red, white, & blueberries

 

happy 4th of July guys! this tower of straight awesomeness was displayed at Sweets in City Centre earlier this week.  isn't it pretty!? pretty and patriotic indeed. hope you had a blast celebrating.

i celebrated by making and eating cliché red, white, and blue themed food all day. :)

breakfast was a big bowl of cinnamon oat bran topped with juicy blueberries, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and Walden Farms pancake syrup, and a cup of scrambled egg whites. i have been eating my oat bran this way for the past several weeks cause it's so addicting! i was up super-duper early this morning cause well,  i didn't sleep. again.

:-?

been dealing with ebook issues all week y'all, my goodness.  the previous post concerning the book (fit foodie lean) will be updated with new info for ya. bear with me.

after my boys woke up later, i made them some banana pancakes topped with fresh berries, sugar-free cool whip, and sprinkles!  we have sprinkles often though, so this was no big deal to Chiso.

holidays always put me in an extra special baking mood, and i went with a light vanilla angel food cake with an american flag fruit design on top.  this is like a cool whip classic dessert that never gets old.  here's my version though:

light vanilla ?angel food cake?:

the stuff:

• ?1 cup stevia for baking (not the packets)
• ?1/2 cup coconut crystals
• ?1 tsp vanilla
• ?1 cup Bob's Red Mill 100% whole wheat pastry flour (or any cake flour)
• ?12 egg whites
• ?1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• ?1/4 tsp salt
• ?1tsp lemon juice

do this:

?mix 3/4 (half) of sugar mixture and flour together, and ?beat egg whites with mixer until foamy?.

add cream of tartar and salt and beat until soft peaks?form.

add remaining 3/4 cup sugar 2 tbsp at a time until soft peaks form.

?beat in lemon juice. sift flour/sugar mixture in 1/4 cup at a time folding until incorporated.

spoon the batter into cupcake pans, round pans, bundt pans, square pans, whatever?.

adjust cooking times for a 325 degree oven.  bake and cool.

         makes: 12 pieces

1 piece per serving:

note:  now, ☝if you don't follow these steps exactly, you might be having angel food brick?for dessert?. not that it wont still taste good though! top with sugar-free cool whip and ?berries?.

i went to get my workout outta the way cause we had a few parties to attend later  that evening.  i came home thinking these two were getting dressed to go but found the opposite...

first stop, Dami's 4th of July party!  you know she lives in NY, so i see her every chance i get when she's in town.  happy belated birthday to her hubby, Niyi.

who else is in town? my big brother!!!! he works overseas and surprised our entire family this weekend and just popped up outta no where.  that's just his style.  spending as much time with this dork as possible before he leaves again. *tear*

so i had cake twice on the 4th- i could NOT pass up this slice of pure heaven from Maureen's Gourmet Bakery in Sugar Land, TX, Dami's fave cake place.  i totally see why!  the icing was not too sweet, creamy, fluffy, and the moist vanilla cake was just....perfect.  i mean really.

was it worth another serving in a cup and eaten with a spoon? :shock: heck yes. i know party food can be tempting, so i made an IG post on how to eat at a social event- check it out for some good tips to help you stay (somewhat) on track!

then we headed to another family graduation event - congrats to the Abadom sisters!!! i do believe this is the most people i've met from IG and Facebook in one day, forreals!  i am no celebrity and i certainly don't feel like one, so when people tell me they are nervous to meet me, i am beyond baffled and humbled.  just know that i will always be the nervous one, no kidding.  i know people always have certain expectations when meeting someone in person after following them online (i know i do!), but i would hope that the two aren't so drastically different with me!  i do love to express my love and giddiness for fitness and food via social media, but i am still lil' ol' shy leah e.  i can't deny how fun it is meeting new people though, and it is truly helping to flourish my social side!  it was a pleasure and an honor to meet  them all :)

*newsflash* - cherries are definitely in season and on sale all over the place- maybe even your local grocery store! you should check for this superfruit next time you're there.

Q: did you pop your own fireworks, or just watch this year?

le