Breakfast, it's what's for dinner

Vegan-Whole Wheat Pancakes

After a few attempts I finally got the Vegan-Whole Wheat Pancake down. I really didn't think this was going to work so I didn't take many photos, sorry.

What you will need:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 TBL baking powder

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice (or cinnamon will do the trick)

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp chia seed (optional)

1 tsp flax seed (optional)

1 TBL agave sweetener (or any sweetener you prefer)

1 & 1/4 cups Milk Alternative (I use almond milk)

1/4  tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp maple extract

1 & 1/2 TBL Oil (I used vegetable oil, it's what I had but you can use any kind)

 The how to:

Heat your pan on low-medium and lightly spray with a non stick spray.

Combine dry ingredients then add in wet  ingredients and whisk till smooth.

I then used a measuring cup (1/3 cup) to spoon out batter and poor into my low-medium heated frying pan. After the batter was in the pan I picked up the pan and moved it around in a slow circle to spread out batter. Cook on a slow low heat until bubbles form, then flip. Cook till golden brown. 

bubbles, ready to flip

I topped my pancake with bananas, granola, and some more agave syrup. The possibilities are endless. 

*helpful tip, these pancakes expand a lot in the belly so eat slow, I ate too many and got a little bit of a tummy ache...so delicious it's hard not to!

**To make batter for waffles I would suggest only using 1 cup of a milk alternative so its not as runny, possibly even a little less. Everything else can stay the same.

Hope you ENJOY & Happy Cooking!!!

Feeling a bit "Eggy"

Tofu "EGG" Salad Sandwich

Firm Sprouted Tofu (~3 oz)

Pickles

Red Bell Pepper

Purple Onion

"Mayo" I use Vegenaise (2 Tbl)

Mustard

Spices for taste

Bread (We use DAVE'S Killer Organic Power-seed bread)

I pared this  "egg" salad sandwich with one cup of steamed yam & sweet potato. 

First peel and start steaming your veggies for your side dish.  

Unwrap your tofu and pat the water off, cube into the size you prefer (as if you were dicing up eggs). I used 3 oz. of firm tofu which is one serving.

Dice some onion, pickle, and bell pepper and place them and your cubed tofu into a bowl. (amounts are all by taste and preference)

Add in the 1 tablespoon of "mayo", however much mustard you prefer and seasoning into the bowl and mix all together.  

I used pepper, salt, and curry powder. Yes I said curry powder! It adds a nice yellow color and a fun flavor twist. 

I then toasted my bread for more texture, placed a fist full of spinach and a few pieces of shredded carrot on one slice, piled the "egg" salad on top and finished it with the second slice of bread.  Next time I think I will put some mustard on the bread first because it felt a little dry.  

 

This was very filling and for my Weight Watcher friends this sandwich (alone) is worth only 8+points plus. Adding the cup of sweet potatoes and yams this whole plate is only worth 12+points plus. 

Hope you ENJOY & Happy Cooking!!!

Squeaky Clean Week

Cleansing Week (detox) with a added detoxing broth...

Why detox? Don't our bodies naturally detox themselves? Is it healthy? Can I eat?  These are the questions I had when I first heard that I was going to do a week of cleansing.

Some Info:

Detoxing rides your body of unwanted chemicals that have built up in your body over the days, months, and or years. This buildup can be caused by the food you eat, air you breath, products you put on your body and so on.  Your body does naturally go through a detoxing cycle but due to the high volume of chemicals our bodies encounter these days, it's nearly impossible for us to rid the chemicals without help. Detoxing is very healthy and safe and does involve eating when done safely. Some detox programs out there only allow you to drink liquids which is not the safest way to proceed. While detoxing you still need to feed your body. You are not trying to just flush everything out with water alone, but with food and liquids that nourish and cleans at the same time. I encourage you to read and do some research on your own as to how we build up toxins, what to do in your daily life to minimize these toxins, and so forth.  

So now that you know a little on the Why, let's talk about the How. Let me start off by stating I have no degree in health, I have done my own research as you should too, and there is no guarantee you will see or feel the same as I have with this method. I can tell you not only have I done a lot of my own research I am also currently seeing a nutritionist to help and teach me how to live a healthy lifestyle and this cleansing program came directly from her, Ms. Sue Deepak. I will be honest with all of you and tell you that this program was pared with probiotic pills and a pack of pills for the cleansing week that include other vitamins and nutrients that I got from my nutritionist but can be performed without any supplements and still clean you out and make you feel great along with some weight loss! With that said I dropped 5 pounds the week I detoxed, felt less irritable, more rested, and honestly I can't wait to do it again. I "messed up" one day during lunch  while at a party due to bad planning on my side but, other than that I stuck to the program and it was easy! With that said here it is, try to do the program for one full week, pick a week you don't have too much going on if possible...

1. Every morning before you eat or drink anything have a small glass of water (roughly 1 cup) heated up (like hot tea) with a good squeeze of lemon. 1/4-1/2 a lemon. This gets everything in your system going and helps with digestion. 

2. Drink approximately 3 liters of water per day. 

(You should ALWAYS try to dink plenty of water even when not on a program. Take how much you weight and divide that in half. This is a good way to roughly estimate how many Oz. of water you should drink every day!)

******Before you eat lunch and dinner have one hot cup of the detoxing broth. This helps with digestion, giving you added vitamins for the day. It also fills the belly up so you don't snack and eat more than needed during your meal. ****

3. Eat unprocessed foods free from additives and sugar. Foods that remain the same as they are in nature. Examples: brown rice, wild rice, vegetables, fruits, nuts. For salad dressings you can use, lemon, balsamic or apple vinegar, and olive oil. If you are not vegan: Eggs, grilled fish, or grilled lean chicken. 

4. Try not to eat any gluten which are wheat products along with any dairy products. Some items you can have during the week: Steel cut Oats, Oat Groats (which are amazing and I will put a post up soon on a recipe), Corn, rice, buckwheat, millet, Quinoa, sweet potatoes, and whole beans. 

5. Limit your fruits to two a day at the most (you don't HAVE to eat two a day but limit it to two)

6. Have 2 cups of green or white tea daily (which you should try to do everyday even when not on the detox). 

7. Exercise for at least 30 min. a day. Even if all you can do is clean your house, go for a walk, or work in your yard that's fine. You just want to try and get your body moving. Make sure you stretch before bed which helps stimulate endorphins to relax and have a good night's sleep. 

8. And ALWAYS focus on the positive! Try to relax and think about the good things that happened to you today, yesterday, this week, what you want to happen in your life, anything that is positive for roughly 10min. in a nice quiet space.

There are many cleansing food choices out there and you can search for cleansing foods online to get a larger list but here are a few I tend to use...

Artichokes, Arugula lettuce, Asparagus, cabbage, Chia seeds, Cucumber, Any green leafy veggies, Garlic, Ginger, Broccoli and Broccoli sprouts, Lemons, Sesame seeds, Watercress and if you are not vegan then Greek nonfat yogurt (plain).

I know this seems like a lot to remember but truthfully it's not once you get it down. Eat healthy, eat veggies and whole grains (no gluten). Don't eat anything out of a box or canned (no processed junk). Don't forget your tea, water, and veggie broth. Move more, think positive, and stretch. When its written out that way its not as overwhelming. You should do this every 6months to reboot your body or any time after a "bad" week such as after a week on vacation and possibly not eating very healthy. Below is how to make the veggie detox broth.  feel free to comment, ask any questions, or add in what you did to make the detox work for you. I hope you enjoy this healthy reboot to your life as much as I have.

Due to the length of this post I am going to pass on the how to photos. The process is very simple. Good luck on your Detox week and remember, anything you do is a step forward to a healthier you, keep up the great work! If I can do it, you can too!!!

What you need:

3 cups water in a large pot

1 large onion chopped 

2 carrots chopped 

1 cups daikon white radish 

1 cup winter or butternut squash cubed

1 cup Root vegetables  (turnip, parsnips, and rutabagas)

2 stalks  Celery chopped                                    

½ cup  Seaweed (nori, dulse, wakame, kelp, or kombu)

½ cup Cabbage                                          

4.5” fresh, sliced Ginger                                     

4 whole cloves Garlic                                           

3 Shitake or maitake mushrooms     

                

Sea salt to taste                                         

2 cups Greens (kale, parsley, beet greens, collard greens, chard, dandelions, cilantro, or other greens)

The how to:  

                   Add all the ingredients in your pot of water and place on a low boil for approximately 90 minutes. Cool and strain veggies then discard veggies (because you boiled out all the nutrients there is no need to eat any of the bland veggies). Store in a large tightly sealed container and refrigerate. Simply heat and drink 2 to 3 cups minimum a day during the detox week. If you are hungry later in the evening have another cup which will fill you up.