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Feeding Your Root Chakra
Grounding

• Root vegetables: carrots, potatoes, parsnips, radishes, beets, onions, garlic, etc.
• Protein-rich foods: eggs, meats, beans, tofu, soy products, peanut butter
• Spices: horseradish, hot paprika, chives, cayenne, pepper

Oh my gosh, I'm SO EXCITED I can barely contain myself.  Lucky little me scored a new Sunbeam Bread Machine today for super cheap.  I've been dying for a bread machine for some time now but have not given into my urges to purchase such mainly because I have been unsure as to how much I would actually use it (considering I don't eat all that much bread).  However, my feelings on said matter change today as I finally found one at a reasonable price. 

I seriously could not wait for the work day to end and there were moments in which I thought my eagerness to make my very first gluten free bread would be the death of me!!  On my way home from work I made a quick stop at the market (King Kullen) to pick up cat food and a bag of Bob's Gluten Free Hearty Whole Grain Bread Mix, which happened to be on sale for $4.99!!  Truth be told, the brown color of the mix made me hesitant to purchase this mix and I almost went with the Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin instead but that one was not on sale ($6.49) so The Hearty Whole Grain it would be.

I made a bee line for the kitchen upon entering the house and immediately set to work.  First, I cleaned the machine and set up my supplies on the counter.  I then read the instructions as per the bread machine manual, then according to the package directions.  Although this was my first time ever using a bread machine (as well as utilizing this bread mix), I was nonetheless up for making substitutions as I saw fit, using egg replacer instead of egg and unsweetened applesauce in place of oil.  Oh and a tablespoon of agave for that little extra something.  First I added the liquid ingredients, then the dry (making sure to spread it out all the way to the corners.  I added the yeast (in a little groove I had made in the center of the dry mix) last.  I then shut the lid, set the machine on the quick cycle, pressed start, and headed out the door for a Pole Fitness class over at Diva Fit Studio in Massapequa. Approximately two hours later I arrived home, again making a bee line for the kitchen, only this time I was greeted by the smell of fresh baked deliciousness

In two sentences: OMFGosh I cannot believe this is gluten free.  How did I ever live without one of these machines!!  I then proclaimed this loaf to be the best bread I had ever eaten.

A few hours later, as I bit into my first slice ever of pretzel sandwhich bread, I retracted said statement and declared that the best bread I had ever eaten in my entire life.  And I still stand by said statement.

Until next tiime, I'm off like a prom dress!

xo

Prior to turning in friday night, I got a dough going with the intention of  making pretzel bread first thing in the morning for a certain somebody.  Upon waking, I headed to the kitchen for my usual morning lemon water and much to my surprise, I discovered that while I slept, my dough - which had a further risen to epic proportions - had attempted to escape!

My (now regular) night time dough making resulted from noticing that the rolls "sweat" less the dough has spend a night or two in the refrigerator.  This combined with my recent usage of "dough enhancer" is likely the cause of epic rising but this particular dough ball shot the tupperware lid right off the container and it had been wrapped in saran wrap prior to being sealed in said tupperware. (Note: Dough enhancer is clutch in gluten free baking, which is the main reason I purchased such).

I poked and prodded my dough, not sure what to make of this incident, but quickly moved on as I had a lot to accomplish before the hampton's white party, which I had been looking forward to attending for months.   Little did I know that one short phone call would null and void all that I had planned on.  Normally said call and ultimately this type situation would have stressed me out and upset me to the point of my entire day being ruined.  However, today this was not the case.  Yes, I disappointed and I was stressed by the situation which transpired but by no means was my day ruined.

So, what has changed in me that made the difference?  Funny as it may sound, my recent revisit to the concepts and principles outlined in The Idiots Guide To Zen Living, which I had purchased at the beginning last summer I feel helped me keep things in perspective.  Specifically, the idea of letting go what we can't change or control made the difference for me yesterday.  The book uses a brilliant analogy, in which your life is a boat and you are the captain.  The authors state, being a  "competent captain means setting a course and steering your boat when necessary, then letting the wind and waves do most of the work."  It is suggested that you dont need to steer all the time and you definately dont need to take a path which goes against the current and wind.  Instead of wasting energy on battling life's little waves, let them come.  "Adopting a Zen attitude is like installing a new navagation system in your ship.  This new....system....is designed to work with the ocean rather than against it.  Forget...'man conquering sea'...." as with this "new system, capatain (human) and sea (life) become one".

I could seriously quote this book all day long (and I'm finding interesting that I'm revisiting it now but that's a whole other post).  It's chock full of information, tips, and meditative exercises that not only make sense but are doable for the "average joe" looking for a fresh perspective on how to gain a better sense of peace and calm for every day life.         

About a week ago, I mentioned that as of July 1, I would be zeroing in on my grocery expenses and I identified a few goals that I wished to achieve.  Well, today is July 7, 2011 and I have gone grocery shopping once for the month thus far (on 7/2/11).  I was careful to save my receipts so that I could review my spending.  That said, I should add that one food shopping trip often results in multiple receipts as I tend to do my shopping at a few different stores:  Trader Joes is where I get the bulk of my shopping done, Wild by Nature (or Jandi's) I go to for specialty items I can't find at Trader Joes and/or for whatever reason haven't ordered through Vitacost, and King Kullen and/or Walmart, mostly for non-edibles (cat food, cat litter, laundry detergent) as well as for specific items that might be on sale.  While this, at times, is a bit time consuming, it's not as terrible as it initially sounds as said stores are not located far from each other.  Trader Joe's is located the furthest from me so I go there first and hit the others on the way back to my house.      

                                         Wild By Nature         $34.42
                                         Trader Joes              $78.02 
                                         King Kullen               $5.68           
                                                                    

My total comes out to $118.12, which I felt was pretty good, considering that prior to this trip I made a point to use up what I had at the house and had not gone grocery shopping for at least two weeks.  However, on 7/4/11 and unplanned trip to the Christmas Tree Shop resulted in an additional $34.76 and while I can kinda sorta justify 19.99 of that on the 3-cup food processor I purchased (my 7 cup does not work properly on small quantities) I am not going to.  Instead, I chalk it up as a learning experience in terms of shopping on a budget, and money management in general, being easier said than done.  Impulse buying has always been area that needs in improvement for me, thus making the Christmas Tree Shop purchases of no suprise. 

For my next shopping trip I am going to aim to spending no more than $100.  I will save my list and compare it against what I actually purchased.  

Balls...    I'm a fan.  They are quick and easy to make, require only a few ingredients (most if not all that I always have on hand), and work as both a snack and a dessert.  Oh, and the possible flavor combinations are seemingly endless.  Thus far, I've posted spirulina, carob chip cookie dough and cinnamon currant cookie dough but the truth of the matter is that I indulge in a vast variety of balls.  

While running errands this morning, I stopped at the market and much to my delight discovered coconut nectar.  Always up for trying something new, I bought a bottle (instead of my usual agave) and returned home eager to make something with my new discovery.

As you may have guessed, that something was balls!!

I ground up 1 cup of raw cashews and 1 cup of rolled oats (I like Bob's Red Mill brand and used the Gluten Free ones for these) in my Hamilton Beach Coffee Grinder.  Then I ransacked my pantry for possible flavorings / add ins:  Trader Joe's Bourbon Vanilla Extract, Let's Do Organic Shredded Unsweetened Coconut, Rice Dream Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Sunmaid Currants, Myers Dark Rum*, Cinnamon, McCormick Cocoa Chile Blend, Pumpkin Pie Spice*... Yep, that should do it.

I decided to make a few different kinds and divided the ground cashews and oats into small batches, varying the ratio of oats to cashew with each batch.  I didnt write down exact amounts of what i used where and the beauty of recipes like this is that you don't really need exact measurements to produce delicious balls!  (For those out there who get anxiety in the kitchen if they dont have measurements or a recipe to follow, simply divide the amounts listed in the general outline below in half and substitue flavorings/add in's as you see fit!)   

Note: the size your balls will determine the yielded amount but I get 13 balls from the following:

I cup total of combined ground nuts and oats
2 - 3 Tbs of liquid sweetner **
1 tsp (to 1 Tbs) of extract or seasoning
1/4 cup ( to 1/3 cup) add in's (ie: chips, dried fruit, etc)

Mix ground nuts, oats, sweetner, and extract/seasoning until desired dough consistency is achieved.   This can be done in a blender, food processor, or by hand.  Once desired dough consistency is achieved, stir in your add ins.  Form dough into balls and enjoy! 

My fun with balls resulted in Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Currant (again), Cocoa Chile, and Coconut Rum varieties.  As for the use of coconut nectar, it is significantly thicker than agave nectar which required me to use a few splashes of water to achieve my preferred consistency.  Along with this, my dough was stickier than usual but this was easily rectified via a few minutes in the fridge prior to ball formation.

In addition to the above mentioned balls, I made a batch of Rum Cake Balls.  The recipe below is slightly modified from the original, which can be found at Love Veggies and Yoga.  

1/2 cup nuts, (I used raw cashews)
2/3 cup medjool dates, loosely packed & pitted
1/3 cup currants
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp fresh ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp bourbon vanilla extract
3 Tbs Myers dark rum
1 Tbs dark brown sugar, optional*
    Water, 1 Tbs at a time, as needed*

Grind nuts into flour (This can be done in a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder).  I used a little over a half cup as I wanted to finish off my bag of cashews.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients.  I start with my nut flour, dates and currants.   Then I add the remaining ingredients (pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla extract, rum, and brown sugar).  Once dough consistency is achieved, remove from processor and form into balls. 

Keep in mind that too dry dough can always be rectified with water and too dry dough can be fixed by adding more ground nuts.  In a recipe like this amounts of sweetners, spices and extracts may vary based on individual preference so test your dough to ensure that it is to your specific liking! 

Enjoy!

You arrive at your local market and are greeted by a lackluster produce aisle *gasp*...     After a gruelling day, you return home hungry and exaughsted .  You want to stick to you healthy eating goals, but feel too tired to spend alot of time cooking....     Instead of menu planning, you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants.  You never know what produce you will need and when....    Your food budget varies: one week you may have extra to work with, the next you need to cut corners....     You've been told that "fresh is best" so you load up on fresh produce only to discover that alot of it goes bad before you get to eat it...

The above scenerio's are real life challenges people like you and me are often faced with.  Case in point:  it's friday and I planned to make veggie stuffed calzones & vegan pizza pockets - I even made a spicy italian herb'd cashew cheese on wednesday to be used specifically in tonights dinner.  However, now that I am home and ready to get dinner going I find that I dont have the enthusiasm - or energy - that I thought I would for preparing a fresh & from scratch meal: making the dough, dicing the vegetables, whipping up the sauce...   HA!  I'm yawning just thinking about it.  Do I scrap the whole idea and make something else:  Hell No!  Anyone who knows me will tell you that nothing gets between me and vegan pizza... NOTHING!!  So instead, I improvise, and the reason I can improvise is because when I food shop I keep in mind that not every meal can be - or will go as - planned.  One way to prevent every day life from derailing your healthful eating efforts is to be prepared!!

There comes a time in every food shopper's life when they are faced with having to choose between fresh, frozen, and even canned, fruits and vegetables.  Since informed decisions are often the best decisions, consider these points before making any produce decisions: 

To Be Prepared:  Purchase a variety of fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables.  For fresh produce: select those that are in season and make a conscious effort to use them within a few days of purchasing.  Frozen & canned are an easy way to stay with in a budget as well as stay on track when life gets hectic - so don't shy away from them.  Do, however, read labels and chose ones that are minimally processed. 
Note: Minimal processing can be taken into consideration for all of your grocery chopping.  My general rule of thumb is this - if the ingredients list isnt fairly short & doesn't consist of real foods, meaning it contains things that I dont recognize as actual food as well as contains things I can't even pronounce, I don't eat it!

Farina got the sweet bundle of joy pictured above on Tuesday!!  In a word:  PRECIOUS!!   As I mentioned in an earlier post, his oven is broke.  I prepared the following at my own house and rushed on over to finally meet the new addition to the crew.  Billy, another friend from back in the day, arrived at the same time I did.  I was stoked to have another taste tester on hand.  After cooing over the baby (Zilla) the three of us dug in.  In a word:  DELICIOUS!  So delicious in fact that I forsee another being made before the weekend ends :-)

Veggie Stuffed Vegan Calzone
For this recipe I used a combination of fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables which helped cut down on time.  I could have purchased a pre-made dough from Trader Joe's or Wild By Nature.  However, in sticking with my goal of eating limited pre-packaged foods I felt it was worth it to put in the extra effort here and use time savers elswhere. 

1 dough, I made a garlic herb

cheese:
Italian Herb'd Cashew Nut (made fresh wednesday night)
1/4 cup Daiya Brand Mozzerella

vegetables:
1 cup frozen mixed peppers, thawed, pre-sliced
1/4 cup orange pepper, fresh sliced
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, sliced
1 can pre-sliced black olives, drained & rinsed
1 can petite tomatoes, no salt added, drained & rinsed 

Sauce of you choice for dipping, optional

Prep all your veggies and mix together in a bowl.   

In a small tupperware, combine small batches of the vegetables with tablespoonful cashew cheese on at a time until desired consistency achieved.  Add shredded vegan cheese of your choice and gently stir. 

Roll dough out on lightly floured surface and cut in half.  Add half of filling to one half of the rolled out dough.  Then gently pull and fold dough over filling and press a fork on the ends to seall it together.  Repeat with other half.  Carefully place on well greased cookie sheet and lightly brush side up with olive oil.

Bake at 400F for approx 25 minutes or until golden brown.  I flipped mine about half way through.