A few of my favorite things....

Recently, two of my absolute favorite things to eat have been smoothies and vegan burger patties.

Now that it's warm outside, we've been making smoothies every morning for breakfast.  It's a great way to eat dark, leafy greens.  Here's the blueprint we use each morning:

GREEN SMOOTHIE BLUEPRINT:
1 frozen banana, or equivalent amount of mango or pineapple
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh or frozen berries
almond milk, water, or fresh squeezed orange juice (I just eyeball it to see how much I need)
2 to 4 large leaves of some type of green (I have been rotating between kale, collards, and spinach, usually 2 to 3 large leaves)
rice or hemp protein powder (whatever serving size is listen on the package)
1 to 2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds 

The trick is to make sure you have a good ratio of carbs, protein, and healthy fats.  This will sustain you for awhile (which is great if you don't have time for a mid-morning snack!)

Want to know more about chia seeds?  read this article from one of the blogs I follow, Lexie's Kitchen.  I've recently discovered the health benefits of good, healthy fats such as nuts and seeds, nut and seed butters, avocados, chia, etc....tasty AND healthful!!!

As for vegan burgers/patties, we've tried a few different onces recently, including this black bean burger recipe from Daily Garnish, and this recipe for sweet potato quinoa patties from the blog gluten free hope. My favorite one so far is This one for Walnut-Almond (or sunflower seed-pumpkin seed) vegan burgers from the Small Bites blog:

Vegan Walnut-Almond (or Sunflower seed - Pumpkin seed) burgers:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw almonds (use pumpkin seeds for nut-free version)
1/2 cup raw walnuts (use sunflower seeds for nut-free version)
2 Tablespoons hemp seeds OR ground flax OR sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of dried basil
3 Tablespoons water

Process all ingredients in food processor (I don't have a food processor, so I've been using my blender...it's a little bit more difficult, but it works!) until you achieve a “dough-like” texture. Form “burger dough” into four individual patties and cook to your liking - either pan-fry for a few minutes on each side or bake on a lighty oiled baking sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 7  minutes on each side.  I usually bake them. I've tried them both ways, using nuts and using seeds.  Both are delicious!! 

yumm....maybe I'll make these tonight......  :-)

ENJOY!!

*Ashley*