6am WalMart Wakeup Call!

I must be crazy. I REALLY had run out of groceries-even tp and dish soap and couldn't wait another day to grocery shop. I actually really like grocery shopping if I can do it not surrounded by crazies and jerks,so obviously Sunday is not the best time to go. And it doesn't help that I have recently started doing my staple-type shopping at Walmart instead of my cushy Hannaford to save money(yes I REALLY hate myself over it too-but I do my secondary shopping at a little natural foods shop in my area called Peter's Cornucopia if it helps). So I figure if we want to eat I better go today. I woke up at 6 and was out the door by 6:40 list in hand. I haven't been up that early in over a month and I forgot that yeah,I feel great in the morning but nauseated and dead to the world by 5. Anyways, I was home and had the groceries put away by 8:10-pretty unheard of for a grocery trip-it was actually kind of worth it to avoid the crowds and nutsies! So yeah I am rambling(this is me tired-pretty bad I know). I will be posting a hot sauce review and my jalapeno bean burger recipe tomorrow so see you then!

Wussing Out!

Okay so I am wussing out on the bikini pics. I took some pictures in my workout clothes this morning and they are not something I am comfortable showing. I didn't realize how THICK I look. It is a little frustrating because I work out hard almost everyday and eat a healthy vegan diet and I still don't look like I want. I have a lot of muscle and even a little layer of fat makes me look hefty. Time to amp up the cardio I guess! I took it out on my (very grungy looking,sorry) yoga mat:

In other news, I made raw cashew cheese last night. Here is the recipe(modified from the "Real Food Daily" cookbook):

• 1.5 c. Raw Unsalted Cashews


• 2 Tbs. Lemon Juice


• .5 tsp. Salt

Soak cashews in cold water for 2 hours. Drain and place in processor with 1/3 cup water,juice and salt. Blend for about 5 minutes,scraping the sides as needed. Place in bowl and cover-leave at room temp for 24 hours. Refrigerate-will last 5 days covered in fridge.

Oh,so delicious! It is mild and creamy with a little tang from the lemon. I used it on my bean burger(recipe soon!) that I had for dinner tonight:

Along with some broccoli and salad-YUMMY!

I also learned not to clean your puppy's dirty face with a scented baby wipe because it may give him an allergic reaction and make him look like he got punched in the eye. My poor tender baby. I gave him some Benedryl and gonna pamper him with love now and hopefully he will feel much better in the morning.

Ryan's Raspberry Smoothie

Blend together:

• 1/2 cup soymilk


• 1 Tbs. vanilla rice protein powder


• 3/4 cup organic frozen raspberries

That's it! I tried it and it was really good. We figured the nutrition stats and here they are:

• calories-170


• carbs-23.8g


• protein-17.5g


• fat-2.8g

He had it at a pre-workout snack but it would be good anytime-even for dessert if you added a little sweetener.

In other news, I am starting my fitness page today and I am even going to post bikini pics tomorrow! Oh no! I will do beginning,6 week and 12 week photos to gauge progress,but I will update weight and workouts more often. Stay tuned!

Tempeh Bacon Delight

This recipe is inspired by "Vegan With a Vengeance". On page 22 she has a kickin' recipe for tempeh bacon which I have made a hundred times,but I have modified it quite a bit according to stuff I usually have on hand. You definitely have to plan ahead with this recipe because it tastes best if you let it marinate for a while. 10 am this morning:

I sliced a block of tempeh in half and each half into twelfths. Whisk together:

• 3 Tbs soy sauce


• 1/3 c. pomegranate juice


• 1 Tbs cider vinegar


• 1Tbs ketchup


• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke


• 2 cracked and peeled cloves of garlic

I marinated for 8 hours-I would do it for at least 4. When the time is up heat 2 Tbs. oil in a frying pan. Fry the slices over medium high heat for 4 mins on first side. Flip,add rest of marinade ,cover and cook about 3 more mins. If you need more time to brown them up,cook a little longer. VOILA! Delicious tempeh bacon.

Ry made a wrap with a little of this heavenly stuff(a definite staple in our house):

I made mine into a salad with a nice big plop of guac on it.

Dinner is served!

Championship Bikini Workout

I have been doing Chady Dunmore's Champion Bikini Workout that I saw in the June 2010 issue of Fitness Rx. I think I am going to start a fitness page on my blog to track my progress with this-I think I finally found a workout that I love and that will be very effective. I am tweaking it a little bit to fit my needs-check out my new page starting tomorrow! I will include my daily workouts and weight and measurement updates. I haven't decided if I want to include a before and after bikini pic yet---eeeek!

Hopefully I can look HALF this good at the end of this program!

Happy Birthday Bubby!

Today is my fur baby Mulder's third birthday! I can't believe it,I remember bringing him home like it was yesterday. Here is the big smile he had on his face this morning:

He smiles just like a human when he is happy! We went to the pet store and got him a HUGE tennis ball and some special treats:

And one for later:

As you can see they melted a little in the car in this 90 degree heat! Happy birthday Muldee-we love you so baby boy!

Mom and dad had some fried tofu "cheese" for dinner. We gobbled it up before I remembered to take a pic:

We were really hungry! Here is the recipe anyway:

• One brick extra firm tofu drained and pressed


• 2 T. lemon juice


• 3 T. vinegar


• 1 T. miso


• 1/2 t. salt


• 2 cloves garlic,smashed

Slice tofu into 8 "cutlets". Whisk together marinade ingredients ans marinate for at least 4 hours-the longer the better. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together:

• 2 T. whole wheat flour


• 2 T. cornmeal


• 2 T. wheat germ

Dredge tofu slices in mixture and bake on an oiled cookie sheet for 20 mins. Flip and do another 10. Enjoy with your favorite marinara sauce.

It is really good! Tasted like fried mozzarella sticks. HEAVEN. Another little purchase from our travels:

We had some last night-it is creamy vanilla bean goodness. It is dense and luscious-I am a huge fan of Soy Decadent brand-but I may be a convert. It doesn't have that "icy" texture that soy ice creams do-I HIGHLY recommend it. I hope Ryan eats the rest-this stuff could be dangerous!

Memorial Day Eats!

FINALLY! I got some batteries so I can post our Memorial Day treats! First up,Mexican Sushi.

• 2 15 oz. cans black beans


• 4 tbs lemon juice


• 2 cloves garlic,minced


• 2tsp olive oil


• 4 tbs salsa


• burrito shells

Drain and rinse beans and process in food processor until smooth. Add juice,garlic,oil and salsa and pulse until combined. Spread thinly on shells,roll tightly and refrigerate until firm. Slice into rounds and enjoy! I served them with my guacamole.

I also tried my hand in making sushi for the first time. They were so delicious. I can't believe that I pay $6 for a few pieces of it now that I've made it at home. First, I made the rice using the medium grain stuff-that's all I could find. I made a whole bag because I was making it for a crowd. While it was hot I added 3Tbs vinegar,2 Tbs sugar and 2 tsp salt that I had stirred together until dissolved. Then let it cool.

Then I cut up some red pepper,cukes and carrots SUPER thin:

Then I took the wrappers and squished the rice in a thin layer-you gotta press it down-and put 2 slices of each veggie down and rolled tight. Put a little water on the end to seal it. Then I cut off the ends which made a nice little "salad" for me the next day:

Then I sliced them into rounds and served with soy sauce:

Yum-and it probably cost me less than $5!

Oh yes-and how can we forget the pie:

If you make the pie,know that it is RICH! It is so good but it is almost like a candy bar or fudge in taste and texture-I mean it does have 2 full bags of chocolate chips in there!

So that is what we brought but there were kabobs(veggie ones for us),pasta salad, you know normal BBQ fare. It was a great day filled with swimmimg,family and fun!