You ask, I deliver! Greens for Good Kitchen Tour!

10 minutes of:

• Counters
• Freezer
• Fridge
• Pantry
• Spice cabinet
• Dish cabinets

I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know if you have any questions!

Want to film and share your kitchen too? Send me the link to your YouTube video and I’ll post it on Greens for Good (whether you have a blog or not).

First I need to thank everyone who commented on the 5th installment of Ask Me Anything yesterday. We talked about how much groceries cost, and I found out that Evan and I are definitely not alone in large grocery bills. The major consensus was that it’s worth it! It is the only body you’ll ever get, after all. Go check out the comment section if you haven’t already!

Yesterday morning I woke up and had a quick breakfast of lightly toasted manna bread, coconut oil and cinnamon.

Then I went to the gym and walked two miles at a high incline. I’m holding off on running for the sake of my back.

I had only one thing on my mind during that walk and could not wait to get home to make it!

Are you really surprised? Cherry Chocolate Bomb Shake with half of a bag of spinach!

Then Harvey and I played! He’s so cute. Poor thing has to go back to the vet today because he’s all wobbly again. Sigh…

Lunch was leftover from our dinner on Sunday night.

Apparently the Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta may have clam juice in it. I’ll definitely be asking about that next time! Thanks, Katie!

Some macaroons were snacked on throughout the day. Chocolate and blonde. Mmmmm!

And dinner was leftover Chipotle from Saturday night (didn’t blog that night). I added it to a huge bed of chopped romaine and added lots of salsa and unpictured blue corn chips.

We’re off to the vet now, but stay tuned because the kitchen video tour was filmed yesterday and will go up some time today! Are you excited for 10 minutes of the G4G kitchen? With cheesy music and more?!

See ya soon!

Have you seen the Ask Me Anything page? All of the answers to the questions I’ve received are on this page and you can ask an anonymous question at any time! I will continue to answer them in segments such as this.

17. How much money do you spend per week/month on groceries?

I have a confession. I’ve been putting off this question and it was asked a few times in Ask Me Anything. After talking about it with Evan and some other food bloggers, I’m ready to answer it honestly. Here’s the simple answer: it costs money to eat an organic, produce-based diet. It just does. And I’m okay with that because I don’t want to be a part of the statistic that says if we spend less on food, we spend more on health care. I care about my body, I care about the environment, and I care about voting for better food. We pay good money for quality, organic food and not only does it taste better, it makes us feel amazing. It is all about priorities and I think it’s pretty clear where ours lie. Evan and I never really think twice about putting much of our money into food. We’re passionate about eating well and we don’t mind spending the extra money to do so.

With that said (and you’ve probably skipped to this paragraph first because you saw the $$ sign, but please read the first paragraph as well), we spend about $300-$600 a month ($75-$150 a week) on food. We tend to fall somewhere in between those two numbers but it certainly varies and sometimes we only do major grocery shopping every two weeks. It changes, depending on how many bulk items we need that month since raw nuts, seeds and grains tend to cost a lot up front, but last us awhile. We also buy products online (such as the ones in my store) that cost a lot up front, but last us a long time.

Whew, glad that’s over with. How much do you spend on groceries?

18. Could you show us a complete day of vegan eats for you? I am transitioning from vegetarian to vegan and I get lost when I try to think what I’m going to eat for each meal that will keep me from starving without cheese and yogurt.

I hope that the last couple of weeks of showing you all of the food I eat has really helped with this! Please let me know if you still have questions.

19. Was Evan always a vegan? I really would love to somehow transform my boyfriend’s carnivorous horrible eating habits…and I have no idea how to do this…I have him eating raw cabbage and he loves raw green onions (extremely salted)…any suggestions?

No, Evan was not always a vegan. We transitioned together and haven’t looked back! Evan has agreed to do a series of guest posts on G4G for all of the women looking for tips like this or the men looking for more information on being a male vegan. Stay tuned!

Comes right before Monday, Monday.

Yesterday I naturally woke up at 8 AM which is ridiculous and awesome for the weekend. Ridiculous because I sometimes have a hard time waking up at that time during the week. Awesome because I can experience a FULL weekend day without waking up to my alarm clock.

I promptly plopped on the couch with my computer and got some organizational things taken care of in my Google Calendar. I also had a regularly pink CCBS later in the morning.

Then Evan’s parent’s came into town and brought lunch!

Spinach salad with cucumbers and red bell pepper, topped with balsamic.

And some pan-cooked polenta! I always forget about polenta, but I really do love it. This was quite tasty.

Evan’s parents were meeting up for dinner with another couple that they met during their Alaska cruise a couple of years ago. They invited us to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (round two this week for me!).

Evan, Dana (Evan’s brother’s fiance), and I split the same Thai Lettuce Wrap dish I had on Wednesday as an appetizer.

One of my wraps.

Then I had Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta without the parmesan cheese for dinner. Love this dish!

It was loaded with eggplant, red peppers, broccoli, artichokes, pine nuts and roasted garlic.

I love this photo I got of Evan’s parents (left) and their friends, Melinda and Bill (right).

It was a great day and I even got to go to my favorite store at Mall at Millenia, Crate and Barrel. You know you’re a food blogger when… you’re the only woman who leaves a mall with dishes and no clothes.

Harvey kept an eye on us all day… (not really, this is from Saturday night but I thought it was funny!)

And this one is just adorable (he loves to snuggle up).

What excites you most at the mall? Shoes? Purses? Clothes? Jewelry? KITCHEN STUFF?!

I’m off to the gym. Have a great day!

Recently, a reader named Ambre signed up for the Breast Cancer 3-Day and asked if I would help her in her fundraising efforts. If you can donate even $1, please visit Ambre’s donation page.

Here’s what Ambre has to say about doing the Breast Cancer 3-Day and raising money for breast cancer:

Yes, I’m doing it again – I signed up for the Breast Cancer 3-Day! I had such an incredible experience doing the 3-Day last year that I’m going back for more. I’m so excited about this event, even though this year I really know what I’ve gotten myself into.

I don’t walk to get recognition. I don’t walk because I want people to think of me as a hero. I walk so that a little girl can grow and and spend time with her mother. I walk so that a mother can watch her daughter walk down the aisle at her wedding. I walk so that I don’t have to console another friend while a part of her life was taken too soon. I walk because I am physically able to, while others are not. I walk because I’ve been given so much, and I want to give back as much as I can.

In order to participate, I must raise $2300. Won’t you please support me through a donation for this great cause?

You can donate here

Have a great day!

I woke up early this morning to pack macaroons for the blogger lunch today. They were pretty much my breakfast. What?! I had to taste-test them before giving out 25 baggies to some people I’ve never met.

The macaroons are the exact recipe from Raw Food Real World and you can purchase the cookbook from my store if you’re interested.

This weekend is the Disney Princess Half-Marathon and there are a lot of ladies in town for it.

[Caitlin's Photo]

We met at Pizza Fusion for lunch and filled up the front half of the restaurant with our party of over 25 bloggers, readers and significant others.

Caitlin and I were starving and knew that our pizza orders would be a long time coming as people slowly trickled in and blogger lunches just always take a couple of hours. it’s a good thing, because you get to talk to lots of people, but not so fun if you’re starving. We ordered a veganized chicken bruschetta salad (no chicken, sub’d soy cheese) to split with the table and hold us over.

It was perfect and I ended up really needing it…

…My food came last and mostly everyone was done eating by that point. The waitress said they originally made it with regular cheese (rather than the soy cheese I ordered) and it had to be remade. I didn’t mind waiting too much, and I understand that things like that happen when I ask for specific changes to make a vegan meal at restaurants. While I waited, Ashley plopped a slice of her Farmer’s Market pizza on my plate in exchange for a slice of the pizza I was waiting on.

I ordered the Bruschetta Pizza with soy cheese. It is heavenly and was so worth the wait.

Afterward we headed outside to take some pictures!

Ashley and I (we never get pictures together!)

Lindsey and I! Did you know we went to high school together?

Lindsey and Katy in the back of Meghann’s Traverse!

Then we headed to Whole Foods (what food blogger event is complete without a trip to WF?). I’m busy buying produce in the background [far right] and had no idea this photo was being taken. I’m always on a mission the second I walk through WF’s doors!

We got JUICE! My favorite kale, spinach, beet, apple, celery blend with added ginger for some heat. YUM!

And wine samples! This was a yummy Pinot Noir.

Here’s a silly little video I put together from our day. BEST PART: Caitlin yelling “HI SAVVY JULIE!” in the background. Hahaha.

I love blogger meet-ups! If you ever have the opportunity to meet up with people who have similar food/fitness food blogging interests, go for it! It’s so much fun!

EDITED TO ADD: HOW COULD I FORGET?!?! Lindsey sent everyone home with her delicious vegan chocolate chip cookies and I believe her no-sugar cookies as well. They were so good! I ate them all before we left the restaurant

Here’s a little entertainment for your viewing pleasure until I get back tonight with a recap of the blogger lunch that’s happening here in Orlando today. Enjoy!!

What a weird day.

I woke very early this morning to get things done around our apartment in anticipation of being gone from 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM today. I had yoga plans with Ashley, a working lunch, then my other job the rest of the day. I loved being up a few hours before yoga so I could have a normal breakfast.

Here’s the Cinnamon Date Manna Bread I told you about yesterday. Still amazing and you still must try it. The ultimate breakfast bread!

And a CCBS.

Unfortunately around 7:30 AM, I noticed how tight and painful my lower back was, so I texted Ashley to cancel yoga. I’m not taking any chances with back pain. Turns out Ashley was feeling like she was going to be sick so she came over to my house instead and we wallowed in non-yoga pity together.

I decided I wanted two slices of Ezekial toast with Earth Balance around 11.

And a macaroon [or two].

Poor meal planning on my part for lunch. I couldn’t find anything at work to eat, so I had some organic yellow corn chips as salsa around 1:30.

By the time I got off of work, I wanted greens so badly. I stopped by Infusion Tea to pick up dinner for Evan and I. We are out of veggies for the week at home and I hardly felt like cooking tonight.

Then my camera battery died. Cell phone pictures it is! A beautiful, green, Milton Special salad. Incredible.

And we split a Pesto Panini loaded with artichokes, spinach, onions and eggplants. This is the best sandwich in the entire world. And it comes with the best bean salad in the world too.

It’s days (weeks?) like this that remind me I need to plan meals for the week. When I get to the middle of the week, I feel pretty unmotivated food wise. I love eating a healthy vegan diet, but when I’m exhausted, there’s just not much energy to put into the good food I love. I realize this is probably a normal thing with everyone, but I’m making the point that the weeks when I meal plan are the absolute best nutritionally.

What do you think about meal planning? Does it work for you? I never really thought it was necessary before, but I’m starting to realize how important it is (nutritionally) to set aside some time each week to devote to planning what food I will make and shop for.

Have a great night! Tomorrow is FRIDAY!

Wow, everyone loves mason jars! Seriously, they’re a cheap, food storage solution that can be used for anything! Multi-purpose = happy Ryan!

I know some girls who also have quite the collection of masons that they’ve been showing off in their Kombucha and Kefir making videos. I admire Lori and Michelle so much and adore their recipes. Two of my favorites include: Raw Chocolate Cheesecake and Gluten-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese. I was also lucky enough to meet them when they were in town for the Disney Marathon weekend, and they’re just as wonderful in person as they are on their blog!

When the twins offered to send me some of their new online store raw goodies to review, I was completely flattered and equally excited when the package arrived in the mail.

I received samples of their raw crackers and flatbreads. The crackers were incredibly crunchy, the flatbreads a little softer. Both were fully infused with all kinds of flavors that are enhanced during the dehydration process. These girls can really prove to you that raw foods are not bland. I think they can be even more flavorful than cooked foods!

Check out this stash!

Pumpkin seed kale cracker

Collard green onion cracker

Herb cracker (my favorite cracker)

Onion free swiss chard flatbread

Collard green fiesta flatbread (my favorite flatbread!)

Swiss chard black sesame flatbread

Purple kale chia flatbread

Kale hemp flatbread

And snack bites that I reluctantly shared with Evan. My favorite were the Brownie Bites and Evan loved the Cocoa Kremes. The Vanilla Kremes were equally as good, but the chocolate bites were like melty, fudge-y brownies. You just can’t beat brownies.

Overall, everything was packaged and presented beautifully and tasted like heaven. I even had Ashley try some and she now wants to buy a dehydrator! Go visit Lori and Michelle’s online store and try some for yourself!

Catch ya later!

Hi!

I had another fun, eventful day! It all started with my new heaven…Manna Bread. Date Cinnamon Manna Bread, to be exact. Chewy, moist, dense deliciousness. Go get some (Whole Foods frozen bread section)! I topped it with some coconut oil.

Harvey and I had a date with the vet this morning for a checkup on his ears. They’re looking good and Harvey seems much better. For such a tiny cat (4.5 pounds), he sure can stretch out!

There will be a lot about Harvey’s diet coming up on Greens for Good soon. We’re changing things up for him so that he’s eating as close to a raw meat diet as he would get in the wild as possible. I’m extremely excited about it and can’t wait to share the details with you soon.

Around lunchtime I had a date with Caitlin! Her Chevy Traverse adventures called for a girlfriend shopping trip and I was more than happy to tag along. We started with lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. There are actually quite a few items on the menu that have easy switches to make the dishes vegan. I love going to CF for that reason alone. The vegan options are extremely TASTY too! Today I got the Thai Lettuce Wrap appetizer and substituted avocado for the chicken. Isn’t it a beautiful dish?

Caitlin and I did lots of chatting about girl things, then proceeded to do a little shopping in two of my most favorite stores on the planet: Crate and Barrel & Anthropologie.

Hello new Green Monster / Cherry Chocolate Bomb Shake (CCBS) glass. I’ve been looking everywhere for something as large as you are (22 oz)!

Oh and a beautiful GREEN placemat to go with? Yes, please

Thank you, Caitlin, for these lovely gifts…you’re a great friend!

I also picked up more glass storage containers for Evan’s lunches and a narrow spatula for the Vita-Mix.

Anthropologie was another great success. I headed straight for the sales racks to see if anything caught my eye. Usually a sale item at Anthro means it’s still $50-$100. Not today! I got this lovely shirt for $19 (down from $88).

And this dress for $39 (marked down from $168!). Caitlin originally picked it out, but it was too big on her. She made encouraged me to try it on and it fit like a glove! I couldn’t pass up a perfect fitting, cute dress for such a steal. Plus I have a summer wedding I needed a dress for, and I can dress this one up or down depending on other occasions as well.

When I got home, I started to get hungry again, so I had a macaroon (a little dry from the coconut flour, but still good)…

And a CCBS (wish it had spinach but we’re out) in my new glass!

Then I listened to an online synchronous lecture for school and filled up the new half-gallon (!!) mason jars and consolidated the smaller jars. Every single one is full of something and all of our bulk items now have a home!

I love mason jars because they help you see just how much food you have, which is extremely helpful in meal planning. We look a bit like we’re running a bulk food store!

I’m not too hungry for dinner yet but I might eat something small later on. Edited to add: I had a non-dairy burrito.

Do you love bulk foods? Are you a mason jar fan like me? Love ‘em!

Have a great night!