It's Snowing in Tennessee

...and it's been a while since I've posted. In the past few days, I've made some yummy juices, meals, and a dessert. So I'll just share some pictures.

Spaghetti squash with zucchini, mushrooms, tomato sauce, and parmesan cheese! It was surprisingly good! I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the tomato sauce on it, but it was great!

These are the things I juiced a few days ago. I had to make myself drink it. It wasn't really all that bad, but it was pretty acidic and the celery just overpowered the drink. I don't recommend celery in your juice unless you're prepared for its strong flavor.

Here's my breakfast from a few days ago. The juice is made up of what's in the previous picture. There's whole grain and seed toast with grass-fed butter (I always picture the butter being fed grass) and homemade cherry jelly. In the bowl is hot cereal made up of oats, flax seed, and quinoa. I added a little cinnamon for flavor. It was a very filling breakfast.

Here's the juice I made yesterday. It's a ton of kale, an apple, some carrots, two tangerines, and half a zucchini. It was very, very good! (Oh, and chia seeds!)

Here's part of a little recipe I've borrowed from my boyfriend's mother (because I LOVE it!). It's not exactly the same, but it's close enough to be almost as good as hers. I sautéed some chicken with garlic and warmed flat bread in the oven. I put cucumber ranch dressing on it and sriracha. I was going to make quinoa to go with it, but I totally forgot!

This was last night's dessert. And it was heavenly! It's bread pudding (if you couldn't tell already) with vanilla bourbon sauce. I'd never made bread pudding before, but it was definitely a success! There's lots left over, but I'll have to keep myself from eating the rest of it by myself.

My mother and sister are out of school for snow, so we're going to do some juicing and see what else the day brings!

Happy Wednesday!

Juice for Breakfast

     One of my favorite things in the whole world is fresh juice. Unfortunately, I don't have one of those fancy, five-speed juicers, and buying fresh juice every day would cost me a fortune. But I do have a blender and a fine, mesh strainer.

     Today, I made juice from 1 beet, 1 apple, a handful of baby carrots, 2 handfuls of kale, and a tiny splash of ginger paste. It was very, very good. Once you get it all blended up, it seems like you've made way too much for one person. But trust me. Once you start running it through the strainer, it'll be just enough. I put ice in mine because I don't care for the juice at room temperature. This is the first time I've tried making juice with the blender, and I wasn't sure how it would turn out. But it was great! I think I'll be doing this a lot!

Happy Friday!!

I'm Awake!

     And I have lunch plans! My mother (a school counselor) and my sister (a high schooler) do not have to go to school today due to sub freezing temperatures. (It was 3 degrees just a few hours ago... Yes, our school system lets out for anything.) We're going to brave the cold and go out to lunch at Juicy's, a local juice bar and vegetarian cafe. They have some incredible juice recipes, my favorite being Beauty and the Beet (they have clever names). That's beets, apple, tangerine, carrot, lemon, and I think a hint of ginger. They serve things like hot, wilted kale salad (which is quite yummy), chickpea "chicken" salad, and various vegetarian soups (often potato and vegetable soup without meat product). The best thing you can get, though, if you're ever passing through our tiny town (who knows?) are the cornbread muffins. They're slightly sweet, they're very cheesy (so a bit of a guilty pleasure), and they have little peppers in them that give them a kick. If you're getting anything there, make sure to get one of those!

     This is a very short post, but I may post again later. It's too early for anything to have happened, yet!

Oh, and here's breakfast:

Currently in the Oven

    I am currently craving cookies SO BADLY... and I'm bored with breakfast. So I go in the kitchen to see what I have. There's the basic stuff: flour, baking powder, eggs, butter, brown sugar, etc. I have vanilla extract, cinnamon, oats, peanut butter, honey. Those sound good in some sort of concoction together. There's also a very ripe banana that no one is going to eat... or will they? Ah! Banana+Peanut Butter+Honey= HEAVEN. So how do I incorporate these into a cookie? Well, actually, I'll be incorporating these into a breakfast cookie, a peanut butter banana oat breakfast cookie, to be exact. I actually found a recipe similar to this one on Pinterest, but I ended up adding so many things to it that it's hardly the same, anymore.

Here's how it went:

     I started out by just scooping a bunch of flour into a mixing bowl. It ended up being about 3 cups + 2 tbsp. I put in two tsp of cinnamon and 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp of baking powder + a teeeeeeeny tiny pinch of salt. I mixed all of that together and then I started on the banana/peanut butter/honey mixture. I put 1 ripe banana sliced up into my blender, and then a 1/2 cup of honey and about a 1/3 cup of peanut butter. Blend all that together until smooth, and you've got your heavenly mixture. Melt 6 tbsp of butter. Pour 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of quick oats (or whatever other oats you prefer and like to bake with) and then add the melted butter. Stir with a fork till thoroughly combined. Add 1 egg to the mixture and 2 tsp of vanilla extract and stir together. Lastly, add your banana/peanut butter/honey mixture and mix until it's all thick and sticky and well incorporated. Make sure to either bake them on a parchment sheet or grease your cookie sheet, just to be safe. I took an ice cream scoop and scooped it out that way, leveling it off before plopping it on the cookie sheet. Bake them at 325. (I made one test cookie at 350 and had to turn it down to 325 because the bottoms brown quickly.) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. This recipe makes about a dozen cookies.

                         
                                                               
These are sugarless, so they're not going to be that sweet, desserty cookie. They're breakfast cookies and they're VERY good with honey drizzled on top. They're a little bit like a muffin! (I may even try one with jelly.) I'm very excited to rewarm one or two in the morning and have it with my coffee.

Baking is about the only thing I want to do on a night like this one. (It's 9 degrees here in TN, and it'll be 3 degrees in the morning! Yikes!!)

Update: Here's the ingredient list in an easier-to-read fashion.

3 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp + 1tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup peanut butter

6 tbsp butter (melted)

1/2 cup oats

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

Undecided About the Pancakes + Other Musings

     I woke up this morning later than I meant to, which means I still haven't changed into real clothes. When I have nowhere to be and no reason to get up, I kind of just don't. This'll have to change. If I don't get up and get ready in the mornings, I don't feel like I've accomplished anything that day, even if I've cleaned, run errands, and cooked. This day is no different. I've written thank you letters, cleaned the kitchen, tried a new recipe, made the kitchen dirty again, will clean it up again, and will be going out here shortly to get some things done in town. But I'm not going to feel like I've done anything by the end of the day. I'm incredibly bored, for one thing, and I'm ready to get my mind moving again. School is a huge motivation to do that; it makes me get my mind moving.

     What I should probably start doing is take a shower and get dressed as soon as I'm finished with my coffee and breakfast. And then I just need to get out of the house, get moving, and also do some yoga at some point during the day. (I'm pretty sure my profile says I'm "interested in doing yoga," but remember, that just means "interested in." I haven't been doing yoga regularly since over a year ago. And even then it wasn't as regular as it should've been.

     Any who, enough rambling about that. You're probably wondering what "undecided about the pancakes" means. It means I tried to make an eggless pancake recipe I found, except I changed it up a bit in an attempt to make it healthier. Well, actually, I had made it before, and the pancakes were delicious! I added cinnamon to give them more flavor, used almond milk instead of the 1% milk it called for, and didn't use as much sugar. Those were the only things I changed about the recipe that first time around. Today, though, I changed several things around and I made a topping for them.

Here's the recipe: 3/4 cup all purpose flour                          
                             1/2 cup whole wheat flour                    
                             1 tbsp baking powder                          
                             1/2 tbsp brown sugar                            
                             1/4 tsp kosher salt                                
                             1 cup almond milk                                
                             2 tbsp coconut oil
                             4 tbsp water (I actually started out with 2 tbsp, but it was too thick, so add as much as you think necessary to thin it out.)
                             2 tsp cinnamon
                             dash of nutmeg
                             splash of pure vanilla extract                   (makes about 6 medium sized pancakes)

Combine all of the dry ingredients, mix together in a medium sized mixing bowl, then add the almond milk, the coconut oil, and the water. Make sure the coconut oil is melted or it'll chunk up in the batter. I added in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla last. I put a little coconut oil in a skillet on medium heat. Wait until the skillet is hot enough to where a drop of batter will bubble. Then, of course, go to town. Flip when they're bubbly all over. Then put the topping on once they're cooked and serve.

For the topping I cut up two small gala apples into inch pieces and melted a tbsp of butter in a skillet, added the apples, added 2 tbsp of honey, a tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a splash of vanilla extract. I let it simmer until the apples were soft.
                           

... but here's the thing. I had some trouble adjusting to the texture. I'm not really even sure I can describe the texture. They were a little grainy just like most things made with whole wheat flour. They were a little too dense for my liking. Once the topping was added, it really helped with the flavor. I'm so used to buttery pancakes, so using coconut oil to cook them was definitely a change. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla helped with the flavor. At first, they're not what you're expecting from a pancake, but after a few more bites, they grow on you. Also, serve the pancakes while they're still pretty warm. After they cool a bit, they're just not as good. I really can't decide if I like them or not, but this recipe definitely needs some improvement. I'll update you when I work on it again.

Happy Wednesday

Testing the Waters

     So I found this blog called The Rising Spoon. I was searching Pinterest for healthy eating plans to follow, tips, tricks, recipes, etc. I ran across a pin that linked to a blog post called Fifteen Ways to Detox Naturally Without Starving Yourself or Going Broke. (It's a great post, and you should really check out the blog. Here's the link: http://www.therisingspoon.com) From this blog post, I gained a lot of knowledge about different detox teas (one of which I tried and will talk about in a moment), oil pulling (quite a mouth workout), nutrients in fruits and veggies (kiwi has more vitamin C than an orange?!), absorbing vitamins the right way (healthy fats for the win!) and some very cool healthy habits like detox baths and dry skin brushing. Here's the link one more time: http://www.therisingspoon.com
   
     After discovering more awesome things within this blog, I decided to start trying a few. I went to Walmart (oh, joy!) where I felt I'd find the best deals on things bound to be pretty pricey. And boy were they, compared to the usual purchases my family and I make. The grass-fed butter was especially pricey considering how much butter you actually get. (You get sixteen tablespoons of butter per "stick." So, about two sticks of butter?) I bought the Kerrygold brand, one salted and one unsalted. So far, I've only used the butter in some pasta sauce I made several days ago, so I haven't really experienced its glory quite yet. I also purchased a large tub of unrefined coconut oil, some California Olive Ranch brand olive oil, what I thought was full fat greek yogurt but is actually non-fat (turns out it's much harder to find full fat yogurts around here than I thought), some fruits and vegetables (kiwi, raspberries, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, lemons, limes), some cheeses (Parmigiano-Reggiano and goat cheese), and 100% cranberry juice (unsweetened).

Here are some things I've tried so far:

Oil Pulling: Yikes! Twenty minutes of swishing?? I set my timer, got a tablespoon of coconut oil, and swished through my shower and part of getting ready. After the timer went off, I was relieved to spit it out. (Don't swallow! There are nasty toxins in there. Also, spit it in the garbage can. Spit it down the sink, and it'll clog your pipes.) From what I've heard/read, oil pulling pulls bacteria from your mouth and can help with tooth and gum problems, but you've gotta go the whole twenty minutes. It doesn't taste weird, it doesn't really feel weird either, it does sting like mouthwash, and it got rid of my coffee breath. So far, I'm a fan.

Lemon/Cranberry/Honey Detox Tea: I did this one first thing in the morning. I boiled the kettle, sliced half a lemon, and got out my cranberry juice and raw, local honey. Once boiling, I poured the water in a mug, squeezed the lemon half in, poured in too much cranberry juice (I don't even know how much), and added two tablespoon of honey... I think. Taste time! ... oh... agh... how?? It was so sour, I felt my whole body pucker up. I watered it down, drank some more, still too sour, watered it down more, made myself drink the rest of it, and then I ended up running to coffee for refuge. It's quite a shock at the crack of dawn. (Okay, it was ten...) I think I did it wrong, so I'll have to go back and look at the recipe again and figure out why mine was so bad.

Incorporating More Fruits and Veggies: When I was little, my mother would guilt me into eating more fruits and veggies by telling me I'd get scurvy. Trying to avoid that... Over the summer, she had a vegetable garden. There were tomatoes, beans, squash, and zucchini. Once the tomatoes got going, we had tomato everything. In the winter, well, you know, it's harder to incorporate them when they're not right there in your backyard, fresh and pesticide free. In the winter, all I really want is to curl up with a big bowl of hot mashed potatoes (no judging here). So I've been mixing veggies in with all of my meals, especially if it's a pasta dish, or having them on the side. Tonight I wanted something sweet after dinner, so I had a kiwi and some raspberries. I'm working on it, and it'll be an even bigger struggle once school starts back and it's dried out broccoli and mushy apples.

I am yet to try any more detox teas, skin brushing, or detox baths, but I'll get to it. (Better try those baths before school starts. Hot baths are sorely missed while I'm living in the dorm.)

More to come!

Here We Go...

      I've always wanted to start a blog. I've started four blogs, actually. When I logged in to my Blogger account, I rediscovered these blogs. I don't remember the purpose of them, just that they were made when I was thirteen and they were intended to house a lot of angst. This one, I hope, will be different.

     My New Year's Resolution for 2015 is to incorporate more whole foods into my diet and live a healthier lifestyle. I love to cook and I love to eat, so the work should be fun, but there's a catch: I'm a college student living in a dorm and eating with a meal plan. The food options range from fast food restaurants to poorly supplied cafeterias to convenience store snacks. I spend most of my meals in the cafeteria. It's depressing, unsatisfying, and I pretty much dread eating there, but it's the best choice at school. The challenge will be turning these cafeteria meals into healthier, more nutritious meals; the more natural the ingredients, the better. Finding the natural food in the place will be really, really hard, but until I have an apartment with a kitchen, it'll have to do. Classes start back in about two weeks, and so will the stress, so instead of pursuing the usual bad eating habits that I think make me feel better (as in, loads of junk food that satisfy my stressed out cravings), I'll be doing my  best to pursue healthy eating habits. Maybe blogging about this will make it more fun and keep me on track. I'll be posting pictures of meals, yummy sounding recipes, things I cook when I'm at home on break, and new discoveries I'm making on this food journey of mine.

     And so it begins.