Vegmom Moments

WEEKEND OF EXCITEMENT

Sorry no pictures this weekend, but I do have some.  Will have to post another day... So here is a quick update before my MOM calls and says "Why haven't you posted, is everything OK?"

Friday - Veg had his first 2hr outing with a Friend's family and survived.. Should I say I SURVIVED!

They came to our house after and we made them some Frozen Banana Whip Ice Cream... The exciting part is the child hasn't EVER had ice cream because he is allergic to everything,,,, But this is only made of bananas, so he could have them.  Needless to say his Mom is looking for a Vita-Mix *smile*

Saturday - I get a call from a friend (the one who calls me a fruit loop) saying SHE went shopping and purchased Green Smoothie Fixings... So much Goodness.  I was so proud, I could cry!!  :-) 

I finished my 12 mile training walk this weekend, so now we get to "taper" off and everything will be easier for the rest of the month.  Until the "big" day!

And Veg got to go to another Birthday Party... Seems they are in abundance lately... AND, I even enjoyed myself this time because this NON-Social Butterfly of a Mom, had people to talk to that I had lots in common with.. (all food talk of course)

Oh and a friend of Hubbies came over last night and I made him Green Smoothie Goodness... He drank the whole glass and didn't choke... We sat and watched his face like the old commercials... "Hey Mikey, He likes it" ....

Also I've had the best talks with my old bestest friend.. We are realizing how old we really are, and I think a connection we'll never lose...Love that!! 

Today, I got my checkbook project done, some time with the Vegman, Quiet time with the Hubby, and two rounds of smoothies...A good day!!

The exciting part of today, is my Friend called to tell me, she made TWO green smoothies and actually liked them...

Could it be, I'm not such a fruit loop after all?  Maybe... Possibly?  Nah!!

Hope your weekend was exciting wherever you may be!!

Smoothie Deprived

Poor Hubby was stuck drinking my Green Juice the last couple days, as I ran out of Morning time to make smoothies.  That pitcher came in very handy... I had enough  for a giant glass each morn, and one for Hubs.

Well tonight he said with all his sweetness "Will you PLEASE make a fresh Smoothie in the Morning?"

Hmmmm?  I think I can do that!  *wink*

Don't get filled up

Yes, its me again.....My Mom is the theme of my posts today because she just finished her vacation with us at the "Veg Spa".... Where she sleeps till 10, naps during the day, and is pampered with natural foods, natural body products, and lots of love.

But sometimes, only sometimes *wink* she is lectured while here about her habits at home.  Well not lectured... I mean Educated.. I mean....Never mind... *smurk*

Ya see, While here, she is glowing and vibrant, and rested, and by the time she leaves, is pretty much totally Detoxed.  I send her with natural products, and snacks that will fit in her suitcase, and teas...and....  Tell her to keep up this trend and she will be feeling even better each day that follows.... Some times, I think she actually listens to me...  (maybe)

BUT----this time, she had a very valid question...  She said, that when she eats only vegetables and fruits, she is hungry more often, and she doesn't feel full with out animal products.  She asked how I get full...

And then... THEN, I gave her a Vegan Cooking and No-Cooking class....

We made Vegan Hemp "cheese" Sauce, Dehydrated Kale Chips, Hummus, Beans/Hummus Grilled Sandwiches, Heated Artichoke and Spinach dip, of course smoothies.  We made a HUGE Salad, and I handed her apples and veggies, and dried fruits, and raw nuts through out the day.  

Needless to say, she learned in those couple days what it is like to Feel Full and be Vegan.....  Yes, it is a different kind of full..  Not the bloated, and stuffed, and greasy feeling.... But it is still full.

A Vegan kind of Full, is feeling satisfied, no longer hungry, and having energy...  Napping because you can, and not because you have to.   Looking forward to the next meal or snack and knowing it will be just as tasty as the one before.

Vegan, Nutritious and Delicious.... It is possible!  And it is Gooooood!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

This is another one of those Holiday's I don't quite get when it comes to married couples...Its supposed to be about LOVE....

But don't we love the people we love all the time?  If a gift is only given on a Holiday, and the rest of the year, emotion isn't there, then what is the point of the gift? 

If there is emotion and gifts all year, then what is the point of making it a big deal on one single day.

All of that said, I don't care what day it is, I LOVE HEARTS!  After all, our heart is the spot that handles our blood... It helps us tick, it keeps us going.  It goes Pitter Patter when we fall in love.  And a written heart just looks darn cute!

So for this Valentine's Day, I present you with the Heart of all Hearts:

 

Goji Berries and a Green Smoothie!  What a better way to show your love, then to give a gift that makes the Heart Happy!! 

Green, its the new pink! 

Happy Valentine's Day.... Lots of love today and always!  *smile*

Green Sludge for Three

Just because I can take pictures of Yummy Green Goodness, I shall...

This morning's Green Sludge for three (and notice the drip on the counter... always a drip)

Mmm, Good!! (and good for you)

EXTRA GREEN GOODNESS

Yesterday was our first Big Walk toward the 1/2 Marathon since we missed a Saturday from the Snow.  That put us at 8 miles with 32 degree temps.  We did pretty good finishing in just about 2hrs as we planned.  The next few weeks we'll increase speed slightly, but that's for another blog post....

Knowing Yesterday was such a big fast Walk, I needed to prepare... More Green Goodness and Extra Nutrients... Not to mention keeping sick bugs at bay from work and school...Keeping my soreness down and avoiding cramping etc.  This Green Goodness had everything I needed.....

Greenandcrunchy posted her layered smoothie, and I tried to do the same but my picture is less then beautiful...Either way, you get the idea :-)

Started with grabbing lettuce from our indoor Garden:

My Layers have:

Coconut water, for hydration, calcium absorption, magnesium to keep away Veg's migraines and Potassium to keep away cramping along with all the other good stuff.

Spinach, Kale and lettuce Greens - for Nutrients and happy Spleen... Happy Spleen means happy Blood and no bruising.  Vitamin K, A and C, calcium and iron, great for immune and energy and blood and vision and skin and bones.   Also makes for a happy liver which means natural detox...  Keeping all the goodness flowing and cancer meanness away... And can't forget the fiber....I'm loving my greens, especially the drinkable ones!

Hemp Seeds - for those Omegas

Goji Berries- for their Antioxidants and energy

Banana - to make our smoothie Creamy but also some great potassium which helps with leg cramps.

Grapes - for their fiber and sweetness

Kiwi - for potassium and flavor and green goodness

Apple - Well because it keeps the doctor away of course

Dates - Fiber and Sweetness

And filtered Water Ice Cubes... Because I need some Icy stuff!

 

Blend Mr. Vita-Mix.... Blend with all your might!!

And that is some GREEN GOODNESS!!!  Enough fruits and veggie intake for an entire day.... . What a great way to start the day!! 

Enough for Me, Hubby and Veg....  And there was still some left at the bottom, so I added a little more liquid and turned it in to Juice... Figuring I'd have green juice for the next 2 days... Ummm NO!!!

My boys wanted seconds and thirds...  I decided to have seconds and thirds... This was some GOOD green goodness and we finished EVERY last bit within an hour.

Today, I made the same and didn't even bother with the juice!  We just drank it ALL up this morning! *smile*

Gulp Gulp Gulp.... 

OK, totally off topic, but just found this blog... Check out Lunchbox Limbo Lunchboxes... How cute are they?

BANANA AND MR. VITA-MIX

Mr. Vita-mix loves bananas... You see they are soft, easy to blend, and can be made in to everything from Pudding to Popsicles....

And Today, he did all of the above:

First was Smoothie.. A super super green smoothie:

 

Blend Mr. Vita-Mix - your not quite done yet....

I don't like the green speckles.. In case you were wondering..

 

Then there were bananas... a whole lot of bananas:

 

Mash Mash Mash... and pour then freeze:

 

But your not done yet... Oh No!!  We want some pudding!  Add a dash of lemon juice to keep the color, a dash of Vanilla for some flavor.... And VOILA!

 

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix... You are done for now!!

WHO PUT THAT SALAD IN MR. VITA-MIX?

Me Me... I did, thank you very much!  And it sure was tasty!

When preparing foods,  I tend to cut a bunch, since I'm already in cutting mode.  So each of the next several days, I can dip in to my pre-washed, pre-cut, pre-prepped stash....

In some cases, I just throw it all in Mr.Vita-Mix for a yummy dose of Green goodness.

In this case you see a LOT of stuff... Including Romaine Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots, Bananas, Apples, Kiwi, Cranberries.  And I wanted it a little creamy'ish like a milk shake.   So I added some Frozen Bananas to the mix.

Oh, I'm still using Coconut Water as my Liquid... Its seems to be full of great things like Magnesium, Potassium, Electrolytes... Good for hydration during the summer sweaty months.  But I find it good now for the winter dry skin months.  I hope its actually good for us and not just a claim, because I use it almost every day.  (not so tasty straight, but good in a smoothie of goodness like this one)

 

 Delicious, as NeeNee would say!

FROZEN GOODNESS

Around 7 years ago, my friend suggested I get a Food Saver.  Back then, I wasn't sure how much I'd use it, but then I started making my own baby food, we got a tiny extra freezer, and I'd fill it up with little baby food chunks of goodness.

Fast forward 7 years, and I'm sooooo glad I have that thing....  I've been freezing fruit after we pick it from the farms or after the farmer's market to make stuff last just a little longer.   I also use it to freeze items that I'll make Raw and Vegan treats out of. 

But most importantly freezing things that aren't in season all year long.   For example, We had the BEST Grapes this year so before they went away, I got a bunch and froze them.

In single serving/smoothie portions!

 

Or Grapes and Pomegranates:

 

Veg eats them frozen straight out of the freezer... I prefer the Smashed version in the smoothie but to each their own.

Our Foodsaver is now an antique in Foodsaver Land, since there are so many better versions these days. But it still does the trick... And I'm sure glad we have one!

YOU KNOW I'VE LOST IT WHEN.......

I start taking pictures of Smiley Smoothie food!

A VEGAN MEXI-FIESTA

Our Annual Mexi- Fiesta was another great one...

I had to combine a little Raw with some not so Raw.  But all Vegan and Delicious.

The Bean Dip with Veggies on top:

 

Mr. Vita-Mix Guacamole:

 

Mr. Vita-Mix Hummus (yes I know this isn't mexi, but it tastes great on a burrito in place of sour cream, so there):

We also made some Brown rice, not pictured here, and Veg got a little stir fry since he doesn't like our Mexi Dips... Hubby and I munched on the Mexi stuff.   He went through a bag of Tortilla Chips.  I used the sprouted grain tortillas and made burritos.  YUM!

And Some Steamed Broccoli for the Vegman (his favorite):

Some Yummy No Dye, Organic Candy Canes:

 

Which I used to make this Delicious Cocoa Mint Green Smoothie Dessert... (Mr. Vita-mix can mash some candy canes, let me tell you)

 

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix.. I think this one goes to the top of my Favorite list... I'll have to fight Veg over the last of the candy canes to make some more of this goodness.... OH MY YUM!!!

Of course our day had other things like Apples, Pears, Pomegranates, and such... But if I took a picture of Everything, I think my Hubby would be calling the picture police to come take me away.

He just doesn't understand Blogs... But then again neither do I.

Hope you had good food where ever you may be!

MORE VEGAN THANKSGIVING GOODNESS

My theme this year was "Pumpkin".. I purchased the cutest little pumpkin and was determined to do something with it... Not sure what..

I started here:

 

Scooped out all the stuff, and separated from seeds...

Hubby was like "you know your supposed to cook that, and the stuff will come out easier?"

And I was like... "that kind of defeats the purpose of having Raw Pumpkin in our smoothie if I cooked it... Not so much raw then would it"  Knowing all of my creations wouldn't be raw, I wanted at least the smoothie to be all fresh whole food goodness.

So I started with my scooped pumpkin guts and a little filtered water.

 

Then divided that in to three parts...

First our Raw Pumpkin, cranberry, apple, spinach, Green Smoothie:

 

And man was it GREEN!

 

Then our Not so Raw Pumpkin Pancakes:

 

And the star of the Show, Mr. Pumpkin Turkey pancake with Cranberry eyes and raw walnut feet:

 

The rest of the Pumpkin Guts, got blended in to an awesome fresh Garlic Hummus..(thanks to Mr. Vita-mix). and then poured back in to the cute little pumpkin for serving:

All of these were my new tries for the week, and all of them were quite tasty.  The Smoothie was a Little TOO pumpkin'y so we will try lighter on the orange stuff next time. 

But this little strange concoction was my favorite.  I mixed some of the Hummus with some organic short grain brown rice, and dried organic cranberries.... It was soo good and filling. Only 1/2 of a small bowl was enough to fill me up.

And so there you have it... Some of our Thanksgiving food... We also had lots of fruits and veggies that day...

As for this week coming up, I'm looking forward to lots of fresh salads, and some more Green Smoothie Goodness.  I see some Avocado in my future also... It is in the fridge staring at me.

Heading off to bed for an early back to work Monday! 

Hope your weekend was a great one!

A SATURDAY VITA-MIX CREATION

Yesterday morning, I had the house to myself...  So I made an ultimate Peanut Buttery, banana, and cacao concoction...  I added a little spinach to the mix... But since I was alone, decided to go a little crazy....Are you ready.... Coffee Powder...

OH MY YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix

 

 

EVEN THE DOG LIKES MR. VITA-MIX

The Spunk-meister has figured out, that when I get ready to pull out Mr. Vita-Mix,  a Banana can't be far behind... And where there is a banana, there is a Spunk... HE Loves bites of Banana...

And he waits for it...

 

And waits.....

 

He was right... There was banana... and he got his bite...

Much more stuff was added too.. See...

 

At this Point, Spunk-meister is no longer interested... He goes along his merry way...  Until Veg stops him and decides this is a perfect time to brush the dog's teeth.....  Get those bananas...

I how ever must enjoy this organic raw goodness...  I MUST....

Blend Mr. Vita-Mix... Blend Away...

 

A little more please....

 

Ah, that's better.... 

And, here is some Green Juice... Yummy Ummy cold Green Juice!! 

Thank you Mr. Vita-mix

PEANUT NANNER CAROB SHAKE

This is not Raw goodness, but it is my special Non-Raw Treat.   Hubby created his concoction while I was on vacation and when I came home he surprised me with this goodness.  He said it took him a while to get the perfect combo. 

Now we make them about once a weekend.

The Fixins:

4 or 5 Ice Cubes, 2 ripe bananas, and an over ripe sliced frozen banana, handful of carob chips, Two or Three TBS of Peanut Butter, 1/2 cup of vanilla soy milk and 2 TBS of Vegan Vanilla So Delicious Ice Cream.  (amounts are approximate and can be increased or decreased as needed)

Sorry for the dark photo, but OH MY YUM!!! 

Creamy, Thick, Peanut Buttery Goodness.....

Thank you Hubby, and Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix!!!

 

P.S. My difference between a Shake and A Smoothie is the liquid we choose.  If I use a Juice or Water, then I usually call it a smoothie.  If I use Ice cream or Soy Milk then I usually call it a shake....

Does that matter?  No!  They are both just blended goodness!

MR. VITA-MIX STRIKES AGAIN

 
First the Mean (Imean tasty) Guac... turned a little too thin this time, so I used it mostly as salad dressing... YUM....:

Green Smoothie Goodness in the making:

AHHHHH, and the Smoothie Goodness... Perfect consistency... Perfect Taste... Perfect Color!

Just Perfect!!!

Frozen Bananas and Strawberries.... Ice Cream (without the cream) anyone???
 
 

I decided to make a mostly raw pie...But didn't have a recipe, and so just used all my favorite ingredients.  Hoping I would find some Goodness:

The Crust Fixin's are Dates, Coconut Shreds, Raw Macadamia Nuts and Raw Walnuts

All Mixed and mashed ready for the pan:

Ah, doesn't this crust look Yummy!  I wanted to just stop here and eat every bit... But I waited, patiently..

 Now for the pie filling fixin's... Dates, Coconut Shreds, Bananas, a dabble of lemon juice, and a dibble of vanilla:

All mashed and Mixed... Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix

And here.... Drum roll please.....  My Mostly Raw non-cream Pie banana/coconut Concoction:

ONE Problem....  it didn't harden like I hoped... so while eating this delicious goodness, it is more like pudding (as in eating with a spoon and not a fork) and crunchy nutty crust... And I'm OK with that!  So Tasty!  

Veg had a whole bowl of this for breakfast (fruit, coconut, good fatty nuts, protein and nutrients)  Plus his green filled smoothie (lots of nutrients and immune boosting power)... Granted if your a food combiner, this is NOT for you... 

And if you like pies that you can eat with a fork, this is NOT for you.... Guess I will be looking for more ingredients to make it a little more thick... If I find the perfect recipe, I'll post it here.
 
But Mr. Vita-Mix has provided many delicious treats this week...

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix!

STARE IF YOU WILL

I was sitting around a conference room table this morning... with all the sniffles and coughs happening around me.... 

The table was filled with top of the morning drinks....Regular Sodas, Pop (what ever you call it) Diet Sodas, Green-Yellow Diet Sodas, ,   a couple with coffee and their artificial sugar packets... You know, all those great things that will help guide nutrition for the day, offer bounds of energy and offer immunity to those sniffles..... NOT!!!!!!!  

And then there was me...

I had my Green Smoothie..  filled with Lettuce, Zucchini, Spinach, Coconut water, ice, apples, bananas, grapes and hemp seed.  Man was it good... but that's another story!

The funny thing is that, I was the one getting stares for my odd colored Green Drink.... But no one said a word... They just looked at me as if to say "Really, she's drinking that?"  Yes, Yes I am!!  Thank you for asking?

And I shall happily chug down every single bit of my Green Goodness filled with Nutrients, Immune power, and energy greens....

Say what you will, Look if you choose... Stare as much as you want!   Hey, Take a picture it will last longer, and then make one for your self, This is the Good Stuff!

SOME RAW FOOD AND NOT SO MUCH

It was a good food day here at the Veg house... So I'll get right to the Nitty Gritty!  

Silk is back with their Pumpkin Spice Soy Milk.... And my first container of the season happened to have this recipe for Pancakes... 

• 1 Cup Flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Pumpkin Spice Soy Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 Tbs Oil
• 1 Egg

Mix wet ingredients in one bowl, and dry ingredients in another... then combine and make on a skillet or how ever you make pancakes at your house...

Well I doubled the recipe, vegan'ised it with banana to replace the egg, added some baking soda to make them a little more fluffy, and cinnamon for added flavor... and got these:

We also made a batch with carob chips.  Ended up with 3 plates full of pancakes, and I have not a SINGLE pancake left at the end of the day.  My boys devoured EVERY last Nibble....  And we decided this was a great kick off to Silly Apple Pumpkin Week...  It was also decided that I MUST make them again on Silly Apple Pumpkin day...   And so off to the store for more Pumpkin Spice Soy milk...

Mr. Vita-Mix was busy making delicious Green'ness this morning also:

I finally figured out my perfect Consistency...  7 Ice Cubes per 1 1/2 cups of liquid per glass full...  So if I need two glass fulls (one for me and one for hubby), I need one full tray of ice + 3 cups liquid... Then all the fixin's I desire.  This one was PERFECT!  Not too thick, Not too liquid, and awfully delicious.

Apples, Pineapples, Ice, Coconut Water, Coconut shreds,  Spinach, Cucumbers, Banana, Grapes and Elderberry.

 

For my lunch, I made my first Vita-Mix Raw Guacamole:

OH MY YUM!!!!!!!!!   Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix...  And Sooooo Easy!

The gunk from 2 Avocados, 2 Tablespoon lemon juice, Handful of grape tomatoes, 1/2 tsp salt, some garlic salt and cumin to taste.  There was enough to last a couple days...

That is until Hubby got home... and he had some for lunch and for dinner... So I probably will have just enough to take with me for one lunch.  But oh it was sooo good!  I will be making more for certain!

Veg opted for a  Muffin Tinner (tin+dinner) tonight....

Fresh Apple Sauce, Carrots and Butternut Squash chunks, lots of Broccoli, Cucumbers, the final pumpkin spice pancake, some Celery with Peanut Butter and Carob chips "ants on a log"  as Veg calls them for dessert...  Nothing fancy, but he liked it!

And after the Vegman went to bed, I started prepping this weeks food....

Hello giant salads:

 

These lonely left over lettuce leaves from the Farmer's Market will make it in to my smoothie in the morning:

 

And my fridge....  pre-prep shelves....Salads, lettuce, carrots, Fresh Guac, Raw Banana Pudding, onions, and grapes.

And so there ya have it...  Some Raw food, and some not so much raw food.... Some prep for the week and some that didn't make it the week...

But all really tasty, really Vegan, and Really delicious!

GREEN SMOOTHIE AND SOME KIDS

Besides lack of sleep, lots of driving, and eating cooked foods along with a tad of JUNK, this has been a wonderful vacation...

My Mom even borrowed a neighbors unused blender so we could make Green Smoothies this morning... She was hesitant, but my Mom drank, and LOVED IT!  In fact, she has agreed to make many more of her own and asked for the recipe..... Go NeeNee...Go NeeNee....

We had another fun day getting the Boys together.  We met at a Cider Mill where it was crowded and cold, but we got there at a good time for the crowds to begin leaving.  Sadly the cold didn't leave though, so it just got colder...  The kids were all real troopers from the freeze factor and could have kept going like the Energizer bunny if us Moms didn't need some hot cider..... I think the freezing rain beating on my face is what done me in...

They played Putt Putt:

We went through a corn maze:

Lots of play structures and touristy activities.... We even got a cute photo shoot with all of them together... could I get all three to smile at the same time??? NOoooooo!  But a few good shots anyway.  And then back to our Friend's truck for a Donut Party... Instead of showing faces, I'll show the donut... Yum Yum...

Nothing in this world like a Michigan Cider Mill donut....N-O-T-H-I-N-G... Except maybe that Veggie dish I ate yesterday?  Hmmm just maybe.... Nah!!

Guess what else we did today??? 

Froze Bananas for some Banana Whip Ice Cream... Can I hear an Oooh Ahhhhhh? 

Now, Can the little Glass Blender stand up to the challenge of mashing frozen bananas?  Tomorrow shall tell the tale.  

And so there ya have it... Another day gone!!   Another great day!

THINKING ABOUT IT

I have a friend that is considering eating more Raw foods, she has already switched some things in their diet... Like making Raw Banana Ice Cream and dropping the dairy alternative.  Starting with Smoothies filled with goodness, and other little things here and there.. Which I think is Wayyyyyyyyyy  Cool.....  Go Friend!

And my Mom, she went to a FRUIT MARKET today... Really, and came back with tons of fruits and veggies for her consumption, way more then normal.... GOOoooooo MOM!

I, however MISSED the Farmer's Market today *sigh sigh sob sob*  By the time we got there, everything was sold out.  But its OK, I had a great Vegan mostly Raw lunch at the local Veggie Restaurant.  And then we went to a local historical museum to learn more about Veg's choice for his School Project... So all was not lost on the farmer's market, but my Fridge is going to be VERY bare this week...

NOW... All that said, I was SOooooooooooooo Hungry today... Some days I get full and want nothing more... some days, I can't stop eating... I NEED FOOD....and because the Food I NEED is so good for me, I don't deprive my body of said food.  What I feel like, I eat!   And this is what I was trying to tell my friend.  Its really not so bad as just eating apples and carrot sticks all day (although sometimes I like that)  There is SOOOoooo much more!!!

And so I thought I'd lay it ALL out here from a huge eating food day... Any Real Raw Foodies will cringe... Non Raw Foodies will get a good glimpse in to how EASY it is to eat what you want and when, but be healthy at the same time... In my case I'm not a Raw Foodie for real... I just eat more raw foods... And to my MIL, if she read this, she would see how much I'm really eating... Crazy!  And she thinks I'm starving myself!

And by the way, I lost another pound (11 total) and my pants are getting some sag in them... YAY!!  Now on to the food tour:

Raw Breakfast 1 - Watermelon (lots of watermelon)

Raw Breakfast 2 - Raw nut mix with some dried fruits

1/2 raw lunch 1 - Gigantic Vegan Chef Salad with, broccoli, romaine, carrots, sprouts, cabbage,  marinated tofu, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Also 2 small spinach bread rolls.

Non raw lunch 2 - Back home after 1/2 a long day, I was hungry again and cold from the rain... Hubby's Vegan Chili seemed in order....  Because my lots of mini meals appetite doesn't require a LOT of cooked food per sitting any longer.  I used the smallest bowl in the house and it was JUST enough to warm me up and feel good.  Can't believe I used to devour giant bowls of that stuff.. Just a small bowl was plenty.

Another hour passed and I finished the rest of the watermelon...

Late Afternoon Raw Snack  - Green Smoothie for the whole family....  This sucker was HUGE....and packed full of everything I could find in the fridge/freezer... Mission was to give Veg some super energy and hydration for his late Soccer game.   Blueberries, Pineapples, Cucumbers, Peaches, Banana, Coconut water, Coconut shreds and spinach.

Mission Accomplished, he went WILD!  And man was it good.  As in probably the best Smoothie Mr. Vita-Mix has ever made.  We all drank and drank.... While a vegman ran around the house like a loony bird... (maybe smoothie packed a little too much energy)

Then Soccer and then back home.... Some how I got hungry again just in time for dinner....

And then it was dinner time... Veg wanted Noodles... He always gets to choose on soccer nights, so I made 1/4 box of penne noodles, and we each had a small bowl with some organic pasta sauce and basil from my herb deck.

And he wanted chocolate soy milk, which I don't buy anymore.  But Mr. Vita-Mix came in quite handy... I made a 1/2 Raw, 1/2 not Raw drinking dessert of all goodness....  OH MY YUM!!

Carob chips (taste like chocolate but no caffiene), A Bunch of Raw peanuts plucked out of shell from last weeks farmers market, 1/2 banana, and Coconut Milk.....and a few filtered water ice cubes.

It was thick, it was sweet, it was extra Peanutty and somewhat chocolaty or should I say Caroby....  So No CAFFEINE was harmed in the making of our late evening drink.

In between all that mess of the day, I drank  water, unsweet tea, more water, had a few Raw Macadamia Nuts and some Raw Jacama for munching here and there.....

Sooooooo here we are at the end of the day....  I've probably eatin' more food in the past 12 hours then a normal human being should consume.  I don't feel full or stuffed or greasy or oily or gassy or tired or headachy or sinusy.... All those things that a Standard American Diet likes to provide me...

And I'm certainly NOT depriving myself of Food in any way.... As you can tell...  I'd say this day when totally broken out was 75% raw foods and 25% cooked.  Giver or Take.....

Some days are more raw and other days are more cooked, but the ratio for my body to feel good is always more on the raw side.  When the pendulum shifts, I get skin breakouts, head aches and start feeling yuck...

I try to keep the pendulum on the RAW Side as much as possible.

And so there ya go!!  Easy, Right?  So if your thinking about eating more raw foods... Give it a try!  Its really not so hard.  Especially if I can do it! 

Update:  It's 10:25pm in my neck of the woods, and I'm starting to feel a little sleepy... Going to sleep I shall do... Those of you who know me well, answer this question?  WHEN IN MY LIFE HAVE YOU EVER FOUND ME GOING TO SLEEP BEFORE 1AM LET ALONE BEFORE 11PM....  The pendulum has shifted folks....I'm a new me!  Good Night!

MONDAY FOOD PLUS SOME

I didn't get Saturday Farmer's Market Pics of food, but our new try for the week was Butternut Squash.. We have decided that we like it in Smoothies, we like it Raw and cold, cut in to chunks.. (sorta crunchy, sorta Pumpkin flavor... kinda tasty)  But only Hubby likes it in Dehydrated Chip form.

I also didn't do Sunday Fridge Picture, because there wasn't anything to show yesterday... BUT TODAY, I have a LOT TO SHOW... We were busy home bodies... I was busy.... and there was some Kitchen fun going on...

Mr. Vita-mix put on a great show and Mr. Dehydrator is still going strong... Veg said "I like Mr. Dehydrator, he gives us lots of good food" 

I would have to agree....

And so here are a whole lot of photos.... Enjoy!

I call this one, The Berry Fruity Veggie Coconut Stay Healthy Smoothie...

It has Coconut Water and Coconut Shreds, Spinach, Banana, Elderberry, Echinacea, (flu is going around these parts, and we will avoid it.... yes we will, by golly by gosh)...  Blueberries, strawberries, apples, grapes, peaches, Ice and Butternut Squash...

It was a Hit... Veg and I drank ours ALLL LLLLL up!

Mr. Vita-mix made me some Delicious Nut Butter... Almonds, Walnuts, and a dribble of Maple Syrup:

Thank you Mr. Vitamix... It will last me a little while too....  WooHoo!!

 

Mr. Vita-Mix also made some Banana Pudding (Veg's favorite).... 

Bananas with a dribble of Vanilla and a tiny bit of lemon juice to keep the color.... In the fridge this went...

You may be able to tell a Banana theme today....  Here I am Pouring some Banana Popsicles... Thank you again Mr. Vita-mix... Very helpful!

And these babies went in the Freezer ....

I made Granola (again..)  Note to self, don't add more peanut butter....Trying this made the results not so crunchy and way way way too crumbly....  Dear Self...Stick to the original Recipe!!  OK Will Do!

But these are Still MIGHTY GOOD... just a little messy!

Next came some Breakfast Oat Cookies for Tomorrow, using my fresh nut butter, bananas, oats, cocoa, hemp seeds, and almonds....(I really want to eat mine now... but I shall wait)

Mr. Vita-Mix also made us some Coconut Bites... With Coconut Shreds, Walnuts, Macadamia Nuts and Dates.... OH MY YUM!!!

Mash it good Mr. Vita-Mix, I see my goop down there!

Thank You, Mr. Vita-Mix, that was perfect!  And these were DELICIOUS!!!

Veg and Hubby liked them a little too much... next time I shall hide some for myself.  *smile*

I put a couple on the dehydrator also to see if I could make cookies...

There was some cutting and freezing going on... Thank you Mr. Food Saver

Peaches, Bananas and Strawberries.... These will make their appearance in the form of Raw Vegan Ice Cream some day soon...  Oooh Patience!

And some Cutting, cleaning, and Fridgerating.....

Did I mention that it was a busy Kitchen Day today???  We will eat GOoooood this week!

And now.... For Mr. Dehydrator...

Tray 1 - Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash chips:

And here they are all dried... They are good, but could use salt or something.  Hubby liked them more then Veg and I did. 

Trays 2, 3 and 4:

Peaches, Apples, Strawberries, Raspberries, some Coconut Cookies...

And Veg wanted to Experiment with a piece of watermelon and Grapes to see what they would do...

He ran down EVERY HOUR as the watermelon slowly frizzled up to a tiny piece of sponge.... It was quite fun... The Grapes surprised me though... Its been almost 12 hours and they've done Nothing!

The Strawberries and raspberries and everything else.... OH MY YUM!!!

Here are the Peaches and Apples:

Veg and I made some Trail Mix to grab during the week:

Cereal, pretzels, Macadamia, Walnuts, dried fruit, Dark Choco Chips and Granola...

Problem was... he grabbed a bunch today!  So I had to refill it for the week....

And last picture of the day.... Garden Update:

Look how big the little baby Chard is getting...They are one week old now....  Soon they will be Walking and off to school... Or not... But they are almost big enough for me to thin already... And how will I ever choose who to keep and who to destroy.. Poor little Chard...

This Gardening is hard work...:-)

And so there ya have it.... A Monday Food Prep Day!!  And a week full of eating to follow!! 

Ooooh ... Happy Labor Day!  :-)  Hope it was a good Food day and everything day where ever you are!

BANANA-CICLES

Mr. Vita-Mix has been very busy with whole food smoothies:

Chopping Veggies, and making more raw brownie bites for chomping... But his latest creation...

Banana-cicles....  Yup, 4 small bananas, mash to a liquid, then poured in to these little popsicle things.  No other ingredients....  Freeze for a few hours..... run under water so they pop right out!

And Eat!  I wish I had these when Veg was a baby and teething!  (watching for choke hazards of course)  But they are So Good, All Natural, even if they fall on the carpet, the dogs could eat them without worry.

Hubby is already plotting for more ingredients... Peanut Butter, Fudgsicles with cocoa.  Veg has requested Strawberry ones.  I think they both loose, as we need to use up some peaches from our picking first...

I went for a couple mile walk with a mile run thrown in today.  And coming home to this nice cold treat was JUST the perfect ending.

Thank you Mr. Vita-mix... you make me very happy!

A WHOLE LOT OF BLENDING GOING ON

Mr. Vita-Mix was busy first thing this morning....  It was Green smoothie time.  Sadly I put too much iced goods and turned in to Ice Cream instead of Smoothie. 

Me and Mr. Vita-Mix gotta have a talk.  I haven't figured out the whole ratio thing yet and he's not really good at explaining.

But my Green Cream was quite Good!

 

So the day went on... we gave the machine a little break.  UNTIL.. I went shopping and Hubby needed Some Coffee.  He requested Organic this time, and I found some yummy smelling beans...

But in case your new to the coffee experience, you can't put Beans in the coffee maker or you may not get really good coffee....This is what Hubby said to me when I got home... "You bought the wrong kind, these are beans".......  Ah, but this is not the wrong kind.

It's Back to work for Mr. Vita-Mix...  Chop Chop Grind...

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix

 

And then it was time to make some of Green And Crunchy's Earth Balls.. But too much chocolate poured by mistake.  I couldn't get it out... And decided to go through with my mess... which turned in to this brownie dough looking stuff.

Walnuts, Cocoa, Dates, Goji Berries...  Mash, Chop, Yum...

 

And my new try for the week?  Coconut Shreds.... Now we have macaroon tasting Brownie'ish Earth Balls:

 

And some plain brownie bites, is what I'm calling this batch:

 

By the way, making these would have taken 30 minutes with my old methods.  Mr. Vita-Mix did the job in less then 1 minute!!! 

I do love this machine!!

Oh... but he wasn't done yet!  Dinner was yet to be served.

Thank you for mashing my Veggies Mr. Vita-Mix.  Much obliged!  And helpful, and Fast!  A Raw Sauce was made for my not so raw noodles.

By the way.. the noodles are from Food for Life and I'm now hooked on their sprouted grain products... 

The leaves you see are from my Basil plant.  I haven't killed it yet!!  Yippeee!

And speaking of not killing... look at my Aloe plant... it is very happy... I just have to get it a new pot.  That is when the end is near.  I have NEVER successfully moved a plant from one pot to another with out it shriveling up like a little prune.

But for now, she is quite happy... I shall call her a SHE because she keeps having babies.  See the little pokers in the middle..  Neither of those were there when I got her.  But out they poke...  and they are full with the bestest of healing property juices.

.

And Speaking of plants... and gardening... (wasn't really speaking of gardening, but now I am)... I was thinking of having Hubby Till up the dirt/clay (that doesn't have carrots in our garden), and try to plant some Fall Crops. 

According to the little charts, If I plant them by mid August, I should have Greans by October...  Now I just have to find some mature organic plants and/or seeds so I can plant them inside before mid August.

Can this work?  Or am I wasting my time??  OK, don't answer that!!  *smile*

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MR. VITA-MIX

Mr. Vita-Mix has been very busy today.   He started this morning with a couple smoothies...

Veg's Favorite:

 

Apples, Banana, Strawberries and Soy Milk...

 

And my new favorite, with my new try for the week... Coconut Milk:

HELLO DOWN THERE:

 

Spinach, sweet potatoes, Zucchini, grapes, apple chunks, Hemp Seed, banana, Coconut Water and A couple of filter water Ice Cubes...

Don't worry, I shared with Hubby... He liked it too.  Delicious!!

 

And then we went Peach/Apple Picking, which meant I had apples when I got home... Apples that NEEDED to go in to Mr. Vita-Mix.  Oh, but what could these sweet/sour Apples do?

 

I had a LOT of apples!

 

HELLO down there......  Echo Echo.....  Ooops, sorry, got carried away..

I added a bit of Cinnamon and a bit of lemon juice.... and...................

 

VOILA!  RAW Apple Sauce:

 

But WAIT, its not over... The day is not done... Mr. Vita-Mix is not aloud to rest until Dinner is done...

I had Vegetables that needed Chopping...

 

I DID NOT want to chop all these veggies.... Come hither Mr. Vita-Mix.....

Oh, there you are!

 

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix:

 

You can rest now Mr. Vita-Mix... You'll need your strength for tomorrow... WE have Ice Cream to make!!

FIRST GREEN SMOOTHIE ATTEMPT

I have made lots of smoothies in my day... we LOVE smoothies in our house, but never have I just thrown in RAW Veggies...

At my first attempt at trying to do so...  This is what I came up with:

• Soy Milk
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Banana
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Flax
• Ice

And this is why I NEED a Vita Mix Blender.....

My Magic Bullet wouldn't pulverize the veggies like I needed but does crush ice very well...So I tried the food Processor.... You can see what it did to the veggies, but wouldn't touch the ice cubes....  Grrrr....

I realized quickly that I don't have the tools needed to go totally Raw.. I don't have a dehydrating thing-a-majig, nor do I have a VitaMix and really nothing else that would help me in this endeavor....

OH Woes Me!!

Alas, this one was quite tasty... Because of the blueberries, the color turned more grey then green...

Verdict:

Veg said he LOVED "GREY JUICE" (his name for this drink) and would drink it again.... BONUS!!!
I liked it as well, and could certainly add more variety next time.  Hubby was a little Iffy on the chunks though I didn't find it too chunky (once removing the ice).....

So YES, I will make these LOTS more!!  And I can see how filling and uberly deliciously nutritious they would be for a start to the morning...  Now if I could only get a Vitamix....  hmmm?  Maybe some day!!!

KubicleKitchen  Friend - Does this count for Breakfast?

PROTEIN AND GOOD FAT SMOOTHIE

This morning's Smoothie was one of my favorites yet...  And I'm pretty excited to note that Veg and Hubby liked it too... Because it was full of Protein, Good Omega Fats and other healthy nutrients....

• All Natural Peanut Butter (the kind with the oil mixed in)
• Chocolate Silk Soy Milk
• Jar of organic baby food carrots
• Ground Flax Seed
• Vanilla Soy Ice Cream

I was missing my usual Banana but Veg said it still smelled (he has to smell everything now) and tasted the same.  I guess the carrots filled in for the missing bananas.   But all I can say is YUMmmmmm!!!