Otherwise known as: The Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie.

Holy yumminess. I don’t even know where to begin. Ever since my bowl of oatmeal yesterday morning, which I lovingly dubbed Cookie Dough Oats because it was so decadent and creamy, I have been dreaming about the perfect oatmeal concoction that would top yesterday’s deliciousness.

However, you know my obsession with smoothies does not allow me to stray too far from my smoothie for breakfast every morning routine. Solution: combine creamy, protein-rich gluten-free oats with sweet fruity goodness. And of course I through some nuts in there because what’s a good smoothie without some nutty deliciousness?

The result was out of this world! This is the perfect breakfast, post-workout treat or nighttime dessert. That’s one of the greatest things about living this awesome clean vegan lifestyle: your desserts double as fuel for the day. A.K.A. You can eat dessert for breakfast. Disclaimer: You’ll want to do it all the time.

Especially when your breakfast is full of vitamins, fiber, protein, healthy carbs and all sorts of natural energy sources.

PLUS! Super exciting news. The Blonde Vegan 5-Day Cleanse Program was featured on Elite Daily‘s “5 Simple Ways to Detox That Won’t Make You Crazy.” Check out the article and show it some love! The writer, Laura, partook in the cleanse program and had such a good experience that she wanted to share with her readers. Super exciting for me – the goal is good experiences all around!

I also want to thank all of you for your super amazing responses to my last post about my one-year vegan journey. It was scary to put my struggles out there, but the emails and comments I got from all of you reaffirmed to me how important it is to be open about any and all difficulties we may have. No diet is perfect, no body is perfect, no one lifestyle is perfect, and I was reminded of that when I got so many amazing suggestions from you all about how to deal with my stomach problems. It’s also so awesome to hear from those of you who have been in the same boat, because it’s very easy to fall into the rut of feeling alone when it comes to stomach issues.

THANK YOU for inspiring me every single day! You all rock.

Ingredients:

½ cup oats (I used Red Mills gluten-free)

1 very ripe banana

1 apple

½ cup almond milk

½ cup water

1 tablespoon almond butter

a few shakes of cinnamon (I like to add a lot)

Ice if you like your smoothies cold (I do!)

Directions:

1. Boil oats in water (a little more than 1 cup) until the oats are fully soaked through.
2. Slice the banana and chop the apples small enough for your blender to be able to blend them. Pour the oatmeal, fruit, and all other ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Enjoy this delicious treat on its own, or add 1 tablespoon of cacao powder if you’re feelin’ chocolatey. Also feel free to add honey or agave to sweeten the smoothie if you’re looking for something even more dessert-like.

And because two is always better than one:

Nutrition Information:

P.S. How cute does the smoothie look with my pool as a backdrop? I am really going to miss these fabulous California settings and weather conditions when I head back to NYC next week. Window ledge and snowy streets, here I come!

Yesterday was my first time on a plane since August 1^st, which marks the longest time I had ever gone (in my entire life… woah!!) without flying. Yep, my parents had me on a plane to L.A. when I was three months old, and on a flight to Hawaii the following month. When I was “just a little pea” and “looking like a love doll” as my mom would say.

Going through a long travel day yesterday brought me back to the days when I first went vegan, and I was terrified to leave my trusty triangle of kitchen- Trader Joes -Whole Foods- repeat. I had a huge, and I mean huge, cooler that I brought with me on every airplane, every road trip, and every daylong excursion that took me away from home for too long.

I suppose you could say I was a little obsessive.

Funny Travel Mishaps

Ask my friends about the time we drove to Las Vegas from Los Angeles for the weekend last April. There were six of us crammed in a five-person car with barely enough room for our bags, and I came out of the house with a cooler of food and juice the size of my body. They were not very happy with me that day. They still make fun of me for it!

And here we are happily in Vegas the following day! They forgave me.

Or there was the time I flew to Hawaii with my family last June, where, armed with that very same cooler, I was stopped by LAX security. I was taken into a back room for questioning because my delirious 6 a.m. mind thought that it was a great idea to pack a serrated knife to cut my fruits and veggies with on the plane. (Hello, Jordan. You live in 2013 where sharp knitting needles are not even allowed through security at an airport. Who are you?)

This is us when we arrived safe & sound in Hawaii – somehow I was able to talk myself onto the flight after that debacle  

And when my friends and I went to Cabo for spring break, I smuggled fresh vegetables and organic veggie burgers across the border because I was so terrified of not having fresh, healthy, organic vegan food available on the trip. (Fun fact: our hotel ended up having an organic juice bar. It was like a gift from the gods! If you’re ever going to Cabo, look into staying at the Bahia!)

And here we are in Cabo! Please excuse my extreme heat rash. Us sensitive skin gals should not be allowed excessive amounts of time in the sun.

Needless to say, I was always a bit on the over-prepared side, and the anxiety it gave me to travel from place to place without my super clean healthy foods often left me panic-stricken.

Vegan Traveling Tips

I am proud to announce that I am no longer that panicked, ridiculously over-prepared girl. I still worry about what I can eat in travel situations, but I have my routine down and I am quite calm about it. Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way about travelling as a vegan/clean eater:

1. Always come prepared. Stock up on health bars (I prefer Larabars and Kind bars), fruits (apples are nice because they don’t get squished in your bag), pre-packaged salads (Trader Joes has some nice options), nuts and even veggies like carrots and celery with hummus. You never know what the airport or the plane will have in the way of healthy/vegan options, and it is miserable to travel starving.
2. Do your research. If you live in a Metropolitan city, chances are the airport you’re going to might have vegan options and maybe even a healthy restaurant or two. If you’re going to be there a while, you might as well try one of those places out. (LAX has a Lemonade, one of my favorite restaurants of all time! JFK has a place called Cibo Express that has a few vegan options.)
3. Speaking of doing your research, the same goes for the city you’re travelling to. Before I go to a new place I do as much research as I can on what their vegan/health food scene is like. If there doesn’t seem to be much, hit up a grocery store on your way to the hotel/wherever you’re going. You’ll be happy later when you have some fresh fruit, veggies, granola, etc.
4. Pack protein-rich food to keep you feeling full and energized. Peanut butter all the way!
5. Don’t overthink it. Even if you didn’t have time to prepare, most airports will at least have the option to buy fruit or a salad that you can eat without cheese and without dressing. Steer clear of those sodium-packed nuts you see in the gift shop!
6. Bring a GOOD BOOK or something to occupy yourself with. People tend to eat out of boredom while traveling and especially while sitting on a plane. If you’re busy with fun things to do, you won’t think twice about it. (What’s on my book list right now? “The Interestings” by Meg Wolitzer, “Whole” by Dr. Colin T. Campbell and “Tenth of December” by George Saunders. Three great reads from three different genres.)
7. Good music. Good music will cure any food crisis.
8. This isn’t exactly food related, but I always try to exercise before I get on a plane or else I just feel so sluggish and restless the whole time. I also try to get up and do stretches a few times throughout the flight if it is long. It’s so good for your body and you will feel better once you land having done so.

For now, I am happy to be HOME for the holidays, snuggled in my favorite pajamas by the Christmas tree, surrounded by family and friends and soaking in the greatest time of the year.

P.S. TOMORROW The Blonde Vegan 5-Day Cleanse Program releases! GET EXCITED! Andddd email me if you want to buy it now, because the link is up and I’m just way too excited about it.

With my cleanse program releasing on December 15^th (Yay!!!), I thought I would do a little informative post about strict veganism versus a plant-based diet. I consider myself a cross between the two – something I call a plant-based vegan. I do not consume animal products but I also avoid processed foods, wheat gluten and certain meat alternatives. I try to eat a diet that consists of whole, natural plant-based foods.

(P.S. These are the first photos I am releasing from the cleanse!!! Get excited!)

HONESTY TIME!!!

I am not 100% plant-based, because I do consume tofu and tempeh on occasion. I am a strict vegan but I do not go out of my way to be 100% cruelty-free (there are egg whites in my shampoo! Sue me if you must) and I don’t always check to make sure that my cosmetics were not animal-tested.

I am very passionate about animal rights, but my main reason for being vegan is my health.

Which is also why I consume honey – I think that raw, local honey is humane and I am into veganism for my health and happiness, so even if it doesn’t fall under the label of strict veganism… guess what? Call me a rebel, but I am OK with it.

If you are new around here, let me be the first to tell you that I do not judge if you eat a predominantly vegan or vegetarian diet but you aren’t completely strict about it. If you have been around my blog for a while, you know how I feel about “vegan Nazis” (please don’t get offended by this term – it just works!).

Putting someone down because they don’t eat the same way you do is going to turn them off of your diet in general… *cough cough vegan honey Nazis* so why not instead advocate finding what is right for YOUR individual body and falling in love with that lifestyle?! Ohhh yeah.

The Blonde Vegan 5-Day Cleanse is plant-based, but even a step further: fruit & vegetable based.

Enjoy this nifty little chart!

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This is an issue I spend a lot of time thinking about. I think about it in regards to myself, the people I know and most often (strangely enough) in people that I observe. I am sort of cursed with the quality of being painfully observant (it can be a blessing when it comes to writing), so when I am in a room with a lot of other people I can’t help but observe, analyze and make postulations. I don’t do it in a judgmental way, it’s more of a subconscious habit, but I do make a note of people’s faces, bodies, the way they carry themselves, the way they interact, how happy/unhappy/distracted/present they look, etc.

Think about it: you are placed in a room full of people. For the purpose of this post, let’s say it’s a room at a yoga studio. The room is pretty packed; it’s a popular class. Everyone is coming to practice yoga, so if nothing else they are motivated to do something good for their body. This generally means most people in the room are going to be fit or be on the road to a healthy lifestyle. Think about how many of these people are comfortable in their bodies. Likely a very small portion of them. Then think about how many of them are happy with the way their body looks. An even smaller portion. And to be completely honest, maybe none at all.

I look around the room and pick out the fittest people, or the happiest people, or the fittest and happiest people in an attempt to gauge who falls into the category of being happy with the way that they look. In the yoga studio I see a lot of people with awesome bodies. But the thing is, no one is perfect. The people who have bodies that I think are awesome probably have a thing or two that they don’t like about the way that they look, and chances are they have a few pounds they’re trying to lose or body parts they want to tone up.

That’s the sad thing about living in this image-driven world – we can be entirely perfect and beautiful in a stranger’s eyes, but in our own eyes we pick ourselves apart. We might be healthy, active, fit and attractive, but we are always going to find that one thing about ourselves that we don’t like. And if we fix that, we will already be focusing on the next issue.

I often do this weird thing where I think about if I had to choose to be in another person’s body in the room, whose would it be? Then I go through my analysis again: physical fitness, level of happiness, level of comfort in their body. I usually try to pick someone who is smiling, laughing or comfortably interacting with other people in the room. There are some people with rock solid abs and not an ounce of fat on their body, but sometimes there’s an undeniable intensity in their eyes that makes me wonder if they are content with themselves or if they are terribly unhappy.

I think we should all challenge ourselves to let those judgments of ourselves go. Problem is, we have already established how hard that it is to do. So I pose this test to you: view yourself from someone else’s eyes. Look at yourself as the stranger in the yoga room sees you, or the girl on the sidewalk or the new co-worker you haven’t gotten the chance to know yet. See yourself from the eyes of a stranger, a loved one, or an old friend. See it all. Tell yourself you can be that person that someone else chooses to be. Because you are happy, healthy, friendly and confident. Not because you have a perfect body.

Let’s be honest, we aren’t going to be happy with ourselves 100% of the time. I’m admitting this as someone who prioritizes health and exercise above most things in life. It’s just the truth. You’ve got to be realistic and set achievable goals for yourself if you want to reach them. And once you do that, you can begin the process of falling in love with yourself.

Next time you look in the mirror, I challenge you to pretend you are seeing yourself for the first time. Pretend you have one shot to make an impression on yourself. How would you carry yourself? What would you want to see?

I have been craving the perfect breakfast cookie to go with my green smoothies in the morning. Sometimes I top my smoothies with granola, but that usually results in an overabundance of granola which leaves me full past lunchtime –  a situation I usually try to avoid getting myself into. If you are a fellow granola-lover, you know the danger of telling yourself you’re just going to have one spoonful.

This cookie is decadent enough to be a dessert or a midday sweet-tooth fix, and it is also healthy enough to eat for breakfast. Perfection, you say? Oh, heck yeah.

Plus… because of the pumpkin, these cookies are the perfect holiday treat! I have gotten a lot of questions lately about Thanksgiving recipes, and let me tell you they are in the works over here in the TBV kitchen and I am super excited about them. If you’re looking for a healthy vegan alternative to make for the Thanksgiving dessert table this year, you may have met your match.

Recipe yields 12-14 cookies.

Ingredients:

–       1 cup oats (gluten-free if necessary)

–       ½ cup pumpkin puree (I used Farmer’s Market organic pumpkin brand)

–       ¼ cup almond butter

–       ¼ cup honey/agave

–       1 T vanilla extract

–       2 tsp cinnamon

–       1 tsp baking soda

–       ¼ cup dairy-free chocolate chips

–       ¼ cup raisins

–       2 T coconut shreds

–       OPTIONAL: 2 T ground flax seed (for texture + additional protein)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix until a smooth paste has been formed. 
3. Roll the cookies into balls (I like to make them about the size of a ping-pong ball) and place onto a well-greased baking sheet. Put them in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy!!!

Recognize this recipe? It’s adapted from my all-time favorite Pumpkin Almond Butter Oat Bars, except tweaked a little bit to make the recipe smaller. Also nice because the cookies are mini compared to the bars, so they are more of a pop-in-your-mouth kinda treat! And I added coconut and raisins. Important note

Nutrition Information:

(Based off of one cookie.)

I came up with the idea for baked oatmeal after perusing some of my favorite vegan food blogs a while back, and have been dying to try it ever since. Problem is, I usually wake up too hungry to wait for my oats to boil AND to bake, so I usually opt for my usual Jar of Yumminess instead (even though the blending and decorating probably takes just as long as baking in itself).

The coolest thing about this recipe is that it has been a huge hit with my non-vegan friends and family. My mom was all googly-eyed when I was making it, which she basically never is about vegan food, and we split the first batch I made and we were both basically singing in praise because it was so damn good. The baked berries and cherries add a SERIOUS flavor that is reminiscent of berry pies and cobblers over the holidays, and the baked bananas are soft and gooey in taste and in texture. The raisins add a nice sugary touch that compliments the other flavors well, and the walnuts give it a good crunch. And the chocolate chips add obvious perfection for reasons I do not need to state (it’s chocolate…hello).

I have to say: I can’t mask my excitement that those around me enjoyed this so much. I can make vegan food that vegans like until I’m blue in the face, but when non-vegans genuinely enjoy my food I know I’m capturing flavors in just the right way, and I know I’m that much closer to helping people make healthier choices and find the nourishing substitutes that work for them.

Let’s just say I will be making this recipe again and again and AGAIN, and I have officially gotten over my fear of waiting for my oats to bake. (Plus, if you get too hungry while you wait, sip on a mini-green smoothie. It’s the perfect way to keep yourself occupied and satisfy a little bit of that hunger).

Serves 3 (Or 1 person who goes back to the fridge throughout the day for more and more. Whoops.)

Ingredients:

–       1 cup of organic gluten-free oats

–       1.5 very ripe thinly sliced bananas

–       ½ cup blueberries

–       ½ cup cherries (sliced in halves)

–       ¼ cup raisins (I like to use a golden/original raisin blend)

–       ¼ cup chopped walnuts

–       ¼ cup organic vegan chocolate chips

–        ½ tablespoon cinnamon

–       ¼ cup almond milk (or milk of choice)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Boil oats in water until the water is soaked in. This should take about 10 minutes with this amount. While the oats are boiling, slice bananas and cherries, and chop the walnuts. Set aside ½ of a banana, a few cherries, walnuts and all of the chocolate chips to top the oatmeal with for the sake of presentation.
3. Once the oats are cooked through, pour in the sliced banana, blueberries, cherries, raisins, cinnamon, almond milk, and walnuts. (Save chocolate chips for the topping, or else they will turn your oatmeal into chocolate oatmeal! Which is fine if that’s what you’re going for, but this recipe is too good without it.)
4. Mix well, and pour into a baking dish. Top with the extra banana and cherry slices, walnut chunks, chocolate chips and a dash of cinnamon.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the sides are just about to bubble over with baked berry juice!
6. Take it out, let it cool, and pour into some bowls to enjoy. Or eat it straight from the dish if you’re feeling saucy!

The best thing about these bad boys is that they can be stored in the freezer for basically as long as you’d like (if they can even make it without being in your belly for that long). AND because of the combo of ingredients, the freezer doesn’t make them rock solid icy chunks of broken teeth waiting to happen, like many other frozen desserts.

Another awesome thing about these fantastic little creations is that they really don’t taste “healthy” per say, because the chocolate chunks combined with the creamy texture of the nut butter and coconut oil make for a delectable layering of flavor that leaves you feeling oh so satisfied. And because they are COLD they are especially yummy. For sure better than the OG Reese’s you maniacally dug for in your bags of Halloween candy (…or was that just me?).

I know you’re ready for the recipe, so I’ll stop rambling. Here it is:

Serves 9-12 (depending on how big you make them)

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Portion:

–       ½ cup natural peanut butter

–       ½ cup natural almond butter (you can do 1 cup of one or the other, but I loved the variety of flavor in the combo)

–       1 tbsp organic agave syrup (may substitute with maple syrup or honey)

–       2 tbsp organic coconut oil (melted)

Chocolate Portion:

–       ½ cup cacao powder

–       1 tbsp organic agave syrup

–       1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)

–       ¼ cup organic vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Whip out your trusty muffin trays, and if you don’t have them, buy them, because they come in handy for just about every yummy treat.
2. Combine the nut butters, coconut oil and agave syrup in a bowl and stir until the ingredients are well mixed.
3. Place a spoonful of the mixture into each muffin cup until you have used it all.
4. Place in the freezer until hardened. Now time to start on the chocolate portion!
5. Combine the cacao powder, coconut oil, agave and chocolate chips in a bowl and stir until well mixed.
6. Place a spoonful of the chocolate mixture over the hardened peanut butter mixture.
7. Pop them back into the freezer and harden. Now comes the hard part – wait until they are hard so you can nom on those puppies!

And as Alicia Silverstone, one of my favorite vegan celebs, says, “I dare you not to love them!” But that’s not fair for me to say in this case… because that’s a bet I know I’ll win.