abundant april

april, where did you go? this has been quite an amazing month for me. great quarter, great roommates, great detox, great workouts, great birthday, great boyfriend, great crafting, great adventures, great everything! i feel like i have so much to update you friends on. so here it goes a short list of my amazing april...

:::wine monday, fajita tuesday- its been a new tradition this quarter that monday nights the roommates and i open a super fancy bottle of two-buck-chuck chardonnay and toast to a great week. secondly, we have started my personal favorite, drum roll please... fajita night! yummy veggies, beans, avocado, great tortilla. im in heaven.

:::cleanse diet- month one complete of my raw cleanse with a weekend hiatus for my birthday, back on as of yesterday, and loving the clean and energize feeling!

:::workout- p90x! my roommates and i have begun the new series of workout videos and we all love them (minus the millions of pull-ups). such a great workout and its at home so its super convenient. youtube ab ripper x and give it a try!

:::the big 2-1 birthday- this weekend i celebrated my birthday along with my roommate rachel. we had a great party and a fabulous time downtown for the first time! thank you to all of you that helped me to celebrate an unforgettable birthday!

:::the one and only eos rebel xs- i am the proud and very lucky owner of this amazing camera. ahhh! my parents generously gave me this for my birthday and i could not be more excited. i am planning on taking a photography class later this quarter to learn to use it to its fullest and until then i will experiment and gawk at its amazing pictures! isn't she a beauty!!!

:::brunching and crafting- beside my massive bag of office and craft supplies that i received for my birthday from paper sky (heaven, i know!), i was able to hand make a bunch of goodies, cards, and decorations for my sunday brunch. in addition, i have a great little line up of crafts to come after i finish midterms this week... ohlala!

not quite all of the food... quiche, fruit, homeade scones, muffins, coffee cake, rosted rosemary potatos, mmmmm!)

:::adventures- a few new adventures have started to pop-up along the way this spring quarter. im learning to longboard and rollerblade better. minus the massive crash that took out a large portion of my "cheek" (if you know what i mean) it has been so fun, especially our long "blade" on the bob jones trade to avila!

bring it on may!

yummy coconut.

simple coconut macaroons to fulfill my sweet tooth tonight. thanks "elana's pantry" for the recipe and i believe that you may become a good friend of mine in the near future. gotta love a good ol' gluten free blog! (picture from elena's blog... thanks!)

p.s. this weekend i hosted a garden party sunday brunch at my parents home. complete with homemade pastries and wonderful quiche all with a touch of crafty projects and fresh flowers. my favorite! (pictures to come)

these are my confessions.

im a proud mama. well maybe not mama but cook. this easter i made two great quiches for our massive easter brunch with all of the relatives. a pesto, roasted pepper, and sun-dried tomato along with a simple sharp cheddar and spiced sausage. mmm. this is where the confessions come in... i ate cows milk and cream, sugar, unbleached white flour, and too much food period. don't you worry though- i am back to my lovely raw diet tonight and i am looking forward to a nice fresh fruit smoothie in the morning!

as for this lovely picture! i made an asparagus gruyere tart! it was quite delicious if i do say so myself. and i have to add, that i browned and sweetened onions (with olive oil, garlic, and brown sugar) and laid them down the middle. even better.

how was your easter? filled with great bunchy food, old traditions, and inappropriate luncheon conversations? oh my gosh, me too!!!

week completiONE

week one is complete! well except for maybe a little dessert tonight... this week has been great and im really happy with how i feel and the changes in daily life that this raw food diet creates. its great to not have to count calories or fat, stick to one slice of this or that, or be tempted by that hunk of french bread sitting at eye level in my cabinet. i love that all of my food yummy and there is no tempting when all of your food is healthy and raw! ive been messing around at "new frontiers natural foods market" and getting quite aquatinted with veggie mixtures and cold-pressed dressing concoctions. my average day goes something like this...

upon waking: my version of "green lemonade" made out of TJ green juice (spirulina, kale, spinach, wheatgrass blend), gravenstien raw apple juice, lemon juice, and a bit of raw honey. i don't have a juicer so this is the best way for me to get the nutrients from the detox

breakfast: 20 oz. fruit smoothie- usually acai blueberry or orange juice, mixed frozen berries, pineapple or mango, honey, and pomegranate seeds

snack: fruit, fruit juice, or fruit iced tea

lunch: large veggie salad with raisins, seeds, and gold elixir or honey mustard dressing

snack: dried unsulfured fruit, homemade breakfast bars, larabar, or seeds

dinner: varieties of baked or roasted veggies, raw salad or cut veggies, and sprouted grain tortilla or bread

dessert: almond butter and apple or larabar

now this is just a little bit of an oversimplification but overall its been pretty close. im surprised at how little i have been craving foods that i "cannot" have (except like i said before i am missing cheese, sandwiches, and foofy coffees). so im a pretty, darn happy girl!

heavenly breakfast bar

im back in the swing of school and approaching the conclusion of my first week on the raw food diet. woohoo! its been delicious and i feel great so far. although i will admit that i am missing cheese and vanilla lattes quite a bit... beside that i am feeling really good about the switch over and have transitioned quite well over to "the raw side".

anywhooo, the roommates were gone this afternoon, i had no pressing homework, and therefore what must i do? cook, thats right! so i made a delicious spinach, onion, and sweet pepper crustless quiche for dinner and these breakfast bars.

i highly suggest them. heres the recipe for "breakfast bars" from veggiemealplans.com! (i think i might use this website more because they have a bunch of great vegetarian, vegan, and dairy free recipes- check it out)

Date Mixture:

1/2 cup diced dried dates

1/2 cup water

Flax Mixture: 5 teaspoons ground flaxseed

1/2 cup water

Dry Ingredients:

2/3 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup ground amaranth**

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup chopped raw almonds

1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds**

1/3 cup diced dried apricots 2/3 cup raisins

Lightly coat a 9"x9" baking pan with oil or cooking spray.

Prepare Date Mixture: Add 1/2 cup water and diced dates to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dates are soft. (Mixture will be thick.) Allow to cool.

Prepare Flax Mixture: Combine 1/2 cup water and the ground flax. Set aside for five minutes to thicken. Mix all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add flax mixture to date puree, stir well, and pour into dry ingredients. Mix to combine. Press mixture into baking pan. Bake at 350 F for approximately 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. You can eat them right after they cool but they taste even better after sitting at least one hour.

**i didnt have amaranth or sunflower seeds but the raw food diet suggests that you eat coconut so i though id add some shredded coconut in there too for a little crunch.

i wrapped them up individually and im excited to have something substantial to bite into for an afternoon snack!

rested, replenished, and RAWring to go.

i mentioned it a few weeks ago, but recently i have been reading up on different detoxes and i found one that i am in love with. so today is the start to my raw food lifestyle change. after watching “food inc.” and reading natalia rose’s “the raw food detox diet” book over this spring break im on my way to veganism…. not really, but close (i have a love affair with cheese- really though). basically it comes down to this: i want to lose weight, i need to eat more veggies, and im pretty grossed out now by food “standards” and chemicals today. hence- emily is doing a raw food cleanse! (well 85% raw to begin with and increasing up to 98%)… im nervous.

my day will consist of juiced “green lemonade” (a juice blend of celery, kale, lemon, apple, and honey/ginger) upon waking, breakfast, lunch and snacks of 100% raw foods. this “raw until dinner” will be followed by dinner consisting primarily of raw foods with some cooked items aswell.

foods on the cleanse include (fyi this is not a comprehensive list):

raw vegetables*

raw fruit

raw unslated nuts and seeds

unsulfured dried fruit

almond butter

raw maple syrup and honey

almond milk

legumes and black beans

brown and wild rice

grilled fish

raw goat or sheep cheese

coconut milk and flesh

limited poultry

cold-pressed oils

*primarily raw, uncooked green veggies; with limited amounts of starch veggies, e.g. potatoes, butternut squash, and pumpkin)

now lets be honest. im a newbie and im going to mess up but my plan is to keep you informed with great recipes and hopefully youll see some great progress along with me! I will be strictly sticking to this for exactly one month (then cheating a bit on my 21st birthday-woops, don’t guilt trip me, my body will do that for me the day after) then returning quickly after. im super excited now that i have read about it a bunch and im ready for some healthy eating!

have you ever gone raw? cleansed? dieted and failed and then dieted and failed again? (me too!)

oh baby girl

carrot oatmeal muffins. bomb. dense, oatty, moist. try them with some cream cheese on top. delicious.

heres the recipe from cooks.com

1 1/3 c. all purpose flour***
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. uncooked oats
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. shredded carrots (about 2)
1/2 c. skim milk
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1/3 c. melted butter (5 1/3 tbsp.)***
1 tsp. vanilla

heat oven to 375 degrees. spray 12 medium muffin cups with no-stick cooking spray or line with paper baking cups. combine first 8 ingredients; mix well. add combined milk, egg whites, butter, and vanilla, mixing just until moistened. fill prepared cups 3/4 full. bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

*** i substituted whole wheat flour for all purpose flour and used applesauce instead of butter. healthy yeah!

p.s. my sister hannah got her wisdom teeth out this morning so i am home bound waiting on her hand-and-foot... even though she told me i had two heads and asked for a bell to "ring me" when she needs something (ill let it pass she was still quite loopy and out of it) point and case today is a cooking, relaxing, crafting, planning day for me... woohoo!

THE bucket list.

hello again! as promised, here is my bucket list as of now. 60 items, some down, many to go. i will add and cross out as i go. most importantly i will document my accomplishments as i go!

1. climb mtn. kilimanjaro
2. take part in a protest in washington, dc
3. visit auschwitz concentration camp
4. live for a month on a dollar a day
5. go on a rv road trip across America and see the national parks
6. plant my own vegetable, herb, and flower garden
7. walk across ireland
8. participate in a triathlon- june 2008
9. deliver a baby
10. get my scuba license
11. marry my soulmate
12. have children
13. live in a big city loft apartment
14. volunteer in a third world country- july 2010
15. learn to meditate
16. become a wedding planner on the side
17. trek to machu picchu- july 2008
18. send a message in a bottle
19. paint a mural
20. climb halfdome
21. keep a journal
22. start and maintain a blog
23. lead a book club
24. save my v-card for my honeymoon night
25. boat to seal island, south africa
26. stay in a hillside ocean villa in greece
27. go on an “around the world ticket” trip
28. drink beer at oktoberfest in munich
29. live like a local in south america for a month
30. see and participate in the running of the bulls in spain
31. skinny dip in the ocean- multiple occasions...
32. keg stand
33. learn wine and cheese pairings
34. learn to throw pottery
35. hike in the swiss alps
36. snorkel the great barrier reef
37. bungee jump
38. shop at pikes place farmers market in seattle
39. learn about and take up photography
40. have my own etsy site
41. invest in stocks wisely
42. write a cookbook
43. visit patagonia
44. paddle board
45. change someone’s life chances
46. vote- nov 2009... go obama!
47. reach my ideal weight
48. study abroad- july 2010
49. travel around sub-saharan africa
50. do 100 push-ups consecutively
51. become a regular kayaker
52. kiteboard
53. sleep in a hut over the carribean sea
54. photograph people in their culture
55. ride an elephant
56. own my own business
57. own my own house
58. become a nurse practitioner
59. white-water raft
60. see the northern lights
61. see iguazu falls-july 10, 2010
62. learn spanish
63. be a great listener
64. become a kayaker
65. design and make a piece of furniture with dad

i bet you want to make a bucket list now... i bet you do... its really fun.... come on make one!