Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a day of giving thanks, no really! The name doesn't give it away or anything! I spent to the day with my wonderful family, whom I am thankful for. One of the things I love about thanksgiving is the food. My family likes to try new recipes and alternative foods so I am able to throw something odd into the mix.


This years menu was:
Steamed green beans with pomegranate seeds and roasted almond slivers
Roasted parsnips, potatoes, and sweet potatoes
Quinoa goodness
Organic turkey
Yorkshire pudding (English bread)
Cranberry relish
Vegan banana rum cheese cake



I didn't get pummeled by the family for substituting quinoa goodness for stuffing so that was good. My sister did however threaten to put me in a closet while she made stuffing! Did you notice that stuffing wasn't on the menu?! The cheese cake was really good. Easy enough to make and even my mother ate it. This is huge people. My mother hates tofu and stays at least 10 feet away from the stuff. But she ate it and said it was "very good". So, two for the vegan team.

Thank you to everyone who told me they like my blog. I am most appreciative for the support and love.

What Kate Ate 11/28/10

Quinoa goodness with almond milk (it makes a wonderful breakfast dish as well, I am so clever!)
Veggie and hummus sandwich
Apple bread
Ginger tea
Brown rice with quorn and veggie sauce

Quinoa goodness

This weekend we had our Thanksgiving potluck at our spiritual community. I signed up to take the vegan dishes of course. I made greens and this new dish I made up that is basically quinoa goodness! If any one can think of a good name let me know. The recipe for my quinoa goodness is below. I think it will be perfect on Thanksgiving day. I intend to rock the boat and suggest that we don't have stuffing and replace it with my quinoa. If you don't see any blog entries from me you will know that I have been viciously attacked by my family because I thought stuffing was too stuffy!

Quinoa goodness
1 cup of quinoa
1 apple, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 dried cranberries
1/2 chopped pecans
1 cup water
1 cup butternut squash soup
2 tbs of fresh chopped sage, or 1 tbs dried sage
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of coriander
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan heat about 1 tbs of olive oil and saute the onion and apple. When the onion starts to turn opaque add in the sage and spices. Let this cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the quinoa, soup, water, pecans, and cranberries. Bring to a slow boil, cover and reduce heat. Cook for about 20 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
Serves about 4 to 6 people.

What Kate Ate 11/21/10

Apple cranberry bran muffin
Lots of yummy goodness at the potluck
Green curry with rice

Pull this string as I walk away

Living a holistic lifestyle for me includes be consicious of my carbon footprint. Before I throw anything away I think about where it is going, usually the land fill, compost heap or recycling bin, and if I can use it in another way before it leaves me. When I am thinking about clothing, I like to buy clothes that have already been used. Thrift shops, consignment stores, friends unwanted clothing and fabric or yarn that has been abandoned become my new wardrobe. Besides I am not one to spend copious amounts of money on clothing when a) I have two children to dress and b) have two children who will destroy what I wear!
I found a house coat or long cardican, whatever you want to call it, a couple of years ago at a thrift store and just had to have it. The length was just right and the color was so me. I tried it on but it swallowed me up. This didn't dissuade me from purchasing it, besides it was only $7 and I just had to have it. I wore it a couple of times, but the akward fit made it difficult to wear. A couple of weeks ago I switched out my summer clothes for my winter clothes and I was reunited with my coveted cardigan. Alas, you are too big for me. Never the less I will hang you in my closet so I can admire you. But wait, I have an idea! Marissa Lynch, who stared a blog about taking clothes and altering so that they are wearable again, inspired me. I know how to knit. I am pretty savvy. I could take this misfitting beauty and make it smaller. So, where to start? I took the sleeves off as they were way too big and undid the side seams. I then took the two side panels and un-knitted them!! Scary stuff for people who don't know how to knit. I re-knitted the side panels so that they would hug my side. I then undid almost all of the sleeves. Not a terribly smart move as I had no idea of what pattern I was going to follow. I found a pattern online and had my fingers crossed that it would work. Sure enough the pattern worked and I sewed them back on. Ta-da I now have a cardigan that fits me like a glove and only cost me $7. I think I learnt this skill of taking what you have a making it into something that works from my grandmother. She could practically take a holey sock and turn it into a sweater!

What Kate Ate 11/18/10

Green tea
Banana
Omelet
Panang curry
Chai white tea
Crackers and hummus
Bean and veggie burrito

Troll hair

I washed my hair the other day, and yes, I don't wash it everyday!! Well, I thought I would do something special and put some mousse in it and blow dry it to extenuate my natural wave. So much for looking good. My hair felt tacky and looked frizzy, kind of like a troll doll hair! The mousse I used was made from organic ingredients and contained no chemicals of any kind. I like the idea of using all natural products, but this one just didn't seem to work as well. I think I will stick to hair serum. It seems to work better and I don't have to blow dry my hair. After all, I end up looking like a bad version of Diana Ross after the hair dryer has attacked me!

I don't wash my hair everyday because the natural oils that my body creates, keep my hair clean and shiny. When we wash our hair everyday our body creates more oil because we have washed all of the goodness away. You can retrain your hair so that you only wash it twice a week or so. The extra oil that your body creates because you haven't wash it out will be reabsorbed by your body. The body is an awesome machine and will readjust itself according to supply and demand. For those of you who have breast feed, it is just like milk production!!

No more hair dryer and mousse for me. So long Diana Ross troll doll hair!

What Kate Ate 11/17/10

Green tea
Oatmeal
Green salad and awesome veggie chili that my fabulous friend made
Chai tea
Crackers and hummus
Indian (very descriptive, I know)

Apple Cider Vinegar Experiment

I have been drinking apple cider vinegar mixed with water 3 times a day for about a month now. The outcome is good. My skin is clearer, I am sleeping better, and my sugar craving are not as severe. I did discover that it isn't a good idea to drink the stuff straight. My friends mother is a nurse and had suggested to my friend that she drink it without diluting it. Well, the result is that your insides become twisted and your face has to be freed from inversion by the use of a vacuum cleaner!! My stomach hurt so bad from drinking the vinegar straight that I was almost doubled over. I drank some Chamomile tea and it fix the problem. Thank goodness for Chamomile. It has saved me from two rather painful situation so far. I am thinking that my body has become a living laboratory for holistic remedies and treatments.
Regarding my skin, I used to break out on my forehead and that seems to of cleared up. According to Chinese medicine the skin on your face directly correlates to what is going on inside of your body. So, if you breakout or have skin issues on your face something is going on internally to cause it. Breaking outs on the forehead would indicate an issue with the small intestines. I believe that the vinegar regiment has helped the function of the small intestines, thus my skin has cleared up.
Much to my dismay and my tongues relief, I ran out of vinegar and didn't take it for a couple of days. Through that small window of time a cold snuck in. Slimey bugger! I think the treatment is also helping to keep my body clean and bulsters the immune system so that it can eradicate illness before it becomes a problem. It would make sense if this is the case. If the body is able to clean out toxins and absorb nutrients with more ease then it can expend more energy to protect the body from invaders of the germy kind.
I have found this experiment to be very beneficial. So much so that I have incorporated it into my daily regime. My daughter even likes it and often asked to take sips from my drink. Her reaction is hilarious as she scrunches up her face and says "yum" at the same time!

What Kate Ate 11/15/10

Green tea
Banana
Oatmeal with walnuts and raisins
Green salad and veggie sauce over zucchini
Red pepper and crackers with hummus
Sugar plum spice tea (no sugar actual in it)
Broccoli and salmon

Poke Berry Root

After doing some research and learning about plants that grow in my environment I decided to take a stab at harvesting some Poke Berry root. You have probably seen this plant and chalked it up to being an annoying weed. The reason it is so annoying is that if you try to pull it out of the ground the stalk breaks off of the root and so you are left with the plant growing back and taking over your garden. The plant is poisonous and so I did a lot of research to make sure that I knew what I was doing. Medicinally you can use the berries to treat arthritis by swallowing a berry a day. Be sure not to chew the berry as the seeds are poisonous. The leaves can be boiled twice in fresh water in the early spring to make a nutritious meal. The root can be made into a tincture to treat tumors, lumps, and boost the immune system. It can also be made into an oil. This oil can be applied to the lymph nodes to reduce swelling.

I got my shovel ready, gloved up and was ready to do battle with the Poke Berry bush. It was a beast to get out of the ground. I discovered why it is so hard to pull it up. The root grows horizontally rather than vertically. Thus when you try to pull it out the stalk breaks off. I must of been in the garden pulling, tugging a cursing for about an hour until my I birthed that stubborn root from the ground. It was quite large and should last me for the next ten years!
I scrubbed the root clean and chopped it up into rather small pieces. I put some into olive oil and set it in the window to make an oil. In another jar I covered it with alcohol to make a tincture. The rest I am drying for a later use. Apparently when using the tincture you only use a drop at a time. It is that potent! Too much of it and you can have hallucinations, vomiting, diarrhea, and feel as though you are not really in your body. Sounds fun!!

The day after creating all of these wonderful potions I think I got some Poke Berry in my eyes!! I awoke to my eyes glued shut and very puffy. Some saline solution and Chamomile tea compressed set me right. I spend the next two days looking like I had smoked way too much marijuana and had to wear my glasses. I hate wearing my glasses. So, if you decide to harvest your own Poke Berry, be VERY careful. I like to think that this experience is a valuable one as I learnt to have a deep respect for the potency of the Poke Berry root and love of the Chamomile flower for soothing my eyes and ego!

What Kate Ate 11/14/10

Oatmeal
Mini molasses cupcake
Veggie sandwich on wheat bread
Zucchini topped with veggie sauce

Trick or Treat?

I think the "treat" is the "trick"!!! Here little one, have some candy. The only catch is that you won't have any self restraint as an adult and become addicted to sugar. How evil of Halloween to set up unspecting children into thinking that candy is good. I proud to say that I didn't have any candy yesterday. My children went to a Halloween party and chowed down on a trail mix that had cereal, raisins and chocolate candy pieces in it. It was the healthiest snack there was so I let them eat it. I did however observe both of them going up to the food table and snag a chocolate chip cookie. In both instants they were without a parent and looked around to make sure my husband and I weren't in close proximity. Little sneaks knew they were doing something we won't normally allow. I was torn between letting them eating it seeing as they had touched it and them needing to be able to regulate themselves around sugar consumption and totally flipping out that they were eating a cookie. After we got home, my daughter was riled up and screaming that she needed chocolate. Oh no, what have we done? Our daughter has turned into a sugar head. I calmly explained to her that she would not be getting any more candy and that rewards for potty time would no longer be of the sugary variety. She seemed to be ok with it. Time will tell if she is able to go on with out her sugar fix. Maybe I should start a sugar rehab center? I could make a killing around the holidays!

What Kate Ate 10/31/10

Whole grain toast with pumpkin butter
Curried chicken and salad sandwich on whole wheat bread
Trail mix
Salad with balsamic dressing