Gothic Granola

News from the Intertubes regarding health and wellness: Sleeplessness, the same problem that plagues teenagers, also plagues adults! To continue the analogy, school: adolescents :: work : adults. So, as with suggestions to push back school start times, some experts suggest pushing back work start times and/or operating on a flexible schedule. How revolutionary!   As I've been discussing using lower-GI sweeteners in treats as a suggestion, new studies show that lower GI diets aren't all they're cracked up to be . Still wouldn't hurt to avoid massive amounts of refined, high-GI foods, though.   There's now h ard data showing how sitting all day is killing office workers (increasing mortality) . What more does one need to light a fire under one's ass and stand periodically at work (and encourage the executive team to buy some standing desks and have walking meetings)?  

These peanut butter oatmeal protein balls have been taking over the interwebs. I put my own twist on the recipes found in Dr. Phoenyx's Instagram and Gimme Some Oven .  

Change in programming today. My grandparents' (mom's parents) birthdays are in January. This year: As you all know we will be celebrating 75 years of wonderful life.  Since we can't be together for these momentous occasions we thought of this great contest which we hope you will all take part in. Normally, Dad tells you a story every year on his birthday.  This year we would like you to tell us your favorite story about life with us.  It can be from any time, as long as it has special meaning to you. The stories will be available for all to read after we have read them.  Then you can select the story you think wins the trophy. We're supposed to send the stories just to them, but since I'm pretty sure none of my immediate family reads my blog, I'm safe. And if they do, hah, I found you!

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPY5P0TaC4k     "Just walk away...and there will be an end to the horror."

What you put in your body is important, no doubt. From avoiding foods treated with pesticides to minimizing added sugars , and instead cooking whole grains and leafy greens, we can choose to fuel our bodies with foods that will prolong our lives.   Generalities aside, the motivation behind this post is two-fold: one, cosmetics for cosmetic purposes, and two, cosmetics for compassionate purposes. When I became vegan in 2010, I wore makeup: eyeliner, eyeshadow, nail polish, sunscreen, and lipstick.  

Cake and smoothies, cake and smoothies...they're all I seem to have posted about lately, and they are amongst what I eat, pretty much every day.  Let's get real about energy drinks. While all the B vitamins, taurine, caffeine, and sugar in Monster give you a temporary boost (and a serious crash), energy drinks don't address the real issue(s) underlying fatigue. Don't want to go to sleep? Or do you just not want to wake up because of X, Y, Z happening the next day? Feeling powerless to solve a problem and so you can't sleep but lie awake worrying about it? Daily tasks not challenging enough so you have excess energy? Think about that the next time you find yourself reaching for that fourth cup of coffee or that Red Bull. Constricting your blood vessels with caffeine probably isn't the long-term solution to why you're feeling tired. I'm not you, so I don't know what's going on in your life. You know your life best; you have the power to adjust thin...

Coconut sugar finally arrived and I got a new Bundt pan! Check out the castle addition to my collection.   (I have the Cathedral and Jubilee Nordicware pans already). Sourdough Coffee Cake and Zucchini Cake .

Tofu scramble...so basic, I've never even mentioned a recipe. It's more of a concept than a recipe, amongst vegans. You know you're vegan when...you can make tofu scramble with your eyes closed. It's the vegan version of scrambled eggs, literally and figuratively, due to its ease of creation and its strong resemblance to the animal thing. Point made? Point made.   This is the "Savoury Waffle" with extra tofu scramble from City, O City in Denver.

Due to holiday baking and general baking, I ran out of coconut sugar. For 2015, I'm still on the low-sugar kick (as in minimizing white sugar, organic sugar, the granulated stuff) because it was very helpful in maintaining a stable mood. Don't need to throw off my meditation practice because I've been eating blood sugar spiking foods, eh?