Vegan Superfood Mocha Latte Recipe

Guys, I have to admit to you I used to have a bad Starbucks addiction. I worked at Chapters and my treat for every shift was a latte or London Fog. I willfully ignored the nutrition information but when I finally checked it I was shocked. Back then they were still making their lattes with whole milk and with the whipped cream on top drinking a latte was more like eating a Big Mac but without the protein! 

Because a latte is so high in calories but provides very little nutritional value I would put it in the "empty calorie" category along with pop! Empty calories are calories that provide no vitamins or protein - things that keep your body going - along with the calories. Empty calories may provide a spike in your energy from sugar but you'll soon experience a "crash" and feel more tired and hungry than you started leading you to eat more and crave more empty calories. This is why you should avoid empty calories in the first place! 

The Starbucks website uses some sly tactics like making their list of small treats in the biggest font which leads the reader to go their first and assumes their treats are healthy. When you see the "mini scone" they advertise in person though it's flippin tiny! I would never just eat one single mini scone. They also list the smallest drinks first on the menu and make the large drinks hard to read in a giant chart. They also don't include the whipped cream in their calorie calculations. 

Nowadays, the odd time I'll go to a Starbucks, I'll order an Americano and add my own milk. I've also sworn off any sweetener in my coffee. It was hard at first - I used to take double sugar in my coffee but now I can't stand the taste of a double double. It's amazing how our taste buds adjust. I first switched to stevia to replace the sugar and then slowly reduced the stevia until I was used to no sweetener! Why did I remove the stevia too? Studies show that even artificial sweeteners like stevia cause people to crave more sweet things and therefore people don't lose weight when they switch to artificial sweeteners. 

Instead of a latte filled with empty calories I have concocted this latte filled with a balance of protein, healthy carbs, vitamins and even hormone-balancing maca root. This is a perfect drink in the morning because the variety of plant-based protein (eg. rice, quinoa and amaranth) in the Shakeology provides long-lasting energy throughout the day unlike other protein powder that are whey-based. I also find whey-based protein powder bothers my stomach - especially early in the morning. You can drink it in the place of breakfast which is what I do if I'm in a rush and what my dad does every day! 

When you're feeling full and energized you'll be more likely to stick to your healthy diet and feel more energized for your workouts! 

Vegan Superfood Mocha Latte Recipe           Makes 1 Serving Ingredients  1 Scoop Chocolate Vegan Shakeology 1 Cup Almond Milk 1 Cup Freshly Brewed Coffee 1 Tsp Vanilla 1/2 Banana Directions Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until the ingredients are combined and the almond milk is frothy. Drink warm!

You also might like: How I lost 15 Lbs in 60 Days or 11 Ways to Actually Complete a Workout Program

Make-Ahead Butternut Squash Frittata

Butternut Squash Frittata makes an awesome make-ahead brunch.

This make-ahead vegetarian Butternut Squash Frittata will save you time on weekday mornings (something I eternally need more of!) and is 21 Day Fix friendly, vegetarian, paleo and gluten free. Make it on Sunday and then eat it throughout the week. I microwave it for about 30 seconds and eat it with whole grain quinoa toast.

It's packed with protein and incredibly simple to make. Frittatas are also super versatile - you can serve it for breakfast lunch or dinner! Each serving (1/6 of a pie) is 206 calories, 10g of fibre and a whopping 126% of your recommended intake of Vitamin A. If you don't have butternut squash you can use sweet potato which has a similar taste and is also packed with vitamin A. Vitamin A is great for your skin, hair, bones and eyes. It can also help with your immune system which is why it's great to eat vitamin A rich foods in the winter when colds and flu are rampant and your skin is dry.

The Joy of Spiralizing - Zucchini Noodles (aka. Zoodles)

Spiralizing is fun!

Why did I title this article the Joy of Spiralizing? Because I actually find it really fun to spiralize.

After I bought my spiralizer on impulse I could not wait to show all my friends how much fun it was. Seriously, I brought my spiralizer to everyone's house to show them the amazement. They were really confused why I was so excited. My excitement was met with "Um, okay, I guess you can bring it over". Once they saw how it worked though - and how easy it was - they were converts to my way of thinking. This device is a world-changing food invention! "You can spiralize it" ... I started saying that about everything. It makes eating your veggies really fun - which is awesome if you're doing a gluten-free diet like paleo or dukan.

Healthy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos

Pulled pork tacos - sugar free without BBQ sauce

I made up these tacos because first of all I'm in the middle of a sugar-free challenge right now and secondly there was a huge sale on pork shoulder at my local discount grocery store this week. They're also 21 Day Fix friendly and if you serve them on lettuce wraps without yogurt they're paleo-diet friendly (if you decide to allow tomatoes on your paleo diet)! This recipe is ridiculously easy (if you have a crock pot!). I love pulled pork but I know that the BBQ sauce that restaurants use is basically pure sugar. So I designed these tacos without BBQ sauce and you know what, they turned out really well! Just remember to start it in the morning or lunch at the latest.