Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Why My Personality Puts the Pounds On Me

2012-01-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

Did anyone catch this article in the Wall Street Journal entitled, "Is Your Personality Making You Put on Pounds?" by Melinda Beck?

I'll summarize it for you. If you suffer from any of the following personality traits, you are very likely to be overweight:

you are not an "easy" person, a generally disagreeable type
you are a night owl and/or sleep deprived
you are a stress junkie (you thrive on competition and deadline pressure)
you are a mindless multitasker, enjoying eating while doing other tasks at the same time
you are a giver and put other people's needs ahead of your own
you are a perfectionist

Why am I bringing this up here on HGK? Because I think it gets to the heart of the matter. Like the author of the article says, everybody knows that broccoli is healthier than McDonald's. So why do we have such a hard time consistently making the right decisions?

Because our personalities get in the way.

For me, I fall into category #2, 3, 4, 5 AND 6.

That's a lotta dysfunction. But those same personality traits are the ones that got me where I am today. I just have to know when I am taking things too far.

I am a big believer in self-awareness. Not to be confused with me saying that "I am self-aware." Quite the contrary. But I am committed to working on it. Because if I don't know the reasons that I am making my mistakes, how can I ever do anything differently?

Which personality categories do you fall into? Do you see a connection between your personality and your weight issues?

Living in the Moment with Mindfulness

2012-01-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

By Brandon Cornejo M.D., Ph.D.

I hope your first week of 2012 was a good one! How are those New Year's resolutions going? If your goal is to exercise more, my "Mindfulness" two-part blog post should help you stay motivated. In part-one of my post, I discussed the concept of "mindfulness" or living in the moment.

Now I will share how you can use mindfulness to stay focused on a particular goal like exercising. Since exercise and mindfulness enhance mood, decrease stress, and improve negative thinking, these tips will benefit us all as we enjoy 2012!

Tips for staying in the present moment while exercising:

·         One of the most basic tools that you can use in mindfulness is your breathing. By focusing on the sensation of air traveling in and out of your body (just like you do during meditation), you can be grounded in the present moment.

·         You may also try a mantra to stay in the "now" (for example, runners often count out their footsteps – “1, 2, 3…1, 2, 3” – or a mountain biker or skier may constantly remind themselves to “relax”).

·         Applying either technique will keep you in the moment rather than thinking about negative thoughts and feelings that influence behavior in a non-productive fashion during your exercise.

·         Paying attention to physical feelings of your body and your surroundings as you exercise will prevent you from going into “automatic pilot” (when you act and react without conscious awareness).

·         By learning to stay present, you can accept physical discomfort as a temporary state that will soon pass.

·         As you continue your workout, you can “label” both positive and negative thoughts that occur while exercising. Labeling these thoughts will help you understand which thoughts and feelings are limiting your success and need to be changed.

Try out some of these tips and see how you start removing unwanted negative thoughts to overcome challenges that may have held you back in the past. Mindfulness matters when it comes to achieving that New Year's resolution this year.

Healthy New Year, Tip #5: Minimize Liquid Calories

2012-01-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

Healthy Foodie Rule #5: Minimize Liquid Calories

As tasty as many drinks can be, they generally are low in nutrition, have next to no fiber and therefore do not really satisfy our bodies. All too often, drinks are "empty calories." Of course, the worst offender is the high-fructose-sweetened soft drink/soda, but I think that fruit juices are also not worth the calories. (Eat the fruit instead.)

I try to limit beverages to these (in order of amount consumed):

Water, tea, wine, coffee and cocktails.

Plain water, whether bottled or tap, should be every healthy foodie's main beverage. If you drink alcohol -- as I often do, having wine with dinner most nights -- be sure to drink one glass of water for each glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage.

Tea has been my morning caffeine drink of choice -- I make a large pot with loose-leaf black tea most days, and of late I've enjoyed home brewed coffee as well. Many studies conclude that both tea and coffee can be part of a healthful diet, with green tea having the most beneficial antioxidants. The research on coffee has been very positive in recent months and years; for me, the only reason to limit it is that I'm very sensitive to caffeine after about 10 AM.

As you probably know, wine and especially red wine has been shown to have health benefits, although consuming more than a drink or two a day of any alcohol should be avoided.

The drinks I actively avoid are those that add nothing but empty calories to my daily tally--or the vitamins in them are overwhelmed by the sugar and/or fat they contain. This means no soda -- I try to minimize diet sodas to an occasional indulgence -- and no fruit juices. Not to mention no milkshakes or obscenely caloric coffee drinks.

It's not that hard to stick to water when you're thirsty and simple coffee or tea when you need a caffeine boost. Save those calories for something you can sink your teeth into!

Not Your Mother's Chocolate Bundt Cake

2012-01-11T02:23:00.000-08:00

FULL DISCLOSURE: THIS IS NOT HEALTH FOOD.

Don't hate me for posting this. I think I feel compelled to share this recipe with you because my kids loved it, and so did their friends, my husband and I. And on the scale of good, better, best, it might even rank as better.

Better than most Vegan desserts out there on the Internet masquerading as "healthy dessert."

Even Vegans can healthwash each other.

It's not Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Chocolate Cake. But then again, it didn't take an hour and a half to make it. And sometimes the occasion calls for a chocolate cake, but you are short on time.

So here it is, the cake that I will be making from here forward for every birthday, bake sale, pot luck, whatever. It's that good.

Not Your Mother's Chocolate Bundt Cake
serves 12

Printable Recipe

dry ingredients
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose baking flour
1/2 cup raw cacao or high quality (not Dutch processed) baking cocoa
1 1/2 cups succanat
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

wet ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond or soy milk
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

chocolate syrup
1/4 cup raw cacao or high quality (not Dutch processed) baking cocoa
1/2 cup succanat
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15-cup bundt pan with cooking oil spray.

In a large bowl, place all of the dry ingredients. Stir with a whisk to blend well.

In a medium bowl, place the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and the nuts (if using).

Pour batter into bundt pan and spread evenly. Bake for 38 to 43 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, prepare the chocolate syrup. Place all syrup ingredients into a sauce pan and cook over low heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Do not let this burn. Remove from heat when all sugar is dissolved and let cool until cake is done baking.

While the cake is still warm, poke holes with a fork or toothpick all the way around. Pour half of the syrup over the cake and let the cake absorb it. Invert cake onto a plate and pour remaining syrup over the top of the cake. Store covered at room temperature.

"Food Cures:" how food relates to specific health concerns -- new book by Joy Bauer

2012-01-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

I recently received a copy of Joy Bauer’s Food Cures (Eat right to get healthier, look younger and add years to your life) from its publisher, Rodale Press. It's very interesting, well researched and engagingly written, enough that I can heartily recommend this book for the healthy foodie.

On the back cover and first pages are testimonials from food-oriented celebs such as TV chef Bobby Flay, Meredith Viera and South Beach Diet author Arthur Agatson, among others – as well as an impressive list of medical professionals. Joy Bauer has is a nutritionist who writes regularly for Women’s Day magazine and appears as a nutrition expert on the Today Show.

I like the author's organization the material, with the book divided into sections such as Losing Weight, Looking Great, and Feeling Good, and further subdivided into chapters that address virtually any type of health concern a reader might have. So if, for instance, you suffer from insomnia, PMS or arthritis – among many others – you can flip right to the chapter that will help you figure out the best foods for your particular areas of interest. Other chapters cover vision, memory, headaches, depression, cancer, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, along with chapters on keeping your skin, hair and teeth healthy.

I consider myself a fairly well-read health consumer, and yet I learned quite a lot from Joy’s book. Each chapter begins with the “basics” of the topic, and the author has condensed up-to-date research results in very approachable, readable prose. (Information sources are saved until the end of the book so as not to clutter the chapters.) Next she writes about the relationship between food and that chapter’s focus; then a step-by-step plan for incorporating the right foods into your lifestyle. Each chapter concludes with a few recipes (3-5 per chapter), giving the reader a total of perhaps 70 healthy recipes throughout the book. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but they seem well written, clear and easy to follow.

Go here to learn more about Joy Bauer, this book, and her other work.

Dairy Industry Obviously Threatened By Rise of Alternative Milks

2012-01-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

A big thank you goes out to Jeff over at The Plant Eater for bringing this to our attention. It's classic!

Seems to me that the cow milk industry clearly is threatened. I learned in my marketing class in college that #1 in an industry never compares themselves to #2 in an ad, but #2,3,4 etc. compare themselves to #1. Guess this ad says A LOT about where the dairy industry is headed.

Why is the dairy industry even making this commercial? Seems our voices are being heard at some very high levels. Notice how they didn't even try to defend the health claims of the dairy council. Their best shot was that only "real" milk can come from a cow? Is there something really cool about doing drinking the mother's milk of another species? If there is, please fill me in on it.

Thoughts?

What I'm Craving For Dinner: Mexican Jicama and Orange Salad

2012-01-09T07:02:00.000-08:00

I'm so craving this salad and I wanted to share it with you. Chris-Anna and I developed this recipe together last summer for a HUGE picnic that we hosted in her backyard. This salad was such a wild success that it goes down, at least in my book, as one of the tastiest salads ever.

Light and refreshing, with a hint of sweetness from the orange, and all of that crunch from the jicama and radish . . . watch out! It's gonna become on of your favorites too. I made it again for dinner last night, but subbed in baby spinach leaves for the romaine lettuce. It was also fantastic!

It goes without saying that there is no oil and nothing with a mother or a face! If you are watching your weight, just go easy on the avocado or eliminate it all together.

Orange, Jicama, Radish Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main dish

Printable Recipe

1 avocado, diced

1 medium jicama, julienned

4 radishes, finely julienned

1 large orange, or 2 small oranges, segments cut out and membrane reserved

2 hearts of romaine, torn to bite sized pieces (or one full head of romaine or 8 cups baby spinach leaves)

For dressing:

Squeeze the juice remaining around the cut orange segments (about 1 Tbsp.)
2 tsp frozen orange juice concentrate

3 Tbsp lemon juice (I used the juice from 2 small lemons)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut avocado in half, remove pit, cut into quarters, remove peel and dice.

Peel jicama, slice and then cut sliced into julienne pieces.

Cut top and bottom off radishes. Cut into very thin slices and cut thin slices into fine julienne pieces.

Cut top and bottom off of orange. Cut skin off, from top to bottom. Cut each segment out in between the segment skins. Cut each orange segment into three to four pieces.

In a large bowl, assemble greens, avocado, jicama, radishes and orange segments.

Whisk together ingredients for dressing in a small bowl and pour over salad just before serving.

Tip- You can use a can of mandarin oranges and reserved liquid instead of orange, or baby spinach leaves instead of romaine lettuce.

Low Carb Shrimp Scampi w/ Miracle Noodles

2012-01-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is a super low carb/low fat version of one of my personal favorites. Lemon and garlic work so well with the shrimp you don't need butter or oil to make it taste great!

Shrimp Scampi

200 grams peeled, deveined, tail off shrimp (211 calories)
2 packages Miracle Noodles
2 tablespoons Coconut Oil (240 calories)
1/3 cup Chicken Broth (5 calories)
4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced or minced (16 calories)
about 1/4 cup diced white Onion (24 calories)
1/2 cup fresh Parsley, chopped (11 calories)
juice of 1 Lemon (12 calories)
1 tsp Lemon Zest (1 calorie)
1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (2 calories)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

Prepare the Miracle Noodles by draining the packets and rinsing the noodles with hot water until the fishy smell is gone. Let drain in colander. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook and additional minute, stirring. Add in the shrimp (raw or cooked will work here), lemon juice and zest, chicken broth, and seasonings. When the noodles have released their excess water toss into the shrimp mixture and cook over medium-high heat until the sauce has thickened a bit and the whole mixture becomes fragrant. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve up and enjoy!

This makes two servings, each is just 261 calories but would only be 141 calories without the coconut oil! ^_^

Healthier 2012: Tip #4 --Choose your meats carefully

2012-01-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Healthy Foodie Tip #4: NO SUPERMARKET OR FAST-FOOD MEAT

If you have watched "Food, Inc." or "Fresh," or read Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma -- among other sources -- you know that our nation's industrial food system is terribly unhealthful and environmentally irresponsible. One of the worst offenders is how we raise, slaughter, distribute and consume meat -- not just beef and pork, but also poultry and seafood. (Read about CAFO -- concentrated animal feeding operation -- and you'll see what I mean.)

Unless you're vegetarian, it's almost impossible to opt out completely from the industrial meat system. For instance, when eating out you're highly likely to be served meat, poultry or fish that was inhumanely raised, fed ingredients that the animals don't naturally consume, handled in ways that promote dangerous food-borne illnesses and/or farmed (in the case of much seafood). It's daunting, when you think about it.

My response has been twofold. One, I absolutely never eat fast-food meat of any kind, including stuff I used to order occasionally such as an Arby's roast beef sandwich or a grilled chicken sandwich at one of the fast-food joints that seem to be your only choice sometimes. Frankly, this has not been hard since I have never been a fan of fast food.

Second, I try not to buy meat or poultry at supermarkets, and I'm also very careful about where I buy fish. When possible, I buy meat and poultry from local farmers who raise their animals naturally and handle their products with extreme care, or when that's not an option I'll look for organic meat from stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

It's very hard to be 100% pure even in these halfway measures, but it's a step in the right direction.

Spicy Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries....

2012-01-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun twist to a good ol' classic, a winter staple in our house- Baked Sweet Potato Fries! Every winter we joyfully receive a 20 pound box of sweet potatoes from my brother-on-law, so we like to try out different variations to change it up and make the 20 pounds enjoyable all season long!

Just like the original recipe, wash and scrub your potatoes (leave the skins on, lots of good stuff for you there) and cut them into french fry sticks. (you could also cut them into cubes, chunks, or chips). Then toss them in a bowl with some grape seed oil, sea salt, pepper, some cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. If you wanna turn it up a notch, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Toss thoroughly and spread out in a single layer onto a cookie sheet or roasting pan lined with parchment paper. Bake on 400 for 25- 35 minutes depending how your like your fries!

These were perfectly paired with a bowl of Vegetable Chili, a fun alternative to corn bread!

Vegetable Chili

2012-01-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

I loved this recipe as a little change up to the traditional meaty chili. I was actually going to make this recipe without any meat and call it "Vegetarian Style Chili" but at the last minute, some good friends (a family of 6!) came through town and I needed to stretch it as far as I could, so in went a few more ingredients! Either way, it's super tasty and fun to see veggies sprinkled throughout! I served these with "Spicy Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries" which I will post next! Enjoy the goodness!!

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced or shredded
4 stalks celery, diced
2 squash, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
28 oz. diced tomatoes
8 oz. tomato paste
water to taste or desired thickness
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp cumin
2 TBSP chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
* I package ground turkey, cooked & seasoned with S & P

Directions:
Saute your veggies- your onion, garlic, bell pepper, celery, squash, and carrots in a drizzle of grape seed oil for a few minutes until they get tender. Then add your diced tomatoes, tomato paste, drained beans and water until you reach your desired consitancy. Then add all your spices and cooked ground turkey (if desired). Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Enjoy!

For a Healthier New Year, Do This! (Tips, part 3)

2012-01-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Healthy Foodie Rule #3: EXERCISE 45-60 MINUTES A DAY.
Yes, that's a high standard, and it's not always possible. But if you count every type of physical exertion, from walking to stretching to crunches on your bedroom floor, over the course of a day you can usually reach this minimum level of exercise.

Most exercise specialists agree that if you can't do 30-45 minutes of cardio in one time period, it's okay to spread shorter bursts throughout the day. Take a 20-30 minute walk in the morning and another on your lunch break or after work -- whatever works best in your schedule. We bought a treadmill about a year ago and put it in our basement, where we also installed a television with cable hookup, so watching the Today Show before breakfast helps me to get through 30 minutes of cardio. It's been great in the cold, dark months when outdoor exercise is impractical.

But cardio exercise isn't the whole story. You also need to incorporate strength training and stretching. Pilates counts as strength training, and yoga gets the stretching in, making both of those practices quite beneficial.

A big change in my fitness routine has been that in October, I signed on to work with a trainer. She's helping me with strength, endurance, mobility and improving my posture. If you can't fit that into your life, then figure out some other way to do weight-bearing exercise at least a couple times a week.

I find that my health and happiness -- including managing stress -- depends on keeping up this exercise regimen. Exercise is vital. And remember, the more you exercise -- the more you can eat!

Smokin' Collard Green Stacks

2012-01-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

I've got a wonderful friend named Jessica who forwards me all sorts of healthy recipes to try. She gets many of them from Dr. Roxanne Sukol. Dr. Sukol used to be Jessica's primary care physician (she also happens to have a blog called Your Health is on Your Plate), but now the good doc has assumed the position of head of Dr. Roizen's Lifestyle 360 program here at The Cleveland Clinic.

That's probably more information than you wanted to know.

But I wanted you to know where this recipe's inspiration came from. Here's what Dr.Sukol had to say about Dr. Bradley’s Smokin’ Collards: "According to my esteemed colleague, Dr. Linda Bradley, who had the vision and inspiration to purchase and prepare 10 pounds of collards for a vegan Christmas dish, her entire family ate every morsel!"

Well then, I just had to try these for myself! And I'm glad I did. The inclusion of molasses gives us a nice hit of iron, which I can always use. Here's my take:

Smokin' Collard Green Stacks

Printable Recipe

1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth

1 large yellow onions

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 Tbsp chipotle in adobe (Comes in a small can. For more heat, use a bit more. Transfer the rest to a container and save in the freezer.)

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

2 Tbsp smoked paprika, divided

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce or Tamari

1/4 cup low sodium vegetable stock

2 Tbsp black strap molasses

2 pounds (2 bunches) collard greens, washed clean, torn from the stem, and rough chopped.
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

salt (or not) and pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat broth on medium high heat until bubbling. Add onions and sauté 6-7 minutes until onions are wilting. Add garlic, and cook 2 more minutes. Stir in chipotle, 1 Tbsp of paprika, vinegar, soy sauce, extra vegetable stock and molasses.

Stir in the collard greens. Cover and cook for 45 min, stirring occasionally. Then add the remaining paprika, black beans, salt (or not), and pepper, and cook 5-10 more minutes.

Serving suggestion: Eat the collards as is or serve stacked with

Roasted Potato "Chips"

For this recipe, 3 medium-large baking potatoes should provide you with enough "chips" for the volume of greens.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare 2 baking trays by lining them with aluminum foil and lightly spraying them with cooking oil spray.

Slice the potatoes diagonally into 1/8" thick ovals. Lay the slices of baking potato so that each slice slightly overlaps the next.

Bake trays of potato "chips" for approximately 45 minutes, rotating trays in the oven every 15 minutes or so if you are roasting more than one tray of potatoes at a time. They are done when they are soft and slightly browned.

To serve, layer potatoes and greens on a plate until they seem like they will fall over. Don't worry if they do, it still tastes great!

How has your first week of the new year been?

So far, so good for me. I have been making better choices since Susan voiced her

New Year's Challenge over at Fat Free Vegan. I have even started making oatmeal for breakfast thanks to Debby The Healthy Librarian. Lots of greens, soup, and salads. A few Vegan chocolate chips. I'm not a saint!

What have you been eating this week?

I'm also happy to report that my resolution of following the 365 days of organizing is going very well. I didn't even realize how much clutter is collecting in our house. It's fun to throw away stuff. Especially food (Thai red curry paste, to be exact) with a 2008 expiration date on it! Didn't even know it was in there . . . let alone that old . . .

Considering Going Gluten Free?

And last but not least, ever wonder what all this hooplah about going gluten free is all about? Here's a great article from Disease Proof explaining it all, and why if you don't have Celiac disease, or at least a major gluten sensitivity, going gluten free is a distraction from your real issues.

Have a wonderful weekend y'all!

Hot Tip! A Don't Miss Live Broadcast Event with Doug Lisle

2012-01-05T04:22:00.000-08:00

What Dr. Lisle has to teach us is incredibly compelling. I love this guy and I've written about him before. Don't miss this!

How To Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind
Live Broadcast with Doug Lisle, Ph.D.
January 8, 7pm EST / 4pm PST

On Sunday January 8, join Forks over Knives on their Facebook page or Livestream page for a live broadcast of psychologist Dr. Doug Lisle in his presentation "How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind." Dr. Lisle, who was featured in FOK, will discuss why our "natural" instincts are making us sicker and fatter, how to harness life-changing tools for healthy living, and more! Begins at 7 pm ET/4pm PT. If you miss the Livestream, you will be able to watch it on their Youtube page by Tuesday, January 10th.

Thank you Forks over Knives!

Will you be there?

Garlic, Lemon, and Parsley Chicken

2012-01-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

A very simple dish that incorporates the same ingredients and flavors from this shrimp recipe. Most likely you have these ingredients on hand, but if you don't they're very cheap and easy to find! I love garlic and lemon paired with chicken, and fresh parsley really is a match made in heaven with canned tomatoes. The no salt added canned tomatoes tend to be a little low on flavor, but adding fresh parsley and course ground black pepper really livens up this dish!

Garlic, Lemon, and Parsley Chicken
serves 4

16 ounces extra lean Chicken Breast (400 calories)
2- 14.5 ounce no salt added canned Tomatoes (175 calories)
1 small Onion, I used a combo of red and white (74 calories)
8 cloves Garlic, minced (32 calories)
1/2 cup fresh Parsley, finely chopped (8 calories)
juice + zest of a small lemon (13 calories)
salt, pepper, and red chili flakes- to taste

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Halve the chicken breasts so you have four pieces even in weight, salt and pepper each side of the breasts. If you're using a non-stick pan you won't need oil but if you're using stainless steel or copper add 1 tbsp. of coconut oil. When the oil is very hot add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook until they develop a nice crust, about 3-4 minutes, then flip and brown the other side. Transfer the chicken to your oven proof baking dish as set aside. In the same pan add the onions and reduce the heat to medium, cook until tender, about three minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the canned tomatoes and turn the heat up the high, bring to a boil and the reduce until the juice thicken. Add in the fresh parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Spoon the mixture over the chicken breasts. I actually did half the mixture, then the breasts, then the rest over the breasts. Cover and bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.

The best part about this meal? It's just 175.5 calories per serving. Enjoy this with a nice side salad, or a hunk of bread if you aren't gluten/carb free like me! ;)

This would be fantastic done in the crock pot. You could throw everything in raw and let it cook all day long, but I like to go the extra step to full brown the chicken and saute the veggies. If you're short on time skip the oven and go straight to the crock pot with this one. Yum!

Sweet Curried Rice with Carrots and Chick Peas

2012-01-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

We're safely back in the Cleve just in time for this winter's first big snowstorm, but I wanted to share with you the last of Lindsay S. Nixon's recipes that I adapted over the holiday.

This dish came about as I was trying to use up the last of the ingredients that I had purchased while staying in the condo--dates, chick peas, carrots, onion and brown rice. The inspiration came from Lindsay's recipe in Everyday Happy Herbivore called "Curried Rice," but I took it to a whole new level and again, everyone who tried it loved it. This unusual rice dish would be great served with a big salad to complete a meal.

Sweet Curried Rice with Carrots and Chick Peas

serves a crowd

Printable Recipe

3 cups brown rice

6 cups low sodium vegetable broth, plus more for sauteing

3 Tbsp mild/sweet curry powder

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 ½ tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 large yellow onion, medium chop

1 ½ cups carrot, medium chop

¾ cup pitted, chopped dates, or less, depending upon how sweet you want this

1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Juice of ½ of a large lemon

Salt, to taste, or not

Place brown rice through cinnamon into a rice cooker or pot. If using a rice cooker, turn cooker on and let rice cook. If using the stove top method, bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer until rice is cooked, 35-45 minutes.

While rice is cooking, chop onion and carrot. Place a skillet over medium high heat and coat the bottom of the skillet with vegetable broth. When broth is bubbling, add onion and stir. Cook for 5 minutes. Add carrot and stir. Cook carrots and onions, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and begin to turn brown. You will need to lower heat to prevent burning as the onions and carrots cook. Add dates and stir.

Once rice is done cooking, stir in carrot/onion mixture, garbanzo beans and lemon juice. Taste. Season with salt, or not.

I also want to share with you some big news. My thoughts on what to think about when you want to eat something were featured in an article in Cleveland's Plain Dealer. It was a big surprise to me, so thank you to PD writer Evelyn Theiss for mentioning this important idea. You can check that out here if you've got a moment. My quotes are at the end of the article.

And in other big news, I used my pressure cooker to make something other than beans for dinner tonight! I made this soup recipe from Lani Muelrath. I altered the seasoning a lot for my palate (I like things highly seasoned). I'm slowly working into a more comfortable relationship with the appliance and I'm going to start making recipes from Lorna J. Sass' Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure and see how it goes. Wish me luck.

A votre sante!

Baked Shrimp

2012-01-03T12:17:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, who knew eating "diet" food could be this enjoyable?! This is by far one of the best dishes I've had, and I'm really excited to share it with you!

Baked Shrimp

adapted from Ellie Krieger, serves 2

8 extra large raw, deveined, and peeled Shrimp (157 calories)
14.5 ounce can no salt added Diced Tomatoes (87 calories)
1 small yellow Onion, chopped (53 calories)
1/4 Parsley, chopped (4 calories)
2 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed (8 calories)
salt, pepper, and Old Bay to taste
optional: 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil (I didn't use this, I sauteed in water)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in an oven proof pot (or regular saute pan) and add the diced onion. Saute onion, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and saute for one minute, turn the heat up to medium-high, add the canned tomato and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for several minutes until the tomatoes juices thicken then turn off the heat. Add in the shrimp, parsley, and spices. Transfer to oven (or oven proof dish, then to oven) and bake for 12 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. Serve alongside a delicious salad. Enjoy!

Based on the amount of everything I used and considering the brands the entire recipe was 309 calories. So you're looking at about 150 calories per serving of the shrimp, plus another 13 or so for the chunk of romaine. Not bad!

Cuban Black Beans with Kale

2012-01-02T04:55:00.000-08:00

It's our last day in Florida and I'm in a mad rush to pack us all up and get out of the condo. But there's something I need to share with you. I wasn't kidding around when I said I was making recipes from Everyday Happy Herbivore on this vacation. These Cuban Black Beans with Kale came about as I made and adapted my fifth recipe from this new cookbook. It was outstanding. The rest of the family (those who came early enough to lunch to score some!) agreed.

This is a great recipe for so many reasons. First, it's delicious. Second, it's easy. And third, I hope that all of these ingredients are now staples in your Plant-strong kitchen, so it's a great weeknight meal. Plus, you can use whatever greens you have on hand, it doesn't have to be kale.

Adapted from the recipe "Skillet Frijoles Negros" from Lindsay S. Nixon's book, Everyday Happy Herbivore.

Cuban Black Beans with Kale

serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish

Printable Recipe

low sodium vegetable broth, a few Tbsp

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (using a microplaner if you have one)

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 15 ounce cans black beans, undrained

4 cups finely chopped kale or other greens

2 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice (whatever you have on hand)

optional: hot sauce, to taste

Place a medium pot over medium-high heat and coat the bottom of the pot with low sodium vegetable broth. When broth is boiling add onion and stir. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Lower heat to medium. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring frequently and adding more broth if necessary to prevent burning.

Add chili powder, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Stir.

Add undrained black beans and stir. Mash with the back of a fork or a potato masher, leaving some of the beans whole.

Add kale and stir. Lower heat to low and let simmer until mixture thickens. Stir in lime or lemon juice and hot sauce (optional) to taste. Cover until ready to serve.

Didn't win a copy of Everyday Happy Herbivore in the giveaway? That's okay, you can get it on Amazon for only $13.57! What a bargain!

If you own a copy of EHH, what has your favorite recipe been?

A little housekeeping: The winner of the EHH giveaway, Quiltspinner, has not contacted me yet. Please e-mail me at healthygirlskitchen@gmail.com. Thank you!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it's already 2012, the past year really flew by!! I just want to thank you all for reading, this little blog has been pushed aside for a while with life being so busy so I'm very blessed to still have people reading! It might be a small handful, but your sweet comments put a big smile on my face! I wish you all health and happiness in this wonderful new year!

Plant-strong vs. Plant-perfect. Welcome to 2012.

2012-01-01T04:57:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to blog today but I couldn't resist.

Happy New Year!

First off, I want to say "Hello" to all of the new folks that are finding their way to HGK. We were mentioned in a big blog posting over here at Fat Free Vegan and I can't thank you enough Susan. I feel like I've just won an academy award. The pressure is on for my next film.

All kidding aside, WELCOME! I love this blog and I love everyone who participates in this very important conversation: How to achieve our best lives and our best selves by incorporating a plant-based diet free of processed oils (not fat, just oils). For those of you that have struggled with your weight or health, like I have, for your entire lives, this subject is probably near and dear to your heart too. Please be an active reader and leave your thoughts in the comments section as much as you can. It's no fun to blog without you.

Second, I'm wondering if you saw this article over at The New York Times entitled "The Fat Trap" and Debby's response over at Happy Healthy Long Life? And if you've got the time, the comments to The Fat Trap article, all over 750 of them, are quite, quite interesting. It makes you wonder whether or not we can control our weight with diet and exercise when the reality is that it is uber challenging to do it. Or not . . .

Then, Susan had to go out and blog about her own personal new year's resolution which is, simply, to be PLANT PERFECT. There you go Susan, just when I had decided that I wasn't making any New Year's resolutions that revolved around food.

But I'm so fickle. And easily swayed. And I love a good challenge. And I've got a lot of reasons this year to strive for plant perfect . . .

But there really is a big difference between plant-strong and plant-perfect. Like today for example, my middle child's 7th birthday (Happy Birthday my New Year's Girl!). Plant-perfect means no indulging in any birthday treats today. None.

Can I commit?

I think I can.

For today, to be plant-perfect. No Dunkin' Donuts (that's what she wants . . . and I'm not at home to bake her something healthier). A green smoothie for breakfast? Soups, huge salads, sauteed greens. Beans. Ditch the nuts. Ditch the crackers, even those whole wheat ones. Lose the little indulgences here and there into SAD sweets.

One day at a time.

It's a fine line between the two, but one that means the difference between me at my best and me at something close, but no cigar.

I'm not going to be satisfied, really, until I am. My best.

Where is your head at today?

Okay, I know I've given you a lot of reading assignments today, but here's one that you should not miss: Dear 268 Pound Me: A Letter of Weight Loss Advice for the New Year by The Happy Rehab Doc.

My One New Year's Resolution 2012

2011-12-31T05:21:00.000-08:00

Love it or hate it, it's that time of the year again. The time when many of us make up our minds to change something about ourselves that we don't like. There are definitely pros and cons to the process. Last year I formally put out there my 11 resolutions for 2011. Did I achieve them? Some yes, some no. But this year, I learned a few things.

For resolutions to have any shot at working, they need to be really easy. They should probably be limited to a short period of time, like two weeks. You should tell another person about them and check in with that person regularly.

It all seems like too much fuss for me right now. I'm fairly content with the way things are. And I'm kind of resolved to being kinder to myself. To doing less.

But there is one thing that caught my eye.

Something fun for me.

Doable.

Organizing. Decluttering. Systematically. Beautifully.

Following this organizing and decluttering calendar.

I don't promise to do it all every day, but I do promise to print out the calendar and post it where I can see it, share it with the others in my household and to give it more than the old college try.

It seems like fun to me!

Have you made any 2012 resolutions? Why or why not? If so, what are they?

Chocolate Cheesecake with Peppermint Chocolate Glaze

2011-12-30T15:10:00.000-08:00

These little chocolate cheesecake squares were such a treat for Christmas! My sister is a Winter Solstice baby and she loves peppermint, so I made these as a birthday/holiday treat. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, I'm looking forward to a new year ^_^

Low Carb Chocolate Cheesecake with Peppermint Chocolate Glaze

Filling:

8 ounces full fat Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup Stevia or Splenda
1/4 cup semi-sweet Chocolate Chips, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 large Eggs

Crust:

10-15 sugar free mini Chocolate Chip Cookies (I used Joseph's brand)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 packet Stevia or Splenda
1/2 teaspoon Espresso Powder
3 tablespoons unsalted Butter, melted

Glaze:

1/2 cup semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
4 tablespoons unsalted Butter
1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use a square baking dish lined with foil. In a food processor or blender combine all of the ingredients for the crust and pulse until they come together. I didn't have sugar free chocolate wafers so I subbed the traditional ingredient with some sugar free cookies I had. The cocoa and espresso help give them a nice flavor and the butter brings it all together. Mush down into your baking pan and bake the crust for 12-15 minutes, or until it begins to set. Remove from oven and set aside.

While the crust is baking prepare your filling mixture. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and Splenda and blend until smooth. Add in the melted chocolate and the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling over the crust and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sides are puffed up but the center still has a jiggle. You don't want to overcook the cheesecake, it will continue to cook as it cools and then set up firm in the fridge.

For the glaze combine the butter and chocolate chips, melt in the microwave for about 40 seconds. Stir quickly to melt the chocolate all the way then add in the peppermint extract. Pour the glaze over the baked cheesecake while it's still warm and let it cool for at least an hour before you transfer it to the fridge. Let the cheesecake cool for several hours in the fridge, overnight would be best. When the cake is completely cool cut into small squares and enjoy!!

If you aren't watching your sugar intake these would be divine with leftover Christmas candy canes broken up and sprinkled on top! ;)

Healthy Girl's Kitchen Top 11 Plant-strong Recipes of 2011

2011-12-30T03:50:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to present to you the Top 11 (okay, well, actually 13) Plant-strong Recipes that were tried, tested and perfected in the HGK in 2011.

Most were created by others, sometimes tweaked by me, and some are my own creations. In my book, these are all outstanding Plant-strong recipes that you should try at least once. They are likely to become favorites of yours too!

I also want to note that something really BIG happened to me this year. I went from someone with minimal confidence in the kitchen regarding creating my own recipes (I was a big tester and tweaker) to a fully confident cook who prefers creating her own original recipes. It's very liberating for this food blogger. And it should make for an extremely exciting 2012 here on HGK. You're also likely to see a lot more from my friends, Jill and Chris-anna, who are busy dreaming up Plant-strong recipes of their own in their healthy kitchens.

So here it is, a list of my favorite 13 dishes that were prepared in HGK in 2011, in no particular order . . .

Quinny's Sri Lankan Kale with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans
This is a riff off of a Kale Mallung recipe by Susan Voisen of Fat Free Vegan, but oh my, it is so much better. (Sorry Susan, you are one of my idols, but this is the truth.) My friend Quinn thought up the changes and graciously shared them with me, which I glommed onto. Anyone who took my advice and tried it has LOVED it. I would gladly eat this everyday for a month. What are you waiting for?

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
There is no denying it, I have a sweet tooth. No matter how much I want to avoid the poison, somehow I convince myself that indulging is okay again. But I do try to find sweet things that I can eat just one of, and somehow, these Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip muffins fit the bill. They are incredibly moist and satisfying. Simply the best vegan no oil muffins I have ever tasted. Agreement from all who have tried them!

The Round Salad
This recipe, literally brought back to Cleveland from the other side of the world, has impressed everyone who has tried it. And at least 100 people have tried it just since the middle of November. But who's counting? Made with a San J brand bottled dressing, you can substitute ANY Asian flavored dressing of your choice, either bottled or home made. It won't matter. The magic is in the combination of Plant-strong ingredients.

Pumpkin Bulgar Stuffed Acorn Squash
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Of course, there's food involved! I started planning and preparing early this year and these stuffed squash are the result. You can bet I won't be waiting until next November to make them again. There's something about the hint of sweetness from the pumpkin and maple and the crunch of the onions and walnuts that sends me to the moon.

Chef Aj's Disappearing Lasagna
Quite simply, there is nothing like Chef Aj's Lasagna. Everyone who tries it loves it. It's a go-to entertaining recipe full of incredible tastes and textures.

Chris-anna's Vegetable Sugo
You don't have to lament the fact that you no longer eat meat. Not with this recipe at your finger tips. The rich depth of flavor achieved with slow cooking is what makes this tomato mushroom sauce so soul satisfying. Serve it over whole wheat spagetti for a Pasta Bolognese or sandwiched between slices of warm polenta for an impressive presentation.

Tex-Mex Quinoa with Cilantro, Lime and Apricots

What can I say? I'm a total sucker for lime and cilantro. This quinoa dish rocks. Once you taste it, it's hard to stop eating it. Just ask my friend Laura.

Mama Pea's Spicy African Peanut Stew
Yummy and made from ingredients that most of us already have in our pantry. You can even do The Healthy Librarian's faux coconut milk substitution (1 cup nut milk + 1 tsp coconut extract; to replace a can of coconut milk, double that) to cut way down on the fat.

The Healthy Librarian's Cheesy Oatmeal

Okay, this doesn't make for the prettiest picture, but don't let that fool you! For breakfast, lunch or dinner, this savory oatmeal is incredible. Packed with flavor and nutrition, cheesy tasting from the nutritional yeast and chewy from the sun dried tomatoes and dried mushrooms. I first made these early on in 2011 and devoured them several times since. That says a lot for a person who blogs and is always trying to test new recipes.

Roasted Beets with Cocoa-Sesame Sauce
I first discovered these early in 2011 scouring other bloggers' "best of 2010" lists. I'm a big fan of roasted beets and I'm a sucker for savory food with a hint of sweetness. You could make a dinner out of this beet recipe or serve it to guests as an appetizer. So creative, so delicious.

Choosing Raw's Vegan Artichoke and Spinach Dip

"Even better than the original." That's what my SIL Janet said. It's totally plant indulgent, so I only prepared this once for our 2011 Plant-strong Superbowl Party, but it is so on the menu for the next one (can't wait!).

Mama Pea's Vegan Ceviche
I happened upon this simple, outstanding recipe over the summer and made it more than a few times. The hearts of palm, avocado, cucumber, tomato, red onion and red pepper all dressed up with lime juice, salt and pepper give me a foodgasm. Sorry if that's too graphic for you.

Appetite for Reduction's Buffalo Tempeh Wraps
Full disclosure, my business partner Chris-anna doesn't like these (it's the raw onion in the dressing). But everyone else loves them, including me! So if raw onion doesn't send you packing, and you like that Buffalo hot sauce flavor, run to the grocery store and get the ingredients for these. The combination of cool crunch from the creamy slaw and signature hot sauce heat from the Buffalo Tempeh will cause you to dream about these wraps.

Also, check out these fabulous and famous HGK 2011 posts:

The Big List of No-oil Salad Dressings

The Big List of Green Smoothies

What were some of your favorite recipes of 2011?

And the Winner of Everyday Happy Herbivore is . . .

2011-12-29T16:37:00.000-08:00

Comment #14

Congratulations Quiltspinner!

"My four kids and spouses have mostly decided to eat plant based. It is very exciting. They all contribute plant strong dishes. When traveling we try to eat Asian, or Mexican because we can always get a meatless meal. The fat content can be high but I think flexibility not rigidity is the key to all things in life. We eat very well at home, and if while traveling, we have to eat white flour, rice, or a little extra fat a meal, oh well. Over all our diet is excellent and can take handle a diversion once in a while. When I have allowed myself a chocolate treat or piece of pie for my birthday or Thanksgiving I do not feel well. So there is no likelihood that I will revert to old ways."

Quiltspinner, please contact me at healthygirlskitchen@gmail.com to claim your prize!

And everyone, please check back here tomorrow for the posting that I have been slaving over for a week:

Keeping Your New Year's Resolution with Mindfulness

2011-12-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

By Brandon Cornejo M.D., Ph.D.

How many of you are trying to get yourselves back into a regular gym and exercise routine for your New Year's resolution? When it comes to exercise, one of the biggest challenges is staying motivated and consistent. I hope I can help you with this two-part blog post on "Mindfulness."

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a nonjudgmental, present-centered awareness in which each thought, feeling, or sensation that arises is acknowledged and accepted.

Mindfulness as a Therapeutic Approach

Mindfulness based stress reduction means to focus your attention on the "now."

People practicing mindfulness work on not judging or evaluating the present moment but focus on simply “being” present.

People in a formal mindfulness class engage in daily meditation along with skill-building homework that ties them to the “here and now.”

How Does Mindfulness Work?

Mindfulness allows a person to pause calmly and reflectively before reacting to things.

Mindfulness may prevent relapse of clinical depression by allowing a person to have some “space” between who they are and their emotions.

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT), a form of therapy that combines elements of mindfulness with cognitive based approaches to treatment, can be an effective approach for the treatment of anxiety or depressive disorders.

Mindfulness may enhance mood as well as help eliminate negative thoughts associated with depressive states.

So why is "mindfulness" important to keeping that New Year's resolution of daily exercise? Next week, I will post part two with my tips for staying in the present moment while exercising. Happy New Year's!

When in Doubt, Go to the Local Farmer's Market

2011-12-29T02:30:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already, don't miss out on the Everyday Happy Herbivore Cookbook giveaway. Contest ends tonight at 6 pm.

This year, I'm doing more home cooking than I ever have on our annual vacation. I try to make it fun for myself, planning ahead what I want to make and organizing the recipes (which was pretty easy considering I wanted to give a whole bunch of Lindsay Nixon's recipes a try). And I try to make it enjoyable for the people that I'm with, feeding them good healthy food that they have never tried before.

Last winter I saw signs on the side of the road for a Marco Island Farmer's Market. We didn't go, but the image of those signs really stuck out in my brain. So this trip, it made it onto my "must do" list. When you eat a lot of fruits and veggies, farmer's markets can become a regular and welcome part of your life.

This market did not disappoint: plenty of vendors, a wide open space and a nice variety of products.

There were greens I had never heard of; Kumasuna and Mizuna mixed in with the Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Dandelion Greens, Broccoli Raab and Mustard Greens.

Along with the standard Plant-weak fare. These were shocking.

Bananas at the farmer's market? Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!

Strawberries in December? Hold onto your seat belts!

Gorgeous, red, plump tomatoes everywhere, but not an apple in sight. And all of the produce was much less expensive than anything I could get at my Farmer's Market in Cleveland.

Beautiful bags of homemade pasta in a variety of flavors and grains.

I took home a fettuccine made of emmer, a whole grain that I am not familiar with,

but looking forward to trying . . .

and some seriously great oat bars made with dried fruit and nuts. The Nut Man said they were less than 75 calories per bar, which is very low for a bar like this. I think I'd like the recipe!

Have you done anything fun, new or experimental this week? Are you working or are you chillaxing in your pjs?

Check back tomorrow for the winner of the giveaway and again on Friday for HGK's best recipes of 2011 post!

Giveaway! Travelling, Eating and the Everyday Happy Herbivore Cookbook Giveaway

2011-12-27T05:29:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Marco Island, Florida! Thanks to everyone who left holiday wishes on HGK. It really meant a lot to me.
Thanks to my genergous in-laws, my family and I are on our annual beach paradise vacation, escaping the frigid cold of Cleveland for one short week and a half.

As we all know, when it comes to eating, travelling can be quite challenging for the Plant-strong. The food on this island paradise is predominantly fried, so I've got my work cut out for me. Luckily, we stay in a condo on the beach with a full (well, pretty basic as far as the utensils and appliances go) kitchen. I can cook as much as I want, assuming I can get the ingredients that I want to cook with. And my kind in-laws even schlepped down a decent blender for me so that I wouldn't have to miss my VitaMix too much.

Last month I was contacted by Lindsay Nixon's peeps and asked to do a review and giveaway of her newest cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore. I didn't get a chance to do it before we left town because the end of the year is so crazy for me at work, so I decided that the best thing to do would be to try out Lindsay's newest recipes from Florida.

So here I am, testing recipes, taking walks on the beach, grocery shopping, fooling around on Pinterest, playing tennis, finding new and cool things to do on HGK in 2012 and otherwise enjoying my downtime.

So far, I have prepared Lindsay's Fiesta Bake, Chickpea Tikka Masala and Teriyaki Rice. All three recipes were quick, easy and very tasty, just like the book promises. My husband and the adults in the extended family all really enjoyed the Fiesta Bake for lunch on Saturday. And today for lunch, my 12 year old daughter, husband and I loved the Chickpea Tikka Masala.

My only criticism would be that they could all use more vegetables, but in a way, that's how the recipes are all prepared very quickly. There's no time spend chopping onions or garlic because Lindsay's recipes call for onion powder and garlic powder.

So if you just don't love to cook or are looking for fast and filling Vegan recipes for weeknight meals, look no further than Everyday Happy Herbivore.

And one lucky HGK reader will win a free copy. Just leave a comment here with the answer to one of the following questions:

How are you staying Plant-strong this holiday season?
or
How do you stay Plant-strong when you are on vacation/travelling?
or
What are your biggest obstacles when it comes to remaining Plant-strong when on vacation/travelling?

One winner will be chosen at random on Thursday, December 29th at 6 pm EST.

HGK's Easy Choco Pumpkin Mousse

2011-12-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

Are you planning any more holiday entertaining this year? New Year's Eve perhaps? Looking for that perfect dessert that will wow your loved ones and keep you feeling like you didn't veer off course?

This is it. My Choco Pumpkin Mousse is a wonderful ending for a holiday meal when you don't want to overindulge, but still want to feel like you've had a sweet treat. Serve it in very small cups or shot glasses for a rockin' presentation that just might shock and amaze your guests. All the while keeping the portion reasonable both satisfy your sweet tooth while remaining guilt free.

Super easy to make. It's really a simple dessert that will keep, so making it ahead when you have so much else going on decreases your stress level.

HGK's Choco Pumpkin Mousse
makes 12 servings

Printable Recipe

6 large Medjool dates
1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
2 cups vegan chocolate chips
2 12 oz. boxes Mori Nu Extra Firm Silken Tofu, water poured out
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

Soak dates in unsweetened chocolate almond milk until dates are soft.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave in a microwave safe bowl. It took my microwave 2 minutes on high power to do this. Stir chocolate and transfer to a food processor or high powered blender.

Place soaked dates and all liquid, plus the rest of the ingredients, into food processor or blender. Blend until creamy. Your mousse is ready! Immediately transfer to one large bowl or individual serving cups and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cashew Cream

1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup (3 large Medjool) dates, pitted
1/2 tsp vanilla

Place all ingredients into a high powered blender and blend, tamping down, until smooth.

What are your plans this week? Do they involve celebrating with food?

{happy holidays!}

2011-12-24T03:36:00.000-08:00

To Each and Every Reader of HGK,

In this time of celebration and relaxation, friends and family, love and light . . .

Merry Christmas!

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Kwanzaa!

Happy Festivus!

My the warmth and peace of the season be yours.

We are all on this journey together.
With deep appreciation,
Wendy

What Should Have Been Cilantro Jalapeno Zucchini Pancakes with Chipotle Sour Cream

2011-12-22T04:17:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to make this dish after posting my Links for Latkas last Friday. I wanted to see if you could take the deliciousness of a potato pancake and turn it on its head. Eliminate the frying. Up the veggie quotient. It wasn't too big of a stretch.

Plus, I happened to have a lot of zucchini in my refrigerator that I needed to use up a.s.a.p.

So as the snow fell outside, I was comfortably warm cooking up my own storm this past Saturday morning. I knew I would be serving this dish that evening to my newish next door neighbors. The neighbors where the wife is the phenomenal cook.

The pressure was on.

I thought I would do something really creative and make a casserole out of the pancake ingredients. A kugel if you will.

It worked, but while the resulting dish was delicious, I know that it could have been so much better, although more time consuming, if I had just stuck with straight up pancakes. The casserole lacked the crispiness on all sides that I was craving, so I carefully cut the entire tray into small squares and rebaked all of the pieces.

Luckily, it worked. But you don't need to go through all that hassle. Just make the pancakes from the start!

I'm not sure you'd want to attempt these without the magic of a food processor, but if you've got the muscle (or need a good workout), go right ahead.

Cilantro Jalapeno Zucchini Pancakes with Chipotle Sour Cream
adapted from this recipe

Printable Recipe

1 Tbsp EnerG Egg Replacer
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 pounds zucchini, shredded
1 pound peeled baking potato, shredded
1 small onion (mine was 7 ounces), shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped chipotle chili, canned in adobo sauce
scant 2 Tbsp finely chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper
2 tsp cumin
4 thinly sliced scallions (mine were on the small side)
1 tsp salt
12 Tbsp garbanzo bean flour

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together EnerG Egg Replacer and water.

In a very large bowl, place all ingredients, including egg replacer/water mixture. Stir well to combine ingredients thoroughly.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of the batter onto the hot skillet and press each mound into a 3-inch pancake. Cook the pancakes until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the latkes to a baking tray and put in the oven to keep warm.

Repeat with the remaining batter. Optional: serve topped with Chipotle Sour Cream.

Chipotle Sour Cream
Not exactly health food, but vegan. Outstanding.

1 12 ounce container Tofutti Sour Cream
2 Tbsp chopped chipotle chili, canned in adobo sauce
Zest of 1 large lime
Juice of 1 large lime

Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

These would also make outstanding Vegan appetizers for a party. Just use a tablespoon full of batter as you make the pancakes instead of 1/4 cup. Arrange on a platter and keep warm in the oven. Dollop a bit of the Chipotle Sour Cream on right before serving.

Braised Celery with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers

2011-12-21T03:39:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of capers.

Celery, not so much.

But because I am frequently participating in a CSA or organic vegetable share, I often find myself with loads of celery. I discovered this very light, yet very filling, dinner or lunch recipe that is so entirely delicious you could even serve it to guests on a holiday buffet (see how red and green it is?).

When I first started making this in March 2010, I was still using a little butter and olive oil in my cooking. But that was before I heard Dr. Esselstyn speak.

This updated version is made with no added fat, and I promise, if you don't like celery, you will become a fan after trying this.

Braised Celery with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers
serves 6

Printable Recipe

vegetable stock for sauteing
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large bunches celery (about 3.5 pounds), washed, trimmed and cut into 2" lengths
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
2 1/4 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbsp drained capers
1 1/2 cups pitted and sliced black olives
1 28 ounce or 2 14 ounce cans low sodium diced tomatoes
optional: 8 ounces whole wheat pasta, precooked

Place a dutch oven or stock pot onto medium high heat. Coat the bottom of the pot in vegetable broth. When broth is bubbling, add onions and stir. Let cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add celery and stir. Season with salt (or not) and pepper. Sprinkle with flour, stir, and let cook for 2 more minutes.

Add vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Add capers, olives and diced tomatoes and stir. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover, raise heat a bit, and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the liquid is thickened, stirring occasionally.

Optional: Before serving, add cooked whole wheat pasta and stir.

This is so phenomenal, I think I'm going to be eating the leftovers for breakfast.

Portion Control, Schmortion Control

2011-12-20T03:41:00.000-08:00

This article, by Jackie Wicks, founder of PEERtrainer, was so great, I had to share it with all of you! And thank you to our peeps at PEERtrainer for allowing their articles to be republished.

Why Portion Control May Be Keeping You Fat

A Contrarian Take On The Most Popular Weight Loss Technique Of All Time

Decemeber 15th, 2011

Portion control may be keeping you fat.

If you are like most people, you are probably thinking "no, it is all the extra food I am eating that is keeping me fat."

Well, maybe. But I want to share with you the reasons for my controversial assertion.

First of all, it needs to be said that portion control is a critically important tool. Of course we want to keep an eye on calories, and for people just starting the weight loss process portion control is something people must learn and even master.

However, the problem with portion control is that people most often use it as their primary weight loss strategy. Because life is busy and most of us have a limited amount of things we can focus on, it often becomes the ONLY strategy that people use.

This is the simple reality of things.

We may know darn well that we need to eat more vegetables and more fiber. Likely there is a whole list of things we "should" be doing. But getting to work and doing all the things you need to be doing likely trumps those "shoulds."

So we are left with a strategy that most of us have been taught-- and one that is not working to well based on every statistic available.

And it is getting worse.

So why are we SO focused on something that is not working? Probably because it sounds so "reasonable" and "sensible." Arguing with portion control is like questioning cooking advice from Martha Stuart.

It is also the advice we are likely to hear from our doctors, as well as those who teach the doctors.

There are a lot of ways that we get programmed as individuals and as a society, and this is definitely one.

I'd like to argue that not only is the singular focus on portion control not the answer, but it is likely a root of many of our nutrition problems.

Not only does it promote the idea that any food is fine as long as it is eaten in limited quantities- but in my experience building and running PEERtrainer, portion control actually discourages people from eating the best foods in beneficial enough quantities.

Vegetables are a CLASSIC example of this. I work directly with a lot of people, and one thing I have gotten very good at is troubleshooting. When people share their logs with me, I can see a pattern very quickly.

Many people obviously do not get enough vegetables. But when I probe into this and work to identify the "why" I often see that people are eating several portions of vegetables- but that they are portion controlling the vegetables!!

Talk about a WTF moment. It is one that I experience so often it is not funny. But the good news is that once I make this observation, and tell people to go NUTS with the vegetables, most make this adjustment with an astonishing degree of success.

These people just need a small amount of reprogramming!

On the flip side, people are portion controlling a lot of junk, thinking that is is a "reasonable" strategy. Foods that are high in sugar, low in micronutrients and that often create reactions which throws your system out of whack

For some people, a small amount of wheat, dairy or eggs can have a big and negative impact. It doesn't matter what the portion of those foods are. They can cause reactions.

Additionally, people portion control meat and animal protein. Now, based on all the available science, as well as the interpretation of the available research, we hear that we need to keep meat consumption to roughly 10% of calories.

However, this does not take into account any difference in the quality of the meat source. Would it sound reasonable to you to suggest that a serving of poached Wild Salmon is probably better for you than a hot dog?

Might it also sound reasonable that regardless of calorie content, you want to avoid the hot dog and that no portion is acceptable? So often it seems that we are given "rules" to follow, and that we often follow them blindly without applying a little common sense.

Fiber and fat are great example of this. A very popular weight loss concept has been to increase fiber and reduce fat. I don't need to point out who has made that popular. Formulas are created that essentially says that all fiber is good, and all fat is bad. But a little common sense helps us quickly understand that there are certain fats that are good.

Conversely, there are certain sources of fiber which probably are not that great for you, regardless of the portion size. In conclusion, I hope to have made a fairly easy to understand argument here. For those of you who are struggling with weight loss resistance, think about some of this.

And please share your feedback and questions. What has been your experience in this area? Please leave a comment below!

This information is provided by PEERtrainer.com, the web's leading weight loss community and resource for long term, healthy weight loss success. To sign up for free daily weight loss and motivation tips and more visit http://www.peertrainer.com.

Love, Loss and Zucchini Muffins

2011-12-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

We had an awful night last night. Our dear pet rat Miso died unexpectedly. We loved her very much.

It's hard for me to get excited about anything right now. But I had a lot of leftover zucchini in my fridge (from a recipe for zucchini pancakes that is soon to be posted) and as soon as I saw Debby's blog posting of her family's Top Ten Holiday Weekend Dishes I knew just what I was going to do with those zucchini.

My kids have been making zucchini bread with their Great Grandma Dora and now their Great Aunt Viv since the day they were born (well, almost). So naturally, I was a little nervous wondering just how they were going to react to a veganized recipe with 100% whole wheat flour and succanat. But I had nothing to be worried about. The muffins were a major hit!

I made four dozen and the kids delivered care packages to the neighbors. Usually I am worried about gifting healthyish food like this, but I don't think I have anything to worry about with these.

Kid Tested, Kid Approved Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
adapted from a recipe from Happy Healthy Long Life

Printable Recipe

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bakhng soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup soy milk (regular, not lite) or almond milk
3/4 cup applesauce + more if batter is too dry
1 cup organic organic succanat
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
2/3 cup good quality vegan chocolate chips
For egg substitute: mix 1 TBS of flax meal + 3 TBS of water--set aside
optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda & cinnamon.

In a medium bowl stir together nut milk, applesauce, succanat, vanilla, & flax/water mixture.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture & stir until just combined.

Fold in the shredded zucchini, chocolate chips, & optional walnuts.

Divide batter equally into 12 cup muffin pan lined with cupcake papers. Bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool completely and transfer to zip lock baggies to retain the moisture. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Have you veganized/healified any long standing family favorites? How did your family react?

Links for Latkas

2011-12-16T04:18:00.000-08:00

For all of us celebrating Hannukah, and even for those of us who just have a love of potato pancakes, the internet is buzzing right now with healtier/veganized recipes of latkas. I thought I would provide you with a few links to get you started, in case you were wondering what the heck you were going to do this year while your family was chowing down on those greasy mofos.

And speaking of those greasy potato pancakes, I've got a sad story to tell you. Chris-anna, my friend, business partner and frequent contributor to HGK, decided to partake in 3 of said greasy mofos last year at a Hannukah party after having eaten mostly no-oil, vegan, nutritarian food for over a year. And this is a chick who loves her french fries.

Within 15 minutes she was laid up in her bed for the rest of the day with what we now affectionately call "the latka induced migraine."

Don't go there folks. Make these instead:

Carrot Parsnip Pancakes

Melody Pakow's Healthy Latkas

Ann Parkin's No-oil Latkas

The Shannon's Baked Latkas

Scallion Ginger Latkas

I know what you are thinking. The whole purpose of eating fried latkas on Hanukkah is to commemorate the miracle of the burning of the OIL in the temple for eight days. But you know what, I can celebrate in other ways, and I'll feel a whole lot better for it.

Traditional latkas are made with potatoes and onions, but I love a pancake made with any root vegetable and there are lots of creative combinations out there. Do you have another vegan, baked latka recipe to contribute to the list? Please leave any ideas in the comments section. Thanks!

For a complete listing of ideas for a vegan Hannukah menu, see this post from Marla Rose.

Fuhrman v. McDougall v. Esselstyn on What's The Healthiest Plant Based Diet?

2011-12-14T04:26:00.000-08:00

This discussion is interesting and I learned so much that I just had to share it with all of you!

The main point that I understand now is that Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live recommendation of 1 cup of starchy grain, potato or squash is intended for people who want to lose weight. If weight loss is not in your plans right now, eating a nutrient rich, plant based diet with more starchy grains, potatoes and/or squashes would be fine. It's about the calorie deficit created when a person loads themselves with veggies and avoids higher calorie foods.

And, of course, the starchy plant foods are not as nutrient dense as the other plant foods like greens, so your health will ultimately benefit much more from filling your stomach with those rather than, let's say, acorn squash.

But McDougall's argument that the less starchy diet is unsustainable is a very interesting one. I really need to think about what he is saying in my own history of eating this way. I think he may have a point. I know that ideally, I would like to be able to eat as close to E2L as possible and remain at my lowest weight. But that has been impossible for me and I find myself gravitating toward eating starchy grains and squashes with every lunch and dinner. Over time, my weight has crept up a little. So this video has shed light on why this has happened to me. If I want to lose a little weight, I could go much lighter on the starches. Like that old cliche, it's not rocket science!

But it might be pointless if it's unsustainable.

What has your experience and history been with maintaining weight loss on a plant based diet?

Rich and Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach and It's Official! Binge Eating Disorder Recognized by the APA

2011-12-13T02:54:00.000-08:00

This year is the first year that I haven't stopped going to our local farmer's market as soon as the weather turned cold. A few weeks ago I picked up a gigantic butternut squash not sure what I was going to do with it.

A lot of ideas came together to inspire the soup that resulted. A butternut squash soup recipe from Thrive Foods by Brendan Brazier, The Healthy Librarian's faux coconut milk, the spinach in my fridge that I wanted to use up, and my sheer love of anything with curry powder.

The results were fantastic. So rich and creamy and soul satisfying for such an easy recipe.

HGK's Rich and Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach

serves 8

Printable Recipe

5 pounds whole butternut squash

6 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 Tbsp coconut extract

1 tsp curry powder

2 cups vegetable broth

fresh baby spinach

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Cut off the ends of the squash and discard. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place halved squash, cut side down, on lined tray. Roast squash in oven for about 1 hour until largest squash is soft throughout.

Let squash cool so that you can handle it. Remove all of the flesh from the squash and place it into a large dutch oven or soup pot. Add almond milk, coconut extract, vegetable broth and curry powder. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally until heated through.

Turn heat to low. Using an immersion blender, process soup until smooth.

Add handfuls of fresh baby spinach and stir. Add more spinach until soup reaches the proportion of soup to spinach that you like.

Taste. Add salt (or not) and more curry powder (to taste). Thin with vegetable broth if consistency us to thick for your taste.

Next up on my winter squash to experiment with list? Delicata. Got some at the Farmer's Market this week and wondering what to do with it. Do you have any ideas?

I also want to point out this very interesting article on binge eating disorder. It brings up a lot of excellent points like the linkage between "dieting" (not to be confused with healthy eating) and binge eating, which is an idea that completely rings true for me. It also points out that "The APA [American Psychiatric Association] will include BED [binge eating disorder] as a separate disorder in the fifth edition of its “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” referred to as the DSM-V.

Oh great, dieting made me crazy. Certifiably so.

Thoughts?

Jill’s story: Packaged and Processed to Plant-strong

2011-12-12T03:48:00.000-08:00

When I first started blogging (almost 2 years ago--oh my!) I regularly posted stories from friends and acquaintences that had their own food journeys. Today I want to share with you one of those stories.

It wasn't that long ago that Jill and I were excitedly talking about roasting our own beets. It was early on in our plant based eating lives and we were both amazed at how you could prepare beets in some way other than popping open a jar.

Today Jill is becoming a regular contributor to Healthy Girl's Kitchen with her recipes for Roasted Swiss Peas with Swiss Chard and Smashing Black Beans.

We've come a long way baby!

Here is Jill’s story…

Packaged and Processed to Plant-strong

I never cooked as a kid. In college, I survived on Ramen noodles and pizza with extra sauce and extra cheese. When I was in my twenties, I lived in a small apartment, with a small kitchen and an even smaller closet. The closet part--THAT was the real problem. The oven served as great storage space for my sweaters. Really.

One time, a guy I was dating offered to make me dinner in my apartment. He was a chef and wanted to know what kitchen equipment he should bring over my place so he could make us dinner. He asked if I had a broiling pan. Was he speaking Swahili? “A broiling pan, what’s that?” That relationship didn’t make it through dessert.

When I met my boyfriend (who moved in with me and who eventually became my husband), there was no space for his clothes. More importantly, there was no more room for my shoes. Time to move. We bought a big house, with a big kitchen and an even bigger closet. I had no excuse to use my oven for sweater storage anymore, but I still didn’t cook. Luckily, my husband wasn’t the type that demanded a home cooked meal each night (or any night, for that matter). If he was, he probably wouldn’t have become my husband. Our main course for dinner was usually Lucky Charms. Dessert was Cocoa Puffs.

Marinating: The Gateway Cooking Technique

Looking to expand my repertoire of cooking skills, which was limited to pouring milk into a cereal bowl, I hosted a potluck dinner with my girlfriends and their spouses. I called my mom and asked for a recipe; I wanted “The Sure Thing”. Incidentally, I once called my mom and asked her how to cut lettuce. My mom gave me her marinated shrimp recipe. Easy, no cooking involved, just marinating. The best part was arranging the shrimp to look pretty on a bed of that purple lettuce stuff used only as a decorative garnish. Turns out that the decorative stuff was edible! It was kale and Swiss chard— staples of my current diet!

After my marinating experience, I moved on to other cooking techniques. Baked boneless chicken breasts coated with Frosted Flakes were my specialty. Cooking was fun! Experimenting was fun. The more I cooked, the easier it became. I used to read and follow recipes verbatim-- afraid I might mess up. Over time, I got brave and playful with cooking. I took cooking classes, including an Indian cooking class and fell in love with Indian flavors like curry, garam masala, cumin and cardamom. I used my food processor, substituted spices, and added brown sugar-- to everything (except cereal). I boiled eggs, roasted turkey, poached chicken, barbecued brisket, simmered soup and made meringue. I used blenders and mixers and whisks. Oh my!

My inspiration grew even more once I had kids. No longer afraid of cooking or using my kitchen equipment, coupled with a desire to give my kids healthy meals not Happy Meals, I poured through recipes and cookbooks obsessively; I still used butter, oil and white flour, albeit moderately. Eventually, I stopped adding brown sugar to everything.

My kids, like most, were picky, unadventurous eaters. I remember hearing that children must try vegetables fifteen times before acquiring a taste for them. Fifteen tries of broccoli later, there was still no love connection. I figured that chocolate made everything better, so I steamed broccoli and let them dip it in Hershey syrup.

I’ll have what he’s having.

My husband gets the credit for propelling our eating style into the plant strong world. He went to a lecture that Dr. Esselstyn gave on the importance of eating a plant-based, oil-free diet and was inspired to change. I, however, was worried about how this change would affect our lives. Would we still go out to restaurants? Would our friends invite us over for dinner anymore? Would we become the “difficult” couple? What would I make for dinner? Would we eat beans five nights a week? Would we have the worst gas? Eliminating dairy, meat and oil would be a huge challenge. Was I afraid? Yep, but I embraced the challenge. To my delight, I loved the food, the creative cooking, and most importantly, how my body felt! Even my skin looked better.

We’ve come a long way. Now my kids crave Brussels sprouts, kale, artichokes, zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli—minus the Hershey syrup. I don’t believe in sneaking vegetables in dishes to disguise them. Let the green goodness glow! I make green smoothies regularly, chock full of spinach or kale. For the first month, my kids were grossed out. Now, they request them, even when their friends come over—a sure sign that they think they’re cool.

I practice a plant strong diet. Like my yoga teacher says (about yoga), it’s a practice, not a “perfect”. I still enjoy a good bowl of Life cereal every now and then, just with almond milk.

Does your story have anything in common with Jill's journey to a Plant-strong diet? Do you have your own journey to a plant based diet story that you would like to share? I'd love to publish it here on HGK. Please send submissions to healthygirlskitchen@gmail.com.

Power-Boost Salad...

2011-12-11T14:48:00.000-08:00

OK here it is, a new favorite- a great way to add those dark, nutrient packed veggies to your diet! When people talk about "eating the rainbow" to benefit from all the different vitamins and minerals found in the different colors of fruits and veggies, this salad would be on the top of the "rainbow list!" Aren't the colors beautiful?? This will be on my table ALL the time this winter. It is a great nutrient dense, powerhouse salad that will be sure to leave your insides, your taste buds, and your tummy all asking for more! Some of the veggies used in this salad, such as radicchio and kale, can have more of a bitter taste to them, but add the sweet carrots and mapley mild dressing and it's a beautiful combination! Give it a go!

Ingredients: (they are all approximations, use what you have on hand!)
1 crown broccoli, chopped
2-3 large carrots, chopped
2-3 handfuls chopped kale
1/4 wedge radicchio, chopped
1/4 wedge red cabbage, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
1 handful dried cranberries
1 handful dry roasted almonds

Dressing:
4 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp real maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp sea salt

Vegetarian / Vegan Omega 3 EPA DHA vs Fish Oil Supplements

2011-12-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

Vegetarian / Vegan Omega 3 EPA DHA vs Fish Oil Supplements « Nuique

Compare the Market - Fish Oil


Fish Oil vs omega 3 algae

A look at different long chain Omega 3 essential fatty acids on the market comparing strength per dose of DHA / EPA for popular fish oil brands compared to algae oil omega 3 DHA suitable for vegetarians and vegans

Comparison showed similar priced products but with Cod liver oil 85mg DHA per dose to Algae oil with 400mg per dose.

V Pure

The Most Important Question You Can Ask Yourself

2011-12-09T02:57:00.000-08:00

The most important question you can ask yourself when you are hungry or want to eat

is not "What am I in the mood for?"

but rather

"How do I want to feel?"

If you start asking yourself that when you are hungry, it's a game changer.

Do I want to feel energized?

Do I want to feel sluggish?

Do I want to feel comfortably satiated?

Do I want to feel overly full?

Do I want to feel constipated?

Do I want to feel good in my clothes?

Do I want to feel mad?

Do I want to feel happy?

If you can change the question you ask yourself when you are hungry, you have the power to change everything.

How do you want to feel?

Have a great weekend everybody!

Spicy Asian Chicken Stir Fry, under 250 calories

2011-12-07T16:50:00.000-08:00

Oh don't worry, you haven't been redirected to the wrong page. The dish pictured above was indeed 218 calories total!

The stir fry came out spicy and sweet with a hint of toasted sesame. More importantly it's super filling thanks to the lean chicken breast and Miracle Noodles. Check out Miracle Noodles (shirataki noodles) online if you haven't heard much about them, I bought mine off Amazon.

Spicy Asian Chicken Stir Fry

113 grams (4 ounces) extra lean Chicken Breast (100 calories)
170 grams (6 ounces) Stir Fry veggies (50 calories)
1 tsp. Toasted Sesame Seeds, optional (17 calories)
7 ounce pack angel hair Miracle Noodles, optional

For the Sauce:

1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. low sodium Soy Sauce (3 calories)
1 tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil (43 calories)
1 tsp. Sriracha or other chili sauce (5 calories)
1 packet Truvia or Stevia
Black Pepper & Garlic Powder, to taste
pinch Red Chili Flakes

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

Cut away all excess fat from the chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes or a similar size. Place in a plastic baggie and add a splash of vinegar, soy sauce, and a packet of Truvia. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. To make the sauce simply combine all of the ingredients and place in the fridge while the chicken marinates. I bought a pack of exotic stir fry veggies from Fresh n Easy, you will want some combination of veggies such as Bok Choy, cabbage, snow peas, peppers, onion, etc.

Prep the Miracle Noodles. To do so rinse them under hot water for about a minute using a mesh colander, this will eliminate the fishy smell. Let the noodles strain, press on them a bit with a paper towel. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop so the noodles are shorter. Place in a bowl and microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Heat a skillet over medium-high to high heat, add a tablespoon of coconut oil or other oil for frying if you desire. Add the chicken and cook until it begins to brown and caramelize. Throw in the veggies and noodles and stir fry the whole mixture until the veggies are to the desired tenderness, I like mine to have a bit of a crunch. Add the sauce and continue to stir fry over high heat until the noodles have absorbed the sauce, this happens very quickly. You shouldn't have too much liquid because the whole mixture will absorb the sauce. If you want more liquid simply add a splash of water or more soy sauce to the mixture. Stir in the sesame seeds and enjoy!

Cranberry Dressing-is it for salad or dessert? and an HGK Soup in the News

2011-12-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

Wow, I am totally blown away by your response to my last post. Your appreciation for my work here on HGK and your thoughtful suggestions for newcomers are deeply meaningful to me. Thank you for taking the time to leave comments, I know how busy we all are in this day and age and I want you to know how grateful I am to all of you.

Today I just wanted to share with you something that I have really been enjoying lately. It's a fresh cranberry based no-oil vinaigrette and salad that I made after being inspired by this recipe from the blog Choosing Raw. Since I have quite a few fresh cranberries sitting around in my fridge since Thanksgiving, it looked like a recipe I needed to do an HGK riff on.
What's in this baby? Green leaf lettuce, roasted beets, red cabbage,garbanzo beans, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts and this fabulous, sweet cranberry vinaigrette. When I am craving something sweet, I totally dig this salad!

Fresh Cranberry Vinaigrette
makes approximately 2 1/2 cups

Printable Recipe

1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries
1 Tbsp orange juice concentrate
½ cup water
¼ cup raw cashews
1 whole orange with peel removed but seeds intact
¼ cup vinegar (I used Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar)
4 pitted dates
dash of salt, or not

Blend all ingredients on high speed till smooth.
Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your taste: more cranberries for tartness, orange juice concentrate or dates for sweetness.

A big shout out and thank you goes to Your Teen Magazine for being the first magazine ever to publish an HGK recipe! They chose a Leban-easy Lemony Lentils recipe by none other than HGK contributor Chris-Anna.

Chris-Anna's Soup-er Lebon-easy Lemony Lentils

serves 8

Printable Recipe

1 cup rinsed lentils with any debris removed

8 cups low sodium vegetable broth or water

4 cups white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/5" cubes

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

8 garlic cloves

4 cups Swiss chard, chopped, including stems

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1 cup curly parsley, chopped

pepper to taste

Bring water or stock to a boil in a large pot. Add lentils.

While lentils are cooking, peel and dice potatoes. Add potatoes and lemon juice and turn heat to medium low.

Peel garlic cloves and crush garlic into pot with a garlic press. Add diced tomatoes and chopped Swiss chard and stir.

Turn heat to high. When soup is almost boiling, turn heat down to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until lentils are soft.

Add parsley, stir and simmer for 5 additional minutes.

Taste. Add more lemon juice if necessary and pepper.

So You Just Read Eat to Live and (Fill in the Blank)

2011-12-05T04:51:00.000-08:00

You are excited?

Overwhelmed?

Don't know where to begin?

I received the following message just a few days ago, "HELP, Just starting today. I just finished reading Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live. Kind of overwhelmed! :( I want o be healthy and lose all my weight! Ugh."

Stop. Take a deep breath. The worst thing anyone can do is to let their feelings of being overwhelmed (which are real and totally legitimate) prevent them from making positive changes in their diet.

Know that real change does not happen in a day. It is a process, one that will take years to go through, if you are successful.

The unsuccessful ones give up and go back to their old diet somewhere along the way. The successful ones are always learning, always tweaking, always changing. You know that cliche "It's a journey, not a destination?" Well, that applies very well here.

It seems like you are very much into learning, as evidenced by how much you have already read. (I went on to find out that our questioner also wrote this, "I have been on a reading everything I can get my hands on journey. Just finished Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat to Live. I have read Engine 2 and The China Study (well, most of it) I have also seen multiple documentaries. I have tried so many diets, and I never stay committed. I am sure this is the healthie…") I commend you on that, because not everyone is willing to put in the time to educate themselves about the health effects of diet. So give yourself a whole lotta credit!

You will be healthy and achieve a healthy weight. It isn't going to happen quickly. You could go on any one of a gazillion fad diets and lose weight quickly. There is no secret to fast weight loss. Just starve yourself (essentially) and drink SlimFast for two meals a day. I guarantee you will get thinner fast.

But could you drink SlimFast shakes for the rest of your life? Would you maintain your weight loss when you went back to eating your regular old diet?

Would you have boundless energy every day?

Would you be healthy?

I hope you are still reading. The following is a list of steps that you can take in this journey. You do not need to take them all today. Pick one. Follow through with it, then pick another. Pretty soon you will be comfortable in your new and improved lifestyle.

1. Give yourself credit for each and every thing that you do "right" from here forward. Say to yourself, "Self, you are fabulous for reading Eat to Live and understanding that diet has a major effect on health. Most people either don't know that or don't want to know that. You are now way ahead of the game!" There is no undervaluing the feeling of positive emotion and energy. Happiness will take you a long way.

2. Collect and read books on this subject. I see you are already doing that. I know the way you feel-that Eat to Live is the healthiest of all of the related diets. But I want to impress upon you that many other doctors and whole-food diet proponents have a lot to add to this conversation. For example, I learned how to really read a nutrition label on packaged food from Rip Esselstyn's Engine 2 Diet. I didn't get that from Eat to Live. Every one of these great people has a lot to teach us. Plus, each book has a variety of recipes in the back which will be very helpful as you change you way of eating.

Here is a list of books that I highly recommend:
The Beck Diet Solution by Dr. Judith S. Beck
Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
Super Immunity by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn
The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
Breaking the Food Seduction by Dr. Neal Barnard
The Idiot's Guide to Plant Based Nutrition by Julieanna Hever

And that doesn't include all of the cookbooks that I love! Want to shop for books and help support this blog? Click here.

3. Start thinking about what you are going to eat in terms of what vegetables are going to be the stars of your meal. I'm pretty sure that the typical American thinks, "I'm going to have chicken tonight, what will I make to go with that?" Instead, we Nutritarians think of all meals this way, "I'm going to have Swiss Chard for dinner. How will I prepare it?" Makes a big difference!

4. All of the new recipes overwhelming you? Just focus on salads! Dr. Fuhrman has this expression, "The salad is the meal." And that's great, because I'm sure you know how to make a salad. You just need a bunch of no-oil dressing recipes, right? Well, the community at Healthy Girl's Kitchen has that all set for you right here in our Big List of No-oil Salad Dressings.

5. Save the heavier, more creative cooking for the weekend. That's when most of us have the time to prepare really great tasting stuff. I recommend making at least one big pot of soup or stew every weekend that you can enjoy all week. You will have incredible soups, stews and plant-strong side dishes to go with your main course (the salad). You can even freeze portions of soup and over time you will be able to eat a variety of soups and stews throughout the week.

Need plenty of soup options? Look no further than here. My personal favorite to start out with is this recipe for Energy Soup. It's a magical weight loss tool.

6. Clean our your fridge, freezer and pantry. Take a day to really clean our your kitchen. You may have to do this more than once over many, many months. Junk has a way of creeping back in. Read more about this process here.

7. Plan a trip to your local farmer's market. If you haven't been to a Farmer's Market before, you have a lot of fun in store for you. I try to go once a week. It's not necessary to shop for vegetables this way, but it's a pleasure.

There is a lot more I could say on this topic, so I just might have to write a Part II.

What are your suggestions for overwhelmed newcomers to a Nutritarian/ Plant-strong diet? Please share them in the comments section.

Processed and Unprocessed Red Meat Consumption and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Among French Women

2011-12-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

Processed and Unprocessed Red Meat Consumption and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Among French Women

Martin Lajous, DSC¹,² ⇓,Laura Tondeur, MS³,Guy Fagherazzi, PHD³,⁴,Blandine de Lauzon-Guillain, PHD³,
Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruaualt, PHD³,⁴ and
Françoise Clavel-Chapelon, PHD³,⁴

+ Author Affiliations

¹Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
²Center for Research on Population Health, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Mexico
³INSERM, Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Institut de Cancérologie Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif, France
⁴Paris-South University, UMRS 1019, Villejuif, France

Corresponding author: Martin Lajous, mlajous(at)hsph.harvard.edu.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relation of processed and unprocessed red meat and incident type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted a prospective study among 66,118 disease-free French women with dietary information from a validated questionnaire. Between 1993 and 2007, we identified 1,369 cases of incident diabetes. Multivariate analyses were adjusted for age, education, region, smoking, BMI, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, physical activity, parental history of diabetes, menopause, hormone replacement therapy, alcohol, calories, n-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, coffee, fiber, and fruits and vegetables.

RESULTS Comparing the highest category of processed meat intake, ≥5 servings/week (median, 48 g/day), to the lowest, <1 serving/week (median, 5 g/day), processed meat was significantly associated with incident diabetes (hazard ratio 1.30 [95% CI 1.07–1.59], P trend = 0.0007; for 1 serving/day, 1.29 [1.14–1.45]). Unprocessed red meat was not associated with diabetes.

CONCLUSION In this large prospective cohort of French women, a direct association was observed only for processed red meat and type 2 diabetes.

Received August 9, 2011.
Accepted October 15, 2011.

Under Pressure

2011-12-02T04:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday Folks!

Today I'd like to introduce you to my friend Jill again. She's the brilliant and wonderful creator of two recent recipes here on HGK, Roasted Swiss Peas with Swiss Chard and Jill's Smashing Black Beans.

Jill is one of my friends that I feel comfortable with spending a lot of time talking about food. She's got two very active kids and one triathalete husband to feed (you'll find out more about Jill soon, as I've asked her to submit her Plant-strong story), and she is deeply committed to doing that well (read "no fast food" and lotsa home cooked meals).

One thing that has come up a lot in conversation recently is pressure cooking. I myself bought a pressure cooker last spring, but haven't even had the time to blog about it! So I've asked Jill to help me out on this one. Here's what she has to say . . .

Under Pressure

By Jill K

I am in the honeymoon phase with my pressure cooker. Granted, we've only been together about a month. After almost a year of practicing a plant strong diet (80% of the time) and eating canned beans all the time, I started to wonder whether it would be healthier, tastier and more economical to buy dry beans and cook them from scratch.

I bought dry black beans. It took eight hours to soak the beans and another two hours to cook them until they got tender. Then I still had to season and cook them a bit longer. Were they good? They were delicious! But, I did NOT want 2 1/2 hours of my day to consist of bean making.

My good friend Erica, from Brazil, turned me onto the pressure cooker. She said that beans are a staple food in her culture, and that everyone there cooks them in a pressure cooker. She never uses canned beans. Then she made me a batch of her pinto beans. Wow, they were outstanding!

I started researching PC's and was actually pretty scared to get one because I read about how they can be dangerous and how they used to explode 20 years ago. They are much safer nowadays, by the way. I also wondered if it would eventually be banished to my island of un-used kitchen appliances, like my slow cooker and my bread maker.

I bought the Kuhn Rikon Duromatic model from Sur La Table and love it! It is not hard to use, and it is completely safe, (assuming you follow the directions). I have made beans in it multiple times. Two nights ago, I made black beans. I still soaked them ahead of time, but they cooked perfectly in 25- 30 minutes. The taste blows away the canned varieties. However, in a pinch, I will still use the canned stuff.

I know that I can cook lots of things in it, other than beans but haven't gotten that far yet. I'll let you know how the relationship progresses.

Tip: Instead of draining the liquid when the beans are done, boil gently with the top off to reduce it, and it thickens up nicely.

Thanks Jill! You've inspired me to get my pressure cooker down from the shelf again. I know I'm ready to move on from beans, but I don't quite know what to do next.

Anyone over here using a pressure cooker successfully? What are your favorite things to do with it? Please provide links to your recipes or recipes that you have tried.

Have a superfantastic weekend! Back on Monday with "So You Just Read Eat to Live and (Fill in the Blank)."

How to "Bully-Proof" Kids

2011-12-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

By Gariane Phillips Gunter, M.D.

Do you think October's national anti-bullying campaign was successful in stopping bullies? The Washington Post recently blogged about our country having a hard time defining bullying among kids. So, what can we, as parents, do to protect our children and teens? Here are some tips for "bully-proofing" your kids:

Distinguish between events and feelings - It is important to teach your children the difference in their interpretations of life situations. This helps kids learn to understand and relate to the feelings of others. They will be able to determine if someone is treating them appropriately - or if they are, in fact, being bullied.

Develop a sense of self - Another great way to bully-proof your child is to help them develop a sense of self. Encourage them to learn about and understand who they "are" because children who struggle to identify self-awareness or constantly strive to be their "hero" are never going to be able to live up to those expectations. This can be detrimental for their self-esteem - making them a direct target for bullying. Kids with low self-esteem are less likely to stick up for who they are which makes them prime targets for those looking to pick on someone (bullies often bully due to their own low self-esteem).

Monitor their online lives - Parents or caregivers should have access to online accounts and cell phones to ensure their teens' safety over the Internet. Cyberbullying continues to be a nationwide epidemic.

Positive activities - It is also important to encourage your kids to explore activities that make them feel good about themselves. Find something that they are really good at because it will help increase their overall self-esteem and feeling of self-worth. Encouraging courageous behavior is another great way to guide children. You can teach them to stand up for themselves and for their peers and other friends. When groups of kids or teens stand together to put an end to a bullying situation, the bully is more likely to back off and won't mess with your child again.

Following these tips when your kids are young is the best way to show them how to establish early on that they will not tolerate bullying.

Sources: http://www.makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org/, http://www.olweus.org/

Yvonne Bishop-Weston Nutritionist London: Win Gift Voucher - London Nutritionist

2011-12-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yvonne Bishop-Weston Nutritionist London: Win Gift Voucher - London Nutritionist

Merry Christmas!

US Congress Declares Pizza a Vegetable? Really?

2011-12-01T05:12:00.000-08:00

Thank you SO much for your great response to the last post on Quinny's take on Sri Lankan Kale. In my almost two years of blogging, I have never felt like more of you saw a recipe post and were choosing to make that recipe that night. It was all very exciting! Please let us know if you loved it as much as we did or made any tweaks of your own that you particularly enjoyed. This is a group effort you know!

I'm wondering if you heard something last week about how our representatives in the U.S. Congress have voted to allow pizza to be considered a vegetable in our children's school lunch program?

I was all set to jump on the backlash bandwagon and share with you this priceless video from Saturday Night Live:

But in doing more research about the story to write this blog posting, I discovered that reality has been twisted around, a lot. It's actually pretty complicated, and you can read about what really happened here.

But I still wanted to share the clip from SNL, because laughter is the best medicine.

And it's a great reminder that most information, whether it's coming from your friends or the other camp, is manipulated. Why? Because that gets us interested in a world where information is available everywhere at all times and en mass. So it's our responsibility to get the real story, no matter how bad or funny or embarrassing the original story sounds. It's probably not the truth.

But I still like the Kermit skit. 'Cause even if Congress didn't declare pizza to be a vegetable, they still suck when it comes to making laws about what humans should eat and what should be okay to feed our kids at school.

Have a great day y'all!

Breeding a Nation of Chocoholics? Great.

2011-12-01T05:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, November 30th, the Wall Street Journal published an article entitled "Breeding a Nation of Chocoholics, As Sales Rise, Marketers Try to Make Chocolate an Everyday Snack."

"'We want to get more Godiva into people's mouths more often,' said Lauri Kien Kotcher, chief marketing officer for Godiva and senior vice president of global brand development. 'It's all about chocolate snacks, little chocolate treats. …When those things come, you just keep eating.'"

You can read the full article here.

"Godiva saw it needed to come up with new forms of chocolate for consumers to munch mindlessly, and new places to buy them."

F%#$. That's just what us Americans need. Chocolate pushers finding new ways to encourage us to eat sugar MINDLESSLY.

What's next? Cocaine? Oh wait, sugar's already more addictive than cocaine.

And it's legal.

Quinny's Sri Lankan Kale with Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

2011-11-29T16:57:00.000-08:00

Amazing response to the last post on the hyper flavoring of processed food. I love it when we get all riled up! I've got another zinger ready to post, but before I did that I wanted to tell you about our dinner this evening.

It all stared with Susan Voisin of Fat Free Vegan's release of her Sri Lankan Kale recipe. My friend and Plant-strong buddy Quinn and I made it and liked it. A lot. But a few short weeks later, Quinn came prancing into my house talking about how she made some key additions to Susan's recipe and really hit it out of the ballpark.

And this is coming from a woman who, 5 years ago when I first met her, considered a bowl of cold cereal dinner and never cooked. Ever. At least that's the story she told.

Based on how she reworked this recipe, I think she was lying.

Holy mother of all good things. This is a keeper.

I decided to double the recipe, 'cause that's how I roll. My husband, daughter and I finished off the entire huge pot in one dinner.

Guess I'll have to make this again next week.

Quinny's Sri Lankan Kale with Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes
serves 2

Printable Recipe

1 med (red or white or yellow) onion, chopped

1-2 hot chili peppers, seeded and chopped OR hot chili flakes to taste

12 oz kale (or other greens), stems removed and thinly sliced

2 med-lg sweet potatoes, cut into approximately 1"cubes

1/4 tsp ground cumin

generous grating black pepper

1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used the partially defatted version)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

juice of 1 lime

salt to taste

In low sodium vegetable broth or water, saute onions and chili peppers/chili pepper flakes until soft. Add cumin and stir.

Add sweet potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, on med high heat until the potatoes begin to soften some, but not turn to mush, approximately 10 minutes.

Add kale and splash of broth, along with black pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted but bright green, approx 5 minutes.

Add coconut, black beans, lime juice and about 1/4 cup of vegetable broth if mix is dry. Heat through. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately and wish you had made more.

Fajita Bowls for 200 Calories

2011-11-29T14:29:00.000-08:00

I'm back on the low calorie, no fat, no sugar, nothing processed, etc part of my diet. It's been fine so far, and I'm finally in the 140's! My hubby got steak fajitas for dinner the other night and it crushed my spirits just a teensy bit. The aroma of sizzling spicy flank steak paired with creamy sour cream and guacamole is hard to endure! Today I decided I would make a diet friendly version of the dish. I swapped out bell peppers for English cucumber to save calories and sugar, and used ground turkey instead of steak. To top it I used a tablespoon of very hot salsa and a dab of Greek yogurt, served with wedges of lime of course!

Low Calorie Fajita Bowl

113 grams 93/7 Ground Turkey (150 calories)
~165 grams, or 1 whole seeded, peeled, and chopped English Cucumber (19 calories)
~55 grams raw white or yellow Onion (20 calories)
1 tbsp. Hot Salsa (5 calories)
1 tbsp. 0% fat Greek Yogurt (8 calories)
chopped fresh Cilantro
a pinch of the following spices, or whichever you'd prefer: Cumin, Coriander, Chili Powder, Mrs. Dash garlic & herb*, Mrs. Dash lemon pepper*, Mrs. Dash table blend*, salt and pepper to taste*

*I have a pinch bowl with all of these ingredients already mixed, the blend works with just about any meal!

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

Peel, seed, and chop the cucumber into sliced rounds (much like bell pepper strips). Chop the onion, add the veggies to a saute pan over medium heat. I like to combine chopped cilantro with water and use that in combination with the spices to season the veggies and help them cook. When the veggies are tender, remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan add the turkey and any additional seasonings. Cook until browned, add all the veggies back to the pan to heat through. Serve in a bowl topped with Greek yogurt or sour cream, salsa, and lime. Enjoy!!

This whole bowl is only 202 calories! I don't actually count the tablespoon of yogurt because I eat 100 calories worth of Greek 0% yogurt a day, so I just took a tablespoon out of that ;)

Did You Catch 60 Minutes on Sunday Night? The Flavorists and Your Taste Buds

2011-11-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

I'm a lucky blogger. I'm not alone in scouring the world for the newest, the most outrageous, the best and even the worst when it comes to healthy eating. I've got friends and relatives constantly keeping their eyes and ears open for us.

Chris-anna, my business partner and tireless talker of all things health food related, alerted me to a fascinating television segment about natural and artificial flavors in food that aired this past Sunday. And thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can see the segment right here too!

What did Chris have to say about it?

"Last night on 60 Minutes there was a segment on the food industry, specifically how natural and artificial flavors are created. It was CRAZY. I had to e-mail Wendy about it as soon as it was over. It was disturbing and gross.

'Super food tasters' are people that are working to manufacture 'flavors' that are ADDICTIVE. This is their goal. Literally. Literally. It's just so shocking, I have to shake my head and repeat myself.

They want you to eat more and therefore purchase more of all processed food. And these 'natural' and 'artificial' flavors are in each and every processed food sold on every grocery store's shelves. The manufacturer is even very specific about wanting the flavor to dissipate quickly so that you want to put more in your mouth.

The real problem I see is that this industry is manipulating food-like materials and ruining our ability to 'taste' natural food. They know the gold stars are fat, salt and sugar and they over-load these flavors into processed foods.

How can natural food compete with these super-flavored food-like substances?

It gets even more complicated. This wasn't mentioned on this 60 minutes but I'm concerned that the human brain doesn't know what to do with, for example, zero-calorie, super sweet beverages. Maybe this is why people who drink a ton of diet soda continue to gain weight. Our brain thinks we are taking in a sweet drink because it tastes so sweet . . . but then there are no calories. But our body was expecting the calories to come with the taste. So is it possible that our appetites are increased to find those calories? This is potentially a really rough cycle.

Just say NO.

No to frankenfood.

We can re-establish our taste sensitivity to real food. It takes time, but it is so worth it- for now, for the future, for our children, for our planet."

What disturbed me the most? The fact that now that everyone is jumping on the "health food" bandwagon, the flavor manufacturers are trying to make salty tasting food and sweet tasting food that doesn't contain as much salt or sugar as the processed food that everyone is used to eating. Not that this is anything new, really. Sugar substitutes have been around a long, long time and they're not doing anyone any favors.

How about getting us unaddicted to over salted and overly sweet food!!!!???? You know, the way real, natural food tastes? What about that????

I'm pissed.

What about you?

Processed food grosses me out now more than ever.

I can tell you from real life experience that you can stop this terrible cycle. You can "change your taste buds." The old food that you used to eat will taste either ridiculously salty or disgustingly sweet. You won't even believe that you used to eat that stuff.

Have you had a similar experience?

Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins of Heaven

2011-11-28T04:10:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had the most wonderful of Thanksgiving weekends! I want to hear all about them. And thanks to those of you that commented on my short Thanksgiving gratitude post. I really appreciate what you said and want you to know that I am eternally grateful for you too. Thank you for making this blog worth keeping.

Our Thanksgiving holiday was lovely.

Complicated.

Like all holidays are.

I forgot the memory card from my camera at work, so I wasn't able to capture any of the food moments on "film." But that was probably for the best, right? I mean, who wants a food photographer yelling "wait" while everyone is excitedly awaiting digging in?

Also, I was secretly wishing that I had a family entirely composed of no-oil Vegans. One can have dreams, right? Photographs with turkey in the background wouldn't have been my favorite.

I made entirely too much Plant-strong food, and I took copious notes for next year. We'll be eating leftovers for a full week, which is fine by me. Susan Voisin's Green Bean Casserole from Fat Free Vegan was a highlight for everyone involved. Only the teeniest bit of that casserole was left over. It didn't end up looking anything like Susan's pictures, but man was it good. I have to consider making a double batch next time.

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, 'tis the season for leftover cans of pumpkin puree (hooray!). Plus, I have been promising my middle daughter that we would bake muffins for weeks now. Finally the day came when we had nothing pressing to do. The pressure was on.

Our results were outstanding. Award winning. So moist and so delicious, this recipe is going to be my go-to recipe from here forward for kids' birthday parties, new neighbors and get well wishes.

HGK's Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

makes 12 muffins

adapted from recipes by Lindsay S. Nixon from The Happy Herbivore

Printable Recipe

dry ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup organic sucanat

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

wet ingredients:

2 medium frozen bananas, placed into a bowl and defrosted in a microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes

OR 2 medium very ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or non-dairy milk of your choice

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 ctp canned pumpkin puree

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

other:

1/2 cup grain sweetened vegan chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Into a big bowl, place all of the dry ingredients. Stir gently to incorporate.

Into a medium bowl, place all wet ingredients. Stir well to incorporate. Use an immersion blender or whisk to blend wet ingredients if you have large banana pieces in your wet ingredients.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together well, but do not over mix. Incorporate chocolate chips.

Line muffin tins with cupcake papers or spray muffin tin with nonstick spray. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups about 2/3 full.

Bake in the center of your oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out clean. If doubling batch, rotate muffin tins in your oven about halfway through baking cycle to ensure even baking.

Let muffins cool. Do not eat entire batch in one sitting.

What was the highlight of your Thanksgiving weekend?

Peppermint Paradise...

2011-11-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

So... today is actually Thanksgiving and I DO hope you are having a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends and rejoicing over the MANY things we DO have to be thankful for. I am thankful for my hard-working (at work, at home, and with me!) husband, my sweet kids, my precious family both near and far, dear friends, good health, and the many basic needs that the Lord provides daily for us. And... I am thankful for this time of year. The Christmas Season where we have extra opportunities to love on others, teach our kids about the world near and far, bless those who have little or a lot with our words and actions, a chance to create memories with our Advent Calendar, and some time to relish in the deliciousness of "Peppermint Paradise!"

Thanks to my good friends at Trader Joe's (that's actually true, I DO have some really sweet friends there thanks to my frequent visits and their sweet hearts!) they supply me with plenty of peppermint to get my fill for the whole year. I DO love me some peppermint - and if there is chocolate involved, consider it a done deal!

Here are some of my favorite Peppermint Treats I think you ought to take a peek at if you are a lover of the Christmas Flavor...

Introducing the new and scrumptious "Mini Peppermint Waffle Cookies"... they are bits of waffle cookie covered in a rich chocolate sprinkled with peppermint crumbs...oh, they are dangerous!

Don't forget about the ever-delicious Peppermint Joe-Joe's...

If you want to make your own home made version of peppermint cookies, try these!

Did you know that they make a Peppermint Joe-Joe ice cream now?? Don't buy it if you don't want to eat the whole thing in 5 minutes... it's beautiful!

Also, on a healthier (non-chocolate note!) Trader Joe's has refreshing Peppermint Candy Cane Tea that is fabulous- a flavorful peppermint followed by a hint of sweet vanilla. It's Green tea and it's decaf!

And just for fun... look at these darling treats from here and here...

Don't you just want to put it out for decoration?? The cake stand alone is to die for!!!

Thanksgiving-What I am Grateful for Today

2011-11-24T05:18:00.000-08:00

For the (probably) few people who are on your computers today, I want to wish you all a beautiful and meaningful Thanksgiving!

Given this is a blog about food and all, you can imagine that Thanksgiving has a very special place in my heart. It's a big day for us foodies!

So I want to express how grateful I am that I live in a time when food is abundant and that I am fortunate enough to access healthy food. Now that comes with a whole host of other issues, as we all know. But the alternative would be worse.

I will never forget the stories of my grandmother. She was born in Russia and lived in a very poor village. As a child she got a job chewing food for babies. She was hoping that some of the nutrition from the food that touched her tongue would help her live.

So today I am thankful that my family is free to make our home in a place where food is abundant, even with all of the problems and issues that it brings.

And always remember, a holiday is more about the friends and the family, not the food, anyway. For more about cultivating an attitude of gratitude see this Thanksgiving gratitude post from The Healthy Librarian. You'll be so glad you did.

What are you grateful for today?

With lots of love and good wishes,
Wendy

Beck Planning and Fuhrman Challenging

2011-11-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Dr. Fuhrman is running a six-week holiday challenge? Well, he is. Here are the challenge rules:

For the next 6 weeks, promise to…

• Eat at least one large salad every day
• Eat generous amounts of cooked green vegetables, mushrooms, and onions
• Eat beans every day
• Eat at least three fresh fruits every day
• Avoid white flour
• Avoid sugars and artificial sweeteners
• Use oils sparingly

As a benefit of accepting the challenge, you get a FREE six-week Gold Membership to the Dr. Fuhrman website (you can also upgrade a lower level membership for free). Loads of recipes and nutritional and health information free and at your fingertips. Interested in finding out more or signing up? I did! Click here

Which brings me to my next point. Planning.

I haven't talked Beck in quite a while now. For those of you who have read this far and are saying to yourselves, "What the heck is she talking about?" Beck is shorthand for The Beck Diet Solution. You can check it out on Amazon here:

The Beck book, along with a plant-based, no-added-oil diet, pretty much saved my life. One without the other would have been a wash. Which is why Beck reappears on this blog from time to time, in varying degrees. For a while I was hot to trot, talking about Beck every few days. Some of you thought that was too much, and it kinda took the wind out of my sails. But, inevitably, I must talk about Beck again, because, like I said, one without the other doesn't work for me. And some of my dear readers actually ask me to write about it!

So, once again:
Plant-based, no-added-oil diet = for my body
Beck = for my brain

Day 14 of The Beck Diet Solution asks us to write a food plan that includes everything you are going to eat, either in the morning for that day, or in the evening for the next day.

Feeling resistant? That's totally normal.

So let's talk about why planning what we eat is so important for people who suffer from compulsive overeating. For me, it simply comes down to one thing and one thing only. I do too much spontaneous eating. My three meals might be gloriously Nutritarian even by Dr. Fuhrman's exacting standards, but what's not so pretty is the snacking that I do in between meals and even after dinner. And it's that snacking, even on healthy, no-oil, Vegan food that gets me into trouble.

So you can plan what you are going to eat for an entire day. But the key to this having any affect at all is to say to yourself every time you are tempted to go off the plan, "That food is not on my plan so I am not even going to consider eating it." Then walk away.

That builds a resistance muscle.

There are many systems for planning. You could write everything on paper in a notebook. You could use your computer and do it on http://www.peertrainer.com/ or http://www.sparkpeople.com/ or use one of the many smartphone applications for logging your food.

My experience was that this method was extremely powerful for me the first time I tried it. I have tried it since with less positive results, but it was still worthwhile. Because I have committed to the Dr. Fuhrman Six-week Challenge, I thought to myself, "The only way I am ever going to be able to stick to that plan is if I plan and log my food for the day in the morning and then stick to that plan," it seemed like the perfect time to get back into Beck and to go for it!

Wish me luck!

Have you ever tried Beck's planning method? Did you have success? What worked and what didn't? How long did you do it for? Please tell us about it!

If you have never tried it, does it seem like something that you would want to do now that you are aware of it?

FAST! Moroccan Kale with Mushrooms and Apricots and Gratitude

2011-11-21T05:09:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to get out of bed this morning.

It's Monday. My bed is cozy and warm. It's dark outside. I just wanted to go back to sleep and avoid the world and my responsibilities. The lunches to pack (again), the kids to wrangle, the bills to pay.

I needed a boost. So I started to think about a technique I had heard of: upon waking up think of things that you are grateful for.

My kids are healthy. My cat got down from high up in a tree after being chased by a neighbor's dog that got loose.

Getting out of bed got a little easier today.

And now the food.

Don't let the poor quality of this photo fool you! I was home this weekend cooking and I had forgotten my good camera at work. But there was no way I wasn't sharing this recipe with you a.s.a.p. so I used my iphone to capture the moment.

This is great, healthy, FAST, food. So fast that I would even recommend it for a busy weeknight Nutritarian dinner. So delicious that I can recommend you serve it to the most discerning adult Plant-strong dinner guest. And maybe the not-so-plant-strong ones too.

Now that's a recipe to hold on to.

HGK's Moroccan Kale with Mushrooms and Apricots
serves 4 as a main course, 8 as a side dish

Printable Recipe

vegetable broth
1 large onion, diced small
4 small cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (1/2 or even 1 tsp if you like it it hotter)
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
11 ounce box of prewashed baby kale (available at Whole Foods) or the equivalent of washed and cut greens of any variety (either pre-done or self-prepared)
1 can diced tomatoes, fire-roasted is optional
1/2 cup dried apricots, julienned

Heat a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat and coat the base of the pot with vegetable broth. When broth is boiling, add onions and stir. Saute onion for 12 minutes, stirring infrequently, adding more broth or adjusting heat to prevent burning.

Add garlic, stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add cinnamon, coriander, cumin and crushed red pepper and stir, scraping bottom of pan. Spices will be toasting as the pan is quite dry.

Lower heat a touch. Add mushrooms and stir well. Add 1/2 cup vegetable broth, stir and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice during that time.

Add kale, tomatoes and apricots. Stir well and cover. Raise heat a bit. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, depending on the type of greens that you used. Dish is ready when greens are wilted.

Serve with whole grain of your choice.

What are you grateful for?

Curry in a Hurry?

2011-11-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

Have you ever attempted to make one of Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals?

Did it take you 30 minutes?

Not me. It never took me less than an hour.

That's why I have a bit of a pet peeve developing for cookbook authors and recipes that deceive readers in that way. I don't know if they do it intentionally or not, but it seems like it would sure sell cookbooks if you advertised this 30 minute concept.

But I'm calling bull&#!+ on it right now. The following recipe was based on a recipe that was supposed to take less than 30 minutes to cook. Sure, I adapted the recipe to my taste, adding potatoes, and that upped the cooking time 10 minutes. But under no circumstances would the original recipe have been cooked in 30. Sorry.

That said, it's still worth making. Both my 12 (yes 12! had a birthday this week) year old daughter and husband loved it and I'm guinea pigging my business partner today at lunch. I'll let you know what she thinks.

Easy, But Not Quick, Cauliflower Coconut Curry

serves 8

Printable Recipe

2 cups vegetable broth, plus more for sauteing

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

1/4 cup curry powder (sweet or hot, to taste)

4 cups medium diced boiling potatoes

2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, fire roasted if possible

1 cauliflower head, cut into small florets (approx. 8 cups of florets)

2 cups frozen peas

2 15 ounce cans garbanzo beans, washed and drained

3 cups unsweetened almond or soy milk

1 Tbsp coconut extract

Coat the bottom of a dutch oven with vegetable broth and bring broth to a boil over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and saute, stirring frequently, until onions just begin to turn translucent. Add curry powder, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add potatoes and 2 cups vegetable broth, stir and cover pot. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cauliflower, stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Add almond milk, coconut extract, peas and garbanzo beans. Stir and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.

What's your experience with recipes that are promoted as taking 30 minutes or less. Is this real? Is it possible?

Tesco Caught Out in Asda Price War

2011-11-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

Tesco have got their wrists slapped over a Tesco TV advert earlier this year in the war against Asda who claim to put more change in your pocket in true Walmart style.

Double the difference?

The Tesco TV ad showed a range of products available at Tesco. The female voice-over stated "At Tesco, we understand times are tough, so we've lowered over 1,000 prices right across the store ... And you can now check the price of your shop at Tesco Price Check and if you find your comparable grocery shopping cheaper at Asda, we'll happily refund double the difference ..."

£20 limit

Text in the "FAQ" section of the website stated "Is there a maximum amount a voucher will be valid for? We operate a fair use policy to prevent abuse. As such the maximum value for an individual Price Check Voucher is limited to £20".

http://asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudications/2011/11/Tesco-Stores-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_153233.aspx

We considered that the £20 limit was a significant restriction likely to affect the average consumer's decision to shop at Tesco during the promotional period. Because the restriction was not included in ads (a) and (c) we concluded that they were misleading. Because the restriction was only found in the fair-use policy for ad (b) we concluded that the terms and conditions contradicted rather than clarified the headline claim and therefore that ad (b) was also misleading.
Ad (a) breached BCAP Code rules 3.1 and 3.2 (Misleading advertising) and 3.10 (Qualification).
Ads (b) and (c) breached CAP Code (Edition12) rules 3.1 and 3.3 (Misleading advertising) and 3.9 and 3.10 (Qualification).

The Asda Price Guarantee says "If we're not 10% cheaper on your comparable grocery shopping we'll give you the difference. Guaranteed! "

Vegan Sweet-n-Sour Superfood Stuffed Cabbage

2011-11-16T04:15:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been obsessing about an old country favorite of mine-Stuffed Cabbage. If you've never had it before, it's quite a treat. Originally made with ground beef and white rice as the filling, I think you'll find that my no-oil, no-added-salt, Vegan superfood version doesn't leave anything to be desired.

Some people might consider the preparation of Stuffed Cabbage to be an ordeal. But if you grew up eating it (thanks Mom!) and absolutely miss it now that you are Plant-strong, you might just consider this recipe worth every minute of your time. I know I do.

Like a woman, stuffed cabbage gets even better with age. I served it to a group of friends for dinner on the night that I made it. It was very good. When I ate some leftovers three days later, it was markedly more delicious. I think I actually had a foodgasm.

HGK's Vegan Superfood Stuffed Cabbage

Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups diced onion
2 cups diced zucchini (1 small zucchini)
5 cups diced mushrooms (16 ounce package, diced)
2 cups cooked whole grain like quinoa, bulgur or brown rice
2/3 cup currants
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large head green cabbage
1 recipe Sweet-n-Sour Tomato Sauce
1 apple, peeled and sliced thinly

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare your whole grain if it is not yet cooked.

Prepare a batch of the Sweet-n-sour Tomato Sauce.

Boil a large soup pot full of water. Turn off until you are ready to prepare cabbage leaves.

Place a large saute pan over medium heat. Pour some vegetable broth into the pan to just cover the bottom. Once the broth is bubbling, add the diced onion and stir. Cook until the onion is translucent, stirring frequently. Add a touch more vegetable broth as needed to prevent burning.

Add the diced zucchini and stir. Let cook for three minutes. Add diced mushrooms and stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until zucchini and mushrooms are soft and liquid released from mushrooms evaporates.

Turn off heat. Add cooked grain, currants, walnuts, spices and 1/2 cup of the Sweet-n-sour Tomato Sauce. Stir gently to combine.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13" casserole dish with some of the Sweet-n-sour Tomato Sauce.

Bring the pot of water back to a boil. Carefully cut all the way around the core of the cabbage, as deep as you can go (about 3 inches deep). Carefully place entire head of cabbage into water. Let cabbage boil until the outermost layer is soft and is beginning to come away from the head. You may need to nudge it a little with a pair of tongs. When leaf comes away from the head, use the tongs to lift the leaf out of the water, letting the excess water drain back into the pot.

Keep the rest of the cabbage simmering as you roll each individual cabbage roll.

Lay leaf inside out in the middle of a dinner plate. Holding a paring knife (or other small knife) horizontally, carefully cut away the hard part of the stem. Place a heaping 1/3 cup of the filling onto the lower middle of the leaf. Fold the left and right sides of the leaf over the filling. Roll the cabbage all the way up from the bottom, pushing the left and right sides in if necessary. Place roll into casserole dish.

Repeat process until casserole dish is full of rolls or all of your filling has been used up.

Place apple slices evenly on top of cabbage rolls. Pour remaining Sweet-n-sour Tomato Sauce over rolls and distribute evenly. Bake, covered, at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn heat to 250 degrees and bake for an additional 2 hours.

The stuffing-mushrooms, zucchini, onions, currants, walnuts and quinoa.

The individual cabbage leaf, turned inside out, before stuffing.

Apple slices over the top add to the magic.

Sweet-n-Sour Tomato Sauce

10 pitted Deglet (small) dates, soaked in water for at least 1 hour (less dates if you are using the larger Medjool variety)
vegetable broth for sauteing
1 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 14.5 ounce (or 1 28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, unseasoned (not Italian style)
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
juice of 1 large lemon
In a medium sauce pan, saute onion over medium heat in a few Tbsp of vegetable broth until translucent. Add garlic, stir and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
While onions are cooking, pour tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor or high powered blender. Remove soaked dates from liquid and add to sauce. Blend until sauce is smooth.
Add diced tomatoes and tomato/date sauce to onions. Stir in lemon juice. Simmer on very low heat for ten minutes.

Here's a nice video demonstrating how to roll stuffed cabbage:

Do you prepare any special food that takes a long time but is oh-so-worth-it?

£12 bn Food wasted in UK

2011-11-15T08:26:00.000-08:00

Wrap meeting targets but warns over food waste

The UK throws away £12bn worth of edible food per year.

Speaking at the body’s annual conference today, WRAP chief executive Liz Goodwin said that Wrap has helped keep 11m tonnes of waste out of landfill.

According to Wrap, this has avoided 5.5m tonnes of C02 equivalent emissions and generates “£2bn of benefits to the UK economy”.

Food waste has also fallen by 13% and Goodwin welcomed the fall from 8.3m tonnes in 2006/07 to 7.2m tonnes. However she said that the food wasted in the supply chain was “significant” at a time when food security was a major issue.

Healthy Sugar?

2011-11-15T05:08:00.000-08:00

I always need to be reminded of this, and thanks to the peeps at PEERtrainer, it's on the front of my mind today.

This information is provided by PEERtrainer.com, the web's leading weight loss community and resource for long term, healthy weight loss success. To sign up for free daily weight loss and motivation tips and more visit http://www.peertrainer.com

Healthy Sugar?
Sorry, No Such Thing...

November 11th, 2011

By Jackie Wicks PEERtrainer Founder

One of the top recommendations that people get when they go through the PEERtrainer Fresh Start Cleanse is a total elimination of added sugar.

This is especially true as the cleanse runs its course, and you can start to reintroduce some of the things you took out. But sugar is something that you are advised to continue to treat as public enemy #1.

Here are the top 7 things you need to know about sugar and why it may be creating weight loss resistance, meaning, no matter how much you do 'right' the weight isn't coming off:

1. Isn't There Such Thing As Healthy Sugar Like Honey And Agave?

One common response to being told to eliminate sugar is to say, "Ok, I'll watch my sugar intake by switching to "healthy" sugars like honey and agave.

We asked JJ Virgin this question, and she answered in ALL CAPS. I could literally feel the emotion jumping from the page. From her perspective, people who are dealing with weight loss resistance, or literally any other health issue, need to stay the $%^& away from sugar.

She lumps the term "healthy sugar" with oxymorons like "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence".

Excess sugar consumption has been linked to a whole host of diseases. But one of the most interesting effects has to do with nutrient absorption.

2. Sugar And Your Digestive System: How Sugar Could Be Damaging Your Ability To Improve Your Health

When it comes to your digestive system, excess sugar, even moderate amounts interferes with its ability to absorb nutrients. It is a whole lot more complicated than this. But once you understand that all forms of excess sugar "mess with your system" you will be much more likely to ditch the honey, agave, even fruit for a period of time.

There are very few people who can't benefit from proper absorption of vitamins, minerals and nutrient. However, until recently, there have not been many studies showing how high sugar intake effect effects nutrient absorption. One recent study helped establish that high sugar intake "impaired" the digestive process.

3. How Much Sugar Is Too Much?

According to the American Heart Association, they recommend no more than 100 calories of added sugar a day for a woman, a little more for a man. To give you a sense, 100 calories is equivalent to a large apple.

Now I can hear your next question: But you can't possibly talking about the natural fructose in sugar. Apples, pears, blueberries all get a free pass, right? No. Wrong.

Fructose, glucose, sucrose, sugar, honey, agave, it's all sugar. Yes, fruit has some extremely beneficial micronutrients, however fruit was not meant to be consumed in daily unlimited quantities.

Have you ever tried to pick wild Maine blueberries? I'm not referring to the kind where you pay someone $5 to harvest on their farm. I'm referring to the wild ones that grow, low bush or high bush every year. They're only available for about a month in the summer during the year. It takes a long time to pick and you might get 2 or 3 tiny ones at a time. Even if you worked to pick blueberries for 12 hours of the day, it would be challenging to eat them in unlimited quantities.

Focus on limiting your fruit to one serving a day.

Another key concept: A very small minority of people actually stick to the recommendation of only 100 calories of added sugar a day. Almost all processed foods contain hidden sugars. Sugar is everywhere, and it is tough to avoid.

Do yourself a favor: Look at all of the labels and sugar count of just your breakfast items alone to see how much your eating. If you're eating more than 10 grams of sugar at breakfast time, you're at your quota for the ENTIRE day. (This was later edited by the folks at PEERtrainer to 25 grams of sugar as the quota for the entire day.)

4. There Is A PILE Of Research In This Area To Support The Claim Against Sugar

There are different studies out there that show how different nutrients are effected by sugar. One interesting thing to note about JJ's advice are the consistent results we are seeing from people following her cleanse protocol, in conjunction with the concept of nutrient density that we have promoted for years at PEERtrainer.

It would seem that when people eliminate toxins, it helps us better absorb all the nutrient dense foods we are now eating.

5. Does A Nutrient Dense Diet Help You Defy The Laws Of Nutrition?

What is interesting is that we are seeing people who eat nutrient dense diets, but with high levels of sugar--who are having some health issues like high cholesterol and triglycerides.

Not only do some people think that certain sugars are "healthy"-- many people think that as long as they eat plenty of greens, it gives them a free pass in other areas of their diet. Your numbers will speak for themselves.

In fact, new research links excess sugar consumption to unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. According to a new study:

"Excess sugar is known to contribute to obesity, diabetes, and other conditions linked to heart disease, and now new research links it to unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels."

6. The Link Between Sugar And Cancer

To give you one example (among many), consumption of sugar and sugar-sweetened foods has been show to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer in a prospective study:

"Frequent consumption of sugar and high-sugar foods may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by inducing frequent postprandial hyperglycemia, increasing insulin demand, and decreasing insulin sensitivity." April 20th 2010

Conclusion

This is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sugar consumption. There is a ton of older research as well showing the harmful effects of sugar, but we wanted to show you some of the recent research. If you have any questions about how sugar is effecting your health, visit your doctor and get your numbers checked.

Fantasy Plant Strong Thanksgiving Plans

2011-11-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

You've heard of fantasy football, right? Well, in my life, cooking is sport. And here's my Thanksgiving fantasy lineup.

My husband and I are petitioning his parents to let us host the holiday this year. What do you think? Should we be allowed to do it?

Pear and Toasted Walnut Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
Pretty self explanatory. These flavors just scream fall to me.

Pumpkin Bulgur Stuffed Acorn Squash
I made this a little over a month ago to rave reviews from all who tried it. I knew right then it would be the focus of our Thanksgiving meal.

Terry Walter's Cranberry Chutney from her book Clean Food
This is so good, you'll want to eat it throughout the year, not just on Thanksgiving.
Makes 4 cups

2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup raisins
½ cup sucanat
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
3 medium apples, cored and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Combine cranberries, raisins, sucanat, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and water in Dutch oven. Place over medium heat and cook 15 minutes. Stir in onion, apples and celery and cook 15 minutes more. Remove from heat, fold in lemon peel, and serve.

Chutney can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the freezer.

Braised Brussels Sprouts
An old standard at our house.

Fat Free Vegan's Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
To say that a sweet potato casserole is a must for me at Thanksgiving is a total understatement. I plan on taking Susan's beloved recipe and simplifying it a bit, leaving out all of the vegan margarine and getting creative about the sugar (has anyone made date paste yet?).

Fat Free Vegan's Green Bean Casserole

A healthier vegan adaptation of Paula Dean's Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
In my opinion. this is simply one of the best desserts ever to have been created. I have made it many times in it's non vegan state, including for Thanksgiving last year. This year, it's time to step it up a notch. I'm gonna healthy-veganize it.

What's on your list for this year's Thanksgiving meal? Have I forgotten anything? Feel free to make recommendations of things that have been successful for you in the past or dishes that you are going to be preparing this Thanksgiving. We could all use the help!

Also, FYI . . . Forks Over Knives is presenting a LIVE Plant-Based Thanksgiving Cooking Show with our friend Julieanna Hever, R.D.

Join FOK Thursday November 17th at 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST on thier Facebook or Livestream page for a live cooking demonstration with Julieanna Hever, R.D. Julieanna will demonstrate a plant-based Thanksgiving meal that will be delicious and healthy. While making the meal, Julieanna will answer questions from the audience. Questions can be sent in advance to Info@ForksOverKnives.com and also be asked live during the broadcast.

Julieanna is author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition and producer/host of the viden "To Your Health," both available on the FOK website. Click here to watch her recent appearance on The Dr. Oz Show

What I Wore

2011-11-13T02:06:00.000-08:00

Oh HELLO there! I know it's been a while since I've done one of these, but I just love my new ~~cheap~~ Target boots ^_^ Once I bought them and then saw this post from Jen, I just knew I had to recreate it in my own way! I mean seriously, isn't she the cutest? She looks incredible no matter what she's wearing, but she also happens to have a great sense of style. This outfit just screamed Fall. It looked so comfy and cozy, and guess what? My version was and I'm guessing she was comfy too! Thanks for the constant inspiration Jen! ♥

sweater, tee & boots: Target, jeans: H&M, bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy 25

*Sigh* I wish I had an amazing fall backdrop with leaves changing and gorgeous sunsets plus an amazing photographer, like most bloggers have. Oh well! Until then, I suppose this closet door will have to do.

Low Carb Breakfast Sandwich

2011-11-11T11:55:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning seriously craving an Egg McMuffin or Starbucks breakfast sandwich. Since I can't have the carbs, I had to improvise! Here's a quick and easy way to make yourself a delicious, nutritious, and filling breakfast.

Low Carb "Mug" Bread

1 whole Egg
1/4 cup low carb flour, I used Almond Meal
1 tbsp. Butter
2 tsp. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

Extras for the filling:

1 Fried Egg
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
You could use meat such as Canadian bacon or pork bacon ^_^ yums

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

In a large coffee mug melt 1 tablespoon of butter, let cool slightly. Beat in one egg, then add in the remaining dry ingredients. Cook on high power for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, depending on your microwaves strength. Invert the mug over a plate, the bread should slide right out. Cut in half, set aside. Next fry your egg and assemble the fillings you want for your sandwich. I had to trim excess off the bread, so really it was sliced into 4 pieces and I used the two longest and widest slices and tossed out the extra, this will change the calorie count a bit. To calculate, just divide everything from the bread in half if your throw away the extra. I melted sharp cheddar cheese on the bread, then placed an egg inside and assembled it.

Caloric Breakdown for 1 whole sandwich: 304 calories, 1.5 grams carbohydrates, 24.5 grams of fat, 19.3 grams protein. The nutrition of a popular leading breakfast sandwich is more like: 300 calories, 12 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrates, and 18 grams of protein. The lower fat might be appealing, but it's coming from the same sources like cheese and eggs. My version is higher fat because of the almond meal and I account for everything including the butter used in the bread and how I cook the egg. I always wonder how accurate fast food "nutrition" is. In terms of my everyday diet, as long as I stick to staying low carb my weight has actually been decreasing ^_^

The bread almost tasted a bit like corn meal, reminded me a bit of polenta. I think this is a wonderful alternative to fast food breakfast sandwiches with all of the flavor and none of the guilt if you're eating low carb. Enjoy!

Alex Stratta Sighting

2011-11-11T02:46:00.000-08:00

Who is Alex Stratta you ask?

A cheftestant on last season's Top Chef.

Masters.

Holy sh!#.

So I'm standing in the checkout line at Whole Foods with my friend Chris-anna, and I'm staring at the guy behind us. I'm thinking, "I know this guy. He looks so familiar. Who is he? Where do I know him from. If I don't just ask him, it's going to bug me for days."

So I say it, "Do I know you?"

"I was on television."

"What show?"

"Top Chef." (He leaves out the "Masters" part, guess he's really shy or something.)

My eyes widen. Oh. That's how I know him. "Do you live in . . . Cleveland?????"

"No, I'm here to see some doctors."

Now there's a big furrow in my brow. I'm squinting as I stare at him. Is it terminal? Coming to Cleveland to see some doctors might mean it's pretty bad.

"Recipe development," he quietly ads.

"Oh!" I exclaim, "you have to come meet my friends!"

Seems Mr. Stratta lost 100 pounds recently. Here's the before:

Read about his transformation, as well as what happened to Alton Brown, here and here. I have been wondering about Alton for a long time, and now I know. So glad these guys are realizing the damage they are doing to themselves and to society.

Mr. Stratta is also a colon cancer survivor. He didn't mention that at lunch.

He did share that he left his jobs at the fancy restaurants he was working at in the Wynn as Vegas. Restaurants that were named after him. Who does that?

A guy who wants to be healthy, I'm guessing.

"Top Chef Masters' Alex Stratta has severed his ties with the Wynn Las Vegas. According to reports he quietly departed from his remaining Wynn restaurant Stratta a few weeks back, leaving executive chef David Snyder and Stratta’s assistant executive chef Joseph Leibowitz at the helm. (Earlier this year his other Wynn project Alex shuttered as well.) Apparently the split with the Wynn was amicable and Stratta will now be focusing on 'his culinary career on nutritional and disease preventative research and menu development, and an exciting new opportunity in the works in Asia.'"

Maybe he'll become one of us now?

I'm staying tuned!

Review: The Chef Aj Show

2011-11-10T03:59:00.000-08:00

Last night I had the honor of attending Chef Aj's cooking demonstration and Unprocessed presentation at Whole Foods. I almost didn't go! I thought I was too tired and didn't think I could swing getting a babysitter.

But those excuses were nothing that a little caffeine and an almost 12 year old daughter couldn't fix. That and my six-year-old Maya agreed to go with me. Which was lovely until she raised her hand really high in front of about sixty people and asked, "What's a hundred plus a hundred?"

I about died on the spot.

Luckily Chef Aj has a wicked sense of humor and a very high tolerance for six-year-olds named Maya. She's even invited Maya to move in with her in LA. I've seen Maya charm the pants off of many unsuspecting adults.

Chef Aj's presentation was dynamic. Inspiring. Outstanding.

Educational. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of all that is healthy and plant based.

Aj is a gifted whole foods chef. Her food is daring, amazing, delicious! You can find her work here, here and here.

Some of my favorite "one-liners" from The Chef Aj Show?

"What is CRAP? Calorie Rich And Processed."

"Processed food is not food."

"White ain't right."

"We are the only species that salts our food. Have you ever seen a lion with a salt shaker?"

"Americans celebrate their birthdays every single day, three times a day."

When it comes to sweets: "Eat the fruit, the whole fruit, nothing but the fruit, so help you God."

Three great food tips from Chef Aj?

(1) If you think that a recipe needs salt, try to add a sour taste instead (think lemon or lime juice). Your salt and sour taste buds are right next to each other on your tongue so one taste can satisfy the other craving.

(2) If you want to decrease the amount of nuts in a savory dish, substitute cannelini beans (washed and drained) for the nuts. It works like magic.

(3) Make your own almond milk. Simply blend 1 tablespoon of raw, unsalted almond butter with 3 cups of water. Viola! So, so, so much cheaper than what is sold in the market and no extra ingredients.

If Chef Aj is ever in your town, don't miss her! Travel if you have to. Bus, train, plane . . . you'll be glad you did.

I left the presentation inspired with the following idea that she shared with us from Jack La Lane:

"If God made it, eat it. If man made it, don't eat it."

These are words that I needed to be reminded of. Thank you Chef Aj!

Kick off the Holidays...

2011-11-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a little plug for the coolest gig ever.... Kick off your holiday season right by loving on others. This is a really practical, hands-on way to help, bless, love and care for those who don't have much. Check out this ministry called Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan's Purse. It's a great thing to do with your kids, it's a very tangible way for them to see and experience loving others in a real way. We get a (big) shoe box from the closet, then we head off to find treasures and trinkets we think these kids would like. Everything from dolls and cars, to toothpaste, brushes, hair ties, games, cards, and snacks. When the shoe box is full to the brim, we take it to a church drop off point, they include a bible and some stories about Jesus in the child's language, then they ship them all over the world- even the most remote parts!

Gather your kids around the computer and show them some videos and pictures so they can really SEE where these goodies are going. They will love it. You will love it. And more importantly, the kids who receive the gift will be blessed beyond belief... with just a little shoe box of LOVE.

Samaritans Purse Videos: (Check out "Joy in the Farthest Reaches of the World")
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index/

Samaritans Purse Photos:
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/In_Pictures/

5 Easy Healthy Lifestyle Tips

2011-11-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

Instead of picking your biggest challenge, consider starting where you know you can be effective, where you can get some lasting bang for your buck, and where you can start growing motivation and momentum.

Here are five relatively painless and struggle-free tips to help you create lasting healthy habits:

1. Get some zzzzzs. Sleep affects just about everything we do and without enough sleep, we all tend to unravel. Inadequate sleep affects your cravings, your metabolism, your energy level, mood, activity, focus and motivation. If you aren't regularly getting seven hours of sleep a night (or more) this is the first area to address. If you are exhausted and try to keep going, you aren't likely to be effective and you'll probably be drawn to mindless "zoning out" activities that are really just busy work. Go to sleep instead.

2. Identify your trouble spots. Don't just focus on what you want to do. Be smart and identify the things that have led you off track in the past. A positive attitude is great, but a proactive plan for how you will do it differently this time is even better.

3. Grow tools for managing emotions and stress. Emotional eating (including stress eating) is one of the primary causes of overeating, weight gain, and weight regain. Without the strategies you need, stressful situations can trigger very unhealthy (and self-sabotaging) responses such as overeating, smoking, alcohol use, avoidance, or numbing out in front of the computer. Hard times are also the time when many women abandon or lose track of health, fitness, and wellness goals. Instead of only focusing on what you'll eat or when you'll work out, invest some energy in addressing any real issues that are the trigger for the habits you are trying to kick.

4. Don't lose yourself. One of the biggest reasons that busy women get off track is that they get distracted by other life demands.

• Designate a time to check in with yourself-at least weekly-and evaluate how things are going. Use this time to schedule the additional time you'll need throughout the week for exercise, stress relief, meal planning, etc.

• Post your goals somewhere where you will see them and be reminded of them regularly. Make sure you identify milestones along the way to your big goal and reward yourself for reaching them.

5. Keep it positive. Don't ignore your mindset-it has the power to impact your mood, your energy level, your choices and your progress. Focus on what you've done rather than what didn't happen.

Acknowledge the accomplishments (change is difficult) and celebrate your achievements along the way. Adopt the mantra, "I'm doing my best" instead of "I have to get it perfect" and you'll be much better prepared to keep going when the going gets tough, recognize your progress and your efforts, and take good care of yourself along the way.

Healthy Lifestyle Tips to Live Well Past 80

2011-11-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Healthy lifestyle tips can be adopted at any age. Try these common sense tips if you want to improve your chances of being healthy past 80.

The first place you have to look for healthy tips is the types of foods you eat. There are many healthy foods to eat. The question is whether you will give up the junk food you are used to eating and begin consuming good healthy foods. The benefits of a healthy diet are well worth the effort you will put into making healthful food choices.

Healthy Eating Guidelines To Stay Youthful

Easy healthy diets can be constructed from a few simple rules pertaining to daily eating.

Eat at least five servings of raw vegetables and fresh fruit every day. This simple step will give your body the enzymes and antioxidants it needs to fight off the ravages of time and decay.

Consume whole grain products such as bread, pasta, and cereal instead of refined grain products. This common tip will give your body an array of nutrients as well as the vital fiber it needs to maintain normal, daily functioning.

Limit your daily protein consumption to a piece of meat about the size of a pack of playing cards because it is not needed in great quantities. However, a slight increase in protein intake is advised as you progress into your later years.

Drink lots of pure water. Water is used in many chemical reactions constantly taking place in all areas of your body. It is also lost in substantial amounts when waste is flushed from your body.

To keep your body operating efficiently and youthful you must be able to efficiently flush toxins from your body. Plenty of water consumed throughout your day provides this vital resource.

These are the basics that will make it easy for you to consume healthy foods regardless of the time or place of your next meal.

Water, Enzymes And Vitamins

Now you have to begin to slowly integrate these types of foods into the meals you currently consume. It's easy to do if you begin serving a salad or raw vegetable platter as an appetizer to every lunch or dinner you eat. Consider serving water with the meal and saving your other drinks for snacks or as an after dinner treat.

It is important that you consume raw vegetables with each meal because cooking kills all of the vital enzymes and most of the other nutrients.

Why would you want to eat foods that are missing nutrients?

Adding an adequate amount of whole grains to your daily eating regimen will offer big dividends in the long run. Here is an easy way to begin consuming more of these healthful foods.

Buy whole grain bread in addition to the tasteless white bread you usually buy and begin alternating them. This will allow you to effortlessly transition to the healthier bread. You will soon find yourself buying only the whole grain bread because you will begin appreciating the fuller flavor it offers.

Good Sleep

Sleep is when your body heals and replenishes itself. Without adequate sleep and rest it will suffer increased wear and tear. That leads to premature aging. An adult needs eight hours of sleep a night while teens demand 10-12 hours per night.

And don't forget afternoon naps! Yes, it is OK to take an afternoon nap. It is even strongly advised to take the time to nap. Your work will wait.

There is a definite sleep cycle demanded by your body in the middle of the afternoon. This is a time your bodily functions and mind slow down. That is why you often feel tired or sluggish in mid afternoon.

In countries where they take a "siesta" every day the heart attack rate is much lower than in places where naps are not taken as a rule. An afternoon nap should not be excessively long. Fifteen to thirty minutes is sufficient. More sleep may make you groggy.

So take afternoon naps and be happier, more productive and healthier.

Good Exercise

Exercise is essential to keep your body healthy well past 80. It should begin as early in life as possible and continue throughout your entire life span.

Exercise does not have to mean you go to the gym and sweat with a bunch of strangers. It only means that you are moving your body instead of sitting in front of the TV all day.

Do you like golf or bowling? They are exercise and provide a lot of fun and relaxation.

Do you like taking walks? That is also exercise.

Whatever you want to do to move your body is OK. Daily exercise will keep your vital body functions operating at peak efficiency to help you maintain your health well into your later years.

Top 10 Healthy Lifestyle Tips

2011-11-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

Living a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be hard. It just takes the motivation to change our bad habits into good, healthy ones. Below is a list of 10 healthy lifestyle tips to get you started. Once you start, you can come up with more healthy choices that work for you.

o The first thing is to eat a balanced diet. Eat more fruits and vegetables and get rid of the high sugar, processed foods. Along with eating better is getting the right nutrients in the system.
o So the second thing is to take vitamins and minerals to help your body work properly.
o The third tip is to quit all those nasty unhealthy habits. Smoking, drinking, drugs, chewing tobacco, whatever your vice may be quit now. You are in charge of your health and living a healthier lifestyle means getting rid of the things that may kill you.
o The fourth thing to do is exercise. Exercise makes you feel good and can motivate you to get other things done as well.

o Along with exercise, number five is making sure you see a doctor each year for an annual physical. This is more important in women, but men should be seeing a doctor every 2-3 years to make sure there are no big health concerns.
o The sixth is to surround yourself with a strong support network, or a group of people who will be there for you and participate in a healthy lifestyle as well.
o Your family and friends can help you with the seventh tip, have fun and enjoy life.
o Eighth tip is to create a good balance between work and play.
o The final two tips are to accept yourself for the unique individual you are and love what you do. If you can accept yourself, the good and the bad, it will show in all you do. Your job is something you will be doing for at least the next 20 years, so you should love it. If you don't keep looking until you find something you do love.

Start with those healthy lifestyle choices and see how you feel in the next few weeks. You should feel more energized, motivated, and positive.

Are you ready for this?

2011-11-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

One World Day Nov 1st: One World Day - Health Sustainability - YouTube

More people than ever before are adopting a plantarian style diet..

Harvest Morning Oatmeal

2011-11-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

I love that Fall is here! It's time to change up our morning oatmeal from fresh berries and peaches, to something with a little bit more crunch! How about pomegranate seeds???

We cook Steel Cut Oats at least 3 times a week around here, and while they are cooking we always add a little cinnamon... feeling like a little more Fall-ish flavors?? Add a dash of Nutmeg and top with Pomegranate Seeds. Don't be afraid of Pomegranates, they are so easy to prepare (see "Tip" below), I usually do 4-5 at a time in a cool bowl of water in the kitchen sink and then store them in a Ziplock bag, which makes them a perfect topping for this Harvest Morning Oatmeal! Enjoy!

Quick Tip to De-Seed your Pomegranates: Fill up a large bowl in your sink with cool water. Take your pomegranate and slice it in half with a sharp knife. Submerge one half of the pomegranate in the water and peel back the skin like you are turning it inside out. All the seeds will pop out and because it's under water there will be no spraying or staining of your clothes! Plus, all the seeds will sink to the bottom and all the excess stuff from the inside of the pomegranate will float to the top. Then you can skim off the top of the bowl with you hand and strain the seeds out for eating. I usually do a bunch at a time and store them in a ziplock bag in the fridge to snack on!

Do you have extra Pomegranates, try this delicious salad, one of my favorites for sure!!!

Another Cancer alert on meat

2011-11-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: Cancer alert on red meat

New report suggests raw meat could be safer than cooked meat

EATING overcooked meat is twice as likely to cause cancer than previously thought, scientists warned last night.

The new alert over the hidden dangers of a roast dinner or cooked breakfast means the nation is unwittingly putting itself at serious risk of developing the deadly disease.

The dark crust formed on the outside of a well-done steak or joint of red meat more than doubles the risk of intestinal tumours, researchers have found. Frying and grilling are particularly risky because the intense heat turns the sugars and amino acids of muscle tissue into high levels of cancer-causing compounds.

No Bake Pumpkin "Cheesecake"

2011-10-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

Yummms. This is a great treat for Fall, I love pumpkin spice anything ^_^ This delicious creamy dessert is just under 4 grams of carbs per serving, so the carb and sugar count is much lower than most desserts. The best part? It's a no bake dessert. It never sets up fully so it's best served in a bowl, and scooped out with a spatula =P You could sub whipped cream for the coconut milk and add eggs to make this a regular cheesecake that you can bake! I was just being lazy!

No Bake Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake
makes 8 servings

8 ounces full fat Cream Cheese
1 cup Canned Pumpkin
1 can Coconut Milk, chilled in fridge syrup drained
about 1/3 cup Macadamia Nuts, ground
2 Tbsp. & 1/4 tsp. Stevia, or sugar substitute, divided
2 1/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice, divided
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Preparation & No Bake Instructions

Use a blender, Magic Bullet, or food processor to grind the macadamia nuts with 1/4 tsp. Stevia and 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Pulse until the nuts look like crumbs, press into the bottom of a pie pan. In a large bowl add the drained coconut milk (it should be completely firm) and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract. Beat the coconut milk starting and low and slowly increasing the speed. You should end up with what looks like whipped cream. Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until fluffy and combined. Pour the mixture over the "crust" in the pan and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

As I stated this is more like a mousse in terms of texture, but it tastes exactly like cheesecake! So good! Per slice: 211.5 calories, 4 carbs, 3.5 grams protein.

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