Hi Bloggie Friends! How has the weekend been going so far for you? I have had an action packed, non-computer out there living life and loving it kind of day. Scott got home last night from his business trip and took Skylar to the park today so I could have a couple hours to myself. We took a power walk together, then I went to the gym, didn’t rush, did a major grocery shopping, came home and unpacked everything, and proceeded to create new recipes in the kitchen. I love being creative and taking an hour or so to experiment and play around and come up with new creations! I will be posting about them over the next few days. What have you been up to so far this weekend?
Here’s a few goodies in the mail I received.
First, I got my iHerb.com order in the mail. I posted about it here
And here’s my Cocaine Addiction 5 Pounds of White Stevia Powder
This will last me for awhile. I use stevia in everything from coffee to
Chocolate Brownie Protein Oats
With additional Tips Here
To
I also ordered more of the Probiotics I have been loyal to for many years
From Yesterday…
I’m glad you could appreciate my homemade kombucha distillery that I’ve got going!
And I loved hearing the stories about breaking up with service providers and cheating on your hair stylist! Many of you have been loyal to the same person forever (Jessica) but most of us have had to make a switch at some point to a new person for whatever reason and I loved hearing how things went down. Hard feelings and diva attitudes included!
It was also great to know that I’m not the only one who fears cooking certain foods. For me, I mentioned Beans. I’ve never made my own beans, crazy, I know. Thanks to those of you who gave me some Bean Cooking Tips and also for enlightening me with foods you fear cooking from beans to bread. And also for telling me about some successes you’ve had getting over your culinary fears, branching out, and trying new things in the kitchen! Yay for an adventurous spirit!
Since I have been on a fermenting firestorm lately, I thought I’d make pickles. My grandma made the best refrigerator pickles but I’m pretty sure hers involved saucepans on the stovetop of liquid and were much more labor intensive than mine.
Averie’s Vegan Sweet and Sour Refrigerator Pickles (No-Cook, Garlic & Onion Free)
3/4 c Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
1 c Water
1/3 c Sugar (use less if you’re concerned, I am not. Or if you don’t like sweet pickles and prefer savory, omit)
1/4 Tsp Dried Mustard Powder
1/4 Tsp Ground Ginger Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
Pinch/Twist of Black Pepper
Optional: Use Pickling Spice, Cumin, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Garlic, Onion Powder you name it, season to your liking
Shake/Stir to Combine these ingredients in a Jar
Then Add:
1 cup of cucumber slices sliced about 1/8th to 1/4 inch thick (I used a pickling cucumber but I don’t think it matters)
1/3 c diced carrots (optional add onion or other veggies)
Shake it Up and leave Covered on Countertop for 4 Hours
Then, Transfer to Refrigerator. Pickles will be “done” 12 to 24 hours later and will get better with time. Will keep for at least a week in the fridge and use your judgment, but will likely keep for many weeks.
Dessert: No Bake Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Coconut Snowballs
Gym & Weights Workout Today: Upper Body Workout from This Tab
I thought I would throw all modesty to the wind and snap a couple pics as I was getting out of the shower an hour ago.
I am working on my arms lately. I am tall (almost 5’11”) with long extremities and so it takes a lot of work to add some size to my arms and legs. I fear my Butt is a lost cause…haha! I have posted before about trying to make my butt bigger.
I think I am having some success with my arms though.
Tip of the Day: My Galaxy Granola Give Away for 2 Winners!
Questions
1. Best Thing You’ve Ate or Done so far this weekend?
Me = This is hard because I’ve had a great day from my non-rushed gym session to making new things in the kitchen to spending time with Scott and Skylar!
2. Do you like pickles? What’s your favorite kind or brand? Have you ever made your own?
As most of my readers know, I am not a fan of salt, garlic, or onions. Most pickles have those ingredients in abundance. I do love sweet pickles though but rarely buy them. I am so happy that I can just make my own, now! Between the probiotics, the kombucha, and the pickles, my body is clearly alive with the sound of music bacteria! Nothing says healthy like a well-balanced GI tract, since 80% or more of our immune system resides in our guts, not our lungs, like many people think.
3. So what do you do to keep your normal flora healthy and in check? Do you eat fermented foods? Do you take probiotics?
4. For the bloggers out there, how many pictures a day do you take? Do you carry your camera with you everywhere? You don’t have to be a blogger to be a trigger-happy picture taker, though.
I take about 40 pictures per day. Some days 15-20 and on big cooking project days, 75 pics or so. And you can see what makes the blog, about 15-20 per day. Angles, lighting, clutter in the background, blurry images, images that look great in person but awful on film and don’t get published, I’d rather take too many than not enough. But I also wonder if all the other bloggers take this many!
I also find that I bring my camera everywhere whereas a year ago, I didn’t. There are certain things I want to share but I also sometimes need to just put the camera away and concentrate on living my life in the moment, rather than trying to “capture” it. I actually find I miss a few tender moments with Skylar that if I wasn’t trying to capture it, I would have just enjoyed it more. Then again, “kids grow up so fast” and I want to have it all documented! How do you balance this in your life?
5. Air Dry or Blow Dry your hair?
As you can see, I am an air dry girl all the way, now! But I spent the better part of the first quarter century of my life blow drying, curling, flat-ironing, and styling it. Now, I just rock whatever happens when it air dries.
Have a Great Sunday Everyone!!!! Thanks to new readers for saying hi, thanks to longtime readers for being awesome and for your support! I have a birthday party to go to tomorrow and a full day of living life away from my computer! yay!
Stay Tuned For A New Tofu Recipe…
