It has been a minute since my last post. I have been busy taking classes toward a Web & Graphic Design Certificate. I am graduating this December and so excited to create.
One of my last final projects was an eight page cookbook. I chose cocktails and appetizers because they are my favorites! My professor gave me some really positive feedback and told me the cookbook was portfolio ready.
My kids told me the that their Dad makes better grilled cheese and better chocolate milk than I do. How can that be possible? Well, he adds extra cheese and butter on the sandwich and extra chocolate in the milk of course! As a family, our diet is mostly healthy and we eat out only once or twice a week. However, I often find Oreos, Doritos, premixed chocolate milk, yogurt with candy pieces and ice cream of all varieties when my husband B. goes shopping. I can’t even go on about the secret weekend donut/dessert runs. These take place early in the morning on weekends when I am still asleep or out for a run.
I have told B. that taste is acquired for healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits. While sugar is readily accepted by kids. Kids have more taste buds and their taste buds are more sensitive. Taste involves not just physical signals but sensory ones too. (Accounting for Taste) We find food to be tastier if it is plated nicely on pretty dish or a fancy spoon. Food appears attractive when it it is presented with garnishes. We are already bombarded with images of unhealthy foods that are loaded in fat, calories and sugar. And those images are not of fresh, whole foods that are unprocessed fruits, vegetables or grains.
With each meal, I try to include a fresh fruit or vegetable. I would like my kids to be exposed to these tastes everyday. Taste can be changed. For example, people with health issues that are forced to cut back or sugar or salt, find the foods they used to eat previously taste too salty or too sugary after a few months. The more we eat certain foods, the more we get used to the taste.
While I can’t stop B. from buying junk food, I do have solace in the fact that taste changes with age. (Taste changes with age) As we get older, the number of taste buds adults have decreases. Adults have around 10,000 taste buds and kids have 30,000. And, we are more inclined as adults to try new foods and new tastes. Grown ups look at food not only from a taste perspective, but a health perspective also. I am confident that my kids will eat better as they get older. Both of them now eat tomatoes, lettuce, onions, olives, broccoli and green beans which was unheard of just a few years ago.
I can assure you that I am not the food police in our house. With a Dietetics and Nutrition background and I know how to counter the unhealthy food. I let them eat the unhealthy food, but in limited quantities. Big desserts in our house are for the weekends only. I adopted this rule from one of my daughter’s classmates who was lamenting how horrible her life was without weekday desserts. Before you think I am a mean and awful Mom…during the weekdays, my kids drink chocolate milk for breakfast and lunch. I pack a little something sweet in their lunch like a small cookie or chocolate. And they eat a PB&J for lunch everyday at school (their favorite). I know they will remember the “dessert on weekends only” with great fondness…hardship makes us stronger…right?!
The following recipe is a vegan Hot Artichoke Dip that even my kids love. It is low in calories and big on taste. I hope you like it.
2 cans of quartered Artichoke Hearts (14 oz cans)
2 T Vegan Mayonnaise (I use “Follow Your Heart” Veganaise)
2 T Nutritional Yeast
1 t Garlic Powder
1 t Salt
Drain the artichokes and add them to a food processor. Add the Veganaise, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt and blend until smooth. If your dip is too thick, try adding a tablespoon of water or several as needed. Empty into a serving bowl and microwave for one minute or empty into a pan and heat until hot. I like to eat mine with veggies, toasted baguette slices or toasted pita/chapati/naan.
A friend of mine assumed that I only consume organic food made from scratch. That is very far from the truth. Unless you grow your own food, you are eating processed food. Fresh fruits and vegetables are minimally processed and meat substitutes and nut milks are heavily processed. Most of us don’t have the means or the knowledge to grow our own food. Although I eat a lot of fruit, vegetables and whole grains, I certainly do consume my fair share of seitan, pea protein, nut cheese and some soy based products. I just don’t have to time to make my own. With an active family and schedule, I don’t feel bad about that.
Fruits and vegetables do not have to be organic. I used to follow the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) Dirty 15 rule because it ranked produce with a percentage of pesticides found after harvesting. But, according to the Journal of Toxicology (article), some pesticides are more toxic than others and they are not all equal. So, I try to buy organic when possible. But, sometimes stores are low in organic inventory or the non-organic produce looks fresher than the organic. A good washing of non-organic fruits and veggies removes most pesticides. Simply eating more fruits and vegetables is beneficial along with a balanced diet.
My husband and my kids are not vegan. They consume mostly organic eggs, milk, chicken and fish at home. But, the kids get fast food when they are out with friends and we go to restaurants that do not serve organic meat and dairy.
According to the Washington Post, there are two main differences between organic and conventional animal products. One is what the animals are eating and the other is the level of Omega 3’s. I do care what the animals are eating and not so much about the Omega 3 levels. (article)
Organic milk, eggs and meat come from cows that are pasture raised and grass fed and free range chickens that are not fed animal or poultry by-prodcuts. I just feel better buying organic animal products, but when we go out…
As long as you are eating a diet that includes plenty of vegetables, fruit and grains with some protein (animal or plant based), you are on the right track. If that diet includes organic foods, even better! I would love to be the perfect, puritanical, organic, and unprocessed vegan but I’m not and I’m okay with that!
Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burger Salad
1 package Morningstar Farms Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burgers (4 patties)
2 C Mushrooms, washed
2 Medium Tomatoes, washed
1 Medium Yellow or Red Pepper, washed and deseeded
2 T Garden Gourmet Basil Paste (or fresh basil if available)
2 T Olive Oil
1/2 t garlic powder
Salt to taste
Cook burgers according to the package. While they are cooking, add olive oil, basil paste, garlic powder and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix well. Chop mushrooms, peppers and tomato into one inch pieces. When burgers are done cooking, cut them into one inch pieces and add them and the veggies to the mixture in the bowl. Mix well so the dressing coats all the pieces and serve. This recipe serves two.
Hello November! I can’t believe the year is almost over. I have finally gotten around to writing down recipes from my previous blog post “Cooking”. For those of you asking for those recipes…so sorry for the delay.
I cook by the seat of my pants. Whatever is in the vegetable drawer or is close to expiring, dictates the meal! When I was a Food Service Director, we operated very differently. The menu drove inventory purchases. We had a 4 week menu and usually didn’t deviate unless something was going bad. Then of course, we had a daily special! Why don’t I do the same thing at home? Well, I guess I like the spontaneity and I may be a little lazy. I hope these recipes help you.
I am always looking for ways to cut calories. Feel free to substitute your favorite option. You can get creative from one little idea which can turn into something quite delicious!
This is my go to easy option for lunch.
2 slices of Nature’s Own 40 calorie Bread
3 slices of Field Roast Wild Mushroom Deli slices
1 medium Tomato sliced
Handfull of washed Spinach leaves
2 T House of Tsang Korean BBQ sauce
1 oz Kettle Black Pepper Potato chips
Spread BBQ sauce on both slices of bread, one tablespoon each. Assemble seitan slices, tomato slices and spinach. Devour with chips. I like to stick the chips in my sandwich. It doesn’t always look so pretty when I am eating the sandwich, but I really love the chips in the sammie!
2 C cooked rice (I use Basmati, but any cooked white rice will do)
1 can Black Beans wash and drained
4 Medium Tomatoes chopped
1/4 C Green onions sliced thin
1/2 Mango cut into long slices
1/2 Avocado cut into long slices
1/2 large Lime juiced
1 t Garlic powder (adjust to your taste)
1 t Cayenne Pepper (adjust to your taste)
Salt to taste
In a large saute or frying pan, add rice, beans, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Mix well and heat for 3-4 minutes. Add tomato and green onions, heat an additional two minutes. Add salt, serve with mango and avocado slices. I like to sprinkle the fruit with a dash of garlic, cayenne pepper, lime juice and salt also. This recipe serves 1-2 people depending on their appetite.
1 C Chickpea flour
4 C Baby Spinach leaves
1/2 Red Pepper diced
1 1/2 C Water
2 T Roasted garlic chunks or 1 t garlic powder
2 T Nutritional yeast
1/2 t cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Oil spray
Spray a medium frying pan with cooking spray. On medium flame, add diced red pepper to the heated pan. Cook peppers until soft. Add spinach and let wilt.
While spinach is wilting, in a small bowl, add chickpea flour, water, cayenne pepper, garlic, nutritional yeast and salt. Mix well, the batter should resemble thin pancake batter, however this batter will be gritty, not smooth.
Once the spinach has wilted, add flour mixture into pan, pouring evenly and let the mixture cook until solid. Spray the top with oil spray. The veggie fry will need to be turned over for both sides to cook. With your spatula, quarter the fry and turn all four pieces over and spray with oil spray again. Chickpea flour cooks quickly, I like to let mine form a slight crust. This veggie fry is a nice alternative to scrambled eggs because chickpea flour is high in protein. This recipe serves 2-3 people.
I am not sure when it happened to me or when it happens to others. As I mark another birthday and shake my head at yet another mole or spot on my face, I realize that I am now mellow. Mellow can mean: aged, cured, developed, rounded, seasoned, cultured or smooth. To me, it means that I am much more easy going than I was in my younger days.
As a kid, there is so much pressure on perfection and learning things properly. Aaah, the exuberance of youth! I see my kids always wanting things to be perfect or to be the best at something. My 12 yr old son has to have all his electronics devices in a certain way. My 9 yr old daughter has to have her stuffed animals in a particular order when she goes to sleep. And both of them love organizing their backpacks in their own way. Heaven forbid, mom puts a water bottle in the wrong place. Their motivation makes me smile.
As teenagers, we still have all that energy, only we pretend we are too cool to care. My room was my sanctuary during my teens. My two younger sisters and parents were not allowed to loiter. All my favorite bands and actors were on my wall in the coolest arrangement of course. A mean comment from one of my friends would send me into a sad brooding spiral. “How could she?!!”
In my twenties, it was all about eloping (that’s another post), career paths, promotions and graduate degrees. No pressure or need for perfection there…right? What I remember about my twenties is that B and I worked really hard and played hard too. Everything just mattered so much more.
My kids came along in my thirties. I had to make the agonizing decision to quit working and be a stay at home mom. Being first time parents is really hard. I remember torturing my family when they came to see the kids as babies.
“Did you wash your hands?”
“Is this one of the sterilized bottles?”
“That is a choking hazard…!”
I went from that to “You can still eat that…we have acids in our tummies that kill germs.”
In my forties, I really just don’t care about all the things I used to obsess about. I tell my kids that they need to relax, that other people have it much harder and to stop complaining. By now, all my family members know each other really well. We used to push each others buttons in our younger days. Nowadays, we still push buttons but less frequently and then say something nice afterwards…
And my friends, many of them are still neurotic about things. They stress about aging, botox, kids and keeping up with the neighbors. But many of them have also mellowed just like me. It’s funny that words of wisdom from the past can help us throughout life. My karate teacher told me “stand tall and be proud”. One of my uncles told me “health is wealth”. And a teacher once told me “be thankful for what you have.” And I tell my kids “do your best, if it doesn’t work out, try again, if it still doesn’t work out, move on to something else .”
Bourbon Hot Chocolate
3 T Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate or any sweetened chocolate
6 oz Water
1 oz Bourbon
Heat water in a pan until boiling or microwave in a mug for two minutes. Add chocolate and make sure it dissolves completely. Add Bourbon. Viola!
Rum & Coconut Cooler
1 C Orgain High Protein Almond Milk or nut milk of your choice.
1 T Coconut Sugar
1 t Coconut Flakes Unsweetened
1 oz Rum
This is a cold drink. Combine all of the ingredients together, paper umbrella optional.
“How do you do it”?
“How do you have the self-control”?
These are questions I get asked all the time about not just being plant based, but portion control and staying fit. These are not easy questions to answer. We are all different and what works for me may not work for you. I can however, provide you with some habits that I formed in my teens. During my senior year in high school, I lost fifteen pounds and have kept it off using portion control and running. This post is about eating, I will talk about fitness in my next post.
Eating a meal should be only that. Just eat, don’t do anything else. Don’t multi-task. Look at your plate and pay attention to your food. Enjoy the taste and get the satisfaction and nourishment that it provides.
Eat sitting down. When you are eating anything, a meal or even a snack or having a drink, sit down. Don’t stand when you are eating or drinking. Take the time to look at what you are eating and drinking.
When you are still craving more of what you just ate, change the taste. For example, when I am craving more potato chips and I have already eaten two servings, I wait. I drink some water, then eat something with a completely opposite taste like cherries, or vegan yogurt or sorbet. I forget the taste of the salty, fatty chips because I have tasted something else.
Portion out your food. I know this piece of advice gets such a bad rap and a bad reaction from people. There is absolutely nothing wrong with measuring or weighing out serving sizes. Eating snacks like chips out of a bag usually means overeating because of their small serving size. Serving sizes for potato chips are usually around 150 calories for 28 grams or around 14 chips. I usually lose count after 4. I have an inexpensive food scale and measuring cups/spoons.
Eat your meals on smaller plates. I have both 10 and 8 inch plates. But I always use the 8 inch plates. This optical illusion works by tricking my mind into thinking my plate has runneth over.
Not having bags of readily available junk food forces me to make my own snacks. If I am feeling too lazy to cook, I end up eating a fruit or doing something else besides eating. See below for an easy yet healthy smoothie bowl.
I am not perfect by any means. We all have good days and bad days. But starting with a health eating goal in mind everyday is really important. Do your best and try to stick with your eating goals everyday. It will pay off eventually. Good eating habits and physical fitness can help with weight loss and improve health. It won’t happen overnight, it takes time and patience to change behavior and break lifelong habits. Next post is all about moving!
Easy Smoothie Bowl
There are thousands of great smoothie bowl recipes. This one is easy, lower in calories and high in protein. I did not have any of my favorite berries to add when the above picture was taken, but feel free to top with blueberries or strawberries.
1 container Silk soy yogurt (or your favorite low fat yogurt)
4 T Trader Joe’s Chocolate Hemp Powder
1 T unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Around 8 Pistachios (mostly crushed or whole if you prefer)
In a bowl, mix yogurt and hemp powder together. Top with coconut, pistachios and fruit. Enjoy!
Using the nutrition labels provided on all the ingredients, I calculated this smoothie bowl at approximately 310 calories with 15 g of protein.
These two dishes are favorites of mine because they are easy yet delicious. I love Indian food, but I don’t always have the time or ingredients for “by the book”, authentic recipes. Therefore, I make Indian inspired dishes. Keeping meals healthy and low calorie is really important to me. Many of my recipes could be made with additional oil for example, but I limit the oil and use oil spray. I hope you like these simple recipes.
Savory Cauliflower
1 head of Cauliflower
1 medium Onion diced
1 t Cayenne pepper
4 cloves Garlic diced
1/4 t garlic powder
4 T Nutritional yeast
1 T Sunflower Oil
1 t Salt or to taste
Olive Oil spray or equivalent
Green onions pieces to garnish
Wash and clean cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into 2 inch pieces. Place cauliflower into a large pan with about an inch of water. Cover and let cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Check to make sure that all pieces are cooked and let the cauliflower cook a few more minutes if needed. Drain water and transfer onto a large plate.
While the cauliflower is cooking, dice onion and garlic.
I like as little cleanup as possible and like the reuse pans whenever I can. In the same pan, on medium heat, add sunflower oil and diced onion. Cook until the onions are soft. Add garlic and cook for maybe two minutes until the garlic is soft, making sure the garlic is not burning or turning dark brown.
Then, add a layer of cauliflower, spray with olive oil spray. Sprinkle half the amount of garlic, cayenne pepper and salt. Add a second layer of cauliflower and repeat the olive oil spray, sprinkle the remaining garlic powder and salt. Let the cauliflower cook with the spices and salt for an additional five minutes making sure that all the pieces are coated.
Add nutritional yeast and make sure the yeast coats the cauliflower evenly. I like the yeast because it adds protein and an extra layer of taste.
Garnish with pieces of green onion and serve with your favorite bread, vegan garlic naan or parantha.
Channa Masala
1 Can of Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Medium Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
1 t Garam masala (found in the spice section or at your local Indian grocery)
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t salt or to taste
Oil spray or equivalent
Cover the bottom of a medium sauce pan with oil spray.
Add garlic and ginger. Cook for about three minutes on medium heat making sure they don’t burn.
Add tomatoes and cook until they get really soft and release a little water.
Add garam masala and cayenne and cook for another 3 three minutes or so.
Add garbanzo beans and salt, mix thoroughly.
Serve with your favorite bread, (vegan naan, pita, parantha or tortilla)
Please see picture above for both dishes.
Cooking and creating new recipes is one of my passions. Although the experts say that eating less highly processed foods and more whole foods is healthier, its not always that easy. Even with my nutrition and dietetics management background, it can be challenging. Hectic schedules don’t always allow for “made from scratch” cooking. And weekend bulk prep doesn’t always work for all recipes. I try to buy organic milk, meat and eggs whenever I can, but of course that rule is broken with fast food joints that my husband takes the kids to. I try to stick with organic fruits and vegetables, but that’s not always possible. Sometimes, the non-organic items may be fresher than the organic ones or not be available at the time.
I have managed to find a “middle of the road plan” for my family. In our house, I make plant based food for myself, kid friendly meals for my 12 and 9 yr old and meals for my husband. That may sound daunting, but our Venn diagrams do overlap with some foods! And, my husband does enjoy a lot of my vegan dishes.
My kids have become interested in making their own food these days. Cooking on the weekends has become a favorite activity with my 9 yr old who always bugs her older brother to help. She always cajoles him into joining in. Whether its Trader Joe scones or grilled cheese, they want to do it themselves. They are allowed to make things like waffles, toast, PBJ’s and eggs with minimal supervision. They have also acquired some knife handling skills with supervision of course. They are not allowed to turn on any appliance unless an adult is present. Both kids have been super picky eaters in the past, but they have opened up to salads, tomatoes and nuts from helping me cook. I am not sure how long they will be interested in cooking. But, here’s hoping they learn a few skills and acquire new tastes that will take them through life!
I have gotten many recipe requests from friends. Therefore, I am working on a recipe gallery. Most of them are plant based, easy and take about 30 minutes. I hope you will find some of these dishes helpful and delicious as I do!
Meat always grossed me out as a kid. My parents used to force chicken curry on all three of us girls. I didn’t find meat particularly tasty. My kid sister had secretly joined PETA when I was in college. She went around pinning “Meat Stinks” buttons on everyones bags and purses. She was a committed teenager and would lecture all of us about the ills of eating meat. As a Nutrition major at Penn State, I watched a documentary in class about the most dangerous jobs in America. On top was the meat packing industry worker. They were dressed from head to toe in white suits and goggles. They had to cut open animals that had just been slaughtered. You get the drift…I haven’t forgotten those gruesome images. We had amazing food at our dining halls at Penn State. There were always two vegetarian options for entrees and a huge salad bar. I just gravitated toward the plant strong options. And viola, I had become vegetarian!
As an adult, I kept reading about the energy it takes for animal farming, the manure waste pools that result with thousands of animals crowded into confined lots, the use of antibiotics and what the animals are fed to fatten them up. Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma and the documentary Forks over knives also contributed to my disdain for animal products. My love of cheese and omelets diminished. My friends always lament about cheese…”I can’t live without cheese…butter…”. I really don’t miss the dairy because it is a paradigm shift when you start eating other wonderful foods. I don’t miss it, really. My running buddy and I decided to try eating plant based for a month. I haven’t looked back since then. She lasted three weeks and kudos to her because it is hard work being vegan! It was easier for me because I have a B.S. in Nutrition and have been a vegetarian for so many years.
Now, I get teased relentlessly by haters. I have so many friends and family who criticize me for my decision. Here are some gems that I have heard over the past few years:
“You’re going to die faster than me”.
“Why are you torturing yourself?”
“Animals were meant to be eaten”.
“What will they do with all that milk if we stop using it?” This one is astonishing because it came from my Dad, a board-certified physician. He is convinced that I have become less healthy, lost my looks and am wasting my time. My numbers from annual blood tests are great by the way. There are many vegans out there that don’t know what they are doing and develop nutritional deficiencies. There really is so much ignorance on veganism. I implore people to educate themselves on the subject. There are thousands of blogs and websites on plant based diets. Let me know if you need some references.
Now, I am an easy vegan. I am not militant and I don’t judge. All comments are taken with a grain of salt (thank goodness that’s vegan!). I really don’t care what anyone thinks! Just don’t! I patiently answer all the ludicrous questions because it has become my job to educate those around me. People are clueless about Nutrition, Health and Food Production. I used to think vegans were weirdos, not anymore. I am now eating so many delicious foods that were not on my radar. The food industry has us believing that their way is the only way. It is not. I am not trying to convince anyone to become a vegan. That’s up to you. If you have questions, need recipe tips or resource tips, let me know in the comments section or email me. My kid sister who is now an Allergist, has just started a new blog called thefriendlyepicurean.com. She is mostly plant based and has some excellent recipes. You can also check out my Instagram page, it has many recipes that I developed myself.
doodleplix 