Archives for dairy-free

Quinoa and Zoodle Dinner

This is the coolest kitchen tool I’ve purchased in 2013. I love it! Dan and I frequent the local vegan restaurants and they’ve all started using this tool when creating their dishes. I knew I needed to find a way to get one too! Thank you Amazon. 🙂

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This dish was pretty quick and easy to make and its packed with protein and veggies too!

You’ll need:

Quinoa
3/4 c. rinsed quinoa
1 1/2 c. water
1 clove of pressed garlic
1/2 c. chopped kale, spinach or other greens
1/2 c. canned butternut squash purée
salt

Sauce
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c. of chopped onions
1 clove of pressed garlic
1/4 to 1/2 c. of water
1 – 6 oz. can of tomato paste
2 diced and seeded tomatoes
few dashes of salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

4 small green zucchini (you could also just use spaghetti squash, or pasta)

Start cooking rinsed quinoa, with water and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat. Cover and cook for about 14 minutes once it starts to simmer, turning heat to low if needed. While the quinoa cooks, you can start the sauce!

In a shallow saucepan, heat olive oil with chopped onions and pressed garlic. Once the onions are translucent, add ~ 1/4 to 1/2 c. of water (depending on how thick you like your sauce). Add tomato paste, and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add a few dashes of salt, and dried herbs. Keep heat on low and stir occasionally. Add more water for a thinner sauce.

By now the quinoa should be done cooking. Scoop out a 1/2 c. of the sauce with a measuring cup and pour it over the cooked quinoa. Also add the butternut squash and greens at this time. Mix well. Salt to taste if desired and mix again.

Using a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop, measure out the quinoa balls onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. I was able to make 20 balls with this recipe. Bake at 350°F to 10-15 minutes, or until crispy on the outside and golden brown.

This is a perfect time to make your zucchini noodles! Once they are all cut into noodles, place in a saucepan and spray with a little olive oil and sprinkle a few dashes of salt. Cover and let cook on med-low heat for roughly 5-10 minutes, depending on desired  tenderness. I prepared ours al dente!

Plate the zucchini first, topping with tomato sauce and 5-6 quinoa balls.

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Day 7: A Week in the Life of a Plant-Based Diet

Day 7

ENERGY! I have ENERGY again! There is some good and bad with that. There is something about being sick that is somewhat of a release. When I’m sick I can let go, completely relax and not care about all the little things I normally care about. It’s my time to be completely selfish and think about just ME and NOT feel guilty about it. 🙂

After a talk I had with my sister 2 days ago, we both realized that we take on too much! We try to do it all, “perfectly” and just end up running ourselves into the ground in the process. My other sister is the same way – it’s in our genes – we all do it! THANKS PARENTS!

Anyway, I need to try to overcome that.

The good news is, I was able to get out and run 3 easy-effort miles today, and I did it without coughing or trouble breathing (which was my fear)! I am confident I will still be able to participate in the marathon on Saturday. YAY!!!! I can’t wait. I’m very excited!

Today was a VERY busy day so my food was a bit whacky. Way to end this week-long journal on a high note!

Pre-Breakfast (religiously, every single morning)

Per usual I had my Green Machine by Naked Juice, to ingest all my vitamins and supplements, and of course I took my Barlean’s Omega Vegan Swirl  3-6-9 supplement – same as Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4,  Day 5 AND Day 6 ~ 200 calories, 38 carbs, 5 g fat, 2 g protein

Breakfast

I took a cue from yesterday’s breakfast smoothie and recreated the same concoction – only without any blueberries (cause I ate them all) and I’m pretty sure more garlic. W O W. Today’s was NOT as good as yesterday!! (I let Dan have a sip and he literally ran out of our home office, into the kitchen to grab something, ANYTHING else to put in his mouth. Luckily, he found a cookie. 🙂 It looks pretty though, right? ~ 386 calories, 100 carbs, 0 fat, 10 g protein

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Lunch

Now, this doesn’t really qualify as “lunch”, but, it had to make due. I was running late for an appointment and coming out of another one and I knew we would have an amazing and HUGE linner (not lunch, not dinner) once I got home from my appointment. 🙂 Prunes with reduced fat coconut shreds. YUM. ~118 calories, 27 carbs, 2 g fat, 1 g protein

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Dinner

The amazing dinner! Take out food from one of our favorite local vegan restaurants. This “salad” was huge!!! Normally I save half for later, but today I was too hungry to do that. I ate 85% of it and then decided to let Dan have the rest… since he asked. 🙂 This Blue Corn Taco Salad contains quinoa, black beans, walnut meat, blue corn chips, Daiya cheese, pico de gallo and some mixed greens buried underneath it all. The nutrition is estimated of course, and seriously it probably is this high, simply because these were all calorie dense foods (quinoa, beans, walnuts). ~ 1,183 calories, 126 carbs, 58 g fat, 35 g protein

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As if I didn’t eat enough today, I decided to eat the other half of my banana from breakfast… after all, Dan DID make up a FRESH batch of peanut butter!! ~ 124 calories, 16 carbs, 6 g fat, 4 g protein

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Besides, I need to start packing in the extra calories to stock up for the marathon! Right? 🙂

For my last day, the grand totals are:
Calories = 2,011
Carbs = 307 g
Fat = 71 g
Protein = 52 g

One last thing before I tie up this weekly food diary. I wanted to share what I feel is important information regarding protein. Being a vegetarian for almost 16 years and recently becoming 99% vegan – the #1 question I still get asked is, “Where do you get your protein?” Without going into my own personal frustrations with that question, I think sharing this well-written and educational post is much more relevant to spreading proper knowledge. It is a post from a fellow blogger, who liked my Day 6 post. It talks about the scientific differences between animal and vegetable based protein. It just states the facts and is not slanted one way or another, which I really appreciate! Thank you jennovafoodblog!

I hope those of you that have followed along from Day 1 have enjoyed the journey! Did you eat your plants today? 🙂