go.go.gadget.

I was a bizzy person today!  I wrote another article, which took a big chunk of my morning/afternoon.  It was definitely a challenge to write this one because it was all factual and no opinion.  I’ll let you know when it’s up :)  I did a lot of cleaning and ran a few errands.  You know, the usual, but a bit more hectic today.

My cold smoothie + hot oats were combined into something new today. 

Hmm…I don’t think you can tell…but this banana was baby-sized.  It twas’ adorable, tehee.

Smoothie:  1/2c coconut kefir + 10 strawberries + 6 cherries + baby banana –> blend until creamy + smooth

Oats: 1/3c oats + 1c liquid + 1/2T chia + 1/2t cinnamon + vanilla splash

I cooked the oats and then added the smoothie into the pan and cooked for another 2min.  So I guess you could call it Hot Smoothie Oats??  I should have not used as much liquid when cooking the oats, so they could absorb a little of the smoothie liquid.  However, this bowl was delicious!  I’m not sure if I like this or yesterday’s version better. 

I don’t like purple clothing but I do like purple FOOD.

Topped with 2T of Bob’s Red Mill [BRM] apple/blueberry granola and unsweetened coconut.  Aaaand obviously a kiss of pnut butter [1T].

After breakfast is when things got a little “go go go.”  I had a snack, which I can’t recall…but didn’t want to get up for lunch until I was done writing my article.  That was at 2pm. Eeeek..starving!  I had an egg-erific lunch with a melty cheese apple. 

Then I went for another dip in the pool!  Today was more intense because the pool was packed, so I tried to keep moving!  I’m tired.  Details on that.

After my swim I had to hit up Whole Foods for a few things.  I was STARving so I grabbed 2 new LB flavors because I had a good coupon.  I tried the “tropical fruit” as SOON as I got in the car.  I took a big bite.  BLEGH!!!  Thee worst LB yet.  It was dry + crumbly almost and had an INtense pineapple flavor.  I’m sure it’s real pineapple but it tastes fake/overpowering.  There was also a weird flavor as you kept chewing.  I ate half the bar and don’t know if I can down the rest.  Anyone try this flavor yet?  Thoughts?  The other one I got was lemon.  We’ll see.

I know this does not look appetizing but just trust that it was.

• Ezeikal sprouted tortilla
• pasta sauce
• sauteed portobella + peppers + garlic
• tomato paste [with a little water] spread on top
• fresh mozzarella

I am loving finding fun ways to use up tomato paste.  It was EXcellent on this!

Romaine + peppers + broccoli + 1/2 avocado + 30sec homemade balsamic dressing

The only way to eat this was to fold it in half like a taco and never look back.  It was REALLY tasty.  I did however end up with sauce dripping down my hand and into my shirt sleeve.  Awesome.  I didn’t make a mess while making dinner but I made a HUGE mess while eating dinner.  I was FAMISHED from the swim.  And speaking of food, I need more of it.

Night bloggies!  Maybe you’ll see me tomorrow afternoon?  Perhaps!

~Ashley       

ooooohhh yeah…the VFF [vibram 5 fingers] photo page has been updated with reader submissions..check it out…it makes me excited, hehe :)

a no fail day!

I didn’t have any failed snacks [or meals] like yesterday…thank goodness.  Today was filled with deliciousness.  Starting with Coconut Kefir.  It was on sale and seemed like something fun to try.  Perfect for smoothies, pouring over cereal, etc.  The nutritional facts are impressive, and the ingredient label is about a 7/10 in my book.  I’ll probably buy this once in awhile, but not on a regular basis.

I made the same smoothie mix that I made last night with my rye flakes. 

Purple Fluff

• ~3/4c coconut kefir
• ~8 frozen strawberries
• 1/2c frozen blueberries

Blend until smooth + creamy.

I also made Oats and topped the purple fluff…In the mix:

• 1/3c BRM 5 grain cereal
• 1c almond milk/water
• ~1/2t cinnamon
• 1/2T chia seeds
• vanilla splash
• 1/3c applesauce stirred in at the end

Topped with: 2T BRM granola + 1/2T PB with ~1t cacao bliss [melted]

Mmmm melty goo on top!  I really love this whole combo.  You get the cold smoothie with warm oats and the granola crunch.  I love how the smoothie part gets a little soupy.  I’m a big fan of letting my ice cream partially melt into soup..hehe

pretty purple

For lunch I had the crazy tempeh leftovers from yesterday + a little pasta I made this past weekend..I topped it all off with a huge scoop of the yeshi nacho “cheese.”  WHOA, soooo good…that sauce is Ahmazing!!

I had a great workout today!!  Bike + weights = shaky + tired! 

I was having a hard time holding the camera while photographing my snack.

Orange + 1/2 ginger snap LB.  This was a new flavor for me.  I’ve realized maybe I need to try out the more wild flavors of LB because what I don’t like is that kind of “blah” date taste all the bars have. 

This bar had GREAT texture.  Some LB’s have better texture than others for some reason…different nuts I guess.  Anyway, this was good…really good if you love ginger.  It wasn’t too overpowering but ginger is not a favorite flavor of mine.  I like it in stir fries and whatnot but I’m not ginger crazed like some.  This had a lot of cinnamon + clove flavor too.  If you like ginger, I DEFinitely recommend it. 

Stuffed pepper niiight!!  One of my favorite meals to eat.  Organic yellow peppers were the cheapest..how fun! So pretty!

I used millet tonight.  I usually use quinoa or rice but wanted to try something new.  Chris chose mexi style so I threw in a lot of flavor like: cumin, chili powder, cajun seasoning, tomato paste, garlic, onion, cayenne.

Off to the oven for some roasting.

Soft + toasty!

Allll done!  Such bad kitchen lighting…blegh!

I meant to stir in the black beans and diced tomatoes into the millet mixture but forgot.  It worked well on the side though too :)

The peppers were OF COURSE topped with the “cheese” sauce.  I won’t tell you again how good it is.  Topped with avocado and with a side of salt + vinegar kale chips.  SO YUM.

I’m getting really excited about homemade week next week.  Keep the ideas flowing..you guys have some great one so far!!  I have to be a little careful with spending $ but I want to make as much as I can.  It might extend into the next week as well because I’m going to have a hard time narrowing down the list. 

Here are some reader ideas so far:

• Kombucha [whoa hard, not sure I want to mess with fermenting..but I’ll research it!]
• a sugar free/gluten free/soy free savory snack
• yogurt [fun!!]
• hummus, starting with dried chickpeas
• granola
• larabars

There might have been a few others..but you get the idea.  Can’t wait to hear more!

Do you want the millet pepper recipe?  Oooookay…I suppose!

Millet stuFFed Peppers [vegan]

• 1c millet, rinsed
• 2.5c liquid [water/broth]
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1t cumin
• 1t chili powder
• 1/2t cajun seasoning blend
• few shakes of cayenne pepper
• ~1T olive oil
• 1c black beans
• 1/2c diced tomatoes [I used organic canned]
• 3T tomato paste

1. Heat a pan with olive oil on medium heat. 
2. Cook onion + garlic until soft ~5min.
3. Add millet + seasonings + tomato paste.  Stir well and let the millet brown for a few minutes.
4. Add liquid and give a few stirs.
5. Bring to a boil.  Cover, turn down heat + simmer until all liquid is absorbed. [I uncovered and let it cook at the end for 5min to make sure all the liquid was absorbed]
6. Fluff with fork.

Pepper action:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400*
2. Wash + cut peppers in half lengthwise.
3. De-stem + de-seed.
4. Line a pan with foil and lightly coat with olive oil.
5. Place peppers cut side down and cook for about 20min.
6. Turn oven down to 350*
7. Stir in black beans and diced tomatoes to the millet mixture [or serve on the side like I did]
8. Take out and stuff peppers with millet mixture. 
9. Bake for ~15min.  The millet gets nice and crispy on top.
10. Take out and top with real cheese or delicious fake nacho cheese and bake for another 5min

ENJOY!!!

~Ashley

triple yum

Today was super productive!! Always nice to cross things off the to-do list. 

Breakfast: oats + rice milk + whole banana + dollup brown rice syrup + pnut butter glob = always delicious

Do you guys ever eat Kale?? It is a completely underrated leafy green! I only started cooking with it about 1yr ago.  Chris and I both love it.  I either roast it in the oven [alone or with other veg] or pan sauté it.  Today it went in the pan. 

Drizzle a little olive oil in the pan and set to medium. Rip the kale leaves off the stem, wash, and dry.  Chop to bite size pieces and let cook in the pan about 7min.  I also sprinkle on a little salt + garlic powder.  It has great flavor and still holds a nice crunch even after cooking.  YUM

Lunch: pan sautéed kale + leftover veggies + noodles [sunday’s dinner] + sunny side up egg on top.  The egg was seriously so good on the veggies.  Provides a nice little sauce and lots of protein =)

With a side of POM!

I decided to make tomorrow’s breakfast, TOday!  Back to the baked oatmeal snack bars I tried out a few days ago [from Kath’s blog].  I wanted to play with it more this time though! 

Insert PUMPKIN =)

Here was altered ingredient list: [needs to be reworked more though]

• 1.5c. oats
• 3/4c. pumpkin puree
• 1T flaxseed meal
• 3T water [combine with the flax]
• 1.25c. unsweetened rice milk
• 1/4c. brown rice syrup [or cane sugar/maple syrup/honey/etc.]
• 1 sliced banana
• 2t. vanilla
• 1-1/4t. cinnamon
• 1/4t. cloves
• 1/4t. ginger
• 1/4t. nutmeg

So I am experimenting with substituting flax + water, as an egg substitute.  For no reason in particular…just want to see if it works, like it says it does on the side of the bag! Not sure I would go trying this in cake recipes, but we’ll see ;)

Bob’s Red Mill – ground flaxseed meal – For replacing 1 egg combine 1T flax meal with 3T water and let sit for 2min then stir in with other ingredients.

I also left out the nuts and dried fruit and instead subbed in 1 sliced banana and the pumpkin.  I may or may not have also added in 1/3c. dark chocolate chunks ;)

I made adjustments for the higher altitude, [the recipe I provided is normal elevation] but something was definitely off =(  The flavor is good but it’s too wet.  I even cooked it for 10min longer than I thought I needed to.  Maybe the flax didn’t gel it together like the egg would have?  Or maybe Rice milk doesn’t bake in the same way cow’s milk does?  I figured it shouldn’t matter what type of liquid you use…kind of like when you’re making a bowl of oats, you can use whatever.  I think I’ll just use less liquid next time especially because of the pumpkin addition + banana which added extra moisture.

I’ll let you know when I get it right!!  I was cooking dinner + making the bars at the same time which made me need this…

Wine in a whiskey glass =) Oat bars in the background…

Dinner: my made up version of stuffed peppers – Greek style

Serves 6:

• Cook 1c. of whatever rice/grain you want – I used short grain brown rice
• While that is cooking preheat your oven to 400* – cut 6 peppers in half – clean them out – brush with olive oil – place in a pan cut side down – roast for 30min
• Cook whatever meat you’re using, if you’re using any.  I used 3/4lb ground lamb [local colorado lamb! yeehaw] and .25lbs grass fed beef
• Drain the grease and use that pan to sauté 1 small onion + 1 med. tomato  for about 5-7min. on medium
• Wash – dry – chop 4 big handfuls of kale leaves and add them in the mix for another 5 or so minutes
• Take off the heat and add in about 1c. spinach
• When rice or grain is done, fluff with fork and combine with meat and veggies.
• Take out peppers and stuff them full.  Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350* for 30min.
• Uncover, top with feta, and broil for 5min.

After baking, but before the feta was broiled on top…

If you have any questions let me know…I typed that out fast!! I’m wiped out =)

I don’t have the exact cost right now, but it was pretty cheap.  The peppers were on sale for 55 cents!! They weren’t organic but at least they weren’t covered in wax.  I couldn’t pass up that deal. 

Pantry items were: rice/feta/spinach/tomatoes/onion

I only had to buy the peppers, meat, and kale!

Goooooooooooodnight!

Off to the mountains again tomorrow =)

Ashley