Tag: breakfast

Nutrition, Videos, Weight loss advice

How Effective is Oatmeal for Weight Loss? (in both High Carb and High Fat Diets)

Miche

People generally think of oats as being good for weight loss, but how effective are they really, especially if you’re already eating a high carb low fat diet? In today’s video, I’m talking about 4 scientific studies to figure out how exactly oats affect our weight, both on standard high fat diets and on high carb diets.

If you want to help me upgrade my sound quality + start a podcast, head to my Gofundme!

Here’s a link to the video page, or you can watch it below:

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Links mentioned in the video:

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Recipes

4 Ingredient Iron-boosting Bars (Vegan)

Miche

Did you know that about 20% of women in the US are iron deficient? (Thanks largely to Aunt Flo)

I know I’ve been slacking on making sure I’m getting enough, so I’ve been researching the iron content of a ton of different ingredients, and coming up with recipes that are super high in iron.

I figured my high-iron recipes wouldn’t necessarily be the next great taste sensation given my main focus is on their nutrient content, but on day 2 of my new iron-finding kick, these bars proved me oh so wrong. They are incredibly delicious–for breakfast, snacks, or even dessert.

Just 100 calories of them provides 13% of your recommended daily intake of iron, and a breakfast-sized amount (let’s say 500 calories), satisfies a whopping 65% of your daily iron needs. (See below for more nutrition notes)

To put it in more exciting terms… calorie for calorie, these bars have 4x as much iron as chicken, and twice as much iron as STEAK!

In good news, my husband tried them and loves them so much that he keeps asking for them, and has even dubbed them “the perfect breakfast.” In bad news, a batch doesn’t last me nearly as long as I thought it would, because I had originally expected to be the only one eating them… 😛

Makes 16 bars; each 100-calorie bar has 13% of the female RDA for iron (26% of the male RDA).

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups puffed amaranth (requires about 2/3-1 cup dry amaranth)
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp molasses
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup*
  • 1/8 tsp salt (optional)
*You can sub out the maple syrup for agave, or more molasses

Directions:

  1. Preheat a pot over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Make sure the bottom of the pot is the same size or smaller than your burner.
  2. Pop the amaranth: add one tablespoon of dry amaranth to the pot; it should start popping almost immediately (it looks like mini popcorn). Shake or stir the pot consistently while the amaranth pops. Once most of the grains have popped, or once the remaining unpopped ones starts to get a darker brown, pour out the amaranth into a separate bowl. Then repeat the process with the rest of the dried amaranth until you have 1 cup. It sounds difficult, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy and honestly pretty fun. I found this video to be useful! (but no need to sieve it)
  3. Once cooled, add the popped amaranth to a 9″ square (or round) pan, and add all the other ingredients. Stir until well combined. (If it seems dry/crumbly, add more molasses–the consistency will depend on what % of your amaranth ended up being puffed.)
  4. Press mixture into pan, refrigerate, cut into bars, and enjoy!

Extra nutrition notes:

  • With the ingredients I use, the entire recipe contains 36mg of iron; a premenopausal woman’s daily RDA of iron is 18mg! For men and postmenopausal women, the RDA is 8mg.
  • For my tahini, I use Artisana Tahini. I’ve noticed that the iron content of tahini can vary somewhat, and Artisana is one of the highest iron contents I’ve found.
  • For amaranth, I use Bob’s Red Mill from Amazon.
  • For molasses, I use Grandma’s.

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Recipes

Apple Pie Amaranth Porridge Recipe (Vegan)

Miche


Move over oats: there’s a new porridge grain in town.

I learned last year that my stomach can’t handle oats, and I never thought I’d find something I like as much for fall and winter breakfasts as oats. But I’ve kept experimenting, and discovered amaranth!

Amaranth has a delicious nutty taste, a really nice texture, and is so versatile. And, as a big bonus, it’s more nutritious than oats: calorie for calorie, compared to oats, amaranth has twice the iron, magnesium, and B vitamins–not to mention more protein and potassium.

This apple pie amaranth porridge holds up really well in the fridge, so I’ve started making 3 days’ worth of porridge at a time. It’s my current favorite Fall breakfast!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry amaranth
  • 3 cups water
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp cloves (optional)
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar (more to taste; you can also use maple syrup or dates)
  • 2 apples, diced
  • Topping ideas: pecans, walnuts, nut butter, non-dairy milk, dates, fresh apples

Directions

  1. Add the amaranth to a pot over high heat to toast it. Stir constantly. Once it starts popping (you’ll notice little white puffs), reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 2-3 more minutes or until about half of it has become a darker brown (or popped), then remove from heat. (If it starts smelling like popcorn, remove from heat right away!) It’s better to under-toast than to over-toast.
  2. Add 3 cups of water to the pot with the amaranth, bring it to a boil, then simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. I find I have to keep the stove at medium-low heat to keep it at a lightly bubbling simmer.
  3. Add the diced apples, spices, and sugar. Keep simmering, occasionally, until the apples are tender and amaranth has absorbed all the water, and/or it has your desired consistency. If the amaranth absorbs the water before the apples are tender, add non-dairy milk or more water as needed to finish cooking the apples.
  4. Serve, add your toppings, and enjoy!

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Recipes

Vegan Healthy Chocolate Blender Muffins (Made with Nuts and Oats!)

Miche


I’m a big fan of muffins. And when I’m craving muffins, I also tend to be in a lazy mood. Something about weekend mornings…

But, I also strive to make my diet as high in whole, unprocessed foods as possible.

These muffins solve both of those problems. They’re oil-free and *almost* all whole foods (besides the sugar), are packed with nutrition from nuts & oats, flexible with the type of ingredients you use, and are super easy to make. Literally less than 15 minutes for prep & dishwashing time. You don’t even need a bowl–just a blender or food processor!

Makes one dozen muffins

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups rolled oats*
  • 3/4 cup nuts–I do half walnuts half cashews
  • 6 tbsp maple syrup
  • 6 tbsp vegan white sugar or brown sugar**
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1 & 3/4 cups water
  • Optional add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped nuts

*If you have oat allergies, you can substitute rye flakes

**If you want to try substituting the sugar out for more syrup to make them more wfpb, I bet it would work great, just use less water!

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Add all ingredients (besides the optional add-ins) to a blender or food processor and blend until the oats are in tiny pieces–about the size of breadcrumbs. The batter will be very thin, like pancake batter.
  3. If using add-ins, stir them into the batter.
  4. Distribute batter evenly in a greased 12-cup muffin tin.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, and enjoy!

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Recipes

Vegan Cornbread Muffin Recipe [Oil free]

Miche


I’ve been quarantining for two weeks now, and I have been eating a *lot* of beans. (Like this chili recipe from a little while back.) For both lunch and dinner. Don’t get me wrong—I’m grateful to have had a supply of beans since the stores have been out, but it’s nice to add some variety sometimes.

Luckily Goode Foods sent me some of their canned corn awhile back, and I already had corn flour on hand, so I made this cornbread to bring some excitement to my daily beans 😛 When I was a kid my favorite cornbread had whole corn in it—it adds such a delicious crunch to it. So to this day I always make it with whole corn kernels! 

The best part about these is they’re super versatile. Not only do I have them alongside chili, but I have them for breakfast with vegan butter + maple syrup, or jam!

Featuring my protein-packed chili recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups corn flour
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax seed & 1 1/2 tbsp water)
  • 1 1/2 cups nondairy milk (I used soymilk)
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 can whole kernel sweet corn, drained

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add the flax to the water to make the flax egg, and let it sit.
  2. Mix the milk and the vinegar in a separate, medium-sized bowl and let it sit–it will curdle and turn into a buttermilk substitute!
  3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, corn flour, baking powder, nutritional yeast, and salt.
  4. Add the flax egg to the buttermilk bowl, along with the maple syrup.
  5. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients bowl along with the can of corn, and stir just until combined.
  6. Spoon mixture evenly into a greased 12-cup muffin tin, and bake for 12-13 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool for 15+ mins before trying to remove them from the tin.
  8. Eat plain, serve with chili, or top them with vegan butter, maple syrup, and/or jam!

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Recipes

Vegan Zucchini Muffin Recipe + High Protein Option [Low Fat, Whole Wheat]

Miche

If you’re a vegetable gardener, then you know about that midsummer avalanche of zucchini & other summer squashes. A time that’s both exciting–because hey, it’s incredible getting so much food from just one squash plant–and overwhelming, because using up all the zucchini gets to be a task.

If you don’t get creative with it, you run a serious risk of getting sick of zucchini.

So I try to keep coming up with new uses and recipes for it. Last year I turned my zucchinis into lasagna, chocolate muffins (I made them every week for months), pesto noodles, kebabs, veggie roasts, and a failed attempt at oven zucchini chips. I still couldn’t use them all up, from ONE plant, even with help from my fiance!

So far this year, I’ve made squash boats, (successful!) zucchini chips, and now these protein muffins. And I have 2 plants this year… time to get serious.

I think these muffins will replace my chocolate zucchini muffin obsession from last year, because they are seriously delicious. Especially considering they’re whole wheat, low fat (in fact, fat free if you leave out the walnuts & chocolate chips), and have both protein powder and vegetables!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup nondairy milk (I used soy)
  • 1/4 cup applesauce (or try pumpkin puree)
  • 1 cup grated zucchini
  • 1 and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup plain hemp protein powder*
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional)

* If you don’t want the protein, just use 1/4c whole wheat flour instead. Or on the flip side, you can try replacing some of the flour with more protein powder! You can experiment with other protein powders too, but I find plain unsweetened hemp to be the most flour-like and I can’t even taste it in the muffins.

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease a standard dozen muffin pan.
  • Combine flaxseed, sugar, milk, and applesauce in a bowl. Set aside while you grate the zucchini.
  • Add the zucchini to the bowl with the wet ingredients, then add flour, then the rest of the ingredients.
  • Stir until just combined, and pour evenly into the muffin cups.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Note, you’re only looking for batter on the toothpick–if you hit a chocolate chip, it’ll never be clean!)

Recipe inspired by Nora Cooks’ zucchini bread!

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Recipes

Creamy Raspberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

Miche

Today I wanted to share a recipe that’s so easy, a (vegan) caveman could do it: my go-to breakfast smoothie. I’ve been having this every day since the temperature hit 70 degrees out, and I haven’t looked back since.

Honestly, it tastes more like dessert than breakfast… and I’m not complaining.

In the past I’ve made it with just the fruit and soymilk for a minimalist smoothie, but this year I’ve been enjoying putting in all sorts of fun superfood add-ins: my current combo has probiotics from vegan kefir or yogurt, omega 3’s from hempseed, protein from hemp protein powder, antioxidants from beet powder, and tons of vitamins from spirulina. You can get creative with it, because the strong fruit flavor can mask a lot! And, if you like your smoothies on the sweeter side, throw in a date or two for some extra nutrients & sweetness.

The key here is the frozen bananas and raspberries. (Bonus: frozen berries are more nutritious1 and much more affordable than fresh.) To freeze bananas, I peel ripe bananas (with plenty of brown spots), break them in half, and store the halves in a gallon bag the freezer. The best part is you don’t have to worry about always having ripe bananas on hand, because you can stock up and freeze a ton at once!

Vegan banana raspberry smoothie recipe

Serves 1

Ingredients:

  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 2-4 cups of non-dairy milk (I use vanilla soy), depending on consistency preferences
  • 1/2-1 cup vegan yogurt or kefir (optional)
  • Add-in ideas: 2 tbsp hemp protein powder, 2 tbsp hemp seeds, greens

Directions:

  1. Add everything to blender, blend, and serve! (It’s best to drink it right away while it’s still frozen and creamy)

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Reference:
  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814697001659

Recipes

July Healthy Vegan Recipe Roundup

Miche

One of the biggest obstacles to being able to eat healthier and lose weight is figuring out what food to make! There are so many amazing recipes out there, so I thought I’d start sharing some recipes by others (in addition to my own) to give you some extra food inspo here and there.

Plus, I want to spread some love for the vegan recipe blogger community, so I’m going to start doing occasional showcases of amazing looking recipes that I’ve stumbled across from other blogs–specifically, fellow smaller WordPress bloggers!

Here are July’s 15 picks, hot off the presses (or cold, depending on the recipe 😉 ):

1. Crispy Baked Tofu Bites by What Luce Eats

2. Lemon Blueberry Oat Bites by Love & Grub

3. Instant Pot Thai Red Curry Lentils by The Earthly Edit

Two white bowls filled with white rice and thai curry lentils garnished with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

4. Summer Veggie and Hummus Sandwich by GoDaily

5. Sweet Potato Black Bean Tostadas by Chrissy Goes Hippy

6. Berry Banana Baked Oatmeal by Daisy Beet

7. Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Spread by My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki

8. Baked Thai-style Sweet and Sour Cauliflower Bites by Healthienut

9. Ultra Creamy Chocolate Chia Pudding by Upbeet Kitchen

10. Satay Sesame Noodles by Wild Magazine

11. Raw Strawberry Chia Jam by UpBeet Kitchen

A head-on shot of no-cook strawberry chia jam surrounded by chia seeds, strawberries, and maple syrup.

12. Vegan Eggplant Bacon by Robert Morgan

13. Carrot Ginger Soup by Crunch Crunch Away

14. Tomato Pasta by Hello Scarlett Blog

15. Corn Gazpacho by Lisa’s Vegan Project

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Recipes

Decadent Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Miche

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

I finally got my hands on the new Reddi-wip vegan whipped cream, and for my first time trying it, I wanted to make something a bit extravagant where whipped cream is a key ingredient: so I went with strawberry shortcake. My fiancé found a nonvegan recipe online, and we made it vegan and changed the method to make it easier—and it has turned out amazing every time! It’s now our go-to when we want a fun brunch.

We’ve also served it to nonvegan friends with rave reviews!

Vegan strawberry shortcake

Makes about 16 shortcakes

Ingredients

Shortcake

  • 4 cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 cups vegan butter (for dough)*
  • 1/4-1/2 cup vegan butter (for pan & topping)
  • 1 1/4c vegan heavy cream, half and half, or coconut cream

Toppings

  • 2 pints strawberries
  • ½ cup sugar
  • Vegan whipped cream

*Our favorite vegan butter is Miyokos, and we add a bit of extra heavy cream to make up for it being a bit less wet than most vegan butters. Depending on the brand you use, you may need to add more heavy cream or non-dairy milk to make the dough smooth and moist enough.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Slice strawberries to your desired size, crushing some of them if you prefer more juice rather than whole strawberry pieces. Mix with 1/2 cup of sugar, and set aside while you make the dough to let it produce strawberry syrup.

Make the shortcakes:

  1. Stir flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add 3/4 cup of softened butter, and use your hands to rub it into the dry ingredients. Add 1 1/4 cups cream, and mix to a soft dough. Add more cream (or nondairy milk) as necessary to achieve a smooth ball of dough with no cracks.
  2. Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes in the bowl, then roll it to about 1/2-inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter or jar (mine was about a 3″ diameter), cut an even number of rounds.
  3. Use some of the remaining butter to grease a baking sheet. Lay the rounds out on the sheet, leaving some space between them. Melt remaining butter, and brush it evenly on top of the rounds.
  4. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Make sure not to brown the bottoms beyond a golden light brown color.
  5. Serve warm. Top shortcakes with strawberries and whipped cream, and enjoy!

I would love your feedback if you try it! I would also love to see your posts–if you make it and tag me @veganmiche on Instagram, I’ll share your post! 🙂

 

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