Low carb Vegan Snack Idea

This is my favorite snack:

Tofu Life brand smoked tofu (http://tofu-life.com/) tastes like gouda cheese almost. It is good even without comparing it to gouda. Since I haven't had gouda in about 6 years now, I can't give you an accurate evaluation either way.


18 g of protein in 1/2 the block (which is all you need, it's really rich)
3 carbs


Flax crackers by Foods Alive (http://www.foodsalive.com/original.php):

6 g of protein
Carb 11 - Fiber 11 = 0 net carbs

Water. You have to drink extra water because the more fiber you have the more packed your intestines will be if you don't.

Once I get the dehydrator, I'm making my own flax crackers and kale/nutritional yeast chips!

What to do with Kale?

Here's a quick copy and paste job from a Facebook post I made regarding what to do with kale if you don't have a dehydrator (which I'm getting as soon as I return from Florida).


I just clean it, chop it (stems and all) and steam in the following broth:

1 teaspoon ancient mineral salt with naturally occurring iodine
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 to 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 cup of water
1/4 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon olive oil or coconut oil

Then the broth is used as a soup starter, to make a dressing, or drink it.

Another idea is:

Pulse washed, rinsed raw kale (stems and all) in the food processor to release the natural sugars and reduce bitterness. Then add some red and orange veggies too. Carrots and red peppers.

Serve with chick pea dressing I slap together:

1 can rinsed chickpeas soaked in water for 10 min. then rinsed again
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 to 1 teaspoon. ancient mineral salt with naturally occurring iodine
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

Process until smooth.

It should be dressing consistency if not, add more water in smallish amounts.

8 lbs! lost in a few weeks: Cinnamon, Lowish Carb, Highish Protein, High Intensity Interval Training...

I'm heading out to Florida in a couple days so I don't have the time right now to list out all the recipes and the different products I'm using for low-ish carb, high-ish protein, medium fat (or low, it just depends on what works for you and you alone), vegan food. This is not gluten or soy free, but it's mostly tempeh, lots of greens (kale), and my Plant Fusion (a very excellent protein profile without limiting amino acids and has BCAAs to help protect my muscles) protein smoothies.

Here's the recipe for the Plant Fusion smoothie:

1 1/2 scoops of Plant Fusion*
8 oz. Plain Almond Milk
2-4 oz. Cold Water
2 ice cubes
1 tablespoon 3/6/9 Oil
1/2 tablespoon Vitamineral Green super food
1/2 to 1 frozen banana
1 tablespoon (yes, it's a lot) of Ceylon Cinnamon (this is a sweet, not bitter, real cinnamon)

*30 g of protein. I like to get 20 - 30 g per meal x 5 low cal (200-250) meals to make it about 1000 - 1100 calories a day but without hunger due to the protein levels. This is what works for me.

Blend until smooth, scrape the sides. Add small amounts of water to get it to thin out as you like it.

Why Cinnamon?

It provides an excellent metabolism boost among other major benefits. My mother is an RN and has recommended it to people with type 2 Diabetes, they don't have to take insulin anymore. Women suffering from PCOS (like I used to before I lost the weight) have taken it and have conceived afterwards. I feel that cinnamon combined with resistance, high intensity interval training and high plant protein with low-ish refined carbs (I eat all the greens I want) has had amazing results for me.

Cinnamon and Glucose
In a study conducted at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, scientists isolated the insulin-enhancing elements in cinnamon in order to determine if they could work effectively with glucose intolerance. The research showed that the phytochemical extracts of epicatechin, phenol and tannin contained in cinnamon helped increase the metabolism of glucose "20 fold." According to Dr. Richard A. Anderson, who conducted the study, consuming approximately ½ teaspoon of cinnamon per day can help balance blood sugar levels, along with cholesterol and triglycerides with no side effects.

In an article published in the American Diabetes Association's "Diabetes Care," a study created by Alam Khan, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Anderson's lab, corroborated that cinnamon is able to improve conditions in blood glucose type 2 diabetes. He divided 60 people with the disease into groups, with some taking daily doses of cinnamon and others taking a placebo. After 40 days, those consuming cinnamon showed a marked positive change in glucose levels. Once the diabetics stopped taking cinnamon, their blood sugar levels rose again.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/110751-cinnamon-glucose-levels/#ixzz1AH8ot0nq