Anthony and Marilu at Dr. Fuhrman’s Health Getaway. Anthony was the winner of Dr. Fuhrman’s six-week challenge and he lost over 80 pounds in eight months following a plant-based diet!
Are you interested in trying a plant-based diet? Take our Viva la Vegan class, starting right here on July 11. It’s ten weekdays of information about eating a plant-based diet, and lots of recipes, too. This class is for everyone – whether you have questions about veganism, or are already vegan, or anywhere in between. Sign up now and the class info will come to your inbox on July 11!
This salad is very flexible if you have different vegetables. Make a double recipe and bring it to a picnic or cookout! It’s perfect for your Fourth of July celebration.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced thick
1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off
1 large green bell pepper, top & bottom sliced off
2 ears corn on the cob, shucked
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced thick lengthwise
1/4 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 head romaine lettuce (or mixed salad greens), washed and shredded
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
In a large bowl, add garlic and 2 ounces of olive oil. Add all vegetables except the lettuce, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Grill vegetables on medium heat and set aside.
Chop all vegetables into medium sized pieces just before serving. In a small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and remaining olive oil until blended. Toss vegetables with vinaigrette and place on top of shredded romaine lettuce.
We love veggie kabobs from the grill. They take a little bit of advance prep, but make dinner time easy – perfect for entertaining.
Some veggies need a bit of precooking – just 2-3 minutes in the microwave or steamer basket will be enough.
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 15-30 minutes before putting the vegetables on, or use metal skewers.
We like to fill each skewer with the same type of veggie (all peppers, for example) so everything gets cooked properly. We just unload them all into a large pasta bowl and toss them with a little balsamic vinaigrette or dijon vinaigrette to serve.
You can also fill each skewer with a variety of vegetables, and serve them that way – some people like the dramatic presentation, and other people like the ease of the bowl (and it may depend on who’s eating!).
Veggies to try *
Sweet bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, green), cut into chunky strips
Red onions, cut into wedges
Pearl onions, whole
Asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
Summer squash (yellow and zucchini), sliced into 1-inch rounds (skewer through the skin)
Cherry tomatoes
Sugar snap peas
Button mushrooms, whole (skewer through the stem)
Fennel, cut into thin wedges (precook)
New red potatoes, whole or cut in half (precook)
Fingerling potatoes, whole or cut in half (precook)
The biggest stumbling block to making changes in your life is your environment.
No matter what you’re trying to change, if your environment doesn’t change too, you’ll slide back into your old habits and patterns. Your environment is the key to your success.
The first thing you’ll want to do to most efficiently develop, manufacture, and maintain a newer, fitter, healthier you is to organize your environment tin a way that’s most advantageous to your goals. You have to set up your environment to win. And the best way to do that is to make your whole environment a health workshop.
If a factory is designed to manufacture gloves, then there is no way it will efficiently produce shirts. If your home environment is not designed and built to make you healthy, it’s very unlikely that you will be healthy, or at least as healthy as you want to be.
Turn off this song
Find someone to love
Turn off this song
You can listen to it later
Go outside
It’s not often we run across lyrics that say exactly what we’d like to say.
Don’t put off exercise.
Don’t put off going outside and enjoying the day.
Don’t put off spending time with people you love.
However you spend your day, you have a break at some point. Take a walk, even if it’s around the parking lot or the block. Invite a friend to dinner on your porch or patio or deck, or on a blanket in your yard or on your balcony or at a nearby park.
While you’re outside, be sure to raise your heartrate with some movement. You’ll go back to whatever you were doing refreshed and energized.
One of the best ways to stay disciplined in your life – in nearly any area – is to treat yourself as you would treat your child.
You would never give your kids a breakfast of coffee. You know they need actual food – fruits, grains, lean protein, even vegetables – to get a good start on their day. You aren’t any different. Do you provide a good breakfast for yourself?
You would never let your child call herself names and put herself down (or anyone else, for that matter). You know that negative language breeds negative behavior. Do you call yourself names? Do you put yourself down? Think of yourself in terms of your positive attributes.
You would never let your kids stay up all night. You know they need a good night’s sleep to rejuvenate for the next day. Do you shortchange yourself by going to bed too late? Or by burning the candle at both ends?
Give your inner child the right food, build up your inner child, and discipline your inner child with standards and boundaries. Nurturing and discipline yield results.
Are you cooking for one? This recipe comes scaled for one, but can easily be increased.
It’s also really flexible – use the veggies you have in your fridge: any color bell pepper, added shredded carrot, cashews for the almonds, added tempeh or tofu (just cut in cubes), leftover broccoli… let your imagination run wild (and use what you have).
The leftover noodles keep about three days in the fridge, but you won’t have to worry about that, because they are the perfect brown-bag meal (no refrigeration needed for part of a day).
Want to learn more about eating meat-free and dairy-free? Starting July 11, you can take the Viva la Vegan online class here at Marilu.com. Ten weekdays of recipes, food for thought, and a place to ask your questions about veganism. You do not have to be vegan to take or enjoy the class. Sign up now!
2 ounces dried soba noodles
1/2 cup shelled edamame (fresh or frozen), or green peas
1 Tablespoon sliced raw almonds
1 Tablespoon almond butter (or substitute peanut or other nut butter)
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar, or more to taste
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons hot water, plus more as needed
Sea salt
1 scallion, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
Cook the soba noodles in boiling salted water for 6 to 8 minutes, or according to package directions, until they are barely tender. Use tongs to transfer the cooked noodles to an individual-serving bowl, reserving the cooking water in the pot. Return the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the edamame (or peas) and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and add to the noodles.
Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a small, dry skillet over medium-high heat, shaking the pan frequently, until lightly browned and smelling toasty, 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to let them burn. Immediately transfer to a plate to cool. When they have cooled, coarsely chop them.
Combine the almond butter, vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Add the hot water, stirring to mix well. If the dressing seems too thick, add more hot water, a teaspoon at a time, until it has reached the consistency you want. Add salt to taste; add more vinegar if you want the sauce tangier, and more red pepper flakes if you’d like it spicier.
Add the dressing to the noodles and edamame, along with the scallion, bell pepper, and chopped almonds. Toss to combine, add more water if necessary, and eat.
This may never start.
We could fall apart.
And I’d be your memory.
Lost your sense of fear.
Feelings insincere.
Can I be your memory?
It’s the weekend – get up and dust!
What? Are we the only ones who use music to get us through the weekend’s chores? Music provides the motivation and inspiration to keep moving, whether it’s during your walk or run, or during the dusting and laundry.
And this song might make you think about the memories you’re creating today, this week, this month.
Loads of vegan recipes and info about vegan living! Download and print recipes, and get more recipes in class. Get help converting your favorite recipes to delicious vegan versions.
You don’t have to be a vegan to take this class!
This is the place to ask your questions and get real answers from real people who have chosen veganism. Join Jan and Kyra and learn what it means to be a vegan, making the transition to veganism, living in a “mixed” (animal-free and animal-eating) family, and the challenges and rewards of being vegan.
Classes at Marilu.com are available free to all members. Just check your inbox on Monday for your daily email, log in to Marilu.com and get to class on the message boards. There’s even a handy class page with all the resources and links you’ll need for class. Not a member? Sign up now and get a free class (sometimes two!) every month.
