Pep in Your Step!

Life is meant to be lived, enjoyed, and experienced - not merely endured. So, today I bring you two things to  escalate the fulfillment and kick up the pep in your step!

First, Read THIS:

"My wife, Harriet, and I love riding our bicycles. It is wonderful to get out and enjoy the beauties of nature. We have certain routes we like to bike, but we don’t pay too much attention to how far we go or how fast we travel in comparison with other riders.

However, occasionally I think we should be a bit more competitive. I even think we could get a better time or ride at a higher speed if only we pushed ourselves a little more. And then sometimes I even make the big mistake of mentioning this idea to my wonderful wife.

Her typical reaction to my suggestions of this nature is always very kind, very clear, and very direct. She smiles and says, “Dieter, it’s not a race; it’s a journey. Enjoy the moment.”

How right she is!

Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey. I don’t go cycling with my wife because I’m excited about finishing. I go because the experience of being with her is sweet and enjoyable.

Doesn’t it seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because we are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end?

Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition.

Do we say our prayers with only the “amen” or the end in mind? Of course not. We pray to be close to our Heavenly Father, to receive His Spirit and feel His love.

We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”⁶ 

  ^{[For full talk, go here.]}

^{Second, Make THESE:}

PB ‘Nana Cream Bites 

by Nom!Nom!Nom!

I hes­i­tate to even call this a recipe, as it’s so basic it’s really more of a guide­line. These cold morsels of nom­ness con­tain the tri­fecta of fla­vor– banana, peanut but­ter and choco­late, mak­ing for a lux­u­ri­ous ice cream-esque bite. You can always sub­sti­tute a dif­fer­ent nut butter.

2 large bananas
1/4 cup nat­ural peanut but­ter
1/2 cup choco­late chips
2 tbsp-1/4 cup milk of choice [I used coconut oil]

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parch­ment. Slice bananas into coins about 1/2–3/4 inch thick. Spread a lit­tle dol­lop of peanut but­ter on top of each one. In a small bowl, com­bine the choco­late chips and milk (remem­ber, less is more). Microwave in 15 sec­ond incre­ments until you can whisk them together. You want it to be a dipable con­sis­tency, not spread­able. Add a splash more milk if nec­es­sary. Dip the banana chunks using a fork as a lit­tle chocolate-coating fork­lift, dip­ping them into the melted choco­late. Place choco­late coated bananas on the pre­pared sheet and place in freezer until com­pletely frozen (3–5 hours). Remove frozen banana chunks from the sheet and store in a freezer container.

Read, create, enjoy! Finding joy in the everyday moments is what makes this journey worth every step.

two months...

Wow, it has been almost two months since I was last typing out a post. It's crazy to me how time can slip by, even when you have the best of intentions of keeping current and up to date. To make up for the lack of posting, here's a little round up of what has caught my eye, my appetite, and my time over the past months!
 

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This garland is on the top of my holiday prep list! I love the idea of something simple that conveys such joy - perfect in every way. I have all the supplies downstairs on the crafting table, and just need to find a moment to start...and it won't take two months to get to, cause really I don't have that sort of time left before Christmas!
 
 

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These bars are A-MA-ZING!! I took a batch to a church function over the weekend and they were some of the first things to go off the treat table. Despite the deliciously sweet taste, the sugar content comes from all natural sources, and they have a hit of fibre - what more could you ask for in a dessert?
 
While jumping around on Pinterest I found the site the twix bars come from, a snazzy site that you might have heard of before called Oh She Glows. A vegan blog dedicated to healthy vegan recipes, it is a goldmine for all those whom are looking for a little healthy pick me up.If you are searching for a new site to add to your blog reads, or a source of delicious recipes you don't need to feel guilty for making, then this is a must see!
 

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My Mom just finished walking across Spain, over 1000km in five weeks. That sentence in and of itself always makes me pause in amazement! She blogged as she went, and documented the journey with pictures and stories worth checking out. This is one of the things I have been doing instead of blogging myself - but really, I needed to make sure she was still walking, alive, and well.

The workouts I have been rocking have been short and sweet - and oh so effective! I have been seeing gains, despite the 12 minute daily commitment [Monday to Friday] due to the high intensity of the training. Check out Body Rock and enjoy the burn!

I'm off to get the boys and I moving and the crafting begun! Only 50 days till Christmas and I have yet to turn on my sewing machine - eek!

Protien Packed Mac'

I posted the other day on facebook about the macaroni and cheese I had really enjoyed eating, and wouldn't you know, I got a few requests for the recipe. So, here you go!

I have recently been loving the blog Healthy Happy Life where blogger Kathy shares yummy vegan recipes. In her 2011 Recipe round up, I noticed a Mac and Cheese recipe that actually looked like it would taste like a real cheese sauce instead of the cardboard tasting oil sauces I have come across up till now. I made Kathy's recipe as directed, then added in just a couple of tweaks, so I'll be sending you to her for the bulk of the recipe, then read on for what I did to make it better - and boy did it ever!

Mac and Cheese Bake

Ingredients

all listed at Healthy Happy Life for her Mac and Cheese recipe

plus an additional three cups cooked pasta

can of corn, drained

corn flakes, roughly 1 cup

Directions

once pasta is cooked, drained and rinsed, and the cheese sauce is bubbly and hot, combine the two in a bowl along with the corn. Once thoroughly combined, transfer to a oven safe corning ware dish, cover with cornflakes, and bake in a 375*F over for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving so that the sauce does not scorch any little mouths!

With beans, sweet potato,  and nutritional yeast hidden in this gem of a dish, it is a nutritional powerhouse. Use whole wheat pasta to up the ante and your set! I need to put a bit of a disclaimer on it though, as my husband informed me that it is delicious, but does not taste like real cheese. So, if you eat 'real' cheese don't expect this to mimic the real deal, but for those of us who haven't tasted cheese in a while, this is a delight!

Vacation Fare

When you think of "vacation" or "road trip" food, what comes to mind? Greasy, heavy, too rich foods are typical (hello Munchin' Mix, Cheetos, and nightly desserts!) but this was not so on our adventure. We packed a cooler of snacks for the road, including baby carrots, sugar snap peas, cherries, Cookie dough bites, Cliff bars, and Fruit Source bars. Then, our week in San Diego was made all the more enjoyable with fabulous home cooked food (and some meals provided by Trader Joe's.) If you're looking for some dinner hour inspiration, here's a look at some of the meals we enjoyed during the week:


Sunday: Mexican Inspired Salad, and Chocolate Mousse
Monday:Cornbread Quiche
Tuesday: All Bean Chili for lunch, then Pizza, watermelon, and a Green Salad for supper
Wednesday: Chinese Food
Thursday: Chocolate French Toast (breakfast), and Felafel's for Supper
Friday: Lasagna, a fabulous rice salad (will share with you soon) and the most AMAZING garlic toast ever even though it was rather crisp from too much time under the broiler ha!

I hope these ideas help you out this week. Seriously, I would recreate any and all of these meals, oh and I'd also recreate tonight's delicious salad even with my liberal alterations to the linked recipe.

What do you like to eat on vacation? Do you prefer to cook while away from home? Or do you long for a break from the kitchen?

Summer Salad

Despite my Dad's healthy lifestyle, he recently was diagnosed with high (I mean REALLY high) cholesterol. So, when I was assigned the salad for our recent get together, I scoured the Internet for a recipe that would not only be really tasty, but would make strides towards lowering his cholesterol (and my siblings and my cholesterol since this is a hereditary concern). Enter the Summer Salad. With black beans (fiber is great for lowering cholesterol), quinoa (a whole grain and complete protein), red and orange bell peppers (high in Vitamin C) and many other yummy nutritious ingredients. The version I found had hot peppers, and a heavier dressing than the one I used. My lighter version is delicious, and was such a hit that I'm sharing it with you! Enjoy.





Summer Salad (adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 bell peppers (I used red and orange), diced

2 1/2 vine ripped tomatoes, diced

1 c. green onions, diced

1/2 c. cilantro chopped

1 c. cooked qunioa

Mix the following dressing in a separate bowl before adding to the salad mix:

1/4 - 1/3c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 -2/3 c. lime juice

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cumin

Let this salad rest in the fridge, covered with saran wrap, to allow the flavors to meld. Even my cilantro knocking hot husband loved this one - so try it out on your tough critics, for a potluck, picnic, or any  occasion really.

What are your favorite summer salads?

PoppaSeed 'Cupcakes'

How was your Father's Day? Mine was great, spent with wonderful men, including my awesome hubby, and my very own dad aka PapaAquaman. Darius made both of them a little something special (which I forgot to get photos of! Oh the shame!) that you may remember from Mother's Day. The directions can be found here, and here's a little looky look at the final project:

cute huh? Darius customized the tags, with the one for his Daddy reading: "You're Cray!" and for PapaAquaman it read,"I'm funny about you", both followed up by the sweetest little "Happy Father's Day" any Dad could ask for.

I made the supper, keeping Dad's high cholesterol in mind, and created a delicious chicken coconut curry. Adding in a variety of vegetables, cooking the chicken in coconut oil, and serving it over brown rice, made this traditional dish much more health conscious, without sacrificing taste! Not a bad creation. However, that is not the recipe I'm sharing with you today. [Yes, I know it's been a while since I've given you a new workout to try, but seeing as I have a wicked cold, I am just working on breathing, and being able to make it through the night without a coughing fit right now. Sorry. Back to workouts when I can breath freely - I promise.] Do you want to see the recipe?

             PoppaSeed* 'Cupcakes'
                         created by me!

1 tbsp 1% milk
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup grape seed oil
2/3 cup Greek yogurt mixed with 1tsp-1tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/4 cup honey

1 3/4 cup flour
2 tbsp poppyseed
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp lemon extract
2 1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 24 mini muffin tin,
2. beat milk, oil, lemony yogurt, egg, and honey together. Stir in flour, poppyseeds, lemon zest, lemon extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. Spoon into muffin tins, filling roughly 3/4 of the way.
3. In  a separate bowl, mix together fresh lemon juice and confectioners sugar. This is your glaze.
3. Bake at 375F for 8 minutes, or until just golden. Drizzle with glaze immediately and let cool on rack.

These are soooo good! Very lemony, so if you like your poppyseed with only a hint of lemon adjust accordingly. I call them 'cupcake' because really they're muffins, but the glaze makes them taste like dessert. Definitely a plus! The amazing thing is, with honey instead of white sugar, and no butter, these muffins are great if you're on a cholesterol lowering diet, and you won't feel deprived!

*if you're wondering about the alternate spelling for poppyseed, it comes from my sweet Darius, who had a Poppa that LOVES poppyseed muffins.

Have you been cooking it up lately? Are there any health concerns you want to address in the kitchen?

If I'm being honest...

I really don't want to do ANYTHING today. Earlier while Elias slept, I talked Darius into going outside (or rather I started to say 'outside' and he was out the door before I had fully articulated) and Eli woke up only ten minutes into our gardening. After rescuing my sweet baby from his bassinet (I know, I need to move him to his crib...it's just so nice to hear his soft breathing at night,) we lasted another ten minutes before the wind reduced Elias to tears, and we headed back indoors.
While Darius watched cartoons and Eli slept (again - he's such a great little sleeper!) I made No Bake Coconut and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites (I'll post the recipe below) in an attempt to lift my blah mood. They are delicious but no amount of coconut and chocolate seemed to return the sunshine to my soul today. Being tired is probably contributing, or maybe its my massive 'to do' list hanging over my head...either way, today's just one of those humbling days that makes me grateful for my usual sunny disposition.
As a teenager I really struggled with depression, and have since formed a list of activities to do when I need a pick me up. Here's a little peep into my "down in the dumps" survival guide:

1. make a gratitude list

2. do something you love to do that's also creative - like baking, sewing, blogging, etc

3. run!

4. anything active (going for a walk, practicing yoga, working in the garden, etc)

5. watch a hilarious movie

6. get Darius to tell me a story (he's more entertaining than most comedians)

7. Sun! As Darius will tell anyone,"the Sun gives me vitamin D. Vitamin D makes me happy, and helps me to grow big and strong."

I've given a few of these a go already, which is why I'm thinking that I am just too tired today, but I will keep on ticking each trick off until a smile is plastered to my face.
If you find yourself in need of a lift today (or any day really) give this recipe a try that I found over at Love Veggies and Yoga. Averie has some REALLY delicious ideas!

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No Bake Coconut & Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites (courtesy of Averie at Love Veggies and Yoga)

Ingredients:
2/3 c cashews (unsalted, and raw if possible)
1/4 c coconut flakes (unsweetened or sweetened)
2 tbsp oats (whole, rolled not quick cook)
3 tbsp agave or maple syrup (or combination)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut oil (optional, and if using it and batter gets too wet after adding, add a pinch more dried coconut flakes, oats, or cashews and re-blend)

1/4 to 1/3 c chocolate chips or chunks
Yields: approximately 16-18 bites
Directions:
First add cashews, coconut flakes, and oats to Vita-Mix or food processor and grind into a fine powder. Then, add the agave, vanilla extract, and coconut oil, and blend again. Finally, the chocolate chips and either stir in by hand or barely blend/pulse until incorporated. Retain some texture to the chips or chunks.
Remove the dough and form into cookie bites. If dough is soft or hard to work with, refrigerate/freeze for 20 minutes prior to forming into bites.

Add dried coconut flakes to each bite by rolling them in coconut flakes at the end.

Store the dough bites in refrigerator or freezer.

What do you do to lift your mood? Do you have a list to pick and choose from (like mine above) or do you have one no-fail solution?

Mango Goodness

As I thought about what to make for dinner tonight, I looked in the freezer and saw salmon. Mmmmm salmon. I love it! I prepared it simply with lemon juice and kosher salt, and laid it on celery stalks in a roasting pan.

 While this baked at 400F for 35 minutes, I racked my brain to figure out what to serve with the lemony delicious salmon. Enter mango. I made a simple mango salsa, which I served on top of the salmon with quinoa on the side. Simply delicious!

Simple Mango Salsa
serves 5

1 small mango, diced
1/2 c. chopped cilantro, stems removed
2"  long section of English cucumber, diced
2 green onions, diced
lime juice to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, set aside. When the salmon is plated and ready to serve, heap a generous serving of salsa onto the salmon. Enjoy!

Coconut Banana Bread

Did that title catch your attention? Seriously, I have a love, love, love, relationship with coconut - and you are all going to benefit from that tonight! I found a banana bread recipe that looked good to me, but of course the question remains,"would that taste better with coconut?" The answer is usually - and in the case it really is - a resounding "YES!!!" Without further ado, I give you a coco-nutty creation for you to devour.

my little baking helper admiring our work

Katie's Coconut Banana Bread

1 cup coconut flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup sucanat
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

mix together and set aside. In another bowl, mix the following:

3 eggs
3/4 cups butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
5 medium bananas, mashed

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix well. Spray your pans with non-stick spray, or use butter to grease, then fill small loaf pans (this is important so that the bread bakes evenly and comes out the correct consistency) 3/4 full and bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes. The bread should be nicely golden, and if you insert a toothpick in the bread, it should come out clean. Let loaves sit on a wire cooling rack for at least ten minutes before tipping out onto rack to cool the rest of the way. Enjoy warm, or let coll completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for later.

I seriously ate almost half a loaf as I tested to make sure this recipe was good enough t share. Believe me, its more than good enough!

Do you have a flavour obsession?

Mmmmm pumpkin!

Who says pumpkin can only be enjoyed in the fall? Not me! On Monday, as I was blazing through my "to do" list, I took a little break to bake with Darius. While reading blogs and nursing...yes I read while I nurse, sometimes out loud too - muffins caught my eye. These muffins where chocolate chip, but I wanted something with more substance. So, the search continued until I landed on this blog. Ashley's recipe for "Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins" is vegan, something I've never consciously tried, and looked very intriuguing to me. Out came the bowl, whisk, and wooden spoon, and we got to baking!

I modified Ashley's recipe, bringing in more protein, a one bowl method, changing the serving size and a couple other tweaks. Basically I used the original recipe as my jumping off point haha! These muffins don't look like much, but they're so good Darius ate two right off the bat; so grab what you need and give them a whirl.

Pumpkin Raisin Pecan Muffins

(adapted from eat me, delicious)

Makes 41 muffins.

2 cup soy flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or from a can; do not use pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup soy milk
1 cup applesauce
2 tbsp molasses
2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a 12 muffin tin with muffin liners.

 In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, applesauce and molasses. Then add  flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices to the mix, and stir all together. Now fold in raisins and pecans.
Use a scoop and fill the tins roughly half way. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool on wire rack, then enjoy!

If you haven't discovered this tool, I use the recipe calculator on this site to determine the nutritional content of my recipes.



Nutrition Facts
Per Muffin
Amount Per Serving
Calories		101.9
Total Fat		4.5 g
	Saturated Fat	0.4 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.3 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	2.4 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		92.6 mg
Potassium		226.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate		15.0 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.5 g
	Sugars	8.7 g
Protein		3.8 g

Vitamin A	38.1 %
Vitamin B-12	1.2 %
Vitamin B-6	3.3 %
Vitamin C	1.7 %
Vitamin D	0.2 %
Vitamin E	2.0 %
Calcium	7.2 %
Copper	16.0 %
Folate	4.7 %
Iron	6.5 %
Magnesium	7.2 %
Manganese	24.9 %
Niacin	1.5 %
Pantothenic Acid	2.3 %
Phosphorus	7.6 %
Riboflavin	1.9 %
Selenium	1.2 %
Thiamin	5.7 %
Zinc	3.0 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Sweat Session and a Sweet Treat

Last night Darius was begging me for “Rainbow Cookies.” Anyone close to this little man-o of mine knows that he calls all multi-colored candies rainbows, and it takes some smarts to figure out which ones hes requesting. When it comes to cookies though, it’s a safe bet that hes asking for M&M to be in them and not jelly beans. So, right after breakfast, with Eli strapped to my chest (all you mamas out there, this is a great 'hidden' gem of babies - resistance training ALL-DAY-LONG), Darius and I set about making his cookies. My mom raised my siblings and I on amazing cookies, no they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  Naturally, I’m a bit of a cookie snob because of these sweet treats, but it also means, you’re getting a great recipe today!

Here it is:

Chocolate Chunk Cookies


2 cups butter - softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups oatmeal
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
chopped chocolate


Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients, then the chocolate.
Bake these at 375F for approximately 10 minutes.


Now, after years of making these delectable cookies, this is what I've learned. Let the butter sit in your mixing bowl, on the counter, over night to soften before making these. This time allows the butter to be the perfect balance between solid and melted - it is the epitome of soft.  Second, the darker the brown sugar, the richer (is that a word, richer?) the taste. I LOVE demerara, and it just adds that extra something, something. Third, the higher quality the chocolate, the better the cookies will be. I favor Bernard Callaubaut Milk Chocolate, and roughly two cups of it at that. Ha! But, M&M's hit the spot for Darius - true self sacrifice.


You'll notice this recipe doesn't have a 'yeild'. This is because no one makes the same size balls. I favor the rounded teaspoon, which yields roughly 8 dozen. Yeah, its a lot, but that just means I give some to friends, freeze some, and enjoy some fresh! This 'smaller' size is more kid friendly, and portion controlled for adults - then I can have one  two without feeling an ounce of guilt. So, whip some up with your little cuties, and enjoy!

Since my half marathon training plan officially kicks off on Monday, I am finishing off my current fitness plan, which can be found in the March 2011 issue of Oxygen magazine (a magazine I love!!!) Today was legs and glutes, which I followed up with Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. I do Level II, which is roughly 26 minutes. This routine stretches out my muscles nicely (something I needed after yesterday's reintroduction to running - read more here) while challenging them. At the end I always the the "ahhh" calm that yoga brings.

          The workout room at home - the big bright windows are a real plus!

         My patient little workout partner - Eli is seriously sooo calm!

Darius (or Buzz Lightyear as he is known today) is right in the thick of things through every workout. Today he was crawling through the 'tunnels' I was making while doing yoga. He adds extra resistance to even simple moves!

Do you have a favorite workout dvd?