5 More Bloat Causing Foods
Foods can be medicine if you eat the right ones, foods can also cause bloated bellies… I’ve already shared about a 5 Bloat Causing Foods, but wanted to share more because bloat is sooo uncomfortable!
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Camping, Not Backpacking With The Boys
Summer is coming, I hope. I’m ready to soak up the adventures that our short season holds. The crew enjoys getting out into the woods. My boys especially love to chop up firewood, whittle sticks, catch snakes, and do “boy” things. I’ve found a love …
Simple, Yet Tasty, Lentils
I found a recipe for lentil toast in the Vegan Yack Attack On The Go! cookbook. It was so good. I’d never actually made my own lentils, other than in soup, and they we always pretty squishy. I had to google search to find a recipe to make some so that my fancy toast wasn’t covered in mushy lentils. #perfectionist Who doesn’t love having picture perfect food?
Lentils have since become a regular staple in my diet because there is so much you can do with them. Make them into tacos, make them curried with rice, or eat them on toast. Either way combining them with those things makes them a complete protein, which I’m always on the hunt for as a vegan. (ps. The hunt isn’t that difficult.) Animal products aren’t the only way!
Don’t skip step one on the recipe. If I’m being honest, I never looked through my lentils until making them this way. Dried foods are actually pretty dirty. I was kind of curious to find out what this little nugget was, and it was a gritty piece of dirt. I could have eaten that had I not picked through my lentils.
I hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know if you get to check out Jackie Sobon’s cookbooks, she has such bomb vegan recipes! #mouthwatering
Simple Lentils
Ingredients:
- 1 c dry lentils
- 2 c water
- 3 tsp McKays Vegan Chicken Seasoning
- Rinse lentils and pick out any weird pieces.
- Add all ingredients into a sauce pan uncovered, and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling reduce it to a very low simmer, uncovered. Let simmer lightly for 20-30 minutes.
- Be sure to keep the lentils covered with water by adding more water if needed.
- Remove from heat once they become tender. The water will thicken a bit once it cools.
Tip: The older your lentils are the longer they will take to cook. Not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just what it is. Maybe don’t stash up a whole bunch of lentils like I do.
If you can’t find or don’t have McKays Vegan seasoning, you can substitute your favorite veggie broth. If you’re looking to make these into tacos, you can even substitute your favorite taco seasoning for the broth. Have you had Trader Joe’s version? So good…
Expensive Doesn’t Always Mean Better.
This weekend I went on an impromptu trip to the coast with my husband. Initially we were debating on going to Smith Rock to go hike around, but ended up deciding on the coast. It was the kind of trip that I searched, and searched …
So Many Spartan Races, So Little Time.
I’ve done a few Spartan Races. A couple at the same venue, some out of state, and country. I’ve had a different experience at each place and want to share with you a couple things I’ve learned by trying the different race locations. Some of …
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Soup could be on my daily meal plan. There are so many options, how could I not want it on the regular? My go to soup is split pea. Why? Because it’s tasty, filling, and SO easy to make. And it’s really yummy with cornbread. I’ll have to work on my own cornbread recipe, but for now, it’s really easy to have James make us the stuff in a box.
As I’m sitting here typing this up, I realized that I used to always do split pea with ham. The ham of course has a smoked flavor. Next time I make this, I’ll have to try adding a couple drops of liquid smoke. I bet it will give it a little kick.
Onto the recipe shall we?
Vegan Split Pea Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of dried peas
- 7 cups of water (or use a veggie broth and skip the McKay’s
- 7 tsps Mckay’s chicken style instant broth
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt & pepper to taste
1. Add all ingredients, except salt and pepper, to the instant pot and stir them well.
2. Put on the lid, make sure the release valve is sealed.
3. Turn on your Instant Pot to manual, or pressure cook, on high for 15 minutes.
4. Once the timer beeps, let the soup sit for 10-15 minutes. Then release the pressure carefully, if it hasn’t already released naturally.
5. Stir soup and remove the bay leaves. Then salt and pepper to taste.
One of my favorite additions to split pea, or any bean soup, is cornbread and honey. Something about sweet and savory that sings to my tastebuds. I really like the Krusteaz Honey Cornbread & Muffin mix. It’s my go to. Instead of an egg I use a “flax egg” and instead of milk I use coconut or oat milk. They always come out super moist. If you know of a gluten free option, I’d love to hear about it!
5 Bloat Causing Foods
Not only do I want to avoid looking bloated, but I want to feel good from the inside out too. Check out this list of foods that can cause belly bloat.
Being A Girl On The Trail
I’m gonna be real for a minute. There is scary stuff on the trail. Everyone and their mom is going to tell you about bad guys, and cougars. Those things are out there, BUT there are bad guys on the sidewalks, and drunk drivers, and …
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
It’s no secret. I love oatmeal, all the ways. One of my favorite ways to have oatmeal is steel cut. I love the texture. It’s usually something I’ll eat when I find it at restaurants because I feel like it takes too long to make at home. In comes the instant pot, it’s a Christmas miracle!!! There’s something about waking up, throwing everything in a pot and then chilling on the couch in my jammies and snuggly fuzzy robe until its done. It’s my favorite way to cook, lol!
This recipe makes about 8 (1 cup) servings. Which was actually 5 servings at my house. I like big breakfasts. I used to feed my kids cereal every morning, and it wasn’t until I started eating cereal most mornings that I realized how quickly I burnt through it and was hungry again. Eating just plain oatmeal is the same. I’ve learned to add in foods that take longer to digest and help keep you feeling full longer. Walnuts are one of my favorite toppings, along with chia seeds. Not only do I like to add those, but I like to add fruit instead of sugar. Fruit gives you the sweet without the sugar crash. I used blueberries and bananas in this dish, but you can use strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or pineapple even.
Blueberry Steel Cut Oats
Ingredients:
- 2 cups steel cut oats
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
- 4 1/2 cups of water
- 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries
- Optional toppings: honey, cinnamon, walnuts, bananas and/or chia seeds
Step 1: Combine oats, coconut milk and water in the instant pot. Stir it till they are well combined.
Step 2: Depending on which model you are using, put your instant pot on pressure cook or manual for 6 minutes. Make sure you’ve got your lid on and have the pressure release valve closed. (See pic below to see what I mean.)
Step 3: Let it cook and then wait for the pressure to release naturally. You’ll know it’s done when the little metal piece sits below the plastic again.
Step 4: After the pressure has released on its own, stir in your blueberries (or other fruit choice).
Step 5: Serve it up and top with all the fixings! If you want your breakfast a little sweeter, add a little bit of honey. #delicious
Just a couple more tips…
Depending on how thick you like your steel cut oats, depends on how much water you add. If you like them a little runnier, add some more water to the recipe. I wouldn’t add more than a cup at a time. Worst case scenario, add a little more milk when you’re done cooking.
Also, if you like them a little softer, you could add a little more water and increase your cook time by a minute. I like mine a little on the chewy side.
How thick mine turned out. 
Pressure has released naturally.
If you have any questions on how to use your instant pot for this recipe, feel free to ask! I’m not an expert but if I don’t know it, I want to learn it.
More Than A Why
It takes a village to raise a child. That means multiple influences, lots of input, and lots of help to develop that precious being. How we develop even as adults can be the same, lots of influence helps us either change in a good way, …