Dreading Tomorrow

Its 10pm and im sitting at my computer dreading tomorrow - tomorrow is my birthday - actually my 35th birthday and i am dreading it - as i sit here i cant believe that i am turning 35 years old. I've actually never been one to actually like my birthday - i hate all of the attention and gift giving - actually i feel guilty about it - like i really don't deserve it. I really don't have anything planned - just a regular day at work - hopefully noone will remember its my birthday.

Well i am thankful that God has given me 34 years to experience life - i am very lucky and am very blessed with a loving family, friends and of course my blog friends that i have met. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day - as my therapist said - your birthday this year should be Ed free - just one day to live free and forget - by taking an "Ed holiday" this could be the beginning of a new and beautiful life. Till tomorrow .......

Long Time No Blog!!!!

Gosh - i can't believe how long its been since ive done a post - a few weeks now but I promise i have been reading many of yours - life has been busy - i still cannot believe that today is already October 22 - and Thanksgiving is only a month away!!!!! My life has been quite busy - work, and taking up a new hobby of mine - i recently bought a video-camera - a hand-held JVC. What I love about it is that it can also take still photosas well so i can take both still and live photos!!!

What made me buy the camera is part of my recovery process - my therapist suggested i buy one and we plan on making a "movie" of my recovery and my life - i have taped many of my sessions, my good days, my bad days. I actually have found it to be quite therapeutic - i used to journal but i find that sometimes putting things on paper is more difficult!!! by just turning on the camera and talking - my feelings flow much easier!!!!

I still have mixed feelings on this whole endeavor - part of me is embarassed talking in front of the camera and sharing my feelings but if in the end i can benefit as well as the thousands of others who struggle with disordered eating - it is all worth it. I will keep you all updated on how things go!!

Some things i have been enjoying as of late-

Omelettes filled with farm fresh spinach and the last of the fall tomatoes !!

Millet topped with ratitoulle served on fresh spinach and grilled veggies

Lots of seasonal Green Mountain coffee in my "orange" mug - just for the fall season ( i have mugs in almost every color and change with the

seasons!!!)

Lentil chili - this is a favorite of mine - i love all different k

inds of chili - especially now that the weather is changing and getting much colder.

What are some things you all have been enjoying as of late as the weather is changing???? One of my favorites is baby sweet potatoes which i just picked up from my farmers market and butternut squash - ill be trying some recipes this weekend and will share them soon!!!

Hope you all are well and have a great weekend!!!

xoxo aimee

Cookie Perfection

What's not to love about a cookie that not only tastes good but also is good for you!!! I recently received a sample of Flax Cookies from Marisel over at Nutridel located in San Diego California. Nutridel is a family-owned comapany that makes handmade all natural vegan cookies made from healthy ingredients such as oatmeal, flax, wheat germ, cinnamon, nuts (almonds, pecans), molasses, sunflower seeds, coconut and aramath. What i love is that these are made from as the website quotes "the seeds of life."

On first view you will not that each package contains two enormous size cookies that are perfectly crisp - just the way i like my cookies. I could not wait to try my enticing treat. I quickly poured myself of vanilla almond milk - and proceeded to dunk my cookie right into the milk. The verdict - absolute perfection!!!!! The cookie was crisp yet had a nice "chew" to it. The light sweet aroma of cinnamon and molasses was an added bonus. You could definately taste the oats and flax which in my mind are a perfect combination!!!

The cookies also come in such flavors as oatmeal, pecan and almond. Currently the cookies are sold at various stores on the west coast and hopefully soon they will be available on the East coast as well but have no fear - you can easily order these delicious treats online at the website: nutridel.com!!!!!

Other ways i have been enjoying my treats:

1. crumbled on top of greek yogurt with fruit

2. take 2 cookies and make - sandwich cookie!!!! I first tried using "banana soft serve" and squashed between the two cookies and then placed again in the freezer to firm up - the result - delicious frozen treat - the cookies maintained their texture and taste!!! I highly recommend this!!!!

Well i hope you enjoyed this product review - i give these cookies a 10 out of 10 and just want to thank Marisel for giving me the chance to review them!!!!! I HIGHLY recommend them!!!

Hope you all have a great Wednesday - ill be back soon with a full recap of some more treats!!!

Is it really October???

October 1 - already????? What happened to September???? I feel like it was just yesterday that we were celebrating Labor Day and the endof summer and now fall is really upon us. Well today is also October 1st - the beginning of my favorite month of the year. I love October - the fall weather has kicked in - the apple and pumpkin season is really upon us. I even have spotted one of my favorite fall products hitting the shelves -

Canned pumpkin!!!!! Oh how ive missed you!!!

Pumpkins are not only for carving at Halloween - they are so versatile - you can eat the flesh the seeds, stuff them with just about anything or just use them for decorating purposes!!!

Not only are they so versatile they are good for you!!!! Pumpkins are packed with beta-carotene which is an antioxidant that can help reduce the risk of certain cancers and other diseases. Pumpkins are also high in fiber, Vitamin A, magesium and potassium!!!

Pumpkin seeds also known as pepitas are also not only delicious but also very good for you - especially for vegetarians. Pepitas are very high in B vitamins which vegetarians can be deficient of. They also are a great source of protein - a one ounce portion has a whopping 9 grams of protein!!!! Pepitas are a great addition

to any salad, trail mix, cookies, savory dishes or even just perfect simply roasted with sea salt!!!

I just love pumpkins - i love pumpkin flavored anything from coffee - have you tried Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice coffee????

Other things i like to do with my canned pumpkin - of course baked goods, mixed with greek yogurt, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin oatmeal - the possibilities are endless!!! What are some of your favorite uses for pumpkin????

Some other yummy eats ive been enjoying these past few weeks:

Hummus, roasted veggies and the necessary Ezekial pita

Lots of greek yogurt messes in my favorite sunflower dish

Perfectly crisp pita pizzas

Slow roasted black bean chili

Other fun things happening in October!!!

Today October 1st is actually World Vegetarian Day - so i inspire you all to make a nice veggie filled meal for someone today!!! I eat mostly a vegetarian diet however i do incorporate fish every so often. I plan on making millet stuffed eggplants with fresh roasted tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and spinach.

Well i hope you all have a wonderful weekend - i hope to go pumpkin picking!!!!!!

Holding onto Summer

I woke up this morning to glorious sunshine however it was quite chilly here on Long Island hence the multitude cups of Green Mountain Breakfast blend coffee - nothing like a warm cup of jo while blogging with the sunshine. Although it feels like fall already the first day of fall is actually not until Wednesday!!!

My eats over the past week have been nothing too exciting - trying to enjoy the last of the late summer produce and fruits. Precisely my impulse to buy a fresh pineapple despite the colder weather. Pineapples not only taste good but are a great source of Vitamin C and also contain bromelin - this is an enzyme that helps aid in the digestion of protein, helps prevent indigestion and also has antiinflammatory properties - great for those suffering from any arthritis or sports related sprains or other injuries.

I personally like my pineapples very sweet - slightly overripe if you must!!!! How do you pick a ripe pineapple????? Ive heard million of different tricks - if you can pick a leaf easily from the center of the stalk - its ripe, if it smells like a pineapple its ripe, if it looks yellow then its ripe - the list goes on!!!! I actually use a combination of all of these but i have had the most luck with smelling the pineapple and also looking at the pineapple. The "eyes" also known as the cotyledons on the skin should be big and firm with a nice yellow (not green) hue. Smell the base of the pineapple - it should smell sweet - if you can't smell anything then don't buy the pineapple!!!! Once you get the pineapple home place the pineapple UPSIDE DOWN - yes you heard me right and let it sit for about a day or so. When a pineapple is placed upside down all of the sugar that is concentrated at the base gets evenly distributed throughout the flesh of the pineapple. Trust me - it works. If you don't do this when you cut it open you will see that the riper pineapple pieces are at the base and the flesh toward the leaves tend to be less ripe and often bitter.

I love pineapple freshly cut - i could eat tons at one sitting - hence part of my morning snack today. I love pineapple plain, mixed with yogurt, added to a banana smoothie, grilled with cinnamon or added to my salsas!!! What are your favorite ways to enjoy pineapple??

I've been trying to incorporate different grains into mydiet recently and made a wonderful recipe of quinoa with roasted red pepper tomato sauce served on top of spinach and roasted broccoli and eggplant slices. If you've never tried quinoa is delicious - a perfect grain to try because its actually a complete protein. The key to making quinoa however is to be sure to rinse it thoroughly before boiling to prevent a bitter taste to the grain. What i like about quinoa is how quickly it cooks and how versatile a grain it is. I have seen it used as a breakfast grain, in baking or simply just boiled. It has a nice texture with a slightly nutty flavor. What are some of your favorite grains??? I am hoping to try millet, and barley this week - any suggestions???

I am finding a new inspiration as i read through your blogs - my love of cooking and health has enabled me to broaden my horizons and include foods that i once enjoyed years ago but have strayed away from. Through blogging i have met so many wonderful people and am grateful for all of your words of encouragement!!!!! I am also thinking about changing my blog to worldpress - any thoughts on this or any suggestions???? I'm not the best on the computer so if anyone could help me id appreciate it!!!!! Enjoy your Sunday and ill be back tomorrow with a delicious new FOOD REVIEW - a delicious healthy cookie i tried - but you'll have to wait till tomorrow!!!

Labor Day Outings

I still can't believe the summer is finally coming to an end - marked by Labor Day weekend. I am very much looking forward to the fall - love the crisp mornings, smell of cinnamon, vanilla baked apples and fields fun of blooming sunflowers.

Yesterday i embarked on one of my favorite outings - i took a ride out to eastern Long Island to visit the wineries and little farmstands. It was glorious - the sun was shining and there was a nice cool breeze - perfect weather for the beginning of fall. I was able to get loads of fresh veggies, pick the last of the peaches and visit my favorite sunflower farm to get a bunch of my beloved flowers for my kitchen table. I also picked up a bag of fresh ginger gold apples. My favorite kinds of apples include ginger gold, macoun, and mitzu.

Ginger gold are one of the first apples of the fall and are a mildly sweet yet tart apple. They have a nice crisp crunch and are a perfect eating apple. They are a hardy apple and will hold their shape during baking. I love baked apples or homemade applesauce on a cold fall night topped with freshly grated cinnamon!!

Before heading out i started my day with a usual summer breakfast of vanilla almond milk topped with fresh berries (the last of my blackberries - how i will miss them!!!) along with my favorite Kashi cinnamon harvest.

We were out for most of the day and I came home quite famished (ate lunch in the car) and was too tired to even think about a new recipe to whirl up soI decided to fall back on a favorite - breakfast for dinner - egg white omelette with fresh spinach, red roasted peppers and a fresh ripe tomato topped with basil and oregano. Alongside i toasted an Ezekial pita bread.

Well today im off to run some errands that desperately need to get done (food shopping and the like) and then im off to my brothers house for a Labor Day barbecue with friends.

Oh and here's a picture of a lovely creature I happened to spot earlier this morning -

A beautiful Praying Manthis - aren't they the most delicate creature you have ever seen???

Hope you all have a great and relaxing Labor Day and enjoy the fall like weather!!!!!!

xoxo aimee

Tuesday blues

Woke up again to the dull patter of rain against my window pane - what happened to my beloved summer weather???? It feels like fall will be upon us much sooner than i expected!!!

Although i love the change of seasons especially from late summer to early fall - i love September and October months im not quite ready to give up the beautiful weather and blooming flowers that i love most about summer.......

As fall is coming soon - what are your favorite things about the fall ?????? I love apple and pumpkin picking, pumpkin spice coffee, harvesting fresh sunflowers, the crisp morning air, comfy wool sweaters and wool socks, roasted butternut squash and sweet potatoes, fresh spinach and broccoli, sipping warm cinnamon tea, the smell of baked apples with cinnamon ....

As thing have been quite busy in my life my eats have been quite on the go - the other night i was craving pizza and roasted veggies - i was so hungry that i could not wait for my beloved whole wheat dough in the freezer to defrost and instead tried pita pizza - at first i was a bit hesistant to try it - would the pita stand up to the dough.....

Pre baking................

The final result.................

The verdict???? A winner!!! The pita was crisp - held the veggies and cheese nicely and was quite tasty in my book - a definate repeat when in a bind for a quick meal. To think that in the past i had deprived myself of pizza - why??? Why not i say!!! What are some things that you have recently added back into your diet that you are now in love with???

Another "random" snack that i made over the weekend - banana fig smoothie!!! My fig tree is bursting with fresh figs - i don't know what to do with all of them - i was craving a smoothie and had tons of frozen bananas so i took 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk, 3/4 frozen banana, 2 fresh figs - tossed in the Vita-mix with a handful of ice -

all topped with a remnant of fig - perfectly sweet!!!!!

Hope you are all having a wonderful week - enjoy the last few days of summer!!!!!!!!

xoxo aimee