kombucha!

best way to start the day!
i recently switched from coffee to tea. it's been a little rough.  i can't seem to drink enough tea to keep myself awake!
today, i have had about half of this kombucha bottle and i feel awesome. naturally energized, thinking clearly, happy, and calm. that's the sort of energy i want to have everyday.

today....!!

i went to trader joe's and was so tempted to buy a the vanilla date smoothie from ReJuice, but thought. oh.my.goodness! i am going to trader joe's! they most definitely have all of the ingredients, and i know all the flavors! oh man! I AM GOING TO MAKE MY OWN.

tadaa!

i don't have a picture though. because i didn't have my computer. but here's a picture of what it could have looked like! haha.

.banana
.vanilla soy ice cream (any sort of ice cream would work, tj's just didn't have other kinds of non-dairy vanilla)
.dates
.almonds
.water
.ice

yum to the max.

also, today, i watched the food network for a bit because, my parents have a television, and Paula Deen was on! i'd heard a lot about her, but never actually watched her show. she is quite a character. would not use any of her recipes, but she's hilarious. and i could totally use some ideas from her.
she made this cheesecake with pecan praline goo ontop. yo, i could totally make a vegan version of that. maybe next week. but it's going to happen. :)

when in doubt! bake a cake.

 well.....
my attempt at making vegan cupcakes was a fail.
because i'm stubborn.
i hate butter and buttery products. they just gross me out.
so, i tried to make frosting with a banana base.
i'm dumb.
this was the result. after probably 20+ minutes of beating it. (below)

 

a lovely overly-sweetened banana goo. 

  

 the cake part turned out super though! 

i used unbleached white and wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, a bit of apple cider vinegar, almond milk, cinnamon, and canola oil.

i ended up drizzling some of the banana goo ontop and that turned out as an awesome glaze sort of thing. 

today i took half of the goo and tried to revive it as a frosting. i added half a container of tofutti cream cheese. it definitely got thicker! but not fluffy in the least bit, so i added some flour and made it into a 

cake.

oh! the stirfry at the top is what i made for dinner. i make healthy food too sometimes! this is halved baby bella mushrooms, chopped scallions, halved brussel sprouts, chopped broccoli, and immitation chicken strips sauteed in soy sauce and a bit of olive oil with minced garlic.

what to do with the rest of the goo... dump it all ontop of the goo-cake i made? oh dear.

don't go back to sleep!!

he's so stoked.

i woke up this morning ten minutes before my alarm went off.
got on facebook, because, well, unfortunately it's become a routine for me. but see here! today it provided inspriration.
i'm part the Yogis Anonymous group and everyday "Ally" has reflective words to say.
today, it was all about DOING it. Living life like you are alive. think about that for a few seconds.

this weekend it was hot. i didn't have all too much to do and ended up watching tv for the majority of it. just, laying on the floor. feeling like a butt. i might as well have been a rock.

i don't have any excuses for being lazy. god. why am i wasting my life away! the sun is shining! my life is still young! i have health and have been blessed with so many reasons to be happy.

"Hey!!! There's so much light and so much truth, don't go back to sleep!!!" Because being awake and aware feels amazing. It's not all happy feelings and dancing through life with a loopy grin on your face. Some of it is brutally painful. But being accountable for yourself is freaking awesome. Being responsible for the energy you're contributing wherever you go is a totally natural high. Spreading love because you feel so much of it inside is the greatest feeling I know, and anyone can do it. Get high on whatever is true for you, get stoned on spreading light wherever you go and making this world brighter because you've been here. Don't go back to sleep!!! Happy Monday. - Ally

and in the words of my good friend Leigh, "Gotta do it up!"

today is the day!

switching my morning beverage to tea.

waking up in the morning to enjoy time. to sit, to contemplate. 

being active! 

exercise and stretch to begin each day with a positive mantra.

making music because i love it. 

today me and the rockster went on a jog. both of us were huffing and puffing by the end but boy did it feel good. showers after any sort of exercise make you feel infinitely more cleansed than just rolling out of bed and hopping in. 

both of my private teachers told me this past week that i should start running on a regular basis to help expand my lung capacity. 

here i go. 

it's time. the time is now. 

make it so. 

 

of all yum.

THIS. is a sandwich i want to eat everyday.
ReJuice in Santa Monica is an all vegan organic handmade juice and food spot.
this is their heirloom sandwich.

thick slice of juicy heirloom tomato
on top of sliced avocado and fresh whole basil leaves
sliced sweet onions
basalmic vinager
olive oil
all on a toasted ciabatta bread
and garnished with a bit of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.

SO. worth buying.
delicious, fresh, satisfying, super flavorful. if you're in Santa Monica, go to ReJuice. it's on Pico.

also i had their vanilla/date smoothie which is fantastical.

this heat is so dumb i want to punch it in the face. and make a smoothie.

i guess i've turned into one of those people who puts vegetables in their smoothies.

antioxidants, omega-3s, vitamin C and cruciferous vegetables, what else could you want in a smoothie?

yesterday i noticed my dad's voice had dropped half an octave since the last time i'd seen him. time for antioxidants and lots of fluids!! in this weather, no one wants to be drinking a hot tea. smoothietime.

bananas, frozen blueberries, raspberries, almonds, broccoli, a clove of garlic, water and ice.
yum.

next time maybe i'll try kale, mango, lemon, pineapple.

the hm sort of food.

well. okay. not to say this place was entirely bad, because we only tried a couple of different items. a place called Roots Gourmet in Long Beach. super tiny homey feel, organic schtuff. nice people. pretty good-looking stuff.

i got this sandwich called "The Vegan" which was a typical portobello sandwich. portobello, sweet onion jam (??), tofu, bit of lettuce, and a slice of tomato. but that's all it was! i got it on an "herb focaccia" bread which was hard and oily like a crouton. i sure didn't taste the herbs. the onion jam, which first off, okay, why can't you put real carmelized onions on your sandwich? it really doesn't take very long to make.. the jam tasted onionish but was very thinly spread. the tofu was a slice of firm tofu fried in some oil, no flavoring at all. the whole thing had such little flavor, it just tasted like a mouthful of oil. that's not what i'm looking for in a vegan meal.
less oil. more flavor.

my friend got their "Caprese" not vegan, but looked delicious. typical caprese sandwich with mozzerella, tomato, lettuce, and pesto. he said his was also bland. on a caprese?? where's the basil! caprese is one of the simplest delicious sandwiches to make, how in the world do you make a bland caprese?! geelawee. maybe they forgot the basalmic? or garlic? can't make a caprese without either of those. it's just not right. 

the sandwiches looked appealing. nice presentation, but the taste did not match the aesthetic.
my thumbs are down.