Weekend Fun

 I had a busy little weekend which did not include a lot of work out time, so I am welcoming the new week with lots of sweaty workouts ahead of me! :)

With a birthday party on Friday night instead of the cheese pizza I opted for the vegetable tray and hummus. Saturday was a busy day with lots of shopping and running around, another birthday party and then out for the night with one of my besties :)

My drink of choice? Absolut & tonic with lime.

I was craving some major carbs on Sunday evening so decided to make some vegan spaghetti with 7 grain pasta noodles. I just couldn't do the "zucchini noodles" my body was craving the sugar.. must have been those vodka tonics I consumed the night before.



I ordered a fantastic product a couple days ago which I am enjoying in my smoothies and it's great for a vegetarian.

Amazing Grass truly is amazing. They sent me a bunch of samples of different products as well. Can't wait to try them all! They even have Kidz Superfood which is fantastic to get a child to drink a smoothie with all these amazing ingredients. I really felt great after throwing this into a smoothie and I am really impressed with the chocolatey taste. Besides it being totally organic, raw and vegan - it makes you feel great! I am just hoping I can buy it in bulk, which I haven't seen the option yet. This container pictured has about 15 servings.

I took this right before a cardio/strength workout at the gym yesterday. I did 45 minutes on the eliptical machine and a 5 minute cool down, did some ab work, arm and leg training machines and then hit the ski machine for a 20 minute cardio session. Total 1 hour and 10 minutes of cardio - not bad hey?

Here are some of my favorite things lately....

lightly steamed brussel sprouts

raw cukes - so delish! :)

I am loving my vegetables and trying to keep lots of them in the house for snacking and for my meals. Trying to eat as much RAW food as possible so even though there are not any interesting recipes - filling up on the raw stuff can be just as good!

Nichole

Ash Wednesday

Yesterday was FAT Tuesday, I tried to make it an excuse to go out drinking but I decided I am better off at home getting some much needed sleep because I have been battling a head cold for the past 2 days. I have been on organic spinach overload to try to get rid of the bug with little success yet :(
I did hit the gym up last night for a sweat session and I did about 40 minutes of cardio but the rest of my  workout was short lived because I was feeling very weak. My legs felt like jello so I decided it was time to go home and eat some FAT! I accomplished this by eating an entire avacado by myself.

So with today being ASH Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, I am thinking about giving up multiple things. I have been strictly cutting out all dairy as much as I can lately and I am thinking I can do without eggs and my "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" Spray for 40 days... right? Well I BARELY eat eggs at all, just if we go out to breakfast I normally have a Veggie Scramble or if I eat pancakes eggs are normally in there as well. I can do without cheese because I have an awesome vegan cheese substitute. I could care less about cow milk because I am absultely in love with Blue Diamond's Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, I use it in my smoothies, cereal, recipes etc... with only 40 calories per serving you can not beat this stuff!!! I was also going to give up sweets. I rarely eat them so I am thinking these are not good things to give up! What if instead of giving up something, I promise to do something. Like go to church during lent. I am going to go to church tonight and start of lent right and then be able to celebrate at Easter! I guess I have all day to figure out what I am going to do... I will keep you informed on that situation.

I went to Good Harvest Market for lunch today because I had a gift card, I figured a nice hot lunch would be a good change today. The organic HOT BAR is delicious! Here are my eats from today...

                                     
Raw veggie salad with organic balsamic dressing and roasted veggies with chick peas.. I already had eaten half when I remembered to take the picture... I promise I will get better at that.

I wish you all a very healthy and happy HUMP DAY and a great LENT :)

Nichole

Cooking with Kale

Hello it's been awhile.... even though I have some interesting eats that I have been experimenting with lately, I haven't had the time to capture the moment :(

I purchased some Kale 2 weeks ago and decided it was time to make some Kale Chips! I have heard so much about them in the past and how delicious they are and how they satisfy that salty craving you maybe having. Well these "chips" turned out great. I even got a 10 year child to try them and then continue to eat them until they were gone and we were eating the crumbs off the pan!

Kale Chips

1. wash and dry kale very well

2. preheat oven to 350 degrees

3. remove leafy greens from stem but pulling them upwards

4. tear into bite size pieces and place into bowl

5. drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pinch of salt onto kale

6. massage olive oil into kale so each piece is covered by the oil

7. spread out on baking sheet so none of the leaves are touching, if they touch they will steam not bake and get crispy.

ENJOY!

Another delicious creation that has been floating around the blogosphere is vegan pizzas!

I used Ezekial brand sprouted grain tortillas, and spread plain hummus on the bottom. Then a layer of tomato sauce/paste, fresh tomatos, zuccinni, spinach, vegan cheese, and sprinkled basil and italian seasoning.

Bake for 5-10 minutes at 400 degress - but you have to watch it closely so it doesn't burn and regular tortillas can take longer.

Proud of my delicious personal pizza - this baby was sooo good the vegan cheese melted and the tortilla was crispy. If I am ever craving pizza this is what I am making, all vegan all delicious.

My love for spaghetti... never ends. Below is a picture of some leftover veggie spaghetti that I poured over some raw zucchini for a quick dinner.

This is quick, easy and delicious and always satisfies my cravings for spaghetti.

That is all my interesting eats for now!

Nichole