Thinking of Eating More Veggies or Ditching Dairy Altogether? Here's how to start!

Ways to Jump-Start Your Vegetarian or Vegan Eating Habits

Eating healthy doesn't always have to involve cutting out FLAVOR from your diet, while cutting out meat and/or dairy.  The above dishes are completely vegan (no meat or dairy/eggs) and no oil!  We were able to make those cheaply, quickly and most of all tastefully using some great tips I'd like to share.  

There are a million books on the subject, so if you'd like to take the time I'd read any written by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Rip Esselstyn, Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. T. Colin Campbell.  

Rip Esselstyn and I at my "Forks Over Knives" pre-screen

All are amazing inspirations with backgrounds and science to support their health claims.  If you don't have the time to read those books, or want to supplement their info, this blog post is for you.  I get countless requests for help on how to transition a family's diet over to one that minimizes or eliminates meat and/or dairy.  So I've put together a "starter kit" to help you all navigate through the first few weeks.  They are undoubtedly the hardest, but you can do it, and it is absolutely worth it.

On a side note-if you are wanting to know more about why we are cutting meat and/or dairy out of our diets for health, that is in a different blog post and also in my "Basics…" section, along with a book called "The China Study."  Please see any of those places to get a better understanding of why making these changes will optimize your health.

Revamp Your Kitchen and Pantry

Changing foods means changing gears, literally sometimes.  If you don't have the proper tools to help you cut or prep veggies and execute recipes, you are going to be one miserable and HUNGRY person.  So let's make sure you have the essentials.  And PS, this may sound like it will cost you a fortune, but you will actually SAVE MONEY once you transition into your new lifestyle because you'll be buying in bulk and eating lots of yummy leftovers.

For actual appliances and cookware you'll need the following:

-Blender, preferably a really great one like a Vitamix
-Food processor, or food chopper
-Sharp knives
-Peeler
-Colander
-Good pots and pans

Now let's tackle your pantry. I spent countless hours developing this stuff for Whole Foods Market when I worked there as a Healthy Eating Specialist.  I'd be silly not to utilize those amazing resources we created.  So here is a link to an amazing website with a lot of the info I'm giving you below, and much more.

Pantry/Freezer Staples:

-A variety of cans of no-salt-added, BPA-free beans.  I love Eden Organic and usually stock pinto, garbanzo, kidney, black and navy beans.
-Whole grains stored in glass jars.  So buy a package of each of the following: old fashioned oats, quinoa, brown rice and barley.
-Whole wheat pasta. Always just keep a pound or two on hand.
-Whole wheat tortillas.
-Ground flaxseed. Store in fridge so they stay good longer.
-Canned Tomatoes. It sucks because these are a necessity but it's hard to find them without BPA in the can and tomatoes are particularly susceptible for absorption.  Go organic and do the best you can here, but I usually buy at least two big cans.
-Low-sodium vegetable broth. You really can't have enough. I usually get a package of the little 1-cup containers as well as a few bit containers.
-Almond milk.  A couple of boxes of unsweetened almond milk will work wonders for you and is better than soy and rice milk nutritionally because it has more absorbable calcium and won't contain arsenic (rice) or nutrients that turn into estrogen in your body (soy).
-Tahini. This is just ground sesame seeds and is amazing for making homemade hummus and adding flavor to things.
-Peanut Butter. Unsalted. A few jars kept in the pantry, not fridge please.
-Nutritional yeast.  They are yellow flakes that are made from yeast and they taste and look like cheese when cooked! Yum! Find them in the bulk section or the organic section of your supermarket.
-Raw nuts. Unsalted, roasted if you want.  I usually get cashews, almonds, pistachios and macadamia nuts.
-Dried apricots, dates and raisins. Un-sulfered and unsweetened.
-Dijon mustard.
-Salsa. A great, flavorful one.
-Soy sauce. Low sodium.
-Frozen hash browns. Unsalted.
-Frozen fruit. Unsweetened organic. Get whatever you like!
-Frozen spinach.
-Spices. Freshen up those spices that have been sitting in your kitchen for a decade. Seriously.  Get some new ones like ground mustard, paprika, cayenne, cumin, black pepper, rosemary, thyme…you get the picture.

Ok I'm sure I probably left out some things but these are items you always want to have on hand in addition to the fresh veggies and fruits you'll be buying regularly.  Now you may need to shop more to keep fresh produce in your house, but you'll be spending less because you'll only be buying a few items each time, rather than doing big shops. Make sense?

Now that we've got your kitchen set up it's time to change out those same seven recipes you cycle through (you are not alone!) each week to healthier options.  I'm posting a few go-to breakfasts, lunches and dinners that I use that will make your new eating habits not only healthy, but quick and easy. Most of the recipes are linked below but if not, I'll post them in future blogs! All recipes are vegan because I figure if you are not vegan, you will just add cheese or meat to the recipe where you want to.

Basic Breakfast Recipes-Click here for a week-long guide I posted a while ago

Breakfast Burrito
Oatmeal
Pancakes
Vegan French Toast
Cereal with Fruit
Whole Wheat Toast with Nut Butter

Lunch Recipes

Tomato/Avocado Sandwich
Soup and Salad
PBJ
Veggie Sushi
Chili

Dinner Recipes

Veggie Stir-fry
Pasta with Veggies
Vegan Stuffed Shells
Veggie Paella
Quinoa Tacos
Vegan Lentil Burgers 

I gave quite a few links and recipes to try above.  Please let me know your thoughts, questions and challenges. I hope this helps!

Clear Out Your Cupboards Chili!

Simple Pantry Chili!

As we all continue to hibernate (or many of us anyway), I thought it might be nice to post a standard chili recipe (there is a great butternut squash/kale recipe in a recent previous post) that you can make without leaving your home AND that's packed with IRON, FIBER, PROTEIN, CALCIUM and tons of other vitamins and minerals.  It's also made in one pot, with about 5 minutes of prep and little babysitting! I was able to fold the laundry while this cooked.  And if you still needed another reason to make this-it tastes even better then next day! 

Ingredients (and remember use what's in your pantry-substitute where necessary)

1 onion, diced
2 small sweet peppers, diced
1 can unsalted kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can unsalted black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can unsalted navy beans (drained and rinsed)
1 14 oz can of organic crushed tomatoes (i used fire roasted)
1 lb ground organic beef (can be left out-i just had some on hand)
2 Tbsp chili powder
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of cumin
pinch of garlic powder

Method

Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan (like a tsp) and add the onions, peppers and spices.  Saute for a few minutes until translucent, then add beef.  Saute on medium until browned.  Add beans and can of tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 mins covered. DONE!

I added hand-grated cheddar cheese because my son loves it, but feel free to leave out both the meat and cheese for a vegan delight! You can add avocado instead! 

Hope you enjoy this great weeknight meal!

Use the leftovers to make fantastic breakfast burritos or as a topper for nachos at snack time!

Surprisingly Awesome Cauliflower Salad

I got a HUGE head of cauliflower in my CSA (community supported agriculture) this week and was getting sick of just adding it to mashed potatoes.  So I looked for a new way to incorporate this cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetable into my daily diet!  Below is the inexpensive, easy way to do so.  I know many are afraid of raw cauliflower, but it really is an amazing, balanced salad! Give it a try!

Recipe source: epicurious.com

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
2 Tbsp FRESH lemon juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 1/2 tsp lemon zest
salt and pepper
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets
1 (15 oz) can of unsalted navy beans, drained and rinsed
2 heads of Belgian endive, trimmed, halved lengthwise and then thinly sliced crosswise
1 Tbsp FRESH chives, chopped
2 tsp FRESH parsley, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (3 oz)

Directions

Infuse the olive oil with the rosemary by stirring it over medium heat for about a minute or until fragrant. Set aside and let cool.

Whisk lemon juice and zest, vinegar and salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside.

Combine cauliflower, beans, endive, chives, parsley, and rosemary oil in a bowl and toss.  Then mix in the cheese and toss again.  Then add the lemon mixture and toss one last time. Serve.

Cauliflower Stats! (sourced from whfoods.com, one of my fav sites)

Ignoring the amazing nutrition of the other ingredients in this salad, ie protein from beans and vitamins from endive, cauliflower (especially raw) has a ton to offer you besides fiber to keep you regular.  Here's a look:

vitamin C 85% of your daily value!

vitamin K 20%

folate 15%

choline 11%

vitamin b6 10%

potassium 9%

And for very few calories! Cauliflower in and of itself only has 26 calories!! Wow! Enjoy!