The PERFECT Falafel

My God, who doesn't love falafel. So freaking good. Well guess what? A baked version made with organic, wholesome ingredients, and spelt flour instead of white, is just as good. No, I lied. MUCH BETTER!

I came up with this a while ago, but never got around to posting it. It's a great idea to make a huge batch to have on hand as a protein source throughout the week. And it goes mega quick!

Ingredients:

-3 cups cooked chickpeas
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 medium sized onion, diced
-2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-1/2 tbsp sea salt
-1 tbsp cumin
-2.5 tbsp dried parsley
-3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
-1/4 cup spelt flour (or flour of choice)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a food processor, combine chickpeas, onion and olive oil, processing until combined but some texture remains.

3. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Roll into balls.

4. Lightly grease a baking sheet with some oil. Place falafel on the baking sheet, and bake for 40 minutes, turning halfway.

Serve with prepared tahini sauce (recipe below) on a whole grain pita, in romaine leaves, or on a bed of greens!

Tahini sauce:

-1/2 cup tahini (sesame butter)
-1/4 cup water (or more to reach desired consistency)
-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 tsp sea salt
-Juice of half a lemon
-2-3 cloves of minced garlic

My Juice Fasting Experience

Last week my dad and I went on a camping trip to Algonquin Park. My first time camping there was last year, so I knew what a beautiful place Algonquin is. We had planned this camping trip for a couple of months before going. This time, we were going for five whole days. The thought of being in such a serene location for five whole days without city distractions, pollution, work, and social networking was a very exciting thought!

I also thought this trip would be the perfect time to do a juice cleanse. The longest I had ever done a juice fast was just one day. I have done that many times, after a potluck or a day of overindulgence when my stomach felt like it was full of all these combinations of food it would have a tough time digesting. This time, I wanted to go for the whole five days.

The reason I had never done a juice fast any longer was because I knew you really had to be minimally active while juicing. I am a very active person. I'm either working or working out. Aside from worries about having enough energy for my active days, if I was juice fasting I'd need to have my juicer with me. Carrying pre-made juice isn't something I'd do because the enzymes are gone quite quickly, as the juice oxidizes after it's been made fresh from a juicer.

This trip was the perfect time to do a fast - I'd be away from the city without any responsibilities. I wouldn't be going to the gym (a thought that actually made me quite sad, lol). No work. And I got my dad on board too! Which was really awesome, because I didn't know how he'd feel about it. We watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and he totally agreed it'd be a good kick start for him on his weight loss (he's a bit overweight, and always saying he wants to lose a few!).

When the time finally came, we packed the juicer, bought a TON of produce, some tea for the evenings...and we were off! I want to make an important point that juice fasting should be focused on dark, leafy greens as much as possible. Fruits and sweetener or starchy vegetables shouldn't be most of what you're juicing. If your juice is very sweet, it enters your blood very quickly because there's no fibre there to slow it's absorption, so your blood sugar would go way high! We planned to juice the sweet stuff mostly in the morning.

Monday morning I woke up and prepared a delicious and tasty juice for my dad and I. I wanted the first one to be very delicious for him, because he wasn't used to juicing very green and less sweet stuff yet, although he knew we would be doing that during this fast! We made a toast, and we were off.

By the time we got there (I think it was about a four hour drive), I was very tired. And I was starving! I had packed a juice for on the road, and I drank most of it because my dad said he was full. My dad wanted to bike for a bit, but I actually just took a long nap.

The next day, I woke up ravenous. It wasn't the smell of the food cooking around me, because it was just bacon and eggs people were making, and to be honest that smell grosses me out if anything. I was just used to my routine of waking up, going to the kitchen and making a delicious sweet potato pudding, or oats, or something with peanut butter... mmmm...Okay, I was big time dreaming about food. I made a giant juice for my dad and I. I felt okay. I wish I could say I had all this amazing energy, and my digestion was going great...but I'd be lying. Truth is, as the day went I just felt so hungry and so tired. My dad asked me if I wanted to eat something. Truthfully, by the end of the second day of no food, feeling like crap, no improvement in digestion and inability to bike or swim for longer than 20 minutes, I decided I would eat the next day if I still felt shitty.

Day three, I woke up and sure enough I felt the same. Maybe worse. My stomach rumbles woke me up. The day before, I had drank juice til I was blue in the face. I was still STARVING! My dad told me he was not hungry at all, and he felt great. I wished with all my might I did. I decided I need to listen to my body. I need protein. And FIBRE! My digestive system felt like it was dead. I expected to be going straight to the bathroom the whole time. Not once!!! (Yeah, TMI, sue me...it's relevant! lol).

Above = me breaking the fast... with actually EATING some of the fruit!

We went to Metro in the next town over and I got some organic tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, kidney beans, hummus, avocado and olives. My beloved protein and healthy fat!!!! AHHHHH!

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but damn. We didn't have any cooking resources with us, and my creations were not too shabby!! Mmmm, smoked tofu/hummus kale wraps...

After eating, I felt amazing. I ate half a Cliff Bar at Metro, and then some hummus and clean tortilla chips on the way back to camp. My god, heaven. I kept a diary on my phone of my "journey" prior to when I decided to eat again. Here is is:

Day one: 
So tired all day. I woke up with brain fog, and have had it all day long. Took a nap, but my body still feels heavy. Pretty thirsty tonight. Trying to increase my water intake as much as I can. 

Day two:
Woke up still feeling pretty drained. But I felt less brain-foggy today. Went on a bike ride and got attacked by bugs. Went to the beach, just wanted to lie around but I took a short swim. It's now 4pm and I'm just glued to my chair, and my stomach is rumbling even after 3 juices (one of them just watermelon). Very disappointed that there have been no bowel movements.

Day three: 
Slept for a good eight hours at least. Feeling pretty tired still. Not gonna lie, I had hoped I'd wake up with a huge burst of energy. Even after a sweet morning juice, I still feel so tired. We're considering finishing the fast early. My dad is feeling great and he's drinking even less juice than me! I think I need more calories. At least I had a bowel movement. 

I apologize for the details about the bowels. Again, it is relevant to my review on juice fasting. For me, it did nothing but seemingly back things up! Needless to say, it was all good after I ate again.

 

After I broke my fast, I came to some realizations. I think juice fasting is amazing for those who are overweight, have digestive issues, and/or eat poorly. I am none of the above. I'm very active, I eat a plant-based diet with no processed foods at all... come to think of it, why was I wanting to fast anyway? Not for weight loss. My digestion was okay. Maybe it just wasn't a good fit for me.

My dad agreed. He said that he felt great because he had so much extra fat that it was definitely keeping him company. He wasn't hungry. He told me that the two days was more than enough for someone like me. And I agree with him!

In conclusion, I think there are very important cautions to take with juice fasting. Number one, GET YOUR CALORIES IN! I probably eat like 1500+ caories (AT LEAST) on a regular basis. Green veggies have very little calories. I had probably like 4 large cups of juice a day, but that was certainly not measuring up to how many calories I usually ate. Second, I think for anybody three days should be the limit. Fibre is pretty damn important. Sure, your digestive system needs a break. Give it a break from junk, then....forever! Juicing for three days is sufficient to clean someone out enough, I think. Most people who are overweight and eat poorly would benefit from that, and then having fibre-rich, clean, plant-based foods from there on in would be their best bet. No, I'm NOT a doctor - this is just my opinion based on my experience. 

Would I do it again? Maybe for a day. But honestly, never longer for me. It's funny how you really gotta try something to find out what your consensus really is on it. I know my opinions have changed on juice fasting quite a bit! OF COURSE I will continue drinking my juices frequently, but I will use them as a supplement to my diet, and not as a meal replacement.

If anyone has experiences, I'd love to hear them! 

Happy eating and/or juicing, folks. :)

xoxo Tijana

A Noob to Counting Macros

Hey, y'all. So in the last couple of weeks, I've made quite some interesting changes when it comes to my diet.

Throughout the past year, I've suffered digestive upsets. Those are now totally resolved. I know now those horrible upsets were mainly caused by aspartame from the gum I was chewing. I am so thrilled to say the pains are gone, and so is the nasty gum habit. Taking magnesium citrate helped a lot. I still take it, but not every day! Just when my tummy needs extra love.

Putting that whole stomach ache issue was huge for me. It was almost taking over my life. When I resolved it, I started to notice other little things about what I was eating... how did my food make my feel?

I would occasionally get brain fog. I'd be so tired and sluggish, and my workouts seemed to be in a permanent slump. I wondered why - I mean, I eat all whole foods, mostly organic, plenty of nutrients are coming into my body. What's going on?

Interestingly enough, my fitness goals also started to shift. My goals used to be "just be skinny". Ha, sounds so sad. No longer so. I've started doing real military style bootcamp, which is a challenging strength workout using some equipment and body weight exercises, and I'm feeling stronger than ever. I had never had such a consistent amount of strength training workouts. I've also been finding lots of girls on Instagram who are super into staying lean through strength training exercises, and not spending hours on the treadmill and zero time eating. I observed that a lot of them count their macros.

I realized I was a huge noob when it comes to this stuff. Yes, I am totally informed on essential nutrients for optimal health. But for fat loss and strength gains, I am actually kind of in the dark. I never understood what was so bad about carbs. I mean aren't fruits the all time healthiest snack? Fat free!

Well, apparently it's not that simple. I'm not saying this is true, because it's quite a heated topic among people of all camps, but basically I realized I was just having too many simple carbs, and worrying way too much about healthy fats, and not worrying enough about protein.

Protein builds muscle. Healthy fat helps with so many natural processes in your body, including to actually help mobilize stored fat. Carbs are most easily used as a source of fuel by the body. BUT, if they're not used, they're stored as fat. OK, I knew that. But I guess I didn't think that eating less carbs = fat will be the source of fuel used. Makes sense. And not to mention I also didn't think I was eating too many carbs.

I know that once I get sugar, I get addicted. I go nuts, just munching on anything sweet in sight. Of course I never have refined sugars, but even honey, dates, fruit, etc... I crave and crave and crave all night, and I usually end up eating honey by the spoonful nightly. Yep. My secret is revealed! Maybe I was addicted to simple carbs....

So I've taken a different approach. I've started using the My Fitness Pal app to track my protein, fat and carbs percentage distribution every day. I've basically cut the majority of my sugars down to just in the morning, keeping complex carbs all day, and upping the protein.

The result? I feel amazing! I have a lot of energy, my workouts are actually progressing, and I'm getting leaner already. I definitely want to keep this up. Honestly, now when I have a fruit I am truly satisfied, but I realize I am just fine with minimal sweetness. My smoothies are not as overly sweet, and truthfully just as delicious. I've been having green apples and berries mainly as my simple sugars.

I know so many vegans that are into 80/10/10 (carbs/fat/protein), and that kind of thing, who think 50% carbs is nuts. But at the same time, there are vegans and non vegans alike that follow this kind of macro outline to keep themselves as lean as they can, with a lower body fat percentage.

Is one healthier than the other? Again, I am certainly far from an expert. I'm totally new to all this. But I think it just depends on 1) your goals and 2) your body! And my body and goals are agreeing with these macros.

I'd love some opinions on counting macros - what works for you? Let me know!

Happy eating :)

xo Tijana

Celebrating a plant-based Easter (+Pineapple Carrot Cake recipe!)

My family and I don't often get a chance to eat together, so when holidays come up, we absolutely make time for an awesome feast, if we don't do anything else. Sunday was Orthodox Easter, and although we are not religious, my parents and I do LOVE to eat... so we did just that.

Traditionally, Serbians (like us) and other Orthodox people celebrate Easter with dying eggs using onion peels to colour the eggs, and flowers to create a pretty design on the egg. During Easter, we would grab an egg and crack it on top of another person's egg to see who's is stronger. 

As a kid, I ate a boatload of eggs during Easter! My dad and I are now plant-based, so my mom did make eggs, but she is the only one actually eating them. I know it's not very vegan of me to participate, and honestly I wouldn't have gone and dyed the eggs myself, but my mom still holds the tradition, so I cracked some eggs, and she ate them.

In the past, we would eat a ton of meat and very heavy dishes during any and all holidays. Easter was a time for lamb, musaka, a bunch of smoked meat, pita, and other traditional Serbian dishes (yup...very similar to Greek!). This year, my mom and dad gladly left it in my hands to handle the menu for Easter lunch.

Needless to say, I wanted to go for something much lighter and more refreshing this year. With warm weather coming at us full force, it was a perfect weekend to make some delicious raw recipes. Eating more raw foods in the warmer months is what your body craves and needs. I had gone to a farmer's market the day before, so I had tons of delicious local veggies to work with.

I had prepped a dehydrated raw pizza crust a couple days before, so I figured it was a perfect time to use it! I used a recipe in Doug McNish's book Eat Raw, Eat Well. It is totally amazing, by the way. A staple book in my kitchen! I came up with a raw tomato sauce myself a week before, and I totally wanted to throw some of my own recipes into the mix, so I topped the pizza with that. I put a cashew cheese (recipe from Doug's book) on top of the sauce, then added just some fresh basil and sprouts I had freshly sprouted in my kitchen. Simple, and DELICIOUS! A big hit with the fam as a main course.

As a side, I used as many greens as possible and made a giant salad. I added superfoods like chia seeds, dulse, and goji berries, as well as a few sunflower seeds. I topped it with a raw vinaigrette. The light salad was a great compliment to the rich and savoury pizza flavours.

After our raw meal (enjoyed with wine), we finished it off with a recipe I just came up with for a pineapple carrot cake. When I'm on the bus, out and about, whatever, I like to just jot recipe ideas down into my phone. I perfected how I wanted it, and went to work debuting it during Easter. I used the same recipe for a raw cashew coconut icing as I had for my cake at the Vegan Bake Off. It's an awesome icing for cookies, cakes, whatever! This cake turned out exactly how I'd wanted. It is vegan, of course, and wheat-free, but it is not gluten free. I used fresh spelt and kamut flour from the farmer's market, both whole grain, and I found my picky tummy was OK to digest the cake.

My family really enjoyed the meal. We all left feeling energized and light. We wanted to go out walking and enjoying the sunshine, not taking a nap as we usually do after a holiday feast. I think eating lighter raw foods as a holiday meal really has it's perks!

I wanted to share my recipe for the carrot cake. I guarantee you will love it. It's free of refined sugars, no artificial BS, just good, REAL ingredients. If you don't regularily use kamut or spelt flour, I suggest just getting the amount needed from a bulk food store. 

Happy eating!

Tropical Pineapple Carrot Cake

with Cashew Coconut Icing 

Ingredients

Cake:

-1 cup spelt flour
-1/2 kamut flour
-1 tsp each baking soda and baking powder
-1 tbsp pumpkin spice
-2 tbsp cinnamon
-1 tbsp fresh minced ginger (use 1/2 if using dried ginger)

-1.5 cups shredded carrots
-2/3 cup fresh pineapple, diced into very small pieces
-1/4 cup apple sauce, unsweetened
-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
-3/4 cup almond milk
-2 tbsp Cocovie coconut jam (preferably pineapple flavour)
-1/2 cup crushed walnut pieces, or golden raisins, or a mix of both (optional)

Icing:
-1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least two hours, or overnight, and rinsed
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 teaspoons lemon juice
-1/4 cup coconut flour
-1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
-1-2 tbsp coconut nectar (as sweet as you like it)

-1 cup of water, or as needed

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine carrot and pineapple in a large bowl. Use a potato masher or fork to mash, so the pineapple releases juices but some pineapple chunks remain. Add remaining wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then slowly add to the carrot mixture and mix well. Add walnuts/raisins, if using, and stir just until evenly distributed.
3. Pour mixture into a loaf pan lightly greased with coconut oil. (To facilitate removing the cake from the pan later, you may use wax paper to put on the bottom of the pan.) Use a spoon to evenly flatten the batter in the pan.
4. Bake for 40 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, and let cool for at least 15 minutes. Flip the loaf pan carefully to put the cake on a plate. You can chill the cake overnight in the fridge, or just wait until it’s completely cool to add the icing on top. Mix all ingredients for icing besides water in a blender. Make sure the melted coconut oil is not very hot, to ensure it combines properly with the other ingredients. Feed water through the top of the blender while the motor runs, until a smooth consistency is achieved.
6. Pour icing evenly over cake and spread to cover top and sides. Serve immediately, or store in fridge for up to a few days for maximum freshness.

 

My "6 weeks no cheats"

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am not too keen on the concept of "cheat days". I truly believe that there's no reason to treat your body like a garbage disposal all day just because you can. However, a lovely blogger named Christina (check out her site! www.theathletarian.com), who I have grown very fond of following on Instagram, embarked on a personal goal of "6 weeks, no cheats". She has a mostly clean and plant based diet, but obviously some candy and not so clean treats make it in there sometimes, so she wanted to try 6 weeks of pure clean eating before going away on a trip.

I thought about it, and I actually got excited to try it out myself. I always make an effort to put the cleanest things I can in my body, don't get me wrong. But at times I was just having too much of a good thing. I suffer from stomach aches and digestive issues, and truthfully, I knew it was from poor food combining and excess sugars. Somehow I was throwing my intestinal flora out of wack. I would eat my dinner, and I'd constantly crave something sweet, so I would just have a teaspoon of honey here and there throughout the evening. I did this with peanut butter too at times. I have vowed not to be a calorie counter, so my main concern out of this was the tummy aches it gave me. And chewing gum made my aches awful! Once I got going with these things, I couldn't stop.

For my 6 weeks no cheats, I decided I'd give up gum, nuts, nut butters and honey. I also vowed to stay away from vegan desserts and alcohol, which I never drink anyway. This came at a perfect time, because I'm training for my second Tough Mudder! 6 weeks to the date, I began my journey.

I felt so awesome just from kicking that stupid gum. I hate gum, hate how it makes me feel, and hate what crap is in it. It makes me bloated and messes up my digestion. I always knew it was bad stuff, but once I get going, I can't seem to stop. It felt so good to take a break from honey, too. I adore honey, and I think it's an extremely beneficial health food, but it is too much sweetness for my tummy. Nuts and nut butters were a little harder to kick, because I eat them all the time! Nuts are hard to digest, and my tummy was happy to let them go for a while.

This brings me to the Total Health Show, which I volunteered at. I absolutely love health food shows. Great, vibrant people, amazing products, and samples galore! I knew I would be tempted to have some "cheat" stuff at the show, and food combining would be taking place undoubtedly. I am all for not beating yourself up. I did indulge, but I didn't overdo it and I didn't beat myself up. The pic above is me with my Cocovie ladies (the company I was volunteering for) and the pic underneath are some goodies I snagged!

Since I began, I have had a few nuts here and there and I put PB on my toast once. I was able to acknowledge that, and I moved on. I truly think I've found my happy place.

I have FOUR more weeks to date until Tough Mudder, as of today. I've really focused on training my upper body these days, and I'm feeling stronger and better. I've ditched my scale, I eat when I'm hungry, and I eat when and where I'm comfortable and relaxed. Whole foods and plant based is my philosophy, as always. But if life gives you Giddy Yoyo samples, and Daiya grilled cheese with it...you eat it!

My conclusion is that commitment and self discipline can be important, but sometimes we need to pick our battles when we beat ourselves up. I am feeling really good at the moment, and I'm going to continue to maintain my positive thoughts and see where my "no cheats" takes me!

I have been and will continue to chronicle my progress on my Instagram account, and post some recipes (including for the food pictured below) frequently! Check it out, y'all: missveggievibes

Happy (ch)eating! ;) Here's some food porn from the last little while:

Black Bean Burgers - Dinner's Nutritional Powerhouse!

We vegans can't seem to get enough of explaining how we manage to get protein in our diet, as well as the micros like calcium and iron. Just as an FYI, I did an assignment in school where I had to count what I ate in a day and compare with Canada's recommended daily amount. BAM, exceeded my recommended protein (for my weight and activity level) by a few grams!

Another myth: Calcium only found in dairy? Beg to differ. In fact, I'm a believer that the plant-based sources are more beneficial. Yes, there is calcium lurking in many plant based sources. Dark leafy greens (is there anything they DON'T do for us?), almonds, soy products and...BEANS!

 

Beans are a magical food which nature has blessed with a very high protein and fibre content, low number of calories and fat and a sweet amounts of iron and calcium to boot! Not only are they nutritional powerhouses, they are also a very affordable protein source. I like to buy my beans dry (organic dried beans are very affordable!), and cook a bunch at a time to have in the fridge for the next few days. I used them in salads, wraps, dips, sauces or burgers (just like the recipe ahead). Yes, soaking overnight and cooking them takes more time. But once you start learning to cook them once a week or so, you will fall in love, and leave the cans on the shelf where they belong. I'm kind of a can hater, to be honest. But I do occasionally grab a can of organic beans when in need. Eden Organic canned beans are BPA free.

Lately I've had massive craving for a veggie burger. I wanted to take a wack at making some myself, because everything made with love in your own kitchen is better than anything else. THEY TURNED OUT DELISH! Yay!

Not gonna lie, at first they were not holding together how I liked, so I tweaked my recipe here and there. I assure you, this end result is spectacular. High fibre, folks...you may wanna sit your butt at home after these.

I enjoyed mine on a toasted Ezekiel English muffin with baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, Dijon mustard and lots of Sriracha. Pickles cooled off the heat nicely.

Happy cookin'!

"Where Do You Get Your Protein?" Vegan Bean Burgers: 

-2 1/4 cups cooked beans (divided in half)

-1/4 cup tahini

-1 cup cooked brown rice 

-2 tbsp miso paste

-2 flax/chia eggs

-4 tbsp tamari 

-1 tbsp chili powder

-1 tsp cumin 

-2 tbsp nutritional yeast

-cayenne pepper to taste

-1/2 cup milled flax seeds

Mix half of beans and all remaining ingredients except milled flax in a food processor until well combined. Transfer to bowl, then add remaining beans and mash (potato masher works well), leaving some chunks. add flax and stir well, until mixture is thick and manageable. Wet your fingers and form into patties of desired size (I got 9 medium burgers out of this) with an equal thickness in each burger. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, flipping them halfway. Grill on the BBQ or on a skillet for a few minutes per side before serving, if desired. Serve on your favourite GF or whole grain bun with all the fixings, on a bed of lettuce, or any way you desire!

Protein "bowls" to fuel your day!

I have been on a huge smoothie kick these days. They are nutrient dense, fast, delicious and very versatile. What more could you want? I’ve also been loving making them a little thicker so I can eat them with a spoon. I just feel very satiated after actually eating my meal/snack as opposed to drinking it down. And I love to add protein powder to make them a complete meal. So, I call ‘em my “protein bowls”.

Now, I’ve really been going wild with these. I start with either my Vega One chocolate (which is absolutely freaking out-of-this-world delicious) or my Sun Warrior vanilla flavour (the Warrior Blend), add a liquid base, and then combine with fruits, veggies and any other superfood additions. Here is a step-by-step of making the perfect “bowl”:

1.      Choose your flavour preference

-Chocolatey (think milkshake-style)

      -Fruity (very berry, anything?)

      -Creamy (like eating ice cream…)

      -Tropical (pina colada bowl, anyone?)

      -Refreshing and light (cool as a cucumber… in fact, great ingredient idea!)

      

2.      Start with a base

-Coconut water

-Coconut milk

-Nut milk (*homemade or store bought – almond, Brazil nut, etc)

-Chilled flavoured tea (brew concentrated tea the night before, and chill in the fridge. I like to use anything chocolatey from Teavana, and use about 2 teaspoons per cup!)

-Fresh juice

3.      Add your fave (vegan) protein powder!

Not always necessary, but it is quite nice! Not only does it add some sweetness and flavour, but your smoothie gets nice and thick

4.      Pair your fruits and veggies wisely

-Tropical fruits will mask pretty much the taste of any bitter green, in the right ratio (experiment with it, to taste)

-Beets and chocolate pair very well

-Cucumber and spinach are neutral enough to be refreshing with only a touch of sweetness needed

-Beware of too much sweet fruit! Sugar spike alert! Think about how many sweet fruits you’re adding

-Some veggies ain’t never meant for this kinda thing, y’all. If you find a recipe for a cabbage smoothie that tastes good, I want it

5.      Some extra superness

-Organic coconut flakes

-Raw honey

-Maca

-Goji berries

-Cinnamon

-Spirulina (careful now… only add about a teaspoon I would say, and get the tropical fruits in there!)

-Cacao nibs

5. My extra little tips…

-Frozen fruit or ice will make it cold and deliciously refreshing, like ice cream!

-You can start off by adding a little liquid, and feed more through the tube as needed to reach desired consistency

-Food processors are good if you want something a little chunkier, and blenders are good if you like it very homogenized and smooth

Finally, my fave recipes!

Green bowl:

-1 small avocado

-water from one coconut

-1/2 a frozen banana

-handful of spinach

Pie filling in a bowl:

-1/2 a gala apple

-1/2 a steamed sweet potato

-Vega One chocolate

-1 cup nut milk

-1 tsp pumpkin spice

-Cinnamon to taste

Pink heart:

-¾ cup frozen strawberries

-Sun Warrior vanilla

-1/2 to 1 cup Coconut milk

-1 tsp Ruth’s Chia Goodness

Coconutty delight:

-3/4 cup coconut mango mate tea (concentrated, chilled overnight)

-Vega One Chocolate

-1 tsp raw honey

-1/2 a frozen banana

-1/2 an avocado

-Cinnamon to taste