Pintrest Vs. Reality

On Saturday, after being sick all week, I woke up determined to be productive. I literally jumped out of bed and got right to making my to-do list.

I love Pintrest, but I get annoyed if I don't actually apply the inspirations to my real life, so I decided to take charge. I decided I would take a stab at some of the yummy recipe's I've found.

First up: Gooey Cake Batter Cookie Bars

I followed the very simple recipe from Lovin' From The Oven and they turned out amazing. Even the batter is TDF.

• 1 1/4 cup funfetti cake mix --> I used white cake mix
• 3/4 cup AP flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 5 heaping tablespoons sprinkles of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan.
2. Cream both sugars, butter, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. 
3. Gradually mix in flour, cake mix, and baking soda until just mixed. Stir in sprinkles.
4. Spread batter evenly into greased pan.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is lightly browned and middle still jiggles slightly. Cool completely before cutting.

I brought them over to my cousin who recently gave birth to twins and they seemed to be a big hit. I will be baking these again.

I got these really fun containers at CVS for $1.00

Joel and I stayed in on Saturday night and watched an obnoxious amount of football, so I made it okay by making a really yummy dip.

I didn't want to feel too guilty...especially since I was snacking on all the other goodies I made throughout the day, so I took a stab at Alicia Silverston's Kind Diet, Guac Bean Dip.
 

• 1 16-ounce can of refried beans
• 3 large avocados
• 3 tbsp. of fresh lime juice
• 2 8-ounce containers non-dairy sour cream
• 1 packet taco seasoning (I use Bearitos, but if you are avoiding all white sugar, make your own mix with chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, hot paprika or cayenne, and salt)

• 1/2 cup(s) of diced mild green chiles, drained

• 1/2 cup(s) of sliced black olives, or more if you like
• 5 tomatoes, chopped

• 2 cup(s) of shredded vegan Cheddar cheese



Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8 inch by 8 inch quart glass baking dish. 

3. Pit and peel the avocados, and place in a bowl. 

4. Mash the avocados together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the refried beans
5. Stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.

6. Sprinkle the chiles over the sour cream, and top with a layer of black olives.

7. Add the tomatoes, and sprinkle with the cheese.

8. Heat the dip for 15-30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.

9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I made a two different pumpkin cupcakes, so my house is pretty much over flowing with deliciousness.

 Ohh....and to top off a "sweet" weekend, I got to spend the entire day with these two...