A trend I've been noticing lately is more and more people and restaurants are going meatless at least once a week. For some, they want the health benefits of plant-based protein, others it's a cheaper option than buying meat from the butcher. I LOVE this new trend! No matter what your reasons are for doing it, I highly encourage everyone to have one day a week where they fill up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and plant proteins like beans and legumes. You'll be amazed at how easy and fun it is to change it up! Another great part about eating vegetarian is cooking vegetarian. It takes more creativity to come up with a flavorful, filling vegetarian dish than to make chicken with rice. A recipe I made for my parents while I was home was Heidi Swanson's Maple Grilled Tempeh. This was my dad's first time trying tempeh and my mom's second or third. All of us loved it! The great part about tempeh especially for omnivores, is that, unlike tofu (which I love just as much), it has more of a texture to it. Definitely try out this recipe you wont be disappointed! I served mine with salad and baked sweet potatoes.
Energy bars seem to be the latest craze. The supermarket shelves are stocked with millions of different kinds. Clif? Luna? Which to choose? These are great for a quick on-the-go snack and as someone with a crazy schedule I can appreciate that.
But as someone with a soy allergy I can't appreciate their crazy list of ingredients..most energy bars contain some sort of soy, and while my allergy is mild, I prefer to stay away..I don't want to have to bust out the EpiPen.
When I decided that I wanted to try making my own energy bars at home I found tons of recipes for LaraBars (which I love and will probably post about at a later date) and for Clif Bars (which were ok but I wasn't super interested in making). I wanted to try Luna Bars - the ones I've tried tasted great and the just seemed fun to make. I found ONE recipe! In all of the interwebs..only one. Of course it was from the fabulous Chocolate Covered Katie! I eliminated the protein powder and chocolate and used honey as my sweetner. I think I'm going to try again with some maple syrup - yum! The original recipe can be found here.
I stored mine in the fridge after taking them from the freezer and cutting them. They were good! They tasted like healthy peanut butter rice krispy treats..and I was perfectly ok with that!
I'm wearing shorts. And it's November. Remember how excited I was that it was snowing two weekends ago? Well I'm almost just as happy to not have to wear jeans right now. As much as I love snow, I hate wearing long pants. Shorts and dresses are just so much more comfortable to be in -- but then again I'm probably one of the few people who prefers to sit cross-legged even on chairs. In addition to the weather being gorgeous, my week has been awesome due to the go-ahead from my physical therapist to start doing walk-jog intervals! I did my first one yesterday and I was in 100% pure bliss. Running past Fenway, along the fens, then down a street I never knew existed, nothing was in my head other than "I'm so happy. Man, this is awesome" repeating over and over again. Unfortunately, on my second jogging interval my knee flared up and I had to stop (may be possibly due to I only did a 1min walking interval instead of the full 5 minutes like I was supposed to. . .). None the less it felt just so refreshing to be out running again. The eliptical is fine, but nothing beats just running without a preplanned route. It keeps me excited energies to pick a random street to go down and explore. I'm going to try again Friday (since tomorrow is supposed to be gross) so hopefully it goes even better!
At my first 10-K this summer. I definitely recommend the Wharf-to-Wharf for a first race!
Recently I've been STARVING at lunch, but with only an hour break I haven't broken out any official recipes. The next couple of weeks are pretty calm for me, so I promise to start getting more interesting stuff up on here, but for now I want to show you a not-so-pretty-yet-indcredibly-filling-healthier version of fried rice that I've been making.
There's no real "ingredient" list, basically as long as you have rice or quinoa and 3 eggs (1 whole egg and 2 egg whites), you can use whatever veggies you ahve in your frdige or freezer.
What I did:
1. In a skillet sautee green pepper slices, garlic, and frozen corn and brocolli with 1 Tbsp of oilve oil. Once the vegetables are tender, add in 1/2 cup (or as much as you're hungry for) of left-over brown rice, tomatoes, and spinach. I added a couple tablespoons of water to soften the rice a bit.
2. Turn the heat down to medium. Make a well in the middle of the rice mixture. Pour 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg into the well. Let cook until the whites start to set then stir it all together. Continue to cook until the yolk is cooked through.
3. Place into your favorite bowl. I added hot sauce to mine, but I'm sure reduced sodium soy sauce would also be really good!
I know the picture is a little scarey, but trust me it's very tasty and gives you a quick protein boost to get you through your last few classes or last half of your work day.
In community nutrition today we learned about various lesson plan ideas for teaching nutrition to school children. Aren't these mice adorable?!
Have a great day -- you're halfway through the week!!
Walking around Shaws I was amazed at how many food products are out there. For the past three months my food shopping has been contained to a small neighborhood grocery store, so walking into a huge supermarket was overwhelming. Knowing I either wanted to get some tempeh or tofu (both soy-based protein sources) I went to the produce section. This is still hard to get used to. Back home, the non-meat proteins are usually in their own cooler by the dairy products, but every store in Bosotn I've been to puts them with the vegetables. I'm not complaining, after all it makes shopping much faster and does make sense, but just hard to get used to. Anyways, looking at my options, I noticed something new.
Nosoya has come out with a Tofu Plus product that is fortified with essential vitamins and minerals that are usually lacking in a no/low-meat diet: B2, B6, B12, Vit D, and Calcium. Being a nutrition student, I'm nerdly aware of how key it is to eat a variety of foods to ensure I get both my macronutrient and micronutrient requirements in, but most people aren't nutrition freaks like me and don't think about how important it is to get their daily dose of Vit B12. I'm not just talking about vegans and vegetarians. Although most of these nutrients are found in meat, nutrients like Vit D can be hard to get enough of even in an omnivore diet. Here is a very basic overview of these nutrients: why they're important and what foods contain them (both plant and animal-based sources).
Note: "Essential" means that your body cannot produce enough of the nutrient to meet your body's requirements and, as a result, depends on your dietary intake of the nutrient to meet these needs. For personalized recommended amounts check out the Dietary Guidelines or even better go visit a registered dietitian! Oh one more thing. Although there are supplements available, it is recommended to first try meeting your needs with whole foods and then if your doctor or RD feels you need the help, they may prescribe supplements based on your individual needs.
B2 (a.k.a. Riboflavin)
Why it’s important:
oNecessary for extraction of energy from carbohydrates
oHelps build glucose molecules into glycogen (very important for athletes!)
oAids in digestion of fat
oProtects the nervous system
oMaintains mucous membranes
Good food sources:
oAsparagus
oOkra (my new obsession)
oCottage cheese
oMilk and yogurt
oMeat
oFish
oEggs
B6 (a.k.a Pyridoxine)
Why it’s important:
oNeeded in production and digestion of amino acids
oHelps in manufacturing of insulin and disease-fighting antibodies
oAids in producing histamine, which plays a key role in allergic reactions
oKey role in production of hemoglobin and in ability of oxygen to bind with hemoglobin (hemoglobin is a very important molecule in red blood cells that is the carrier of oxygen. Without it, oxygen would not reach your muscles or organs)
Good food sources:
oPotatoes
oSweet potatoes
oBananas
oPoultry
oMany types of fish
B12 (a.k.a Cobalamin)
Why it’s important:
oNeeded for proper growth and development in babies, children, and teens
oHelps in production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells
oRequired for proper functioning of the nervous system
oNeeded in DNA manufacturing
oHas a role in processing of fats and carbohydrates
oDeficiency can cause nerve damage, megalobastic anemia, and inflammation of the tongue and mouth. Long-term deficiency causes irreversible nerve damage.
Good food sources:
oDairy products
oOrgan meat (liver, heart, kidneys)
oEggs
oBeef
oSeafood
oFortified tofu and tempeh
Vit D
Why it’s important:
oNeeded for absorption and use of calcium
oRole in formation and health of bones, teeth, and cartilage
oDeficiency causes ostemalacia in adults (softening of bone) and rickets in children
Good food sources:
oFortified orange juice and milk
oFortified almond milk
oEgg yolk
oCod liver oil
oSalmon and tuna
Calcium
Why it’s important:
It’s the main mineral found in teeth and bone
Getting enough calcium is very important in childhood and adolescence because that is when you are building the bone you will have as an adult
Getting enough calcium as a kid greatly reduces your risk for osteoporosis later on
Adequate calcium is also is important in adulthood in order to maintain bone mass
Deficiency can cause weakening of bones, resulting in bone fractures, as well as osteoporosis
Good food sources:
oBok choy
oCollard greens
oDairy products (Almond milk and soy milk are also fortified)
oAlmonds
oFortified tofu
oCanned salmon
oSardines
Have a great Sunday!
"Pulling on a Line" by Great Lake Swimmers
If you're a fan of folk music, be sure to check out
I am obsessed with Farmer's Markets. So much great, local produce and super nice people..what's not to love? So obviously I was super excited when coming to BU I found out they had a weekly farmer's market!
Last week when I ventured out, despite the rain, I found myself facing some interesting colored produce. I came home with a purple bell pepper and a white sweet potato. Oh yeah, who doesn't love weird colored food? Once I brought them home I couldn't even wait to cook with them so I used them in my lunch! I'm normally not a big pepper fan but I incorporated them into this dish so their flavor wasn't too noticeable.
I'm usually pretty bad a following recipes so I just randomly threw together a bunch of stuff I had so..bear with me as I try to make this into a coherent recipe. These values are totally adjustable to whatever you like, whatever veggies you have on hand, and this recipe can be made vegan by omitting the cheese. Also, if you want to use your own seasoning that's totally fine too..I didn't have time to mix up my own and I had a packet of taco seasoning on hand so I used that.
Alli's Taco Veggies with Cheese
- 1/2 medium sweet potato
- 1/3 C broccoli (can use frozen)
- 1/2 small bell pepper
- 1/3 C black beans
- 1/3 C roasted butternut squash
- 1/4 packet low sodium taco seasoning
- 1/2 C low fat shredded cheese
1. Microwave (or bake, or roast or whatever you like) the sweet potato and squash (I had left over roasted squash so I just used that) until it is fork tender.
2. Cut up the broccoli and par boil (or microwave if frozen), and strain+rinse the black beans.
4. Put diced pepper in a satuee pan with a couple table spoons of olive oil. Cook until softened.
5. Mix in all the other veggies and beans. Simmer for a few minutes.
6. Add the taco seasoning and about 1/2 - 3/4 C water. Simmer until most of the water has evaporated and sauce is thickened.
7. Put into plate/bowl/whatever and top with shredded cheese and let it melt. Yum!
Walking to a friend's apartment Saturday night was like walking in a snow globe -- a very wet snow globe. Leaving my Halloween costume behind and focusing on not getting frostbite walking, my friends and I were drenched by the time we got to our destination. Snow here in Boston is strange. In Denver, when it snows you get a nice dusting of snow on your clothes and hair, but you don't get soaked through like you do here. Despite having water gush out of my shoe every time I stepped, I was in a ridiculously good mood. Everything about that day was just fantastic! Crepe place for lunch, F1 racing in the afternoon, hot apple cider at a friend's apartment, and goofing around and chilling with everyone at another apartment until late.
I don't know exactly where this is in MA, but it's so beautiful! I couldn't find a good one on the Boston Globe's website of Boston
Part of my love for fall snow is it reminds me of being little. Every year it would snow on Halloween. Take a look at my photo album and you'll notice that all my costumes were based around being able to wear layers and snow boots. One year I tried to fight it and just wore my Tinkerbell costume out trick-or-treating. I ended up with red arms and destroyed slippers.Probably should have taken my mom's advice to wear boots and a coat even if it wasn't authentic Tinkerbell-ware. So this is my warning to anyone I see on a daily basis: if it is snowing out, there's a very high chance I will be in an annoyingly good mood. So, if snow makes you cranky, I'd stay away from me. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Silk makes Mint Chocolate Soy Milk!! It's going on my shopping list
Although the cold weather means no more shorts or skirts, it also means soups, baked goods, tea, coffee, peppermint, fuzzy blankets, hockey season, and spending more time inside with everyone. I've been working with a female athlete specialist (thanks to my knee) and have been looking more closely at my nutrient intake. Although nothing to worry about, I could benefit from a little more protein. Trying to figure out my protein options, I came across a bag of green lentils on sale. I put them in my shopping basket, bought them, brought them home, then realized I had absolutely no clue what to do with them.
After seeing that my friend made homemade cornbread and because it's officially sweater weather, I decided to finally tackle vegetarian chili. Having not grown up in a spice-loving household, I was nervous about making chili from scratch, especially vegetarian chili since there's no chicken broth to add flavor. My worries were for nothing: this chili is SO delicious! Although not "traditional chili taste" (which I think is largely due to using white beans instead of black or red kidney), it still has the hint of heat and depth of flavor that I look for in chili. This recipe is jam-packed with minerals and vitamins from the vegetables, protein from the beans and lentils, and flavor from the spices. The recipe that inspired mine used maple syrup to sweeten things up. I didn't feel like going out an buying syrup so I used honey instead and it turned out great! I'd love to hear if anyone tries it with maple syrup, or has a favorite chili recipe that uses maple syrup.
6. Add whole can of tomatoes – along with their juice!! – carrots, and honey. Bring to a simmer and decrease heat to low. Stir in pinch of cayenne pepper and the rest of the salt. Cover and continue cooking on low until carrots are soft.
7. Partially uncover and continue cooking so chili thickens. There’s no real rule for how long to let the chili cook. Basically, the longer it cooks, the deeper the flavor. I let mine cook for 6 hours and it was amazing!
My friend and I ate our chili with Trader Joe's whole wheat tortillas that I crisped in the oven because I needed to use them up before they went bad, but I'm dying to try this with Post Punk's cornbread recipe -- be on the look for it in the coming month! I've been bringing this chili to work for lunch and, like a good chili should, it tastes better each day.
One more warning: Alli and I are a little obsessed with Christmas. Actually, a lot obsessed. On TV Saturday was ABC family's 25 Days of Christmas promotion. See where I'm going with this? Alli has already started listening to Christmas music. Although I haven't gone that far yet, I have started a bookmark for Christmas recipes. All I'm saying is you have about 3 weeks before we start going holiday-season crazy. You've been warned.
Our stockings freshman year
One of my favorite Jack Johnson songs. I heard this for the first time about two summers ago at Mile High Music Festival. Whenever I have the apartment to myself this and Etta James are my go-to music choices.
109. That's how many recipes I have bookmarked. How many have I actually made? Probably 5, maybe 6 but that's giving myself the benefit of the doubt. This means I have 103 recipes in my overly-organzied recipe bookmark section that I have yet to try. Despite this massive number, I still spend about 3 hours a day looking through food blogs (FoodGawker and Finding Vegan are in my top 5 most visited sites). With the kitchen to my self tonight and no plans until much later, I decided it was time to actually make dinner from a recipe rather than just making my normal bowl dinner. Although I succeeded in trying out a new recipe, I failed in trying one of my bookmarked recipes. Instead, I got a recipe from my College Vegetarian Cooking cookbook. I asked for this cookbook at Christmas. Any guesses of how many recipes I'd made from it before tonight?
I don't know what it is that I have against recipes. I obviously like collecting them, but for some reason my mind correlates the idea of following a recipe with the ideas of lack of creativity and time consuming. Tonight proved that neither of these are true. In fact, having a recipe can actually save time: you have a set list of things to buy instead of wandering around the grocery store (which I still do, but that's only because it's one of my favorite places), there's less room for mistakes, which means less time trying to figure out how to fix it, and you don't have to come up with an idea from scratch. This leads into the lack of creativity misconception. Especially in cooking, a recipe is more of a guideline. Yes there is some science that goes into it, but in general, you can add or take out any ingredients that you want, making the dish truly your own.
My first recipe from College Vegetarian Cooking was a success! The vegetables were perfectly tender without being mushy, the pasta was slightly chewy but not hard or too soft, and the cheese and milk gave the dish a very light creamy texture without being heavy. The cheese even gave the dish that memory-evoking swish sound that only cheese mixed with pasta can make (if you've ever made mac n' cheese you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about). Although the dish was wonderfully light and filling at the same time, I added an herb seasoning to the left overs just to give the dish a little flavor kick.
Pasta Primavera
Adapted from College Vegetarian Cooking
The book says it makes 4-6 servings. I had a TON of leftovers so I'd say it definitely makes closer to 6
Ingredients:
1 carrot
1 cup frozen broccoli florets
1 very large zucchini
4 cloves garlic
1 tomato
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 pound uncooked pasta
1/2 cup almond milk (any type of milk will work)
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese mix (Sub in vegan cheese to make the whole dish vegan friendly!)
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Place about 1 in of water in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Peel carrot and cut into slices. Add carrot slices and broccoli to the pan, cover, and cook for about 4 minutes. Drain the water and put carrots and broccoli in a bowl off to the side.
Cut zucchini into strips. Peel and chop the garlic. Cut tomato, scoop out and throw away the seeds.
Fill the same large saucepan 2/3-full with salted water. Bring to a boil then add in the pasta. Cook pasta until al dente, mine took a little less than 10min. Drain water and mix the peas into the pasta. Put back on stove but turn off the heat.
WHILE THE PASTA IS COOKING spray a saucepan with cooking spray and place zucchini in pan along with a bit of water. Cook for 10 minutes until it starts to become translucent. Add in the garlic and sautee for 2 minutes. Next, throw in the tomatoes and let them cook until they get warm, about 3 minutes. Turn down the heat and add in the milk and cheese. Give the mixture a good stir. Add in the pasta and peas. Stir again. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, and a little more cheese.
As the title implies, I had no idea how much 1 pound of pasta really makes. I now have pasta leftovers for the rest of the week. . .I guess this is helping me succeed with cooking on a budget?
Of course I had to finish off the meal with local apples topped with my absolute favorite peanut butter (365 from Whole Foods)
Step off the sidewalk in Central Square in Cambridge, and enter into an earthy paradise where the workers are friendly and love their jobs, the sauces are all made in-house, the fruits and vegetables are fresh and packed with nutrients, the grains are perfectly cooked, and the smoothies are creamy enough to substitute as meals themselves. Life Alive is an organic restaurant where all the menu items are vegetarian and most are vegan. THIS ISN’T RABBIT FOOD! If I told my friends that I was taking them to a vegetarian restaurant, the majority of them would begin picturing what they call “rabbit food,” meaning bland, textureless, boring dishes that could only fill up a tiny rabbit-sized stomach. The food at Life Alive is the exact opposite of this. I promise you: Live Alive does not sacrifice flavor.
With my parents in town and the feeling of fighting away a cold, I knew I wanted to take them somewhere different than what they can find at home, but healthy enough to give my immune system the boost it needed. Because it was unseasonably warm last night, we sat outside, but Life Alive also has seating on the main floor and in the basement. The main floor is bright and screams nature, while the basement has a very chill atmosphere; I’ve been told they have live music down there from time-to-time.
How it works: after deciding on what you want, go up an order from the cashier. They will give you a number to put on your table (if you’re dining in) and they’ll bring it to your table when it’s ready. You can also get your food to go, which a LOT of people were doing last night.
So what about the food? My “usual” is copied from my friend who first introduced me to Life Alive: The Rebel. The Rebel (besides having a killer name) is packed with protein-rich quinoa (one of the few plant-based complete protein sources), short grain brown rice (I LOVE the texture of short grain brown rice, it’s chewier than long-grain in a VERY good way), bright orange steamed carrots, dark-leafy greens that embody “healthfulness”, broccoli, hijiki, beats, and tofu. This warm bowl of deliciousness is then tossed in sweet, very low fat Sesame Ginger and Ginger Nama Shoyu sauces. I usually have a hard time finishing my plate, but I have never not finished this meal. Yes, it’s big. But it leaves you feeling full and healthy, rather than full and weighed down.
The Rebel
My parents got the Adventurer and added avocado to it. My dad, a lover of salt, even commented that his meal had so much flavor that he wasn't tempted to add salt to it. Trust me this is an accomplishment. Both parents also mentioned how satisfying their meals were – neither missed not having meat.
I’ve also tried their Chai Alive “Smoothie.” I put smoothie in quotes because it was more like a milkshake (or a frappe for you New Englanders) than a smoothie. Four simple ingredients: Chai, banana, vegan ice cream, and almond milk. It tastes like a perfectly made chai latte on a creamy high. My friend got the Elvis Alive with peanut butter, cocoa, banana, ice cream, and rice milk. Needless to say he was in taste heaven for hours after.
Omnivore, vegetarian, or vegan. Doesn’t matter which you are. Just go here.
