Meat Free Mondays: Meat Free Media

Making the initial decision to go meat free (even once a week) was a hard decision for me, but there were a few movies and books that made the transition much easier. Knowing what meat was doing to my body made a big difference in how much I wanted to eat it, and knowing that the research was science based instead of emotional made a big difference to me.

There are a few great books and movies that talk about the importance of a plant based diet for a healthy life; these are a few of my favorites!

Forks Over Knives

This is both a book and a movie. I have heard fantastic things about the book, but have only seen the movie. It is a great look at what meat and dairy are doing to our bodies and how a plant based diet can stop, or sometimes, reverse these effects.

The book was written by two doctors, one at Cornell University and one at the Cleveland Clinic, who research the effects of a meat-based diet on humans. Both these doctors completely their research without knowing what the other was doing and only learned afterwards. What each of them found, through researching cancers and diets of third world countries, is pretty incredible. 

Whether you love meat, hate it, or do not care either way, this movie is a great watch and a must see!

Skinny B----

I have had a pretty great inner debate on whether I should review this book or not. It is quite a bit controversial (the name alone) and controversy is not my middle name. But, just because something is controversial, does not mean it is bad. This book is in my top ten best books ever read list because it changed my outlook on food.

My college room-mate and I read this book together after hearing how fantastic it was. Neither of us were vegetarians, or healthy eater's, really- but both of us thought it was important to understand what we were eating and how it was effecting us long term. Boy was I happy we read it. Be prepared, it is mostly science and research articles explained (science geeks rejoice) and there are a few points that pull on your heart strings worse than the Humane Society commercials. The authors warn you of this first, but my thinking was "if I am going to eat animals, I better know how they got on my plate". If you eat meat, this should be a definite read. If you do not, read it anyway... They go into more than vegan lifestyles and talk a lot about preservatives, engineered foods, and how to live a healthy but well rounded life.

Meat Free Monday: Mushroom and Walnut Thanksgiving Stuffing

Thanksgiving week is here! The holidays are really upon us and if you are like me, you are searching the internets for some great holiday eats. This walnut and mushroom stuffing is something I made last year and has become a tradition since. It is easy, quick, and great for the vegetarians in the family. Plus, Not the knock your socks off calorie count that we are use to are use to around the holidays!

Servings: 8    Prep time: 30 minutes    Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus some for baking dish

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

3 stalks, 1 heaping cup celery, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

5 oz. bella mushrooms, chopped

5 oz. Portobello mushrooms, chopped

2 tablespoons sage, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine, Sauvignon Blanc

1 cup walnuts, chopped

6 cups bread, chopped into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces and toasted or left out overnight

1 1/4 cups vegetable broth

2 large eggs, beaten

Set oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan. Combine chopped onion and celery in pan over medium/high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent- 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside in bowl. Combined 1 tablespoon olive oil, chopped mushrooms, sage, and salt and pepper over medium/high heat and cook until browned- about 5 minutes. Add in the 1/2 cup white wine and cook until wine is almost evaporated. Add mushrooms to vegetable bowl and mix in walnuts and bread. Move to oiled baking dish and mix in the broth. Make sure not to add too much broth, the bread should only be moistened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Beat eggs and combine well with stuffing.

Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Chop onion and celery. Tip: cut celery into 3-4 long pieces, then chop... much easier!

Cook 1 tablespoon olive oil, celery, and onion until translucent. About  5-7 minutes

Set aside onion mixture in bowl

Chop 5 oz. of bella and portobello mushrooms

Combine mushrooms, chopped sage, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper over medium/high heat until browned, about 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup wine and cook until almost evaporated. About 5 minutes.

Chop walnuts

Cut bread into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces. Toast or leave out overnight. Or buy pre-cut and toasted!

Combine mushroom mixture, onion mixture, bread, and walnuts in bowl

Move to oiled baking dish and combine vegetable broth

Beat eggs

Combined eggs into stuffing mixture. Mix well. 

Cook uncovered at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before moving to serving dish.

Place in serving dish and garnish with sage if desired.

Disney Does Healthy

Next week, my husband and I will be celebrating our anniversary up at Disney and I am getting so excited! Today was the finishing touches day where we set up all of our reservations and I got a pretty good idea of what will be happening. We are passholders, so we will also get a sneak peak of the new Fantasyland expansion on the trip. All this has left me very excited and given me the idea to talk about some of my favorite (healthy) dining locations throughout the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot... Hollywood Studios will wait for another day :)

Quick Service

There are a few different dining options at Disney, counter service is usually the cheapest and can be quite tasty!

1. Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe serves sandwiches and burgers. The good news is that they have a lots of vegetarian options like a veggie sandwich that is delicious and a veggie burger. I am not quite as keen on veggie burgers since they can be quite unhealthy and tend to fall apart, but Disney's are pretty good. The Cafe is located in Tomorrowland across from Cinderella's Castle and is open for lunch and dinner. Perk, kids get grapes and carrots with their meal!

2. Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom has some of our favorite food in the parks! It is pan-Asian and delicious. Although I have never been to the quick service area, I wanted to add it in because of all the wonderful things I have heard. The menu includes dumplings, pork and chicken dishes and sweet and sour veggies upon request. I have also heard they will do steamed vegetables on request as well. This is a great option if you are wanting some good Asian food but don't want to make the trek to Epcot. Yak and Yeti is also right next to the Expedition Everest ride... Bonus!

3. Aloha Isle in Magic Kingdom's Adventureland is a great place to stop in for some healthier sweets. I feel like we stop here every time we go to Disney since they are one of the healthiest options for some cold, tasty sweets! Aloha Isle mainly specializes in Dole-whip. You can get a few different flavors including vanilla pineapple swirl and orange. They also have Dole whip floats available with orange juice if you really want to splurge!

Seated Dining

1. Tokyo Dining in the Japan pavilion at Epcot is a great place to watch the fireworks while eating sushi, noodles, and the many grilled options. It is a step up in price from the quick service options, but it is good. The best thing abut the restaurant is the fireworks view. With massive windows facing the water, you are front and center to Epcot's night showcase. If you are wanting to kick the meal up a bit, opt for the Teppan dining next door at Teppan Edo. After dinner, check out the massive shopping area downstairs, it is a must see anytime we are in Epcot!

2. La Hacienda de San Angel has one of the best dinners I have ever eaten at Epcot. The Pescado a la Talla is what I get every visit and what all others in the party wish they had gotten. Tilapia with roasted corn and sweet cactus leaves is just filling enough to be worth the price and does not leave you with the feeling you will need a wheelchair to leave. Be prepared, you will be doing a lot of sharing if the others with you got something else.

Tip: This location has an amazing view of the fireworks as well, make sure to ask for a table near the windows and have a reservation around 8:30 if you would like to see them. 

3. Yak and Yeti has made it on both the top quick service and seated dining lists because it is just that good. The Seared Miso Salmon is amazing and the Dim Sum Basket for Two is a must get! This is also one of the few locations that has a good salad with Ahi tuna, mixed greens and ginger dressing... Yum!

Character Dining

Disney is synonymous with character dining since most people are there to see the characters anyway, right? Sadly, I have only ever gone to one Character Dining location and have not been terribly eager to visit another. On our next trip to Disney, we will be eating at Cinderella's Royal Table. This is the restaurant inside the castle and offers character dining with Cinderella. Once we go, I can let you know about the foods, but until then, there is The Crystal Palace.

The Crystal Palace is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has all of the Winnie the Pooh characters available to autographs and pictures. The characters are great and the food is ok, especially for the price jump from your quick service and seated dining locations. For this, you are definitely purchasing the character time more than the food. On a brighter note, it is one of the best breakfasts I have had at the parks. Yes, there are plenty of unhealthy chocolate pancake and french toast options, but they also have an omelet bar where you can get an egg whites omelet along with some bran muffins. 

This is, of course, not the place for a healthy breakfast smoothie or chia overnight oats, but it is a pretty good option for breakfast with some characters on the side!

Meat Free Monday: Sweet Chili Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are in season and have been on our table for almost every dinner. I have been testing a few different recipes for these little green balls of goodness, and my favorite is this sweet and spicy concoction. The original recipe is from Food Network Magazine.

Prep Time: 15 minutes   

Cook Time: 10 minutes   

Servings: 2-3

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
  
• 1 tablespoon honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Set oven to 450 degrees.Chop ends of sprouts and remove all outer leaves. Place in bowl and mix olive oil, honey, chili flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place on pan with cut side down and bake for 10 minutes. When finished baking, either leave crisp outer shell on or remove if desired. If you would prefer them be either sweeter or spicier, place in a bowl and mix in more honey or chili once cooked. Divide, serve, and enjoy.

Nutrition

Brussels sprouts are a great source of vitamin A, C, and K and have two grams protein for every serving. They have about 6 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams being dietary fiber. Brussels sprouts have relatively no fat.