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dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free, plant based recipes

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Archives for May 2014

A Transformation Story

May 29, 2020 · by Meg · 2 Comments

If you have ever read my ‘about me‘ page, you know I’ve come a long way since 2008. I have lost 60 pounds, and so has this Meg, who is an inspiration for mommies everywhere (something I will be in just under 9 weeks)! We decided to link up and share each others stories. It’s so important to have support, and I know I will need even more of it after I have the baby and need to lose that baby weight. Anyways, here is her story. You can find her over at Skinny Meg - I hope you’ll go visit her soon (or follow her on facebook or on instagram)!

Hi I’m Megan and I blog over at SkinnyMeg.com This is my weightloss story. I grew up as an averaged sized kid, I gained weight as a teen, and hit all time highs when I was in my early 20’s.

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Sitting on beach I was uneducated on nutrition and fitness, that combined with my lack of cooking skills got me up to 220 pounds. About a year before my wedding date I did what every bride vows to do, I went on a diet. Jenny Craig’d myself down to 185 pounds and felt great. I worked out a bit, but nothing very consistent.

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Then 5 years ago I got pregnant with my daughter Madison, aka Twilight Sparkle, and proceeded to gain 60 pounds topping out at 260 the day I delivered. Here are a few things I learned: 1. Don’t eat for 2. 2. working out is not dangerous for the baby {I quit the gym after my Dr expressed concern over getting my heart rate too high} 3. Peanut M&M’s are not baby vitamins. 4. The weight will not ‘fall’ off even with breastfeeding. {unless your one of the lucky few}

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After feeling like poo and seeing one too many pictures where I was ashamed of my body I decided to do something about it. I joined Weight Watchers because honestly I needed structure on my eating. I also joined a boot camp even though I was scared. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to keep up, that I would be the heaviest person there, or that I would make a complete fool of myself. BUT I went anyways and you know what, I WAS the heaviest person, I WAS the slowest, and I could barely do half the stuff everyone else was doing. I kept going back though, never missing a day. One day I decided to see if I could run a mile before class, I huffed and puffed and thought ‘how in the hell does anyone enjoy running??’ BUT I kept at it, walking\running and never missing a workout. Slowly it got better, my chest and ass finally stopped hurting from all the jiggling 🙂 I decided to run a half marathon even though I had never even run a 5k, I didn’t follow a ‘program’ I just got my booty outside and ran at least 5 times a week. I was about 175 pounds.

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Half Marathon! I almost died, my feet were killing me and I was chaffed in about 5 different spots, but I finished in 2:27! It was amazing and I had never been more proud of myself. I was hooked. I continued to watch what I ate {most of the time, I mean HELLO I didn’t get fat because I hated food!} I kept exercising {some would say I’m a gym rat now} I finally hit 100 pounds lost and wore a bikini on vacation.

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I may not have a perfect body but I sure worked my ASS off to get the one I got, so I’m gonna show it off! After 20 months of struggling with infertility I was blessed with another pregnancy, my son Aiden was born March 5th, 2014. I worked out until the day I delivered {repeat c-section}.

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I’m on the journey {again} to lose 35 pounds and get my sexy arms back!

It is HARD to lose weight, it is HARD to eat healthy and not give in to temptations. But there are people out there to help and support you. I hope that Meg and I have inspired you to be the best you can be! Never hesitate to contact me - find me on facebook, instagram, or just shoot me an email! ([email protected]) I always answer!

And remember!

 

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Weight Loss · Tagged: gluten free, healthy, paleo, transformation, vegan, weight loss

Spinach Potato Pancakes

May 19, 2020 · by Meg · 22 Comments

Spinach Potato Pancakes

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A few weeks ago I stopped by my local grocery store and was hungry (always a mistake, as you know) and found Dr. Praeger’s Spinach Pancakes on sale in the health food section (paleo, gluten free and dairy free). I ate them for an afternoon snack all week and then thought to myself ‘why not make my own?’… This is pretty much the same thought I’ve had with veggie burgers for a long time, but I have yet to whip up a batch of those either! (Hopefully once summer comes).

Either way, the ingredient list is on the box and I knew I could easily figure out how to throw some of these together and then be able to stock pile and eat them whenever I wanted! I used regular white potato, but you could easily use sweet potato, add cheese (if you can tolerate it, or even add some nutritional yeast), omit the onion, add carrots or zucchini, etc. There are a ton of possibilities to mixing it up to suit your taste buds! Either way, these spinach potato pancakes are a winner in my book & I know you will love them too! Kid friendly!

Print
Spinach Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

  • 1 medium potato, washed, peeled, boiled and chopped
  • 1 medium onion, washed, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup spinach, washed and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons almond flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • coconut oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Peel and boil the potato until soft
  2. Remove potato from heat and allow to cool
  3. Wash, peel and chop onion
  4. Wash and chop spinach
  5. Chop potato
  6. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined.
  7. Heat frying pan on medium heat, adding enough coconut oil to coat pan
  8. Measure out 1/4 cup of mixture for each pancake (mixture should make 6 small pancakes)
  9. Flatten into a small patty (3 should fit on the pan)
  10. Flip patties when slightly brown on one side (3-4 minutes)
  11. Eat warm or cold as lunch, dinner or a on the go snack!
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http://veggiestaples.com/spinach-potato-pancakes/

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Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Breakfast · Tagged: dinner, easy, egg, gluten free, lunch, paleo, pancakes, potato, snack, spinach, vegetarian, yeast free

Nutty Chocolate Coconut Bars

May 7, 2020 · by Meg · 13 Comments

Nutty Chocolate Coconut Bars

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I LOVE me some Kind Bars. They are delicious, but the cost of them gets really expensive. (especially because they are gluten free and sometimes vegan). They are a great on the run snack, and I usually always have one stashed somewhere!! Since I know I want to make all my own snacks for Baby S when he/she is able to do so, it’s best to start practicing now! (and I already make a lot already). And speaking of, here is a photo of me growing through the past few months. It’s hard to believe that we’ll be expecting our first little one in just under three months!

I love nuts and chocolate so I thought that this would be a good start. Look for more bars in the future! I’m going to start experimenting with all different flavors! Do you have a favorite granola bar flavor?

Print
Nutty Chocolate Coconut Bars

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup raw almonds (I used whole, but you could use shredded)
  • ½ cup honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons flax seeds
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup raw pecans (or any other kind of nut)
  • 1/4 cup raw walnuts (or any other kind of nut)
  • 1/4 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (dairy free, soy free)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (optional, you could make these no bake if you'd like by just putting them in the refrigerator right away)
  2. Mix all ingredients until well combined in a large bowl
  3. Line a brownie pan (any size) with parchment paper
  4. Pour mixture into the parchment paper and press down until all the mixture is evenly distributed and tightly compacted
  5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes (this is optional, you could put them right in the refrigerator so the honey sets)
  6. Wait until the bars have cooled down to cut them up (I got 8 pieces out of mine)
  7. Place them in a container in the refrigerator for keeping (7 to 10 days)
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http://veggiestaples.com/nutty-chocolate-coconut-bars/

Filed Under: Desserts & Baked Goods · Tagged: gluten free, granola bar, paleo, snack, vegan

Cashew Kale Dip

May 5, 2020 · by Meg · 2 Comments

Cashew Kale Dip

There are few things I love more than dip. Kind of a strange thing, but they are easy to make and can go with so many things, crackers, veggies, fruit, and a spread on a sandwich (maybe that’s why I like hummus so much). I had made this recipe for Arsy over at Rubies and Radishes a few months back. It went over well, so I thought you guys would also enjoy it over here. Yummy! This is a cashew based dip/spread, with kale and nutritional yeast; a healthy spin on a spinach cheese dip you might find at a restaurant. Try this with veggies, crackers or as a replacement for the usual mayo or mustard on a sandwich. I really think you’ll love it!

Print
Cashew Kale Dip

Ingredients

  • 1 cup soaked cashews (for at least 30 minutes)
  • 2 cups fresh kale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons non dairy plain yogurt
  • 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
  • garlic salt and pepper to taste
  • optional: cooked artichokes

Instructions

  1. Blend and serve (with veggies, crackers, etc)
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http://veggiestaples.com/cashew-kale-dip/

 

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Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides · Tagged: cashew, dip, kale, paleo, snacking

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Meet Meg

Hi! My name is Meg, owner and blog writer for Veggie Staples! Thanks for stopping by! I love creating healthy, yummy recipes for everyone to enjoy (meat and non-meat eaters alike)! For more information check out my About Me page. Read More…

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