Hey guys!! It’s finally finals week, which is honestly the most bittersweet time of year for a college student. I’ve been home the last five days studying, which means I have some awesome recipes coming your way! I can’t wait for this summer where I can spend so much time experimenting in the kitchen. Today’s what I ate today is going to be filled with some sneak peaks of recipes that will make an appearance in the near future.
Breakfast:
I’ve been on a smoothie kick recently, probably due to heavily missing my blender while at college. Next year, you can bet I’m bringing my tiny nutribullet with me to make smoothies in the morning. Today, I made this berry smoothie, packed with mango, blueberries, spinach, flax seed, chia seeds, and a ripe banana.
Mango is packed with Vitamin C, which is essential for the production of collagen, structural components in the body. Vitamin C also is a powerful antioxidant, which helps neutralize free radicals in the body.
Blueberries are packed with anthocyanin, which protects the body’s DNA from damage and help maintain a youthful appearance. They also contain Vitamin C and E, as well as potassium. Potassium works to help oxygenate the blood and circulate nutrients in the body.
Bananas are a good source of potassium as well.
Spinach is one of the powerhouse greens that I try to incorporate in my everyday smoothies. It is loaded with great nutrients and vitamins such as Vitamin A, which is essential for cell renewal and repair. It is also high in calcium, which is important for maintaining strong bones. On top of this it contains iron, chlorophyll, manganese, and magnesium.
Chia seeds and flax seeds are important sources of omega-3s. Chia seeds are considered a superfood, due to the fact that they are a complete protein and a good source of fiber. They also contain high amounts of calcium and zinc, which are essential for clear, healthy skin. Flax seed helps reduce inflammation due to the alpha- linolenic acid in it. Although flax seed is a source of fat, it actually works to burn fat within the body and contains the same properties as fish oil.
Lunch
Salads are extremely underestimated as meals in today’s societies. Once a day, I try to incorporate some kind of salad into my diet, whether that’s by itself in a bowl or packed together in a burrito. Today, I made this colorful salad packed with so many amazing foods. I used a kale, spinach, romaine mix as the base. I added black beans, red peppers, and tomatoes on top, and pulled everything together with a delicious, sesame-ginger dressing.
Black beans are a good source of protein and fiber. They are the perfect addition to meals because they have little taste, but add a unique texture.
Red peppers are packed with vitamin C.
Tomatoes have skin protecting properties, which allow protection against UV damage and aging.
Dinner
Burrito time!! I love burritos so much and have made so many different kinds throughout my plant-based journey. This one tonight was delicious half due to the amazing wraps I used and half due to the amazing ingredients. I loaded my burrito with a kale, romaine, spinach mix based and topped it with shredded potatoes, black beans, onions, and sriracha sauce. The wraps were a protein based, fiber whole wheat wrap which made it the perfect addition to an already hearty meal. I like using these wraps because they provide additional nutritional benefits, that bleached wraps do not.
Dessert
I made this amazing chocolate chip cookie pie, which tasted like the regular non-vegan version to the T. I topped it off with the Naked Vanilla Vixen Kitchen Vegan Gelato. Probably one of the best vegan desserts that I’ve had in awhile. The recipe will be up soon so stay tuned for that!
Emma xx
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