vegetables

Juicing, Raw, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Juice Challenge: Day 3

I made it through day 3 of only juice!
I started running low on ingredients, so I only made 2 different juices today. I alternated between Shocking Green and Lean ‘N’ Green to keep from getting too bored.

I wanted to say thank you again to all of my readers. Each and every one of you keep me motived and so excited to blog everyday. Your emails and comments have been so inspiring and encouraging! I always try to email everyone back but I have actually had an overwhelming amount of emails in my inbox, so don’t think I am not responding! You guys know I can be quite chatty and I really like to take time to respond to my readers. I was so surprised the first time someone said that I inspired them because YOU guys inspire me!  I love hearing your stories, and opinions! Love you little bunnies!

Emotions: I did not sleep well at all last night. I couldn’t get comfy and then after I feel asleep I woke up a few times in the middle of the night with a full bladder. Is there such thing as too much water intake? I guess the 8 glasses of water, tea, and the addition of all of these h20 loaded veggie & fruit juices really adds up. I just keep thinking about all of the icky toxins flushing out of my body. This morning I stepped on the scale and was excited to see a 2lb loss which got me really excited for the day. I felt great throughout the day but later in the afternoon started having one of those sad moments again. I could not stop thinking about how I let myself overindulge and get to this not so comfy weight. I hate that these thoughts even cross my mind, when I am doing something proactive to change. I tried to distract myself and with my friend’s genius idea, started catching up on the past few episodes of New Girl that I had missed. I also made a trip to Barnes & Noble to find a new book to read during my down time.

I definitely feel less bloated, and am getting more motivated to stay on track with healthy eating once I am done cleansing. I am not sure how long I will juice, but a lot of people have raised concern that it is unhealthy for longer than 10 days. As usual, I started researching! Juice fasting is a controversial “crash diet” that is strongly recommended by some, and extremely discouraged by others. Both advocates and opponents of juice fasting agree that there are some significant pros and cons. A juice fast is a temporary diet that consists of only the juice from fresh fruits and vegetables. The idea is that by consuming nothing but juice, the body will cleanse itself of impurities, fat and toxins, resulting in weight loss. Juice fasting does not contain nearly enough protein or healthy fats to be considered a substantial diet, and I have to agree. So far I have felt more tired than usual, and there is no way that I could workout while continuing my cleanse. Although I agree that a long term juice fast is not ideal, I do like the idea of cleansing the body with pure micronutrients.

Hunger: I am really surprised that I haven’t felt actual hunger in-between juices. If I am “hungry” it’s my mind craving food, but not actual physical hunger. I am craving a bite of actual fruit, but am staying strong and sticking with juice! I have to say that my worst withdrawal and strongest craving is for coffee. I am really surprised that I haven’t gotten headaches from the caffeine withdrawal yet, but I’m not complaining! The last time I gave up coffee I was miserable!


Shocking Green
makes 3 servings

3 green apples
10 stalks celery
1 large cucumber
14 sprigs of Italian parsley
10 dinosaur kale leaves
2 inch knob of ginger

Lean ‘N’ Green
makes 3 servings

1 head romaine
8 dinosaur kale leaves
6 stalks celery
1 large cucumber
8 carrots
1 lemon

Juice Critique:
Shocking Green: I think I may have added a tad too much ginger to this one, because I was a bit… shocked after my first sip. The ginger was a nice change compared to the usual green juices. Plus ginger has great nutritional benefits, so I’ll take it! I may use a bit less next round though.

Lean ‘N’ Green:  Mmmm this one tasted nice and fresh. The lemon definitely helped to cut out the bitterness of the kale. I’m starting to really love the green juices, especially with carrots! I’m really like these more than beet juices! Plus I am actually starting to enjoy the taste of celery!

| 11 Comments
Juicing, Raw, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Juice Challenge: Day 1

I did it, I survived day 1!

After eating like everyday is my birthday for the past few weeks… well, months… Having a solid day of juice felt really nice!

Before I get into juicing, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who read, commented, emailed, facebooked, or tweeted me about my post yesterday. Sometimes it’s really hard to write posts like that, but since my blog is about honesty and developing a healthy relationship with food, I felt it was necessary to let you guys know how I was feeling. Body image is such a universal issue, yet so personal at the same time, and I know that a lot of people struggle with similar issues and I want everyone to know that they are not alone. Thank you so much for all of your comments, you have no idea how much they mean to me.

Last night I went to my friends Jason and Erica’s house and we got our juice on. I compiled a list of fruits and veggies that I wanted to experiment with, and then we were off to Whole Foods to get the goods. Whole Foods was probably not the best place to buy my produce price wise, but it’s easy for me to navigate and they always have kale! I am going to start by saying that even though juicing may be pricey (I will figure out how to get the cost down!) it sure makes grocery trips easy and stress free! No more roaming through the aisles, only the produce section! I did leave Whole Foods with a bag of chocolate chip cookies since I probably won’t be seeing those again for a while! We got back to the house and started juicing. Jason is a chef, so he definitely helped us to cut down our prep time! He was chopping apples like there was no tomorrow! I ended up with 6 bottles of 3 different fresh juices for the next day (May 1).

Rise & Shine
Makes 2 servings

1 large grapefruit
2 fuji apples
2 granny smith apples
2 cups of green seedless grapes
10 sprigs of Italian parsley

Beet It
makes 3 servings

10 carrots
2 red apples
1 large cucumber
1 large beet
2 stalks celery
1 inch fresh ginger

Green Machine
makes 1 serving

1 green apple
5 carrots
5 leafs dinosaur kale
1 cup spinach (packed)
½ cucumber
1 stalk celery
5 sprigs Italian parsley

Emotions: Day 1 was really exciting for me. I didn’t try any of my juices last night when I was preparing them so that I would be excited to drink them the next day. I woke up pumped to start the juice challenge and couldn’t wit to try each juice.

Hunger: I was busy all day today because my family and I went to watch our friend Javier perform on The Voice at WB. We were gone a majority of the day, so I didn’t have time to think about food or eat out of boredom. After the taping ended around 7 I started to get mildly hungry. We stopped by Panini for dinner but I stayed strong and sipped on green tea and a fresh juice.

Juice Critique:
Rise & Shine: Loved this juice. It was super energizing and the grapefruit gave it a nice punch. I’m thinking about adding some water to dilute the grapefruit next round, or maybe use a bit less.

Beet It: I’m obsessed with the color of this juice! I loved the first few sips, but had a hard time finishing the bottle near the end. It has a rather earthy taste to it from the beet. I think that next time I will use a smaller beet (mine was HUGE!) or add extra ginger. This one definitely needs some tweaking. Not my fav.

Green Machine: I surprisingly loved this juice. It smelled like straight up grass when I made it, but it tasted really fresh with a hint of sweet fro the apple! I may try adding some lemon next round. I will definitely be making more of this juice. Maybe I’ll swap it for the 3 Beet Its.

Throughout the day I also finished off 5 water bottles (so thirsty today!) and as we speak, I am sipping on a cup of organic Senna Leaf Tea to help with digestion, since juice contains no fiber.

So far, the juice challenge is a success! I’m taking it one day at a time, but I am feeling great and also very proud of myself for making it through dinner out with my family and not giving in. I’m excited for day 2, hopefully I will still be this pumped in the morning!

| 29 Comments
Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tempeh & Green Vegetables With Tangy Peanut Sauce

The other day, I was excited to see an email from my old college roommate Dominique, who sent me an oishii (delicious) vegan, Asian-inspired recipe that we have both been oohing and awwing over.  Dom and I met on move in day at school and we bonded over our matching Hello Kitty toasters, and were inseparable ever since. Oh the power of the kitty! We both obsessed over Japanese culture, fashion, and cuisine and used to have “Panda Food” for dinner about 5 nights a week. Wow have we both come a long way since our Panda Nights of ramen noodles, Ling Ling potstickers, and white rice! We’ve traded in our amateur “Panda Food” for some sophisticated recipes, good enough for a geisha.

I made a few tweaks to the original recipe to make it Rabbit Food Pyramid friendly, and used low sodium vegetable broth to stir-fry  the veggies and tempeh instead of oil. Tons of Asian dishes are cooked in oils, which quickly adds countless calories and fat to a once healthy vegetable based dish. Olive oil is a great source of heart healthy fat when it is uncooked, but it’s properties are changed once it is heated to a certain degree, so I like to cook my vegetables in low sodium vegetable broth to achieve similar results.

Tempeh is one of my favorite proteins. It’s similar to tofu because it is made from soybeans, but it’s taste and texture are completely different. Tempeh is much more textured and firm since the soybeans are cooked and slightly fermented, and has a mild nutty flavor. It’s low in fat and high in protein and calcium, making it a great addition for stir-frys and salads.

Tempeh & Green Vegetables With Tangy Peanut Sauce
Serves 1

Veggies:
3oz tempeh, cubed
½ cup frozen spinach
½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
½ cup broccoli
¼  cup chopped yellow onion
¼ cup un-shelled edamame
¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
½ clove garlic, minced

Sauce:
1 Tbsp  unsalted peanut butter
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp garlic powder

Pour vegetable broth into a pan over low heat. Combine tempeh, spinach, bell pepper, broccoli, onion, edamame, and garlic in the pan and cook until vegetables are tender and vegetable broth has been soaked in. In a separate bowl while vegetables and tempeh are cooking, whisk together all sauce ingredients; if desired, add a bit of water for a thinner consistency. Set sauce aside. When vegetables have finished cooking, add the peanut sauce and coat evenly. Enjoy warm.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown
Produce: spinach, bell pepper, broccoli, onion
Whole Grain: you may enjoy with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice if desired.
Protein: tempeh and edamame
Plant Based Fat: peanut butter

| 0 comment
Recipes, Snacks, Treats, Vegan, Vegetarian

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

These faux mashed potatoes consist of only 2 ingredients: cauliflower and milk!
A great alternative to starchy potatoes when you want a light side dish. The first time I made these, I couldn’t believe how similar they tasted to mashed potatoes!

They can be eaten plain or with your favorite additions such as garlic and parsley, as you would with regular mashed potatoes.


Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Amount of servings varies on the size of your cauliflower

1 head cauliflower
½ cup milk of your choice – unsweetened

Separate cauliflower florets from the stem and place them in a microwave safe container. Cover and heat for 4-5 minutes until soft. Remove excess water and transfer the cauliflower to a blender or food processor. Add milk in small amounts until desired texture is created.

Note: add the milk slowly a little bit at a time so that it doesn’t get too runny. The amount of milk may vary due to different sizes of cauliflower heads.

| 7 Comments
Desserts, Recipes, Treats

Vegetables… In My Brownies?!

Uh oh, it’s April 1. We all know what that means… April Fool’s Day!
What if I told you that this indeed is no joke. These brownies really are made of veggies!

YES, HEALTHY BROWNIES DO EXIST!

Trick all of your friends, coworkers, and family members with the tastiest, healthiest April Fool’s prank yet! They will have no idea that these rich chocolate brownies are made of vegetables! Not to mention; vegan, gluten free, and contain no refined sugar, butter, oil, or salt! Take that Paula Dean.

Just make sure that no one is allergic to the secret superstar ingredients first… because that would not be fun!

I love Chef AJ’s original Black Bean Brownie recipe, but I didn’t have barley flour or date syrup on hand, so I did some trial and error with flours, making my own date paste/syrup, and added spinach! I made 2 different batches to ensure they were perfect before posting, and I found that almond meal/flour tasted the best and gave the greatest consistency. I wanted to give whole-wheat flour and try, but it came out like rubber! As I was experimenting, I found that blending the ingredients in a particular order made the process much more efficient.

Remember, even though these are made from whole healthy ingredients, that they are still treats and should be enjoyed in moderation. But go ahead, lick the batter straight from the bowl, there are no eggs!

Black Bean & Spinach Brownies
Recipe adapted from Chef AJ
Makes 9 servings

15oz, can no salt added black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups fresh spinach
12 medjool dates (pitted)
1 cup water
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup almond flour
Optional 2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips or vegan carob chips – as a topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a high-powered blender or food processor (I used my Vitamix!) combine the dates and water, blending until thick smooth paste is formed. Add the fresh spinach to the paste and mix until smooth. Next, add the beans and vanilla extract and blend. Finally, add the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and almond flour. Blend until batter is mixed evenly. Scrape the sides of the blender or food processor as needed, as the batter will become very thick. Once batter is smooth, pour into an 8 x 8 cooking pan, lightly coated with olive oil spray. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Optional: when brownies have finished baking, sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and let them melt in the oven for 1 additional minute. Remove brownies from the oven and spread melted chocolate chips evenly with a spatula.

Note: I checked the brownies after 35 minutes and they were still raw in the middle, so I kept cooking them in 10 minute increments, checking with a toothpick each time. The brownies took around 50 minutes to completely cook.

Side Note: I have not tried using deglet noor dates (the smaller, lighter dates) but if you use them in place of medjool, I suggest doubling the quantity to 22 since they are half the size.

| 57 Comments

1 2 3