Vegan Samoa bars: Galentines Day edition (Vegan, GF)

The way to a man's person's heart is through their stomach. P R E A C H.

I could wax on about food and fun recipes and tell the story of why I made this dessert but let's be real we all know the real culprit here- Valentine's Day. Equal parts of love and loathing happen on this day and people all over the place rush into stores last minute to pick up little tokens of love or appreciation. Inspired by this recipe by Rachel Conners and the adorable Girl Scouts who harass me on every street corner this time of year, this healthy~ish treat is a labor of love. These are totally animal product and gluten free plus made with natural almond butter- practically a vegetable.
Making food that I love with people that I love is my favorite thing any day of the year, Happy Galentines Day!

Find yourself a sous-chef who is handy in the kitchen and efficient with clean-up! 

*Spongebob voice* "A few hours later...."

A few pro tips:

• Try and get natural/freshly ground almond butter (less oil= happier you)
• This process over an hour with the hardening time required: cut down by doing a layer of chocolate in the middle instead of dipping in the squares like the recipe suggests
• Keep these little bites in the fridge or freezer, they get mushy and damaged easily 
• The more chocolate the better, honestly

With love and more love,

Sarah Belle

Rainy day zucchini muffins (Vegan, GF)

Food is an incredibly powerful social tool, a source of comfort, stress, and a strong holder of memories. These past weeks have been both figuratively and literally rainy and gloomy. With the women's march on my mind, there has been a definite glimpse of a silver lining, albeit one mixed with frustration, even desperation. I march because I can. I march because I still see hope. Women united will never be divided. As both a feminist and an emotional eater, baking seemed like the only logical response. Adapted from this recipe by Minimalist Baker, I give you the perfect winter time muffin that has sweetness and a sneaky vegetable. Enjoy!

 

With love and crumbles, 

Sarah Belle

P.S. The world looks a lot brighter with pumpkin butter. 

Triple ginger molasses cookie (Santa's favorite!)

These chewy, sweet but spicy, triple ginger cookies are Santa's favorite (and my Mom's.... what a coincidence!!) There is nothing like the smell of cookies in the oven to bring the whole family to the kitchen and this time round they aren't vegan so even my brothers will join in. 

Follow this recipe, but keep these baking hacks in mind:

• Can't find cheap crystalized ginger? Check the Trader Joes nuts & fruit section 
• Freezing the fresh ginger root makes it much easier to grate, the skin will slide right off
• Refrigerating the dough overnight is KEY, patience is a virtue. 
• Roll the dough balls in turbinado sugar (larger/coarser crystals). Just trust me.

With love and cheer,

Sarah Belle

From head to toe: Holidays on the edge

This is my trendy but approachable, festive but neutral, fancy-ish, sexy-ish and layered up outfit that spans just about any occasion this holiday season. This look proves that jeans deserve an invitation to the party too- give denim a chance and give yourself a break from Spanx. Eat, drink, and be merry!

My  look:

Jacket: Warehouse leather-look biker jacket

Top: Urban Outfitters, similar without shine here

Jeans: Gap, Wide-leg crop high rise jeans

Shoes: Free People, Walk this way clog

Purse: Stella McCartney Falabella (mine is a knockoff people, reality check here)

Nails: OPI, Funny Bunny

Lips: MAC Mehr

Eyes: Urban Decay Naked 3

With love and glimmer,

Sarah Belle

Sundays with Sarah: Book club for one

I'm finding so much comfort in print these days. Pretty paintings, elegant poems, dreamy magazines, and thought provoking books. Feeling the pages slipping between my fingers versus swiping and taping away at a screen just feels right at the moment, and I'm rolling with it. Here are a few things I am reading, have read, or simply like having on my bedside table to make me feel cool.
Everything pairs well with a comfy bed/couch/coffee shop and a warm mug of whatever your heart desires. 

 

Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari: This book is a perfect balance between science and comedy. Ansari presents straight up facts and stats with a comedic charm that is both entertaining and approachable. His observations are so personal yet so damn applicable to my life that I find myself nodding in agreement while I'm reading, a true crash course in love in the digital age. Spoiler alert: love is hard, but it can be funny and beautiful too. 
“That’s the thing about the Internet: It doesn’t simply help us find the best thing out there; it has helped to produce the idea that there is a best thing and, if we search hard enough, we can find it. And in turn there are a whole bunch of inferior things that we’d be foolish to choose.” 

Olive Kitterage, Elizabeth Strout: One character weaves her way through 13 separate stories, each of them completely individual yet so heartbreakingly real. Olive Kitterage is a beautiful book that inspects the drama of the human condition from many angles, all of them rooted in empathy and perspective. 
"But Henry was pretty irritating himself, with his steadfast way of remaining naive, as though life were just what a Sears catalogue told you it was: everyone standing around smiling.”

Brave Enough, Cheryl Strayed: A collection of her own quotes, mainly on the themes of love, forgiveness, and fear. Seems like everything in life somehow comes back to those three themes. This is a perfect coffee table or bedside book because it takes minimal brain power to get value from it, plus I dare you to try and not have some kind of introspective moment when reading thoughtful quotes. There is a sappy little heart inside of all of us!
“Don't surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn't true anymore." 

East of Eden, John Steinbeck: I had to include this as East of Eden will be in my book club forever. My favorite book of all time, I can flip to any page to escape to Salinas for a chapter or two of peace. This is proof that sometimes you really should listen to your high school english teacher (except about The Last of the Mohicans, that book was just awful). 
“But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.”

Vogue & Harpers Bazaar: Two very different magazines, but I love them both for the excitement they bring each month when they land on my doorstep. The silky pages, gorgeous images and powerful juxtaposition between a seemingly superficial industry and female empowerment inspires and fascinates me. 


What I'm wearing:
Leggings: Gap Performance Cotton Colorblock leggings
Sweater: Old Navy Open-front Cardi

With love and papercuts,

Sarah Belle