14 Kick-Butt Vegetarian Recipes

About 16 or so days ago I decided to try being a vegetarian for 20 days. In that time I've totally loved experimenting with new veggies and other foods I wasn't familiar with. These recipes contain a lot of standard ingredients- but also ones that stretched my comfort zone like quinoa, brussles sprouts, eggplant and more! I only have a few days left and I'm totally happy with how it's been going. I feel so much more empowered with what I can cook and the interesting combinations I've tried out. A lot of these were inspired by pinterest or my friend Danielle. Hope you enjoy!

Quinoa Bowl

Ingredients:

Quinoa

Green Onion

Red Bell Pepper

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Canned Chicken (optional)

How to Make:

Prepare quinoa according to box instructions.

Chop up any veggies you wish to add in. 

Warm up the chicken.

Add veggies, seasonings, and chicken into the mixture.

Garnish and serve! 

Quinoa Stuffed Avocado and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

Quinoa

Avocado

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

How to Make:

I like to use leftover quinoa for this one and serve the avocado and quinoa chilled. 

Mix in any desired seasonings or veggies and spoon quinoa mixture onto half of an avocado. 

Make the side:

Preheat oven to about 350.

Chop Brussels in half and slice up some onion. Place on a baking sheet and toss/spray with olive oil and add salt to taste. 

Cook until Brussels look browned at edges. 

May want to flip part way through cooking. 

Baked Egg Avocado

Ingredients:

Avocado 1/2

Egg

Salt and Pepper

Cheese of Choice

How to Make:

Preheat oven to 375.

Scoop out a bigger hole at the center of the avocado to better fit your egg. 

Crack egg and salt and pepper. 

Place on baking sheet in oven for about 25 minutes or until egg is cooked through. 

Top with cheese in the last several minutes of baking. 

Try serving with a side of fruit and peanut butter whole grain toast. 

South Western Breakfast

Ingredients:

Egg

Salt and Pepper

Black Beans

Cheese

Bread of your choice

Fruit

How to Make:

This one is pretty straight forward. 

Berry Green Salad

Ingredients:

Kale

Cabbage

Arugula

Spinach

Avocado

Blueberries

Strawberries

Pecans

Goat Cheese

How to Make:

Combine ingredients try topping with a creamy poppy seed dressing.

For added delight try toasting the pecans in a dry non stick pan for a few minutes. 

Watch closely so they do not burn!

Chipotle Inspired Quinoa

Ingredients:

Black Beans

Quinoa

Tomato

Green/White/Red Onions

Cilantro

Lemon Juice

Kosher Salt

How to Make:

Warm up beans and quinoa. 

Slice up the tomato and your choice of onions. 

If you have fresh cilantro add it to the salsa. 

Once veggies are chopped and placed in a bowl add lemon juice and kosher salt to taste.

Note: This salsa, bean, quinoa combo is to die for. 

Mini-Eggplant-"Pizza"

Ingredients:

Eggplant 

Cheese of your choice

Tomato Sauce

Salt

How to Make:

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Slice Eggplant. Make sure slices aren't too thin or too fat. 

Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt on them to draw out water. And put a litte olive oil on them before placing them on the tray.

Place on a baking sheet and top each slice with sauce and cheese.

Bake until cheese is desired amount of brown. 

Tip: if you need a little more than just eggplant try making an English muffin and placing a few of the slices on there! I did and it was super yummy!

Roasted Veggies and Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

Veggies of your choice

Mashed Potatoes

How to Make:

If you need a mashed potato recipe message me and I'll get you one. 

Take literally any veggies of your choice sprinkle with olive oil and salt and roast in the oven until they are browning. 

I like this recipe because it's super simple and a nice warm option. 

I used: Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Red Bell Pepper, Asparagus, Eggplant, Onion, and Broccoli.

Goat Cheese Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Tomato

Mushroom

Onion

Spinach

Red Pepper

Goat Cheese 

Arugula 

Olive Oil

Seasonings 

How to Make:

Follow directions for pre-made pizza crust. (I used the artisan pizza crust from pillsbury- not super healthy but it worked)

Cook up any desired veggies in a pan ahead of time. 

Spread olive oil and seasonings across the base of the pizza.

I layered my spinach next then dumped on the cooked veggies. 

I spread around the tomato slices and the goat cheese evenly.

Bake in oven until corners of crust are browning and veggies/cheese seem warm.

Top pizza with fresh arugula and eat! 

Eggplant "Burger" and Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients for Burger:

English Muffin

2 large eggplant slices

Tomato slice

Red Onion

Red Pepper

Arugula

How to Make:

Roast the eggplant, pepper and onion on a tray in the oven using salt and olive oil. (add to last half of sweet potatoes)

Toast English muffin

On English muffin stack the arugula, eggplant, tomato, onions, and red pepper.

Ingredients for Chips:

1 medium/small sweet potato

Olive Oil

Cinnamon

Kosher Salt

How to Make:

Preheat oven to 375.

Peel a sweet potato. 

Slice into very thin pieces. (The thinner they are the more chip like they will become)

Brush or spray with olive oil and lay out the slices on a baking tray. 

Sprinkle a little kosher salt and cinnamon on the top.

Bake in oven about 15 minutes or until sides are browning. 

Flip chips and resprinkle the seasonings.

Bake another 10-15 minutes. (add eggplant burger veggies here). 

Watch so the chips won't burn. Unless you like them that way like me! 

Mashed Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:

Left over Mashed Potatoes

Avocado

Mushroom

Onion

Red Pepper

Sour Cream

Green Onion

Egg

Parmesan Shaker Cheese

Vegetable Oil

How to Make:

Place left over mashed potatoes in bowl and mix in one egg and some shaker cheese. 

Form into several patties.

Heat up a thin layer of vegetable oil in the bottom of a frying pan. 

Place pancakes in and flip once the bottom side has browned and hardened a bit.

Potatoes are done when both sides are browned. 

Top with some grilled or fresh veggies and sour cream.

Serve with a salad! 

Veggie Pizza and Eggplant Chips

Ingredients:

English Muffin

Spinach

Green Apple

Avocado 

Strawberries

Goat Cheese 

Olive Oil

Eggplant

Salt and Pepper

How to Make:

Preheat oven to 350. 

Slice and chop up an eggplant into small thin bite-sized pieces. 

Spread out on a pan and salt and season the chips how you want them. 

Bake 10-15 minutes or until the begin to brown. 

Flip the chips over part way through.

Bake until chips are at desired level. 

Meanwhile...

Use a tiny bit of olive oil on your English muffin and spread goat cheese across tops. Add in oven toeard end of cooking chips to toast bread and warm the cheese. 

Remove from oven and top with spinach and green apple, or strawberries and avocados. The second combo is to die for! 

Quinoa "Fried Rice"

Ingredients:

Quinoa

Tomato

Red/Green Onion

Spinach

Broccoli

Garlic

Red Pepper

Olive Oil

Soy Sauce

Lemon Juice

Egg

How to Make:

Chop up any desired vegetables. 

Begin cooking in a skillet on stove top. 

Add in soy sauce and lemon juice while cooking. 

Follow directions on how to make quinoa on box. 

After quinoa is cooked don't leave it to set- add it to skillet. 

Next clear a space in the skillet and fry up a scrambled egg. 

Once egg is cooked mix it in with the rest of the veggies and quinoa in the skillet. 

Add any more soy sauce, lemon juice, or other seasonings to taste. 

Note: This was yummy and I'm not usually a fan of regular fried rice. 

Sweet Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and Couscous

Ingredients:

Brussels Sprouts

Pecans

Dried Cherries

Goat Cheese 

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Balsamic Vinegar 

Agave Nectar

How to Make:

Add a little oil to a frying pan. 

Chop Brussels Sprouts in half and remove the stems.

Begin cooking Brussels in Pan.

Chop up several pecans and 1/8 cup of dried cherries. 

Once the Brussels are browning add cherries and nuts to pan.

After cooked place the mixture into a bowl and toss with a small amount of balsamic vinegar and agave nectar. 

Top with some crumbled goat cheese.

Serve with couscous and prepare as directed on box. 

Thanks for reading and to those of you that have been putting up with all my food pics on instagram! 

Extrinsic Motivation- (a trip to the dieting prize box)

Lately I've been posting mostly about dieting. I'm sorry to tell those of you who aren't diet and health enthusiasts that this post is also related to my diet! But never fear, today you are in luck because this method can be applied to help you reach a wide varieties of goals. Interested yet? Read on...

I have mentioned previously that before starting this intense diet program I was really worried that I wasn't going to stick with it. I did really want to lose the weight- but I knew in the past sometimes I'd choose the instant satisfaction of a hot yummy brownie over the eventual reward of weight loss and better health. I think to some extent all of us struggle with this concept. We have grown up in a society which constantly tells us to take instant gratification over long term gratification.

So somehow I needed to figure out how on earth I could break myself of this pattern of giving up my diet for an instant reward. What could I possibly tempt myself with that could help me say NO to that brownie?

Then my mind got going in teacher mode. In school, especially with younger children, getting them to learn and participate in your class is all about finding the right motivation. So you start with extrinsic motivators (motivation that comes from an external source). You offer stickers to the students whose behavior is excellent during class, you let the students who have turned in their homework all week take a trip to the prize box, or if the whole class remembers their recorders they get a class star that may eventually earn them a pizza party. --- In other words you bribe them. You find things that the students want and are interested in and you say if you do this ____ then you get this____. Child psychology tells us that extrinsic motivation does work well but that eventually as teachers we want the motivation to become intrinsic (motivation coming from the student). Instead of the student bringing their recorder to class to earn a star- they bring it to class because they want to play recorder.

So I decided all of us aren't really that much different than kids. When I diet- or do anything- I do much better with rewards along the way. So I created a plan for myself to go along with my diet and exercise program to essentially bribe myself to stay on the diet and not cheat! Just like in teaching I am hoping that after awhile my motivation for staying on the diet won't be because of prizes and rewards but because I will really be focused on being a healthier person- and eventually that will be enough to say no to a brownie- but for now? Let's be real, I need something a little more tangible to keep my eye on the prize and say no to all the yummy temptations along the way!

How did I manage to do this? Glad you asked. My mom and I developed a pretty complex rewards program to fit with our schedule on the diet! Here is what we came up with:

First we questioned what things should earn us rewards? 
Here are some of our ideas...
- Not cheating on the diet?
- Losing a set amount of weight?
- Exercising a certain number of days or a certain type of exercise?
- Drinking all of our water?

What we ended up going with: 
- Not cheating on the diet
- Exercising
(I'd recommend not setting a goal based on the # of pounds lost- because it's already frustrating enough when you don't lose weight while dieting- try to reward yourself for practicing healthier habits instead).

Next we questioned when should we receive the rewards? 

We took out a calendar and broke it down by cycle. We have both done this diet before and tried to remember which points in the diet do you start to feel extra pressure to cheat. Then from there we scheduled check points for the rewards- some only a few days apart- some a week apart or more. Our main concern was to keep these rewards frequent enough that it'd be easier to say no to the brownie because you knew that very soon you'd be earning a reward. 

The Timeline!

The days with a colored dot= A day that we would earn a reward for making it through. 

Example: on March 30th we earned a reward for making it through the first light blue dot (first 3 days).

The colored line represents which cycle you are in.

Light Green= Cleanse

Yellow= Cycle 1

Orange= Cycle 2

Pink= Cycle 3

(Cycle 4 isn't included since after cycle 3 you can repeat diet or proceed to cycle 4)

Of course then there's the dilemma of what the rewards would be...
We tried to come up with levels of rewards. Small, medium, and large. But the trick is the rewards need to be things that you really want, something you wouldn't just buy yourself in every day life, and rewards that have nothing to do with (bad) food! So we brainstormed rewards and here is what we ended coming up with:

Small Rewards ($1-$10): Examples: Craft Supplies, Makeup, Nail Polish, Summer Scarf, Sunglasses, New Jewelry, Hair Product, Movie on Demand, Thrift Store Purchase, Flip Flops, Flowers, Healthy Treat, New Small Plant, etc.

Medium Reward ($11-$20): Manicures, Summer Shirt, Magazine Subscription, New Book, New Plants, Panera Lunch, Sandals, Shoes, etc. 

Large Reward ($21-$30+): New Decor, Purse, Dress, Massage, Live Theatre Tickets, Ikea Trip, Whitening Strips, Exercise Equipment, Antique Purchase, etc. 

(Obviously we could change our minds as long as we are within the price range) 

We also designed a handy dandy small chart (to the side) to keep track of the rewards we have earned so far. Color of dot corresponds to level of reward- and color of line at top corresponds to which cycle it is earned in. 

This schedule and rewards levels covered exactly how and when we'd be rewarded for NOT CHEATING on the diet. Newt we had to factor in how we would reward ourselves for exercise! 

Here is what we decided: Each day we should be exercising at least 30 minutes. It could be at the gym, at home, outside, whatever. For every day that we exercised 30 minutes we will receive 1 "token" so to speak. You may collect the exercise tokens up until the end of one of the cycles. Then at the end you can use them to "buy" a certain level prize. 

*you have 17 days to collect tokens 

*you may only collect up to one token per day 

*1 token is earned after 30 minutes of purposeful exercise

13 tokens= A Large Reward Level

11 tokens= A Medium Reward Level

8 tokens= A Small Reward Level

6-7 tokens= 2 extra tokens for next cycle 

1-5 tokens= 1 extra token for next cycle

*Any tokens earned above 13 may be applied to the next cycle! 

*If you end up in the middle of reward levels you must opt for the smaller level. (ex. 12 tokens is still only a medium level). 

Soooo- for each cycle you actually have the opportunity to earn 2 large rewards between not cheating and exercising! 

As we were coming up with this awesome plan- we started to become concerned about what would happen if we did cheat! We didn't want to make this rewards program soooooooo intense that if you cheated once you blew it for that entire cycle! So we decided to create the "oops claus". 

Let me explain: The Oops Claus

We as previous dieters recognize that it is sometimes hard to avoid all forms of cheating while dieting. Holidays, special events, and other circumstances do occasionally arise and we want to make it possible to feel like we can be successful on this diet. 

If a cheat does occur you must rank it from a level 1-3. 

1= small cheat (ex. extra serving of carbs, specialty coffee, type of meat not allowed, etc) 

2= medium cheat (ex. that yummy brownie, other desserts, etc)

3= large cheat (ex. entire meal cheat, etc)

Since my mom and I are doing this together we both help decide how much a specific cheat is worth. 

Once you have committed the crime- in order for it to be erased from your record you have to "pay for it" with exercise tokens. 

Level 1= 1 token

Level 2= 2 tokens

Level 3= 3 tokens

Since we didn't want to let ourselves start abusing this cheat erasing feature we created some stipulations. 

*During a Cycle (17 day period) you may only use up to 5 tokens or up to 3 instances of cheating whichever comes first. 

This way if someone has a special dinner to attend they could enjoy the meal and a dessert and be able to pay it off with exercise tokens. But wouldn't be allowed to cheat anymore that cycle without disqualifying from the end of cycle reward. 

Another thing to remember is that the exercise tokens you use to pay off the cheats may not be counted towards your final exercise token count of that cycle. So, if you used 5 tokens to pay off your cheats- you could only at most earn 12 more for an exercise reward and that is if you exercise EVERY DAY of that cycle!

That pretty much sums up our entire rewards program to go along with the 17 day diet! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask! 

Also I wanted to fill you in on how it's working...

We have been using this rewards program since March 27th and it's already April 25th! I can honestly say after a month of using this it is working like a freakin charm! I've managed to earn all of my rewards so far! And in the first cycle I only ended up with one cheat- a coffee at Dunkin- and I didn't feel bad because I knew I was exercising 30 minutes one day to make up for that treat. Plus I've managed to lose about 14 lbs so far! 

Since cycle 2 has started it's been a little harder to stay motivated and I've already had 2 level 1 cheats (this past weekend when I visited Mansfield). But looking back at that weekend I totally stayed on track with all of my food- I just decided to indulge in some beverages not included on the diet. And I really think, had I not been doing this program I totally would have fell prey to that whole "I'm on vacation it doesn't matter" mindset that so many of us use as an excuse to stuff our bodies with bad foods. 

I do really think this program is helping to change the way I'm dieting. I have been getting so much more exercise, I've been able to stick to my diet without serious or frequent cheating, and I'm getting some fun little things along the way!  

I can also feel myself getting stronger and developing more will power just for the sake of being healthier. I'm not saying that I'm totally ready to ditch my extrinsic motivators- but I'm thinking that I'm well on my way to being able to intrinsically motivate myself to live a healthier life! 

If you want any help in creating a program that suits you- let me know and I can help you think through all the details! And don't limit this approach just to sticking to a diet- it can really be applied to anything! Can't kick the awful habit of biting your nails? Set up a rewards system. Can't manage to force yourself to get in a practice room and practice? Set up a rewards system! Still procrastinating going through boxes in the basement? SET UP A REWARDS SYSTEM!! I'm telling you, it will work! 

Have an awesome day! I hope you can find some useable ideas for yourself in this post :) I'd love to hear your reactions to this crazy system my mom and I created! Thanks for reading! <3 p="">

3 Days- 9 Smoothies- 6lbs Gone!

Hello All!

I realize it's been awhile since I've really talked about anything other than my accident and my recovery. Knowing that you must be bored stiff with tales of me using a walker and having to sit all day I'm here to share another kind of post! A while ago I have allowed my blog to center around health and weight-loss and I'm thinking it's about to take a turn in that direction again. (Don't worry I'll still have posts about other things too!)

Today I want to give my own personal review of the: Dr. Oz 3 Day Detox Cleanse. This cleanse is 3 intense days of eating drinking mostly fruits and veggies. The entire time you only drink smoothies made out of specific ingredients. It's easy to follow, costs roughly $16 a day for food supplies, and provides the results it brags. Here is what the 3 days look like:

Now let's talk about my experience with this cleanse, the good and the bad. 

I'll start with positive things first! 

1. After only 3 days of following this cleanse I lost 6 lbs! I also lost 1 inch off my waist and 1.5 inches off my stomach. 

2. This diet introduced me to new foods and interesting combinations that I may use again.
3. Overall the smoothies were pretty good. (Breakfast was my favorite!)
4. I wasn't really hungry often while on this cleanse. The smoothies are filling and most days I didn't even have room for the snack smoothie!
5. Trying a new weight-loss technique can be fun and interesting.
6. It's really easy to make the smoothies and follow the straight forward recipes.
7. Even though your not consuming meat, carbs, or dairy I still had energy from the smoothies.
8. I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment when I finished all 3 days!

Now to the negatives:
1. After the first day was over I started to dread drinking the lunch smoothie because I knew I didn't really like it.
2. I felt kind of horrible during the cleanse (head aches, constipation, nausea, bloating, etc.)
3. I was only able to take one of the Ultra Detox Baths since it made me feel really sick afterward. (My mom took all 3 and she only felt nauseous one night)
4. Since the diet repeats exactly for 3 days the novelty wears off after the first day.
5. It was hard to locate the foods in the grocery store.
6. It was expensive to purchase all of the food for the diet- especially things like Almond Butter, Coconut Oil, and certain fruits.
7. You get really sick of drinking cold smoothies really fast. (You'll be surprised at how much you miss chewing)
8. If you are a coffee drinker or drink a lot of caffeine you can expect a pretty horrible withdrawal headache.  (this goes for most detox cleanses).


This all being said I am still glad that I tried it. The results were highly effective and I felt so accomplished after completing it! I can't say though that I would repeat this exact detox cleanse again. Next time I think I'd be happier doing one that allows you to chew some of your food and that I could vary my food in hot or cold temperatures.

If you decide that you'd like to try this detox I'd totally support you! Here are a few tips that My mom and I picked up in the 3 days we did it.

Shopping: 
1. The cost is estimated at $16 a day for food but it may be more if your grocery store only sells one size of some items like ground flax seed, or almond butter. That can really jack the price up so be ready for the shopping bill and bring some coupons!
2. When locating the food in the store I'd advise starting in the gluten free section. They had a lot of the things we needed to buy (didn't know this until the very end of our shopping trip, figures)
3. When buying the fruit and veggies try to make sure they will be ripe when you are starting the cleanse. I can promise you the smoothies will taste SO MUCH better with more ripe fruit- (example bananas will be much sweeter when ripe- which will make the smoothie much sweeter).
4. Do research ahead of time or bring your smartphone to look up how to tell when certain fruits or vegetables were ripe. This helped us out a lot in the store! I previously had no idea how to tell which avocado was ripe!
5. The Shopping list doesn't account for the snack smoothie you choose- so factor that in when buying foods. (I recommend the Breakfast one- also we were too full for the snack some days).
6. Do yourself a favor and don't go to super walmart for shopping- go to a real grocery store, your life will be so much easier in trying to find all of the weird things!

Smoothie Making: 
1. Storing the foods in the fridge will help the smoothie be colder.
2. Buying frozen berries or fruit can add a nice cold blast to the smoothies.
3. Adding ice to them helps make them colder and a little thicker (I suggest it)
4. You may want to tweak a smoothie recipe to your personal tastes. (ie. Lunch Smoothie we cut down on the amount of celery significantly the 2nd and 3rd day)
5. Peeling things like cucumber, apple, mango, etc will help cut out some bitterness in the smoothies.
6. When making the Dinner smoothie you might want to cut down a bit on the cayenne pepper! It was pretty spicy when made with the suggested amount!

Before & After:
Before:
1. Weigh yourself, take measurements of waist, stomach, and hips.
2. Do your research on detox cleanses and make sure you're ready for the commitment
3. Take the list and go shopping! (you make have to stop a few places)
After:
1. Retake weight and measurements- and admire your success
2. Start thanking your lucky stars you can stop drinking smoothies for a while
3. Re introduce regular foods back into your body slowly! aka don't go binge on fast food otherwise you have totally defeated the purpose of your detox!


Where has my health journey gone since the end of this cleanse?
I'm so glad you asked. I have started the 17 day diet again! (click link to view previous post about it)
I am only about 4 days into the first cycle but it's going well. More health and diet updates to come!