Family Vacation

We're taking off on a family vacation tomorrow. I'm not quite sure where the wind will take us, but I do know I'll be off line all week long.
Wishing everyone a great weekend and a nice week ahead!
I'll be back soon!

My Huge Bowl of Apricots

Today me and my kids got to harvest my very first bowl of apricots!

Wow! I have to say they're very sweet and tasty too. They're also organic, no sprays or pesticides what so ever.

I harvested so many of them that I'm going to make up bags and give them away, or some will end up going to waste.

I look forward to snacking on these delicious fruits all week long!

Summer Slaw with Lemon-Soy Dressing

Here's another great recipe I got from my local grocery store. It's delicious and perfect to serve on those hot summer evenings. You won't end up feeling guilty about eating a whole bunch of saturated fat either, because this recipe does not contain mayonnaise.

Ingredients;

1 (10 oz) package of coleslaw mix

3/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

In a large bowl, combine coleslaw and cilantro.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, soy sauce, and oil.

Add the dressing to the coleslaw and mix together.

cover and refrigerate for a few hours or 1 whole day.

When ready to serve top with chopped peanuts.

Two Bean Vegan Chili With Avocado

Every time people think of chili, many of us think of the chili that's loaded with fat. There's also some very tasty, meatless chili recipes, that are low in fat.
Here's a two bean chili and avocado dish that I'm sure some of you will love, minus all the fat that comes along with a traditional bowl of chili.
Ingredients;
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
2 tsp. olive oil
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 15-can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp of cumin
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
In a large saucepan cook onion and oregano in hot oil over medium- high heat for 3 minutes, or until tender. Stir in undrained tomatoes, beans, spices, salt and pepper and salsa. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 25 minutes. To serve, top with avocado and snipped cilantro.

Lemon Tofu Dip

Few the next few weeks I have a few vegetarian recipes to share. These recipes come from of my "Nature's Market" magazine, which my local grocery store creates monthly.
Last night I tried the tofu dip with fresh green peppers and carrots. It was not only fat free, it was fabulous as well.
Here's the recipe.
Ingredients;
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 lb soft tofu, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped
Sea salt to taste
Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Chill for a few hours to allow flavors to blend.
Serve with whole grain crackers, or fresh raw veggies.

Harvesting Cherries

While me and my kids were out in the back yard last night, I noticed that the two cherry trees we have in our trail were loaded with black cherries. Needless to say we ended up picking a heaping bowl of them, so we can snack on them all weekend long.
Even though they are not very large in size, they're one of the sweetest cherries I've tasted in a while.

Kids Will Love This Veggie Dip!

Getting my kids to eat healthy snacks is like pulling teeth. They love all junk foods and hate vegetables. I think they've both inherited my hubby's taste buds.
Since I found this veggie dip recipe, I can get them to eat some carrots.

Ingredients;
2 tbs salsa, mild
4 tbs fat free ranch dressing
2 cups cucumber sticks
2 cups fresh baby carrots

Combine dressing and salsa.
Stir until blended.
Chill and serve with cucumber sticks and baby carrots.

Tips:
Carrots, especially baby carrots, is a great way to have a fat free snack anytime.
To keep carrots longer, seal carrots in a plastic bag before storing in the refrigerator crisper.
Carrots taste best when used within two weeks of harvesting, or purchasing.

My Medicine Wheel

A few days ago a dear friend of mine did my medicine wheel for me during her visit.

Your only supposed to have your medicine wheel done once, because the 7 animals you draw, are the animal that walk with you through out life.

The other two animals in your wheel are determined by what animals you feel the most drawn to and which are your favorites. This makes up a total of 9 animals in someones medicine wheel.

The last time I had my wheel done was in 1994. I knew I drew all birds back then, but I wasn't sure where they fell in the spread, so we decided to do it again and this time I recorded it.

Surprisingly, I drew four of the same animals as I drew back in 1994, which was the raven, hummingbird, hawk and eagle.

The tiger and the cat I consider the two animals in my wheel that are not drawn from the deck. These animals have always been my favorites and also the two I have always been drawn to.

Falling to the east on my wheel is the raven.

South is the lizard.

West is the hummingbird.

North is the mountain lion.

Above is the fox.

Below is the hawk.

Within is the eagle.

This is pretty fun and interesting to do, especially for animal lovers.

Green Beans With Lemon And Dill

Beans will be ready to pick soon and there are so many delicious ways to prepare them.

I planted about 6 different varieties of pole and bush beans. I'm looking forward to harvesting my first basket.

Here's a great recipe to try next time you decide to steam some green beans.

Ingredients;

1 large bunch of green beans, washed and stems removed

2 cloves of minced garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of a lemon

1 tbs fresh dill

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Steam green beans in a vegetable steamer just until tender.

Transfer beans to a bowl. Add olive oil, dill, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt and fresh ground pepper to the beans then toss. Serve immediately.

Tonight's Full Moon

If your out and about tonight, don't forget to look up in the sky. The moon will be 100 percent full tonight!

Back to Blogger

I'm back to blogger again. Blogger is much better and a lot easier to maneuver than wordpress. Even though I'm back here on blogger, I'm still going to keep my new blog too.
Wishing everyone a happy 4th!