#pfov

[pocketfullofveggies]

Breakfast smoothie! 1/2 cup frozen mango 1/2 cup frozen peaches 1/4 cup frozen berries 1 banana Handful of kale Handful of oats (dry) The juice of one orange &almond milk for the rest! Blend it all together & you'll get a sweet/ nutritious green(ish) smoothie! This was perfect for me since I'm always on the go. (:

[pocketfullofveggies]

Coconuty Quinoa

I know there are still some people out there who get surprised when I tell them about eating quinoa in ways other than as a rice replacement. This is a great breakfast recipe for all you coconut lovers!

Ingredients: 1/2 cup quinoa (rinsed) 1 cup coconut milk/almond milk (if you don't like coconut) 2 tsp. sweetener of choice (I use honey) 1/4 teaspoon almond extract fresh berries, toasted coconut, nuts, etc.

Preparation: Place thoroughly rinsed quinoa, coconut milk, sweeter, and extract in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until quinoa has absorbed milk and become fluffy. Top with fresh berries, toasted coconut, slithered almonds, walnuts, or anything else you'd like! This would be delicious with bananas too, so try any combination you'd like. (:

[pocketfullofveggies]

Tropical Topper

So sweet. So creamy. They've really got a hold on me.

If there is one thing I love, it's smoothies. Buying them, making them, and drinking them. I especially love the toppers from Jamba Juice, which is why I made my own version of it last night. Protein packed and perfectly sweet, you can have it for breakfast, post-workout, or anytime!

Makes 1 smoothie

3/4 small banana 1/2 cup strawberries 1/8 cup mangos 1/8 cup oats 1/4 cup orange juice 3/4 cup almond milk 1 tsp chia seeds 1 tsp flax seeds (or ground) To top: granola sliced bananas

[pocketfullofveggies]

Smoothie Central!

So, I’m including a few good recipes for easy and delicious smoothies that you can make in the morning, post-workout, in between meals, or even as a meal! Feel free to modify them to your own liking or add protein powder for an extra boost. I added almond milk to most recipes, but you can use rice milk, soy milk, or coconut milk as well (: Simple banana berry smoothie 1/2 cup frozen strawberries 1/4 cup frozen blackberries 3/4 banana 1 cup almond milk I make this when I want a sweet, simple, and healthy treat (: Greens& berries

1 C greens (kale/spinach) 1/2 banana 1/2 C frozen fruit (berries or any others) 2 tbsp. milled flax seed 1 C almond milk 1 tsp. honey (optional) & blend!

….click below for the next 5 recipes!

**or you can use any other blueberry/pomegranate juice Spinach&banana! 2 handfuls of spinach 1 banana 1 kiwi squeezed juice of 1/3 lemon cold water (add some ice cubes if you wish) (optional: spirulina, flax seeds, hemp protein powder…) Blend well! Berries&Peanut butter

1 handful of Kale 1 tbsp. Ground Flaxseed 1 tbsp. Peanut Butter 1/4 cup Soy Yogurt 1/4 cup Strawberries 1/2 Pear 5 Blackberries 1/8 C Blueberries 1 tsp. honey (optional) 1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk**

**you may need to add more if it’s too thick

Mango madness!

1/2 cup fresh orange juice 1/2 cup mango (can be fresh or frozen) 1 tbsp. cilantro** 1/2 cup ice (if using fresh mango) drizzle of honey (optional) **I know the cilantro sounds weird, but trust me!

Energy Boost!

1/2 cup spinach 1/2 cup mixed frozen berries 1/2 banana 1/4 cup carrot juice (bolthouse farms brand is delicious!) 1 tbsp. ground flax seed 1 tbsp. spirulina 2 tbsp. soy yogurt 1 cup almond milk This is my usual pick-me-up after my morning workouts!

[pocketfullofveggies]

Banana protein bars!

So, I've been asked for some healthy vegan sweets and this is a great first post. Not only are they simple to make, they're delicious, sweet, and protein packed (: I found this recipe a while back, but I've customized it to my own liking. Great for breakfast, an after workout snack, or just when you're craving something sweet!

Ingredients (10 bars)

Dry ingredients

2/3 cup gluten-free rolled oats

1/2 cup oat flour (use blender/food processor to ground up the oats)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

3 tbsp chia seeds

3 tbsp mini dark chocolate chips

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of fine grain sea salt

Wet ingredients

3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 small-medium)

1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup agave nectar (or brown rice syrup)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8-inch square pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. Tip – to get the parchment to stick to the pan, give the base a spray with olive oil and do this for the next paper too.

2. Add 1/2 cup of oats into a high-speed blender and blend on high until a fine flour forms. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

3. Mash bananas until smooth and measure out 3/4 cups in a separate bowl. Stir together the banana and all the wet ingredients.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir well until combined. The dough should be very sticky!

5. Scoop batter into prepared pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the batter and press it down to spread out the batter evenly. You can also remove the paper and wet your hands lightly and spread it out that way. Make sure it’s as even as possible.

6. Bake at 350F for 22-26 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the bread is firm to touch. Cool in the pan completely (I left it for 1 hour) before removing and slicing into bars.

Nutritional Info:

[pocketfullofveggies]

Avocado & Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Yuuuuum.

Ingredients:

5 Ears Corn, husk removed, brush with olive oil and grilled, remove corn with sharp knife 2 Avocado’s, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning 2 cups Tomatoes, red and yellow cherry variety 1 Small red onion, finely diced (optional) 1 ½ cup cucumber, skin on and chopped small dice

Add to a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. And now onto the dressing!

Cilantro Dressing:

6 tbsp Olive oil

2 tbsp Fresh cilantro, minced

½ tsp Salt

2 Tbsp. lemon/lime juice

10 Grinds of fresh ground pepper

Add all of the above ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid. Shake really well. Taste and adjust seasoning as you desire.

When ready to serve salad, add the dressing and gently toss.

[pocketfullofveggies]

Get back up.

One.

I want to challenge you to do something uncomfortable.

Evaluate yourself--most importantly, your eating habits. Do you choose foods that satisfy your taste buds? If so, I want to remind you that the food you consume is meant to "upbuild" your body.

While not everyone can eat the same things, and while some foods may be healthy for some, they may also be harmful to others. It is important to remain open minded.

It's important to remember that eating well is not about diets. It's also not about starvation or eating things that taste like cardboard. It's about changing your lifestyle by eating foods that your body will thank you for!

Two. I also challenge you to practice self control. One of the biggest problems that I face.

Keep your appetite under the control of reason, and never abuse the stomach by overeating, but do not deprive yourself of wholesome , palatable food that health demands.  (MH: 319.2)

Again, guilty.

While some may perceive me as an "extremist" when it comes to my eating habits, I do have my struggles. I slip too, you know. I give into eating that cookie. I can't resist taking a bite of my favorite doughnut if I see it, and I often feel too lazy to cook and go buy something instead.

However, I wouldn't be me if I hadn't learned from these gluttonous slips.

And what I've realized is that I will give in to junk sometimes, because I'm human. Part of being human is being weak. Instead of giving up on myself and "calling it quits," I will pick myself back up and try it again tomorrow because I believe in the importance of eating healthy, and I believe in myself.

Three.

I have one last challenge.

Believe in yourself. If you stumble, get back up. I believe in you too. We're all in this journey together.

[pocketfullofveggies]

Nanaberrry Pancakes

Vegan foodies, beware. 

So, I was starving yesterday evening..but then I remembered that I had blueberries in my fridge! Instantly I knew that it was a breakfast for dinner kind of night.

I love my usual vegan banana pancakes, but I’ve been wanting to alter them for a few weeks now. My belly was soo happy after these guiltless treats! This recipe is too good to not share, so here ya go! Oh, and of course I’ve included pictures!

Ingredients:

1-2 bananas**

1 1/4 cups unsweeted coconut/almond milk

1 tablespoon honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup rolled oats (or whole wheat flour if you don’t have any)

1-2 + tsp cinnamon (more if you’re a cinnamon lover like me!)

1/2 teaspoon sodium-free baking powder

pinch of salt

fresh bananas & berries to top the pancakes

Al natural peanut butter also to top pancakes

**If the banana is ripe, you can ommit the agave/honey. And only use 1 banana if you like firmer pancakes)

Procedure:

Add the milk, 3/4 of the banana, agave, vanilla extract, and oats to your blender. Blend until it has a battery-consistency and no more oat pieces.

2. Add mix to a bowl, and add the dry ingredients (cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a spoon. Add the remaining 1/4 of the banana in small chunks and the blueberries!

3. Stir one last time carefully so that you don’t hurt the blueberries. Use a ladle to add the batter to a nonstick hot griddle. They are ready to flip over when they are bubbling like in the above picture.

4. They should be golden brown after flipping! Push down on them a little with your spatula to make sure the inside cooks through.

5. Now for the layers! Serve your pancakes, and spread some natural peanut butter & sprinkle some more cinnamon.

6. Lastly, add your fresh fruit. I added more bananas and blueberries, but strawberries or other types of berries would be delicious also! You definitely don’t have you add the peanut butter if you’re not a huge fan of it. I just love the creaminess and it’s protein packed! 

I can’t wait to make them again so I can add nuts. Walnuts or pecans would be AMAZING! Feel free to alter them, also! Banana & dark chocolate would also make a great combination! (:

Also, if you’re wondering about their nutrition facts— I’ve generated this for you!