Crash and burn

I did something really silly the other day; I ate five cookies in one go!! This is by no means an excuse, but it was that time of the month and that is when I am at risk for falling off the path. I didn't just fall, I plunged into a horrible mess. The after math hasn't been too pretty. I have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms ranging from wanting to crawl out of my skin, losing focus and only being able to think about sugar, itching, irritability and a host of other lovely things. You may be asking "all of this from five cookies?" The truth be told the five cookies is only the start of this slippery slope. Once I have binged it goes on for a couple of days whereby I have to ween myself off of sugar. After putting some thought into it I think that the reason I as at risk during that time of the month is because my body is needing additional nutrients and instead I eat crap. I am losing my patience with my inability to stay on course. My finger nails have white spots, which is an indication that I need zinc. Iron, calcium, protein, magnesium are also important for replenishing the body after having your period. Cookies don't exactly have those nutrients. In an effort to regain some order and to get back into my pants, that now don't fit because of my error in judgment, I will have to run, eat nutrient packed food, and do some soul searching while doing yoga. What a week!! Cookies should be banned..... at least in a five mile radius of where I am.

What Kate Ate 10/28/10

Green tea
Banana
Oatmeal
Steamed broccoli, Thai rice with lime and coconut milk, curried tofu
Rice crackers
Chips and chocolate covered almonds
Salad
And yes, more chocolate covered almonds

Calming Chamomile

My day did not start of well, in fact it was rather traumatic. On my way to my daughter's school there had been an accident involving a pedestrian. Emergency services had not arrived so we were trying to go around the scene as best we could. As I drove around the cars involved I saw someone laying on the pavement. Something about this was terrifying for me. People were standing there in shock. No one was with the victim, which really upset me. I thought about pulling over, but I had my daughter with me. Had I been alone I would of stayed with the victim until the authorities arrived. I am by no means condemning the people who were standing there, in fact I have a lot of compassion for them. How terrible to have witnessed the event or potentialy struck the individual. I was in shock until the time I got to work. I decided that a cup of green tea and a piece of dark chocolate would help me settle down. The tea had mint in it which can help settle the stomach and the chocolate can help the body to release serotonin, our happy hormone. I felt better after that, but still rattled by it all. I was able to get my hands on a chamomile tea bag. Chamomile helps the body to relax and calms the stomach, which is exactly what I need. Although the people directly involved in the accident will need a lot more than a cup of chamomile tea, it is still a soothing agent when we have experienced something traumatic and upsetting. My thoughts go out to all involved and I hope that they are taking care of themselves in healthy ways.

What Kate Ate 10/20/10

Green tea
Oatmeal with banana and walnuts
Greens, sweet potatoes, black beans and a small piece of tofu sausage
Hummus and carrots
Chai tea
Veggie burger wrap

Tis the season for greens!

Tis the season for greens! I love greens; turnip, mustard, collard, kale, spinach and beet. This is the time of year that greens are in season and plentiful at the local market or grocery store. I can often find them sourced from local farms at the grocery store I go to. This makes it even better because I am supporting local farmers and not having to wonder which state they traveled hundreds of miles from. I like to cook them with onion, garlic, a splash of Tamari sauce and finish them off with a drizzle of sesame oil. This healthy side packs a good punch of fiber, iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamin A and C. The next time you are wondering "what should I have for dinner?" think greens as they are in season, cheap, easy to cook and wonderful for you.

What Kate Ate 10/19/10

Oatmeal with banana and walnuts
Veggie sandwich and a chocolate chip cookie
Hummus and soy rice crackers
Chai tea
Brown rice and veggie stir fry

Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes

Well, I am super proud of myself! I did it again; I made vegan cupcakes that tasted really good, so good that you wanted more than just one! It was cupcake Sunday at my spiritual community and I volunteered to bring my experiments with me. The other good news is that the frosting did not end up all over my kitchen. My husband was making jokes the whole time I was making the frosting about making sure that the blender wasn't too close to the edge of the counter and that I needed to be extra careful when removing the blender from the base, yada yada yada. He said that I should be able to laugh at the experience now that this was my second time making the frosting. I wasn't laughing. Instead I was holding my breath hoping that all went well. Thankfully all of the frosting ended up on the cupcakes or in my mouth!! Now I can laugh and start breathing again.

The recipe is as follows:

¼ cup plain almond milk or soy milk
1 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 ¼ cup all-purpose whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tbs. vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

2. In a small cup, combined the almond milk (or soy milk) and vinegar. Allow mixture to rest for 5 minutes.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

4. In another mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, vanilla and almond milk-vinegar mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just combined. Divide the batter into the cups, filling each liner about ¾ full. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake emerges clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1 tub of tofutti cream cheese
1/2 block of extra firm tofu
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup powder sugar
zest of 1 lemon

Throw ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Put into the refrigerator until ready to use.

As we all know I like to tinker with recipes. With this one I reduced the sugar in the cupcakes and replaced the white sugar with brown. I also used whole wheat flour instead of white. With the frosting I like to use the zest of one lemon. It gives it a nice tartness that counteracts the sweetness. This recipes also didn't distinguish between teaspoons and tablespoons!! I could of ended up with some interesting cupcakes if I didn't know a bit a about cooking. The original recipe came from About.com and was submitted by Ashley Skabar.

What Kate Ate 10/18/10

Oatmeal with walnuts and banana
Vegetable Panang curry with rice
Oatmeal and cherry cookies (they were small so I had four, and they are semi healthy)
Veggie and hummus wrap

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is my new favorite find. This stuff is wonderful and very versatile. You can cook with it, clean with it and use it as a preventative and healing agent. What more could you ask of such an extraordinary liquid? May be to put the kids the bed and wash the dishes!! I stumbled upon apple cider vinegar when I had a sinus infection a couple of weeks ago. I discovered that you could put into a bowl with steaming water and use it as a steaming treatment to help chase out the infection. It worked wonderfully by the way. While reading about this one use among many, I found a lot of other wonderful uses that I would like to share. For instance you can add a tablespoon to 8oz of water and drink it before meals. I like to add honey or agave nectar to take the edge off otherwise your whole faces scrunches up for at least half an hour! Drinking this concoction can aid the digestive system in riding the body of toxins and add back in beneficial micro organisms and minerals. People with diabetes can benifit from this regime as it helps the body maintain healthy blood sugar levels. It also aids in weight loss by shrinking the fat cells and curbing the appetite. I must say that my evil sugar cravings have been squashed by drinking this potion. I am loving the freedom of not having to talk myself off the cliff of potential sugar suicide. Apple cider vinegar can also be used to clean with. Pour it down the drain and it takes care of nasty odors. Pour it in the toilet and you have a toilet clean enough for the dog to drink from it. There are so many uses that it is impossible to list all of them. The internet has lots of helpful recipes and ideas on how to use it. I like apple cider vinegar because it is cheap, easy to use, versatile, and green. Now, if only it would do the laundry! Oh wait... it can!
When choosing which apple cider vinegar to use for consumption purposes it is best to buy the ones that are unfiltered, unpasteurized, and made from raw organic apples. If the label states that the product has trace of "The Mother" in it, you are in good shape. The mother is what makes it so good for you. I have found repeatable products at my local grocery store so it isn't too hard to find.

What Kate Ate 10/17/10

Oatmeal with walnuts and raisins
Vegan pumpkin cupcake
Salad, humus, crackers and carrots
Chai tea
Salmon, greens, and sweet potatoes roasted in a honey and lemon dressing

Southeast Women's Herbal Conference

This weekend I went to the Southeast Women's Herbal Conference in Black Mountain, North Carolina. My friend Lauren and I made the 3 and a half hour trek to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. The Conference was held at Camp Rockmont, which is on Lake Eden. The weather was cold, but absolutely beautiful when the sun came out.
I got to meet Rosemary Gladstar, for those of you who don't know her she is the godmother of herbalism and is responsible for bringing it back to the forefront of healing traditions. I hugged her twice and nearly drooled on myself! I also met Suki Roth, who is an herbalist in Graham, NC. Suki took us on an herb walk which didn't actually walk anywhere! Instead we sat down next to the lake and meditated while ingesting herbs. The point of the exercise was to let the herbs talk to us and tell us their message. It was a very moving experience that had a lot of value to it. If we are able to take the time to listen the plants, they do speak.
The food was absolutely wonderful and I was in heaven. Fresh organic local sourced food, what could be better? Rosemary's tea company, Traditional Medicines, supplied all of the tea. I love this tea. It is so wonderfully crafted to have a good flavor while being good for you at the same time.
I learnt so much that I can't wait to put into practice. As I try out what I learnt I will provide the recipes and instructions so others may use them.

What Kate Ate 10/3/10

Egg strata with grits and fresh fruit
Ratatouille with basmati rice and black beans, and Greek salad
Vegan cookies
Ginger and lemon tea
Minestrone soup