Being the label-reading food nerd that I am, I found some of the tags to be more helpful than others. For example, "Gluten Free", "Organic", and "Good Source of Calcium" were more useful than the mysterious "Made with Whole Grains" or "Natural". It would be great to also see labels for "Vegan", "Vegetarian", "Good Source of Iron", or "Good Source of Protein" (I didn't notice any of those in my store).

All in all, I think this is a very positive addition to our grocery store shelves. I'm all for bringing light to the contents of our food. Anything that gets the attention of consumers who usually don't consider nutritional value when selecting products is a good thing!


The folks at the SimpleNutrition program provided me with two $25 gift cards to give away to you!

TO ENTER: Please leave a comment on this post telling me whether you read labels when you shop or if you base your purchases on something else.

The fine print: Two winners will be chosen via random drawing. Each winner will receive one $25 gift card that is good at Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Genuardi's, Dominick's, Carrs, Randalls, and Tom Thumb. Contest ends Wednesday March 30th at 11:59pm PDT. Winner will be announced on Thursday the 31st.

Good luck!!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (vegan)

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (whole wheat pastry flour works well)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2/3 cup non-dairy milk
• 2/3 cup real maple syrup (this is a pretty sweet bread and this could be reduced to 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup oil (canola, coconut, olive - your choice)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups grated zucchini
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds (optional, adds protein, iron, and omega 3s)

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F (190º C). In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the milk, syrup, oil, lemon juice, vanilla, and zucchini. Add to the dry mixture and stir gently to combine. Fold in the raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts, and hemp seeds.
3. Pour batter into a loaf pan* lined with parchment paper (or lightly oiled). Bake for 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Note: You can also bake this as muffins. Reduce baking time to approximately 20-25 minutes.

• 1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds (or other nuts)
• 1/2 cup sunflower or other seeds
• 1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or other dried fruit (or a combo)
• 2 tbsp hemp or other seeds
• 1/4 cup raw cacao nibs (or chocolate pieces)
• 2 cups rolled (old-fashioned) oats
• 2 cups toasted rice cereal (like Rice Krispies, I use the Barbara's brand brown rice version)
• 1/2 cup nut or seed butter (I like almond)
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine the first seven ingredients (almonds through rice cereal) in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Combine the nut butter, rice syrup, maple syrup, and vanilla in a microwave safe bowl. Warm in the microwave until pourable. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
3. Firmly press the mixture into a 9x13 inch pan lined with parchment paper and put in the freezer. When cooled and hardened, remove from the pan by lifting it out by the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Cut into bars and individually wrap.

Blueberry Super Pancakes

• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened coconut)
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
• 3 tbsp hemp (or sunflower) seeds
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp oil (canola, coconut, etc.- your choice)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup blueberries (if using frozen, defrost them in a strainer under warm water)

1. Preheat your griddle over medium heat. Combine the flours and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Place all remaining ingredients, except for the blueberries in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture and stir to combine. Some small lumps are ok- you don't want to over-mix the batter or the pancakes will be tough. Fold in the blueberries.
3. Cook on a heated griddle, flipping when the edges are bubbly.

To serve, spread margarine (I use Earth Balance) on top of warm pancakes, dust with powdered sugar, and squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the top.

Today was a normal Monday. I was planning to go to the gym after taking my older son to preschool. I had a little bit of a sinus headache but felt pretty good anyway. After I had a green smoothie and gave the kids breakfast, I decided I needed a break today. I've been feeling burned out and I needed a little TLC. Today quickly turned into an exfoliate-and-deep-condition kind of day. I even took a 20 minute nap (I'm usually a militant non-napper) and woke up feeling a thousand times better.

Do you ever have mini spa days at home? What are your favorite things to do to nurture yourself when you need a little extra TLC?

• 3-4 cups of hearty or creamy soup of choice (ideas above)
• About 1/2 pound sliced stale bread (sourdough is great)
• 1 garlic clove, cut in half
• Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Brush the bread with olive oil and place it on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub each piece with the garlic clove.
2. Lightly oil a gratin dish or Dutch oven. Break the bread into pieces and scatter them over the bottom of the pan. Pour or ladle the soup over the top of the bread. Place the pan on a baking sheet (to catch any overflow) and bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling. Let cool for about five minutes before serving.

Crockpot Oatmeal
Makes about 4 servings

• 1 cup oats of choice (I like oat groats)
• 3 cups of water (or recommended ratio of water +1 cup)
• Optional mix-ins: chopped apples, raisins, dried, cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, etc.

1. Put oats, water, and mix-ins in crockpot and turn on low overnight*.
2. To serve, I stir in 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter and top with a bit of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

*Tip: If you find that your oats are sticking to the crockpot, try adding a bit more water the next time or use a holiday light timer to turn your crockpot off for you while you're still getting your beauty sleep!

Leftovers can be refrigerated and re-heated in the microwave with a little non-dairy milk. Feel free to get creative with the optional mix-ins!

Cherry Vanilla Muffins With Pecan Streusel
Makes 9-11 muffins

1 1/2 cups frozen cherries
1⁄3 cup flax meal (ground flaxseeds)
1 cup non-dairy milk
1⁄3 cup sugar
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or more vanilla)

Streusel topping:
1⁄3 cup pecans
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 margarine (preferably Earth Balance)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Pulse cherries in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
3. In a small bowl, add the milk, flax meal, sugar, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Combine well. Add the cherries and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet mixture and combine with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Pulse the pecans, brown sugar, and margarine in the food processor to make the streusel. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and top the muffins with the streusel. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 26-28 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan before moving to a cooling rack.

For some extra cherry goodness, I'm in love with the Snow Geisha tea from Teavana. It is a loose leaf white tea that smells like cherry lollipops (it has a light cherry flavor when brewed). Awesome.

Here are a few of my recent favorite Costco finds:

• Organic spinach
• Organic apples
• truRoots organic products- beans, lentils, rice, quinoa
  
• Hannah organic hummus, single serving packs
• Hadley pitted dates
• Farro (a hearty Italian grain)
• Garofalo organic whole wheat spaghetti
• Organic Sunmaid raisins
• Organic applesauce
• Organic soymilk
• Nature's Path organic Ancient Grains cereal
• Ecover automatic dishwasher tablets
• Kirkland enviromentally friendly liquid dish soap
• Real maple syrup
• Veggie Patch falafel chickpea balls (for quick lunches)
• Marcona almonds- yummy salty/crunchy snack!

Do you shop in bulk or at a warehouse store? If so, what's on your shopping list?

1 small green cabbage (Savoy works well), thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 large potato, chopped (leave the peel on for extra fiber and iron)
1 cup French green lentils (I used truRoots sprouted green lentils which I found at Costco), rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice or other hearty grain (I used truRoots germinated Gaba rice from Costco), uncooked and rinsed  
1 cube of Rapunzel vegetable bouillon with sea salt and herbs (optional)
6-8 cups of water
Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion and potato and cook for a few minutes. Add the cabbage, water, bouillon cube (or 1 tsp sea salt), lentils, and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the lentils and rice are fully cooked*. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

Photo credit

Oprah and 378 of her staff elected to participate in a challenge to eat vegan for one week. I have had a little time to reflect on the show and I wanted to share my thoughts.

My thoughts on the show:

First, I applaud Oprah for bringing attention to this subject. I also commend her and her staff for stepping out of their comfort zones to try out vegan eating. I think Kathy Freston did a good job of mentoring Oprah's staff through their food challenges. She helped to demystify "vegan food" just a little bit by gracefully answering the ubiquitous "where do you get your protein" question. I would have liked more focus on whole foods and less emphasis on meat substitutes (more on that below). Oprah did not take a pro-vegan or non-vegan stance and the staffer interviews were reflective of their individual experiences with this challenge (some loved it, some did not).

• Michael Pollan: I love Michael Pollan. His "Food Rules" are so accessible and non-radical and everything that he recommends makes sense. He is not vegetarian but consumes animal products in an informed way. His desire is to reform rather than eliminate the meat industry. I hope that, by his being on this episode, people will begin to think about where their food comes from and give some consideration to the chain of events in which they are participating by purchasing and eating these foods.
• Slaughterhouse footage: I loved that Oprah shared Lisa Ling's story on the Cargill slaughter house. It is important for people to know how their food gets to their grocery store so that they can make intelligent choices about what they eat. Whether you were horrified or undeterred by this footage, your choice to act on or not act on this information, in my opinion, is very personal.
• "Fake meat": People who eat a "Standard American Diet" (as well as many vegetarians) are skeptical of meat and dairy substitutes. These products offer a similar look and feel to their animal-derived counterparts, but they really don't taste the same and they can be highly processed. I don't use many of these products at home because I prefer to eat whole and unprocessed foods. Some people may recommend them as "transition foods" for people making the switch to a vegetarian diet. I hesitate to agree with this because it sets the expectation that they will taste like the meat that people are used to. These products are not representative of what a vegetarian or vegan diet can be. Eating a diet of whole and unprocessed foods is far more delicious and satisfying than simply replacing the animal-based ingredients of a non-veg meal with something that looks (but doesn't taste) like the "real" thing.
• The mystery of "vegan food": I liked that this show brought to light the need to make conscious choices about what we put into our meals. From the comments and discussions that I've seen, though, there is still a misconception that "vegan food" is mysterious, complicated, and expensive. By sharing recipes, tips, and information, I hope that this is something that I and my fellow vegan/vegetarian/healthy living bloggers can help to make less bewildering. I love that this is getting more mainstream media attention- let's keep it up!

Why I've chosen to be vegan:
I don't eat meat but I don't think that makes me special. It is what I have chosen for myself. Based on everything that I know, this is the healthiest way for me to live. I eat this way for my health, for how I feel- like I'm burning clean fuel, and because I don't want to participate in the business of factory farming by consuming animal products. I'm in it for me, for the animals, and for the environment. I am 100% convinced that I am drastically reducing my risk for heart disease and cancer. I have great energy and my skin glows. My body agrees with my mind and my heart on this choice.

Some advice for those considering the switch:
Changing your diet does not have to be all or nothing or "cold turkey". Eat what feels right to you. Honor your own values and needs. Try Meatless Mondays or challenge yourself to try a new vegan recipe once a week. Focus on all of the wonderful abundance of whole foods that you can add to your weekly meals and not on what you are removing.

A resource:
Kathy Freston did a great job of putting together some vegan FAQs, here and a Vegan Starter Kit, here.