My Journey To A Plant-Based Diet

Yes! You read it right. I am going PLANT-BASED! I can't believe it that I am actually doing this. I mean, it is something that I have been thinking about for a long time now. I didn't just wake up one day and decided to go with this lifestyle because it is all about the rave these days. No! It has been a long debate with myself as to whether or not I can live in this kind of lifestyle because I got to be honest, I like chicken and fish. Well, I like fish more. But, I am happy to tell you that it is about a little over two months now that I have been on mostly plant-based diet. I got to be honest though, there were a few times (during the vacation time) where I had a few meals where it was not full-on plant based. I had food that had cheeses like on veggie pizza (not vegan), chicken, eggs, and a couple times with freshly caught trout. I don't eat pork and I stopped eating beef like a long time ago. I don't remember when.  But I am determined to really full-on live this lifestyle while I am still living. 

Was it an easy transition for me from having to eliminate animal-based food in my diet? Well, it wasn't too easy and it wasn't too difficult for me either. I mean, I already love eating veggies and fruits and like I said, I had already eliminated eating beef a long time ago. And I don't eat pork (religious reasons). And prior to my decision on going plant-based, I was already in the process of eliminating chicken, eggs, and fish in my diet. So far I am doing really good. I don't crave for fish, chicken or eggs at all and I enjoy prepping, cooking and eating my plant-based diet. 

One challenging thing though when you are on a plant-based diet is when you are on the road. During our vacation, we did a lot of trips to the grocery store so we could buy fruits for lunch, and during dinner time we mostly prepared our own food. We did order some to-go meals from the restaurant and ordered the ones that I could eat. I also did some research about places or restaurants that were vegan-friendly and that really helped. 

When I first started this lifestyle (not long ago), I had a couple of weeks where I bought some mock meat. Because it was a way for me to help with my cravings for meat. You do need to take it slow though when you decide to switch to this lifestyle. Slowly eliminate the animal-based food in your diet and you are more likely to be successful. As of lately, I have not bought any mock meat products and also because there aren't any available at the store where we shop. Plus, I don't crave for it as much anymore. The less processed Vegan food I eat, the better. Fresh is good! But I do want to try and make my own homemade Seitan though one of these days. I am excited to try! 

Vegetarian Delight Sushi (plant-based)

And as for my husband and my kids, they are not on the same diet. But according to my husband, he is not far behind. He too loves to eat veggies and fruits a lot and have eliminated eating pork and beef. He sees me enjoying my new lifestyle and I know one of these days, he will fully commit to living the same lifestyle I am living right now. It is a decision I made for myself and I hope people will respect me for that as I respect yours. Have a great one! 

Note: I am not paid to share with you some of the products I mentioned on this post. I just thought you guys might be interested in finding out the products, and might be helpful to you as well. Therefore I like to share it with you. 

Food Share: Call Me Pizza Crazy Because I Am!

Ever since I've had that fig pizza in Laramie, Wyoming, I have been craving for some more of those. And I know there aren't anything available like that near where we live, I had to make it homemade. I have been making some pizzas in the past, but the other night was THE best yet of all pizzas that I have ever made. Even my husband would say YES to that!

I have my own share of stories when it comes to making homemade pizza and I even burnt once before. Some turned out good, and some turned out not so much. But that didn't stop me from making more homemade pizza and certainly didn't stop me from searching the pizza dough that we will all love. And I think the other night, I have found the one. 

The first thing I heard from my husband when it came out of the oven was, "Wow! Honey. That looks really good and smells delicious." Oh yes, it was! I am just going to brag now. (LOL)

My Homemade Fig Pizza.

Well, I call it Fig Pizza even though it has other toppings, but man I can't get over how I love the taste of the figs topped with pizza. For the cheese, I used a combo of Provolone and Mozzarella Cheese. My tip for making your own homemade pizza dough is to use bread flour and not all-purpose flour. It has a big difference when it comes to the texture of your pizza. The one above was not heavy and dense, unlike the other pizzas I've made in the past. I am no pizza expert, but that's what I have noticed when using both types of flour. Maybe I am wrong on this tip, but I will be using this recipe from now on. Thank you so much for sharing! 

The link to the pizza dough recipe I used. 

The recipe calls for 3 3/4 cups bread flour, but instead I mix 2 3/4 cups bread flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Then for the sugar, since we are cutting on unhealthy sugar, I used the Agave Syrup instead. 

********************

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Prep time:  1 hour 15 mins Cook time:  20 mins Total time:  1 hour 35 mins

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

3¾ cups bread flour

1 tsp. sugar

1 packet dry active yeast (instant)

1½ cups of hot (not boiling) water

2 Tbsp. oil

2 tsp. salt

Instructions:

- Combine the flour, sugar, and yeast into a stand mixer with the hook attachment and stir to combine.

- With the mixer on low, slowly add the hot water and oil.

- When the dough starts to come together, add the salt.

- Continue to mix on low until the dough comes together to form a ball on the hook and the bowl looks ‘clean’. You may need to add a bit of water or flour to find the right balance for the dough.

- Remove the ball of dough from the hook and knead it by hand on a lightly floured surface.

- Oil a large bowl and place the dough inside and cover it with plastic wrap.

- Keep the dough in a warm place and allow the dough to double in size – this takes about 45 min-1 hour

- When the dough is doubled in size, turn it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.

- Cut the dough in two pieces. Roll and shape the dough into two large pizza rounds about ¼ – ½ in in thickness.

- Garnish with desired toppings.

- Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

********************

Well, the story of my burnt pizza. And the rest are some of the pizzas I have made in the past. 

How about you, do you make homemade pizza? Do you have a best pizza dough recipe you would love to share, perhaps? Please do! I would appreciate that. Have a great one! 

Product Review: Wake Up To The Smell Of Crio Brü Every Morning (Your Healthier Kind Of Brew)

"These are good. These are way too good! These are way too delicious! Why did you have to get these? I can't stop eating them." These were the words I heard from my husband while indulging in some Chocolate Covered Cocoa Beans that we received from Crio Brü. And yes he is right! They are INDULGENT! AND, along with the chocolate covered cocoa beans, we also got some Brewed Cocoa Beans for us to sample.  But first, let's get to know a little bit about Crio Brü.

About Crio Brü

Crio Brü is brewed drink made from 100% cacao beans (also known as cocoa beans), roasted to perfection. Named after the most prized of cacao beans, the Criollo, Crio Brü will astound your taste buds with its complex chocolaty flavors and subtle aromas which come right from the cacao bean itself! It is 100% natural and 100% pure.

Crio Brü is the ultimate super food. It is low in calories and contains no sugar, no fat, no dairy, no sodium, no cholesterol and practically no caffeine, yet is extremely high in antioxidants, theobromine and a host of other vitamins and minerals.

Crio Brü is both a new drink and an ancient one. Ka'kao was an everyday drink of the kings and peoples of the great Incas, Mayans, Olmec and Aztecs for hundreds of years, but was changed when the Old World met the New. The incredible health properties of cacao are currently lost in the process of making modern chocolate, but with Crio Brü, they are preserved.

What's In The Mail?

Price: $10.97

SKU: CB-CB-8

Weight: 0.50 LBS

Rating:  ( 25 product reviews )

Shipping: Calculated at checkout

Size:

4 Ounce

8 Ounce

1 Pound

Product Description:

Crio Beans™. Amazingly Delicious. Exquisitely Complex. Remarkably Satisfying.

Enjoy these delectable chocolate covered cocoa beans which deliver sky-high antioxidants and even more concentrated health-promoting benefits than dark chocolate. The unforgettable flavor in each Crio Bean contains a delicate fruity body with deep chocolate notes. Taste the origin of chocolate.

Our Review: 

- We are crazy about these chocolate covered cocoa beans. The combination of chocolate and the bitterness of the cocoa bean (the good kind of bitterness) goes so well. The cocoa bean inside is easy to munch and I really do enjoy the texture of the cocoa beans. The chocolate that covers the bean has the right sweetness and what a treat! They are perfect treats for traveling because they come in a resealable bag. I just wish we had more of these though, because they are all gone. They are that good taste wise and not to mention they are filled with antioxidants, which are good for your body. 

Price: $14.97

SKU: CB-MC-12

Weight: 0.80 LBS

Rating:  ( 31 product reviews )

Shipping: Calculated at checkout

 Size:

12 oz.

1.5 lb.

5 lb.

Product Description:

Maracaibo™. With flavor notes of caramel and cherry  found naturally in premium cocoa beans from Venezuela. Flowing serenely into the Caribbean Sea, Lake Maracaibo is encircled by the rarest, heritage cocoa trees from which Venezuelan growers produce the world’s most sought after Criollo and Carenero cocoa beans prized for their superb, rich flavors. This Crio Brü is a luxurious, full-bodied brewed cocoa with sweet flavor notes of vanilla and cherry and a caramelized nutty finish.

Making Crio Brü is easy, whether in a coffee maker or French Press.

Maracaibo

[Mair-a-kai-bo]

Price: $11.97

SKU: CB-MYA

Weight: 0.80 LBS

Rating:  ( 30 product reviews )

Shipping: Calculated at checkout

Size:

11 oz.

1.3 lb.

4.5 lb.

Product Description:

Maya™

Fiery cayenne pepper with warm vibrant cinnamon and soothing ground vanilla beans blended with premium, chocolaty cocoa grounds. For thousands of years, the Maya and Aztecs drank an unsweetened health elixir called xocoatl made from roasted cocoa and hot peppers. Experience the changing and harmonizing flavors in this exquisite and energizing blend of premium ground cocoa beans, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and vanilla beans.

Making Crio Brü is easy, whether in a coffee maker or French Press.

Price: $11.97

SKU: CB-CVL-12

Weight: 0.80 LBS

Rating:  ( 41 product reviews )

Shipping: Calculated at checkout

Size:

12 oz.

1.5 lb.

5 lb.

Product Description:

Cavalla™ with flavor notes of coconut and cinnamon found naturally in premium cocoa beans from Ivory Coast. Winding along its western front, the Cavalla River gives shape to the exotic Ivory Coast. The surrounding agricultural area is dotted with small, family-owned farms that produce the very best African cacao. The dark, earthy-toned beans are carefully hand picked and dried naturally by the sun to enhance the full-bodied chocolate flavor, which hints of dark spice, coconut and cinnamon. These incredible natural flavors come to life when you brew a cup of Cavalla, made from 100% pure, perfectly roasted cocoa beans. 

 Cavalla

[Kuh-val-uh]

Making Crio Brü is easy, whether in a coffee maker or French Press. And Cavalla is incredibly delicious, especially when you add a little creamer and cinnamon.

If you have noticed the dots of oil floating on top of the drink, don't worry. Cocoa beans contain natural essential oils and it says those are healthy kind of fats just like the ones you would find in Avocado, Olive Oil and Nuts. 

Now, let's say you have no French Press or a Gold Tone Coffee Filter at home and you wonder how to brew your own cocoa beans without it? Well, I want to share with you my way of doing it, which is the Filipino way of brewing cocoa beans. I basically grew up drinking "sikwati (brewed cocoa beans)" and I know how to make it without any of those fancy things. I do however use my coffee grinder to grind up my already ground up beans into a really fine texture. But you don't need to do that if you don't have a coffee grinder either. It still works! 

     - First, measure your water. According to the package, in every 6 ounces of water is equal to 2 tablespoons of ground cocoa beans. The way I do it is I would measure 16 ounces of water per 4 tablespoons of cocoa beans and that would make me about 2 cups of brewed cocoa beans. 

     - Once you measure your water and your cocoa beans, sit it on top of the stove and let it boil, simply make sure to stir it frequently. Don't leave it sitting on top of the stove on its own. As you can see on the photo below that your drink would look like the first one to the left, still thick and you can see a lot of the ground up beans. Don't freak out, it is alright. Just keep stirring to really combine everything and some of the ground up beans will melt and some won't, which explains while it is gritty. 

     - Once it starts to boil, turn the heat to low and continue stirring until your drink is a lot smoother, then turn the oven off. Now this drink is gritty, but you can use a fine strainer to strain some of the grits out. It will still be gritty, but not as bad. I am not really bothered by it because I am used to drinking this since I was a little girl. It does not affect the taste of the brewed cocoa beans at all. 

     - At this point, you can either add sweetener or creamer to your drink, but I prefer just adding Agave Syrup and nothing else. If I feel like adding anything else, it would be Almond milk as my creamer. You can add whatever sweetener you like according to your taste. Enjoy! 

I like to have this in the morning with some homemade bread or rice for breakfast. And speaking of rice, you can also make "Champorado (Chocolate Rice Porridge)" with this. If you want to know how I make my own Champorado using the Crio Brü, let me know in the comment below.  

And for a Filipino meal, I paired it with rice, dried fish (stinky, but yummy), and some leftover salmon, with eggs and spinach. 

Our Review: 

- The Crio Brü drink smells really good. It reminds me of waking up every morning in the Philippines before I go to school and my mom's brewing some "sikwate or tsokolate", so we can have something hot or warm to drink. Paired with some rice, sunny-side up eggs, dried fish and my breakfast was complete. Drinking a cup of this every morning makes me feel like I am back home. 

- It's amazing how all these beans are the same, but yet different. The same because they are all cocoa beans, but different because they have their own hint of flavor, and even aroma. But they are all delicious! I just wish I had a way for you to try it yourself so you know exactly what I am talking about. I guess you are just going to have to buy some for yourself to really know what I am talking about. 

- I have mentioned it before that I am not much of a coffee person and as much as I love drinking hot chocolate, I don't want to drink it frequently. But there are some mornings that I really want something hot or warm to drink, but not coffee or hot chocolate. And Crio Bru's Brewed Cocoa is my answer. I could have ordered some of those "tableya" (the Philippine version of hot chocolate made purely of ground cocoa beans just like Crio Brü), but it is costly if I order it online and I am far away from any asian stores. To be honest, I want to buy more of these when I finally run out. And I want more of the Cavalla this time because of all three products, Cavalla is my favorite. It is smooth and just delicious! If you prefer something with a kick, try Maya. And try Maracaibo if you want that hint of caramel and cherry in your drink. 

- It does not give me the jitters that I would normally get from drinking coffee. And this is just for me, but it is filling. I am glad I received these products because these will be my only drink every morning. I can also make some ice cold drinks with this for the summer, too. Thank you, Crio Brü! 

If you are interested in any of these healthier drinks to help you start off your morning, don't forget to visit Crio Bru's website today at http://www.criobru.com/ to learn more. Also, if you watch the show Shark Tank, Crio Brü will be featured on that show on April 25th. 

And one more thing before I end this review. When my sister-in-law saw my post on Facebook about Crio Brü, she went and ordered online and this is what she told me:

*** To answer my sister-in-law's question: . I haven't stored them in the refrigerator at all and because of its resealable bag, it remains fresh. And if only we have our garden here, I would have saved up all the grounds and use it as fertilizer. 

Question: If this was my money, was it worth the buy? 

Answer: Absolutely!

For more update:
LIKE Crio Brü on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CrioBru?v=app_4949752878

Follow on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/criobru

Follow On Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/crioinc/

Product Review: NuNaturals Products (Your All-Natural Sweetener)

If you are a frequent reader to my blog, you may have already seen my first review about NuNaturals. After I did a review of their products, I was asked if I would be willing to do another review of some of their new products, and who could say no to that? It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to sample their products because it is something I find very useful for us and worthy to share with all of you. NuNaturals is here to help keep you well. 

And today, I am going to talk about a few items that I received from this complimentary NuNatural package. But as usual, I want to give a little introduction about the company.

"Thank you for taking the time to get to know us better. We have over 24 years of experience providing nutritional supplements. NuNaturals uses only the highest quality herbs and nutrients to make our products. We belong to the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA). 

We take a lot of pride in supporting sustainable "Green" business practices. You may have noticed many of our shipping containers utilize so called "Packing Peanuts", however several years ago we converted to a more environmentally conscious packing material using a VEGETABLE STARCH product that completely dissolves in water."

What does the company promise?

- NuNaturals provides nutritional supplements and uses only the highest quality herbs and nutrients to make their products. 

- NuNatural helps control the sugar in your diet to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. 

Why Buy NuNaturals? 

NuNaturals offers sweeteners, baking ingredients and dietary supplement ingredients that can nutritionally enhance your baked goods, foods, and beverages. These ingredients taste great as well as improve the taste and texture of your recipes. Use our great ever growing resource of recipes provided by the NuNaturals community of users. You will find very innovative recipes that create culinary delights. Click on the recipe button at the top of our website to explore.

MoreFiber™ contains our dietary supplement form of Stevia. It contains all the Steviosides of the Stevia plant, not just Rebaudioside-A. As a dietary supplement, you can use More Fiber in most of your recipes. Because MoreFiber contains Stevia which is very sweet, you should reduce the sugar in your recipes. If your recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar and you use 1/2 cup of MoreFiber, you should take 1/2 cup of sugar out of the recipe.

Sweet Health™ Erythritol and/or Sweet-X™ Xylitol are two sweeteners that can be used in your recipes to create different tastes and textures. These two sweeteners can be used with NuStevia Sweetener, MoreFiber™ or NuStevia™ dietary supplement products.

What's In The Mail?

NuNaturals NuGrains is a new favorite of mine. I love how I can sneak it into my baked goods without my picky-eater knowing that I added more fiber to his diet. I mean, it is an Oat Fiber that is naturally produced from food-grade oat hulls through a chemical-free process. It is in a powder form like a brown fine flour, so it really is easy to mix with any cake mix, muffin mix, or pancake mix you are baking, scrambled eggs, frittata, or even in your smoothies. You can mix it into a lot of your food. I use this a lot of all of my baking, especially bread because fresh baked bread is a demand in this house. I have hungry mouths to feed. 

No, it doesn't affect the taste of the food at all. In fact, I don't even notice the taste of it. There is an instruction that comes with the package on how to incorporate it with baking, so you should be good. 

For me, I think this is a great product to have especially for those people who are not so much of a fan when it comes to eating oatmeal. I mean, I am not a big fan of oatmeal, but I don't hate it either. It's just that I don't eat oatmeal as often as I should, but with Oat Fiber I can add more fiber into my diet. Of course, I do eat a lot of my leafy vegetables, but it doesn't hurt to supplement that. Below are some information about the product.
NuGrains™ Oat Fiber 1 Pound $3.29
Special Introductory Price. 34% OFF $3.29 Reg Price $4.99 NuNaturals introduces a great way to increase the fiber in your diet. A great addition to your favorite recipes.
NuGrain™ Oat Fiber is naturally produced from food-grade oat hulls through a proprietary process. This is a chemical-free process, turning organic hulls into various organic fibers. Oat fiber has many uses in baked goods, adding to smoothies, porridge, and other recipes where you want to boost the fiber content of the foods you eat.
Substitute 3 tablespoons NuGrains™ Oat Fiber for every 8 servings per recipe. For example if recipe yields 24 cookies and serving size is 3 cookies, then substitute 3 tablespoons for flour in your recipe.


Some of the baked goodies I made with NuNaturals NuGrains.



Another thing that has also become a favorite from NuNaturals is the Pre Sweet Tagatose. I had mentioned this on my first review, but I wasn't able to share with you a little information about the product, so below you'll find out what Tagatose really is.  PreSweet™ Tagatose 1 Pound $12.69
NuNaturals introduces a new sweetener for the first time in the United States PreSweet Tagatose is safe for diabetics because it will not raise blood sugar levels. It is also being studied for other health benefits.
One of the health benefits of Pre Sweet is that it is a prebiotic ingredient. Prebiotics feed probiotic bacteria like acidophilusis found in yogurt. Prebiotics help the good bacteria in the digestive system multiply. This improves the overall health of the digestive system and may improve the general health of the body.
PreSweet Tagatose is a naturally-occurring sweetener found in milk, fruits and vegetables. It is 92% as sweet as sugar. PreSweet is a low calorie (6 calories/serving), low GI (3 on the glycemic index), and low in carbohydrates (especially considering that many of the carbohydrates are not digested).
PreSweet is anti-hyperglycemic and great for those on weight loss programs because it will satisfy your sweet tooth without adding the calories that sugar will. Unlike sugar alcohols like Xylitol and Erythritol, PreSweet Tagatose browns like sugar. Because it brown quicker and darker than sugar, you might consider blending it with other sweeteners in cakes and cookies or reduce baking time. While Xylitol has a unique cooling taste and Erythritol has a distinctive taste, Tagatose as a very clean, neutral taste like sugar.

Just a few months ago, my husband came up to me and he said, "Honey, I need to get off of sugar. I ate way too much sweets I don't feel good". After hearing that from him, I thought of NuNaturals Tagatose. I told him about this product that is a natural sweetener that we can use to make desserts at home, so in that way he doesn't have to reach for those unhealthy sweets after supper. And by the way, we are working on totally getting off of unhealthy sugar. We are too afraid of getting a cancer or diabetes somehow. It is scary! I bake a lot and I could surely use some of these Tagatose because we ran out of this product a long while ago. In fact, I will be ordering some in the near future. 
I had mentioned this before that Tagatose looks like sugar and it is sweet like sugar, about 92% as sweet as sugar. It is low in calorie and according to NuNaturals, their natural sweeteners are great for people with diabetes. Instead, it helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. You can visit their website to find out more on that matter. 
Tagatose doesn't have that weird nasty taste or aftertaste either, which is a good thing. Because I have tried other sweeteners before and it was just AWFUL! This one has a mild taste. Actually, a lot of the NuNaturals products don't have that bitter taste or aftertaste at all. 

A homemade tea for my husband and I when we were not feeling so well. Since I didn't have any fresh mint at that time, I used the Peppermint NuStevia from NuNaturals instead to give it a little bit of a sweet taste and Peppermint flavor. Ahhh.. it was just what we needed. Be careful when you use this stuff though, because it is potent. I mean, a few drops of this is all you need. You don't want your drink to be too sweet. 
If you are also craving for some sweet drinks, but don't want to cave in and drink soda or any unhealthy sweet drinks, NuNaturals Pure Liquid NuStevia products are wonderful to use to add flavor and sweetness to your ice cold water. Or your ice cold tea! It may also take a while to get used to it, but I have. 

Now that you know a little bit about NuNaturals and some of their products, would you be interested in trying? What would be the products from NuNaturals that you are interested in? 

For more information, recipes, and to check out the rest of NuNaturals products, don't forget to visit their website at https://nunaturals.com/. NuNaturals is the natural way to cut sugar out of your life. 

For more update:
LIKE NuNaturals on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NuNaturals
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NuNaturals