Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Before we get to the noms…

Update #1: The blog got a makeover! Woopwoop. I’ve been wanting to update the template for so long but never got around to it. Now that it’s so much cleaner and prettier, I’m totally going to write more posts! PS. It’s also responsive (finally).

Update #2: I’ve gone vegan! As mentioned in my “Favourite Vegetarian Restaurants” post from last year, I’ve been a vegetarian for about 10 years or so. I switched to veganism back in April and have been on an awesome food adventure ever since. A full post on why I went vegan coming soon.

I have a lot of people ask me “why would you restrict yourself like that?!” but the truth is: ever since going vegan, I have been discovering new ingredients and exploring so many new recipes. The only crappy thing is ready-to-eat vegan food isn’t super available where I live – ESPECIALLY when it comes to desserts *tear*. But that’s okay because it got me to roll up my sleeves and make my own food/baked goods, which is way healthier anyway!  I’ve actually surprised myself a few times with how good vegan food is.

I decided that I would take my first crack at a full vegan meal this Thanksgiving. What better day than one that’s supposed to be dedicated to turkeys, right?  I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but this was the first time I’ve ever made any of this stuff from scratch. Frozen lasagnas and mashed potatoes from the box were my speciality back in the day (wifey material, I know haha).  I found some amazing recipes from my favourite blogs. Here was the menu for today’s big feast:

1.       Mixed green salad with maple balsamic dressing (super simple salad with mixed field greens, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, avocados and my own dressing)

2.       Roasted butternut squash soup - recipe from allrecipes (subbed vegan butter and vegetable stock, I also roasted the butternut squash using this recipe first)

3.       Mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy - gravy recipe from Oh She Glows (This was waaaay too salty so I had to add a lot of water… I also added mushrooms to it. I would probably try another recipe next time)

4.       Herb & “Cheeze” biscuits - recipe from Oh She Glows 

5.       Stuffing  - recipe from Minimalist Baker (I just left out the lentils)

6.       Vegetable lasagna with Basil Cashew “Cheeze” - recipe from Oh She Glows

7.       Pumpkin pie ice cream with toasted candied pecans - recipe from Minimalist Baker

You guys… everything was SO delicious. My family thought so too (phew)! My brother and dad, who are serious meat-lovers, were pleasantly surprised by how good everything tasted. Yay for leftovers tomorrow!

Hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving meal as well!

What helps me maintain a healthy diet? Stocking my fridge and pantry with lots of healthy foods! I totally still have cravings for junk food, but if they’re not readily available at home then I'm less likely to snack on them.

When I go grocery shopping, I try to buy more produce than packaged goods. The more veggies and fruits I see, the happier it makes me. I love going COSTCO! I’ll usually go there because they have awesome produce in bulk. Plus they've started selling organic superfoods/healthier foods (e.g. chia seeds, coconut oil, quinoa, agave nectar, etc) - at a much better price too! The only downside is that their produce section isn't as extensive as a regular supermarket. Enter Freshco. I'll go there to pick up what Costco doesn’t sell or stuff I don’t need huge quantities of (e.g. peppers, onions, etc).

Here was what I got at the grocery store:

Vegetables

-          A box of spinach

-          A box of mixed field greens

-          A box of baby kale and arugula

-          A bunch of kale

-          A bunch of cilantro

-          A box of pea shoots

-          1 cucumber

-          5 beets

-          3 jalapeno peppers

-          1 bag of assorted bell peppers

-          1 red onion

-          1 bag of avocado

-          1 package of grape tomatoes

-           

Fruits

-          1 large bag of gala apples

-          1 bag of oranges

-          1 bag of clementines

-          2 bunches of bananas

-          1 large box of strawberries

-          1 bag of frozen blueberries

Other

-          1 bag of hemp hearts (great sprinkled on cereal or salads)

I realize this is a lot of food but I eat salads and smoothies every day, and snack on fruit too so this is kind of the norm for me.  Plus anything that’s leftover by the weekend I simply throw in my juicer for an energizing breakfast.

Noms for dayssss!

PS. I GOT A VITAMIX (YAY!). It’s hands down my favourite appliance and definitely lives up to the hype. If you’re into smoothies I would HIGHLY recommend getting one. I thought my old blender did the job just fine, but after using the Vitamix I could never go back. I’ve used this to make healthy “ice cream”, frozen yogurt, cashew milk, even muffin batter!

Okay, back to the smoothie. I call this the breakfast smoothie because it's filling enough to replace a McD's breakfast combo and something I look forward to in the mornings :) 

What you’ll need:

1 ¼ c. water

2 big handfuls of spinach

2 big handfuls of kale (remove the spine and rip into smaller pieces)

1 apple, chopped

1 orange, peeled (try leaving as much pith on as possible) and chopped

½ lemon (juice)

1 frozen banana

1 tbsp. organic chia seeds

1 heaping tbsp. natural almond or peanut butter

4-5 pitted dates (optional)

5 large ice cubes

What to do:

1.       Pour water into your blender. Pack in your greens!

2.       Add the rest of the ingredients in order listed.

3.       If you’re using a Vitamix, the container will be full once all the ingredients are in so you’ll need your tamper tool. Turn to Variable 10 and then to high for about 45 seconds or until smooth. As it’s blending, use your tamper tool to push the ingredients down to the blades.

Makes: 2 big servings or 3 small servings

Notes/tips:

• Freeze your bananas by peeling them and wrapping in saran wrap. You can break them into chunks with your hands after they’re frozen for easier blending
• Using natural nut butter is obviously much healthier than the good ol’ original Kraft PB. You can sweeten it up by adding dates. Also, adding nut butter to your smoothie will thicken it up and prevent separation. I find that it neutralizes the funky taste that green smoothies get when they sit for long periods of time
• If you’re using a regular blender, I’d blend the greens with the water first, then add the rest of the ingredients
• Pith is the white part between the orange peel and the flesh. It’s high in fiber and vitamin C which is why you should try to keep as much of it on as possible