November 19, 2019 at 09:29PM by CWC For some of us, a plant-based Thanksgiving is always better than a traditional Thanksgiving. If you ask me, turkey is highly overrated. When you take it out of the equation, there’s so much more room on your plate for all the side dishes smothered in brown gravy. To complete your plant-based holiday meal, you need the one thing your table has been missing: a bowl full of vegan mushroom gravy. One bite of mushroom gravy and you’ll be hooked. Instead of drippings from the turkey, earthy mushrooms provide the base for a gravy that’s both healthy and super satisfying. It’s also incredibly easy to make. Julie West, the food blogger behind The Simple Veganista, created a rich and creamy vegan mushroom gravy that only requires five ingredients. After cooking the mushrooms in olive oil, you simply add flour, vegetable broth, and some simple seasonings and let it simmer until it thickens. Trying to simplify your holiday menu? You can buy a store-bought version and save yourself the trouble. Imagine’s Vegan Wild Mushroom Gravy is found in most health stores, and it contains 10 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 170 mg of sodium per serving. Whether homemade or store-bought, until you add mushroom gravy to your plate, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. Adding a little color to your plate? Parsley is more than just a garnish: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnu3SWMzh5U] If your family is confused about your eating plan, here’s how to deal
Category: Vegetarians
There a million kitchen gadgets out there—these are the ones a chef says you actually need this season
November 19, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Comparing your own inventory of kitchen gadgets to the high-tech tools you see lining Instagram countertops is enough to make you wonder: How many of these do normal people (read: not just the Martha Stewarts of the world) actually need? During the holidays, it’s especially tempting to stock up on gadgets promising to make prepping for your family shin-digs a breeze, only to have them collect dust for the other 11 months of the year. To help you avoid accumulating more clutter, and to clue you in on the real must-have tools that’ll make your food taste delish and your life easier, we tapped Carla Contreras, professional chef and founder of Cook+Chop to share what she always has in her kitchen during the holidays. From a chef’s knife to a peeler to a dutch oven—get ready to finally stock up on the useful stuff. Keep reading for the kitchen gadgets this professional chef swears by over the holidays. Farberware Triple Rivet Forged Chef Knife, $16 Contreras doesn’t play around when it comes to her knife set—and neither should you. She advises stocking up on three knives to start: a chef’s knife (like above), a serrated knife, and a paring knife. Her ultimate fave is a chef’s knife, so she recommends starting there if you have to pick just one, and then growing your collection slowly. Epicurean Non-Slip Cutting Board Slate, $30 “I love Epicurean because of their grip, and they’re built to last—I’ve
The knockout foods UFC fighter Maycee Barber swears by for energy and strength in the ring
November 18, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Mixed martial artist Maycee Barber—who’s currently ranked number 10 in the UFC women’s flyweight rankings—knows first-hand that you can’t enter a ring only-half fueled for a fight. Not giving your body the fuel it needs is a major weakness in MMA, and it’s one she works closely with her trainers to make sure she avoids. “After I got signed with UFC, they did all these metabolic tests to create a meal plan for me, which they partnered with meal delivery service Trifecta to do,” Barber says. Based on her results, she says she avoids soy and dairy, and eats a diet high in protein, healthy fats, and lots of fibrous veggies. Her unique MMA fighter diet has helped her achieve some major victories—and deal out some pretty impressive moves in the ring: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maycee “The Future” Barber (@mayceebarber) on Jun 18, 2019 at 2:03pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js “I’ve gotten really into the science behind what’s best to eat because it’s so important [for my job],” Barber says. “I’ve done meal plans in the past where I haven’t felt good at all, I felt sick and tired all the time, but eating this way makes me feel energized and also keeps my immune system strong,” she says. Here, she explains what an average day of eating—and working out—looks like for her. Keep reading to see what UFC star Maycee Barber eats in a typical day
20 healthy Thanksgiving salad recipes that will make you extra thankful for greens
November 17, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Turkey, baked mac-and-cheese, and stuffing are all Thanksgiving dinner showstoppers. But real talk: unless you add some fiber to your plate, you’re not going to be feeling all that festive later. Thanksgiving salad doesn’t get the same level of accolades as other starring dishes, but it should. After all, a diet high in fiber is linked to a cornucopia of health benefits, including reduced inflammation, boosted metabolism, and a happy gut. All the Thanksgiving salad recipes rounded up here are not only full of the nutrient, they’re also quite delicious, thank you very much. From traditional salads loaded with greens to ones made with other veggies such as sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, to even ones served warm, here are 20 Thanksgiving salad recipes to choose from. Keep reading for 20 Thanksgiving salad recipes for a festive way to get your fiber. Photo: Foxes Love Lemons 1. Harvest Thanksgiving salad Besides greens, this recipe from Foxes Love Lemons makes good use of seasonal produce, including acorn squash, pomegranates, and pears. Autumn is the only time of year these foods are in season, so enjoy them now while you can! Photo: Pinch of Yum 2. Thanksgiving salad with wild rice An easy way to make any salad feel more seasonal: add grains. (Which also ups the fiber content, BTW.) This recipe from Pinch of Yum also calls for mangos and a light lemon dressing, both of which work to brighten up the dish. Photo: Five
This healthy oat-free granola recipe works with every eating plan
November 17, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC While old-fashioned rolled oats have been the classic granola base since, well, the beginning of time, they don’t have to be. They’re super healthy, but they’re high in carbs and prohibited on a keto and Paleo diets. Surprisingly, you can get a very similar taste and texture by swapping those oats with a mix of nuts and seeds, and Olivia Culpo’s healthy granola recipe works with almost every eating plan. “I like it in yogurt, but you can also have it plain, with milk, in smoothies, or I put it in my pancakes,” she writes. The mix is also pretty simple, with nuts and seeds—including almonds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and hemp seeds—as well as unsweetened coconut chips, golden monk fruit sweetener, and cinnamon. While Culpo’s recipe calls for an egg white and honey, those ingredients can always be replaced with a flax egg and maple syrup, based on your diet. After mixing your oat-free granola and baking it in the oven until golden brown, you can break it into clusters and enjoy a fiber- and protein-packed breakfast. View this post on Instagram Ask and you shall receive. This is the paleo/keto friendly granola I made yesterday. Almost no carbs which is impossible to find in regular granola using oats, etc. I like it in yogurt but you can also have it plain, with milk, in smoothies, or I put it in my pancakes 1 cup sliced almonds 1/4
20 healthy road trip snacks to fuel you up for your holiday travels
November 16, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC There are two non-negotiable things every road trip must have in order to be enjoyable: good music and tasty snacks. (Okay fine, gas too.) Whether you’re gearing up for an epic adventure or just a traffic-filled drive to visit family for the holidays, having the perfect snack stash is a requirement they should really teach in driver’s ed. There’s an art to creating the perfect road trip snack supply: First, it should include both sweet and savory options to have all your bases covered at any point in the drive. Then there’s the nutritional value. If you’re not stopping for a while, a bag of chips definitely isn’t going to do the trick—you’ll need protein to help you literally go the extra mile. That doesn’t mean you can’t have your gas station faves, just have to go for brands who have health-ified them—or make them healthier yourself by prepping them at home). This roundup covers your bases on both fronts. Included here are 10 healthy road trip snacks you can buy before you hit the road, and 10 healthy road trip snacks you can make at home before your trip. Either way, you’ll end up fueled and ready for your drive, traffic be damned. Healthy road trip snacks you can buy ready-to-eat Photo: Krave 1. Krave beef chili lime jerky, $4.99 each or $39.92 for an 8-pack Jerky is the ultimate road trip snack. While the OG brands that have been hanging out
6 healthy breakfast taco recipes to spice up your morning
November 16, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC As the definition of breakfast food wanders outside the boundaries of pancakes, oatmeal, eggs, and yogurt, it only makes sense that tacos are becoming a popular brunch order. Scrambled eggs, avocado, and black beans wrapped up in a corn tortilla? Um, yes, please. Whatever diet you follow, there’s no shortage of healthy breakfast taco recipes for you to choose from. What are you waiting for? Let’s make some tacos for breakfast (but maybe save the margaritas for lunch). Breakfast taco recipes for every eating plan Mediterranean diet: MEDITERRANEAN TACOS This recipe is everything you love about a gyro. With chicken, hummus, feta cheese, and artichokes, the recipe is hearty and tasty so you’ll stay full until lunch. Here’s what a nutritionist thinks of the Mediterranean diet. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGnyqti9wsw] Ketogenic Diet: BACON TACOS This recipe uses mozzarella cheese to make that outer shell so you can wrap up the fillings just like your carb-eating counterparts. Vegetarian: Shiitake “bacon” and eggs breakfast tacos This plant-friendly recipe replaces bacon with mushrooms seasoned by tamari. paleo: LOADED BREAKFAST TACO BOWLS You get to enjoy your taco in a bowl. This recipe contains ground beef, which you could cook over an open fire, but, you do you. Here’s the deal with paleo: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGvJ61nBFBo] Vegan: TEMPEH SAUSAGE TACOS No animal products, no problem. With this recipe, tempeh stands in for sausage and vegan sour cream makes every bite creamy. whole 30: COLLARD WRAP TACOS If you’re following a month
These boosters will turn bath time into a full-body spa treatment every skin type
November 16, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Have you ever wished you could dive right into your hyaluronic acid serum when you’re really dry, or pour your retinol all over your body for an overall glow? Same. The next best thing? Taking a bath, which is a fantastic opportunity to submerge yourself into a skin-boosting ingredient that all of your skin—from your head to your toes—needs. “A good bath is perfect for softening dead skin, especially in those odd areas on the back of the achilles tendon just above the ankle and also the feet and elbows,” says Ellen Marmur, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of MMSkincare. (All body parts I tend to ignore with my moisturizer.) Not only that, but the hot water works as a way for those moisturizing bath products for dry skin (and other skin types) to really get into your bod. “Baths are wonderful for hydrating the skin and delivering many active ingredients,” says Julie Russak, MD, dermatologist and founder of Russak Dermatology. “Warm water dilates the pores so the skin is able to absorb the ingredients better.” Sign me up. (Side note: Both advise to moisturize with a lotion once you get out… otherwise, your skin will just lose all of that hydration it just got.) For the most luxurious, all-over skin treatment bath, we’ve broken down the perfect tub-friendly product to grab for your skin’s specific needs, below. Photo: Herbivore Botanicals For dry skin: a milky bath If you’re dealing with extra parched skin
5 ‘busy day soups’ for when you want all the warmth in half the time
November 15, 2019 at 04:30PM by CWC A lot of easy soup recipes call for more ingredients than you have in your fridge, pantry, and cabinets combined. Okay, so that’s a bit of an overstatement, but it’s true they’re often more complicated than they claim to be. When you want to cozy up with a hot steaming bowl without all the drama of dicing and simmering, you need “busy day soups.” According to Pinterest’s top November trends report, the search for ‘busy day soups’ is up 3,200 percent year over year. Clearly, everyone’s looking for streaming stews that don’t require sweating over the stove—so let’s give the people what they want. 5 easy soup recipes for days when you’re busy, busy, busy 1. BUSY DAY SOUP WITH GROUND BEEF This recipe has five ingredients and—rejoice!—one of them is just water. Since the soup calls for mixed frozen veggies, you can go for whatever varieties you love the most. 2. LENTIL SOUP IN SNAP For a vegetarian and dairy-free option, lentil just can’t be beat. The legume is full of protein and fiber to keep you satiated and filled with energy for the rest of the day. Even if you’re just lazing about the house, it’s nice to feel a little fired up. Photo: The Minimalist Baker 3. Salsa soup This recipe is an absolute treasure—and it starts with just a jar of Trader Joe’s salsa. To give it a more creamy consistency, you can run it through a food processor
Get back to your prehistoric roots at these 5 Paleo-friendly restaurants in LA
November 15, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Surprise, surprise: there’s no shortage of healthy food in Los Angeles. From Beyond Meat setting up shop in El Segundo to Sqirl Kitchen and their perpetually sold-out jam, it feels like there’s almost always something new and trending hitting our feeds straight out of LA. With all these other fancy food trends to keep up with, one meal plan has seemed to slip off the radar in popularity, but not entirely in nutritional value: the Paleo diet. Otherwise known as the Caveman or Stone Age diet, the Paleo meal plan made a splash in 2014, but has been waning ever since (probably due to the oodles of other meal plans that keep making headlines…) But, you shouldn’t sleep on Paleo—the meal plan has its perks. It emphasizes eating naturally (like our prehistoric ancestors did), skipping processed sugars and grains, and opting for high-protein meats, fruits and veggies. It can also potentially help with inflammation. Can’t remember everything there is to know about Paleo? Let an expert refresh your memory… [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGvJ61nBFBo] Is the Paleo diet as ~trendy~ as LA’s mocktail scene or Sweetgreen obsession? Maybe not. But if you do want to get back to your prehistoric roots, there are plenty of places in LA to do so. Our favorite Paleo restaurants in Los Angeles: 1. Amara Kitchen Breakfast lovers, rejoice! This comfy little cafe in Highland Park serves breakfast all day long, offering “alternative takes on classic dishes, reinterpreting menus for all