The Smoothie Vegetarians

It's been a good vegan week. I was in Vegas for a few days and this year I found a huge variety of kombucha available on the Strip (not necessarily a vegan thing I know, but I love the stuff and couldn't find any last year). Progress! I went on a bus tour to the Grand Canyon, and a buffet lunch was included in the ticket. This lunch was in Williams, Arizona and I had already resigned myself to the fact that I'd spend the day starving. Instead, there was a good selection of food for me. I happily stuffed myself and wasn't hungry again till well into the evening. My hotel in Vegas had a Ben and Jerry's with multiple dairy free selections. I think I may have eaten my body weight in ice cream! A “regular” restaurant in my city introduced a full vegan menu alongside their regular one today. We went there for dinner tonight and the meal was amazing! So often I can only choose one thing off a menu – to have choices was a luxury I rarely find.

(photos by Danielle) I love trying out new breakfast recipes! I have found so many new recipes in the past year and I love making these. They are so delicious and I love making food for my family. It is exciting to wow people with delicious recipes and create new dishes that people will love.  One of my favorite things to make is pancakes in the morning. I put some syrup on and usually have a sie of fruit with it. For my pancake recipe, I take two packets of oatmeal and blend them in my ninja for a few seconds to make flour. Then I add a quarter cup of non dairy milk. I usually use almond milk or rice milk, but there are so many more you can try. If you want extra flavor you can use a flavor that is either vanilla or chocolate flavored. Then I add one banana and blend the mixture again. If it is not too think, you can let it sit for a few more minutes and when it gets think, put it in the pan and cook it. Then I top it with anything I want for the morning and if you

Hope everyone had a great week! Do you get tired of hearing "What's for dinner?" and then getting the response "Not that again!"  Are these common phrases in your house? I may have a solution for you! This week's creation! Sometimes I feel like I am a contestant on the Food Network Show "Chopped". I used to have random ingredients and struggled to come up with a meal. Over the years I have gotten pretty good at this and at this point enjoy challenging myself to come up with quick, easy and inventive meal that tastes good. I am not one for planning meals in advance so a lot of times I make up things as I go. I often incorporate leftovers into new creations. Todays recipe is simple but made a delicious meal. The idea originated last night when I walking around Chelsea Market in lower Manhattan. Chelsea Market is full of history and was the original home of the National Biscuit Company also known as the Nabisco Factory. It is now

I just finished an audio book called Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. It's an amazing book. He talks about the aging process and how nobody is really prepared for it, nor are they willing to have the important discussions about it, particularly in Western cultures. He also discusses how doctors (he is one) often give patients unreal expectations when they have a terminal illness, and how those patients often spend their last months fighting a battle that they can never win, when they should be spending their final days surrounded by the people they love, preferably at home. The book discusses hospice care, assisted living, complex care facilities and how much these things have veered away from their original course. We treat our elderly like children. We want them to be safe, so we do the equivalent of baby proofing; we take away their right to choose. It got me to thinking about a lot of things. I've worked in healthcare, both hospital and complex care for a number

(photos by Danielle) Planning for meals during the week can be a challenge but since the internet has so many recipes, it becomes so easy. I find so many recipes on social media including websites like Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. I also love following food blogs and getting their monthly list of posts in my email inbox. I always save recipes that I enjoy. I also just recently got a recipe book to write down recipes that have worked out for me or ones that I want to try in the future.  A lot of my favorite recipes have zucchini in them. The first recipe was inspired by a time when I had a lot of zucchini in the house. I also had leftover sauce from spaghetti night earlier in the week, so I was trying to make something out of leftovers and create a delicious, but still healthy meal. I made some zucchini boats and they were great.  How do you make these??? Start by cutting the ends off of the zucchini. Then slice the zucchini down the middle like in the p

It is time for Trudy's Tuesday Thoughts... So many times we hear the terms work-life balance, balanced meal, we don't want to lose our balance if we are riding a bicycle, walking a tight rope or climbing a mountain but how can we maintain our balance on a day to day basis. We all have a bunch of things to do every day but sometimes I wonder how to get them all done without tipping the scale from balanced to insanity. In my mind the meter has three readings which are SERENE, BALANCED, INSANITY and lots of points within those levels. When I looked up the meaning of the word balanced, although there were multiple definitions, the one I related to most was " offset or compare the value of (one thing) with another".  Let's face it, life can be hard and very overwhelming at times.  Sometimes we wind up putting too much focus on the things that don't really matter in the long run and not enough on the things that really matter. Of course family is one of

Veganism isn't just about food, which often confounds people first learning about this perspective on life. People who wish to avoid animal products aren't just talking about the stuff they eat, but everything. And though most people understand and get the problem with leather or fur, wool still usually gets weird looks. Why not wool? Since the sheep aren't hurt by shearing, and generally need to be sheared as their fleece gets bulky, some people automatically see this as being harmless. I'm not sure why since taking a chicken's eggs is just as harmless to the bird, yet its not hard to grasp that chickens are abused and mistreated in the egg industry. The same situation applies to sheep and wool. Maybe it's harder to see because it's not food. I don't know. Lambs are super-cute and deserve as much concern as any other animals. Blurry because taking barnyard photos is hard. Sorry. His name is Puddles. Sheep are not treated well in the

            When my friend Madison cooked me this mac and cheese for the first time, I was shocked at how delicious it tasted. It reminded me of that Velveeta mac and cheese because its so rich and creamy. She made it again for a pot luck we went to and EVERYONE (even the non-vegans) at the event was raving about it and saying it was the best mac and cheese they have had. I wanted to make it for my mom, aka the biggest cheese lover I know, and see if even she would like it. I asked Madison for the recipe, she sent it to me, and I was shocked! It was basically the easiest recipe I have ever seen. I would not even call it a “recipe”, just throwing some things in a pot. Long story short, I made it in like 15 minutes and even my mom loved it. So, I thought I should share it with everyone!             I know Daiya vegan cheese gets a bad reputation in the vegan community, but give it a chance in this recipe! I usually do not like Daiya but I promise it works in this case. You do

  More antics at the office. |Up until recently I've had a job that kept me very physically active. I walked all day long at work, often to the point of exhaustion. Now, due to some health issues, I have an office job (as I've mentioned almost weekly!). With a sedentary position comes a host of issues; sitting all day is a new thing for me and I'm not sure that I like it. I miss flitting around, always being on the go. I work in a hospital and I enjoyed seeing the various people I know and like on the different floors as I went about my day. Several of the women I work with are trying to lose weight, which is frustrating for them because they, too, are sitting for most of the day. I've only been there for about two and a half months, but I've already heard several of them cycle through their various diets. Currently on the table is the keto diet. Now, I have to admit I've tried this – I was a vegetarian a the time, and I don't need to lose we

Kombucha can be a delicious treat that can be an alternative to a lot of sugary drinks like juices and coffees, but certainly does not skimp on the outstanding taste and flavors!!! A lot of these are delicious and I would recommend it. Some of these can have a vinegar aftertaste so it may take a while to find one you like a lot. I have tried a few flavors from brand and have tried them out that do not have that taste. I do not drink this often at all, but it can be a treat for special occasions. The ones that I have tried so far have been amazing and other people who have tried them with me liked them as well.  (photos by Danielle) (photos by Danielle) (photos by Danielle) I have tried a few of the flowers from the brand GTS Synergy and they have been good if you do not find the vinegar taste. I have tried Trilogy, Guava Goddess, and Gingerberry. I liked all of them and I would want to try some of the other flavors. They are great and I would recommend try

It has been a long winter and I don't know about anyone else but I can't wait for the warm weather. Late Spring, early summer is not only time to shed your winter clothing but the perfect time to explore the many farmer's markets that will start appearing. I know in my area some of them set up at the local train station or in various parking lots on the east end of Long Island on the weekends but you may want to even make some of these markets as part of a road trip. Here are some "must visit" markets. Union Square Greenmarket, New York It is absolutely amazing that farm fresh produce can be found in the middle of New York City but it can at the Union Square Greenmarket. This is an outdoor oasis of freshly picked fruits and vegetables. The great thing about this market is that is open during the winter months. If you are travelling to New York City, this is definitely a place that you need to check out. Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

Chili is one of those classic meat dishes, right alongside BBQ ribs that becomes a personal form of artwork instead of just a recipe. Everyone has their own way of making it and it never seems to be exactly the same dish twice. So I made a batch of vegan chili last night and thought I would share my recipe. Except that I didn't really follow a recipe and did a lot of random tossing as the batch simmered on the stove. So, you can follow along and hopefully put together some of your own wonderful meat-free chili. My free-form chili creation is simmering away happily in all its plant-based glory I started off with a little oil, and sauteed a clove of minced garlic and about a half cup of diced up white onion. I probably should have gone with a bit more garlic. Oh, and about 1 stalk of celery, diced small too. Once that got going, I added about 3/4 of a package of Gardein's meat-less crumbles (we love them because they are gluten-free!). I'm sure the whole

Today at work I felt alone in a room full of people. One of my coworkers is having a birthday on Monday. In this particular office, traditionally the birthday person brings in a cake for everyone. This afternoon we were all goofing off waiting for four o'clock and they start asking the birthday girl what kind of cake she's going to bring. Lots of happy female chatter going on around me, but I'm not chiming in. I felt awkward. I felt like I wasn't part of the group. And I wasn't. At one point the birthday person turned to me and said something like “oh, I'm sorry – you won't be able to have any”. I replied that I was just fine with that, not to worry, etc. And I am fine with that, I really am, but the fact remains that I was not part of the conversation, and therefore not really part of the merriment. It's a sacrifice on many levels – being vegan is not particularly vogue in most circles. I am often made fun of, ridiculed, looked at strang

(photos by Danielle) Starting your personal health journey can be intimidating for some, but with support, this can become easier. A lot of people sometimes will not even know where to start. It can be good to start this journey with a positive mindset and start shifting your habits to better ones. Some people prefer to do this overnight and some do this as a gradual shift over time. My journey was gradual and I started incorporating better habits into my life. I now feel so much better since I have started this.  I have felt so much better lately and have had so many more productive days. I have been changing my life by curbing my eating habits and exercising. I feel amazing on days where I do four miles a day because it gets me so energetic and motivated to continue the rest of my day. I got so much more done in the day since switching to a healthier lifestyle and weel as thinking more positive. One thing that I want to stress is that you do not have to be an