green monster – The Clean Eating Mama

Eats + Seattle VegFest 2010

March 25, 2010 CleanEatingMama

Happy Thursday! Almost the weekend, how awesome is that!?

I started off with a much needed Green Monster

Almond milk, 3 large handfuls of spinach, a kiwi, frozen peaches and flax meal. My go-to recipe is the best.

Then I started cleaning out my fridge and noticed a lovely bunch of beets that needed attention. I haven’t had roasted beets in such a long time so in the oven they went!

Step one – wash and trim (leave peel on)

Step 2 – Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper

Step 3 – Wrap in foil and roast in a 375 degree oven for an hour

They come out aromatic, soft and delicious. Let cool for a bit and peel. Eat as a side, in a salad or in soup. Beets are wonderful!

I made a simple salad with my beets:

Spring mix, cucumber, beets, EVOO and salt & pepper.

I also had another wrap:

Wraps are the best way to eat left over food that has been in the fridge for a while. Ingredients included: hummus, bean burger, broccoli, sweet potato, red onion, avocado, cilantro and hot sauce.

So. Full. Now.

I gave J some frozen berries this morning for breakfast and he turned into a “clown”!

Clowns really scare the crap out of me but he was pretty cute. =)

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Seattle’s VegFest is approaching soon and I am so excited to attend! It is being held on April 10th and 11th, and there are few seminars I would like to attend. Just look at the list of speakers AND cooking demonstrations. And plenty of samples. 😉

I am also excited to see Sarah Taylor both speaking and signing her book.

If you are planning on attending let me know – it would be a great time to have a blog meet up! How fun would that be!?

green monster

Bring on the Green!

March 12, 2010 CleanEatingMama

Drinking your greens has to be the most popular way to incorporate green, leafy goodness. Nicknamed the Green Monster, I jumped on the blending bandwagon quite some time ago. I continue to receive great questions about my concoctions and decided to dedicate a post to these wonderful inventions.

Why do you drink them?

I drink them because they taste AMAZING! They are very soothing on my tummy and are easily digestible. I usually have mine for breakfast as I make them very thick and filling. But I will also make them for an afternoon pick-me-up OR a post workout snack. It’s a wonderful drink to make if you know you are hungry but just aren’t hungry for anything.

But they are also contain amazing nutrients. Most of us do not take in the recommended amount of veggies or fruit per day and this “treat” is a a sure fire way to get in AT LEAST 3 servings, if not more. It calms cravings, energizes you and makes you feel wonderful, inside and out!

What do you add to them?

The reason they are called Green Monsters is because they are green. But in order for them to become green you need to add some green, leafy goodness. My all time favorite is organic baby spinach. I use kale if I need to use it up and you can use any other kind of greens – chard, collard greens, wheat grass or lettuce.

I use 2-3 HUGE handfuls of spinach per drink. The reason I love adding spinach above the rest is because you cannot taste it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the taste of spinach, kale and other greens… but just not in my smoothie. And for those of you that do not like the taste of spinach, try a GM! I PROMISE you will not taste the spinach!

I also always use almond milk as my base, usually 8 oz. A nice amount of flax meal goes into it, along with a banana.

Then I go from there! I have experimented and have come up with some real winners… AND some real losers!

I have noticed a huge amount of powder’s and filling’s that other bloggers use: maca powder, xanthium gum, guar gum, protein powder’s… I have yet to try any of these so I cannot give any feed back.

I guess I like mine simple and “clean”.

Here is my favorite go-to recipe:

8oz almond milk
2-3 huge tablespoons flax meal
1 banana, half if it is huge
1-1 1/2 cups of assorted frozen fruit – peaches, strawberries, mango and grapes (I buy a big bag of this at the store in the winter time, and I use fresh in the summer time)
3 big handfuls of baby spinach, washed

BLEND and DRINK!

I also love making a berry drink with blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, along with vanilla almond milk.

I am fan of my GM’s being thick and COLD. If I am using fresh fruit I will add ice to chill it down and thicken it up.

It is also a great way for your kids to get their greens in! Jordan LOVES GM’s and drinks them daily with me.

Do you blend or juice? I have seen you do both.

I always blend my GM’s. If I am making a juice drink it will always come out red as I love adding beets. I do use greens when I juice, though. But for some reason I feel that I am wasting spinach when I do this. Maybe it’s my juicer but big chunks of leaves are always in the waste bucket. So I typically save them for my GM’s.

Other bits of info

– Someone had asked me why I add flax meal and if it sank to the bottom. I ad flax meal because I am a huge fan of flax and its health benefits. Flax contains a huge amount of Omega-3 fats that are heart healthy and helps the digestive system. I like to use flax meal instead of whole flax seeds as the seeds never seem to properly grind, and stay whole. While there is nothing wrong with this, I just didn’t care for whole seeds in my smoothies. I have never had a problem with the flax meal settling to the bottom, but like I mentioned above, I drink mine thick.

– PLEASE prewash your fresh produce, including pre-washed spinach. Do not trust the packaging! I have found bits of things in my spinach and the package clearly stated it was Pre Washed.

– No, I did not come up with the name Green Monster. I have seen it used over and over other blogs and it fit so well! =)

I hope this helps anyone that was curious about my Green Monsters! If I have missed anything or if anyone else has any more questions, please ask! I never get tired of questions! =)

breakfast, green monster

Chocolate love

February 1, 2010 CleanEatingMama

I have had the same container of Chocolate Superfood in my cupboard for a few months. It stares me down when I grab my oats or a can of beans… I just cannot stomach it! I cannot stand the chocolate taste and prefer the natural over anything else. However I have created an amazing concoction that will please ANY chocolate and peanut butter lover! (I am so proud of myself!) Actually, it wasn’t my idea, it was Jessie’s idea =)

8 oz almond milk or any other non dairy milk
healthy serving of peanut or almond butter (heaping tablespoon)
a scoop of Chocolate Superfood
a teaspoon of un sweetened cocoa powder
sweeten to taste – I used agave syrup
ice

Blend it all up and viola! The ice makes it frothy and ice cream like! This was the third day that I created this – third times a charm! Today I added the second teaspoon of cocoa powder and it was perfect! I couldn’t taste the nasty aftertaste of the Superfood.
Don’t get me wrong – I love Amazing Grass and their products, just not the flavored ones. =)
If you don’t have chocolate superfood you can still make this wonderful shake by adding juiced greens like kale and/or spinach. The whole point of this shake is to incorporate your greens into your breakfast or snack without really eating them.
Enjoy!

breakfast, dinner, green monster, lunch

Touchy

December 22, 2009 CleanEatingMama

Well, I am glad I am not the only one with the sugar cravings! I am fighting them away but man… it’s HARD!

Sorry for being MIA – but I think everyone is starting to really hustle around due to Christmas being 4 days away! GAWD – I cannot believe it! I’ve actually never been one to “freak out” around the Holiday’s. I never push myself to my limits, drain my bank account and try to compare myself with everyone else. It’s not about the monetary items – it’s about the season of being together with the ones that mean the most. And really, I like to put things off until the last minute. I realized that I need to ship a package to New York and I now realize that it will be late – oops! I HATE having a deadline! haha

Breakfast:

I juiced an apple, 2 carrots, 2 clementines, then added the liquid to the blender with a banana, flax meal, spinach and ice. Look at those bubbles of goodness!

I was feeling in a very “homey” mood so I made homemade chicken noodles soup! My first time ever!

I LOVE making soups and chilis, especially on cold, dreary days. While everyone is making snowmen, we are jumping in mud puddles.

The soup turned out excellent! I will post the recipe later as I need to remember all that I did – I took a basic one and modified it.

Mmmm… although I had a hard time eating it because of the chicken… I knew Marc would enjoy it, though.

I also sipped on some hot cocoa while reading a magazine.

Dinner was takeout – BAD but GOOD!

I had Kung Pow Tofu (YUM!) and I had a sample of Marc’s pork fried rice and Mongolian beef. They were not as good as mine =)

And look at what I received in the mail today!

I did a Wish List Wednesday one week and a cook book holder was one of the items on my list! I LOVE IT! It has a splash guard that the book or page sits under, it has a non slip bottom and folds up for easy storing! THANKS SOPH – I LOVE IT! AND it will come in handy!

Oh, and Jordan says HI to the blogger world!

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So I have a bone to pick with you vegetarians/vegans whose significant other does not eat this way. I need some advice on how I can keep my house happy and fed.

I told Marc a few months back that I wanted to be a vegetarian, with my long term goal being a vegan and raw. Of course he said he was OK with it but it has become increasingly difficult to keep on track. During the day I am fine – Marc is usually gone, leaving me to eat whatever I want to breakfast and lunch. But dinner is where I am having some problems.

He loves meat but I simply cannot cook it. First of all raw meat grosses me out! I hate the bacteria, the smell, the feel..everything about it. I also have no desire to learn to cook it properly either. He has become increasingly frustrated because we are eating separately most of the time and the fridge and pantry is loaded with veggies, grains and nuts. He is not opposed to eating vegetarian meals but he doesn’t feel like they are substantial.

He is also taking the liberty of telling me that I don’t eat, making fun and bringing it up to outside acquaintances. Like “Well, when she only eats a leaf of lettuce she is bound to lose weight.” Um, you all see what I eat and I KNOW that I eat a well balanced diet, and MUCH MORE than a piece of lettuce!

I don’t think he means to put me down but it does bother me. And when he cooks dinner he never takes my feelings into consideration and cooks something besides meat being the main dish. I eat it because I don’t want to be rude but I really DO NOT want to eat it.

:sigh: So I am asking for advice. What can I do? Do you cook two separate meals? Does your significant other have patients and cope, or are they closed minded?

breakfast, green monster, groceries, jordan, lunch, product review

Cough Cough

December 10, 2009May 9, 2013 CleanEatingMama

HI!

This is what I am doing tonight: drinking tea. Looks like my cold has hit me once again – damnit. It’s my throat that’s bothering me this time… cough… cough…. cough. AND I was supposed to go to my friends, Sam, house for a card party and I totally forgot! =( But I don’t think she would want my sick butt around her or her guests.

While grocery shopping I picked up this variety pack of teas:

And I quickly choose the Throat Coat – it’s really good! Sweet with licorice!

I really suck at drinking water during the winter months so I am hoping my tea stash will start helping me drink more fluids, besides coffee.

And speaking of coffee, I tried a packet of Starbucks Via this morning.

I wasn’t in the mood to really need a full cup or to dirty the coffee pot so I tried a packet. It was pretty simple to make: pour grounds in a cup, add HOT water, stir and let sit for a minute. (I’m not sure if this is part of the actual directions but it helped with the taste and body)

The verdict? Meh. It had that “sour” taste that I hate in coffee. I can see this being good for a Coffee Crisis (!!) but not everyday.

I also had some sprouted toast with PB and some blueberry Oikos.

The J and I cleaned up in the kitchen – he LOVES to help!

Even though I wasn’t feeling well I decided to hit the gym anyway. Just some light running and hill walking. It felt great even though I REALLY did not want to go.

I refueled with a Green Brown Monster.

almond milk
strawberries
frozen peaches and berries
flax meal
Chocolate Amazing Meal
spinach
3 clementines

Sweet but good! I haven’t had Amazing Meal in a while because I really am not find of the chocolate flavor. But I felt I needed the extra nutrients.

And here is J’s HUGE pile of toys! Poor kid, I think he’s neglected! 😉

A few hours later I had lunch 2 – just a fun plate of goodness!

A carrot, celery, Mary’s crackers, olives, mozz cheese and the rest of my hummus. Just an FYI about me: I declare olives their own food group. I LOVE OLIVES! Black or green – I could just pop them al day long! I think it has to do with putting them on my fingers when I was a kid! 😉

source

I still have no idea what I am going to have for dinner – I’m not that hungry but since it’s 8:30 I better think of something. I recieved a few emails about our vase that is on our mantle so I thought I would show it off some more!

We found it at Costco this summer right after we bought our home. They ad a traveling showcase and we were lucky to go to the Costco that had the stand! It instantly reminded me of the Ocean! The original owners of our home had a blown piece of glass and it was so elegant! We knew we had to copy and find one of our own.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great night! I just watched Shrek the Halls – LOVED IT!

breakfast, dinner, family, green monster, half marathon, jordan, lunch

Adult time… for the most part.

December 5, 2009 CleanEatingMama

Good evening my lovelies – how was your Friday? Any big plans for the weekend?

Marc and I have an “adult weekend” planned out! J is at Grandma’s and we are going to run wild! Ok… maybe not extreme but we do have some adult activities planned – wine tasting, food, night away… fun stuff!

I started the day with a Green Monster – kinda yucky, though.

I added the norm – alomd milk, almond butter, peaches, berries, spinach… but it tasted bland. I didn’t even drink it – I felt bad about wasting it but I was not enjoying it. Then it dawned on me… I forgot the banana! DUH!

Poor J was not having a good morning. Lots of drool = teething and fussiness. He didn’t even take a nap until 12:30 which is extremely late for him. He did sleep until 2 but still… I hate when he fights it.

Lunch was leftover chili, some veggie tortilla chips and some clementine’s.

I was reading recipes on some juicing (I am determined to start using our juicer more often!) and it sparked something in Marc – he started to juice! He hasn’t been feeling well and he thought the extra vitamin c and nutrients would help his immune system.

His concoction:

Let’s see… he juiced 2 oranges, 2 carrots, 2 celery, an apple, then dumped it into the blender and added some fresh strawberries, a banana and some spinach.

Results? AMAZING! There was enough for two so he poured me a glass too! I was pretty full form lunch so I only drank half. Good job, hubby!

We packed a bag, gathered some toys and headed up to Grandma’s house! Marc and I were starving so we took my mom and step dad out to dinner – pizza and beer time!

J and I shared this plate of food – I had the salad and he had the fruit and cottage cheese. My salad had baby spinach, tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, broccoli, chickpeas, baby corn and a small amount of ranch dressing. Do you know how long it’s been since I have had ranch!

Bud light!

And my mom shared a veggie pizza – I actually have no idea what was on it but I *think* there was onions, peppers, olives, mushrooms with some cheese and the tomato on top. Next time we come here I am going to order thin crust – there was a lot of bread!

Then we had some hugs and lots of kisses and came back home. It is so strange not to have J with us. We miss him terribly when we are away! But we know the times we need for ourselves, adult time, is good for the entire family.

Hehe – he looks so chubby here! I LOVE his hat!

MIss you my little Bubba-loo! PS – I have MANY nick names for him! But I use Bubba-loo quite a bit! =)

So after we returned home I did some last minute chores and watched 4 Christmas’s. VERY CUTE movie! Along with some coconut ice cream 😉

Now I am blogging in bed and Marc is on the couch, snoring. Alas, nothing changes… even with an adult weekend. =)

Big day ahead of us tomorrow! Good night!

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Get your run on!

So I decided I’m going to sign up for the Rock n Roll Seattle 1/2 marathon! :gulp:

I really need a goal in my running, and this looks and sounds like it would be a lot of fun! Wait…. run for FUN? I never thought I would say this! But here I am loving to run! AMAZING!

The Seattle area is known for their music scene: Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Jimi Hendrix, Candle Box… to name a few. The half is only 13.1 miles – I think I can handle it in 6 months!

Now I need to get a game plan in gear, write a schedule and keep at it! WOOHOO!

breakfast, dinner, green monster, jordan, lunch, me, oatmeal

Monday blues?

November 30, 2009 CleanEatingMama

Hey guys! Happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

Sorry about no post yesterday – I really just too busy and then I left my camera in the car and was too lazy to go out and retrieve it… sad huh! 😉

Yesterday was spent watching football and relaxing! For breakfast I made a lovely Green Monster!

Almond milk
Almond butter
frozen mango, peach, grapes
fresh organic strawberries
half of an orange

Delish!

Lunch was delish, too!

San Pel

A garden burger topped with melted brie, hummus and hot sauce, along with avocado, lettuce and raw sunflower seeds. But my favorite part was the mound of butternut squash topped with brown sugar and walnuts… I could eat butternut squash all day!

I was getting a little stir crazy so I mentioned to Marc that we should go down to grab some lattes and walk around our little shopping center that is near us.

I grabbed a soy chai tea latte and a cranberry bliss bar… let me just say that I thought I loved the cranberry bliss bars, but I was extremely disappointed! I ate one bite and threw the rest away! And that was after they forgot to give it to me and I had to run back after we had already walk about a block… oh well.

Do you STILL have Thanksgiving leftovers? WE DO! I have been having Turkey sammy’s every night for dinner… actually I love them!

A toasted bagel loaded with cream cheese, cranberry sauce, turkey, spinach leaves and melted cheddar. Ooey, gooey GOODNESS! And a carrot with some hummus =)

This morning I am eating some oats!

I am off to the chiropractor today – I have a pinched nerve in my lower right hip and it kills! I haven’t been to the gym the past few days because I know I wouldn’t be able to deal with the pain. And I really don’t want to aggravate it any more. I hate having lower back problems…

And of course, more cuteness for you this fine Monday morning!

He loves getting into the kitchen cabinets. We don’t mind as there is nothing that he can break at his level. We call him “Our Little Chef”!

Have a wonderful Monday!

baking, breakfast, cookie, green monster, jordan, lunch, mail, recipe, running, salad

Monday!

November 24, 2009 CleanEatingMama

Happy Monday! I hope today started the week off with a bang AND I know a lot of you have short weeks this week. Score for Thanksgiving! =)

So I noticed a trend yesterday as I was going through my blog list… pancakes. Every other blogger must have had pancakes yesterday for breakfast. I was very jealous, by the way. =( Funny thing was is that Marc made pancakes for breakfast but I wanted a Green Monster.

But I made up for it today!

A yummy short stack of pancakes with a little almond butter in the middle and a side of Chobani yogurt. Hit the spot!

Pancake lovers – do you like your pancakes thin or thick?

Marc loves making his very thin but I love thick, cakey pancakes! Warm, comforting and delicious!

I ran to the gym at about noon to get in a quick run since Marc is at a meeting tonight – I am falling in love with running more and more! I never thought I could be a runner, ever. But with a little patience and will I am getting stronger and faster each time I run! BUT I am scared to run outside. =( I see more stories about people getting hit, abducted or attacked that I just cannot bring myself to do it.

I quickly made lunch when I arrived back at home. Marc was making a bagel with lox and cream cheese which look great! I was grabbing the bagels and thought “With the thick pancakes I had for breakfast, maybe I should stick with veggies”. And that’s what I did!

A nice warm mug of tomato soup with a caprese type salad: organic spring mix, mozz cheese, tomatoes, avocado, basil, EVOO and s&p.

I love caprese salads! Fresh mozz, heirloom tomatoes, aged balsamic and good olive oil – it doesn’t get any better than that!

Because it was a gloomy day, I decided to dig out my mixer and tie my apron on for a warm batch of hot, fresh cookies.

And yes, like always, I ate too much batter! lol – it’s my favorite part!

Warm, fresh, ooey and gooey! J helped out, too! 😉

And what did he think of them?

Good to the last crumb!

I also received some cool mail today from Stonyfield! I nice Thanksgiving card with some great coupons – Thanks Stonyfield!

Well I am off to spend some time with J before bed time! See you later!

breakfast, dinner, football, green monster, lunch

Almost Monday…

November 23, 2009 CleanEatingMama

Good evening, all! How was your Sunday? Relaxing I hope!

I started the day off feeling yucky – bloated and just not myself. My stomach was hard and I was not enjoying it at all. Yuck.

Do you ever do that? I think it was something I had eaten yesterday to cause so much pain and discomfort in my tummy region. So I vowed to eat well today in hopes that my system would start feeling normal again.

So I made myself a Green Monster!

almond milk
LOTS of spinach
frozen assortment of fruit
almond butter
half of a banana

On Sunday’s I tend to cook in the morning. For example: steam vegetables for J and bake anything that I have been needing to. Today I made J some sweet potatoes and I decided I would finally make Kale chips!

I had bought a bag of kale last night at the store JUST to make chips! I added some salt and parm but I think I will skip the parm next time. They ended up being pretty salty and I keep burping up the parm taste – yuck. BUT they are STILL delicious!

For lunch I made myself a MONDO veggie sammy! It was loaded!

Hummus, clover sprouts, cucumber, tomato, avocado and basil leaves on sprouted bread. AND a side of carrots and more hummus. I really needed this today! Veggies, veggies and more veggies… keep them coming!

At about 3 I decided to hit the gym. I truly believe in muscle memory as I was able to run a little over 3 miles at a 10 minute mile pace. Since I came down with a cold (over 3 weeks ago) I have not been running one bit. But I felt the need and LOVED it. My legs felt strong and I just went with it. I felt MUCH better afterwards, too!

I have been wanting to try the new festive Clif bar flavors and tried this one:

Meh – it was VERY orange flavored… and I was expecting cranberry. I only ate half.

Dinner was a salad – finally! It was been too long since I had a salad! 😦

I mixed together some organic spring mix, peanut chicken kabob that we picked up at the market deli last night, baby corn, tomato, cilantro, chopped peanuts and a few dots of sesame oil.

Asian delight!

I did get hungry a few hours later and ate a bowl of Optimum Slim, dried cranberries with almond milk.

Well kids, we did not win this weeks fantasy football – boo. It was a tough week and we had some unexpected injuries, AKA Kurt Warner, which put us behind.

I am off to bed – Happy Monday, all!

breakfast, green monster, oatmeal, workout

My forgetful mind!

November 19, 2009 CleanEatingMama

Coffee anyone?

I posted three posts yesterday but in all of them I forgot to write my eats for the day. In fact, I forgot to take pictures of my lunch! Wait, what did I even have? I know I had some carrots… oh and some cheese and crackers. Boring.

I did have an amazing breakfast!

Some more oats with maple syrup, almond butter, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. Heaven in a bowl!

AND I finally went to the gym last night – it has been over 3 weeks! Yikes! After I came down with my cold, I really had no desire to workout. And it has taken this long for me to actually feel better… although I still have a stuff nose and a cough. It just keeps lingering and lingering!

When I went to donate my food items, I stopped at the store to pick up a few grocery items that we were missing – banana’s, spinach, potatoes… I have been out of spinach the past few days. Hence no Green Monsters! I missed them! So I had one after I came back from the gym. 🙂

Almond milk, frozen grapes, peaches, strawberries and mango, a half of a banana and a huge handful of spinach – Green Monster, how I missed thee!

And of course I am having another one for breakfast this morning… that reminds me. Off to make one!