Choco-Plum Smoothie

2 Plums

3/4 of a Banana

1 Scoop of GoL's Chocolate Cacao Raw Protein

2 C Coconut Water

2 T Agave Nectar

2 Drops of Vanilla Extract

1 Drop Stevia (optional)

Cinnamon to taste/optional

I revisited an old favorite with a few alterations and it was wonderful!  You can also top this with cacao nibs, hemp seeds, cinnamon, or nutmeg!

Cacao Cups

5 Dates

2 Scoops Cacao Protein Powder from Garden of Life

1/2 C Agave

1/3 C Melted Coconut Oil

Pinch Sea Salt

Optional Topping Ideas:

Golden Raisins

Hemp Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

Cacao Nibs

Goji Berries

If you take the top 5 ingredients and work them in a high speed blender - pour them in little cups - and then freeze them for an hour you have a sweet treat that is packed with plant protein!  YUM!

It's hard trying to get into the Thanksgiving and Christmas Spirit the older I get.  With so many other things on our plates and with not having children around it switches up the holidays.  BUT...this is the last Thanksgiving I will be without a child around...STOP...it's NOT what you think!  I'm still without kids by choice...but...I'm going to be an Aunt!  Woot!  I have to say I am excited to be an Aunt.  Just because I don't want kids of my own doesn't mean I don't like kids!  I do!  I'm happy for my sister!  I am sure I will have more updates in the coming months!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Random Foods Without Appropriate Recipes!

Last week I was notified that one of my writing gigs has come to an end.  This was one of my FAVES.  It's because of this that I have been in a funk.  I spent a lot of time writing for this place and eventho I understand the need to end it at the moment I am missing it very much!  I have been a little 'off' because of it I guess.  So today I thought I would post a few random vegan dishes I have eaten the last few weeks and have yet to blog about here.

First up is this lil diddy!  It's Multi-Colored CousCous topped with a Veggie Burger cubed up.  I added Wildtree Golden BBQ Sauce to the CousCous and on top is a blop of Garlic Just Mayo!

An interesting tidbit about this pic...Shannon Elizabeth LIKED it on Instagram. You remember Shannon Elizabeth from the American Pie Movie?  Yup!  Her!  She's a Vegan!!!  AND she LIKED my photo!  Woot!

Next up is one of the many attempts at a vegan mac and cheese.  This wasn't my best work but it was still edible.  It was VERY cheesy and I added vegan bread crumbs but it made it a bit salty and a strange texture.

Another side note...I have been putting a sprinkle of nutmeg on just about everything these days!

These are some of the Cacao Balls my mom and I made a while back and I will probably be blogging about them more in length in the future because I used the Indigo Herbs Cacao Powder and they turned out yummers but I don't have the recipe with me at the moment.

We rolled some of them in Cacao Powder some of them in a combo of Coconut Shreds, Red Pepper Flakes, and Sea Salt.

This was a great base recipe and I'm looking forward to trying out more toppings!

And last but not least...a simple pasta with vegan marinara!  I got the sauce from Wegmans and sprinkled - you guessed it - Marinara on top!

So sorry I don't have the recipes for these dishes at the moment but I will have some soon!

And don't forget tomorrow is a NEW MidWeek Munchies Week!  Tomorrow I will be featuring my haul from Dollar Tree!  I couldn't believe everything I found there!

Working with Cacao!

As many of you know I'm not a baker.  I'm not very good with desserts and such.  Lately I have been working with Cacao.  I have found that I enjoy creating Raw Vegan Fudge!  Here's a take on Freezer Fudge but it's more like a Dessert Cup!  This is part of the Indigo Herbs Recipe Campaign!  I used their Cacao Powder when making these!  This recipe contains...

5 Dates
3/4 C Cacao Powder
1/2 C Agave
1/3 C Melted Coconut Oil
Pinch Sea Salt
Golden Raisins for Topping

I put all ingredients (except Raisins) into a blender until smooth then added the raisin as topping and put in the freezer for about a half hour.

The aroma of the Cacao Powder from Indigo Herbs is out of this world.  It's so fine and fluffy and easy to work with.  I'll tell you the more I work with the products from Indigo Herbs and realize just how many products they offer - it's impressive!  I hope I can continue working with them!  I was sent some of their Cacao Powder to work with in exchange for an honest review and recipe post.  I will tell you that I will certainly be posting more recipes using the Indigo Herbs Cacao Powder in the coming months!  This is a great product!  And I am loving this company!

Contest: Chocolate Covered Mac Nuts & Chocolate Covered Mulberries!

Once again I want to THANK every one for participating in the Garden of Life Band giveaways last week and TODAY I have another giveaway to share with you!  This time around it's from my buddy Sky over at Medicinal Foods!  He's allowing me to giveaway a bag EACH of his Chocolate Covered Man Nuts and Chocolate Covered Mulberries!  Yup!  They are BOTH Vegan!

I haven't tried either of these products, myself, however, I have tried the following and LOVE them:

* Raw Chocolate Lovers Bar - I've tried 3 different flavors including the Jungle Peanut and they are AWESOME!!! (Read the Jungle Peanut Truffle Bar review)

* Their ever-popular Cacao Elixir - this is so versatile!

* Tonic Herbs: Womb Yin - Great for balancing hormones and other benefits, too!

* Tonic Herbs - Lotus Center "Spirit Tonic" - I like this, too, very calming!

Now...getting back to TODAY's Contest!  The two bags you see in the graphic above is what's at stake!  In order to be chosen as the winner you must leave a comment with your email addy in comments.  Open to US mailing addresses ONLY, please.  I will choose a winner on Monday the 20th.

Happy Mail ~ Cacao Crazy!

I got some HAPPY MAIL yesterday!  YAY!  This was a REALLY HUGE order from The Raw Food World! 

The Raw Food World now has their own line of Cacao Products!  I grabbed them all!  Raw Cacao Powder, Raw Cacao Butter, Raw Cacao Paste, Cacao Beans, and Cacao Nibs!  I'm super excited to start working with them!  I hope to submit recipes to The Raw Food World NEWS Site using these Cacao Products soon!

After taking the photo I realized that some of the Raw Noni Powder snuck in there!  I have been wanting to try their Noni Powder for a while now and FINALLY decided to get some!

I have been a bit obsessed with nut butters over the last year.  I may dunk my spoon in one from time to time for a dessert or snack on the go.  A little bit goes a long way.  I usually only do about a tablespoon at a time.  I had to reorder the Superberry Maqui Camu Sprouted Almond Butter - it's AMAZING. 

I also grabbed a few new-to-me nut butters including Almond Crunch, Silk Almond, and Pistachio Halva. 

As you can see I re-ordered the Citrus Essential Oil Spray - the girls in the office LOVE it so I got more for work!  AND...there is some NEEM OIL in there, too! 

Here we have an assortment of items including Raw Yacon Powder, Irish Moss, Lucuma Powder, Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, Kelp Noodles, 2 different Olive Pastes, and 2 different truffle 'balls' including Peppermint and the other is Goji Cherry! 

A few side notes on a few of these products...with the powders I am now in need of more mason jars.  Years ago I switched everything in my pantry into glass Mason Jars and I'm running low on them now. 


With the Irish Moss - I have never worked with it before - so it's will be a journey that is for sure.  And with the Sea Salt - since I'm not much of a salt fan - this may very well last me the rest of my life! LOL - Previously I had bought 2 ounces of it and I think it lasted me 3 years!

It's been a while since I stocked up on flax snacks so I ordered some and 2 of them were on back order but these will certainly tide me over in the meantime!

My sister asked where to get bulk quinoa from and I told her that The Raw Food World carries it so I decided to get some for her! 

I was almost out of Tahini and this brand was on sale so I couldn't resist!

They also had some of their raw breakfast crusts on sale so I added that to my cart, too!

AND...a Bamboo Lettuce Knife?  Yes, please!  PERFECT timing because I will be doing salads nightly for dinners VERY SOON!

And finally - another stash of snacks and superfood cereals!  These will last me a while but I also have a plan for them.  Not only will I snack on them but I plan on using them as toppings for smoothie bowls, too!

AND...a new mini goal and project I have up my sleeve!  Since I have been doing a lot of driving with my job now I want to set up my car to be more raw food friendly with foods, snacks, and to-go foods that I can easily access throughout the day.  I will be - at some point - putting a personal cooler in my car - and will be blogging about my efforts and attempts.  So I will start a new tag for Raw Foods While Driving, Raw Foods For Travel, if you can think of any others let me know!

Jungle Peanut Truffle Bar from Medicinal Foods

While everyone at work is eating standard Christmas Cookies, Boxed Chocolates, and Donuts from a local grocery store - I decided to bust out the Jungle Peanut Truffle Bar that I got from Medicinal Foods!  Sooooo glad I did!  It's better than a Peanut Butter Cup because it's loaded with pure, raw, vegan, organic, superfoods!  The little nugget I am feasting on right now is 1 ounce and I will tell you it's all I can eat!  It's extremely filling and packed with powerful flavors!  It has that nice dark chocolate flavor you are looking for paired with a sweet hint and even a speck of saltiness...just enough to say...OH...what's that!?  I absolutely LOVE this!

When it says Mood Enhancing on the label I can totally see why!  I was smiling from the moment I tried it but the happiness isn't only skin deep - it shoots throughout your body - inside and out!

Arriba Nacional Cacao Paste, Cacao Butter, Medicinal Food’s “Shaman’s Blend”: Mesquite, Lucuma, Maca, Mucuna, Spirulina, Chlorella, Ashwaganda, Hemp Protein Reishi and Cordyceps Micronized Mycelium,  Ecuadorian Raw Evaporated Mineral-Rich Cane-Juice, Vanilla and Himalayan Salt. and Loving Healing Mantras.

For a complete product profile on this Truffle Bar from Medicinal Foods - Click Here!

Happy Mail Monday - Compassion & Cacao

I'm so excited that I received more goodies in the mail today!  Mondays have been GREAT for that the last couple of weeks! 

This week I received some Mr. Bean Coffee Bean Scrub with Coconut Oil and Sea Salt...MANDARIN Flavored/Scented.  I've been looking for a new scrub as of late and I'm a HUGE fan of Mandarin...so I'm already excited and I haven't even tried it yet!

I've used a few other coffee based scrubs before...1 from a home-based business and the other being hand-made by a friend of mine in town here.  Hers was made with Olive Oil instead of Coconut Oil.

If you click on this 2nd photo and enlarge it - you will see what I saw - as I opened the box!  I thought it was clever and funny!  But then again - I have a strange sense of humor. 

Their website follows suit with their products being organic, vegan, cruelty-free, and very well branded throughout their site, products, media, and packaging!

They are very involved with social media and often use the phrase "Get Beaned" while referring to their product.  Clever and Creative!  I like it!


I also got my package from Sky over at Medicinal Foods and I can't wait to jump in!  He sent a large LOVER'S BAR which is being called the 'hottest chocolate' in the raw food movement right now.  He also sent smaller bars of the Truffle Bars including the Jungle Peanut, Coco Mint, and MacButter.  He sent two of his tonic powders including the Love Tonic (Womb Yin Nutritive) and Lotus Centered Spirit Tonic.  AND...their famous Cacao Elixir!  Woot!  I can't wait to try EVERYTHING!  And of course, I will be coming up with more recipes using these products VERY soon!

Another company I would like to point out in this post - is another cruelty-free company!  Teadora!  I can't wait to try their Rainforest At Dawn hydrating elixir and nourishing body polish.

I really LOVE that they GIVE BACK to so many organizations!

They have a real extensive website, too!

And the Cruelty-Free Bunny logo always helps sell me - as well!

The word "Teadora" translates to "Adore You".  The founder was born and raised in Brazil.  Her mother used only raw, organic, and natural ingredients and she wanted to stick with that tradition with the Teadora Product line.

Teadora helps to fund a philanthropic exchange between the U.S. and Brazil to promote rainforest conservation, education and leadership development.

I will be doing product reviews on all three of these companies and their product lines in the near future!

Vanilla Cacao Power Nuggets

Just a quick post today to show these little gems of a snack.  These are full of chocolatey goodness with notes of vanilla, highlighting various coconut products, as well as using the secret weapon of Apricot Kernel Butter.  Check out this recipe!

1/2 C Apricot Kernel Butter
1/4 C Cacao Powder
1/8 C Coconut Nectar
1 T Coconut Flour
1/2 T Coconut Sugar
1/2 tea Organic Vanilla

1 tea Garden of Life's Vanilla Flavored Protein

Pinch of Sea Salt

I stirred everything together, made the little balls, and set them in the frig for about 3 hours (which ended up being there over night after that, too!) and there you have it!  YUM!

GIVEAWAY ~ Garden of Life's Chocolate Cacao RAW Protein ~ Vegan MoFo!

Hey Gang!  I have the very first of my giveaways happening today! 
WHAT am I giving away?
The Chocolate Cacao Flavor of RAW Protein Powder from Garden of Life!
WHY am I giving it away?
Because I think it's awesome & Garden of Life said I could!
WHEN am I giving away this wonderful prize?
RIGHT NOW...This is a SHORT entry period because I have TONS MORE PRIZES on tap!  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below saying you want to win and how I can get in touch with you to let you know if you are the winner!  US Residents ONLY for this giveaway, please.  I will be choosing 1 winner from all those who commented Thursday morning at 8am EST.

In case you haven't seen some of the things I have done with Cacao and/or this GoL product check out these blog posts below - if you comment on any of these posts in ADDITION to commenting on this original post your name will be 'added to the hat' an extra time for another chance to win...

Cinnamon Cacao Almond Milk was a good one!  And SUPER EASY!

Avocado Cacao Mousse - recipe listed was done with regular cacao powder but I have also tried it with GoL's Cacao Flavored Powder.

The Celebrate Shake I posted a while back can easily be converted to use this product in place of Cacao and/or Maca Powder.

More recently - you may have seen my Chocolate Plum Shocker Smoothie which I absolutely ADORE!

Another winner was the Chocolate Mint Milkshake I did a while back!

How about the Cinnamon Chocolate Smoothie I posted about?

Or a twist on the Super Sweet Avocado Treat?

So....HURRY UP and enter to win in COMMENTS below...I'll choose a winner on Thursday Morning at 8am EST...Again, PRIZE is...Garden of Life Chocolate Cacao RAW PROTEIN!!!!

Chocolate Mint Milkshake - VEGAN!

Better late than never, eh!?

This is yet another foodie related post from DAYS (or more) ago that I am just getting around to posting!  It's a simple smoothie and it turned out pretty darn tasty!

1 C Coconut Milk

1 Scoop GoL Chocolate Cacao Protein Powder
4 or 5 Drops of NuNaturals Peppermint Stevia
2 one-inch Chunks of Banana

I have to say I am REALLY enjoying the peppermint stevia liquid from NuNaturals.  I can totally see myself using this often.  Many of you know I am a MINT Freak :)

I would like to do a Lemon, Cucumber Mint one soon or maybe a Watermelon Mint.

I still have YET to play around with making my own vegan ice cream!  I MUST try this in a VEGAN Chocolate Mint Ice Cream!

Celebrate With A Shake

I didn't plan this post but I figured...WHY NOT...it's time to celebrate!  I'm ringing in the New Year with a SHAKE...both in movement and in this smoothie.  I've been trying to use my Maca and Cacao more lately and thought tonight was the perfect time to try another one.  Here's what's in this...

2 C Almond Milk
1 Banana
1T Maca Powder
1 tea Cacao Powder
2 T Agave
1 tea GoL Perfect Food Yerba Mate Energizer

Another goal of mine here was to use more than a half of a banana.  I'm really trying to incorporate more of them in my diet and I have been working really hard to get past that HALF banana mark in my smoothies!  Guess what!?  Tonight I did it!  Woot!  I used almost an entire banana!

Also pictured is a Glass Straw from EcoJarz - my first time using the glass one and I'm LOVING it so far - AND - the glass jar - I'm reusing it from an Argo Iced Tea that I got a while back!  I now have TWO of these and love the height and heavy-dutiness to it...I'm so glad I used them and they cleaned up nice! 

Looking forward to a great 2014!  Happy and Safe New Year to you all!  Thanks for reading!

Cinnamon Cacao Almond Milk

On our way back from Trader Joe's in the Buffalo area on Saturday - we decided to swing my our closest Wegman's Store because I had a gift card that I received for Christmas.  I wanted to buy a few things that I normally wouldn't buy or things that I found at a good price.  It was pretty picked over because of the holidays.  I had a few coupons I had for FREE items, too, but was unable to locate anything on the shelves for those companies.  I will try again later.  One of the things I did purchase with my gift card was a fairly large amount of Organic Cacao Powder for just $7.99.    Last night I put a little bit of that powder to work!  I made this Cinnamon Cacao Almond Milk - a vegan version of Holiday Chocolate Milk - I guess!  It turned out way better than I anticipated!  I was very pleased with this attempt!  I will be making this again for sure!  It's tasty HOT or COLD.  Here's the recipe for this drink:

2 C Almond Milk
1 T Cacao Powder
2 T Cinnamon Flavored Agave Syrup (from Wholesome Sweeteners)
1 tea Yerba Mate Energizer Perfect Food (from Garden of Life)
Sprinkle Organic Cinnamon Powder on top

I used two of my favorite products in this!  - from Garden of Life - as well as Wholesome Sweeteners!  I've blogged about GoL MANY times before and I am sure I will often in the future, too!  This specific product from them is full of energy and goodness!

Perfect Food RAW Energizer is power-packed with naturally occurring chlorophyll, beta carotene, B vitamins, minerals, protein and amino acids from RAW organic USA grown grass juices, dark green juices like spinach, parsley and kale, protein-rich sprouts  and juiced-up super antioxidant fruits like RAW organic blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and Indian Amla Berries.

For the Cinnamon Flavored Agave -  well, it's VERY special, too!  They have 4 flavors and I'm liking each one of them!  As for this Cinnamon flavor, specifically...

 

Ingredients
Organic Raw Blue Agave, Organic Cinnamon Flavor

Directions
Cooking tips: When replacing sugar with Blue Agave in a recipe, use a 75% measure of Agave nectar for every full measure of sugar. Adjust for taste. Reduce other liquids in a recipe by about 1/3. Bake foods “lower and slower”—reduce the oven’s temperature

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Product Description

Cinnamon’s spicy warmth, with a sweet, mild fragrance blended perfectly with Organic Raw Blue Agave. Excellent in coffee, waffles, toast and gingerbread.