With Mom In China...

Remember the Evans? (See this post and scroll way down to the bottom. :)) They stayed at our (The Kelvans) house the whole time we were gone on our trip. They took care of it, our dogs and cats, including the newest litter that were born during our trip, and they just loved on them more than we ever could have, esspecially Tyler and Eli and Sarah Joy. :) They built a firepit right in the middle of our driveway (not really, but it sounded better this way ;P), made a concrete path around the side of the house, cleaned out the barn and made it speck and span and much, much more. :) They had a wedding for Cooper and Erin. A beautiful wedding (from what I can see in the pictures). They wore our clothes. We got to spend at a lot of time together, most precious time, before they left for the DR at the end of October. We stayed up really late with them, watching movies in the bed and drinking extra coffee-creamered up coffee and got up early, really early, a little too early to drink some more of that coffee and take them to the airport. Twice. One thing I will always remember that Grayson said, whilst packing everything in a plastic container, "I can believe how much stuff I have!" All of it had to fit in that one container. If only I could gather up the courage to put all of my stuff into one container! I miss them all very dearly and I cannot wait until November 20th! 

Mrs. Melinda will be flying in to Georgia, where we will be meeting her at the airport to bring her back to our house. Then, sometime the next day, she and my mother will be flying to China, to go and recieve her and Mr. David's newest little blessing, Naomi Rose! I cannot wait to meet her and I'm so excited for them and for my mom to be able to have this experience. I'll be surprised if my mother doesn't want every child in China to come home with her. I'm sure she will. Melinda too. :)

Be praying for their journey with safety, no stress, and a good time of Christian fellowship!

Pecans In My Coffee

A completely vegan carrot-raisin muffin with a cup of pecan pie coffee with german chocolate coconut milk (vegan) icecream!! A rainy afternoon with little school and much crocheting to do.

It's a good day. :)

Some-What Raw Pumpkin 'Mouse' Brownies W/ a Cup of Pumpkin Joe

While straining some almond milk (recipe below) this morning, I was putting the pulp in a bowl. Not wanting to throw it away, I decided to make a raw dessert with it! So here it is. :) (Go ahead and be messy like Grayson, It'll probably taste better. :))

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1-11/2 cup Almond Pulp

5 TBSP Agave

4 TBSP Semi-melted Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Water

About 5 TBSP Pumpkin Soup

1/4 cup Rolled Oats

1/2 cup Flour (I used coconut flour)

A little maple syrup for an extra sweetness :)

Blend all ingredients with a hand blender until fluffy. Let sit for 30 min. Place in pan and decorate with some extra rolled oats, if desired. Freeze until firm, ENJOY! 

MaeBeth's Version:

Drizzle a little MORE maple syrup on top. ;)

Make up your own version! Go crazy. Don't use exact measurments, estimate. :) Invent...

Almond Pulp

Blend Until Fluffy

Decorate

ALMOND MILK

"Nut milks are very easy to make and totally nutritious, with no hormones or antibiotics. They will keep 2 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. If they seperate, just give them a good shaking."

-Matthew Kenney

1 cup Almonds, soaked 4-6 hours

4 cups Water

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1 Tsp Lecithin

1/4 Agave

1 Tsp Vanilla

A Pinch of Salt

Blens all ingredients in Vita-Mix of high for at least one minute. Strain through a chinois, nut milk bag, or cheesecloth; use a spoon to push as much liquid through as possible. Serve or store in refrigerator up to two days. YEILD 1 QUART

(My version: I didn't soak my Almonds, but only do this if you have a Vita-Mix... I didn't use coconut oil and Grayson doesn't use the lecithin. :) I blended mine for 2 min.)

"Nut milks are an invaluable ingredient in raw food preparation. We use them for creamy smoothies when sweetened, but you can also eliminate the agave and use them as a base for a sauce or pur'ee."

-Matthew Kenney

And A Little Cup Of Pumpkin Joe. :)

1/4 cup Coffee

1/2 cup Pumpkin Soup

1/4 cup Almond Milk

2 TBSP Maple Syrup

Simmer on low until desired warmth. 

1 Serving

Yummy!!

What your plate should look like now. :)

While everything is going (freezing, simmering), do the dishes and clean up! But have fun with that too. Enjoy your treat!! :)

The Kittens?

They have changed so much! They're young men and women cats now :P

Gram:

Roderigo:

Hazel:

 Garbanzo:

Phyllis ran away a while back, I wish I had a good "old" picture of her...

Frog Legs...

.  .  .  taste like chicken. :)

New Places and Familiar Faces

According to my last post, you had until September 7th to get the 20% off discount... But since no one seems to want it, I guess it's over :( . (I'll let you have it still Mimi, just email me all the details ;D)

Well! It's been a long time since my last post... I miss updating everyone and for all you know, I could have been missing. But I'm not... I'm alive and well here in Las Vegas, Nevada! We spent 3 weeks in California, visiting with the Lucas's and Mimi and Pop. We had a very nice time. :) Some things that happened:

Yes, we made lip balm!! :)

So now, we're at Starbucks having a nice salted caramel hot chocolate with soy (Since I've decided to be vegan and have been for about a week yay!) about to go see Hoover Dam! It's been fun and has gone by so fast. Shout out to the Comptons! All of the weddings are almost over. :) Good luck!! 

One more thing: This is probably going to be my last post of the trip. I just don't have time right now to update you about everything with pictures and all... I'll definitely let you know where we are and a little more, but most of the time it'll just be a regular blog, inspiring people with my everyday life (Which I hope I am doing. :D) Keep reading and inspiring me to go on inspiring you. ;) I miss everyone of you. I can't wait to see you all again soon (And that means you guys that we've met along the way). Leave comments if you can! I love to hear from you guys. :D

Chocolatte Oatmeal Balls

Raw Chocolatte Oatmeal Balls Recipe:

This great recipe is something that I made up today, out of the blue because of my sudden craving for a raw sweet chocolatey something. :) I hope you enjoy!!

8-10 Dates, Pitted

1-2 TBSP Honey

2-3 TBSP Cocoa Powder

1/2 Tsp Vanilla

1 Tsp Coffee Extract or 1-2 TBSP Very Strong Coffee (I made mine with the Extract, so I'm not sure how this is gonna work, so let me know how it works for you guys!!)

1 TBSP Water

A Handful of Rolled Oats

A Shake of Cinnamon

3 TBSP or so of Coconut Oil

( I hope I didn't forget anything : / )

Mix all ingredients together in a vita mix until smooth. Freeze in a bowl for about 30 minutes. Take out and ball, I used 2 measuring spoons, the Tsp and 1/4 Tsp :) (As seen in picture) Roll into a bowl of oatmeal. Freeze for a little longer and enjoy!!

Detail...

...More Detail...

...And even MORE detail!

Let me know how everything works out for you guys that make these!!

Also, we're in California!! (Hello Mimi : ) ) We'll be here for three weeks and then be heading east! Grayson Evans is here with us, flew in for 12 days! (Check her out here: blogginganaturalgrace.blogspot.com )

We've been to Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Will hopefully post more often. :)

Leave Comments! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Two Raw Recipes :)

Raw Vegan "Chili" (Dip)

My personal favorite of all raw recipes (even though I hate most of the ingredients :P) and all raw!! If you want chips, go for it.

Ingredients:

VEGGIES

2 Cups Celery, Finley Chopped

1/2 Cup Red Onion, Finley Chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped

"MEAT"

1 Cup Raw Almonds

1 Cup Carrots

SAUCE

1 1/2 Cup Sun-Dried Tomato

2 Cups Water

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

1 Clove Garlic

11/2 TBSP Dried Oregano

2 tsp Chili Powder

1 to 2 tsp Curry Powder

1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

1 TBSP Sweetener (Agave, Honey, Maple Syrup)

-Cover tomatoes with water and set aside.

-Process almonds and carrots in food processor until chunky. Add to chopped veggies in medium bowl.

-Blend all sauce ingredients in Vita-mix until smooth. Add to veggie-nut mixture. Stir together.

For hotter chili, add cayenne pepper to taste (I also put some nutritional yeast to get a cheesy taste. Only use it if you love it, like me. About 2 TBSP). :) Serve and enjoy!

Zesty "BBQ" Zucchini Fettuccine

I whipped this recipe up the other day and fell in love with it. Using zucchini as the noodles makes this one all raw! I hope you love it as much as I do. :)

Ingredients:

2 Small Zucchini

Minced Garlic (To add at the end, if desired)

SAUCE

2 Medium Tomatos

1 Shallot

2 Large Cloves Garlic

1 tsp Liquid Smoke (Not sure if this is raw :/)

1 tsp Salt

2 TBSP Olive Oil

-Peel zucchini, and continue to peel it until you cannot anymore. Cut the rest as thin as possible. 

For sauce, add all ingredients in a Vita-mix and blend until smooth. (You will have extra sauce, but I figured you could make more noodles or use it as a dip or salad dressing. :))

Mix together and add minced garlic. Enjoy! (It's also good with Fritos :) Guess I just have to have something dead, don't I?)

Also pictured is a salad Lydia made for her a salad a week challenge. You can find it here.

This is also a version of a salad Lydia made. Instead of everything that goes into it, I just put julienned sugar snaps and blanched almond slivers. The dressing is AMAZING! Try it out! (All raw, once again) 

Enjoy these recipes! Please let me know what you think...

BTW, we're in Idaho now. :) We're leving for Washington in the morning!! 

All the Last Posts... Put Together?

Okay, so there are LOTSSSS of pictures, but I will explain each one. :)

Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana!!

WE made it to Walnut Grove! Who'd ever thought?

Bahahahaha!

We are standing in Plum Creek! The same creek the real Laura Ingalls played in when she was little. *Laura Ingalls Wilder Fan Dance* -Whatever that is... :P

Our new little camping friend/ He was hungryyyy. Hey! That looks familiar??

Awwwwww. Adorable! :)))

Very beautiful. If you are thinking about going, you should!

Who knew dad had this photographerism in him?

"That's a Loooonnngg way down..."

Me too. Great store.

It's HUGE.

Haha. Mount Rushmore? No, Rush NO More. :P

What a straight line! She was beautiful, until she ate our friend, the bird...

A new project daily.

This was funnn.

What IS this?! It looks so familiar...

Tight squeeze.

The unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial.

Sun in front, er.... something not sunny in the back... D:

The Dennison's at lunch with us. :)

That's the best looking sign yet!

Devil's Tower, Devil's Lake, Devil's Peak.... What is this world coming to?!

ER.... We were bored?

Playing with pretzels...

...in the car...

...On the...

...way...

...to...

Sheridan?!

It was cold? Just 50 degrees! Wait until you scroll down to yellowstone...

Yep fun.

This is the whole state, or so you think...

B-E-A-Utiful!!

Sisterly foursome. :)

A waterfall of many.

Let's just say our ears were poping.

That should be an elk crossing sign! D:

We made it!

Before...

...after

These were gorgeous.

Why am I in this picture? *Suppose to be a photographer*

Coyote

I guess if I was taking the picture, I would have this one, eh?

Another Coyote.

~The ultimate driver~

HE WAS SO CLOSE! *run into the woods* I thought about 'catching' him... ;) haha. (See, Elijah, It CAN be done...)

But sooo ticklish?!

We were literally screaming. Literally...

Another beautiful thing.

WOW

The only civilization within a hundred miles...

Can you find the other one?

I thought the world was ending. Snow, rain, rainbows, weird clouds? Well, I had just waken up too... and we ARE in the mountains...

Father/daughter playing time. Fun in the creek. "Dad, don't EVER wear capris... Capris are for girls... Just sayin'..."

Yesssss. All over the...fish?

Foxyyy.

Elk tea party. Or grass party...

He must be odd... I mean old.

This is too sweet! < 3

He had us blocked for 10 minutes...

Bald eagle, awaiting it's prey.

A black bear. The way to tell between a black bear and a grizzly bear, is it's shoulder and the nose. Grizzlies have a higher, harder shoulder and a longer nose.

Leaving Yellowstone at 5AM. It was 31 degrees. Not kidding.

Where we are now.

Pretty SWEET.

Checking out my photography skills with the new camera, whose manual I had been reading for 2 hours... How'd I do?

New on etsy!!

Skypeing with the Alexanders! The first time we'd seen them in 3 months. Hello!

We'll be skypeing into Hope Church tomorrow! We have to be up and ready by 7AM. Silly time zones! I cannot wait. I miss you guys!! <3 Leave lots of comments. :)