Veggie "Fried" Brown Rice

I made a Veggie bowl and had about a cup left of brown rice. I decided to experiment and try something new with my veggies and rice and boy am I happy that I did!! You will need 1 cup of cooled brown rice for this recipe! I used short grain and I think that added to how awesome this rice was.

Ingredients:
1 cup of cooled Brown rice (More more more than one serving)
1.4 a cup of diced zucchini
1/4 a cup of sliced yellow onion
1/4 a cup of diced broccoli
1/4 a cup of matchstick carrots
3-4 chopped Bok Choy leaves ( I used baby bok choy, can be subbed for Kale or Spinach)
2 minced garlic cloves (again I love garlic so if your not a big fan just use one)
1 tablespoon of ginger
1 tsp of garlic powder
2 tsp of black powder
2 tsp of onion powder (optional, not too much of a taste difference)
2-3 tablespoons of Bragg's liquid aminos or other low sodium soy sauce
1/4 a cup of your choice of sweet and sour sauce either my homemade recipe or a store bought no fat one.

Directions:
1. Heat a non stick pan to medium heat, add in veggies and 2 tablespoons of water. (keep adding water until veggies are well cooked)
2. Once the broccoli is soft (not mushy) add in brown rice, seasonings and 1 tablespoon of water. Next add the soy sauce and stir around until warm. (I took the pan off the heat and mixed in sweet and sour sauce, I personally like all my food mixed)
3. Serve with sweet and sour sauce, or if already mixed in serve with siracha. Enjoy!

Oat and banana Cookies! No oil

Hey guys,
I was browsing around for recipes for bananas cause I have a lot of extra ripe ones when I ran into the perfect cookie recipe! Seriously all you need is two ingredients for a delicious cookie! Best of all you can alter this recipe to suit your own taste buds! I used cranberries and dairy free chocolate for my mix-ins but the possibilities are endless!! The following is the exact recipe for how I made these cookies! I used frozen bananas and normal gluten free oats so I had to alter it a little for the recipe. These aren't the prettiest cookies but boy do they hit the spot. Plus you can make a small meal out of these since you are basically eating 1 cup of oats and 2 bananas!
Original Recipe Modified so no oil is involved
Ingredients:
1 cup of rolled oats
2 very ripe bananas, frozen or regular (defrosted, let them sit out at least 15 minutes next to pre-heating oven until its soft) 
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of coconut sugar
2 tablespoons of cranberries

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375
2. Add 1 cup of oats into a food processor and pulse 3 times (make sure not to make oat flour, you just want the oats a little crushed so they mix with bananas) *skip step if using quick oats 

3. In a large bowl mix banana and oats until well combined
4. Next add mix ins, I have also added freeze dried fruit with good results. 
5. Spoon mixture onto cookie sheet with either silicone, or parchment paper so that it is non-stick. (Note this recipe uses oil, instead of greasing the cookie sheet with oil I use parchment paper)
6. Cook for 14 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes!

Enjoy your healthy treat!!

Polenta "fries"

If you have leftover polenta either from the recipe I posted, or your own, don't throw it out!! You can make some delicious oven baked fries that are super crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside! You can also use store-bought polenta for this recipe. I served mine with homemade salsa and fresh veggies!

Ingredients:
Leftover Polenta: Place cooked Polenta in a square Tupperware container (I used a glass pyrex one). Let cool completely (20 minutes) before you put it in the fridge. Leave in fridge for at least 1 hour, can be left for longer with same results.
2 tsp of chili powder
2 tsp of black pepper


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Link cookie sheet with parchment paper (unless you have a silicone sheet)
3. Cut Polenta into fries (try and cut them thin for best results)
4. Lay out on cookie sheet, make sure they have room and none are touching.
5. Season and put in oven
6. Cook for 25 minutes then flip and cook 10-15 minutes longer till desired crispyness is reached (mine took 15 minutes longer)

Enjoy!!!

Savory Veggie Polenta!

You can switch up the veggies to whats in season and even change the seasonings to your liking! I am a garlic fanatic so this dish is nice and flavorful just like I like it!

Ingredients: 

1 cup of stone ground corn meal or polenta (I used Bob's red mill GF) 

4 cups of veggie broth (made with bouillon cube or from a can) 

2 tsp of onion powder, garlic powder and paprika 

2 tsp of Bragg's 24 seasonings, or Ms. Dash seasoning (optional) 

Polenta Directions: 

1. Bring Veggie broth to a boil, add in seasonings. 

2. Add in corn meal/ polenta slowly, whisking as you do so. 

3. Whisk for 1 minute 

4. Turn heat down to low and whisk for one more minute 

5. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, whisking every 10 minutes (make sure to scrape the sides) 

6. Begin cooking veggies 15 minutes into cooking time. 

7. Serve Polenta in a bowl with veggies to top!! you may want to add chopped green onion, chili powder or black pepper to garnish! Enjoy! 

Veggie Topping: 

In 2-3 tablespoons of water cook your veggies with 1 tsp of the same seasonings above! I like to add in Bragg's seasoning mix or a Ms. Dash salt free seasoning mix as well. For the below picture I used 

1/2 a cup of frozen organic peas

1 cup of spinach and kale 

1/2 a scallion 

1/2 a cup of matchstick cut carrots

Hidden Fat in my rice milk!!

As I was pouring my rice milk into my oats this morning I noticed that on the calories from fat section of the milk it said 25. Out of 70 calories of 1 cup of milk, 25 of that is from the fat in the milk! I didn't realize that my milk had oil in it, much less 2.5 grams of fat. Since I am on the Starch solution diet and previously I was on Raw till 4 I am shocked that I did not check the label!! I broke my own cardinal rule by not checking! The brand I use is Rice Dream organic unsweetened milk! I have to finish the last bit of it cause no one I know will drink it.

Simple Overnight Oats! Quick morning go to

When I work I go in before 7 am, I don't want to wake up earlier than 6 am so I prep my breakfast the day before! These oats take only 2 minutes in the microwave to heat up. (I only use the microwave in a hurry otherwise I will use the stove-top) I like to keep it simple and just use water but the water can be subbed for rice milk or any other dairy free milk.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup of oats (rolled oats)
1 1/3 cups of water (filtered)
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of coconut sugar

Directions:
Mix all ingredients and leave in container over night, wake up and heat for 2 minutes and breakfast time!!

**Note you can make this several days ahead to make mornings easier, I prep at least 3-4 for the week.

How to plan your grocery list for weight-loss! (starch solution)

Breakfast 

• Starch: (oatmeal, rice, hash-browns (oil free), other whole grain cereals) Oil Free Hasbrowns!
• Fruit: Try and avoid fruit juice unless you make it at home (leave some of the fiber in the drink) 

Lunch/Dinner: 

• Starches (potatoes, rice, grains, corn) 
• Vegetables (to pair with your starch!)
• Beans (small portion, the starch is the main entree) **if you have digestive issues you can use mung or adzuki beans or use these tips from, The mindful foodie

Condiments/Seasonings: 

• Seasoning mixes (Bragg's, ms.dash) 
• Maple syrup or other natural sweeter (coconut nectar, coconut sugar) 
• Vegetable Broth (bouillons or canned, low sodium no fat) 
• Nutritional Yeast My personal favorite! Online at a great price (Bragg's nutritional yeast seasoning) 
• Fat Free Condiments (organic ketchup, fat free barbecue sauce, mustard, tofu mayonnaise) 

Starch Solution Explained (for us folks who like it easy)

To start the Starch Solution lifestyle, I think that a simple approach is necessary. If you have not read the book Starch Solution by Dr. Mc Dougall I suggest you do so immediately!! I got mine on my kindle from AMAZON. The following are some guidelines to follow when you are first starting this diet.

• Eliminate all Oils (even so called "healthy oils" like olive oil & coconut oil) I struggle with eliminating all oils, this may be why I failed on Raw till 4 and why I gained 15 lbs. When I started adding flax seeds, and other fatty seeds and nuts to my diet as well as cooking with coconut oil, I started to gain weight. My doctor told me that eliminating fats from my diet would lead to a host of problems, so I followed his instructions and kept "healthy oils & fats" in my diet. When fruit didn't satisfy me and I was still hungry I reached for the nuts, and even grabbed bags of potato chips to meet my needs. That has already changed since starting this diet, the cooked starches have been keeping me full and I only snack once or twice a day. (healthy snacks like veggies & fruit)
• Eliminate all animal products Make sure to check labels!! Dairy is very high in fat, if you keep this in your diet, you may not see any results. (dairy has also been linked to acne) Including in your beauty routine! Trust me 
• Eat a starch with every meal as your main calorie source Simply put starch is your friend. You should center your meals around starches!! Adding veggies and fruit but make sure to always get a starch in! (This is what keeps you full and satisfied so you do not crave junk throughout the day) 
• Cut out Processed foods (any foods with high fat content) Eating packaged hash browns, or potatoes with oil as your main starch is a recipe for disaster! Remember you are trying to avoid all added fats and oils, including in your starches! Try to avoid eating fake meats and cheeses, cause these all have fat and are not good for you. If you are craving something that reminds you of meat, find a recipe on the tons of resources on the web!! Awesome Veggie Loaf Recipe!! on The simple Veganista
• Snack on Fruits & Veggies If you are hungry in between meals fill up on foods that will give you extra vitamins and nutrients! 
• Be prepared! Have small packages of instant rice, or other quick meals so that you never stray from your diet! There are McDougall soup cups as well as bean and rice cups! 

Vitacost! Grocery list and prices

Beans: Gmo Free
2 bags of Mung/Adzuki Beans (easy to digest)
2 bags of red lentils (I use mainly as a soup thickener or for curry sauces)
2 bags of yellow split peas

Rice: Quick rice for easy quick meals! Gmo/gluten Free 
2 bags of Paella Rice
2 bags of Wild mushroom rice & lentils
2 bags of Spanish rice

Breakfast: Gmo/Gluten free
2 bags of Oat bran
4 bags of quick cooking gluten free oats
2 bags of rolled oats

Condiments: 
Bragg's Salt free 24 Herb seasonings mix (delicious addition to any meal)
Coconut secret coconut Amino's Soy free seasoning sauce (no fat and has less sodium than soy sauce)
Gluten free Gravy mix (vegan and fat free)
Ener-G Tapioca Dinner rolls (vegan and delicious addition to any dinner, has a small amount of fat)
Coconut Secret Raw coconut nectar (Low GI sweetener better than agave)
B12

I calculated the cost of my groceries from websites like amazon and from grocery stores and I would have paid $159 plus taxes but instead I paid 89.12!!! I saved close to $70 buying these staples from vitacost!! I am not in any way affiliated with vitacost I just stumbled upon it and decided to look to see if it was worth it, and it totally was!! They had a Buy one get one half off deal on a lot of their brand name foods, and I used a $10 coupon on the website, plus a coupon they recommended for the Lucuma powder. I am beyond happy with my purchase!!

Vitacost!!!

Simple easy black beans!

Ingredients: 

2 cans of black beans (or one can of another bean) 

1 can of diced organic roasted tomatoes no salt 

1/3 a cup of yellow onions 

1 tablespoon of chili powder 

1/2 a tablespoon of garlic 

3 tsp of cumin 

1 tsp of black pepper 

1 tsp of paprika 

1 tsp of sea salt (optional) 

1/2 a cup of veggie broth (can be made with bouillon cube) 

Directions: 

Put all ingredients into a small saucepan and cook for 15 minutes on medium/low heat! Enjoy over brown or white rice for a delicious Mexican treat!! You can also add salsa, cilantro & any other veggies 

Raw till 4 to Starch Solution.

Trying out Starch solution, mainly due to the cold, eating fruit is just not worth the chills in the morning. I am still following an 80/10/10 lifestyle just with cooked starches as my main carbohydrate source. So far I feel freaking awesome! The benefits will be discussed after being on starch solution for a month! (as well as total weight-loss, and other changes). This is my second week, so two more before I do a progress post. Eating on starch solution is pretty easy, and cheap. I can now buy all organic foods, and still stay within my budget. I decide what starch I am going to use for the main part of my meal then I add in other fruits/veggies to eat with the main course. I only have coconut oil in my house, all other fat sources are gone. Let's see how I do!

Grocery list for One week on Starch solution. This is basic, I vary up the recipes but I am keeping it simple to avoid eating oils. 

Essentials: (This amount of food has kept me from straying away from the diet much which is awesome!) 

1 bag of organic white rice 

1 bag of organic brown rice 

2 bags of Central Market organic corn pasta (spaghetti or linguine) 

2 cans of Organic (low fat) pasta sauce. (I also make my own, but I keep some handy in case of busy days) 

1 bag of Organic Russet potatoes

1 bag of Organic Yellow potatoes

2 lbs of Sweet potatoes

1 bag of fancy potatoes (fingerling, or baby) 

2 Garlic bulbs

3 onions (sweet onion, red onion, shallots) 

Mixed Veggies:ALL VEGGIES ORGANIC Seasonal, depends on whats in season in the area you live in. 

1-2 types of squash (zucchini, butternut) 

1 bag of Rainbow carrots

1 bag of baby carrots 

1 Broccoli head 

1 cauliflower head

1 pack of cherry tomatoes

1 pack of celery

1 bunch of cilantro

1 bunch of parsley (optional) 

1 large container of Spinach

2 mixed salad containers (washed for convenience) 

Fruits: 

Deglet Dates (1 lb, lasts a couple weeks as a snack) 

2 lbs of apples 

Bananas (as much as you care to have) 

30 oranges (for juice!! this week)

1 lb of lemons

Condiments: 

Starch solution allows any oil free/fat free condiments. 

Vegan Fall banana Muffins!!

So sweet simple and delicious!

Ingredients:

1.  1 3/4 cups of gluten free multi purpose baking mix (xantham gum included, I used Hodgson Mill) 
2. 2 teaspoons of baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
4. 1/3 cup of organic unrefined coconut oil (melted) 
5. 1 teaspoon of vanilla
6. 1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
7. 1 teaspoon of ground ginger (add a couple more teaspoons for more of a gingerbread taste) 
8. 1/3 a cup of coconut sugar (this makes the muffins super sweet, you can use less sugar and fill the rest of the measuring cup up with ground flax seed for a more subtle sweetness) 
9. 4 overripe bananas mashed (I used frozen ones that I thawed for 30 minutes beforehand)

Directions: 

• Pre-heat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients except sugar in a large mixing bowl, and mix with a fork (you really want the dry ingredients to be mixed up before you add in the next part) 
• Using a potato masher, mash bananas in a separate bowl, combine vanilla, sugar and mashed banana and mix until you get a smooth consistency. 
• Add in wet ingredients into large bowl with dry ingredients and use the dough attachment on a mixer to mix all ingredients for 2-3 minutes until mixture is very well mixed. 
• Using a silicone mold, or cupcake liners, fill muffin cup  2/3 with mixture. You can add chopped nuts or other goodies on top for extra decoration. (makes 10-11) 
• Heat in oven for 30-35 minutes, check if done and cook for longer if need be. (make sure not to over brown the sides of muffins) 

Noodle soup!

This soup can be prepared the day before so your dinner is quick and easy!! 

Ingredients: 

1 cup of mushrooms sliced 

1 cup of cabbage or broccoli sliced 

3 veggie gluten free low sodium bouillon cubes (herbox brand used) 

1 tsp of ground ginger 

1 tsp of siracha 

3 cups of filtered water 

1/2 a pack of brown rice noodles (peacock brand brown rice spaghetti noodles) 

2 basil leaves (optional) 

Directions: 

1. Heat bouillon cubes and seasonings with the water till boiling. 

2. While broth is boiling add veggies and noodles into a large bowl 

3. Pour boiling water into bowl with veggies and rice 

4. Let soften 2 minutes then enjoy!! 

Brown rice cereal

Sweet with hints of cinnamon, this breakfast is not only affordable but super filling and delicious. Just one cup of dry rice equals 3 breakfasts! For a total of 368 calories. I paid mine with a homemade juice or fresh fruit to amp up the calories.

Ingredients:
2-3 cinnamon sticks (sub 2 bags of cinnamon tea)
1 cup of Brown rice
1 tsp of vanilla
( 1 cup of rice milk, and 1 ttablespoon of coconut sugar added when ready to eat)

Directions:
1. In a 2 quart sauce pan or rice cooker heat cinnamon and 2 cups of water till water is dark brown with cinnamon. Take out cinnamon to cook rice.
2. Add rice and bring to boil, reduce heat to low and cover pot.
3. Set timer for 35 minutes. Remove from heat after timer is up and fluff and let sit.
4. Measure 1-2cups of rice for each breakfast. I make 3 bowls using a little over 1 cup. Sprinkle with Chia or flax seeds and refrigerate when cool.
5. In the morning add rice milk and coconut sugar and heat for 2 minutes! Enjoy ( add 1 tsp of ground cinnamon for a special treat)

Peanut butter cup dessert smoothie

Similar to another smoothie recipe I posted, just tweaked the amounts a bit

Ingredients: 

2 very ripe frozen bananas

1 tablespoon of cacao powder

1 tablespoon of pb2

1 tablespoon of coconut sugar (sup maple syrup) 

1 cup of rice milk (I used sprouted) 

1 cup of water 

Blend and enjoy!