Spicy Chipotle Stir Fry & Sunridge Farms Peanut Butter Power Chews

This is my 2nd post of the day so be sure to scroll down!  Prior to doing the Vegan Stew (I talk about in the next post) I did a quick Veggie Stir Fry!  I didn't have a lot on hand so this is what I do for this - I used Onions and Red and Green Peppers as well as Frozen Green Beans.  I used Grapeseed Oil for the stir fry and Wildtree Spicy Chipotle Ranch for the seasoning!  It was very simple yet flavorful!  I was very pleased.  I ended up getting a small package of julienned Onion and Peppers from my local 'mom and pop' grocery store.  I don't know this to be fact but I think that when their deli makes their items fresh each day they have left over fresh produce and they package it up for a reduced price.  Since I had been making a LARGE grocery run this coming weekend I thought I would buy this little but to hold me over.  It only cost me 97 cents and there was enough for my Stir fry AND my Stew (next post).
 
A while back I received some Peanut Butter Power Chews from Sun Ridge Farms!  I have been 'sitting on' my tasting notes for these babies for a while now.  I figured today was as good of a day as any since I found myself CRAVING them and don't have any more left!  Ahhh...at least I will have the memories, right!?  I remember these Power Chews SMELLING like wonderful peanut butter!  The squares or rectangles were of different sizes but substantial, regardless!  They were VERY filling and even at my hungriest I could only eat 2 or 3 of them!  They did last a good amount of time.  The Peanut Butter flavor was amazing and oh-so-natural, too!  They were crispy and fun!  These were a nice alternative to 'Rice Crispy Snacks'.  And they were jam-packed with Protein, Iron, and Calcium!  What a treat!  I sure LOVED them while they lasted!

Tonight my husband and I are taking my mom and dad to Jackson Valley for dinner for Father's Day.  I'm quite excited about it.  I think I will partake in an 'adult beverage' as well!  It's been a long week!  I do like their place for dinner as they have a great salad bar!  Tomorrow - my mom, dad, sister, and I will be attending a fundraiser for Melissa - who passed away a few weeks ago - we are still doing a Wildtree Fundraiser for her family as well as attending to show support for her and her family.  I know I will recognize people throughout the day.  Sunday I have plans to clean and grocery shop as well as Farmers Market HOP both days this weekend!  I hope you have a great week, too!  Drop me a note and let me know you stopped by!

Spicy Chipotle Ranch Vegan Stew, A Word About Clove, and Chi's PLEASE!

I've been wanting to try and do something with one of our newest products called Spicy Chipotle Ranch.

Last night with what little I had in the house before shopping this weekend I made a darn tasty Vegan Stew with it!  I used Pinto Beans, Corn, Green Beans, Diced Tomatoes, Green & Red Peppers, Onions, Water, and Spicy Chipotle Ranch from Wildtree.  It was VERY GOOD!

I would also like to try this with Vegan Sour Cream for a dip in the near future!A few other suggestions that were vegan or easily veganized were: Taco Salad, Chipotle Black Bean Burgers, Stuffed Avocado, and Fried Zucchini.  

I told you earlier this week about this past weekend and the Strawberry Festival.  Well, while we were there - towards the end - and a girl brought her 4 week old Chihuahua with her.  He was so cute!  This is a pic of my sister with him.  He only weighed 1.8 pounds.  My sister LOVED him!  There was another Chi, there, as well, but didn't really want to be social with us. 

Last night Paco was snuggle-E after a while, again.  Of course, I wasn't going to complain about that.  In this photo you can see Suzie's back side as well.  I'm so happy they are all 'used to' each other now.  Sometimes Riley 'grumps' when Paco gets too close when HE is the one who wants to be closer to me - but - for the most part - every one is ok with the daily in's and out's of the 'Bliss House Hold".  Paco really likes to 'burrow' in blankets and be covered and that is common for Chihuahua's.  He's been hiding his eyes under blankets lately when he gets tired but tries to fight it.

And other times he uses the 'sleeping bag' method.  He's so funny! 

In other news - I still don't feel quite right since I have been to the dentist.  I have to say my front teeth where all the intense cleaning took place is getting a LITTLE better BUT my upper left hand side wisdom tooth is causing some 'ruckus'.  I think it's moving around again and it's sensitive but in a different way than the front teeth were sensitive if that makes sense. 

I have been 'upping' my intake of CLOVE to try and help things along.  How does CLOVE, help?  Well, they are known to have antioxidant, anti-septic, local anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, warming and soothing properties.  The spice contains health benefiting essential oils such as eugenol. It is a phenyl-propanoids class of chemical compound, which gives pleasant, sweet aromatic fragrances to the clove-bud. Eugenol has local anesthetic and antiseptic properties...useful in dental care essentials as well as in treatment procedures.

The other important constituents in this spice include:
essential oils:    acetyl eugenol, beta-caryophyllene and vanillin, crategolic acid;
tannins:   gallotannic acid, methyl salicylate (painkiller);
the flavonoids:  eugenin, kaempferol, rhamnetin, and eugenitin;
triterpenoids:  such as oleanolic acid, stigmasterol and campesterol
and several sesquiterpenes.

It's also great for digestion!  And...contains a good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, selenium and magnesium. Potassium is an important electrolyte of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

But the benefits of clove don't stop there!  Clove contains very good amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene levels. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A is also required by the body for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin in addition to essential for vision. Consumption of natural foods rich in flavonoids helps to protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.  Additionally, this spice is a good source of vitamin-K, vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), thiamin (vitamin B-1), vitamin-C and riboflavin. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.

One of the things I have been sipping on a lot more than usual lately is Blue Lotus Chai's Rooibos Masala Chai which is heavy on the Clove as well as other beneficial spices.

So...there is your clove lesson for the day! teehee.  Hope you found something useful!