Summer Solstice Hummingbird & Rhubarb Spritzer

Tonight a (juvenile-see his coloring is not complete) male Rufous Hummingbird was trapped in my sunroom! I thought it was a Ruby Throated at first, I'll have to double check their range. The gorget was SO bright, it glowed! I didn't get a great picture of that (3rd photo).

The hummingbirds are all over, but I've never had one get inside. The other day I saw what at first looked like huge hummingbirds, and they hovered. I got so close to one (hovering right in front of me, SO cool) and saw that they were actually sparrows. Absolutely gorgeous.

I took these pictures very quickly as my husband walked him to his freedom. Didn't want to stress the little guy out anymore, but what luck to get a photo and see one up close (and still)!

Then, for a summer solstice party we are about to head out to; I made a Rhubarb Spritzer to bring.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Rhubarb Spritzer:
A bunch of chopped rhubarb (guessing 6-8 cups)
Honey(agave, simple syrup etc) as needed (or whatever you want)
1 C Frozen Strawberries
Q-Tonic Water or Club Soda

I tried Juicing Rhubarb the other day, it was fine in my Champion juicer for 2 stalks. After 4-5 the fibers clog it up. So, I switched to the blender. I filled the blender with chopped Rhubarb, used the juice (from the previous attempt-you can use water) to help move things along. Once blended well, I strained the pulp from the juice with a nut milk bag, but a colander will work fine.

Complete this same juice and strain method with the cup of strawberries ( I used frozen).

Place Juice back into blender, add Strawberry Juice and Honey to taste (I did 1/2 C).

This is also good with pineapple or apple juice as a sweetener. Or add some lemon/lime!

Blend. Then chill before serving.

I poured mine into a sun tea jar, it filled it about half.. then topped it off with Tonic Water. I love how this green foam floats on top of the pink liquid. So pretty.

V-5 Veggie Fusion & other Detox Fun!

Calli Cinnamon Detox

Still detoxing. It's fun. Once you get past the first two days. I eat all day, so it's hard for me not to be able to snack. Once I'm past that, I can see how some people fast forever (like 92 days.. like Angela Stokes). Okay, maaybe not. The longest I've ever detoxed (or juice feasted/fasted) is 2 weeks, The last 4 days I remember I was sick of juice. Here, I don't think I could afford to keep enough produce around to go even that long, so I've been supplementing with other liquids, Calli Tea and homemade Kombucha. The Calli tea I have is Cinnamon and it is palatable, but definitely tastes like tonic. I like to add oranges to it (which IS a little pulpy/solids..but good enough for me). I've been really going through my ready Kombucha (and I have 15 Scobys!). I have a couple different blends and 'flavors' right now. My favorite is Raspberry Green Tea. Just green tea with dried raspberries. Although I do a secondary fermentation before bottling my kombucha, I think the raspberries give the culture a little boost of sugar to digest. They also make the tea a beautiful bright pink.

Raspberry Kombucha

 After grocery shopping, it's been really hard to resist snacking on all our yummy fruit! And, I thinned a bajillion beet green yesterday and I just want to eat them! I'm going to break my fast tonight or tomorrow morning so I can protein carb load.

Rainbow of Health!

Here is a recipe for my favorite way to drink a V-8 kind of juice (without the salt and that cold veggie soup thing):

V-5 Veggie Fusion
3 Tomatoes
2 Carrots
1 Celery Rib
1 Handful Parsley (no need to pick off leaves-whole thing)
1 Clove Garlic
1 1-inch piece Jalepeno (mine are frozen, works fine)
1 Handful Spinach or mixed greens

Juice (or blend on high speed, then strain with mesh/fine colander). I put this on ice usually because I forget to refrigerate the tomatoes beforehand. I like this drink cold. So one trick is to refrigerate all the ingredients beforehand. Trust me on the garlic and jalepeno. SO good! I always want to make more! I can't wait until our tomatoes are ready! Then I won't feel so gluttonous using 3 on one drink!

Ferry in WA 2010

 Our little town has been recently blessed with the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry service. Well, it is a blessing at times. On ferry days it's definitely a bit noisier than usual. We see cars and people we don't recognize and no one waves back at you. For a few months a year, the ferry will be coming twice a week! Leaving on Monday afternoon, coming back Wednesday afternoon. We shop all day on the Tuesday in between. The deal with the ferry is you can bring your vehicle, load it up in Juneau, then bring it back, with absolutely no charge on freight (as long as your car dimensions do not change, ie. lumber longer than your vehicle. On the small aircraft that service our town, you get 70lbs of freight, every lb thereafter is $0.40 per pound and you have to be able to fit it into plane (no furniture etc). Until this last year, the only way to get anything here was by plane or lightweight (a sloooow cargo service heavily used to get mail, Uhauls, etc. to Alaska).

Not all boxes are as they seem....

As nice and inexpensive (well-less expensive) as using the ferry is, I found myself wondering why in the world we put ourselves through this. It's madness, it's tiring, it drains your account. A 25lb bag of duck feed for example is $26. We pay .40 cents a lb just to get it here. When you are ordering 10 bags, plus dog food, it really adds up. And that is just for the animals. It's only $15 for a 50 lb bag of the same feed in the lower 48 (according to my research). Yes, back to wondering why we live like this... oh yeah, it's Alaska! Imagine what the first Alaskans had to do to survive! Groceries are a luxury! (and so is Alaskan Beer!-says the hubs).

Any Funny Caption Ideas?

Running Silent & Vegan BlueBerry Oat Bars

Fresh Snow this Morning Knee Deep

A few days ago my Ipod battery died 2 minutes into a 3.17 mi run.  A run that normally takes me about 29 minutes.. but it seems I run much slower without distraction! Running silent in the snow was actually very soothing. It was really quiet, but pretty noisy too with each step a satisfying crunch! I've always said people that can run miles and miles silent are amazing. And they are. But now, I understand a little bit better. I have been in the habit of pausing my Ipod every other song to practice getting silent. But, the big difference is I left the ear buds in! So the breath is very loud and you can still hear the electric whirring of the Ipod. Needless to say, I don't do pause my Ipod much. Taking it out entirely a whole other experience!

The other night I had my *monthly* oat craving. I don't eat very many cooked grains, but I do make sure I get enough carbs for fuel through raw breads and dates (love!) etc. However, around that time of the month I get crazy fruit or carb cravings. It's usually around this time I eat 4-5 apples a day or 8 kiwis, 20 dates, etc. Maybe it's the snow, but I was craving oats. There is a fabulous recipe for raw oatmeal I'll have to post. Also see the porridge in a previous post. However, this craving hit at 9pm.. my usual bedtime. I was eating a handful of plain uncooked barley oats while I searched for a healthy recipe as my tired mind was a blank. Thank you Fat Free Vegan Kitchen! This lady R O C K S vegan cooking/baking. I did use her recipe. Not to mess with perfection, but I also changed a good bit to fit my personal needs.

Yummy!

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen Blue Berry Oat Bars
1 pint blueberries
1/4 cup agave nectar (I juiced two granny smiths-and doubled the juice-omitted agave)
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with enough water or juice to form a smooth paste (I used arrowroot)
3 cups oatmeal* (regular, not instant)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces unsweetened applesauce (I used fresh pulp from the juicer)
6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) agave nectar (again-subbed juice)
6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) water
1 teaspoon vanilla

I didn't have an issue as I thought I would subbing in extra liquid. The batter was actually perfect. Once baked, the crust was thick and had bits of beautiful green apple skin throughout. They held together wonderfully once cooled. I ate four, cured my craving and the hubs demolished the rest. I must admit he made most of these, while I delegated instruction! :) They aren't very sweet.. so the blueberry filling really pops. They are perfect. Amazing recipe  Susan V!

Click on the links for the full recipe. She has an amazing blog and many recipes.. you are sure to find a healthy substitute for your craving!

What do you get cravings for? Do you think your mileage can determine what you crave? Do you ever run *silent?*

Rest Easy Recipes Apple/Cran Juice Phyllo 'pot pie'

Cran Apple Juice

Today is a rest day! Even though I got the normal itch to run, I stayed home because I told myself yesterday I needed a rest. I was draggin' through my run yesterday; heavy legs, felt weak, couldn't. lift. legs. faster.  So, today is yoga, peace and quiet near the woodstove with the dogs and Kukicha twig tea. Ahh... spa treatment!

Here is a basic  Cranberry Apple juice that tastes like candy!  Great anytime drink, but I especially like it in the afternoon as a pick me up (or a "don't reach for those chocolate almonds!").

Candy Girl Cran Apple

3/4 cup fresh Cranberries

1 Sweet Variety Apple ( I especially love Fuji for this! but gala and pink ladies are great too)

Juice cranberries, then apple (cored! Apple seeds contain a small amount of Cyanide-bad for you and especially dangerous for your dogs!)

ENJOY! An ice cube, or previously refrigerated fruit makes this a refreshing and healthy treat!

Phyllo Pot Pie

Aaannnd a recipe for Vegan Vegetable Phyllo "Pot Pie"
1 pack of Whole Wheat Phyllo Dough
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 C Brussel Sprouts (quartered)
1 C Carrot Cubed
1 C Mushrooms sliced
1 C Apple, 1/2 inch chunks or smaller
1 C Leeks sliced in 1/2 inch moons (not the green tops)
2 Cloves Garlic (mashed)

For the sauce:
1 cup vegetable broth (homemade or store bought)
pinches of basil, oregano, tarragon, paprika, dry mustard, black pepper and sage
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
I grind it a bit of salt towards the end, but only is your stock is not salted. Taste and see if you need it.

Springform pan works great, but you can use a flat casserole too.

Sauce first: Mix arrowroot in small bowl with 1 tbs water, set aside.
Combine all ingredients in sauce pan (except almond milk and arrowroot). Bring to boil, then lower heat to med. Add arrowroot mix and let simmer until thickens. You want it a little thicker than you'd think at this point. Turn off heat. Stir in Almond milk. The sauce will be thinner now. If it is too thin, add more arrowroot, but do not reheat.. it will reheat in the oven.

Saute leeks and carrots 5 min.
Add sprouts and mushrooms, and garlic, another 2 min. ( remember it will cook more in the oven and I like veggies crisp versus mushy).
Pour in bowl and set aside.

Melt coconut oil on med heat. Once melted, remove from heat. With pastry brush, oil pan, then layer phyllo one sheet at a time in pan, let it overlap pan rim. You can oil each pastry sheet as you layer, I do every other one or every two.

Do all but about 5 sheets of dough (save for top).

Pour sauce over veggies, stir. Then pour veggies in to phyllo lined pan. Overlap corners/edges of dough over the veggie filling. Brush top with oil. Use remaining phyllo to cover any open space over veggies (make a top crust). Brush with oil.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until brown!  Cool 5 minute or so. Enjoy!

Super Woman Pom/Cran Juice & Bald Eagles in AK

Deliciously Detoxifying!

I'll start off with this awesome recipe for anytime juice. It can be a bit tart. You can always add another apple. I personally like beets and apples alone. I tried it with this and it took away the fabulous flavors of the pomegranate and cranberries. I like tart juice and this is actually pretty sweet, but you can always add another half an apple. Enjoy you Super Woman detox power! Whoo!

1 pomegranate, seeded
    1 to 1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries
    1 apple (red/gala/pink lady-any sweet variety-not grannies; optional)
    1 beet (optional)

Directions:
1. In a juicer, process pomegranate seeds, then cranberries, then apple, then beet. (The order doesn't really matter, but if you use a beet, add it last to push any pulp through.)
Makes: 1 serving, Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes

Bald Eagle/Beartrack Mts

Onto running yesterday. It was fairly clear out. I could actually see the mountains. My dog and I have spooked a G. Blue Heron a few days in a row while running past a creek.. and I still haven't managed to get my camera out in time! However, I was able to catch a snapshot of this bald eagle when we broke through the treeline towards the beach.

My legs were pretty fatigued yesterday. I think the weekend and lack of sleep caught up with me. It's easy to not go running today. But I know I'll be so glad I did!  I never wish I hadn't.

Moose on the Trail

Here is a moose track. I'm a size 10 shoe!