Corn Chowder's gone vegan!!!!!!!!!

Soo... one of my favorite soups of all time is Panera Bread's Summer Corn Chowder.. I just LOVE it... So, when you decide to start the vegan transformation you begin noticing that more and more things that you love and crave aren't in the realm of foods that your new lifestyle allows... Summer Corn Chowder was one of those things.. it is a cream based soup... cream means milk.. milk means, blood, pus, casien.... no need to go on!!! Soo.. I happened to catch an episode of Oprah where she had a famous vegan chef named Tal Ronnen, who just came out with a book called the Conscious Cook. While on the show he cooks one of his soups and uses cashew cream.. also known as my new found love!!!!!!!!

So I decided I wanted to make a corn chowdery soup made from the cashew cream. So to make Cashew cream you need to soak raw cashews in water covered overnight... You then rinse the cashews and place them in a blender and pour in water to cover the cashews with an inch of water above them... then blend and WAA LAA.... Cashew Cream!!!!!! You then use cashew cream like you would a normal milk cream...

Cashew Cream!!! :)

Okay.. Now to the soup... So you have your cashew cream made, we need to work on the soup...

I cut potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash into cubes. Chunkily diced an onion. Then drizzled with olive oil and S&P.. (I am still new at this so I didn't really know what other seasonings to add...) Then I baked them at 400 for about 25 minutes, cooked all the way through.

My veggies roasting so nicely!!!!!!

With the veggies a roastin' I began to work on the base of the soup.. I took and added a thing of veggie broth and then added the cashew cream and boiled. Then added corn, I would have liked to add the frozen sweet corn my parents bag every year but I didn't have any so I settled for yellow and white frozen corn.

Stir.. Stir.. Stir.....

Now that your base is going all Colbie Caillat, and getting all bubbly.. Time to add the veggies!!!

I just added Tastefully Simple garlic garlic, and S&P.. I need to work on the seasonings part!

Just stir and enjoy!!!!!!!

There she is folks!!!! Delish Corn Chowder with not an animal product in sight!!!

Loves!!

Cashew Creameeney!

Roasted Romas!

The hardest thing about being a vegan is cooking!! Yes, there are GREAT recipe books out there.. and if I live in LA our NYC.. I may be able to cook a recipe from one of those books!! But I am 25 years old.. busy.. and living in the midwest... Sooo this along with a common question, "soo.. if you can't eat meat.. or animal products.. what can you eat?" I have decided to start posting some recipes of delish vegan delights!!!

Roasted Romas

Bad picture.. took it with my cell phone...

Tonights menu:

Roasted Roma Tomatoes and Mushrooms over Olive oil, Basil Angel hair pasta.........

Preheat oven to 375-400

Slice mushrooms and Roma tomatoes and lay them on a cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes...

Cook angel hair pasta.

Toss pasta with a lil olive oil, salt pepper, basil. (You may add other seasonings you enjoy such as garlic salt.)

Dice fresh chives. (If you would like.)

Top with roasted tomatoes and shrooms.. and ENJOY!

Light it up!

August was my favorite month in 2009 because that was the peak of my healthiness! I was soo focused on training and eating right! I had this euphoric energy that was like a high!!! It was AMAZING!!

How am I feeling now.. bleh... Those feelings of yuck about myself are coming back.. That feeling of comfortablity in my skin are disappearing.... My energy level looks like a heart monitor... up and down.. up and down... Not the energy I was feeling in August for sure!! :(

Soo.. now what? How did this happen when I thought it was fool proof not to!!

Well, I know that little spark is in there.. It may be dim, but we are 'bout to light it up!!

The amazing Kris Karr's blog/website www.crazysexylife.com (which is about to take over facebook's spot as first website I check in the morning) has a new blog everyday from different people, mothers, raw foodist, nature lovers, motivational and spiritual guiders... Well lately things have really been just what I need to hear....

I have been thinking a lot about needing to get back into things... and dwelling on how did I let this happen again... So, today I go to check the crazysexylife.com and Natalia Rose was the writer of todays piece. Natalia wrote a book I have read called, Raw Detox Diet. Natalia's book was a HUGE spark lighter for me in July, so I when I read the title of her piece today, Just Jump.. I knew she could help me relight that spark...

She started off by telling the story of the frog in the pot of boiling water... (which oddly I had just read in Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey) So the story goes, If you drop a frog in boiling water he is going to jump out immediately to get away from danger. But if you drop a frog in warm water and gradually increase the heat the frog will not be aware of the danger until it is to late...

REALLY!! Am I really reading this right now!!! Talk about "just what I needed to hear"!!! What a perfect analogy!! This is exactly what got me to 225 pounds in the first place... And now I am back in a pot of warm water as the heat is beginning to rise... Sure it is nice an warm and cozy in this hot tub of life and I don't want to get out, but if I don't I will end up a fat boiled mess! And you know what.. I DON'T WANT THAT FOR MYSELF!!!

Soo... lets back up a week. I had just finished watching one of the most amazing, inspiring, and life changing documentaries I had ever seen!! It was called Crazy Sexy Cancer... okay I am a little obessed with Kris Karr but she is too amazing not to be! So quick bio, Kris was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer on Valentines Day 2003. She had 24 tumors in her lungs and liver. The cancer she had was a tricky little guy because it grows super fast and spreads right away and then slows way down and then sits and waits to attack again! Well Kris wasn't going to have any of that!! So Kris researched and spoke to anyone she could get her hands on about facing this cancer head on with no medical drugs!! I know.. she rocks!!! So this documentary follows her through her journey.

I have been going over that movie numerously since I watched it! Kris was faced with stage four cancer, and like she says... There is no stage 5!! But she continued to get up everyday and fight for her life... and isn't that what we are all trying to do!! We are all here on earth for X amount of days... We are all going to die of something... But don't you want those X amount of days to be the best X amount of days they can be!!!!!!! I think about my faith a lot and I believe God has a plan for all of us! Even when the plan seems cruel ie: cancer, disablites, miscarriages, accidents... Everything is part of a big plan that we don't always understand... I feel like part of my purpose on earth is to be a good person and to help others. Through watching Kris's journey I began thinking about how food hasn't always allowed me to do that... When I weighed 225 pounds I was LAZY! I would lay on the couch every chance I got... How is that living out God's plan?? How am I being the best I could be laying on the couch!!! There are many dieases today that are directly correlated to our diets... Look at diabetes, very debilitating! It could be hard to be everything you wanted to be when you are contanstly having to worry about your blood sugars, cirrculation issues.... ect... Eating unhealthy, and getting fat affect more than just in the mirror!!

These last couple weeks I have done a lot of thinking, evaluating, planning, and preparing!! I have been sitting in this warm pot of water to long and it is about to be too late... So it is time to light that spark and jump!!!


Loves!
Heen de la Green!

2010... My Vision!

Here is a picture of my Vision Board for 2010!!!

Peace, Love, and Challenges!

Ok... Sooo... Things were going well! I was going on veganism day five and another snow storm hit! I am super poor the way it is, so conditions to start this vegan journey are not ideal, but I was making it work! After all I had found my spark within... Well, the spark went out when the snow came in! Long story short.. shells and cheese got the best of me!! So I try to think of what made me weak enough to say yes! I remember seeing the shells and cheese in my roommates cupboard, and pretty much.. That was it! I was set on having them! I some how manage to talk myself into thinking it is okay... I did this somewhat when I became vegetarian, only it was with seafood.. I would flirt with seafood a lot... But the vegan thing is a lot harder!!!

I had someone say to me, " I have decided you aren't going to become a vegan" So I thought about that a lot! I also think about those who say, "why would you become a vegan?" It all makes me think about why I do want to be a vegan.. and that is my health!!!!!!!! Cheese is no better than red meat.. Sooo why am I not eating red meat if I am eating cheese??? I have read many many many more bad things about milk and cheese than good... I don't want to eat it anymore and I would be completely fine if I never had it again!! Sooo.. WHY is it soo hard!!!

I have identified the challenges I am seeing in hopes that identifying them will help me to overcome them! The biggest challenge for me right now is money! I need money to buy my healthy energy! But lets face it.. I live in the heart of the midwest and produce isn't the cheapest thing at the store!! So... How am I going to overcome this... I need to focus on the cheaper produce. Maybe chose "cheaper" produce like bananas and oranges. Buy a couple sets of greens so I don't waste them. Maybe I go to the store a couple times a week buying small amounts at a time!

Challenge number two for me I have already mentioned, I live in the heart of the midwest! A vegan here is like an alien!! Now things are a lot better since I have moved to Omaha, but still slim pickin's where ever we go! Unless it's McFosters which is AMAZING!! So how can I overcome this challenge? Well, one thing I need to do more is pack a lunch! I either make it and forget it at home, or I am too "lazy" to make one!! Which packing a lunch would be helpful not only to my healthy, but to my pocketbook! GENIUS!

SOOO... This week I am going to have two goals! Green Smoothie EVERY morning, and bring my lunch EVERYday! That is it! That is the only two things I am going to focus on for the week! Food wise anyways!! ha ha!! Let's face it.. I am a girl of many goals!!! But I do need to focus in on my goals and make mini goals/plans to achieve the goals! You can't just have a goal to run a half marathon with out training.. So each goal needs a plan!!!


Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Loves!
Green-Teen

Finding the strength within!

Day 7 of the 2010 is a COLD one!!!


My 2010 started on New Years Eve which I celebrated at my friend Lindsay's boyfriends and we had a delicious vegan feast!!! Lindsay made vegan tacos! We had Chips and Salsa!! Ryan made a delish Salad! And I made a delicious dip from Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet. It is called Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip! Get the book and check out page 207!!!!!! Even non-vegans LOVED it!! I also enjoyed some Organic Wheat beer from New Belguim Brewery called Mothership Wit!!!! The night included dancing, games, and lots of laughter!! Nothing better than starting 2010 with great friends and great fun!!


I have been pumping myself up for a wonderful 2010 and was super excited to begin the year and continue on the road of personal growth! Although it has only been a week, there has been some triumphs and set backs! One of the biggest goals for 2010 is to continue towards healthiness, and make the vegan plunge! Unfortunately, I had a couple flirts as a Alicia Silverstone would call them... But on Monday, January 4th I made a decision and here I am four days vegan!!!



Since I have quit my job in December I have not had healthy eating habits and it is beginning to wear on me! I feel like I am back at square one!! I am beginning to feel that lazy feeling! I am beginning to get a little bit sluggish! Over the Christmas break especially I overloaded on white carbs, sugars, and BUTTER!!! So it is almost like I need to cleanse and start over!! With starting a new job.. Moving away from my family and best friend Holly, moving to a big new city... I have just had such a hard time focusing, and have had a lot of anxiety!! I am learning a new job, dealing with homesickness, learning to live on my own (aka, dealing with a car that won't start - but I do have a new set of sweet jumper cables), hanging out with all my friends that live here, and being super poor!! I have been super busy, and i am STRUGGLING majorly to get into the mode!! I haven't been making my green smoothies everyday.... I haven't been able to work out because I can't afford a membership right now!!! I am wanting to start training for the Lincoln half.. Sooo... How do I get back into it???? What am I waiting for?? How do I get back into it when I can't afford it!!

I think about some people who have come to me and they say well I just need to wait until things in my life settle down.. I need to wait until after a certain event... And I always say to them, there is never a right time.. There is always going to be something that you could wait for. Sooo why am I not taking my own advise??



Well http://www.crazysexylife.com/ saves the day!! I really encourage everyone to check out the post from January 6th! Colin Beavan wrote today about Trusting the Spark within and finding your own path! In his post he talks about how we often wait for something or someone to help us get started with something! I think to myself.. What am I waiting for?? Who and I waiting for?? Am I letting money control my health? Then Mr. Beavan writes, To be inspired means to have the breath within us! I loved reading this!! He is soo right! The breath is inside! I am the only one who can control my destiny!



I am inspired! I do have the breath within me!!



I did a little research on Mr. Beavan.. turns out he has an AMAZING documentary coming out called No Impact Man! He and his wife and child decide to turn to have as little carbon footprint as possible. No TV, No cell phone, no car, no elevator, nothing in plastic, nothing that has ever been wrapped in plastic or paper, only buying from thrift stores, only purchasing locally grown produce... You get the point! I encourage you to check out the trailer!!!


Last night I was thinking about Beavan's post and I felt that spark within... I did all my dishes which have been piling up since I moved here! I also did a Jillian Michael's work-out DVD, which TOTALLY kicked my ass!! It was AWESOME!

So week one of 2010 has taught me to look to that spark with in and you will find a strength inside you that you didn't know you had!!!

Loves!!
Green-Teen