Vegmom Moments

A Nice Day

Yesterday was sooo nice!!  I mean slow pace, relaxed, and just NICE!

Our Soccer Game was rained out and Hubby had class.  With no morning tasks to tend to....I slept in... Then me and the Vegman had a nice breakfast/lunch, puzzle time, and talks, etc... We headed out for a Birthday Party..

My Green Goodness in tow..... OH My YUM!!!   And yes that is a Glass Dharma Straw!

 

The party was actually relaxing.. parents sitting and talking, kids playing mostly quietly... it was just NICE!!

We then headed out for dinner to our favorite Veg spot.. (I told you we eat out too much)...  While eating, Veg suggested we go for a walk after the Restaurant... So we did!

 

He didn't mind that our clothes were not the most suitable for walking... he kept asking to go further.  I'm sure we did about 2.5 miles or so.

By the time we got home it was almost bed time.. so a little more puzzles, and off to bed he went

IT was a NICE Day!!! 

Green Smoothie Greatness

This was an All GREEN Smoothie kind of a morning...

Green Apple, A Banana that wasn't quite ripe, so I'm saying it was green also... Kale, Spinach, Kiwi, 1/2 Avocado and celery... Oh a Date, some ice and coconut water too (not green, but we can pretend)

 

Thank you Mr. Vita-Mix:

Glub Glub Glub... Oh My Yum!!

Glass Dharma Straw Stash

You may recall a few days ago I mentioned Hubby requesting more Glass Straws in the kitchen....

Thanks to Glass Dharma his wish was granted... We now have Quite a few... All different Shapes and Sizes!

 

Bring on the Smoothies.................

More Glass Dharma Straws

We had Double Smoothie Days this week...

During the Smoothie Goodness, Hubby said "We need more of these straws".....

---OK--- Don't have to tell me twice...So there are a few more on order at Glass Dharma, and everyone is excited.

I got a few different lengths and diameters to accommodate all of us...

 

Now we have to wait for their arrival.....  Come quick little Glass Straws.....

What I Like Best about Summer

Enough Said!

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....

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!

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!

Good Food Choices

While I'm still eating a lot more raw food then the average bear, my time to prep the food has been limited.

Which means my variety, has been limited....  And that means my food choices have not been the best.

But this week, I'm making a conscious effort to try new things again, as well as get my greens!!

So here are the events of this day:

Morning Green Goodness:

Spinach, Kale, Avocado, Celery Root, Banana, Fresh Coconut Chunks, Apple, Peach, Kiwi, Coconut Water and Ice...

 

Peach Goodness - Organic Peaches from the Farmer's Market... I do love Farmer's Market Season... especially when I can find peaches.

 

Awesome Salad Goodness:

Romaine, Kale, Carrots, Cucumbers, Sunflower Seeds, Sprouts, & Avocado Dressing.

My first batch of home grown sprouts are finished.. Veg said they taste like dirt.

But I kind of like them..And when thrown in his stir fry, he won't know the difference.  As for me and Hubs.  We'll eat them raw on our salads and by the handful.

Sprouts are Good for ya!  Or so I've been told.

 

Here is the Salad dressing I concocted today:

1/2 Avocado guts mashed, then mixed with a little olive oil, a little lemon juice, dash of Agave Nectar, sprinkle of Garlic Salt and some fresh chopped basil from my Deck Garden.

 

Do you see the GREEN Theme today???

Now these are NOT Green, but look what Hubby harvested from the real garden this week:

 

Anyone need some potatoes? 

<NO MOM - I won't eat those raw!  *smile*>

After all that Goodness, I accepted an Anniversary Dinner Invitation from my Hubby and our Kiddo...

That nice Dinner date consisted of Veggie Fajitas (not raw) and a shared Vegan Brownie for dessert.

It was a GooooooooD  Food day!!

As for the Anniversary.. It is #19, Which is just CRAZY Talk... Just Crazy! 

I can't believe I've been married to this  Wonderful, Funny, Annoying, Sweet, Aggravating, Loving, Strong, Silly, Caring Goofball for 19 Years...  Wow... I usually reflect on our anniversary and leave a nice blog post with all of that reflecting.. but for some reason... This year, I'm just saying WOW!

So I'll leave you with that!  Some Green Goodness and WOW!

Smoothie Mystery

A blender is a Blender right?  I mean they all mix, chop, blend one way or another...  So they have to be the same right??? 

WRONG!!

My friend has a standard blender as does my Mom.  When making their smoothies, they both have said they don't look the same as mine.   Well my friend's blender is older and used, that must be the problem??  RIGHT?

WRONG!!

I saw with my own eyes when visiting my Mom.  No matter WHAT I did, I couldn't get my Mom's smoothies to taste or look the same as mine using the same ingredients.  And her Blender was brand new.

Then I went to my MIL's House and tried to introduce her to the Raw Green Smoothie Goodness....  She had tons of fruit and veggies, nothing I did made it right.... 

Maybe its the altitude?   I mean all three people can't have three different blenders that don't make perfect smoothies? RIGHT?

WRONG!!

We were staying at a condo this past week that had a fancy shmancy new'ish looking Blender....  We washed the blender and I told Hubs to be on alert.... "This smoothie isn't going to taste the same as ours at home"  I told him...

HE disagreed...  A Blender is a Blender... Same Ingredients... Same taste... he kept saying....  He was determined to use this Blender and make the PERFECT Smoothie Green Goodness.

Well knowing what I know about this Blender situation from past experience, I closed my mouth and said to myself

"He will learn to appreciate Mr. Vita-Mix after this Condo Smoothie"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

I'm Baaaaaacckkkkk....  We decided to take an unplanned beach trip during our time off from work while the getting was good....  Found a deal we couldn't pass up, and off we went!!!

While gone, I had a little Birthday.. which is normally no big deal in our house, but I woke up in our hotel Condo thing, to a wonderful "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" greeting from the Vegman.   Which then Hubby said "OH YEAH, Happy Birthday"... Because he is sweet like that!

But both my Men from that point forward decided the day was MINE!  And I could do Anything I wanted...

SO I DID!  *SMILE*

Hubby snuck down to the resort Market and found me this card (could it be any more perfect?):

And this cute little Banana Muffin that we divided in thirds and chowed down....

 

This was the day I decided to take a solo jog on the beach, along with a very long relaxing walk.. which was followed by another day with jogging on the beach... (more on that to follow)

This was also the day, I discovered Watermelon at the beach concessions...  Sorry.. I ate every last bit before realizing a picture needed to happen.  Because maybe someone didn't know what watermelon looked like?....  <insert Hubby saying, "Why are you taking a picture of chewed up watermelon?">

But this was also the day, that I agreed to leave the resort... up until then, we stuck to walking distance entertainment...  You know like THE BEACH.... and other stuff like that!

On my Birthday however, we ventured out... (after the beach walking/jogging) and hit a little place called 

The SPROUT

 

Where we found THIS:

 

This Green Juice/Smoothie thing was something I soooo needed... It had been a couple days with out Mr. Vita-Mix at this point, and I was seriously going through withdrawal.

Just look at this Green Goodness!!!  OH MY YUM!!!

And some of these:

 

This Goodness for me:

And THIS of which Hubby ate.  His first experience with this kind of Veggie "Burger" and he ate it all up.

We also got to try some samples of Soup, which Veg LOVED, even talked about how great it was the rest of the day...  And a slice of "sushi" which was quite delicious....

Hubby got a Berry Smoothie while the Vegman picked a protein packed Peanut butter and Coconut Milk beverage.

This lunch date was Totally worth the drive from our comfy condo and worth every penny of the purchase price.   By the way... Hubby, ate their Energy snacks and said they were better then my Nutty Date bites... Oh sigh... How could it be??? 

In summary, If your Ever in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, be sure to stop by The Sprout!  OH MY YUM!!!!

Our next adventure, took us here:

 

Where we found some fixings to make our own smoothies back in the condo... (minus Mr. Vita-Mix, more on this to follow).... We also found lots of Organic fruit and raw veggies for munching the rest of the trip.

We had some more Beach Fun, some Pool fun, Some Awesome Vegan Veggie Fajitas for Dinner and then watched the sun go down...

 

And Really.... What more could a Birthday Girl ask for??  Start the day with Solo Beach Jog, Continue the day with two wonderful human beings, and end the day watching the sun go down...

Ahhhhhhh... and that was only ONE DAY.... Stay tuned for more adventure details as this Veg Family took on the Isle Of Palms.

A Green Foods Day and Some other ramblings

While I tend to have green foods these days with or without minor injury...I had lots and lots of it today, just because I was home and I could...

Of course this!  Actually - 2 of these: (the white froth is coconut.. yum)

Reason # 539 that I love having a Dehydrator (and am home all day to use it):

Kale Crisps... Ooh La La:

 

The start of a salad with raw asparagus by the way... my new favorite thing:

And the lettuce thrown on top...Look at all that green:

These... NOW THESE are not Green... they are supposed to be raw but I didn't have any raw nut-butter, so they are actually not raw, but Soooooooooooooo  Good!!!  Oh my...I didn't even know food could taste so good.  Really!! 

Before going to a mostly Plant based diet, my taste buds were so different.  Things that taste good, really really taste good.  Sensations in my taste buds that I didn't know existed.

The strangest combination of ingredients and NO Machines needed.  Just a bowl, a spoon and some very sticky hands, then a freezer..

Another recipe from Kristen's Raw - Dessert Book.

And this little guy...  The green thing... It is our little compost bin that we keep in the kitchen.  It has a filter on top to keep the smell down.  Veg is the Compost police.."It MUST go out once a week Mom, and we have to clean it every time"....

As much stuff as we put in this thing, we will actually empty more often, especially in the hot summer months coming soon.

We've already noticed a significant difference in that Big Garbage can having less contents.  In Fact, I think we only used two bags in that thing all week and one of them just changed out today.  And the one from today, was because we emptied all the other trash cans in to it for our Sunday clean up.

 

If you need a little compost bin, we found ours at For Small Hands. The site also has extra filters and books all about composting.  We've had it filled with stuff for two weeks (knowing our tumbler was almost in place) and no stench in our kitchen at all.  I was really impressed.  Not even the banana peel smell came through.

So there you go... Some Green and some not so green, but a very Yummy day to say the least!

Green Goodnes For Healing

Once upon a time there was a Broken Toe... In life sometimes things just happen.. I get that, and I roll with the punches.  Even the ones that hurt.... However this is the first "injury" I've had since dibble dabbling in to more raw foods.  Since really feeling myself going through something and being in tune with everything else happening.

Watching it start to heal and how the rest of my body reacts has been pretty interesting...  In fact, I woke up at 3am feeling like.... well... uh....  A broken toe!  My whole body ached, my stomach was doing somersaults, I was cold and clammy and my foot had swelled up from the toe to the middle....

"Excuse me, Body, are you listening... Its a TOE!!"  Not arm, Leg, Stomach, Kidney... ITS A TOE!!!  Why did all the rest of me feel so yuck?

Body said back.... "Because I'm taking all the blood from the rest of your body and putting in your foot..."

Not really, but that is what it felt like in case you were wondering!

You'll notice in this very bad picture, that my toe is taped...that other part that is red/purple is my Foot!

Funny enough, this is 1/2 what it looked like at 3am.. It actually looks really good now... I've been soaking with ACV and Water cold wash clothes, I've used Arnica, Comfrey Ointment, and Tea Tree..  I drank Lemon water (help with water retention)... And it got better....

I even found my old crutches, and mastered those today, to stay off the foot...And yet 1/2 my foot is still rebelling.

Then it came to me.... I needed some Feel Better Goodness....

Greens, My Friend, How are ya?

YUP --- thats what I needed!!!

 Green sludge filled with Feel Better Goodness!!!  Now if I only had some chocolate... Hmmm?
 

Gena’s Chocolate Almond Smoothie

There is a New Yummy Smoothie in my House, and the recipe comes from Gena over at Choosing Raw....

I was perusing her site last night when I noticed her post about not being so much a Green Smoothie Fan...

Gasp!  Its true!!   I however, am one of the people she mentions that doesn't get enough greens in my day without a smoothie.  And I don't have a Juicer...  So I'm all about the Green Smoothie... Since I'm not so much a food combiner per say, the smoothie combo's that I come up with seem to work for me.

Of course we are all different and that is what makes us all wonderful.... Gena did mention the couple Smoothies that are her favorite, and I tried the one today with Almond Butter and Chocolate..... OH MY YUM!!!   Of course I added Spinach to mine. (Sorry Gena)  But oh it was soooooo Good!  And so rich.... I had that for breakfast and didn't even snack again until around 1 or 2pm when I ate a salad for lunch.

My Vegman can't have Almonds because of his tummy, so this treat was Allllll Mine!  And I will be making it again!... Did I mention it was GOOD and Filling......

Thank you  Gena!

Green Goodness and a Challenge

The challenge has been named!  The date has been sent...  How it will happen???  I have NO IDEA!

Friend - will loose 8 pounds

Me - will loose 5 pounds

Date... By June 15th 2010

Prize???  I dunno actually, haven't gotten that far?  Maybe the prize will be success....

But for now we challenge....  this means eating healthier for friend and more exercise for both of us...

Can we do it folks???  I have no idea!

What I do know, is that I will be drinking A LOT of these:

And to my other friend that always wonders how I get my Smoothies soo green??  I have no idea about that either.  This pic is right out of the camera... Green, Nutritious and Delicious!

OH MY YUM!!!  Can't wait for the morning... 

Anyone else want to take a challenge??  Throw it in the comments, will be fun to track!

Green Smoothie - New Try Show Down

I have a friend that is now making green smoothies... Even if her family won't indulge in the goodness (yet) she is doing so with the intention of making her self feel better.  Which I think is pretty darn Cool.

On top of that, she takes her Green Goodness to work and shares with her co-workers.  Which is doubly cool.  And her plan is to continue trying new things.  This part, I already posted about...

Funny enough, some of her things that she loves, I have never tried... some things I use, SHE has never tried!  So it has sort of become a show down... She tries, I try..... IT works!

Until she tried beets...  That went on her BAD list....  So yesterday I tried Rutabaga per her suggestion..  My Vegman was NOT a fan of the Rutabaga Smoothie... Hubby and I thought it was kind of strong but both liked it. 

Then I took some to work, brought cups for the crew, and let everyone try....  Hey Mikey... They liked it!!! 
Even if after I told them what was in it!

Now today, I went with Celery for my "extra" item, as my friend uses it.... And I was SHOCKED how much taste a single stalk of celery has... 

Coconut Water, ice, Apple, Banana, Grapes, Spinach, Yellow Squash, and One stalk of celery.

THE ONLY THING I TASTED WAS THE CELERY!!!   Not so sure, I liked it?  I'll have to give that one another go another day. 

My friend however has some dates and Goji berries waiting for her next smoothie... We shall see what she thinks *smile*

And the New Try Showdown Continues!!

Do you make smoothies?  Tried anything new lately?

A Pink Smoothie

I didn't make it to the store today, which means my fruit/veggie stash is down to Nothing!  Nada, Zilch, EMPTY!

Except a Lonely Avocado and a couple Sweet Potatoes

But my Freezer had a few things fruity, some spinach, and I had ONE lonely banana left.... Oh, also some lettuce from the Downstairs Garden.... A little bit of Pineapple Juice left, and a Smidgin of Coconut Water...

Oooh La La... Even with my Kitchen on Empty, I found enough stuff for 8 full cups of Pink/Green goodness!

I introduce you to my empty kitchen Totally PINK Smoothie:

And yet again, my Vegman downed a cup... make that TWO cups of the goodness.... I think he is off his hiatus.. So I shall pump him full of all the goodness that I can, while the Gettin's good!

As for myself... OH MY YUM!!  I drank a Tad too much (if that is possible), but did save enough for work tomorrow.  PLUS added water to a second cup to make a Juice in the morning...

Pink - Green Smoothies are Quite Tasty..  And I'm lovin' the extra creamy-ness that the Avocado gives.

THANKS AU Again for the suggestion, and for your guest photo in earlier post *wink*

Welcome Home Smoothie

So I learned while on our trip that Smoothies in a Vita-Mix look different then those in my Mom's blender.. Also my MIL's blender, and now my Friend's Blender...

I'm not sure what the deal is, since we use the same ingredients.... but upon arriving home, I wanted to make my own and see for sure the difference....

Here is my Green Goodness:

 

 

And here is my Friends:

Oh but they both taste soooo good!  despite the appearance!

And we both tried Avocados today in our green goodness...  We were out of everything when I got home, so I had to resort to juice and frozen fruits...

Here is what I came up with:

Pineapple/Coconut Juice, Coconut Water, Frozen organic Peaches, Frozen Organic Spinach, 1/2 an avocado, 1 whole banana, and ice!

It also required a Tsp of Turbinado Sugar, as I didn't have enough sweet fruits and put in too much Spinach.  But that Sugar did the trick! and OH MY YUM!!!

Veg even liked it and drank a whole Glass... YAY!!!!!   (he's been vetoing smoothies for a couple weeks, so this was exciting)

Thanks AU for suggesting the Avocado..... Yummy Creamy Green Goodness!

Traveling Duo and Some Raw food goodness

Sooooooo... There was a trip... to Michigan!  Just me and my Boy!  And man was it a great one!! 

My Hubby didn't make this trip but the only thing I knew he would miss was my Green Smoothies.. So I made him a "Smoothie" Card with recipe inside.... And not only did he make smoothies for himself, but he took some to friends.

(ignore my hand cut blender please)

 

I actually left him about 15 different cards through out the house..So he wouldn't be sad that we weren't home.  (Told you I was busy last week) but he found almost all of them before we even left... Stinker!

Then it was time to Pack up the car...  and head out... 

The Mountains looked like Erupting Volcanoes with Clouds and Fog in the distance:

 

And the rain hit us on the other side of those mountains... but nothing too terrible....

We Stopped at a coffee place to rest my weary eyes along the way.   And they had this sign in the window.. So I figured I was welcome:

The rest of the trip was supposed to go along with my theme of no plans.. But then I made plans... And then none of them worked out as planned.

Day Light Savings threw me ALL off and we ended up leaving the house later then "planned"  From there, everything else just took a turn for the better!

Plans set for at least 5 people from hubby's family all shifted, and left me with extra open time to be with my Friend... Our trip ended up being 90% my family including my bestest oldest friend! 

We went shopping which was HUGE Fun.. As in shopping from lunch time through Dinner time in one day just us girls.  I discovered that my hiney fits in to a pant size that I haven't fit in since 16 years old.... Granted I'm just a "little" more jiggly then when I was 16... (just a little... really)

And my friend decided to make me dress like a grown up.  She found me the cutest tops (all cotton of course) to go with the bottoms I picked... I even found a pair of Organic Cotton Capri's.... LOVE THEM!!!  

We found a whole years worth of clothes for the Vegman at some outlets, and did a whole lot of talking! So much fun..

The food on this trip was The best...

Lots of these (thanks NeeNee):

 

Some of this:

 

Red Pepper Deli in Northville Michigan has the BEST Food... and my friend even decided to join me for some Raw Goodness.. (And she liked it!)

I had some Raw Bread and Seed Cheese for the first time!  It was quite tasty!

 

The best part was, the owner remembered me *smile*  And seeing how far they've come with Raw food Challenges, Organic food Co-ops, and classes since the last time I was there, is really exciting.  

We also tried a couple smoothies and a raw brownie for dessert!  Yum Yum Yum!!!

My Mom assisted with a Green Smoothie morning:

 

We also went to Tomato Bros. which I'd been told was the best Pizza in town:

It was pretty darn good!  My friend and I split a Veggie pizza (mine without cheese)  And a very yummy salad..

Most of my other food was either Salad, Fruit or Raw Veggies on Pita...

OH... I even got some yummy treats at this place.... I SOOOO NEED ONE OF THESE IN MY TOWN:

And was told that I couldn't leave Michigan without a coffee drink from:

The coffee drink was quite tasty, I must say!  BUT even better was the company... My friend and I sat out on the patio in the sunshine for  hours, and just talked and talked....

While Veg got some extra time with his NeeNee at an Arcade:

 

Veg spent so much time with his NeeNee this trip... and went to the park, arcade, out to eat.  They read books with Grandpa C, and played in the yard.  He also got to play putt putt and visit with our friends, and visit with another set of grand parents.  

He also got to visit the Baby Dog (that isn't a baby):

 

We went here, which the picture doesn't do justice and it was the biggest indoor playscape I've ever seen.. As you can imagine my germ-o-phobe tendencies kicked in, but I put them on the back burner so he could have fun with his grand parents.   And fun he did have!

 

To finish up the trip, we stopped off at Luna Pier on our way home, so Veg could see one of the Great Lakes from his book...  

The Sun was just beginning to come up and the air was chilly, but it was a Great moment.  He was Sooooo excited to see Lake Erie that he had read about.  And EVEN said "This is the best day ever"  :-)

 

To make this stop even more special, this Biker Guy that lived near the Pier saw us and our out of state tags.  He came out and gave Veg a toy Motorcycle to play with on his trip... (a BIG one too)

Normally I would fear a stranger walking up to us in 1/2 day light in an empty parking lot.  But there was a peace over this fella.  And normally I wouldn't take a toy from a stranger, but knowing I had many many hours ahead of us, and my Vegman was very sad to leave his grand parents, I made the executive decision to allow the toy exchange.

Thank you Mr. Biker Stranger... You really did make our day and also showed us that the kindness of people is out there, big and strong!!

Then... my Mom sent me a link to this place in Cincinnati Ohio.. I stuck the address in our Garmin and Off we went!

At the Loving Cafe, I LOVED THE FOOD!!!  The name was quite fitting!  Not only Vegan, but to my surprise, many raw dishes too!

I decided to try a Raw Pizza, which came with a salad:

 

OH MY YUM!!!  I need a better dehydrator.  That Pizza "bread" was soooooooooo good!  And the salad dressing... Really did I say OH MY YUM!!!!!!!!

Thinking this will be our new Adventure Plan... Where we go, we shall find good Vegan and/or Raw Treats!

At this place we found both.  Veg had a Vegan Grilled Panini Sandwich and a smoothie.  While I had my Raw goodness.  Then we both split a piece of Vegan Chocolate Cake and called it a day....

That was all she wrote!  The boy slept in the car for the next 3hrs.  And I went in to an Energy zone, to get us home.. Speed limit of course *wink*...

It would be many more hours before we made it home, but Ahhhhhhhhhhh.... Home we are... There were those mountains calling me... Hello there!!

So there it is... the Adventures of a Traveling Veg duo.... Lots of fun, lots of relaxing, some GREAT food, some GREAT Shopping, the kindness of strangers and some great weather, and getting home safely...

What more could a girl ask for???  And as for the Vegman?  HE LOVED his birthday present.. But asked if we could fly next time.  HA!  Said that driving stuff is for the birds! *smile*

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!