7 Day Food Journal

I previously posted a 3 day food journal where I kept track of what I was eating and how much. What I discovered was that I’m really good at being raw vegan until dinner time, when things seem to fall apart for me. This is still somewhat true.

This time around, I decided to post a 7 day food journal so that I could get a sense of how my eating habits have changed since my last food journal post back in May 2013 (which can be found here https://raworganicvegetarian.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/3-day-food-journal/). What I’ve noticed is that I now snack less in between meals and eat more fruit in the morning for breakfast.

Below is my food journal for 7 days. I didn’t include water but I generally drink 84 fl. oz of water a day, more if I’ve done hot yoga that day.

Day 1

> Breakfast:

• Green Smoothie – organic baby spinach, 2 bananas and chia seeds
• Vitamins & Supplements – Biotin, Vitamin D3, Arginine, Spirulina

> Lunch:

• Large salad – organic romaine lettuce, 1 avocado, jalapeno slices, fresh ground pepper and balsamic dressing

> Dinner:

• Acai berry bowl – acai juice, 2 bananas, 1/2 cup pineapple slices, 3 kiwis, chia seeds
• Spirulina supplements

Day 2

> Breakfast

• 1 banana
• 8 oz coconut water

> Lunch:

• Green Smoothie – organic baby spinach, 2 banana, 1 carrot, chia seeds
• Vitamins & Supplements – Biotin, Vitamin D3, Arginine, Spirulina

> Snack:

• 1 banana

> Dinner:

• Vegetable Fried Rice – brown rice, quinoa, veggies (corn, peas, green beans, carrots), 1 sliced jalapeno, 1 cup of sliced kimchi, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper powder
• Spirulina supplements

Day 3

> Breakfast:

• 1 organic banana
• Vitamins & Supplements – Biotin, Vitamin D3, Arginine, Spirulina

> Lunch:

• Green Smoothie – organic baby spinach, 1 banana, 1 carrot, chia seeds

> Dinner:

• Pasta with marinara sauce and wilted baby spinach
• Baked sweet potato

Day 4

> Breakfast:

• 1 banana
• 8 oz coconut water

> Lunch:

• Green Smoothie – organic baby spinach, 1 banana, 1 carrot, chia seeds
• Vitamins & Supplements – Biotin, Vitamin D3, Arginine, Spirulina

> Dinner:

• Homemade spring rolls (3 rolls) – raw tofu, romaine lettuce, sliced pineapple, sliced jalapeno, cilantro, avocado, spring roll wrapper

> Snack:

• 1 cup of organic hot chocolate

Day 5

> Breakfast:

• 1 organic banana
• Vitamins & Supplements – Biotin, Vitamin D3, Arginine
• 1 cup of matcha green tea latte with almond milk and a touch of honey

> Lunch at The Plant Cafe Organic:

• Green Basic 8oz Juice – kale, parsley, celery, apple & lemon
• Spicy Red Thai Curry with sautéed vegetables, red chili, coconut & lemon grass served over jasmine rice

> Snack:

• 1 red velvet cupcake

> Dinner:

• Fresh Fruit Bowl – 1 organic banana, 1 Fuji Apple

Day 6

> Breakfast:

• 1 organic banana
• 8 oz fresh fruit juice – peach, pineapple

> Lunch:

• Vitamins & Supplements – Biotin, Vitamin D3, Arginine, Spirulina
• Green smoothie – organic kale, 2 carrots, 1 organic banana, chia seeds

> Snack:

• 5 organic pitted dates

> Dinner:

• Vegetable Stir fry – jalapenos, broccoli, corn, carrots, peas, green beans, kimchi, garlic, soy sauce, red pepper powder, red quinoa

Day 7

> Breakfast:

• Green Smoothie – organic baby spinach, 2 carrots, 1 banana, chia seeds
• Vitamins & Supplements – Biotin, Vitamin D3, Arginine, Spirulina

> Lunch:

• Large Salad – organic kale, pine nuts, shredded carrots, ginger sesame dressing

> Dinner:

• Sushi – 1 California roll, 1 eel roll, 1 spicy tuna roll

Recipe: Orange Carrot Smoothie

Brighten up your day with this delicious orange carrot smoothie.

Ingredients:

• 4 whole organic carrots
• 1 organic orange
• 1 organic banana
• A few slices of fresh organic pineapple
• 1/2 cup of water

Instructions:

1. Slice up the carrots, orange, banana and pineapple and place into your blender or NutriBullet
2. Add 1/2 cup of water and blend for a minute until the texture is smooth
3. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Recipe: Matcha Green Tea Latte

Matcha green tea latte is the perfect alternative to your morning cup of joe. Matcha green tea is high in antioxidants and provides an energy boost due to its natural caffeine content. It also helps to detoxify your body by naturally removing heavy metals and chemical toxins. Last but not least, it has an amazing flavor when combined with almond milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon warm water
• 1 cup of organic almond milk
• Organic honey to taste
• 1 teaspoon organic matcha green tea powder

The matcha green tea powder can be purchased at your local tea shop, health food store or on Amazon.com. I purchased mine from Amazon.com and have included a photo of it below. The brand is Ryu Mei.

Instructions:

1. Warm up 1 cup of almond milk
2. Mix 1 teaspoon of matcha green tea powder in a mug with 1 tablespoon of warm water
3. Mix until the powder is dissolved and creates a thick paste
4. Pour in half of the warm almond milk into the mug with the matcha green tea and stir
5. Add in the rest of the almond milk and stir
6. Stir in honey to taste

Enjoy!

Recipe: Baked Sriracha Kale Chips

Found this delicious baked kale recipe at SarahHearts.com. It’s super easy to make with only 4 ingredients, including the kale and total bake and prep time of 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch organic kale
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300º F
2. Remove the center stems from the kale and cut kale leaves into large bite size pieces (they will shrink once you bake them)
3. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil and Sriracha
4. Place the kale into the bowl and mix so that it gets coated as evenly as possible
5. Spread out the kale on a large baking sheet and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Season with sea salt and place in the oven.
6. May need to be flipped once or twice throughout the baking process
7. Once it’s crispy, remove from the oven and enjoy!

Recipe: Tropical Acai Bowl

This recipe is very easy and great for a quick, healthy vegan snack.

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• Sliced pineapple
• 2 sliced kiwis
• 1/2 cup of organic granola
• 1 pack of organic acai juice (can be found at Whole Foods in a pack of 4 for $6.99 – see photo below)

Instructions:

1. Take 1 pack of frozen acai juice, 2 bananas and 1/8 cup of water and blend  together for a minute or so
2. Pour into a bowl and top with granola and sliced fruit of your choice. I’ve included kiwi and pineapple in this one but also great with blueberries, strawberries, mango.
3. Enjoy!

Summer Fruits & Veggies

Did you know that California grows about 80% of all fruits and veggies in the U.S.?

Look for these Summer fruits and veggies at your local farmers markets for the best flavor of the season.

Fruit:

• Apples
• Apricots
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Boysenberries
• Cantaloupe
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Huckleberries
• Limes
• Mangoes
• Melons
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Strawberries

Veggies:

• Avocados
• Basil
• Bell Peppers
• Beets
• Carrots
• Chard
• Chickpeas
• Chiles
• Cilantro
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Green Beans
• Green Onions
• Lemongrass
• Okra
• Onions
• Peas
• Radicchio
• Radishes
• Shallots
• Spinach
• Spring Onion
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini

🙂

Recipe: Vegan French Toast

I was craving french toast for lunch the other day so I went online in search of vegan french toast recipes. Many of the recipes required ingredients that I had never heard of or I didn’t have on hand (such as nutritional yeast and chickpea flour) but I found one that is not only easy but delicious! It only requires bananas, soy milk and some other basic ingredients that I had in my kitchen.

Below is the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup organic soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Gluten free bread – about 6 slices (I used Uudi’s from Trader Joe’s but any kind of thick sliced bread will do)
• Organic maple syrup
• Fresh organic berries of any kind (I prefer blueberries)

Instructions:

1. Blend together bananas, soy milk, cinnamon and vanilla in a blender or food processor.
2. Pour the mixture into a shallow container such as a pie plate.
3. Place the bread into the mixture and let it soak for a minute or so and spoon the mixture to coat the other side.
4. Fry the bread in a medium hot skillet until the slices are golden brown, then flip to cook the other side.
5. Serve with sliced bananas, fresh blueberries and maple syrup.

🙂

Recipe: My Favorite Kale Salad

One of my favorite healthy salads to make is a kale salad with vegan parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon and hot pepper flakes. So easy to make and delicious! 

Below is the recipe. Hope you like it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• Pinch red pepper flakes (you can leave this out if you don’t like your salad spicy)
• 2 bunches organic kale
• 1/2 cup finely grated vegan parmesan cheese (you can find this at your local Whole Foods or health food store)
• Handful of pine nuts or sunflower seeds

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes. Add kale and toss to coat.

2. Top with grated vegan parmesan and serve!

Enjoy! 🙂

Brown Rice vs. Quinoa

Here’s a great infographic that compares the nutritional value of brown rice and quinoa.

Although quinoa has slightly more calories than brown rice, quinoa provides more protein, fewer carbs, more fiber, calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium than brown rice.

🙂

Friday Fitspiration

Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. “Diet” is a huge factor in losing those extra pounds, so put down the processed food and reach for raw fruits and veggies.

🙂