If you've been vegetarian for a while, you're probably like me. You've eaten a lot of tofu scrambles; some good and some less than great. Ok, some are downright horrible.

The worst ones are boring, bland, mushy, and total dullsville. Since tofu has essentially no flavor of it's own – that's why we can easily transform it into Kung Pao or chocolate cream pie with a flick of the wrist – you have to ADD goodies to it to get awesomeness.

In my opinion, the best tofu scrambles are spicy and flavorful with a little veg thrown in and a nice firm texture with some crispy bits. That's what I was going for with this recipe, and I think I made myself pretty happy.

I should probably call this a tofu saute rather than a scramble since I kept the cubes pretty chunky and didn't break them up much. I'm mostly calling this delicious though. It's not only the best tofu scramble/saute I've ever made, it's the best one I've eaten. Here's how you make it.

Hatch Chile Tofu Scramble with Spinach and Avocado

1/2 cup mild hatch chiles, roasted, cleaned, and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 package firm tofu, diced chunky
3 Tblsp water
1 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp Penzeys Forward Seasoning
1 Tblsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup baby spinach, very firmly packed and roughly chopped
2 Tblsp chives
1 large avocado, diced
Olive oil as needed for sauteing

In a large non-stick skillet, saute the chiles and garlic in 2 tblsp of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper while they're softening. Remove from the skillet and set aside while you prepare the tofu.

Add another bit of olive oil to the same pan, and add the chunky cubes of tofu. Arrange them in one layer so that all of the cubes are in contact with the pan. Toss them around every few minutes to get a golden color on all sides. This may take 10 to 15 minutes.

While the tofu is browning, mix your wet sauce ingredients together in a small bowl: the water, Braggs, onion powder, Forward Seasoning and Frank's Red Hot Sauce.

Once the tofu is evenly browned to your liking, add the chiles and garlic back in, sprinkle in the sauce, and stir to distribute evenly. Add in the nutritional yeast and the spinach, and mix together.

Cook over medium low heat until the spinach is wilted and the sauce is absorbed into the tofu. The sauce, yeast and chiles meld together to make the most incredible coating that I wish I had more of.

Add the chives and serve immediately with the diced avocado and a tiny touch of salt on top. Serves 3 or 4.

Notes: 

• Hatch chiles are available for a short period of time at the end of the summer, so if you don't have a stash in your freezer, don't despair. The Hatch flavor is amazing, but there are acceptable substitutes. I would probably add in a jar of diced green chiles from the mexican aisle in the grocery store, along with a finely diced jalapeno or two. Just add any chile you like. Chipotles would be good too, and you can find them on the same aisle packed in a jar with adobo sauce. Just be careful and start with a tiny amount, since these dudes can be super hot.

• I used Trader Joe's super firm tofu, and froze it and defrosted it to get a firmer texture. If you like more of a scramble, just skip the freezing/defrosting step and use a firm tofu. Break it up a little bit as it's cooking.

• I like the flavor of Braggs, but you can easily substitute tamari, soy sauce or plain ol' sea salt.

• Add in any other veggies that you like. I think that onion, asparagus, broccoli, kale and mushrooms are all super happy in a tofu scramble.

• Penzeys Forward Seasoning is amazing (and salt-free), but don't fret if you don't have it. It's a spicy little blend of black pepper, onion, paprika, garlic, turmeric, thyme, basil and rosemary. Just substitute what you like. Pepper, paprika, turmeric and thyme would be a good start. Cumin is also found in lots of tofu scrambles; I'm just not a huge fan, but you use what you like. It's your dish! Make it delicious and make it your own!

Note from LilSis:

I think this looks scrumptious and I would definitely make it for myself, but unfortunately, if I tried to serve this to my meat and potato lovin' guys as a meal; they would probably laugh, thinking it was a practical joke!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Maybe we don't want our hair QUITE this shiny!

Did you know that apple cider vinegar is actually good for your hair? You might think it would dry out your hair and scalp, but that's not the case. I have very dry hair, and have been using this natural treatment for a while with only great results.

Apple cider vinegar purifies the hair; removing product build-up from the hair and scalp. It adds softness, body and shine.

It's a natural product, it costs just pennies, and most of us probably already have it in our pantry.

Here's how you do it:

• Make sure that you use apple cider vinegar, not white distilled vinegar. I've used the more expensive organic apple cider vinegar in a pinch, but I usually just buy the cheap store brand and haven't noticed any difference. I know organic is always preferable when it comes to what we put in and on our bodies, but in this case I'm not stressing about it.

• Shampoo your hair as usual, rinse and towel dry. Gently sprinkle the vinegar onto your head aiming for your scalp rather than the hair ends. I say “gently” because you do NOT want a drop of this vinegar flying into your eyes! I probably use around 1/4 cup of vinegar, but you don't need to measure. Just keep sprinkling until you feel like your head is saturated.

• I usually do this over the sink instead of in the shower since I want to leave it on for a while. I think the chance of getting vinegar in your eyes in the shower is greater too, with all that water spraying around. If you're doing this treatment in the shower though, make sure the container you take into the shower isn't glass.

• Once you get the vinegar on, massage it into your scalp and work it around, again being careful to protect your eyes from any wild splashes. Work it through to the ends, and use a wide tooth comb to distribute it. Be careful, wet hair is fragile.

• Leave the vinegar on for a few minutes. I usually aim for around 15 minutes.

• Thoroughly rinse the vinegar out in cool water. I think cold water adds shine too because it closes the cuticle of the hair. Massage your scalp to rinse free any build-up the vinegar has dissolved, and rinse, rinse, rinse.

• Condition and style as usual.

You might notice a lingering trace of vinegar aroma for the next couple of days when your hair is wet, but once it's dry there's no tell-tale smell. No one will accuse you of smelling like a salad!

I like to use this treatment once a week if possible to keep product build-up to a minimum. Give it a try!

Photo credit: Rapscallion's Flickr Photostream

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

My 21-day Clean Program cleanse is complete, and I'm happy to report that it went great!  I lost 6.5 pounds, and over 3 inches from my waist, hips and thighs. I continued to do cardio 5 or 6 days a week, but this wasn't the time to ramp up the exercise so the weight loss wasn't due to more workouts. Weight loss was not the main goal, although it's nice to be rid of that post-holiday puffy bloaty feeling that most of us end up with in January.

The main goal was to detox; to get rid of all the nasty free radicals roaming around, along with the mucus (sorry, gross) that is formed by the body to try to isolate the toxins. I feel great, as Dr. Junger promised. My achy knees are happier, I'm sleeping much better, I have better energy and mental clarity, and I feel calmer. I can't explain it all, but it's all documented in Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself, and everything that Dr. Junger said would happen, did happen.

The only problem is, I want to stay on this program forever! I love it. One of the things I love most about it is the Raw Green Soup I had for dinner almost every night, and am now totally addicted to. I'm still making it a couple of times a week even though the cleanse has been officially over for a week. SisMama said she would upchuck if she had to eat this, but I promise it's delicious. It does take a slightly adventurous palate to try it for the first time, but after the first taste I think you'll agree. It's yummy and addictive.

I based my soup on a recipe from Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier, but I tweaked the flavors quite a bit since I like a little zippety-do-dah in my food. It's essentially spinach blended with water, avocado, lemon, protein powder and some seasonings. I know, I know, I know! It's sounds like it would be horrible. I can't explain it, just trust me. Here's my version.

Raw Green Soup

1/2 large avocado (or 1 whole small one)
2 cups baby spinach, very tightly packed
3 cups water
2 tblsp hemp protein powder
1 tblsp hemp oil
2 tblsp raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 raw garlic clove
1/8 to 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or to taste; I use a lot)
2 tblsp fresh chives
Frank's Red Hot Sauce to taste
Dash sea salt
Dash black pepper

Pile all ingredients into a blender and whirl around until it looks creamy and you don't see any dark green spinach bits spinning by.

This recipe makes 2 servings. Store leftovers in a glass jar in the fridge and use the next day if possible. It doesn't darken, but the avocado will start to take on that old guacamole taste.

Note: I use my KitchenAid blender to make this and it works like a champ.You don't need an expensive Vitamix to pull this off. A good blender or food processor should be fine.

~BigSis

Posted under Food, Health

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your year has gotten off to a fabulous start! Did you resolve to do anything differently this year? I don't call myself a resolution maker, but I do like to take a quick look back to see what worked the previous year, and what I'd like to do better. For example, I didn't lose as much weight as I'd have liked to last year, so this year I'm really going to try. There are so many elements to weight loss that I'm yet to overcome, such as food cravings. Although, a friend did suggest that certain supplements suppress food cravings, and many of them have regular deals on (such as nucific deals). So that's one of the first steps I'm going to take this year. Maybe that's the definition of making resolutions, and I'm just kidding myself that I don't go there?

Anyway, the main bugaboo in my life for the last few weeks has been devouring things I don't usually eat, in addition to getting less rest, and succumbing to a lot of holiday stress. You know what that all adds up to…time to detox!

I personally love a good cleanse, and have done several over the years. The detox of choice this year is the Clean Program. It's a 21-day nutritional cleanse based on the best-selling book Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself by Dr. Alejandro Junger.

You might have heard Gwyneth Paltrow talk about this book, like I did. I've had the book for a while but just pulled it out on New Years Eve as I was deciding on which cleanse route to take. I know; I'm quite the party animal, right?

I'm not gonna lie; the Clean Program is not for the faint of heart. I'm wrapping up my first week, and it's going surprisingly well, but you have to get your mojo on before you start. I absolutely believe that this program is at least 50% mental, if not more!

Here is my amateur paraphrasing of the rules:

• Eat none of this bad stuff: dairy, eggs, soy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, gluten, evening nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers), strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, grapes, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, pork, beef, veal, processed oils, etc, etc, etc. The list is long and a little daunting!

• Have liquid meals for breakfast and dinner: soup (preferably raw to maintain the healthy enzymes), fresh juices (from allowed fruits and veggies), or smoothies.

• Enjoy one solid meal each day at lunch. That's right; I said ONE.

• There must be a twelve-hour fast between dinner and breakfast.

• Additional goodies: eat a raw garlic clove each day, take two tablespoons of olive oil before bed, brush your skin each day (exfoliation helps the toxins exit), drink a TON of water, and exercise moderately every day if you can (walking's great). The benefits that olive oil can provide the body cannot be overstated – check out these gundry md olive oil reviews to see the ways that taking it can help maintain a healthy heart. You also have to make sure you do a #2 every day (make SURE you do, even if you need some “help” with it. You know what I mean.). If the released toxins linger in your system, you could re-absorb them, and you definitely don't want to do that!

• If you haven't purchased the official Clean kit ($425), you'll need to purchase some supplements to help your body with the detox. I already had a lot of this stuff so I didn't buy it. I'm using ground flaxseed, rice and pea protein powders, Maca, Chlorella, a powerful probiotic, Milk Thistle, PGX and Oil of Oregano. I know many people like to detox using a liposomal vitamin which also supports their immune system – this may work for you too.

What's the POINT of all that and what CAN you actually eat? Good questions!

The point is to take as much stress as you can off your body, including the work of processing a bunch of stuff that gets in the way of effective digestion and elimination. You want your body to spend that energy getting rid of the toxic garbage that causes a host of problems like fatigue, joint pain, constipation, and food cravings.

The supplements help your body to release the toxins and get them out of your system as efficiently and completely as possible. Did you know that a water or juice fast can help release toxins, but the nasty little buggers are best whisked out of your system when they can bind to (take a ride on) protein? I didn't.

Another bit of news to me is that the olive oil helps your liver release bile, which is really helpful since your poor stressed liver is going to be working overtime to process all these toxins that are hopefully taking the fast track out of your bod.

So what can you actually EAT, you ask, for cryin' out loud?

• Gluten-free grains (sometimes called pseudo grains), like amaranth, teff, millet, quinoa and brown rice
• Fruits with exceptions noted above
• Vegetables with the exception of corn and nightshade family
• Dairy substitutes like almond milk
• Vegetable proteins: split peas, lentils, beans, spirulina, blue-green algae
• Water, water, water!

As I said, the Clean Program isn't a walk in the park. It's serious about doing some seriously important work for your health. You're eating pretty darn CLEAN for three weeks, and you have to be extremely motivated for better health, otherwise you're going to be resentful and feel deprived. I was hoping to get a jump-start on losing some holiday poundage that crept up on my backside. More than that though, I wanted to get away from the sugar and salt cravings I'd given in to during the holidays, as well as getting back to only one cup of coffee a day rather than two or three. A little extra energy would be nice too.

To be fair, eating this way isn't as hard for me as it might be for some folks since I've been vegetarian for over seventeen years and vegan for two years. I already do a morning smoothie and make fresh juices, and I try to eat intentionally. But even so, I still have LOTS of room for improvement. I eat too much processed stuff, too much soy, too much faux meat, too many crackers, too much caffeine, and during the holidays/bake sale time I consume too much sugar. And I can always improve on the amount of fresh veggies and fruits in my diet. Plus I'm exposed to toxins like everyone else from pesticides, exhaust fumes, smog, chemicals, stress; you name it. This has had an adverse effect on my skin, making me look older than I am! A few of my friends have suggested supplements like bhmd dermal repair complex, which could help me rebuild the collagen in my body and make me look the age that I am!

So how's the cleanse going, you ask? The first three days I had a pretty bad headache, but surprisingly I haven't been hungry at all, even at night when I tend to snack on crackers and nuts and whatever else I can get my tired hands on after work and a workout. I've definitely experienced some detox symptoms like tiredness, a mouth sore, and an inflamed/coated tongue and roof of mouth.

Some signs are good though! I'm starting to feel clearer and strangely calm. My scale needs a new battery so I can't quantify it, but I absolutely feel like I've lost some weight; probably a lot of bloaty water and maybe a pound of fat. I hope, I hope! I don't have any cravings, even though I haven't had a cracker or a single piece of bread in a week. Cool, huh? I feel very in control of what I eat right now, and not at the mercy of every bon bon or chip I walk by. That's a huge improvement!

I still have fifteen more days to go, and I'm excited to see how it shakes out! So far, I'm feeling pretty good about it and feel like I can go the distance. I'll report back on the events of the next two weeks!

Note from BigSis added on 1-10-12: At the end of week one, I lost 4 pounds! Yippee! Hopefully more to come…

~BigSis

Posted under Health

I still can't believe that November is over halfway gone. It doesn't even feel like Winter here in California because it's still relatively warm during the day, but the air is really dry right now. Luckily, we don't have to run our heater very often because that just seems to make the air even more dry.

And what goes along with dry air and winter weather? For a lot of people, dry skin can be a real problem in the winter. It definitely can be for me if I don't do everything I can to prevent it. I slather myself every morning right out of the shower with a variety of lotions, potions, and creams, in an effort to avoid the dry, itching, pasty looking skin. We've talked about our favorite eye creams, more than once, moisturizers, more than once, and hand creams, but I don't think we've ever talked about foot creams, so here goes.

I have to admit, I love a good foot cream! My absolute all time favorite EVER is L'Occitane's Shea Butter Foot Cream. I recently ran out and haven't yet ordered a replacement.

This amazing foot cream contains lavender essential oil and in my opinion, there is nothing better than the heavenly smell of lavender. That's one reason I love putting this foot cream on at night. The scent of lavender is so soothing. It also contains anti-inflammatory arnica extract to reduce redness and irritation and mint to cool the feet.

With that being said, this 5.2 oz tube of foot cream sells for $26.00. I definitely think it's worth the money during the best of times, but when we are all trying to scale back on unnecessary expenses, I need to try to find a cream that is a little more reasonably priced.

The other night, I was finally able to stop, sit down, and take off my shoes around 8:00, just in time for Dancing with the Stars. When I took off my shoes, I noticed that just in the past couple of days, my heels had become so dry that they were almost starting to crack. (Sorry if that's TMI.)  So, I grabbed the nearest tube of cream from my cabinet in the kitchen to put on my feet. What I ended up using was Eucerin Calming Creme. I keep a larger tube of this in my nightstand for my hands but I just happened to find a sample size that SirHoney's dermatologist gave to him. I had never used this on my feet before but it worked great!

After rubbing this into my feet that night and keeping my footies on til I went to bed, I woke up the next morning to almost normal heels. This creme is pretty darn impressive and costs less than $7.50 for a 8 0z tube. This creme contains oatmeal and glycerin to help with itching caused from dryness. This creme is so rich yet not greasy at all. I was surprised at how quickly it soaked into my skin. It also happens to be fragrance-free and non-comedogenic.

And, in the winter, when necessary, I use Eucerin's Dry Skin Therapy Original Creme. I use this on my hands and on my face, only on the dry spots. My sister-in-law is the one that told me about the Original Creme when I asked her once how she kept her face so young and soft looking; and she was over 55 at the time! I bought a 2 oz tube of this for less than $4.00 and it has lasted for months and months.  This is a very rich and thick creme so it's probably not meant to go on everyone's face, unless you have really dry skin like me, but it's perfect for dry hands.

I know BigSis is a HUGE fan of Eucerin's Aquaphor products and my husband's dermatologist also recommended some of those for him. I've used the Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment and I love it. It's great for hands, feet, or lips!

So, if you've got any secrets for beating dry skin this winter, please let us know! I bet BigSis has a few new favorites that she hasn't yet shared with us! 🙂

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Our bake sale for In-Sync Exotics is only a week away, so our ovens are in turbo mode and there's lots to do!  Here's a quick update:

• These glittery cookie boxes are finished and waiting to be filled with goodies.  I'll give you a quick little how-to on making them as soon as I can get the chocolate and sugar off my hands.

• Remember these painted cross magnets I made around Easter? They make great Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers, so I'm getting them dressed up in Christmasy boxes for the sale.

• SisMama has already baked oodles of pound cakes in vanilla, chocolate, lemon and brown sugar/caramel flavors. Go, SisMama!

• K & L have baked breads in apple cinnamon, spice, cranberry and blueberry flavors.  They're also working on doggie treats and bunches of cookies this weekend.

• I have pumpkin walnut and banana chocolate chip gluten-free breads done, plus 3 varieties of biscotti (gingerbread, chocolate/chocolate chip and dried cherry orange), and 3 kinds of brownies so far.

• We have some nibbles on matching our sales, and continue to market the event as well as more baking this week.

• CityVet is graciously sponsoring our event for the second year in a row.  They have donated items for the sale, and are considering doing more for this worthy charity.  A huge thanks to CityVet for their support!

That's it for now, I have cookies to check on!  Stay tuned for more!

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!

This video has been around for a long time, I know. I still think it's funny and it seems fitting to watch it on Mother's Day.

I hope everyone has a stress-free, peaceful, no cooking, no cleaning, no laundry, ‘no talkin' back  from the kids kind of day. (Surely, that's not asking too much for just one day out of the year!)

~LilSis

Posted under Holidays

Hey, LilSis!  How many of those little babies do you have?  I think you're WAY ahead of me!  I counted only a mere 40 precious little pots and 2 palettes.

Here's the photo of my MAC stash.
Alas.  I'm sorry to say that the bathroom in my condo doesn't permit me to dedicate a whole drawer to my MAC stash.  Can you believe it?  Boo hoo.  It's a tragedy of epic proportions.  But we make do with what we have…

My newest purchase and latest love is “Bold and Brazen”.  MAC  describes it as frosty light copper with a Starflash finish.  Even the description makes me happy!  And can I tell you how great it looks with blue eyes?!  LilSis, you need this one!  MAC says “Bold and Brazen” is often purchased with “Go”, which is a frosted bronze in the Starflash finish, and “Glamour Check” which is a frosty reddish brown with Starflash.  If you get those two (which I don't have), then you'll see that “Go” is often purchased with “Grand Entrance”, a frosty neutral peach beige with Starflash, and “Dreammaker”, a frosty yellow gold with Starflash.  Can you see how the addiction begins?  One leads to another to another to another…

Honestly, I've wasted SO much money on drugstore brands that it's ridiculous.  They don't stay on, their color selection is skimpy, and frequently the color fades and changes before it disappears into the night (or noon) completely.  Spend around $15 on a MAC eye shadow, and you know it's going to be your buddy until the pan's empty.  And then, guess what?  Save up 6 empty containers, and you get a free lipstick!  Can you do that at the local Wally-mart cosmetic department?  Heck, no!  Do yourself a favor, and try just one MAC eyeshadow.  If you're uncertain about which one to start with, just ask one of the incredible makeup artists at the MAC counter or store, and they'll steer you to the right choice.  We promise, you'll be a MAC addict and eyeshadow snob, just like we are!  Let us know how your first MAC experience goes!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

With all that has happened in the last 18 months, I had to take a temporary “hiatus” from my ceramics/sculpting class. It has not been good for me, either. If I go too long without making time for doing something that allows me to be creative, I become really unsettled, irritable and physically in knots. I really think that everyone needs some outlet to release that “creative energy”.

I'm consciously working on trying not to let worry, anxiety or negative thoughts adversely effect my everyday happiness. It still seems like the only time that I am truly free from worry and thoughts are when I'm doing something that allows me to be creative. When I painted HayHays room this summer, it was actually one of the first creative outlets that I've had in months. Even though I was under a lot of pressure to get it done quickly, I still got into that “zone” and it felt good to do something creative again.

So, I decided that when HayHay went back to school; I was starting my weekly sculpting classes again. And I did! I've actually been back for five weeks and I already feel better. This box is just a little project that I'm working on today in class. This hasn't been fired or glazed yet, so maybe next week, I'll take some photos of the next stage. I'm just playing around trying to “get my juices flowing”

Ceramic Box

Detail on Lid

This is a box that I made a few years ago, similar to the one I'm working on now. I made it to use as an urn for our Chocolate lab, Brownie.

Brownie's Urn

Closeup of Lid

For a long time now, I've wanted to start on a series of garden art. I'm interested in an entire “fantasy-like, mystical” theme. I love the artist, Josephine Wall.  She has inspired several of my pieces. Since the holiday season will be approaching soon and things will just get busier than they are already, I'm going to play around with some smaller projects and get my creative juices flowing for now, and then after the first of the year, I want to really focus on a series of outdoor garden sculptures.

~LilSis

Posted under This & That

BigSis first mentioned Relastin Eye Silk to us back in November.  I decided to give the Relastin Eye Silk a try since I wasn't completely satisfied with my whole eye cream regime.  I started using it on December 1st, so as of today, I've been using the product for 45 days. I have to say that I have really noticed some results with this product!

I use the product morning and night. It only takes a VERY small amount! This product has a very different consistency compared to any that I've used in the past. (And, trust me, I've tried a lot!)  It's not really a serum and not really a cream, but more of a very light, soft, gel like consistency. (I guess that's why they named it Silk)  And it works great under concealer, too, which is a BIG problem with a lot of eye products.

The container is a pump and you really can't tell how much is actually left in the bottle, so I went ahead and ordered another bottle since I didn't want to take a chance of running out. Check the Relastin website for special sales or discount codes. They have a special going on right now where you can buy two Relastin products and receive the Relastin Eye Silk for FREE!

Relastin Eye Silk

I don't want to claim that this is some miracle product and then someone tries it and doesn't notice the same results. I just notice that underneath my eyes seems a little tighter, more supple and less wrinkled. I've also noticed that ‘those nasty little crows feet' are somewhat diminished. Seriously! I wouldn't make that up!

There's really no reason not to give this product a try because they do offer a full 30 day money back guarantee if you're not completely satisfied! You've got nothing to lose!

So, BigSis, now that we've found an eye product that actually produces some results, I'd really LOVE to find an anti-cellulite product that will do the same!

How about an update on those Borba Cellulite Products?

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care