Weekly Re-cap!

Hey all!

Hope you had a fantastic week and weekend. I know my American friends are probably watching football so I'll try to make it brief. I had an okay week, rather painful (I'll explain in a sec)but filled with awesome food! I cannot remember which day I did what so I'm just going to rattle things off as my brain remembers them.

Still waiting for my laptop AC adaptor so sorry no picts:(

• My foodie treat of the week...MISO! I've seen it in so many recipes and I never bought it. I really love the complexity it adds to the dish! I want to try a miso dressing soon.
• Made Vegan Dad's Creamy Chunky Cauliflower Chowder. Loved it and ,of course, the miso was fantastic in this dish.
• An old injury flared its ugly head and so I could barely walk or bend over for two days. I had to jump from the second floor of a house in an emergency situation when I was 18 and I landed on my feet instead of rolling. I never saw a doctor afterwards and now I'm paying the consequences. On Friday I saw a chiro here in Nelson and he was able to loosen me up pretty good and now I'm feeling much better. I did a lot of stretching too which I think was beneficial.
• As the hubby was craving more blended soups, I made another one of Vegan Dad's creations. This time it was the Cream of Potato and Broccoli soup. This one had coconut milk as a thickener so naturally it was delicious. I actually made this one twice...super good.
• Made a bunch of smoothies this week too. Tried some weird combos like banana, celery, lettuce, hemp protein, cinnamon, and honey. I really liked its smooth and sweet flavor.
• Then I finally got around to making this ridiculously easy soft serve that I read about on Gena's blog. Yes, it did change my life. So delicious and the possibilities to dress it up are endless. I can't wait for the summer when I will add strawberries. Yum! And hey, if you are trying to lose those extra few pounds and can't stay away from ice cream, here is a really great alternative that literally costs only pennies to make. And is guilt free!
• Tonight, in the spirit of Superbowl Sunday, Ry and I ordered pizza. I got the thin crust vegetarian with soy mozza. I really liked it and Ry said it even tasted better than his chicken pizza. Duh!!

This week.....

• I saw a post somewhere on the blogosphere about juicing with your blender which got me intrigued. I'll let you know how it goes.
• I'm going to attempt another raw soup, this one from Nomi Shannon's book, The Raw Gourmet.
• Experimenting with salad dressings. It's really endless but I want a few basic winners in my arsenal that I can whip up quickly.
• Getting my back in order. I have three appointments this week. My chiro said it takes, on average, four appointments to get to where you want to be so hopefully by Friday I'll be 100%. You know what I think helped when I was really bad? Lightly jumping on my mini-trampoline. Weird I know, but I always felt better when I got off than when I got on.

What are you going to try this week? Hope you have a good time and come out with some amazing creations. Here's to good health!

Do vegetarians look like skinny, shriveled vegetables when they get old?

Hey all!

To answer my title question.... I think not! I can talk about the numerous studies that talk about the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. We have heard it over and over that vegetarians live longer, have fewer diseases, and generally have a lower BMI (body mass index). Yet, when someone says the word "vegetarian" or "vegan", visions of weak, skinny, or crazy animal activists come into people's minds. I have seen many veg*ns and the majority do not fit into any of those categories. This stereotype has got to change. And I have the person to do just that! No not me, silly! I would like you to meet Mimi Kirk. Mimi was one of the winners of PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Over 50. Julian was voted the other winner, he's 51 and has been vegetarian for 33 years! Amazing hey? Now, you may been wondering, "how old is Mimi"? Well, brace yourselves, she is 71, YES 71 and she's been veg*n since she was in her 30's! Isn't she gorgeous? I just asked the Hubby how old he thought she was and he said late 50's, early 60's. I hope I get this response when I'm in my 70's. She is truly inspirational and so positive about life. Yesterday I listened to an audio interview with her and Jim Dee on Pure Jeevan's site. I liked how she made it clear that she lived, and is continuing to live, a normal life with challenges like everybody else. She only recently sold her business, she has 4 children and 7 grand kids, and has a boyfriend 19 years younger than her. In the last two years she has become 100% raw and said it has given her even more energy!

She is a thriving example that us veg*ns will continue to look fabulous well into our senior years! Still any skeptics out there? No? I didn't think so!

I just became Mimi's friend on facebook which is where she mostly communicates with her fans and answers questions. So, add her as a friend today (She is under Mimi Kirk)! You know you want a sexy 70 year old veg as one of your friends. Who can say they have that?

Ps. I just made Nikki's Sundried tomato zucchini hummus, and let me tell you, it totally ROCKS! It's so yummy and you really have to try it. I also made some banana oatmeal raisin cookies from A Grateful Life on the Gone Raw website. This is a raw recipe but I don't have a dehydrator so i improvises. I turned on my oven to the lowest setting for a couple minutes then turned it off. Placing the cookies in the oven when it cooled down a bit (my lowest setting is 140). These were great but I think I should have taken them out a bit sooner. Super yummy too! Sorry no picts as I'm still waiting for my laptop charger to arrive.

Feeling the Love, green clean, and giddiness!

Hello everyone,

Happy Wednesday to you all! I am so excited that this week is half way done as Friday is when my mom is arriving from the Okanagan. I haven't seen her since September so there is a lot of catch up to be done and sight-seeing as she only been to Nelson once. I love seeing the awe that visitors have when they get to experience an amazing view, a beautiful beach, or amazing food that they don't have back home. It really makes you appreciate your surroundings. As its my mom's birthday when she is here we are going to go out for dinner. I will take pictures of the meal for sure!! I'm lucky too that Nelson is super veggie friendly, even the steakhouse advertises that they have veggie dishes. Yum!


I want to give a huge, I mean HUGE shout out to Nikki and Evergreen for letting me know about my little commenting problem. Sorry, if you have tried to comment and the word verification was cut-off. I have changed the format so the comments will open in a new window. Looking forward to hearing from you!


I want to talk about some of the food I made this week and then I'm going to talk about something that happened yesterday that has made me totally giddy with delight:)

So, I made some of my chili and I'm amazed at how it gets better and better the more I make it. I took some pictures this time so you know I actually did do some work in the kitchen this week! It really is an easy dish and so economical too. I want to try it in my crock pot but I keep forgetting to dig it out of the box it has been since I got it as a wedding present (sorry auntie, I promise I will use it soon). Maybe I shouldn't have admitted that? lol!

I also made some sunflower seed Mexican pate from Brigette Mars's book Rawsome. I made some tweaks to suit my taste. I added a 1/2 cup soaked sundried tomatoes and some of the
soaking water just because my little food processor was having some trouble. My taste tester (hubby) told me he would like it with some fresh tomatoes. I didn't have any on hand so I took a couple tablespoons of the canned diced tomatoes I was going to add to the chili. This was great, although a fresh tomato would have really topped it off. I really like these with tortilla chips or with my salad. I usually add a dollop or two and then half the amount of dressing. love it! Pates are one of the best raw additions to my diet. Try a pate today, they are fantastic with a sandwich, salad, cracker, or veggies. Check out gone raw for some tried and tested recipes.


I'd like to switch gears a little bit and talk about green cleaning. I try to buy Eco-friendly cleaning products for every part of the house. I mainly use vinegar and baking soda. This combo is so effective and my house doesn't smell like a pine cones or a bottle of perfume afterward. Laundry detergent is one of those areas where I strive to get the best product out there. I'm quite sensitive to smells and the hubby's skin is very sensitive to chemicals. I have used a variety of Eco-friendly brands , including Ecover and Seventh Generation. They are all great and I highly recommend them. The problem comes with the price, usually the Eco-friendly products are significantly more expensive than your typical laundry detergent (at least in my neck of the woods). So, I looked into making my own and found a ton of recipes online. I followed the one for powdered detergent on the Planet Green website. This was so easy, taking only about 10 minutes to complete. I used a regular unscented bar of soap as the stores around here wanted too much for a more natural one (I already blew my weekly budget). The recipe barely made a dent in the Borax or Washing Soda, so its really great on the pocket book. The washing soda and borax came to about $10 and the bar of soap around $2. So, there is the initial investment but this will provide you with laundry detergent for a long time. The verdict? I washed my first load of laundry today and my clothes are nice and clean. I'm so glad to have a simple detergent with no added chemicals or perfumes. If you like to have a nice scent to your clothes, try adding some essential oils. Next week I'll make more and try it with an organic bar of soap. Or, I might get really ambitious and make the liquid version. Let me know if you make your own detergent and what has worked best for your clothes!


Now, what am I totally delighted about? Well, Evergreen read my post where I hoped that I could match her Happy 101 blog awards next time. Then she gave me an award! WOW, thanks Evergreen. I am smiling from ear to ear!




First: Copy the award image in your post.
Then, list 10 things that make you happy, try to do at least one of them today, and tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.

For those 10 bloggers who get the award, you must link back to my blog!….the last part..only if you want too!

Ten things that make me happy? Can I list 100?...Just kidding! Here we go:


1. My hubby- Every day just keeps getting better! The support and love from him is endless and he truly is my soulmate. He still makes me laugh (benefit of dry humor, it never dries up haha) too much and we can still have fun doing the simple things!

2. My two families- My family will drop anything to help somebody out and they just genuinly care and love. My other family (hubby's side) is just as supportive and caring. They took me into their family and treated me with such kindness and love. They are so close and I'm so excited to have two sisters now!

3. BC- I love BC and all that it offers. The mountains, the lakes,the beaches, the ocean, the wildlife, its just incredible. I hope to discover more of my beautiful province in the summer. So much I have yet to see!

4. Blogging- Even though I'm relatively new to the blogosphere, I'm appreciative of the community that I'm surrounded with. Blogging has also allowed me to be proud of what I believe in, and to tell people about it!

5. Green Smoothies - I'm so happy to have the ability to use organic greens and fruits to make such powerful and delicious smoothies. These make my day!

6. My foster cats- These little critters have brought me so many smiles and laughs. In return, they have shown such love and affection.

7. Music - Music does something to the blood in my veins, it feels electric! I love to groove!

8. Turbulance Training- Yes, I love my exercise! I love moving my body and getting a sweat! It makes me happy to sit down after a workout and know I kicked but.

9. Eating more raw foods - It makes me happy to think that the changes I'm making to my diet are greatly benefitting my health. I love making new things and trying great recipes.

10. Doing things to better the planet- Recycling more, eating items that are not packaged, using eco-friendy products, and supporting local businesses. These put a smile on my face as I know it helps!


Now for 10 Bloggers who make my day:

The happy raw kitchen
Choosing raw
Renegade Health
Adventures of Raw Goddess Heathy
Yummy raw kitchen
A love for New Recipes
Vegan Dad
Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
Rawmazing
Love Veggies and Yoga



Hopefully, you check out these amazing bloggers! Have a great Thursday!

During my workout today Nemo was acting funny as usual! I look over and he is on his back in the prayer position. He's very spiritual, apparently. love him!