Mushrooms, Magic Soap and Movies
Posted: April 28, 2012 Filed under: Beauty & Hygiene, Fitness, My own recipe creations | Tags: Asparagus, Baby, Beauty & Hygiene, Brown Rice, Coconut oil, Collage Video, Dr. Bronner, Food, Garlic Powder, Humor, natural beauty products, Portobello mushroom, Recipe, Red Pepper, Soap, Stir fry 2 Comments »FOOD
De’s Quick Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 10-ounce bag of frozen asparagus (chopped up)
2 gigantic Portobello mushrooms (chopped up)
1-2 handfuls of red pepper (chopped up)
1-tablespoon coconut oil
Garlic powder
Minute maid “ready to serve” brown rice
Directions
Heat coconut in large frying pan. Add asparagus, mushrooms, red pepper and sprinkle with garlic powder. Heat around 15 minutes or until asparagus has softened (not soggy). Prepare rice according to directions. Place a big spoonful of veggie mix on top of rice. Add hot sauce if you are feeling feisty. :)
BEAUTY
The soap of the moment (for me) is Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap All-One Hemp Unscented Baby-Mild. It’s rated 7.9 (out of 10) overall according to http://www.goodguide.com/# and rated a 10 in health. It’s made with organic oils and the rest of the ingredients are recognizable. You can learn more about Dr. Bronner’s products at: www.drbronner.com. Switching to natural beauty products is an ongoing journey for me and I’m always on the lookout for the one (product) that is going to complete me (as my friend Tracy would say). :)
FITNESS
Let me be honest with you…when it comes to physical activity, I’m lazy. I rather read, study, surf the Internet (because actual surfing would take way too much energy), watch my favorite TV shows, cuddle (wink wink), watch movies and maybe some leisurely shopping. Three-hour lunches with friends are always nice. The ultimate vacation for me is the beach and even then, walking across the street to get to the ocean seems like a chore. Just give me a chair and my favorite person/people to talk to and I’m content for a week. With all that said, I depend on: http://www.collagevideo.com/, my treadmill and a jump rope to get my hour workout in every morning (5 days a week). Collage Video is awesome. They provide quick delivery and they have a fantastic return policy. They will refund your money even after you have opened and watched it (if you decide you don’t like it). Check out their website. You can watch clips of all the DVD’s they offer. Of course, yoga is my “thing” but I’ve been branching out recently and will post a few of my favorite workouts in the near future.
INSPIRATION
Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritation and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place. ~Mark Twain
Oh, how I love Hummus
Posted: January 7, 2012 Filed under: Detox, Hummus & Dips | Tags: cloves of garlic, crushed red pepper, Detox, Garbanzo beans, Hummus & Dips, raw veggies, Recipe, Red Pepper 2 Comments »I’ve previously mentioned that hummus is allowed on the “detox” plan and is delicious with your favorite cut up (raw) veggies. Those of you who are not following the plan will equally enjoy the recipe below. My friend found it inside her Costco cookbook and was nice enough to pass it along to me. I’ve made a couple of revisions but one I wanted to mention is that I cut the oil down (in half). I did not notice any difference in the texture. It’s still very creamy.
Spicy Red Pepper Hummus
1 can of Garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
1 12 oz jar of red peppers drained
1-2 cloves of garlic (optional)
1 TBS of olive oil
1/8 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
BLEND
Cut up red peppers with Spicy Red Pepper Hummus….YUM! 
Picture by: 123RF
Black Bean Wrap
Posted: January 4, 2012 Filed under: Detox, Mexican Food | Tags: Avocado, Black Beans, Cumin, Detox, Lime Juice, Recipe, Salsa, Wrap 3 Comments »YES, this is an acceptable detox meal. :)
Try having a big salad before you eat the Black Bean Wraps.
BLACK BEAN WRAP
Ingredients
1 can organic Black Beans (look for lowest sodium)
1 Avocado
½ cup Salsa
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Cumin (depending on taste preference)
1 to 3 tablespoons Lime Juice (again, depends on your taste preference)
Corn Tortilla Wraps
Directions
Rinse, drain and smash Black Beans with a fork
Scoop out Avocado
Mix mashed Black Beans, Avocado, Salsa, Cumin and Lime Juice.
Spread mixture on Tortilla, wrap and eat.
*I can’t remember where I found the original recipe. My apologies.
Beans, beans, the magical fruit
The more you eat, the more you toot
The more you toot, the better you feel
So have beans at every meal!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I sing this song to my husband every time we eat beans (which is a lot). Maybe that’s why they don’t have the “toot” effect on us anymore. :)
Say Cheese please
Posted: December 15, 2011 Filed under: "Cheese", Food Intolerances | Tags: Cashews, Cheese, Dairy free, Garlic, Lactose-free, Nut Cheese, Recipe, Vitamix Leave a comment »I’m lactose and dairy intolerant so the thought of eating cheese is quite frightening. UNTIL NOW! I found this awesome recipe in the Vitamix recipe book that was included with my new Vitamix. It’s so creamy and taste scrumptious. Who would have thought you can make “cheese” out of cashews?
*When I share Vitamix recipes, I’m going to use the instructions they provide, so you will have to adjust them to the type of blender you use (if it’s not a Viatmix). Switching your speed from low to high.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours
1/2 to 3/4 cups of purified water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup green onions
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients , except onions, into blender in order listed and secure lid
Select Variable 1
Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to high
Blend for 30-40 seconds, using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades (blended pretty well without doing this)
Stop machine, remove lid and add onions. Secure lid and select Variable 3
Turn machine on and off to add onions to mixture
After I made this cheese without any lactose or dairy involved, I moved on to their nacho cheese recipe. After I revise it a little, I will post it as well. Stay tuned. :)
*Slightly revised recipe from Vitamix live fresh recipes
Peanut Noodles
Posted: November 29, 2011 Filed under: Pasta, Potatoes and Quinoa | Tags: Asian, Dinner, Noodle, Recipe, Vegan 2 Comments »Oh, how I love 5 ingredients or less recipes made in 15 minutes! As an extra bonus, this one has 9 grams of fiber per serving.
INGREDIENTS
8 oz whole wheat spaghetti noodles (gluten-free if need be)
5 tablespoons organic natural creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup of cooking liquid used to boil spaghetti noodles
DIRECTIONS
Prepare spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain pasta in colander.
Whisk together: cooking liquid, peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce and green onions. Add to pasta, tossing to combine well.
Serve in bowls and add additional green onions on top (optional).
ENJOY!
Revised version taken from: prevention.com/recipefinder
Balsamic Salad Dressing
Posted: November 14, 2011 Filed under: Veggies, Dressings and Sauces | Tags: Organic, Recipe, Salad dressing 5 Comments »I don’t use salad dressing very often but the recipe below is a hard one to resist. It calls for organic ingredients, but you know the deal, if you can find them without breaking the bank, that’s great but if not, don’t worry about it.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons organic balsamic vinegar
1/2-3/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced finely (Okay, I’ll admit that sometimes, I put a couple more cloves than called for)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2-1 teaspoon organic mustard
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend well. Keep in refrigerator.
Recipe from: The Gluten-Free Vegan
Have a GREAT week! :)
No-Bake Rice Krispy Bars
Posted: October 29, 2011 Filed under: Dessert | Tags: Dairy free, Dessert, Gluten free, Recipe 2 Comments »In honor of Halloween, I’ve decided to post one of my favorite dessert recipes.
SIDE NOTE: You will notice that I am quite picky about recipes. I only add ones to my collection that have the least amount of ingredients, the ingredients are fairly easy to find, they can be modified for people with special dietary needs and it doesn’t take very long to make them. I weed through my recipe binder every few days and throw out the one’s that aren’t meeting these standards. I’m quite the stickler, aye? :)
No-Bake Rice Krispy Bars
Ingredients
¼ cup Brown Sugar
½ cup Agave Nectar or Raw Honey
½ cup creamy natural Peanut Butter or Raw Almond Butter (hubby likes the almond butter)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
5 cups Rice Krispies Cereal (I use the gluten-free kind)
1/3 cup Chocolate Chips (Dairy free, for those with special dietary needs)
*I chopped up a 71% cocoa dark chocolate bar in my chopper and used that as a replacement.
Prepare
Spray a cake pan with cooking oil (gluten-free if need be).
In a large saucepan, heat the sugar and agave nectar until it boils.
Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.
Pour in the Rice Krispies and mix well. Then stir in chocolate.
With wet hands, press the mixture into the greased cake pan
Place uncovered in refrigerator until firm (a few hours). Slice into bars.
*For easier slicing, remove from refrigerator after 1 hour, cut bars and then put them back in fridge.
*If you are using the chopped dark chocolate bar, add in before the Rice Krispies so it will melt easier.
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/category/special-dietary-needs/
Added by Cooking Gluten (&Dairy free)
Revised by: vitaminde.wordpress.com
“Everyone has a price – mine is chocolate.” ~Author Unknown
