Okkkkk

Worst blogger ever!! I know I am sorry it has been a while, but I do have lots of new and exciting things to write and tell you about :) First things first, I have a DELISH Chocolate Ganache vegan pie in the fridge as we speak...pictures, reviews and recipe to come!!

So yesterday was my 25th birthday...dun dun dun, still not to sure how I feel about this, we'll see. So I spent the day with my lovely man friend. We went to this diamond expo which was pretty cool, and went for dinner to a great vegan friendly restaurant called 'The Wooden Monkey' in DT Halifax. I had this yummy lental patty with baked organic fries and stole my boyfriends super yummy blueberry martini and stuck him with my 'interesting' lime and absinthe martini. Anyways SO delish!! Great way to celebrate the start to my 25th year.

Justin & I

My Dinner

I put the heart there because I had a toothpaste stain on my shirt!! grr

A few weeks ago I experimented with Tempeh. 'Tempeh is a fermented food made by the controlled fermentation of cooked soybeans with a Rhizopus mold (tempeh starter). Tempeh has a firm texture and a nutty mushroom flavour.' I got a curry flavoured one, it was so good. You can find it in any health food isle in a grocery store or at a health food shop. I crumbled it up in pasta and some stir fry veggies.

The Tempeh I used

My Tempeh Creation

Versatile Meals

I LOVE food that you can have as leftovers and make different things rather than the same meal over and over! My manfriend and I made a vegan chilli the other day...A LOT of it! So that night we had chilli, then next day I had chilli with veggie sticks to dip in it and for the past couple days I have had an Ezekiel wrap with a handful of spinach and chilli all wrapped up. Messy but delish!! It is so filling and just feels like good eating. What will I have next....?? You can make your own home made chilli, or buy some from the health food isle in your supermarket (Amy's Organic makes great chilli and soups!), just read the ingredients and check the sugar and salt amouts. The benifit of making your own is you control what goes in it. Yes it takes a little time, but provides lots of leftovers :)

Motivation!!!

So here is how I stay motivated to go to the gym and keep healthy. I have a set of rules I created for myself, and they go like this:

- Always go to the gym on Monday (I go 4-5 days a week)

- Never let more than 2 days go by without going to the gym...once day 3, then 4 hit of no gym I am out of my routine

- Always work out in the morning

- 30 min is better than 0 min!

- Always push myself that little harder...if I am already at 15 reps, whats another 3??

- Keep a record of what you are doing

- Look at your upcoming week and schedule in gym time

These are my rules, make your own or use mine as a guideline. I find having these rules inplace it keeps me on my toes and holds myself acountable. If you have any good 'rules' let us know!

If you haven't already checked out 'Oxygen' magazine give it a look. I love it!! Don't be scared off by the strong women on the front, there is TONS of awesome advice, tips, work-outs and recipes. You can also visit http://www.oxygenmag.com/

More to come...

Seitan...mmm

Seitan, pronounced SAY-TAN is delish!! Not hard to find eaither, should be at any major grocery store in the refridgerated section or at a health store. Check out http://www.happycow.net/ to find a place near you!

Definition: Although it is made from wheat, seitan has little in common with flour or bread. Also called “wheat meat”, “wheat gluten” or simply “gluten”, seitan becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat when cooked, making it a popular meat substitute. Seitan is also high in protein, making it a popular protein source for vegetarians. Asian restaurants often use seitan as a vegetarian mock meat, and seitan is also the base for several commercially available products such as Tofurky deli slices.

Needless to say if you have a gluten allergy, this is not for you. I got some at the farmers market the other day and made a little 'scramble' with it. First I heated my skillet to medium and put in some veg oil and sautéed some mushrooms, added a little garlic and tore up some Seitan and let it sizzle away for a few, tossing it like a chef :) Then I shredded up some spinach (also from the farmers market) and added that with chopped tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper. I toasted my bread, from a local bakery and brushed it with some Organic Earth Balance and topped with my 'scramble'. Fast, easy and delicious...what more could you ask for???

Yum Yum...enjoy! Honestly, this is soooo good and satisfying!!

Vegan Community

So the more I venture into veganism, the more I want to be a part of the vegan community. People have all kinds of places to come together and share, talk and learn about their common interest...church, sports teams, gyms, etc. So far online has so many outlets for vegans...but I want REAL people face to face to share with! I went to a local vegan restaurant 'Heartwood' yesterday and it was awesome! Not too expensive, and such a variety. It is not totally vegan, but it is completely vegetarian, and you can make mostly anything vegan and/or gluten free. It is a cute little artsy place, seats about 25 max and has daily specials. Yesterdays was a vegan chilli with a homemade cornbread, and the soup was squash and pear served with sourdough bread (homemade). Not to mention all of the yummy treats! I tried a hazelnut brownie...a little dry but got me thinking how I could make it more moist with some brown rice syrup. So I had the bean burrito...so good! It was huge, I took half home with me, and it was served with brown rice, salsa and corn chips...wowza!! Justin had the bean burger, good too, but not as good as mine!! :) They have all kinds of tea and free trade, organic coffee...mmm. Check out www.heartwoodbakerycafe.ca to see the full delish menu. Also to find out some vegan restaurants in your community visit www.happycow.net such a cool site!

Get out there and talk yummy!

To Detox or Not to Detox....

Raw food detox, juice fast, master cleanse, mono fruit detox and soooo many more!! So what’s the deal? What does it mean to 'Detox' your body? Well...Detox, short for detoxification, is the body's natural, ongoing process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body. Toxins (anything that can potentially harm body tissue) are transformed chemically to less harmful compounds and excreted via stools or urine. Sources of toxins include those produced in the body during normal functions, such as the ammonia produced during the breakdown of protein, and chemicals such as pesticides, household cleaners, food additives, drugs, pollution, cigarette smoke, and heavy metals like lead that enter the body when we ingest or inhale them. So to sum it up it is just to rid your body of harmful or unwanted 'things' from your body that may be all cramped up and stuck in your tummy/intestines.

So I am going to complete a homemade, 7 day detox...thanks to some inspiration from my sister Christina, thanks girlfriend!! Here is what I am going to do, drink LOTS and I mean Lots of water, and herbal teas (3 teas a day...one already down for today), fruits, veggies. So lots of water and high fibre foods...lets call it Jessica's HIGH Detox!! So there will be little limitations on the consumption of fruits and veggies...more veg than fruits though. So every day I will start with a large (700ml-1 ltr) of water with some added citrus (lemon, lime...whatever you have), followed by some tea, no sweeteners not even honey...just a date if you need some sweet. Then when you start feeling a bit peckish have a banana. Basically you can eat what you want fruit wise, just have a variety and try to stay away from tropical fruits, they tend to have a high sugar content. I am going to consume fruits in the first half of my day and veggies in the later half, drink lots of fluids all day and eating when hungry. Some keys things for this detox is I will be consuming vitamins 2 times a day (just a multi-vitamin) and eating the veg and fruits RAW or lightly steamed...no oils or salt and pepper, just au natural! Mmmm!! So I will keep you posted on my day by day progress. I will have avocados in a shake so I won't get all dizzy and what not since they are full of good for you fats!! Mmm I love avocados!!

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil | Organic Coconut Oil | Organic Oils

The following link will let you know the amazing benefits of Coconut oil...after are a few ways to eat/cook with it.

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil Organic Coconut Oil Organic Oils

A shake I love full of tons of nutritious things is with...

- One handful...or 1 cup of spinach

- 1/4 Avocado

- 1/2 an apple

- 1/2 banana

- 1 tbsp Coconut oil

- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup of Almond milk/Rice/Soy

Blitz it all and enjoy! You can add more or less water or 'milk' if you want it runnier or thicker!

Also you can use it instead of olive oil, mix it in with some rice (make sure it melts)

You should try to consume 1-3 tbsp of coconut oil daily.