Happy Mail This Week!

I'm super excited about the goodies that came in the mail both yesterday and today!  I got my latest shipment from The Raw Food World!  Check out the NEW Foods Alive Salad Dressings!  Woot!  I've had the Garlic Paprika before and LOVED it!  I can't wait to try the others on salads SOON!  I already sampled them by themselves and they are great!

Yes!  I was plum out of Nutritional Yeast which rarely ever happens!  Well, it did this time - so I stocked up on some!  I grabbed 3 of them!  I have also been sharing some of my nut butters while out with our Wildtree stuff on weekends at festivals and I usually bring my own food for snacking!  Well, I have a few others HOOKED on these Jem Organics Nut Butters so I got one of the Red Maca's for a friend and another for my sister as well as the Superberry Maqui Camu.

Also in that 2nd pic you will see Hemp Oil I got for another friend who has MS she's been taking it for pain and some Agave Powder jut because I was interested it working with it PLUS some Valerian Powder that I wanted to start using in evening tonics to help with sounder sleep.

In this next photo you will see I grabbed some Pineapple and Apricots!  The Pineapple is for a co-worker and I thought I would try using the apricots in dressings sauces, smoothies, and such.  Plus they all make great desk snacks to have at work or while on the run!

And speaking of snacks for work or on the go - check these bad-boys out!  Jumbo Figs!  A few Pro-Biotic Nuts, and even some Pili Nuts, too!  I hope to start working with Pili Nuts in the near future so be on the look out for that!

Then I FINALLY broke down and purchased some Purple Corn Flour.  TannyRaw was the one who pushed me over the edge on it.  It really contributes to the color and also can work as a thickener!  I have been in to TannyRaw's YouTube Channel the last couple of months!  I like her personality and positive outlook!

I've also been into Lisa Montgomery's books more lately, too, I have found myself referring back to them often so I decided to check out a few more of the ones she has her name on.

The Liquid Raw I can see myself using often I glanced thru nearly the whole thing last night already!  I'm thinking the Potluck one will come in handy, too!

And I will have to check out the Raw Challenge one when I am able to, too!

I have been interested in other detox books and some others from David Wolfe and I will keep you posted on that progress, as well!

There were a few things that were on back order from my last order that I got in the mail too!  2 Foods Alive Flavored Flax Crackers - I have had them before and LOVED them - they were on sale when I tried to purchase them before!

Then I got HOOKED on the Sprouted Trail Mix - Pineapple - but it has just the right amount of spice, too!  YUM!  And I have tried the other breakfast crusts before as you see in front in the last photo but not the Spirulina ones, yet, so I wanted to include those with that last order, too!

Past Happy Mail, Local Eats with Vegan Options, Paco Update

Hello everyone!  Thanks for all of the kind words, thoughts, emails, notes on Instagram, etc...I appreciate it!  I have so much to share with everyone but so little time! 

I hope to be doing updates more this week to try and catch up!  I have lots of products to share with you - I have reviews I need to catch up on - I have lots of articles and recipes to cross promote and link to over at TRFW and much, MUCH More!  In the meantime...here's a sneak peak at some of the things that have been exciting me lately!  My shipment from last month, actually!


In this first photo you can see Sun Warrior Immune Shield, a new Skin Brush, salted Sacha Inchi Seeds, Kelp Noodles, Shea Butter, and Nutritional Yeast.  Yup!  Had to stock up on some nutritional yeast...I was getting low.  I did get the Kelp Noodles but because of the horribly cold winter weather we have had for MONTHS now they froze.  I contacted the lovely customer service people over at TRFW and they said they could send me another one or credit my account because Kelp Noodles change texture if frozen.  I thought that was pretty amazing that they offered to do that - I mean - it wasn't their fault they froze,  you know?  It's not like THEY control the weather! LOL - but I thought that was wonderful!  I decided to opt for the credit and will re-order in the more fair weathered months since it's still really cold here.

In this photo you will see I stocked up on some snacks!  I couldn't resist!  The prices were awesome when I ordered them!  Plus I LOVE Foods Alive products!  I got two of their Flax Crackers.  I also grabbed a pound of cashews, a few salad boosters, some raisins, pro-biotic almonds, Organic Cayenne Powder, and some Khorasan Wheatgrass Juice Powder (Kamut).

I have to say all of the powders that I have been getting from TRFW have been AMAZINGLY fresh!  The colors and aromas are so VERY vibrant!

I've still been building my Raw/Living Foods and Vegan cookbook area in my house and this was one of the books I grabbed with my last order. 

I have a slew more on order again and hope to get them before the end of this week.  I'm also visiting my local library again since it has been a while.  If anyone is on GoodReads let me know - I have been posting on that app for a while now, too!

Have you gotten any new books as of late?  I'd love to hear about them! 

A couple of weekends ago Hubby and I went to our new favorite place in Erie...Mad Mex...mainly because there are a lot of vegan options there for me!  Here is what I had...it's the Chickpea Chili Burrito.  You can opt for the Daiya Cheese and Tofutti Sour Cream like I did.  We also got a few of their amazing dips!  2 out of the 3 of them were vegan.  Now hubby wants me to try and make Pepita Hummus and Tomatillo Avocado Dip...and I hope to do that soon!  I'm already trying to come up with a few other things I want to try at this place the next time we go!  They have 'home made' vegan salad dressings, too, including a RANCH.

Now...this past weekend we visited a local gem of a place that has been around for decades - and generations!  My husband loves it - always have - of course - he's no where near being a vegetarian - so yes - we are a mixed diet household - anyhow - they had a special salad for March - and I had them do it without what ever meat they had on the menu.  They came up with this for me and it was FABULOUS!  I asked them to add it to their menu full time!  Not sure if they will but it was great!  It was iceberg lettuce and mixed greens, pineapple, green peppers, tomatoes, almonds, roasted coconut, and I choose the grape balsamic dressing made with local grapes!  It was WONDERFUL!

Now for a quick PACO update!

His ITP has been under control for at least 3 months while he's been on a LOT of medication.  While I hate putting all the pills in his body - it's what he needs to stay 'normal' - we tried to take him to a lower dosage with the approval of our vet - he ended up relapsing - so she told us we had to get back on the dosages he was on prior to trying to take him down.  It seems to be working, so that is good.

However, it's been about a week and he had an unrelated issue...he basically threw his kneecap out of place.  This has happened once before about 3 years ago.  But this time was pretty bad.  He's been trying to 'walk it off' and has found some work arounds.  The first two days was rough but he's been getting better since then.  The vet told us she didn't think he was in pain - and she thought he just noticed a 'difference' or it felt 'weird' and it was something that he would have to work out himself.  He hasn't been acting like it's been bothering him but he will pull up on it every once and a while...I think he's trying to pop it back in. All-in-All he's been doing fairly well with it and we do have pain pills but he's only really needed one on that first day.  I hope to have more posts very soon!  There are LOTS of things going on!  It's been CRAZY in my whole lately! How about you!?

Eats this week - Salads, Fruit, and a Cashew Dip Treat!

Since I am doing a mostly raw week while focusing on my Lymphatic System I thought I would show a few things I have eaten over the last few days.  I'm also thinking about extending this adventure into next week.  Time will tell.

First up a MASSIVE Salad.  I wish you could see how big this bowl was!  The salad turned out awesome!  It has 5 different kinds of lettuce in there, mini cucumbers, raw walnuts, 2 different colors of sweet bell peppers, and I topped it with a Braggs Dressing that had Ginger and a few other things in there.  Also on top is Garlicky Green Vegan Parm.

Yesterday for lunch I had 6 Kiwi Fruit.  I've also been gnawing on Kale Chips a lot this week.

I was able to find a few different kinds of Apples yesterday - including Grapples that are NOT pictured.  Cantaloupe - YAY - I hope to make a smoothie or at the very least Cantaloupe Milk with it.  A few oranges - hopefully I will make some dressings with those.  And MORE kiwi fruit!

Later in the day I bought 3 bananas and will be freezing them either today or tomorrow after they have ripened a bit more. (Frozen and in smoothies are the only way I can stomach Bananas!)

The Salad was amazing and I can't wait to have another one!

I had some Spirulina Chips left from a while back and wanted to get rid of them.  The reason I bought them was because they were Spirulina based but when I got them and tried one I knew right away they had a good amount of banana in them. Oye.

Well, last night I attempted to make a Cashew Dip and OMG it turned out AWESOME.  I dipped the Go Raw Spirulina Chips in it and PROBLEM SOLVED it was an AWESOME Combo!  I am going to be doing a recipe for The Raw Food World NEWS Site but I will tell you NOW that I used Cashew Butter, Lemon Juice, Coconut Oil, and Coconut Aminos in this recipe and now I'm kind of addicted to it!

Focusing on My Lymphatic System

For the next 3 days - minimum - I will be doing a detox of sorts - while focusing on my Lymphatic System.  

There are a few things that I want to heal with my body and I feel the Lymphatic System is the perfect place to start.  I have 2 confessions to make up front.  ONE - I've never done this before so it's a learning process - so it's rather fitting that I am posting it here on my blog - My Blissful Journey.  And TWO - as much as I try and do things to improve my life and situation - it doesn't mean I don't have bad habits.  To get a little personal here - the older I get the less comfortable I feel about going undergarment-free (if you know what I mean) and I know that is BAD...I really have to change that.  It's suggested that women go at least 12 hours every day without that kind of support.  Because I have felt physically uncomfortable doing so I haven't for quite some time...so one of the things I will be forcing myself to do during this time is wear a camisole when I get home at the end of the day.  This might sound like a 'small thing' but it's going to be a challenge for me.  

Having said that...some of the other things I will be focusing on over the next 3 days (which will probably turn into all of this week) will be hot and cold compresses on problem areas, hot and cold showers, deep breathing, yoga, walking, and natural deodorants.  Some of these things I do on a daily basis such as wear a natural (non-aluminum) deodorant.  I rarely (close to if ever) wear make-up and I don't even use lotion, etc.  If need be I will be using Grapeseed Oil and/or Coconut Oil.  Another thing I will be doing more of this week is Oil Pulling and I tend to do that with Coconut Oil.

Now...on to what I HOPE to consume...of course this is all based on whether or not I can find these items in my area which has been a complete challenge as of late.

Plantains - altho - not RAW - I do have some in my freezer that I intend to bake.

Leafy Greens - you will see me doing a LOT of salads this week - so that means - I will most likely be posting those with my home-made dressings!

Cranberries - I really doubt I can find fresh ones right now but I do have a stash of dried that I have from my shipments from The Raw Food World.

Raw/Soaked Nuts & Seeds

Coconut, Avocado - Again, our fresh coconut situation here is grim so I'm unsure how this will come into play but I have been rather Avocado-Happy, lately!

Echinacea - as well as other herbal tonics and tisanes

Garlic/Ginger/Turmeric - I eat these in some form almost every day but during this time I hope to incorporate them into other ways, too!

Seaweeds, Spirulina, Chorella

Citrus - whole, juice, in dressings - you name it!

Consume more fruit on empty stomach - such as more fruit based mono meals

Cantaloupe - if possible I would like to make some Cantaloupe Juice and/or Milk

Apple Cider Vinegar (mixed with water and possibly garlic, Agave)

LOTS of Water and Water with Lemon!

I will probably be doing some juicing and smoothies this week, too!  At least that is my goal.  One I would like to try was from an old Dan McDonald Video - 2 Apples, handful of Grapes, 1 Lemon, and a chunk of Ginger.

These are just some of this things I would like to work toward this week.  I'm challenging myself with many of them to try and stay consistent but also try and do some healing.  Please drop by with encouragement this week!  I would appreciate it!

More Food Backlogging

I ended up finding more photos I never posted on my blog with foods I have eaten over the last several weeks!  Oopsy! 

I remember making this Kale Red Quinoa and Peanut dish and I think I over did it with the Flavored Nutritional Yeast Seasoning.  I used the Garlicky Green flavor.  It was ok but a bit salty.  I really like the idea of this dish but will have to tweak it down the road.  I thought the photo was neat so I thought I would at least share that now but the recipe does need a bit of work in the meantime.

WEEKS ago I dehydrated some Brussels Sprouts.  But not before I coated them in an intensely flavored sauce.  I originally got the idea from Tarah over at 40 Below Fruity's YouTube Channel.  I ended up using a different recipe, however, because I didn't have any Zuke's!  I should have stayed with HER recipe!  Oye!  BUT...they weren't too bad.  I do prefer by Brussels Sprouts cooked.  These were RAW and dried.  I really like the idea of this recipe and will do it again but HER way!  I have followed many raw foodists on YouTube for years and I have enjoyed Tarah's channel this past year, too, but I think I will be lurking around her site and channel more frequently moving forward because our climates are similar.

Something that definitely ISN'T raw...this vegan pretzel!  But it was a comfort food I consumed about a month ago and forgot to post here.  I did, however, post all of these on InstaGram, tho! 

I found a generic or discounted brand that didn't have any animal ingredients in it and grabbed 2 boxes.  My husband LOVES them too and you BAKE these instead of 'nuking' them.  I made a Agave Mustard dipping sauce for it, too!  YUMM!

I'm trying to finish all of my Holiday prep but work is really exhausting me!  Might have to shoot for smoothies every morning in the near future to kick my days off right!

Chia Pudding - Recipes - in Medicinal-Foods Newsletters!

Subscribe to Medicinal-Foods for more of my recipes in upcoming issues!

Gettin' My GRAINS On...

Last week Anna blogged about Menu Planning - something I am never very successful at - eventho I won't detail dish by dish of what I hope to do this week for meals - I figured a quasi-plan is better than NO PLAN, right?  So for my meal planning ideas for this week I jotted down a few things I hope to base my dishes and meals around and go from there.  Basically eating out of my pantry (or my freezer or fresh produce shelf).  This month's focus for me is Gettin' My Grains On...trying to get a variety of grains incorporated in to what I eat...even more than I usually do...that is!

Monday:

Breakfast - Raw Vegan Choco Mint Energy Bar
Lunch - Super Grains & Broccoli Bowl

Dinner - White Rice & Veggies (with Super Food Seasoning & Hot Sauce)

Snacks - Dried Tart Cherries

Tuesday:

Breakfast - Raw Granola

Lunch - Pumpkin Chips with Almond Butter, Dates, Freeze Dried Jack Fruit

Dinner - Kelp Noodles, Peas

Snacks - Corn Chips & Salsa (or pretzel)

Wednesday:

Breakfast - Banana/Peach Smoothie

Lunch - Leftover Veggies, Hemp Seeds, Kale Chips

Dinner - Quinoa, Brussel Sprouts

Snacks - Fruit Cup, Cashews

Thursday:

Breakfast - Raw Breakfast 'Crusts' (with nut butter or hummus)

Lunch - Leftover Quinoa (wrap or pocket), Salad

Dinner - Adzuki Pasta, Artichokes

Snacks - TBA Vegan Smoothie or Ice Cream

Friday:

Breakfast - Blueberry Smoothie, Raw Granola

Lunch - Brown Rice, Veggies, Salad

Dinner - Grits, Grain Toast with Nutritional Yeast, Veggie (and/or Tofu) Scramble

Snacks - Raw Jicama & Dip (or hummus) 

Please keep in mind this is not the ONLY foods I will be eating...there will be others...just some food goals for the week to try and make dishes out of and try and consume, really.  And since I hope to focus on the grains on I have on hand for this month do check back to see what I have planned next week, too!

Spooky, Sweet, and Filled with Treats!

FREE Ground Shipping in the US - Click Here!

I will be posting my Weekly Goals tomorrow but a heads-up as to one of them...more dehydrating!  Yup!  I want to use my dehydrator MORE this week!  I will most likely be using it to dry fresh basil since we have so much from our Container Garden but I also want to try at least 1 sweet treat in there, too!  Since I'm an Excalibur Dehydrator Affiliate I thought I would post a little bit about this and some more news from Excalibur!  CLICK HERE to receive FREE Ground Shipping on your order.

Another thing I wanted to share - in case you didn't know - their dehydrators now come with a clear 'see-thru' door.  You can order your dehydrator with it or just order the door!  I LOVE that this option is available!  I find myself peeking in on my 'goods' while I'm drying and by opening the door you lose some time but if I were to have this 'see thru' door I wouldn't have to peek and extend my drying time.  I might have to order this soon OR have it be on my Christmas List!

Another great thing about their new product offerings is that they now come in 6 colors!

I'll  have a total of 3 posts today...so stay tuned for a recipe...and scroll down to see what I did yesterday...

Fiats, Remotes, & Food

It's been a few weeks since we took our Fiat and Abarth over to the Warren County Fairgrounds for their Car Cruise-In.  It was a lot of fun and our new friend Tom brought his over as well.  He took this pic of the 3 of ours lined up together.  Mine is the black one in the back, his is the red Abarth, and Dale's (ours) is the Grey Abarth in front.  We fielded a LOT of questions as we usually do.  The weather held up ok for the most part, too!  I hope we are able to meet up with more of the Fiat Club Members before the snow flies!

At work we are busier than we've ever been and doing it with less and less people.  There are only about 6 of us that are full time.  The 3 people you see here in addition to 3 others.  Yes...that's ME in the middle and YES...I'm THAT short!  It really doesn't help when Dale and Casey are as tall as they are either.  But...I'm getting used to it...been that way all my life!  This is a photo of us during one of 3 remotes during the month of July.  Our Fair Week is coming up next week and we will be on location all week!  It's a pretty crazy week!  But FUN!  Just a LOT of hours!  The concerts this year are Tyler Farr with opener Joey Hyde and Lorrie Morgan and Joe Diffie.

But more on those concerts after they actually happen!  I've been BIG on dips lately.  Here's a photo of one of the flax crackers I have been munching on as of late with a Pesto Dip I tweaked. 

It's Living Tree Community Brand.  It's WONDERFUL and something I can see myself having on hand to return to often. 

I took a few tablespoons of it and added some Earth Balance and a splash of Almond Milk to make it a bit runnier.  It turned out super YUMMY.  I might also try and pair it with a vegan mayo at some point and see how that goes for a flavored Vegan Mayonnaise.

First Raw Food World Shipment!

Just a quick blog post today but I do have more on tap!  I was so excited because my first big order from The Raw Food World arrived today! 

And boy-oh-boy was it like Christmas for me!!! 

I got these two raw food books that I cannot wait to jump into!


Then I got a slew of Kale Chips, raw crackers, flavored nuts, raw bread, Kelp Noodles, dried and flavored veggie chips...

I also got some snacks like raw cookies, for example and some nut butters such as Pili Nut Butter, Cashew Butter, Tahini, Hazelnut Cacao, etc.

I was able to locate some breakfast items as well like some grains and a Chai Breakfast that has up to 10 breakfast in the package!

This is a FIRST for me on almost ALL of these products and I'm very excited to try them!  I hope to review everything I got, too!  So stay tuned for that!

I shared almost 1 of everything with my 2 co-workers who are not raw, vegan, or even vegetarian!  They enjoyed almost everything.

Within this order I placed - I also stocked up on some nuts such as raw Cashews and raw Hazelnuts.  I gave some of those to my mother in law because those are her favorite NUT. 

I was lucky enough to get my hands on some dried fruits I am not able to locate in my area such as JuJubes, sweet cherries...and for my dad...Pineapple!!!!  YUM! 

There are some odds and ends throughout these photos so feel free to make comments on anything you see :)

And finally...the ultimate excitement of this shipment...The Berry Breeze!!!!  I've been wanting one of these for a while.  It goes in your refrigerator and keeps produce up to 5 times longer!!!  In addition it helps keep your frig clean, too!  YAY! 

And under the Berry Breeze you will see I bought a Bamboo Plate, too! 

I can't wait to jump right in and try these and write reviews on everything...but...first...I have to clean and stock the shelves!  It makes it FUN tho...when you are excited about stuff!!!! 

Have you tried anything you see here?  Let me know  your feedback!

RAW WEEK - Tuesday!

Hello Lovelies!

It's day 2 of my RAW WEEK!  After posting yesterday I went home and made this CRAZY HUGE Salad!  But not before a mini outing!  I had to swing by and drop off a cat carrier that I borrowed from my parents neighbor and then I went to Aldi's.  Early yesterday morning when I went to a nearby Grocery Store most of their daily produce was WAY TOO Expensive.  Average Every Day NON-Organic Cauliflower was $3.99 a head, their tomatoes were $3.49 per pound and most of them HUGE so I bet they were well over a pound a piece, even their grapefruit was $1.29 each...their avocados were over $2 each, etc.  So I really wanted to stock up and got a bunch of stuff at Aldi's and only spent $22.  I wish I would have taken a photo of my haul before putting everything in their places in my kitchen/frig/pantry.

While at Aldi's I found a super huge awesome hard plastic bowl for $4 - I went home, washed it, and threw this salad in it!

This Salad Contains the following...Romaine Hearts, Cherry Tomatoes, Mini Cucumbers, Orange Sweet Bell Peppers, and Hemp Seeds.  I think it worked out to be between 4 and 6 cups of greens.  I made a dressing last night as you can see in this 2nd photo but silly me I forgot to jot down everything in it...so...here's a guess...I know there was at least 1 C of Mango along with about 2 T Tahini.  I think I added some Lemon Juice and Garlic Sea Salt.

This 3rd photo is a pic of the Salad Dressing I made prior to pouring on the salad.  OH!  Yes...I think I also put about 2 T Dijon in there, too!

I really enjoyed this dressing but think next time I would use less Mango and more Dijon for the extra ZING!

Later in the evening - last night - I had the munchies.  I decided to cut up 2 more Mini Cucumbers and treat them like Raw "Chips".  I made a Raw Vegan Cheese Dip to go along with it. 

In this Raw Vegan Cheese Dip and/or sauce here is what I used...

1 C Pine Nuts
1 C Cashews
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Mini Sweet Red Bell Peppers
2 T Lemon Juice
1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 C Nutritional Yeast

I get Raw Cashews and Pine Nuts at my local herb store in bulk.  Mostly when I buy in bulk the prices are better.  When it comes to nuts - especially raw nuts - that isn't usually the case. 

I realize Nutritional Yeast isn't necessarily raw but I do know a lot of Raw Foodists that consume it.

Next up...I made some Raw Vegan Chia Crackers or Chips last night.  They kind of remind me of Blue Corn Chips/Tortillas.

For the crackers/chips I did about 1 C of Chia into 2 C Water for about an hour.  I stirred in about 1 T Garlic Powder - maybe a little less - for the whole batch - and then spread it out on a Dehydrator Sheet and flipped every 2 hours or so until crisp.

I was pretty impressed with myself, actually.  I ended up doing quite a bit last night around the house as well as food prep.

Now...I only had one of these this morning as a Taste Test and I really liked them.  I'm probably going to have them with dinner or as a snack tonight.  And LOOK - I used that Raw Vegan Cheese as a dip since there was SO MUCH in the batch that I made.  I also noticed it thickened up pretty nice over night in the frig.

This will last me a few days.

I felt like I literally ate all day long yesterday.  But I think I did a good job of getting a variety of foods. 

As for today...I started my day with another smoothie which you can see in the following photos. 

For this smoothie I used 2 C Strawberries, 4 Handfuls of Spinach, 2 inch chunk of frozen banana. 

It's not the most beautiful color but it tasted good!

I've been putting my Vitamix to the test as well as my Excalibur!  This REALLY excites me!

Yesterday I was up from about 4am until about 11-ish last night. 

Not Bad. 

Best part?  No afternoon energy crash! 

I, did, however, sleep in longer this morning - but - not as long as I usually do - so that's good!

I've also been able to use more of my cute Mason Jar Glasses with the handles and more consistently.

So far - TODAY - I had the smoothie listed above along with 3 Apples and 1 Nectarine.

For Lunch I had some GREENS from the Container Garden...a mix of both the Sweet AND the Spicy Mesclun Mixes...so up to 8 different lettuces altho I think there is only about 5 in what I picked today.  On top of the Greens I threw in about a tablespoon or two of Hemp Seeds and about 1 C of Grapefruit.  For the "dressing" I just used Apple Cider Vinegar to taste.  I also had about 1/4 of a Watermelon on the side.  I'm looking forward to Dinner tonight!

Kitchen Garden Update & Fruit Finds of the Weekend

Check out this photo of the progress of my herbs that I'm trying to grow in my kitchen! 

At first - the Basil was the one to sprout and I was afraid the Chives and Parsley weren't going to do anything BUT then the Parsley REALLY took off and there are a few sprouts for the chives now, too! 
As of this morning the Parsley is in first place!  Not that it's a race but I LOVE seeing the progress of each one!

Speaking of progress in the Kitchen Garden Department...here is the Celery I have been attempting.  I ended up cutting it right after I took the photo.  I had been removing the not-so-good parts from the bottom for a while not and it looked like it was at it's peak of growing.  So I grabbed it and gnawed on it.  It was a more intense flavor of celery and I really want to do more of this soon!  I think next time I will try and transplant it...but I will keep you posted on that - if I do it or not.  I really thought it would get taller but - again - it was only my first time trying it.

Now...on to some Fun Fruit Finds for the weekend! 

First up...OPAL APPLES.  I was drawn to these because of the unusual YELLOW color as well as their enormous size!  They are bigger than a good sized grapefruit!  THEN...I saw the name and could help but think of my blogging buddy OPAL. 

What a wonderful surprise to come across these apples!  We bought TWO of them to try.  Last night hubby and I had them for "snack" and neither one of us was able to eat the whole thing!  While reading up on these apples they are one (of the few) apples that never turn brown.  So after cutting them up I covered the slices and took them out the of frig this morning to bring with me for a snack today and this is what they looked like!  They stood up to the claim of NOT turning brown!  How COOL is that!  (No Lemon Juice needed)  I have to say I DO like these apples!  They might be my 3rd favorite at the moment!  I still like the Pink Ladies and Kiku Apples better than the Opal as far as flavor and personal preference is concerned.  But I wanted to mention them on my blog here because it was an interesting find for me...I don't see a lot of the produce that they may see in California, for example.  I know the variety of many produce items is stronger out there!  Oh!  By the way...I purchased these apples at Wegman's.

Another great Fruit Find of the weekend were these grapes!    I couldn't find too much info about them, really.  I see that some of the Wholefood Markets have sold them on occasion.  I ended up getting them at Sam Club.  I think they were like $6 or so for 3 pounds!  It was CRAZY!  It has Gioia as the brand/name and they are Extremely Sweet Pinkish Green Color Grapes that are supposed to be seedless.  Eventho I have only had a few handfuls so far - I have found about half of them to have seeds and the other half of them to be seedless.  I think they might be similar to these grapes but they look a tad different.  Each grape seems like half is a pale and fading green that morphs into a pale and fading pink.  They are really interesting!  At first I thought they might be the Cotton Candy Grapes that Christine blogged about a while back but they aren't.  They don't fit the taste profile.  These grapes taste more like a cross between an orange, grapefruit, and grape.  So...if anyone has seen or ate these grapes before let me know your thoughts and if you can find them online - I wasn't able to find a website for them, specifically.  Since this post was a little long winded I think I will stop there but I do have a lot more to blog about from the weekend so swing by again soon!

FIRST Weekly Dehydrator Challenge & Raw Cookbook Giveaway!

I hope you will join Opal & I for our very first weekly Dehydrator Challenge! 

If you have a dehydrator - NOW is the time to bust it out and create!  If you do not have a dehydrator you can still participate - just put in your oven at a lower setting!  Visit OPAL for complete details AND don't forget to keep an eye out for her GIVEAWAY!  Yup!  That's right!  She's giving away a Raw Cookbook to help celebrate this NEW Weekly Dehydrator Challenge!

Raw Veggie Patties

2 C Sprouted Chickpeas
1/4-1/4 C Mushrooms
1 ONION
1/4 C Raw Sunflower Seeds
3 T Hemp Seeds
1 Small Zuke
2 T Minced Garlic
2 T Sun Dried Tomatoes, Minced
2 Grape Tomatoes
2 T Tahini

I posted more on this yesterday but thought I would repost with the HOP info today, too!  This is my 2nd post of the day - be sure to scroll down for my other post which is about Quick & Easy Vegan Snacks.

Soaking & Sprouting Nuts & Seeds - More Specifically (This Time Around) Broccoli Sprouts & Shoots

Last night I was catching up on some of Dan McDonald's Videos and came across this one on how to soak nuts and seeds.  I have been doing this for a while but I still consider myself a novice at it.  I don't get overly involved with fancy equipment and I think that is completely fine.  I really appreciated the variety of the nuts and seeds he highlighted in this video.

This video is a great watch.  I will give you a heads-up that it is about 20 minutes long.  But it's totally worth it.  LOTS of great info, here!

My co-workers and I started soaking some Sunflower Seeds today and will try and start sprouting them tomorrow in hopes of Sunflower Shoots - also known as - Sunflower Micro Greens!  I will keep you posted on that project for sure!  At home...I started soaking Broccoli this morning.  I'm not sure if I am going to try for Broccoli Sprouts or Broccoli Shoots yet but they come from the same seed.  Above is a photo of the sprouts!  And below a photo of the Shoots.

There have been MANY studies on the benefits of Broccoli Sprouts including cancer fighting properties as well as changes in those with high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, Macular Degeneration, COPD, Diabetes, etc.

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!