Pureflow 2 vs Pureflow 3

If you are anything like me when you see that your favorite shoes are on sale you find justification to buy not only that pair of Pureflow 2's for 45% off, but also the latest and greatest Pureflow 3's. I am a loyal Brooks running advocate because I have found that Brooks running shoes are cut low enough that shoes do not rub on my ankles as other brands do.

When my new pairs of Pureflows arrived today I was mentally noting the differences I see, and decided that I should review these shoes against each other, will the Pureflow 3 be better than the 2?!

The Pureflow 3 appears to have a sleeker, more aesthetically appealing design, but will it be at the cost of functionality? The Pureflow 2 uses a single piece of a microfiber bonded to the outer shoe for support. Other notable differences include the side the shoe tongue is attached to, the material used to line the shoes, perhaps a slightly larger toe box, and a completely redesigned sole.

I hope you will join me in a few weeks for my non-scientific shoe analysis :)

Not raw, but still amazing

For a few weeks I have been craving stir-fry, I've had enough vegetables to turn into stir-fry, but haven't had the time. Tonight I decided I wanted it enough to be patient and cook it up, and man was it amazing. I used a recipe I had found in Basic's (natural food co-op) weekly flyer from almost a year ago. The recipe was for Miso Ginger Stir-fry with Sea Vegetables. So naturally I used about 4/15 ingredients they listed :) Have I mentioned I don't always follow directions very well?!

My ingredient list:
-about 1 1/2 cups water
-2 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
-grated Ginger
-2 tablespoons walnut oil

-1 medium onion chopped
-2 carrots chopped large
-1 rib celery chopped
-1-2 leaves red cabbage torn apart
-edamame (mine was from the freezer)
-zucchini (optional)

I threw the first 4 ingredients together while I worked on chopping my onion, then I added it to the pan for 2 minutes until soft. Next I added the carrots and celery (really I just added them as I finished chopping them up). I let them simmer for a minute then I added the edamame, red cabbage, and lastly some zucchini spirals I had left over. I served it over brown rice and enjoyed thoroughly. If you like your vegetables crisper you can always saute them with a little oil first and then add the sauce.

Raw Food Success!

It took a lot of prep work, but I must say my Pad Thai with Peanut Sauce was AMAZING!  First I got my ingredients ready (I modified a little, so here is what I used):

• 2 Cucumbers
• 2 Zucchini 
• Red Cabbage (about 3-4 leaves)
• 2 carrots
• Bean Sprouts
• 1 Avocado
• Scallions
• Cilantro

First I washed my veggies, then I got to work. I used my Pampered Chef Spiral and Slice to make the cucumber and zucchini into "noodles". Next I went to work on the red cabbage, to be honest, this was my first time working with cabbage.  I tried to cut the leaves, but they really looked pathetic so I turned to my food processor and added on the grating blade, this method appeared to be a failure at first, but then I noticed that it wasn't liquifying it as it appeared at first, but was actually making smaller grated pieces.  I grated 3-4 leaves and then put them on top of the "noodles".  Next I grated a couple of carrots, grabbed a handful of cilantro, diced some green onion, and threw some bean sprouts on top for this pretty arrangement:

I was prepping this for the next night, so I simply put it in my pampered chef glass Leakproof glass container 

Now onto the Peanut Sauce.  After chopping all of the veggies, my kitchen was a mess, and I was tired, so I decided that I would use regular peanut butter this time.  For the Peanut sauce I also gathered my ingredients:

• 1 cup (raw) Peanut Butter
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 inch or so of fresh Ginger
• Lemon juice
• 3 TBSP Raw Honey
• 2 TBSP Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup EVOO (olive oil)
• Water
• Cayenne pepper

I simply combined all of the ingredients in the food processor besides the water and cayenne pepper and blended until smooth.  Add in water until you reach a desired consistency (1/2 cup-1/3 cup). Then I added a little cayenne pepper, I probably added a little more than I wanted, and it made it somewhat spicy, but still really good when I tried it. This made about 2 cups of sauce.  I transferred it to my 3 cup prep bowl and put it in the refrigerator for tonight.

Tonight was the moment of truth, a couple of friends whom I had promised I'd have over after I got back from vacation came over for dinner.  I transferred the veggies into a bigger bowl and mixed them up. I opted to leave the peanut sauce on the side so everyone could choose how much dressing they wanted.  From the first bite the Pad Thai with Peanut Sauce was a slam dunk.  With this recipe it tasted just like any warm Pad Thai I've ever eaten, even though it was completely raw.  The cilantro added a nice fresh taste, and even though I'm not a huge cucumber fan I didn't notice the difference between them and the zucchini.  For how easy the peanut sauce was to make I think I'd make it again and just go with a fewer variety of vegetables depending on time constraints.  I'd give this recipe a 5/5 without blinking an eye.

After we ate most of it!

 Recipe adapted from Raw Food Recipes by Abby Richards

Raw Smoothies

I can't say that I love the smoothie I made tonight, but I don't hate it either. Similar to any recipe I tend to loosely follow recipes. Well, it didn't work out in my best interest tonight. The recipe book that I have is for 2-4 servings typically but I make my smoothies in a single cup blender, see the problem here? The recipe called for half a lemon, so I threw in half a lemon because I had it in my fridge, but then I didn't add as much of the other fruits and veggies called for (apple, celery and spinach); holy lemon! I'm definitely taking notes to include less lemon than suggested, try it and add more! Apart from all of the lemon I taste right now this smoothie seems like a great summertime drink.

And on a completely different topic, Elizabeth, Rob and I tried a little TRX this morning. Wow, what a workout, I was shaking before I left the athletic club! I wish that they offered free classes so I could do them!

New Year, New Me?

Greetings friends! Here we are January 27th, how many of you have kept your New Year's resolutions? And how many of you like me decided New Year's resolutions weren't really for them? This year I decided that I would pick a project around the house to get done every week, such as go through that junk drawer, or clean out the closet. So far, so good, until I was on vacation last week, so now it's time to get back in it. Which brings me to my point; on vacation last week in Punta Cana the food differences were astounding. Literally from eating too many carbs and delicious fruit for a week buffet overstuffed style I decided it was time for a food change when I got home. Before I left I had downloaded some free books off of Kindle, and was intrigued by a Raw eating recipe book I had downloaded.

I read through the books beginning chapters and skimmed some recipes and decided I could try this raw stuff a few days (meals) a week. So I thought perhaps you would like to share in my new adventure. First up was a veggie breakfast scramble. It was pretty easy with my food processor in hand. I blended sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, and almonds until they were flour like, then added some cumin, chili powder and almond milk. Then I simply stirred in a tomato and scallion, and I was done! It was a relatively painless process, and the scramble didn't turn out too bad, although I think I'd omit the sunflower seeds next time.

My next project was with my mom's dehydrator, it didn't have any instructions, so I'm winging it. I put some blueberries and apple slices to get started. After work the apples were ready and will be a delicious snack; the blueberries are still dehydrating and on their way into blueberry vinaigrette dressing!

Project 3 after work tonight was a delicious smoothie. I blended a banana, half an apple, cocoa powder, spinach, and almond milk. So far, so good. I'm hoping to keep prepping some raw meals and share them with you guys. Have you ever cooked raw? Any suggestions for this newby?