My Vegetarian Fridge

Hi everyone.  I was asked a question the other day..."what do you keep in your fridge?".  Well, you asked, I answered!  Actually, I SHOW you.  Just some normal staples.  Keep in mind that we're NOT vegan, so you will see eggs, cheese and milk.  Those of you who are faint of heart, be warned.  (...lol)




I hope this answers your question!!

Thinking of Vegetarianism?

This is a great starter-kit, brought to you by the Vegetarian Times! 

Click here:  http://www.vegetariantimes.com/2007/pdf/vegetarian_starter_kit.pdf

Happy veggy-ing!!

Walking... oh the pain

Brenton and I competed in a Walk/Jog/Run 4 Miler to raise money for the symphony that I play in this past weekend.  Thinking that it's hard enough for me to RUN a 5K, which is 3.1 miles, I had the grand idea of doing the Competitive Walking division.  AND after doing Insanity for the last month, I'm in the best shape of my life.  Oh, and there were prizes to be given to the top finishers in each area, and if you know me at ALL, I am queen competition!  Out for blood- I'M WINNING A PRIZE!!  This'll be a piece of (raw) cake, right?!  ...o...m...g

So the buzzer sounds, and we're off.  Brenton and I are at the far right of the group, letting the runners go by.  And then, these 40, 50, 60 year old women ZOOM by me, walking like I've never seen before.  LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT COMPETITIVE WALKING ISN'T WALKING... IT'S A CRIPPLING MESS OF FLYING HIPS AND FLAPPING ARMS.  ...mind you I am HUFFING and PUFFING trying to keep up with thiese people.  Brenton's prancing along with no problem, of course.  Sure, someone that can run a 7 MINUTE MILE WITHOUT STRUGGLE WOULD DO SUCH A THING.  ...oye.... 

Seriously... this is a Summer Olympic Sport.  I DIDN'T KNOW THIS UNTIL I GOT HOME FROM THE RACE. 



It's unreal.   I can't believe how these people do it.  Needless to say that days later I'm STILL SORE.  On an upside, Brenton and I BOTH won 1st place for the CW 20-29 age group!  We both got a free meal at Chipotle and an Itunes gift card.  Then, he got a free 30 min Foot Reflexology session at a local massage place (that I'm using, hehehe), and I got a free pedicure. SO, we DID WIN!!  ...but Brenton made it very clear that he didn't want to do that ever again LOL. 

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY bloggies!  It's hard to believe, but today is Annie'sSimpleLife's 1st birthday! WOW time flies!  In celebration, here is the recipe to my all time favorite birthday cake (raw, of course!)

Cake:


3 c Walnuts
2/3 c Coco Powder
1/4 t Sea Salt
1 c Dates


Filling:

3/4 c Raspberries (fresh, or thawed frozen)

Frosting: (yeah... I said frosting! can you believe it?!)

1/3 c Soft Dates
1/4 c Honey or Agave
1/2 Large Avocado
1/3 c Coco Powder


First, blend all of the cake ingredients together in the food processor:

For my cake, I wanted it round and birthday cake-ish, so I lined a Pyrex Round bowl with plastic wrap for ease of removal.

Divide the cake 'batter' in half, press that half in the bowl, and set the other half aside.

Then, put all of the Frosting ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth. Sometimes you need to add a little water to get it to the right consistency- just add a little at a time. I'm telling you, this frosting tastes like it came out of a tub from the grocery store. I like to eat the leftovers with a spoon. Actually, when I made this cake, Brenton caught me. He said "uh... you have chocolate all over your face". (HAHA!!) Ok, back to the recipe, sorry! Coat the pressed in cake layer with a thin layer of frosting, and top with the raspberries (I used thawed frozen, so it looks gooooey!)

Then, press the other layer of set-aside cake on top. Press down really well!

Carefully, put a plate on top and flip the bowl over. Release the plastic wrap, and, like jello (GROSS) comes out of a jello mold, the cake will kinda... slurp... out. And this is what you'll have!

Ta-da!!! Then, ice the cake with the rest of the frosting. Devour immediately. Or put it in the fridge and eat it later. Even over the next few days- if it lasts that long.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Happy birthday!!!!

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

Why I love raw foods.   What are you waiting for?

Yum Yum Lunch- Raw Pasta

If you haven't gotten a Spiralizer yet, what is taking you so long?!  It's seriously $28 bucks on Amazon (check out the link). Look at this cutie pasta ("pasta") that I made for lunch out of a Zucchini!!

I have it in the fridge right now topped with a mix of 1/2 an Avocado, a dash of White Vinegar, Salt and Pepper.... I'm sooooo looking forward to lunch!   Thank goodness that summer is almost here and organic zucchini is going to be available!  I am going to, for the first time ever, be part of a local CSA this year.  We're going to get TONS AND TONS of produce (YAY!!) so I'm sure my Spiralizer will be put to good use!!!!

Best Hummus Ever.

I wanted to give a quick shout-out to my friends at Trader Joe's.  This is seriously the best Hummus EVER.  The end.  Go out and try some!  It's somewhere in the $3 for a big-ol' tub!

Annie-Made Walnut Butter

Hi everybody!  I just wanted to share a quick recipe that I made up!  We were out of Almond Butter the other day, so I decided to try to make my own type of nut butter to put on my morning toast.  Here it is....

All I did was take a handful of Walnuts and a couple of dates, throw them in a small food processor with a tiny dash of water, and ta-da!!!... this is what came out!  Looks like a normal nut butter, doesn't it?  It was SOOO good-  very sweet and perfect for a quick breakfast!

Day of Food Chapions!

Hello all!  I just wanted to share with you my food-day-o-champions!  Check out this breakfast-  a Green Monster made of Amazing Grass, Chia Seeds, 1/2 Banana, a handful of Frozen Mango Chunks, and a BIG handful of Spinach.  YUM!  And I paired that with TJ's Organic Greek Yogurt with a Blood Orange and a little bit of Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal.  I was good to go for a few hours, let me tell ya!

Then for lunch I made some EASY slaw, raw/vegan.  The recipe is so simple-

Combine a handful of chopped cabbage, a handful of walnuts, a handful of chopped onion, and a handful of raisins in a bowl and top with oil and vinegar.  That's it!!!  It's sooooo yummy, and so quick to make.  A great on-the-go lunch.

For dinner I made Pizzas!!  MMMMM pizza....  This little beauty was made out of TJ's Whole Wheat Tortilla as the crust, and was topped with TJ's Tomato Sauce, a handful of Chickpeas, a handful of Spinach, some TJ's Frozen Pepper Trio Peppers, and 1/2 of an Avocado.  No cheese, but topped with Oregano so it was pizza-like (we were low on cheese so I let Brenton use it).  SOOOO YUMMMY!!

Easter! (a little bit late...)

Hi everybody.  Sorry for the MIA I have been lately!  Work has been crazy, life has been busy, and things have just gotten away from me!!  Here's a mini Easter update!  Look what the Easter Bunny left for us!

See the trail of eggs???

All leading to.....

Look at all the goodies!  Oranges, Clif and Larabars, some TJ's Fruit Leathers, a couple of lottery tickets (that Brenton won $10 on!), and a Disney Gift Card!  Not too bad!!

That afternoon, we went to mom's for Easter Lunch/Dinner.  I made the Spring Rolls (I'll do a post about how I made those another day- SO GOOD) and Sweet Potatoes. 

YUM YUM YUM!   Check out that Spring Roll, huh?  Heaven on a plate. 

Insanity- the Workout...the Lifestyle

Hi everybody.  So over the past month and a half, I have been doing Insanity.  You know, that program that you see on the info-mercial in the mornings that has Shaun T in your face yelling at you to 'Dig Deeper!!!!'

Well, ...phew... let me tell you, this is the HARDEST workout that I have ever done.  Ever.  Hands down.  You need to already be in shape before doing this program, and they don't beat around the bush with letting you know that ahead of time.  There's a Warning disclaimer at the beginning that looks like a horror film (haha), and then opens with Shaun T yelling at you. 

Followed by 40-60 minutes (depending on the day) of jumping, sprinting, more jumping, squating, push-ups, and more jumping. 

Am I seeing results?  YES.  My arms are HUUUUUGE (biceps and shoulders)!!!!  I still have some extra smooshy around the middle to get rid of, and I'm wondering if it's my body's way of holding on to whatever it can because of how intense the workout is.  I think I need to 'up' my calories a little bit more

Do I recommend it?  YES.  It's intense... it's INSANE.  But the time flies.  An hour of working out goes by so fast.

Will I continue it after the program is over?  PROBABLY.  I will incorporate it in a few times a week probably to keep my cardio ability up. 

A few more weeks and I will officially be INSANE.  I may already be insane... but I guess this proves it!