My Garden 2014_update

Schefflera

Another update...

Hoping everyone had a safe Fourth of July...

Wally world had a 50% OFF sale on plants, so I picked up a few up today.

As for my garden it is growing nicely...

Here are a few photos...

Okra-seedlings

This was my cantaloupe a few days after transplanting...

about the end of June..

This was my cantaloupe plant a week ago

my cantaloupe today...(july 5th 2014)

She loves her compost tea..

This is why its important to label things..;)

I have no idea what these are...

I think they are beans..

These are beans..:)

Very Soon this entire trellis will be full...

Happy Gardening...

My Other Gardening Blog:

HERE & HERE

Tangy Sweet Tangerine Juicing Recipe ~For Family of 5~ Black Folks Eating Right

I have always enjoyed tangerines, but I have never juiced them until recently and wanted to share a juice recipe that I have been experimenting with.

This recipe will make about a gallon of juice.

10 Tangerines

12 Golden Delicious Apples

2 Leafs of Kale

1 Raw Beet (with leafs)

1 Pineapple

1 Grapefruit (hence the tangy)

Handful of Fresh Spinach

This juice recipe is delicious and one of my favorites to date. 

The tangerines with the pineapples really makes this juice sweet.

Pineapples are great at masking the kale and beets.

I used a Omega Juicer 8006 Chrome

Health Benefits of Tangerines

The originals of Tangerines

~A Healthy Munchy Snack~ Black Folks Eating Right

The munchies we all get them right??

Well at any rate, I found another low fat, snack that you can put into your kids lunch, next to your desk at work or for that midnight snack you crave. It satisfies that sweet, nutty craving we all seem to get every now and again.  

Here is a recipe that I modified to suit my taste buds…

try it and enjoy!!

What I used:

2 cups Uncooked, Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 cup of  Craisins 

1/2 cup toasted Coconut {sweetened or unsweetened}

1/3 cup roughly chopped {shelled} Pistachios

1/2 cup Honey

2 tablespoons Coconut Butter

1 teaspoon Real Vanilla Extract

1/4 teaspoon ground Cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1 pinch Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS:

To toast the coconut just preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Scatter the coconut onto a rimmed sheet pan and bake for 5-10 minutes or until golden, stirring {and checking on it} often.

In a small bowl combine the honey, coconut butter, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir and set off to the side.

In a large mixing bowl; combine the oats, craisins, pistachios, toasted coconut and  pour in the honey mixture. Stir to combine.

Spread the granola mixture onto the same pan you used for the coconut and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, rotating the pan 

 Stir and continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the granola is a deep golden color

. Let cool and store in an airtight container for a few weeks.

I often make a large batch and store...

GREAT FOR BREAKFAST TOO!

Mama Mingz Pizza Sauce~Black Folks Eating Right

My son loves pizza and that was the one foods he begged me to allow him to eat with a plant based diet.

Why not, 

I can find a low calorie recipe sauce for pizza I already have a bread maker that makes pizza dough. I am more than half way there.

And I did.

And he loves it. 

The sauce is pretty good, if I don't say so my self.

(say it in your best Italian accent)

"MAMA Mingz Pizza Sauce"

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 cup minced  Sweet White Onion

2 cloves Garlic, pressed through a garlic press

2 tablespoons minced Sun-dried Tomatoes 
{ packed in olive oil}

2 teaspoons Dried Oregano

1-1/2 teaspoon Dried Basil

1/4 cup White Wine (like a Chardonnay)

1 {6 ounce} can of Tomato Paste

1 cup Water

2 pinches of Kosher Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

 Heat a large {10 inch} skillet over moderate heat. Add in olive oil and when hot, add in the minced onion and garlic. Stir until soft.

Now add in the minced sun-dried tomatoes, dried oregano and basil and stir. The oil and the heat of the pan will soften up the dried herbs.

Pour in the 4 tablespoons of white wine and let that simmer until reduced by half.

Add in the entire can {6 ounces} of tomato paste and the cup of water. Switch over to a wire whisk and stir until combined. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes before seasoning with kosher salt and black pepper.

Pour in to a jar to cool and store in the fridge for a week, or use it tonight.

Fruit Salad Recipe~Black Folks Eating Right a Plant Based Diet

Fruit Salads are one my favorite meals. Depending on how much fruit I have, I can make an entire meal out of  fruit.

I am sharing with you one of our favorite fruit salad meals.

What we use:

4 Strawberries

1 Pineapple

1 Red Apple

½ of a Cantaloupe

½ c seedless green grapes

1/2 c  seedless red grapes

½ of a Honey dew

1 Kiwi

Mix with clean hands and serve…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I like to keep small containers of fruit salads in the fridge for my 12.5 year old son. 
After school he is always looking for a snack to eat, and fruits are perfect.

Thanks for stopping in...
Tomingo

Raw Vegan Fruit Rolls Recipe~Black Folks Eating Right

Before my dehydrator that I love so much, I use to purchase Fruit Roll-ups and Foot-by-the-foot, which is another, so called fruit treat all to find out that, none of these treats are good for your kids, and they contain, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup and sugar, and barely any fruit.  

I will admit that the first batch I made, did not turn out at all -

 I forgot to grease the dehydrator sheet, and ended up scraping little flakes of dried up strawberries off the plastic with a knife...  

But in my next batch; I tried adding a banana, and covering the dehydrator sheet with a thin layer of coconut oil – 

EXCELLENT!

  

All you need is some time and some fruit.

Blender

Dehydrator

Fruit of your choosing… raspberries, strawberries or blackberries the list goes on have fun… experiment.

water

My recipe makes 10-12 fruit leather rolls, but it can easily be doubled or quadrupled to fit your needs

What I used:

2 bananas

1 whole container fresh strawberries

Directions:

In your food processor, puree the strawberries and banana into a thick fruity paste, adding water as needed. 

Next, grease your dehydrator sheet with a thin layer of coconut oil and cover with fruit mixture, using a spatula to make sure it's spread evenly.   Dehydrate on 118 degrees for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight - fruit rolls should be pliable, but not sticky.  

Cut into equal strips, and roll into cylinder shapes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These are perfect for when you're on the go –

I'd suggest keeping some in the fridge for whenever you need a quick and healthy snack. 

  Thanks for stopping by.

Find A Farmer's Market Near YOU

Because I am juicing for a family of 5, it’s important that I purchase my produce in bulk.

I am fortunate enough to have a farmer’s market 10 minutes away. 

Today, I picked up 100 ct pineapple oranges for 15$.

I could not tell you how much oranges are at the grocery store; but I do know you will not get 100 for 15$.

 Strawberries have gone up from 8 to 14$, but they didn't have any today, sold out right before I got there.

Well today I came across this website from the United States Department of Agriculture it is a Farmer’s Market Search.

Now all you have to do is put in your zip code; as well as the distance you would like to travel, and BAM! a Farmer's Market near you. 

Give it a try.

Plant Based Juicing Recipe Family of 5

I am sharing another tasty juicing recipe that I did today.

Today I took a visit to my local Farmer’s Market

And picked up some Granny Smith Apple, Red Delicious Apples, Strawberries and Pine Apple Oranges, the farmer’s market did not have pears so I had to get those from my local grocery store.

Please keep in mind that this recipe is for a two large containers, I filled

2-  1 Gallon containers, this is for a family of 5.

 Making sure we all get 2 glasses each of this juicing nectar.

So I purchase two types of pears...

Bosc Pears

Red Anjous Pears

"We are Family"

Apple, Pear, Strawberry + more Juice

Recipe is:

2 Bosc Pears

2 Red Anjous Pears

4 Stocks of Kale

4 Carrots

6 Pine Apple Oranges

6 Granny Green Apples 

 6 Red Apples

40 (that’s 2 containers) of strawberries &

2 slices of Fresh Ginger

Best Served Cold 

Try this one too...

A Plant Base Diet (Rice Milk & Rice Cheese)

If you are looking for a replacement from dairy milk you definitely want to try Rice Cheese* and Rice Milk…

The rice cheese is really good. 

I picked up the Mozzarella flavor and it does taste like mozzarella the taste is actually a lot richer.

Rice Milk has the consistency of 1% milk and it also tastes a lot like 1% milk…

I am not much of milk drinker; however my son loves his cold cereal before school,

so I got this for him, and he likes it.

Rice Cheese

Rice Milk

Both items cost  about $5.89.

@ WholeFoods....

Read more about Casein*

Mingz Plant Base Diet

Hello,

What a lovely day it has been today.

 A bit breezy yet warm, I have been seeing on the internet

That the weather over on the West Coast and Midwest is cold, cold and snow…

Lived in Milwaukee for over 10 years, when it snows it snows…and the temps are usually 20 or below.

Crazy!

One of the things I like about the south is its weather in the winter time, it can get cold but for the most part…

NO SNOW!! 

But I digress…

Juicing~

Still loving it!

Since I have been juicing; I have lost 15 pounds…

15 in two weeks that would have never taken place on some traditional diet.

I also decided not to number the days; because to me implies  I will be ended this

And I will not…

I will never go back to eating unhealthy again.

This is my body, and I only have one…so I plan to take care of it from here on out!

Peace Love and Olive Oil Y’all….

Tomingo

My Garden of love...2012

I decided this year was the year to do another garden. I enjoy gardening; it’s a pleasure to wake up every morning to see how big my plants are getting.

Today I am sharing with you my garden and the front yard garden. I began planting late, but here in the south it was colder longer than usual. At any rate my garden is coming along really well.

This is not my first time planting a garden; I had a garden back in 1995, however then

I was growing squash, Okra, and tomatoes.

This time around, I put in my 4X10ft box, watermelon, cantaloupe, corn, green beads, a strawberry plant (picked up at my local farmer market) and collards.

Bet you’re thinking “WOW that’s a lot.”

And you are correct. LOL

Especially for such a small box, need-less-to-say, I had to DOWN size my garden.

So far so good…

April 28th

May 15th

June

June 2nd, 2012

Below is the front yard.

Gladiolus Flower

And Elephant Ears

Gardening is fun, and therapeutic especially if you have quit smoking

like I have, 12 weeks now. 

WHOOT WHOOT!

Try it, take it one second at a time!

Peace. Love & Olive Oil Ya'LL

Growing MY Garden 2011

I am growing a garden...Beans, Okra, Gourds and Herbs...

I am far from being a gardener! But I think its great to be able to take a few seeds and in a few short weeks, you have a garden.

So in saying that since I am a beginner, and I know I will make some mistakes but that is ok.

We learn from our mistakes.

I am posting a few pictures of my beginning stages.

To start I placed a few seeds, in a moist paper towels. Then I placed them in the window. It took about 5 days before they germinated.

Then I put them in these recyclable pots that can go straight into a mini~green house or in the ground! Only 1.50 at Walmart and you get about 14.

I also have some Miracle grow sticks and placed them with the seeds, for that added nutriments. 

And I added water

I will keep you all posted on my progress. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Tomingo

UPDATE 2014 I no longer use Miracle Grow and will never use it again!