Vegmom Moments

Another Interesting Being Veg week

Sorry, I haven't posted in a few days, it has been quite the busy week - Let me tell you!!!  But I have a few quick things to post today. 

1st, My Non-Veggie Oldest and Dearest friend made a comment on the phone...

She said "I won't ever give up my cheese, but I could stop eating meat"  Or something like that... And so then I said (like any good friend would)..... "So Do it?  Give up the Meat".... Then she said... "I could"  and then I said... "So when are you going to start?".....  This kind of went back and fourth for a while....

And then I gave her a WEEK... I said, "Just one week, no Meat"  Then she had to ask details of this challenge...

No Chicken, No fish, No Red Meat, No pork, No Broth from dead critters, No beans with lard, no Spaghetti sauce with cow stuff, No Cesar dressing or worcestershire, No NOTHING that required an animal be killed to be made.... She would have to read labels... It was a Challenge.. for ONLY a Week...

So far she hasn't committed to the challenge, *wink*  I can say that she sent me pictures of her Veggie meal on Thursday and she is back to making Green Smoothies, AND she got a Glass Water Bottle.... AND she read some labels today..I know this because she called me... So the challenge is coming, I can FEEL it!    In the mean time, she has made some pretty awesome "GREEN" choices this week, so that is a wonderful thing!

But on the phone, I hear her little one say "That Coconut Water is Yummy"....  AWESOME!!!  This means she has Coconut water IN her house.  She is turning, one thing at a time... It could happen!!  I feel it!!!

THEN - My Dad wrote to say, he is still going after the Juicer..... Very cool!!

THEN - An Online Friend named Rachel left a comment to say she got her Vita-Mix this week and has made some wonderfully delicious things... How Exciting for her and her family!   Now if she can only leave the house with out it... That is the hard part *smile*

THEN - My Newest and Dearest Friend called to say she has been Veg for going on two weeks now.  She has made awesome food choices, tried new things, and offered great stuff to her kids, and they actually LIKED it!  Who Knew???  She Also introduced a Teenager friend  to the goodness of healthy eating...

What a WONDERFUL week to be Veggie *smile*

AND for the really funny part!  I was actually asked this week if I got my Protein from a Pill... THAT was a new one, even for me....

It is a Fruity Nutty Lunch and Snack Day

My Lunch + Snack is in the Tiffin...  The Vegman needed snacks packed so his are in the Laptop Lunch Box.  It is a Good Food Day + Smoothie

In this Tiffin, we have...Blueberries, Dried Peaches, Eggplant Jerky and Raw Pecans.

Guess?

And um, pretty self explanatory!  *smile*

Can't forget this guy!  It wasn't as tasty as all my other smoothies for some reason... but still lots of green goodness.

Last but not least:

Nutty Krisp Treats, Raw Pecans, Local Blueberries, Fresh Picked peaches (these were little so there are two), some Dried Peaches (from our own dehydrator) and Organic Vegan Crackers.

These should keep my Vegman's belly full and happy!

 Have a happy day!!!
   

Vegan Eggplant Jerky

My friend and I were just discussing Eggplant, and what to do with them.  Suddenly it hit me... 

I remember seeing on a blog long ago (sorry can't provide credit as I don't remember where) a snippet about Eggplant Jerky.

Then I found a cute little Eggplant at the store Saturday... It had Jerky written all over it..... But of course I had no recipe, nor did I feel like researching.... So this is what I did..

• Cut the Eggplant in to strips and set aside
• Going for sweet and salty, I concocted the following:  Mixed  in a bowl, some Teriyaki Sauce, some Olive Oil, A dash of Bragg's Aminos, & Maple Syrup.
• Dropped the Eggplant in to the bowl and mixed in the sauce real good
• Then set them on our Dehydrator Trays.

They took MUCH less time to finish then I thought.  As in a few hours... But they were so good!  I started "testing" (I mean eating) them with in 2hrs.  And had to finally cut myself off from snitching until they were truly done.

Hello, little Eggplant Jerky: 

Seriously, these were really really really good!  And Soooo Easy.  Veg and I were fighting over pieces before they even made it in to the bowl. 

But we managed to save this many for another day:

Who knew Eggplant could taste so good?  As soon as we see these at the Farmer's Market, I will be stocking up for certain!

Glass Water Bottle

We found this during our trip to Asheville and I was Soooo Excited! 

A Glass Water Bottle (or smoothie in my case) with cool color cover thing....

Life Factory is the brand and they have baby bottles and sippies too.  Soooo wish I'd known about these 6 years ago...  Everything tastes better in Glass, and no chemicals leaching.  Its a Win/Win!

So then Hubby sees the bottle and I thought he would say "NOT ANOTHER BOTTLE" but instead he said...

"I WANT ONE"  Which means I will be purchasing more!  This one is already stocked with tomorrow's Green Smoothie action... Which I made tonight because I have an early start....  See....

Rosetta's Kitchen Lunch for Two

Veg and I stopped at this awesome place in Asheville NC called Rosetta's Kitchen...  I've been there once before, but had to take my little guy. 

They have Mac and Cheese...Vegan Version, and he thought THAT was pretty cool.  They let him try a little before ordering, which I thought was so nice. 

And he wanted some of these.. This was a SMALL... Can't imagine what the BIG looks like:

To finish off his feast, my Vegman picked one of these Vegan beauties:

Peanut Butter and Choco Swirl... Again, I say, This was the SMALL... they had a large version too.

Knowing we had a long day in the heat ahead of us, I wanted to go for something light.  A small little wrap, is what I was thinking... UM NO!  This is Rosetta's after all!

The thing was HUGE!!!! 

 

We ended up taking much of both our feasts to go, and turned out to be a great decision.  While we were stuck in traffic, these foods made our bellies really happy for the second time in one day.

So if you ever find your self in Asheville North Carolina, check out Rosetta's Kitchen... It really is an awesome Veg (and Earth) friendly place...

More Peppers

My Cute little pepper fell off the plant in our last storm..... And it was starting to look hopeless that any others would pop out of their flowers......But look who showed up today... 

 

3 Little Peppers.. For some reason they just aren't as cute as the first one, but they do look tasty....

Grow little peppers GROW!!!  

Farmer's Market Saturday

Found some of the most Delicious things today:

 

The Watermelon was so good, I just sat down with a spoon... Hubby and Veg then joined me (seperate spoons and chunks of course, because I'm freaky like that)  We went through and entire watermelon in approximately 15 minutes.

Not sure the other two will last till next week...

ACV Shampoo

Several have asked me lately about the "No Shampoo" thing and if I was still doing this...  Welllll... Yes and No.  Mostly No!

It all started when I saw this link back in 2008.  At the time my hair was thick, part oily, part dry and my scalp was a little flaky.  It was long, tangled and no longer soft.  

So then I saw that link... I tried the Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar Combination's.... the first night, my hair was AMAZING!  I've never had it feel so good EVER!  

Veg Meets Animal Haven

Today was one that allowed me to be off work... It is Summer... Which means, A Veg and Mom Adventure  day! 

Wait a Minute... rewind............ Several years ago Veg read this book:

 
In the book, Benji's Dad takes him to an Animal Sanctuary to help him understand why they don't eat meat.....Ever since then he has asked to go to one.

OK Fast Forward ...to a couple weeks ago..  Veg and I were talking and he said "Mom, when can I go to an Animal Sanctuary like Benji? Can I go when your off work?"

<Benji???> 

"Yeah, the book"  Oooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....   then I began my research... The boy wants to go to an Animal Sanctuary, the boy shall go to one!! 

Not to mention he's been asking more questions lately about meat, and I thought this would be a good age to make an impression for his little noggin.

Sooo.. Fast Forward to this day!!  I found an Animal Sanctuary, and the wonderful people said we could come visit.   I surprised my Vegman with the news... and OFF we went!

To Beautiful Asheville North Carolina and Animal Haven... 

 

We spent A LOT of hours in the car... I mean A LOT!   As in single lane, sitting still for hours, A LOT..  But it was totally worth it!  We stopped Down Town, Had a great Vegan Meal, Purchased some re-usable non-plastic lunch gear, and Went to Animal Haven!  

At one point, Veg said... "Mom we are so crazy, to spend this much time in the car for an Adventure, but I'm sure glad we did".  I told him that we probably wouldn't make the trip again in a single day, but he said "Why?"  ha ha...

They had little barns/sheds all over the land, and each decorated as if they were home.  Most of the animals were sleeping due to the heat of the day, but they all looked so peaceful and calm. (As they should)  

All the Animals were rescued from horrid conditions, abuse, Neglect, even near death....  Some escaping factory farms, and Some just dumped on their property. 

Now they are able to roam in huge free spaces with their animal friends...  In and out of the barns/sheds.... The pigs have access to mud pits and clean sleeping quarters.  The goats can roam or sleep in the shade... The ducks and hens can do as they please... All with food and water and shaded spaces.. no chains or ropes or 2x2 cages...(or chopping blocks)

And this DOG!!  Oh my this dog...  She only has one eye, but she could catch a Frisbee... Or try to carry this ball... and try, and try and try.... for like an hour... it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen:

 

Veg was in love with the cats. There were a lot of cats in different spaces.  All cared for in wonderful condition.  Many different cat houses and structures and toys...

 

My favorites were the pigs... Eventually they woke up (but of course I didn't get a picture of that)... I'd never heard a pig snore.  I got such a kick out of being so close to some of them..

These guys/gals were sooo comfortable in there many sleeping spots and could care-a-less that we were in there with them.  Veg talked a lot while visiting the Piggies that he didn't understand how anyone could Eat them or be mean to them....  I think my mission of the Sanctuary Visit was accomplished in the first 5 minutes!  *smile*

 

 

I'm sorry, but HOW cute is this??.. I just wanted to snuggle up next to them and take a nap with these sleepy heads. 

We stood next to them and watched for a bit.  And then came back and watched some more.  Some of them were out in the pits, so I couldn't get their pictures.

The other Animals were just as amazing...  Couldn't get enough of this Cutie:

And you know, it wasn't like a petting zoo where they are begging for food and trying to eat your camera strings. There wasn't the sadness of a real zoo with animals on display behind glass...  There was a Peace... a Happiness....

Or maybe it was just the hot of the day....

They were happy and content, would maybe say Hi and walk away. 

Or just go under the shed with a Hen and Duck and go to sleep.  Or in a barn and find their favorite spot.  I mean there was no pushing, fighting, chewing on our stuff... It was an Amazing Experience.  There were a LOT of goats, and not a care in the world.

"Hey, you looking at me?  OK, Well be sure to get my good side"

 

And these guys, were Soooo Sweet.. They were rescued from a horrible situation.  But are resting in their own little space now.

When they feel like walking around, The door is open,  All this and more is waiting for them outside that fluffy Hay:

This little thing, had a whole lot to tell us... Walked right up and started talking.. and when the chat was over, it just walked away... We laughed and laughed!

If you ever find your self in Asheville North Carolina, be sure to check out Animal Haven.  Or just check out their website.  They do so much with their Outreach programs.  And all non-profit.  They take donations to help care for the animals, but also run a thrift store to help raise funds.

Thank you Animal Haven for making a little man's dream come true, teaching him a bit a long the way, and all you do for the animals.  

What a Wonderful Adventure..and Amazing Place!!!

CousCous Salad

I'm avoiding most pasta these days, but had some Couscous while on vacation.  It was light, refreshing, and a nice change to the normal "pasta" I would eat.  So when I found a little container at the store of multi-colored veggie filled pellet looking things, I decided to give them a try.

This weeks "New Try" is Couscous...  No idea what to do with it, I just used water, the round pellet noodles and stuck them in a pan per package instructions.

They take about 8-10 minutes to cook.  So during that time I chopped up some Kale, Celery, Tomatoes and Peppers. 

Made a dressing mix of Olive Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Italian Seasoning, Garlic Salt and All Season's Salt. (my usual dressing mix)

When the Couscous was done I just mixed it with the Raw Veggies and the Dressing.  Let it cool and ATE IT UP!!!   

 

Just like that!!!   Pretty much a 10 minute meal.  And So Tasty!!   I'll make this one again for sure.

Raw Vegan Pecan Pie Cookies

There was a charity book sale at work today, and I ran in before a meeting started to see if there was anything good... first table, I see this book....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  Had to have this book!!!  So I bought it!!!   But I didn't get home until 9:30 and wanted to make something..... Couldn't wait... MUST HAVE TREAT!

So I flipped through the pages to find much more then just Dessert Treats.  Cleaning tips, Kitchen tips, Even Fruity Moisturizers for thy face!  So much goodness in that little book.

And then I found the Pecan Pie Cookie Recipe.........It said to use for the holidays... and so I had to make up a Holiday... We will call today, "New no-cook book day" There!  Perfect...

I Happened to havePecans... I had Dates... I had Cinnamon... Orange Juice and a Food Processor!... I had everything I needed to make this Raw Vegan Goodness!  Seeeeeeeee.....

 

Chop Chop Chop:

Just about 5 minutes, start to finish and I had THESE...

 

OH MY YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Seriously, they taste like Pecan Pie.... And they won't last past tomorrow.  I can Guarantee that!

Think I'm really going to like this BOOK!

Tweet Tweet

First I went to Amazon to get links to books I just purchased to post to this blog (soon I will post those links)

And there was a little thing that said something about Twitter... I could Tweet with the Amazon info, that takes you straight to the books that I just purchased.  And so I did it... to see what would happen... then Voila... there it was!   The link to the book I wanted to show people.

The cute little link in all its glory..  And the little box that calls to people to post their every step for all to see...

Yeah, well I'm not going to do that!  I mean I'm not going to Tweet my every step for all to see.  And I'm not going to follow everyone.... Only those with awesome Veggie goodness to share.   (Just found a couple of my favorites... how cool is that)

I don't know anything about the retweets and @ and all of that stuff, so honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing. (much like this blog)

But if you want to follow me..  feel free.  Vegmom1 is the name....I'll use it to share tidbits of Green Living goodness.. and the more ways to spread the goodness, the better?  Right?

So there ya go!  Tweet Tweet!!

Hemp Milk Smoothie

I needed to use up the rest of that Yummy Hemp Milk I made last week, and decided a Smoothie was a good way to do it.

Hemp Milk, Spinach, Nut Butter, Carob chips, Frozen banana, Fresh Banana and a few ice cubes...

This turned out Soooooooooo Creamy, Green, thick and tasty!  Veg asked for Seconds, Hubby was mad we didn't save him more, and I drank all mine in what seemed like two gulps. 

Note to self:  MAKE MORE HEMP MILK!

Veggie Stars Aligning

So I'm not sure what is happening but within the past 24hrs I've heard/read the following statements...

My Friend's Hubby Caved on the Green Smoothies And child likes them too.. Wooohooo!

My Hubby's Friend, Decided today's lunch was a great chance to try a meat-less meal.  He ordered All Veggies and LIKED THEM.

My Dad called.. (Yes, the same person that wanted to drop me in a hay field to find lunch)... He told me that after a medical procedure has decided to try Juicing to heal his little Bod and lay off the Red Meats....  I'm excited and shocked...I mean this is HUGE!   Even if he doesn't do it, just the THOUGHT that he was considering it.  It is HUGE! 

My Hubby Shouted after eating his delicious dinner that he "Loves being a Vegetarian"... He actually said those words... Then said... "I can't believe I just called myself a Vegetarian"  *smile*  He continued with,  "I'm not sure what your doing to me, and I never thought I'd say this, but I Love this food"  Yippppppppppppeeeee.... I think laying off the dairy for almost 2 weeks, has started to shift his taste buds again.  And all the flavors seem so much more.......well......... Flavorful !!!  

I heard from local Starbucks that more people are asking for their Choco Fraps with Water instead of Milk... That I'm no longer the only crazy person.  Awesome and Vegan by the way (shhhhh, don't tell)

PS... if you like the Java Chip Fraps... Get them with WATER instead of MILK....  Save yourself the calories (and other milk yuck), Save the added expense of Soy, and give some Cow Udders a break... It tastes Sooo good, with water, why bother with the other stuff??

Then I just read a Blog from a Mama that is starting to switch to more raw foods, which is super cool.. Check out her Cute Etsy stuff by the way...

Even my Vegman chimed in today... "Mom, I've decided that I want to be like you when I get older.  If I'm healthy, then I'll be happy and I like being Happy"

Is it just me or is something happening out there?  Have you had new motivations lately?  Anything your going to try on the health frontier?

Personally, I'm looking forward to the morning, when I can have another one of these:

Yum!
 

Family Puzzles

My Vegman is back in to puzzles and especially the kind that we can do together.  So we pulled out a couple 200 and 400 piece puzzles from our closet and spent lots of time together Saturday working on them.

Then later that day, I stopped at Hallmark to pick my friend up this Springbok puzzle.  Their puzzles are the best quality and only the best will do for my friend... Especially their new 2010 editions...  So much to choose.

Anyway, while there I noticed another "FAMILY" Puzzle.  They are sooo great, because not only do they have the Springbok quality but they have different size pieces.  Bigger pieces for the smaller kids, and smaller pieces for the adults.  Allowing everyone to sit and work on them together.

When I saw this, I knew it had to be mine:

 

Vegmom, Vegdad, Vegkid and even our Spunk Dog are represented in the cutest scene ever!! 

Veg and I decided that we couldn't wait until Christmas and began work on this masterpiece Sunday Night. 

We agreed to ONLY work on this puzzle while we are together, as it is a FAMILY puzzle.   But this is actually very hard for me, because if I walk past and see a piece, I SOOO wanna stick it in the spot.   But a promise is a promise!  *smile*

I have a feeling that a 1000 piece puzzle is in our future as we are blowing through the 400's pretty quick.

Which one we will choose next?  Now that is the question!

Fruity Sunday

Going to schedule some posts again this week, as that seem to work well last week....  Although it is confusing... because I'm posting about today but you won't see it until tomorrow...

Anyway... This Post is called Fruity Sunday because we had the Peach Situation... But we also had a LOT of organic fruit from the store to wash and cut up for the week.

Hubby went to town on the Watermelon:

 

I snagged some to make a Slushy after my Run.... shhhh!!!.... (Watermelon and Ice.... OH MY YUM!  Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix)

 

Then I started washing, straining, cutting, sorting and creating....

 

 

Veg requested his Vegan Waldorf Salad, and that he did get....

Fresh picked apples, sliced and coated with lemon juice... Then mix in some crushed Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, Chopped Celery and coat with a tiny bit of Olive Oil and a dash of Apple Cider Vinegar.

Stick in the fridge and it will be nice and yummy for a couple days.

It was a Fruity Sunday for Sure, but the week will contain just as much goodness....... And I'm looking forward to every sweet delicious bite!

Lots of Peaches

Veg and I did some Fruit Picking today... Lots of Fruit Picking!

See:

Mostly peaches, but we grabbed a few apples from a tree near by .. Now I wish I had grabbed more of those apples... They were GooooooooooooooD!

Oh but the peaches... LET ME TELL YOU... They were REALLY GOOOOOOOOOODDDDD!

Some not as ripe as others, so they are in this bowl for a few days:

 

The rest are in the fridge ready for chomping... Or already in our tummies, or cut up ready for smoothies... 

As soon as this last batch is ready, they'll be cut up and placed in the freezer for many months of Raw Vegan Peach Ice "Cream".

But I have a feeling we will go back for more...LOTS More!!!  Only we will bring the Hubby next time, as he is better with the reaching then I am.  *wink*... Although, I did pretty good considering the Height Challenge?  And Veg was there routing me on the whole time....

"Get It Mom, I know you can do it... reach... oh your so close......."

He is always so helpful like that.... (OK, not always!)

Last Minute Vegan Pizza

If you haven't figured out by now, what my Vegman wants, he usually gets... Especially since he doesn't ask for much...

Its been a long time since he's asked for Pizza, but first thing this morning I discover it is "Pizza Day" at camp, and he really wants to bring his own pizza so he can have some too....

AHHHHHHH... OK, I have like an hour before we need to leave the house!   What to do?  What to do?.....

I pulled out my handy dandy Vegan Lunch Box Cook Book... Quartered the Biscuit recipe.. Used Mr. Vita-Mix... Some quick Toppings, and the oven...

Voila!  One Vegan Pizza in less then 30 minutes

He was a Happy Camper, and that of course makes me a Happy Vegmom!!

(except for the little moment that the dry batter flew up in my eye, and each time I blinked my eye made its own dough.. yeah, that part I wasn't so happy about... Hey, you win some you lose some)
 
 
 

Beverage of Choice

A friend sent her little one off to a wonderful day camp.. It was her first time at having a choice of food, beverages, etc. in a food bar type setting.  And she chose a Green Colored Pop as her beverage of choice.

Of course my Friend freaked a tad as her little one has never had Sodas...  My young one hasn't either.  (well he has had sips of natural sodas or spritzer type things)  But never the real commercial, high fructose, dye, caffeine and sugar filled ones.

Sooooo I thought I'd quiz him tonight....

<Lets pretend you were out to eat and we parents weren't there... you could have ANYTHING you wanted to drink and could pick it yourself....This fancy place would have Water, Juice, and Pop Machines, which would you choose>

Without even thinking about it, he says:

"First I'd look for water, but if they didn't have that, then I'd look to see if the have the kind of juice I like.  You know the real kind, not the fake stuff"

<So you wouldn't even be curious to try to the soda?>

"NOooooooooooooooooooo!"  he squeals..  "Did you know one can of soda has more sugar then I need in an entire day, and it has high fructose, and chemicals, and dyes, that is just disgusting"

Hubby looked at me and just shook his head.... and then he said.. You need to put that on your blog...

And so I did!  *smile*

Signed,

One Happy Vegmom

Electrons, Neutrons and a Tooth

Phone Call I received at work today from my 7 year old:

"Mom Mom, guess what, guess what"  (you know he is excited when he is talking in doubles)

"I pulled my tooth out, it was bothering me so I just pulled it...  if you happen to find something little and white on my desk you will know what it is"

<That is wonderful news, I will look for it as soon as I get home!  So how was camp today?>

"It was really good, we studied Protons, Neutrons and Electrons, ya no, just the normal stuff"

HA, Yeah, just the normal stuff for A COLLEGE STUDENT maybe!!!  Oh My Word!!!

Seriously WHERE did he come from?  Tooth Falling out and Electrons on the same day.......  It sure is a good thing he never left my side with a midwife delivery, or I would think he was switched in the nursery.

A Couple Salads from Food Prep Sunday

Veg wanted Cucumber Salad. 

I just happened to have cucumbers from the Farmer's Market BUT didn't have any coconut yogurt.  So I decided to use the Hemp milk... And this ended up as a mostly raw vegan treat, that we both really liked:

Hemp Milk, Chopped Onion, Cucumbers, Dash of Wine Vinegar, Dill, Seasoning Salt, Agave Nectar and Garlic Salt.

Just mix all together and pop in the fridge to absorb all the flavor.  YUM!

 

Then we grabbed some potatoes from the garden:

 

Boiled them for a bit... And made some Vegan Potato Salad For lunch this week.

The dressing:

Olive Oil, Mustard, Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic Salt, Lemon Pepper and Chives.

 

We mixed the dressing, added the chopped potatoes, mixed all together and put in the fridge.

Veg helped mix the dressing, find the potatoes in the Garden, plus wash and then chop them.

 

He was Quite proud of his Veggie Goodness... "Mom, are you sure this is going to taste good?"

OH YES!!!  IT WILL TASTE GREAT!!!!!!!!!  *smile*

Did I mention this is a good food week.... I keep making myself hungry!

Dropping the Cheese

Hubby said he's dropping Cheese.... Could it be so?  Could it be true? 

This is the most exciting thing I've heard since he gave up Meat for good.... Now if we could just get him to drop the eggs?  Baby steps....

Imagine, no animals harmed in the aging of my Hubs... Not to mention the aging of my Hubs will go much more smoothly.... Hooray, for Plant Based diets....And to my Hubby for giving it a try!

PS. All his Idea, scouts honor...*wink* 

OK, Maybe I showed him a little video about the link between Milk and Cancer... Maybe, it talked a little about arthritis and sinus problems... Maybe it mentioned a little something about what is in the milk...

Hmmmm... Maybe I should have showed him that video along time ago!

Lentils Part 2

Sorry, no picture, but have to share...  I still have cooked lentils from the other day that I have to find something to do with...  Then I remembered some Veggies still in the fridge ready for use....

So I chopped the following:

Piece of an Onion, Chunk of Green Pepper, 1 clove of Garlic, And a Chunk off of our giant Zucchini....Then sauteed my chopped farm fresh veggies in a pan with a Tiny dash of Olive oil..just for a minute. 

Sprinkled with Garlic Salt, Lemon Pepper and Italian Seasoning... Then a Dash of Lemon Juice... Mixed everything together and added a couple spoonfuls of the Lentils. 

Warmed it all and stuck in a glass bowl for devouring... It was Soooooooooooooo Good!!  And So easy!!

Must say, it doesn't look pretty.. but it sure tastes Delish!!  Going to go eat some more.....

Meredith, Did I thank you today for the Lentil Inspiration????  THANK YOU!!

More From Food Prep Sunday - Desserts

 A food rut had taken over my Noggin, but no more... Oh No!!  Sunday, I had inspiration... Made some new stuff, and brought out some oldies but goodies...

I'm going to eat good this week and pack our bodies full of some delicious and nutritious fuel.

Up first:  The Breakfast cookie... I mixed Oats, with a Mashed Banana, then added the following: Home made Hemp Milk, Almond Butter, Goji Berries, Sun Dried Raisins, A dash of Cacao, A dibble of vanilla and a dabble of Cinnamon...

Spread on to three little plates, then cover and put in the fridge.  They will absorb all the wonderful flavors and harden over night... For a wonderful Breakfast cookie that I will devour....

These are Krispie Treats... The GOOD kind...  Mix Honey or Agave with Peanut Butter (or other nut butter), Dash of Vanilla and a Dollop of Cinnamon, then mix in 2 cups of Organic Brown Rice Cereal (full recipe is on the back of box)... Soooo Easy!!!    Just mix it all together, roll in to sticky balls (wet hands while working) and fill up a covered dish or eat right away. 

We didn't put these in the Fridge as they won't last long anyway.

I made them for the Vegman.... And he was in all his glory!!   I even got a "WOW, THANKS MOM"

And these... Kristen Suzanne's Cookie Recipe.......These are for me!! They have almond butter, so he can't have them.  They also have Cacao Powder, Coconut Shreds, Sun Dried Raisins, Vanilla and Sea Salt, & Agave Nectar... They go in the fridge... and another bigger batch went in the freezer....

OH MY YUM!

 

My only problem now is deciding what to eat first!!

Maybe I'll just skip all the nutty treats and go for this Cut Up Melon goodness... All Ready to be munched..

I LOVE Food Prep Sundays!

Fun Day on the Town

This actually happened today (Saturday), but I'm scheduling this post to hit on Tuesday because I'm pretty sure it is going to be a busy week and I happen to have time right now to spread out some posts.

SO... I must tell you about this wonderful day and the kindness of a Stranger...

It was a Mom and Kid day, and my little love bug did as he always does at 7ish AM...  "SWAK" Kiss right on the cheek, Good morning Mom.... And that is how it started!  

We hit the Farmer's market and got there early enough for some wonderful finds.... Home to drop them off.

We played a little bit, did some bathroom business, and then hit a Restaurant for Soup(him) and Salad(me) Lunch... Then drove a long way to Veg's Favorite Putt Putt place.... I didn't want to go because of traffic, crowds, and money.  I told him he would have to play by himself but I would walk... and he wasn't happy about that....

So he said a little prayer.. one for no traffic, no crowds, protection and fun.

Vegan Lentil Lettuce Tacos

Meredith left a comment on my blog a few weeks ago about Lentils.  I bought a bag as my new try for that week, but then never used them... Because I was in a food rut...

Which you will see via the posts this week, that my food rut has come to an end....

So tonight I cooked the Lentils..I made A LOT of LENTILS.....  And then thought..."What are you going to do with all these"

NOTE TO SELF... little beanie, seedy or rice things expand, a lot when cooked....

Anyway, then I remembered my Raw Garden Fresh Salsa and Raw Creamy Guac from the other day... then I remembered my romaine lettuce in the fridge...And taco seasoning in the drawer...

Here, I introduce you to my Lentil Taco Bar Dinner...

Notice the salsa is 1/2 gone now... Hubby has been Chowing on that stuff...  For the "meat" I mean Lentils, I just grabbed a few spoon fulls from the Pot, mixed with Organic Natural Taco Seasoning and some lemon juice.

Then I just layered the three

Look at this AWESOME Taco...

It was sooo good, that I had a second... and while making my second... Mr. Hubby walked around the corner and SNATCHED IT!!

Yeah.. He did... Mr. "I'm not hungry"... "I'm not eating that lentil stuff" Hubby.... He not only ATE IT but he commented on how good it was and asked if there was more...

Then asked me to mix some up for tomorrow... and so I did... And made my self an awesome Tiffin Style Lentil Taco Salad for lunch. 

Thank you Meredith for the Lentil Inspiration... Next stop.... Sloppy Joes..... 

What else can I use Lentils for?  Anyone have good ideas??
 

Forks Over Knives - Documentary

Wow, this is going to be good!!! 

Busy Mr. Vita-Mix Day

Food Prep Sundays always mean that Mr. Vita-Mix stays very busy...

My first attempt at Hemp Seed Milk, went pretty well...

Hemp Seeds, Water, Vanilla and Agave... that's IT!  Some mostly raw Goodness filled with Omegas and other nutrition that I'll take!

 

Blend Mr. Vita-Mix... Blend with all your might...... Pour in to Pitcher Via this cool bag:

 

Save the Gunk for something else:

 

And put the Pitcher in the fridge to use for many good things.... YUM!!!

Now it is time for some Garden Fresh Salsa (no recipe, just throwing things together)...  All Veggies are from the Farmer's Market...

Zucchini, Tomatoes, Onions, Pepper, Carrots, Garlic Cloves, Lemon Juice, Cumin, Lemon-Pepper, Cilantro, Agave Nectar, and Garlic Salt.

 

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix:

Hubby said the Salsa was like nothing he'd ever tasted before, but it was really quite good!  I'll take that as a Compliment.  And it filled a big bowl + little bowl.  So I'll find uses for this all week.

Next up....Some Creamy Guac, that I will actually use for Salad dressings and creamy sauce on my wraps this week:

It tasted soo much better then I thought it would..... I didn't rinse the Vita-Mix from the Salsa, so it has all those seasonings and juices.  Then I added the gunk of two avocados, some lemon juice, Agave Nectar,Garlic Salt and pepper.

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix... Yum!!

Here was my Dinner Wrap:

A layer of the Guac, A layer of the Salsa, then Lettuce, Carrots and Cucumbers.

 

Soooo Good... And filling!

I've heard people say that they aren't going to buy an expensive blender just to make Smoothies.  And I don't blame them... You can make SOOOooo Much more!!  *smile*

Did I mention this is going to be a good Food week!!

Food Prep Sunday

Today's food prep was every thing from Avocado Sandwich Spread, to cut melons, to Raw Cookie Dough and non-raw krispie treats......Salads of all kinds, some Hemp Seed "Milk" and so much more!! 

Look at this Fridge (only partially complete)

Salsa, Guac, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Breakfast Oat Cookies, Potato Salad, Cucumber Salad..  I was busy beaver...

 

More Freezer Goodness, cut bagged and ready to go on a moments notice:

 

When you have a little hands helper in the Kitchen, things go Much Faster:

 

 

Love little hands helpers... Especially when they are so careful with sharp objects.

But things also go a lot faster when you make them fun... Take this watermelon for example:

 

That is A LOT of watermelon... And Veg was being so patient while I cut and cut and cut...so when My little helper started to get a little tired, I suggested he go get his microscope.  There are LOTS of things to see when cutting fruit....

And so he did!

 

The watermelon looked really cool.... LOOK, I made my camera do a trick through the lens of the Microscope... Now you get to see what a piece of Watermelon looks like all magnified.

Because I know you wanna!  *smile*

 

More food prep posts through out the week... Stay tuned....

I'm going to eat something good now...So many choices!!

Keeping the Dog Busy

Who knew that something so simple could make my dog so happy! 

Ya see, my dog has allergies and many fabrics and foods are included... so his toy pool is limited to Ice Cubes and real animal bones, which I prefer not to go with the animal bones.  

Once I found some plant based rope toys, but he had them torn to bits in two seconds.

Then we had the bottle idea... Put some food in recycled bottle, and off he goes...

He will roll this old bottle around for hours if needed to get the last chunk out.. 

NOTE*** If I don't take the bottle away when food is gone, he will EAT the bottle... so I never give this "toy", unless we are in the room with him...

In fact he is looking for his bottle right now... Time to go play!

Farmer's Market Saturday

So many good finds today at the Farmer's Market... I just Love Farmer's Market Saturdays!!

 

That is a Vegan muffin at the bottom for my Vegman... He was excited about that.  I was more excited for that Watermelon!!!

Oh My Yum!

Vegan Coconut Brownie Bites

Haven't made these in a while, but we were all craving them....Think ooey gooey energy bar, with out the wrapper or heavy processing....  And then mix in the texture of cookie dough and add the taste of brownies..  THAT is what these are like!!

New to the kitchen were Sun-dried Raisins and Chia Seeds...

We also had Dates (I used maybe 5 of them), Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Hemp Seeds, Coconut Flakes, and Cacao Powder

 

All layered nicely in Mr. Vita-Mix:

Blend, mash, mix... Scooped on to cutting board, and roll in to ball shapes, which go in the fridge.

 

Then I pop one at a time in to thee mouth and try not to eat them all in one setting!   OH MY YUM!

Have to say, I do like Macadamias much more then walnuts, but our store stopped selling them... something about contaminated batch, so I'm OK with not having them.. 

I also may Nix the Chia Seeds next time.  Its a texture thing.... but the new raisins were a hit.

Anyway, they are still so good and almost gone already.  Yum Yum...

He Had Some Questions

If there are any Members of the Male Species that read this blog...... Don't read this post......

If you are not a member of the male species and are only here to check on my food journey... this one may not be for you either...

OK, now that we have that settled...Females, you may continue:

When Veg was little, he had the cutest questions about his parts and girls, life in general, while he was trying to figure out how he got here..... What chemical makes Lightening Bugs light up and why birds can sit on electric wires with out getting shocked.  You know all things that a 2 or 3 year old would ponder.  (or just mine) 

Anyway:

We had some great toddler size conversations that turned in to humorous blog posts.  But as he has grown up and his questions more serious and life becomes real all around him. I try not to post too much of what he says.  As I wouldn't necessarily want someone doing that to me.  AND... I wouldn't want anything to come back and bite him on the Web 20 years from now.... Not to mention his trust and privacy should be respected as he grows.

BUT... On this day he learned about the eggs that we Human Ladies Lay... and all that goes along with it during our Monthly visits.  Then he tries to put all the info together... and it is a MUST SHARE...

In case any of you have kids that randomly ask some thing like this:

"So if I started out as an egg, did my hands pop through the shell and grab the umbilical cord so that I didn't fall out during your monthly problem?"

Destination - Cincinnati

Another Business Travel event is going to occur soon... This time, Cincinnati!

Anyone know of good Veggie/Vegan/Raw Food places in Cincinnati?  I'll have a car this time, so I may actually get OUT of the hotel this trip? 

Stay tuned for fun stories... I know the excitement is overwhelming!! *wink*

Did I mention that my In-laws will be here, WHILE I'm gone???  My Boys will have Great fun... they won't even notice I'm not here *smile*.

I'll still be leaving treasures for the Vegman, and leaving good Whole Food Goodness in the fridge.  The Treasures for Veg are already purchased.  NOW he says I have to get some for his Grandma... This may be an expensive trip?

But I think it will be a nice time to be away, in a nice hotel that may actually prove relaxing (while not in meetings)... 

More to follow....

A little lead with that Juice Please?

Look at this Seventh Generation Post about a new study showing where lead has been found?

When Things Work Out

I posted the other day about my happy place being invaded, and some surprises, now I can say with all certainty that I AM BACK IN MY HAPPY PLACE!!!

While I put the things I couldn't control or change in my brain's "Garbage"... I took the things I could change and then did so. 

One Single Scheduling Conflict by my Significant Other that confused things for the rest of the summer, brought about so many good things for my Vegman.... Who knew?

My Vegman was able to spend a wonderful day with a Friend's Family. 

When I asked if he had a good time, he said "So Good, I didn't want to leave?"  Awww...

He'll be spending another day with this family, and a different day with his Best Girl's Family. 

He'll be starting a new Camp, all about Circuitry which is right up his alley.

I get to take a day off work and spend the whole thing with my Special Guy!  Oooh, the possibilities of fun are endless... What will we do??? Stay tuned!!

I'll still be going on my Scheduled Business trip, but the Inlaws will be coming only once to visit (while I'm gone) instead of twice.

Communication was the surprise topic at Hubby's class today (enough said!)

Hubby's Class will be ending sooner then we thought,  so he will get a very nice long visit with his Mom! *wink* 

Veg's School will be starting sooner then I thought, so things will get back to normal much quicker.

On top of all that goodness... I had two Delicious Green Smoothies today.... 

Things just don't get much better then that!!!

 

A Week of Growing

First we noticed the bigger shorts/pants were fitting... Then the two top teeth started wiggling jiggling even more (as in hanging out of his face but won't fall out)....  Then he could reach something that he used to not be able too...  Then he needed a big kid bike...Next thing we know, his shoes don't fit....

It has been a week of growing for my Young mostly Veggie Lad..... And this all Veggie Mama couldn't be prouder....

But the things that come out of this growing boys mouth.......

When his Dad mentioned a hurt finger, the boy said "I feel your pain Dad, really I do"

When we went shoe shopping and passed the "feminine" area, he said "WOW, I didn't know they made underpants like that"

And While discussing the good deal we got for the shoes, he looks at me and says "Did you know that is 15% Off of the total cost..."

<really, you know percents?>

"Of Course, 100% = a Whole so that is like a fraction of 10/10 or like a $1.00... But if you take 50%, that is like a 1/2 or .50 cents. and if you take 25%, that is like 1/4 or .25 cents."

He Continues....and summarizes with this...

"So if the shoes are going to cost $40 and they are $6 off, that means they gave us %15 off the total price"

I just shook my head and said to my self.... HE IS ALL GROWN UP!!!!!!!!!!!

Gardening Woes

My Baby tomatoes in the basement are now reaching the Aerogarden light on its highest setting, so I will have to cut them down and wait for new baby tomatoes to pop out.

My Cute little baby pepper on the Deck has been chomped to bits by something.. Bug?  Bird?  I dunno....

The Green Beans in the Real Garden and my Basil have pretty much shriveled up to nothing in two days... (yes, I'm watering them)

Which means I'm pretty much back to Carrots and Potatoes.  I really thought I would get some other stuff this time, but my Green Thumb was taken away at birth...  At least we tried.  Must give credit for trying.

Then there is my friend who is growing all kinds of wonderful Veggies...  More then she can even eat.  She says all organic.. She was born with a Green Thumb, lives in another state, has better soil, and knows what she is doing!

UNTIL... I found out, she used Bone Meal....The Meal is for the plants... The Bone?  Who knows what poor animal was harmed in the making of her Veggies.

So now I have a Question?  The Bone Meal bag says Organic?  The bones are from Animal... did the Animal Eat Organic?  Because if not, then his bones mashed in to meal wouldn't be so organic.  

Of course if they didn't add Chemicals AFTER the bones were squashed to bits, then they are considered Organic.  Or, this is the way I understand it.  So in theory, her Veggies ARE organic.

But are they Vegan?   If some Powdered sugar is not Vegan because bones are used to squash the sugar crystals, then would Veggies from a Garden that used Bone Meal be Vegan?

And now the Quandary!  If my friend is using this for her Veggies, then do all farms/gardens marked "organic" use this for theirs? 

Oh Woes Me... So many questions!

 

Day of Surprises

Well today was just one of Surprises...

• Found out my in-laws may be coming TWICE in one month
• Hubby made decisions that will alter our summer plans (see post before this one)
• My Favorite Veggie Restaurant gave me the wrong dressing today, and I didn't realize until I poured it all over my salad (it looked the same as I normally get but did NOT taste the same),,,, I'll just have to go back tomorrow since my craving is not solved... Simple as that! 
• 
  
• Hubby got a red-light camera ticket in the mail, which he denied UP AND DOWN, until we played the video..

I'm not sure why, but that was actually pretty funny.   Especially when he said "That's not mine"...

<Ummm, well then someone else must be driving your car Bud.....Here are the pictures.....>

"Yeah well, the pictures show my brakes... I stopped before turning right"....

<Yes, but the video shows you didn't stop long enough>...

"There's a Video"...

<YUP, let me show it to you!!!>

Can you tell I'm anti-butterfly today?

• The Vegman is good at "Multi-Tasking"......... So he said while brushing his teeth and walking at the same time... (Did we even know that phrase when we were kids????)
• 
  
• We opened up the Newspaper to find an article of my little love bug... He was Soooo proud!

And...... I came home to little baby tomatoes growing in my basement. They finally popped out of the flowers and are soooooooooooo Cute!  Can a tomato be cute?  Not Bob the Tomato, but just a regular one?

Maybe I should call him Bob...

And this little Pepper just gets cuter every day.  I'm not sure I will be able to eat it... It is just so darn cute!  It has a lot of siblings today too.  They all poked their little heads out!  This one is by far the leader of the pack.  It even points like an arrow straight to my kitchen! 

A Day of Surprises Alright!  Some good, Some not so good, and Some that I WILL MAKE GOOD!

Because when life gives you Lemons... Make a Sweet Green Smoothie!

Good Night!  *smile*

My Happy Place was Invaded

A long time ago, I posted this about Butterflies and my Hubby. We haven't discussed butterflies since then.  But when I go out of town for work or take Veg to see his Grandparents, I always hide punched out butterflies around the house.

He finds them while we are gone and it gives him a smile....  he'll call all giddy that he found one.

Well today my Happy Place was Invaded with thoughts of all the new things thrown at me that I have to figure out this summer.  And some of which I have to figure out by TUESDAY, because my sweet Hubby made some decisions TODAY without considering how that will work for everyone else in the household or distant family or most importantly my Vegman.

Then, my Sweet Hubby with words that could frankly be thrown out the window decided to say what was on HIS Mind... and let me tell you....  I took what was said and moved it in to the garbage bucket of my brain... In case you have forgotten, I have buckets in my brain (see, told you I was weird)

• The recycle bucket - for OFF things that happen in life that I can turn in to good
• The Garbage bucket - for things that are negative, and serve no purpose worrying about because they can't be changed
• And the Keeper Bucket - All the Memories and things worth worrying or laughing about.

Sooooo, The Hubby words quickly went in to the Garbage bucket!  (this is how I live happily in case you were wondering) 

But the stuff I have to worry about, will be going in to the Recycle Bucket.  If I'm going to worry about it, then I mise well do something good with it...Right?  Just have to figure out what that is... and quick!

As for the Butterflies... Well at last count he had earned quite a few....  as of today, he is in the hole by, oh lets see.... Hmmm.....   1,549, 652!

Colorful Tiffin

Today's Lunch + Snacks were quite colorful...(either that or my new camera takes much better pictures)

As promised, here are pictures of my Wednesday Tiffin Lunch...

Container 1 - Morning Crunchies and afternoon sweets:

Fresh Picked Blueberries + Raw Organic Carrots + Raw Organic Farmer's Market Green Beans

 

Container 2 - The Salad:

Organic Romaine, Organic Kitchen sprouts (from my kitchen), Organic Peppers, Carrots & Raw Organic Sunflower Seeds.

 

Container 3 - Dressing and more afternoon sweets:

Organic Apple Chunks, Raw Organic Walnuts (which I threw on the salad) and more Raw Coconut Meat from our last Coconut.  (that stuff has lasted a long time)..

The Green Goo is the wonderful new Creamy Salad Dressing Concoction I've been making lately.

1/2 Organic Avocado Smashed, with a Dribble of Olive Oil, a Dash of Real Lemon juice to thin it out,  a squirt of Agave Nectar (or sweetner of your choosing), Dash of Garlic Salt and a Dash of Italian seasoning (or fresh basil)

I just mix it all together.  When it is time for lunch, I pour on the salad.... Full of goodness... And makes my belly full too.  A Creamy Dressing without the Creamy! 

OH MY YUM!