a Sunday treat- vegan and delicious!

raw, vegan pie from the raw food festival last fall!

Lately I've really been enjoying the change in season. All summer I anticipated the first chilly night, green leaves turning gold, and the first day I could wear tights, a scarf, and have an excuse to bundle up a bit more. When I think of cold weather I think of comfort food, and when I think of comfort food I think of pie, which is one of my most favorite indulgences in the entire world. I love pie so much, especially in the fall and winter. An indulgence now and again is great, but often when the weather gets cold I find myself craving it a lot more often and daily pie probably isn't the best idea. The following recipe is one of my FAVORITE things to eat and a favorite treat my Mom makes for me when I come home for a visit. I think of it as a pie substitute- it tastes similar to the inside of a juicy apple pie but without any of the added sugars. It's super healthy and incredibly delicious. I could eat it by the bowlful, which I usually do! If you're looking to be even more health conscious you can omit the raisins, or if you want a little something different you could also add walnuts. Really, you could go crazy and add anything you could dream up. I think that some shredded coconut would be delicious too. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup raisins
• 6-8 apples peeled, sliced, and diced

Directions:

1) Put quarter cup of water into a pan

2) Add in fruit and put lid on pan

3) Turn the heat on until water is simmering, then turn heat to low

4) Cook for about 5 minutes on low (lid still on but taking off to stir occasionally)

5) After 5 minutes add about a teaspoon of cinnamon, stir, and continue to cook on low for another 5 minutes or until apples are done to your liking. 10 minutes is ideal for me.

...and wa-la! You have a quick, super easy, and tasty dessert (or great topping for oatmeal, or even vanilla ice cream, etc.!) I eat it hot, but I've had it cold before too. Enjoy, and let me know if you decide to try it. Here's a photo of the batch I ate today:

DELICIOUS!

Happy Sunday: Shopping list, V.1

Sundays are one of my all-time favorite days of the week. My parents really love Sundays and they've kind of passed that down to my sister and myself. Every Sunday morning they get coffee and tea together, and then do all their food shopping for the week at Trader Joe's and Sprouts, and sometimes Whole Foods too. Whenever Hank and I are in town we always go with them, and it's really fun to have this weekly tradition to look forward to. When we're up here at home, we usually do similar things, although with his current schedule it makes it a little hard. But Sundays to me are for getting ready for the next week, planning meals and solidifying schedules, and getting an overall sense of balance before the next week begins. I've written about this before, but Mondays always feel like a bit of a restart to me. I use Sundays to plan for this new week, and on Monday, no matter what happened the previous week, I can restart and have a fresh beginning.

Today I will be going food shopping, so I thought I would make a post of some of the "must-haves" I always get. I'm not going to include fresh veggies or fruits here because that list would be incredibly long, but I thought I would share a few of the special staple items that I've always loved and get every single week.

1) Ezekial bread products (especially the wraps!)


These products are some of my favorite things in the entire world! I eat at least one of their products a day. They're great for you, have a low glycemic index (which means they won't spike your blood sugar like many other "carb/bread type" items), they're organic, nutritionally-dense, and high fiber. They're also one of the few bread products out there that actually contain all 9 essential amino acids, low in fat, and contain no trans fat or cholesterol (nutritional info from various websites). I really enjoy their breads- especially the cinnamon raisin bread topped with almond butter and bananas, or just with plain butter as a treat- but they also offer a wide variety of other products as well. I am a huge fan of their English muffins- their cinnamon raisin is to die for, but their regular sprouted grains are great too. And then of course the wraps, which are one of my TOP five favorite food items (if you're curious, each HUGE wrap contains 150 cal, 4g fat, 6g protein, 5g fiber and 0g sugar!). You can buy these at your local health food store, in the the health food section of your regular grocer. Here are some ways I use their products:

Wraps: I love to make healthy pizzas on these. Simply use a toaster oven or regular oven, preheat it, and while it's getting warmed up take a tortilla and spread some tomato sauce on it. Then add tons of chopped up veggies, a bit of cheese if you eat dairy, top with a little sea salt, some nutritional yeast, oregano, whatever you want, and bake for a few minutes until the tortilla gets a little crispy. If you have cheese on it, just take it out once the cheese is melted! Slice it up and you have a super healthy pizza. So good. You can also make these pizzas using the Ezekial English muffins and they're delicious as well.

Here's an example of one my Ezekial pizzas- this one is extremely loaded with veggies so don't feel like you have to go that overboard! :)


Then here's a regular cheese and broccoli I made for Hank-


The wraps are also a delicious alternative to a typical tortilla or pita, and much healthier. You can use the wrap in place of regular bread for a sandwich, in place of chips for dips like hummus, or really for any use you can think of! My Mom loves to make bean burritos out of them- she simply fills up the wrap with beans and any other fillings she desires, folds it like a burrito, and cooks it in a pan on the stove top. Here's an example of a turkey sandwich I made using one:


I also love to use their bread as toast in the morning. It's SO filling, and truly delicious. I keep the bread in my freezer and toast them frozen. This way the huge loaf doesn't go bad. This particular breakfast I topped the toast with organic apple butter. Yum!


2) Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah)

I've posted about this wonderful, wonderful food numerous times, and with good reason, as it's a huge staple in our house. Quinoa is a bit of a super food, and is another complete protein item that contains all 9 essential amino acids. Compared to other grains, quinoa is higher in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc than wheat, barley, or corn (from bodyecology.com). Although it isn't really a grain (it's a seed!), I think of it as being in the pasta family and that's typically how we eat it. It's extremely easy to cook. All of you have to do is add two parts liquid (water or broth) to every one part quinoa. So, if you wanted to cook 2 cups of quinoa, you'd add in 4 cups of water. You simply add all of it into the pot at once, and wait for the liquid to boil out. Fluff with your fork and wa-la, you're done! It's super easy and is a great pairing to most dishes. Like I mentioned you can cook this with broth or water, and add in whatever your heart desires. It's extremely delicious on it's own with just butter and sea salt, but it's also great as an Italian dish (we add in tons of peppers and veggies with tomato sauce after it's cooked), or in place of rice in a stir fry type dish.

Here I added in tofu, veggies, beans and my favorite spicy condiment, SRIRACHA!


I've also used it as a healthy way to make stuffed peppers-


and as a great base for quinoa tabouli!


You can buy this in the bulk section of your health food store/regular grocer, or some places like Trader Joe's have it packaged for you and ready to go.

3) Almond milk

Our family love love loves almond milk. Years ago when we first learned about the negative health implications of soy products we cut back a lot on not just our tofu consumption but gave up soy milk as well. If you're curious about the problems with soy, check out this link: http://www.naturalhealthstrategies.com/dangers-of-soy.html, but remember that just because I agree with it doesn't mean that you have to! There are a million websites and books out there that back this up, but I'm sure there are some that hold fast to the opposite side of the coin. Anyway, when we ditched the soy milk, we replaced it with delicious almond milk! There are many different brands, and different varieties within those brands, but our everyday staple is Almond Breeze's Unsweetened Vanilla.

It's really smooth and really delicious. I use it in my morning cereal, or to thicken up my oatmeal. It's a great alternative to soy milk, and definitely worth a try if you're curious. It comes in both unrefrigerated containers (be SURE to refrigerate once you open it), and also in a bigger pre-chilled milk carton type container you can find in your milk section! Even Walmart is carrying this product now and I've seen both packaging at our local one when I've had the misfortune of finding myself in that horrid place. ;)

Each cup of the kind we like (pictured above) has just 40 calories. It's creamy, but not thick at all. I wouldn't call it watery either, it's definitely a step above the consistency of skim milk. Be sure to get the unsweetened version though, so you can avoid any added sugars. Basically, it's an all-natural, non-dairy beverage made from real almonds. It's sugar-free and contains no artificial sweeteners. It's gluten, cholesterol & lactose free, an excellent source of calcium and vitamins D & E, and a good source of vitamin A (stats via hungry-girl). You can also use in in cooking, smoothies, and a million other recipes.

Here's a photo of delicious almond milk in my morning cereal-


4) Greek yogurt!

Oh my gosh I love this stuff. It's so, so delicious but I will warn you right off the bat that is isn't for everyone. It's a LOT thicker than regular yogurt, and if you get the unsweetened, plain kind (my favorite), it has a very "plain yogurt" taste. There are many other types that have fruit added in, flavors, etc...but with those comes a lot of sugar so I really prefer to just get the regular and add in my own fruit! The neat part of Greek yogurt is how filling it is- it actually contains double the amount of protein than regular yogurt (typically 13-20g per container!), and is very low in calories, carbs, and due to the low-carbohydrate content there's less lactose which means it's easier to digest. You can use it in a variety of ways, but my favorite it just on its own, with fresh fruit!



5) Kashi products

I've been eating Kashi products forever and ever, and my favorite item would have to be their Go Lean cereal. However, if I'm not in the mood for cold cereal and instead want a hot and quick breakfast, but I don't have time to whip up some steel-cut oats, I reach for their instant oatmeal. Trust me when I tell you that this stuff is amazing. My FAVORITE flavor is the Go Lean Oatmeal with Honey and Cinnamon (see photo below) and that's the variety I'm going to recommend you try first if you've never had it before.



Here's how I make it: I use two packets, and empty them into a bowl. I then add in tons of fresh berries (typically blueberries and raspberries), and then some water as specified in the directions- less for thicker oatmeal, more for thinner. Then I pop it into the microwave for a minute, stir it, put it back in for another 30 seconds to a minute or so, then let it sit for a minute in there. When you take it out your oatmeal will be transformed into this amazingly delicious, piping hot breakfast that is seriously beyond scrumptious! The berries ooze into the grains, and I feel like it tastes like a huge bowl of pie. This stuff keeps me filled up for the entire morning and is incredibly healthy! Each packet has 150 cal and is loaded with fiber and protein. You don't have to use two packets but I like to so it fills me up.




These are just five of the many items we get every week, so let me know if you've found this interesting and if so I will continue to make little posts like this! I love food so much, and I love talking about it, blogging about it, etc. that I feel like I could write forever on this topic. And I do hope that you found something worthwhile here. Perhaps you found something new to try or a new idea for an old favorite, or maybe you just got excited about heading out to get some delicious food later today. Either way, thanks so much for stopping by, and happy grocery shopping!

Summer deliciousness!

I am so addicted to Cuties. They are definitely my favorite warm-weather snack and Hank and I buy them by the boxful. I just snapped this photo, and this is the fifth cutie I'm working on at the moment. SO GOOD. I'm just a huge fruit fan overall and that's basically all I eat in the summer. When the temperature goes up, anything heavy just sounds gross, so fruit is really the best choice!

As far as unhealthier snacks go, I can't get enough of Italian Ice! I was just reminiscing about Rita's Italian Ice back East. I love love love that place, and it's such a bummer that we don't have one in Arizona...or anywhere close! Whenever my family and I take our annual trip to NJ and the East Coast we go there about a million times. I also get the cherry ice and vanilla custard gelati. It's seriously to die for and Hank, my sis, and I are addicted to it.



I also need to mention another favorite summer treat- Kohl's orange and vanilla swirl cone. Unfortunately this is also an East Coast-only treat, and it can be found on the boardwalks of NJ. This photo was shot last summer at Seaside during our time there. Sigh. Why must all my favorite foods be so far away?



I'd love to know what YOUR favorite summertime treat is! Are you an ice cream gal? Italian ice? Fruit? Do tell! :)

Wednesday, Wednesday

First of all, thanks for all the wonderful feedback on the new feature, Tattoo Tuesday. I'm really excited to do this every week and it should be a lot of fun!

So today I was still feeling pretty sick- and I still feel a little under the weather...but not as bad as yesterday. I don't take medicine unless it's a really serious situation, so I relied on all of my natural remedies and I definitely think I'm in the clear. Hank is also sick, and was still sick at work today too, so I'm curious to see how he feels when he gets home. I came home from work early today, rather than staying and going to meetings, and I think the extra rest definitely helped. I went on a little walk outside for some fresh air and I'm in the "getting better" zone for sure. Yay. I'm never sick and I'm such a baby when I am, so good riddance to you, cold or sinus infection or whatever you are. Here are some photos from today:





trying to show my bow belt! I need to get a better photo of it.



Hank just walked in the door and is still sniffly, poor guy. I'm going to make us a macro platter and then I'm going to dedicate the night to reading one of the books I'm working on - Cleaving: A Story of Meat, Marriage, and Obsession by Julie Powell, via my beloved Kindle. Can I make a quick plug about my Kindle DX for a moment? I LOVE IT. One of my most favorite things about this great gadget is the free book samples. Basically when you're surfing around Amazon.com or the Kindle store on the device, you can have the first chapter of ANY book you like, sent to you for free! I love this because I often buy a book and then end of really disliking it. This way, I can get to know a new author or book, no strings attached! Additionally, I'm the kind of person that is in the middle of 3-4 books at a time. With the Kindle, I can switch between books and store as many books as I would like. It's just awesome. Like I mentioned before, I'm currently reading Cleaving, and I like it so far. It's by the author of Julie and Julia, and it's another memoir that follows Julie's life after she hit it big with her book deal, etc. If you read it, you know that Julie and Julia is a book of a blog...and it's a true story. Cleaving is quite interesting in that it involves Julie working as a butcher, so a lot of the story has to do with many details about that topic. I would go as far as to say that the book's descriptions may be a little much for non-meat eaters or those with a squeamish stomach. The writing is great though, and I'm definitely curious to see where this story line is going. I'll keep you posted!

I thought I'd do something a little different today. I wanted to share four really yummy items from our pantry and recommend them to you guys! I consider all of these food substitute foods for delicious, packaged items that are typically pretty bad for you.



The first food (upper left corner) is Trader Joe's 100-calorie dark chocolate sticks. I love these because number one, with its antioxidant properties, dark chocolate is a good way to justify eating sweets every once and awhile! And two, the sticks are a really generous size, and sometimes I only eat half. 100-calories is a great snack and if you're craving dark chocolate- it's 70% dark too, which is yummy! Although there are 8g of fat and 5g of saturated fat, I still eat a stick of this maybe once or twice or week if I'm craving it. Definitely a staple in our house!

The second item (upper right corner) is something that is so, so necessary in our pantry for me. I am a total mac 'n cheese girl, and back when I didn't care too much about things like preservatives and all that nasty stuff, I would crave Kraft's version constantly. In fact, when I stopped being vegan in 2005 that's what I ate first! Amy's brand Macaroni and Cheese is the best substitute for me, because it comes in that easy box form, and you can even get it in a low-sodium version, as shown. It's not the lowest in calories, but I usually eat half a box with broccoli mixed in, and it's not too bad for you that way. Because macaroni and cheese is one of my all-time favorite foods, I love having this healthier substitution.

The third item (lower right corner) is one of my breakfast staples- Kashi GoLean Honey and Cinnamon Oatmeal. This stuff is GOOD. I usually make two packets at once, and add fresh berries, bananas, or apples and a little bee pollen on top. Each packet is only 150 cal and 8 g protein/5 g fiber. It fills me up in a major way and is seriously delicious. Yum. I'm getting hungry just talking about it. I totally recommend this oatmeal!

The last time is Thai Kitchen's Instant Rice Noodle Soup (Spring Onion pictured here), which is a great substitute for ramen noodles, if you like that kind of stuff! Hank and I love these little noodle packets, and I like to add fresh veggies in with the noodles and delicious broth. They cook really quickly in the microwave, and it comes with both an oil packet, and a seasoning packet. At 99 cents you can't really beat that either if you're craving a noodle soup! Definitely a must-try.

Alright, I hope you enjoyed my little food round up and maybe you'll give something a try you haven't tried before! I also hope that are having a great day. I'm going to head to bed soon to read and try and fight the last bit of this sickness. :)

Quick and easy dinner idea!

I love to cook, and my favorite kind of meals are easy to make. I know that not everyone has the time to plan and prepare elaborate meals, so this meal I am going to share is the quickest, easiest thing ever. First, I have to say that I usually like to cook large amounts of staples on Sunday- whole wheat pasta, baked tofu, etc. That way I can just throw these things in to my meals and it cuts down on a lot of preparation time and it's easier for me to pack Hank and my lunches during the work week. In this meal, for instance, I already had the whole wheat pasta cooked, so the total prep time was under seven minutes. Awesome.

Ingredients:

baked tofu (you can bake your own- if you'd like those directions I'd be happy to share)
*When I'm making a quick dinner I prefer to use frozen tofu steaks, and my favorite is featured in the photos below.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
raw spinach
whole wheat pasta (whatever amount you want)
tomato (or other bright colored veggie!)

All you have to do is reheat the tofu in a skillet. At the same time, sautee the garlic in the olive oil until browned. Once browned, add in a LOT of spinach- it shrivels up so the more the merrier! Let this simmer for awhile until it's to your liking. Heat up some of the whole wheat pasta you made earlier (or go ahead and make some before you start all of this), add another veggie (I chose tomato), and wa-la! You have yourself a SUPER healthy meal, with every type of food you need...fruit/veggie. healthy fats, whole grains, and protein. And, it's truly delicious.

the tofu steaks I mentioned earlier. They are about $4 at our local health food store and so worth it- they come in a pack of four!


my favorite whole wheat pasta- one of the only kinds I've found that doesn't fall apart and get gross! This one is from Trader Joe's.


Hank washing some dishes ;)


cooking...


and DONE!

My childhood,

its in my fathers uppercase handwriting, that would be everywhere, reminding me he loved me, of my chores, of everything. it's the way a tomato vine smells that takes me back to my childhood home, memories of sitting in our backyard while my mother gathered vegetables from the garden, ice pops- frozen juice in plastic containers that were so much better than the store bought kind. it's visiting the pumpkin patch every year, straw getting into our jeans, the smell of hot apple cider, and the feeling of that crisp air biting at our rosy cheeks. it's homemade spaghetti sauce, meatballs simmering in the pot, thyme and oregano, crispy garlic bread that melted in your mouth when the butter was heated just so. it's hearing bruce springsteen, and elton john, wafting down and through through the house, the 8 track player alive and well in the family room, my mother dancing around while she cleaned, it's apple pie. it's spinach dip. it's pumpernickel bread. it's a hard roll with butter from glory's. it's the holidays and wandering through the attic, feeling so small amidst the big brown boxes. it's watching nickelodeon at my grandparents house, nanny bringing us cheese sandwiches on wonder bread. it's the big gray car we'd ride in, it's grandfathers friends and their hats, their jackets, their glasses. it's the jelly doughnut my he would buy from freeman's every morning- powdered sugar, that spongy cake, and gooey insides we devoured so quickly. it's dancing around on my parents bed to "crocodile rock," flashlights in hand, our make shift dance club seeming so magical to our small, small selves. it's the forts in the living room, jungle gym in the backyard, the big trees in the front. it's the sprinklers in the summer, it's going on walks in the woods, exploring and feeling like we were the only people around for miles. it's the clear, crisp mornings and the nights filled with lightning bugs. it's the library. it's being pulled around in a wagon, on the back on my mom's 10-speed, on my father's back. it's macaroni and cheese, it's tuna fish sandwiches at becky's. it's the smell of chlorine. it's the distinct feeling that everything was alright, the world was beautiful and everyone was good.

If you know me personally, you know what a family person I am. I feel lucky that I had a beautiful childhood full of happiness and laughter. It was almost idyllic in a way, and I constantly daydream about it and I am very, very thankful that I got to experience such an amazing upbringing. I know not everyone is in that boat, and many of my closest friends didn't experience a childhood like that at all. It makes me so excited to have children, and to be able to create memories like the ones I wrote about up there. It's funny because as I was writing that, I realized how much of my memory is tied to food. I wonder if everyone is that way...do you have vivid childhood memories attached to food? I was going to make that italicized portion much longer, but I realized that I could go on and on, with no end in sight. One thing reminded me of this thing, of that thing, and because I need to run to the gym, I had to just wrap it up.

I hope all of you have a beautiful Thursday!

Goodnight weekend

making homemade tabouli, originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

Well, I am about to say goodnight to another great weekend that I really don't want to end...but I guess in order to appreciate them so much work is necessary. This photo I added is of the tabouli I made for Hank and me today, it was truly delicious and already almost devoured. Approved by both Hank and Dustin, so you know it's good!

I already blogged earlier today, and I was just heading out to see "The Time Traveler's Wife" with my mother-in-law and Brooke. I had high expectations for the film, but I wish I wouldn't have, because there is no way the film could have ever lived up to the book. The film was definitely entertaining, but because it left out so much of the book, I felt the characters weren't developed enough and their relationship didn't have the same depth that made the novel so agonizingly upsetting. I still recommend that you see the movie, but take it for what it is; a watered down version of an amazing book. I do love Rachel McAdams though, in any role she plays, so that helped a lot. She is a true beauty. I do have to make note though, of the crazy environment inside the theater. I met Hank's mom and sister there, and they had already gotten seats by the time I arrived. When I walked into the theater I knew it probably wasn't going to be the best experience because it was filled to the brim with senior citizens. Now don't get me wrong, I love old people. I'm not one of those people who really get annoyed by them...I usually find them endearing and adorable. But going to a movie at noon on a Sunday basically means you can count on a theater of them. I sat down and pretty soon after that the previews began, and I started to hear a "whoosh, whoosh" sound every five seconds or so. It took me a moment to figure it out, but the guy in front of us was on an oxygen tank and the "whooshing" sound was the sound of oxygen getting sucked into his nose via the tube. The sound started to drive me crazy because it was like clockwork obviously, every breath he took there was a "whoosh, whoosh," and I was fixated on that...I couldn't focus on anything else. I decided I was going to move and sit on the other side of Hank's mom, so I did...only to still hear the oxygen tank. Soon that sound was accompanied by a very loud buzzing sound coming from the woman next to me. For about 20 minutes I thought it was her phone constantly vibrating but then I looked over and noticed she had a semi-large hand held fan! Yes, this lady was cooling her and her daughter off while they watched the movie...and it was the most annoying thing I've ever heard. I am definitely not a complainer, and I always try to make the best of situations...but this was way too much. Oxygen tank man on one side, hand held fan lady on the other, and all I wanted to do was watch this movie I'd been anticipating for months. I feel like maybe I didn't love the film because I was in theater hell, so I feel like I may try to see it again soon.

ANYWAY, after the movie I went food shopping at New Frontiers, picked up some things for the week and came home and started cooking food for my lunches this week. Afterward Hank had Matt and Dustin over for sports and hangouts, and I did some housecleaning. Now I'm relaxing, about to go to bed and not super stoked on work tomorrow. I keep thinking about the 3 day weekend coming up next weekend and that's helping me stay positive. And Emily and I are currently planning my NY trip in October (I'll know more later this week) and I am so stoked. While she is at work during the week I am going to try and take the train for a day train into NJ to visit some of my childhood friends which I am super pumped about too. I've kept in touch with so many of them, and it's going to be so fun to see them.

Alright, enough blogging for tonight. Goodnight everyone.

Ah, relaxing day!

Happy Saturday to everyone. I am spending the night at my parents' but NOT going out with my sister (which always leads to a late, late night and way too much fun!). So I'm up in my old bedroom, about to either continue reading "The Time Traveler's Wife," or beginning to watch Coraline for the first time. It's 8:25pm on a Saturday and I'm already in my pajamas, awesome! Today was a good day- I slept in nice and late and had a wonderful workout when I woke up. Then I went shopping for awhile and came home to my Mom's delicious home cooking. She is such a good vegan cook and always concocts something awesome for us when we stay with them. After dinner we all went on a little family ice cream run (well my Dad and Hank did!). So fun. This weekend is a weekend for family, so its nice to just stay in and disconnect. Tomorrow morning we'll do an early workout and then we'll all go to breakfast and do the usual Sunday shopping- Trader Joe's, Sprouts, and Whole Foods.

I hope all of you have a fantastic night!

YUM! Quinoa stuffed peppers.



Thanks Mom!




And here's me and the little girl!