LA JOLLA.  If you were a celebrity, would you hire a vegan chef to prepare all of your meals?  If you are nodding your head in agreement, it’s time to learn about Bee Green, a company that prepares and delivers organic, plant-based meals to your front door.  This blog post chronicles my experience on the 3-day meal plan.

How Does the 3-Day Meal Plan Work?

Bee Green delivered the food to my doorstep in a reusable cooler bag with ice.  Unzipping the cooler bag was like opening a birthday present.  I couldn’t wait to see what surprises were inside!  I assembled everything on my counter: 6 drinks, 3 entrees, 3 salads, and 3 small snacks/desserts.

Bee Green also sent a helpful email with instructions and suggestions on how to maximize my meal experience.  My favorite suggestion?  Bee Green recommends eating your biggest meal between 10am – 2pm because that’s when your body burns the most calories.   Who knew?!

This meal plan is designed for maximum convenience.  All of the drinks, salads, and entrees are easily portable.  Also, the entrees are all housed in microwave friendly containers.

Day 1:

I started my first day with the Bee Green Super Food Bliss Smoothie.  This was a mild tasting creamy drink made from avocado, almond, coconut, and banana.  It filled me up and gave me energy for a morning work out.

Soon after my run, I began obsessing about the Butternut Squash Rito.  I love (and I assure you that “love” is not too strong of a word) butternut squash.  Unsurprisingly, I could not resist this burrito.  I put it in my toaster oven and tried to wait patiently as the intoxicating aroma filled my kitchen.

The burrito tasted as good as it smelled.  Warm vegan cheese clung to brown rice and black beans, and the roasted butternut squash melted in my mouth.   And all of this rolled up in a delicious spinach tortilla!  I applaud Bee Green for “making over” the traditional burrito – heavy with meat and dairy – into a healthy and energizing entree!

Later in the afternoon, I drank my Immune Boost Cleanser made from grapefruit, garlic, lemon, acidophilis, Udo’s oil, and cayenne.  I was not familiar with acidophilis or Udo’s oil, so investigation ensued . . .

Acidophilis is a bacteria that lives in the intestine and consuming acidophilis can help support a healthy intestinal tract and aid in digestion.  To learn more about the benefits of acidophilis, click on the following link:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lactobacillus/NS_patient-acidophilus

Udo’ Oil is a certified organic, plant based oil (no fish!) designed to provide you with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the optimum 2:1 ratio.  For more information on Udo’s Oil, check out:

http://www.oilthemachine.com/About-The-Oil.html

The drink tasted like spicy grapefruit juice with a small aftertaste of garlic.  I really liked it.  The spice complimented the citrus, and the drink kept my hunger at bay for a surprisingly long time.

I finished off my first day with the Mediterranean Salad made from baby kale, chickpeas, zucchini, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, chia seeds, and dill/mint/lemon dressing.   The crunchy veggies in this salad contrasted nicely with the soft chickpeas.  My favorite part was the zingy, minty dressing.  It was a delicious entrée salad.

I had been eying the snack/dessert box – the Banana Bread Bar – since unpacking my bag that morning.  It looked like my favorite kind of food – one that feels like an indulgence but that is actually good for you!  A quick glance at the ingredients was reassuring:  oats, whole flour, banana, almonds, pecans, hemp, flax, chia seeds, and coconut oil.  As a helpful bonus, Bee Green had cut the banana bread into three pieces – one piece for each day.

Day 2:

I started off Day 2 with one of Bee Green’s new drinks, the Green Monster.  Made from gala apple, collards, chard, kale, coconut oil, and orange, it is sweet and easy to drink.  Luckily, its dark green color serves as proof of the dense nutrients inside.  And it paired well with my second piece of the Banana Bread bar – I couldn’t wait!

That afternoon, I was ready to try the Spinach Pie, which consists of spinach, onions, sundried tomatoes, garlic, basil, chives, and tofu in a spelt crust.  The spices and the sundried tomatoes ensure that there is plenty of flavor in this pie.  And the flaky vegan crust is both ingenuous and delicious.

My mid-day snack was the Super Food Bliss smoothie.  It was just as good as I remembered from the day before!

Next up was the Green Tahini Salad.  Here, we have kale, red onion, red potato, red pepper, carrots, pecans, and cranberries with a tahini dressing.  In case you just skimmed the ingredient list, I will emphasize that, yes, this salad has red potatoes!  They add gravitas to the salad, filling the belly.  I also enjoyed the strong taste of the tahini dressing.  One of the most unique and tasty salads I have had.  Ever.

Day 3:

I began day 3 with the Banana Rama smoothie, a mix of banana, spinach, almonds, coconut, and raw protein.  This smoothie was thick, like a milkshake, and had a light taste of banana with a hint of coconut.   And of course, while drinking this smoothie, my last piece of Banana Bread Bar disappeared.

Lunch time came, and I was excited for my final entrée, the Fideua Spanish Pasta.  This dish is made from quinoa pasta, mushrooms, onion, red bell pepper, parsley, tomato, asparagus, soyrizo, and garlic.  (People are making pasta from quinoa!  How did I miss this?)  Before Bee Green came into my life, I usually put pasta and red sauce in the “boring” category.   But the Fideua has rebooted my whole outlook on pasta.  I loved the abundance of veggies in the dish – every bite contained crunchy asparagus and delectable mushrooms.  I also appreciated that the dish wasn’t smothered in tomato sauce.  Rather, everything was in perfect balance, filling, but not heavy.

My final drink was the Amazon Power Antioxidant drink, blended from acai, red chard, red cherries, banana, and coconut water.  Perhaps it was fitting that my final drink was also my favorite drink.  This drink confused my taste buds in a good way – it started off sweet, but evolved into tiers of tartness.  It is wonderfully unique.

And my final day ended with my favorite salad.  The Roasted Veggie Salad combines beets, carrots, zucchini, grape tomatoes, spinach, basil, and vegan feta, served with balsamic dressing.  I will be buying some vegan feta soon.  Very soon.  It adds tremendous flavor to the salad.  Further, this salad also reminded me how roasted vegetables can have more flavor than their raw counterparts

Conclusions:

I looked forward to each portion of my Bee Green 3-day meal plan.  The drinks were excellent.  I liked the variety of ingredients and the resulting energy boost.  The entrees were also special.  They demonstrate how fresh, whole foods are powerful, filling, and satisfying.  And Bee Green has renewed my interest in salads, especially those born of diverse ingredients and creative combinations.  Most importantly, this meal program unlocked valuable hours in my day and eviscerated the stress of seeking meals on a busy schedule.  My only task was to enjoy the food.  Mission accomplished.

To find out more about Bee Green (they also offer cleanses and cater!) check out their website at:

http://www.beegreenworld.com/

If you want to see the upcoming meal plan menus, take a look at:

http://beegreenmeals.com/category/menu/

The post Bee Green: 100% Vegan appeared first on The Fussy Fork.

Granola’s sweet taste, crunchy texture, and versatile flavors make it a food for anytime during the day.  I love it as a snack on the run, or a peaceful breakfast at the kitchen table with a newspaper (ok, fine, it’s an US Weekly).  And this recipe goes well with the hemp milk recipe that I posted last week!

Angela Liddon writes an amazing vegan recipe blog called Oh She Glows.  I followed the recipe for her granola as follows:

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/04/my-favourite-homemade-granola-to-date/

If you have never made granola, don’t be intimidated.  It’s a forgiving recipe.  It will still taste good even if you add an extra handful of coconut or almonds!

The dry ingredients act as the base.

But you can throw in additional nuts, seeds, or dried fruit – whatever you are in the mood for.  Ms. Liddon suggests dried cranberries, raisins, and pumpkin seeds.  I don’t like raisins, so I ramped up on dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds!

I rounded up all of the wet ingredients…

And heated the wet ingredients, stirring until they combined.

I combined the wet and dry ingredients and mixed them together.

Finally, I spread the mixture on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or tin foil.  Your work is almost done!  The granola is then baked in the oven at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes.

As the granola begins to bake, your home will smell amazing.  (It’s worth taking a short walk outside, so you can enjoy the effect, upon reentry, at full force.)  To make sure that it bakes evenly, take the tray out of the oven every 15 minutes and stir it.  When the granola is done, let it cool.   Then break it up into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Hungry for more granola?  Me too!  Check back soon for “part two” – another vegan recipe, but VERY different!!

The post Vegan Granola: Part One (of Two) appeared first on The Fussy Fork.

OCEAN BEACH.  Since 1972, People’s Co-Op has been ground zero for vegans.   It is a 6,000 square foot, member-owned vegetarian co-op (anyone can join!) in Ocean Beach.  How important is People’s to me?  I live in Ocean Beach, because I want to be able to walk to there.  It makes being vegan easy.  It makes being vegan fun.

I have wanted to write a review of People’s Co-Op for a long time.  The post has been slow in coming, because the task of highlighting all of People’s great features is daunting.  So my People’s posts will be done in separate parts – and this particular post will focus on breakfast.

People’s Basics:

People’s exists on two levels.  The first floor is a vegetarian grocery store, and the upstairs offers prepared food – strictly vegan!

Again, ALL of the food on the second level is vegan!  People’s provides ingredient lists for all of its dishes, but folks wary of hidden dairy and eggs can relax and order without worry.

And the variety is abundant.  There are always two home made soups, an extensive “do it yourself” salad bar, a cold case of specialty salads (usually between four and eight options), the hot dishes (yum!), a bakery case (double yum!), and an additional cold case of packaged “to go” items, drinks, and tempting desserts.  Choose a plate for here, or take anything to go.  Keep it simple with rice, beans, and broccoli for $3.99 per pound, or treat yourself to the main fare for $7.29 per pound.  You can order as much, or as little, as your heart desires.  Oh, and the friendly folks behind the counter are incredibly knowledgeable and quick to offer a sample of whatever catches your eye.

People’s Breakfast:

At 8:00 a.m, every day, the doors open to a piping hot breakfast.  The options are fairly consistent:  there is usually (1) a tofu scramble, (2) potatoes, (3) sautéed greens, (4) biscuits and gravy, (5) rice, (6) beans, and (7) breakfast sandwiches.

Each option is excellent and beloved by the members.  The tofu scramble has subtle changes day-to-day (I love it when they put in sun dried tomatoes), but the seasoning is always perfect.  The potatoes come out of the oven crispy.  And believe it or not, the greens tend to disappear most quickly.  A popular version – called “Steve’s Greens” (pictured on my plate) – is a sauté of kale, garlic, onion, sunflower oil, and ume vinegar.  I could eat a whole plate full of these greens.  They are an easy way to get in a serving of veggies (or three) before lunch!

For vegans who miss comfort food, People’s offers their biscuits and gravy.  How can they make soft and fluffy biscuits without milk or butter?  Because the second floor is a vegan think tank.  These folks constantly brainstorm new ideas and experiment when the mood moves them.  For example, I walked in one morning to find (and devour) what might have been the best french toast of my life.  And why was it there?  Because, according to one inside source, “somebody felt like making it that day.”  This is the opposite of bureaucracy – this is a nimble organization driven by real people who want to offer healthy, creative food.

And at the same time, unsurprisingly, People’s knows how to do the basics well.  The brown rice is short grain perfection, and the beans (alternating between pinto and black) are firm, simple, and flavorful.  Standing alone, they are a great.  And paired with the other entrees, they provide a powerful foundation for a filling meal.

Finally, People’s has created its own Breakfast Sandwich made up from spelt English muffins, tempeh sausage, vegenaise, and tomato. The tempeh sausage is spicy and hearty.  The vegenaise provides a rich flavor, and the tomato provides the token produce that makes us feel better about eating the sandwich!  If you arrive at People’s hungry and are looking for something easy to eat on the go, the Breakfast Sandwich is a great choice.

You never know what vegan treasures you will find in the bakery section.  This morning, for example, People’s was featuring (1) Raspberry Chocolate Chip Scones, (2) Blueberry Muffins, and (3) Agave Raspberry Muffins.  The Raspberry Chocolate Chip Scones evoked my lust for chocolate and did not disappoint – I especially enjoyed where the soft raspberry flavor connected with the pockets of rich dark chocolate.

People’s also provides bagels twists from Point Loma Bagels that are free from egg and egg wash.  I confess I have never tried a bagel twist (I am far too devoted to the other breakfast options), but I have noticed that they fly off the shelves.

Finally, how could breakfast be complete without coffee or tea? People’s has set up a self serve station for both!  There are usually 3 coffees brews, one of which is decaf.  The tea rack is stocked with 12 different types of teas ranging from Yerba Mate to Lemon Ginger.  Need to add something to your drink?  No problem.  There is non-dairy creamer, sugar, and agave for your morning beverages.

My review of People’s could not possibly be complete if I didn’t mention the employees.  Quite simply, People’s people are the best.  They genuinely seem to enjoy the job, support the mission, and know the members. Their smiles, suggestions, and positive attitudes ensure that every experience at People’s is a bright point in my day.

http://www.obpeoplesfood.coop/

4765 Voltaire Street

San Diego, CA 92107

619.224.1387

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