It was delicious!

I ended up sprinkling some pecans on top, just because.

:)

Tonight's trial run...

Chai Spice Blend

Cinnamon

Vanilla Rice Milk

Peach Mango Applesauce

Blueberry Delight Applesauce

Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot

+

Organic Chocolate Cake Mix

=






[Pic & review to be inserted soon]




I also threw together a frosting out of:
Tofutti Cream Cheese Spread, Vanilla Rice Milk,
Vanilla Extract and Powdered Sugar.

Happy 2011, I knew it was going to be a good year.

Portabella Mushroom Slices

Sliced Bell Peppers - Orange, Green and Red

Baby Carrots

Green Olives Seasoned with Sicilian Herbs

Diced Apples

Broccoli

Olivia Organic's "Herb Salad" Lettuce Mix

Fresh, Raw Green Beans Snapped Into Bite Size Pieces

&&&

Raspberry Cabernet Vinaigrette Dressing

=

Mmmmmmmm.

Vegan Fridge

Salad crazy

So I picked up some sweet potatoes this past week.  I don't know why I've never tried to make them before.  I wasn't sure what to even do with them.  I got two of them.  I ended up seeing the two sweet potatoes, and a random fuji apple sitting in the bowl at the end of the week and I decided to bake all three of them while I cleaned the house, and got lunch ready.  I let them bake until they were soft.  I took them out and sliced them up, leaving the skin on the potatoes but I did take it off of the apple - the apple skin seemed questionable in texture at this point.  After I diced them up, I mashed them a little just to give allow for differences in texture.  I then started adding things that seemed like they might taste good with sweet potatoes.  I added agave nectar, earth's best buttery spread, cinnamon, chai spice blend, vanilla extract, vanilla almond milk, and possibly a few other ingredients I can't even remember now.  I mixed it all together, then I tried it.  It was REALLY good!  To make it kid friendly, I cut up some prunes and crumbled some golden grahams on the top and served it.  I definitely will be making it again in the future.

I also was in a mood to try something new with salad, and I have been picking up a variety of salad dressings I would never have considered trying back in the days my Mom tried to push healthy choices. I put different types of lettuce in a bowl, added broccoli, raw green beans, diced red onions, diced prunes, shredded carrots, sliced strawberries, and topped with the mango dressing. 

Right now I am waiting for a cake to finish baking.  I started with a lemon poppyseed cake, then read you can replace eggs with applesauce so I added a peach mango applesauce that I had, I replaced the milk with vanilla almond milk, then I sprinkled chai spice blend, cinnamon, and lemon peel across the top before I put it in the oven to bake.  

And, it's done!

It was YUMMY!

I even found soy whipped topping because my

daughter is a huge whipped cream fan.

Happy New Year's Eve

At one point this year, April 18th to be exact, I weighed 199.3.

I know this because I looked at the pictures of my son and I on his birthday,

and I wondered how much I weighed because my face looked swollen.

Around that time, I started looking into health and nutrition because my daughter had been sick so frequently I knew there had to be something I was missing. It eventually led me to a vegan diet, that my entire household has adopted.  I have recently slipped from my vegan choices, including when making decisions for my children.  I noticed the weight started to add back up, my energy level was slipping steadily, my daughter started going back to her routine of getting sick all the time.  

Fell asleep with a fever waiting for Santa.

It reaffirmed my initial feelings about this choice.

Now on NYE 2010, I weigh 164 lbs.

I'm in the best shape I've been in since

I was 16 years old and in gymnastics.

It's been an awesome year.

"New Year's eve is like every other night;

there is no pause in the march of the universe, 

no breathless moment of silence among created things

that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; 

and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening

that come with the coming of darkness on other nights."

Breakfast, lunch, dinner & snack ideas.

Pizza: Tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, fresh basil, olive oil

Breakfast Bowls: Scrambled tofu with bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, etc. 

&

Strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and cherries.

Guacamole:  Avocados, red onion, tomatoes, serrano peppers, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, etc.

Artichoke Pasta: Wish we could remember. lol  Artichoke hearts, mushrooms, olive oil, dried red peppers, annnnnd....? It was phenomenal though.  We will definitely make it again.

We also recently made vegetable soup using stelline pasta.

(Wicked cute tiny star shaped pasta)

The pasta for the artichoke was also cute.  Campanelle pasta.  Supposed to resemble church bells, but I thought it looked more like a flower.