Frankie, Trinity, and The Monarch Butterfly

I was intrigued by a recent FB Post from Total Evolution...
Is it #Halloween yet? Close enough for us!  A new favorite on the menu, meet The #Frankie!

#TheFrankie is a combination of two of our favorites, the #Turmeric and the #PineappleParadise, each kicked up a notch by some of the most #nutrient dense, #detoxifying, #antioxidant full, super powders! I cannot say enough about the benefits of these ingredients! #Anti-inflammatory. #Antioxidant. #Plant #protein #GLAs and #Omega3s #Energy boosting. #Digestion supporting. Highly absorbable #iron that is gentle on the stomach. So much more. Plus, omg it tastes amazing! Pineapple upside down cake, anyone?

When I found out it was vegan I knew I had to try it!  It was pretty amazing!  It did have banana in it but there was enough other stuff in there to take my mind off of it.  And YES on top that is a bit of Activated Charcoal.

It's been a couple of weeks since I have seen my sweet niece Trinity but I have been getting text messaged photos!  This is one of my favorites as of late.  She was sitting there watching the Yankees game with my parents!  

I just can't get over her pose!  Arms behind her head!

I'm hoping to see her this week.  I might actually have the opportunity to see her a bit more over the next couple of weeks!  YAY!

As many of you know I'm not a fan of winter for just about ANY and EVERY reason but this year I have the added dread of not being able to see Trinity as much due to wintery weather conditions.  Boo Hiss!

She's about 4 months old already and still only about 10 pounds!  She's such a peanut!  

This past weekend a few of us were prepping buildings for camper storage at the fairgrounds and cleaning up some of the buildings.  

We were taking a break while a couple people were putting away some equipment in one of the barns.

I noticed more Monarchs this year after not seeing them the last couple of years.  This made me VERY happy.  As many of you may know about the decline in Monarch Butterflies.

I extended my arm and finger in hopes it would land on me and it did - not once - but 4 times.  A friend of ours took this pic the last time it was on me.  It stayed like this for like 5 minutes!  It really was a magical moment!

Spring Flowers, Vegan Leftovers, Co-Op Cafe Eats

I'm going to start a little backwards here.  When I got home from work yesterday I noticed something colorful in the backyard.  I HAD to investigate!  This is what greeted me!  How lovely!  I moved into the house I am living in prior to DH and I getting married so I think I've lived there about 16 years since our 15th Anniversary is coming up soon.  I don't remember these flowers back then BUT the last 3 or so years they have been popping up!  Nature is mysterious and gorgeous...isn't it?  I can't wait for more signs of spring!  I will be sure to report!

For some reason I could edit all my photos except for this 2nd one and I don't know why but it wouldn't let me flip it.  This was my dinner (times 3) last night!  I worked off of leftovers once again!  Sweet Potato Chickpea Wraps.    In addition to mashed Sweet Potato and Chickpeas I added Corn, Diced Tomato, and Jack Daiya Cheese.  It was way better than I expected it to be!

After I used some of the Diced Tomato, Corn, and Chickpeas I then had more leftovers to use.  I ended up making that happen in the next few photos.  I have to warn you - this will be a LONG post today with MANY photos!  I almost forgot to show you the meal I had at the Co-Op with my parents and sister last weekend so that is below, too!

But before I get to those photos I have these next few pics to share.  It's a progressive dish using leftovers!

It all started as a Bowl.  I used Spinach, Corn, Sweet Potato, Chickpeas, and Diced Tomatoes.  I topped with a Tahini Sauce and sprinkled Nutritional Yeast.  I will have the recipe for the Tahini Sauce in a little bit but first I wanted to show you how the leftovers transformed into additional meals.

I sampled the bowl and it was ok.  It kind of felt like it was missing something.  Before moving on and tinkering with the dish I mixed up what I had and took a pic.

The only other thing I added to this was Turmeric.

Recipe for Tahini Sauce:

1/4 C Tahini
5 T Water
2 T Lemon Juice
1 T Maple Syrup

I also forgot to mention I seasoned the Chickpeas wish Cumin and Garlic.

Now...THIS is the TICKET, folks!  This is the 3rd and final attempt and the real winner of the bunch!

I added more of the Tahini Sauce, Smoked Paprika, Pistachio's, and Jack Daiya Cheese!  BAM!!!

Now the only thing I have left is 1 Sweet Potato, a little Cauliflower, and Spinach.  I'll have to see what I can come up with using those items!

Moving on...

This past Saturday my parents, sister, and I went to Erie to check out Baby's R US and Target for my sister's baby registries.  They had a bunch of questions about car seats and such.

After all of the shopping stuff I suggested we go to the Co-Op Cafe.  The Wholefoods Co-Op Cafe, that is.  We had a nice time!  First up - some snapshots of our drinks!  Mine - the green one - is called Alkaline Heaven.  It had Cucumber, Carrot, Celery, Spinach, and Apple.  My father got the orange one in the back.  It was called Sunrise.  It had Carrot, Apple, Orange, Pear, and Lemon.  He tries to stay away from Cucumbers.  I think it was the only one that didn't have Cucumbers in it.  Both were good.  I sampled everyone's!  My mom and sister got smoothies.  The Triple Berry Smoothies to be exact.  They had Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Orange Juice, and Almond Milk.  Yes...the BOTH opted for the Almond Milk over the standard.

Mom, Megan, and I chose the soups they had that day.  Mom grabbed the Tomato Garlic and it was VERY garlicky.  Megan decided to go with the Chickpea one.  They both ordered smalls.  I went with the LARGE and gobbled up the Apricot Red Lentil Soup which is one of my FAVORITES there!  My other favorite is a Spicy Peanut something or other but I haven't seen it there in YEARS.

There is just something about this Apricot Red Lentil that I cannot get enough of!  I could seriously drink it by the vat!  As you can see I was messy with it while putting it in the container.

My Dad went with the Cheese Pizza on Whole Wheat Dough.  It wasn't vegan because of the dairy cheese but at least it was meat-free!

And finally...we scored this VEGAN COOKIE!  It was about as big as my face!  All 4 of us shared it!  Everyone liked EVERYTHING they had!  I have to say this VEGAN COOKIE was probably the BEST I have had to date!  YUMMERS!

It's been another busy week and the next several days are going to follow suit.  I like being busy.  I actually get more accomplish when I am busy than when the days are less filled with various tasks and activity!

But then again...I have always been BACKWARDS.  When I was in school I did better when I had all the extras going on.  Then when I ONLY had studies happening.  The busier I was the better my grades.   Now...the busier I am - all around - the better work is!

40 Days of Smoothies BOOK - I WON!

I found out today that I was the winner of Zsu's Book Contest!  The winner was drawn YESTERDAY which was also my BIRTHDAY!  YAY!  Happy Birthday to me!  I was lucky enough to win this book!  40 Days of Green Smoothies by Becky Stiepe!  I can't wait to get it in the mail!

It says KICKSTART YOUR MORNINGS!  That is sooooo what I need!  Check it out...

Kickstart your mornings with this 40 day program designed to develop your green smoothie habit! The ingredients aren't always what you'd expect - discover how avocado can help make a smoothie creamy and how chocolate can turn it into a decadent yet healthy treat. Becky Striepe of Glue & Glitter breaks the 40 days down, week-by-week, with each week offering its own set of tips and shopping lists. Jump in and find out what your mornings have been missing!

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!

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!

Strawberry Camu Camu Smoothie With Activated Barley

Happy Friday everyone!  Today I have a smoothie recipe paired with the health benefits of 2 of the recipes ingredients!  Check out this Strawberry Camu Camu Smoothie with Activated Barley!

1 1/2 C Coconut Milk
1 Frozen Banana
10 Frozen Strawberries
1/2 t Camu Camu Powder
1 Heaping T of Sun Warrior's Activated Barley

I wanted to put greens in this but didn't have much left in the house this morning.  I will have to get more this weekend because I am going to seriously challenge myself to do a smoothie each morning - at least 5 times a week - Monday thru Friday - starting today!

I know pretty weird to start on a Friday!  And don't get me wrong!  I do my fair share of smoothies but the challenge to myself is to be more consistent with them.  I tend to go in spurts.  And I LOVE my greens but I need to up that amount and smoothies are an easy way to do that!

Why Activated Barley?

Barley has high concentrations of age fighting antioxidants and health boosting beta-glucans. Beta-glucans improve immune function, raise energy levels without sugar spikes, and reduce cholesterol. They use a Swedish method of low temperature steam, the barley is taken to the brink of germination before packaging. This suspends the barley at the highest point of bio-energy where it contains the best mix of protein, fiber, enzymes, and the ultimate slow burning carbohydrate. It ranks low on the glycemic index, has high tocotrienol and beta-glucan levels, thousands of active enzymes, is a slow burning carbohydrate chain, provides long-term energy for any workout, and it’s the ultimate slow burning carb.

Why Camu Camu?

Camu Camu is the highest known source of natural Vitamin C!  It has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, PROMOTES EYE HEALTH, guards against brain diseases, improves mood and balances, improves muscle tone, boosts the immune system, helps prevent viral and bacterial infections, supports healthy collagen, tendons, and ligaments.  You can purchase Camu Camu HERE!

Vegan MoFo ~ Something Blue

I'm digging thru the archives for this one!  Blueberry Hemp Smoothie!
I may be cheating with this since it's not a NEW recipes it's one that I have used before.  Forgive me!

2 one-inch chunks of frozen banana
1 C Blueberries
2 T Hemp Seeds/Hemp Hearts
1 C Water
1 Handful of Spinach
1 Date

I have been so jazzed about Vegan MoFo this year that I have nearly forgotten to post a few other things I wanted to share with you so here it goes!  First...a random Kombucha!  I know Vegan Peace will appreciate this!  I have been wanting to make my own but still haven't pulled the trigger on it yet.  I'm still pretty nervous!  But I learned a lot from YouTube and my buddy Opal about making your own...I just haven't!  I know...I know...stop procrastinating!  Just DO IT!  One of these days I will...just not today!  I will say I was surprised at how tasty this bottled flavored Kombucha was!  Raspberry and Lemon!  It was about 60/40 Raspberry/Lemon flavor ratio!  It had that lightly carbonated tingle but wasn't vinegary...the last bottled Kombucha I had was like vinegar.

Another thing I wanted to share in this post is what we did this past weekend.  It was a nice 3-day weekend!  We went camping and met up with some people on the board that hubby belongs to as well as being able to see some friends we haven't seen in about a year.  It was actually former band mates and friends!  It was FUN and I would love to do it again!  We hope to meet up with our buddies Tom and Nicole for dinner in a month or more (before the snow starts flying again).  I can't believe it's that time of year again...time to wonder when the snow is going to start in again...sigh...

Here's a pic of the band.  Well, it's a reunion photo of sorts since they no longer play on a regular basis, I guess.

In case you are new to my blog...my husband's former band(s) were of the Bluegrass variety. 

The 5 you see here made up the band Northern Railroad Bluegrass.  My husband is on the far right...then there is his uncle, our buddy Joel on base in the middle, then Tom on Mandolin with the white T-Shirt, and Bud on the far left with the other guitar!

I took some video but don't know if it came out or not.  It was fun and I hope they get together again soon!  I miss the music and friendship!

Vegan MoFo ~ BREAKFAST (And Then Some)

Yup!  It's FINALLY HERE!  Vegan Mofo 2015!  This is my 4 year participating...I believe!  It's something I look forward to each year, indeed!  I wish Vegan MoFo was EVERY MONTH but I know it takes a LOT of organization and I want to THANK the organizers of this annual event.  Learn more at VeganMoFo.com.

This year the organizers have developed prompts to get us going and I may post loosely based on these prompts but will be participating most days regardless.  I may miss a weekend day from time to time but will do my best in the meantime!

Before I get to my first post I wanted to let everyone know that I have started a BlogRoll for people who comment on my blog.  The direct URL for this BlogRoll is located HERE.  Or you can see the logo in this post on my sidebar, too!

My goal is to network more and more with MoFo-ers each and every day and try and have lasting relationships year-round!

Today's Prompt is...

Rise & Shine!  It's MoFo Time!  Tell us about your breakfast!

Well, here it is!  It's a "Handful Of" Smoothie!

What I mean by that is I literally threw in a handful of all of the following to make this...Cashews, Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries...and added just enough Cashew Milk to cover it and blended!  It's pretty yummy and I hope to make a Raw Vegan Ice Cream using these ingredients soon, too!

As a mid-morning snack...

I will be having a few (or more) of these dried apple slices!

For course I am drinking various teas - like I normally do - throughout the day, too!

Lunch is yet to be determined but I'm guessing it will be a large salad because I made some pretty awesome tangy ranch dressing last night and it seemed to hit the spot with the thrown together salad I had last night for dinner, too!

Here's a photo of the dressing.  I will most likely be submitting this recipe to The Raw Food World NEWS Site and their Recipe Section very soon so hop over there and sign up for their daily email newsletter to recipe upcoming recipes!  It's FREE!  If you are new to my site here at My Blissful Journey and would like to see more of my recipes that I have contributed to The Raw Food World NEWS Site and their Recipe Section view my PROFILE here.


Again, I've VERY exited about this years Vegan MoFo!  Please let me know if you are participating and/or if you would like me to add you to my personal BlogRoll for this event!  Looking forward to any and all feedback and meeting some new veggie friends!  Woot!

FINALLY...a FOOD Post!

I should probably save some of these for Vegan MoFo that starts September 1st but since I am already so far behind on posting I figured...why put it off?  So this is going to be a graphic heavy CRAZY mish-mash sort of post but all FOOD related.  Over the past few weeks these are some of the foods I have been throwing together...the good, the not-as-good, and the odd looking! Take this first photo for example...it's a strange combo but it sure was TASTY!  It's a burrito/wrap with Tater Tots, Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes, Corn, Yellow/Red/Orange Mini Bell Peppers, and I topped it with Sriracha Vegan Mayo!

Over at The Raw Food World NEWS Site under the Recipe Section you will see this next recipe popping up on the site soon!  I submitted it yesterday.  You'll have to check out the recipe section for the full recipe when it's up but I will tell you that it consists of Mango, Chocolate Flavored Almond Butter, Coconut Nectar, and Water.

You will probably be seeing a lot more smoothies posted on my blog and over at the recipe section of The Raw Food World NEWS Site because of all of the frozen bananas I still have from scoring them for FREE from a local produce stand!

Another thing I have been doing is working off of what I have in my pantry and you will see what I mean with the next few photos.  Sure I did a few pasta related recipes within the same week but I also used left overs and recreated a new recipe with them.

First up is a Garlic Alfredo White Sauce that is technically raw and vegan and I ended up putting it on a veggie based pasta as you see here.  For this sauce recipe I used:

1 C Hemp Seeds
1 C Cashews
1 C Almond Milk
1/2 C Nutritional Yeast
2 T Lemon Juice
2 to 4 Cloves Garlic
About 1/2 t Nutmeg

After I mixed it all together I topped it with Nutritional Yeast, Parsley, and Nutmeg sprinkle, too!

The sauce recipe above made a LOT of sauce so I used it on other things throughout the week, too!  With this next dish it's more of a Taco Pasta.  Here's what I did for this one...

1 C Cashews
1 C Almond Milk
1 Orange (or Red) Bell Pepper
1 or 2 T Wildtree Taco Seasoning
1/4 C Nutritional Yeast
2 C Black Beans
1 C Salsa

This was pretty fantastic and very filling I can see myself making this again or variations of this again!  The possibilities are ENDLESS (or should I say the PASTAbilties? LOL)

Are you pasta-ed-OUT yet?

Remember that first sauce I was telling you about above?  Well this was one of the many things I did with it.  I was really short on time that night and it sure did come in handy.   I added it to noodles and brussels sprouts.  I also added some Wildtree Lemon Pepper and thinned it out with a little water.

I usually don't eat that much pasta within a few weeks anymore so this was a rare occasion.  I will say that since I dropped dairy from my diet I have cut WAY back on the amount and frequency of my pasta and potato intake.  My food intake has become much more varied and diverse with little to no effort most of the time.

I guess that just proves I am not lacking variety.

It irritates me when people say I 'miss out' by excluding things from my diet.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  My diet is more diverse now than it even has been.

Up next is raw vegan noodles.  I actually had this for lunch yesterday.  It was a small portion but the sauce recipe made a large amount so I will be using that on other things this week.

1/4 C Water
1 Avocado
4 T Pine Nuts
1/4 C Basil
2 T Lemon Juice
Pinch Black Sea Salt

In other food related news my sister made this jam!

It's REALLY wonderful!

My sister isn't vegan or even vegetarian but likes to eat a lot of veg food and gets pretty creative in the kitchen.

The only ingredients in this?

Blueberries, Chia Seeds, Agave Nectar, and Lemon Juice!

Is her big sister rubbing off on her?  I don't know.  I don't think I can take credit for that.  But I do know that my sister is SUPER AWESOME!  And I'm not just saying that because she might be reading!

HI MEGAN!  (it's ok to comment, LOL)

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!

Vegan Giveaway - Day 3 - OPP Vanilla

Hello lovelies!  It's Day 3 of our vegan contests/giveaways!  I want to THANK everyone commenting and participating!  REMEMBER...even if I've already chosen a winner on the previous prizes and posts PLEASE comment on them to be eligible for the GRAND PRIZE next week!  Those who comment on ALL 7 posts will be eligible for that 'drawing'.

Today the prize at stake is Garden of Life's OPP (Organic Plant Protein) - Vanilla Flavor and it's WONDERFUL!  I LOVE the way it smells!  It's funny because I never really liked vanilla scented or flavored things growing up but the older I get the more I like them!  Here's a smoothie I made using the Vanilla OPP...

I threw in Frozen Strawberries, Frozen Bananas, Dates, a bit of Nut Butter, and the Vanilla OPP.

So....YEAH!  Today's winner will receive a bag of Garden of Life's OPP Vanilla!
HOW TO WIN IS BELOW

Before I get to that I wanted to let you know of some of the things I have in the works!  I ended up purchasing a GoPro Hero 3.  I got it for a great price.  I have to say it's VERY different from a simple camera, cam-corder, or iPhone.  I'm still tinkering with it.  As some of you know I have been testing the waters with a YouTube Channel and I would LOVE for you to subscribe to my channel.  I will be doing more videos and giveaways over there down the road, too!  I have also gotten into a few more YouTubers as well and I will be sharing some of their videos in the near future.

Work has been crazy and it is just going to get crazier!  I have been writing and writing and writing with more writing on the way!  To see what I have been up to visit The Raw Food World NEWS Site's RECIPE Section, The Sororitea Sisters Site, and you can always follow me on Instagram I post nearly everyday on there, too!

NOW...on to more goodies!  The winner of yesterday's B12 Spray was Jacky!  CONGRATS!

AGAIN...today's prize is shown at the top of this post and is the OPP Vanilla from Garden of Life!

What I really LOVE is that these products are ALL on Garden of Life's No-GMO List! To learn more about their Non-GO Project - click HERE.

AND...The grand prize that I will be choosing a winner for will take place after Monday, July 13th. The grand prize includes the following...

* Dr. Formulated Organic Fiber

* Perfect Food Wheat Grass Powder

* Raw Meal - Spiced Chai

* Chia Seeds

* Organic Plant Calcium

* OPP (Organic Plant Protein) Chocolate

* OPP (Organic Plant Protein) Energy

HOW DO YOU WIN?

If you would like to win TODAY'S PRIZE leave a comment below and I will choose one winner! 

*If you don't have a blogger profile please remember to leave me your email addy in the comment, too* 

If you would like to win the GRAND PRIZE - the Prize Pack - leave a comment on all 7 daily contests and I will choose a winner for the prize pack next week! U.S. Shipping addresses only, please. AND YES...you are still eligible to win the prize pack if you won an individual prize! GOOD LUCK!

Mostly Raw Vegan Foods - 4 Ideas

Lately I have been doing a lot of foods like you see here.  You know I LOVE my dips and spreads.  I did a spin on a creative Guacamole and I made some Kale Chips with a bit of a kick that turned out pretty awesome.  I hope to be sharing these recipes with The Raw Food World NEWS Site and the Recipe Section on there, too!  For Smoothies lately I have created many.  Two of them are shown here.  I'm looking for some ideas!  In comments let me know what kind of smoothie you would like me to try and throw together.  Also what kind of Kale Chips you might have in mind, too!

Next week I will be having a week FULL of giveaways!  One each day for 7 days starting MONDAY.  Then I will have a HUGE Grand Prize so be sure to subscribe to this site AND my new YouTube channel!  In other YouTube news I bought a new GoPro Camera and have been doing some crash courses on it.  I hope to start using it for some videos soon!

Mango Cream Smoothie, Dijon Walnut Sauce, and Raw Vegan Eggplant Strips

One of the issues our household has been battling since we've been back from West Palm Beach has been Kidney Stones.  Hubby has battled with them for years now and now that we know he has Crohn's we have found that they are connected.  While looking for foods that help certain issues I came across how the might mango may help fight kidney stones.  We will be incorporating more of them in our diet to see how they can help him.  I recently made a Mango Cream Smoothie and it turned out tasty so I shared it on The Raw Food World News Site.  

If you have been to my blog in the past you may have picked up on me being a SAUCE type person.  Above you will see the photo and excerpt of the Dijon Walnut Sauce I did for raw vegan zucchini noodles.  It was very flavorful and creamy.

On the bottom you will see Hearth Healthy Raw Vegan Eggplant Strips.  I paired that with info on heart health - of course!   I made those in my Excalibur Dehydrator.

In other news - I FINALLY ordered a new juicer!  I opted for the Tribest SlowStar Juicer.  It's a Single Auger Juicer and Chris over at Zombie Gate/The Vegan Zombie was the one who twisted my arm to finally make the purchase.  His Instagram Juicing Photos are amazing!  I'm still waiting on the juicer to arrive but I'm VERY excited to jump right in!

This Weeks' Smoothies - Secret Weapon? Khorasan Wheatgrass Juice Powder!

I was MUCH better with my breakfasts this week!  Mostly because I was able to do some smoothies and I was totally LOVING it!  I am contributing many of the recipes for upcoming posts to The Raw Food World NEWS Recipe Section so if you haven't signed up for daily news be sure to check it out!

I do have a new secret weapon, tho!  In the purple smoothie on the top - it was my first time using Khorasan Wheatgrass Juice Powder!  And I have to say I LOVE it!  

You may also have heard about this powder being referred to as Kamut.  

This Khorasan wheatgrass juice powder is like a shot of wheatgrass juice on steroids...a super mineralized, nutrient dense and enzyme rich superfood.  Khorasan is an heirloom ancestor of wheat and more nutritious than wheat.  Grown in mineral-rich, nutrient-dense soil Grass has the ability to absorb all known minerals. This product is gluten free, too!

This is one of the products I bought last month while it was on sale over at The Raw Food World and it's totally worth it!  I will probably only use it by the half teaspoon or full teaspoon!  I have to say - I'm a fan!

Strawberry Peach Banana Smoothie

Just a quick post about a smoothie I did the other night.  My husband wanted a smoothie as a "dessert" so I thought I would make one for myself as well.  His had Strawberry, Fresh Banana, and Real Milk in it.  As many of you know he's on a Standard American Diet...but I'm very excited because a smoothie a couple times a week is a nice step, I think!  Every step helps towards improvement for all of us, ya know!?

Anyhow...this smoothie pictured here is the one I made for myself!  I'm super happy with my Excalibur Dehydrator because it also doubles as a surface for taking pictures!  YAY! 

This Smoothie contains the following:

1 C Coconut Milk
8 Strawberries
6 Frozen Peach Slices
1/4 Frozen Banana
1/2 Scoop of GoL Raw Perfect Food - Apple Flavor

This was creamy and fruity.  I was very happy with the outcome of this attempt.  

Each time I use this product I like it more and more!  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...I will be blogging about this more in the near future, too!

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....I will also start to sprout various items in my kitchen in the near future as well!

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.  I've been so grateful that I have my digestion under control this past year (and then some).  I will NOT Be going back to my old ways!

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!