We went to a VERY yummy vegan restaurant. This was raw kale, spirulized celery root, and lots of other yummy veggies as a salad. It had an almond cream dressing on it. Super yum.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Pumpkin Pie Report 2
I'm making another pumpkin pie.
This time, I used my vita-mix with the same recipe. We'll see how it comes out. The last time, the texture, before cooking, was a little soy-grainy. It tasted fine after cooking, but I decided to do the big bad blender this time to make sure it was smooth.
I divided the mix into 3 pans, used a little less sugar, and put chocolate chips in each pie--only one pie has a crust. Not sure if we'll taste it tonight or have it for breakfast. I'll add to the report when I get a taste.
This time, I used my vita-mix with the same recipe. We'll see how it comes out. The last time, the texture, before cooking, was a little soy-grainy. It tasted fine after cooking, but I decided to do the big bad blender this time to make sure it was smooth.
I divided the mix into 3 pans, used a little less sugar, and put chocolate chips in each pie--only one pie has a crust. Not sure if we'll taste it tonight or have it for breakfast. I'll add to the report when I get a taste.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Bark
This was our adventure last night. Note, this is really not healthy in any way, but it is vegan.
Kira, Natalie, and I made this last night. I like Peppermint bark, but I can do without the white chocolate, and I wanted to make sure we had a vegan version so we crushed candy canes and melted dark chocolate chips.
We learned that despite the fact that candy canes break easily when you don't want them to break, they are HARD to crush into little bits. Next time, we're going to stick them in my very powerful VitaMix blender.
I didn't measure. We crushed about 12 or so largish candy canes and melted ~8-10 ounces of chocolate chips. We mixed the two ingredients together, spread thin on waxed paper, and refrigerated. (I had more of both ingredients on hand if the ratio didn't look right, but really, you can't go wrong with peppermint candy and chocolate.) When it was cool, we broke it up into smaller pieces. YUM!
We learned that despite the fact that candy canes break easily when you don't want them to break, they are HARD to crush into little bits. Next time, we're going to stick them in my very powerful VitaMix blender.
I didn't measure. We crushed about 12 or so largish candy canes and melted ~8-10 ounces of chocolate chips. We mixed the two ingredients together, spread thin on waxed paper, and refrigerated. (I had more of both ingredients on hand if the ratio didn't look right, but really, you can't go wrong with peppermint candy and chocolate.) When it was cool, we broke it up into smaller pieces. YUM!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Lunch
It's a simple lunch, and I eat a variation of it pretty much everyday when I work from home. A bowl of steamed broccoli with some topping on a tortilla. (The girls tell me I eat too much broccoli. Heh.)
These are my favorite tortillas right now.
Here's the tortilla (toasted, one edge a bit crispy) with white bean hummus and the broccoli. A little salsa would have been a tasty and colorful addition.
Sometimes it's black bean dip (or tofu) and salsa with the tortilla and broccoli.
It's always the tortilla and broccoli (or kale). (Remember, I like it green.) If I'm at work, it's always a salad. (Pictures someday, too.) I never get bored with my wraps or my salads.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Garbanzo Bean Hummus
I was looking through the blog and I can't believe I've never posted my "plain old" hummus recipe.
2 (15-ounce) cans garbanzo beans (drained, but save the liquid from one can in case you need it)
1-2 lemons, juiced (usually 6-10 tablespoons depending on how lemon-y you like it; we went through a phase where we (Kira) really liked it lemon-y. Now we tend to make it less lemon-y like 6 tablespoons)
2 garlic cloves (or more depending on how much garlic you like)
2-3 tablespoons tahini
1-2 teaspoons salt (unless your beans are already salted, if so, salt to taste and you probably won't need too much)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil (usually I don't add ANY).
1-2 lemons, juiced (usually 6-10 tablespoons depending on how lemon-y you like it; we went through a phase where we (Kira) really liked it lemon-y. Now we tend to make it less lemon-y like 6 tablespoons)
2 garlic cloves (or more depending on how much garlic you like)
2-3 tablespoons tahini
1-2 teaspoons salt (unless your beans are already salted, if so, salt to taste and you probably won't need too much)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil (usually I don't add ANY).
I make this "doubled" all the time, so I wrote it as double, but if you don't have a lot of hummus eaters, you may want to halve it (1 can, 1 lemon, 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon tahini, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon (if any) of olive oil).
Note, don't bother to cut the garlic clove just stick it in the food processor and process like crazy. I kind of dump everything in at once and process for a while. I make hummus so often, I can make it in my sleep.
Kira (8-years old) often makes it for me. She LOVES hummus. She says it is better than ice cream and she does love ice cream. Also, note, for years, I made hummus in my blender, but now I make it in my food processor. The food processor IS SO MUCH EASIER TO CLEAN! (Sorry, I am excited about how much easier it is to clean!)
A variation is to add in roasted red pepper... Hummus with red pepper is my favorite. When I double this, I can pull half out for Kira and then stick red pepper in the other half and have two hummus versions for the price of one cleaning!
Kira (8-years old) often makes it for me. She LOVES hummus. She says it is better than ice cream and she does love ice cream. Also, note, for years, I made hummus in my blender, but now I make it in my food processor. The food processor IS SO MUCH EASIER TO CLEAN! (Sorry, I am excited about how much easier it is to clean!)
A variation is to add in roasted red pepper... Hummus with red pepper is my favorite. When I double this, I can pull half out for Kira and then stick red pepper in the other half and have two hummus versions for the price of one cleaning!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
White Bean Hummus
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans (drained)
2 lemons, juiced (usually 1/4-1/3 a cup)
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 garlic cloves
2-3 tablespoons tahini paste
1-2 teaspoons salt (unless your beans are already salted, if so, salt to taste and you probably won't need too much)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
Place ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator, it always tastes better to me cold. Eat with veggies, bread, tortillas, or a spoon (heh). I love to put it in wraps! I should take a picture of it before it's gone, but not right now. (Maybe in the morning.)
2 lemons, juiced (usually 1/4-1/3 a cup)
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 garlic cloves
2-3 tablespoons tahini paste
1-2 teaspoons salt (unless your beans are already salted, if so, salt to taste and you probably won't need too much)
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
Place ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator, it always tastes better to me cold. Eat with veggies, bread, tortillas, or a spoon (heh). I love to put it in wraps! I should take a picture of it before it's gone, but not right now. (Maybe in the morning.)
Friday, December 7, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Scrambling
Sunday we were scrambling to get done everything! We woke up late (sleeping in is nice!), but then I was a little overwhelmed. We still managed to do pretty much everything on my list of things to do including put of the Christmas tree, make cookies, and make a yummy dinner!
As I said, we scrambled all day--right through dinner!
Those aren't eggs!
What I used:
2 boxes firm tofu
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced (could be more if you like garlic)
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 bag of organic spinach leaves
a little olive oil in the pan
Here's what you do: Press the tofu as best you can to drain. I only had two plates for pressing. (I'm totally thinking about adding a tofu press to my Christmas list!) Mix in the curry and tumeric spices (careful, they can stain) until it is the uniform color of scrambled eggs! (Note, I used my RED spatula for stirring in a glass bowl to avoid staining.) Set aside. Saute garlic, then add the tofu, then tomatoes and finally spinach. Make sure everything is cooked the way you like it before you add the spinach. Add a sprinkle of black pepper if you like.
Two of the three girls liked this. Kira ate it without the tomatoes and spinach, and Nat ate it with the tomatoes and a little spinach. They both liked it on toast like an egg sandwich. Tia tried it, but didn't love it.
The inspiration for this recipe, and almost all of the ingredients and instructions came from:
http://emilysegal.blogspot.com/2009/12/day-18-sand-yoga-babies.html
As I said, we scrambled all day--right through dinner!
Those aren't eggs!
What I used:
2 boxes firm tofu
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced (could be more if you like garlic)
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 bag of organic spinach leaves
a little olive oil in the pan
Here's what you do: Press the tofu as best you can to drain. I only had two plates for pressing. (I'm totally thinking about adding a tofu press to my Christmas list!) Mix in the curry and tumeric spices (careful, they can stain) until it is the uniform color of scrambled eggs! (Note, I used my RED spatula for stirring in a glass bowl to avoid staining.) Set aside. Saute garlic, then add the tofu, then tomatoes and finally spinach. Make sure everything is cooked the way you like it before you add the spinach. Add a sprinkle of black pepper if you like.
Two of the three girls liked this. Kira ate it without the tomatoes and spinach, and Nat ate it with the tomatoes and a little spinach. They both liked it on toast like an egg sandwich. Tia tried it, but didn't love it.
The inspiration for this recipe, and almost all of the ingredients and instructions came from:
http://emilysegal.blogspot.com/2009/12/day-18-sand-yoga-babies.html
Next time I make it, I'll play around with adding more and different veggies.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Low sugar PB2 cookies
The recipe is here: http://veryveryverygreen.blogspot.com/2012/07/hardly-any-sugar-peanut-butter-cookies.html.
Super yum. I think that you need only 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup of chocolate chips, not 1/2 cup like I originally said. It's a good problem to have too many chocolate chips, but it does make it hard to make the cookies--too many chocolate chips and the cookies can't stick together.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Super fast black bean dip
When you're in a hurry for something filling, with protein, and tasty, we recommend our super fast black bean dip!
3 cans of Black Beans (BPA-free if possible)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 tablespoons cumin
1.5 teaspoons of salt
~8-12 ounces of fresh salsa (like pico de gallo) but use very little of the juice.
Optional: Chili Powder, Onion Powder
Directions:
Put 1/2 a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), the salsa (without the juice), and the garlic in the food processor and process until smooth (you want to make sure the garlic is all chopped up).
Next, add the spices (cumin and salt) pulse a few times to mix them in. Then add the remaining cans of drained and rinsed beans and process until mostly smooth.
Serve with veggies, rice, tortillas, tortilla chips, or whatever else you like. I also love to add it to wraps. This amount will usually last for (no more than) 2 days in our house with our family of 5. We all love it. It makes a super easy and fun dish to take to parties, too.
3 cans of Black Beans (BPA-free if possible)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 tablespoons cumin
1.5 teaspoons of salt
~8-12 ounces of fresh salsa (like pico de gallo) but use very little of the juice.
Optional: Chili Powder, Onion Powder
Directions:
Put 1/2 a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), the salsa (without the juice), and the garlic in the food processor and process until smooth (you want to make sure the garlic is all chopped up).
Next, add the spices (cumin and salt) pulse a few times to mix them in. Then add the remaining cans of drained and rinsed beans and process until mostly smooth.
Serve with veggies, rice, tortillas, tortilla chips, or whatever else you like. I also love to add it to wraps. This amount will usually last for (no more than) 2 days in our house with our family of 5. We all love it. It makes a super easy and fun dish to take to parties, too.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Some nights
I cook most of our food with fresh ingredients, but some nights we're just too tired and busy to make it happen. Here's an easy, tasty dinner that I would wager is better (nutritionally) than going out to eat.
One could replace the broccoli with rice, or keep the broccoli and add some rice.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Roasted veggies
I've always loved roasted veggies, and I used to make roasted cauliflower and broccoli sometimes, but then I got out of the habit. We visited a friend and she made some for us for dinner. She reminded me how easy and delicious roasted veggies are.
Cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and asparagus in a little olive oil and salt waiting for their turn in the oven. I tried to go fairly sparingly on the oil, but this is not a low-fat dish! It's very tasty, and great for the holidays. I need to keep this on my list for special occasions.
Here I am checking on the veggies. I broiled them for about 10 minutes without checking and then checked every few minutes until 20-25 minutes. Super easy, just make sure they don't burn.
(Note, I did pull the rack out sometimes--not sure why I was sticking my arm in the oven this time.)
I didn't get an "after" the oven picture of the veggies; I was too busy eating the yummy roasted veggies.
Cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and asparagus in a little olive oil and salt waiting for their turn in the oven. I tried to go fairly sparingly on the oil, but this is not a low-fat dish! It's very tasty, and great for the holidays. I need to keep this on my list for special occasions.
Here I am checking on the veggies. I broiled them for about 10 minutes without checking and then checked every few minutes until 20-25 minutes. Super easy, just make sure they don't burn.
(Note, I did pull the rack out sometimes--not sure why I was sticking my arm in the oven this time.)
I didn't get an "after" the oven picture of the veggies; I was too busy eating the yummy roasted veggies.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
I really can't follow recipes...
I was going to make the soup linked in the blog post below. I ended up making a different soup. I started off with lentils and most of the spices Oh she glows recommended, but then I changed it up a bit.
The ingredients:
1 teaspoon of olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/8th tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 14-oz cans of diced tomatoes
12 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1.5 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup of cashew cream (1 cup raw cashews blended with a 1/2 cup water)
salt to taste (1 teaspoon)
10 oz. of raw baby spinach
What I did:
Sauteed the garlic and onion in the olive oil for a few minutes. I actually added a little broth while sauteing.
Added spices, tomatoes, broth, water and lentils and let it cook for 25 minutes and then tasted the soup. I loved it, but Nick thought it needed to be thickened up a little. We didn't want to do PB 'cause we ALWAYS do PB. I decided to try cashew cream.
You're supposed to soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours for cashew cream but I just threw caution to the wind and threw the raw cashews into the Vitamix with some water and made a thick cream.
I added the cream to the soup and that didn't work out so well... It got all clumpy. I couldn't stir it out so I added some of the soup and the lumpy cream back to the blender. Can I just say I love my Vitamix? The soup came out beautifully.
I added a little salt to the soup 'cause the cashews made it taste less salty; then, I added the spinach. Then, I ate too much.
I'll try to make this recipe again. Oh yum!
The ingredients:
1 teaspoon of olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/8th tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 14-oz cans of diced tomatoes
12 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1.5 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup of cashew cream (1 cup raw cashews blended with a 1/2 cup water)
salt to taste (1 teaspoon)
10 oz. of raw baby spinach
What I did:
Sauteed the garlic and onion in the olive oil for a few minutes. I actually added a little broth while sauteing.
Added spices, tomatoes, broth, water and lentils and let it cook for 25 minutes and then tasted the soup. I loved it, but Nick thought it needed to be thickened up a little. We didn't want to do PB 'cause we ALWAYS do PB. I decided to try cashew cream.
You're supposed to soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours for cashew cream but I just threw caution to the wind and threw the raw cashews into the Vitamix with some water and made a thick cream.
I added the cream to the soup and that didn't work out so well... It got all clumpy. I couldn't stir it out so I added some of the soup and the lumpy cream back to the blender. Can I just say I love my Vitamix? The soup came out beautifully.
I added a little salt to the soup 'cause the cashews made it taste less salty; then, I added the spinach. Then, I ate too much.
I'll try to make this recipe again. Oh yum!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Soup! Wintery! Vegetable!
From one of my favorite veggie cooking blogs...
The modifications I'll make include olive oil instead of coconut oil, no celery, more cumin--probably more of all the spices... I just bought some red lentils so I'm excited to try them out! Hopefully, I will make this tomorrow!
The modifications I'll make include olive oil instead of coconut oil, no celery, more cumin--probably more of all the spices... I just bought some red lentils so I'm excited to try them out! Hopefully, I will make this tomorrow!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Pumpkin pie report... (Edited--the version I use now after some experimenting)
Remember, I was making pumpkin pies the other night? They came out "okay," but not quite the texture I wanted. I used corn starch and though they were custard-y, they weren't the texture I envisioned.
I went to the store and got tofu and this is what I made:
2 packages of 3/4 pound silken (soft) tofu
2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cloves (optional)
1 cup maple syrup
This mixture made enough for two pies. I had one crust so I made one pie and then I poured some dark chocolate chips into a second pie pan with the pie mix and baked it.
I baked at 400 degrees for about half an hour and then covered the pie and baked it for another 3/4s of an hour. I felt like it was taking forever, but it seemed to need the extra time. Maybe yours won't need the extra time...I'm not sure what was up!
This pie turned out to be just the texture I wanted. Yay! The second pie I made, with no crust and the chocolate chips, is so yummy! I scooped some of it into my oatmeal this morning. It was a perfect post-Thanksgiving breakfast. The girls just had pumpkin pie straight for their breakfast.
Edited to add that I made a soy free version of my pie with Cashew cream instead of Tofu this year. I put 2/3s cup of cashews and 1 cup of water in the blender and made cashew cream. I think added the rest of the ingredients and blended (here are the remaining ingredients).
2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cloves (optional)
1 cup maple syrup
I went to the store and got tofu and this is what I made:
2 packages of 3/4 pound silken (soft) tofu
2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cloves (optional)
1 cup maple syrup
This mixture made enough for two pies. I had one crust so I made one pie and then I poured some dark chocolate chips into a second pie pan with the pie mix and baked it.
I baked at 400 degrees for about half an hour and then covered the pie and baked it for another 3/4s of an hour. I felt like it was taking forever, but it seemed to need the extra time. Maybe yours won't need the extra time...I'm not sure what was up!
This pie turned out to be just the texture I wanted. Yay! The second pie I made, with no crust and the chocolate chips, is so yummy! I scooped some of it into my oatmeal this morning. It was a perfect post-Thanksgiving breakfast. The girls just had pumpkin pie straight for their breakfast.
Though it was really good, I also want to play around with pumpkin pie recipes from here. Since it is the holiday season, expect more Pumpkin Pie Posts (nice alliteration) coming soon!
__________________________________
Edited to add that I made a soy free version of my pie with Cashew cream instead of Tofu this year. I put 2/3s cup of cashews and 1 cup of water in the blender and made cashew cream. I think added the rest of the ingredients and blended (here are the remaining ingredients).
2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cloves (optional)
1 cup maple syrup
Turkey fun
This was our turkey! We dipped him in chocolate (dark, no dairy chocolate chips and soy milk melted in our fondue pot). We all loved him! Super fun!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Thanksgiving eve
It's been a long time. Sorry about that. We took a trip to the East Coast (Boston and New Hampshire) and Nat came down with chicken pox. We had to stay a little longer than we planned and all of a sudden it's Thanksgiving!
Ah, Thanksgiving, the holiday of eating. We don't do traditional Thanksgiving and haven't the whole time the girls have been around. We used to make veggie fajitas for our meal, and they were really good, but somewhere along the way, we've been experimenting with other dishes. When my brother Rob comes for Thanksgiving we make eggplant and spaghetti in honor of our Dad.
This year, Natalie wanted to make eggplant even though Uncle Rob couldn't make it, so we will.
Dad used to fry the eggplant in olive oil (not breaded) and then layer sauce and cheese and bake it. We do the frying, but no cheese. It's amazing. I'll post pictures and tell you more tomorrow.
Tonight, Natalie, Kira, and I made a pumpkin pie. We used this recipe . In the past, I've just used eggs and soy milk in the recipe, but this year we decided to be fully plant-based with our pumpkin pie. I know you can do pumpkin pie with tofu, but I didn't have any to use so we tried it without. Recipe with attribution pasted below.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Rustic Spelt Crust
by Angela Liddon
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour
for the filling
2 & 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup natural cane sugar or brown sugar
1/4 cup full-fat coconut cream (or almond milk), softened
1 tbsp Earth Balance, softened
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
Instructions
Filling: In a small bowl or mug, whisk together the maple syrup and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch). In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients, adjusting spices to taste.
To bake: Scoop the filling into crust and smooth. Add cut-outs on top. Bake for 45 mins at 350F. Remove and cover crust edges with tinfoil or crust shield. Bake for another 15 mins. Place on cooling rack for 1 hour. Transfer to fridge to set for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight. (this is very important!)
I totally want to try this crust ... I didn't have pecans though. I'm really wanting to make one with walnuts and chocolate... Maybe I'll try to create one at some point. I won't do it this Thanksgiving as we already have a big pumpkin pie in the oven and another dessert planned. More tomorrow....or soon if not tomorrow.
For the crust
1 cup GF certified rolled oats, processed into a fine flour OR 1 cup GF oat flour
2 cups raw pecans
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp ground flax
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (acts as the binder, honey may work if you prefer that)
1 tbsp Earth Balance, melted
Ah, Thanksgiving, the holiday of eating. We don't do traditional Thanksgiving and haven't the whole time the girls have been around. We used to make veggie fajitas for our meal, and they were really good, but somewhere along the way, we've been experimenting with other dishes. When my brother Rob comes for Thanksgiving we make eggplant and spaghetti in honor of our Dad.
This year, Natalie wanted to make eggplant even though Uncle Rob couldn't make it, so we will.
Dad used to fry the eggplant in olive oil (not breaded) and then layer sauce and cheese and bake it. We do the frying, but no cheese. It's amazing. I'll post pictures and tell you more tomorrow.
Tonight, Natalie, Kira, and I made a pumpkin pie. We used this recipe . In the past, I've just used eggs and soy milk in the recipe, but this year we decided to be fully plant-based with our pumpkin pie. I know you can do pumpkin pie with tofu, but I didn't have any to use so we tried it without. Recipe with attribution pasted below.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Rustic Spelt Crust
by Angela Liddon
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour
for the filling
2 & 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup natural cane sugar or brown sugar
1/4 cup full-fat coconut cream (or almond milk), softened
1 tbsp Earth Balance, softened
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
Instructions
Filling: In a small bowl or mug, whisk together the maple syrup and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch). In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients, adjusting spices to taste.
To bake: Scoop the filling into crust and smooth. Add cut-outs on top. Bake for 45 mins at 350F. Remove and cover crust edges with tinfoil or crust shield. Bake for another 15 mins. Place on cooling rack for 1 hour. Transfer to fridge to set for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight. (this is very important!)
I totally want to try this crust ... I didn't have pecans though. I'm really wanting to make one with walnuts and chocolate... Maybe I'll try to create one at some point. I won't do it this Thanksgiving as we already have a big pumpkin pie in the oven and another dessert planned. More tomorrow....or soon if not tomorrow.
For the crust
1 cup GF certified rolled oats, processed into a fine flour OR 1 cup GF oat flour
2 cups raw pecans
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp ground flax
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (acts as the binder, honey may work if you prefer that)
1 tbsp Earth Balance, melted
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Treadmill desk: Move more, sit less!
From the Mayo Clinic... Move more, sit less!
Here's a picture of my treadmill desk (cat sold separately). We set this up back in June.
Steps to make a treadmill desk:
1. Buy a treadmill. We got a nice quality, small-sized one. It's a Horizon t101 and it was a little more expensive than I planned. We checked out some treadmills that were in the $200-300 range, and I thought they'd be fine, but the demo models in the store had slightly wobbly belts. Nick didn't want me to have to wobble while I walked. The salesman figured that a new one in a home would be less likely to have the wobble problem since the store models get a lot of abuse. Regardless, we went with the Horizon. It's sturdy enough that if I want to run on it, I could. I haven't had the urge yet, but who knows!?
2. We didn't opt for the delivery set-up service. Ask Nick if he thinks it would have been worth it to pay for delivery and set-up. Treadmills are HEAVY. Getting it up the stairs involved all of our strength and knowledge of physics.
3. After we set up the treadmill, we tried to figure out what kind of surface for the desk. We went to home depot and got these shelves (for around $50):
Note, I am only using one of the shelves. The shelving we got is supposed to be temporary, and we plan to make a shelf out of wood, at height I currently have the shelf. I am using the reams of paper to raise my monitor to the right height for my eyes. I really like this stand and I need to get one to replace the reams of paper.
I haven't quite gotten the ergonomics of the keyboard worked out; I had a lower shelf for an external keyboard for a while. The shelf wasn't stable and my keyboard (wireless) kept needing new batteries. I'll figure it out at some point. Right now, I mostly read and do light typing on the treadmill. When we get into our new office, I'll figure it all out. (It'll be a while before the move.)
(Not shown is the gaffer tape holding the shelf to the treadmill to make it steady. I think on the wood version, we'll need a cross brace, but we're not there yet.)
For now, the treadmill desk is really working for me. I find I work for about an hour, then sit down (I try to limit myself to sitting for no more than 1/2 hour) and then walk some more. In a typical day when I work from home for 6-8 hours I'll walk for 3-5 hours on the treadmill. My pace is anywhere from .5 - 1.5 miles an hour, so I'll walk between 1.5 and 3 miles in a day. It's not a lot of walking, but it's much better than just sitting all day! I feel so much better than when I sit.
I do sometimes have to "sit and concentrate," but I try not to do this too often or for too long of a period of time. It also works for me to just STAND at the treadmill and not walk when I need to concentrate.
The treadmill desk was a fairly substantial monetary investment, but if it keeps me healthy and less stressed, it's worth it. (It's helping my back feel better!) When I'm really busy, I can end up working for 12 hours a day. I haven't had a day like that in a while, but when it happens again (and it will), I'm ready and will walk and work the day away!
When I finally get settled into our new office, I'll update; don't hold your breath though, I expect I will make the post NEXT Summer (2013). I am so glad I got the treadmill before my office was ready. I'd be a "sitting duck" for another year if I'd waited.
Here's a picture of my treadmill desk (cat sold separately). We set this up back in June.
Steps to make a treadmill desk:
1. Buy a treadmill. We got a nice quality, small-sized one. It's a Horizon t101 and it was a little more expensive than I planned. We checked out some treadmills that were in the $200-300 range, and I thought they'd be fine, but the demo models in the store had slightly wobbly belts. Nick didn't want me to have to wobble while I walked. The salesman figured that a new one in a home would be less likely to have the wobble problem since the store models get a lot of abuse. Regardless, we went with the Horizon. It's sturdy enough that if I want to run on it, I could. I haven't had the urge yet, but who knows!?
2. We didn't opt for the delivery set-up service. Ask Nick if he thinks it would have been worth it to pay for delivery and set-up. Treadmills are HEAVY. Getting it up the stairs involved all of our strength and knowledge of physics.
3. After we set up the treadmill, we tried to figure out what kind of surface for the desk. We went to home depot and got these shelves (for around $50):
Note, I am only using one of the shelves. The shelving we got is supposed to be temporary, and we plan to make a shelf out of wood, at height I currently have the shelf. I am using the reams of paper to raise my monitor to the right height for my eyes. I really like this stand and I need to get one to replace the reams of paper.
I haven't quite gotten the ergonomics of the keyboard worked out; I had a lower shelf for an external keyboard for a while. The shelf wasn't stable and my keyboard (wireless) kept needing new batteries. I'll figure it out at some point. Right now, I mostly read and do light typing on the treadmill. When we get into our new office, I'll figure it all out. (It'll be a while before the move.)
(Not shown is the gaffer tape holding the shelf to the treadmill to make it steady. I think on the wood version, we'll need a cross brace, but we're not there yet.)
For now, the treadmill desk is really working for me. I find I work for about an hour, then sit down (I try to limit myself to sitting for no more than 1/2 hour) and then walk some more. In a typical day when I work from home for 6-8 hours I'll walk for 3-5 hours on the treadmill. My pace is anywhere from .5 - 1.5 miles an hour, so I'll walk between 1.5 and 3 miles in a day. It's not a lot of walking, but it's much better than just sitting all day! I feel so much better than when I sit.
I do sometimes have to "sit and concentrate," but I try not to do this too often or for too long of a period of time. It also works for me to just STAND at the treadmill and not walk when I need to concentrate.
The treadmill desk was a fairly substantial monetary investment, but if it keeps me healthy and less stressed, it's worth it. (It's helping my back feel better!) When I'm really busy, I can end up working for 12 hours a day. I haven't had a day like that in a while, but when it happens again (and it will), I'm ready and will walk and work the day away!
When I finally get settled into our new office, I'll update; don't hold your breath though, I expect I will make the post NEXT Summer (2013). I am so glad I got the treadmill before my office was ready. I'd be a "sitting duck" for another year if I'd waited.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
super cute Thanksgiving idea!
Monday, October 15, 2012
I'm dreaming about ...
Chocolate Granola!
As soon as I saw this recipe, http://ohsheglows.com/2012/10/12/cinnamon-bun-granola-recipe-halloween-treat-a-thon/, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to try to make a chocolate version.
Here's what I did:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats
1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
4 dates, pitted
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup raw cocoa
5 tablespoons water
2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300F.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oats, buckwheat, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, (anything else you want, and salt).
In your blender, blend the maple syrup, dates, oil, water and vanilla extract into a smooth sauce. Because of all the water, it will be thin.
Mix the sauce into the dry ingredients and stir until all the dry ingredients are well coated. There may be a little liquid in the mixture. If you think it's "too wet" add a little more oatmeal. (I left the extra liquid in and most of it was gone by 20 minutes of baking.) (I'm thinking of adding more dates and less maple syrup next time to make the sauce thicker. I'll update this if I do.)
Spoon the mixture on to a baking tray lined with a silicone liner (or parchment paper). Make sure to spread into a thin, even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, carefully stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. Allow to cool before breaking into clusters (if needed).
My notes:
YUM!
I didn't use coconut oil 'cause I'm not fond of coconut flavor, but if you do like it, I imagine it would add a nice dimension to the recipe. In addition, I lowered the oil content--I only used 1 tablespoon of oil instead of 2. I might play around with decreasing the oil a bit more.
I love having a recipe with buckwheat in it! Remember, I tried this recipe and wasn't crazy about it? I am crazy about this one! I'll definitely be making it again! (Three exclamation points in 4 sentences means I'm excited.)
I added pumpkin seeds but I'm going to keep playing around with different seeds/goodies in it. For example, I might add sunflower seeds next time and / or flax.
Since our discovery of Love Crunch Cereal, I've wanted to make a chocolate granola. I'm so excited to have a start on a recipe! I'll play around a bit more, but yay, I have a decent recipe! As it is, at least 3 of us are addicted to the recipe as is. Here's a picture with freeze-dried strawberries and chocolate chunks (just like Love Crunch).
(Sorry, bad photo from the iPhone... Is a bad photo better than no photo?)
Thank you, Oh She Glows and tiny treats for the original recipe! (I am thinking about buying the cookbook to see more!)
As soon as I saw this recipe, http://ohsheglows.com/2012/10/12/cinnamon-bun-granola-recipe-halloween-treat-a-thon/, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to try to make a chocolate version.
Here's what I did:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats
1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
4 dates, pitted
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup raw cocoa
5 tablespoons water
2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300F.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oats, buckwheat, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, (anything else you want, and salt).
In your blender, blend the maple syrup, dates, oil, water and vanilla extract into a smooth sauce. Because of all the water, it will be thin.
Mix the sauce into the dry ingredients and stir until all the dry ingredients are well coated. There may be a little liquid in the mixture. If you think it's "too wet" add a little more oatmeal. (I left the extra liquid in and most of it was gone by 20 minutes of baking.) (I'm thinking of adding more dates and less maple syrup next time to make the sauce thicker. I'll update this if I do.)
Spoon the mixture on to a baking tray lined with a silicone liner (or parchment paper). Make sure to spread into a thin, even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, carefully stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. Allow to cool before breaking into clusters (if needed).
My notes:
YUM!
I didn't use coconut oil 'cause I'm not fond of coconut flavor, but if you do like it, I imagine it would add a nice dimension to the recipe. In addition, I lowered the oil content--I only used 1 tablespoon of oil instead of 2. I might play around with decreasing the oil a bit more.
I love having a recipe with buckwheat in it! Remember, I tried this recipe and wasn't crazy about it? I am crazy about this one! I'll definitely be making it again! (Three exclamation points in 4 sentences means I'm excited.)
I added pumpkin seeds but I'm going to keep playing around with different seeds/goodies in it. For example, I might add sunflower seeds next time and / or flax.
Since our discovery of Love Crunch Cereal, I've wanted to make a chocolate granola. I'm so excited to have a start on a recipe! I'll play around a bit more, but yay, I have a decent recipe! As it is, at least 3 of us are addicted to the recipe as is. Here's a picture with freeze-dried strawberries and chocolate chunks (just like Love Crunch).
(Sorry, bad photo from the iPhone... Is a bad photo better than no photo?)
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Vegan Warriors...
I love this! You can be a vegan, build muscle, and be very fit. These guys require a lot of calories and nutrition. If veganism is good enough for them, then it's good enough for me!
Watch and be amazed at the vegans on YouTube!
A link to their web site is here.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Veggie Soup with Kale
I love Kale... With all my heart. And it's good for my heart. And lots of other body parts....
Okay, I'm not a poet so I'll stop there. I think with a little iteration I could turn that into a nice poem, but not today. I've got some other things to do! This is also the second attempt at posting this recipe--remember, yesterday I complained how blogger ate my post. Cross your fingers that this post sticks.
The days are starting to sort of feel like fall. Sort of. (Never mind that it was in the low 80s on Saturday and the high 70s of Sunday.) On Sunday, I wanted soup--warm, comforting soup. I wanted it with lots of green.
I scoured the web and looked at many versions of veggie soup with Kale. There are lots of similar recipes. I didn't see anything that was exactly what I was looking for so I made one up. Here it is:
2 yukon gold potatoes diced (not peeled)
1 large yellow onion diced
2-3 carrots diced
1-3 cloves of garlic diced
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 32-ounce container of veggie broth
~3 cups of water
Combine all of the above in a big stock pan and bring to a boil. Let it cook at a slow boil for 20-40 minutes or until all the veggies are soft. (The time it takes to make the veggies soft will depend on the size of the veggies.)
After the veggies are of a good texture add:
~28 ounces of diced tomatoes
another 32-ounce container of veggie broth
salt (if needed see how much is in your tomatoes and broth)
1 zucchini sliced into thin pieces (I sliced thin and then quartered) (peel or not, your preference, I didn't)
Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Add Kale 3-4 cups chopped with stems removed
You could stop here as it's a delicious very low-fat, no-oil soup. Or, if you're feeling adventurous you can add 2 links of Italian Vegan Field Roast Sausage chopped into small pieces. (Nick, Nat, and I love this stuff.)
If you choose to add the vegan sausage you will add fat to the soup, but it's delicious!
After you add Kale (and the vegan sausage), cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Here are the nutrition facts without the vegan sausage. If you add the sausage you add ~2 grams of fat per serving and ~48 more calories. (I'm calculating 10 very GENEROUS servings for this recipe, but it might be more like 16 normal sized servings. I love soup!)
Kid report:
Nat, the vegan who loves veggies, ate the soup.
Kira ate the broth and the potatoes
Tia ate the broth, potatoes, garbanzo beans, vegan sausage, and a few pieces of zucchini.
Yea, I had to try to ladle the soup up with only their preferred veggies.
I'll be making this soup again this fall and winter!
Okay, I'm not a poet so I'll stop there. I think with a little iteration I could turn that into a nice poem, but not today. I've got some other things to do! This is also the second attempt at posting this recipe--remember, yesterday I complained how blogger ate my post. Cross your fingers that this post sticks.
The days are starting to sort of feel like fall. Sort of. (Never mind that it was in the low 80s on Saturday and the high 70s of Sunday.) On Sunday, I wanted soup--warm, comforting soup. I wanted it with lots of green.
I scoured the web and looked at many versions of veggie soup with Kale. There are lots of similar recipes. I didn't see anything that was exactly what I was looking for so I made one up. Here it is:
2 yukon gold potatoes diced (not peeled)
1 large yellow onion diced
2-3 carrots diced
1-3 cloves of garlic diced
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 32-ounce container of veggie broth
~3 cups of water
Combine all of the above in a big stock pan and bring to a boil. Let it cook at a slow boil for 20-40 minutes or until all the veggies are soft. (The time it takes to make the veggies soft will depend on the size of the veggies.)
After the veggies are of a good texture add:
~28 ounces of diced tomatoes
another 32-ounce container of veggie broth
salt (if needed see how much is in your tomatoes and broth)
1 zucchini sliced into thin pieces (I sliced thin and then quartered) (peel or not, your preference, I didn't)
Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Add Kale 3-4 cups chopped with stems removed
You could stop here as it's a delicious very low-fat, no-oil soup. Or, if you're feeling adventurous you can add 2 links of Italian Vegan Field Roast Sausage chopped into small pieces. (Nick, Nat, and I love this stuff.)
If you choose to add the vegan sausage you will add fat to the soup, but it's delicious!
After you add Kale (and the vegan sausage), cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Here are the nutrition facts without the vegan sausage. If you add the sausage you add ~2 grams of fat per serving and ~48 more calories. (I'm calculating 10 very GENEROUS servings for this recipe, but it might be more like 16 normal sized servings. I love soup!)
Kid report:
Nat, the vegan who loves veggies, ate the soup.
Kira ate the broth and the potatoes
Tia ate the broth, potatoes, garbanzo beans, vegan sausage, and a few pieces of zucchini.
Yea, I had to try to ladle the soup up with only their preferred veggies.
I'll be making this soup again this fall and winter!
Monday, September 24, 2012
&*@#$ !!!
Darn it!
I wrote a GREAT post last night (brilliant, even) and blogger ate it. Seriously. HOW ANNOYING.
I know what happened, but I can't believe blogger was so stupid. I had two windows open with the post in it. I finished it in one, changed the title, and published it. Then, I found the other window that was nearly blank with only the start if the post in it. It still had the OLD title. I closed it. I must have hit save.
Even though I hit save, I can't believe the one with the new title (that was published) was wiped out by the old post with the old title when I saved it. GRRRR! But the new post I wrote is no where to be found. It's not published and it's not in my drafts. Blogger ate it. It must have been because it was a post with a tasty soup recipe in it. You can't really blame blogger, can you?
Sigh.
Now I have to do it again and it won't be nearly so brilliant.
So what'd I tell you in the other post? I told you about the fun cooking weekend I had! I made 2 versions of these bars I'll have to tell you about the strawberry version I made (later) 'cause they are scrumptious!
I also (FINALLY) had a chance to make these pumpkin and chocolate chip muffins! I actually got to make them on Monday and then again on Saturday. You know you like a recipe if you make it twice in one week. The girls give them two thumbs up! I love it when I find something all of them will eat! Muffins are so nice as a quick breakfast. A quick healthy breakfast makes mornings so much easier!
I did change the recipe slightly the second time I made it. I added flax and removed 1/2 a cup of the oatmeal flour. I also only added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Below are the nutrition facts for the new version of the recipe (below) with the serving size being one muffin.
Here's the new recipe:
1 medium banana, mashed
1 (15-oz.) can Pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups Whole Grain Oat Flour
1/2 cup Flax Seed Meal
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup Organic Dark Chocolate Chips
4 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
If you decrease the maple syrup to 2 tablespoons, you get only 7 grams of sugar in each muffin. I think they are sweet enough with only 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, but I don't like the taste of sweet.
If you want pictures, go take a look at the forks over knives site and scroll down until you see very cute muffins! I'll try to remember to take a picture before we devour the muffins next time I make them!
Okay, this isn't the brilliant post I wrote last night about veggie soup, but I'm stopping here for now. I'll share the recipe for the soup I made last night in another post.
I wrote a GREAT post last night (brilliant, even) and blogger ate it. Seriously. HOW ANNOYING.
I know what happened, but I can't believe blogger was so stupid. I had two windows open with the post in it. I finished it in one, changed the title, and published it. Then, I found the other window that was nearly blank with only the start if the post in it. It still had the OLD title. I closed it. I must have hit save.
Even though I hit save, I can't believe the one with the new title (that was published) was wiped out by the old post with the old title when I saved it. GRRRR! But the new post I wrote is no where to be found. It's not published and it's not in my drafts. Blogger ate it. It must have been because it was a post with a tasty soup recipe in it. You can't really blame blogger, can you?
Sigh.
Now I have to do it again and it won't be nearly so brilliant.
So what'd I tell you in the other post? I told you about the fun cooking weekend I had! I made 2 versions of these bars I'll have to tell you about the strawberry version I made (later) 'cause they are scrumptious!
I also (FINALLY) had a chance to make these pumpkin and chocolate chip muffins! I actually got to make them on Monday and then again on Saturday. You know you like a recipe if you make it twice in one week. The girls give them two thumbs up! I love it when I find something all of them will eat! Muffins are so nice as a quick breakfast. A quick healthy breakfast makes mornings so much easier!
I did change the recipe slightly the second time I made it. I added flax and removed 1/2 a cup of the oatmeal flour. I also only added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Below are the nutrition facts for the new version of the recipe (below) with the serving size being one muffin.
Here's the new recipe:
1 medium banana, mashed
1 (15-oz.) can Pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups Whole Grain Oat Flour
1/2 cup Flax Seed Meal
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup Organic Dark Chocolate Chips
4 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
If you decrease the maple syrup to 2 tablespoons, you get only 7 grams of sugar in each muffin. I think they are sweet enough with only 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, but I don't like the taste of sweet.
If you want pictures, go take a look at the forks over knives site and scroll down until you see very cute muffins! I'll try to remember to take a picture before we devour the muffins next time I make them!
Okay, this isn't the brilliant post I wrote last night about veggie soup, but I'm stopping here for now. I'll share the recipe for the soup I made last night in another post.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Not green
I can't find really good web sites on goji berries, but everything I read says they are super good for you and a lot of the sites tell the story of Li Qing Yuen, who "lived to the age of 252 years" (1678-1930). The legend goes that he ate Goji berries every day. I don't know if they'll help me live to be 252 years, but I think they are tasty and probably not bad for me.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
very good advice
A great piece about how to start to make a change. Change is scary and it's hard, but the bottom line, if you want to make a change, then just start... start small or big or anyway that gets you to start!
Monday, August 27, 2012
The most important meal of the day
A review of a new recipe
I made the raw power-packed pumpkin pie buckwheat breakfast that my happy healthy friend recommended. I had it for breakfast yesterday. My first thought when I tasted it was, well, at least it's convenient. My second thought was, maybe the flavors need to blend a little more and then it will be tastier. My third thought was, maybe I need to get used to it.
I made the raw power-packed pumpkin pie buckwheat breakfast that my happy healthy friend recommended. I had it for breakfast yesterday. My first thought when I tasted it was, well, at least it's convenient. My second thought was, maybe the flavors need to blend a little more and then it will be tastier. My third thought was, maybe I need to get used to it.
I really wanted to like it, it has so many good things in it.
I ate it, Friday (about 8 am), because it so convenient. Then I went to my incredibly fast-paced Zumba class, came home, straightened up the house (the cleaners were coming), and wasn't hungry until around 12:30 pm. Whoa. It was a good breakfast. Usually, I'm starving after a couple of hours.
On Saturday morning, I was running out the door to take the girls to gymnastics and I realized I hadn't eaten. I'd gotten up really early to meet my class online and then I did some other work. As usual, I was running late to leave. I wasn't sure what I could eat 'cause it was TIME TO GO. Nick, my husband, reminded me of the breakfast pudding (as we're calling it). I thought, "Okay, well, it's convenient," and grabbed a bowl. This morning, the flavors were more married and it tasted better. I don't know if it's me getting used to it, or it aging well, but I will probably give the recipe another shot--not right away. It totally wins because it is SUPER easy to grab a bowl and eat it. We'll see if it keeps me full for as long as it did yesterday.
Here's a link to the Happy Health Librarian's version of the recipe.
Here's a link to the version that inspired Happy Health created by Oh She Glows.
My notes on the recipe
I didn't add any dates or any maple syrup to my version. I only used a little stevia and banana for sweetner. Adding either date or maple syrup might have made the taste a little smoother and maybe I'd have enjoyed the buckwheat recipe more, however, I don't like to add too much sugar, even if it's natural like maple syrup or dates. Also, Happy Healthy and Oh She Glows both recommended keeping out 1/2 the groats to add after the blending so you have a "textured" pudding. Um, no. I did that, tried it, and didn't like the texture at all. Since I hadn't emptied it the blender, I added all the groats and blended until everything was smooth. Other folks may like the texture with some of the pieces being hard/chewy, but all I could think was "crun-chewy" which was a word used in bad 80s (maybe even 70s) dog food commercials.
Finally, I only made 1/2 the recipe that Happy Healthy and Oh She Glows made. I didn't want to be committed for 4-5 breakfasts. With the half recipe, I committed to 2-3. I finished eating it this morning. I'll let you know if I "fall in love" with this recipe. Right now, it's convenient, good for me, and a breakfast that will take me all the way through an intense workout and beyond. I will make it again, and give it another chance*. I'll keep you posted.
*I know that for some foods it takes 4-5 (or more) tries to like something. If the recipe wasn't so easy and if it wasn't so darn convenient to eat in the morning, I'm not sure I'd give it another try, however, it rocks in that department. I'm also going to try some of the other "prepare the night before" and eat in the morning breakfasts that Oh She Glows has. I'll let you know what I think. I've never tried them before. I really like making (oat bars) and (scones) and (my PB cookies) as grab and go breakfasts, but prepared the night before cereals could be a new thing for more variety. I'm thinking of trying the green monster overnight oats!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Broccoli and salsa
She's a vegan who likes vegetables. Here she is eating broccoli, salsa, and brown rice. (One of her Mom's favorite combos, too.) You can see her green (kale) smoothie on the right side of the picture (just barely). She's always liked veggies, even as a preschooler. When she was 3.75, if she didn't have a veggie with her lunch or dinner she'd say, "I need something green." Green is her favorite color. Someday, I'll ask her to do a guest post here.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
A new recipe
School started and I'm starting back to work, too. I always forget how much there is to do at the start of school. Of course, I don't have time to sit and surf the web, but I am doing it. I just found this awesome recipe at Forks over Knives.
I'm a sucker for chocolate and pumpkin and I can't wait to make these. The recipe looks excellently not sweet! The only change I might make is to pull out a little of the oat flour and exchange it for flax (like do 1.5 cups oat flour and 1/2 cup flax). I'll report back when I get these made. (I kind of want to make muffins RIGHT now, but it's 10:30 pm and I have to get up kind of early in the morning. School... Gah.)
(Here's the recipe copy and pasted, you know, in case the Internet ever goes down or something.)
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Serves 6-12
1 medium banana, mashed
1 (15-oz.) can sweet pumpkin puree
1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups whole oat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup grain-sweetened dairy-free chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine mashed banana, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
2. In a small bowl, combine oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Transfer mixture to large bowl and mix together gently until well combined. Avoid over-mixing to prevent toughness in the final product. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter into silicon muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are lightly browned. Remove muffins from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Store muffins in an airtight container.
*Recipe derived from Julieanna Hever’s Blueberry Oat Breakfast Muffins in Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, edited by Gene Stone
I'm a sucker for chocolate and pumpkin and I can't wait to make these. The recipe looks excellently not sweet! The only change I might make is to pull out a little of the oat flour and exchange it for flax (like do 1.5 cups oat flour and 1/2 cup flax). I'll report back when I get these made. (I kind of want to make muffins RIGHT now, but it's 10:30 pm and I have to get up kind of early in the morning. School... Gah.)
(Here's the recipe copy and pasted, you know, in case the Internet ever goes down or something.)
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Serves 6-12
1 medium banana, mashed
1 (15-oz.) can sweet pumpkin puree
1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups whole oat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup grain-sweetened dairy-free chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine mashed banana, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
2. In a small bowl, combine oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Transfer mixture to large bowl and mix together gently until well combined. Avoid over-mixing to prevent toughness in the final product. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter into silicon muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are lightly browned. Remove muffins from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Store muffins in an airtight container.
*Recipe derived from Julieanna Hever’s Blueberry Oat Breakfast Muffins in Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, edited by Gene Stone
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Mexican Sweet Potato Soup
I made this soup for the first time. (Recipe pasted below.) It was good! What would I change? Not much. I'd add Kale, of course! (Remember, I like it GREEN!) I did add some kale to my bowl, and YUM! I think I'd also add Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes. If you scroll down on this post you can read about Eden tomatoes being BPA free.
Oh, on the soup, I didn't saute the veggies. I just threw everything in the pot and let it cook for a couple of hours. Next time, I might saute the red peppers or if I were in a hurry, I'd add (jarred) oven roasted red peppers.
So it's been a while since my last post... where did I go and am I back now? I have been busy getting ready for the fall. I'll be working again and teaching. I'm almost ready--kind of, but I don't want summer to end. My brother is visiting and this coming weekend we have some birthday celebrating to do, so don't expect me back quite yet. I've so enjoyed my summer off and hanging with the girls. Thanks to my wonderful husband for encouraging me to take time off.
And now, Happy Healthy Librarian's Sister's Soup Recipe.
Serves: 8 (2 cup servings)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cubed sweet potatoes
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 16 oz. jar of salsa (I used pico de gallo, but next time I might use a heartier cooked salsa)
1/2 tablespoon cumin
2--14.5 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed
6 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth (use 8 cups if you like a thinner soup)
1/3 cup Better'n Peanut Butter (low-fat), or PB2 equivalent, prepared, or real peanut butter
1 bag of TJ's frozen brown rice, microwaved (2 cups cooked brown rice)
Optional: Add 1 1/2 cups of frozen roasted corn
Preparation:
Saute all the vegetables, with sweet potatoes for 5-7 minutes, until soft (I skipped this... I microwaved the sweet potatoes and just through everything in the pot and let them simmer for a couple of hours. I do think softening the pepper a bit more might be good.)
Add salsa, cumin, black beans, & broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes
Add in peanut butter. Whisk well.
Add in rice & cook 2 minutes longer. (I didn't add rice, but maybe next time. I prefer kale over rice.)
This is loaded with nutrients!
Oh, on the soup, I didn't saute the veggies. I just threw everything in the pot and let it cook for a couple of hours. Next time, I might saute the red peppers or if I were in a hurry, I'd add (jarred) oven roasted red peppers.
So it's been a while since my last post... where did I go and am I back now? I have been busy getting ready for the fall. I'll be working again and teaching. I'm almost ready--kind of, but I don't want summer to end. My brother is visiting and this coming weekend we have some birthday celebrating to do, so don't expect me back quite yet. I've so enjoyed my summer off and hanging with the girls. Thanks to my wonderful husband for encouraging me to take time off.
And now, Happy Healthy Librarian's Sister's Soup Recipe.
Serves: 8 (2 cup servings)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cubed sweet potatoes
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 16 oz. jar of salsa (I used pico de gallo, but next time I might use a heartier cooked salsa)
1/2 tablespoon cumin
2--14.5 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed
6 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth (use 8 cups if you like a thinner soup)
1/3 cup Better'n Peanut Butter (low-fat), or PB2 equivalent, prepared, or real peanut butter
1 bag of TJ's frozen brown rice, microwaved (2 cups cooked brown rice)
Optional: Add 1 1/2 cups of frozen roasted corn
Preparation:
Saute all the vegetables, with sweet potatoes for 5-7 minutes, until soft (I skipped this... I microwaved the sweet potatoes and just through everything in the pot and let them simmer for a couple of hours. I do think softening the pepper a bit more might be good.)
Add salsa, cumin, black beans, & broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes
Add in peanut butter. Whisk well.
Add in rice & cook 2 minutes longer. (I didn't add rice, but maybe next time. I prefer kale over rice.)
This is loaded with nutrients!
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Protein
Here's a link to an article on protein from Vegnews.com.
I still need to think about calcium, but right now, I'm putting the final touches on my syllabus for my course for fall.
I still need to think about calcium, but right now, I'm putting the final touches on my syllabus for my course for fall.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Lunch with my girls
Today, we were spontaneous! We went out to lunch without planning on it. We drove past a strip mall and saw a Chipolte and decided we should go.
Chipolte is a fairly friendly vegan restaurant. Their black beans are not made with any animal products. (Their website gives lots of information about their food.) The girls had rice and black beans (one had brown rice and one had white) (the third girl was at a playdate so she had none). I had a salad bowl with black beans, romaine lettuce, pico de gallo, and guacamole. The girls and I also had a few tortilla chips--we split one bag. We were very full at the end of our lunch.
We ate alfresco; I should have taken a picture, but alas, I was caught up in the moment of enjoying the girls and the nice, cool summer day. Ah, summer, I love you. I don't want you to end.
Chipolte is a fairly friendly vegan restaurant. Their black beans are not made with any animal products. (Their website gives lots of information about their food.) The girls had rice and black beans (one had brown rice and one had white) (the third girl was at a playdate so she had none). I had a salad bowl with black beans, romaine lettuce, pico de gallo, and guacamole. The girls and I also had a few tortilla chips--we split one bag. We were very full at the end of our lunch.
We ate alfresco; I should have taken a picture, but alas, I was caught up in the moment of enjoying the girls and the nice, cool summer day. Ah, summer, I love you. I don't want you to end.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Coffee
I gave up coffee a couple of years back, but a link to this slide show came to my email box, today. The slide show is called, Coffee: The Original Wonder Drug?
If you're not a member of Medscape, you won't be able to see the slide show. I recommend joining Medscape, not just to see this slide show, but to get access to peer-reviewed work in the world of medicine.
I used to love coffee, but I gave it up because I thought it would be better for me to not drink it. I still drink caffeine in the form of black and white tea. However, after viewing the slides I kind of want to drink coffee again. The benefits that are attributed to coffee include:
Coffee's not perfect as the slide show creators end with the associate risks:
The slide show also notes that one risk is caffeine withdrawal syndrome; it is being considered as an entry in the DSM-5 because of the debilitating symptoms. (Just don't quit?) I'm not ever planning on quitting working out, so maybe it should be the same for caffeine.
If you're not a member of Medscape, you won't be able to see the slide show. I recommend joining Medscape, not just to see this slide show, but to get access to peer-reviewed work in the world of medicine.
I used to love coffee, but I gave it up because I thought it would be better for me to not drink it. I still drink caffeine in the form of black and white tea. However, after viewing the slides I kind of want to drink coffee again. The benefits that are attributed to coffee include:
- lower risk of coronary disease--potentially because of antioxidants that reduce oxidation in LDL cholesterol; coffee drinking is also associated with lower inflammatory markers in the blood
- lower risk of stroke (a meta-analysis showed this)
- improved glucose metabolism and lower risk of type 2 diabetes
- increased ability to lose weight
- reduction in some types of cancer--potentially due to antioxidants and anti-mutagenic properties
- potentially neuroprotective (less dementia progression in coffee drinkers)
- lower risk for depression
- protection for the liver
- reduced risk for MRSA (also true for tea drinkers)
- helpful in dry eye syndrome
- reduced risk for gout
Coffee's not perfect as the slide show creators end with the associate risks:
- increased blood pressure
- causing or worsening anxiety, insomnia, and tremor
- potentially elevated risk for glaucoma
The slide show also notes that one risk is caffeine withdrawal syndrome; it is being considered as an entry in the DSM-5 because of the debilitating symptoms. (Just don't quit?) I'm not ever planning on quitting working out, so maybe it should be the same for caffeine.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Yum
Green smoothie (with stainless steel straw) in the coveted Apple mug. Everyone LOVES drinking green smoothies out of this cup!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Lazy vegan weekend!
Last weekend was a lazy vegan weekend. I didn't feel like cooking so I got vegan hot dogs and burgers at the store and the girls loved it. They enjoyed these hot dogs* and these burgers, while Nick and I enjoyed vegan chicken masala. We got sprouted wheat buns for the girls and we ate our masala with kale (me) and brown rice (Nick).
These were super easy meals--we'll save them for those nights I just don't feel like cooking. I really prefer to prepare whole foods, but every now and then, a little break is nice!
*The girls are very excited by the hot dogs. I'm not sure why. We didn't eat hot dogs before going vegan, but I guess hot dogs = happy kid food. Life is good.
These were super easy meals--we'll save them for those nights I just don't feel like cooking. I really prefer to prepare whole foods, but every now and then, a little break is nice!
*The girls are very excited by the hot dogs. I'm not sure why. We didn't eat hot dogs before going vegan, but I guess hot dogs = happy kid food. Life is good.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Weights
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/06/26/science/100000001622839/weight-gains.html
Great video!
Who needs to lift weights?? Everyone as they age! About 3 years ago, I was doing a lot of Zumba. I hurt my knee. The reason why? Doing so much Zumba was causing me to lose muscle in my legs.
I now do 2-3 strength building exercise classes a week. My goal for the coming year is 3-4 strength building classes a week. I don't love the strength building the way I love cardio, but to keep me strong enough to do all the cardio I want to do, I hit the weights.
Great video!
Who needs to lift weights?? Everyone as they age! About 3 years ago, I was doing a lot of Zumba. I hurt my knee. The reason why? Doing so much Zumba was causing me to lose muscle in my legs.
I now do 2-3 strength building exercise classes a week. My goal for the coming year is 3-4 strength building classes a week. I don't love the strength building the way I love cardio, but to keep me strong enough to do all the cardio I want to do, I hit the weights.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
(Almost my) Dad's spaghetti sauce
It's been a while since I got the recipe from my Dad and Mom, and now they are no longer with us so I can't double check with them, but here's what I do:
2 jars of tomato paste
1-2 teaspoons of olive oil
1-2 teaspoons of dried garlic or 1-2 cloves of fresh chopped garlic
Start with these 3 and saute the garlic for just a minute--I find that by adding the paste at the same time I don't overcook the garlic.
1 jar of the strained tomatoes
2-3 teaspoons of dried oregano (or more... I'm an oregano fan)
2-3 teaspoons of dried basil
Salt to taste (I usually do 1 teaspoon)
2 cans of the diced tomatoes with Italian herbs (or not if you don't like chunks--just use another jar of sauce sauce)
(Add red pepper flakes if you want a little heat... start with a 1/4 of a teaspoon?)
Simmer forever ... Okay an hour or two.
Add "meatballs" if you can!
Serve over whole grain pasta (penne, spaghetti, or whatever you like best). We usually do whole wheat.
You can add other veggies, like broccoli, carrots, kale, and / or cauliflower and turn it into a vegetarian feast, but my girls aren't quite ready for that so I mix chopped kale into my pasta and make a festive red. green. and white dish for me. I'll add a picture next time I make this!
In the meantime, try it! It's a tasty way enjoy some lycopene!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Italian "meatballs"
We go to a local vegan restaurant and all of the fake meats are listed in quotes... We order things like, noble broccoli with "beef," or spicy sweet potato curry with "chicken." Today, I made Italian "meatballs." Maybe we should put the Italian in quotes, too. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 piece of sourdough bread
1 16-ounce package of super firm tofu
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
2 tablespoons flax
Ingredients are listed in the order we processed them in the the food processor. We put the walnuts in first and made them very smooth--almost a walnut butter. (I told my daughter a "minute" and didn't realize she was literal. No worries, we went forward; it worked out okay.) We added the bread and made it all crumbly and then added the rest of the ingredients: tofu, spices, and flax. We pulsed this again until it was still kind of crumbly.
Previously, I tried making "meatballs" using extra firm tofu, but in the food processor with the extra firm, the mixture became too wet. The super firm seemed to be able to handle the food processor and all the pulsing me and my two helpers gave it. It was a little smoother than I wanted, but next time we won't do the extra pulses and it'll be perfect.
We made 35 little balls and baked them in oven on a convection setting at 300 for 30 minutes. (I rolled the balls over about 1/2 way through and kept checking on them.) (They may only need 25 minutes...)
Here's a picture of the "super firm" tofu:
Here are a couple of pictures of our "meatballs":
After baking...
Soaked in sauce... (It's good to let them soak for a few hours, just like real meatballs.)
They are super yummy on sandwich, too!
Next up, my Dad's easy sauce recipe!
Ingredients:
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 piece of sourdough bread
1 16-ounce package of super firm tofu
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
2 tablespoons flax
Ingredients are listed in the order we processed them in the the food processor. We put the walnuts in first and made them very smooth--almost a walnut butter. (I told my daughter a "minute" and didn't realize she was literal. No worries, we went forward; it worked out okay.) We added the bread and made it all crumbly and then added the rest of the ingredients: tofu, spices, and flax. We pulsed this again until it was still kind of crumbly.
Previously, I tried making "meatballs" using extra firm tofu, but in the food processor with the extra firm, the mixture became too wet. The super firm seemed to be able to handle the food processor and all the pulsing me and my two helpers gave it. It was a little smoother than I wanted, but next time we won't do the extra pulses and it'll be perfect.
We made 35 little balls and baked them in oven on a convection setting at 300 for 30 minutes. (I rolled the balls over about 1/2 way through and kept checking on them.) (They may only need 25 minutes...)
Here's a picture of the "super firm" tofu:
Here are a couple of pictures of our "meatballs":
They are super yummy on sandwich, too!
Next up, my Dad's easy sauce recipe!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Hardly any sugar Peanut Butter Cookies
The recipe below isn't the one I've been working on that I mentioned here--I'm still working on it. I hope to finalize the new one and share it this week. The recipe below is adapted from the PB cookie recipe on the "My Vegan Cookbook" site and mostly changed to make these less sugary.
My girls like them and it's great to have cookies that I don't mind giving them. These cookies are SUPER easy to make; they don't even require getting out a mixer.
1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup PB2
2/3 Cup Ground Flax Seed
1/4 Cup Oat Bran (or you can grind up some oat meal in a food processor or just use oats)
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Banana mashed up
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
Note, for chocolate-y deliciousness, add 1/4-1/2 cup of dark (vegan) chocolate chip. Peanut Butter and Chocolate are my two favorite foods so I combine them whenever I can. If you want slightly sweeter cookies / bars, add a little more maple syrup or brown sugar.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all the ingredients well. (You will really need to work at getting the ingredients mixed well by hand.)
Make balls of about 1 tablespoon size and mash them down some with a fork. They are VERY sticky during this phase, so don't expect criss-cross patterns to show on top!
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly golden. After they are baked, let them cool for 10 minutes. They will be soft out of the oven and crisp up as they cool.
Here are the nutrition facts for cookies (without the chocolate chips) if you make 12 cookies. I like to make the cookies in the shape of granola bars and use them as pre-workout treats.
My girls like them and it's great to have cookies that I don't mind giving them. These cookies are SUPER easy to make; they don't even require getting out a mixer.
1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup PB2
2/3 Cup Ground Flax Seed
1/4 Cup Oat Bran (or you can grind up some oat meal in a food processor or just use oats)
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Banana mashed up
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
Note, for chocolate-y deliciousness, add 1/4-1/2 cup of dark (vegan) chocolate chip. Peanut Butter and Chocolate are my two favorite foods so I combine them whenever I can. If you want slightly sweeter cookies / bars, add a little more maple syrup or brown sugar.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all the ingredients well. (You will really need to work at getting the ingredients mixed well by hand.)
Make balls of about 1 tablespoon size and mash them down some with a fork. They are VERY sticky during this phase, so don't expect criss-cross patterns to show on top!
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly golden. After they are baked, let them cool for 10 minutes. They will be soft out of the oven and crisp up as they cool.
Here are the nutrition facts for cookies (without the chocolate chips) if you make 12 cookies. I like to make the cookies in the shape of granola bars and use them as pre-workout treats.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Other green stuff....
This week has been really busy. My good intentions for posting a recipe became just that and alas, no recipe. (Also we had a lot of leftovers after our 4th of July celebration so I didn't feel like experimenting any more. Our refrigerator was full!)
So, as we finish our leftovers, I'll share some of my favorite reusable products: the other green.
These plate / bowl covers are super handy for leftovers. We use them all the time. I'm on my second package of them. We've been using them for a while--6 months? A year? I actually have no idea, time is a blur around here! I bought mine at Target on a whim. I love them. I haven't had any break on me, nor have I tossed any, but some disappeared so we needed a second set.
These stainless steel straws are wonderful! We've been using them for almost a year now; I estimate we've saved about 1200 plastic straws thus far. We love to drink our green smoothies with these straws (I have some pictures of green smoothies with these straws, but they aren't on my iPhone and I'm too lazy to go download the camera right now.)
I suppose I could give you my favorite green smoothie recipe... hrm... (see below)
One more green product... We use stainless steel water bottles (Kleen Kanteen) all the time. One day, for some reason, I forgot to have the girls pack their water bottles (and snacks) and we found ourselves out and about and thirsty (and hungry). (I never forget water bottles and snacks as I've been "packing" for 10 years; I don't know what I was thinking!)
We went to Whole Foods to find some sustenance. While we were there, I was delighted to find a way to buy a bottle of water in a reusable stainless steel water bottle. While I wouldn't want to buy a new stainless steel water bottle all the time, it was great to buy one that day. They aren't that expensive ($7) and for us, it's good to have an extra water bottle around the house in case we have company or in case someone loses their water bottle.
Okay, here's how we make the green smoothie that we have every night as our appetizer before dinner... (If we're going out, I make it in the afternoon and give it to the girls before we go.)
3 - 4 cups frozen kale (or spinach)*
1 or 2 bananas
1 (or 2 if you don't use the Red Powder) 10-ounce package of frozen strawberries (or blueberries or a mixture of berries)
10 ounces of soy milk
(optional) A couple of scoops of Trader Joe's Super Red Powder (or a few scoops of Amazing Meal)
enough water / ice to make it blend well and make it a little less kale-intense. It will still be thick.
Makes enough for 5 smoothies about 12 ounces (because of the ice/water)
We use our Vitamix to blend it and YUM! If your kids won't eat veggies, try green smoothies. Here's hoping there's more time for blogging this week!
*Note, we started with a few handfuls and worked our way up to very green smoothies. I like kale better than spinach. It's a stronger flavor, but it's more nutritious than spinach--you can google kale versus spinach and see why if you're curious. Of course, if I don't have kale, I gladly turn to spinach, and for variety, I use spinach every now and then.
So, as we finish our leftovers, I'll share some of my favorite reusable products: the other green.
These plate / bowl covers are super handy for leftovers. We use them all the time. I'm on my second package of them. We've been using them for a while--6 months? A year? I actually have no idea, time is a blur around here! I bought mine at Target on a whim. I love them. I haven't had any break on me, nor have I tossed any, but some disappeared so we needed a second set.
These stainless steel straws are wonderful! We've been using them for almost a year now; I estimate we've saved about 1200 plastic straws thus far. We love to drink our green smoothies with these straws (I have some pictures of green smoothies with these straws, but they aren't on my iPhone and I'm too lazy to go download the camera right now.)
I suppose I could give you my favorite green smoothie recipe... hrm... (see below)
One more green product... We use stainless steel water bottles (Kleen Kanteen) all the time. One day, for some reason, I forgot to have the girls pack their water bottles (and snacks) and we found ourselves out and about and thirsty (and hungry). (I never forget water bottles and snacks as I've been "packing" for 10 years; I don't know what I was thinking!)
We went to Whole Foods to find some sustenance. While we were there, I was delighted to find a way to buy a bottle of water in a reusable stainless steel water bottle. While I wouldn't want to buy a new stainless steel water bottle all the time, it was great to buy one that day. They aren't that expensive ($7) and for us, it's good to have an extra water bottle around the house in case we have company or in case someone loses their water bottle.
Okay, here's how we make the green smoothie that we have every night as our appetizer before dinner... (If we're going out, I make it in the afternoon and give it to the girls before we go.)
3 - 4 cups frozen kale (or spinach)*
1 or 2 bananas
1 (or 2 if you don't use the Red Powder) 10-ounce package of frozen strawberries (or blueberries or a mixture of berries)
10 ounces of soy milk
(optional) A couple of scoops of Trader Joe's Super Red Powder (or a few scoops of Amazing Meal)
enough water / ice to make it blend well and make it a little less kale-intense. It will still be thick.
Makes enough for 5 smoothies about 12 ounces (because of the ice/water)
We use our Vitamix to blend it and YUM! If your kids won't eat veggies, try green smoothies. Here's hoping there's more time for blogging this week!
Look, a green smoothie with the stainless steel straw... Love the green!
*Note, we started with a few handfuls and worked our way up to very green smoothies. I like kale better than spinach. It's a stronger flavor, but it's more nutritious than spinach--you can google kale versus spinach and see why if you're curious. Of course, if I don't have kale, I gladly turn to spinach, and for variety, I use spinach every now and then.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Why????
Did you know that Trader Joe's Mini Wheats have gelatin in them???? Yea, neither did we. We were reading labels this morning at breakfast and learned this.
Really??? Why?
Word on the Internet says Whole Foods has a brand that doesn't have gelatin. We'll check it out.
Really??? Why?
Word on the Internet says Whole Foods has a brand that doesn't have gelatin. We'll check it out.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Summer fun
Summer days seem to fly by and I don't seem to find time to blog. I keep reading other people's blogs where they are saying the same thing. It's too hard to sit in on the computer when the days are so nice! We've been swimming, taking walks, working on picking out tile for our new house (I'll tell you about that later), doing more social things, e.g., dinner with friends, and just relaxing. On Saturday, we went to see fireworks! (I've also been working a little. I'm writing a paper (or two if I can get my act together) and I'm teaching a class in the fall and I want got to get the syllabus done. It's almost done!)
In the kitchen, I've been trying out some new concoctions and soon I'll share. I'm experimenting with chocolate to make an excellent vegan summer treat! It's almost time to share it with the Internet. I think we're on trial 10 or something like that. Alas, all the research I have to do to MAKE SURE it's good. It's a sacrifice. (You're welcome.)
I've also been working on tofu "meatballs" and I'm close to unveiling that new recipe, too! I'll even share my Dad's homemade recipe for pasta sauce. We ate pasta a lot when I was a kid. He'd make it with and without meat; without is what I do now and I pair it with whole wheat spaghetti--an excellent vegan dish with lots of lycopene for us.
Yesterday, I finally had time to make the tofu cashew mayonnaise that I've been reading about for a while. It is so good!
My 8-year-old vegan has been missing her mayo; now we have a substitute! She declared it excellent! I'm thrilled. I like it. It doesn't taste exactly like mayo, or as I remember mayo, but I agree that it is excellent. I made a 1/2 batch, to try it out, and I'll be making it again. I think the 1/2 batch is a lovely size. It was enough for 5 sandwiches, plus I put it on two salads (with salsa as a dressing). We still have a little, but not a lot. We'll get it all eaten in a today or tomorrow and then we won't have to worry about freezing it or anything. LOVE!
I almost had "nothing" today, but I will share a new drink that I've been enjoying. I drink lots of tea. I try to drink herbal, but I like and need my caffeine. Each morning, I have a couple of cups of regular (white, black, or chai), but then I try to drink water or herbal. However, I never like the herbal stuff as much as the regular, but....
I've just discovered that one lemon ginger tea bag soaked in ice water plus one packet of stevia makes the YUMMIEST lemon-ginger drink. I'm drinking some now. I could probably boil the water and make it stronger, with the tea bags, or even fresh ginger and lemons, but this is great--especially on lazy summer days! On my next trip to the store, I'll grab some fresh ginger and try to boil my own, but for now, I'm delighted to use up one of the many different herbal teas that I have! (I have way too many kinds of tea. I see new kinds and can't resist them and then I have lots o' tea.)
Here's hoping I can get a new recipe up in the next couple of days. Wish me luck!!
In the kitchen, I've been trying out some new concoctions and soon I'll share. I'm experimenting with chocolate to make an excellent vegan summer treat! It's almost time to share it with the Internet. I think we're on trial 10 or something like that. Alas, all the research I have to do to MAKE SURE it's good. It's a sacrifice. (You're welcome.)
I've also been working on tofu "meatballs" and I'm close to unveiling that new recipe, too! I'll even share my Dad's homemade recipe for pasta sauce. We ate pasta a lot when I was a kid. He'd make it with and without meat; without is what I do now and I pair it with whole wheat spaghetti--an excellent vegan dish with lots of lycopene for us.
Yesterday, I finally had time to make the tofu cashew mayonnaise that I've been reading about for a while. It is so good!
My 8-year-old vegan has been missing her mayo; now we have a substitute! She declared it excellent! I'm thrilled. I like it. It doesn't taste exactly like mayo, or as I remember mayo, but I agree that it is excellent. I made a 1/2 batch, to try it out, and I'll be making it again. I think the 1/2 batch is a lovely size. It was enough for 5 sandwiches, plus I put it on two salads (with salsa as a dressing). We still have a little, but not a lot. We'll get it all eaten in a today or tomorrow and then we won't have to worry about freezing it or anything. LOVE!
I almost had "nothing" today, but I will share a new drink that I've been enjoying. I drink lots of tea. I try to drink herbal, but I like and need my caffeine. Each morning, I have a couple of cups of regular (white, black, or chai), but then I try to drink water or herbal. However, I never like the herbal stuff as much as the regular, but....
I've just discovered that one lemon ginger tea bag soaked in ice water plus one packet of stevia makes the YUMMIEST lemon-ginger drink. I'm drinking some now. I could probably boil the water and make it stronger, with the tea bags, or even fresh ginger and lemons, but this is great--especially on lazy summer days! On my next trip to the store, I'll grab some fresh ginger and try to boil my own, but for now, I'm delighted to use up one of the many different herbal teas that I have! (I have way too many kinds of tea. I see new kinds and can't resist them and then I have lots o' tea.)
Here's hoping I can get a new recipe up in the next couple of days. Wish me luck!!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Chocolate Chia Pudding
If you don't know about chia pudding, you're in for a treat. I learned about chia a couple of summers ago and I LOVE IT. It's full of nutrients and super fun in its gelatin-y, pudding-like form when you soak the seeds in a liquid. Who knew a seed could do that?
Back to the nutrients...Calcium is the nutrient I'm thinking about this week--look for a calcium post soon-- a tablespoon of chia gives you 6% of your RDA of calcium or approximately 60 miligrams. Check out the nutrition facts for this recipe....You get 20% of your calcium (in part due to the almond milk), but WOWZA!
The girls like this "kid friendly" simple recipe. It's super easy to make and now that the recipe is on our blog, they can make it themselves.
1 & 1/2 -2 cups unsweetened almond milk (more if your pudding is too thick, it should look a little runny as it will thicken a LOT)
1/3 cup chia seeds
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Mix everything really well and put in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
Tip: Blend the chia seeds separately (or with all the ingredients) for less sticking in your teeth!
Here's the facts for 1/4 of this recipe. It's a dessert that is good for you! (It also is a nice breakfast.) These nutrition facts are based on eating 1/4 of the recipe. (If you only eat 1/6th of the recipe you get 13% of your calcium not bad!)
If you feel like it, stick some PB2 in....(probably a couple tablespoons)... Oh yum... I'm getting hungry just thinking about this!
Read more about chia versus flax here...I'll give a spoiler, they are both super foods! Read about chia history here.
For more flavors and versions of chia pudding see:
http://www.choosingraw.com/recipes/ch-ch-ch-chia/
http://ohsheglows.com/2012/01/11/healthy-chocolate-chia-pudding/
http://veganyackattack.com/2012/04/01/berrylove-berry-chia-pudding/
http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2012/02/perfect-pudding.html
Enjoy!
Back to the nutrients...Calcium is the nutrient I'm thinking about this week--look for a calcium post soon-- a tablespoon of chia gives you 6% of your RDA of calcium or approximately 60 miligrams. Check out the nutrition facts for this recipe....You get 20% of your calcium (in part due to the almond milk), but WOWZA!
The girls like this "kid friendly" simple recipe. It's super easy to make and now that the recipe is on our blog, they can make it themselves.
1 & 1/2 -2 cups unsweetened almond milk (more if your pudding is too thick, it should look a little runny as it will thicken a LOT)
1/3 cup chia seeds
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Mix everything really well and put in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
Tip: Blend the chia seeds separately (or with all the ingredients) for less sticking in your teeth!
Here's the facts for 1/4 of this recipe. It's a dessert that is good for you! (It also is a nice breakfast.) These nutrition facts are based on eating 1/4 of the recipe. (If you only eat 1/6th of the recipe you get 13% of your calcium not bad!)
If you feel like it, stick some PB2 in....(probably a couple tablespoons)... Oh yum... I'm getting hungry just thinking about this!
Read more about chia versus flax here...I'll give a spoiler, they are both super foods! Read about chia history here.
For more flavors and versions of chia pudding see:
http://www.choosingraw.com/recipes/ch-ch-ch-chia/
http://ohsheglows.com/2012/01/11/healthy-chocolate-chia-pudding/
http://veganyackattack.com/2012/04/01/berrylove-berry-chia-pudding/
http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2012/02/perfect-pudding.html
Enjoy!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
ROYGBIV
George Takei showed this picture of these. Don't they look super yum? You could eat them with pride for nutrition and rights. Strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, green grape, blueberry, purple grape--a rainbow of antioxidant goodness.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Vegans are different
We'll probably be hearing more about a vegan diet because of Scott Jurek and his new book. His diet and with his success really challenges people to take a look at their beliefs around food. He's a very successful athlete and he doesn't eat any animal products. Many people are wondering how could this be. This NY Times piece explores vegan diets for high performance athletes with nutrition experts. This piece in the NY Times shows you how even registered dieticians who aren't vegan don't fully understand the diet.
After reading the article, I had some questions and comments about some of the points for the non-vegan nutrition experts and the author:
1. My first burning question, mostly for the author: Why weren't there any vegan dieticians interviewed? Two of my favorite vegan dieticians are: http://jacknorrisrd.com/ and http://www.theveganrd.com/. I'm a big believer that practice is just as important as theory to gain a deep understanding of anything, including a vegan diet. I think the article really lacked credibility because of the lack of a practicing expert who understands the vegan diet from both a theoretical and practical point of view. One of the dieticians commented that he was a scientist and he knows the scientific point of view. As a scientist myself, I agree that he has a deep theoretical understanding, but someone who lives the practice and is thoughtful may have as deep of understanding albeit from a different angle than the expert; having at least one nutrition scientist and a vegan on the panel would have been most appropriate for the article.
2. The article says, "It’s not that there aren’t good sources of vegan protein. But it’s not as bioavailable as meat. So you need to have more."
Really? The protein question, turned into an issue, from a nutritionist? Yes, lay people like to ask, "But how do you get enough protein?" A nutritionist should know you don't need that much protein and that the amount you need is easily obtainable from a plant-based diet of whole food. We're living in an age when we have plenty of food and people are worried about PROTEIN. Getting enough protein is not what people should be worried about. Too much protein is hard on one's kidneys. We don't need that much protein: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/apr/protein.htm
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/protein
So how much protein do we need? Let's see, Web MD, and MSNBC both say a non-lactating adult needs about 50-60 grams of protein per day.* The way to calculate how much protein you need is to take your weight in pounds and multiply X anywhere from .36 -.8 to get how many grams you need. Most non-athletes need at the lower end. Let's take a look at my daily life (my practice); I often eat the following foods: oatmeal, wheat and flax tortillas, black beans, broccoli, PB, bread, nuts, and seeds.
My wheat and flax tortilla has 6 grams of protein in it.
My serving of oatmeal has 7-10 grams in it.
One serving of broccoli (one cup) has 3 grams of protein in it--I typically eat 3-5 servings of greens a day... A serving of Kale is 2-3 grams of protein, and spinach is 4 grams...(so I get 9-15 grams of protein just from greens).
My black beans have 7 grams per 1/2 cup (what I typically eat in a serving).
Peanut Butter is 7 grams a serving
Bread for my PB is 6 grams for one slice.
I calculate I obtain 43-51 grams by eating those foods and that I have only consumed 700-1000 calories. Since I need closer to 2000 calories a day I'm NOT worried about getting adequate protein. If I drink any soy milk, it's 7 grams per cup. If I add chia, almonds, or walnuts (something I do often) I get more protein. Protein is easy.
We really don't need to worry about protein, we need to worry about nutrients! (This comes from my recent read of Dr. Fuhrman.) We need the thousands of phytochemicals that plants have to keep us healthy. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021144251.htm and http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/reduce_risk/foods/phytochem.jsp, plus the Dr. Fuhrman website, linked above.
3. Why is a dietician encouraging the consumption of empty calories (juice)? Though I understand this article is about elite athletes, and perhaps they can drink some juice and be fine and use the calories as they run, the average American is going to read this and hear how good juice is for you and then drink 32 oz. a day. (And they won't drink pure juice, they'll probably drink something that has high fructose corn syrup in it.)
Even if a person drinks pure juice they are getting fruit sugar without fiber. This article from the World's Healthiest Foods site tells you lots more about fruit versus juice. I would also argue that an elite athlete should be eating more fruit and nuts rather than drinking juice--maybe she or he could do it while running, but sugars aren't good for the body.
I like that we're hearing more about vegan diets in the mainstream, but I don't like that people write about them as being "different" and potentially "dangerous" and that experts think of veganism as "out there." I think vegan diets are scary to people because people realize that meat isn't so good to eat, but they don't want to change. Change is scary. I think it's important to remember one doesn't have to be "all the way vegan" to get benefits from a plant-based diet. One of the dieticians summarized it nicely:
"I like to tell people that if we got most Americans to eat one less serving of meat every day, there would be far greater impact from that, in terms of improving overall public health and the health of the planet, than convincing a tiny group of endurance athletes to go full vegan."
Despite some of the other things in the article, I do love this. People should work to help themselves eat better. If giving up one meal of meat per day is too hard, then start with one or a few per week. You don't go from a standard American diet eating meat every meal (or even only 1/3 of the time) to a vegan diet overnight. Take baby steps to make your lifestyle more healthy. Change is hard; I started on my journey toward eating a more healthy diet a little over 6 years ago. Back then, I was mostly a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but I ate quite a bit of junk food; I was eating a pint of frozen yogurt each night. If you'd told me I would give up dairy, all my potato chips, and a lot of the oil I ate, I wouldn't have believed you.
*Note, I don't typically look at websites that are this mainstream, but I wanted to understand the popular sentiment about protein.
After reading the article, I had some questions and comments about some of the points for the non-vegan nutrition experts and the author:
1. My first burning question, mostly for the author: Why weren't there any vegan dieticians interviewed? Two of my favorite vegan dieticians are: http://jacknorrisrd.com/ and http://www.theveganrd.com/. I'm a big believer that practice is just as important as theory to gain a deep understanding of anything, including a vegan diet. I think the article really lacked credibility because of the lack of a practicing expert who understands the vegan diet from both a theoretical and practical point of view. One of the dieticians commented that he was a scientist and he knows the scientific point of view. As a scientist myself, I agree that he has a deep theoretical understanding, but someone who lives the practice and is thoughtful may have as deep of understanding albeit from a different angle than the expert; having at least one nutrition scientist and a vegan on the panel would have been most appropriate for the article.
2. The article says, "It’s not that there aren’t good sources of vegan protein. But it’s not as bioavailable as meat. So you need to have more."
Really? The protein question, turned into an issue, from a nutritionist? Yes, lay people like to ask, "But how do you get enough protein?" A nutritionist should know you don't need that much protein and that the amount you need is easily obtainable from a plant-based diet of whole food. We're living in an age when we have plenty of food and people are worried about PROTEIN. Getting enough protein is not what people should be worried about. Too much protein is hard on one's kidneys. We don't need that much protein: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/apr/protein.htm
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/protein
So how much protein do we need? Let's see, Web MD, and MSNBC both say a non-lactating adult needs about 50-60 grams of protein per day.* The way to calculate how much protein you need is to take your weight in pounds and multiply X anywhere from .36 -.8 to get how many grams you need. Most non-athletes need at the lower end. Let's take a look at my daily life (my practice); I often eat the following foods: oatmeal, wheat and flax tortillas, black beans, broccoli, PB, bread, nuts, and seeds.
My wheat and flax tortilla has 6 grams of protein in it.
My serving of oatmeal has 7-10 grams in it.
One serving of broccoli (one cup) has 3 grams of protein in it--I typically eat 3-5 servings of greens a day... A serving of Kale is 2-3 grams of protein, and spinach is 4 grams...(so I get 9-15 grams of protein just from greens).
My black beans have 7 grams per 1/2 cup (what I typically eat in a serving).
Peanut Butter is 7 grams a serving
Bread for my PB is 6 grams for one slice.
I calculate I obtain 43-51 grams by eating those foods and that I have only consumed 700-1000 calories. Since I need closer to 2000 calories a day I'm NOT worried about getting adequate protein. If I drink any soy milk, it's 7 grams per cup. If I add chia, almonds, or walnuts (something I do often) I get more protein. Protein is easy.
We really don't need to worry about protein, we need to worry about nutrients! (This comes from my recent read of Dr. Fuhrman.) We need the thousands of phytochemicals that plants have to keep us healthy. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021144251.htm and http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/reduce_risk/foods/phytochem.jsp, plus the Dr. Fuhrman website, linked above.
3. Why is a dietician encouraging the consumption of empty calories (juice)? Though I understand this article is about elite athletes, and perhaps they can drink some juice and be fine and use the calories as they run, the average American is going to read this and hear how good juice is for you and then drink 32 oz. a day. (And they won't drink pure juice, they'll probably drink something that has high fructose corn syrup in it.)
Even if a person drinks pure juice they are getting fruit sugar without fiber. This article from the World's Healthiest Foods site tells you lots more about fruit versus juice. I would also argue that an elite athlete should be eating more fruit and nuts rather than drinking juice--maybe she or he could do it while running, but sugars aren't good for the body.
I like that we're hearing more about vegan diets in the mainstream, but I don't like that people write about them as being "different" and potentially "dangerous" and that experts think of veganism as "out there." I think vegan diets are scary to people because people realize that meat isn't so good to eat, but they don't want to change. Change is scary. I think it's important to remember one doesn't have to be "all the way vegan" to get benefits from a plant-based diet. One of the dieticians summarized it nicely:
"I like to tell people that if we got most Americans to eat one less serving of meat every day, there would be far greater impact from that, in terms of improving overall public health and the health of the planet, than convincing a tiny group of endurance athletes to go full vegan."
Despite some of the other things in the article, I do love this. People should work to help themselves eat better. If giving up one meal of meat per day is too hard, then start with one or a few per week. You don't go from a standard American diet eating meat every meal (or even only 1/3 of the time) to a vegan diet overnight. Take baby steps to make your lifestyle more healthy. Change is hard; I started on my journey toward eating a more healthy diet a little over 6 years ago. Back then, I was mostly a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but I ate quite a bit of junk food; I was eating a pint of frozen yogurt each night. If you'd told me I would give up dairy, all my potato chips, and a lot of the oil I ate, I wouldn't have believed you.
*Note, I don't typically look at websites that are this mainstream, but I wanted to understand the popular sentiment about protein.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Here's a recipe I found a few years back that I love... (and need to make soon)
One thing I keep telling you, and it's true, I can't follow recipes. Part of the reason is that I don't always have the ingredients. In this case, I didn't have or the tools for the job. I lacked the thing that spirals zucchini. Lacking the right tools didn't stop me... I just chopped up the zucchini. It turned out fine! I also greatly reduced the oil. This salad is raw vegan, based on this recipe, and it was yum. (Yum is the term I use for recipes I really like.)
Ingredients:
chopped broccoli (4 small heads)
zucchini (2)
red pepper (1)
Carrots if you like them. (I'm usually too lazy to chop up the carrots, so I just eat them dipped in the dressing.)
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 and 1/2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
2 pinches black pepper
2 Tablespoons of olive oil (original recipe was a lot more, but it works and is good with as little as 2 tablespoons)
Let the veggies soak in the dressing at least 8 hours before eating. As the veggies soak, the acidic lemon sort of "cooks" them and softens them.
You can eat the veggies plain as a salad or over brown rice (or quinoa, or whatever your favorite grain is). Enjoy!
Ingredients:
chopped broccoli (4 small heads)
zucchini (2)
red pepper (1)
Carrots if you like them. (I'm usually too lazy to chop up the carrots, so I just eat them dipped in the dressing.)
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 and 1/2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
2 pinches black pepper
2 Tablespoons of olive oil (original recipe was a lot more, but it works and is good with as little as 2 tablespoons)
Let the veggies soak in the dressing at least 8 hours before eating. As the veggies soak, the acidic lemon sort of "cooks" them and softens them.
You can eat the veggies plain as a salad or over brown rice (or quinoa, or whatever your favorite grain is). Enjoy!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
quote of the day
We were discussing money and how you get paid to do things in life. How sometimes you have to do stuff you don't want to do to get paid and how you sometimes do things you like for free. We then started talking about what activities we'd love to do and get paid to do them. Natalie said, "Mom, you'd be RICH if you got paid to work out." Heh.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Good bacteria day.
My first official act of the day involved going to get new mulberry leaves for our silk worm, Tickle. S/he likes it green, too.
Before I got out of bed, I scanned my Happy Healthy friend's facebook page and learned that today is "good bacteria day."
Having the right mix of bacteria in your gut may give you more energy and keep you healthier. Eating fermented foods (I should have some Miso for lunch!) fiber, and going low on sugar can help.
Here's some of the articles Happy Healthy found:
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/13/154914381/fermentation-when-food-goes-bad-but-stays-good
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/06/13/154913334/finally-a-map-of-all-the-microbes-on-your-body
&
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Madonna+secret+longevity+Good+bacteria/6618208/story.html
If it's good enough for Madonna, it's good enough for me!
Having the right mix of bacteria in your gut may give you more energy and keep you healthier. Eating fermented foods (I should have some Miso for lunch!) fiber, and going low on sugar can help.
Here's some of the articles Happy Healthy found:
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/13/154914381/fermentation-when-food-goes-bad-but-stays-good
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/06/13/154913334/finally-a-map-of-all-the-microbes-on-your-body
&
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Madonna+secret+longevity+Good+bacteria/6618208/story.html
If it's good enough for Madonna, it's good enough for me!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Move along....No cheese here
It isn't cheese, but it's fun. It's made from oatmeal, oil, sesame, pimentos, nutritional yeast, sea salt, calcium carbonate, and onion powder. One of my dairy-free girls likes it and I like it. It's kind of high in fat (5 grams for 60 calories in 2 tablespoons, 1 gram of fiber), but it's nice for a treat.
The company who makes this make some other interesting products. http://www.wayfarefoods.com/content/products
I'm going to look for more in my Whole Foods.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Almost homemade black beans
Yesterday, I shared my recipe for homemade black beans, but I'm too busy to make them, this week. I should be honest, I have been too busy since last September. (I'm hoping this summer will give me more time in the kitchen.) Because necessity is the mother of invention, I came up with a way to do really tasty, almost homemade black beans in a short amount of time.
1. Get some canned black beans. My favorite ones are these: http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=102980. They are organic and in BPA-free cans. They are also cooked with Kombu. (Did I tell you that kombu makes beans more "digestible?" It's good stuff.)
2. Decide how many cans to use.
I typically use 3 cans (and it usually gives us 1- 2 meals for the whole family of 5 of us).
Put all the beans in a pan and add spices. For black beans, my favorite spices are cumin, salt, a little chili powder, onion powder and garlic.
I put in 1-2 teaspoons of ground cumin per can of beans.
See the previous post for a link to how healthy cumin is for you! Or click this link to learn more about cumin.
Add approximately 1/2 teaspoon of salt per can
Garlic.... Note, I tend to go light on the garlic, but season as you like. (This also depends on my mood.) You can use 1 teeny clove or 2- 3 big cloves (minced) per pan. When I use dried and minced I use about 1/2 teaspoon per can.
1-2 teaspoons of chili powder for 3 cans and a few good shakes of the onion powder. Season as you feel!
Bring the beans to a boil and then turn down and simmer for at least 20 minutes. I've simmered my beans for almost 2 hours (just making sure to keep them low) and they've been EXCELLENT.
Let me know if you try them! These are super easy and good for you when you're busy. See previous post for serving suggestions. And, make sure you have salsa around!
1. Get some canned black beans. My favorite ones are these: http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=102980. They are organic and in BPA-free cans. They are also cooked with Kombu. (Did I tell you that kombu makes beans more "digestible?" It's good stuff.)
2. Decide how many cans to use.
I typically use 3 cans (and it usually gives us 1- 2 meals for the whole family of 5 of us).
Put all the beans in a pan and add spices. For black beans, my favorite spices are cumin, salt, a little chili powder, onion powder and garlic.
I put in 1-2 teaspoons of ground cumin per can of beans.
See the previous post for a link to how healthy cumin is for you! Or click this link to learn more about cumin.
Add approximately 1/2 teaspoon of salt per can
Garlic.... Note, I tend to go light on the garlic, but season as you like. (This also depends on my mood.) You can use 1 teeny clove or 2- 3 big cloves (minced) per pan. When I use dried and minced I use about 1/2 teaspoon per can.
1-2 teaspoons of chili powder for 3 cans and a few good shakes of the onion powder. Season as you feel!
Bring the beans to a boil and then turn down and simmer for at least 20 minutes. I've simmered my beans for almost 2 hours (just making sure to keep them low) and they've been EXCELLENT.
Let me know if you try them! These are super easy and good for you when you're busy. See previous post for serving suggestions. And, make sure you have salsa around!
These haven't simmered very long. I let the juice cook almost all the way off. Super tasty!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Homemade Black Beans
I remember when I had time to make homemade black beans. Sigh. It's a little busy right now, but I thought I'd post the recipe. I love black beans--they are so tasty and so good for you. They have lots of antioxidants, fiber, and protein; recent research suggests they may lower the risk of colon cancer. In short, black beans are a real super food! I love black beans with:
Rice
Sauteed onions and red pepper
Broccoli
Kale
Spinach
Tortilla
All of the above combined... plus salsa. I use a lot of salsa.
I digress.
Here's the recipe, for homemade beans roughly...
1 lb black beans, soaked in water with kombu. (Kombu makes beans more "digestible.") Soak for at least 12 hours and drain the water at least once (after 8-12 hours). I usually soak them for 24 hours with the kombu (a piece or 2 of 2x3 inches (or equivalent as the pieces break).
When you start cooking, add 8 cups fresh water (I usually stick in another piece of kombu, too)
1 tsp (or to taste) salt
Couple of diced garlic cloves (to taste)
1-2 tablespoons of ground cumin (Don't be shy! This stuff is good and good for you.)
Simmer forever or until the beans are really soft. Once you get the beans in the pan, you can let them cook ALL DAY (or all afternoon). They get better the longer they cook. Serve with whatever you like (see my list above for ideas). (My current favorite tortillas are Organic Sonoma Multi-Grain with Flax Tortillas.)
Rice
Sauteed onions and red pepper
Broccoli
Kale
Spinach
Tortilla
All of the above combined... plus salsa. I use a lot of salsa.
I digress.
Here's the recipe, for homemade beans roughly...
1 lb black beans, soaked in water with kombu. (Kombu makes beans more "digestible.") Soak for at least 12 hours and drain the water at least once (after 8-12 hours). I usually soak them for 24 hours with the kombu (a piece or 2 of 2x3 inches (or equivalent as the pieces break).
When you start cooking, add 8 cups fresh water (I usually stick in another piece of kombu, too)
1 tsp (or to taste) salt
Couple of diced garlic cloves (to taste)
1-2 tablespoons of ground cumin (Don't be shy! This stuff is good and good for you.)
Simmer forever or until the beans are really soft. Once you get the beans in the pan, you can let them cook ALL DAY (or all afternoon). They get better the longer they cook. Serve with whatever you like (see my list above for ideas). (My current favorite tortillas are Organic Sonoma Multi-Grain with Flax Tortillas.)
Sunday, June 3, 2012
3rd Bikram Class: A report
No recipes ahead, just an entry about my experiences in Bikram. I have now gone to 3 Bikram classes. I am thrilled I survived them all! I find it so challenging to want to go to 105 degrees. I have a trial membership to do as many classes as I want in 30 days. Unfortunately, as many classes as I want will only be 1-2 a week or 4-8 total.
Last week, despite my best intentions, I only made it to 1 Bikram class. Part of the difficulty in finding a time to go is that I want to go with my friend. I don't yet feel comfortable going on my own. When starting up something new, it is SO nice to have a friend who encourages you!
This week, my friend and I know we can go on Friday, but our schedules are insane. It's the end of the school year. There are lots of things going on at school and outside of school, for me and my girls it's the week of our dance show! We have rehearsals, costume checks, and pictures every night except for Thursday. (All my girls and me are dancing in the show!)
Oh, back to Bikram--that's what this post is about. After the first class, I was not really sore, but I hadn't pushed it. My upper back felt like it had been worked and stretched, but in a good way. After the second class, I pushed it more but afterwards I felt really good. I felt like I'd really worked my legs and back and all felt re-aligned and like it could be getting strong. (I was a little sore, but in a very good way.) Yesterday, I pushed it more and now my left hip is hurting. I don't know if it's hurting because of Bikram or because we went to a movie* last night (MiB 3). I love movies, but I hate sitting for 2 hours + in those chairs!!
Also, my right foot, the arch, is also hurting a little. It could have been from 1) stretching in Bikram, 2) practicing my tap dance in socks (see above, dance show next week), 3) wearing shoes with really high arch supports as we walked around a tile show room for 2 hours in the afternoon, or 4) all of the above.
Oh yea, I'm still supposed to be talking about Bikram, not my aches and pains. I really like the two sequences of poses in Bikram that work the thighs. If you want to see a 90-minute class condensed into 2 minutes, take a look at this video. My favorites are at ~30 - 40 seconds and then again at ~1 minute 20 seconds.
I'm heading back to Bikram this week. I love how much Bikram challenges me on my balance. I personally find it interesting how much more balance I have when I stand on my right leg than my left. I hope this means that if I work the left side, it will get better. I'll keep you posted with another boring update like this. Have a great Sunday!
*Yay! A date night! That is rare around here!
Last week, despite my best intentions, I only made it to 1 Bikram class. Part of the difficulty in finding a time to go is that I want to go with my friend. I don't yet feel comfortable going on my own. When starting up something new, it is SO nice to have a friend who encourages you!
This week, my friend and I know we can go on Friday, but our schedules are insane. It's the end of the school year. There are lots of things going on at school and outside of school, for me and my girls it's the week of our dance show! We have rehearsals, costume checks, and pictures every night except for Thursday. (All my girls and me are dancing in the show!)
Oh, back to Bikram--that's what this post is about. After the first class, I was not really sore, but I hadn't pushed it. My upper back felt like it had been worked and stretched, but in a good way. After the second class, I pushed it more but afterwards I felt really good. I felt like I'd really worked my legs and back and all felt re-aligned and like it could be getting strong. (I was a little sore, but in a very good way.) Yesterday, I pushed it more and now my left hip is hurting. I don't know if it's hurting because of Bikram or because we went to a movie* last night (MiB 3). I love movies, but I hate sitting for 2 hours + in those chairs!!
Also, my right foot, the arch, is also hurting a little. It could have been from 1) stretching in Bikram, 2) practicing my tap dance in socks (see above, dance show next week), 3) wearing shoes with really high arch supports as we walked around a tile show room for 2 hours in the afternoon, or 4) all of the above.
Oh yea, I'm still supposed to be talking about Bikram, not my aches and pains. I really like the two sequences of poses in Bikram that work the thighs. If you want to see a 90-minute class condensed into 2 minutes, take a look at this video. My favorites are at ~30 - 40 seconds and then again at ~1 minute 20 seconds.
I'm heading back to Bikram this week. I love how much Bikram challenges me on my balance. I personally find it interesting how much more balance I have when I stand on my right leg than my left. I hope this means that if I work the left side, it will get better. I'll keep you posted with another boring update like this. Have a great Sunday!
*Yay! A date night! That is rare around here!
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