Most of us at the beginning of a new year make an effort to try to make our lives simpler and more organized. One of the ways I personally keep myself (and my checkbook) in check when it comes to grocery shopping is to make a plan BEFORE I even step into the store. I find I spend a lot more money when I go unprepared. When I just pop in to pick up "a few things" I but more impulse items and spend a lot more money than when I have a list and a plan. I am going to give you a few tips and tricks that I use to help on that unwanted spending, while you are eating better and healthier.
Some people say that eating healthy is way more expensive, which totally seems reasonable when you have only a certain amount of money to shop with to feed your family. Organic is too expensive is something I have also been hearing from people for years. My opinion is this, I would rather spend 50 cents more on something I know  is good, and maybe give up something processed , then spend that money in the doctors office later because I am sick. Once again, if you have a plan, it is possible to feed your family for a smaller amount of money and eat better than ever! I usually budget around $250-300 a month to feed the two of us. There are so many websites and blogs with tips and tricks to help organize and save it is overwhelming. Even if you think you don't have the time, find one or two blogs (this one is rather nice) to follow and pick maybe only one thing you can do to help make things easier in your own life. Since I have not been able to work, I especially have to look for ways to make my life easier, especially on the days when I don't feel good. I guess on the other hand I  am blessed to have the ability to stay home which does allow me a little more free time, but like I said there are days when I can hardly function or walk so I need to plan ahead in all I do for home stuff including meals.
I have always been a "planner" and a "list maker" so some of this comes naturally for me- for some people it might require a little more discipline. I spend an hour or two at the beginning of the week before I know I have to shop with a notebook, my favorite cookbook and my phone so I can go online to look for new recipes and coupons on my favorite websites. I go somewhere and have a nice coffee or tea, sometimes with the hubby for his input as to what he wants to eat for the week, he has his favorites, or as he likes to say when I try a new recipe "put this into regular rotation" LOL  I know the regular things I keep in my pantry as "go-to" items so when I can't cook something more complicated, I can throw some beans and grains together with some tofu or a quick stir fry with some veggies and pasta or rice. Might not be as fancy but it tastes just as good! I look at what I want to cook for the coming week or so, and write them down. Then I go thorugh the ingredients list and see what I have at home already. There are certain things I always have, garlic, olive oil, beans of all kinds, grains of all kinds and frozen veggies make a great meal in a snap. ( Look on the right for my list of pantry basics) Then, I make a list of the ingredients that I know I will need to pick up. I go as far as to organize my shopping list by department at the store- which might be a little  much for some people...laughing again!
One of my favorite new websites I visit almost daily is 5dollardinners.com. (there's a link on the left under blogs I follow )She is amazing with recipes, tips and tricks to saving time and money with better shopping and couponing too. If you visit this website you can go to the orintable planners section and print out a grocery list as well as a calendar for putting what meals you want when. I mix and match them not always staying exactly with the calendar, at least you have a general idea of what you want to eat and when. Like when I know we will be gone, I use my slowcooker. So you can plan your work, school, etc calendars with your meal calendars together to make life way more easy.
Okay.... enough for today. I hope this gives you a little help getting started. I am putting the pantry staples list as well as a list for knowing when to buy organic.  (look on the links on the right of the page for these)
Also look below for the recipe for the amazing spinach enchiladas we made last week. I got the recipe on the 5 dollar dinner website, it was for chicken/spinach enchiladas but I tweaked it to make it vegan. =)
Blessings for a good week everyone! See you soon!

VEGAN SPINACH ENCHILADAS

Ingredients Needed

8 oz. container vegan sour cream (Sour Supreme is the brand my local store carries, you can use regular if you don't want to use the vegan)

10 oz. boxes frozen spinach, cooked and well drained

2 cups vegan cheese (daiya is the brand but you could use regular cheddar too if you want)

2 Tbsp minced onion

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper

8 whole grain tortillas

The original recipe calls for canned enchilada sauce but I didnt like the ingredients so I whipped up my own in my blender using a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes a can of green chiles and added some cumin, garlic, oregano, chile powder & onion powder until it tasted right

2 avocadoes for garnish, or make your own guacamole for a topping

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 9×13 glass baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sour cream, spinach, 1 cup of the cheese, minced onion and garlic, cumin and some salt and pepper.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of your baking dish

Spoon the spinachmixture into each of the tortillas. Roll, and place the tortillas seam side down in the baking dish. (I can generally fit 8 to 10 enchiladas in a pan, depending on how full they are and how tight they are rolled.) Then pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the pan.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and begins to golden, and sauce is bubbling.

The original recipe came from 5dollardinners.com you can find it if you look up chicken spinach enchiladas makes enough for 2 casseroles so you can freeze one for later- planning ahead haha! I didnt do this but wish I would have, if you want to just double everything, wrap the casserole in plastic wrap and then foil to seal it and pop into your freezer for that quick no cook night when you're tired)

One thing I did like about this recipe was the simplicity of it and the fact it has lots of possibilities: you could add mushrooms, change the cheeses, I thought about adding tofu with the spinach for a creaminess and different texture.

Serve with some a nice salad of mixed greens with a light dressing and avocado and you're all set!



Welcome to a New Year!

Now that I have your attention... This first post of the year may not seem to really have anything to do with health or recipes at first glance but if you hang with me you will see that it does. It is just a culmination of the things that have been on my mind and the things God has been working in me. The calendar tells me that we are almost a week into a new year....but even more than just dates on a calendar this new year of 2012 holds so much more. More possibilities, more adventures on our journeys, more to live, learn and be thankful for ! We have all made "resolutions" in our past... I don't believe they are bad really, but most people make these huge beyond even accomplishing promises to tackle in the coming year and are left disappointed and even cynical because they fail. We are set up for failure before we even try... because it is really all in our minds whether we move forward or stay stuck. It requires being fearless and living outside of ourselves and our comfort zone and changing... not those around us, but ourselves. Which I personally have to say.... is terrifying! I am terrified of failing.... but I am more terrified of staying where I am. I am more frightened of the "what ifs". The "what if "I don't open my mouth to pray for someone and they could have been healed or their life changed, the "what if" I didn't open my mouth to share something about my knowledge that God has given me about health and someone stayed sick and never got better? This is a very selfish place to live.... and my "resolution" so to speak this year is to step outside of me... realize that my God is way, way bigger (to truly get this in my heart) and to change myself as well as others around me. To realize that I am worthy, valuable, and I do have a mission and a purpose. I was talking with a friend on New Year's Eve about this... and some words of wisdom he gave me.... instead of sitting around waiting and asking for God to tell me what He wants me to do, find out what I want to do and then to just take a leap and find something I like and if it is where HE wants me He will guide me further. What do I want to do? I know the things I don't want.... to be scared of my disease to the point of paralyzing myself and never moving forward, to live in fear of others opinions of me, to never live a life outside of myself and never help others. We all go through certain things and we have a choice to use them for our advantage, or sit around and wonder why we are put through it.... we are put through our trials so we can help others, to give them comfort where no one else can.... I cannot tell you the numerous people I have helped through the loss of a parent, or through dealing with cancer, or abortion, or now MS.
My goal through writing this coming year is to help you try new things: foods that you never tried (such as quinoa or even scarier to most people: tofu!) Things that might have scared you in the past, but we know now that being scared leads us nowhere, and when you step out you might just find something great and exciting that you never knew. To help you learn more about a new lifestyle (not a diet, which we all know fail most of the time), and to give you resources to help incorporate them into your daily life to help you live a longer, fuller, more enjoyable life, learning that it takes a lot less effort than you think it does.
With that said.... moving forward into this new year and new season and journey we are on, you will definitely be hearing a lot more from me whether you like it or not! =)

Don't ever say you dont have time for a good healthy meal.....

I admit it.. I am extremely lazy sometimes... That would be the reason I have not written anything on here in over a week... I get it all in my head and when I try to write it down I get extremely overwhelmed ( I get so brain-foggy sometimes, must be the MS I think, I cant remember anything sometimes and everything is a jumble) and keep trying to make it perfect on the page and then I walk away and talk myself out of it... for days. and days. I have to start thinking outside of myself and how much I can help people with my thoughts, and knowledge. And I have to remember that I don't want to be the servant who wastes my "talents" all because I am afraid. Thanks for growing with me through this.

Anyway, I want to share a great recipe I made tonight for dinner ( I actually ate half of it for lunch it was so yummy) Do you ever just want to heat up something from a can just because you so don't feel like cooking? I was feeling that today.... I was tempted to buy a can of tomato soup for lunch...weird I know. But I actually came across a recipe for a homemade tomato soup and I will NEVER buy canned soup again. This took me about the same time it takes to heat up the store bought kind ( I don't use a microwave, I'll link to an article at the end of this that will make you think twice about it too) and it was way way more delicious. I would love for you to give it a try and tell me what you think.... my hubby thought it took all day to make - score! He is the first critic I have to get past! lol

                  Roasted Tomato-Garlic Soup with Orzo and Basil

Ingredients:

1 24 oz jar of your favorite roasted garlic pasta sauce

2cups water

1 cup low-sodium veggie broth

2 TBSP EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 tsp dried thyme

I also added some marjoram and oregano to make it more Italian feeling

1/2 cup orzo pasta ( I used the little stars, I thought they were cuter lol)

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

(I have my little plant in the windowsill, I love the smell of fresh basil!)

Instructions:

In a medium pot, bring the pasta sauce, water, broth, oil, and seasonings to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the orzo/pasta ( if you want you can add long grain rice instead but it will take a few  minutes longer to cook)

and add half of the basil, boil stirring often until the pasta is tender yet firm to the bite (al dente)

(takes about 8 minutes or so)

Serve hot and garnish with the remaining basil.

I made quesadillas with whole grain tortillas, spinach, avocado, roasted red peppers and some rice cheese melted.... perfect together!



Here is the link to the article about why a microwave can be so dangerous... something to think about.Microwave ovens the curse of convenience

In the coming days I am working on trying to revamp some of our favorite holiday treats to give them a new healthy twist and to make them vegan and so delish nobody will ever know, hopefully I will have a few appetizers, and a few desserts to bring to some of those upcoming holiday parties. And I have a vegan pumpkin pie recipe and some pumpkin bread if you have leftover pumpkin you just don't know what to do with!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and now that December is upon us let's remember the true meaning of the season as we move forward the next few weeks.....

Hope you enjoy the soup! =)

What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

Wondering if any of you have traditions, or special things that every year since before you could remember  you always had on the holiday? One thing I remember is the traditional green bean casserole every year- yum! My mom went all out, there was ham AND turkey and every other side dish you could imagine. Pies and sweets not so much since my mom was not the greatest baker ( wonder why I struggle with baking so much? ) We would order out for the pies which we always had to have some sort of cream pie to die for! My hubby's dad makes this fantastic pumpkin chiffon pie that he makes every year...wouldn't be the same without it! ( although this year since changing my diet radically, I will only be looking and smelling.) And really the no turkey part has not bothered me really the last few years ( tofurky really isn't that bad, it took me like 3 years to get the courage to try it! LOL)
Just got me to thinking though, it isn't about the food as much as the feelings we have when we sit down to something made with love by mom or grandma. And the sharing a meal with the ones we love, isn't that the best feeling? No matter how much fun is put into our dys"fun"ctional families, we wouldn't trade it for anything.Now that my parents have both passed on, sometimes the holidays get a little emotional. I am trying to recreate some of those things, as well as make our own family traditions. It does get difficult though when two married people have totally different traditions, I just make mine to bring and share and hopefully everyone will enjoy them and we can start a new better tradition.
Our new traditions starting this year will be a vegan thanksgiving. I am thankful that we do have so many options for our food choices and the resources to be able to have what we want.
So... what will we be having? For starters, in place of the turkey ( which I have also been thinking about, why do those of us who are vegetarians have to replace the real thing? It will never be exactly the same, and sometimes we are only substituting something lesser to satisfy some sort of need - kind of like our relationship with God- which I won't get into right now, but something to think about even if you aren't looking for ways to have a thanksgiving meal without meat or dairy.)
So, I have been a busy girl this week preparing food to be able to take to our meals we have been invited to, not just for myself (which of course if I want to eat I should bring something, I cannot expect others to cater to me) but also I hope to turn others onto delicious new things that are better and healthier for them. Prompting them to maybe make a small change in a positive direction, even if it's just a side dish along with the turkey ;)

So, on our menu this year will be:

Caramel Apple Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Bean Casserole (of course- but with a twist , I personally think it's yummier)
I admit I cheated on my stuffing though- I bought a bag of organic vegan stuffing mix with cranberries at Whole Foods... it is way good and I will definitely buy it again.
Opted out on the tofurky this year, and bought (once again at Whole Foods) a savory stuffed "turkey breast" from Gardein (which I have had their stuff before so it will probably be yummy) it has stuffing inside already and a little packet of gravy for each breast in the package
Creamed peas and pearl onions
Making a delicious pumpkin bread for dessert
and we also made squash rolls ( which I obtained from Jeremy's aunt who makes them every year, I just substituted non-dairy milk and no butter , boy are they good!)

So I won't be missing out on anything at all, after all, like I said before , the focus should not be on the food as much but on the people and the blessings of God around us. Every day not just once a year.

I would love to hear your traditions, your special things that you love to partake in on the holiday that make it special too. I wish you all the many abundant blessings of God for you and your families. Enjoy each other, enjoy every moment together, take time to relax!

Here is one of the recipes if you want to give it a try, I will post the rest later on.

Caramel Apple Sweet Potato Casserole

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice  
• 5 TBSP Earth Balance nondairy butter   
• 2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups) 1 lb tart apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 cups) .
• 4 cups whole wheatbread cubes (1/4inch)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 9 by 13 baking dish
2. In a 1-qt heavy bottomed sauce pan, cook the sugar, without stirring, over medium heat until it starts to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the sugar turns a deep golden caramel color.
3. Remove the melted sugar from the heat and stir in the apple juice, 2 TBSP butter,1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. The caramel will bubble up,harden and steam vigorously) Return to medium low heat and cook, stirring, until the caramel is dissolved. Let the caramel sauce cool for about 10 minutes
4. In a large bowl, toss the caramel sauce with the sweet potato and apple cubes; transfer to baking dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake, stirring once, until the apples and potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes
5. Meanwhile in a large skillet, melt the remaining 3 TBSP butter over medium heat. Add the bread cubes andb 1/4 tsp salt adn pepper and toss to coat evenly. Cook the bread cubes, stirring occasionally until they are lightly toasted
6. Uncover the casserole and sprinkle the croutons on top. Bake until deep golden, about 10 minutes longer. Garnish with fresh parsley.

"What do you eat if you are a vegan and can't have...."

This is question I have been asked so many times I cannot count. I guess most people's preconceived notion is that all I eat is salad and eat like a bunny ( although I sometimes do if I am at a potluck and that is all there is) I also think that if most people, including myself "ate like a bunny" even once in a while, they would be quite a bit healthier.
I always struggle for an answer to try to explain myself and my choice, but now I can say " pumpkin spice cupcakes with creamy chocolate frosting" =) and really shock people
Unless you live under a rock, you all knowThanksgiving is coming in a few days, and this year I decided to make something different. I stumbled upon the cutest turkey cupcakes on a website that I frequent. My first thought was, oh boy those are great, but I know how great I bake... lol My husband does too.... it's always fun in our house when I am trying to make the "perfect" holiday cookies. I also tend to bite off more than I can chew... I love to play in the kitchen, and especially around the holidays, you must keep me away from the magazine aisle- first of all, we would go broke because I would want to buy EVERY magazine to make every cute thing I saw on the covers, second I would make everyone around me crazy because they would never be as cute or tasty! So there is much restraining when I go into the grocery store..."step away from the magazine rack, how many cookie recipes do you need? "
Well, this time I followed through and I did make this my own ( the original recipe didn't tell you what kind of cupcakes, etc. just how to make them gobble) I decided pumpkin would be the best because it is still fall, even though in the stores it looks like Christmas already!
So, I hope if you have extra time this Thanksgiving, you can try these. It took me about half an afternoon, and I am certainly NOT an accomplished baker!! Or save this for next year, or better yet just make the darn cupcakes without the cute decorations, you will not be sorry! (I almost had to make a second bowl of the frosting because my hubby was eating it out of the bowl!) I know when we take them, people will never guess they are vegan, which for me is the most exciting part! If you want to leave out the vegan part because it scares some people ( I dont tell people until AFTER they eat it! ) honestly they will never know the difference!
Before I give you the recipe, I want to add one more thing. I hope that all of you will be able to spend this holiday with your favorite people, whether it be family or friends (we get to do both, super blessed!) and take time to remember the things we are all thankful for. Take the time to honor those around you, to serve them, to maybe help out at a local food pantry, or shelter for those less fortunate. Just focus on God and the blessings He has given us all. I know I am super thankful for friends who prod me on to do something greater than me, and to stop thinking of myself and I know I am better off for that. The best way for me to get out of that funk that sometimes we all get in this time of year, mostly because we overextend ourselves ( am I the ONLY one that does this? I prefer to think not... it keeps me saner!) trying to make everything perfect for everyone else. I read an article recently that said to love more stop caring. Be you, be who God made you, and when you stop caring about what others think, you will be better for it.
Happy Turkey Day ( at our house it's unturkey day) and enjoy your blessings! I know I am going to!

                                 
                                                             VEGAN PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

• 1/4 cup plain almond milk or soy milk
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup granulated vegan sugar
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt                you can use pumpkin pie spice instead of all the different spices if you want
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree ( on sale at stop and shop for only $2, cheaper than non-organic)
• 1/2 cup canola oil   - you could also use 1/2 the oil and put in some applesauce for the other half
• 1 tsp pure vanilla

      Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 . Line a 12- cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside
• In a small cup, combine almond milk and vinegar. Allow mixture to rest for 5 minuts
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugars, and spices. Set aside
• In another bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, oil, vanilla and almond milk-vinegar mixture from before. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just combined. Divide the batter into the muffin cups, about 3/4 full.
• Bake 16-20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

                                              CHOCOLATE FROSTING

• 1 cup vegan margarine ( I use Earth Balance), room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar ( you can actually make your own by blending sugar and cornstarch, I wasnt this brave I used the store bought kind )
• dash of salt
• 2 TBSP vanilla
• 4 TBSP nondairy milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

     Preparation:

• Blend margarine until mushy
• Add all remaining ingredients , if you want to add more milk to make it smoother not too much.
• Blend all together- that's it!

                                                HOW TO MAKE THE TURKEYS

       Supplies Needed

• Chocolate Hershey kisses
• Wilton candy melts in orange, red and yellow
• Chocolate Sprinkles
• Wax paper

      Instructions

• Place 20 or so candy melts into a freezer baggie and melt in microwave ( ours has a chocolate setting because it's trying to be all fancy... but if you don't it took about a minute and a half stopping half way through to smush it around to melt it easier)
• Cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag to make a tip  ( they also sell little plastic squeezy bottles but this works just as good, I just didnt want to spend the extra money)
• Line baking sheets (measure to make sure they fit into the freezer for later) with wax paper
• Create feathers onto the wax paper by squeezing chocolate into loops, 5 for the red and orange and 3 for the yellow ( this took me some practice, so you should make extra for that purpose and also because they WILL break)
• Roll the edges of the cupcakes into the sprinkles
• Add the chocolate kiss for the head, piping a small bit of red for the "gobbler"
• Place feathers carefully onto the cupcakes

My First Post

Well, here goes... I won't say nothing. So here goes ... something. Something that could be big. Something that could change my life and hopefully yours. Obviously if you are reading this you are curious. Curious as to who I am and what I would want to share. This is a bit scary for me to realize that my opinions and thoughts are really worth something to someone. To put myself out here like this is  HUGE, no beyond huge, it's a monumental step for me to step beyond my fears and just go for it. So thanks for bearing with me ... I'm sure I will get used to this and be a pro in no time. I hope you will stick around so we can all laugh at this first post as if it were yesterday and I was so naive. As you can already see, I think a bit "Unconventional" (this is something I say my husband is when he says something that maybe he shouldn't have... I guess he is rubbing off on me) I am always ahead of the curve in many things, fashion (I was wearing scarves like 5 years ago) and now in health. People for the last 4 years have called me everything but crazy for eating organic, and for being a vegetarian. (which now is like a buzz word- frustrating when I have been trying to tell people things and then they see it on Oprah and it's now the greatest because their TV told them so) even down to being sick ( I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia - 13 years ago, I had been sick with a "mystery illness" and after 6 doctors and numerous tests and telling me there was nothing wrong with me, they gave it a name. I got rather sick of telling people and getting the response "fibro what?" LOL .... now it is an official "disease" because there are drugs on the market and also because everyone who they don't know what is wrong is now told they have it) Although now they know that the "fibro" was actually the beginning of Multiple Sclerosis which I was diagnosed with 4 years ago. I went in for an MRI for headaches to make sure I didnt have a brain tumor... I was told "no cancer, but you have lesions which are MS" Talk about scary! That is where this all began, I knew somewhere deep down that there was a better way than taking all the medications with all the side effects, that somehow our bodies were designed to heal themselves, all I needed to do was learn more. I do not have a degree, but I have years of knowledge, from talking to people, reading books ( I think over 100, I lost count), seminars and just researching. That better way is out there- that better way is to learn to listen to our bodies, and with the use of that knowledge to be able to make a difference in not only my life but others. So now that you have most of my story.... hang on for the fun part!
 As for dinner tonight.... it's rather boring- but homemade pizza is on the agenda (per the hubby's request). See you next time! =)