Roasted and Toasted!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

A few of you asked about the gluten-free millet bread I used with my sandwich in my last post. Well here it is! Food For Life makes it and I get it in the freezer section at my Whole Foods. All the info on it is here. I like this better then other gluten free breads because it seems to be more doughy rather then flaky. Also, it doesn't fall apart like brown rice bread tends to do. Let me know if you try it out, I would love to know what you think! If anyone plans on making it fresh, please share the recipe!
The other night I made my first acorn squash of the season! I've adored acorn squash since I was young. I would get so excited when my mother would make it for me! I usually don't make it sweet, I opt for the savory flavor (same with sweet potatoes). I add garlic, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. This time I also added some curry spice. YUM! Along side a simple salad of Boston lettuce (my favorite!), sprouts, and scallions. For the dressing I used Zukay's Red Pepper Pesto Dressing. I love this stuff, it's raw, filled with probiotics and has very few ingredients (nothing fake either!). Lurking in the background of my plate was some white eggplant baked in the oven. We had a couple left over from our garden and since I didn't enjoy many of them this Summer so I decided to make some.

Last night I made a big casserole of just roasted veggies. This has sweet potatoes, zucchini, brussell sprouts, cauliflower, and roasted garlic. Most of the veggies came from my co-op box and were local and organic. The sweet potatoes were my favorite!

This is what I woke up to in my back yard this morning! What a beautiful way to start the day!

Have a nice day everyone!

**Check out Ashley's blog for an awesome tea-riffic giveaway!!**

XO! ;)

Seasonal Eats

Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope you all had a fab weekend! T and I went out to western NJ to hit up some farm stands and the health food store/deli we like. But instead of the farm stands, we went to the outlets. :) We needed to do some very much needed shopping. Next weekend we are going to go back out there and go apple picking (weather permitting).

Last week for lunch one day I made a sandwich on gluten free millet bread with avocado, sprouts, lettuce and hummus. Along side, an apple I got in my co-op box. Local, crisp and delicious. Ginger enjoyed some as well (she loves apples).
For dinner one night, I made a sweet potato in the oven and some collards with lots of garlic and olive oil. Another simple, tasty, satisfying meal.

At the health food store/deli I ordered a juice. I wanted a green juice, but they said the juicer wasn't working great and they couldn't do anything green. So I opted for this carrots, ginger, beet, apple juice. They used just the right amount of ginger so it wasn't over whelming. Just warming and sweet.

Saturday night I made an Indian Cauliflower Curry Stew. I found the recipe online here. Obviously, I didn't use the yogurt and I am not a huge cilantro fan, so I left that out. Although the dish could of used the color. Oh well! I also only used 2 cups of broth and millet instead of brown rice. This wasn't a stew, since the millet absorbed all of the broth. I liked it this way.

I changed my place mats to a more seasonal one. Pumpkins! You can see them a little in this picture. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I love Halloween!

Have a nice day everyone. I'll be back mid week with some more tasty meals!

Falafel Bread? Oh my!

Hey All!

This week seems to be zipping by! Yay for Thursday!! T and I have a few plans for this weekend. Hopefully some apple picking, Netflix movies and walking around Hoboken. I just hope it doesn't rain, the weather has been so sticky here this week. So this post is soup free! :)

Earlier in the week I had left over black beans and brown rice from the tacos I made over the weekend. For lunch I added some sprouts and an avocado. YUM!
For dinner one night I made Meghan's Chickpea Falafel bread. Oh-my-gosh-so-good!! I love this stuff! What a great idea! I ate it like regular bread for this meal, with nothing added to it. I used kale in the recipe and brown rice flour instead of chickpea flour. Along side I made some garlicky kale.
If you don't already read Meghan's blog--you are missing out! She is so fun and vibrant, I just love her posts. :) I am a Making Love in The Kitchen groupie!

Sorry about the dark picture!

For lunch the next day, I made a falafel bread sandwich. I added avocado, sprouts, lettuce and hummus. The bread actually held together well. Who needs regular bread when you can have something as flavorful as falafel bread (and it's gluten free)?

Oraphen of Easy Veggie was kind enough to award me with this "Your Blog Makes Us Smile" badge for my blog. The rules are to pass it on to 6 other bloggers who make you smile. I read a ton of blogs and would never be able to choose just 6, since all of them make me smile (why would I read them if they didn't). So if you are reading this, I am passing the award onto you! Enjoy!

Weekend Update and a Recipe!

Hey All!

I am back already! I made some great meals over the weekend and I couldn't wait to post them! I had such a great eventful weekend. T and I have been enjoying the weather and feeling well again to the fullest! Friday night we went on another long bike ride and then stayed in and watched Twilight. We really liked the movie, I can see what all the hype was about. Now I have to start to read the books (yes, I do things backwards!). Anyway, before all of that went down, I made a nourishing meal of red quinoa, broccoli and large cannelini beans. I added a ton of garlic, since my neighbors next door have been coughing a lot and the last thing I need is a cold!
Saturday during the day my sister came over and so did my brother in law and future sister in law and we went to lunch at Whole Foods. It was so nice to catch up with my sister, who surprisingly has a lot of the same views on food as I do, growing up she mocked what I ate and did a lot. But lucky for me, for about 3 years now she has been eating similar and is now very much into fitness.

On Saturday night, I made black bean and brown rice tacos. I basically made the rice taste Mexican with cumin and some other spices and added some onion and Mexican spice to the black beans. I topped them with lettuce and avocado and ate them in organic GMO free blue corn tortillas. Definitely satisfied my craving for Mexican! YUM! After this meal we took Ginger for a nice cold night walk. Tomorrow is the first day of Autumn, YAY!
Sunday, after brunch, T and I went to a Fall Festival in town. Then I made a big pot of soup while T watched his football game. I made Lemon Lentil Chickpea Soup from Dreena Burton's - Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. Only I changed a bunch of things and made it my own.

Here's my version:

Healing Lemon Lentil Chickpea Stew (adapted from Dreena Burton's Lemon Lentil Chickpea Soup)

Olive oil
2 small onions
3 stalks of celery
4 cloves of garlic
Sea salt (I use Pink Himalayan sea salt)
Ground pepper to taste
Dried mustard
Cumin
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Italian seasoning
Dried thyme
3 tablespoons Miso (I use soy free from South River Miso Co.)
3 cups chickpeas
1 bag of red lentils

2 yellow zucchini
One bunch of kale
One Daikon
Bay leaf
Water
Kombu
Lemon juice for garnish

In a large soup pot on medium heat, heat oil and add onion, celery, garlic, a crank of salt, pepper, dried mustard, cumin, paprika and Italian seasonings. Cook until tender about 10 minutes. Add lentils, daikon, zucchini, kombu stick, bay leaf, a drizzle of olive oil and chickpeas cover with water bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to medium low and let cook until lentils are soft. About 30 min. Stir kale in add more cumin and sea salt (to taste), let kale wilt. Turn heat down to low and add miso (I add this to water first to break it up). Remove kombu stick and bay leaf and serve with lemon juice on top. I don't measure my seasonings, so use with discretion, whatever flavor you want add more. I like the whole cumin flavor throughout this, it goes well with the lemon. I also didn't use broth or stock, so you might want to salt this to your taste. The miso and kombu help with that as well. Also, I like this type of soup to be thick, so the less water you use the better. You want it to be like a hearty thick soup. The zucchini with break up into pieces and add to the texture.

Have a nice week everyone! I've got lots of good stuff cooking up for the week! Pun intended! :)

A Special Sunday Brunch

Last week T and I were talking about heading into the city EARLY Sunday morning for a nice walk and some brunch. I wanted to make sure I was feeling well before we made definite plans, and luckily this morning (and for just about a week now), I was feeling great. My future sister in law and brother in law came with us and we headed to a place T found online: The Organic Grill. They offer vegan/vegetarian food and raw desserts! An extensive menu with great prices.
Since it's been a very long time since I've enjoyed pancakes, I ordered the brunch special which included gluten free blueberry pancakes, a small side of tofu scramble with veggies, sliced oranges and 2 slices of tempeh bacon. As you know, on very RARE occasions I enjoy tofu and tempeh, but I don't make it a habit. I've had it twice this month which is probably the most I've had it in the past 6 months. So this was a special treat for me, which probably won't happen again for awhile! :)

I took a picture of T's plate as well. He ordered a tofu omelet with spelt toast, potato home fries and tempeh bacon. He loved every bite! My future sis in law ordered the same thing I did and my brother in law ordered the tofu scramble. We were all extremely happy with our meals and we plan on going back for lunch or dinner soon (I am eyeing the macro plate with quinoa, beans and greens!!).

After brunch we burned a ton of calories and walked to Washington Square Park. It was a beautiful, quiet morning in the city. We love heading in really early on Sundays (YAY no traffic!).

We noticed a big crowd and walked over to find model Giselle Bundchen giving a speech about the environment. We caught the end of it, and she was speaking a few different languages. She did not look pregnant at all!!! From what I've heard she is 7 or 8 months? Models!

So that was our little Sunday treat! I have a lot of other meals from the weekend, I will be back tomorrow or Tuesday with more! Have a nice Sunday!

Letting the Sunshine In

Happy Friday Everyone!

I hope you all had a great week! I sure did (minus the bee sting). I have been so happy and excited that I am healthy again! The positivity and light is just flowing through me! Last night T and I went on a long bike ride, it was so chilly, but so beautiful! So many people were outside enjoying the change in seasons. Like I've mentioned before, Fall is definitely my favorite season!

Lots of warming food has been on my table! One night I made some black bean soup and garnished with scallions. This was delicious!
Like I mentioned in my last post, I made more lentils with Swiss chard and brown rice, this time I made it Italian style, rather then Indian. I added lots of onions and garlic. So comfy!

Last night I made Paradise Casserole from The Candle Cafe Cookbook. This is one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant and I have never ordered it, so I thought I'd give it a whirl myself. It consists of millet, black beans and sweet potatoes. All layered. Pretty simple, besides the prep work. The casserole came out pretty well. A little to heavy for my liking. I definitely couldn't eat a lot of it. I am pretty sure the sweet potatoes did that. They were very rich, even though they only had cinnamon, miso (I use soy-free from South River Miso Co.) and olive oil.

I hope everyone had a terrific weekend! T and I have a few plans, but I am not sure if they are definitely happening, so I guess we will have to see! Until then, enjoy! :)

I Pissed off a Bee!

Hi All!

I am feeling great, better and better everyday! I have even been enjoying yoga and nice long walks again. Last night while walking Ginger I was stung (for the first time ever) by a bee (or wasp, not sure). Right through my pants, right on my heinie!! Do you believe that?? I made it 25 years without being stung and now I am just like everyone else! :) Mercury is in retrograde, so I am not surprised!

Ginger has been taking up a lot of blog space lately. She is my healer and best friend, so she deserves it! :)
Earlier in the week I made some green beans that I received in my co-op box with some brown rice along side. This was a tasty meal, I added lots of garlic to the green beans! YUM!

Gluten free oats have been my breakfast of choice lately. This time I made them with some bee pollen, Hunza yellow raisins, cinnamon and pumpkin butter from Trader Joes. I love that stuff! I buy it just about every Fall, and I love adding it to different things. The ingredient list is short too (pumpkin, honey, lemon juice, spices and sugar). For the record, I do eat honey and bee pollen, although they aren't "technically" vegan. Maybe that's why that bee was so mad at me? ;)

My favorite lunch so far this week was left over Indian style lentils (lots of turmeric to get rid of inflammation) with brown rice and Swiss chard. I think I am going to make this again tonight for dinner only Italian style with garlic and olive oil! YUM!

Last night for dinner I made the Chickpea and Broccoli casserole from Vegan with a Vengeance. I have made this a few times in the past (T really likes it). I like adding some Bragg's on top at the end for a little kick, since it can be a little bland. Comfort meal? Check!

I am going to try to post again later on this week, so until then, have a lovely week!

Back on track!

Again, thank you all for your kind words and well wishes. I am doing so much better! Everyday I feel stronger and stronger. Although I know it's from the meds, I am okay with that because the sooner I feel better, the sooner I can go off of them and onto the "better medication." Yes, I know NO medication is good, but I will take the low dose, low risk one over the cancer label any day! :)

Someone had mentioned the nightshade vegetables. I have been avoiding them because they are said to promote inflammation. Thanks Meghan for that info! Here's more on it in case anyone is interested.

On Friday I received another box of goodies from the POM Wonderful company. This time they sent me the new Pom Light Tea. Low calorie and nothing artificial. I have not tasted all of the flavors yet, but I did steal of sip from T and they were pretty tasty, reminded me of Crystal Light minus the artificial aftertaste. I don't really drink anything besides water, coconut water and fresh made juice but T enjoys drinks like these. He is always excited whenever POM wants to send me samples. I enjoy stealing sips here and there from him! :)
On Friday night I made another lentil soup. This time I added greens, zucchini, and carrots. This was a nice warm meal for the rainy day we had.

Ginger makes another appearance with her cute little morning face. I call this face "The Saturday morning Ginger". Enough said.

Over the weekend T and I made Escarole and Beans together. We rarely cook together anymore so this was a nice change. We made it less of a soup dish and more of a meal. The leftovers the next day were amazing! I love meals that taste better a day later!

I FINALLY found some gluten free oats at Whole Foods. They are from the Bob's Redmill Brand. I've been enjoying them for the past couple of mornings! This time I added some blueberries, goji berries, chia seeds, green powder and a drizzle of agave. These are so much better then the brown rice porridge I've been eating. I like a little crunch to my oats, nothing soggy!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I am so excited to be doing better *crosses fingers and toes* to stay that way! Tonight T and I plan on starting up our nightly walks again. Nothing strenuous just hikes and light walks in the area. Fresh fall air is crucial to healing! :)

Ginger Turtle

Hey Everyone!

I had a pretty rough week up until last night. I was even thinking about heading to the hospital but then around 4 o'clock yesterday I started feeling really good and got through most of the night!! Today I woke up feeling a little sick, but not at all close to how bad it has been. I think the steroids are kicking in. I want to start taking the new low risk medication but I have to be off of steroids first. Hopefully that will be in a month or so, since I have to wean. YUCK! I fully intend on doing a liver cleanse with herbs as soon as I am done with this round.

Anyway, T thought he would cheer me up earlier this week when he brought home a new Halloween costume for Ginger. She is usually a bumble bee, but she has grown out of it. So now she is going to be a turtle!
You can just tell how much she loves it! ;) No worries, we just keep it on for pictures, then she is free to be her mischievous self again. On Halloween we will put it on for the neighborhood kids to see. She just stands frozen whenever she has "clothes" on. It's so mean. I am a mean mommy!

I realized I haven't posted any pictures from my co-op boxes this Summer. I am a member year round, so I forget sometimes. This was this weeks box: green beans, eggplant, Swiss chard, lettuce, onions, peppers, potatoes, plum tomatoes, corn, Ginger Gold apples, carrots, bananas, nectarines and peaches. I haven't been eating nightshade veggies, so T will have to enjoy a lot of this box. I am so excited for Fall apples, YUM!

Since I haven't been feeling well, food has been hit or miss. One night I made Macaroni and Crease (gluten-free), and I added peas to it. The last time I had a box of this, it was pretty good. I was surprised that all the ingredients were natural and nothing artificial lurked inside. I would definitely buy this for my kids as a treat once in awhile. But, I won't be enjoying it again. For some reason, this time I wasn't a fan. The taste just stuck with me..blah!

Since I am feeling a lot better, this morning I made some brown rice hot cereal with apples, ginger, stevia, cinnamon and apple pie spice. The picture is ugly, but the taste was delicious! Next time I will use less ginger, it was a little strong for me.

Have a nice weekend everyone! I hope to rest and relax a little more so I can get strong and fight this disease again! I am seriously motivated!!

P.S. For any non-vegan's out there looking to try it out but need a little help, join Meghan's 5-day Vegan program starting September 15!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

I am in complete awe from the kind words you all have sent me. I really felt I needed to get that all out there, at least so someone could listen to me. I seem to be the one that has been listening to a lot from others in my life and I felt I needed to get the chance to speak. You all are great, I don't know what I would do without your love, support, and prayers. MWAH!

So back to regular posting.. last week after my doctors appointment T and I hit up Whole Foods for some dinner. I went with an Indian theme and filled my box with lemon rice, chana masala and dahl. Comfort food at it's best!
Over the weekend we made some white bean burgers from What The Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway? They came out pretty well. I opted for no bun and added avocado and mustard on top. Along side were some Garnet Yam fries I made in the oven. They were really sweet and delicious as well.

Like I previously mentioned, we went to Candle 79 on Sunday night. I started off with the mushroom filled ravioli with capers on top and broccoli rabe underneath. Great dish, bad choice for me. Yes this was gluten and I don't know what the heck I was thinking ordering in. I guess it was a "When in Rome" sorta thing. This was way too filling and after a couple of bites I passed it along to T. He enjoyed it more than I did!

For my entree I went gluten free and choose the basil encrusted tofu with a mixed veggie succotash underneath. I wasn't a fan of the pesto on top, so I scraped that off, but the rest of the meal was filled with lovely flavors and was quite tasty. I haven't had tofu in a while and was craving it last week, this definitely fulfilled that craving!

Last night I made a vegan paella from a Mariel Hemingway recipe. The dish didn't taste much like paella since T and I both thought we added saffron to our cart at the store, but apparently did not. We only realized that when we were already cooking and thought it would come out okay without it. Ha--yea saffron is the most important ingredient in a paella! :) This was tasty none-the-less!

Have a nice week everyone. I will keep you all updated on how I am feeling. Today started off terrible but is ending better. Tomorrow is back to waking up early to bring the kids I watch to school. This should be a trying time for me. Wish me luck!

Mind, Body, Soul

Wow, it's been a rough few days. Monday morning I told T I needed to go to the hospital, I had the most horrible night on Sunday and I just couldn't take it anymore. We held off and I decided to put myself on some steroids I had left over from my previous flare-up. I talked with my doctor on Monday and he wasn't able to get me in until later on today. So I've been on pain killers and steroids, trying to get a hold of this thing. I wake up sick and go to sleep sick. The days I sleep and relax outside with Ginger. I've had a normal appetite (which is weird for me) and I've been trying to get some good protein and nutrients in. Being on steroids, I have no problem with veggies or beans. So I am enjoying that (looking at the positives).

T had bought me a book over the weekend and I've been reading up a storm: Perfect Health by Deepak Chopra. I really enjoy his work and this book is excellent. I am so motivated to get well, off of steroids and STAY that way! Also, Bitt was kind enough to send me a copy of a book she thought I should read: Life Disrupted: Getting Real About Chronic Illness in Your Twenties and Thirties. I haven't started this yet, but it is the next book I will be reading on my healing journey. I also bought a new journal from Whole Foods, it is made from acid free sustainable forest paper. I've been journaling up a storm, which is so important for me while I am healing. Mind, body and soul, right?
As for the body part, I've been making a lot of fresh soups --the weather has been cool, so these comforting meals are perfect! Here is a lentil/spinach soup. I added in celery, carrots, turmeric and veggie stock. YUM!

I also made Happy Herbivore's Hippie Loaf again! This time I added some gluten free bread crumbs on top before I put it in the oven. T looooves this dish! He has ketchup with his, I drizzle some Bragg's on top. I plan on making the gravy next time.

Last night I made Split Pea Soup. I followed a recipe from 101 Cookbooks and added some mushrooms, carrots, and garlic. I will be finishing this for lunch later on today!

So that's the story, I am seeing my doctor later on today. I hope we can work out a plan that involves less medication. I am seeking out another doctor as soon as I get well. Right now I am not happy with the one I have, if you have any suggestions (an alternative minded GI in NJ or NY), please let me know!

P.S. I am continuing acupuncture no matter what! It has become the light in my dark journey!