Sunday, March 30, 2014

Food is Fuel

Food is defined as nutritional support for the body.
I must say, I have had a lot of "support" over this past weekend.

Pumpkin soup.
Sauteed onion, canned pumpkin, almond milk, vege broth, salt & pepper, curry powder & nutmeg served with seasoned toasted rye bread.
Rocket salad with homemade honey mustard dressing and potatoes with cilantro.
Avocado and tomato with balsamic dressing and spicy pita chips.
 Grilled vegetable wheat pasta.
 Vegan mint mug cake.
 Raw energy bites (vegan)
Recipe found on instagram @chaesea
1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, 1/2 cup nut butter, 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/3 cup honey.  Mix and place in fridge for 20-30 minutes to firm up.  Roll into bite-sized balls.
 Date walnut bread (no dairy; no oil).
 Zaatar spiced flax crackers.
Recipe found here.
I enjoy weekends because it means I have more time to cook.  More time to play around in the kitchen.  I enjoy making up my own recipes and trying new ones.  Good food does not have to be complicated.  I never make anything that takes longer than 20-30 minutes (not counting baking time, of course).

Yesterday morning I went to an Indian restaurant with Samantha who I met at one of the farmer's markets (and then we connected via Instagram).  The weather was so nice that we were able to sit outside and share a South Indian breakfast.  
Pani puri and rava masala dosa. 
(Today we are having a major dust storm.  Ugh!)
Samantha makes fresh nut milks which I am totally in love with.  She uses all natural ingredients and the flavors are just amazing.
Pistachio cardamom & saffron; pistachio orange blossom; cashew rosewater; cashew chai; cashew dark chocolate; hazelnut barley coffee; lavender almond.
Oh my!  They are all so good!  An indulgent, healthy treat.
 My tastebuds have changed a lot since going mostly vegan a year ago.  I'm not afraid to experiment with food.  Hardly do I ever come up with something that I can't eat.  Now my family is another story.  My husband tried the zaatar crackers but did not like them at all.  My 15 year old said they just looked bad.
Of course, food should be tasty and enjoyable, but beyond that, I believe that it should be good for us.  After all, it is fuel for our bodies.  

The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.

Have a healthy, happy day!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your weekend food sounds tasty --- well, I might agree with your son a little about the flax crackers. They do LOOK a bit nasty. But, I like flax, so I would probably like the crackers in spite of their appearance.

Don't judge a book by it's cover, right?

Catherine said...

Everything looks so yummy Tammy! It's true isn't it? The healthier you eat, the more you crave the healthy stuff and forget about the bad stuff. Yum yum!
Hope you are having a most wonderful weekend!
xo Catherine

Claudia said...

Can you come cook for me here while Don is away? Everything looks so delicious, Tammy.

xo
Claudia

faith76 said...

Mmm love the meal ideas.

Jennifer Hays said...

You seem like an excellent cook! All of these recipes sound delicious to me. Thank you for sharing. The nut milks are intriguing; I've only ever had almond milk and I liked it, but these others sound even better.

Mosaic Magpie said...

All the foods looked so colorful and yummy. I switched over to almond milk about a year ago and never looked back!

Teresa Kasner said...

I enjoy your food posts. It's intriguing for me to see things that are made on the other side of the world! I'm in Ohio and even here eating my daughter's food it's different from what we have at home. Great quote! I read it to my daughter. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Melanie said...

All your food looks so delicious. I totally agree that food is fuel/energy and should be healthy - not poison! I have curried sweet potato soup simmering on the stove right now. I'll definitely be making your raw energy bites. Nice little treat. Do you have a recipe for the date bread?

Anonymous said...

It is also about the spirit with which you eat it as well. We are in such a hurry. To slow down, savor the food, the texture the colors as well as savoring those we are eating it with (even if it is a bird in the park), it is all balance and it can ALL be good. Wonderful photos and such yummy results. I am going to make those energy bites for my family this week! they look so good.
Thanks for sharing your adventures in food this week, lol
Peace~
Dawn

Diane said...

Your hard critics don't stop you from creating mouth watering looking food. Yum! Diane

Draffin Bears said...

Hi Tammy,

All your food looks so scrumptious. The saying you are what you eat is so true - we have been cutting out sugar and I have made some almond milk so trying to eat healthier.
Your friends fresh nut milks must be delicious - yum.
happy new week
hugs
Carolyn

Linda said...

I would try all of those things and probably like most, but my husband would not. He doesn't like anything different, vegetarian, etc., so I make what he likes and that's what we pretty much eat here with some variation. Most of my homemade dinners (I cook every night) take longer than just a few minutes to prepare and some are quite elaborate. I have more time than most it seems. : )

We enjoyed a beautiful Sunday here with warm temps, sunshine and tons of yard work - collecting and burning all the brush in the yard, cleaning out all of the gardens. Some things have slowly begun to grow and that's inspiring since spring weather is finally here.

Have a nice week,
Linda

Brenda Pruitt said...

Everything you show looks to be good eating and I should be eating it! I sure wish I loved to cook, I'd be eating like you. I have got to look for almond milk at the grocery store. Wonder if it costs more?
Brenda

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

It all looks good to me especially the rocket salad!

Betsy said...

Your dishes look so good and sound so exotic to me. The foods are so different than what we eat here and look much healthier than Hubby and I tend to eat. The different milks sound delicious.
Blessings,
Betsy

Blondie's Journal said...

The Raw Protein bites look exceptionally good, I may make them for my husband and daughter. I think it would be great for them to grab in the morning.

I think it takes a little more mindfulness to eat properly, to eat foods for fuel. And so many of us are rushed and just can't find the time. That's a big mistake because if you are that busy, you really need those nutrients. Buying a box of granola bars or frozen breaded mass marketed fish is not the answer either. Fresh food is. I've struggled with my weight since my last child was born and that's when I became very informed. No, I didn't change my eating habits drastically right away, we are always learning. But for the most part, our meals are made from scratch because I love to cook and thankfully, have the time.

Thanks for sharing your pictures, recipes and philosophy! And for letting me add my own!

XO,
Jane

Dagmar said...

Your blog looks so good today Tammy, it made me hungry! Hope your weekend was great.
Xo

Cat said...

I very much agree with your view on food, it is our fuel for the body, it is so important to step back and remember that although a treat every so often isn't bad:) It looks like you have been creating some delicious meals for yourself and those drinks sound yummy, I enjoy trying new things too:) Have a wonderful week Tammy:) x

Susan said...

Everything looked great to me, Tammy. I think you are a great cook. I love zatar so those crackers would definitely delight me. Mmmmmm Havea great week. Susan

Createology said...

I do like most of the foods you have shown here. Some I have never tried and they sound interesting. I only discovered the joys of food and different cultures after meeting my husband the world traveler. I've come to truly enjoy so many foods now. Thank you for sharing your love of foods dear. Dust Dust Go Away...

vintage grey said...

All such yummy foods to be eating!! Have a lovely week Tammy! xo Heather

Unknown said...

Um...yes please to everything! :) xo Jen

Pearlin J said...

What a tempting fare Tammy. Thakkar and Aman are our fav weekend places to visit :) thanks for reminding

Yarni Gras! said...

ok, you got me at green "milk".....hahahaha!

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