Food From The Garden

It seems like we live in a world of inescapable life hacks. We think our old ways are totally fine until we learn a different way to do it. Then we think it's genius! You can be a genius in the kitchen too. With a few simple life hacks I'll be sharing with you today, you too will feel so food-smart. 1. Wheatgrass is the new matcha. Matcha green tea powder is glorified for having the benefits of green tea in concentrated form. However, it's also very high in caffeine which some people object to. Wheatgrass is caffeine free but has the same benefits of matcha, as well as a near identical taste. 2. Use chia seeds for a sugar free jam. Traditional jam has so many ingredients, most of which are not the healthiest. Chia seeds have gelling and setting powder, eliminating the need for sugar and pectin when cooked on a stovetop. The sugar is then replaced with protein and healthy fats. 3. Homemade peanut butter. When you DIY your peanut butter, it has a smoother consistency...

I know what you're thinking as you're reading the title. Huh? Keto mac and cheese? Are keto and vegan even compatible? I'm here to tell you that keto mac and cheese is possible and keto and vegan are compatible. And I'm also here to tell you that you are not dreaming. This is reality. How is that possible? The base ingredients in this recipe are zoodles, white vinegar, whatever oil you choose to use, and nutritional yeast but if you want, you can add other seasonings and vegetables. I added hot sauce, green onion, and tomato because I really like them in my mac and cheese but you do not have to do that. The tool that makes low carb noodles possible is the spiralizer. This is not sponsored but I really like the OXO brand handheld spiralizer. It's super easy to use and, provided you won't get in trouble for having a blade on you, you can take it anywhere. I don't really measure ingredients for this recipe so I cannot really give measurements. Without...

You know those times when your kitchen is pretty much empty yet you have so many things you want to make so your grocery list is SUPER LONG???? This was one of those weeks for me which makes for a pretty interesting grocery haul. With that said, I thought this would be a good week to share a grocery haul. This is not everything but I will share some highlights and how I'm using them. Produce: 1. Kale. This is my absolute essential. I use kale as the base for all my salads and when I say "use it as the base", I really mean "I load my salads with kale because it's one of my favorite foods. I eat plenty of salads and that takes me through a lot of kale. 2. Spinach. I use spinach in my smoothies and juices because it gets my green in but blends much better than kale. I also use spinach as the backup for my kale, which I usually need because I eat so many salads. 3. Tomatoes. Tomatoes are big in our house. There's no such thing as too many tomatoes in our ho...

Fall is hust around the corner, meaning that in a matter of weeks, apples will be in season. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and the food is one of the reasons why. Thus, you can bet that knowing apples are in season makes me really happy. Apples are an excellent thing to have in your kitchen because there's so much you can do with them. And I never regret any way I choose to use them. Here are some ways I like to use apples: 1. Just eat them whole. One of the things that makes apples such a convenient healthy snack is that they can be consumed without the need for any dishes or utensils. 2. Slice and dip them. Or don't dip them. But if you choose to dip them. You've got plenty of options. My favorites are nut butters and hummus for a protein and healthy fats boost. 3. Bake them. When cut into chunks and tossed with agave and cinnamon, then baked to perfection, apples are a heavenly dessert that will make your house smell like fall. This would also make an excellent ...

Coming from a family of travelers, I travel a lot. A surprise trip is never a surprise trip because making last minute travel plans is a big part of our lifestyle. Therefore, I know better than most that if there are certain things you are keeping out of your diet, whether it be medical or by choice, food while travelling can be a nightmare. I also know better than most that accommodating your dietary needs is completely possible but it requires some planning. I can not ever remember going to a rest stop that did not have a McDonald's, and sometimes that is the only food there. Airports usually have more than McDonald's but exactly what your other options are depends on the airport but it's mostly fast food. Fast food is often a fancy word for trouble if you are vegan which is why I'm here today. Sticking to your normal diet will help immensely in many ways and you will feel so much better en route and throughout your trip if you don't let your goal of eating healt...

When you think of the Crossroads of America, what's the first thing that comes to mind? The Coke bottle? The Wabash River? One thing that will now come to mind when I think of Terre Haute, Indiana is the cute little restaurant on Wabash Avenue called the Aracari Kitchen. Absolutely everything on their menu is vegan and almost everything is gluten free. Not too long ago, I was fortunate enough to get to hang out with my cousin and we decided to check this place out together. We have absolutely no regrets. I got the "To The East" salad which consists of spinach, arugula, romaine, napa cabbage, carrot, radish, cucumber, and a ginger peanut dressing. However, they were out of that dressing so instead they used the maple pumpkin one that they normally put on the Buddha bowl. They also topped it with sesame seeds and black flax seeds. The dressing had the right kind of spice and it really added quite a punch to the salad. The seeds they topped it with really made it aesthetic...

Being the only vegan in my family and one of few vegans I know in real life, it's not that often that I get to go to a vegan restaurant. The challenge of navigating eating at a restaurant that doesn't even have vegan options other than a salad and maybe fries is nothing new to me. That's why when I do go to a vegan restaurant, it's so much fun because not only do I have more options of what I can eat but they're also run according to the philosophy that's influencing my food choices so I fit in seamlessly. Not too long ago, I went with my mom and two friends of ours to a vegan AND gluten free restaurant in Haddon Township, NJ called Heart Beet Kitchen. They also have a location in Ocean City and they deserve to become an even bigger chain and expand out of New Jersey. We all loved it there and we will be back for sure. I ordered the "Eggplant Meatball" dish which consists of raw spiralized zucchini, eggplant based meatballs, and marinara sauce. With t...

Vegan or not, we all have our fair share of items that we cannot imagine having to go a few days without, that are never not on our grocery lists. For me, those items changed dramatically as I transitioned vegan and after I committed and even more as I transitioned gluten free. Here are some of the items that are always on my grocery list. 1. Kale. I eat a lot of salads and kale is my preferred base because I enjoy the taste and texture of it. Because it's darker in color, it is also more nutrient dense than other greens. 2. Spinach. I also make a lot of smoothies because I prefer raw food for breakfast and smoothies are easy to do raw. When I make my green smoothies and juices, I also prefer to use spinach for that because it blends easily and cohesively. I also use it on salads and on lettuce-wrapped burgers. 3. Tomatoes. We love tomatoes in our house. Left to our own devices, I'm sure any of us would gladly eat our whole week's supply in one sitting if given both t...

Trader Joe's is not my family's regular grocery store but there are things I like getting from there every time we go there, which is not often. This is not necessarily a list of things I consider staples on my plant based diet but they're things I do like to get from Trader Joe's. This is also unlike many lists of vegan Trader Joe's finds because many of the ones I've read center around the processed foods that I try to stay away from as much as possible. As such, this one doesn't center around the processed foods as much. 1. Mini watermelon. Our fridge is super small and refrigerator clutter bothers everyone in my house (except me) so we don't really like to take up a lot of space with a normal sized watermelon but that's all they have at our regular grocery store. Trader Joe's has mini ones that are much better on our space budget. I like using watermelon as the base for my green juices. Watermelon is a good juice base because it certainly li...

Happy Independence Day for my American viewers! When it comes to the food, the 4th of July and Thanksgiving are very much alike. Most of you are probably scratching your heads thinking "How? Are you crazy? Thanksgiving is about the turkey and mashed potatoes but the 4th is about the BBQ and that's all we care about" and I get that but hear me out because when it comes to similarities between two seemingly very unlike things, there is way more than meets the eye. I hate to say this on a day about the freedom Americans have (to eat whatever they want) but the typical American diet focuses very much on meat, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, preservatives, and lots of junk your body doesn't need. This mantra tends to be even more pronounced on holidays, which we often see as a perfect excuse to indulge. On Valentine's day, we seek out the chocolates we know our loved ones will love. McDonald's comes back out with their shamrock shakes for St. Patrick's Da...