What I bought wednesday

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

I was in a snacky mood today.  I had to get snacks for hubs and child and maybe myself so I was eyeing all kinds of fun things at TJ's because they always have fun things.  That mojo bar is my kind of snack bar.  Its like a pay day with caramel and pretzel.  Its kinda ridiculous. 

I thought the baked lentil chips would be a nice alternative to hummus dipping.  They are quite peppery.  I have always been into the adzuki bean chips because I feel like I'm eating a healthy tortilla chip and they're super thin and crispy and just perfectly flavorful.  A little sweet almost.  Hubs thinks the olive oil chips are the best ones he's ever had.  "There's no reason to buy any other chip" said he, but I've heard that before when I bought him Milton's gourmet whote sandwich bread.  Then he OD'ed on it.  

The kind and lara bars truly are the  kindest snack you can have because although they are processed, they are still just nuts and dried fruit crammed together and very little else.  The peanut butter cookie is a really tasty dessert when you don't care to indulge too crazily.

And thats what I bought folks.  See ya next Wednesday.

Of my life

Monday, February 27, 2012

Lunch with the boys

Saturday, February 25, 2012
Perfectly grilled salmon
Huge grilled chick salad!
Think someone's interested?



I had lunch with the boys yesterday.  We ate at Turquoise in Redondo Riviera and had salmon salad, chicken and finished off with 22 degrees prebiotic gelato.  That place is amazing.  They have flavors like Chrysanthemum Flower, Cinnamon Vietnamese Cassia, Wasabi raspberry, Jalapeno Chocolate and Adzuki bean.  The gelato is loaded with prebiotic inulin to help digestion and supposedly has more fiber than a half lb. of broccoli.  But of course I got the boring madagascar vanilla bean, peanut butter chocolate chip and milk chocolate.  Its so hard for me to steer from my fave ice cream flavors.  Maybe tonight I will.  We are going to Abigaile in Hermosa Beach and I hear all they serve for dessert is Strauss Creamery soft serve with toppings like salt caramel and chili oil.  I loves me some soft serve.  I'm sorry, was I on a cleanse recently.  Yes, I was. 

Pretty Food.

Sunday, February 19, 2012





Pix above weheartit.com, below from flickr.com

Cooking with Chef AJ

Friday, February 17, 2012
INSANE german chocolate cake made with dates and no flour or sugar or processed ingredients.


I just took a cooking class on Sunday that was kinda life-changing.  Taught by Chef AJ, a devout Vegan, entertaining speaker and a pleasure to listen to.  She sang and danced and did headstands throughout the course of the day, stopping here and there to blend up a green smoothie with kale and banana or give a lecture on what really happens at a dairy farm.  

I have read Skinny Bitch and  followed Alicia Silverstone's blog and read her book which I love.  So I know a thing or two about slaughterhouses, making veal, dairy farms and the like.  It breaks my heart every time I'm reminded of what happens to animals and yet I keep going back to an animal protein diet.  I think I've come far though.  I DO NOT purchase any meat unless it is Organic, and I know the background on the farm it was raised on.  I have significantly cut down my animal protein intake to around 4x/week, mostly fish, and am happy substituting a plant-based smoothie for my typical egg white omelette breakfast.  

I think any change is good and baby steps are key.  If you swear everything off you come back full force with mad cravings.  My friend and Spiritual healer, Nadia, told me as soon as we decide we are going to take something out of our diet that we enjoy, the body rebells, needing that thing like an addiction, and you end up overcompensating with other things.  I know on my cleanse that I ate a LOT of sweet potatoes, avocado and bananas because I felt deprived and bummed I couldn't eat chocolate and cheese.

But back to Chef AJ.  She is an energetic, passionate soul.  I admire anyone who:
1. Can go completely vegan based on their animal rights views
2. Can sing and dance for a room of strangers their own lyrics (about food nonetheless)
3. Can leave you thinking hard about your choices and how you might change your life for the better.
She taught us how to make yummy kale salad instead of buying it for $6 at Whole Foods, educated us on high powered blenders, juicers and pressure cookers and  how bananas and dates are all you really need for a sweet fix.  AND good quality cocoa powder.  If you're not addicted to it.  Check it out.  I'm definitely going to start making some new choices this week.



Happy Valentines Day

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Did you have a nice one?  I made my hubs chicken parmesan with almond flour and a side of brown rice spaghetti.  I made a "heart salad" to start with hearts of palm, artichokes and celery.  Super crunchy and healthy.  Then I made these not so healthy beauties.  Chocohotpots by Nigella.  I used rapadura instead of processed sugar and almond flour along with 70% cacao Valhrona chocolate and fresh whipped cream.  We snuggled up to A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas.  Isn't that romantic? 

What did you do with your love yesterday?

The best milkshake in the world

Thursday, February 9, 2012

So we've been into raw dairy products lately.  Like really into them.  We opened up this book, and from there it was ON.  I've been giving it to Dax, using it in hubs' coffee and now this milkshake.  Its really amazing this stuff.  It has pretty much the same calories and saturated fat as regular pasteurized milk but yet it tastes like cream.  The raw butter tastes like what I remember butter tasting like when it came off the churn of some Pilgrim community on a grade school field trip.  So I made hubs a milkshake (or a frappe as we say on the East coast) with coconut ice cream, 70% cacao chocolate and 1/2 cup of this.  So there it is.  The best milkshake ever.

Sad Day, Good Eats

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Sunday was a sad, sad day.  I spent all Saturday making this vanilla "bean cake" with 65% cacao fair trade chocolate/coconut milk frosting and they lost.  I had images in my head of me carrying it out triumphantly to my husband on the couch, still beaming with victory.  I was kind of afraid to show it to him, and he didn't even want any.  He was too depressed.  Well, I was sad, but not too sad to have some and let me tell you it HIT THE SPOT.  I put a dollop of raw whipped cream on the side but it didn't even need it.  The perfect sweetness, tender and moist, yummy flavor, you would never know it was made out of BEANS.  I tell, this girl has it down.  

I ate my cake alone in the kitchen, a little ashamed to be conducting any celebratory behavior.

Fall/Thanksgiving/Christmas Salad

Sunday, February 5, 2012

I tried this recipe after it caught my eye on the cover of Whole Living magazine.  It is divine.  First of all, you don't have to ask me twice to live off of roasted vegetables.  I truly love them and could eat them every day.  Secondly, the dressing is perfect.  Just apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard (I used super grainy) and oil.  The lentils add a nice source of protein.  I used shallots instead of a sliced red onion but I'm sure a big old roasted red onion is just grand.  You can basically sub whatever you want, roast everything for 30 mins and oh yes I used the Trader Joe's precooked vaccuum sealed lentils.  Lazy, I know, but seriously I can't make EVERYTHING.  Jeesh. 

I would eat this hot or cold the next day over arugula.  Wouldn't it be a healthy addition to the Thanksgiving or Holiday table?  Loves.

Bean Scones

Friday, February 3, 2012
 

These chocolate chip cranberry beauties are made from GREAT NORTHERN BEANS.  Yes.  Believe.  And they are amazing.  With only 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and a teaspoon of stevia, the sweetness is perfection.  Heat them up and put a little raw butter on them and seriously?  I really don't need any crappy flour/real sugar scones in my life.  I made them from my newly unearthed cookbook; Grain free baked goods and desserts.  Its been a while but no time like coming off a cleanse to jump into alternative baking. I'm making a football shaped bean cake for the hubs for Superbowl and he doesn't know.  Shhh.  Stay tuned...

Nourishing Traditions

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

I skyped with my friend Gretchen the other day and she reminded me of a cookbook that I had stashed away, not really knowing what to do with.  It is slightly controversial, because it really goes against traditional health beliefes but I believe its right on.  Its simple.  It basically talks about how we need to eat more butter and animal fat  and less gluey, lowfat excuses for bread, fake sugar and margarine.  It talks about vegetable oil being the devil because of how its processed commercially, and how those companies basically pay off the Government to keep quiet about its health side effects.  Its really wild but such interesting reading and makes sense.  Then this came across in my Day 9 detox email;

"Did you know the first recorded case of Myocardial infarction (Heart Attack due to clogging of the arteries) was in 1928 in the US?  What do you suppose people ate back before the 1920's?  Well, they ate butter, lard, eggs, meat and so on.  What they didn't eat was margarine, corn oil, processed sugar, bleached wheat and pasteurized dairy.  To top it off, they got quite a bit of exercise just going about their normal routine.

Heart Disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases are all skyrocketing today.  Of course stress is a major contributor to this, but we would do well to eat more like our ancestors and avoid the "bankrupt" foods being marketed to us today as 'healthy'.  It is less expensive to eat well and certainly lends to greater health.

As always, be skeptical and do your own research.  This is the only way to truly feel comfortable about ignoring 'trends' and sticking to the basics."

Coincidence? Crazy!  I invite you to open this book and just check out a few pages.  You will totally get sucked in to its philosophy.  AND you don't have to ask me twice to eat 2 eggs for breakfast with heavy cream and butter.
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