LITTLE EARTHLINGS: Snackin' Crackers

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Let's talk snackin'! Crackers have been a tricky snack for me since going plant-based. A lot of crackers, especially those that kids are drawn to, have dairy or oils and I'm always searching for oil-free, whole grain crackers for snacking. Here are our favorites:

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  • Jilz Crackers - These are our newest favorites. They are gluten-free (if you need that) made simply of almond flour + seeds and a few other wholesome ingredients and they are deeeelicious. We like the Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt, but there's a few flavors. These are softish too so the littler Little Earthlings can enjoy them. You can get these online at Amazon or Thrive Market, I've also bought them at Whole Foods and Lazy Acres, and the first place we actually tried them was at Martial Arts Family Fitness in their mini store.

  • Engine2 Organic Crispbread - These are simple and yummy. Engine2 is only at Whole Foods and there are two flavors of these guys - Original and Seeds & Spice. These crackers are pretty hard so they are better for kids with a solid track record of established teeth for chomping. Good for topping with seed butters and such like mini toasts too.

  • Lundberg Thin Snackers - These rice crackers are a great size for little hands and just enough cracker to hold some toppings or enjoy plain. Also gluten-free and come in a few flavors. I love that they make a smaller size, the original rice crackers are just a bit too big and make big messes with the littles, I've found. You can get these also at Whole Foods, Gelsons, and Isla Vista Food Coop or online at Amazon or Thrive Market.

  • Mary's Gone Crackers - These are soooo delicious, and probably the best for a cracker that both kids + parents will enjoy. These are awesome with a plant-based cheese plate. They are seed based and there are several flavors. Super Seed Chia + Hemp is our favorite. We've picked these up at several places around town - here's a store locator with locations between Goleta and Summerland. Also on Amazon or Thrive Market.

One more cracker we like (not pictured) are Edward & Sons Brown Rice Snaps. They aren't all oil-free - you gotta double check the labels, but a few versions are and they are super simple, delicious, and Little Earthling-friendly. The main plain organic snaps are oil-free and so are the black sesame - those are the two we generally pick from. You can find these all over town too using this store locator as well as online at Amazon or Thrive Market.

So get snackin' on crackers with your Little Earthlings! Whole food, plant-based style. :)

Top 10 Reasons to Eat More Plants: #4 Maintaining a Healthy Weight Doesn't Have to be an Uphill Battle

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There's no question that exercise is super duper important to our long-term health. I don't think I need to dig up any facts here to support that claim, it's something we all commonly know. But, I think many of us (or at least pre-plant-based-me:)) have come to think about exercise as necessary for maintaining a healthy weight. I remember as a kid looking at this beautiful picture of my grandmother and her sisters. All were so beautiful. And at this moment in time, all carried their weight in their hips. I knew someday I was destined to be a beautiful pear-shaped goddess just like them. I always thought genetics was a pretty big factor in our body-type/weight. And to a greater extent exercise. Sure, perhaps genetics play some role and of course physical fitness is important, but what I've experienced is that the biggest influence on how I feel and how much weight I carry is in the food I eat. It's (almost) all about the food. I now firmly believe that I can let exercise be for fitness, strength building, fun, meditation, flexibility - or whatever reason that most connects me to an exercise routine at a given time - by keeping the foods I eat whole food, plant-based. It doesn't have to be an uphill battle to maintain a healthy weight.

My Experience

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Going vegan helped me loose some weight naturally. But, me oh my, shifting into a whole food, plant-based lifestyle (vegan minus the oil and highly processed foods) was a game changer. I have found that my weight is super dependent on what I eat. And it's not a "carb" thing. My two biggest roadblocks to maintaining my feel-best weight are 1) animal based foods (contributing to, as I call it, my "extra cheese layer") and 2) processed oils. In the past ten years, I have been soooooo many sizes, going in and out of three pregnancies and three different eating styles. Right now I am a bit of a pear coming out of my third pregnancy. And I'm loving it (for the most part;)) for the time being as it's an extension of a special journey that I've been on this past year - but also I know by sticking to my plants I can work my way back to my feel-good weight more easily. So here's been my experience.

Before and during my first pregnancy, I was a classic cheese-a-holic omnivore. I started at the highest weight of, maybe, my life. And to top that, I gained by far the most weight during that pregnancy (40+ lbs).... Oy. I shifted to veganism, literally on the day my first child was born, transitioning from vegetarian to vegan eating over the following few months, and then went from vegan to whole food, plant-based over about the next year. I reached my lowest weight since high school leading into my second pregnancy, and I felt awesome.

During my second pregnancy, oil began to make a regular appearance about half way through and I    definitely noticed a change in my weight gain later in my pregnancy as compared to the earlier days. And following that pregnancy, I shifted back to a primarily whole food plant-based diet, which brought me down to my feel good weight much, much quicker than before. Mind you, my weight gain came from using just a bit of oil on cooked vegetables at night and maybe in my salad dressing at lunch. When I shifted back to whole food plant-based, the pounds tumbled off waaaay more easily. And this was without a really crazy exercise routine. I walked. I tried to squeeze in yoga. As a mom with a new baby and working full-time, I was not super consistent. What I found is that my weight was mostly connected to what I ate. 

In my most recent pregnancy I gained just under what I gained in my second (about 30 lbs total), eating whole-plant based throughout. But just following the birth I found myself in birthday season where I indulged in some yummy (but surely oil/shortening-laden) cakes, vegan pizzas, and more processed vegan foods and I suddenly came to notice, once again, that these foods are super fun, but don't serve me in maintaining my ideal feel-good weight. I am confident as I make sure to stick to a 95-100% oil-free diet moving forward, I'll be back to my old feel-best self in no time. 

Whole foods! :)

Whole foods! :)

No other eating style did for me what a whole food plant-based diet does. Taking out animal meat made a huge difference. Taking out cheese, dairy, and eggs made a huge difference. And taking out oil made a huge difference.

I don't want to confuse finding my best feel-good weight through what I eat with deprivation. I'm not limiting my portions. I eat until I'm full and high fiber foods help my body stay in better tune with my full queues. And I totally enjoy eating whole food plant-based. I especially love it because it makes me feel the best. Limiting foods like animal products and oils doesn't mean I'm depriving myself, it means I know what foods make me feel good and I focus on those foods as the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.

Experiencing a wide range of sizes, feels, and eating patterns in a relatively short amount of time made me realize how DIFFICUUUULT we make it in America to maintain a healthy weight. On the one hand, we learn that in order to be trim you have to exercise a lot, focus your diet on protein (particularly from animals...and definitely dairy, but be careful, it has to be just the right amount! Not too much. Not too little. But what the heck does that mean??). And yes, eat your veggies. But not white veggies. And don't forget to blame it on gluten. And sugar. Aaaand too much fruit and carbs in general will make us larger in life than we may like. And the family-style restaurants we gather at with our loved ones all have servings of heavy oily - animaly foods in triple the amount we really need (of any food) in one sitting. I remember pre-plant-based-me always feeling so confused about what to eat and constantly feeling guilty that I wasn't exercising hard enough to balance out my calories. So what's the deal? Why do we have to feel so guilty about our habits while the traditional guidance we're getting is so dang confusing and unclear? And doesn't serve us well? It's crazy-making. 

So What I'm Saying Is...

I don't think it has be so hard. We can make exercise about fun, health, stress relief, meditation, activity, longevity, or whatever moves you to move and by literally just focusing our plates on plant foods, as close to their natural forms as possible, we can take the guilt, stress, and mystery out of eating. 

When I was first learning about plant-based nutrition, I remember hearing that diet was 80% the driving factor in weight loss/management and 20% is fitness/exercise. I believe that. Once I shifted my plates to nutrient rich foods and away from calorie rich foods, everything changed. My main food philosophy is to eat 97-100% whole food, plant-based at home (all plant-foods, limited-to-no refined foods and oil) and when I eat out/take out, I try to maintain the same, but oftentimes some oil sneaks in. Sometimes a Crushcakes cupcake with my kids or Mesa Verde pizza with my husband is just soooo good. So I try to worry about oil a bit less when eating out, it's just the way of most restaurants at this point. But I'll almost always try for an oil-free option or at least limit oil where I can - and because oil-free options can be a bit more challenging (although not impossible!:)), I try to eat most of my meals at home so oil-rich foods don't override my diet. 

What I  eat is completely relative to how I feel - the more whole food plant-based nutrient dense foods I eat, the better I feel. The more animal foods and oils (calorically dense foods) I eat, the more weight I gain and the crummier I feel. Here's a visual from Forks Over Knives that paints a pretty good picture of filling up on calories from animal and processed sources vs plants.

Image Credit: Forks Over Knives

Image Credit: Forks Over Knives

So where do you start if you're thinking of plant-based eating to find your feel-good weight? As you'll find on Plant Based SB, I'll share what I've experienced and a lot of what I've learned but also some resources that I've found to be super helpful and credible in their approach to nutrition because we all need trusted resources to add to our toolkits and to help build our foundation of knowledge. I share some great resources in BASICS and throughout THE VINE on plant-based eating, but to help make it super simple to start, here's what the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says about what to eat for a healthy weight loss, to get you started (and check out the full article in the link):

  • GRAINS - Eight servings a day, 80 calories = one serving.  At least six servings should be from whole grains. (i.e. brown rice, whole grain pasta, quinoa, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, etc.)
  • VEGETABLES - At least four servings a day, 35-50 calories = one serving. At least one serving raw, at least one serving dark leafy greens. (i.e. leafy greens of all kinds, cruciferous veggies like broccoli, squash, root veggies like carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes)
  • LEGUMES - Three servings a day, 100 calories = one serving. (i.e. beans of all varieties, lentils, soy products)
  • FRUIT - Three servings a day, 80 calories = one serving. (i.e. berries, stone fruit, apples, citrus, etc. Focus on whole fruit rather than juices.)
  • SWEETS - No more than one serving a day, 100 calories = one serving and limit to one gram of fat. (i.e. fruit, smoothie, sweetened cereal, baked fruit, etc.)

The Physician's Committee also recently came out with a podcast all about weight loss/management and plant-based eating. Yes! They cover everything. I super love PCRM. Find the podcast by clicking here - PCRM's Exam Room Podcast - Weight Loss on a Vegan Diet: How Going Vegan Causes the Pounds to Melt Away.

Enjoy what you eat. And eat so you feel satisfied, but make it nutrient dense foods, not calorically saturated foods. For healthy living and feel-good-weight, it's (almost) all about the food. :)

LITTLE EARTHLINGS: BYOT (Bringing Your Own Treats) Cookie Edition

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I love being a plant-based mom. And now I am a plant-based mom of three! I've taken a bit of time from online postings to get to know and tend to our itsy bitsy Earthling born earlier this year, and now I'm back to some semi-regularly posting and planning to pick up more steam as we get closer to Fall. I'm super excited to be back though, and kicking off a regular blog series on living and loving being plant-based with kids, Little Earthlings!

As you know, treats are super important to kids (well, and adults;)) and a somewhat sensitive part of eating vegan. At nearly every birthday party, class party, and kids-focused outing there are treats. And usually they aren't vegan. Saying no to a treat is hard. We never ever mind bringing our own treats, even if it is a bit of extra work. I love knowing for sure that my little ones are happy with their own vegan option, and they've rarely been bummed about missing out on the group treat if they have their own special treat in hand. We aren't a perfect system, but do our best to have replacements ready to go at school or in their lunch bag or by bringing our own (you name it) to parties and get-togethers. Or we follow up with any missed treats later the same day or following weekend. As long as a treat promise is made, usually they're cool with that.

When our Earthlings have been super little, before they really understood what it means to be vegan and eat differently than some of their friends, it's been a bit more challenging. We always make sure to sensitively talk through with them why we can't have the treat at hand as it has ingredients we can't eat being vegan. We emphasize that it's ok though, because we have wonderful treats that we can still enjoy with wonderful ingredients that ARE vegan! I'd say two to three years old are really the most challenging years for these conversations when they want to grab everything and devour everything that looks delightful. But still, I remember around this same time is also when my little ones began to develop an understanding of what vegan meant, or at least could articulate that we eat vegan. I still remember the sweet sound of the first day my middle earthling said "beegan" for the first time. It was so sweet and I couldn't help but feel so proud that she identified (also proudly) that she was vegan! 

Here's what we do to bring our own...
vegan cookies!

This first Little Earthling post is an extra special post focused on bringing your own chocolate chip cookies! Internationally renowned (and local!) wellness activist and New York Times Bestselling Author Kathy Freston is generously sharing one of our favorite chocolate cookie recipes with you - Chocolate Chippers!! So kind! Thank you so much, Kathy!! Chocolate Chippers are from The Book of Veganish: The Ultimate Guide to Easing into a Plant-Based, Cruelty-Free, Awesomely Delicious Way to Eat, with 70 Easy Recipes Anyone Can Make (co-authored by Rachel Cohn). Kathy's work has been a super big inspiration for me personally. Her book Veganist was one of the first books I read when we realized how well a vegan diet was working for us and I wanted to understand it better. It was a particular turning point for me in understanding not just the health benefits of plant-based eating, but the ethical impacts of our food choices and offers ideas for transitioning to vegan eating gradually, emphasizing progress not perfection. The Book of Veganish is particularly great for families as it's specifically geared towards kids and young people with lots of simple and kid-friendly recipes. Kathy also has an awesome new book out, Clean Protein, co-authored by Bruce Friedrich, that is a really important read on the future and impacts of our protein choices. 

Ok, now back to the cookies. :) These Chocolate Chippers are so classically-chocolate-chip-cookie-delicious and so simple and quick to whip up. They are pure plant-based kid (and adult!) heaven! AND school friendly if your school is nut-free. Check 'em out:

My homemade Chocolate Chippers - Yum! :)

My homemade Chocolate Chippers - Yum! :)

CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS
by Kathy Freston with Rachel Cohn,
The Book of Veganish

Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon safflower oil
2 tablespoons plain, unsweetened nondairy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, maple syrup, oil, nondairy milk, and vanilla until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Drop the dough by the spoonful about 2 inches apart on to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

We often sub the oil for 1 tablespoon of applesauce to make them oil-free and coconut sugar for the brown sugar for a less refined sweetener and these cookies are still wonderful with the minor adjustments. Our Little Earthlings love them, and I hope yours do too! :)

We have two other favorite vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes - one whole food, plant-based (oil-free, although not nut-free) and one that is vegan and gluten- and nut- free (but not oil-free). If you're looking for a few more ideas to experiment with, these are super yummy and our Little Earthling approved! 

Lunchbox Chocolate Chip Cookies by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (for Forks Over Knives) (whole food, plant-based, has nuts - can also be found on the Forks Over Knives recipe app!)

BabyCakes NYC Chocolate Chip Cookies by Erin McKenna (vegan, gluten- and nut-free - this is the recipe on the side of Bob's Red Mill's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour bag! Also can be found in Erin McKenna's recipe book, Babycakes)

If you have no time to bake and are looking for vegan cookies you can quickly grab and go to an event with (or for any old day), Whole Foods and Lazy Acres (generally) have a vegan chocolate chip cookie in their bakery cases and, while they may not be chocolate chip cookies, Savoy Cafe and Deli has some amazing vegan chocolate mint cookies and vegan almond cookies in their bakery case, French Press has a yummy vegan snickerdoodle, and oftentimes Breakfast has a vegan cookie too!

For more on plant-friendly living with your kiddos, head on over to my page LITTLE EARTHLINGS, with more to come on THE VINE. Happy baking! :)

Top 10 Reasons to Eat More Plants: #3 You'll Still Enjoy What You Eat (Seriously!)

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Are you an omnivore? You may think eating plant-based sounds like a drag. It can seem like it. I know from experience - both as a former omnivore and now a sometimes-sympathized-for-vegan. Finding out someone only eats plant foods can bring up this kind of case of “FOMO” (fear of missing out). Particularly a fear of missing out on favorite foods. There are so many favorite foods in the standard American diet based on animal products that the idea of eating vegan can seem so limiting and extreme to a lot of people. People like pre-plant-based me. But rest assured, it’s really truly not a drag! Going plant-based can actually be really delicious and fun! 

There are a couple of points I want to discuss here in relation to enjoying food while eating more plant-based. So many delicious foods you're likely already eating come from plants - for those meals and recipes that are animal-centered, it's easier than you may think to make plant-based versions. I had often thought (and often still hear others say), that I want to enjoy my food and live it up, so by golly I'll eat what I want. And what I want is cheese. Bacon. Burgers. Fish. Fried food. Etc. But... how much are we really in the drivers seat controlling our food cravings and preferences? There may be more to our cravings than meets the eye. And ways to keep our taste buds just as happy eating plant-based. Let's explore.

1) THE SCIENCE OF CRAVINGS
“…EVERY INSTINCT IN YOU IS TELLING YOU TO SEEK THE MOST PLEASURE FOR THE LEAST PAIN AND THE LEAST EFFORT…YOU’RE TAKING IN CUES THAT ARE FOOLING THE SYSTEM AND PULLING YOU RIGHT INTO WHAT WE CALL THE PLEASURE TRAP.”
— Doug J. Lisle, PhD

Have you ever thought about how your cravings and food preferences are shaped? Much of this goes back to when we’re first developing our taste buds and developing our understanding of healthy foods and culture as wee little ones with our families. You often even hear in pregnancy that the foods you eat could be developing your growing little peanut's taste buds for life (oy the pressure!). But there are some really interesting biological considerations that I’ve learned about since being plant-based that make me wonder, 1) how much we’re in control of our cravings, and 2) how easy it could actually be to chase out those cravings and develop new ones for healthier foods.

Dr. Douglas Lisle, co-author of the book “The Pleasure Trap: Mastering the Hidden Force that Underestimates Health and Happiness,” has this great TedTalk describing how our bodies come to seemingly crave and prefer calorie (not nutrient) dense foods in a similar manner to drug addiction – so cravings can come on, not because it’s what our bodies are needing or are even craving from a taste perspective, but biological triggers for perceived efficiency and pleasure can cause us to crave certain foods. Dr. Lisle offers how we can start to rethink our cravings and encourage our bodies to develop and prefer healthier, nutrient dense foods by resetting our taste buds to healthier whole foods. You can check out the talk here, and in his book "The Pleasure Trap" in the TOOLKIT.

www.tedxfremont.com - One of psychology's most innovative and curious minds, Dr. Douglas Lisle is the Director of Research for TrueNorth Health Center and coauthor of The Pleasure Trap.

2) MAKING OLD TASTES NEW

There are soooooo many foods that you already love that are likely naturally vegan or just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Easy modifications can help you enjoy foods that you already love in healthful ways. One food that always comes to mind as a natural whole-food favorite is a nice creamy hummus. YUM! And almost always entirely plant-based. Most hummus products and recipes don’t bring in any animal-based additions, you actually have to make an effort to make hummus not-vegan. Gotta love hummus. Creamy. Delicious. And vegan.

For animal-centric recipes that you are having trouble imagining plant-based, here's a great resource from the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) for some basic subs for cooking and baking so at the basic level when you're starting to visual shifts to plant-based options, you have a reference point to roll with. I found finding new ingredients that still kept our taste buds happy but that made our bodies feel better to be one of the most fun parts of going plant-based! Win, win! So much winning;).

The notion of veganizing good ol' American favorites can especially be a major turn off to someone who's not already focusing their plates on plants - such as the summer grillin', tailgatin' favorite, the hot dog. But have you tried Carrot Hot Dogs?? This always comes to mind as a seemingly-bummer-but-not-really-a-bummer plant-friendly food. With a little marinating (like in this recipe!) and grilling, carrots can actually taste pretty darn close to the real thing AND hot dogs have to be one of the (dare I say) scariest things I can think of to put in our bodies with all of their mystery ingredients and processing (check out this article by the Anatomy of a Hot Dog by PCRM - yikes!). Comparing the health benefits can make anyone feel better about a slight shift to these smoky-flavored veggies, even if at first it sounds a little ridiculous. But carrots, my friends, make some pretty tasty hot dogs. 

Luckily for us, there is a whole village of vegan recipe developers whose missions are to make old omnivore favorites vegan or plant-based in ways that you may even prefer the new tastes for sooooo many dishes! At this point, I am not quite whipping up my own extensive recipes in the kitchen on a regular basis, so this village has been huge for me.

A sampling of some of my favorite resources from over the years! Learn more about these resources and more in the list below and through the TOOLKIT!

A sampling of some of my favorite resources from over the years! Learn more about these resources and more in the list below and through the TOOLKIT!

So, who are these said magical vegan and plant-based creatives developing delicious recipes that can help us replicate our old tastes new? Oh my, there are so many. I’m going to list a sampling here who have blogs or sites that helped me find exciting new recipes. Also be sure to visit the RECIPE TOOLKIT for a whole range of recipe books you can check out! Locally, Chaucer's Bookstore actually has a great selection of plant-friendly recipe books too. And new sites and books are popping up all the time, so also get your Google going for "plant-based recipes" and be specific if you're looking for a specific old taste to make new. You'll be sure to have some fun recipe hunting.

I seriously bow to these individuals creating magical plant-friendly recipes. Recipe development is such an art and can be life-changing for those of us looking for plant-friendly resources that make our mouths, our bodies, and our families happy. They can help the most committed carnivore resolve an acute or chronic case of FOMO, for sure :). So now, instead of fearing that I'll miss out on my formerly favorite foods, I get butterflies excited when I finish making a new-to-me dish that checks off all my plant-based boxes and ignites my taste buds. See what you think! 

PLANT-BASED & VEGAN RECIPE RESOURCES

A couple more quick notes on cooking plant-based. Keep an eye on our community calendar POP UP for local and online cooking event opportunities! There are some really fun ones coming up, including through Farmbelly Cooking School and Women's Heritage that can help you build skills in different areas and expand your palettes and plates. Forks Over Knives also has an online cooking program in partnership with Rouxbe Online Cooking School - it's a larger time and financial investment, but if you're ready to roll, this could be a great comprehensive tool for you to dive into the world of plant-based cooking at your own pace! 

I could go on, obviously;). There are so many great resources for upping your plant-based game these days. It's an exciting time to go plant-based, and you don't have to be a trained chef or make intagram-worthy meals. Just explore, experiment, and enjoy! 

I hope this post gave you some "food for thought" and fun resources to explore. Transitioning to more plant-centered eating can seem full of barriers at first but, seriously, you can still enjoy what you eat! You don't have to choose flavors or cravings over your health. Reshape your cravings. Think flavor and delight as you normally would, but find a rainbow of ways to shift your cravings plant-based! Happy eating!  

Easy Peasy Tip: Avocado, the Wonder Sub

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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!

 
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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? :)

Plant-Friendly Hotspot: Savoy Cafe and Deli (Downtown)

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Savoy Cafe & Deli, Figueroa Street, Downtown Santa Barbara

Savoy Cafe & Deli, Figueroa Street, Downtown Santa Barbara

Savoy Café and Deli is one the plant-friendliest go-to lunch, breakfast, dinner, snack, and dessert spots downtown. I love it! It calls my name a couple of times a month and when I discovered how plant-friendly they were, it seriously felt like Christmas. And honestly, it still feels like Christmas when I go into Savoy! We’re so lucky to have a number of restaurants in town with at least a couple of delicious vegan-friendly options on their menus, but Savoy has several. And vegan desserts!

I looooove their Vegan Breakfast Burrito which has a combination of quinoa, sweet potato, kale, tofu, and avocado with a side of pico de gallo (YUM). I order it cooked in water instead of oil, and often in a bowl instead of a wrap. It’s hardy and warm. Comfort food. Their El Cap Sandwich is another favorite which I usually get with a whole grain bread and hold the added the olive oil. It's a super delightful combination of portebellos, avocados, greens, and balsamic. But these aren't all of the options! Savoy truly makes it easy peasy to eat more plants in a not-so-vegan-focused restaurant environment. You can go and get multiple options no matter the time of day. So if you’re looking to up your plant-game or searching for a vegan-friendly hotspot in town, I hope to see you there. 

Here’s what you can find:

Vegan Breakfast Burrito (hold the tortilla), my fave

Vegan Breakfast Burrito (hold the tortilla), my fave

Vegan Breakfast (but really anytime) Burrito

Vegan Scramble

Wheat-free Hot Cereal and Irish Steel Cut Oats (with the option for fresh berries, nuts, and more!)

One of the happiest salad bars in town which includes organic tofu, dolmas, and dozens of plant-based options (many are organic!) - a variety of greens, tons of veggies, beans, nuts, and seeds. It's fun to shop this bar with your Little Earthlings so they can self select options yummy for their tummies.

A cold deli case with a few vegan options daily including a bright and varied fruit salad.

A daily vegan soup

Savoy Cafe & Deli Salad Bar (and it goes on!)

Savoy Cafe & Deli Salad Bar (and it goes on!)

A hot deli hosting generally one to two vegan-friendly options.

Veggie Wrap

The El Cap Sandwich with portabello mushrooms

Or build your own sandwich! They even have veganaise if it suits your fancy.

Savoy Cafe & Deli Bakery Case (The middle four items - cookies & cupcakes - are vegan!)

Savoy Cafe & Deli Bakery Case
(The middle four items - cookies & cupcakes - are vegan!)

A vegan-friendly BAKERY! Savoy usually has one or two flavors of muffin/loafs a day, vegan cold desserts like “raw-nies”, vegan cookies, and vegan cupcakes! Everything I’ve had has been delicious and their chocolaty cupcakes are perfect for grabbing and going to a kids birthday party. Or order a whole vegan cake or tray of cupcakes or cookies for an event or class party! Their vegan and/or gluten-free cupcakes come with an extra charge, but it's exciting that you can order both (although you pay two separate add'l charges), making these the ultimate in people pleasing desserts. Ordering larger quantities can add up quickly, but for special occasions if you need a yummy premade option, or if you are in a bind, we’re pretty lucky to have this café ready to bake up vegan-friendly treats. You can even order a vegan pumpkin pie with dairy-free coconut whipped cream! 

Also check out their coffee bar for soy milk, almond milk, and coconut-almond milk options! They have coffee (including cold press live and in action in a slow-drip), espressos, loose leaf teas, and matchas! And steamers for the kids. Ooh and herbal lemonades. Swoon.

Be sure to double check that whatever you’re ordering is vegan, as you might with any restaurant when it’s your first plant-focused visit and as you’re getting familiar with a restaurant through a more plant-friendly lens. One more heart happy note - Savoy has always been willing to cook made-to-order hot items in water instead of oil. Amazing. This can be difficult to find in town!

So check them out and let us know what you think!

Here are the details, if you’re a Savoy Café and Deli newbie –

Savoy Café and Deli
www.thesavoycafe.com
24 West Figueroa Street
Santa Barbara

Parking lot behind or across the street off of Chapala or timed street parking throughout the adjoining neighborhood.

Happy dining!

Easy Peasy Tip: Perk Up Your Morning with Kale

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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!

 
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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