Fun and Mental Changes

  Does anyone in blogland remember the wall-o-candy growing up???  The wall covered in huge glass jars filled with every kind of candy the mind could imagine.  And the candy was cheap, I mean REALLY cheap and you could go home with an entire bag of yummy goodness! Well, I totally feel like that at Teavana!  Only, it's an "authorized" fix, which makes it EVEN better because I can have it without guilt!!!  Just looking at that wall of tubs brings back very fond memories.... and picking the various teas to oogle and smell, fruity and delicious!  These teas keep me on track; they give me the feeling of satisfaction.  When I can't gobble down an actual keylime pie, I can hit up one of the baristas at Teavana to whip me up a decadent delight, OR I can pull from the big wall-o-tea and go home with my yummy delights for later.... BTW, there is NOTHING like having the barista whip you up a yummy tea to try before you buy AND they always share their VERY ...

You guys... THESE TURNED OUT AMAZING!!!!  Seriously, they are like little cheesecakes!  They're RAW, gluten free and vegan.  And with no baking, these babies were quick.  I found them HERE , gave them a go and they are PERFECTION!!!! So you'll want to start with the cream (I made a couple of small variations to Sunwarrior's recipe): CREAM 1 Cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup Pinch of Himalayan crystal salt 1 Heaping tsp. coconut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Juice of one small lemon Zest from one small lemon Combine all ingredients in a high power blender for 1 minute.  Place in fridge to cool/set up. CRUST 1 Cup almonds 4 Dates pitted Splash of Vanilla Extract Place almonds in food processor and grind into a chunky, meal consistency.  Add dates and blend until the mixture looks crumbly and forms a ball when pressed.  I store my dates in the fridge, if you do the same, be sure to pull them...

   THIS awesome yumminess is what I had for dessert tonight thanx to my super awesome Pampered Chef lady.  Why that is important is because not only did she share the original recipe for this low-cal dessert that I "frankenfixed" with my de-glutening super hero powers, but she also supplied me with THAT AWESOME square brownie pan that I love so much and use for EVERYTHING!  I have used this thing for mini single serve quiches, bacon bowl breakfast cups, single serve lasagna and, of course, brownies.  But THIS wonderful decadence is by far my best masterpiece!!!!   My Pampered Chef lady posted on her facebook page a recipe for a 33 CALORIE CHEESECAKE!  And added, "Let the Brownie Pan help you with your New Years Resolution!"  Well I immediately noticed that the recipe contains sugar and gluten.... the two things I swore to avoid as my New Year's resolution, but I have the pan so away I went "frankenfixing" this rec...

It has been SOOOOOO long since I posted one of my healthy recipes, which is super weird since that's all I've been making for the past 5 months!!!  I actually have a few to share but have been a little preoccupied with my Spectrum Noir design team activities.  One kind of play interfered with another... so to speak. So pictured is my Spicy Hawaiian that is COMPLETELY gluten free, crispy and soooooo yummy!!! Spicy Hawaiian Chicken In a large flat plate (I actually use a cookie sheet cuz I'm messy) mix: 1 C. coconut flour 1 C. shredded coconut 1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper (less if you like) 1 tsp. each of black pepper and sea salt (more if you like) 1 Tbsp. garlic powder 1 Tbsp. onion powder 1 tsp. crushed red pepper Set aside.  In another flat plate place another 1 C. of coconut flour.  Set aside.  In a large bowl whisk: 3 organic eggs 2 Tbsp. water Set aside.  Next is dipping the chicken.  Make sure you have a parchment lined cookie she...

Ok folks!!!  It has been A LONG time since I posted the healthy stuff cooking (and not cooking) in my kitchen!  Honestly, I've been on again/off again with the healthy living so there hasn't been a lot to post.  But thanks to some inspiration by my new blog buddy Audra of Audra's Foodtopia  (and a little program called Curves Complete ), I'm back in the saddle and ROCKIN IT for the past 5 weeks!!!  Last week, on her facebook fan page she came up with a brilliant idea to expand our healthy eating by running a little food challenge.  She picked a healthy recipe to make sometime during the week to "present" today with how we made it, what we thought, etc.  So her healthy recipe was Hawaiian Chicken Skewers .  WOW!  What a way to start the show!!! So, I don't have skewers, nor did I want to grill (its already getting hot in the afternoons here in sunny AZ) so I decided to do a little "deconstructed" version of this heavenly dish....

Ok, so I could go into this whole long thing about all the stuff I'm gaga over, cuz you know how I'm gadget girl and all, but today's post is SUPPOSED to be about using (recycling?) things from your kitchen to create a project and to share a special recipe with everyone.  "BUT I WANNA TALK ABOUT GADGETS!!!!"  So we'll do the quick version of my favies and then get on with the real stuff! #1 - What you see in the pic (below) is VERY misleading.  At first you just think that the nail heads shown are brads maybe????  NO WAY!  These nail heads are from the American Tag HomePro.  Now I don't have one in my possession (yet), but I got to use the one they have over at Paper Vineyard during a demo and FELL IN LOVE!!!  This thing is UNBELIEVABLE!!!!  Don't believe me??? CLICK HERE , HERE and HERE !  Those are just SOME of the embellishments you can add to your projects with this thing (yes, it does metal corners!!!)!  Needless to sa...

THEY GET EVEN BETTER!!!! Welp, since reading The Green Smoothie Revolution by Victoria Boutenko, I've now incorporated a green smoothie into my morning ritual. Strike that... the green smoothie IS my morning ritual! I SO look forward to that morning green bliss, well, after I get back from the gym that is. For anyone who wants to try, here is my favorite concoction. 2-3 heaping cups of spinach, kale or any other green leafy vegetable 1 cup of organic coconut water **(see the bottom of this post for more on THAT) 1 whole organic mango peeled, pitted and sliced 1 medium organic pineapple peeled, cored and sliced 1 large banana peeled 2 cups of ice cubes (optional... I like mine REALLY cold) Add all ingredients above in Vitamix or high speed blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until the mixture is blended REALLY well. You can also add ground raw flax seed for an added nutritional punch. If the smoothie is too thick add some spring water or more coconut water to thin it out. Thi...

My first attempt at Stuffed Cabbage Rolls for dinner last night.... SUCCESS!!! These beauties were yummy! And I have the ladies over at Skinny Scoopers to thank for it! About a week ago they posted a healthy recipe for these awesome rolls. And while their recipe looked VERY good... OF COURSE I altered it a bit. I ended up with an amazingly flavorful dish that I THINK might be even less calories than the recipe posted at Skinny Scoopers. So, I thought I would post my recipe and then direct everyone here to check out the link above to see the ORIGINAL recipe. INGREDIENTS 2 heads of green cabbage (1 head if very large) 1 lb extra lean ground turkey 1/2 cup yellow onion (chopped) 3 cloves garlic (minced) 1/2 cup brown rice (cooked) 1/4 cup Egg Beaters 1 Tbsp McKay's Beef Style Seasoning 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper dash of cinnamon 1 tsp brown sugar 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce 1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz) 3/4 cup vegetable broth Brown the turkey with the onion and garlic, set as...

Like with so many other natural, organic foods, I'm surprised to find out how EASY it is to make beans, and yet I've NEVER made them until two days ago. So I'm going to break it down to three easy steps so that others can start making beans for themselves too and not be subjected to possible BPA poisoning (in can lining) and high levels of sodium. Not to mention, although I totally am, that fresh, homemade beans are just better for you since the vitamins and minerals have not been depleted or altered. They haven't lost nutrition in some chemical processing or canning process and the flavor is out of this world. I literally ate black beans right out of the pot without a lick of anything for flavor added... and they tasted WONDERFUL! Your health is worth the time and a hill of beans. At the end I'll post the recipe for the awesome fajita mix you see in the pic here. Beans (Black, Red, Brown, Pic your favorite) My method of making beans saves me a ton of time, but it r...

I've been going NUTS with the sweets! It's right before the Christmas holiday, and too soon after all that pumpkin and apple pie, we are well on our way to cookie season. HOW to stay on track during a time when there's bad (but oh so good) food everywhere? The protein shake can stay those cravings and satisfy that sweet tooth. I thought I would take a second and post my favorite Christmas protein shake recipes. Each of them uses the same vanilla protein shake base (I personally use Myoplex Lite, but you can use your favorite brand). Also, since I prefer a thicker shake, I have included the optional vanilla yogurt and ice cubes. Here's to staying good... the BEST way I know! psssst... I heard a rumor that Santa requested my Gingerbread Shake instead of the high fat milk and cookies. Mochee Mint Shake 1 serving vanilla protein shake powder 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder 1/2 tablespoon raw mesquite powder 1/4 tsp decaffeinated instant coffee 5 drops peppermint extract 8 oz....

So I was watching the Thanksgiving specials on Food Network last week and saw Ms. Rachel Ray make " Stuffin Muffins ". Ok, let me just say, "BRILLIANT!" This isn't your ordinary, run of the mill brilliant either. This is the "I just discovered that you can put anything on a stick, deep fry it, serve it at a fair and make a mint" brilliant. A brief shot appears on my TV screen showing the end result of these "Stuffin Muffins" and I'm glued to the set. It's so simple.... instead of preparing a whole casserole dish of stuffing, or even trying to figure out what to do with the left overs from the stuffed turkey, squash them into balls and press them into a muffin pan. Now she made this apple stuffing that she put into a muffin pan, but this was for Thanksgiving and our house DOES NOT waste a perfectly good eat-till-you-wanna-puke day on anything as healthy as apples. Oh no, for us it's bread crumbs, butter, sausage, butter and butter....

My mother-in-law brought this recipe home after attending a 2 week McDougall Program in California learning how to live a vegan lifestyle (she also gave me the New McDougall Cookbook that is STILL my favorite cookbook after all these years!). I have made different variations of it over the years, but made the original recipe for dinner last night and I thought I would share. This recipe is VERY simple to prepare and is by far the best vegan "burger" I've ever had. PS. If you are a reader of my blog, you know that I AM NOT a vegan (I'm not even a vegetarian), but because I share in a lot of the foods, and certainly lifestyle choices, I'm surrounded by those that ARE vegan. Recipes like this that can be prepared quickly but taste like I slaved for hours are always called upon to impress my vegan guests. I hope you all enjoy the McDougall Zucchini Burger. ZUCCHINI BURGERS 2 cups zucchini finely grated (I use my mandolin and julienne them) 1 1/2 Tbsp. McKay's be...

I am a lover of Pad Tai noodles. Anyone looking to replace egg or wheat noddles, THIS is the alternative. Pad Tai noodles are rice noodles and even easier to prepare than the egg or wheat noodles and don't contain gluten, so they are so good and good for you. I am also a lover of the spicy. Anyone looking to open up those sinus cavities, again, this is your one stop shop! Here is the meat version of my Farmer's Market Delight! :) Enjoy!!!! Spicy Chicken Pad Tai One large handful of Pad Tai Noodles (I buy the fresh noodles from my local asian market. If using boxed noodles, prepare per the box directions). One large handful of fresh noodles will fill a steam pot/skillet. 3 tablespoons of water 1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu 1/2 teaspoon garlic-chili sauce *** 4 green onions diced (including the greens) 1 red bell pepper chopped 1 small zucchini chopped 2 stalks of celery chopped on the diagonal 1 large, fully cooked, left over chicken breast chopped In a hot skillet or wok, add water,...

Sorry, no pix for this one. I made these to take with me to the Halloween party last night and returned empty handed! LOL! I was complimented by a request for the recipe, so I thought I would post it here for EVERYONE!!! :) They are actually just a spin off of an old favorite of mine..... Banana Cupcakes . What a versatile recipe! Click the link for some serious YUM! Pumpkin Muffins 2 1/4 Cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 Cup agave nectar or maple syrup 2/3 Cup unsweetened applesauce **** 1 whole egg 1 egg white 2 Cups pumpkin puree 1/3 Cup crushed pecans (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together; set aside. Mix the pumpkin, agave nectar or maple syrup and applesauce together. Beat the eggs into the wet mixture. Add wet mixture to the dry and mix well. Fill lightly oiled muffin wells 3/4 full and bake for 30-35 minutes (mini...

Raw Cacao Chip Ice Cream 2 Cups raw organic cashews (soaked overnight) 1/2 Cup agave nectar 1 Cup coconut water 1/2 Cup coconut oil/butter 1 Tbsp cacao powder 1 tsp mesquite powder 1-2 Tbsp cacao nibs (real chocolate chips! Yay!) In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients (leaving out the cacao nibs... add nibs the last five minutes in the ice cream maker) until the mixture is smooth. Place mixture in the freezer to get nice and chilled through (about an hour) but not frozen. Remove from freezer and complete in an ice cream maker using manufacturer's instructions. This stuff is amazing because not only is it SOOO FREAKIN YUMMY, but it's also soooo much better for you! It's not super rich, and in my opinion, tastes better than anything you can buy in a store! :) Happy snacking on this one.

Tonight's raw dinner was stuffed bell peppers with "cheezy" chips The power flavors for the meal were parsnips, wild rice and nutritional yeast (or brewer's yeast). This recipe is a HOME RUN! Because I had meat eaters at the table tonight, myself included, I also added cooked organic apple chicken sausage to the raw stuffing recipe.... they are on the left in the pic. It was funny to see how the meat darkened the entire dish since the only thing cooked was the meat. Funny! This one is FANTASTIC with or without meat and is a FitterTwit original! Stuffed Bell Peppers 4 Bell peppers, tops and ribs removed 1 Cup organic wild rice soaked for three days (change water twice a day) 1 Cup grated cabbage 1/3 Cup diced parsnip (remove the brown outer skin so it will look like rice) 1/3 Cup chopped onion 1/3 Cup Chopped bell pepper 1/2 Cup chopped celery 2 cloves garlic pressed 2 Tbsp liquid aminos 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp raw organic apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp sto...

Well, today's post was SUPPOSED to be raw Nori Rolls, but halfway through preparing them last night, I couldn't finish... they were TERRIBLE!!! I painstakingly found dehydrated nori sheets (instead of toasted... they were kind of hard to find) in keeping with the whole "raw" theme, but found out very quickly that dehydration INTENSIFIES the fishy flavor of the seaweed. Yah, I HATE FISH!!! I have always loved California Rolls and have never once been bothered by any fishy taste; well now I know why. Toasting the seaweed lessens the fishy flavor while dehydration concentrates it. And yes... I know that dehydration also means that you are getting all the nutrients and enzyme goodness that you don't get from the toasted seaweed, but YUCK! Now, the rolls that you see in the pic are clearly California Rolls instead. The rice did a MUCH better job dialing the fish flavor down (notice how thick I had to make the rice layer...hahahaha!) and if I was going to add the rice, ...

This recipe is WONDERFUL! $8 at a farmer's market, $6 at the local asian food store and 20 minutes gets you the best home made, healthy meal you've ever had. I left the farmer's market the other day with a LOAD of goodies that included cucumbers, green onions, celery, bean sprouts, zucchini, garlic and red peppers. They were beautiful but visibly ripe which meant that I needed to use them THAT DAY (but that also meant that I saved a ton of money and got some pretty good bang for my buck... some of this haul will be going in the freezer! Another excuse to use my favorite kitchen gadget... the food saver). No problem! I swung by my local asian food store and picked up some fresh Pad Tai noodles, some garlic/chili paste and some nama shoyu (raw, unprocessed soy sauce). I would have dinner on the table in 20 minutes! That's the beauty of vegetables... they are the best when eaten raw and can really make a meal in 20 minutes. Here's my pad tai creation ala farmer's m...

This is a FitterTwit original folks! I literally was playing in the laboratory, uh, I mean kitchen, attempting to recreate one of my favorite Asian foods.... lettuce wraps. You will see in the pic that I used swiss chard for the lettuce. I DO NOT recommend using anything but iceberg lettuce. I really missed the cold crunch! But other than that, they turned out FANTASTIC!!! Lettuce Wraps 4 whole pieces iceberg lettuce leaves (NOT swiss chard unless you are ok with a much less crispy and tasty wrap) 1 Cup Raw Almonds that were soaked for four hours 1 Tbsp Miso 1 Tbsp Nama Shoyu 1 Tbsp Asian Chili Garlic Sauce/Paste (VERY spicy, please adjust to taste) 1/4 Cup Flax meal 1 clove garlic minced 4 green onions 1 zucchini 2 stalks celery Set the lettuce leaves in the fridge to get nice and cold. In a food processor add almonds, miso, nama shoyu, chili sauce, garlic, and flax and process until large pieces are processed and the mixture has the consistency of the chicken filling for lettuce wra...

Here is my fabulous magic bullet concoction! Done in minutes and tastes wonderful! Lemon Cilantro Dressing 3/4 Cup celery juice 1/3 Cup fresh cilantro 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 3 Tbsp. raw tahini 1 Tbsp. flax oil (optional) 1 clove garlic In Magic Bullet, juice celery (using the bonus juicer attachment). Pour juice into bowl. Remove juicer attachment and celery pulp. Replace juice into blender attachment adding remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth (about a minute). This recipe is so simple, so quick and so yummy. This would also make a great sauce for grilled chicken or salmon! ***This is a modified recipe from Living In The Raw .