Fabulous Vegan Recipes

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 swear my skin looks better when I push the greens. Any inflammation or redness always seems to go away when I load up on the kale or spinach. It could just be my imagination or the body healing itself but I am convinced the vitamins and antioxidants in greens are responsible for my skin improvement. And even if that isn't true, you can't ever go wrong eating kale. Besides, it's delicious and an incredible tasty addition to your meal. I love eating greens with a little sea salt and lemon juice sprinkled on them-especially kale. I love adding spinach to my buddha bowls. Greens are healthy and yummy and you can dress them up or just eat plain. It's just that, you can't open up your cupboard and grab some spinach; it has to be steamed and prepared in some way. Which is why it's easier to reach for dates and peanut butter or a protein bar. I definitely load up on the greens but I also don't consistently eat enough. Which got me thinking just ho

My running career began in 2013 when I ran my first Broad Street run. It was 10 miles and my very first run beyond a 5K. This weekend I'm attempting to PR at the Bronx 10 Mile. Do I feel super prepared? Nope. But I did run 9.8 miles last week and I survived. I've also worked on my speed the past few months and this week I'm staying hydrated and healthy. Even if you don't feel super prepared, you can still be prepared enough for your race. Get it?

We've all been there: you lose a couple pounds or get into an exercise routine, you're feeling great and then you go on vacation or something happens that interrupts your normal schedule. It can be jarring and frustrating and requires planning and a little worrying. Vacation and time away from your routine usually means over-indulging or feeling like you can't work out as much as you want to. Taking time from your routine and relaxing is definitely essential to being happy but you can still maintain your fitness or weight loss goals when on vacation.

Let me start out by saying that I'm not a doctor or a registered dietitian so I cannot cure your sprains, strains, muscle soreness etc with anything I say on this blog. I can only speak from my own experience about how foods effect me so please ask a nutritionist if you need clinical facts about food. It always seems to come down to the same foods when you're having a problem like muscle cramps, feeling down, detoxing, feeling too tired: berries, cinnamon, nuts and seeds. These foods have antioxidant properties and help reduce inflammation. So, whatever issue you are having, you may already be eating the ingredients that are in this smoothie. Just eat healthy, whole foods and you will probably end up feeling your best!

A few days ago I started an Intro to Meditation group on Facebook and as I write this, on the eve of our August meditation challenge, I have 104 members in the group. I love this group, it only came together just days ago but the amount of positive vibes and support for each other is already evident. My goal is to give tips to help my group meditate at home and feel more upbeat and happy during the day. Our challenge begins tomorrow!

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

I love teaching meditation at my yoga studio . I pick a theme and focus my guided meditation around that theme. Sometimes my students are strangers, most times they are friends. It's so much fun to connect with people in a cool, intimate, relaxing setting where I can share my favorite essential oils and talk about life. After meditation with my three friends last week, we chilled on our yoga mats and talked quietly about various topics. We drank Happy Tree maple water and ate cookie dough bites. It was such a fabulous ending to a great day. I wrote this post to inspire you to make meditation a new habit. There are always habits we need to break; why not begin a new habit?! 

I made these for my meditation class. I usually make my bites with a dried fruit and nuts but I didn't have enough of either ingredients so I used another ingredient in my kitchen: chickpeas! This recipe makes an incredibly healthy and delicious cookie that is no bake and very easy to make. You can bake these cookies if you choose but I did not and they ended up just as tasty. I had chocolate chips in my pantry, which I never have, so I wanted to use them in a recipe. My meditation group loved the bites, which of course made me happy!

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!

It's that time of year again! The hectic running around, the overindulging, the lack of sleep, the fun, family get togethers; a time when we need to remember to reconnect with ourselves. It's easy to mindlessly eat or forego exercise during this time so having a plan is the best way to go this holiday season. I'm writing this now after years of gaining weight during the holiday season, feeling horrible about myself then working to lose the weight.

I first heard of Jordan and her blog via Instagram when she would post awesome, motivational pics. Her account was one of the fist Instagram accounts that I relied on when I first moved to NYC a year and a half ago. I signed up for a Juice Crawl in August and she was there also; needless to say I was so happy to meet her! She was so nice and we chatted about our blogs for a little bit before we silent clubbed around the city with headphones on and fabulous dance moves (it was a silent clubbing juice crawl haha). I was soon reading her blog and feeling relieved that someone else felt the same way about the fast paced life in this city. On her blog , Jordan mentions finding your skinny and I can completely relate; I compare myself everyday to other women on the street and worry so much about how I look, it's exhausting and a waste of time.