Quick Tips from My Pics!

I share a lot about what we eat at home and around town on Instagram. Following, find several of my favorite recent quick tips and resources that I’ve posted on Instagram for eating plant-based at home and loving it!

• Think of your plate as a quadrant - legumes in one corner, whole grains in the other, fruit in another, and veggies in the last. This is the Power Plate from PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) and it's a great guide for looking at meal to meal plant based eating, or how you eat over the course of a day!

• Remember to include a source of Vitamin B12! Here's a great article by Julieanna Hever on why it's important.

• You don't need recipes every day. Think whole foods. Go to recipes are helpful. But you can use the Power Plate to put together yummy bowls or plates filled with a grain and/or starch + legumes + greens + other veggies you love + fruit, if you like! And get a few sauces going to switch up day to day! We like some simple combinations of seeds or nuts blended with lemon, water, and herbs, garlic, and/or some kind of whole food sweetener like maple syrup. Nut butters + soy sauce + a citrus make awesome sauces. Or just top with soy sauce or teriyaki or regular old marinara (Trader Joe's has a great oil-free spaghetti sauce.) Keep it easy, keep it whole. Add some sauce. 

  • We love this go-to dressing for pad thai like pastas and stir fries, and this is one of our favorite salad dressings!

• Avocado replaces almost everything. Cheese, mayo, salad dressing, sandwich meat... so many ways to sub in avocados!  Guacamole or avocado are an easy way to chase out meats and cheeses and processed fats like oils. Here's a more in depth article on subbing in avocados from The Vine.

• Get your greens in early! Start getting in the habit of chopping kale for your breakfast. I sometimes lightly steam it and sometimes I eat it raw. Having it alongside toast, under oatmeal, or topped with lots of fruit and a nut butter helps me be sure I get a head start on greens. Also delicious topped with some heart healthy balsamic vinegar.

• Add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a plant based milk for your pancake recipe to get a fluffier buttermilk type pancake. YUM! 

• You can easily cook dinners oil free. Sauté in water, vegetable broth, or soy sauce. One of our favorites is soy sauce with nutritional yeast!

• I've been loving this chickpea omelet recipe! And always great to have yummy go to tofu scramble!

• Fruit is an AWESOME snack! Don't overlook whole foods when you get the munchies.

• Try some store bought cream cheeses to replace dairy with healthy nut based options - look for oil-free Miyokos and Kite Hill at our local stores!

• Another product I love is the Whole Foods brand refried black beans and the refried pinto beans (get the one labeled "fat-free"). These are so handy for making quick dinners and snacks with the kids (and oil free!). You can also whip up your own by smooshing beans and adding a bit of veggie broth or "juice" from the bean can while cooking on the stove.

• Hands down one of the best cookie recipes out there - Lunchbox Cookies by Isa Chandra Moskowitz for Forks Over Knives.

• Here are my top five go-to recipe resources right now - 

  • DreenaBurton.com/Plant Powered Families Cookbook

  • The Vegan 8 by Brandi Doming (blog and cookbook)

  • Engine 2 Cookbook by Jane and Rip Esselstyn

  • This Cheese is Nuts by Julie Piatt cookbook

  • Happy Herbivore has been a long-time resource - lots on her website and a number of great books with super simple recipes.

  • Remember Kindle or iBooks are often great ways to get new cookbooks for a bit less!

Enjoy!! And let me know if you have any questions or wonderings! I hope you enjoy eating more plants as much as I do. :)

Easy Peasy Tip: Give (Non-Dairy) Cheese a Chance

Easy Peasy Tips are simple actions you can take to make small shifts towards more plant-centered eating that lead to big health gains over time. When you’re making changes, it may take a few times to get your taste buds shifted to new flavors, but once you’ve rounded the bend, it’s easy peasy to enjoy!

If you're like pre-plant-based-me, you really don't want anyone trash-talking cheese. Your love for cheese runs deep and giving it up pretty much seems like a dietary non-negotiable. This transition took a bit more education before I was ready to jump in to the wonderful world of non-dairy cheeses. But learning more about the health challenges dairy-based cheese can bring and experiencing the very real benefits of this seemingly undesirable transition - as well as experiencing how easy it actually was to transition out! - is super helpful in understanding how this can be one of the best foods to chase out of your diet to help you feel great and better support your long term health. 

This Easy Peasy Tip is about taking a bit of time to learn about the health implications of cheese. There are a lot of qualities to consider including casein, hormones, fat, sodium, and the addictive nature of this often favorite food. A lot of marketing money also drives the promotion of cheese products making it even more difficult to imagine a life without cheese as we've come to know it. I wanted to highlight this as an Easy Peasy topic because there a couple of quick, easy opportunities right now to learn more. Neal Barnard, MD, FACC of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine is one of the best resources on this topic. He recently published a book titled, "The Cheese Trap" (a great resource, find it in the TOOLKIT!). But if you prefer the "cliff notes" version, there are two timely opportunities to learn more online. A recent Physician's Committee's Exam Room podcast features Dr. Barnard discussing the addictive qualities, health considerations, and institutional driving forces around cheese. Additionally, Forks Over Knives is hosting a free online webinar featuring Dr. Barnard titled "Cheese: How Breaking a Surprising Addiction Can Revolutionize Your Health" on February 22nd at 4:00 pm Pacific. I love hearing Dr. Barnard talk about nutrition. He's got all of the science on "food as medicine" at his fingertips and speaks to it in such a straight-forward, relatable manner. I always walk away feeling like I have a whole lot of rich, practical, evidence-based information to lean on and am better prepared for taking next steps.

Click here to go to PCRM's The Exam Room Podcast:
The Cheese Trap
(Image: PCRM)

Click here to register for Forks Over Knives Presents Neal Barnard MD online webinar on February 22, 2018 at 4:00 PM Pacific
(Image: Forks Over Knives)

While this is a longer-than-usual Easy Peasy post, I want to make sure to include a few easy cheesy ideas to get you started. Make a goal to try one this week! 

• Alternative Cheeses: Check out some alternative cheeses at your local store. Daiya is easy to find at almost any mainstream grocery store (and a Little Earthling favorite in our house!) and stores like Whole Foods and Lazy Acres have an awesome variety of vegan cheeses including Kite Hill and Miyoko's. Field Roast's Chao makes a great cheese too as do Follow Your Heart, Heidi Ho, Punk Rawk Labs and Treeline. Trader Joe's has their own vegan version too! You can get a local brand Cultured Culture at Ah Juice on Haley Street - pretty cool! (Plant-based note: Kite Hill, Miyoko's, Punk Rawk Labs, and Treeline all have oil-free cheeses but be sure to double check the labels, each flavor can be different.)

• Nooch: Nutritional Yeast is a fun topper for pasta, salads, veggies, and popcorn to give it a cheesy twist. Ground up with nuts is extra yummy.

• Recipe Resources: There are some awesome cheesy recipes resources. Check out my recent post "Top 10 Reasons to Eat More Plants: You'll Still Enjoy What You Eat (Seriously!)" for a sampling of plant-based and vegan recipe websites, many of whom have various vegan cheese based recipes. Additionally, there are a couple of books in the TOOLKIT that are all about making vegan cheese! Check out This Cheese is Nuts by Julie Piatt and Artisan Cheeses by Miyoko Schinner and Dreena Burton has some great cheese recipes in the back of Dr. Barnard's The Cheese Trap! So much fun to be had making cheese and cheesy recipes at home!

• Avocados: Also, be sure to check out my Easy Peasy Tip on Avocados for using this magical fruit as a cheese sub in so many recipes!

So consider letting the baby cows drink their mama's milk, check out Dr. Barnard's resources, and open your mind to some healthier alternatives. Give (non-dairy) cheese a chance! :)

Easy Peasy Tip: Choose Whole Grains

Easy Peasy Tips are simple actions you can take each week to make small shifts to more plant-centered eating that lead to big gains over time. When you’re making changes, it may take a few times to get your taste buds shifted to new flavors, but once you’ve rounded the bend, it’s easy peasy to enjoy!

Eating more plant-based isn't just about shifting to more fruits and vegetables, it's also about getting the most out of the plant foods you're eating by shifting to whole foods and those that are minimally processed. For this Easy Peasy Tip, start to keep an eye out for areas where you can make choices that are focused around whole grains rather than refined - like brown rice, rather than white. Or brown rice or whole wheat pasta, rather than white. Or steel cut or rolled oats rather than quick cooking. Or whole grain or wheat bread rather than white bread. You get the idea. Bringing whole grains to the top of your mind at the grocery store or when eating out can help you experiment with foods that give you more fiber and nutrients.  

When grains are processed down to their refined versions, you're getting a whole lot more of just part of the plant than you would naturally eat, rather than including more of the grain's super nutritious parts (and really a good chunk of the fiber) that bring more balance to the grain and more of what your body is looking for. Generally speaking, when you're getting more of just one part of a plant than may be natural in one sitting, the health benefits chip away little by little. So shift towards whole grains that are closer to nature!

Easy Peasy Tip: Avocado, the Wonder Sub

Easy Peasy Tips are simple actions you can take each week to make small shifts to more plant-centered eating that lead to big gains over time. When you’re making changes, it may take a few times to get your taste buds shifted to new flavors, but once you’ve rounded the bend, it’s easy peasy to enjoy!

Avocados are an awesome substitute to up your plant power in so many dishes! They are particularly great for phasing out or reducing cheese and processed meats, which can be particularly hard on our systems, as well as oils, and replacing them with a delicious whole food. Here are some ways we like to use this wonder-fruit:

• In quesadillas or tacos, instead of cheese (or use guacamole - Little Earthling approved!)

• In grilled sandwiches, also instead of cheese (Little Earthling approved!)

• Atop your pizza (after baking) to go cheese-less or even vegan cheese free

• In sushi, instead of fish (Little Earthling approved!)

• In sandwiches instead of cheese, processed meats, and/or mayo! (Little Earthling approved!)

• In your pesto instead of oil

• Atop a salad instead of an oil rich dressing (or use guacamole!)

• Mixed in with pasta instead of oil or cheese (Little Earthling approved!)

• And of course on toast or bagels! (Little Earthling approved!)

If you're stumped on how to get more plant-centered with some of your favorite dishes and quicker kid-friendly recipes, or to find general substitutions when eating in or out, get creative with avocados! They can for sure save the day! What other ways do you like to use avocados? :)

Easy Peasy Tip: Give Oat Milk a Go

Easy Peasy Tips are simple actions you can take each week to make small shifts to more plant-centered eating that lead to big gains over time. When you’re making changes, it may take a few times to get your taste buds shifted to new flavors, but once you’ve rounded the bend, it’s easy peasy to enjoy!

Oat Milk Latte love from Breakfast on Chapala

Does anyone else dig the new surge in oat milk at coffee shops as much as I do?? If you haven't tried it, this is an easy peasy way to phase out dairy in your coffee or matcha for a super delicious alternative. Local coffee shops like French Press, Breakfast, and Handlebar all tend to serve up this delicious milk. To me, drinking oat milk is like drinking marshmallows...mmmm...lightly sweet and creamy but a health bonus about choosing oat milk is that it doesn't tend to have added sweetener like soy or almond milk often do! It's naturally sweet! Give oat milk a go!

Easy Peasy Tip: Perk Up Your Morning with Kale

Easy Peasy Tips are simple actions you can take each week to make small shifts to more plant-centered eating that lead to big gains over time. When you’re making changes, it may take a few times to get your taste buds shifted to new flavors, but once you’ve rounded the bend, it’s easy peasy to enjoy!

An easy way to work more greens into your diet is to think about them as an any-time-of-day kind of food. It helps me to get more of these leafy friends in when I start early with kale for breakfast and then I am sure to be mindful of including kale and other greens in lunch, dinner, or as a snack. Starting earlier also helps me feel like I have a head start on my daily dose of greens. Kale goes great in a tofu scramble or lightly steamed in a pan with a little bit of water to a bright green followed by a drizzle of balsamic. I add the lightly steamed kale straight on top of my oatmeal, as a side to pancakes or toast, or build a breakfast salad with fruits and nuts. I find the balsamic helps tie these sweet and nuttier flavors together. So don't delay! Get a head start on the day by perking up your breakfast with a handful of kale.

Build your kale-loving confidence with this fun video by Jane and Ann Esselstyn on stripping your kale! 

Video source: www.janeesselstyn.com

Easy Peasy Tip: Go Nutty with Your Breakfast Butter

Easy Peasy Tips are simple actions you can take each week to make small shifts to more plant-centered eating that lead to big gains over time. When you’re making changes, it may take a few times to get your taste buds shifted to new flavors, but once you’ve rounded the bend, it’s easy peasy to enjoy!

Experiment with nut and seed butters at breakfast time! Nuts and seeds are great whole food sources of healthy fats and protein for you and your Little Earthlings. These nutty butters can be great subs for butter on toast, bagels, or pancakes, and extra yummy on your oatmeal. Almond butter is one of our favorites, but cashew, walnut, peanut, or sunflower seed butters or tahini are great options too. Experiment!  See what you like. And most importantly, have fun!