Thursday, March 31, 2011

Someone Wins a Free Cookbook Tomorrow - Will it be You???

Today is the last day to earn entries for our March giveaway. Tomorrow, someone will win their choice of the following books:

Disease-Proof Your Child











Eat to LiveEat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss












Vegan with a Vengeance











Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World












Will it be you???

Thanks to all of you who have already entered by leaving comments and sharing the blog throughout the month.

If you haven't entered yet (or want extra entries) here's how . . . be sure to check out our newest ways!

1. Sign up to follow Growing Healthy Sprouts . . . must be a blog follower to win.

2. Tell us what you think . . . earn one entry for every comment on the blog!

3. Tell a friend . . . every time a friend mentions your name in a comment, you both get an extra entry.

4. Like us on Facebook . . . we just like to feel the love.

5. Share the news . . . earn additional entries by blogging about our giveaway or sharing it on Facebook (just send me a message to let me know you've done so).

And the new ones . . .

6. Tell us what you're cooking . . . Have you tried any GHS recipes? If so, share about it here and receive two entries (one for your comment and one for trying a recipe).

7. Follow us on Twitter . . . maybe you can help me figure out what Twitter is for.

Food for Thought Thursday - Plant Protein

As I mentioned the other week, "Where do you get your protein?" is my least favorite question to answer. But it's also a big concern for people transitioning to a plant-based diet - or at least (to snag a phrase from Brendan Brazier) it's a big concern for the people surrounding those transitioning to a plant-based diet.

There's so much misinformation about protein in our country, due in no small part to the strong influence the marketers of animal protein (meat and dairy) have in our culture and our regulatory agencies. Due to this misinformation, many people still believe the following myths:

- More protein is better - especially for athletes. While the average American eats up to 30% of their calories in the form of protein, the World Health Organization recommends a protein intake of the range of 5-10% of total calories. Even the RDA recommends a diet of only 15% protein. Breast milk, designed to sustain a human  through the most rapid growth period of their life, contains about 10% protein. So why do we think we need so much protein when we're not growing and developing at anywhere near the same rate? Probably because the protein pushers have the best TV commercials.

- You can't get enough protein unless you eat meat. Again, this is a TV advertising slogan, not a research-based fact. While protein deficiency is definitely dangerous, it is almost unheard of in the Western world. As long as you are consuming a normal amount of calories (meaning, not starving yourself) you are most certainly getting enough; most plant foods get a decent percentage of their calories for protein. The far bigger concern, especially in the US, should be protein excess. It is much more common and can cause serious health problems. As the American Heart Association says . . . 

"The American Heart Association doesn't recommend high-protein diets. Most Americans already eat more protein than their bodies need. And eating too much protein can increase health risks. High-protein animal foods are usually also high in saturated fat. Eating large amounts of high-fat foods for a sustained period raises the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and several types of cancer. People who can't use excess protein effectively may be at higher risk of kidney and liver disorders, and osteoporosis. High-protein diets don't provide some essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutritional elements."

- There's no protein in plant food. So what exactly are they made of??? Fat? Carbs? The truth it, most plant foods have a nice variety of all three macronutrients - plus the added benefit of the tens of thousands of micronutrients that are only found in plant foods. The Vegetarian Resource Group has a great article on protein that includes a list of the quantity of protein found in certain plant foods. Most people would be surprised to know that - per calorie - spinach has more protein than beef (12 grams/100 calories of spinach vs. 10 grams/100 calories of beef). You didn't see Popeye eating hamburgers to build those muscles, did you?

- Plant protein isn't as good as animal protein. Well this one is kind of right . . . it's isn't "as good as", it's better! Imagine two identical gift boxes. Both are nicely wrapped and look very appealing - but the contents are very different. Inside one are things that are great for your body - antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber. And in the other? Loads of calories and saturated fat. Which gift would you give to your body?

*  *  *

So how would you know if you're not getting enough protein? Many people assume that feeling tired means they're not getting enough. In my experience, however, fatigue is much more likely to be caused by a lack of micronutrients (from fruits and veggies) than by a lack of protein.

Quite a few years ago - way before our vegan days - Jim and I experimented with a vegetarian diet. It lasted about two months, and we stopped because we felt more tired than usual. Perhaps it was just the normal exhaustion of first-time parents, but more than likely, it was because we simply substituted eggs and cheese for meat. Instead of living on meat, refined carbs and a sprinkling of produce, we lived on eggs, cheese, refined carbs and a sprinkling of produce. Mistakenly thinking it was the lack of meat - and not an increase in dairy and a diet lacking in micronutrients - that was making us tired, we returned to our previous ways.

Our second attempt - spurred by the knowledge gained from Disease-Proof Your Child and Eat to Live - was the complete opposite. We learned to make fruits and vegetables the starting point for a diet - not an afterthought that we tried to squeeze in the required amount of every day. We complimented them with plenty of beans, nuts and whole grains - had more energy than ever before. The one phrase I remember using a lot was "I feel like things are right with my body that I never knew were wrong before."

In the almost four years since then, I definitely notice a direct correlation between my energy level and my fruit/veggie consumption. When I fall into what I like to call a "bad vegan" slump, eating more refined grains and fewer fresh foods, I definitely notice a decline in my energy levels and mental clarity. But when I'm doing it right, nothing can stop me!!!

Want to learn more? Check out these great articles from Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier, Organic Athlete founder Bradley Saul and Eat to Live author Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Get VegUcated at the Florida School of Holistic Living

In case I haven't mentioned it before, my friend Gretchen from What a Healthy Family Eats is the one who convinced me to give a plant-based diet a try - no nagging, just subtle and consistent pieces of information that (eventually) opened my eyes to a healthier choice.

These days, she is reaching a broader audience by teaching "VedUcation" classes at the Florida School of Holistic Living. Her next class will be on Wednesday, April 6th from 7:00 - 8:30PM and will focus on the topic of Heart Health. Here are the details from their website:

Are you nutritionally confused? Tired of dieting or just plain ready to make changes that will create real health improvement and weight loss?

Join Gretchen Goel, 4 1/2 year Vegan and Plant Based Nutrition Certified Wellness Coach to get you headed in the right direction or back on track. You will gain a thorough understanding of the basics of Plant Based Nutrition, How to Plan and Shop for Meals, and other changes you can make towards greater health improvement.

HEART HEALTH:
Oils are not health foods, understand the latest science and how you can prepare delicious meals without oil.

Food demo: oil free salad dressings with mixed green salad, how to sautee without oil and bake with minimal amounts of oil. Sample a veggie stir fry and muffins.

Bi-Weekly Support Group Meetings are also offered.

Food Demos and more!
Wednesday, Apr. 6th, 2011, 7:00pm - 8:30pm


One-Week Vegan Blogathon on Laurel on Health Food

My friend Laurel, a certified holistic health counselor/health coach, is doing a blogathon about her week eating vegan. Check out her site for yummy food pics and recipes, along with other great health tips!

What's for Dinner Wednesday - French Bread Pizza & Strawberry-Spinach Salad

Had I had a little more forethought, this would have been an additional meal from last week's Two for Tuesday post. I'd have cooked a little more veggies and had them ready to dice and throw on top. Instead (since I got home from the grocery store at 6PM) we had "lazy girl" pizza - sliced spelt baguettes (leftover from the Roasted Veggie Sandwiches) with tomato sauce and Daiya cheese. At least I made a salad to go with it!

The salad is your basic Strawberry-Spinach Salad - spinach leaves, sliced strawberries and toasted almonds. Since my Sprouts are huge fans of raspberry vinaigrette dressing, I did make my first attempt at that. Turned out pretty well, and you can snag that recipe here.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Someone Wins a Free Cookbook on Friday - Will it be You???

On Friday, someone will win their choice of the following books:

Disease-Proof Your Child











Eat to LiveEat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss












Vegan with a Vengeance











Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World












Will it be you???

Thanks to all of you who have already entered by leaving comments and sharing the blog throughout the month.

If you haven't entered yet (or want extra entries) here's how . . . be sure to check out our newest ways!

1. Sign up to follow Growing Healthy Sprouts . . . must be a blog follower to win.

2. Tell us what you think . . . earn one entry for every comment on the blog!

3. Tell a friend . . . every time a friend mentions your name in a comment, you both get an extra entry.

4. Like us on Facebook . . . we just like to feel the love.

5. Share the news . . . earn additional entries by blogging about our giveaway or sharing it on Facebook (just send me a message to let me know you've done so).

And the new ones . . .

6. Tell us what you're cooking . . . Have you tried any GHS recipes? If so, share about it here and receive two entries (one for your comment and one for trying a recipe).

7. Follow us on Twitter . . . maybe you can help me figure out what Twitter is for.

Two for Tuesday - Roasted Veggie Sandwiches & Antipasto Salad

Today's Two for Tuesday feature was a huge hit in our house - good for two awesome meals with the potential for four!!! I'll give you the recipes for the Roasted Veggie Sandwiches and Antipasto Salad first, with the ideas for the additional two meals added in at the end.

Roasted Veggie Sandwiches














Ingredients:
1 recipe Cashew Cheese Log
1 large or two small baguettes (from bakery or made from this bread recipe)
3 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 lb. asparagus
1 large tomato
1 12-oz. jar roasted red peppers
1 6-oz. jar marinated artichokes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Scrub the zucchini and squash, and cut lengthwise into long strips. Wash and trim asparagus, and place it on baking sheets with zucchini and squash. Give a quick spray of cooking spray (optional), then sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.

2. While the veggies are roasting, slice the baguette in half lengthwise (producing the top and bottom of the sandwich). Spread each side lightly (or not so lightly - your choice!) with the cashew cheese. Cut the tomato into thin slices, and spread them on one side of the baguette. Top with roasted red peppers and artichokes (I used about 1/2 a jar of each - you'll want to leave plenty for the salad).

3. When the veggies have roasted for 10 minutes, place the baguette slices in the oven and roast for an additional 10 minutes.

4. Remove everything from the oven, and layer half the zucchini, squash and asparagus onto the baguette slice on top of the tomatoes, peppers and artichokes (save the other half of the veggies for the next night's salad). Top with the other baguette slice, cut into four pieces and serve.

Sprout Ratings:
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

The veggie sandwich was delicious, and the antipasto salad the next night went together in a snap.You can serve it with any dressing you like - a balsamic vinaigrette would be nice but all I had on hand was the agave mustard. Feel free to add any other toppings you may like. I put olives on Little Sprout's (she's the only one that likes them), but onions, peppers and vegan feta would also go well.

Antipasto Salad













Ingredients:
Leftover zucchini, squash and asparagus from sandwich recipe
Leftover red peppers and artichokes from sandwich recipe
Lettuce of your choice (about 6 cups)
Dressing of your choice

Preparation:
Wash and chop the lettuce, then top with zucchini, squash, asparagus, red peppers, artichokes and any other toppings you like. Serve with desired dressing. Yep, it's really that easy!

Sprout Ratings:
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 4 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

So yummy! And is if that wasn't enough, here are two more meal options you can pull together in a snap . . .

Option #3: Double the cashew cheese recipe and make two logs. On the third night, serve a light dinner of the cashew cheese log with lots of raw veggies and crackers for dipping.

Option #4: Buy or make an extra baguette, and add an extra zucchini and squash when roasted veggies for the sandwich. On the fourth night, slice the extra baguette, top with pizza sauce, roasted veggies and shredded vegan cheese for an easy French bread pizza. Serve with an easy green salad.

Monday, March 28, 2011

GHS is now on Twitter

Follow 2healthysprouts on TwitterThat's right, Growing Healthy Sprouts is now on Twitter. I'm still not sure quite what that means, but we are!

Oil-Free Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

The good news is that after two months of blogging about food, I finally remember how to spell "vinaigrette" without the assistance of my spell check. The even better news is that I finally made my own Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing - the Sprouts' favorite.


Oil-Free Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients:
3/4 cup raspberries
3/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cashews
3 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chopped shallot

Preparation:
Soak the cashews for a few hours (or for 10 minutes in warm water if you're in a hurry). Combine all ingredients in blender, and process until smooth.

Sprout Ratings:
Big Sprout - 4.5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 4 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 3 sprouts

It turned out really well, but I'll probably tweak it a little in the future, using less vinegar and shallot so I don't have to sweeten it as much. I'll definitely share if I get even better results next time!

Meal Plan Monday - Week of March 28

After last week's 4-in-1 meal (you'll get to read about that tomorrow), I had planned just a 2-in-1 this week - until Big Sprout chose a recipe to cook that again used similar ingredients. It's looking like next week's Two for Tuesday will get you three meals using the same base ingredients, and I'm sure you can spot it in this week's meal plan.

I'm also simplifying the meal plan a bit by planning a week's worth of breakfasts and lunches without committing each meal to a specific day. This gives us a little extra flexibility based on what activities might pop up that day, what the kids feel like eating and the times that Jim fixes meals for them.

Advance Preparation
Make veggie tray (Jim)
Make salad dressing (Raspberry Vinaigrette)
Make cashew cheese log
Make pecan butter
Make bread (including burger buns)
Make hummus

Breakfasts
Green smoothie
Green juice (me)
Apple with peanut butter
Toast with pecan butter and banana
Fruit & nuts
Oatmeal with fruit & nuts

Lunches
Soup with raw veggies & hummus
Tofu salad on green salad with fruit
Everyday Quinoa-Chickpea Salad
Hummus & veggie wraps
PB&J with raw veggies & fruit
Cashew cheese log with raw veggies & Nut Thins

Dinners 
Monday: Strawberry-Spinach Salad; French bread pizzas 
Tuesday: Creamy Pasta Primavera, salad 
Wednesday: Veggie burgers; roasted potatoes 
Thursday: Leftovers 
Friday:  Unfried rice; salad 
Saturday: Out 
Sunday: Polenta Stuffing; asparagus; salad

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sweet on Sunday - Oatmeal Banana Waffles

The first Sunday that I was on the CSD cleanse, Jim asked what was for breakfast and I replied that I was having (as usual) juice. So he headed to the kitchen to make something for himself and the kids and stumbled across the waffle iron that he uses to make his family's secret recipe for cookies - and realized that he could make waffles with it.

So for the past three Sundays, while I drank my cucumber-kale-lettuce-beet-broccoli-celery-apple-pear juice, the amazing aroma of homemade waffles filled the house as he cooked the Oatmeal Banana Waffles from Vegan with a Vengeance. But this Sunday, I finally got my waffles.

I'd intended to have one waffle and still make my juice, but how could I turn down this lovely plate that he prepared for me. Then, an emergency run to Publix derailed my juicing plan, turning this into my sweet, splurge meal for the week. And it was delicious!

Recipe Recap

Just in case you missed them, here's a recap of the new GHS recipes we've posted in the past two weeks: 





Saturday, March 26, 2011

Stay Active Saturday - Naturally Active Kids

Have you ever noticed that a child's natural state seems to be "in motion". I mean, just one attempt at getting them to sit through a long meal, a sibling's ball game or any other event that requires them to be stationary will show how much they long to wiggle, jump and move.

As adults, we often think of exercise as "work" while kids think of it as "play". So when is it that we make this transition? And how can we keep it from happening to our kids?

I know from experience that my kids will play for hours at the playground or swimming pool, and I still have to drag them away kicking and screaming when it's time to go home. But I also see that, when I don't make the effort to provide these opportunities, that they're also content to sit around watching movies all day - and that's really alarming to me.

Lately, we've been making more time for outdoor activities, which is easier these days since winter and spring are our "outdoor" seasons here in Florida. Even if we're not practicing specific sports or training for an event, they're definitely more active when I make the time to do this. And that's a habit I definitely want to instill.

Here are some of our favorite activities we enjoy as a family:

- Nature walk / hike
- Bike ride around the neighborhood
- Bike ride to a destination (playground, restaurant, etc.)
- Walking the dog
- Frisbee, kite flying & kicking a soccer ball at the park
- Visiting new playgrounds
- Swimming
- Roller skating or ice skating

What are yours???

Friday, March 25, 2011

March Giveaway Ends Next Week - Enter Today!!!

One week from today, someone will win their choice of the following books:

Disease-Proof Your Child











Eat to LiveEat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss












Vegan with a Vengeance











Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World












Will it be you???

Thanks to all of you who have already entered by leaving comments and sharing the blog throughout the month.

If you haven't entered yet (or want extra entries) here's how . . . be sure to check out our newest way!

1. Sign up to follow Growing Healthy Sprouts . . . must be a blog follower to win.

2. Tell us what you think . . . earn one entry for every comment on the blog!

3. Tell a friend . . . every time a friend mentions your name in a comment, you both get an extra entry.

4. Like us on Facebook . . . we just like to feel the love.

5. Share the news . . . earn additional entries by blogging about our giveaway or sharing it on Facebook (just send me a message to let me know you've done so).

And the new one . . .

6. Tell us what you're cooking . . . Have you tried any GHS recipes? If so, share about it here and receive two entries (one for your comment and one for trying a recipe).