GREEN SMOOTHIE #7

This Green Smoothie is different from the others in that is does not turn out a pretty green, but rather a light purple, but it adds different fruit than the others, which is our goal.  Try to mix up the greens and the fruits every day so that we are getting different benefits. The raspberries add a nice taste to this mix.

• 1 cup of raspberries (i used fresh)
• 1 cup of blueberries (i used fresh)
• 1 apple cored (if you have a vitavix...like Kelley and Daniel you don't have to core the apple)
• 3 big handfuls of spinach
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup of ice cubes  (if you don't have ice, use 2 cups of water
• 1 scoop of protein powder
• 1 tsp of flax seed oil if you have it.

BROILED TOMATO, ASPARAGUS, CHEESE SANDWICH

Ezekiel sprouted grain bread can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store.  I pop it in the freezer when I get home and just take the pieces out that I need and let them thaw.  It's expensive but packed full of fibre and protein. 

***just a note on veggie cheese.  I have tried a lot of different brands, some of them highly recommended by other bloggers...and they were horrible.  The one that I love and use the most is made by Galaxy foods.'
http://www.galaxyfoods.com/  I don't know if it is available in Canada or not.  You need to experiment yourself and try some different kinds....don't give up if your first experiment fails.  There are lots of brands out there.

• 2 slices of good whole wheat bread lightly toasted
• sliced tomato
• 2-3 spears of asparagus
• shredded veggie mozarella cheese (or a blend of the mozarella and cheddar)

Set oven to broil and put shelf in middle position.  On a cookie sheet put your slices of toasted bread, top with one layer of tomatoes, asparagus (cut to fit) and sprinkle a good layer of veggie cheese. 
Place cookie sheet under broiler and stand there and watch it cook.  Do not leave the oven door!  I can't count the number of time I have burnt my lunch simply sorting through the mail and forgetting the oven.
Broil until the chesse bubbles and turns a crispy golden brown. 

I like to serve it with worchestershire sauce drizzled over the surface, but any of your favorite condiments will do.

Enough Protein??

The serious vegan bloggers, authors and speakers, all get asked the same #1 question...."how do you get protein in your diet without meat, poultry, fish and dairy?"  I am amazed that in my small life circle how many times that I get asked this same question.  Everyone automatically assumes that you need to eat meat, poultry, fish and dairy to get enough protein in your diet.  So the big question is how much protein to we need on a daily basis? 

There are tons of articles on the web with differing opinions and numbers of grams we need.  I have read tons and have come to a decision that I personally need about 30-40 grams a day. I try to have 1/2 of my protein in the morning....green smoothie with protein powder, sprouted grain bread, wasa bread with peanut butter as a snack, oatmeal, soy milk or other flavors....you get the point.  This helps me have more energy for the rest of the day. But I have to say that just about everything I eat now has protein even if it is just a salad (throw on some kidney or chick peas).  I stopped worrying about the protein content months ago after charting my intake over a period of two weeks.  Then I stopped counting the grams simply because it wasn 't necessary anymore as I became more familiar with the foods I eat and their content.

Our bodies burn more calories digesting protein than carbohydrates or fat.  Plus protein make you feel fuller longer. So of course it is important to make sure we get enough protein.  But it doesn't have to come from fat laden red meat or dairy. I like that the proteins that I am putting into my body have mostly 0 cholesterol and lots of plant based protein and fibre.

It only takes afew minutes a day on the internet to educate yourself on how much protein do you need and where else you can get protein besides meat and dairy.  I'll give you a good example:

Check out the labels on the breads you buy and look for the protein and fibre content.  Whole wheat and Sprouted grain breads (found in the freezer section) are anywhere from 3-9g of protein. That's a lot! and that is for one slice....make a peanut butter sandwich using two slices and you have about 20g of protein!

 Or check out my blog piece on broiled tomato, asparagus and cheese sandwich....16 grams plus 4 more approx for the veggies = approx 20 grams.

SLOPPY JOES

This was an easy and a tasty conversion of an old favorite.  My daughter Kelley introduced me to Yves brand of meat substitutes, and every one that I have tried have been great.  http://www.yvesveggie.com/
The down side is that I can't find them locally and have to travel to Whole Foods over an hour away.  But I went to Whole Food a few weeks ago, and loaded up....their products can also be frozen until you use them.  As I've said before I am not a fan of fake meat product, which is why I started making my own seitan, but I have to say that Yves has made me a fan. While up north at Kelley's we had the meatless beef strips.  We sauteed them with onions and peppers and piled them onto a crusty bun and it was delicious.  Check out the web site and find what you like and see if your Whole Foods stocks them.......or ask the manager to stock the ones that appeal to you. This morning I saw that they are also offering Asian Ground Round Lettuce Wraps...I have to find some of those! That was my favorite menu item at P.F. Changs.

This recipe packs 11g of protein with just the Yves meat substitute, let alone the other ingredients. (1/4 of my personal daily requirement.)

• 1 pkg of Yves Meatless Ground Round (or the one designed for tacos)
• 1/2 cup of chopped onions
• 1/2 cup of green peppers (I used red and yellow since  hubby doesn't like green peppers)
• 1  7 1/2 ox can of chopped tomatoes
• 2 TBl of quick-cooking oats
• 1 tsp of chili powder
• 1 -2 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp of garlic salt
• dash of hot pettper sauce (optional)
• whole wheat hamburger buns split
• ****my husband also likes baked beans in his sloppy joes, so these would be considered optional.

GREEN SMOOTHIE #6

This is my last green smoothie post for awhile.  My goal was to have enough recipes to alternate the fruits and greens to maximize the nutrient values. I have also gone back and edited the previous green smoothie posts and added the protein powder to each one, to remind you that this is a great way to get your protein in the morning.  The one that I have been using suggests two scoops and this equals 25g of protein. Since I am looking for 40g of protein daily this is a great start to the day.  Some of the recipes make a full blender and I share some of this so the protein would be cut in 1/2.  I also discovered that while I have a full glass in the morning,  I put blender container in the fridge and I will have another glass mid-morning. The protein powders come in a variety of flavors etc, and I am liking the ones flavored with vanilla which adds a nice sweetness to ones where I am using kale.  And for some reason the last batch of protein powder that I bought had whey in it, and I have since discovered that this is a milk by product....so if you are looking to eliminate dairy or reduce the amount of dairy then look for the ones without whey.

***if you are lucky enough to have a vita mix then you can just throw in the apples and 1/2 lemon whole with the skin and all.

• 2 apples skinned and cored
• 1/2 to 1 lemon peeled
• 2 romaine lettuce leaves....add more to taste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup of ice cubes
• 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder

GREEN SMOOTHIE #5

This recipe is not as pretty to look at as the previous Green Smoothie recipes.  Lets just say that it tasted way better than it looks. The ingredients were what initially attracted me to the recipe since I love mangos and strawberries, and I happened to have both of them. The color of the smoothie was a green/brown color and would probably scare off some people, but the texture was amazing....really smooooooth with a hint of strawberry. Since the experts on the Green Smoothie sites recommend that you switch up the fruits and veggies everyday, so that you don't overload on the same nutrients makes sense to me. My goal is to have 5-7 green smoothies recipes so that I can rotate them over the course of a week.  I don't want to get bored and stop making them, since I am pumped on the raw green veggies that I am consuming! Tomorrow I am trying a recipe with romaine lettuce.

• 1 mango (peel using the same trick I posted for the orange)
• 1 cup strawberries
• 2 cups of spinach (approx 2 handfuls)
• 1/2 to 1 cup water...start with 1/2 cup and add to desired consistency
• 2 cups of ice
• 2 scoops of protein powder

GREEN SMOOTHIE #4

This smoothie uses an apple, orange and lemon this time.  The idea of the lemon intrigued me so I had to try it.  It is not as sweet as previous ones, but it has a nice tart almost lemonade taste.  The recipe called for spinach, but I only had bok choy and it still tasted great.  One author stated that bok choy in a smoothie creates a very smooth texture and it was true.  I recommend this recipe since in adds another flavor....we run this risk of making a healthy meal like this boring if we don't mix it up.  Plus switching up the ingredients each day adds different vitamins and minerals to our system.

• 1/2 lemon peeled (remember hint on how to peel citrus from smoothies #2)
• 1 large peeled orange (if orange is small use 2)
• 1 large apple cored (leave peel on)
• 1/2 to 1 banana to taste
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups of ice
• 2 scoops of protein powder

blend for a few minutes.