Cashew Dill Dip, Coin Update, Pain Update, Vegan Grocery Hauls, Veganized Great Depression Cooking, & Tomato Cakes

I'm really trying to make the most of this crappy weather that we have been experiencing but it's difficult.  Especially when my parents are soaking up the sun in St. Lucia for about a week.  Lucky Stinkers!

I've been testing new recipes, doing research on several topics, and making mini goals for myself.

Yesterday I made this Cashew Dill Dip.  It's made up of 2 C Cashews, 2 C Water, 4 T Lemon Juice, 1 Small Onion, 6 Cloves Garlic, Dill and Black Sea Salt to taste.

Today I had some HAPPY MAIL - about 30 coins from all over the world.  I was VERY excited to add these to my collection.  I'm up to 98 countries now!

I've been trying to tackle ongoing pain issues that seem to mirror Fibromyalgia.  I've upped my intake of Spirulina & Chlorella and hope to up my Vitamin C, B, D, & Magnesium mostly thru foods. 

Today I did 2 mini budget hauls.  This first one was at my local herbs store.  It was unplanned but these items caught my eye because they were on the discount shelf (except for the Hemp Hearts which I needed).  Those were over $8.  Other than that the rest of what you see here was roughly $10.  As an afterthought - I don't think I have ever tried the Kamut Spirals, Spinach Spaghetti, or those Simply Organic flavors before.  The last couple of times I bought Hemp Hearts online they were about $6 so I know they can be found cheaper but since I was already there and it is a small business and locally owned business I thought I would splurge a bit.

As for this other grocery haul - it was 'sort of' planned.  What I mean by that is - I watched The Vegan Zombie's video on Vegan Shopping at Dollar Tree and thought I would see what I could find at ours. I found 2 soups that were clearly marked vegan, Gnocchi, Soy Milk, Bread, Olive Oil, Chickpeas, Black Beans, Sweet Corn, Saltines, and Diced Tomatoes.  The Diced Tomatoes were 2 for $1 and the Corn was 79 cents...other than that the rest was $1 each.  That bought my total to $12.79.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I have been doing a lot of research.  I like to call it 'personal enrichment' or throw it in the 'more you know' category.  Regardless...check this out!  One of the many things I have been researching lately is Great Depression Cooking.  I have looked into that topic in the past before but the spark was re-lit the past couple of days.  This also falls into 'Eating on a Budget' that I like to do as much as possible.  What you see here are Tomato Cakes.

Tomato Cakes are made up of 2 ingredients.  Canned, Diced Tomatoes and Saltine Crackers.  All I did was crumble up about 30 Saltines and mixed them in with 1 can of diced tomatoes.  I then made patties out of them and pan-fried them with a little oil.  If you want you can kick it up a notch and use Basil infused oil for a twist.  These turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  I topped them with leftover Cashew Dill Dip.  I will be making these again and soon!  They cost $2 or less for an entire batch.  I easily made 10 patties out of these ingredients!

My Blissful Journey ~ Sleep & Meditation

I've been blogging here and there about my experiments with music and sleep.  It seems to be working.  In a round about way I had been pairing that with my own form of meditation.  I, for one, believe there is not a right or a wrong way to meditate.  I think it can be any form of prayer, it can be deep breathing, it can be yoga, it can be reading something positive and bright, it can be a walk in the woods or on the beach, it can be listening to music, or just that zone you get in before you fall asleep.

It took me a while to accept that.  I thought for years that I wasn't meditating correctly.  But that is like saying that someone isn't 'christian enough' or 'female enough' or 'pretty enough'.  Who are the meditation police?  We can't let anyone tell us we are doing something wrong if its improving our lives, right?

As for me - and what I have been doing LATELY - based on the first chart in this post is - for my ENVIRONMENT is my living room.  I actually sleep on my sofa.  I have for years.  I know it's not the best for my Sciatica, sleep, or back, but the dogs will not have it any other way.  That AND - DH goes to work at 4am. I rather get what sleep I can that be up and down and up and down every hour.  BUT ANYWAYS...my environment is my living room with low light and meditative beats on my iPad from YouTube.  I usually have Riley sleeping by my feet, Cricket sleeping on my lap or in the boat of my legs, and Paco sleeping above my head.  I know...it doesn't sound real comfortable but I finally have a system and so do they! LOL - Then for the 'set the intention' part - my intention is to get to sleep, stay asleep, and feel refreshed when I sleep.  I try and focus on healing any aches and pains I have, too.  For posture - I lay flat on my back - most of the time with my arms to the side and slightly above my head.  Sometimes under the blanket because I like to be warm at all times - or tucked under my pillow.  And as for Posture - I think a photo will explain it better but I've been sleeping in the Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana).

So before when I was saying that Cricket usually sleeps on my lap or in the 'boat' by 'boat' I mean inside my leg area.  These sleeping choices could not be further from what I have been doing my ENTIRE LIFE.  Prior to this experiment I was sleeping in a ball - was a side sleeper - and had to have blankets over my ears - no matter how warm the weather was - and my arms hugging something - usually a pillow.

I have noticed that this has been helping my Sciatica on many days.  I have gotten used to sleeping this way - the thing that seemed to seal the deal was pairing all of this with Binaural Beats and Meditative Music!

Sleep & Music

The last couple of weeks I have been experimenting with different sleeping habits.  One in particular was the addition of listening to music while I sleep.

I have found that this is helping me get to sleep, get better sleep, and when I wake up - it seems like I can get back to sleep quicker.

I guess in a way I'm pairing this with meditation at the end of the day, too.  So I'm able to achieve 2 daily goals with 1 action.

Where am I finding 8-hours of Meditative Sleep Music?  YouTube.  You can even type in what kind of sleep music.  HERE I typed in for Fibromyalgia.

Egg Trick Bagel & Tater Tot Casserole

Yesterday I was able to take a little time in the kitchen with food prep and such.  I've done Strong Hearts Cafe & The Vegan Zombie's Egg Trick Muffin before and have done my own variations.  This time around I used a bagel flat (basically a flat bagel round) instead of an English Muffin.  You may remember that I LOVE using a few tablespoons of salsa on my Egg Trick Muffins so I did that here as you can see it oozing out of the bagel hole.  Inside I just did the seasoned tofu round patty and Daiya Cheese.  It was tasty!  I have 2 more disks of tofu ready to go in my freezer so I'm sure I will be doing this again soon!  I will most likely be doing a side of Tofu Scramble with the edges of the tofu I didn't use.

For a closer look at the tofu egg part - I thought I would take another snap.  Since hubby has been really suffering with his ongoing sinus infections and pneumonia yesterday we had a quiet day at home.  We were able to watch Fantastic Beasts.  It was good!  On Saturday there was a vendor show at our local YMCA.  It ended up being a pretty good turn out.  We were there with our Wildtree stuff!

Now...on to my newest attempt a Tater Tot Casserole!  I told you I was going to do it!!!  And here is what I did!  This first photo is the casserole BEFORE it went into the oven!  Recipe...

Bottom Layer:
Chopped Broccoli & Cauliflower
Chickpeas
In the Middle:
Then I poured 1/2 box of Cashew Ginger Soup over it
Then I added a layer of Daiya Cheese
Top Layer:
Tater Tots - touching - edge to edge
Then the rest of the Cashew Ginger Soup
Then more Daiya Cheese

Sprinkled on top:
Hemp Seeds, Dried Onion, Fresh Minced Garlic, Turmeric, Smoked Paprika, Nutmeg

This next photo is the first piece I took out after baking it at about 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.  I think it turned out great!  As you can see the top vegan cheese layer didn't melt well and I'm sure it was because there wasn't any liquid on top to assist with the melting.

In this photo you can see that the middle layer vegan cheese melted nicely.  I think next time I will put more of the cheese in the middle and less on top OR make a vegan cheese sauce for the top instead of using the shreds and sprinkling them.  I have to say I was pretty tickled with myself on this one.  The only creamy vegan soup I could find at Tops yesterday was the Cashew Ginger one.  It worked pretty well.  I'm sure with a different creamy vegan soup it would change up the overall flavor and I'm looking forward to getting creative with it.  I know I will be able to get multiple meals out of this!  I'm considering making at least one sandwich out of it, too!  I will keep you posted on that if I attempt it!

Tater Tot Casseroles are so versatile and the possibilities are endless!  If I had more time to bake 1 each week I'm sure I could come up with many more ingredient and flavor combinations!

As for the rest of my weekend I had a bit of a hard time with my aches and pains - especially after standing for 7 hours at the vendor show.  My Sciatica kicked in - or what I was thinking was my Sciatica - now I'm wondering if it was Fibromyalgia all along.  Perhaps it's both!  Heck, I don't know!  But another thing I did find out in my research was Apple Cider Vinegar for the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia.  I'm pasting that info below.  It's pretty interesting stuff!  Makes a lot of sense, too!  One of my mini goals for the first part of this week is to create some of those ACV Drinks at home.  Not only will DH drink them - so will I!

While apple cider vinegar does not treat fibromyalgia per se, it has been reported to alleviate many of the symptoms experienced by those living with fibromyalgia.
These include:

Fatigue – Stress (both emotional and physical) causes lactic acid to build up in the body resulting in fatigue. The potassium in apple cider vinegar combats this.

Joint Pain and Headache – Apple cider vinegar keeps the body’s pH level slightly alkaline which helps eliminate joint pain as well as headaches.

Swelling and Inflammation – Apple cider vinegar may be rubbed onto visibly swollen areas. Consuming apple cider vinegar helps relieve inflammation in the body.

Gastrointestinal Issues – Apple cider vinegar contains pectin which helps sooth the colon lining. It assists with loose bowels by forming more “bulk” in the G.I. tract.

While rigorous scientific research cannot support any claims that apple cider vinegar fights or cures fibromyalgia, many anecdotal reports suggest relief and reduction from debilitating fibromyalgia symptoms. Source: https://www.wholesomeone.com/news-articles/apple-cider-vinegar-fibromyalgia

Get Out There & Make It Happen!

This past week I have been pretty off.  Just not myself.  I sort of felt like I was a zombie.  Sure a lot of people around me are sick and I seem to be fighting it off so far but I wanted to step it up a notch.  I also wanted to educate myself more on the topic of Adrenal Health.  Within that spectrum I was also researching BUILDING JING.

So I will be blogging more and more about these topics as I find things of interest and start implementing them in daily life.  I've always been fond of herbs and often have in depth chats with my local Herbologist.  I want to take that to the next level and start really concentrating on it more.

A great place to start is in the kitchen.

Ironically, the more I researched JING the more I noticed a certain KEYWORD.  The word that popped up was Fibromyalgia.  Over the past year I have been trying to listen to what my surroundings have been trying to tell me.  When I listen - wonderful things happen.  This topic seems to be TALKING TO ME so I want to listen.

Adrenals, Herbalism, Kidneys, Inflammation, Fibromyalgia.  

Some of the suggestions I have read about include drinking LOTS of water, tea, and tisanes!  CHECK!  This is a HUGE part of my life already!  Mineral Rich Pink Sea Salt.  I'm not much of a salt person but when I do use salt I use Black or Pink Mineral Rich Sea Salt.  Valerian Root.  This is something I have toyed with in the past and after reading more about it I now know that I must up my intake of it!  Licorice.  This is something else I have upped already in the tea and tisanes I have been drinking but I will continue to keep this in mind.  Leafy Greens.  LOVE THEM.  But you can never get TOO MANY of them!  Caffeine Free Teas and Tisanes.  I must say I start each and every day with at least 1 black tea.  I will say that I have cut back on how many of the caffeine based ones I have each day and have upped my herbal tisanes!  

Things to stay away from?  Sugar.  I don't really eat a lot of sugar.  Unless it's in natural foods like fruit.  But they are talking about store-bought and processed foods that contain sugars.

When it comes to Adrenal Vegan Foods here are some great ones that have been suggested...

Lower Sugar Fruits, Beans, Vegetables, Sprouted Grains, Nuts, Seeds, Avocados.  

Seems easy enough and I eat all of those things already!  But something I really need to be better about is BREAKFAST.  I've blogged about this before and how I struggle.  And I keep going back to that Morning Smoothie Solution.  I just need to BUCK UP and DO IT!

So stay tuned for more of this in daily life and here on my blog.  It's my way of being accountable, I guess!

Improvements with Aches & Pains

Earlier this year (I can't believe I'm already saying that - it's March!) I was telling you about some aches and pains I was having that seemed to be increasing.  I also told you that I was looking into ways to improve them.  I feel like I have done that (somewhat) successfully.  Of course some days are better than others.  I have to tell you that I haven't been diagnosed with anything and I'm not really self-diagnosing either.  But what I can tell you is that almost everything I was dealing with lined up to fibromyalgia systems.  Steps I have taken to help with my systems have helped a great deal.  After doing research on the subject I found out that many doctors will say that it's true if you have 13 (or 15 - depending on who you talk to) out of 18 pain points.  I can say that I have different levels of pain and/or aches in 16 out of 18 of them.  

So what have I done to make these improvements?  

First and foremost I have upped my B Vitamin intake.  I have also added Spirulina and Chlorella tablets.  I've always LOVED Turmeric so I have increased my intake in that as well!  I have been wearing different bras for the past couple of months.  They are high impact sports bras.  I have changed the way I sleep.  I used to be a side sleeper and have changed to laying on my back.

I have picked up many things from Forks Over Knives, Dr. McDougall, and the Hallelujah Diet.  All of which are plant based.  Each day I have been trying to learn more and more and implement something new.  So far I have seen a HUGE difference.  I will continue to report on things I find to be helpful.