Mangoes!!

Mangoes have become my new best friend. Starting out green on the outside and sometimes turning to yellow and red and yellow to orange on the inside they are one of the most sweetest fruits I have ever tasted. It took me a few tries before I really started to enjoy them. The first time they were nasty and had a weird texture. The next try, years later, they smelled like some kind of gas. Then the third try I started to get it. The fourth try, I let them ripen up really good and I finally understood why so many people love mangoes. Since then I cant get enough of them! I eat them like crazy. I peel them with a paring knife then stand over the sink while I devour one at a time. It's a mess, but I love it. Mangoes are full of vitamin A and C, have some protein, calcium, some B vitamins, phosphorus, fiber, iron, and more (Morton, 1987). The best way to eat mangoes is raw. There are many different recipes online that use mangoes, but I personally enjoy mine straight without the peel. However, my husband makes the best mango salsa.

Ahh...the Farmers Market!

This afternoon the kids and I headed off to the Farmer's Market! How much fun it is for me to go there, not to mention the kids always have a blast too. The market that we have here is smaller, but there were so many great finds! There was such a good variety of foods it was hard not to buy everything. Lack of cash helped out with that though. But we did pick up some cherries, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, arugula (first time ever bought!), diet peaches (because they are smaller), fuji apples, artichokes (they are GIANT!), beets...I think that might be it...lol Oh and of course I got the kids a couple of treats: snack bag size of kettle corn freshly made on site, and some local sticks of honey. It was an exciting and fun morning for us. I'm already planning on going back next Thursday morning with the kids. This time though, I think I'll plan ahead a little better and buy foods for certain recipes. Any suggestions for what I got today?

Quinoa

Yesterday I decided to buy some quinoa and check it out. My goal is raw, but I was eager to try it and saw that it was similar to brown rice. Plus I wasn't ready to spend the time to try to sprout it. I saw in someone else's blog that it took a good 48 hours to make! So I made it just like rice and it was AWESOME! I also read that it's a good source of complete protein which makes me happy because so many people ask where I get good complete protein from. Now from Quinoa! It tasted great. Actually pretty darn similar to brown rice, but better in a way. It's also pretty high in calories, but you only need a little bit with the rest of your meal to help you feel full. Which is just what I was looking for actually. When I take the time to sprout it I will let you know. Otherwise, I think I'll be eating it cooked for a small while.

Eat to Live

While in school taking my nutrition classes often I have seen other classmates say, "Eat to live, don't live to eat". How true it is! For the majority of my life this was never anything to think about. Then as I became healthier and started my research I have tried to make this a reality, but never really succeeded. Food is so delicious I and enjoy eating it. Even as a raw foodist I have struggled with portion control and creating a balanced diet despite my knowledge.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been focusing on taking control of my actions and surroundings and eating in general have been my main focus. Today I have realized that I am quickly gaining control of what I eat and how much of it I eat, creating balanced food plans for each day. I am eating to live by making sure I'm consuming foods that are good for me and that my body wants and needs.

It's a bit of relief for me to see that I am well on my way to a better me. Just wanted to share.

Fig Newtons

Last week I bought a bag of dried figs. I've never had figs before and I thought they would be fun to try and maybe I could make something with them. Looking around on the internet I didn't find a whole lot (I'm a little impatient these days), but I did find a very simple recipe for fig newtons from veganexcellence.com. As a kid I remember them being tasty and I had all the ingredients on hand so I gave it a try. Here's the recipe:


1 cup cashews or almonds
3 cups dried figs
juice of 1/2 to one lemon
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon

Grind up the nuts and put to the side. Process the figs with the lemon juice and cinnamon until it turns into a ball. Cut it in half and shape however you want it. Dip it into the ground nuts then cut up if necessary.

So simple right? And delicious! I'll be honest though, I didn't measure the juice or cinnamon. I just put some in! I decided to make mine in long two long rectangles then cut that into slices. The kids really liked them too!

Enjoy!