Roasted Butternut Squash Rice Bowls

This is one of my favorite meals and it came together accidentally one afternoon when I was clearing out the pantry and refrigerator. The only part I dislike is prepping the squash so I don’t make it often. I’ve tried frozen butternut squash and it’s just too mushy. You can purchase prepared squash in most produce sections you’ll just need two packages and they can be pretty pricy. It’s so creamy and flavorful, I hope you love this as much as I do. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Rice Bowls 

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash (1-2lbs)

4 cups kale

1 15oz can Chick Peas 

4 cups cooked brown rice 

1 medium onion

1 large clove of garlic

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F

While the oven is preheating prep your squash by peeling, removing seeds and pulp. Cut into 1 inch cubes. 

On a baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet toss the squash with 1-3 TBS olive oil, sea salt and pepper to your taste. If you’re unsure start lightly. You can always add more seasonings, but you can never take

It out. Roast for 40 minutes tossing halfway through so the squash doesn’t burn from the natural sugars.

While the butternut squash is roasting cook your brown rice according to your package directions. 

Next peel and dice your onion. Sauté the onions in a large skillet over medium

heat in 1 TBS olive oil until translucent (about 3-5 minutes). While the onions are cooking rip the kale leaves away from the stem and roughly chop. Peel and dice your garlic. Add in the garlic when the onions are translucent and cook for 60 seconds before adding in the kale. 

Drain and rinse your chick peas. Don’t forget to toss the squash around in the oven. 

When the kale has started to wilt lower the heat slightly. Add in the chick peas. Cook until the chick peas through and remove from heat. 

Toss the roasted squash, rice and kale mixture together. Taste, adjust your seasonings. Serve up and enjoy!!

XO,

Kathleen 

Treating Your Skin on the Inside

When most people talk about their skincare routine they rarely talk about the foods they are eating. What we are putting into our bodies can have just as much effect on our skin, sometimes even more so. Let’s start by talking about which foods we should be limiting or avoiding all together. 

One of the worst things you can put into your body in general and if you know me personally, you know that I RARELY allow myself to have soda. Not only do I dislike the taste, but it’s loaded with crap you do not need! This is also why it’s been shown in preliminary as well as ongoing research that it is detrimental to our skin. Also consuming excess alcohol which in itself is not a healthy lifestyle, dehydrates your skin and can lead to signs of premature aging. 

Now obviously I don’t consume any dairy as part of my vegan lifestyle, but if you’ve been thinking of quitting dairy (🙏🏻🙏🏻 PLEASE DO!) maybe this will help encourage you to ditch it for good. Most dairy cows are pumped full of growth hormones which can reek havoc on your own hormones leading to an overproduction of oil which triggers acne problems. 

So what should you be eating?

Avocados!! They are a great source of Vitamin E which is a great antioxidant! And because Vitamin E does even better when combined with Vitamin C you should be eating your oranges!! They also have a high citric acid content which can help dry out acne. The peels contain a higher concentration of Vitamin E so you can grind up the peel and add it into your favorite body scrub to elevate your routine. 

Walnuts contain a number of nutrients crucial to keep your skin functioning properly which will keep it healthier long term.

Sweet potatoes are packed with beta-carotene which can help to act as a natural sun block. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to wear sunscreen though! 

Dark chocolate, YASSSS! The effects of cocoa on our skin is remarkable! Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and have been shown in some women to help the appearance of wrinkles.

Green Tea is a natural anti inflammatory and can help reduce redness in the skin. 

Sounds pretty easy and delicious to keep our skin healthy and glowing! Keep in mind that organic and non gmo foods will give you better results as they are free of the “bad stuff” for our skin and our bodies in general. Same thing can be said for the topical skincare products we use. So always use natural products and remember to read the ingredients. If you can’t pronounce it you probably shouldn’t be using it. 

XO,

Kathleen 

Top 5 Tips For Transitioning to a Vegan Diet

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴠᴇɢᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ!

I always get messages for tips on going vegan (which I LOVE!).❤️ This time of year it seems to be more of the topic on everyone’s minds and I’m always happy to help. Now I’m a very all or nothing type of person. So for me when I went vegan I didn’t transition I just went all in. I got rid of everything that wasn’t vegan and dived in head first. When I’m asked for tips I find I’m always referring back to these five things. So with Veganuary in full swing and my inbox piling up with questions I’ve listed them below👇🏻🍃

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟓 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐕𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐞𝐭

1️⃣ There are a lot of dishes that are either naturally vegan or can easily be “Veganized” as I like to say. For example a simple pasta with marinara is traditionally vegan. Chili can be vegan if you leave out the meat. So look at the recipes you’re already used to eating that can still remain “go to” meals for you in a pinch. I found that I could make EVERYTHING that I loved as long as I tweaked a few things here and there. So now look at the dishes you make that you love and swap out what isn’t vegan. An example would be Stew like subbing mushrooms for the beef and vegetable broth for beef broth. Mushrooms are a great sub for meat if you want to stay away from processed vegan meats. Earth Balance and coconut oil make great vegan subs for butter when baking and cooking. You don’t have to flip your life entirely upside down to eat vegan.

2️⃣ Follow Vegan accounts on social media. Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook are loaded with great tips and info. It’s a great way to get inspired and to learn about brands you may be unfamiliar with.

3️⃣ Dairy alternatives are endless these days, however that can be overwhelming for some. I love using Planet Oat plain oatmilk when cooking. Especially when making mashed potatoes. For smoothies, cereal and drinking straight I prefer unsweetened almond milk, more specifically the Blue Diamond brand. I find the Silk brand has a funny aftertaste. As mentioned earlier I like to use Earth Balance brand for a vegan butter substitute. I don’t like a lot of cheese alternatives, but I think that’s mainly contributed to the fact that I don’t enjoy a lot of processed foods. I have found two brands that I do like. I like to use Good Planet when making sandwiches. When melting on a vegan burger I prefer CHAO by field roast company. For yogurt I like So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt. Kite Hill makes a delicious whipped cream cheese and Tofutti makes a great sour cream alternative. 

4️⃣ When subbing eggs it’s really dependent on what you’re making. To replace eggs in a breakfast scramble I use tofu. When baking I use bananas, peanut butter, chia seeds, flax meal or applesauce. 

5️⃣ If you’re going to be using meat alternatives here are my favorites. Pretty much anything that Gardein makes. My favorites being the crispy tenders, meatless balls and fishless filets. For burgers it’s 100% the beyond burger. Both brands made delicious and Non-GMO.

Those are my go-to tips when I’m asked on how to transition to a vegan diet. I hope you find them helpful! ✌🏻🌱

XO, Kathleen

Quick + Easy Veggie Stir Fry

Happy New Year! You guys voted in my Instagram Stories 

for more quick and healthier recipes this year so here is the 

first of many coming your way! May all your 

new dreams and goals be achieved this decade and 

may all your food be vegan! 

Veggie Stir Fry 

Ingredients:

1 Onion peeled and diced 

1 Garlic clove peeled and diced 

1 pint Baby Bella mushrooms cleaned and sliced
 1 bunch of asparagus snap off the tough ends and cut into large bite sized pieces 

1 8oz Jar Roasted Red Peppers 

1/4 - 1/2 cup frozen peas 

A few handfuls of Baby Spinach 

Olive Oil

Salt 

Pepper

Garlic Powder 

Brown Rice 

Directions:

In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat sauté the onions in a few tablespoons of Olive Oil. Once they are soft and translucent add in the garlic and the mushrooms. 

Allow the mushrooms to brown and the onions to caramelize. Turning down the heat slightly if necessary. Then season to your taste with some salt, pepper and I like to use garlic powder as well. *I do not season until the mushrooms are browned because salt will draw out the moisture and they wouldn’t brown which is where a lot of the flavor is.*

Add in the asparagus and place a lid over top. This will allow the asparagus to steam and it should cook quicker. Next drain and roughly chop your roasted red peppers and add them to the pan. 

Next wilt in some baby spinach and add the frozen peas. 

Once the peas and warmed through, taste and adjust your seasoning according to your taste buds. Then mix in 2-4 cups cooked brown rice. 

Enjoy! 

XO,

Kathleen