Thursday, December 20th, 2012

Greg Powered By Plant Protein – Here’s How I Help.

by Kristen in cacao foods, Hemp, hemp protein, raw food, sun warrior, sun warrior rice protein, vegan

Drawing artist I’m not… my specialty in art is in the kitchen. ;)

Here’s my latest batch of raw vegan protein powder for my super strong n sexy husband, Greg. You might remember a post I wrote years ago about the protein grenades I made him. Well, to make it easier on me, I now just mix some different protein powders and other add-ins, in a big bowl (the recipe changes a bit each time), and then I put it all in a big jar like this. From there, he takes about 3 to 4 scoops per protein shake (he likes a high amount of plant powered protein in his diet), and he drinks 2 to 4 of these a day. This particular blend is mostly Sun Warrior with additions of hemp, raw cacao powder, cinnamon, turmeric, maca, and he shou wu and astragalus (chinese tonic herbs – we’re big into tonic herbs these days for longevity and taking our health to new levels – that’s a future post though – I keep saying that don’t I?).

I get a lot of emails asking about Greg’s workout routine and diet. The gist is that he eats a lot like me. Plant based, moderate to high raw, organic, and protein shakes. He sometimes goes for a shake while I make a whole food meal for myself. He loves his shakes, what can I say? Ever since he started with Sun Warrior, he’s been hooked. It’s the magic bullet for him. He builds lean mass and feels strong.

His workout routine is consistent, too. He does 3 days in the gym, a day off, 3 days in the gym. One day is chest/tri. Next day is back/bi. Last day are the legs. Shoulders are in there somewhere :) He also runs barefoot in Vibrams and likes to do a little swimming when time permits. Ideally the run and swim are the same day and he calls it his “surf-n-turf.” And, throughout the day I see him dropping to the floor for push-ups or using our chin up bar to bust out some pull-ups – my man is strong. Oh! And now that we have a Bellicon Rebounder he has been using that, too. It’s one of the best purchases we’ve ever made.

Happy Holidays, Everyone! XOXO

******* By the way… Have questions or comments? Use twitter or my Facebook fan page to chat. Links are on the right-hand side of my blog. —>

Vanilla Mocha Protein Shake – This is GOOD!

by Kristen in protein, raw food, sun warrior, vegan

I’m a coffee flavor freak… black coffee, frou-frou type coffee, whatever. And, although I don’t indulge in icee frothy sugary type coffee beverages anymore, there was a time that I did. That was back in the day, before I knew any better.

Sure, I have organic fair trade coffee from time to time now, usually decaf, but that’s just plain coffee (my favorite brand is Green Star Coffee). When I feel extra sassy, I sometimes enjoy it as a fun beverage over ice with coconut milk or raw nut milk. That’s typically the extent of my coffee-ness though… until now… kind of.

Today, I share with you a recipe for a simple protein shake that you might start craving like mad once you try it. Coffee flavor lovers unite!

Organic, Fair-trade coffee at mom’s.

I think my addiction to the flavor of coffee started when I was seven years old… Nana gave me a sip of her coffee (well, we’re Italian after all, start em’ young), and I felt like such a big girl. It wasn’t long thereafter and I was shaving my legs (again, I’m Italian, what can I say? Or, maybe the coffee made the hair on my legs grow faster? ;)). Just kidding.

Well, the love of coffee and all things coffee flavored stuck with me. I remember growing up and taking sips of my mom’s International Coffee in the evening. You remember the ones, right? They came in those little tins and there were different flavors… kind of like a coffee hot cocoa. Oh the memories (sigh).

Well, tis no wonder that I can’t help but love coffee flavors with all of the nostalgia surrounding it. Imagine my immense delight when I made a delicious protein shake, with a coffee flavor. With each sip I was transported back to my childhood family room and remembering those good ol’ times. I know you might be thinking, “A protein shake that’s super yum? And, a coffee flavored one to boot?” YES.

Baby’s Vegan and Raw Snacks

by Kristen in baby, baby food, guacamole, hemp seeds, homemade raw almond milk, sun warrior

My little ducky!

Today, Kamea and I shared this delicious raw purple smoothie comprised of the following ingredients:

Homemade raw organic almond milk
Hemp Seeds
Frozen organic blueberries
Sun Warrior chocolate protein powder

And, here’s a peak at our current snack bar bowl (she also loves playing with them… taking them out and putting them back into the bowl). She’s especially fond of the Boku bars and she knaws on Go Raw bars like they’re teething biscuits. Although she only eats a few bites at a time, I love sharing my healthy snack bars with her.

Here are some other favorite Kamea foods: apple, guacamole, sauerkraut, red and orange bell peppers, smoothies and shakes, nut butter, sprouted whole grain bread, hemp seeds, blueberries (she can pack these away like there’s no tomorrow!), hummus, coconut milk, grapes, raw onion bread, black beans, chickpeas, and quite frankly, whatever we’re eating she’s game to try.

What are your baby’s favorite foods?

Protein Needs Met On A Raw & Vegan Diet While Breastfeeding

by Kristen in breastfeeding, dha, nursing, protein, sun warrior, vitamin D

I received this question via email about nursing with protein and supplement needs. I thought I’d share my answer with everyone…

HI Kristen,

I would like to say I really enjoy your blog! I am very interested in the raw food diet. I have made a few changes over the last 2-3 weeks to eat more raw food. About 3 weeks ago I bought a juicer and my husband and I juice everyday…so much fun. I started making almond milk this past week and love it with my protein powder every morning instead of cow’s milk.

I am not vegan or vegetarian, which is slowly changing one day at a time but in reality I don’t really have that much animal products, and if I do its from organc-grassfed-sustainable-local farms. I have been eating organic food for the last 2 years. My question is, I am nursing my 3 month old little girl and of course need protein, where do I get protein if I consume less if any animal products? Also, I do supplement with ‘juice plus’ capsules and vitamin D everyday. Are there other vitamins, minerals or supplements I need to take?

I still take my prenatal newchapter pills. Thank you so much in advance. Keep up the great work!

Stephanie :)

Thanks for following my blog, Stephanie, and for taking the time to ask this great question! And, congrats on eating healthier for you and your family. :) That’s awesome!

Regarding protein, what I’ve read suggests lactating moms should get somewhere between 50-65g of protein per day. Honestly, I don’t usually count my grams but I’m confident that most days I accomplish that amount, and on a few days I might be light, but that’s okay to me – I don’t stress about it. As a general rule, for most adults, protein needs do not need to be high. It’s a common misconception. However, when it comes to pregnancy and breastfeeding, I tend to support getting a little extra protein because in both situations my body is doing extra work and I’m feeding both my baby and myself. It makes sense to me to increase my protein levels.

So, where do I get it?
Well, on days when I have some cooked vegan, organic food, I’m getting higher protein levels from things like oats, lentils, black beans, tofu, tempeh, whole grains, etc. For the raw foods I eat, I get protein from leafy greens, green juice, green smoothies, fruit, nut (or seed) milk, nut (or seed) butter, and nuts (or seeds). But… what really helps ensure I get higher amounts of protein while breastfeeding (or if I were pregnant) would be hemp seeds, hemp protein powder, and Sun Warrior protein powder (chocolate is my favorite flavor but if you’re avoiding chocolate they offer “natural” and “vanilla.” I can drink a quick shake made with water and 2 scoops of Sun Warrior’s protein powder and have half of my day’s protein needs satisfied. I also sometimes take supplements like chlorella, wheat grass tablets, and green powders. These are concentrated sources of protein, even if a small amount, they pack a punch.

Regarding supplements.. According to The Vitamin D Solution (a book I highly recommend! I plan to write a review on it soon), a breastfeeding mom can take 4000-6000 IUs of vitamin D (but this is still being studied), even more (it’s important to ensure there is enough in breastmilk). You might want to get your levels tested and remember that I’m not a doctor so I’m not suggesting how much someone should take, but want to give you a data point based on the book I read. Personally, I take Deva’s Vitamin D2 and I usually end up with 3000-6000 IUs a day depending on other supplements I’m taking which might include it) – UPDATE – Dr. Holick’s overall recommendation is around 2000 IU a day. If you’re not consuming animal products be sure to get a Vitamin B12 supplement – very important (and make sure it’s a sublingual and the methylcobalamin variety. This is the one I take). Also, get your omegas. I take a daily vegan DHA supplement – there are a few good brands out there (NuTru, Deva, and Udos).