Meatless Monday

Happy Monday everyone.  I hope that you all enjoyed your weekend and your Mother's Day! Well, it's Monday again, so what do I have up my sleeve today?

The most common question I get asked about being vegetarian is "How do you get enough protein?"  It is quite funny to me that people automatically question my eating habits, which are usually, WAY healthier than the person asking. Sometimes, I feel like being cheeky and responding "How do you get your fiber, Vitamin B, C, etc.?"  But of course, I am a lady of etiquette, so I would never be so intrusive! The reality is, most American get WAY more protein than needed. Why?  Because our country's biggest farms produce- Meat & Dairy.  So of course they would like us to eat a lot more protein. But what most people really are lacking is one of the most important nutrients--Fiber! And where can you absolutely NOT get fiber from? Meat and Dairy!  


Dietary Fiber is ONLY found in plant-based foods. 


Here is why fiber is SO important: 
{1} Fiber lowers the risk of developing many diseases and conditions that can put your life in danger - heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity, and certain cancers.
{2} Fiber can help lower cholesterol by absorbing fat and cholesterol from food. 
{3} Not only does fiber prevent fat absorption, it also helps you feel fuller longer. Filling up on high-fiber foods means you'll have less room for high-fat and highly caloric low-fiber foods. 
{4} Some researchers have calculated that if Americans doubled their intake of fiber, they could cut 100 calories from their daily diet - which could shave off 10 pounds of yearly weight gain.
{5} Fiber helps with intestinal health and regularity.


So, for today's Meatless Monday-- EAT MORE FIBER!  And I mean natural fiber (No fiber supplements!)- EAT fruits, vegetables, whole-grains (whole wheat breads  & pastas, brown rice, bran, oats), beans, seeds and nuts. Added Bonus- most of these will also give you protein! (FYI! :))
Enjoy!

Meatless Monday!

It's Monday again, and that means more health tips and less meat! (actually- NO meat!) Today, I have a fast and delicious dinner.  
Here's what you need:


4- Tilapia Fillets (I use the frozen ones from Costco, Target also makes a good one)
Tony's Creole seasoning
1- Can of Black Beans
1- Can of Diced Tomatoes
Smart Balance Cooking Oil
Israeli Pearl Couscous (Costco again!)
Sea Salt
Smart Balance Buttery Spread
Parsley (optional)
Fresh Vegetable of your choice- I go with broccoli


Tilapia:

• Thaw the tilapia according to package directions (Do nothing if fresh!)
• Preheat the oven according to package directions
• Fill the bottom of a glass baking dish with a thin layer of the cooking oil
• Coat the fillets on both sides with the Tony's seasoning (This is a bit hot- so use more or less depending on your tolerance for hot food)
• Place in baking dish
• Bake for 15 minutes
• Take fish out of oven and cover with drained & rinsed black beans & diced tomatoes (not drained!)
• Cook for an additional 15 minutes

Couscous

• Cook according to package directions
• Add SB Buttery spread, sea salt & parsley to taste

Vegetable- steamed 

Voila!!  Everyone that I have made this for has LOVED it. And it is SO easy to keep all items on hand and make a meal in 30 minutes! 

Health Tip: A plant-based diet revs your metabolism, causing you to burn calories 16% faster than you would on a non-plant-based diet for at least 3 hours after meals! 
Veganist, Kathy Freston

Meatless Monday- Lunch!

LUNCH!

And here is my much anticipated lunch!!

1- La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Tortillas (80 cal., 3g fat, 12g fiber, 8 g protein)

Sabra Hummus- any flavor! (I used pine nut, but garlic is also yummy!)

Del Destino fire roasted red peppers (rinsed & sliced)

Black Olives (rinsed & sliced)

Spinach (I was actually out of spinach today- gasp!)

cantaloupe slices

ALL items were purchased from my favorite- Costco. Next Monday- Dinner!

Enjoy!

p.s. I rinsed the peppers and olives to cut down on sodium!

Meatless Monday

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative by The National Meatless Monday Campaign partnered with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Center for a Livable Future. 

They provide information and recipes needed to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives. The goal is to help people reduce meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of the planet.  Meatless Monday is just that- NO meat all day on Mondays, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I am inspired by the Meatless Monday idea to share recipes and meal ideas for anyone who wants to try being vegetarian, just for a day!  


For breakfast I will have my usual:

3/4 cup slow-cook oatmeal
1/4 cup blueberries (I use frozen, helps cool it down, too!)
a handful chopped walnuts 
cinnamon
coffee!


Health Tip:
You can cut your chance of cancer by 40%, heart disease by 50% and Type 2 diabetes by 60% by switching to a whole foods, vegetarian diet!
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine


Check back later for lunch!

On my night stand

With three little ones under 3, I am lucky that I do not crash the moment my sleepy head hits the pillow!  However, I am trying to unwind at night with a book rather than television (which is very activating- not good for falling asleep).

My nightstand:

Here are the books I am loving right now:

The One Hundred, by Nina Garcia

Nina Garcia is a fashion journalism icon.  She has been fashion director for Elle & Marie Claire magazines. You may also know her from Project Runway.  She is one of the judges alongside Michael Kors & Heidi Klum. This book lists the 100 items every woman should have in their closet. These are classic pieces that every women should invest in and use as the base of their wardrobes.  Check back to see how I mix and match some of these classic pieces into my wardrobe.

Veganist, by Kathy Freston

What is the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan? Vegetarians do not eat meat, whereas vegans do not eat ANY animal products.  This includes dairy and eggs.  While I am not a vegan, reading this book has made me lean vegan or become Veganist.  Kathy is so realistic about making small changes to get healthier.  By being conscious about what we eat, we can prevent disease, lose weight and feel all around better.  

The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman

After close to 8 years of marriage (almost 10 together), I am still madly in love with my husband.  He is my best friend and I love spending time with him.  But, with work, kids, and house hold responsibilities, it is not as easy as when we first met and fell in love- when we were footloose and fancy-free.  It may not always be easy, but we are 100% committed and realize that we have to work on it.  This book focuses on tailoring your message to the person you are delivering it to.  It helps remind me how to show my husband appreciation and love, in the way that he appreciate and responds to it.  

What are you reading?

What do you eat?

I am a total health food nut and vegetarian.  My husband is, well, not.  Over our 7 years of marriage, he has succumb to this way of life. (Probably because I do ALL of the shopping, meal planning & cooking!) I have done enough research to support my position, so he now understands all of the health benefits and is at least vegetarian at home.

Now that we have toddlers who need to be fed, he no longer believes in my vegetarian ways.  The funny thing is, before we got married we discussed, I thought, every detail of how we wanted to raise our children- religion, parenting styles, schooling, discipline.  Mind you, a lot of that has been tweaked as soon as those little bundle of joys arrived home; but, the core values are still there.  Honestly, how we would feed our children never entered my mind as a discussion point.  But it has been quite a point of contention between us.

We have done a great deal of compromising over the past 2 years.  The kids are also vegetarian at home but do have chicken nuggets and french fries every once in awhile.  I ate meat growing up,  so I am being flexible, and I am okay with that.  But health is still the name of the game in our kitchen!

Since I am so passionate about the health benefits of certain foods (and the negative benefits of certain food), and since so many people ask me what we eat, part of this blog will give health tips, recipes, and little known facts about food & diet.  Hopefully you will enjoy this as much as I do!  So, here is my first tip!

Health Tip -  Many people are familiar with the heart benefits of eating olive oil.  But what many people DON'T know- is that olive oil is best served as a dressing or light drizzle over food.  When cooking with olive oil, only use low-medium heat (light sauteing).  If heated on high setting, it actually becomes a carcinogen.  So, when cooking at high temperatures, choose sunflower, safflower,  sesame, or avocado oil.   
Read more about how to use oils:
Kitchen Oil Uses