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…
Vegan Southwestern Crab Cake Salad
This quick and easy salad is packed with flavor, has great texture, and hits all the comfort food hot spots.
Power Breakfast: Very Berry Chia Seed Pudding
Fresh, fast and fruity with none of the Denny's guilt! This vegan chia seed pudding is a 'set-it-and-forget-it' make ahead power breakfast packed with vitamins and nutrients.
Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins
First off – shout out to Cherryvale Farms for making vegan baking so easy. Their mixes are plant-based and non-GMO. You just add fruit, oil and water then bake and enjoy. Now that that’s out of the way… I love baking. I mean, it helps that it usually results in something delicious, but I also find it fundamentally satisfying. When I first started thinking about veganism it was the desserts that I expected to suffer the most. How do you get creamy, fluffy, or moist out of plants?! In an effort to convince myself that dry, crumbly, naked baked goods were not my future I started experimenting with vegan baking…
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
A childhood fave made vegan-friendly
#Turnip vs #Turn Up
Once upon a time, Friday night was reserved for the #turnup. Generally, it began with the reluctant acceptance of a happy hour invite and ended hours later in a cracked Denny’s booth. At some point, the shenanigans lost their luster and my preference for doing my Friday night drinking (wine, natch) in the peace and quiet of my own home, swaddled in the comfort of a good pair of pajamas and the make-believe world of a binge-worthy Netflix series emerged. That is until I discovered the best thing ever… GROCERY SHOPPING ON FRIDAY NIGHTS Ok, ‘best thing ever’ might be a bit of a stretch but bear with me. Imagine…
3-Ingredient Rose Spritzer – Salvation in a Spray Bottle
Aloe, rosewater and vegetable glycerin are about to solve 80% of your beauty woes.
Cashew Ricotta & Meatless Meatballs – Oh, My!
Lately, I’ve been having this craving for pasta. You know the kind – creamy, gooey, carb-loaded pasta smothered in marinara and cheese, plenty of basil and a little spice. Preferably, baked in an oven till it bubbles and the edges turn crispy. Prior to going vegan, I was suspended in low-carb purgatory with the occasional break for potatoes or bread but never, ever, EVER pasta. But this was a craving that had to be answered, so I hatched a plan (and a recipe) to put it to rest. Spinach and Chia Seed Fettuccine with Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Cashew Ricotta & Meatless Meatballs There are a few special items needed for this…
Welcome to My Dojo
Surprise! It’s my living room! Over the years, my workouts have ranged from the typical gym rat stuff and dance classes to DUT, boxing and muay thai. For the most part, I was a committed gym goer and would make the after work slog and occasional Saturday class 4-6 days a week. But, once I started my business and began working at home, my desire to shimmy into spandex and mingle with the general public steadily waned. As my hips started to spread and my waist began to thicken I knew I had to do something – fast. Up to that point, I hadn’t considered working out at home to…
