What is a Plant Based Diet? The Fundamentals and How to Know if it’s Achievable For You
Have you thought about trying a plant-based diet? If you answered “yes”, you’re in good company. Plant-based diets are on the rise – around 10 million Americans say they follow a “plant-based” diet. That’s up from 290k in 2004! Interestingly, the number of self-identifying “vegans” hasn’t changed much. Are you asking yourself, “what’s the difference between vegan and plant-based?” In this post, we’ll get clear on just what a plant-based diet is (and is not). At the end, you’ll have the information you need to decide if you want to try plant-based yourself. What You Need to Know About Plant-Based Diets Let’s first define a plant-based diet and distinguish it…
15 Red, White, & Blue Food Ideas
Even if you’re not at the park watching fireworks or gathered in a backyard with 50 of your closest friends, there are still ways to get festive with food! Favorite 4th of July Festivities We all want something to look forward to. In the summer, I always look forward to the 4th of July. Independence Day brings parades, fireworks, swimming pools, and barbeques – all good stuff! My family usually attends our city’s “Pet Parade”, then we walk to the town park for an old-fashioned festival – complete with funnel cakes and three-legged races. In the evening, we cook-out with friends and try to stay awake long enough to watch…
Best Breakfast Bowl for Special Diets
If you’ve read my original Best Breakfast post, you probably know that I love a big bowl of nutritious goodness to start my day. But what if you’re vegan, or doing the Whole30? If you’ve read some of my other content, you know I’ve practiced and respect many special diets. So,this post is meant to demystify and lay out your perfect breakfast bowl, no matter what your food preferences or restrictions. Gluten-free: You’re in luck-the original Best Breakfast Bowl is already gluten-free! 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt (eg, Fage Total 5% Greek) 1 banana, sliced 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 tablespoon no-sugar-added peanut butter, nut butter, or chopped…
The Best Breakfast for Sustained Energy
What’s your ideal breakfast – black coffee, biscuits and gravy (I heard recently that’s Portland’s signature breakfast), a granola bar on the way out the door? Breakfasts range from zilch to 1000-calorie sugar-and-fat bombs, and everything in between. My “historical” breakfasts have been high-carb, medium protein, and low fat. Think pancakes with strawberry jam (made with love by my mom), Frosted Mini Wheats with skim milk (a 90s favorite), and many derivations of oatmeal … As I’ve gotten wiser (ahem, older) and more aware of how breakfast impacts my energy levels, I’ve observed that these common and carb-forward breakfasts, although delicious, left me feeling super lethargic – and starving –…
Make a Plant-Based Dinner Meat-Eaters Will Love
Are you looking to add more plant-based meals to your diet, but are not sure where to start or afraid your family won’t like it? Believe me, I’ve been there! When I was a vegan for a few years, I constantly tried different dinner recipes, hoping that they would be easy, use “normal” ingredients, and – most importantly – be edible. Not just for me, but also for my kids and husband. After many fails, complaints, and even ridicule from my meat-loving family, Fiesta Pasta is one plant-based dinner that even has the meat-eaters going back for seconds. Goal: Plant-Based Dinner That’s Easy and Delicious The goal here is to…
Make Easy, Delicious Peanut Sauce and Dressing in 5 Minutes
Do you want to be able to make restaurant-quality peanut sauce – or a nut-free version – at home, and in less time than it takes to read a take-out menu? Nothing beats a creamy, coconut peanut sauce – for Pad Thai, on salads, chicken satay, tofu – it’s delicious on almost everything. Recently, I was mixing up some peanut coconut sauce to go with Pad Thai, and had a “lightbulb” moment. What if I used the extra coconut milk from my peanut sauce to make a salad dressing?! If you have one can of coconut milk, you can make an amazing peanut coconut sauce AND peanut coconut salad dressing.…
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7 Surprising Food Hacks That Will Help You Cut Back on Ultra-Processed Foods
Ultra-processed foods can be low on nutrition and high in calories and sugar. Here's 7 food hacks to cut ultra-processed foods in your diet.
Ring in the New Year with Spicy Peanut Stew
Whether you believe in “good luck” foods or not, you’ll love to ring in the new year with Spicy Peanut Stew. It’s full of “lucky” legumes – black beans, garbanzo beans, and peanuts. (Feel free to throw in some black-eyed peas, if you’re a purist.) According to popular folklore in the United States and elsewhere, eating certain foods on New Year’s Day will guarantee good luck in the new year. Legumes – especially beans, black-eyed peas, and lentils – are traditionally “lucky” foods because they symbolize money or wealth. Other so-called lucky foods (and recipes) are: Pork – Juiciest Pork Chops Cabbage – Pan-Asian Chicken with Cabbage Greens – Salad…
Secrets To Avoid Overeating During the Holidays
Uuuuggghh … that’s the collective sound/sigh I make after eating too much at Thanksgiving. As much as I love eating, I try to avoid overeating in the painful sort of way. Let’s be clear: It’s totally fine to eat too much sometimes. In fact, it’s a lot of fun to feast with friends and family! But, have you ever eaten so much that you’re miserable afterwards? I have, and I remember the stomach ache, feeling overfull (like I’m 9 months pregnant and all my food is pushed up into my ribcage), and just surviving it. That’s no way to spend the holiday! Here are some strategies that have (sometimes) worked…
How to Eat When You’re Injured
Have you ever put in weeks (or months) of hard work, only to be sidelined by an injury? Whether you run long distances, play in a volleyball league, or chase you kiddos over playground equipment, injuries can happen to all of us. And, the timing is never right. You might have your food dialed-in for training or being active, but do you wonder how to eat when you’re injured? Questioning Nutrition During Injury Nutrition-wise, now what? How do you eat in a way that preserves muscle, promotes healing, and lifts your spirits? (Let’s face it, when laid up on the sofa instead of out doing your favorite activity, you need…
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