As the seasons change, so do our senses for warmer, earthier foods.Our five senses interact to influence our experiences with food and beverages. Things such as bonfires, fireplaces, apple trees, pine cones, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin help create these feelings of coziness and comfort. During the colder, damp, winter months, try exploring more foods with a bitter taste. For example, arugula, dandelion greens, beet greens, beets, carrots, apples, cranberries, pears, squash, millet, quinoa, chickpeas, red lentils and soaked almonds or cashews. Get into more spices, like cardamom, cayenne, curry powder, allspice, and turmeric as well as chamomile, jasmine, and peppermint tea. These foods are chock full of health benefits. How about an EARTHY, RAW VEGAN PUMPKIN HEMP SPREAD?Pumpkin and hemp seeds - the perfect pair providing a smooth texture with a subtle crunch. Pumpkin is a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E. It's also a good source of B-complex group of vitamins and a rich source of minerals. Hemp seeds are often classified as one of nature's perfect foods, and a health powerhouse in the following ways:
Ingredients:
Directions: Depending on choice of sweetener, you can either mix everything in a bowl by hand or use a blender. If you use syrup, a blender is best.
This simple, raw vegan spread is so easy to make, extremely healthy and tastes delicious with so many things, including:
VitaFiber™, by BioNeutra™ is a natural, certified organic, low calorie prebiotic fiber (syrup or powder) for human digestive health. NATERA™ Hemp Seeds, by Naturally Splendid® are exceptionally pure, plump and nutritious. A rare source of complete protein, they contain all 20 known amino acids including the 8 essential and 2 semi-essential amino acids our bodies need for optimum health.
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Wake up. Be brave. Repeat.®This is my famous saying about life - everything in life as a matter of fact. It's simple, yet powerful when you learn how to live more like it. As a vegan runner for many years, I have learned a lot about life from lacing up my running shoes and hitting the dirt, pavement, or mountains. I run because it's a clear path to healing, clarity and peace. I run to explore. I run to breath the fresh, mountain air. I run because life becomes a little more vibrant and a little more carefree. Today, there seems to be more stress and pressure in our everyday lives. We have "more stuff", we "need" to be someone we are not, emails never end, social media is everywhere, and the small things in life that were once care-free are now becoming more like tasks. When we really look at ourselves, we are our own worst critic. We allow these outside distractions to be in control and the simple things that were enjoyed so freely become lost. Take some time to really think about your life and what matters most. Learn what makes you feel free and unstressed. Let go of being perfect - it's refreshing. Here are some powerful takeaways I've learn from running that will give you positive energy and guidance to live life more simply.
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” ~Henry David Thoreau Nutrition Tips to Kickstart a Healthier LifeStart paying more attention to what you are putting into your body. Take the time to plan ahead and build your meals around whole, plant-based foods that are minimally-processed and free of artificial ingredients, added sugars and common allergens. By taking these steps, your body can digest what you've eaten more efficiently and it can use the energy + nutrients it delivers faster and more successfully. This is called high, net-gain nutrition. Foods that are easy to digest and contain the greatest amount of each micronutrient per calorie. These foods now become functional tools to support your overall health and wellness. Start with a new routine in the morning - eat breakfast. Eating a plant-based, whole food, nutrient-dense breakfast is important for numerous reasons because it influences pretty much every dimension of our well-being during the course of a day. This includes how we perform physically and mentally. Breakfast immediately raises our body’s energy level and restores the blood glucose level to normal after an overnight fast. It also raises the muscle and liver glycogen stores. Eat something that includes protein, complex carbs and healthy fat. So many people run for their coffee cup, but this is actually detrimental since caffeine raises cortisol. Here are two nutrient-dense, plant-based power breakfasts that are easy to make. Enjoy! Coconut Hemp ToastCoconut Oil Hemp Seeds - 2 tablespoons Ezekiel Bread Cinnamon Stevia (optional)
Hemp Chia OatmealHemp Seeds (1-2 tablespoons) Ground Chia Seeds (1-2 tablespoons) Coconut Oil (1-2 teaspoons) Organic, gluten free oats Cinnamon Stevia
FYI NUTRITION STATS: Hemp Seeds: complete protein Chia Seeds: complete protein Cinnamon: helps regulate blood sugar naturally Coconut Oil: superfood with healthy, unique combination of fatty acids High Net-gain Nutrition: minimized stress, more energy and better quality of sleep. Cravings diminish as you are nourishing your body with what it naturally craves - nutrients. FYI RUNNING STAT: In a study first published in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal, researchers demonstrated running could create a 37 percent reduction in anxiety as measured by the Profile of Mood States (POMS) scale. -"What If Everybody Ran? An Investigation into the Potential Impact of a National Running Movement"
Save the seeds! Seeds from winter squash make a great snack food, just like pumpkin seeds. They include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, as well as anti-diabetic and insulin-regulating properties.
Explore the many amazing winter squash varieties while they are in season! A few of Miss Bellevue Vegan's Favorites include:Acorn squash is a great all-around squash, with moist, sweet, tender flesh. They are good for roasting, baking, steaming, mashing, and sautéing. Smaller ones are perfect for stuffing with a protein-rich pseudo-grain like quinoa and fibrous veggies to make an excellent vegan main course. Butternut squash is the sweetest winter squash. It has a thick and moist flesh; its peel is comparatively thin and easy to peel. It's quite versatile as it roasts and sautés quickly. Best of all, is mashes and purees smoothly, with no thick strands or fibrous bits, making it perfect for soups. Spaghetti squash is all about the texture. Once cooked the flesh will pull apart into thick, slightly crisp, noodle-like strands. Try it with tomato sauce or salt, pepper and Bragg's Nutritional Yeast. Sweet Dumpling squash is small and quite cute! They have a yellow skin with bright orange or deep green stripes. The flesh is starchy with a slight corn flavor. The small size makes them perfect for stuffing and roasting. They are an excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of vitamin C. For a complete, nutrient-dense, vegan meal, try stuffed with quinoa, spinach, hulled hemp seeds, sea salt, ground pepper, fresh garlic and olive oil. (See recipe below) Checkout your local farmer's market! |
An amazing, COMPLETE, plant-based protein that is extremely easy to digest. "Complete" refers to amino acids. There are 21 different amino acids that can form a protein and nine that the body can't produce on its own. These are called essential amino acids. In order for a protein to be considered "complete", it must contain all nine of these essential amino acids in roughly equal amounts. Hemp is also rich in two of the most important EFAs: Omega-6 and Omega-3. Hemp has many other health benefits. To name a handful:
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Stayed tuned for more hemp education from Miss Bellevue Vegan!
Plant-Powered Stuffed Winter Squash
2-3 sweet dumpling squash (you can use acorn as well)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3 cups fresh spinach
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup cooked quinoa
4 tablespoons hemp seeds
2-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast (add more or less depending on your taste preference)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C.
- Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. (Remember, the seeds can be roasted like pumpkin seeds.)
- Place squash face-down in an oiled baking dish. Bake until tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.
- Remove squash from oven but keep oven on.
- Prepare the plant-based stuffing while the squash is baking: Heat coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped bell pepper and sauté for 5-10 minutes. The add in spinach and sauté until spinach is soft and dense. Stir in the cooked quinoa and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, add in nutritional yeast and mix well.
- Turn the squash upright in the baking dish and stuff with the plant-based mixture.
- Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, add hemp seeds to the top of the stuffed squash, serve and enjoy!
EDUCATION & TIPS:
- You can cook with hemp seed, provided that the temperature doesn’t go above 350 F or 175 C. It's best to just add in hemp seeds after any warm meal is done cooking.
- The peel of sweet dumpling squash is generally tender enough to be eaten.
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Healthy Meal Tips and Backpacking Dessert Recipe
Get Geared-Up Vegan Style
Camp Muir, Mt. Rainer
Fueling the Runner's High
Kristin Wuhrman
Owner of BEVEGAN® Grassroots Health. Board Certified Holistic Health Coach. AKA Miss Bellevue Vegan. Plant-Based Health Consultant. Vegan Athlete. Outdoor Enthusiast. Outdoor Gear Reviewer. Author. Cotopaxi Local Ambassador. Animal Lover. Dreamer. Believer.
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