Peachy Keen

I have been so busy lately that taking pictures of my food was the last thing on my mind. Then I remembered how much fun it is! I made sure I took pictures today, starting with breakfast, which included a delicious summer fruit - the peach!

My parents picked some up on their way through the Okanagan last week (they went on a little summer road trip).

Smoothie in a bowl. Contents - 2 frozen peaches, almond milk, plain yogurt. Now, I know this looks like a pile of yellow mush, which I guess it kind of is, but that doesn't mean it wasn't delicious! I added some 5 minute granola on top. Mmmmm... should have taken a picture of it with the granola...it looked much more appealing.

As I was getting ready this morning I put on a pot of hulled barley for my lunch. I boiled about 1 cup of barley with 2 cups water and simmered it for about 45 minutes. This leaves them a little bit chewy, which is how I love my grains.

I added some sautéed zucchini (from my moms garden) and carrots to the mix, topped off with salsa and hot sauce! An apple and water on the side.

My dad with the ginormous zucchini. It weighs about 10 lbs. Correction: it weighed about 10 lbs. More on that later. I really should have taken a pic with me holding it so you could really have an idea on it's size. Next time ;)

After work today Francis and I went for a 5 km run around Thetis Lake. A lot shorter than I normally like; however, there are so many HUGE hills that after 5 km I'm happy to be done. When we got home I immediately put together supper. 

Lettuce, carrots, cucumber, topped with basil vinaigrette, Amy's veggie burger and salsa. Miso soup on the side. Simple and delicious.

I use Genmai Miso, which is made from brown rice rather than typical fermented soybeans. Miso is extremely good for you, which is a bonus considering how yummy it is.

Here are some of the health benefits of miso:

• Reduces risks of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.
• Protection from radiation
• Immune strengthening
• Antiviral -- miso is very alkalizing and strengthening to the immune system helping to combat a viral infection.
• Prevents aging - high in antioxidants, miso protects from free radicals that cause signs of aging.
• Helps maintain nutritional balance - full of nutrients, beneficial bacteria and enzymes, miso provides: protein, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, tryptophan, choline, dietary fiber, linoleic acid and lecithin.
• Helps preserve beautiful skin - miso contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that helps your skin stay soft and free of pigments.
• Helps reduce menopausal complaints - the isoflavones in miso have been shown to reduce hot flashes.

Good quality miso is a little on the pricey side, but it is worth it. It will last you for a very long time. You can use it to make your own miso soup, or add it to your other soups. Just make sure you add the miso during the last 2 or 3 minutes of the cooking process so that all of its wonderful health benefits aren't destroyed.

After supper I decided to do some baking. And what better way to use up the delicious zucchini than to make zucchini muffins.

Before.

After.

These are 100% vegan and 100% delicious.

Vegan Zucchini Muffins 

adapted from Fat Free Vegan 

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour (I used whole spelt flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used sucanat - low processed sugar)
• 1/4 cup raisins (I used dried currants)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I didn't have any)

Wet ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer (I used 1 flax egg - 1 tablespoon of ground flax with 2 tablespoons of water. Mix, let sit for 5 minutes until thick and gummy).
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/4 cup shredded zucchini, packed
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free soymilk or other non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)

Optional Cinnamon Crumb Topping:

• 1 teaspoon margarine (I used Earth Balance buttery spread)
• 1/2 tablespoon demerara sugar (I used sucanat)
• 1/2 tablespoon flour (I used spelt flour)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a muffin pan with paper or silicone liners or spray well with non-stick spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the Ener-G egg replacer powder with the water until foamy. Add the remaining wet ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Do not over-stir. Batter will be very heavy. Spoon into muffin cups, dividing batter equally among the cups. Combine the topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly, and sprinkle the center of each muffin with a little topping, if desired. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Total time (duration): 30 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 12

Makes 12 muffins. Each muffin without optional ingredients contains 126 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (2% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 241mg Sodium; 3g fiber.

I can't wait to try these bad boys tomorrow. Francis was my guinea pig tonight. He said they're delicious!! SCORE! He couldn't even tell there was zucchini in them. Double SCORE! 

Well, it's time for me to relax and get ready for bed. I'm a sleepy sleepy girl. I will leave you all with some pictures I took when I went home a few days ago. After you look through these you will realize that I'm kind of in love with my cats...

Wouldn't you be? I meant come on...This is Coki, my baby.

My parents kitchen under construction. It's starting to really come together! Pictures do not do it justice.

Front yard.

MIA! She was guarding the front door of the house. Such a good girl.

Sucha fatty.

 Stretttcccchhhhhhhhhh.....

Zzzzzz.....

I think I have a problem...

Just a few more I promise!

Afternoon spent at the lake. A perfect day!

Beach by my house.

This seagull was going to town on this fish tail...

And one last picture to put a smile on your beautiful faces (if the others haven't already)! sweet dreams...I hope you dream about cute little kitties! I know I will!

Beach Day!

This morning I woke up bright and early as usual. I tried to sleep in, really I did, but I just couldn't for some reason. I guess I was rested enough. My bed felt so amazing though...but when I'm awake I can't just lay in bed. I find it such a waste of time. I wanna get up and get my day going. Today, I started my day with a new recipe. Raw buckwheat porridge.

Raw Buckwheat Porridge

Ingredients:

Serves 1

1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats, not kasha (soaked in water overnight)

1/8-1/4 cup almond milk or milk of choice

1 tbsp liquid sweetener (I used agave)

1/2 tbsp chia seeds

1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

cinnaninamin

Instructions:

1. Rinse the soaked buckwheat groats.

2. Put groats into food processor or blender, reserve 2 tbsp for later.

3. Blend all ingredients until desired consistency is met.

4. Let sit for 5 minutes. The chia seeds will soak up the liquid and make a thicker porridge over time.

5. Top with berries, nuts, granola, nut butter, etc...

A little side note: chia seeds are great for hydration. They soak up the liquids in your stomach and since the water is difficult to remove it takes the body a long time to break down the soluble fibre. When moving through your colon it acts as a sweeper, allowing the food to move through and keeping the colon nice and clean. Thanks chia seeds, you're a pal!

After breakfast, and driving Francis to school to study (YUCK) I went and got a few groceries. I bought some organic almonds, which I dug into at about 11:30 (always hungry at this time when I eat breaky at 7 am). Almonds are such a great, nutritious snack. 

please ignore the nice wound on my hand :) I may or may not have had an embarrassing accident last weekend...

After I got home and put the groceries away I put together a quick and easy lunch. Silver Hills, Steady Eddy bread with light herb cream cheese, tomatoes and spinach. Grilled on my George Forman Grill. I had an all natural pop on the side. Black Cherry, sweetened with stevia leaf.

When I first poured it out of the can I was shocked. It wasn't dark like regular cola. It had a little colour to it but was almond clear. I felt a lot better about drinking it. I didn't feel like it was eating away at my insides after I was finished. Always a bonus!

It tasted fantastic. Just like cherries with a whole lot of fizz. Mmmmm. The grilled sammie was awesome too!

I also had a few carrots and a protein bar before I hit the beach! Is there any better way to spend a gorgeous summer day then lazing around at the beach? For me, there isn't. 

After the beach I made my way out to Elk Lake for a run. When I got there I was tempted to skip the run completely and just work on my tan a little bit more, but I started thinking about how great I always feel after a run. This was an instant motivator! I quickly changed and was on my way. It was hot. I ended up running an 8 k loop rather than my usual 10 k. It was good enough for me today.

I got home around 6 pm. Perfect time to start making dinner. I made Bean Potato Burgers with fresh basil.

Mama Peas Bean Potato Burgers:

Ingredients:

Makes 4 large patties

1/2 lb potatoes of choice (I used new potatoes)

1 can white beans

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp salt

pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Put cooked potatoes, rinsed beans, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt and pepper into a medium size bowl. Mash with a large fork or potato masher until smooth.

2. Add chopped basil, mix until just combined. 

3. In a medium sized frying pan, heat oil of choice over medium heat.

4. Fry burgers for 5-6 minutes per side.

5. Put on a burger bun and top with whatever you desire.

I didn't have any burger buns so I had it without. I topped mine with salsa and avocado. I had about a half of another one too ;) I wasn't that hungry by the time they were done because I was snacking on delicious rice crackers while I was impatiently waiting for them to cook!

DESSERT!

During my grocery shop today I picked up some of these bad boys. I have been wanting to try these for a long time but they were always so pricey. Today was my lucky day. They were on sale. I grabbed them right away and waited ALL day to try them. Will power I tell ya. They are everything I wanted them to be and more.

They are slightly sweet and creamy and taste like a coconut dream. If you love coconut like I do, this is the perfect summer dessert for you. When you get to the bottom of the bar (in my case after about 3 bites...) you are in for a little surprise. chunks of coconut. MMMM! SO GOOD! I can't wait for tomorrow so I can have another one!

I am also impressed by the nutritional profile. 90 calories per bar, 3.5 grams of fat (good fat), 0 saturated. They are also fairly low in sugar, which is great! AND they're pretty big! I was expecting them to be a lot smaller but was pleasantly surprised. 

Okay, off to bed now, I'm tired and American Pie 2 is on. Always funny. 90's teen movies = guilty pleasure...one that I'm not really guilty of :)

Night!

Amy