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Showing posts with the label vegan

Zucchini Fudge Cake, Vegan and Delicious

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Yippee for summer! My Arizona garden keeps me in fresh veggies all year, but summer brings a glutton of squash, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. I pickle peppers and cucumbers several times over the summer,make sauces and can the tomatoes as well, but I can never find enough things to do with zucchini . Sometimes I can't even give it away! My husband is not a zucchini fan at all, or any other vegetable for that matter. He often doesn't even know when I sneak in veggies under his nose. It's much like issues moms of toddlers have, except mine will go head for the drive thru if dinner bombs. He will never turn down chocolate. Which brings me back around to zucchini! I've tried countless recipes for zucchini bread some with chocolate. Most are quite good for me and the kids, but my hubby turns his nose up at the little green specks and refuses to even try it. I have come up with a great fudgy cake recipe, a mish mash of "rejects" that turns out to be moist, choc...

Skip the Salon: DIY Summer Ready Feet

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FREE THE FEET! Get ready for flip flop season! Summer is bare foot, sandal and flip flop season. This season, skip the salon and pamper and pretty your feet with some easy DIY steps. Living in Arizona, I wear flip flops year round. I hate shoes and despise socks and my feet show it. I've tried several drug store remedies, lotions and treatments but never truly love any of them. Making your own foot potions and taking a little bit of me time is much friendlier on the environment and your cash flow. The best time to remove dry sink is after a shower or bath. The skin softens and is easier to remove. Only a few basic supplies are needed; pumice stone, cotton socks, a foot bath or other container you can get your tootsies in, a towel or two and pick a treatment! Soak feet in warm water and a half cup of Epsom salts. If you'd like add a few drops of lavender oil and relax a bit or peppermint oil to sooth tired toes or tea tree oil if you're prone to nail or foot fung...

Blueberry Chia Oatmeal, and a Moment of Brilliance

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I'm assuming you've heard Chia seeds, it's nearly impossible not to. My first experience with Chia was as a pet. As long as I can remember as soon as the holidays roll around the commercials start (Ch, Ch, Ch, Chia is echoing in my head right now). The drug stores and mega marts stock their shelves with the latest offering of magically growing friends. I can't help but to think of the awkward looking sheep like Chia Pet I got one year. Smearing the tiny slimy seeds then waiting for it to sprout and grow and turn into a bright green coat for that little naked sheep. Now we eat them? Who knew all those years we should have been eating instead of sculpting them in to pop culture topiary! High in Omega-3, flavorless and high on the food trend radar, these little buggers are everywhere. I've taken to sprinkling them in my morning oatmeal. The flavor is largely unchanged, the little slimy balls are nearly unnoticeable and an easy addition to my routine; however I ofte...

Eat What You Grow, Kale Chop Salad

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Kale is the hot new super food. Not only is it super easy to grow, but it's very versatile too. Recipes are all over the web for green smoothies, salads, sautes and soups. In our house the favorite way to add some extra vitamin punch from Kale is in salads. Our favorite Kale salad has most of the ingredients growing in our back yard; kale, romaine, carrot, tomato and cabbage. A few posts back,  I talked about growing kale as an easy winter crop . Living in the desert we can grow a few things year round that others can't. By staggering plantings I can keep a fresh supply of salad greens all year. By changing up the ingredients to match what's on hand or to suit your taste, will keep the super food on your plate! Mixed Green, Blue Cheese and Bacon Chop Salad Use any combination: Kale ( find organic and Non-GMO seeds ) Romaine Nappa Cabbage Green cabbage Radicchio Red Cabbage Spinach Shredded Carrot Blue Cheese Dressing Blue Cheese crumbles Bacon, cooked a...