vegan and organic cooking.

Hi All! welcome over here!
this is my personal blog for family to see what my hubby and I are up to. I figured it was best to post recipes over here, and leave the fashion over at the discerning fashionista. so, I have been asked by a few of you to post some recipes and recommendations for anyone looking to eat healthy. the recipe that I am going to share today is something I came up with over the weekend and its pretty simple. its also vegan AND organic! yum. before I dive in let me share a website where I find many great recipes. and its wonderful if you are thinking about going the vegan/vegetarian route at all. eating this way is good for you (skin, weight, heart, hair, etc), good for the earth, and good for the animals. I really cannot say enough about this life style. well, away we go. :)

lets chat about some snack options really quick, as well. its one thing to be able to get to the kitchen and have the time to cook a nice, healthy meal and another when you just need something quick to munch on. some of my favorite go-to's are....

granola mixed with some fruit (berries are best or a banana if your on the run)
soy yogurt (yes, its yummy and there are tons of flavas!)
seaweed (you can buy little packets of it, roasted, to carry with you)
soyjoy bars and larabars (MANY yummy flavors)
pita chips with hummus (spinach is a fav of mine)
nuts (raw almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc)
string cheese (soy cheese, people!)
hemp milk frozen yogurt (coffee and biscotti by living harvest is de-lish)
carrots and salsa (sounds crazy, but its awesome!)
raisins covered in soy yogurt (like chocolate covered raisins but for the vegan set)

I will leave it there for now, but if you are looking for some more, here is a list of snacks that are surprisingly vegan. and if your looking for a great store to pick some of these things up, this is where we shop: sunflower market.

tip: another great place to find veggies and fruit cheap is your local farmer's market. most places have them once a week, so just check!

and finally here is what I whipped up the other night. I apologize for the strangely lit photos and messy counters. we are still in the moving process. love me through it. :)

before I start cooking I always like to have a snack on hand. I know it seems strange, but if I don't then I will end up eating all of my dinner as I am making it. it just works better for me to regulate my eating by having a snack along for the ride. oh, would you look at that.... its those de-lish pita chips and spinach artichoke hummus that I was telling you about. good stuff, everyone.

eating veggies and salad is obviously a BIG part of eating vegan and/or organic. lucky enough for me, I don't mind munching on some leafy stuff. I tossed some spinach and lettuce together to start the salad off. I always enjoy having a mixture as opposed to one type.

then I sprinkled it with wheat croutons from the market and some raw walnuts. I then chopped up a combination of fresh green peppers, red peppers, avocado, and tomato and added that to the mix. the combination of the walnuts mixed with the spicy and tangy peppers works better than you think! I topped it off with a honey mustard vinaigrette. the dressing is easy to make and can be found here. the ingredients are simple and most will have all of them lying around.

after the salad is tossed up, move on to the main course. I took some veggie italian sausage and put it on the stove. use about 3 of them, if you are making a meal for two people. then I chopped up half an onion, 1 clove of garlic, and a handful of baby bella mushrooms and added them in with the sausage. let that all simmer at a medium/high temperature for about 15 minutes.

while that was simmering, I cooked a pot of wild mushroom rice. it takes the rice about 15 minutes to cook as well. once the sausage combo is complete, mix the two together.

after you mix them up, let them sit for about 5 minutes so the flavors can mix together. to finish off the meal, I made my oven baked veggies. For my veggies, I learned this little trick from my mom and its the best. So now I will share it with you. :)
I don't know why but this way of cooking them makes them taste 100 percent better. I can't figure it out, but I know I down them like they are going out of style. You would think I was eating chocolate chip cookies and not veggies.
Set your oven at 400 and grab your cookie sheets. For mine, I use my cupcake sheets. I like to section off the veggies so that they can cook better this way. Pour a little olive oil on the top of them and throw on some salt and pepper. Toss in the oven for 10 minutes. Each oven is different, so check them to make sure they are looking crispy before you take them out. You will love them. You are getting a personal Megan guarantee!

and there you have it! a delicious and healthy meal that should leave you stuffed! I hope that I have been able to help some of you! Please be sure to email me with any more questions. and I plan on posting many more recipes!

cheers and bon appetit!

christmas.

yummy stuff

Hey everyone! So I'm putting this post up for some of the girls that frequent my fashion blog. They were inquiring after some healthy recipe ideas so I thought I would start posting some up over here. :)

Before I dive into the recipes, I want to say first that they are all incredibly easy. The main thing that I've learned is that you can still eat the same things, but you just need to learn to substitute the important stuff. Every little bit will make a difference. Instead of white rice, use brown rice or couscous, instead of regular pasta use whole wheat or multi grain, instead of butter use some olive oil, instead of cheddar cheese use some low fat ricotta, and instead of white bread use rye or wheat. and of course always go with the low sodium options! Just a few pointers. There are great low fat substitutes you can learn for most everything. :)

This week I have been craving fish, so two of these recipes are sea food centric, but I promise there will be others without for the next post. I know not everyone loves this stuff, but I have found a real passion for it. It is so de-lish, so low in cal, and just over all so good for you. The omega oils work for your hair, and your skin, and its better than eating a giant chunk of red meat.

The first dinner dish we have here is teriyaki grilled salmon topped with pan seared green peppers, red peppers, and onions with a broccoli and spinach salad on the side.


super easy ladies. before you head off to work for the day, grab your two 6 ounce pieces of salmon (mine are from safeway), and put them into some zip locks and add some soy sauce and some low sodium teriyaki sauce and toss them in the fridge to marinate for the day. If you only have an hour that will work, but the flavor is better the longer you can leave them in there. When your ready to cook, grab your grill (mine is a George Foreman yay!) and toss the salmon on there, skin side up. Add some more soy sauce as you are grilling, and toss on some seasoning. I use Mrs. Dash (low sodium and found at all grocery stores).

While that is cooking grab your veggies ( carrots, broccoli, and peas.... I use the frozen kind for this recipe, so easy ) and put them in the pot to boil. Usually its about 3 cups of water for the bag of veggies, and it takes about 20 minutes at a medium boil for them to be soft. While that is working, grab your spinach and toss it in the salad bowl, and add your choice of dressing ( I go for the low fat, low carb honey soy from eating right). The salmon should be ready to flip after about 10 minutes. Go ahead and flip, and add a little more soy sauce. For the last 10 minutes while the salmon cooks, head over to the stove and heat up a skillet or pan. drizzle a little olive oil on it while it warms. Go ahead and chop your onion, green pepper, and red pepper and toss onto the pan. Let saute for about 5 minutes.

Your salmon should be ready to go, so grab it and put it on your plate. Then drain your veggies and toss them into your salad. Once the onions and crew are ready toss them on top of your salmon, and you are ready to dig in! yum! The whole ordeal takes about 30 minutes to prepare. not bad!

This one is even easier. This is one of my favorite lunch recipes, and I recently shared it with Christen the other day and she loved it as well! These are mini pesto pizzas. but how can pizza be healthy? well, have a look...


The first step is deciding what you would like to use for your dough. I go back and forth between two very healthy options. The first (seen above) is low carb pita bread. It comes in packs of 10, and has only 50 calories per pita! score! The second if you are a mushroom lover, is to use the large mushroom caps. so yummy and also a legitimate choice.

So you take your pita bread or mushroom cap and place it on a cookie sheet and set your oven to 415. Sprinkle a dab of low fat pesto onto the bread and spread around. I then add some fresh sliced up tomatoes, and my choice of toppings which include chopped mushrooms, onions, spinach, and a tiny bit of prosciutto. Top with some fresh mozzarella and ricotta cheese, not too much though! Toss in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes and your good to go. So de-lish!

Here is a favorite snack of mine at the moment. very simple. I take a flavor of yoplait low fat yogurt (below are raspberry and lemon) and add a spoonful of sugar free jello pudding, and top with the fruit of the day! Here I used pineapple, but strawberries, banana, and mango also work. Did you know that pineapple (like celery) is a negative calorie food? It takes our bodies more energy to digest it, so we are burning calories! But, we still have to watch it, because it is high in sugar. :) and another fun thing to add here is some granola, but I was all out that day. sad megan face.


ok, so one final recipe for the night. another sea food one. Here I give you spicy sauteed scallops over oven baked veggies and Thai noodles.

First you are going to get your pan ready by warming it up to a medium temp and adding some olive oil. Toss the baby scallops on, and then add some seasoning. For my scallops I use taco seasoning! You can grab the little packets at safeway, and they are great for adding that spicy flavor. I also topped these with a little soy sauce to give them that extra oomph. these should only take about 15 minutes to cook, just keep an eye on them and make sure to stir them frequently.

For my veggies, I learned this little trick from my mom and its the best. So now I will share it with you. :)

I don't know why but this way of cooking them makes them taste 100 percent better. I can't figure it out, but I know I down them like they are going out of style. You would think I was eating chocolate chip cookies and not veggies. fersure.

Set your oven at 400 and grab your cookie sheets. For mine, I use my cupcake sheets. I like to section off the veggies so that they can cook better this way. Pour a little olive oil on the top of them and throw on some salt and pepper. Toss in the oven for 10 minutes. Each oven is different, so check them to make sure they are looking crispy before you take them out. You will love them. You are getting a personal Megan guarantee!

While all this is happening, grab your past pot and add a few cups of water, and add some multi grain Thai noodles. I found mine at Safeway, of course, in the same aisle as the pasta. Let them boil until soft.

Once everything is ready, put the noodles, veggies, and scallops in a bowl and mix together for a delicious meal.


I hope I have given you some good ideas, and I have TONS more! Let me know if you like these ones, and if you would like some other ones next week!

xoxo

M

Cubbie Blue

Dog days of Summer

The girls and I headed to San Diego this week for the Cubs and the Padres series. Unfortunately the Cubs didn't do that well but my family and I had a blast taking the girls to Dog Beach! They had such a good time and it was nice to be back in California and hanging out by the ocean for the day :)

desert sky

Logan and I went for a drive up in the foothills last night. still too hot to get out and hike, but hopefully in the coming months we will be able to as it cools off. The desert here is just beautiful. :)

Reid Dog park

Some shots of the girls making new friends in Tucson. It was a really rainy day here. We are right in the middle of monsoon season and get some really crazy storms. It almost reminds me of spring back in the mid west with all the thunderstorms. Anyways, the girls had a blast and I met some more people from Chicago! That is 3 in the past 2 days. Go cubs fans! So here they are... Crash is a little muddy since she of course found a giant mud puddle and proceeded to lay down and roll around in it. Yep, that sounds about right doesn't it?