Nicole Bernadette

Hey hey :) It's been too long since I blogged.


I am so incredibly happy and blessed. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here before but I think that gratitude is essential for happiness. Count your blessings and keep looking for the good in everything, be thankful and change your perspective. I know I did and I'm so happyyy :))



A huge part of my happiness is definitely thanks to a very special person in my life. He is my sun, my home, my best friend and so so amazing :)
They say don't make someone your home because that could leave you homeless. And people have been wary in the beginning, I know I was. But you know what? Why let the fear of the unknown future affect the joy in the present? Just trust and go with the flow. Why worry about things going wrong when there's a possibility that things can also go perfectly right? And that's how things have been so far with him- right. I'm so in love with him and I'm not afraid to proclaim it :))
It's scary being in love, but oh boy, it's breathtaking too.



Anyway, another thing I'm in love with are these muffins!



My family seemed to really like these muffins too :) They're moist and the coconut taste isn't overwhelming.



Funny story, I was originally planning on making cupcakes but I was lazy to do the whole shebang so I decided to alter this recipe to be a muffin recipe instead. I'm also terrible at making frosting and actually frosting cupcakes anyway so I think this all worked out for the better :)



Without further delay, here's the recipe:
Makes 12 cupcakes

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees F). Line cupcake tray with 12 paper baking cups.
2. In a large bowl add the cocoa powder, plain flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and sugar. Mix and ensure everything is combine well (alternatively you may do this by sifting the ingredients together).
3. Next, add coconut milk, canola oil, apple cider vinegar in another bowl and whisk until well combined.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until incorporated and there are no dry lumps left.
5. Fill each paper 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely.

And voila, your muffins are done :)

Hope you guys try this recipe out and I hope I get to blog again soon. My promos (the major final-year examinations J1 students take which determines if they get promoted to J2) are in 3 days and here I am blogging, hahaha. What a wake-up call.



Okok, ciao for now, God bless!

It's been a while, again.

So many things have happened and I don't think I'll be able to tell you everything but basically, JC life has been a roller coaster ride. And it's only been about 2 months.


Anyway, I'm here with a high-carb low-fat brownie recipe. Not only is it oil-free and super healthy, it's also really delicious and filling! The bananas give it a natural, delicious sweetness and the texture of the brownie is really dense and fudge-y. I topped my brownie with dark chocolate squares (vegan)- it melts in your mouth when you chew into the brownie, it's really really good. I also added chia seeds to give the brownie a nutritional boost.

These brownies are also delicious if you put them in the refrigerator and eat them chilled!!


I've been trying to get back in shape and I decided to start my 'journey' by switching my regular vegan diet to a high-carb low-fat one.

If you have any other great HCLF recipes you'd like to recommend, please comment down below! I could use some help haha :))

It kinda looks like a heart-shape, doesn't it? ;)

Recipe adapted from here.

1 1/2tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees F). 
2. Puree the bananas in a large bowl.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until everything is combined.
4. Spread the batter into the 8x8" square pan lined with parchment paper.
5. Add toppings of your choice. I used chocolate chips/squares and chia seeds.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes.
7. Let them cool before cutting into squares.

I actually tried the HCLF lifestyle for a week, back when I first turned vegan. It didn't go very well because it was a pretty tough time for me.
But I'm hoping I'll be more successful this time :)  I don't want it to be too restrictive though. I guess I'll stick to an 80-20 rule; low-sodium and oil-free 80% of the time when I can help it and I'll let myself eat 'unhealthy' fried food (and cup noodles) 20% of the time. Sounds like a good plan :)

I even made datetorade (is that how you spell it?) last time when I was on the HCLF diet.

I miss it!!

6g baking powder
2g baking soda
pinch of salt
80ml coconut oil, melted
1tsp vanilla extract

For coconut glaze:
30ml full-fat coconut milk
1tbsp coconut oil
80g Icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees F). Line cupcake tray with 10-12 paper baking cups.
2. Fill medium bowl with non-dairy milk then add apple cider vinegar. Let stand until curdled to make vegan 'buttermilk', about 5-10 minutes. 
3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
4. Add coconut oil and vanilla extract into the bowl with the 'buttermilk' and mix well.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups evenly.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until toothpick inserted in the centre of the cupcake comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes.
7. While waiting for cupcakes, prepare the frosting. Mix the coconut oil, coconut milk and icing sugar with a hand mixer. If it's too liquid-y, add more icing sugar. If it's too hard, add more coconut milk.
8. Let cupcake cool completely before topping with coconut glaze.

  

“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” 

― Mark Twain 

1. Blend the dates in a food processor until smooth (or as smooth as possible).
2. Add the nuts, cocoa powder and desiccated coconut and blend again
3. Add the banana and blend. if the dough needs more moisture, add more banana. if it’s too wet, add more nuts. 
4. Form into a rectangle on a parchment paper and press/pat the chopped almonds onto the cake gently.
5. Place in freezer for a few hours or overnight. Take the cake out of the freezer then cut into slices. Top with strawberries.

So, I got my O-level results. And I'm quite happy! I was expecting to do quite badly. I had really low expectations for myself so I was surprised to see my results.

I've visited several JCs and polys and I have submitted my JAE choices. Now the waiting begins. Two weeks later, I'll get an SMS telling me which school I got posted to :)


The creaminess of the filling goes so well with the crunchy, nutty base!

I don't usually eat raw vegan food (except for nice-creams and smoothies etc.) but after this tart entered my life, I may start to be more adventurous and try more raw vegan recipes and options :)


With only 8 ingredients, and being a no-bake recipe, this awesome dessert is very easy to make!

This recipe was adapted from Peaceful Cuisine's YouTube channel. His videos are so soothing and aesthetic! His video could be 10 minutes long but it feels so much shorter because you'll just be so enticed to keep watching. The link to his recipe is here.


Let's get onto the recipe!
The recipe below makes a very small tart. If you would like to make a bigger one, feel free to double the ingredients below.

Ingredients

Crust
30g nuts (I used almonds)
25g coconut flakes
15g agave/maple syrup

Filling
100g avocado
30g sweetener (I used agave syrup)
20g cacao/cocoa powder
10g coconut oil
1/2 or 1 tsp vanilla extract (adjust to taste)

Directions

1. Put nuts in food processor and process until fine. But it's alright if it's a little coarse also.
2. Add the coconut flakes and agave/maple syrup into the food processor. Blend all the crust ingredients until incorporated. 
3. Pour out the crust contents onto your tart pan and press it down firmly, starting from the centre and working out to the edges. Set aside.
4. To prepare the filling, put all filling ingredients into the food processor and blend until very smooth.
5. Pour the filling onto the crust and smoothen it out with a spatula.
6. Feel free to top the tart with nuts/granola etc. It's your tart so it's up to you :)
7. Put the tart in the refrigerator for several hours so that it will stay in it's tart shape when cut into.

And voila! Your tart is done :)

 

Thia has got to be the best looking brownies I've made so far! The brownies were crumbly and not overly sweet. If you want it sweeter, feel free to add more sugar or more ganache :)



I'm actually starting to get really anxious about tomorrow now. I've been pretty chill the whole time up until now. I'm actually feeling some heart palpitations, it's bad. Sigh, but I have to keep reminding myself that no matter how badly I panic, it's not going to change my results at this point.







Gosh, too many pictures hahaha!


I really want to bake with my friends. I just feel so thankful that I made such awesome friends in secondary school. It was such a good environment for me to grow and mature. If I could go back in time, I would still pick the same secondary school.



Gaaaah, I just feel so grateful for everything!

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. -Deuteronomy 31:8

So let's not worry about tomorrow. Let's embrace it and trust God. Believe that what ever happens, it's God's plan which will lead us to the path which He has chosen for us.




Ooh. Butterflies in my stomach now.
I also discovered something else about myself recently. Whenever I see or sense that someone is upset, I find more strength and courage to step up and help cheer her/him up in some way. I find it so easy to push aside my own problems to put others first. And this reminds me of my confirmation camp last year when I said that I wanted a gift to help people. I guess this is one of the ways God has blessed me :)) #PraiseTheLord

If you're taking your O-levels this year or waiting for your results too, don't worry :))  The results you get are a reflection of the effort you put in. You'll get the results you deserve so just believe in yourself :)


That's all for this post! Bye for now :)) And wish all O-level people luck!