Vegucation: Salads and Smoothies OH my!

Smoothies are an awesome way to get a lot of nutrients and fiber in one glass. I love smoothies. I pretty have one every day. And lately I've been a little obsessive with it. I have at least one, but sometimes 2 smoothies a day. They are really easy on the digestive system. Some other benefits of drinking smoothies are:

• Provides a huge amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
• Contains fiber for awesome digestion
• Provides the body with instant energy
• Protects the immune system
• Hydrates you
• Easy to make
• Easy to take on the go
• Add hemp, flax, chia, for protein, omegas, fiber, iron.....
• Add spirulina or chlorella for protein, chlorophyll and other awesomeness
• Add protein powder or shake mix (Vega)

Nuff said.

Every morning I have a smoothie for breaky and then at lunch I eat a big salad. When I say big....I mean HUGE. Its jam packed.

K's Big Salad
Ingredients
Lettuce - spinach, romaine, kale
Cucumber
Carrot
Celery
Boiled yams
Spiced chickpeas
Black beans
Baked tofu
Avocado
Hemp seeds

That's just what's been in my salads for the last few days. A mixture of those ingredients. I'm no dainty salad eater. My salads have to be full of diversity and bulk. There are so many other options too. If I had some almonds or cashews I'd throw them in too. Peppers, tomatoes, fruit, sunflower seeds, corn......endless.

YUM! Look at that lunch! BAM. Smoothie, big salad, peeled orange, apple, and lemon mustard dressing. Yup. I'm healthy. lol Oh a big bottle of water. Easier to track and make sure I'm getting enough.

I honestly don't know who wouldn't be happy with that lunch? It was awesome FYI. I have been feeling totally amazing since I started doing this daily. At least one smoothie and one big salad a day. Ups the raw portion of my diet up. Which has amazing benefits and provides way more nutrients by not heating them. I love cooked food don't get me wrong. But when I have a higher proportion of raw foods in my diet, I feel better. More energetic. My dinners are always cooked though.

Go-to Smoothie

Ingredients

1-1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

1 banana

2 handfuls spinach

1 scoop Vega (protein powder)

1 tsp ground flax seeds

1/2 lemon, juiced

2-3 cups water (adjust to your taste)

Other mainstay additions:

spirulina

hemp seeds

chia seeds

lime

almond milk

Sorry I haven't posted a new dinner recipe but I haven't been cooking this week other than these salads and smooties. But I shall tomorrow, don't fret. ;)

Peace

xoxo

K

Vegan MoFo Day 15: Leeky Quinoa Part 2

Me and Quinoa have been MAJAH best friends these days. I've been eating it a lot. I love it. Its light but filling, nutritious but delicious. LOL. Seriously. I am not well versed on cooking with Leeks but they intrigue me very much so. I made a dish before which I called Leeky Quinoa. I made pretty much the same dish last night with a few changes.

Leeky Quinoa Part 2:

1 cup uncooked quinoa
3 Sundried tomatoes, soaked and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
5 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
2 kale stalks, leaves removed
1 tsp vegeta
1/4 cup water
1 tsp olive oil
pepper
1/2 lemon
2 tsp capers
1 handful sunflower seeds

Directions:

1. The sundried tomatoes should be soaked in warm water for 15-20 minutes before chopped.
2. Cook quinoa according to package.
3. Saute garlic and onion until lightly browned.
4. Add leeks, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, capers and lemon. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
5. Add vegeta, water and cooked quinoa. Cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add sunflower seeds and pepper. Then ENJOY!

I ate it all. No joke. There are no leftovers, it was so damn yummy.

This morning I started the day off right with a 10km run around Stanley Park followed by a delish smoothie. On the weekends I make my own veggie juice. This time it was celery, cucumber and carrot. Then I blended it with 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1 small banana, 1/4 serving VEGA whole health optimizer - berry flavor, 2 tsp chia seeds, 1/2 cup quick oats, 2 heaping tsp peanut butter, 1/2 and tsp agave nectar. SO good. and SO filling. It made 2 servings. And I am full! Just the energy and nutrients I need to shop for my Halloween costume.

That will keep me going for a while. Chia seeds are extremely filling. They take on so much liquid so they expand in your stomach keeping you full a lot longer. Plus they are chalked full of protein, iron and other great stuff.

Have a great day MoFo'ers!!

Peace

xoxo

K