Sauce it up (3 go-to ways to level up a meal)

Pictured is the peanut sauce - a double batch fills this jar!

If you’re like me and eat a plant-based vegan diet then you know the importance of finding new ways to switch up how you cook, season, and sauce up your veggies is so important. It’s not fun eating the same, bland food over and over.

So I’m here to sauce up your life with 3 of my go-to sauce recipes!

Peanut sauce:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons lime juice (1 whole lime)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha (or similar hot sauce)
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Mince garlic and ginger
2. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth
3. Add more water to get the consistency you want.
4. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge, may need to add a tablespoon of water to get the sauce back to a pour-able consistency

I love using this peanut sauce over vegetables, rice or even to cook my tofu in! Seriously, if you haven’t tried a peanut sauce, what are you waiting for??

---

Red Thai Coconut Sauce

Ingredients:

1, 13.5oz can unsweetened coconut milk (can use full fat for more creaminess or lite to lower the calories - I tend to use full fat)

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup thai red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 scant cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil over medium heat
2. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes over low heat
3. Take off the heat and cool, sauce will thicken so add a little water if necessary

I loveeee this sauce to dress up a salad! And when I say salad, I mean one that has rice, lots of chopped leafy greens, roasted veggies, and sautéed tofu.

---

Honey Mustard:

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a jar and mix until well combined

This is a great tangy, and refreshing dressing for any green salad with quinoa and cherry tomatoes - YUM

One quick note if you’re on a weight loss journey

I want to emphasize that these dressings have healthful ingredients and are made fresh in your kitchen; however, it’s important if you’re on a weight loss journey to still be aware of your portion sizes when it comes to salad dressings since most of them are oil based. The peanut sauce is peanut butter based, red Thai coconut sauce is coconut milk based, and the honey mustard dressing is olive oil based. These bases are more calorically dense which means that you get more calories in less volume of food. So using a spoon to drizzle a dressing on can give you a better idea of how much is really being used instead of just pouring it on.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

xx Katie

The Most Important Habit to Make in Your Journey

As a dietitian, there are many tips, tricks, pieces of advice, and recommendations I could tell you to help you tweak your lifestyle and reach your goals. There are also heaps of people in general out there who are giving guidance and telling you what worked for them or are advocating for some trend or product.

Now, I’m talking to you…listen to me when I tell you that none of this stuff matters if your head isn’t in the right place.

I’d argue that your mental space is the most crucial aspect that determine whether or not you’re going to be successful.

Because what we think is what we do.

If we’re constantly:

• Thinking that we’re doing things “wrong”

• Believing that we will only achieve results by following trends that aren’t enjoyable

• Bringing ourselves down because we “gave in” to a certain food that didn’t follow the “rules”

• Calling ourselves mean names and not loving who we are

• Overwhelmed by everything and don’t start anything because there’s too much to do

• Convincing ourselves that we won’t be good at something….or at least not as good as someone else we see doing it

• Consumed by guilt because we “fell off track” or have “started over” too many times

We aren’t setting ourselves up in the right mind space to think about how we can do something instead of brainstorming all the ways we can’t or shouldn’t try.

I highly encourage that before you make any lifestyle changes to sit down with yourself for 5 minutes and reflect about what is really going on with you and how you feel about yourself.

I want you to have a good grasp of your current mental space and ask yourself if you’re happy with it.

Do you like the way you think about yourself?

If the answer is “not really” then what needs to change for you? Do you need to practice more patience? do you need to learn how to better let go of the stress you’re carrying? Do you need to practice more kindness with others so that you give more to yourself too?

If you don’t think you can do something, or think that you don’t deserve to achieve something…. you’re setting yourself up for failure because when things do get hard you’ll see it as a sign to stop and that you’re “not good enough” to push through.

I tell everyone that even if you don’t do a single thing today that’s aligned with your goals, as long as you’re okay with it and still have a positive outlook/mindset then You. Are. Still. Making. Progress.

Because chances are that if you didn’t have a good mental space and you didn’t do anything today towards your goals then you’ll fall into the guilt & give up space.

Where do you want to be this time next year?? How do you want to be feeling by then??

People who actually reach their goals are build that sustainable healthy lifestyle do one key thing: They enjoy the process.

So, beautiful human….

Make your lifestyle changes but pleaseeeee ask yourself these 5 questions:

1. Am I happy?

2. Do I enjoy the things I’ve been changing and can I see myself doing this for the long run?

3. What is making me unhappy?

4. How am I feeling/how is my stress?

5. What needs to change in order for me to be happier?

If doing check-ins with yourself similar to the questions above, I highly recommend you start implementing this as a weekly if not daily practice. Being able to tune into yourself to know what feels right is the most powerful skill to get you closer to finding what your health journey looks like.

The most important habit to master: Reflection

xx Katie

Vegan Black Bean Brownies

This is my go-to recipe for brownies! They’re soft, chocolatey, and a favorite among my non-vegan friends too. They’re super easy to make, just throwing all of the ingredients into a food processor and pouring into a baking dish - that’s it!

I always try to make something indulgent for the week because who doesn’t want something chocolatey on the regular??

Ingredients:

1 - 15oz can black beans - drained, rinsed

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3oz vegan friendly chocolate (I use chocolate chips)

1/2 cup granulated cane sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup All Purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon powdered sugar for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, spray with oil to prevent sticking

2. In a food processor, combine beans, applesauce, and chocolate. Cover and process until smooth

3. Add granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Cover and process until combined.

4. Add in the remaining ingredients (flour through salt) and process just until combine, scrap down the sides as needed

5. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and make for 20 minutes until the center is form and the edges are puffed.

6. Cool brownies in the pan on a wire rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar

NUTRITION FACTS (FOR ONE SERVING - 1/16 of the pan)

92 CALORIES, 21G CARBOHYDRATE, 2G PROTEIN, <1G FAT, 2.7G FIBER

How I Transitioned to a Plant-Based Diet / My Top 3 Tips

For those of you who may not know, I just started my fourth year as a plant-based “vegan”. Before this era of my life I regularly consumed animal products – cheese, yogurt, turkey, chicken, eggs, the occasional beef. I remember asking my Mom if I could have “meat” as one of my birthday dinners as a tween (not even kidding, I didn’t even specify what kind of meat).

So, what changed?

Basically, the inspo for going plant based "vegan" happened while I was in Hawaii visiting my (then) fiance for Christmas. We had watched the Netflix documentary, "What the Health", and we were completely shook by it (him more so than me).

Although I now have my own opinions/reservations when it comes to health documentaries, it still struck a cord with me and was something I had considered before.

It all happened super fast. We started ordering foods without animal products and making the effort to eat "vegan"

This lifestyle takes work and effort and requires us to challenge our previously formed food habits and eating patterns. It’s not easy at first which means your reasonings for making this transition must mean a lot to you and not because its “trendy”.

At that time I had terrible stomach pains, was feeling ill regularly, and my bloating was out of control. I did not know what was going on. I also knew that eating more plants and reducing how many processed food items I had in my diet would only improve the quality and nutrient density of my diet.

When I started, it was purely for health reasons but at this point I do feel obligations to make better choices for the planet and our animals.

So now for the good stuff.

How on earth did I do it? Here are my top tips for transitioning to a more plant-based diet!

1. Focus on “adding” and not “eliminating”

It’s a common preconceived notion that because eventually we’ll be removing animal products, that we should start there and cut everything out in the beginning. The issue with this is that we aren’t yet familiar with what our eating style looks like without those foods in it. We tend to feel lost or like a fish out of water. So, my biggest piece of advice is to start by adding in more plant, more plant-based meals, and learning new recipes so that when you decide to leave out the animal products you’re better prepared.

I personally was able to cut cold turkey with the occasional mess up because I was a newbie but this approach isn’t for everyone and different things work for different people!

2. Plants over Processed

Although I firmly believe that all foods can play a role in your diet it’s important that our eating patterns are adequate to meet our energy, vitamin, mineral, and fiber needs. Often times when we find that there’s a new “vegan version” of our favorite food the more we start incorporating them and the easier it becomes for them to become the majority of our diets without us really realizing it.

My main concern with the label “vegan” is that it doesn’t tell me anything about the quality of someone’s diet. The more whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, beans, and seeds you consume (regardless if fresh, frozen, or canned), the more nutrient dense your diet is going to be overall. While sprinkling in other foods that may fulfill our cravings better than others :)

3. It’s Okay to Mess up

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro sometimes mistakes happen…and they don’t always feel the greatest (physically and mentally) when it happens, but I want you to know that it is okay. Especially if you’re just starting out. There are so many things to learn and to look out for that we’re bound to miss something when our guard is down (hello wasabi sauce I accidentally ate with egg yolk…whoops!). Know that you didn’t intend to make the mistake (hence the name) and that all you can do is keep trying and moving forward!

Social issues of being plant based “vegan”

One obstacle I see a lot of people face when being vegan is finding it difficult to go out with friends and have a good time. Like anything else, it just takes some planning and thought. I've actually found it surprising how easy it's been to find options basically anywhere I go. And I understand not wanting to be "that friend" that dictates the plans. It's easy to google restaurant menus and if there really isn't anything at all for you, then planning to eat ahead and go to the restaurant with friends is an option too. (I worked in a restaurant and people only order drinks and don't eat all the time, I promise it's not weird.)

When it comes to family events....I'm lucky where my family has kind of accepted the challenge of creating some vegan dishes in part of their family dinners which is outside of their comfort zone and I appreciate their efforts so much!!! But I am always sure to make a dish to bring to add variety and let other people try it out :-) If your family doesn't embrace it or help cater to you, then definitely preparing your own meal to bring will help!

That’s all for now!

xx, Katie