Tag Archives: vegan

Transitioning to Plant Based Diet

Posted by straighttalk2u in PERSONAL EXPERIENCES and tagged with , , , , ,

Cutting dairy and animal protein, exploring vegan, and experimenting with raw led to frenzy-research, buying, and preparing. Vitamix and Excalibur joined the appliance family overpowering Kitchen Aid mixer and barely nodding to coffee pot.

Twenty-two jars, four bowls, a fifty-five gallon Coleman, and countless green storage bags joined two four feet industrial shelves.

Five new cookbooks, a cookbook holder, Pinterest, and a blog gave me unlimited learning opportunities and hours and hours of study. What did I learn?

Less is best. Simple is underrated. Eating a raw plant based diet eliminates cravings, therefore learning to make nuts into cheeses and fruit into ice cream, and nuts and soy into meat proved unnecessary. We no longer crave meat, want cheese, or need dessert. If I want a nut, I eat a nut and it does not have to taste like anything but a nut. Really!

I appreciate all the wonderful chefs and cooks who pour heart and soul into new ways to make old recipes, but for me, for now, I will keep it simple.

To your health,

Claudia

Smoothie Parfait

Posted by straighttalk2u in UNCATAGORIZED and tagged with , ,

Happy Smoothie From VeganBeauty https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vegan-Beauty/208042159306956

makes 2-3 smoothies

note: juice substitution info available below

Green:
1/2 cup kale
3/4 cup apple juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup ice cubes
optional: a pinch of freshly grated ginger

Pink:
1/2 cup fresh beet juice
1/4 cup coconut water
2-3 fresh strawberries, stem removed
1/4 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 banana

Gold:
1/2 cup fresh mango cubes
1/2 cup frozen peaches
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 banana

Notes:

* Juice: You can sub pretty much any of the juices with coconut water – especially the beet and fresh-pressed apple juice which I made using my juicer. orange is also a nice neutral juice to sub with.

*Ice: add ice to the pink and gold layers to make a bit frostier if you’d like. I prefer to use coconut water ice cubes for the flavor and added electrolytes.

* Apple: my apple juice is fresh pressed – use apple cider from the store – the fresher the better. Apple juice sub: if you have a Vitamix you may add in 1/2 cup chopped apple + 1/3 cup water in place of the apple juice. Another sub would be 1/2 cup green grapes + 1/4 cup water. Pear would work too.

Add in a more layers too! (not shown)..

Blue:
1/3 cup wild blueberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1 kiwi
1/2 banana
ice to taste

Purple:
1/2 cup frozen blackberries
1/2 cup soy yogurt
1/4 cup soy milk

 

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Consistency Pays

Posted by straighttalk2u in PERSONAL EXPERIENCES and tagged with , , , ,

Weight fluctuation not a problem for me; without any changes to my diet or routine my weight dropped to its low 139.5 after shooting up to 144.5 pounds.   I have learned how important it is to keep routine when traveling and to keep hydrated in order to maintain weight and overall well-being.

Hubby also gained while on weekend vacation, but dropped to an all time low within 48 hours of returning to his routine.  Crazy!  He has lost 28.5 pounds since we started this journey just a few weeks ago and his blood pressure is normal after a very scary period of high blood pressure.

To my new readers, we are using Kimberly Snyder’s Beauty Detox Solution http://www.kimberlysnyder.net/ as a guide.  Recipes are the only exceptions I made to her detox guide and I have to give credit to some awesome Vegan Chefs for great healthy and inspiring variety for our menu!  Take a look at my link to Pinterest on the Recipes and More tab to view my favorite chefs’ recipes.

The best lesson we learned is we cannot lose weight by dieting.  Gotta eat to live, not live to eat.

Have a great day,

Claudia

Milestones

Posted by straighttalk2u in EXERCISE, PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, RECIPES and tagged with , , , , , ,

Milestones

Last week headaches and side effects caused by clinching my teeth took me out of the loop!  Misery loves company, but not in this case, I just curled up and babied myself so when I went to the pool today, I did not expect much from myself, thinking I needed to gradually obtain my previous benchmark of 16 laps.

To my delight, swimming was easier than ever and I hit 22 laps, all free style except the last two backstrokes I threw in just for fun.  Hot tub, steam shower, and sauna finished with a lavish coating of coconut oil made my pool experience better than an expensive day at the spa!

Since we started healthier eating about 6 weeks ago, I lost 18 pounds and hubby lost  21 pounds.  SO FAR!  We generally lose about 1/2 pound per day, then stabilize for a few days, then start losing again. Making this change in our eating has not been difficult at all, except  learning HOW to uncook standpoint.

We start everyday with Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie http://www.kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2009/07/11/green-smoothie-recipe/

I pack a vegan salad for hubby’s lunch and include a packet of Chia seeds, Flax seeds, and nutritional yeast.  I add a small container of Grapeseed oil and Bragg’s Apple Cider vinegar, a glass of tea (sweetened with Stevia), and a small packet of homemade trail mix http://threemanycooks.com/recipes/nibbles-and-apps/lentil-trail-mix/

After my workout I cannot wait to get home and have a spring, lettuce, or nori roll with a smidgen of Tamari, spiralized veggies and avocado!

I take recipes from Amber Shea Crawley’s cookbook Practically Raw http://almostveganchef.com/my-book/ and Ani Phyo, Kimberly Snyder, and a multitude of vegan bloggers.  For more complete list of great chef’s and nutritionists and foodists, visit me on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/carecia/health-and-beauty/.

 

To your health,

 

Carecia