New Year's Resolution...

My resolution this year?  To make 2010 the best year yet.  This year, I want to take more time for myself.  Do more things that I want to do.  Really take the bull by the horns and make a difference.  What is your resolution??

Molasses... a journey

So, I bought some Organic Molasses yesterday because of all of the good things I've heard about it (high in potassium, high in iron...).  Being the impatient moron that I am (hahaha), I was so excited to try it that I opened it as soon as I got home and took a taste.  BLLLEEEECCHHH!!!!  It was so bitter!  But, rather than getting discouraged about my recent purchase, I decided to make cookies out of it.  What else, right?!  Here is the recipe I threw together...

1/2 C Walnuts
1/2 C Almonds
1/8 C Rasins
1/2 C Dates
1 t Cinnamon
1 t Ground Ginger
2 T Molasses

Grind everything together in a food processor
Roll into balls
Freeze until solid (about 20-ish minutes)

The verdict??

These babies were GREAT!!!!  Molasses is an acquired taste... and with these little guys I think I'll acquire it haha!!

Happy New Year's Eve!  Make it a great day!

UBER Delish Meal- UBER Fast!

Hi all!  I wanted to quickly post a quick meal I made the other day that was absolutely DELISH!

Ok it's not much to look at, but boy was it great!  Here is the recipe:

1/2 C Cooked Lentils

1/2 C Cooked Rice

1/2 C Steamed Broccoli

Handful of Chopped Red Onion

Drizzle of Gluten-Free Tamari (Soy Sauce)

Drizzle of Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste)

That's it!  Mix it all up and you have a meal.  It was SO good.  Happy almost New Year's Eve everybody!

Christmas- Over Already!!

Hello everybody!  It's hard to believe that Christmas came and went so quickly!!  I tried Averie's Raw(ish) Gingerbread Cookies- and I have to tell you, I will make these again and again.  THEY WERE SO GOOD!!! 

Here is the recipe I used (adapted):

1/4 c flax meal (I used Bob's Red Mill Flax Meal)
1/4 c walnuts
2/3 c almonds
2 t cinnamon
2 t ginger
1 t pumpkin pie spice
3 T agave



Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor
Roll into balls or roll out with a rolling pin and plastic wrap and cut with cookie cutters
Bake for 8 minutes


See, they're raw-ish.  I'm not sure what temperature they actually get to...but I bet it's too high for them to really be raw.  If you want them to be raw, you can leave them out on your counter for a few days, dehydrate for a few hours, or put them uncovered in the fridge to harden.  I didn't mind baking them- and they were SO good warm!!!

Isn't that CUTE?!  A healthy cookie.  It was our favorite treat this season.  Thanks for the recipie inspiration, Averie!!!

Drive-Through Diet... give me a break

Yesterday I saw a horrid campaign on the television...

Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet

Ok, sure, if you eat 1250 calories a day, you will lose weight.  Yes, even if your diet is comprised of pop, candy, and cookies... 1250 calories will cause weight loss.  Will you be healthy?  NO.  I can't STAND "diets" like this because THIS IS ONE REASON THAT THERE IS SO MUCH DISEASE IN THIS COUNTRY.  Skinny does NOT equal healthy.  Don't fall for this campaign- the real key to weight loss, and more importantly, HEALTH, is to eat whole, fresh, organic foods.  This campaign is ON THE TV RIGHT NOW.  I can't even watch it without screaming in my head "What is this girl thinking?!".  Brenton just said "So...is this a joke?"

Unfortunately, no... Taco Bell is not making a joke.  They're making a marketing campaign that will probably cause them to make a ton of money.  ...and a ton of sick people.  Make a New Year's resolution to NOT increase your intake of fast food, and in fact, do the opposite.

My FAVORITE Christmas Gift!

Hi guys!!  Just a quickie post before I run out-  I wanted to share my FAVORITE Christmas gift this year...















I got a Wii and Wii Fit Plus this year and I LOVE it.  If you do not yet own one of these babies, you HAVE to get them.  SO FUN.  Seriously.  Brenton and I have been spending HOURS playing it. 

Ok, I will be back later to post some other goodies!

Raw Apple Cobbler

Good-day everybody!  I only have a couple of minutes to post before I have to get our salads ready for dinner.  (We're having BIG Salads.... Seinfeld anyone?)

The other day I made a Raw Apple Cobbler.  A self-made recipe, with the help of Ani Phyo's original Raw Apple Pie recipe.

Topping:
1 C Almonds
1 C Dates, Pitted
1-2 t Vanilla Extract (Alcohol-Free if you want it totally raw)
Dash of Cinnamon

Filling:
4 Apples, Cored, Peeled, and sliced
1 Orange, Peeled and Seeded
1/2 C Dates
Dash of Water
Cinnamon to Taste (I LIKE A LOT!!!!)
Pumpkin Pie Spice to Taste (AGAIN...I LIKE A LOT!!)
1 C Raisins

Directions-

Process (in a food processor) Topping ingredients until finely chopped and mixed together.  Mix should be a little sticky, but crumbly.  Set aside.

Place peeled/seeded orange in food processor with 1/2 C Dates and Dash of Water.  Process until smooth.

In a big bowl, combine the Orange Sauce you just made with the sliced Apples, Raisins, Cinnamon and Pumpkin Pie Spice.  Be sure to mix it really well!

Put the Apple mixture into a Square Pan (I used 8x8), and smooth it out so it's an even layer.  Then, pour the Almond crumble that you made earlier on the top, making sure you cover the whole thing.  You may have some excess crust topping left over.  I sometimes roll the excess with raisins and make raw 'oatmeal' cookies out of them (see the bottom picture).  Or, just dump all of the topping on your cobber... it's good either way~!!!

Refrigerate overnight (if you have the time).

Almost Christmas!

Hi everybody!  It's hard to belive that it's ALMOST CHRISTMAS!  This year has FLOWN by!!  For those of you who are still shopping around for Christmas gifts, I have helped you by creating my own 'must-have list', thank you Amazon.com!  One stop shopping... isn't it great?!







































































































































































These are a few of my favorite things!  I hope this gives you some more shopping ideas!!

Shroom Love!!

Good evening, bloggies!! Tonight I made my absolute favorite new meal- portabella mushroom burgers. OMG guys... this was SO GOOD. Look at these babies!!!



That little black/brown thing is a mushroom cap... under all of my sammich goodies!

Ok, so here's what I did. This is seriously so easy to make.

I took two portabella mushroom caps, cleaned them (aka did the worst thing to do to mushrooms, so I've read... rinsed them under water! AH!!), and marinated them overnight in a mix of garlic, Tamari, and a little bit of EVOO (pretty similar to the raw meatballs I have made). Then, I threw them in a pan over medium heat, and cooked until tender (5 minutes or so). That's it! I then layered them on some Whole Wheat Bread with Onion, Avocado, Lettuce, a little Cheese and some Ketchup. Talk about Heaven in a sammich!! These were so quick and easy to make- I think Brenton would even want them again!

Until next time, Namaste! Don't forget to do some affirmations for the New Moon (and no, I don't mean Twilight...).

Charity Water- 5 Days Left to Donate!

Hi everybody! I don't typically put posts like this up, but this time, it's important.

A group of students (most of whom work for me), are working to raise $5000 for Charity Water, which is an organization that helps bring clean water to parts of the world that need it. This $5000 that these students raise will build a well to bring fresh drinking water to a needy community. Right now, they are at $4,451, and have 5 days left to raise just under $550. Please, if you have the time or ability to do so, donate any amount to this cause. It's amazing what we take for granted in this country that others can not.

This is the link to their site to donate.

Have a wonderful evening! I promise, the raw cookies will be up soon!

Namaste.

Eco-Friendly Christmas Gifts!

'Tis the season to be eco... fa la la la la, la la la la.

For my co-workers this year, I made eco-friendly Christmas gifts. I made these for my flute students last year and got really GREAT reviews!

Gift #1 was a homemade sugar scrub. Since I don't cook/bake with white sugar anymore, I have tons that I didn't just want to throw away. So, why not put it to use? Here are my ingredients...



For all of you Gluten Free readers out there, this is a safe body scrub to use because it is completely GF! This is so simple to make- seriously!!

First, you need a container. I used glass BALL brand jelly jars (8oz), and filled them up half way (so, 4oz...) with sugar, then mixed in just enough olive oil to fully coat the sugar and leave a little bit of oil on the top.





Then, I just put 3 or so drops of Lemon Oil in and mixed it all around. Spoon into jars, and you're done!




This is a great gift to make for yourself, or make in bulk to give as a gift. Be careful though- the oil can make your tub slippery.


Gift #2 was a Rice Hot/Cold Pack. All you do is sew up a little bag out of 100% cotton fabric, fill it with white long grain rice (not instant) about 2/3 of the way, drop in some essential oil (I used lavender), and sew it shut.



You can put this in the freezer for a few hours to use as a cold pack (for say, puffy eyes), or put it in the box of death (aka, the microwave) with a cup of water for a minute or two for an instant heat pack. The lavender made it smell so yummy!!!! Here is the little pack I put together for my co-workers.





Cute, no?

Well, that is all for now- I'll be back soon with some raw cookie recipes that I've made, and will continue to make forever because they're SOOOO GOOD!!!

Holiday Meals... In Review!

Good evening everybody. I have been incredibly MIA for way too long, and for that I apologize! I can't believe how quickly this month... this YEAR... has gone! My halls are decked, packages are wrapped, cards are signed, and festivities are planned, so supposedly I'm ready for Christmas.




But, I'm getting ahead of myself. "How was your Thanksgiving?!" you ask? There were food challenges, but overall, pretty good! I made the lentil loaf, stuffing, and raw pumpkin pie (recipes in my previous post) and it all turned out very well. Even the meat eaters in the group liked it!

Here is the lentil loaf...



...the stuffing...



...the pumpkin pie (in muffin cups)...



...and my plates.





Yeah... that's REAL whipped cream. Nice.

As a reflection back on thanksgiving, in the right company, it wasn't difficult to be a vegetarian. Though, we did have two Thanksgivings, and the 2nd one was a little less accommodating. But, bringing my own food (to share, of course), helped a LOT. I just have to stick to the fact that I will have to bring my own food to share at any party we go to from here on out. I would much rather do this than go hungry or just eat a salad (that may even have meat in it, as many I have come across!). I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, so I view the holidays now as an inviting challenge. As long as I plan and give myself enough time to take ON the challenge.

Until next time, namaste.

Veggie Thanksgiving

Hi everyone! I don't have a ton of time to chat today, but I DID want to post the recipes that I will be bringing to all of the Thanksgiving festivities next week! You CAN be a Vegetarian on Thanksgiving!! You can, you can!! This is my VERY FIRST year of being a veggie over the holiday season, so I'll let you know how it goes!

In the meantime... here are some recipes that I will be making:

Crockpot Stuffing (from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/11/perfect-homemade-stuffing-crockpot.html)

--1 loaf of bread, lightly toasted in the oven (I used the pink bag of Food Life brown rice bread)
--1 large yellow onion, diced
--1 cup celery, diced
--1 cup tart apple, peeled and diced
--1/4 cup butter, melted
--1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
--1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth (and maybe 1/4 cup later if needed)
--1 T ground sage
--1 tsp ground marjoram
--1/2 tsp savory
--1/2 tsp thyme(if you have poultry seasoning in the house, use 1 tablespoon and omit these spices.)
--1 tsp salt
--1 tsp pepper

Toast the bread slices in the oven at 300 degrees. I needed to keep the brown rice bread in for about 30 minutes before it was all toasty. Regular bread will toast much quicker, be aware. While the bread is toasting, chop up the onion, parsley, celery, and apple. Add to crockpot. Add the seasoning, and add melted butter. Stir well.

When the bread is done, cut into 1/2 inch size-or-so cubes. Add to the crockpot. Toss very well with the butter, chopped vegetables, and spices. When the bread is coated nicely, pour in 1 1/2 cups of broth. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Sweep up the bread crumbs. When finished, the bread will have browned a bit on the top and around the edges, and it will be hot throughout. It can stay on warm for probably another 2 hours before serving, if needed. Stir. If you'd like it a bit more moist, you can add a 1/4 cup more (or as much as you desire) of broth.


Vegetarian Wild Rice and Mushroom Pilaf (from http://vegetarian.about.com/od/ricedishes/r/wildricepilaf.htm)

--1/2 cup wild rice, uncooked
--2 3/4 cups vegetable broth
--3/4 cups brown rice, uncooked
--1 onion, diced
--4 cloves garlic, minced
--2 tbsp olive oil
--3 cups mushrooms, sliced
--2 celery stalks, sliced
--1/2 tsp sage
--1/2 tsp marjoram
--salt and pepper to taste
--1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
--1/3 cup chopped almonds

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a large saucepan and add the wild rice. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, then add brown rice. Cover and cook for another 45 minutes, or until rice is done cooking.

In a large skillet, sautee the onions and garlic until onions are brown and carmelized, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery and spices and cook for another 5 minutes, adding more oil or a little bit of broth if needed.

Add the cooked rice, fresh parsley and almonds, and stir well to combine. Cook for another minute or two, until everything is just heated through.


Lentil Loaf (from http://www.ivu.org/recipes/main/lentil-loaf.html)

Cook 1 1/2 C of rinsed lentils in 3 1/2 C of water until tender. Partially mash lentils and mix with 2 medium onions that have been sauted in 1/4 C oil (you can use less). Add to the onions and lentils:
--2 C cooked rice
--1 tsp garlic powder
--1 tsp salt
--1/4 C catsup or barbecue sauce
--1 tsp sage
--1/2 tsp marjoram

Press into an oiled loaf pan and spread catsup or barbecue sauce over the top. Bake for 1 hour.


Stuffed Mushrooms (from http://family.go.com/food/recipe-cp-236137-stuffed-mushrooms-t/)

--15-20 large mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and finely chopped
--2 tablespoons olive oil
--1/2 medium red onion, very finely diced
--2 cloves garlic, minced
--1/2 pound sausage patties (omitting, of course)
--1 teaspoon salt
--1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
--1/2 teaspoon paprika
--1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
--4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded

Wash and scrub the mushroom caps. Set on a paper towel to dry.
In a skillet over medium heat, add the oil, onion, garlic and mushroom stems. Cook 2-3 minutes until onion begins to soften. Add the sausage patties and crumble with a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika and cook until lightly browned through.
Transfer the sausage to a heavy mixing bowl along with the parsley and gruyere cheese. Stir to combine ingredients and stuff 1 tablespoon of mixture into each cap. Place mushrooms into the Crock-Pot® slow cooker, place on heating base, cover and cook on High for 2 hours.
Serves: 8-10Size: 2-5 quarts

Raw Pumpkin Pie (from http://rawfoodswitch.com/raw-food-recipes/festive-raw-pumpkin-pie-recipe/)

Raw Pumpkin Pie Crust

2 cups pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup soaked dates
Dash of sea salt

Blend the crust ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor, then evenly distribute in the bottom of a pie plate.

Raw Pumpkin Pie Filling

2 cups shredded pumpkin, butternut squash, or sweet potato flesh
1 cup soaked dates
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly diced ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. coconut oil
Dash of vanilla
1/4 cup almond milk or water to help blend

If you donʼt feel like shredding the pumpkin by hand, simply cube and place in a high speed blender or food processor until itʼs nicely chopped.
Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until nice and smooth. You might need to add more liquid to get it to blend well.
Pour into crust, then chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving. This dessert might not seem overly sweet, but trust me when I say it can rival even the most traditional of pumpkin pies.



I'll also be doing some fresh veggie options, too.... but those don't need recipes hehehe.

Raw Pumpkin Pie!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Since it's pumpkin time, I decided to try a RAW Pumpkin Pie recipe the other day. The verdict? RAVE REVIEWS! Everyone that tried it thought it was really good. HURRAY for healthy dessert recipes!!!! Here it is!




Aren't I smart? I made mini-pies in a muffin pan. You know you're SO going to copy this idea ::smiles:: These were made using half of the recipe listed below. Thank you Raw Foods Witch for the recipe- it's FAB!!

Raw Pumpkin Pie Crust

• 2 cups pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 cup soaked dates
• Dash of sea salt

Blend the crust ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor, then evenly distribute in the bottom of a pie plate.

Raw Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 2 cups shredded pumpkin, butternut squash, or sweet potato flesh
• 1 cup soaked dates
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. freshly diced ginger
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• Dash of vanilla
• 1/4 cup almond milk or water to help blend

If you donʼt feel like shredding the pumpkin by hand, simply cube and place in a high speed blender or food processor until itʼs nicely chopped.

Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until nice and smooth. You might need to add more liquid to get it to blend well.

Pour into crust, then chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

OK let me tell you- this was fantastic. Brenton even said "I think this is better than normal pumpkin pie!". I will be making this again, needless to say!

Happy Halloween!!

Bunch 'O Halloween!

Good evening, muah hah hah.

Was that Halloweenie enough? Hehe- well it's right around the corner, so I figured I might as well get into the spirit of things. To be COMPLETELY honest... I don't love Halloween. I don't like things that are scary... I don't like candy that will give you cancer.... I don't like pranks (we were egged last year).... bah humbug!

So, to go along with my bah humbug-ness... here is what will be out on my porch on Thursday evening:





Hehehe- that's right... we're not going to be contributing to the ADHD and Diabetes of children, no sir! No Hydrogenated crapola from this house! This year, I'm handing out (ok... I'm not really 'handing' because I'll be making raw pumpkin and raw apple pies... so they'll be helping themselves) little tricky games where you have to get the 4 little balls in the holes at one time. Just about impossible- you bet I tried it! Hours of fun. HOURS. These little guys were pretty cheap. I got them from Factory Card Outlet, 50 for $4.25.

That said, my student workers (college age) will be 'trick or treating' on Thursday around the office, so for them, I got Trader Joe's Organic Lollipops. 27 lollipops for $2.99.



Look at these ingredients!!! Fantastic!



Soooo much better than the normal candy that's handed out!!! I may (MAY) even be tempted to try one...

Even though I don't LOVE the holiday, I do like decorating the house with cute Halloween things, and we DID carve pumpkins this weekend.



Mine is on the left, and my brother/sister in law's is on the right. We should go into business. I'm even, like I said, will be making a raw pumpkin pie for the first time on Thursday- so I'll be sure to let you know how that goes. I'm a little leery of eating a raw pumpkin, but I'm sure it'll be good.

Speaking of eating, check out ye olde dinner tonight!



So, I was going to make shepherd's pie again, but ran out of time because Brenton had an MBA chat online tonight. So, I made the filling (all I did was cook on the stove some Morning Star Veggie Crumbles, some frozen bagged organic soup veggies, a dash of salt and pepper, some water, and a little bit of tomato sauce, and poured it on top of 1/2 of a small spaghetti squash (cooked in the microwave... shame on me... in 1/2 c water for 9 minutes). VERY TASTY!! I have the other half of the spaghetti squash in the fridge for tomorrow's dinner concoction... which is yet to be determined. You should try it! You'll like it! It gave me tons of energy- and I actually did Jillian's 30 Day Shred, ironed clothes, did the dishes, emptied the dishwasher, AND made lunches for tomorrow, all within 3 hours. I think I deserve an Epsom salt bath!

Yep, I do. Good night everybody!

BBQ Tempeh Sammies!

Good evening everybody! I tried a new recipe tonight- BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches! These were so quick to make (LITERALLY from pan to plate in 15 min), and super good!! Here's my recipe-

Ingredients:

BBQ Sauce
Equal parts Ketchup, Vinegar, Mustard (I used 1/2 C each)
Salt, Pepper, Brown Sugar to taste

1 Package of Trader Joe's 5 Grain Tempeh

*In a small sauce pan, heat BBQ Sauce on medium, until simmering (a minute or two)
*Cut up tempeh into small pieces, and put into pan. Mix with sauce until covered and cook until hot (this particular tempeh is pre-cooked already)
*Make into a sandwich using whatever bread/roll you'd like (I used Trader Joe's Sprouted Wheat, toasted for a minute or two in the toaster oven), cheese, veggies (I used spinach, but onion, pepper, and tomato would also be good), and BBQ tempeh. Serve immediately.

The verdict? Well, Brenton took the first bite and said "this is... funky" (LMAO!.... great...), so I tried it and it tasted (to me) JUST like sloppy joe's! I'll definitely make them again, well, for me anyway. Brenton doesn't LOVE BBQ sauce to begin with, so that's why he was kind of like 'meh...'. But they were definitely a quick, healthy, and filling meal! We didn't even have fruit after dinner for dessert!

Here's a pic of my sammie before I dove in:



Try it, you'll like it (wink wink)

Escopazzo FAB-O!

Good evening, everybody! For those of you from the South Florida area, you probably already know about Escopazzo. If you don't know about this restaurant, ohmygosh, you have to (HAVE TO) check it out. It's so hard to find restaurants that offer raw food (other than salad...bo-ring!), and this restaurant is unique because they lable themselves as an Organic Italian restaurant. There are vegetarian, vegan, and raw dishes available, with none of the CRAP that I always complain about. (Que the heavens opening and angels singing). After reading their website, it appears that Janet Jackson, Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Kevin Spacey, and other very famous people have dined there as well! So, it must be good, right?! Ok, enough is enough, what did I eat?!

First, take a look at the part of the menu I went right to:



Beautiful, isn't it? I was so excited. I ended up getting the Spaghetti of zucchini with sundried tomato and walnut pesto, and Brenton got the Vegetable lasagnetta with pine nut ricotta and pesto. Pure joy. We shared both meals (because I wanted to taste both, of course!). Look how lovely!!

Spaghetti


Lasagnetta


The pine nut ricotta in the vegetable lasagnetta was to DIE for. Brenton ate almost all of it before I had a chance to try it. And then... the truth came out. Brenton said "WOW, this is really good! I feel full, but not stuffed. I've never had raw food that has tasted like this! How come your raw food doesn't taste like this?"

Happy anniversary to you too. Hahahahaha. Ok ok, so my raw food has been trial and error (and mind you, I'VE liked it all). I did argue that he's liked Ani's Raw Apple Pie recipe that I've made, and that was agreed upon... but I will admit that my raw pasta has NOT tasted as good as this did. Not overly seasoned, and VERY fresh.

I wasn't sure if I had room for dessert, but we decided to split their Avocado Ice Cream.



Looks like guac, no? It was a very unique set of flavors. At first, the ice cream tasted like, well, avocado, mixed with hints of basil. Then, a strong citrus flavor came through that made it taste like a dessert, rather than guac! It was so neat! Brenton and I both liked it, and actually, I was surprised at Brenton's reaction. He's typically the guy who likes the double-chocolate-monkey-fudge-cookie-blahblah, but I actually think he surprised himself, too, by liking it! Maybe his tastes are becoming as hippie as mine! No, not hippie- sophisticated (right?).

So my overall reaction to Escopazzo? Out of this world! If you're ever in the Miami Beach/South Beach/Southern Region of Florida- RUN to 1311 Washington Ave.

Veggie Shepherd's Pie- YUM!

Good afternoon everyone! As I type, but Bucks are winning 14-10. Take that Badgers!! I swear, every sports announcer has it out for Ohio State. It's always ''blah blah blah complain complain complain those bucks did this wrong coach made a bad call blahblahblahblahblah''. GEEZ!

So anyway, last night I made a FAB-O vegetarian shepherd's pie!!! I got the recipe from my mother-in-law, and adapted it for us veggie types.



Here's my adaptation recipe...

1 sweet potato, scrubbed
1/4 t pepper
1 c frozen meatless crumbles (Quorn or Morning Star)
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 t dried thyme
1/2 t poultry seasoning
dash red pepper flakes
1/4 c tomato sauce
1/2 c water
1/2 bag frozen veggies (I used peas and a mix of carrots, peas, corn, and green beans)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prick scrubbed sweet potato and cook until tender (I used the microwave... shame on me).
In a skillet on medium high heat, 'cook' meatless crumbles with chopped onion. When hot, stir in water and tomato sauce and simmer for 1 min.
Mix in thyme, poultry seasoning, red pepper flakes, and frozen veggies. Simmer for 4 min.
Scoop out meat of the sweet potato and mash in a bowl. Mix with pepper.
Pour 'meat' mixture into a baking dish and top with mashed sweet potato.
Cook in oven 10 minutes.

It was SO good. Look at the mixture.



It REALLY looks like normal shepherd's pie, and tasted like it too!! Super yum... I'll definitely make it again!

Happy Saturday to you all! T minus a couple days until Miami!

You bet'chyur bucha!

So here it is- my bottled kombucha. The science experiment was a success, and I'm on to round 2!

My brother-in-law has been brewing his own kombucha tea for over a year now, maybe two years, and he passed one of his kombucha mushrooms on to me so I too could brew my own.

For those of you who are wondering what the heck kombucha is, here is what wikipedia says:

Kombucha is a fermented tea that is imbibed for medicinal purposes, although there is currently no specific scientific information supporting any purported benefits.^[1]. However, numerous studies of "pro-biotics" are available. Kombucha is available commercially, but can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible solid mass of microorganisms called a kombucha culture or mushroom.



There's my mushroom, and round two of my bucha brewing. The little jars on the left is the bottled bucha from the last batch. Generally, I buy my kombucha tea from Bexley Natural Market. My favorites are by GT and Kombucha Bob, but it's great brewing my own now, too! Cheaper, I must say. Each bottle of GT's is in the $3.50 range, but well worth the price.

So what does kombucha taste like? Well, it all depends on how long you 'brew' it. Mine tastes kind of like apple cider vinegar and sweet tea- more bitter than sweet. It's good for my insides and I can really feel a difference when I drink it. When I drink GT's it's almost like a euphoric type feeling. It's really carbonated and almost makes me feel like I have no legs. Ok, yeah, that's kinda weird... but entertaining, no less.

If you haven't tried kombucha before, you should go out and get some! Convert.... convert... come to the bucha dark side... hahahaha.

FAV-O Products!

Hi everyone. Lately I've been asked what supplements I use to stay healthy, so I decided to post them all in one big bloggie blob here!!

My first and foremost FAVORITE product is Amazing Grass Green Superfood. I put this stuff in my green smoothies mostly, but I've been known to add it to oatmeal and plain yogurt, too!

My Probiotics! I use PB8, the veggie capsules (they're vegan). You take two every day and it helps keep your digestive system in line!

Oil of Oregano- this stuff is anti-viral and anti-bacterial. GREAT for cold and flu season!

Vitamin D- also good for immune system support, especially when you can't go outside and get your 10 min a day!!

Ahhhh, Coconut Oil! I use this on my face, hair, hands, feet... everywhere! YUM! An all-natural moisturizer!

Dr. Bronners- MY FAVORITE SOAP!! There is nothing harsh in this soap at ALL.


I hope this gives all of you, my little bloggies, some insight into my every day routine! I'll update you as I find more products, and if you have any favorites, I'd LOVE to hear about them!!

Mmmmm cookies!

Good evening to all! I made some YUM-O cookies tonight! Don't they look scrumptious?!



Ok maybe not the BEST picture in the world, but they are super good!

Ingredients-

1/4 C Walnuts (or more if you like them!)
1/4 C Almonds (also, more if you like them!)
1/2 C Rolled Oats
1 T Cinnamon
1 T Flax Meal
2 T Raisins (I always add more- I LOVE RAISINS!)
1/2 C Honey (you may need more if you think the mix is too dry)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
1- Grind up the walnuts and almonds in the food processor
2- In a bowl, mix ground nuts, rolled oats, cinnamon, flax meal, raisins, and honey until the mixture is sticky and feels like it will hold together
3- Press into cookies and place on a baking sheet (no need to grease it or use parchment)
4- Bake cookies for 12 minutes

As far as how many cookies this recipe makes- it depends on how big you make your cookies. I got 16 cookies out of it when I made it this evening.

Happy baking!

Read, then eat salad

O-M-G people!! The food industry is at it once again- making people think that fruit loops and fudgesicles are healthy choices. It makes me SICK. Read this article, and you'll know what I'm talking about.

I don't understand why the concept of healthy eating is so hard for people. Eat fruit. Eat vegetables. Eat nuts. Eat seeds. Eat beans. Eat free range meat. Eat ocean caught fish. Eat organic milk and eggs. For heaven's sake people, DON'T eat fruit loops and fudgesicles! Unreal.

Why is this so hard to understand!? Who on EARTH thought it was a good idea to put 'smart choice' on a box of FRUIT LOOPS?! I can't believe that someone with their Ph.D would think that's a good idea. Hello... JUST have a bachelor's degree (rolling eyes...)... and I'M SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT THIS IS RIDICULOUS! I don't care how you label it- natural FOOD is what you should be eating, not frankenfood. Disgusting.

Ok, stepping off of my soap box. Read the article.

FINALLY! Raw Peach Cobbler

Hi everyone! I have been wanting to make Ani's Raw Peach Cobbler for for-ev-er... and the day is finally here!! WOOHOO!!

Does this look YUM-O or what?!





I snuck a little taste, and boy oh boy... this is some good stuff. Here's the SUPER EASY recipe-

Crust/Topping:
1/2 C shelled pistachios (I used a mix of almonds and walnuts instead)
1 C pitted dates
1/4 t sea salt

Glaze:
3 T agave nectar
1 vanilla bean (I used 2 cap fulls of vanilla extract)

4 peaches, sliced

In a food processor, process nuts into a fine powder
Add pitted dates a little at a time, until the powder turns more 'doughy'
Mix in sea salt
Put 1/2 to 3/4 of nut mixture into the bottom of a dish
Mix together peaches, agave, and vanilla in a big dish
Pour peach mixture over crust in baking dish, then top with remaining 'crust' nut mixture

I sprinkled on some cinnamon for fun. It's now in my fridge, ready to be devoured tonight! It should last a couple of days in the fridge.

There you have it folks- a SUPER EASY raw peach cobbler. Enjoy!

Tempeh Time!

Happy hump day, everyone! Last night I made Tempeh for the first time EVER.



Talk about a protein and fiber power house, no?! And hardly any sodium, no cholesterol... AND it's fermented, so, good for the insides! When I pulled it out of the package, I gave it a sniff. It kinda smelled like mushrooms and nuts, but not that strongly. It hardly had any smell at all.

Anyway, first, I cut the big patty there into smaller cubes, and steamed it for 10 min (I heard it was supposed to take away any bitterness. It did!)

Then, I boiled it for 10 min in a new sauce from TJ's that I got-



Once it had boiled, I topped some rice and veggies I had prepared with the Tempeh and extra sauce.

Ta-Da!!



And the verdict? Well... Brenton hardly ate any of it. Hahaha. I, on the other hand, liked it pretty well!! I ate almost all of it. Brenton said he would have liked it better with freshly steamed veggies (not frozen), or a different sauce. I agree with the sauce thing- it was good, but not flavorful enough (it needed salt, garlic.... something). These would be really good crumbled up in a BBQ sauce like a sloppy joe. That'll be my next experiment.

Go out and try Tempeh. I'll definitely buy it again, but not prepare it quite this way if I want Brenton to eat it. Oh, and the package was only $1.69 at TJ's. NICE!

Have a happy Wednesday! Namaste.

Raw Meatballs!!!!!

Good morning! Just a quickie good-day to you all... guess what I'm making?! RAW MEATBALLS!!!!!


They'll be done in 6-ish hours.... and I'm so excited to try them!



They look delish, no?! Yeah they're gonna be GOOOOOOD (I tasted the mixture already...)!
Check out the youtube video!!

Check out their website, too-- these two are the funniest happiest people ever.

GO BUCKS! I'm off to teach!

It's Been A While!

Hi everyone! Sorry it has taken me FOR-EV-ER to post! What a busy busy week it's been. Tonight I tried a new made-up-ish recipe- Lentil Pita Tacos!

I cooked lentils as the package directed (1/2 C), and at the end stirred in a heaping T of cumin, few dashes of Franks Red Hot Sauce, Salt, and Garlic Pepper to taste. Then, I stuffed it in a Whole Wheat pita with tomato slices, onion slices, mushroom slices, mashed avocado, salsa, and a little bit of cheese. OMG HOLY YUM BATMAN!! This was SOOOO GOOD!! It sounds weird, but the seasoned lentils really tasted like taco meat! I'll definitely make this again. It was SO EASY.



Tomorrow is almost TGIF day!! Make it a good one! Namaste.

Apple Sandwich

Good evening! I wanted to share a yummy sandwich recipe I made for lunch today!

Apple Sandwich (serves 1)

Ingredients:
1 Small Organic Apple, thinly sliced
1/2 Whole Wheat Pita
2T Almond Butter
1 t Cinnamon
1 t Honey

Cut Pita in half and open into a pocket
Spread Almond Butter on both sides of pita
Layer in thin Apple slices on top of Almond Butter
Sprinkle Apples with Cinnamon and drizzle Honey

I LOVE THIS SANDWICH! IT'S SOOOO GOOD!!!