I opened the fridge this morning and pondered what I was going to put into my morning smoothie. A small carton of fresh cranberries caught my eye. What better way to start a Thanksgiving day than with a yummy fresh cranberry smoothie? :)
So here's what I came up with:
-2 kale leaves
-1 cup filtered water (add more as needed)
-1/2 cup cranberries
-2 bananas
-1/4 cup sweet cherries
-1/3 cup blueberries
-1 tsp cinnamon powder
-dash of stevia, to taste
-4 ice cubes
Optional, but these foods add lots of good nutrition, and they don't mess up the flavor:
-1-2 Tbsp chia seeds
-1/2 tsp spirulina
Blend it all up and enjoy!
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
And to go with your delicious raw brownies, I give you...
RAW BANANA ICE CREAM!! *sigh* I am in raw dessert heaven right now. I was going to take a picture of the brownies and ice cream together, but...unfortunately...they were eaten before I even had a chance. :D
This "ice cream" has a breath-takingly smooth, creamy texture. Actually, I think the texture is more like frozen yogurt than ice cream, but whatever. It's delicious no matter what you call it. :)
Raw Banana "Ice Cream":
Serves 4
-3-4 frozen bananas
-dash of vanilla extract
-dash of cinnamon
-few drops maple syrup (optional)
Place bananas in food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. Add other ingredients and pulse a few more times to blend.
Serve alone or with homemade chocolate syrup (recipe coming up soon) or raw brownies (see previous post).
Enjoy!! I sure did. ;)
This "ice cream" has a breath-takingly smooth, creamy texture. Actually, I think the texture is more like frozen yogurt than ice cream, but whatever. It's delicious no matter what you call it. :)
Raw Banana "Ice Cream":
Serves 4
-3-4 frozen bananas
-dash of vanilla extract
-dash of cinnamon
-few drops maple syrup (optional)
Place bananas in food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. Add other ingredients and pulse a few more times to blend.
Serve alone or with homemade chocolate syrup (recipe coming up soon) or raw brownies (see previous post).
Enjoy!! I sure did. ;)
Delicious raw brownies!
I am IN LOVE with these moist, rich, chocolatey brownies! They are filling and actually rather nutritious, so...it's a win-win. :)
Raw Vegan Brownies
INGREDIENTS:
Brownie:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder
1 Tbsp agave nectar (I'm sure honey would work just as well)
-Note: If you're not vegan, add approx 1 Tbsp of raw milk to increase moisture-
Icing:
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder (or less if you want a milder chocolate flavor)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
dash salt
dash cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Food process the brownie ingredients until blended and chunky.
2. Press into a small pan.
3. Put all icing ingredients into blender, and blend on high until smooth.
4. Spread icing over brownies and pop in freezer to set for 1 hr. then cut and put in snack sized baggies.
Oh, and I sprinkled a little coconut sugar on top of the finished brownies to satisfy my ultra sweet tooth. *wink*
Enjoy!
Raw Vegan Brownies
INGREDIENTS:
Brownie:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder
1 Tbsp agave nectar (I'm sure honey would work just as well)
-Note: If you're not vegan, add approx 1 Tbsp of raw milk to increase moisture-
Icing:
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder (or less if you want a milder chocolate flavor)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
dash salt
dash cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Food process the brownie ingredients until blended and chunky.
2. Press into a small pan.
3. Put all icing ingredients into blender, and blend on high until smooth.
4. Spread icing over brownies and pop in freezer to set for 1 hr. then cut and put in snack sized baggies.
Oh, and I sprinkled a little coconut sugar on top of the finished brownies to satisfy my ultra sweet tooth. *wink*
Enjoy!
Monday, May 25, 2009
A good day
Okay, I finally have something good to blog about! Today was great. I started the day by heading over to my friend's house to babysit her four children plus three others. Yes, seven children. All under the age of 11. Haha. But that's fine, I love babysitting! And I managed to come out with minimal battle scars, and none of the kids got hurt (at least not bad enough to call 911...lol). So the kids were pretty good, and I got a peanut butter sandwich all to myself! After making seven other sandwiches, that is.
Oh, and I also gave them little pizza bread sticks. One of the older kids decided she wanted to warm hers up in the microwave, so she stuck it in, pressed the "pizza" button and started it. Now folks, I'm sure the dear little thing thought she was pressing juuuust the right button. After all it WAS pizza bread, right? Well, as it turns out, that "pizza" button set the microwave to go WAY longer than necessary. I was in the midst of holding a baby and spreading peanut butter on a piece of bread when I smelled something MOST peculiar. Like...smoke. Yeah, smoke. Then I hear a quiet "Oh, shoot!" from the child who had placed the bread in the microwave. By this time all the kids are noticing the peculiar smell and are all demanding to know what's going on. Thankfully there was no fire in the microwave, just a piece of black bread. But I was afraid that the smoke detectors would start going off at any moment, and I'd have to deal with the fire department AND seven panicked children. I don't even want to think about it. Fortunately I was able to get a few doors and windows open and the smoke detectors didn't go off. And the kids didn't seem at all upset, so...disaster averted! Yay.
After I was relieved of duty, I went to the store with my mom and got a free smoothie (I <3 freebies). Mom and I came home and I made lunch while she taught her piano lessons. Then I decided that my room needed a little tidying up. Um...ok fine, so it actually needed a major overhaul. :) So I cleaned for a while and did a couple loads of laundry. Then I remembered I was out of my homemade face cream, so I just spent the last three hours making a new batch. Somewhere in between melting and measuring and cooling and stirring the cream, I made tea. By the time I finished up the cream, my tea was all ready.
Aaaand here I am, sipping tea and being glad I was productive today instead of wasting my time on the computer!
Blessings,
me
Oh, and I also gave them little pizza bread sticks. One of the older kids decided she wanted to warm hers up in the microwave, so she stuck it in, pressed the "pizza" button and started it. Now folks, I'm sure the dear little thing thought she was pressing juuuust the right button. After all it WAS pizza bread, right? Well, as it turns out, that "pizza" button set the microwave to go WAY longer than necessary. I was in the midst of holding a baby and spreading peanut butter on a piece of bread when I smelled something MOST peculiar. Like...smoke. Yeah, smoke. Then I hear a quiet "Oh, shoot!" from the child who had placed the bread in the microwave. By this time all the kids are noticing the peculiar smell and are all demanding to know what's going on. Thankfully there was no fire in the microwave, just a piece of black bread. But I was afraid that the smoke detectors would start going off at any moment, and I'd have to deal with the fire department AND seven panicked children. I don't even want to think about it. Fortunately I was able to get a few doors and windows open and the smoke detectors didn't go off. And the kids didn't seem at all upset, so...disaster averted! Yay.
After I was relieved of duty, I went to the store with my mom and got a free smoothie (I <3 freebies). Mom and I came home and I made lunch while she taught her piano lessons. Then I decided that my room needed a little tidying up. Um...ok fine, so it actually needed a major overhaul. :) So I cleaned for a while and did a couple loads of laundry. Then I remembered I was out of my homemade face cream, so I just spent the last three hours making a new batch. Somewhere in between melting and measuring and cooling and stirring the cream, I made tea. By the time I finished up the cream, my tea was all ready.
Aaaand here I am, sipping tea and being glad I was productive today instead of wasting my time on the computer!
Blessings,
me
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Update 5/17/09
I know, I know. It's been forever. But it's very late, and I'm very tired. So I'm going to do a little rating system thingy. :)
1 is the worst and 10 is the best:
Life in general = I'll be really positive and give it a 4.
Violin = 10+!!!! This is the best part of my life right now, for sure.
Kitties = 10. I love those little balls of fur so much. :D
PCOS = 5?
More later.
1 is the worst and 10 is the best:
Life in general = I'll be really positive and give it a 4.
Violin = 10+!!!! This is the best part of my life right now, for sure.
Kitties = 10. I love those little balls of fur so much. :D
PCOS = 5?
More later.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
A light rekindled
My attitude hasn't been very good recently, and I often find myself feeling very bitter and angry. But right now, I feel very touched, humbled, and gently chided.
Yesterday was just a bad day. I felt depressed, lonely, ugly, and stupid. In fact, I was seriously considering staying at home, even though I was supposed to play for a masterclass. I didn't think I could do it. I felt like a repulsive hag. Of course, my mom told me I looked fine, etc., but that didn't change the way I felt. I got through the day and played fine at the masterclass, but I still felt miserable.
Later that night, I got on facebook and saw that I had 1 message waiting. I opened up the message and found that it was from a dear friend that I hadn't talked to in a long time. Tears came to my eyes as I read it, and I realized how wrong my attitude had been. Here's what the note said:
Hi Erin! I am very lucky to know such a sweet, beautiful, and kind girl like you!! It is really a blessing to be able to see you grow up throughout the years, even though the glimpses are intermittent. :) Keep your chin up, missy! You're more and more beautiful by the second and if you look down, you'll miss it.
Just like that. She had NO idea how special that note was to me at that moment. But God knew. He knew exactly what I needed to hear, and He provided it! I can't express how I felt at that moment; it wasn't just the sweetness of the note, it was the realization that God cared enough about me and loved me enough to send me that love letter through my friend.
I feel unbelievably JOYFUL right now! I am once more opening my heart to the Lord, and praying that He will gently remove some of the hard shell that I've built around my heart. I want to fully understand that I don't need that shell, and that He will be the guardian and defender of my spirit. I'm reminded of one of my favorite hymns:
No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
Thank you, my dear Jesus!
Love,
Your Child
Yesterday was just a bad day. I felt depressed, lonely, ugly, and stupid. In fact, I was seriously considering staying at home, even though I was supposed to play for a masterclass. I didn't think I could do it. I felt like a repulsive hag. Of course, my mom told me I looked fine, etc., but that didn't change the way I felt. I got through the day and played fine at the masterclass, but I still felt miserable.
Later that night, I got on facebook and saw that I had 1 message waiting. I opened up the message and found that it was from a dear friend that I hadn't talked to in a long time. Tears came to my eyes as I read it, and I realized how wrong my attitude had been. Here's what the note said:
Hi Erin! I am very lucky to know such a sweet, beautiful, and kind girl like you!! It is really a blessing to be able to see you grow up throughout the years, even though the glimpses are intermittent. :) Keep your chin up, missy! You're more and more beautiful by the second and if you look down, you'll miss it.
Just like that. She had NO idea how special that note was to me at that moment. But God knew. He knew exactly what I needed to hear, and He provided it! I can't express how I felt at that moment; it wasn't just the sweetness of the note, it was the realization that God cared enough about me and loved me enough to send me that love letter through my friend.
I feel unbelievably JOYFUL right now! I am once more opening my heart to the Lord, and praying that He will gently remove some of the hard shell that I've built around my heart. I want to fully understand that I don't need that shell, and that He will be the guardian and defender of my spirit. I'm reminded of one of my favorite hymns:
No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
Thank you, my dear Jesus!
Love,
Your Child
Monday, January 26, 2009
Hmm...
This morning, I had a super strong craving for...
Bananas and popcorn. Together.
*blinkblink* Should I be worried?
Bananas and popcorn. Together.
*blinkblink* Should I be worried?
Monday, January 19, 2009
Angry.
Very, very angry. I don't often allow myself to get this furious.
I'm honestly afraid of leaving my kittens alone in the house with him. He insists upon shutting his bedroom door whenever he leaves the room, even though he is shutting in the kittens. They have no food, water, or litter box in that room, and it's very hot and stuffy. I often come home in the evenings to find them meowing and very hungry, and he could care less. He's too proud and stubborn to let anyone (especially a woman) make any kind of suggestion to him, for instance: "Please don't close the door, because the kittens are getting shut in a lot."
This kind of thing happens all the time. This is only one tiny example. It seems to be one of his main goals in life to prove his great power and make sure the women (to him that means servants) are put in their place.
This has been a hard day...I'm sick and very low on sleep. I just desperately need a break from him.
Sorry for the rant...
I'm honestly afraid of leaving my kittens alone in the house with him. He insists upon shutting his bedroom door whenever he leaves the room, even though he is shutting in the kittens. They have no food, water, or litter box in that room, and it's very hot and stuffy. I often come home in the evenings to find them meowing and very hungry, and he could care less. He's too proud and stubborn to let anyone (especially a woman) make any kind of suggestion to him, for instance: "Please don't close the door, because the kittens are getting shut in a lot."
This kind of thing happens all the time. This is only one tiny example. It seems to be one of his main goals in life to prove his great power and make sure the women (to him that means servants) are put in their place.
This has been a hard day...I'm sick and very low on sleep. I just desperately need a break from him.
Sorry for the rant...
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