From Houseplants to Produce
Over the past few years my interest in keeping and growing plants has grown by leaps and bounds. And, based off the reactions to some of my recent IG posts, I’m not alone. Our new home was nearly 2 years in the making. Shortly before the process began in earnest I became super interested in home gardening and ways to maximize small spaces. I knew there would be some challenges with growing in the desert but as I did more research I realized it wasn’t impossible — but more on the ‘how’ later. For now, let’s talk about what made me want to do this in the first place. Reasons…
Get Some Pumpkin in Your Life!
‘Tis the Season. THE SEASON FOR PUMPKIN! *cue demonic laughter* While I am not, and never have been, a PSL devotee (tho I hear they’re making vegan ones now), I am a huge fan of pumpkin. In part because from stem to seed – and everything in between – it’s so dang good for you! Pumpkin can help you: Lose Weight & Lower Blood Sugar: the high fiber content in low-calorie pumpkin helps your body absorb sugar slower and keeps you feeling full longer – which means less snacking! Most Americans average just 15g of fiber a day, which is barely half of the recommended levels of 25-30g a day.…
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Peach & Ginger Immunity Boost Smoothie
What’s On the Menu: Week 1
Peach & Ginger Immunity Boost Smoothie
Ginger is great for fighting sniffles and colds. This vegan smoothie combines it with peaches for a dose of vitamins C & A to further boost the immune system.
Pineapple/Kale Raw Smoothie
If you’d told me, say, 5 years ago that not only would I be drinking raw green smoothies but that this variation would literally be my FAVORITE smoothie of all time I would have laughed directly into my late night slice of pizza. But, that is exactly what happened. In the past, green smoothies always made me feel like I was choking down grass clippings. And I’m not going to lie. This smoothie does look like a glass full of thick, vibrant grass remnants but the actual taste is amazing. The sweetness of the pineapple, normally a bit overpowering, is tempered by the herbaceous kale while a hint of mango…
What’s On the Menu: Week 4
Sorry, guys! I have been traveling a bit and running crazy after deadlines but now that I have a little room to breathe I’m back to editing videos. This meal prep was from a few weeks ago, but both of these meals are now permanent fixtures in my rotation because they’re so tasty! The Mediterranean Scallopini, in particular, is nice and refreshing for hot weather between the chilled quinoa, peppery arugula, and lemon juice. I also included seasoning suggestions 😉
What’s on the Menu: Week 3
This week I revisited a few things I’ve really liked so far and added some new ones. In the last few weeks – and especially since I posted my progress pics – I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I meal prep. There are tons of videos and resources out there but some of them on skimpy on the actual details so I recorded myself this past week putting my meals together piece by piece. Hope this helps! Here’s what I made in the video: Porkless Bites w/ Lentils & Asparagus (Lunch) Calories: 488 Carbs: 73.5g Fat: 6g Protein: 38g Meatless Meatballs w/ Broccoli & Roasted Tomatoes…
Macro Machine | Update: 1
‘Non-scale Victory’ is not just a buzzword term to get clicks – it’s an actual, real-life phenomenon that I can attest to because I’m basically a walking, talking example. In the last 2 weeks of vegan meal prepping, dessert avoidance, and strenuous workouts I’ve lost exactly – wait for it – ZERO pounds. However, it was a total success! I know, I know. WTF. But just look at the pics: Two weeks ago I wrote my initial Macro Machine post announcing my foray into macro counting and the start of my Conscious Muscle training plan. Check out these posts to see what I’ve been eating: What’s on the Menu Week…
What’s On the Menu: Week 2
It’s been a week….so how do I feel about meal prep? PROS Nothing like wandering to the fridge at any given time and knowing exactly what you are going to eat. Goodbye, guesswork! I know that I’m eating something healthy that will further my fitness goals. It’s a lot easier to avoid surprise dark chocolate covered cashew binges when my prepared alternative is staring me in the face. Huge timesaver during the week. If you worked late there’s no additional prep time for dinner – just pop the top and get to munching. Fewer dishes – most of the time. Because you prepared your food personally, you know how it was made and…
What’s On the Menu: Week 1
Once I got my Conscious Muscle meal plan I immediately started dreaming up ways to put my own spin on it. The way the plan is structured, you choose an item from 1-5 columns for each meal ( or ‘feedings’ as I’ve dubbed them 😅), and those foods combined, in the specified amounts, will meet your caloric and macro goals for the meal. BUT, having the macro and caloric targets meant I could also use My FitnessPal to plan meals in advance and combine them to see where I’d be at the end of the day. Personally, I think of calories and now macros as a budget. I have to spend them…
Macro Machine
I knew eventually I’d have to face the realization that just because something was vegan, it didn’t mean I could eat as much as I liked with no consequences. Sure, that rule may apply to things like dark, leafy greens and zucchini, but it’s not so flexible with Ben & Jerry’s vegan ice cream flavors or gigantic, multi-layer burritos. And that time, Ladies and Gentlemen, is now. Almost a year into my transition (anniversary is in May) I’ve tried, tasted and fallen in love with literally hundreds of new, vegan foods. Now that the immediate rush of discovery is over, I needed a reset to help implement a more disciplined way…
