all about the chickpeas!

I am obsessed with Chickpea Flour lately.  I use it in place of whole wheat flour in just about all of my recipes!  Chickpea flour is high in protein and fiber yet lower in carbs. I LOVE the flavor and texture as well.  You can either buy Chickpea flour or grind up your own dried Chickpeas (I have yet to try this).  Last nights dinner was ALL about the chickpea!  I first made up the Chickpea Salad so it could chill a bit.  The Chickpea Flatbread is really easy to make.  Once done, top the Chickpea Flatbread with the Chickpea Salad for a easy dinner or lunch!

Chickpea Flatbread & Chickpea Salad

Chickpea Flatbread & Chickpea Salad

Chickpea Salad
Ingredients:
1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Carrots, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
3 Green Onions, diced
1 Celery Stalk, diced
1/4 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
2 tablespoons Vegan Mayo
2-4 tablespoons Hummus (depending how saucy you like it)
1/4 cup Fresh Basil
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Red Chili Pepper Flakes (optional)
1/4 cup Raw Cashews, crushed (optional)

green thumb...or not?

Yes, I know I have been missing in action again.  Dang work and life just seem to get in the way of my free time lol!

One of my new project is a garden we are putting in!!  Of course we couldn't have started this in February when it was cool and not 100+ degree weather.  Last week my husband started clearing the space in our backyard where we had plenty of room for a garden right next to our cute little Lemon tree.

Because of our dogs we wanted to do a raised garden to help detour them from eating all of our crops.  After looking around online we thought a cinder block garden was our best option.  So, off to Home Depot.

The cinder block we used were $1.14 each and we ended up needing about 70 of them.  We were going big with the garden - go big or go home!

Putting the blocks down took the most time.  Our yard is not level at all so we had lots of....put the blocks down....pull the blocks up, going on.  By the end of the day we had the blocks down and pretty happy with our work. 

We did know that we wanted to paint the blocks so they matched the fence better and didn't stick out so much.  My husband had figured how he wanted to run the water to the garden. The soil was a big question as to what to use, best way to buy it.  On Craigslist we could have it delivered, but we thought for us it would be easier to buy in bags.  Just make sure you do your math.  When you buy in bags it come in cubic feet, when you buy in bulk and have delivered it's in cubic yards.

I had one other idea as i looked at this blank canvas of a garden...wouldn't it be cool to paint something on the block besides just brown like the fence.  Hummmm....lucky for me at my office we do vinyl printing, so I had the word "grow" printed out to fit on the front of the blocks.  Then spray painted in the color Nutmeg.

 

I used about four cans of spray paint and had to stop until the following morning because it was so hot to paint.  At this point we also ran our main water line and lined the garden with cardboard to help keep the weeds out and hold in moisture. The soil we bought came in bags of 3 cubic yards, we bought 10 of them and it filled our garden half way.  This weekend we'll be back at Home Depot to pick up the last 10 bags that we needed.  Talk about a workout during all of this!

The next morning after putting down the last coat of paint I peeled off the "grow" sticker and oh yea I am in love!!  Turned out sooooooooooo awesome!! Look forward to finishing the soil, running the water and then figuring what to plant first!  There will also still be some decor work done.  Along the back of the block I am going to put down flat stones, some of the side holes of the cinder blocks I will fill with soil and add flowers.  Also want to add some solar lights and stepping stones into the garden.  All in all, I am loving it!  Thank you to my wonderful husband for all of the hard work! With out him....I'd just be at Sprouts buying my veggies lol.

Watch for updates to see if we can actually grow anything! 

Creating - Hobonichi and Fauxbonichi

Today I want to blog about journaling and having some creative fun with it!  A couple of weeks ago I discovered "adult type coloring books" sounds funny I know, but very relaxing...and fun!  I love coming home from work, turning on a little Netfilix and coloring for a bit to de-stress.  I found that this has also gotten me in the mood to be more creative again. 

I may have mentioned a while back that I like keeping a weight loss journal to track my weight, write down my food, workouts and just notes from the day.  The little boring journal I have been using is about full and it just so happens last week while on Instagram I discovered Hobonichi!  From what I have been learning here is a bit about Hobonichi -

Vegan Sweet Potato Crust - Buffalo Chickpea Pizza

Things have been so crazy-crazy busy lately, yet at the same time pretty relaxing!  I took last Friday off to spend the day with my husband.  The last time I took a Friday off we spent it at the dealership buying a new Chevy truck, so this time I wanted to do something a little more enjoyable!  We started the day with breakfast at our FAVORITE vegan restaurant Pomegranate Café in Awatukee. Everything on the menu is amazing!  After some debate of where to spend our day we decided to drive up to Jerome.  Only a couple hours north Jerome is an old mining town, turned ghost town, turned great shopping, art and wine! I love everything about this place...except for the Grand Hotel that is supposed to be haunted....scariest night of my life was staying there!  LOL!  We spent a great day walking through the town, shopping, stopping at the Spirit Room Bar for a couple of beers, lunch at Grapes on the patio.  Perfect day!

Over the weekend I took my favorite vegan pizza crust and topped it with something a little different.  The result - OMG a new amazing recipe!! The spicy and sweet combo complements each other so well!

Vegan Sweet Potato Crust - Buffalo Chickpea Pizza

 

vegan coconut peanut butter cups

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!  Spring is in the air here in Arizona and made for the most beautiful weekend.  Woke up Saturday and hopped out of bed ready to get in a great walk before making the darling husband (who was out washing my car...thank you honey!) a healthy Tofu Scramble with a side of Garlic-Jalapeno Potatoes.

Being Easter weekend I really wanted something fun and junky for dessert.  My number one favorite Easter treat pre-vegan days - Peanut butter cups!  OMG, there is nothing like peanut butter and chocolate....my heaven! I had this crazy idea of taking my "cheese" cake crust, some creamy peanut butter, vegan chocolate chips and shredded coconut and coming up with a vegan version of heaven!!  I not only did that, but I knocked it out of the ball park!!  My husband told me it was the BEST thing I have ever made!  LOL! I TOTALLY agree!!



Vegan Coconut Peanut Butter Cups

Vegan Coconut Peanut Butter Cups

Makes 8-12
Ingredients
Crust
1 Cup Macadamia Nuts (or raw nuts of your choice)
1 Cup pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes then drained)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

spicy veggie quinoa enchilada casserole

Ugh, I really dislike April 1st.  You never know who or what to believe!  I did enjoy telling my son his school was on lockdown this morning and there would be no school...heeeheehee...he wasn't that thrilled when he realized I pranked him.

Now this I promise you is NO April Fools day joke!  Last night I made the most amazing and delicious dinner!  Very easy and held together great!



spicy veggie quinoa enchilada casserole

Spicy Veggie Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

 1 cup uncooked Quinoa
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Jalapeno, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
2 Zucchini, diced
6 oz. Spinach
15 oz. can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Oregano
1 cup Salsa
1/4 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
 2 15 oz. cans Enchilada Sauce, medium heat
12 Corn Tortillas
4 oz. can sliced Black Olives, rinsed and drained
Avocado (optional)

vegan spicy mediterranean mac & "cheese"

I love this time of the year more than any I think.  That fresh Spring is in the air feeling.  Laying out by the pool. Cool fresh veggie dishes.  I just want to quit my job and live out by the pool right now.  BUT life does not permit me to do so.

My weekends have consisted of coffee at my favorite local coffee shop, LONG walks with my Cavalier Daphne and relaxing poolside.  I am thinking I need to rent Daphne out as she really kicks my butt when it comes to great walks! The dog NEVER slows down!

Still working away on cleaning up my health and doing great!  I am in week seven and down about 17 lbs.  -> insert happy dance!!  I feel so much happier, lighter on my feet and really positive!  I did a little tweaking with my diet last week cutting out my morning smoothie and substituting it with veggies.  I found that I feel so much fuller and the weight loss is moving again.

Last night my husband told me I knocked it out of the ball park with dinner!  Always a great complement to hear!  This was seriously like eating junk food that you might get at Olive Garden I kid you not!

vegan spicy mediterranean mac & "cheese"

Vegan Spicy Mediterranean Mac & "Cheese"

Ingredients:
1 box of Quinoa Macaroni Pasta

Sauce:
1 Cup Raw Cashews (soak for 2 hours if you don't have a Vitamix)
1 Clove Garlic
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
3 tbsp. Tomato Paste
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (less if you don't like it hot)
1 Cup of Water (or more if too thick)
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil

Spicy Green Bean-Asparagus Stir Fry

This Wednesday is feeling more like a Monday, but trying to power through it.  The best part of the work day is going home, enjoying a great walk, making my husband a nice dinner and then relaxing with him the rest of the night.  Yea, I'm rowdy that way!  Yesterday was SO beautiful out that I whipped up the below Spicy Green Bean-Asparagus Stir Fry recipe and we enjoyed dinner out by the pool.  This was a great quick weekday recipe!

Spicy Green Bean-Asparagus Stir Fry

Ingredients

• Vegetable Broth
• 1 Onion
• 1 Red Pepper, diced
• 1 Jalapeno, diced
• 1 lb. Green Beans (fresh or frozen), ends trimmed off
• 1 bunch of Asparagus, cleaned and ends trimmed off
• Lightlife Organic Smoky Tempeh Strips
• 1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, minced
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• Pepper to taste
• ¼ Cup Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp. Sriracha
• 2 tbsp. Peanut Butter (or nut butter of your choice, I used Sunbutter I made)
• Cashews for garnish (or peanuts)
• Soba Noodles

 

fitbit charge hr review

Fitbit Charge HR Review

I have to make a confession - I am a technology nerd.  Yes, it's true I love all techy things!  Being active and healthy again really gets me thinking about my overall health 24/7 and YES there are all kind of fun techy things for being healthy!!  I have several friends who are always posting their daily workouts and steps on Facebook/Instagram/etc. so last week I started looking into Fitbit.  Just this year they came out with the new Fitbit Charge HR.  Hummm...looked interesting - tracks your steps, sleep, heart rate and some other awesome features.  Loved the plum color option and thought it would be small enough to wear daily, so after reading many reviews and searching high and low where I might find it I came up with ONLY two store options on Saturday.

will walk for food!

Are you kidding me, it's Thursday already?!?  Work has been so crazy busy and come the evenings I have no idea where my day has gone!  Arizona got hit with rain Tuesday and Wednesday, so my poor dog Daphne and I would stand outback watching the clouds just waiting for a break so we could get out and walk.  LOL!  I added up my miles this week and I have walked over SEVENTEEN miles!  I am back on that natural high and feeling great!  I remember just a few weeks ago sitting at the kitchen bar munching on a bag of chips...oooh couple of cookies....washing it all down with a couple of beers thinking to myself, "ugh, I have no desire to get outside and walk.  How did I ever do it??"  Thank God I am OUT of that crappy funk!!

So, I have to quickly share a couple of recipes I tried this pastweekend that you MUST know about!  The first is poblano “crema” enchiladas.  Now looking at my photo you may say, "Ummm...that doesn't look like enchiladas??"  Yes, I am A. Too lazy to roll them up, so instead I made mine into a casserole and B. I wanted to cut out the extra calories of putting olive oil on my tortillas to make them softer to roll.  So, there you have it.  They were maybe not as spicy as my husband and I normally like, but very good and worth making!!  The crème sauce makes a LOT of leftovers and works great as a salad dressing!!

Brussels Sprouts "Cheese" Pasta Bake

Wow, where did the week go?!?  Just finished week THREE of cleaning up my health and getting back on track.  Down only ONE sad pound this week, but fitting backing into my smaller clothes and I feel SO great!!  Trying to remind myself that the scale is not the tell all be all of life!  It is easy to become frustrated after stepping off the scale and just saying, "Screw it I give up." BUT I chose to keep moving forward knowing that how I feel today, how great I feel, how happy I feel...that's the reward.  I have also gone these three weeks with absolutely NO alcohol....zero, null, none!  It feels amazing to go to bed and night feeling good and wake up the next morning feeling great.

This vegan redhead is so excited for the weekend (even with the crappy weather coming)...why you ask?  Because there will be a new addition to the kitchen - YES a new food processor!!  LOL!  May not seem that exciting to some, but if you LOVE to cook and have been using a broken food processer for a while....you'd understand my excitement!! After looking around I have decided to purchase the 11-cup capacity processor from Cuisinart.  We have a Cuisinart coffee maker we love, and everything I have read about this one seems to fit all of my needs.  Originally I looked at buying it from Amazon, however Bed Bath & Beyond has it and guess what I have?? Yep, a 20% off coupon!!  Woohooo....makes this vegan redhead a happy-happy girl!

Last night I cooked up a great vegan meal that was pretty easy and VERY tasty!  There are so many different veggies you could add to this and any of my chilies/peppers can be omitted from the recipe if you don't like your food spicy.

Brussels Sprouts "Cheese" Pasta Bake

Ingredients:
8 oz Quinoa Pasta, cooked according to instructions
4 oz. Can of Green Chilies
1/4 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
1 Cup Brussels Sprouts, shredded

weekend recap - food, food and more food!

Wow, what a great weekend!  After restocking the fridge on Friday (and getting asked at Sprouts if I juice?!?....no, we just eat LOTS of veggies!) I was ready for a weekend of cooking!!  Saturday before hitting the Fountain Hills Art Fair I whipped up some Raw Vegan Jalapeno Corn Bread to start dehydrating for Sundays menu.  It was a perfect Arizona Saturday morning to be out walking and enjoying great art!  Not to rub it in for those of you stuck in the snow, but it was about 80 degrees!  The find of the day was new cutting boards!  We decided to come back on our way out to buy so we didn't have to carry them around.  Smart move - he marked a bunch down during that time and I picked up TWO corien cutting boards for $5 EACH!!  And oh so perfect for the vegan kitchen, one is shaped like a cow and the other like a rabbit.  LOL!  I now put the poor husband to work helping me chop veggies. 

After walking the Art Fair for a couple hours we started getting hungry and didn't want to fall into the fair food trap of crap, so we headed home for lunch.  For fun I Googled vegan restaurants in the area and hot damn I found one!  I was shocked as it was so close to our house and had NO idea it was there!  The Cutting Board Bakery & Café had great reviews so we HAD to go check it out!  The place was tucked away in a little strip mall and was cute, but really needed better ambiance.  We placed our orders and with only a couple people before us we waited a good 25 minutes for our food....which I can understand as it's all made fresh.  My husband ordered the burrito, which he loved, and I ordered the roasted veggie sandwich, great flavor!  Both came with blue corn chips and yummy salsa.  We really want to come back and try the burger and pizza!  Great food, just not Pomegranate Café that is our all time NUMBER 1 place for vegan food!

 

back on the wagon week 2

Week 2 weigh-in was today and I was down a total of NINE pounds!  Woohoo! I was really hoping to somehow see ten, but I'll take nine.  It was a great overall week, eating was fresh and clean, exercise was great....feeling so awesome!!  Love your body and it sure as hell love you right back, that I promise you!  Now to move onto week three!  Going in strong and positive again!!

Tonight will be a grocery shopping date night.  Time to stock our fridge up with tons of veggies and fruit!  My menu is prepared for the week, which helps with over buying and veggies/fruit going bad.  Even have a fun menu for Sunday's Daytona 500 Race!  Yea, we're redneck and proud!

roasted veggies & chickpea salad

Being vegan you eat a LOT of veggie dishes and you are reminded of that when you're asked, "what's for dinner?" and you reply back, "something with veggies." and then you get back jokingly, "isn't that what we always have??"  Okay, not all veggie dishes are the same!  Point in case, dinner last night...OMG I made the most wonderful Roasted Veggies & Chickpea Salad EVER.  This have great flavor, tender veggies and oh so healthy!! 

Roasted Veggies & Chickpea Salad

Ingredients
1 Cauliflower Head
1 Broccoli Head
1 Bunch of Asparagus
1 large Onion, thinly sliced
1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 large cloves of Garlic, minced
1/2 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil, drained
1/3 cup Kalamata Olives, chopped
2 tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbs Sriracha (less if you like not as spicy)
1 tbs Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Vegetable Broth (for cooking)
Salt
Pepper

valentine's day vegan style!

With working on getting back to fit and healthy I made the husband promise NOT to buy me any vegan chocolate this year!  LOL!  Instead, I focused on a day of healthy and non processed goodness!  Since he worked Thursday and Friday I first made it my priority
to fully decorated the house to surprise him. I had pink and red hearts ALL over the place!!  Talk about putting you in the mood for love.

Our morning started with a bike ride to our favorite coffee shop and we had an extra surprise - they had live music!!  Right across the street is the Farmer's Market and sadly our vegan food truck was not able to make it.  No worries, we picked up some awesome juice from a local vendor.  It was awesome to see the market SO busy!!

stepping out to the farm life

Every Wednesday here in town is a Farmstand and Food Truck event that the husband and I always say we want to check out, well last night we finally did!  Not only did we go BUT we rode our bikes there!  Our FAVORITE vegan food truck Uprooted Kitchen was serving the most colorful healthy vegan dishes and we could NOT wait to get our hands on them!  Normally when we go to the Gilbert Farmers Market on Saturday mornings we split a breakfast from Uprooted Kitchen, but last night NO WAY...we were getting two meals!  We picked (after much debate) the Un-Bun Vegan Burger and the Hummus Salad Bowl.  Delish both of them!  They not only tasted great, but the presentation was both colorful and beautiful!  The Wednesday event not only has great food trucks but MUSIC!  It was a great mid-week relaxing evening.

Looking for farmer markets in your area? Check out Local Harvest to find one near you!

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges & Mango Dipping Sauce

Some times even being a redhead you have your blonde moments.  Mine today was locking my keys inside my car along with my phone, purse and lunch.  Ugh.  Not sure I have EVER done that before, but huge shout out to On Star!!  Thank you for unlocking my car before my smoothie melted!! LOL!

On a positive note, the scale keeps moving down!  I hate being tied to the scale and the numbers that it produces each morning as I would rather focus on how great I feel and how my clothes are fitting so much better.  I saw a great post today about the fight of the scale and that we shouldn't fully focus on those numbers but make our goal to be Fit as Fuck!  LOL! Love it!!  That's it, that's MY goal!!

Time to share another awesome recipe (actually two) from this weekend!  You'll find the recipe for my Raw Onion & Jalapeno Bread recipe on yesterdays post that went along with my Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges & Mango Dipping Sauce.  When the husband works and I'm in need of a healthy meal for one I enjoy seeing what I can whip up from what I have in the house.  Since my Raw Onion & Jalapeno Bread was done I knew my dinner would include that, but as always I was craving a sweet potato....found some frozen mangos in the freezer and yippee skippy I had dinner!

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges & Mango Dipping Sauce

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
Ingredients
1 Sweet Potato, sliced into wedges*
Olive Oil Spray
Ginger
Cinnamon
Salt
Pepper

cooking up a vegan storm!

What a GREAT weekend!  Lots of healthy eating, NO drinking, exercised and down 3.2 lbs!!  Woohoo!!

Let's start by getting to the good stuff - eating and recipes!!  Saturday morning I was excited to whip out my dehydrator and make some yummy vegan Onion & Jalapeno Raw Bread!  Making raw bread is really easy, the hardest part is just the wait time while it's cooking...oh, how it makes you house smell sooooo yummy!  Trust me, it's worth the wait!!

Onion & Jalapeno Raw Bread

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
1 large onions, shredded in a food processor
1 jalapeno, diced
1-2 tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

moving on to day 2

Yesterday was back to day of one of healthy eating, exercise and NO drinking.  Mission completed!  I haven't blogged in so long that I did forget to photograph the amazing dinner I made...fail.  LOL!  Looking forward to a great weekend of healthy eats, and this time I promise to share recipes!!

Last night we watched a great documentary on Netflix called Hungry for Change.  No mater how much my husband and I learn regarding our health there is always more and more out there to learn about.  This documentary really focused on our bodies and what we put into them and why.  Very eye opening when you think of how chemicals are made to make us become addicted to a food, just like you can be addicted to smoking or drinking.  I love when they talk about the problem is most people are not even eating food any more, but food "like" product.  Yum, that sounds good doesn't it? 
 

vegan redhead rambling

Caution - rambling ahead.  Proceed with caution!

 

The madness just really needs to stop.  Why have I let things get so out of control?  Am I really listening to the lies I'm telling myself?  I have no reason in my life to be unhappy, yet eating and putting on weight and the excessive drinking leave me feeling unhappy day after day.  I am putting it out all there - right now - in black and white, this just has to stop.  So, today - it's back to day 1.  Time to turn this craziness AROUND and NOW.

 

There are THREE very easy things that can turn my life (and even yours, if needed) around.  They are not a hidden secret.  You do not need to travel around the world to discover them.  Just basic, three easy things.

 

1. Eat fresh and healthy Vegan - all day, every day.

2. Exercise.  Even a basic 30 minute walk everyday is better than sitting my fat ass on the sofa all night.

3. Stop all drinking of alcohol.

 

Number three is the big one.  Number three leads to number one and number two not happening.  I know this.  I'm not stupid.  So, why do I give into number three day after day?!?  Number three also leads me to not doing the things that I love.  Such as DIY projects.  I have so many things I would love to accomplish around the house, but damn number three leaves me tired and lazy.

 

The Plan of Action

• Clean and healthy vegan eating.
• Daily exercise (looking at a stroller for my 3-legged dog so I can take him out walking with me!)
• App on my phone to monitor my weight (I've not stepped a foot on my scale in months)
• Find new things to keep me busy!

Why does my plan of action seem so easy?  LOL!  Let's get this party started!! Who's with me?? Tomorrow I will track my start weight and set some fun goals, because there has to be some fun to the whole thing!! AND I want to not only own this bathing suit, but FIT IN IT this summer!!!

 

Overall goal - be healthy and happy.