Goodbye Zero Nine

Crock Pot Pumpkin Apple Spiced Steel Cut Oats with Black Tea with White Stevia
(Inspired)
Morning! A grand way to end my 365 days of breakfast this year is with a bowl of apple pie. Even my bedroom smelled like an apple pie was baking all night! Although the pumpkin messed a bit with the flavor, it added a creamy smooth texture that was right up my ally. Why haven't I made this sooner? Better late then never I suppose. One last 09 breakfast!

Can you believe I've almost taken a picture of every breakfast I've had for a year? Prior to My Breakfast Blog I produced several fashion blogs as the photographer and writer so being that My Breakfast Blog is almost a year old surprised me. Honestly I never thought I would find this much joy and contentment in food blogging. Time flies when your having fun. A new year brings a new clean slate, one can enter it with whatever attitude they choose. I think in order to end this year on a good note it would be the perfect time to take a stroll down memory lane..just a refresher before closing this chapter! So many things have changed personally food wise...I've become vegetarian, sufficient in the kitchen and finally learned how to season properly. Not only that but I've learned some amazing tricks of the oatmeal trade, that kind hearted people do exist and art can be in the form of food. But the biggest accomplishment of the year has to be learning to accept the past for what it is, focus on the present and look forward to the future! Enough will all the talk though, shall we get on with a little reminiscing though pictures?

March I made my first Oat Hot Cake


April I fell head over heels for Oat Bran!


May I started learning about the colors and flavors vegetables and fruit provided my plant-based diet.


June I made an amazing raw dessert, perfected the "Green Monster" and learned that eating chocolate and peanut butter again is delicious and healthy!


In July I made the best granola I've ever tasted and I introduced avocado's back into my life!


August was all about finding the love of my life, having the most amazing meal of my life and showing that I am not a robot :)


September I celebrated life with pancakes and shared my comfort food for all to see. Oh can't forget I learned how to work with natural lighting!


October I learned how to make "Yogurt Messes" , found beauty and the breakfast world was shook up when the deconstructed pumpkin cheese cake took the spotlight.


November I moved, dedicated myself to being healthy, told a story with my oats and shared my favorite dinner ever! Can't forget I got inspired by my sister's art!


And last December "SourOat" Bread was made, some rabbits came over for breakfast and I shared my favorite colors on top of an English Muffin.


I truly want to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone that reads my blog. I started in a somber state looking for a direction to take my blogging but through your comments and encouragement I believe I have found my calling...food photography! I cannot for one second take my loyal readers for granted who kept coming back to my blog no matter how quiet I was and how empty my plate looked. So thank you. I don't know what the 2010 brings, sheesh I don't know what tomorrow brings, but I do know that My Breakfast Blog will differently continue to flourish with all your support!


With all that being said I want to take this time to announce the opening of My Breakfast Shop!! Opening in January 2010 I'm going to work towards opening my own tiny vintage resale shop on ebay. I've been toying with idea for a while but I thought it would be the perfect time to follow my dreams and incorporate my passion for food, style and art by opening a shop just for My Breakfast Blog. Hopefully you will all enjoy my daily finds and with low prices be able to welcome these beautiful pieces into your own life collection. I've also received several requests on my recycled handmade jewelry and I'm happy to say that certain one of a kind pieces will be up for sale too! Thank you again for all your support and kindness! I can't wait to see what this year brings, cya "next year"!

Pastels

Champagne Lace Shoulder Cape & White Shutter Blouse- thrifted gifts from my sister.




Blueberry Kefir with Annie's Honey Bunnies- sweet flavors to my taste buds.


Free People Mint Fuzzy Sweater- soon to be for sale at my shop.


Old Pink Ballet Shoes- studs to make new.

Whats your favorite pastel color?
PS: Get your ice cream bib on!

Drool Worthy Wednesday

Banana Stuffed Cinnamon Spice Pancakes with Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter

Listening to The Rabbit! and eating dessert pancakes is what the end of the year is all about, right? Tomorrow is the last day of the year and I saved the best post for last...so excited to revel some huge news with everyone! How are you spending your last day of 09? Also this afternoon I'm sharing a bit of my latest thrift finds..so please check back! :)

Raw & Organic

Berry Good Raw Bar mashed with Ripe Banana Slices and Cinnamon on top of Tart Greek Yogurt

Holy yum! A few months ago I contacted Nicole's Nutty Goodness after seeing her drool worthy bar on Kath's blog. Am I glad I did! I first tried the bar on its own for the true flavor test and it reminded me of a really flavorful fruit chew without being gummy. I tore into big shavings of coconut and dehydrated fruit pieces on the second bite. Once I ripped pieces off and into my yogurt I was in pure heaven. It was full of flavor that powered over the tart Greek yogurt that usually only my beloved melted banana trick can do. This is no regular raw bar! With so many healthy ingredients, fruit and flax, I would consider this the best raw bar out there. And I've tasted so many different kinds! Pumpkin spice bar be mine!

Sunday I did a few fun things like, spending too much time in party supply stores, thrifting a painted clock plate, saving myself a big paycheck by combining this and this design to make my own festive ribbon necklace and baking glonuts!

Juice Beauty, Self-made Trinket Necklace, F21 Coral Cracked Ring, F21 Bracelet

Also over the weekend I finally got to try the well reviewed Juice Beauty products for skin. Talk about being overly excited...I take pride in a few things and one has to be my dewy skin so when Juice Beauty offered to send me some goodies I couldn't wait! Obviously the first thing I tried was the organic facial cleanser which is made of cherry and lemon juice. It went on smooth and as I swirled it in with a bit of warm water it made nice white suds. Only thing I didn't like was the smell..kinda reminded me of my Grandmother's bathroom soap. Once I rinsed it off and patted my face to dry I noticed it made my face feel very refreshed but also a little tight. I knew I needed to moisturize so I turned to the oil-free moisturizer made up of organic white grape and pomegranate juice! I loved the lightweight feel of it and it was differently not greasy like so many kinds out there. Did I mention the smell of this one was divine!

Later on in the day before I went outside I tried the Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer which I found very much the opposite of the oil-free kind..very oily and looked horrible under my makeup. I know it has sunscreen in it but the only way I could pass with such a shiny face would be at the beach. Oh well! When bedtime came I tried the whole process again but before putting on my oil-free moisturizer I put on the Green Apple Antioxidant on my eyes and around my mouth. I loved it! Overall everything truly impressed me and showed that a company can make a good product organic and paraban free without compromising on quality, price and smell. :)

What kind of face products do you use? Recommend anything natural?
Ps: Check out my dessert last night.

Watching Sprinkles Melt

Making Glonuts and watching sprinkles melt -divine. Please welcome my sister Zoey into the blogosphere, where she will be posting some of our desserts together weekly, with some warm kind comments! xoxo

My Sweet Sweet Escape

Berry Medley of Cashews and Banana with a Vegan Gingerbread Swirl Cookie on top of a pillow of Plain Greek Yogurt. Dressed with a drizzle of Cloves Infused Agave Syrup.

While on my mini vacation last week I received a package from NuNaturals filled with all different stevia goodies. I was so excited that the next morning I got to work making pancakes with the clear white stevia drops. I noticed the ultra sweet flavor at first which was intense but after a few more bites it actually grew on me and I started to crave more of the flavor. Unlike most sweeteners this did not have a bitter flavor which is plus! Next I got to work making vegan gingerbread pretzels with the stevia baking blend which the conversion of sugar vs stevia was very simple. I tasted the dough before baking and thought it overly sweet for my tasting but my sister loved it. After baking I noticed the cookies had a nice texture and pleasant flavor but after eating a whole cookie it was too much for me. My sister, however, loved them so maybe its just me!

This morning I decided to tone down the flavor of the leftover cookies with some yogurt...it worked. But passed on half of the crumbles as the flavor got too intense with the clove syrup. Besides baking things I've enjoyed the Cocoa Bean Drops in my black tea which was really refreshing...so delicious! I'm thinking they would go along perfectly in hot chocolate or coffee. I probably stand alone in the sweetness sensitivity category but even I would recommend their product over any fake sweetener out there! Maybe your wondering what I'm getting at but one winner of my big giveaway next week will be winning some of NuNaturals products among many other amazing companies goodies. It's going to be great!

So how are you spending your weekend? See you Monday with some more exciting news!

Chocolate Filled Day

Warm Millet Rice Cereal with a Chocolate Heart Thrive and Newman's Own Dried Apple Slices.

A tad late on the chocolate celebration bandwagon but thought why not make it today as well? This morning I made my favorite breakfast as of this month, Cereal Cake! Being that its bone-chilling cold outside I made a warm version and heated up some hemp milk. Before I could even put my camera down and eat the cereal absorbed all the milk and made its own cake...awesome! My last chocolate Heart Thrive accompanied the cake too and am I glad I saved this one for last. I love the bits of chocolate and the sweet nutty oats. I kept looking at the wrapper wondering how it was vegan...this chocolate tasted as good as the regular kind! I kept the other heart for later this week, I can't bare to say goodbye :) I also finished up a bag of dried apple slices, these do not stand a chance in my posession...I'm addicted!

To keep up with the chocolate theme I got to "work" enjoying these treats....

Ricemellow Creme and Sunflower Butter Dark Chocolate Cups (Inspired)

Remember how I said I was in dier need of chocolate? Sorry guys I couldn't wait for a volunteer..I made some myself last night! I first melted 3/4 of a bar of Newman's Own Super Dark Chocolate in a glass bowl over hot water. While it melted I added a bit of sea salt and cinnamon to the chocolate. Once it was all gooey I spooned a even layer into cupcake liners and let set for five minutes. Then added ricemellow creme in a few and sunflower butter in the others. Another layer of chocolate to top it off then popped them into the freezer overnight. When I woke up it was like the Nutcracker took place in my kitchen overnight..who made these amazing things? Oh yeah..me!

First bite of the ricemellow cup was pure bliss, I love how the creme is the perfect consistancy for marshmellows and the fact that its cruelity free? Love it! Next time I'm planning on crumbling gramcrackers into the chocolate itself to make s'mores! As for the sunflower butter ones I kept thinking "Reese's got nothing on these healthy sweets". Sunflower butter > Peanut butter! I do have give credit to Newman's for making such a rich and dark chocolate bar, I finally knew what Charlie from the Chocolate Factory felt..I got the golden ticket! You all know what's going to happen to the extra chocolates, if there's any, blizzards!

A few choco-questions I'd like to know your thoughts on...
chocolate or carob?
dark or milk?
in cookie form or brownie?
in savory dishes or sweet?
favorite chocolate inspired dish?

Have a great one! xoxo Maggie

Equals Happiness

Apricot Heart Thrive crumbled on Vanilla Thin Yogurt with Pomegranate Arils. On the side, Kashi Waffle with a Cooked Yolk Egg on a bed of Maple Syrup.

Who doesn't like to dip their waffles in salty egg yolk and sweet syrup? Oh joy of joys! This was last dried fruit heart thrive and I was kinda sad to say goodbye..love all the flavors! I'm not a apricot fan but these were kind to my taste buds and weren't overly sweet. To my surprise I hardly tasted the apricot actually....I saved the chocolate one for last, can't wait!

Yesterday after a bit of thrifting, stocking up on kabocha and kombucha, and finding the best scarf ever in my favorite color, mustard, I had a little snack.

Roasted PB & Newman's Spelt Prezels = happiness right Jenny? I always have said that Costco is good for three things, truck loads of spinach for only three dollars, tubs of Fage Greek yogurt and jars of roasted peanut butter. Thank goodness or this little lady would not be able to indulge in such glorious, normally expensive, things!

Currently listening to this song, drooling over this dress, reading this blog and craving this. Having HUGE chocolate cravings this month for some reason...can someone please help a girl out and make me some of these..preferably in a hello kitty sandwich case? Thanks :) Cya all tomorrow! PS: Butternut Peanut Butter recipe now posted!

Rocking the Wordless

Surprises, Prizes and Strawberry Cereal

Optimum Strawberry & Yogurt Cereal with Hemp Milk and Pomegranate Arils. On the side, one half of an English Muffin with Mixed Nut Butter, Cinnamon and Ginger.

A few months back I received a glorious package from Nature's Path full of delicious cereals and granola boxes. I guess when I moved in I forgot I had this box of cereal still packed up, well I found it this morning! I'm not one for strawberry flavored cereals.....ever since my high school Special K day's I've worn out that craving but this was sooo good. I loved how it has a barely there strawberry taste that's not artificial what so ever. Just the slight sweetness from the strawberry and the crunch of the twiggy cereal makes it an ideal cereal in my book. Yum! I also finally had pomegranate arils for breakfast. I've been meaning to try some again but haven't had the chance..thank goodness my sister brought me over a tiny plastic container of these beauties.

Speaking of beauties...whose ready to win bountiful vegan cookies? Using the random letter sequence generator the winner is "I" That Lactose Ignant Girl!! Congrats girl, please send me your info!
I really wish I could send everyone a box but I am no cookie queen. What I can do is let you all in on a secret....the biggest giveaway of My Breakfast Blog is coming up in two weeks. Lets just say every single item is drool worthy and there is some surprises from me included! Excited? I am! Have a good Tuesday :)

Watching the sky turn pink

Vanilla Bean Fluffy Rice Pancakes with Farm Berries and Banana Slices. A drizzle of Coconut Oil and Vanilla Yogurt.

Hey I'm back after a bit of R&R! This weekend was a blast...highlights had to be picking up homemade sprouted bread from a local farmer, wearing overly furry hats, eating a bowl of chocolate yogurt the size of my face in snowy weather, winning a stuffed elephant, making vegan gingerbread pretzels,



long car trips, drinking sweet peppermint tea, receiving a snuggie (haha!), listening to a million jokes told, cutting my bangs, eating out of my bag all day,

riding the Ferris Wheel too late at night, making Snobby Joe's and rosemary cornbread muffins,

buying local grown broccoli, enjoying my kind of seasonal drink while watching the sky turn pink,

painting my nails coral, and most of all being with the two best people in the world.

More pictures to come soon and tomorrow I'll announce the winner of the cookie giveaway but enter today if you haven't already! Whats one highlight of your weekend? Do little things make you happy?