How I Get Through My Day

Sorry for being gone so long.

We are finally back from vacation.

Which means we have tons of laundry, cleaning 

and sleep to catch up on. 

Makeup Remover

When I packed for vacation

I totally forgot to pack my makeup remover.

This is my all time favorite,

I missed it so much.

Poor guy, being left all alone at home.

Earth Science Eye Makeup Remover.

I love it because it is gentle on the eyes.

I have zero eye lashes, so when I put on mascara 

I put on about ten layers.

This stuff is the only remover I've used 

that gets the mascara off without a fuss.

Organic Produce

I'm passionate about organic produce.

For more reasons than one,

I think it is so important to shop organic.

Unfortuatly, our budget doesn't allow us 

to shop exclusivly organic right now.

So I follow these two lists 

put out by the Environmental Working Group.

The Dirty Dozen

This is produce that must be bought organic 

because they absorbe pesticides.

Apples

Bell Peppers

Carrots

Celery

Cherries

Grapes

Kale

Lettuce

Nectaries

Peaches

Pears

Strawberries

What is great about this list is that 

it includes berries that I don't buy all year long.

Since it does include lettuce and kale, 

I go a step further and buy all my leafy veggies organic.

Such as swiss chard, watercress, and spinach.

The Clean 15

This is produce that is fine to buy 

when grown conventionally.

Asparagus

Avocados

Broccoli

Cabbage

Eggplant

Kiwifruit

Mangoes

Onions

Papayas

Pineapples

Sweet corn

Sweet peas

Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes

Watermelon

See a pattern? Most of these have thick peels 

or hard shells to protect them from pesticides.

Running

I'm so proud of myself.

While on vacation, I started running again 

with my sweet cousin, Rosalia.

It totally helps to run when you have 

a great partner who pushes you.

We were both on runners high all day 

with the extra energy boost our workout gave us.

When I started running, my husband bought me a pair of Asics 

which are the greatest thing that has happened to my feet.

I love them so much, that I asked my husband 

if we could name our first son Asic.

And when I go long periods of time without running,

I look at them longingly.

Oh Asics, you make running so comfortable.

The same shoes isn't right for everyone.

My hubby took me to a running specialty store, 

where they have you try on shoes,

and you do a lap around the store 

to find out which is right for you.

Whole Grain Salad

When I was visiting family in Washington

my aunt made this salad.

Talk about fantastic!

So delicious and satisfying.

All my cousins raved about it 

and they were right!

Perfect for a hot summer day.

And it's super easy. 

Just cook the quinoa,

chop the veggies,

mix and eat!

I love that it's made with quinoa.

Quinoa is a superstar in the food world.

Full of protein and fiber, you can't go wrong.

Black Bean, Corn, and Quinoa Salad

1 cup water or vegetable broth
1/2 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon minced scallions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 15-ounce can no-salt black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ear fresh corn, cooked, kernels removed (about 1 cup kernels)
1 small tomato, chopped
(about 3/4 cup)
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
(red, orange, yellow, or a mix)
2 tablespoons canned diced
green chilies
1 cup chopped fresh mango or peach
Lime wedges

1. In a saucepan, bring water or broth to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and simmer on low heat until water is absorbed, 10–15 minutes. Cool.
2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lime juice, cumin, cayenne, scallions, and cilantro. In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, green onions, beans, corn kernels, tomato, bell pepper, green chilies, and mango or peach. Add olive oil mixture and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cool. Serve with lime wedges.

Looking forward to what the rest of summer hold for us in our home.

So far we are plagued with Adventure in Potty Training.

All day my toddler had accidents all over the house.

Finally, this evening she told me she needed to go, and went in the potty.

Success!! Sigh. It does actually work to be persistent. 

Thank goodness! I'll be ready again tomorrow to clean up the puddles

and reward the flushes. 

How I Get Through My Day

Yummy Treats:

Quick Mini Cinnabuns

If you have not made a vegan dessert yet,

go to your store and buy vegan butter, almond milk

and make these Mini Cinnabuns!

I've made these before and they are so good!

The best part is they are fast.

So you can have your craving and bam!

Thirty minutes later you can be indulging. 

So good, so easy, incredibly yummy, win, win, win.

Free Day at Children's Discovery Museum

When we went to San Francisco,

I really wanted to visit the Bay Area Discovery Museum.

My daughter had never been to a children's museum

and I knew we'd be in town for their free day.

The museum has a free day every first Wednesday. Score!

We got there early, and it really wasn't too packed.

The girls had so much fun!

They had a Curious George exhibit

which my daughter loved.

All the activities were super fun and interactive.

I can't wait to go back when my ten month old 

is able to run around and play as well.

She's going to be my crazy one!

She loved playing with what she could and watching the other kids.

The museum had this fantastic view! 

Love it!

Lunch:

On our trip, we tried to make our own food 

as much as possible to save money.

We did it so much, I thought I'd never be able to look 

at another sandwich again without feeling sick.

But we still wanted to make our own food.

So Daniel's aunt suggested we make tortas.

Tortas are a Mexican sandwich. 

And while it's still a sandwich, 

I could totally eat it and enjoy it 

because it's totally different from a typical American sandwich.

Tortas are made out of  Bolillos, 

which is like crusty french bread.

Daniel's aunt bought us rice and beans 

from a Mexican market near her home.

They were so delicious!!

We made our tortas out of the rice, beans, 

and we added avocado.

It was so good! The rice and beans had so much flavor 

and the avocado added the perfect creaminess.

A nice change of pace.

Thérèse after the children's museum.

I couldn't believe how much she was eating!

That place really made her hungry...

and just a little tired.

She woke up chewing.

Apparently she fell asleep with a bit in her mouth.

Alone Time

Family vacation equals zero alone time and lots of exhaustion.

Taking three deep, long breaths has really helped me refuel and relax.
I only make it to three deep breaths,
because by the end of breath number three,
someone is calling my name.

Deep breathing, you save me every time.

How I Get Through My Day

Five Minute Face

I've finally perfected my five minute face.

When I'm in a rush, but I want to look semi done up,

I wash my face, I dot on concealor, 

put on tinted moisturizer, eye liner, mascara,

blush on check bones and sides of my forehead, nose, chin,

done.

I'm loving using tinted moisterizer.

Right now I'm using Mary Kay moisterizer with color and sunscreen,

so it's perfect for summer. 

Having the three in one really cuts back on time.

Quick Lunch

I found this recipe  on Healthy Tipping Point.

I love that blog! Makes me want to go out for a run.

Her recipe looks crazy delicious.

I toned my version down a lot 

because I didn't want to turn on my oven.

It turned out to be a great quick lunch for us.

It had everything we need in it to fill and energize us.

Santa Fe Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1/4 onion

- 1 bell pepper

- one can kidney beans

- 2 cups cooked brown rice

- 3 tablespoons vegan cheese

Heat oil in pan and saute onion till translucent.

 

Mix in bell pepper and beans.

Heat for a few minutes till beans are warmed 

and bell pepper is slightly cooked.

 

Mix in cooked rice and grated cheese. 

Cook until cheese has melted.

That's it!

It was a yummy complete meal and my todder

enjoyed it as well.

Leisure Reading

I've been wanting to get into another novel, 

but haven't been able to lately because of lack of time.

 I haven't had the attention span for a movie lately, either.

My new favorite way to kick back is to open up a Tin Tin book.

I love graphic novels because they engage all the senses

(yes, they have sound effects too). 

They are so cool to read

and for a few minutes I'm able to go on Tin Tin's adventures 

and forget my responsibilities.

I said for a few minutes.

Oh, Tin Tin, alwasy getting into trouble

and miraculously escaping.

Family Time

This fall we are going to be incredibly busy

so we're trying to get in as much family time as possible.

Being a stay at home mom

it's easy to get stuck in the monotony of housework, 

cooking, feedings, and diaper changes.

Sometimes I find it's more important to let the dishes go

and live in the moment with my little girls.

Their smiles get me every time!

Her eyes are so dark, I can always see my reflection.

Check out that beautiful clear sky!

 

How I Get Through My Day

Breakfast

When I gave birth to my first daughter 

I had little time in the kitchen.

This was my favorite quick breakfast to whip up.

Ezekiel toast with almond butter, 

chopped strawberries and honey drizzled on top. 

Yum!!

I had this today and it filled me for hours. 

If you know me, you know that's a huge deal 

because I'm constantly hungry!

Between the fiber from the bread, 

the protein from the almond butter 

and the serving of fruit, 

this turns out to be a pretty complete breakfast. 

Exercise

I haven't been exercising lately

and my body is really kicking me for it. 

When I feel unmotivated to exercise

I put on Mary Tyler Moore on Hulu Plus.

My favorite episode is 'Put on a Happy Face'.

It's nice to know that even Mary Richards 

can have a bad day, or several. 

Indoor Games

It's hot where we live. 

It really is too hot to venture outside 

unless you are headed straight for the pool.

So we have to be creative inside otherwise we all get stir crazy.

Hide and Seek is one of our favorite games.

Check out the great hiding spot my toddler picked for herself.

She's waiting for Daniel to find her.

I love my baby's little hand creeping into the picture. 

Eat Your Greens

I'm going a little crazy because I can't find this 

beautiful picture I have of steamed greens with udon noodles. 

You good people are just going to have to take my word for it,

this is the only way to eat greens.

Here is how you do it:

1) Get water to boil in a pot with a steamer.

2) Place your greens in the steamer.

By greens I mean kale, watercress, bok choy, 

all those greens I didn't touch for the first 23 years of my life.

3) Let them steam for 2 minutes. 

2 minutes people!! That's it, till wilted.

4) Drizzle with a tablespoon EVOO or sesame oil 

and a teaspoon ume plum vinegar.

(Play with these measurements 

to get this dish just where you want it)

You just need a touch of this to make your boring plate 

of steamed greens turn in to a party!

You can find it at your Asian Market, Health Food Store, 

or in the International Food Isle. 

I'm so sad I can't find a picture for you all. 

This plate is really beautiful.

Here is the best I can do.

From The Kind Life.

After I gave birth to my sweet second baby, 

I ate this dish every night for months.

It was crazy delicious every time. 

Bring on the week!

How I Get Through My Day

Summer Shoes

I finally got a new pair of shoes. 

Daniel is always raving about his Sanuks.

I was pretty sure that the only reason he talked about them so much 

was so he could hear himself say "Sanuk" over and over again.  

I was so wrong!

These shoes are so comfortable!

They are actually sandals covered with cloth.

They mold to your feet, so you forget you're wearing them.

We recently took the family to The Huntington Library in Pasadena.

We did lots of walking and it was a very hot day.

These shoes were breathable and my feet never got tired!

My new favorite shoe.

I picked up my super cute pair at a surf shop.

I'm not super big on the styles online. 

www.sanuk.com

Get Some Art In

Family time in Pasadena was great,

but we were really in need of some grown up time,

and I needed my art fill.

So we went to the MOCA with my brother in LA.

The current exhibit is Street Art. 

It was incredibly cool. 

No, I'm not a dork, 

and I don't understand why you would think that.

There is an artist who left these little guys tiled all over the world.

I really want them for the back wash in our kitchen. 

Daniel isn't down though.

Oh well, space invader, you're going to have to find your home elsewhere. 

Outside the MOCA was a portable farmers market.

The herbs were on the bikes, and the bikes were parked to create this market.

Daniel was intrigued... 

Use Your Noodle

We've been playing lots of Rummikub lately.

I love this game. 

I've been playing it since I was six and it never seizes to captivate me. 

It's all about creating patterns, 

taking them apart to create more patterns. 

I play to win, so when I play, I get to a point when my brain actually hurts.

It's a muscle after all, and when I think so hard my brain flexes. 

No! I'm totally serious! 

I probably play this game just cause I like that feeling.

Yes! My brain is there! I can feel it!

These guys are the "jokers".

They used to totally freak me out.

I mean, come on, how freaky is this face? 

No Bake Desserts

This recipe from Oh She Glows is so cool because it is completely raw.

Her recipe includes raw carob chips as well,

but I cheated and used the chocolate chips we already had.

I threw them into my vegan ice cream for a delicious 

cookies and cream dessert. Yum!

Ingredients:

Cookie dough:

• 1 3/4 cups ground raw cashews
• 3/4 cup ground raw oats
• 1/4 cup Agave Nectar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

Dough: Grind up raw cashews and raw oats in a food processor or blender. Place all cookie dough ingredients into a large bowl and mix by hand or with a spoon. OR simply place all ingredients in the processor and blend (why didn’t I do this!? lol). Mix until a dough forms and you can make a large ball. Refrigerate dough while you make the chocolate chips.

Place in fridge (if you have any left that is) to harden for about 30 mins. They get real hard! Make sure to refrigerate them on parchment paper or they will stick to the plate.

Also note, I cut the recipe in half to make a smaller batch. Don’t be too worried about getting exact measurements here. They will still turn out, promise.

The best part is the total prep time (not including freezing and refrigerating) was 10 minutes! So quick and easy. These would be amazing to whip up before guests come over or for a quick birthday gift.

Going to go play some Rummikub with the hubby. 

Seriously people, I'm not a dork. 

How I Get Through My Day

Stretch: I'm loving Summer! We've plunged into all the Summer activities. 

With all the walking, swimming, baby chasing,

I haven't had time or really needed to exercise.

Instead, I've been doing these yoga stretches every morning.

They really get my body woken up

and ready to get moving for the rest of the day.

I know a lot of Christians steer clear of yoga
because it can turn into a religion.
For me personally, yoga is just about the great stretches
and I'm able to separate the two
much like many people do with karate.
In my history of stretching yoga style,
I find myself in deep in prayer with the Lord
because I'm so relaxed and at peace.

I actually don't use the video,
it's too distracting hearing about confidence and such.
I just do the stretches.

Eat a Satisfying Lunch:

Sometimes I just can't wait till dinner
to have something more than left-overs or a sandwich (all though I love both).
This following recipe is one of my favorite lunches.
I made it all the time when I was transitioning
to being vegan because it's so simple and coated with olive oil.
When you stop eating meat, your body starts craving fat and lots of it.
This is because meat is loaded with saturated fat and well, veggies have zero.

Between the peanut butter in the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
I'd have around and this dish, I was set.
I especially loved making it
when I'd put the girls down for their nap.
I'll relax, make this dish,
and then lay out on the couch
and curl these noodles around my fork.
Yum. Which brings me too...

UDON NOODLES. Heavens.
Why did it take me so long to discover these?
They are my new favorite food.
I love noodles of all kinds, pasta dishes rock,
but udon are my fav by far.
So creamy and delicious.
Thank you Japan for bringing us the Udon Noodle.

My mother-in-law has been requesting
I post this dish for a while.
I was hesitant to because
I eye ball the olive oil.
I keep adding, adding.
When you make this
make sure the noodles and veggies are well coated.
Sometimes I'll even add a drop of olive oil
once this is in my bowl.
Olive oil is good for the skin right?

Carrot and Zucchini Ribbon Pasta 
with Udon Noodles 
- 3 Carrots
- 2 Large Zucchinis
- Udon Noodles
- Olive Oil

Can it get more simple than that?

Peel the otter layer off the carrot.

Peel carrots and zucchinis into ribbons. 

 Beautiful. Look at that color!

Cook your udon noodles.

Udon Noodles are packaged with the noodles tied 

in about three bunches.

Cook two bunches. 

Over medium high heat in a large pan,

pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Throw in the carrots, coat them in the olive oil

and cook for a couple minutes.

Add zucchini. 

Coat vegetables in olive oil 

and cook a couple minutes longer

till vegetables are slightly soft. 

Add cooked udon noodles.

Add a couple more tablespoons olive oil

and coat noodles in the oil. 

Cover with a lid and let the noodles 

and the veggies get a little crispy.

Done!

Now eat up!

I don't think I'm all artsy or anything.

The group photo was just not working.

So I had to isolate a bite size. 

People, you don't understand how much I love this dish. 

I always think I'm a little crazy for loving it so much.

It's just so darn simple!

But last week my father-in-law said 

if he ate veggies cooked like that all the time, 

he'd have no problem washing dishes. Aw! 

Comic Relief: 

My Mommy Partner in Crime, Melissa,
just started a blog called So Help Me Lord.
Appropriately named, its about her maturity
through her motherhood struggles.
I'm in love with this blog
because she has all the problems that I,
and probably all stay at home moms have
(the walls are closing in on us,
we feel like there is no escape,
those kids are working against us).
Her posts always make me laugh out loud,
are uplifting and she shares everything with us,
all those embarrassing and painful moments
we all want desperately want to forget.

In Tropical Puke-adise she wrote about her first pregnancy
and how she puked all over Hawaii on vacation.
Yet, even though she hated pregnancy
and not being able to keep any food down,
she realized she was grateful for a healthy pregnancy
and she's willing to go through that all over again
because she loves her little boys.
Amazing.
Now that's the type of growth I need.
Her husband is a graphic design artist
and created her blog super cute.
Go check it out!
http://www.sohelpmelord.com/the-blog


Have a great week everyone!

How I Get Through My Day

Stretch. I'm usually pretty stiff when I wake up in the morning. Especially if I wasn't able to exercise the day before. One of my favorite stretches to do is the Sun Salutation. 

I love this because all the poses flow into each other, it stretches my whole body and it only takes a couple minutes. I like to do the whole thing a couple times to really get a good stretch out.

Treat Yourself to a Sweet Breakfast. When I was eight, one of the first recipes I started baking regularly were blueberry muffins. What I learned from that experience was that the only way to make blueberry muffins is with fresh blueberries. Since I found this Blueberry Muffin recipe I've been anxious to get some fresh blueberries into this house. I finally got my hands of some! 

These muffins are made from spelt, a distant cousin to wheat, and don't have any sugar! I asked my brother-in-law to rate them based on a scale of 1-5 (1 being the lowest) and he gave them a 4! Yup, these are delicious! 

Bring out your Beauty. I've always had bags under my eyes. Lately they have been turning into a lovely shade of veiny blue. Nothing has been working to get them covered and then I found this!

Bobbie Brown Creamy Concealer Kit. This stuff is awesome! It's the first concealer I've tried that really covers up my bags. Yeah, my bags are still there, but they blend in my face now! Imagine that. This stuff really stays put. Even when my mascara has smeared and I've smudged it off, the concealer doesn't budge. With four steps it better not! 

Ten-Minute-Meals. When you think, "Vegan Meal", what most likely comes to your mind is, labor some, tedious, involved, well planned, tofu. But thankfully it doesn't have to be any of these things. Here is a ten-minute-meal I whipped up the other day when I was super tired and my fridge was on empty.

No Bake Enchiladas

Based off authentic style enchiladas, these are simple and pan fried. 

The main difference is I opened cans.

I found this canned enchilada sauce at our grocery store. I had to get no spicy to make it toddler friendly. This sauce is really yummy. You can use whatever you have on hand but let me just say, get a good one cause the sauce is the main contributer to the flavor of this dish. 

Fry a corn tortilla in some olive oil and a couple tablespoons of enchilada sauce until the tortilla bubbles. Flip tortilla and repeat.

I usually have some left over beans in the fridge. This time I had to open a can of black beans and warmed them in a pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. 

Authentic Mexican Enchiladas are served with cabbage, but I just had lettuce on hand. 

Wrap the beans in the enchiladas 

 Top it with lettuce. Quick and yummy.

When I served these to Daniel, he got a little sad that we didn't have any Tofutti sour cream on hand. Pretty terrible name, but this stuff is legitimate.  

You could also top this with tomatoes, avocados or onions. 

Have a great Monday everyone! Am I allowed to say that? Or does everyone hate Mondays too much to enjoy them?