I'm not sure if there are many breakfast lovers out there - at least to the extent that I claim to be, but I have decided to dedicate the next few posts to delicious morning goodies =). I don't know what it is about the morning air but when I pry open my heavy eyelids and crawl from the covers I am almost always starving... (okay, not in the literal sense but I am definitely ready for some nourishment =) ). 

I've gone through many different breakfast stages in my life, from one, two, or even three bowls of raisin bran cereal (growth spurt tween years), to a much more reserved amount of grape nuts or honey bunches of oats. But now, on to my post cereal-obsessed years, filled with new and more healthful favorites =). 

Impressive Breakfast "Salad"

for those mornings when I am really hungry

So this bowl of deliciousness is very easy to make and the ingredients can vary greatly =) 

Fruit Salad Base

one banana

half to one third of an apple

three strawberries

a few blueberries

Yummy Topping

almonds

sunflower seeds

coconut

*all dry roasted on a skillet until fragrant

one large scoop of natural peanut butter

 a small handful of raisins or dried cranberries

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! And like I said, the ingredients can vary greatly, pretty much whatever nuts, seeds, and fruit you have on hand, although bananas are fairly essential in my opinion =). God bless!

Humidity and Vintage Cars

Our little town is quite the happenin' place this incredibly hot and humid saturday. I'm pretty sure that Vintage cars and 1950s food prices are never a bad thing =). Nathan and I both worked today so unfortunately the Fabulous Fifties Fling was not in our schedule. That's okay though because we heard the music and smelled the fried goodies last night during our five mile run. (afterwards we went out and had a lovely mexican dinner at ten which satisfied our post-run hunger).

Don't Think of Them as Cookies

So these are my favorite things right now. They are perfect for breakfast, lunch, snack and especially a healthy, fiber-filled dessert. I confess I can't keep my hands off of them! I love to remind myself that these are not really cookies in the regular sense, for they are full of nutritious ingredients. This recipe is from Jeani-Rose Atchison's Everyday Vegan. I recommend you make these immediately =).

1/2 cup natural peanut butter                                   3/4 cup oats, ground

1/2 cup tahini                                                            3/4 cup millet flour

1/2 cup brown rice syrup                                        1/2 cup coconut, shredded

1 tsp vanilla                                                               1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup oil                                                                1/2 cup carob chips (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 and combine all ingredients (see, very easy =) ). Drop by spoonfuls on oiled cookie sheets. Press slightly and bake for 10-15 minutes. 

God bless

Sunshine & Blue Skies

Wow, what a beautiful morning, I haven't actually been out yet, but the sky is completely cloudless for the first time in a long while. I must admit it is nice to have a lack of graying clouds and swirling winds. Yesterday Nathan and I drove through the parts of our small town that were paid a visit by a tornado this past weekend. I can't believe it was so close! - my prayers go out to those whose houses, barns, or yards need repair.

A Productive Evening

Yesterday after Nathan and I returned home from work (around 4:30), I saw the evening as short and most-likely unproductive. Nathan was going to be gone until eight, so I had a few hours of which I hoped to accomplish many things. Surprisingly, I did use the time very well, I was able to exercise, do a couple laundry loads, make a yummy stir-fry (recipe below), put together some honey almond no-bakes, and bake my favorite sandwich buns (for paninis and morning toast and bread crumbs =) ) So anyways, I suppose it's true that when you do a little something outside the home, you tend to be more motivated when you return. =)

Orange and Lemon Tofu Stir Fry

So supper was a simple yummy recipe that I adapted from Robin Robertson's 366 Healthful Ways to Cook Tofu. I was mostly attracted to it because of the abundance of orange juice and tofu we have acquired over the past several weeks (sale shopping is the best!). I had all of the ingredients except fresh cilantro and was going to sub a little dried but forgot =). I also added lots of veggies (our fave) because the recipe itself only called for tofu. So I chopped some carrots, broccoli and cabbage and added it to the mix.

Citrus Tofu Stirfry:

adapted from 366 Healthful Ways to Cook Tofu

2 TB safflower or canola oil

1 small onion, minced

2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 fresh green chili pepper, seeded & finely chopped

13 ounces of firm tofu

1/4 cup orange juice

2 TB fresh lemon juice

1 TB low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce or Braggs)

2 TB chopped fresh cilantro

3 1/2 cups of veggies (whatever you like =) )

Heat the oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry until soft, then add the veggies, ginger, and chili. Stir fry until veggies start to soften. Add the tofu (it will crumble somewhat but its still delicious =) ) Stir fry until some of the tofu starts to brown. Add the orange and lemon juice and tamari. Stir fry one minute then add the cilantro and toss well. Serve over whatever you like =) - I did brown basmati rice.

Honey Almond No-Bakes

Adapted from Jennifer McCann's Vegan Lunch Box

1 1/2 cups oat bran

1 cup dried shredded coconut

1/8 cup cocoa powder

1 TB vanilla extract

1/3 cup almond butter

1/2 cup of honey

2 tsp of pure maple syrup

Mix together everything and knead it somewhat with your hands. Pinch apart about a tablespoon and shape into balls. Store in the fridge and enjoy!

God bless!

Hello =) I have decided to take some time this lovely Sunday to update some yummy pictures

Sorry about the lack of recipes, I hope to organize my meals a little better this next week and update daily. I hope everyone is staying safe, Ohio weather has been crazy! (a tornado passed less then a mile from our little trailer! ) So anyways, I hope you enjoy! =)

Wow, what a gorgeous morning! It was already sunny and warm when I started out for my early run. Four miles and a fruit salad with coconut, sunflower seeds, and natural peanut butter makes for a good start to the day =)

And I would now like to take a brief moment and address an incredible weakness I have for my favorite dessert ever.... chocolate brownies. It really doesn't matter whether they are a heavy- labored homemade batter, or straight from a discounted card board box, as long as they are warm and gooey, I can't stay away. So you can imagine how excited and yet slightly skeptical I was when I found this recipe for chickpea brownies on deliciouswisdom. These brownies were really easy to make and I must agree that they did not taste like beans in the slightest! Since I used very dark chocolate bars the brownies were equally dark and rich. I can't wait to make these again, enjoy!

Really Yummy Brownies

Nathan and I love our trailer. Its the perfect size for starting out, and besides some possibly dangerous wall outlets and an ever-increasing ant problem, it is a wonderful home. A couple of months ago, even though we had been living here since August, the entire house had not been "put together." So I turned my attention to the small room in our trailer where all things without a proper place end up. Everything from boxes of childhood keepsakes to extra groceries that don't fit in our cupboards or pantry, ended up in this tiny room. After a day of hard work (which was actually very enjoyable), the catch-all room became our new music room, and as soon as Nathan finds his power chord he will fill our trailer with his talented key board playing =)

Before:

After:

Hello =) Once again it has been an annoying amount of time between this post and the last, but I am confident that one day, when papers and exams no longer exist, I will be able to regularly update =). A couple of weeks ago I went on a type of brief detox (after a wonderful vacation filled with great meals and lots of dessert!!). For one week I had no animal products, no salted or sugared packaged goods (my natural peanut butter was an exception), and only whole grains and foods for the most part =). It was actually lots of fun and only difficult to maintain a couple of times.

Towards the end of my detox Nathan and I went out to eat to a really cool little place called BAM Healthy Cuisine. We decided to get the vegan pizza so I could enjoy it as well and it was probably one of the best we've ever had! There was tofu and blackened potatoes and grilled mushrooms.... and the crust was thin and crispy, which is our favorite type of crust. =).

So it was only a matter of time before Nathan and I decided to recreate this delicious meal in the comfort of our own home =).

So here are some yummy pictures.... crust+asparagus+sauce+broiled tofu+roasted potatoes+sauteed chickpeas, onions, and zucchini+spinach = probably our best pizza yet!

See our awesome pizza crust recipe here.

So I thought I'd take a few minutes to let everyone know about Nathan and my favorite past time and hobby =)..... discount grocery shopping!!! We are fortunate to live five minutes away from two small stores that sell partially damaged or slightly expired groceries. Nathan and I are very skillful deal finders... and when we see something we like, we buy lots of it =). At these stores there are usually healthy snacks and other goodies that you would often find at a health food store for lots-o-doe =). Some of our favorite purchases are Odwalla bars, Kashi cereal, Annie's Natural's mac and cheese, and our new find, Cherrybrook Kitchen's all-natural fudge brownie mix. (Brownies just happen to be my weakness - I'm planning on posting a chickpea brownie recipe soon that is healthy and sooo good!).

These pictures are from a particularly successful trip and we were very happy and excited! These stores really help us keep our grocery budget low, while enjoying products we would never pay full price for. Nathan and I also like the fact that we are purchasing things that would eventually go to waste. I would encourage everyone to see if there are any such stores in your area because they are wonderful =). Hope everyone has a great weekend! God bless!

!

So it has definitely been awhile since I've updated and for that I am sorry. School seems to take up more and more time as the semester progresses, but I guess that should be expected. But today is different because today Nathan and I are skipping classes and relaxing at home =). I am a little bit ashamed to admit that it is after ten and we are still in bed, studying, having breakfast, and watching reruns of the Office. But I do happen to think that Michael Scott and green tea is a great way to start the day =). I have a lot of house work waiting for me outside of this room and I'm pretty much ready to get started, just thought I'd post since I'm laying here anyway.

Just recently we had a nice meal of seitan italian sausage =). We have really been into faux meats lately, Nathan is pretty much a seitan craftsman. The fact that recipe calls for steaming the "meat" made the most tender seitan we've had yet. I also made some hotdog buns from neverhomemaker. We sauteed some onions and peppers to top the seitan (Nathan's idea), and I made homemade baked beans that were quick and very delicious =).

As far as the mac and cheese goes, I definitely cheated and took the quick and easy route. Nathan and I found boxes of Annie's Natural Mac & Cheese at our favorite discount grocery store (just five minutes from our house). We looooooove shopping there and can often find lots of healthy snacks and other treats for at least a fourth of the price!!

The meal turned out great and was the epitome of comfort food! =) I put the links to the recipe at the bottom of the page. I'm planning on doing another post real soon about the discount store and some of our favorite finds! I hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather and having a great weekend!! God bless!

Seitan Italian Sausage

Sesame Beer Hotdog Buns

Yummy Baked Beans

So Nathan and I have definitely enjoyed our snow days - no work and no school, just cooking, cleaning, watching movies and occasionally opening a text book =). One particularly snowy night we decided to spend the entire evening in the kitchen preparing these monstrous sandwiches! I found the recipe (or basic guidelines) at (never home)maker.com. It is based off a sandwich that was showcased on Man v. Food (a great show, if we had cable I'm sure I would be watching it and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern all the time =) ).

The To Do List:

1. Make Seitan

2. Mix & Bake Sandwich Buns

3. Make Coleslaw

4. Cut & Bake a Sweet Potato into Delicious Fries

5. Cut an Onion, Bread & Bake into Onion Rings

As you can see this was a very ambitious project and I was very thankful that Nathan and I worked on it together. I began by finding a recipe for whole grain sandwich buns at Bliss Tree and let me just say that this is most definitely the best bread recipe I've tried so far. It is full of fiber and great nutritious ingredients (ground brown rice, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and oats to name a few). Nathan started with the homemade seitan (a common meat substitute made with vital wheat gluten). Neither of us have ever made seitan before and it turned out delicious - it actually tasted a lot like sausage, which was surprising =).

(delicious buns) (Nathan with his seitan sucess)

The baked sweet potato fries were simple and I finished those fairly quickly. The onion rings, however, were a different story, the recipe didn't work too well for us so we had to improvise a lot. In the end they were very good but not necessarily what we were expecting =). At this point we were almost done with our perfect sandwiches =). Nathan whipped up an improvised, mayo free coleslaw and we began to put everything together.

The sandwich was built as follows:

Bun, Mashed Avocado, Lettuce, Colelsaw,

Sweet Potato Fries, Seitan and Onion Rings

So needless to say these sandwiches were definitely worth all the hard work we put into them. They were delicious and it is probably obvious that one sandwich was plenty of food. =) (The last couple bites were hard for both of us to finish ).

I posted the links to all the recipes at the bottom of the page (except for the baked onion rings and coleslaw since they were mostly improvised) I hope that everyone has a nice weekend,

God bless!

Nutritious Whole Grain Rolls

Sausagey-Seitan

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

So I know that the holiday season is over, but that doesn't mean everyone just stops craving chocolate =). I myself will probably never grow tired of something dark, rich, and crunchy. These yummy chocolates are a healthy treat and also very easy to make. You can chop the dark chocolate and toast the almonds and coconut ahead of time, making them easy and fast to assemble. I found this recipe on the blog 101cookbooks (one of my favorites), and have made it several times, and they are always a big hit! The coffee adds a real decadent flavor (I used a french vanilla flavor). The link is at the bottom - I hope everyone enjoyed being snowed in, I know we did! God bless!

Yummy Healthy Chocolate Treats