Billie is doing a three week purification or "cleanse" to address some chronic pain issues. In addition to a punch of supplements, she can pretty much only eat fruits, veggies, and a small amount of rice or lentils. No dairy, no nuts or seeds, NO CAFFEINE! In the spirit of support and solidarity, I have decided to go completely vegan and give up coffee for these three weeks. My diet is mostly vegan anyway, when I eat at home, so this shouldn't be a problem. In fact, I'm kind of excited about it. Coffee, however is going to be an issue.That first warm, fragrant, delicious cup in the morning is a ritual. I'm giving myself permission to drink tea......but it's just not the same.
A friend gave me a recipe for an energy boosting hot drink which includes matcha (a powdered green tea), maca (a powdered root), Cocoa Mojo (a vegan cocoa mix), and an organic and vegan chocolate drink mix by Essential Living. Had to order three of the four ingredients on-line.
Wish us luck!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
A Few Words About Yams and Yoga
Now this has been one healthy day so far. Spin class at 7:00 a.m. Yoga (with drums!) at 9:00. Leg workout at the gym at 11:00. Then I came home and had a recovery drink, protein shake, and lunch before donating blood at a blood drive organized by an Eagle Scout. My new year's resolution is to FREAKIN' RELAX. Part of my plan is to go to a yoga class once a week because I love yoga and I do truly find a good yoga class to be both relaxing and energizing. Today's class, with Henry Evan's playin' the bongos right there in the room, was fantastic.
So I tried a new recipe a couple night's ago. It's from the "Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook" by Kim Barnouin. It's a vegan cookbook if you're not familiar with the "Skinny Bitch" stuff. Kim's editorial comments are very funny and this recipe is fabulous. Leftovers were even better!
Black Bean and Yam Tacos
(makes 4 servings)
2 T grapeseed oil
1 large garnet yam, peeled and cubed
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 t ground cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t ground coriander
1 t dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato
Salt and pepper to taste
4 whole wheat or sprouted tortillas
1 avocado, sliced for garnish
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the yam and saute until almost soft. Add green pepper, garlic, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and oregano. Saute 3 minutes. Stir in beans and tomato and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Warm up the tortillas. Spread the yam mixture on tortillas, garnish with avocado, and enjoy!
1 taco = 380 calories
17 g fat
11 g protein
51 g carbs
11 g fiber
So I tried a new recipe a couple night's ago. It's from the "Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook" by Kim Barnouin. It's a vegan cookbook if you're not familiar with the "Skinny Bitch" stuff. Kim's editorial comments are very funny and this recipe is fabulous. Leftovers were even better!
Black Bean and Yam Tacos
(makes 4 servings)
2 T grapeseed oil
1 large garnet yam, peeled and cubed
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 t ground cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t ground coriander
1 t dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato
Salt and pepper to taste
4 whole wheat or sprouted tortillas
1 avocado, sliced for garnish
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the yam and saute until almost soft. Add green pepper, garlic, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and oregano. Saute 3 minutes. Stir in beans and tomato and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Warm up the tortillas. Spread the yam mixture on tortillas, garnish with avocado, and enjoy!
1 taco = 380 calories
17 g fat
11 g protein
51 g carbs
11 g fiber
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Homemade Energy Bars
This morning, I ate two of these before my workout. They are raw, delicious, and easy to make. I adapted the recipe from Brendan Brazier's book, Thrive Fitness. If you haven't read Brendan's books, I recommmend them. He is a vegan triathlete and I like his recipes and nutrition suggestions because he recognizes that athletes (and people like me pretending to be athletes) need more protein than the average person.
Blueberry-Lemon Energy Bar
Put all this stuff in a food processor and grind it all up (smooth or chunky....your choice):
1 cup fresh dates
1/4 cup raw carob powder or smaller amount of raw cocoa. (I use Cocoa MoJo, a super yummy organic chocolate drink mix)
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup salba (a white chia seed)
1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or mostly thawed)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 T lemon zest
Juice of one lemon
Sea salt to taste
(These amounts don't have to be exact. A few more dates, a little less lemon juice.....no big deal)
Transfer from food processor to bowl and fold in 1/2 cup cooked or sprouted buckwheat and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries.
Form 12-15 little patties and put them on a rack to dry for while. They are pretty gooey at first.
I make these once a week and store them in an airtight container with waxed paper between the layers. I always eat them before workouts and sometimes after workouts or during the day.
Check your local food co-op for the hard-to-find ingredients (buy local!) but you can find this stuff on Amazon too.
Enjoy!
Blueberry-Lemon Energy Bar
Put all this stuff in a food processor and grind it all up (smooth or chunky....your choice):
1 cup fresh dates
1/4 cup raw carob powder or smaller amount of raw cocoa. (I use Cocoa MoJo, a super yummy organic chocolate drink mix)
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup salba (a white chia seed)
1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or mostly thawed)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 T lemon zest
Juice of one lemon
Sea salt to taste
(These amounts don't have to be exact. A few more dates, a little less lemon juice.....no big deal)
Transfer from food processor to bowl and fold in 1/2 cup cooked or sprouted buckwheat and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries.
Form 12-15 little patties and put them on a rack to dry for while. They are pretty gooey at first.
I make these once a week and store them in an airtight container with waxed paper between the layers. I always eat them before workouts and sometimes after workouts or during the day.
Check your local food co-op for the hard-to-find ingredients (buy local!) but you can find this stuff on Amazon too.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Welcome!
Well hello there! This is my first blog so please be patient. I find myself wanting to talk about health and fitness all the time, and constantly posting chipper facebook posts about a recipe I tried, or a book I read, or a new ab exercise. Realizing that this might not be everybody's favorite subject, I decided to start journaling about it. Journaling misses a certain interactive element, which is exactly why I started a blog. I'm really hoping this can be a fun and inspiring place to share ideas, information, progress, recipes, fitness suggestions, etc.
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