Hey everybody, we’re back and better than ever. I’ve been traveling nonstop lately so I have not cooked anything original for a few weeks. A fun little post I thought I could write though is about the importance of calorie deficits when trying to lose weight.

So what is a calorie deficit? Well it’s actually rather simple. Living in a calorie deficit means you’re expending more calories than you are consuming. This leads to guaranteed weight loss regardless of the foods you’re eating.

A pretty famous diet that has gained a lot of traction lately is called “If it fits your macros” or IIFYM for short. This plan means that as long as certain foods fit your daily macro-nutrient intakes you can consume it.

Learning about macros is something that eludes me to a certain degree as I am not into tracking my food that strictly, but it can be an effective way to understand your body best. If you’re trying to lose weight the only fool proof strategy is to figure out how many calories you should be eating each day through trial and error, and then stick to a deficit of a few hundred per day!

Hey everybody it’s been a while but we’re back! Today I want to write a short post about something new I’ve tried lately. Yoga.

Yoga’s health benefits have been advertised for years now, but there is also this hippy type of attitude associated with it. Stereotypes aside yoga is a really powerful exercise. If you’ve never tried part of you might think, “how are a bunch of weird poses exercise?” Well I felt the same way until I went to a yoga class and I have never sweat more in my life.

Hot yoga or yoga in general is an amazing way to destress and recharge. The focus is all on the body and personal goals. I highly recommend trying a yoga class, or if you’re an iPhone user check out Asana Rebel. It’s a free app with a all the poses and endless practice.

Good luck!! Try it!

Hey hey everyone, this week I’m going to keep it short and simple with a little post for a resource to filter through restaurants in your area.

https://www.happycow.net is a great resource for finding tons of options around a zip code/address. It can be really useful to figure out what places are serving vegan food, or plant based diets.

Check it out to find some cool new places and let me know how it goes!

Hey everybody, it’s been a while because I’ve been so sick this past week so I wasn’t doing any type of work. I’m finally feeling better though so it’s time to dive into a recipe I can’t believe I haven’t already covered: My vegan chocolate banana protein smoothie thing?

Haha, I have been drinking this smoothie almost every day for the past four years and it not only provides a ton of clean energy, it tastes really great.

Let’s get blending.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Cups of Almond Milk
• 1 Banana
• 1 Scoop of Vega Protein Powder
• 3-4 Tablespoons of Powdered Peanut Butter
• Ice

Directions:

1. Grab a handful or two of ice, depending on your cup size.
2. Toss in the banana, and almond milk along with the protein and peanut powder.
3. Blend till smooth.

 

1. Enjoy!

 

Links to the stuff I like:

https://www.amazon.com/Vega-Protein-Powder-Chocolate-Servings/dp/B017RMG5X4/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1520818146&sr=8-4&keywords=vega%2Bchocolate%2Bprotein%2Bpowder&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H8YGKTQ/ref=sxr_rr_xsim_2_s_it?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3513574162&pd_rd_wg=X8NES&pf_rd_r=ZMJYHKFQSZ4T5AJ598SG&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B00H8YGKTQ&pd_rd_w=bCqc9&pf_rd_i=powder+peanut&pd_rd_r=5547a47d-bd4e-4049-b359-a3cadbe8f337&ie=UTF8&qid=1520818250&sr=2

 

This week I wanted to write about another magical ~vegan~ product I’ve had for a while now. Shirataki Pasta. This is a zero-low calorie replacement for pasta and is absolutely incredible.

So what is it? Well it is a blend of different roots, usually with no calories -occasionally some brands have 15 or so from fiber- and is actually delicious. When you first open the package you will feel like “Oh no what have I done, what is this smell? What is happening?!?!?!” Stay with me for a minute.

Start by rinsing the noodles off. This is really important to me personally because those noodles have been sitting in a bag for quite some time and I want to get rid of any gross liquid left behind. After they’re rinsed you need to pat them dry using paper or cloth towels. Don’t be afraid to really squeeze the excess liquid out of them.

You’re going to want to heat a little bit of oil in a pan and toss the noodles in once hot. It is incredibly important you cook them down for at least ten minutes. I typically cook them on medium-high heat until they start to darken and turn a little tan.

They should not be eaten alone, so I would definitely recommend adding some of your favorite sauces, and be on the look out for some appearing on here soon 😉

Good luck!

So I finally got around to trying a dessert recipe, and I have to say even though these cookies are vegan they are delicious. I cannot take all of the credit however, and I am actually going to just provide a link to the recipe + instructions below.

https://minimalistbaker.com/fluffy-1-bowl-sugar-cookies-vegan-gf/

Minimalist baker is an incredible blog for not only baked goods but all foods in general. The author has written a few cook books and this is one of my go to websites if I need inspiration.

A general rule of thumb regarding some of the more out there ingredients: just skip it. If my local grocery store doesn’t have something I’ll just adapt the recipe or google alternatives. Remember everything can be changed.

Hey everybody, this week I’ve got a very simple minimal ingredients recipe. For the past week or so I’ve been eating a very basic diet of only smoothies and some fruits so I had to reach back a while and find something delicious.

This recipe is very easy, and very variable. Add more or less of really any ingredient to emphasize other flavors more. Let’s jump in.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Cups of Kale
• 1 Package of Tempeh (Check out this new brand I found)
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon of Basil
• 1 Teaspoon of Oregano
• Nutritional Yeast*** (Use however much you want here. I probably used around 2 Tablespoons)
• Pepper
• Salt

Directions:

1. Start by washing and drying the kale. It is important that before any chopping is done the kale is “massaged.” This sounds a little silly, but all you need to do is gently rub the kale using your fingers while washing it. It will really soften it up.
2. Next chop the kale and mix it with about a tablespoon of olive oil. While mixing it do not be afraid to use your hands and continue massaging the kale.
3. Add the remaining only to a pan and begin heating it.
4. Cut the tempeh into small square pieces about an inch or two on each side.
5. Add the tempeh to the pan, along with all spices except the nutritional yeast. Let it cook for a while getting brown and crispy. Around 5-7 minutes.
6. Next mix in the nutritional yeast with the kale. Be careful not to add too much, slowly add and taste.
7. Once that is completed top with tempeh and enjoy!

Welcome everybody, today I want to focus on another different type of post, more of a lifestyle tip. Whether you’re a vegan, or eat animal products it’s great to know about delicious foods and Nutritional Yeast is absolutely amazing.

Nutritional Yeast is often used as a cheesy substitute for vegan dishes, and happens to be incredibly healthy while tasty. It’s texture is flaky, but basically unfelt in food. It’s nutritional content is largely fiber and protein which makes it welcome in almost all diets. Here’s an example:

This is the one I like: https://www.amazon.com/Bragg-Organic-Yeast-Seasoning-4-5-oz/dp/B002863BIW/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1517798601&sr=8-3&keywords=nutritional+yeast

Think about using something like this instead of your same old boring spices!

 

Hey everybody, this weeks blog is coming a little late due to midterm week preoccupations, but I am going to be trying something newish. Rather than list everything out I am going to try to keep it meatier and see how it feels.

Also this is a very simple technique, less of a recipe that I featured on my Instagram to a lot of positive review. I think a lot of people dislike many vegan protein sources because they feel they’re squishy, or contain weird textures. This definitely changes the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So looking at these two side to side it becomes very easy to tell how exciting tofu can become. My recommendations for getting the crunchiest tofu would be to start with almond milk, cornstarch, and bread crumbs. Regardless of how little or how much tofu is being used you will need a large quantity of these ingredients. I used two packages of tofu here and went through around a cup of each ingredient.

It’s simple to gain the crunch effect, heat oil in a pan while you work on dipping the tofu into the almond milk, then the cornstarch, the almond milk again, and then finally the breadcrumbs. Cook till browned to your desire and you have some delicious crunchy tofu!

I have to say this is one of the best ways to spice up the same old boring tofu, and it still works great with sauces and seasonings. Enjoy! Let me know what you think of a technique based blog written differently from a recipe!

 

Hey everybody, it’s been quite a while. I am going to ease back into blogging with a very simple and easy snack recipe. I actually made this the other night when I was starving with no food in the house. It only requires a few ingredients and a few minutes so let’s jump right in!

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Mushrooms
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 4 Teaspoons of Soy Sauce
• 1-2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• Pinch of Parsley
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the Olive Oil in a pan on medium-high heat.
2. Clean the Mushrooms, and place them into the pan along with all other ingredients
3. Cook until soft, and tender.
4. Enjoy!

Next week I have a more complex bowl planned I cannot wait to share! Till next time!