My hubby and I have logged quite a bit of trail time over the years. At this point in our bag-packing lives, we are finding it more and more difficult to tolerate the typical trail food. We’ve had more than our fill of dehydrated meals and packaged energy bars! So, lately I have been trying to find fresher, tastier, homemade alternatives to fuel our backcountry adventures.
I love Tuesday afternoons. On Tuesday I always leave work on time. On my way home, I stop to pick up our weekly box of organic produce. I love looking forward to my little organic Tuesday surprise. I never know what I’ll get. And then there’s the extra “add-ons” that my hubby likes to surprise me with…6 bunches of random greens, 25 lb. bag of carrots, bags of raw nuts, dried herbs, raw milk, grass-fed beef…who knows what else? After some good-natured teasing from the ladies about my hubby’s gigantic add-on orders and who’s gonna be cooking it all, I rush home to unload my box. It’s feels like Christmas as I eagerly unwrap the brown paper to reveal this week’s secret prize. There’s always something a little special or unexpected, like watermelon radishes, bright green spiral-tipped cauliflower or heirloom tomatoes. Even a simple head of purple cabbage seems like a work of art.
This is the time of year when I begin to feel the welcomed shift from my hectic springtime schedule to the much more relaxed bustle of spontaneous summertime activities. School is out and the kiddos are off to play for the summer. Year-end teaching tasks and deadlines give way to crafty pursuits and trip planning. The days are getting longer and the temperature is quickly warming up. During this time of year raw veggie meals and cold blender treats are much preferred to cooking over a hot stove! So, I spent my first official summer weekend sleeping late, keeping house and stirring up something sweet to celebrate summer’s arrival.
In this household, we do not get older, we simply get a little less young. My hubby is adamant about this. Yesterday was his birthday and it’s always a challenge to come up with gift ideas for this boy. But the one thing he always seems to appreciate is good food. And since he truly is something to celebrate, I thought he deserved some special superfood treatment!
My hubby and I love exploring together, whether it be mountain trails, desert dunes or superfoods. Lately we have been enjoying our time perusing vegan/superfood cookbooks and planning meals together as we make efforts to alkalize, vegefy and up the raw factor in our diets. One of my favorite cookbooks is Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris. My copy is actually her original edition titled Superfood Cuisine. It’s my comfort book. I feel healthier just looking at the beautiful photos of her superfood creations! So, when her Superfood Smoothies book came out, my thoughtful husband ordered a copy for me right away.
This dried berry mix is one of my favorite superfood treats. On their own, they each possess their own unique set of superpowers and together, they make one terrific trio! I love the way the super sweet mulberry contradicts the pucker power of the goldenberry and that mellow goji guy just brings them all together. Goji berries have a permanent (and easily accessible) position on our kitchen counter and we always have a steady supply on hand. The goldenberries…well, they are tart little buggers, so a little goes a long way. They tend to last a while. The mulberries on the other hand, they are like gold in this household! Whoever gets to the bag first strikes it rich. They are gone in a flash and there is no mercy, where those guys are concerned. Unfortunately, it can be pretty pricey to keep a supply on hand, so we do try our best to conserve. I consider it a treat to indulge in an extra bag of these dried white Turkish delights and this weekend I felt like treating myself. Since I had the bag in my possession I decided to make the best of it and prepare an array of superfruit goodies. Superberry Sunday, it is.
One thing I am always in search of is a good energy bar. After so many years of trail time, my husband and I have had our fill of the packaged energy/protein/power bar. We are always on the hunt for new recipes for homemade bars packing some sort of super-nutrient punch. Today I had a hankering for some of these Chocolate Energy Bars. They are perfect for a long day on the trail or a day at the crags. Make them into mini bites and they are just the sweet thing to top off a healthy lunch during a long work day or a little pick-me-up any old time. These bars are so yummy and very satisfying. I thought I might need a little bit of this goodness to get me through the coming week.
When I was a young child I thought a vegetarian was someone who ate a lot of vegetables. I once informed my best friend’s mom that I was a vegetarian. I was baffled, not to mention disappointed, when she announced that she could no longer feed me hot dogs because I was a vegetarian. I was not, in fact, a vegetarian, but we did eat a lot of vegetables in my household. As much as I loved my veggies, there were two things I absolutely hated: spinach and beets.
Last night it rained. This morning, as I drove to work, I was taken aback by the sight of snow on our local desert peaks! After many beautiful, sunny, spring days we have regressed to some winter-like weather. Overcast, cool, windy. I am definitely in the mood for a sunny sort of salad!
As I mentioned earlier, we have really been enjoying the beautiful and delicious recipes by Kris Carr and Chef Chad Sarno. So, that’s where I went to look for some edible sunshine!
In French, parfait means perfect. How fitting to indulge in this perfectly delicious fruit parfait on this perfectly lovely (and quite lazy) spring morning. My mom recently sent us a fabulous and fun cookbook called Crazy Sexy Kitchen by Kris Carr with Chef Chad Sarno. My hubby and I have both been inspired by these beautiful and creative vegan recipes lately. Today, with that stream of light through the kitchen window and some self-imposed lazy time, I set out to create my own version of the Mango-Raspberry Parfait with Vanilla Creme.
Seek a Little Solace 