I've moved!

Please bookmark my new blog


http://plantstrongforlife.blogspot.com/


I will still be blogging about vegetarianism (hopefully a lot more than I do now). Just tired of this name and needed a change =)

x&o-

Tuscan White Bean Stew

2 days in a row of updating, this is epic.

I am sharing Monday's dinner with you as I can not tell a lie.. I had smart dogs again tonight. :)

This stew is AMAZING! I have been looking forward to making it for a long time, I bookmarked it way back when I first went vegetarian and finally got to it. I was really looking forward to the seitan in it, but of course.. the stores had no pre-made seitan and whenever I try to make it.. it turns out as a bouncy ball. It has the same consistency as chewing gum and its really annoying. Luckily, the seitan is optional in this recipe & I can vouch for the fact that its really good without it.

I doubled the amount of potato because I wanted it to be more filling since the seitan was MIA. I've never had white beans before, they are really good! I added like 90x the amount of kale it calls for... Like I said last post, I need to up my nutrients!

I've seen this on a lot of blogs, but the recipe I followed is here

try it! You won't be disappointed! And if you make your own seitan successfully, please pass some pointers on :(

Chicago Style Hot Dog, Vegetarian Style

Not only am I a horrible blogger, but I am a horrible vegetarian as well. (PS : Why is blogspot different? I hate it. It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to create a post)

Why am I a horrible vegetarian? Well, this winter I was quite lazy and I have a feeling that has something(read: everything) to do with how ill I have been lately. Winter vegetables are so blah to me.. theres only so much squash I can eat. Not to mention the wrinkly tomatoes, the half rotten onions, and the wilted herbs. So I decide to eat processed crap instead, hence why I feel like absolute crap lately. I couldn't honestly tell you how long I went without eating actual produce. Any vegetables I was eating were coming from a can. But I can't figure out why I'm so unhealthy and ill. Hummm..

Anyway. It's spring, almost summer, and there's no more excuses. My main focus is obviously to bring as many fresh vegetables and fruits back into my lifestyle as possible, but I am also trying to eat raw fruit/veggies as often as possible. Raw meals is another mountain to conquer in the future.

I've been focusing on apples, bananas, oranges for breakfast. Lately I've been eating yogurt as well, which normally I try to avoid dairy but I was on an anti-biotic for close to 3 weeks and really need to balance out my stomach. So, I add chia seeds to it and it makes me feel less guilty. I hate eating in the morning, so this is a good step in the right direction.

I walked into the break room at work today and someone was cooking hot dogs. I haven't had a hot dog in over 3 years, meat or non, and I instantly wanted one. I don't have a grill (and thats the only way I like hotdogs) but a quick google search found that George Foreman grills are on sale this week! So I went after work and got a grill & some vegan hot dogs and all the toppings for a Chicago Style hot dog, Vegetarian style!

There may be some variants to what "Chicago Style" means, but one thing is for sure... NO KETCHUP! I have nothing against ketchup but given the choice I'd choose mustard any day. Loaded mustard. Yummmm.

Mine consisted of the vegan hot dogs on a poppy seed bun, spicy brown mustard, regular mustard, tomatoes, onion, dill relish, and a pinch of celery salt. Delish!!

The best part about this grill is that I can make potatoes on it. IN SEVEN MINUTES. In case you didn't know, Hello my names Amanda & I could live off of grilled potatoes. Do you realize how amazing it is to have grilled potatoes ready in 7 minutes? It makes the cost of the little grill (which was basically nothing) totally worth it. If you have a George Foreman grill, try your potatoes on there! Chop it up (I left the skins on-extra nutrients..Just make sure to scrub it!) into thick chips, coat with olive oil, and season how you like. I did salt pepper and onion powder. And 7 minutes later, you're in heaven. THEY EVEN GET BURN MARKS!!! *love*

I can't wait to grill the asparagus I have on this later this week!

Purple smoothie!

I'm here to tell you about my new best thing!! I call it a purple smoothie.. its so beautiful, so delicious and sooo good for you!

I don't measure ingredients, so I'm sorry for you OCDers out there, this will not be for you.

In your blender throw in some:

-frozen blueberries
-frozen strawberries (about 1/2 of the amount of blueberries)
-1 frozen banana
-vanilla soymilk (I am not a fan of soymilk, I think this will probably taste even better with almond milk!)
-coconut water (just a little bit... you can freeze it into ice cubes if you think ahead!)
-ice
-1 tablespoon flax seed (be sure to not add TOO much if you don't normally consume flax seed, it can cause a stomach ache because of high fiber. This is probably the most important ingredient because of the Omega 3!)

I was going to throw some acai juice in too but couldn't find any at the store.

As always, to up the health value you could add in some kale or spinach. The blueberry will take over the taste, don't worry about it tasting weird!



Smoothies are a great way to get your fruit (and veggie!) requirements for the day, and they are insanely delicious. Insanely. The best thing is that you can pretty much throw anything into the blender and its going to taste amazing. Another really good smoothie I love is orange juice & bananas! Hello fabulous!


My New Years Eve drink of choice!

Not only will I not feel disgusting in the morning from a hang over, I will feel as fabulous as I do now =)

If you're looking for a hangover cure Sunday morning... make this, and add lots of kale!!!

Happy 2012 !

Apple Crisp love

This was my first time making apple crisp - I'm not very fond of apples actually and I hate baking and I'm not even really all that into sweets. But, for some odd reason this morning it sounded good.

So I started with 8 granny smith apples.


Can I just say that peeling apples is a real pain in the you-know-what? My wrist still hurts, I'm not cut out for this manual labor stuff.

Anyway- the recipe was simple enough- I'm not even sure I can count this as "baking" it was too simple!

I found the recipe here and it could very easily be made more healthy, or could very easily be made vegan. I think it would taste delicious with Luna & Larry's ice cream on top.



It even got the boyfriend's approval! Quote- "its like a party in your mouth!" =)

Vegan Pizza!

People tend to turn the other way when you say "cheese-less pizza" but I promise you, if you try it just once you will really enjoy it. You can actually taste the vegetables rather than all that cheese... vegetables have amazing flavor!

Saying this, I have never ever in my life been the person to have to "choke down" a vegetable. I've never met a vegetable I didn't absolutely love... and then came kale.

Kale is an amazing source of vitamins and it's at peak during winter, so its really a staple this time of year. However I find myself eating around it in my meals.. or finding aways to "drown out" the taste. Its strange for me to have to acquire a taste for a vegetable as I have always been the one who wants veggies over sweets (most days!). I eat tomatoes like people eat chips (mmmm cherry tomatoes come back in season quickkk I miss you).. 85% of my groceries are vegetables every week- I truly love them. But I can not bring myself to even like kale. I am hoping, praying, wishing that it is just the ways I've been preparing it. As it is 5am & I have been awake since 3:30 & can not sleep for the life of me.. I've been up googling kale. This is what normal 20-somethings do early Saturday morning right?

Apparently alot of people agree with me that kale has a very bitter taste to it, however, it is claimed to be so bitter because it has so many vitamins in it. As somebody who has struggled with iron issues, I really can not afford to dislike a vegetable so good for me! It literally is going to eat away at me until I find a way to enjoy it - the non-wrinkling non-pathetic looking veggies are sparse these chilly months, I want to be able to take advantage of the fresh ones! There appears to be many methods to cooking, steaming, preparing kale so I really hope I can find one that works for me.

Anyway.. on to the food!



YUMMMMMM!

This was my first pizza with potato on it & it was AMAZING!! I used a whole wheat crust, threw on some tomato sauce, added onion- garlic- green peppers- potatoes{I boiled the potatoes for a little bit and then chopped them up on the pizza.}- kale- & some italian seasoning, baked for 10 mins and wa-la! This is a delicious meal that can be made in literally 20 minutes prep to sit down. Perfect for those lazy nights that you spend curled up on your couch watching Hoarders reruns & don't want to miss much by being in the kitchen........

Avocado Reuben

I got this recipe from PETA, here. Instead of regular mustard, I used a spicy brown mustard and it added a nice little kick to it. Absolutely delish :)

Captain Vegetable

My love for Sesame Street will never die.

Miso butternut squash soup

This is an extremely poor picture because A-my camera is broken so I have to use my phone that doesn't have flash & B-it was dark in the room. I just wanted you to get the idea- chunks of squash, noodles, various veggies. This recipe is from the cookbook Vegan Soups and Hearty stews For All Seasons.

Stew

I got this recipe here on This Is Vegan . I saw the picture and it looked soooo delicious. I tweeked the recipe a little to my taste because I can not bring myself to eat chickpeas or sweet potatoes. I added in a little bit of celery and a few carrots. Sooooo amazing. The house smelled so good all day! I was lazy and didn't get out of bed until 10:30am to make it, so I didn't eat dinner until 9:00pm last night but it was sooooo worth it.

It has an awesome spicey tang to it, I had to buy tumeric for this recipe I had never used it before, so that new taste was really awesome for the taste buds.

I think its time for left-overs for lunch :)

Interesting email

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY
IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer
cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have
multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients
that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after
treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the
cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable
size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a
person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer
cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and
forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has
nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic,
but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing
diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day
and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing
cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells
in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can
cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7.. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars
and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often
reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of
chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor
destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from
chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either
compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb
to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to
mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.
Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other
sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer
cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made
with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute
would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small
amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in
color Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting
off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer
cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based
diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat,
like chicken. Meat also contains livestock
antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all
harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole
grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into
an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked
food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live
enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to
cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance
growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building
healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
vegetables including be an sprouts) and eat some raw
vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at
temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C)..

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high
caffeine Green tea is a better alternative e and has cancer
fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or
filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap
water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of
digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the
intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic
buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By
refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes
to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the
body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system
(IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals,
EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy
cancer cells..&nb sp;Other supplements like vitamin E are known
to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's
normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or
unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.
A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior
be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put
the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to
have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy
life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated
environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to
get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen
therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer
cells.

Heaven on earth.

This right here, is heaven on earth. I promise you, $4.29 for 4 popsicles will NOT seem at all absurd after you try one bite of these amazing slices of heaven. They also have coconut ones, haven't tried those yet - next grocery trip I will be though! They are completely vegan AND soy free !!!

You can check out their website here. You can check where they sell them near you. (Rockford people-it only lists Choices Natural Market, but I found these at Woodmans in the freezer section that is for vegan/vegetarian items at the beginning of the organic aisle!)

Pasta with veggies

Simple enough.

Dear Squash

I didn't try squash until I was 20 years old. A guy I worked with told me that he was making spaghetti squash for dinner and I wrinkled my nose & asked what that was. He explained he cut a squash in half, baked it, then added sauce, meat, sausage, cheese and baked it a little longer. He told me that the squash came out in strands just like spaghetti.

In my mind, squash is squishy babyfood that looks like throw-up. So I had to try this out. I add random veggies with sauce (green olives are my favorite to add!) or I just skip the sauce all together and put some butter or olive oil with italian seasoning on it.

It literally does taste just like spaghetti... actually, a little better because it has a little crunch to it. Try it! { I've read that it has anti-cancer type effects, have I convinced you to eat this marvelous vegetable yet?!? }

Tofu lasanga rolls

I ate these... but I can't say I enjoyed them too much. I can't take credit for them completely, my friend Katie helped me make them (hence why the presentation is a little better than usual -- I would have never taken the time to roll them so well). I would have loved them minus the tofu... let's be serious, tofu is freaky. It was my first experience with it and I nearly gagged the whole time. It smelled like pumpkin, then when we were cooking it, it smelled like eggs. It jiggles and its just weird, I'm sorry, some things I just can not get past.

The good thing about this meal was that we tricked Katie's boyfriend (sorry again Steve) into eating this.... after he went on & on about how vegetarian food is so nasty and he would never eat tofu. Atleast now he's tried it and can talk as much smack as he wants... I know I will. Tofu is gross.

First Veggie burger

It took me 13 months of being a vegetarian to try a veggie burger. It freaks me out.. its too similar in texture (and surprisingly, taste) and my thought is... if I don't want to eat meat, why eat something like it? I was never a real big meat eater as it was and now it just plain disgusts me. Which doesn't help with the mock meat. I finally gave in and grilled a veggie burger.. it was good. They won't be a staple in my kitchen, but once every few months maybe. It takes me like 30 mins to eat these (NO not because of the crazy amount of veggies loaded on it) because I chew very cautiously, scared that Ashton Kutcher is going to pop out and say "THAT'S REALLY COW!" Yes I realize this is ridiculous, but if you're going to read this blog you really need to accept the completely aack-bass-wards way my mind works.

Yes I did eat all of those green onions too.... I eat atleast 5 green onions a day, I'm addicted. If it reaches 8:00pm and I don't have any green onion in me-- watch out.

Orange Smoothie

Organic Oranges. Almond Milk. Ice. + Blender = Delicious smoothie !!