Author: Lindsay Ingalls

Oscar Night Party

4 Comments

Sunday night the Hubz and I had a our friend Laura over to watch the Oscars and enjoy some yummy appetizers and play a few games.

We had lots of yummy eats the first of which was the trio of hummus recipes from Appetite For Reduction; I made the Curried Green Onion, Shabby Sheik and Roasted Red Pepper & Kalamata. All of us agreed that the Shabby Sheik Hummus was the best of the three.

The hummus was served with bread sticks, tortilla chips and salsa and olives.

Next we have the warm roasted artichoke and red onions salad which was tossed with Garlic Gold balsamic dressing, parsley and dijon mustard- served warm/room temperature and so good.

One of our favorite appetizers were the Truely Gritty Corncakes, this was inspired by the Hubz and True Girt and were delicious.  I made polenta and then spread it out on a sheet pan and let it cool and then used a biscuit cutter to make the rounds.  I then did a three step process to coat the corncakes–1. flour 2. almond milk 3. Italian breadcrumbs and then lightly brown on each side in a large skillet over medium high and then broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp up. SO GOOD!

Lastly are the Black Swan inspired cupcakes; the fluffy white coconut covered frosting is made to look like the white swan tu-tu and inside of the cupcakes is the black swan aka the chocolate hazelnut mousse.

In addition to yummy eats we played Oscar Bingo as well as filled out our ballots on who we wanted to win each category.

We all won a round of bingo.

But Laura was took home the big win by getting the most correct predictions!

Laura and her winnings

What did you do for the Oscars?

Product Review: Ciao Bella Sorbet

1 Comment

Ciao Bella Sorbet


The kind people over at Ciao Bella sent me four of their sorbet flavors and I picked up one additional flavor for review. The four flavors they sent were:

  • Raspberry: This flavor was the Hubz favorite- honestly the best raspberry sorbet either of us have ever had.  I love how there are only a few ingredients and that it is made with fresh raspberries. Really amazing low calorie treat.
  • Wild Blueberry: This was our second favorite; I was actually surprised that the Hubz even liked this one because usually he doesn’t go for blueberries in any form.  This was great not too sweet and refreshing.
  • Mango: The Hubz liked this one but I thought it was just a little too sweet for my taste.  I won’t be getting this one again.  The Hubz however would like to mention this goes really well with chocolate chips.
  • Blood Orange: We both really like this one; it is sweet and tart and so refreshing.

and I picked up:

  • Prickly Pear: I really didn’t know what to expect when I purchased this one but I thought why not try something new and different.  I have to say we both had about a spoonful and were over it.

Overall we loved the sorbets and I will for sure be picking up the raspberry, wild blueberry and blood orange.

Disclaimer: Ciao Bella provided me with a sample of their products to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.

vitamins and supplements
Have a blog? Want to win a $100? Check out the Swanson Health Blog.

Vegan Potluck

9 Comments

Saturday night we hosted a vegan potluck at our house with a number of local vegans as well as my friend Laura (vegan friendly omnivore) and Allie stopped in for a break from paper writing. Everyone brought a really great dishes including Laura who brought these tasty cheeze and chive biscuits that were so delicious but so not good for you.

Other items we enjoyed were:

Garlic- Scallion Yellow Rice

Vegan Kale Frittata

Extra Spicy White Bean and Upton's Naturals Ground Seitan Chili

Lasagna

Potato and Black Bean Chimmichangas

We also snacked on veggies and hummus while we waited for everyone to arrive and we ended the night with blackout cupcakes which I forgot to get a photo of.  Overall we had a wonderful time having everyone over, sharing stories and enjoying yummy food together.

1/2 Way There

3 Comments

Today is my half birthday which means only 6 more months until my 26th Birthday.  This got me thinking about that list I made back in August my 25 Things for my 25th Year and I decided it was time to check in and re-evaluate what I set out to do.

  1. Run a 5K
  2. Try Bikram Yoga
  3. Do an overnight hike on the Long Trail
  4. Visit Montreal (again) probably not going to happen so crossing this off
  5. Visit Ottawa (again; first time ever with Hubz)probably not going to happen so crossing this off
  6. Visit Toronto (again; missing my bff) probably not going to happen so crossing this off
  7. Visit Key West because the Hubz probably not going to happen so crossing this off
  8. Visit Chicago- a place the Hubz and I have both never been probably not going to happen so crossing this off
  9. Attend the Healthy Living Summit
  10. Start my Health Counseling Business This is right on track and going well!
  11. Create an e-book of my recipes  I have created TWO e-books already this year!
  12. Laugh more. I have been doing a lot of this
  13. Do more yoga. I am slacking on this
  14. Work on my writing skills. I am working on this!
  15. Get all the stamps in my VT Brewers Passport Stamped
  16. Go to a driving range and hit some balls
  17. Read 10 new books. I have read 4 books and a bunch of new cookbooks
  18. Update my blog with a new fun look in the process of getting this done
  19. Eat more oatmeal.
  20. Drink more green monsters
  21. Call my girlfriends more.
  22. Get a massage* DONE
  23. Get a pedicure
  24. Get a facial (see the trend- love the self care)
  25. Final outfit our house so that it is “grownup” and organized. almost done with this!

Okay so it looks like back in August I was super ambitious about what I wanted to accomplish and a little travel crazy.  Well let’s just say we won’t be doing all that traveling listed above so I’ve already set myself out to fail at these goals (which were kind of ridiculous anyways).  So it looks like things are for the most part on track minus the traveling and there are some things that I am still working on and others that will need to wait for warmer weather- there is no way I am going on an overnight on the long trail right now!

So far here are some of the highlights of the year:

September 2010

Visit to the Woodstock Animal Farm Sanctuary



October 2010

Participate in the Marx Foods Blogger Mushroom Recipe Challenge

November 2010

Released my first e-book Soups, Stews and Chili

December 2010

Hosted 12 Days of Giveaways

January 2011

Celebrate the Hubz 30th Birthday with Friends

February 2011

Released my second e-book Cooking For Friends and Lovers


Cookbook Club: Book #1 Veganomicon

1 Comment

Important Dates

Start Date: January 16, 2011
End Date: February 19, 2011
Post By Date: February 26, 2011

When doing your final review of each months cookbook each of us will address the topics in our blog post:
Layout

  • Is the layout clear?
  • Are you able to easily tell the ingredients apart for the instructions and the notes?
  • Are the instructions easy to follow?
  • Are the recipes numbered or is the section labeled?

Aesthetics

  • Does the cookbook feature photos?
  • If yes, is there a photo for every recipe?
  • Do the photos of the recipes look like the actual results?
  • What kind of paper is the book printed on?
  • How is the quality of the photos?

Recipes

  • How many recipes are in the cookbook?
  • What kinds of recipes will you find in this cookbook?
  • Is there a theme to the recipes?
  • Are the recipes complex or simple? would they be good for seasoned cooks and/or beginners?

Ingredients and supplies

  • Are the recipe ingredients easy to find?
  • Are there any items that stand out as being expensive or specialty?
  • Are there particular appliances that will be required such as blenders, juicers, dehydrators, ect?
  • Information
  • Does this cookbook provide additional useful information?
  • What additional information beyond recipes does this cookbook include? Is it easy to follow?

Other important Information

  • You need to make the recipes! Yes, to get an accurate representation of the cookbook you need to try out at least 3-5 recipes. Additionally when you right your review you should make sure to include your experience while cooking the recipe:
  • How did the recipe turn out? How did it taste?
  • Was the recipe easy to follow?
  • Be honest when discussing the recipes you tried- if you didn’t like it then explain why.

FYI: Some corrections have been made in subsequent editions of Veganomicon.

This months participants:

Twitter hash tag: #vegancookbookclub

Now I Know My ABC’s

4 Comments

I’m late, but since I have time this morning I decided to play the blogger ABC Game that I saw other bloggers doing this week.

A. Age: 25.

B. Bed size: Double.

C. Chore you hate: Dishes!!! I hate the dishes especially putting them away

D. Dogs: I want one, now.

E. Essential start to your day: Water! It’s a great way to start the day- wakes up your cells

F. Favorite color: Green and Pink

G. Gold or silver: Silver or white gold and yellow gold just for fun

H. Height: 5’4.

I. Instruments you play: I currently don’t play anything but I did play piano as a child.

J. Job title: I wear many hats- Board Certified Holistic Health Coach, Administrative Assistant, Domestic Goddess, Blogger

K. Kids: Kids? I like them. Will we have our own….not sure.

L. Live: Vermont with my Canadian Husband

M. Mom’s name: Patricia.

N. Nicknames: Lindz. As a child my dad used to call me Porkchop and when I went to university in New Brunswick, Canada I picked up the nickname Vermont.

O. Overnight hospital stays: When I was born.

P. Pet peeve: I have many but my biggest are omnivores calling themselves carnivores- idiots your don’t just eat meat.

carnivore |ˈkärnəˌvôr| noun–> an animal that feeds on flesh.

Q. Quote from a movie: “Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.”

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: Older. Nada.

T. Time you wake up: most mornings between 5:30am-6am

U. Underwear: Yes I wear them.

V. Vegetables you dislike: umm there really aren’t many that I don’t like- I do hate canned mushrooms though.

W. What makes you run late: Neil, the Hubz.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth, ankles, knee.

Y. Yummy food you make: I make lots of yummy food– just now I ate a delicious quesadilla with leftover sauteed veggies and seitan- yum!

Z. zoo- favorite animal: I don’t like zoo’s but I do love animals and I really love giraffes

If you did the blogging abc game, share the link!