The Phat Avocado Pudding (New)

Oh, Avocado. 

Worried about fat? I hear ya. I recently revamped my avocado smoothie to make it a more sustainable choice in my daily diet. I stopped drinking my Avocado Pudding on a daily basis a little over a month ago. What is Avocado Pudding and Why I Eat It Everyday 

I was dying! I could not figure out why I was never satisfied at lunchtime anymore. Then I realized, it’s because I let go of this oh so delicious and nutritious treat. One full avocado a day might be too much so I decided I should just revamp my Avocado Pudding. An avocado is a fantastic option to include in your daily diet because it is full of fiber, vitamins, and good fats (but a lot of them)!

So here is The Phat (not the fat) version of Avocado Pudding. 🙂

• 1/2 of an avocado
• 1 full banana
• 5 ice cubes
• 1.5 cups of coconut milk
• 1tsp of honey or agave
• Blend!
• Get creative if you want and throw in a scoop of homemade protein powder (found here- Fri-Yay Breakfast Smoothie with Homemade Protein Powder) or Spirulina

Transitioning from Vegetarian to Vegan: Some Food ideas to get you started with links to everything you need

Mid-May I decided that I needed to start eating right for my body. I became aware of the things that upset my stomach, made me feel tired, and the things that I was literally addicted to eating. SUGAR!

So, I went to Costco and I bulked up on things I knew would not upset my stomach and would help me get off the sugar train. Not surprising, the list of things that left my stomach upset consisted of processed food, sodas, meat, and cheese. My stomach handles fresh, plant-based foods really well. At the time though, I was not ready to give up cheese. I loved fresh mozzarella and it wasn’t time to let it go. So I started with what I was ready for.

I have always been a huge animal advocate but at this time I wasn’t ready to face the grim reality that is the meat and dairy industry. I ignored it so that I could continue indulging in cheese and eggs…… However, I found that making a slow transition from vegetarian to vegan was really great for me. It eliminated pressure and the resentments people have with their diet. I wanted to start eating differently.

Now, I am vegan and I find myself saying to people “I can’t eat that” a lot. In truth, what I mean is “I don’t want to eat that.” It’s easy to live a healthy lifestyle and stick to the diet you are on when you want to be on it. If you are considering a transition to vegan I recommend checking out Michael Greger’s new book, listening to a few podcasts, and watching some documentaries on Netflix. Then make your own decision. This is not me advocating for you to make my choice, rather it is me advocating for you to educate yourself to make the decision that is right for you.

Below is the vegetarian diet I stuck to from May to July:

Breakfast – my breakfast smoothie every day:  My Breakfast Smoothie  

Coffee or Tea in the morning – for tea I did: Link to Tea

I also did a 14-day Tea Tox in July that I am subscribed to do every three months: Link to Tea tox

Lunch – a bowl of cherry tomatoes, 8-10 balls of fresh mozzarella, 1 hard-boiled egg, ¼ of a cucumber, salt, pepper, raspberry blush balsamic (a little goes a long way): Link to this

Snack – a small bowl of pretzels and at 3 PM Avocado Pudding: What is Avocado Pudding and Why I Eat It Everyday

Drink – 8-10 cups of water a day.

Dinner –I hate dinner plain and simple. It’s always so hard to decide what to eat so I tried to have a weekly routine.

• On Mondays – Caesar Salad with a baked potato 
• Tuesdays – Roasted vegetables (zucchini, squash, carrots, bell peppers) over quinoa with a dollop of plain greek yogurt, goat cheese, salt, pepper, oregano, etc.
• Wednesday – Pizza (just so you know I now make homemade vegan pizza and it is amazing)
• Thursday – Pasta with vegetables 
• The weekend varies but I always stuck with something that was vegetarian 

 

I will post a snapshot into my vegan diet in a couple of weeks. Bottom line, I felt great when I transitioned to this vegetarian diet and I lost ten pounds. I still feel great on a vegan diet and I have maintained my weight. Most importantly, I feel true to myself and my beliefs as a result of adopting this vegan plant-based diet.

Choose what works for you and what makes you happy and you will see a huge change in your body and yourself.

 

 

Shanti

 

 

 

 

 

What is Avocado Pudding and Why I Eat It Everyday

Kourtney Kardashian’s Avocado Pudding recipe is AH MAZING. I have added a few little tweaks to my version but it is nearly the same.

I eat avocado pudding every day around 3 or 3:30 when I get that late afternoon hunger. It is a great and healthy alternative to grabbing a bag of chips, crackers, or even a protein bar (cough cough a snickers bar really). It is super filling and the perfect balance of sweet, creamy, and healthy fat.

Avocado Pudding – My version is more like a smoothie because I prefer to drink it and I prefer that to have it very cold

1 full avocado -half it, pull out the center pit, and peel it 

1 cup of organic coconut milk (you can use almond milk if you prefer but I recommend using coconut milk to make it creamy – the coconut taste is not powerful at all) 

1 tbsp of honey (or agave) 

Optional – 1 tbsp of MCT oil/Brain Octane Oil (Disclaimer: this can upset your stomach for a little bit when you are getting used to it- it went away after like two weeks for me) 

10-12 ice cubes 

BLEND and Voila! It’s just like a green milkshake

*** On days that I do not have my breakfast smoothie I add spirulina and collagen protein to mine – it does not change the taste at all 

My Breakfast Smoothie

I start almost every morning with a breakfast smoothie. I pack it full of greens, fruits, and natural supplements. Below is the recipe I use! Just to note, for the first 3 weeks I did my smoothie I added no fruits to it at all because I wanted to stay really low on sugar. You can try this if you want, but you don’t have to.

TIP: I like to buy all of my ingredients fresh and then I freeze them myself. I don’t buy prepackaged frozen fruits and veggies but I like for my smoothies to be ice cold so I do freeze them once I get home.

2 heaping handfuls of Organic Spinach/Mixed Greens 

1/2 of a banana 

1 small handful of frozen mango cubes 

1 small handful of blueberries (sometimes I will add a few raspberries or blackberries if I have them on hand) 

1 scoop of Bulletproof Collagen Protein  link here

1 scoop of Organic or Paleo Protein link to organic protein

1 scoop of Green Superfood (watch for which one you choose as they come in flavors and varieties) link here

1 Tbsp of Sun Potion Tocos (great for skin and digestion) link here

1 tsp of Ashwagandha Powder (great for stress and anxiety) link here 

1 scoop of Spirulina Powder (G.O.A.T) link here

1 cup of Almond Milk (I like the unsweetened original flavor – you can also sub this for organic coconut milk which is a little thicker and creamier) 

Other ingredients I throw in from time to time – turmeric, cayenne pepper, and bee pollen

I use the Ninja Blender for my smoothies. I got a great deal on it at Costco for only $69.99 and Amazon often runs deals on blenders. The Ninja is my go to blender because I like my smoothie to be finely grated.

TIP: I like to drink my smoothies out of mason jars and stainless steel straws! Not just because it is so pretty but because the BPA in plastics can be really harmful to your body. Also, plastic is an obvious threat to our environment when it is not disposed of properly, recycle if you are using a lot of plastic! Also, the mason jar is super convenient to pack all of your ingredients into ahead of time. It makes the smoothie process quick and easy for those mornings you are in a rush. You can find mason jars at Walmart and target for cheap (I have the big and the small ones). You can find stainless steel straws for cheap on smile.amazon.com

 

** MORE RECIPES TO COME – my favorite snack smoothie, my all time favorite dinner recipe, my daily lunch, alternate breakfast ideas. I will provide the time schedule for when I eat these too!