FromFrench, Mardi Gras directly translates to “Fat Tuesday.” And no, it doesn’t refer to eating as much as possible on that day (although that’s also definitely allowed). It actually refers to the Christian custom of eating all of the fats in the house before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. The latter refers to the 40 days in the run-up to Easter, during which many Christians choose to give up luxuries, including certain foods. Today, however, Mardi Gras has become more of a celebratory occasion, particularly in New Orleans.
Mardi Gras is a religious holiday but I really like the colors. Yellow, purple, green. I went to 4 stores today trying to find a single Mardi Gras thing but they were all sold out. Instead I got a yellow Bell Pepper, and spinach and Red cabbage. Using veggies to find my colors! I also have food coloring from Whole foods and I am going to make a king cake!
My goal this year is to make every single holiday VEGAN! And I plan on sharing all my recipes with you!
I am trying to do just that with my FREE Going Vegan guide. Let me bust the misconceptions about vegans and show you how easy it is for you to make more ethical decisions with your food!
People can be weird about vegans. There was definitely an attempt for them to be labeled as “crazy” or “extreme”. But veganism is about wanting to reduce and eliminate the harm and suffering of animals. That’s not crazy. When you treat people with dignity nd respect, everything is better.
People aren’t always going to be friendly or welcoming towards the word VEGAN.
It’s hard going vegan and dealing with people reactions .Remember dealing with people who don’t like vegans, that you are perfectly in your right to declare a need for an ethical meal. IF they don;t respect that basic fact are they really family. I often get caught up in the fear of judgment about being vegan. But remember that the morality you feel matters much more.
The best way to get people to trust in vegans is to provide access to yummy food. If people could see how tasty and easy it is to go vegan, I think we’d have a lot more vegans!
Bring new dishes and if you’re going to a group thanksgiving bring a side that won’t be competing with someones famous recipe. In my experience, if there are two dishes that are the same, but one is vegan and the other is not, you might as well decorate your serving bowl with caution tape. A lot of people won’t be going past it. I’ve heard that children have to be introduced to a food 13 times before they try it. Sometimes I don’t think adults are that far off. People tend to gravitate towards what is familiar. If you give them the option of what they have always had or something new, most people will pick the former. If you just say, hey, it’s gravy, and there aren’t any classifications, people are more likely to just try it and like it. Also, in my experience people seem less hesitant about trying store-bought items. Maybe they already trust Trader Joe’s? Or the local take-out place already seen as legitimate? For whatever reason, I’ve found that if I bring a prepared item still in its container or takeout packaging, people are more willing to try it.
Whatever brought you as far as this page, you’ve already taken the all-important first step on your vegan journey. Here are some tried and tested tips to help this exciting process go smoothly.
Every Friday I will be sharing HOW to be a better Vegan, and HOW to start your vegan journey!So many great reasons to go Vegan!
Making small changes to your everyday meals is one of the easiest ways to increase the amount of plant-based foods in your diet. You could start by removing meat or dairy one day a week and go from there. Or you could try changing one meal at a time, having vegan breakfasts during your first week, adding a vegan lunch during week two and so on. You could even try changing one product at a time by swapping cow’s milk for almond or soya milk or butter for coconut oil or margarine. There’s a plant-based alternative for almost every type of food you can think of, so you don’t have to miss out on any of your favourite foods.
Have you ever wanted to try a vegan diet? Have you ever wanted to learn more about nutrition? Have you been wondering how to eat a Whole Foods based diet?
How do I start going vegan?
Begin by adding more plant-based foods to your diet as you slowly cut out meat, dairy, and egg products. Trying a new plant-based recipe once or twice a week or dining out at your local vegan restaurant is an exciting way to introduce new foods into your diet without feeling like you’re missing out.
fitness-by-thea.teachable.com/p/how-to-go-vegan
Every Friday I am going to share Fun Vegan Recipes!
This is a week challenge to learn about your body and to eat more ethically. This program is not about weight loss ( although you might lose body fat). This is not “diet” in the sense of trying to eat less. This program is about eating more! And more nutritionally.
My name is Thea. I am Certified Vegan Nutritionist Health coach and I want to show you some yummy recipes, challenge you to get into a deeper connection with your body, and help coach you into a healthier life. I have been a Pilates instructor for over 7 year, been a personal trainer for 4 years. I have helped numerous clients with achieving their goals. I love PErsonal training, I love being a coach. But what I have found working solely one-on-one with clients is I can only help so many people. I want to help MORE people discover pain free movement, eat more nutrient dense foods and dispel myths fueled by toxic fitness industry. I want to help YOU achieve your goals. I don’t want to take a ton of your money and give you some cookie cutter program, I want to give you actual tools to be successful so you don’t have to spend unnecessary money later on.
Here is my Vegan Booty Workout!
If you want to make the commitment to yourself to eat more Whole Foods, take charge of you nutrition and get a toolbox of healthy recipes and tips for going and staying vegan.
Download my FREE Going Vegan PDF on my blog NOW! Link in bio!
I am trying to do just that with my FREE Going Vegan guide. Let me bust the misconceptions about vegans and show you how easy it is for you to make more ethical decisions with your food!
Download my FREE Vegan Thanksgiving PDF on my blog NOW! Link in bio!
I am trying to do just that with my FREE Vegan Thanksgiving guide. Let me bust the misconceptions about vegans and show you how easy it is for you to make more ethical decisions with your food!
People can be weird about vegans. There was definitely an attempt for them to be labeled as “crazy” or “extreme”. But veganism is about wanting to reduce and eliminate the harm and suffering of animals. That’s not crazy. When you treat people with dignity nd respect, everything is better.
People aren’t always going to be friendly or welcoming towards the word VEGAN.
It’s hard going vegan and dealing with people reactions .Remember dealing with people who don’t like vegans, that you are perfectly in your right to declare a need for an ethical meal. IF they don;t respect that basic fact are they really family. I often get caught up in the fear of judgment about being vegan. But remember that the morality you feel matters much more.
The best way to get people to trust in vegans is to provide access to yummy food. If people could see how tasty and easy it is to go vegan, I think we’d have a lot more vegans!
Check out this youtube workout!
Here are some holiday recipes!
Bring new dishes and if you’re going to a group thanksgiving bring a side that won’t be competing with someones famous recipe. In my experience, if there are two dishes that are the same, but one is vegan and the other is not, you might as well decorate your serving bowl with caution tape. A lot of people won’t be going past it. I’ve heard that children have to be introduced to a food 13 times before they try it. Sometimes I don’t think adults are that far off. People tend to gravitate towards what is familiar. If you give them the option of what they have always had or something new, most people will pick the former. If you just say, hey, it’s gravy, and there aren’t any classifications, people are more likely to just try it and like it. Also, in my experience people seem less hesitant about trying store-bought items. Maybe they already trust Trader Joe’s? Or the local take-out place already seen as legitimate? For whatever reason, I’ve found that if I bring a prepared item still in its container or takeout packaging, people are more willing to try it.
Remember you don’t have to eat everything on thanksgiving and focusing on enjoying the time with your loved ones is much more important that how much food is on your plate. Don’t feel pressured to eat meat for the sake of “tradition.”
Besides your obvious: Roasted green beans, mash potatoes, and bread. A super easy option is to bring hummus or dips and a plethora of veggies to dip! The more dips the better! There are almond butter”cheese” spreads and bean dips, as well as vegan ranch dressing. Bring veggies and vegan dips to a thanksgiving is great because everyone can enjoy them!
Sigh. Mashed potatoes. They’re as much a part of Thanksgiving dinner as pumpkin pie.
Tofurkey options
Grilled Tofu! Easiest option is grill a block of Tofu!
Buy a premade Tofurkey meat in the health section of the grocery store, like $12 at Smiths! Tofurky, the brilliant brand name that revolutionized Thanksgiving and mock meats forever, makes a lot more than a tofu turkey. Or their competitor Meatless brand. From the makers of Gardein brand plant-based meats comes this seasonal product, Plant-Based Turk’y Roast, a “boneless” breaded fake turkey roll stuffed with cranberry rice dressing.
Make your own Tofurkey! A homemade turkey alternative can be a fun and healthy addition to your meatless Thanksgiving table. In just a few steps you can have a stuffed tofu “turkey” breast to impress any guest. The tofu is blended until smooth, seasoned with herbs, and pressed and chilled. Then it is stuffed with your choice of vegan stuffing, formed into a log shape, and basted with a vinegar-Dijon-soy sauce mixture while it bakes, resulting in a beautiful golden color similar to roasted turkey skin.
Focus on the stuffing, a dinner of sides is still awesome and there’s going to be tons of proteins in the vegetables you are eating. The Veggies with the highest protein are Spinach, Asparagus, mustard greens, collard Greens, broccoli, peas!
Beans! Make a vegan chili!
Sauté the base veggies (onion, celery, peppers) and spices to create great flavor. Try adding corn and squash, maybe even pumpkin for a real fall theme)
Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and vegetable broth, then simmer until all the flavors combine. Try black beans, northern beans and pinto beans. Optional add a vegan “beef” crumble. Add green chili if you’re in New Mexico!
Top as desired ( Fritos, nutritional yeast, vegan cheese), then serve and enjoy!
Mash potatoes are super easy to prepare the night before. The wonderful thing about mashed potatoes is, they can be made ahead of time, then warmed in the oven when you’re ready.
Scalloped potatoes
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
Thinly slice the potatoes into ⅛-inch rounds. (food processor, by hand, precut) I like to keep the peels on for nutrition and time-saving reasons, but you’re welcome to peel them first.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Whisk in the flour and stir until the sauce thickens and becomes a roux, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Whisk the plant-based milk and vegetable broth into the roux. Stir in the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Layer half of the potatoes in the casserole dish, pour half of the sauce spreading evenly over the potatoes and allowing it to seep through the cracks. Layer the rest of the potatoes and spread the rest of the sauce over them evenly. Cover with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Uncover the casserole and bake for another 35 minutes
