Happy #thinkingoutloud Thursday! No idea what I’m going on about? Click here!
1. Before we begin, can we please take a moment to appreciate this gem…
I’m well past the age where body glitter was a pretty regular occurrence (90’s throwback, anyone!?), but I was tempted to pick this up anyway just so I could say I have a jar of unicorn snot on my shelf. Brilliant.
2. Not so brilliant? Brush fires. Mother’s Day was extra memorable this year thanks to some woods near my parents’ place randomly catching fire and bringing about 10 firetrucks to their otherwise peaceful neighbourhood. Here’s how things went down –> We were driving back from Costco (Mom wanted to go look at flowers for the backyard), when we saw a huuuuuuuuuuuuge cloud of smoke in the sky. Huge. The closer we got to home, the more we realized that… uhm… that huge cloud of smoke in the sky was coming from the general vicinity of home. First thought –> omg is our house on fire?!? OMG THE DOG!!! Luckily our house was not on fire, but the same couldn’t be said of the woods that were about 2 mins away…
They eventually managed to get it under control, but not before the crazy winds spread the sparks to some of the nearby houses. Luckily those never turned into full-blown fires, but they were spraying down most of the roofs just to be safe…
The whole thing was pretty unsettling… especially with everything that’s been happening with the raging wildfire up in Fort McMurray. I’ve actually got some friends currently staying with me after they were forced to evacuate their home along with 88,000 other people.
3. … which isn’t all bad because it means I’ve got some on-site guinea pigs taste testers who can help me get through some of the treats in my freezer 😉 They loved these flourless banana blondies, by the way…
4. One thing I didn’t love were the sweet potato fries I whipped up the other day. Remember how I said the universe was sending me signs to start eating SPs again? I decided to do it in fry form, and NOPE! Just nope. If anyone has any tips & tricks on how to make sweet potato fries that aren’t soggy, I’d love to hear them.
5. I’d also love to tell you that my love affair with banana “ice cream” is still going strong. It’s still going on my oats every morning, and I’m usually whipping up another serving in the afternoon so that I can enjoy it on its own bury it under a tonne of toppings (i.e. cacao nibs, shredded coconut, cereal, nut butter, etc.). Crazy how something so simple can be so good.
6. Also crazy is how I’m not 100% loving coffee anymore. I mean, I’m back on the bean again after going 2 weeks without, but I’m just kind of “eh” about it and mostly drinking it out of a lack of anything else to drink… which roughly translates to –> I’m back to working from Bux again and I don’t know what else to order while I sit there. I’m not crazy about their teas and I can’t really be drinking frappuccinos everyday, sooooooo yeah. I might actually give iced coffee a try. Maybe that’ll help…
7. … especially since I’ve been riding my bike to Bux and the last thing my body probably wants at that point is a hot drink 😂
8. On that note, I don’t think I told you guys yet, but I’ve been making more of an effort to use my bike to get around instead of my car… at least when the weather is nice and I don’t need to be on the other side of the city. It’s been fun! Partially because it’s nice not to have to deal with traffic and bad drivers, and partially because it’s something new and different. The only time it gets a little tricky is when I need to bring back groceries 😂
9. Speaking of groceries, I found peanut-free almond butter at Costco! 🙌🏻 AND it’s actually reasonably priced compared to what I normally pay. Now to see how it compares on the taste scale…
10. And that’s a wrap! I hope you guys have an amazing Thursday, and I’ll see you soon with some tasty eats 😋
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Wow that’s terrifying about the fire – I’m glad everyone, your dog, and your parents’ place is okay!
Ugh if someone tells you the secret for crispy homemade sweet potato fries I’d love to know it. I never have much luck either!
What do you think of the Costco almond butter? I’m really liking it! I need to restock soon.
I haven’t actually tried it yet because I’m still waiting to finish off my BB. But I’m glad you like it! I have high hopes for it now 😛 And someone left a link to this recipe which is supposed to yield nice and crispy fries! – https://naturalnoshing.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/crispy-sweet-potato-fries/
I love this bike riding business. I need to buy one.
Cook the sweet potato fries on a cooling rack so air can get at them from all sides. That should help make them crispy. Also, I’ve read where people dust them in something (maybe flour) before baking to crisp them up.
I need that unicorn glitter. For Ave of course (cough, cough).
I’ll try that! I’ve heard soaking them works too, but I thought that was only for regular potatoes so I’m not sure.
Bahahaha!!! 😂😂. I couldn’t stop laughing till I sounded like a seal over the unicorn snot! Lol, who thought of that?! Brilliant.
Oh my gosh, that is so scary about the fire!! So glad everyone is okay!
And thank you!! Finally, someone on my side about the SP fry thing! I keep trying it (actually my sister and I were going to make some last week and keep forgetting), but e.v.e.r.y. t.i.m.e., it turns out soggy. People keep telling me they’re great, but I’m like, “No…they’re not crunchy!” I mean, they are okay, ’cause when can SP be bad (and mine basically turn out like an ordinary baked sweet potato, just in matchsticks), but I’d a million times rather order them at a restaurant. But I want them more often than that. If you ever figure it out, *please* share!!
So glad you found almond butter at your Costco! I always felt bad that it was cheaper here and wanted to just ship some to you. 😉
I used to be a coffee addict in college and then it was weird because one day my taste buds just changed! I can’t stand normal coffee anymore. I actually prefer tea. And for Starbucks I recommend their green tea with lemonade mix (unsweet). So good! I’m glad your parents’ house was okay! Stay safe out there with those crazy wildfires.
I want some Unicorn Snot! LOL, that’s too funny! I still need to try banana icecream, I love the idea of it and now that I am home from school I have access to my own kitchen and blender again-hooray!
Wow. That’s super scary. Glad your home and your friends (and your dog) are all okay.
Thanks Joyce <3
So we don’t have any raging fires here in Atlanta, but I wanna come stay with you – I mean, with a freezer loaded with flourless banana blondies and shelves loaded with unicorn snot – who wouldn’t, Amanda?!
Seriously though EGAD – So glad that fire was gotten under control near your parents place before anything nutzo happened!
As for sweet potato fries (we’ve been eating them like its our job) – I have been using this technique that seems to make ’em crispy – cut em thin, soak em in cold water, rinse and pat dry well, toss with tapioca flour or flour of your choice, spritz with canola or grapeseed oil (olive oil doesn’t crisp them as well as canola seems to) and bake for 10 mins in 425 oven, flip em then bake again for 10-15 mins till crispy – at least that’s what’s been working for us. Oh – wait till they are done to salt them – they seem to get soggy when salted first.
Thanks so much for the great tips, Shashi! I know about soaking regular potatoes, but I didn’t think it applied to sweet potatoes as well. I’m definitely going to give that a shot next time to see how it works 😀
I’m glad your family is okay. Close calls like that always make me go all warm-fuzzy about the small, good things I’d otherwise overlook. That unicorn snot gave me a good laugh. I like the IDEA of buying stuff like that, and then I’m, like, “But maybe I should spend my money on something I actually need?”
Ain’t that the truth. And I can’t handle the clutter either 😆
Been watching those terrible forest fires you’ve been experiencing on the tv here.
When I read that part above about the fire I though “Oh no, not Spoons”! I mean obviously its terrible that so many people are tragically affected, and I keep my fingers crossed it doesn’t affect you and is put out soon!
Unicorn snot? Lol Mind you there once was an aftershave called Brut? Wasn’t there? 😉
Thanks for the positive thoughts, Neil 🙂 And I just Googled it! Brut was definitely an aftershave 😆
Coming home to that brush fire must have been so scary! I’m glad they were able to put it out quicky and there wasn’t any major damage.
I cannot believe the amount of sparkley crap I used to put on my body as a teenager. Totally ridiculous.
You mean you don’t miss the blue glitter eyeshadows!??! 😆
Thank you for sharing! Is that just frozen banana in a blender?? Did you add anything to it, like greek yogurt or anything? It looks and sounds so delicious. I may have to get on the “banana ice cream” train! I think I would heat up one of those blondies and then top it with the ice cream! Thanks again for sharing!
Nope! It’s just banana in there! A few things I’ve found that help with getting an awesome consistency is having a good high-speed blender and freezing the bananas at just the right time. You want them ripe enough to be sweet, but not so ripe that they end up a little too mushy when they’re blended. Like that batch was pretty perfect, but the batch I made today was a little more runny because of riper bananas 😕
Thank you so much! I’ll definitely be trying that recipe this weekend!
Banana ice cream is the BEST. I don’t have a big dairy intolerance, but regular ice cream tends to mess up my system more than usual.
Crazy about those fires! Glad your parents’ house is ok and hopefully it will get better soon.
A brush fire! How scary!! I’m glad they got it contained before it made its way into your neighborhood. Phew…
And why yes, I would love some Unicorn Snot, thankyouverymuch. 🙂
It can be yours for an all time low price of 7.99 😉 Err… I think that’s how much it was, anyways 😆
Banana ice cream? Uhm…YES. Looks so delicious. I also want to try Ben & Jerry’s new line of dairy-free ice cream. The flavors all sound so good! 🙂
They do! I haven’t looked into them too seriously because I don’t know if they’d be okay for my peanut allergies and I don’t even know if we have them up here yet, but I love seeing a major ice cream manufacturer going the dairy-free route 😀
Ive seen recipes for sweet potato fries that put cornmeal on the outside to make them more crispy… worth a try!?
Definitely! I’ve also heard corn starch, egg whites, and soaking!
ohhh i’m doing a round up for what runners should do with the massive amounts of bananas they buy so i can’t wait to try and link up those blondies!!!
<3 I'll definitely need to check that out because bananas are basically my love language.
Unicorn snot?! Haha I love it. I’ll admit, I LOVE glitter and anything sparkly and incorporate it as often as I can because it makes me happy haha
THat’s like me and sprinkles 😀
OMG I almost freaked out when you mentioned Kyah and the fires…I’m so glad to hear she and your parent’s home is okay. Phew! Hoopefully that was the worst of it.
And I saw that banana ice cream on your Snapchat and immediately wanted to go make some. Hello lover!
Right?! I feel like I took a break from it for years and now I’m making up for lost time. I definitely need to start experimenting with more flavours.
I love that almond butter from costco, it’s such a great price. I’ve just realized that unless you deep fry a sweet potato, it will remain soggy. I can’t find a way to keep it crisp. I don’t mind them soggy but when I go to a restaurant I realize just how tasty they are!
So true! Someone actually left a link to this recipe saying it makes crispy fries — https://naturalnoshing.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/crispy-sweet-potato-fries/ Apparently the egg white helps a tonne?
I saw a lot of footage from the fires in Alberta and it looked like the apocalypse – it was so terrifying. I am really, really, really thankful to hear that you and your family are okay! That is so kind of you to host so many friends right now, too. I can only imagine how tough it must be for all those displaced from their homes.
LOL at the unicorn snot! Yay for peanut free almond butter, too! I’ve never tried the banana “ice cream” but it looks heavenly. Hurray for riding your bike more! We’ve got a bike share system in Chicago which has been fantastic for saving on gas and/or public transit costs. Agreed, though, it’s tough to carry groceries back on a bike. I once went a bit overboard on buying food, and it was really hard to bike it all home. I had to stop a few times to make sure nothing fell out of my backpack, etc.
That’s actually what a lot of people have been saying – that it looks like the end of the world 😕 They were really scared that it was going to continue spreading uncontrollably, but thankfully a bout of cooler weather slowed it down!
I am CRACKING UP about the body glitter throwback. My life in the 90’s HAHA
Right!??! I miss my blue glitter eyeshadow! 😆
I want to cover my body in those unicorn sparkles and run wild & free through the forest. Hahaha
Banana ice cream is so good. I love adding a little drizzle of maple syrup and walnuts. Healthy maple walnut ice cream!
I’ve been using that Costco almond butter for a while. Definitely gotta love the price, hey? It doesn’t have the best flavour, but it’s drippy consistency is a win!
xoxo
Aww man! I was hoping it’d be delicious. Ahh well. Better than paying almost $20 for a jar that’s way smaller. And I’d be happy to bring you some unicorn snot so that you could live out your fantasies 😉
OMG unicorn snot?! I need that!!! I miss the 90s/early 2000s when the only worry I had was finding enough glitter hairspray to put in my hair for dances and glitter lotion and glitter eye shadow …
Right?!? And accessories from Claire’s and committing so many fashion faux pas. Good times.