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Holiday Hemp Harvest Ⓥ

11/25/2014

The 2014 Happy Holiday Season Has Arrived!

Take this time to really reflect on what life is about. Enjoy family and friends, share your heart with those who matter most. Make new traditions. Reflect on experiences. Share the love of plant-based cooking!

“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” — Dalai Lama

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” — Willie Nelson

Holiday Hemp Harvest Ⓥ

Serves 3-4
Excellent leftover idea included

INGREDIENTS
1-cup quinoa, cooked
1-cup lentils, cooked
Fresh ginger root, peeled
1 yam
2-cups fresh brussels sprouts
1-cup fresh green beans
2 fresh carrots
1 head cauliflower
1 avocado
Coconut oil (for roasting veggies)
2-teaspoons turmeric
Pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
4-6 tablespoons hemp seeds

DIRECTIONS

Bake yam (350 degrees, 60 min)
Prepare quinoa
Prepare lentils
Cut fresh veggies into small sizes/prepare to roast: carrots, brussels sprouts (halves), green beans, cauliflower; move into mixing bowl
Over low heat, melt 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil; pour into mixing bowl when melted and coat veggies well
Grate ginger root; add to mixing bowl
Add in turmeric, salt and pepper; toss and mix again
Move veggies onto large baking sheet. Spread out so they cook evenly
Remove yam from oven, allow to cool enough so you can cut into medium pieces
Increase oven temp to 400-425 degrees. Roast veggies for 30-40 minutes
Cut avocado into medium pieces
Serve bowl-style (see picture below) so that you can see everything when served: quinoa, lentils, veggies, avocado pieces, yam pieces. Top entire bowl with hemp seeds
Enjoy and feel nourished!

Holiday Hemp Harvest Served

Try this leftover idea:

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Portobello Tomato Nooch Soup Ⓥ

11/19/2014

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Nutritional yeast is specifically cultivated as a food crop for use as a nutritional supplement and to add flavor to foods. It’s an inactive yeast so unlike baking yeast, it doesn’t make food rise. And it’s not the same as Brewers Yeast, which is a by-product of making beer.

Rich in the B-vitamins: These are the same vitamins we burn when stressed out and when we put our bodies under stress, like a long run or high elevation hike reaching a summit.
Just one tablespoon: Provides a daily serving of most of the B-vitamin complex, which in turn helps us to convert our food (specifically, carbohydrates) into fuel (that is, glucose), which is in turn used to produce energy.
Two tablespoons: Contain 20% of the recommended daily allowance of iron, a biggie for vegans and active lifestyles.
Complete protein source: Includes all the essential amino acids. 2 tablespoons offers 9 grams of protein!

A Vegan Staple: Called many names, including Nooch, Hippie Dust, Nutritional Yeast.

Portobello Tomato Nooch Soup Ⓥ

Ingredients

1lb fresh portobello mushrooms, sliced
½ small brown onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp coconut oil
3 cups vegetable broth/stock
1 can organic diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 cup cashews
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp dried oregano

Instructions

Place cashews in a bowl of water and leave to soak.
In a large pot, sauté the mushrooms, onion and garlic in coconut oil for 3 – 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add the vegetable broth and diced tomatoes.
Cover and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.
Drain and rinse cashews and add them to a blender with half a cup of water. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Add the cashew cream and dried herbs to the soup pot, stirring well to combine.
Allow to simmer for another 20 – 30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, serve topped with 2-4 tablespoons of nooch

You may or may not find nutritional yeast at your typical grocery store, but you should be able to find it at your local natural food store – It's also available in bulk depending on your local store.

Is nooch already a staple in your diet? If so, how do you use it?
If you are new to nooch, give it a try and share how you use!

Please leave your feedback below!

Partial information has been referenced: eat2run.com

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Live your own country song, whether it's running down a dirt road or climbing a mountain.

11/17/2014

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"It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got" – Sheryl Crow

This line from Sheryl's song "Soak Up The Sun" is one of my favorites and is easily forgotten in people's lives. Life moves so rapidly that the smaller things become the hardest to reflect upon. This brings me to my focus of this blog, which is to start living your own country song. What exactly does this mean? I grew up influenced by country music and having small town origins. I lived outdoors as much as possible - running on dirt roads to snow shoeing in corn fields. I enjoyed the smallest things in life and reflect back to them every single day - still living the same way today. I would like to share some positive motivation around living simple and loving large.

Country music tells stories and are truthful songs about life written by country people. Country can be defined in many ways no matter where you live. We have this beautiful land all around us, from fields, mountains, water, air and sky just to name a few. Take some time to really appreciate everything you have right in front of you and all around you. Then... reflect back and write your own country song. You have the ability to live amazing, feel amazing and be amazing!

I admire Patagonia's Founder, Yvon Chouinard for his love of living simple. "So, there’s a movement for simplifying your life: purchase less stuff, own a few things that are very high quality that last a long time, and that are multifunctional. I drive old cars, all my Patagonia clothes are years and years old. I hardly have anything new. I try to lead a very simple life. I am not a consumer of anything."

Try something new this week that's special to you! A few ideas to get you excited:

Eat dinner outdoors by a fire wrapped in a blanket
Run where air is pure and reflect on all of the important people you have in your life
Hike up a mountain; focus on nature's beauty
Canoe or kayak to have a picnic on the water
Eat a whole-food, plant-based diet. Start crowding out unhealthy, processed foods with nutrient-dense foods such as hemp seeds, root veggies, wild rice, quinoa, raw nuts, spices, healthy fats, etc.

LIVE simply. Dream BIG. BE grateful. Give LOVE. LAUGH lots.

To Succeed in life, you need three things: A wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone – Reba Mcentire

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Raw Vegan Pumpkin Hemp Spread

11/9/2014

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As the seasons change, so do our senses for warmer, earthier foods.

Our five senses interact to influence our experiences with food and beverages. Things such as bonfires, fireplaces, apple trees, pine cones, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin help create these feelings of coziness and comfort. During the colder, damp, winter months, try exploring more foods with a bitter taste. For example, arugula, dandelion greens, beet greens, beets, carrots, apples, cranberries, pears, squash, millet, quinoa, chickpeas, red lentils and soaked almonds or cashews. Get into more spices, like cardamom, cayenne, curry powder, allspice, and turmeric as well as chamomile, jasmine, and peppermint tea. These foods are chock full of health benefits.

How about an EARTHY, RAW VEGAN PUMPKIN HEMP SPREAD?

Pumpkin and hemp seeds - the perfect pair providing a smooth texture with a subtle crunch. Pumpkin is a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E. It's also a good source of B-complex group of vitamins and a rich source of minerals. Hemp seeds are often classified as one of nature's perfect foods, and a health powerhouse in the following ways:

Vegan and gluten free, and rich source of essential vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.

The Good Fats: Hemp seeds contain the perfect 1:3 balance of Omega-3 to Omega-6, which the body needs for optimal skin health, energy production, nervous system function, brain development, heart health, and immune system support.
Naturally Occurring Super Omegas: These help the body convert benefits of Omega-3 & Omega-6 EFA's more efficiently.
Whole, Plant-Based Protein: One of the best sources for easily digestible, high-quality protein. Unlike soy, hemp does not contain enzyme inhibitors and phytates, so the nutrients in hemp can be easily absorbed by the body.
Essential Amino Acids: Hemp Seeds contain ALL of the essential amino acids. A perfect, complete protein source for those who live a plant-based lifestyle.

Ingredients:

1 can organic pumpkin puree
1-2 tablespoons VitaFiber (syrup or powder)
2 packages Natera Hemp Seeds - Maple (or 4-6 tablespoons hemp seeds)
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch of cajun pepper (optional)
1 pinch sea salt

Directions:
Depending on choice of sweetener, you can either mix everything in a bowl by hand or use a blender. If you use syrup, a blender is best.

Put everything in a bowl, except the hemp seeds. Mix well (or blend in mixer)
Stir in hemp seeds and mix again.
Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!

This simple, raw vegan spread is so easy to make, extremely healthy and tastes delicious with so many things, including:

Spread on sprouted grain toast
Serve in oatmeal
Spread in a root veggie wrap
A dip for veggies or zucchini chips
Enjoy in half of an avocado
Eat all by itself!

VitaFiber™, by BioNeutra™ is a natural, certified organic, low calorie prebiotic fiber (syrup or powder) for human digestive health.

NATERA™ Hemp Seeds, by Naturally Splendid® are exceptionally pure, plump and nutritious. A rare source of complete protein, they contain all 20 known amino acids including the 8 essential and 2 semi-essential amino acids our bodies need for optimum health.

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Turmeric: Yellow Health Powers

11/7/2014

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Turmeric: Much more than just a spice. It has incredible powers and is packed with loads of health benefits.

Photo from authoritynutrition.com

Turmeric is one the most thoroughly researched plants in existence today. Its medicinal properties and components (primarily curcumin) have been the subject of over 5600 peer-reviewed and published biomedical studies. In fact, our five-year long research project on this sacred plant has revealed over 600 potential preventive and therapeutic applications, as well as 175 distinct beneficial physiological effects. This entire database of 1,585 ncbi-hyperlinked turmeric abstracts can be downloaded as a PDF at our Downloadable Turmeric Document page, and acquired either as a retail item or with 200 GMI-tokens, for those of you who are already are members and receive them automatically each month. (The Mind Unleashed)

Incredible reasons to eat turmeric everyday

The most promising quality of is its ability to prevent cancer. This super-food can stop cancer from growing and spreading into other organs. It causes cancer cells to commit suicide.
Its anti-bacterial agents may help our body fight against colds, cough and flu. Turmeric’s key ingredient Curcumin is known for its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties which can help in healing cuts and wounds.
Stimulates the production of bile which helps to break down fatty foods, which in turn, may help you lose weight. Taking one teaspoon of Turmeric powder with every meal may help in loosing weight. This of course doesn’t cancel the fact that you need to eat healthy and exercise.
Has major antioxidant properties which helps fight diseases by destroying free radicals.
Improves liver function. This is done through the production of enzymes that break down toxins into materials that are easily eliminated by the body. Taking turmeric increases the production of these enzymes, thus improving liver function.

Tips for adding turmeric into your daily life:

Include turmeric as an ingredient in regular meals.
Add turmeric into daily smoothies/glass of plant-based milk (help fights cold and flu)
Make tea out of turmeric. Boil 3-4 C. of water with spoonful of turmeric for 10-15 minutes. Strain and enjoy!

While no food or herb is right for everyone, and everything has the potential for unintended, adverse side effects, turmeric is truly unique in its exceptionally high margin of safety vis-à-vis the drugs it has been compared with, e.g. hydrocortisone, ibuprofen,chemotherapy agents. Furthermore, nothing within the modern-day pharmaceutical armamentarium comes even remotely close to turmeric’s 6,000 year track record of safe use in Ayurvedic medicine. (Ref: Natural Health, Natural Medicine)

Fresh root or dried powder?

Turmeric's earthy, exotic aroma and flavor make it a delicious addition to many dishes. Found in the dried spices at grocery stores and some specialty markets carry the fresh root. Swapping fresh root for dried in recipes is possible.
Cost Savings Tip: Buy bulk when purchasing the power.

Fresh herbs and spices are almost always more desirable than their dried counterparts, and turmeric is no exception.
Fresh turmeric is less bitter than dried turmeric.

Wash the root of any dirt and scrub it well
Peeling? You don't need to, but some people prefer to.
Grate it with a ginger grater or the small side of a cheese grater
Smash it with a garlic press

Conversion:

The general rule of thumb for converting dried herbs or spices to fresh in a recipe is 1-to-3, so 1 teaspoon of dried spice is equal to 3 teaspoons -- 1 tablespoon -- of fresh.

Roughly 2 inches of fresh turmeric root will yield 1 tablespoon of the freshly grated spice.

Storage:

Refrigerator:

Short term: Wrap loosely so it doesn't mold
Long-term: Wrap unused turmeric root in a paper towel, and store it in a plastic bag
Another method is to peel the rhizomes and pack them in a jar with vodka. Stored in the fridge, these should last for a year or more.

Freezer:

You can also freeze turmeric. It will be mushy when it thaws out, but fine to add to your dish. Freeze it in usable sizes so you only defrost what you will use at one time.

Tips:

Will stain surfaces and fingers, especially in its fresh form. Wear gloves while grating it if you don't want yellow fingertips.
Pickle fresh turmeric root in vinegar and lime juice for a tasty Asian-style condiment.

References: Livestrong, Natural Health-Natural Medicine, The Mind Unleashed

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Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Ghostbusters but Don't Eat Twinkies!.

11/5/2014

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Who ya gonna call?

Even after 30 years, Ghostbusters is still watched by generations old and young today. I thought it was a great opportunity to celebrate this forever loved film, as well as share some interesting facts about Twinkies, as we know they are far from healthy!

Remembered for its witty one-liners. Some favorites include:

“I taped ’20 Minute Workout’ on my machine and played it back at high speed so it only took 10 minutes. I got a great workout.”
“You’re right. No human being would stack books like this.”
“Back off, man. I’m a scientist.”
“Human sacrifice, dog and cats living together…mass hysteria!”
“Listen! Do you smell something?”
“Someone blows their nose and you want to keep it?”
“We came, we saw, we kicked its ass.”
“He’s an ugly little spud isn’t he?”
“He slimed me.”

"Twinkies are brain food", spoken by Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters.

The Twinkie was used by Egon in an analogy to explain to the rest of the Ghostbusters how extreme the current psychokinetic energy, or P.K.E., levels were during the first Gozer incident. Twinkie would represent a standard amount of P.K.E., the surge Egon was tracking would equate to a Twinkie that was thirty-five feet long and weighing approximately six hundred pounds.

In memory of Harold Ramis, the writer/director/actor who gave us - among many other great movies - Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day.

With over 30 ingredients, many unpronounceable...Twinkies are far from brain food.

"33 grams of sugar and 9 grams of fat per serving, it'd be doltish to expect they'd provide any real nutritional benefit. But it does come as a surprise to any unsuspecting snacker that the little tubular treat would contain any animal derivative at all. A representative from Hostess confirmed with The Huffington Post that Twinkies are not a vegetarian food."

Twinkies...What? Huh? WOW!

Phosphorus, part of a key Twinkie ingredient, was discovered in 1669 by German alchemist Hennig Brand when he boiled down the urine he collected from local nuns.
Other Twinkie ingredients include the rocks trona and limestone.
Twinkies made per year: 500,000,000.
Twinkie cream gets its slippery sheen from cotton cellulose, which serves the same purpose in rocket fuel.
Despite popular lore, Twinkies will not survive a nuclear war any better than you will — their average shelf life is 25 days.
President Clinton put a Twinkie in a time capsule.

TIP for plant-based eating: READ THE LABELS
Do a close-read on product ingredient lists, as foods like refried beans, potato chips and even orange juice contain animal products beyond milk and eggs.

Sources: Huffington Post, WebMD Archive, Twinkie, Deconstructed-by Steven Ettlinger.

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Holiday Hemp Harvest Ⓥ

The 2014 Happy Holiday Season Has Arrived!

Holiday Hemp Harvest Ⓥ

Portobello Tomato Nooch Soup Ⓥ

A Vegan Staple: Called many names, including Nooch, Hippie Dust, Nutritional Yeast.

Portobello Tomato Nooch Soup Ⓥ

Live your own country song, whether it's running down a dirt road or climbing a mountain.

"It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got" – Sheryl Crow

LIVE simply. Dream BIG. BE grateful. Give LOVE. LAUGH lots.

Raw Vegan Pumpkin Hemp Spread

As the seasons change, so do our senses for warmer, earthier foods.

How about an EARTHY, RAW VEGAN PUMPKIN HEMP SPREAD?

Turmeric: Yellow Health Powers

Turmeric: Much more than just a spice. It has incredible powers and is packed with loads of health benefits.

Incredible reasons to eat turmeric everyday

Tips for adding turmeric into your daily life:

Fresh root or dried powder?

Conversion:

Storage:

Tips:

Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Ghostbusters but Don't Eat Twinkies!.

Who ya gonna call?

Remembered for its witty one-liners. Some favorites include:

"Twinkies are brain food", spoken by Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters.

With over 30 ingredients, many unpronounceable...Twinkies are far from brain food.

Kristin Wuhrman

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Archives

Stay in the Know!

As Seen In
Testimonials
Supporters
Share #Vegan

Holiday Hemp Harvest ﻿Ⓥ﻿

The 2014 Happy Holiday Season Has Arrived!

Holiday Hemp Harvest Ⓥ

Portobello Tomato Nooch Soup ﻿Ⓥ﻿

A Vegan Staple: Called many names, including Nooch, Hippie Dust, Nutritional Yeast.

Portobello Tomato Nooch Soup Ⓥ

Live your own country song, whether it's running down a dirt road or climbing a mountain.

"It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got" – Sheryl Crow

LIVE simply. Dream BIG. BE grateful. Give LOVE. LAUGH lots.

Raw Vegan Pumpkin Hemp Spread

As the seasons change, so do our senses for warmer, earthier foods.

How about an EARTHY, RAW VEGAN PUMPKIN HEMP SPREAD?

Turmeric: Yellow Health Powers

Turmeric: Much more than just a spice. It has incredible powers and is packed with loads of health benefits.

Incredible reasons to eat turmeric everyday

Tips for adding turmeric into your daily life:

Fresh root or dried powder?

Conversion:

Storage:

Tips:

Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Ghostbusters but Don't Eat Twinkies!.

Who ya gonna call?

Remembered for its witty one-liners. Some favorites include:

"Twinkies are brain food", spoken by Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters.

With over 30 ingredients, many unpronounceable...Twinkies are far from brain food.

Kristin Wuhrman

Categories

Archives

Stay in the Know!

As Seen In​Testimonials​SupportersShare #Vegan

Holiday Hemp Harvest Ⓥ

Portobello Tomato Nooch Soup Ⓥ

As Seen In
Testimonials
Supporters
Share #Vegan