Spinach, mango and almond milk have been the stars in these light & bright green morning starters. We've had plenty of kale salad, too:
Massaged kale with tahini, avocado, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast and help seeds. Eaten with chopsticks for lunch. So good! Dragon Bowls have been making a frequent appearance lately, inspired by a local cafe:
Quinoa, steamed kale, avocado, soy curls, miso-tahini sauce and nutritional yeast. I am obsessed with making these bowls! They're so satisfying and delicious.
I've been doing some experimenting and tweaking my diet lately. RIP gluten, you do not make my tummy happy. I've also re-introduced more cooked whole grains like quinoa and brown rice. My body seems to respond well to these right now and I'm feeling great! My mom and sister have also suspected a sensitivity so they've said good-bye to gluten, too. Giving it up as a team has made it a little more fun. And none of us seem to miss it because we're feeling so good.
Have any of you ventured into the macrobiotic territory? I've been reading about it and my body seems to like the grain + veggie combinations. I've been doing green smoothies & green juices for breakfast and grain + veggie dishes for lunch and dinner. I'd love to hear about any of your experiences.
Oh yeah, I turned 36 a few days ago. It was awesome.
I have been doing smoothies and fresh juices for breakfast and grains/veggies for lunch and dinner too! I kept a food journal for about three weeks and realized that gluten (and too many sweets) makes my tummy sad. I haven't eliminated it completely, but it might come to that soon.
ReplyDeleteYour bowl meals look delicious. I love the same combinations in mine. As long as tahini is involved, I am a happy camper! In fact, kale salad was 90% of my dinner today!
Happy belated birthday!!! Hope you enjoyed a sweet treat :) And, glad to see a new post :)
Thanks Amy! Yes to tahini, anywhere and everywhere. The gluten and sugar were definitely bringing me down in ways that I didn't even realize until I started paying closer attention, so they're both gone for now. Glad you stopped by :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! You look a lot younger than 36, in a good way. All that raw food does a body good!
ReplyDeleteSorry you had to give up gluten. But good thing PDX has plenty of GF/vegan stuff to find. It can be a hard adjustment but I hope it leaves you feeling better.
I have had with a more macro diet in the past (actually when I first went vegetarian back in the 90s) but now it's just too much grain for me. When you are GF for awhile it's easy to OD on corn and rice, which isn't really good long term. I find I do better with my cooked portion being bean based as grains are very inflammatory to me--I even limit quinoa. But this has come with a lot of experimentation.
Happy Birthday!! I'm so glad to see that you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteGiving up gluten was way harder for me than going vegetarian or vegan. It makes you feel so much better though so I hope that giving it up will make you feel better!
Your food looks so beautiful and GREEN!! Such lovely color, gotta love how pretty vegan meals are!
I haven't really experimented too much with a macro diet but from what I understand it is very grain heavy. I try to eat more veggies and fruit than grain, but I definitely love some good old fashioned brown rice and I'm going to try adding some more quinoa into my life. Good luck! Can't wait to see your progress!
what is your favorite almond milk for smoothies?
ReplyDeleteI like unsweetened plain almond milk. I'd like to make my own, but convenience gets the best of me :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yeah, I thought gluten was going to be impossible to give up which is why I waited so long after I suspected it was giving me problems. But I've felt so great since ditching it that it's been no problem at all! I actually DO NOT want it because I know it's going to make me feel like crap. I agree with not wanting to eat a ton of grain, so I've been adding a small amount to my salads and veggies and it seems to agree with me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bitt! Giving up gluten has been a lot easier than expected. I feel so good without it, I don't even want it. I've been feeling good with some brown rice added to my salads and bowls, but have noticed that quinoa gives me some problems. I think macro is a little grain heavy for me, but I like the idea of eating seasonally and locally. And I like having beans. The adventure continues :)
ReplyDeleteno sure if you got tested for celiac, but if you did have celiac, the gluten could have destroyed your guts making other foods harder to digest for awhile until the gut heals. so it may take some time with quinoa.
ReplyDeletehappy bday!
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday! Woo hoo!
ReplyDeleteAnd I need to pick me up some kale! ASAP!