About Gina Marie

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So far Gina Marie has created 328 blog entries.

Spiced Blueberry Cashew & Coconut Smoothie

You know how life is extremely unexpected?

Let me give you some examples.

Sometimes  you’re just trying to walk your dog. Maybe on this walk you see a shirtless stranger barreling towards you on their bicycle. He is smoking a cigarette. You can’t help but think how difficult it would be to smoke a cigarette WHILE biking the hills that surround this area. That is both cardiovascular-ly challenging and counter-intuitive. You also can’t help but wonder if he’s chilly. It’s sunny, but the wind is brisk. You yourself are in a jacket and pants. He is topless.  While you are pondering both his fashion and health decisions he yells out “Get off of the flapping sidewalk!” while narrowly missing your paws with his bike tires and puffing a thick of smoke in your face. Note: He totally didn’t say flapping. I’m just trying to keep this kid-friendly. This interaction is odd. Why do I have to get off the sidewalk? I am the one walking. I am the one wearing a top. Also, why are you yelling at me? Unexpected. […]

How To Make Coconut Butter

So, butter.

We have a history.

This weekend I was hanging out with my family, and these words were inevitably spoken to me:

“Hey, Gina! Remember how you used to sneak into the fridge and leave finger prints in the butter container?”

Yes. Yes I do. It went something like this…

I would wait until no one was in my grandparent’s kitchen. I would sneak over to the fridge and pray that the large tub of Country Crock was within my stubby-four-year-old-arm’s reach. If it was, I would sneakily remove it from its place in the fridge and bring it over to the kitchen table. Silently, I would remove the top off of the tub of butter. Eureka! I would dip my fat little fingers inside of the container and eat the butter off my hands. Carefully, I would put the top back on the container and make sure to place it back where I found it in the refrigerator. My four-year old self did not understand that I had left substantial evidence of my shenanigans behind. There were little finger divots and prints left in the butter tub. I was the only four-year-old that frequented that house. I was caught red-handed. Several times. I will also NEVER live this down. […]

Cardamom & Honey Cashew Milk {Gluten Free, Vegan & Paleo Friendly}

I’ve started and stopped writing this post more times than I would like to admit.
This is because I’ve written these sentences several times over and over with the utmost sincerity, and I am starting to feel like Tobias Funke:
How does one milk nuts?
I just love the taste of creamy nut milk!
It might seem time consuming to make your nut milk by hand, but the payoff is worth it.
OH LORD, HELP ME.
Maybe I should just stop using the term nut milk and we’d be in way less trouble here. Let’s get more specific. Let’s call it cashew milk. Ah, there we go. That is so much better already. I can just feel this post taking a turn out of the gutter and straight to Classyville. Welcome. […]

Broccoli Fritters With Lemon Yogurt Dipping Sauce | Gluten Free

I have a tendency to overbuy my vegetables.

This time it was broccoli. I got jazzed about it. It looked so good. Tiny little green trees begging to be steamed. Who fantasizes about cooking broccoli? Apparently, this girl. I tend to go to the grocery store at 8am, pre-breakfast. This is most likely a poor practice, since I am hungry. I am fairly sure this is how bacon seems to land in my cart effortlessly each week.  Besides the hunger factor, I LOVE the grocery store in the early morning. It’s usually deserted. I can raid the spinach and kale section without people looking at me funny. I can stand in the nut aisle and just gaze and ponder without someone trying to hustle me to get to the hazelnuts. It’s the best. You also tend to see some people who are really serious about their grocery haul. I once saw a woman with her cart filled to the brim solely with prune juice. Curious. […]