Energy Bites

So, before I get into the real post, I just want to mention that a ton of people found out about my blog at school. It seemed like all of a sudden people were mentioning that they liked my blog or had seen my blog, and it was kind of weird at first. It’s not that I didn’t want people at school to know that I have an “internet life,” it’s just that it felt kind of separate. I’m not any different on my blog than I am in real life, but I do think of my blogging self as a whole different part of me. Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you have a hobby or extracurricular activity that you’re passionate about, don’t worry if people find out about it. It’s who you are and it’s a part of you, regardless of what other people think about it. And, if you happen to be from school and you’re reading this… lemme know (;Ok, sorry, moving on to the real post now...

One of my friends from school brought some peanut butter balls to swim practice and she let me have one. Not only was it absolutely amazingly tasty, but it was the perfect snack to have right before a workout. She told me that she found the recipe on Pinterest so I did some digging and found it myself. I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand so I kind of changed it around a little bit and I happened to really like the way they turned out! Here’s what I did, but if you want the real recipe to make these energy bites, click here.

Ingredients:

1 cup of dry oatmeal (old-fashioned oats) 3/4 peanut butter (I tried almond butter, but it wasn’t sticky enough) 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/3 cup honey 2 table spoons chia seeds 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pour everything in a bowl and mix it together. I found that using my hands to mix was much easer than using a spoon or whisk. 2. Put the mixed bowl into the fridge for at least half an hour 3. Roll into balls about 1” in diameter (or however big/small you want them)

Seriously, that’s it. These energy bites are so simple to make and so easy too! If you make them be sure to post a picture on Instagram or Twitter and tag us so I can see!

xox, Chloe

Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe Hack: Taste Test

It's that time of year again: leaves are falling, sweaters are being pulled out of hiding, a fire or two has already been lit, and we are craving a Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte (or PSL, as it's affectionately known). But hearing how it's mostly syrup and has a whopping calorie count had us ready to make our own in our brand new Keurig 2.0 we were recently sent by the sweet Keurig folks. But finding a zillion Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe ideas already out there, Chloe and I got smart and decided to put those recipes to our (ahem) expert and very subjective PSL taste test. And the smell of them cooking even lured brother/son out to help us - yes, we had fun!

We scored each recipe on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the lowest, for ease, cost, availability of ingredients, healthiness. The category for taste comparison to Starbuck's PSL was out of 10 since taste is the most important factor, after all. Once we devised our scoring and gathered our ingredients, we settled in for a hard day's work of sipping lattés... just for you. #WeLoveBlogging  Chloe tasted and tasted and tasted some more!

52 Kitchen Adventures SCORE = 19 ease: 5 cost: 4 ingredients: 3 healthiness: 3 taste: 4 Thick, a little chunky, and frothy. Would be better with whipped cream, but the flavor is perfection. Beware, pumpkin sludge might be at the bottom of your cup... a little gross.

The Kitchn SCORE= 21 ease: 4 cost: 2 ingredients: 2 healthiness: 3 taste: 10 We wish the directions were more specific, but the result was beyond amazing. The tastes reminds me of marshmallows on top of a pumpin pie and I would drink this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Eating Bird Food SCORE= 17 ease: 4 cost: 3 ingredients: 2 healthiness: 5 taste: 3 Too bitter but thinness was on point. The flavor is just a little too sharp for me.

The Original Starbucks PSL  SCORE=17 ease: 4 cost: 0 ingredients: 5 healthiness: 0 taste: 8 I know, weird that the original is only an 8. But it is what it is. The original sort of tastes like drinking a hot pumpkin smoothie to me, and now that I've made some at home, I've learned that I like being able to tweak my PSL how I want it.

And the winner was: The Kitchn Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe, and to be honest, it looks like I can save tons of calories and $$ this fall. Thanks to our Keurig 2.0, we can easily make the recipe for 1 or for 10 with the new pod system. Guess whose house is going to be smelling like a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte this fall? My brother is definitely happy!

  @popcosmo on Instagram

Homemade Hibiscus Pomegranate Granola

As you might have noticed, we’ve been posting a lot of recipes lately! I don’t know if it’s just that we have a better kitchen in our new house in Denver, or if I’ve just been enjoying making my own food over going out. Whatever it is, I’m loving it. Onli Beverages was nice enough to send me a few drinks to try out and I decided to get creative with it. With my cousin Aly visiting, we made Onli flavored granola. Seriously? Yes, and this homemade granola is beyond delicious.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of oats 1 cup puffed rice 1/4 cup sliced almonds (or other nuts) 6-8 ounces of Onli Hibiscus Pomegranate Aronia 1 egg white 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 tablespoons honey (add more for sweeter granola) 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the oats, puffed rice, and almonds in a bowl. Mix everything else in another bowl. Then combine the two bowls into one. Stir it all until the liquid is absorbed. (You might need to add more oats or puffed rice to help) Lay all the granola on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Put your granola in the oven for 15 minutes, then stir and put it back in for another 15 minutes. (If you want it to be super crunchy, then you can put it in for longer).

  

This should make a batch for about three people so feel free to double or triple the recipe. We ate ours over yogurt and we've learned that we need to keep a constant supply on hand. Onli has a ton of flavors so we definitely want to experiment with the rest of them! If you try this recipe out be sure to tag us (@popcosmo) and @ONLIbeverages in the picture! We might be biased, but we think it's the best homemade granola you'll ever eat!

xox, Chloe