Just J.Faye

Hiking & Other Adventures

Thursday Things 10.08.15

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Thursday Things 10.08.15

This fall weather has reinvigorated my running a little bit, which I totally needed. I even did some intervals this week, something that I haven’t done in foreverrrr. Good stuff.

Like this:

Have a great one!

xooxoxoxoxoooojd

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Pumpkin Oreo Bars

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I know for a fact that I am not the only one indulging in all the pumpkin spice things right now. It’s October. ‘Tis the season.

pumpkin oreo bars

Soon we’ll be obsessed with cranberries and peppermint and gingerbread, so let’s soak up all the pumpkin while it’s seasonably appropriate.

Let’s be real basic.

Let’s make Pumpkin Oreo Bars.

Let’s can’t even.

And let’s not feel bad about.

pumpkin oreo bars

These Pumpkin Oreo Bars are worth all the cliché’s. They are full of pumpkin and spices and are studded with black and orange Halloween Oreos.

What’s not to love?!

pumpkin oreo bars

I’m dying.

pumpkin oreo bars

The bars come together quickly with a couple of bowls and a spoon. Combine the dry (flour + spices), combine the wet (butter + pumpkin + sugar), then stir it all together with some festive Oreo chunks. It’s truly that simple.

The result is a pan full of pumpkin-y, spicy, moist, delicious bars that will make you want to tie your hair up in a high bun, put on your best flannel, throw on your Ugg’s, and go do any (or all) of the following activities: watch football, drink lattes, pick apples, see a scary movie, shop for a Halloween costume.

pumpkin oreo bars

Go do it. I know you want to……………

Pumpkin Oreo Bars
 
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These delicious bars are full of pumpkin, spices, and festive Oreos that will make you love fall more than you already do!
Serves: 16 bars
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon all spice
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • ¾ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ¼ cup Halloween Oreos, chopped
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Take two pieces of parchment paper and place them perpendicularly in an 8x8” baking pan. Leave some overhang so that the brownies can easily be lifted out of the pan.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the spices, baking powder, and flour. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and vanilla until no sugar lumps remains.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated.
  5. Stir in the chopped Oreos.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let bars cool completely before cutting.

pumpkin oreo bars

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Thursday Things 10.01.15

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Thursday Things 10.01.15

I had the whole day off on Monday and was totally craving fall things, so I just went for it –> baked these cookies and this pizza, but with this sauce. Then friends came over and we drank pumpkin beer and watched football. It’s a good life.

These things help:

Oh, and HAPPY OCTOBER. Make the first day count.

JD.

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Guilt-Free Tahini Brownie Bites (v, gf-o)

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I was in Seattle this past weekend visiting my best friend. We celebrated her birthday, explored the city, and were so happy to be reunited after a crazy 2.5 months of not seeing each other.

The great thing about a best friend (or any really good friend for that matter) is that you can pick up right where you left off and 2.5 months can seem like it had only been 2.5 hours. We all need people like this. People who get you when you don’t make sense, who support you when you’re feeling a little unstable, who laugh with you at stupid things that no one else things is funny, and who make you amazing Powerpoint weekend itineraries. It’s just the best.

Amiright?

tahini brownie bites

Alongside of having a best friend and group of people you can forever count on, it’s also good to have chocolate.

And chocolate gets even better when it comes in this guilt-free tahini brownie bite form.

tahini brownie bites

These little friends are made of a chia seed egg, oats, salt, cocoa powder, tahini, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and almond milk. This is why we can call them friends; no bad influences in sight.

I know that chocolate and peanut butter is like the ultimate BFF combo, but the mix of chocolate and tahini is pretty dern good too. Plus, they are vegan and can easily be made gluten-free, if that is what you need.

These bites will be there for you when you need a mid-afternoon snack or a post-dinner dessert. They are perfect for moments when you aren’t quite ready to indulge, but are craving a sweet treat that won’t wreck your week.

This is a good friendship to have.

tahini brownie bites

Plus, they are easy to make! You just throw everything into a food processor and let it whiz away for a bit. Divide the batter into a 24-cup mini muffin tin and bake for 8ish minutes. Then eat, enjoy, and go meet up with your friends.

They will stay fresh in an air tight container for a few days, but you can also store them in the freezer. I love topping mine with a little bit of tahini, but almond and sunflower butter tastes great too.

So yeah, these tahini brownie bites are guilt-free and good friends to have!

And now some Seattle pictures.

Seattle weekend

We kicked off our Saturday with brunch at Tallulah’s and then went on a hike around Rattlesnake Lake. From there we belted out some karaoke at Rock Box, ate dinner at Tin Table, and had ice cream at Molly Moon’s.

On Sunday we grabbed coffee at Stumptown (!!), walked around Pike Place Market, ate some chowder, and enjoyed a beer at Fremont Brewing. Then it was time to part ways and go back to Denver. Weekend over. Sigh.

Seattle weekend

But you know what? It was exciting to fly back into Denver. I’m still getting used to the fact that I live here now, not Minneapolis. So strange! I like it 🙂

Guilt-Free Tahini Brownie Bites
 
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Prep time
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These tahini brownie bites are easy to make, delicious, and totally guilt-free!
Serves: 24 bites
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats (gluten-free if needed)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ⅓ cup tahini
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • ⅓ cup tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons almond milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a mini muffin tin.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the water and chia seed meal. Set aside for at least 5 minutes.
  3. Add the oats and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the oats reach a flour-like consistency, but there can still be some bigger pieces.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoons of almond milk if the batter seems thick.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the mini muffin cups, about a heaping teaspoon.
  6. Bake for 8-9 minutes, then let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
You can substitute the chia seed egg for a flax egg if you prefer. A real egg would probably work as well!

tahini brownie bites

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Thursday Things 09.24.15

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Thursday Things 09.24.15

Happy Fall! It still feels like summer here in Denver (80 degrees much?), but it definitely felt like fall in Aspen this weekend (read about it here). Look at those ridiculous colors.

Also, look at these things:

In other news, I signed up for the Rock ‘N’ Roll Denver Half Marathon with a friend from work, got the a-ok from the doctor to ditch the wrist brace (<— that scar tho), and booked a flight to Seattle. Can’t wait to hang out with my best friend all weekend and celebrate her birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATALIE!!!!!

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A Quick Trip to Maroon Bells

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“Do you want to go to Maroon Bells next weekend?”

“What’s that?”

“Google it.” (<— click that link)

“Ummm… YES.”

Maroon Bells

Last Saturday my friend (Katie) and I went on a quick trip to Maroon Bells and it was one of the most amazing things ever.

Katie and I left Denver at about 8:30 on Saturday morning. The drive from Denver to Aspen was beyond beautiful. We were those cool kids that stopped at almost every scenic overlook to take pictures. I think I spent 87% of the drive with my mouth open drooling at all the scenery and thinking “Omg. I live here.”

Maroon Bells Maroon Bells Maroon Bells Maroon Bells

Once we arrived in Aspen we learned that the campground we had planned to stay at were already full, but we decided to just deal with that information later. We grabbed a quick meal, met some friends, then headed to Aspen Highlands to catch the bus.

From mid-June to October 5, you can only drive up to Maroon Bells 5:00pm-8:00am (info here). This information threw us a little off guard and forced us to change our plans a little bit and shorten our hike.

Clearly we didn’t have everything super planned out, but we went with the flow and everything worked out fine.

The bus from Aspen Highlands to Maroon Bells wasn’t just a transit bus, but rather a bus tour. The driver yelled at people for talking and told us facts like:

  • It is mating season for moose, so they are more aggressive than normal. Don’t get too close to them, because they could attack you.
  • People die all the time in the mountains, so be careful. Luckily the guy who fell off the mountain last month only broke his leg.
  • Some weekends are busier than others here.
  • Earlier today I saw a marmot sitting on that rock.

All very important things.

Then we arrived to Maroon Bells and it took my breath away.

Maroon Bells Maroon Bells Seriously.

Maroon Bells

Do you see why this is the most photographed mountain in North America?!

Katie, Mike, Bryan, and I started the hike from Maroon Bells to Crater Lake, which was about 2 hours round trip. The scenery was, surprise, gorgeous.

Maroon Bells Maroon Bells Maroon Bells Maroon Bells Those Aspens are on fire. Maroon Bells

Mike and Bryan kept hiking, so Katie and I went back to Maroon Bells, took more pictures, and enjoyed a Busch Light by the lake.

Maroon Bells Maroon Bells Maroon Bells

We hung out in Aspen a bit before picking up the guys. At this point we still didn’t know where we would be sleeping for the night, because most of the nearby campsites were full. I thought we would end up sleeping in the car on the side of the road, but luckily Katie’s friends found a spot “6 miles from Difficult Campground on 82, a left at the fork, and 20 minutes down the gravel mountain road to campsite #16”.

It was easier to find that you would have thought.

We arrived to the campsite by about 10:30, enjoyed the campfire, some drinks, and a ridiculous view of the stars (that my little iPhone could not photograph). Then we all attempted to sleep in a tent in the mountains in about 20 degrees. It was not very successful.

Honestly, I’m surprised that I still have all of my toes. However, it was all totally worth it. It only took us about 20 minutes to pack up and hit the road back to Denver the next morning.

This was my first real trip to the mountains since moving to Denver. I am so in love and cannot wait to get back. Skiing season starts soon and I got my Epic Summit Value Pass in the mail, so now I just need to learn how to ski…

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