Beautiful Produce

(Beautiful, colorful tomatoes)

(I love how fresh, homegrown carrots look!)

I went to the Asheville City Market yesterday for the first time!  So much beautiful produce!  We will definitely come back here with the emphasis being on local, organic produce.  The WNC Farmers Market is much larger and much more commercial.  It would be great if you needed a ton of produce for canning salsa or something like that.  But the Asheville City Market is all about local, small organic farms.

Both of the pictures above were taken from my phone with the Retro Camera app that I LOVE!!

Life in a Blender

(Picking blueberries at the orchard)

I went to see my chiropractor the other day and when I told her about life being stressful right now, she said, "It's like you're in a blender."  That pretty much sums up how life has been lately....."life in a blender."  It's been chaotic.  Moving is such a huge transition but this time there are a lot of other factors involved.  R has started her new job in Asheville but I don't have a job there yet.  Our house went up on the market last week and we now have a rental place on top of that.  Yikes....a lot is going on right now.  I just thought I would do more of a picture post this time of life as it is right now.  I am trying to balance as much as possible-the things that have to get done and also trying to enjoy summer a bit.  

(Drum Circle-Downtown Asheville)

(Rosetta's Kitchen-Asheville)

(Constantly mowing with the push mower)

(A chocolate pie recipe I am working on)

(Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

(Trying to keep up with my workouts)

(Nothing says summer like watermelon)

(Check out that sweat dripping down my face!)

(Being silly with strawberries)

(Looking Glass Falls, NC)

(Rosetta's street food)

(The Big Crafty-Indie Craft Fair)

(Downtown Asheville)

(Walking around downtown Asheville)

I am really hoping that life settles down some really soon!  I love that we are in the process of making our dream to get to Asheville come true, but it sure is stressful in the process!  

Red, White and Blueberry Pancakes!

I have been craving pancakes and other carb rich breakfasts a lot lately.  I try not to indulge in these types of meals too often because I usually find myself hungry an hour later after eating a lot of carby calories.  Then I just end up eating again.  Many times, this will lead to me going way over my calorie range for the day.  But I have sort of found a solution.  I say “sort of” because sometimes I still get hungry soon after eating a breakfast like this.  But because I replace the traditional maple syrup with soy yogurt, strawberries and blueberries, then it adds a lot more protein and fiber to the meal. 

I thought this was a good recipe to post for the 4^th of July because it looks like patriotic pancakes!  This recipe was originally adapted from Dr. Neal Barnard’s Banana Ginger Pancakes from his Get Healthy, Go Vegan cookbook. 

Blueberry Pancakes with Soy Yogurt, Strawberries and Blueberries

 Pancake Mixture

(Makes 1-2 servings)

-1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-dash of salt

-2-4 TBSP sweetener (I typically use 2-3 packets of Truvia)

-1/2 banana, mashed

-2-4 TBSP unsweetened applesauce

-1/2 cup non-dairy milk

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 

Toppings for pancakes

-1/2 cup soy yogurt (I use the Wildwood Plain Probiotic Soy Yogurt)

-Sliced strawberries

-Fresh blueberries

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Then, in a smaller bowl, mash the banana and then add all of the other wet ingredients except for the blueberries.  Once the wet ingredients are mixed, add the wet mixture to the dry.  Then fold in the blueberries. 

I use a griddle to cook my pancakes but you can also use a pan on the stove.  I use my Misto spray bottle and lightly coat the griddle with oil.  Once it’s hot, I ladle out some of the mixture onto the griddle.  I typically use one ladle of mixture for one pancake.  I am not exactly sure how long I let the pancakes cook on each side but I know they cook a lot quicker on the second side.  I just make sure to keep checking to make sure they are not burning. 

Once the pancakes are finished, then add the toppings.  I add the soy yogurt first and then all of the fruit on top. 

Enjoy!