Chloe's Kitchen - 125 Easy Vegan Recipes - Review

It seems like ages since I saw Chloe Coscarelli win Cupcake Wars with her vegan cupcakes. I was a vegan at the time and I was amazed!

Then I had the chance to review her new book: Chloe's Kitchen - 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way.

I really thought it was going to be loaded with sweets - butter, egg, and milk free treats. Not really healthy eating, you know.  But I was wrong. This cookbook rocked!

It was loaded with fantastic appetizers, lunch & dinner recipes, and a few treats. There's even recipes for healthy marinara sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, bbq sauce... The hands-down best parts of the book were the meal recipes - filled with healthy whole foods. And the pictures were to die for!

There were so many great meal ideas that would appeal to everyone - even meat eaters. And if you're not a vegan, you could easily change any of the recipes that call for non-dairy milks for dairy or the various oils for butter.

I plan on making almost every one of the recipes. The only ones I won't make are the ones that rely on Tofu or Seitan as star ingredient. Or I'll either omit those items or swap them for something else.

Overall, this is a great cookbook that would appeal to almost everyone. If you made any of these recipes, you'd wow your family and friends with your new "gourmet" recipes and only you would know how healthy and easy they were to make.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. No compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.

What color is your smoothie?

If you're trying to get more color (fruits and vegetables) into your diet, then smoothies are probably a good addition to your diet, especially if you don't like to eat a lot of fruits and veggies whole.

Personally, I'm not a fan of drinking my food, but even I enjoy a nice cold smoothie on a hot summer day. My family, on the other hand, all love to drink fruit and veggie filled smoothies. A few even prefer them to actually eating...

The biggest challenge is coming up with recipes that work, especially when you're working with herbs or spices.

That's where the book What color is your Smoothie? absolutely rocks! It is loaded with recipes in every color family. LOADED! 90% of the book is recipes. The first half of the book goes over every smoothie ingredient, how to prepare them, and what you get from them (vitamins, minerals, protein, etc.)

The first half of the book was great - loaded with info and very helpful to anyone starting out with fresh food and/or smoothie prep.

But the recipes are the best part. They use good quality whole ingredients that most people have in their kitchen or can easily access.

I'm more of a wing-it person when it comes to cooking and smoothies are no exception, but I absolutely love some of the combinations in this book. And since my husband loves to follow a recipe exactly, he will get a lot of use out of these recipes.

And for all of you calorie conscious people, every recipe has a calorie, protein, and carb breakdown at the bottom.

I would highly recommend this book. In fact, I normally read books then give them away, but I am going to keep this one because it's so useful.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. No compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.

Eye Care - So inexpensive but So Important

When you think about healthcare, you most likely think about high costs and stress. But eye care is one of the the few health fields where you can get quality care for very little money.

We were without health insurance for a few months this winter and heading to the doctor was scary (at least from the bill perspective.) Visits to your local optometrist (like the Richmond Hill optometrist) are inexpensive by comparison and very rarely result in expensive prescriptions.

But heading to the eye doctor at least once a year (or once every two years if you're vision is okay) can help catch some major issues - cataracts, glaucoma, injuries. If you do end up needing prescription glasses, get them. Your will will be so much clearer!

To keep your eyes healthy in between visits: eat plenty of whole foods (fruits and vegetables!,) exercise, wear SPF rated sunglasses, avoid getting soaps and chemicals into your eyes, and get plenty of sleep.

How to make Hemp Milk - a tasty dairy alternative??

Always on the search for healthy post-workout protein alternatives, I came across a recipe for Hemp milk. Before we go any further, yes hemp seeds come from the same plant that makes "other" hemp products, but no the seeds do not contain any mind altering properties.

They are just a nutty omega-3, GLA, and protein rich food that happens to taste pretty good. I like to toss them into my yogurt, oatmeal, or muesli.

But even though I eat yogurt, I'm not a huge fan of dairy overall and I rarely consume it- for all sorts of ethical and health reasons. It's messy - let's not go there.

Guess what most protein shakes are made of? Dairy - well, dehydrated/oxidized whey..... *sighs.* It's not that I'm opposed to the occasional protein shake made from whey (as long it's free of sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, you get the idea.)

Still, I have been actively searching for a natural protein rich (easily digestible) whole foods alternative. I experimented with homemade bone broths, actual liquid whey left over from when I make homemade Greek yogurt, and almond milk.

All were okay, but kind of gross in their own ways. After a hard workout, I just don't want to chug chicken broth and although liquid whey blended into a smoothie was always yummy, I don't make enough yogurt to keep it in stock.

Enter in the Hemp Milk. I had the seeds so why not give it a shot.

Here's what you do. Measure out 1/2 cup of Hemp seeds:

See that doesn't look like Marijuana does it?

Add 1 1/2 cups water, 1 splash of vanilla (about 1 tsp), I very light sprinkle of sea salt, and a drizzle of honey (less than 1 tbsp) and the hemp seeds all into your blender.

Holy Gross!! That looks horrid! But don't let this discourage you. It's brownish from the vanilla....

Blend it up!

It's looking more and more like "milk" already.... beware - it foams and might escape the blender....

Blend on high for about 2 minutes. Then pour it into a glass. Easy peasy...

It tastes pretty good. A lot like a malted milk. Way better than soymilk and about on par with almond milk, but way less "watery." 

How does it stack up nutritionally? This recipe made 2 full glasses of "milk." My glasses hold 10oz, so there's about 8oz in each glass. Anyway...in each glass there was a whopping 10grams of protein plus a bunch of fiber, minerals, vitamins, and of course GLA and omega-3 fatty acids. All with no preservatives and just a smidge of honey (which you could absolutely omit - it's you're call.)

This is some pretty nutrient rich milk. Even though I'd put in a taste category similar to almond milk, it has way more nutrients. I love almonds, but almond milk is mostly water. 

The best non-dairy milk (hands down) is coconut milk, but it's a really poor source of protein. Great for medium chain saturated fats and  pure yumminess, but lacking in post-workout necessities.

You can use any of the non-dairy milks in cooking (pancakes, muffins, smoothies, "ice creams" or cream sauces. You can always add cocoa powder and a bit more honey if you wanted to make "chocolate milk."

Even if you eat dairy (like I do,) it's always nice to have choices. Variety is the spice of life!

Betting on Sports

Some people take their obsession with sports over the edge. They yell, riot, paint their bodies... I'm not that big of sports fan. I rarely watch or attend games and I have never bet on sports. That shouldn't come as a surprise, since I don't even buy lottery tickets.

But the world of online betting is huge. People really get into it. You can find information about betting on any of your favorite sports like football, baseball, basketball, hockey,and soccer in all of their various leagues.

If you love sports, then the internet is definitely your friend. It's a great place to learn about players, statistics, history, and even how to watch the game. And if you want to get involved in the world of online betting, there's a whole world of information out there for you.

How to dry Catnip in the Microwave

Last year, I grew catnip for our kitten and she turned her nose up at it. Really? She'll go bananas for the expensive organic catnip at the store, but won't touch real, fresh organic catnip?

Then my daughter picked the catnip and let it dry out. She then secretly fed it to our cat and eventually shared the results. So...she only likes it dried, huh?

I grow tons of herbs and love to use them fresh, but have saved them by dehydrating in a dehydrator (or air drying) and also by blending with water and freezing. Both work great but non are really quick.

Then my sister told me about drying herbs in the microwave. I had a bunch of catnip growing in the window, so I thought: why not? 


It worked great and here's how you do it:

Gather your catnip and a paper towel.

Pick a few strands of catnip (or whatever herb you are preserving) and place it on the paper towel.

Fold the towel over itself and place it in the microwave. Microwave for 2 minutes, then check on it and microwave at 10-30 second intervals. 

This particular catnip took 2 1/2 minutes, but came out nice and crispy.

Crumble your catnip.

Add cat:

Success!!

Are You Left Eyed or Right Eyed?

Are You Left Eyed or Right Eyed?
Whether they were being held in KC self storage or a Brooklyn cellar, the rackets, balls, and wheels of summer are about to be brought back out into the light of day. 


Parents beware - even if you yourself aren't planning on playing a little catch, you'll inevitably be walking around flying objects through the several dozen weeks of spring and summer. Whether Frisbee or softball, bogies are an inevitable part of the warm weather suburban landscape


Before heading out into such hazardous conditions, it's worth taking into account that one of your eyes is the more dominant of the other. That way in the event that a poorly thrown ball heads your way, or heaven forbid you go outside and participate in a game of catch with your kid, you'll be able to react quicker depending on the direction the ball is coming from relative to your line of sight.


But how do you know which eye is your dominant eye? Easy:
-Make a ring with your thumb and index finger of either hand.
-Extend your arm out as far as possible.
-Find an object several feet away, such as a door knob, and place the ring you made with your fingers around it.
-Close your left eye. Is the object still inside the circle? If so, then you're right-eyed.
-If not, then repeat the last process with your right eye closed instead to confirm you're left-eyed.


Now that you know which eye is the first to focus on an object, you can train yourself to react quicker to a wider range of incoming objects. For example if you're left eyed and a football is coming at you from the right without you immediately seeing it, you can react to it before focusing on it, instead doing both simultaneously.


In addition, you now have an interesting trick to show off to folks during spring and summer barbeques. Not many people are aware that there is such a thing as being left eyed and right eyed. 


While good to know for safety reasons, it's mostly just a cool thing to know about yourself.

Life After Death - What happens when you don't die....

What happens when you realize you just might be taking your last breath, but somehow you survive? Like anyone, I've had near misses with cars or falls that make you wonder what might have happened if you had only been one second earlier or just two steps to the left. But I've also had 3 instances in my life when I was pretty sure it was all over. And then I survived. Living after I thought I could have died, changed my life dramatically.

In a lot of ways it's really weird. Everything you see from that point on is something you would have missed. You feel like you're living on borrowed time and your whole perspective changes.

Has it ever happened to you? I'd love to hear your stories. Here's what happened to me.

I was 17 and decided to drive home from college to visit my family. It was dark and rainy, but I pressed on. Suddenly, the rain came down so hard that I couldn't see anything. Anything! I was tired and wanted to get home so I made a stupid decision. I decided to drive through it.

I thought I'd "just drive straight" and that somehow that would ensure I would stay on the road. It worked for a few minutes, and then it didn't....

I was driving north on a two lane highway. Two south bound lanes ran parallel to me - the roads separated by a large grassy ditch. By driving "straight," I drove right out of the northbound lanes, into the ditch and straight toward the southbound traffic. I could see their lights and I quickly turned my car in the other direction and got stuck.

Instantly, I felt grateful that I was able to turn my car before I hit anyone and also grateful that I had chosen the left lane (closest to the oncoming traffic) as opposed to the right lane which is surrounded by a lake. I can't even imagine how I would have dealt with the water impact, got out of my car, and swam in the pouring rain without any visibility.

But my feelings of relief were quickly overshadowed by the fact that I was at least nine miles from a gas station in either direction and this was 4 years before I got my first cell phone. I was 17, in the rainy dark, alone. But not for long...

I knew it would be hours before the police would find me and I started planning my escape. That's when a big van pulled over near my car and a large man got out. He was huge and I thought to myself.....so this is how it ends. 

It was dark with almost no visibility. He was four times my size. I knew my odds weren't good. I decided running was my only chance. If he got a hold on me, I knew it was over.

He never said a word. He walked to the side of his van and opened the passenger door. Oh my God....time to RUN!

He got into the van and came back out with big chains. He walked to the back of his van and connected the chains. Then he walked to the front of my car and connected the chains. I realized he wasn't planning to hurt me and I said "Thank you."

He said nothing. He got into his van, so I got in my car. He pulled me out, then quickly removed the chains and drove away.

It was the oddest of experiences. I went from preparing for the fight of my life to awe inspiring gratitude. I left that road feeling renewed in the "good of people." That guy didn't have to help me, and he did - Just because.

When I got home, I wrote it all down in my journal. I couldn't believe people could be so amazing. I had spent my first 17 years living in a world full of drunks, druggies, and all out downers. They stole because they wanted to and hurt people on purpose.

When I first went off to college, I had a very hard time adjusting to being truly "on my own." I was the poorest I had ever been in my life, my car was always breaking down, and I was just trying to navigate this new world within the context of the life I knew.

I finally felt like maybe the world was worth it. I poured myself into my school work and set high goals for myself. Life was good and I was going to enjoy it.

Fast forward 2 years and I think I might die again....

I have one year of college left. I'm still poor as hell. I work 4 jobs simultaneously to pay for rent/college/food/life. I'm going to digress right here to tell you that working 4 jobs was a mistake. I still pulled straight A's and had a resume of gold (with excellent job offers months before I even graduated....) but it was still a mistake.

I worked so I could pay my school loans and living expenses. The truth is, most of my loans were deferred and didn't earn interest until I graduated. The truth is, I could have taken out MORE loans to cover most of my expenses and just paid for it later. But I am debt adverse. Or more like debt allergic. I could not stand having debt. So I paid my loans while I was in school. Sometimes I only ate an apple all day, or one sandwich, but I paid all my loans and other bills early.

I parked 1-2 miles away from campus, and walked or ran to school to avoid the $2.50/day parking fee. And that's how this second event begins. I was heading off to my first shift at the hospital. It would have been sometime between 4 - 6am. I was in charge of this department and could come anytime between then to fit my schedule.

In case you're wondering, the rest of my day included classes spread all over the campus, a teaching job at the university, a university lab position, and a lab position at a local chemical company. I usually ended the night with another shift at the hospital and started back for my car around midnight where I would run back to my car in the dark and pray that it would start (it did 60% of the time.) There wasn't much eating or sleeping - but a whole lot of walking, reading and working.

So on this day, somewhere between 4 and 6 am, I had parked my car in the ghetto and was walking along "the river" to the hospital. The river roads were notorious for violent crimes, but it was the closest route to the hospital. And I was actually one road over from "the river road" but was following the same path.

I could sense that someone was behind me. I quickened my pace. I heard them quicken as well. And here is where I made my mistake. I took a few seconds to think about what to do next. Should I run? Would I look stupid if I just started running for no reason? Should I cross to the other street? Should I yell?

In the end, I decided to run - but it was too late. He had already grabbed me. He quickly put one arm around my waist and covered my mouth and nose with his other hand.

I let out the most blood curdling, loudest scream I had ever heard in my life. I didn't even know I had it in me. And in fact, it wasn't me. I didn't do it, my body did it on it's own. My mind was thinking, "don't let him move you to a second location, don't let him move you..."

But I didn't think for long because as soon as the scream came out, he let me go. And I took off running. He came running after me and.....called out my name!

I turned to see a boy I knew from a chemistry club on campus. He didn't say he was sorry. He wasn't laughing or anything. He tried to "strike up a conversation" and I just said, "I have to get to work" and ran off to the hospital.

I don't know why he was out that early in the morning. I don't know if he grabbed me as a joke or to get my attention....or if he had other plans. We were not friends and had never really talked before. I had seen him in the chemistry club, but let's just say - he wasn't my type.

Maybe the scream of death scared him enough to change his plans. I'm glad that it did, but I've always wondered what my body would have done next.

The scream was not planned or done with any effort. It just came instinctively. Would I have fought instinctively? Would I have got angry and started a drag out bloody fight? Or would I have submitted and been dragged away. I shudder to think of it, but this moment also changed my life forever.

I am always aware of my surroundings now. I never considered myself a pansy, but I recognize it was my fault that I ever let someone get that close in the first place. I should have been more alert. I should have turned around and confronted him or ran from the outset.

From that day forward, I have always carried a weapon and I have mentally prepared to use it (or my hands/feet/whatever.) From that day on I have been prepared to kill or be killed.

I had less than a year of school left, and I changed everything. I dropped down to one job and stopped paying off my loans. No worries, I paid them off within 3 months of my first job. I started riding my bike for speed and increased visibility, and life was good.

I kept at it until the financial drama of 2007/2008 when I became a frugal freak and it would take yet another death defying moment to remind me that money isn't everything. But I'll tell that story another time....

Eat Smart Precision GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale Review & Giveaway

Over the years, I have told countless women to stop worrying about the number on the scale. And none of them listen, not even myself. But I am revamping those efforts and I am now armed with a very powerful tool to help us get a grip on the raging thought that you have to be thin to be healthy.

This tool is the Eat Smart Precision GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale.

I recently had the opportunity to review the Eat Smart Precision GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale and I absolutely love it!  And it's not just because of the sleek, thin design. Really, it looks pretty cool.

I checked it's accuracy and precision over multiple "weigh-ins" and by comparing it to 2 different scales in my home. No...I'm not weight obsessed. We just happen to own another body-fat scale and a Wii Fit (aka scale.)

The weight measurements were dead-on every time, and the other calculations were consistent over multiple uses. Other calculations? The GetFit scale measures body fat percentage, muscle mass, total body water, and bone mass.

All of these are important measures, especially for women! As we get older, our muscles and bones shrink. Some of it is inevitable, but none of it is healthy. If for nothing else, I'd recommend that all women get this scale so that they can keep track of their bone and muscle mass. If you notice a declining trend in either, then hopefully you'll be motivated to make a change!

Or you can use it like I do - and track your progress!! It's wonderful to see your muscle mass go up, especially if you see a weight gain on the scale.

Plus it's really easy to use. You just step on it and the scale does the rest of the work. Check out this video of me using the scale. I just step on. It's that easy.

At first glance - you may have noticed that I have gained 6-8 pounds since last summer. I am keenly aware of that, and even though I know weight is just a number, I'm sensitive to it like any other girl. I have been working on increasing my muscle mass, and it's working. Of my 114 lbs, 40% is muscle, 5lbs is bone, and 17% is fat.

I am so much stronger than I was last summer, and with the GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale I have the numbers to prove it. Well, that and the fact that I can do 20+ pull ups before failure (at least 6 consecutively - the rest after 60 seconds rest intervals.)

The scale comes with a handy guide that explains all of the numbers so you'll know what an appropriate muscle mass, bone mass, water weight, and body fat percentage is for your age and gender.

You're going to want to try this scale out for yourself. And one Suburban Jungle reader will win their own Eat Smart GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale! If you'd like to enter to win - fill out the rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I received a complimentary scale for review purposes. The giveaway prize is provided by Eat Smart and will be shipped directly from Eat Smart to the winner. The winner will be notified by email.  No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Orcon Earth Worm Castings - Review

If I could, I would grow my own worms.... Since I live in the North and my husband is not a fan of wiggly worms in the house, (sniff) it's just not an option. But every organic gardener knows how good earthworm castings are for your soil.

I spent the first few winter months reading about the benefits of earth worms and their castings, and have been patiently waiting for spring (well, sort of patiently.) Castings are really a great way to naturally enrich your soil.

So I was thrilled when I had the chance to get my hands on Orcon's 100% Earth Worm Castings. My family was horrified!

My children assumed there were worms inside the container. Once I explained what it really was, they were dumbfounded. They even refused to help me feed our plants.

But I gathered them together and we opened the jar. Here's what they look like:

"Mom, that looks like dirt. You just got a bucket of dirt." is what my daughter said. Um...yeah. I tried to explain to them that every inch of dirt on the planet has been through the tummy of at least one worm. They didn't get it.

But if you are squeamish at all about this being "poop" - Don't Be! All dirt contains poop. Get over it. Plus if you are going to add something to your lawn or your garden - wouldn't you rather add something natural and beneficial.

I love to use compost, fish emulsions, kelp, mulches, and bone meals to feed my plants. They are so much healthier because of it and I just gotta say - big, healthy, yummy organic fruits and veggies can NOT be beat.

It's still winter here, so there is no active growth in my garden right now. Instead, I used the worm castings on my indoor herb planter. I had been agonizing for weeks about how/what to feed my indoor garden. I refuse to buy those horrid chemical sticks for any food plants and I knew my husband would have issues with me bringing any fish emulsions inside....

The worm castings were a perfect win-win. They have absolutely no smell or taste. I'm just kidding about the taste; I didn't taste them. But they don't smell. They are nice and dry and easy to use. Here's how I added them to my herbs.

Grow Basil Grow!!

You can make them into a compost tea (just add water and let them soak,) mix them in with your potting soil, or spread them on top of existing plants.

Like all organic gardening, it's easy. It's just about feeding the soil with the right things, and letting nature grow like it should.

I am going to keep these for my indoor plants, but am also going to mix them up with the nettle teas I make in the summer so all of my outdoor plants get a chance to benefit from them as well. I'll keep you updated on the progress - both in the herb pot and outdoors.

*I received a complimentary bucket of Orcon Earth Worm Castings for review purposes. No compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.