Kelsey Velez

#ad Valentine's day is right around the corner, which means chocolate-covered treats are everywhere. If you want something a little better for you that tastes delicious let me tell you about @XomiFoods Dark Chocolate Covered Frozen Fruit. They come in these cute single-serving packs that are about 100 calories each. The fruit is Thai-grown and tastes amazing. The pieces I used to make the heart were from one packet of each flavor I tried so you get a lot in each serving. I chose mango and strawberry because they are two of my favorites. These would make a great surprise for your partner, family member, friend or even yourself. Use the link in my bio to find yours today. Mine was found at my local @heb #xomifoods #xomiohmy #ambxomi #herxomi #chocolatetreats

Happy #FunkoFriday This week's @originalfunko is @netflix @marvel Daredevil. I still haven't watched the final season but that is next on my list of shows to finish. This was my first Funko Pop that started my collection. I was in the middle of the first season when I got it in a mystery box. Have you seen Daredevil? I didn't make today's dish. The credit for this lasagna goes to my cousin. She did an amazing job and the flavors were so good! I took these slices as leftovers from this weekend and it still tasted amazing. If you make your own, how do you layer your lasagna? #funkofriday #funkopops #leftovers #lasagna #daredevil

#ad Here's a bonus #ThirstyThursday treat You know I'm more of a tea drinker than a coffee drinker by now. Part of that is because by the time I've finished adding cream and sugar to the cup of coffee it's at least 40% cream 😅 So I chose tea because it seemed like the healthier choice that is until I found my new favorite creamer. @mooala_koala Vanilla Bean plant-based creamer is not only good for you, it tastes amazing. I did a double-take because it tasted like a latte from a coffee shop. It's vegan, has 0 grams of sugar and is free of dairy, gluten, and carrageenan. It's a great option to whatever you like not just coffee. Did I mention the company is Texas owned and operated? Use the link in my bio to get yours today and check out their other great products #hermooalacreamer #ambmooala #ambcollab #Mooala #PlantBased

Happy #ThirstyThursday Today's tea review is @yourtea Happy Tea from my @sipsby box. I sweetened this tea with Purecane which you can learn more about in my previous post. The tea does give a floral taste. It wasn't too strong but I like floral flavors so it might be too much if you don't like that type of thing. There's also a light aftertaste of berry which I would have loved more of. I did feel more relaxed after drinking the tea. One of the cool things about this tea is that the blend was designed by TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) certified doctors in Australia. This tea can assist with *Bloating *low energy *low mood *lethargy *concentration *digestion *energy Reminder that these are just what I've found through research and aren't promises #sipsbyyourtea #yourtea #teareview #yourteahappytea #tcm

#ad Making tea for tomorrow's tea review with a new sweetener @purecane is a zero calorie sweetener made from sugarcane so it's natural. Since it's zero calorie and zero-glycemic it's simple for your body to metabolize and it's diabetes friendly so it won't cause a spike in blood sugar. A 1/2 teaspoon is all you need to get a nice light sweetness. Perfect for anything from hot to cold beverages and everything in between. #TheNewNewSweet #herpurecanecanister #ambpurecane #ambcollab

Happy Wednesday!! Popcorn is my absolute favorite snack so when I found out National Popcorn Day landed on a blog day I knew I wanted to use popcorn as an ingredient. I was a little behind due to technical difficulties but better late than never. So after gaining inspiration I decided to make Popcorn Crème Brûlée. I know it sounds strange but it's basically a caramel popcorn dessert when you think about it. Use the link in my bio to find out how you can make this treat and don't worry crème brûlée is easier to make then you'd think #newblogpost #popcorncremebrulee #cremebrulee #popcorn

#ad Happy Sunday!! The biggest game of the football season is almost here and while my team is out I'll still be watching. Game day celebrations may look different this year but what to serve is still a big question, especially if you have friends who eat differently then you. So let me tell you about a delicious solution. I got my hands on @outstandingfoods PigOut pigless pork rinds in nacho cheese flavor and they are amazing!! I've never been a huge fan of pork rinds or chicharrones as I knew them. They were really plain to me but I'd was them if offered. These pigless pork rinds are big on flavor. They have a slight heat that just helps the nacho cheese flavor. Both of my parents liked them too (which is very hard to manage) Here is why PigOut pigless pork rinds make a great alternative: 🐷25 grams of plant protein in every full-size bag 🐷The protein is equivalent per ounce to ground beef 🐷Baked, not fried 🐷Contain 75% less sodium and 67% less saturated fat than “traditional” pork rinds 🐷Free from gluten, soy, GMOS, cholesterol, and trans fats They’re also perfect to enjoy after a workout, or whenever you need a quick snack that’s actually good for you! No empty calories here! Use the link in my bio to grab a bag for your game day spread today #herpiglessporkrinds #ambpigout #PigOut #piglessporkrinds #ambcollab

Happy Saturday!! Here is the first tea review from my December @sipsby box. As I said on Tuesday I actually used this @favatea Pistachio Torte tea to infuse my llama cake. I chose this tea because of the use of marzipan drops in it so I thought it would play well with the marzipan decorations. This tea is a loose leaf black tea blend with pistachios, rose petals, marzipan drops and almonds. It is a caffeinated tea but is perfect for the winter season. The many flavors go well together in what I'm gonna describe as a dessert tea. I made mine into a latte by using oat milk instead of water and of course adding in local honey for sweetness. It's a nice sweet nutty drink that satisfied my sweet tooth for the day. Now here are some health benefits of the ingredients in the blend. This is just from the knowledge I've researched and is in no way a guarantee in these benefits: Black Tea 🫖antioxidants 🫖anti-inflammatories Rose 🫖antioxidants 🫖rejuvenating properties for hair and skin 🫖high in vitamin C Almonds 🫖vitamin E 🫖magnesiuem 🫖potassium Pistachio 🫖antioxidants 🫖anti-inflammatories Overall I'd rate this tea a 4.0 If you want to check out the recipe I used this tea in use the link in my bio #teareview #favatea #pistachiotorte #tealover #saturdaysips

Over the quarantine, I’ve had to find a lot of creative ways to keep myself busy and inspired… cooking and baking quickly became a favorite again, and I haven’t stopped doing it since! It’s so good for clearing my head and learning to make something new. What fun hobbies did you pick up over the pandemic? Any fun ways you’re keeping yourself busy over the winter months? I wish I could say I baked this french toast bagel but all the credit goes to @grindbrewcafe They have so many options it's hard to pick just one so I went with their french toast bagel with cream cheese and strawberries #nationalbagelday #grindbrewcafe #frenchtoastbagel #localbagels #eatlocal

Happy Wednesday!! I'm back with another of my skillet pizzas but this time it's for #nationalpizzaweek and I used a blend of oaxaca, asadero and queso quesadilla instead of the usual mozzarella. It made it taste great but you still get that cheesy pizza feel What's your favorite kind of cheese on pizza? #cheesepizza #skilletpizza #chessypizza #foodiesinternationalchat

Happy #TastyTuesday and National Marzipan Day Marzipan is not only tasty but can also be used to make edible decorations on cakes. I'm not the biggest fan of traditional fondant so I don't use it if I don't have to and I'm still working on making marshmallow fondant work for me. So until then marzipan might be a good option. This llama cake is a black tea cake with a black tea swiss meringue buttercream. I decided to use @favatea Pistachio Torte (from my latest @sipsby box) as my infusing tea. I'll be sharing more about this delicious tea on Thursday so stay tuned. Believe it or not this cake came out pretty easily and now I'm gonna show you how you can make your own. Use the link in the bio to learn more. #nationalmarzipanday #marzipan #marzipandecorations #llamacake

Happy Funko Friday!! I thought it might be fun to show off my @originalfunko collection on Fridays along with the usual food pic. This week here is my @nbcthegoodplace Michael one. I binged the first one and a half seasons so I could watch the rest live as it continued on. I was sad to see this show end but I was happy with the finale. Have you seen The Good Place? Today I decided to try another version of a salmon burger with apple. It might sound strange but it is a delicious combination. I love a good salmon burger and this is one I'll definitely make again. Have you ever had or made a salmon burger? #funkofriday #funkopops #salmonburger #salmonapple #thegoodplace

Happy #ThirstyThursday !! I'm a little behind because I'm just now getting to my December @sipsbby 😅 I've got @matchalove Matcha Lemon Verbena Mint, @yourtea Happy Tea, @yogitea Blackberry Apple Cider Digestive Awakening and @favatea Pistachio Torte. I can't wait to share my thoughts on each of these teas with you. What's your favorite way to sweeten tea? #sipsby #teasubscription #teabox #tealover #teareviewscoming

Happy National Bean Day!! I wanted to celebrate by making these baked black bean taquitos. I learned this recipe back in my TV days while helping to record the weekly cooking segment. We'd set one day out of the month to record the episodes for the following month. This was one of my favorite things I got to do because we could try the food. I also got to talk to the chef and learn more from him through our brief conversations. He gave me copies of some of the recipes which I still have to this day in my recipe stash. They are available on the station website but I still thought it was awesome #nationalbeanday #blackbeantaquitos #blackbeans #bakedtaquitos #foodiesinternationalchat

Happy #TastyTuesday !! Today's blog post is a going to be a little late today. I've got a great recipe that I can't wait to share with you but I'll keep it a surprise for now. Keep an eye on my stories for the new post. I thought I'd share my #topnine for 2020. Thank you all for your support last year and I can't wait to share what I have planned for this year with you. #topnine2020 #top9 #foodblogger