Naked Remake Part 1

Naked Juices. If you haven't tried them before, they're fruit and vegetable juices without added sugars or preservatives. But, really, they taste like heaven. And the best part? They tell you exactly what's in them. They tell you how many blueberries, apples, oranges, mangos. You can check them out here. Perfect if you want to make them yourself!

Orange Carrot
Yields: about 2 cups

3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup apple juice
2 carrots
1/2 mango
1/2 apple
1/2 inch slice of banana
1/4 lemon

Peel and chop the carrots into very small pieces and blend with the orange and apple juice. (They used carrot juice which you can do if you want it smoother.)
Peel and chop the mango and apple. (Save the other half of the fruits for a salad or another recipe.)
Add mango, apple, and banana. Squeeze the juice from the lemon, adding it to the rest of the ingredients in the blender. Blend till liquified.

Orange Mango
Yields: about 2 cups

3/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup apple juice
1/2 mango
1/2 inch slice of banana

Peel and chop the mango. Blend all ingredients till liquified.

A note about juices: Juices are secondary to whole fruits. Here and here are a few articles about juices. However, as the first article mentions, juices are not of the devil; there is a place for them in a whole foods diet. One thing I like about Naked Juices is that they use a combination of whole fruits and juices. Obviously, fresh juices would be ideal, but unless you have a juicer and the time, go ahead and use store bought juices (just be sure to check for added sugars!).

"There is no substitute for natural whole foods." -Dr. Fuhrman

Meal Planning

Have you ever heard this saying?

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

When it comes to eating a whole foods plant-based vegan diet, this is more true than ever. “I’ll just go get take out” can’t become a daily staple. In college, students subsist on caffeine, ramen noodles, and the free food that is supposed to attract you to events comes in the form of pizza, ice cream, and candy. 

The good news is that with some simple planning you can ameliorate this issue. Knowing your meals in advance helps you avoid situations where you don’t have anything healthy to eat. 

It doesn’t matter what system of organization you use, any will do. I have used notepads, paper planners, electronic planners, and notes next to my math homework. Pick what works for you. 

Currently, I use an Excel spreadsheet. I like the simplicity. My regular planner is on the next sheet, so I plan my weekly schedule and my meals together. This way I know what days I have more time to cook and when I need to make my meals portable. From my meal plans, I make a shopping list in a note on my phone so I’ll have it with me while I shop. 

Once you plan your meals and make your shopping list, find the best time to do some prepping and batch cooking. Preparing your most commonly eaten foods in advance helps make the week go much smoother. Sometimes I don’t get back from classes till late (by which time I am ravenous and exhausted) and the last thing I want to do is cook. 

Things to do in advance: 

Wash fruit and lettuces 

Wash and chop vegetables  

Cook rice, beans, potatoes, quinoa, lentils (if you make a whole bunch you can freeze them) 

Make smoothies, salad dressings, soups, desserts, energy bars, trail mix, date paste 

Slice and freeze ripe bananas 

While most of these things taste best fresh, in the interest of time, it’s very helpful to do them beforehand. 

You don’t have to do everything on this list. I suggest washing and chopping lettuces and vegetables, cooking rice or quinoa, freezing bananas, and making a green smoothie at the beginning of each week. 

Happy meal planning :)

Tropical Salad

I’ve been trying to branch out from my staple romaine lettuce. I’m wussy when it comes to greens. If it’s not romaine, green leaf, or red leaf lettuce, I’d prefer it in a green smoothie than a salad. But, I’ve been trying kale lately, and it’s growing on me. Kale is a tough green, so I recommend chopping it into smaller pieces than you would lighter lettuces. 

Tropical Salad 

Yields: 3 servings 

Dressing: 

1 mango 

2/3 cup coconut milk 

juice of 1/2 lime 

juice from 1 can sliced pineapple

1 Tablespoon chia seeds 

Salad:

4-5 cups chopped kale (I used about four leaves), or other lettuce 

fruit from 1 can sliced pineapple 

1 kiwi 

1/2 a cucumber 

1/2 a bell pepper 

1 Tablespoon coconut 

For the salad: 

Wash and chop the kale, cutting off the stems. 

Open the can of pineapple. Add the fruit to the salad. Save the juice for the dressing. 

Chop the kiwi (and peel!), cucumber, and bell pepper. (Less chopping if you prepped your veggies in advance!) Add to the salad. Sprinkle on the coconut. 

For the dressing: 

Peel and cut up the mango. 

Add the mango, coconut milk, chia seeds, and pineapple juice to the blender. 

Slice the lime in half and squeeze out the juice into the blender. 

Blend. 

Enjoy a little bit of tropical paradise in the midst of your busy life :)

Simply Bean Salad

Simply. Bean. Salad. 

It’s simple, but I believe the best things in life are simple. 

Simply Bean Salad 

1 can chickpeas 

1 can black beans 

1 can kidney beans 

1/2 cup corn (I defrosted frozen corn.)

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper 

1/2 cup chopped cucumber 

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, chopped 

salsa (opt.)

brown rice (opt.)

Open the cans and rinse the beans off. Mix in a large bowl. 

Chop the vegetables and avocado. Mix with the beans. 

Add some salsa and eat by itself or serve over rice. 

I'll leave you with a lovely quote from Henry David Thoreau. 

“I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day; how singular an affair he thinks he must omit. When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all incumbrances, and reduces it to its simplest terms. So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run. ” 

Mix and Match Bowl

Don’t know what to have for dinner? 

How about a scrumptious bowl of...well...anything you like. You can throw this meal together with whatever your heart desires. Or whatever is in your fridge. Like those leftovers that don't quite make a full meal, and you don't know what to do with...

Mix and Match Bowl

Any combination of the following:

base of greens

rice, quinoa, pasta, any grain

beans, lentils 

sweet potatoes, white potatoes 

fresh and/or steamed veggies 

fruit 

nuts, seeds, avocado 

hummus, dressing, sauce 

A few ideas: 

#1 Quinoa, Black Beans, and Sweet Potatoes 

romaine lettuce 

quinoa cooked in vegetable broth 

black beans 

steamed sweet potatoes 

steamed mushrooms 

carrots, red bell pepper, celery 

avocado 

#2 Kale, Quinoa, and Orange 

kale 

quinoa cooked in vegetable broth 

carrots, bell pepper, cucumber

orange
sunflower seeds  

If you have done some batch cooking and prepping, then these are very easy to throw together. I made both bowls from foods I had prepped at the beginning of the week. (I wrote about batch cooking here.) If you don't have them all ready, just throw some quinoa in your rice cooker, steam/chop some veggies, open a can of beans...lots of possibilities. 

And you thought you didn't have anything for dinner! 

I Scream, You Scream

Ice cream. 

Since going dairy-free, I haven’t been able to find a good replacement for vanilla ice cream. Especially without using an ice cream maker. 

But, this recipe even got my dad’s stamp of approval. This coming from the man who usually tries a plant foods vegan dessert and says, “This would taste really good with some brown sugar on it.” 

I’ll take it! 

I’ve tried making it with just frozen bananas or almost all coconut milk, but I think this recipe strikes a good balance between the two. 

Vanilla Ice Cream: 

Yields: 4 servings 

1 can refrigerated coconut milk 

4 frozen bananas 

4 dates 

2 teaspoons vanilla 

Refrigerate the can of coconut milk and freeze the bananas (peel, slice, and place them in a plastic bag) overnight. 

Put the blending pitcher in the freezer for 30 min. before blending. 

Flip the can of coconut milk upside down and open it. Pour out the liquid on the top. You’ll be using the solid cream. 

Save the liquid for later. (It adds a really nice coconut flavor to smoothies!)

Pit the dates. 

Blend the coconut cream, bananas, dates, and vanilla on high (my blender has three speeds, and I used the highest: ice crush) till it’s smooth like ice cream. 

It looks like this if you eat it immediately. 

A little soft, but still delicious. 

It looks like this after freezing for about a day.  

Much more scoop-able.

Enjoy the ice cream by itself or add some fresh fruit like strawberries.

My friends joke about having a boyfriend named Ben and Jerry's. I guess mine is coconut milk and bananas...

Amy's Energy Bar

Energy bars, granola bars, protein bars… 

Whatever you call ‘em. I like ‘em. 

I am picky about them, though. Larabars are de-li-cious, but they’re sooo sweet from the dates. Clif bars are chewy and give me tons of energy, but I don’t like the aftertaste from all the sweeteners. (The first ingredient is always organic brown rice syrup, along with a few other sweeteners.) And so on...

So I made a list of the things I liked and didn’t like, experimented, and came up with this recipe. 

Amy’s Energy Bar

Yield: 8 bars 

"Wet” ingredients: 

1/4 cup dried fruit sweetener*   

3/4 cup cooked/canned beans*

2 Tablespoons nut butter* 

1/4 cup applesauce 

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (opt.) 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

dash of cinnamon (opt.) 

Dry ingredients: 

1 1/4 cup rolled oats 

3/4 cup Kashi 7 Whole Grains Puffs (to make it gluten-free, eliminate and use another 3/4 oats)

2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds

2 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds

2 Tablespoons chia seeds 

up to 1/4 cup add ins* 

Blend the “wet” ingredients in a blender till it’s smooth. If the mix gets stuck on the sides, turn off the blender and scrape it off. Try to get it as smoothly blended as possible. 

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. 

Then add the “wet” mixture to the dry ingredients. 

Mix together well with a spatula or wooden spoon. 

Press into a pan (I used a 7 in x 7 in one in the picture, but I have also used plastic tupperware. Any kind of container would work. It will just change the shape of your bars.)

Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 15 min.  

Cut into 8 bars and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge. 

*Notes
What does "dried fruit sweetener” mean? 

Any kind of dried fruit. Or the same dried fruit in the form of paste. The paste gives it a smoother texture than whole dried fruit. I like date paste. Sure you can buy it, but it’s very simple to make. A google search led me here. You could do the same thing using any kind of dried fruit. Figs. Prunes. Just keep in mind how it will change the taste. I haven’t tried any others myself, but I plan to! 

Beans: I used garbanzo here, but any kind will do. I have used black beans before as well. You really can’t taste them in the bar. If they're canned, be sure to drain and rinse them. 

Nut butter: I used peanut butter because it was what I had on hand. I’m dying to try it with almond butter though! 

Add ins: nuts, other dried fruit, coconut, dark chocolate chips, whatever your heart desires. I have used currants, coconut, and dark chocolate chips. You don’t need a ton, just make sure to mix it in well. 

This is what it looks like using raisins for sweetener, no cocoa powder, and currants and shredded coconut for add ins. 

Enjoy your energy bars:) 

P.S. I wasn't sure if I was cool enough to name a recipe after myself yet, but I figured I tailored made it so specifically to all my requirements that I could claim it. I hope you don't mind :)