Thank you Matthew Kenney!

Have you ever heard of Matthew Kenney? Well if you have not then let me tell you about this awesome chef! One of his restaurants is here in Oklahoma City called 105 degrees.  I bought Matthew Kenney's RAW book before we even had one of his restaurants and the whole raw movement is something I love! About 3-4 years ago I purchased a VITA Mix and tried living raw, however my Vita Mixer only saw veggies and nuts for a short time before it started making evening cocktails! Fail.
The idea behind the Raw movement is not only living a vegan life style but also eating vegetables in more of their natural state so that the nutrients are not cooked out.
Yesterday my Dad and I had a lovely Dinner at 105 degrees and we both were in awe over how great the food was and how wonderful we felt after leaving! When my Dad and I use to go to Dinner we would normally leave the restaurant bellies full and ready to find a couch/bed. This is no longer the case! Times have changed and I can't be more proud of my father for the healthily life style he is striving to live every single day!
Yesterday's Dinner has me remembering how much better I use to feel when I didn't pollute my body with animal products every day. This week I am giving myself a challenge to go the whole week on a vegan diet.  No meats and no dairy. I think my skin is starting to get that glow just thinking about it!

‘chips and guac’ 

fork crushed avocado, cacao-corn chips,pickled green chili, smoked salt, mole

caprese

local tomatoes, basil, macadamia cheese

the classic summer tomato lasagna

macadamia ricotta, sun cured tomato marinara, pistachio pesto

sweet corn ravioli

broccoli rabe, corn-mint relish, green tomato fondue

       

Healthy Snacks!

Lately I have been struggling to come up with heathy snack ideas for Ella and myself.  I needed to find some ideas that were easy for me to take to work and also some ideas to Ella would enjoy.  I love read Real Simple Magazine because it's packed with great ideas! Here are some of my favorite snack ideas from: realsimple.com/healthysnacks.  I am really excited to see ideas including hummus, peanut butter, and salmon! Yummmm! Today is my second cleanse day so I can't have a snack today but I will be making one or two of these to take to work with me tomorrow!

Chicken Kebabs and Nectarine Salsa

Tonight I decided to make a new meal.  I also decided I would be using chicken.  For those people who know me very well I know this might come to you as a shock!  I was a vegetarian for years before I was pregnant with my daughter and since then I'll eat chicken every once in awhile as long as I feel good about the quality of the chicken.  With that being said I haven't cooked with chicken in years! Everything I make at home is 90% vegetarian or I use Fish.  Tonight I bought some organic chicken ( but who really knows where that even comes from - honestly..) and I brought chicken home to my kitchen to cook with for the very first time! Sam, Daniel, and Ella all enjoyed it with me! I am adding this to "must make again" list for dinners!
  

Broiled Salmon with Marmalade-Dijon Glaze

*My Yummy Lunch Under 600 Calories*

Veggie Pizza Monday!

My brother is back in town this week aka my roomie.  So now I can go back to cooking dinners because I know that he won't let any of it go to waste!  That was one of the hardest things about living alone I never knew how to cook for one!  Daniel eats enough for two people so now it's never a problem! Living with Daniel and Ella allows me to make meals for 4 without left overs sitting in fridge only to be thrown out the following week.  Plus they have also gotten use to and enjoy eating fruit and veggies as 90% of our diet! Today I went to the store and bought lots of leafy greens and other veggies to juice with this week.  Tonight I made Veggie Pizza for our monday night Extreme Makeover Weight Loss show! We both love that show we agree that has to be the best job ever, helping people loss weight, get healthily,  and change their life!

{ Shop 90% in the produce section, Who needs those middle aisles ! }

{ Working on Monday Night Dinner }

                         { One Of My Favorite Wines }                  {The End Result: Vegetarian Pizza }

Classy Grill Cheese Sandwiches

Look how classy these grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soups look! I love this!
(Via Mandr)

I Love Veggies!

So anyone who has known me the past 2 or 3 years knows that I have fallen in love with the "Raw Food Moment" or the veggie life style. I admit since I found out I was pregnant last October I have ate the occasional steak filet, Bison Meat ( No hormones added, lean, Im convinced the healthiest meat out there to eat) and Fish. But I really want to eat mostly raw, fresh, fruits and vegetables. I have many reasons I won't go into now, but I discovered this restaurant online that I really want to Visit the next Time I'm in LA. Veggie Grill has four locations in California. Their menu is all Plant-Based (Awesome!). Their Web site is www.veggiegrill.com . What do you think ?