Superfood Smoothie Recipe

blend:

-3 cups coconut water, hemp milk, almond milk or oat milk
-1/4 cup raw cacao beans (or nibs)
-3 tbsp maca root powder
-1 handful of goji berries
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-1 pinch of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan crystal salt
-Real Raw Clear Agave Nectar (sweeten to taste)

Original post here.

Inspired By Joshua Pumpkin Soup

Joshua gave me the idea for this yummy soup, and I made it with Cassie last night. I love it!

1. Saute some garlic and lemon grass in sesame oil.
2. Strain the garlic and lemon grass bits when done.
3. Add SOME of the flavored oil to pumpkin puree (save some of the oil to saute the greens), and put it all in a pot.
4. Add a can of coconut water to the pot.
5. With the saved oil saute up an onion and some chopped greens (I used chard and mustard greens, as well as some broccoli flowers. You could probably use any greens that you had around that looked yummy.).
6. Add the greens/onion to the pot.
7. Eat your yummy soup! I enjoyed adding lime juice to my bowl as I ate it.

Becoming a Love Magnet!

Top ten things to do and remember to manifest your soul mate:
(Written By Arielle Ford)

1. Be the loving person that you are. Find ways to express more love to everyone in your life.
2. Live in the knowingness that you are in a loving, committed relationship.
3. Live that truth every day as you savor the waiting for your beloved to arrive.
4. Create a “vision map” of your romantic vision and look at it daily.
5. Write a list of the most important qualities your soul mate will possess.
6. Heal your heart of any past hurts that will prevent you from magnetizing big love.
7. Clear out the clutter in your home and create space for your beloved (especially in your closets).
8. Create an altar in the relationship corner of your home.
9. Listen to your intuition to take action when opportunities present themselves.
10. Fall in love with yourself. Know that you are lovable.

Article in full here.

I quit cold turkey!

Well after YEARS of wanting to reduce my sugar consumption I finally found the only method that seems to be effective --quitting sugar altogether! After reading the amazing blog "My Year Without" it gave me the support I needed to realize that trying to limit sugar, or allowing myself only one "sweet cheat" item just wasn't going to cut it. I was too physically and mentally addicted to the sweet, white powder!

This might sound extreme and difficult (Afterall, sugar is SO incidious!), but the has been quite empowering! It is perhaps the first time in my life that I have experienced such willpower and discipline, and it has extended to other parts of my life beyond my diet. I suppose to be fair that I should mention that this process has not entirely been a piece of cake (pun completely intended). I do get cravings, and I do sometimes look longingly at sugary, delightful baked goods, but when I remind myself that I CAN have that piece of sugary whatever, but CHOOSE not too, I feel the willpower kicking in again, and it makes me proud of myself.

The reason for my new diet change (besides realizing that I was completely addicted, and eating sugar with reckless abandon), was that eating sugar made me feel physically, and mentally terrible. I could honestly see no benefit of eating sugar.

The hardest part of this process is realizing that I have to be an avid food label reader now. It seems like every day I have discovered something (packaged/processed) that I used to eat without a second thought, but now "can't" because it has sugar in it including some: hot sauces, frozen pizza, chips, salad dressings, and bread. I shouldn't be eating this stuff anyway I suppose.

Along with reading labels I have had to become a good detective for sugar "code words." Some of the newly off-limit ingredients that all mean the same thing as "sugar" include:
Saccharose, Sucanat, Granulated Sugar, Refined Sugar, Brown Sugar, Cane Juice, Evaporated Cane Juice, Evaporated Cane Sugar, Cane Sugar, Raw Cane Sugar, Turbinado, Cane syrup, Beet syrup, Beet Sugar, Baker's Sugar, Bar Sugar, Barbados Sugar, Berry Sugar, Chinese Rock Sugar, Confectioners Sugar, Rock sugar, Corn Syrup, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, and AGAVE (yes agave is out! Read about why here).

and that's not the complete list of sneaky names for sugar, just some of the more popular ones. I also, by the way, never have and never will eat artificial sweeteners. I like food, not chemicals and cancer!

Here is a list of items that are "okay by me" (due to the fact that they are natural; unprocessed; don't react in the body the same way as sugar does; and contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber) for this new diet adventure:
honey, molasses, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, "grain sweetened", and date sugar.

two other "sweeteners" that I am okay using, because they come from plants, include:
stevia and xylitol

This new adventure has allowed me to give up completely some of the foods that I shouldn't be eating anyway, get creative with recipes, or hunt for "naturally sweetened" treats. Some of the naturally sweet recipes that I have found are chronicled here and here in my blog. I also found an abundant supply of "grain sweetened" chocolate covered almonds in the bulk section of Whole Foods. mm--mm--good!

more later...

"Mounds" Frozen Candy Bars

They're almost healthy...

1 1/3 C. unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 C. coconut oil (unrefined, virgin is best)
1/4 C. honey
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 C. sliced almonds

* Melt coconut oil and honey over low heat until just melted. Whisk to combine. Add almond extract and coconut flakes.
* Take a 12-compartment muffin tin and evenly distribute the almonds in each. Then evenly distribute the coconut mixture over each of those. Place in freezer on flat surface for 30 minutes.
* Next, you will prepare the chocolate:

3/4 C. cocoa powder (not dutch cocoa)
1/4 C. honey
1 C. coconut oil
1 Tblsp vanilla extract

* Combine these ingredients in a 2-cup measuring glass and place in a pot of simmering water. Heat and whisk until everything is just melted. Remove from heat and continue to whisk until smooth.
* Take out the tin of frozen coconut and evenly distribute the chocolate mixture over it.
* Put back into your freezer and freeze until hard, about 30 minutes.
* To get them out after freezing, simply pop them out with a knife. Keep them frozen as they melt otherwise.
* Enjoy!

Somewhat Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup pb
1 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
11/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups whole wheat flour

oven at 350

Recipe says that cookies made from honey burn easily so watch them carefully...

bake 10-12 min

I feel guilty

This is what I feel guilty about:

1. Using excessive amounts of plastic (especially beverage containers that I use once and then throw away).

2. The homeless people on the street that I don't give enough/any money to, or even smile at.

3. Driving!

4. Not calling/visiting my Dad more often.

5. Buying a meditation cushion and never using it to meditate.

6. Not being nicer, more respectful, or patient with my Mom.

7. Not playing with my dog enough.

8. Being neglectful of my childhood pet bunnies.

9. Accidentally "boiling" my pet tropical fish when I was a kid, and unknowingly turned the heater up too high.

10. All of the animal suffering I cause by eating eggs and dairy, and all of the previous animal suffering I caused when I ate meat.

11. The rare, yet significant times when I don't recycle.

12. Not spending enough time petting and loving on my cat.

13. The food that I end up wasting because I don't get a chance to eat it fast enough.

14. Not saving more of my paycheck.

15. The times when I have lied, particularly to my parents.

In celebration of my 30th birhday (yes two moths later)...

The top 30 blessings, people and resources who have come into my life and most inspired me into a more blissful and enjoyable journey here since my birth on Earth:

1. Macie
2. Each and every one of my special, unique, beautiful friends (I don't want to run the risk of playing favorites, or forgetting to list anyone, so let's just say that you know who you are, and thank you!).
3. Starfire/LAUMC/Dirk & Carol Damonte
4. Groovelily
5. Ballroom/Social/Vintage Dance
6. Stinson Beach
7. Dar Williams
8. Animals
9. Santa Clara University
10. Soul Collages
11. The Story of Stuff
12. Nature/Field Journaling
13. Composting
14. Natural Swimming Holes
15. Grandma Shirley
16. Bikes
17. Crossroads (hurrah for recycled clothing)
18. My Little Ponies (and spending HOURS playing them with Agnes).
19. Home/School/Community gardens
20. No Impact Man
21. Kris Carr
22. NPR
23. EnviroWoman
24. Mindfulness Class (as taught by Shaylin Ebert)
25. Dirty Dancing
26. Kate Goldwater (Double hurrah for recycled clothing made by the coolest person ever!)
27. vegetarianism (and the Monterey Bay Aquarium for making me finally give up eating fish.)
28. Punky Brewster (My childhood idol)
29. Dharma & Greg (My adult idol)
30. Summer Spaghetti

David's Delicious Kale Salad

Thanks David for this awesome recipe! I can feel my body and soul thanking me with every bite!

2 bunches of stripped, hand shredded kale
1/4 cup (or more) of olive oil (enough to cover the kale with)

massage the kale in oil until tender (this takes a lot longer than I originally realized)

add the juice of two lemons, two chunked avocados, some kalamata olives, 4 (or more) diced cloves of garlic
.

I also added to the recipe some salt, cayenne pepper, and some diced sage.

So incredible! I could eat this every day for the rest of my life! mmmmmm.....

Raw/Vegan Ice "Cream" Elixir

Hello YUM!
This recipe was adapted from the original recipe (shown below). Many of these ingredients can be found in the "raw" food section of Whole Foods:

1.5 trays of ice cubes
Several large heaps of cocoa powder
(3 Tbsp lucuma powder) -I didn't use this this time
1 Tbsp mesquite powder
1 tsp maca
½ tsp vanilla
1/16th tsp stevia powder
some cinnamon powder
some nutmeg powder
1 spoonful of essential greens powder
2 tablespoons Raw Almond Butter
½ cup water

Blend everything together in a high–speed blender and ENJOY :)


The following recipe was created by Angela and Matt Monarch:
1.5 trays of ice cubes
3 Tbsp lucuma powder
1 Tbsp mesquite powder
1 tsp maca
½ tsp vanilla powder
1/16th tsp stevia powder
1 Tbsp Vitamineral Earth
½ tsp cardamom powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
few drops of Icelandic Nature Essences
5 drops pau d’arco liquid
7 drops immune boosting liquid
3 drops raspberry fruit extract
2 Tbsp Go! Almond Butter
½ cup water
pinch of Himalayan crystal salt

Blend everything together in a high–speed blender and ENJOY :)

Recipe taken from the very awesome Raw Reform website.

Cathy's Butternut Squash and Tofu Thai Curry- Yummers!

2 lb of butternut squash
1 large bunch of broccoli
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 package of extra firm tofu
1 yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger
1 dried or fresh chili pepper
2 inches of fresh lemon grass
several leaves of fresh kaffir lime (if you can find them!)
I can light coconut milk
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon sugar
soy sauce or water as needed


garnish:
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons salted peanuts, chopped

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 450F. Slice the tofu and squash into small rectangles and bake until tofu is golden brown, or until you can't stand it anymore.

While baking the tofu and squash, combine ginger, garlic, onion, thinly sliced lemon grass, and chili pepper with enough water to blend. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and saute this spicy mixture for 10 minutes.

Add the spices and continue to saute for 5-8 mins (add water as necessary to prevent burning).

Add butternut squash and tofu. Saute under med-low heat for 10 mins adding water/soy sauce as necessary. Then add the broccoli and peppers and saute for 5 mins or until al dente. Turn down heat to low.

Combine the coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, sugar and salt. Add to the pan. Cook for a few minutes and remove from heat.

Serve over jasmine rice or any other grain of your choice.

A way to use up the leftover bread from my b-day party...

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

* 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 1 cup fat-free milk
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup egg substitute or 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 5 cups cubed day-old bread
* 1/2 cup chopped peeled apple (about 1 apple)



Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, milk, brown sugar, egg substitute, vanilla and cinnamon. Fold in bread cubes and apple.
Pour into an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm over whipped topping, OR vanilla ice-cream, OR TJs new tart frozen yoghurt. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 8 servings. This recipe can be doubled nicely.


Recipe and photo taken from http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Caramel-Apple-Bread-Pudding

Strawberry and Grilled Tofu Salad

From executive chef Scott Garrett - at LA hotel Avalon's Blue on Blue restaurant (Serves 4)

Ingredients:
(local and organic whenever possible)

* 12 oz tofu, marinated in lemon juice and oil
* Salt and cracked black pepper
* 1 pt fresh strawberries
* 1 sprig basil
* 1/2 pt plain yogurt
* 2 heads Bibb lettuce
* 4 oz chickpeas
* 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
* 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
* 2 oz walnuts


Directions:

Start by seasoning your tofu with salt and pepper, then grill. When done, set aside. Over low heat, combine strawberries (minus the stems and leaves) and basil in a small sauce pot with a little water. Reduce mixture by 1/3, and then remove from heat. When cool, add the yogurt and black pepper to taste, and puree. Cut off the core of the bib lettuce, separate the leaves, and place them into a mixing bowl. Add the chickpeas, ricotta, red onion, walnuts, and strawberries (depending on size, cut however you like). Add a small amount of the reduction and toss well. Slice the tofu, and add to the top of the salad.

Starting my own business?

Hi Friends! I am calling on your support, please. My Mom came to me this weekend with the terrific idea of starting my own business. The current idea is to have a business where I could go to people's houses and help them start gardens with and for their kids. I would help them get everything designed, planted, and ready with their kids. After that they would be in charge of maintaining their garden unless they wanted to pay for further consultation (but I wouldn't want to be their regular gardener).

A fun addition that I was was thinking about was that plant a theme gardens in addition to/instead regular vegetable or flower gardens. Potential theme gardens include: fairy garden, animal/zoo garden, Native American garden, A-Z garden, 6-plant part burrito garden, fort garden, etc. Any other theme ideas?

Also, I am hoping that you can help me with a name for my business/domain name. I really like the idea of "Let's Get Growing" as a business name. That name is not, however, available for a website domain name. Here are some potential website domain names that seem to be available:

gardeneducation.com
enchantinggardens.org
organicgardeneducation.com
kidgardens.net/org
organickidgardens.com
getgrowingorganic.com
getgrowingorganic.com

If you have ideas for a domain name you can test its availability here: http://instantdomainsearch.com/

Also, here is a template that I was thinking of for my website here. What do you think? Is it too childish and not professional enough?

I am completely open, and thankful for any suggestions for the name, website name, website organization, business idea, etc. of my potential future business.

THANK YOU!!!
xoxox

psychological spring cleaning...

As I prepare for the big 3-0 (!) I am trying to make it an emotional, spiritual, physical rebirth/celebration time, blah blah blah. I like this, and you might too:
http://crazysexylife.com/2009/start-your-psychological-spring-cleaning/

Mom's Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Butter Dressing

Dressing (wisk/blend together the following):
6 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
some garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Cook: 8 oz. whole wheat linguine, and then cool with water

Cut veggies:
(chop like matchsticks) orange/red bell pepper and carrots
shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped green onions

For garnish: 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

I want this...and I want it NOW!

Only 19 baking days left until my birthday...if you catch my hint...

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows
makes 2 dozen cookies

Chocolate dough:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder
2 tablespoons black unsweetened cocoa or more dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
3/4 cup natural salted peanut butter, crunchy or creamy style
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons soy creamer or non-dairy milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa if using, baking soda and salt. Mix to form a moist dough.

Make the filling. In another mixing bowl beat together peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy creamer and vanilla extract to form a moist but firm dough. If peanut butter dough is too dry (as different natural peanut butters have different moisture content), stir in remaining tablespoon of non-dairy milk. If dough is too wet knead in a little extra powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Shape the cookies. Create the centers of the cookies by rolling the peanut butter dough into 24 balls. Scoop a generous tablespoon of chocolate dough, flatten into a disc and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Fold the sides of the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter center and roll the chocolate ball into an smooth ball between your palms. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and repeat with remaining doughs. If desired gently flatten cookies a little, but this is not necessary.

Place dough balls on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and let cookies for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling. Store cookies in tightly covered container. If desired warm cookies in a microwave for 10 to 12 seconds before serving.

Photo and recipe from: http://theppk.com/blog/2009/03/30/peanut-butter-pillows/

Lacey's Funny, Yummy Bread!

I don't know how she does it, but she is a genius! Lacey can make unbelievably delicious, crunchy-crusted (how often does this happen in homemade bread?), fabulous bread! This recipe is originally from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Hertzberg & Francois.

The idea is to make a wet dough (no kneading!), keep it in the refrigerator, and bake hunks of it whenever you want fresh bread – whee! Makes four 1-pound loaves.


3 c. lukewarm water

1 1/2 T yeast

2 to 2 1/2 tsp. salt (play with it – recipe called for 1 1/2 T, waaaay too salty!

6 1/2 c. flour (I used about 3 c. whole wheat and 3 c. bread flour, but you can play with it)

Put yeast and salt into warm water.

Mix in flour.

Let sit 2 hours.

Cover & refrigerate.


When you want a loaf….
Dust surface of dough with flour, pull up and cut off a grapefruit-sized hunk to bake.
Dust hunk with more flour, pull edges around to form a loaf. Place loaf on baking tray.
Rise 20 minutes while preheating the oven to 450° with an oven-safe skillet of water in the bottom of the oven for steam.
Dust loaf with flour, slash with a sharp knife.
Bake 25-35 minutes (depending on size of loaf). Make sure the water doesn’t run out!


Store remaining dough (covered) in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The flavor will change and become more sour over time.

The coolest library website in the world!

Thank you to Lacey, Ryan, and Graham for all coming through and helping me re-find this website. Now that it is found I want EVERYONE to know about it:

Last year while I was searching for a very rare book at various libraries (if you want to know what book it was please ask me -totally hilarious story!) I ran across this website where you can type any book (or any kind of media) and your zipcode (actually the computer already knows your zipcode- scary!) into it's search bar and it will list every library in the COUNTRY (or even possibly the world -hence the name?) that has that book starting with the one that is closest to you. It will also tell you if the book is available, and you can set up an inter-library loan through the website (I may be mistaken about this last part).

I LOVE this website, and here it is: World Cat: http://www.worldcat.org/


Photo credit: http://www.artsjournal.com/bookdaddy/2008/07/

Vegetarian "Meat"loaf

I think that I am going to try this recipe tomorrow...

Ingredients

* 2 cups water
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup lentils
* 1 small onion, diced
* 1 cup quick-cooking oats
* 3/4 cup grated cheese (cheddar, swiss, jack or American)
* 1 egg, beaten
* 4 1/2 ounces spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 tablespoon dried parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1.Add salt to water and boil in a saucepan.
2.Add lentils and simmer covered 25-30 minutes, until lentils are soft and most of water is evaporated.
3.Remove from fire.
4.Drain and partially mash lentils.
5.Scrape into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
6.Stir in onion, oats and cheese until mixed.
7.Add egg, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, seasoning salt and pepper.
8.Mix well.
9.Spoon into loaf pan that has been generously sprayed with Pam (non-stick cooking spray) or well-greased.
10.Smooth top with back of spoon.
11.Bake at 350 degrees for 30- 45 minutes until top of loaf is dry, firm and golden brown.
12.Cool in pan on rack for about 10 minutes.
13.Run a sharp knife around edges of pan then turn out loaf onto serving platter.

Recipe taken from http://www.recipezaar.com/Really-Good-Vegetarian-Meatloaf-really-33921