Delicious Tofu Salad Sandwich.

OK… Im trying not to eat as much tofu..because the first time I tasted it. I ate it everyday for two weeks. So I am cutting down..but i decided to chop up my lettuce one day in the food processor threw in a few other ingredients and I’m obsessed with this. Its delicious for lunch. 17g protein too! The bread has 5 and tofu 15. =]

This is really easy so I make it about 4 times a week. YUM.

You need::

1/4 package nasoya extra firm tofu (I tested firm tofu and silken was a mess..the texture      

                                                          is not right.)

5 Romaine Lettuce leaves.

1 tsp olive oil

2 basil leaves.

salt and pepper to taste.

1 whole grain round (mine are from costco Kirkland signature.) you can use ANY bread you want.

a food processor/blender.

Just mix everything in the food processor until it because very small chunks. like egg salad texture but less creamy. Spread on the bread and enjoy. With a side of vegetables, a fruit, or whatever else you would like!

Yummy Vegan Waffles

Yummy Vegan Waffles

I love waffles.

They are VERY easy to make. YAY!

What you need::

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (i used stone ground)

2/3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 flax “egg”   *[mix 2 tsp ground flaxseed into 1/4 cup water let it sit a few minutes]

2 tsp coconut oil   *[melted]

1/2 cup water

2 tsp sugar (i didn’t add it because, but it did need a little:: unless you dont care for  

                        sugar..then you dont have to put it)

A waffle iron :: Mine was the hello kitty one from target and this made 6 waffles from that… I say…two servings. If you need to make it for more double the ingredients..triple them…etc to your needs. =]

What to do::

Preheat your waffle iron.

1. Make sure the flax “egg” has been sitting and the coconut oil is melted. [something I  

     would forget to do first]

2. Mix the flour.salt. and baking powder. 

3  Stir the flax “egg” into the water until blended.

4. Stir the flax water into the flour.

5. Add the melted coconut oil and stir.

6. Add the sugar

7. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray.

8. Make the waffles according to its directions.

I topped them with Strawberries, a banana and agave nectar. MMM. so yummy.

Enjoy and let me know your substitutions/results.

thank you for visiting.

xoxo.sophina.

Workout:: what you can do.

Staying healthy is important. Now and in the future.

I run all the time and this winter..I decided to do something new. I bought the Brazil butt lift...and its really nice. Truthfully running comes first so I started doing the butt lift every day. Then I missed running too much, because I did less of it...So I'm back to more running again.

However the workouts really shape your back side nicely. So a couple times a week I still do them. My favorite workouts in the program are high and tight and bum bum. I also like rio extreme (weight lifting/cardio spurts). 

I did pay too much for the package its 120 for the deluxe.. which is only two more dvds, ankle weights and some unneeded metabolism boost pills( I didn't use them). and the regular package is only $35 total when i googled it..so if you want to try it. shop around for best prices.

(http://www.collectseries.com/show.aspx?pid=2876) that's one site its on.

I swear if I could workout all day running.. weightlifting...sometimes yoga (post run..cause for me its too slow) and brazil butt lift..I'd do them all cause I love to workout..

Sometimes I fit in running, buttlift and weights..like today..but most days just one or two of those.

Working out is FREEEEE you can do anything..Run. Jump. Skip. Walk. Hike. Yeah it's nice to have a gym membership and buy a couple workouts here and there, but you don't have to! You can go online and search free exercise plans. Go on youtube. Jennifer Nicole Lee is great on there I did a few of her videos.

Some things I like:

For yoga: I use on demand from comcast...its free.. I ended up buying Jessie Schein Yogaworks Slim for 5.99. because I love it. I downloaded it and have burned it to dvd.

Brazil Buttlift: You can buy the package here, but ITS EXPENSIVE..so like I said.. search it on google and hit shopping.

Weights:: at the gym or home 3 times a week for me usually. Tear them out of magazines. google search or youtube things such as leg workouts.. back workouts..etc.

and RUNNING. the best. it's free and you can do it right outside your home. a trail. yay.

It doesnt matter what you do..just get out there and go. Never have an I don't feel like it day. once you start you could end up with a new record (most squats. fastest run. (like i did yesterday.) most hoola hoops. heaviest weights. Once you start you'll see how good it makes you feel so keep going.

foods in season in the spring.

Eating foods that are in season locally is important to feeling your best.
Because they contain the most nutrients they will have at that time, they will provide you with better nutrition.
Also, your body doesn't have to adjust to foods that come from a warmer or colder climate than yours. That helps your body stay balanced and in tune with your surroundings.

One great site http://www.simplesteps.org/eat-local where you can see which foods are available in a detailed list in your state. You can see them for early in the month or late in the month for each month of the year! They also tell you about farmers markets around your area.

Here is a list from www.localfoods.about.com for foods in season in Illinois in the spring.
You can visit the site to see what is available in your area.

VEGETABLES
artichokes.
arugula.
asparagus.
beets.
cardoons.
carrots.
chard.
fava beans.
fennel.
fiddleheads.
garlic scapes.
green garlic.
green onions.
scallions.
greens.
leeks.
lemons.
lettuce.
morels.
nettles.
pea greens.
peas.
radishes.
spinach.
spring onions.
sweet onions.
turnips.

FRUIT
cherries.
kiwis.
kumquats.
grapefruit.
rhubarb.
strawberries.

SPICES
mint.
parsley.

Carbon footprint.

Buying locally and buying organic is very important.

There is something called a carbon footprint, which is the amount of CO2 we release into the air. The climate changes due to it and it is responsible for global warming.THIS IS NOT GOOD.You want to keep your carbon footprint as small as possible to save the planet. The way things are going...it's on it's way down. If the plants and animals don't survive and the air is so polluted.. how will we breathe and survive?

You may not think you alone is saving a lot of energy if you pay attention to how what you do affects the and reduce your carbon footprint, but think : If everyone started changing what they bought and used, companies would need to adjust to consumer needs. The world would be greener and happier. Everyone would.

Things that create a large carbon footprint:

• Gas emitted from travel :: The further away the items we receive are shipped, the more gas is     released into the air. Driving so many different cars, we emit a lot of not good energy into the air which causes pollution as well.

• Eating meat :: Eating meat causes a lot of pollution when methane released from cattle's burps. There is a lot more released than you believe.

• Using electricity when it is not needed.

• Bottled water:: Why bottled water? There is a lot of plastic used which takes a lot of energy, yet releasing more chemicals into the air. It also uses gas because it is shipped everywhere.

• Buying packaged goods :: Again a lot of materials and energy are used to create packaging.

• Buying frozen foods :: Buying frozen foods takes up a lot of energy from the freezers in factories, the stores to your freezer to the microwave/ stove.

• Using hot water when it's not needed :: I definitely need to pay more attention to this. Taking long, hot showers. I love them. So do you. However, it takes a lot of energy to heat up that shower. So wash quickly, save water and energy. The same goes for hot water in the washing machine. When you don't need to use hot, don't.

• NOT recycling:: Most people don't recycle and don't realize how much energy can be saved by reusing materials. A lot more is needed to create something fresh than create something through recycled material.

Ways to Reduce your carbon footprint:

• Buy locally and organically (to reduce pesticides)
• Go vegan! Check out www.goveg.org for a free starter magazine.I did. =]
• bike, walk, rollerblade, skip, hop, pogostick...whatever you like. when something is close enough not to take the car. don't take it.
• Turn off the lights at night/ during the day.
• Buy a bottle to refill your water. (BPA and Phtalate free)
• Buy fresh foods and items with recycled or minimal packaging.
• Use cold water when you can.
• RECYCLE.RECYCLE.RECYCLE.

Make your own coasters! The kids can too!

I like to make my own things.
I saw some coasters on etsy that were 6 for $20 which was a bit expensive.
So I decided to make my own.
They turned out more like a kid's craft..
So I am going to make more professional looking ones later...
But it was fun and cute!
The total I payed for material was like $6...and my materials will last so I can make many many many more projects.

First Try:: Cute for a kid's craft.
so on a rainy day with kids or a day off school it will be so fun and quick too!
but not very professional looking

::Materials::

4x4 tiles ($0.16 for white or cream $0.38 other colors)
Mod Podge (dont remember how much between $5-8 I believe, I already had it but it has so many uses!)
4x4 high quality pictures on computer or photo paper (photo is harder to work with)
A can of clear spray paint ($3.47 at walmart)
Foam stickers (200 pack for $1 at the dollar store)

Total:: $11-$16 and you can make a lot more tiles than 6

1. First print out 4x4 pictures (maybe a little bigger just in case)

2. Apply mod podge to the tile with a brush.

3. :::If you use computer paper:::
       Place the picture immediately on the mod podge (put it on slowly from one side to the other to
       prevent bubbles or wrinkles in the picture) and brush another

   :::::If you use photo paper
        Apply the mod podge on the tile and carefully place the picture over it.
        Allow it to dry or the picture will curl (dries quickly,maybe 5 minutes)
        Apply another coat of mod podge over it.

4. In a well ventilated area, spray the clear spray paint and allow it to dry for 10 min. Then you
    can apply another coat if you want. (leave it to dry for an hour before use).


I am going to make more vintage looking ones today or tomorrow.
I will post pictures from each project.

       Enjoy and let me know your results!
       Thank you for visiting.
       Come back soon.

                Sophina.

Vegan Bubble Tea/ Fruit Smoothie. =]

My friend took me to a japanese restaurant when I was 15 and introduced me to what she called "bubble tea" or boba. Boba are tapioca pearls which are delicious in the bubble tea/ smoothie. The drink consists of watermelon, simple syrup, ice and tapioca pearls (optional).

Everytime I would look for the bubble tea everyone would look at me like I was crazy when I asked if they had the fresh watermelon bubble tea. Turns out bubble tea was actually milk with flavored powder. Yuck. So it's called a watermelon smoothie.

I get it every few weeks. And I was thinking I can make it myself without the processed sugars. I haven't tested it yet; but I have a recipe for simple syrup with agave nectar and Click Here for the Recipe for tapioca pearls. For the Smoothie, it's simple

The recipe for Delicious Watermelon Smoothie (substitute any fruit you like)

1 cup watermelon cubes 

1 cup ice

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup simple syrup

1/4 cup tapioca pearls (optional)

Blend the watermelon, ice, water and syrup until smooth. Scoop Tapioca pearls into a glass and pour the smoothie over. Enjoy.

The recipe for Simple Syrup

1 part agave nectar 

1 part hot water

Stir until the Agave Nectar has dissolved and let it cool completely and it's ready to use.

Store in the refrigerator if you have any left over.

The Tapoica Pearls

8 parts water
1 part semi moist tapioca pearls

Boil the water and add the pearls. Let them simmer for 40 minutes. DONT cover the pot. Remove the pot from heat and let it sit for 30 minutes. When the pearls are as soft as you like, drain them and rinse under cold water until completely cool. They are ready for use. =]

Let me know your results/substitutions.

Enjoy and let me know your substitutions/results.

Thank you for visiting.

Come back soon.

Enjoy and let me know your substitutions/results.
Thank you for visiting.
Come back soon.