WIAW Birthday Edition

Another Wednesday

Another What I Ate Wednesday (aka WIAW) post

This Wednesday's post is a little different.

Not only is it WIAW it is also my birthday.

Yeah October 3rd is pretty much the best day of the year and this year I have the distinction of turning 35.

Holy Crap!

It kind of sounds old when I type it...I don't feel it, more like 25 (at least in my mind).

This post will be doing double duty as it will also be another notch in my Vegan MoFo belt (at least 20 posts during the month of October).

Let me say "Thank You" to Jenn from Peas and Crayons for hosting this for the past 89 weeks (yeah I know that is a long time).


However enough babbling let's get to the eats:

I have been severely addicted to Sharon's Raw Chocolate Banana Energy Shake...seriously it is like having dessert for breakfast.

I only made one substitution and that was adding Artisana's raw cacao bliss because I don't have any cacao nibs. 

This added a nice light coconut flavor and just makes the shake that much more decadent.

For lunch it is kind of meager, but in my defense the shake was super filling, I have 3 stalks of celery, 3 carrot sticks, and a tablespoon of peanut butter.  It was delicious and completely what I wanted.

For dinner I had vegan chili cornbread slaw mess. 

It doesn't have a better name because truly it just looks like a mess, but one that was delicious!!!

I did finish the day off with a slice of cake...it is my birthday after all.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Wednesday. 

Be sure to head over to Jenn's and see what other fantastic foods my fellow bloggers were having this week.

Recipe for slaw:  here
Recipe for cornbread: here
Recipe for cake: here

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WIAW The Scratch Edition

Welcome to the weekly party that is What I Ate Wednesday hosted by the lovely Jenn from Peas and Crayons.

The theme this month is "fall"ing into good habits.



Last week I announced that I have gone vegan and guess what?

I still am vegan.

I am loving the daily joy of figuring out how to eat (I know eventually it will become second nature).

I must say that I haven't enjoyed food this much in quite a while.

Now that it isn't 100 degrees outside (I mean who wants to bake in that heat) I have cranked out a few yummies:

Breakfast vegan buttermilk biscuits with baked apples and caramel:

Lunch (I didn't eat it but the hubs did) quick dough stromboli (recipe will be posted tomorrow):

Dinner wasn't terribly exciting so let's skip to the dessert...OOH this is just the best dessert.

Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Pie from Chocolate Covered Katie topped with Coconut Whipped Cream from Oh She Glows:

Holy Cow this pie took the cake for the weekend of scratch made items.

The pie is rich and creamy and bursting with chocolate flavor yet not heavy on the calories (I think Katie worked it out to 143 for 1/8 of the pie).

The coconut whipped cream was so much fun to make.  As soon as I saw the post from Angela I KNEW I had to make it.  It was so simple and delicious (and follow Angela's advice and be sure to put in the vanilla).

Both of these ladies are indeed rock stars and that is why they are both writing books to be published in the near future.

So have you eaten anything this week that just knocked your socks off?

Be sure to head over to Peas and Crayons and check out the other delicious eats from my fellow blogging buddies.

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WIAW Vegan Treats

I have been vegetarian for a year.

And last week I decided I was ready to make the leap to vegan.

I decided that cheese was no longer going to hold me back from obtaining my goal.

I have inadvertently, although it coincides nicely with Jenn's theme, decided to fall into some healthier habits.

So let's dig into the eats this week.

For breakfast I have really been stuck on drinking this cinnamon bun smoothie:

And of course there is plenty of water...must stay hydrated.

This weekend I had the same lunch on Sunday as I did dinner on Monday...socca pizza.

The socca recipe is care of Laura from Sprint 2 The Table.

Oh my goodness this is fabulous, and I may never go back to traditional pizza again.

To make the recipe a little more frugal/cost effective I ground my own flour (a stride I am taking to fall in healthier habits).  If you haven't tried this I promise it is easy peasy, I posted about it here.

To top pizza I used Dianne's, from Veggie Girl, cashew cheese.  I was a little timid to try this but once I tasted it...I was in, this stuff is the bomb.  I think my next batch will include a little sriracha (I like to kick things up a notch).

I finished topping the pizza with Trader Joe's Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic:

This combined with the cheese as well as spinach and tomatoes from my garden made for a meal that was out of this world...and one that apparently I needed to eat twice in two days.

Now I can't forget about dessert, because it was equally as delicious as the rest.

The impetus for making dessert was my 9 year old...he really loves pie.

So I used Mama Pea's vegan whole wheat crust, which I found in her fantastic book :)

And made this vegan apple pie (recipe will be posted tomorrow):

So these are my eats and I have to say the first week of being vegan was very tasty.  I look forward to growing my knowledge and branching out to more deliciousness.

On aside, as I am a proud little mama, my baby girl Caroline started ballet.  I was filled with joy last night as we attended her first lesson.

All of my fond memories of taking dance flooded back as I got her dressed.  I hope she enjoys it as much as I did :)

Happy Wednesday to you all and be sure to head over to our lovely hostess Jenn's place and check out what other bloggers had to eat.  I guarantee it will be some good stuff.

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WIAW Now That The Kids are in School

Well the school year started for my kids on August 22nd.

Now that they are back in the school groove it seems my meals look a lot like a kid going to school...must just be simpler for me to not make too many varieties of meals.

Today I am participating in the fave blog party What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Jenn of Peas and Crayons fame.

I haven't participated in a while, but I hope this is like riding a bike and I am able to get right back on without too much trouble.

I present to you this Wednesday my Tuesday eats!

For breakfast the day started out with a bowl of honey nut cheerios with almond milk (very kid friendly):

Mid-day I enjoyed a cup of Mate Factor yerba mate (delicious)

For lunch I had a brown bag staple of peanut butter & jelly with a side of some clementines (those things are so cute and tasty):

For dinner I had a delicious and simple meal (insprired by Cucina 49) cucina povena (poverty kitchen) a delicious dish made from very simple ingredients:

Our version was vegan and we added artichoke hearts (because they are my FAVORITES), mushrooms, and carmelized onions.

This was simple meal to whip up but by far was one of the most delicious I have had in a while.

So what have you eaten lately that knocked your socks off?

Be sure to head over to Peas and Crayons and snoop check out what other bloggers are eating.

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WIAW The Anniversary Edition

Happy What I Ate Wednesday everyone!





A special hello to Jenn from Peas and Crayons for hosting our blog party.

I am excited to share my eats this week from my anniversary trip to Asheville.

My husband and I have been married for 10 years (just as a side...he hates to take pictures).

Quite fortuitously Good Friday was a day off from my job and the actual day of our wedding 10 years ago (April 6, 2002).

Asheville is one of my favorite places to go because almost any restaurant you go to (in the downtown area) has vegetarian/vegan choices.

So here are some highlights of our meals:

Lunch on Friday at Green Light Cafe included green water...nope it isn't dirty just filtered and has chlorophyll added (also pictured spelt crust pizza topped with Daiya):

For on Friday we went to Tupelo Honey where the chef was kind enough to top a house salad with some tofu hot wings (it was completely delicious and I am so glad I asked for the special order):

Breakfast on Saturday was a cup of fruit and smoothie from The Green Sage (again Kyle's not much of a morning person):

Our favorite meal of the trip was Mayfel's.  There I had a sloppy Jane, with chipotle pickles, and some French fries:

My mouth is watering just thinking about this sandwich.

It was a great trip and if you ever are planning a trip to Asheville please let me know...I love to talk about it and share what I know.

So what did you eat recently that was just fantastic?  Do you like providing foodie travel advice?

Be sure to head over to Peas and Crayons and see what other bloggers have been eating!!!


 

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WIAW The Leftovers

Welcome everyone!

So glad you could join the WIAW Wednesday party hosted by the lovely Jenn of Peas and Crayons.





Today I want to talk about leftovers.

There comes a time in everyone's life when they must eat leftovers and for me that day is today.

Even my breakfast is partly a leftover.

This delicious berry smoothie has a secret ingredient...left over beet juice.

Yesterday I felt a little drained and thought I would stop in at my local natural food store and get a juice.

I THOUGHT getting one with beets in it would not taste like dirt.

OH how wrong I was.  I could only take a few sips and decided I would put the rest in smoothies this week (no need to waste the stuff).

The orange and slice of pineapple in my smoothie mask the dirt taste pretty well, although I do get hints of it.

For snack:

Some Mary's Gone Crackers (in onion) and The Works from Food Should Taste Good.

To be dipped in my raw hummus:

On to lunch:

Pasta with tempeh crumbles and spinach (this was dinner on Monday).  I like it a lot my kids didn't really care for the spinach (oh well I will just keep putting it in their food and maybe one day they will like it).

For dinner:

Veggie stir-fry with quinoa and topped with Trader Joe's chickenless mandarin bites.

This was dinner last night and it is packed with kale, cabbage, carrots, and yellow bell peppers. 

The Trader Joe bites were very yummy.

I am looking forward to this vegan day of eats.

So what did you eat this week that was good?

Be sure to head over to Jenn's and see what other yummy eats people have been noshing on.

Also be sure to enter my Food Lion giveaway as today is the last day :)

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WIAW Wholesome Goodness

Happy What I Ate Wednesday to you all!

Thank you Jenn for hosting us for the 59th week...this girl has some serious stamina.
This week I want to show you Tuesday's eats...because I think they were my favorite.

Breakfast was a cinnamon roll smoothie, seriously I can't get enough of this one (sorry but it just doesn't photograph well), and water.

Lunch was a tasty quinoa stir fry packed with kale, carrots, brussel sprouts, and spinach (my son Owen helped with all of the sous chef chopping):

For dinner (recipe is posting this afternoon) I had spaghetti with homemade sauce and meatless meatballs:

These are the meatballs I used.   The have a good flavor and more importantly a very meaty texture.

I realize that my food wasn't very green, but it did save me a lot of "green" as cooking with veggies is way cheaper than including meat.

I hope you all have a happy Wednesday be sure to head over to Peas and Crayons and check out what other bloggers had to eat this week...I promise you inspiration abounds.

Also be sure, if you haven't done so already, to enter my Conscious Box giveaway here.

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WIAW The Day Before My Cleanse

Happy What I Ate Wednesday to you all.

Just a quick check.  Have you all been ramping up your veggie in-take?

If not Jenn, Peas and Crayons, and I would like you to do so (your body will thank you).

So I titled today's post "The Day Before My Cleanse."

For Lent I decided I would do a cleanse and I will post all of the details tomorrow.

But today I give you my Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) eats before I began limiting the types of food I consume.

Breakfast:


There is no picture for a reason...I didn't eat breakfast. 

Please don't hate on me, it was just one of those days where it just didn't happen.  I was busy with the children and trust me I made up for it at lunch.

Lunch:

Black bean quesadilla which was filled to the brim with: black beans (duh), kale (my favorite), mushrooms, onion, and a little cheese all toasted up in a spinach tortilla shell.

For a little added kick I splashed this all over the insides:

Sriracha!!! 

Holy Smokes Batman this stuff is good.

My husband keeps telling the kids it is rooster blood, I don't think they believe him (but it is hard to tell).

I have read both on Laura's blog, Sprint 2 The Table, and Jenn's that this stuff is the bomb.

It took Jenn telling me to get off my butt and order some for me to actually do it.

I am so very much in love with this that I have something special at the bottom of the post.

Back to the eats.

Dinner:

Broccoli soup made with Chobani plain Greek yogurt (recipe coming on Friday).

So there are my eats.  Be sure to check out my fellow bloggers at Jenn's and see what others were eating.

Now for my surprise.  As I have completely fallen in love with sriracha I would like to give one of my readers a chance to do the same. 

Would you like to have your very own bottle of rooster blood?

If so leave me a comment below (any comment will do)

If you would like to have more than one entry you can additionally to the following (just be sure to leave a separate comment):

1) follow me on Twitter
2) like me on Facebook

I will have the giveaway open until Friday the 24th and the winner will be announced on Monday's post.

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WIAW Valentine's Day

Happy What I Ate Wednesday Friends!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Valentine's Day even, if like our host Jenn, you aren't completely into the holiday.

I have to say that I was pretty amazed how many times the guys at work said "Happy Valentine's Day" to me. I really figured it would pass most of them right by. I suppose I should give them more credit :)

Today I want to show you what yesterday's eats entailed for my children.

I will warn you though there is a copious amount of pink and hearts...what can I say I love my kids.

For breakfast we started off with heart shaped pink pancakes:

I topped Caroline's with powdered sugar (pictured above) but the boys opted for Nutella (and ate them before they could be photographed).

For lunch:

A PB&J cut into a heart shape, veggie straws, a fruit leather (pomegranate from Target...and they are organic), as well as homemade apple-pear sauce (sweetened with cinnamon).

And last but not least:

An iced vegan sugar cookie topped with crushed freeze dried strawberries (completely delicious and thank you Celeste for giving me the idea). 

For dinner:

A Field Roast mild Italian sausage on toast with mustard.  I topped it with homemade brussel sprout slaw and had a side of jalapeno Food Should Taste Good chips. 

I LOVE Field Roast and was completely in love with all elements of this meal.

So what did you have for Valentine's Day?

Be sure to hop over to Jenn's, at Peas and Crayons, and see what other bloggers had this week.  Your mouth may water, but I promise you won't be sorry.

Two quick announcements:

1. Yesterday day I ran a one day giveaway to give a little love to my readers.  The winner is Jess from Floptimism.
2. Also I have a Food Should Taste Good chip giveaway running through tonight.  You too could win some yummy chips just like my jalapeno ones I had for dinner.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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WIAW The Birthday Edition

Happy What I Ate Wednesday to you all.

Jenn thank you so much for having us over.  I enjoy this link up every week and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger ("That's what she said").

Crude jokes aside it is fun to go around each week and take a peek at what people eat. 

Freaks that we foodies are not only do we type out a diary of the food we eat we photograph it for you.

Today I want to share with you, not what I ate, but what my husband ate for his birthday (Tuesday the 7th).

Kyle turned 31 and for him the day is really no different than any other, however I think birthdays should be special and as such I made him celebrate (even if it was against his will).

For breakfast an extra special green smoothie (have to keep him healthy so we can have a nice long life together):

Snack, his favorite, wheat thins with a wedge of Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss cheese:

For lunch we went to Bangkok Cafe one of our absolute favorite places to go.  We used to go at least once a week (and probably did that for a couple of years), due to schedules we don't get there as often but still enjoy it just as much.  The staff is so very wonderful and the food well out of this world:

I brought a little dessert along with me for us to share, red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing (they got squished in transit so I didn't photograph them).

Dinner pizza from Elizabeth's:

Well that is his day in food, and it was a yummy one.

Please be sure to check out the other freaks bloggers over at Peas and Crayons.



What is something special that you like to do, or eat, on your birthday?

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