Memorial Day Weekend Adventures: Part 1

Hey Everyone! Happy 3-day weekend (for those in the U.S.). I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am! Life couldn't be better! The weather has been perfect, I am feeling great, and life is just so beautiful in every way right now! :) I hope this joy for all of you!

Anyway, first thing is first, the winner of the EcoMom.com $25 gift code is: BITT! Congrats Bitt, I think this is the second giveaway you have won from me! Lucky gal! Random.org seems to like you! Ha ha! Please email me your address and email so they can contact you about your prize.

This is going to be a 3 part post, so here goes the first part. Friday, T and I did our grocery shopping at Whole Foods and hung out at home. I made a left over Sunshine Burger (Ani Phyo's recipe from her book Ani's Raw Food Kitchen). I had it on a romaine leaf with avocado and raw Bubbies pickles. On the side I made some sweet potato fries in the oven with rosemary, Himalayan sea salt and some ground pepper. This was a perfect "high raw" meal!
On Saturday we headed to the shore to visit our families for the day. We saw my grandparents, parents and had dinner at my mother in laws house. T made pizza again! :) Along with the help of his brothers, mother, future sister in law and myself of course! Here are the two offerings I enjoyed from: Sauce with roasted eggplant, zucchini, garlic and basil on a gluten free crust.
And my favorite pizza to enjoy: broccoli rabe with garlic and a touch of sauce, on a gluten free crust of course!
My future sister in law (she is also my bestie!) and I made a raw vegan strawberry cheesecake! We used this recipe and it came out perrrrrfect! This was a hit! My mother in law and future sis in law are both vegan and my mother in law is pretty high raw, my future sis in law is getting into it now too! I even got her drinking green smoothies for breakfast now! She was so impressed after Zoe's demonstration class that she couldn't help but want to eat more raw!
Onto Sunday.. T and I took a trip to a pick your own farm to pick.. STRAWBERRIES! Obviously, strawberries are a major craving for me right now! Unfortunately, there aren't any organic farms in NJ that have pick-your-own strawberries! We went to one that practices IPM farming, which means they use minimal chemicals on their crops. Of course I soaked the strawberries in veggie wash before we enjoyed any. Next month we are going to go a pick-your-own blueberries that is ONLY ORGANIC! Whoo!

Look at this cutie! She was jumping up on the fence looking for attention. I just loved her!
The landscape was beautiful. Country air is always appreciated. The weather was perfect, hot but no humidity, there was even a beautiful breeze! Look at that sky, not a cloud!
So we walked and followed the signs..
More signs..
Almost there..
Finally (sheesh, don't they know I am pregnant?).. ;)
The golden ticket..
So fresh and beautiful!
Our pickings! Wow, that was quick.. we went strawberry crazy! T was proud to show off our little gems!
Come back Wednesday to see what we did with all these yummy strawberries and some more 3 day weekend fun! Have a great day everyone! XO

Raw Vegan Martha or Nesting?

Hey Everyone! Thank you all for the advice on diapering! I am really leaning towards cloth, so hopefully it will work out! Anyway, happy Friday! Yay for long weekends (in the U.S)! Any Memorial Day plans? We are going to my mother-in-laws house tomorrow and the rest of the weekend we will probably just enjoy time outside! Lately all I was to do is make raw and vegan food! I guess I am starting to "nest" as they say. I want to cook, clean, stay in! Ha ha, isn't it a little early for that? I heard people go through that in the 8th and 9th month, here I am 3 1/2 months, being the raw/vegan Martha Stewart! :)

Anyway, with that said, I made some yummy raw kale chips in the dehydrator earlier this week! I sprinkled some Nutritional Yeast on top when they came out. YUM!
For dinner one night I made 2 wraps on Sprouted Grain Tortillas: Hummus, Raw Kale, Quinoa, and avocado. I drizzled some lemon on top too!
I also made some gluten free pasta with sauce and chickpeas. I added the chickpeas for a little extra protein. Perfect!
A big green monster I made yesterday morning: Spinach, Spirulina, DHA oil, Sunwarrior protein, Chia seeds, Pineapple and Banana.
For dinner last night I made Ani Phyo's raw sunshine burgers. These are beyond simple and totally delicious! They took me 15 minutes between prepping and going into the dehydrator! They only needed 3 hours to dehydrate too! They were done just in time for dinner. I have a few leftover too, I'm thinking crumbled on a kale salad? Mmm..
Have a great weekend everyone! Don't forget to enter my Ecomom.com $25 Gift Certificate giveaway! They have non-mommy products too (makeup, lotions, all kinds of goodies!)! Check it out! I'll announce the winner on Monday! XO!

Diaper talk, Garden Update and Cravings!

Hey All, happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a great week so far! I am really looking forward to the long weekend! Lots of baby stuff on my mind lately. I'm looking into Hynobirthing for my hospital birth. I am also questioning diapering methods. I was planning on using cloth, but I keep getting bad feedback. Many people do it for a short period of time and find that it gives the baby diaper rash or it's just too much work. The only other option would be chlorine free organic, but the price is ridiculous! So, I guess we will see, of course I have some months to think about this more. If you are a mom what method did you use? Any tips or advice would be great!

Anyway, I wanted to update you all on our garden! Here is a picture from when we first planted in the beginning of May! This picture was taken yesterday..
Our kale is really thriving!! Remember this picture, from when it was in the ground for a couple of weeks?
We also planted some rose bushes that are already blooming!
And we have a fig on our fig tree (actually, we have 4!). They still have some time to ripen!
Last year we planted a cherry tree and we didn't get any fruit. This year we have a ton of cherries coming in!
I love eating produce grown in my yard and planted with love from T and I! There is so much good energy in it!

Anyway, onto food, I had this little snack one day earlier this week: Livin Spoonful Raw Crackers, Go Raw Pizza Flax Snax and Brad's Raw Kale Chips with hummus.
A plate of sunshine: organic oranges! A lovely snack one afternoon!
For dinner one night I made a big kale salad and added in the left over Raw Pad Thai from Candle 79. I also topped it with some Italian Fried Greens, an idea I got from Gena. I used quinoa. YUM!
I had a serious craving for strawberries this week! After T picked up this edible Jersey magazine in Whole Foods, I couldn't get my mind off of them! Just look at how beautiful that strawberry on the cover is! I picked up some organic strawberries Monday afternoon after I just couldn't take it anymore! I hope to go strawberry picking soon!
Have a great day everyone! It is going to be in the 90's here today! I am about 20 degrees hotter now that I am pregnant. I am usually the cold one with the cold hands and feet.. not anymore! I am finding the heat to be unbearable! Can't wait for August! ;)

What a weekend!

Hello Buttercups, I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was very busy and I am kind of glad it's Monday, so I can relax a little! I'm now in the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy and my energy is coming back! Although, my attitude is definitely..err..around. Ha ha! I seem to be a little extra bossy, bitchy, tense..I feel sorry for those around me. :)

Anyway, on Friday afternoon T and I took a spur of the moment trip to see his mother. She had called us to tell us she went shopping for maternity clothes for me and wanted us to pick them up. Who could say no to that? Everything she bought was adorable and perfect. A few tops to grow into, some capri's, a dress, I am all set! We got to hit up my favorite health food store too, so I grabbed all my goodies: Emmy's Raw Macaroons: Lemon Ginger, Go Raw Pizza Flax Snax, Kaia Foods Cheesy Kale Chips (A-MAZING!) a ton of Livin Spoonful Pesto Pumpkin Seed Raw Crackers (this is my favorite flavor, which they never have and favorite raw cracker ever), some gluten-free pasta, Kaia Foods Raw Sunflower seeds Teriyaki, and a Righteously Raw Caramel Bar. I'm set..at least for this week! ;)
I made this delicious smoothie Saturday morning: Mango, Raspberries, Spinach, Banana, Sunwarrior, Maca Powder, DHA, Chia, Almond Milk, 2 Dried Turkish Figs.
I also had Raw Onion Bread in the dehydrator for almost two days and it was finally done of Saturday morning! Wow, this is amazing! They are not going to last very long! I used this recipe in case anyone is wondering.
Saturday was my mother in law's birthday. She came up along with my future sister in law and 2 brothers in law and we went to a raw food demonstration at Whole Foods (the guys went to lunch), taught by the lovely Green Mom Zoe! The class was wonderful, it was an introduction class, so I knew a lot of the information, but it was nice to refresh my mind. I was so happy that there was a good turn out. I am hoping raw foods get more noticed in my area (and my Whole Foods).
Zoe made us this delicious raw zucchini pasta! I loved that she added ginger to the sauce, it gave it a wonderful bite! Usually, I am not a big fan of raw pasta, but this was so delicious I would eat it every night! Thanks Zoe for such a wonderful experience!
After the class, we headed to the city to celebrate my mother in laws birthday at Candle 79! I ordered The Hummus Plate as an appetizer (the gluten free version with flax crackers). Roasted garlic, olives and hummus: YUM!
For my entree I ordered a double order of the Raw Pad Thai appetizer. This was amazing! So fresh and flavorful! I had some left over that I am going to add to my kale salad later on! Yay!
I hope you all had a great weekend and a wonderful day! Don't forget to enter my latest giveaway!

EcoMom.com Review, Discount Code AND GIVEAWAY!

Hey Everyone! A little while back the kind people at EcoMom.com sent me this wonderful Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic Pregnancy Pampering Kit.
Inside this box of awesomeness was a box of Mama-To-Be Tea Sampler. Which has 4 different types of teas: Morning Wellness, Peaceful Mama, Third Trimester and Heartburn. All of these teas are USDA Certified 100% Organic and Certified Kosher. Obviously, I didn't try them all, but I just adore the Morning Wellness and Peaceful Mama! I am sure the other two will come in handy down the road. It is so nice to have a tea and not have to worry about the herbs being unsafe for the baby. Now I just bring one of these tea bags along with me and ask for hot water when T gets his coffee.
The kit also included some luxurious pampering items! I NEVER put chemicals on my body and you can bet your booty that I am SUPER careful while pregnant. No chemicals are getting into my blood stream! With these items I don't have to worry. I can stay natural and still feel like a queen! Here's the goods: Happy Feet soak: which is amazing! The smell, the quality, holy moly! This looks like tea leaves! I love this stuff! Natural Stretch Oil: another amazing smelling item, I've been rubbing this on my belly and some other spots! Earth Mama Bottom Balm: Well, this is a private one, I haven't needed this yet..thankfully! :) Finally, Earth Mama Body Butter: I wish there were more of this, because this is so silky smooth and again, the smell is divine!
This kit is the perfect gift to any mama-to-be! If someone had given me this as a gift (again) I would be ecstatic! Such a thoughtful perfect little box of goodies.

EcoMom also has a gift for you! Use the discount code SBBL260 now through June 30th, 2010 and recipe 15% off your first order with them!

That's not all! :) Eco Mom has a new program called EcoPass. This allows you to purchase a $99 dollar annual membership which provides 15% discount on EVERY ORDER! As well as free shipping with no $75 minimum requirement!

And, if you thought I was done, I'm not (haha, I feel like the late Billy Mays..R.I.P.)! EcoMom is also sponsoring a giveaway for Ginger is The New Pink readers! One winner with recieve a $25 Gift Certificate for EcoMom.com!

Here's how to enter (one entry per item you do, please come back and let me know which ones you did):


1. Leave a comment letting me know what item from EcoMom.com you are most interested in.
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I will announce the winner one week from today! Good luck!

Disclaimer: While EcoMom sent me this wonderful kit to review they have never compensated me for reviewing this product and all opinions expressed are from my own experience.

Good Eats and Ooh Baby

Happy Friday Sunbeams! Thank you all so much for the anniversary wishes! We had a very nice evening together! We made some gluten free pasta with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of Nutritional Yeast. Mmm..
And shared these gluten free, vegan desserts! We actually drove down south about 30 minutes to a vegan bakery called "Papa Ganache", earlier that afternoon, and picked these up. I liked this bakery because they use mostly organic ingredients and Fair Trade unbleached sugar. They also have extensive gluten free options. I have noticed since being pregnant that the baby does not like sugar.. at all. Fruit and natural sugar is fine, but anything like this makes me feel crappy. I did enjoy, but later on felt a little sick. This was a chocolate chip cookie sandwich, a peanut butter cookie sandwich and a mini strawberry/banana smoothie cupcake. Everything was delicious. But I really can't say I crave sweets like this at all.
Of course, I had a kale salad every day this week. The usual suspects were in this: raw pickles, raw kraut, raw sunflower seeds, lemon juice, avocado, olive oil.
Yesterday, T and I went to our favorite salad place in town, for dinner. I had a big mesclun salad with shredded veggies, broccoli, cucumbers, black beans and white beans.
I also had a big bowl of vegan lentil soup! Mmm, although it was pretty hot here yesterday, I still enjoyed this.
A lovely green smoothie for breakfast this morning: Spinach, Mango, Almond Milk, Sunwarrior Protein, Spirulina, Chia Seeds, DHA Oil and Bananas. I always get questions on my straw, these gorgeous straws are from Glass Dharma. They are amazing, seriously, check them out!
Something else you all have been asking about.. the latest baby picture! Here is my little starshine.. 12 weeks. It has it's left hand on it's mouth. I am hoping it is a lefty like me! :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Four Year Anniversary!

Hey Love Bugs!

Today is a very special day for T and I.. 4 years ago we were married in The Bahamas! What a special magical day it was! I am so lucky to spend my life with the man I love. :) We are staying in and making dinner together at home, but it will definitely be romantic.

Sorry for all the mush! Ha ha! Anyway, we are going to the city on Saturday night for my Mother in Laws birthday. She is a vegan and wanted to go to Candle 79. So that should be fun. Although, I don't think I am going back there for awhile after this, I've been there waaaay to many times this year. LOL, I am ready to go somewhere different. T and I were actually going to go to Blossom today, but we decided staying in was nicer (and not dealing with weekday city traffic is always a plus!).

Anyway, over the weekend I made this amazing stuffed artichoke. I stuffed it with pieces of the artichoke stem, gluten free bread crumbs, garlic, seasoning and Daiya! Then I steamed it for about 40 minutes. Talk about amazing!!! On the side I had a Sunshine Burger with Daiya melted on top, avocado and romaine on a Sprouted Grain Bun.
I decided to change it up a bit and use sprouted buns instead of romaine leaves (they are 9 grams of protein each, baby likes). I think I will go back to romaine and use the buns on occasion (they are frozen). The buns are a little too much. One night I had 2 for dinner (hey, I was hungry!). This time I topped the Sunshine Burgers with raw pickles, raw kraut, romaine, stone ground mustard and avocado.
My number one craving right now is for WATERMELON!!!! I can't get enough!! And it's not even in season yet!!! I've been buying ones that are quartered or halved so I can see if they are good or not. I could cry when I open one up and the color is off and it has no taste! Mmm, this is a bowl of heaven! My baby is floating in watermelon!
I made this smoothie yesterday morning (sorry about the picture, my camera was acting funny and I couldn't get a good one). This has frozen organic cranberries, bananas, a Young Thai Coconut: water and meat, Sunwarrior protein, spinach, spirulina, maca powder, DHA oil and chia seeds. So creamy and delicious!
More lentils! Thanks everyone for all the iron tips! I didn't know about having vitamin C with my iron to help it absorb better, as many of you suggested. I've been having water with lemon all the time, so I shouldn't have a problem. Yesterday I made some rainy day lentils. I added red potatoes, kale, soy-free miso and chickpeas. Perfect comfort food!
Aren't these roses amazing?? T got me them from Whole Foods (they are Fair Trade!) for our anniversary! He is amazing!

Have a lovely day everyone!