When I was little, my mom baked us a cake almost every single Saturday. It was a highlight of our weekend. I loved that sweet smell of vanilla or chocolate that always filled the house. I’m not much of a baker myself, as I tell you time and time again, and it’s probably because most of my favorite childhood dessert recipes contain a lot of ingredients that I don’t reach for anymore- like eggs or cream. This is why lately I started experimenting a little with raw desserts- maybe I can even start my own tradition of making a cake, every  weekend? Raw desserts are a perfect addition to my plant-based diet, as they are easy to make, contain only unprocessed ingredients and… they don’t require an oven (and as you know, the only snack/dessert foods I like to bake are my banana breakfast bars and banana bread). You saw me make this cake on Snapchat (@Paula13t) and I promised to share the recipe, if it happens to work out and as you can see- it did (yay!). It actually came out much better than I thought it would; it’s smooth, creamy with a sweet and nutty crust and topped off with a rich layer of chocolate. […]

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Homemade granola I LOVE granola. I eat it on daily basis and even top my morning oatmeal with.. granola. …..is that weird? Serving oats on top of oats? I love that crunchiness from the nuts and sweetness from the dry fruit. I also love my granola with some coconut yogurt and fresh berries- one of the best breakfast combos, ever. For many, many years I’ve been buying packaged granola but for the last couple of years I started avoiding foods that are over-processed and pre-made (you’d be surprised if you looked at an ingredient list for some of these “healthy” granola mixes or cereal). There are so many awesome things about making your own homemade granola; it’s quick and easy to make, one batch will last you for weeks and you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry. It’s also a lot more affordable if you make it yourself, rather than buying it pre-packaged. I love dates and cranberries in my granola. I love that sweet, caramel-like flavor that isn’t overpowering. You can also add dry apricots or any other dry fruit that you like. I also like adding some flaxseed to my granola, for some of those Omega-3 […]

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I think I’ve told you guys countless times just how much my acne-prone skin has improved since cutting dairy out of my diet. I remember shopping for makeup a few years a go at a Chanel counter… The makeup artist took one look at my bare face and said “oh honey, you need to stop drinking soda, look at your poor skin!” My sister, who was standing next to me, gave him a dirty look because, hello, I’m a bit of a health freak when it comes to my diet and one thing you will never see me do, is drink soda. Having problematic skin is bad enough, but when you have to deal with strangers giving you unsolicited advice or assuming that you aren’t under care of a dermatologist is even worse. When I finally made the dairy-acne connection and eliminated it from diet, my skin transformed within a week. But there was one thing that I was very sad about…… …. pudding. Tapioca pudding was probably one of my favorite treats. I’d pick it over ice-cream, any day. I tried making plant-based versions of pudding, like the one with avocado, but it just wasn’t the same. Until I tried making […]

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I don’t have too much of a sweet tooth and it’s very rarely that I get those sweet cravings. But when they do come ….. oh man… hide yo sweets. I’m not going to lie, most of the time when those cravings hit, it’s during that time of month. I mean, we’re all adults here, right? I don’t always turn into a raging bitch right before (I meditate, alright?) but 70% of the time I do get those strange cravings and wish I could burry my face in a jar of Nutella (which you will almost NEVER find in my house- unless my brother’s visiting- because, you know, healthy eating). Many years a go, when I became aware of the dairy-acne connection, I was so happy that I finally knew what the problem was with my skin, but I was pretty bummed about saying goodbye to yogurt. I seriously would buy these huge boxes of natural yogurt at BJ’s and have them for every meal. Breakfast? Yogurt with granola and fruit. Snack? Yogurt with berries and honey. Dinner? Salad with a.. yes…. you guessed it, yogurt dressing. And even though I didn’t have it too often since I never liked junk food- […]

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