Is it just me, or does life seem extra busy these days? I’m finding that I’m okay with being busy, as long as I find time for exercise, enough sleep and fun activities like going to the beach or spending time with my husband and friends. If this is the case, then I think I did a pretty good job of it this week.

The busier I am, however, the less time I have in the kitchen. I don’t take that as an excuse to not eat healthfully. In fact, I find the need for high-nutrient foods to be even greater when I am busy. If I made poor food choices, then I simply would not have the level of energy I have now. Also, in the past, I think my reliance on caffeine, sugar and low-nutrient foods just fueled my constant battle with migraines, allergies and unstable emotional health.

I tried this week to feature recipes that fuel a healthy, on-the-move lifestyle. On Monday, February 20th, I wrote about my Peanut Butter Veggie Stir-Fry. This is a versatile recipe that even kids would like, thanks to the peanut butter sauce. I made it in five steps:

On Tuesday, I needed another easy meal so I made a Kale & Bean Mix with Tangy Cashew Sauce. I made another photo tutorial for this one:

The Tangy Cashew Sauce was the star of this recipe, it is good on everything.

We also had an interesting discussion on whether or not Dr. Fuhrman promotes a fat-shaming attitude and if people who are overweight can still be healthy. Please contribute your opinion if you want to, I’d love to hear it!

Wednesday I participated in the “What I Ate” blogging trend where I took a picture of everything I ate the day before. You can see my photo diary here and read my analysis of how I’m doing with Dr. Fuhrman’s guidelines.

On Thursday, I joked that there was a battle between slow food and fast food at my house. Read about which one won here (hint: they both did and it’s not what you think).

Lastly, Friday I blogged about my journey to create a healthy life for myself which absolutely includes time for myself and a connection with nature. I felt grateful to spend an hour walking by the beach with my husband and enjoying what was a beautiful California winter day:

The last easy recipe I posted this week was a Comforting Tomato & Veggie Stew made with crumbled tempeh. It used these pantry ingredients:

And came together really nicely. I’m still enjoying the leftovers from this dish:

Have a wonderful weekend and I challenge you to do something fun this weekend. “See” you Monday when I expect to hear how you did!

I’ve lived in California for about 25 years now (I’m moved out here with my family from the mid-West when I was 12), and yesterday was one of the most beautiful days I can remember. Any day I can see the ocean is a good one; I never tire of this view!

I was so happy I took time out of my busy day to take a walk with my husband and enjoy the fresh air and gorgeous day:

Of course, making room for exercise and fun means less time in the kitchen and for managing life’s other responsibilities. That’s okay, I think the balance is worth it (I wrote some more about this topic here). I came home and didn’t have a lot of time to devote to dinner. The soup I made comes together in about 45 minutes, so it’s not exactly fast, but it’s fairly uncomplicated and tastes wonderful.

The ingredients are basic: beans, tempeh, onion, garlic (unpictured), peppers and mushrooms:

I chopped up the veggies and water-sauteed them for a few minutes in a large pot:

Then, I just added the beans, tomatoes, tempeh and some more water to make it a stew:

I simmered it just long enough so that it was hot and served it right up:

There was no salt added, I just drizzled a bit of vinegar on top to make the flavors come to life. The tempeh is essential as it provides great texture.

I didn’t add any greens to this dish because, frankly, I needed a break from greens. I did have a few kale chips for dessert that I made the day before in my dehydrator, though. I’m not posting the recipe because it still needs some work (you can read about a recipe I’ve made before here. I also really want to try the chocolate version that my blogger friend Gena posted here). This was the first time I used the dehydrator for kale chips. The texture turned out great, much better than the ones made in the oven. Here are a few photos:

One of my complaints about the dehydrator is how loud it is when it’s running. The only solution I’ve found is to put it in the laundry room, but that’s kind of awkward. Kitty wondered what all the noise was in her room:

I have another busy day planned with plenty of fun breaks including a walk with a friend and a cocktail (aka sparkling water for me) at the beach!

P.S. Check out my latest book review posted on the Our Hen House site here where I interviewed author and plant-based dietitian Julieanna Hever. Julieanna wrote the new book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition and gives great advice regarding how to eat healthfully while traveling (my downfall) and how to incorporate activism into your life. You can also enter for a chance to win a copy of the book!

Yesterday was one of those days where I alternated between being rushed and taking my time. For instance, I took some time in the morning to chop a million apples I got at the farmers’ market for my Easiest Slow-Cooker Applesauce:

I also took time to prepare a lovely salad for lunch. I had missed my Hugh Jass salad from the day before! This one had romaine, my creamy avocado dressing, dried cranberries, chopped bell pepper, chopped onion, avocado and edamame. I had an apple with some peanut butter for dessert.

By the time evening rolled around, I still had a lot to do including a conference call for a group project for one of my classes. Dinner then became rushed. I ended up heating up one of these brown rice tortillas:

I hardly ever buy flour products like tortillas anymore, but I picked these up at the health food store last week on a whim. The ingredient list isn’t too bad and they are gluten-free:

I then filled the tortilla with leftover water-sauteed collard greens, mushrooms, onion and bell pepper:

I added some Veganaise and leftover Tangy Cashew Sauce for more flavor. Not bad for a dinner made in a rush. Before racing to my conference call, I took some time to savor a bowl of my applesauce that had been simmering all day!

In the battle of slow food vs. fast food in my house yesterday, I’m not sure who won. Have a great Thursday!

For those of you who are really familiar with the food blogging world, then you know all about the “What I Ate” Wednesday trend. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and feature my eats from yesterday. I’ll do a quick analysis at the end to see how it fit within the Fuhrman plan.

Pretty much every morning for breakfast I have a green smoothie. My recipe includes hemp seeds and water to make homemade hemp milk, frozen fruit, dates, prunes, cacao powder, tofu, flax meal and plenty of greens. My typical recipe is here, although I’ve stopped using pomegranate juice and I sometime use the whole pomegranate seed instead (I buy them frozen).

Yesterday I used about 1 1/2 cups of fresh broccoli sprouts I bought at the farmers’ market this weekend, so the smoothie wasn’t green in color like it usually is. I also used about 1/2 cup of fresh arugula.

I make a fresh batch of breakfast smoothie every other day. I fill the Vitamix container to the very top so I have enough for leftovers. On the first day, I have a full glass, Alan has a full glass plus the smaller glass, and then I have the third full glass the next morning and he has oatmeal.

For lunch, I typically have a fresh salad with beans, a creamy dressing made from avocados, chopped vegetables, onions, fresh avocado, seeds and whatever else is laying around, but yesterday I had leftover Peanut Butter Veggie Stir-Fry and some extra garbanzo beans.

The leftovers:

Combined to make lunch:

For dessert I made another green smoothie, this time with about half of a frozen banana, frozen peaches, frozen strawberries, flax meal, hazelnuts and water to make hazelnut milk, three dates and another bunch of arugula.

I know when I’m eating enough food but not too much when I have a good appetite for each meal. Yesterday this was the case, although I missed my fresh green salad. Dinner included leftovers again from my Kale & Bean Mix with Tangy Cashew Sauce plus some chopped red bell pepper. I added about 1/2 of a large sweet potato along with the greens:

I didn’t take the picture with the cashew cream on top, but I used about three large tablespoons. Dessert was fresh fruit:

So there you have it, a day in the life of a healthy, vegan eater. As far as following Dr. Fuhrman’s plan, I obviously missed the green salad, although I did get about half the recommended daily intake of fresh greens in smoothie form. I am probably eating too much fruit right now, I estimate I got about six servings yesterday. Dr. Fuhrman doesn’t limit fruit except that he advises eating the minimum amount of veggies before eating more fruit beyond four servings. I did fine on cooked greens and got about the right amount of beans as well. I probably was a little high on the nuts and seeds, but I find that I require a higher-fat intake to feel satisfied. As far as grains and starches, I got about one serving total (1/2 sweet potato and 1/2 serving of brown rice) which is about ideal for me and within Dr. Fuhrman’s guidelines.

I loved the discussion from yesterday’s post about fat-shaming and how we interpret the message that too much body fat can contribute to disease. I certainly don’t think that we should feel bad or shameful about ourselves, whether it is because of being overweight or for whatever other reason. Being mean to ourselves or others doesn’t do any good. Period. The benefit from recognizing our weaknesses comes when we start a journey towards making our lives healthier and happier. I am on that journey as well and I enjoy learning from you lovely readers each and every day.

If last week was the week when I became friends with my pressure cooker (the relationship is still developing), then this week must be my re-acquaintance with my wok. I was inspired by how easy it was to make my Peanut Butter Veggie Stir-Fry this weekend, so last night I tried making another vegetable dish, this time with beans and a tangy cashew sauce for topping.

I gathered all the vegetables including two cups of white beans, one cup of chopped cauliflower, one cup of chopped onion and kale pieces from two large bunches:

I microwaved the cauliflower for 90 seconds just to help soften it. I then added the vegetables one by one to my wok using two tablespoons of water to water-saute:

This mixture by itself would have been delicious I’m sure, but I thought it needed a tangy cashew sauce to top it off. I simply added one cup of raw cashews to my Vitamix with a half a cup each vinegar and unsweetened soy milk. I also added some turmeric and garlic powder. The mixture went from this:

to this in less than a minute:

I adore cashew cream sauces!

I added several tablespoons of the sauce to my veggies:

Once it was stirred together, it was incredible.

I had an interesting interchange with a reader yesterday regarding my post from a couple weeks ago about the way I eat (whole foods, with very little oils and added sugar and salt). You can read the post and comments here, but the essence of the discussion was whether or not Dr. Fuhrman’s plan promotes a “fat-shaming” attitude and whether or not someone can be healthy at a heavier weight than someone at a lower weight. There was also some discussion about eating disorders and if Dr. Fuhrman’s plan is too restrictive.

Here are my thoughts. Dr. Fuhrman’s approach is based on the science and his clinical experience showing that, in general, people who have a lean body mass consuming a high-nutrient, plant-based diet, are at less risk for disease. There is no shaming involved, it is simply fact. As far as restrictions go, I find the opposite to be true in that it is a challenge to consume the minimum quantity of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and avocados that he recommends. So, I do not experience any feelings of restriction, I experience abundance.

My personal experience has also been that the health benefits of this way of eating are above and beyond any challenges that I have had with not consuming oils, added sugars or salt. Certainly, there was some adjustment when I transitioned from the SAD diet to a vegan diet and then, finally, to the Fuhrman plan, but 15 months later I am healthier, stronger and more vibrant than I have been in my entire life.

Thoughts on this discussion? I would love to hear them!

Lastly, if you can’t get enough of me, please follow me on Twitter here, like my page on Facebook here, or follow me on Pinterest here.

I just noticed it’s been almost a year since I did my first edition of how to make a vegetable stir-fry (you can read that entry here). This version isn’t a whole lot different, but I emphasize green vegetables over other types. I picked up some amazing vegetables at my local farmers’ market this weekend and it just seemed like a good idea to turn them into a stir-fry for dinner Saturday night.

The biggest pain is washing and prepping the veggies. I started by rinsing some bok choy and mixed greens and laying them on a clean towel to dry:

I did the same with some snow peas:

The only other veggies I used were some chopped mushrooms, onions, garlic and ginger:

I also had some leftover cooked brown rice (about two cups) from a few days prior waiting on the sidelines. To make the peanut butter sauce, I simply mixed together two tablespoons of unsalted, organic peanut butter with enough vinegar (I used white balsamic vinegar from Trader Joe’s, but you can use any kind) to thin it out. It usually takes at least 1/4 cup of vinegar to thin out the sauce enough:

Once I got the veggies all ready to go, the cooking was a snap. Here’s how I did it in five easy steps:

 Step 1: I heated up a few tablespoons of water in a wok (I got mine at Ikea!) and added the onions. After the onions soften, I added the mushrooms, garlic and ginger.

Step 2: I added the snow peas for a few minutes until they started to turn bright green.

Step 3: I added the greens and put the lid on the wok just until the greens wilted (don’t overcook!).

Step 4: The rice went it and I stirred it all together.

Step 5: I poured on the peanut butter sauce, turned off the heat and made sure it was all combined.

Serve!

I only wish I had made more of this, it was so fresh, tasty and satisfying.

As I noted in Saturday’s post about finding more balance in my life, I made some more time for fun this weekend. Along with going to a farmers’ market in my area that I had never gone to before, I also went to my favorite vegan eatery for lunch on Saturday, spent some time just wandering around one of our local beach towns and tried a community class at a local yoga studio on Sunday morning. Here’s a picture of me (I was all bundled up because it turned cold and foggy on Saturday afternoon):

I ended the weekend feeling like I had a break from the week’s work and that I had seen some new things and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Of course, I also worked some and made good progress on a group project for one of my classes, did some research on healthcare reform for my other class and had a conference call and did a little work on one of my volunteer projects.

Have a great start to your week!

It was another busy week, but I managed to have some fun and some personal growth at the same time.

On Monday, I wrote about my first experience trying to cook a one-pot meal in the pressure cooker. Lesson #1: read the directions.

On Tuesday, I went back to basics and cooked a giant batch of butternut squash in the pressure cooker. Lesson learned. Also, I just got note that the books I reserved on using pressure cookers are ready for me to pick up at the library. I can’t wait to read more about the wonders of the pressure cooker!

For Wednesday’s post, I wrote about the beet burgers (made with chickpeas and shredded beets) that I made inspired by a lunch I had at The Plant Cafe in San Francisco. I ended up having these burgers for two dinners and one lunch.

I posted the recipe for this yummy Almond Milk Berry-Delicious Smoothie on Thursday and pointed out that I’m no longer straining my homemade almond milk in favor of consuming the whole food:

And, finally, yesterday (Friday), I posted about my lunch on the road and my struggle to be kind to myself. I got some wonderful input from several of you readers. I appreciated Gina’s comment that I am perfect just the way I am (thanks Gina!) and also her suggestion to treat myself at least as compassionately as I treat animals and other people. Wonderful advice.

On that note, I contacted my advisor for my R.D. coursework and re-negotiated my schedule for the next year to make it easier on myself. I’ll still be taking the same courses, but at a slower pace. It extends my completion date but gives me more breathing room since I am also finishing up my master’s degree. It was a good way for me to take the pressure off myself and remember that my value does not come from my accomplishments and I am valuable simply for being me.

Other ways I am finding balance include taking time for daily meditation, trying out a new yoga studio ($5 community class, woo-hoo!), working on some new recipes and being okay with not doing everything on my to-do list.

Have a simply wonderful weekend.

Yesterday I had the oh-so-glamourous task of taking my car to be serviced. Alan’s car needed service, too, so we made a day of it. The mechanic is in “the big city” as we like to call it, so I packed us a lunch to eat while we walked around town and waited for the cars to be done.

I layered a green salad with leftover beet burgers, avocado, tempeh and goji berries. Here’s mine close up:

We also had mandarin oranges and leftover berry-delicious smoothie for dessert. Alan was nice enough to carry the food bag around until we got hungry:

I enjoyed taking a day off from the gym and having a break from my normal routine. While the original plan was to eat outside, the wind was cold so we camped inside Peet’s Coffee to eat:

Nobody seemed to mind us eating there and we bought drinks afterwards to help warm up. I had a peppermint tea and the shop got really quiet and kind of peaceful:

As I took a break from my normal exercise and study schedule, I got to thinking about how I am usually so hard on myself about taking time to enjoy life. I seem to work from one deadline to the next without always taking time off to relax. I’ve been thinking about this for a few days, really, and wondering why I push myself so hard sometimes? Unfortunately, I think this type of attitude works against me sometimes in terms of food because I find myself rewarding myself with food rather than taking time throughout the day to be kind to myself.

I seem to have a hard time finding that grey area between being perfect and imperfect. I’ve also noticed recently that I’ve started eating again when I’m not hungry, but more because it’s time to eat or the food just seems like it would taste good. The fear of not eating when I’m supposed to or feeling any type of hunger is in many ways like the fear of being idle that I will become bored, inefficient or not achieve my goals.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Please tell me I am not the only one who struggles with taking care of myself?

Have a great Friday and I’ll be back tomorrow with a weekly wrap-up and maybe some more thoughts on this subject.

Remember when I made homemade almond milk for the first time a few weeks ago? You can read how I did it here. After going to the trouble of straining the pulp and then trying to figure out what to do with it, I’ve started just using the entire blended milk, pulp and all. Not only is it better nutritionally because then the milk retains all of the vitamins and minerals of the almonds, but it’s just a lot faster this way.

The milk still looks delicious even though I don’t strain it after blending about 1/4 cup of soaked almonds with 2 cups of water:

It does start to separate though, so if you are going to use it for anything other than a smoothie, you’ll need to stir it again before you use it. I’ve started using this blended almond milk as a base for a dessert smoothie. I simply add some frozen fruit to the almond milk (bananas and berries), dates, flax meal and cacao powder, and then make it green at heart by adding about 10 pieces of of lightly steamed (or raw) baby bok choy.

I fill my Vitamix to the top!

What results is a delicious, almond-y blend of sweet berries and almonds (you can’t see or taste the greens)!

Sometimes I make his and her versions with more dates for Alan and a scoop of protein powder if he’s really hungry:

Yesterday, I had mine for dessert with lunch that was salad with leftover beans:

Berry-delicious! Do you make “dessert smoothies” and what are your favorite ingredients? Happy Thursday!

Alan and I were in San Francisco last December and ate for the first time at a restaurant called The Plant Cafe. It was really good and Alan has been talking about their house-made veggie burgers since. I remember taking this shot of my lunch and thinking that the burgers was made with beets:

I mainly remember being freezing and trying to get warm on that cold, drizzly day:

I found another blogger’s re-creation of the same burgers here, but I decided to try my own, grain-free version last night. I started with five medium red beets:

I just washed them and trimmed off the ends:

Which I then put through the shredder function on my food processor:

I ended up with about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded beets:

I then put in the food processor about two cups of cooked chickpeas and added that to the beet mixture. Lastly, I processed about two cups of mushrooms with some garlic, sesame seeds, spices, coconut aminos and a bit of water. The final burger mixture looked like this:

Rather than fry the burgers like they did at the restaurant, I baked them at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes on each side. Before the oven:

And after, served with some salad, onions, broccoli and kiwi:

I love that these burgers are just beans and vegetables which makes them filling in a good way. I think Alan was slightly disappointed in them compared with the restaurant version, but how could these possibly stand up to burgers that were probably made with a lot of salt and fried? He suggested adding onions to the mix which I will do with my leftovers tonight.

I really liked them and think they make a nice alternative to my Outrageous Tofu Burgers or my Lentil Mushroom Burgers.

The recipe:

Life is starting to settle down after the emotional time I had last week. I’m juggling my three classes pretty well and making enough time for my volunteer positions (read about them in my updated “About Carrie” page here!), exercise, blogging and food shopping and preparation. Last night I also had over an hour to do some reading before settling in to finish a Netflix movie (The Scent of the Green Papaya) with Alan. Life is good!