Healthy Happenings

New Smoothie...

2010-03-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

I know, I know....It's been EONS since I've been here. I wanna come back and write more, but honestly I've just been "trying" to figure how exactly how/what my diet is going to effectively look like. I've been floundering around a bit, trying a bit of this, a bit of that, not really 100% positive where I want to land, diet-wise. I do KNOW that I really DO enjoy veggies, salads, fruits and really don't like lots of meat, cottage cheese, dairy, etc... and everytime I "try" a different diet I find myself trying to get in the swing of things that I just really do not enjoy. So, while I flounder around a bit in my quest for my personal mode of eating, I thought I would come out of hiding here and post an awesome recipe that my oldest son made up today.

I was really impressed with it's taste, and since I couldn't suck the sides of the blender to get my own share of his shake, I decided to make another one for myself as well!
We'll call it the GRAPE BOMB!

Handful of raw cashews, blended very finely

15 red seedless grapes

1 frozen banana, chopped up for ease of blending

Enjoy!

Inspiring...

2010-01-25T03:55:00.000-08:00

This morning I was reading some comments under a friends Facebook status and I was pleasantly surprised by the conversation because it involved me, and this blog. The basis of the comment was how this friend has lost 30 lbs. and found a lot of inspiration by reading my words about healthy eating, natural foods, etc.. that I was a great role model.

Wow! I had no clue that she even read my blog!

Talk about motivating...to ME! My heart just wanted to burst reading that. Isn't that what life is about??? Helping others?! Encouraging others!?

I feel honored...really honored.

Queens and a Princess!!

2010-01-24T03:51:00.000-08:00

Man I've been a bit busy. All good. But busy nonetheless!!! I haven't even had much time to read anyone else's blog (I'm so sorry...I promise I still love you all and will most definitely get caught up soon, very soon, I hope!)

My Princess training is going well. Yesterday I had a 10k to do. There weren't any road races of that length going on so we just hit our normal trail and ran them ourselves. It's funny how after running 8 miles the Saturday before that yesterday seemed like an EASY day. Boy I've come a long way!!! I love it! We ran it in 61 min. Not bad!!! My knees are doing really well too, so THAT I'm super happy about.

Next week we ramp it up for the final 5 week home stretch. Woo Hoo. I can't believe I'm actually going to run in a 1/2 marathon race! This is something that I've always said I want to do, but never have. So excited.

My eats have been okay. Definitely not stellar. I'm finding myself snacking on things that I haven't put in my mouth for a while. My waist line IS being effected by it so time to hammer back down. Yesterday was a great eating day though. I've just come to realize that I really MUST eat about every 2 hours. If I don't then I'll be weaker in my decision making process when it comes to food choices and quantities. Yesterday I followed the every 2 hr mark and felt GREAT, never starving and much more in control...and sane. :)

I'm also involved in our church's annual ministry, Queen For a Day. Every year about 350 women from our community that are homeless, underprivileged, abused, many single moms without income, etc. come to our facilities to be pampered and treated like a queen. They receive a great meal (several courses), manicures, get to shop in our clothing boutique and pick out several free outfits, accessories, etc.. and basically get loved on all day long...showing Christ's love to their aching wounded hearts. I get the special privilege of being the Team lead for door prizes and gifts!!! Last year I was able to collect over 350 haircuts, 30 free massage certificates, Disney passes, restaurant certificates, makeup bags, Vera Bradley purses and so much more. The women went CRAZY for it all!!! Warmed my heart like no other....

So anyways...it's gear up time again! The event is February 13th and I've been busy on the horn trying to round up more exciting items to give to these women! If you know of anyone/any business that would be interested in donating to this cause...I would be so grateful for the referral!!!!

I'm Alive!

2010-01-18T15:10:00.000-08:00

Just wanted you all to know that I AM alive. Just busy with life.

This past Saturday I ran EIGHT miles! 1:24! I can't believe I'm finally up to THAT mileage. It felt great. Although, I don't recommend going roller skating with your family for three hours following a long run.

I pretty much felt like an 80 year old for the rest of the evening. Tired, cranky, bent over in need of a walker.

Sunday my left knee was pretty tender but it's feeling better today.

I called my workout partner tonight to tell her I won't be at the gym in the morning. I'm feeling pretty ragged lately. Burning the candle a bit too much. I think I need to sleep in in the morning before this yucky feeling that is knocking on my door becomes a full blown doozy!

Only 6 weeks till the 1/2 marathon. I can see it in my sights now. I know I can do this. We are gonna have such fun!

Till next time....

Busy, Busy, Busy.....

2010-01-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

I've had all these things I've wanted to say on a post, ideas running thru my mind, pictures of foods I've eaten taken and downloaded to my computer....but with no time to do any thing further with them.

I've started to even feel a bit responsible that I've started this 12 week challenge and I'm not even around for the cheering and RAH RAH!

I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew here folks. While I want to encourage everyone to continue on with their own personal 12 week challenge, or heck...whatever you want to call it ie. healthy living, etc... I don't think I can be the spokeswoman for the job right now.

Life is going GREAT over here. I'm working out every morning, and LOVING it, gearing up for my 1/2 marathon in less than 2 months. I'm still figuring out my eating lifestyle, it seems to change from day to day, even meal to meal :) I'm working off my meal plan I create each week and saving money at the grocery store. We've implemented a monthly budget that we are sticking to and even cut up our only credit card that we paid off each month.

Lots of housecleaning going on, figuratively and physically.

All good stuff.

But what I am noticing, or feeling, is that I'm not wanting to have a required daily post. Or feeling like I need to "come up with something" for the sake of the "challenge", something inspiring.

I'm sorry. I hope I haven't let anyone down. I'm sure you all weren't hanging your hat on the future of this blog, or anything I have to say to dictate your healthy lifestyle! :)

I'm still going to be blogging here as usual, perhaps spread out a bit...because life just gets in the way, or I should say, my family and responsibilities (and joys) here come first!

Day One of the Challenge!!!

2010-01-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to have some buds jumping on the bandwagon with me for this 12 week challenge! We're gonna rock it!!!

This morning I awoke before my alarm even buzzed, around 4:32 a.m. I hopped out of bed eager to get to the gym! First though, I went ahead and took my "starting weight"...up 2 lbs. :( Not too terribly bad though, considering.

Met Amy, my faithful workout partner, and we got to work! We aren't supposed to run on Mondays so we do incline work on the treadmill....about KILLS me to NOT run. 40 minutes of 6% incline at 4.0 speed. We then did shoulders and some ab work! If I leave the gym all sweaty and nasty...my work is complete. It's funny cuz having short hair, and waking up with only enough time to slip on my gym clothes and head out the door, I OFTEN go to the gym with a serious case of bed head. We're talking hair sticking way up in the front, matted down on one side, and burly on the other. Obviously I'm not too vain, nor too worried about it! :) I'm one that sweats on my head, quickly, when I work out. Stick up hair only lasts about 10 minutes into my workout. Then I'm a sweaty mess!

Mission accomplished.

For breakfast I was in the mood for some Apple Cinnamon Oat pancakes...made enough for the hubby and I to share. Yummo!

Mid morning I had a larabar.

For lunch today I made the Meaty Vegan Green Bean Casserole for the boys and I. I had a serving of that, along with a nice salad and my NEW FAVORITE SALAD DRESSING....

Holy Smokes I'm in love! I've always loved French dressings, but since they are ALL so not good for you, I typically have always stayed away from them (except during my "fluffy" times) until now! Wow this dressing is good. I could have easily dumped the entire bottle over my salad, but I resisted to a mere 1 Tbsp. I'm so good! HA

One of my girlfriends texted me while I was stuffing my face with all these really great green foods on my plate and was asking me about her diet. The one thing that was sorely lacking was vegetables!!!

Is this hard for you too? Do you get enough servings of vegetables in your day?

Obviously the best way to eat them is raw. All the nutrients, living enzymes, etc. are in the uncooked variety. The easiest way to eat them raw??? Well, you can do green monster shakes. Or heaping salads with LOTS of various veggies, or you could eat carrots, peppers, cucumbers, etc. sliced up with hummus or salsa.

We eat LOTS of salads around here! Growing up, my mom always fixed us a salad with dinner every night. It was our normal. It wasn't until I got into the adult world that I realized that most people have salads on occasion. For us, it's very weird to eat dinner without having a salad with it. Good rule of thumb....if you have a big salad for lunch, then just have a side salad with your dinner. If a large salad is on the menu for dinner....then pair your lunch with a small side salad.

If you're NOT eating enough veggies I highly recommend you put this as one of your goals during this 12 week food and body awareness challenge!!!

Tell me....what's your favorite way to get in all your greens and other veggies???

12 Week Body & Food Awareness Challenge

2010-01-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

Okay folks. I'm here with a challenge for you. To join me on a 12 Week Body & Food Awareness Challenge.

Over the course of the last few weeks I've not been listening to my body's hunger cues and instead eating too large of portions (even if I'm already feeling full), adding in a bit too many carb and fat rich snacks, feeling the pull of emotional eating rearing it's ugly head, etc... All of this is starting to derail the 13 lbs weight loss I've had. While I don't want to fixate on a scale number, I do know "around about" what number the scale should say in order to fit back into my clothes I've been really really wanting to get back into. I have another 10 lbs. I'd like to lose.

This is not for a certain diet program, or any particular fitness plan...that's all up to YOU and your wants and needs.

What this is, is a 12 week plan to be intentional in your eating, your fitness plan and your goals in general.

When I say intentional in your eating I mean to pay attention to what goes in your mouth, making wise choices, not depriving your body OR putting your body thru unhealthy binges.

Find a fitness plan that works for you. Whether that's training for a marathon, or committing to start for the first time even if it's only 2x per week of walking around the block! Just get moving, make a commitment and just DO IT!

Wanna join me?

All you need to do is take your measurements, take your picture (front and backside) in a bathing suit, and a starting weight from the scale. It's imperative you do the measurements and picture!! There have been many a days where the scale is NOT my friend, yet I pull out the measuring tape and will see inches dropping! Before and after pictures tell the true story...not the scale! But it's nice to have numbers in all those areas! Paints the total picture.

Then, decide from this day forth that you are going to start becoming more aware of what goes into your mouth. Making wise choices that feed and fuel your body. Reward yourself. And if something happens that leaves you disappointed in a choice you've made, don't beat yourself up and start the cycle of self loathing or self sabotage...lace up your boot straps and get back on the right path.

12 weeks puts us at the first of April...just in time for Spring Break and beach (or lake) trips! Why not feel your absolute best....starting right now!

We can have weekly check-ins and inspire one another on the path to total health...body and mind!

Will you join me?

Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts

2010-01-10T04:07:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've heard the news reports around the country that we had SNOW in Florida! Yes, that's right folks, SNOW! Training outside for this marathon is NOT exactly enjoyable for this 7th generation Floridian in these types of conditions. Especially since we got sleet, not snow. At least had we gotten some snow here the boys would have been uber excited!!

I was scheduled to run 7 MILES for my long run on Sunday. Not happening outside. Lucky for me I have a running/workout partner and we decided to take the task inside and run on the hamster wheel. Dreading it at first, the thought of going no where fast, it actually wasn't that bad. We chatted it up the whole time and cheered each other on as each mile passed by. Once we reached one hour though, the treadmill abruptly stopped, causing us both to hold on and scratch our heads until we figured out what was happening. We quickly got the treadmills cranked up again to finish our last mile. :) Yeah us!

It felt soooo good to have accomplished 7 miles. I was really nervous about it. Not cardiovascularly, but physically. My knees really bothered me last week running 6 so I was petrified of what 7 would do. Glad to report that I did great. Alabiet it was on a treadmill so the impact is NOT the same as outdoor running. Next Saturday is 8 miles, with 75 degree temps in the forecast (YIPPEE!!!) I'll definitely get to put my knees to the test then! Oh wish me the best...and say a little prayer for my knees!

Last night I made those brussel sprouts I was talking about earlier in the week. Here's the recipe:

Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp EVOO

1/4 cup apple cider

1/2 cup Balsmic vinegar

1 1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and with an "x" cut on the bottom

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Boil trimmed Brussels sprouts for 6-8 minutes in a pot of water until crisp and tender. Drain water. Cut each sprout in half, length-wise. In a large skillet, heat oil on medium and saute garlic and red onion. Add apple cider, Balsamic vinegar, and Brussels sprouts.

Cook on high heat, reducing Balsamic vinegar/cider mixture. Sprinkle with pepper. Plate once sauce is reduced and Brussels sprouts are tender. Serves six.
My opinion of the dish: They were really good. However, I do believe a bit tart. I'm thinking a sprinkle of a packet of Stevia would have been nice. Or even better some chopped sugar coated pecans would have been incredible on this dish.

I've gotten these two magazines this week and I'm so looking forward to digging in to see what new recipes I can try out!

Question: Are you an outdoor runner or do you prefer the treadmill?

Not such a great day...

2010-01-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

As you know, yesterday I had all intentions of doing a 24 hr. juicing detox. It started out well...

Juiced some carrots for my first "meal"

And kept the carrot pulp. I really want to figure out what

to do with this stuff. I don't have a dehydrator to make crackers

but figured I could still cook them in the real oven

to make something out of them...

Then, being that it is FRIGID (for this Floridian) outside with

the highs being in the low 50s here and freezing every night.

I had a nice hot cup of green tea about an hour later.

By mid morning I was starving so I made a green monster smoothie.

Spinach, apple/oatmeal protein powder, almond milk

and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Mmmm....good!

By lunchtime though I would have given my first born child up for a real meal. I'm sure this is mostly psychological since I've gone plenty a day before without having time to eat enough due to various busy reasons, but for whatever reason on this particular day I wanted FOOD!

I made my boys Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for lunch with pita chips and hummus and that did it...I wolfed down 1 1/2 sandwiches myself plus enough pita chips and hummus to keep that company in business for years! It was shameful. :(

But...it's over with. I've learned my lesson. I simply need food. For now. Perhaps when I don't feel like hibernating with these temps we aren't used to, and I'm not running the heck out of my body in the mornings at the gym I will be more prepared for an ocassional juice fast. Yesterday was not one of them!

I did manage to make an incredible dinner, so my family thought! :) Chicken Tortilla Soup!

It's funny...I posted that I was making this on Facebook and I got a couple of responses like "Hey...I thought you were a vegetarian!!" I guess I should expect that type of reaction, I DO eat mainly vegetarian, although the response got me thinking. I guess I really don't want to be labeled anything. I've made a really good effort in the last three months to NOT get in the hang up of "dieting" or being on a certain diet. I've been eating what my body craves, listening to hunger cues, not denying myself what I want. While I DO eat a mainly vegan diet on any given day, I don't want to say I'm a vegan. If I'm at someone's house that is serving Spaghetti that has meat in it, I'm going to eat it. If I get a hankering for some stew that has chicken in it...I want to eat it.

I've spent too many years in a state of deprivation, not allowed to eat this or eat that based on that particular diet I was following. It's oppressive.

Do I feel my best when I'm eating a high plant based diet. ABSOLUTELY. But that doesn't mean that I want to forever give up other food options. This may disappoint some out there, especially those that are vegan for ethical purposes. But this is me. My choices.

One thing that I have definitely changed, no going back, is my purchase of ONLY organic meats and poultry. Since those ARE much more expensive we don't eat those that often anyways.

One of my New Years Resolutions was to continue to learn, refine and define my eating lifestyle and all of this is apart of my process...fine tuning! :) Even the occasional mishaps...

I know many of you requested the soup recipe so here it goes. So super easy and delish. BOTH my boys wolfed this down! (This recipe could be easily modified to make it vegan)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 lbs. chicken (cooked and shredded)

1 can chicken broth

2 cans Rotel

1 16oz. can of salsa (depending on how spicy you want it mild or medium)

1 cup of water

1 can of corn

1 can of black beans

1 T chili powder

Mix everything up in a crockpot and cook on whichever setting you need it to be on (high for 2 hr. low for 4+ hours). Top with crushed tortillas and serve along side some warm cornbread!

MMMM....good!

Detox....

2010-01-06T03:27:00.000-08:00

I think I'm going to spend the day juicing and eating smoothies. If I can make it.

I'm an eater. I love food. Really love food. But I think every once in a while it's good for your system if you give it a rest and allow it to spend energy JUST on elimination instead of digestion.

Plus, I ate a TON of food yesterday that was NOT healthy, for whatever reason I'm not sure, and I think I'd like to take the day and hopefully flush that sugar monster out of my system. A bunch of green juices usually does that trick!

I'll report back on how it goes....

Resolutions...

2010-01-04T06:31:00.000-08:00

I am well on my way to implimenting my New Years resolutions. If you want to see them again HERE they are.

While we were away my husband and I got together our annual monthly budget for 2010. We've actually never really stuck to a real budget before. Luckily, we are both pretty good with our money, and he earns a decent living (some years better than others) but both felt that with a budget in place we'd have a better idea where monies get spent and where we could save.

On the airplane ride back home I worked on our meal plan for the week (working to get it up to a month at a glance) and the master Grocery List that I'll store on the computer, print off each week and just have to highlight the ingredients that I actually need to pick up for that week. As I was compiling this list I was making a mental sweep of the grocery store aisles as I go down them and writing anything and everything I typically buy from time to time. I ended up with a three columned Word document with all the foods we would generally buy in any given month. I printed it off today and it made my grocery experience VERY easy.

So often I'll write down some arbitrary list, only to stock pile other items as I see them without any type of plan in place. A big waste of money, AND REFRIGERATOR SPACE! Having my meal menu for the week really helped target in on what exactly I should be buying, especially since I'm really wanting to stick with a monthly grocery budget without going over!!!

Another one of my resolutions was to try one new recipe each week. As I was flipping thru some magazine I purchased at the airport I came across a really yummy looking recipe called, Carmelized Balsamic Brussel Sprouts. This is my new recipe for this week. I believe that is for Saturday night. I'll definitely share the recipe and it's result with you!!

My Vitamix resolution (to save enough money for) is well underway too! I posted on Craigslist some old child video gaming products that my kids have outgrown. I've got a bite and have someone coming over later this evening to check them out. That'll net me about $125 towards my new stuff! Woot!!!

We are back....BRRRR!

2010-01-04T05:27:00.000-08:00

Well, we safely made it back from Tennessee! The boys so wanted to see snow this trip. When we landed in Asheville, NC there was old snow piled on the sides of the streets and parking lot. The boys were very excited!

They HAD to touch it and make a snowball....
Even without gloves on!
We spent most of the time INSIDE the cabin. Us Floridians are not quite used to temperatures in the single digits!!! When we first arrived though the forecast said only 30% chance of snow. Disappointed the boys went to bed. Only to wake up to see freshly fallen snow on the ground.

It sure is beautiful.

We had to make use of the 1/4 inch of snow on the ground (LOL) and make snow angels.

Even if most of it consisted of dirt!!
We traveled over to Gatlinburg for the day and walked around the shops. Stopped in at this yummy Coffee and Donut shop....yummo! But didn't stay too terribly long b/c the ice was forming on the roads and didn't want to be traveling in the dark with such conditions.
The boys had an absolute blast playing with their cousins...
As far as my eating and exercise routine...well...let's just say it was almost non-existent. I did enjoy some Steel cut oats each morning for breakfast that I hadn't really tried before. These are my new favorite! I cut up 1/2 banana, some cinnamon, stevia packet, and raisins....delish!

I did manage to get out and take a brisk walk up and down the roads (hello shin splits!) for about 2 miles, but between the freezing weather and the thoughts of some backwoods serial killer waiting to ambush me in the woods which highly freaked me out, I decided to turn around and call it a day. While many parts of the area we were in is absolutely beautiful, the one thing that I noticed quite a bit is that house, cars, barns, etc... once they are no longer useful they are just left there to rot and decay along the roadside. Barns looking like they are about to tip over with the slightest nudge of a windstorm stay there for eternity. They'll just build a new barn close by and leave the old one where it stands. What about a bulldozer?? Anyone use one up there?

Or you'll see these REALLY small cracker jack houses that look like they've been hear since the beginning of time. They look like something really bad and scary could happen inside their walls. It was these type of homes that had me pretty creeped out as I walked by, thinking someone was definitely waiting inside one just for me!

Since I've got the Disney 1/2 Princess Marathon speeding towards me (I think we've got like 8 weeks left??) I knew I needed to run last night after our plane landed.

First of all....it's COLD! I mean, come on....I was NOT looking forward to more cold, after having lived in it for 4 days. I live in Florida...what's up with this weather we are having????

The temp on my dashboard said 44 degrees outside. I know, some of you that live up north are thinking that's WARM. Well....for this Florida girl...no it ain't!

BUT...I strapped on my running shoes, grabbed my Garmin and hit the road. 6 miles. The hardest, longest 6 miles of my life. It was by far the most pitiful run I have ever done. I ran the first 5 and the very last mile I had to walk/run. My knee was killing me. Like really really bad killing me. Of course as soon as I would walk it would feel fine. BUT it's got me very concerned about increasing my mileage past 6 miles. I've got to double that number, plus one, to carry me across that finish line. I'm hoping it had to do with the fact that I hadn't done anything in 4 days, it was cold, I had been traveling and my eating wasn't what it typically is. I hope.

Anyways. It's so good to be home. There really is no place like home.

Ideas for picky eaters!!

2009-12-30T18:32:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow our family is boarding a plane and heading for some snow...hopefully!

We are going to Tennessee and snow is expected. The boys are crazy excited. We are just going for 4 days...up tomorrow, back on Sunday!

Before I leave I wanted to leave you with a post on feeding your family, particularly your children, healthy food when all they desire is junk.

I have two children, that I raised completely the same. One child (Ethan) will eat EVERYTHING, and will actually opt for a salad when we go to a restaurant even when chicken nuggets and hamburgers are on the menu. Then I have another child (Ashton), that does not gleen to all things green as enthusiastically as his brother! :) So what's a mom to do???

Here are a few ideas that I do that have helped a lot with my picky eater:

1. Only cook ONE meal. Do NOT cater to everyone's different food preferences. We eat as a family, and the family eats the same thing.

2. Eliminate the processed snacky foods. When you do this, they are much more likely to be ready for their next meal because they haven't filled up on junk.

3. Have healthy snack foods on hand...such as, cut up fruits, homemade granola bars, cut carrots, yogurt, peanut butter on grain crackers, dried fruit.

4. Cut out the sugary juices or artificial flavored drinks and drink water. Water is THE MOST important liquid for your body. Help your children with this early so that they don't struggle as an adult. As a family, we now only drink water for lunch AND dinner. My kids will drink OJ or Almond Milk for breakfast. When we first made this switch there was some kick back initially. Ashton even made the comment that he thought we were now poor since we couldn't afford to buy drinks! HA No, son...we could buy drinks, but we chose not to. Now my kids are so used to water that sometimes they even surprise me by actually chosing water over other drinks even when we are out.

5. Patience and persistance: Change won't happen overnight. Don't expect it to, but don't grow weary of making healthy decisions for your family. When your family realizes this is a lifestyle change and they either get on board, or go hungry :) they'll eventually jump on the bandwagon. Since I adhere to rule #1 (see above)...if my kids choose not to eat something I prepare, they realize that there will be no snacks and they will have to wait until the next meal, sometimes overnight if it was from dinner. While Ashton isn't gang busters about some of the food on his plate, he is definitely getting MUCH better because I keep introducing things to him. Tonight we had the chili and he wanted seconds with more beans please.

I think it's a lot about expectations. What you expect from your kids, and what they should expect from you. You can't give crossed signals. That's not to say that you don't finish up a great meal with a bowl of yummy icecream every now and then. But you can't say we're choosing to eat healthy on Monday, but by Tuesday you cave and give in to the tantrums and crying and shove Ho Ho's in their hand to get them quite! :) Be prepared, make small changes, gradually increasing good foods while decreasing poor food choices. Get creative in the kitchen. Get your children involved in the preparation of the meal.

You may just surprise yourself at how easy it really may be if you just give it some time and attention!

Let me know about your success stories along the way too! It's always inspiring to me, and I'm sure other readers too, to hear your stories and news!!

Worlds BEST Chili!!!

2009-12-29T16:21:00.000-08:00

Can I just tell you all how much I LOVE MY NEW CAMERA LENS for my Canon Rebel XTi! What a difference this lens makes!!! Everything is brighter, more professional looking and I can make the backgrounds get all blurry while the image I want stays crisply focused. Really awesome!

Today I had my normal, traditional salad...yummy!!! Romaine, Spinach, Carrots, Yellow Peppers, Avocado, Chik'N patty, hummus & BBQ sauce. I seriously could eat this everyday...wait, I do!?!

And for those who don't know me...I live in Florida. And for us Floridians...today was COLD!!! Like really cold! With the chill factor it was in the low 30s this morning...brrrr! So what's a Floridian to do on a cold day like today? Yes, bust out the Parka, dust off the un-used fireplace all 364 other days of the year, and make a big ol' batch of CHILI!!! And let me tell you...this IS the World's Best Chili. It is so good. My family ALL gobbled it down!

World's Best (and Spicy) Chili

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon salt

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained

1 (12 ounce) package vegetarian burger crumbles

3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, cut some of the tomatoes

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt.

Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

Mix the tomatoes into the pot (or in my case I used the Crock pot). Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes, if cooking on the stove top. If using the crock pot, cook on HIGH setting for 2 hours. 5 minutes before serving, stir in the corn.

This chili IS a bit on the spicy side (even after reducing the amount of jalapenos and chili powder that was on the original recipe)...but spicy in a good way. BUT if you are spice sensitive, use only 1/8 cup of chili powder and 1/2 the jalapeno!

And YES...this chili is vegan. However...I dare you to give this to your favorite omnivore and tell me if they can taste the difference? It's seriously good!

My Daddy and Me!

2009-12-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

I just took this picture tonight and wanted to share it! I just love it. Can't remember the last time we took a pic together!!!

Some new eats....and 2010 goals!

2009-12-28T05:50:00.001-08:00

I've recently tried some new products and really like them. Therefore, I thought I would share them with YOU! First is the Larabar... the Peanut Butter and Jelly flavor! Out of this world good. Love, love, love it. I really really like the dried cherries instead of the dates that are in the majority of their other bars. Not that I have a thing against dates, because I certainly do not, and often enjoy a bar with dates as their main ingredient. BUT, these have this tangy-ness to them that I really enjoy!

The second product that I picked up recently in the grocery store was this Kashi Whole Grain Flakes and Granola with Black Currants and Walnuts cereal! This cereal tastes awesome. Unfortunately, you pay quite a bit for not so much cereal. I don't eat cereal that often though, so that's not a huge biggie for me, I'll just savor this box while it lasts.

Now for my new goals for 2010! I've been thinking of this quite a bit recently.

I've felt recently, more than ever, that I'm actually reaching, or on my way toward, feeling like a real athlete. I've been in fitness for about 18 years...but never before have I felt more like an athlete. Perhaps it's actually having a goal (the Disney's Princess 1/2 marathon) that I'm training towards that makes me feel this way...but it's very empowering.

My workouts have taken on a new meaning. Before, I'm sad to say, they were purely for vanity. How it would help me lose weight or fit in a bathing suit come summer. My workouts also were heavily dependent on my eating lifestyle at the time. The logical thing would be to think if you ate bad one day, then you should workout even harder in the gym to compensate for it. I was just the opposite. If I ate bad, then I'd blow off the workout, and then continue eating bad for the rest of the day, always saying to myself "I'll be good tomorrow, might as well "enjoy" this eating frenzy for the rest of the day"...such havoc on the body, and mind.

Now my workouts are independent of my meals and choices. I workout because my body needs it. I workout because I have a 13.1 mile race staring me in the eyes in March. I workout because I love the muscles that my body is developing. I workout because I love feeling strong! I need to be prepared...so I get up and go. This has been wonderful for my body, and mind.

And since this is my fitness and healthy eating blog, these goals are directed solely with THAT in mind. Here they are:

1. Complete the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon strong and without injury!

2. Find other road races and compete in another 1/2 marathon with a sub 2 hr. time

3. Continue to learn, discover and refine my eating lifestyle

4. Fine tune my grocery budget to include ALL organic products

5. Save enough money for a VitaMix AND Excalibur Dehydrator

6. Be able to do 3 pull-ups, unassisted.

7. Grow my bicep muscle to see a visible hump :)

8. Try one new recipe each week

9. Be back in all of my smaller sized clothes, regardless of what the scale says

10. Develop weekly meal plans and adhere to the menu

So there you have it. Those are my 10 goals in 2010!

I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to reach all of those...that's a GREAT feeling!!

Gain some, Lose some!!!

2009-12-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

My goal this holiday season has to be able to maintain my weight loss, and focus on getting those last stubborn 5 lbs. off after the New year. I think over the past three weeks I have been to more parties, dinners (feasts) than I have in the entire 11 previous months combined! I'm not knocking it...I LOVE parties, any and all types. Put me in a room with food and friends and I'm one happy cat!

I was telling my workout partner that I haven't weighed myself, purposefully, because honestly...I FEEL great and I don't want that number on the scale to dictate my mood. I mean, you're feeling good just seconds before you step on, and then BAMM! this arbitrary number comes up and you're immediately feeling way elated, or waaaayyyyy depressed. I'm the same person that I was seconds ago, but somehow that number has the power to yield such crazy effects on my psyche!

BUT...this morning I decided to go ahead and step on it...just to see what damage this season has done. I've made great choices, and some not so great choices at each different party. I've never felt deprived, and never felt gorged like I wanted to die, as I have in the past.

So I got on the scale...and it says I only gained 1 lb. While of course I was secretly wishing I would be surprised to see a loss...I've got to admit that I did fairly good considering the abundance of food that has crossed my plate, and my lips! :)

BUT...regardless of what the scale says...I've gotten SMALLER this season. This morning when we got dressed for church, I was able to wear a pair of my goal pants!!! These did not fit just three weeks ago.

So next time you wanna reach for the scale, and allow IT to dictate your mood, think about how you are feeling...does that number matter? Don't allow yourself to be a slave to its power.

On a side note.

Yesterday I ran with my Garmin. Oh my. Soooo in love! I have been running in the past about a 10:20 mile. Well, with my Garmin on I could actually SEE my pace the whole time and it allowed me to maintain around 9:40 pace, without feeling like I was going that much harder/faster. It's awesome! It made me run faster! it's magic :)

Merry Christmas indeed!!!

2009-12-26T02:13:00.000-08:00

I got it!!! I got it!!! My husband and boys got me the Garmin Forerunner 310XT for Christmas!

Talk about WAYYYY excited! We are usually VERY low key when it comes to gifts for each other...aka...we don't do them! LOL But my hubby pulled out all the stops this Christmas! On Christmas Eve I opened a gift from him, which was AN AWESOME NEW LENS FOR MY CANON REBEL XTi! WOWZERS...what a difference this lens makes! Way super cool! After I opened that, I thought there was no way I was going to be getting the Garmin. Christmas morning came and as I went to go open my other present from him I was actually thinking to myself "Tiff, don't be disappointed when you open this present and it's NOT the Garmin watch. You already got a really nice present, so act really happy no matter what this is!"

You should have heard my squeal when I saw this baby! I think that really pleased my husband too!

I had actually asked for the 305 model, but apparently they were out of stock where he went. This one IS actually better, way more than I need it for. It's really designed for the Tri-athlete since it is water proof for swimming and has cycling features as well. But hey! You never know what I may decide to do after the Princess 1/2 marathon!

We had such a wonderful Christmas. Spending valuable time with each other and family. I took not one picture of any of the dishes I cooked, or of the plates I consumed! :) Honestly, I just haven't had the time, nor desire, since my focus has been where it should be...

We will return to our normal viewing pleasure soon!

Particular taste buds???

2009-12-22T14:16:00.001-08:00

So is it just me, or do you eat certain "health" foods that you think are out of this world good, only to be told by others that it tastes nasty???

I think I've developed taste buds for healthy eating and get really excited when I make, or discover, a recipe or food that "resembles" something unhealthy but instead is great for you. It tastes good, in my mouth. But the look on others faces tells me otherwise!

Does this happen to you?

Holiday love, holiday pudge!

2009-12-21T05:22:00.001-08:00

What a weekend of parties and events!! Oh my!

Let's see, Friday I had TWO parties I went to, Saturday was ONE, and Sunday there were TWO again! There's no one that likes a party better than myself but I'm afraid that my waistline may be paying the price for it! LOL

While I try and make the best choices possible while there...who DOESN'T want to eat a piece of holiday pie, or sample the piping hot bread assortments! :)

I'm enjoying the company, catching up with friends and out of town family members though. The holiday season IS a short season, and while I may add a few fluff pounds along the way, I'm not fearful anymore that they'll hang on too long!

My workouts are still going GREAT and consistent, which is KEY. I ran 6 miles on Saturday and felt great, cold, but great! :)

In the past I always had the all of nothing mentality. If I ate bad, then I'd ditch the workout and say "oh well, I'll just start on Monday, etc." Now, I may be indulging more than I normally do, but my workouts are continuing on and I'm getting stronger because of it. Both physically AND mentally!

Question for you: Are you an all or nothing kinda gal (or guy)? Or does eating a slice of mom's pecan pie just make you work out an extra 30 minutes on the treadmill to work it off?

Let's Be Honest!

2009-12-18T05:19:00.001-08:00

Let's be honest.... Even with the silly looking cone around his neck, Lucky IS an adorable dog!
But let's also be honest and say, it really is quite funny to see him try and sniff around the yard for the perfect spot to do his business. He practically flips himself over when his cone gets stuck in the grass.

Let's be honest....this cookie looks pretty scrumptious doesn't it???

But to be perfectly honest....it's not really a cookie. It's Fitnessista's Breakfast cookie recipe....but it WAS scrumptious!

Let's be honest...these brown rice California rolls I bought at Whole Foods was all I ate at for lunch yesterday.

I took the kids to Disney's Hollywood Studios yesterday, and to be completely honest, the California rolls were NOT a good choice, b/c they were NOT filling enough, didn't have ANY greens in them, and left me starvin marvin, which led to some pretty unfavorable choices at the park!

Let's be honest...what boy doesn't want to build his own Jedi Lightsaver??? Even if it means paying mommy back from his allowance when we get home.
But to be perfectly honest...we got home to find, he didn't even have enough to cover the bill...Swindler!!!

Let's be honest...We all looked rather silly in our 3D glasses on the Toy Story Mania ride.

To be honest though....who cares! It was no holds barred...we were the rootiness, shootiness, cowpokes around! I took top score...yee haw!

Let's be honest...it was a drizzly yucky kinda day, and being the prepared mom I was, we improvized and used some extra shirts to keep the rain off our heads while we waited for the Fantasmic show to start!
But to be completely honest...I will NEVER, and I mean EVER, go back to that show again! I was so disappointed in the Mouse folks here. The show was great, but the exit plan they have, one of the worst I have encountered. Just envision 10,000 people exiting a show thru one spot and everyone crammed like sardines to get thru that hole. Now envision trying to keep your children by your side, without them getting trampled. I was mad. I couldn't believe it. Definitely not Disney at its finest.

Let's be honest...we came there to really see the Osborne Family Lights they put up annually.
But to be honest...when we turned the corner and saw the amount of people in the streets, we decided that this one shot would be enough to say we saw it!

Let's be honest...you're about ready for all this honesty to be done, right?

Well, my friend Rachel, gave me this blog award! I know Rachel thru our church we attend and have gotten to know her much better thru all our homeschooling activities we do together with our group of awesome friends! Thanks Rachel for the award!!! I would link back to her blog, but it's private!

Rules for the award:
1. Must thank the person who gave you the award and list their blog and link it.

2. Share "10 Honest things" about yourself.

3. Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.

4. Tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.

Okay...so here they go:

1. I used to race motorcycles as a child. I had a Kawasaki 80 dirt bike.

2. I did some modeling and acting as a child as well. I was even casted for a television show called, The Back Alley Gang. It was similar to the Little Rascals. Unfortunately we never made it past the pilot stage. I wonder what my life would have been like had it succeeded.

3. We had a double wedding. My husband's brother got married with us. Although it was a HUGE wedding it actually felt very intimate. People ask me all the time what it was like sharing the day with another bride...that part NEVER bothered me. I just wanted to marry Preston. Whether that meant by myself, with four other brides, alone or with 10,000 people. I wanted the marriage, not the wedding.

4. My degree is in Food and Nutrition Science. Basically it's useless since I never went on to do my internship or my Masters in order to get my R.D. status. Although I'm a stay at home mom and don't envision myself working again, it still would be nice to have gotten that designation.

5. I often wake up in the middle of the night and find that my one arm is raised high in the air while I'm rubbing it (in my sleep) with the other arm! Strange, I know...

6. I cut my own hair. I've dabbled with cutting my own hair since I was young. While now I style my own hair, when I was younger whenever I was stressed, etc. I would often be found in the bathroom trimming something on my head. I've tried to grow my hair out umpteen times, but it never fails...I can't keep the scissors out of my hand.

7. I homeschool my children. This is something that I always thought was great for other people, I NEVER ever thought it was something I would do, nor want to do. My oldest did one year in a private school and has now been home since. It is not easy, but it is most definitely GREATLY rewarding. Not really sure I could see us doing it any other way!

8. I have this "tell" that my husband actually picked up on. Whenever I'm uncomfortable with a situation, unhappy about something, thinking about how to word my words, I bite the inside corner of my mouth. I give myself away everytime with him!

9. I would love to sell everything we have to go be missionaries somewhere. I'd want to bring my mom along with us too! :)

10. I am a goal setter. I like BIG lofty goals. Then I like to steam ahead full throttle until that goal is achieved. But once it's done, I'm over it and want something new to conquer. This can sometimes be a bad thing AND a good thing. Great for tackling the what seems impossible. Not so good for every day stuff that still has to be done. I do BIG really well, hate the mundane little stuff that needs accomplishing.

So there you go. Ten things about me! Now I get the honor of choosing 7 people to pass this honor onto!

It's My Life

Peas and Thank you

The Wagner Family

The Cricket Chronicles

Silly Tater Tot

Chocolate Covered Katie

Blood Sweat and Heels

Not so sure about Tofu....

2009-12-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday our puppy got neutered AND had SEVEN teeth extracted. Poor little fella. We picked him up at 2:30 and found ourselves with one tired pup, with a cone around his head to keep him from licking the incisions. For the majority of the day he laid around the house. However, from about 11:00pm until 2:00am he decided he would moan...in my room. I would take him out to see if he had to pee....nope. Took him into the kitchen to see if he wanted water...nope. So back in his crate he'd go and more pillows over my ears to try and drown out the constant noise.

My alarm went off at 4:40am and I slept thru a minute of it, which I never do, due to pure exhaustion. I immediately sent a text to my workout partner that I wasn't coming, I'd been up all night with Lucky! I lie back down in the bed and my mind immediately starts wondering and going in overdrive. I'm thinking how I'm not going to be able to go to sleep again and then I'm going to be mad at myself that I didn't workout....so...I hauled myself out of the cozy bed and headed to the gym. The first 5 minutes of my run felt like I had 80 lb. weights on my feet...but I persevered and finished my run strong!

This morning I had more Apple Pie Pancakes with my coffee. And around 10:00 am I was hungry again, so I opted for a Green Monster shake with spinach.

Lunchtime rolled around I just wasn't in the mood for a salad. I was in the mood for BBQ! I opened a new bottle of BBQ sauce that I had never tried before....WOW! This is now my favorite BBQ sauce. Loved it.

I marinated some extra firm tofu in it for about an hour and then grilled it. Okay, so I'm not sure if I'm all that into tofu. At least in this form. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was just blah. I don't like eating blah food. If I am going to eat something, I want it to be worth while and tasty. Is this an acquired taste?

I paired the BBQ tofu with sweet potatoe french fries & ketchup, and Lemon Broiled Green Beans (from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan Cookbook). The green beans were definitely good though.
After lunch I wasn't feeling satisfied, had a hankering for something sweet, so I had a few squares of this dark chocolate. Yuuuuummmmmm.
Later in the afternoon the boys and I hit up WholeFoods and I was able to score a Kabocha squash! I've been seeing these pop up all over different blogs with everyone singing it's praises. My Publix wasn't carrying them, so I was excited to see it at WholeFoods. Not exactly sure what I'm going to do with it yet, I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I figure that out.

How do you eat your Kabocha? What's your favorite way to cook it?
We were also out of many of the ingredients I need to make our homemade granola bars...
I also made us a batch of Spinach Pies. Daddy's gonna be excited!!!

Around 4:00pm I decided I wanted some tea, TAZO Chai Tea, to be exact. I also had one of my granola bars! This time I added flaxseed and chia seeds to the batch as well.
Quite tasty. Daddy's gonna be excited!!!
Then I individually cut and wrapped 30 bars and then packed them in a gallon ziplock bag for storage in the refrigerator!
After all that baking, the boys decided we needed to go outside for a little football action and some hide n' go seek. Before I knew it, it was time to head back inside to whip up some dinner.

Tonight was really good. Really really good.

I made some Brown Basmati Rice. Topped with Cuban style roasted veggies (Red pepper, marinated artichokes, mushrooms, onions & zucchini). To make them "cuban style" I roasted them on the stove top, then once al dente I put them in a bowl, drizzled EVOO over top, squeezed the juice of one lime, added chopped garlic (1 large clove) and fresh chopped parsley.
This dish is DEFINITELY one I'll repeat again and again. You know it's a keeper when the kids eat it too!

2009-12-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

Rather than search for a single miracle food,

(or pill)....

strive for a varied and delicious diet.

*Body and Soul Whole Living Magazine Dec. 2009

Apple Pie Pancakes and a Birthday Party!!!

2009-12-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

I think I've found a new favorite to replace my morning oatmeal and apples! It's still oatmeal and apples, just in a different form! A few weeks ago I made Apples & Flax pancakes but got to thinking about replacing the whole wheat flour with oatmeal ground up into oat flour. Genius idea if I do say so myself because it tasted FABULOUS! My hubby took a few with him for his drive into the office and later told me he thought they tasted like sweet apple pie!!! He's right though...it does remind me of apple pie. MMMM,mmmmm, good! I especially like it with a bit of Almond Butter spread over the top.

Apples Pie Pancakes

2/3 cup ground oatmeal

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 tsp. stevia

3/4 cup of almond milk

1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Combine dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl combine applesauce, milk, and vanilla. Pour wet mixture into dry and stir until just combined. Fold in chopped apples and let batter rest.

Spray skillet with non-stick spray. Pour batter into pan to form pancakes and cook over medium heat. Let cakes cook on one side for several minutes, until bubbles start to form and pancakes are golden brown. Flip and cook for a few more minutes. This recipe should yield approx. 6 pancakes.

Later, my youngest, Ashton and I got to baking in the kitchen to get ready for our annual Happy Birthday Jesus Birthday party! As you can see by the "cookie roll" he is cutting that this was not any attempt at preparing something healthy, vegan, or remotely good for you in the least! But with less than 24 hours till 16 moms and 43 children emerged on our home, a mom's gotta do what a mom's got to do. And in this case, it meant Toll House.
Ashton was the perfect little baker, slicing and placing each piece in the individual mini muffin pans.

Once they came out of the oven, we stuffed each one with a reese's cup center! YUM!

I think Ashton liked them....
We had a GREAT time celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus! We started out with a word search and a maze activity for the kids to do. I tried to keep everyone on schedule since there were SO many kids...figure too much free time is where something always goes amuck.
After the kids were done with the Christmas Activity pages we got to work on our Christmas craft. We made homemade Christmas ornaments. One 3" styrofoam ball and 18,000 cut out 3" pieces of fabric (LOL) and one pencil is all they needed. Push the fabric square into the ball part way and then pull the pencil out. They turned out really cute!

Of course a Happy Birthday Jesus Party wouldn't be complete without "Pin the Star on the Manger".
We had stars all over the place!!
Then the kids gathered around to sing Happy Birthday..... what sweetness the sound of children singing!

This was the first time I've ever made a three layer cake. I was so proud of myself, especially given that I waited to the 9th hour to complete it! Each layer had a different meaning...the brown layer symbolizing our sins, red layer= the blood of Jesus, green layer= our growth and fresh start with Christ in our life, the roundness of the cake=Jesus came to Earth which is round, white frosting= Jesus washes away all our sins!
I didn't actually have any cake myself, but from what I hear, it was delish! :)

The Spirooli!!!

2009-12-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

I've been asked on several occasions about how I make my zucchini noodles. Hubby and I went to a Raw Cooking class and were introduced there to the beauty of making raw, GREAT for you, noodles! I came home from that class and quickly ordered one just by google-ing "spirooli" and found one on ebay I believe. I think I paid around $34.00 or something close to that.

I LOVE this thing! I typically peel a zucchini and then turn it into long zucchini noodles. But you can use a ton of different vegetables, and the three blades that come with it, to make a variety of foods with fun shapes and sizes!

If you have the spirooli, or something similar to it, what fun things do you like to use yours for??

Make up your mind already!!! :)

2009-12-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I woke up really hungry and really craving something sweet, so I thought. I've been seeing this Brownie Batter Oatmeal on various blogs and thought that sounded like something that would hit the spot..... unfortunately it was too sweet for me and after 2 bites I tossed it.

So then I decided I wanted something as UNsweet as possible. I toasted 2 sprouted grain breads, spread with Tofutti cream cheese, thinly sliced tomatoes, basil and some salt/pepper. I had 1/2 of the first one and decided THAT was way too "dinner-like" and not hitting my taste buds they way I wanted them to!
So I scraped off the remain cream cheese and tomatoes and spread some natural strawberry jam over it and perfecto! Hit the spot! :)
After church we came home to a very bare fridge, so I put together a salad with what I had on hand. Romaine, spinach, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, sesame sticks, Chik'N patty, BBQ sauce and hummus!
Yesterday was a very busy day. I spent most of my afternoon at the grocery store and then at home preparing for our Happy Birthday Jesus party we were having today (more pictures to come later)...so I thought what is the easiest dish to prepare that everyone will eat. Spaghetti!

Kids got whole wheat noodles, hubs and I got zucchini noodles. Marinara had LOTs of yummy mushroom chunks and onions throughout.
This has become my new favorite snack when I've gotta have something sweet! Just a few scoops of Coconut Bliss' Cappuccino flavored icecream, a dash of almond milk and a few Vegan Chocolate chips. Yummo.
I opted for that, instead of this beauty I made for the party.... more about this later!
And on a totally un-food related topic....I found THIS while out shopping the other day at TJMaxx. Bed Head for dogs!!! PET HEAD! Is this not adorable or what??? It smells divine too!!!
As the bottle says: "Only for Cool Dogs".... look at that face, I think my dog is definitely cool!

Built a roof, ran a PR & Created a Gourmet Pizza!!

2009-12-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

Not bad for one day, eh?

Today, the hubby and I, along with my in-laws company, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. They are a non-profit organization that builds affordable housing for low income families. They are founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a safe, decent, affordable place to live!

We get there, and little did I know we were going to get some fine fancy wear. Watch out now...we're bringing sexy back to construction site attire!

Note: Neither of our eye goggles are our normal look

just in case you were unsure! LOL

But hey! Helmet head hair aside, we'd do it all again for a great cause such as this! These were the town homes we were building... adorable aren't they?
This is our crew today....setting the trusses, nailing in the hurricane straps. But I cannot tell a lie...they did NEED someone to hold the ladder (on the floor) while someone else was 13 ft in the air pounding in the nails. It IS a very important job, and I took one for the team and offered my services for that position. Thank you very much.

What was that saying..."no job too small?" That's what I'm going with! I mean seriously...I couldn't allow my husband to hold the ladder for me!!! Now how would THAT look? I was really just looking out for HIS best interest. He's my hero.
In keeping with traditions of construction sites all across the good ol' US of A...around 10:45, a truck, similar to this one, came horns blaring around the corner signaling lunchtime to a bunch of hungry construction men. Ummm....thanks, but no thanks. I wasn't ready to take my chance on this one.
In the area of town we were in our alternate choices were VERY limited. But thanks to the handy dandy mapping feature on my iPhone, I was able to track down a Quiznos Subs only about 10 minutes away.

I ended up with a Veggie Sub on Whole wheat. Included on it: Mushrooms, black olives, yellow peppers, red onion, lettuce, guacamole and red wine vinaigrette! It was actually quite tasty!
We got done with a little over an hour to spare before we had to go get the wee ones of our household (thank you Grandma!) In keeping with my training schedule, I still needed to get in a 5 mile run. Hubby was sweet enough to go with me this time too! I ran my 5 miles (feeling awesome too) in 52 minutes. New best record. I'm determined to get it down even lower now too!!!

This weekend is quickly going by with a TON of things still on my to-do list. As I check one thing off, something else seems to appear! I got home from our afternoon activities and got to work on things around here. I look up and realize its already 6pm and the tribe is getting hungry and restless...including this Momma too!

I had purchased an Amy's Vegan Pizza, but had yet to try it.
In this little beauty was roasted red peppers, marinated artichokes and organic shittake mushrooms.
When it came out of the oven, it looked a bit lonely...like it was missing something. So I chopped up a bunch of romaine lettuce, tossed it in garlic, red wine vinegar and a wee bit of EVOO and placed it on top of the pizza. NOW it looked complete...gourmet if I do say so myself.

I give this pizza, exactly as I created it, 2 thumbs and 2 big toes UP. It was INCREDIBLE. Even the hubby thought it tasted great!
I did have more than the normal amount of starchy carbs with the sandwich for lunch, pizza for dinner, but ya know....sometimes you just gotta go with what you have on hand. But I will most definitely be buying this pizza again!!

Now back to my running, if you will.

I want to improve my time, and from what I've been told, incorporating speed drills once per week will definitely help me achieve my goal.

So my question to all you runners is: how exactly do you do speed drills? Do I just do sprints in between walking or do I jog as normal adding sprints along the way? Please help this runner out!

Are you a Chipotle fan like us???

2009-12-11T08:55:00.001-08:00

Anyone that knows me really well knows that I really love me some Chipolte. During my "fluffy" phase I would easily pack away a steak burrito with a side of chips. It's Organic...doesn't that make it okay to eat???? HA!

I've easily made the switch over to eating a vegetarian salad which I actually like better...especially love the fact that I LIKE what I'm eating and it's not going to jump right on my rump as soon as it's ingested! LOL

Recently I ran across this website that will actually calculate the calories/fat, etc. in the chipolte menu. WHAT AN EYE OPENER to see what I was eating in the past! Oh my word. If you are a regular diner there, you've GOT to check it out!

Here was my meal in the past: Steak Burrito, cheese, sourcream, lettuce, tomato salsa, fajita onions and chips on the side. 1565 calories and 66g of fat!!!! Holy Toledo...no wonder I was busting out of my shorts!!!

Here are the nutrition facts for the salad I typically get: lettuce, fajita onions/peppers, corn salsa, tomato salsa, black beans and rice (although I usually ask for 1/2 the amount of rice)... only 525 calories and 19 g. of fat!!! A lot of times I will only eat half the salad and save the other half for my mid-afternoon snack. The guacamole adds 150 calories and 13g. of fat to the meal...BUT that is extremely good for you/healthy type of fat! BRING IT ON!!!

Check out the protein content too...16 g!!!

Question for you: Are you a Chipotle fan? If so, what's your favorite meal? Where you surprised with these stats???

Tis the Season for baking....

2009-12-09T11:34:00.001-08:00

Today I got a hankering for brussel sprouts. Having no recipe to go by I just kinda winged a recipe with some items I had on hand. It actually turned out quite tasty.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries & Lemon Sauce

Quarter the brussel sprouts and brown them on a skillet for about 7 minutes.

Then add chopped onions and dried cranberries!
Once onions are soft add lemon marinate. Lemon marinate consists of juice of 1 lemon, 1/3 cup of water, 1 T of whole wheat flour and 1 packet of stevia. Marinate will thicken fairly quickly! Enjoy!!
Tonight we have a Christmas party to go to so I decided to make a "Semi-homemade" Rosemary-Parsley Hummus.

2 (7oz.) containers hummus

1 garlic clove, minced

2 T fresh lime juice

2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

1 T extra virgin olive oil

Ground red pepper to taste
Combine first 6 ingredients. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with red pepper to taste.
I plan to combine this hummus with carrots, cucumbers, peppers and some blue tortilla chips.

Each year during the holiday season my husband's office has someone bring something to eat throughout the month. Tomorrow is our day. This year I decided to make an Apple Berry Crisp for their morning fare, and then some more of the Rosemary-Parsley hummus/veggie tray for them to munch on the rest of the day.

Here is the recipe for the Apple Berry Crisp:

4 granny smith apples - diced

2 cups of frozen blueberries

1/4 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)

1/4 cup orange juice

2 T whole wheat flour

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1/2 cup oats

Mix all together and place in baking dish.

Topping:

1 cup Oats

1/2 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)

1/3 cup melted Earth Balance (or butter)

Mix together and crumble over the top.

Bake on 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I plan to cook this in the morning right before I take it to his office, so the end result will come out looking more browned and toasty! ;)

Run Forest Run!!!

2009-12-09T03:46:00.000-08:00

As you know I've been training to do the Disney's Princess 1/2 Marathon in March 2010. In the past I did NOT follow any type of training schedule and just ran. Unfortunately, THAT always lead to injuries and WAYYY overtraining. This time around I am strictly adhering to this schedule that I found online. I'm on week 4, so it's been pretty easy up to this point, but I'm so ready to get more mileage going. I feel like a horse at the starting line just waiting for the gate to go down!

The best part is that while I DO feel major improvements in my running, I feel stronger, it is significantly less then I ever ran before. It really shows me just how much overtraining I was doing...thus the list of injuries I acquired!!!

Sugar is CRACK!

2009-12-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

So I'm back and this is most certainly a fly by post, just to let you know I'm alive!

I had an incredible weekend with my girlfriend. I got to see her beautiful new home and we spent three days PACKED with shopping for furniture, picking out wall colors, talking with various contractors on things that need to be complete prior to their move in date.

We ate at some GREAT places and I was able to make GREAT choices, so easy to eat healthy if you look for it. BUT there is this little cupcake shop called SAS Cupcakes. We eyeballed them one evening and thought we'd have to come back before the weekend was over to pick some up for the family...yeah right!? :)

We came back Saturday night and I indulged in one called an Oreo Cupcake. Basically chocolate cupcake with this to-die-for frosting that is swirled with oreos...O-M-G!!!

I ate it. Felt completely OKAY with eating it. Not like I eat that stuff all the time. Actually I've completely eliminated ALL refined sugars from my diet.

But you know what happened to me? It completely awakened this sleeping monster inside of me. Seriously. All of a sudden the rest of the weekend and even today I've been CRAVING sweets, sugar, crap.

This is something that I've completely had ZERO desire for. My body was seriously never craving that stuff. I eat a bit of it and WHAM...it's like crack I tell ya. Another thing is my energy is drained. Now yes, I know a lot of it is attributed to our long hours, strange place to sleep, out of my element and normal eating schedule, etc. BUT I know that part of it is most definitely attributed to the sugar.

I brought three home for the family and I've managed to eat bites (large bites) of each of theirs and it's only prolonging the detox process and getting this DRUG out of my system.

YUCK. I most definitely like the way I feel when I'm eating my normal way then any 5 minutes of sugar coma I put myself in while eating that stuff. The baggage it brings is just not worth it!

What kind of experience have YOU had eating sugar, etc. after not eating it? Similar experience?

Leftovers ROCK!

2009-12-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Not only did I get on the scale this morning and saw that I'm DOWN another 1.5 lbs (seriously...this is the WAY to lose weight. I almost feel like someone's gonna pull the rug from under me and say this is one big joke you really haven't lost all that weight b/c I am EATING lots of really really really good food, with desserts, chocolate, icecream and almond butter OFTEN...all no-no's when you're on a typical "diet") but I also found yet another breakfast dish that ranks right up there with my apple oatmeal....

Oats, sprinkled over the top with last night's Pumpkin Muffin, 1/2 banana, dates and vegan chocolate chips!!! Sigh...this was a keeper for sure!

This weekend I'm going away with one of my oldest childhood friends. She is sadly relocating with her family to Charlotte, NC. BUT this weekend, the two of us are heading north to decorate their house they just bought before the entire family moves! How fun is THAT!!!

I went ahead and packed a little stash of goodies I could keep on hand should I find myself hungry on the flight or while we are up there: Some bananas, larabars & my homemade chocolate Superfood bars, carrots, my homemade healthy trail mix, some Tazo Organic Chai Tea & stevia)

We had SEVERAL errands we needed to run before I leave tomorrow, but needed to fuel up first...so we hit my FAVORITE fast food joint of all time, Chipolte!!! I seriously could eat there everyday. Got the usual...

Vegetarian salad with romaine, green peppers, onions, mild tomato salsa, corn salsa, black beans and guac on the side.

It didn't take very long for this bountiful bowl to look like THIS!!! I would have licked the plate, but I'm thinking my kids would get the wrong idea about table manners. Gee whiz.

Dinner tonight was rushed as we were going out to our Church's Singing Trees performance. I grabbed another one of my Chickpea Empanada Style Burger and made my own hamburger with pickles, mustard and ketchup. So really enjoyed this meal.

I was still a wee bit hungry after my "burger" so I decided to top off my meal with another Pumpkin Muffin...this time with a bit of almond butter and Strawberry jam. Delish!!!

Easy Vegan Pumpkin Muffins & more....

2009-12-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

First we did a little bit of this..... (Yeah!)Then we had a little bit of that (yuck)...not a big fan of this one. Sorry Amazing Grass. But I do still LOVE you when you are coated with chocolate!
I got the hankering for an UNPROCESSED veggie burger for lunch today. I initially pulled out my Eat Drink & Be Vegan cookbook, which I HIGHLY recommend, and found her Chickpea Sensation Patty recipe. I realized that I was missing the key ingredients that would effect the taste of the patty, so I did a little bit of recreating on my own. Since this isn't her exact recipe I'll share what I did!

Growing up I used to love to eat empanadas...the yumminess of the cumin spice with a bit of a bite to it from the crushed red pepper! So I decided to try and recreate a Chickpea burger with an empanada flair!

Chickpea Empanada Burger

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

2 cups chickpeas

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 T Worcestershire sauce

2 T tamari

1/4 cup Cumin (or more/less based on your taste...the more the better here!)

Crushed red pepper, to taste

2 cups short grain brown rice

3/4 cup quick oats

Combine chickpeas, garlic, worcestershire, tamari, cumin, & red pepper in food processor until fully blended.

In the meantime, saute the onions and celery over medium heat until they are soft. Once done put mixture into the processor and blend with chickpeas.

Add 1 cup of brown rice to processor and blend. Then add another cup and lightly pulse, leaving some texture. Pour into bowl and add oats. Stir. Cover and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.
Form into patties with your hands. On skillet, over medium heat, add patties frying on each side for 6-9 minutes, until golden!
The kids wanted theirs "hamburger style" so I put theirs between whole wheat bread with some ketchup!
I had mine atop a green salad with romaine, carrots, avocado, hummus, balsamic, EVOO and ketchup! :) These patties ROCKED my socks! They had the same taste I remembered from the empanadas I love so much. I'm so excited to have modified this recipe and liked it so much!!!
Dinner tonight was a yummy veggie stew I had brewing all day in the crock pot. I think everything but the kitchen sink was in this. Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Corn, Green Peppers, Onions, Diced Tomatoes, Potatoes, Thyme, Parsley, Bay Leaf, Tomato Sauce, Red Wine, Garlic and water!

Last night when I was at Mimi's Cafe, they had these really good pumpkin muffins...I wanted one of those to go with the stew. Since I couldn't really have one of THEIRS, I made this easy pumpkin recipe ... it's sooooo simple!

Pumpkin Spice Muffin

2 cups WW pastry flour

1/2 cup Sucanat

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup Milk (I used Almond Milk)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients.

Then pour in pumpkin, water & milk. Stir until just mixed.
Pour into greased muffin tin (or use muffin cups).
Bake for 20 minutes, until tops of muffins bounce back when pressed lightly. Remove from oven and let cool on cooling rack!
I spread a wee bit of Honey "butter" (aka honey and Earth balance combined in a bowl) over the tops of these....S.C.R.U.M.P.T.I.O.U.S The husband ate THREE I think! :)

Calling all Runners....

2009-12-02T09:01:00.001-08:00

As you may know, or not know, I am training to run the Walt Disney World Princess 1/2 Marathon in March 2010.

I've had my eyeball on a Garmin Forerunner 305 and it's actually been popping up all over the internet too.

I was wondering if anyone has one, or a different brand, or model number and what their experience has been???

I really want something like this. Especially as my mileage starts to increase. It's pretty awesome how it tracks your mileage, your speed, your pace, etc...

Santa told me he would bring me this for Christmas but just wanted to be sure this was the exact model I wanted!

Share with me your thoughts, reviews, etc?? Thanks so much!!!

We're CRAFTY!!!

2009-12-02T03:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I had the last remaining bit of the Apple Cinnamon Flax Pancakes with a dollup of almond butter on top. Man are those good!!!

Cleaned up the kitchen and went upstairs with the boys for school. For those who don't know, we homeschool...grades 1 & 2! And it's usually in our PJs or shirtless...that's how we roll! :)

We got a bit crafty and made a Christmas Advent of sorts. 25 links with someone's name (or family name) on the inside of each link. Everyday leading up to Christmas we will pray for that person(s) specifically on the day we unlink their name.

Since it is only 25 links, and not long enough to string it across somewhere, we decided to hang it on our refrigerator so it would be visible and close at hand!! I think it turned out quite cute!

With all this crafting going on I got a bit hungry mid morning and powered up the blender for another green monster. This time though, I opted for spinach instead of kale! Almond milk, 1/2 banana, scoop of Amazing Grass Chocolate Superfood...

I also added flaxseeds this time and I don't think I ground them up quite enough...I got several of the seeds stuck in my mouth...oops! Guess I'll just have more fiber here!! :)

For lunch, I made a big ol' salad and put the very last of the Meaty Vegan Green Bean Casserole on top. Sniff, sniff. Sad to say it's gone....for now! I'm going to make this dish for a Christmas Dinner Party we are having next Monday night! But with 20 girls over here...I'm not sure how much left overs I'll have this time! :(

This salad also comprised of: Romaine, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, sesame sticks, and hummus with balsamic and EVOO!
Later in the evening I had a baby shower at Mimi's Cafe to go to, but around 3:30 I got HUNGRY! So, with the kids quietly upstairs for their afternoon quiet time, I decided to sit down for a nice calming afternoon tea time! Tazo Organic Chai Tea and my homemade Chocolate Superfood Granola Bar!!! Delish!
At Mimi's Cafe, I got the Asian Chopped Salad. I requested avocado instead of chicken. I was a bit disappointed when I got the salad and this was all the avocado that was on it. THEN to pour salt in the wound they wanted to charge me an extra $1.70 for adding the avocado. I was like "HELLO!" I didn't get a piece of chicken. They kindly removed the ridiculous up charge! :) Thank you very much.
It was a pretty good salad, although I would have liked it if it were a bit bigger. I'm into BIG salads these days...wimpy salads need not apply!

Just like Orange Chicken!!!

2009-11-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

Two days ago I blogged about how I was feeling so ravenous all day long. I attributed it to a lack of greens in my diet that day. It was my body searching out for nutrients it wanted. I wasn't "really" hungry...how could I have been...I ate plenty of calories, yet I found myself hungry. As soon as I gave it a green monster shake the hunger for the rest of the evening was completely gone. I find that SO totally cool and interesting.

Our bodies are such amazing things.

Since that day I've paid close attention to my carb to greens intake to make sure I don't put my body in unnecessary nutrient shortage. Plus, who likes feeling hungry all day? NOT ME!

This morning I decided to change it up a bit and NOT have my standard oatmeal bowl! Boy o' boy did I certainly enjoy THIS breakfast! It was really really really good!

Left over (2) Apple Cinnamon Flax Pancakes with 1 Tbsp. of Almond Butter

Around 10:30 I felt my body signaling that it was hungry again so I decided to GREEN-IT-UP and make a Green Monster Smoothie!

Filled the blender full of kale and 1/2 cup of Almond Milk

Then added one scoop of Amazing Grass Chocolate Superfood

And one frozen banana...chopped up to make it easier to blend.

(Oh Santa...I'd really really love a VitaMix for Christmas!!!)

And Voila! One AWESOME smoothie!

Lunch did NOT let me down either. I was eagerly anticipating leftovers from the Meaty Vegan Green Bean Casserole I made last night. I stuck it back in the oven to re-crisp the crumbs on top. This has got to be one of my favorite dishes right now. I am soooo going to be making this for potlucks, etc. that we go to! Vegan or not, it will be a favorite!

For dinner tonight I wanted to try to recreate the essence of my meal at Tang's Thai restaurant the other night. It had a sweet orange/pineapple type sauce over it. After a quick internet search I found a recipe that I was able to tweek and turn into a very good meal!

Orange Chik'N

Morning Star Chik'N Patties (or marinated extra firm tofu)

1/8 tsp. ginger

2 Tbsp. agave nectar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Cup orange juice

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp. Earth Balance spread

2 cups brown rice

Cook your brown rice & Chik'N patties as directed. While they are cooking combine the rest of the ingredients in skillet and heat on low until it bubbles and thickens.

I also decided to add some lightly roasted carrots and zucchini.

Once everything is done cooking, arrange how you see fit. I added the veggies first, scoop of brown rice next and chopped up Chik'N on top. Then drizzled the sauce over it.

I meant to add some sesame seeds, but totally forgot until I was half way thru eating this dish. I really liked this. I could have added twice the amount of veggies than I did. Next time I'll double the zucchini and add water chestnuts as well. Perhaps even some grilled pineapple would be great too!

Curious about your experience with eating greens.

Do you find yourself LESS hungry and more satisfied when you fill up on greens? What is your favorite way of incorporating them into your diet?

Juice Detox???

2009-11-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

I need some advise, especially from you seasoned juicers/foodies!

While in many areas of my face I have found a glow, and healthy skin, my forehead STILL does not look as clear as it did when I was doing a high raw diet, with lots of juicing going on.

I'm considering doing a juice detox solely for the purpose of clearing my skin up, definitely NOT for weightloss. I'm enjoying my eats way too much (with the added benefit of losing weight along the way too), but really want to see my youthful complexion come back.

So my questions are these:

1. Have any of you had any success on a juice detox?

2. How long should I expect to be on it?

3. What juices do you recommend?

4. Can I do smoothies too or must stick strickly with juicing?

5. When I return to solid food eating will my skin issues re-appear and all will be for not?

I'd really love to hear from you all on these questions!!!

Thanks!

Day of Sabbath Rest...

2009-11-29T15:33:00.000-08:00

This morning, before heading out to church I had my customary breakfast: Coffee (with stevia only), oatmeal, granny smith apples, cinnamon, flaxseed, and dates. Sorry I'm so boring and stuck in a rut, I just really LOVE this breakfast! It is so scrumptious and keeps me full for a looooong time! If it ain't broke...why fix it right?

By the time we got home from service I was "Starvin' Marvin"!!! I threw together this salad: Romaine, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, sesame sticks, hummus and BBQ. With a side of leftover "Ain't Granny's Sweet Potatoe Casserole" from Thanksgiving!
Later on in the afternoon I got a wee bit hungry for a snack, it was not anywhere near dinnertime, so I decided to have one of my Chocolate Superfood Granola Bars I made the other day. So so good!
Dinner tonight was REALLY delish! (Man...I just realized that I'm saying everything I'm eating is REALLY good. But it IS! I'm so proud of my cooking self. I wasn't that much of a cook in days gone by, but I've really stepped it up a notch, or three, lately and have really grown HIGHLY fond of cooking and creating!)

This was my dinner plate tonight. I about licked the plate, literally.
We had a spinach with mandarin orange salad. Also included chopped pecans and red onion. Dressing was EVOO, balsamic vinegar and a small squirt of Agave Nectar.
We also had Rosemary & Thyme Roasted potatoes! I cooked them atop a piece of parchment paper and what a difference that made! They were evenly cooked and no darker side. Definitely going to be doing a lot more cooking with parchment paper!
And the main dish was this beauty! Meaty Vegan Green Bean Casserole I got from Mama Pea! I added an extra Tofurky Sausage Link to make it even more hearty. It was a HUGE hit, even from the little guys in the house! Daddy loved it too. It seriously is sooooo good and tastes like it should be loaded with fat, but it's NOT! Will most definitely be returning to this dish more often!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

2009-11-29T03:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was full of hustle and bustle! We had purchased our tree on Friday, but patiently waited for it to settle and absorb water for 24 hours before we decorated it! Okay, so we only waited about 20...sue me! :) First though....the boys were just itching to get started decorating but I had to get in a 4 mile run. Daddy was gone doing some work so I loaded up the car and took us to a local park that has a .8 mile looped track. The boys rode their bikes while I ran behind them. 5 laps later we were done, feeling accomplished, and on our way home!

I had my standard breakfast of oats, apples, dates, cinnamon, and flaxseed! DELISH!

Then we finally started to decorate!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Found a cute spot for these random ornaments...over my kitchen island!

Decorated the tree with all of our favorite things!

Decked the halls (or banister in this case)!

Got these awesome tin soldiers last year and they found a perfect home above my cooktop!!!

For lunch I was feeling pretty hungry so I made me a humungous salad and some leftover Kale/Brown Rice soup!
The salad: Romaine, leftover marinated tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, zucchini, peppers, sesame sticks, hummus and BBQ sauce.

The soup: Let me know if you want the recipe but it's basically brown rice, kale, vegetable broth, lemon juice, onion. It was really really tasty and felt nice on this cold day!

A little bit later in the day I got hankering for something sweet and I opened this baby! Oh my word!!!! Cappuccino Coconut Bliss ROCKS MY SOCKS! I have a dear friend that introduced me to Starbucks Java Chip icecream back in the day. It IS really good. Not so really good for you. THIS so reminded me of it, but without the dairy and such! So Jenny....if you are reading...you may want to try this. I know how you are very particular with your icecream, but you may want to give this a shot. It's awesome!

Last night we got a date night! My mom took the boys for an overnight visit so we got to have a night to ourselves!
We went to this great Thai Place called Tangs! Everytime we go we are NEVER disappointed! We started with Tangs traditional thai salad. It's large enough to just order one and split!
And then.....I got the Jumbo Aloha! THIS is probably the best dish in the world at the moment. It was soooooo good and I soooooo enjoyed every last lick of the plate! Comes with 5 jumbo prawn shrimp atop al dente vegetables (zucchini and carrots) with fresh pineapple. On the side was jasmine rice and curry rice. Seriously this plate was so good to eat.
After dinner we went to see The Blindside. It was a GREAT movie, however, it was frustrating to sit thru an adult movie with several toddlers and babies in the audience and parents who don't seem to care if they are carrying on and disturbing the rest of the people there. UGH! Get a sitter!!!!

What a great weekend though. I don't want it to end.

Ramblings...

2009-11-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a GREAT day today! I'll post more about that later, with pictures, but something is on my mind...

My hubby and I are having a date night tonight. And we are wanting to go to this really awesome Thai restaurant we've frequented before. And I want this shrimp dish he got last time. Really bad.

I'm thinking that makes me not so much a vegan! LOL But I'm okay with that. I really don't want a label anyways. Or the label I'll take, want to achieve, is a "healthy, balanced, sane (LOL) eater"

What veganism HAS taught me the last 6 weeks is my body can and does feel great on a plant based diet. My body responds well when I put good things in my body, and take care of my body thru vigorous exercise. I am worth taking care of.

I'll be back later, with pictures of the delish shrimp dish I am going to enjoy! :)

Black Friday!!!

2009-11-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

This is the first Black Friday that my mom and I haven't gotten up at the crack of dawn for this:

We typically just enjoy the hustle and bustle of everyone, sort of our kick off to a wonderful holiday season. But this year, since I've pretty much had all my Christmas shopping done, and I get up at 4:45am every other day of the week to go workout, I decided to stay home instead with my family!

I made us some Apple Cinnamon Flax Pancakes for breakfast! These were awesome. My kids didn't particularly like them, but that's not because they weren't incredible. I'm having a battle over food lately with my youngest. He is by far my more picky eater. It's the war of the wills right now. He is not adventuresome when it comes to eating new foods. He's particularly fine with eating the same thing everyday, that he knows he likes.

A little later in the day I got a bit hungry and I decided to make myself some chocolate Almond Milk using this product.
I didn't particularly like it. I guess I was expecting your old fashion chocolate milk taste. That's not what I got. If you drink this, how do you prepare yours???
For lunch I decided to make some Spinach Pies. While I was prepping the pies I got hungry, especially since the chocolate milk thing didn't go over so well, and munched on carrots and about 1/2 the tub of Sabra Roasted Red Pepper hummus! YUMMY!
To make the pies (which are super duper easy) I use one large bag of frozen (thawed) spinach leaves. Chop up one small onion. Juice of 2 lemons. Mix together.
For the dough I use the low fat crescent rolls (if you have a better suggestion I'm all ears). I roll each triangle out to make it larger. Place a large spoonful of spinach mixture on top.
Fold dough over on one side and pinch close.
Fold the other two sides over as well, pinching close.
Bake them on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
These are so good. I actually ended up eating FOUR of them! For some reason I have been ravenous today! I was going to make a salad to go along with it but after shoving 4 in my pie hole I got momentarily full and decided against the salad!
All day today I have been so hungry. Like my body used to feel all the time. I know I shouldn't be hungry based on the number of calories I've consumed so I'm guessing that it's actually my body searching for a nutrient that I haven't given it today. Looking back on my eats so far I realized that it's VERY HIGH in carbs, and pretty low on veggies and greens! So I made myself a big ol' green monster!A LOAD of kale, banana, 2 scoops of Chocolate SuperGreens and water. Added it to my wine glass again...just feeling in the mood lately to drink from that cup. It just makes the drink FEEL special! :)

I was still in a baking kinda mood, and we were out of our granola bars, so I decided to make more of THESE except this time I decided to make them chocolate berry bars. I added the chocolate supergreens again (probably 1/4 cup), vegan chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

They turned out INCREDIBLE! So good for you too! Excited about having a bar tomorrow!

There have been many of you that I see that are stopping by my blog lately...but you're remaining quiet! :) Come on out...I'd love to hear from you!

Question for you all, especially those with kids: what do you do, or what have you done, especially with a picky eater to convert them over to a more vegetable based diet? I'm not expecting them to become vegans, or even vegetarians (Daddy also still loves meat) but I don't cook two meals. Therefore, when we are eating meat I just don't grab a portion of it for my plate, but when the main dish is vegan, I expect them to eat it, or go without. I've had many a tears lately, but it's just not something I'm willing to give on. I've NEVER been a mom that will cook two meals, vegan or not.

So what do you do for your family??

I survived!!

2009-11-27T03:31:00.001-08:00

Well...I survived my first Thanksgiving without eating ANY turkey or anything laden with cream, butter and pork lard! LOL I did get a wee bit of the Spanish Inquisition during meal #2, and I'll tell you more about that...but let me share some pictures from my preparations pre-Thanksgiving!

First...I can't start talking about Thanksgiving without sharing a picture of my favorite part of my life....my boys!

We always have two Thanksgiving meals. The first is in a small country town that my husband's mom grew up in. Several generations of family, included extended cousins, aunts, uncles, and MANY people we have no idea who they are, gather together around noon and have ourselves a big ol' time. These are country cooking folks. No waistlines are considered when eating here. In years past I'd be licking my lips to get to the meal...good stuff! Or so I thought!

Funny story though...I'm here in this small town and the conversation comes up from my sister-in-law that she heard from someone else that there is this blog called "Chocolate Covered Katie" that she said has lots of great healthy recipes! Katie...your infamous, even in remote parts of the USA, your name is sparking up during people's Thanksgiving meals...too funny!

For this stop on our Thanksgiving tour, I decided to bring some marinated tomatoes. Included is red tomatoes, yellow peppers, sweet onions, fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, EVOO and a tsp of agave nectar. I let them marinate overnight...this was a GREAT dish. So glad I brought this b/c it was THE ONLY raw thing on the VAST table to eats!

Little side note: While I was doing all the Thanksgiving prep on Wednesday night, this was the kids dinner: Thai lettuce wraps and organic blue chips! :)
While I was cooking I decided to have some of this. I've heard so many people drinking these that I thought I would give it a whirl! I had no idea what flavor was the best, or most popular. I ended up popping open the cosmic cranberry one first and poured it into a wine glass. Note: Do not shake this prior to opening. I learned the hard way.
Is it just me or do these taste very vinegary?? I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I tasted. I ended up putting a few sprinkles of Stevia in it and enjoyed it much better that way. What say you? What's your favorite flavor? Do you drink it the way it comes? Do I just need to bear down and stop being whimpy? Does it matter if I doctor it up?
Then I got on with business and made some really yummo things! First I decided to use the Raw Chocolate Fudge Babies recipe as a crust for a Raw Chocolate Berry Pie!

First I blended up all the Fudge Baby ingredients and poured it into a pie tin. Press it down evenly, packing it as firmly as possible.
Then, to make the "syrup" that goes next I blended several fresh strawberries, a few dates and a 1/4 cup of water.
Pour that in the bottom of the pie. The night before I had sliced 2 pints of strawberries up and sprinkled some stevia over them and a tad of water and allowed them to "marinate". Next, arrange the berries over your syrup in whatever fashion floats your boat!
I decided to sprinkle a few vegan chocolate chips over the top too!
Here is a piece I sliced up for myself last night. It was sooooo good! Everyone raved about it and couldn't believe it wasn't bad for you! :)
Next I made Angela's This Ain't Granny's Sweet Potatoe Casserole. This is OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD! And so easy too!

This picture is prior to cooking, so the top isn't nice and golden and glowing!
I also made a favorite...broccoli cashew salad. The ingredients included: two heads of raw broccoli, 3/4 cup of raw cashews, organic raisins and cranberries. For the dressing I used vegannaise, apple cider vinegar and agave nectar all blended together and then poured over the top.

Here is my plate at meal number one: pole beans, green beans, marinated tomatoes, Ain't Granny's sweet potato, cup of fruit! This meal was so satisfying. I did not miss out on anything as far as my palate or my tummy is concerned. I felt GREAT! While everyone else was moaning about how stuffed and tired they were, I felt like a million bucks!

Always for meal number 2 we go to my Dad's house and eat again. I had escaped any type of questions about my food preferences these days while at meal number 1. We were all scattered about and everyone eating at different times since there were so many to go thru the meal line that no one seemed to notice that my plate was missing the customary bird!

However, at my dad's with a more intimate setting, it didn't go unnoticed.

I really didn't want to draw attention to myself. I haven't even told my mom about how I've been eating...and we are really close. I know I even used to have this stigma about vegetarians, especially vegans, and I was sure they wouldn't understand. At one point my dad says to me "now I don't want you going and getting all unhealthy on me!" I about laughed and cried at the same time! REally? Are you kidding me! I am eating about as healthy as I have EVER eaten! I assured them that I'm eating ample food, quite the variety, color and taste and that they have nothing to fear. The inquisition only lasted about 5 minutes, for which I'm thankful. But there were a few turkey jokes and some bantering with me about them shoving in some meat in their mouths. Overall though they know I've got a sound mind on my shoulders and were accepting of my new decision. I'm hoping to inspire some of them with my results and how I feel.

The day went really well. It was the first Thanksgiving where I didn't come home miserable and with a belly ache. I'm no longer fearful of the holidays and what they mean in terms of an expanding waist line. Now I can truly just focus on enjoying the parties, the people, my family and friendships.

How was your Thanksgiving? What type of comments did you get from your healthy food choices?

Proof is in the pudding!

2009-11-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

Or I guess in THIS case, the Almond Milk. LOL

Warning...we're about to get reallllllly up close and personal here folks! But I can't help it. I think there is power in pictures. I know I love it when I see real proof, in living color, polaroid print before and afters. It's motivating. Even motivating for myself to look at my own progress and want to keep going!

For the past 6 weeks I have basically transitioned over from a typical carnivore diet to a VEGAN eater. Has it been hard? NOT AT ALL. Seriously. It has been so very easy. It's crazy how easy it has been. I have had the kid's halloween candy (and I mean the good stuff) sitting on my kitchen counter and not ONCE have I been remotely tempted to eat any. And it's not because I have this Iron Will Power or anything. My body has detoxed all the processed sugars out of it's system and therefore no longer craves those types of foods. It now CRAVES good stuff. Honestly. I really have had no craving for junk. I don't miss it, it sure doesn't miss me.

Does this mean I no longer want sweets? No! I do get a hankering for something sweet. But usually a few scoops of Coconut Milk based icecream, piece of dark chocolate or some almond butter on a banana does the trick and I'm good to go. The GREAT part about eating these types of sweets vs. what I would crave in the past is that it doesn't create this vicious cycle. Because these foods do not have processed white sugar (aka CRACK) they do not create a monster inside of me that says "more, more, more"! It's great!

My husband has been FULL of compliments lately, it seems like every day there is something he is raving about. Yesterday he called home in the morning ONLY to tell me that he could really tell how my body is changing and how good I'm looking! Then today, we met up for lunch, and from across the table he told me my skin was glowing! Love that!

So anyways, I guess you are interested in getting to the pics by now, huh? Okay, enough already! :) I'm pretty excited to show you actually. I mean, not that I am now plastered on the internet in my bikini, but with the results I have gotten, so easily, so fast, following a vegan lifestyle, I hope to encourage perhaps one of you to give it a try!

I would encourage any of you that are willing to try....just do it! You may think you are going to be "giving up" so much, but you won't be! Instead I'm gaining so much more! I eat such awesome food, my skin glows, my clothes are getting baggy on me, I'm more experimental in the kitchen, I feel lighter, more bubbly and it doesn't hurt that my husband thinks I rock!

These pictures were taken 5 1/2 weeks apart!

I can only imagine how my body will morph by the time I hit the 6 month mark, 1 year mark, etc! I'm so happy that I'm feeding my body well, that it is responding, and thanking me for it!

Wanna join me???

Happiest Place on Earth????

2009-11-25T06:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to Disney with some friends from Alaska that have never been before! How cool is THAT to go there and see things thru their eyes! We were all very excited.

We got their around 9:30am, purchased tickets, got strollers to make walking around the park with 4 boys easier, had all of our prepacked goodies in tow and we were off!

It's so hard to pack what I normally eat, since it is usually volumes of greens, but I didn't want to be caught empty handed and forced to eat something I'm not comfortable eating. I packed us several water bottles (froze 2 of them actually first to keep everything else cool in the lunchbag), a baggie of my homemade granola I like to make, 2 small almond butter and banana wraps, an apple, and a Supergreens Raw Chocolate Bar.

Once lunch got around I was really wanted a salad though. The thought of all that sweetness and fruit wasn't appealing to me. However, every where we went they had premade salads either loaded with cheeses or meat. Not an option for me.

I did end up finding a vegetarian wrap. Of course it was "Disney Priced" aka loads of money for small amount of food. It did "look" like a lot of food, all wrapped up in the ww tortilla. I wasn't that interested in the tortilla though and decided I would unwrap it and eat the insides with a fork. Inside was some lettuce, some type of black bean salsa and some hummus. Once I unwrapped it and laid it on my plate it was pitiful how little of the good stuff they actually put inside those things. There was MAYBE 1/2 cup worth of veggies to eat. All for $8.00!

I did end up eating throughout the day the rest of my goodies, and I'm so glad I packed things to bring along. I really wish The Happiest Place on Earth would cater more towards the vegetarian crowd. We did find out, too late to get reservations at however, that The Liberty Tree Tavern has several vegetarian meals on their menu. Reservations are some times booked up months in advance though! Jeesh!

So in case I forget to pre-book our dinner reservations for our next visit I'll need to come up with several more ideas to bring with me. I'm curious about some of your lunchbox vegan eats you bring with you when on the go?

Please share! I'd love to hear from you!!!

Green eyed Monster Returns!!!

2009-11-24T04:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a great day! I have some friends come in that I actually "met" thru the internet world over 9 years ago! We finally got to meet and hang out. It was awesome!

In the morning I had my customary oatmeal and apples mixture. Still loving that! By 10:00 I usually get hungry again and opted for my homemade granola of Kashi/Raw Granola/ dried cranberries & raisins/ chocolate chips. It doesn't take much and it REALLY fills me up, and keeps me full for a long time!

Lunch time rolled around and I knew I needed to eat, but I just really wasn't that hungry still. So I opted for one of these....the ol' Green Monster Shake! In this shake was a humungo heaping of kale, spinach, banana, pineapple and water!

Our friends were eating dinner with us last night, and by the time we got home from the park with all the kiddos I was starving@!!! I whipped up an incredible meal if I do say so myself!!!

We had Cuban Style Sweet Potatoes from Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet Book". I eat this recipe a lot...it's an awesome mix of sweet and bitter. The ingredient list is super easy too...sweet potatoes, lime, garlic, EVOO & parsley!
I also roasted some vegetables. Got this recipe from Tosca Reno's "Eat Clean" Cookbook. It's NOT a vegan cookbook, but there are a lot of vegan recipes and ones you can adapt to a vegan lifestyle. This is the first recipe I've done out of the book since I just got it, but many that I plan on making. This recipe included zucchini, roma tomatoes, purple onion, leeks (which I didn't have), yellow pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic and EVOO.
I paired it with a nice garden salad...
Then once all the dishes were clean I got the hankering for something sweet. I opened the freezer and found this! Just the right amount...few bites and I'm gooooood!
Have to add this to my grocery list since it is now history!!! Sooooo good!

Woot!!!!

2009-11-23T04:48:00.001-08:00

Today is starting out on the right foot! :) It was weigh in day.... I've lost another 2 lbs. making my total 11 pounds on the nose! Woot woot!!! I've easily got another 7-10 lbs I'd like to lose, but this is the EASIEST way I've ever lost weight before. AND...best of all I feel fantastic, not deprived!!

Yesterday I had my normal breakfast of oats, granny smith apples, cinammon, dates and flaxseed. Wonder if I'll ever get tired of that breakfast??? Nah! it is just so good, and so filling.

We all went to church and I wore this really cute bright pink blouse with a black pencil skirt. One that has been sitting in my closet collecting dust for a while now. Let me tell you....I must have gotten 30 compliments, even from total strangers yesterday in that outfit. I might just have to wear that EVERYWHERE now! LOL I felt good best of all. THAT's a great feeling.

After church we were all starving so we picked Jason's Deli to eat at. Do you all have a Jason's Deli near you??? The salad bar ROCKS! I unfortunately didn't take any photos of my salad before I wolfed it down but in it I had Organic mixed greens, spinach, peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, onions, red peppers, hummus, broccoli, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and this really awesome Organic low fat french dressing. It was SOOOOOO good! I love that my salad usually resembles some monstrosity that is going to topple over if I don't eat it...quickly! All those glorious nutrients just waiting to be consume. Hmm, hmmm, good!!!

Last night I had every intention of eating dinner with the family, even had it all prepared and then a friend of mine, in from Alaska (who was actually going to stay with us but has children that vomited on the plane and opted for a hotel room instead...thank you!) called and wanted to meet up for dinner.

So I finished up the meal I prepared for the family and headed out.

I left my family with a hearty spaghetti dish that I was really eyeballing, excited about left overs for today.

First I browned up a packaged of Tofurky italian sausages (ha ha...take that hubby...let's see if you realize you are eating tofu in these babies!!!)

I roasted some tomatoes to bring out their flavors....
Added a jar of marinara sauce, tomato sauce, sundried tomatoes, onions, the tofurky and roasted tomatoes to make up the sauce. It smelled divine and the wee taste I had was even better!

I was going to do some zucchini pasta for myself if I had eaten at home, but since I wasn't staying I just boiled up some whole wheat pasta for everyone else instead.

The hubby said everyone enjoyed it, alot!

I didn't let him in on my little tofu secret....shhhh!

On the hunt for pumpking soup...

2009-11-22T12:54:00.001-08:00

The other day I was over at "Oh She Glows" blog and saw this easy peasy Pumpkin Soup recipe. I was so eager and excited because I LOVE me some pumpkin soup. The last time I think I had any was on our honeymoon cruise over ELEVEN years ago and when I saw this recipe I thought "dynomite!" I need some of THAT! Unfortunately the whole family thought it was really watery with only a hint of pumpkin flavor. Sorry Angela!! :( I think next time I'll decrease the amount of almond milk and vegetable broth. Or look for another recipe. Anyone have one that they LOVE with robust pumpkin flavor, that's vegan???

It looked pretty though! :)

The salad though rocked! I mixed romaine and spinach with organic dried cranberries, mandarin oranges and some pecans that I roasted in maple syrup and cinnamon. YUMMO. The dressing was Olive Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and a touch of Agave nectar. I think I wolfed this salad down, along with all the remaining bits on everyone else's plate when they were done! :)

On a side note. I'm currently training for the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon held March 2010! I've always wanted to do something like this, but have never been able to come out of the training period without serious injuries. This time, even though I'm itching to go farther, I'm adhering to the training schedule by the BOOK! This happens every time to me...I get in pretty good running shape and want to go farther, too quickly and it always results in injuries. So I feel like I'm a horse at the races, at the shoot just raring to be let loose.

Saturday, hubby was out for the day and I was scheduled to run 4 miles. I had the boys of course so we loaded up their bikes in the back of the car and headed down to the local park that has a .8 mile loop. We did 5 loops. It definitely wasn't as serene as my normal runs are when I'm not worried about boys going too slow, too fast, needing water breaks but not allowed to stop per me :) But hey...we accomplished our task! The boys had fun too and said they'd do it with me again anytime!!!

Phew.....yesterday was a LONG day! :)

2009-11-21T05:16:00.001-08:00

Fridays are always a really long day for me. I homeschool my boys, but on Fridays we belong to a homeschool group that meets every Friday for school on campus. I am also the Site Director. We had an end of the year feast and presentation that kept me HOPPING!!! There was hardly anything I could eat/want to eat there (thankfully I packed a banana and tangerine with me...but that left me VERY VERY hungry by the time I got home!)

I had purchased this Amy's Vegan Enchilada at the store a few days ago and remembered it as I was pulling into the drive way....only takes 4 minutes to heat. My kinda meal when I am about to eat my children's head off!

I decided to take an extra few seconds and chop up some romaine lettuce to put the enchiladas over. Good move cuz it was AWESOME!
I definitely like eating more "whole, unprocessed foods" but on occasion these enchiladas will be a staple here for that hurry up and eat or you'll die kinda moment!

What types of foods do you like that are quick when you need something FAST!?

Hope to hear from you!

Oh...and P.S. someone appease my guilt and tell me it really is okay, and GOOD for you :), to consume all 15 raw fudge babies within 2 days. Please?

Come on....who knew cooking would be so fun!!!

2009-11-19T11:11:00.001-08:00

I think I have seriously cooked more, created more, thought more about, experimented more this past month than I have in a long long time....and I'm having a BLAST!

Seriously. Who would of thunk it??? You would think that by eliminating a WHOLE bunch from my diet that would leave me without. Quite the contrary!!! It has actually opened up a whole new world of foods, dishes, spices and experiences. I'm soooo enjoying this.

For lunch today I put together a salad version of last nights dinner!

Romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, spirooli'd zucchini, sliced yellow pepper, threw in some corn, chopped peanuts, remaining Orange Sesame Tofu and Peanut Sauce for dressing!!!

Again. HeavenLY.

Then I got the hankering for something sweet.

I remembered Katie from Chocolate Covered Katie had posted a recipe for RAW chocolate fudge babies. Using only 5 ingredients, these were super easy to make and SUPER DUPER out of this world delicious. Do you think it's still "good for you" when you inhale 5 of them and look longingly at them wanting to eat the rest?????

Here are the ingredients:

1 cup of raw walnuts (I only had like 1/4 of a cup left so I also used 3/4 of a cup of raw pecans)

1 1/3 cup of pitted dates

1 tsp. of vanilla

3-4 T of cocoa

Blended all together and then pressed into ball shapes.

Thai Lettuce Wraps....oh my goodness!!!

2009-11-19T03:25:00.000-08:00

Last night I had a DELICIOUS dinner!!! Oh my goodness! I made Thai Lettuce Wraps using Romaine Lettuce I had on hand (Bibb would have been much easier to work with), shredded some carrots, spirooli'd some zucchini and sliced some yellow pepper. I had some left over Orange Sesame Tofu from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan (which if you don't own....run out NOW and get a copy...it's THAT good!)

The tofu was incredible on this dish. LOVED LOVED LOVED it! My husband, he wouldn't come close to the tofu, but ate everything else :) He said that he's willing to eat whatever I serve him with the exception of tofu. Fine. Be the way. More for me! ;)

I had purchased a while back a bottle of peanut sauce from Whole Foods, but it sat on my shelf...until last night! I poured each of us some in a bowl and added some chopped peanuts. Seriously. This is my new favorite dish. I think I'll be eating these quite often now.

More food musings...

2009-11-17T05:26:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend I went away on an overnight girls weekend. One of our meals was at the California Pizza Kitchen. I chose the Greek Pizza, minus the mozzarella and the feta cheese. I was wondering how it would taste without that stuff...let me tell you...it ROCKED! But honestly I would have liked it even better if they had doubled the amount of veggies that came on top. I gobbled the whole thing down.

So last night, along with my attempt at this pitiful excuse of Split Pea soup, I tried to recreate the Greek pizza at home. I started with a whole wheat crust, put some olive oil and sprinkled sea salt on the bottom (my mistake here is that I used WAYYYY too much sea salt and it was practically overpowering everything else on the pizza making it not too palatable...hence...in the future, go easy on the sea salt). I chopped up some tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and greek olives. Mixed them together, along with a tad bit of the olive juice and put that on the top of the pizza after it had gotten out of the oven.

I'll definitely re-create this again, sans the salt!!

I workout every morning at 24 hr. fitness. My alarm goes off at 4:45am and I'm out the door by 5am. I typically have never been a "eat before I workout" kinda gal. Several people at the gym had admonished me for this...should I be eating something? Am I wrecking havoc on my body for not?? I don't feel faint or weird. What do you do? Do you eat something pre-workout wise??

When I come home though...I'm definitely hungry! I like to eat something that will stick to my ribs for a while and help me to feel satisfied for quite a while. I've started eating this oatmeal mixture...and it is mmm, mmm, good!
Heaping of oatmeal (LOVE that I no longer measure out how much I'm eating!!)

1/3rd of a granny smith apple, diced

sprinkle of cinnamon, to taste

1 1/2 dates chopped

sprinkle of pure dark amber maple syrup

1 T grated flaxseed

Put everything in a bowl. Heat water up and then pour over the top...don't want too much or too little. Stir and then put a cover over it to allow the oats to "cook". I like it this way sooooo much better than microwaving the tar out of it and ending up with oatmeal mush!

Typical lunch....

2009-11-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

I typically am usually in the mood for a salad for lunch! I will change it up here and there, but for the most part this is a very typical salad for me. I did forget to put the corn and the red pepper in it that was sitting in my sink after I cleaned them...oops! It was a rocking salad nonetheless!* Romaine

* Spinach

* Cucumbers

* Avocado

* Tomatoes

* Carrots

* VeggieFarms Chik'N pattie....sooooo good! (this is a special treat when I put one of these in the salad. Even though it is pretty low on sodium for something processed, it still majorly effects me and my hands will swell up a bit with sodium retention whenever I eat one of these patties)

* Organic Oatbran nuggets

* Annie's Organic BBQ Sauce

* Supremely Spicey Sabra Hummus

Healthy Trail Mix

2009-11-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

One of the snacks I sometimes snack on, especially if I know I'm going to be in the car for an extended time, or maybe out to the movies with the family, is this homemade granola concoction I came up with!

I open up a bag and grab a heaping handful of this Kashi Go Lean cereal. It is PACKED with protein and fiber!!!

Then I grab another heaping helping of this LIVE RAW granola I got at Wholefoods (or you can order off the internet.) It is completely ALIVE with sprouted Organic Buckwheat Groats, Organic Oats, sprouted flax seed and Organic Raisins!
Then...to make it extra yummy. I add a scoop of Organic Chocolate chips and a scoop of organic dried cranberries!

This is seriously so good, so good for you and not only hits the spot and keeps me WAY satisfied until my next meal but tastes just dang GOOD!

Okay...where do I begin??

2009-11-16T04:51:00.000-08:00

Over the course of the last year I feel like I have yo-yo'd and tried everything to lose weight. I've always desired to not only lose weight but to start feeling "normal" towards food. I feel like I've suffered from disordered eating for way too many years. Instead of eating to live (while enjoying it too) food would take on this whole new life of itself. I would "do good" for a while, counting every calorie, or watching my "points", restricting my calories too much or staying away from carbs...you get the point. During this time, sure I may have lost a few pounds here or there, but sure enough they would always come back on whenever I had enough of whatever it was I was doing. It still controlled me.

Even when I was doing the raw diet. It was too restrictive for me as well. I can't do High raw. It doesn't provide enough variety in my foods. I'm sure if I had all the kitchen gadgets AND time that is needed to make a wide variety of satisfying raw meals it would be easier, but lets face it...who does?

So what am I up to now??? About 4 weeks ago I decided enough was enough and I was ready to get this fluff off my body before I outgrew anymore pants! :) I read Alicia Silverstone's new cookbook "The Kind Diet" and really liked what I was reading. I started to incorporate a lot of what I was doing when I was doing High Raw back in my diet, however, I also started to way up my intake of sweet potatoes, oats, and brown rice.

What happened to me last time, happened again...that is when I'm seriously increasing my greens consumption, my sweet tooth disappears, as well as my desire for chicken, fish and meat. Since I wasn't eating those types of proteins I also decided that I would give up other animal by-products (ie. dairy, cheese, eggs). Went back to Almond Milk, got Earthly balance "butter" and use flax/water combo to substitute for eggs when baking.

Let me tell you...this has been the easiest transition. I am no longer counting calories, no longer tracking points, no longer depriving myself of foods I enjoy eating, no starving then bingeing. My body is naturally CRAVING crazy amounts of vegetables, and when I eat fruits the sweetness of those taste out of this world. Everything is intensified.

I've made some AWESOME vegan desserts, that many of my family and friends have LOVED!

The weight seems to be coming right off of me. I've lost 8.5 lbs. in the past 4 weeks.

The most important change in all of it??? How I FEEL! I feel like I'm on top of the world. I don't ever want this feeling to go away!

Later I'll post more about some of the delicious food that I've been eating. It's been a GREAT four weeks of discovering some awesome recipes with incredible food!

Dusting off the cobwebs!!

2009-11-12T03:44:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been here in forever...but I"M BACK!

I'll post more later, but this has been an interesting month and I'm so excited to share more about it! I feel so alive, the pounds are melting off me and I'm so enjoying LOTS and LOTS of really yummy foods!

More later...

Food Inc.

2009-07-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Last night the hubby and I went to see Food, Inc. I wasn't sure what to expect, except I knew I wouldn't be able to look at certain foods the same after viewing this film. And yes, that's what happened.

It's NOT a PETA film, or a animal rights activist film...while it DOES show some pretty nasty treatment of animals the overall theme throughout was the effect of big business on the food processing system. It was most definitely a PRO-organic film. I could go on and on about the conditions of the Tyson, or Purdue farm, but I'll save that for you to see for yourself...it's pretty shameful and disgusting.

While I would find it hard to find anyone that would disagree that eating organic is by far superior, the fact is that eating organic, or even healthy for that matter is expensive, and unfortunately not an option for many of Americans. What was most eye opening is the role the government plays in this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I was. The government subsidizes these corn growers which overproduce corn that is then sold for LESS THAN THE COST OF PRODUCTION. They are able to do this b/c of government subsidizing. This overabundance of corn is then turned into all those crazy words you see on the back of your labels on foods that we eat (and shouldn't). This is why it is by FAR cheaper to buy a $0.99 hamburger at McDonalds than it is a head of broccoli.

Our food today doesn't even come close to the food our parents generation ate. We now have genetically engineered this, modified that, filled with stuff you really don't want to know! (Did you realize that there is AMMONIA in the meat filler that goes into 75% of all hamburger meat?????)

I've said for such a long time now that the HIGH occurence of women's infertility, children born with problems has GOT to be related to our food over the past 20 years. Our parents generation just did NOT have these issues, yet we are PLAGUED by it. By too many of my friends then I would like to count.

And if 20 years of us eating this way has had this effect what's it going to be like for our children who will be subject to further mutilation of our food sources than what we even experienced.

The more organic we can buy will make a statement to the big businesses out there that control this market (did you realize it's only FOUR that control 80% of the marketshare) and our government putting dollars where we need it to go to.

Every time we purchase an organic product we are making a vote, allowing our voice to be heard.

New gym???

2009-07-23T12:26:00.001-07:00

Lately I have not been getting my behind up in the morning to go workout, and it's showing...BIG TIME! Yes, I do have a new puppy that has been keeping me up at night, that I'm terrified of tiptoeing out of the room at 5am to hit the gym, in fear that he might start barking and wake up my sleeping husband. But even before we got the puppy last week I was having a REAL hard time getting myself up to go. Preston is a night owl and enjoys watching movies...with me, which I also thoroughly enjoy doing with him as well, and if I don't get to bed before 10 PM then forget about it, that 5 AM alarm is just NOT HAPPENING!

I talked with Preston last night and mentioned my desire to go to a gym that has childcare so that in the event I don't go during the wee hours, at least there is an option to go later in the day. I'm a gym rat at heart. I know we have a "mini" gym here in the house, but it just doesn't cut it for me...it's boring. I'm a people person...I need ACTION!

24 HR FITNESS just opened up in our area and we decided to check them out this morning. At first Ethan wasn't interested in going into the Kid Club area. He was a bit apprehensive, but with some encouragement and knowing his brother was going to be with him, he ventured in. Well....all it took was a few minutes of looking around and the kid was HOOKED! It's like Chuck E. Cheese there. They have basketball shoot-out games, romper room, climbing/tunnel/slide area, movies, crafts and much more.

As for my experience...I decided to do the Boot Camp. OH MY! It kicked my tail. Seriously. It was so hard, and so humbling. I've gotten way too out of shape for my own good. But I imagine after about a month I won't recognize the out of breath, bent over, huffing and puffing woman that was staring me in the face in the mirror anymore.

Preston and I are still discussing whether this gym is the right choice for us. I've got a 7 day pass to check out the full facilities first. But so far...I'm impressed.

Oh...and the boys are too. They keep asking if we are going back tomorrow! :)

Slug...slug...chug..chug...

2009-06-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's so true...you are what you eat.

I have had a really hard time getting myself back in gear after all these vacations, Vacation Bible School and now we are leaving again for 11 days in the mountains with the in-laws.

I'm happily sipping a Green Monster shake right now, growling at myself over the gluttony of the past 3 weeks, and what lies ahead in the foothills of Tennessee! My lose shorts are now fitting snuggly again (GRRRR) and I feel tired often. Both are signs that I've fallen off the wagon.

I truly believe in eating a lot of raw foods...my body feels the best when I am doing this and I've got to get back at it. It just takes a lot more work, but something that I really feel is worth the time.

Anyways...just keepin' it real. Knowing that I probably won't be able to truly get back in the zone until I return from our trip, but hopeful to make some better food choices while I'm there, without ruffling any feathers in the process! ;)

Confessions of a Vacation Queen!

2009-06-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely and relaxing time visiting my husband's Aunt at her lake front home. It did manage to rain almost every day so we WERE a bit cabin crazy by the end of the week though. Being inside, with JUNK FOOD everywhere, wasn't a good combination.

It's AMAZING the effects sugar, processed junk with names you can't pronounce on the label, etc. has on the body. Within the first day of altering my organic, highly raw food diet, I broke out with a rash all over my face. It was so gross. I also had around the clock tummy issues. Can we say gas galore??? Ewww... the biggest thing I noticed right away was the insatiable appetite that I all of a sudden had. I immediately starting craving things that I have not craved in a long time. I couldn't just eat 2 oreos...it had to be 10. My desire for vegetables and fruit (while before I could NOT get enough of) went completely away. I had no desire to eat one smoothie, didn't want a bite of a single apple. All the cravings that disappeared once I changed my diet to organic and loads of raw came running back like a train of bricks. Amazingly wild.

I just went to the grocery store and am loading back up with all my pre-vacation staples and looking forward again to eating to live, vs. living to eat mentality of last week. I know my stomach will thank me, as well as any man, woman or child within a 5 ft. radius of my tummy issues! :)

BLECH....

2009-06-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Today is day one of our vacation at the lakehouse and eating has been most definitely OFF! Immediately after having a typical American meal for lunch I felt HORRIBLE...wanted to go to sleep, and my stomach was rebelling against me quickly! It wasn't a lovely sight.

We are with other family members, with temptations around every corner...chips, dip, oreos, etc... I don't buy this stuff at home, so the temptation isn't around me, I just don't think about it. Here...another story. They taste good. I want to eat it. But the reality is, obviously from how I felt today, they are NOT good for me!!!! Neither for my butt, nor my gutt!

I've been loading up on water and expect to pee like a race horse for the rest of the night, but hopefully it will start to flush this junk out of my system. I'm highly looking forward to some carrot juice in the morning...I DID bring my juicer! :)

I probably won't update as often this week. Especially since I"m not on my own computer, nor at my own home where I feel much more comfortable taking the cooking/non-cooking (raw) reigns and running with it! But...I'll do the best I can this week, and come back on Sunday looking forward to getting back to my normal!

have a great week!!!

Gonna Make You Sweat!!!

2009-05-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

Oh..My...WORD People!!!! Have any of you tried Bikram Yoga?????

Today Preston and I went to the 4:00 class and it was out of this world INSANE! Like seriously insane. I would say that I am a pretty physically fit individual. I go to the gym every morning, run, lift weights, very active, etc... but this 1 1/2 hours in EXTREME heat kicked my tail like no tomorrow.

I seriously thought I was going to lose my cookies about 20 times throughout the session and sheepishly looked over at my husband with eyes saying "HELP!!!!" as he sweated thru the poses himself, trying to remain upright and not planted face first on the floor!

For those who are familiar with Bikram yoga, the class consists of 26 Hatha Yoga postures and 2 breathing exercises. Half of the postures are performed while standing, half are performed on the floor, and all are repeated twice during each 90 minute session. The classes are conducted in a heated facility under the direction of a certified Bikram Yoga instructor.

Everything about it was HARD! But once we got to the floor exercises I thought "halleluia we are home free!" HAAAA I couldn't have been more wrong. It got harder and harder, and hotter and hotter! It was easily about 95 degrees in the room!

When the class was over we had a two minute cool down on our back doing some pose that I have no clue the name, but I closed my eyes and started to say some prayers, thanking God for helping me to get thru this! :) And just the blessing of health and the ability to do this. I got all weepy!!!! I guess sweating your battookies off will make a girl weep. I was amazed at my emotions!

When we first got there I was overwhelmed with the STENCH of the place. Think about it, 45+ sweaty stinky students sweating and dripping everywhere, with no circulation. THAT can't help but permeate the walls, the floors. Gross! But once I grew accustomed to it I didn't notice it any longer. When the torture was finally over we went outside in the summer heat and was chilled to the bone by the temperature outside...amazing!

But for all my moaning over how hard it was...it was equally as awesome. I love a challenge, and love the fact that I burned 600 CALORIES!!!! Can I get an amen???!!!!

The instructor said to receive the most benefits from the class you should return within 24 hours....ummmm yeah....not sure if I'll be back THAT soon...but I'll definitely be back!

So tell me...have any of you done Bikram Yoga??? Please tell me about it. I'd love to hear your experiences too!!!

Whole Foods Raw Class!!!!

2009-05-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the Raw Class at Wholefoods and it was so much fun and enlightening!!! Plus, it was extra nice since my husband went along with me, as well as one of my very best friends...double bonus!!!

Chef Olive treated us to A LOT of various recipes and had us laughing and talking the entire time. The class was supposed to only last 1 1/2 hours, but she laughed that there was no way she could squeeze everything she wanted to say in that little amount of time! :) Fine by me...lets get the most out of the $5.00 I spent!!! Which by the way was SOOOO CHEAP compared to the information we learned, and all the food and drinks we got to enjoy. Apparently she has these classes once a month, and even has a pot luck support group/get together outside of Wholefoods on the 2nd Sunday of every month for everyone to come with some of their favorite raw dishes to share and commune together!

She is a pretty remarkable woman...funny too! She started eating raw because of the VAST amount of health issues she was dealing with. I don't remember them all, but a few that stuck out in my mind was that she lost 60 lbs. within 3 months, completely got off all high blood pressure medication, insulin injections for her diabetes, off all thyroid medications she was, currently has dreadlocks down to her waist where she used to be going bald, moles that covered her body in various places fell off completely, was deaf in her right ear and now has 60 % hearing, had very poor vision and wore tri-fold glasses where she now only uses regular glasses for night time driving on occasion! She has been raw for 7 years now and has lost a total of 116 lbs. It wasn't that she doesn't like cooked food...she does...it just doesn't like her and was wrecking havoc on her body!

We all took our seats in this room that was all set up with overhead cameras so that we could see what she was mixing up in her bowls. There was probably 45 people in attendance...several you could tell were repeat guests, some new like us!

Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of everything we ate (DOH!!!) but I did manage to snap a few before I scarfed them down. They were all wonderful and really shows that eating raw doesn't have to be bland and boring... I'll share some of the recipes we learned about today...

Upon arrival she had some freshly made flavored water, and made several different kinds throughout the time we were there. The first was a Vanilla/Rosemary water. It simply consisted of two vanilla beans and a large batch of fresh rosemary and filtered water. She allows it to steep outside in the sun to really bring out the flavors. This one was "okay", especially not compared to the plum water we had next...this was by far every one's favorite!

The Plum water consisted of about 15 small plums steeped with about 8 tea bags (she used green tea) in about 1 gallon of water. The plums provide a natural sweetness in itself, but you can also add some raw honey to make it even sweeter. This was delicious.

Another water that she made, which wasn't my favorite, I believe she called Green Water...my girlfriend said that it tasted like we were drinking gum water due to it's peppermint flavor. Again, 1 gallon of water, with 3 T of chlorophyll and 1 dropper of peppermint.

Now onto the foods....

First she made "pasta" out of zucchini using a spiroli...oh my word...I want one of these things. Seriously...it made the most perfect looking pasta out of a vegetable! They had such lovely curves and curls...it was great! Unfortunately I scarfed it all down before I took a picture of it...but here is the recipe for Zucchini Pasta...

5 zucchinis - sliced into pasta using the spiroli

Add 2 T EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil) to the noodles right away so they don't weep

3 cloves of garlic (she put the garlic into this contraption called the Rev'n Chef...it has a string that you pull...kinda like the old speak and say toys you had as a child...and it was wind this thing up and pulverize the garlic!)

1 2/3 tsp. of umboshi paste (which is basically fermented plums)

1 T. raw honey

3 T. Nama Shoyu

1/2 tsp. five spice

2 scallions finely chopped

1 T tamarind paste

handful of fresh snow peas, field peas and flat leaf parsley

Mix all this up and then top with sesame seeds

The next recipe we got to enjoy was a Carrot, Zucchini & Pesto dish!

She had a large bowl full of carrots and zucchini that she sliced up using a peeler.

Add 3 T EVOO

Borsari spices - sprinkled heavily over top

Mix all of this with your hands, really work these ingredients in.

Add 2 T of arugula/basil pesto

Add a handful of pine nuts

Mix all this together and serve along with the Everyday Tomato Sauce

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked then drained, leaving 1/3 cup of the water

3 plum tomatoes

1 cup of raw cashews

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

3 cloves of garlic (again she pulverized it first)

1/2 tsp. paprika

handful fresh cilantro

1 tsp. celtic sea salt

2 T honey

2 T lime juice

Blend all of this together. To make a "meatier sauce" add the following:

2 cup of raw walnuts...pulse them in a food processor...don't over pulse - you want a thicker consistency. Once pulsed just right add to blender and mix gently.

Serve sauce and carrot dish together. This was one of our favorites for sure. Here is a picture of it...Chef Olive put it on the side so that we could taste the carrot mix with or without the sauce...it was so good though...I wanted to lick the plate! ;)

The next dish that she made was raw RICE! I was excited to see how this was going to turn out!!

Head of cauliflower and pulsed it in the food processor. Again, you don't want to pulse it so much that it gets all mushy, but just enough.

Add couple sprigs of fresh dill (chopped)

Sprinkle lemon pepper

EVOO (I didn't right down the amount dang it...I'm thinking no more than 2 T!)

Separately pulse the following nuts:

Handful of raw pinenuts

Handful of raw cashews (she prefers macadamia nuts but didn't have these today)

Blend all the ingredients together by mashing a bit with a spoon.

Upon eating the first bite I was disappointed. Not in the taste, but I guess I was expecting it to really be LIKE rice. But it wasn't, and it can't...it's raw, not cooked. But it only took a nano second to get over my disappointment because it tasted out of this world. My husband was also VERY into this dish. As you can see below...I wolfed it down before I realized I hadn't taken a picture so this is just a few crumbs I had left to photograph!

Another big hit was a Papaya Sorbet of sorts: The ingredient list is short and super easy to make!

1 papaya, split and de-seeded (which you can use the seeds, once dehydrated, as pepper!!)

Freeze the papaya

Once frozen, then take out of the freezer and defrost in the fridge for one hour

Using a cheese grader, grate the papaya and place in bowl

On the side, mix up the syrup you will use: equal parts agave syrup & fresh lime juice. I believe she used 1 cup agave & 1 cup lime juice.

Serve the papaya in individual bowls and then drizzle the syrup over the top.

She gave us a tip on a syrup that she often uses, and licks the bowl over, for her raw pancakes is orange juice, agave nectar and a pinch of cinnamon!

Here's the recipe for Mohitos!

honey and lime juice syrup (equal parts) - I "think" she used 1 cup of each...

3 cups of crushed ice

fresh mint - pound with bottom of bowl to release flavors, then placed into mixture and gently pound again

2 Kombucha bottled drinks (of your choice, she used #7 today)...this makes the "sparkling flavor" of the drink.

This was good, had a definite KICK to it!

One recipe that she did not get to, but gave us the recipe anyways was for

Tomato and Fennel Soup

4-5 tomatoes cut

1 med fennel bulb

1 sm. yellow onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 cups of rejuvelac

1/2 cup of sunflower seed

2 tsp thyme

1/4 cup EVOO

Mixed all up in blender. If you prefer it warm...put it on stove top and just warm until WARM to the touch...don't want to cook it and kill all those great enzymes!

As you can see...today was a plethora of information. It was so fun and something we will most definitely do again and again!!!

EATS!!!

2009-05-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

I found a new protein shake that Preston and I have been drinking! I fill the blender up with spinach of course, add either Hemp protein for me, or whey protein Vanilla for him, about 1 cup of almond breeze and 1 frozen banana....I usually blend everything except the banana first to get it all liquified, then add the frozen banana so that it turns out to be more slushy. If you throw the banana in there with the rest, by the time the spinach is all pulverized the banana losses all of it's frozen consistency!

It turns into another lovely green shake!

Today I also made the Chia Pudding from Kristen Suzanne's raw cookbook! It was very easy to make...

Combine Chia seeds and raw coconut

In blender you basically mix raw cashews, clover, vanilla, ginger, water and medjool dates...then pour it over coconut/chia mix

Then you begin to stir...then wait...

And stir it again...and wait...and it becomes very gelatinous!

This particular recipe was a bit too strong for me, spice-wise. I think next time I'll forgo the clover! It was pretty good though with some fresh strawberries over the top!

For those of you that are unfamiliar with chia seeds (remember Cha Cha Cha Chia...the growing "hair" plant on tv????) Well Chia is a nutrient dense super seed with remarkable levels of nutrition. In addition to its high fiber content, chia is the richest known vegetable source of Omega-3 fatty acids. It has a nutty flavor and can be added to smoothies, soups, sauces and desserts. It can even be sprinkled on cereal, yogurt or salads. I happened to taste it right out of the can and was surprised that it wasn't half bad. If you need a fiber jolt, take a scoop...10 g of fiber per each tablespoon!!!

Now it's Ani time!!! I decided to make two recipes of hers today for lunch and then for mid-afternoon snack time. :) I made the Summer Berry Cobbler first! It was so super easy to follow and I was pleasantly pleased with my Raw Chef self...

First I added a bunch of raw pumpkin seeds and almonds to my food processor, along with some dates, sea salt and olive oil. This is to make the pie's crust.

As you can see...I'm in desperate need for a MUCH bigger food processor!

Once it's all done, and mixed together really well, you press it down into a small pie pan! Oh...and I managed to taste a sample off my fingers...DELICIOUS!
Then you make the Berrylicious Syrup which basically consists of fresh blueberries, some more dates and a bit of water. It makes this beautiful thick syrup!

That gets poured over the pie crust...

And then you arrange blackberries and/or blueberries to the top!

VOILA!!! Raw Summer Berry Cobbler!!!

The second recipe I made was for my raw lunch today...Wilted Spinach Salad with Marinated Onions in Mustard Seed Dressing! This was most definitely awesome!

And since yesterday I talked about lunch foods...I used some of yesterdays left over veggie burger and chopped it up to make the boys some quesadillas! I used a Whole grain (this particular beauty is made of stone ground whole wheat, barley, oats and mullet), chopped veggie bean burger, sliced fresh tomatoes and then I added what I had left of some mozerella cheese and a few slices of the raw cheddar cheese...simply because the taste is out of this world!)

Then folded it over and grilled them on the skillet, both sides until brown!

I took a sample bite and WOZERS ... so good!

Kid tested...mom approved!!!