Today I had delivery from Sweetgrass for my lunch at work today and tomorrow. It was really outstanding. There was a good variety of vegetables, whole grains and legumes, the dressings are freshly made and unique, and the menu has quite a selection for variety. I would happily order again.
My lunch today: Buddha bowl $13.95
Lunch for tomorrow: Mike’s Greens $12
I made a quick salad today with leftovers. It just happened to be gluten free and paleo.
Kale salad, zucchini noodles, mixed fresh veggies, miso/lemon/sesame dressing, topped with roasted broccoli, reheated sweet potato fries left over from my son’s lunch, and a sprinkle of cashews and coconut flakes on top.
Due to an interest in reducing dairy consumption, I tested yogurts that met three conditions.
1) Non-dairy, soy-free
2) Contains probiotics
3) At least 8 g protein per serving
4) Under 200 Kcal per serving
The most common vegan yogurts on the market are soy yogurt (out because I do not want to consume high amounts of processed soy in my diet), almond or coconut yogurt (out because there is minimal protein ~1-2 g per serving). I did find one coconut Greek yogurt, but it was nearly 300 Kcal for 6 ounces, which makes it more like a dessert than part of a snack.
I could only find two options that fit each requirement. The first is Daiya Greek yogurt, the well-known vegan dairy-substitute brand, and the second is Thrive Greek-style yogurt. I will summarize and rate them both.
Daiya vegan Greek yogurt:
Flavors tried: strawberry and peach
Nutrition content: 150 Kcal and 8 g protein in 150 gram serving
Thickness: thin for Greek yogurt, the texture of regular yogurt
Protein source: mostly pea protein
Taste: mild, mildly sweet
Aftertaste: slight aftertaste
Would I buy it again?: No. I found it completely acceptable, but not especially enjoyable. I’d rather eat other foods.
Thrive Greek-style vegan yogurt:
Flavors tried: plain and strawberry
Nutrition content: 130 Kcal and 10 g protein in 150 gram serving
Thickness: thinner Greek yogurt but with some body to it
Protein source: Hemp protein
Taste: Strawberry was terrible rift from the first taste. Plain has a nice plant-like taste for the first moment, then the aftertaste kicks in hard and quickly.
Aftertaste: The taste/aftertaste is awful, bitter, bilious, medicinal.
Would I buy it again?: Never. I threw away the strawberry after the first bite and I was starving, and that was the only food I had with me. The plain I kept in the fridge and tried a bite again the next day, with the same experience – OK first moment followed by a swift very bitter aftertaste.
What is next to try:
It is a little lower in protein, but I have heard good things about the taste, so I will try Kite Hill almond yogurt.
160 Kcal and 6 g protein for the plain flavor, 180 Kcal and 5 gprotein for the peach and strawberry flavors, 5.3 oz serving size. With these nutrition stats I would use them as part of a more balanced snack with more protein and fresh produce.
Here is a quick insider tip.
When you go out for Indian food, do you order your dish mild, medium or spicy?
I recently had a discussion with an owner of a high end Indian restaurant in Bellevue. She encouraged me to never order a dish “mild” or 1-2 stars. The base of every dish is made to “medium” spicy or 3 stars. When a customer wants 4 or 5 stars they add more concentrated chili paste. When a customer orders 2 stars they add cream to the standard 3 star base. When 1 star is ordered they add even more cream.
That is a lot of hidden calories and saturated fat! They do offer coconut milk as another option is the customer requests a substitution, but it is still a lot of extra (secret) calories.
If you are looking for a less spicy option, I would recommend ordering 3 stars and a side of yogurt or raita (yogurt sauce with chopped vegetables) as a healthier way to tone down the spiciness.
I wonder if this applies to Thai curries as well? It doesn’t hurt to ask!
The power was out all morning and afternoon today, so I was ready for a hot dinner.I finally made an edamame spaghetti that I ordered awhile ago and it was pretty good! It was a bit more firm than regular pasta, but it was good with a sauce, and I think it would be great in a soup.
Per serving: 11 g fiber and 24 g protein! Ingredients: edamame, water.
The brand is Explore Asian, they have other options as well, such as black bean pasta, but this one seemed the most neutral in taste.
I served this with a mushroom and soy crumble stroganoff (made with veggie stock, tomato paste, paprika, silk and non-dairy sour cream).
It was very tasty and certainly relatively nutritious comfort food, but it is a bit more soy at one sitting than I would like. I plan to try a chickpea pasta available on Amazon, which sounds great. Red lentil pastas are also available, and that would likely be a neutral taste as well. Another option to cut down on the soy would be to just use a different sauce. The pasta already has enough protein for a meal, but I was interested to see if I could make a vegan stroganoff and this one passed the test.
This is the easiest winter squash soup ever! I make a similar version starting with sautéed garlic and ginger, spices (cinnamon, cumin, curry powder) bloomed in a little oil, then adding a can of lite coconut milk. This recipe skips most of the work (and cleanup) by using an awesome Thai vegan soup by Amy’s brand.
1. Cut any kind of large winter squash or pumpkin in half, remove seeds. Place in a pan and a few Tbs of olive oil, roast at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes until soft and lightly brown.
Place in blender. No need to remove the skin unless it is a butternut.
2. Shortcut – add 1 can Amy’s vegan Thai coconut soup (remove 1-2 bay leaves) including the little tofu and veggies. Add 1/2 tsp curry powder (optional).
3. Blend.
This is delicious and literally takes 60 seconds of prep time! I love the texture from keeping the skin on, but you can remove the skin if you prefer a silky smooth texture.
Here is a quick and easy recipe for the holidays.
I sautéed 2 tsp chopped ginger in a little coconut oil, then added 1 cup veggie broth, 1/2 cup lite coconut milk and about 1 cup winter squash that I had oven roasted with sea salt, cinnamon and cumin. I heated the soup and added a little extra cinnamon and cumin (I thought about adding a little curry powder, but it already tasted really good). Then I used an immersion blender to blend up the winter squash and make it thick. Next, for more texture, I added about 1/4 cup additional chunks of the roasted winter squash that I had reserved. The topping is a homemade trail mix that I make from organic nuts and such, but you could use any combo that you like. Mine is organic pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, currants and unsweetened coconut.
I used kabocha squash, but this is also delicious with pumpkin or butternut squash.
1. Pasteurized eggs, for sunny side up eggs, fresh Caesar dressing or to sample your cookie dough! Davidson’s pasteurized eggs are available at Whole Foods.
2. Missing sushi? Certain seafood has to be cooked in sushi by regulation. I like crab sushi. Eel sushi also has to be cooked. Ask first to avoid cross-contamination with other uncooked fish! Also make sure to get them without fish eggs, which are not cooked.
3. Wear a belly band to keep exercising. Try different styles to see what is most comfortable for you. I ran up to (and including) the day my son was born!
4. Filling up too fast to get in your nutrients? Struggling with heartburn? Eat small meals and snacks, with liquids separate from meals.
5. Limit mint and peppermint flavors, teas, mints and leaves to reduce heartburn. Also stay upright for 30 minutes after eating.
6. Avoid Green Tea, which interferes with folate metabolism. Decaf counts too. Black tea should also be consumed in limited amounts. Instead have roobios tea, fruit tea, or ginger tea. Ginger tea can even help with nausea!
I have been loving collard greens wraps as an alternative to my usual grain, bean and veggie salad lunch. I try to have at least one meal per day that is mostly vegetables, and lunch is the time that works best for me.
Directions:
1. Take 2 large collard greens leaves and remove the very bottom part of the stem where it is very thick.
2. Boil a small pot of water.
3. Meanwhile, cut up other veggies. I mix and match a combination of sliced red peppers, slivered red onions, cucumber rounds, lettuce or spinach leaves, avocado slices, shredded carrots, spiralizer zucchini or yellow summer squash. Set out (or make) hummus, roasted red pepper sauce, tahini sauce, or any sauce you like for flavor.
4. Turn off the stove once the water is boiling and drape the collard leaves for about 15-20 seconds over the pot to be softened slightly by the steam. Be careful not to burn yourself!
5. If you want to skip this step you can use large kale leaves or large chard leaves instead, since they are naturally a little softer.
6. Let the leaves cool, then lay out the two leaves to make a “Tortilla” shape.
7. Place hummus or other sauce down the collard wrap “tortilla”. Layer vegetables and avocado on top. Roll up the wrap like a burrito (fold in the top and bottom first, the roll up the sides.
8. Secure with plastic wrap or aluminum foil if you are not planning to eat right away.
I love savory oatmeal. I make it in so many ways:
Add 1/4 cup oats to boiling broth, chicken and veggies in place of barley, and it cooks in 3 minutes.
Cook for a few minutes more and you have a creamy, thick texture without adding dairy. Even better if you add a scpoonful of fresh peanut butter!
Toast in a pan for a minute until golden brown, then add just enough water or broth to moisten, stir, then add cubed al dente cooked veggies for a pilaf. Awesome with other added cooked grains (brown rice, wheat berries, wild rice, spelt, etc) or nuts for added texture variety. A sprinkle of dried currants tastes great!
Serve as a base for a “brown rice bowl” with oats instead.
Maybe the easiest is this: Oven roast a pan of broccoli or Romanesco broccoli at 450 degrees for 10 minutes (season with olive oil, sea salt and cumin). Meanwhile, cook oats in a pan. Remove the broccoli from the oven. In another pan, quickly fry an egg. Layer broccoli over the oats and top with the fried egg. Yum.