Coffee Addiction

Photo Source: Coffee Bing

Yes it's true. I'm a coffee addict. I'm admitting it. Isn't that the first step? I used to drink the stuff at night in college! Now, I'm not so lucky. If I had coffee at night, it would most likely keep me up. Why is that? I mean, why could I drink it when I was younger without that kind of effect, but now I can't?

Sometimes I even have to go without it.....when I have to perform a concert or audition. Nerves plus caffeine is not a good combination for me. 

Occasionally I make a whole pot and drink a couple of cups worth throughout the morning. Sometimes I make it in my Keurig when I just want one cup, or decaf, etc. 

I recently discovered some good, cheap coffee at.........Whole Foods! Didn't think there was anything cheap there. $4.99 for 14 oz!! Most bags or containers now only hold 12 oz of coffee. Booooo. They all used to be 16 oz. Oh well. So this is a real steal:

Three Beans Coffee. Good stuff. I miss these kinds of canisters from Trader Joe's, but alas, we have no TJ here.

Mmmmmmm....just smell it.

In the old days, I'd order my coffee online. Some of my favorite places are:

The Roasterie (Kansas City) my fave: Voodoo Blend

Porto Rico's (NYC) Great selection of origin beans and teas

Peet's 

I still occasionally order from The Roasterie or Porto Rico. Locally, I found decent prices on pretty good Fair Trade coffee at Target. WHAT?? Yup. Target. And, of course, this new coffee at WF! I know it's sad, but I haven't really found a local coffee company that I like. Once in a while I like chicory coffee, but not usually. That's the typical New Orleans Style Coffee. 

I always buy whole beans, because I like the fresh smell and taste of freshly ground coffee. When I'm on roadtrips, I always buy local coffee beans to take home with me. Every state has SOME decent coffee, right? 

As for what I put IN my coffee. Soymilk (unsweetened). That's all. And not one tiny drop either. I mean, what's the point? I like my coffee with a decent amount of lightness. I use soy creamer instead, sometimes. I don't like almond milk or hemp milk in my coffee. Nope. Don't get me wrong. I love almond milk and hemp milk.....just not in my coffee please. When we lived in Brazil, I drank my coffee black, with sugar. Totally different type of coffee. And to be honest, I'd rather have the soymilk than the sugar. And that's really all I use the soymilk for. Is it wrong to have two different kinds of nondairy milk in the fridge at all times?

I forgot to mention MimicCreme. This is a nut-based creamer. It also works pretty well for me in coffee. 

And if I'm desperate....and on the go....it's SoyGo: (though I normally hate powdered creamers)

I'm sorry, I'm just not a tea person (or partier). I do like tea very occasionally, but not black tea. Rooibus is a good one, especially a chocolate mint flavored rooibus :) And green tea, if I'm having Japanese food. Otherwise, no.

I think those are all my coffee secrets. How do you drink your coffee? Or don't you? 

Eat smart,

T.

Exercise, Vegetable Coulis, Creamers, and other stuff

So I logged 7 3/4 miles walking today.  I've been trying to get in at least 5 miles a day.  It's spread apart of course, in 2,3, or even 4 parts. Although this morning I got a good 4 mile walk in just going to and from Borders Books, after I dropped off my husband at his recording session.  Felt good.

I've seen various reports saying that if you do the same exercise everyday, it won't do much, or it'll "stop" working.  I'm not sure what that means.  They tell you to vary your exercise routine.  I decided to take two days off per week of walking.  And on those two days I do weights (arms, shoulders, etc).  I think that's a pretty good routine so far.  But really, if I just keep walking everyday for 5-7 miles a day, will I not lose weight anymore?  Do I need to do a different form of cardio?? What are your thoughts?

By the way, I didn't gain any weight on our 3+ week trip.  Although I didn't lose any either.  Tried to keep walking a lot.  We did try a bunch of great vegan restaurants, including vegan cupcakes and other baked goods. Guess that's why I assumed I would've gained weight.

I made spaghetti squash the other day, and topped it with a vegetable coulis I made in my Vita-Mix.  Is it possible to eat too much fiber? I think I should call this sauce, FIBER COULIS :)

Veggie Coulis (very concentrated):

1 tomato
1 red pepper
1 cup broccoli pieces
1 pint shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup nooch
2 cups strained/pureed tomatoes (I use Pomi or Bionaturae)
1/2 onion
1 cup kale
1/2 cup red wine
oregano, garlic, black pepper, salt


Blend in VitaMix: everything but wine
Pour into a pot and turn heat on medium.  Add wine to thin.  You may at this point add more water/wine to thin it out even more.  It's VERY thick!  For leftovers, I've been adding even more strained tomatoes to it, because it's just too thick and fiber dense.  So perhaps this is more of a concentrated coulis :) Sever over pasta, potatoes, grains, or spaghetti squash.

I think when we got back home, we went back to our fiber rich foods too fast.  Whole grains, lots of vegetables, etc....but we feel better now that we're back on our routine.

Nori rolls I made with the Sunflower Seed Falafel:

Tonight's version of my Eggplant Parmesanless:

Creamers. Why do I always have a problem with creamers?  For a long time I used Silk's Original Soy creamer.  I loved it in my coffee.  But recently, more often than not, they go bad really quickly, or they're bad right out of the container. Why is that? Has anyone else had this problem? I had tried my almond milk in my coffee, but didn't like it.  I did however try the Almond Breeze unsweetened in my coffee and it's not bad. I can deal with that.  Soy milk is another story.  Sometimes it curdles, sometimes it doesn't. I don't get it.  I think if you pour your coffee fast into the soymilk, while stirring, you're ok.  If it's done very slowly, or if you add the soymilk to your coffee after the coffee's already in your mug, you're out of luck.  But of course it's not always the same effect.  Grrrrrr. Does this aggravate anyone else? Or is it just me?  I found MimicCreme.  I've tested it out and it's pretty good!  I realize now (after this morning's coffee) that you really should stir it into your coffee. Just because it's at the bottom of your cup when your coffee goes in, doesn't mean it will mix itself in. But I like it.  Can't find it anywhere locally unfortunately. (you can order it online) I also like it because it's NOT soy, it's made with almonds and cashews.

Here's what I don't like....errr....I mean what else I don't like. SoyGo.  I ordered a bag of it online.  It's powder.  I was hoping....just hoping....it would be better than that awful old non-dairy crappy powder that all the hotels and truck stops have. It's not.  It doesn't mix in.  It's all grainy and powdery in your coffee. Bleh.  And since I'm not going to use anymore, I should give it away, don't you think?  I'll have to come up with a giveaway to include it in soon.

Update: I've been in contact with the people from SoyGo recently and they sent me a new bag of creamers.  I've been testing it out and will continue to test it in different places and ways.  I will let you know the outcome! The folks there have been very nice and very patient with me :)

If you have any other suggestions for creamers, at home, and on the road, please PLEASE let me know!!

For a list of other great vegan blogs, click here.

Eat smart,
T.