Enter Our May Giveaway Now!!!

I can't believe that May is almost over, which means we're in the final hours to enter this month's giveaway. It's been awfully quiet around here since I've been on an unofficial blogging break, but don't let that stop you from entering our May giveaway (hint - it just means that your odds are really good!)

So far, we've given away copies of Appetite for Reduction, Vegan with a Vengeance, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, so the two books remaining are:


Disease-Proof Your Child

Eat to LiveEat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

Thanks to all of you who entered by leaving comments and sharing the blog throughout the month. If you haven't entered yet - or want more chances to win - here's how:

1. Sign up to follow Growing Healthy Sprouts . . . must be a blog follower to win.

2. Tell us what you think . . . earn one entry for every comment on the blog!

3. Tell a friend . . . every time a friend mentions your name in a comment, you both get an extra entry.

4. Like us on Facebook . . . we just like to feel the love.

5. Share the news . . . earn additional entries by blogging about our giveaway or sharing it on Facebook (just send me a message to let me know you've done so).

6. Tell us what you're cooking . . . Have you tried any GHS recipes? If so, share about it here and receive two entries (one for your comment and one for trying a recipe).

7. Follow us on Twitter . . . maybe you can help me figure out what Twitter is for.

Check out Big Sprout on Vegansaurus!

Recently, Big Sprout answered some questions about being vegan for the Happy Veggie Kids feature on the fabulous Vegansaurus blog. Today, he was thrilled to see his picture and interview on the blog (he's been making me check it hourly for the past few days!) and extra excited to see that they'd shared the link to his Tofurky Reuben recipe.

Be sure to swing by and check it out to read about Big Sprout (or "Noah" since he uses his real name) and other cool veggie kids!

Food for Thought Thursday - Stress in our Society

If you've been following along at all the past few months, you know how much I've been affected by Kris Carr's book, Crazy Sexy Diet (and if you haven't - the answer is "very much"). While the book has "diet" in the title, it's actually been the lifestyle recommendations that have literally changed my life for the better. A recent article on her blog - entitled Addicted to Stress - really hit home for me and put into words all the things I'd been feeling but didn't know how to change before this book.

These days, I'm a much different person. Life is still hectic (even more so these days), but I don't let it consume me the way that I used to. For as long as I can remember, I have thrived on being busy - and at (many) points in my life - I've pushed myself way harder than I should have, with the rush of accomplishment sustaining me beyond the point of sheer exhaustion.

Years ago, I remember hearing somewhere that being ridiculously busy had become some type of status symbol in our society - that people prided themselves on being busier and more stressed out than others, as if it was a sign of accomplishment. It was a statement that really rang true with me. I enjoy being busy and challenged, but somehow, I knew that I'd lost the ability to apply the brakes when life started zipping by too quickly.

If you had told me just a few months ago that I had time to meditate, do yoga, exercise and (gasp!) take a nap on a daily basis, I would have told you that you were talking to the wrong woman. After all, I'm a homeschooling mom of two with a full time writing job, two blogs and a full load of my own activities. But amazingly, I have more time and definitely more of myself to give to each of those tasks when I made the time to recharge myself each day.

Recently, the kids have been playing organized sports, and I hear stories of similarly hectic schedules - from their teammates - kids as young as 4 and 5 that get up at dawn and spend a full day at school before being shuttled around to activities until bedtime. It makes me wonder what being that busy is teaching them - and what from that experience they will take with them into adulthood.

Both my Sprouts love to be active and on the go, but lately I've been scaling back our commitments and making sure to include plenty of down time for free and creative play in each day. I've also found a few good MP3 downloads of meditations for kids - some as short as 4-5 minutes that we can do together throughout the day. I'm hoping to teach them early on some of the lessons it's taken me so many years to learn.

Two books left - enter our May giveaway today!!!

Okay, so I'm the laziest blogger ever these days, but don't let that stop you from entering our May giveaway. We have two great books left, and I promise to be back to blogging soon!!!

So far, we've given away copies of Appetite for Reduction, Vegan with a Vengeance, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, so the two books remaining are:


Disease-Proof Your Child

Eat to LiveEat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

Thanks to all of you who entered by leaving comments and sharing the blog throughout the month. If you haven't entered yet - or want more chances to win - here's how:

1. Sign up to follow Growing Healthy Sprouts . . . must be a blog follower to win.

2. Tell us what you think . . . earn one entry for every comment on the blog!

3. Tell a friend . . . every time a friend mentions your name in a comment, you both get an extra entry.

4. Like us on Facebook . . . we just like to feel the love.

5. Share the news . . . earn additional entries by blogging about our giveaway or sharing it on Facebook (just send me a message to let me know you've done so).

6. Tell us what you're cooking . . . Have you tried any GHS recipes? If so, share about it here and receive two entries (one for your comment and one for trying a recipe).

7. Follow us on Twitter . . . maybe you can help me figure out what Twitter is for.

Fun Food Friday - Sweet & Salty Snack Mixes

This is one of those recipes gone awry, but it still turned out pretty tasty! I'm always looking for ways to get more nuts and seeds into the Sprouts' diets, so last week, I roasted some seeds and slivered almonds with a little agave and sea salt. But instead of having a trail mix or granola type texture, it hardened together and I had to break it up into little chunks (still yummy!)

This week, I decided to go with the stickiness and try to make granola bars out of it. Well, wouldn't you know that I couldn't get it to stick together and it ended up with the trail mix/granola consistency I'd originally been aiming for? The Sprouts were a little bummed since I've been talking about making granola bars all week, but they absolutely loved the snack anyway.

Here are the recipes for both variations we tried.

Oatmeal Raisin Snack Mix

Ingredients:
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw slivered almonds
1 cup quick oats
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top)
1/4 cup agave nectar

Preparation:
Combine all dry ingredients (through salt) and stir until well combined. Add agave, then stir again. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until almonds begin to brown. Sprinkle with a little extra salt (to taste), stir well and cool in pans or on wax paper.


Cacao-Coconut Snack Mix 

Ingredients:
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw slivered almonds
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup raw cacao nibs
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top)1/4 cup agave nectar

Preparation:
Combine all dry ingredients (through salt) and stir until well combined. Add agave, then stir again. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until almonds begin to brown. Let cool slightly, then sprinkle with a little extra salt (to taste). Add cacao nibs, and stir well. Cool in pans or on wax paper.

Super SoDelicious Deals at Whole Foods

We just returned from a day of errands which included a trip to Whole Foods. As much as I love this store, it's completely out of the way so I usually only visit as I'm driving past it on my way to dance class. But this week's deals are so good that it warranted a special trip.


Since switching to a plant-based diet, we rarely buy yogurt - mostly because my Publix no longer stocks soy or coconut milk varieties. My Sprouts love the SoDelicious coconut milk yogurt, but the hefty price tag usually means I pass it up unless I have a specific need for it. They lucked out this week since it's on sale 2 for $3 and there's a coupon (in the new Whole Deal flyer or printable from their website) for $1 off any SoDelicious product (excluding frozen stuff) making the yogurt only $0.50 each!!! The coupon is good through the end of August, so I'm envisioning many extra Whole Foods runs in the coming months.

As if that weren't reason enough to go, the aseptic cartons of SoDelicious coconut milk is on sale for $2 each this week - or free if you pair the $1/1 Whole Foods coupon with the $1/1 manufacturer coupon (thanks Vegan in the Kitchen for the heads up on the milk deal).

Of course as with any Whole Foods run, my impulse buys far outweighed any coupon savings, but if you have more self-control than I do (or aren't shopping with two hungry Sprouts in tow) stop by this week for great savings!

Sweet on Sunday - Vegan Treats at the Magic Kingdom

We visited the Magic Kingdom this past week and spent a wonderful family day at the park. The crowds were minimal, and the Sprouts were able to ride their favorite rides repeatedly with very little waiting - the perfect way to do Disney.

It was quite warm that day, and I have to admit that I felt the tiniest twinge of longing seeing just about everyone else walking around with ice cream cones. As we walked past the ice cream parlor on Main Street on our way out of the park, Jim quickly turned around saying something about tofu . . . turns out that he'd glimpsed "Tofutti" on the menu!

Much to the Sprouts' delight (all of our delight, actually), they were serving both Tofutti and Rice Dream ice creams (one chocolate and one vanilla). And while neither of these are my favorite non-dairy ice cream (that would be my own followed closely by SoDelicious coconut milk ice cream), they were definitely tasty enough to feel like a special treat.

While I thought I'd made a great, new discovery, it turns out that my friend Jill at Vegan in the Kitchen has known about it for a while now. Check out her comprehensive list of locations that serve non-dairy ice cream and other vegan options throughout the Disney parks.

Congratulations to the Winner of Our April Giveaway

Thanks for bearing with me this past week. I've finally gotten to (re)draw a name for our April giveaway winner. Congrats to the winner of our April giveaway . . . Dallena!!! You have your choice of any of the three remaining books. Can't wait to see which one you choose and how you like it. When you have a chance, please e-mail me your address, and I'll get it on its way!

Disease-Proof Your Child

Eat to LiveEat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Thanks to all of you who entered by leaving comments and sharing the blog throughout the month. Remember that it's never too early to start entering our giveaway for May . . . here's how:

1. Sign up to follow Growing Healthy Sprouts . . . must be a blog follower to win.

2. Tell us what you think . . . earn one entry for every comment on the blog!

3. Tell a friend . . . every time a friend mentions your name in a comment, you both get an extra entry.

4. Like us on Facebook . . . we just like to feel the love.

5. Share the news . . . earn additional entries by blogging about our giveaway or sharing it on Facebook (just send me a message to let me know you've done so).

6. Tell us what you're cooking . . . Have you tried any GHS recipes? If so, share about it here and receive two entries (one for your comment and one for trying a recipe).

7. Follow us on Twitter . . . maybe you can help me figure out what Twitter is for.

Meal Plan Monday - Week of May 9

Well now I'm trying to remember how to cook after a week of minimal meal preparation. Keeping it simple seems to be the theme these days!

Advance Preparation
Make veggie tray (Monday)
Make salad dressing (Monday)
Make bread & pizza crust (Thursday)Make chickpea salad (Thursday)
Make cookies (Thursday)
Make cashew cheese (Saturday)

Breakfasts
Mix & Match between:
Green juice
Green smoothie
Apple with pecan butter
Power Sandwich
Fruit & nuts
Oatmeal with fruit & nuts

Lunches
Soup and salad
Green salad with Gardein tenders
Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa SaladChickpea salad pitas (for homeschool group potluck)
Soup & raw veggies
Out (x2)

Dinners 
Monday: Eggplant Parmesan; salad
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Extraordinary Tofu Salad pitas with raw veggies & fruit (at Disney)
Thursday: Whatever Jim makes (I'm going out for sushi with the girls)
Friday: Simple soft tacos; salad    
Saturday: Braised Cabbage with Seitan; salad
Sunday: Zucchini-Goat Cheese Pizza (made with Cashew Cheese and homemade crust); salad

Stay Active Saturday - Dance, Dance, Dance

After over a decade of long-distance running and triathlons, I switched my focus several years ago to something drastically different - dance. Or to be more specific, bellydance. I'd never really given much though to it in the past, thinking that if you hadn't grown up dancing, it wasn't really something you could pick up as an adult. But after watching a friend who'd been dancing just a few years perform at a recital, I was so taken with it that I called to sign up for classes the next day.

Tonight, our studio is hosting our spring show, An Evening Unveiled. This month marks not only my fourth anniversary of dancing but also the third anniversary of my first time on stage. In the years that have passed, I have performed in numerous shows, at community events as part of the professional troupe Gypsy Sa'har and even for patrons at a local Greek restaurant.

The fact that dance is so different from anything I've done in the past is one of the things I love most about it. In addition to keeping me active, it's connected me with an amazing, supportive group of women and wonderful new friendships. It's also been an opportunity to show myself that I can do things I never imagined that I could.

It's been such a wonderful experience for me, that I'm thrilled that Little Sprout has also been enjoying dance. My experience has given me so much confidence in myself that I didn't have when I was younger, and I'm hoping that it will help her develop this at an earlier age. 

Have you ever tried something drastically different for staying active? I'd love to hear from everyone about what you do!!!

Food for Thought Thursday - Juice Fasting

I'm now on Day 4 of my five-day juice fast - and am feeling great. I've never done more than a one-day juice fast before, but since I started doing the short ones regularly after ready Crazy Sexy Diet earlier this year, I've been wanting to try something longer. Inspired by a friend who did a seven-day fast recently, I decided to give it a go.

Initially, I wanted to go for the whole seven days, but that wouldn't have worked for me this week with my recital on Saturday and (let's be honest) Mother's Day brunch on Sunday! Actually, I was doubtful that this week was the right week at all since my detox seems to come in the form of breakouts - not pretty before a show. But for some reason, I just couldn't wait and decided to try to fit in a five-day fast.

The idea of fasting has never appealed to me at all. I understand the idea behind it, but - again with the honesty - I like to eat! So enjoying my recent one-day fasts really took me by surprise. But how would a longer fast go???

So far, it's going great! It amazes me that I haven't "eaten" in four days yet I feel wonderful and am not the least bit hungry. My body is getting all the nutrition it needs - and no extra stuff it has to deal with. I do have to say that I haven't noticed any great physical differences (energy and mental clarity seem about the same), but I have been exceptionally calm this week despite the fact that it should have been the most stressful and difficult week I've had in years.

During the course of the week, I've been reading more about juicing to continue learning more. This article mentions what I love most about fasting - that it makes eating seem "totally unimportant". For me, it's a very helpful perspective that food is about nutrition and nothing more - although for myself (and most people, I'm sure), it's usually more about the "more".

It's also given me a glimpse of how often I eat when I'm not meaning to . . . I honestly didn't know how many little bites and licks I took while cooking until this week when I wasn't able to do so. Not that I think those tastes are detrimental in any way, but again, it just made me think about why I was doing it (rather than just doing it thoughtlessly as I obviously had been).

I'm both ready and sad for my fast to wrap up tomorrow. I'm happy that my digestive system has gotten a bit of a rest and that I'm loaded up with great nutrition . . . but at the same time, I'll be just as happy to eat again. I'll be doing mostly smoothies, fruit and some juice over the weekend (with the exception of brunch on Sunday - oh well!) before easing back into regular food.

My biggest hope is that I can retain some of this feeling of ambivalence towards food once I start eating again - and use that to make the best choices possible!

Meal Plan Monday - Week of May 2

So here's a first . . . I have no meal plan for the week. I've been enjoying my one-day juice fasts so much that I wanted to try out a longer one, and this week is the week. I'll be winging it for breakfasts and lunches with the Sprouts, and Jim will be in charge of dinners (bless his heart).

Since I have my big dance recital on Saturday, I went back and forth on whether or not to fast this week or to wait. It's probably a terrible idea to do it now, but for some reason I'm doing it anyway. I'm hoping that there won't be much detox since I did the CSD cleanse so recently and have been doing AM juicing and (almost) weekly one-day juice fasts ever since.

Wish me luck, and I'll be sure to share a bit about my experience later in the week!

Sweet on Sunday - Brownies from the Fat Free Vegan

I'm not sure what got into me this week, but after months of (intentionally) refraining from baking, I impulsively whipped up a batch of brownies this week using a recipe from the Fat Free Vegan. They turned out to be the PERFECT brownie - Jim and the Sprouts loved them, and I could take them or leave them (for the record, I took one and left the rest).

How's that for win-win? Can you imagine brownies in your fridge all week without any desire to touch them? I can't imagine anything better than that.

Since Jim and the Sprouts splurge more often than I do, I'll definitely be making these again. Sorry there's no picture - they disappeared too quickly.

Sprout Ratings:
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 2 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts