dessert | Triumph Wellness

Vegan Peanut Butter Puffed Rice Bars

May 8, 2012 by Emily Segal 8 Comments

Always on the lookout for healthier sweets and snacks for my kids, I was delighted by the look of these peanut butter pretzel cereal bars on Chocolate Covered Katie HERE. I made my usual modifications and came up with this great kid- (and adult-) pleasing treat!

Vegan Peanut Butter Puffed Rice Bars

Ingredients

2 cups puffed brown rice
1 cup oats
3 Tbsp peanut butter
3 Tbsp tahina (golmit) -You can use all peanut butter or even almond butter if you prefer
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 tsp sea salt, depending on whether your peanut butter has salt or not
1/3 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup
1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Instructions

Line a 9"square baking pan with parchment paper.
Lightly spritz the paper with oil spray and set aside.
Process the oats in a food processor until it becomes oat flour.
Pour oat flour into a bowl and add puffed brown rice.
In a saucepan, over medium heat, warm peanut butter, tahina, vanilla, salt, and syrup.
Stir until well-combined.
Pour wet ingredients into dry and combine until well mixed.
Press mixture firmly into the prepared pan.
You can top with chocolate chips or melt the chips first in the microwave as I did, and then spread or drizzle over the bars.
Stick the pan in the fridge to cool and harden before cutting into bars.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://triumphwellness.com/vegan-peanut-butter-puffed-rice-bars/

Recipe and Photos Â© Emily Segal www.TriumphWellness.com

This post is participating in Wellness Weekend at DietDessertnDogs.com and Healthy Vegan Fridays HERE. Please visit to see all the great recipes.

Pin It

Filed Under: cookies, dessert, Recipes, vegan Tagged With: Getting Kids to Eat Healthy, Picky Eaters, Vegan Recipes

Healthy Sugar-free Cookies

March 20, 2012 by Emily Segal 89 Comments

During much of my life, I have been so addicted to cookies that there was a time when even seeing the word written out could trigger a binge! My friends had to write “ookies” or “seikooc”. Some of you reading today were actually there back then and can testify to this crazy truth! Can I get an Amen?

Happily I got off of cookies and moved on with my life.

But every now and then I wander back into the cookie field to test that electric fence. Is this thing still on?

zzzzzzaaaaaapppppppp!

“Yes, it is” I reply regretfully from the bottom of a sugar bowl into which I have once again tumbled.

Maybe one day I will be able to practice moderation with cookies, but if not, I am OK with staying away from them completely. It is more peaceful for me without the struggle.

Having a delicious substitute is also crucially important. I have posted these recipes before and anyone who has ever worked me with or bought any of my ebooks, has already experienced these wonders. But recently a long time friend from my seikooc’s day, confessed that although she had had these recipes forever, she had never tried them. When she did, she couldn’t believe she had waited so long.

Raw Brownies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups walnuts
pinch sea salt
13-14 large Medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract (you could also use mint extract or cherry extract, or orange...)

Instructions

Place walnuts and salt in a food processor.
Process until finely ground.
Add remaining ingredients and process until all mixed and uniformly crumbly.
With the machine running, add a few drops of water at a time, just until the mass starts to stick together in a big ball. (Better to add too little that too much!)
Roll mixture into balls or press into a square pan and cut into squares.
Balls can then be rolled in dried coconut, chopped nuts, or cocoa powder if you wish.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://triumphwellness.com/healthy-sugar-free-cookies/

Recipe and Photos Â© Emily Segal www.TriumphWellness.com

Raw Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats
dash sea salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates
2 Tbsp peanut butter (OK to leave out to make nut-free)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Put oats and salt in food processor.
Process until finely ground.
Add remaining ingredients and process until fully combined.
Add a few drops of water if needed to form balls.
Form into balls or press into a square pan and cut into squares.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://triumphwellness.com/healthy-sugar-free-cookies/

Recipe and Photos Â© Emily Segal www.TriumphWellness.com

Some may ask what is the difference between eating these and eating a real cookie. Calorically, there is no difference. Same amount of calories. My raw cookies have a bit more nutrition, fiber, protein and healthy fats. The fiber slows down the entry of sugar into your bloodstream.

But the big difference is that they do not cause binging the way real cookies do. I don’t know why, but I have never met anyone who binges on these after the first week of making them. (The first few times there is sometimes an excitement binge, but then it goes away).

I can, and do, keep these cookies in my fridge at all times. My kids eat them. Their friends eat them. I serve them to company. No one knows they are “healthy” or sugar-free. And my mind is peaceful with just eating one.

Maybe it is the lack of refined sugar, flour and fat? Maybe it is something else? Not sure, but they work.

Amen.

This post is participating in Wellness Weekend at DietDessertNDogs.com and Healthy Vegan Fridays #4 HERE.

Pin It

Filed Under: cookies, dessert, health coach, Recipes Tagged With: Dieting vs Lifestyle, Getting Kids to Eat Healthy, Sugar Addiction, Vegan Recipes

Vegan Party Food

January 8, 2012 by Emily Segal 6 Comments

I am a member of a wonderful book club. We don’t always read the assigned books, but we sure have a great time at our monthly meetings! It was my privilege to host this month and instead of the sit down dinner we usually do, we had decided this would be movie night and finger food. Well, in true fashion, we never got the watching the movie, but we did enjoy some vegan hors d’oeuvres! (Am I the only geek who sees that word and mentally says “hoars dee or vee oars” ?)

I also want to add, that these women accept me even though I eat weird food. They love me even though I am drunk and ridiculous after just one glass of wine, and turn into a messy pumpkin at midnight. They patiently listen to me talk about endorphins and butt cheek chafing and even tell me I am “inspiring”! Inspired to run the other way maybe, but no, these kind-hearted, amazing females laugh at my jokes, eat my vegan food and say YUM.

Something else important I wanted to share: Back when I first joined this group, a bunch of the women were doing my 30-Day Detox. They have told me that this was a turning point from unhealthy book club fare to more healthy homemade stuff. The thing is, I hear from a lot of my women clients that book club night is always full of sweets and diet-breaking treats. Some clients who are struggling to overcome obesity or food addictions (sugar, chips etc) even come to dread book club meetings because they are so fraught with stress for them. I can honestly say that if this book club had been all about sinful caloric splurge night, I probably would also not have continued coming to meetings despite how much I love these women. It’s just too hard for me with that kind of food around late at night. But now we eat delicious healthy foods and enjoy each other’s company.

So if you are like one of the people I mentioned, whose book club has become a mine field of junk food, I urge you to speak up. Other club members probably feel the same way and meetings can be just as wonderful with a shift in the kind of food provided. Or have me come and teach a healthy cooking class to your book club!

My menu was:

Popcorn (for the movie we didn’t watch)

My Nut Cheese, this time made with almonds instead of cashews. Sooooo yummy! (with a fresh baguette)

Chips and Guacamole

Olives, Crudite and Spelt Crackers

Tofu Mini Quiches (see recipe below)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from the PPK, amazing recipe HERE.

Dark and White Chocolate Pomegranate Clusters from this recipe HERE (I just did the bottom layer in dark chocolate and then the top layer parve white chocolate). By the way, this recipe I found on pinterest! Score!

Mini Tofu Quiche Cups

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 15 mini quiches

Serving Size: 1

Calories per serving: 60

Fat per serving: 4.8g

Mini Tofu Quiche Cups

The original recipe is from www.fatfreevegan.com. Mine is slightly larger that the original recipes and makes 12 muffin cups plus about 3 additional ramekins. This is due to the way tofu comes packaged here - I wanted to not have leftover tofu. If you just want 12, use the original recipe. You can use whatever vegetables you prefer.

Ingredients

olive oil spray
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cups minced fresh broccoli florets
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (or one green onion)
2-3 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed)
black pepper to taste
600 grams firm tofu (that is 2 packages in Israel)
1/2 cup plain soymilk
2-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (may sub another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch)
1tablespoon tahini (preferred) or cashew butter
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray.
Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with olive oil and sauté the veggies over medium heat until the mushrooms just begin to exude their juices. Stir in the chives, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper, and remove from the heat and set aside.
Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth and silky.
Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine.
Spoon equally into the 12 muffin cups about 3/4 full, plus the 3 greased ramekins.
Put the muffin pan into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 160C. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle of a quiche comes out clean–about 25-35 minutes Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

There are 8g of protein and 2g of fiber in each quiche cup.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://triumphwellness.com/vegan-party-food/

Recipe and Photos Â© Emily Segal www.TriumphWellness.com

This recipe is participating in Wellness Weekend at Diet, Dessert and Dogs, HERE. and Bookmarked Recipes and My Legume Love Affair (two links for that one!).

Filed Under: cookies, dessert, Events, Pinterest, Recipes, vegan Tagged With: Holidays, Pinterest, Vegan Recipes

Tasty Now, But How About Tomorrow?

December 14, 2011 by Emily Segal 2 Comments

When strangers start asking you how the training is going and why there haven’t been any updates, you know it’s been too long since you’ve seen the inside of your website.

Training is going WELL dear readers! I officially have Thighs of Steel.

Yeah, just like those except bigger and steelier.

The big advancement this week has been the move from 3 running days a week to 4. That means one day is back-to-back running, which was scary, but seems to be just fine. Four shorter runs that focus on either speed, hills, or form, and one long run that just focuses on the distance.

Three days a week I’m also at the gym working upper body and abs so that the rest of my body doesn’t completely atrophy as I build up the legs of an Olympian. That would look weird, right?

As for my Nutrition Plan, well when you burn over 1000 calories in a workout, there is a VERY STRONG desire to eat lots and lots of food afterwards. I could easily throw back 2500 calories post-long run and end up actually gaining weight. Huge bummer but not uncommon and I wrote about this danger HERE.

So, I am being as careful as I can to log everything I eat over at sparkpeople.com and to stay in line with my actual calorie requirements, as well as macro and micro-nutrients. I keep telling myself ”Whatever you eat extra, you’ll have to carry with you for 42.2K.” That tends to dampen my desire for over-eating. But sometimes I still goof up and I’ve got the story to prove it:

One day, perhaps I was pms-y, but I really wanted to eat a lot of chocolate. I bought myself a 100g Vered HaGalil Dark Chocolate bar and portioned it out for myself over the course of a day. Sounds reasonable, right? I thought so at the time, even though I could read as plain as day on the label that my little treat contained 500 calories. I burned at least that much in my workout so I “deserved” this and could “absorb” it.

Well, next day I went out for a run and had a horrible time of it. Total Bonk-City. And for the Brits who think bonking means I had whoopie while running, in Yank English, a Bonk equals terrible joint pain, legs slow and lead-filled, racing heart, gasping for breath. I mean, seriously unpleasant. Not at all like British Bonking. Or maybe… nah, I’m not going there.

Anyway…

I reviewed my previous day: Sleep? great; Rest? plenty; Back-to-back workout? no; Mental state? fine; Nutrition? all fine except for that big old Bar o’ Bliss! I started thinking “I really enjoyed that chocolate bar, but seriously, I used 500 calories on pure junk, nothing at all that my body could use and probably quite a bit that caused it harm. I wonder how this run would have felt if I had eaten 500 calories of something healthy like protein, complex carbs, veggies, greens, sprouts…?”

At that moment I promised myself that if I feel the need to eat 500 calories, then I will, but I’m not going to waste it on crap when it can mean the difference between a great run and awful pain and suffering.

I don’t know how many of you can see it, but that is a pretty huge mental leap forward. When you start looking at the long-term effects of your food BEFORE you put it in your mouth, you are well on the road to a healthier body and life.

Back when I first began my weight loss journey, I remember making that mental shift from “ooo, this is so good and so tasty and I just LOVE eating it!” to “Hm, so this is going to taste great for like 20 minutes, but then there is going to be too much sugar in my blood, which is going to start damaging my organs for Pete’s sake, not to mention giving me a tummy ache and heartburn and that sinking sense of disappointment in myself for throwing my plans and goals away yet again…” Whoa, Bummer Train!

I am not saying that food should not equal pleasure! Eating is delightfully pleasurable and I’ve got a recipe index on this website to prove it. But you must look beyond the immediate pleasure and evaluate what you put in your mouth for more than just it’s immediate return.

There’s definitely a time for chocolate. You just have to be prepared to carry it’s bags.

Filed Under: coaching exercises, dessert, Exercise, Goals, Growth, health coach, Inspiration, Running, Tel Aviv Marathon, Triumph Race Club, weight loss Tagged With: Achievement, Dieting vs Lifestyle, Exercise, Goals, Overweight, Team Triumph Race Club, Tel Aviv Marathon, weight loss

Today I baked a cake

October 18, 2011 by Emily Segal 3 Comments

Due to the historic events of the day, there was no way I could write about Vegan MoFo, recipes, my back pain, marathon training, or weight loss.

Today Gilad Shalit came home. Five years ago he was kidnapped and has been held by Hamas in unknown conditions without even a peek allowed to the Red Cross. Today he is back in the arms of his family and his country. The emotion we all feel is beyond words. Yes, the deal the Israeli government had to make to win his freedom is horrible and truly disgusting. Yes, the world continues to condem my country in ways that shock me in their ignorance and unfairness.

But today, we bring our son home alive and seemingly OK. And today, that is all that matters.

The first photos we saw of Gilad stepping out of a car in Egypt were met with our collective gasp, every female in my twitter stream whispered “oh my goodness! he is so thin!” We felt it like a knife in our hearts. And sure enough, a great deal of attention on the non-stop news footage has been given to re-feeding him. We are all thinking “soon he will be at home and his mother will feed him again.”

In my work, I treat people who are not well because, in most cases, they have too much food, too many choices, too much confusion, too many calories, too much dietary fat. We live in a remarkable time in history where we actually have more than enough food to eat. It turns out that we get just as sick from too much as we do from too little. Who would have thought the balance would be so delicate?

As mothers, most of us today, are in the very lucky position of being able to fill our children’s bellies each day. We can choose to fill them with junk food, sugar and processed food. We can choose to fill them with healthy whole foods. Or we can choose a path somewhere in the middle. Yet we tend to take this abundance for granted. We grumble through that endless “whatever will I make for dinner tonight” night after night, without pausing to think how lucky we are to have such a dilemma.

For 5 years, Aviva Shalit did not have this privilege. The mothers of the other 2 soldiers in Gilad’s tank that day will never have the chance to feed their children again. Nor will the mothers of the terror victims, whose murderers were set free today. Mothers of sick children and anorexics, mothers living in poverty or in places that lack our abundance, mothers who have not been able to conceive or carry a child to term, all probably dream of what it would be like to have what we have, to put spoon to mouth, to pile food on a table. We are truly blessed.

As you face your kitchen tonight, I’d like to suggest that you stop for a moment and remember your bounty, your luck, and your privilege. I know I will. In fact, I made this:

I have never been prouder of my decision to immigrate to Israel than I was today.

Today we brought one boy home.

Today I baked him a cake.

Filed Under: dessert, Love, Primary Food Tagged With: Getting Kids to Eat Healthy, Gilad Shalit

Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Ganache

October 10, 2011 by Emily Segal Leave a Comment

The kids are on school break for 2 weeks for Jewish holidays. Great time to do some traveling around the country. So we thought. And planned. Before THIS happened:

It’s nothing serious, just an infected patch of skin. The kind that requires sitz bathing, hot compresses, and several doses of antibiotics daily.

There went the vacation!

So instead, we baked Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Ganache. Now before you accuse me of emotional eating, I want you to know that I made these for the… ahem… kids. Yeah, I made them for the kids. And before you slap my hands away because I told you that I’m in training and am not eating any sugar… let me just have… one more…

Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Ganache

This recipe comes from the Peas and Thankyou blog. In the original recipe, Mama Pea uses silken tofu in the ganache. I didn't have any so substituted coconut milk. Tofu would have made for a lower fat frosting and directions for using it are below. Original recipe can be found at: www.peasandthankyou.com

Ingredients

The Bars

3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk (vanilla or plain)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch sea salt

The Ganache

3/4 c. chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut milk (original recipe uses 4 oz (100g) silken tofu instead of coconut milk)
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Bars

Preheat oven to 180C / 350F.
Oil a square baking pan and line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat together peanut butter and oil.
Add in brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, applesauce and milk and beat until fluffy.
In a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture and stir until incorporated.
Spread mixture into prepared pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Let the bars cool completely before spreading with the chocolate ganache and cutting into squares.

Ganache

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler.
Stir in coconut milk and vanilla (if using tofu, blend melted chocolate into tofu)
Store in the refrigerator.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://triumphwellness.com/peanut-butter-bars-with-chocolate-ganache/

Recipe and Photos Â© Emily Segal www.TriumphWellness.com

Filed Under: cookies, dessert, Recipes, vegan, Vegan MoFo Tagged With: vegan mofo, Vegan Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough “Blizzard”

October 3, 2011 by Emily Segal 8 Comments

In 1984, the Dairy Queen “Blizzard” was responsible for packing about 20 lbs onto my thighs, butt and tummy.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. It was an independent ice cream store called Penguin, in Dunkirk Square, and technically the responsibility lay with me and my willingness to fork over my hard-earned baby-sitting money day after day in exchange for those creamy, dreamy, hyper sweet concoctions of softened ice cream mixed with candy and cookie bits.

Penguin is gone from Bloomington. They probably went out of business because I left town! But there is still a Dairy Queen, and every time we’re in town, my kids and I make a pilgrimage for Blizzards. Two out of the three of us have pretty major lactose intolerance, so this delicious indulgence causes us quite a bit of pain. Hurts so good and all that.

Now, thanks to bloggers Angela and Katie, I can enjoy a delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard, cobbled together from their various recipes, that tastes great without the pain (it’s dairy-free of course!). It’s also sugar-free except for the sugar in the chocolate chips, so it fits perfectly into this athlete’s stay-lean training plan.

The kids loved it too of course, although they objected strenuously to the endless recipe testing. I tried 4 different cookie dough recipes before I got one I liked! Life’s tough like that.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough “Blizzard”

Yield: Makes 2 servings (you will have extra cookie dough for snacking!)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough “Blizzard”

The key to this recipe is using VERY ripe and sweet bananas. Wait until your bananas get very spotted. Then peel and place in the freezer until ready to use.

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

1/2 cup nuts (unroasted cashews were called for, but I used walnuts and it was also great)
1/4 cup oats
1/4 whole wheat flour (or other flour or more oats if you have gluten issues)
pinch of sea salt
5 large medjool dates, pitted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Ice Cream

2 frozen bananas, broken in half
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp almond or soy milk

Instructions

To make the cookie dough:

Grind nuts, oats, flour and salt in food processor until finely ground.
Add dates and vanilla and blend until a sticky dough forms.
You may need to add a few drops of water if your dates were dry. YOU know what cookie dough consistency is! That's what you're aiming for.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Press flat into a pan or roll into little balls.
Place in the freezer until ready to use.

To make the ice cream

Place the bananas and vanilla in a clean food processor bowl and process just a minute or so until starting to get smooth.
With the machine running, drizzle in a few spoonfuls of non-dairy milk until mixture reaches soft-serve ice cream consistency.
Cut half of the cookie dough into crumbles and put in the food processor.
Pulse a couple of times to incorporate into ice cream.
Serve topped with more crumbled cookie dough bits.
Smile.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin

http://triumphwellness.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-blizzard/

This post is participating in Healthy Vegan Fridays HERE. Check that link for loads of delicious, healthy recipes!

Pin It

Filed Under: cookies, dessert, Recipes, vegan, Vegan MoFo Tagged With: Getting Kids to Eat Healthy, Sugar Addiction, Vegan Athlete, Vegan Recipes

Cherry Nut Chocolate Bars

July 31, 2011 by Emily Segal Leave a Comment

This recipe is from Mama Pea over at PeasandThankyou.com. I just want to also give her a shout out of thanks for the great recipes and all the best wishes for her new cookbook in stores shortly! We food bloggers get all up in a lather when we see one of “our own”, getting a book published. A dream come true for many of us.

These cookies have no refined sugar or flour and were super easy to make. They are also a little too easy to eat, so watch our fellow sweet fiends!

I did not alter a single thing and MamaPea’s recipes are printable and neat, so I am sending you over THERE.

Here are a few more views:

Filed Under: cookies, dessert, Recipes, Recommendations Tagged With: cookbook recommendations, Vegan Recipes

Chocolate Mint Chia Pudding

July 11, 2011 by Emily Segal 5 Comments

Chia. Yes, one and the same:

Turns out that little sprouty dude is a super power of nutrition! ”Chia seeds contain 6 times more calcium, 11 times more phosphorus, and 4.6 times more potassium per 100g of edible portion than milk, and have 6 times more iron per 100g of edible portion than spinach, 1.8 times more iron than lentils, and 2.4 times more iron than beef liver. To this, add a high protein composition (19-23%) and the fact that they can aid in hydration for physical fitness, and you have a very nourishing snack indeed!” (Source)

More iron than beef liver. Did you read that my anemic friends??

Much like flaxseeds, when you add water to chia seeds, they become gel-like. In fact, during my training for the Tel Aviv Half Marathon, I often filled my water bottle with the Mexican treat, Iskiate, a blend of chia seeds, sugar (I used date syrup), lime juice and water. I found it a fabulous energy beverage and excellent re-hydrator.

I have always been intrigued by the Chia Puddings I see on people’s blogs, but the appearance bothered me. It looked like a cross between tapioca and caviar. Bleh. Then I realized I could hide the darkness of the seeds with cocoa powder, and because chocolate is always better with mint, that went in too.

Chocolate Mint Chia Pudding

1/3 cup chia seeds

1 cup almond milk

1-2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup (or a few drops stevia)

1 tsp mint extract (or vanilla)

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or so until it’s solid. I prefer this cold and eat it only when thoroughly chilled, about an hour of chilling time. I ate a serving of this chia pudding for breakfast the other day! This makes about 4 small servings.

So many times, the desserts I make are “better for your health” than those made with white flour, sugar and butter. But they are still desserts and still not super healthy. NOT SO chia pudding!

Delicious Dessert AND Super Healthy!

Cha-cha-cha chia

Filed Under: dessert, Exercise, Recipes, Recommendations, Tel Aviv Half Marathon, vegan Tagged With: Exercise, Nutrition for Athletic Performance, Vegan Athlete, Vegan Recipes

There is always time for some Chocolate-Mint

March 23, 2011 by Emily Segal Leave a Comment

My life is a tad busy at the moment between my son’s bar mitzvah, my upcoming race, my family’s visit, Purim and Passover. So you’ll pardon me if my blog posts are a bit less rambling and a bit more to the point. (I can hear you cheering, you know).

As Elvis says “A little less conversation, a little more action.”

Chocolate-Chip Mint Smoothie

recipe inspired by chocolatecoveredkatie

1 banana, preferably frozen

2-3 dates, depending on your desired sweetness

2 handfuls spinach

2 Tbsp coconut milk

1 T ground flaxseeds

2-3 drops peppermint extract

1 cup water

2 T chocolate chips, plus a few more for garnish

Blend everything but the chocolate chips in your blender until smooth. Add more water if you want it thinner. Add in the chips, except a few for the garnish and just pulse a few times to lightly chop.

Slurp.