Vegan cooking club

Today was the first of many gatherings for our first vegan cooking club!  What better way to spend an evening than drinking wine, cooking healthy foods, and chatting with like minded people!! Now that I am moved into my nice little duplex in uptown Minneapolis, I will have more time to start back with my blog!  I also have inspiration from a great group of people who strive to be healthy and work towards a vegan lifestyle.  Yes- being vegan is a lifestyle choice that takes willpower, imagination, guts, and love. Willpower in the fact that no matter where you go animal products are everywhere!! Greasy burgers on date night at the local bar, chocolate cake at birthday parties, cheese and crackers with the girls, or chicken wings late night after a few drinks.  You need an imagination to create yummy, healthy, out of the box recipes.  If you go out to eat you need to know what to order, and how to turn vegan ingredients into a great meal.  As for guts- without them you may become intimidated by carnivorous friends.  Stand up and be proud to be vegan!! I do recommend reading up and knowing your vegan  facts. Below I will post some for you to tell people.  Last but most important is love. Love yourself and do what feels good.  If you eat some organic grass fed meat on occasions it's fine. Just be conscious of what you eat, and love yourself!!!

Vegan facts

Seitan- which is a great meat alternative, has more protein per ounce than red meat, and is fat free

Plants yield 10 times more protein per acre than meat

The average cholesterol level of a meat eater is 310, while vegans is 130

High protein vegan foods- beans, vegetables, fruit, tofu, soy milk, nuts, seeds, peanut butter

Being grateful

Having gratitude for all things is a great way to living better. If you thank your body for all the amazing things it does on a daily basis, you will want to treat yourself better. Just think of all the unhealthy substances we put into our bodies, and it still functions. Late night partying and drinking, eating fast food, finishing off a bag of chips, smoking, not exercising, ect. Our hearts still beat, our lungs don't forget to breathe, our skin protects us from harmful bacteria. Let's all take a few minutes each day thanking or bodies for never failing us. Plus our bodies warn us if we are doing something wrong by making us sick, or feeling tired to rest.
Next time you want to treat your body with harmful things, thank it and eat an apple or go for a walk!

Healthy products I use

Here is a list of products I love and use most days.

Superfoods

Chia seeds
Spirulina
Flax seeds
Cacao nibs
Goji berries
Fish oil
Multi prenatal
Calcium/ magnesium/ Vitamin D


Healthy foods

Organic fruits and veggies
Bob mills 5 grain oatmeal
Quinoa
Millet
Local organic honey
Raw nuts and seeds
Wild rice
Nori sheets
Brown rice flour- for baking
Whole wheat flour- for baking
Almond butter
Organic peanut butter


Splurges

Organic chocolate
Vegan desserts from health food store
Frozen Amy's pizza
Pop chips
Nut thins
Baked kettle chips
Morning star products


Of course I eat out occasionally and and order pizza or other yummy things. My motto is eat 90/10. 90% healthy organic 10% splurge!! Life is short so enjoy your splurges and make them worth it!

10 minute meals

The past few weeks it has been a struggle to cook myself healthy dinners after working all day. Before I was pregnant, cooking a home cooked meal was relaxing and fun. Now the thought of chopping, washing, sautéing, then cleaning sounds anything but relaxing. So I decided I need to make cooking quick and easy, or I am going to resort to cereal or frozen pizza( in my defense I only buy organic pizza but still). Here are a few meals that are quick and healthy! Enjoy


Sautéed broccoli, ginger, mushrooms, cabbage

1/4 cup organic veggie stock
1 cup broccoli
1/2 cup mushrooms cleaned
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
1-2 Tbsp Braggs liquid amino or soy sauce

1. Pour veggie stock into frying pan. Add broccoli and simmer 3-4 minutes with lid on
2. Add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes or until tender.
3. Add cabbage, Braggs, and ginger and cook 1-2 minutes.
4. Enjoy


Spinach mushroom omelette

4 organic free range eggs
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 chopped mushroom

1. Heat medium frying pan on med- high heat
2. Beat eggs with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
3. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to pan
4. Add veggies and sauté 2 minutes.
5. Add egg mixture and coat pan
5. Cook 2-3 minutes and flip
6. Cook other side 2-3 minutes till light and fluffy
7. Add your favorite cheese if you want
8. Enjoy

Second Trimester and Feeling Great

Wow- I am so happy to be feeling like my pre-pregnant self again!  I have lots of energy, I enjoy cooking healthy meals, and I look forward to exercise.  Of course I have an extra 10 pounds I am carrying around, but at least I am not sick or tired anymore.  The first 4 months were exhausting, but I feel great now and am ready to write!  To begin,  I want to express the importance of eating healthy while pregnant.  Anytime I am dining out, or have friends over for dinner they always say that I can splurge and eat what I want since I am pregnant and eating for two.  Well one of the two I am eating for is only the size of a mango, so I am pretty sure baby does not need a full meal.  It is reccommended to consume an extra 300 calories per day in the second trimester and 400 in the third.  Those calories should come from healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, or whole grains.  Remember that 300 calories is not much!  Here is a list of healthy snacks that are under 300 calories.

*  1/2 Cup granola with 1/3 Cup almond milk, 1/2 banana
*  2 Slices sprouted bread with 2 TBSP almond butter
*  Spinach salad with 2 TBSP goat cheese, 10 almonds, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp vinegar
*  2 whole wheat waffles, 2 Tbsp 100% maple syrup, 1/2 Cup sliced strawberries
*  1/2 70% dark chocolate bar

There will be times when you just cannot control your cravings and need something more satisfying.  I would say head to the health food store and pick up a vegan dessert.  It may not be low in calories and fat, but at least it is made fresh and healthier than anything in packaging.  I have to admit there were 2 days this week when I just needed chocolate cake.  The health food store had Vegan peanut butter chocolate cupcakes.  There was only 8 ingredients so I gave in and splurged- which is OK as long as it is not EVERYDAY!  I enjoyed every bite and had no guilt after I finished it.  If you know you are going to feel guilty after eating something- then why bother.  The point of splurging is to enjoy what you are consuming.

****  WE FIND OUT THE SEX OF THE BABY NEXT TUESDAY SO CHECK IN TO FIND OUT!

Eating healthy while pregnant

Like I said on my last post, when I first found out I was pregnant (which I was already 5 weeks when I found out) I started craving not so good for me foods. In fact, I wanted the worst most processed foods I could get my hands on. Ribs, crackers, chips, snickers, ice cream, pizza, chicken nuggets! After work I had no energy to cook and chop so I would eat frozen pizza most nights. I did go with Amy's organic pizzas but still they should only be consumed in moderation. I did give in to these craving the first week or 2 because I could not help myself. I actually did eat a smoothie on 2 different occasions and baby did not like, which left me puking at church and at work. So I decided since the baby was half my meat loving husbands, I better meet the little one half way. So instead of eating smoothies with kale and chia seeds, I opted for tastier versions with berries and bananas. I saved the salads for the evening when I could stomach them easier. I also made sure I did some form of exercise every day- even though all I really wanted to do was sleep. For my sweet tooth I continued to bake vegan desserts with whole wheat flour and apple sauce instead of oil. I always halve the amount of sugar in recipes as well. Now at 4 months I feel great and the cravings have subsided. My body is craving good wholesome foods. I am also enjoying cooking again since my energy levels are back up. This experience is making it clear that I would love to work with pregnant women to help them beat their cravings, and show then them eating how to be healthy during pregnancy.

I am pregnant

I am 4 months pregnant and so excited!! I am going to start writing about my cravings and ways to deal with them. When I first found out it was while I was trying to go Vegan for that month. Well as you all know that only lasted about 10 days. My body needed healthy organic dairy and a small amount of local organic grass fed meats. I will admit when I first found out I was pregnant I did give in to my cravings and was eating things I would never normally eat. Chips, crackers, white bread, candy bars, ect. I knew what I was supposed to be eating, but nothing healthy sounded good. I told myself when I got pregnant I was going to eat healthier than ever, and this was not the case in the beginning. After 2-3 weeks of eating unhealthy, my busy craved good quality healthy foods and I began eating like my pre-pregnant self. I will share healthy easy recipes anyone can make no matter how much time you have.