Breakfast Oats & Chia

Hey guys and gals, today I'm just going to update you on my week and post a wonderful filling recipe.

This week I have been busy with food prep and the tiny dictator a.k.a. my 3yr old granddaughter. She has her weeks where she is really clingy with me and other weeks where she is better at clinging to her daddy. This has been one of the "Gwandma, I want you" weeks. One of these days they will get their own place and we can have a normal Gwandma granddaughter relationship. Honestly I really look forward to that day. Don't get me wrong, I love my tiny dictator but I would like the dynamic to change with us.  She tends to think of me as a surrogate mama to her, in fact today she called me her mama grand bear. Today started out with her crying and only wanting me to hold her because her tummy hurt her. I tried to explain to her daddy (my middle Navy son) that when kiddos are sick they normally turn to the female presence in the home for comfort and it didn't mean she doesn't like him. He isn't the most nurturing male (normal) but loves her dearly so he totally understands.  They are now off visiting friends and I'm hoping it goes well.

Food prep has consisted mainly making beans and rice to eat throughout the week. I do this every week and it makes meals so much easier and less taxing. As you know from my last post I eat mainly veggies, fruits and starches so the week has also been about making potatoes in some form every day. We love potatoes. My husband has been eating the way I am and so far it is going quite well.  He seems to be doing pretty good with the changes to our menu. I know that he will still eat meat from time to time and it really isn't my main goal to change him into a vegan or plant based eater.  My main goal is to help him lose weight and get healthier.  Also, what guy wouldn't be happy to be fed potatoes every single day?

#potatoesarelife

We are leaving today for a weekend coastal getaway, I am so excited. It's been awhile since my hubby and I have taken a trip together (due to work and the weather) and now that the weather (fingers crossed) is improving we are grabbing the opportunity posthaste before it changes it's fickle mind. Enjoy your weekend lovely friends.

Oats can be made the night before so they are ready for you to just grab and go or you can prepare them in the morning and let them soak for 30 minutes or longer.  I personally do it in the morning because I prefer to heat them up after they soak so they're not cold. You can also just cook them on the stove top it's really your choice.

Breakfast Oats
Ingredients as I make them
1/2 cup Oats (steel cut, regular or quick)
1 cup Plant milk (fresh home made almond coconut milk)
 1 tsp Chia seeds
 (I let this mixture soak for at least 30 minutes)
 Add several frozen strawberries,blueberries or blackberries and heat up in microwave for 3 minutes
Add in half a banana
Stir and enjoy! (I don't add sweetener but you could if you want)

Chocolate Chia Blackberry Banana Oats  So delicious!

To make overnight oats just take your oats, plant milk and chia, mix it all together and put into the fridge.  I put it all in a mason jar with a lid just in case it gets tipped over by my rambunctious late night eating kiddos. In the morning take oat mixture out of jar and add fruit and eat cold or heat it in microwave. Adding the chia is a great idea for a several reasons, chia seeds are a “whole grain” food, are usually grown organically, are non-GMO and naturally free of gluten. Bottom Line: Despite their tiny size, chia seeds are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. They are loaded with fiber, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and various micronutrients.  They also help keep you regular, if you know what I mean. 

"Limitations only exist if you let them"

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck.

© 2017 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

Why I'm Going Vegan

 A unique and exciting way of living has become my passion, yes I still run but now I am more about healthy living rather than just healthy activity.  Now you may all be wondering where I have been and what I have possibly been up to.  Well sit back, relax and have a cup of coffee or tea and let me tell you all about my exciting life.

Cancer.  Surgery.  Recovery.  Radiation.  Recovery. The list goes on and it's really not all that exciting truth be told.  My surgeon told me yesterday that I am healing quite triumphantly and will not need to see her again. Ever.  Ever. She did add unless (God forbid) it comes calling again. We smiled at each other and I said, yes God forbid.  I have now moved on to medication that, I'm told, will prevent (but who really knows) the cancer from germinating and possibly ever rearing it's ugly head again.  Time will tell the whole story or at least the next chapter.  We shall see.  Now on to better more mind blowing topics.

WTF is a whole foods plant based diet anyway?  Let me tell you all about it.  I eat fruits, vegetables, very low oil (if any at all) low salt whole foods. A whole food is "food that has been processed or refined as little as possible and is free from additives or other artificial substances." According to Merriam Webster Dictionary a whole food is "a natural food and especially an unprocessed one (as a vegetable or fruit)."  As stated by Forks over Knives "A whole-food, plant-based diet is centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants. It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes; and it excludes or minimizes meat (including chicken and fish), dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil." I personally omit all animal products from my diet due to the effect they have on my heart, health and mental processes.  

Yes, that means I'm VEGAN! Yikes, that word can really pack a punch. People hear that word and automatically think, oh my goodness here comes the hippy freak, animal activist, insert your own word here, kind of response. Firstly I am not a hippy freak but I do like tie dye and those billowy skirts.  Secondly I am by no means an animal activist, although I do not believe we as humans were meant to eat animals.  I also believe it is not my job to push my beliefs on anyone else.  This way of living is how I choose to live.  You do you. I am never gonna judge or tell you how you should live your life. SERIOUSLY to each their own. This way of eating makes me feel extremely healthy and alive. I no longer deal with PVC's which if you remember are pre-ventricular contractions of the heart. Also, I no longer need to use laxatives (I know, TMI) just to go to the bathroom.  Let's not even mention the fact that I have cancer and what could possibly be a better way to combat kick the ever loving crap out of it than a healthy whole foods plant based way of eating? 

So in an attempt to share my experiences with a whole food plant based way of eating I am going to do my darnedest to blog at least once a week.  We all know life gets busy and I am completely okay with not blogging at all (for months on end) if need be, but I will do my best. I will even be sharing recipes of amazing vegan food from other vegan bloggers and Facebook friends. So stay tuned and see what awaits you.  

Here is a recipe that I absolutely love for a non-dairy cheesy sauce that is also completely grain and nut free. I found this recipe from a beautiful girl named High Carb Hannah over @ Raw Till Whenever  she is an amazing girl with an even more amazing story of overcoming a damaging food past with years and years of yo yo dieting and an unhealthy lifestyle. You can also find her on Facebook here.  

RIDICULOUSLY GOOD POTATO NACHO CHEESE / RECIPE

2 red potatoes
1/4 onion
Boil together in water for about 10 minutes til potatoes are tender (don't throw out the water you'll see why soon)

1/2 red or yellow bell pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp salsa (this is also optional in my opinion)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (not bread yeast) 
1 tbsp hot sauce *optional

Add all this along with the boiled onion and potato to a blender or food processor and about 1/4 to 1/2 of the water from the pot (the water you didn't throw out) and blend well.  Enjoy! I add this sauce to my food a lot and it is seriously addicting, so watch out.

As always enjoy your day or night and if you feel compelled shoot me a little hello as you pass by.  Hopefully some of you are still around.

"Limitations only exist if you let them"

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck.

© 2017 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.