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i'm not really a simple person, actually.

i'm more... eclectic? i don't know. hip? no.

hipster? yeaaaa-no.

but i like these brownies.

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i've been really into fresh ginger lately; fresh ginger porridge, fresh ginger soba, fresh ginger tea... it's just so, so, so good. GINGER PEOPLE. i swear it will be the new kale in a couple of months.

fads, for goodness sake.

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but let's quit talking about me for a second here. i'm writing right now to tell you about these brownies. these are actually SO GOOD and they use 3 ingredients, and take about 3.14159265359 minutes to make. that's right. (i timed it exactly).

i know i say this about the majority of my desserts, but seriously. let's get real. 3.14159265359 minutes *coughcough* nerd pi-jokes *cough*, 3 ingredients. that's pretty radical. insert nerd-surfer face here. (please tell me you get it..."radical")

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other than those two little things, these brownies are super duper versatile. you can add whatever spices you'd like. now that i'm thinking of it, i should've added some cayenne! sweet/spicy = my kind of party.

3 ingredient raw brownie bites (for simple people)

makes 6 bites

loosely adapted from laura

3/4 cup raw buckwheat groats

1-1/3 cup pitted dates (preferably medjool)

1/4 cup cacao powder

pinch of salt

(optional) 2 tsp vietnamese cinnamon

01. in a food processor, blend buckwheat until a flour forms. (little chunks here and there are a-okay)

02. add pitted dates, cacao powder, salt, and cinnamon and process until a large ball forms

03. once everything is thoroughly combined, roll out "brownie dough" using a damp rolling pin until about 1 to 1.5" thick

04. cut the dough into 6 even bite-sized pieces of brownie

05. press in more buckwheat for extra crunch, or even emmy's cacao coconut super cereal like i did. (emmy's organics is awesomeness)

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a couple of weeks ago, the lovely sarah asked me to do a product review. so today, i am going to talk about squarebar. 

squarebar sources only organic and non-GMO ingredients for their bars. all of their scrumptious protein bars are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, peanut-free, corn-free, and vegan of course. 

squarebar sources only organic and non-GMO ingredients for their bars. all of their scrumptious protein bars are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, peanut-free, corn-free, and vegan of course. 

"We source only the most nutrient-dense organic and non-gmo foods, and work directly with farmers to ensure an ethical path from crop to bar.

That way the most important ingredient of all [you] can feel good about the food you eat."

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they make their bars with REAL ingredients, none of that bad stuff. 

Organic Coconut Nectar

Whole Grain Organic Rice Protein

and Organic Coconut Oil

are on their minimal list of ingredients.

squarebar offers three flavors: cocoa almond, cocoa crunch, and cocoa coconut. all of them having a irresistible chocolate coating. and to be completely honest, i can't choose my favorite.

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the first bar i tried was the cocoa crunch (which is pictured on my "ice cream" parfait above). at first bite, you get the great kick of chocolate. and everyone loves chocolate, especially when it's filled with 12g of plant-based protein, and is completely healthy for you.

next, the cocoa coconut bar. i ended up eating it with some chopped berries and greek yogurt for breakfast the other morning, and all i can say is that it was the perfect coconut-y, tropical compliment. you can see the shreds of coconut inside the bar! 

lastly, i had the cocoa almond. okay, maybe i can admit that this one was my favorite. the flavor is outstanding. hints of cinnamon, bites of chocolate, and of course, the crunch of pieces of almonds. yum. it's like a wholesome almond butter cup packed into a little bar.

what i love best about these bars, is that they have no added "flavorings" or "additives". they use simple ingredients, and that's what makes them good. squarebar, i give you a 10/10.

if any of you are interested in purchasing these bars (and i highly recommend that you do), go to squarebar.com, select your bars, and in the checkout, enter the code 'minimalmeals' for 20% off your order + free shipping! 

for my fellow aussies and brits, or anyone else outside of the U.S., squarebars are available on iherb.com.

and to everyone, i wasn't going to leave you hanging without this recipe, was i?

neapolitan ice cream sundae

4 frozen bananas (or more)

1/2 cup strawberries

1 tbs cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

01. in a food processor or high-speed blender, blend 4 frozen bananas until an "ice cream" is formed, and the mixture is completely smooth

02. split the "ice cream" into 3 equal parts. leave one part in the food processor, and split the last two parts in separate small bowls, and put back in the freezer

03. with the remaining third in the processor, blend with vanilla. put in small bowl and into freezer

04. take one plain ice cream bowl out of freezer, put ice cream into the blender, and blend with cocoa powder. put back into freezer

05. take last plain ice cream bowl out of the freezer, put ice cream into the blender, and blend with strawberries

06. in a tall glass, or large bowl, compile all of the ice creams, and top with a chopped cocoa crunch square bar

07. enjoy

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yesterday morning, i wanted to make a cake. but not just any cake, a carrot cake. 

i took on the challenge of creating a relatively "raw" carrot cake. 

no, i wasn't eating raw batter, but rather vegetables and delicious stuff.

VEGETABLES YOU SAY?

yes.

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but things went wrong. terribly wrong. and i think this is the first time i've ever come across something so unbelievably unpleasant looking. but i was okay with it, because it tasted AWESOME. 

i first started by letting the finished cake chill in a springform pan about 12" in diameter. but when i took it out the next morning, it was about 1/4" thick. i didn't want a mere brownie, here. 

then, because of its extreme moistness and consistency, i realized i could "form" it into a three-tiered cake. but i didn't have a springform pan for that. who would?

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naturally, i hand-formed the layers. lopsided. uneven. not in the least symmetrical. it just... i just... tried. so i layered them with this (genius) caramel-maple frosting i made, and i figured i could drip sauce down the sides.

done. but awful. the poor little cake had started to soak up the glaze that had pooled around the bottom.

great.

i tried to get rid of glaze as best i could to reshoot it. i just kind of shimmied the layers together into ONE cake. meh, at least it looked better.

glaze again. meh.

the cut. meh. it sunk into itself. meh.

you can see above what the so-called "slices" of cake looked like – seeming like huge handfuls of carrot cake.

but you know what i did about it? i laughed. i laughed because it was my first creation that kind of fell apart, and that i was perfectly okay with it.

i spent quite a bit of time just shooting and creating this post just to tell you that mistakes are okay. and that this cake pretty much looked awful but tasted great.

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my friends, mistakes are okay. they probably will end up tasting delicious.

so, if you'd like this recipe for your own failure, i'm pleased to hand it over.

relatively raw carrot cake

loosely adapted from this recipe

cake:

1-3/4c pitted dates (soaked for 15min)

2 medium apples

1/4c date water

1 tbs lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 lb carrots (about 4-5 medium) peeled + shredded

3/4c coconut flour

glaze:

1-1/3c coconut sugar

splash of almond milk

01. in a food processor, combine and process dates, apples, date soaking water, lemon juice, and vanilla. process until smooth (with little chunks)

02. add nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and process again

03. in a large bowl, gently mix together food processor mixture and shredded carrots until combined

04. sift in coconut flour. mix. if the batter is not sweet enough, feel free to add a couple tablespoons of coconut sugar

05. evenly press batter into a small springform / container and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight

06. in a small blender (or food processor) grind coconut sugar until it turns into a very fine powder

07. move the coconut powdered sugar to a large bowl, and pour a small splash (about 1 tbs) of almond milk  

08. stir (adding enough milk) until you reach a desired consistency

09. store in fridge until cake is ready

10. for the cake, you can form it into basically any shape you want... so do what i did, or don't do what i did! 

11. pour spoonfuls of the glaze over the top for optimum awesomeness and maple-y taste