January Shamuary

Ok Friends, I know I’ve been really quiet this January. Let me assure you that it has been anything but quiet around here lately. It was not my intention to be silent this long. If you follow me on FB or IG, you’ll know we’ve been up and running. And I do mean running!

There are several blog posts that are rolling around in my head. One that’s fun and one that’s really bothering me. I’m going to find some time this weekend to sit down and hash that one out. But for now, I’ll leave you with some pictures of some things we’ve been up to.

We’ve been eating some good food!

I know you're hungry now. So here's how you get delicious dinner for yourself!

Portabella Burger

Portabella Mushroom

EVOO

Worcestershire Sauce

Sea Salt & Pepper

Garlic Powder

Italian Seasoning

Hamburger bun

"toppings"

1. Rub a clean mushroom with EVOO and place "frilly side" up season with ingredients listed above (or anything you like on your burger)

2. Place in a ziplock bag and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

3. I pan fried these, but you could put them on the grill if you'd like. 

4. There are so many ways to top these, just like with any burger. Here I used Sandwich rounds spinach and homemade guacamole. (1 avocado, diced red onion, garlic powder & lime juice) 

Its the Worcestershire Sauce that makes this so good. If you're looking to eat less meat but you don't want to give up your favorite foods, this is great. To be honest, its the spices you love the most. These large portabella mushrooms are so beefy, if you season it right, you wont even notice. Hope you enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes & Red Onions

Red Potatoes

Red Onion

One or Two Garlic cloves

EVOO

Italian Seasoning

Sea Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450. 

2. Slice Potatoes & Red Onions into bite size pieces. Place into a baking dish and splash with EVOO. Just enough to coat. Add mince garlic, italian seasoning, salt & pepper and stir so its all covered. 

3. Pop in the oven for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Enjoy!

You cant really mess up roasted potatoes right? Whatever makes you happy, go for it!

Sweet Annie Kale Salad

1 Bunch Dark Green Kale (washed & dired, torn into large bit sized pieces, no thick stems)

1/4 c EVOO

1/4 c Raw Honey

1 Clove Minced Garlic

2 Small Diced Apples

1/2 Cup Raw Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds

Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and massage for 5 minutes. This softens the kale and blends the flavors. The kale will wilt significantly during this process, so a big bowl full will reduce in size!

OK: I know I know. I did not make this up or name it. It came from my friend Cindy. Side note: I had a feeling I would like it before I even saw it. I mean, come on, with a name like that, how could I not! 

Really though, this is so tasty. Its got that sweet and savory feel . Its crunchy and it perfect for a cookout. It keeps well in the fridge for the next day. I've made it for dinner and eaten leftovers for lunch all week. Or snuck into the fridge for a bite when I needed a sweets fix. 

So, if you're just cooking dinner or running out the door to a cookout with friends, turn up some Zac Brown Band, make some Sweet Annie Kale Salad and enjoy!

Chocolate Drop Cookies

1/3 C Pure Maple Syrup

1/3 C Almond Milk

1/4 C Carob Powder

3 T Peanut Butter

1 t Vanilla

1 C Oats

1/4 C Chopped Walnuts

1. In a saucepan bring the syrup, milk & carob powder to a boil and simmer for about 3 minutes. 

2. Add peanut butter and stir until smooth

3. Remove from heat and add vanilla, oats & walnuts. Stir well and then roll into balls with the palms of your hands. 

4. Enjoy!

I got this recipe from  Super Veggie Mom. The only difference I made was using Carob Powder instead of Cocoa Powder. Either way, they are still delicious! Both Eva and Brewer loved them. 

So, there is a little taste of what we've been up to. More to come I promise! If you make some of these goodies, let me know what you think. 

Vegan Chili and Halloween

 

Family traditions are the best, right! We have a family tradition that I look forward to every year. I'm not really into Halloween. I don't really care for all the candy or the scary dark side. But I am all about my kids making memories and having fun. I'll take any reason for my family getting together and making memories.

 

When Brewer was born, we invited all the family over and I made chili, the parents took the kids Trick or Treating and the grandparents stayed at the house to hand out candy. When we get back, begins the "trading of the candy." If you have kids, you know this process. Everyone dumps out their candy for parents to look through but the kids start trading what they like and what they don't like. Someone runs away with all the gum, the youngest kid ends up with all the sugar free and pencils and someone starts crying. Woo Hoo for Halloween!

 

This year was no different ... or was it? Well, not really the only thing different was the chili. Moving towards a more vegan life is hard. I've said that before. But it is also fun and exciting. I have been playing around with chili for about a month looking for something that will work and I think I found it last night! I wanted something that was sweet and full of veggies. I had to have something with a meaty flavor to hide the fact there was no meat. Mushrooms were the way to go. I chopped all the veggies kinda chunky sized. Unless they were lying to me, it was a huge hit! I'm not really sure of the amount of things because I just kinda threw it in, but here is what went in the pot.

 

Vegan Mushroom Chili:

 

I didn't really measure anything I just sprinkled it in until it looked like enough. (Sorry for you Type A people.)

 

In a pot on medium: 1 can Crushed Tomatoes, 1 can Tomato Paste, 1 can Black Beans, 1 can Red Kidney Beans, 1 can White Kidney Beans, Chili Powder, Dried Oregano, Cilantro, Cumin, 2 T Honey, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Vegetable Broth (about 3 to 4 cups. depends on how soupy you want your chili)

 

Chop all the veggies below to your desired size. I liked mine a little chunky so it didn't get lost and its more like chili and less like soup. But make it your own.

 

In a pan on medium sauté: EVOO, Mini Portobello Mushrooms, 1 Onion, 1 Red Pepper, 1 Green Pepper, light Sea Salt & Pepper. When the veggies are still a little crisp add several cloves of garlic. (I don't think you can add too much, so use as much to your taste) Sauté for another minute or two then add to the chili pot!

 

Once everything is in the pot, turn up to high until it starts to boil. Once it starts to boil, turn down to simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes and its ready to go! The longer it simmers and the flavors come together, the better it is. So simmer as long as you want.

 

Side Note: You could put this all in the crock pot and let it sit on low. I did this earlier this month and it was fantastic. However I would recommend sautéing the veggies first because the peppers were still a little crunchy. But its up to what you like.

 

I served this with tortilla chips and some red pepper hummus. SOOOO GOOD!

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Halloween Friends! Bring on Thanksgiving. We got this!

Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie

 

Friends! I've said before that Fall is my most favorite time of year. I love when the weather starts to get cool. It means so many things to me. I get so excited about football, bonfires, hoodies and hot chocolate! This year has been a challenge.

 

On our search for health, we've been eating a lot of raw and vegan recipes. Pinterest, as most of you already know, is a wealth of information. We've tried lots of things. Some are amazing! Some were not worth the hype. Summer was easier because we already eat fruit and juice and salads. The Fall brings me into comfort foods. Hum ... Raw ... Vegan ... comfort food. Doesn't seem like they go together. Boy was I wrong!

 

I was planning a dinner at my home for eight friends. Dinner was easy but I wanted desert. I wanted something traditional. I wanted something good. I wanted something that said, no screamed, "IT"S FALL Y'ALL!" And boy did I find it!

 

I cant claim this recipe as my own. (Mostly because I'm not that smart) But here is the link to the orginal. Side Note: Her blog has been amazing. So many yummy things.

 

I've made Pumpkin Pie before, but never from scratch. And by scratch I mean from a real pumpkin. New information alert: What! Pumpkin puree doesn't just come from a can? Another Side note: neither does Cranberry Sauce. And I have a great story from the first Thanksgiving I spend with my husband. If you're lucky I'll blog about it closer to Thanksgiving.

 

Back to my pie. The recipe was easy (other than gutting a pumpkin) It's full of wonderful things and the end product was totally worth all the work. I will be making this again. And as you know, you cant have pumpkin pie without whipped cream. I made some from coconut milk and vanilla with a little honey. It didn't whip as well as I had hoped, but I'll prefect that I'm sure. It was kinda ugly so I didn't post a picture, but it did taste fantastic.

 

 

I also, at the request of my son, cleaned & dried the pumpkin seeds. We covered them in maple syrup, salt and EVOO. We roasted them for about 30 minutes and they turned out great! See, no waste. Thanksgiving here we come!

 

What's your favorite Fall Comfort Food?

 

Family Movie Night and Chasing the Light

What a fun day!  We slept late which is a treat because the Martin kids NEVER sleep past 6:30. We went Christmas scouting. That just means we went to the toy store and set the kids free. We listen and pay close attention to what they play with and what they say. Santa’s always watching! We had lunch at Cheddars and came home for a quick nap.

After nap time, we made popcorn on the stove. Brewer loves watching the pot fill to the top! We pulled out the sofa bed in Daddy’s office and made a pallet of pillows and blankets and ordered a movie. Family Movie time with Stovetop Popcorn! What’s not to love, right?

So, the evening was a huge win. The movie, hum … let’s chat about it shall we.

We watched, The Croods. It’s a movie about the last remaining cave man and his family. They have survived while their friends perished; because the Dad has done everything he knows how to protect them. They have strict rules to live by. The family motto is, “never not be afraid.” They live in the darkness and fear the light. They fear anything new. The oldest daughter, as most teenagers do, feels stifled by her fathers’ rules and rebels against them. She ends up meeting a young man her own age and is swept off her feet by his new and modern ideas. He is a chaser of the light and believes the world is coming to an end. The only way to survive is to reach the sun/light and it will take him to a better place.

While the movie in itself was cute and funny with lots of action, at first I was kind of offended. Maybe I took it the wrong way, but I felt like it was another movie pushing kids to rebel against their parents old and outdated ideas. The daughter was very disrespectful and at times disobedient and in being so, influenced the rest of her family.

On a positive note, there was a “family first” theme. It was neat to see an imperfect family working together and staying together. There was a scene where Eap (the daughter) and Grug (the Dad) are arguing about finding another cave to hide in and she looks at him and says, “That wasn’t living, that just … wasn’t dying. There’s a difference!” That was a turning point for me. It kinda hung with me. That was a very profound statement for a cartoon. I mean really. Being alive and living are two different things.

As a follower of Christ, I believe that I have been rescued from a dark place. I believe that turning and giving my life to Christ means that I am asked to live a certain way. Part of that is not being afraid to follow where I am lead. To follow Christ whole heartedly, we’ve got to let go of fear of the unknown. We’ve got to trust and follow the light! This life, this world we live in right now, its ending at some point. The bible clearly tells us that. This way of life will pass and we are just passing through on our way to a better place; eternity with the Light, with Him. So, if I give my life to Christ, yet am afraid of the unknown and hide in my “cave” then I’m not living, I’m just not dying. And that my friend is not what Christ wants for us.

If we as Christians become afraid of everything around us and hide in our homes and churches, fearing anything new, how then will we reach people? How then can we love people? How then can we share the light if we hoard it under our own roofs? That’s not living Friends, that’s just not dying.

God has been working some things out in me this summer, specifically, working on my fear and my need for control. Friends, life is so much better in His hands than in mine. His will and His way is so much better than mine. Less of me and more of Him is what I crave! Not just for myself but for you as well. If you don’t know Him, I pray you’ll ask me because I would love to introduce you to my Jesus, my Savior, and my Friend. If you know Him and you’re hoarding him and living in fear, let it go! Stop just not dying. Start to really live.

So, is that deep enough for you from a kid’s movie?

Food

Looking forward to sharing with you the things we're making and eating. 

Come back and see what's on the table.