Time To Get Blogging!

Well, after taking nearly a year off, it is time I get back to blogging!  It's not that I quit creating and cooking delicious, healthy, Vegan meals.  Unfortunately, I let my job rule my life.  Today is the first day I have had off in quite awhile, okay other than my super fun vacations, but still it has been a long haul.  I am working full-time hours as a part-time Wellness Specialist/Health Educator for our local hospital's Wellness Department.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job, I have just been putting in way too many hours to focus on much else. 

So, stay tuned for more recipes and info!  I am going to try getting back on track with this blogging thing!  Luckily, I see that I am not the only one perusing my blog for recipes!  If you are stopping by my blog to check things out, please leave me a comment, question, or some motivation to keep this thing going!  Let me know what sort of things you would like to see on this blog, I could always use ideas.  I love hearing from my readers! 

Vegucated

I finally took the time to watch Vegucated on Saturday with my husband, oldest daughter, and my mom.  It is yet another documentary discussing the benefits of a Vegan lifestyle.  It follows three people for six weeks while they explore a Vegan lifestyle.  Watching it just reaffirms all the reasons I have chosen this lifestyle...for my health, the environment, and animal welfare.

After watching this show, my oldest daughter wrote a post on her blog stating that she was going to eliminate dairy from her diet.  To read about her decision, and the reasons for it, made me tear up because I saw, once again, what a compassionate child she is. 

My husband has even decided that it is time for him to eliminate dairy as well.  

I am not exactly sure how my mom felt about this movie, but I do know that she is making great strides to improve her health with a more plant based diet.  Thanks, mom, for letting me accompany you on your journey to improved health!  I love you and want you to stick around for awhile!

I hope you will take some time and watch this documentary, too. (You can find it on Netflix and Amazon).  It's time to get Vegucated!!

Welcome to 2013!

Welcome to the new year!  2012 was a great year for me and my family.  We were happy, healthy, and made many memories. 

Just curious...do any of you make new year's resolutions?  I don't really make resolutions, per se.  I like to recount the previous year, learning from my mistakes and opportunities, which helps me focus on the year ahead. 

This year, I would like to focus on time management.  My new job has made exercise, household chores, and running the girls around much more challenging.  Keeping up with household chores is manageable when I utilize a cleaning/laundry schedule, and also when I delegate chores.  Getting the girls to activities, practices, school, and appointments has been made possible thanks to my dear husband stepping in and helping out A LOT.  So, that leaves exercise, which I desperately need to make a priority again.  I will achieve this by utilizing an exercise schedule which includes 2 days of cycling, at least 3 days of running, and 3-4 days of strength training and ab work.

So, what are your goals?  How will you achieve them?  Follow my blog and let's help each other make 2013 a healthy, productive year! 

Vegan Is Love by Ruby Roth

Vegan is Love by Ruby Roth is a children's book aimed at teaching younger children about Veganism.  With her honest words and truthful images, she is spreading the word to a young audience.  There has been some debate as to whether or not this book is appropriate for children.  I want to know:  what do you think of this book?  Take a look at some of these links and let me know what you think. 

http://moms.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/17/11102428-should-kids-go-vegan?lite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNU2pezAcSs
http://www.wedonteatanimals.com/home.html
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2012/04/30/exp-kaye-vegan-poll.cnn
http://video.foxnews.com/v/1574578746001/is-a-vegan-diet-safe-for-kids/?playlist_id=163197
http://www.webevegan.org


After I hear from some of you, I will update this post to reflect what I think about it!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

makes 2-4 servings

2 Large sweet potatoes, peeled

1/4 Cup water or reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1/2 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning

Cut sweet potatoes into fries.  Place fries on a non-stick oven safe pan or casserole dish.  Mix water and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and brush on sweet potatoes.  Bake in 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until they have reached desired tenderness.

Facts About Sweet Potatoes

Fat Free

Low Calorie

Over a day's worth of vitamin A

Rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6

Also contains protein, iron, vitamin D, manganese

Some Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

Healthy skin

Prevents inflammation

Boosts immune system

Improves digestion

Balances blood sugar levels

Regulates heartbeat

Regulates mood

Sources:  www.wikipedia.org and http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-reasons-to-love-sweet-potatoes.html?page=1

8th Grade Health Class Presentation

Today I went to Makenna's 8th grade health class and gave a presentation about Veganism, nutrition, healthy snacking, and juicing.  I had so much fun teaching and interacting with all those inquiring minds.  They were a really great group of kids and they asked some very good questions.  I also took my juicer in and made 2 different juices for them to try.  The first was an apple-orange-carrot-lemon-ginger juice and the other a spinach-apple-parsley-mint-lemon juice.  Thanks Ms. Allison for letting me come visit your class today!

This is the information I shared on handouts with the class: 

v  What does Vegan mean?

A Vegan is someone who does not eat meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans also do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products.   Vegans choose this lifestyle for health, environmental, ethical, or moral reasons.

v  Vegan Nutrition

§  A Vegan diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts, and grains can satisfy a person’s nutritional needs.

§  Protein needs are met by eating foods such as lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, and dark leafy green vegetables such as kale and spinach.

§  Plant foods do not contain cholesterol, so Vegan diets are cholesterol free and generally low-fat.

§  Calcium is obtained from dark green vegetables (kale, broccoli, okra) and calcium fortified foods such as almond milk and orange juice.

§  Iron is found in dried beans, soybeans, lentils, Swiss chard, tempeh, raisins, watermelon, and kale.

§  Omega-3 Fatty Acid production can be maximized by including things such as flaxseeds, hempseeds, and walnuts in the diet.

§  Vitamin B12 requirement can be fulfilled by consuming nutritional yeast or Vegan B12 sublingual supplements.

§  It is important to obtain as many nutrients as possible from whole food sources, which means foods in their most natural form, to achieve the maximum health benefit.  Obtaining nutrition from plant sources helps decrease incidences of obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and other chronic conditions.  Many processed foods are devoid of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients and they are packed with sugar, fat, and salt.

v  Resources/References that I often use for information, inspiration, and motivation

§  www.chooseveg.com

§  www.vegansociety.com

§  www.vrg.org

§  www.engine2diet.com

§  www.foodmatters.tv

v  My info

§  My blog-  http://onewyomingvegan.blogspot.com  Please check out my blog for more information and recipes.  Also, my contact info is listed on my blog so that you can contact me with any questions/comments.

Healthy Snack Ideas

v  Flavored Water instead of Soda (recipes from www.nancycreative.com)

·         Fruit Water

       1 apple, sliced

1 lemon, sliced

1 orange, sliced

1 pear, sliced

4 large strawberries, sliced

Handful of raspberries

Handful of mint leaves

½ gallon water

Place all ingredients in a pitcher and chill for at least 2 hours.  Serve over ice.

·         Citrus Water

1 orange, sliced

1 lemon, sliced

1 lime, sliced

½ gallon water

Place all ingredients in a pitcher and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Serve over ice.

v  Hummus and Veggies

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice (or more, to taste)

Can also add pepper, cilantro, parsley, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, green chiles, or anything else that sounds good.

Place ingredients in a food processor and combine until smooth.

v  Banana Ice Cream

2 ripe bananas

1-2 Tablespoons natural peanut butter (without High Fructose Corn Syrup)

Chocolate chips

In food processor, blend bananas and peanut butter until smooth.  Place in bowl and stir in chocolate chips.  Place in freezer for 15 minutes or until desired texture is reached.  This can also be eaten like pudding when not put in the freezer.

v  Yummy Green Smoothie

      1 cup unsweetened almond milk

      6-8 frozen peach slices

      1/3 cup vanilla almond milk yogurt (optional)

      2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves

      1 banana

      Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

v  Fruit Smoothie

     1 cup unsweetened almond milk

      Fresh or frozen fruit

      Almond milk yogurt (optional)

     Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Other easy healthy snacks:  fresh fruit, raw veggies, raw almonds, walnuts, green leafy salads.   

Calcium

Calcium is an important nutrient that must be obtained from your diet to keep your bones strong and healthy.  Many people think that dairy products are the best sources of calcium, however, this just isn't the case!  Read this article from Veg News about the importance of calcium and what calcium rich plant foods to include in your diet.

January Exercise Challenge: Day 21

Yay!  Today is the final day of the challenge and I was able to get a 2 mile run and some ab work in.  This darn cold really stuck around.  I don't get sick often, so when I do I don't handle it well.  I am impatient and don't have time to be sick. 

Now that I'm on the mend I can get back to my routine and start exercising and blogging again.

How did your exercise challenge turn out?  I would love to hear from you!

Remember, don't stop now.  If you've established an exercise routine, stick with it!

January Exercise Challenge: Day 20

Still didn't feel like doing much on Day 20, so I took advantage of lounging around and getting a nap in.

January Exercise Challenge: Day 19

On Day 19 I still wasn't feeling too well, so the extent of my exercise was doing a few minutes of Just Dance 3 with the kids.  And, does carrying my one year old niece around most of the day count for something?  I think so.

January Exercise Challenge: Day 18

Don't worry, I didn't skip a day of exercise, even though I really felt like it!  This stinking cold just hasn't gone away yet.  Yesterday I lost my voice and has me pretty congested. 

However, Brad and I did make it to the rec center last night.  I was able to do 30 minutes of cardio, running on the track and walking on a steep incline on the treadmill.

January Exercise Challenge: Day 17

This morning I went to the rec center and ran on the track and the treadmill for 30 minutes.  As of yesterday, I found out that Brad has committed us to running an indoor marathon relay on February 18th, so I will definitely be increasing my running mileage!  Nothing like having a race planned to motivate me! 

January Exercise Challenge: Day 16

How is everyone feeling?  Have you made exercise a priority and a part of your daily routine?

Today I did 30 minutes of cardio (treadmill, Cybex machine, and running on the indoor track), followed by a 30 minute ab workout.

Garlic

picture from www.teatreewonders.com

Garlic was my other weapon of choice to combat my sore throat.  I usually eat garlic in my meals every day, but today I upped my dose.  I minced 3 cloves of raw garlic and put it in 2 cups of warm vegetable broth.  And for supper I minced at least 6 cloves of raw garlic and sprinkled it on top of my chilli (which was on top of my potato).  I love, love, love garlic and, thankfully, so do my daughters and my husband, because I add it to almost everything!  After drinking my garlic vegetable broth, my sore throat was completely gone! 

Here are two websites that discuss the benefits of garlic:

http://www.miracleofgarlic.com/the-power-of-garlic/

http://www.garlichealthbenefits.com/

There are many other resources on the web regarding the benefits and uses garlic.

So add some raw garlic to your daily meals!  It not only adds flavor but has many health benefits as well.

Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is one of the things that helped me overcome my sore throat.  There are many, many health benefits and uses for this amazing super liquid!  Here are just two websites that explain the many uses and benefits of apple cider vinegar:

http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/

http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp_448797/Apple_Cider_Vinegar_-_The_Wonder_'Drug'_of_Yesterday_and_Today

There are many more resources on the web regarding the uses of ACV, just Google it!  You will be amazed at the ailments you can treat and control.  And, to make it even better, it doesn't even taste bad.  Last night I drank 2 teaspoons ACV in 1 cup warm water and it was very soothing to my throat.  I have also been drinking 1 teaspoon in 1 cup of water 2-3 times a day.  I am going to stick to this regimen!

January Exercise Challenge: Day 15

Thankfully, I am feeling better than yesterday!  Nothing that some garlic, apple cider vinegar and Zicam couldn't fix! 

Anyways, today I did a 20 minute walk, 10 minute yoga workout from Netflix, and the ab workout of the day from www.randomabs.com/today.

January Exercise Challenge: Day 14

Luckily I did my workout at the rec center first thing this morning because I'm not feeling to good right now.  I have a sore throat and have been trying to fight it off all afternoon/evening.  Hoping that I feel better tomorrow.  Anyways, I did 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of ab work today.

January Exercise Challenge: Day 13

Today I was kind of lazy and only did an ab and leg workout.  Tomorrow should be better.  I'm still pleased with myself for doing something rather than nothing!

January Exercise Challenge: Day 12

Today was another busy day filled with Alanna's Spelling Bee, a trip to Home Depot, making lunch and supper in a partially remodeled kitchen with the fridge and stove out in the dining room, and running errands with four girls in tow.  So, for exercise today, I played Just Dance 3 with my daughters, my two nieces, and my nephew for over half an hour.  Now, that the little girls are in bed and the house is somewhat put back together, I am going to do the ab workout of the day on www.randomabs.com/today and some leg/glute exercises.

Hope everyone is hanging in there and completing the challenge!

January Exercise Challenge: Day 11

Today I did ab work, push ups, and leg exercises.  I was busy chasing after my 2 nieces and running my daughters around today; I am surprised I got any exercise done today.  I definitely have to make it a priority and put exercise on my "To Do" list, or it would not get done on days like today!