Favoritas ~ Sunday Edition

Love #1

For some people this may sound like the most disgusting breakfast ever. 

For me, it is pure heaven. It's completely satisfying on every level.

It goes something like this ... brace yourselves for the complexity :

Toast some bread, smash a quarter of an avacado on each piece of bread.

Sprinkle with Himalayan sea salt.

Slice a cucumber.

Be filled.

Love #2

My cabinet color is speaking to me. When we moved into our house I had  my mind set on a white farmhouse kitchen. After inspecting our cabinets, realizing that we would need to paint them instead of replace them, and then noting the level of filth on our children's hands ... we came up with a new plan. Story Goes :

 I was browsing pinterest for inspiration - thinking maybe I should go the grey route ... and came across a navy kitchen with white quartz counter tops. I physically felt a  flip flop on my insides. My heart signaled my brain to take notice of what was beginning to become ... a blue love obsession. The two became united , heart and mind , and they never turned back. They were all in.

I chose Indigo Batik by Sherwin Williams ... and I think it's groovy.

Love #3

My little Bug is fascinating me ... for no particular reason.

I'm just obsessed with him.

Call it love.

Love # 4 

First let me say that I have always heard the marvels of Trader Joes. I have actually visited one two previous times ...once in Atlanta where all I can remember is a beehive sensation and feeling like I needed to run out of the building. My second experience was downtown Denver, a week after Joe came to town. This time I became part of a real life ant bed , it was me against the hipsters -  I did leave my buggy...almost my kids...and ran out. 

Then, one magical mystical Monday morning, my Brady Bunches and I made one last attempt at a Trader Joe's friendship ... and we were not disappointed. The parking lot was half empty ... I questioned the environmental safety of the place. My mind then went to the crappy produce...that must be why there weren't that many cars in the lot. With a deep breath, arm and arm...a reusable grocery bag in hand ... Brady and I crossed the threshold into affordable organic land. It was amazing - and for the 78th time since moving a month ago ... I knew we had found a pretty fantastic city ... or a naive one. Why weren't they all there...clustering about the dried mango and sprouted bread?

So Love # 4 really has two parts ... the first being Trader Joe himself, the second being these amazingly scrumptious voluptuous navel oranges - all sunny on the outside and juicy pink on the inside. They are delicious - I eat three a day.

Love # 5

I'm digging Brady in his Legends of Zelda attire. He is getting taller, meaning the green shirt is getting shorter and his white tights are stretched to max capacity. It brings such a happy brain laugh , a natural high , a moment of pure pleasure ... to see my little elfin kid sitting at the table studiously doing his math ... as if he were in a pair of jeans and a polo. It's perfection.

The botanical prints on the wall aren't half bad either if I do so say myself.

Love # 6 

Three words :

Antique Shopping Mall

Two Words :

Mason Jars

One Number :

3 bucks

I think that about covers it.

Love #7 

I happened upon a 90% off Christmas wares at World Market and came away with theses adorable plates and a felted fairy. I do love some woodland wonderland charm about the place.

Love #8 

It's really a freak think.

Eggplant Nacho sauce. I'm not joking.

So, I rarely crave cheese (look up rape cage in the dairy industry and it does a mind ill ... over time a body good) I do however love me some salty corn chips with dip. 

After a little investigation searching for a healthy creamy option that did NOT call for cashews (creaminess and soaked cashews are kind of a "couple" in vegan land )I came across this amazing recipe that uses eggplant. Intriguing.

My first attempt was partially successful ... I don't think I let the eggplant roast long enough and also I don't believe the recipe called for salt ... which is a mistake. I think I may have upped the nutritional yeast too.

My second attempt was perfect. It was delicious. I think it tastes pretty similar to nacho's but better because it's real food. 

Lastly... #9

... a regular train of applesauce bran muffins riding along my new barn wood counter top island ...

a match made in heaven.

Hungry kids welcome.

Do you have favorites from this past week?

Happy Sunday beloved friends.

Raw Date Fudge on Saturday

 Allow my to introduce you ...

Raw date fudge...meet the hungry. Hungry...meet date fudge. 

You belong together.

I wish I could take the credit for coming up with this chocolaty, peanut butter concoction,

but alas...

I can not. I can take the credit for trying something different. Taking a chance did not disappoint.

Here's a tutorial - takes four simple ingredients and a little elbow grease.

It's yummy by itself but I took it a heavenly step further by blending up some frozen bananas and berries, added a little vanilla extract and then stirred in bits of the fudge. Joy in a mug. Raw Vegan ice cream ... delish. We had it for dinner.

As for the leftover bits ... they would have kept well in the fridge in an airtight container. But after making myself a cup of golden milk nothing would do but to roll the fudge in bits of coconut for an evening treat. I think I had four pieces...but who's counting?

Happy Weekend Friends.

P.S. I made my golden milk with unsweetened almond milk...just as yummy.

“Saturday mornings, I’ve learned, are a great opportunity for kids to sneak into your bed, fall back asleep, and kick you in the face.” 
― Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing

Thursday : Recipe Edition *Vegan Coconut Curry Alfredo*

Here's the situation ... sometimes comfort food is a must.

Sometimes there is no other option except to stuff our faces with creamy carbs.

Most people these days think that carbs are the devil ... they should be cast into a lake of fire and never again rear their complex soluble little heads. 

I am not one of these people. I have options.

You can have options too ... no guilt involved. 

Food should be pleasurable. Food should be tasty. Food should nourish our bodies. Food should spread love. Food should fill our bellies with warmth and gratitude. Food should be shared with family and friends and given to the hungry. 

Allow me to introduce you to one meal that can do all of the above.

Without further ado...I bring you my very own:

Coconut Curry Alfredo

This meal was invented when my kids were wanting some mac and cheese. I didn't want to feed them dairy, and vegan boxed mac and cheese isn't exactly budget friendly when you are a family of six. I broke down the components of mac and cheese - noodles, yellow, creamy. 

This is the point where I introduce you to my magical yellow ingredients. They are dye free. They do not make children spin or bang their heads on the wall. They do heal the body of inflammation and also they warm the blood (great for our current blizzard like conditions.) 

Curry and Turmeric 

Mix in a can of coconut milk, a little garlic powder and some sea salt and you have kid approved, stick to your ribs good fat, a creamy (cheap) golden concoction. 

~ Here's what I do ~

Cook some noodles (currently I'm using the ronzoni whole wheat brand because it's GMO free and we no longer are going gluten free.) I cook my noodles until al dente and drain. 

In a large skillet I melt a tablespoon of coconut oil just for kicks. You can skip this step if you don't want the fat. I have four active kids that get their fat from plant based sources and coconut oil is a great way to add some calories. I pour in one can of full fat coconut milk and whisk in a tablespoon of powder and one to two teaspoons of turmeric. I also like to add some garlic powder (about a half teaspoon) and about two teaspoons of sea salt. Once this is all mixed together ( I love the process of turning the milky white coconut milk into sunshine yellow) I like to add a cup of frozen organic corn. You could also use a can of drained organic corn...just make sure it's organic. In the United States, unless corn is labeled organic, it's GMO. Don't know why you should be avoiding GMO's ? Here's a link for you to check out. 

I then dump my drained noodles into the coconut mixture and slowly toss until coated. Turn off the heat and cover and let the curry delishness meld a little.

I like to pair this meal with a salad or some green beans. I feel like green beans have gotten a bad rap here lately. When I was growing up green beans were the veggie of choice .... now it's all spinach this and kale that. I'm a fan of spinach and kale, but lets not neglect the long standing green bean. My favorite way of preparing them is to toss them in a skillet with a teeny bit of water...just enough to steam. I drizzle in a little balsamic vinegar, thyme , and then sprinkle with my Himalayan salt grinder. They are fantastic this way. If you really want to get fancy throw in a handful of chopped up walnuts and take those beans to whole nother' level. Food is as good as your spices ... remember this. 

This meal is cheap, kid approved, tummy filling, void of acidic dairy and pus (don't get me started) and most important .... delicious. 

Bon Apetite