Salt & Humor

During my cleanse I am realizing some things that I will be changing.  While I can’t see myself completely giving up coffee, sugar and bread (gluten).  I will most certainly be reducing my intake of these food.  While I am giving it my best effort to stick to these dietary exclusions during my cleanse I realize just how darn hard that is.  I made veggie sushi one night and only afterwards did I think to check some labels! Wheat in the soy sauce and sugar in the Sriratcha!!

SERIOUSLY!

Some meals I think I pulled off pretty good.  I wasn’t too into taking photos because salads get a little boring after a while.  I made lentil, bean and sunflower sprouts.  They were great in salads and wraps. 

Salad with avocado, lentil sprouts and tahini dressing with

brown rice wrap of hummus, sweet potato and marinated tempeh

Each day I had 1-2 servings of green juice. Mine usually consisted of cucumber, celery, romaine, kale/collards or dandelion greens, green apple and ginger.

Also, daily exercise, about 8 hours of sleep, meditating, dry brushing and journaling have been daily tasks.  While this has been what I have been up to, I realized how little time left I have had to read, draw, paint, sew, talk on the phone, clean, play or BLOG.  I have been getting up at 5:30 to have ensure enough time to meditate, dry brush, make lunch and juice before work.  It has been quite the project and adventure.  I realized that it isn’t all that bad to get up at that time and if I can make it a habbit I want to start exercising at that time rather than after work.  The chances of getting it done after work are about 50/50.  This is a stretch but I would LOVE if I would make it happen.  So this is my goal.  I also realized that my heart just isn’t into blogging like it used to be.  I have so many other things that I need to be focussing on right now.  So as I am not sure what this might mean for Salt & Humor, I do think it is time for a BREAK.

I wanted to leave you with a happy accident recipe for a salad I made last night and the recommendation of Kris Carr’s book; Crazy Sexy Diet. I am really glad that I came upon this book.

WILD SALAD

sliced red cabbage

sliced fennel bulb

chopped celery

chopped green onion

very lightly steamed broccoli, chopped

sliced almonds

raisins

chopped cilantro

toasted sesame seeds

poppy seeds

Dressing: tahini, apple cider vinegar, salt, garlic, and stevia

As you know, when it comes to providing recipes I am a bit vague.  Those are the ingredients I used, as for the measurements, uh, I just go with it.  I can say this though, please try this salad! It was fabulous!!

XOXO

Who doesn’t love cake, or chocolate cake for that matter?  Well, chocolate cake is pretty much my very favorite!  I think I was still dreaming of the super rad vegan chocolate ganache cake from my birthday  that I was thinking I must make some for Valentine’s Day.  

If you live in or travel to Reno be sure to check out Dandelion Deli!!

Well, I was not going to pull a cake like that off so I settled for cupcakes.

If you love moist chocolate cake like I do, I recommend this recipe!

For the frosting I mixed in the stand mixer: powdered sugar, Tofutti cream cheese, vanilla extract and a bit of almond milk.  The frosting was good but my favorite way to eat chocolate cupcakes is with no frosting.  I am telling you, please check out this recipe!

For dinner, WE made penne pasta with tomato vodka cream sauce.  Jason was a big help in the kitchen and it made me wonder why we don’t do that more often.  Cooking together was great.  We added mushrooms and chopped up “meatballs” from Trader Joes.

Looking back at this meal is making me hungry! It might have to be my special dinner in 22 days.  Why 22 days?  Well, I am starting a 21 day cleanse tomorrow.  I read and love Crazy Sexy Diet.  I am hoping to jump start a healthier way of eating, see if  I am gluten sensitive, eliminate inflammation and of course ditch a few unneeded pounds.  So tomorrow will start the lovely juicing, greens, yummy salads and lots of water.  I will be leaving sugar, gluten coffee, alcohol and of course dairy and meat.    Dairy meat has been out of life since September 20, 2010 <3 The others things are going to be a bit tough.  I can do it for 21 days though.  I NEED to and I WANT to .  I am really looking forward to the personal and spiritual benefits as well.  Check out Kris Carr’s book my friends.  Some of the info may be a review or brand new information to you.  If you are still learning or just reviewing, it is a good boost either way.

It seems that every time I sit down at my desk or in a chair for that matter, the kitties think I need their help.  Maybe I need a sweet lap kitty to keep me company or maybe I just need their pure presence in what seems like all that I do. 

Take painting for example, don’t you think I need a kitty all up in my space!?  Yoshi sniffed, licked and chomped a few brushes just for the sake of quality control. 

Then just as I left and quickly returned, Choopey took an interest in the paints. 

He was not as amused and wonders what Yoshi was up to. 

They really can be a nuisance when you are trying to get something done.  I promise you, that as I write this post I am leaning in my chair, looking around Choopey just to see the screen.  He is sitting in front of the keyboard watching this post come together.  Of course I can tell him to get down or simply put him down but if I had to be honest, if they didn’t constantly get in the way, I would miss it.  

I made some ratatouille a while ago and I forgot to share it. I am a huge fan of ratatouille and was excited to make this recipe, as I have not made one with beans before.

I discovered this fun recipe from Vegan Table. I just got this cook book and have only had a chance to make this one recipe but I have many pages tabbed to make soon.

Of course serving it with some vino and garlic, sourdough bread seemed to make the whole meal just perfect!

Any ratatouille fans out there?

Always wash, sometimes iron, fold and definitely reuse.  I have been using cloth napkins for a little over a year now.  I try to use these always and encourage Jason to use them as well.  They are actually nicer to  wipe your mouth with than some scratchy paper napkin.  

Do you ever use clothe napkins?

I am just not going to allow myself to get sick!  It seems that the cold/flu bug are going around and I swear I am going to dodge it! I have to be careful in my own home, as Jason is super sick with what they call an upper-respiratory tract infection.  Some say it is all in the way we think.  If you think you will get sick, then you will.  If you think that you will not, then you won’t.  Well, I have tried that and I am trying to eat mostly fruits and veggies and preferably raw.

I started the morning with fresh juice; 1 lemon, 1 lime, 1 orange and 1 grapefruit with grated ginger.  Jason actually requests this juice all the time, although without the ginger.  Yesterday, I convinced him that he needed it to help him feel better For lunch I made a wrap.  It was a crazy recipe I construed while on a long walk and very hungry.  I swear that is when I think of the best recipes.  I shredded brussel sprouts in the food processor, added some chopped purple cabbage and jalapeno.  Then I blended edamame beans, lemon juice, avocado, olive oil, salt and cumin to make a dressing (sort of).  So I guess I would call it a brussel sprout slaw.

Then I packed some into a turnip leaf to roll like a wrap.

Sriratcha was a must!

It was pretty tasty, especially with the chili sauce.  It was definitely one of the meals you have to chew, chew, chew and then chew some more.  Maybe next time I would steam the sprouts for just a minute or so.  Besides, steaming them brings the flavor out better.

I have known for quite some time, about the amazing benefits of ginger but have just not had much of a liking for the taste.  I tell myself I should just retry it every now and then to see if I like it.  Well, I am liking it more now.  It has to be fresh though.  I still don’t like pickled or candied ginger.  So, I slipped it in my juice, then I made a healthier version of ginger ale.  I simply added shredded ginger and vanilla stevia to sparkling water.  It wasn’t so bad.  I am even drinking more ginger ale today.

So there, I am not getting sick.  I am telling myself it isn’t going to happen, trying to eat good, exercising and going to bed early.

How do you avoid getting sick?

Last weekend I bought some drunken garlic black bean sauce made by Secret Aardvark.  I cooked up some veggies with udon noodles and seasoned with the sauce.

The sauce is fantastic!

TGIF!

So, on Sunday it was raining and it was cloudy and um, I felt like some bread. Homemade bread for sure.  Even better, bread in the bread machine because that is easier to make.  It was Sunday after all.  The day to be lazy.  Well, not all the time, but some Sundays it is ok to rest and relax and do whatever you want “ON YOUR OWN AGENDA.” I mean, that is what I think Sundays should be about.

Simple recipe, Favorite beer and Viola, a wonderful slice of bread!

Even Smoach thought it looked fanastic!

Smoach is currently Yoshi’s nickname.  If you have pets you know that they constantly have nicknames.  If you don’t call your pets nicknames then that is weird.

CHEERS!

To be honest, this is what breakfast usually looks like.  What can I say, I am hooked.  Usually it is regular quinoa though.  The red is fun too, but I think I like the plain better.  Then I mix it with steamed greens or broccoli, nutritional yeast and a tiny bit of tamari.

Hey don’t knock it, till you try it.

Anyone else make “out of the ordinary” breakfasts?