tuesday

I love how these little purple flowers continue to bloom all winter.

There's an herb garden under all that snow.

I did some cooking yesterday. Made another version of the Spring Green soup. I had some dandelion greens and some broccoli so added that to the mix. The dandelion greens gave it a really deep earthy green color. 

This was so delicious! Btw, I have been keeping up with the Daily Water Quota from my cleanse and it's amazing! I had a green smoothie yesterday so need to have 2 more this week. I think when the weather turns warmer I'll up that number. 

I was also craving something sweet and warm, and needed to use some strawberries. I can't wait to show you what I came up with in tomorrow's post!

cleanse 1/day 5

I had coffee this morning with a little coconut sugar and it was so amazingly good.

Sigh.

I have figured out a good way for me to get the required amt. of water in, though. I have a glass the size that if I drink 6 and 1/4 glasses of water from it, I'll get my quota. I drank one upon waking. Just chugged it down. In fact, that's how I take them all, like a giant shot that takes 7-10 swallows to finish. I always count my swallows, don't you? I have all but 1 and 1/4 finished now and it's only 9:19 pm! As i write this I'm drinking some red chia tea. I'm not sure if other liquids count as part of the water quota so I'm not counting them unless I get to the end of the day and need them. :)

I also got in my green smoothie. More of the cucumber, cilantro, arugula ( I LOVE arugula) and s&p.

Oh, I also got some greens in (double because I had it for lunch and dinner) when I had some soup.
I just chopped up some arugula and put in bowl. When soup is hot, pour over greens. It wilts them a little but they are often still a bit crunchy so it's a really nice texture and flavor addition.

I made another soup yesterday.

BUTTERNUT AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

cut butternut squash in half long ways and put into a 350 degree oven for about 40 min (until soft), I cooked mine on a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with edges) and poured a little water in it to keep it from drying out. It worked!

remove from oven when done and allow to cool a bit.

in a heavy bottom pot add:

knob of coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 leek, chopped small

cook until they soften and begin to caramelize, at this point I added about 1/2 cup water to keep them from burning.

next add:

2 sweet potatoes diced
5 carrots, chopped into small pieces
1 butternut squash, use a spoon to scrape out the flesh, it should come out really easily
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
about 20 fennel seeds, use a mortar and pestal to break them up a bit
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp black pepper
sea salt to taste
about 8 cups of water

cook for about an hour, covered, and stir occasionally

once it's done, let it sit for another 30 minutes covered, then using an emersion blender, blend the soup till creamy. You may need to add a little water.

Isn't it beautifully orange? And so delicious with some arugula.....mmmm....

cleanse 1/day 2

today began well. i actually got up earlier than i have in months (not that early mind you) but i have been wanting to start to rise a bit earlier to get more out of the morning hours. morning is SACRED to me and on top of it, i take a while to get going. probably as a result of staying up so late, but i always have been a night owl. i get so much done when i know the rest of the world is sleeping. it does gives me an unusually late start to things, at least in terms of our culture. although i don't see myself becoming a 5 am type gal, i would like to become a 7 am'er. that seems a bit more civilized and doable.

my mornings are comprised of:

get up
feed baxter and squeeker (my kitty companions)
make hot lemon water
sit (meditate)
sun salutation
prepare black tea with honey (up until yesterday it was black coffee with sugar, sigh)

this extra time each day would allow me to add a couple yoga classes to my week.
that is a main goal for this year. i'll let you know how it goes.

2 things about me i didn't mention:

i am a studio artist and my studio is at my little house. i don't even think of it as a house. i basically live in a studio and that is just fine by me!

i am a massage therapist and my office is a 10 minute drive or 40 min walk from my house. i love this. it's tucked away, but central to the neighborhood and it feels like a tree house (from the inside).

this morning i received a fantastic massage from a friend. we only just got acquainted and she is awesome, and among many other things, a massage therapist. lucky me! we set up a trade and viola! i feel like a million bucks. i'm so happy to have this trade. i traded for years with a good friend who moved away and i had not had any luck (read: made time) finding a new barter partner. massage is such an important part of self care and i tell all my clients this and i BELIEVE it and KNOW it to be true. so i'm super stoked that this is back on my books.

i made a delicious green smoothing when i got back from the massage:

cucumber

mixed greens

cilantro

pinch salt and pepper (i'm not sure if this is kosher for smoothies, but it was damn good)

it was like a liquid salad.

i had to add a little filtered water to get it going and i almost drank it all before i snapped this last pic.
btw, the gadget is a magic bullet blender and i have wanted one for a year. ever since i visited my friend allison in pittsburgh last year (you can check out her blog here). no, they are not that expensive, but i like to stay on my budget and other things kept taking priority. you know how it is! my sister gave me one for my birthday in january. bless her!

i had a request to post the recipe for the spring green soup from the first post and so, here it is.

SPRING GREEN SOUP

in a heavy bottom pot add:

a knob of coconut oil

1/2 onion, diced

1 leek, with the outer dark green removed, i used part of it though from the inside pieces. btw, leeks have a lot of sand and dirt so the easiest way to clean is to chop, then rinse in a bowl and then shake water out in a colander or spinner.

after the onion and leek have softened and started to caramelize (5-10 min), add:

1/2 a bunch (is celery a bunch?) celery, diced

cook about 5 min, then add:

2/3 bag of frozen peas

2/3 bag of frozen corn (i don't usually purchase fzn veg, i had this in my freezer and needed to use it)

2 medium yellow gold potatoes, diced. i don't know if that is the official name, but it's what they looked like:)

3 good sized handfuls of any greens you have on hand, copped

water or veggie broth to fill the pot

a good shake of black pepper and some salt to taste

all ingredients are ORGANIC and NON-GMO

that's it. after cooking it on low for about an hour, i let it cool a bit and then used my emersion blender to puree about 1/2-2/3s of it. it will have a slightly chunky creamy texture. the flavor was amazing and i admit i was a little surprised b/c i didn't add any herbs or spices (other than pepper). 

i make most of my soups with what's on hand. if you need to use up carrots or some other veggie or herbs, by all means, DO IT!

also, i often make too much and freeze soups. after freezing, the texture of a veggie soup is not always a delight. luckily, i prefer a blended soup, and the texture of these never disappoints!

greetings!

i'm super excited to start this chronicle of my journey towards a vegan and raw diet, super healthy, ethical and spiritual living, urban gardening adventures, kitchen experiments, and whatever else might fit in along this path. i'm learning as i go and have several mentors (i know them, but they don't know me!!!) that i've found through the vast and wonderful world of health/veggie/yoga bloggers on the internet. i'll share them here, too!

i have been moving in the direction of 100% vegan diet for a few years now. this is not a first for me. i have been vegetarian for over 25 years. i have eaten a vegan diet occasionally during those years, and twice, for very short periods, pescatarian. i am currently eating a mostly vegan diet, with the exception of very occasional cheese, ghee, and honey.

my mom was an organic urban gardener when i was growing up in the 70's in richardson, tx. she would grow and can food, was a member of a local co-op. we were not allowed to eat fast food and cokes were pretty much off limits except as an occasional treat. as my sister and i entered into jr high and high school, things loosened, probably as a result of my parents separating and my mom having to go back to work. but for me, the foundation was already set.

as an adult, i have had huge urban gardening successes and failures. i currently live in a little garden cottage in an historical neighborhood in little rock, ar. i have attempted to build a food garden here despite the shade in my yard and the poor soil that i'm told is an issue. i'm learning to work with what i have, and i will give it a go again this spring.

i am also very much interested in eliminating all processed foods from my diet and using only organic and non-GMO ingredients. my goal is to be disciplined but keep a flow, and avoid rigidity. i'm exploring the alkaline/acid info that is out there and finding that to be a whole new ball of wax. it can seem daunting at times, which is why i feel i will be happier if i keep it loose around this process. that said, there are some things i am not willing to compromise on. flesh foods being #1 on the list. i think i'll explore this list a little later in detail.

my reason for all of this has always been the same.

optimum vibrant health and compassion and respect for ALL sentient beings.


i am starting a cleanse today and so is a good friend of mine. we are customizing to suit our needs and i hope that by having a cleanse pal, i'll stay motivated and excited about it.

my goals for the cleanse are:

substitute black tea and honey for coffee and sugar
to eliminate all processed foods. i don't eat that many, but crackers taunt me.
80% veggies and fruit
20% grains seeds nuts
to consume 1/2 my body weight in ounces of water daily
to have at least 1 green smoothie a day

today is getting off to a good start and i have a beautiful green spring soup on the stove.
it smells amazing and i plan to blend 1/2 of it so it will have a lovely creamy/chunky texture.