Salt & Humor

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.

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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 was so happy when I left the chiropractor’s office today! I was in a hurry to get back to work and walked very fast to my car.  Then I noticed that I was walking easier and my posture was a little better.  YAHOO! I had heat, electro stimulus, Graston, minor adjustments and massage.  I think the massage made all the difference.  It was all deep tissue and pressure points.  All I can say is I love Hawthorne Chiropractic!!!

I have some catching up to do! Let start with a picture, shall we.  I figured out a setting in my WordPress profile that made all the difference.  I can post photos again!!

Killer wrap last Saturday: hummus, kidney beans, sprouts, red pepper, cucumber, tomato and avocado.

Mushroom raviolis and salad

Banana soft serve with walnuts and chocolate sauce.

Monday night Jason made dinner for me! That was one of the most sore days for my back and I had just come home from the chiropractor and was told to rest and ice.  I actually sat in the kitchen and guided Jason as to how I would like the dinner made. Also, he took all the photos.  Well except for this one…

Check out my sweet view! xoxox

zucchini, brussels, tempeh and kale

special sauce: tahini, dijon mustard and water.

All served over quinoa and millet.  It hit the spot.  I loved the tempeh and the sauce.  He used a juiced lemon to cook the veggies and added some of the avocado/lemon oil.  That stuff is AMAZING! It is pretty darn special that he did that.  It is safe to say, that he pretty much doesn’t like any of it! He did try the tempeh though.  He “thinks” he likes it!!

THANKS J!!

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One of the best things about my day today, was when I completed Jillian Micheals, No More Trouble Zones.  I pretty much enjoy all of her workouts, but I will admit they are tough. I usually find myself counting down the time until it’s over. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the workout, it is just that they are still pretty difficult for me.  Today I was in the zone and enjoyed every bit of it.  In fact, I was amazed when she said it was time for stretching! What? I was ready to do two more circuits. This was the greatest feeling! I did actually do one more circuit on my own for arms and cardio.

I made Squirrelly Scones out of Vive le Vegan! this morning. I subbed whole wheat flour for the barley flour, used stevia in place of sugar, agave syrup in place of the maple syrup, semi-sweet chips, and 4 tbsp. of apple sauce in place of the canola oil and didn’t have pecans. Sheesh, I didn’t realize I botched the recipe up that much until I wrote all that out.

After my workout I made lunch.  I have wanted to try cashew cheese for a while, so I looked up a notable recipe. I was so inspired by her delicious wrap that I also made one.  I blanched my collard leaves a bit though.

I also had some leftover, grilled tofu.

OH MY GOODNESS! This was perfect! I like how tart it was, from the lemon.  Do, check out Gena’s website.  So much knowledge and super recipes!

The rest of my Sunday was low-key.  Spent the afternoon reading blogs, doing laundry and even made granola.

I wish everyday could be Sunday.  Well, and that Jason could be off on Sunday too.  Usually, he gets off early, so that is a bonus.

What is your favorite day of the week?

I slept in this morning and woke up to birdies singing.  This is just one more little reminder that Spring is near.  Let’s just say, I am a little anxious

I did  workout at home with Jackie today.  I seriously love this one! Sometimes videos can be a little cheesy because you hear the same comments and jokes each time.  It’s like you start quoting the trainers, HA! Anyways, it is a great workout.  I have noticed changes and it has worked great with my schedule and my current lack of desire to go to the gym. I am currently borrowing it from Netflix now.  So, anyone who has Netflix needs to add it to their queue and give it a try. If you don’t have Netflix, then you should sign up, it’s great.

I was very hungry after this workout as I did not eat before, just coffee fueled.  I tried egg white eggs in the microwave (like I have seen on several blogs) and hated it. Lets just say that one went in the trash.  I salvaged breakfast with half a piece of toast with Sunbutter and yogurt cheese with pumpkin butter.

Lunch was a little more exciting.

Tuna salad: tuna, non-fat yogurt, celery, pickle, 1/2 shredded honeycrisp apple, and mustard.  Rolled in a flatout with avocado and butter leaf lettuce.  I beleive butter leaf lettuce may be my very favorite lettuce. Finished the edamame dip and flax chips.

Can you believe that it wasn’t until today that I took the Christmas tree and decorations down.  We, were just enjoying our tree so much.  It does feel good now that everything is in its place again though.  I kept very busy thiss afternoon cleaning, putting away decorations, rearranging furniture and doing laundry.  It was like a workout in itself. *bonus*

Happy Saturday Night!

Gym workout yesterday was great.  Elliptical, 30 minutes and stair master, 20 minutes, 30  minutes arms and stomach.  Made a post workout green smoothie.  :)

For dinner I fixed collard wraps and carrot fries.

Stuffing, left over diced tempeh, mushrooms, red bell pepper, green onion, parsley and 1/4 cup TVP. I blanched the collard leaves and rolled.  Extremely filling and I still had left over filling that topped my lunch salad.

Anyone else have this little issue when they are on the computer???

Today I wasn’t feeling the idea of going to the gym.  So I treated myself to 30 day shred instead. (ha-made a rhyme)  Great workout!  Then I also did Less is More yoga with Lizabeth Garcia.  I really enjoy this one.  It is only 18 minutes and a great workout (for me) it is probably considered basic yoga.  I am still a yoga newbie.  All I know is I can feel it the next day and that is exactly what I need.

While laying on the floor for abs I realized why it is that the tree skirt will not stay put!

HUH…. Fancy that!!!

Time to put some stuff in the magical bread machine.  It’s pizza night!

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…