Nice Cream!

Have you ever heard of nice cream?! It is like ice cream, but is dairy-free, healthy and doesn’t contain the additives (or suffering!) that dairy does.

Over the hot summer in San Diego, I can easily eat nice cream daily and have been known to consume it for breakfast (what, dessert for breakfast???).

One of the beauties of nice cream is that you can flavor it with anything but the base of any nice cream is frozen bananas. It is also beneficial to have a high speed blender.

Peel 3-5 ripe bananas and freeze them overnight (use more bananas for a larger serving).

Place the frozen bananas in the blender. You can add a drop of plant based milk/water to make it easier on the blender or leave as is.

Add any flavors that you would like. My favorites are cacao powder, peanut butter powder, or chocolate protein powder. You could also add strawberries, dates, vanilla extract, peppermint essential oil, or spirulina (of course, not all together).

Blend everything together until smooth and add toppings of your choice (granola, berries, cacao nibs, dairy-free chocolate chips, shredded coconut, etc).

It is truly that easy….and delicious!

Give it a try and be sure to let me know what flavors are your favorite.

Enjoy your summer, stay cool and eat nice cream!

The Importance of Finding Your "Why"

I love, love, love when someone goes vegan! Although, being vegan is truly about the animals, it doesn’t matter to me how someone gets there, as long as they get there. It can be for the animals, for a health reason or for the planet. However, I find that when someone goes vegan because it’s a FAD or the cool thing to do, they don’t often stick with it. This is why I think it is crucial to have a strong “why.”

It is important to have a strong “why” or motivation for going vegan. Once you have that reason, post it everywhere: on your phone, in a journal, on your computer, on your bathroom mirror, on your fridge. And be really specific and clear on what that reason is (is it the beautiful, black and white cow who was saved from the dairy industry or is it because your blood pressure is through the roof?). Having this reason will help you continue your vegan journey when things get tough or when you want to reach for something that isn’t vegan.

I find that the people who have a clear why stick with being vegan for a lifetime instead of it just being a short term “diet.”

Do you need help finding your “why”? I highly recommend visiting a local, animal sanctuary or watching one of the following documentaries:

• Earthlings (ethics)

• Dominion (ethics)

• Cowspiracy (environment)

• What the Health (health)

• Forks Over Knives (health)

• Game Changers (all)

• Seaspiracy (environment)

I would love to hear what your “why” is. Please share in the comments below. <3

How to Get Enough Iron on a Vegan Diet

When I tell someone that I am vegan, the first question is, “Where do you get your protein?” This is often followed by, “What do you eat?” And next is, “How do you get enough iron?”

Contrary to popular belief, getting enough iron on a vegan diet can be quite simple (and plant iron is less inflammatory than heme iron that comes from eating animals!).

Here are some easy tips for getting enough

(and absorbing) iron on a vegan diet:

1. Be sure to eat a diet rich in whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and veggies.

2. Combine the foods from tip 1 with foods high in vitamin C. For example, squeeze some lemon juice on your broccoli or orange juice on your spinach.

3. Limit your caffeine intake: only drink it an hour before meals or two hours after.

I hope that these tips are helpful! Which tip will you apply first?