Busy, Busy

Hi! I’m still alive!

Today I was out with a stomach thing (I think it was just something I ate), but now I seem to be doing okay. I just had a big bowl of rice and beans with salsa, so if that stays down I’d say I’m recovered.

I’m a little stressed out right now, and I probably won’t have much time for posting until this weekend is over. I need to cram in a bunch of math (half the chapter plus homework!) with my tutor before the chapter test on Tuesday, I have to sub for my mom tomorrow, and immediately following class I’m going to visit a college out of state with my dad until Friday (and I need to get ready for that),  Saturday I have to babysit, and Sunday we are having fifty people to our house for my sister’s First Communion. Eeeek! I’m flipping out a little. Somehow I’ll get through it; the math is just the main stone in my soup right now (only 6 more classes to go). Hopefully I stay well and this “bug” I’ve contracted is gone for good.

In the meantime, those of you who have time on your hands may wish to whip up these tasty muffins that I concocted earlier this week. I thought they were so-so at first, but my mom loved them and wants me to make them for my sister’s First Communion brunch. I think they were better the second day—they seemed to be more moist. You may wish to add more spices; I kind of went easy because I wasn’t sure how spicy I wanted them, but feel free to play around with the amounts. You could also probably use all honey or all sugar instead of half and half, if you wish. And of course you can use fresh peaches—in fact I would recommend it—or even pears. The canned was all I had, though, and it worked fine.

Spiced Peach Muffins with Almond Streusel Topping

2 and 2/3 cup whole wheat flour (or spelt, or whatever you wish)
4 tsp. baking powder
ENER-G egg replacer to equal 2 eggs, mixed using package directions
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
1½ cup non-dairy milk (I used plain unsweetened hemp milk) or water
1/2 cup oil
1 large can—about 2 cups when chopped—of sliced peaches (canned without corn syrup or sugar)

Almond Streusel Topping
4 T. brown sugar (or turbinado would work)
about 6 T. finely chopped almonds
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

                                                                                                Preheat oven to 400°F.
Step 1: Make sure muffin pans are greased or fitted with paper liners. Chop peaches into chunks; set aside. Stir together ingredients for topping and also set aside.
Step 2: Mix dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in a medium size bowl and set aside.
Step 3: In a large bowl stir together wet ingredients (honey through oil); whisk together until well combined and then add chopped peaches.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until thoroughly combined. Be careful not to over mix.
Step 5: Carefully spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Top each with a sprinkling of almond streusel.
Step 6: Bake for about 20 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean).

Chopped peaches.

Muffins before baking.
 
Muffins after baking. 


I am no chef, but I like to think of recipes as guidelines. This one should be easily adaptable to fit your tastes and on-hand ingredients. The flax+water combo could easily be substituted for the egg replacer; walnuts could be used instead of almonds in the topping; nutmeg or other spices could be added…the possibilities are endless! This makes about 24 muffins, but the recipe can easily be halved.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
And now, for the winner of the Go Max Go vegan candy bars giveaway. It was interesting to hear everyone’s take on how many options you like for entering contests like these. It seems that, judging from the poll, the consensus was that having 2-3 options is good. I will certainly conduct my next giveaway accordingly. :)

That is: Natalie So

Congratulations, Natalie. You can email me (justaudrey [at] live [dot] com)with your address.

Thanks to all of you that entered. :)

Oh, and if any of you have a spare moment, drop a prayer for me, will you? I just hope I can survive this weekend and that math test!

 
__________________________________________________________
“All this trying leads up to the vital moment at which you turn to God and say ‘You must do this. I cannot.’”-C.S.Lewis
(C.S. Lewis is so awesome, isn’t he?)

Why Does LIFE Always Feel Like A Battlefield?

I am so tired of fighting, so tired of not being the person I want to be. I constantly seek fulfillment, but I remain empty. I know where to find it. Why can’t I? Why DON’T I?

Everything seems so hard… sometimes.

I am not the person I want to be. I strive to get through one more day… actually, it’s not really like that. Most days are pretty “okay”—not great,  but not really bad. But when I really look at my situation and realize how utterly lost I am, it hurts. I see myself and where I am, how I am, what I do, what I don’t do. Why?

Most days I can keep it together. This is progress. But I am not well. People tell me to not tell myself that, to get over it. I don’t know how to “get over it.” Many people are lost, as I am, in one way or another. I want to scoop up all the trodden, tormented souls of the world into a hug and tell them that it will be okay. But I don’t know that it will be.

I am tired. Tired of it. This THING. I can’t escape others, I can’t escape myself. That is where the problem is, but I don’t know how to fix it. People don’t realize how tough it is, but I have no way of making them understand…except through my words. I hesitate to say that it is bad, because I know it could be worse. Many people do have it worse. I have it good compared to them.But it often feels—in the moment—quite hard. I try to grit my teeth and swallow my wishes, to do what I must, but it is so difficult. I am not strong enough.

No one understands.

Yet there is always a way. [Something makes me say that even though I feel it is not true. I guess because I don’t want to be perceived as a “downer.” Silly.]

I know not how, I know not when, but this too shall pass. Shall it? Can someone help me, please? Or must I help myself. As if I knew how.

Will I ever please anyone, mostly me. Will I “get over it.”

I want to. I have no one to lean on. I do, but He seems far away. I think I am the one who made that gap, though.

Oh.

Can’t escape it can’t change it can’t make it don’t know how why when where what who help please me i need it is too big but i am too small i am…

Sorry for the rant. I’m just a bit crazy, probably. (Especially that last paragraph!)

It’s just one of those days, as lame as that sounds. Everything and everyone seems to be bothering me. Me most of all. Little stuff getting on my nerves; big stuff is wearing off my nerves. Oh. oh. oh.

(embarrassed to sign my name to this one.)

P.S. Apologies to Jordin Sparks for riffing (is that the right word?) off of her song (in the title of this post).

Good Things

Feel free to say the title of this post in your best Martha Stewart imitation “it’s a good thing” voice. :)

Today, the weather is quite glorious. Spring really makes my heart sing; as cliché as it sounds, everything from the trill of a red-wing blackbird to the carpet of neon green grass gives me a little joy inside.
(See, I wasn’t joking about the color of that grass. I took this photo earlier today.)

And look at the beautiful sunshine streaming through! I love how it makes a pattern from the glass. [I know, I’m weird.]  
 
Speaking of spring, we all know (I hope!) that spring = Easter=bunnies=carrots=cake. Maybe I’m not as bad at math as I thought. ;]

That’s right—carrot cake. I made Katie’s “Bugs Bunny” version yesterday, with a few modifications. It was wonderful.  I would tweak a few things next time, but overall, it was another successful vegan baking experiment! 
There’s a lot of good stuff in this cake: carrots, crushed pineapple, raisins, spices, walnuts. That’s what I love about it.
 
Another good thing: tea.  The other day I received a lovely package from LeafSpa. They sent three varieties of loose leaf organic tea: a tin and container of Yunan Gold Black Tea, a tin and packet of Silver Needle White Tea, and a packet of Rooibos Long Cut Herbal Tea.

They also included a box of chlorine-free tea filters.
I am sipping on some of this tea right now and I love it! The black tea is my favorite, because of its strong flavor (or perhaps I just brewed the other two varieties too weakly?). The “T-Sacs” are very handy, as well. You just put the loose tea into the little pocket, dunk into water and brew! 
Mmm, delicious!!! I’ve really come to appreciate tea in my old age. :) I never used to like it as much when I was younger as I do now. I love how warm, comforting, and fragrant it is…and there are so many yummy flavors to pick from! Plus, it becomes a completely new drink if you add sweetener or a plant based milk. I enjoyed these samples with just water, though, and they were perfect. It looks like LeafSpa has a big variety of teas; I’d love to try some of the others someday. That’s another good thing about tea: it’s ever new, as brands, flavors, brewing, and harvesting can each alter the taste so much.

Today my math tutor came and it helped a lot. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have help. Slowly (but surely) I got another assignment done today. I think I’m going to make it through this math class, after all. I guess I can do some hard things. :)

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Okay, so how am I doing with trying to be positive in appreciating the simple little “good things” of today? (That’s rhetorical; you don’t have to answer.) Not that I’m making this up or grinning through the tears, so to speak. It’s just that not everything is hunky-dory in my life (as if I don’t moan enough for everyone to know that already).

But, hey, I’m getting by. There are a lot of great things in my life, but a lot of uncertainty, too. Especially as I try to decide what to do next year. I find this verse to profoundly comforting. I think I might frame it and hang it on my wall. It’s that great.

What good things have you been grateful for today? (I feel like I ask that question a lot.)

 
Disclaimer: the tea I reviewed in this post was sent to me, free of charge, by LeafSpa for the purpose of reviewing on this blog. Thank you!

P.S. If anyone wants a chance to win some “good stuff”, be sure to enter my Go Max Go vegan candy bars giveaway.

P.P.S. I just realized how similary—like shockingly similar—today’s post is to this one. I think I need my head examined. :P

Write It Out

I’ve been thinking about my writing aspirations and past lately…

When I was younger (yep, another “when I was younger.” I hate to think what I’ll be like when I’m 80. It seems like I say that phrase at least once every post!), I always dreamed of writing books, and I wrote down many stories of my own. I remember I had a young friend over once to play— probably when I was about seven—and I showed her all the things I had written. I confidently explained to her: “I’m going to be an author when I grow up.” It still makes me tremble a bit now; writing was so much a dream for my then. It seems rather silly today.

I never persevered very much with these stories. I would usually get what I thought what was a brilliant idea for a book, but then after I had written the introduction and perhaps the first chapter, my attention waned. I guess that’s why I eventually gave up on story writing. I was no good at coming up with plots, and the books I read were always more clever than anything I could ever come up with.  I think it was probably just what I anticipated as the thrill of having something published that spurred me to start these flighty projects. I’m just not very good at sticking things through.

I always liked writing during grade school—be it book reports, thematic essays, personal narratives or research papers. In high school and college, however, writing lost some  of its charm. Confined by the rigid rules and tedious requirements, I stressed over papers just like anyone else. I did really  enjoy my English 101 and 102 classes, though. My teacher was very fun and the papers we had to write were usually open to areas of personal interest.

Now it seems impossible that I would ever really write something. I’m not very good at grammar—even though it interests me somewhat—and putting together a book seems like it would be such a tedious process. If I ever did it, it would have to be about something that came naturally to me…something that I really loved. Heck, most days I can hardly get a blog post done! But I do like blogging. That is, of course, why I do it. Even if no one reads it I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of transcribing my often senseless thoughts. It is a release for me.

I do admit to dreaming about writing a memoir, or something of that sort, but I don’t really know what I would write about and how I could keep people’s interest. If I wrote about my eating disorder, it seems—at this point in the journey—that I don’t have a lot of wisdom or advice to offer. I’ve often thought that it would be neat to write about it from a Catholic perspective—a memoir of how my faith has carried me through the struggle. But, again, at this point, I don’t really see that as true. I am not very holy and could not write about mystical-conversions-when-I-was-lifted-from-my-agony-and- made-to-see-the-beauty-and-power-of-suffering. Pshaw! I’m too busy complaining. Not that I don’t think faith is important. I do!!! It’s just that I’m not an expert on it; I think my effort towards holiness leaves a lot to be desired. I’m just not sure how to cultivate and advance in this way. I think maybe I need a spiritual guide…? But I’m getting off-topic.

I also think that my writing can be rambling and hard-to-follow. I’m not particularly witty or gifted in the way I arrange words, despite the fact that my mom has always tried to convince me that I am. Maybe she is right, but—self-inflated as I can be—I’m not so sure. It would be nice if that were true. Then again, I think one always thinks higher of his or her own writing. For example, I have a much easier time plowing through a long post of my own (usually when I’m looking for typos—which I’m always afraid that I will have) than one of similar length by someone else. There is probably a very appropriate quote by some smart person to go with this, but I don’t know any off-hand. :P

In any case, I don’t know if my writing aspirations will ever come to fruition. I’m not sure what the future holds. For now, I’m quite content just to blog on here. And it seems that the more I write on this blog, the easier it becomes.  It’s like anything, I think. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. That’s probably the same with most writing—it’s a muscle.

You know what? I don’t know why I wrote all of this, in the first place! I’m not looking for anyone to reassure me (however tongue-in-cheek) that I’m a great writer or anything. I just wanted to get this out in black and white, senseless though it may be.

_________________________________________________________
“It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by.  How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment?  For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone.  That is where the writer scores over his fellows:  he catches the changes of his mind on the hop.”  ~Vita Sackville-West

Idle Thoughts

**Warning: This post is pure brain dump.**

LEMON BARS: I made some vegan lemon bars yesterday that were a big success. I thought that they were even better than  the non-vegan ones I used to enjoy. Those always seemed to have a funky taste from the eggs. Is it just me or does anyone else find that eggs make some baked goods taste really bad? That’s one thing I certainly don’t miss.  For a recipe, I used this one, the only changes I made were adding a tiny pinch of turmeric for color, subbing oil for margarine, using half whole wheat flour in the crust, and making do with a little less rind (because it’s all I had). Next time I would halve the crust portion, as I thought it was just a bit too thick.

CRAVINGS: Everyone is talking about kicking habits—cola, cigarettes, etc. Am I the only one who is craving junk food more than ever? Pop, chips, candy…bring it on. Except not really. I try to eat healthfully, but those urges make it hard sometimes. I think I have a little sugar monster inside of me.

SKIN CARE: I’m almost ready to cave in and buy some Mary Kay products. I’m so tired of having nasty, erupting skin. I used MK in the past and my skin was much better then (although it could just be hormones, stress, etc. that is  making it act funky now). I just feel bad using something that is so dreadfully unnatural. Any ideas for natural beauty products that work (and don’t cost an arm and a leg)?

OLD MOVIES: I really wish that we got TCM at my house, or that I could watch online. Then again, it would probably not be good because I would watch way too much television.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH: I think I just might like spaghetti squash more than regular spaghetti. It has to be one of the coolest vegetable on the planet. Nature never ceases to amaze me. Bake it and it turns into noodles! Can you really beat that?

FATAL ATTRACTION: Why do I find cinnamon so repulsive lately? I used to love it. I am weird like that—I eat something to the death and then can’t stand it for the next six months. I hope that doesn’t happen to my love affair with broccoli. Steamed and tender, I eat it almost every day.

GUTTER JOURNALISM: Why is it suddenly so cool to bash the Catholic Church? Can you imagine how everyone would howl if all this vile was directed at some other religion? Now I’m not saying that it is okay—ever—to slander and lie about any faith…or anything, for that matter. But why does the press feel the need to throw scruples out the door and scheme up a bunch of rotten lies in order to sell papers? It’s not like there's nothing happening in the world; I would venture to say that the young 2010 has already been an incredibly eventful year. I love what the Knight of Columbus are doing, though. The novena started yesterday, but it’s never too late to start! Viva el papa!

MATH: I am meeting with a tutor tomorrow to (hopefully) get some help and direction on intermediate algebra. I’m a little scared. Revealing confusion and weakness is always scary. I am definitely confused and weak in this particular subject. But only 8 more classes to go. Yes, I’m counting down.

~

There. I got through an entire post without mentioned college. (Well, not until now.) That doesn’t meant it hasn’t been on my mind, though. I’m thinking about going to visit another school.

Signing off,

 
__________________________________________________________
“Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things - with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope.” –Corazon Aquino

Driving

On Wednesday, I renewed my driving permit…again. It’s been almost two years since I took driver’s training with my younger brother. He’s now been driving for a while now; I have not. This is my second time (at l east) renewing the permit. If I don’t take the driving test before a date in October I will have to retake the written portion of the test. I don’t want to do that so I have to get my license before then. *Gulp*

I’m terrified of driving. I’ve practiced with my parents on back roads and short trips, but in anything big (like highways or cities) I am clueless. I don’t know all the rules and traffic laws. I don’t know how I’ll ever learn that. My mom and dad seem to believe that someday I will; yet each time I finish driving I just feel lucky that I didn’t crash. Lack of confidence is pretty much my life. : / Gotta stop that.

But I do want to learn to drive because that means I will have more freedom and independence. Not to mention the fact that I will not have to wait for my parents to pick me up from my classes. That gets a little embarrassing when you’re 18. It’s not the embarrassment I mind, though. It’s having to wait for them when we get out early or they are running late.

I’m pretty sure driving is just one of those things that I will have to do just by putting one foot in front of the other and hoping for the best. I never thought I could master as much as I have already. At the beginning I had the hardest time just staying on the road and gauging my acceleration (for real!). But now, those things seem much easier—although my mom still thinks that I tend to speed up too fast, slam on the brakes, and not stop complete enough at stop signs. Okay, so I have a ways to go… But the point is that I’ve made progress. I’m not a great driver—yet—but it’s the little steps that have gotten me this far. I think it’s those same small strides that will see me through to the end. Not just to the day when I hold that little white card from the DMV with my mug shot on it…but to other things as well.

As the fictional Dr. Marvin would say: “baby steps.”

• Were you a natural driver, or was it hard to learn?
• How did you finally “get it”?

 
_________________________________________________________
“You simply have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Put blinders on and plow right ahead.” –George Lucas

Blogging vs. Life

Sorry about that goof-up with my last post (and this one). It should be all set now.

I’ve decided to cut my blog reading way down. I love reading all these blogs, but I just can’t keep up with all of them AND life. It’s not necessarily something I wanted to do, but I find it extremely liberating now to be more freed from my Google Reader. Hopefully, in the coming months I will trim it down even more. I’ll still try to comment occasionally on all yours blogs if I can; I just think it might help me to place my focus elsewhere.

I know many people feel it is mean or ill-mannered to “just blog” and not comment, and I certainly will not blame anyone who chooses to no longer read my blog because I don’t reciprocate the favor. But I, personally, don’t want to blog because people read. I want to blog because I like to. I’m not looking to merge my blog into a commercial endeavor of getting the most page views or followers (although I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that such things do boost my ego). I do fight the temptation of wanting to be a “blog star” but chances are, that’s not my purpose. Nothing could make me happier than if something I wrote helped someone else, but that is not really why I blog. For me, it’s more of a emotional and a creative outlet.

Okay, so maybe I am still being rude by not commenting on a hundred blogs per day, but I think it is something I need to cut back on in order to restore balance and sanity in my life. And like I said, it is really freeing to not see the “unread” count climb to 23, 47, 91…etc. Right now, less is best. :)

• How do you balance blog-reading and life?
• Have you ever had to cut back because blog-reading was becoming too consuming?
• How do you manage your time on the Web?   

My mom shared with me the other day that she decided to check out my blog. This kind of freaked me out. Not because—as you know—I write about anything bad. It’s just that I prefer keeping this hobby of mine as a more personal space for self-expression. I don’t really feel like I can be as free with my mom staring down my back, even if it is perfectly harmful things that I’m writing about. It’s just the principle of the matter, I suppose. I tried to ask her if she could please not read it, but I’m afraid I was quite unsuccessful. She responded that “it’s silly for all these strangers to read it and not me.” That’s the thing, mother dear—they are strangers. It is quite a different matter when people from everyday life come up to you and say “oh, I see that you’re worried about going away to college. I read that on your blog.” Eek! Nooo. I don’t really mind that my sister reads it, but my mom…I just don’t know. She said that it’s not like she has the time to read it a lot, but still… I wish that she would just respect my wishes and give me a little room.

• How do you feel about people from your day-to-day life reading your blog? 
• Are there certain people that you don’t mind reading it, and others that you really wish wouldn’t?
• Do you find that this “cramps your style” at all…or does it just not matter?

So Much Uncertainty

The reason that I haven’t blogged lately is because I was gone visiting a college. Then, when I got back yesterday, our Internet was down. :( We just finally got it fixed. I’ve missed blogging, and I’ve been really wishing I had the time and wireless to make it happen. Thankfully, everything is back to normal now. I have a ton of posts to publish, though!

The college visit went okay. (I did it.) I stayed the night Thursday and attended a couple classes on Friday. The school is very nice but I have a lot of misgivings. I’m not sure it is the place for me. I keep going back and forth on whether I should go away this fall. For a time, I lean one way or another, and then something happens that makes me doubt that resolve. It’s exhausting. I’ve tossed over and over in my mind how I could make this work, but it seems that there is no viable solution. (Ooh, “viable” is such a great word! Am I the only one who gets excited about vocabulary? It’s just delightful when I stumble across a word that perfectly expresses what I’m trying to say. Too often I get stuck in the same overused, unimaginative words. Like “word” itself. What’s another good way to say that?)

My mom thinks that if I am not sure, I shouldn’t do it and that we should explore other options. What other options? I don’t want to stay home another year. She said that I will know when I’m ready to go to college and that it will feel ‘right’. But I’m almost 19; I don’t want to get too behind in the game.

I know that this is in God’s hands. I need to remind myself of that. He has something planned for my life. The hard part is figuring out His will. I want to succeed—to do well—but I feel helpless. God is so powerful, and so much bigger than all of my weaknesses and fears. I need to believe that.

I yearn for connection, for sharing and living my faith with others. I want to make friends, to think, to prove that I can be someone. But who do I need to prove it too? Myself, I think. And what if I fail? It has happened before, I know.

The admissions people were bit intimidating (unintentionally, of course), the classes were hard and I felt stupid, the dorms are quite bad, the food is abysmal. I have to live on campus and I have to buy the meal plan. No way to avoid those. I spent the whole day and ride back yesterday throwing around in my mind how I could make it work. I flitted in and out of sleep as I sat in the backseat of our big van, tossed around by both the bumpy roads and my inescapable thoughts.

I have something to give; there is something in me—I know it. But that amazing part of me lies hidden and dormant. It is too scared of the withering girl that holds it back. And that withering girl is afraid of that potential inside of her. [Is it strange that I talk about myself in third person?]

Everything seems to point to the fact that I should go, but on close examination, the facts don’t line up. The realism of the situation is brutally unfavorable—how can I overcome the obstacles that hinder me? What of those “other options” my mom spoke of? What if I go and it doesn’t work out? How could I even make it work out in the first place?

So many questions…

Reviews Galore

Hi, everyone. As I mentioned yesterday, I have a bunch of products that are calling out to be reviewed. So, without further ado, I am attempting to tackle those reviews in this post.

Today I will be reviewing products from Living Harvest Tempt Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert, Vitamineral Green, Brad’s Raw Chips, Navitas Naturals, Tofu Xpress, Newman’s Own Organics, Coconut Bliss Ice Cream,  Sunwarrior,  and GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha.

Disclaimer: Please note that all products mentioned in this post were sent to me, free of charge, for the purpose of reviewing on this blog. Despite this, however, I have attempted to present an unbiased analysis. Also, as I didn’t buy these items, I did not consider cost in my evaluation.

Living Harvest Tempt Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert is dairy and soy free, vegan, gluten free, cholesterol free, non-GMO, kosher, and trans fat free. Selected flavors are also free of tree nuts. Oh, and isn’t the packaging cute? (Because that’s all that really matters.) I tried three flavors: Vanilla Bean, Mint Chip, and Chocolate Fudge. They were all quite delicious and incredibly creamy. The taste is a little different than regular ice cream, but it is not as strong as the hemp milk that I reviewed. I think the vanilla would go lovely with a  fruit sauce or over warm brownies or apple crisp. The mint was probably my least favorite, but my brothers thought it was great. There are also two other flavors—Coffee Biscotti and Coconut Lime—that I didn’t try but which sound quite yummy. One thing I found with this “ice cream” is that it gets very hard in the freezer—like really hard. In order to scoop it I found it necessary to microwave it a bit. It tastes better to me when it is a little soft. One good thing about this hard consistency is that it would be good for a frozen dessert, like an ice cream cake or mud pie.

Vitamineral Green is manufactured by the Health Force Nutritionals company and is a green powder made of a bunch (and I mean a bunch—check them all out here) of different leaves, seaweeds, enzymes, and probiotics. All of those things sound really wonderful, but I am not quite sure how to use this. Does anyone have any ideas? I’ve tried it in smoothies and mixed with water and it is definitely very “green” tasting—but perhaps I was using too much? I’d love to get some ideas. I like how they stress that it is not a supplement, it is “actual food.” It was also voted “best green powder” in the annual Best of Raw Awards. P.S. The name reminds me of that I Love Lucy Vitameatavegamin episode. :)

Brad’s Raw Chips sent me three flavors of their crisp, dehydrated chips. According to their website, these are “Made from fresh vegetables and fruits, sprouted flax seeds, and buckwheat groats.” There are eleven flavors; I tried the Kale, Red Pepper and Indian. All were incredible! My favorites were the kale and red pepper, though. I was amazed at how tasty these are—I think I actually prefer them to regular corn chips or crackers. I definitely recommend trying these. I think they are good just on their own, but I imagine they would also be lovely with hummus, salsa, or any other savory dip.

From Navitas Naturals I received some Cacao Sweet Nibs and Mulberries. I had never had either, so I was excited to try them after hearing about them on other blogs. The cacao nibs were kind of crunchy, and had a coffee undertone. The mulberries were almost flavorless—just sweet and a little chewy. According to Navitas’ beautiful website (they do a great job with their packaging and marketing—I am very impressed!), raw cacao (a.k.a. “nature’s chocolate chip”) is high in magnesium, iron, flavanols, polyphenols, and fiber. I’m not sure what all of those are, but you can read more about this “food of the gods” here. Mulberries are good for the heart and contain resveratrol, iron, fiber, and vitamin C. You can learn more about these here. I would definitely recommend checking out their website. The graphics, photos, and information on is really excellent, and there are also a lot of great looking recipes available.

This next item isn’t a food product…it is a device. Tofu Xpress was kind enough to send me one of their innovative tofu presses. It can be used to press out the water from tofu, spinach, or anything your wish! What a clever idea! It’s very simple, sturdy, and easy to use. Here are some pictures (they are small but can be enlarged by clicking on them). The first row is without tofu; the second row shows the press in action. Basically it just uses a spring to pressure the food and expel any excess liquid. I thought it would require twisting, but it is very easy and just locks into place. There is also a detachable lid (shown in the third picture) that  can be use as a cover when marinating or for storage. I have used this a couple times already and I really like it. I am trying to limit my soy intake, as I have read a lot of things that paint it as less than ideal. But no one says you have to use soy tofu! I have heard of hemp tofu and almond tofu, and—as I mentioned—this can also be used to press frozen spinach or other vegetables.

Remember when I got that big package of products from Newman’s Own Organics? Well, I’m still using up all those goodies. Some of my favorites have been the packages of dried fruit. It’s like candy! They sent prunes (dried plums), dried apples, raisins, and a berry blend—all organic, of course.

These were all great! The raisins were moist and plump, unlike some other off-brands of raisins that I’ve tried (I never knew how different raisins could be until I tried a bad variety). These were great, though! The prunes were one of my favorites. They are so amazingly sticky and sweet—I just love their powerful flavor, too. I know not everyone is a fan of prunes, but I am a fan! 

The apple rings were fabulous! They are chewy and sweet, yet just a little tough—exactly as they should be. I’d never had dried apples before on their own, but they are great! Ideas for eating them include snipping into oatmeal or over cereal; dipping half in chocolate; baking into muffins, cookies, or pancakes; or—my favorite way—just eating out of the bag. The berry blend is a fun mix of dried raisins, cranberries, cherries and blueberries. I enjoyed these sprinkled over oatmeal; tossed in an arugula/walnut salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic; and in a homemade trail mix. Yum!

You may remember that NOO also sent me quite a few chocolate bars. These sat around for a while because I am *gasp* not a big fan of dark chocolate. I tolerate it, but I don’t love it. I keep trying it hoping that I will like it better and can join the bandwagon of gushing dark chocolate lovers. But, truth be told, I prefer a milder chocolate if I am going to consume it on its own. That’s why I chopped both of these up and baked them into cookies. I imagine that it is painful for some of you to hear that I butchered the chocolate in this way, but I have to say, these made wonderful cookies! I did sneak a few chunks as I was chopping and I found it to be very smooth, rich, and probably everything a dark chocolate lover would hope for. So don’t take my word for it, go get some of your own! (You can learn more about this company’s commitment to sustainable, fair trade, organic chocolate here.)

   
Next up, Coconut Bliss. One thing I like about this ice cream is that it has a very good ingredient list—it is sweetened with agave and uses minimal fillers or additives. Before trying it, I had heard a lot of people rave about this non-dairy ice cream. So naturally, I was eager to try it for myself and excited to use the coupons that Luna & Larry’s sent to get myself some free dessert. I picked up Vanilla Island, Mint Galactica, and Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge. My first impression was that it wasn’t very sweet, but it kind of grew on me. While the vanilla tasted more like coconut, the chocolate hazelnut had a rich, deep chocolate taste with only mild coconut undertones. I like coconut, I’m just not sure that I love it. My favorite flavor that I tried was probably the mint, and I think that this is because it masked some of this coconut flavor.  All things considered, I thought these were fun to try and definitely wouldn’t complain if I had to eat it again. :) For a full list of the flavors available, plus description and nutritional info, visit this link.

Sunwarrior sent me two sample size packets of their protein—the chocolate and vanilla. Both single-serving packets were sweetened with stevia (which I am not too fond of, except in Zevia) so that was a bit of a turn-off. But really, these weren’t bad. Not incredible, either, but not undrinkable like some protein powders. I think the chocolate was better than the vanilla, though it wasn’t as chocolate-y as I would’ve liked. I know a lot of people LOVE this stuff, though, and it is definitely a great option health-wise compared to the whey, casein, and soy protein powders out there.

And now, one of my favorite products: GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha. (If you don’t know what kombucha is, there is a bunch of info on GT’s website about it.) I don’t know why this stuff is so addicting; maybe it’s the trivial amount of alcohol it contains? Haha. Although some people can’t stand it  (I will concede that it is a bit of an acquired taste), I really like it. I especially enjoy the Synergy varieties that GT makes. These are 95% kombucha and 5% fruit juice. But the regular is great too. What I like about this stuff is that, thanks to all the enzymes, good bacteria, and other beneficial things,  it is SO good for you. I also love it because it seems to help me curb cravings and mindless eating. Something about the little bit of fizz in it kind of fills up my stomach when I want a little something (not sure that made sense…). Anyway, thanks, GT. I loved it!

Have you tried any of the products that I mentioned in this post? Which ones would you like to try?

I also have a little survey here:

poll by twiigs.com