Recently, I had the pleasure of trying the beyond burger. I know I’m late but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Both meat eaters and non-meat eaters alike can agree that a great veggie burger is not easy to come by. On a personal level, I mostly struggle with texture. Most veggie burgers, to me, are too soft or mushy in texture. I know that for some people this is not an issue; they choose a veggie burger and texture difference is just one of those things. For me, however, I need variation from the already soft bread, perhaps the soft avocado and all the other plant based toppings. The beyond burger really did it for me for the following reasons.

 The Ease 

It was pretty easy to make and it was quick! I didn’t need any additional oil. I just threw it in the pan. It only took 3 minutes on each side and dinner was served. I’m super busy so dinner in under ten minutes is a win in my book.

The Realness 

It looked real both before it was cook and after. For some this might be weird or off putting but I like it. It’s even pink in the middle when it’s cooked. This means I can still bring my own burgers for the grilled during family BBQs without getting the first degree about where I get my protein.

The Macros

Speaking of protein, the macros are pretty good. It has 20 grams, not too shabby considering there is no soy . It’s pretty low in carbs (6 grams) for those who care. But beware, it does have about 22 grams of fat. Basically, the macros are close to that of a regular burger of the same size.

The Texture

Don’t get me wrong it’s not an exact replica of beef but it comes pretty darn close. It’s only a little softer in texture compared to real meat. The texture that the burger gets when cooking in its own oil is very similar to the burgers I used to eat before I went plant based. I like it a little crispy, what can I say.

The Taste  

It tastes pretty darn good. To be sure, I didn’t add any extra seasoning to the burger which is so unlike me. I could eat it as is and that’s saying a lot. What says even more is that I had a few meat eaters try it and they liked it! Some even came back for seconds.

This burger for me is a game changer. I’m looking forward to throwing some of these on the grill this summer. I hope you try it, if you haven’t already!

Happy eating! 

This has all the goodness of a green smoothie but in a bowl. This is a great way to get your fruits and veggies in but somehow is more satisfying than a traditional green smoothie… must be the toppings! I hope you enjoy!

The Main Ingredients

• 2 ripe frozen bananas
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 1 cup frozen mangoes
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 4 scoops of It Works! Greens

The Toppings

Like with all recipes that include toppings, these are completely interchangeable based off of what you like or what you have on hand. For this recipe and most of my others, I usually add about a tablespoon of each topping as I usually add quite a few for variety.

The toppings I included mostly focused on protein and healthy fats (pretty typical for me) so I included a good amount of nuts and seeds as follows:

• almond slices
• chia seeds
• pumpkin seeds
• hemp seeds
• shredded coconut

I also needed a little added sweetness

• fresh strawberries slices
• fresh pineapple slices

The How-To

You guys can probably guess this but put all the main ingredients in your high powered blender (the NutriBullet is what i use). You’ll only want to start out with 1 cup of orange juice. You’ll want the final result to be thick; if it is to thick to blend add additional water until you get the consistency you like. You can use anything other nut milk or even water as a liquid if that is your prefence.

Once everything is blended, add it to a bowl and try to make the surface smooth with a spoon. Now design your masterpiece by topping your smoothie with your choice of nuts, seeds, granola, fresh fruit, etc. Make it pretty so it’ll taste better.

Next, snap a Instagram pic if your “extra” like me and hashtag it #chloevrecipes (This is not a thing yet so help a sista out and use the hashtag thing so that this non-thing can become a thing. It’ll be fun.)

NOTE: This is meant to serve two people. It is roughly 509 calories each serving if you use the same toppings and liquid.  The approximate macros are below for those who care. If you are looking for more protein, feel free to add your favorite protein powder to the blender when blending your main ingredients. ItWorks has a great plant-based protein powder that you can order here.

• Fats: 15 grams
• Carbs: 86 grams
• Protein: 13 grams

Here’s to healthy breakfast! 

It’s Monday and I’m sure that I’m not the only one who was not ready! But alas, it is here and though I feel somewhat caught off guard, I plan on starting my day off right with a nice hearty bowl of cream of wheat. I know it feels like a flash back to when you were 5 years old but don’t sleep on the simplicity. I think our parents knew what they were doing.

This recipe is short, sweet and packed with plant protein!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Plant Protein milk (I like Silk Protein Nutmilk. It only has 2 grams of sugar but 10 grams of protein per cup!)
• 1/3 cup of dry cream of wheat (The brand is not that important. Usually one serving is roughly 5 grams of protein)
• 1 tablespoon Agave per bowl (I used Madhava Organic Maple Cinnamon Agave Pancake Syrup because I was out of maple syrup but you can use whatever sweetener you prefer)
• Optional
  • Additional water if your like a thinner consistency.
  • 1 Tbsp Vegan butter (I know there is this stigma with the fats and whatnot but my mom used it and I like it. Just leave it out if you don’t like it.)
  • Toppings: Fruit, nuts, seeds etc.

See simple ingredients. Serves two by the way.

Put the milk in a pan and bring to a boil. I like to start at a low heat and then increase it to a boil. I don’t know why or if it’s logical, I just do it because it make sense in my mind. Do want you want.

Once the milk is boiling, add the cream of wheat slowly while whisking. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 2 1/2 minutes until thickened. Confirm this on your box instructions just in case; these were the instructions one mine.

Cut the heat after it’s done and let rest for a minute or so. Add butter or don’t add butter and split portions into to bowls.

Here you can sweeten and top your bowl however you like from this point. Fruits can be used to sweeten for a healthier option. I sweetened with agave and still added plum slices but again, do want you want. The bowl as is has 15 grams of protein but if you want/need more add nuts or seeds for an extra serving!

Macros for those who care (without butter or additional toppings) – Calories: 380 Fat: 8.5 grams Carbs: 61 grams Protein: 15 grams

Happy Monday!

I don’t know many people who don’t enjoy a good smoothie bowl. It’s a fairly new trend in the sense that my smoothie bowls are the first many of my friends and family have ever had. They make great breakfast alternatives for those trying to break away from the traditional oatmeal or yogurt parfait. They are also a cool and refreshing start for those hot summer mornings to come. This is the first recipe in a series of smoothie bowl recipes I will be sharing with you beautiful people. I hope you enjoy!

The Main Ingredients

• 1 packet frozen acai puree
• 1 cup frozen mangoes
• 2 cups frozen strawberries
• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1 to 2 cups of water or plant based milk
• 4 scoops of It Works! Greens

The Toppings

Like with all recipes that include toppings, these are completely interchangeable based off of what you like or what you have on hand. For each of the recipes I share, I will give suggested toppings but you can add whatever suites your fancy. I usually add about a tablespoon of each topping as I usually add quite a few for variety.

The toppings I included mostly focused on protein and healthy fats (pretty typical for me) so I included a good amount of nuts and seeds as follows:

• almond slices
• chia seeds
• pumpkin seeds
• hemp seeds
• shredded coconut

I also needed a little added sweetness

• fresh strawberries
• vegan chocolate chips
• Love Crunch Granola – Dark Chocolate Macaroon (I’m currently madly in love with this granola. P.S. I know it already has chocolate chunks but a girl can treat herself, right?)

The How-To

You guys can probably guess this but put all the main ingredients in your high powered blender (I have a NutriBullet and it works pretty darn good). You’ll only want to start out with 1 cup of water or plant milk as you want the final result to be pretty thick; I used water. You can add a little more as needed if you blender is struggling to get all that good stuff blended together.

Once everything is blended, add it to a bowl and try to make the surface smooth with a spoon. Now proceed to the fun part: decorate your smoothie with all the toppings. This is important as pretty food taste the best!

Next, snap a Instagram pic if your extra like me and hashtag it #chloevrecipes (This is not a thing yet so help a sista out and use the hashtag thing so that this non-thing can become a thing. It’ll be fun.)

NOTE: This is meant to serve two people. It is roughly 560 calories each serving if you use the same toppings and use water as your liquid like I did. The approximate macros are below for those who care.

• Fats: 26 grams
• Carbs: 70 grams
• Protein: 18 grams

Wishing you a delicious breakfast,