Yay!!  It's Friday!!  I have alot to accomplish today but I wanted to share a little story with everyone as welll post some of the deliciousness that I indulged in this past week.  Hope you alll have a fantastic day!

xo

It was the coldest winter ever.  Many animals died because of the cold.  The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together.  They were covered and protected, but the quills of each wounded the closest companion.

After a while, they decided to distance themselves, and they began to die, alone and frozen.
So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.  Wisely, they decided to go back to being together.  They learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by their close relationships because the most important part was the heat that came from the others.  They were able to survive.

The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but the one that forms when individuals learn to live with the imperfections and admire the good qualities of others.

The moral of the story:  
LEARN TO LOVE THE PRICKS IN YOUR LIFE

Sunflower Seed Meat
3/4 to 1 cup Raw Sunflower Seeds*
1/2 Tomato, chopped*
1/4 Red Onion, chopped*
1 small clove garlic, sliced
1/2 can green chiles, optional
2 Tbs Fresh Cilantro
1 lime, Juice freshly squeezed
  Taco Seasonings of Choice

Combine all ingredients in food processor until it resembles a chunky meat.  You may need to add a few splashes of water and/or scrape the sides.


The Salad
This time I went massaged kale as I had a half a bag in the fridge that needed using.  Collard greens make excellent wraps as do romaine leaves. Another variation is making bell pepper boats.

Toppings
Sun dried Tomatoes, chopped
Spicy Jalapeno Cheez

I went light on the toppings due to not having all that much in the house and because I added a good amount of stuff to my seed meat.  Feel free to add more toppings (olives, fresh salsa, green pepper, corn, black beans, avocado, etc)

Notes:
The amount of sunflower seeds I use is determined by how hungry I am and/or the amount of left overs I want to have.  3/4 to 1 cup yields one dinner bowl + 1 lunch for me.  Adjust spice accordingly.

I choose sunflower seeds as my base due to them being most cost effective but feel free to substitute according to your own preference.

A quick word on fat:
With fat free this, reduced fat that, and the general popularity of low fat diets, our society seemingly suffers from a fat phobia.  However, our body's function best when we consume some healthy fats!  A serving of sunflower seeds is 1/4 cup but my personal serving is about 1/3 cup.  When determining your serving size, consider the following: what toppings you wish to include, your daily diet, time of consumption, and your level of true hunger.  During the summer months, my daily diet is largely compromised of fruits and vegetables so I welcome a little extra fat here and there but that doesn't mean I pile it on at each meal.  I like my meals to feel light yet still satisfy me and I take into account my eating for the whole day to ensure I my body gets what it's needs. (A log will best help you in this area).  For example, if I was to use avocado as I topping I'd likely use less sunflower meat. Same is true if I plan to have - or have had - a decedant or higher fat dessert or snack.  On the flip side, if my eating has been light for the day, and/or its relatively early or around a more standard dinner time I would go higher fat than if it were late (after 7p).

Salad
1/2 bag Broccoli Slaw
1/2 bag shredded Cabbage

Dressing
3 Tbs Raw Nut or Natural Style Peanut Butter  1/4 cup pure water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1 Tbs Agave Nectar
1 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos
1.5 tsp fresh ginger 1.5 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed

Add broccoli slaw and shredded cabbage in a bowl and chop while mixing together.  Blend all dressing ingredients and pour over salad.  Mix until well combined.  Refrigerate until ready to eat!

Baked Spring Rolls
Makes 7 rolls

1/2 bag Broccoli Slaw
1/2 bag Shredded Cabbage
4 scallions, chopped
3 - 4 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp basil, chopped

1/2 Tbs cornstarch
1/2 Tbs water

Preheat oven 350F.  Set up roll work station (parchment lined pan, small glass of water, egg roll wrappers). 

Liberally spray a large frying pan with olive oil.  Heat pan on medium, add above ingredients, and stiry fry until veggies are wilted.  Add cornstarch and water to a glass, stir and pour into pan and stir again until sauce thickens.  

Bring frying pan over to work station.  Scoop about 2 Tbs worth of mixture and arrange it in a single line on egg roll wrapper.  Wrap according to instructions on package (it's easy, I promise).  Be sure to seal final edge with water and place wrapper edge side down.  Bake until golden brown (about 15 minutes).  Enjoy!