Inspired by Inspiralized

As I've been growing this blog, I've been loving all of the inspiration I've received from the health / yoga Instagram communities. One of my favorite sources of inspiration is Ali Maffucci, the blogger behind Inspiralized.

Sidebar: The method of "spiralizing" food is one that has only been popularized in the past couple of years. Basically, it involves taking fresh fruits and vegetables, and turning them into delicious spirals that can be made into noodles, fries, or salads.

Ali's website, www.inspiralized.com, is full of spiralizing resources, relatable anecdotes, and amazing recipes that work for any diet - vegan, vegetarian, paleo, and gluten-free. 

Spiralizing vegetables is such a great way to get the satisfying taste of noodle dishes but without the heavy carb feeling that comes after it. Plus, many of Ali's recipes contain 1/4 of the calories of their regular, wheat-pasta equivalents.

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Here are my Top 5 Spiralizing Recipes from Inspiralized:

1. Vegetarian Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai

2. Spicy Ginger Scallion & Egg Drop Zucchini Noodle Bowl

3. Kohlrabi Spaghetti Alla Foriana

4. Vegan Kale and Sweet Potato Noodle Caesar Salad with Crispy Spiced Chickpeas

5. Vegan Zucchini Noodle Japchae

The verdict: Zucchini noodles are amazing. The taste of the zucchini is subtle enough that it doesn't overpower even the lightest of sauces, and the texture is similar to al dente pasta. Using the spiralizer is super easy, and cooking the zucchini noodles was a lot faster than boiling regular pasta. I can't wait to try more Inspiralized recipes!

My Take on Spiralizing: Zucchini noodles sautéed in olive oil, with garlic and red pepper. Delicious!

Recipe: Nicecream and Pancakes

In answer to those who say vegans have too much of a "restricted" diet, Instagram user @Holy_Cacao seeks to prove them all wrong with her sumptuous pancake stacks and overflowing mason jars of banana ice cream (also known as nicecream).

I've been following Sarah (the owner of Holy_Cacao) on Instagram for a few months now, and I've been so inspired on her creative take on vegan eating. All of her recipes are dairy-free, homemade, without any refined sugar!

She also uses amazing ingredients like Loving Earth Cacao, Proper Protein powder, and The Wild Granola (most of which are based in Australia).

While Sarah posts her recipes occasionally on Instagram, they can be hard to find, so I've taken the liberty of adapting a few of her recipes here in this post. But all credit goes to her! :)

Here is my adaptation of her recipe for the famous #nicecream:

1. Chop 2 bananas into 1/2 inch slices
2. Put 1/3 of the banana in the fridge, and the remaining in the freezer. Freeze overnight (approx. 10 hours)
3. In the morning, unstick the slices and put them in the blender with the unfrozen banana
4. Pour 1/4 cup almond milk and 1 tsp vanilla on top and blend
5. Every so often, stop blending, and push the banana chunks into the blade so it becomes smoother. This can take up to 5 minutes.
6. Add extra almond milk 1 tbs at a time, but be careful - too much ruins it!
7. Add in 1-2 tbs of cacao and blend until combined
8. Spoon into a bowl and freeze for an extra 10 minutes or so
9. Spoon into a jar, and enjoy!

Here is my adaptation of her pancake recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup spelt or whole meal flour
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tbs coconut oil or 1 tbs applesauce
• 1/2 tbs baking powder
• Pinch of baking soda      

Recipe:

1. Heat pan to medium heat
2. Mix dry ingredients, then mix in wet ingredients
3. Spray pan with coconut oil, and test a small amount of batter
4. Spoon batter onto pan, flip when it bubbles and cook until golden!

Here is my adaptation of her buckwheat banana pancake recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 mashed banana
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp baking powder

Recipe:

1. Heat pan to medium heat
2. Mix dry ingredients, then mix in wet ingredients, adding in almond milk until a smooth batter is reached
3. Spray pan with coconut oil, and test a small amount of batter
4. Spoon batter onto pan, flip when it bubbles and cook until golden!

All photos in the post are from@Holy_Cacao 's Instagram!

Recipe: Açai Smoothie Bowl

If you're into exotic superfoods, look no further than Açai. This purplish-red berry, indigenous to  Central and South America, is full of healthy antioxidants and nutrients. However, eaten in pure berry form, açai can be incredibly bitter (almost like raw cranberries), and doesn't have a very long shelf life after being harvested. Fortunately, powdered and frozen açai is making its way to grocery and health stores alike.

The leader in açai products so far is undoubtedly Sambazon, a company that offers a number of açai products like pre-made smoothies, energy drinks, frozen smoothie packs, and even sorbet!!

I picked up a bag of Sambazon's Original Superfruit Packs at Whole Foods, inspired by all the beautiful açai bowls I've been seeing on Instagram. This was the result:

Açai Smoothie Bowl:

1 Sambazon Superfruit Pack
1 Tbsp Whole Foods Green Protein Powder
1/4 cup Strawberries
1/4 cup Pineapple
1 cup green juice (or any juice you like!)
Topped with fresh blueberries, chia seeds, and fresh orange slices

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The great thing about açai is that is goes with virtually all fruits! This smoothie bowl can be customized in countless ways. Enjoy! :)

Recipe Roundup: Healthy Thanksgiving Options Under 200 Calories

I love the concept of Thanksgiving - it's a holiday entirely dedicated to exhibiting gratitude for the blessings in our lives. However, this concept has the tendency to get somewhat lost in the deluge of delicious Thanksgiving treats that adorn our tables. It's incredibly easy to rack up hundreds (and sometimes even thousands) of calories in what seems to be an entirely innocuous dinner plate. For example, consider the following meal:

This one little plate alone contains 1,000 calories... half of the average woman's daily recommended caloric intake. (And that's not even counting appetizers, dessert, and wine.) Other sources say that the average Thanksgiving plate may contain up to 3,000 calories. However, there are still ways to enjoy the full taste of Thanksgiving without overindulging - it just require conscious eating.

Here are my Top 10 favorite recipes for a healthier thanksgiving:

1. Garlicky Green Beans with Pine Nuts
   140 calories per serving

2. Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

    120 calories per muffin

3. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

     135 calories per serving or so (depending on the cheese)

4. Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)
    40-80 calories per roll, depending on the recipe

5. Simple Roasted Asparagus

    80 calories per serving

6. Rosemary Roasted Carrots

    90 calories per serving

7. Eggs Simmered in Harissa

    102 calories per egg (with sauce)

8. Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges
    102 calories per half potato

9. Molasses Cookies
    79 calories per cookie

10. Banana Bread
      169 calories per slice

Happy Thanksgiving!

Recipe: Winter Wake-Up Tonic

Is it just me, or is waking up on winter mornings especially difficult? To me, there's nothing more alluring on a cold winter morning than being in my warm, snuggly bed with my warm, snuggly puppy.

To combat my morning sleepiness, I always like to drink something something hot to get my system going. But whenever it's especially cold outside, or I feel like I have the sniffles coming, I make myself a cup of my Winter Wake-Up Tonic. 

It's super easy to make - all you need is hot water, lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed), honey, and cayenne pepper. These four ingredients combine to make a drink that is invigorating but not too "in your face" about it. To make:

1. Squeeze a dash of lemon juice into your cup of hot water. Personally, I don't like too much bitterness, but you can adjust it to your preferences. The lemon acts as an energizing agent, in addition to cleansing your system.
2. Add in a teaspoon of honey. Again, you can add more or less depending on what you like, but too much sweetness will counteract the effects from the lemon and cayenne. The honey is used to balance the bitterness of the citrus and the spiciness of the pepper.
3. Add just a pinch of cayenne pepper. A little goes a long way here! Cayenne helps clear out your sinuses, as well as kickstarting your metabolism.

Cheers!

Breakfast Bowls

In Japanese culture, the appearance of a meal is often just as (if not more) important than how it tastes. It's so important that they even have a word for it - moritsuke - meaning the arrangement of food on a dish. And this concept definitely holds true in real life - no one takes the most bruised, dull apple on the shelf in the grocery store; they take the apples that are smooth and shiny.

The same principle applies to eating healthy. When something looks good, it makes it that much more appealing to eat.

Enter Breakfast Bowls, beautiful layers of yogurt, fruit, granola, and chia seeds (and any other add-on that you like!). Not only are these bowls of deliciousness nice to look at, for me it also presents an opportunity to be creative about what I'm eating. This particular bowl starts with a layer of Dannon low-fat strawberry yogurt on the bottom, topped with fresh strawberries, bananas, Nature Valley Protein granola, and chia seed gel.

Ryan's creation

Because I work in finance, I have very little opportunity to express my creative side. Don't get me wrong, I love math and science, but I am also a classically trained pianist and artist. In fact, when I was in high school, I originally intended to become an art history major in college... so finding little ways to manifest my creativity is very meaningful for me. (Even if it's through fruit bowls!)

A painting I did of Ivy when she was a puppy (Acrylic, 2013)

Recipe: Spicy Chipotle Hummus

Hummus is, without a doubt, one of my top 5 favorite foods ever. It's so versatile - you can eat it as a dip for carrots and pita chips, on a sandwich as a spread, or even as an emulsifier in homemade salad dressing. And what's so great about it is that it's so incredibly easy to make at home. This has come in handy for me, because my favorite hummus (Tribe's Spicy Chipotle) is rarely in stock at grocery stores. Luckily, it's super quick to whip up a homemade batch in my own kitchen.

You only need five ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I swear by California Olive Ranch; it's affordable and high quality)
2. 1 Can of Chickpeas, drained (I prefer Goya)
3. 1/2 Can of Goya Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
4. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice (watch out for seeds!)
5. Salt and pepper to taste

Making the hummus is incredibly simple - just stick all the ingredients in a blender/food processor, and blend until smooth!

What I love about making hummus is that you can customize it towards your own personal tastes. For example, love the heat? Add a few extra peppers or a pinch of chili flakes to the recipe. Want to add some extra dimensions of flavor? Stick in a few cloves of oven-roasted garlic to create extra depth. Whatever you choose, making your own hummus at home is a delicious and inexpensive way to eat healthy.

Recipe: Mediterranean Naan & Hummus Sandwich

Eating healthy at work is always a challenge, especially when I'm rushing out the door in the morning and don't have time to pack a lunch. I'm lucky enough to work at a company that boasts an amazing salad bar, but buying a lunch every day gets to be expensive. So I'm always thinking of creative ways to get my nutrition in, but still save time with the preparation process.

Recently, I've been reading a lot about the Mediterranean Diet. Dubbed "the heart-healthy eating plan" by the Mayo Clinic, this diet focuses around fresh fruits and vegetables, fish (and other lean proteins), olive oil (and other healthy fats, like avocado), whole grains, natural herbs and spices, and (the best part) red wine in moderation. Of course, eating under the guidelines of the Mediterranean diet doesn't mean you get to eat pizza all day - vegetables should make up the bulk of what you eat.

Keeping this in mind, I created a delicious sandwich combo that I ended up packing for lunch today. Super easy and quick to make, it only has four ingredients:

1. Stonefire Whole Grain Naan Bread (can be substituted with Whole Grain pita)

2. Hummus (I like Tribe Spicy Chipotle hummus, but any flavor works!)

3. Pico de Gallo-style Salsa (I like Sabra Homestyle)

4. Fresh Arugula 

And that's it!

Here's how I made it: Lay one piece of naan flat, and cut it in half the short way so it's in a semicircle shape. Spread two big spoonfuls of hummus generously on both slices of naan. Then, layer the pico de gallo and arugula on liberally, finally putting both halves of naan together in traditional sandwich style. (I wrapped mine in aluminum foil to hold the sandwich together and make it easier to eat later on.) I made mine in the morning before work, so I didn't have to refrigerate it during the day; however, if you make yours the night before, you should keep it in the fridge overnight. 

The sandwich was absolutely delicious as lunch, but it would work equally well as a dinner dish! If eaten after work, I would recommend a fruity Malbec to wash it down. Personally, I think Malbec goes with everything, but for all of you white wine lovers out there, a sweet Riesling would do nicely as well (especially if you use spicy hummus!). 

This bottle of wine is currently sitting on top of my refridgerator- I'm a repeat buyer!

Red wine has been shown to have health benefits when consumed in moderation. It contains compounds such as flavonoids and resveratrol, which have both been shown to have antioxidant properties. Of course, this doesn't mean you should start chugging red wine - remember, everything in moderation! But it makes for a delicious, healthy pairing with a Mediterranean naan sandwich.