A Chinese Valentine's Day! {Sushi Included!}

Hope you had a fabulous Valentine's Day! <3

Whether you were able to spend it with a special significant other
or celebrate with close family and friends, I hope you were
able to enjoy a holiday devoted to expressing love for those
who mean the most to us in life! :)

For Valentine's Day, Joshua and I decided to go with a Chinese theme!
I guess I have kind of been in a Chinese food mood.
First with the Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken, and now with sushi
(thanks to my pregnancy cravings)!

Joshua and I have been wanting to try making our own sushi for a while now
but I am going to admit, it seemed like such a daunting task!
For some reason, I thought making sushi would be really hard.

All our yummy sushi fillings!

Well, I feel silly...because it is probably one of the easiest things I have ever made!
And it is so rewarding to make a dish that looks so pretty and tastes just like you
got it from your local sushi joint!

I found this great tutorial and recipe for sushi from Minimalist Baker.
I LOVE her recipes. They are all super healthy and very simple.
As the name states, she uses the minimal and most natural ingredients for her recipes.

We filled our sushi with:

Cucumber
Red Peppers
Carrots
Avocados
Shrimp

They were super good. And made even better with chopsticks!
All Chinese food tastes better when eaten with chopsticks. ;)

The sushi making process...

Ready to be cut!

The finished product! Delish!

Kaiya LOVED the sushi! We were pleasantly surprised.
She knows good food, that's for sure. ;)
It always baffles me, though, that it doesn't seem like she chews her food at all.
She just shoves it down! Haha.

Joshua and I enjoyed our sushi, ate some amazing ice cream, and watched Mulan.
It was wonderful and I cherish the fun memories we made!

How did you celebrate your Valentine's Day? 

{Healthier} Valentine's Day Red Velvet Pancakes

Boy, are you in for a treat today!

If you were looking for a special Valentine's Day breakfast, look no further!

I have got the perfect recipe for you!

They are fluffy, moist, and sweet. Did I mention they smell divine?

AND they are a little bit healthier for you than your typical red velvet pancakes.

But I promise you won't be able to tell! Pinky promise.

These taste just as decadent as any red velvet dessert you've had.

(And they're pretty too!)

They are made using whole wheat flour, almond milk, organic cane sugar, and coconut oil 

rather than all-purpose flour, cow's milk, white sugar, and butter.

But to be honest, that's about as healthy as it gets...the rest of the ingredients are, well,

typical of red velvet desserts. ;) 

 { Healthier} Red Velvet Pancakes
             (with a Cream Cheese Glaze)

Inspired by:  Cooking Classy and Mother Thyme
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: ~14 pancakes
Nutrition (per pancake, without cream cheese glaze):
Calories (77), Fat (2.1g), Carbs (12.7g), Fiber (1.9g), Sugars (3.7g), Protein (2.3g)

Ingredients:

• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. dutch processed cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk (regular milk works fine too!)
• 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 4 Tbsp. raw organic cane sugar
• 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2+ tsp. red food coloring

Directions:

1. Preheat electronic non-stick griddle to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and white wine vinegar. Let sit for 2 minutes.
4. Add to the milk mixture: the cane sugar, powdered sugar, egg, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. Whisk well to combine. Add more food coloring as needed to get desired coloring.
5. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 
6. Spray griddle with cooking spray, if necessary. Scoop about 1/4 c. of batter onto hot griddle at a time for each pancake. Cook until bubbles begin to form on top of pancakes and a spatula can easily slide underneath (about 2-3 minutes). Flip pancakes and cook for about another 2-3 minutes or until the pancakes are cooked through. Try not to overcook them or they will turn out looking brownish-red.
7. Serve warm with a cream cheese glaze (see recipe below), fresh berries, and/or powdered sugar sprinkled on top.
8. Enjoy with your sweetheart or all by yourself! ;)

Notes: If you like a sweeter pancake, add more sugar to taste. I didn't find more sugar necessary with the cream cheese glaze over them, though. If you're really wanting to be healthy this Valentine's Day, try using beet juice as the red food coloring--I have never tried it, but I have seen some recipes do that!

Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8-1/4 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or regular milk)
• 1-2 c. powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Using a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese, vanilla extract, and milk in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add powered sugar to cream cheese mixture 1/4 c. at a time until desired sweetness and consistency is reached.
3. If mixture is thinner than wanted, add more powdered sugar. If it is thicker than wanted, add more milk.
4. Enjoy over pancakes, french toast, cinnamon rolls, and anything else your heart desires!