Berry Workout Recovery Smoothie

This is a great post-workout smoothie I make regularly that is simple, easy to make, and super healthy.  And its really tasty and naturally sweet.  It contains soy protein for muscle recovery, banana for potassium, and blueberries and strawberries that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and anti-inflamatory properties.

Servings: 2

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients: 

1 Medium banana

1 1/4 C. Frozen blueberries
1-2 Scoops soy protein powder
1 C. Frozen whole strawberries
1 1/2 C. Soy milk

Directions: 

Put all ingredients in blender in the order listed.  Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Scrape sides if necessary and increase to high speed for 30 seconds or until creamy smooth.  Pour and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
1 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories		380.5
Total Fat		4.9 g
	Saturated Fat	0.4 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.6 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.3 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		459.6 mg
Potassium		991.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate		51.1 g
	Dietary Fiber	7.4 g
	Sugars	30.9 g
Protein		39.8 g

Vitamin A	44.3 %
Vitamin B-12	44.6 %
Vitamin B-6	70.3 %
Vitamin C	106.4 %
Vitamin D	18.8 %
Vitamin E	8.3 %
Calcium	58.6 %
Copper	69.6 %
Folate	63.8 %
Iron	77.4 %
Magnesium	38.4 %
Manganese	28.0 %
Niacin	41.1 %
Pantothenic Acid	38.5 %
Phosphorus	51.1 %
Riboflavin	62.9 %
Selenium	95.9 %
Thiamin	40.2 %
Zinc	35.8 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal for One

Don't skip out on the yummy foods of fall just because you're only cooking for one!  This pumpkin pie oatmeal is perfect for cool fall mornings!

Servings: 1
Ingredients:

1/3 C. Quick Oats
1/3 C. Pumpkin Puree

1/4 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon spice
1/3 C. Soy or Almond Milk
1/4 C. Light brown sugar

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except the brown sugar in a  bowl.  Heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from microwave and mix in brown sugar. 

Top with pecans if you want and enjoy!

Soho Cafe in Savannah

It was a cool and overcast day today when my meat eater and I went out in search of lunch in downtown Savannah.  Soho Cafe was recommended to us by the concierge as a vegan friendly restaurant. Vegan accommodating it definitely was. Overall friendly, it was not.

Soho Cafe is a combination cafe and art gallery.  Paintings and prints fill the vast waiting room, and paintings surround you in the restaurant.  Prints were reasonably priced, and the local paintings were a little on the pricey side.

We were able to be seated right away for lunch around 1:00, but were move from one table to another, to another while each seating area got closed off to wait staff.  They weren't friendly about it, as they asked us to move and our waitress wasn't especially cordial either.  Actually seeming to be annoyed that we would bother them with our business.

But the food turned out to be pretty good.

I had the Grilled Vegetable Focaccia sandwich with the house salad:
Grilled Vegetable Focaccia ………..9.95
eggplant, zucchini, red peppers, & onion with sun-dried tomatoes & herbed Boursin goat cheeses blend 
on warm focaccia.

I opted for it without the cheese and it was a great choice.  The sandwich was served with a choice of side; either house salad, chips and a pickle, or southwestern potato salad or 3 bean-corn salad.  

The vegetables were grilled fresh and with a sun-dried tomato-herb sauce, which together tasted like garden fresh pizza.  The sandwich was truly made by the foaccia bread -- it was very fresh and fitting for the sandwich.  

This was also very filling and half of the sandwich went to my meat eater who also agreed it was very tasty and reminded him of fresh veggies on homemade pizza crust.     

My meat heater had the Mom's Meatloaf Sandwich:
Mom’s Meat Loaf………..9.50
on warm Kaiser roll with Russian dressing, lettuce, & tomatoes.

 

He ate the whole thing, very eagerly, and said it was fantastic.  

Bottom line up front:  The food here is really good, as well as the art.  The wait staff though is not so much -- quite frankly rude and off-putting, to the extent that I probably won't be back.  It could have been the rain clouds in an otherwise sunny city so I'd give it a try if its your first time in Savannah.  But I wouldn't wait in line. 

Kayak Kafe, Savannah, GA

Last weekend, my meat eater and I were strolling through downtown Savannah, GA when I suggested we try Kayak Kafe on East Broughton Street for lunch.  This turned out to be an excellent choice and one of my most favorite meals we ate the whole (four day) weekend in Savannah!

Kayak Kafe is locally owned and has had rave reviews on the local scene for fresh, eclectic, delicious food.  The restaurant also says that they can make almost any of their dishes vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free.

The weather was pleasant and sunny so Jeff and I ate outside on the patio, which weather providing, is always my favorite place to sit.

I ordered from the daily specials menu the Black Bean Tacos with a side salad and hummus.  This dish was amazingly fresh and light with an excellent blend of flavors.  The tacos contained black beans, grilled mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, spinach, shredded cabbage topped with guacamole.  The presentation was colorful and appetizing - which often seems to be  difficult with vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Black Bean Tacos

The combination of veggies, grilled mushrooms, beans, spinach, shredded cabbage and guacamole provided a variety of textures to keep your mouth interested.  The hearty combinations of grilled mushrooms, beans, and spinach which did not make you miss the meat and was quite filling. 

The taco "meat" is served on your choice of a flour or corn tortilla.  I chose the corn; they too were light and tasted like they were made that morning. An excellent vehicle for the veggie filling.  The guacamole too was fresh with hints of lime.  It was not at all hot or spicy to over power the filling.

The side salad had a cilantro-lime vinaigrette which was light, fresh, and had a great flavor for the perfect compliment to the tacos.

These may be the best vegan tacos I've ever had and I ate as much as I could, but two tacos was it.  Jeff happily ate the third and agreed with my culinary assessments.  My mustachioed meat eater was not without. He thoroughly enjoyed the Wild GA Shrimp & Avocado Quesadillas.

I will most definitely be back to the Kayak Kafe to try their numerous other vegan entrees like Seared Tiger Tofu Tacos, the Vegetarian Salad with Homemade Hummus and Tebbouleh, Kalamata Olives, Roma Tomatoes & Cucumbers on Organic Greens, with your choice of tofu or feta; the Tofu & Vegetable Quesadilla, or the Roasted Vegetable Balsamico Panini -- to name a few.

If you're in Savannah, you must try the Kayak Kafe for lunch!

Almond Butter Protein Balls

Special thanks to my friend and Arbonne consultant, Jennifer for this recipe!  These addicting almond-butter balls are loaded with protein (8 grams!) from the protein powder and also the almond butter -- which is generally better for runners and recovery than peanut butter is. 

Arbonne products are great because they are all vegan, as well as being some of the best tasting vegan protein products I've ever had.  If you don't have Arbonne protein shake power handy, other protein shake mix powder will work too, but doesn't hold together as well from what I'm told. 

Servings: 48
Prep time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

2 C. Natural almond butter
1/ 1/4 C. Agave nectar
3 C. Quick oats
2 1/2 C. Arbonne Vanilla Protein Shake Mix

Directions:

Melt almond butter and agave nectar slightly in the microwave and mix until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients.  Feel free to mix in dried fruit, or vegan chocolate chips as I did here in the picture.  Roll into 1-2 inch balls and cool.  Cover and store.  These will go quick!!

Nutrition Facts
48 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		156.4
Total Fat		7.6 g
	Saturated Fat	0.6 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.4 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	4.1 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		114.9 mg
Potassium		116.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate		16.0 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.2 g
	Sugars	2.8 g
Protein		8.0 g

Vitamin A	3.5 %
Vitamin B-12	5.0 %
Vitamin B-6	4.8 %
Vitamin C	4.5 %
Vitamin D	4.4 %
Vitamin E	15.2 %
Calcium	7.2 %
Copper	9.1 %
Folate	6.1 %
Iron	3.4 %
Magnesium	12.3 %
Manganese	16.6 %
Niacin	5.9 %
Pantothenic Acid	5.2 %
Phosphorus	5.4 %
Riboflavin	8.4 %
Selenium	4.7 %
Thiamin	6.5 %
Zinc	5.9 %

Grilled Spinach, Mozzarella & Avocado Sandwich

This recipe was inspired by a popular sandwich I saw on Pinterest, but this is the vegan version.  This is also the first of many meals I'll be making in my CHU... I mean... trailer here in the south, over the next year.   My living quarters has a two-plate stove, a microwave, a fridge and no oven.  So if you can relate, the next year's worth of recipes will be useful.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Servings: one
Ingredients:

2 Slices French bread, or your bread of choice
8 Spinach leaves, more or less
1/2 Avocado, thinly sliced
1/3 C. vegan mozzarella cheese (I use Daiya cheese)
Margarine (I use Earth Balance Spread)
Salt to taste

Directions:

Spread one side of each slice of bread with margarine.

Place slice of bread onto frying pan. Top with cheese, spinach leaves, and then avocado slices. Add dash of salt.

Add top slice of bread and head pan to low-medium heat.  This type of margarine burns FAST so watch it closely.  When golden brown, flip and heat the other side until golden brown.  Remove from heat, slice in half and serve.

What Can we Make for Lunch? Veggie Wraps!

Wraps of any kind make great lunches, and for the vegan and meater there's an added bonus in that you can customize each of yours to whatever your little hearts desire. Here is how my meat eater and I make ours.

Veggie Wraps

Servings: one
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

1 Spinach-herb tortilla/wrap shells
3 T. Hummus -- OR -- 3 T. Mayo
1/4 C. Arugula
1/8 C. (approx) Sprouts (any kind)

1/8 C. Sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/2 Chopped small tomato
1/4 Chopped avocado 
1/4 C. Cubed tofu -- OR -- two slices sandwich meat

Directions

Place each wrap/shell on a separate plate. Spread either the mayo or hummus on each as shown.











Add the remaining ingredients, spreading them out across the middle of the wrap.








Put tofu on the vegan's and sliced meat on the meat-eater's. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste.








 
With your wrap positioned as shown, fold over the left side towards the middle.

Then fold the top side towards the middle and carefully roll the the wrap and hold together with a toothpick in the top.

The ingredients and how much or how little can easily be adjusted to fit the vegan's and meat eater's tastes -- which is why this is such a great lunch time meal. Serve up and enjoy!