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

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?

A little while ago I made crock cheese from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.

I highly recommend this recipe! I have brown rice miso, which I think might be a little strong.  At first I wasn’t so sure of the taste of the cheese, but 1-2 weeks later it got even better.  Some things we just have to be patient for.  I used it as a cheese spread and as a dip.

wheat wrap, crock cheese, steamed collard green, sweet potato, adzuki beans, avocado and grilled tempeh

Friends, please try this cheese.  It was stellar and made my wrap CRAY-ZAY good!

That’s a wrap!!

Ha! That sounds awesome!! What is MOFO, you ask.?  Well, it is Vegan Month Of Food of course.  While I may not post as regular as I would like, I will be trying my best to post as frequent as possible during this month of November.

To start the month off right, I leaned towards a meal to suite the both of us; buffalo wraps.

We sampled some Gardein products at the VegFest in September.  Much to my surprise, Jason liked what he tried.  YAY!!  So I put a twist on one of his favorites dinners.

I slathered buffalo sauce on the tenders and prepared the wrap with tahini sauce, avocado, lentil sprouts and lettuce.  
Sweet poato fries and mustard made the meal complete.  The wrap was great and a very special Mr. enjoyed them as well

Tonight I made quinoa chickpea confetti casserole from EDBV.  I subbed zucchini for the fennel bulb, left out fennel seeds and allspice because I do not have those ingredients.  I also have a nice amount of zucchini to work with.  To be honest, I have never tried fennel bulb.  I am not sure what it might taste like.  I was also short on quinoa and ended up using millet to make up the difference.  I really enjoyed the casserole but found the spices to be a little strong.  Next time, I will just reduce the amounts.

If you haven’t entered the giveaway, you can do so here.

You know those days when you don’t get up in time to properly get ready for the day…Well, that was me on Wednesday.  My back was so dang sore that everything I did, just happened at a slower and more painful rate.  I did not fix a lunch for work the night before and told myself I would do it in the morning. HA! Well, I didn’t even manage to make much of a breakfast.  So, it was a “lunch out day.”
It just so happens, there is an amazing Thai food restaurant down the street.  Green curry it was!  I have a hard time ever ordering anything else when I go there, it is that good!  I asked for their black rice which is so good and nutty.  The tofu was fried, whoops! I forgot they do that.  The eggplant was the best part!

I made breaded-baked chicken tenders the other night.  I haven’t made chicken in a while.  The cats were going nuts! I wasn’t as into it as I thought.  No worries, J loved it! I did like the oat groat pilaf though.  Simple recipe on the back of the Bob’s Red Mill bag.

Buffalo chicken wraps inspired by Danica!
tempeh for me, chicken for J.

Let’s just say this was one of our new favorite dinners!!

Lunch today was more like a late breakfast. I started the day late and before you know it, it was 3:00! Just taking the day easy today.  Those can be the best days!!

oats with almond milk, Jay Robb vanilla rice protein powder, walnuts, raisens and cinnamon

topped with black cherry jam and cinnamon raison swirl, peanut butter!

2 eggs and cheddar all wrapped up!

YUM!

That lunch is still keeping me full! I think some chocolate and popcorn might be in order! Do you like popcorn? What is your favorite way to fix it?

**GIVEAWAYS**

MINE ENDS TONIGHT! So hurry and get your entries in!

Living Fit has a giveaway of your choice!

Eating Bender has a ICBINB giveaway!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I must say I was feeling the urgent need to get back in the game today.  Yesterday was a great day filled with rich food and drinks.  Yikes… Today was a light eats day and plenty of water.  One good thing about eating at someone else’s house, is you don’t have a fridge filled with all the tempting leftovers.  Phew! I did get sent home with a few tasty bites though.

Lunch was a wrap with cream cheese, turkey, avocado, tomato, lettuce and mustard.  Whole wheat leftover stuffing and creamed kale.

I made it back to the gym for 35 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes or arms.  I love how I feel after I go.  I just need to work on going more frequently.  There will always be an excuse.  I am tired of the excuses though.  I am on a journey to “lose.”  I hoping that my starting this blog will help me stay on track.

I think I am just getting back into the swing of things.  Being sick takes a lot out of you, dangit!  Not only did I not get my workouts in but the house is a disaster.  I hate when the house gets all cluttered.  Sometimes it seems so much harder to get it all cleaned up than when you can just maintain it on a daily basis.  Jason is off tomorrow.  I’m thinking of a honey-do list as I write this.

I had leftover cabbage salad Friday night.  I also made stuffed acorn squash.  Nothing to exciting. What was exciting was the blueberry bounty buns that I made Sunday morning.  I snagged the recipe from Vive le Vegan!  I am so in love with these little things.  They are kinda like a cross between a muffin and a scone.  You must try for yourself!

So, back into the swing of things was my typical Monday.  Sometimes that alarm time comes all to soon. I am still trying not to drink to much coffee.  I was having a hard time staying hydrated while I was sick.  The lack of my Monday morning coffee may be to blame for the sha-bang headache I had all afternoon.  Grrr… I wanted to do something for a little workout, even though my headache hadn’t gone away yet.  It had been over a week since my travels and then being sick.  I settled for yoga on demand.  I love fit tv.  Sometimes it is just what I needed.  Plus, it always has several Jillian Michaels workouts.

Dinner was also quick.  Tuna salad wrap with mustard(s), celery, pickles, fire roasted peppers, avocado and spinach.

It was just enough and not too much.

Following dinner, I had a Dove Promise… Not the one my Gracy stole from the bowl of leftover Halloween candy though.  I first discovered this little habit when we got home from our trip.  No worries, I thought.  Possibly just a little acting out from the being left alone for four days.  Tonight, I came home to find three different pieces throughout the house! Kitties!

Gracy

Looks can be deceiving…