So the response on the 5-Minute, 3-Ingredient Dark Chocolate Fudge Balls was pretty awesome!  Thanks to everyone who said they were loving the looks of those!  Give ’em a whirl because they are really yummy and easy and when you just want something chocolaty and nothing else will do, well, those will more than do.  And I totally, thoroughly loved everyone’s comments about whether you prefer to workout alone or in a group, and why.  I loved the feedback and your thoughts and I feel like I get to know you better when you share that kinda thing with me which is awesome! So for today I thought I’d show you a recent TJ’s shopping trip:  Dark Sumatra coffee, carrots, cauli, taters, bananas, apples, red peppers, romaine, spring mix, poppyseed salad dressing, bag of pears, you get the idea.  Nothing earth-shattering until… …You hone in on this little section with the Mango Chutney (which will get turned into a salad dressing base soon), Pumpkin Butter (seasonal & awesome on anything from apples to oats to ice cream “syrup”), Premium EVOO with a cool bartender’s nozzle thingey so the EVOO doesn’t just come flooding out, Maple Syrup (Grade B, which actually has a nicer flavor than Grade A, smoother and richer), and TJ’s Bourbon Vanilla Extract. Moving along to Today’s Eats… Well from the TJ’s trip, I scored a bag of cute little purple, red, & white potaotes so I quartered the mini-taters and sprinkled them with S & P, Ground Ginger, and EVOO (I didn’t use new EVOO from TJ’s, and had an EVOO flood, just the way Scott likes his taters).  Then I roasted them covered at 375F for 20 minutes, uncovered and flipped them, and then roasted uncovered for another half hour. Perfectly crunchy on the outside Soft & Tender on the Inside (just like me) (sorry can’t help myself) And for dinner I tossed together a huge plate of greens, cukes, tomatoes, carrots, peppers & added in the pretty purple, red, & white taters.    Taste-wise the purple taters are pretty much the same as other colors of potatoes but what do you think if you’ve had them? Then for dessert.  Well remember that TJ’s Bourbon Vanilla Extract I bought?  Well, I put that to use with a Batch of Banana Bourbon Vanilla Softserve.  Never fear, Gena, I have gotten a buzz from the ‘Nana Softserve.  If you don’t have access to the TJ’s Bourbon Vanilla, any vanilla extract will do, or just a shot glass full of bourbon probably wouldn’t hurt, either. Scoop the luscious softserve into a bowl. And try not to devour the whole thing at once.  It will tax your skills, trust me. And as long as I had the VitaLove out, I figured I’d make Strawberry Protein Softserve for Skylar.  She’s ok with whey protein and I had this sample from YouBars so I took it plus added… …1 frozen banana, 3/4 c frozen raspberrries, dash of agave, splash of almond milk and blended. And 45 seconds later, my toddler was in Strawberry Protein Softserve Heaven   And then, I decided to throw some Dark Chocolate Fudge Balls Into the Bourbon Banana Vanilla Softserve.  Sorry, I ate it before I took a picture.  Use your imagination. and their Pure Oxygen Whitener (a Green Version of OxyClean for the laundry) both work wonderfully!!  As they say on their website, “Free of any synthetic chemicals, your family and the planet will appreciate it.”   Here’s a little more from their site: Yoga Today is Kukkutasana (Cock Pose).  Yes, really that’s the name, as in PeaCock.  Ahem…moving right along…. Tip of the Day: My EcoStore USA Give Away!!!!!  Your chance to win a $25 Online Shopping Spree!  You really need to get on this one to help green up your life, so go Get Entered Now!!!!! Holly’s also got a Give Away Going On!
What Green thing do you do, or what would you like to start doing that’s a little more green?  A few things that come to mind for me are: Using cloth grocery bags, and at least once a week not driving anywhere and walking where I need to go in order to reduce my carbon footprint.  I cloth diapered for half Skylar’s diaper days as to not put 500 years into the landfill for each plastic diaper thrown away.  I re-use plastic baggies and save all my containers from nut butters, jelly, hummus, etc and re-use them for food storage or for car snacks.  I use nontoxic and eco friendly cleaning products when possible.  I am vegan, and although it’s largely for health reasons, that choice also reduces my carbon footprint.  What do you do that’s Green or Eco-Friendly? Stay Tuned For A Creative Fresh Veggie Salad & Dressing Recipe…