Who doesn't love a cheddar pun?

Oh Murray's, could you be more adorable?

Breakfast Quinoa

The original recipe calls for blueberries and I had defrosted some from my freezer but sadly they were freezer burned and funky tasting so I substituted some fresh blackberries I had. I also substituted nutmeg for cinnamon and maple syrup for agave 'cause well I'm just like that. 

1 c. quinoa
2 c. water
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. blackberries
1 tbs. ground flax seeds
1/2 c. soy milk
1 tbs. maple syrup


Bring the quinoa and water to boil, cover and drop to a simmer. Let simmer for 15 min. 
Add berries and nutmeg and let cook for another five minutes.
Mix in the flaxseeds. 
Portion out and add maple syrup and soy milk. 
Enjoy!

Healthy Breakfast

Orange Pineapple Ginger Juice

2 Pineapples

2 Navel Oranges

1 knob of Ginger

I criminally neglect my juicer. But I'm trying to make an effort to experiment. I think I just get nervous to mix things in case it turns out horribly and then I've wasted money and have to clean fruit pulp out of everything. Fortunately I have to walk through the produce department everyday to get to Specialty so I can keep an eye on sales. This concoction was the result of both a pineapple and orange sale. And I love ginger in any for. The more the merrier. Next time I might add a few more oranges for balance, but I love how the ginger still shines through. It gives this really lovely cleansing feeling to help wake you up (especially if you have sinus issues like myself)

No Bake Energy Bites

These kept popping up on my Pinterest. You'll notice at the source hers look much nice than mine. I tweaked the recipe just a tiny bit which made them drier, but still yummy.

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup fresh ground almond butter

1/2 course ground flaxseed

1/4 cup dark chocolate flakes (use a sharp knife on the edge of a block of chocolate)

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup honey

Now I missed the direction to refrigerate for a half hour before trying to roll them. So that might also lend to them not mixing together as well. But they are super yummy and perfect for my opening shifts when it's too early to want to eat.

The Duck and Bunny

Megan and I stopped in to the Duck and Bunny in Providence this fine afternoon and had ourselves a little snack. The Duck and Bunny calls itself a "snuggery". As far as I can tell that means an adorable and cozy place to eat sugary snacks. Now they serve savory crepes as well, but I've yet to try one. This time I went for the Jack and Abby which is lemon and sugar. Simple and perfect. 

These are the 2 Valentine's Day display I built at the store.

...and I've gotten in to instagram

Now with added cheese

I was watching an episode of Amazing Foods and heard a quote I've somehow never heard in all my cheesey adventures:

 "Many's the long night I've dreamed of cheese--toasted, mostly"
-Robert Louis Stevenson

And inspiration struck!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adventures in vegan baking! I've spent the last 4 days eating vegan and considering I work with cheese all day I'm pretty proud of myself. That being said I've had wicked sugar cravings. I mean, INTENSE. So I decided to make these:

1 mashed banana (in place of egg)
1 cup Earth Balance (in place of butter)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips (most chocolate above 50% should be milk free, depending on brand)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Blend banana, earth balance, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Add in the dry ingredients. Fold chocolate chips in to the batter.
Bake for 12 min.

I don't really know how to describe these. They are gooey on the inside and crusty on the outside. The banana flavor is pretty intense, which I love. If you aren't a fan of banana you might want to try a different egg replacer. If you don't look to hard at all the sugar you'd almost think they were good for you!