This week’s recipe is all about green! It’s a really easy lunch or dinner recipe that is full of nutrients, and it’s sooooo filling! I went crazy during my first grocery shopping trip back in the States (from China) and bought some of my favorite foods that I’d been missing, including kale, avocado, quinoa, nutritional yeast, and Daiya cheese. The recipe came to me one afternoon and was most likely motivated by my ravenous appetite. I hope you enjoy it!
This week’s recipe is a little bit country, a little bit British. That’s right, you heard me. I just got back to Texas after 6 months in China and I’m staying with my friend who has a beautiful piece of land in the hill country outside of Austin. She’s from England, but is a Texas girl at heart! While looking through one of her cookbooks entitled The Vintage Tea Party Book, I saw a delicious looking recipe for Engraved Earl Grey Truffle Hearts, and I knew I needed to veganize it!
This recipe is so simple it’s silly! With it’s super rich texture, chocolatey goodness, and hint of bergamot, this truffle bark is the perfect homemade gift or a healthy alternative for your next chocolate craving.
The other day I was making Red Lentil Hummus and I got an idea. I added a little too much water to my lentils when I was cooking them, but when I transferred them to the food processor with my seasonings and blended it, it came out with a cheesy flavor and the consistency of a sauce. I’ve been wanting a super easy vegan cheese recipe, because the one I usually make consists of too many steps and too many ingredients. My Delicious Vegan Cheese Sauce recipe only has six ingredients, is full of fiber and other nutrients, and is super filling and yummy.
Today’s blog is all about numbers! Being a compassionate, caring individual that makes a difference in the world can be as easy as 1-2-3. In my opinion, it’s all about baby steps and focusing on what you can do today. Every little choice we make and every little action we take has a ripple effect. No matter how small of a good deed, it’s worth it and it impacts someone, we just don’t always witness that impact. Here are some simple suggestions to help you get started if you are overwhelmed or not sure where to begin.
Our furry friends need our help! Working with animals in various settings, especially homeless cats and dogs left to suffer their fates alone, I really realized how much of an impact I had on them just by spending ten minutes petting them or playing with them. It means the world to them. There are other ways to help out, too. Here are a few:
13 Ways To Help Animal Shelters
For kids:
Today I finally watched the critically acclaimed 2012 documentary Hungry for Change, directed by James Colquhon and Laurentine Ten Bosch. I like this film because it gets down to the root causes of obesity, illness, bad health, and unhappiness and makes the connection between mind and body. It also talks about why diets don’t work, what is in the foods we are consuming, and gives a solution to this epidemic of unhealthiness.
I decided ahead of time to take notes while watching Hungry for Change because I knew it was going to be filled with great information. And boy was it! I highly recommend watching this documentary (which you can find on Netflix and the Hungry for Change official website), but in the mean time, here are the “cliff notes” with what I found in the film to be most significant.
While hunter gatherer cultures consume more nutrients and less calories, Americans today are consuming more calories and less nutrients. We are fatter than ever but starving our bodies at the same time. Why is that? Because Americans are consuming processed foods instead of whole foods that come from nature. Let’s take a look at a few of the toxic ingredients that are causing widespread obesity and chronic illness, and some of my suggestions for healthy alternatives.
Take away: Read the ingredients labels on foods! Be careful of ingredients that are plant derived but have been chemically altered, like high fructose corn syrup.
