Whole Plant-Based Food
It's not about quick fixes or what works for the next 2 weeks. Think about your entire life! Think about what is sustainable. You can easily lose weight on any diet program, but odds are not usually in your favor for keeping the weight off...
Whenever I invite people over for dinner I either make what I'm currently craving or I have a simple 3-step method that I use. 1. Look inside the fridge. 2. What do I have? 3. What can I turn this into? For dinner the other night I looked into the fridge and saw butter lettuce, leftover tahini mayo (recipe below), and a TON of mushrooms that needed to be used, like, TAaaaH-DAY! I thought about making mushroom lettuce wraps and went to google just that. I saw a Mushroom Cashew Lettuce Wrap recipe that sounded intriguing to me and I took it from there! The recipe itself used a lot of random ingredients that I don't usually use on this website (or buy). So I improvised to make an oil-free version using the ingredients I currently had in the house. The perfect starter for your mushroom-loving friends.
Like I said in my last Zoodle post, my friend Arnetta gave me a spirilizer and I have to say that it's just so much fun! With it I've made Pad Thai (recipe below), Potato-Zoodle Salad (recipe coming soon), Hummus Zoodles, and the Alfredo recipe for today. I'm planning on eating zoodles with marinara sauce and cashew parmesan, throwing them in soups, and maybe even a zoodle casserole in the future! I'm not sure why I didn't buy myself this little device years ago, but I'm so glad my friend gave me one. So either get yourself a spirilizer or just get yourself an Arnetta! 😉 Zoodles forever!
Peanut sauce drizzled over zucchini noodles with cilantro, tofu, and peanuts, is fresh and delicious.
Potatoes, Beans, Vegetables, and a really good sauce.
This Miso-Tahini Kimchi bowl is my favorite type of meal, because you can make a big batch at the beginning of the week and then every day after you can have dinner on the table in less then 5 minutes. If you're the sort of person who doesn't like to eat the same thing everyday then a simple solution is to...
You can make a sandwich out of basically anything. All you need is a good sauce, some vegetables and a protein component. Check out these suggestions and make your own "perfect" sandwich!
Because mustard makes me happy.
Soy is controversial these days and everyone you talk to will have a different opinion. I've linked a few research articles in this post that show the benefits of soy. Of course with all the genetically modified stuff it starts to change the conversation since we don't really know how all these modified foods will affect us in the long-term. My opinion, however, is that it is far better to eat healthy plant foods rather then eat the saturated or trans fat laden snack foods and animal products our Western culture typically consumes. All you need to do is choose organic soy because by law it will be GMO free. This way we know we are getting fiber, plant-protein, vitamins, minerals, phytochemical, and antioxidants in our diet. This Tangy Tofu Salad Dressing has healthy soy protein (not to mention vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, and folate) and will add more for your health then nutrient deficient sugar or oil laden salad dressings.
I bought one of those HUGE bags of organic baby greens from Costco and it's my favorite salad mix to date! I also picked up a pack of pre-boiled organic beets. I LOVE BEETS and I've really enjoyed combining the baby greens with beets, fresh oregano (what????), red peppers, and pumpkin seeds (my most favorite salad topper). Then I like to drizzle some tahini lemon dressing all over the top! It's true, I love tahini lemon dressing. I'm constantly coming up with new excuses to eat it! It's good on hot foods or cold foods. You choose, it won't matter, it will always be yummy! If you're sick of eating tahini, then stop by next week because I'm going to post a spicy oil-free salad dressing recipe made from tofu! Get creative and make some dressing!
I made 4 slightly different variations of this recipe before falling in love with the right combination for us. I was telling my sister about this sauce and she said that she wanted to try it, but was going to keep experimenting until she found the recipe her family liked the best. That is the key. You have to find the recipe that works the best for you and your family (and your schedule). I love how fast this recipe is (throw it in the blender and boom you got Alfredo sauce). Blend it long enough and it is hot and ready (no dirty pot necessary) to pour over noodles or vegetables or toast or what have you. This recipe is full of fiber and fiber makes your gut happy. Watch the nutritionfacts.org video (linked in in the post) that talks about how AMAZING beans are for you. Basically one of the best things you could eat. If you want to live longer, eat beans. Ok, lets do it!
It's delicious, nutritious, and I always love trying to eat with chop sticks. Instead of paying 5-16 dollars to buy this meal at a restaurant (depending on where you go) try making it for yourself! No quinoa? Brown rice is fine. No zucchini? Swap for cabbage!
Adding COMPLEX carbohydrates to you salad helps fill up your belly and keep you full longer then a plain salad could ever do!
I want to pour this on everything, scratch that, I want to pour it in my mouth!
peanut butter and sriracha sauce? done.