Caprese Hummus

What You’ll Need:

1 pint cherry tomato

parchment paper

2 cans cannellini beans, drained & rinsed

¼ c tahini

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp sea salt

¼ c prepared pesto

1 box brown rice crackers

1 bag baby carrots

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Preheat oven to 425*

Roast tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 12 minutes.

While the tomatoes roast, prepare hummus by combining beans, tahini, garlic & salt in a food processor or blender.

Spoon pesto over prepared hummus. Top with roasted tomatoes.

Dig in with carrots & brown rice crackers for a perfectly balanced lunch or share with friends.

Serves 4 as a main, more as a side

PS. Happy summertime! 

To celebrate summer, we're offering $5 off the Veg Out Meal Plan Series!!  

This week brings lots of EASY, healthy meals,perfect to share at your next picnic or small outdoor gathering.

Use code WINNING at checkout for $5 off, access this meal plan, grocery list and all of the amazing resources inside the membership hub.  This offer is through Monday, 7/6 only!

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Let’s stay connected! Contact me any time, here.

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What is a Plant-Based Diet?

If you’ve ever Googled “what is a plant-based diet” and came away more confused than when you started, you’re not alone.

Who knew there were a million answers to that question?!

Rather than describing a specific pattern of eating, like veganism, it’s more of an umbrella term that covers different types of diets that emphasize one thing: eating mostly plants.  While that looks a little bit different for every {one} body, we ALL reap the benefits from incorporating more plants into our diet.  

The #1 question I get when around plant-based eating is always the same:

"Where do you get your protein?!?"

First, you don’t necessarily need to give up animal-based foods if you don’t want to.  Secondly, let’s think about this for a minute. Where do some of the worlds largest living things get their intense strength and power?

I'm taking elephants. Giraffes. Rhinoceros. Gorilla. Hippopotamus. Elk. and when they roamed the Earth, Tons of DINOSAURS.

Yup, you guessed it! Plants!

One cup of lentil soup will deliver nearly 20 GRAMS of protein. When combined with a balanced diet, deliver a complete protein profile, which is exactly what the body needs.

A  diet comprised of 100% plants isn't for everyone.  

What IS for everyone are the benefits we reap from incorporating MORE plants into our diet.  Plant foods are packed full of fiber, water, phytonutrients, antioxidants and micronutrients that the body needs to give us optimal energy, regularity,  increase immunity and maintain a healthy weight.

There’s a good change you are already incorporating more plant-based protein than you realize!

Check out some of these delish sources of plant-based proteins.  Prepare to be surprised!

Beans (kidney, black, garbanzo/chickpea, white, lima, etc) dried and cooked or drained & rinsed

Lentils, cooked & drained

Edamame, shelled, organic

Tofu, organic sprouted if possible

Tempeh, organic

Seitan, organic

Green peas

Hemp Hearts

Unsweetened nut butters (peanut, almond..)

Nuts; peanut, almond, macadamia, walnut, brazil, pistachio, cashew, hazelnut, pecan

Seeds; chia, pumpkin

Wild rice

Nutritional yeast

Quinoa

Spirulina

Steel cut or whole (not quick cook) oats

Protein powder, vegan; to add to smoothies

And, even these powerful green plants carry 2-5 grams per 1 c serving:

Organic, sweet corn

Broccoli

Broccoli rabe

Potato

Avocado

Spinach

Brussel sprouts

Kale

Zucchini

Portobello mushrooms

Hubbard squash

Collard greens

With all of this said, there’s no rule that says you have to label your eating style.  

There are as many diets as there are people on the planet -- each as unique as you are.  The most important thing is to find a way of eating that makes you feel fabulous, works for your lifestyle and one you can stick with for the long term.  Eating more plants is one easy way to do that!

We know this can sometimes feel overwhelming, so we wanted to share a sample plant-centered meal plan with you! Get your free download, and browse our meal plans, HERE.

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Let’s stay connected! Contact me any time, HERE!

What is a Plant-Based Diet?

You guys! I’ve been getting so many questions around plant based eating—

So... I’m super excited to be offering this FREE so webinar around what exactly that means, and how this lifestyle can serve you!! 🍓

This might be a good fit for you if you:

🥑Are tired of dieting, obsessing about food, your weight and your pant size..

🥕Feel bloated or are struggling with digestive issues..

🍒Have brain fog, fatigue or a difficult time focusing..

🥝Have heard of a plant-based diet but feel too uninformed or overwhelmed to give it a try..

Space is limited, and will fill fast! Save your seat HERE:

Can’t make it live? No worries. Register for a seat, and I will be sure to email over the recording!

In the meantime, drop your questions below! What do you want to knowwww?!
🍏🥝🥕🌶🍒🍅🍌🍍🍊🥦🥑🍓🥥

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To honoring your body, feeling alive, and staying inspired in the skin you're in! 

Let's connect >>  Click here << 

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Meal Planning 101: Part I

How much was your grocery bill each week?  I shoot to keep our weekly grocery bill to around $130, and at least 50% of what we buy is certified organic.  Though sometimes a little bit over, and sometimes a little bit under, I am always within $20 of that budget.  

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STEP #1: GETTING IN TUNE WITH YOUR KITCHEN

So, here’s the deal guys.  If you don’t know what is lurking in the back of your freezer, pantry, or (eeek!) fridge, you’ve got to get your organizing on.   I {almost} always know what we have on hand, what is about to see its last day, what needs to be rotated into the freezer and what we need to buy more of.  This saves us time cooking/shopping, saves money, and eliminates waste.  It is an easy thing to do once you get in the habit of it, but where do you start?!  

ONE:  Clean house.  Take everything out, purge if necessary, and reorganize.  Literally.  Start with your freezer.  Take everything out.  If you find yourself saying “what’s that,” “ew,” “I can’t believe this was back there,” or “2013?!” THROW IT AWAY.  It is taking up valuable space for things that you are actually going to eat.  Repeat this task with your pantry and your fridge.     

TWO:  Take inventory.  As you are cleaning house, take note of what you have on hand through this process:  Pasta?  Quinoa?  Frozen chicken cutlets?  Frozen broccoli?  Carrots?  Kale?  Coconut milk?  Canned tomatoes? If you aren’t good at taking mental notes, WRITE IT DOWN!  This is an essential piece to effectively planning meals.  

Ahhhhhhh.  Don’t you feel better?!

THREE:    Now that you are organized, you are ready to conquer!  The next step is Identifying your kitchen staples.  These will vary from household to household, but it is important to know what need to have on hand in order to create and cook stellar meals.  My list includes ingredients that serve as the backbone for the majority of our meals. Take a minute and write down your essential staples.  Remember, there is not end-all-be-all here, this list will change and evolve as you do.  

What did you discover??

Stay tuned for part II next week!