Sweet Veggie Burger Stir Fry

 

Okay, so, it may not look like much, but I promise, this recipe is absolutely delicious!

Note: I will put up more photos soon. I didn’t think to take any when I made this!

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

1 Original Vegan Boca Burger or other similar type of veggie burger

2 sweet mini peppers (I used a red one and a gold one)

1 Tablespoon chopped almonds

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small sweet apple (I used a green apple, but it was very far from sour. Good kinds of apples would be Gala or Fugi)

1 teaspoon organic honey

 

Start by pouring olive oil into a pan over medium/low heat. Let the pan heat up for about 5 minutes. When the pan is nice and hot, set the veggie burger (it doesn’t matter if it’s defrosted or not) into the pan and cover with lid. Chop mini peppers into small, 1/4 inch cubes. Chop apple into bite-sized pieces with skin.

Once the veggie burger is heated, cut into bite-sized pieces with spatula. Add peppers and almonds to pan. After 3-6 minutes, add in the chopped apples. Continue cooking under the apple is very soft, the veggie burger is slightly crispy, and the peppers are getting a little see-through. You may have to add a little water if it starts getting dry.

Pour mixture into a bowl and drizzle with honey. Eat while hot, and enjoy!

 

 

5 Quick Tips To Burn More Calories Throughout The Day ;-)

If you’re just starting out on your journey to health, it can be really daunting. You’re not going to automatically stop craving candy and constantly follow a perfect diet. Why? Because it just doesn’t work that way. Living a healthy lifestyle is all about easing into it. It doesn’t happen overnight. Think about it this way: you plan on eating healthy for the rest of your life. Do you really want to dread doing it? Because you will, if you jump right into it. You must slowly incorporate good foods and good habits. So here are some quick tips and tricks to help you move more, burn more, and eat better. ;-)

1. Chew more!

When you’re eating, focus on chewing more. The more you chew, the slower you are ingesting food, and the more time your body has to let you know that it’s all done. And the more you chew, the more you will enjoy your food, and the happier you will be, which is what this is all about, right? :-)

2. Replace dishes/silver-wear

In addition to chewing more, try replacing you fork, spoon, and plate. I eat with about a teaspoon and a half sized spoon, and a fork about the same size. My plates are between 8-10 inches. This will help quite a lot!

3. Take the stairs

This one is pretty obvious, but it’s really good tip. Not only does walking up stairs burn calories, it also works your entire leg and butt. This also implies at your house! If you have a flight of stairs, take advantage. Have a few bags to take up stairs? Take them one at a time! It barely takes any time at all, and you will help yourself.

4. Think before you eat

Okay, sometimes you have to have that cookie, or that cupcake. And that’s good! Treating yourself every once in a while is very, very good. Being healthy isn’t about restriction. But before you mindlessly reach for a “100 calorie snack pack” (Which are absolutely terrible, by the way. I will do a post about foods that may look alright for you, but really aren’t), think. Do you really want it, or are you bored? Chances are that it’s the latter. So spend some time on that puzzle you never finished, or read the book that you keep meaning to dive into. Walk your dog (because it’ll thrill them too!), or take pictures outside. Something. Something other than mindlessly eating!

5. Drink water

This tip cannot, and simply will not ever be stressed enough. Water, water, water. There’s nothing on this earth that could do you more good. Your body is nearly 60% water. Your brain is 70%, and your blood is over 80% water. So how in the world could it not be good for you?? Plus, it has no calories, no carbs, no sugar, no fat, no nothing. It has so little that a lot of water bottle companies don’t even put a nutrition label on it! Because there’s absolutely nothing in it! The more water you drink, the better. I heard once that you should drink your body weight in ounces of water, meaning that if you weigh 125 pounds, you should drink 125 ounces of water. Personally, I usually do! I have a big, 57 ounce bottle, and I usually drink 2 1/2 of them a day, which is well over my body weight, but it certainly does hurt a thing! Water keeps your stomach flat, flushes fat, fills your stomach, clears your skin, keeps your nails and hair healthy, and keeps your entire body functioning properly.

Seriously people, get your water.

Exercise That’s FUN to do!

In addition to eating healthy vegetarian food, I also workout some how, some way, every day. Here are a few examples of fun exercise, that barely even seems like a workout!

1. Horse-back riding

(This is my horse, Key’s eye. :) )

When said 125 pound person rides at a trot, they will burn about 370 calories an hour (this varies, depending on what type of riding you are doing. I’m going to say English trotting burns more, what with posting and all, but Western burns more in other areas).

But, you can tack on another 340 calories burned, just by the grooming before-hand! When you fully groom a horse with all the brushes and hoofpick and comb, you’ve got yourself an arm workout! Calculate it by your weight and how long you do it, and you’ll see why this is a workout! Riding horses is also an insane workout for your butt, thighs and calf muscles. That’s not all, though! Riding also works your arm muscles (more so in grooming and tacking up than riding itself), your balance, your posture, and your abs. So go for a ride! You won’t regret it!

To be continued..

Easy Vegan Spinach Wrap Recipe

So, today I decided to take a day off. No run this morning, no going anywhere, just relaxing. Of course, for me, relaxing means sewing a skirt from a tablecloth and making a whole bunch of recipes for here! The first post of today: *Drumroll* SPINACH WRAPS!! These are a really great alternative to white flour tortillas. Granted, they aren’t too good cold, and may not bend as well, but it’s really tasty!

 

Here’s the recipe:

Yield: Anywhere from 2-8, depending on how large you make them. (I did half of this recipe and rolled them out to only 2 tortillas.)

2 1/2 cups baby spinach

2 Tablespoons water

1+ cups of whole wheat flour (you can use any type you like)

1 teaspoon of sea salt

2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon pepper

 

Start by cooking spinach in the water over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes.

 

While that’s cooking, mix together all remaining ingredients until you have a crumbly dough.

 

Once spinach is all cooked (it should be wilted and the water mostly dried up), add it to the crumbly dough. Mix with your clean hands until it all sticks together. You may need to add a bit more water, but not too much! Knead for a few minutes, and then roll into balls. Each ball will be a tortilla, so decide now how big you want them. 

 

Lightly flour a cutting board and a rolling pin. Roll out each ball really thin into a large circle.

Pick up dough with a spatula (it may break, so be careful) and place in a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes on one side, then use the spatula to flip it over. Cook for 5 minutes on that side as well. Each side should have light brown spots on them.

Serve while still warm. Enjoy!!

 

Fill with whatever you would fill a tortilla with! I put a can of black beans and a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies in a pot, cooked them for a few minutes and fill my tortilla with that. Other healthy ideas:

Refried beans, dollop of plain Greek yogurt, and sprinkle of cheddar cheese.

Spread with light mayo, and add scrambled eggs and/or veggie sausage

 

 

Best Snacks Before A Morning Run/Protein Shake Recipes

Lately, I’ve been trying to run at least a mile before breakfast in the morning. This is all new to me, since my entire life, I’ve despised running. But, in an attempt to tone my legs before Spring-time dresses/Summer-time bathing suits and to gain more muscle, I have learned to love it. It also gives me TONS of energy throughout the day, which really makes no sense, but whatever works, right?! In order to have enough daylight, I hit the road at about 6:45AM, and get back around 7:10AM. I always eat breakfast after my run, to reload on protein and carbs that where sucked right up on said run. But if I eat nothing before it, I have a very hard time staying awake, plus my stomach is a weirdy and gets upset at the strangest things (Ex., I didn’t eat any ice cream for 1 1/2 years when I was younger because it was death to my belly, but now I eat it just fine, though I enjoy homemade banana ice cream best.)

So, this is what I usually have before a run:

(Half an apple and two Tablespoons of raisins)

Other really great options are:

A mini bagel with a Tablespoon of peanut butter

Greek yogurt and fruit

A banana

Toast

Nuts and/or dried fruit

Keep in mind that in needs to be light. Just enough to carry you though the run. So keep it between 100-300 calories. Also, give your body at least 15 minutes to digest before heading out. It won’t do you any good if you’ve already ran and come back before it even kicks in!

Also, after my snack, while waiting to go out, I drink half of a 32 ounce bottle of water and prepare my breakfast which is……Dun dun nun nun nun…….A protein shake, yay! :-p I stick it in the freezer until I come back in.

These are my usual recipes:

Banana-Berry:

1-2 cups of water, depending on desired thickness

1 ripe banana

1-2 scoops of vanilla (chocolate would work too) protein powder

Handful of baby spinach

Handful of mixed berries (or whatever kind you have on hand. Strawberries are especially good!)

Pour everything (in the order it was listed) into a blender and blend until completely mixed. Pour into a plastic cup and freeze for 20 minutes.

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Peanut Butter Cup:

1 cup milk (your choice. I usually use cow’s, but almond makes it MUCH yummier!)

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

1 TBSP Peanut Butter

2 tsp Stevia In The Raw

Pour everything (in the order listed) into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into plastic cup and freeze for 20 minutes.

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Or, you can go the Undressed Skeleton route, and make a PINK protein shake! (It’s very delicious!

-1/2 Cup Water

-Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

-1/2 Cup Ice

-1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

-4 Large Strawberries

-1/4 of a medium banana

-1 Packet Stevia in the Raw

Same as before, pour everything (in the order listed) into a blender and blend until smooth. But this time, roll the rim of your glass in honey or water and dip in shredded coconut to fancify things a bit. Then, pour shake/smoothie into coconut-garnished glass and drink right then, or place in freezer for 10-20 minutes.

Enjoy your protein shakes!!

Valentine’s Day Breakfast Shake!

Valentine’s Day is literally just around the corner. In honor of my second favorite holiday, I decided to share a delicious Chocolate-Raspberry breakfast shake with you all! Here’s it is:

Follow this simple recipe for part of a yummy Valentine’s Day breakfast!

2 Servings

3/4 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries (or raspberry puree)

2 Tablespoons pure cocoa powder

1/2 cup your choice of milk (Vanilla Almond would be delicious!)

2 Tablespoons vanilla flavoring or vanilla extract (VERY important!)

1-2 Tablespoons chocolate protein power (I used whey protein, but you are certainly welcome to use any kind)

2-4 ice cubes

Pour milk into blender (FYI: A blender like the Vita-Mix will whip quite a lot of air into it, where as something like a Magic Bullet won’t), then add raspberries, cocoa powder, protein powder and vanilla. Blend until completely mixed. Then add ice cubes. Blend once again until the ice is broken up totally. Add more chocolate and/or raspberries if desired. If it’s not sweet enough, add organic sugar, Stevia, or mashed banana for sweetness. The banana will alter the flavor, but not in a bad way. :-)

Per serving: 75 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 11 carbs, 6 grams protein

Homemade Vegetarian/Vegan Hot-Pockets!

I will admit. I have only had a Hot Pocket once in my entire life, before I was a vegetarian. I really liked how cute and easy they were! Well, the other day, I had an idea: why not make vegetarian Hot Pockets with a veggie filling? So I did. And this is what happened:

To make these cute little pockets, follow this recipe:

Makes about 10 pockets.

Ingredients:

1 cup veggies (broccoli, spinach, zucchini, onions, peppers and green beans are especially yummy. Or, you can just drain some lentil stew and use that as the filling!)

1 pre-made or homemade regular pie dough (I used a Pillsbury one, because I was too lazy to make a homemade one. Make sure to use a vegan dough if you are vegan!)

3 veggie sausage links (I used Morning Star breakfast sausage links. These do have egg whites, though.)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoons each of basil, powdered sage, sea salt and thyme.

Chop up your veggies and veggie sausages into small pieces. Cook sausage according to the directions on the box, or however you usually do. I chopped mine up raw and fried it in half the oil.

Cook until almost completely done. Add water, then veggies. Let simmer over low heat until water is nearly all gone.

While you’re waiting for it to cook, mix all of your spices in a little bowl. Set aside.

Next, roll out pie dough just a little thinner than it is in the package, and cut out the shape of your choice. I chose a heart, in honor of Valentine’s, but you could really do anything. Butterfly, circle, flower, rectangle, anything!

Cut out as many as you can. Then roll out the extra dough and cut out as many as you can from that as well. Then, fill one side of your heart with a little bit of filling, making sure to get a little of everything! Sprinkle a little of your spice mixture on top of the filling.

Fold the side without any filling over the one that does and press down with a fork, like the picture above. *Optional: Fold the fork-pressed sides up and on top, to make it just a little neater, and flip it upside down, so that the smooth side is on top.

Now just pop it in your toaster oven (or real oven, but it may be different, considering the difference in size) at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until dough is bubbly and not as soft.

Also, put any that you don’t eat right then in a quart size resealable bag and freeze. When you’re ready to eat them, just pop them in the microwave or toaster oven for a bit to warm them up for a quick snack. (Tip: if you like, you can put them in a skillet with a little oil for a minute or two on eat side for a nice crisp!)

Enjoy!!

Per serving: 107 calories, 7.5 grams fat, 8 carbs, 2.2 grams protein

Lentil Stew

Last Saturday morning after my run, I had the strong urge to cook something. So, I found a few recipes, decided on one lentil stew recipe, and then completely changed it. :-D

This is the result:

Look good? Use this recipe and tweak it to your tastes!

(*Note: I did not measure out how much of everything that I used, so you may have to change it to get it tasting correctly)

Makes about 5 servings, depending on size.

Ingredients:

About 1 1/2 cups of dry lentils, your choice of color

1 cup water

1/2 large onion

1/4 large bell pepper

1 small can of diced tomatoes with green chilies

3/4 cup of fresh zucchini

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1/2 cup of chopped spinach

1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper powder(I like my food spicy, so you might want to omit this)

2 teaspoons chili pepper powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt)

1 teaspoon lemon juice/lemon zest

1 teaspoon paprika

*Optional: 1 teaspoon Habanero powder or other hot pepper powder

Pour oil into a large pot over medium heat. Once the pot has heated up, put in carrot, onion, bell pepper and garlic (in that order). Stir until onion and pepper are tender (you may need to add extra oil or a tablespoon or so of water if they look dry).

Add water, and then everything expect for spinach, lemon and zucchini. Turn heat down to low and let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until lentils are very soft and tender. Then add zucchini, lemon and spinach. Let cook for another 4 minutes, or until spinach wilts.

Serve over brown rice or with bread or homemade crackers. Which is what I did. (Recipe for crackers coming soon!)

Enjoy!!

Per serving: 122 calories, 3 grams fat, 18.5 carbs, 7 grams protein