A Movie and A Smoothie

This past Friday evening I was having a conversation about food - well, most of my conversations center around food - and my friend asked if I had seen the documentary "Forks Over Knives".  I had not seen it, yet, but knew it was on my mental movie list.

So, Sunday afternoon, after Sparky and I had risen at 4:00 am to drive to Skiatook, OK for a road race and then drove home, all I wanted to do was relax and enjoy a movie on the couch cuddled up under an old quilt.  I activated our Netflix and instantly went searching through the documentaries.  There it was, "Forks Over Knives".  Perfect.

Here is the Trailer for those of you interested:

It was a good documentary.  I really enjoyed it.  It motivated me and it confirmed a few things I already thought.  That's all I will say.  I don't like to preach too much.  I like to watch different health and food documentaries to see if and what conflicting information is out there for us.  I also have switched my eating lifestyle and try my best to honor what I believe and say.  I'm not going to lie, being a HUGE food lover, eating what's right for me can be so incredibly tough.  I'm sure you all are fully aware of my dark chocolate, coffee, cupcake, ice cream obsessions.  I love SWEETS.  I need them everyday it seems.  So how do I incorporate & justify these indulgences to feel less guilty?

- dark chocolate.  I say it's better (for you and tasting) than crappy milk chocolate.  I especially dislike over processed fake milk chocolate coated candies.  ack.  I like fresh rich dark chocolate candies.  Yum.  I also LOVE Silk dark chocolate almond milk.  I will sometimes have a little glass after dinner to get my sweet craving knocked out for the day.

- coffee.  I try buying organic and low acidic.  I also have kicked creamers and try to add almond milk or cocoa powder to my coffee.  It has been tough but worth it.  I've also switched to every other day during the week and alternate the off days with either organic green tea or organic chocolate chai tea.  I used to have at least 2-3 MUGS of coffee a day.  Now I'm down to about 5 a week if I get a craving in the afternoon for one and just can't help myself because I've been so good.  If I'm purchasing coffee, I ask for soymilk, sugar free syrups if possible, and refuse the whip cream.

-cupcakes.  You all know I have an addiction to Green Goodies by Tiffany.  They're organic and I normally try to get a vegan cupcake to feel less guilty.  It works in my head.

-ice cream.  I try to limit my dairy intake as much as possible.  I do however, enjoy a little froyo on occasion and now that Green Goodies has frozen yogurt, I'm sure I'll be enjoying it a little bit more than I'd like to admit.  But, if I'm buying a frozen treat for the home, I usually get  soy dream or almond dream.  They are so yummy and decadent.

That's how I feed my sweet tooth and feel less guilty about it.  After watching "Forks Over Knives" I was inspired to eat more plant based foods.  I feel that I have been slacking the last few weeks.  Monday morning I woke up and instead of enjoying bran cereal and an english muffin, I made a fruit smoothie. It was so yummy and I felt so energized the entire day.  It was a great way to start the week.  Below is the smoothie I made.  Maybe incorporating a smoothie in the morning a few days a week will at least make me feel less guilty about enjoying the cheese with my wine.

I don't really have a name for this smoothie.  Let's go with:  Peach Orange Berry smoothie.

I threw in all the following into a blender.  I didn't really have a method or a plan.  That's the beauty of smoothies.

-2 handfuls of Organic frozen peaches
-2 handfuls of Organic frozen blueberries
-half an Organic orange (fresh)
-1/4 cup-ish cranberry juice
-1/2 cup-ish unsweetened almond milk

*I intended to throw in some ginger but forgot in all my crazy excitement.  I'm sure it would have been an amazing addition.  Next time!

Keep on Keepin on.

Local Love & Green Goodies by Tiffany

If you didn't already know, I'm a huge supporter of buying local.  I love small businesses and the creativity and kindness that typically comes along with it.  OKC and the metro area have been promoting local businesses for a while now and the best part is that there are so many incredible local businesses to offer almost anything you might want.  

There are two really great cards you can purchase that will provide you with a little discount when presented at participating local businesses.  The "Keep It Local" card and the Allied Arts "OKCity Card".  They are broth great cards.  Sparky and I have both just in case a business participates in one and not the other.  I carry one around and Sparky carries the other so we are always supporting and discounting even without each other.  I love local and I especially love a discount!

One of my favorite little businesses to buy delicious little human treats (sorry doggies) is Green Goodies by Tiffany.  This cute little bakery recently moved into Classen Curve and added even more greatness to their menu options.  Although I did love the cute simple bakery Tiffany started out on Western, the new location is still simple and pristine with more organic goodness to try.  She still has the same whimsy organic style with a little bit more modern flare.  I love the white tables and chairs, the large window overlooking the outside seating area, the white tiles, the larger glass case for cupcakes, and the large pink wall with the simple green tree logo behind the counter.  

Now to the goodies!  Tiffany is still baking her amazing organic, gluten free, vegan, and diabetic friendly cupcakes that are so incredibly divine.  I actually think they are even better now!  I have tried almost every cupcake and I have yet to try one I didn't devour in less than a minute.  I know, not a great mental picture for you.  And, yes, I can't believe I just admitted to almost trying every cupcake.  Back to the point.  The Vegan Hostess cupcake is still my all time favorite cupcake.  It is so moist and flavorful.  The Sopapilla Cheesecake cupcake comes in a very close second and once you take a bite into this wonderfulness you will be in love as well.  I promise.  You can walk in and enjoy any fresh cupcake available that day or pre-order your batch for a party or event.  

New to the goodies list is organic frozen yogurt & toppings bar, fresh espresso & coffee, and teas.  The other day I tried their dark chocolate frozen yogurt and salted caramel frozen yogurt with a few little treats from their toppings bar.  I am a huge dark chocolate fan so this frozen yogurt is my new best friend.  It was a very dark rich chocolate with a nice smooth and creamy texture.  The salted caramel was also magnificent not being overwhelming with either salt or caramel.  It was the perfect blend.  I will definitely make this my frozen yogurt destination.  

Yesterday, I went in yet again to try out their coffee.  Their coffee menu has so many options and I am so excited about this.  They have lattes, mochas, macchiatos, regular coffee, and espresso.  They also have different syrup flavors in sugar or sugar free as well as milk options.  I ordered a 16oz sugar free vanilla latte with soy milk.  It was perfect.  It didn't take me long to drink my entire 16oz and wish I had ordered the larger size!  Although they don't open until 10am on most days, I will definitely make my after 10am coffee stops at Green Goodies.  If you're not into coffee, they also have organic teas and other cold beverage options.

If you haven't been by Green Goodies' new location to try out Tiffany's new goodies, you should definitely stop in for a treat.  They have extended hours now (8pm on weekdays and 9pm Friday & Saturday), so they are a great little local spot to have an after dinner treat and coffee with your friends or lovey.

P.S. I also picked up some day old cupcakes at half the price yesterday.  They were the Guinness and Baileys cupcakes and they were just as yummy being a day old.  Just sayin.

P.P.S.  They accept the "Keep It Local" card on cupcakes!  Now go get a goodie!

Keep on Keepin on.

Hello, March!

I have always loved the month of March.  I don't really have any one specific reason to explain this love for a random single month for me; it's not the month of my birth or any family members of mine.  I think this love for March is a feeling that this month, for me at least, is a turning point every year that provides positive energy and hope for the remaining year.  I know many get this feeling at New Year's, and I do too to some degree, but the month of March is the beginning of possibilities in my opinion.

I can remember back to elementary school learning that March's description is "In like a lion and out like a lamb".  This saying has always stayed with me and every year I check to see if this is true.  I don't necessarily even care if this saying is true, I just like to check in with it.  I don't really care too much if the weather pattern matches the saying because I just know that March is the point I know warmer springlike weather is on the horizon.

I think I always was and am so intrigued by the possibility of such contrast and change in a one month period.  March is a hopeful month because the possibility of change is almost inevitable.  Weather changes and peoples' attitudes change with it.  It seems that many people get excited and get hit with the March-is-hopeful bug.  People are more positive, cheery, social, and all around possess a more bright and pleasant demeanor.

Today is a beautiful day.  It's the first day of March and the temperature will be a whopping 78 degrees and sunny.  I'm opening up the windows and playing outside today after I finish this post.  I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy this gorgeous first day of March!  I am hopeful of what the month of March will bring to my home and yours!

Get out and get some vitamin D aka sunshine!

Keep on Keepin on.