high-raw mexican black rice pilaf

High-Raw Mexican Black Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

1 c cooked black rice, cooled
1/2 avocado, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
2 handfuls fresh cilantro
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 corn kernles
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp chili powder
sea salt to taste

mix all ingredients and enjoy!

Deni

Raw Chocolate Blueberry Cakes with Icing

Raw dessert time, baby!  I love how cute little individual servings are. This one's a cinch to make, as most raw deserts are. No dehydrator required.
Unfortunately I only got to eat 2 of these. Stefan inhaled the rest while I was sleeping!

Raw Chocolate Blueberry Cakes with Icing

Makes 7-8 cakes

Ingredients:

For the cakes:
1 1/2 c pitted dates
1/4 c raw cashews
1/4 c raw hemp seeds
1/4 c raw shredded coconut
1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 c wild blueberries
2 tbs raw agave

for the icing:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 c cacao powder
3-4 tbs agave (to taste)

To make the cakes, pulse the ingredients in a food processor until it easily binds together.
Form the dough into equally sized balls, and form into mini cake (kind of like a thick cookie).

For the icing, blend the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Spread on top, or if you want to make them look fancier, use a piping bag to decorate the tops.

Grab a fork, an episode of Friends, and enjoy!

Deni

Soba Bowls with Orange Miso Sauce

Hi guys!
Do you love soba noodles? Because I DO! Love love love them. They are light tasting and made from buckwheat. Make sure you read the label because a lot of brands use white flour as well.  We don't want that nasty acidic stuff!  They also cook up really really fast.  They only take a few minutes in boiling water, so make you keep testing them.

Soba Noodle Bowls with Orange Miso Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 sections of soba noodles (the packages are usually divided into sections. If not, use half.)
1 tbs olive oil
2 c sliced mushrooms of your choice
1 orange pepper, thinly sliced
5-6 leaves of kale

For the Sauce:
zest and juice from half an orange
2 tsp white miso
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs sesame oil
1 inch knob of ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, grated

Cook Soba noodles according to package directions
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat
Add mushrooms and orange bell pepper
Once these are softened, add kale and cover with foil for a few minutes until the kale is wilted
Mix ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl, and add to the noodles and veggies when finished.
Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy with chopsticks!

Hope you enjoy!
-Deni

Week In Review Feb21-27/11 plus my new strength training routine

Hi Everyone!
I've decided to do a "Week in Review" Post every week so I can keep track of what exercise I've done, and to give you guys ideas and motivation for your fitness routines!
I've also put myself on a training plan for a 10 km race. I"m on week two now. So far so good! Although yesterday I had my worst run since I was a beginner. My legs felt like they had lead in them, and I felt exhausted from the moment I left my apartment. I was supposed to run 6.5 km but I ended up running 4. Oh well. Everyone has an off day.


I've also put together a new strength routine that I plan on doing 3-4 days per week.

1. 20 min resistance training circuit  at gym (For you GoodLifer's out there it's the 20 min fit fix.  covers all major muscle groups)
2. Runner's core stability workout (check out videos here)
3. Flat Ab workout (click here to see workout)
4. 10 crunches on stability ball, 3 reps
5. 10 back crunches on stability ball, 3 reps
6. walking lunges with 10 lbs kettle bells, 20 reps

Week in review:

Run:  22.51 km total
1 hour yoga class
2 strength training days
missed my spin class :(



 How often do you do strength training?

What do you do when your exercise schedule doesn't go according to plan? 

-Deni 

Post-Exercise Snack Ideas

Hey guys!

I've kind of become obsessed with what I eat after my workouts.  As you know, I've been running more and more and I want my muscles to recover properly so that my next run will be even better. And so far, it's working! It's very important to have a combination of carbohydrates and protein immediately after your workout. The longer you wait, the less effective the food will be in helping your muscles recover. Plus, I'm always hungry when I get back and I look forward to my post workout snacks! Here's a bit of what I've been eating lately.

1. Homemade Electrolyte Drink

Forget Gatorade! It's filled with empty calories and tons of sugar. Plus, it's always a weird neon colour.

Fill your water bottle with filtered water. Add a pinch of sea salt, a squirt of agave and some citrus slices.

2. Fruit and Protein Smoothie

Blend fruit, soy or almond milk, and a vegan protein powder. I like to use hemp protein or vega post-workout powders. I also like to add some green for an extra nutritional kick.

3.  Brown Rice Cakes with Nut Butter

Spread a nut butter of your choice on two brown rice cakes. top with a drizzle of agave and pumpkin seeds.

4. Fit Fun Vegan's Perfect Post-run Scramble

Check out my earlier post here for the recipe.

5.  Raw Veggies with Black Bean Dip

 

6. My On the Go Workout Snacks

Oranges, dried apricots, larabars, apples and raw almonds.  Plus music and lip balm :)

I hope you find these ideas helpful.

What do you eat before and after a workout?


Do you notice a difference in performance if you don't eat properly?

Love to hear from you!

Deni

Calcium Boost for Vegans

If you're like me, you are constantly trying to monitor your calcium. I know that dairy isn't actually a good source of calcium because it leaches calcium from your bones. It is a widely known fact that countries who consume the most dairy have the highest incidences of osteoporosis! Damn those milk advertisers are good, making us believe otherwise!

When I see these advertisements in health magazines (i don't see comercials because I don't have cable. It's great!) I have to remind myself that I don't need milk, and that I can get plenty of calcium from plants.  Look at Asian cultures before they became "Westernized". No dairy, lots of plants, especially greens, and osteoporosis was a very rare occurrence.)

Sometimes it totally wigs me out that I live in a country that is constantly feeding me incorrect information that damages my health, just because they are under the pressure of farm companies who want to make money and don't actually care if their "products" are good for their customers. I won't go on and on, but let's just say that the dairy industry really bothers me and that most of the western world is completely brainwashed into believing that they need dairy and that it is part of a healthy diet. And it's not their fault! We are supposed to trust the FDA and our governments. They want to keep us healthy, right? Apparently not.

Most of us know that dark leafy greens are a great source of calcium. But some of us can't sit down and devour a raw kale salad.  Collards and chard with dressing i can handle, and enjoy! But kale...I'm not there yet.

Or so I thought.

After the gym yesterday, I sauteed some kale and white beans in cast iron skillet. Oh. My. God. this was good! I didn't even taste like kale. I'm going to eat it again today!

You'll need:
3 large kale leaves (I gave my stems to the dogs. They're like Vegan dog bones)
1/2 can rinsed white beans
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp braggs liquid aminos (totally makes the dish!)
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Saute garlic, kale and beans until the kale has wilted a bit and the beans are heated through. Add some sea salt to the dish while it is cooking. It will help the kale to wilt a bit faster.
Add braggs and pepper.
Serve and enjoy your super strong bones!

Deni

Perfect Post-Run Scramble

 I have found the perfect post run meal! It is balanced with protein and carbohydrates and is oh so yummy and filling.  After I ate this yesterday, I was so energized that I wanted to go out for another run!

Ingredients:

1/4 block extra firm tofu

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

1 c sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp fresh or dried thyme leaves

sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1. heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat
2. add onions, red pepper and mushrooms. Saute until soft
3. add tofu, tumeric, thyme, sea salt and pepper. Saute for a few more minute until tofu is heated through.
4. serve on top of toast with ketchup on top and fruit on the side.