Hi bloggies, how are you doing today? I’m doin’ bueno. Scott’s here for the day so I get a little reprieve on the 24/7 parenting duty and I’ll keep things a little lighter today than I did in yesterday’s weekend recap & mental musings on pushing too hard, too fast post.
Oh and to answer yesterday’s burnin question that was blowing up my comments and inbox…yep, the raw vegan chocolate brownies are really as good as they look. They are uber rich and decadent so a little dab’ll do ya. And you don’t have to freeze them, I just like chilled food cuz it’s so hot here. But you can have ’em at room temp. If you do that, I’d scale back on the dates just a smidge or add more walnuts because they may be a little runny otherwise.
I’m really grateful for all of you who take the time to comment and for new readers who are swingin’ by and also for older ones who are de-lurking. Rock on, I love you guys!
What have I been whippin up round here? Lotsa banana, lowfat vanilla almond milk, & agave smoothies in the VitaMusher for the Lil One.
Then the smoothie mix goes in pink cups, but of course.
It’s hot here and she’s been groovin on these to stay hydrated.
As for my smoothies, nothin new, just the Sun Warrior BRPP in Vanilla, but how I enjoy it so. And a shout out to A xx who wrote to tell me she ordered some Sun and is diggin’ it, too!
Moving right along to solid not slurpy food, the Enjoy Life Foods people sent me some of their nut and gluten-free granola to sample. They sent Cinnamon Crunch, Cranapple Crunch, and Very Berry Crunch. Everything is vegan, so it’s therefore dairy free, but also free of soy, nuts, gluten, and various other yuck. How refreshing!
And ya know what, I give it two thumbs up on the taste factor. My fave flave being the Cinnamon but I’m really partial to my Cinny, and add it to just about anything.
I’ve posted before about making my own vegan granola at home, and because I have been making it for years now, I am really fast, and can whip up a batch from start to finish in 20-25 minutes, including baking time, but if you don’t have the time, the Enjoy Life granola is yum. It’s really crunchy, and doesn’t taste like cardboard, which can be an issue with gluten-free foods, I find.
Onto other eats….the Zuke Noodles. I spiralized a fatty zuke and then lightly steamed some B.S. and tossed with cukes, the zuke schlong (for all you who missed my intial joke, ya know that long skinny flacid piece that is still on your spiralizer when you’re done spiralizin’…yeah, that. I just chop it up and toss with the rest of the veggie action), yellow & red pepps.
I whipped up a dressing to toss the veggies with in 30 seconds…Juice of 1/2 an orange, 2 Tbsp Raw ACV, 1 Tbsp EVOO, Dash of Agave, & Whisk. A touch of ginger or cumin or something sorta fall-like, even a pumpkin spice would be nice in there. Don’t know if that would work with the B.S. as well, but just talkin’ out loud….
Scott was home for dinner and dessert, so I got some Nanna Softserve Love Goin’…
2 Frozen Nannerz, 1/8th c lowfat vanilla almond milk, dash of sugar, dash of Vanilla NuNaturals Stevia, dash of TJ’s Bourbon Vanilla extract, and blend for 45 seconds in the VitaLord.
Spoon a little of this lovin’ in a bowl and then ask for the Excalibur 9 tray. See honey how great the Vita-Mix has been for us, well I was thinkin’…
Yoga is Parsva Bakasana.
For those of you who are bakasa-challenged, I actually find side (parsva) bakasana easier because you get to build a little table for yourself with the back of your arms. I like little tables. From West Elm.
The other piece of biz-nass I wanted to mention is the ‘ole how do you get your protein and calcium, and isn’t there such a lack of variety issues were brought up, which we all know are the first things that someone who hasn’t researched vegetarianism or veganism brings up, but still the lack of support and judment just blows. I just wanna spread the love so this is hard for me to just ignore and let go of.
The options I see are hope they come around if I lead by example which in my case is about as likely as hades freezing over. Or, ignore it and try to brush it off and just move on knowing I am doing what’s best for me and my hubs and lil pumpkin. The later is far easier said than done for me.
For those of you who have chosen to eat differently than your family, or who have made lifestyle choices that are not the same as the ones your family has, not just in food but with anything, how do you handle the judgment, rude comments, and harsh nature of others?
Tip of the Day: My Chia GiveAway and the NuNaturals GiveAway!! Hurry because the Chia GiveAway is ending on Wednesday at noon Pacific and honestly bloggies, I think I am going to scale back on the GiveAways for a bit after these two end so if you want to score some free shizzle, now’s your chance!
I hope everyone has a rockin’ day, I am about to go for a 5 mile run, and do some yoga and enjoy. Stay tuned tomorrow for some dessert action….
:)
Averie
I hear you on the bridal shower/wedding gift brain spewage! I'm so over big old fashioned weddings. Half of them end in divorce anyway. You and I come from the same tell it how it is (or at least how we think it is ) cloth. ;)
I've wanted a mandolin for ages. Lucky you! Oh, and you're in good company. All carpenters I know remove the safety stuff from their power tools when no one is looking. :)Wishing you were back in SD so I could see all your new food gizmos in action. Question, are Skylar and Scott transitioning to a diet more like yours too?
How I have sliced a finger by ignoring the plastic gismo! Oops! Glad it was only a nail for you!
The rolls look gorgeous!!
No time for books sadly. I really, really need to cut back on the time in the blogosphere. I can't even get to my beloved magazines! When I read, it's on health and fitness, what else.
Have a great first "real" weekend in your new town!
Oh WOW…your mandolin looks a lot easier to use than mine! I don't have that cool plastic piece to pop the veggies in so that you don't slice skin off your hand. I do have a top piece that holds the veggie down, but as soon as the piece starts to get small you have to stop slicing.
What a gorgeous dinner!!! I seriously can't get over how beautifully that is presented. It almost looks too nice to eat! I bet it was delicious, too.
That yoga pose looks soooo cool. I'm still working on my stuff, but I need to get back to class again.
I'm very much into light and fluffy books…I've been reading Sophia Kinsella's "Twenties Girl" and Kinsella also goes by the name Madeline Wickham.
Enjoy your weekend!!
I want to get a mandolin something awful! I want to try to make Raw bacon. I have all of the other tools but a mandolin and spiralizer are still missing. One day soon!
I LOVE saying NO! I say it ahead of time so I don't have to le people down later. You know those who say yes they'll do something and then they bail. I prefer to know my limitations ahead of time : )
I just found your blog from "a sparkle a day". I can't believe I never found it before!! I love it. You have so many good ideas here :) I can't wait to try your apple crumble.
MamaW-We would have the best mommy & girl talk coffee cluthes with our kiddos runnin' around, that's fa sure. I always say I wish I lived in NY as it pertains to the bloggers b/c so many of you guys are east coasters, but for the weather, hell no!
Diana-I do like this mandolin, but girl, just dust off the one you have…and be careful! Even with this one you can still see I sliced a finger. Woo-hoo on the stevia score for you!
Nancy-I need pics of your kitch with all those appliances…hey, you can just host an episode of Food Network gone raw. LOL And woot to eloping in Bermuda. We were gonna do the Caribbean and then we were on a plane to Vegas for an unrelated trip and just said what the hell, we're doing it tomorrow. And we did. We got the $199 package including plastic flowers and 1 disposable roll Kodak camera. No joke!
And to PBJ yeah our blessed union worked out better than Miss Brit's did. And I'd love to go out and have a bridal shower…or just a Girls Nite Out. Rock on babe!
VG my dear, please take care of your self and here's to wishing you a big hug and gettin' better! xox
Lauren,Inside,and K- I'd love to cook for you fine ladies, get your ass to AZ stat! Lauren glad the stevia is comin' your way, too!
Cindy can't wait to hear alllll about it on your bloggie, delish stuff, right! And raw!
Girl on Raw-I didnt put the cuke in the guard, I just sliced it with my bare hand really carefully. Then I got ballsey and tried to do it with a baby carrot…that's when the nail accident struck. But yeah, raw food is soo pretty!
Ok gang have a happy Friday and if I cant reply to anymore comments today personally, know that I so appreciate everyone's support and love and I wish you all the same!
xoxox
Averie
How did you get the slices to end up that long with that guard thingy? Don't you just love the colours of raw food and how delicious everything looks? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
girlfraaaaan you should come move in with me.. i'll throw you a bridal shower :) that is too funny that you eloped.. glad you and the hubs are doing better than Britney Spears and that random dude she got hitched to in Vegas.
mmm those little bundles of joy look like a dreaaaaaam!
have a great weekend gawgggggus!
Yikes about the nail! However, if you're making those wraps – I'd walk to Arizona for a dinner party!
That is an intense yoga pose! You never fail to impress me!!
Enjoy your first real weekend in Phoenix! Don't get into too much trouble ;)
you have ANOTHER raw dessert coming?
I am still dusting the apple crumbs off my face!
OH, yeah…..I made it!
it's AWESOME
I'm with Alison! You ROCK!!
I am going to get out my mandolin tonight and see if I can figure the dang thing out!
(I'd lose more than a nail for sure)
I would like to come for dinner. Thanks- will be there soon. Hehe… I wish. Those rolls look fab- the messiest foods to eat are the best tasting IMO.
Love the tip. I am slowly getting my head around being okay with saying "no" (and becoming a blacker sheep of my family with every 'no' mentioned!)
Have a fab weekend!
Thanks for the stevia giveaway! I am so happy I won! Whooot! I just emailed you!
I've been reading Deepak Chopras book Perfect Health, then after that it's another health book! :) Hopefully I will get to read something besides health books soon!
Congrats on the mandolin, I've always wanted one! :) Have a wonderful weekend!
I'm always reading Stephen King stories – he's my all-time favorite author :)
Happy weekend to ya – I'm ill, so I'm trying to recuperate. Hope you're 100% well!! xo
I'm the queen of kitchen gadgets, too! Vita-Mix, Omega Juicer, Excalibur dehydrator, Cuisinart Food processor, Kitchen Aid stand and stick blenders, OXO mandoline….need I go on! I love to cook, and I love everything that comes along with it!!! Have fun with the mandoline. It's a great tool to have. In fact, I'm using mine in the next hour to shred some fennel and cukes for a salad.
I read a lot of cooking and fitness magazines. I think I get about 16 mags a month. ha ha. This summer, I read a lot of chick lit. Next on my list is Breakfast with Buddha. I suppose I should be reading some technical stuff (I'm in the I/T industry), but what freakin' fun is that?!?!
I'm glad to hear that you did the Black Sheep wedding, too. Five years ago, my husband and I escaped to Bermuda to get married on the beach at sunset – ALONE! We didn't tell anyone until the day before we got on the plane. Believe me when I tell you that his family is STILL PO'ed about it. Oddly enough, mine was fine with it.
I love that yoga pose. I might use it later. I had a tough leg workout at the gym today, so I might use that alone with a long luxorious pigeon!
Have a great day and a FUN FILLED weekend!
Thanks again for the Stevia giveaway! I'm too excited. :)
I always have a real book going at any given time. I'm a fan of Philippa Gregory (a la Other Boleyn Girl), though not all of her books are as amazing. There's actually a widget on my blog that shows what I'm reading at the moment! BIG big book fan. The new Dan Brown is also on deck because my roomie works for his publisher. Score!
Congrats on the mandolin. I have a cheap one and it was great for making zucchini noodles pre-spiralizer, but since I gave myself a major slice a while ago (like mayjuh blood action), I've been a little wary. It's just so much harder to use when you're trying to keep your hands out of the slicing action! An upgrade may be in order…yours looks better equipped than mine! :)
I wish we lived closer – we would be scheduling play dates and mama outings like there was no tomorrow!
I am positively lusting over your raw food essential kitchen gadgets and those cucumber rolls!! Oh. My. GAWD woman! I know I've said this before but THANK YOU for being my mama-yoga-running-raw-vegan-gluten-free hero! You are who I'm aspiring to be!
Happy freaking Friday YAHOO – looking forward to the weekend with ya sista!