for me. 

Anyway, my week has been quite hectic. I had to do a lot of research for my group debate, I had to find articles for my group research project, volunteering, hanging out with friends, working out, taking tests and doing homework, attending class, you get what I mean. 

In my history class, we're learning about World War Two. We just learned about the Pacific part of the war, with Japan. We learned about the atomic bombs and that stuff. But, for that class, we also have to read Slaughterhouse Five and write a response paper to it. 

In biology, we're learning about genetics. It's quite interesting. The last thing we talked about was about genetic diseases. 

In psychology, we're learning about the research methods. 

As for my volunteering, I volunteer at the hospital. I actually got to see a procedure being done the past week. There was a patient that needed their pacemaker fixed. So, they had to cut into the chest to take the pacemaker and fix it. It was actually quite interesting and very bloody. But, somehow, I didn't faint or anything. The people there were surprised I didn't faint and said that I have a future doing this..anyway, it's amazing how it takes a lot of people to do the procedure. Medical work is teamwork. They ended up giving the patient a new pacemaker just to be on the safe side. 

My eats have been quite decent too. I tried this new snack that the vending machines have on campus. It's Mrs. May's Almond Crunch. 

I like how my school is trying to sell healthier things to its students. That's a good thing. What's even better is that these weren't half bad. It was basically just almonds and this sticky syrup that holds it together. It was crunchy and sweet. I liked it. 

Before my night class, I got hungry. So, I bought this Chicken Pesto Pita from the store on campus. 

It was pretty decent. The chicken was good and so was the pita. I just wish there was a bit more of the chicken filling in the pita. It was delicious, other than that. I also ate some Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips with this but I forgot to take a picture. The pita chips were pretty good. Then again, I love the cinnamon sugar combination and I do love pita chips. 

Before going to work on Friday, I stopped by Fluid (the coffee shop I love!) and ordered a Mexican mocha and one of their homemade whole wheat chocolate chip cookies. I love how they're using organic ingredients and are making their baked goods so much healthier. They even make vegan items too. Anyway, the cookie was delicious. Soft, moist and just the right amount of sweetness. 

I also went shopping today and I bought these cute heels. 

I know, the price tag says $24.99 or something like that but they were actually $14.99, originally $30.  I love these shoes..if only I could walk in heels and not trip. haha. Anyway....

I can't wait to try these raisinets and try eating pasta with the mushroom pasta sauce.

Also today, I went to this Japanese Bakery. I got this Hazelnut bread with Chocolate Cream and peanuts on top. Here's me with the bread. I know, I look so weird.

So, do you like Mac N Cheese?

What's your favorite savory food? Sweet food?

How was your week?

Quinoa Fried Rice

Hey hey everyone. I'm so sorry for not posting as often as I have been before. I've been so busy. School, studying, volunteering, working out, hanging with friends, it gets so busy! 

Anyway, I've been doing my best to manage my time. I have time for everything, except keeping up with my blogging. It's going to get even crazier once I start taking higher level classes later on, and especially if I get a part time job.  

Anyway, here's a quick and easy quinoa fried rice recipe that I love. It's really simple to make and I've been eating it a lot. Here's the recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup egg whites (egg substitute, I used egg beaters)
• 1 boca burger, cut into pieces (or any other meat you want to use)
• 3-4 tablespoon tamari

Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa with the water. 
2. In a nonstick pan, heat up the frozen boca burger (or any other meat you want to use) and the eggs. Then, add in the quinoa. 
3. After adding in the quinoa, mix it so that all the ingredients mix together. 
4. Mix in the tamari. You can add more if you like more of a soy sauce taste. 
5. Enjoy

This past week has been quite active and busy. But, I seriously love this semester better than last semester. 

Anyway, I'm really debating whether to continue strength training. My muscles are growing, that's for sure, but it's adding bulk. I'm not sure if I really want that look. My thighs and arms, you can really tell. The only good thing I can say is that, I've gotten a few compliments saying that I have nice legs. 

Anyway, I went to a local diner the PAST weekend (not this weekend) and I ordered the buffalo chicken salad. It was so good (but not that healthy, since there was deep-fried chicken). The salad was huge but it was delicious! The chicken was really spicy and I loved that. It also came with cheese, balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette  and a sliced boiled egg (and other things too, as you can see from the picture). 

After, I ordered this chocolate sundae. It was huge! 

Well, huge for my liking, anyway. It was so delicious though. Hey. It's good to indulge once in a while. 

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I have to get some reading done and do research for my group debate. 

What are your plans for the weekend? 

Do you have any delicious quinoa recipes? 

Asian Black Bean Burgers

Hey hey everyone. How has your week been? It's been pretty busy for me. I'm so sorry for not posting as often. Anyway...here's a recipe a promised. So...

Do you guys like Black Bean Burgers?

I love how they're a great alternative to regular hamburgers, especially for vegetarians. These black bean burgers are Asian style and are really yummy. I hope you guys enjoy these. Here's the recipe.

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 can black beans, drained (15 oz can)
• 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 tsp sriracha
• 2 tablespoon hot chili sauce
• 2 tsp tamari
• a sprinkle of garlic powder
• a sprinkle of anise powder

Directions:

1. Mash the black beans. 
2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. 
3. Form into burger patties. I used 1/4 cup for each patty. 
4. Bake at 350 F for about 18 minutes, flipping once. 
5. Enjoy! 

I hope you guys enjoy this! And, now here's my week. 

Monday was more of a rest day for me. On my "rest day", I took an hour long walk along the river. 

It was such a nice and sunny day. 

Also on Monday, I ate these Heart Thrive Chocolate cookie thing: 

 They tasted like a really healthy chocolate chip cookie. It wasn't really sweet, which I liked. It was a bit dense, chewy and filling.

I also tried the Kirland Almond Bark, which was yummy.

 I bought this Silver Hill Vegan bread and Laughing Giraffe Organic Goji Cocao and Maca. It's basically like a vegan coconut macaroon. It was pretty good, especially if you like macaroons. However, the bread was only okay. It was chewy. I guess it's because it's Canadian bread. I like it when it's toasted.

In class that day, we talked about the Great Depression.

Tuesday was quite a day. I learned a lot about calorie burning. A 20 minute lifting session only burns 75 calories for me and 65 minutes on an elliptical only burns 344 calories. I can't believe it. On the elliptical  it says I burned 700 calories. I guess it's 1/2 off, which is scary. I also started taking some pictures. Here's two of the many I took. 

I'm posing in one of the pictures and I'm doing the straddle stretch in the other. Yes, I got a little bored stretching after working out. 

In class, we learned about mitosis. In my other class, we learned about validity in research.

On Wednesday, I volunteered at the hospital at the Cardiac Cath Lab. It was my first day. The nurses were really nice. It was more of a learning and observation day since it was my first day. I get to watch an actual procedure next week. 

Since volunteering is about 4 hours long, I decided to eat some food (well, my dad told me to). I ended up eating a grilled chicken sandwich from Burger King and ordered their promotional 25 cent coffee. I ordered it cold with vanilla. The sandwich was eh. I didn't like the bread. The coffee was alright, considering it was only 25 cents. 

My dad also bought this Chinese drink at the Chinese store. It's the same exact drink I drank a lot while I was in China! Oh, memories. 

In class that day, we learned about the Great Depression and much about Franklin Roosevelt and his reforms. 

Yesterday, I was quite busy! I had 3 classes, one of them a night class. In one of my classes, we learned about meiosis. In the other, we went over our exam from last week. In my night class, we learned about some social problems. We also watched a video in that class. We got free coffee, baked goods and fruit.  I also stayed late yesterday working on homework for the class with friends. 

I ended up buying this for dinner. It's Jamba Juice Flat Bread Smokehouse Chicken or something like that. 

Don't let the picture deceive you. It wasn't that big. It tasted alright though. The inside was good but the crust was really bland. It was interesting that they put corn on it. 

Today, I went for a walk with my aunt's walking group around the park. It was nice. Then, I had work, where I had to scan and copy a ton of paper. I ate this ProMax Lower Sugar Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar and the coconut macaroon thing I bought earlier this week: 

The coconut macaroon thing is really good. The ProMax bar was alright. It was chewy but there wasn't really a chocolate flavor to it. 

I also ran to the library and back. My dad rode his bike behind me. It's funny because my running to the library and back is faster than riding my bike there and back. 25 minutes, 3 miles. Usually, it would be faster but my foot has been hurting for a while. I don't know why though. 

Well, I guess that's it for now. 

How was your week?

Do you like coconut?

What's your opinion on black bean burgers?