Not Just Veggies & Beanz

I know I have mentioned her on the blog many times and she has even appeared in a few pictures but I am excited to formally introduce Veggies & Beanz's first guest blogger... my dear friend Tia!



Tia is a great friend and a former college athlete. Though she is not vegan herself, she is a great cook and has been experimenting lately with a more healthful lifestyle. I hope you enjoy a snippet from her day as much as I enjoy the time I spend with her : )

As I was talking with Sarina last week, during one of the many phone conversations we had in trying to plan for country fest, she asked if I would like to do a guest post on Veggies and Beanz. I was super excited, so here it goes…



Although I am not ready to fully dive into veganism, over the past few months I have become much more conscious of what I eat, largely due to Sarina. I am not going to say with 100% confidence that I would never go completely vegan, but for right now, being more conscious and trying to eat healthy is good enough for me!



So here is my day (not quite as exciting as many of Sarina’s)

For breakfast I had Stonyfield Organic Vanilla yogurt (to cut down on sugars, plain yogurt has significantly less sugar), BearNaked Fruit and Nut Granola, and mixed berries.

I planned on running after breakfast, but for the third day in a row now it was raining and I did not feel like running in the pouring rain. I had an idea…. I would try an OnDemand exercise video.




Well for some reason nothing I chose on OnDemand was working this morning... “At this time, this feature is not available, if the issue continues, please contact Comcast at….” - Yeah stupid Comcast. I am not a fan of them lately.




Being the problem solver that I am, I thought no worries I will make up my own little workout. I was thinking some lunges, abs, and squats along with whatever else I could think of for a short 20 minutes workout. Well my motivation quickly decreased... My workout consisted of lying on the floor watching HGTV occasionally doing a couple crunches when I remembered I was supposed to be in the middle of a workout.

My “strenuous workout” must have worked up my appetite, so I had a mid-morning snack consisting on a banana and peanut butter. I did not think to take a picture until I was half way through eating it and no matter how I took it, the picture turned out looking a little inappropriate, and so there is no picture to go along with my snack.

For lunch, I had a salad. It was just baby spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, and sliced almonds, topped with a touch of feta cheese. I am out of my favorite dressing though, Trader Joe’s Tuscan Italian with Balsamic Vinegar (picture also featured below), so I just used a regular Balsamic dressing instead.

My afternoon snack, to hold me over to dinner was carrots and hummus- my favorite healthy snack.

For dinner tonight I was craving vegetables, so I roasted up a couple of my favorite types together.

Tia's Favorite Veggies:

1 summer squash
1 red pepper
1 large cluster of asparagus
1 tablespoon vegetable broth
1 garlic clove
Squeeze of both lime and lemon juice
Pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions:

Cut up vegetables.

In pan heat up vegetable broth and garlic until garlic just before garlic turns golden brown.

Add vegetables, lime and lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Cook until vegetables are just starting to get soft, I do not like to cook my vegetables too long, soggy veggies are the worst I think.


To make the meal a little more filling I served with a small portion of brown rice.