Plan_t Nutrition

02/08/2022

I have to share this because this just made my day 🤩

So I'm working for a baby food company (technically, baby till little kid) and on today's company call the customer care team was sharing about this "new trend": that customers don't ask much about meat anymore but have a lot of questions about raising plant based babies. Ahh that makes me smile so big 😀

I know we are still far away from where we want to be but this is happening, people! It's catching on. People are more open minded. People are willing to educate themselves about healthier ways to eat.

I'm welcoming this "new trend," I'm welcoming it even if people don't go 💯 plant based, any step in the right direction matters! I'm hoping that everyone who is considering going plant based or primarily plant based finds legit sources of credible information that'll help them do it right because there is so much pseudoscience floating around these days especially related to children (for example, reading in a local moms group that children won't develop if they don't drink cow's milk 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️)

And guess what, after the meeting I get an invite to discuss incorporating plant-based options in the company's product. They also ask me to write an article for the company's blog about raising plant based children. I'm not a writer... But I feel like it's my plant based duty to take advantage of such an opportunity. Should I write it? 😉

02/08/2022

I ate Thai/Viet food for ages now and always ignored the "mock duck" protein option.
Did you know that it's simply SEITAN? Maybe I just came out of the cave but that was a surprise to me. Apparently, it's been eaten for centuries now in China and Japan.

Now I make seitan myself. It's easy, especially with the help of my assistant named Instant Pot. The meaty texture, the flavor, the versatility and its high protein content makes it a great addition to many meals. Hey, I eat it as is, fresh from the pot 🤤

Today dinner was not quite Thai inspired and seitan doesn't have to be limited to Asian cuisine. Today it made a great addition to one of our favorite meals: Southern Style Green Beans and Potatoes. What you see in the second photo is 112g of delicious plant protein 👌 Okay, maybe less... I was picking some out and eating them as is 🙈😂😉

Have YOU tried seitan?

12/11/2021

I'm definitely a sweet breakfast person but when I do it savory style it looks like this 🥰

Ezekiel bread, homemade hummus, avocado, everything but bagel seasoning, spinach and warm smoky tempeh slices. Mandarins on a side to boost iron absorption (which there is plenty of in this meal).

How does this kind of breakfast sound to you? Would you eat it?

Plugged this into Chronometer for fun, here are the results (estimated):
Calories: 470
Protein: 35g
Carbs: 53g
Fiber: 22g (not so fun fact: this is almost double of what an average American consumes in an entire day)
Fat: 14g
Beautiful array of ALL vitamins and minerals (selenium is low but that you can easily get with just 1 Brazil nut). Most notable ones are B complex, Folate, vit A, C, E, K, iron, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc.

12/10/2021

You cannot "overexercise" a bad diet. A lot of people believe that if they exercise hard enough they can eat whatever they want. I also often hear from other moms that because they're pregnant or nursing they can eat whatever since they burn more calories. But is that true?

It depends on your goals. If your goal is to balance calories in and calories out then I guess it'll work. That is not very meaningful and quite a short lived goal though. For long term results you want to not just put calories inside your body but fuel your body with nutrient dense foods. Not all calories are created equal when it comes to health..

While exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, one's diet is responsible for 70% of their health outcomes. Even genetic predisposition is often not a life sentence. It's up to you how you chose to live this life.

Food is our energy, food is our medicine, food is a type of enjoyable self-care that you can do ~3 times a day. Love your body and don't stuff it with calories just to fill yourself up.

I know a number of people who told me they quit plant based diet because they struggled to get enough protein or calories in general. I'm not an expert in sports nutrition but follow me to see what I eat and how I get my calories and protein in.

A typical day of eating for me:
1. Protein smoothie with kale, frozen strawberries, flax and chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and turmeric (not pictured)
2. Breakfast: steel cut oats with soymilk, flax and chia seeds, kiwi, blueberries, banana, sliced almond
3. Chickpea pasta with marinara, cannelini beans, cilantro and nutritional yeast
4. Snack: soy curl jerky by Butler Foods, apple (not pictured)
5. Dinner: kimchi fried rice with peas, carrots, Lima beans, green beans, tofu, seaweed and Sriracha

👑

12/08/2021

I hesitated posting this for a while, not sure why. I'm so pumped I have gone up yet another level of self-love and self-care because generic exercises catered to masses didn't do it for me anymore. Even though many people have somewhat similar goals (lose or gain weight, tone up, build muscle, etc.) we are all so different, with different backgrounds, different capabilities, different motivation and different vision of where this journey will take us.

How is this related to nutrition? Wellness/holistic health is not only about nutrition, it is a combination of nutrition, mental health and physical activity (broadly speaking). They go side by side and isolating one from another is never a good idea.

I don't go to a gym, I don't own fancy equipment. And... I don't have time, or so I thought. It's been two months now and I haven't skipped a single (at-home) workout which I'm very proud of 💪🏻

Where will this journey take me? We'll see. To me, enjoying the process is crucial, whether that's diet or exercise. That's how you know it's sustainable in the long run, good for our mental health, and the results won't fade away shortly after you stop which inevitably will happen if you do something extreme.

To me, beauty is not on the outside, it's one's strength, one's wisdom, and one's love and respect for others ❤️

11/15/2021

We are a family of HUMMUSapiens 🧑‍🦱🤱👩‍💼🧒 We go through a LOT of hummus!

If I had to buy hummus every time we were done with yet another container, we'd go broke 😂 j/k of course but it sucks to pay so much for something that doesn't even taste as good as homemade version and often contains additives.

When we traveled this past summer, we bought some hummus at a store to have in our vacation house fridge for quick and healthy snacks. It's been so long since I had it store-bought and I immediately could taste the difference. I still think it's a great snack when on the go and away from home but man oh man try to make some yourself, you won't regret it!

Bumping up my recipe from a long time ago. This has become my go to recipe as it's more interesting than just plain hummus (although that one is good too) yet easy.

You will need either a food processor or what I use is a high-speed blender Vitamix.

✓ 2 cups cooked chickpeas
✓ 1/4 cup tahini
✓ 1/4 lemon juice
✓ 3/4 cup sundried tomatoes
✓ 1 large garlic clove
✓ 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
✓ 1/2 tsp salt
✓ ~3/4 cup watermelon

I love authentic foods but I also believe one doesn't need to chase authenticity if what/how they do things works for them. I know there are rules about what ingredient you are supposed to add in what order and at what temperature... but I just dump everything in the blender and blend until smooth... 🙈 I usually end up adding 3/4 cup of water but start with less and add more as needed. Some people also peel chickpeas... Ain't nobody's got time for that though 😂 It'll be delicious, I promise!

Tip: if you cook chickpeas from dry, add a little bit of baking soda when soaking, rinse and then add a little bit of baking soda when cooking them. This will make chickpeas extra soft and squishy - perfect for hummus!

11/11/2021

Decided to try something new today vs my usual tofu scramble breakfast burrito. Same concept, different interpretation. Because why not 😉

➡️ toasted slice of sourdough bread -> for yummy carbs, satiety and energy
➡️ tofu scramble with yellow squash, red bell pepper, tomato and spinach -> for healthy protein and a load of fiber, vitamins and minerals
➡️ avocado -> for healthy fats + it's simply delicious 🥑
➡️ nutritional yeast on top -> for a bit more protein and vitamin B complex
➡️ grapefruit on the side -> because I love it and the vitamin C in I helps absorption of iron in tofu and spinach 👌

All together = yummy breakfast, and I actually ate two of these. Yes, I eat a lot! No, I don't count calories, I count satisfaction 🤤

Cons: it's not as easy to add my favorite arugula to this as it'll fall off, and if I add my favorite salsa, it'll just become a mush.

Meals don't need to be complicated to be balanced. Meals done need to take hours in a day to prepare. This tofu scramble takes me under 10 minutes to make! Bonus: kids like it 👍

11/10/2021

Food prep has been 🔥🔥🔥 today:
➡️ Baked tofu slices
➡️ Edamame with liquid aminos and nutritional yeast
➡️ Instant Pot chickpeas for chickpea salad sandwich and homemade hummus
➡️ Homemade Instant Pot seitan
vegi inspired me to stock up my fridge with readily available healthy protein for those gains 💪🏻

I only wish no one liked my food 😅 (j/k of course) My tofu stack is nearly gone because it was attacked by every single member of the family including my littlest 11 month old who devoured 3 entire slices today 🙈

11/09/2021

Have you gotten outside yet today? As winter gets closer and the temperatures outside drop we tend to hide inside, slow down our activity and lean towards heavier comfort foods.

Get yourself out the door! There is no such thing as bad weather. Yes, it's colder but we are intelligent humans, we invented clothing! Being outside, seeing nature and natural light is essential for our well-being, our mood and reducing our stress levels, it's good for our eyes too!

And it's not even about waking 10,000 steps or whatever number is set as your goal. It's simply about getting outside and learning to enjoy it and see positives in everything. Although moving the body for those X minutes won't hurt either 😉

Look at the beauty we have out here in Michigan now! It's all about enjoying things that we do that are good for us 🤗 It's all about seeing positives in everything. It's all about taking that time for ourselves no matter how busy our lives are.

Yes, I'm a nutritionist, but I probably won't surprise you by saying that our well-being is a combination of many factors. Yes, food is a huge part of it, in fact, the largest. But things like staying active, quality sleep, controlling our stress levels, healthy relationships, etc. are extremely important too.

So go get that jacket and get yourself out ❤️

11/09/2021

Hi. I'm Elena ☺️ Thank you for staying with me while I was taking much needed break. Thank you to my new followers! I'm so happy you are here ❤️

Who am I? I'm just a normal (although sometimes I questions that 😅) human being who is always looking for ways to better myself, that's just how I am.

2.5 years ago I decided to better my diet. It was not bad at all, actually quite healthy, but I wanted better. I researched and researched, I listened to lectures, read books, experimented with foods. I was hooked. I study nutrition for fun! Yes I do. I find it fun and quite fascinating. I signed up to get formal education in nutrition. I learned so much and I'm so grateful for that.

What I learned made me ditch all the animal products and welcome new foods into my life. There is no going back. I like to say I learned way too much to ever go back: how it affects us physically and mentally, how it affects our environment, how it does things to our bodies that many simple accept as "life," "bad genes," "age," etc. even though that's often not the case.

And I love animals. For real. Not "I love animals and I like going to the zoo and then have a steak/burger/pepperoni pizza/chicken nuggets" kind of a way. I'm fascinated by their beauty, strength and resilience, I respect their lives and their right to live the way they deserve to live. I love animals.

A couple of months ago I decided to also better myself by starting a new workout routine. I've always been active and in a quite decent shape but I wanted more. I know I can do more and be a better self. I've never lifted weights before.

Oh, did I say that I'm a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and a full-time operations professional for a baby food company and a mom of 3 little humans ages 5 and under? Welcome to my crazy life 🙃

10/14/2021

07/25/2021

I have some great news! I'm an LLC now and right now I have ONE spot available for ONE lucky client! Please DM me for more details or to schedule a COMPLEMENTARY INTRODUCTORY CALL (up to 60 min long). If you (or someone you know) are looking for professional guidance and support, tips and advice, motivation and accountability during your journey towards health, it'll be my greatest pleasure to be there by your side and help you along.

04/27/2021

Welcome to Plan_t Nutrition!

This page is all about plant based nutrition and healthy lifestyle in general. Here you'll find some of my family's favorite plant based recipes, cooking tips and trick, nutrition facts, plant based grocery finds and more. Whether you've never heard of plant based way of eating, already a vegan but would like to learn how to eat healthier, or, perhaps, an experienced fellow, I'm sure you'll find something useful on this page.

I welcome everyone no matter of your race, gender, religious or political views. Whoever you are, you deserve living a long, healthy and happy life