Hamilton Veggie Fest: Recap

Hi Friends!

I went to the Veggie Fest in Hamilton this weekend and it always makes me happy to share fun vegan products, food, etc with you guys. Here is a recap of Saturday:

Source

Clockwise from top left: 1. NingXia Red If you're anything like me you'll want to pronounce the 'X'. Don't. It's pronounced Ninja, which I guess is obvious, but I just really want to say it phonetically. Ha! The woman at the booth was very passionate about this antioxidant drink and mentioned many benefits to consuming it daily, one of them being improved vision. I found it very fascinating, not that I have any kind of issue with vision or eye health, but I'm always interested in improving health through nutrition rather than medicine. 2. Young Living Essential Oils. She was also very passionate about the essential oils. I learned the benefits of some of them but the one that stuck was Lemon. I'm a huge fan of having lemon water in the morning and go through lemons like crazy. Using a few drops of lemon oil in your water has the same benefits multiplied by a thousand. Oh, and it also purifies your water. Crazy, huh? 3. 3 Teas This was a gorgeous display of tea. I tried the Organic Strawberry Green Tea. I'm not a fan of most green teas but this was really good. 4. Nature's Roots Wheatgrass! Wheatgrass just always makes me happy. They were offering shots for $3 but I had my eye on something else so I didn't get one.

Oh how I love vegan treats, especially when there's samples! Giddy YoYo is probably one of my favorite raw vegan companies. I LOVE their chocolate and can honestly say that every one of the flavors are delicious. I've also purchased their cacao powder and am currently using their spirulina powder - love them both. At the festival I purchased their sea salt and I can't wait to start using it as well. Live On Chocolate power puddings! Have you had these before? They are the ultimate healthy treat! You feel like you are indulging but there is absolutely nothing bad in them, only good REAL ingredients. My favorite is the coconut lime flavor which they turned into frozen pops for the festival. It's also what I chose to buy instead of the wheatgrass shot. Oh man, it was SO good and totally the right choice! Everything Nice (bottom right corner and the photo above it) is what I like to call a healthy "fast food" company. They package a variety of meal kits that take most of the prep work out of cooking. You may have to chop an onion but that's as far as your prep goes. Just add water and simmer for about an hour. I love this idea for families who are too busy with extra-curricular's to get a healthy meal on the table during the week. We got to sample the Canadian Pea Soup which was really yummy.

Clockwise from top left: Fun "bean" spaghetti's from Upaya Naturals made from black beans, adzuki beans, and mung beans. Raw Pumpkin Seed oil from Styrian Gold. They made a quick 2-ingredient salad dressing using the pumpkin seed oil and a few squirts of an ice wine syrup. I swear it tasted like peanut butter and jam, in a good way. Richardo’s Ontario Hemp Hearts - Locally grown hemp seeds... yes, that's right, LOCAL as in Ontario! The Mustard Seed Co-op had a table full of products that they offer in-store. I had no idea they were already open for business so I'm excited to visit their store in the very near future. Rallis Ice Pressed Olive oil and Soap in the Raw. The lavender soap smelled like heaven but was too pricey for me.

Just a few of the products, samples and brochures that I brought home from the festival. Vegan dog food from V-Dog. I can't wait to send this sample to my parent's so they can give it to their dog Lexi. New Moon Kitchen's Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, Ultimate Kale Chips pink salt flavor, and Giddy Yoyo's Mountain salt. I also finally bought my first glass straw from the Upaya Naturals table - you can't really tell in the photo, but it's pink, obviously. I bought my vegan key chain from the Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary table, and I got buttons from the Oliver's Garden Project table and the Fur Bearer Defenders table.

It was a great festival and I wish I had remembered to take more pictures of all the wonderful offerings. But, I was too busy sampling goodies and chatting with some pretty amazing people! My highlight was chatting with Victoria Moran, who I was first "introduced" to through IIN as one of our speakers. She was so inspirational that I googled her as soon as the lecture was over. I'm so happy that I was able to connect with her in person even if it was only for a few minutes.

Last but not least...

You can't have a Veggie Fest without a vegan food truck! There were many different vegan food offerings at the festival but I was holding out for Karma Chamealeon. I love their food. We split the Bourbon BBQ Burger and the Philly "Cheeze" Steak. Both were delish but the bourbon bbq burger was my favourite. Next time I absolutely have to try the coconut onion rings!

I hope you enjoyed my Veggie Fest recap! I had so much fun and can't wait for next year's festival!

Happy Monday!

Love,
Ves xx

Vegan MoFo #9: Cheezy Kale Salad

   Well my friends, you are super lucky today because I am posting twice!  That's right, two posts in one day and this one is a recipe post.
  I'm really doing this for my mom at her request.  She loves this kale salad that I make, and asks for it anytime that I buy kale.  So, here's the recipe... I hope you guys love it as much as she does.  Oh, and if you've ever read Kim Snyder's Beauty Detox Solution you'll notice that this salad is similar to one that she makes.  It's the bomb.

"Cheezy" Kale Salad
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
1 head kale
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tomato, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 - 2 tbsp hemp seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:
Wash the kale thoroughly and tear it away from the stems.  Add it to a salad bowl along with the lemon juice and sea salt.  (You can save the stems and juice them later.) Using your hands, massage the kale while simultaneously tearing it into bite size pieces.  Continue massaging until the kale is soft and slightly wilted (about a minute or two). Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the hemp seeds) and continue to mix until everything is incorporated.  Garnish with the hemp seeds, serve and enjoy!
The best part about this salad?  You can save the leftovers for the next day without worrying about wilted lettuce!

Stay tuned tomorrow for an amazing cheese sauce recipe.  You won't believe how amazing it is until you see it and try it for yourself!

And last but not least, I leave you with a video that my brother sent me a few days ago.  It's actually a haunting preview of a game called Chipotle Scarecrow.  I really hope this game (or even just the preview) reaches millions of people.  Check it out:

 
By the way, I may have cried while watching this video... and it may be because I watched it at 6am OR it could be Fiona Apple's rendition of "Pure Imagination" OR it could just be that I am Miss Sensitive... either way... you have been warned.

Love,
Ves xx

Vegan MoFo #7 Sunshine in a Glass

Hi Friends!

I have a super awesome quickie recipe for you today.  Over the weekend my mom made this amazing papaya juice for us and I absolutely have to share it with you.  I'm not a huge fan of papaya's on their own but I loved it in this juice.

Papaya, grapefruit, carrot.

   Papaya's are actually really good for you (as practically all fruits and veg are) and contain a lot of healing properties.  As everyone probably knows, it's high in vitamin C and B vitamins which is great for the immune system.  But, papaya is also said to help protect against free radicals and possibly prevent cancer because it is a rich source of antioxidants.  Which, by the way, also helps with skin issues, too, such as acne and premature aging.  Woohoo!

Here's the recipe:

Good Morning Sunshine
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/2 papaya, peeled
2 grapefruit, peeled
4-6 medium to large carrots (peeled if not organic)

Directions:
Add all of the ingredients to your juicer in the order listed above.  Pour in a glass and drink immediately.

Til next time...

Love,
Ves xx

Vegan MoFo #6 Spirulina All in My Shake

Hi Friends!

   I hope you had a wonderful and germ-free weekend!  I've noticed that many people around me are coming down with colds or viruses and so I'm doing my part to strengthen my immune system.  Although I find it super fun to make the sign of the cross with my fingers while simultaneously backing away slowly from a germy person, there are other more effective ways to ensure that you stay as healthy as possible during cold and flu season.

   My all-time favorite go-to immune booster is Oil of Oregano.  I love that stuff and use it almost all the time.  It's so effective in warding off illnesses that sometimes I swear it works even when I'm just thinking about taking it.  If you haven't tried it yet please pick some up the next time you are near a natural food store.  You will be glad you did when everyone around you is coughing and sneezing, I promise!  Oh, and it tastes exactly how it sounds... like oregano.  In fact, once you've taken it you'll swear you just ate a plate of pasta.  No joke.

   My other favorite go-to is Spirulina.  I love it in my smoothies and tend to overdose on it sometimes.  Last week I was sprinkling it on my salads as well!  If you are new to Spirulina, start off slow as it can play havoc with your stomach.  Not in a bad way, you would just be uncomfortable for a while until your body gets used to it.  So start with a 1/4 tsp for a week or more and then increase the amount.  I usually have between 2-3 teaspoons a day and sometimes up to 2 tablespoons depending on if I feel I need an extra immune boost.

Source

  Spirulina is extremely high in chlorophyll and calcium, and contains B vitamins, as well as Vitamins A, C, D, and E.  Plus, it's a great source of potassium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc.  And if that's not enough, it's also super high in protein.  If any food deserved the word super in front of it, spirulina would be it!

     My absolute favorite way of using spirulina is in a green smoothie.  Here is my current smoothie mix obsession (actually I think it's been my obsession for over a year):

Liquid Sunshine!

Tropical Citrus Mango
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 cup coconut water
2-3 cups greens (spinach, kale, romaine, etc)
1 cup mango, frozen
1 banana, frozen
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp spirulina
handful of sprouts (optional)
vanilla protein powder (optional)

Directions:
Add all of the ingredients in the order listed to your high speed blender and process until smooth.  Pour in a glass and drink with a straw!

Happy Monday everyone!

Love,
Ves xx

Blender Recipe: Blueberry Oat Muffins

   Hi Friends!

   I noticed that it's been a while since I've added a recipe on here.  And when I checked my recipe archive I noticed that there are ZERO recipes for muffins on this blog.  Let's change that shall we?  I haven't actually made muffins in over a year.  I don't normally eat them, or crave them but I've been seeing so many pictures of muffins floating around on my Instagram lately that I felt it was time to bake a batch.  Originally, I planned on making raspberry muffins but, every time I bought raspberries I ended up using them for something else.  This happened about three times until I gave up on raspberries and went with blueberries.  I always have blueberries in the house, even if they are frozen.

   By the way, you may be wondering why I call this a blender recipe?  Well my friends, it's because I used my blender to mix up all of the ingredients.  But not just any blender.  I used my new best friend... my VITAMIX!  That's right, this girl's got a Vitamix!  I did a little dance the night I ordered it... and then another when it arrived.  And then I spent the entire day in the kitchen playing with it.  I made all of my meals using the blender.  Even if it was just to chop an onion, I didn't care.  I was going to use my Vitamix no matter what.  Everyday I rack my brain coming up with things that I can use it for.  Obviously, it makes my smoothies every morning (my smoothies have never tasted so good), but it's also helped me make hummus, brownies, pies, burgers, dressings, batters, soups, ice creams, frappuccinos, the list goes on.  Best.Purchase.Ever.

   Back to the muffins... You don't need a Vitamix to make these.  Any blender will do, or you can use a food processor if you prefer.  While these were baking the whole house smelled like banana bread, but once you try them you'll notice that the flavor is subtle.  Also, the amount of sugar in these muffins is perfect for me, but if you like really sweet things you may want to add more sugar to suit your tastes.

On to the recipe...

Blueberry Oat Muffins
Makes about 15 - 17 muffins
(the number goes up if you don't eat the batter!)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups rolled oats, plus a little extra for garnish
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 4 tbsp water
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup coconut sugar (brown sugar works too)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare muffin tins by greasing them or use silicone liners. (Don't use paper liners as the muffins will stick to them, causing the muffin-in-mouth ratio to be super low.  Trust me, I know.)
Whisk together the flaxseed and water in a small bowl.  Set aside.
Using a blender/food processor add the rolled oats and process them until they reach a flour consistency.
Add the remaining ingredients to the blender (except for the blueberries) and process until smooth.
Stir in the blueberries and then fill the muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full.  Garnish with extra oats.  (I didn't think of that until after they were baking.)
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

By the way, these are only 80 calories a muffin.  Which is great for me because I sampled 3 of them just to write this post!

Enjoy!

Love,
Ves xx

WIAW #28 The Weekend Edition

Hi friends,

Welcome to another edition of What I Ate Wednesday!  This week I decided to do things a little differently.  Instead of showing you my Tuesday eats like I normally do, I've decided to show you what I ate on Sunday.  To be honest, my weekly eats are slightly boring (not to me, but you're probably sick of looking at the same ol' food) and not very pretty to look at since I use containers and not dishes to bring my food to work.  Plus, it's always fun to shake things up a bit.  So without further ado, I give you my Sunday eats.

Breakfast:

   I had originally planned on making pancakes for breakfast but I got an enormous craving for something mint chocolatey.  I made this smoothie which turned out to be so thick I poured it in a bowl and ate it with a spoon.  Loved it!  I'll post the recipe tomorrow. 

   To go along with my smoothie I had one of these raw coconut macaroons that I had made the day before.  They were melt-in-your-mouth delicious!  And they only get better with age. ;)

Lunch:

Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day so I took advantage of it and went out for a super long walk.  I love that the weather is warming up and everyone is out!  When I came back in I made this kale salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, and organic edamame (I love edamame!).  I dressed it with lemon and sprinkled some nutritional yeast on top (after the photo was taken, of course).

Dinner:

I made this Epic Sweet Potato Lasagne that I wrote about in yesterday's post, and invited my sister over for dinner.  We had it with a side salad of swiss chard, peppers, apples and my mustard vinaigrette.  Oh so yummy and second's were definitely had by both of us.  I said it yesterday and I'll say it again: You have to make this Lasagne!  You will not be disappointed, I promise.

Snack:

I ended the day with my fave snack:  Apples with cinnamon and a squirt of lemon.  I'm a little obsessed with this and eat it everyday! 

Throughout the day I also had several glasses of lemon water and a mug or two of tea.  I'm still not drinking coffee (will this cleanse ever end?) but I'm counting down the days until it becomes my daily obsession again.


I absolutely love Sunday food, don't you?  It's so nice to be able to take your time and make every meal with love.  I get that from my mom.  She would spend the entire weekend in the kitchen cooking just because she wanted to and because she loved to feed her family.  We all used to sneak tastes of whatever she was making, not being able to wait for the meal to be ready.  That's one of the things I'm looking forward to when I go and visit my parents this summer... Mom's cooking!  Can't wait.

Love,
Ves xx

Not Your Average Lasagne!

Hi Friends!

I have a really special recipe to share with you today.  But before I do, I just want to say that I have absolutely nothing against pasta.  I swear.  I love pasta, I really do.  I just don't eat it very often.  Like almost never.  When I do have it, I like it to be whole grain, spelt or brown rice.  Anything but white.  Why?  Because it tastes better (IMO) has a nicer texture, and packs a stronger nutritional punch compared to el blanco.  That being said, I LOVE when vegetables replace pasta in traditional dishes.

You've seen my raw pasta and lasagne dishes here, here, and here.  But this is a baked dish that uses sweet potatoes (quite possibly my favorite veg) as the 'noodles'.  How brilliant is that?  You could almost call it a Mousaka except that the flavors most definitely scream Lasagne.  This recipe is by Miriam who has a website called Mouthwatering Vegan Recipes.  And yes, this recipe was absolutely mouthwatering!  It was slightly sweet from the potatoes, creamy from the 'cheese' sauce and savory from the bolognese sauce.  I made it on Sunday and served it to my carnivorous sister who after one bite said that I HAD to make it at our next family gathering.  She also said that I would have to double the recipe because everyone would want seconds and possibly thirds!  Woohoo!  Score another one for vegan food!  We even decided that my brother would love it.  Did you read that, bro?  You.Will.Love.This.  For reals.

I didn't make any huge alterations to the recipe so I will post the link below.  The only change I really made was to switch out olive oil for coconut oil.  I prefer to only cook with coconut oil because it has a higher smoke point than other oils.  This allowis it to stay stable at higher temps and not become damaged.  Plus, it's better for my skin, and if it's better for my skin then it's better for me!

Next time I would also try baking the zucchini instead of frying them.  The result would be similar but would require much less oil.  Translation: less oil = less fat!  I don't care if it's a "good fat", it's still fat.  Everything in moderation, right?  

Also, the recipe calls for two sweet potatoes but I would definitely use three next time.  I think that Miriam was able to slice her sweet potatoes much thinner than I was so that's probably why it worked for her.  Unfortunately, my mandolin does not have a thickness setting like some do.  If you are able to slice them super thin then you may be able to get away with using two as well. I had enough for two full layers and then I had to really spread them out to cover the top layer. 

 

This dish was beyond delicious and will definitely impress any non-vegan (or anyone, really!).  Promise me that you will make this SOON.  Here is the link to the recipe:
Epic Sweet Potato Lasagne

Enjoy!

Love,
Ves xx

WIAW # 27 and Wacky Weather!

Hi Friends!

Can you believe it's already Wednesday?  I feel like I say that almost every time I write a WIAW post, but seriously, after a holiday Monday I really can't believe it's already the middle of the week!  Trust me, I'm not complaining.  I love when my work week goes by quickly.  What I don't love?  This weather!  What is up with it?  It's sunny and mild out one minute, and snowing the next!  I wore a spring coat all weekend and then had to bundle up in my winter coat complete with hat, mitts, and warm boots.  I am so over winter!

  I'm not here to complain, though, I'm here to talk about food.  Tuesday's food to be exact.  Check it out...

My Morning...

As usual, I started my morning off with some room temp. water with lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  My Green Smoothie (spinach, mango, banana, oats, flax seed, almond milk) had to be bottled up and taken to-go because I ran out of time in the morning.  Don't worry, I slurped it up as soon as I got to work.  On my way to work I kept warm with some Chai tea.  I'm a little bit obsessed with this tea at the moment and can't seem to get enough of it.  Not too obsessed, though, that I don't secretly wish it were coffee!  I still have a week or so left of my liver detox, but as soon as I'm done I plan on guzzling a barrel of coffee.  On second thought that might just undo all the good I did with the detox... oh well.

Lunch...

For lunch I had a kale salad with tomatoes and avocado dressed with lemon juice and nutritional yeast.  I added a pinch of cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick.  When I popped home quickly in the middle of the day, I made a Gingerbread tea (another obsession!), and snapped this picture to show just how wacky the weather has been.  Mother nature has a wicked sense of humor.  (I don't find her funny.)

Afternoon snack...

When I have a sweet tooth my favorite thing lately is to cut up apples and sprinkle them with a bit of cinnamon and a touch of lemon juice.  Love it!  And since I eat them so often at work, the children have started asking for cinnamon on their apples.  Too cute.  Whatever makes them eat more fruit is fine by me!  I had the apples around 2:30 and then a green smoothie around 4:30.

Dinner...

I had a meeting after work and didn't get home until 9pm.  The thought of putting any kind of effort into dinner just did not appeal to me.  Instead, I toasted up a couple of slices of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread, added some nut butter and a side of sliced apples.  I was so exhausted I devoured this while relaxing in bed!  My little Patchie girl came by to inspect the goodies and seemed very interested in the almond milk.  Too bad I didn't share any with her.

So there you have it, my WIAW goodies from Tuesday.  Thanks as always to the lovely Jenn over at Peas and Crayons for hosting this fab link-up party.

Til next time...
Happy Middle of the Week Day!

Love,
Ves xx

It's a Guest Post Kinda Day

Hi Friends!

We are changing things up a bit for today's post.  Cindy, my lovely Foodie Pen Pal from last month has written a guest post about the package that I sent her.  As she doesn't have a blog, I offered her an outlet to share her thoughts on the goodies that I sent.

Here's what she has to say:

I’m nowhere near vegan- I love food of all kinds far too much to be restrictive in this sense-  BUT I’m very adventurous and receptive to trying new culinary delights. I was thrilled to be paired with Vesna- when I saw the name of her blog it was love at first glance: Lipstick is my favorite cosmetic, and Lemon Drops are my absolute to die for alcoholic treat. When I read through the blog I realized I could be in for a pleasant surprise, considering our vastly different nutritional choices, and I WAS SO RIGHT!

I don’t judge a treat by its name nor its package. KALE CHIPS from Rhythm Superfoods most assuredly would not have been my choice given options in the natural foods dept. But WOW! They’re awesome! I’ve eaten them as a snack on their own, and because they’re very delicate most of the package was pretty much crumbled but that’s ok because in tomato soup, they need to be crumbled anyway. Have had tomato soup four lunches in a row now. Just because these chips are so fab in an otherwise boring bowl! Will be buying these for the sole purpose of crumbling up in tomato soup. Buh Bye Crackers…

 The Good Bean All Natural Roasted chickpea snack Sweet Cinnamon flavor didn’t last long. I love cinnamon and I love chickpeas however usually they’re found in a rice bean pea and cheese casserole I make when I’m wanting something lighter than regular animal- based protein. Never thought of them as a sweet snack but do now!

Manitoba Harvets Hemp Hearts are an interesting seed- have sprinkled on salad, mixed in my oatmeal, and added to yogurt and fruit. Very versatile with a mild but interesting flavor that goes from sweet to savory very happily. And apparently they’re very healthy! I’m in for a bag of these too soon as they’re gone.

Barkleys Chocolate Truffle Bar- Mint and Dark Chocolate. Vesna. How did you know? No, REALLY, how could you have included without having met me something nobody else I know likes but is my first choice for ooey gooey chocolatey goodness. Mint and chocolate. Dark Chocolate. The only kinda chocolate I eat. Ooooooh it was beautiful melt in my mouth don’t-talk-to-me-I’ve-got-something-going-on mint and chocolate orgasm. I tried to make it last till the end of the day. Didn’t happen…

 Ok, here’s the kicker, the ONE THING I really wasn’t thrilled about when I unpacked my treats. I’m not a seaweed eater. Tried, failed, don’t even like noori in my sushi, keep it out of my sight. Tried it toasted. Tried it toasted with lots of garlic. Tried it in salad, with rice, have really tried to find a way to like it since its so common in Japanese cuisine and I’m big on sushi and sashimi and all things Japanese. Except seaweed. This was the last package I opened, and only opened it yesterday because I knew I had to in order to write something for Vesna’s blog. Totally expected to simply make mention “And thank you for the Sea Sprinkles Seaweed Snack Clusters (made with Agave).” Uh oh. The package is now EMPTY. I cut the bag open TO LICK ALL THE LITTLE TINY BITS OFF THE INSIDE. Whoever thought to combine seaweed with olive oil, agave syrup, sesame oil, sesame seeds and sea salt is a genius of epic proportions. I’m not going to just buy a bag of these, I’m buying a case. Seriously. Whenever I’m tempted to reach for a less than healthy snack, I’ll have these around. Wonder if they make them in big family size bags?

This was my first and most definitely NOT my last venture into Foodie Pen Pals. Its exciting to know there’s a whole network of other like minded people who want to experience what others love! And, the vehicle with which to share them is so well organized!

Cheers

Cindy

Foodie Pen Pals - Reveal Day!

Hi Friends!

It feels like forever since I've written a Foodie Pen Pal post.  I didn't participate in January because it's a busy month for me, and in December we donated to a Sandy Relief fund in lieu of a pen pal.  I didn't realize how much I missed it!
This month I was paired with Dorine, who I think is secretly a mind reader or extremely intuitive because she sent the best.package.ever!

Here's what I got:

 

Clockwise from top left:  

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer- I LOVE that she sent me a make-up product!  Does she know me, or what? And yes, it's vegan!

Organic Cinnamon- When I saw this I actually laughed out loud.  I had literally just used the last of my cinnamon that morning in my smoothie.  She is definitely a mind reader.

Panda Black Licorice- Love the panda brand licorice but I've never been a fan of black licorice.. even the panda couldn't make me like this one.  Oh well, at least I gave it a try!

Bana Krisp Pistachio and Anise - these are really yummy snacks.  They hit the spot when I was catching up on my shows and wanted something to munch on.

David's Tea:  Cold 911 - I've heard so much about David's Tea but have never seen it around here.  I'm saving this for when I'm feeling under the weather.  Dorine swears by it when she is sick so I'd love to see if it actually has magical properties.  (To be fair, she never said that it did, but it sounds like it might).

Vega Vanilla Almondilla Smoothie- I added this to my morning green smoothie and it gave it a nice almond flavor.

Homemade Chocolate Hearts - These were so freaking delicious!  I make homemade chocolate and I can honestly say that these were better than mine.  Thankfully she gave me the recipe!

The Simply Bar, Coconut Lemon- I was really excited to see this bar because it was my savior when I was doing that crazy bootcamp a couple of summers ago.  I haven't bought it since then, and this was my favorite flavor.  It turns out that it's Dorine's favorite flavor too!

Thanks again Dorine for sending this awesome package!  And thanks as always, to Lindsay at the Lean Green Bean for hosting this amazing Foodie exchange.  Check out her page to see what Foodie Pen Pals is all about and sign up for next month!

Til next time...

Love,
Ves xx

WIAW # 25 and Not So Tech Savvy

   Hi Friends!

   I'm back with another What I Ate Wednesday post.  I actually had posts all set to go for Monday and Tuesday but there were some technical difficulties over here at the L&L headquarters.  Okay, fine.  I was the technical difficulty!  It turns out that I scheduled the posts for the wrong days (it could've been the wrong month for all I know!).  I thought about re-posting them but for now, let's talk food... in the form of what I've been munching on lately.  Sound good?

   Here is what I ate yesterday... on Pancake Tuesday.  You'll note that there are no pancakes.  It's also known as Fat Tuesday.  You'll also note that there is no Jumbalaya or anything remotely resembling Mardis Gras food.  I had a work function and didn't get home until later so I was not in the mood to fiddle around in the kitchen.  I've already promised myself pancakes on the weekend though, so it's all good.

So, without further ado (and pancakes) here's what I ate...

Bevies:

My liquids are the usual suspects:  Lemon water, coffee, more water, more coffee, some tea... more water.  You get the idea.

Breakfast:

I took this picture during my SECOND snow day of the year AKA last Friday.

Green Smoothie:  My favorite combo lately (like for the last 6 months it seems!) is spinach, celery, mango, spirulina powder, hemp protein, cinnamon and water.  Love it.

Lunch:

Always a salad and almost always the same (I switch up the veggies sometimes).  This one has arugula, grape tomatoes, avocado and a salsa and mustard dressing.  I added some nutritional yeast after I took the photo because it's embarrassing how much of it I use.

Snack:

Berry Smoothie:  almond milk, spinach, hemp protein powder, cinnamon, and mixed berries.

Dinner:

Dinner was quick and easy.  Cookin' Greens athlete mix from the freezer, veggie burger on a bed of greens and tomatoes, topped with avocado.  Again, I added the nutritional yeast after I took the photo.  I swear, I love it so much it's kind of like my Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  You know what I mean... I put that sh*t on everything!  Ha.

Dessert/Snack:

To satisfy my sweet tooth I cut up a banana and added a bit of almond butter and a couple of tablespoons of muesli. It ended up being a bit dry so I added a small amount of almond milk and it was perfect.

   So there you have it - my fairly clean eats for yesterday.  It feels really good to be back on track with my meals.  Don't get me wrong, I love indulging... but, I definitely love clean eating more!

   By the way, are you guys giving anything up for Lent?  I was thinking about what I might give up but, let's be real here... what the heck do I have left to give up?  Well, I guess maybe wine?  Ugh.  Do I have to?  I'll think about it.  Do I even have time to think about it?  I'll keep you guys posted.

And in case you are stuck for ideas -

Here's a list of the 5 most popular things to give up during Lent:

Chocolate

Cigarettes and Alchohol

Facebook(!)

TV

Junk food

(I wish I could find the link where I saw this list because there were some funny comments attached to each thing.)

Happy middle of the week day and also Ash Wednesday!

Love,
Ves xx