My mother and I have been going to the Yellow Daisy Festival in Stone Mountain, Georgia for as long as I can remember. Usually purchasing nothing, but getting ideas and inspirations for DIY projects. One thing we always do indulge in is the yummy food. Apple cider donuts dipped in heavenly cinnamon sugar from Our Daily Bread Bakery in Ellijay North Georgia. My mother always gets roasted corn and I always browse the food vendors to see what my taste buds crave.
This year I came across Happy Belly Curbside Kitchen Food Truck. My eyes got large and pretty sure I had a smile on my face. Voted “One of the Top 10 Healthiest Food Trucks in America” & Voted “Best Truck” at the 2012 Atlanta Street Food Festival! Happy Belly is Farm to Truck, meaning their ingredients are coming straight from the farm to your plate. And they serve only the best ingredients. Offering fresh, organic and seasonal produce and grass fed beef and other natural meats.
They also offer gluten free and vegetarian options. For the meat lovers, you will love the flavor in their meat. That is because they cook all of their meals on Maple Hardwood Charcoal for the perfect smoke flavor on a Big Green Egg. Yes, you read that right. They are the ONLY Food Truck in the world with a Big Green Egg inside their truck.
So, what did I eat? I was open to eating meat because I wanted to try their most popular dish. So I asked owner, Terry Hall what their favorite dish was. He responded with their Brisket Burger topped with sweet vidalia goodness. And it was heaven in my mouth.
Happy Belly is more than an amazing food truck business, it is a purpose driven company that gives 5% of profits to the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta to help fight childhood obesity. So, if you are in the Atlanta area be sure to check out their schedule and swing by for food you will not regret eating.
I have been MIA but I promise this following recipe was worth the wait. We have relocated to Charlotte, so between the kids starting school and unpacking boxes I have been a bit busy. So, with fall approaching I get excited about the cooler weather, fall fashion, and most important… all of the fall flavors. Specifically, cinnamon and pumpkin. Friday I lit my new fall harvest candle in the kitchen and looked in my pantry to see what I could make without going to the store.
As a child I remember my mother making Amish friendship bread. The long process it took, the mouthwatering taste, and the amazing cinnamon fragrance it left in the home. However, it took ten days to make something that would be devoured in ONE day. So, I looked through my pantry and came up with this slice of heaven.
Vegan Cinnamon Quick Bread
Ingredients:
For cinnamon sugar mixture:
1/3 cup pure cane sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For bread dough:
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup pure cane sugar
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax, 3 tablespoons water, mixed and set aside)
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 9x5 inch bread loaf pan with coconut oil and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix flax egg and set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup of cane sugar. Then add in flax egg, almond milk and coconut oil into flour mixture. Stir until moist.
- Pour half of the batter into greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon and sugar mixture. Cover with remaining batter. Top with a sprinkle of more cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake in preheated 350F oven for 45-50 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, run knife along edges and then remove and place on wire rack.
Store in airtight container or wrapped tightly with aluminum foil. And ENJOY! I know we all did.
Many people have asked what I eat every morning for breakfast. The American breakfast usually consists of bacon, eggs and cheese and that is the polar opposite of a vegan breakfast. Every morning I make a protein shake, enjoy a cup of coffee, and sometimes take a bite of what I made for the boys.
Clean Mommy Breakfast Protein Shake
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
- 12 oz almond milk
- 1 scoop of Garden of Life Raw Vanilla Protein (gluten free & Vegan)
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 of banana
- 1 cup of ice (I skip the ice if I have frozen banana)
Directions:
Add all ingredients into blender, blend 1 minute until smooth. Enjoy :)
It is delicious and consists of banana, cinnamon, and almonds…. three of my favorite things. However, the most important part of the protein shake is the protein I add to it. I use a Raw Protein by Garden of Life. It’s not only what RAW Protein contains, it’s also about what it doesn’t contain. Choose a powder that contains no fillers, no artificial flavors and no synthetic ingredients. Not only is Garden of Life’s RAW protein high quality, plant-based protein it also provides the following benefits:
- Provides RAW organic sprouted protein and live probiotics and enzymes which makes it easily digested
- Excellent source of protein – 17 grams and 33% Daily Value
- Contains Vitamin enabling natural recognition by your body
- Suitable for gluten free, low carbohydrate, vegetarian, and vegan diets
- Good for those with gastrointestinal sensitivities to milk, whey and other protein sources
Photo by Farmanac
Eat your fruits and vegetables! The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. But do you find yourself overwhelmed in the produce department trying to decide whether to buy organic or not? Is it worth the extra few dollars for organic? Before biting into your next apple be sure to read this whole article. The Environmental Working Group does a yearly analysis of pesticide residue testing data from the USDA and FDA to come up with rankings for these popular produce items. They have created a list of “Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen” to educate us on the fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticide residues. The fruits and veggies on the Dirty Dozen have the most pesticide residues, while the Clean Fifteen have the least. These lists are a big help when switching to an organic clean diet or when you become overwhelmed in the produce department. These are also good to keep in mind when purchasing processed items for your children, such as apple juice or applesauce.
Dirty Dozen Plus – Spend the extra money and buy organic
- Apples
- Celery
- Sweet bell peppers
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Nectarines
- Grapes
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Cucumbers
- Blueberries
- Potatoes
Clean Fifteen – Lowest in pesticides, safer choices to buy non-organic
- Onions
- Sweet corn
- Pineapples
- Avocado
- Cabbage
- Sweet Peas
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Eggplant
- Kiwi
- Cantaloupe
- Sweet Potatoes
- Grapefruit
- Watermelon
- Mushrooms
You can find the full list of 45 popular fruits and veggies on the Environmental Working Group’s website.
I grew up making chocolate chip cookies from the recipe on the back of the yellow Toll House chocolate chip bag. I must admit they have always been my favorite, and I suppose anyone would love them with 2 sticks of butter and 2 eggs. I have been on a mission to make a similar tasting cookie vegan style and not as likely to clog my arteries. Vegan or not you will love these cookies and nobody will tell a difference.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
7 tbsp. Earth Balance
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cane sugar
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp molasses
1/2 cup dark chocolate vegan chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flax egg and set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat the Earth Balance until fluffy. Add the brown sugar and cane sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
- Beat in the flax egg. Beat in the remaining ingredients and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Shape balls of dough and place on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack for another 10 minutes.
Pour yourself a glass of cold almond milk and enjoy!!
Recipe changed and adapted from Oh She Glows
I am so excited to introduce you to a product that our house instantly loved, because we instantly saw the benefits. SkinFood is the ultimate skin salve, made from only USDA certified botanical ingredients & packaged in a biodegradable paper tube. It can be used all over the body, lips, face, hands, and even a babies bum. SkinFood provides nourishment and relief anywhere it’s applied. I love the convenience of SkinFood. We went away on a weekend trip with the boys and it was easy to throw it in with my other toiletries. I didn’t have to worry about it leaking all over my things and it takes up no room at all. SkinFood is an all-in-one product. As you will see below it is used for a long list of things. Our favorite.. bug repellant. My oldest son is severely allergic to mosquitoes. Even if I soak him with the strongest bug spray he still manages to get a bite, and swells right up. SkinFood is the first product that has worked for him. I swipe the stick down each leg, arm, back, belly, neck and on his cheeks and off he goes outside. No rubbing it in, and no nasty scent to try to bathe off later. Actually, I am nourishing his skin at the same time.
SkinFood’s First Aid Uses:
- bites
- blisters
- bug repellant
- bumps
- burns
- chafing
- cuts
- rashes
- scrapes
SkinFood’s Beauty/Hygiene Uses:
- blemishes
- deodorant
- eczema
- fine lines
- scarring
- toning
SkinFood’s Mom/Baby Uses:
- cradle cap
- diaper rash
- discomfort from nursing
- perineum
- stretch marks
Find SkinFood here.
Why is “Organic” Important? I am not eating it…
On average, consumers use 8-10 personal care products each day exposing themselves to over 120 different cosmetic chemicals. What the consumer doesn’t know is that there is potential health risks associated with toxic chemicals in their cosmetics and personal care products. The FDA does not specifically regulate the use of the term “organic” as it applies to cosmetics and personal care products. Only the USDA can guarantee organic standards. However, the USDA doesn’t have authority over personal care products. SkinFood realized how important it is to the consumer to see the USDA Organic stamp, and they went the extra mile to have the best ingredients and also to have that “USDA Organic” stamp.
Read more for a list of detailed ingredients in SkinFood from www.skinfare.com
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My world is crazy busy with two toddlers and sometimes eating smart and clean takes a little more thought… So as a reminder… Keep Calm and Eat Clean. :) Your kids will thank you later.
I’ve never been much of a milk drinker, cheese eater or really anything dairy. (Okay, I lied. I am a HUGE fan of creamy ice cream.) When my family and I gave up dairy, I began looking at my options. I knew there were a ton of non dairy milk substitutes on the market so I figured we would be ok. Then I took a look at some of the ingredient lists followed by reading the article “Watch Out For This Carcinogen In Your Organic Food” by Food Babe. Quickly I became disturbed and decided to make my own ‘milk’. Not only do a I get fresh milk with no added preservatives or chemicals but I also know what my children are consuming and I end up with homemade almond milk and MEAL.
Homemade Almond Milk:
Ingredients:
1 cup whole raw almonds (not toasted or roasted), enough water to cover
3 – 4 cups water, more if desired
Optional: honey, to taste or 1 date without pit.
Directions:
- Soak almonds overnight in a bowl with enough water to cover. Drain and discard the soaking water in the morning. (You may skip this step if you are using a Vitamix).
- Put almonds in blender with 3-4 cups water and blend on HIGH until smooth. You will have some small pieces of almond but that is okay.
- Strain milk using fine metal strainer into a bowl. This will separate milk and almond meal. Store the almond milk in a glass jar or bottle. The liquid will separate between uses so just be sure to give it a good shake. I consume mine within 3 days of making.
*To sweeten milk- add one date without pit to almonds in blender or add 1-2 tsp of honey to milk.
For Almond Meal: I spread mine on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. Then add to a freezer safe container and store in the freezer.
