Month: March 2013

guacamole

I was actually taping a video about how to make my favorite guacamole when half way through the filming the camera shut off and I didn’t realize it till I had already made a ton of guacamole. So of course, I stuffed my face with fresh guacamole (after taking that picture for you guys, of course!) and decided it would have to be a post for now! The thing I love about guacamole is that everyone has their own way of making it, every restaurant and every person I have asked always has their own favorite spin on it. Mine is pretty simple, fruity, mild and tomato-less. You could find that totally boring or amazingly delicious but the fabulous thing about guacamole is that you start with an avocado and then it’s really up to you from there. So I’ve included my recipe below but I would love for you to comment, email and tweet me YOUR special guac recipes! Maybe we can make a Guac -Ten ways post and I can share some of your tips & tricks (and of course give you proper kudos!).

CASSANDRA’S FAVORITE GUAC

1 avocado : cut in half, pit removed, then cut horizontally and vertically a couple times before taking your knife around the edge by the skin and allowing the avocado to fall out of the shell
3 whooping tbsp of chopped onions
half of a mango diced
juice of half a lime
1/4 tsp of salt

Chips made from whole wheat pita’s cut into triangles and baked in the oven for 5 -10 minutes! Such an easy and delicious snack! Oh and did I mention it’s naturally VEGAN!? Win! 🙂

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan, vegetarian and low fat recipes and diet advice. Let me know what healthy recipes you want to see on the site and ask any questions your may have. I’m here to help!

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Clean up your diet! But before you even begin to do that you should clean up your kitchen!! That’s a real pic of my actual kitchen cabinet before and after I cleaned and organized it. I don’t know if you can tell but in the latter picture, I have my spices and canned goods on the first most accessible shelf, my baking products on the middle shelf (because I use them a great deal) and then my carb stuff all the way at the top so it’s out of my eye line and I’m not constantly looking at it. Cleaning was also a great way for me to go through and ditch things I no longer eat or stuff I know I shouldn’t be eating! A great way to start off a healthy, clean diet is to do a complete overhaul of your kitchen. It sends signals to your brain that a big change is going on and opens it up for a fresh beginning! If you take action, toss those unhealthy leftovers, naughty things lurking in your freezer or fridge and organize your cabinets in a smart creative way, maybe even add some fun motivational quotes in there, you are setting yourself up for success! And now every time you walk into your kitchen you’ll be reminded of it!! Go get cleaning and send me your before and afters! I can’t wait to see!

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan, vegetarian and low fat recipes and diet advice. Let me know what healthy recipes you want to see on the site and ask any questions your may have. I’m here to help!

Have you been tossing around the idea of going meatless this Monday?! Even if you haven’t till you read this post, I hope now you are. I understand the overwhelmingness of giving up meat for a lifetime or maybe even a couple months but how about for just one day a week? I’ve already written a post about why this is a fabulous idea and all the benefits you’ll reap from just one day off meat, so if you haven’t read that, check it out here.

Alright, so now you know why going meatless one day is a great start (or you skipped the article and are taking my word for it)! The great thing about going vegetarian for one day a week is that it allows you to experiment with all sorts of different food choices you might normally pass over for some chicken or steak! However, I often find my carnivorous friends struggling to eat anything more than carbs when they first try this out and that’s no bueno! So to make your meatless Mondays even easier, every Monday I’ll be posting a meat free meal plan full of easy practical options for you to indulge in and start your week off right! Of course you needn’t follow it exactly if you have some yummy meat free ideas of your own add them in! And please comment below and let me know some great things you’ve been eating!

Meatless Monday Meal Plan #1

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with almond milk, fresh berries and sprinkled with chia seeds
OR
Fresh green juice (if your one of hose people who aren’t very hungry in the morning)

Lunch:
A nice big bowl of lentil soup
OR
A make-it-yourself salad (but what about protein?! Lentils, kidney beans, black beans, quinoa, edamame or grilled tofu are all great protein packed salad add ons!)

Dinner:
Feeling decadent? Try my skinny eggplant parmigiana recipe
OR
Quinoa with sautéed spinach, onions, asparagus, zucchini, whatever veggies your heart desires..

Snacks:
Almond butter with sliced apples
Carrots or broccoli with hummus
Kale chips

Yay!! Your going to make it through this meatless Monday and maybe even find you enjoy some of these meat free options more than you’d ever imagine!

 

 
 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

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Nestled right across the street from Urban Outfitters on 14th st and 6th ave, Gusto Organics is a great place to stop in and grab a healthy lunch or dinner. What makes Gusto so incredible is that they are not only vegan/ vegetarian friendly but meat eater friendly as well! It’s hard enough finding a good, organic restaurant with vegan and vegetarian food but finding one that can also appease your meat loving friends is an all around win. Everything on the menu is very health conscious and obviously organic, I ordered the lentil, eggplant veggie burger and my girl friend ordered their lentil stew with a side of quinoa. Everything was fabulous. Personally, the veggie burger bun was a little much for me and I could of just eaten the veggie burger topped with guacamole solo but good faux burger nonetheless! I love the lentil eggplant combination, filled with tons of protein. My friends lentil stew also looked amazing, can you tell I’m a lentil lover?! Regardless what your healthy pleasure is, I’m sure you can find something to appease your palette at Gusto Organics. Give it a try and let me know what you get!

 

 
 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)


Watch me make a delicious vegan breakfast parfait in just minutes! A great way to incorporate a little low fat, healthy vegan eating into your day right from the start! Enjoy and share with your friends! 🙂

 

 

 

 

Thanks for watching! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

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There’s not much I love more than a nice New York brunch, except maybe a nice NY vegan brunch! I can not believe I’ve lived in New York for almost four years and hadn’t stumbled upon this adorable vegan spot earlier! Located right by Washington Square Park “Sacred Chow” is your typical adorable hole in the wall little vegan joint. I had a lovely little brunch date with my girlfriend there and we both loved our food and giant mimosas, hehe. She got the Sardinian omelet and I indulged in their belgian waffles with coconut whipped cream and fresh fruit! Yummy! We both agreed we’ll definitely have to go back and try out their dinner menu. I’d highly recommend brunch here if your just going vegan and want to treat yourself. It’s a cute place with delicious food in one of my favorite nyc neighborhoods!

Visit their website to view their whole menu!

 

 
 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

awareness

As all of you Facebook fans know, I am doing Oprah & Deepak Chopra’s 21 day Meditation challenge! If your not in the loop on Facebook, click here and fix that! I have absolutely loved challenging myself to make time for a meditation each day with the over all concept being meditating on perfect health. As per usual on Monday, I had set out with the intention of writing my “Monday Motivation” post after my meditation but as soon as I saw our centering thought for today’s meditation, I knew I had to share it with you! So let’s all take a moment, take a deep breath, wash away all the scattered thoughts of the day and think about ” with awareness, I create healthy habits”. In the pre-meditation discussion, Deepak explains how so many of our unhealthy habits come out of our unconscious actions. We’re so used to reaching for the sugar to put in our morning coffee, taking the elevator instead of the stairs, or even worse, smoking cigarettes or grabbing fast food on the go, that we’re not actually self aware to what we’re doing.  Being self aware is one of the crucial tools to creating balance and health in your body. Be aware of your actions, be aware of what your putting into your body, ask yourself questions before you eat something or skip the gym. ” How is this helping me?” “What is this doing for my body?” So many times all it takes to make the right decision is asking yourself one easy question because in that question you become aware and connected to that moment and are no longer on the conveyor belt of your usual pattern. Let’s take this monday to carve a few minutes out for yourself and just repeat those centering words, “With awareness, I create healthy habits.” Think about what habitual, unconscious things you do that could be affecting your health in a negative way and what things you could consciously create as new, improved, healthy habits. Perfect health, vitality, energy , a fit body and a balanced mind all start here. Get aware!

 

To join the meditation challenge with me, click here and sign up for free! http://www.chopracentermeditation.com/bestsellers/ProgramPage.aspx?bookid=178&id=7733

 

 

 

 
 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

In honor of St. Patty’s day this “Brainless Baking” segment is about how to make a fat free, fun, festive green icing for your low cal funfetti cupcakes! But you can use this recipe for all sorts of different frosting variations! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Thanks for watching! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

organice ave

March has gotten off to a manic start for me, not that I can complain, I am much happier when I have a lot on my plate but that doesn’t always help me from feeling overwhelmed and even anxious at times. I’m sure you can relate! Sometimes you just get into that rut where there are never enough hours in the day, your head is spinning and your to-do list gives you an anxiety attack, hey, we’re human. As a New Yorker, sometimes I feel like this is a much more common state of being than in other parts of the country but that’s a whole other story! Anyways, in times of high stress and anxiety we tend to reach for comfort food. Had a bad day? You deserve a cupcake! This week been really rough at work? Let’s just stay in and order pizza. Now I’m not saying you don’t deserve a cupcake because I love cupcakes! I am saying that when your looking for something to calm your mind and balance your stressed out body, our go-to “comfort foods” do the exact opposite! Shoveling some unrefined cards down your throat is sure to give you a little pep in your step for an hour (if your lucky) but then ultimately leave you more ravenous then before and feeling empty. Same thing goes for that pizza.

So when I’m having an awful day, what do I reach for? GREEN JUICE! I know, you probably want to punch me, right? Well just hear me out. Imagine how you feel when your stressed and anxious, now think about the effect those feelings have on your body, your organs, right down to the cells. I’ll give you a hint, you’re also putting all that stress on to them! What did they ever do to you? When I reach for a green juice or whatever fresh vegetable juice I fancy that day, it reminds me that I love my body! I am so lucky to have this wonderful body that can withstand so much stress, that gets me through each day and that I am still in control of what I put in to it. To me, drinking some fresh green juice feels like a nice warm blanket all over my body. I’m getting lots of nutrients and it’s helping my body return to balance! I don’t crash in an hour and I don’t wake up the next morning next to a pizza box and feel awful about myself. But hey, if you drink your green juice, relax, center yourself and couple hours later (with a more level head) you want a cupcake or a slice of pizza, go for it! Just don’t forget to have your comfort juice!

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

strawberry chia seed pancake

These quick and easy to make strawberry chia seed protein pancakes are delicious! I literally ate four before stopping to take a picture for you guys! Loaded with good for you chia seeds and sweet strawberries, I can’t think of a sweeter and skinnier way to start your day! These protein packed pancakes are delicious for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a great low fat snack to help fight that late afternoon hunger. Low fat, low cal and easy to make. Your diet’s already saying thank you!!

STRAWBERRY CHIA PANCAKES

4 or 5 chopped strawberries
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsp of fat free plain greek yogurt
1 heaping tbsp of chia seeds
a dash of agave nectar (optional)
4 tbsp of oat bran

Mix all the ingredients together, adding your strawberries last and then proceed as you would with a normal pancake! Spray some pam or cooking spray into your frying pan and pour some of the batter in and flip when ready. Super easy! Super sweet! These little pancakes taste so good you don’t even need any syrup or butter! FYI, this recipe is for an individual portion so multiply as necessary when eating with others. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for watching! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)