RECIPES: What the Happy Nurse & I Have Been Eating: Enchiladas, Spinach & Artichoke Pie, Carrot Cashew Salad & MORE!!!

Well it been surprisingly harder than I thought to get back into the routine of blogging!  For the past few months I've been commuting 3-5 hours round trip daily to work at a special hospital and between baby preparations, work, studying and driving--well, lets just say it has been very hectic.  Blogging on a consistent routine was challenging pre-pregnancy but not nearly as complicated as it is now!  Anyways, I'll just do the best I can!  

Today, I'd like to share some of the foods the Happy Nurse and I have been eating over the last few weeks.  In early August we decided to get some help with cooking from a friend who does personal chef work. Our friend, the chef, cooked some awesome meals for us.  Her rates were really reasonable for the two weeks we got help and even though its several weeks later, we still have some yummy leftovers in the freezer from her efforts.

Having yummy vegan meals on hand was just the boost we needed for me to become energized about returning to the kitchen again!  So now I'm doing a little bit of cooking each week--nothing near the bulk cooking that my husband and I did pre-pregnancy (I just don't have 4 hours in a row to team cook--WAY too much to do turning our home into a kid-friendly space when I get a block of time off!) and I'll share some of the dishes I'm making myself in a later post.

For now, here are some of the dishes our chef friend made for us--she made her own lentil chili (amazzzing--I'll need to ask if she is willing to guest post on that recipe!) and her own Indonesian salad for us, but the rest were from vegan blogger's recipes I'd been wanting to try but never had the chance...until now.  YUM!!!!  Here is what we ate:  

HGK Enchiladas!

1)  Healthy Girl's Kitchen's Mushroom, Kale & Spinach Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Cream.  

The Healthy Librarian raved about this dish and already being a huge fan of Wendy (HGK), it was the first recipe I asked our friend to make.  OMG--SOOOOO good!  A fantastic mix of flavors and the Poblano Cream just totally made it outstanding.

2)  Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's Cashew Carrot Salad:

Ok let me just say that my husband ADORED this dish.  He picked it off Susan Voisin's site and wanted it made both weeks we got help. I loved it too!  Sweet but not too sweet.  Made without sugar--this is a seriously good carrot salad and if you have a sweet tooth (as I have this entire pregnancy) then you will LOVE it!  

3)  Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's International Quinoa Salad:  

Once again, another pick from the Happy Nurse.  SO good.  The lime juice is such a great combo with the quinoa and chickpeas.  I completely agree with Susan Voisin--you don't miss the olive oil AT ALL!  Packed with protein--definitely an awesome meal for a person growing a human being!  :-)

4)  My New Roots Winter Slaw

Ok so obviously I'm a huge fan of this salad!  I've blogged about it many many times in the past (here for example)--there is just something awesome about shredded raw kale and carrots.  Talk about dense nutrients--adding the cabbage and the sesame seeds and its a nutritional home run.  YUM!  

5)  Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's Spinach & Artichoke Pie

I've been wanting to try this for ages because Susan Voisin raves about this recipe (along with her blog readers) but was a bit intimidated with the phyllo dough part.  I didn't make it myself of course, but it didn't sound as if it was crazy complicated to make and the finished product was AMAZING!  It is incredible how it can have only 5g of fat and still pack in 11g of protein per serving while tasting SO high in fat!  I absolutely LOVE Greek food--Skanakopita is a long time favorite that I haven't had in years since I gave up cheese.  This pie is just like I remember Skanakopita tasting except it is SO much healthier!!!  Phenomenal.

I love the way I feel physically when I eat vegan--my body just feels so clean and well fueled.  Like its happy I gave it the gift of good nutrition.  

In the coming weeks I'm going to try to make one pot of soup per week to have on hand.  Do you have any soups to recommend??!!!

Thanks! :-)

Salads For A Full Meal: How I've Resisted Them & Now I'm Learning To Make Them! RECIPES!!:-)

My own pasta salad with vinegar,
sundried tomatoes, carrots, scallions &
rice pasta

So I haven't eaten salads consistently in years.  If I ate them at all I ate them out.  I rarely if ever made them at home!  I think because when I was dieting all those years (and failing again and again), salads were a staple.  Eating them reminds me of those unhappy days and so I avoided doing that often since entering recovery!

But then I became a vegan!  And by force of my dietary limitations (gluten-free, soy-free, sugar-free) I'm starting to slowly warm to them.  All of a sudden I'm discovering that you can actually eat salads for complete, nutrient dense meals!  And eating them makes you feel well nourished and energetic!  

The only thing is, I was kind of at a loss on how to create a diverse enough salad to keep me satiated AND provide me with a wide variety of nutrients.  

Enter the amazing vegan low-fat blog world.  

I am so grateful to all my favorite bloggers for teaching me how to do this!  I've been easing into this slowly but the more I read Wendy's (Healthy Girl's Kitchen) posts on how she and her husband eat a salad for dinner nightly, the more I'm becoming jazzed up to actually give this whole salad thing a try!  At first I didn't think it was practical--how was I going to find the time to prep all the raw veggies, etc, during the week!  And what was I going to put on it for dressing??  But then Wendy once again came to the rescue--just recently she posted that she makes all their salad dressings for the week once on the weekend and she also shared the helpful information that without the dressing, a prepped salad can last for several days!

So I'm going to start trying it!  For my food plan next week salad is going to factor in prominently!  My life is becoming more complicated with each passing day and I'm set to travel nearly all of March so I'm going to need some simpler foods to prepare while I'm on the road.  I'm thinking HELLLLOOOOOO Soups and Salads!  

Some great resources in the blogosphere that I have found to guide this new food category for me include:

Tons of AWESOME resources in Wendy's blog "Healthy Girl's Kitchen:"

HGK's No Oil
Caesar Salad Dressing

• The BIG List of No-Oil Salad Dressings: Wonderful dressing options from multiple sources!  Ranging from Dijon Pistachio Dressing to Chef AJ's Husband's Favorite No-oil Balsamic Vinaigrette!
• How To Build A Nutrient Dense Salad
• Time-Saving Tips To Make Salads AND A RECIPE: Roasted Kabocha Squash, Dried Fig and Walnut Salad
• My absolute favorite salad dressing I've made so far:  HGK's No-Oil Caesar Salad Dressing!  I alter it by not adding the soy sauce.  Instead I add 1/4 cup oat milk (original flavor) AND I add 2 full mini bottles of capers instead of just 2 Tbl!  I think I like the flavor of capers...hehe:-)

Fantastic posts on Susan Voisin's blog "Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen:"

• Right up my alley:  Tips for Eating Salads When You Don't Want To & RECIPE:  Hidden Cashew Ranch Dressing!
• RECIPES:  Salad recipes galore!!  Such a large list and so much variety!  Everything from Artichoke Pesto Pasta to Thai Salad in Pineapple BBQ Sauce!
• RECIPES:  Salad dressings: Once again a wide variety of types of dressings, ranging from Blueberry Vinaigrette to Guacamole Goddess Dressing

Other Amazing Salad RECIPES I like:

• My New Roots Roasted Sesame Winter Slaw
• Romaine & Avocado Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing from the Party Vegan Cookbook by Robin Robertson

A BIG thank you to all you bloggers out there who give us SUCH great salad recipes and "how-tos!"

Do you all eat many salads?  If so what are your favorite combos and do you have any favorite healthy dressings to recommend?  Would love to learn more from y'all!!

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions. 

Best of the Blogosphere From the Last Week!! Reverse Diabetes, Gratitude, Sleep & Salads!!! AND, the Recipe(s) of the Week!

Well, once again we have another week of outstanding posts in the free blogosphere (yay!).  I'm so grateful for my little "Pulse" app on my iPhone that I can use to keep up with all these posts on the fly!  


Here are my FAVORITE blog posts this week!  What were YOUR favorite posts?????!!! 


1) From the Healthy Librarian's Happy Healthy Long Life blog: Can You Really Reverse Diabetes with a Plant-Based Diet? 
 Fantastic video on Reversing Diabetes Mellitis with food programs--excellent explanation of diabetes & its effect on the body by Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine. AND how to reverse it!!  Its 37 mins long but SO worth it!! If you have family members who are pre-diabetic, diabetic or have a family history of diabetes than please forward this on to them:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqCxVEAUjd0.


2)  Really excellent post on sleep on the Disease Proof blog.  I think that sleep is absolutely critical to our health, well-being AND ability to be at a healthy weight!  (not to mention its effect on reducing Altzheimer's disease etc.)  I'm working on writing a blog post on sleep and am considering starting a special one month long "Sleep Challenge" for all of you!  What do you think?  Would you join me in something like that?  Either way, check this post out!


3) Two very exciting posts on salads!  I really love these posts because I've been avoiding having salads for so many years because for me, salad = diet food! But in the last month or so I've been inspired by both Wendy and Susan Voisin's posts on salads (as well as My New Root's Winter Slaw)!  Now I'm eating more salads and I love hearing how other people "build salads" and encourage themselves to eat them!

• Wendy from Healthy Girl's Kitchen did a guest post on the Engine 2 Diet blog!!  Its an excellent post on how to build a salad.  Check it out!  Extra bonus in this post:  links to her oil-free dressings (as you can see I'm a huge fan of her Caesar Salad No-Oil Dressing!)
• Susan Voisin from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's blog gives "Tips on How to Eat Salad's When You Really Don't Want To!"  Extra bonus in the post:  an AWESOME recipe for vegan ranch dressing!

4)  Oh She Glow's "Gratitude Challenge".  I posted on Facebook about this but I HAD to mention it again because it is so powerful.  The idea of having a gratitude CONVERSATION every day with another person is such a huge boost to our mind-body health!  I hope you will join Angela (the blogger) on this! 

5)  Prescribing Yoga's post on "Trying to Stay Healthy":  Ok unless you are in medicine you might not appreciate this blog post, but I read it and laughed.  This brilliant young doc is doing such a great job of surviving intern year AND striving for health.  When you are an intern (your first year of being a doctor after medical school) the pace literally almost kills you.  Am I a fan of this method of training doctors--NO. Will I spend my life trying to change this system--YES.   

RECIPE OF THE WEEK:  I've got TWO this week!  

1)  Healthy Girl's Kitchen's Butternut Mac & Cheese (soooooo going on my food plan for this week!!)

2)........Ok so this next recipe may shock you guys, and for those of you who have issues with chocolate then stop reading my post now!  

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.

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Ok, are all my chocolate addict folks gone?  Alright, Post Punk Kitchen posted a recipe for Raspberry Truffle Brownies that I think I will be able to easily adapt to be sugar-free!  Will add a bit more gluten-free flour and a bit more of the raspberry jam (grape juice sweetened) instead of the sugar!  I'll let you know how it turns out :-)


The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

RECIPES: What the Happy Nurse & I Are Eating This Week! Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup, Stuffed Acorn Squash, Lentil Spread, Olive & Tomato Biscotti, Caesar Salad & MORE!

Ok so I was sick with the flu the whole first week of the New Year and then my husband succumbed as well so no bulk cooking again this week--just throwing things together in the slow cooker and the Cuisinart with as little fuss as possible.  You'd think that with that lack of effort we'd be eating pretty sad food this week--quite the contrary actually!  The meals this week have been seriously yummy--I'm sampling from a bunch of different new cookbooks :-)


What are all of you eating this week?!  Any favorite meals or recipes to share with everyone?  :-)


Main Dishes

HGK's Sri Lankan Kale

Healthy Girl's Kitchen's Sri Lankan Kale (leftovers!  YUMMMMMM!!)--great flavor, perfect & surprising lime taste makes this recipe delicious!!


Butternut Coconut Squash from "Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (leftover yumminess--made it super quick compared to the recipe in the book because I was running late to work--threw basmati rice in with cooked butternut squash, 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract, a handful of chopped walnuts and oat milk until the mix was moist.  YUM)

Sweet Potato-White Bean Soup, Coconut Pumpkin Soup
& the stuffed Acorn Squash halves!! YUM!

Sweet Potato-White Bean Soup  from  Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester:  Excited about this because it included swiss chard which is super nutritious!


Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup from the  Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester:  This looks amazing--I used the Healthy Librarian's coconut milk trick for this (oat milk + coconut extract) to reduce fat.


Acorn Squash Stuffed with Cranberry & Brown Rice Medley from the  Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester:  Who knew you could cook a squash in a slow cooker?!  That is why I love this new cookbook--awesome ideas!

 Romaine & Avocado Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing from the Party Vegan by Robin Robertson   this dressing is fabulous.  I cut the oil by 3/4 and used water instead--it tasted just fine!  In fact, I may just use water totally next time because the cilantro is such a strong flavor that you really don't notice the lack of oil!

Vegan Caesar Salad with Healthy Girl's Kitchen's AWESOME No-oil Caesar Salad dressing!  Ok let me just explain how good this salad dressing is--way too good!!  I seriously could almost eat it by itself with some crackers :-) She uses chickpeas to thicken the sauce.  The only substitutions I had to make were I added oat milk instead of the soy sauce & a second bottle of capers (I think it needed it because the soy sauce is a strong flavor & a bit saltier so the capers compensated.)  YUM!


Sandwiches, Snacks & Side Dishes


Lentil Spread:  Sandwiches with sliced cherry tomatoes and this AMAZING lentil spread that I found on The Healthy Librarian's site.  Its SO good!  Be careful with the chipotle peppers in adobe sauce--I misread the recipe the whole time and thought it said "one CAN of the chipotle peppers", not ONE pepper!!"  Suffice to say, with one tiny bite I nearly burned my mouth off and had to throw out the first batch!  Once that trauma was over though and I remade it properly, the actual spread was so so so delicious!

Biscotti Dough!

Green Olive & Sundried Tomato Biscotti from the Party Vegan by Robin Robertson:  Surprisingly easy to make!  And SO good!  I made it for the first time with full fat (i.e. all the olive oil) but I'm going to try to repeat it in the future & try different substitutions for the fats!

Hummus with Rice Crackers (the hummus is my own recipe, thrown together from a bunch of different tahini-free hummus recipes--green onions, a tiny bit of adobe sauce with chipotle pepper, dijon mustard, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, garlic, water and vegetable broth.  No measurements.  Sounds crazy but it is crazy good!)


Spiced Rice-Lentil Squares by the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen--looking forward to FINALLY trying these--always need more bars for on the run & I couldn't make them the last time they were on our plan because I didn't have any allspice!!

Happy Herbivore's Pumpkin Bread from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay Nixon: Ok, this is a really delicious bread & super easy to make!  Just be careful slicing it because I was careless and managed to cut myself pretty badly with the knife when I sliced my loaf!!  :-( After that disaster was addressed, I happily enjoyed the spice of the bread. Instead of the whole wheat pastry flour, I substituted All Purpose Gluten-Free flour (which bumped the fiber and protein content of the bread considerably).  Instead of pumpkin pie spice (which I didn't have) I substituted cinnamon, ginger & allspice.  I wish I had ground cloves b/c I think it would have been even better.  If you make this, the only thing to remember is that her baked items tend to cook for a LONG time--when it says an hour, plan on an hour and 15 to 20 mins in actuality!


The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

My Favorite Blogs!! Inspiring, Educational, Plant-Strong Blogs & the BEST Vegan Recipe Sources Online!!!

Ok, so as requested here are my absolute favorite blogs!  They are all listed in my "Blogs I Like" sidebar on the left of my blog :-)  Somehow I manage to stay current on them because I'm a big reader on my iPhone "Pulse" app:-)  I'm sure that many of these blogs are your favorites too but if you have other ones that I haven't mentioned than PLEASE let me know in the comments!!  I am always, always looking for more inspiration and resources so please do share YOUR favorites as well!!! 

Happy Healthy Long Life by The Healthy Librarian:

Debby, the Healthy Librarian, is just the best health data-driven blogger on the net in my opinion.  Entertaining to read and a treasure trove of information, I never finish reading one of her blog posts without learning something important.  From blogging about her own health journey with the vegan Esselstyn lifestyle to analyzing big medical questions to talking about books we should all read to enrich our lives--her blog has a wide spectrum of topics that are extremely engaging.  Being a medical librarian, she uses her professional expertise to explore topics from an evidence-based medicine perspective--meaning that every single statement she makes she immediately backs up with multiple references that support her analysis.  Beyond her information driven posts, I love that we get a glimpse of her richly lived life.  She is wise AND fun--some of my favorite parts of her blog posts are when she shares about her time with her husband, family & friends.  I admire her so much.  The site can sometimes be logistically difficult to navigate but it is so worth the trouble to find some of her previous posts.  The recipes in particular are outstanding--every single thing I've made from one of her recipes has become a household favorite.  I absolutely love this blog and was inspired to start blogging because of her outstanding work.  

Healthy Girl's Kitchen:
Ok, this is another of my daily must-reads! Wendy, the author of Healthy Girl's Kitchen is such an outstanding resource to the plant-based community and has a well-deserved loyal and supportive following.  And I don't just say that because I'm so touched that she shared my New Year's post "Dear 268 Pound Me" as a "don't miss" read.  She just rocks. What I love about her is that she is so honest and vulnerable about her own inspiring weight loss journey.  This is particularly important to me because as someone who has lost a lot of weight myself, it is very difficult to imagine what it feels like to be overweight (or in my case, obese) unless you have walked in those shoes.  Wendy has walked that path & the way she shares her story is extremely endearing--you feel like you know her well even though she is technically a stranger!  She is unafraid to share what she does & doesn't know and when you read your blog you feel like you are learning along with her!   The blog is smart, has great information-driven posts with solid resources & her recipes are fantastic.  Did I mention that her recipes are fantastic?  :-)   Definitely one of the best blogs out there:-).  

 Vegan Epicurean:
Ali, the Vegan Epicurean, is one inspiring woman.  With each of them facing cancer, both she and her husband decided to make a sudden and radical lifestyle change to plant-based eating & lifelong wellness.  With each blog post, Ali takes us on this vibrant journey of theirs to live life with health and to the fullest!  You cannot help but be drawn in to her energy and honesty.  Occasionally she shares some of her medical challenges but her blog isn't driven by disease---its driven by this mission for a healthy life.  Not only did she embrace a plant-based diet, she became a student of nutrition, wellness and disease prevention and (lucky us!) she shares what she has learned along the way.  A graduate of Dr. Campbell's Cornell Plant-Based Nutrition course, she seems to try to attend every educational seminar available.  With a background in healthcare herself, I find her to be a real kindred spirit.  Oh!  And she has great recipes too!  I obviously love her blog!


Disease Proof, Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Blog:
I never miss one of this blog's posts.  Dr. Fuhrman's blog supplies me with the much needed information on the latest in nutritional research developments and teaches me very valuable clinical applications of plant-based nutrition.  As I still feel a huge gap in my medical training with regards to my understanding of nutrition, I really appreciate blogs like this that help fill that gap little-by-little.  I realize that its only a matter of time before I sign-up for Dr. Campbell's Cornell Plant-Based Nutrition Course, but in the meantime, Dr. Fuhrman's blog is an outstanding resource for all of us to learn more about the "why, how & what" of our nutritional health.  In addition, I have an enormous amount of respect for Dr. Fuhrman's work and life mission.  Its wonderful to have such an accessible source of information from him!  I can't recommend this blog enough!


The Happy Herbivore:  
If you couldn't tell by my "Best Cookbooks" post, I'm a huge fan of Lindsay Nixon and of course, love her blog (as evidenced by my "Herbie of the Week" Interview as well).  Friendly, open & energetic, its no wonder that she has so many fans on Facebook and her latest cookbook sold out on Amazon within its first week! She has hundreds of delicious, free recipes available on her site and her daily posts really give me, among other things, excellent practical direction with my food preparation.  She writes about everything from "how to replace fats when baking" to how she followed her bliss--leaving practicing law to become a low-fat vegan chef!  She is disarmingly honest & I have an enormous amount of admiration for the life choices she has made along the way.  Lately a lot of her posts have been guest written by her sister and her intern.  While I like them very much as well, Lindsay's posts are definitely my favorite.  She has a strong voice & I believe she is a major rising star in the plant-based world.  She is one of the few blogs I actually "subscribe" to over email.  I read her posts (sometimes several in one day!) religiously.  


The Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen 
I've been using Susan Voisin's recipes since before I really knew what the terms "blogs" and "bloggers" meant!  It can be hard to eat fat free when you are pursuing a vegan lifestyle but with her incredible collection of recipes you really can't ever complain that fat-free means taste-free.  She generally stays pretty recipe focussed in her posts but recently I read a post of hers that was much more self-reflective--of course I loved that!  Particularly since she was noticing the negative influence of flour and sugar!  Anyways, back to her recipes.  She posts pretty much every seven days like clockwork and I find myself eagerly anticipating her posts, excited about the recipe that week and hoping that it has ingredients I can eat!!  Subscribe to her blog--you will never be disappointed!  Her site has one of the most comprehensive recipe banks around and she has a great vegan blog directory (the "Blog Roll") where you can find over 800 vegan blogs!!  I keep forgetting to ask whether she would be willing to add my blog to her blogroll but writing this made me realized I need to!  The Blog Roll is a fantastic resource.  Oh and in case you don't believe my assessment of her blog--she has 25,000+ fans on Facebook who agree it is awesome!


The Engine 2 Diet's Daily Beet:
How could I not be a fan of one of the Esselstyn's blogs?!  Rip Esselstyn is the author of the "Engine 2 Diet," among many other things, and he has developed an excellent team that publishes the "Daily Beet." Its yet another informative and entertaining blog that I learn from and enjoy reading.  One of my favorite features on the site is "Plant-Strong Q&A with Fitness Expert Lani"--it comes out every Tuesday and I really like her practical & intelligent answers to readers' questions.  Definitely an excellent blog which provides much needed support for us plant-strong folks!


Prescribing Yoga:  I love this blog.  It gives me such hope about the future of medicine.  It is written by a young doctor finding her way through the rigors of medical training while trying to stay centered in her practice of yoga.  Its not vegan but it is about health and wellness!  I learn from her and am inspired by her! 


NEW Blogs (to me!) I'm Loving & Reading Each New Post:
Watch Me Lose 150 lbs!--a fellow Herbie of the Week, Jason is a true kindred spirit in my book.  His post series chronicling his journey to obesity is so so so very familiar.  After succeeding on the Atkins diet to the point that it made him seriously ill, he saw the light through Forks Over Knives and became a plant-based machine!  This blog is an absolute delight to discover--its great to read about another blogger new to veganism, struggling with the same weight issues & obviously in love with his supportive spouse.  Oh, and its beautifully written as well!   


My New Roots--super nutrient dense recipes, this chef from Denmark is something special.  Loving this blog & starting to become a huge fan!  I have now made her Roasted Sesame Slaw & its dressing two times in two weeks!  And now I have my eye on her "Sweet Potato Hummus" recipe for our menu next week :-)My sister made her Holiday Recipe Contest winner's fantastic Cranberry Pear Tart for Christmas to reach out to my husband and I in our vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free world.  It was SO good!  I love that she is an advocate for holistic nutrition and not only shares her recipes but also explains why they are nutritious!  I also think her "Whole Living Detox Plan" for January is very medically solid (and looks delicious!). 


Craxy Sexy Life--cancer surviver, plant-based diet advocate, awesome energy and great guest bloggers!  What's not to love?  I particularly like her spiritual energy--my kind of happy, love everyone, stay centered to heal message.  She has national bestselling books & I can see why!

Other Fantastic Recipe Blogs

Vegan Planet:  This is Robin Robertson's blog--my much adored author of two of my favorite cookbooks.  For some reason I haven't been following her blog!  Ack!  I need to get on that--maybe its just because I spend so much time poring over her cookbooks! , 

Nutritarian Recipes

Oh She Glows

Post Punk Kitchen: Holiday Recipes

Golubka: Food That Takes Love Blog

Gluten-Free Girl

The Reduction Project

 

Awesome Blogs I Read That Aren't Vegan
"Wild Life" by Professor Chris Palmer:  brilliant, insightful, funny & poignant--this exceptional wildlife filmmaker runs the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University among many other things.  If you're a fan of Imax and all those nature documentries, you probably have seen one of his excellent films.  His book "Shooting in the Wild" blew the whistle on the wildlife film industry's disturbing practice of faking animal scenes for profit.  I love his blog.  And its not just because he and his wife have been long time friends of my Mom's since my childhood.  His energy is an inspiration.  His blog's motto sums it up:  "Don't seek comfort; rather seek something to be passionate about."


100 Days of Real Food:  While I don't always agree with her food choices (omnivore, not low fat), Lisa Leake is a real role model for this new generation of processed food families.  She has inspired so many Moms and Dads to give up serving children processed convenience foods in favor of nutritious, unprocessed alternatives.  One of my absolute favorite blog series of hers is the year she did the entire family's meals on a "food stamps" budget of $125 a week for a family of four.  It really proves that anyone can eat healthy at any income level.  If you are a Mom or a Dad trying to make that transition to a healthy diet for your kids, her blog is chock full of great tips to change your family diet.

So that's all folks....:-) Next week I'll share my favorite books!Many, many thanks to all my favorite bloggers for taking the time to give so many of us so much!!


Oh!  And I know that many of you look forward to "Medical System Tuesdays" but this week's entry is going to be moved to next week so look for it then!!

RECIPES: What the Happy Nurse & I Are Eating This Week! Curries Galore, Sri Lankan Kale, Butternut Coconut Rice, Quinoa Puttanesca, Winter Slaw & More!

Ok!  Well its been a crazy week (another family member in the hospital--now discharged thank goodness!) and no time to mass cook!  For most of the week, I've been coming home and chopping a few things here and there and throwing it in the slow cooker (the 3-in-1 slow cooker of course!)!!  At least I did our meal planning and we got the grocery shopping done before the week began so I have everything on hand!!  


What we've made food-wise this week has been SUPER yummy so far!  My husband, the Happy Nurse, got a cookbook for Christmas called "Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz."  Therefore, this cookbook features prominently in our plan for this week!  So far, the curries I've made from this cookbook have been really good!!  


Here is what the Happy Nurse & I are eating this week:

Soups & Curries 
1) Aztec Corn Soup from  The Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay Nixon:  As if we couldn't get enough of this delicious soup with a Mexican kick, we're making more for this week!! Its an incredibly healthy soup thanks to the ingenious use of quinoa as a main ingredient!  Great balanced protein source & gives it a nutty taste--yum!
2) Eggplant-Chickpea Curry: Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz: I haven't tasted this yet but it smelled really good cooking!  Instead of the Chickpeas, I accidently thawed the Canelloni beans we had cooked & frozen so I used those!  Instead of fresh tomatoes which are out of season, I used "Fire-Roasted"diced canned tomatoes.  Delicious!)

3) 2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma: Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz:  took this for lunch today--the sauce is SO good!  I forgot to buy cauliflower so I used broccoli instead & I threw in some parsnips as well since we had some!  I used the Healthy Librarian's trick substitution for coconut milk (since it is so high in saturated fat!)--I added a teaspoon of coconut extract to oat milk instead!  At let me tell you, I cannot taste a difference--yay Debby!
4) Red Lentil & Root Veggie Dal:  Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz: haven't made this yet but I've got all the ingredients!  For all of these curries we got the garam masala, etc spices from our local Indian foods shop.  We get all the regular spices and our dried beans/grains from our local health food shop where we can buy in bulk from bins!  Super super cheap!


Main Dishes
1) Healthy Girl's Kitchen's Sri Lankan Kale:  I've been wanting to make this for WEEKS, I just have been a bit stuck because we haven't had time to run across town to the only store that has unsweetened coconut! I keep putting it on the list, but this week it is for real!

2) Quinoa Puttanesca:  Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz Oh my gosh this is SO good!  I love pretty much everything in it--particularly the kalamata olives and capers!!  Instead of white wine, since we don't drink alcohol (12 step household!), I used sparkling apple cider (and it actually worked pretty well!).
3) Butternut Coconut Rice: Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz  I haven't made this yet but I adore butternut squash and I'm a huge fan of coconut, so both together--how could that be bad?!  I'm going to use the Healthy Librarian's trick substitution for coconut milk here too to reduce fat!
4) Mushroom Tibs:  Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz This recipe is an Eritrean-based recipe (Eritrea is a small country just north of Ethiopia) and since I'm a HUGE fan of Ethiopian food, I'm sure this will be delicious too!  And The Happy Nurse could not be more of a mushroom fan, so we both get to be happy!


Sides:

1) My New Roots Blog's Winter Slaw:  Ok I cannot even explain how unbelievably delicious this is!  And SO nutrient dense!!! Kale, carrots, cabbage (2 types), parsley, scallions--YUM!  And the dressing is amazing--a total home run all around!  
2) Healthy Girl's Kitchen's "Links for Latkas": So I had no time during the holiday week to make latkas and I really really like them!  So this week I saw a pound of potatoes on sale and I thought--why not?!  Wendy (the Healthy Girl herself:-)) has put together an excellent collection of healthy latka recipes--I plan to try a few of the recipes she has listed and compare them!  Great project for New Year's treats this weekend! (if I have time--if not, it'll be one recipe!):-)
3) Pineapple Collards:  Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz:  we have a lot of collard greens leftover from Christmas dinner!  I of course over-cooked!  I know we'll get bored of these mid-week so I think adding pineapple is an inspired idea!  I'll let you know how it turns out!
4)  Curried Cabbage & Peas: Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz I just realized how many curries I chose for this week!!  Guess I'm a mite bit excited about something on the spicy side when its SO cold outside!!
5) Brussels-Sprout-Potato Hash: Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz  My husband is NOT excited about this one, but I LOVE brussels sprouts!  I had some pretty amazing brussels sprouts for Christmas dinner (my sister made them--so delicious!) so I'm yearning for more!  I'm still on the search for some fresh ones--my grocery store was out--so this may get pushed back to next week's list!!


Alright!  What are YOU planning on eating this week?  Got any recipe ideas for me & the Happy Nurse to make for next week???!

Coming Up:

• SuperImmunity for Kids ~Part 2~!
• A Truly Healthy New Year: From Weight Loss to Sleep, A Few Suggestions for 2012 
• Treating Pain with Food--more thoughts

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

What the Happy Nurse & I Are Bringing for Christmas Dinner(s) & Links to Other Holiday Dishes!!!

Well we are taking a quick pause here from the Holiday Happiness Marathon for a check in on what food is in the works for this week's holidays!  


The Happy Nurse & I have to make two sets of different Christmas dinner contributions (plant-strong of course!) because we have a lovely marathon of events in the 48hours surrounding Christmas!  Its a bit tricky to figure out what to bring.  On top of finding a dish that will appeal to everyone we also had to think that the dish might turn into our main meal (depending on the vegan options--remember my holiday tips post).  In addition, both the Happy Nurse & I are working right before and right after Christmas so whatever we choose needs to be very low maintenance!  Soooooo with these things in mind:

For Dinner #1: 

• Polenta Bites with Herbed Cashew Cream & Tomatoes Forks Over Knives Recipe Book (OMG SOOOOO outstandingly good!  Super easy if you buy the polenta at the grocery store already made which I did!!  Discovering how to make the "Cashew Cheese" was so much fun (and once again, super easy!)
• Spiced Greens The Happy Herbivore Cookbook (helllo slow cooker)

For Dinner #2:

• Happy Herbivore's Aztec Corn Soup (helllo slow cooker also!) Not only is this soup absolutely delicious, it is also extremely nutritious because of the quinoa base.  Quinoa is the "perfect food"--it has all of the amino acids in it (pretty much the only food that has that!).  It also is very yummy with an almost nutty flavor.  The green chilis in this soup are what make it sing.  Can't wait to share one of my favorites with the family!)
• Spiced Greens  The Happy Herbivore Cookbook (oh yes, we are trying to be smart this year & bring the same dish to both events!)

Now if you are still trying to figure out what you are going to make, here are a few other ideas from my Best of the Blogosphere! last week:

Holiday Meal Suggestions:

I found this holiday recipe gold mine:  Bon Appetit's Best Gluten-Free & Vegan Blogs for the Holidays!  How can you ever go wrong with Bon Appetit?!  

The Healthy Librarian's Top Ten Holiday Weekend Dishes (as voted by her family!):  Can I just say that the HL really has some of the tastiest recipes ever & the fact that they are nearly all Esselstyn-approved--awesome!

Happy Herbivore Plant-Based Vegan Christmas Recipes:  As always, Lindsay Nixon gives us a bunch of delicious recipe suggestions for the Holidays.  

Healthy Girl's Kitchen's "Links for Latkas":  Ok so I'm not Jewish but I grew up in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and work at a Jewish hospital so unsurprisingly, I LOVE Latkas.  That said they are super unhealthy and I haven't had some in forever.  Thank you Wendy for posting all these healthy Latka options--whether you celebrate Chanukah or not, make some Latkas!! SO yummy!

Post Punk Kitchen: Holiday Recipes:  Ok this is an AMAZING collection of plant-strong holiday options!!  As always I particularly love the ease of finding recipes--click on a picture, boom you are there (like the Happy Herbivore recipe site that I like so much)  New Blog for me to follow!  Looking forward to it! :-)

My New Roots Blog:  Yummy looking, very nutrient-dense, immune-promoting holiday options.  Another great new blog I've found!

Continuing THIS WEEK 

• ITS THE HOLIDAY HAPPINESS MARATHON!!!  Doctors, Nurses & Patients Share Special Medical Moments That Will Warm Your Heart During the Holiday Chaos!

Coming Up After the Holidays:

• SuperImmunity for Kids ~Part 2~!
• Medical System Tuesday: Tip #10 For The Best Hospital Care:  Try Not to Be Alone! ~ Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~
• Treating Pain with Food--more thoughts

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.