♥crock-pot-lovin♥

As it is well documented in my blog – I am a new vegan and a lover of my crock-pot. If I can combine the two – I am a HAPPY HAPPY gal! And especially for lentils; (link takes you to a site for the amazing nutrional values of lentils) which I fell in love with at the Indian restaurant that Brian I had dinner at a few weeks back for our *anniversary*.
So imagine my glee when I found some vegetarian (okay they were technically from the *meatless* section) recipes via Fix-It and Forget-It magazine – The Quick & Easy Slow-Cooker Meals Edition. (pg. 73)
Now I did have to adjust a few things to make this recipe truly vegetarian but I will post the recipe as is with my noted changes. (There are other variations of this same recipe if you were to Google it of course.)

Lentil Tacos
Makes 6 servings
Ideal slow cooker: 4-quart
(I doubled this recipe)

¾ cup chopped onion
1/8 tsp garlic powder (I used fresh garlic – 4 cloves chopped)
1 tsp canola oil
8 ozs. Dried lentils, washed
1 Tbsp chilli powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable stock of course)
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells
Toppings for tacos

1. Sprinkle onion with garlic powder and saute in oil in a skillet until tender. Add lentils and spices and stir 1 minutes.
2. Place lentil mixture and stock in slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on low 3 hours for crunchy lentils or on low for 6 hours for soft lentils.
4. Add salsa.
5. Spoon aout ¼ cup mixture into each taco shell. Serve with desired toppings.

Now – I did not serve this dish in tacos. I served it over some basmati rice (just like I had it at the restaurant) and while it wasn’t exactly the same as the dish I fell in love with – it was really flavorful, YUMMY, and super filling!
I did add a bit of water at the end – so I might up the stock a bit. And I felt it needed a wee bit of salt and we also added red crushed pepper fakes (about a tsp or so) to give it some ZING as we l♥ve ZING!

I will definitely make it again and it made a GINORMOUS ammount of food that I will be enjoying throughout the week for lunch! (YaY for not having to cook or worry about lunch for a week!)

Oh and for the record – the green stuff on the side is frozen chopped spinach, red onion, canned mushrooms, red crushed pepper flakes (told ya we like ZING) sauteed in some canola oil. A family side dish standby and sooooo YUMM-o!

Happy crock-pottin’!
♥cyn♥

WHaT a WeeKenD!

Our Holiday Weekend was full of family, friends, POOL TIME, laughs, BBQ's and toasting marshmallows... in other words; perfection!

Motivational Monday...

I thought this particular *motivation* so appropriate because we here in Rhode Island are forecasted to get some t-storms today. I would be miffed if it weren’t for the fact that the past three days were perfection.
**plus I have a wee sunburn**

AND the message today is SO on – if I could adapt this attitude in my every day life I would be a less stressed individual!

I also wanted to get this fantabulous tidbit out there -- june:photo-a-day challenge hosted by fatmumslim who’s blog and photography I admire! I have followed for some time -- so please check her out and play along because this will be FUN to say the least!!!


*ahem ANGELA this means you*

We will be starting on Wednesday June 1st – I will repost a reminder for all the forgetful folks out there like myself!

I hope everyone enjoys the last bit of this holiday weekend and that you all make a lot of memories!

♥cyn♥

Happy Memorial Day!

While I may not agree with war and am constantly praying for peace -- I am VERY thankful for my freedom that allows me to live the life I do and to freely raise my children as I deem fit!
Thank You to those who have provided it and who continue to provide it!
♥cyn♥

** All photos and images were found using Google Images **

HoLLa: Weight Loss Update & Other Non-Related Tidbits!

HaPPy LoNg WeeKeNd!!!

So usually I weigh-in faithfully every single Friday. But this week I decided to take the weekend off. I will stick to my diet but I am choosing to skip my weigh-in and the gym for the weekend.
Everyone deserves a vacay, no?
Come Monday I am back at the gym and usual routine. And who am I kidding – I will make up these two days I missed at the gym through the course of the week.
And I will be weighing-in next Friday and fully expect some nice results!

So last week was good – I did only make it to the gym three times and I have no good excuse for it. I had/have PMS and honestly just couldn’t muster the motivation.
Mother Nature had other plans for me apparently?

Diet wise – I was good. Still eating vegan and feeling AMAZING (minus the PMS) for it! Today I am making lentils in my crock-pot and will post the pics and recipe tomorrow. I am hoping they are as delicious as the ones Brian and I had at the Indian restaurant a few weeks back!

In other Non-HoLLa Related News:

Brian and I had dinner with my bestie Angela and her sweeter than pie ex-Texan (seriously, everyone I have ever met from Texas is so friggen nice!) hubby James at their house this past Friday evening. Sans kids I might add – all of us; as my friends have two kiddos of their own. How we managed this still baffles the mind but I digress…
The night was perfect!
My friends ROCK – no word of a lie. Dinner was superb and they went out of their way to make sure I had PLENTY of vegan food to eat.
We had a few beers – because that’s what BIG PEOPLE do.
Clear skies for some star gazing – odd *star* movement – potential UFO but that is another post for another time – and no, I wasn’t intoxicated – heh!
Good tunes!
And lotsa laughs!
*sigh*
I can’t speak for our buds – but Brian and I needed that and had a SUPER DUPER time!

Ohhhh and I MUST give my girl Angela a shout out for her brandy-new blog (Welcome to the blog-o-sphere!) -- Angela’s Cauldron. Please check her out and say hello!

For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile – Angela is the friend who owns the metaphysical shop where I attend Goddess Group and one of my oldest, dearest, and bestest friends.

Moving along…
So our pool was opened this past week and finally after literally TWO miserable weeks of rain we finally got a break and some wonderful pool weather!

The pool is my sanity. I think I would implode if I didn’t have it as an outlet for months of crappy/cold Rhode Island weather.
Seasons pfffffffffffffft!
Gimme heat and a year round tan and I am happier than a pig in doo-doo!
I am definitely in the wrong climate!




Finally…
Everyone pulls their load in maintaining the pool – even Skylar. See her skimming the bajillion leaves, tree gunk, and bugs that hit the pool on any given windy day.
*heh*

I hope you ALL enjoy this wonderful LONG weekend – I know we will/have!

♥cyn♥

BLoG HoPPin'

Spreading the L♥VE!



Ummm is it just me or is BloGGer a little wonky again???

***Update****
Apparently BloGGer IS wonky -- an issue with GFC?? So I cannot *follow* until this issue is resolved. Which I will asap!
I am also having issue on occasion with posting comments which REALLLLLLY irks me -- I am not ignoring my favorite reads; promise!
Sorry!

I swear -- ever since the "upgrade" a week or so ago -- things have been outta sorts around here...
DRATS!

HaPPy ThurSdAy!

Skylar will turn two on June 14th and all I have to say is that she is progressively becoming both the funniest and most particular person I know.

Girlfriend knows exactly what she likes and doesn’t like and has NO qualms in letting you know!

Lately she has become a VERY picky eater – basically she only eats yogurt, fruit, peanuts, Poptarts, some cereal, toast on occasion, ice cream, Jello, corn, and mac n cheese. That is it – well other than candy if I allow her to, which is rare!

I know it could be worse; at least she eats some decent foods – but ack @ the processed garbage that I am trying so hard to NOT have in the house. Needless to say, she eats A LOT of fruit --but sometimes we are desperate to get her to eat ANYTHING!

Which leads into her obsession with cats. My daughter goes absolutely GA-GA over cats; all animals really, but especially cats!
So much so that she has created an imaginary pet cat named Bum-Bum. No really, she named it herself and everything!

Sometimes out of desperation for her to eat we have to *pretend* that she is actually Bum-Bum and feed her *kitty snacks* (which can be anything really). It sounds ridiculous and I tell Brian all the time that we are one phone call away from a visit from DCYF but she eats every single bite every time we do it. All while patting her head and saying *good kitty* and *I love you Bum Bum*.
*heh-heh*

It sounds even more insane when I write it out… lol!
And I admit that Brian and I find it funny.
Please tell me we aren’t the only crazies out there allowing their child to be a *pet* in order to do the things she needs to do…
Anyone?
ANYONE???

But look at her – how can you not just adore her no matter how silly she is…

Finally…
I have to share this AMAZING GiVeAwAy hosted by Leah at leah:the kind weight watcher to celebrate 100 Followers – YaY!

I actually met Leah on the Weight Watcher website and found her blog via there. She is one of my favorite reads and SUCH an inspiration – her weight loss journey is awesome and her informative and honest blog is part of the reasons I decided to become vegan!
Yeah I think she is pretty spiffy!
Anywho – check out her blog, enter her GiVeAwAy and GOOD LUCK!!!

Seize the day dear friends…
♥cyn♥

HoLLa: Weight Loss Update

I have been SO outta the loop lately. Between the usual day-to-day stuff – my son’s PRoM this past Friday and all that entails even for the male persuasion (btw – did ya see how great my son looked?) -- work – and everything else – which lately seems to be A LOT!
Basically… bloGGin’ has taken a backseat.
But here I am now; better late than never!

So on my last weigh-in I was down 1.4lbs!
SuPer DuPer w00ts!

Since joining the gym in the end of February I have lost a total of 12.2 lbs! 6.4 of that I have lost since going vegan a little over a month ago!
I am VERY proud of my dedication to my diet and the gym – made it there four times last week and was really committed to giving my workout 100%!
I am in such a good place right now in regards to my weight loss journey!
Choosing to eat vegan has been a bit harder – but so worth it!

I feel amazing!

Oh and a clarification – as pointed out by my Mother. When I have made posts in the past giving my time frames since cutting out dairy – I mean eggs as well. I don’t know why I combine eggs in the *dairy* category as they are so obviously not.
Heh-heh!
So to be clear – I am currently not eating ANY animal products and haven’t for approximately a month now. Minus some paneer cheese (which doesn’t contain rennet) a couple weeks back and a bean burrito that I realized contained some milk AFTER I consummed it.
Live and learn…

In Other News:

I am a weiner! I won a great GiVeAwAy a few weeks back hosted by the lovely Lesley at Fabulously Flawed!
What did I win you ask?
Well…

Forever Sunshine Soleil Sublime Lotion from Bath & Body Works and it is RIDICULOUSLY yummy smelling! Brian totally agrees – and he is rather picky when it comes to scents.
So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Lesley! I L♥VE it! (And will be buying any companion body sprays, shower gels, etc. ASAP!)

Brian and I made a special trip back to Trader Joes on Saturday just so I could purchase some soy cheese, fresh salsa, avocado hummus, vegan chourico (delish and SO spicy good) some tofu (YUMM-o!), and some frozen vegetarian biryani which was just delicious! I am seriously in love with this place and will be back before the end of the week. So worth the extra few bucks!

Our pool was opened today. Usually this is a day I am counting down a week in advance but our less than stellar (which is a nice way of saying crappola) weather has put a damper on the event. I hear the sun may come out on Thursday – of course I will be working.
Oh well, the pool season is young – I will get my time in the water!!!

Finally…
I am being lazy and combining Motivational Monday on this post as well. Although it may not be *motivational* it does make me think…

After all...
I have both!

Happy Monday BloGoSpHeRe!