Uncle Sam In A Jar:WholeSoy Apricot Mango Yogurt, organic blueberries, shredded unsweetened coconut, Uncle Sam Toasted Whole Wheat Cereal. Repeat until full.
Check out Ricki’s Summer Wellness Weekends Event happening over at her blog! You’ll find one of my recipes and a number of other great healthy ones.
Good Morning! Happy Friday! This morning the Hubz and I scrambled out of bed this morning to make it to the 6am Flow Yoga class at the Y. It was our first yoga class since joining the Y and honestly we were a little skeptical. We are used to doing classes at a studio which has a different feeling and flow to it. At the Y the class is held in an old gym with a loud air conditioner running and our mats set up in a circle. We went with it though.
Today’s class was particularly hard for me because I’ve been doing so much running and gardening and not nearly enough stretching. At first I was cursing all of the downward dogs in my head because my body was so tight and I eventually had to drop down to childs pose but as the class went on my body became looser, the fan became more soothing than a distraction and I really began to enjoy the experience. After class the Hubz and I had Friday breakfast at the Co-op and discussed the class; both of us agreed we’d like to make it part of our Friday routine.
In other fitness news the Hubz and I have joined the Y and we are loving the ability to run, swim, use other cardio equipment and all of the other great features that the Y has. It isn’t your fancy gym but it works and our needs are met. I also was fitted for new running shoes this week and they are working out great. I highly recommend going to a shop where the staff is knowledgeable and can get you fitted to the right shoe for your feet and body.
I recently received two flavors of Grassroot Granookies to review, the Apricot Cinnamon and the chocolate chips. Grassroot Granookies are a tasty blend of cookies and granola bars.
They are a good balance of the two as they are chewy and crispy and pack a lot of flavor! I ate the Granookies on their own and broke them up and put them in my vegan yogurt. They are delicious, sweet but not too sweet and the chocolate chip Granookies went great with my vanilla soygurt parfait.
These are great alternatives to mainstream granola bars and cookies as they are fun, healthy and convenient. They are a great source for fiber, complete proteins, amino acids and more! To top it all off, they are dairy free, soy free and nut free as well which is great for those with food allergies or sensitivities.
Now it is your chance to win your own sample of Grassroot Granookies! Entries will be accepted until October 12th at 8pm. To enter you can do any (or all) of these: Please leave individual comments for each entry.
Tell me what inventive way you will enjoy your sample of Granookies.
This is the first of my “Dining Locally” posts which will be a series of post about Vermont eateries. Today’s post features Magnolia Bistro which is a certified green restaurant in Burlington Vermont that features a variety of breakfast and lunch options. The Hubz and I visit here pretty often to enjoy there great food, atmosphere and of course the vegan bloody mary’s.
Magnolia Bistro’s menu is a vegans paradise. Everything is labeled with a “v” if it is vegan and if you are gluten free you will be delighted to know gluten free dishes are marked with a “g”. This make the dining experience relaxing, easy and enjoyable.
Sesame Tofu Scramble
Plate O'Sides- black beans, kale, home fries and toast with Earth Balance
I used to eat oats all the time but lately I’ve been having soyogurt, scones and green juice but finally yesterday I returned to my old friend oats, if only it could have been oats in a jar. I also had oats this morning as well and I think tomorrow OIAJ will happen.
On Monday I got home from work to find my Easy Lunch Boxes sample had arrived and I couldn’t wait to try them out. My husband and I bring lunch everyday to work because it’s healthier, cheaper and easier than going out for lunch, besides the fact that we don’t really have time to go out for lunch during the work week. I have to say one of the hardest things at our house however is finding containers to pack our food into. The Hubz We are notorious for leaving our tupperware at work or in the car so it is nice to finally have some new ones.
I went right to work putting together my lunches for the week and because they stack so great I could just stick them in the fridge and grab them when I head out the door. This makes like so much easier because I don’t have to get up in the morning and make lunch or do it the night before they are all ready to go. I also received a cute purple lunch box that fits the containers perfectly- I think this is my first real lunch box since elementary school. If you check back later today I think there might be a giveaway post for your own chance to win these eco friendly lunch boxes.
For my lunches this week we have some fruit, salad and the most delicious GF vegan raw sprouted crackers from Livin’ Spoonfuls I have ever tasted. I tried the coconut curry yesterday and they were amazing I am sure I will post more about these later.
Dinner last night was delicious and filled with healthier versions of two of my favorite things- chili and quesadillas. I know I have blogged about these before but Maria and Ricardo’s Low Carb Tortillas are my favorite tortillas for a few reasons they are low in calories, fat and carbs and are made with ingredients that are all natural.
In my quesadillas I put some scallions and a serving of cheddar Daiya cheese- I couldn’t hold myself back from buying it the other day when I saw that it was on sale for $2 off. We tried the mozza a few weeks ago and I decided that a sale was a good excuse reason to try the cheddar; I think I am a bigger fan of the cheddar so far.
To go with our quesadillas I made up some chili with kidney and black beans that I had soaked the night before and I added a bunch of great veggies to it including mustard greens.
Beans and Greens Chili
Ingredients:
1/2T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups cooked kidney beans
1.5 cups cooked black beans
1T tomato paste
2 t cumin
1 t paprika
1/2 t oregano
1T nutritional yeast
2t chili powder
dash of cayenne
1t garlic powder
1t onion powder
1/2t salt
1/4t black pepper
3 cups mustard greens, chopped
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1T chipotle hot sauce or 1t chipotle chili powder (optional)
Directions:
In a medium pot heat the oil over medium-high and add in the onion and carrots; saute for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute. Add in the vegetable broth, tomato paste and beans and bring to a boil; turn down to medium low and let simmer for 15 minutes. While the beans simmer mix the cumin, paprika, oregano, nutritional yeast, chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder salt and pepper with 2T of water to make a paste. Stir the spice paste into the beans and then top with the mustard greens and cover; let the greens wilt. Stir in the greens and scallions. At this point you can eat as is or if you want you can add in the chipotle hot sauce or chipotle chili powder- I think that with the beans and greens this smoky flavor and heat is a great addition to the chili but it is yummy without it as well.
This granola is delicious and is great with your favorite non-dairy milk or soygurt.
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup Blueberry Flax Meal (you can substitute regular flax meal)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup almond pieces
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons vegan margarine (coconut oil would be a great substitute for vegan margarine)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/2 cups raisins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, flax meal, coconut, almond pieces and pumpkin seeds onto a baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Grease a baking sheet.
While the oats mixture is toasting, combing the brown rice syrup, brown sugar, margarine, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the brown rice syrup mixture, add the raisins, and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture onto the greased baking sheet and make sure that the mixture is evenly distributed. Place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.