The Banana Peanut Butter Cake of My Dreams (AKA my 30th Birthday Cake!) + 30 Things I've learned about Life over the past 30 years

Today is my 30th birthday! It feels surreal to even say that. I remember turning 20 and thinking 30 felt so far away, but man it was basically a blink. What a decade it has been! I’ve learned so much and grown so much. It’s such a treat to be able to take the time this weekend to celebrate another trip around the sun!

I haven’t always let myself love my birthday. I didn’t know why at the time, but a few years ago I read something a psychologist wrote about birthdays and it really resonated. He said that a lot of people struggle to celebrate their birthday because of fear of unmet expectations. Woof. I resonated so hard.

I spent a lot of my early 20’s being worried that the ideas I had dreamed up in my head would never come to fruition. I avoided letting myself be celebrated because it was hard to manage those expectations. What if I planned a party and no one came? What if everyone actually just forgot about my birthday? So instead of letting myself be celebrated I tended to shut down and down-play how much my birthday meant to me. Because if I said my birthday was “no big deal” then I couldn’t be dissapointed when everyone else made it “no big deal.”

The truth is, my birthday is a big deal to me. It’s always been a big deal. And finally I’m starting to be honest with myself and others about how I really feel.

After I read what that psychologist wrote, I decided I needed to do two things:

1. Not let the fear of unmet expectations keep me from enjoying my birthday.

2. Refocus my birthday to be a reflection of the past year and a celebration of how far I’ve come.

Keeping the focus of my birthday on myself and what I can choose to do to celebrate versus what other people were going to do to celebrate me has made birthdays so much more fun. Birthday’s are a chance to treat myself to things I don’t always do (fancy coffee, dinner out, a manicure, etc.). But most importantly they’re a chance to celebrate how far I’ve come in the last year. A chance to reflect. Reevaluate. Redirect.

With this year being my 30th I feel like I have a lot to reflect on. A lot has happened over this short little life of mine and I have learned so, so much (and am still learning!). For fun I rounded up a list of 30 things I’ve learned (and some that I keep relearning) over the past 30 years to share with you all. And as an added bonus I’m sharing the recipe for The Banana Peanut Butter Cake of My dreams that I’m sure you’ll all love too. I hope you enjoy. Thank you as always for following along.

30 Things I’ve learned in 30 Years

1. Perfection doesn’t exist and waiting for it often keeps you from experiencing what’s in front of you.

2. Create, even when you don’t feel like you’ve got something good to create.

3. Getting started is the hardest part. With pretty much all things. (Working out, practicing piano, getting up to get ready for bed, etc.)

4. Humans are fully capable of feeling more than one emotion at once. Understanding that people can be both happy and sad at the same time is really important.

5. Listening is far more important than giving good advice.

6. Other people care far more about their own lives than yours so stop worrying about who is watching.

7. People are really good at hiding their anxiety and depression.

8. Parchment paper is worth the effort. I promise.

9. It’s okay to ask for what you want in a relationship (i.e, “I’d love if you bought me some flowers!”, “It would make me feel really special if you planned a date night for us together.”). Your partner can’t read your mind and there is no shame in communicating your wants.

10. I. AM. NOT. RESPONSIBLE. FOR. OTHER. PEOPLE. My therapist will be proud that this one made the list.

11. Cellulite is really not a big deal.

12. Wear whatever the heck you want.

13. Life is too short to worry about what other people think.

14. Buying yourself flowers will make your day better.

15. People often criticize your choices because they want to validate their own. Stay true to what you want.

16. Friendships ebb and flow and it doesn’t mean you did something wrong. It just means, sometimes you hang out every night for a week straight and sometimes you don’t see each other for a month and that’s okay.

17. Piggybacking off of that last one, when you do make a mistake in a relationship it’s important to face it head on. It might be painful and uncomfortable in the moment, but it will be worth it.

18. Always go on the trip.

19. This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever need.

20. Drinking lots of coffee makes you feel like garbage.

21. Drinking lots of alcohol makes you feel like garbage.

22. Drinking lots of water makes you feel less like garbage.

23. Always give yourself permission to change your mind.

24. No one has it all figured out.

25. A good probiotic can change your life. I swear by this one.

26. If you’re out of peanut butter you need groceries.

27. No amount of worrying will change the future.

28. Drinking coffee in the shower is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

29. Healing isn’t linear.

30. Carbs are necessary (and delicious!).

The Banana Peanut Butter Cake of My Dreams

This cake fully embodies my love of peanut butter. The banana aids in the cake sweetness without being overpowering in flavor. This cake is moist, chocolatey, and I promise it will be a hit. I’ve made this cake to celebrate not only my own birthdays, but a few other birthdays of loved ones over the past couple of years. It’s gluten-free and could be made dairy-free if you used vegan butter which makes it great for people with dietary restrictions, but I promise it will be enjoyed by all.

For the cake:

• 3 very overripe medium bananas (lots of brown spots is ideal), mashed

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature

• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup

• 3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 cups super fine blanched almond flour, packed

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup chocolate chips, mini or regular — whichever you prefer

For the frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Spray parchment paper and sides of pan with nonstick cooking spray. Highly recommend the parchment paper here otherwise the cake will probably stick.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, eggs, maple syrup, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

3. In another large bowl, mix the almond flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Fold in mini chocolate chips.

4. Divide batter evenly between pans and spread out with a spatula to smooth the tops. Bake for 20-30 minutes if using two 8-inch pans and 25-35 minutes for three 6-inch pans. Cakes are done when a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting or removing from the pans. The cake should be room temperature or cold when you frost it.

5. Make your frosting: In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, add the softened butter and peanut butter and whip on high until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk. Beat slow at first, then increase speed to high and beat for approximately two minutes. Frosting should be nice and creamy.

6. Frosting the cake: Place about 1-2 tablespoons down onto the cake stand and spread out. Invert 1 cake onto the cake stand, add about 1/2 cup of frosting between each layer, repeat with each cake, then frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

   Option to decorate with flowers, but be sure to do that right before serving as the flowers will not look fresh long. Cake will stay good for 5-7 days covered in the fridge.

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce

We are settling back into life after spending a week up in door county where we picked tons and tons of apples — and somehow I am still wondering why I didn’t pick more. I got like 99% Honeycrisp which are my all time favorite and just can’t stop eating them.

When I eat apples I typically like them with something. Sometimes I like them with a chunk of sharp cheddar and sometimes I like them dipped in sauce. I am particularly smitten by the peanut butter-apple combo. Like, whoever came up with that is my favorite person for eternity. The salty-sweet combo has my heart.

The other thing I really love to dip apples in is caramel. The sweet creamy goodness paired with the crunch of the apple — so, so good. This peanut butter caramel sauce was created so I never had to choose between the two again. And now, neither do you.

The caramel sauce has minimal ingredients to make things simple. This is sure to be your new addiction and the possibilities are endless. Start with dipping apples and see where the sauce takes you.

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Caramel Sauce

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup peanut butter

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional

Heat the maple syrup, peanut butter, and coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the ingredients have liquified and fully combined, stir in the vanilla. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator, using as needed.

Note: In the fridge the sauce will become more solid. If you would like to use it for dipping then I recommend scooping a little into a microwave-safe container and microwaving or heating in a sauce pan until it is runny again.

Our Favorite Coffee, Food, + Sights in Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota

Every time I go back to Minneapolis I’m surprised at how “big city” it feels. It kind of feels like a mini Chicago to me — except it’s super clean and doesn’t have the traffic problems — but it still has all the great parts — amazing restaurants, amazing coffee shops, a happening art scene, and just all around cool vibes.

St. Paul, just on the other side of the river is not as talked about but truly, equally as amazing. The cities are so close that every time we visit we end up popping back and forth between the two throughout each day. St. Paul is smaller, but still has it’s own downtown area that is fun to explore — lots of shops, restaurants, and awesome architecture.

One of the things that sets these cities apart from other midwest cities is the access to nature. Not only are there some beautiful parks throughout both cities, there are also places where you can get a legitimate hike in without stepping outside the city limits.

Fall is probably the best time to visit these wonderful cities, but all year round there are plenty of activities going on. Whether you’re looking for a long-weekend getaway or a place to spend an entire week, the Minneapolis and St. Paul both have plenty to offer.

 

Transportation

Both Minneapolis and St. Paul are very bike friendly. If you flew in and didn’t want to rent a car you could still manage to see a lot of the city. However, a car is probably the most ideal way to get around if you have it as an option.

COFFEE

SK Coffee - This roastery focuses on single-origin micro lot roasting which basically just means every time you go here they have limited edition, super interesting beans to try. Once we had a pour over that had peanut butter ice cream tasting notes and it was so fun. If you’re lucky enough to catch the owner, Sam, he’s always down to chat all things coffee. If not, all the baristas we’ve met are super knowledgable and friendly. They have two locations. The one in St. Paul is the original location and is a bit more on the industrial side. The Minneapolis location is a bit newer, but provides the same amazing coffee with some extra pretty light and vintage detailing. Since we discovered this place anytime we are near the twin cities we’ve made this coffee shop a destination. If you have to choose one coffee shop to go to, this is a must.

Wesley Andrews - A third wave shop definitely worth stopping by. Their baristas are very knowledgeable and they offer a variety of single-origin beans including some fermented options.

FRGMNT Coffee - This place was HUGE. If you’re in the North Loop area and in search of a solid cup of coffee that also includes some trendy vibes, here’s your spot. Come for the coffee, stay for the fireplace.

Duck Duck Coffee - This shop was located in Minneapolis. I love the grunge hipster vibe of this shop. They also have great breakfast sandwiches!

Yellowbird Coffee Bar - This shop was nestled in a quiet neighborhood in St. Paul where they had adorable adirondack chairs outside. The coffee was good. Not necessarily mind blowing, but good. It’s a great spot to lounge for a bit.

Nina’s Coffee - This shop was located in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of St. Paul, but made me feel like I was in a European city. The building has such charm. We split a breakfast burrito and really enjoyed taking in the details of the building. It seems like the perfect shop to post up for a few hours studying or just reading.

FOOD/DRINKS

Owamni by The Sioux Chef - This restaurant serves up indigenous cuisine. They prioritize purchasing from indiginous food producers and have avoided the use of colonized ingredients such as sugar, dairy, and wheat flour. The menu changes as the seasons change, but when we were there they had bison asada tacos, maple chili sweet potato crisps, and blue corn porridge. Everything was both beautiful and delicious without feeling too indulgent. They’re generally booked out pretty far, but if you’re willing to sit at the bar you can usually put your name in for lunch and only wait an hour or so. It’s nestled along the riverwalk, so if you put your name in you can just go for a leisurely pre-dinner walk and I guarantee the time will fly.

Young Joni - If you’re looking for woodfire pizzas, fancy AF salads, and even fancier cocktails, this is the place for you. It’s a bit higher end and therefor a bit spendier, but it’s a really great date night spot or celebration spot.

The Anchor Fish & Chips - An Irish Pub with the best fish and chips I’ve ever had in my entire life.

Surly’s Brewery- This place is HUGE. It includes a large beer hall as well as a beer garden big enough to bring a large group. They have food options as well as a significant beer list.

Dangerous Man - This is an awesome brewery with a really great tapp room. My favorite is their peanut butter porter. It can get super busy inside on the weekend, but they also have a really cute alley with tables and string lights to hang out on.

SIGHTS

• St. Paul

  • St. Paul Cathedral - Whether you go inside or not, this cathedral is worth the stop just to take in all it’s beauty.

  • Old Houses on Grand Avenue - After you’re done looking at the St. Paul Cathedral walk down Grand Avenue and take in all of the gorgeous houses that line this historic street.

  • Como Park Zoo and Conservatory - This is a great FREE activity that is super fun for all ages.

  • Golden Fig Grocery - This is such a cute grocer / kitchen store that had some really unique finds. It’s really close to the St. Paul Cathedral and totally worth a sop if you happen to be in the area.

  • Hidden Falls Park - Although when we were there the falls weren’t flowing super strongly, the short hike to the falls was nice. It’s also just a great park to bring a picnic to and hangout.

• Minneapolis

  • Mill City Farmer’s Market - A really great farmer’s market on Saturdays. Check their website for specific times depending on the time of year.

  • Bde Maka Ska Park - This is a great park for walking, running, biking, kayaking, paddle baording, or just hanigng on the beach by the water.

  • Minnehaha Fall Regional Park - I love that this park is just smack dab in the city. This park boasts a 52 foot waterfall, limestone bluffs, and river overlooks. This is definitely worth a stop to fill your outdoorsy heart.

  • Mill Ruins Park - This is another must if you’re in Minneapolis. Mill Ruins Park is a stunning park in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota that is set on the west side of Saint Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River. There is a huge, historic stone bridge that was converted into a pedestrian and bike trail in the 1990’s. As you walk across the bridge you can take in the views of St. Anthony Falls, the only waterfall on the entire Mississippi River. The bridge links Mill Ruins Park on the west and Father Hennepin Bluffs Park on the east bank.

  • Mall of America - I’m not really a huge shopper, but it’s still fun to go to the largest mall in America at least once.

My 6 Favorite Cookbooks

If you walked into my apartment one of the first things you’d notice is the amount of cookbooks I have. You’d realize very quickly my obsession with them. The gorgeous pictures bring me SO. MUCH. JOY. I’d probably even say that “flipping through cookbooks” makes it to the top of my list of favorite past times. Is that a little crazy? Maybe a little. It’s not just the food inspiration, the stories that go along with the recipes and the personal glimpse into other people’s kitchens make them feel intimate and special.

To be honest, when I’m cooking I rarely follow a recipe 100%. I actually feel like I’m almost incapable of doing that (something I got from my mom!). I’m always improvising with whatever we have in our pantry/fridge, but even still I believe in the power of a good cookbook. It provides an anchor and sometimes all we need is a little grounding to encourage us to spread our wings and experiment on our own.

Although it was really hard to narrow down my top cookbooks these are the six cookbooks I find myself turning to again and again. I hope by reading about the ones I love you can find some that peak your interest and add them to your own collection.

What are your go-to cookbooks? I’d love to hear!

My 6 favorite cookbooks

Pretty Simple Cooking by Sonia and Alex Overhiser - This cookbook shows its frequency of use at our house in grease stains and cocoa powder smears. All of the recipes in this book are vegetarian and truly simple. Like not the kind where people say “oh it’s so simple” and then they’re actually like not at all. It’s the perfect cookbook to pick up if you’re new to the kitchen and don’t want recipes that are overwhelming, but still want to impress your friends.

My Favorite recipes from this book:

• Strawberry Lime Chia Jam

• Red Lentil Curry with Cilantro Chutney

• Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos with Chipotle Aioli

• Veggie Supreme Paella

• Bliss Bites

• Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake with Macerated Raspberries

Healthier Together by Liz Moody - Liz does such a great job of creating recipes that feel healthy, but are also fun and interesting without being too fussy. This book focuses on curating healthy relationships with food and connecting with others around the table — a message I certainly appreciate.

There are chapters in thsi book focused on recreating your favorite take-out recipes, curating a healthy happy hour, making fancy fare for hosting at home, and much more. All of the recipes in this book are portioned for two people which works out perfect for Josiah and I, but if you’re serving more than that you can easily scale up the recipes. We use this one ALL.THE.TIME. I struggled to even narrow down my favorite recipes in this book because we love so many of them!

My favorite recipes from this book:

• Way More Veggies Bolognese

• Zack’s Chicken Potpie

• Chicken and Butternut Squash Tikka Masala wth Cilantro Chutney

• Immune Boosting Turmeric Golden Milk Daal

• Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Chickpeas with Golden Ghee Dressing

• Charred Chipotle Poblanos and Butternut Squash Taquitos

• Persian Spiced Herb and Walnut Omelet

Flour Power by Tara Jensen - If you’re looking for a confidence boost in your bread-baking abilities, this is the book for you. Tara gently walks you through the how-tos of bread making with just enough science to make the concepts stick without leaving you scratching your head. Be prepared though, most of the recipes are not something you can just decide to whip together on a whim. The process of bread baking is a practice in patience and care so be prepared to have some delayed satisfaction, but I promise it’s worth the wait. I have a lot more recipes to try from this book, but the lessons she provides in the book have stuck with me and for that reason it makes it into my top six.

My favorite recipes from this book:

• Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Overnight Waffles

• Workweek Bread

Whole Food Cooking Every Day by Amy Chaplin - This book is HUGE. It includes 250 recipes that are all vegetarian and free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugars. As the name implies this book focuses on using whole foods. For this reason you might expect the recipes to feel over complicated and overwhelming, but Amy does such a great job of making them feel approachable and simple. The recipes are very vegetable forward and super delicious. Everything in this book screams “nourishment.”

My favorite thing about this book though is that she presents a simple base recipe and then presents variations of that base recipes so that you can learn to cook with whatever you have on hand. For example she has a Winter Butternut Squash Soup as a base recipe, but then presents a variation that includes miso and another that includes hazelnut milk. She inspires you to adapt when you’re cooking in the real world where you can’t always find the ingredients you’re after. And as an added bonus instead of feeling like you just learned one recipe, it feels like you learned many! With just a few tweeks you can take that base recipe and turn it into a completely new meal.

My favorite recipes from this book:

• Strawberry Coconut Butter

• Curried Cauliflower Soup

• Sweet Potato Soup with Coriander, Chili, and Ginger

• Creamy Carrot Dressing

• Green Pea Pasta using the Easy Pine Nut Pasta Sauce

• Leek and Greens Cauliflower Bake

Green Kitchen At Home by David Frenkiel and Luis Vindahl - Whenever I flip through this book I instantly feel transported to Stockholm. I feel like I’m hanging out with David and Luis in their adorable kitchen chatting about all things food and life. The colors in this book make me very happy. The photos are so bright and inspiring.

I also highly recommend their Green Kitchen Travels cookbook. Warning: It will have your wanderlust going wild. I have all of their books and truly love them. If you are only going to buy one though I like this one because it provides a well rounded set of recipes that are sure to influence your next weeknight menu. All the recipes are vegetarian, but are ones that I as a meat eater still find myself falling in love with again and again.

My favorite recipes from this book:

• Spinach and Feta Quiche with Oat Crust

• Mediterranean Tray-bake with Halloumi Chunks

• Daily Dahl

• Fifty Shades of Green.

Half Baked Harvest Every Day by Tieghen Gerard - I’ve been in love with Half Baked Harvests blog forever. Her photography draws you in, but her unique take on food brings you back again and again. I’ve cooked from all three of her cookbooks, but find this one to be the one I keep coming back to the most. Tieghen lives in the mountains of Colorado and as you’re flipping through her book you can almost imagine yourself walking around her gorgeous property sipping on a cranberry moscow mule and taking in the incredible views.

My favorite recipes from this book:

• Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

• Zuppa Toscana with Cauliflower Gnocchi

• Spiced Lentil Soup with Curried Acorn Squash

• Chipotle Cheddar Corn Chowder

• Brussel Sprouts and Gnocchi in Rosemary Butter Sauce

• Saucy Garlic Peanut Noodles

• Spicy chicken madras