Eden Alley in Kansas City

*Casie Here*

We went to Eden Alley for dinner (their website HERE), another vegan restaurant. We loved the entire atmosphere. It was a huge basement room of this Unity building. Very open and the tables were really spread out. For some reason it was really relaxing. It was clean and bright with fun paintings, photos and colors. Especially the tables. Each one was different. 

They had this cool poem on their board for Valentines Day.

They had a Friday night Date special an appetizer, 2 entrees and dessert for $30 +tax and a $1 off all speciality drinks!!! How great was that? We got the dip duet (actually trio) with baba ghanouj, hummus and spinach dip. The spinach dip was a warm dip made with baby spinach and Yukon potato, onions, curried spices and nutritional yeast topped with tomato apple and raisin chutney.

 We loved all of them. The middle one was like a spicy olive dip.

 We got the Ginger honey crystals hot tea. Raw ginger extract forms the base for an exquisitely smooth taste and boy was it strong. Like our mouth's were on FIRE from all the spicy ginger. A good fire, but still.... It felt healthy though so we made sure to finish it! We loved the huge, rustic mugs.

,

 WOW this salad was delicious. It was the CHEF'S CHOICE SALAD and had brown rice, taziki, hummus, vegan cheese, falafel crumbles, cucumber and tomato with sunflower red wine vinaigrette, an assorted spring mix and toasted pita. The topping was our favorite part.

 Vernon had the baba broccoli melt. It was chick pea potato pancakes laced with creamy baba ghanouj, crumbled falafel, baked and folded, topped with steamed broccoli flowers, chili cumin cashew cheese sauce and tomato apple red raisin chutney.

 The spinach and mushroom loaf was made with artisan bread crumbs, fresh spinach, mushrooms, onions, brown rice, central soy tofu, garlic, thyme and oregano. It was served with roasted sweet potatoes and topped with our tomato basil coulee.

 We had the red velvet beet cake. You could taste the beets a little bit. It was good, but a touch dry.

 Our waitress was so nice. We really, really liked her. She took her time explaining things to us and when through a bunch of different items on the menu. She was really helpful and very friendly. She even gave us tips on other Vegan restaurants in town!!!

We will definitely be back when we are in KC again.

FUD in Kansas City

*Casie Here*

Before we left for our trip I had researched Vegan restaurants in Kansas City. There are a handful down here. The one I went to for lunch was FUD (said: food). Their website is HERE. First of all I could not decide what to get. EVERYTHING looked good. I asked the waitress what she would suggest. She gave me a few ideas, but I finally decided on the Pizzawrap made with Kale, Jack Chkn (which is Jack Fruit seasoned like pork), Eggplant, Bell Peppers, Onion sautéed in Basil Coulis, topped with Cashewrella, Sicilian Sauce & wrapped in a flour Tortilla. It was FABULOUS. I had to take like 8 double takes to make sure it was not chicken or pork. Seriously, I tasted it by itself, examined it and smelled it. I seriously thought it was pork. SERIOUSLY! I almost asked the waitress. The flavors were out of this world. I loved the whole thing. It was super hard for me to save a little bit for Vernon to taste. I wanted him to see what I was talking about with the fake pork. He scarffed it down so fast I didn't even have time to tell him about how confused I was to if that was really pork or not. 

Then I had the Rainbow Salad. A Living Rainbow of Greens, Avocado, Apple, Carrot, Squash, Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Parmesan Seed, Nuts & House Dressings. The dressing was out of this world. I was supposed to take half the salad back to Vernon, but it was so good, I ate the entire thing and had to order him a seperate one. I would go back every day to try everything on the entire menu. Guess we will just have to come down to KC more often.

Valentines Dinner at McFosters!

*Casie Here*

Before we headed out to Kansas City for the weekend, we stopped real quick for dinner at McFosters Natural Kind Cafe. See their website HERE. Check out their menu HERE. It is pretty much Omaha's only truly Vegan/Vegetarian restaurant. We love it, it's always our go-to restaurant. 

 We've always wanted to try the 'Date Shake' and what better night than Valentines Day!! Pretty much just tasted like a chocolate malt with tiny date pieces in it.

  We had their Roasted Creamy Tomato soup. It had a hint of smokey flavor and was very thick and creamy. We thought it would be even better in the summer when the tomatoes are at their peak. The croutons are whole wheat seasoned toast that they make with sun-dried tomato infused olive oil and they are not too crunchy, but a little soft in the middle just like I like them! Very flavorful and a perfect addition to the soup!

  The Mo'Rockin' Salad. Yum, yum, yum! Their hummus is great (but not as great as mine! hee hee hee ; ) Also, the falafel croquettes (if I'm being completely honest) weren't as good as Amsterdam Falafel & Kabob (see their website HERE), but that's what they specialize in so they are going to be the best! 

These were a little too done (too crunchy pretty much the whole way through) and on the small side. Amsterdam's are big and 'meaty' and hearty with just the outer edge crisp. Check out my birthday dinner post HERE from this year when we went there and about half-way down I have a picture of their falafel croquettes. To. DIE. for. You gotta go try them to know what I'm talking about.

I got the Sesame Tahini dressing with my salad. It is very, VERY good and goes perfectly with this particular salad. Honestly, all their homemade salad dressings are fabulous! I would definitely get this salad again.

  Vernon got his favorite Health Nut Salad with Miso dressing. Again, always a favorite for us.

  Vernon got the Portabella Mushroom Dinner. He said it was good, but not fabulous, just kind of basic.

I had the Organic Tempeh Artichoke Mornay. I really liked it. Good flavors, just enough sauce and I like how it was cut up small, it's a thing with me! Their roasted brussel sprouts are excellent. So soft and seasoned beautifully. They are known for their brussel sprouts. You have to try them if you go there, even if you think you don't like brussel sprouts you won't be disappointed! We had a fun Valentines dinner. 

Healthy Noodles with lots of veggies!

 

Daddy made supper and this is what I concocted.  I didn't have a recipe to follow, was just using up some items we had on hand and needed to be used up.  I trimmed the base of the ASPARAGUS and rinsed them with diluted vinegar and water.

 

 

 

 

After drying the asparagus, I drizzled a little BRAGGS LIQUID AMINOS on the vegetables instead of using soy sauce or salt to season.  If you want, you can also add just a small amount of olive oil or grape seed oil to the vegetables.  Don't add too much of the oil as there is a lot of fat in those oils.

 

I cut the asparagus into smaller pieces as it is easier to cut prior to roasting. 

 

I roasted these for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees, turning the vegetables with a fork or tongs every 5 minutes.  Watch them closely as you don't want them to come out too under/over cooked.  These taste even better if they are grilled, but the weather wasn't very inviting on this day to grill these outside.

Regular pasta with no nutritional value is not allowed in our house.   For us to serve it, it has to be multigrain or vegetable pasta.  We are often asked where we get our protein from and here is one of our many sources.  

 

I also had some KALE I needed to use up so I tore the leaves off the thick stems (the stems have a bitter taste) and placed them in the blender with jarred pasta sauce and canned mushrooms (we were out of fresh mushrooms).  To give the mixture a creamy sauce, I added just enough original flavored almond milk (NOT VANILLA FLAVORED) to allow for blending of the solid material.  We had some pesto in the refrigerator, so I added a teaspoon of that to the blended mixture, too.  If you don't have kale, you could substitute spinach leaves.

 

I drained the pasta and placed it back into the pot that it was boiling in and then poured in the blended mixture.  With just a bit of stirring to get all the sauce on the pasta, we were set to serve the pasta with the side of asparagus.

 

This meal really didn't take long and there were leftovers for me to take to work the next morning.  Yes, the kids ate their portion and the boys requested second portions on the pasta.

School Lunch: Veggie Rolls

A special school lunch item for our kids are Cucumber Avocado Rolls.  The SEASAME SEEDS have more nutritional value than one might give them credit for. The AVOCADOS, CUCUMBERS and the SEAWEED also give this meal more nutritional substance.  If you can get your child to also eat the GINGER, then you pack even more of a health and flavor punch to this meal.

 

I would recommend requesting BROWN RICE instead of the white rice, if available and replacing the soy sauce with

BRAGGS LIQUID AMINOS.

 

You can order these to go at a Japanese Sushi restaurant or we purchased these at Whole Foods. 

 

We send 4 rolls per meal with blueberries, grapes and oranges.  We also add romaine lettuce leaves for something more to munch on.

 

 

 

 

File Under: Music To Relax With

Music has been there for me throughout my life, like a best friend.  I find that music like this allows me to relax, reflect and enjoy my surroundings.  When I want to clear my mind of distracting thoughts or if I am having a stressful day, this is one of the songs that has been on my play list for years.  This one gets cued up as I stand outside and stare out at the leaves on the trees or while looking up at the ever changing cloud formations. 

 

I hope you find this song as soothing as I do.

 

"Through The Hill" - Andy Partridge & Harold Budd

 

 

Quick Couscous Meal

*Casie*

 When I need a really fast meal that I know the kids will like, I usually go for couscous. It cooks up very fast (like 5 minutes). There are lots of different flavors. I buy this from Walmart. We like all the different kinds.

 When I need some protein, we always have some Seitan in the fridge. It come cubed, but I chop it up even smaller.

 I chopped up some onions & sauteed them.

I chopped up some fresh mushrooms.

 Mixed them up together and heated through.

 I mixed the couscous with the rest and added some frozen peas, just for some veggies. I wanted to clarify I didn't add any seasoning. No salt and pepper, no other seasoning, nothing. The flavoring that comes with the couscous is enough. 

Yumm, yumm! 

'Ice Cream Sandwiches'

So, what do we purchase on rare occasions to address our ice cream cravings?

 

Frozen desserts made from almond milk, of course!

 

These are great for those that are lactose intolerant, too!

 

 

Orange Date Muffins

*Casie Here*

For this recipe I used this one HERE from Weelicious, but I doubled the recipe you see below. I like to make more as long as I have everything out anyway. You can always freeze muffins if you don't want them all right away.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 egg (I used the chia seed egg replacement)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (Earth Balance)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dates, chopped (for the doubled batch it was about 10 dates)
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl.

3. Sift the dry ingredients together into a separate bowl.

4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with the dates and walnuts.

5. Divide the batter between 12 greased or paper lined muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes. 

6. Cool and serve.

Chia seed goop instead of egg. (1 TBS. Chia Seed & 3 TBS. water mix let sit about 5-10 mins. = 1 'egg')

 What the goop looks like.

These are not very sweet at all. I really like them though. They are moist and dense. Very, very good. 

 They didn't last very long.

Pineapple Ginger Smoothie

This is a great smoothie recipe that combines fresh cut pineapple blended with ginger root.  We make this blended drink

1-2 times per month and the whole family loves this drink.

 

For the basic recipe, we combined 1/2 fresh pineapple with about 1/2 inch of fresh ginger root (a small amount of ginger goes a long way so you might want to start out with a smaller portion of ginger and add more if desired).  Add ice and almond milk, then blend mixture until smooth and creamy.

 

The above is the basic recipe and it tastes great with just those few ingredients, however....

 

The other night, though, I added two bananas, 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seeds, 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds, 2 cups of raw organic spinach and one packet of Stevia sweetener.

 

 

The boys were in bed when we made this, so they missed out on a great dessert/healthy drink.

 

Who knew desserts could be so healthy? 

 

Are YOUR desserts packed with omega-3 fatty acids, spinach, anti-oxidants(pineapple)

and anti-inflammatory properties(ginger)?

Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Lecture

As you may recall from an earlier blog post, I recently read a book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman called "Disease Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right". This book provided me with a wealth of knowledge about diet and nutrition and reinforced our choice to raise our children on a plant-strong diet.

I came across this video today that appears to part of a PBS special featuring Dr. Joel Fuhrman as he discusses the steps to acquiring a healthy lifestyle.

All I ask is that you take a few moments out of your day to watch videos like this.  There is nothing being sold to you in this talk other than an idea that you can actually make a huge difference in the quality and health of your life if you make a lifestyle change.  

Many of you will assume that you cannot make the change to a plant strong diet.  Most of you will make excuses of why this won't work for them.  Only a small percentage of you reading this will actually watch all the video segments. 

I would not waste your time with a video of this lengnth if I didn't think that it would be worth it for you.

Please watch the video, be open-minded to the ideas presented to you and afterwards reflect on all the possibilities that making changes, like presented to you in this video, could do for you.

I am living proof that these ideas and practices work.

You can watch this lecture by clicking this link: Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s 3 Steps To Incredible Health

"You Are The Universe"

 

I forget how I originally came across the band, The Brand New Heavies, but I recall it was between 1995-1998.  I have always loved this song because of it's positivity.  This is a song will be presented to my children as a source of inspiration when they think they "cannot" do something that I know they, indeed, "can".

 

Many of you will not care for this song and that is fine.  This song my only affect one of you out there and that is enough reason for me to post and share this song with you.  You most likely will not hear this song on the radio as I have only come across it twice on the airwaves myself.  This song is for that one person that views this post or shares this post with someone that this song can make all the difference in their mindset right now.  I wish there were more songs like this for children and young adults to listen to these days. 

 

I challenge you to sit still and have pessimistic thoughts while listening to this song.  I suspect it will be easy for this song to inspire you to move and rethink what your potential in this life is.

 

I just wish I had this song in my pregame/pretest song list when I was growing up.  At least it is in my playlist now.  Enjoy!

 

 

Brand New Heavies - You Are the Universe

 

You're the future, and you've come for what is yours
The hidden treasure, locked behind the hidden doors
And the promise of a day that's shiny new
Only a dreamer, could afford this point of view
But you're a driver, not a passenger in life
And if you're ready, you won't have to try 'cause

You are the Universe
And there ain't nothin' you can't do
If you conceive it, you can achieve it
That's why, I believe in you, yes I do

You're a winner, so do what you came here for
The secret weapon, isn't secret anymore
You're a driver, never passenger in life
And when you're ready, you won't have to try 'cause

You are the Universe
And there ain't nothin' you can't do
If you conceive it, you can achieve it
That's why, I believe in you, yes I do

You are the Universe
And there ain't nothin' you can't be
If you conceive it, you can achieve it
That's why, I believe in you, and I believe in me

(Yes I do
Believe in you
I do)

You're a driver, not a passenger in life
And when you're ready, you won't have to try 'cause

You are the Universe...

Feedback

We would love to hear your feedback regarding this site! 

 

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Oroweat Sandwich Thins

 

 

I will be honest, when Casie approached me about giving up traditional sandwich buns for these sandwich thins 3 years ago, I was extremely reluctant.  At the time, I felt like we were eating healthy enough(not really compared to the standard we eat by now) so I didn't think we needed to convert to these.  But soon after we made the change to the sandwich thins, I was willing to continue using them.  They were healthier, less calories than regular buns and forced us to make smaller portions of what you placed in the bun.  At that time, we were still eating meat so I started making the patties smaller when we made hamburgers.  When I made a peanut butter sandwich, I used less of the peanut butter.  When we made a chicken or egg sandwich, we also used less of those fillings.  If you haven't tried them, I would highly recommend you use these as a way to reduce your portion size.  We don't really make sandwiches much anymore, but when we do, these are our go to bun.  Thank you to Casie for originally converting me to this product.

 

 

Nutritional Highlights

• No high fructose corn syrup
• 0g trans fat
• 19g whole grains per serving
• Cholesterol free
• Excellent source of fiber

 



School Lunches

Here is a great lecture I found regarding school lunches.  This is a must watch video if you have school age children or grandchildren. 

 

CLICK HERE to view this video.

 

 

About the lecturer in this video:

 

Ann Cooper has a frontline view of the daily battle to keep kids healthy -- and of the enemy, the processed-foods industries that, it sometimes seems, want to wrap every single thing that children eat in a fried coating and then a plastic bag. As the director of nutrition services for the Berkeley (California) Unified School District, she's an outspoken activist for serving fresh, sustainable food to kids. Her lively website, ChefAnn.com, rounds up recipes, links, and resources for food activism.

Cooper's influential program in Berkeley involves kids in every stage of the food they eat, from growing to disposing of it. And along the way, eating some delicious cafeteria lunches. She's also recently become one of the most enterprising members of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, launching TheLunchBox.org to give schools the resources and support they need to transform their menus and provide balanced, healthy meals. In line with that effort, she is partnering with Whole Foods on the Great American Salad Project (GASP), which will create fresh salad bars in over 300 schools around the U.S.

She's the author of several books, including Bitter Harvest, an examination of the food chain, and her latest, Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children.

 

-From www.ted.com

Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off?

This is why we attempt to purchase organic produce whenever possible or at least we try to acquire organic produce that is exposed to the greatest amount of chemicals. 

 

Click on this link to view the video: Can Pesticides Be Rinsed Off? | NutritionFacts.org

"Validation"

This is an award winning short film that has so many great messages.  This first half of the film is a bit hokey, but the second half makes up for the first half.   There are so many great messages in this film and I found it emotional and very inspirational.

 

Do you ever stop and think how many people you have the influence over?  Just think how much impact you can have in a person's day or life if you shared some positivity. 

 

I believe all the positive energy you radiate and share will come back to you in ways you cannot imagine.  

 

Please watch this film, it will be worth your time.....I promise.

 

 

Validation - Smile Always

"Validation" is a fable about the magic of free parking. Starring TJ Thyne & Vicki Davis. Writer/Director/Composer - Kurt Kuenne. Winner - Best Narrative Short, Cleveland Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Jury Award, Gen Art Chicago Film Festival, Winner - Audience Award, Hawaii Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Comedy, Breckenridge Festival of Film, Winner - Crystal Heart Award, Best Short Film & Audience Award, Heartland Film Festival, Winner - Christopher & Dana Reeve Audience Award, Williamstown Film Festival, Winner - Best Comedy, Dam Short Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Film, Sedona Int'l Film Festival.

 

How True!

I Love This Video

 

This is a great video, especially for all those individuals out there that think that their unhealthy lifestyles will not ever catch up with them.  Just think of the accumulative effect that eating unhealthy, not exercising regularly, drinking soda, consuming excessive alcohol, smoking and not consuming daily fruits and vegetables has on your body. 

 

 

Cold Steeping Green Tea

I realized when I was driving into work today that I talked about cold brewing/steeping my tea but did not provide this link about some research regarding this, so here it is: Cold Steeping Green Tea | NutritionFacts.org