Coffee Daze

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Today the Hubz and I woke up early and headed down to Maglianero Cafe to get down to work on my long to do list.  I started with a slow drip Guatemalan coffee and the Hubz a Rooibos iced tea.  Both were really delicious.

I got down to work on a few freelance articles and the Hubz worked on my website before he headed out for a massage and my friend Laura met me for another coffee.  This time I got a soy cappuccino; I wasn’t a fan, I wish they would use something other than Eden Organic Soy Milk. The flavor of Eden Organic is a little off putting, it gets almost sour tasting- YUCK!

After coffee the Hubz and I headed home for lunch (salad with Gardein “chicken”, veggies and lemon dressing).  All of the coffee put me in a bit of a daze so I did a bit of power yoga to re-energize myself and was back t0 work for the remainder of the afternoon.  I finally stopped to make some dinner; a curry lentil pasta dish which I will post the recipe for tomorrow.

Now i’m back to work, once again.

Lastly, I just wanted to encourage you to read my Yoga Aid Challenge post and donate any products (gently used or new) or services to my auction to raise money for Off The Mat.

Yoga Aid: Auction For A Cause

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As many of you know I am attending Wanderlust Vermont on behalf of Ecorazzi from June 23-26th.  As part of the festival there the Wanderlust Yoga Aid Challenge to benefit Off The Mat.

Neil and I  (Team Ingalls-Fairweather) are supporting Off The Mat, Into The World’s ® (OTM) mission of empowering individuals to transform their lives and their communities through the power of yoga by participating in the Wanderlust Yoga Aid Challenge, a special yoga class.

If you sponsor my participation in this event Yoga Aid will donate 100% of the funds you provide to OTM.  Please support me in my quest to make the world a better place!  Visit my fundraising page here.

Yoga Aid Auction:

I’ll have an auction next Tuesday (June 21, 2011) for all of your gently used or new items or services you’d like to donate. The only requirements are that the items be vegan (no fur, leather, suede, or if it’s food animal ingredients or byproducts).  If you donate the items, you will also be donating the shipping cost to send your item to the winning bidder.

100% of the proceeds will go to Off The Mat.

If you would like to participate, please send a pic of what you’d like to donate and a description to lindsay@cookingforaveganlover.com by Wednesday June 15, 2011.

In addition to the auction I am going to do a raffle for a box of goodies (to be posted soon) to enter the for the raffle all you need to do is donate $5 for one entry and $10 for three directly on my fundraising page.  In the notes please put Cook.Vegan.Lover. Raffle.

Does This Shirt Make Me Look Fast?

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This morning the Hubz and I had intended on getting up early to run before heading to Montpelier to watch Allie and Caitlin’s race but after a late night out at a concert we decided that a little extra sleep was a better idea.  Once we finally rolled out of bed we headed on our way but first we made a pit stop at a new coffee shop Maglianero Cafe for a coffee. This new coffee shop is really a beautiful place and it is bike friendly.  I got a hot drip coffee and the Hubz an iced coffee- both were amazingly delicious.

After our coffee we made our way to Montpelier just in time to see Allie and Caitlin at the first start of the race.  While we waited for them to make the loop back to the finish we headed to our favorite Capitol City Farmers Market to pick up some veggies and our favorite bookstore Bear Pond Books.  Around 9:30 am we headed to the race finish line and watched as runners began to arrive and waited to cheer on Allie and Caitlin.

At the start of their run (girls in pink)

Around 43 minutes I turned to Neil and said they’ll be here in 10 minutes, that’s my guess.  Well guess what- I WAS RIGHT ON! Allie and Caitlin turned the corner at 52 minutes and some seconds and they leaped across the finish line at 53 minutes.  They were really amazing and I am so proud.

Check out the shirts the girls made for the race:

and the back of Allie’s:

After the race we headed to The Skinny Pancake for crepes and to catch up.  Neil and I both got the Vegan Monster with mushrooms and salsa and topped with our favorite hot sauce.

Following brunch we headed to the Hunger Mountain Co-op to take a look but we didn’t pick up much just a yummy chocolate bar and coconut rolled dates for the Hubz.  When we were leaving I decided to take a peak at the sign up sheet for my Sugar Blues workshop next week and guess what? It was FULL- even the wait list is full!!! Squeal! Eeek! OMG! The pressure is on!

When we finally made it back to Burlington the Hubz and I took a look at the clock and decided we better head to the gym before it closed.  Today we decided to get a 250 meter swim in as well as our run.  I haven’t been feeling great, a little congested, so todays workout wasn’t the best on top of the fact that my legs were killing me from yesterdays squats and lunges. After our run we stopped in at Healthy Living for a smoothie and coconut water as well as some organic strawberries and organic apples. The Hubz and I shared a banana-peanut butter-flax-coconut smoothie and it was delicious.

Now it’s time for dinner, The Voice, foam rolling and relaxing with a movie. What are you up to this weekend?

Mocktails and Spicy Tofu Lettuce Wraps

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Last night I finally made back into the kitchen for some real cooking and it felt amazing! Since the Hubz and I are not drinking right now I started off with making some mocktails.

This yummy creation is a Ginger-Lime-Pom Spritzer and it is so delicious.  Basically cut up a few slices of lime and ginger place in a glass with ice and muddle together then add one part pomegranate juice with three parts seltzer and enjoy!

For dinner I made Spicy Tofu Lettuce Wraps that were to die for and even better on the second day as a salad instead of wraps. So I was back in the kitchen but I also was tired after yoga (where I feel asleep in savasana) that I just through things together instead of measuring things out.  So unfortunately this recipe is going to be in splash and dashes and handfuls.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1-pkg Extra Firm Tofu, diced
  • 4oz white mushrooms, sliced
  • dash of sesame oil
  • splash of canola oil
  • 1inch knob of ginger, grated
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 red chili, minced
  • splash or two of tamari
  • drizzle of sweet soy sauce
  • glob of hoisin
  • handful of sliced green onions

In a large skillet heat the sesame oil and canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add the ginger, garlic and chili to the pan and saute for one minute.  Toss in the tofu and stir fry until lightly browned.  Add the tamari and sweet soy and cook for 5-6 minutes.  Lastly toss with hoisin and green onions and serve.

Garnish with thinly sliced carrots, peppers, cabbage and Bibb lettuce leaves.

 

Having a Wanderful Month

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Wow this has been a crazy month! I’ve been bogged down with a huge work event that has been dominating my life but now it is finally over (WAHOO!) and I can get back to normal.  That being said on top of my day job I also have my health coaching job which has really been doing amazing.  I have a few new clients and I have a bunch of workshops going on this summer; the first one is next week! In addition to working one-on-one with clients and doing workshops I am also working on setting up a few podcasts and other healthy living materials. I also am back at IIN doing the immersion program, which so far is wonderful.  I know things are sounding crazy already but they get crazier.

I recently was contacted by a friend who writes for Ecorazzi asking if I would be interested in attending and covering Wanderlust Vermont.  UMMMMM hello of course I would be! I have actually been talking about Wanderlust to my husband for months now and had been debating going so when I was approached to cover the event I jumped at the opportunity.  The Hubz is going to head down to Stratton with me so he can take advantage of the hiking and he will also be attending one day of Wanderlust, my anniversary gift to him.  So some of you are probably wondering what the heck is Wanderlust?

Wanderlust is a festival combining the holistic experience of a yoga getaway with the swagger of a rock show.
WHERE:
Stratton Mountain, Bondville, VT
WHEN:
June 23rd – 26th
WHO:
Talent includes regional bright lights and international stars, such as:

· Yoga instructors: John Friend, Seane Corn, Bryan Kest, Boston’s Amy Wren, New York’s Schuyler Grant, Elena Brower, Rodney Yee, Kristen Leigh & Barbara Verrochi plus dozens more
· Musical Talent: Michael Franti & Spearhead, Andrew Bird, Todd Boston, the Wailers, New York’s Krishna Das, Northampton’s Sonya Kitchell, and Brooklyn’s Sub Swara
· Theatrical Performers: Berkshire’s 1st  burlesque show Gypsy Lane, Vermont’s own Bread & Puppet (one of the oldest nonprofit theatrical companies in theUS), + Vermont Vaudeville
· Art Installations: Stratton resident Hugh Joudry
· Speakers: Deepak Chopra, with the support from theOmega Institute, will lead the speakeasy series

If you are attending Wanderlust Vermont let me know!

 

Among all of this chaos the Hubz and I are still going strong with our running and have some really S.M.A.R.T. goals around what we would like to do and achieve.  We are just finishing up C25K and we are going to then work on doing two 30 minute runs and one long run (starting at 2.5m and increasing by .5 until the race) per week until our 5k in July.  Following the 5k we are planning a 10k in September and will be using the Hal Higdon training plan; if we like his we will use it to train for our half as well.   In other active news the Hubz and I are gearing up  to do some backpacking on the Long Trail this summer which should be a lot of fun.  We had planned on doing an overnight trip this weekend but we might have to reschedule do to rain.  Do you hike? Are you into backpacking?

Lastly lets talk about food. I haven’t been doing much for cooking lately due to the crazy schedule I have had.  Most of our food has been pretty boring and basic like greens, beans and grains or salads, however this is all going to change soon! I have plans to start working on another e-book (probably won’t be looking for testers until August) and also working on some really great healthy recipes for the blog.

Well that is what’s going on with me- what is new and good with you?

Less and More

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The past few days weeks I have been working like a crazy person on a big 3 day event for my day job and now that things have calmed down it’s time to make some positive changes.  Over the past month there have been too much:

Drinking
Wheat & Gluten
Sugar

and not enough:

 

Water
Sleep
Green Juice
Blogging
Yoga (since Wanderlust Vermont is only in a few weeks)

That being said I am focusing on reducing sugar, wheat and gluten, eliminating alcohol (until Brewers Fest in mid July) and of course increasing all of those wonderful things I need more of.  The Hubz is going to do all of this with me which will make staying on track so much easier.  What do you need more or less of?

Guest Post: VeganLisa’s Sweet Lemon Fig Poppyseed Bars

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In just a couple of weeks we will be welcoming summer. It is a short-lived season in Toronto, so I do all that I can to savour every second. Over the next three months, I have local farmers markets to visit, picnics to plan, and patios to patron.

With the change of seasons most people find their appetites turn away from the hearty, warming meals of winter to lighter, fresher fare. I consume a high-raw, vegan diet throughout the year but the bounty of local produce during the summer makes eating raw easy and incredibly delicious. Nothing saves a sweltering afternoon like a big juicy slice of watermelon. Salads, smoothies, and fruit slushies, sure say summer to me.

When the sun is shining I want nothing more than to be outdoors. Eating raw foods, means there is no need to heat up your house by turning on the oven. Putting together a salad, or blending up a smoothie takes a couple of minutes, leaving you more time to spend strolling through the city. Plus, raw foods are easier for our bodies to digest and provide plenty of energy to fuel a fantastic summer full of dancing at outdoor festivals, bike riding by the water and swimming at sunset.

Here’s a great recipe for an energy-packed snack bar to keep you full and satisfied as you tackle your 2011 Summer to-do list.

Sweet Lemon Fig Poppyseed Bars

  • 1 cup of rolled oats (the old fashioned not the instant kind)*
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted (approximately 10)
  • 2 TBSP lemon juice
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 dried Turkish figs
  • 1 TBSP poppyseeds

In a food processor, pulse the oats, cashews and salt until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and process until well combined. Press into a parchment-lined 8X8 pan. Cut into 12 bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Thank you to Lindsay for inviting me to share a recipe with all of you. I hope your summers are full of fun and fantastic food. Well, if you’re a regular reader of Lindsay’s blog I have not doubt you’re already eating very well! If you’d like more raw food inspiration I’d love for you to stop by my blog veganculinarycrusade.com.

xo VeganLisa

*It can be hard to find raw rolled oats. They are usually steamed during processing. If you’d prefer to consume only raw ingredients replace the oats with 3/4 cup of almonds.