Health and Healing Through Food Part 1

 Good morning friends! I hope you all had a nice week. This was our first week back after spring break and it's funny to me how my kids reacted very differently to going back. Lily Grace couldn't get out the door fast enough to go see her teachers and her friends. She told me multiple times over spring break that she "didn't like breaks, I love school!" Liam on the other hand... also loves school, but is quite the homebody. Liam is the kid that loves school once he's there, but getting him out the door can be an ordeal. 😅 

Plant Based Everything But the Elote Queso Dip

 Hello friends! Before I start on this recipe today I have to say that I cannot take credit for this one! I really just mashed up two recipes I liked, then tweaked them a bit in order to make my usual plant based queso a little bit tastier. The original queso recipe comes from Earthy Andy, and the Everything But the Elote comes from the Cooking Through Trader Joe's cookbook. Another caveat: while the Earthy Andy's recipe is 100% plant based, apparently the Mexican Style Roasted Corn sauce has a little bit of dairy, and you sprinkle cotija cheese at the end, so this is mostly plant based, but not 100%. Regardless, it's a "queso" that you can feel good about eating because it is loaded with vegetables but you feel like you're eating cheese. Not bad if you ask me!

Crispy Air Fryer Green Beans

 Hello hello! I know I have been sharing recipes less frequently, but to be honest as we navigate this whole plant-based thing, I've been following other people's recipes more often than not. Today however, I have a quick healthy side item we've been whipping up pretty frequently. Bonus: it's kid approved!

Air Fryer Roasted Garlic Hummus

 Hi friends! On Monday I wrote that we make hummus multiple times a week, and I figured it couldn't hurt to share our recipe. Sometimes we will add some cayenne, hot sauce, or other ingredients to mix it up... but this is the basic recipe we always start with. 

Plant-Based Diet Grocery Haul

 Good morning friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend! We spent a majority of our weekend in our favorite place, the US National Whitewater Center. We got to kayak and paddle board, then lay in the hammock and eat popsicles. 

Protein Packed Acai Bowl

 Good morning! One of the questions we have been getting asked the most since we switched to a plant-based diet has been "how do you make sure you're getting enough protein?" This was my biggest concern with making the switch too and I am happy to share some ways that we make sure we are getting enough protein in our diets. The example I'm sharing today, an açai bowl, is nothing new.. but by making it a little bit differently we are able to pack as much protein into it as possible. Let's have a look:

Thoughts on Plant-Based Diet

 Good morning everyone and happy Monday! A little over a month ago I had written that we were going to try switching to a fully plant-based diet for the month of July. You can read that post here. Today I am here to report back on how it went and our plan moving forward. 

First of all, I have had so many friends and family members ask "what exactly is a plant based diet? Vegetarian? Vegan? What's the difference?" Now after having done it for a month I have a much better understanding of it! I have watched documentaries, read countless articles, and plant-based magazines (Forks Over Knives is my fave!). Plant based is most similar to vegan, but they actually have quite a few differences. A plant based diet is about eating more whole foods and eliminating meat, dairy, and processed foods from your diet. A vegan diet eliminates meat and dairy, but not processed foods. Basically I could live off of Fritos and Swedish Fish and that would technically still be considered vegan. A plant based diet would recommend having carrot sticks and cucumbers as a snack instead. This infographic sums up some of the differences pretty well:

Making the Switch to Go Fully Plant-Based in July

 Good morning friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend. Our weekend was the perfect mix of family fun, relaxation, and spending time with friends. It was much needed-- especially the relaxation!