the plant-based food blog
I’m going to let you all in on a little secret: I didn’t always value a whole food diet. In fact, I valued anything but.
Every day after school, I dove head-first into the pantry. Cheez-its are a whole food, right? Oh, and Reese’s Cups…they have peanut butter! So like, protein! Salt and vinegar chips? Well. They’re just dannnng tasty. And when I used to work at a cafe and had the ability to order half-priced blueberry scones? Hellooooo, antioxidants!
Ah, to be young again.
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Are Mark and I the only ones who make meals out of chips and salsa? Crunchy chips + spicy salsa = euphoria.
Please tell me this is the norm for 20-somethings this day in age.Read More
I love Pittsburgh. I love food. I love that Pittsburgh has become a foodie town.
I love that, no matter what I’m hungry for, I can find a quality restaurant in the heart of the ‘Burgh dishing out kick-butt cuisine. In need of some salty chips and salsa with a margarita chaser? Verde is where it’s at. How about something a little funky and tropical? Try Kaya, one of my favorite restaurants of all-time.
But when I’m in the mood for something truly exceptional, something that I can split with a loved one on a special occasion, Altius has become my new go-to.
I was on a huge smoothie kick a few years ago. I’d gather my frozen fruit (always blueberries and banana), vegetables (spinach, carrots, what-have-yous), superfoods (I’m talkin’ to you, chia and flax seeds!), liquid (alwaysalwaysalways almond milk), and ice, and blend until it was super smooth. I’d dump my luscious mixture into a mason jar and be on my way to work in under a minute. Gotta love the convenience of a breakfast smoothie.
I love how filling and nutritionally dense smoothies can be, but sometimes I’m after something a little lighter, yet ultimately refreshing to keep me cool and nourished through the hot summer days.
Enter: juice.
I’ve loved apple juice and orange juice since I was a kid, but I never knew one could make juice all by themselves with just a few simple kitchen tools, not including an expensive juicer! And just imagine the flavor customization: carrot-ginger-lemon, pear-apple-spinach, cashew-cinnamon-coconut…the world is your juice oyster!
Oh, um…please don’t put oysters in your juice.Read More
I am so excited to be sharing one of my favorite tried-and-true kitchen how-to’s with you today! Because, if you’re anything like me, summer means only one thing: watermelon season.
As far as I’m concerned, it isn’t summer unless I’m shoveling watermelon into my mouth at least once a week. Growing up, when I had somebody who would lovingly chop this difficult-to-cut fruit for me (thanks, Mama Fooduzzi!), I absolutely hated the stuff. I just didn’t appreciate watermelon’s unique texture as a kid. A few years ago, however, something just clicked. Now, I can’t get enough of this refreshing, sweet, delectable fruit! Eaten plain, in salads, in smoothies…I crave the watermelon bad.
Those cravings were quickly put on hold when I realized just how gosh-darn difficult it is to extract that juicy pink fruit from its tough exterior. I went watermelon-less for much too long. And let me tell you from experience, a life without watermelon is just plain sad.
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching Food Network’s The Kitchen, when one of the hosts demonstrated this method of chopping a watermelon. To say it was brilliant would be a morbid understatement. After just a few swift cuts, you can have your perfectly extracted watermelon in a bowl, waiting for your eager fork to dig right in. Guys, this kitchen hack will change your entire summer: watermelon in under a minute. Is this real life?! Read on for some step-by-step photos, a Pinnable image, and video, all showing you just how it’s done!Read More
When it’s summer, frozen desserts are where it’s at.
I don’t want to go heat up the oven, stir, sift, mix, and wait for a molten-hot dessert to be coming my way. I want something that will cool me down. Something that will freeze my brain. Something that will melt in my mouth. Something now.
Guys, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites are that something.Read More
There are some interesting dessert recipes floating through the interwebs:
Black bean brownies, chickpea blondies, lentil cookies…it seems like people are putting anything in desserts these days.Read More
I’m not going to lie: I love the idea of granola bars. They’re a quick and easy, go-to snack that can be made with healthy whole foods.
That being said, I am so not a fan of the whole execution of the lowly granola bar. Read More
