Mint Chocolate (Green) Protein Smoothie

Now that it's getting hot here in the deep south, I've been craving cooler foods. But after an intense gym sesh something light is not what I want! So today I awkward-walked (my legs guys, my legs!) into the kitchen and searched the refrigerator for something to fulfill my cooling yet filling craving after the gym. The solution? Chocolate + peppermint. A classic combination usually found in desserts and sweets, but now being made to work for you to refuel your body with the good stuff! Yeah!!

The results were less appealing looking than I'd hoped for, but let me promise you that one sip and you'll be in Andes Candies peppermint heaven.

Mint Chocolate (Green) Protein Smoothie

• 2 Frozen Bananas
• 3 Cups Fresh Spinach (Packed)
• Handfull of Fresh Mint Leaves
• 1/2 tsp Spirulina 
• 1/2 tsp Wheatgrass Powder
• 1 Tbsp Flax Meal
• 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
• 2 Tbsp Cacao Nibs (add these later if you want them to be "chips")
• 3 Tbsp Cacao Powder
• 1/2 tsp Pure Peppermint Extract
• 1/2 Cup Chocolate Coconut Water
• 1/2 Cup Vanilla Coconut Milk (or preferred non-dairy milk)
• 1 Cup Ice

Place all ingredients into your blender and go to town! If you prefer more a a mint chocolate chip smoothie, add the cacao nibs after everything else has been blended and pulse a couple times.

Enjoy!

xx

Erin

Vanilla Chai Spice Almond Oatmeal Smoothie

I don't know about you, but I love a nice chai latte. But warmer weather is coming and it's time for something chilled. This chai smoothie is creamy, full of flavor, and satisfying without tons of extra sugar or caffein. Feel free to play around with the recipe and add other things you might like in your smoothie, including protein powder, cacao powder, chia seeds, yogurt, or perhaps another type of fruit that you like with chai. If you do want it to be a chai tea smoothie try adding some black tea!

The oatmeal adds a nice richness to the smoothie and keeps you full for longer. A high-power blender like a Vitamix or Ninja works best to make the oatmeal smooth. But don't worry if you don't have a high-powered blender, just let your blender run for a longer time!


Let me know how you made this smoothie your own!

Vanilla Chai Spice Almond Oatmeal Smoothie

• 2 Frozen Bananas
• 2 Giant Spoonfuls of Almond Butter
• 2-4 tsp. Chai Spice*
• 1 tsp. Maca Powder
• 2 Tbsp. Flax Seed
• 1/2-3/4 Cup Rolled Oats
• 1/2 Cup Vanilla Coconut Milk
• 1/2 Cup Almond Milk
• 1/2-1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• Honey (To Taste)
• 3/4-1 Cup Ice

Place all ingredients in a blender in order and run until smooth. Drizzle the top with more honey if desired. 

*Chai Spice can often be found in the bulk spice section. If it's unavailable near you try this recipe (Inspired by Fox In the Kitchen):

• 2 tsp. Ground Cardamom
• 2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Ground Cloves
• 1 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
• 1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Ground Allspice 
• 1 tsp. Ground Ginger

Protein Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

I'll admit I've been a bit remiss in posting with moving to the "big city" and all that. It's strange getting settled into a new place, and some semblance of a normal life is finally starting to form. What that means yet, I'm not quite sure. But I started Kayla Itsines's Bikini Body Guide (lovingly nicknamed "BBG") a few weeks ago, which makes for a nice start to getting stronger after my spinal injury nearly 1 year ago. It's been a slow road, but two of my friends have joined in on this fitness journey along with all the support from the online community. It's beautiful, really!

While I'm not a big proponent of calorie counting, I am a big fan of clean eating. But sometimes after a challenging workout or stressful day, you just want to dive into a big bowl of chocolaty goodness! Guys I cannot begin to tell you how much I love, love, love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Seriously. This smoothie will help cure your dessert and chocolate cravings (perhaps those Reese's cravings if you're like me), while packing in the protein at the same time!

Protein Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

The smoothie in the picture is a double serving if you've got a monster chocolate craving or are sharing with a friend. The recipe below is for a single-sized smoothie.

• 3 Frozen Bananas
• 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Flavored Non-Dairy Milk (Coconut, Almond, etc.)
• 4 Tbsp. Raw Cacao Powder
• 1/3 Cup Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
• 1 Serving Vegan Protein Powder (Chocolate or Vanilla flavored is best, check package for serving size)
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Throw all ingredients into high speed blender until thick and smooth. Pour into glass and enjoy!

My Favorite Green Smoothie (For People Who Are Not Fans of Green Smoothies)

It seems that everyone is writing about their favorite green smoothie concoctions. Some claim to be "ultimate" or "life altering," but there's none of that here. This is a basic green smoothie for those of us who aren't really the biggest fan of adding every kind of greens ever found into our drinks. In fact, I've always been more of a fruit-only smoothie kinda gal, so this is my "how-I-learned-to-love-green-smoothies" smoothie.

The maca powder has a distinct sweet taste, and may take some getting used to if you've never had it before. Maca is wonderful because it contains vitamins B, C, and E, and also has calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and amino acids. Maca is also thought to help boost energy, clear common skin issues, relieve menstrual symptoms, and help balance mood. This being said, the only real difference I have personally noted is a boost in energy and find it great for helping me to recover from a workout.

The other gem in this smoothie are chia seeds. I love putting these in everything! They're a great source of fiber, protein, and omega-3s, as well as calcium, manganese, magnisum, phosphorous, and a few of the B vitamins.

My Favorite Green Smoothie

This recipe should make around 16oz:

• 1 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/2-1 frozen banana 
• 1 cup frozen peaches
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• Lots and lots of spinach (3-4 big handfulls)
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds (or as many as you want)
• 1 Tbsp maca powder*

Put all ingredients into a blender until smooth. 

Pour out and enjoy! Let me know if you have any favorite smoothies or how you switched this one up to make it your own!

*Do not use maca if you are pregnant or nursing. 

Unexpectedly Refreshing Bubblegum Green Smoothie

While traveling on the road blender access has been limited and I have been missing my smoothies. Does this happen to anyone else? If only my blender came with a car adapter...wishful thinking. But now we've reached sunny (and HOT!) California and have acquired a blender. It seems to have a mind of its own though, and will randomly send the top flying spraying the kitchen with beautiful smoothie creations! Yikes! But how wonderful to be able to make smoothies to combat the California heat. 

In the search for the perfect smoothies sometimes you end up with completely unexpected flavors. In this case spinach, lemon, and banana created a refreshing smoothie with an interesting hint of bubblegum flavor. It sounds a little disgusting I know, and at first I wasn't even sure it was something I wanted to keep drinking as I despise the flavor of bubblegum. But after the initial surprise it turned out to be a perfectly refreshing drink to accompany breakfast! Plus if you have kids it's a great way to sneak greens into their diet.

Unexpectedly Refreshing Bubblegum Green Smoothie

• 10oz of Organic Soy Milk (or more if your blender needs extra liquid to process)
• 1/2 Frozen Banana
• 1/4 Lemon, including peel
• 1 cup Frozen Pineapple
• Handful of Spinach
• Chia Seeds

Put all ingredients into a blender, mix well, and enjoy! Add ice to the mix if you desire. Yours may or may not be as green as mine depending on how much spinach you decide to include.

Don't forget to keep your smoothie plastic free! I'm a big fan of mason jars and my Glass Dharma straw.

Roadtripping While Veg - An Intro (Plus Trail Mix Recipe)

I recently stumbled across a Vegetarian Times article titled "Ultimate Veg Travel Guide". I was excited for my favorite veg magazine to have an article on the topic as I am about to drive (yes drive) across the United States, literally coast-to-coast. Was I ever disappointed when it mostly turned out to be one big advertisement! You can check out this article here. While it has a few good tips, it's nothing someone who has traveled more than a few hours in a vehicle or taken an airplane wouldn't already know. I travel for work and often take food with me so as not to inconvenience my hosts and to save time after working 12+ hours. This requires some forethought and preparation, and often most of my luggage ends up being food.


The latest travel endeavor is a cross-country trip where kitchen facilities are few and far between, and the words "vegetarian" and "vegan" are unfathomable in many areas. Why wouldn't you want butter or cheese on your pizza?! This being said, I've decided to start compiling some of the best vegetarian/vegan traveling tips from my personal experience. Hopefully they'll be of use to you too!

Road Snacks:

To me, having healthy snacks handy is a must for those on-the-road-and-there-isn't-a-rest-stop-for-58-miles snack attacks. I like having a mix of proteins, carbs, and salts, with a couple sweet treats thrown in. One of my favorite snacks recently has been kale chips. While I've attempted to make these tasty morsels in the past, they never seem to be as delicious as the ones I buy locally from Kitchen Ahimsa. They have amazing vegan, gluten-free, and raw kale chips in addicting flavors like spicy chipolte, Thai curry, and cheesy pizza. Seriously check them out here. Gushing about wonderful local businesses aside, here are some other car-friendly snack ideas:

• Nuts
• Granola bars/Lara Bars
• Granola (Naughty But Nice chocolate granola is a personal favorite)
• Fruit (bananas, peaches, pears, apples, anything that won't spoil too quickly without cold)
• Kale chips
• A dairy-free dark chocolate bar
• Trail mix (check out the bottom of this post for my recipe)
• Dark chocolate espresso beans (for when you need your caffeine fix without needing a rest room stop)
• Baby carrots & hummus 
• Multigrain crackers & peanut butter 

Travel Food:

Traveling with prepared food is one of the best and most difficult things to do as a vegetarian/vegan. Most often is requires you carry a cooler and means you have a day of cooking before leaving on your journey. But your body will thank you during your traveling when you have good, healthy food to eat and aren't resorting to eating sides and salads (aka lettuce with tomato and carrots if you're lucky) with balsamic at restaurants. One of my favorite dishes to travel with is curry. It's very easy to make and can be frozen to create ice packs for your cooler. Plus when you arrive at your destination, exhausted, it requires minimal prep outside of cooking rice and defrosting the curry itself.

However, if you're concerned about liquids leaking in your vehicle (understandable), try to keep to dry foods like quiona dishes and noodles with veggies and spices. Personally I'm a big fan of wraps. If you're concerned about the white flour in the tortillas, look for varieties like multi-grain, flax, spinach, sun-dried tomato, and organic corn for a gluten free option. Wraps can be filled with all kinds of versatile fillings and don't take up much space. They are also great to freeze if you make a large batch.

Here are a few of my personal favorites for travel-friendly food:

• Baked blueberry oatmeal
• Tofu scramble
• Vegan fajitas
• Quiona & veggie bowls
• Black bean casserole
• Overnight oats in mason jars
• Vegan muffins
• Homemade healthy oatmeal cookies (this recipe is vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and has no added sugar)
• Curry
• Chia Pudding

Supplementals:

When traveling there a few other things I love to pack in order to stay healthy and energized. Pick and choose what best suits your needs and your trip.

• Non-dairy milk (for oatmeal, granola, smoothies, chia pudding)
• Chia seeds
• Nuts
• Bulk rice
• Flax meal
• Maca powder
• Lentils
• Oats (rolled or steel-cut)

Don't forget to pick up some fresh fruit and veggies at any local roadside stands you may pass.

Hope you enjoyed my starter-tips to making traveling when veggie and found a couple of helpful tidbits! Check out my trail mix recipe below!

Erin's Totally Awesome Road Trip Trail Mix

This trail mix will satisfy your crunchy, salty, sweet, and spicy cravings! I found all of these items in the bulk section. This is a great option because you can buy just as much as you want to put in your trail mix (I like a lot of chocolate, cranberries, and cashews!).

• Cashews
• Almonds (raw or flavored)
• Peanuts
• Pistachios (you can purchase these with or without the shell. Generally with the shell on is cheaper, but will require more work for you)
• Hemp seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Tamari-spiced pumpkin seeds (I find these at the local co-op)
• Vegan chocolate chips (or carob chips for less sweetness)
• Dried cranberries
• Dried sour cherries
• Dried unsulfered mango, cut into chunks
• Dried whole figs of various types (4-6 of each)
• Cacao energy chunks, sliced into bite-size (I've only seen this at Whole Foods, but you may be able to find something similar. Just be sure to check the ingredients for dairy products and honey)

1. Place desired amount of each ingredient in a big container with a lid and shake it till everything is mixed. 
2. ENJOY and safe travels!

Vegan Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

If you're like me and love food and breakfast, but mornings are not your time of day, you've found the right recipe! I'm a huge fan of overnight oats, but sometimes all I want is a hot breakfast to start the day. This baked blueberry oatmeal is 100x better than the instant packets that are full of preservatives and in my personal experience, often not dairy-free.

If you have a busy life or travel for work, this recipe is perfect. Prep takes me maybe 15 minutes if I'm feeling extra lazy or am tired from a long day. This hearty, fruity oatmeal stores and reheats well, so if I have a busy week coming up I'll make a large pan and pack a bunch of smaller containers for the week ahead. This keeps me from being tempted to grab a packaged breakfast or binge on sweets later in the day. Plus it tastes like starting the day out with a treat!

This oatmeal bake is full of fruity goodness that adds a touch of sweetness, but not too much. The type of non-dairy milk, nuts, and fruit can all be interchanged. Why not try out blueberries one time and raspberries the next? Maybe you have pecans on hand instead of sliced almonds, go ahead and experiment! The recipe below is for a triple batch, which will fill a 9x13 (2" tall) glass baking pan perfectly. I will also post the single batch measurements at the bottom of this post for a 8x8 pan.

Vegan breakfast will never be the same.

Again, this is a triple batch!

And.....GO!

Vegan Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds, divided in half
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup maple syrup (agave can be used, but it doesn't have the same flavor)
• 3 cups vanilla coconut milk (or any desired non-dairy milk)
• 3 flax eggs (link in first step of instructions)
• 6 tbsp. Earth Balance, melted and cooled slightly
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4-6 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
• 3 cups blueberries (or fruit of choice), divided in half

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Make a flax egg and place it in the refrigerator for around 20 min. The best way I found to make a flax egg was from Bonzai Aphrodite. But as I've stated, I'm lazy so I do use pre-ground flax meal and have yet to notice much of a difference from fresh ground flax.
3. Grease your 9x13 baking pan and spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half the blueberries.
4. In a large bowl, combine the oats, half the sliced almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a heat-proof measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, non-dairy milk, flax egg, butter, and vanilla.
5. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the bananas & blueberries in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the nuts.
6. Sprinkle the remaining sliced almonds and blueberries over the top. bake for 35-40 min, until the top is browned and oats have set. Allow to cool for 10 min before serving.

This recipe was adapted from both Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Every Day" and Leah Short's blog, "So How's It Taste?"

❀

Refreshing Green Juice

While there are many debates over the benefits of juicing, I have found personally that my body loves fresh pressed juices! I have more energy, can stay more focused, and it gives me something tasty to drink that I know will be doing something good for my body.

There have been a few (okay maybe more than a few) really terrible juicing experiments that resulted in wishing I'd just cooked the vegetables. This juice was not one of them. It's the first one I made in 2014 and have continued to make throughout the year! It's refreshing and has a great flavor from the combination of both fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

It has ginger which is great for aiding digesting and adding a little kick in with the sweetness of the oranges and apples. Spinach is packed with iron, and parsley is well-loved for having anti-inflammatory properties.

Recipe:

Place all ingredients through a juicer in the order below, mix and enjoy! 

• Ginger (1/2 thumb size)
• Parsley (a handful)
• Spinach (2 packed cups)
• Orange (1 small)
• Lemon (1/2)
• Apples (3 small)
• Cucumber (1/2)

Serve in a mason jar and use a Glass Dharma straw to stay plastic free!