For the Love of Kale

Well, Happy Saturday to you! How are ya? I’m a still bit under-the-weather but I’m trying not to let it get me down. Must prevail!

Before I dive into today’s post, I want to thank you so much for your comments on yesterday’s Project Vegan post. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you can feel and share my passion for the vegan lifestyle. You make my heart flutter!

Angela’s Send-Off

Last night, Matty and I met up with a bunch of our friends at a local bar for a goodbye celebration for Angela, one of my best and oldest friends. Angela and I have known each other since we were 13-years-old. We actually met at a singing competition! Now, she’s all grown up and got a killer job opportunity with Cache corporate in the heart of New York City. I’m so proud of her!

We ate some appetizers, talked and laughed the night away. It was so much fun. Matty played photographer (lucky man).

…please excuse the naked woman behind us.

Workout

After less than six hours of sleep, I was surprised to wake up craving a workout, nevertheless one that left me feeling so strong! I completed three circuits of this baby:

• 10 minutes of pedaling on the stationary bike at a steady pace
• The Tone It Up Lean Arms Pyramid: Revamped
• Since I worked my back muscles extra hard this week, I subbed the 40 second plank for 40 dumbbell punches and the 50 tummy tucks for 50 chest presses.
• Note: For the bicep curls and chest presses, I used 8 lb. dumbbells and for the dumbbell punches, I used 5 lb. dumbbells.

Holy burning arms! I was done with this workout in about 45 minutes and the time absolutely flew by. I’ve really grown to love circuit-style workouts and can’t imagine not doing them on a daily basis!

FYI: I worked out to the “Inna” station on Pandora and it is officially my new favorite.

Breakfast

The endorphins must have been flowing full-throttle this morning because I came up with a pretty genuis idea for breakfast: Vega Chocolate-Covered Protein Strawberries!

In light of this lovey-dovey season, many of us will pine for something sweet and, for many of us, that something sweet is the coveted chocolate-covered strawberry. Well, do I have something fantastic for you. This chocolaty dip took all of 5 minutes to prepare and contains 30 grams of protein to boot!

I don’t mean to toot my own horn but…TOOT! I literally thought I was eating dessert for breakfast. It was pretty incredible. You could substitute another chocolate protein powder but I’m partial to Vega’s. The rich, chocolaty flavor just can’t be beat!

Lunch

I studied right through lunch. By the time 1:00 p.m. rolled around, my stomach was ready for fuel! I decided to saute some tempeh and serve it over a colorful Asian slaw my mom made from a recipe she spotted in Vegetarian Times. For extra flavor, I garnished the tempeh with some fresh dill.

I loved the contrast of temperatures! The warm tempeh really complemented the cold and crispy slaw, and the dill added a nice punch of flavor to the dish. The ginger-lime dressing from the slaw definitely stole the show, though.

The Red Wine Myth: Debunked

We hear such mixed media messages in regards to red wine consumption. One day, we’re told it can fight heart disease and the next day, we’re told it will put us on our death bed. Are you ready for the real deal? I thought so. Well, I’m happy to oblige!

The Facts

Red wine contains resveratrol, a plant-derived compound found in grape skins. This compound has been shown to have cardiovascular and other health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, controlling inflammation and having anti-cancer properties. Grapes also contain powerful antioxidants, which help protect against disease and cancer.

(Source)

The Real Story

Red wine does contain reservatrol but its bio availability is very low, at 1.5 to 3 mg per liter. There is no RDA (recommended daily allowance) for resveratrol but it is estimated at 20 – 50 mg. So, in theory, one would have to consume multiple liters of red wine in one sitting in order to reap the benefits of reservatrol. Obviously, the negatives far outweigh the positives in this situation, as the RDA for alcohol is 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. In short? Red wine does not provide enough resveratrol for us to reap the benefits.

Food Sources of Resveratrol

Resveratrol is mainly found in seed-producing plants. This includes grapes, blueberries, cranberries, peanuts, organic (non-GMO) soy and even dark chocolate! Grapes, blueberries and peanuts take the cake and are the number one sources of resveratrol. If you opt for chocolate, make sure to choose a dark variety made from organic cocoa powder that has not been heavily processed, otherwise you won’t reap the benefits.

That’s it! I’m off to study the rest of the day away.

Stay lovely,
Heather

Question of the Day:  Are you a fan of red wine?

I love me some merlot or pinot noir. Red wine is my first drink of choice when I’m out for the night. I love the rich, earthy flavors!

This girl is très excited!

As you know, I prepare all of my meals straight out of my dorm room. That means I never step foot in the Dining Commons to eat a meal. When I first arrived on-campus, I ate at the Dining Commons fairly often. But one can only eat the same salad, whole wheat pasta and black bean burrito for so long. I reached out to Ralph Eddy, Director of Dining Services at FSU, and he assured me something was in the works.

Now, one-and-a-half years later, I am proud to say that day has arrived! Enter Project Vegan.

(Source)

Today, Framingham State University became one of 10 Massachusetts-based colleges to offer a full-on vegan station at their dining hall! The station is offered every day for all three meals and includes an entree, vegetable side dish, starch and dessert. The best part? It is offered for all three meals every single day! 

Here’s a peak at today’s lunch menu:

White Bean & Vegetable Soup

Pineapple-Glazed Tofu

Spicy Kale with Tomato & Onion

Chocolate Cake with Cashew Creme

Oh yeah, baby.

I acutally wasn’t that hungry but when there’s kale in front of this girl, she’s got to eat it! I fixed myself a plate of the pineapple-glazed tofu and kale.

This meal was insanely good. The kale possessed the perfect balance between soft and crunchy, and had a ton of flavor. The tofu had a spicy bite to it and just the right hint of sweetness from the pineapple. I was a happy camper and can’t wait to visit the dining commons more often!

I promptly called Matty and went on a rant about how excited I was. Bless his heart for listening to my rambles.

Ralph said he is not putting a sign up at the station, designating it the “Vegan Station” because he doesn’t want people to get turned off as a result of common stereotypes (i.e. boring, bland, weird etc.). He wants people to focus on incorporating more plant-based foods into their life naturally and avoid the labeling aspect of veganism. I found this to be a really interesting statement. While I certainly beleive it is important to tout veganism, I also think Ralph raised a good point in wanting to avoid the stereotype. Hopefully, this draws more students in!

Regardless, it is things like this that make it all worth it:

Thank you, Ralph, for all of your hard work and for listening to those of us pushing for more plant-based options in the dining commons. My heart is happy.

Stay lovely,
Heather

Question of the Day: Is there something you’re passionate about that you want to incorporate into your college/workplace/etc.? Lay it on me! 

Happy thirsty Thursday, lovelies!

Speaking of thirsty, make sure you’re drinking half your body weight in ounces of water today. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should be drinking about 70 ounces. Water is crucial for chemical reactions to occur in our bodies. It also helps to control our blood pressure and body temperature, and helps us shed toxins from our bodies! All good stuff! So, drink up.

I’ve been running around like a crazy person today and all of my meals have been on-the-go. Silly me forgot to bring my camera along, so I decided to make a little vlog for you instead. On Facebook and Twitter, I challenged you to have a conversation with two strangers. I’ve been feeling a little introverted lately…focusing on studying and myself a little too much…so, in an effort to get myself out of that rut, I thought it would be fun for us to do it together!

Stay lovely,
Heather

Question of the Day: Did you say hello to two strangers today? How did your conversations go?!