Life is yumbo

Okay, so I have so many fun things to post about today!!

First up, I must share with you a quote from my father last night. He fell asleep on the couch after taking his PM pills which include a sleep aid. Suffice it to say, that when this happens and you wake him up, it’s always interesting. Last night, he popped up and said “chocolate.” Which was funny…but it got better! He elaborated to say “chocolate pineapple jalapeno sundae!” He dashed off to the kitchen but my mom sent him to bed. I probably would have waited to see if he tried to make it

Second, we have some more fabulous eats inspired by two of my favorite people, Katie and Heather.

First, All The Way Arame Salad.

This was my first experience making anything with seaweed at home, and I really liked the arame. I didn’t have as many veggies as I’d like, but I just picked a big cucumber that I can’t wait to add for lunch!

(Those baby peppers fell off and rather than let them rot, I decided they needed to go in my belly)

After an hour with my favorite yoga guy, it was time for pancakes.

I was inspired by the pancakes Katie and Heather made yesterday. I wanted the chocolate ones and the tropical ones and couldn’t decide what to do with mine! So, I combined them. Some people might not enjoy both tropical and chocolate flavors, but I loved it!

But, I’m sorry to say that my pancakes were hideous! I have always been awful at pancake flippage, and this morning wasn’t a good day. I almost didn’t show you, but they still tasted so good that I had to share!

I made chocolate protein pancakes, with the addition of half a banana and a sprinkle of cacao nibs and omitted the egg, in place of almond milk plus flax.

However, the best part was the toppings. I pureed about a quarter of a mango (my new obsession) for the first layer. The second layer was chocolate ABU, and then another sprinkle of cacao nibs. Mmmm. This was really delicious, despite the pancake flop on the bottom. Puree your mango, guys!

These were filling too, but not too dense. I went this route because my favorite pancakes are sooo sooo dense that you can’t really eat them without going into a coma. I used to make chocolate chip banana pancakes for my roommate in college and she would always say that I was trying to kill her with love.

I actually photographed them way back then, before I even knew of food blogs! I just thought they were so pretty.

Here’s a view of death by pancake love.

And a close up of the ooey gooey things.

I’ll have to look up the recipe. Believe it or not, they were vegan!

Okay, sorry for the pancake detour.

Now, I’ll finally let you in on my secret. Coenzyme Q10! Yep, that’s the vitamin I’ve been taking and I was skeptical about it to begin with, but I’ve definitely noticed some differences. Very good differences. I’ve been lethargic lately, and my coffee had become more necessity than fun. Not so anymore. I’m full of energy all day. Some days I haven’t had coffee, some days I have because I wanted the taste, not because I needed it. Truthfully, I am just as energetic without coffee now.

I read about this vitamin in my favorite magazine. People who took it described an increase in energy and better workouts. The article also stated it was important for people on heart medicine, which is why my Dad decided he wanted to start taking it. I couldn’t find too much conclusive research on the web, but it didn’t seem that it could hurt. So far, I’m impressed and haven’t noted anything negative. You can read some basic info here or a more detailed review here.

But basically, we only get minimal amounts of this enzyme from food, so supplements help increase it. Since this enzyme is found in the energy center of cells, increasing amounts of it, help you be more energetic!

I just wanted to share that with all of you, since some of you might be interested in reading more about it or trying it!