Au Naturel.

There is no way I can go back. I used to buy into all of it. I took my Dunkin Donuts coffee with 3 equal and 5 ice cubes. I spent millions (ok maybe not millions) of dollars on deodorants and shampoos and lotions and face washes (when I was younger I, no joke, remember using a minimum of three different face washes each morning, trying to get rid of the dreaded acne). I bought the latest running shoes every couple of months. I was all about the low-fat, no-fat. But then something changed. I don’t know when. And I don’t know how. It just started to gradually happen. I started reading more about vegan and raw diets/lifestyles.  One book lead to another book which lead to a blog or an article or back to a book. Talking to people. Which lead to more books or blogs or articles. Until the other day, on my run, wearing my Vibrams, I realized how far into I was and that I would never go back.

The change wasn’t instantaneous, but the further into this lifestyle I get, the more I know this is where I’m supposed to be. I now use baking soda to wash my hair. Coconut oil infused with essential oils for my deodorant. I will never wear another pair of conventional running shoes. I will never put Splenda or any other type of fake sweetener in anything I consume. Real, whole foods are better than processed crap any day. Slowly but surely I am phasing things out of my life. B thinks I’m crazy. I joke and call myself a hippie. But who doesn’t want to live a more sustainable life? When did we lose that? My next project is to learn how to garden. I can’t grow a thing and have killed many plants, but I just know that’s my next step in this journey. Maybe I’ll start with some herbs.

Until then, I will continue to shop for my organic produce. And we were at Whole Foods the other day. Early, before all the crazies came out. And they had just put out some raw asparagus salad. We tried it and it was delicious. So I picked up three bunches of asparagus spears (what else was I supposed to do?), and came home and made the salad. So, here it is.

Copycat Whole Foods Asparagus Salad

One bunch of asparagus

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut asparagus into two-inch long pieces. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Can be eaten right away, but if you let it marinate for two hours or so, it gives all the flavors a chance to sink in and it is delicious!

F

Tomato Hummus

tomato hummus

Hummus is a wonderful treat to have before a meal, during a meal spread on a sandwich or wrap, or after a meal while you’re watching a movie.  It’s an easy snack to have in the middle of a party and your guests can dip mixed veggies, pita, chips, etc into it.  Of course be careful for the double dippers.

I used to buy hummus all the time, but after figuring out how easy it is to make it on my own I love throwing a can of chick peas into the small food processor with the spices of my choice, letting it chill for 15 minutes and enjoying with the aforementioned snacks.

Tonight I was making blue cheese stuffed tomatoes, a recipe to be posted later.  After scooping out the insides of the tomatoes and replaces with most of the ‘meat’ of the tomato, I still had the tomato juice & seeds left over.  I combined those with a can of dried chickpeas, handful of onions, 1/2 clove of garlic, tumeric, paprika, cumin, basil & olive oil for a quick snack.

INGREDIENTS
1 16oz can Chick Peas
1 small handful diced white onion
1/2 clove garlic
1/4 – 1/2 cup tomato juice, seeds
1 Tbsp olive oil
fresh basil leaves, cumin, tumeric & paprika to taste

blend & chop in the food processor until it has a smooth paste texture.  Put in the refrigerator to chill.