What I Ate Wednesday - On Tuesday!

I thought it might be fun to post a "What I Ate Wednesday" today only because I took photos of everything already pretty much!  I started out with this Smoothie this morning.  It's made up of nearly a whole small watermelon - about 3 cups worth - chopped, 1 cup of Raspberries, and some ice.  Yup!  It's THAT easy, folks!  Basically...much of what you will see in today's post is things that I needed to do something with before they started to turn.  Years ago I participated in a weekly meme that had to do with "From Your Pantry" - where you would eat from things you had on hand and/or base your recipes for meals off of the things you already had in your pantry.  I really like this idea and might do this again.  I guess in a way I already do - do that - and just buy fresh produce when needed until I get so low I go on a shopping spree.  Anyhow...

Sorry about the mini-blab-fest there for a moment...back to today's menu and eats, eh!?  This next photo is another dish using an ingredient I NEEDED to use in a HURRY before it went bad...the main ingredient is Butternut Squash Cubes that I got at Whole Foods on sale.  I started with about a pound of that and cooked it in a frying pan then added about `/2 cup of chickpeas plus 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in oil that I found and LOVED a while back.  I drained most of the oil from it, however, and was trying to focus on the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic flavors more-so.  At this point I thought it needed a little more color and threw a few handfuls of spinach in there that I chopped.  It worked great.  Oh yes...and 1 onion!  It turned out super yummy!

Vegan Woman posted a recipe on her blog about the Tempeh Sloppy Joe's she did and I knew I had just about everything it called for so I decided to do it last night for dinner.  I followed the recipe except for I didn't have any Green Peppers so I just omitted that ingredient from my attempt.  The flavor was wonderful and it's something I would totally do again!  I ended up NOT eating it on a bun but in addition to a nice sized salad last night for dinner.  With the left overs I put them in my Bento Box for today's lunch along with some of the Butternut, Chickpea, Spinach Mash recipe you see above.  In the middle of the two in the Bento Box you will see 3 small Tomatoes as well.

As for the continuation to the Dehydrator Challenge that Opal set this past weekend I decided to keep it simple with these Balsamic Onions.  I literally sliced an onion, separated the rings, set them in Balsamic Vinegar for about 10 minutes, and put them in the dehydrator at 115 for about 12 hours.  They turned out very crispy but I didn't have time to try them yet...I will be adding a few to my salad for dinner tonight, tho!  I really like the concept of these!  Super easy!  Only 2 ingredients!  And you know I LOVE Balsamic!

Yup!  Last night was a busy night!  With all the food prep I did I had my hands full but I also spent time with the furkids, cleaned my craft room up a bit, did some dishes, and even did a short Yoga Session.

Last night I choose this Yoga Show...Yoga With A View with Colleen Seidman.  I viewed it thru my AppleTV via Hulu Plus.  It was about 22 minutes and focused on Twists and Twisting.  It REALLY helped some of my tightness!  I would like to start doing Yoga at home again about 5 times a week.  Nothing major - just slow paced - relaxation - and stretching, mostly.

SUBMIT Your Raw Food/Dehydrated Creations on this week's Dehydrator Challenge! 

In My Kitchen ~ January

I jumped on the In My Kitchen wagon in November and I think I may have skipped December!  Oops!  But I'm not going to let that stop me for January!  I have a lot to share with you about my Kitchen Adventures!  Looking back to that first post many things have changed!  I mentioned in that first post about wanting to upgrade my dehydrator and I did that last month!  I even gave it a name!  Another update since that last post has to do with Maca.  I mentioned I wanted to do more with my Maca stash and I have...a few desserts and smoothies.  And finally...my Garden of Life Products I have been having fun with - almost on a daily basis!  So much so that I hope to have some REALLY exciting news to report in the near future! 

Moving ahead to a new month and a New Year...what are some of the utensils that I cannot live without?  Well, it may be simple, but, my all-time favorite is wooden spoons.  Any kind, really, but today I would like to narrow that down to these smaller scoops that I like to use for loose leaf tea, matcha, and other things!  I really love them!  I also obtained some plastic funnels over the last month or two.  Can you believe that up until recently I had never had funnels for pouring food related items into other containers?  Now that I have been reusing a lot of my glass jars I have been using these almost every day!

Speaking of Tea...Tea is a staple in my kitchen and my life everyday.  You can read a lot about that over at the Sororitea Sisters site that my friend Anne and I co-founded.  But I not only drink tea...I use it for crafts and more recently revisited a childhood use of washing my hair with it.  More on that down the road.

A few new products to my kitchen include...The Spaddy and the Spaddy Daddy...as seen on Shark Tank.  I will be doing several posts about these products in the future!  It's a neat little tool that helps reach the bottoms of bottles - such as condiments - and make-up containers - like foundation, for example.  But one thing I will be playing around and posting about is my attempts to use this product with small compartments of my Bento Boxes.  Which brings me to my next item In My Kitchen for January...Bento Boxes!

And let's not forget about my NEW obsession with EcoJarz and many of their products!  I started blogging about them last month and continue to LOVE them.

The last In My Kitchen I posted a few of the healthy snacks I had be into at that time.  This time around I've decided to include - various home made Kale Chips that I have made in my new dehydrator, some of my new favorites including Coconut Chips from Trader Joe's, and some seasoned Cashews that I have been making at home, too! 

(And it just occurred to me that I think I forgot to post about these so I will try and do that in the near future, too, they are a very tasty and healthy snack with very little time and effort involved).

In my freezer this month I've been pretty hot on frozen fruit - mixed berries and Mangoes - but also I challenged myself to get into frozen bananas more and have been able to handle about a half of one in a smoothie.  I'm pretty proud of that - for some one who has always HATED bananas! 

This past weekend I was able to SCORE some FRESH Blackberries and Blueberries as well!  They aren't local this time of year - of course - but I bought them anyways and they were tasty.  If you scroll down to the previous blog entry before this one you will see a vegan smoothie recipe I made with the Blackberries!

I have been getting back into various grains, again, including Farro - which I posted about in the previous blog post as well!  YUM!  And have also been tinkering with my NuNaturals Products again - thanks to Christine for the encouragement there, too!

And here's a REAL Shocker...I attempted to BAKE...read more about this HERE.

I could go on and on with things happening in my kitchen as of late but I think I will end it with this next item...that I have YET to try...but am super excited about...Chocholistic.  Raw Vegan Chocolate...among other things...but a full review on that, soon!

Funky Drink & Today's Bento

Good Morning!  How was your weekend!?  Mine was great!  I will have several posts today and this week - clumping together MANY things that have been going on in my world in the last week or two!  I thought I would kick thinks off with my morning beverage!

I'll just call it a FUNKY DRINK for right now but it's literally thrown together!

I used Garden Of Life's Perfect Food Yerba Mate - about a scoop - maybe a bit less and about 16 or 17 ounces of this Pomegranate flavored water I found a while back with Aloe "chunks" in it.  I know it sounds weird but the flavor is quite good!  I ALMOST reminds me of Strawberry Milk (way back in the day).  This FUNKY DRINK is tasty - slightly sweet and fruity, benefits of aloe, and Yerba Mate for energy, paired with a GREAT product from my friends at Garden Of Life!  What a great way to start the day!

Remember the insulated bag I bought for my Bento Box stuff!?  Well, I think I forgot to mention that it has 2 stretchy pouches on each side.  If you look to the right you will see a pink breast cancer awareness reusable bottle in one of the pockets.  That's what I put this FUNKY DRINK in today and brought it with me to work.

What inside the bag?  Well, let me tell you!

It's my Bento for today!

From top left - Homemade Corn Chips, then a little bit of Vegan Miso Mayo which I will be posting about in the future - it's an awesome condiment - then a few Falafels, and on the bottom Cheesy Kale Chips!

BOO YAH!  I'll be back later today with another post or two!


Participating Post: Meatless Monday Bento, 

Colorful Bento & Holiday Arrangement Surprise

I will surely be catching up from the Holidays in several mini-posts over the next week or so.  Earlier in the week I took this Bento Box to work.  From left are...Garlic Pine Nut Couscous with Peas flavored with a little bit of liquid from the Sundried Tomatoes that are next to it...then a little leftover white rice.  Next to that is leftover Cheesy Raw Vegan Kale Chips and Home Made Corn Chips that I made in my Excalibur.

Christmas Eve - a few of us at work were surprised with these very nice and festive holiday arrangements from our Sales Staff.  I LOVE the pine cones and pine needles.  It smelled lovely.  The ribbon is awesome, too!  The Glass base is VERY heavy-duty...I will certainly be reusing it after the arrangement loses its life.  More in the coming days!  In the meantime...how was your Christmas!?

Today's Bento Box & More Kale Chips

I have a fairly simple lunch today in my Bento Box.  I have Whole Wheat Sandwich Rounds in the bog container with Spicy Cashews surrounding it - I must make more - they didn't last long!  Then in the center I finished up some shredded lettuce the reddish/orange sauce is the leftover sauce I used on my newest Kale Chips...I had just enough to use as a spread for this Bento Box Sandwich.  Then you will see a little section of dried Salt & Vinegar Zuke Chips!

Here's a photo of it all assembled, too!  I'm LOVING my boxes and my insulated bag!  They are easy to clean!  I MAY be getting something in the mail that I might be able to incorporate with my Bento Box Adventures - if I do - I will keep you updated on that if it happens!

My Mini Goals have been going fairly well!  I still have to JUICE and get to making Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Foods but other than that all of the other Mini Goals are going well so far!

You probably can tell I LOVE Kale Chips...most people do...that have tried them...but I REALLY LOVE them...especially now that I have my upgraded dehydrator!  Woot! 

Check out these BABIES! 

They are Cheesy but also a little sweet! 

Here's what I did for the sauce for these:
 
About 6 C Kale, Chopped
1 C Cashews, Soaked
1 HUGE Red Bell Pepper
4 T Lemon Juice
1 T Agave Nectar
1 tea Onion Powder
1/2 tea Turmeric
Sprinkle Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
1 teaspoon GoL Perfect Food Regular Flavor

I have a few other things to post but I will wait until tomorrow and the weekend!  What do you think I should try for a Kale Chip Flavor NEXT!?

EcoJarz, The Vegg, Today's Bento Box, 2 Vegan Recipes

There's so much happening in my world and I'm so excited to blog about it!  I received a few items in the mail that I will be playing with, testing out, and blogging about soon...but...here is a sneak peak of one of them!  EcoJarz!  Woot!  Can't wait!  There are all sorts of goodies in this box that I received today and they go hand-in-hand with many of my Mason Jars!  Another one I received Monday was a package from The Vegg.  I've used Vegg in the past and blogged about it a few times but I now that I have more in my pantry I will surely keep you up to date with my adventures!  Including one TODAY listed later in this post! 

Better Yet...I also received their Vegg Cook Book!  I'm so excited!  (Later today I will be editing this post to include the Recipe)

I made Quinoa Bites or little Vegan Quinoa Quiches, almost!

Another photo I thought I would share with you is my Dinner Plate from last night!  I had a "DUH" Moment thinking I had a head of lettuce in the frig.  Hubby grabbed a head of Cabbage instead so once I realized that I switched my plan of attack!  I skipped the planned Salad and came up with this instead!  I did have a HUGE bag of washed Kale on hand and steamed a few cups.  I didn't let the Lemon Tahini Dressing go to waste that I had already prepared!  I drizzled it over top and it was just as good warm!  You'll also see some mixed veggies including cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, etc...topped with Nutritional Yeast Flakes.  And some baked fries!

Here's a photo of the dressing/sauce I made after blending it in my Ninja!  It's a Sweeter Lemon Tahini Dressing and/or Sauce.  Here's what's in it:

1/4 C Tahini
1/4 C Water
1 tea Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil
2 tea Apple Cider Vinegar
Sprinkle of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
2 T Parsley
3 Drops of NuNaturals Lemon Stevia
1 tea GoL Wheat Grass Perfect Food

Next...I want to THANK the Bento Box Blogging Community for such a WARM WELCOME yesterday!  It was AMAZING!  I responded to all of the comments you left for me and appreciate the encouragement!

Here's my Bento Box for today!  This was using the Salad Kit I got but I didn't use it for salad!  I do, however, have a Garlic Sauce in the green container for the Quinoa bites.  I have the rest of my homemade Cheesy Protein Crackers and some Dark Chocolate Nuggets that has Ginger in it!

This is the bottom layer!  I put some Kale on the bottom and added a handful or two of Walnuts throughout as well as the Quinoa Bites.  It was very filling!  I was unable to eat all of the Walnuts and was satisfied for the rest of the day!

I used the Vegg in the Quinoa Bites and I really enjoyed them!  They were tasty!  I also added some hot sauce to the mix but they only had a small kick to them...if you are craving even HOTTER flavor...just add more to the mix before baking!  I put the mix into a muffin pan. 

Here's what the Quinoa Bites are made out of:

1.5 C Cooked Quinoa
Vegg (Equiv. of 2 to 3 Yolks = followed directions on package)
1 T Minced Garlic
1 T Cilantro
1 T Hot Sauce (Next Time I will add more)
1 T Agave
1/2 C Vegan Bread Crumbs
2 X 2 Inch Sliver of Daiya Havarti Vegan Cheese, diced small

Peer Pressure Exists For Adults, too! Bento Box...Here I Come!

Yes...Peer Pressure exists for Adults, too!  A while back Opal blogged about Bento Boxes and I was intrigued!  I think for days (or even weeks) after reading her post I thought Bento Boxes were a 'special box'...but after doing some online research I found out it can be any box, really, because Bento Box literally means "Meal in a Box" or "Boxed Meal".  (I don't know WHY I assumed that - Opal didn't mention that it was a 'special box' in her post!  Eeeek!  Silly Me!)  To further the Peer Pressure I randomly stumbled upon a few bloggers who focus on Bento Box Blogging!  How Trendy!  I was hooked and I didn't even have one...YET!  The only thing is since I don't have kids I don't think I would do the super creative CUTE and FUN looking ones that I have seen online thus far.  Instead my REAL reason for caving is because I tend to bring leftovers or a dish I made the night before for my lunch the next day but I want to focus on incorporating more foods for a compete meal...and not just eating a whole bowl of one thing, I guess.  Call it a mini goal if you will! 

Well, this past weekend I was able to locate a great deal on a Bento Box of sorts that would fit my needs.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on one until I knew more about them and wanted to see if I would use it as much as I hope.  I ended up finding TWO of the kits along with an insulated bag/carrier for about $30.  Most of the ones I saw online were $30 for 1 of them and with less compartments.  I figured IF I really got into it - I could always buy another one...a more involved one, you know!?  So here is what the first one looks like!  Along with my very first assembled Bento Box attempt!  Woot!  Starting at the top you will see 1/2 of a Tomato - diced, with Hemp Hearts/Hemp Seeds sprinkled on top.  They are marinating in Balsamic Vinegar as well.  To the right...simple Mandarin Oranges...the large container - at the top as a section of sandwich spread LEFTOVERS I made (more on that later today or tomorrow), below that is small triangles of Whole Grain Pita Bread, then in the center is leftover Pinjur that I finally finished, more triangles, and leftover rice towards the bottom.  You may also see 4 small Apple Cinnamon "chips" in each corner leftover from my dehydrating attempts.  Then on the other side is Corn that I added just a little bit of Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil to with Cashews outlining the top.  It was interesting because the moisture from the corn was soaked up by the cashews and they tasted wonderful!

I think this may have been RubberMaid Brand and if it wasn't it was a close knock-off of the brand.  I also bought a salad kit one that I will most likely be blogging about tomorrow or the next day!  Also as a mini goal I hope to blog about my adventures with Bento Boxes and Meal Portions often so you will probably see a lot more of these types of posts.  Another thing I like about this set I bought is that the little compartments snap into place.  It also fits nicely into this insulated bag carrier I found in the same row at the store.  NOT Pictured here but included in each set is a freezer pack that snaps to the bottom (or top).  As you can see in this photo there is plenty of room left over for additional items in the bag!  This made me happy because I have been struggling with remembering to eat breakfast and I think I can account for that, too!  So far I am very happy with this purchase as well as my first attempt!

Here you can see my Oatmeal packets (I just add water) and fruit cups.  I know store bought isn't the best - fresh is - but I had them and am trying to use them and not waste them plus they are good in a pinch!

Apparently I had an insanely productive weekend because I have about 5 other things to post but I think I will wait until tomorrow!

Be sure to keep scrolling because I have a few other posts that might be of interest, today!  Question of the Day...what are some of your favorite Adult "Brown Bag" or "Bento Lunches" for the office and/or workplace?