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My New Balsamic Love Affair (it’s a little spicy)

My New Balsamic Love Affair (it’s a little spicy)

by | Apr 2, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

I love a good synchronicity. Read on to find out about my recent balsamic synchronicity! Here’s the whole story:

I used to eat oil and vinegar regularly. Often a vinaigrette on my salad. And I love steamed artichokes. Growing up I dunked them into mayo (gross), butter (also gross) and then I discovered balsamic and oil. 

However, while studying plant-based nutrition at Cornell, I learned that oil is just empty calories. We are better off getting our fats from the whole food- avocados, olives, nuts…  Yes, olive oil is better than animal fats, but if you can avoid oils, you are better off.  

When I learned this, I dramatically cut back on my oil consumption. 99% of my home cooking is now oil free. So, my oil consumption (which I attempt to minimize) is mostly from dining out. 

One of the suggestions made in the Cornell program was to try different balsamic vinegars as a salad dressing. Great idea! It’s easy and in my experience, the oil is unnecessary. 

Last year, a friend gifted me a lemon balsamic from a specialty store in California. It offers yummy flavor for salads. 

Sometimes I make interesting whole food plant-based dressings (like the spicy Thai dressing from Garden of Eydie), but I’m pretty lazy and often just use balsamic. Same for artichokes. They don’t need the oil. 

I also use a plain balsamic in a vegan Bolognese sauce. Really delicious. 

Life just got more interesting, however, when Chef AJ introduced me to California Balsamic. Their flavors are endless. Shopping on their website made me feel like a kid in a candy store. What’s great too is California Balsamic offers small bottles (like airline shampoo travel sized) so you can taste a bunch. (And they offer free samples too!)

All I want to do is eat salads now so I can try new flavors! (This is a good thing.)

Here’s the synchronicity: 

Someone recently joined our Facebook group and asked for recipes with balsamic. Other than the Bolognese, artichokes and salads, I didn’t have any.

As luck would have it, California Balsamic (which I discovered the SAME WEEK the person joined my group) has TONS of recipes on their website. I’m trying one tonight! Here’s a link to the recipes. 

I ordered a bunch of flavors and started sampling them this week. I had the jalapeno lime balsamic and it’s delicious (and a little spicy). 

Chef AJ has her favorites, and California Balsamic offers a Chef AJ sampler (which I purchased). Some flavors lend themselves best as a salad dressing and others as marinade. I will be trying many! 

Let me know if you have tried California Balsamic and if you have a favorite flavor, or a favorite recipe that uses balsamic!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Where Compassion for Animals, Our Health and the Planet Intersect

Where Compassion for Animals, Our Health and the Planet Intersect

by | Feb 27, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

In my personal and spiritual development, I’ve done some soul searching about compassion.  As a kid I had a lot of it for others. 

Somewhere along the way, I forgot to have it for myself. I’m re-learning. Definitely a work in progress. 

One tangible way I now express compassion is through the food I eat and the lifestyle I lead. When I first adopted a vegan lifestyle, I was making compassionate choices for the animals, and as it turns out, for our planet. With a little bit of education and tweaks to some of the food I eat, my food choices are now also compassionate for my body. 

The animal, health and climate trifecta positively affects the mind, body and soul trifecta. I can sleep at night knowing that, to the best of my ability, animals weren’t harmed for my consumption. And now that I practice a whole food plant-based lifestyle, my body is fueled with love, care and all the nutrients it needs. 

Here are some examples of how vegan and healthy plant-based lifestyles can be compassionate. 

Consciously choosing not to eat animals is compassionate:

  • No sacrificing animals on my behalf.  
  • Nor am I sacrificing taste as there are so many delicious plant-based options now. Plant-based food is readily found around the world.  
  • I’m certainly not sacrificing my health and there is endless proof and literature on the topic. 
  • My food habits don’t contribute to the environmental destruction caused by animal agriculture. 
  • Animal agriculture is not sustainable for the earth or her people. Choosing plant-based is sustainable. 

Consciously choosing to cook plant-based is compassionate:

  • It is compassionate to my wallet (cheaper than dining out).
  • It is compassionate to my taste buds because I get to try so many different recipes.
  • Learning to cook healthy vegan offers even more delicious options plus an introduction to new textures, flavors spices and more. 
  • Cooking has become fun and creative, which are important qualities to me.
  • I get a bit of movement while cooking. (More than ordering in from a restaurant!)
  • Cooking is the easiest way to eat healthy plant-based.
  • And cooking (and eating!) can be meditative if I allow it to be. 

Being compassionate is intrinsic to our nature. We are born that way and then life happens, and sometimes we forget. I spent a bunch of time in my life disconnected from that inherent compassionate part. I’m glad I’ve re-awakened to compassion and I’m delighted that it includes a plant-based lifestyle. 

I often explore a vision of a future when everyone relates to their inherent compassion.  Compassion for other people, compassion for the animals and the earth.  We are deeply connected to one another and all other beings. It is worth pondering. 

Now I have the great privilege of sharing cooking and eating plant-based with you and others. It’s a beautiful way of living, easier and more fun than I thought. It’s one of the most compassionate ways of expressing myself that I can think of.

If eating more plant-based has been on the backburner for a while and you’d like to get started, I’m here to help.  

Why I’m Not Drinking Alcohol in January

Why I’m Not Drinking Alcohol in January

by | Jan 11, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

I used to drink a lot. I was a party girl. Big time. And a party girl, for me, included alcohol. 

I didn’t drink every day. It was mostly social. When I did drink, however, I usually drank more than necessary.

I also went through a phase when I was really into wine. My goal was to recognize at least a couple of good wines on any restaurant wine list. It was a fun hobby until I decided to cut back on my drinking. 

When I was younger, I could handle alcohol. These days, my body just can’t process it. Just one drink, and I don’t sleep well at night, and I feel lousy the next day.

I still do have an occasional drink. I just know that I’m not going to be my best the next day. Plus, I have a meditation practice, and a hangover, even a tiny one, messes up my meditation. Thus, I’m more thoughtful about when I consume alcohol.  

I’ve heard about dry January before, but I’ve never tried it. Generally, the only time I want a drink is when we go out to dinner. I do love a nice glass of wine or a celebratory cocktail. But I’m also fine choosing sparkling water. And I’m always happier in the morning when I didn’t have a drink the night before. 

I decided not to drink in January for two reasons. The first is that I’m busy teaching a class and I want a clear head. The second is to challenge myself. I figure that anyone who is used to a Standard American Diet (SAD) and trying vegan or plant-based for the month of January is challenging themselves. I’m already vegan all year long, so committing to a month without alcohol is my challenge. I don’t mind not-drinking, it’s just about being mindful.

If people new to plant-based are being more mindful about food choices, I can be more mindful about something too. Making the commitment not to drink for the month requires being mindful. That’s all. Maybe part of my meditation practice will be to pay closer attention to the green tea I sip during the day, or the herbal tea I enjoy at night. 

Kudos to those of you doing a reset by trying vegan for the month. I hope your Veganuary is going well. If you need some support, or have questions, please reach out. Our Cook-along goes through the end of the month and it’s not too late to join!

 

Your Biggest Plant-Based Questions Revealed

Your Biggest Plant-Based Questions Revealed

by | Jan 4, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

When people join my Facebook group, I ask them what their biggest questions and concerns are about eating plant-based. Here is a sampling of what I’ve learned:

🌿 Getting enough protein

🌿 I think it will be too time consuming

🌿 How to cook plant-based ingredients into a healthy, satisfying meal

🌿 Cutting veggies is so time consuming, is there a better way?

🌿 I need easy and budget-friendly recipes

🌿 Still enjoying rich flavors and textures in my food

🌿 Animal welfare is my biggest concern

🌿 Making sure my daily eating is nutritionally complete

🌿 I’m concerned I’ll miss eating animal products

🌿 Creating a whole plant-based menu is challenging

🌿 I have trouble finding good easy filling meals

🌿 I need variety. I get stuck eating the same things

🌿 I’m afraid to eat high carbs

🌿 Sticking to plant-based in a family that isn’t

🌿 I don’t like cooking. I want it to be easy

There are many more responses but these are the most common.

Here are my next questions: Has everyone reading this gotten their questions (even if they aren’t listed above) answered? Are you eating as plant-based as you’d like?

Or do you still have concerns?

If you still have concerns and you are serious about eating plant-based, then it is time to take action. Reading posts isn’t going to magically teach you how to cook and eat more healthfully, or to stop eating animals. And if you don’t already know how to cook plant-based, a recipe might not be sufficient. It’s time to take a class (whether mine or someone else’s) or contact me for one-on-one coaching. 

If you are really interested in eating more plant-based and haven’t done it yet, taking my upcoming class is a perfect next step. Not only will you learn SIX new recipes over four weeks, but it will also be interactive. You’ll be able to ask questions about the recipes as we go, AND you’ll be able to pick my brain at the end of the class when we’re done cooking. 

We’ll have plenty of time for questions at the end. 

Class starts on January 10th and will be recorded. 

It’s a brand new year and we are celebrating trying vegan for the month of January. It’s called Veganuary.

It is not too late to make a difference to your health, our planet or the animals. But you do need to take action to get results. 

Please join us. It’s going to be fun and we’re all going to learn a lot. 

Click here to learn more and join our Veganuary cook-along.

 

Blue Zones and Purple Potatoes

Blue Zones and Purple Potatoes

by | Dec 21, 2023 | Whole Food Plant Based

With all of the holiday buzz and craziness in our world right now, I almost forgot to talk about Blue Zones! Have you heard of Blue Zones? Or watched the new series called: Live to 100, Secrets of the Blue Zones on Netflix. I highly recommend. It sure is eye-opening and inspiring. The series is hosted by Dan Buettner who has been researching and writing about Blue Zones for a while. 

The idea is that there are five locations around the world where the residents live longer than anywhere else. The five locations are: 

Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, CA USA; Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica

What makes these places special? Is it the location? Or is it the practices of the people therein? 

I do hope you watch the series. But here’s an overview of the Blue Zone principles. 

Move Naturally. Many of the Blue Zone residents garden, or sit on and have to get up off the floor, or walk hills because that’s where they live. 

Purpose. Have a sense of purpose each day. Or “why I wake up in the morning.” A simple example is having a garden to tend to. 

Down Shift. Each zone has a different way to shed stress, but it’s part of the equation. 

80% Rule. Stop eating when you are 80% full. No need to stuff our faces until we feel sick. Many cultures stop eating much earlier in the day too. 

Plant Slant. Beans are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Most of these cultures eat plant-based, if not plant-exclusive. Okinawans eat a lot of purple potatoes, which I just started eating lately. And Dan Buettner, shared, “…the diet associated with longevity is 95-100 percent plant-based…””…The five pillars of every longevity diet in the world are: whole grains, tubers, greens, nuts and beans.” (From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine magazine.)

Wine at 5. All the Blue Zone residents (except for Adventists in Loma Linda) drink moderately and regularly. Ideally with food and friends! I don’t drink much anymore, and there are certainly people who choose not to drink at all. But if it’s working for the Blue Zoners, maybe there’s some merit. 

Belong. Most belong to some faith-based community. While participating in a religion isn’t required, being part of a spiritual community (or your version thereof) may be beneficial. 

Loved Ones First. Family first, including aging parents nearby. 

Right Tribe. “The world’s longest-lived people chose- or were born into- social circles that supported healthy behaviors.” Who we choose to spend our time with influences important health choices. 

While their activities and cultures differ, there are some commonalities between them all. 

I’m already plant-based and include many of the Blue Zone habits into my lifestyle, yet, there is always room for improvement. And I’ve increased the number of purple potatoes and sweet potatoes in my life! This is a yummy improvement and one you can make today. 

Looking for more direction to start eating plant-based? Or add more into your repertoire? Or go totally vegan? It’s not as hard as you may think, and it is so rewarding. Whether through the classes I offer or one-on-one coaching, there are multiple ways to live a Blue Zone inspired life. Feel free to reach out for a free consult. 

Or simply commit to trying plant-based for January. We will be celebrating Veganuary. Find out more here.

 

Veganuary 2024 is coming!

Veganuary 2024 is coming!

by | Dec 7, 2023 | Whole Food Plant Based

Veganuary is Coming and I wanted to let you know we will be celebrating and hosting a cook-along in January.

Up until last year, I never thought much about Veganuary since I already eat plant-based year-round. Upon further reflection, however, it’s a great way to introduce plant-based eating.  

What is Veganuary? Veganuary is an organization that encourages people to try vegan for January and beyond. Their website has a ton of information and recipes galore. 

If the idea of eating plant-based for a whole month sounds hard, here’s a reframe: 

Don’t think of it as what you are giving up. Rather, think of it as what you are gaining: 

🌿 A whole new repertoire of foods to try,

🌿 Recipes to learn to cook,

🌿 An exploration into how living a healthy plant-based lifestyle can do wonders for your health,

🌿 Feeling empowered that you are contributing to healing, not harming, the earth via food you consume.

🌿 And of course, the ability to sleep at night knowing you didn’t harm an animal for your food.

There’s more, but that’s a good place to start. 

Plus, it’s only one month and if at the end you decide it’s not for you, then you can go back to eating whatever animal products you were eating before. 

BUT, you might also decide that it’s not as hard as you thought. Or, you might see some improvements in your health and want to stick with team plant-based. Or you might learn about the atrocities of the animal food industry and decide you no longer wish to participate. Or, or, or… 

Yes, there is a lot of wacky information out there about what is healthy. And yes, there is a lot of misinformation about the animal agriculture industry (such as how we are lead to believe that it’s humane). 

Yet, I hear over and over from people who are now 100% plant-based or vegan that their biggest regret is that they didn’t do it sooner. I’m one of those people. 

2024 can be the year you learn to cook and eat more plant-based. Or, at least January 2024 can be if you participate in our Veganuary celebration with us. 

We will be hosting a “cook-along” this Veganuary. Kind of an informal cooking class- super relaxed, fun and helpful. 

For more information about the cook-along, click here.