confessions of a snack addict

Snacking can be a good thing or a really bad thing.

If you are shoving cookies, chips, ice cream, candy, or sticks of butter (weird) down your throat every time you snack, that falls under the really bad category. Trust me, I get it. If I could, I would snack on nothing but chips, salsa, and guacamole every single day.

The key to healthy snack attacks is to keep your kitchen free of crap snacks and full of healthy snacks!

For instance, since I have such a weakness for chips and dip, I don't usually keep chips or dip in my kitchen. When I do give in, I always regret it because the ENTIRE bag of chips and the ENTIRE tub of dip is gone within a few hours (I told you, I have a problem). 

So next time you're at the grocery store avoid the ice cream aisle, the cookies and cracker aisle, and don't make eye contact with the little candy bars staring at you before you check out. 

Load your cart with yogurt+granola, all natural juices, fruits, veggies, all natural hummus, dried fruits, nuts, and edamame. The list could go on and on, but you get the point. :)

If you snack the right way, you'll never feel guilty about snacking again!

xo

P.S. Most of the time thirst is confused with hunger. Before every snack attack I always drink a large glass of water, which keeps me from over snacking and sometimes I realize that I wasn't really hungry at all. This is also a great thing to do before every meal. 

easy peasy

Today is all about keeping it simple.

For the most part, I am always up for getting my cook on in the kitchen. However, there are those days where I want nothing to do with the kitchen - I won't even look in it's direction. 

This easy meal is perfect for those days!

When I was growing up, BLTs were my absolute favorite sandies. I just loved 'em.

This vegetarian version is just as good, if not better (and WAY healthier) than the meaty version!

It's perfect for lunch or dinner (to make it more filling for dinner just prepare a quick side - sweet potato fries, side salad, roasted or steamed veggies ... etc.). 

My "grown up" version of this sandwich also includes avocado.

Why? Because everything is better with a little avocado.

xo

Vegetarian BLT with Avocado

/Ingredients/

- 2 slices of whole wheat bread

- Mayo

- 2 veggie bacon slices (MorningStar Farm's is my favorite!)

- Lettuce

- Sliced tomato 

- 1 Avocado 

/Instructions/

- Microwave veggie bacon, toast whole wheat bread, assemble sandwich as desired using the rest of the ingredients.

-Enjoy!

detox spaghetti squash

Hello ladies and gents.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

My weekend was spent hanging out with my two favorite boys, visiting with family, eating too much, and sitting too long. :) To make up for all of my fun and sloth-like behavior, I'm now in serious detox mode and have my workouts mapped out for the week. 

For any of you who are in the same boat or for those of you who are just looking for a delicious dinner option - I present to you, spaghetti squash!

My favorite thing about spaghetti squash is how many different ways you can serve it. 

Just add a little olive oil + sea salt + fresh pepper, serve it with your favorite pasta sauce, or mix it up with some fresh herbs. The options are endless and it's an easy ingredient to get creative with!

When I made this last night I decided to serve it up like a traditional pasta dish. I just mixed in some onions, mushrooms, and garlic to my favorite Trader Joe's pasta sauce and called it a day! I also prepared a simple side salad for some added fiber. It was delish!

^here is a simple play-by-play of how the cooking process works. :)

/Ingredients/

-1 spaghetti squash (or 2 if you have the oven space)

-olive oil 

 -sea salt 

-pepper

/Instructions/

-Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

-Slice bottom and top ends off of the spaghetti squash and discard. Stand the squash up, vertically, on a cutting board. Slice down, one side at a time so you get 2 equal halves.

-Rub the inside of each half with a quarter sized amount of olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt & pepper. Place face down on a baking sheet for 30-40 mins, or until you can easily poke through with a fork. (I cooked mine for 30 minutes and some of the squash was very al dente, if you want it to be a little softer cook for 35-40 minutes)

-Remove squash and flip over to let the steam escape. Scrape the insides of the squash with a fork to get your spaghetti like noodles. 

-Serve in the shell or scrape out into a large bowl to toss with whatever sauce you prefer (clean or homemade pesto, clean or homemade tomato sauce + meatballs or roasted veggies, more olive oil + sea salt + pepper, roasted red pepper harissa, etc)

Nutritional Facts: (per serving)

42 calories, 3 calories from fat, 0g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 28mg sodium, 10g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 4g sugar, 1g protein

*Spaghetti squash is also loaded with vitamins and minerals!

*recipe adapted from simplyrealhealthblog

one more day ...

via

Happy Tuesday, cuties!

Tomorrow is my last day of class before Thanksgiving break. 

Thank. You. Jesus.

I apologize for the short post; tonight has consisted of a bunch of crappy math homework, so I haven't had time for anything else. I hope all of you are having a wonderful evening!

Tomorrow night I am kicking off my long weekend with a movie night (which will consist of Elf, Home Alone, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles) and a few White Russians (the drink, just to be clear).

I. CAN'T. WAIT.

xo

friendsgiving recap

Friendsgiving was a huge success.

Honestly, how can you go wrong when you combine good food, great people, a fridge and cooler stocked with beer and Franzia, an inappropriate game of Scategories and Justin Bieber's Christmas CD?! Exactly. You can't. 

I will definitely be hosting Friendsgiving next year. It's one of my new favorite traditions!

Thank you to everyone who came. Love you guys!

One of the dishes I decided I wanted to have on the menu for Friendsgiving, was this delicious vegan green bean casserole. Unfortunately, I did not read through the entire recipe (rookie mistake) and I thought it would be as easy to throw together as the out-of-the-can casserole I have been making for years (another rookie mistake). So I waited until all of the other food was done cooking before I decided to even start getting everything prepped for this dish. Big mistake. Thankfully, I have amazing girl friends who came to my rescue and we made it work! Thanks for being so awesome ladies. Next year I promise to read the entire recipe ahead of time. :)

Even though this dish requires a little more work than the traditional green bean casserole, I highly recommend giving it a chance! It was so delicious and so much fresher than the traditional casserole. It's just an added bonus that it's completely vegan!

 Vegan Green Bean Casserole

servings: 8

/Ingredients/

Beans:

-2 quarts water

-1 tablespoon table salt

-1 1/2 pounds FRESH green beans (trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces)

Sauce:

-10 ounces mushrooms (I used a combination of regular button mushrooms and shiitake)

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-generous pinch of cayenne pepper

-salt to taste

-freshly ground pepper to taste

-2 tablespoons flour

-3/4 cup vegetable broth

-1 tablespoon dry sherry

-3/4 cup soy creamer (I used full-fat unsweetened soy milk

Topping:

-1 1/2 slices whole grain bread

-1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine (or any vegan margarine - Earth Balance is just my favorite!)

-1/8 teaspoon salt

-1/16 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

-1 3-ounce can of French fried onions

/Instructions/

Beans:

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. While it's heating, cut up the beans. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Drain beans in a colander, and then spray for a minute with cold water to stop the cooking. Let them drain in the colander, shaking every now and then to get off all the water.

Sauce:

Trim and discard the mushroom stems and chop the mushrooms into pieces. Spray a non-stick pan with canola oil and heat it. Add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices. Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and then add to the mushrooms along with the sherry. Simmer, stirring until mixture thickens. Add the soy cream (or full-fat unsweetened soy milk) and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans. 

Topping:

Put the bread, margarine, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Pour into a bowl and add the French fried onions. Stir to combine.

To assemble:

Put the green beans into an oiled casserole dish and top with the onion/breadcrumb mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes (keep an eye on it-topping will get pretty browned). If you are not serving right away, refrigerate the topping separately; bring to room temperature before sprinkling the topping on the casserole and baking for about 20 minutes or until hot throughout.

Nutrition Facts: (per serving)

102 calories, 36 calories from fat, 3.8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1026.5mg sodium, 315.3mg potassium, 13.9g carbohydrates, 3.8g fiber, 3.7g sugar, 3.8g protein, 1.6 points

*recipe adapted from fatfreevegan

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend!

xo

weekend challenge

It's finally Friday and Joel is on his way home! I couldn't be more excited to see him! 

Life just isn't as interesting without him around. :)

The last couple of days I have been getting ready to host my very first Friendsgiving! The house is clean, the Christmas tree and most of my Christmas decorations are up (I couldn't resist!), and I have a delicious list of vegan recipes that I will be preparing! Don't worry, I'm not going to force my guests to eat nothing but vegan food. There will be a turkey and plenty of meaty options for the carnivores - and lets be honest, I will be enjoying some of the food they bring over as well. (french onion dip?! you know it!) :)

I do want to challenge all of you to something this weekend.

Since it will be Thanksgiving soon and most of you will be binge eating on turkey, turkey gravy, ham (for those of you who live on the edge), stuffing made with meat, and so on. I challenge you to make one day - just one day!- of your weekend meat free. Scary, I know. But just try it. I'm not challenging you to go vegan for one day - just vegetarian. Feel free to use eggs, milk, butter, cheese (if you are feeling really adventurous try and cut this stuff out as well, or use as little of it as possible!). Just leave out the steak, chicken nuggets, fillet of fish, ground beef ... you get the point.  

Here are some ideas for those of you who read this and thought to yourself, "she wants me to starve for a whole day this weekend!!!":

Breakfast:

-yogurt with granola (try soy yogurt if you can!)

-French toast

-Pancakes

-cereal (use soy milk or coconut milk if possible)

Lunch:

-loaded salad with lots of veggies (use spinach for added nutrition)

-Trader Joe's vegan chili

-1 cup of macaroni whole wheat pasta added to your favorite Amy's soup

-pizza loaded with veggies (mushroom, peppers, olives, onions, pineapple, etc)

Dinner:

-any of the lunch items (obviously)

-chipotle quinoa burgers with crunchy guac (recipe on blog!)

-loaded veggie burgers 

(tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, sauteed mushrooms and onions - I'm getting hungry just talking about these!)

-pasta with your favorite sauce 

(rustic pasta (recipe on blog!), spaghetti loaded with mushrooms and onions, pasta with cream sauce, etc.)

These are just a few ideas. Go crazy! Just leave out the meat. 

xo

P.S. If anyone takes pictures of each of their meat free meals (no cheating!) and sends them to me at (stroup.amanda@gmail.com), I will pick a winner and send that person a goody box full of a few of my favorite things!

chipotle quinoa burgers with guac

First off, a big thank you to my little sister for sending me this picture and recipe! 

I will be making these on Friday as a special welcome home dinner for Joel! 

When I first stopped eating meat, one of the things I worried about was never being able to enjoy a juicy, delicious burger ever again. Now the thought of a nasty chunk of beef sitting on a bun makes me sick, and lately I've been enjoying some of the best burgers I've ever had! If you are hesitant to try a veggie burger, black bean burger or quinoa burger - I urge you to give it a whirl! So delish. :)

This burger is LOADED with nutrients. From fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, vitamin K, folate, riboflavin, copper, protein, pantothenic acid ... you get the point. 

Make it. Eat it. Enjoy it.

xo

Chipotle Quinoa Sweet Potato Burgers with Crunchy Guacamole

/Ingredients/

for the burgers:
-1/3 cup quinoa
-2/3 cup filtered water
-1 cup cooked sweet potato
-1/2 cup white beans (any white kind will do)
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (spicy or super spicy)
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced fresh garlic)
-1 to 2 tablespoons tahini (optional)
-1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
-Olive oil for cooking
-2 sprouted grain or whole wheat hamburger buns

for the crunchy guacamole:
-2 avocados
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa or pico de gallo
-2 tablespoon raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds - if you can't find any or don't want to use these you can leave them out)

/Instructions/

-Start by heating a small pot on the stove with the 2/3 cup filtered water and 1/3 cup quinoa. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Let the quinoa cook for 10-15 minutes (or until all the water is absorbed), then remove from the heat and let rest for at least 5 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking, peal and dice 1 medium, or 2 small, sweet potatoes. Cook the sweet potatoes in a pot of boiling water on the stove for about 10 minutes, or until soft and mash-able.

-Once the sweet potatoes and quinoa are done cooking, combine the sweet potatoes and white beans in a mixing bowl and smash with a potato masher until well mashed but still retaining a little texture from the beans. Now add in the tahini (if using) and the spices. Mix well, and then add the quinoa and fold it into the mixture with a spatula. Heat a medium size pan on the stove to medium heat and drizzle with some olive oil. Form the quinoa sweet potato mixture into your desired size/amount of patties, coat them with panko crumbs, and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side (or until a nice crispy golden brown outer shell is reached). 

-While the burgers are cooking you can be assembling the crunchy guacamole by simply combining all the ingredients you see above and mashing them together (or less mashing if you like your guacamole chunky!). 

-Finally, take one of your sprouted grain/whole wheat buns and build your burger with your crispy sweet and spicy burger patty and crunchy guacamole. 

Enjoy!

*recipe adapted from everydayvegangirl

movin' and shakin'

Happy Wednesday!

Today is all about getting off your butt and moving! 

I would be lying if I said working out was something I loved to do or something I am great at sticking with. I hate the gym and it takes a lot for me to actually "workout". But hitting the gym or taking a workout class is not the only way to get yourself moving. Go on a walk, ride your bike, run/jog around your neighborhood, play some basketball/tennis/golf/football. Whatever floats your boat. I know for me it is so much easier and more enjoyable to take my pup on a walk or ride my bike around on a nice day, then it is to go to a gym. 

Whatever you choose, it is so important to get some form of moderate exercise for AT LEAST 30 minutes a day. Whether you break that up into 3 ten minute sessions or get your 30 minutes in all at once - you need at least 30 minutes. 

(To give you an idea of what moderate exercise would be - walking at a pace of about 4 mph is considered moderate)

So get off your ass and move around. It's what our bodies are built to do. :)

Have a wonderful rest of your day, everyone! 

(photos can be found on my pinterest page!)

i left my heart in san diego

We spent the weekend in Southern California (Huntington Beach and San Diego - to be exact) and it was incredible! There's nothing better than hanging out in some of my favorite places with my favorite person. :) We ate some amazing food (thank you for being so vegetarian/vegan friendly, California), hung out at the San Diego Zoo, explored Coronado Island, and enjoyed some delicious drinks! It was so nice to just spend time laughing and relaxing together.

Unfortunately, I had to leave Joel in San Diego and he wont be home until Friday. I'm so jealous that he gets to spend 4 more days in my new favorite city! I already miss him and can't wait for him to come home. :)

xo

pasta night!

Joel and I are leaving to San Diego for the weekend tomorrow! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to get the heck outta here for a few days. Woo!

Anyway, the recipe I have for you today is awesome! I found this recipe in The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone and both Joel and I love it!  Feel free to have fun with it and mix it up! The only thing I demand is you use whole wheat pasta. It's time to throw away all of that white pasta crap in your pantry. :)

Rustic Pasta

serves 3 to 4

/Ingredients/

- 1/4 pound pasta (whatever shape/size you prefer - make it whole wheat!)

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 large onion, thinly sliced

- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or thinly sliced

- 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup shoyu (or low sodium soy sauce)

- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (regular salt is also fine)

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1/2 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced

- 1/2 to 1 whole jar of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce 

/Instructions/

- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and add the pasta; cook just until al dente. Drain the pasta well.

- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened, then add the garlic and saute for about 3 minutes longer, until the onions are transparent and turning golden.

- Add the celery to the skillet and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the shoyu (or soy sauce), salt, garlic powder, then add the cabbage; saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for  about 5 minutes longer. 

- Add the pasta to the skillet as well as the marinara or spaghetti sauce and toss together. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 more minutes (until sauce is hot and everything is mixed well!)

- Serve and enjoy!

xo

this rounds on me.

Well, it's the day after the election results were announced (in case you are living under a rock and didn't know that) and emotions are still running high. Some of you (myself included) are elated, proud, excited, and have hope for our country (even if your candidate didn't win) and others are still ripping out their hair, crying, praying, binge eating, running away to Canada, and completely overreacting. 

This post is dedicated to all of the above. 

I feel like all of us could use a nice, big ol' glass of freshly squeezed juice. 

If you don't have a juicer - go get one. Right now. Seriously.

We just got ours and I am already head over heels in love!

So, what's the big deal about juicing?

It's an amazing and easy way to get your vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.

It's also GREAT for cleansing - and trust me, after reading some of the horrible things said about the President last night, some of you are in DESPERATE need of a good body (and soul) cleanse.

Remember - stress, anger, close-mindedness, nastiness, and hatred give you wrinkles, cause health problems, and make you fat. So stop it.

The recipe below is so refreshing and deliciously sweet. It will put you in a good mood as soon as it hits your lips.  

Have a wonderful rest of your day, loves!

Pear Orange Juice

(makes 16-20 oz of juice)

- 2 pears

- 1 orange 

- 4 cups spinach

- 1 cup fresh basil

- 1 small piece of ginger 

*recipe from healthy crush

good old metabolism.

via

While you're getting ready to go cast your vote or stressing out at home all evening while you wait to hear the results of the election (because as we all know, the world is going to end if the candidate you voted for doesn't win - I've even heard that Jesus is coming back if Obama wins? weird), you might as well be boosting your metabolism! No need to pack on the pounds over a couple of politicians. ;)

Happy Election Day!

xo

god bless 'merica

Regardless of who you are voting for, get out and exercise your right to vote. :)

monday detox.

Happy Monday!

I don't know about your weekend, but this weekend consisted of a lot of delicious but crappy/fatty food, too much alcohol, and not enough sleep for us. While it was awesome, I am feeling it today. To get myself back to normal I am making sure to eat very clean for the next few days and drinking lots and lots of water.

The little beauties in the picture above make a delicious side dish or a great light meal.

I made mine vegan but feel free to use things like regular breadcrumbs and cheese.

Vegan Zucchini Boats

servings: 4

/Ingredients/

-2 medium zucchinis

-Olive oil, for sauteing

-1/2 red pepper, chopped

-1/2 medium yellow onion (you can also use a sweet onion), chopped

-1/3 pound (a couple of handfuls) fresh mushrooms, chopped

-1/2 medium fresh tomato, chopped

-1 bunch fresh basil (or you can use a pinch of dried basil)

-Salt and pepper to taste

-1/2 cup breadcrumbs (if you are keeping it vegan make sure you are using vegan breadcrumbs!)

/Instructions/

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Trim the stem on the zucchinis, but don't cut them all the way off. Cut the zucchinis in half (lengthwise), making two boats for each zucchini. Using a pairing knife and a small spoon carefully hollow out each zucchini, leaving about 1/4 inch all around the sides and bottom. Save the zucchini parts you remove. Place the zucchini boats on an oiled baking pan or cookie sheet. Set aside.

-Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan. Add the red pepper, after a few minutes add the onion and garlic. Simmer slowly until they get soft and the onion becomes translucent, but not browned. Add the mushrooms and chopped zucchini innards. A few minutes later, add the tomatoes, chopped or dried basil, and salt and pepper.

-Simmer all of the vegetables uncovered for about 5 to 7 minutes - you don't want them to get too soft or mushy. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, strain the vegetables in a colander and SAVE the extra liquid. 

-Mix in the breadcrumbs (this will help hold everything together)

-Fill all of the zucchini boats - there should be enough filling for them to be slightly mounded.

-Baste each boat with the saved liquid

-Bake for 35-40 minutes, until boats are tender but still holding their shape. Check them often during baking to make sure they aren't getting too dry or too browned. If they are getting too browned, cover with foil for the last few minutes and baste again.

*If you are using either vegan or regular cheese, you can add it to the vegetables before stuffing the boats, or you can sprinkle the cheese on top during the last few minutes of baking.

Enjoy!

revamp!

Hi all!

So the last few days I have been trying to decide whether or not I should start a 2nd blog that would focus primarily on my favorite subjects - nutrition and overall health! After trying to put something together that I could love as much as Exes&Ohs, I realized that I would rather just give this blog a face lift and a shift in focus. 

My plan for this "blog relaunch" is to put together a hodgepodge of tips, info and recipes that will hopefully inspire all of you to be the best/healthiest/most bitchin' version of yourselves!

Lets do this.

xo