Vegmom Moments

BLACK VELVET PANCAKES (MY VERSION)

Take a peak at Kubicle Kitchen's Black Velvet Pancake Post...  I told her I would copy, and I did....

Mine don't look as Black as hers, but I think I used less Blackberries in combo with my huge Batch.

(to those that will heckle me, I will say it first... I know these are NOT Raw... *smirk*)

My intention to make enough to keep for the week or possibly freeze some...But didn't think about that when picking the Blackberries yesterday.   I used this Vegan Concoction for the batter.... And mixed in the Mashed Blackberries... 

We had a "plain" batch, one with blueberries added, and one with walnuts and dark choco chips....

There were a Lot of Pancakes.  Each a hit with the family.... The only problem they had, was which to eat first.

Thanks Kubicle Kitchen for the great suggestion!!

RAW FOOD CHALLENGE ROLLS ON

OK - I have to admit, the challenge is trickier then I thought... If the fridge begins to empty, or we are out to eat and I order all Veggies then realize they are cooked and request a salad, just to get my raw-ness in....

But thanks to Smoothie Land, My breakfasts have been a Cinch!

Here are today's ingredients:

 

(all organic of course)...  Strawberries, Kale, Zucchini, Blueberries (of course), Sweet Potato Chunks, Flax, Apple chunks, a few cherries... ice and water (added after picture was taken)...

Verdict:  I thought it was quite good... Not as Green as I would have liked but I was out of spinach.  Hubby thought it was too tart because I was out of bananas and Mr. Veg only took one sip.  But then he was loaded up on Pancakes and Blueberries.

So I'd give this combo a try again, if I had bananas to break up the tart.  But otherwise thought it was quite tasty.... and drank mine ALL UP!

FYI - I'm not using recipes if you couldn't tell  :-)  Just adding what ever I have on that day.

For lunch my Rawness was Salad Based along with some Hummus.....YUM!!!

So Why am I trying to incorporate more raw foods in to my diet, well the same reason most people should, Its Good for your Bod....I'm taking the suggestions of some of the commenter's and starting with mostly fruits and veggies.  As I learn more about Un-Cooking foods, I'll have a lot more to choose from, I'm sure! 

See here for some good reasons to enjoy Raw Foods

And here for some Food Pictures, so good that you'll want to eat your screen... But don't... Computer screens are not Raw or edible..

And by the way... my other mission is trying two new Raw things per week, until I have a good stash of likes built up...... This week (after getting to the store) they will be This and This..... Easy and Good... Both are important.

Now on with the RFC (AKA - Raw Food Challenge)

SKATING IN SUMMER??

I took today off work, just because I could, and wanted to spend some more Summer fun with my Vegman before it was too late.  (Not to mention giving Dad on Duty a break)

It was 90ish again.... We could have played in the Sprinkler, Putt Putt, Tennis, a million things we could have done on this steamy beautiful sunny afternoon.... But what does the Vegman want to do?????

 

Yup, those are ICE SKATES!!  In the middle of Summer???  Another Fun day can be checked off the list!!  Sometimes you just gotta say "What the Fun?"  And let them decide what it will be...

P.S.  little kid skates are just sooo darn cute!!

BLUEBERRIES, KAYAKS, FUN, OH MY!

Veg and I decided to have an Adventure Day... Just him and me.... And adventuring it was!!

Wake up, eat a yummy fruity breakfast, then off we went to Putt Putt....  In my mind, it was Sunday, Early morning, it was Hot and they were calling for rain... SURELY there wouldn't be that many people.... Um!  Yeah... WRONG!!!

We arrived at our destination pretty quickly but so did the other 2000 people that apparently had the same idea... Eventually we finished our round of Putt Putt, played one arcade game and headed out of town before we were stuck for all eternity in bumper to bumper traffic... But first stopped off at Veg's fav. place to eat... Oops.. Its not there anymore!  Eeek......

----------Hurry, Mom Thinking Cap Needed, Avoid Child melt down..... Hurry--------------

Decided to stop at a Gigantic Store...Veg was happy!!!   Outside the store there was a restaurant,......we sat down and it was the same menu as  Veg's other fav. place.  The same people own it... How funny is that????  Veg was now really happy....

And below the restaurant was a "Life is Good" Store... I was going to use my gift certificate... SOOO excited.  Until I realized I forgot it... Oops!!!  I had no idea we would find that store though, so it wasn't like I knew to BRING the card.

Then to the BIG Store!!!  We wandered, and wandered, and turns out they were having a "camp" thing.... So we sat down at the pretend Camp Ground and Veg learned some hiking lessons and got a Badge and everything...

After a while we left but went out a different door then where we entered... Where we found this:

 

My Old Boss would be VERY Proud.... Veg was a natural at maneuvering this Kayak...in fact he only got stuck one time, when a bigger kid crashed in to him and knocked him to the corner.. Poor Veg... But man did he have fun....He wasn't even nervous and had no worries...   As soon as he figured out where to put his hands on the paddle, he was Golden.

Then the Kayak guy took off..... seriously just left.....  So Veg was like zooming around this gigantic pool for a very long long time... until eventually the guy came back (as he saw the line building up)  jumped in the pool and brought them all back to the front.... By the way, the pool was 3X longer then my house....

Quite the adventure...  A quick stop at Starbucks.....  and then back to the car to drive the rest of the way home...

But the Adventure wasn't over....

I decided to take a different road near our house... I knew there was a school, and just maybe we would find a play ground.....

Boy did we..... It was a nice one too, mostly for older kids.  Veg had a Quick amount of tons of fun until the storm clouds finally blew in...

We came home for a game of Battle Ship and then "relaxing".....  At which time I called our local blueberry patch and they were open for the season... WOOO HOOOO!!!!    We decided to let Hubby come with us...

We picked a LOT of blueberries...  5 Pounds worth actually... and guess the price?  Guess, I dare ya???  Locally Grown hand picked 5 Pounds of berries???  $10

 

It was the Best Batch EVER....  Many were nickel size... REALLY... See?

We had soo much fun.  Veg was my guide... (thats for another story) but he tracked the berries and I picked them... He grabbed some yummy ones also, and Hubby went to town with filling his entire bucket.... he wanted to make his Vegan Cobbler when we got home (and he did)  but first he would need berries.  The man PICKED some berries!

They won't last very long though.....

 

Some little hands were in them.... in fact these little hands were in the berries so much, that I wouldn't be surprised if the stuff that comes out his bottom tomorrow is purple.  Look closely, his fingers were already purple....

I was able to freeze two trays full, hubby got his cobbler, we all ate some, and a sealed container is left in the fridge for tomorrow..

Oh, I also picked a few Blackberries, to make Kubicle Kitchen's Black Velvet Pancakes....  Those will grace our plates tomorrow morning... YUM!!!  And the nice lady at the farm didn't even charge me for them because I didn't grab a full pint.....

Did I mention I love local farms???  We'll be back to this one....  A LOT before the season is done!!  I want to freeze as many berries as I can for smoothies and other yummy goodness for when the season is over.

If you haven't already???  Try some fruit picking... outside of a few bug bites, some creepy spiders, and Hubby getting a tick (he's gotten more ticks then my dogs, by the way)....  There was fun had by all....

Now its time for eating!!  Delicious!  (as NeeNee would say)

TABLE OR CAR GAME

During our summer nightly "family game time"  we started playing an Old travel Version of "Outburst"..
There is a card, and a timer thing, and you have so many seconds to guess 10 things on the card.... We play until someone reaches 100 points....  Everyone enjoyed it, and even veg could hit several answers.

Fast Forward to today... We are sitting in the car Post - Farmers Market  but-Pre Lunch waiting for the Restaurant to open... I have no games in the car, and nothing to keep him busy....Veg is starting to get tired and restless... with a 10 minute wait....

-----------Mom Thinking Cap ON--------------Activate Thinking Cap-------------------

I grabbed his travel size doodle board and wrote 4 words on it about things you'd find on a road... And told him the subject.  I said you have 1 minute to think of all 4 things that I wrote on my list.  Veg immediately caught on.... started shouting everything from Street Lights to Asphalt.  It was perfect.....

Hubby rolled his eyes in normal Hubby fashion... So I continued to play with Veg...  Name 4 Red Fruits..... Name 4 Green Vegetables.....  6 things related to Christmas..... You get the idea....  He was shouting answers left and right until Hubby couldn't take it anymore, grabbed the doodle board and hit me with 5 things you'd find at a carnival.... Grr... I haven't been to a carnival since I was 16 I think....

While we were playing round after round, my Vegman pulls out his little travel paper and a pencil to keep score.  He assigns himself to be the "Score Keeper and Bonus Decider"....

Some how he ALWAYS got 100 bonus points?  We played well in to the eating of our lunch, and back to the car.... I think his and Hubby's total score was like 10,500 when adding up all the bonus points and mine was like 20.  Some how I got Jipped!

But it sure was fun... and what a great game to play when driving far, or waiting in line... You don't even need supplies, we happened to have some handy.  But really you could just remember the words and not write them down.  Or you could use a napkin or paper placemat.  The possibilities are endless.

And for real little ones, you could make it simple like "Name 3 things that you would find in your bedroom"  Or "2 things in this car that are grey"  For the masters, you could increase to 10 things or even bigger.

I have to admit it was hard to come up with my answers for them to guess.  I'm not good a split second.  Which is why mine were so easy and Hubbies were so hard....  Like he gave me "Name 5 different kinds of metals"

And you have to GUESS what they have written down.  So even if I know 5 metals, it isn't necessarily what he wrote down.  That is where the challenge lies....

So the next time you find your self stuck for something to do in a real Quick Like Fashion, use this game or make up your own version... You never know what kind of fun you will find.

FARMERS MARKET LOVE

While I've enjoyed a few farmers markets in the past, I had yet to find one I really LOVED and trusted the source.... Until today...

We finally made it before they ran out and before they packed up for the day... and I finally got to see all their wonderful treasures....  Tent after tent of the most fresh, yummy looking Veggies, as if I'd planted them in my own garden... All locally grown, reasonably priced, and most said organic or at least pesticide free. 

The people were helpful, the signs were helpful, and I will surely go back... Between now and Thanksgiving... I can't wait to see all the wonderful things the farmers bring in the fall. 

Here is my bounty!!

The biggest Zucchini ever:

 

Beans:

Potatoes and Cucumbers:

Oh and the Organic potato guy, he hands them to his wife and says "Weigh these"  she holds them in her hand and says "about a pound"  he looks at me and says  "$2.00".....  I LOVE FARMERS MARKETS.. By the way, 3 Cucumbers = $1.... REALLY!  and not a Dent on them!!

AND I FINALLY DID IT!!!   Got some Herb plants.....  Not sure what I will do with them, but I have to think quickly!  *smile*.....

Currently I'm already drinking some Earl Grey ICED Tea with Mint Leaves from my first ever herb plant....

How Refreshing!!!

And Basil...  don't these leaves look soooooo good!!  He helped me pick the best ones, and did I mention?
ORGANIC!  I can't wait to cook with these babies!!

Now I'm just hoping I can keep them alive!!

On a side note, my Smoothie this morning consisted of the following Raw goodness.... AND to my little blog heckler (and you know who you are) I DID NOT ADD SOY MILK... ha ha

Smoothie:
Pineapple, banana, strawberries, spinach, sweet potato chunks, flax, Filtered Ice and water,

And my Lunch, again had tofu (not raw) as we ate out... but did have raw sprouts, tomato and onion..  Instead of chips I requested fruit, and they gave me Watermelon, grapes and orange.

Upon coming home I weeded a VERY BIG flower bed, as well as trimmed shrubs, and weeded the garden.  I was outside for at least 2.5 hours in the baking son, (not including our earlier walk or farmers market excursion)  when I came in All I wanted was an APPLE... I couldn't get to my apple fast enough... Seriously, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?????  GIVE ME FRUIT!!!!

Oh what will I do when winter comes....  Sure hope I give my self time to freeze some of this fresh seasonal goodness... not sure it will count as raw come winter, but I'm going to eat it anyway.

During "apple" time, I realized I wanted some Iced Tea... Not just water like usual, just Cold Refreshing Fresh Ice Tea... And then I remembered the Mint I just purchased.... The rest is history!! 

I will be making a LOT more of this tea... Probably not so raw, but sooo good and cold and fresh, and real raw herbs... Yum!!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend where ever you are.

WHICH SHIRT WILL IT BE?

My first ever poll,  but sorry no Poll widget thing-a-majig so you'll have to leave a comment....

Here is the deal?  I have a gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket from winning a challenge with a friend.....

The certificate is for Life Is Good ... in case you haven't been to one of their stores or seen their website or have any idea what I'm talking about.... Let's just say the decisions are TOUGH!!!

Way too much goodness to choose from....  And so I'm leaving it up to you, my faithful 3 viewers... ha ha

Which one of the following 4 shirts should I make my own????

First we have the Guys Shirt... I love love love the Unplug...  After doing so on my last vacation.

I'm not too fond of Purple, but this saying is too good to pass up.

 

Enough Said on this world one....

 

This one is funny because I don't EVER walk on the wild side... In fact I'm furthest from wild side and closest to Non-Wild side as it gets... But just love the shirt!!!

 

So which is it???? 

RAW FOOD CHALLENGE ANOTHER DAY

As with all the challenges I've been super excited when what I do rolls down hill to the Little Vegman.

Because I've been packing breakfasts and lunches for myself, I'm able to add more food to his breakfast and munch plate.

Yesterday before I left his plate consisted of some peanut butter pretzles, carrots, celery, apple slices, pineapple, peach slices, cherries and strawberries....  I figured he would eat cereal with his Dad and munch on these during the day.... But to my surprise he got super excited about his "Fruit Plate" and went to town immediatly.

Nothing was even left before his Dad got out of bed... 

Today my Rawness consisted of, Strawberries, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, and apple chunks....  My lunch was not so raw, and contained tofu/bread. ...  But it did have Sprouts, Tomato, Onion and Hummus (all raw)... in addition to my fruit snacks.

As of 1:43pm, I haven't been able to finish everything I've brought, but will munch again later...  I've been surprised about my Appetite shifts....in a good way....

I'm also surprised that after only a week of trying breakfast, I woke up this morning hungry....

And I'm also surprised that by 3pm I'm craving carrots, apple chunks or almond butter, instead of Chocolate, and Crackers, and Coffee.....

Although I'm not a person that generally likes surprises.... I've been happy about these!

 

MIRROR CHECK

SO all this healthy eating and exercising..... I decided to look in the mirror today... Realized that my Bottom half hasn't shrunk at all but I have lost one of  the chins off my face.....

Quite convenient, because I really needed to loose one of my chins... NOT!!!  How will chins help me to fit in my jeans, that is what I want to know?

Wouldn't it be fun if we could say "I'd like those 2 pounds to drop in this spot and the next 2 pounds to drop over here...."  Currently if I say that, my body says:

"HAHAHAHAHAHA, you wish"

RAW FOODS AND NOT SO MUCH

HAPPY RAW FOOD CHALLENGE DAY

Remember this isn't about changing everything, its just about incorporating more raw foods in to our diets... For me this also means eating Breakfast... 

Funny, how I always make sure my Vegman has breakfast and even his Dad sometimes (when he doesn't make his own) but I've probably made myself Breakfast only a dozen times since the little luv bug was born....  When we have visitors I make sure to make them breakfast, rarely having enough for me to eat....

While its great that us Moms take care of those around us, sometimes its important to take care of ourselves too... So this is my small way to do that...  What could you do more of, to take care of yourself???

(and my friend NB, if you want to go for a shirt bet, bring it on)  ha ha!!!

While I've been dibbling and dabbling for a week now, this is my first official challenge Day Breakfast and Snack Tray for the day... (All Organic except the pineapple)

Apples, Fresh Cut Pineapples, Plum, Peach, Cherries, Carrots and Celery...  I figure this will last me a while....

 

Since I ran out of time to make a smoothie, I stopped at a local shop to get some for those I work with and decided to get myself one also... Granted it wasn't raw, but I requested Spirulina to make sure it was GREEN...

And Lunch will be leftovers from last night... This one is Interesting... Again not raw, but I did something different this time... I decided if I could grind up veggies in a smoothie, I could do the same for a "creamy" pasta sauce....And so I made my usual tofu blended "creamy" sauce and warmed it just slightly....

(Block of tofu, lemon juice, parsley, basil, italian seasonings, garlic salt, and other seasonings or more lemon juice to taste)

Then I grounded up fresh raw veggies, like Kale, Spinach, onion, peppers, threw in some garlic cloves... chop chop and mash in the food processor, then mix in to the slightly warm tofu gunk...but didn't cook it.

Add some chopped organic grape tomatoes and some hemp seed and more seasoning, and mix in with Artichoke Flour noodles....

Voila....  Lots of Raw goodness, Meeting the Not so Raw Tofu and Noodles....  But Hey, I'm trying!!  :-)  And its Vegan!  Yum!!!

FRUIT AND VEGGIE MORNING

This smoothie is actually from yesterday that I never finished, so I added some soymilk, made it frothy again, and today's breakfast is served... It has some new things this time (marked in purple)... Trying new things that I wouldn't normally eat...

Spinach, Carrots, Strawberries, Kale, Hemp Seed, Sweet Potato chunks, Kiwi, Banana, Ice and Soymilk... Shewww... no wonder I couldn't finish it yesterday:

 

And this is nothing new, but I was excited to discover that Veg's small square container fits perfectly in my Glass Bowls.... Even with the lid.. So I was able to put Veggies and Fruit in one bowl without them touching... (Something about kiwi juice on my carrots doesn't sound appealing... unless in a smoothie of course)

Yummy and Delicious and Nutritious Snacks, All organic of course :-) !!

 

Yesterday for Lunch (no picture, sorry)  I tried cutting a zuchinni in to "noodles" using a carrot peeler and a knife...  After I got them just perfect, I realized we had no Pasta Sauce left... and so I used Pizza Sauce....  It worked out just fine!   And I didn't need a fancy contraption just like everyone said. 

Very Cool.... Veggie Noodles.... Look out!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

TO US!!

It was on this day 18 years ago that Hubby and I said "I DO":

More words were said though... things like.....

• Don't worry Mom, were just going on Vacation (to a small town with nothing but a Hotel, a Piggly Wiggly, a judge, and a Navy Base)
• The Military leave request said "Respectfully Request to get Hitched"
• The Family said "You did what????"
• My Bestest Friend said "Your going to do what you want anyway, I mise well not say anything"  (she knew me so well)
• My Brother said "Your Dumb"  (but then he always said that)
• My Sweet Mom said "As long as your happy"
• Our other Relatives said "She must be Pregnant"  (NOPE... that would happen 12 years later)
• My sweet Man said "Any Regrets"
• I said "NO Regrets"
• The Judge said "I now pronounce you Husband and Wife"

And here we are....  Many homes, a couple states, a couple pets, many jobs, one child, lots of laughter, several tears, many headaches later... 18 years later....

Ah, isn't Love grand!

30 DAY RAW FOOD CHALLENGE

First there was the 30 Day No Junk Food Challenge... Really we went 30 days with no sugary snacks... Vegan or otherwise... NO CHOCOLATE for 30 days... 

This is what started my Kick in the pants of "What else can I do to improve the health of myself and my family?"

Then there was the 30 Day Exercise Challenge.... No need to explain that one....

And now, finally, I have figured out what my Next Challenge will be.... Something that will encourage me to make time for myself and continue eating Breakfast (as it is supposed to be good for me) and continue introducing healthy foods in to my Family..... 

NO "NB" I'm not going to ask you to only eat Raw foods for 30 days.. Don't Panic!  ha ha

This one is easy.. and maybe others will join...  Maybe not?  But with each challenge, it becomes a commitment to improving my health.. Hopefully others will join... But I won't challenge my friend to a shirt this time... hee hee

Here it goes... Are you ready....  Hold on to your hats.....  NeeNee, Even you and Grandpa C can do this one...

The challenge is this.....I am going to eat at least 2 Raw foods EVERY DAY between Breakfast and Lunch....  Can be a Vegetable, (Cucumber, carrot, Spinach, Kale or any type).....  Can be a fruit (Strawberries, Banana, Orange, Peach, what ever strikes my fancy).... ...

The only requirement is the two foods or more that I choose are not cooked... So I get the full gist of the powerful nutrients waiting for me in the healthy goodness of Raw Foods...

I told you it was easy!!!   Anyone else up to the Challenge??? 

As with the others, just post an alias in the comments (no need to use your real name... don't even need an email address, not sure why it requests it... )  Link to your blog if you choose in the comments, or use my cheesy button on your blog to request others take the challenge....

And lets get healthier, one Veggie or Fruit at a time......

(unless health reasons don't allow you to eat raw veggies or fruit... if that is the case, don't get healthier this way)

I know I always start on a Monday, but this one is too easy to wait....  I must allow time for Grocery Shopping, if by chance someone does want to join me... and so I will start the challenge officially on Thursday 6/25/09..... And then post progress, findings, and happy thoughts between now and completion...

Happy Eating Everyone!!!

P.S.  To all those that know Raw food is much more then just Fruits and Veggies, just wanted to say, I realize that also... but gotta start some where...  especially for Grandpa C, who currently thinks a good fruit is grape flavored koolaid and a vegetable is only edible if ground up in a sauce and he doesn't know it is there.... (sorry Grandpa C... its too easy not to pick on you... besides you know we love ya)

WORTH STAYING AWAKE

My Vegman has every excuse in the world to stay awake when it is bed time...

But there are a few things that I agree are worth every bit of extra awake time:

• Watching the Fireflies after dark
• Seeing a Planet or Moon or Clear Starry Night
• Eskimo or Butterfly Kisses
• One more Hug
• That last thing he just HAS to tell me about his day that he COULDN'T tell me during the day (not sure where he gets that from)

OK Yes, I'm a sucker when it comes to bed time.... you get the idea... But really, WHO can pass up watching a Firefly Flurry and receiving an extra Butterfly Kiss???

PLUGS FIXED

My Friend "AU" this is for you...

Hubby worked on the plugs today...

I got the call:

"After causing all the power to go out in the bottom portion of the house, I decided to switch off at the circuit breaker before doing any more"

Hmmmmm! Ya Think?

While I always say my Hubby can do ANYTHING he puts his mind to, I'm sure glad he decided NOT to be an Electrician!

VEGGIE LABELS

There are many labels for people who eat a plant based diet, Vegetarian, Vegan, Lacto, Ovo, Raw....

As for me... My Oldest Friend calls me FRUIT LOOP... and that is probably the best label I've heard to date, because I don't fit in to another category.

While I eat NO meats at all and haven't for many years..... the line gets Iffy for me on Eggs and Dairy.. I've also been known to use Honey.. So I'm not Vegan...

However... the only dairy products I will fold to in rare instances are Cheese, Butter and Chocolate.  For the most part I use non-dairy chocolate and in most cases I will avoid cheese, at home I don't use real butter...  But in the event there is dairy in the bread or butter used in the veggies I eat at a Restaraunt or in a dish at a friends house, or some other unknown, there are times I don't question and I eat it.... 

And then I get a horible sinus headache, kick myself (really, I kick myself), and swear off the stuff for eternity... Until the next time!!  Good news being, the times are further apart....Even I can learn a lesson eventually.

As for Eggs... There was a time when I first went Vegetarian that I thought I needed the protein in Eggs... Of course I learned otherwise... and after pregnancy became allergic to them anyway... so I avoid Eggs in all possible ways... But in the event I'm eating somewhere that has eggs in the food and I don't know about it....   I will get a horrible Gut and Headache that renders me in bed for at least a day, sometimes longer....  And so I avoid eggs in all Known ways... Saving my Stomach and the Chickens. 

EXCEPT, Cakes, Cupcakes and Cookies that contain eggs don't bother me?  WHY?  I have no clue!!  See... I told you I don't fit in to a Label....

So in the rare event I eat a Non-Vegan Dessert (And it is rare)....  I envision the poor cows and chickens on the assembly line living that horrible life to get me that dessert.... In addition the Refined sugar, flour... and all the other bad things that may make up that dessert, and I avoid it.... For a really long time...  But can't say I NEVER eat them...

And now insert the Raw Food.... Realizing I already ate a lot of raw foods, I didn't function on them completely for Breakfast or Lunch... in fact I never ate breakfast... 

Our house is High fructose Free, Preservative and dye free... Meat, Milk, Egg & Butter free......  We use Non-Refined Sugar, Unbleached Flour, Non-Aluminum Baking Soda and Organic where possible.... The list goes on.....So why would I be looking for more healthy option...

Because I'm A FRUIT LOOP!!!  *smile*  A Very Fitting Label.

RAW FOOD JOURNEY - DAY 1

While I'm not going to eat raw food all the time, and this was just a way to introduce some new foods and new eating habits to our family...  I have been amazed at the help I've received from Raw Food Bloggers all over the world.... 

People I didn't even know answering my questions both on here and via email..... So even without the fancy contraptions, I will be taking a new food journey... shifting from total Vegetarian (partially Vegan), to a Vegetarian (partially Vegan) that eats a lot of Raw Food.

Today was the beginning of that "official" journey, as I like to start on Mondays when I do new things... Not sure why?  I'm just strange like that....

And it started with a Green Smoothie.. This time my Magic Bullet did the trick...  But Hubby mentioned that a Vitamix may be in my future..... Could it be?????:

 

Ingredients.....(all organic)   Spinach, Apple, Pear, Banana, carrots, strawberries, Soy Milk and Ice.  (I forgot the flax... whoops)

Verdict:  I couldn't drink it all at a normal breakfast time!  It filled me up completely, it would be several hours before I finished drinking this green goodness...

And how cool is that?  No snacking, No coffee, No feeling hungry, plenty of energy to start my day, even with not much sleep.  And something to sip on for a couple hours that tasted quite yummy!

Then between 12 and 3pm,  I munched on some Walnuts, Apples and Peanut Butter, some pear chunks and Carrot Sticks....

Around 3:30, I started to feel draggy... needing something filling besides Fruit to eat... which means tomorrow, I will be bringing some thing more substantial for Lunch...  Today I just grabbed what I could without having groceries in the house.  So I was lacking something.

And by 5pm, I ate one of Veg's Cliff bars from my purse...  So in total it was a Healthy Food Day and Mostly Raw, for a first one (outside of the cliff bar)... my Dinners will remain Non-Raw until I come up with good recipes that I can realistically make....

Speaking of food???  I have some Shopping to do!

ALPHABET DRIVING GAME

You know the game where you try to find things that start with a letter and who ever gets to Z first wins?  

We were playing in the car yesterday and rather then looking for a winner, all three of us tried to get from A-Z with only THINGS that start with the letter.

Working together it was quite comical...  Veg being the smarty pants that he is tried to use "Water" for the letter "I"....

"How does water possibly start with the letter "I"?"  I asked...

"Because Water is melted Ice so technically water can be used for I"

Then we get to the letter "W" and he says.....  "There's a letter "Y" on that sign, it counts for the letter "W"....

<Ummmm, how do you figure?>

"Because if you spell out the word "WHY" it starts with a "W" "

It amazes me to watch their minds work..... Talk about thinking outside of the B-O-X!

LUNCH BOX FOR DINNER

Veg wanted Tofurky for Dinner.   While we normally use this for quick on the go lunches, I decided it would be fun to make a Lunch for Dinner.

He picked the color theme of Green and Brown...  SO, this is what he got!

 

Snap Pea Crisps, Walnuts, Pears, Broccoli, Tofurky and Green Juice...

Verdict:  "Mom, this is the best dinner ever, it looks just great, now can I have some more green juice"

*smile*

RAW VEGAN FOOD JOURNEY

CALLING ALL RAW FOODIES .....

Here's the deal... I planned to spend several hours this weekend looking up recipes and then heading to the store and beginning our Raw Journey tomorrow (Monday)... That is what I do... Get a bug for something and go for it... So far that has worked for me... Marriage, vacations, becoming Vegetarian.... you know... pretty much everything.. 

And this Raw food thing is just what we need to kick start new healthy recipes in our house...

But this one has me STUMPED!!!

Every single recipe I've clicked on contains Cashews, Almonds, or requires the use of an expensive Dehydrator, High powered Blender, Seeder thing, spinnie thing, a spiral cutting thing that makes Veggies in to pasta... which is totally cool by the way....

Here's the problem... my Vegman can't stomach Cashews or Almonds... those are two nuts that are on his "NO EAT, OR I WILL BE SICK" LIST....  So in the event I find some thing awesome, he can't eat it. 

I don't have any of those kitchen gadgets and don't have the budget right now to make an $800 investment...

And then the bean recipes require soaking etc. for umpteen hours....HELLO, I'm a working Mom, Dinner gets served when I have 30-60 minutes to throw something together... The thought of taking 2 days to make something, requires LOTS of planning...  So if I want to make something with beans i buy the canned kind... Organic, Yes... but still canned.

Now I'm willing to plan, but even so, I'm not sure how this can work with out the proper tools???

I do have Birthday Money waiting for me to use... But in total that = $100....   Which I'm supposed to use for new running shoes....  But could buy a cheap dehydrater instead... but is it worth it?  Will a cheap one be what I need?

Ah Phooey... I guess my Monday will include more healthy meals, but without the RAW thing until I can figure this out.... Any advice is appreciated...

Is it possible to eat mostly raw good tasting foods without expensive equipment?  Can you be a Raw Food Working Parent on a budget, and whip something up in Jiffy as needed?

Going to mow the Lawn now for Father's Day while he naps?  I think I've lost my mind in offering to do so... but a promise is a promise.... If you don't see me back here tomorrow, then you will know that I have melted....  It was nice knowing everyone....

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

TURNING LUNCH BOX INTO SNACK BOX

Today was a Festival Day for Veg and I (Meaning we went to a festival)... Not sure how long we'd be gone from the house, but I knew that snack food would be a requirement for both of us:

These lunch boxes come in SOOO Handy!!!  

I ended up packing us some Peapod Chips, Vegan Natural Animal Cookies, Organic Plums, Organic Carrots, pretzels and a Kashi Apple Bar... We also had Two Containers of Water.  Packed neatly in my cooler back pack...with an ice blanket... 

We munched through out the festival and ate everything except the Kashi Bar... Then we headed out for Vegan veggie filled pizzas... Yum Yum!

GOUT AND ACV

We are currently a NON-Medical Medicine house... and with the Gout coming back yesterday, Hubby once again had to make the decision of Medical Care or not...  He chose NOT!! 

Soooo...  He is eating cherries, lots and lots of cherries.... Fresh, Frozen, juice.... all cherries....  And last night, I convinced him when his ankle was too swollen to move, and he was in more pain then he could bare, fever racing up and down... All the joys of this YUCK!!  To sit in a tub with Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and water.

Between that and the Cherries he saw relief... Even slept through the night, and woke up this morning able to walk.  Another dunk in ACV and a couple times through the day... swelling is gone and pain is gone...  He's still a little gimpy and sore, but 80% improvement....

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE ACV!!!   

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?

HOW MY PHOTOS HAVE CHANGED

I'm sitting here looking at my camera and laughing at myself... Sometimes I do this..  Its a good thing my Hubby is used to the vision of me laughing at myself, because someone else may be a tad concerned.

The laughing is because of what I have taken pictures of lately..... 

There was a time when I had a little pink disk camera thing and I took pictures of my friends and family... I'd pay too much money waiting for them to be developed... 

Then switched to a regular film rectangle style camera... A Canon that got left at Disney World on an Arcade game....and its replacement that took a ton of pictures of People and all the fun things we did... I waited, I paid for those pictures to be developed and the most expensive film with the best exposure to get 12 pics.

Eventually moved on to the digital world...  Where I took many more pictures... had to take the disk to a drop off place or kiosk to get all my pictures developed... I'd wait and pay money....I'd have to buy disks because the memory was so low.

AND NOW... I have a tiny little canon, that can fit in my pocket... I can take 1000 pictures with my memory card if I wanted, and have a printer that will spit out a picture in 20 seconds... I have ink and paper available to me... EVERYTHING I NEED to take a picture, print it and put it in a photo album within minutes.....   Something I would have LOVED to have 10 years ago....

BUT WHAT DO I TAKE PICTURES OF NOW??????   THINGS!!!

Like food, buildings, carrots, cups, bags....

I went from taking pictures that would purposely go good in a Scrapbook page for all our memories, to taking a picture of a cupcake because some one I don't even know, may want to see what I ate.

My Mom said a couple weeks ago, "I can't get a new picture of my Grandson, but you'll take a picture of a Pizza"

Really?  What has become of us Blog People?  How did we get here?

A PASTA DINNER

Veg had a great big late lunch so by dinner time he only wanted a snack bucket.. We compromised with a Muffin Tin (that's not tin) dinner/snack thing...

And the compromise included that every thing had to be RED or ORANGE.... Fine... Its not the most nutritious Dinner/Snack thing.. but it worked for this day..

He had Brown Rice Chips, All Organic Veggies(carrots), fruit (strawberries and cherries) and pasta sauce..  Some noodles from my Ziti and in the white container were 5 little Vegan Gummy Bears.

 

For me, I used left over organic veggies from a dinner earlier this week, peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, mixed with organic pasta sauce and my combination of Tofu (blended ricotta style).. Some Apple Cider Vinegar, seasonings, and kelp powder...  and came up with my Favorite Baked Ziti.

 

Yum Yum Yum.... Knowing that baked pasta dishes are going away for a little while, I decided to splurge this weekend as well as use up some ingredients that I won't need when trying the "Raw" thing.. 

After all, it would be totally irresponsible of me to waste all that food right??? 

I'll pretend you agree with me... I see your heads nodding... 

GOUT IS BACK

Hubby had Gout attacks (very painful - see here)

Hubby went Vegetarian

Hubby had no more Gout (for 17 months)

Hubby ate fish this week

Hubby woke up at 5am with a Gout attack (very painful)

Hubby won't be eating any more fish

Yippeee for the fish....

Poor Hubby!

RAW DIET PART 2

I got home and told Hubby of my thoughts of trying Raw Vegan foods for a few days.. Conversation went like this:

He slaps his head like he does when I say some thing he doesn't like..and says:

"Really!! Something else, as if I haven't changed enough of my eating..your making Potato Salad with soy mayonaise for petesake

(I was making this by the way, Yum)

And now you want to change again?"

I explain that its not forever but will help us incorporate new foods in to our diet that we wouldn't normally eat....

"Fine" he says, "I'll sit around, eat carrots and celery for a week but only if I can dip it in ranch dressing"

(Sorry, that's not Raw)

This is like when he said he would go Vegetarian with me many years ago, but only if he could still have hamburger in his spaghetti...

Little did he know then that they make veggie hamburger meat. And I bet I could find a raw creamy style dipping sauce too.

So I showed him that you don't just eat celery and carrot sticks... That there is a variety of grain, nuts, legumes, fruits and veggies to eat. And many that can be made in to delicious alternatives. Many that we've never even tried.

"Fine" he says... "You do what you want, but if I see you making potato salad with celery juice, I'm not eating it"

Haha.. I do love him so!

Poor guy, how did he ever get stuck with me?

THE USS FRANKLIN

Let me start out this post by saying I am NOT a history buff.   While I know our future relies on history and where we came from becomes who we are... and all that stuff...

Reading about history has never appealed to me...  And then I had a boy...  A boy that has changed my world and everything about it...  So why would this be any different??  I have a boy that loves all things learning, science, math, language and now History... 

I have a 6 year old boy that went to the Library and asked for a book about the USS Franklin because he saw it in pictures in South Carolina on Vacation...  The librarian proclaimed to Hubby that this was NOT a kid book...  Hubby shrugged his shoulders and said "It's my wife" ha ha...

I was expecting the boys to come home with a nice Picture book that contained Ships from years past.  Maybe some things with a few phrases about the ships, and little titles or explanations...

OH NO.. What the boys came home with??   TWO 500+ page Books that depict details from Pearl Harbor to sailors losing their lives at sea and everything in between..  The true, in their OWN words paragraphs of what happened when the USS Franklin got hit, to bringing it back home.   YES, NOT Kid books!!

 There are only a few pictures in the center of the books...I've also gotten really good about skipping/changing inappropriate words that don't belong in his ears.  IN some cases we have skipped paragraphs, that don't match the ideal of a bed time story.

Each night He Begs for more... I've decided that reading about history isn't so bad after all... He's now asking to BUY the books... and doesn't like that we have to return them to the library.... When I told him we could just check them out again, he said...

"I'll just ask for them for my Birthday"

Really??  Ok Then....Guess I will be reading about history for a very long long long time!

RAW VEGAN

So I've read a lot about people living a Raw Vegan lifestyle.....   Look at this Mom of Five...

Green and Crunchy

Imagine eating breakfast at her house, YUM!

And I started thinking about my next Challenge... While I don't expect anyone to do this with me, nor will I do this long term, I'm seriously thinking about trying the Raw thing for a couple weeks.  Maybe a month... And then incorporating the new foods I find in to our weekly shopping.

Look at these recipes from Alissa Cohen  I could totally find some new delicious things, as well as ensure that I'm eating 3 meals a day which would be the true challenge....

Hmmm... stay tuned... this blog may change fast in to the journey I take and foods I make along the way.....

(for now I'm going to go eat some left over pasta that I brought for dinner)

P.S.  Is Justin's Almond Butter considered "Raw"?  If so I think I could live on that and apples....