Ooh- La-La Lasagna

So I was given a fantastic vegan cookbook for my birthday last year and have used it so much the pages are falling out.  I've discovered new favorite recipes from it and will post one that even my kids enjoy and at the same time put a good plug out there for the book! The cookbook is called Chloe's Kitchen and has easy and delicious vegan recipes. If you love this recipe you should check out the cookbook!

Ingredients:
Garden Ricotta:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 14 oz. package extra firm tofu, drained
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp white miso paste (you can find it at Kroger in the international food isle)
3 Cups fresh basil

Sauce:
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 24oz. jar marinara sauce
1/4 cup soy, almond or rice milk
1 Tbsp. brown sugar or maple syrup
Sea Salt
Pepper

1 lb. no- boil lasagna noodles
5 oz. baby spinach

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch pan.

To make the Garden Ricotta: in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft. remove from heat.

In the food processor combine onions, garlic, tofu, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and miso paste. Pulse until mixture is almost smooth but still has some texture. Add basil and pulse a few more times to incorporate the basil. Adjust seasoning to taste.

To make the sauce:
Heat oil over med. high heat in a large skillet and saute mushrooms until soft. Add marinara sauce, nondairy milk and brown sugar and heat through. The nondairy milk and brown sugar will soften the acidity of the tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To Assemble:
Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles across the pan. Spread half the Garden Ricotta over the noodles. Layer half of the spinach over the garden ricotta. Arrange 4 more noodles on top. spread another layer of sauce over the noodles, then line with 4 more noodles. Top with another layer of sauce, the remaining garden ricotta, and the remaining spinach, and 4 more noodles. Top with remaining sauce.

Cover the baking pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until noodles are cooked and sauce is hot and bubbling. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Can't Get Enough Thrusters and maybe a "little" Running

How about a workout!! I did promise i'd start posting again. You'll need a medium to heavy bar or med. to heavy dumbbells and if you can, do this workout at a track.

Active Warmup: Should last about 8 minutes. do about 1 minute per exercise, then jog for 4-5 minutes.
alternating lunges
squats
jumping jacks
jog
easy pushups

Workout:
10 Thrusters
Run 800 meters

9 Thrusters
Run 800 meters

8 Thrusters
Run 800 meters

7 Thrusters
Run 800 meters

6 Thrusters
Run 800 meters

5 Thrusters
run 800 m

4 thrusters
run 800 m

3 thrusters
run 800 m

2 thrusters
run 800 m

1 thruster
run 800 m

Finish with a cool down jog and stretch!! Stretching is soo important so please don't skip it or skimp on it.  Many injuries can be prevented by proper form and stretching!

Zesty Wheat Berry Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed
2 14 oz. cans no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp. light brown sugar
2 cups cooked wheat berries
juice of 1 lime
2 avocados diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Wheat Berries can be found at most health food stores.  I bought mine at Fresh Market in the bulk section.  To cook wheat berries you add 2 cups of wheat berries and 7 cups of cold water to a large pot.  Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hr.  Stir occasionally.  Drain and rinse.  Wheat berries should be slightly chewy when done.

Heat oil in a dutch oven over med.-high heat.  Add chopped onion, pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add beans, tomatoes, chipotle to taste, broth and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
Stir in cooked wheat berries and heat though, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and top with cilantro and avocados.

Recipe courtesy of Eating Well .

Body Pump Training!

I spent this past weekend getting certified to teach Les Mills Body Pump classes.  I had a blast at the training, which was absolutely exhausting and a lot of fun.  It lasted two full days, during which time we learned how to teach, coach and motivate.  We also had to teach two tracks that had been previously assigned to us and were assessed based on our performance on those. By the time we were done we realized we had gone through the complete body pump release (which is a solid 50-60 min.) a total of 8 times in two days.  So, as can be expected we were all very sore.  In addition to that we did a boot camp style challenge to add a little more to our already sore muscles :).All in all an amazing weekend!       ..Oh and I Passed!

Vegan French Toast

I'm back!  I took all of August off and didn't post a thing.  Now that school has started and i'm back to a regular schedule I promise I will resume posting.

I found this recipe in my new China Study cookbook.  French toast is my favorite breakfast food and I made this recipe twice last month and love it.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

1 cup vanilla soy or almond milk

1 Tbsp. Sucanat or raw sugar 

2 Tbsp. flaxseed meal (do not mix with water)

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (i used cinnamon)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

8 slices whole grain bread

fresh fruit, syrup for topping

Mix milk, sucanat, flaxseed meal, pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Quickly dip both sides of bread into batter.  Cook on  a nonstick skillet over medium high heat until golden brown. Serve with fresh fruit, syrup or your favorite topping. 

Recipe courtesy of The China Study Cookbook

Black Bean Burgers

1 cup cooked brown rice  (i've substituted rolled oats)
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 onion, diced (i use less)
1/4 cup corn
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder (i minced 1 clove fresh garlic)
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 cup cornmeal (i substituted flour)
2 Tbsp. salsa

Cook rice according to package directions.  Meanwhile pour beans in a bowl and mash with a fork or your hands.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute onion in a saute pan. Add onions, corn and spices and cook for a few minutes.
Add cornmeal, salsa, onion mixture, and rice to bean bowl and mix.  Form mixture into patties.  Place patties on parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes per side at 350.  Serve on a whole wheat bun with your favorite toppings.  Mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, etc.

Recipe compliments of forksoverknives.com.

Upper Body Workout

Today's workout is similar to our last workout except we are primarily working the upper body instead of our legs. You will complete 4 circuits, 4 exercises at each, 1 minute per exercise.  Complete the 4 circuits a total of 2 times through. In between each circuit you will have an active recovery of 1 min. jump rope. Remember to keep proper form.  It's not about how many reps you get through in a minute.  More importantly is keeping your form perfect so you get the most out of the exercise.
You will need weights and a jump rope for this workout. I've added links to exercise demos for some of the exercises...sorry not my own demos this time:).

Start with a 4 minute jog.  After each minute stop and do 10 push ups, 10 squats, 10 jumping jacks, and 10 mountain climbers.

Circuit 1:
1 minute push ups
1 minute Bicep Curls
1 min. Overhead Press
1 min. Tricep Kickbacks

1 min. jump rope

Circuit 2:
1 min. Dips
1 min. Plank
1 min. Tricep Push ups
1 min. Bicep Curls

1 min. jump rope

Circuit 3:
1 min. Plank Row (alternating sides)
1 min. Reverse Fly

1 min. Push ups
1 min. Bear Crawl

1 min. jump rope

Circuit 4:
1 min. Tricep Push Ups
1 min. Overhead Press
1 min. Inch Worm
1 min. Bicep Curls

1 min. jump rope

Cool Down and stretch!