Valentines voltive candles

These cute voltive candles are easy and fun to make. They also look neat lit up.
Supplies:
valentine colored tissue paper
1 jar
white glue
Paint brush
scissors
Cut hearts out of tissue.
Take the tissue color that you choose for the main color of the voltive and measure the amount you will need to cover the jar.
Paint glue onto jar and smooth paper to cover the jar. Cut away any excess paper.
Add heart shapes, or any other shape you would like to the voltive with glue.
Once finished, paint glue over finished voltive and decorate edges with ribbon if desired and let dry.

I am not one of those who neglect the reigning power of the rising sun.

White bean and avocado dip

This yummy recipe could be enjoyed as a veggie dip, or a sandwich spread.
You'll get health benefits from both the bean and the avocado. They also help to trim the waistline.
Ingredients;
1 cup of cooked white beans
1 avocado
1 tsp cumin powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 clove minced garlic
Enough water to make creamy.
Mash beans and avocado together. Once mashed, add enough water to make creamy, Maybe 1 tbsp or more.
Add everything else and stir.
Serve with carrots and other fresh veggie, or enjoy on a sandwich.

Creamy Basil Avocado

Last night while on you tube, I found a great recipe and tried it today. WOW! It was delicious. The link is pasted below.
The only changes I had to make was that I used white beans and whole grain pasta, because I didn't have the other ingredients.
After clicking on the link, type in "Creamy avocado basil pasta"

http://m.youtube.com/#

Crayons Hearts

Valentine's day is just around the corner, so me and my daughter decided to go online and find a few neat decorations to make together.
Tonight we made "crayon hearts." They turned out great!
I found the idea on Martha Stewart's websight. If anyone's interested in making these adorable hearts, here's the link.
http://www.marthastewart.com/272535/crayon-hearts

Cherish the day

They feel far away, those days spent lying on a beach with sand in toes, salt in hair and not a care in the world. Days so full of awesomeness that you swore you'd always remember how you felt at that moment. Close your eyes. Breath in slowly. Let the memory warm you.

Easy Winter Vegetable Minestrone

Ingredients;
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic minced cloves
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 cup of fresh green green beans, stemmed and chopped
4 chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup of white beans
1 carton vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 bunch of chopped escarole
2 Tbsp fresh, chopped basil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add garlic, onion, carrots, green beans, tomatoes and potato, and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add white beans and broth.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add more water if soup gets too thick.
Add basil and seasoning and serve.

Spicy Vegetable Stir-Fry with Tofu

This spicy stir-fry made for a delicious and healthy lunch today!
Ingredients;
Brown rice, prepared by following the  directions on the package
3 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of chopped bok-choy
3 chopped scallions
1 large chopped, sweet red pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 whole dried chili peppers
2 large minced garlic cloves
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp dried basil
Black pepper to taste
soy sauce
Sriracha Hot chili sauce
1 tub of extra firm tofu, rinsed, drained and patted dry with a paper towel
Cook brown rice following the directions on the package.
Heat olive oil over medium high heat, in a large frying pan, or a wok.
Add all the chopped vegetables, including whole dried chili peppers. Do not add the frozen peas.
Saute stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, but slightly crunchy.
Meanwhile heat more olive oil in a pan, or griddle ( I use a cast iron griddle, due to the added benefits of getting more iron in my diet).
Slice the slab of tofu down the middle, so you have two thinner pieces. Fry both pieces and flip to fry the other side. Once tofu is fried, remove from heat and set aside.
When vegetables are almost done add frozen peas, garlic , ginger , basil,
and black pepper. Stir in well, then add soy sauce until desired flavor is reached. Lower heat and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes.
Remove from heat and serve with diced fried tofu, on top of the brown rice. Pour some Sriracha hot sauce on the veggies for a spicier kick.
Add more soy sauce if desired.

Vegetable Barley Soup

This tasty soup will keep you satisfied on a cold winter day, and it's loaded with vitamins and antioxidants.
Ingredients;
3 tbsp olive oil
3 large cloves minced garlic
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium cooking onion, chopped
3 chopped scallions
1 large peeled and chopped yam
1 32oz carton of vegetable broth
3 cups of water
3 plum tomatoes chopped
1 tbsp each of oregano and basil
1 large bay leaf
1/2 cup of barley
Course sea salt and black pepper to taste
Pour olive oil into a large saucepan and add garlic, carrots, celery, onion, scallions, and yam to the pan. Saute until slightly softened over medium heat.
Add the vegetable broth, 3 cups of water, tomatoes, spices and barley to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, place heat on high and bring to a boil. When soup is boiling, stir and lower heat to simmer, and cover. let cook stirring occasionally. Soup should be ready in about 35 to 40 minutes.
To make this the main dish for a healthy dinner, serve with toasted whole grain bread, and a tossed salad loaded with veggies. A simple dressing such and balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for the salad is perfect.

Winter Mornings

There's nothing better than enjoying a cup of coffee, while observing the wildlife from my kitchen window, on a very early winter morning. It's so magical to see!

Awesome Sunrise Photo!

Detox Kale Salad

Here's yet another great recipe I found on YouTube from "LiveStrong Woman". I can't wait to make this tonight!
I also have a subscription to the "LiveStrong Woman" videos.
This Kale salad is easy and quick to make.
Ingredients:
A bunch of Kale, washed and chopped. Stems removed.
Fresh squeezed lemon juice, from one or two lemons.
1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped green pepper
Chopped celery
Balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard
Sea salt
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes
Place washed Kale in a large salad dish. Add the lemon juice and massage the Kale with your hands for a few minutes, to soften it.
Add the chopped peppers and celery to the Kale.
Mix together well.
In a separate dish mix balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard together for the dressing.
Pour onto vegetables and sprinkle with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Toss together and serve.

Vegan seaweed wraps

The other day I viewed a yummy  recipe on youtube. I have a subscription to modern mom which is on YouTube. There's always great healthy recipes and other health related videos on there.
Brooke Burke does some of the videos for modern mom and it was her seaweed video that looked so delicious. The original version is made with turkey lunchmeat, so I thought I would make the wraps vegan by using tofu instead.
I made these tonight and I was happy I did. They tasted fresh and fabulous.
Here's the recipe,
A bamboo matt makes it easier to roll the each wrap.
1 package of seaweed wraps ( I used Nori seaweed)
Lettuce
1 avocado sliced lengthwise
1 cucumber peeled and sliced lengthwise
Diced, firm tofu
Place a seaweed wrap on the mat, and fill with a small about of each ingredient, then roll using the mat to tighten the wrap.
These wraps taste great dipped in soy sauce, or season rice vinegar, Balsamic Blend.

Fresh Tomato Vegetable Marinara

It's  disappointing to say that most of my preserved tomatoes are gone, so I'll have to wait until summer to grow and preserve more.
This still won't stop me from continuing to avoid canned foods, do to the BPA found in these foods, which causes health issues.
Even though it's winter, sauce from fresh tomatoes can still be enjoyed without using canned products.
Here's a simple recipe which can easily be changed to suit one's tastebuds.
Ingredients;
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup of carrots, chopped
1/2 large sweet green pepper, chopped
3 large gloves of minced garlic
1 tbsp each of dried oregano, parsley, basil, and rosemary.
1/2 tsp sea salt
12 large, chopped plum tomatoes
black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
1 cup of white beans
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots and green pepper until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add garlic and spices, salt and pepper. Saute for a few more minutes.
Add tomatoes and about 1/3 cup of water. Stir everything together.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Once finished, add one cup of white beans if desired, and heat for another 2 minutes. Serve with whole wheat pasta.
You can make this sauce in a crockpot also.
Just add all the ingredients to the crockpot, cover and cook on low all day.

Cool work of art!

I took this photo from pinterest. I thought it was neat.

Missing the summer !!!!!!

It feels like this past summer was so long ago!!!!!! I already have cabin fever and its only January!

When you count your friends, don't be too quick to exclude the ones who are there for you, night or day, whenever you need them; who through the years, remain constant and loyal; who kindly, gently , offer perspective. You won't find them on Facebook. They don't tweet. They are silent. They are the trees around you, the path before you, the sky above, and the view in front of you. Cherish them and they'll never let you down.