Innard Smoothie, Falafel Numminess and "Cheesy" Potato and Kale Soup

blended guts anyone? jk, it's just a blenderless smoothie =P mash berries, add [100%!] Juice (NOT FROM CONCENTRATE, PLEASE) I used strawberries and 100% pineapple and orange juices, and some fresh lemon juice.

Dan, grindin' some flax seeds. He's so strong *swoon* lol

Chick peas (canned. in hind-sight i definitely should have used dried/soaked for a more neutral flavour), onions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander, ground flax seeds (in place of the flour in the recipe)... what else? olive oil... i think that's it.

Falafel-flavoured mess ♥

I don't have any pictures of the cooking process, but I preheated the oven to 350, lined a baking sheet with foil and then preheated the baking sheet (as per the recipe). I then made a bunch of balls, plopped 'em on the sheet, flattened them slightly and baked for, idk, half an hour or something, flipping them when the bottom side looks flippable (pardon the vagueness, i cook very much by eye)

Tahini. Sesame seeds and olive oil. Datsit.

Hummus. Chick peas, tahini and lemon juice.

For the record, I did not like this hummus AT ALL. In fact it's still sitting in my fridge. Again, should not have used canned chick peas. I couldn't get the flavour of the canning liquid out even though I rinsed the hell out of them. Oh well. Now I know for next time =P

Clockwise from the top: lil bitta bruschetta, arugula salad with organic balsamic vinaigrette, tzatziki (delicious, but made me feel all cloggy and phlegmy. ugh), hummus, and falafel patties :)

Dan, 30 seconds after placing the plate in front of him: "I hope you took a picture of that."

Yes, I did =P

ps sorry for the crummy lighting. this was literally the best one, ,lol.

DELICIOUS potato and kale soup. Basically I just boiled some potatoes, then added some organic veggie broth (TO THE POTATO BOILING LIQUID. This is key to the starchy cheesy consistency of the final soup), brought back to a boil, then blended (with the heat off =P) with my immersion blender. Then I brought it back up to a boil, added some onions and garlic, turned off the heat, then added some chopped kale. Blend JUST A WEE BIT more (you want to keep the kale bits in tact. unless you don't, then blend it right up. doesn't matter) add some salt (not iodized table salt, if you can help it) and pepper and voila!

OMG this was good. And it had a total cheesy quality to me. Idk. It was so thick and goopy ♥ Definitely making this again extremely soon.

and that's my numminess post for the week (or however long its been since I last posted) =P

have a spectacular day :)

Raw Vegan "Breakfast Treat" :)

I used to call this my Raw Vegan Oatmeal but Dan won't let me call it that anymore since it doesn't contain any actual oats and Dan despises misnomers, lol.

I've been toying around with this "recipe" for a few weeks now, and I love every variation I've tried =P

The basic components are 1 banana, 1 serving of up to 3 ground or easily digestible grains/seeds (depending how dry/oatmealy you want it to be), and a sweetener.

Today I used 3 tbsp (1 serving, 6g protein) organic, raw golden flax seed (ground with my mortar (sp?) and pestle, which takes a while but you could obviously use a grain mill or coffee grinder if you have one).

I usually use 2 tbsp (1 serving, 11g protein) of shelled hemp seeds but the grocery store I shopped at last didn't have any, so I'll have to go without until I can find some :(

"In place" (in quotations because it no where near replaces hemp seed) of the hemp seed I used 1 tbsp ground sunflower seeds (shelled, obviously). These seeds ground up really nice, almost into a flour, and lent great texture to this "breakfast treat" ;)

So you mash the banana. Add your seeds. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional). Add sweetener of choice (today I used 1/2 tsp raw honey, sometimes I use [real!] maple syrup, which is not raw but is ridiculously delicious and breakfasty, and natural, so screw you). You COULD use agave, I suppose, if you really like the taste of it... it might overpower the other flavours here though, idk.

And that's basically it!

Today I also topped it with some raw goji berries, cranberries, pumpkin seeds & walnuts (Organically Yours' "Goji Trek Mix")

delissssshhhh <3 nothx@bacon&eggs. THIS is how I like to start my day :) With effective, usable, raw nutrients. I also considered chopping up some 85% cacao for topping but decided to save that until after breakfast ;)

Candy for Breakfast

RAW (well, mostly raw) VEGAN CANDY, THAT IS! :)

otherwise known as:
pumpkin seed butter (organic but not raw)
hand-ground (by me) flax seeds
shelled hemp seeds
raw honey

all mixed up and stuffed in a huge medjool date! mmmmmm... candy for breakfast ftw! (also, breakfast at 2pm ftw, lol)

Seriously, I will be forever grateful to Sheri over at Green and Crunchy for the concept of stuffing dates with nut-butters and other deliciousness! I do it all the time now :)


I'm also having a carrot and a clementine. And I'm already planning my pre-work energy meal: multigrain pasta with tomato sauce, spinach, mushrooms, onions and green peppers and fresh rosemary, oregano and thyme, and a green salad with radish and alfalfa sprouts :) sounds pretty scrummy if I do say so myself.

taaaa <3

ohbaby.

Christmas Recuperation Diet

disclaimer: this has nothing to do with weight loss, so kindly save your "omg you so don't need to lose weight!" comments (though I do appreciate them ;)). The next few days (and on) are all about cleansing my blood and organs of all the crap I put in my body over the last few days. I'm going a little aggressive with it because I feel particularly shitty, excuse my french (stomach pains, flank pains, etc). So here goes.

I don't know, it's simple. not really "breakfasty" on the outside, but this is the kind of light stuff I like to eat in the morning. I would have loved to add lemon to my water but I didn't have any.

orange and green superman breakfast

1 small carrot, cut up
1 small orange pepper, cut up
handful of organic baby spinach
small handful of radish and alfalfa sprouts (no dressing. I just chomp it into juice with some water in my mouth. sounds gross, i know, but that's how you're supposed to chew veggies! TO A PULP/JUICE. Chewing is the first stage of the digestive system.)
1 organic whole foods multivitamin (I use New Chapter. <3 'em)
giant glass of water


yum yum yummers. simple and delicious. my cells are thanking me big time right now, lol =P


see you next year, stuffin' and 'taters :(


PS: THE OLYMPIC TORCH CAME THROUGH MY TOWN (and this is a smaaaaalll town) TODAY AT 8:55 IN THE MORNING AND I TOTALLY MISSED IT!!!! weak.

bachelorhood

Ben: "Is it [your fridge] really that bad [Connor]?"

Me: "Oh my god. There are things in there from the day he moved in!" (referring to over a year ago!)

Ben: "Really?"

Connor: "Dude. There's a cob of corn in there that has literally disappeared."


lol<3

Eat your sunblock.

by eating HEMP! :)

Hemp seeds, hemp nuts, hemp oil... also flax seed, pumpkin, sunflower & sesame seeds, walnuts, most nuts actually...along with algae (eg. spirulina, chlorella).

all contain Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) which, when eaten regularly, help protect your skin from the sun :)

(sesame seeds and whole grains are also good sources of selenium, which also minimizes the damaging effects of UV rays)



Here's the breakdown for those interested:

The seeds and nuts contain Linoleic Acid (LA), which is converted to Gamma-Linoleic Acid (GLA) -- an anti-inflammatory/hormone balancer/cancer-suppressor

-- in your body. GLA is also found in borage oil, evening primrose & blackcurrant seed oil.

These seeds and nuts DO NOT contain the vital EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) or DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Fish are able to produce these from the algae they eat, which we then absorb when we eat them. We can of course eat the algae ourselves; chlorella and spirulina provide valuable sources of these converted fats as well as a whole host of other nutrients.

If you do not regularly consume fish or algae (organic whole foods vitamins often contain algae as well), your body is able to -- when functioning properly -- convert these fats itself. Here are some ways to help optimize your conversion of fatty acids:

-Include good sources of the nutrients which aid essential fat conversion – zinc, magnesium, calcium, biotin and vitamins B6, B3 and C.
-Avoid things which inhibit conversion; alcohol, saturated and trans fats (from animal foods and processed foods), smoking, caffeine, viral infections, stress and excess intake of vitamin A and copper.
-Balance your intake of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Due to the widespread use of sunflower oil in food manufacturing we tend to have a much greater intake of omega 6 to 3 fats in our diets. This imbalance can lead to the conversion enzymes getting used up for omega 6, restricting omega 3 conversion. The ideal balance is around 3 to 4 parts omega 6 to one of omega 3.
-Some people may have less of the conversion enzymes and may need to be strict with the above nutrient supporters and inhibitors. These people include those with atopic allergies (asthma, eczema and hay fever that runs in the family) and those with diabetes.
-Include an algae (spirulina or chlorella) drink 4 times a week. (Odwalla's "Lifefood" juice - available at metro, fortinoes, basically everywhere - has a hefty shot of spirulina)
- Have a daily intake of nuts (preferably soaked and dried) & seeds.



Back to the skin point: How EFAs help protect and beautify your skin is simple. EFAs strengthen and increase the fluidity of your delicate skin cell membranes. These cell membranes are the guardians of your skin - keeping toxins out and bringing moisture and nutrients in. They also stimulate the production of skin's natural moisture protective coating, make the skin more resistant to environmental damage and help construct new healthy-looking skin.

Other vitamins that help promote healthy, beautiful skin are vitamins A, B, C & E and the minerals Zinc and Selenium. Specific food examples that are good for skin are berries, olive oil, organic green tea, leafy greens, mushrooms and most importantly WATER.


And that's all I got. Have a nice day :)



Here is a video that explains Omega-3s further and includes a yummy recipe :)




and another,

Glass Walls

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian."
-Paul McCartney


I couldn't figure out how to post this video, but it's right on the main page of this site.
Meat.org

Disgusting. Heartbreaking. Essential to watch.

I'm crying my fucking eyes out but I'm still watching it. I suggest you do, too, and don't stop or look away, especially if you consume animal products.

It's irresponsible to be deliberately uninformed about the horrible, appalling shit we put our "food" through.