Some gorgeous garden goodies!

Satsuma oranges, and Thai chiles.

Natural Springs in Manitou Springs CO

If you are interested in Natural Soda springs at the Grand CO, I advise you to first be a lover of STRONG carbonated water, bring a "small" cup, and a willing heart!! Yes my friends, I tried the fizzy Natural spring water in Manitou Springs CO!!

Here's the story:

My family and I were on a vacation to Colorado, and while we were sight seeing around the town, I saw numerous fountains of beautiful water everywhere I went!! Supposedly you could drink it, and I was all for it!! I was so excited I decided to bring cups on our next outing. While passing one of these gorgeous fountains one day I saw a woman tasting the water......she spit it out and made a sour face....I was not discouraged! "Maybe she just doesn't like spring water" I hopefully said to myself.

The next day we were passing the main fountain that everyone was drinking out of. It was a cold day, I had forgotten the cups, but nothing would stop me. In plunged my hand, and the next minute a 14 year old girl was making a spectacle of herself in the middle of town spluttering and spattering water everywhere...........

Let's just lightly say that it was the worst water I had EVER tasted!! What happened to the "lemony" taste my friends had told me about.........was it just me?

The strong, carbonated taste was just not to my liking......I spit it out, I got myself wet, I never drank it again. But!!!!!!!!! Don't let that stop YOU from tasting the delightful little natural spring fountains placed all over Manitou springs!!

(Just make sure you LOVE San pelligrino first..................)

E. Marie.

P.S. Yes......There are pictures!!!!

GF Pasta, Veggie Tomato Sauce, and "Mock" Meatballs!

The other night I was flipping through one of my favorite vegan cookbooks~ The Vegan Lunch Box  by Jennifer McCann, wondering what I should fix for dinner. My eye was caught by a recipe I had long wanted to try: Pasta and "Sneakin Mama's Tomato sauce with Lentil Rice Balls" YUM!! So.....I made it, and it was even more amazing than I had imagined! The tomato sauce was SO flavorful and tasted like it popped out of a gourmet Italian restaurant, and the lentil rice balls were hearty, chewy, and "so" much like meatballs! You didn't miss the loads of meat, or parmesan cheese, or that bland and boring tomato sauce! And the recipes? I'm sorry my friends, but you MUST buy her book! It is very good......especially for transitioning to vegan foods! (even if you homeschool!! :-)

Here is my representation: 

Happy Eating!

Miss Lizzy

~Lovin' the Limeade~

It's the end of Summer, and we just LOVE our Limeade!! It's tangy, sugar free, fresh, and above all: Healthy! You'll never go back to Minute-Maid again!! 

Limeade: 

1 part limes

3 part water

1/2 part agave nectar

1 part ice cubes.

This is SO good and refreshing.....try it before winter comes! 

Miss Lizzy

Salad- Is what you make it!

This fantastic green salad I made was SO good! It was just greens, and one of my favorite salad dressings~ Here's the recipe:

I didn't really measure, so just add to taste~ 

Green Garlic Salad Dressing:

Garlic Cloves

Lemon Juice

Fresh Parsley

Fresh Basil

Sea Salt

That's it! Just blend slightly in your blender, till the garlic is nice and "shredded." If you want a creamier dressing.......blend longer. 

Pour over a bed of your favorite leafy greens! 

Here's My salad I took a picture of~

Miss Lizzy

A healthy day!

Today has been a very healthy eating day!! Today I woke up and had a delicious smoothie, and for lunch I had a soup that my mother and I came up with that we later called: Scarborough Fair soup with herbs from the garden. With that we had Red Quinoa that was simply delish!! 

What are Ya'lls favorite healthy day recipes?  Give me a comment, and we can all share ideas!! 

Blessings,

Miss Lizzy

~A word on Gluten Free Mixes~

I'm sure everyone who is Gluten intolerant goes through the "All the GF baking mixes taste terrible!"  That was me...until I found an all purpose baking mix called "Pamelas" (well....it's actually called something like pancake/baking mix) I didn't have duck eggs at the time, so I made a batch of pancakes without the eggs--it was really good!! So when I finally got more duck eggs, I began making ALL the recipes on the back of the bag!!! Banana bread, scones, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, muffins and too many others to list. Each recipe I made tasted so entirely amazing that I thought once or twice on checking the bag to "make sure it WAS gluten free!" It didn't taste like it at all! (And yes..it "was" GF!!) 

So.....if your interested in an absolutely amazing baking/bread/cookie/biscotti mix, take a look at the website:  Pamelas 

I hope this helps ya'll!

Miss Lizzy

When Yer Sicky.....You Feel Icky!

Yes My Friends.....I have been sick! 

My usual once every "couple of months" cold.  Granted, they aren't fun, but must be endured! I don't know about ya'll....but my symptoms consist of the usual bad headaches, sore throat, runny nose, and aches. My solution?  TREAT A COLD NATURALLY!! I couldn't stress this point enough!  

Here's most peoples response:  "AHH I've got a cold!!" as they grab a kleenex, and run to the nearest doctors office--who gives them a prescription to the nearest pharmacy--who gives them a drug that will eventually make them even more sick!  Not to mention it costs an arm and a leg! 

Here's my response: "AHH I've got a cold!!" as I run to grab a kleenex, and then run to the kitchen--which gives me hot herbal tea, vitamin c, broth, garlic, probiotics, coral calcium, and tons of water! (Which would you choose? A walk to the kitchen......or a drive to the doctor?) 

So.....now that you're absolutely convicted on herbal remedies for colds, let me share with you some things that make it go by a WHOLE lot quicker! 

1. Drink plenty of water and fluids--It will flush the bad stuff out of your system, hydrate you, and clean out your lymphnodes where lots of excess guck is hanging out. 

2. Eat lots of raw garlic or take organic garlic pills. Garlic is unbelievable for fighting infections of ANY sort!!

3. If you have a bad runny nose or congestion: Drink LOTS of Echinacea and elderberry tea...www.bulkherbstore.com has an amazing Double E Immune Booster tea that is great for warding off colds! Or just buy some Sambucol syrup for those who aren't quite as brave.

4. Eat VERY spicy foods--Which will not only relieve congestion, it will cause you to sweat tremendously which is sweating out all the bad stuff from your body! (If you have a fever, sweating is VERY good for you! ---Just make sure to drink plenty of water! :-) 

5.  Do plenty of acidophilus, ginger, lemon, and dark leafy greens to keep your PH level at it's normal state. A lot of times when you are sick it makes your body extremely acidic! 

6. Take a hot shower or bath every day to relieve congestion and achey muscles. 

7. Take lots of vitamin C! 

8. Prop your pillows up at night when you sleep to help you're breathing if you are congested. It also helps bad coughing! 

9. Eat lightly! Your body needs to spend its time healing you, not digesting a heavy meal! Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for lasagna once your well! As a matter of fact, don't eat ANY sugary foods or dairy/sugar which will only aid your sickness, and made you feel like a boat full of sludge! (it's also awful for congestion!)

10. Clean out your nasal passages! Whether it's with an all natural nasal spray like Xlear, or whether it's a good old fashioned Netti Pot, do something to relieve your plugged up nosie! 

And my last tip to you? REST!! Stay bundled up under that warm quilt with your pillows propped up, and you yourself relaxed!! A cup of chamomile tea will even put you to sleep! 

Blessings!

Miss Lizzy

I've got the Anti-fungal blues!

Dear readers, 

I have been trying to go on an "Anti-Fungal" Diet for about a month now...with little success! I can't pass up that Gluten Free Brownie mix that is just so divine. Ooo....Pancakes sound GREAT for breakfast!! Maybe I'll just get this "one" little carton of my favorite soy ice cream. That little bit can't hurt.....can it?  Readers......I'm sure you can easily come up with the answer: YES!! :-) 

As a result, I just haven't been feeling the best lately! Even though I am allergic to wheat, eggs, etc... when things like homemade strawberry turnovers, or chinese dumplings come down my way, I'm caught like a duck on a june bug! (to quote my family) There is no easy way to give up your favorite foods.....unless you replace it with something else!! 

For those of you who are saying: "What on earth is Anti-Fungal??"  Here ya go:

Anti-Fungal:

No wheat, yeast, gluten or corn

No Vinegar (which is in EVERYTHING!) 

No Sugar, maple syrup, honey, evaporated cane juice or molasses

No Sugary fruits including bananas, grapes, apricots, dates, most apples, mango, kiwi, papaya, peaches, cherries all melons, and more. 

No starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, mushrooms (which are a fungus) and peas

No Red Meats, and absolutely no pork

No Fermented Foods such as miso, soy sauce and tamari, sauerkraut, etc...

NO CHOCOLATE!!! Devastating

You can only have 1/2 cup grain per day. Less is best

You can only have 1 serving of non-sugary fruits which exist of berries....per day. 

The result: Fungi Free! 

So...I must now try again to customize my routine eating habits around these somewhat primitive perimeters! :-) 

So to make a long story short....I am going anti-fungal again......and I'm going to try to stay like that before we go on a week long vacation....

Each Day until the advancing vacation date I will be eating and posting a healthy and "Fungi Frugal" diet! 

Now you are asking....so what CAN I eat? Plenty of good leafy greens, a tad bit of chicken(if I want it) Eggs--Duck for me since I'm allergic to chicken eggs, Berries, Bean/legumes(which includes lentils) and my grains consist of a 1/2 c. of millet, quinoa, rice, or oats. Young Coconuts, some Citrus, green apples,  a tad of raw carob powder, and an occasional bit of agave nectar--if I must. Oils are also on my "I can eat" list, so I LOVE pumpkin seed, olive, coconut, pecan, grapeseed, and sesame oils to make my food taste decadent! Hey! It's not so bad! Oh, and I can have tomatoes and all herbs.....could NOT live without those!! I can also have garlic...which is GREAT!!

Phew!!! Okay, well I think that's about it! Join me this month in eating the healthiest things you possibly can!!! 

Christ's Blessings, and happy eating! 

Miss Lizzy

Raw Orange Chocolate Cookies!

I had been craving something sweet, and chocolatey! This delightful little raw cookie was better than I could have imagined!  

Chocolate Orange Cookies:

(I didn't really measure, so add at your own risk!)

Cocoa powder

Orange Juice

Pecans

Medjool Dates

Cinnamon

I blended it in the food processor, and froze. Enjoy!

It Feels Like Fall!

It was dark, rainy and cloudy today, so it really did feel like Fall!  I was inspired to create something with a sweet, salty taste, that fit with my autumn theme.  I came up with this! 

It is totally raw, and supremely delicious!

Dried Cranberry sprout salad with Pumpkin seed oil and citrus dressing, Sweet sweet potatoes with tamari sauce, and orange slices. 

Here's the picture:

E. Marie

Going all RAW

I had been eating pretty poorly for the past 2-3 months and I knew I needed some change in diet! I had tried going all RAW for about 2 days before, but felt myself getting hungry and bored. I didn't feel like going into the kitchen and making a masterpiece of a meal, but those are usually the only raw foods that are filling. (or so I thought!) 

I don't really know when it happened, but 3 days ago I decided to try and eat all raw for a week, and see where it took me. I have really enjoyed these past 3 days and thought that it was worth a post. 

So here I am trying to eat all RAW for about as long as possible, I am not promising that I won't slip up, but to gain maximum health is always worth a try!  

I hope you enjoy my posts and pictures, and that they are encouraging and helpful to you! 

Christ's blessings,

~~Lizzy

Better than burrito "burrito"

This Mexican burrito recipe is one of my favorite dinners! It's spicy, flavorful, and delectably delicious! (Not to mention very gourmet!)

1 Brown rice tortilla

1/4 chopped cilantro

1-2 C. Mexican tomato sauce (Muir glen fire roasted tomatoes, and an adobo chile)

3/4 C. Pinto Beans

1/2 C. Shredded raw goat cheese

1/2 Organic corn kernels

1/2 of a Red pepper--sauteed and cut in small strips

1/2 C. Sauteed swiss chard

Take your brown rice tortilla and stuff it with the cilantro, pinto beans, shredded goat cheese, corn, red pepper, and swiss chard. Roll up into burrito size and shape, and top with the mexican tomato sauce, and more goat cheese and cilantro. (so it's almost like an enchilada...but burrito style!) 

Cook at 350º and cook for about 15-20 min. or until the cheese is thoroughly melted. 

Enjoy! 

~~ Elizabeth

Quick Lunch for a busy day!

This was such an incredible lunch! I have been craving a carrot ginger sandwich I had gotten at the empress hotel for high tea. This was the "Elizabeth" proof version I concocted! 

Carrot Ginger Salad Sandwich:

(salad)

3 Carrots shredded

1/2 to 3/4 C. Organic cream cheese

1/2 tsp. Fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp. Sea salt

1 Organic brown rice tortilla

1 Organic romaine lettuce leaf

All I did was blend the salad in the food processor, and then stuffed it into my lettuce leaf which was inside the brown rice tortilla. I served it with a all natural goat milk yogurt cup, and some fresh organic grapes. 

Perfect!

~~Elizabeth

My second time cinnamon rolls!

This was my second try on Gluten free cinnamon rolls.......my first try which I won't go into to much detail, tasted like a cinnamon scone. My second try was a little bit better, I used duck eggs and yeast, though with little success. Though tasting decidedly better than my last ones, I just haven't been able to find a good recipe that stands up to the name!  The picture below is my disastrous effort :-)

So.....this brings me to my question: Does anyone have that just perfect gluten free cinnamon roll recipe? Well...........If you do, then type up the recipe in a comment, so that the word can spread!  

Happy searching! 

~~Elizabeth

Green Meals

Sometimes it is hard to get more greens into your diet! So for those of you aren't crazy about those greeny greens, here are a couple tips and recipes:

1. Add a dark green into your favorite soups! Kale, chard and beet greens are scarcely noticeable in a large pot of soup! And, they add a good texture to almost any soup you make! 

2.Green smoothies are a "great" way to get in your greens! You can't taste them at all, and while you are sipping away you are filling your body with healthy nutrients! So.......get your blender out and make your favorite smoothie recipe, but be sure to add in your greens! Romaine, spinach and lettuce are mild, protein rich greens that won't have a taste!

3.Tomato sauce is another way you can get your greens in! You can blend up a couple of your most mild greens like spinach or romaine, and add to the spaghetti sauce! You won't be able to taste it at all! Adding some fresh herbs like basil or thyme to your spaghetti sauce will give it added health benefit and flavor!  (Just make sure not to add too many greens.......you don't want your spaghetti sauce to be brown!) 

4.Okay, for those of you who aren't crazy about greens, but don't necessarily "not like" them, you might want to try a good hearty salad!  Most of the time if you have a really good dressing, the taste of the greens is pretty slim! Here is one of my favorite salad dressings:

1 Avocado 

2-3 TB. of Lemon juice

2 TB. of purified water

1 tsp. of sea salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Fresh herbs from the garden like basil, tarragon, or dill

Blend well in your blender and pour over a bowl full of tasty greens!

This is a simple healthy salad dressing recipe that will get you on your way to eating your greens!

Tempting Tacos!

Tacos are a favorite meal in my house, and don't worry, there is a tasty vegetarian option for those of you who don't eat meat! 

Since I am gluten intolerant I use a couple out of the ordinary products that might be hard to find in a regular grocery store. I buy most of these things like the rice tortilla's and vinegar free hot sauce at our favorite health food store. 

Tacos:

Ingredients:

2 Brown rice tortillas--warmed

1/2 C. Vegetarian refried beans, or black beans

1/2 C. Shredded goat cheese

1 C. Shredded romaine lettuce

2-3 TB. Of Organic vinegar free hot sauce

1/4 C. shredded carrot

Heat up your rice tortillas, and then spread on the refried beans. Sprinkle on the goat cheese, lettuce, and shredded carrot and then roll up into taco form.  I am not partial to tomatoes and guacamole, but if you desire them, add them onto your taco too!  Heat in your oven at 350º

and cook until cheese is melted. Add on your hot sauce and enjoy!

Lemonade Slushies!

Summer has begun, and in this Texas heat, you have to stay cool! 

That is why I have concocted a delightful drink that is refreshing and satisfying! Lemonade has to be one of my most favorite summer drinks!   This healthy recipe is all I need to stay cool!

5-6 TB. Fresh or frozen lemon juice (if you freeze your lemon juice into ice cube trays, it makes the drink extra slushy!)

5 TB. Agave Nectar

1 C. Purified water

6 Ice cubes

Blend well, and pour into small glasses. Serves 2 

For Something fun, you could add a colorful straw, or a lemon slice at the rim of the glass!

Enjoy!

Long Time No See!

Phew! What a busy month this has been! 

Candle dipping, tomato canning, essays and a whole lot of other things have been taking place here at my home!  

But........I'm back, and glad to be!  I have made lots of fabulous recipes recently and I can't wait to share them with you! 

Thanks!

Elizabeth

Beautiful Burgers!

These burgers were some of the best I had ever eaten! (even though I eat usually vegetarian, I just had to try it! - the meat was from local grass fed beef that my Mom gets at the farmers market for my father) I used a gluten, yeast, sugar, and egg free bread of mine, made up some REALLY good avocado and herb mayo, slapped on the lettuce and topped with the burger! For the sides I made sweet potato fries and a vinegar free ketchup recipe which was okay...but I preferred dipping the fries in my leftover avocado mayo. I also had "Bubbies" vinegar and sugar free pickles that are absolutely wonderful! Some dairy free ice cream with vegan chocolate sauce on top finished off this spectacular meal. You really don't have to have a fancy burger bun or a million special sides! This was so easy to make, and I will "definitely" be making this incredible meal again! ~~Elizabeth

Gluten free Chinese food

My sister and I LOVE Chinese food, and tonight for supper we adapted a recipe for two different sauces. One was an orange sauce, and the other a honey sauce. 

Well, they turned out AMAZING! We made up a batch of veggie fried rice and poured the sauce over that. (my dad had it with chicken) 

(sorry, no pictures at present...I'll try to get some up soon though!) 

~~Elizabeth

P.S. My sister made some really yummy gluten and egg free chocolate chip cookies...what can I say? They were the best chocolate chip cookies I had ever eaten! 

We used oat flour for the flour and some "vegan" chocolate chips. To sweeten it, we used honey, but you could use stevia drops, or agave nectar.

Gluten free wonders

I am still amazed at all of the "amazing" gluten free foods that are in the stores today! I get so excited when I find pizza crusts, waffles, and other yummy products containing no egg or "anti Elizabeth" ingredients. Just recently I found the best breakfast bars that were free of all my allergens. Not to mention all of the amazing recipes I find that I can make on my own. I made gluten and egg free crepes today for breakfast--I used egg replacer...and they were awesome!

So if you are trying to satisfy those cravings for breads, cookies, pasta etc... then look around you and you will find some wonderful products!

~~Elizabeth

Unbelievable GF Pumpkin Pancakes

I found a recipe for pumpkin pancakes that I thought I might try for breakfast this morning. I tweaked the recipe a little bit and they turned out awesome! There was a half can of organic pumpkin puree in our refrigerator, and I had been planning to make some Gluten free pancakes this morning anyway. Perfect! They turned out light and fluffy, and were just a little bit rich with the maple syrup, so you don't have to have too many! 

Here's the recipe:

1 1/4 cups of GF all purpose baking mix

2 tsp. baking powder--(you have to make sure that your baking powder is Gluten free..some isn't, and most has cornstarch) 

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have any pumpkin pie spice so I made my own using cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground allspice)

1/2 tsp. salt

6 TB. of pumpkin puree

2 TB. melted butter or coconut butter

1 cup milk (or you could use almond milk or any other nut milk)

1 egg (I used an egg replacer)

In a bowl just mix together all of the dry ingredients, melt your butter, and blend together the wet ingredients. Add the melted butter and then add the wet to the dry. These pancakes have a tendency to stick to the pan, so I just used a little more coconut oil on the pan to help keep them from sticking.

Serve with pure organic maple syrup, or you can make a yummy fruit topping by mixing together blueberries, orange juice, (or any other fruit juice) and cinnamon. Pour over your pancakes. 

Meal Plan 09

I have been working on a very interesting project--a meal plan for the year 2009! 

It's very exciting, and I have already come up with tasty ideas for it. 

I will hopefully be posting once a day..."hopefully" with a capital H, and will be writing down everything that I am eating. A few of my recipes come from my favorite vegan and vegetarian books.   To make this more fun I have come up with the "day" system, a neat way of knowing what to eat on different days of the week. For instance- Monday is no fruit day, Tuesday is Pasta night, Wednesday is no grain day, Thursday is raw food day, Friday is pizza night, Saturday is green day, and Sunday is regular with no restrictions. 

Here's the meal plan for Saturday (green day means that everything I put in my mouth that day has to be mostly or partly green) 

Breakfast--Green smoothie with spirulina

Lunch--Taco salad( lettuce, hot sauce for the dressing, pinto or black beans, shredded veggies, and if you use it (I don't/ can't) you could put on some dairy free sour cream, or if you wanted to make your own, you could buy some plain goat's milk yogurt and sour it with some lemon juice and then add some herbs! Presto...you have sour cream!)

Snack--Homemade trail mix with green juice (a lot of times I will make a favorite fruit juice and add spinach, lettuce or celery stalks to make it more green and easier to drink) 

Dinner- Salad with avocado dressing and veggie pockets--Wraps--Rice tortilla, raw goat cheese, veggies, lettuce and hot sauce or lemon dressing

Dessert--Homemade Rice crispy treats with spirulina and pumpkin seeds (the rice crispy treats are made with organic brown rice crisps, honey, cinnamon, and occasionally some vegan chocolate chips or  raw organic cacao powder)

And that wraps up a day!