Half the Guilt Caramel: Raw and Vegan!

What do you do with a half peck of apples?

Last weekend Mike and I stopped at an orchard and came home with a big ol' mix bag of apples.

Also sweet potatoes.

Now don't get me wrong, nothing in the world is a better afternoon snack than apples and peanut butter. But let's say you've lost count of how many days you are into the apple and p.b. snack binge of 2013. You might be looking for a new dipping option.

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You may also be finding yourself inundated with mouth watering images like the one above. Nutrious work break vs. seasonal sweet break?? What's a girl to do...

Never fear my friends. It's Date Caramel to the rescue! 

Half the calories..half the fat...all the deliciousness.

I've heard of date caramel before and have experimented with a couple other raw desserts using dates as the sweetener. With a pile of apples sitting on the counter begging to be used, I figured now was the time to try it out.  For the complete recipe I used, including the list of ingredients, please check out this blog.

Overall, it was a pretty easy process using pretty normal ingredients (normal for our house anyway). Any dates will do. I found mine near the bulk section of Whole Foods, but I've found them near the raisins and other dried fruits in a standard grocery store as well. 

For me it was as easy as assembling the ingredients...

I skipped the lemon juice..didn't have any in the house. nbd

Dumping them in my blender...

and blending them up...

Blend, blend, and blend some more.

...til it turns into a smooth and creamy consistency

yummy

If you don't have a high speed blender, see the note in the original recipe about soaking the dates.

This is both a raw and vegan recipe, but that doesn't mean you should be eating it by the spoonful. For me it works as a nice change from peanut butter. That being said, this recipe does kick-butt compared to the store bought stuff.

Store bought example source.

I plugged in the ingredients in to an online nutrition calculator and was not disappointed. Compared to the pre-made stuff in the tub, this recipe has about half the calories and half the fat. Win! It's also not processed or filled with preservatives. And really guys, any excuse to fire up the VitaMix is more than welcome in our house.

Plus did I mention it's delicious?!?! 

Happy munching.

Go make yourself a snack! We're half-way to the weekend!

Weekend Recap: We came, We saw, We bought a Birdhouse!

Woot woot! Today's my Monday! 

We made excellent use of our long weekend. First things first: Rock City!

I see it! I see it!

The drive was beautiful...

ooooooohhh....aaaaahhhhhh....

The tight squeezes were tight...

Fat Man Squeeze...and they weren't kidding.

The bridges were swing-y...

Luckily the weight limits are protected by the tight squeezes to get here.

The black light Fairyland Cavern was trippy...

Magic Valley huh?

The views were impressive...

Overall, it ROCKED!

And we got our birdhouse...

Ornament birdhouse..loves it

On the way home we stopped for apples and got some awesome car picnic-ing in. 

Road trip pockets thanks to me. Apples thanks to R&A Orchards. Picnic basket thanks to H&F :)

Sunday we made it to the Packer bar and had a blast!

Go Pack Go!

Yesterday we celebrated Mike's final Fall break with a whole day of walking. We walked to Flying Biscuit, then to The Art of Touch for a couples massage, then to Atlantic Station for some shopping, and then all the way back home. Mike estimates we hit a total of 10 miles! Wooo! Totally made up for the hearty breakfast and Moe Monday dinner.

And now back to work :P

Friday Forecast: We're Gonna See the Heck Out of Rock City!

Raise your hand if you've got a 3 day weekend headed your way!

Sorry for bragging, but I'm pumped that next week Monday I won't wake up and think, "noooooooooo!" Remember guys, it's the little things.

Even though next Tuesday is a filing deadline, and I'm currently up to my ears in returns, it's also Mike's fall break. Meaning we get a very rare and precious long weekend to do some serious adventuring. Shoutout to my bomb-digs boss who totally gets this :)

Our original plan was to head out for a second camping trip, but we we didn't know if I would for sure get Monday off with the above mentioned deadline looming. So instead we are opting for a pretty extensive day trip into the north Georgia Mountains. How far north?? All the way to the Tennessee boarder: Rock City, Baby!!

Seriously?? Is this a cult??
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On our very first trip down to look for an apartment, we stayed at this little B&B in our desired neighborhood. Hanging outside near the entrance was a "See Rock City" birdhouse. Interesting... After moving here last year I started noticing a lot more birdhouses scatted all around Atlanta. Even more interesting... Then last week in the midst of our "What the heck are we going to to do make this long weekend awesome???" convos, I saw a random piece of trivia:

Q: Where in the US can you stand in one spot and see 7 different states??

A: Lover's Leap, a point in ROCK CITY!

Ok universe, I hear you! So, tomorrow morning we'll be waking up bright and early to make the 2 hour trek to Rock City.  And I'll be coming home with a birdhouse to prove it!

Our voyage North!

We have some pit stops planned. Supposedly there is a whole group of orchards all along a highway up there that's been nicknamed Apple Orchard Valley. On the way home from Rock City, we are going to cruise that valley like two winos in Napa. Mental note: pick up a jar of peanut butter for the car.

Hopefully we'll find a sincere pumpkin patch to pick up some Sunday entertainment and achieve further fall bucket list completion. Fingers-crossed.

Oh and for car ride entertainment...Harry Potter on tape!! Well actually cd, but you know what I mean. A word to the wise: if you've got a long car ride in your future, check out your library's selection of books on tape. I was seriously impressed.

Sunday and Monday will be much less action packed. We might try to make it to the Packer Bar for Sunday's game. I'm petitioning to use our empty Monday morning to hit up Flying Biscuit sans the typical hour long weekend wait.

Happy Friday! Have a ROCKin' weekend :)