“My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconvenience, and I was frequently chided for my singularity, but, with this lighter repast, I made the greater progress, for greater clearness of head and quick comprehension.”
-Ben Franklin
Tag Archives: vegan
Lemon Mango Cucumber Water- Yum!
The idea is so simple, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner! Add cut up cucumbers, lemon, and frozen mango to a pitcher of water, and suddenly you have a refreshingly healthy drink that actually makes you excited to drink more water. Plus, every time I pour a glass I feel kind of fancy. 😉
Some other flavors I have in mind:
*Cucumber Mint
*Strawberry Lemon
*Blueberry Lemon Lime
*Honey Lemon with a hint of Green Tea
*Cucumber Watermelon
*Honey Lavender
What’s your favorite?
Cheers!
Sarah
Related Posts:
50 Awesome Flavored Water Recipes
Adventures in Plant-Based Nutrition
I’ve been a vegetarian (actually more of a pescetarian, really) for five months already. I originally toyed with the idea of switching to vegan and cutting out all animal products all together. But I was skeptical. Would that really improve me health? Would I have less energy? How would I be able to eat out? And what about the stigma around the word “vegan” itself?
Plus, I really, really love cheese.
And ice cream.
And more cheese.
But then I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives, which introduced me to the plant-based diet. A plant-based diet is a bit different from veganism. Besides not eating animal products (including dairy, eggs, and meat), people following a plant-based diet also limit their oil, refined sugar, and refined carb intake. And this is what appealed to me the most. I’ve always had this nagging feeling that sugar and refined carbs might be contributing to my sluggishness, worsening allergies, and poor, sensitive skin.
I’ll admit it; I’m not ready to dive cold turkey into a plant-based diet. I still love and cook with olive oil (having an Italian family and living in Florence for a bit makes the idea of cutting out olive oil earth-shattering), and I’m hesitant to give up fish.
So instead, I’m giving myself the following easy guidelines to follow:
1. No meat (duh).
2. No dairy (including cheese and milk). For my coffee, I’ve switched to agave nectar for sweetening and soy milk.
3. No refined sugar.
4. Eat whole foods (veggies, grains, you get the idea).
5. Eat processed whole foods (crackers, pita bread, and cereal) sparingly.
6. Avoid adding oil when cooking and limit oil consumption to coconut and olive oil when possible.
7. Eat fish, but sparingly and buy the highest quality possible (think: wild salmon over canned tuna).
8. Make more of my own training food: protein bars, gels, sports drinks. I have a feeling this is going to save me some money as well!
9. When I travel (to say, Amsterdam to visit my sister), I’ll try my best to eat according to the plant-based diet, but enjoy the local food to its fullest. So yes, I’m going to eat stroopwafels. Just maybe not ten of them….
10. Try new things. Cook with new veggies and beans. Continue to try new ethnic restaurants with a new perspective. Use my crock pot more often. Buy more cook books. Experiment with my own version of recipes. Fall in love with food- real, whole, and delicious food.
11. Share my adventures and recipes in plan-based nutrition with you all on MiaPrimaCasa!
What do you think about my plant-based nutrition plan? Any suggestions or recommendations?
My Plant-Based Education Reading List:
Forks Over Knives by Gene Stone, T. Colin Campbell, and Caldwell B. Esselstyn
The Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition by Julieanna Hever
Related Posts:
It’s NaNoWriMo Time, Folks
I’m 11,000 words into my first novel. Only nine days of writing and already 11,000 words! Not too shabby. I’m going to ignore the fact that my sister is 20,000 words in right now, and take a moment to celebrate some other cool achievements of November:
1. I’ve been a vegetarian for a month and a half! And despite the occasional temptation of proscuitto, it’s been surprisingly easy. The Veganomicon cookbook has been an excellent resource for delicious recipes, including baked goods (my weakness).
2. I’ve started a new training plan with a goal of a half Ironman this summer. Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing my trials and tribulations right here on occassion!
3. In September, I had a goal of not buying any piece of clothing for three months. Well, I lasted two months. I had to buy a new pair of jeans, okay!? Despite falling one month short, I am pretty proud of myself. I remember in detail the moment I put a patchwork maxi skirt back on the rack at GoodWill. Best $2 not spent.
Now back to National Novel Writing Month. I’ve got one month to write 50,000 words. Check out my progress here, and I dare you to start your own adventure this November (no, not shaving your beard doesn’t qualify).
Ciao,
Sarah
p.s. In honor of NaNoWriMo, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite reads.
The Easy, Healthy, Cheap Popcorn Recipe
This recipe is so simple, I don’t know how I didn’t know about it for so long! Recently, my friend told me the easiest way to make healthy popcorn your way:
Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil into a large pot. Add salt, pepper, garlic, or whatever other delicious combos you can think of! Pour in 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels. Be sure to add the lid to the pot, then set on medium high heat until the kernels begin to pop. Shake the pan occasionally to be sure the kernels don’t burn and are evenly coated in the oil and seasoning. In true vegan fashion, I added one and half tablespoons of nutritional yeast (kind of like vegan cheese topping) to the popcorn. Super easy, as healthy (or not) as you want, and also cheap (I bought my kernels in bulk at Whole Foods for a couple bucks). Yum!
Running Hard, Getting Heathy, & Going (Almost) Vegan
This was my lunch today…
Spring greens, extra firm organic tofu, sweet cherry tomatoes, cranberries, carrots, chia seeds, and lite ceasar dressing
…and it was amazing! On Monday I decided to commit to vegetarianism (and to slowly transition into veganism in my own time). For now, I’m cutting out all meat except fish and also cheese. As a runner, I was hesitant to consider cutting out meat because protein is fundamental to my diet, but that was before I read Eat & Run. Wow, is Scott Jurek convincing! I’ll be honest; proper treatment of animals is important to me, but it was never enough to convince me to take the leap. Jurek’s transition into veganism is simply practical. Food=fuel=great performance. (Supporting animal rights and the environment is just a plus that comes along with it!) Vegansim made the runner feel better, perform better, and win. I’d be a fool not to at least hear-out the advice of an ultramarathon champion. I run marathons. Jurek runs 150+ miles races through deserts and up mountains. On a plant based diet. Just try not to be curious!
I’m sick of getting sick, of bonking out on long runs and rides, and feeling sluggish at work, so I’m giving a vegetarian diet a try! And eating vegan when I can limits my diet is good ways. At the work cafe, if no options are vegan, I have no choice but to eat the salad I brought that day.
The result?
Feeling deprived? Not getting enough protein?
Nope.
Just a really, really delicious homemade lunch.
gibbsongirl.com 