Say Cheeze!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, my little four-leaf clovers!

I've been excited for Saint Patrick's Day all week long, possibly for no other reason than an excuse to eat more green foods. (But really, do I need an excuse?!) I admit that I even thought Saint Patrick's Day was every day this week but today. Well, I figured that one out finally by process of elimination. Don't worry, I still remembered to wear green today.

In true foodie fashion, green filled my tummy to complement my green-filled day. My steamer was defnitely the star of the week. I've been steaming up a storm!

Monday's dinner was especially delicious. It left me feeling absolutely amazing, both inside and out. Are there any foods that make you feel great or you think are fun to eat? I know veggies, cauliflower and broccoli in particular, are the ones that come to mind for me. Naturally my dinner included the duo.

Enter the Perfect Dinner (I would eat this every day if I could)

Steamed Cauliflower, Broccoli, Carrots with a Cheeze Sauce (made with nooch, of course -- recipe to come) and a side of Millet

I also had some warmed up kidney beans. Beans are kind of like my popcorn. Warm 'em up and they're good enough for me (no seasoning required :D).

Last night was also a great dinner. It consisted of more favorites. I don't know what compelled me to eat so many greens, but I just couldn't help myself. I guess it was just prep for today.

More steaming action included kale (which I also made into chips), bok choy, asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower. To get my orange on, I baked a sweet potato in the oven and sprinkled it with cinnamon. The sugars ended up carmalizing and it was insane. As you can see, there were some more kidney beans. This girl loves her beans!

As you can probably see, I usually enjoy my veggies straight up and plain. I think they have such a nice natural sweetness in them that I be overwhelmed by an seasoning or sauce. Even when I do season them (like with the cheeze), I tend to keep it on the side so I can dip, as oppossed to drown.

Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet, talks a bit about the benefits of eating them minimally seasoned. The main idea behind that is that it will not overwhelm your body with one side of the spice spectrum or the other, keeping you neutral. As much as I agree with her, I've been eating my veggies this way for a while anyway so it's just nice to know it may be a benefit more than anything else.

How do you like your veggies? Are you a steamer (like me!), roaster, sauter, or even rawer (now surely that isn't a word, but you know what I mean)? Do you have favorite seasonings or accompaniments or do you just like 'em au natural?

Veggies without fruit? Impossible for this girl!

Here is my go-to pre-yoga snack. When I take classes that go from 5:45pm-7pm, I find that this combo works best. If there are any other yogis out there, what do you find works best for you? I'm completely confused about what to do when I have 7pm-8:15pm classes so any advice would be completely appreciated.

Larabar + Apple = <3

I also finally tried one of Synergy's Kombuchas. They were on sale at the gormet market by my house so I couldn't resist. And don't you think the bottles look so pretty? I admit that had something to do with it (I've been eyeing them for much too long). Good job, Synergy's marketing team!

As other bloggers have said before, the smell is a little strange from the fermentation. If you can get over that, though, they're worth a try. I picked the guava flavor thanks to one of my friends from yoga who recommended them to me (she liked the color, haha). I love it, and that's a lot coming from an exclusive water&&brewed tea drinker. I've even been drinking it from little shot glasses because I think it is worth savoring. It would probably be fun in a fancy wine glass, too. I think special things deserve special containers. Anyone with me?

What blog or other trends have you indulged in lately? Did you become a follower or was it all just a hype?

Only two more days until I'm free for two weeks! Gotta love spring break :). I'm also going to my favorite vegan restaurant (the only one in my area) this weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday. You can definitely expect some yummy photos if I get good at my inconspicious photo-taking ;).

Have a lovely day!

xox,

Mandiee

P.S. yoga giveaway here