2010 November|Chia Seed Me

Nov 30, 2010 Posted by candice on Nov 30, 2010 in dessert, our life, recipes, vegan | 16 comments

food, family and lots of fun

Hello!

This week has been so crazy! Since we’ve been back home from visiting family for Thanksgiving, we’ve been so busy. I haven’t even had a chance to recap our Thanksgiving weekend…better late than never, though. Right?

I ended up making three different dishes to take to my family’s dinner. I’m blessed to have grandparents who are healthy eaters, so there were several great options on the table. I was really excited about cooking up some new recipes I’d been wanting to try, so I decided to take a few things anyway!

First up, I made this Maple Spiced Quinoa dish that Angela had posted awhile back.

This dish was delicious! Unfortunately the picture doesn’t do it justice. All I had to put it in was my mom’s Tupperware bowl, but i promise it tasted worlds better than it looks. The only negative was that I kind of wished I had made a savory quinoa dish for dinner, rather than sweet. This almost could have been eaten as a dessert!

I also made Angela’s healthy Sweet Potato Casserole. Let’s just go ahead and get something out on the table – I totally had an Angela inspired Thanksgiving dinner! Why not, right? Her recipes almost always amaze me, and I didn’t really have time to come up with something on my own. Plus, I had been drooling over these recipes since she posted them several weeks ago. What better time to try them out than on Thanksgiving?!

I totally scored big with this casserole…especially when it came to my baby cousin, Caroline. She was a big fan:)

This casserole was competing big time too because my aunt brought a delicious sweet potato casserole. I think it competed well, though it may not have won out in the end:( Except with Caroline that is.

For dessert I made Pumpkin Brownie cupcakes. Now these were a hit!

Every bit as delicious as they look and sound. How can you beat the combination of brownie + pumpkin + cupcake?! Seriously? I was so happy that everyone enjoyed these, and the recipe has already been sent out to the family. I could actually really use one of these about right now…

To top it all off, I made up a quick batch of Super Charge Me Cookies from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. They were awesome, as always.

My plate: vegetarian, mostly vegan and 100% delicious!

After lunch, we spent the rest of the day playing games and just hanging out. I love holidays at my grandparent’s house – it’s so nice to just spend time together. It doesn’t happen nearly enough.

And don’t forget family picture time!

And all the grandkids…starting at 1 year and going all the way up to 30!

My sweet grandma on her birthday. Her actual birthday is today, but we celebrated it with her on Thursday evening after all the Thanksgiving festivities. Happy Birthday Grandma!

The rest of the weekend was spent shopping, hanging out with my mom, step-dad and sister, decorating our Christmas tree and then celebrating yet another birthday.

We had a surprise party for my sister’s 30th, and I was in charge of lying to her all morning, getting her out of the house and then getting her back to the house in time for the party. I don’t think she likes to be surprised very much, and she didn’t make it easy on me. I think she ended up being about 1/3 surprised. Fun was still had by all though:)

We came back home on Saturday just in time to get ready for the Bedlam game. The husband and I had to work in the suites taking pictures. It was definitely the most fun game all year – even though we ended up losing in the end.

On Sunday we spent the day catching up on work and the house, and then we decorated for Christmas! One of my favorite activities of the season! Pictures will be soon to come:)

That’s all for now! I’m so glad to finally be caught up on everything…now it’s time to get caught up on all of your lovely blogs:) Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are having a great start to the week. How crazy that it’s already almost December!

I’ll be back tomorrow to talk about getting back and staying on track during this chaotic season – it’s not easy, but it’s so worth it!

thankful

Only one day left until Thanksgiving – I can hardly believe it! I am so looking forward to spending time with family over the next few days. We’ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon, heading to my hometown for all kinds of fun. I’m so thankful that I have a home and family to spend time with. In fact, I have two!

Something I’m really feeling so thankful for this year is that I have my grandparents to go home to. My grandma and grandpa will cook Thanksgiving dinner at their house on Thursday, just like they have every single year since before I can remember. And I feel so blessed to be able to spend time with them.

This morning when I got up, I really was not feeling a workout at all. I just felt like I had zero energy…but I decided that if I just made myself go, I’d get more energized once I got there. Works every time.

Until today.

I felt completely drained the entire time, and it was all I could do to keep myself going from machine to machine. I ended up putting in about 40 minutes on the treadmill – a combination of walking, speed walking, jogging, running and pretty much everything in between. It wasn’t super intense, but I was moving!!

Unlike most days, I ate some breakfast before I went because I was starving from the second I woke up. I knew that oatmeal was in the cards, and in the end I decided to keep it simple. I love putting tons of different toppings on my oats, but sometimes it’s nice to just get back to the basics.

I cooked 1/2 cup of oatmeal in 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk for about 2 minutes. Actually, I cooked it for 1 minute and 50 seconds, and then the oatmeal overflowed out of the bowl and all over my microwave. oops! I seriously hate it when that happens!

Anyway, after getting everything cleaned up, I just stirred in about 1 tbsp of pumpkin butter and then put a little dollop on top. It was so simple tasting…and delicious!

I spent the rest of today doing laundry and working on preparing the photos I took for a family last weekend. Here is a little glimpse of two of the cutest little baby boys ever:)

Tomorrow is going to be a busy one, trying to get ready to go! I think I know what I’m taking as far as food, but I still need to work out a few more details before I share. Other than that I just have to pack, tutor and get some Outbox work done. And then we’ll be off! yay!

What are your plans for the holiday? What special dishes are you making?

a race to remember

Good morning!

I can hardly believe it is already Thanksgiving week. The holiday season is officially here! My grandma and I were just talking (through facebook by the way…I have a really tech savvy Grandma:) about how fast this year has gone by. It seems like just last month we were having Christmas dinner together as a family. Time is definitely going by faster and faster the older I get.

Anyway, I got up this morning and headed to the gym for a quick interval workout. Today is going to be really busy, so I knew I had to make it quick! Sometimes it’s nice to just have a more intense, shorter workout and be done than to drag it out. It really just depends on the day for me, I guess. I ended with some full and side planks before racing back home and throwing together a juice. We are seriously low on groceries right now, so I had two measly ingredients this morning.

I would have liked to have had some greens in there, but you can’t win ‘em all I suppose. And this tasted delicious! So sweet:)

This weekend was so busy with going to Tulsa on Friday and on Sunday and having a mini photoshoot sandwiched in between on Saturday. We had such a great time with everything though!

The race was so fun and as expected it made me sad that we weren’t running and it made me want to run a race soon! Everything went off without a hitch, and all of Jon’s work looked fantastic. I know you may be sick of seeing it all, but here are some pictures from the actual race. Unfortunately it was overcast and super windy, so the pictures aren’t that pretty, but I think the husband’s amazing talent made up for it;)

not a pretty picture, but I thought these little details were so cute

please excuse the nest on my head – it was thanks to the 30 mile an hour wind

the husband got interviewed by Channel 6 news in Tulsa. I told him to drop a plug for Outbox, but he didn’t. He was cute anyway:)

I unexpectedly saw two friends at the race, which was so exciting! The first was my friend, Julie, from my teaching days, who ran the 5k.

And the second was my friend Katie from high school. It was so fun to see both of these girls because I hadn’t seen either one of them in forever! Katie ran the half marathon and PR’d – I was so excited for her! I think she ran it in 1:52 – go Katie! She blew my half marathon time out of the water by 17 minutes!

After about 4 hours at the race, we headed out, stopping at Starbuck’s for a little coffee before doing some Christmas shopping!

I love this little Starbucks – it was the quaintest I’ve seen since the one in Old Town where I met Emily. I told the husband that I could have sat there forever. It was that quaint:)

Don’t you just love the word “quaint”? I do. And I love quaint things.

It was a great day, and we were so happy that everything went over with the race so well.

I have to say, though, there was a 27 year old man that collapsed during the half marathon, and he died shortly after. So so sad. I cannot even imagine being his family. So, we’re definitely saying a prayer for him and those who knew him:(

I’ll see you all later – hope you have a great Monday.

i’m one proud wife

Hi!

It has been quite the crazy weekend around here. Wednesday night I started feeling less than stellar, and by Thursday morning I had a full-on sore throat and achy body. It was not fun. It lasted well into this morning, but I think I’m finally starting to feel better as of this afternoon.

Needless to say my eats have been pretty boring as I’ve resorted to whatever required the least energy to put together. Fortunately I had made a giant pot of taco soup on Tuesday night, so I’ve been eating that pretty much every other meal.

Sprinkle in a couple of Amy’s dinners and lots of hummus – hummus quesadilla, hummus on toast, hummus wrap…and on and on.

I must say I am beginning to seriously crave veggies in a bad way. Must go to the grocery store tomorrow.

Anyway, despite being sick last night still, we headed to Tulsa for the Tulsa Route 66 Marathon race expo. The logo and all of the signage was designed by the husband, and we were super excited to see how everything looked and take some pictures for our website!

I have to say, I am so so proud of him. Outside of his 9-5, he put in over 60 hours for this race last month, and he had 4 other clients to keep up with as well. He has worked so hard – so many late nights, so little sleep, but he is so dedicated. He never stops until everything is just right, and I admire his passion and persistence so much!

Here is a glimpse of the expo.

So proud:) It’s one thing to see the results of all his hard work on the computer screen, but to see it on welcome signs, t-shirts, bags, and even displayed on the floor was just so overwhelming!

We got back from Tulsa late Friday night and ended up sleeping in really late this morning. By the time we got up we had just enough time to clean the house top to bottom before heading out for my 2nd ever photo shoot. I still need to get the photos uploaded and sorted through, but I’ll be posting some asap! They’re pretty cute methinks:)

Anyway, I’m off to bed now – we have to head to Tulsa bright and early tomorrow morning to be there for the start of the race. I hope to get some great pictures of the runners and the husband’s work, but also just enjoy the race atmosphere. I’m already feeling really sad that we aren’t running, but I’m trying to just focus on the excitement of what we are doing! Which is basically the whole reason why we aren’t running….so there you have it.

Hope you’re all having a great weekend!

hye-kyoung and jinsel

Hello!

Remember yesterday when I mentioned that I had something exciting to come home to on Sunday night?

Well, many of you know how much I adore the international students that I tutor. Even on the saddest or most stressful of days, they keep me smiling. I love our conversations about culture and things that they are dealing with as a foreigner in our country. Having lived overseas for a year, I feel like I can identify with the struggles and joys that they experience on a day-to-day basis. I could talk about this forever, but let’s get to the good stuff.

A couple of weeks ago one of my Korean students, HeyKyoung, and I decided that it would be fun for me to take some pictures of her and her 4 year-old daughter, Jinsel. Now for every time that my adult students make me smile, times it by about 100 and you get the amount of times international children make me smile. I’ve been so excited about this because it gives me a chance to document a moment in their life here in the states, and I think they will cherish that for years to come whether they live here or go back to Korea. Also, it gives me a chance to practice taking pictures of people, which I don’t get to do very often!

So anyway, I wanted to share a few of the pictures because they are just so precious.

Little Jinsel was an absolute doll the entire time; I could not have asked for a happier, more fun little girl to photograph.

In Korean the word “emo” means “mom’s friend.” Since Jinsel doesn’t know much English, HeyKyoung kept saying “emo, emo” whenever she wanted her to look at me or come to me….it was so so cute. The next day when I met with HeyKyoung, she said that Jinsel woke up that morning asking when she was going to get her picture taken again and saying that she wanted to see emo.

Melted my heart:)

Speaking of pictures, this weekend there will be a lot of photo taking going on for the McCoy’s. Remember that marathon that the husband and I were originally going to run, but then we decided to back down from it? Well, since Jon created the branding for the race, we’ve been invited to attend some of the VIP events on Friday night, and we’re also going to be at the marathon bright and early Sunday morning to take pictures of Jon’s work (and probably some of the runners because I won’t be able to resist!). I’m really looking forward to being a spectator instead of a runner! I think it’ll be fun, even though it will make me itch to start training.

Also, the family I used to nanny for has asked us to photograph their family on Saturday evening, so we’ll be fitting that in as well! A full weekend it will be, but I’m so excited! I know it’s a little early to be talking weekend plans already….forgive me.

no place like home

I’m now back from a 3 day hiatus.

Over the weekend, the husband and I got to visit our family in his hometown. We always love spending time there; I may be a little biased I suppose, but I’m certain that I have the best in-laws on the planet. Here are a few photos of our little weekend getaway.

They are so thoughtful to always make sure that my favorite foods are in the house. I always think it’s so sweet that they do that because these are not things they would normally have.

Breakfast Saturday morning – Ezekiel bread with almond butter and sliced banana

Playtime in the backyard:) Olive is the only grandchild so far, so she gets a LOT of attention. I worry about the day she’s no longer the only one…she will be a sad baby dog:(

ready….set….

GO!

One thing I love about visiting our family is that, like us, they love to hop in the car and just drive around, ending up wherever the days takes us. On Saturday it took us to a cemetery in this tiny little country town. Don’t even ask:)

trying to see her Grandpa

And then dinner. The family had spaghetti with meatballs, my MIL’s specialty. I fixed up a giant pan of seasoned and roasted chickpeas, sweet potato, carrots and squash. Easy and delicious.

And as usual, the day ended with a great round of game-playing

On Sunday we went to church to hear my FIL preach and then sadly, we had to rush to get back on the road toward home. I never want to leave when we visit, but this week the sadness was softened just a little bit because I was so excited about what we were headed home to do!

a hot topic: what do you think?

It’s Fridaaaaaaaay!

Another rainy day here and my heart is telling me to go curl up on the couch and take a nap. Oh, the dangers of working from home.

There is no time for naps today, though because the husband and I are off to visit mom and dad McCoy for the weekend! This means lots of relaxing, game playing, good eating and the best part – just feeling at home But first, there will be packing.

I couldn’t possibly leave you high and dry after teasing you with chocolate last night, though. That would be cruel.

Vegan Mocha Chocolate Chip Muffins
from Vegan with a Vengeance via this site

Ingredients

1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershe’s dark chocolate, and it is to die for)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp instant coffee powder (I used a Starbucks Via sample)
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
3 tbsp soy yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
as many (vegan) chocolate chips as you want!

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit and grease a muffin tin or line with muffin liners
Sift together all dry ingredients except the coffee. Then mix in the coffee.
Whisk together all wet ingredients.
Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well.
Dump in chocolate chips and mix well.
Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

A few things worth noting:

First. This is the most delicious vegan dessert I’ve ever baked or eaten. Ever. It is so moist and soft…just as delicious or more so than any non-vegan dessert I’ve ever had. And the husband can vouch for that as well. I think I may have to order Vegan with a Vengeance as soon as possible.

Second. Next time I might try using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose, softened Earth Balance instead of oil and more coffee powder. Might is the key word because these muffins are so delicious I would die if I messed them up!

Third. I have only recently thought about the fact that it might not be a good idea to post a recipe if said recipe comes straight from a cookbook. I honestly never really thought about it until now. I found this recipe on a website and didn’t realize that it actually came from a cookbook until about 5 minutes ago. Considering I had already taunted you with it last night, I couldn’t bear not delivering you the recipe.

But I really want to hear your thoughts on this issue. I can see both sides. On one hand, if a blogger posts a recipe that is from a cookbook, then readers have no reason to go buy the book because they can just access the recipe for free online. This could quite possibly hinder book sales, and when it comes down to it could probably be considered stealing, even if credit is given to the book.

On the other hand, now that I have had a chance to try this recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance, I am hugely motivated to go purchase the book now because I want to bake/cook every other recipe in it! Obviously, this is a way to increase book sales for the author by generating interest in her book.

I found an interesting article from another blogger on this issue. Here is an excerpt (entire post found here) from what he has to say in regard to publishing recipes via blogs:

“If it’s from a book, it’s acceptable to use a recipe, as long as credit is given and the person changes the language of the recipe to personalize it…When you adapt a recipe from another source, you do not need permission to adapt the recipe. But it’s considered proper etiquette to acknowledge the source. You should not reprint a published recipe word-for-word, which can be construed as a violation of copyright infringement.”

This brings us to another issue – when is a recipe considered to have been adapted? How much do you have to change in order to say you adapted it? Where do you draw that line?

Honestly, I most enjoy creating my own recipes because it’s such fun and brings so much satisfaction. That being said, I think part of the process of becoming more competent at baking/cooking is gaining inspiration and experience by using other people’s recipes as well. It’s all a part of the process for me. I don’t know where we would all be if it wasn’t for sharing recipes and learning new ideas from others.

I would never post a recipe here and not give full credit to where it came from, but lately I’m beginning to wonder if that’s enough? According to the excerpt above, as long as the directions are written in the blogger’s own words, it is perfectly acceptable (legal at least) to publish it, as long as credit is given.

What do you think? Do you think it is ethical to post a recipe with little to no adaptations, as long as you write it in your own words? When do you consider a recipe to have been adapted?

I hope you all have a wonderful, fantastic, refreshing and relaxing start to your weekend!

chia seeds are like weight training

Hello!

Thanks so much for the sweet comments on my Thailand post from yesterday. Reminiscing about our time there is near to my heart, so I’m super thankful that you guys enjoy hearing about it. I’m sure there will be more to come:)

Today was rainy and dreary here in Oklahoma, which lent a kind of peacefulness and relaxation to the day. And laziness I suppose:)

I pretty much rocked it out at the gym though, getting in 4.5 miles on the treadmill and lifting arms, chest, back, legs and abs. I have to admit, I am so thankful that I can spend more time at the gym these days. Last year it was a major feat to even make it in the front door, and I’m well aware that this is probably a very small window in my life in which I can spend almost as much time there as I want (within reason of course) – I’m really trying to take advantage of it!

As soon as I walked back in the door of my house, I headed straight to my blender. Minutes later I was guzzling this:

Chocolate milk!

Actually, it was better than chocolate milk. I blended one and a quarter cups of unsweetened almond milk, 2 tablespoons of Vega Shake and Go Smoothie powder and some ice. I have become a huge fan of Vega in my green smoothies, but this was the first time I’d had it just in milk. I’m telling you, this will become a regular occurrence for post-workout fuel. It has many of the benefits of Amazing Grass, but also boasts 11 grams of complete protein per serving. Perfect to repair muscles after an intense workout. As much as I love my Amazing Grass, I think if my wallet forces me to choose, I’d have to go with Vega at this point. It truly is the only protein powder I’ve ever actually liked.

Anyway, by the time I got back from the gym, showered and dressed, and caught up on some email, the husband was pulling up outside ready for lunch!

I swiftly got to work making hummus, and it was the most troublesome batch of hummus I’ve ever created. First, my food processor broke. As soon as I turned it on it started making this really weird noise like a dying engine and then I started to smell something burning. Oh-kay!

Time to bring in the reinforcements.

Enter…the Magic Bullet. My biggest problem with the Magic Bullet is that it is too small. And the lid gets stuck and won’t come off if you leave it processing for too long. Which of course happened today. So, I ended up with a big mess and a bad attitude.

But at least I also came out with a veggie pita.

This pita was super basic, layered with a generous helping of homemade hummus, broccoli slaw, pickles and chia seeds. mmm.

This was kind of a light lunch, so it wasn’t but a few hours later and I was ready for a snack.

soy yogurt, chias, raw oats and unsalted almonds

More chias! I told you they’d be back in the picture around here. Chia seeds are kind of like weight training for me.

I don’t realize how much I miss them until I bring them back! And once I start, I just can’t stop.

I spent a large portion of the afternoon researching vitamins. I’ve never been a big vitamin person, aside from B12, because I believe that you can get all the nutrients you need out of a healthy diet. But I know that sometimes I slack on getting in the right amounts of certain foods, so I’m going to start incorporating some vitamins into my day. For the most part, it can’t hurt…and it just might help in certain areas! I especially did a lot of research about vitamins and acne. Yes, I’m still have problems with my skin. Honestly, it is as bad as ever, and I’ve kind of come to a breaking point.

Anyway, I need to do a little more research, but once I settle into which ones I’m taking, I’ll do an update.

Onto dinner. I’ve known pretty much all week that I was going to make tofu for dinner tonight, but I hadn’t yet decided how I was going to make it. I set up the tofu to press around 5, then started looking around for a good marinade or sauce.

And I found this.

Indonesian Tofu with Peanut Butter
original recipe found here

Ingredients

1 block of extra firm tofu, pressed and sliced
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp tamari
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ginger
1 tsp onion powder

Directions

Heat large skillet over medium heat
place tofu slices in skillet and press down with spatula until brown. Flip and repeat on other side.
Once tofu is cooked through (browned on both sides and chewy on the inside) pour peanut sauce over tofu and continue to cook for several more minutes.
Serve over rice or noodles

I served this tofu over a bed of soba (buckwheat) noodles with a side of broccoli. While it wasn’t the absolute best tofu I’ve ever tasted, it was pretty dang good and I would definitely make it again. The husband actually raved and raved about it, so if I don’t make it again, he probably will! We did both go back for seconds, too, if that tells you anything:)

After dinner, the husband had the brilliant idea of making chocolate muffins together. I don’t know where he gets these crazy schemes, but who am I to complain? We scrounged around for a recipe and came up with one that sounded decent, but required a quick run to the store. An hour later we were back home, mixing up some chocolatey goodness.

I used to say this to my students all the time last year…but if you haven’t listened to a word I’ve said so far, hear this: I will be popping in tomorrow to give you the recipe I used for these muffins. As soon as I do, you will want to drop everything and head for the kitchen. They really are that good. Here’s a little sneak peek for you.

He just couldn’t wait one more second:)

I’ll see you guys tomorrow! Happy (almost) Friday!

Question: Do you take vitamins regularly? If so, which ones and why do you take them?

*I was given the Vega powder in my HLS swag bag, but have not been compensated in any way for this review.

from the past

hi!

today has been super busy as all wednesdays tend to be. i did lots of yoga, lots of hanging out with international students, and I ate enchiladas made by the husband for dinner. i’d say all in all that’s a pretty successful day.

but now it’s late…and I’m oh so tired. so I’m going to head to the bed soon. but first I just had to stop in and say hi.

hi!

And what do I do when my busy day has prevented me from taking any pics worth writing home about?

Leave you with (random) memories from the past. I can always dig up pics from our days in Thailand that make me smile to no end.

one of my favorite students and I studying the Gospel

on the college campus we worked on

the campus parking lot

beautiful campus

getting relief from the heat with an afternoon nap

a bridge in Bangkok

on the subway in Bangkok – New Years 2008

i didn’t even know what a food blog was, but I was still taking pictures of myself eating carrots, ahem made of icing

the husband on a songtau right around Christmas

hope you all had a wonderful Wednesday. and as always, it’s all down hill from here!

g’night!

roll with it

Hello.

Even though Tuesday’s are my favorite day of the week, today has been kind of a stick in the mud. There is just a lot going on and a lot of things the husband and I are thinking through right now…but one thing I’m thankful for is that we get to do it together.

So, instead of talking about the less than stellar parts of the day, let’s talk about the highlights!

I made it to the gym this morning in time to lift a few weights (today was arms) and get in a 35 minute workout on the treadmill. I did a little incline walking, non-incline speed walking and running. And then I came home and had an cold and creamy green smoothie.

For some reason green smoothies have been missing from my life lately, and I’m not sure why. But today I got a serious craving, and it really hit the spot. Refreshing.

A few hours later the husband surprised me with a lunch date at “the bread place.”ahhhhh.

This sandwich was stacked with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cucumbers, sprouts and pesto. One of those kinds of meals that you finish and then wish you could relive every. single. bite.

Or is that just me?

Anyway.

Do you ever have those nights when dinner just doesn’t seem to come together very well? For every meal you think of to fix, there is some reason why you can’t make it happen. You’re out of hummus. Or the bread is molded. Or you forgot to pick up that green pepper at the store.

Or you char your kale chips to a crispy black.

Whoops.

The kitchen was quickly filling with smoke, so I snatched the baking sheet out of the oven and raced it out onto the back deck. Suddenly have no idea why I was standing outside in the cold, barefoot with a smoking hot sheet of blackened kale in my hand, I balanced it on the deck railing and hightailed it back inside!

Whew!

And now, 3 hours later, I’m remembering that I never went back out to retrieve it. Our neighbors must think we are so weird.

Anyway, so dinner ending up looking like this.

roasted potato rounds, corn, steamed broccoli and steamed green beans

This meal was seriously lacking in protein, but by this point I really could have cared less. Sometimes you just gotta roll with it.

What did you have for dinner tonight? Let’s hear it!

sweet pumpkin chia pudding

Good evening!

This morning I made it to the gym for another day of cardio and strength. I’m happy to report that since I committed to doing more weight lifting, I have been sticking to the new schedule pretty well! It’s funny how when I get back in the routine of weights, I can’t figure out why I ever got out of it.

Before I headed out this morning, I popped a few of my new favorite pre-workout snack.

Dried apricots are a great snack for workouts – at least for me. They don’t weigh me down, I can eat them quickly, and they are relatively high in carbs and low in calories. I usually eat anywhere from 3-6 right before a medium intensity workout. Of course if I was going for a longer or more intense workout, I might want to eat something more substantial. I’ve also been using them to curb my sweet cravings after meals – just a couple of them do the trick!

Monday is my busiest day of the week, and today it turned out to be extraordinarily busy because I got a new tutoring student! She’s another sweet Korean girl, wife to one of my current students and as cute as pie. International students make me smile big time:)

You know what else makes me smile big time? Comments from you! I just want to say thanks so much to all of you who read my ramblings. While I write this blog because I feel passionate about food and healthy living, and I love writing about and taking pictures of it, it wouldn’t be near the same if you didn’t talk back to me. You guys rock. Seriously:)

Speaking of readers and comments, I got a comment the other day from reader Sarah who asked if I’ve ever made chia pudding. “Why no, no I haven’t” I replied. And then I asked myself – why have I not made chia pudding??

I love chia seeds so much that I named my blog after them and yet I haven’t made one of the coolest and most chia like recipes out there. Something is wrong with this picture. In fact, I think chias have taken a bit too long of a hiatus from CSM. It’s time to bring ‘em back!

And what better way to bring them back than paired with my other favorite obsession as of late.

Pumpkin of course!

Sweet Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

1/3 cup canned pumpkin (I used 1/4 cup this morning, but will up it to 1/3 next time)
3-4 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup soy milk (any kind of nut milk would work)
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well mixed.
Place bowl in the refrigerator and allow to set for 20+ minutes. I threw mine together and then let it set while I was at the gym – probably a total of about an hour or a little more. You could even let them set overnight and have a ready made breakfast.
Enjoy!

Super easy, super quick and tasty! If you appreciate the gel-like texture of moist chia seeds and you like pumpkin – then you will love this pudding! I know there are many variations of chia pudding all over the place, and you can sub in and out ingredients to make whatever variation you want! I have yet to see pumpkin although I’m sure it’s out there somewhere.

I am still loving my fall table arrangement, and as excited as I am to switch it to Christmas, I’m kind of sad to say goodbye. Not too sad though! Nothing keeps me from being over the top happy for the Christmas season! Now if only it wasn’t still 80 degrees outside, I’d really be getting into the holiday spirit:) The fact that Walmart has already put up a giant Christmas tree in the front entrance is helping a little bit.

Hope the beginning to your week has been lovely!

Are you saying bring it on to the Christmas season? Or are you clinging to the last days of fall?

Also, do you eat something before your workout? If so, what works for you?

all kinds of delicious

Praise the Lord for daylight savings time! I keep forgetting today, and the husband keeps reminding me. With every sweet reminder I let out a mini squeal of joy at having one extra hour left in the day…kinda like when I’m certain there’s not one more can of green enchilada sauce and the husband reminds me that I bought double on our last grocery trip. Pure joy.

The weekend here at the McCoy house has been all about the small things. You know, the little details in life that if you’re not careful can pass you right by and leave you wanting more out of the days and weeks, but having no idea where to look. I’ve always been one to overlook these little details, but the older I become the more I’m (slowly) learning that life really is mostly about these things. Finding thrills in the mundane and creating moments as sweet as pumpkin butter by no other effort than focusing a little bit deeper and seeing things – a pile of laundry, taking the long route home from church, discussing our dreams and goals for the millionth time – from a different perspective.

For us, this included tossing smiles at each other through the small space between the office and the living room and hollering (brutally honest) feedback on each other’s projects as we passed the hours, hard at work.

And then breaking for (admittedly) cheap pizza and fizzy drinks, beyond exhausted and with our stomachs begging us not to wait another moment before filling them.

It included waking up late (as usual) and procrastinating getting out of bed, taking one more snooze to cuddle each other…and the pup before rushing around like mad to get dolled up for church.

It included sudsing up the baby, doing our best to avoid making contact with her pleading eyes as we reassured ourselves over and over that it really was “for her own good” and wondered how in the world we’re going to handle having a human baby.

And it included cranking Ingrid Michaelson in the kitchen, letting the final rays of light of this short day seep through the sink window while making a classic gooey vegan chocolate chip cookie pie for the husband.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
adapted from here

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached white flour (gasp! it won’t kill you I promise:)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup vegan carob or chocolate chips (or as many as suits your fancy)
1 cup organic pure cane sugar (or any raw sugar – turbinado, sucinat, whatever)
1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk (water will work if you don’t have milk)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use Earth Balance and flour to coat the sides of a round cake pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, carob chips and sugar. After mixing well, make a well in the center and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together Earth Balance and sugar. Then add vanilla and soymilk and continue to mix.
Add wet mixture to the middle of dry mixture and mix well, but don’t overmix. Okay, guys, I had to seriously man-handle this dough. I forgot to use my KitchenAid (how does a girl forget her KitchenAid???) and after about 10 minutes of trying to get the dough stirred, I went into a rage and threw the spatula aside and got down and dirty with my hands, basically kneading the dough like a big happy loaf of bread dough. It was fun;)
After dough is completely mixed and moist, press it into cake pan until it is even all around.

Bake for 30 minutes, checking it every 10 minutes or so. When it’s ready to come out, it should still look very pale. This cookie pie will not be brown on top. I promise, it is done.
Immediately transfer cookie pie to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool before cutting.

I’m anxious to see how this holds up when stored in a ziplock baggie (I promise to give an update). By the time this handsome guy was done with his photo shoot (the cookie, not the husband:), we pounced on him, having been enticed by the melty carob chips and heavenly smell for far longer than any person should. The outer rim of crust had already gotten a little crispy, but everything else remained ultra soft, just how we like it. It was all kinds of delicious. The husband is always too honest about my vegan expeditions in the kitchen, and tonight he proved that this recipe rocks – and he has the tummy ache to prove it. Poor husband.

We’re planning to finish off the weekend by making dinner, watching Amazing Race and probably scheming our audition video to get on the show just like most other Sunday nights. Hope you all had a lovely weekend, full of wonderful things, whether big or small.

What was the best part of your weekend??

things that make me smile

favorite snack: homemade bread with almond butter and pumpkin butter

lists

leftovers

black skinny jeans – best Gap purchase ever

lunchtime fun with the husband

big brown Olive eyes

see above

pumpkin spice latte of course

love

What things are making you smile on this lovely Friday?

Happy Weekend.

bad day better

Busy busy day! Wednesdays are always a little crazy, and today was no different. I woke up in a bit of a down mood – not sure why. Maybe lack of sleep as of late? Either way, I booked it to the gym and lifted weights and worked on some ab exercises for about 45 minutes, and by the time I got home I was feeling a little better. I had planned on getting in a little cardio as well, but the treadmills were all full, and I was under a major time crunch, so I decided to skip it for today!

I spent the afternoon tutoring on campus and then rushed to teach my yoga class at 5:30. Yoga was refreshing today. I was really needing it after sitting all afternoon. A deep ache had worked itself into my shoulders and neck, and almost all I could think about during my last tutoring session was working it out on my mat.

I have to say, the only negative so far about teaching classes is the lack of feedback. Occasionally one of my students will tell me they enjoyed class on their way out the door, but for the most part I feel like I have no clue what they’re thinking! I feel like I leave class a lot of weeks thinking the worst – maybe they didn’t like the poses we did, maybe my voice is annoying. Was my cueing off? Will they all decide not to come next week? Ahhhh!

It’s enough to make a girl crazy!

Must. Work. On. Positivity.

Anyway! So as promised yesterday, I have a fun new recipe for ya’ll. You’re sure to love this!

“Jack of All Trades” Chickpea Patties
adapted from Eat Drink and Be Vegan

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1/2 cup red cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup cooked broccoli, chopped
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp tamari
3/4 tsp dried thyme
pinch of salt
2 cups cooked bulgur
3/4 cup quick oats

Directions

Add 1 tsp olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Toss in onion, cabbage, broccoli, salt, pepper, ground red pepper and saute until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, add warm chickpeas (if they’re warm, they’ll process more easily), garlic, Worcestershire sauce, tamari, thyme and salt to food processor and puree until smooth.
Add in sauteed veggies and process again until smooth.
Add 1 cup bulgur to processor and puree until incorporated into the chickpea mixture.
Transfer contents of food processor into a large bowl. Add remaining 1 cup cooked bulgur and stir until combined.
Place mixture in the refrigerator and let set for at least 1/2 hour. I allowed mine to set overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking sheet.
Remove from fridge and shape mixture into patties. Shape some of the mixture into “chickpea balls” if you so desire:) I highly recommend it:)
Place patties on baking sheet and allow to bake for 20 minutes. Flip patties and allow to cook for another 20 minutes.
If making balls, cook for 20 minutes and then turn them before cooking another 10 minutes.

see how well they hold together?

There are hundreds of things you could do with these patties. They hold together really well, so you could eat them burger style. You could also just eat them with a fork dipped in barbecue sauce or ketchup. Or use them as a salad topper!

These were delicious in my opinion. Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. And best of all, they were husband approved! Hands down my favorite “veggie burger” I’ve ever made. And the balls were delicious too…and fun to eat:)

And of course you must have a side of chips/fries!

This little meal was well worth the wait. I’ll definitely be making this again in the future!

So here’s to a bad day ending better. Hope you all had a wonderful Wednesday! Like I always say, it’s all downhill from here.

And now I’ll leave you with this. Just because I can’t resist:)

G’night!

What do you do to make a bad day better?

the day i almost didn’t vote + giveaway winner announced

Hello!

What an exciting day with elections and all! I feel terrible to say this, but I almost forgot to vote.

Well, maybe I didn’t almost forget to vote. I just almost didn’t vote. But then I started to feel really guilty and like a terrible citizen who isn’t taking advantage of her right to have a voice. So, the husband and I hightailed it to our voting center and basically shut the place down. Next election I definitely want to do more research and have a better idea of who I want to vote for in each area…and why.

Another exciting thing about today was making and inhaling the single best snack known to man.

Homemade bread. Almond butter. Pumpkin butter.

Heaven on a plate.

Moving on.

After a full afternoon of working on the biz, I was all geared up for a fun dinner. I’ve had a recipe waiting in the wings for several days now and finally decided to make it tonight. It’s a multi-step process, and I got through step #2 before I had to abandon ship kitchen and head to the polls!

By the time we finished reading and over-analyzing 99 hundred state questions, we were both starving and made the last minute decision to ditch my marinating meal and grab a pizza instead. Isn’t that terrible? haha! I’m a fan of spontaneity.

And pizza

The mystery mixture should be good and ready by tomorrow night, and I shall reveal it to you then! It’s a spin off an Eat Drink and Be Vegan recipe, so it’s sure to be a winner.

Okay, I must cut this short and get to bed asap. I’ve been getting less than 6 hours a night lately, and it’s not making for a nice Candice. Sleep is important!

But first, I shall announce the winner of the CSN $40 gift-card giveaway! Thank you all so much for entering! I loved hearing all of your favorite foods – so fun!

And the winner is…

Kathi!

Her comment: “One food? I would have to say oatmeal I love it both hot and cold.”

Congrats Kathi! Please email me your information, and we’ll get your gift-card to you! Happy shopping!

*The winner was chosen using random.org

Thanks again to CSN for sponsoring the giveaway!

G’night friends:)

What is your favorite healthy (or not:) snack? Let’s generate some ideas!

i did it!

I have done something I had never done before.

I made bread.

The idea had been dancing around in my mind for weeks, and I kept encountering signs all around me that told me to face my fears. Fears of flat, lifeless bread that you’d rather use as a footstool than eat. Or dense, chewy, tasteless bread like this.

But on Sunday night I finally gave in. I rooted around for a vegan whole wheat recipe and finally found one that spoke to me. It called to me really. Begging me to just jump right in.

All I needed was just a few basic ingredients.

And one cute little helper.

“Just Like Grandma’s” Whole Wheat Bread
recipe found here

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups hot water
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup raw sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp sea salt, or whatever kind you have on hand
6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, divided
2 tbsp dry active yeast

Directions

Combine the first five ingredients in your mixer bowl and whisk together. Mix in 2 cups flour using hand or standing mixer (I used standing – I already got my workout in today). Next, add dry active yeast and then 4 more cups of flour. Mix thoroughly until the consistency is somewhat even.
Next, slowly add another 1/2 cup of flour until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. The dough should feel sticky when you touch it. Add another 1/2 cup of flour if this sticky consistency has not been reached. Make certain not to overmix the dough, as it will make the bread hard.
Next, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel, say a quick prayer and let it rise for 30-45 minutes.

It should go from this:

To this:

Use a napkin to coat all surfaces of 2 bread pans with Earth Balance. Toss a small bit of flour around the pan to cover all sides. Mix the dough again to get it back as close to it’s original size as possible.
Now it’s time to really get messy. Sprinkle some flour all over your counter-top and spread it around before plopping the dough onto it. Knead the dough for just a couple of minutes or just until your hands begin to get weak, making sure to keep it somewhat covered with flour to prevent sticking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Shape dough into a nice oblong loaf. Now destroy all your hard work by ripping the loaf in two and doing the same exact thing to each smaller loaf. When you’re done, it should basically look like it does in the movies, but maybe with a little more character.
Place each happy little loaf into a pan and make yourself busy while it rises for about 30-45 minutes.
Place loaves in the oven and bake for 36 minutes.

After removing it from the oven, immediately turn it out onto a cooling rack. When you simply cannot resist one second longer, slice off a nice, thick, hot piece. Slather it with Earth Balance and enjoy!!

*Store wrapped in foil in room temperature. Do not refrigerate.

My first experience at bread-making was…enchanting. I honestly didn’t know I had it in me and about fell over in shock when it came out resembling an actual loaf of bread. My favorite part of the process (besides eating it of course) was kneading and shaping the dough.

There is just something about working a floury ball of dough into that comforting and familiar shape that makes a girl feel like she’s been transported back to her grandma’s day. I loved it!

Now I’m just itching to experiment with more variations…Christmas presents anyone?

Now tell me about a recipe you’ve made before that took you out of your comfort zone and made you face your fears! How did it go?

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