Exciting Updates/News, Weekend Writing Warrior, and a Comfort Food Sidedish!

I'm spending most of this Sunday updating a few things on my website - such as the About Me/Find Me Section...I've decided to do clickable links on that page mostly for a cleaner look, and added a few things to the SHOP Page/Tab, too!  I'm thinking about redoing that page/tab in the future but I think I will keep the eye catching banners there for now.  I've been joining up as an affiliate to a few products, shops, and sites which you can find on both of those pages.

Another thing I am doing with today...is writing...I know...big shocker, eh!?  But I have signed on to guest blog for some companies, contribute to their websites and newsletters, and also have my own sites that I wanted to keep up with, too!  I have a slew of exciting things on deck so please be sure to subscribe to my site - on the sidebar to get the latest updates.

I'm working with several companies to bring more contests/giveaways to my site, too!  Very exciting!

And incase you missed it...I have officially started posting slide shows/videos to my YouTube!  Be sure to subscribe to my channel - all social media links at located in the About/Find Me tab, too!  AND..for my life in photos be sure to follow me on Instagram because I normally add pics to that before posting them with a write up here on my blog!

And...FINALLY...a bit about that food photo at the top of this post!!!

I used left over Earthly Choice Super Grains in this dish...which include red and white Quinoa, Millet, and Buckwheat...probably about 1 cup worth.  Then I added the following for flavor...

1/4 C Cashew Butter

2 T Minced Garlic

1 tea ginger powder

3 T Coconut Aminos

2 T Maple Syrup

1 T Coconut Vinegar

1 T Sesame Oil

topped with Hot Sauce to taste

The veggies in this side included a mix of...

Peas & Peas in the Pod
Yellow Bell Peppers

Onion

Broccoli

I'll be back tomorrow with more of what happened over the weekend.  In the meantime...I'd love to hear about yours!

Coconut Oil Giveaway!

Happy Friday!

I'll get right to the point today...I'm giving a way a jar of Coconut Oil from Garden of Life!  If you want to win...check out the Rafflecopter entry below and leave a comment on this post.  It's open to US Residents and it will close at midnight on 10/28/14.

A few more words about Garden of Life Coconut Oil...

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is among the healthiest, most versatile dietary oils in the world. An excellent culinary oil with its natural coconut flavor and aroma, we think it is simply the best tasting, most aromatic coconut oil on the planet.

• Contains meat from only the freshest, organically grown coconuts
• Produced using the same methods Philippine farmers have used for centuries
• Helps maintain already healthy levels of cholesterol and thermogenesis
• Great for low carbohydrate diets
• Can be used in place of butter. Enjoy in cooking, frying, baking or in smoothies
• RAW, vegan, non-GMO, not hydrogenated, refined, bleached or deodorized
• Available in 16 oz. and 32 oz. jars

Use the search button on my sidebar and type in coconut oil to see some of the things I have used this ingredient for so far.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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!

Goals, Pili Nut Butter Sauce & Rice, and Blueberry Vanilla Smoothie

Last week I was able to hit up all of my goals but I only did Yoga once.  This week I want to shoot for at least 2 days of Yoga.  Other goals this week include...Dehydrator Creations...at least 2 of them, at least 2 to 3 product reviews on my blogs/sites that I write for, take some fall photos before it's too late, and start something new.  WHAT?  Well, that's yet to be determined...at the very minimum it's at least starting SOMETHING new...ANYTHING! 

I think tonight I need some stress relief.  Perhaps tonight is the night I push myself for some yoga!  I really need to get caught up on some cleaning, too, but maybe I can get a few things going and do Yoga in between!

Dinner last night was flavorful and fun and I hope to do it again soon!  Or some variation of this.  I decided to do some white rice with a creative sauce.  It was a Pili Nut Butter Sauce.  Here is the recipe I threw together...

1/4 C Coconut Aminos
1/4 C Pili Nut Butter
2 T Coconut Vinegar
1 T Hemp Oil
1 T Hot Sauce

This morning I had a simple smoothie...


1 C Almond Milk
1 Scoop GoL's Vanilla Protein
1/2 C Frozen Blueberries
1 T GoL's Flax & Fruit Antioxidant Blend


I loved the color but must say I wasn't very organized with my mason jars so I had to use a leftover glass pickle jar to transport my morning smoothie to work! LOL

Energizing Black Bean Dip & Happy Mail on a Monday

I wanted something with Black Beans last night and decided to make an Energizing Black Bean Dip.  The recipe I came up with as follows...

2 C Black Beans
2 T Vegan Mayo
3 T Vegan Cream Cheese
1 T Wildtree Garlic & Herb Blend
1 T Cilantro
2 T Lime Juice
1/2 tea Cumin
1/2 tea Wildtree Adobo Seasoning
1/2 tea Chili & Garlic Sea Salt
1/2 tea GoL's Energizer 

It was creamy, a tad spicy, and savory!  I'm thinking I might make a soup with all this but the Vegan Mayo soon!

I got some more HAPPY MAIL today!  I received a bunch of tea from Culinary Teas and I'm currently sipping on their Coconut Creme Chai and it's lovely.  Early I had some of the Key Lime Black.  It's very flavorful...but easy to over infuse and go bitter.  With a little more attention on my part would have been very good.  My mistake certainly NOT theirs. 

In other news I received another smaller shipment from The Raw Food World today and here are some of the photos.

They were having a MAJOR Inventory Blow Out Sale and I HAD to grab some things...plus...I ran out of Cashews and was low on Nutritional Yeast. 

I was really excited to order Jason Wrobel's Simple Vegan Classics on DVD.  He's so entertaining!  I also FINALLY grabbed a few of the Gopal's Nori Wrapped Energy Snacks because they were on sale!  I grabbed the Masala, Curry, and Italian Flavors.  Not that I needed it - but it was drastically deduced in price - was the Raw Coconut Butter with Coconut Blossom Sugar.  I also grabbed 5 Chocolate Cacao Bars for a friend of mine...she's loves them and she's NOT raw or vegan...some Raw Crusts that I like to use for Breakfasts or Snacks....Kale Chips that were all on sale, and Pumpkin Super Chips...again on sale.  One other item I wanted to try and it was reduced in price was the Pure Wraps - the Curry flavor - they are coconut based.