Getting Into a Daily Routine

Well NOT really a DAILY Routine...but a beginning of the day routine.  I have been able to stick with my B-Complex and/or B-12 intake since Saturday so far.  Since it's winter in the snow belt I have been including a squirt of Vitamin D Spray.  All of which are part of the MyKind Organics Line...all whole food, plant based, vegan vitamins!  

My goal is to go a solid month and hopefully longer this time around.  A Morning Routine will help me with this.  I figure if I am overly pushy about giving my dog his meds - why can't I do the same for me? LOL

I have been trying to sleep differently the last several nights.  I'm usually a side sleeper and I think this is catching up with me.  I'm trying my hardest to lay on my back now.  So far - so good.

I'm still not real good about daily breakfasts.  That's something I still need to incorporate, work on, and stick with.  The last couple of months I have not been real good at eating breakfast or lunch.  I know that is really bad.  Then I pig out at dinner to make up for the rest of the day.  I will snack during the day sometimes if I have something to snack on but it's not the best in terms of healthy snack sometimes.  Because of all of this I have gained weight back.  This may or may not have anything to do with my aches and pains but it's probably best if I try and do better about it.

I've also started incorporating Chlorella back into my daily grind.  Mostly Mondays thru Fridays - because I have them on my work desk.  I will probably explain this more down the road.  In the meantime I am taking those again, too!

Herb intake!  I've upped it!  I thought about blogging about it as I drank them if I was in front of the computer which I may still do but for now - yesterday and today - I have been enjoying Brain Booster from Urbal Tea and Ginger & Lemon Myrtle from Lupicia.  

The Brain Booster from Urbal Tea includes: Gotu Kola, Peppermint, Ginko, Rosemary, Sage, Eleuthero, Parsley, Lemon Balm, Elderberry, Hibiscus, Apple, Blueberries, Currants, Cornflower, Raisins.

By doing this I am also cutting back on my caffeine.  Instead of 8 or more cups of highly caffed tea everyday I would like to stay to ONE or NONE to see what happens.

I found a way to do a little in more of the way of exercise in doors at work while in the winter months...STAIRS.  Simple enough.  I think I might tuck away a place for yoga during lunch soon, too!  I'm usually the only one in my office.  Time will tell.

I also picked up a few new bras.  I hate talking about those but I will since it's a change I am making.  I will give it a few days or weeks before reporting my findings.   

So far many of these changes are for the better.  I would like to work on attitude, inner peace, stress, anxiety, and muscle pain more, too!

I've also been feeling a salad kick coming on!  I have been eating more of them than usual but usually when I get in this mode...I will go for a month and eat HUGE salads at least once a day.  

I want to thank Christine and Hilary for their comments, encouragement, and support!  Keep on me!  I need it!

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!

Simple Cashew Cream

My father AND my husband cannot consume nuts but LOVE them.  I remember making this Simple Cashew Cream a while back andI know my dad would LOVE it.  I really need to get my rear-in-gear and try and make some for the holidays...or really ANY time...because it's SO EASY!  Throw everything into a high speed blender and there you go!

Simple Cashew Cream

1 C Soaked Cashews

1/4 C Water

1 T Agave Nectar

1 t Garden of Life OPP Vanilla

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!

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!

Warm Vanilla Spiced Chai

It happens every year...Winter Time in the snow belt...sigh...

At least I can make some warm and comforting things to eat and drink to combat it.

Warm Vanilla Spiced Chai - infuse/steep your own chai or use a chai flavored product like I did here!

2 Frozen Bananas

1 C Almond Milk

1 Scoop Garden of Life Vanilla Chai Raw Protein

Optional:

1/8 t Vanilla Powder

1/4 t Cinnamon Powder

1/4 t Ground Ginger

Pinch of Nutmeg

For the optional ingredients you can use them right away to kick it up a notch or use as a sprinkle to top to your liking!

Fruity Dream Slushie

I'm thinking about posting a variation of this over at Sororitea Sisters because it uses Yerba Mate!  You could either infuse/steep your own Yerba Mate or use a product like I did here!  I used Garden of Life's Yerba Mate OPP Yerba Mate and it worked nicely!  This was a fruity, creamy, slushie sort of a treat.

Fruity Dream Slushie

1 C Frozen Mango, Cubed

6 Strawberries

1 C Pineapple, Cubed

1 C Fresh Orange Juice (or more)

1 T Garden of Life Yerba Mate Organic Plant Protein Powder

Sorry Vegan MoFo! YIKES! Vanilla Pudding!

Well, I SUCK!

I totally blew this years Vegan MoFo for my vegan foodie posts.  At least I was able to feature at least 1 vegan tea a day for Vegan MoFo over at Sororitea Sisters, tho!

I honestly have no idea where to jump in with all of the stuff I have been backlogging to post someday so why not start with a recipe?  I have been really busy but lazy all at the same time so for occasions like this I thought blender options are always nice!

Vanilla Pudding, anyone?

1 C Cashews, Soaked

1 C Cashew/Almond Milk (made at home or store bought)

1 to 2 t Garden of Life Vanilla Organic Protein Powder

3 T Coconut Butter (I used Raw Coconut Butter with Coconut Blossom Sugar from Divine Organics)

4 to 8 drops of Liquid Stevia (or other sweetener)

Pinch of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt (optional)

I hope to get back into the swing of things and posting again so any/all encouragement is appreciated - CHEERS!

MyKind Plant Iron - VEGAN - Giveaway!

TGIF!  Today I'm giving away a bottle of MyKind Organics Plant Iron & Organic Herbs from Garden of Life.  I'm super excited about this product more-so for my sister who has had to take an Iron Supplement since she was just a few years old.  She's always been low in Iron and has suffered from Anemia several times throughout her life.  My sister isn't a vegetarian but always loves learning about the products I find.  She was incredibly excited when I told her about this product not only because it's made fro organic plants and herbs but because it's a liquid.  Up until now she has always taken Iron in pill form.  PLUS...this has a cherry-lime flavor, too!

Below you will see some additional info regarding this product but first I wanted to tell you how to enter to win this product here on my blog!  All you have to do is be a US resident and make a comment on this post along with an email addy.  Tuesday I will choose one winner and contact them by email to tell them they are the winner!

Additional info about this product...


Support your blood health and provide energy to the entire body with 10mg of whole food plant iron!

Promote iron absorption and utilization with organic Amla vitamin C and whole food vitamins B6 and B12!

Support healthy iron and energy levels with ayurvedic organic herbs: Ashwagandha, Amla and curry!

Offered in a delicious organic cranberry-lime flavor, it's non-constipating, easily absorbed!

MyKind Organics Organic Plant Calcium Giveaway!

It's time for another giveaway!  MyKind Organics and Garden of Life is letting me giveaway a bottle of their Organic Plant Calcium!  It's VEGAN and made of organic whole foods!  It gives you an extra boost of Vegan D3, Vitamin K2 (MK-7), and Magnesium!  I have yet to try these myself but I am a fan of MyKind Organics sprays, etc.  I was not compensated for this post but am able to try Garden of Life products in exchange for honest reviews.  I'm just posting this because I want people to know that there ARE Vegan and Whole Food/Plant-Based Supplements out there if you so choose to use them!

All you have to do to be entered to win a bottle of these is to be a US resident, leave a comment, and let me know your email addy!  I will choose a winner on Wednesday and contact the winner via email.

Thanks so much for playing along!  I hope you had a great weekend and have a wonderful Thanksgiving for those who celebrate!

Another Weekend Vegan Giveaway! MyKind Organics Vegan D3 Spray!

Happy Weekend everyone!  I have...Another Weekend Vegan Giveaway from MyKind Organics and Garden of Life!  This weekend they are allowing me to giveaway their Vegan D3 Spray!  How awesome is that?

I wasn't paid for this posting but I wanted to give other people a chance to win a pretty awesome vegan product so Garden of Life will be sending the winner of this contest a bottle of this spray at NO COST!

If you are a US Resident and would like to 'enter to win' all you have to do is comment on this post with your email addy and I will choose a winner at random on Monday.

This product is VEGAN, USDA Organic, Certified Gluten Free, and part of their Non-GMO Project.  This is a vegan form of PLANT Omegas.  It's base is from Sunflower Oil and it's Vanilla Flavored.  Even the vanilla flavoring comes from a organic vegan source!

Vegan Pizza Party & LATE Weekend Giveaway

What happened to the weekend giveaway? Keep reading!  I am including this past week's giveaway at the bottom of this post!  Before we get to that I figured I would show you my vegan pizza I made on Saturday Night!  Hubby went to Pittsburgh for the Steelers game and I went to Buffalo for the Bills game.  More on that in a near future post.  Hubby left for Erie to meet up with his brother on Saturday afternoon and headed for Wegman's in Lakewood and grabbed some Daiya Cheese.  I then went over to my parents and made some of the Wildtree Pizza Dough that happens to be vegan and then added Sauce, Daiya, Onions, Peppers, and spices to it.  My parents had some of the vegan pizza and enjoyed it, too!

The first photo is before I baked it and this 2nd photo is after it came out of the oven.  We added some more spices to the top, too!  It was tasty!  I ate 3 pieces.  BUT...it was VERY thin and I hadn't eaten much on Saturday...a little but of grits but that's it.  We put the onions and peppers in between the sauce and the Daiya!

After making and eating the Vegan Pizza my mom and I made 3 different raw vegan desserts and I will be sharing those with you in future posts as well!  It was fun spending time with my parents this weekend and then on Sunday when we went to the game I got to see my sister, too!

I wish I had more veggies to add to the top of this but it still turned out yummy!

And here's a close up of a slice.  In case you were wondering I used a Wegman's Marinara that also happened to be vegan.  The spices were Wildtree Spices.  We sprinkled a little bit of the California Garlic Pepper and a bit of the Spicy Chipotle Ranch...yes...both vegan!

I've been hungry for soups so I will have soups on tap this week at some point among other things.

Sometimes when I indulge in vegan packaged convenience foods or vegan junk foods I sometimes will take a supplement...or if I am on the road for a few days to fill in any holes I may put upon myself.  I really like some of the Garden of Life Products that I have seen come across me lately - more specifically their sister company MyKind Organics which is a Certified Organic Whole Food Vitamin Company which is also vegan.  This is the company that Alicia Silverstone is the spokesperson for.  Today I am posting about their Women's Multi 40+ Vitamins.  They are allowing me to give a bottle of them away.  If you are a US Resident and would like to win these please leave me a comment along with your email addy.  I will choose a winner sometime Wednesday!  A little disclaimer...I was not paid to post this offer, however, Garden of Life allows me to do giveaways on my blog in exchange for honest reviews, recipes, and link-backs.

Marley Fit Contest/Giveaway! Yes! It's VEGAN!

It's the weekend and you know what that means...it's time for a giveaway!  Garden of Life is allowing me to give away a tub of their Raw Marley Fit!  I LOVE their Marley Coffee based flavors!  This is open to US residents.  To be eligible - just leave me a comment on this post and I will be choosing the winner late Monday.  In your comment be sure to let me know your email addy so I can contact you if you are the winner!

What makes this product unique?

It supports healthy blood sugar levels and burn fat naturally with the power of Svetol® Green Coffee Bean Extract, RAW Food Created Chromium, Organic Cinnamon, and Organic Sprouted Grains.

It helps regulate cortisol levels and manage stress related cravings with RAW Organic Ashwagandha.

It builds lean muscle mass, help repair it after work-outs and sustain it on a sensible meal plan with 28g of RAW certified organic plant protein—a complete protein with 13 organic sprouts and a biological value of 98.2%!

It's naturally filling and satisfies hunger with RAW Organic Soluble and Insoluble Fiber from certified organic grains, seeds, legumes and fruits.

And it promotes healthy and comfortable digestion and elimination with live probiotics and enzymes.

Special thanks to Garden of Life for letting me do this giveaway!  

Disclaimer:
I was NOT paid for this posting but sometimes receive product at no charge to review.

MWM (MidWeek Munchies) & The Winner Is...

It's MWM Time!  That's right...MidWeek Munchies!  But first I would like to say CONGRATS to the winner of the Chocolate Raw Meal from Garden of Life!  The winner is...Katherine!

CONGRATS!  I dropped you an email - if you would like to send me a response with your info I will let GoL know and they will send you your prize!

Now here are some of the goodies I would like to share this week for MidWeek Munchies!  Remember...you can link up anything VEGAN!  Whether it's a farmer's market or grocery store haul, online purchase, something that someone gifted you, a new vegan product find, vegan munchies that you made at home this week, or a edible vegan product review!  Let's see them!

I've blogged before about a few things I have tried from Awesome Foods and I am waiting on some more of their items to arrive including Herb Flax Crackers, Zesty Tomato Flax Crackers, Quinoa Crackers, and Poppadom Chips.  Also on my list to receive this week in the mail are raw almonds, Dark Agave Syrup, a few organic pastas, some Maple & Cinnamon Flax Snackers from Foods Alive, from Alive & Radiant 3 different types of Kale Chips that I have had before and LOVED, and from Living Nutz Pesto Walnuts, Mayan Chili Pistachios, and Vanilla Bean Coconut Creme Walnuts.

I've finally pulled the trigger on all 4 Atlantic Seaweeds, too!  There is Dulse, Kelp, Wakame, and Sweet Kelp!  I would like to start incorporating more of these in my dishes.  I'm assuming I will use them more as a crumble for a more savory flavor in things.

Question of the day:

What are some non-traditional ways you use these seaweeds?

Now it's YOUR Turn...show me what you have for this week's MidWeek Munchies by linking up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Weekend Round-Up & Raw Vegan Giveaway!

This past weekend it was my intention to start my weekend giveaways here but something went wrong so I will start them today instead.

But before we get to the prize at stake I thought I would tell you a little bit about this past weekend!  First up...one of the smoothies I forgot to post last week!  It was delicious!  It had Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Coconut Water, and Garden of Life Vanilla Organic Plant Protein.  I just LOVE the color of this...don't you?

No...this isn't a vegan ice cream...it's Balsamic Beet Hummus!  I made some over the weekend because I enjoyed the Beet Hummus I bought the weekend before from Trader Joe's!  In this there is...1 C Small Beets, 1 C Chickpeas, 1/3 T Tahini, 2 T Lemon Juice, 1 T Garlic Grapeseed Oil, 1 to 2 T Balsamic Vinegar.

Sunday I cleaned some of the kitchen and frig.  I concentrated on the stove and used one of the new products I got from Norwex and it worked really well.  I did 2 loads of dishes and dried some laundry.  I cleaned the dogs pens out and did some of their blankets.

I finally had time to roast some squash I had.  There were types the Kabocha Squash AND Spaghetti Squash.  I roasted them with Garlic Grapeseed Oil and 2 different kinds of pine nuts (standard and long).

I then took the Spaghetti Squash and used it in the base for the dish you will see in just a little bit and I cubed up the Kabocha Squash and used it as well.  I sampled a bit of each and they were tasty!  Below is the finished product.  It's a Thai Curry Squash with peas and pine nuts.

I ate a bowl as a soup and it was totally YUMMY.  Since I made a HUGE batch I decided to cook up some lentils and rice so I could pair it for meals this week.  For the base recipe I used...1 small spaghetti squash, 1 small kabocha squash, 1 T grapeseed oil and about 1/4 C Pine nuts - I roasted those ingredients at 380 degrees for about a half hour.  I then took 1 sweet onion and cooked it down then added half the pine nuts that were roasted and about 6 basil leaves that were dried and crumbled.  Added 1 can of coconut milk,  I added the spaghetti squash to it and simmered for a few then put in my blender to make a base.  I then added 4 T Wildtree Green Curry Paste/Sauce, the other half of the roasted pine nuts, 1 C Peas, and Black Sea Salt to taste.  It turned out great!

Saturday we sold our Wildtree products at a regional winery.  I'm thrilled because this winery doesn't use purifiers, clarifiers, or preservatives in their wine that tend to be fish or gelatin based!  Next to the door they had this crazy looking guy and they were all decked out for Halloween.  It made all sorts of weird noises and moved.  They had him on an operating table and it was fun to watch the people come in and freak out when the sensor went off!  It was a very windy day and driving home was a bit challenging at times because of the wicked wind!

Saturday night the dogs enjoyed snuggle time on the sofa.  Paco liked that I let him use my pillow, too.  He's doing well but his legs still have good days and bad days.  He's a trooper, tho, because he still trucks around the house in his own special way.  And of course he's still as cute as ever.  Sunday night the dogs seemed to enjoy family time, too!  We caught up on Grey's Anatomy and Reign which are two of the shows we enjoy during the week on Hulu.

Okay!  It's time!  It's time for the giveaway I intended for this past weekend!  All you have to do is be a US Resident and comment on this post with your email addy.  Garden of Life is letting me give away a TUB of their Chocolate Raw Meal!  It's vegan and RAW!  New packaging and everything!  Woot!  I will choose a winner sometime tomorrow and announce the winner on Wednesday!  Each weekend I will have a different giveaway, too, so stay tuned!

What I'm...

Today's post will be a mish mash of tidbits.  Before I get started I must say that the logo above isn't mine but I was drawn to it.  I then went directly to the source which was The Mobility Hub of Africa.   It's a project by Art Moves Africa promoting just about everything Arts and Culture related.

Now...on to what I have been doing and a whole lot more...

 First off I will start by saying I attended an 8th Grade Career Day yesterday and that was interesting.  I was around 8th graders all day and some of them that stopped by our table were able to record and play back so they could hear what they would or could sound like on the air.  (If you are new to my site I should probably tell you that I work in radio full time).  3 of the attendees I was especially happy to see...hubby's cousin's daughter, a friend of ours' son, and a boy who has loved radio since he was 3 and has been in to tour the studios and has dropped by our live broadcast remotes often.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I'm Watching...

I have been enjoying a lot of memories from my childhood, teen, and college years on Hulu+ and Netflix as of late.  I'm currently watching from the beginning A Different World.  I remember watching each and every episode when I was younger.  It's nice to re-watch them in the evenings when winding down.  We don't have Cable, Dish, Local TV, etc...but we do subscribe to both of these streaming services!  Do you?  If so...what are you currently watching?

What I'm Drinking...

In addition to many 52 Teas I have been sipping I have been getting back into Simpson & Vail's Teas.  I'm almost done with my stash of them, tho.  I really like their MANY Black Tea offerings.  I have also been trying to get into more herbals and you can read about a few of them over at The Sororitea Sisters Website.

Another thing I have been drinking is my morning smoothies!  Last week one of my mini goals was to be more consistent and make one each morning Monday Thru Friday.  I have been doing pretty good with this attempt with the except of yesterday while I attended the Career Day.  Instead I grabbed one of the Bolthouse Farm's Multi-V Goodness bottles I found at a small local grocery store.  I was surprised they had it.  This was the first time I had tried this flavor and it was really tasty.

What I've Been Listening To...

I often listen to a slew of different types of music.  I always find my way back to the 80s and 90s and over the past several months more specifically 90's Dance, New Wave, and Reggae music has been on that list, too.

What I've Been Thinking About For Fun...

Here's a card I did back in 2011!  I can't believe it's been 4 years!!!  But I have been trying to get back into paper crafting and mixed media once again.  As you can see here I did some shading and blending with craft markers.  I know I have better example of this somewhere.

And here's another one using the same digital stamp but with paper piecing.  If you aren't into paper crafting and aren't familiar with the term paper piecing it's basically using the digital stamp on patterned paper and cutting it out and piecing it on top of the same image to make it more colorful and eye catching.  Here are a few Halloween Themed Cards I made and the creator of the Digital Stamp is my ol' buddy Lindsay over at Lindsay's Stamp Stuff.

Be sure to check in TOMORROW I will be giving away a great prize from Garden of Life!
 Happy Weekend!

Mini Goals & Today's Smoothie

Last week I mentioned I was going to make another mini goal for myself and that was to do at least 5 morning smoothies per week (Monday thru Friday).  I'm on day 3 and so far so good!

Today's smoothie is...

1 Frozen Banana
2 Dates
1 C Non-Dairy Milk*
1 Scoop of GoL's Marley Coffee RAW Fit
6 Frozen Strawberries

*I used a combo of Coconut, Almond, and Hemp

This was tastier than I anticipated!  Just a hint of strawberry and coffee!  YUM!!!!

I have been thinking about starting another art/junk journal with the focus on adding daily things "I Enjoyed Today".  I've done art and junk journals before but I tend to go in spurts (like many other things I enjoy).  What made me think about it again is when I was watching Rylew's Video on YouTube on How to Journal for Alignment.  Once I grab a book to journal in I will make this a mini goal for myself once again.  Question of the Day: What is a NEW Mini Goal you have made for yourself?  If you haven't made a mini goal for yourself lately - won't you join me and making one now?  If so feel free to brainstorm in comments.  Everyone have a Blissful Day!

Smoothies, Vegan Cheesecake, Furkids, Vegan Cheese Sauce, and More MyKind

Happy Monday!  This is pretty much a Weekend Round-up of sorts but I guess I am starting backwards.  This morning I was successful with trying to stick with my Monday thru Friday Morning Smoothies!  Here's what I did for this morning:

1 1/2 Bananas
2 Dates
1 C of Coconut/Almond/Hemp Milk
1 T Sun Warrior ORMUS Peppermint

It's pretty yummy!  I think I found the trick to doing smoothies with bananas for someone who doesn't like bananas like myself.  ADD DATES!  I wonder what tomorrow will bring for my morning smoothie?  I'm thinking Wheatgrass!

Last week I blogged about FINALLY finding Daiya's Cheezecake in my region.  I had some over the weekend.  Here's a photo of it.  I was looking for a vegan pie filling which I was able to find but I was really happy about the dyes and other not-so-great ingredients in them not to mention the PRICE.  So I found that buying a think of strawberries was actually cheaper than buying the canned stuff which is RARE where I live so I grabbed some and made my own.  All I did was throw some strawberries into my Ninja Blender (yes I still use this as a food processor mostly) and a bit of Organic Raw Cane Sugar.
*ADD 1 t of Garden of Life's Organic Plant Protein VANILLA.  It's optional but awesome!

I'm kind of spoiling a little bit of my upcoming MidWeek Munchies but telling you some of these recipes but OH WELL.  I'll post about some of the ingredients TWICE this week!  Here's yet another Vegan Cheese Sauce I made this past weekend and I topped it with Spanish Paprika that I bought in bulk at my local herb store!

This sauce as the following: 1/2 C Cashews, 1/4 to 1/2 C Pine Nuts, Juice of 1 Lemon, 2 t Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 C Coconut Milk, 1 Squirt of Yellow Mustard, 1 T Garbanzo Bean Flour, 1/2 t Paprika (and more to top), 1/2 t Turmeric, 3 to 4 T Nutritional Yeast.

The sauce was tasty but I think I used a bit more Spanish Paprika then I would suggest to others that are just trying it for the first time.  I also noticed that 'regular' paprika has very little taste whereas this Spanish Paprika is POPPING with flavor!  If you can find it - BUY IT!  The difference is amazing!

The furkids enjoyed the weekend cuddling up to us.  We were around more than we had been but we still took a trip to Buffalo on Saturday.  More on that later in the week.

Here's a pic of Riley lazin' out in between me and the sofa.  What a SLUG!

Friday night while I was writing I had Charlie sitting next to me on the stairs.  Yes...this is our feral cat Charlie.  He's pushing 15 years old and doesn't seem to be slowing down much.  He likes tormenting the dogs that is for sure!

Oh!  Yeah!  We also saw our first snow fall of the season.  As you might now I'm NOT a fan.

This morning it was 28 degrees.  Brrrr!

And in Friday's mail I received a box from Garden of Life!  YAY!  They sent me a bunch of their new products and I have to say I'm pretty stoked!  You may know I am not usually one for pill-taking but many of these are liquids.  I'm especially excited about the Vitamin C sprays!  I've tried them already and the flavors are pretty impressive.  I'm taking these NOW to fight off the germs of my co-workers!  I've also started taking Colloidal Silver.  More on that in a future post, too!  I'm also excited to announce that Garden of Life is allowing me to do weekly giveaways on the weekends starting THIS COMING WEEKEND so stay tuned for that!

Fall Recipe Contest Over At Garden Of Life & Apple Cinnamon Flax Crackers Recipe!

TWO Questions For You TODAY:
#1: Do you have Garden Of Life Product around your house?  #2: Do you want to win products as well as a Kitchen Aid Hand Blender valued at $79.99?  If so...check this out...a contest...read all about it on the Garden of Lifer's Blog.
Remember to tag!!!
#GOLFanRecipes
#gardenoflife
+Garden of Life
If you are NEW to my blog - I have been known to do MANY Garden of Life giveaways and will probably have more on tap soon! Which products of theirs would you like to see me giveaway? Let me know in comments!

Here's a quick recipe idea for you!

Apple Cinnamon Flax Crackers!

1/2 C Flax Seeds (Soaked)
1/2 C Water (for Soaking)
1 Scoop of the Perfect Foods Apple
1/4 t Cinnamon

Mix everything into a bowl and pour 'batter' on dehydrator sheet.  On 115 to 120 degrees for about 8 to 10 hours - flipping half way thru.  ENJOY!

Don't forget Vegan YoFo Halloween is taking place NOW!  

Special Thanks To:

Mary Ellen @ V Nutrition

Kyra @ Vie De La Vegan

Vegan Power/Vegan Peace @ My Cat Loves Daiya

Deborah @ Urban Naturale

Jennifer @ MyBlissfulJourney
More Info Here.

An InLinkz Link-up

4 Smoothies on a Friday!

Hello and HAPPY FRIDAY!  I'm still working on catching up with recipe posts after all of the giveaways I've had the last few weeks!  And I'm gearing up for WNY VegFest on Sunday so next week I will have TONS of posts from the festivities in Buffalo, too!

First up is this Mango Orange Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie.  I originally made this for my mother who had major dental surgery a few weeks ago but it looked so good I had to try it for myself.

I'm so glad I did!  This recipe was also featured HERE at The Raw Food World NEWS Site RECIPE Section.

It only has 4 ingredients in it and they are all listed in the name of the smoothie recipe!

Another one of my Smoothies was featured on The Raw Food World News Site and Recipe Section...this Strawberry Mangosteen Smoothie.
Click HERE for the recipe.

Not too long ago I bought some Mangosteen Powder from Ojio but it seems to be out of stock on both The Raw Food World and the My Ojio site.  It's part of their Ayurveda Line and suggested for Dosha Pitta.  The main reason I grabbed it was because I cannot get fresh Mangosteen where I live but wanted to incorporate it in my life.  I've had this powder extract as well as freeze dried.  My mother LOVES the freeze dried because they taste like Smarties!

This Smoothie is a Vanilla Chai Smoothie and it will be on The Raw Food World News/Recipe Section in the near future.  So be on the look out for that.

I basically used bananas, chai spices, and vanilla powder to make this flavor and it was delightful!

Eventho I haven't consumed a smoothie EVERY morning I have been doing MUCH better about grabbing them in the morning and starting many of my days with them.  It's a constant goal of mine to reach for a smoothie a day!  I think smoothies are also a great way to keep things interesting and shoot for a variety of colors and contents each day!

This is a smoothie I made the other day right before leaving the house!  It turned out pretty good, too!  Here's what it has in it...

1 C Coconut Water
1 Frozen Banana
10 Frozen Strawberries
5 Frozen Blackberries
1 Scoop Garden of Life Vanilla Organic Plant Protein (OPP)

In other news I have acquired various Mason Jars from my husband's grandmother which couldn't have come at a better time.  If you have visited my site for a while you may remember that I store all of my foods, powders, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc

Next I will be on the hunt for some small glass jars for all the pesto I will be making!