Mixed Berry Smoothie, Ups & Downs of LightLife, Butternut Vegan Mac & Cheese

Time has been flying by!  I do have things to share but haven't had time to share it.  I almost forgot it was my birthday today, too!  But then again - it's just another day!  So, this will be a mishmash of a blog entry - yet again!

Kicking things off with a smoothie I had the other night!  I've been pretty bad about eating fruit lately.  I mean...technically...Tomatoes, Avocadoes are fruits, yes, but other fruits I have been passing over lately.  I think it's just because I find them too sweet lately.  My sensitive teeth have been avoiding the naturally sugary jolt.  I think a way around this is smoothies and I've going to try and work on this!  Having said that - what do you think about the photo above?  I have been trying to take some better pictures and have been tinkering with lighting a bit.

The Smoothie contains:

1 c Coconut Milk
1 T Flax Meal
1 T Hemp Seeds
1 T Chia Seeds
2 C Frozen Mixed Berries

This next photo is from Monday.  It was our League of Women Voters 2nd Annual Sunshine Event.  I blogged about it last year a little bit so I figured I would mention it again this year.  This time around we took a tour of the City/Municipal Building and had about 5 speakers including our Mayor, City Manager, Chief of Police, Freedom of Information Officer, and a couple of Council Members.  I think the event was a success and it was something that has been in the works for a couple of months!

Here's a new-to-me-product.  I found them a while back on one of our weekend grocery shopping adventures.  It's been a couple of weeks since I actually ate them but wanted to share it.  They were quite tasty.  It's been a long time since I have tried anything from LightLife because I'm not into fake meats and I found a bunch of their items salty (years ago) but I see they are coming out with a bunch of new products so I'm happy to see them kicking it up a notch!  I made a simple homemade Thousand Island type dressing/dip for them.  It was a complete meal and quite filling, too!

This was a completely thrown together meal one day while working.  I went to a grocery store nearby and grabbed 3 items...frozen cauliflower rice, Daiya cheese sauce, and LightLife Vegan Dogs.  I only bought them because they were 2 for $5 and then there was a dollar off coupon on top of that so far $1.50 I thought I would revisit them.  I still didn't care for them.  I ate a few of them in this dish and then picked around it and just ate the cheesy cauliflower rice!  

The weather has still been awful here but I was able to visit my parents and brought Cricket along for a playdate with their dog Lexi.  They surprised me with Amy's Vegan Curry for dinner last night!

As for this double photo...it was a Butternut Squash based Vegan Mac and Cheese dish I made earlier this week.  The recipe is below - all in a blender:

1 Can Organic Butternut Squash Puree
2 T Tahini
3 T Nutritional Yeast
1 t Minced Garlic
1 t Smoked Paprika

1 t Turmeric

To Taste: Yellow Mustard, Lemon Juice, Balsamic, Braggs Liquid Aminos, Almond or Coconut Milk

Cinnamon Vanilla Mango Smoothie

I've been into vanilla-spice flavored things as of late.  Here's another one that you might find interesting.  If you aren't into Bananas like me you are looking for different ways to make no-Banana Smoothies.  Here is one using Mango instead of Bananas.

Cinnamon Vanilla Mango Smoothie

2+ C Frozen Mango

2 C Almond Milk

1 Scoop Garden of Life OPP Vanilla

1/2 tea Organic Cinnamon Powder

Is there an ingredient you would like me to try and make a smoothie out of?  Let me know in comments!

Creamy Hemp Italian Dressing, Pineapple Vanilla Smoothie, Cacao Pear Smoothie, and Selfie Day

Happy Wednesday LOVELIES!  I have some tasty items to share with you today!  First up...take a look at the salad I had last night!  It contained Iceberg Lettuce Mix - it was the only lettuce I had on hand at the moment - as well as - fresh sugar snap peas, carrot slivers, red cabbage slivers, corn strips, and I topped it with Creamy Hemp Italian Dressing (recipe below) and sprinkled smoked paprika on top!  

Creamy Hemp Italian Dressing

1/2 C Hemp Seeds

1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 C Lemon Juice

2 T Wildtree Italian Seasoning

1 T Wildtree Garlic Galore

Pinch Black Himalayan Sea Salt

Here's what it looked like in the bowl, too!

I found out almost TOO LATE that yesterday was National Selfie Day!

I swear I take the WORST Selfies!

I still need new glasses!  I still haven't gone to get my eyes checked since switching from contacts to glasses again!

This was my smoothie yesterday - it was Pineapple Vanilla - recipe below:

2 C Pineapple

1 C Almond Milk

1 Scoop Garden of Life Vanilla Flavored Raw Protein & Greens

Easy Peasy...RIGHT?  Yup!

And this was TODAY's Smoothie...Cacao Pear Smoothie - recipe follows:

2 C Sliced Pears

1 C Almond Milk

1 Scoop Garden of Life Cacao Flavored Raw Protein & Greens

Recipes & Info for a Soup, Smoothie, and Jerky!

In case you are getting sick of seeing all of my vacation photos I thought I would get back to posting some food!  It's been extremely busy since we've been back home - I can't believe it's already been a month that we've been back!  WOW!  

Anyhow...to the food, eh!?

Above you will see some of the posts I have been doing for The Raw Food World NEWS Site lately.  I will try and be better about cross posting them here on my blog, too!  First up is the recipe I did for the Raw Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup.  I paired that with some info on how it can help strengthen bones.  Below that you will see a photo and excerpt from the Blackberry Orange Smoothie Recipe I did and I wrote about how it may help with healthier skin.  And in the last of those 3 posts you will see a recipe I did for Tofu Jerky that may help with Type-2 Diabetes.  As I post this I see that I have a typo in the first line - OH MY!  I will be changing that very soon!  It's supposed to read I am NOT a 'pro' when it comes to tofu!  Eeek!

Morning Mash-Up Smoothie

Just a check Smoothie recipe this morning because I have some scheduled posts and other posts to get to thru - out the day!  I think I will call this one my Morning Mash-Up Smoothie!

Recipe:

1 Banana (frozen)

3 Dates
1 Scoop GoL's Marley Raw Protein
1 C Almond Milk
1 squirt of NuNatural's CocoMint Syrup

You know I LOVE my Marley...but the Coco Mint really kicked it up a notch!  YUM!  Stay tuned for more posts today including a giveaway!

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

Plum Cinnamon Chocolate Chai Smoothie

This was one of the smoothies I did this week!  It turned out yummy!  I have 2 other posts today and they are below this one.  This one will be short and sweet much like this smoothie!

4 Plums
1/2 Banana
1 Scoop GoL's Spiced Vanilla Chai
1 C Almond Milk
1 T Red Maca Cinnamon Almond Butter

It was sweet and a little spicy.  Creamy and a little fruity.

Winner...AND Another GIVEAWAY...Awesome Apple!

First I would like to say CONGRATS to the WINNER of the Wheatgrass Flavor of Garden of Life goodness!  Nicole was the winner!!!!  Thank you all for participating...but...wait...there's MORE!  Yup!  You GOT IT...another giveaway!  This time it's the APPLE Flavor of the Garden of Life RAW Perfect Food - it's organic - it's green - it's SUPER food!  And it can be yours!  All you have to do is comment on this post between now and Monday night!  I will draw one of the comments as the winner and contact you via email if you have indeed won...remember to let me know your email addy, tho!  Thanks!  US Shipping Addresses ONLY for this giveaway!  If you aren't into powders I will have some more giveaways next week you might enjoy, too!  Stay Tuned!

What Goes Into Perfect Food RAW?

Young cereal grass juices such as Barley, Alfalfa, Oat, Wheat, and Kamut are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. The green juices in Perfect Food RAW are grown organically, harvested at their nutritional peak, immediately juiced and dried at low temperatures. The RAW, organic cereal grass juice powders contained in Perfect Food RAW are loaded with chlorophyll and trace minerals for energy and support of already healthy blood sugar levels.^†1

Each serving of Perfect Food RAW contains over 17 nutrient-dense veggie juices that are freeze-dried using a gentle process that maintains nutrient potency and freshness.

Perfect food RAW also contains over a dozen organic raw sprouts. Sprouting is a term that refers to the process where you unlock the nutrient potential within a seed and is a great way to increase the digestibility of seeds, nuts and legumes while maintaining their raw nutrient density.

Finally, Perfect Food RAW contains a host of live probiotics and enzymes. Enzymes are present in all raw foods and enhance the body’s ability to digest and assimilate the nutrients our food contains while probiotics are key to the optimal function of our digestive system.

What Can You Do With the APPLE Flavor? 

Well...here are a few things I have done in the past...

* Apple Berry Smoothie
* Sweet Avocado Walnut Layered Fruit Dessert
* Strawberry Peach Banana Smoothie
* Cran Blueberry Smoothie
* Apple Adventure Smoothie

For an extra entry...when you comment...let me know what you want to try it with!  Good Luck!

Chocolate Plum Shocker Smoothie

This is my 3rd post for today so be sure to scroll down for more Vegan MoFo Fun, too!

Check out this vegan smoothie I made for snack last night!  I have decided to name it "Chocolate Plum Shocker".  Here's the recipe...

2 Plums
3/4 of a Banana
1 Scoop of GoL's Chocolate Cacao Raw Protein
2 C Coconut Water
2 T Agave Nectar from Wholesome Sweeteners
3 Drops of Vanilla Stevia from NuNaturals

This was EPIC!  This has to be in my Top 5 Smoothie attempts thus far!  The flavor was WONDERFUL!

A few more reasons I like this product...

It’s not only what RAW Protein contains, it’s also about what it doesn’t contain – there are no fillers, no artificial flavors and no synthetic ingredients and it's gluten-free and dairy-free.

So for those looking for highly nutritious, nutrient-dense, easily digestible, high quality protein nutrition, look no further than RAW Protein from Garden of Life.

Easily Digestible?  YES, Please! 

Tropical Dream Smoothie

I have a lot to post again today but I figured I would post a few things separately.  First up...this smoothie.  I'm calling it Tropical Dream.  

1 C Coconut Water

1 C Frozen Mango Cubes

1 Scoop of Garden of Life Vanilla Protein

WHY am I including this product in my food intake for today?  Mostly because I was looking for a creamy vanilla and I knew this would do the trick AND because of the Probiotic Potential.  I am going to try and 'up' my probiotics a bit every now and again.  This seemed like an easy way to throw it in a drink.  Other 'perks' of this product are...

• Provides RAW organic sprouted protein and live probiotics and enzymes
• Excellent source of protein – 17 grams and 33% Daily Value
• Contains Vitamin Code RAW Food-Created Nutrients™ with their unique Code Factors™ intact, enabling natural recognition by your body
• Increases the protein content of meals – just add to food or beverages
• Suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets
• Good for those on low carbohydrate diets
• Alternative to soy and animal protein powders
• Good for those with gastrointestinal sensitivities to milk, whey and other protein sources
• Easily digested – supports digestive health and function with live probiotics and protein-digesting enzymes†
• Mixes well – great in shakes, smoothies and other beverages

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! 

A Word About Farro AND Recipes for Farro with Artichokes, Sun Dried Tomatoes, & Pine Nuts AND a Blackberry Chia Smoothie

Oh YUM!  So...I made this for my lunch today and I have to say it's WONDERFUL!  I would have to say it's probably one of my new favorite dishes!  It's chewy, flavorful, and filling!  Here's what's in it...

1/2 C Farro (Nature's Earthly Choice)
About 3 C Water (to cook the Farro in)
1/2 C Sun Dried Tomatoes (with gentle oil)
About 3 C Artichoke Hearts
5 to 6 T Red Wine Vinegar
3 T Parsley
1/2 C Pine Nuts

If you are a fan of any or all of these ingredients PLEASE try this!  The flavor really pops!  YUM!  The texture is great, too!  It's a neat comfort food as well!

For my Breakfast today...I had a Blackberry Smoothie of sorts!  Here's what's in this:

1 1/2 C Almond Milk
1/2 Banana
1 Pint Blackberries
2 Small Dates
1 T Chia Seeds
6 drops of Vanilla NuNaturals Stevia

A word about Farro...

I'm by no means a Farro Guru.  I think including this dish I have only used it about 3 times so far.  But I'm REALLY loving this grain!  I guess that's why it's been around for over 5,000 years, eh!?  Not only because it's so tasty but because it's so GOOD for you!  It's high is fiber, protein, and a good source of complex carbs!  Just how much Fiber and Protein!?  Well, let me tell you!  Nature's Earthly Choice says that 1/4 C contains 5 grams or 21& of Fiber and 7 grams of Protein!  It also contains 2% Calcium and 12% Iron.  It acts like a sponge with spices, vinegars, flavored oils, and fruits and veggies which I really like, too!  But I keep going back to that chewy texture.  I guess those are just a few reasons why this grain has quickly gained a place in my heart!

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!

Green Mango & Coconut Milk Smoothie & Mini Goals

Happy Friday!  I have a quick smoothie recipe for you today!  It was my breakfast-on-the-go!  It only has 3 ingredients!

2 C Frozen Mangos
1.5 C Coconut Milk
1 Scoop Garden of Life's Yerba Mate Flavored Perfect Food^® RAW Energizer

Even tho this is a quick recipe today with minimal ingredients it's very good!  It's light and creamy and fluffy! A few more healthy tidbits about this recipe and product include...

·       Guayaki^® Yerba Mate, traditionally used for centuries to promote immediate energy and long term focus†

·       RAW Organic Peruvian Maca, harvested by hand, aged and sun dried to perfection, to support energy production as well as healthy, balanced hormones†

·       RAW Organic Pomegranate Juice and Cordyceps Mushrooms, long prized for providing the sustained energy you need to power through your busy day†

·       RAW Organic African Baobab, rich in minerals, especially magnesium, to promote the production of ATP—energy on the cellular level

If you are a regular to my site you might have read in the past that I randomly set mini goals for myself.  I would like to take this time to jot down a few more for the very near future.  I've already met my mini goals for getting back into smoothies as well as getting into dehydrating foods again as well as a few other things.  Here are a few things I have been slacking on lately that I want to jump back into!  I have done them in the past and enjoyed them - I just need to get back into them!

* Juicing

* Sprouting

Crafty Spices - Follow Who?
Social Weekend Hop

I NEED to get my Christmas Shopping DONE and I have to jump into preparing for Christmas Eve...we go to my husband's grandmothers where his extended family gets together.  We then hop over to my parents house where my sister, her husband, my mom and dad, Dale, and I gather as well as my husband's brother and girlfriend.  Then the next day for Christmas we kind of do the same thing in reverse...we go to my parents house and it's the same 8 of us THEN we go back to his grandmother's house for his family's Christmas...his mom and step father, his grandmother, his brother and his girlfriend, Dale, and I.  For Christmas Eve BOTH places have munchies...so...I have to jump on a few things to bring!  I will do at least 1 or 2 dips and maybe a bean salad, not completely sure, yet.  Dale thinks I should bring the Buffalo Cauliflower Wings I posted about earlier this week!  I still might.  Then for Christmas Morning - my father takes pride in his traditional MASSIVE Omelet.  Of course, this is the 2nd year I will not be consuming.  It's become a tradition that I make the cheesy grits as well...last year I did some for myself with vegan cheese.  It smelled kind of funky but they tasted really good.  So, YEAH...sorry for the ramble, but I'm in the planning stages and that will be a mini goal for the near future, too!  I have totally been in research mode, as well!  I've been learning about new products and processes as well as new-to-me world foods and new sites!  I hope to share those with you all, soon, too!  What have you been up to!?

 

Cranberry Blueberry Smoothie

I've really been rockin' the smoothies lately.  I'm having fun with them.  the Leafy Greens in my area are not looking very healthy these days or I would gladly include them in my smoothies.  I hope this turns around very soon!  I would like to start incorporating Kale, Spinach, and a few others in them.  I will say this one really surprised me tho!  I was asked by a reader recently to do a smoothie without milk or milk alternatives.  As you know I don't use real milk in mine but have been using Almond Milk as well as Coconut, Cashew, Hemp, and other alternatives.

This Cranberry Blueberry Smoothie has none of those in there!  BUT...this is what it DOES have in it...

1 C Organic Cranberry Juice
1/2 C Frozen Blueberries
1/2 Frozen Banana
1/2 Scoop of Garden Of Life's Raw Perfect Food Apple Flavor

I believe I fought off that potential head cold and I'm darn proud for that!  YAY!

I truly believe that foods are healing and also preventative!  I'm sure you know that Cranberries are an amazing food!  They help treat urinary tract infections, they help fight cancer and heart disease, help with kidney and bladder problems, help prevent dental problems, they promote weight loss, they have anti-aging properties, they improve mental health, strengthen immune systems, and relieve skin conditions.

We had some in the house because of the issues my husband has been going thru and I decided to incorporate some into my smoothie this morning.  This smoothie tastes WONDERFUL by the way!

As for the Blueberries...they pack a powerful punch, too!  Blueberries are high in anti-oxidants, they help preserve your vision, help banish belly fat, they are good for bone health, Blueberries help relieve constipation, they are known as a good "brain food", they are Heart Healthy, they are a Cancer Fighter, they help lower blood sugar, and they help with Bladder issues.

Cranberries and Blueberries!  My little fighters for the day!  Paired with a spec of Banana and GoL Apple Flavored Perfect Food...YAY!