Mint Chip Banana Nice Cream

mint-vegan-ice-cream

Mint Chip Banana Nice Cream… Say Goodbye to Dairy and Guilt!

For all you ice cream lovers out there, its time to jump on the banana nice cream train. Simple, smooth and creamy, this healthy vegan, low fat dessert can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Using bananas as the base, other fruits, super foods and essential oils can be blended in for a completely different flavor and texture. This is the ultimate “guilt-free” treat that everyone must try…Finally it’s ok to have ice cream for breakfast. 

Yield: 2 cups, 2 servings
Time: 15 minutes
Prepare ahead: freeze bananas
Equipment: high-power juicer or blender

Optional: Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil (YLEO): PeppermintMintChip NanaCream

Ingredients:

  • 4 ripe bananas, peeled and frozen  
  • 1 tablespoon cacao nibs
  • 1 teaspoon spirulina powder 
  • 1 drops Peppermint YLEO

Directions:

Push frozen bananas through a high-power juicer fitted with the blank plate to homogenize the fruit. It will be the consistency of soft serve ice cream. 

Stir in the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

Alternatively, use a high-power blender with the tamper, or a food processor, adding liquid as needed for blending. 

Serve with toppings such as chopped nuts, fruit, shredded coconut, cacao nibs, or chocolate sauce. 

Using bananas as the base, other frozen fruits can be added in such as mangoes or berries.

Recipe Gratitude to Amy Bacheller.
For more of Amy’s amazing raw recipes check out www.scentfromheaven-sb.com
Instagram: @amybbacheller

Vegan Cuts Snack Box Review

Vegan-Cuts-Snack-Box-Review

I was thrilled to receive my first ever Vegan Cuts Snack Box the other day. I knew it was a great concept, but I had no idea if this vegan snack bundle would live up to my hopeful expectations…

It did!

First of all, it was exciting to open and unpack the box, 1 item at a time, since I had not even looked at the preview of what was coming. Ok, so maybe I get excited easily… but I’m sure many of you would have felt the same way. It takes me a long time to go through the isles of the grocery store, looking for new products to try, reading ingredients, and making the decision to try one new product over all the others. It’s much easier and safer to stick with what you know. That’s one of the main reasons why this box was so satisfying… I got to try new products without spending the time or energy at the store. Many of the products in the box are snack size, which are often unavailable in stores.

Here’s what was included:

  • Upton Naturals Bar-B-Q Jack Fruit
  • Protings Protein Chips (sample size)
  • Betty Lou’s PB&J Bar
  • Theo Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
  • Perky Fruit Bodies Fruit Roll Up (sample size)
  • Endangered Species Dark Chocolate Infused with Cranberry, Orange & Cinnamon
  • Follow Your Hear VeganEgg (sample size)
  • Nutpods Dairy-Free Creamer
  • El Pastry Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix

After getting over the initial enjoyment of unpacking the box, the next test was to find out if I actually liked the snacks.  It was definitely more sweets/chocolate than I typically buy during a month period, but the deal is so good, I would feel fine about giving away an item or two to friends or clients (anything I didn’t want to keep in my kitchen, tempting me in the middle of the night)!Uptons-Naturals-BBQ-Jackfruit

So far I’ve tried the first 6 on the list above. The Bar-B-Q Jack Fruit is by far my favorite discovery thanks to this vegan snack box. All I can say is WOW! I’m not sure how long it would have taken me to have bought and tried that one on my own. I plan on giving it a full review on my blog soon because I liked it so much. My second favorite was the PB&J Bar (amazing on-the-go snack), followed by the Peanut Butter Cups. The Chocolate Bar was incredible too. The Fruit Roll-Up was so tiny it was hard to judge (I have a feeling even a full size one wouldn’t make enough of a snack to be worth it.) The Protein Chips were the only snack I didn’t enjoy… they tasted like crispy cardboard. veganegg Follow Your HeartI had been eager to try the VeganEgg since it came out months ago so I was thrilled to get this sample. I scrambled the VeganEgg as directed and it came out with the look, feel, and I think taste (it’s been 20 years since I’ve eaten egg) of scrambled eggs. The creamer will be opened when my mom comes to visit soon (she is a coffee and creamer person. And last, the chocolate cake is something I’ll make when the spirit moves me… I’m psyched it’s so easy to make though!

A little about Vegan Cuts: It’s a 100% vegan company and online vegan marketplace. They carry a monthly Snack Box and Beauty Box, and feature special boxes like one for athletes/fitness freaks (lots of vegan proteins), and a Vegan Starter Kit box.

The ​Vegan Cuts Snack Box ​in brief:

  • 7-10 vegan snacks
  • Sweet and savory: Chips, cookies, bars, chocolate, crackers, tea, and more
  • Mostly gluten-free snacks
  • Mix of full and sample size products
  • $19.95 a month
  • Cancel anytime, though they doubt you’ll ever want to
  • Free shipping to the U.S.
  • The Vegan Cuts Snack Box ships worldwidevegan cuts snack-box

Since I was so pleased with the Vegan Snack Box, I recently accepted their invitation to become an affiliate/ambassador. This says a lot because I only agree to affiliations with companies I truly believe in and would promote regardless.

I hope this post was helpful and I’d love to hear what you think if you try one of the boxes!

 

Shredded Vegan Protein Cookies

vegan-protein-cookies

I hope all you Sexy Fit Vegan readers enjoy this recipe for Shredded Vegan Protein Cookies!

Since I am a physique competitor protein is of utmost importance to my diet. Based on other vegan protein cookie recipes I’ve seen, I found by making some adjustment I could make these even healthier and a little more fun. After a few rounds of trying it I think I got it perfect. These cookies make a great dessert, or treat because they are not only delicious, but also protein-packed without any artificial ingredients. 

Shredded Vegan Protein Cookies

Makes: 6
Serving Size: 1
Nutrition Facts: Calories 199 | Protein 8 | Fat 11.3 | Carbs 18 | Sugar 10 | Fiber 1.2
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Maple Almond Butter (Justin’s is my favorite)
3/8 Cup of Vanilla Vegan Protein Powder (VeganMax is my favorite)
3 Tbsp of Organic Agave Syrup
½ Cup of Gluten Free Oats
¼ cup Almond Milk
1 Tbsp 90% dark chocolate chips
½ tsp Vanilla Extract
¼ Cup of Shredded Coconut Flakes
1 Tbsp coconut oil

⦁ Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
⦁ Mix all ingredients (except chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and coconut oil) in food processor until they are a fine paste.
⦁ Put contents of food processor in medium bowl and sprinkle on coconut flakes and chocolate chips then mold the dough into 6 balls.
⦁ Rub the coconut oil on the bottom of an oven safe glass-baking pan and then spread the balls out on the pan.
⦁ Cook for 8-10 minutes at 325 degrees F.
⦁ Keep an eye on them and once they start browning it’s a good idea to check them. You don’t want to overcook them or they will be dry.
⦁ Let cool and enjoy!

Thanks to Ella for the opportunity to share my love of healthy nutrition and cooking with her members.

Vegan Nachos Your Way!

Superbowl is just days away and it’s time to start planning the party and picking up supplies to do it up vegan style!

Nachos are a staple football-watching food, and this year I’ve missed out because I’ve spent most of my football-Sundays at the Yard House in Miami Beach. Well, missed out on nachos that is, but I have nothing to complain about given the Yard House’s Gardein menu. The Gardein “jerk chicken” wings are phenomenal! The Yard House does not, however, offer vegan nachos, and every time I see someone else order the nachos I want to go home and make my own vegan version!

In this post I want to help you create a version of good ole’ nachos that meets all your taste-bud needs, step by step. 

Vegan Nachos Your Way

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Find a type of baked tortilla chip that you enjoy, and place a semi-single layer of the  chips on a large pan lined with tin foil. Beanitos are my personal favorite. They’re incredibly tasty and they are high in fiber and protein. beanitosbeanitos-regular
  3. Sprinkle a light layer of your favorite vegan cheese over the chips. I enjoy the Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Shreds, as well as Daiya shreds, and new brands keep popping up, the next one usually better than the last. These both melt well which is an important criteria for nachos! There are also some new vegan nacho cheese and cheese sauces like the ones made by Heido Ho Organics (I met the ladies who started this company and let me tell you, they’re awesome!) just coming to market that I haven’t tried yet, so if you have a review for us please add it to the post comments!Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheese Shredsdaiya_vegan_cheeseImage result for heidi ho nacho cheese
  4. Add on top of that your favorite vegan protein. Black beans are a must for me. Sometimes I enjoy adding the Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles or Chicken-Free Strips. If you add Beyond Meat products you will need to cook them according to the directions before including them in the nachos. Tempeh is another healthy vegan protein addition option. 
    black-beansbeyond meat products
  5. Sprinkle other ingredients that will be best if heated with the chips, cheese and protein. Some of my favorite add-ons are pickled jalepenos and black olive slices. pickled jalepenosblack-olive slices
  6. Sprinkle another layer of vegan cheese on top.
  7. Place the pan in the oven and bake just long enough for the cheese to melt (about 5-10 minutes).
  8. Remove from the oven and place ingredients you enjoy that are not good heated. I love adding pico de gallo, guacamole, and vegan sour cream (Tofutti makes a good one, as does Follow Your Heart.)
  9. Serve immediately. The chips will get soggy as the dish cools, so make sure you start chowing right away!pico de galloguacamoleSourCream-TofuttiVegan-Gourmet-Sour-Cream
  10. Enjoy!!!

 

7-Ingredient Masterpiece No Bake Energy Bars

Vegan-Energy-Bars-Recipe

Ron Badach Callicoon Kitchen Presents 7-Ingredient Masterpiece No Bake Energy Bars

The ultimate healthy pick me up! This is my favorite no-bake energy bar recipe using just seven powerhouse ingredients: dates, figs, unsweetened cocoa, slivered almonds, chia seeds, walnuts and macadamia nuts. The perfect blend of taste, texture and punch these bars are a guaranteed winner.

Ingredients:

  • ½ c Medjool dates, pitted & chopped
  • ½ c fresh figs, chopped
  • 1 c raw slivered raw almonds
  • ½ c walnuts
  • 5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • Handful shaved Macadamia nuts.
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt
  • 2-3 tbsp cold water

Directions:

Pit and chop dates then chop figs.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in cold water until desired consistency (mixture holds its shape.)

Remove mixture and place on cutting board. Use cookie cutter and cut into 1 inch think individual bars (shape and size as you desire!)

Top with shaved Macadamia nuts. Refrigerate at least two hours or freeze in an air tight container.

Tip:

Watch me prepare this easy vegan recipe on Ron Badach Callicoon Kitchen!

Enjoy!

Vegans Indulge Too!

Vegan Cupcake

Hi Everyone!

I, like everyone else, over-indulged! Shocker I know 😉 but believe it or not, I’m human too! Today I want to share with you a few of the foods & drinks I splurge on. They are all 100% vegan of course, but they are not whole foods in that they are all processed to some degree. Some of you may think, “Those are not so bad!” and yes, in comparison to some of the junk food out there with highly refined sugars, corn syrups, GMO soy and other additives, these “aren’t so bad.” I’m here to tell you though, once you have some time under your belt eating a diet that is mostly comprised of whole plant foods, the foods I’m listing truly do feel like indulgences! So here are my confessions…

1. Vegan Snacks: Vegan “”Cheese” Popcorn, Lentil Chips

Vegan popcornHealthy Vegan Protein Lentil Chips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. “Comfort Foods”: Organic Yellow Corn Grits (with Daiya Cheese), Gluten-Free Pizza (with Daiya Cheese), Sweet Potato Fries (I bake them!)

Grits Vegan Comfort foodVegan Cheese-Daiya

 

 Vegan Pizza Gluten Free

 

 

Vegan Baked Sweet Potato Fries

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Alcohol: Tequila drinks (mainly tequila with soda and fresh lemon and lime), Golden Monkey beer.

Tequila- Don Julio

 

 

Golden Monkey Beer 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned… I find new vegan “semi-junk” foods to splurge on all the time! Just remember, if you cut out all the really horrible processed foods (I’m talking Fritos, Pop Tarts, Snickers, you get the idea) ALL TOGETHER, you will lose the cravings for these types of terrible-for-you-foods, and Lentil Chips will become your new standard for an indulgence, at which point you can count on seeing major positive changes to your body, your energy level, your happiness, and your whole life in general! Stick with the program and you will see!