Why Eat More Berries?

WHY EAT MORE BERRIES?

June is the beginning of berry season! It is a great time of year to be out there and pick your own berries or purchase berries from your local farmer! Berries make really great desserts but they also can be used in your healthy morning smoothies! Berries are also great in salads!

Raspberries are good for you because they are loaded with vitamin C! Raspberries are a great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory for your body. There is also some evidence that the ketones in raspberries helps your metabolize the fat in your body. One of the most important thing that you will need to do when purchasing raspberries to BUY ORGANIC! There have been tests that show raspberries have higher antioxidants when they are organic.

Blueberries are also a great alternative when making your smoothies! Blueberries are also supposed to reduce the belly fat in our bodies! Blueberries have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants of any fresh fruit. Antioxidants are necessary for having a stronger immune system. Blueberries also help improve your vision! Blueberries also help your heart by having a high fiber content which dissolves bad cholesterol. It is also said that blueberries help with depression, so eat up!

Strawberries are another great berry that is loaded with vitamin C and help with wrinkles! Strawberries have also been known to help with cataracts! Strawberries are loaded with potassium which helps with lowering your blood pressure! All in all strawberries are a anti-aging super food!

Blackberries are one of my favorites! Blackberries are also loaded with antioxidants that help with memory retention and hypertension. Blackberries are also high in fiber which helps with weight loss and helps regulate blood sugar. Blackberries also help with fighting bacterial infections.

There are so many benefits from having a diet rich in berries! Since its summer go out and enjoy as many different berries and fruits as you can! Its the best time of the year to enjoy them!

What are your favorite berries?

What is your favorite dessert with berries?

 

Namaste

Why Eat Apples?

WHY EAT APPLES?

What are your favorite apples or do you even know what your favorite ones are? There are so many flavors and types. I think you should make it your mission to try a different apple everyday! Some of my favorites are Granny Smith, Fuji, & Braeburn!

 

Check all of these out! I had no idea there were this many varietals!

http://www.orangepippin.com/apples

• Apples are so good for you! I eat an apple every day in my smoothies! I also love them with almond butter!
• Apples are filled with antioxidants!
• They are filled with 4 grams of fiber!
• They help control your weight!
• Apples boost your immune system and help with stress in your body!
• If you eat apples you may have a 15% less chance of getting cataracts!
• Apples help to detoxify your liver!
• Apples help with preventing gallstones because of their fiber content!
• Apples are also great for your heart; they help with getting rid of the plague on the walls of your arteries by carrying it out of the body!
• Apples decrease the risk of Diabetes because they help stabilize the sugar in your blood!
• Apples also helps to reduce your cholesterol!
• Apples are also great at decreasing your risks of cancers!

Why wouldn't you eat more apples? They are so good for you and your family! Make sure that you purchase organic apples or at least buy them from local farmers! There are so many benefits of apples and you should take advantage of them by adding them to your daily diet! Don't just have 1 or 2 a week but have them every day!!

What are your favorite apples and what is your favorite way to eat them?

Namaste

 

 

 

 

 



Vegan Summer Desserts

Vegan Summer Desserts

Vegan doesn't have to be boring! I love summer and I love desserts so I wanted to help everyone with some great summer vegan desserts!

• Grilled fruit is one of the best options! I love grilled pineapple or grilled peaches in the summer!
• Frozen fruit sorbet
• Frozen vegan ice cream. One of my favorite things is to freeze bananas so that you can use them for desserts or smoothies. Take 1 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 1 cup soaked cashews, 1 cup water, 2/3 cup of agave nectar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix all ingredients together until smooth and then add them to your ice cream machine! Yummy!
• Vegan Key Lime Cheesecake is also a great favorite! Vegan graham cracker crust, 1 1/2 cups of firm tofu, 1 cup soy cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 2 Tablespoon of key lime juice,1/2 cup coconut milk, and 3 tablespoons of arrowroot. First heat the arrowroot with the coconut milk until it is a thick consistency and then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until it is smooth. Refrigerate for 10 hours or freeze for a free and then top with slices of limes and vegan whip cream!
• Vegan Shakes! Use your vegan ice creams that you have and add some vanilla or chocolate flavored almond milk and blend until smooth!  

These are just some ideas for your vegan summer! What are some of your favorite summer vegan treats?
This is for a good cause!
https://www.wepay.com/donations/summer-fun-for-this-kids

 

Praegers California Burgers

Praegers California Burgers

 

I have to say that I like the Praegers Curry Burgers more that the Praegers California Burgers. They were still good but I liked the flavor of the curry ones are much better.

 

I have to see if there are other flavors out there and see what they taste like! The only other thing about the Praeger burgers is that they are on the soft side and they tend to fall apart more easily when cooking them so be careful because you can't always tell when they are done. They will not turn crispy on the edges, they will burn first so watch them! They are still a great alternative to garden burgers!

 

All are great in their own way, just as long as you are trying to eat healthy!

What are your favorite garden burgers?



The Benefits of Ginger

The Benefits of Ginger

I use ginger in a lot of my recipes. It is really beneficial for your health. It takes the toxins out of your body which is really cool! If you live in the city or where there is a lot of smog you should use ginger everyday to combat the pollution that you breath everyday! Here are some other great benefits of ginger:

• Helps aid in digestion
• Helps suppress your appetite
• Clears your sinuses for better breathing
• Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties so if you have joint pain eat up!
• Ginger also helps with nausea. All you have to do is chew on a small piece of ginger and you will feel much better
• Helps with your circulation so if you are having fever and chills take some grated ginger and lemon and make a hot cup of tea out of it to heal yourself!
• Strengthens your immunity
• Combats motion sickness

 

I use a small piece every morning in my smoothies! Just peel the brown skin from the outside of the ginger and throw it in the rest of your green smoothie ingredients! You will do your body good!

You can also add grated ginger to your cooked rice, a marinade for your tofu, or just in your stir fries!

What do you do with your ginger?

Namaste!



Vegan Tacos

One of my good friends taught me that if you take mushrooms and chopped them really fine and then can fry them with a bit of taco seasoning and use them for taco!

Use tofutti sour cream 

Chopped avocado

Chopped cilantro

Soft corn tortillas

Chopped lettuce

Hot sauce

Daiya cheese

Dinner is served!! This is much more healthier than soy crumbles! 

Sage the Great

SAGE THE GREAT

I bet that a lot of you don't know what some of the benefits of eating sage are. Here are just a few:

• Sage tea can be used to help you sleep
• Sage tea can be used to help with colds
• Sage helps with Memory loss or Alzheimers Disease
• Sage can help with kill e-coli bacteria
• Helps with indigestion
• Helps with dyspepsia
• Great for combating cankers sores, sore throat, and gum disease
• Helps relieve hot flashes
• Helps with Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Helps with bronchial asthma

 

These are just a few of the things that sage can help with.

Sage is also very tasty in vegetable dishes! You can use sage in bean dips or as a topping on grilled veggies! Make sure to add the sage at the end of the cooking time so that it will taste fresh!

Sage can be used in an oil, tincture, or an extract.

Namaste!



Adding More Mint to Your Diet

Adding More Mint to Your Diet

Mint is one of my favorite herbs. I love the freshness it adds to sauces, smoothies, and to salads. Mint is also easy to grow in small places or in a small planter so you can easily add it to your diet even if you live in the city! Mint needs humid soil and only moderate sunshine so if you have a window sill then you should be all set! If you have a garden you would like to add it to make sure to keep it trimmed up because it does tend to take off very quickly. Some people plant it along walkways to have a nice fresh smelling entry and it has also been know to keep ants and fleas away!

 

You can freeze or dry mint so that you will have it all year round. Its easy to chop up the mint and put it into ice cube trays with a bit of water and freeze for tea later. There are several types of mints that you can grow, such as chocolate for desserts, peppermint (one of my favorites), spearmint, lemon mint (for salads), and many others. These are really great for changing up recipes or just having a great cup of tea! My favorite is adding mint to my morning green smoothies, it tastes really great and makes you feel like its summer everyday! I also love to add fresh mint to fruit salads.

• Kiwis
• Orange Slices
• Grapefruit Slices
• Chopped Nuts
• Chopped Mint

Mint is also used in many drinks, like the famous Mojito! Mint and blackberry also make a great refreshing drink! Many people over look the possibilities of mint. I think it changes the flavor of so many recipes and it should be experimented with! I also add chopped mint to salads to give it a fresh taste. Mint also aids in digestion and helps with headaches!

I also like to use mint in salad dressings!

• 1/4 Raw Coconut Vinegar
• 3/4 Cup Olive Oil
• Small amount of chopped mint
• Salt and Pepper
• Small amount of chopped Italian parsley
• 1 Clove of garlic chopped fine

I drizzle this mixture on 2-3 cups of chick peas and serve! You can also add some spring mix and have an entire meal!

Start experimenting yourselves! Let me know of any other great recipes you have!

Namaste



Starting with Green Smoothies

Starting with Green Smoothies

The first and most easiest way to become more vegan is to start your morning with green smoothies! I have done this for years and love having them! Things that you should keep on hand:

• Kale
• Spinach
• Romaine Lettuce
• Celery
• Any of your favorite greens
• Frozen Berries or fruit but fresh is also great
• Coconut water
• Lime Juice
• Vegan Protein Powder
• Apples
• Bananas
• Almond Milk
• Flax Seeds or Chia Seeds

Now these are some items that you can add to your smoothies. If you use romaine lettuce you will have a sweeter flavor but I suggest to use an entire head of lettuce for two smoothies. Next add cup of coconut water, teaspoon of flax seeds, scoop of vegan protein powder, half large apple, splash of lime juice, splash of almond milk, and a cup of frozen strawberries! This is a healthy meal!

 

You will feel like you are half way to where your vegan diet needs to be by just starting the day with a green smoothie! You will feel like you are doing so much good for your body and its easy!

 

Let me know some of your favorite smoothie recipes!

Vegan Kitchen Tools

Vegan Kitchen Tools

 

Most of you are going to have everything you need in order to eat a healthy vegan diet. I just want to go over a few items that I feel are really important to have in your kitchen.

• The first thing I would suggest is a Vitamixer. I know that they can be expensive but they are so worth it. I have had mine for over five years and I use it every day! I could not live without it. I use it every morning for my green smoothies. I use it to make sauces, soups, dips, all kinds of veggie dishes. It makes my life in the kitchen so much easier. You may be able to find one on craigslist used but if not I would suggest to just buy a full price one. You wont be sorry. It is by far the most important piece of equipment that I own. I even bring it with me if I travel. I actually saves me money in the long run because if I had to pay for green smoothies at a juice bar every morning I would not be able to travel as much because of the expense and if you have a family of 2-4 just look at those savings!
• I really like to have a mini chopper on hand for such items as herbs, sauces, nuts, pesto's, or garlic. These mini choppers are really handy!
• I also use a coffee grinder to make certain special spice mixes. The coffee grinder really works great for peppercorns and whole seed items like flax seeds.
• I do also use a food processor for veggies that all have to be uniform in shape or shredded. I don't use it as often as should because of the clean up but I still think that it is a good idea to have one on hand.
• I also use an ice cream maker occasionally. I like to make vegan ice cream or sorbet.
• One of my favorite pans is a Le Creuset French Oven pan. It is by far one of the most useful pans that I have. I love to make soups and vegan chili and this pan is the best for that!
• I know that this next item is not maybe a half to have item but it is a fun one to have and it is a panni press! It love to make professional looking sandwiches with this item!

I'm sure that there are so many items that you use every day but these are just the top ones that I feel are essential to any kitchen!

What are some of the items that you use everyday in your kitchen?



Vegan Spices & Flavorings

Vegan Spices & Flavorings

 

There are so many spices that you can use on all of your vegan dishes! Its time to explore and use some spices that will change the taste of your temphe or tofu!

 

• Lemons (you can use the outside for zesting and the juice)
• Limes
• Hot sauces (make sure they are vegan)
• Vinegars (one of my favorites is raw coconut vinegar) Experiment with this one because there are so many out there and its nice to change it up a bit!
• Flavored oils (I like basil oil its one of my favorites)
• Cumin
• Curry
• Coriander
• Black or White pepper (make sure that you experiment with this one also because there are so many different textures and flavors)
• Salts (this one is really big because there are so many out there, you probably have a local salt shop in your area or try a specially store and pick up a few to try) I like pinot salt, lava salt, and flake salt!
• Chili flakes
• Paprika
• Chili powder
• Dill
• Nutmeg
• Allspice
• Tarragon
• Turmeric
• Garlic Powder
• Ginger
• Some of the best flavors come from fresh herbs like basil, cilantro, mint, peppers, oregano, sage, thyme, and so many more.

There are so many spices out there to try so its best to experiment to see what you and your family likes. I hope this has inspired you to look through your pantry to see what you have! It is also a good idea to check the dates on your spices because they can get old and its best to throw them away once they expire!

Have fun on your way to 30 days to becoming more vegan!