Rest and relaxation

Yes we should drink good water, eat lots of leafy greens, fruits and healthy foods and....YES!!! We should get plenty of quality rest.
Make your bedroom a peaceful place by keeping it tidy, simple and clean. Choose colors that are calming. On your next mattress purchase choose organic, chemical free materials. Make your bed everyday. Don't neglect yourself of rest.
Eating, exercising and living clean all factors in for the body to properly rest. When we are committed to a healthy lifestyle it all syncs up!

Groovy Green Juice

Ingredients:
Kale
Romaine
Celery
Parsley
Cilantro
Kiwi
Cucumber
Pear
Lime
Lemon

Juice. Give Thanks. Drink. Enjoy!!!!

Salmon colored Sunset Juice

This juice is pretty, delicious, and very healthy of course!

Ingredients:
Carrot
Sweet Potato
Orange
Clementine or Tangerine
Apple
Beet
Pear

Procedure:
Juice
Give Thanks
Enjoy

You will see the amounts I used in the photo below. I took the photo before washing or prepping the fruits and veggies for juicing, then I have a photo of the amount of juice it made. It was enough for two people:-)

Tempeh Taco Recipe

The flavors of this particular taco recipe are inspired by Asian food flavors and fresh deliciousness. I suppose a more precise name for the recipe would have something to do with a lettuce wrap but taco is just a fun concept to me:-)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Butter head or Romaine Lettuce
Tempeh (I like Trader Joes 3 grain)
Carrot (2)
Cilantro
Mushrooms, onion, garlic
Olive oil
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds
Dukkah or the contents of the spice blend which are: sesame seed, smoked paprika, cumin, pepper and sea salt.
Lime
Maple syrup or honey
Nama shoyu, Braggs, Tamari or Soy Sauce
Cayenne
Avocado

Procedures: Please note that the ingredients marked with an * are flexible, substitutes are listed in the ingredients list.
1. Sauté chopped onion and several cloves of chopped garlic. Once the onion and garlic is translucent add sliced mushrooms with a couple squirts of Braggs and sesame oil.
2. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil with 1 Tbs sesame oil in a small pan, Add sliced Tempeh let sauté a bit on each side.
3. Wash and dry lettuce leaves, these are your taco shells, so keep them whole.
4. Grate the carrots
5. Wash the Cilantro
6. In a small bowl mix a sauce with two parts maple syrup* to one part sesame oil. Whisk in a tablespoon of the Nama Shoyu* then Squeeze the juice of one lime, add a splash of a apple cider vinegar (raw, unfiltered) if you like, add Dukkah* (i got it at Colonel D's at Findlay Market). Put a dash if cayenne in the sauce if you wish to add heat.
7. Top the grated carrots with a bit of the sauce and sprinkle everything with sesame seeds.
8. Create tacos by using the lettuce as the shell, top with a slice if tempeh, some sautéed mushrooms, shredded carrots, fresh cilantro or basil,and sliced avocado. Finally drizzle with sauce.
9. Give Thanks
10. Enjoy!!!

Music Hall

View from Washington Park. Cincinnati, OH

Eden Park

Sunset walk at Eden Park

Miraculous Mushrooms

Soooo, this morning after my smoothie I wanted breakfast food:-) I made flax- teff pancakes ( a recipe I posted in the past). And as a side these miraculous mushrooms- which are amazingly good and super easy to prepare. These mushrooms are a good side to anything and can be prepared in a variety of ways. I lightly sautéed them in a stainless steel skillet in this photo, but have marinated then baked them in the oven or wrapped in aluminum foil and put on the grill or on the campfire. When we go camping or to a friends barbecue I mix the marinade and marinate the mushrooms in a container ahead of time so that when we are ready to eat all I have to do is wrap in foil and heat. I included tips for each way of preparation below:-) and of course this is a simple recipe that you can get creative with.

I prefer crimini, portabella, shiitake, or oyster rather than white button mushrooms, so you will see crimini posted here.

I went out to our garden last week (yes in the cold winter) and picked sage, thyme, lavender and rosemary, I have been drying it in a clay pot, as you will see pictured below. I used the rosemary and sage in the recipe and I do believe that the herbs set the mushrooms off!!!

The photo below shows the finished sautéed mushrooms with a seasoning that I used this time from Trader Joes called South African Smoke. I liked the kick this seasoning had, it is the first time I have used it because I generally add the fresh herbs with the paprika and a small pinch of hickory powder. TJ's South African Smoke contains: Paprika flakes, sea salt, garlic, basil. Because this blend contains salt you can mix your own or just use sparingly and do not add additional sea salt.

Ingredients:
Mushrooms
1 Onion
Garlic (several cloves, and garlic powder)
Balsamic vinegar
Braggs Liquid Amino Acids
Olive oil
Fresh or dried herbs such as sage, rosemary, paprika, basil, black pepper, sea salt... If you want a more smoky flavor add a small pinch of hickory powder.
Water as needed

Procedure:
1. Chop and slice your onions and garlic.
2. Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil (unless you are grilling or baking then see below)
3. Mix together the Braggs, Balsamic, and Olive Oil in equal parts (approx. 2Tbs each). Add herbs and spices and mix well. I add the herbs generously, add to suit your tastes.
4. It depends on how you are eating your mushrooms to determine the next step:
A. If you are having a mushroom sandwich or steak with a portabella you can leave the mushroom whole and marinate then bake at 350 with the marinade, onions and garlic. I like to spoon the liquid on top of the mushrooms a couple times while baking.
B. If you are preparing on the grill or campfire then place mushrooms, onions and garlic in foil and cover with marinade then slowly heat to soften
C. If you are slicing your mushrooms then go ahead and slice, then add to onions and garlic in the sauté pan and cover with marinade.
5. If your mushrooms get very dry at any point sprinkle with water.
6. Enjoy!!!!