did you know...

...there is more protein in a bundle of spinach, bouquet of broccoli, and ball of cauliflower than eggs, chicken, and beef??

"Say what?!" you say?

All you meat eaters out there who give me crap for not getting enough protein on my veggie lifestyle can s**k it! I'm getting more natural protein than most! :p

coconut quinoa + caramelized bananas

[artwork by one life in stills]

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. It's the nutritional kick-start for the whole day and gets me revved up and refueled after tough morning work outs. Side note: I ran 5 miles this morning then did an intense heart opening yoga class! I feel SO GOOD and the recipe I'm about to share with you will hit your post work out sweet spot. Speaking of sweet, I like sweets. Actually, I LOVE sweet things. I have the Stillians family to blame for that. I believe that every single person in my immediate family and extended family has a sweet tooth, some far more than others. Having uncontrollable sweet tooth cravings can potentially be extremely harmful to one's health if you don't chose healthier sweet options. I keep mine under control by not consuming processed sweets and sweets using refined sugar. I look for treats that are clearly one step healthier than hideous candies, cakes, and doughnuts. Sweets I eat: organic dark chocolate, dates, dried mangos, these amazingly delicious and addicting chocolate peanut butter cups that are vegan and gf, and acai sorbet with granola, strawberries, and bananas. See...I can satisfy my sweet tooth without risking good health.    

Whoa. I totally just went on a sweet tooth rant. Whoopsies!

What is the topic of this blog post? Oh right...I wanted to share with you a delicious, easy peezy breakfast recipe I kind of concocted as I went along. To caramelize the bananas I used maple syrup and lemon juice instead of brown sugar and molasses so its not overwhelmingly sweet. The bananas pair perfectly with the coconut quinoa! Hope you try it and like it!

What you'll need: (serves 2)

- 1 cup quinoa

- 1 cup water

- 1 cup nut milk (I used almond milk)

- 1 tbsp shredded coconut

- 1 medium banana

- 1 tsp butter (I used vegan Earth Balance butter)

- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- small handful dried cranberries (I didn't like the tartness of the cranberries in this so I would use blueberries or strawberries next time)

Do it!:

1. Place quinoa, water, nut milk, and coconut in a 1-½ quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes). You will know that the quinoa is done when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated.

2. Cut banana in half crosswise then lengthwise.

3. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet and place the bananas in the butter, coating them using a pastry brush.

4. Move the bananas to one side of the pan.

5. Slightly tip the pan (with bananas on upper side), then add the maple syrup, vanilla and lemon juice.

6. Sprinkle the cinnamon and give the mixture a good stir.

7. Lower the pan and blend the sauce with the bananas, spooning the sauce over the top.

8. Cook for 5 minutes.

9. Arrange the banana pieces on top of quinoa is a bowl.

10. Garnish with additional fruit of your liking (mango, strawberries, blueberries would be nice).

11. Gobble it up!!!

pumpkin spiced (and everything nice) pancakes

I usually don't eat typical breakfast foods such as pancakes or waffles because 9 times out of 10 the recipes out there aren't vegan friendly. However, yesterday morning, largely impart of the chilly weather I'm guessing, I was craving warm, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth pancakes like our mothers (or fathers!) used to make when we were little (or now!) and I was on a mission to find the perfect recipe to satiate that craving. 

After about 4 minutes (thanks again Internet!), I found a recipe worth making the trip over to Whole Foods for. Angela Liddon, my go-to gal for dank vegan recipes, did it again! Her spiced up and stacked pumpkin butter pancakes recipe on her blog Oh She Glows hit the pancake spot in my belly! 

What you'll need: (serves 1)

1/2 cup stone ground Kamut flour (or flour of choice)- I used buckwheat flour

3/4 cup non dairy milk- I used almond

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 tsp cinnamon + dash of nutmeg + dash ginger

1/2 tbsp sugar- I used agave nectar (mix it in with the wet ingredients)

Pinch sea salt

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or preferred oil)

Pecans (optional)

Coconut chips (optional)

Homemade Pumpkin Butter- Trader Joe's makes a good one if you don't want to make it from scratch

Do it!:

1. Grease and preheat a skillet on the stovetop.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients (baking powder, flour, sugar, sea salt, spices).
3. In a small bowl mix the wet ingredients (vanilla, almond milk, coconut oil (melted). Add wet to dry and whisk well.
4. Pour less than 1/4 cup per pancake and cook until bubble form. Flip and cook until golden on the opposite side.5. Layer with Homemade Pumpkin Butter and pecans and sprinkle with coconut. 

Then Sha BAM! Instant satisfaction at the breakfast table. 

Want or need to score some points with the parentals?? Make these Christmas morning (or any morning)!!

homemade halloween caramel popcorn

[image via pinterest]

there's nothing really "Halloween" about this vegan caramel popcorn besides the fact that i made it on Halloween and ate it out of Halloween treat bags! the recipe is super simple and easy to make, even the little kids i nanny for enjoyed helping me make it. i got the recipe from vegan cooking blog, Hell Yeah It's Vegan! I found on pinterest. i encourage you to check out this blog, even if you aren't a vegan. Claryn offers a variety of traditional/family recipes that she then "veganizes" into healthier and extra delicious vegan friendly food!

what you need:

• 3-4 quarts popped corn
• 1 c brown sugar
• ½ c vegan margarine (i used soy free Earth Balance)
• ¼ c corn syrup
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 brown paper grocery bag

do it:
1. Combine sugar, margarine, corn syrup, and salt in a covered microwavable dish. Bring to a boil, and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes. 
If you don’t have a clear glass dish and a microwave with a door that you can see through, you can check by pulling the dish out quickly: if it’s bubbling rapidly, it’s boiling; start timing the additional minutes now. If it’s not doing anything, microwave it a bit longer and check again (before starting the timer). Err on the side of boiling too long; this is a candy that everyone expects to be crunchy, and if it hasn’t boiled long enough, the caramel will never set as hard as you want. 
2. Once complete, remove dish from microwave and stir in baking soda; the mixture will darken. 
3. Put popped corn in brown grocery bag and pour mixture on top. Close bag tightly and shake to distribute caramel. 
4. Microwave entire bag for 1½ minutes. Shake again and cook for another 1½ minutes. 
5. Pour onto a clean cookie sheet to cool. Store in an air-tight container.


Easy peasy! Just POP, POUR, and SHAKE your way to yum caramel popcorn! Happy Halloween everyone!