I was at Bulk Barn last week to pick up hemp seeds and I left with various red and pink mini cupcake liners, dried cherries, red heart tins, hearts on a stick, and V-Day heart tags. You know, baking “construction materials”. Gag me. I tell ya, I embarrass myself sometimes. Oh, and I forgot the hemp seeds.

I don’t even remember what I wanted hemp for anyways.

It’s all about the dried tart cherries right now. They taste like fruit roll-ups…but better.

I rarely think to pair cherries and chocolate throughout the year, but once February hits, it’s all I can think about. I also like to add a touch of almond extract to take cherry recipes over the top. Almond extract brings me back to my childhood when I used to eat cherry almond icebox cookies around the holidays. There’s just something about the scent that is so comforting to me.

I decided to make a cherry truffle based off my Chocolate Macaroon truffles. The best part is you can freeze the truffles ahead of time. The worst part is, they taste best straight from the freezer.

So if you are like me and think, “oh if I put them in the freezer I won’t eat them all!”… think again. I’m not a miracle worker here.

A freezer will not stand in the way of a girl and her truffles! I wouldn’t stand for it.

[Despite my best efforts to be a food stylist, I just noticed the chocolate chips and cherries look a bit like rodent droppings on the dinner table. Now that’s romantic!]

Dark Chocolate Cherry Walnut Truffles

Similar to my Chocolate Macaroon Truffles, but with a slight tart cherry flavour, hint of almond extract, and walnut crunch. To make the truffles, I soaked and blended dried tart cherries with a bit of sweetener (my immersion blender mini processor worked great for this) and folded it into the truffle mixture with a touch of almond extract. To dress them up for Valentine’s Day, roll the truffles in pink-dyed shredded coconut. Be sure to use a great tasting chocolate here for the best outcome.

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Yield: 23-24 truffles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup walnut halves, finely chopped and toasted
• 1 cup dried tart cherries
• 2 tbsp agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1.5 cups of your favourite vegan chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (use the cream from the top of the can)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste (I used 1/2 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
• 12 drops red food colouring

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and toast the chopped walnuts for 12 minutes. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, soak the cherries in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes. Drain and add to food processor (or mini immersion processor like I used) along with 2 tbsp agave or other sweetener. Process until finely chopped.

3. In a medium-sized pot, heat the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring as necessary. Add in the coconut milk and stir well. Add toasted walnuts, cherry mixture, and almond extract. Stir again until combined. Now add the kosher salt to taste. The salt should give the sweetness a bit of a pop. Add a touch more sweetener if necessary to achieve your desired taste.

4. Spoon the truffle mixture into a bowl and place in the freezer, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring every half hour. After 90 mins, stir again and transfer bowl to the fridge for another 20 minutes until chocolate is firm and workable.

5. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut and food colouring until pink. When the truffle mixture is firm enough to handle, roll into small balls (you can use wet fingers if necessary- it will be very sticky!) and then roll into coconut mixture until you have about 23 balls. Store in an air-tight container in the freezer or fridge (they will become very soft at room temperature). They should keep for a couple weeks in the freezer in an air-tight container. I like to place mine in a baggy first, then in a container, to prevent freezer burn.

Pack them up in a heart-shaped tin and you have yourself a bite-sized Valentine’s Day gift.

No hemp seeds required.

[image source]

Green came to be thanks to vegan chef Damon Brasch and his 10-year long dream to open a vegan restaurant. He wanted to create a vegan restaurant where anyone could enjoy the food, not just the veg crowd. The fare is what Brasch likes to call “New American Vegetarian”, which is mostly American comfort food, made vegan. You’ll also find a wide array of cuisines and cultural influences on the menu. From what I read, it’s one of the Phoenix area’s most raved about vegan restaurants with locations in Tempe and Phoenix. We tried out the Tempe location as we were already in the area that day.

Here is a quote from Brasch found on the Green website:

“My grandfather and great grandfather built a house next to a lake. This was the house where I learned to cook. I was seven years old when my grandmother told me to go into the woods to pick fresh dandelion greens for her salad. This was where my hands first smelled of fresh garlic. Where the scent of baking bread intoxicated my senses and the hand rolled pasta made my mouth water. This is where I took the tomato off the vine and placed it into the pot and where we picked the cherries from the tree for the cherry pies that made the neighbors swoon to my grandparents’ house. This is where I fell in love with the asparagus and the artichoke and the arugula. This is where I learned to celebrate food. This is why I cook for you. And this is why I am Green.”

— Chef Damon Brasch

Upon entering the restaurant on Saturday at 12:30, it was packed to the brim. There might have been one free table in the entire place, which was large, especially for a vegan restaurant. Green has a very casual, almost cafeteria-like setting, and is a nice spot for quick lunch or casual dinner. When we walked in, there wasn’t anyone to seat us so we stood there a bit awkwardly until realizing that you have to walk up to the cash to place your order before finding your own table. Noted!

We were handed two huge double-sided menus and I quickly scanned it, trying to take it all in. I was cursing myself for not looking up the menu online. Am I the only one who loves to do that? When I go to a new vegan restaurant, I like to take my time to look over the menu and consider all my options (I’m not used to having so many), so I felt a bit rushed while standing at the counter with a line of hungry people behind us. Sometimes a good menu is like sitting down with a good book; it’s not to be rushed through and skimmed over with haste. My advice is to go in with a plan or risk a menu meltdown. I kept my composure though, well, mostly. bahah.

After placing our order, they gave us a number and we went to find a table, finally deciding to sit outside since it was such a warm, sunny day.

Just minutes after sitting down, we were brought our appetizers. That was quick! I ordered the Samosas with curried potatoes, peas, carrots, and fresh garlic wrapped in a thin fried samosa with tamarind dipping sauce.

Excellent! Crispy with a soft doughy interior. I would have loved to see them spicier though. I couldn’t really taste the curry flavour coming through. I had two and Eric had the other two.

Eric ordered the vegan chili fries which were very tasty and filling. It was large enough to serve 3-4 people easily.

Just as we started our appetizers, the server brought out our entrées. Having the apps and entrées served at the same time is a bit of a restaurant pet peeve of mine. I like enough time to enjoy the appetizer without the entrées coming too quickly, otherwise it feels rushed and the apps often go to waste once the entrées arrive. I guess they must have been trying to go through people pretty quickly on this busy Saturday. If you want to linger over your meal, I suggest mentioning it to the server before ordering just so they have a heads up. Or maybe it was just a fluke, who knows!

For my entrée, I ordered the Singapore Tofu made up of spicy curried house tofu tossed in a spicy orange glaze over thin rice noodles with fresh vegetables.

Absolutely, to die for. The orange glaze was flavoured to perfection and it was impossible to slow down, despite my stomach telling me it was getting full. The tofu reminded me of a childhood favourite: sweet and sour chicken balls. I used to be obsessed with them growing up. I can only imagine how good it would taste if this glazed tofu was also battered and fried. I think I would pass out from all the excitement.

The only thing I would change is to crisp up the tofu as it was very soft. I’m sure with a nice pan fry or bake, it would be nice and crisp.

Yet another “must make at home” inspired meal!

I finished all of the tofu and veggies and half of the noodles before claiming that I’d have to roll back to the car if I ate another bite. I’m one of those people who has to physically move the food away from my reach or I will just pick at it until it’s gone.

Eric ordered the Green Burger made up of ground oats, barley, and other unmentioned ingredients. I assume there must have been TVP or seitan in this as well, but I’m not sure.

He loved the burger and said it had an authentic taste and texture.

At this point I was stuffed, but Eric had dessert on the mind. I told him earlier that you guys raved about Green’s “tSoynami’s” and he said that we couldn’t leave without ordering one. What an enabler!

You can imagine my delight when I discovered that tSoynami’s are basically vegan “blizzards” made with homemade soy ice cream and a wonderful array of crazy toppings and flavours. You know how much I love my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard.

There must have been over 25 flavours to select from. We also found out later that they had daily flavours in addition to the menu regulars. Cap’n Crunch flavour, anyone?

I tried to get him to order the Ts’more, but sadly he wasn’t down with ricemellow fluff! Is it good? I’ve never had it before. 

After much debate, he ordered the No’s & Mint made with Newman’s Chocolate O’s, mint flavour, and organic chocolate.

Just what this hot summer winter day called for. It’s crazy to think that it was about 24C and sunny on this late January day.

Look at Eric waiting so patiently for me to take the picture already. Torture!

While I’m not a huge fan of soy-based ice creams, I thought this was pretty good. I think it would be even better with homemade coconut ice cream or even banana soft serve though. The best part was digging into the cup searching for the huge chunks of cookie. Nothing beats that.

Green is certainly a fun twist on traditional comfort food with many options no matter what you’re craving. While they have a large amount of soy-based processed foods on the menu, I would guess that they can accommodate soy-free requests, or at least I’d hope so. The prices are also reasonable and the portions generous. Hopefully we’ll be back someday because there are many things I still want to try!

Do you have a favourite vegan meal from a restaurant? What is it and where is it from? What is your favourite vegan restaurant?

Out of the vegan restaurants that I’ve been to, Candle 79 (NYC) is probably my favourite so far, with Fresh (Toronto), Karyn’s on Green (Chicago), Calactus Café (Moncton), Thrive (Waterloo), Sublime (Fort Lauderdale), Café Blossom (NYC), and The Coup (Calgary) ranking up there pretty high, although there are still many I haven’t tried yet, including the famous Millennium Restaurant in San Fran.

There was once a time in my life when I sat through long, cold football games pretending to know what the hell was going on. After uprooting my life in New Brunswick and moving to Ontario with my mom, I was the new girl at a new high school where I met the man I would someday marry. But first, I would avoid him like the plague.

“He’s cute.” I gushed to a new friend while pointing to this tall, confident guy walking out of class.

“Tell anyone and I’ll kill you.” I added.

The next day, the entire school heard about the new girl’s crush on Eric.

I did what any mortified girl would do and avoided all eye contact while hiding down random staircases whenever he was within 100 feet of me. Or I would suddenly, urgently, need to go to the washroom. Libraries also made good hiding spots. I was willing to keep this up for the entire year if I had to. I only had a year until I graduated anyways.

That morning, Eric was in the locker room getting ready for football practice when his teammates told him about my rumoured crush. He didn’t believe them. “Why would she go after someone like me?” he asked. “You guys are messing with me.”

When my girlfriend confirmed to him it was true, Eric decided to mortify me even more by approaching me during student photos later that afternoon. I was stuck in a line up, going nowhere fast. Shoot me, he’s coming over!

“Hey Angela…” he said with a quivering smile.

My face turned the shade of a beet…no, make that a fire truck.

“Hey,” I replied casually.

“I’m Eric”

Awkward shaking of hands. Very awkward.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Waiting to get your photo taken…?”

“Yup…”

“You…?”

“Same…”

“Cool…”

“Cool.”

……….

……….

“Hey, are you going to the party on Friday night? I think someone mentioned you are going with the girls…” he asked

“I think so. It should be fun to meet some people. Are you…?”

“Yup, I’ll be there. Hopefully we can talk at the party…”

“Ok, see you then…”

“Thanks…I mean, bye…”

Whew he’s finally gone, I thought to myself.

Then it was time for my photo op.

Does my face look a bit flushed to you in this photo?

That’s what I thought. Thanks for flustering me Eric.

We played this awkward cat and mouse charade for a couple months. I showed up to his football games half watching, half ignoring him, as he tried to show off for me like guys often do. I was really there to examine his butt in spandex and talk with friends, though. He showed up at my locker every morning and waited for me after class. Sometimes he even drove me to Subway for lunch.

Two months later, we had our official first date on October 27, 2001. Football season also came to a close soon enough, and later, my confession that I had zero interest in football. I was a hockey girl through and through. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind. He does, however, refuse to give away his stinky football jersey hanging up in our closet. I decided to let him win that battle.

Black Bean Chili Dip

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Reminiscent of a hot bowl of black bean chili, this chunky dip is great to pair alongside your favorite corn chips or crackers. I love Food Should Taste Good blue corn chips or sweet potato chips. To garnish, add some chopped green onion, avocado, cilantro, or your favorite cheeze.

Yield: 2.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups chopped sweet onion
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1.5 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup mild salsa
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 tsp ground cumin (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• for garnish: chopped avocado, cilantro, cheeze, or green onion

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add a bit of oil and sauté the chopped onion and garlic for about 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, remove seeds from jalapeno and chop finely (I use gloves so the seeds don’t sting my fingers). Add in the chopped jalapeno and sauté for another few minutes.

2. Add in the drained and rinsed black beans, salsa, and corn. Stir well and cook for a few minutes. Now add the chili powder, cumin, and salt all to taste. Stir in the nutritional yeast if using. Cook on low until heated through and serve warm with corn chips. Garnish with green onion, chopped avocado, or fresh cilantro.

Approx Nutritional Info: (per 2 tbsp, without nutritional yeast or toppings): 29 kcals, 0 grams fat, 26 grams sodium, 7 grams carbs, 2 grams fibre, 1 gram sugar, 2 grams protein.

I love easy appetizers like this one. I was done in 20 minutes and didn’t have to dirty a bunch of dishes or food processor. Touch down!

I’m also working on some crispy cornbread crackers…but they need some work.

If you need me, I’ll be hogging the black bean chili dip, wrapped in a warm blanket reading my book.

Just be sure to let me know when the halftime show begins. Then I’m all over it.

You can also email me the best Super Bowl commercials on Monday. I’ll watch those too.

Remember the chia seed crackers that we ate at Chocolatree Café just before hiking up 0.6 miles of rocky mountainside?

Here they are in all their glory.

We kicked some major mountain booty that day and I’d like to think the chia seed crackers had something to do with it. After all, the Aztecs and Mayans used chia seeds (known as a “running food”) for hundreds of years to fuel their long journeys!  (source)

As soon as I got home, I knew I had to bust out a version of these in my own kitchen. I was “running” on 3 hours of sleep thanks to a 4am wake-up call and the chocolate I was inhaling wasn’t making me feel any better. The chia crackers came to my rescue!

Endurance Crackers

These Endurance Crackers are extremely light and crispy while providing long-lasting energy. They are also vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, and oil-free to boot! Feel free to change up the seasonings and spices as you wish. Nutritional info follows.

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Inspired by Chocolatree Café.

Yield: 22 large crackers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chia seeds*
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pepita seeds (or pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup water
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp grated sweet onion
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• Herbamare & kelp granules, to taste (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix the seeds together. In a small bowl, mix the water, grated garlic, and grated onion. Whisk well. Pour the water mixture onto the seeds and stir until thick and combined. Season with salt, and optional Herbamare and Kelp granules, to taste. Add spices or fresh herbs if you wish.

3. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet with the back of a spoon until it’s less than 1/4 inch thick. Not to worry if a couple parts become too thin, you can just patch them up.

4. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, slice into crackers, carefully flip onto other side with a spatula. Bake for another 30 minutes, watching closely after about 25 minutes. The bottoms will be lightly golden in colour. Allow to cool completely on the pan. Store in a container or plastic baggy.

Note: See the bottom of this post for where you can purchase chia seeds.

Nutritional Info: (per cracker, makes 22 large crackers): 77 kcals, 6 grams fat, 4 grams carbs, 0 grams sugar, 3 grams fibre, 3 gram protein.

The nutritional stats are impressive, eh?

As I reached for my garlic powder, I thought why not use fresh garlic instead? My mom recently shared a trick with me for mincing garlic: just use a fine grater instead of chopping it. I used my Microplane and it was the perfect consistency for these crackers. Just be careful you don’t saw off the end of your nail like I almost did.

10 seconds flat for fresh garlic!

I also used the same method with the sweet onion.

After grating, I whisked the garlic and onion in a glass with the water (note: I ended up using a full cup of water instead of the 1/2 cup shown here).

Pour the water mixture into the seed mixture and stir well. It will be thick and gel-like in consistency.

Now season as you wish.

I used a mixture of Herbamare, kelp granules, and kosher salt for maximum flavour, but you can really play around with the seasonings any way you like! Add some spices too if you wish. Taste and adjust if necessary.

This picture hates me, clearly.

Spread onto your baking sheet lined with parchment (or a non-stick mat, but you will have to bake them a bit longer). You want to spread the mixture as thin as possible.

After baking for 30 minutes at 325F, remove from the oven and slice crackers with a pizza slicer.

I did a large diamond shape. You can do any size and shape you want, depending on how much ninja power you are looking for!

With a spatula, carefully flip the crackers and bake for another 30 minutes until toasty and golden on the bottom. Mmm.

My new favourite cracker, easily.

Not only are they vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free, nut-free, and sugar free, but they can be made raw if you dehydrate them.

After cooling, they are crispy, chewy, and basically mind blowing ninja fuel perfect for dipping into hummus. Eric said they taste better than the ones at Chocolatree, but he may be biased. I couldn’t get over how light and crispy they are!

The question is: Whose butt do you want to kick this week?

Your boss, tough assignment, killer workout, or midterm exam?

Go make a list of things to butt kick.

Eat these crackers.

Kick some butt, ninja style.

It’s like bird food, but waaaaay better.

Do you ever see a tired bird?

I rest my case.

~~

Many of you ask where you can buy chia seeds. I buy my chia seeds from Canadian online retailer superseeds.ca. I’m still working on the 50 pound bulk order that I ordered for my bakery! If you are looking for an online retailer in the US, try www.chiaseedsdirect.com. I’ve found both of these businesses to have very competitive prices. You can also purchase chia seeds from bulk food stores like Bulk Barn here in Canada or in natural food stores! Update: More readers also told me Costco sells them (in the supplement section) and even Winners and Homesense! Who knew?

Toto, we’re not in Arizona anymore.

We were hoping by the time we got home, spring would’ve arrived in Ontario! Yea right. I think we are a few months off just yet. I still have a few Arizona highlight posts to show you, so maybe this will make Ontario’s clouds and snow easier to digest.

Early Friday morning we set off for Sedona driving the windy 89-A route up and down the mountains providing spectacular views (and some scary cliffs!)

I was that wife screaming at my husband to slow down near the cliffs while I almost had a heart attack.

Along the way, we made a pit stop in Jerome to check out the shops, empty our bladders, and fill them back up again.

Apparently we weren’t the only ones!

Despite the ghost in town, Jerome was actually bustling with people. And fun signs.

The cool morning called for some Tazo Awake tea. I was delighted to find out that they had a soy milk option. I always forget how much I love soy milk in tea, especially when it’s a sweet vanilla kind!

After looking at some shops, we set off for beautiful Sedona!

Horrible scenery as you can see.

After some sight seeing, we popped into Chocolatree Cafe, a funky little vegan restaurant in Sedona. We dined outdoors beside a hammock and hula hoops!

I had a loose leaf stomach soothing tea to warm up.

Eric and John both ordered the tomato soup and grilled cheeze sandwich. My mom and I died laughing when they ordered the same thing, yet again. Cut from the same cloth those two are!

After teasing them, my Mom and I proceeded to order the same thing.

We ordered the Thai brown rice bowl with shredded cabbage & carrots, brown rice, raisins, mint, basil, and sprouts, in a creamy sauce made up of almond butter, tahini, lemon, garlic, ginger, chili, and sea salt.

The boys weren’t too crazy about the grilled cheeze (I tried it and agreed it was a bit lacking), but they enjoyed the tomato soup.

The Thai bowl was fresh and flavourful, but the chia crackers really stole my heart. I can’t wait to try making some at home. I assume they are quite easy to make not to mention bursting with nutrition.

After lunch, Eric and I headed to our next hiking destination that many of you raved about: Cathedral Rock!

In my normal fashion, I got cold feet and almost backed down.

I took one look from the base and didn’t want to proceed with the climb. The mountains always look so steep and dangerous from the bottom and the people at the top look like ants! Once you get up there though, it’s really not bad and I find myself looking down and asking, how did I get up here?

I found myself saying two small words that can make the world of a difference: I’ll try.

How many new things would you try if you just replaced I can’t with I’ll try? It’s amazing to think about, isn’t it?

I find the hardest part when trying something new is always the beginning and then it gets easier. This realization has helped ease my anxiety so much. If I can just push through the initial moments of discomfort, it’s usually the worst part. I loved what another reader commented the other day saying, it’s ok to feel unease and discomfort at times! Often we resist negative feelings so much, we forget that they can be completely natural at times. It helps to accept the feeling for what it is and then work through it, without trying to outright dismiss the feeling. I said to myself. “I feel anxious and that is ok, but I don’t have to back down because of it.”

Cathedral Rock is also rated a “strenuous” climb like Camelback Mountain, but it’s a shorter climb just 0.6 miles each way.

As scared as I was, I knew that I could do it…and probably have a lot of fun in the process!

Here’s another low budget (heh) video I put together of the hike. Keep in mind that it’s really shaky in some parts! OK, all parts. Please don’t hurl.

Not surprisingly, the hike wasn’t as scary as I imagined and I found myself tackling the steeper parts most of the time because I just loved the challenge so much!

We both thought that Camelback Mountain was more challenging (and of course twice as long), but we absolutely loved the intimate nature of Cathedral Rock. It wasn’t very busy and we just had a blast with it. Bring a jacket too as it gets chilly at the top (I made that mistake at Camelback).

At the summit, we almost blew away…as you will see in the video.

After the hike, we warmed up with a hot tea while driving to Overlook point.

A short climb led us to this great lookout point.

Found a lucky penny and then left it for someone else.

I also discovered that I scratched up the bottom of my rings from clinging to all the rocks! So hard core, lol.

Our visit to Sedona was short and sweet, but was just enough to get a taste of what the area has to offer. We both agreed if the sun wasn’t going to set, we would’ve gone straight to our next hike! There are so many trails to try out.

Next time we visit, we’re going to stay a night or two in Sedona and spend a couple days hiking from morning to sundown. It’s so much fun!!

On Tuesday, we had the pleasure of lunching at True Food Kitchen at the Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix. Many of you recommended it on the blog and on my Facebook page (thank you!), so we figured it was a safe bet. I later found out that the famous Dr. Andrew Weil (along with restaurateur Sam Fox) opened this first location of several, in 2008. The entire menu is based around Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet and food pyramid with an emphasis on local and organic food whenever possible.

The weather was gorgeous and sunny, so we opted to sit out on the large patio. A quick peek inside the restaurant revealed a huge interior absolutely packed at 1:30pm on a Tuesday. That’s always a good sign!

We soon deemed the weather beer worthy.

I tried the organic Eel River Acai Berry Wheat Ale. Loved it. Light and fruity, but not overly so.

For an appetizer, my mom and I shared the Shiitake and Tofu Lettuce Cups with Ginger, Cashew, and Garlic.

The lettuce cups are filled primarily with cashews, teeny-tiny bits of tofu, and shredded carrot all coated in a lovely Teriyaki-like glaze. Very fun to roll up and make a huge mess!

For my main, I ordered the Teriyaki Brown Rice Bowl with Asian vegetables, sesame, and avocado. I also added big chunks of tofu.

Oh my gosh was this ever amazing. Easily, one of my favourite meals in a long time. It’s so simple, but not lacking in any way. I also loved the huge sliced avocado half on top. Not one single piece of rice was left behind.

Eric and John ordered the Turkey Burger with provolone, lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayo, on a flax seed bun. It came with sweet potato hash and a kale salad.

They both gave it two thumbs up!

Mom ordered the Spaghetti Squash Casserole with mozzarella, organic tomato, and zucchini. She also really enjoyed it, but thought the cheese was a bit heavy.

For dessert, Eric devoured the warm & pudding-like Flourless Chocolate Cake. No surprise there!

My mom and I shared the Vegan Apple Crisp with Maple Ice Cream. John also had the apple crisp, but did not share with anyone.

Absolute perfection. The crispy, sweet crumble topping was the best part.

I washed it down with a big glass of water when I realized that beer probably wasn’t the best idea before hiking a desert mountain!

After lunch, Eric and I drove straight to Camelback Mountain to begin the hike of our lives, my dangly earrings and all.

All in all, it was a great experience at True Foods. The service was friendly and attentive, the atmosphere to die for, and the food fresh and satisfying. My only suggestion is that the restaurant adds more vegan options on their menu as there were only 2-3 vegan entrees indicated on their lunch menu.

As for that hike, my glutes and quads might recover some day. Just not today.

Tomorrow = Sedona and the promise of more hiking. Better rest up!

Anxiety is something that I’ve been trying to understand and deal with my entire life. It works behind the scenes, constantly telling me that I can’t do this or I shouldn’t do that, while other people do those exact things seemingly without much grief. I’ve always been so envious of people, like Eric, who aren’t impacted by these constant worries and fears. To be able to do something so freely, is something I’ve always dreamed of my entire life. There are so many opportunities and experiences I’ve missed out on because of debilitating fear.

And that almost happened yesterday.

After enjoying a nice lunch out with my mom and John, Eric and I set out to tackle our next hike on the famous Camelback Mountain. Naïvely, we had no idea just how “strenuous” this climb would be. Still riding yesterday’s hiking high at Pinnacle Peak, we were eager to tackle the next mountain. We set out on the Echo Canyon trail- the most difficult climb of all 4 trails on the Camelback. We didn’t know this at the time though!

A website describes it as the following: “Beyond the first ¼ mile the hike up Camelback becomes physically demanding and potentially hazardous. The slope is quite steep in spots (there are hand rails and chains to steady your ascent) and the hundreds of trampling shoes have produced a fine coating of slippery, pulverized rock. Many hikers are very fit and use the trail for fitness training.” (source)

Right from the get-go we knew this would be a whole other kind of hike, and at first, I was excited.

The start of the trail is a series of large stairs and rocky parts, but nothing that we couldn’t handle. Within minutes, we arrived at a steep part of the mountain and this is exactly when my anxiety started to kick into overdrive.

I had to climb this…without killing myself?

The pictures really don’t do this climb justice, by the way. I took one look at it and told Eric I was turning back. “I can’t do this, I’m scared”. I felt paralyzed, unable to move forward.

“You can do it Ange! We’ll go slow and you can hold onto the railings as much as you need to. Look at all the other people who are doing it just like you can.”

Looking around, he was right; I wanted to be one of those people overcoming this amazing challenge. I took a deep breath and said, “I’ll TRY,” but expecting to fail. I never considered myself to be afraid of heights, but that became apparent as soon as I got half way up this first steep climb.

I stood there in fear once again unable to proceed. My anxiety was so strong I felt a bit panicked as I thought about how the hell I was going to get down. Eric gave me another pep talk.

“Do you want to let your anxiety win again and miss out on this experience? Imagine how proud you will feel when you overcome it.”

He was right.

I was sick and tired of letting my anxiety win. If I turned back, I was accepting defeat to my fears like I have done so many times in the past. I knew physically I was in good enough shape to climb the mountain, but it was my mind that I had to train. In the end, I decided to give my anxiety a big f-you, imagining myself sticking my middle finger up at the anxiety. As silly as it sounds, it was just the visualization I needed to set myself back on track and proceed forward.

If you would’ve told me I’d be hiking in a desert mountain and not worrying about rattlesnakes, I would have said you are crazy, but that was the last thing on my mind yesterday!

As we climbed and climbed, I felt more and more fear about how I was going to get down. I pictured myself getting stuck at the top and having to be rescued out. I told Eric this and we talked about how my anxiety leads me to think too much in the future, constantly worrying about things that probably will never happen.

“How about we take this climb one step at a time?” He asked.

Not only did I think that was a great idea, but I realized that this climb was a metaphor for life. I always worry about the future and I dream up bad outcomes that are “likely” to happen, so instead, I don’t bother doing them many times. This was exactly what I was doing on this mountain: self-defeating by thinking too far into the future.

“That’s a great idea.” I finally admitted. And that’s exactly what I tried to do for the rest of the hike. One step at a time. I wouldn’t think about the heights, falling, getting stuck, or slipping on a big rock and hitting my head. I would just think about which step I had to take next.

We climbed higher and higher and an hour passed. My confidence was growing, but the fear about getting down still lingered in my mind.

We finally reached the top after about an hour and 15 minutes (I’m not really sure as my Garmin lost reception!), and we were blown away by the 360 views.

“You wanted to quit”, Eric reminded me.

I was so glad that I didn’t.

We grabbed our bag and took out the energy balls that I made before leaving. I suspected we’d need some energy on this hike, but I never knew how much!

While standing at the summit and feeling proud, I decided to call them “Reach Your Peak” energy balls. It just seemed so fitting.

We bit into these crispy and chewy balls and suddenly everything seemed right in the world. Our energy lifted and I felt ready to tackle the long, steep descent.

“We better get going. Sundown isn’t far off.”, I worried looking at Eric’s watch reading 4:15pm.

The descent turned out to be fine and we just took it slow. The hardest part I had was not slipping on the rocks with my runners (proper hiking sneakers are highly encouraged!!), but we just took it easy. I was jealous of Eric’s long legs, able to reach the ground without having to stretch and slink downward on a big rock.

We finally reached the bottom of the mountain after about 2.5 hours, with legs like Jell-O and a pride for overcoming such an amazing challenge. This climb taught me so much and I felt myself feeling emotional by the end. I walked away feeling more proud than I felt after my half-marathon races.

I also realized after this hike just how much Eric enjoyed this type of activity. I’d never seen him so eager and excited about any type of “exercise” like this! And I use the term exercise loosely here, because while it’s a KILLER workout, that doesn’t seem to be the main point. It’s much more than that.

Eric kept saying how much he loved it, and I’ll admit, his confidence and enthusiasm was infectious.

I think we are hooked.

Here’s a short video I put together about our experience. Please excuse how tired I am in the video!!! Also, there is a really shaky part in the video that Eric taped, so if you get nauseous easily I would take caution when watching.

Now that I’ve overcome such a strong fear, I find myself asking: What else can I do?

Have you ever overcome a strong fear?

Thanks to your helpful suggestions, we had hiking on the brain this morning!

Eric and I headed over to Pinnacle Peak for a 3.75 mile there-and-back trek along the mountains. Tomorrow, we have Camelback Mountain on the agenda which many of you raved about. Opportunities for hiking are everywhere around here! We’ve never hiked along this kind of desert terrain before and it’s incredible to see.

First we filled up our tanks. My mom made us these juicy fruit parfaits to go along with our breakfast fare.

I had another Green Monster made up of kale, frozen banana, blueberries, protein powder, almond milk, and ice. Unfortunately I found out that the Maranatha dark chocolate almond butter isn’t vegan like I thought, so that was left out this time. I think I got it mixed up with Justin’s chocolate almond butter in all my sleep deprivation excitement.

If you are looking for a vegan dark chocolate almond butter recipe, you are in luck because I made one last year that tastes incredible!

Green moustache ensued.

The trail was challenging, but not overly so (rated “moderate”), wrapping all along the sides of a couple summits with some butt-busting inclines. My glutes were actually sore by the end of the 3.75 mile hike! Buns of steel here I come.

Not.

After wrapping the side of the first summit, we looked over to the second and said, “We’re going all the way over there too?”

Yes, yes we were.

It’s always fun to reach the peak of the trail.

Mad respect for the Saguaro.

The hike took about 1 hour and 20 minutes (including photography) and boy did we work up an appetite in the process.

We enjoyed Holiday Soup for the Soul for a comforting post hike lunch!

Along with buns, apples, leftover tomato salad, hummus, and celery/carrots.

And an apple + dark chocolate squares for dessert.

We spent the afternoon relaxing and catching up! It’s been a while since we’ve been able to spend this much time together, so it’s been nice to visit with my parents.

Dinner was filled with an array of roasted vegetables, along with something that I often overlook- couscous! I always forget how much I enjoy couscous, especially when paired with sautéed greens and mushrooms.

We adapted the roasted vegetable dish from the Whitewater Cooks Cookbook. It’s filled with roasted zucchini, red peppers, eggplant, yams, purple cauliflowers, beets, fennel, basil, and parsnip, all coated in a balsamic maple dressing. We weren’t thrilled about the cup of oil that the original recipe called for so I just mixed the dressing ingredients to taste. I ended up using 1/3-1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette, 3-4 tbsp maple syrup, 4 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp olive oil, and1/2 tsp kosher salt, pepper. The outcome was a sweet maple balsamic dressing that paired well with the roasted veggies…no cup of oil required.

and the couscous with sautéed spinach and button mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. I could eat bowls and bowls of this simple dish. Mom, John, and Eric also has some BBQ’d chicken to go along with dinner.

Now we’re sitting here debating whether to catch a movie at the theatre tonight. Anyone see any good movies lately?

Toto, we’re not in Ontario anymore.

We’re visiting the Phoenix area with my mom and John this week. It’s our first time in Arizona and we’re pumped to be here!

and a bit scared…

We booked an evening flight, since it was our only option. It’s really strange waiting until almost 5pm to leave the house on the day of a flight! I actually started to go stir crazy waiting to leave.

The flight was only 4.5 hours, but felt incredibly long due to some nasty turbulence. The plane kept dropping and dipping like crazy and I actually started to feel nauseous which never happens to me. At one point, I just closed my eyes, gripped Eric’s arm, and prayed I didn’t lose my dinner. The last 30 minutes ticked by in slow motion.

We arrived around 12:30am…sleepy, dazed, and hungry! Mom brought us some homemade vegan blueberry muffins and walnuts to save the day. I got my appetite back, miraculously.

When we finally got to bed around 2:30am Toronto time I was so tired I couldn’t sleep for the life of me! Does that ever happen to you? If I get too tired, it’s actually harder for me to sleep. I passed the point of no return, so my body did the logical thing and stared at the ceiling for most of the night. Awesome.

A sunny, green breakfast helped with the 4 hour power nap.

I opened the fridge, saw some gorgeous raspberries and dark chocolate almond butter, and knew I had to make a chocolate raspberry Green Monster to save the day.

With fresh raspberries, banana, dark chocolate almond butter, almond milk, ice, and wait for it….Dinosaur kale! Yes, come to me my little kale.

Note: I just found out this dark chocolate almond butter is NOT vegan. I blame the sleep deprivation for that error! For a vegan version, try my homemade Dark Chocolate Almond Butter recipe!

Cover your ears, my mom said, this thing is small but loud!

As I sipped my Green Monster, I could feel my tired, lifeless body revive itself almost instantly as kale pumped through my veins. I swear a GM is worth at least an extra hour of sleep!

I also had a whole wheat blueberry muffin with Earth Balance.

and a herbal tea…because breakfast wouldn’t be the same without a hot drink.

Ok, make that two!

My mom and I had a lovely chat over tea while the boys waited for the rental car.

Later on in the day, Eric and I stopped into Whole Foods to pick up some groceries. I picked up some brussels sprouts, red pepper, spaghetti, kale, blueberries, corn chips, salsa, asparagus, and some nori sheets, kombu and kelp granules that I’ve been looking for forever!

and a fun salad!

Layered up for lunch.

This will be the first thing I make when I’m on Canadian soil, mark my words.

Poured into a bowl.

and topped with orange ginger dressing and hummus. Blew. my. taste. buds. off.

I said I wouldn’t be able to eat the entire thing, but I was wrong.

Plump blueberries for dessert in this fun strainer/bowl duo.

For dinner, we all pitched in and whipped up a yummy spread.

…featuring 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta!

and a tomato-basil salad, sautéed asparagus, and roasted fingerling potatoes.

Oh, it was lovely.

I had seconds of pasta and potatoes! My body just yearns for carbs when I’m tired.

Now we’re watching American Idol, eating chocolate, and I’m trying to stay awake while typing this. I hope I’ve kept you up!

There are fancy squares and then there are not-so-fancy squares.

These are the not-so-fancy squares. In fact, they are downright boring, but the beauty is you can dress them up anyway you like. Just like a basic bowl of oatmeal, these squares can be changed up on a whim.

My goal was to make a basic everyday oatmeal square for on-the-go breakfasts or snack attacks. They aren’t super sweet or bursting with chocolate and fancy mix-ins, although, you could make them that way if you wanted too! Filled with flax, chia, and whole grains, it’s functional food at its finest. The nutritional stats are also impressive packing in 7 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protein per large square.

Despite eating half the batch, I actually made these for Eric (remember that guy who loathes oatmeal?). He’s been insanely busy with his new role at work and now spends the better part of his days trapped in meetings without any healthy food on hand.

His options in meetings are usually the following: 1) cookies the size of his face, 2)  pizza, or 3) a muffin the size of his butt (which is cute and perfectly rounded).

While it’s true that he loathes traditional oatmeal, if I bake it up in a square he’s all over it. And by all over it, I mean he needed to slather Earth Balance all over the square before deeming it perfect. Like I said, these can be dressed up any way you want…

On The Glow Basic Oatmeal Squares

Print this recipe

Think of this oatmeal square as basic baked oatmeal that can be dressed up any way you like. Each large square contains a tablespoon of flax and a teaspoon of chia seeds as well as 7 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protein. Feel free to add in nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, and other mix-ins as you desire. Just be careful about frozen fruit. When I made a trial with frozen blueberries they became quite soggy. Use fresh blueberries and you should be fine.

Yield: 9 large squares

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups regular rolled oats (not instant oats), divided
• 3 tbsp chia seed
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1.5 cups almond milk (or other milk)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 2 tbsp nut or seed butter
• 1 banana, chopped small
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• Dry sweetener, to taste if you want them a bit sweeter

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8 inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper.

2. In a blender or food processor, blend/process 1 cup of the oats until a flour forms. Or you can just use 1 cup of oat flour.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oat flour, 1.5 cups rolled oats, chia, flax, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, syrup, nut/seed butter, banana, vanilla until no clumps remain. Add wet to dry and stir until combined. Add dry sweetener to taste if desired. Fold in any nuts or dried fruit that you desire.

4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 35-40 minutes until lightly golden along edge and it springs back slowly when touched. I baked them for 40 minutes, but baking time may vary. Place pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, carefully remove, and cool on rack before slicing.

Nutritional Info: (per square, makes 9 squares): 228 kcals, 9 grams fat, 110 mg sodium, 33 grams carbs, 7 grams fibre, 13 grams sugar, 6 grams protein.

The first trial I made was with frozen blueberries (above). Unfortunately they made the bars quite soggy (although tasty). Fresh blueberries would probably be a better option, so I will try that in the summer when they are in season. Sadly, that is a long time away…as I sit here watching a snow storm outside my window!

For the second batch, I left out the blueberries to see if I could get the consistency a bit better.

[Notice my hand writing is getting a bit neater? Ok not really, but I’m happy to say I now keep all my recipe trials in one notebook. No more scattered pages all over the house!]

Anywho, mix the dry ingredients together: ground flax, cinnamon, oats + oat flour (I ground up 1 cup of oats), chia seed, baking powder, and a touch of salt.

Then the wet ingredients: pure maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla, nut/seed butter, and a chopped banana. Feel free to use another milk, nut/seed butter, and liquid sweetener if desired.

Whisk together in another bowl, making sure to break up the nut/seed butter.

Add the wet to dry and mix well.

I planned on adding chocolate, but discovered that I was all out. How does that even happen?

Pour into an 8 inch square pan lined with two pieces of parchment paper.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, cool, and enjoy! I baked them for 40, but I have a feeling that baking time will vary depending on the brand of oats used. I’ve found that some rolled oats absorb more liquid than others. Just watch it closely after 35 minutes. When it slowly springs back up when you press it, it should be good to go.

These are very soft and fluffy with tiny bites of banana throughout. We found that they are a bit plain on their own, but I still managed to eat 3 in a row just to be sure. I like to slice the square in half and make a jam & sunflower seed butter sandwich.

Note to self: restock chocolate chip supply stat.

Have a wonderful Friday!