Author: Jasmine Briones

watermelonSummer makes me lazy at times, so much that I have been showing my blender all the love and neglecting my poor little juicer. I can't help it, I really really dislike washing the juicer! I always end up getting splashed with water even when I try to prevent it. Plus all of the pieces that need to be clean seem like a hassle, so I turn to my blender! But I must say, I don't mean to use this as anything against my juicer. It's the best juicer I've ever had and is so efficient in that it is slow juicing, extracts maximum amount of juice and is not loud at all. I use a Omega VRT350 Juicer and a Vitamix 6300. I have a list of What's In My Kitchen if ever you are interested in what I normally eat/use.

Healthy Carrot Cake Bites (raw, low fat, gf) A healthy and delicious raw vegan carrot cake that is low in fat, gluten-free, and filled with nothing but the good stuff. Yes, you can have your cake AND eat it too AND feel amazing afterwords. You don't have to worry about any more of that  "detoxing" nonsense after a long birthday weekend. A Healthy Vegan 21st Birthday Celebration: Apple Rose Caramel Tart (Raw) For my birthday this year, I made two low fat raw vegan desserts for my family and I to enjoy. The first was my Apple Rose Caramel Tart (above) and the second was these Carrot Cake Bites. You can read more about my birthday on my last post, including all of delicious meals I had, the cute vegan presents I received, and the amazing all fruit cake my aunt made me.

Below I have shared with you celebration and/or present ideas either for your birthday or for that of a loved on in your life. I hope I inspire you in any which way I can to consider this lifestyle and to choose H E A L T H everyday. A Healthy Vegan 21st Birthday Celebration: Raw Apple 'Oatmeal' and Banana Nice CreamI started my birthday with a beautiful bowl of {raw} fig newton apple cinnamon 'oatmeal' with cinnamon vanilla nice cream + a few gifts I received in the mail. It was just like eating dessert for breakfast, but completely guilt-free! All you have to do is pulse apples, figs, dates and spices in a food processor until a desired consistency is reached, then top it with banana ice cream spiced up with cinnamon and vanilla extract.

Vegan Chipotle Cauliflower Buffalo Bites + Raw Cashew Ranch Dip (gf) The 2014 Football Season is here, and what better way to kick it off than with some spicy, saucy, "I need 20 napkins" buffalo bites? Oh, and they're...drumroll...healthy too. Wait....don't go! Stay for this, I know you'll love them. Cheezy burger spreads, pizza crust, oven-roasted steaks, and now buffalo wings, I think it's safe to say that with Cauliflower, you can do it all. Cauliflower is one of my favorite ingredients to use because it is so versatile and has a power punch of nutrition. It's my go-to vegetable when I try to create a recipes with hidden vegetables for my family to try. Vegan Chipotle Cauliflower Buffalo Bites + Raw Cashew Ranch Dip (gf)

Orange-Zested Chocolate Chip Vegan Scones I posted these scones long ago when I first started my Instagram account, and when I came across the photos in my computer last week, I remembered how delicious these scones were and just had to share the recipe. I used to make a lot of treats like these when I first went vegan, and I really enjoyed (and still do enjoy) baking. I was living in a dorm room in Davis at the time, so weekends in Berkeley with my brother at his apartment were the only times that I was actually able to cook and bake in a comfortable kitchen. The dorms had a community kitchen, but it wasn't the same. When cooking and baking with a time constraint and, more often than not, in a kitchen full of people I did not even know, I wasn't able to get in the zone if you feel me. I have realized that cooking is very therapeutic for me, and if any of my readers have not spent time, alone, in the kitchen for a few hours on a saturday afternoon, I suggest you do so. It doesn't matter if you're a professional or amateur, the satisfaction of being able to create and enjoy something YOURSELF is an experience that never gets old. Use the time to mute out all of the stress and commotion in your life at the current moment and relax.