My challenge for August!

I decided about 2 weeks ago that I was going to challenge myself to go dairy free for the month of August. I didn't mention it on this blog because I gave myself a 50/50 chance of wussing out come July 31. However, I think I'm going to give it a go.....I had a pretty cheese filled diet over the last week and it upset my stomach enough to actually WANT to take a break.

So to get ready for my little 31 one day challenge I decided to do a big shopping trip today. I had planned to get up and surf "advisory level" ( 8 ft faces ) this morning however the waves failed to show up on time ( typical ) it was seriously a big giant lake out there. I think the biggest ripple I saw was about 6". So, I figured it was a perfect day to head to my favorite Farmer's Market as well as the best and least expensive Health Food Store on Island, "Mana Foods".
"Mana Foods" is in Paia Town and Paia is a whole hour away from my house. However, it's totally worth it especially if you plan on doing a "big trip" and frankly I sort of like an excuse to drive my fast new Audi across Maui ( even if our speed limit is only 45 mph ) Mana is where I get my organic dry/can good staples and condiments. TOTAL COST: $132.28

Next stop was the Maui Mall in Kahului ( where the Farmer's Market is )......Ya want to know who the biggest "tease" is on island these days?? That would be "Whole Foods Market". They have been "coming soon!!" for over a year now! Ahhhhh.....it's torture I swear!!! At least it looks like somebody was working on the building this a.m. I think they were installing the AC unit. That's GOT to be a good sign right?? Maybe it's better if they take another year to open...I mean seriously, do I actually think I'll be able to shop there? I know how expensive that place is on the "Mainland". Can you imagine what a Maui Whole Foods will cost?!

Anyways, I think I over bought last time I was at the Farmer's Market ( very easy to do ) So, I tried to restrain myself a bit and I walked out with only 2 bags full of veggies TOTAL COST: $33.90 ( oh and then I stopped at the Napili Market for a $12 bottle of "Murphy Goode Fume Blanc" )So over the next month, my goal is to eliminate dairy. It's not to be "vegan". I will still eat honey and I will not freak out if something has eggs in it. Also, my goal is not to be raw. I really want to see if I can do this so I don't want to complicate things by forcing myself to just eat raw vegan salads all month. If I actually make it, then I will see how I feel. If I want to continue I will...if not, then I will most likely add my Goat Cheese back in. Goat Cheese is sooooo much easier for me to digest than Cow Cheese. Oh and a heads up! I will totally be honest if I cheat too. I mean seriously, I'm not completing against anyone and this is really just a test to see if I can really handle this change. However, keep in mind that I think it would be easier for me to give up just about everything else in my diet ( even Excedrin ) than giving up cheese. So, wish me luck.....because I think I really need it!! xo

WORKOUT LOG

*25 min on the treadmill alternating power walking ( 2 min @ 4.0 mph ) and running ( 3 min @ 5.8 mph )

*30 min on the Elliptical Machine level 7

*200 crunches

FOOD LOG

I had very little appetite today?? It was so hot and muggy that food just didn't sound so great

BREAKFAST- ( at 12:30! after shopping ) "Green Monster" ( Spinach, 1.5 Frozen Bananas, Frozen Mangoes, 1 Cup Almond Milk, "Amazing Meal", Stevia )SNACK-After gym, small piece of Mozzarella Cheese, "Sundried Tomato Tapenade" recipe below ( I had about 2 TB ) and "Mary's Gone Crackers" Gluten Free Crackers

DINNER-Amy's Vegan Minestone Soup, Mary's Gone Crackers Gluten Free Crackers

*SUN DRIED TOMATO TAPENADE* VEGETARIAN

Handful of Basil

4 Garlic Cloves

1 Cup Sun dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives

Salt to taste

small hunk 2"x 2" of Pecorino Romano Cheese

2TB Olive Oil

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth

Pau Hana

So happy my weekend is finally here. I swear my days in the gallery feel longer and longer too me....
After work I headed down to Lahaina Cooler's ( a pretty cool indoor/outdoor restaurant I've been going to for over 10 years now ) to meet up with one of my girlfriends. The intention was to have 1 glass of wine and be on our way but we were there almost 4 hours! hahaha! So, I ordered some dinner as well :-)

Quick post today....I'll catch up this weekend. Aloha!

WORKOUT-no workout today as planned

FOOD LOG

BREAKFAST- "Green Monster" ( Spinach, frozen Mango, 1.5 frozen Bananas, 1 cup Almond Milk, Stevia, 1 scoop "Amazing Meal" )LUNCH-"Amy's Organic" Black Bean and Veggie Enchiladas-Vegan

DINNER-"Lahaina Cooler's" Spinach and Feta Quesadilla ( Spinach tortillas as well ) with Black Beans and Spicy Salsa. I crave this sometimes!! 2.5 glasses of Italian Sauvignon Blanc.

DESSERT-"Purely Decadent" non dairy ice cream

Pizza and Martinis!

Aloha my friends, Sorry for the late post.....Carlos took my camera to work with him last night so I couldn't down load anything until this morning.
So yesterday was one of those days where I wish I could have had a few extra hours. For some reason everything on my "to do" list took me forever to complete. In fact I didn't even make it to the gym :-( Not the biggest deal except I have "Happy Hour" plans after work today so I will be skipping the gym and surf.......Today is my Friday!
When I finally got home from work yesterday ( 1.5 hrs later than expected ) I noticed a very wilty looking garden? I don't understand what is going on? Granted we are in the middle of a pretty hot summer here in Hawaii but I had just watered that morning? My Basil plants and Hot Peppers looked super bummed out. So, once again I pulled out the hose and gave them a much needed drink. It's pretty amazing because literally in 1 hour they perked up again? Carlos wants to put together a little drip system soon. However, knowing us that will get completed as soon a rainy season starts.
I then ended up making another "Whole Wheat, Apple and Blue Cheese Pizza"( dough recipe recipe on blog, "Eat Live Run" )and taking it over to a friends house for dinner. They made a veggie pizza as well. Carlos came over when he was done with work and we finally ate around 9:30. I hate eating this late. I swear it disrupts my sleep ( especially if I ate cheese ) but this was just how my day was going:-) We had a nice casual dinner in a pretty back yard and had some homemade "Lilikoi Fruit Martinis" .
It is Passion ( Lilikoi ) Fruit Season now in the islands now! Apparently the vines are dripping with huge yellow fruit up in the west Maui Mountains at the moment. Carlos and I plan on going on a hike soon to harvest some.
Our friends went and scored a huge backpack full of the fruit this last weekend. Then, they made about a gallon of yummy juice from the pulp. Extracting Lilikoi juice is not the easiest thing to do. The pulp clings to the seeds so to separate the pulp they ended up boiling them and then straining the juice through a colander. I will attempt to do this myself soon. Wish me luck....I'll take pics :-)

WORKOUT - Rest Day

FOOD LOG

BREAKFAST-"Green Monster" ( Spinach, 1.5 Frozen Bananas, Frozen Mangoes, 1 cup Almond Milk, Stevia, "Amazing Meal" )LUNCH-Thai Chef, Lahaina Maui "Green Papaya Salad"DINNER-"Whole Wheat Apple and Blue Cheese Pizza" 1.5 slices, 1 slice Margarita Pizza ( thin crust, tomato, basil, onions, mozzarella cheese ) 1 Glass "Gascon" Argentine Mablec and 1 glass "Lilikoi Vodka Martini"

"Recession Depression" part dos (not really a food related post today)

Buenos Aires, Argentina Oct. 6, 2008

How could I forget....I think it was about 9am ( or 2 am Hawaiian Standard Time ) and I was stumbling about the lobby of some swanky downtown B.A. hotel looking for the "Breakfast Buffet"

I remember thinking..."Well, what can I really eat here?? I don't do coffee, eggs or even cut raw fruit in faraway lands so now what??? Well, that buttery Croissant and Dulce de Leche spread looks pretty damn good for 2 am I guess. "

At this point I was looking up at flat screen TV holstered above a gorgeous mahogany bar and I was noticing that there seemed to be something BIG going on in the US of A this morning....It was in Spanish of course.... ( FYI-I'm so very happy I took French for 6 years since I went to SAN DIEGO STATE ( aka: Mexico ) and now I'm in SOUTH AMERICA with my man's Argentinean family! I'm brilliant ) Anyways, all I could tell is that it looked like there was some major panic going on down on Wall St. Apparently, The American stock market was crashing and the whole world was watching.....and holding their breath ( or so it was explained to me by the REALLY good looking Argentine bartender who spoke excellent English of course )

Ya know....there is nothing quite like being on the opposite side of the planet, spending wayyyy too much rapidly deflating USD on great Argentine leather and eating/drinking everything you can get your hands on while watching everything investment you own disappear in a matter of hours. So, what do you do? Well, you go on with your day, buy that last pair of fabulous non vegan boots and deal with it when you get back....

I can't believe that was almost a year ago now?.......I remember every detail of that week down in South America. The US Dow Jones crashed 1874 points while we were on vacation ( we always have such impeccable timing ). Carlos knew it was coming. He was not surprised at all. I had no idea what we'd be dealing with once we got back to our tourist dependent incomes in Hawaii.....scary times. Reassuringly Carlos promised me, "This will take years to fix" and a whole year later things still look pretty grim.....

I'm sorry.....I'm just having one of those days....One of those days when things seem so bleak, scary and unknown. I don't want to sit here and feel sorry for myself because I know so many others are in the same boat or way worst off. However, I just need to say it again "THIS ECONOMY REALLY SUCKS AND I REALLY WANT THINGS TO GET BETTER SOON!"

Okay, I feel a bit better getting that off my chest now.....it's just no fun watching more friends move away....hearing that one more friend was laid off.....that older people can't retire.....that another no longer has medical insurance....that another cannot make their mortgage payment (again) etc.....etc......It just sucks and it's hard to walk around with a "Pollyanna" attitude 24/7.

However, tomorrow is a new day ( but same economic state I'm sure ) and I'll be okay. I'll maybe go surf after work, make dinner with Carlos or watch the sunset over Lanai.

I do know it really could be much worst but sometimes it's just really hard being a grown up. This just happens to be one of those times.... Thanks for letting me vent I'll promise to snap out it soon....for everyones sake. xoxoxo Mahalo

WORKOUT LOG

40 min Elliptical Machine level 6

WEIGHT 105.8 lbs

FOOD LOG

BREAKFAST-*Green Monster* ( Kale, Spinach, 1.5 Frozen Bananas, 1 cup Almond Milk, 1 scoop "Amazing Meal" )LUNCH-Salad ( Romaine ( cos ) Tomatoes from my garden, Kalamata Olives, Goat Cheese and Lemon Juice ) AK-MAK Crackers

DINNER-"Amy's Organic" Minestrone Soup, Pecorino Romano, Tapatio Hot Sauce, 2 slices

La Brea Bakery Whole Grain Bread

1 Glass of Gascon 2008 Mendoza, Argentina Malbec-FYI-this stuff ROCKS! It's rich and jammy like a California Red ZIN with rich flavors like black cherries and mocha....for $10.99 on sale at Longs Drugs in Lahaina, it's a steal!

Stand Up Paddle Boarding

GUESS WHAT! We finally got our Thule Surf racks and Carlos put them on our old Honda! I'm so stoke because this meant that I could get the huge ( 11' 6" ) Naish Stand Up Paddle board back in the water today! It's been almost 2 months. The poor board was covered in dust!

We had real surf on our south shores today so we not only strapped the SUP board and Carlos's board on to the car but I threw my little short board in the trunk too. We headed down to Puamana Beach Park in Lahaina and I took the SUP board out first. It's always a bit difficult to navigate a huge board like that out past the reef when you have big waves crashing in ( while you are standing with a paddle ) Remember that scene in the movie "Castaway" where Tom Hanks is trying to get that boat over the waves and into the open ocean? That was me today....

Anyways, I've been missing my Stand Up Board so much!! The water was very calm past the reef and it was super clear inspite of the swell pushing in! You could also see Mauna Kea on the Big Island today too!! That's really rare! However, When you see the Big Island from Maui you can really understand why we get blocked from so much great surf . I mean seriously, the Big Island is BIG and you can tell that because of it's position south of us it's stopping a lot of surf from making it to Maui's shores. This is why Oahu and Kauai get better summer surf than us......nothing blocks them from the south ( except maybe Tahiti! )

I paddled boarded for about 45 minutes (?? maybe longer? ) from Puamana Beach to past Shark Pit and back. Then I traded in the SUP board for my 6"4" Fish so I can do some "real" surfing! Oh man was it crowded out today!!! Oh well....at least there were no jelly fish and the water was freakishly warm. I mean, do you think it''s normal to sweat when you are paddling in the ocean with no wet suit?? Hell no! But, I think it's great!!

As for my diet....I'll be honest, it's been a bit of a cheese fest in recent days....don't think I haven't noticed. As long as I stick with goat cheese I seem to be OK. However, as soon as I add a bit of cow cheese into the mix...that's when I have issues. I made a KILLER Apple and Blue Cheese Pizza today! It was AWESOME! I tried to just use a sprinkling of Mozzarella and Blue Cheese but my tummy knows better...I felt sort of bloated for awhile but honestly it was worth it and I had more for dinner! ( FYI-I packed some for Carlos to take to work for dinner too and he actually called me just to tell me how good it was! )

I think I need to scale back my dairy intake again....I'm seriously nowhere near being a true VEGAN right now even if I don't drink milk or eat eggs....Seriously, cheese = crack in my house.

WORKOUT LOG

Stand Up Paddling about 45 min

Surfing 1 hour ( 6'4" Fish )

FOOD LOG

BREAKFAST-"Green Monster" ( from "Oh She Glows" Blog ) ( Kale, Spinach, 1 cup almond milk, Stevia, 1.5 Frozen Bananas, 1 TB Peanut Butter, 1 Scoop of "Amazing Meal" ) by the way....I'm getting crazy addicted to these!LUNCH-After the salad I had for lunch yesterday I decided to do the same thing with a Pizza! "Whole Wheat, Apple and Blue Cheese Pizza" ( Dough recipe from "Eat Live Run" Blog, I posted the recipe on 7/15 ) I actually only had 1 slice for lunch and then 2 for dinner.

DINNER-same as lunch!
PAU HANA-1 Glass "Monkey Bay" NZ Sauv Blanc and a dish of "Purely Decadent" frozen non dairy dessert
*WHOLE WHEAT, APPLE and BLUE CHEESE PIZZA* VEGETARIAN

Grease Pizza Pan ( with olive oil ) and Pre Heat oven to 500F

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough ( I pulled from freezer last night to defrost for today, 1/2 of the recipe )

1.5 TB GOOD organic Olive Oil

Spinach

1 Granny Smith Apple sliced very thin

small handful of walnuts

shredded Mozzarella Cheese ( about 1/2 Cup )

about 1/3 Cup crumbled Blue Cheese

Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt

**Start by brushing pizza dough with oil and layer the ingredients in this order

Spinach, Apple, Walnuts, Mozzarella cheese, Blue Cheese, Pepper ( salt to taste )

Cook about 11-12 min until cheese is slightly golden.

Counting down to Holiday!

Back to work today....I can't believe it is almost August! Where does the time go? Seriously?? Anyways, Carlos and I figured that we need to start finalizing some details on our trip in September. First of all, I need a cat sitter. I seriously cannot bear the thought of putting Taj in a kennel again like we did last year. We went to Argentina for 3 weeks and I literally had no choice in the matter. I sent him "up country" to the Ohana Animal Inn in Kula. The place and people seemed really nice and he was only 6 months old so I figured he could handle it. He did of course but I don't want to do it again. Don't get me wrong, our impression of the the Animal Inn was totally fine but now he is so happy in our new place and 3 and 1/2 weeks is just too long I think to put a 12 lb "people" cat in a cage......I'm about to bribe one of my friends....we'll see if he bites.

Besides kitty drama, I'm also having a difficult time planning the New Zealand leg of our trip. I honestly know very little about the place and I still need to find a hotel for 3 nights in Auckland. We rented a caravan that has a bed and mini kitchen for the other 8 days ( should be interesting....I haven't done anything like that since Baja, Mexico circa 1996.)

As for Australia, We are staying with my family ( in Bondi Beach and Dad rented a place in Palm Beach as well ) this will be my third trip down there in 4 years so no worries on the Aussie leg.

Our last trip to OZ became a major food and wine fest (hence Carlos's 20 lb weight gain in 1month! ) It was amazing and I would love to do that again but this time we are going to be a on a much tighter budget. In all honesty, we probably should not be adding New Zealand because of finances but we figured "What the hell...." It's only money, we'll just make more when we get back.....( I am soooooo ready for the Great Recession to end!! How 'bout you?! )

This time Down Under. We plan on doing a lot of grocery shopping and cooking as well as scoping out some great cheap eats ( I love the grocery stores in Australia! "David Jones Food Hall" rocks my world! ). I plan on blogging the whole time I'm down there. I thoroughly regret not doing that before because the Aussies have such a beautiful way of presenting their food with a contemporary fusion style. Everything is deliciously fresh and local. I promise you, if you have not been....Australia is a serious Foodies paradise....AND THAT'S JUST THE FOOD! The wines pretty damn good too ( thank you OZ for Shiraz !!)

As for New Zealand, we might be budgeting a bit on the dining end. Plus, after eating up everything in OZ we might have to cut back due to shear gluttony. However, this is Sauvignon Blanc Country!!! The kiwis make THE BEST white wine in the world! ( my humble opinion of course! ) I can't wait to try EVERYTHING!! I mean you've got to love a place that has a wine called "Cat pissing on a Gooseberry Bush". I got a pretty good sample of New Zealand wines when I was in the Cook Islands a few years ago ( see reference above ). However, knowing tropical islands very well.... great wines always seem to go to waste thanks to travel and improper storage. I tasted more crappy expensive French wines in Tahiti that I care to admit.....This is why I'm pretty stoked to get my hands on some New Zealand wine when I'm actually IN New Zealand! In Argentina I had spectacular bottles of Malbec that I would NEVER be able to find in Hawaii! And if I did, they probably wouldn't taste the same. This is why travelling is so freaking great!

So please, if you have any travel advice for me on the North Island of New Zealand I'd love to hear from you:-) If you have questions about my island ( Maui ) I'd love to share! Mahalo!

WORKOUT LOG

40 minutes level 6

1 Hour Hatha Yoga ( DVD Class, "Yoga with Ateeka" ) It was so hot and muggy in my livingroom doing this it felt like a Bikram Class! )

FOOD LOG

Breakfast- Post gym/ Pre Yoga "Green Monster" ( Fresh Spinach, Kale, 1.5 frozen Bananas, 1 TB Organic Peanut Butter, Stevia, 1 cup Almond milk, 1 Scoop of "Amazing Meal" )

Lunch - after Yoga "Apple and Blue Cheese Salad" recipe below

*APPLE AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD* VEGETARIAN

Romaine Lettuce ( Cos ) Chopped

1 Green Apple thinly sliced

Candied Walnuts

Black Cracked Pepper

Crumbled Blue Cheese

Dressing- I had about 2 tsp of honey left in a jar so I squeeze the juice of a lemon in it. I stirred it up until it dissolved with a pinch of salt = simple yummy dressing!

Dinner-"Amy's Organic" Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas

Pau Hana! "Monkey Bay" New Zealand Sauv Blanc

Quick Saturday Post!

Aloha! Busy day today:-) Filled with babies, animals, food and wine! 1. After the gym, I headed down to Kaanapali Beach to go to a Baby's 1st Birthday party ( and play with the family's Chihuahua/Terrier mix doggies ) while Carlos installed the long awaited surf racks on our Honda!!.
2. After lunch, Carlos and I headed to another friends house to visit their 6 week old twin babies ( sooooo cute! ) as well as their massive Rhodesian Ridge Back puppy.
3. Finally we had dinner with another couple at their home with their sweet old dog.Fun times but unfortunately my allergies caught up with me quick....I woke up this morning with swollen itchy eyes to begin with. Then the endless supply of fur I encountered today eventually took a toll on me. It's such a bummer too because I love dogs so much but it's just so hard for me to be in close quarters with them :-( This is why I have a cat instead.

WORKOUT LOG

40 min Elliptical Machine level 7

200 crunches

3 sets of 12 triceps pull downs 30 lbs

3 sets of 12 lat pull downs 25 lbs

FOOD LOG

BREAKFAST-"Purple Monster" ( Frozen Blueberries, Mango, 1 Banana, 1 cup of Almond Milk, Stevia, 1 scoop "Amazing Grass" )

Lunch-Veggie Soft Tacos ( Corn Tortillas, Roasted Corn, Salsa, Vegetarian Re fried Beans, Cilantro, Lettuce, Onions, tomatoes, Pepper Jack Cheese ) 1 Glass "Monkey Bay" New Zealand Sauv Blanc

Snack-( while visiting the babies ) Red Grapes, Creamy Gorgonzola and Crackers. 1 Glass Red Wine

Dinner- ( at friends house ) Chips and Salsa, Grill Marinated Shoyu Tofu, Grilled Bok Choy and Grilled Onions. 1/2 Glass White Wine

Book review # 2

I first stumbled across Natalia Rose years ago when I was following a strict raw food diet. Back then, I think I was buying every Raw Food/Living Food diet book on the market however just small handful of books really made an impression on me. One was Natalia's "The Raw Food Detox Diet".
Natalia is a high raw food vegetarian not a vegan. She's a vegetarian because she supports the consumption of raw goat cheese! Now this diet I think I can live with! Natalia's books are great because she sets up an easy to follow guideline for you. She's not a big supporter of jumping into a strict raw food diet over night. She preaches the idea of weaning yourself into it because she believes that people will have a higher success rate this way. She also stands by the fact that you can still have a healthy diet, loose excess weight and still include foods you love like fish, dairy, wine and even chocolate. The reason behind her success is stressing the importance of eating whole foods and planning your meals around proper food combinations. Natalia feels that if we can learn to combine our foods properly then a lot of the digestive issues we face could be eliminated for good.
The latest book I picked up by Natalia Rose is "Detox 4 Women" printed just this year. Again, Natalia incorporates yummy treats like goat cheese and wine into her daily menus and again stresses the importance of food combining with the theory of "waste=weight".
What is a proper food combination? Well something like eating a salad with a chicken breast or having your pasta with roasted vegetables. Flesh foods are things like fish and cheese and should only be eaten with vegetables. Foods like bread or sweet potatoes should be eaten separately from your flesh foods. Your vegetables are neutral and fruit should always be eaten on it's own. She goes into the details about this theory and she answers questions like, "Why you should not have fruit for dessert. " etc. Honestly, it sounds a lot harder than it is.....
I've experimented a bit with food combining on my own and I have to say I believe she is on to something. When I consume a well combined meal I usually don't suffer from any bloaty fullness afterwards. It's not always easy to follow this type of diet ( because you want bread with your cheese! ) but if you deal will a great deal gas, IBS or indigestion her book could help you:-) I highly recommend it!
WORKOUT

40 min Elliptical Machine

2 sets of 20 lunges

2 sets of 20 ballet squats

200 AB crunches

Weight: 105.2 lbs

SURFING - 1.5 hours ( 7'8" ) mini longboard-Surfers complaint of the day: Portuguese Man-O-War were out it full force....I seriously hate those little buggers!!

FOOD LOG ( notice my bad food combining! )

BREAKFAST-"Green Monster" ( Fresh Spinach, 1 frozen Banana, Frozen Mangoes, 1 cup Almond Milk, Stevia, 1 scoop "Amazing Meal" ) post gym

LUNCH-"Amy's Organics" Minestrone Soup, Pecorino Romano and "La Brea Bakery" whole grain bread and Tapatio Hot Sauce......because that makes everything better! ( very filling post surfing

DINNER-"Bamboos Bar and Grill" 50% off Sushi Happy Hour! see 7/18/09 post-2 Avocado and Cucumber Rolls, extra side of rice ( because I believe in my carbs )......and 3 Stoli Blueberry Vodka and Sodas ( not my usual LOL! )

What to do with leftovers?

After my yummy soft tacos last night I figured I would make a killer salad with the leftovers and take it to work today:-) This is what I came up with! "Southwest Salad" Soooooo good!!

WORKOUT

none....because I REALLY don't feel like it! I'm sure I'll make up for it over the weekend.

FOOD LOG

BREAKFAST-"Green Monster" ( Fresh Spinach, 1 cup Almond Milk, 2 Stevia packets, 1 frozen Banana, handful or frozen Mango ) LUNCH-"Southwest Salad" recipe follows

SOUTHWEST SALAD-VEGETARIAN

Romain Lettuce ( Cos )

Roasted corn cut from cob

Cilantro ( Coriander )

Candied Pumpkin Seeds ( pumpkin seeds roasted with salt and honey )

Guacamole

Roasted Anaheim Chilies

Tomatoes

Goat Cheese

"Spicy Lime and Honey Salad Dressing" see below

SPICY LIME AND HONEY SALAD DRESSING-VEGAN

Juice of 2 limes

1 tsp of Rice Wine Vinegar

1.5 TB Raw Honey

1/2 half Serrano Chili

pinch of Sea Salt

pinch of Cumin

1/4 cup of Cilantro

1/4 cup Canola Oil

Blend everything in a high speed blender while slowing adding oil. This helps to emulsify the dressing. FYI!! ( Dressing is spicy but feel free to add more heat!! )

SNACK-"Ak-Mak" Crackers with paper thin shavings of Pecorino Romano, "Babich" New Zealand Sauv Blanc ( Please excuse the pic of my half drunk glass of wine ) and YES wine TOTALLY counts as a snack....especially on your Friday :-)

DINNER-Well, my Lunch and Snack must have been pretty filling today because I'm not the least the bit interested in making any sort of dinner tonight. I'm still full!!! I'm sure that will change by morning:-) See you then! Aloha

Roasting Peppers

Want to know a great way to add flavor and depth to a recipe? Try roasting your veggies!
I noticed that I had a few Anaheim Chilies on my plant that looked ready for picking. I decided that they would make a nice addition to the Vegan Tacos I was planning on making for dinner tonight.
Roasting peppers (hot or Bell Peppers ) are super easy! Pre heat your oven on the "Broil" setting. Just lay your peppers on a cookie sheet and place the cookie sheet on the top shelf of the oven. Your peppers should just be a couple of inches from the heat. Broil your peppers turning once until the skins turn black ( keep an eye on them because this can happen quickly.) Remove peppers from oven and quickly place in a plastic bag to "sweat". After peppers cool....the skins should peal off fairly easily leaving a slightly charred flesh behind.

WORKOUT

30 min Elliptical Machine level 7

3 sets of 12 seated shoulder press 10lbs

3 sets of 10 chest flys 20 lbs

200 crunches

STRETCH

FOOD LOG

BREAKFAST-"Purple Monster" ( Frozen Blueberries, Mango, 1 frozen Banana, 2 packets Stevia, 1 scoop "Amazing Meal" 1 cup Almond Milk )LUNCH-Salad ( Romaine, Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Goat Cheese, Lemon Juice ) Wheat ThinsSNACK-Cashews

DINNER-Vegan Tacos ( vegetarian Pinto Beans, Guacamole, "Stevos Salsa" recipe on 7/6/09, roasted Corn, Roasted Anaheim Chilies, Cilantro, Corn Tortillas ) 2 Glasses "Babich" New Zealand Sauv Blanc