Detox/Cleanse & Green Smoothies - It's Not Too Late

With a new year, it always seems like a good time to start fresh and new!  And after the holidays - drinking more alcohol than usual and eating more rich foods than typical in my diet - I always like to start the new year with a Detox / Cleanse.  

A lot of my Facebook friends were asking me about detox and cleanse programs as well as smoothies so I posted the program I did last year.  I discovered a detox/cleanse program  from a vegan blogger I follow, Veggie Grettie - check her out:  http://veggiegrettie.com/  Last year, I did it for seven days and found it really easy! 

Fresh apples - eat as much as you want!

Delicious home-made veggie soup.

I found this program really easy to do because you are able to EAT (the foods on the program) and as much as you want in order to satisfy your hunger!  Last year I followed the program for seven days and I lost 9 lbs.  Now of course a lot of the weight lost was water so I did gain a couple pounds back, but I did get off that holiday sludge and felt great!  This year, I only did it for five days.  I didn’t gain much weight over the holidays this year because I was more careful about balancing my meals and not over doing it. However, I lost count on how many glasses of red wine, martinis and champagne I drank so I really felt like I needed to detox!  I lost 5 lbs and haven’t gained any back, but I’m also participating in a 30-day Green Smoothie Challenge right now so I’m sure that’s helping!  (More on the challenge later.)

Baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli.

Here is the link to Veggie Grettie’s original post about the   cleanse and the details on it.  http://veggiegrettie.com/2012/01/08/best-vegan-cleanse/

I’ve also included my food journal from this past January so you can see what kinds of foods I ate and how easy it was!  

DETOX/CLEANSE

• Consume ONLY fruits and vegetables (aim for at least 50% raw…I think I was closer to 70% raw)
• Have the bulk of your intake be from water-based fruits and veggies, but be sure to include sweet potatoes and squash
• Drink water, tea, fresh vegetable juice, or fruit and veggie powder drinks EAT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT…DO NOT GO HUNGRY!!!!!!

While I think it probably goes without saying based upon the outline above, I thought I would add some further clarification:

• NO oil
• NO grains
• NO legumes
• NO nuts
• NO animal products
• NO sugar
• NO artificial sweeteners *
• NO processed foods

30-DAY GREEN SMOOTHIE CHALLENGE

While scrolling through Instagram (my latest social media addiction), I came across information about the 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge.  Most people who know me, know I LOVE LOVE LOVE my smoothies so I was really curious about it.  

Basically, the challenge is to incorporate at least one green smoothie into your daily meals every day for 30 days.  It’s not restrictive, you don’t have to give anything up - the purpose is to ADD healthy greens to your diet! When you sign up on www.simplegreensmoothies.com  (by the way it’s FREE) you’ll receive weekly shopping lists and recipes to make delicious green smoothies!  

Each week there’s a new little challenge that makes it fun!  Because I already loved having smoothies every day, this has been more like a “treat” experimenting with new recipes that it doesn’t even seem like a challenge to me!  I’m on Day 13, but it’s not too late for YOU to start!  And if you explore on Instagram with #simplegreensmoothies you’ll find oodles of other people who have joined the challenge and see what kinds of yummy (and in some cases NOT-so-yummy) green smoothies they’ve concocted!  If you join, let me know and follow me on Instagram:  thebookofdonna

24 oz of Deliciousness in a Jar! Made with 1 cup kale,
2 cups spinach, 1 cup romaine, fresh pear, frozen peach,
1/3 frozen banana, 1 tsp maca powder,  1 scoop plant-based
vanilla protein, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup water,
and 4 ice cubes.  This was yummy, refreshing and filling!
Only about 310 calories - great way to start the day!

So how has your New Year of 2013 been so far?  Did you make any resolutions?  If so, how are you doing in keeping them?  Do any of your resolutions have to do with health and wellness?  Keep in mind, even if you fall off track the key to success is picking yourself up and getting back on track!  Don’t be hard on yourself because we all have bad days.  The important thing is not to give up on yourself - because according to the Book of Donna... YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!

Donna’s Detox/Cleanse Food Journal: (I didn't proof this section so please excuse any typos - this was what I wrote in my iPhone - just copied and pasted here for your reference.)

Wednesday 1/2

Breakfast: banana, green tea with lemon

Exercise: Bodyflow class 60 mins

Snack: small apple

Snack: veggie juice from Whole Foods with carrots, ginger, spinach, kale

Lunch: Amy's Fat-Free Chunky Vegetable Soup

Exercise: cardio - Nike Kinect Training 30mins 

Post-workout Drink: Vita Coco Coconut Water

Dinner: baked sweet potato, steamed broccoli (both plain with no salt or butter)

After dinner: Chamomile tea

Summary: feeling great and was never hungry at all today. A little sore from workout )from yesterday I think), but the soreness feels good and reminds me that work is in progress!

Thursday 1/3

Breakfast: green tea with lemon, pear

Exercise: 60minute bike ride

Lunch/post workout: green juice with water, spinach, Swiss chard, sunflower sprouts, half banana, dates, maca powder. 

Snack: fresh fruit salad with blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, half banana

Snack: orange

Dinner: homemade veggie soup with zucchini, spinach, Swiss chard, peas, corn, green beans, onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cabbage. chives, parsley,  Braggs amino acid and lemon. Sweet potato fries. 

Friday 1/4

Breakfast: miso soup with Swiss chard and shiitake mushrooms, green tea with lemon

Snack: baby carrots

Lunch: homemade veggie soup

Snack: fruit salad (same as yesterday)

Snack: homemade-sweet potato fries

Dinner: steamed broccoli and corn

Chamomile tea

Had a mild headache most of the day that I think is from the detox. Was also really sore from working out the past few days so took today off to let my body rest. 

Saturday 1/5

Breakfast: pear

Exercise: elliptical 25 mins, rowing machine 5mins, treadmill 35 mins

Snack; apple

Lunch: salad from Whole Foods: spring greens, spinach, kale, broccoli, beets, butternut squash, green peas, corn, broccoli slaw and fat free balsamic dressing. 

Snack: dehydrated okra chips

Sunday 1/6

Breakfast: pear, green tea with lemon

Exercise: Pilates mat class

Snack: avocado-banana smoothie with romaine, spinach, stevia

Lunch: Millers Fieldhouse - veggie burger with side salad, greens, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, Dijon honey dressing, Bloody Mary, 2 olives, 2 celery *This meal isn’t technically a “detox” meal because the veggie burger had quinoa and brown rice in it and of course there vodka in the Bloody Mary

Dinner: home-made veggie soup 

Snack: sweet potato chips

Chamomile tea

*I had already decided I was finished with the detox/cleanse and going to start the 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge, which is why I decided to go ahead and have the veggiei burger and Bloody Mary.  But as you can see from my journal, I was able to eat a lot of food and I was never hungry.

'Tis the Season to Eat, Be Merry and Drink A Gingerbread Smoothie!

Gingerbread Smoothie

Gingerbread Smoothie

It’s December and the holidays are in full swing!  It’s the most wonderful time of year! It’s also the time of the year and the season when most of us get a little out of control with our eating and drinking habits and binge on all kinds of heavy hors d’oeuvres, confectionary treats, and cocktails because we’re at more social functions whether it be a work party or Christmas or other holiday parties.  People seem to get in the baking mood as well and bring all kinds of goodies to the office.  It’s also MY birthday month (December 12th if you wanna sing to me or send a colorful balloon bouquet) and I have several celebrations throughout the month.

Now, I’m not going to tell you to NOT indulge a little because after all... it IS the holidays and it only comes around once a year.  However, if you don’t want to have to make that typical New Year’s Resolution of “losing weight” and “getting back in shape” it’s a good idea not to get too crazy.  

With my friend Jeffrey at my 12/12/12 birthday dinner
at the Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

As I mentioned, December is my birthday month and I have a lot of friends that I like to celebrate with throughout the month and we usually get together for dinners or lunches so what I usually try to do is balance things out.  For example, the other night my friend Jeffrey took me to dinner at the Brown Derby.  I had a flight of martinis which were three small drinks that probably was equivalent to one VERY large martini drink (delicious). We both ordered the Blue Jumbo Lump Crab Spring Rolls which are fried as an appetizer.  Umm... AHH-MAZING!  We both ordered the appetizer size Cobb Salad as our entree and I ordered mine without the turkey and bacon since I don’t eat meat, but it had LOTS of really yummy blue cheese and fresh avocado!  And of course because it was my birthday we HAD to have dessert!  The server recommended the Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower, which I ordered and it was as decadent, rich and delicious as it sounds!  

Now because I had such a rich and fattening dinner, the next day I balanced things out: I ate light and worked out.  I had a green smoothie for breakfast, fresh cut veggies (broccoli, zucchini, celery, carrots) for lunch, sweet potato hummus as a snack and miso soup with two veggie spring rolls (made by my mom) for dinner.  Okay, well the veggie spring rolls were fried but I only had two and I ate so light the whole day I didn’t feel bad about it.

Anyway, according to the Book of Donna it’s okay to indulge a little during the holidays... just make sure to balance things out and not go crazy for EVERY meal and continue to exercise. OR... you can try having my delicious Gingerbread Smoothie when you’re craving something sweet!  It’s like having a gingerbread cookie in the form of a delicious, healthy smoothie!  And in case you didn’t know, ginger has many great qualities about it.  It has anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties and is great for treating nausea.  

Benefits of Ginger - found this on Health & Organic Wellbeing's
Facebook page.  Like their page - they have great info!

Fresh Ginger

What's a Gingerbread Smoothie without a little gingerbread man?

Gingerbread Smoothie - Delicious!

This recipe I created is great and the raw cashews make it nice and thick that it seems like a milkshake and makes you feel like you’re having a dessert!  So if you’re craving something a little sweet, but want to have a “healthy” treat - try my Gingerbread Smoothie!  

The ingredients for Gingerbread Smoothie.

If you don't have a good protein supplement
try adding vanilla yogurt.  I love using
So Delicious Vanilla.

What’s your favorite food or drink to indulge in during the holidays?  Iced sugar cookies? Hot cheesy dips? Festive colorful cocktails?  Tell me!  And I’ll sit back and fantasize about them while I enjoy my healthy, guilt-free Gingerbread Smoothie. Please let me know if you try this recipe and what you think! Hope you have a happy holiday season!  

Gingerbread Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2” Fresh Ginger, peeled

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1 Banana, frozen *see tip

1 cup Almond milk (or milk of choice)

1-2 Tbsp Black Strap Molasses

8 Raw Cashews

1-2 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder ***OR***

3oz Vanilla Yogurt (I used So Delicious non-dairy)

4-6 Ice Cubes

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender (I used my NutriBullet) and mix until blended. Sprinkle with more cinnamon or nutmeg if you wish.

Tips:

*The key to making the “perfect” smoothie is having the right amount of frozen items whether it be the fruit or ice and liquid.  You may need to add more milk or ice depending on how thick you prefer the consistency of your smoothie to be.

*Use EITHER the protein powder OR yogurt, but not both at the same time.  I use a plant-based/vegan protein (brown rice and pea protein) that I buy from my chiropractor who created his own formula and sells it at his practice here in the Central Florida area.  It is the most amazing and best tasting plant-based protein supplement I’ve come across, but is not available on-line yet so I created the yogurt version which is So Delicious!  I always switch up how I make my smoothies so I don’t get bored with them.  I like to use the So Delicious brand because it’s non-dairy, soy free, has no GMOs and taste “so delicious” just like their name!

*I always freeze my bananas ahead of time so they are ready for smoothies.  Check out my Pinterest board for instructions on how to freeze them - this method also works with other fruit (I’ve used it for papaya and pineapple). http://pinterest.com/TheBookofDonna/great-tips/

Sweet Potato Smoothie

Sweet Potato Smoothie

My friends who know me know I love my smoothies!  I started making and drinking smoothies several years ago when I was working out with a personal trainer because it was a great way to get my protein after a workout.  Now, because I don’t eat meat it’s also a great way to get my protein using plant-based sources.  (See why I’m a “cheating vegetarian” on my previous post.)  http://thebookofdonna.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-im-cheating-vegetarian.html  I usually have a smoothie at least once a day - either as breakfast or as my post-workout recovery drink so I'm always experimenting with different combinations and flavors to keep from being bored.  

I try to eat healthy as much as possible and a staple food in my diet is sweet potatoes.  I love them because they are naturally sweet and taste good!  It’s one of the things I can eat without putting any condiments on - YES, I like eating sweet potatoes NAKED - not me naked, the sweet potatoes!  Sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, calcium, potassium and beta-carotene.  So while I do love a regular baked potato every once in awhile, I almost always will choose a baked sweet potato because of the nutritional value.

My no-longer-smelly dog, Hershey!

Sweet potatoes are also very inexpensive and the shelf life on them are longer than other produce, which makes them easy to keep stocked in your pantry.  AND I bet you didn’t know this!  If you have dogs that have odor issues, add a couple of heaping tablespoons of cooked sweet potato (I usually use baked) to their regular dog food and that bad doggy smell will be gone almost instantly!  Okay, not instantly - it takes a day or so to start working, but it really does work!  My female Springer Spaniel, Hershey was having some doggie odor issues several months ago.  Bathing didn’t help - she’d start smelling icky about an hour after having a bath and it wasn’t her teeth or breath either.  We even took her to the vet and had her checked out, but they couldn’t find any reason she was having this issue, but it was breaking my heart because her foul odor made it pretty much intolerable to be near her!   I searched for a natural remedy to fix this issue and yes, discovered feeding her sweet potatoes did the trick!  Here is the link to the website where I found the information about dog odor remedies:   http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/dog_odor.html Both of my dogs LOVE it and it's good for them!  A lot of high quality dog food contain sweet potato!

The ingredients - you don't have to use frozen sweet potato puree.

Anyway, sweet potatoes are great and if you like them you might want to try my sweet potato smoothie recipe!  I use sweet potato puree that I have previously frozen and keep stored in the freezer, but you don’t necessarily have to use frozen.  You can just use cold sweet potato that has been baked - so this is great if you ever have left over sweet potatoes.  Let me know if you try it and what you think!

This is what it looks like in my NutriBullet.

Soak raw nuts for 6-8 hours to activate the enzymes.

Use a good quality yogurt - I like So Delicious because
it's dairy free and vegan, but you can use your favorite.
I just encourage you to read the label and find one
you like that doesn't have artificial sweeteners or corn syrup.

Sweet Potato Smoothie

Ingredients:

3 cubes Sweet Potato puree, frozen OR 1/2 cup cold sweet potato

               *see link below for instructions on how to make the puree

1/3 Banana, frozen

3 oz Vanilla yogurt (I used So Delicious) *see tip

1 cup Milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)

1/4 cup Water *it depends on how thick you want your smoothie

1 Tbsp Walnuts, raw *see tip

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract *see tip

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Pinch Nutmeg

2-4 Ice Cubes *depends on how thick you like your smoothie

Directions:

Place all items in blender (I used my NutriBullet) and mix until blended - you can use your blender.

*Tip:  If you're not using puree and using cold sweet potato, you may need to add a little more milk or water, depending on how you like the consistency.
*Tip:  When using raw nuts of any kind, soak in water for 6-8 hours.  This activates the enzymes.

*Tip:  Sometimes I use1 scoop of a plant-based vanilla protein when I make my smoothies, but the brand I use is not available commercially yet unless you live locally in Central Florida.  If you use vanilla protein, you may need to "play" with the liquids and ice for desired consistency, either adding more or less milk or ice.

Link for instructions on making sweet potato puree:  http://thebookofdonna.blogspot.com/2012/11/sweet-potato-puree.html

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 12 - My Friends

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am thankful for.

Day 12 of Thanksgiving:

Just a few of my friends - there are too many to show!
I'm a lucky woman to have so many people to call friends.

I am thankful for my friends, old and new. I'm fortunate and grateful to have some great friends. One of the things I love most about my friends is the diversity of them. I'm not one who has to be around people or have friends that are exactly like me. So while I'm a married Asian-American woman in my forties who is a Christian, a registered Republican, a "cheating vegetarian" who loves food and wine, dogs and all animals, and currently works part-time - I love that my friends are women and men of all ages. I have friends who are white, black, Asian, and Latino. Friends who are Republican, Democratic and Independent. I have friends who are straight and friends who are gay. My friends are Christian, some are Baptist while others are Catholic and Methodist and Mormon. Others are Jewish and Muslim, and yes I even have friends who are agnostic and atheist. I have some friends who are vegan, some who are vegetarian, but most who are meat-eaters. 

Some friends I've met through work, others I went to
school with, others I met on vacation.

A lot of my friends have pets and friends who don't like animals at all. I have friends who are busy career people, others who are in school - some who do BOTH at the same time and some who work two jobs to make ends meet. I have friends who are married, divorced, single, separated and widowed. Some friends who are retired and some who gave up their careers so they could raise their children. 

While my friends are diverse, the thing ALL my friends have in common is they are good people with good hearts and because they aren't exactly like me, I learn so much and gain different perspectives that I believe help to make me a better person. I am thankful for my friends.

Pumpkin Granola Buckwheat Pancakes

Like a lot of people during the fall season, I get just a little obsessed with everything pumpkin!  (See my previous post from October 13, 2012 on “Pumpkin Season”)  http://thebookofdonna.blogspot.com/2012/10/pumpkin-season-pumpkin-pie-smoothie.html  Whether it’s at the coffee shop, the Yankee Candle store, or the bakery I want to devour myself in ALL things pumpkin throughout the fall season!

So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk
It's dairy free so its great for those who are
lactose intolerant!

So when my Whole Foods finally started carrying the So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk, you can imagine how excited I was!  I believe I actually started doing the “happy dance” right there in the store!  I know I probably got a few looks from other customers, but it’s no different than when I’m in my car so I just do my dance and go about my business.

I use So Delicious products all the time - I love their  vegan “ice cream” and I use their coffee creamers.  They have a vanilla and hazelnut flavor coffee creamer, but I have missed the seasonal flavors that come out during the holidays.  However, even though I miss the seasonal flavors, I can’t get myself to drink them anymore because of all the nasty ingredients they contain that I try to keep out of my diet.  Sooooo... back to the Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk.  If you know me, you know I love food and I’m someone who isn’t afraid to experiment with recipes.  The So Delicious carton has a recipe on it for pancakes and while I’m sure it’s very good I wanted to make my own version!  I’m big on texture when eating so I prefer granola pancakes over regular pancakes because I feel like the oats gives it more bite.  And I love buckwheat so I thought I’d try making Pumpkin Granola Buckwheat Pancakes and WHO’DA THUNK???  They were so amazing that I knew I had to share the recipe immediately!

These are the ingredients I used (those aren't real pumpkins - they're actually candles).

I ate my pancakes with just a little bit of (real) organic maple syrup that I heated up so it was nice and warm and I cannot even begin to describe how happy it made my my belly!  Do yourself a favor and get yourself some REAL maple syrup and DON’T waste your money or tastebuds on that fake corn syrup stuff!  It’s nasty and not good for you and is a pain to clean up - plus maple syrup tastes so good!

I used a little ladle to easy pouring for the batter.

You'll know they're ready to flip when
the edges of your pancakes look "dry".

Beautiful golden brown pancakes!

You know you want to make these!

The first time I made these pancakes I used an egg, but I made it the second time using EnerG Egg Replacer to make it was vegan.  Honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference in the taste, but you can make it whichever way you decide and let me know what you think!  According to the Book of Donna, if you like pumpkin - you’ll want to eat these pancakes every morning for breakfast!

So delicious with a little warm maple syrup!

Pumpkin Granola Buckwheat Pancakes

Makes about 9 dollar size (5") pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Buckwheat Pancake Mix

1/3 cup Rolled Oats

1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree

1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 cup So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk

2 tsp Safflower Oil *you can also use canola oil

1 Egg, beaten OR 1 serving EnerG Egg Replacer for Vegan Version

Directions:

1. Mix buckwheat, rolled oats together in a medium bowl.  
2. Add Pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk, safflower oil and egg OR egg replacer if making vegan version.  
3. Whisk together until completely combined.  
4. Heat griddle on medium heat and lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle - cook for about 2-3 minutes, depending on your stove top.  The way you’ll know your pancakes are ready to flip is the edges will start to look “dry”.  I always use a spatula and carefully peek under the edge before flipping to make sure they’re ready to flip.
6. Flip and cook other side for about 1-2 minutes.  Enjoy with warm maple syrup.

*Tip:  When I’m making a BIG batch of pancakes, I pre-heat my oven to 200-250 degrees and place the pancakes on a pan in the oven to keep them warm until I’m ready to serve them.  This way, they’re all nice and warm when you’re ready to serve!  

*Also, you can make a large batch and freeze the leftover pancakes!  They re-heat really well and taste just as good as the day you originally made them!  Just put them in a plastic zip-loc bag and put them in the freezer - reheat in the toaster oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or in the microwave.

*For a variation, you may want to try adding some chopped walnuts or pecans either directly into the pancake batter, or top off your pancake with the nuts.

Let me know what you make these and what you think - tweet me or comment on my Facebook page.  Have a great day!

Why I'm a "Cheating" Vegetarian

In the greenhouse at Cuisinart Resort,
Anguilla, BWI.

Although I hate to put a label on myself, we are a label-driven society.  Whether it’s a pair of jeans, smart phones, cars, sneakers, etc. - we identify them and sometimes pay a lot of money to buy products because of the “label” that are on them.  When we meet people in social settings, we identify ourselves with our labels:  wife, husband, mother, dog lover, cat lover, boss, artist, photographer, etc.  In politics, our labels are:  Democrats, Independents, Republicans, conservatives, liberals and undecideds.  For me, some labels include:  wife, step-mother, dog-lover, daughter, nonna (that’s what the grandkids call me), friend and vegetarian, well... a “cheating vegetarian”.  

According to the Vegetarian Society a vegetarian “does not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or by-products of slaughter.”  http://www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=698 I actually eat seafood occasionally (usually once or twice a week, but sometimes not for several weeks).  I also eat eggs and dairy every once in awhile.  So to be more accurate I suppose I’m actually I am a vegetarian who is of the lacto-ovo-vegetarian variety who sometimes eats seafood, or I’m a pescatarian.  Confused yet?  I know it makes MY head spin!  This is why I call myself a “cheating vegetarian”.  

There’s actually a LONG story of how I came to choose to eat the way I now eat, but I’ll try to keep it short.  Basically, it started for health reasons when I was suffering from frozen shoulder.  If you don’t know anything about this condition, it’s EXTREMELY painful and can last for 1-2 years.  Read about it here:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/frozen-shoulder/DS00416   In dealing with the pain from this condition, traditional medicine failed me and it was through my desperate measures to get relief from the pain that I sought help from alternative methods.  I went through 9 months of intensive treatment using acupuncture, chiropractics, physical therapy, massage therapy and changing my diet.  It was during that time when I discovered how food could be used as medicine.  This isn’t a concept that is new - Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, talked about it several hundreds of years ago.  

After seeing what just a few changes in my diet could do, I watched documentaries about the food industry (Food Inc., Forks Over Knives, Super Size Me, King Corn) which sparked my curiosity.  Then I did more research by reading books (The Kind Diet, Omnivore’s Dilemma, Food Rules, Fast Food Nation, Skinny Bitch, Engine 2 Diet and Eating Animals).  

When I first started learning more,  my views about food started changing for health reasons and I decided I would cut back on my consumption on meat, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, cut back on processed foods and cut out fast food.  And when I ate meat I would only eat hormone-free/antibiotic-free/grass-fed meat.  However, in my reading, I began to think  about how certain religions and countries didn’t eat certain meats.  For example Hindus don’t eat beef because the cow is considered sacred. This is when my mind began to make a paradigm shift.  

While considered taboo in the Western world, horse meat is still consumed by humans in Central Asia, parts of Europe and South America.  I have several friends who are horse lovers and own horses - I love horses as well.  And although I haven’t spent a lot of time around these beautiful creatures, I can tell you I have seen distinct personalities in them and could never imagine eating horse meat.  

With a horse I met in Lexington, KY.

In other countries, most notably Asia and Africa, the consumption of dog meat by humans is still common, however, it is forbidden by both Jewish and Islamic dietary laws.  I am a dog owner and call my two dogs my “furry children”.  When I look at them with their sweet expressive eyes and wet noses, I truly cannot ever imagine getting to a point where I would choose to... Oh, I can’t even go there!  It just makes me ill to think about it!  

With my "furry girl" Hershey.

It was in thinking about the love I have for my dogs when I decided I could no longer eat meat.  But you say, “Hey, Donna, you still eat sushi and oyster!  I see the pictures you post on Facebook and Twitter!”  Well, yes I do.  But that is a personal choice I have made and I am okay with it.  I eat seafood occasionally, but I really do try to limit it and when I cook at home, I’m pretty much a vegan when cooking for myself.  The way I justify my “okay-ness” with eating seafood is this: If necessary, I would be willing to do what it takes to get that fish to my dinner table from start to finish.  Can’t say I would be able to go through the whole process with chicken or pork or beef.  Whenever I start to crave fried chicken I just start thinking about the first step in “processing” a chicken and my craving goes away.  But the process for getting fish, shrimp, oysters, etc. to my table - I can honestly say I can handle that... but only on occasion.  

Getting a kiss from my boy, Zeke.

I had gotten to the point where I just went to the store and bought the meat in the package without giving thought to where it came from or what life was sacrificed to satisfy a craving I may have had.  When I do eat sushi, it may sound corny, but I say a silent prayer thanking the fish for giving it’s life so it can nourish my body.  The thing is, I can say I’m more “thoughtful” about my approach to food and that makes me feel better about my health and as a human being.  

And I don’t worry.  I won’t tell you how you should eat either because according to the Book of Donna it’s YOUR body and your choice, just like being a “cheating vegetarian” is MY choice.  But that’s the great thing - we have the ability to make educated choices.  So, what choices will you make?  Eat well.  Be happy.

PUMPKIN SEASON: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Some people say “fall” while others like to call it “autumn”.  Well, because I always associate everything with food - I call it “pumpkin season”!

Living in central Florida, we don’t experience the change of seasons like most parts of the United States.  It stays warm here most of the year, however, around the end of September and beginning of October, the weather does change and become less humid and the temperatures are more mild.  When discussing seasons, Floridians can often be heard saying we have “summer and a cooler summer”! However, most of my childhood was spent in Virginia so I grew up experiencing the change of seasons and I have great memories of playing in the mounds of leaves my dad raked into piles in the yard.  And as I grew into adulthood my favorite fashion season has always been the fall because I have always loved wearing boots and scarves.

With my granddaughter and the
"lumpy" pumpkin.

Of course, as I said before, I associate everything with food!   Some of my most fond memories are of meals my parents cooked growing up, of good times I’ve had with friends over dinner, or traveling somewhere and experiencing the cuisine of the region.  So of course when thinking of the fall or autumn season, I think of pumpkins and then of course, everything I’ve ever eaten that has pumpkin in it!

My oldest granddaughter at the
pumpkin patch in Alabama.  Yes, she
loves pumpkins, too!

Before I go on, I'd like to share this story about a good friend of mine named Jane (her name has actually been changed for her protection).  We’ve been friends for about 15 years ever since we worked together.  We have been on several vacations together over the years, I’ve held her babies when they were teeny-tiny munchkins, we live close to each other so we have keys to each others’ houses and I consider her to be a good and close friend.  Jane supposedly has this amazing secret family recipe for Pumpkin Cookies that are so incredible people call them “legendary”!  However, I have come to the conclusion that they are more of a tall tale because I have yet to taste a single morsel of these infamous Pumpkin Cookies.  I now believe she only bakes the cookies for people she doesn’t really like (because remember, we are good friends, at least in my mind) or I must have made them up in a fantasy involving pumpkin baked goods.  If you haven't figured it out yet, I continually tease my friend about these cookies and will continue to do so until I taste them!

Anyway, because I’ve been obsessing about those Pumpkin Cookies and haven’t found a recipe the looks like what I remember Jane describing them to be like, I decided to divert my attention to other pumpkin recipes and created a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!  And this recipe is too good NOT to share!  This smoothie is so delicious and reminds me so much of pumpkin pie that I may opt for this as my breakfast on Thanksgiving morning!  

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

1/2 cup  Organic Pumpkin Pie Mix (or 2 cubes frozen)*see tip

1/3            Frozen Banana

4               Dates *see tip

1 cup        Almond milk (or milk of choice)

1/2 cup     Cold water

1 scoop    Vanilla Protein Powder OR 3 oz Vanilla Yogurt *see tip

1 tsp          Maple Syrup (optional)

pinch         Pumpkin Pie Spice

6               Ice Cubes

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Mix all ingredients in blender.  (I used my NutriBullet.)  If you like, you can sprinkle additional pumpkin pie spice on smoothie.

*Tip:  I froze my pumpkin pie mix in ice cube trays ahead of time, then just popped two cubes out when I was ready to make my smoothie.  This isn’t necessary, but I find that you won’t need to use as much ice if you freeze the pumpkin.

*Tip:  Soak dates in water for at least 30 minutes.   Simply place dates in bowl and cover with water.  I actually just have dates in a plastic container in the refrigerator.  so they’re ready for use whenever I need them.  I got this tip from Chocolate Covered Katie, a vegan dessert blogger I follow.  Here’s a link to her website if you want to follow her.  She has really great dessert recipes that are both tasty AND healthy!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/

*Tip:  If you don’t want to go out and buy pumpkin pie spice, you can just use cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. 
*Tip: If you are using vanilla yogurt in your smoothie, you may need to use less liquid (milk) and add more ice, depending on how you like the consistency of your smoothie.  Use your favorite yogurt, but I encourage you to use one that is not full of artificial ingredients.  I like So Delicious Vanilla because it's dairy free and really is "so delicious"!

Keep dates soaked in water in plastic container so they're
ready to use and freeze pumpkin in ice cubes trays then
store in plastic storage bags in the freezer.

I like So Delicious Vanilla yogurt because
it's dairy free and vegan.  

I hope you enjoy this smoothie recipe.  According to the Book of Donna, if you like pumpkin, this is like having pumpkin pie in the form of a delicious and healthy smoothie!  What’s your favorite pumpkin recipe?  Do you have a friend who has a secret family recipe they’ve never shared that you’re dying to get your hands on?