green bubbles [oh.my.]

My first time trying Amazing Grass Amazing Meal.  I was EXcited! 

In the mix:

• Chocolate Amazing Meal [from my awesome box of samples from AG!]
• 2c ice
• 1 banana
• 2c spinach
• 1, 4oz plain Oikos
• 1/2t cinnamon
• honey squirt
• 3/4c vanilla hempmilk

It turned out a little runnier than usual because I didn’t add my oats!  I wasn’t trying to make it as calorie dense as my usual green monsters because this packet has a little added kick to it.  Check out this link to look at the nutrition info.  It is really impressive…full of organic rice + hemp protein [my favs!!], fruits + veggies, probiotics, wheat + barley grass and so.much.more.  This would definitely make an awesome slurpy snack if you add one packet to 8oz of any type of milk you like!

check.out.that.buBBle.action.

What’s in the spoon???

Ota.bar crumbles of course!  Wowow have I missed my ota.bars!!!

I wish I still had the granola bar business going!!  It’s a little harder to get it going here in CO because you have to rent kitchen space which is costly.  Maybe one day I’ll be able to bring them back somehow!

I actually tried a few new things with the bars and I like them even better now! :)

cinna-fuse [packed with cinnamon…obviously]

Time to experiment.

Tea:  I’m not the biggest fan but I’m convinced I just haven’t found the right kind.  I probably should up the quality of tea I’m drinking as well.  I have tried many-a-teas in my life and only found a few that I can actually somewhat enjoy.  My problem is that they usually taste too weak and somewhat bitter.  I don’t really like adding sugar to drinks so I will end up drinking about half before I’m done.  I recently read Angela’s post on Green teas.  I found the information extremely interesting!  I never knew there was such a wide variety and difference between green teas.  She sold me on all the benefits of tea! 

I love that Whole Foods has a bulk loose leaf tea section!  It is really going to help me decide what I like in an easier and cheaper way.  I realize these are not all green teas.  I’m not just exploring the green! 

• The left tea is Red Rocks Vanilla Almond Rooibos tea by Tea Spot [local Boulder company!]
• S. African Red Rooibos
• The middle tea is a Green Sencha Superior by Rishi Tea
• Japanese Sencha
• The right tea is a Green Roasted Mint tea by TeaSpot
• Japanese Hojicha tea

I LOVE how informative the websites are for these teas.  It is extremely helpful.

Not really being much of a “tea drinker” I wasn’t sure how the Green Sencha was going to taste, as it smelled like freshly cut grass.  No joke! 

My first sampling was with the Sencha.  Would it taste like it smelled?

My new tea-ball, hehe.

Time for a dip!  So, what did I think!?  I LIKED it…seriously!  It had a very mellow but deep flavor and was not bitter.  I was thinking in the beginning I would probably have to add honey, but I didn’t feel the need at all.  I didn’t even want to add cream! 

Tea perfection?  Just maybe!  It definitely still had an earthy flavor..don’t get me wrong but I tend to like that and have gotten a bit used to it with all my wheat grass consumption :)   I would definitely pick this over ANY tea I’ve had in the past.  I’m pretty sure there is a HUGE difference when you use loose leaf high quality tea.  As always, quality really does make a difference.

A quick lunch + run out the door to take Kenna beans to the vet!  WF whole wheat english muffin toasted with apple + monterey jack cheese with 4oz oikos + BRM Apple Blueberry granola. 

simple + fabulous

I was in a hurry so I didn’t have time for a full lunch but snacked more when I got back!

What happened to Kenna?  She broke a nail!!! Seriously…lame!  It was hanging and gross!  We covered it with a sock [on Sunday] until today when I made an appointment to go.  I happened to stumble on the BEST VET/OFFICE EVER.  We have seen a lot of vets over the years and none even came close to comparing with this one. 

Poooor doggy.  The vet loved Kenna and said she is “full of life.”  Completely true.  :)  So they had to take her nail off, gross!  I heard her SCREACH from the room I was waiting in.  I think I jumped off the seat.  They got her bandaged up and she was back to her normal waggy/bopping self in about 1.2 seconds.

club foot kenna

And now it’s covered with a sock so she doesn’t lick or chew at it.  We also have to stick her foot in a plastic bag when she goes outside, LOL.  It’s quite the site!

Dakota:  Look happy!!!!

Fail.

Dinner!  Another completely random night!  I threw everything from the produce drawer into this soup and it turned out really well!!

Cauliflower + the kitchen sink veggie soup! [vegan]

• 1T olive oil
• 4 shallots, minced
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• 1 head cabbage, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2c spinach
• 1 tomato
• 1T dried basil
• 1t dried oregano
• 1/2t garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4-1/2t red pepper flakes
• 28oz veggie stock
• 1.5c water
• 1c milk [I used plain rice milk..any will do!]
• 1/2t pepper
• salt to taste

1. Heat oil over medium and add shallots + celery for about 5min, stirring frequently.
2. Add broth + water and bring to a boil. 
3. Add cabbage, pepper, carrot, and tomato, bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, basil, black pepper + garlic powder then return to boil and lower to simmer ~20min
4. Stir in milk + spinach and take out bay leaf.
5. I used my hand immersion blender right in the pot to puree this soup.  You could also use a blender.  You might have to add a little at a time to the blender then pour into a bowl and repeat.  You can also puree the soup partially if you want to leave some of the chunky veggies.
6. Bring to a boil + stir then reduce heat + serve.

Not the prettiest color but better in person [blaaah night photos].  You could see flecks from all the veggies that were packed into this hot bowl of yum.

There was a definite little kick from the red pepper flakes and it was loaded with flavor.  I might have enjoyed it even more if I would have blended it in the VitaMix.  I think it would have led to a slightly smoother consistency…also if you used a thicker milk [2%] it would have helped with the creaminess. 

The flavor of the soup pairs PERfectly with goat cheese [which also contradicts that the soup is vegan..woops].  But, oh my gosh. YUM.  I toasted bread + spread a little goat cheese for soup croutons.  Super delicious and comforting on a cold night in Denver!

What else is going on?? Welllll…I saw a glimmer of hope in the job world today.  I don’t know the details yet but I think I have some part time work lined up.  When I know more, so will you! ;)  All I can say is that I’m REALLY excited about it!

What else……workout time!  I’m sure you care about each + every detail of my jobless day!! I decided to join the Denver Rec Centers today.  As I said recently it is a GREAT deal.  There are rec centers spread all over Denver and you can go to any of them if you are a resident for only $52 for THREE months!  Even my broke a$$ can afford that!  With training for the 1/2 marathon coming up I need an alternative when weather is crummy, like today.

We got about 4” of snow sunday/monday and although it was almost all gone today it was pretty icy.  Another HUGE plus about the gym is that it is .75 miles away and I get to walk through Wash Park to get there :)  Not sure what could be better.  I had a few close calls with the ice + ground but managed to make it there with my Vibrams in tow!  The rec center has a cardio area with really new machines that have fans built into them!  There is also a large pool, bball courts, and a large weight area.  The treadmills face windows looking over the park.  Not too shabby!

• 3 miles in VFF’s [yippee!! felt great!] @6mph
• 10min on the bike
• 3 sets of seated rows, 10 reps each
• 3 sets of lat pull downs, 12 reps each
• 3 sets of tricep pull downs, 12 reps each

My plan for the next few weeks is to run about every other day making sure to let my feet/body adapt to the VFF’s properly.  I want to stay at 3miles for the next week or so and then increase to 4.  I’ll start my actual 1/2 training in early March.  Aaaand I have a partner in crime that will be running with me.  Laura let me know that she’s IN!  We’re going to be doing our weekly long runs together which will make the training so much better.

I’m also going to start back up with weightlifting as you can see above.  I really love working out + lifting but have left the lifting out of my life for a little too long.  It’s time to get buff again!  I think it’s really important to have a strong core and just overall be in great overall shape while preparing for the 1/2.  I’ll slowly be bringing it back in!  After I walked home [so excited to not use the cAR!!] I whittled my middle! 

I had something else to mention but it has slipped my mind…I’m sure you’re deeply saddened!  I think this post is long enough….

snooze time

~Ashley

pretty in POMegranate

So, for lunch today, I repeated last night’s salad dinner because it was oh.so.delicious.  I had a few less ingredients today but it was just as yummy.  For my crouton crunch, I toasted 1/2 of a sun dried tomato bagel from Einstein.  It added a nice flavor and good texture.

Lately, I have been buying whole, loose carrots, instead of the bagged baby carrots.  I think they taste better and I like that I can buy a specific amount.  The baby carrots can tend to get quite slimy!  I decided to shred half of the carrot and then chomped on the rest as I was eating my salad. 

SO fresh + SO satisfying

I was super excited to try out my peppermint chai tea drink that I bought a few weeks ago.  The directions say to mix 1/2 of the latte concentrate and 1/2 milk.  I did exactly that with unsweetened rice milk.

It smelled awesome but was waaay too sweet for me.  I think I might be more sensitive to sweetness because I really try to stay away from adding much sugar to things and when I’m baking I almost always decrease the sugar by 1/2.

I’ll try making it again but next time I’ll use 1/4 concentrate and 3/4 milk.  I’ll let ya know if it’s any better…such a good flavor idea though!!  

I looove Rachel’s cottage cheeses!!  I have had a few flavors and they have yet to disappoint.  My favorite by FAR was cucumber dill.  Such a great combo!  This one was nice and fruity but I didn’t taste orange at all…and it was a tad watery…but still good!

Pomegranate time people!!!  I peeled another pom and documented it this time to show you guys exactly what to do.  I’m actually not the biggest fan of just eating the seeds plain, but in things like my oatmeal this morning, they are amazing!  They would probably be really great on a fruity salad or in fruit salsa too.

Angela, at Oh She Glows, had a funny story about the stickers that come on fruits and veggies.  Her husband gets annoyed that she peels them off and leaves them on the kitchen sink, haha.  This is too funny.  I have the same problem as to what to do with the darn sticker.  Sometimes there are 3 of them!  Obviously I could put the fruit down and go throw it away, but it’s just annoying to try to take off and actually get to go in the garbage.  It is much easier to just stick on something.

So, here is my idea!  Stick them on a bottle that you leave out and that is close to your sink! :)

 

peeling a pomegranate:

Step 1: Cut the top off

Step 2:  Score the pomegranate in appx. 1” increments all the way around.  You don’t need to cut more than 1/4” deep.

Step 3:  Submerge in a large bowl of cold water. 

Step 4:  Peel back one of the chunks that you scored.  It should pull right apart.  [try to keep it submerged in water so you have less change of the seeds bursting and making a mess…I am only holding it out of the water for the photo]

Chris took this one!

One of the peeled apart chunks.  Such a vibrant color for photographing!!

Step 5:  The seeds should kind of snap right out of the honeycomb.  It does take awhile.  Probably a good 20min to de-seed a whole pomegranate.  Patience :)

Step 6:  Make sure you get off all of the yellow skin off the seeds.  It has a bitter taste if eaten.  Skim the water to get all of the skin pieces that floated to the top.

Step 7:  Strain water + dry with a paper towel.  Store in an airtight container in your fridge for 2-3 days.  You can also freeze them!

Remember…the juice stains!!!  ;)  Hmm, my recipe….what could I be making???

Daaa da da daaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…

Pomegranate granola bars!!!!!!!!!!

This is an original recipe that I created last night.  It is somewhat similar to ota.bars but I made a point to change a few things since this recipe would be out for everyone to see :)  Although, these may be getting better than ota.bars, haha. 

They are nutrient dense and pack in a lot of fiber!  I used mostly brown rice syrup [for sweetness] which keeps your glycemic index level more stable, so you don’t get an energy spike and crash.  They are chewy and nutty with an amazing BURST of juice.  Chris is absolutely loving them and Natalie was chomping on them throughout the day too.

This was trial 3.  I have a few more changes to make, but they are getting there!!  I am also working on one other pomegranate component to add to the bars.  More on that soon!

I saw a photo of a Hasselback potato [super amazing photography!!], which I had never heard of before.  I couldn’t get over how amazing the photo was and how delicious the potato looked.  My daylight ran out, but here it is!  It had the best texture.  Nice and crispy but creamier towards the middle and the bottom was nice and crispy from the pan too.  Might have to make these for thanksgiving, with a few minor adjustments ;)

Super busy FOOD day!!  I’m pooped but still have a bunch to do. 

Later bloggies! 

~Ashley