Fabulous Vegan Recipes

. Have you ever baked with flavored protein powder? I have and I've never liked the taste. Some protein powders just aren't meant for baking, the final product tastes...off. I have tried quite a few plant-based protein powders over the years and I haven't settled on one...until now. And the particular flavor I use in this bread replaces actual bananas. It's a strong, delicious banana flavor. I think the banana flavor is stronger than the peanut butter flavor. This post contains an affiliate link and I may receive commission on purchases made through the link. I only recommend products I love and use myself. If you've followed my journey, you know my posts containing affiliate links are less than 5 in total. I prefer to try different brands and only recommend brands that I use for a long time I've made this bread so many times, with a few changes here and there but it always turns out to be moist and delicious. If you don't have flour, no worries, use oats to

It's been so long since I wrote a blog post containing a recipe much less a long blog post about my life. So, where have I been? I remember how obsessed with this blog I used to be: 3 posts a week, cooking so so much, taking pictures, obsessing over my Fb page likes. Then life happened and this blog took a back burner. But lately I've been thinking about getting back to it; just not looking through the same lens as I once looked at it.

I wrote my thoughts out about veganism and weight loss, disordered eating and general health on my insta-stories but for those of you who don't have instagram, I wanted to share my thoughts here.

I was recently asked to be a contributor for the Health IQ vegan quiz. Health IQ is a website devoted to celebrating the health conscious and giving people the knowledge to make positive decisions in their lives. I'm so happy to have contributed to this quiz because I talk all about protein and how it's easy and effortless to get enough protein when you eat plants. I have not had meat in at least 10 years and I just completed my first marathon last year. I'm certainly not weak or frail by any means!

Ever wonder how cool it would be if you could go into any restaurant and order a vegan dish? Where you could order the tiramisu because it was totally vegan? Or not have to worry about meat in your pasta sauce or dairy ending up in a sauce? This is happening in NYC by Kiki Adami and Hadara Slok, two dedicated vegans who help different restaurants in the city create an entire vegan menu for one night.

I hear so much noise in the vegan community about what to eat, how much to eat, how often one should eat, what exercises to do, how much macronutrients should be in your food etc etc. It's so overwhelming and confusing and it makes me tired. Instagram is a huge source of food information and recipes but usually from people like you and me who are posting what is working or not working for them. I see so many skinny, fit vegans eating tremendous amounts of food and not gaining weight. I see raw vegans, raw til 4 vegans, junk food vegans, it's just so much to take in. And I'm left with questions like: is all that fruit really good for weight loss? Is coconut just as bad as meat due to the saturated fat? Should I be eating so much rice? Do portions really not matter? Is it really WHAT you eat versus HOW MUCH you eat? And if you're one of those vegans who needs or wants to lose weight, where do we fit in with all of this? I went to a dietitian before I moved here two ye

Let's start with WHAT is a balance bowl? It's a bowl of super nutritious, healthy, yummy food. It usually includes a carb, fat and protein and is, therefore, very filling. Balance bowls help you to identify what veggies you love and can encourage you to try new foods. A great start to your day or post-workout meal, get your butt in the kitchen and make a balance bowl!

I'm writing this post now at 1pm on Saturday partly because I'm procrastinating when it comes to doing my long run today (6 miles) and partly because it's the weekend, I have no pressing engagements this afternoon and I can actually take the time to write this! I woke up later today because I went to bed super late but I was productive as soon as I opened my eyes. I donated three big bags of clothes and one big bag of shoes to the farmers market reusable clothing collection. I donated clothes, towels and shoes. It feels great to unload everything and to clean up my apartment. I live in a tiny apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan but damn, I have a lot of shit! Also at the farmers market, I dropped off my compost and bought organic spinach and come organic carrots. Do you collect your food scraps for compost? You should!

Hello and thank you for checking out my blog! I want to give you a little background about myself and how I found a career in health and wellness. My background is in social work; I have my masters degree in social work and I am a licensed social worker in Pennsylvania and New York State. I worked with individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families for 14 years before becoming a health and wellness professional. Read why I left my job to move to NYC here . I'm a 200 hour certified yoga teacher and blogger. I own The Yoga Collective NYC , a yoga studio in midtown Manhattan that is available for rent. We offer the entrepreneur a space to teach their classes, workshops and trainings and have a full list of classes. My passion is helping people choose healthy, plant based food. My recipes are designed to be simple and delicious with easy to find ingredients. I lead a Mindfulness & Meditation training at my studio and teach corporate meditation sessions. Sign up

Well, tonight I'm still home in PA finishing up some business to close out 2015; I still have a condo in the suburbs and I need to sell or rent it. So I stayed home to clean it out, spend more time with my niece and enjoy two more days in the burbs. See ya tomorrow, New York City!

I just finished a text conversation with my vegan friend in NYC. I was telling her about the issues I was facing being home in Philly and being the only vegan. Let me tell you about Philly, if you don't already know. I'm from the suburbs but the Philly accent, the food, the sports, it bleeds into the burbs, let me tell you. I have had so many people talk about my Philly accent lately. Philly is famous for cheese steaks, Italian bakeries, pizzerias. Wawa market is all over the place, a major dairy milk contributor in the area and Wawa, PA, their headquarters is 20 minutes from my childhood home. When I'm home, especially during the holidays, I'm inundated with eggs and milk for cakes and cookies, dairy milk everywhere and cheese is everywhere. It's a lot to take in especially when I'm used to vegan food, vegan friends and vegan friendly New York City.

Chilis on Wheels, an organization that works to spread veganism and feed the hungry of NYC. What better way is there to spread love? I first met Michelle through a friend at a vegan event. She is an amazing, sweet person and I soon learned of her organization Chilis on Wheels.

PLANT POWER WORKSHOP December 4th, 6:30-8:30PM At The Yoga Collective NYC in downtown Manhattan Come meet me!!! Bring a friend and learn about the power and beauty of plants! My workshop will feature: The benefits of a plant based diet, where to shop for and prepare ingredients and a few easy ways to include plants in your diet. Enjoy a sushi making demo including samples Enjoy samples of Happy Tree maple water Enjoy samples of a raw vegan dessert Relax during my guided meditation Bring a friend!!! Tickets are on sale through Cyber Monday so grab them now! Space is limited. Tickets HERE PLANTS ROCK!

I have interacted quite a bit with judgmental, harsh, inconsiderate vegans this week and I just can't not write about this topic. The vegan lifestyle is becoming more popular and people are opting for more plant foods in their diets; but being vegan is still very new to alot of people so it's important to be caring, compassionate, and understanding in order for the movement to continue to surge. Changing your diet and eliminating food groups can be scary, jarring, and difficult at first but if you have people around to guide you, it can be an easy transition.

I know you've probably seen the link to buy my ebook on this blog but I wanted to give you some information about what is included in the book. I wrote and published this book in December of 2013 when my blog was still relatively new. I spent many hours at Whole Foods Cafe drinking coffee and typing out recipes, formatting the book, worrying about the pictures and prior to that I spent many hours in the kitchen recipe testing. I'm so proud of this book and so happy to offer it to you to purchase for the low price of $4.99. The book includes breakfast, lunch and dinner recipe ideas (not found on my blog), along with juices, smoothies and desserts. As a bonus, I included a 7 day meal plan. I write about why particular recipes are important to me and why they are my favorites. I have some family recipes I grew up with that I made vegan.

My wonderful friend Helena is back with another post about veganism and its impact on the environment! Did you know animal agriculture is responsible for more carbon emissions than all transportation combined?  Helena and I met when we both participated in the vegan pledge/mentor program at the beginning of this year. After Helena's post, I'm flashing back to my sushi recipe from December. 

I still don't know the answer to this question. According to the definition of veganism, honey is not vegan because bees make honey for themselves and we are essentially stealing their nutrition when we take honey from a hive. Eating honey is exploiting bees and interfering with their habitat. There are articles that say bees are killed during the honey gathering process and bees are stunned during the smoking process. Bees, however, are dying quickly because of pesticide use and other factors so are beekeepers saving the bees? Since becoming vegan in 2011, I went back to eating honey twice. Other than that, I replaced honey with maple syrup or agave nectar. Do I crave honey in particular? No but I went back to eating it last summer when a local beekeeper was selling honey at the Union Square Farmers Market. There are so many views on honey; most vegan websites say honey is absolutely NOT vegan. But are they basing their decision on the definition of veganism or have they read

I have another guest blogger today, on this wonderful Meatless Monday, a fellow veggie consumer and alum of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Kelly Anne Monahan!  She recently published an ebook that focuses on healthy recipes and clean eating.  Kelly talks about her story, what led her down the path of health and nutrition and she gives some information about her book.  I'm so happy to post her story! After her post, I included a chocolate shake recipe for you, fat free, sugar free, made with whole ingredients.  Enjoy!

Happy Meatout Day!! And happy spring!  Even though we are scheduled to get snow today :) Does everyone know what meatout day is? On the first day of spring, people pledge to go vegan for a day. It saves an incredible amount of lives, saves an incredible amount of water and puts you on a path for a healthier life (plant based diets are lower in cholesterol, saturated fat and higher in fiber which translates to longer lives).  If you're reading this, starting from this moment, will you eat vegan the rest of the day?  Click on the labels to the right to check out a ton of recipes.  And check out meatout.org .

MMM tacos!  I don't usually post faux meats because I cook from scratch and I try to limit my processed food consumption but this meal was so tasty.  Vegan isn't always convenient and to get the most out of this lifestyle, in my opinion, you need to learn how to cook. Faux meats are a great transition ingredient because they are pre-packaged, already seasoned and ready for you to make a meal out of them.  Is it processed? Yes.  It is as unhealthy as meat? No.  Do you want to limit your consumption of faux meats and cheeses? Probably.  Treat them as a cheat meal or have them no more than twice a week. You will still reap the benefits of the vegan diet if you eat the faux foods but, as with anything processed, you want to limit consumption.  With that being said, I urge you to try different faux meats and cheese because they are fun and delicious.  Vegan cheese on a pizza can satisfy your cheese craving. I will list some brands of cheese and meat at the end of this post so y