Hi Bloggie Friends! How was your weekend?  Mine was great!  Friday was my Anniversary and although we didn’t go out, Scott surprised me with this!

Back in the day, I had a serious love affair with Veuve Clicquot.  It was always noon somewhere in my world and never too early for champagne.

So it was a lovely surprise to have Scott pick up a bottle.  Not sure when we will break into it, but hopefully soon.

And after 10+ years together, we apparently think alike.  Of all the thousands of anniversary cards out there at various stores, we bought each other the same card!

What are the odds?  Well, read my thoughts about staying married and our how we met and got married story, and I am not that surprised that it happened.  But it’s sure an ironic twist!

And then remember when I mentioned I got spray tanned and said I would let you know why?

Well, Ilana guessed it in the comments…

I had a photo shoot!!!  And it was amazing!!!!  

I don’t have pictures back yet from my photographer so I am sorry that you’ll have to be patient right along with me until she gets them to me.  She said she took 1000+ shots of me and we shot for about 3 hours.  So, definitely plenty of good material, I’m sure.  

What did I wear?  Well, remember when I went bikini shopping for my Competition Suit?  I also found some photo shoot worthy apparel that day.   And also remember when I went Dress Shopping, I found a sassy number to wear for my shoot.

Why did I do the shoot?  I have never had professional photos taken and being that I am only just 20 days away from my Fitness Competition, I thought that now was a perfect time to showcase where I’ve come with my fitness, my physique, and sometimes you do things, Just Because….And this was one of those things.

It was so much fun!  I felt really special and I like to think of it as an Anniversary and Mother’s Day Gift rolled in, too.

I promise pictures when I get them! 

To Recap…
I hope you all enjoyed the Highlights of the Week Post since I mentioned it will be my last one.  I have been spending far, far too long creating them and I’d rather not.  For my regular readers, you already know what I’ve been up to and for the non-regular readers, that’s why I have a 7-Day Recent Post Widget, a Search Box, and a Monthly Archive list on the right hand margin.  Plenty of ways to see what I’ve been up to if you’re interested.   As I said, it feels great to let go of self-imposed obligations.  And thanks for sharing what you’ve let go of.

Thanks for letting me know what you think of Food Pushers, too.  Those pesky people who tell you yes, but just a bite of chicken (and they know you’re vegan) or just a piece of bread with your salad (and they know you’re gluten-intolerant) or the bank tellers that force HFCS lollipops on your child.  Those people.  Thanks for letting me know that you also experience these people and if simply saying No Thank You works for you, or not.  Seems we all have encountered these situations.  Just wait til you have a child is all I can say.  If you think it’s bad as an adult, there’s something about people going out of their way to Sugar Up your kid.  Fun.

Also in the Highlights Post…

No Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Do you think monogamy is natural?  Is it a natural state for you?  Is it a natural state for any of us? 
And  My Recipe Published as Hers Magazine’s Recipe of the Month!

My Recipe appears Here on the Hers site

It’s my Recipe for No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bars 

 

However, there was some Drama Surrounding it.  That’s putting it politely.  Basically, someone submitted MY Recipe, un-edited, and could win something from it.   Is Everything on the Internet Fair Game?  Click Here to Read all the Details…


And everything else from the Highlights Post is Right Here.

Moving Along…
It’s Summer Time and I love eating fresh, high raw, un-processed, and clean.  Well, I eat like that all the time, but in the summer, it’s especially nice!

Green & Fresh Food: an Edamame Salad with Romaine, Tomatoes, Cukes

Dressed With Vegan Slaw Dressing using Reduced Fat Veganaise

And Plenty of Fresh Fruit!  Nothing beats fresh fruit during the summer.

Dessert over the weekend was Vegan Ice Cream Sundaes!  

First, make the Softserve.

Some Softserve Ideas….

My Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Softserve

Also, Lately I’ve Made:
Banana Vanilla Softserve

And I’ve made Peanut Butter Soft Serve

And there’s Mango BananaVanilla Softserve

Today’s Softserve…
(with a nod to Gena, our resident Softserve pioneer)

Averie’s Vegan Vanilla Chocolate Chip Softserve
3 Previously Frozen & Chunked Bananas (freeze in chunks)
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 c white sugar (you can also reduce, omit, use lucama powder, stevia, agave, maple, etc.  If using a liquid sweeter, do not add any other liquids to the recipe, i.e. water or nutmilk)
1/2 c Chocolate Chips (or carob chips, cocoa nibs, white chocolate chips, etc.)
Optional: 
Splash of Water or Nut Milk only if needed for blendability/smoothness

Combine all Ingredients In Blending Device except chocolate chips

Blend

 Note for Vita Users: Blend at a Level 2-3 for about 10 seconds just to break up the banana chunks. Then blend at a Level 8-9 for about 20-30 seconds or until incorporated.  Do Not Overblend and Do Not make the mistake of blending on too slow of a gear, i.e a Level 2-3 after the first 10 seconds or so have elapsed, because you will overheat the machine.

If you’re adding Chocolate Chips, I recommend hand stirring them in after incorporating the softserve as to not pulverize them

Serve & Enjoy as is!  Or Make Vegan Sundaes! 

Frozen Tru Whip (Almost Vegan “Cool Whip”) 

Why almost vegan?  Click Here to see that there is sodium caseinate (milk protein) in the ingredient list.  Thanks, Jessy of HappyVeganFace for letting me know there’s trace dairy in this.  Skip the Cool Whip or Tru Whip for the vegans or if that suits your dietary path.

Scoop the Whipped Topping on top of the Vegan Vanilla Chocolate Chip Softserve and garnish with Caramel Sauce, Carob Chips, and Chocolate Sprinkles

 

If you want to make your own Caramels or Caramel Sauce, Click Here for my Raw Vegan Caramels Recipe

Or my Raw Vegan Nut-Butter Filled Caramel Bites

Or, Make your Own Raw Vegan Caramel Sauce.

I, however, just used store-bought for the Sundaes.  There’s only so many hours in the day!

 

Yoga Today is Kukkutasana
Full lotus first, but be sure to warm up your Hips and pay attention to your hip opening, rather than just thinking this pose is about the knees, when entering full lotus.  Then, insert your arms through the holes.  Then lift off.   Lean Forward if you’re lifting off.  Lean Forward far more than you think you need to.  You need to bring your center of gravity forward or else your bootie is going to weigh you back and downward and you won’t achieve liftoff.  As I’ve mentioned before, these are poses to work towards; not feel bummed if you’re not there today.  And really just have fun with yoga!

Gym & Weights Workout Today: New Progress Pictures!

Tip of the Day: My Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Hair Treatment Give Away!!

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

 

Questions
1. Best Thing You Ate or Did Over the Weekend?
Me = My Photo Shoot and spending time with Scott and Skylar and reminiscing about the past 10+ years we’ve been together.  He still thinks I’m beautiful and I still tolerate him.  A match made in heaven.  haha!  As I mentioned, you have to have a sense of humor in long-term partnerships!

2. Have you ever tried Tru Whip?  Thoughts?  Or, what “healthy knock-off” food or product have you tried lately compared to the real thing?  I know Evan, Danielle, Heather, Jessie, Katie, Gabriela, and the rest of the sphere has gotten into Daiya cheese.  I still haven’t gotten on the ‘wagon.  Honestly, I don’t miss or desire cheese and all my non-dairy cheeze recipes float my boat, for now.  I do love Nooch as my cheese knock-off.  What healthy substitutes have you been enjoying lately?

3. My Photo Shoot Pictures.  Some of them push the envelope.  Everything’s covered, but not gonna lie, definitely some va-va-voom I-Am-Not-A-Soccer-Mom photos, too.  Not quite sure how much I should put on my “Food” Blog.  Does anyone care about the food anymore?  haha!   Is anyone going to be “offended” if they see skimpy bikini pictures?  

4. Blog’s Focus.  For the food bloggers, do you feel that as you have evolved as a person, be it your maturity, your food or dietary path, your exercise path, your lifestyle choices, you name it, that as life changes, your blog changes?

For some of you who keep your food blogs strictly about the food, this is not so much of an issue but in the last year, for me, life is always ticking, spinning, changing, moving, evolving, and it would be boring for me to not have my blog’s themes and content change and ebb and flow with life.

I wish I could call my blog a lifestyle blog, not a “food blog”, but I also know I have a huge following that comes here for my recipes.   I do love to share my recipes but I also am having fun sharing all the other aspects of my life, too.  I am not really “changing” anything that I haven’t already done in the past few weeks or months,  just talking out loud….

Do you find that the blog you started with has evolved into something either somewhat different, or vastly different? I can think of about 25 blogs off the top of my head that have evolved and changed, drastically.  The beauty of life is that it changes, and if we’re blogging about our life, it’s not a surprise that our blogs mirror that and morph, shift, and change.  Tell me about your blog from then to now?  What’s been a constant?  What’s changed?  Have you scraped one whole blog and started a new one?

Stay Tuned For A Big Announcement…