What About School Lunches For My Kids?

Ah, every parents dilemma. You want to make a healthy lunch for your kid but somehow you always get stuck on sandwiches. It seems so easy to plan out lunch for yourself but if you have a picky eater like I do, well it's even more of a challenge. Here's an easy way of making your life easier and ensuring that your child has a healthy lunch.

With your child you want to plan out ten main lunch items, ten fruits, and ten veggies that he or she likes to eat. Have your child create a chart for ten week days Monday-Friday. That will give you a total of two school weeks. Next, place each main lunch item in one of the Monday-Friday slots. Add a fruit to each item and a veggie from your list until you have created your two weeks worth of meals. Once you've done that check and see what items are missing a protein. If there aren't any your good, if you are missing protein in a meal then add nuts or a veggie like broccoli. Now you have one main item, one fruit, and one veggie, for each meal complete with protein! Here is a list my daughter and I planned out for the next two weeks, as you can see it's nothing fancy but it does the job. You can also add a snack item to the list. I usually just put whatever stood out that week at the grocery store so we don't add that to our list. Snacks can include granola bars, trail mix, crackers, fruit roll ups, etc.

Most of her items are vegan or vegetarian options, this includes the ribs. Skye still enjoys eating meat but I have noticed that as time passes she is choosing more of the vegan or vegetarian options on her own. The only meat items on the list are chicken noodle soup, turkey sandwich, and pasta salad with celery and tuna. Three out of ten ain't bad! Also, if you're going to include meat make sure it is labeled free range (if it's chicken), no hormones, no nitrates, no antibiotics, and of course organic.

A picture of the vegan ribs:

These vegan ribs can be purchased at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joes, and probably anywhere else. Morning Star is a popular mainstream brand.

You will have food left over. I like to freeze it and start over again after the two weeks are done. You can also pack it for your own lunch or save it for a dinner later in the week. If you have any fruits or  veggies you can either juice them right away or freeze them for a breakfast smoothie later. Leftover nuts can be stored for a long period of time. Nuts are best kept in the refrigerator.

This chart should be updated as you see fit and kept somewhere visible like on the refrigerator. It's an easy way to plan out meals and most of the items can be packed the night before.

If it is a warm food I always pack it in a thermos. Also remember to pack an ice pack to keep food at a safe temperature if needed. The rest of the items I store in reusable Bento containers made by a company called laptop lunches. You can find their products at your local Whole Foods or online at http://www.laptoplunches.com/. I like using these containers because they are not only nice to look at, but they contain no BPA, lead, or phthalates that can leech into your child's food causing all sorts of other issues that you don't want. Plus they're reusable, which means eco friendly!

Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Day 11 Cleanse

Day 11: Today I get to eat a salad for the first time in ten days!!! Yay! looking forward to lunch. This morning for breakfast I made an apple-pear juice and I'm feeling good. No weight lost today. Yesterday I had posted that I'd lost eight pounds total. I made a mistake, it's actually 7 pounds. I'll have to change that, must be wishful thinking. For this part of the cleanse I have to eat raw foods for at least the next two weeks. This will be the easy part. Looking forward to it.

Remember if you're doing the cleanse have salad without any store bought dressing. If you must have dressing mix lemon juice, spices, and garlic together. Avoid salt if you can, but if you must you may use a small amount. I will try to go salt free. We'll see how long that lasts. I love salt too much but I know I eat to much of it.

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Day 10 Cleanse

Woohoo! Day 10 is coming to a completion! So it's been awhile, I've lost 8 pounds total. I'm down to 118 lbs. Here's what happened:

Days 6-7 were super easy. Then day 8 came...tun tun tun! I had to go back to work so I decided I would be all cool and get a second juicer to make my own juice at work. Oh wow was I wrong in doing that! It was a nightmare to clean the juicer in the tiny sink and space I have. The juicer did not work the way I wanted it to and I started craving french fries. Not a good day.

Day 9 I craved nothing but fast food. I have to say there was even a point where I was craving a Del Taco Shredded Beef burrito. Really? Hahaha, not an easy day.

Day 10 Today was hard. Maybe it was because I knew that I'd get to eat soon. Who knows? Anyway now I'm more at peace with myself again. I believe that all the cravings I got were all the toxins in my body stirring around. I'm not sure how I will handle day 11. I may not blend up my salad as a I thought I would. I may just eat it whole....like in one bite. No, but really I just may eat it as is. I will update you tomorrow as day 11 of switching from juice to raw food begins!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Day 5 Cleanse

Day 5 complete....Too weak to write....kidding. I feel great! Weighed in at 119 today. Just half a pound lost but my jeans fit more comfortably!!!

Here is how day 5 went:

No difference than day 4 as far as energy or cravings. I had my juice all day and was happily satisfied. During the afternoon, I wanted something spicy so I blended up a couple of celery stalks, tomatoes, kale, and bell pepper and added two chili peppers from my garden. Pure goodness!

Had a late night at the movies and did well. No strange feelings of faint or headache. The popcorn smelled delicious and I enjoyed it's gentle scent, but no intense desire to eat it. Weird! I can see how people can do this cleanse for 60 days or more.

I'm enjoying creating new concoctions on the juicer. It's funny how the first few days I did have food cravings now I find myself having juice cravings. The body is an interesting piece of work!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

The information contained in this Website is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as and should not be relied upon as medical advice. The information may not apply to you and before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should contact a qualified medical, dietary, fitness or other appropriate professional. If you utilize any information provided in this site, you do so at your own risk and you specifically waive any right to make any claim against Our Daily Veg or representatives as the result of the use of such information.

Day 4 Cleanse

I feel as though I am just zooming right along with this cleanse. Day four is complete and I weighed in at 119 1/2 lbs! That extra 1/2 lb lost today makes up for yesterday when I didn't lose any weight! It feels like an accomplishment to be in the teens. I'm feeling less bloated and my energy is high. I feel great!

What happened on Day 4:

Woke up with a sore throat, but this time it went away within 20 minutes. I noticed that my skin is looking healthier and I feel that I am carrying less weight.

All day I had energy. So much so that my daughter and I had our own dance party in our living room and we danced until we couldn't dance no more!

I drank a ton of juice and water yesterday to the point of feeling as though I'd drank too much. A couple of times I got cravings when I smelled my daughter's food but I made juice and was fine. All in all, a good day!

It's interesting but I feel that as I lose weight I gain knowledge on this cleanse, knowledge about myself and my eating habits. It is turning out to be not only a journey of the body, but of the mind and spirit as well. I'm learning about self control, and with that comes inner peace. Good job cleanse! 

Let me just clarify for those who are thinking of doing this fast. You must always consult your doctor before doing this fast, as this cleanse is not for everyone. Nursing mothers, diabetics, children, and a lot of other people with medical conditions should not do this fast.

Remember to only drink fresh juice. You cannot drink bottled juice or anything packaged. A couple of websites claim that you can have herbal teas and coconut water, perhaps. I am not doing that as I don't feel the need to. All I am doing is having fresh juice and water. I don't eat any solid food during this fast. All my vitamins come from the fruits and vegetables in the juice. When you come to the end of your diet whether it be 1 day, 3 days, 10 days, etc. You need to ease out of it by only eating raw foods combined with fresh juice.

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

The information contained in this Website is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as and should not be relied upon as medical advice. The information may not apply to you and before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should contact a qualified medical, dietary, fitness or other appropriate professional. If you utilize any information provided in this site, you do so at your own risk and you specifically waive any right to make any claim against Our Daily Veg or representatives as the result of the use of such information.

Day 3 Cleanse

Day 3 complete! I weighed 121 lbs this morning. No weight loss today. I guess this is my body trying to store fat. On the Master Cleanse, this happens about two times during the 10 day cleanse. I am going to assume this is the same for this cleanse.

Here is what happened on Day 3:

I woke up with a slight sore throat, but lots of energy. My sore throat went away within the hour, but my energy stayed all day. Lying in bed I thought about bok choy and the chow mein recipe I had made last week. That's when I knew it was time to get up! As I walked around the house I realized something was missing. There was an emptiness between my elbows and my waist. When I looked in the mirror I saw that my waist was returning! Yay!

Later that day, I went grocery shopping where I was surrounded by cookies and all sorts of fatty foods. When I saw them I wasn't hungry or craving them like I would usually. All that food and starch actually grossed me out. I was home most of the day and I did crave food at times, but as soon as that happened I began an activity. My daughter and I made paper crafts together and we took a nice long walk around town and even caught a free concert at the park!

I am learning to conquer my addiction and know that I can do it. This cleanse is teaching me to not only keep my mind occupied, but to spend quality time with others and myself. Relaxing isn't just about lying on the couch watching TV, it's about getting up and enjoying life.

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

The information contained in this Website is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as and should not be relied upon as medical advice. The information may not apply to you and before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should contact a qualified medical, dietary, fitness or other appropriate professional. If you utilize any information provided in this site, you do so at your own risk and you specifically waive any right to make any claim against Our Daily Veg or representatives as the result of the use of such information.

Day 2 Cleanse

Wow! Day 2 is complete! This morning my weight is at 121 lbs. Very nice! So here's how day 2 went for me:

Day 2 started off with me waking up with a lot of energy and a sore throat (I read that the sore throat is just part of the repairing process your body goes through when doing a cleanse). As the day progressed the sore throat continued, but lessened throughout the day. I drank some juice and I was fine all day until about 4 pm. That's when the food cravings kicked in. I wasn't hungry, I just started to want bread and pizza. I drank my juice, a lot of it and I was full but still the thought of food was there and I wanted something more.

At about 5 pm a friend of ours stopped by to visit. She and I talked until about 8 pm and at that time I learned something about myself. Something life changing. My friend is a very inspiring and interesting lady so we had an engaging conversation. But, not only was I inspired by what she was telling me I also learned something about myself that I'd never known, and yet it seems so simple. During the time I spent talking with her I never thought of food and all my food cravings went away. By the time she left, my cravings were gone and I wasn't hungry. Wow! What a discovery! I've always thought it was stress that was making me eat but in actual fact, I eat out of boredom. If I am not doing something that is enjoyable,  I am thinking of food.

Think about it. It makes sense for many of us. We were once children playing hide and seek with our friends only to be interrupted by our parents calling us in for dinner. How hard was it to come in and eat? It was horrible. Playtime was over. We didn't want to leave our friends. If possible we could go without dinner. We weren't thinking of food all the time.

As adults many of us have sedimentary jobs and though we are busy, we are bored. We go home, watch TV, and watch commercials about food and our minds are bored. Not only are we bored and constantly thinking of food, we aren't moving. Not everyone is like this, but I'm sure the majority of us do this without even knowing it.

I thought about it. When I am with my family enjoying the day, I am not thinking of food. When I am busy working on a project that I like, food takes a backseat.  The more I thought, the more I realized that all the times that I am thinking of food I am either alone, doing something I don't like, or lying down watching TV.

So here's what I'm committing to do to change this bad habit, and you can too. Today, I am going to write a list of things I do that are nonproductive throughout the day. Next to that I'm going to write activities that I can do instead. There are no rules for this plan, so there is no minimum or maximum. Just things I enjoy doing for those times I find myself bored. Now don't get me wrong, if you are alone and tired and you want to watch TV, then do it. But, as soon as you start thinking about food recognize that your body is trying to tell you something.

Day 2 proved to be an enlightening day.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

The information contained in this Website is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as and should not be relied upon as medical advice. The information may not apply to you and before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should contact a qualified medical, dietary, fitness or other appropriate professional. If you utilize any information provided in this site, you do so at your own risk and you specifically waive any right to make any claim against Our Daily Veg or representatives as the result of the use of such information.

Day 1 Juice Cleanse

Day 1 Juice Cleanse: Woohoo, I survived!!!!! Ok so here's what happened on Day 1. I woke up and had my juice. I was home all day so I was able to juice as soon as I felt hungry. I was not starving nor did I have a headache, although I did feel tired. Really tired. I did have a craving for bread, olives, pizza, and guacamole throughout different times of the day. As soon as this happens, it's time to have some juice and lots of water, especially after each meal.

As an aside, if you drink coffee or any caffeine you may feel headache-y the first few days. This is supposed to be due to the toxins leaving your system.

I had to cook for my 7 year old and that was a bit hard. Every time I made something or opened the fridge I wanted to reach out and just eat the food I saw. Just to taste it. As soon as that would happen, I would make myself some juice. Even my daughter enjoyed juicing. Whenever she had a meal I would include some fresh apple-carrot juice. She didn't even realize it had carrots (insert mad scientist laugh here). Just to reiterate, she had meals. She is not doing the juice cleanse as children should not do this, or any other cleanse.

Towards the evening I got a burst of energy and Lance, Skye, and I went out and bought a Breville Ikon Juicer from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. This juicer is pretty cool. It's got a quiet motor, however as soon as you start putting food in, it gets really loud. The nice part is it has different settings depending on what it is your juicing so you can switch between leafy greens and harder foods to get the most juice.

I started off yesterday weighing 125 lbs. This morning I weighed myself and saw that I was 122 lbs. Yay! So yes, not only do you cleanse your body of toxins, but one of the side effects happens to be weight loss, always a favorite.

So these are my before shots, ugh. Since starting this blog (not the actual cleanse) I have lost 7 pounds. Before my blog I was still 7 lbs. heavier than in these pictures. Sometimes you just really let yourself go. LOL. For me though, I know my weight gain comes from stress. As soon as I get stressed the food comes pouring in! Please excuse the lovely water stains on my shirt as I had just finished washing my juicer at that point. Lovely.


I have done the master cleanse in the past (not my favorite cleanse) and I've noticed that the first day you always lose 3lbs and then about a 1lb a day after that. Generally, on the master cleanse for ten days I will lose about 10 lbs, men will lose anywhere from 15-20 lbs. This cleanse seems like it's going to work the same way. Although, I feel that this cleanse will not only taste better but it will give you more nutrients.

Here is what I plan on doing after the cleanse is over:

On the 11th day I plan on having juice for breakfast, a salad which I will blend in my blender for lunch, a second blended salad for dinner.  This is so I can ease my stomach back to eating normally.

On the 12th day I will do juice for breakfast, one blended salad, and in the evening I will have a regular salad (not blended).

On days 13-21 I will do juice and salads after that. Nothing crazy and certainly no meat, dairy, or processed food.

If you think about it, this is really a 21 day cleanse. I've learned the hard way that days 13-21 are hard  because you want to just jump into eating regular meals. Do not do this. Not only can you mess up your system but you will gain all the weight back. This is a 21 day commitment and really a lifelong commitment, as we should be drinking fresh juice everyday.

Here are a few of the juice recipes I made yesterday:

Super Carrot Juice
3 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 apple

Green Apple Juice
5 collard green leaves
2 carrots
2 apples

Onion Ring
5 red leaf lettuce leaves
3 carrots
2 kale leaves
1 green onion (scallion)
1 apple

Stay Away Ed Cullen
6 kale leaves
1 handful of parsley
2 collard green leaves
1 carrot
1 beet
1 broccoli stalk
1 yellow squash
1 head of garlic

Basically, I just blended a lot of what I already had with a couple of other veggies. You really can't go wrong with juicing. I went to the grocery store, picked out what I liked and wham. I was juicing! Have fun and enjoy!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

The information contained in this Website is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as and should not be relied upon as medical advice. The information may not apply to you and before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should contact a qualified medical, dietary, fitness or other appropriate professional. If you utilize any information provided in this site, you do so at your own risk and you specifically waive any right to make any claim against Our Daily Veg or representatives as the result of the use of such information.

How Does a Juice Cleanse Work?

Doing a juice cleanse involves the intake of high amounts of raw (uncooked) vegetables and fruits. You must also make sure that you are drinking a lot of water daily. You take your vegetables and fruits and basically juice them in a juicer. That's it. When using organic veggies and fruit  I keep the peel on certain things like cucumber for example. Citrus fruits are a different story, I would remove the skin off of those.

What I plan on doing is juicing mostly vegetables with one or two fruits, just to sweeten it for each serving. Here are a few examples of the food that can be juiced:

cucumbers
apples
cabbage
pineapple
kale
carrots
ginger
beets
celery
oranges
lemon
grapefruit
collard greens
garlic
radishes
pears
tomatoes

Just about any raw vegetable or fruit can be juiced! A juicer will definitely be needed. I'm going to be investing in a good juicer as juicing should really be a lifelong commitment. I can't say I juice now, but I'm going to make that commitment.

Bottled juice as it is not the same thing and should not be consumed. Most bottled juice is highly processed and not the same thing as eating raw juice. Do not do a juice cleanse if you're nursing or pregnant, however do drink the juice with meals (the benefits to you and your baby are fantastic). As always consult a doctor before starting this or any other diet or exercise program.

This is a healthy way of ensuring I get all of my vitamins and minerals as I would never be able to actually eat high amounts of veggies and fruits. I'm looking forward to this cleanse!

One last and very important thing. When I come off of the juice cleanse, I am not going to run out and get a cheeseburger from the local fast food restaurant. That's the worst thing I can do to my body. I will have to ease out of it by eating raw fruits and vegetables for at least 3 weeks after I cleanse. The raw food recipes that I will do after my cleanse will be posted. This is a commitment that I am making to myself.

I will start today. Later this evening I will post a few of the recipes I will make.

Since I was inspired to do this by the Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead movie I am posting a link to their site where you can find all sorts of information on juicing as well as recipes. The address is: www.fatsickandnearlydead.com

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

The information contained in this Website is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as and should not be relied upon as medical advice. The information may not apply to you and before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should contact a qualified medical, dietary, fitness or other appropriate professional. If you utilize any information provided in this site, you do so at your own risk and you specifically waive any right to make any claim against Our Daily Veg or representatives as the result of the use of such information.

Something So Exciting, I Couldn't Even Sleep Last Night!!!

It's true! I tossed and turned (with excitement) over this Our Daily Veg blog post!!! Here's why:

I walked into my local Whole Foods market a couple of months ago and saw that they were promoting a film called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. The movie chronicles the lives of two overweight men and one average sized woman who make a commitment to go on a juice fast. One of the men from the movie was going to be at Whole Foods promoting the film, as well as healthy eating. I thought about going as the concept of the film struck me as curious, but I missed the date and never got a chance to go.

Cut to a few weeks ago when a friend of mine posted on her Facebook status that she was now making a commitment to juice after seeing that same film on Netflix. Again, my curiosity was sparked. She sounded very happy on her postings and said she was feeling great since juicing and had even lost some weight along the way.

Then, last night came and I decided to watch this film. I have to say I was impressed. These men were average meat and potatoes type men who had become obese. They ate at the same places you and I eat at. They had sedimentary jobs, like most of us have. So what had happened? The food that is marketed to us in restaurants and some grocery stores is heavily processed, meaning the nutrients that that food may have had has now been depleted. When your body is not getting the right amount of nutrients it becomes hungry for those nutrients. In essence obesity is actually starvation. Because the body is consuming empty calories, the body is constantly hungry. These men had had enough and decided to fast, for 60 days!

After watching the movie I went to Whole Foods and bought some fruits and vegetables for today. I bought carrots, collard greens, apples, and celery for the first couple juices for today. I plan on making a trip to my local farmer's market tonight. I am also making sure to buy organic. Conventional may be used, but for a fast like this, I will be using organic as it is a cleanse and I don't want pesticides cleaning out my system.  I will also need a juicer.

I've said this before and I'm going to say it again: I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, nor am I advising this without the consent of your medical doctor. I am simply giving you information that I am learning along the way for myself. Do not start this journey without consulting a doctor first. You must always consult your doctor before starting this or any other diet or exercise program. I have made an appointment for myself already and will be seeing my doctor regarding this program.

I will be taking my before picture today as well as my weight and posting it in tomorrow's blog.

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Mushroom Alfredo

I have been having soooo much fun this week in the kitchen making these pasta recipes, I feel like I've eaten so badly this week! Here's a recipe that is sure to make you feel really guilty and then really good when you realize, "Omg it's all good for me!!!" The recipe for today is Mushroom Alfredo. This sauce is creamy and cheesy like. If you like alfredo, you'll love this sauce.

Here we go!

Mushroom Alfredo
3 zucchini's (spiralized)
1 cup cashews
1 cup almond milk
1 cup white mushrooms
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves of garlic

In a blender blend cashews, almond milk, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic until smooth. This will be your alfredo mushroom sauce. Heat coconut oil on medium heat in a deep pan. Add zucchini, saute for 4-5 minutes. Add mushroom sauce to zucchini, heat for 3 minutes or until sauce begins to bubble. Serve and enjoy!

 

You'll be amazed at how delicious this dish is. Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa 

Our Daily Veg

Chow Mein

Yesterday's recipe was a raw food recipe which means no cooking needed. Today we will look at a simple chow mein vegan recipe that tastes like the real thing. This one is pretty incredible it even tastes greasy and everything! I love it.

Two of the ingredients I use are Braggs Liquid Aminos which can be found in the International Foods isle at Whole Foods and Sprouts. Liquid Aminos are made from non genetically modified soy beans. It tastes and looks just like soy sauce. Although you'd never know it just by tasting it, it is actually lower in sodium, gluten free, and raw. Because liquid aminos are made from soy beans it is high in protein and contains essential amino acids.

The second ingredient you will need takes the place of sesame seeds. Instead of sesame seeds I used golden flax seed. You can find this at Sprouts and Whole Foods. To get the most nutritional value out of flax seeds you should grind them first. However, for this recipe we will not be grinding them and instead eating them whole because we are trying to mimic sesame seeds. Flax seeds are good for providing fiber and omega 3 fatty acids. One of the benefits of omega 3's is in assisting weight loss and weight management, always a plus and why I use them as a substitute. Ground Flax seeds can be eaten over cereal, in smoothies, and just about anything else you can sneak them into.

Ok, here we go!

Chow Mein

2 zucchini's peeled and spiralized into a spaghetti shape
8 oz frozen broccoli florets
1 cup mushrooms (sliced)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos
3 green onions, also known as scallions (chopped)
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon golden flax seeds (whole)
1 teaspoon dill

In a deep pan heat coconut oil on a medium flame. Add broccoli and saute until no longer frozen. Add mushrooms, spiralized zucchini, green onions, liquid aminos and saute for 5 minutes. Add turmeric, flax seeds, and dill and saute for 3 minutes or until it looks like this:

Serve and enjoy. This recipe makes about 2-3 servings.

The trick to this recipe is the turmeric which colors your "noodles" and gives it a noodle-y taste and also the soy sauce flavor of the liquid aminos.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

When Zucchini Makes You Drool Joost-a Like Pasta Fazool!

Pasta! Who doesn't love it? With alfredo, cheese, pesto, tomato sauce it's just plain good! But when you really think about it, if you ate the pasta alone without any sauce whatsoever, what would it taste like? In actual fact not much of anything. Pasta, on it's own is very plain. We eat it more for it's texture since really the only thing we can taste the most is the sauce itself.

Most pasta is made by using enriched flour and eggs. When you eat it, it's always one of those foods that sits heavy in your stomach and you're sorry you ate so much of it, but it was just soooo good type dishes. What if I told you that you could still have pasta, and have it until you were stuffed?!

Well seeing how pasta doesn't have much of a taste on its own, a common vegan substitute is zucchini. That's right!  Think about it. Zucchini on its own doesn't have much of a strong taste. But it can give you some awesome pasta-like noodles. You are going to need a contraption called a spiralizer (if you don't already have one, read on for how you can also use a potato peeler). This kitchen tool will actually cut your veggies into spiral shapes for noodles or curly fries. After searching every department store and specialty store I could not find a spiralizer anywhere. I ended up buying mine online from amazon.com for about thirty dollars. You don't need anything fancy, mine is one of the cheaper models. Do read the reviews and find out which is the best for you.

A spiralizer is very easy to use. All you do is stick your veggie onto the machine and hand wind it through the blades. Super easy, super quick, super simple to clean up, and super healthy! Here is a picture of just one of the many noodles the spiralizer can cut. This shape is great for pastas, curly fries, and fancy salads.

Of course you can also cut pasta into its more conventional spaghetti shape with the spiralizer. I tend to just like the look of this one. If you don't have a spiralizer, you can also use a peeler and just peel the zucchini like crazy until it's gone. Then use the peels (without the skin) as your noodles. Before buying a spiralizer I did this, it just takes a lot longer but if you're curious try this option.

Here's a quick recipe for Pesto Pasta:

For the Pesto:
1 cup spinach
1 cup basil
1 cup raw unsalted pine nuts
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
(Will make about 4-5 servings)

For the noodles:
1 spiralized zucchini (per person)

For Garnish:
1 tomato (sliced into wedges)
1 small can of sliced black olives (you can also use kalamata olives as well)

Place all the Pesto ingredients in a food processor and process using the "S" blade until smooth like so:

Place about two to three spoonfuls of sauce over the zucchini noodles and mix:

Then add olives and tomatoes for garnish:

You're done! Looks good, right? Almost like.....pasta? It tastes like you're eating something jam packed with calories, when in actual fact it's just a salad in disguise. Definitely one of my favorite recipes.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Enriched Isn't As Good As It Sounds

Enriched is one of those words that you should look out for when reading the ingredients on any package of food. The "enriching" process usually happens with breads, grains, pasta, or anything made with flour. It is a deceptive sounding word that sounds as though there have been vitamins added to what is already good. This is not the case. If you see this word...run. Run fast.

When a food is enriched, it means that it has been completely stripped of its nutrients in order to achieve a certain look, taste, and/or texture. Once stripped the enriching process begins. Vitamins are added to replace the ones that were lost. 

White rice is one of those foods that has been enriched. In nature, white rice does not occur, it is not natural. White rice starts off being brown, then it is milled and polished. During the polishing process, all of its nutrients are lost. In essence you're left with a shell of what once was a nutrient filled grain. Once the rice becomes the desired color it is then enriched with a few of the vitamins it lost during the polishing process. Of course, enriching anything is never the same as nature intended it to be. Also, because it's composition has changed white rice becomes high in starch. When consumed starch turns to sugar in the body, which in turn turns into fat. :(

What is a consumer to do? Well as is the case with most food, there are alternatives. If you must have rice, always go with brown or wild. Barley is also a good alternative. As with any food, always check the ingredients. Do not go for enriched.

My favorite rice alternative is Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa). Quinoa is a nutritious oddity that has been around since the time of the Incas. It was revered by the Incas as a sacred food and disappeared for a long time. Only in recent years has it begun to gain popularity again. What makes this food an oddity is that although it looks and tastes like a grain, it is not a true grain. It is actually a plant related to spinach and beets. On it's own quinoa is a complete protein. What?! That's right! Not only is it high in protein but it also contains amino acids, iron, magnesium, it's high in fiber, and it's gluten free!

Quinoa can be found at your local Sprouts, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods. It comes packaged and is very easy to make. Just place the desired amount of quinoa in some boiling water and boil for about 15-20 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated and you're done. It's that easy. I like to add lemon and spices toward the very end of the cooking process to give it some flavor. My favorite spices to add are turmeric, cumin, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and to give it that buttery flavor I always make sure to add a tablespoon of coconut oil.

You can also make this nutritious snack into a protein packed breakfast "cereal" (remember it's not a grain and therefore cannot truly be classified as a cereal).  First, boil your quinoa as directed on the instructions of the package. Once it is boiled and ready add a milk alternative, such as coconut milk. Sweeten it with either agave or stevia, both natural sweeteners. That's it. You've got yourself a delicious cereal alternative that is jam packed with vitamins, minerals, and protein and you've avoided anything enriched!

So the lesson for today is: Stay away from anything enriched at all costs! The only reason there should be a package of white rice in your cabinet is for when you accidentally drop your cell phone in water. If you do drop your phone in water, quickly immerse it completely in some uncooked rice. Wait a few days and you will be amazed at how well your phone works again!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

I Love Oil!

Since we were on the topic of coconut oil yesterday, let's finish the week off with good ol' olive oil. I love olive oil as much as I love coconut oil. If you were in my kitchen right now, you would find them in the cabinet side by side. As with coconut oil, or any other oil for that matter, you want to make sure that it is labeled ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN. Those are your three key words for any oil. This insures that you're getting the highest grade and the best tasting oil.

Organic means no pesticides were used. Extra virgin means that the oil has not been heated. Therefore, not killing any beneficial properties, nor changing its taste.

You can eat this oil raw which means, without heating or you can use it as you would any other vegetable oil such as corn oil. I think that raw has so many more beneficial qualities that I use this oil mainly for making salad dressings or bread dips. The only time I cook with it is when I'm frying tortillas for tacos, nachos, or in enchiladas. It gives the tortilla a bit of a corn oil taste.

By this point you may be asking yourself, "Why not just use regular corn oil?" Corn is good for you after all. The answer is quite simple corn oil has a high amount of polyunsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fats, contain Omega 3's and that's very good, until you heat it. Once heated, corn oil oxidizes and becomes a free radical in your body leading to premature aging, disease, and all sorts of damage.

Olive oil can oxidize as well, but it has a much higher heating point. So the rule of thumb here is don't use high heat when cooking with olive oil. Use a low to medium flame. Also, make sure it comes in a dark tinted bottle. The dark tint keeps out the light. Light is not good for any oil as it helps to start the oxidation process.

Like coconut oil, olive oil may also be used as a skin moisturizer. It may also be used as a hot oil treatment for the hair. If you decide to use this topically remember to separate the desired amount into a clean container to avoid contamination.

Olive oil is easy to find and can be found at just about any grocery store. Trader Joe's, Sprouts, and Whole foods are three of the stores that carry this product.

Here's a wonderful recipe for a simple salad dressing using olive oil:

Simple Salad Dressing
Juice from one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon basil (you can go crazy with the basil and add more)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (you may add more depending on your taste)
2 cloves minced garlic

In a cup mix all of the ingredients together. As a tip, I like to use a fork to mix everything together quickly and efficiently. That's it, easy! You may also use this recipe as a bread dipping sauce as is, or you can omit the lemon juice depending on your taste.

Hope you enjoy! Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Hold the butter.....

Now we all know how delicious butter can be on some warm toast, pancakes, a grilled cheese (cheese substitute of course), popcorn, etc. Then you eat it and think, "Why did I eat that?" You feel bloated and it all sits so heavy in your stomach. Not to mention the pound you just gained, the arteries you helped clog, the cholesterol you just spiked. Butter tastes great, yet it's so bad for you. But how can you resist?

What if I told you that you could still have all the buttery goodness and it would actually be good for you? Well you can. The secret is Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. Coconut Oil comes in a small tub and depending on the size, a tub will run you about ten dollars. You can find this product at most health foods stores, Whole Foods, and Sprouts.

Coconut Oil is made from coconut meat and composed of two fats: lauric acid and linoleic acid. Fifty percent of coconut oil is made up of lauric acid which is rarely found in foods. We just can't get it as readily. Our bodies use lauric acid to fight viral and bacterial infections. Linoleic acid is a fatty acid high in Omega 6 which is said to help with a variety of allergies and diseases.

I would encourage you to google three things, the benefits of: coconut oil, linoleic acid, and lauric acid. You will be amazed at what you find.

Back to eating! Coconut Oil should not be kept in the refrigerator because it hardens and is not as easy to use. If you find that you accidentally put it in the fridge remove it and let it stand at room temperature until it is soft again. Depending on how cold or how hot the area in which your oil is stored you will find it to either have a vapo rub like texture or a liquid oil type texture. Either one is fine. Don't be alarmed it's still good, hard, soft, or liquid-y. Personally I prefer the liquid texture.

Use it exactly as you would use butter. You can also use it to cook on the skillet, in baking, melted over popcorn. It gives everything a creamy buttery flavor. This is a product that I find hard to believe that it isn't butter.


This is the only oil I use when cooking with heat. If you do cook with it, make sure to use low heat so that the oil doesn't smoke. High heat causes oxidation, this is true of any cooking oil. Oxidation leads to free radicals, leading to all sorts of madness in your body that you do not want to have. Coconut Oil is one of the most stable oils to use that will not oxidize as easily and therefore, is my number one pick.

Got some oil left on your hands from cooking? Don't wash it off. You can actually rub the oil onto your hands. In fact you can use it anywhere on your skin as it also serves as a natural moisturizer. Some people even claim that it helps in preventing wrinkles and because it is antibacterial you can use it on rashes, athletes foot, and many other skin ailments. I've always heard that if you can't eat your moisturizer you shouldn't put it on your skin. If you are going to use it as a moisturizer, you should always separate a small amount of oil into another clean container that way you don't contaminate the two.

Do make sure the bottle says ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN COCONUT OIL. This is the best oil you will find. Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Well, I Would Be A Vegan, But I Could Never Give Up Cheese.....

Long gone are the days of having the farmer milk the cow and deliver fresh cheese and milk to your home daily.  The world we live in today is all about investing and making that money back immediately. The milk industry has gone high tech, at our expense. Machines now milk cows. Cows are injected with growth hormones so that milk production goes up. More milk is produced at a cheaper rate and a high profit is made.

Doesn't sound so bad, right? Well it is. I'm not PETA so I'm not going to tell you about the cruelties that occur with the animals going through this process I'll leave that up to you to imagine it or research it on your own. However, I will tell you this. If I said to you, "I'm giving out free injections today. The injections contain the same growth hormones that are injected into cows." Would you do it? Of course not, you'd run away so quick I wouldn't even see the trail of dust you left behind. How about this, would you give it to your child? No. So then why would you drink it or eat it? This exact hormone is found in your milk, cheese, and meat.

Scared? You should be. If hormones are growing cows and milk production quickly, think of what it's doing to affect our bodies. In my profession I see children everyday, and just from observation I can see that obesity is a problem. Do I think that it's helped by hormones? Maybe. Yet, even with all that information I still hear people say, "But I could never give up cheese!" That is one of the most common statements I hear. In fact, I used to say it too. I have to admit cheese is good! It's amazing! It goes well with everything. So what is a vegan to do? The fact is there are many other substitutes that taste so good you'd think you were eating cheese!

I wish I could tell you that one day I just woke up and said, "I'm giving up cheese. And I never ate cheese again." It didn't happen that way. It was hard, like an addiction. I first gave it up cold turkey, then I would run back to it at parties, free samples at whole foods, restaurants, etc. and splurge on it like there was no tomorrow. Really, I felt like a drug addict. On my journey I realized later that there were cheese substitutes, some good and some not so good. I can now say, I don't need real cheese and I don't have to sacrifice.

There are many cheese substitutes and I encourage you to try them all until you find the one that's right for you. My favorite is a fairly new cheese substitute called Daiya. Daiya comes in Cheddar, Mozzarella, and Pepper Jack flavors. The cheese comes shredded in 8 oz. packages and is about $4. I use it all the time! It melts nicely and has a very convincing cheese flavor. This cheese is great in pizza, on veggies, nachos, hot dogs, anything! Now I have to tell you it is processed so that may be a problem for some of you. I like it because it's ready made. However if you want something just as similar but really all natural then I have the best recipe for you.

This recipe is amazing. It is very fast and easy to make and comes from a book called 7 Secrets Cookbook by Neva and Jim Brackett. I also, have to send a shout out to my friend Nicoline you gave me this wonderful book. Thanks Nic I love it!

Enjoy!

Simple Cheese Sauce
1 cup raw cashew nuts
2 cups water
1/2 large or 1 small red bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons food yeast flakes (I bought mine at Henry's/Sprouts in the bulk section)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Blend smooth (about 2 minutes) and then bring to a boil, stirring until thick. Use for pizza, lasagna, burritos, etc.

You'll love this recipe. I add about 2 garlic cloves as well to give it a kick! Try it, and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

P.S. Daiya Vegan Cheese can be purchased at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Henry's.

Traveling Vegan

Hi everybody! It's been awhile!!!! I went on a seven day vacation to the lovely state of Arizona and enjoyed much of its desert life and beautiful landscapes. As you may imagine I was out of my element and had no idea where the great vegan friendly restaurants were. What's a vegan to do during the traveling season? Today we will talk about what you can eat if you are on vacation or happen to find yourself dining out in a not so vegan friendly restaurant.

First off, if you know you will be going someplace new or unfamiliar, plan ahead. Yelp is an excellent website where you can search for specific businesses. I knew most of my trip would be spent in Tucson so I quickly went on Yelp and typed in "vegan restaurants" near "Tucson, Arizona" in the search boxes. I found two that sounded interesting, Govinda's and Loving Spoonfuls. It was that easy! Within minutes I had maps and directions from our hotel room to the restaurants.

Now we all know eating out can get expensive, boring, and worst of all fattening so when looking for a hotel or motel, call ahead and make sure that your room is equipped with at least a mini fridge. We were very lucky in that our room had a fully equipped kitchen. It sounds expensive and I'm sure it would have been 5 years ago but if you look around you'd be amazed at the great deals you can get, especially now.

So now that your room has a mini fridge or kitchen....do the research. Is your favorite grocery store in the area? Again, Yelp is a great tool for this. I like to look for Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Natural Frontiers, and Lassen's (all great and reasonably priced natural food stores). Some of them may not sound familiar but they are in other areas so it's good to keep these stores in mind when traveling. On this trip I was able to find a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in Tucson. I bought a couple of fruits and canned coconut milk and mixed those in the blender each morning to make breakfast smoothies. For lunch I'd whip up some Ready-Pack salads with whatever vegetables I had, mixed in with some homemade dressing and topped with guacamole. I also had canned items to add to our salads in order to keep them exciting. Some of these items included canned beans, canned grape leaves, canned artichoke hearts, canned olives. Again, all items that can also be used if you only have a mini fridge.

If you don't want to go through the hassle of cooking, Trader Joe's makes fully prepared pre-packaged salads as well as a variety of other ready made foods. Just make sure you take a can opener with you. It may sound funny but if I'm on the road traveling I always make sure to take a can opener, blender, and a wine opener.

If you are traveling by anything other than car, stick to ready packed food. Also, many grocery stores have a deli section where they have ready made foods available.

What if you end up in a not so vegan restaurant? Most restaurants nowadays have vegan friendly options. It may just be one however. You can also read the menu and get creative. Say they have a steak and baked potato menu item and they have a guacamole side on the appetizer session. Ask for only a baked potato (plain if no veggie options exist) and add on whatever sides you can find. I love guacamole so that's an easy one I always go with. You can also do this with salads. Ask for the salad and if doesn't sound very filling add on guacamole, salsa, lemon etc.

If you're eating at a Mexican restaurant ask for a bean and rice taco on a corn tortilla with salsa and guacamole. If you're at a Chinese restaurant ask for a platter of steamed veggies, with noodles if you must. Vietnamese, order the vegetable pho and or veggie spring rolls. Mediterranean, order a falafel veggie platter, or a Greek salad with no cheese, but extra olives instead! At a sandwich shop, order a veggie sandwich. It's incredible what you can find at some of these places.

During our trip we ended up at Benihana's in Phoenix, Arizona to celebrate my cousin's birthday. Benihana's is known as a Japanese Steakhouse. Gasp, and clutch the pearls a steakhouse?!?! Yes, a vegan can also enjoy some great food at a steakhouse! I was able to order Veggie sushi without rice. I don't usually go for rice because rice turns to sugar, which then turns to fat. If you must have rice you can order brown rice instead which is much better for you. I also got an order of seaweed salad and miso soup. All very good and very filling and very vegan! Also, may I suggest that if you find yourself at Benihana's make sure you order the Plum wine, since you're already not having the rice you may as well!

Our next and last stop was Sedona, with it's beautiful landscapes and amazing natural environment! I loved Sedona and I especially loved the fact that there were a handful of vegan restaurants to choose from. I ended up finding a vegan place called The Chocolate Tree. A lot of their menu items were raw which means not cooked. This is the best in vegan cooking because when you cook your food, the heat kills off most of the nutrients. Raw gets you the highest source of nutrition you can get from your veggies. The Chocolate Tree was very good. So good in fact that it was the only place I went to. I loved their onion flat bread and their nori

So the lesson here is if you don't plan ahead and end up at a non vegan restaurant don't panic, instead get creative with the food they do have. Also talk to your server and ask what they can whip up in the kitchen. You'll either get a server who is very knowledgeable or one who looks at you like you're on crack. Either way you need to read the menu and look for what veggies, sides, and soups the restaurant serves that you can change around and make work for you.

Try it and then shoot me an email and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg