Hi Bloggies, how has your weekend been? Mine has involved spending way more time at my computer than I would have wished, but the results are worth it. For those of you who still haven’t clicked off your Reader, I changed my blog layout! I was really getting tired of the brown leaves and darker motif that I previously had, and I also felt like it was causing pages to load a bit slowly, and for the most part, I am really pleased with the new layout! Thanks to everyone who told me you dig the new layout! I wanted something clean, crisp, and purple is the color of both royalty and the 7th and highest chakra is represented with purple, and my link rollover color is green for veggies, of course, so it ties in both the Yoga aspect and the Veggies Aspect. Can you tell my brain works in mysterious ways? haha!
I would like to have the purple cauli picture as a header graphic rather than on the side, but when I was trying to make it as a header, the side columns and purple fade were getting funky, and rather than continuing to try to “make it better” and in the process possibly making it wayyyy worse, I decided to quit while I was ahead. You know what I mean when you think, Oh, I am just going to make this “one little change” which then causes a cascade of other glitches and drama and you spend 2 hours trying to fix that “one little change”. That happened to me. Twice.
Also, my Intense Debate commenting system is being very unstable and keeps trying to revert to the Blogger Commenting system, which has happened to the French Press and Tazo Tea Give Away Post Entries. I have entries on two systems, but am going to merge them all so if you’ve entered and don’t see your entry visible, not to worry, I’ve got them all. Not exactly ideal , and I am waiting for a tech lady look at it, so in the meantime, if you see random “Test Posts” you know what I’m up to.
Sorry to bore you with all that but it’s been what I’ve been doing this weekend. Imagine how much “fun” I’ve been having…ha!
Moving On…
As I mentioned we’d be doing, on Saturday we had a Great Time with Big & Small Bunnies, and I’ll Get a Full Photo Spread of our Easter Egg Hunt and Bunny Fun up for tomorrow’s post.
To Skylar, this was The Easter Bunny. The one and only.
It was so windy & bright. But fun! More pics and some interesting thoughts on this all tomorrow!
Time to Recap the Week’s Highlights in Food & Life.
If you Missed Last Week’s Highlight Reel, and the attention it sparked after I posted about the Hazards of Bulk Bins
This Week on Monday I Had another Recipe Published! Previously, I’ve had this recipe for my Vegan Gluten-Free Pancakes published and discussed it In This Post
The Recipe is Here.
Thanks so much you guys, too, for the congratulations and well-wishes you extended to me on my latest feat! It was my No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coconut Oil Protein Bars and they’re on the Tropical Traditions Site
My No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coconut Oil Protein Bars are Super Fast and Easy and many of you have written to me telling me you’ve made them, or a similar version, and I am glad to hear you’re getting your homemade bar groove on!
And for those of you who aren’t big on Coconut Oil or don’t have it, you can make these bars without coconut oil: No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Protein Bars
The addition of the coconut oil makes them solidify and hold together just a little better which is great but if you don’t have a coconut oil, don’t let that stop you from making these!
Monday I gave you a New Recipe for Baked Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu
And Thanks for all your great comments, tips, and suggestions for how you make your tofu. I liked reading those suggestions & comments.
And it was fun to hear who has Easter Memories, or Passover Memories, and what they were. As I mentioned in the post, Easter was not about religion for me as a kid, it was about The Bunny and the Chocolate Eggs!
Tuesday’s Post About Dairy & Dairy FAQ’s was Massive!
I covered everything from Dairy Allergy/Intolerance to Calcium Info & Plant-Based Sources to Dairy Myths to Tons Of Dairy-Free Recipes (all my recipes are vegan so they are inherently dairy-free). I even gave you recipe alternatives for yogurt and cheese!
And Other Dairy-Free (Vegan) Recipes Such As
Raw Vegan Cheesecake
One Pot Gluten Free Vegan Mac-N-Cheese
Raw Cheddar Dipping Sauce for Veggies or as a Salad Dressing
Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies
The Dairy FAQ Post Was Chock Full of Info and pretty labor intensive for me, so I hope you all check it out if you haven’t already! I appreciate everyone who chimed in letting me know it was helpful and that you learned a few things like Dairy is like Morphine, it really is addictive and you need to break the cycle, but once you do, you’re home free!
Wednesday I had a Blogger Meetup
You told me about your drink-guzzling ways! I’m glad to hear I’m not the only person who can down an ice-coffee in 27 seconds flat! Sounds like you all are some turbo drinkers and ice coffee lovers, too!
There was a Nut Butter Stash in the mail
A Chocolate Inspirations Vegan Carmel
It Reminds me of cross between my high Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cups…
….And also a cross between My Raw Vegan Caramels
Because of the chewy texture of my caramels
Green Food
Thursday I Announced Who Won the Lunchbox Set Give Away
I went grocery shopping and scored some Brussles after all the stores here being out of stock for almost 2 weeks! The horrors, I tell you.
And found New Coffee
and On Friday Gave you The Verdict on the Fudge Brownie Coffee!
Maybe it’s comparable to my Raw Vegan Chocolate Brownies?
Or maybe more like more like my Vegan Fudge-10 Minute No-Bake Recipe?
And on Friday I reminded you about the Smores Coffee that I’ve mentioned before
Thursday I Ate Almond Butter Treats:
Both Store-bought Betty Lou’s Almond Butter Balls
And my Raw Vegan Homemade Almond Butter Cookie Balls
Reviewed a Blueberry Clif bar
That Reminds me of a Cross Between My…
No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coconut Oil Protein Bars…
…And My Vegan Gluten & Soy-Free Homemade Granola, which I underbake so that it’s nice & chewy.
I Ate Raw Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate
And a few Vanilla Sunflower Seed Butter Balls
You can make These Balls with any kind of nutbutter: Sunflower, PB, Almond, Whatever Works.
Thursday there was a Big Announcement: I shared that I may be interested doing a figure competition!!!!
Yes, I’m talking those competitions where you spend insane amounts of time and energy sculpting your body and then prance around in a swimsuit being judged. Yes, those! I know, pretty crazy but I have always wanted to do them. I also alluded to it in This Post.
The majority of you were cheering me on and supportive about this possible goal, and you also shared some of your goals with me. Also, wanted to thank my friend Kimasia, a vegan competitor and mother, she’s been a rock of support and information and I cannot thank you enough, Kimasia!
I think Bikini Competitions are my speed. But this would be a major commitment in terms of time and energy, and I need to really ponder what my intentions are, or even if I want to really get serious about this.
I need to take this bikini body of mine
And My Yoga Body
To This kind of Bikini Body
Arnold Amateur Bikini Winners 2010. I would definitely have to invest in a spray-tan membership package somewhere if I get serious….haha!
In the meantime, it’s something to ponder and think about and thanks to everyone for the supportive feedback. The comments section was full of encouraging words, and I took some extra time to reply to my comments in so if you missed those, Click Here. Also, I appreciate all the feedback from friends, even those who are not a fan of these competitions, and have taken it all in and am letting all your info “soak in” a bit. And if this is not your thing, you think it’s weird, or could never imagine doing it and wonder why anyone would embark on this, that’s fine, too. Different strokes for different folks.
Friday I got a new Coobook
Put it on the shelf next to some of my other cookbooks
Also got some New Yoga Clothes
And I asked you about Crediting and Linking Back Recipes for Hot Topic Friday!
Remember last Friday’s too-hot-to-handle post about Real Housewife of NY, Kelly, Posing in Playboy?
This week I asked you What do you think is the proper way to give someone credit for a recipe? Should someone even be credited for a recipe you use? Or is any recipe on the internet “Fair Game” to use as your own with no need to link it or cite the original author?
What do you think about reprinting a recipe you find on the internet in entirety on your blog rather than simply linking back to the author’s blog? Is that cyber-plagerism? Should you just link back to the author’s site?
Two Other Bloggers’ Posts that are Similar:
1. Matt the Health Blog Helper just did a very informative post on the matter, Click Here to check out his post on Cyber-Piracy.
2. And Elena of Elena’s Pantry also, ironically, posted on Friday about feeling ripped off with her recipes. Click Here for her thoughts on Who’s Recipes are They?
I also mentioned that I’ve noticed that blog readers sometimes “expect” a recipe to always be posted, too. That readers are not just satisfied with a blog author saying, oh I made this or that chocolate dessert. They expect a recipe to be provided. What do you think? I revealed my practical reasons why this isn’t always possible.
The overwhelming majority of you shared my sentiments about linking, crediting, and just being courteous and giving credit where credit is due. Click Here to read what everyone thought.
Today I wanted to show you these cool Snack Taxis
So these are another eco-friendly option for us
Here’s their pretty cloth napkin. I’ve been doing cloth napkins for about 4 years but my napkins are not that pretty. There were a bulk buy at Bed Bath and Beyond $6 bucks for a dozen and I have two dozen. Imagine on that $12 bucks how much money and trees I’ve saved not using paper napkins and try really hard to not use many paper towels, either. I also did cloth nappies with Skylar for about half her diaper-wearing time.
All the Snack Taxis have a velcro strip and a waterproof type fabric
Skylar told me to put the Newman’s Own Cookies that I reviewed in This Post…
….In a Snack Taxi for her.
Both she and Scott report that these cookies are “excellent”. Scott said that because of the mint and chocolate, there’s a little bit of a Girl Scout Thin Mint vibe going on. I wouldn’t know because the gluten in these is a no-way for me!
Good Thing I have my own Chocolate: My Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate
Yoga Today is also a new issue of Yoga Journal. I’ve been a subscriber since 2000. This magazine has been my rock through the ebbs and flows of life, both on an off the mat.
Yoga Cures that can Transform American Medicine? Yes please, since the American Medical System clearly needs all the help it can get!
One of My Favorite Columns is the Master Class Section because it moves beyond Triangles and Warriors and into Asanas that challenge me a bit more.
Tip of the Day: My French Press and Tazo Tea Gift Set Give Away!!!!!
And Here’s a giveaway for a Homemade Quilt
Questions
1. Is the Weather Getting Warm where you’re at? Have You Been Outside Enjoying It?It’s warming up here, but honestly, it’s not as hot here in Phoenix as I thought it would be this time of year. And oh my gosh, it’s so windy and I have seasonal allergies like I’ve never had before in my life so that’s been snotty interesting.
This morning Scott and I went for a one-hour power walk with Skylar in her stroller and I have to say, it was awesome to just be out in the fresh air with my family!
What’s the best thing you’ve done so far this weekend or ate so far this weekend?
2. Feedback on my Layout is Welcome. I hope you guys like it! It’s not perfect and there are some glitches, but I am working on it, in all my spare time…haha! I also have no tech background and have done 99% of my blog myself and for free. It’s been lots of research, trial and error, plenty of sweaty palms and even more F-bombs dealing with the tech-stuff, but the side benefit to blogging has been learning more about computers and tech stuff. Not that I want to know this stuff, but it’s “practical knowledge” in this day and age.
Do you consider yourself tech-savvy? Does your blog stuff freak you out? Are you Clueless? I am also amazed at so many of you who’s husband’s or boyfriends help you with your blog stuff. If I asked Scott to even write a guest post, he’d look at me like I was nuts, let alone drop in some HTML code. Heck, after 11 years he’s just learning where we keep the forks.
Tell me about your tech smarts or some of the most helpful sites you’ve found for dealing with blog stuff or any great resources/tips you have!
Stay Tuned For Fun Weekend Pictures and Eats…