Zee Zees On-The-Go Snacks
If you’ve ever met me before, you know that I do not go anywhere without snacks. You’ll find them in my handbag, coat pocket, car, hiking bag – you get the point. I especially love bringing snacks with me when I go adventuring. I am a big fan of bars, trail mixes, sunflower seeds, and other on-the-go snacks. I especially love snacks that are from Michigan companies and recently discovered Zee Zees and while their snacks are designed with kids in mind, I absolutely love them when I am on the go.
Like I mentioned above, Zee Zees is a Michigan based company – which immediately moved them up on my favorite snack list. Zee Zees is all about having fun and making good foods in good ways with wholesome ingredients. Zee Zees is home to soft baked bars, sunflower kernels, Grahamz, dried fruit, applesauce, and even fruit cups. I always try to have a stash of their sunflower kernels, dried fruit, soft-baked bars, and Grahamz on hand.
Sunflower Kernels
Hands down, these are my absolute favorite Zee Zees snack and I always have them with me, especially for on-the-go adventures. Zee Zees Sunflower Kernels are portable protein power packs, that definitely help keep me going on the trail or while I am out paddleboarding. These sunflower kernels are what I packed in my bag and snacked on during my flight to Colorado back in December. The sunflower kernels come in three different flavors: roasted, honey roasted, and spicy. Currently, you’ll find the spicy sunflower kernels in my hiking bag.
Dried Fruit
You will always find Zee Zees dried fruit boxes in my hiking bag. They make the perfect trail snack no matter what the season is. Each box contains a mixture of raisins, golden raisins, dried pineapple, cranberries, and dried apples. I love pairing the dried fruit boxes with a handful of nuts or some of the Zee Zees sunflower kernels.
Soft Baked Bars
Hello breakfast on the go! I love Zee Zees soft baked bars when Jack and I head out for early morning hikes. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that I had the cocoa cherry soft baked bars for breakfast yesterday morning, while we were out hiking. These portable bars are great for on the go or you can enjoy them while you’re having a Netflix movie night. Zee Zees soft baked bars are available in cocoa cherry (favorite), cinnamon crisp, berry apple crisp, oatmeal cocoa chip, strawberry crisp, campfire s’mores (favorite), blueberry lemon (need to try) and birthday cake (favorite).
Grahamz
Zee Zees Grahamz is available in four flavors: french toast, original, birthday cake, and strawberry. These Grahamz are a dippable size and I love pairing the original Grahamz at night with yogurt mixed with peanut butter for dessert. The playful packaging makes them a fun snack for kids, so I always make sure I have a couple of bags with me when I go out with friends and their kids.
I love the fact that Zee Zees has created a whole world for children based on where the Zee Zees characters. If you’re like me and do not have children, you’ll still enjoy what Zee Zees has to offer, as the fun branding not only draws in children but adults as well. Don’t forget to follow along on my (snacking) adventures on Instagram to see what I take with me all summer long.
Five Things
Hello Friday! It\’s so nice to see you, even though you have brought frigid temperatures and snow flurries. We have just concluded week 8 of quarantine here in Michigan. While some states are starting to open back up, our governor just extended the stay-at-home order until May 28th, which I am not surprised about. People just aren\’t following protocol here in Michigan, and that has been made clear by the insane numbers that we currently have in regards to Covid-19. Enough about that though, let\’s talk about this week!
Despite temperatures being in the 30\’s right now, this past week was absolutely gorgeous. I spent plenty of time outside soaking up the sun and even met my friend for a socially distanced lunch date from the back of our cars – where we enjoyed takeout from a local favorite.
I have been into vibes lately and was stoked to try out New Wave Soda – you know how much I love sparkling beverages and I am obsessed with all the flavors – grapefruit is my favorite.
On the topic of vibes, I have absolutely been loving the bracelets from Aspyn Jewelry. You can create custom bracelets, buy pre-made stacks as well as singles. Each piece of Aspyn Jewelry features healing properties that are sure to bring you some amazing vibes.
With the nicer weather, Jack and I found ourselves spending plenty of time outside and even discovered some spring flowers popping up.
We hope you have a fabulous weekend and don\’t forget to follow along on Instagram and see what we are up to all weekend.
Zoya Splash Summer 2020 Collection
Zoya just released its Summer 2020 collection, and it is everything I have ever dreamed of in a summer collection and I am ready to dive into this color palette. This new line-up from Zoya titled Splash features a variety of classic creams as well as a few micro-shimmers (obsessed). I think Eclipse just stole my heart. The collection will be available on the Zoya website on May 15, and let me tell you – I seriously cannot wait for this collection to drop. What do you think of Zoya\’s newest collection Splash? I personally cannot wait to try out Eclipse, Jodi, Emma, Maren and Harbor!
Zoya Summer 2020 SPLASH
These are Zoya\’s descriptions of each color, get ready to swoon!
Eclipse can best be described as a glistening silver with holographic rainbow sparkles. Wear her alone for a sheer wash of glimmer, or layer with any Zoya shade to make a colorful splash!
Jodi can best be described as a pale ice-cream pink cream.
Emma can best be described as a starfish coral cream with a touch of pink undertone.
Leilani can best be described as a glistening pink grapefruit with gold micro-shimmer.
Celi can best be described as a sweet cherry red with gold micro-shimmer.
Greta can best be described as a ripe tomato red cream.
Kristie can best be described as a deep magenta popsicle pink cream.
Jessica can best be described as an African violet cream.
Maren can best be described as a vibrant nautical blue cream.
Harbor can best be described as a tropical emerald sea green cream.
Fisher can best be described as a sun-kissed seafoam with a stunning gold micro-shimmer. A shade that is reminiscent of warm days on the beach.
Corinna can best be described as a naked blush with a kiss of golden sheen. A delicate and fresh – yet sexy neutral for Summer.
The Best M&M Cookies
Over the past several years, I have shared a variety of cookie recipes with you and recently realized that I have never shared my M&M Cookie recipes. I have made this recipe numerous times, and it\’s a favorite among friends and family, and with good reason, the crisp chewy edges, soft centers, and the fact that they are loaded with colorful M&M\’s make them absolutely delicious.
M&M\’s is always releasing special holiday colors, which makes these cookies perfect for any party or event. They\’d be perfect for any porch dropoff. Memorial Day is coming up, but since I haven\’t been able to find red, white and blue M&M\’s in stores yet, I decided to use some leftover pastel-colored M&M\’s that I had from Easter so I could share this amazing recipe with you.
Tips and tricks for making M&M Cookies
These cookies came with plenty of trial and error, that\’s why I am sharing all my tips and tricks with you.
1. Butter should be softened, but still cool to the touch. Butter that is too soft will lead to your cookies spreading too much in the oven.
2. Use brown sugar that is soft and fresh. Brown sugar is the key ingredient in helping these cookies be chewy.
3. Do not over bake. The goal with these cookies is crisp edges and soft centers. You do NOT want to wait until the cookies look done to take them out of the oven. Remove them from the oven just prior to them being done and they will finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.
4. Mix SOME of the M&M\’s into the batter. Press the rest onto the tops of the cookies right before baking.
Pro Tip: When you are pressing the M&M\’s into the tops of your cookie dough balls, do NOT press so hard that you flatten the dough balls. When you put the cookies into the oven they should still be ball-shaped.
How to Make thick or thin M&M cookies
The amount of cookie dough you scoop will affect whether your cookies come out thicker or thinner.
Thick M&M Cookies or Thin M&M Cookies
How big you scoop your cookie dough affects whether your cookies come out thinner or thicker. Play around until you figure out the perfect cookie for you.
How to make thick cookies
Thick cookies require a generous portion of cookies dough. If I am looking to do thicker cookies I like to do about 2-2.5 tablespoons or something a little larger than a golf ball size amount. As the cookies bake they will spread, but the center will remain thicker than the edges. If you want the cookie to be thicker in general, when you remove them from the oven, gently press the edges of the cookie inward to help thicken them.
Pro Tip: If you want a thicker/puffier cookie refrigerate the dough for one hour before baking.
How to make thin cookiesThin cookies require a small portion of dough. I typically like to use about one tablespoon for my thinner cookies. As they bake they will spread a bit thinner.
Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies
Ingredients
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter; softened but still cool
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed make sure it\’s fresh and soft
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1.5 cups M&M\’s or a mixture of M&M\’s and chocolate chips divided
Directions1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
5. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
6. On low speed, add in flour mixture, mix until just combined.
7. Gently stir in M&M\’s.
8. Scoop balls of dough in your desired size onto the prepared baking sheets – leave room for spreading.
9. Press some M&M\’s into the top of each cookie.
10. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set but the center is slightly underbaked. If you want a crispier cookie you will want to bake longer.
11. Place on wire baking racks to cool.
Baking time will need to be adjusted based on the side of your cookies.
How to Make Banana Bread
Banana bread is something you can make any time, you just need a few bananas that have gone soft and gotten spotty, or maybe they\’ve turned black. You can make it with a mixer or with a fork, in a loaf pan or in a muffin tin. Sometimes I don\’t eat through all the bananas I buy, so I will individually freeze them in snack size baggies so I can use them in smoothies or to make banana bread anytime.
One of my friends and I were recently on the phone and she said she was going to make banana bread for her family while. She quickly whipped it up while we were on the phone. I quickly followed suit and pulled out some bananas from the freezer to thaw out.
Here is a very basic, delicious, and no-fail recipe. This banana bread will quickly fill your home with its delicious aroma and have you wanting to dive into a warm slice of fresh-baked banana bread as soon as it exits the oven.
Let\’s talk about the most important part of banana bread – the bananas.
The only requirement is your bananas should be ripe. Once the skins start to develop spots and the fruit has become soft they\’re perfect for banana bread. Allowing your bananas to ripen even longer – until the skins are brown/black and the banana falls apart when you peel it will make your bread have a stronger and richer banana flavor – which is what I actually prefer.
Mashing bananas
Personally, I like to leave some banana chunks in my bread and I also like the one-bowl simplicity of mashing the bananas directly into the batter. If you against chunks and like your bananas to be completely smooth, I recommend mashing them separately.
Banana Bread
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
4 medium bananas mashed
1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, dried cherries… etc of your choice
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a loaf or line a muffin tin with liners.
3. In a large bowl mix sugar, bananas, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Stir in the almond milk and vinegar.
5. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring until moistened.
6. Stir in your extra ingredients if you choose to.
7. Pour into muffin cups or loaf pans, leaving room for it to rise.
8. Bake muffin for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Bake loaves of banana bread for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Enjoy once you\’ve given it some time to cool.
Fashion meets Food 