Thinking Out Loud #23

I'm pretty I blinked and this week is basically over. Did I not say last week that Thursday's just sneak up on me?! This week has been hectic, hence my lack of posts, so I apologize. I'll today's thinking out loud as a mini recap/mix of random thoughts because why not? Let's jump in!

1. I have been in desperate need of new running shorts for a very long time, but I have a hard time parting with good workout gear. If it's not totally destroyed why replace it? I had been wearing my trust black running shorts since I was a junior in high school (sad but true) and they were perfectly broken in. I had tried countless pairs of other shorts over the years but they chaffed or were really uncomfortable. I went to Dick's on a whim and left with the most comfortable pair of running shorts I have EVER owned. I bought a pair from Carrie Underwood's Calia line and I am now hooked. Over the weekend I went back and got another pair and two sports bras because her sports bras are the best! I have nothing but praise for her athletic line and I highly recommend it!

2. Does anyone else randomly browse Amazon? I was looking for a birthday gift for a friend but somehow ended up looking at wine glasses, no clue how I made that leap. I found this wine glass and laughed. It says, "I like long romantic walks down every aisle at Target."😂 I have no clue what it is about Target, but it's a fun store to browse in. If you're going to browse leave your wallet at home though because that store is dangerous! 

3. I was given a Whole Foods gift card for Christmas so I made the trek out there late last week. Besides getting some of the freshest berries ever I found Forager dairy free yogurt. It's made from cashews and honestly it was amazing! It was thick and creamy and honestly it looked a lot like Siggi's. I would definitely eat it again and I wish my regular grocery store would carry it. 

4. My boyfriend and I were walking around the mall last weekend and a store had a sign that say, "Hey girl," obviously referencing the Ryan Gosling memes. My boyfriend thought I was crazy because he had no clue what I was talking about. Even I, who has never seen a single movie with Ryan Gosling, knows about these memes. I used to see them all the time on my instagram and Facebook feeds. Please tell me I'm not crazy and the only one who has seen these memes?!

5. I have a stack of recipes to test out and on that list was a giant peanut butter cup AKA a giant Reese's cup. One of my best friends was the taste tester for it because I was thinking about making it for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day (shhh don't tell). I was honestly surprised it turned out so well and was so easy to make. Now I just have to make it prettier and shoot it and I'll share it next week😋 I promise it's super easy to make, only requires a few ingredients and can totally be made last minute.

6. Tuesday I had a meeting so I got to dress up and I was super excited. At the moment it's rare for me to have the opportunity to wear all the dresses I have in my closet so when I get the chance to dress up I jump on it. I found this Adrianna Papell dress at Nordstrom and fell in love. It's simply, classy and perfect for business wear. I'm not super into designers, but I adore Adrianna Papell🙌

7. I got the sweetest package ever from the amazing team at Panera this week. They sent me a gift card, an awesome mason jar, and this super cute workout tank. The tank top is SO soft and I cannot wait to wear it to yoga. Also, the motto on the shirt is basically the story of my life😂 I really do want to say a huge THANK YOU to the team at Panera, y'all have been amazing and I really am proud to support a company that believe in serving real food. 

8. Last night I indulged in some self care. I have been feeling really worn down and I just needed some time to decompress and relax so I pulled out a face mask that I had been saving. Que bella face masks are amazing and leave my skin feeling so good! I usually pick them up at Target but I know they are also available on Amazon. It's a cheap way to treat myself and take a little time out to relax.

9. I'll end on a funny note this week. I found this while I was out this week and busted out laughing😂 I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to not be in such a rush to grow up because it's not all it's cracked up to be. 

Have a terrific Thursday and a fabulous weekend everyone!

What are your plans for the weekend?
Are you doing anything fun to celebrate Valentine's Day next week?

Thinking Out Loud #22

Thursday we meet again. I swear Thursdays always sneak up on me but I have no complaints seeing as Thursday is pre-Friday🎉 As always this is going to be all over the place, but that's what thinking out loud is for! Let's go!

1. I have always been a HUGE John Mayer fan but this song has been on repeat all week. It's a few years old but it is the sweetest song ever💜 I watched a proposal video that was set to this song and a few tears might have been shed because the videography was so well done and this song is just perfect. 

2. Saturday night is always date night for my boyfriend and I and last week we had the randomest combo of food. We were both craving Mexican food so we got takeout for dinner but then I really wanted frozen yogurt, but obviously I can't have it because I can't have dairy. We went on Yelp (best site ever🙌) and found a place 20 minutes away that had gluten and dairy free frozen yogurt! It was TOTALLY worth the drive and I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in vegan frozen yogurt. They shop was adorable and had a ton of options for food allergy peps. I got chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla dairy free frozen yogurt and topped it with sprinkles and dairy free chocolate chips😋 even my BF had some dairy free frozen yogurt and liked it- miracles do happen😜!!

3. My friends and I have been going a local rink on the weekends for open skate since the lake isn't safe to skate on. One of my friends didn't know how to skate so I worked with her and she did really good, but I was exhausted after an hour and a half of catching her before she fell. It was a good workout and it was a ton of fun, plus its cheap entertainment. 

4. I have finally been spending some time in the kitchen testing new recipes. It's been a long time since I have done any real recipe testing because I have had a TON of stomach issues, but that's a story for another time. I wanted to create a fun, easy, and allergy friendly recipe for Valentine's Day so I recreated my mom's peanut butter cookies and they were a huge hit! I made them gluten and dairy free and if you don't have to worry about those things then there's options for you too. They are so easy to make and would be the perfect homemade Valentine's Day gift🍪 Get the recipe and directions here.

5. I cannot be the only pet owner who talks to their pet- I also sing to her but that's another story. I was talking to Cora expressing some frustration and this is the look she gave me. I immediately started laughing and of course stopped what I was doing to play with her. Dogs are the best therapy🐶

6. This week I've been taking it easy at the gym and really eased up on my running. I have been extremely fatigued, way more than just normal lupus fatigue, which I think in part is due to the fact I've been getting like 3 hours of sleep🙈 I ran on Tuesday and my legs hurt and felt like so I've been taking time off to rest and recover. I absolutly HATE taking time off from running because it's my favorite way to spend time thinking and decompressing but sometimes the body needs rest and I'm going to rest so I don't wind up getting hurt.

7. There is so much negativity out there right now. Every time I see the news while I run there's acts of hatred toward one another and it breaks my heart. I heard this quote a long time ago and resonated with me. Being good to people is an amazing legacy to leave behind and I would rather be remembered for being good to people and loving them than for my political beliefs. Love without abandon for we are all humans. 

Have a great Thursday and a fantastic weekend😘

What is your favorite way to decompress after a long or stressful day?
Do you have a favorite quote? If so, what is it?

Gluten and Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away, if you haven't given it a thought until now consider this your friendly reminder😉 Even if you're single Valentine's Day is still a day to share love with all the amazing people in your life. I'm big on telling the people close to me how much they mean to me every day not just one day out of the year, but it's nice to do a little something extra special on Valentine's Day.

Normally Valentine's Day is filled with all sorts of candy hearts and loads of sugar...SO.MUCH.SUGAR😳 so I spent some time in the kitchen modifying one of my mom's peanut butter cookie recipes. These used to be one of my favorite cookies when I was younger before gluten and dairy problems arose. I recreated the recipe using allergy friendly ingredients and the cookies got a thumbs up from my family and friends. They're delicious, easy to make, and perfectly festive for Valentine's Day.  

Gluten and Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup plus 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cane sugar or sugar replacement
• 1/2 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance, for dairy eaters regular butter works too)
• 3/4 cup peanut butter (can sub any nut butter)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• dairy free chocolate hearts for topping

Using a mixer combine butter, brown sugar and cane sugar. 

Add in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. 

Turn mixer to a lower speed and slowly add in gluten free flour and baking soda. Do not over mix batter.

For best results, refrigerate dough for 30 minutes or longer- this helps prevent the dough from spreading too much when baking.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line baking sheet with liner. 

Roll dough into balls 1-1.5 inches in size. You should be able to get 25 cookies (or more) out of the dough depending on how large you roll the cookies. 

Bake at 350F degrees for 9 minutes or until the tops are slightly darker brown and starting to crack.

Remove from oven promptly and press dairy free chocolate heart into cookies. I used dairy free chocolate hearts I found at a local health food store, but I also used some Dove dark chocolate hearts because my family and boyfriend can consume dairy without a problem. 

If the chocolate begins to melt too much after placing them in warm cookies place baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes. 

Store cookies in airtight container for up to 10 days.