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Yesterday, we noticed an orange glow streaming through our windows that was accompanied by a strong campfire smell. And I gotta say, campfire is not something you usually smell around these parts. I guess what most people do when they notice these things is turn on the radio, tv, or even the internet to find out what’s going on…Tim and I, however, just stepped outside, took some pictures, then came back in and tried to relax after a long week. Then, we decided we’d like to go to the beach. It wasn’t until we started toward the freeway that we actually turned on a radio to hear about what was going on. After all, the traffic was horrendous on the other side of the road, and it looked like we were driving straight for a great black pillar of smoke. We figured maybe we should figure out what was going on (duh)

.

It turns out the freeway we were headed for (the 57) was closed on the northbound side (good thing we were headed south, toward the beach, right?), so all of the cars were forced to exit onto the road we take to get to the freeway. Driving on the 57 was like driving through fog with a creepy-looking red sun casting an unnatural glow over everything. When we got to the beach, there was no wind, no campfire smell, and the skies were clearer than usual. We waited until dark to go home (hoping for clearer northbound freeways), and we could see the glow of the fire at certain points along the freeway.

Right now, the fire is about 5 miles away from our apartment, but we’re surrounded by lots of city- lots of concrete. Our friends who live up in the hills had to evacuate yesterday, and the fire has gotten closer to their house overnight. The homes near the outskirts of the city are in the most danger since they actually have some trees and grass out there by the mountains.

The fire area has already spread since we saved these pictures and started writing this post– You can keep up with the progress here: Updated Orange County Fire Map

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I figured it was time to take a little break from my usual type of food post (raw fruits, nuts, and veggies) to share a recipe I threw together for pumpkin carrot muffins!

I had a pumpkin that was yearning to do more with his life than be a mere decoration, so I made my own pumpkin puree. I’m sure canned pumpkin would be just as good, but here’s how I made my puree if you want to try it…

Making Pumpkin Puree

Step 1: Cut Pumpkin into Wedges

I had a medium-sized pumpkin, and I cut it into quarters. This step made me wish I had more upper body strength. Seriously.

Step 2: Save the Seeds!

Don’t forget to save the seeds so that you can clean them up a bit and roast (or dry) them with some spices! mmm…

Step 3: Bake Pumpkin

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. The pumpkin “flesh” (sounds kinda gross, doesn’t it?) should be tender enough to poke in a fork with ease.

Step 4: Peel Pumpkin

Pretty self explanatory… This part is definitely easier if the pumpkin is nice and tender when you take it out of the oven. As always, remind yourself not to cut yourself, okay?

Step 5: Slice Pumpkin into Chunks

Only weirdos like me use their (old-looking) cookie sheet as a cutting board when there’s a real cutting board about 2 feet away on the counter.

Step 6: Puree Pumpkin

Toss the pumpkin chunks into a food processor…you’ll probably have to do a couple batches.

…and process away until it’s all nice and smooth.

Step 7: Save for Later

I like to freeze whatever I’m not going to use right away. I put 1 cup of pumpkin in each plastic baggie, that way it’s easy to defrost exactly how much I need later on.

Step 8: Mix Wet Ingredients

Mix together:

1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup grated carrot
2 Tbsp flax with 3 Tbsp water  (instead of using an egg)
2 Tbsp applesauce (replaces some of the oil. If I didn’t have it on hand, I’d just use a total of 3 Tbsp canola oil)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup almond milk with 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (instead of using buttermilk. You can use white vinegar or rice vinegar if you don’t have apple cider vinegar)

Step 9: Mix Dry Ingredients

Mix together:

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (oops, I didn’t measure….and actually, I ended up putting in more than the picture shows. Be as generous or as stingy as you like. I love these spices, mmm.)

Step 10: Add Dry Mix to Wet Mix

Gradually add the dry mix to the wet mix, and stir until well combined and sticky and ooey and gooey and gloppy.

Step 11: Plop into Muffin Mold

I first typed “plop into muffin tin,” but that didn’t seem right. Does anyone call them that? Or do you call them muffin pans? I was really drawing a blank there. I don’t even have a tin or a pan. I use these nifty little silicone muffin things and they work quite well.

Step 12: Bake

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the tops are goldeny brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 13: Make some Frosting!

You can eat these as they are, of course, or drizzle some honey on them and have them with tea, mmmm….But, I decided I wanted to make some frosting. There are lots of recipes out there for frostings made with cream cheese or butter or confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar was it’s name in our house)…but I didn’t want to use that stuff this time. So, I just made a bit of “frosting” by blending coconut meat, coconut water, and agave nectar. It turned out alright, but it would have been more like frosting with some soaked cashews blended in there too. Feel free to experiment with this step or skip it altogether!

Step 14: Eat the Muffin!

This is generally the part where Tim comes in. The eating step is his favorite. The dishwashing step is my favorite. Just kidding.

The Recipe:

1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup grated carrot
2 Tbsp flax with 3 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp applesauce
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup almond milk with 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Mix ingredients from pumpkin puree through almond milk (”wet ingredients”). In separate bowl, mix ingredients from flour to spices (”dry ingredients”). Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together. Put mix into muffin molds and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

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Here’s a sweet way to get your protein! Straight from the bowl, they’re tasty and slightly sweet. Straight from the dehydrator they’re ooey and gooey. Mmmm…

Step 1: Soak Almonds

I always soak my almonds for at least a few hours before using them in any recipes. This is supposed to make them easier to digest and make the nutrients more available to our bodies.

Step 2: Process Almonds

Process 1 1/2 cups almonds (raw and soaked). If you don’t have a processor, you can try chopping them finely.

Step 3: Add to the processor…

3/4 to 1 cup sunflower seed butter

about 1/2 cup agave nectar. (You really have to taste test for the sweetness. Start with a little and add more if it needs it! You can also use honey instead of agave).

A dash of sea salt

The mixture was so sticky that it formed one big lump of gooeyness

Step 4: Add Shredded Coconut!

Add 2 cups shredded coconut and mix in by hand. Mmm. I L-O-V-E coconut.

…At this point, you can taste a spoonful of the mixture and decide if you want to add more of anything. Unlike most cookie dough mixes, there’s no harm in eating it up straight from the bowl.

Step 5: Form and Dehydrate

I decided to dehydrate my cookies for a couple of hours, but you don’t have to. You could just roll them into balls and eat them like that. If you decide to dehydrate them (or stick them in an oven on the lowest lowest setting), they taste yum-o-licious when they’re all warm and gooey. Tim will attest to that. He said they reminded him of “no-bakes” without the chocolate. I didn’t let them dehydrate enough to get crunchy, but you could always try it if you have the desire and the patience!

Step 6: Eat and Enjoy!

Make sure you take a picture of your cookies on a little platter on top of a wooden elephant that your husband brought home from India. It will make everyone think you’re pretty cool. I don’t know why, but I’m sure it will.

The Recipe, Short and Sweet:

1 1/2 cups soaked almonds

1/2 to 1 cup sunflower seed butter

about 1/2 cup agave nectar or honey

A dash of sea salt

2 cups shredded coconut

Process almonds in food processor, or chop finely. Add sunflower seed butter, agave nectar, and sea salt and process. Mix in coconut by hand. Roll into balls and press flat to dehydrate, or roll into balls and eat without dehydrating, or roll flat with a rolling pin and use fun cookie cutters…or…or…do anything you like!

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While our husbands were bird-hunting and trying to keep warm up in Oregon, Heather and I had fun taking her kiddos all around Orange County. Because Disneyland was too expensive, we decided to spend a morning at Downtown Disney. Carter never seemed to notice the difference. I think he was having too much fun with his newly created, personalized Spiderman Bear. Here’s how it all happened…

Choosing the Animal

The first step in building is to pick out the animal. Thankfully, Carter had no problem with his mom’s choice of the $10 honey bear. I liked the zebra, but he was twice the price… Almost immediately after choosing the bear, Carter spotted the “Spiderman Jammies.” Any other suggestions were completely lost on him. We didn’t even make it upstairs to see the second story of outfits.

Stuffing and Getting a Heart

After stepping on the pedal that fills the bear with stuffing, Carter carefully picked out the best heart for his bear. Heather and I decided not to mention anything about the special sounds you can put in…

Getting the Heart Ready

Mr. Helper-guy instructed Carter on the proper preparation of the heart. First, he had to blow on it. Then, he needed to rub it between his palms. Apparently, Carter got tired of this process, because he just stood and stared when asked to rub the heart on his nose.

Putting in the Heart

…so the guy decided the heart preparation must be done, and Carter inserted it like a master surgeon. He had a little help closing him up, though.

Fluffing and Bath Time

Next, Carter took the bear to get fluffed and ready for dressing. After thinking it over, he stepped on the pedal that let out a jet-stream of air. This is how stuffed animals take baths.

The Dressing Room

Carter entered the dressing room area with a simple, nameless honey bear, but he emerged enthusiastically with his new Spiderman. It was quite the transformation.

In his excitement to help speed up the process, he probably added a couple minutes, but it was all good.

Another Air Bath

Initially a little suspicious, Carter decided that the air-bath was particularly refreshing for Spiderman.

Showing some Love

An incredible bond of friendship was formed. There were hugs and kisses all around.

Introducing Spiderman to the World

After printing out a birth certificate and paying (which Carter never thinks is necessary), he proudly carried Spiderman and his house all over Downtown Disney.

…okay, maybe not all over. After a couple stores, he got tired and we put the folded house in the back of the stroller. Spiderman got to ride on his lap while he concentrated on stuffing an entire Mickey Mouse lollipop in his mouth.

It was quite the fun time.

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To be honest, I usually buy my almond milk…but I’m trying to make my own more often, because it’s fresh and I know exactly what goes into it. It’s pretty simple (only a couple ingredients) and pretty quick too. If you want to know why in the world people would drink “milk” made from almonds, check out my post Spotlight on Almonds. I plan to write something comparing cow’s milk to almond milk to soy milk (etc.) sometime soon…but that one’s taking a little extra energy.

The Basic Recipe:

4 cups filtered water

1 cup almonds, soaked in filtered water (4 hours or more)

pinch sea salt

1/4 to 1/2 cup agave, raw honey, or soft dates

vanilla or almond extract

Step 1: Add Almonds and Water

I chose to make a smaller batch, so I used 1/2 cup almonds (previously soaked in water, now dry) and 2 cups of filtered water. If you use less water or more almonds, your milk will be thicker and “creamier.”

Add almonds and water to the blender.

Step 2: Blend

Step 3: Strain the Milk

You can buy special nut milk bags online, but I’ve never used those. All you really need is super fine mesh. You can use multiple layers of cheesecloth or, my favorite, cut off nylons. You can’t get mesh much finer than that, eh?

I cut off the bottom of nylons and put the cut off side over the rim of a container, like this:

Then, I just pour the almond milk, pulp and all, into the strainer:

Step 4: Squeeze out the Milk:

Just like milking a cow, right….?

Step 5: Return to Blender:

You don’t have to do this step, but I like to. I rinse out the blender, and pour the newly strained almond milk back in to thoroughly mix in the other ingredients. You could just stir them in by hand if you want to.

I add a pinch of sea salt, some agave nectar, and some vanilla extract, then blend it all up. You may notice that the almond milk looks less white here. This is because I added a LOT of vanilla extract. I was planning to use this batch in a smoothie, so I figured it would be really tasty if it had lots of vanilla flavor.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Here’s a little cup of almond milk…Again, I know it looks kind of like dirty water. But really, that’s only because I had to go and add loads of vanilla extract to it. If you only add a little bit, it really should look nice and white.

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…is ridiculously adorable. and irresistibly cute.

Just look at those dimples…and those two little teeth.

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Almonds are a convenient, tasty snack, and the base for many raw vegan desserts, drinks, and smoothies. I’m about to tell you why they’re such a good choice…

Basic Nutritional Information:

Almonds are low in cholesterol and sodium

Almonds are a good source of:

• Protein
• Complex Carbohydrates (carbs that are absorbed slowly)
• Vitamin E
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
• Magnesium
• Manganese

(Information from nutritiondata.com)

Specific Nutrients:

Monosaturated Fats:

• Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis (the hardening of arteries). This may be due to the LDL cholesterol-lowering effects of monounsaturated fats.  (LDL is the form of cholesterol that has been linked to atherosclerosis and heart disease).

Vitamin E and Antioxidant Activity:

• In a study in the Journal of Nutrition, 20 potent antioxidants were identified in almond skins. Teamed up with the Vitamin E in the almond’s “meat”, the antioxidant activity was found to be more than doubled. (So eat your almonds raw with the skins on!)
• The link between decreased risk of heart disease and almonds may be partly due to the antioxidant action of the vitamin E and the antioxidants in the skins.

Magnesium:

• 1/4 cup of almonds contains almost 99 mg of magnesium (24.7% of the daily value for this mineral)
• Magnesium is a natural calcium channel blocker. (Calcium channel blockers as medications are used to lower blood pressure). When the body has enough magnesium, veins and arteries relax. This lessens resistance and improves blood flow, making it easier to transport oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Studies show that a deficiency of magnesium is associated not only with heart attack, but it also increases the risk of injury to the heart immediately after heart attack.

Potassium:

• 1/4 cup of almonds contains 257 mg of potassium.
• Potassium is an important electrolyte involved in nerve transmission and muscle contraction. This includes the heart muscle. Potassium is essential for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function.

Protein:

• Almonds are a great source of protein: 1/4 cup contains 7.62 grams-giving you more protein than the typical egg, which contains 5.54 grams.
• In my humble opinion, almonds taste better than eggs and don’t make your kitchen smell funny. But…that’s just me. This isn’t really a scientific fact about almonds or anything.

Manganese and Copper:

• Manganese and Copper are trace minerals that are essential for the activity of an enzyme that works within the mitochindria (the “powerhouse”  or “energy factory” of our cells- remember that from high school science class?). This enzyme, superoxide dismutase, reduces free radical activity in the mitochondria, thus improving our energy. (If you want to better understand free radicals and antioxidants, you can read my post about free radicals and antioxidants)

(Information from: WHFoods.com)

Almonds make me happy.

Almond Recipes:

• Coconut Almond Sun Cookies
  

  

• Almond Milk

  

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Let’s take a little trip back in time, shall we? Back to the beginning of September….Remember my post Labor Day Camping and Cute Kid Quotes?. If you read that post, you may remember that we went camping up North with our family. Way north. It was a looooong drive, and that is a story in itself…

Tim and I decided that we wanted to break up the long drive, and we didn’t want to spend a lot of money or go very far out of our way. Actually, we didn’t want to spend any money or go out of our way at all. We also wanted to stop after 4-5 hours of driving. I know, these are pretty specific requests. Thankfully, I have a really cool husband who researched online and found out there was BLM land just 4-5 hours north of us, very close to the 5 freeway, and free to camp on.

Oh? You don’t know what BLM land is? I didn’t either, but here’s what I found out: BLM stands for “Bureau of Land Management,” and they manage and conserve millions of acres of public land. I still don’t know all that much, but I believe my husband when he says that anyone is allowed to access public BLM land, and you can camp on it as long as you follow the regulations.

We did our homework, looked at the area on Google Earth, and found a spot within public BLM land that we thought would be a nice, cozy place to camp. Tim printed out information, maps, rules, and regulations, and we were set. Well, we thought we were…

At about 9 or 10pm, we exited the freeway and were soon the only car in sight. After turning onto a small country road, we passed a sign that told us we were at the entrance of the BLM land. Tim, unlike me, has an internal compass, and he was pretty sure where we were supposed to go. (even though the view from the road isn’t quite as clear as the view from a satellite). Unfortunately, that didn’t really matter. All of the pathways leading from the main road were blocked by locked gates. They don’t show you locked gates on Google Earth.

We finally saw a place where we could pull off and read the signs with the help of our car’s headlights. We were at the Little Panoche Reservoir, and camping was allowed if you hiked in and followed a couple rules. After taking stock of our situation, we determined that our options were to try out this spot at the Little Panoche Reservoir or camp by the side of the road… Following the original plan was no longer an option, thanks to the locked gates. (Getting back on the 5 and driving to a hotel somewhere was not an option, either). The pictures below are what we saw at Little Panoche the next morning…we could see none of this when we checked it out at night…

We didn’t like the idea of leaving our very full car in a big, empty parking lot and hiking into an area we couldn’t see and knew nothing about. It was, after all, 10 o’clock at night, and they don’t have street lights on small country roads. So, we chose the side-of-the-road option…even though there were loads of kangaroo mice hopping about on the roadside.

We found a big enough turnout and set ourselves up so that the car blocked our tent from the road. Once we were settled, we laid back in our tent and took a couple of relaxing breaths. It was warm enough to leave the rainfly (and the sleeping bag) off, which gave us a great view of the clear sky. I’ve gotten used to living where I can count the number of stars I see on my hands- sometimes on one hand. It was so refreshing to see more stars than my mind could even comprehend.

In the morning, we could finally take in our surroundings. The landscape looked as if it had been painted with soft pastels, and it felt so peaceful to watch the sun rise. We were a little confused when we heard cows from the other side of the fence, and we still don’t really know what happened to our little camping spot on BLM land. But, we accomplished our goal nonetheless. We found a peaceful, secluded camping spot just off the 5 freeway, didn’t pay a thing, and got an early start on the rest of our drive.

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“Antioxidant” is a word that most of us are pretty familiar with, right? But what does it really mean? What are they, what do they do, and why do we care about getting them anyway? I’ve tried to explain all this in the most simple, basic way. (not because I think you’re simple or basic, but because I am). If it doesn’t make sense, pretend you never read it and promise you’ll still be my friend, okay?

Free Radicals:

Before we can talk about antioxidants, we must know a little bit about free radicals. Free radicals and antioxidants are bitter enemies. Free radicals are out for us, and antioxidants are out for them. Really, that’s what my college chemistry teacher taught me. I guess there’s a little more to it than that.

Free radicals are kind of wacky, because they are both necessary for life and thought to be at the root of many diseases and chronic conditions.

Why we love them:

• They are involved in cell signaling processes and the intracellular killing of bacteria

Why we hate them:

• When there’s a surplus of free radicals -more than the body needs- they start damaging or killing our good cells. This is thought to be the root of many cancers, diseases, and even the symptoms of aging.

What ARE they?

• This might not be what you get from an encyclopedia, but it’s the clearest explanation I can come up with for regular people like me (huh? regular?). People who studied science more diligently than I did might look down upon me, but this is how I gotta say it: Free radicals are unpaired electrons. Most electrons follow the buddy rule and always hold hands. But free radicals are damaged rule-breakers, not to mention that they are unstable and react quickly. Because they don’t have a buddy of their own, they try to steal everybody else’s. As you can imagine, this can cause problems.
• Let’s say we have an extra free radical running around in our skin (a disturbing thought, I know). This free radical is unemployed: the body doesn’t really need it. It’s extra. It’s goofing off because there’s not enough work around for all the free radicals. So, what does it do?! It steals an electron from the first stable, healthy, good molecule that it sees. This sets off a chain reaction, damaging the cells that are stolen from.

• When this happens excessively, the body suffers damage. When extra free radicals fraternize with skin cells, damage occurs to the skin. Those greedy thieving free radicals steal from the good skin cells, wreaking havoc as they go. Excess of free radicals can cause damage in any area of the body, and many scientists believe that it is the basis of many diseases.

Where do they come from?

Free radicals can be produced by or through or because of:

• Cigarette smoke
• Exercise
• Cooked Food
• Environmental Pollution
• Preservatives
• Food Additives
• The body’s metabolism
• Alcohol
• Bacteria
• Stress
• Exposure to microwaves
• Sunburns
• Radiation
• More things that I can’t remember.

I admit, this list is kind of depressing. Some things on this list are even good! Like exercise (and don’t use this list as an excuse to stop exercising). Some are unavoidable! Like metabolism. The body needs some free radicals, but when we are exposed to so many ways of producing them, it’s easy to have too many. We can try to avoid the negative things on this list, but we might need a little more help than that…

Antioxidants and Enzymes:

Our bodies were created with mechanisms to fight off excess free radical activity. Yay! How encouraging. Thanks, God, for knowing that I would get sunburned and need to get rid of those extra free radicals.

• I’ll try to keep this pretty simple: antioxidants and enzymes in our bodies help reduce and repair damage from free radicals.
• Antioxidants sacrifice themselves for the sake of our cells. They willingly donate themselves to the ravaging free radicals that are looking for buddies to steal. Picture this: an extra free radical is running around looking for a buddy to steal. It sees an innocent, healthy cell and starts moving that way. BUT, the super-antioxidant is on watch for these extra free radicals and jumps in front of the innocent cell to save it’s life. …or something like that…
• Basically, the antioxidants keep the free radicals from damaging our cells by being available to bond to them instead.

Where do we get antioxidants:

Some antioxidants are produced in our bodies, and some can be obtained through foods and/or supplements. Keep in mind that you want a variety of antioxidants. To work to their full potential, you need all different kinds. This means that you should eat lots of different colors and types of fruits and veggies!

• Vitamin C: citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, strawberries
• Vitamin E: nuts and seeds, green leafy vegetables, whole grains
• Grape Seed Extract
• Lignans: flaxseed, oatmeal, barley
• Vitamin A and Carotenoids: carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, etc.
• Selenium: fish, garlic
• Flavonoids: pomegranate, cranberries

(this is not an exhaustive list by any means)

Suggested Reading:

Here are some books that I found to be very helpful when learning about what my body needs and how to get it!

• What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know about Nutritional Medicine May be Killing You by Ray D. Strand, MD (whoa, that was a mouthful)
• Toxic Relief by Don Colbert, MD

(Information from: my memory of chemistry classes, wikipedia.org, healthcastle.com, bestjuicers.com)

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