I am Vegucated!

I love documentaries! They are my favorite thing to watch and as you may already know...health ones are my favorite. I cannot soak up their information fast enough. But, very rarely, does one change the way I live my life. Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead prompted me to buy a juicer and now Vegucated: The Documentary has inspired me to dive into the world of veganism. I live what I call a Pegan lifestyle anyways now, which is vegetables with small amounts of protein, but it wasnt the nutrition facts that have changed my way of thinking, it was the humane impact. The documentary talked alot about factory farms and how animals are really treated. So, short of knowing the farm that your protein, eggs, and dairy come from...you are probably eating food from a factory farm. This film was disturbing but in the best way possible. So, I have chosen to do the 30 day vegan challenge and after that I will reasses where and how much animal protein fits into my life. I still plan on living what i call my prana plate. Just getting my protein from different sources.

Day #1: I prepped many foods for the week this morning. Here is a list:

pinto bean, rice, tabboleah salad
pinto beans
cannelini beans
asian slaw
sauteed asparagus
sauteed mushrooms
salad
spiced lentils and kale

I had a smoothie for breakfast, mushroom/asparagus/ tabouleh salad for lunch, and lentils/sweet potato/salad for dinner. Vegan dark chocolate for a sweet snack.

Here is a link to the documentaries website:
http://www.getvegucated.com/

Dairy Free Chocolate Bars

I never thought I would eat a chocolate bar again when we went dairy free. I was never much of a chocolate bar fanatic, but every once and a while... a girl needs a little bit chocolate. I was listening to an interesting program on Hay House Radio yesterday and the lady's guest was this guy called the Raw Chocolate Guy. He makes his own raw chocolate candy bars out of Iowa. He talked alot about the benefits of eating raw chocolate. How it is up high on the list of super foods.....lots of antioxidents! I cannot explain the excitement from my family as I told them that I made chocolate bars for dessert.

Chocolate Bars/Bark
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
1 tbsp raw honey

Mix together till smooth. Put in molds or spread thin on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put in the freezer for 1/2 hour.

This not only was good, but no joke, may have been the healthiest part of our meal. Not only is cocoa filled with antioxidents, coconut oil is a fabulous way to get some good fat. Not to mention the raw honey...antibacterial, antiviral, and tastes delicious!!! 

Maddy has been so inspired by this that she wants to make her own chocolate bars and sell them. She even came up with a name for her "company", it's called Yummo! She has been experimenting with adding different nuts and dried fruits to the chocolate mixture. We are hoping to get the molds soon so she can start selling them at my classes.

Teff Porridge

I am always searching for another warm breakfast option that doesnt involve eggs. Today, I found it....creamy, warm teff.  Teff is a gluten free ancient grain that has been a staple in Ethiopian homes for thousands of years. It makes a creamy hot cereal with the nuttiness and consistancy of cream of wheat. Besides tasting delicious, it also packs a nutrient punch. Full of calcium, vitamin C, protein, and fiber. You can also buy it in it's flour form to make baked goods, pancakes, or waffles.

I used to work in the alzheimer's ward of a nursing home. There was a lady who lived there whose name was Josephine. She would reminisce every morning about cold, winter mornings growing up in Canada. The story always ended the same...."and my father gave me a big bowl of porridge to send me off on my way to school." So, every morning, we gave her a huge bowl of oatmeal (what she called porridge). I always remembered that, so on cold mornings I send my kids out the door with something warm in their tummies....here's to you Josephine.

Breakfast Teff Porridge
1/2 c. teff grain
1 1/2 c. water

Boil water. Once boiled add teff grain, cover, and set on low. Stir every 5 minutes
or so until creamy. Takes 15-20 minutes. I diced up some apples and fried them in
coconut oil to put on top. We also added maple syrup, cinnamon and walnuts.

Sneakingly Healthy "Waldorf" Salad

I put waldorf in quotation marks because I know this is not traditional waldorf salad. Really the only thing it has in common with waldorf is the apple and mayonaisse. But, if I had called it glorified sandwich salad sandwiches,  Jackson would never have ate it....so, waldorf it is. 

Glorified Waldorf Salad
1 package of chicken of the sea salmon (You can use tuna fish, or finely shredded chicken as well)
1/4 avacado
1/4 - 1/2 of a finely chopped apple or pear
1 large spoonful of mayo of your choice. I use earth balance mayo
2 pieces of fried and diced bacon
1 tsp PURE maple syrup

Combine all together and let sit for 1 hour or overnight in the fridge (covered) if possible. Serve on toast or with crackers. You can also add pepper, salt, and any other cut up fruit if you would like to. Grapes also work well. 

This lunch is full of healthy fats from the protein source and the avacado. The maple syrup and fruit give it some sweetness and the bacon lends a salty note. Great way to get kids to eat salmon!

Good for You Chocolate Dip

Try this tasty chocolate dip for kids made with no dairy, gluten, or eggs when you have a sweet craving. Full of antioxodents and protein makes you feel good about your indulgence. A great sweet treat for kids that's not full of sugar.

Chocolate Dip
1 cup spinich
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup dates
1/3 cup raw cashews
1 1/4 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Blend in Vitamix or other high speed blender till creamy. Best if it sits in fridge for a few hours. 

Miraculous Mushroom Soup

Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you will get a cold. Getting a cold, every once in a while, is good for your immune system. Anyone that knows me, knows that getting sick makes me super emotional and anxious. It is really hard for me to just give into it and rest. Moms all over know what I am talking about. You run the family and there is no time for you to be sick. I've been trying to deny it since Saturday and now I finally have to give in and like my favorite song goes, "Let it Go." So, I committed cardinal sin #1, cancelled all committments I had scheduled for this week. That was rough! On the advice of my naturopath I should do for myself what I would tell my kids to do if they were sick and that is to rest. I am blessed to have such wonderful healers in my life that give such good advice. It takes a village. If you don't have a good chiropractor, acupuncturist, and naturopath you may want to consider finding at least one. Back to the yumminess: I took a soup that I normally make and I immunified it by adding some garlic and ginger. As always, it's gluten and dairy free. The creaminess from it comes from the cashews. It is a recipe from my favorite cookbook, Nourishing Meals. Recipe is below. I would have posted a picture but I cannot find my camera since the house is completely tore apart with hopes of feng shuing the kids rooms....but that's another blog, another day:)

Miraculous Mushroom Soup
1 onion rough chopped
3 carrots rough chopped
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
10 cloves garlic, skin off, split down the middle
2 inch piece of ginger peeled and split in 2
2 containers of baby bella mushrooms
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
2-3 tsp. Herbamare or sea salt
6 cups of water
1/2 cup cashews
Heat oil and saute onions, garlic, carrots, and ginger. Saute for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and seasonings and saute for a few more minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Than simmer for 20 minutes until veggies are soft. Put cashews in Vitamix/Ninja/Blendtek, etc. add soup and blend till creamy. If you cannot fit in one blend, seperate and than combine all in soup pot to warm.

The stats:
Mushrooms increase the production of antiviral proteins that can destroy invaders that make you sick.
Garlic is a natural antibiotic and antibacterial. The Chinese have been using ginger for 2500 years to treat congestion, sinus pain, and sore throat.

Jack of All Trades Garlic Mix

This was a great find for me! I was searching last week for a cold remedy online. I found a few things, but I wanted the most simple. So, I made this balm. Here is what was in it:

Jack of All Trades Garlic Mix
3 cloves finely minced garlic
3 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp olive oil
Blend in a ninja blender, food processor, etc. and store in fridge in a glass jar. Will last in fridge for a few weeks.

I used this balm to rub on the bottom of my feet before bed. I than applied socks and went to sleep. I woke up in the morning without a sore throat anymore and feeling much better. I loved the smell of it, so I made another batch, not to rub on my feet, but to eat. Here are a few things I have been using it for:

- rubbing on bread and toasting for garlic bread
- sauteing vegetables in 
- using in guilt free alfredo sauce

This could also be rubbed on a chest or back if you are having a chest cold. I mean, no mistakes about it, you will smell like garlic but the benefits will probably outweigh the smell.