Attempts at Healthier Eating and New Cookbooks! Whoo hoo!

I made the granola and açaí bowl from Julie Montagu's Superfoods cookbook. I am never buying granola again! This was so, so good and made of only healthy things - no sugar. I LOVE this cookbook so far. The recipes are super healthy and all vegan. You might know Julie Montagu from Ladies of London on Bravo. Not only is she a healthy guru, she is also a Viscountess! She married the heir to the Earl of Sandwich. Neat!

I also made the Creamy Carrot Soup and Whole Food Proteins bowl from the Rawsome Vegan Cookbook this week. OMG! This was also so, so good and packed with healthy things. I found a purple sweet potato at Whole Foods this week and it was out of this world good. I didn't know potatoes could taste that good. Damn. Anyway, every recipe in this book looks like something I want to make. It's gonna get a lot of use.

Chewie was being so precious today that I had a hard time leaving for work - more than usual when I look at his cuteness. He got a haircut and a new bed. Both seem to be agreeing with him.

Vegan Protein Blueberry Banana Chocolate Smoothie

Vegan Protein Blueberry Banana Chocolate Smoothie

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen organic wild blueberries (Whole Foods has them in the freezer section)
1 banana
1 cup nut mylk (I use 5XProtein Unsweetened Almond Milk by So Delicious Brand)
2 scoops Orgain brand vegan protein - chocolate flavor

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Yum!

Had this smoothie for breakfast and made my cabbage curry for dinner. Yummmmmm.
Cabbage curry recipe here: Sundaegirl108's Cabbage Curry

---

Cooking on Snow Days

It snowed a bit in Brooklyn this weekend.

So, I made some yummy stuff. First is this sautéed collard green dish that I adapted from a recipe in The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.

I just sautéed some garlic and olive oil in a large pan, added chopped collards (with a little water on them from when soaking them to rinse them), stirred and covered for a couple minutes to soften the collards, added 2 tablespoons pine nuts, quartered prunes, and 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine and sautee another couple of minutes. Voila!

  I also made a quinoa bowl with cooked quinoa, avocado, cilantro leaves, steamed carrot and broccoli, chickpeas, and homemade lemon olive oil dressing. For the dressing: I just juice a couple lemons, add olive oil, diced shallot, fresh thyme leaves, a tiny bit of Himalayan pink salt, and pepper. Yum!

Healthy Vegan Mango Lassi Smoothie

 

Healthy Vegan Mango Lassi Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 mango or about 1 cup of frozen mango chunks
1 cup unsweetened almond mylk (I used 5XProtein So Delicious Brand)
1 - 3 tablespoons hemp protein (Optional: I like to amp up the protein by adding some hemp protein but it makes the smoothie greyish - not that lovely mango lassi color. I used just one tablespoon of Nutiva brand hemp protein. I think more than that wouldn't have tasted so good.)
1/4 cup of raw cashews
a pinch of cardamom powder

Method: Put all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend to smoothie perfection.

Nutritional Info (approximate):
330 calories, 16g protein, 35g carbs, 6g sugar, 15g fat, 0g cholesterol, 60% RDA of vitamin A, 29% RDA of iron

NOTE: I made this again with a scoop of the Vega Brand Vanilla Protein Shake instead of the hemp protein and it was even better tasting and more protein! (Pictured Below)  Yum!

2016!

I'm a bit late posting in this New Year. I spent the entire fall under a rock writing my final paper for my institute training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, so I've been taking it easy since my Christmas break.

Here are some yummy things I've been eating:

I made the Root Veggie Tagine (pictured above) from Crazy Sexy Kitchen for New Year's Day. I threw in some black eyed peas instead of chickpeas to be traditional. I used turnip. It was so, so good! This is one of my favorite cookbooks.

Today, I made the Cheddary Broccoli Soup and the Chicky Tuna Salad (pictured above) from Isa Does It. Every recipe from this book has been great. I don't even like soup and I LOVE this soup! Go figure.

---

On a different note, it has been sad to read how many talented people we've lost so far in 2016 - mostly to cancer. It does make me think; life is short. How can I balance work and those things I must do to live the life I want - with actually living the life I want? I work too much. Within the next few months, I will graduate from my institute for post-graduate training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, get my license for private practice, find an office, and start seeing clients for individual psychotherapy. I will finally be able to make my own schedule!

I need time with my doggie love. I need to travel more. I need to visit the Bhakti Center more. I need to see friends more.

I've laid some plans to get started on all that. I'm going back to Paris in May for my BFF's 40th birthday! I haven't been since 2009 and that is just too, too long for moi. I need to sit on the steps of Opera Garnier eating a large sandwich. Maybe I'll take a day trip to Rouen (a picturesque little town where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake). heh.

Here are some pictures of me and my puppy love, Chewie. He looks so cute when he is crashed out. He lives the life.




So comfy. haha