Our Future: A Plants-Based Diet?

Is a vegetarian diet the future of food? According to recent research by the Stockholm Water Institute, the entire population may be forced to switch to a vegetarian diet by the year 2050 in order to avoid critical food and water shortages. You might be wondering how we could possibly run out of food and water by that time. Well, there are huge environmental costs associated with meat consumption, not to mention serious problems associated with waste disposal from factory farms. Check out Kimberly Snyder’s blog to learn more.

So what’s the solution? Eat organic (the manner in which organic foods are produced reduces toxicity in the environment and ground water), eat local, eat seasonal, and minimize your animal protein intake to less than 1-3 times per week!

Raspberry Banana Smoothie

I love having smoothies for breakfast. They’re just so quick and easy to make, and are a great way to load up on extra fruits and veggies. I still have yet to try making a green smoothie with spinach. Perhaps sometime next week, as Mama Earth’s next delivery is supposed to include loose spinach and fresh plums!

Raspberry Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 organic banana

1 organic valencia orange

1 cup frozen organic raspberries (fresh are fine too, or any other kind of berry! I prefer to use frozen so that the smoothie turns out somewhat chilled.)

1 cup vanilla soy milk

1 tbsp flax seeds

Simply blend together and enjoy! :) Yields about 2.5 – 3 cups.

Cinnamon Quinoa “Oatmeal”

I know, I know.. I should be studying. But I made an extra delicious power breakfast this morning that I felt needed to be shared! Expect a lot of recipes over the next little while. This particular dish was inspired by 101 Cookbooks’ recipe for Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa. I had “pinned” a photo of it on Pinterest and thought it resembled an alternative to oatmeal. So, after a few modifications of my own, I made this into tasty breakfast!

 

 

Cinnamon Quinoa “Oatmeal”

Ingredients:

1/2 cup organic quinoa (Costco sells it in bulk!)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup low fat milk (soy milk works too)

1 cup organic berries (I had a frozen bag of organic mixed fruit – cherries, blackberries, and blueberries – so I just used that! Really you could use whatever fruit you want. Mango would be delicious!)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 small handful flax seeds (ground flax seeds would be better as it is more easily digested and the nutrients are better absorbed, but this is what I happened to have)

A splash of vanilla extract

Pecans, for garnishing

Directions:

1. Combine the quinoa, water, and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. If you’re using frozen berries, allow them to thaw while the quinoa cooks.  ***NOTE: Keep a watchful eye while the quinoa is boiling, I found the milk made it boil over the sides of the pot really easily.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, cinnamon, flax seeds, vanilla, and berries. Because I used frozen berries, their juices turned the quinoa a pink-ish colour. Woops! Still delicious, though. Sprinkle some pecans (or walnuts, almonds, etc.) on top. There you have it – a healthy protein/fibre-packed breakfast! I enjoyed my “oatmeal” with a sliced orange, hard boiled egg, glass of organic soy milk, and a fresh cup of coffee. Mmmm… Now, time to get to work!!!!

- Be Well xo