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Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes!

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Life has been busy and non stop since last Friday.  The last two nights I have been able to sleep to get a bit more sleep and feel a bit more rested.. but in order to get the extra sleep I had to sacrifice the blog and writing a post.   I have tons of pictures from this weekend and hopefull will get all of them on here soon.

Sunday morning we had Pancakes.  Thank goodness Sunday Pancakes are back on the schedule :)  These pancakes are Gluten Free and delicious :)

Ingredients:

1/2  C        Buckweat Flour
2 tbsp       Rice Flour
1 tsp          Baking Soda
3/4 – 1 C  Milk (Almond, Hemp, or Cow – your choice)
1/2 C         Blueberries
1 tbsp       Grape seed Oil

Cooking Directions:

-  Mix all ingredients together
-  Heat a skillet and 1/2 tbsp Grapeseed oil
-  Using a 1/3 C measuring cup pour pancake mix onto the skillet
-  Set heat on low and cook pancakes :)

~ G

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Posted in Recipe, Vegetarian | 11 Comments »

Busy Weekend!

Friday, May 14th, 2010

LAST DAY to enter the

Thriv Natural Performance T-Shirt Giveaway

Winner will be announced on Saturday May 15th (AM)

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Today is my OFF Friday, but we have a very long to do list that required us waking up early.   My big goal for today is to get everything done and have time to go to the gym.   On Satruday our Alumni Chapter is hosting the Annual Shrimp Boil.  WVU’s Football Coach along with the assistance Basketball coach and a few other coaches and directors are coming down from Morgantown WV and attending our event.   We have been planning this event for a couple months now so everything needs to come together before 11 AM when the doors open to our 100+ guests.

Raymond designed T-shirts for the event, they arrived yesterday and look great.  Here is the back of the shirts;

I ordered Texas baskets for each of our special guests from Morgantown.  I just talked to the lady on the phone and told her I what I was intrested in and the colors that I want her to use… I pick the baskets up this afternoon.. hoping they turned out how I have them pictured in my head.   I will post a picture hopefully sometime this weekend.

Last night’s dinner was nother Roasted Veggie Wrap.   I wanted something that doesn’t require a lot of attention and time to make.

  • Cut up zucchini, squash, mushrooms, bell pepper and sun dried tomatoes.
  • Mixed everything up and add1 tbsp of Olive Oil and 1 tsp of dry Thyme.
  • Spread on a baking dish and roast under broil for 15 min @ 500°F or until the outside is a bit crispy

Once the veggies were ready I added 1/2 oz of goat cheese and spread everything on a ezekiel tortilla.   I made roasted potato as a side.  A filling and delicious meal.

Now I am off to getting things ready for Saturday.

Do you have any FUN plans for the weekend?

~ G

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Posted in Everyday Stuff, Vegetarian, WVU | 12 Comments »

Eat with G! (5-12-10)

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Don’t forget to enter the

Thriv Natural Performance T-Shirt Giveaway

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My Dr. appointment went really well yesterday.  My incision is healing pretty good, it is still pretty bruised but looking good, the swelling is down and I am almost as good as before the repair :)

He showed me pictures of the tear and how they repaired it which was very intresting.. so my Medial Meniscus had a comple tear on the outer edge.  Here is a picture of the internals of the right knee:

(Source)

He also said I had a damage to something else (it scapes me right now) and they shaved it off and smoothed it out so there should be no problme.   I am premitted to go back to the gym but pain is going to be my gauge.  If it hurts while doing whatever excercise that I am doing then I need to back off.  I am allowed on the Stationary bike and Elliptical.  Lower body strength training is ok, but not lunges or squats for another 3-4 weeks.   I can go  back to spinning in 2 week, but have do it on my pace and not the class.   I can stop going to PT since I will be going to the gym on my own and I know all the excercises that they are going to give me :).  I will meet with him again on June 8th and that should be the appointment that he gives me the “get back on the bike” approval :)

As you can imagin I am one HAPPY girl :)

I got the gym this morning shortly after 5:30 and jumped on the stationary bike;

Total Time:                          48 Min
Speed:                                    10.5 mph  (nice improvement over Monday’s 6 mph)
Distance:                               8.5 miles
Level:                                     6 (vs Monday’s 2-3)
Total Calories Burned:    227 Cals :)

My eats for today:

Pre-workout:  Green Juice – mix of Kale (Lactino), Spinach, 2 Carrots, 1 Green Apple and 2 Celery sticks  – 183 Cals, rich in Vitamin A & C
Post-workout: Caffe Misto w/ Non-fat Milk + Banana – 180 Cals

AM Snack (10:30ish): Med Grapfruit – 80 Cals, rich in Vitamin C

Did you know that Vitamin C is good for your skin?

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is extremely effective as an antioxidant, your natural defense against free radicals, which are unstable molecules that age the skin, resulting from environmental pollutants, smoking, or excess sun exposure. Vitamin C neutralizes volatile reactions caused by free radicals that damage skin. (source)

Lunch (noon): Large Salad – Romaine Lettuce, Cabbage, Cucumber, Oven Roasted: Mushrooms, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Squash and Grape Tomatos topped with 1 tbsp Olive oil & Juice of 1 fresh Lime – 325 Cals
Sm portion of steamed; Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrots – 67 cals

Afternoon Snack ( 3:15ish): 7 oz 2% Fage Greek Yogurt + 1/4 Cup Ezekiel Whole Grain Almond Cereal – 230 Cals

I got home from work starving… so I had 3/4 of an oz Stacy’s Pita chips – 105 cals

Dinner: Ezekiel Bread with Persian Stew & 1/4 C Edamame + Steamed Broccoli, Cauliflower and Carrots topped with 0.5 tbsp Nutritional Yeast – 335 Cals

Thanks to my mom who had made 5 – 6 different vegetarian types of Persian Stew (Khoresht) and freeze it for me, all I had to do tonight was defrost and eat.. yay for mom!

Total Caloric intake for t he day = 1505 Cals

Happy Eating!

~ G

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Posted in Eat with G, Vegetarian | 9 Comments »

MS-150 Weekend Recap

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Yes I am a walking zombie.  I have been able to barely keep up with a “hey how is it going” let alone blogging.   The MS-150 weekend was a lot of fun, but it was also very emotional and heartbreaking for me.   As I saw the riders go through the finish line in La Grange on Saturday and in Austin on Sunday I so wanted to be on my bike and finishing with them.

Here is a re-cap of our weekend….

Friday was our OFF day and it started in Kemah and the Flying Dutchman to set the menu for our upcoming Alumni event.   It is going to be fun.. and I will tell you more about that later… but if you are a Mountaineer in Houston mark May 15th on your calender as Coach Stewart will be here in Houston.

After Kemah we headed back into Houston for lunch, grocery shopping and to pick Raymond’s rider bib.    Lunch was at Ruggles Green…

I had their Minestrone Soup

and Salad

After our grocery shopping we headed to the Omni Hotel… Holy moly, it was jam packed with riders and vendors… they were selling everything and anything that you might need for the ride… from gu to cycling shorts & jerseys to fancy accessories….

By the time we were done with our errands and were back at home it was 9 PM and we had to get up at 4.. YIKES!

Saturday morning Raymond and I drove to Shell Woodcreek where the Shell team was meeting up.  Some of the riders didn’t get a chance to drop off their over night bags on Friday so I offered to take their stuff up to the camp site for them.   I filled up the truck and wish Raymond luck on his ride and started my drive to La Grange.   The morning started with a little bit of rain, but it stopped at about 10 miles into the ride.

Here is our dining tent

getting the snacks ready for the riders to get in

I got into LaGarange and the fairgrounds around 8:30 AM and started unloading the truck and helping set up in the Shell team.  around 9:40 I got a text from Raymond telling me that he is at 50 miles and eating lunch… Team Shell started #5 @ 7:30… which means Raymond had a pretty good pace for the first 50 mi.

Since I was also volunteering for Team Jacobs, I walked over to their tent to see if they needed help with anything and found their tent sort of flooded…. I helped get things set up there and figured I would grap lunch at around 11:30…. the only problem… they have burgers for the volunteers… BURGERS… um.. HELLO, what about the vegetarians?  Luckily I had packed myself a nice large salad so I ate my salad.

Around 1 PM, I got a text from Raymond telling me that he is not going to make it in for another 2 hrs because the guy he is riding with is having back problems and they are taking a long break…  Finally around 3:45 I saw Raymond and Rick cross the finish line into the camp ground… a quick fact about Rick… he is a 17 yr sophomore in high school… oh and he is dutch and rode for team Shell.

Here is Raymond coming in at the end of day 1

They had brought in trailers with showers in them.. really cool.. sorry no pics, and poor Raymond waited 1.5 hrs in line to take a shower.   After he got back from his shower we headed to dinner…. dinner was:  BBQ (yes meat), baked beaned (with bacon), potato salad (with eggs) and bake potato… so I had a plain bake potato which did not do justice for my hunger.

After dinner Raymond and I walked around the camp ground and visited friends who were riding for different teams… plus this way we figured out which team has better food and sleeping arrangments so we know for next year ;)

We had an intresting sleeping arrangments… 400 riders all slept in one HUGE tent…. air mattress next to air mattress

Raymond lounging on our mattress

some people had a tent inside the tent

At mid night we heard the heavy rain… pouring and turning the camp ground into one big mud puddle.  Around 3:30 AM some of the riders started getting up and moving around with their flash lights and started getting ready… COME ON PEOPLE they said lights on at 5 AM.. it is only 3:30… so by 4:30 Raymond and I gave up and got up to get all packed up and get him ready for day 2 of the ride.

We headed to breakfast and I found out the only options are sausage kolaches or breakfast tacos… (meat and egg) so once again I had to skip a meal.   I loaded up the truck and headed out to Austin once all the riders left the camp ground.

On my first 10 miles out of the camp ground I saw 3 bike accidents that required an ambulance… yikes.  I think tired riders along with a little bit of rain was a recipe for a lot of accidents and flat tires.

Once in Austin I unloaded the truck at Jacobs tent and drove to the closest 24 hr fitness to take a shower…. I was going to wait an hour and half in line to take a shower at the camp ground… and at this point I was muddy and really needed a good shower.

After that I went to Mother’s cafe… a vegetarian cafe that was recommended to me by my friend Bill… Thanks Bill!  The food was AWESOME :)
I had their vegetable rancheros (vegan) which contained… steamed veggies, brown rice, pinto bean chili and sage mashed potato… HOLY YUM :)  I ate everything on my plate… I was hungry.

After lunch I ordered the Vegan Belgian Chocolate Cake… it was heavenly… I polished that as well.  :)

Then I headed back to the finish line, packed the car and tried to find myself a good spot to take a picture of Raymond coming in :)

Raymond and I in Austin

We loaded back up in the truck and drove the 3 hours back home just in time to pick up our little munchkin at 8 PM :)

I didn’t take a lot of pictures.. it was a jam packed weekend.. it was wet and muddy.. and crowded.. I was afraid of forgetting my camera somewhere or dropping it in the puddles..  We both went to work on Monday, but I was a complete zombie and I didn’t even do the ride… so we took Monday and Tuesday night easy…

On Monday after lunch I got a call from our front desk receptionist telling me I have some flowers waiting for me.  I went down stairs and these beauties were waiting for me

The note basically said “Thank you for being there and taking care of me this weekend”  :)

I came home this evening had a quick dinner… I made a veggie wrap on ezekiel wrap.. Sauteed Mushrooms, Okra and Sun dried Tomatoes on top of spring mix.  I also spread some homemade avocado dressing

After dinner I headed to  March of Dimes Volunteers meeting from 6 – 7:30, I have organized a group of 11 Mountaineers to volunteer for the March of Dimes on Sunday.

Off to bed :)

~ G

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Posted in Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian, Volunteering | 16 Comments »

Sadie & Giveaway Winners!

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

It may seem silly that I am naming a post after my dog Sadie… but just like any other replationship, Sadie and I have had to work on our relationship :)  It was rocky at first, She was/is the perfect one, I am the one who had to work on making things work and now it is a true love affair.

You see I used to have a dog phobia.  Growing up I remember visiting friends and family and I would not step foot in their house unless they locked up the dog.  I was petrified.  If somehow their dog got loose (poor doggies) I would scream, run and start crying.   This was the case as long as I can remember.

In undergrad my friend Alisa and I would go by the Merrimack river in Lowell to have a picnic lunch which was always intrupted by my scream of “there is a dog coming” and running to my car.   In grad school, I would sit in my car for hours waiting for my neighbor and his dog to walk back into his apartment before I walked from my car to my apartment.

That all changed when I met Raymond.   On our 2nd date we were at Lake Lanier, North of Atlanta, having a nice picnic lunch when I started crawling up his back.  Raymond was confused and asked me “what is wrong”, to this I replied, “there is a dog”.  He looked around a bit and said “where is the dog?” and I said “across the lake”.   The poor guy thought I was joking… little did he know that the dog phobia is a serious case, but he made it his mission to help me get over my fear.

We started by weekly visits to the pet store and just watching the dogs in their little cage.   On our first visit I was holding his arm so tight that I left a nice hand print on his arm.   This went on for weeks… 5-10 min increased to 20 -30 min, then to actually slowly touching the dog while Raymond is holding him/her.    Then one day Raymond announced that he wants to get an English Setter and name her Sadie (he grew up with this breed, and Sadie is his 5th Setter).  I thought he is joking so I said well let’s see if there are any available in the paper… and to my surprise there were.   We called a couple places and weren’t succecssful in getting one.   He finally contacted the DeCoverly Kennels in PA and asked if they have a white girl pupyy with orange spots and the answer was “YES!”

We got these pictures of Sadie in an email

On Thursday July 28th Sadie boarded a Delta flight from PA to GA :).   We picked her up at the airport, she was all scared and smelly from being in the cage from 6 AM to 9 PM.   We took her home, gave her a bath and let her explore the apartment, while I sad on the back of the couch with my legs curled up under me.  For a month after she arrived I would do my best to keep my feet off the floor while she was playing.

Sadie a few weeks after we had got her

Raymond Used to hold her like a little baby (well he still does :) )  I need to find the picture of me holding her like this for the first time.. I know we have it on one of the comps.

At the end of the month I let her smell my feet when I had my shoes on, then we moved to just socks and 5 years later I am lost without my little puppy.   She makes my day.  I love it how when I get home she is soooo happy and excited to see me and if I am frustrated or not happy she tries to love on me and make me feel better.  She has become my little girl, for a while people at work thought I have a daughter named Sadie :)

Isn’t she BEAUTIFUL :)

I am still a bit hesitant to meet new and big dogs, but after a few minutes I usually warm up to them and am loving on them.

Do you have any Phobias?  Have you ever had to overcome a fear?

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Dinner tonight was Polenta Pizza and I have to say it was an awesome dinner.. I am looking to my leftovers for tomorrow.. :)

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Here is the Falafel Recipe that I had promised.  Sorry I didn’t post it last night

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The winners of the TEMP Milk & Ice cream were… drum roll please (I used Random Generator)

Winner #1:  Emily


Winner #2: The Ordinary Vegetarian


Congrats ladies!  Please leave me a comment so I can get in touch with you and send you the coupons.   I can’t wait to hear what you think of Temp Milk and Ice Cream as I am a BIG fan :)

- Gelareh

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Posted in Everyday Stuff, Vegan, Vegetarian | 29 Comments »

G’s Felafel

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Ingredients:

-  1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-  1 Shallot or 1/2 small onion
-  2-3 cloves of Garlic
-  3 tbps Italian Parsley, chopped
-  3 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
-  1 tsp Cumin
-  1 tsp Coriander
-  1 tsp Paprika
-  1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
-  Juice of 1 Lime
-  1 tbsp Olive oil
-  2 tbsp Quinoa Flour*

* I had some quinoa at home and using my magic bullet made some quinoa flour to use in this recipe.

Directions:

-  In a food processor combine all ingredients except for the chickpeas
-  Mash the chickpeas in with a fork and fold the well mixed ingredients into the chickpeas
-  Roll into small balls and place on a baking dish
-  Bake for 5-8 min under broil @ 500°

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Posted in Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian | 5 Comments »

Meal Planning

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Meal planing  is a topic that I feel should get a lot of attention for multiple reasons… planning your meals for the week and the day will help you save money and time, which are both equally important, but more importantly it will guarantee a nutritious meal to nurture your body.

When I think about eating something, I think of what I will get out of it.. I don’t want to spend precious energy to prepare a meal that I won’t enjoy and feel satisfy.  At the same time I want this meal to be balanced, easy on my digestive system and to give me optimum benefits and therefore I feel that meal planning plays a big role in helping me achieve a healthy eating lifestyle.

Here is how we plan our meals;

-  On a piece of paper I create 3 columns;
-  First colum - I write the day of the week  Saturday to Saturday (in case we don’t get to the store until Sunday Morning)
-  Each day gets two rows… one for Raymond and one for me
-  Second column – I write lunch
-  Third column Dinner

-  Then I look at our calenders for the week to see if we have any social plans for lunch or dinner during that week

-  The next step is to figure out the nights we are busy and need simple & quick meals and the nights we have more time to make a new meal.
-  In deciding on the menu, it is important to select things that have good leftovers for lunch the next day

-  Now that I have a Menu in place for the week, I start my shopping list, and break it into Fruits & Veggies, Meat, Dry Goods & Misc
Quick Notes:  I buy enough of Veggies that would only last for one week and no more so on shopping day our fridge is usually empty

-  Having separate columns will help me not to forget anything on my list, our grocery store that we shop at (Central Market) is set up like a maze, so as you walk in you go through veggies and fruits, then meat and seafood, next is dry goods and bulk items, and the last part is freezer section and the bakery.

-  First step is to write down the items that we buy every week, i.e. ingredients for my green juice  or Raymond’s OJ

-  Next comes the items that we have around the house at all times and are low or running out
So again I am using this week as an example;

-  The last thing is to look through our dinners for the week and figure out what ingredients they need.   A quick check through the fridge, freezer and the pantry helps eliminate buying things that we already have at home

-  And off to the store we go!

Do you plan your meals for the week?

How do you organize your shopping list?

Do you prefer to shop once a week or as needed?

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As you  can see from our Menu above tonight was Ravioli Night.   I rarely eat ravioli, but when I do there is only one brand that I buy the Nuovo brand, in my opinion defiantly worth the extra couple bucks that I have to pay for it.    Raymond made the sauce; mushrooms, red bell pepper, asparagus and Bertolli Marinara…. He added Chicken Sausage to his and I added Emamame to mine.  After adding our choice of protein we baked the ravioli in the oven at 350° for 15 min.

Well my friends the dog show is on and I am off to watch the sporting group, it seems like one of Sadie’s cousins’ is going to be on the show so I promised to watch the show with her ;)

- Gelareh

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Posted in 101, Everyday Stuff, Vegetarian | 33 Comments »

Short Week?

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Hope everyone had a great Monday!  Is this is a short week for you?  Did you have today off?

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I have recieved a couple questions regarding the things that I eat and why I choose to eat them…

Question 1: This question was regarding the Creamy Avocado Smoothie
Can you tell me the nutritional benefits of the ingredients that you selected for this recipe?

Absolutly, Here is the break down;

1 - Avocado
-  Contains oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that may help to lower cholesterol.
-  a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Adequate intake of potassium can help to guard against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke.
-  a good source of vitamin K, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate and copper

Ways to enjoy Avocado:
-  Add it to your salad
-  Added to your morning Smoothie
-  Make Guacomole
-  On your sandwich — I used some avocado slices on my sandwich to give it a creamer texture.. and since I started doing that I was able to say goodbye to Mayo :)

2 – Hemp Seed & Milk  (see Hemp 101)
-  considered a super food because of its ideal balance of Omega 3 and 6.  It is also a perfect protein supplement because it contains fatty amino acids and this is specially important for vegetarian and vegans.
-  2 tbsp of hemp seed contains 2000 mg of Omega 3, 6200 mg of Omega 6 and 800 mg of Omega 9.
-  a great supplement if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant as 2 tbsp provides 210 ug (recommended value before pregnancy 400 ug and during pregnancy 600-1000ug).
-  provides 3.6 IU of Vitamin E, 3 mg zinc and 3 mg Manganese, which are a great source for beautiful hair and skin.

Ways to enjoy Hemp Seed:
-  Morning Smoothie
-  Oatmeal
-  Homemade Veggie Burger  (see recipe)
-  Salad
-  Baked goods
-  Topping for greek yogurt or frozen yogurt

3 – Flax Seed
-  high in most of the B vitamins, magnesium, and manganese.
-  rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are a key force against inflammation in our bodies.
-  high in Fiber — both soluble and insoluble. Fiber is probably mainly responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effects of flax. Fiber in the diet also helps stabilize blood sugar, and, of course, promotes proper functioning of the intestines.

Ways to enjoy Flax Seed:
-  Smoothie
-  Oatmeal
-  Pancake
-  Baked Goods
-  Topping for greek yogurt or frozen yogurt

4 – Chia Seed
-  high in Omega-3 fatty acids
-  excellent source of dietary fiber
-  helps the body retain fluids and electrolytes, it forms a gel in the stomach that slows the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar, and it helps build muscle and other tissues.

Ways to enjoy Chia Seed:
-  Smoothie
-  Oatmeal
-  added it to baked goods, like bread, muffins
-  soak it in water or juice for up to 8 hours to make gelatin and use it in pudding
-  sprout the seed and use it on your salad

5 – Red Maca Powder
-  provides Potasium & Calcium
-  helps boost energy
Personal Note:  I am not a big fan of the taste.. I can only handle 1/4 tsp at a time mixed with tons of other things to mask the flavor..

Ways to enjoy Red Maca Powder: (in this case I should say consume.. lol)
-  Smoothie
-  Oatmeal

6 – Spinach
-  excellent source of Magnesium and Riboflavin.  Studies show that these two compounds can help reduce frequency of migrane attacks in people who suffer from them.
-  high in Vitamins A, C, E, K and Iron.

Ways to enjoy Spinach:
-  Juice it
-  Smoothie
-  Steamed
-  In your salad
-  In wraps and sandwiches

Question #2:  Where do you get Hemp Seed/Milk, Flax Seed, Chia Seed & Maca Powder?

I don’t know if Trador Joe’s carris these products as we don’t have one in TX :(

Hemp Milk – I buy the Living Harvest Brand, you can find it in Whole Foods and or othe natural food stores.  I also know that Kroger and Hannaford carry the brand.  Click here to find out where you can get this product at a store close to you.

Hemp Seed & Oil – I buy the Monitoba Harvest Brand.  I buy mine from Central Market, which is a Austin based grocer with one branch in Houston.  You may be able to find it at whole foods, if not I am sure they have other brands of Hemp Seed and Hemp Oil.

Chia Seed, Maca Powder – I placed an order of Chia seed, Maca Powder, Acai Powder and Goji berries at Nuts Online.   I have seen them in the health section of Krogers and at Whole Foods.

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We had a very relaxing Sunday.  Our goal was to eat as easy as we possibly could, so we did…  Yesterday being Pancakes Sunday, I whiped up a batch of Blueberry Panckaes using Arrowhead Mill Multigrain Pancake Mix and added some fresh blueberries to it.   Our pancakes were topped with Raspberries, Blackberries, more Blueberries and sliced bananas :)

All Berried up Pancakes

Since we had a late and big breakfast, we decided on an earlier dinner.  For dinner I had Spagethi Squash, on of my favorites, topped with Homemade Sundried Tomato Sauce and Roasted Veggies (Brussel Sprouts, Zucchini and Asparagus).

Homemade Sundried Tomato

Ingredients:
-  2 Tomatoes
-  2 tbsp Sundried tomatoes
-  4 cloves of Garlic
-  1/2 tbsp of Olive oil
-  Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions: Provies 2 servings
-  In a pan saute finely chopped garlic until golden
-  Add sundried tomato and toss with the garlic for a minute
-  In magic bullet, blend and mix tomatoes, sudried tomato/garlic mixture and Salt & Pepper
-  Enjoy your fresh homemade sauce on top of your favorite spaghetti :)

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I also had a nice phone chat with Amie of The Healthy Apple.  We talked about blogging and clean eating.. and of course my long battle with IBS-C and how I was able to fix it with healthy and clean eating.  :)

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I dragged myself out of bed this morning… not because i didn’t get enough sleep, just because I had Sadie all cuddled up to me and it was just too nice holding my soft puppy that I didn’t want to get out of the bed.. but I did just because she wasn’t crazy about the snooze button.

I made it to the gym and to my surprise it was EMPTY.   I did stairmaster for 20 min, Elliptical Trainer for 20 min and 250 crunches and called it the day.   Once showered and dressed I realized I am the only person in the locker room because everyone else has today OFF…

For dinner tonight I wanted a nice big salad… Simple and yummy… I topped my salad with roasted potato, steamed Broccoli and Carrots and used a tbsp of my homemade tahini dressing :)

I have my gym bag all packed up and in the car and about to enjoy a quite evening.

I didn’t get to post last night… but that doesn’t mean that we get to skip our weekly goal… Set yourself ONE goal this week and try to achieve it.

My goal this week is get to bed at a decent time and get minimum of 6.5 – 7 hrs of sleep.

- Gelareh

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Posted in Did you know?, Everyday Stuff, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian | 32 Comments »

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Do you ever wake up in the morning and think… I want some Carrot Cake!  Well I do.  My mom makes the BEST Carrot Cake in the world, and I wanted some of her cake this morning.  Since that wasn’t an option I decided to make CARROT CAKE PANCAKES for Pancake Sunday :)

Ingredients:

-  1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
-  1/4 cup Scottish Oatmeal
-  1/4 tsp Baking Soda
-  1 tsp Cinnamon
-  1/4 tsp Nutmeg
-  1 tbsp Brown Sugar
-  1/4 cup Shredded Carrots
-  2 tbsp Raisins
-  3/4 cup Milk
-  2 tbsp Walnuts

Directions: Serves 2

-  Mix all ingredients except for Walnuts together well, make pancakes.  Top pancakes with more cinnamon, raisins and walnuts.  Use honey or Syrup.  Enjoy!

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Posted in Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian | 12 Comments »

Houston to Austin ONE Pedal at time

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

The BP MS-150 Houston to Austin bike ride is one of the biggest events here in Houston… Other than the Marathon.  Once January hits the spin classes are packed, the bike shops start selling bikes like crazy and you see riders out in the streets training for the big ride.     This is a two day fundraising cycling ride organized by the National MS society.

The ride is a 180 mile journey from Houston to Austin, starting on Saturday morning April 17th,  a 100 mile ride, with an overnight stay in La Grange.   On Sunday the riders will choose between Bechtel Challenge Route, which travels through the rolling terrain of Bastrop and Buescher State Parks or the Pfizer Express Route which by-passes the park.   The 80 mile ride will finish at the Capital….

The ride has grown from 6,000 riders in 1994 to 13,000 riders in 2009.    Each rider must raise minimum of $400 to particpate in the event AND as you know both Raymond and I registered for the ride with team SHELL  (he works for Shell Global Solutions).

We would appreciate your donation and support for this charitable cause.    If you would like to make a donation please visit Gelareh’s Donation Page or Raymond’s Donation Page.

Our weekends are booked with training rides… here is a quick look at the rides we have paid to participate in between now and the MS-150 ride (there are a lot more and we might add a few more on Sundays).

Saturday Feb 6th – Puddle for the Ducks – 25/37/45/70 miles –  45 miles

Saturday Feb 13th – Pedaling the Prairie ride – 23/41/56/70 miles — 56 miles

Saturday Feb 20th – Humble Lions Ride – 4/25/46.5/55 miles — 55 miles

Saturday Feb 27 – Team Shell Ride – 44/63 miles – 63 miles??

Sunday Feb 28th – Sun & Ski Ride – 24/36/50/65 miles - Would like to do 50 miles but two days in a row might go for 36 miles

Saturday Mar 6th – Pedal Thru the Pines – 16/27/ 50/ 65 miles — 65 miles

Saturday Mar 13th – Conoco Phillips Ride – 44/62 — 62 Miles

Saturday Mar 20th – Conoco Phillips Ride – 34/52 — 52 miles

Saturday Mar 27th – Conoco Phillips Ride – 25/45/62 — 62 miles

Saturday Apr 3rd – Conoco Phillips Ride – 38/57 — 57 miles

Saturday Apr 10 – Conoco Phillips Ride – 41/51 — 51 miles

Saturday & Sunday April 16 & 17 – BP MS 150 Ride — 180 miles in two days

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I started my day with a good spin class, but I have to admit, I didn’t get to bed untl 10:30 so when the alarm clock went off at 4:15 this morning I thought about just staying in bed.  Thanks to Sadie who complaint about the alarm clock and moved herself to my spot I got out of the bed and made it to my class.

I forgot my packed lunch at home and had to get Salad from the cafeteria.   I got big salad topped with Mushrooms, Red Cabbage, Cucumbers, Green Bell Pepper, Olives, Alfa Alfa Sprouts, Tomatos and HALF of an Avocado for $4.38… now if that is not a bargin I don’t know what it is.

For dinner I had yet another salad, I used up all of my steamed veggies and some raw veggies and mixed it with Raw Tahini Dressing and Fresh Salsa from last night.

Raymond is out at Basketball watching… Hopefully watching WVU handing it to PITT, I decided to have an experimental baking night, figured this way Raymond is not home to see it if it turns out bad.

I baked Vegan-Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Cake and it turned out AWESOME.

I sent him a txt to let him know he has a surprise waiting for him in the fridge ;)

Gelareh

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