City Love

Real Juice Cleanse

    Juice is a wonderful thing. I'm not talking about the "from concentrate" juices that you buy from the store that have been sitting on shelves for more than a few hours. I'm talking about juice right from the juicer, made with fresh fruits and vegetables.
 
Why fresh juice?

(1) Juice needs to be consumed right away, because unfortunately the nutrients begin to dissipate as soon as they are juiced.

(2) Store bought juice has nothing good to offer you. Think about orange juice for minute, imagine the flavor-did you know that store bought orange juice and fresh orange juice don't taste anything alike? Companies who make orange juice process it so much that it no longer deserves to be called orange juice. After sucking all the oxygen and nutrients out of it (in order to give it a long shelf life), they dump in "orange flavor" that is obviously unnatural. How does orange juice sound now?

What are the benefits of fresh juice?

(1) Lots of vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants

(1) Fresh juice cleanses the body of stored waste and toxins which interfere with proper body functions. As a result, problems that you may have had previously, such as lack of energy, lack of concentration, skin problems, hair problems, ect., would no longer exist.

    This weekend I decided to go on a little bit of a juice cleanse because I had been feeling sick with some sort of stomach bug all week. I thought some good raw juice would be a good boost for my system to get it ready for a new week. Drinking juice gives me a wonderful feeling. It's rejuvenating, like a breath of fresh air. I would recommend juicing to anyone and if you don't have a juicer-go get one! It's a great investment.
    Normally, on a juice cleanse I would only consume juice, but because I haven't eaten anything this week due to the stomach bug, I decided to juice through the day and then have dinner. Here is what I originally planned to do.

Breakfast Juice:
Kale (1 cup)
Romaine (1/2 stalk)
Spinach (1 cup)
Celery (1 rib)
Cucumber (1/2)
Green Apple (1)
Lemon (1/2)

Mid-Morning Juice:

Kale (1 cup)
Romaine (1/2 stalk)
Spinach (1 cup)
Celery (1 rib)
Cucumber (1/2)
Green Apple (1)

Lunch Juice:

Kale (1 cup)
Romaine (1/2 stalk)
Spinach (1 cup)
Celery (1 rib)
Cucumber (1/2)
Green Apple (1)
Ginger (1/2 inch piece)

Afternoon drink:
Bottle of Alkaline water (or add 1 tbs baking soda to bottle of water)
Lemon (1/2)
Cayenne Pepper (1 pinch)
Raw Agave (1 tbs)

Dinner Juice:

Kale (1 cup)
Romaine (1/2 stalk)
Spinach (1 cup)
Celery (1 rib)
Cucumber (1/2)
Green Apple (1)

Evening Drink:
Almond Milk (16 oz)
Cinnamon (1/2 tsp)
Vanilla (1 tsp)
Nutmeg (1/2 tsp)


For a full detox I would do this for three days. If the measurements I gave don't make enough to satisfy you then just make more! No biggie.

Also, if you plan to work out during your cleanse or if you just want something to boost your workout on a regular basis, try these:

Pre-workout Juice:
Beet (1)
Apple (1)
Pear (1)
Celery (1 rib)

Post-workout drink:
Almond Milk (16 oz)
Vanilla (1 tsp)
Raw agave (1 tbs)
Cinnamon (1/2 tsp)

Here's to healthy living

 

Sunday Morning Pancakes

    Sunday mornings are a beautiful thing. I get up at seven which is a nice early hour, but it still feels like I'm sleeping in compared to my normal 5:30 wake up time. I grab my workout pants and a t-shirt and head off to the gym for an invigorating morning workout (the walk to the gym is probably the most quiet and peaceful on a Sunday morning). Upon my return home I throw together a protein shake and hop in the shower. Finally to wrap up the first part of my morning I get dressed for church and spend some time reading the Bible before our 10:30 service. *Sigh* Doesn't that just sound like the perfect schedule for every morning?

    Today, I thought I'd add a little twist to the schedule and make some nommy (if you are unfamiliar with the word you may feel free to educate yourself with this urban dictionary reading) pancakes! Now I realize that fall has passed and it's not kosher to cook with pumpkin out of season, but you can pretend with me, right?

    

Here is my recipe for Whole Wheat, Low Fat, Vegan, Pumpkin Pancakes:

 Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbs honey

1/2 ripe banana

1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/4 cup almond milk

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions: 

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and scoop into a frying pan in 1/4 cup sized portions. Cook until golden brown on both sides. 

I topped mine with slices of banana, raw wheat germ and a honey syrup*

*To make the honey syrup all you have to do is simmer 1 part honey and 1 part water for a few minutes, then pour it over your pancakes.

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Baklava Love

Ok, I know you are sick of Valentines day Vlogs by now, but bear with me. Here is our Valentines Day Baklava adventures.

2 1/2 years reminiscing session

A few months after Steven and I got married we were surprised to learn that our 1/2 year anniversary falls on Valentines day (yes, we are super skilled). So, in honor of our 2 1/2 years of wonderful marriage, we decided to sit and remember our beginnings and record them to share with all of you!

Brothers

    To the outside world we all grow old.

But not to brothers and sisters.

We know each other as we always were.

We know each other's hearts.

We share private family jokes.

We remember family feuds and secrets,

family griefs and joys.

We live outside the touch of time.

-Clara Ortega 

    Today I was thinking that I really haven't shared too much about my life before getting married to Steven. I have such a wonderful past full of so many great memories that absolutely must be shared! 

    For starters, I grew up in a homeschooling family, which automatically tells you that I have led a different life from most of my peers. It means that I spent the majority of my time at home (when I wasn't traveling across the United States, going on field trips to places that most people only get to read about, and attending church, Co-op, and music lessons) and that my brothers were my best friends for the first twelve years of my life. As I mentioned before, I have three brothers: Garrett, Cory, and Karson. Each one of them has a special personality that contributes to this thing I like to call "One big happy family".

    Garrett is two years younger than I and has always been my bestest buddy. I can't remember anything of life before him. We used to spend many an afternoon running around in the backyard building club houses and pretending to be police officers with some lovely police uniforms that my mom made for us. 

    I remember one of our favorite things to do was to collect all the dead squirrels that our cat would kill and then run over to the pizza place next door and bury them under their welcome mat. Then every once in a while we would go check on them and slowly watch them decompose. Great idea right?! Hey, what can I say, we were home-schooled...it was a science project that we invented for ourselves.

    As we got older we made more friends, but still remained close. We would confide in each other, laugh with each other, and spend time together. Despite being the older sister, I have still always valued Garrett's opinion and have enjoyed his company because he has always had this wonderful ability to make me laugh.

    Cory is four years younger than me and has always been the quiet child. He was always very organized and liked his toys to be set up just right when he was playing-which meant that very often he played by himself, but that seemed to be what he wanted anyway.

     Cory was cutest little boy you'd ever set eyes on. His little melting chocolate brown eyes could persuade you to do just about anything he wanted you to do (thankfully he never really wanted anything). I always said that Cory was probably the most perfect child out of the four of us. Though he was younger, I respected and admired him greatly for his obedience and behavior. He has always been quick to obey, willing to do anything asked of him, never whining, never begging, and never really needing anything. I love Cory for his sensitive spirit.

    Finally there is Karson who is eight years younger than me. There is much to be said about this little boy. He has always been the outspoken, excessively loud, incredibly funny, and most passionate boy you could ever meet. His personality was a surprise to all of us because as a baby he was just a quiet blob that never moved or made a peep. I have no idea what happened, but whatever it was I'm glad it did because his personality was the final piece to our family's puzzle. 

     Growing up with Karson was never dull (unless of course he wanted you to play with him, because he never actually wanted you to play with him, he only wanted you to watch him play). I remember he went through a phase where he loved playing with pet rocks (he painted them himself) and one day he must have been playing a little too hard and one of the rocks lost it's face. This was incredibly traumatic for him and so he wanted to have a funeral for this pet rock and then bury it in the backyard. The entire family was made to stop what they were doing and head outside where the service would take place. My dad, being the only ordained minster in our midst performed the service,  and then we each proceeded to say a kind word or two, and finally the service was wrapped up with a few memories recounted by Karson and quick prayer.

    I'm pretty sure each of my family members is writing a "Quotes by Karson" book, which we should someday all combine and give to him as a wedding gift (because he will most certainly get married, as he has spent most of his childhood expressing his undying love for any young lady he happened to come into contact with). I could easily go on with story after story about this one, but I'm not sure that any of you would actually have time to sit and read the whole thing. 

   In short, I am so very thankful for the three young men that God has allowed me to grow up with. For their encouragement, love, laughter, and friendship. Thanks for everything guys!   

                                             

                    Children of the same family, the same blood,

with the same first associations and habits,

have some means of enjoyment in their power,

which no subsequent connections can supply...

-Jane Austen 

Valentines Date

    Steven surprised me with a day of fun for Valentines (a little bit early...) I loves him!

Here and Now

    Life is short. The older I get, the more I realize that my existence on this earth is here today and gone tomorrow. To go even further, my life could literally be over tomorrow. Like any normal person I see myself growing old and dying a natural death, but maybe I'll never make it.
    Two weeks ago a Moody Student drowned in the swimming pool here on campus. He was a freshman, in the Moody Symphonic Band, probably looking forward to a long life of service to God, but his life suddenly came to an end. The interesting thing about it is that in this modern day in age we can hop on Facebook and see peoples lives unfold-we can feel a connection to them. Over the past couple months several people that I have connected with on Facebook one way or another have died and it's shocking. I can see posts from them hours before they died-they didn't know what was coming for them-death is unexpected.
    All this has been to say that I don't know when my life is going to end and I want to make sure that I'm living the time that I have been given to it's full potential. I don't want to suddenly die, then find myself standing before the Lord saying "Crap, I'm sorry, I thought I was going to have a whole lifetime to live for you...I was so excited to get started with your plan for my life that I forgot that every moment I'm alive, I'm living part of your plan for me."
    To be honest, it's very hard to spend my days enjoying any particular moment. I spend my day anticipating getting home to Steven, planning my weekend, and getting excited to leave Chicago and start our lives elsewhere. What if I never get there? What if I end up spending my life excited about God's plan for the future, instead of God's plan for me right here and now? It's a very sobering thought.
    I need to remind myself daily that each decision I make as to how I spend my time, should reflect my desires for a life of service to Christ. My life isn't in the future, it's in the here and now.

Going Natural

    Over the past couple weeks I have been researching natural, non-chemical substances to replace my cleaning supplies, shampoo, hand soap, dish soap, toothpaste, ect.. After hours of scouring the internet for natural ways to replace these everyday products I came upon Dr. Bronners 18-in-one liquid castile soap. Most of the review I found for this product were great and I found lots of wonderful ways to use it.
    Having tried the product in the shower once before (and loving it), I decided to go all in and buy the gallon jug of the stuff off amazon. I must add that I searched everywhere for a place I could just walk to and buy it at a decent price, but alas I had order it....and wait for it. You are probably thinking that I have some serious issues if I can't wait for soap, and I probably do. It was like waiting for Christmas! I asked Steven everyday if it had arrived in the mail yet and when it finally had I ran to it and grabbed it up in a loving embrace. Ok, I've said too much.
    Upon receiving this wonderful soap I began dumping all of my chemical ridden soaps down the drain. Here are some of the ways I have used the soap already (btw I bought the peppermint soap):

Hand Soap: Fill half of your soap container with water and half with Dr. Bronner's soap.

Shampoo: I chose to use a spray bottle because a little of this stuff goes a long way. Use 10 parts water to 1 part Dr. Bronner's soap.

Body Wash: I just use the same spray bottle that I use for shampoo. See above.

Tooth Paste: When I first told Steven that we could use it to brush our teeth, his response was a crinkled up nose. He couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the idea of brushing his teeth with the same substance he just washed his hair with. When I brush my teeth I brush with baking soda first and then squirt a dab of Dr. Bronner's soap out of the hand soap container and onto my tooth brush. It isn't sweet like normal toothpaste, but it has a pleasant peppermint taste to it.

Dish Soap: It's great for washing dishes too! The measurements are the same as the hand soap. Half water, half soap.

Cleaning Spray: I just cleaned the house with it yesterday and it was a wonderful experience. I love cleaning, but I usually have a small little voice in the back of my mind telling me I am slowly killing myself with all the chemicals. But I am happy to report that I had a guilt free cleaning experience yesterday, and not only that but it smells wonderful and cleans great. The measurements are the same as the shampoo. 10 parts water, 1 part soap.

Deodorant:  My most recent discovery was natural homemade deodorant. I fount this recipe online, but modified it slightly to include Dr. Bronners soap. My modifications:

Ingredients:
5 tbs coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tbs Dr. Bronner's soap

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the mixture into old deodorant containers. Store in the fridge (Otherwise it will melt).

    Seriously, if you are tired of chemicals or you want an opportunity to be as excited as me...Go. Buy. This. Stuff. Have a happy Saturday everyone!

Sillhouettes

Gettin my art face on ;)

Y Vlog?

What's up with all this vlogging bussiness? Watch the video to find out!

Crazy Boys and Whole Wheat Bread

    Today has passed by super quickly! This afternoon I happily looked over at the clock expecting it to be about one o' clock, but nooooooooo it was four o' clock. I was honestly confused at the time thinking that maybe the clock had stopped working or something. I guess time flies when your having fun, right?

    2 I started my morning by creeping out of the bedroom where a sleepy Steven was dead to the world (because he decided to get up two hours after we went to bed to play games until 4! Crazy boy.). I made myself a bowl of oatmeal (with ground flax, oat bran, and almond milk-yum!) and cuddled up on the couch to read the Bible in silent bliss. The morning progressed and we ended up at the gym, followed by a bit of grocery shopping and a not so fun wait for the bus. You can find out what happened by watching the video <here>.

    Upon returning home I began cooking some bread and granola for the week. I just pulled the hot bread out of the oven, so the house is full of the scent of soft warm bread. Jealous, right? I vlogged my bread making process which you can watch <here> or for those of you who would rather get to the point quickly here is the recipe: (I don't remember where I got the recipe from so, the credit does not go to me-I just added the toppings)

Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
3 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs ground flax
2 tbs maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs vital wheat gluten
2 tbs raw sunflower seeds
1 tsp poppyseeds
1 tbs oat bran


Directions: (1) Mix the first 8 ingredients together (I used my stand mixer with the dough hooks or you could use your hands) (2) Let it rise for 20 minutes. (3) Knead the dough, cover and then let it rise until it doubles in size. (4) Knead a bit more then transfer it to a greased bread pan, cover and let it rise until it fills out the bread pan. (5) Sprinkle the last three ingredients on top then bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Whole Wheat Bread Tutorial

In case you ever wondered what it looked like to make bread...? 0.o

Aaah Pigeon Poop

 

Longest Granola Tutorial....ever.

    The art of granola making is a simple one, but somehow I have managed to complicate it by recording an almost eight minute production...with one hand...and lots of mumbling. It's obvious I haven't quite gotten this Vlogging thing down yet (Steven volunteered to hold the camera next time I attempted to host a cooking show in our little kitchen), but i'll keep working on it. ;)

Queen of (Vegan) Tarts

    When I hear the word "tart" I can't help but let my mind wonder to the world of wonderland. I envision the Queen of Hearts sitting in her room sobbing over stolen tarts, and I completely understand-who wouldn't be a little upset about absence of such a wonderful delicacy?
    Today my taste buds had the privileged of getting to meet a vegan mushroom tart (they got along splendidly). I have no idea to whom the credit is due for the original non-veganized form of the recipe because my mom got it from my aunt who got it from...somewhere. Without further adieu I present: The Vegan Mushroom Tart.

Mushroom Tarts (Veganized)
Ingredients:
1/2 ib. Mushrooms, chopped
2 tbs onions, chopped
4 tbs earth balance butter
2 tbs whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp chives
1 cup plain almond milk
nutritional yeast for sprinkling on top
Pie crust (I used this recipe with the coconut oil)

Directions:


(1)In a sauce pan over medium heat melt butter and add onions-cook until onions are soft about four minutes. (2) Add mushrooms and cook for about 15 minutes. (3) Remove from heat and add flour-stir together until thick. (4) Add almond milk and bring to a boil. (5) Reduce heat and add the rest of the ingredients-cook until it turns thick and sauce-like. (6) fill a tart pan with the pie crust and scoop the mushroom mix into each hole. (7) sprinkle the tops with nutritional yeast. (8) Bake at 350 four about 10 minutes or until the crust starts to turn golden brown.

Vegan Blob Cookies

    Sunday evening while watching an episode of Star Trek in which a woman slowly ran out of oxygen while trying to blow up a space shuttle that was carrying an explosive headed for an innocent planet, I suddenly thought, COOKIES! I could really go for some chocolate chip cookies right now. My thoughts flow together so well, don't they?

    Now normally I am not a big sweets person, but in the few instances when I start seeing chocolate bars and cookies in my head, I must to do something about it. So of course I popped off the couch and headed to the kitchen. Not desiring to tackle this feat on my own, I mentioned the magical word “cookies” and up from the computer chair popped a creature that I once thought to be glued there (Steven of course hehe).

    The cookies that we created defy the traditional cookie just a little bit. They ended up being more like blobs only able to be consumed with a spoon or if your adventurous you could grab it up in your hand and shove it in your mouth whole while standing over the sink-it’s really up to you. Normally I wouldn't even bother posting such a problematic recipe, BUT they actually tasted reaaaaaaally good! Steven gives them a double thumbs up and a “these are sooooooooooooooo good” dance (and that is really sayin something for a vegan cookie). So you may like them, try them and you may I say, try them and you may!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Blob Cookies

Ingredients:

-1/3 cup coconut oil

-¼ cup plus 2 tbs raw sugar

-1 tbs ground flax seed meal

-3 tbs warm water

-1/2 cup oat flour

-1/4 cup Rye flour

-¼ cup oat bran

-½ tsp salt

-3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions

(1) Mix all the ingredients together. (2) Make little walnut sized balls and put them on a cookie sheet. (3) Bake at 375 for 10 min. (maybe less just keep checking them to make sure they aren't burning) (4) The cooking mostly just melts the chocolate and makes them hot (flattens some of them) so now you just eat them!

Cuban Red Beans And Rice

Me eating delicious food on the Cayman Islands.

    Cooking shows are a bit of a weakness for me (as I'm sure they are for any foodie). A while back I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, which to be honest I usually find to be repulsive because I'm a very healthy foodie which is basically the complete opposite of this show. Anyway, there was an episode that had a Cuban bean dish that looked amazing and reminded me of a dish I ate on the Cayman Islands back in 2009.
    As a Christmas present from the family I nanny for I got a Better Homes and Gardens cook book. I found a Cuban Red Bean and Rice recipe that sounded similar to what I watched on TV and what I ate on the Cayman Islands. Of course I tried it out and of course it was delicious (And of course I changed it a little because I can't seem to follow a recipe).

Cuban Red Beans And Rice (modified from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book)

-1 large sweet onion, cut into thin wedges

-1 cup chopped green or red sweet pepper (1 large)
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tbs olive oil
-tsp oregano
-1/2 tsp cumin
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 can pinto beans
-1/4 cup lime juice
-1 cup cooked brown rice
-1/2 jalapeno (optional)
-Lime wedges (optional)

Directions:
(1) In a sauce pan cook onion, pepper, and garlic in hot oil until tender. (2) Add spices and cook/stir for 1 minute. (3) Add beans, lime juice, and jalapeno if using. Cook and stir until hot and well combined. (4) Place a scoop over rice and serve with lime wedges if desired.

General Tso's Tofu

    A long time favorite Chinese food of mine (and many others I'm sure) is General Tso's Chicken. This is one of those foods that I get random cravings for sometimes and it doesn't go away until eat it. Because I am now vegan I decided to try making it with tofu- though I didn't expect it to be as good. Thankfully I was in for a wonderful surprise-it was quite delicious and satisfactory! 

General Tso's Tofu

-1 container of tofu (I used sprouted grain tofu from Trader Joe's)

-General Tso Sauce (also from trader Joe's)

-1 cup of brown rice

-1/2 bag of frozen broccoli (thawed)

-corn starch

-4 tbs olive oil

Directions:

(1)Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat until hot. (2) start cooking rice according to package (3) meanwhile slice the tofu into 1/4 inch think pieces and cover both sides of each piece with cornstarch. (4) Place the cornstarch covered tofu pieces in the frying pan and cook until brown and crispy on both sides. (5) add thawed broccoli, general tso sauce and rice. (6) mix until well combined.

White Bean Wrap with Spicy Roasted Tomatoes and Broccoli

    Christmas came with all it's meaty/cheesy/buttery offerings and to be honest I really wasn't tempted one little bit. I have continued to feel fantastic and energetic on this vegan diet and plan to stay on it. I do believe more thank are in order for my families who graciously adapted meals for me-I really appreciate it.
    This past week I was slowly getting back into the swing of things and managed to find some really good meals that didn't require a lot of time. Friday I made a meal that I modified from Martha Stewart's White Bean Salad With Spicy Roasted Tomatoes and Broccoli.

-1/2 bag frozen broccoli
-3 large garlic cloves (minced)
-2 tbs olive oil
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
-1 tbs oregano
-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
-1 1/2 tsp brown spicy mustard
-1 tbs red wine vinegar
-1 tsp lime juice
-freshly ground pepper
-1 can of great northern white beans
-Whole wheat tortilla wraps

Directions:
(1)Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. (2) When the oil is hot, add the frozen broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and garlic. (3) When the broccoli, tomatoes and garlic are soft add the rest of the ingredients (minus the tortilla wraps). (4) cook until everything is well mixed and hot. (5) Place a large scoop in the center of a tortilla wrap and devour.