Thank you so much for the kind comments, emails and tweets. I really appreciate it – knowing that I had all of you sending positive vibes my way definitely helped to make me feel better yesterday.
After your words of encouragement it was time for me to say, “out with the frozen meals, in with the fresh produce, fermented foods and homemade tasty treats!!”
Not dissin’ Amy’s, because I really do LOVE her products – especially the Indian Mattar Paneer, but I was in need of some fresh veggies.
After an impromptu appointment with the Physical Therapist mid-morning, I packed a simple lunch to take back to work – salad with cucs, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and goddess dressing, carrots, and plain greek yogurt with the last of my Galaxy granola.
Post work I met up with Isaac’s mom at Whole Food’s for a Kombucha and Kimchi demonstration led by Tim.
As I’ve learned more about healthy eating, I’ve become increasingly interested in fermented/cultured foods because they are, among other things, great for restoring good bacteria and improving digestion. Although I’ll admit that until recently, the majority of fermented things I consumed had alcohol in them. 
Since reading other healthy food blogs I’ve learned about the wonders of fermented foods (hello, my dear friend kombucha) and even made my own yogurt. Needless to say, I was pretty pumped to see a Kombucha and Kimchi making class on the Whole Food’s calendar. <– Especially since GT’s is off the market for the moment.
Pounding the cabbage with a meat hammer helps to release the juices.
Kimchi ingredients (Napa cabbage, carrots, scallions, diakon, ginger, garlic, chili flakes and sea salt) chopped and ready for fermentation.
Tim showed us how to prep both the kombucha and kimchi but of course, we weren’t able to taste what he prepared because it takes days for each to ferment (about 8-12 days for kombucha and 4 for kimchi). Lucky for us, Tim brought some kombucha from home to share with the class.
Also exciting was the fact that Isaac’s mom won the giveaway of a kombucha baby and the prepared tea. She’s going to start the batch and then give me the baby so I can start my own – I can’t wait!!
If you’re interested in making your own kombucha or fermented veggies I’d highly recommend checking out the Pure2Raw Twin’s kombucha video tutorials and their post on making your own fermented vegetables. These ladies know their stuff!!
Also, here’s a great link about the benefits of eating fermented foods.
After the demo the hot bar/salad bar was calling our names (per the usual when visiting Whole Foods).
I did what I normally do and filled up my container with spring mix and then piled a bunch of salads and veggies on top. One of my favorite dishes at Whole Foods is the Cracklin’ Cauliflower – it’s spicy and super tasty. I need to try remaking it at home!
The class must have inspired me because when I got home I made some Super Charge Me cookies and almond milk.
Best. cookies. ever!
The cookies are for Isaac to share with his Frisbee team, but of course I had to taste test one last night (and this morning) – just to make sure they were suitable to share. As for the almond milk, I followed Gena’s Almond Milk recipe and it turned out great – although I do see myself needing a nut milk bag in the near future if I want to continue making my own. I also realize that if I plan to make all these fermented goodies I need some Ball’s Glass jars ASAP!
As you can probably tell from this post – I am a bit cheerier today (your comments really did help)! I just polished off breakfast of iced coffee and banana overnight oats, both of which used the homemade almond milk.
Here’s the Banana Overnight Oat recipe I follow.
And last but not least, I realized that we have the cutest mushrooms growing in our backyard!
Today’s going to be a good day!
-Brittany
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Brittany Mullins, HHC
