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Mini Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Mocha Fudge and Coconut Tarts

#recipes #vegan #dessert #vegan dessert

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Broccoli Black Bean Salad

This salad tastes celebratory & decadent. I usually make it for special occasions or when I simply want to feel fancy with my brown bag lunches. The dill pared with the black bean, broccoli, and new potato, tossed into the white wine dressing is rich and divine. Enjoy!

Ingredients~

1 head of broccoli, chopped into bite sized chunks and steamed

1 lb tiny red new potatoes or finger potatoes

2 Tbsp white wine or vermouth

¼ tsp salt & dash of lemon pepper

2 large shallots, minced

1 tsp. grainy mustard

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 whole lemon, juiced

¼ c extra virgin olive oil

1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and drained

3 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1/3 C parsley, finely chopped

3 Tbsp capers

Steam potatoes and broccoli (separately) until tender. Drain and put into a bowl. Add wine, salt, pepper, and shallots–carefully toss to mix.

Put mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil in a jar. Seal tightly with lid, and shake well to blend. Pour over the potatoes and broccoli.

Add black beans, dill, parsley, and capers to salad–carefully toss to mix. 

Cover and refrigerate. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving.

Makes approx 6-12 servings, depending on if you eat it as a side dish, or a main dish. 

#vegan #gluten free #gfvegan #recipes

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Vegan Masala Cauliflower and Broccoli Tacos with Avocado Sauce  / Recipe

#recipes #vegan

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One Pan Singapore Noodles

#noodles #gf #gluten free #vegan

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gimme 😍

Mini Vegan Pizza Potato Skins

#vegan #gf #vegan pizza #recipes

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An Asian inspired Quinoa Salad recipe bursting with the colors of the rainbow! Peppers, Corn, Baby Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Carrot and Quinoa, tossed in a Tahini Ginger Dressing. Click here to check out our recipe for Rainbow Quinoa Salad! 

#recipes #gluten free #vegan

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Vegan/GF Raspberry Fig Bars

#recipes

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Strawberry Creme Truffles with only 5 ingredients:

For the filling:

1 cup coconut butter

1 cup sliced strawberries

2 T maple syrup

For the chocolate:

1 cup dark chocolate chips or my 3 ingredient chocolate recipe

3 T almond milk or milk of choice

have fun!

#recipes #vegan #chocolate #gluten-free #truffles #strawberries #whatveganseat

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Avocado Tofu Salad

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Falafel Curry

#recipes #vegan #gluten free #gf vegan

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Raw Vegan Key Lime Tarts

#recipes

[thepeacefulfight]

For the deodorant anon. I actually use a combination of coconut oil, cornstarch, baking soda, and then some lavender (or whatever you want) essential oil. It works well and if you put it in the fridge in a stick container it works just like regular deodorant.

Ooh, that sounds awesome! This message reminded me that I wanted to try making my own deodorant. ^^

#vegan deodorant #natural #homemade

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The creamiest vegan pasta you’ve ever seen.

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta on Minimalist Baker

#vegan #gluten free #recipes

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Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Exercises: Joint-Friendly Fitness Routines

Decrease Pain, Increase Energy

Exercise more to decrease pain and feel more energetic? Hardly seems possible with RA. But it’s true! Inactivity decreases joint motion and flexibility. Inactivity also can lead to weak muscles and deformed joints. Regular exercise helps reverse joint stiffness, builds muscle, and boosts overall fitness. With regular exercise, you can feel stronger with less fatigue. But first, see your doctor before starting an exercise program.

Choose Low-Impact Aerobics

These exercises build endurance and strong bones and also strengthen leg muscles. Low-impact aerobic exercises include stair climbing, walking, dancing, and low-impact cardio machines, like the elliptical trainer.

To do: Start by exercising a few minutes each day, adding more time as you can. Aim to exercise at a moderate pace, 30 to 60 minutes, most days each week.

Strengthen Muscles and Bones

Include resistance exercises two to three times a week to improve muscle strength and mobility and decrease joint pain. Stronger muscles decrease joint pain by better supporting the joints. Strengthening exercises also increase your metabolism and help you shed pounds.

To do: Use elastic bands, free weights, or machines for resistance. Ask the trainer at your local fitness center to show you how to use resistance machines.

Healthy Body, Healthy Heart

Aerobic exercise helps build a healthy body and a stronger heart. People with RA are more likely to develop heart disease. However, getting your heart pumping with exercise helps reduce that risk. Aerobic exercise reduces blood pressure and improves cholesterol. Because bone loss often occurs with RA, weight-bearing exercise like walking, dancing, and climbing stairs helps prevent osteoporosis.

Try Isometrics

When regular strength training is painful on the joints, isometric exercise is another way to build muscle. Isometrics involve tensing the muscle without any visible movement.

To do:  Isometric Chest Press: With your arms at chest level, press the palms of your hands together as hard as you can. Hold the press for 5 seconds; then rest for 5 seconds. Do another 5 second press and a 5 second rest. Do 5 repetitions. Slowly build up to holding the press for 10 to 15 seconds at a time. If this exercise hurts your joints, ask a trainer to show you another isometric chest exercise.

To do: Isometric Shoulder Extension: This isometric exercise is done standing with your back against a wall and your arms at your sides. With your elbows straight, push your arms back toward the wall. Hold for 5 seconds, and then rest. You can repeat this 10 times. If this exercise hurts your joints, ask a trainer to show you another isometric shoulder exercise.

To do: Thigh Exercise: Sit on the floor or a bed with one leg straight and the other bent. Then tighten the thigh muscles of your straight leg as hard as you can. Keep the thigh muscle tight and count to six.  Relax, and then repeat. Do with the opposite leg, gradually increasing up to five, then 10, then 15 repetitions, twice daily with each leg. If this exercise hurts your joints, ask a trainer to show you another isometric thigh exercise.

Stretch to Increase Flexibility

Regular stretching is important to increase flexibility and restore joint motion. To ease pain and stiffness, use moist heat or warm baths before and after stretching exercises. Also, warm up with light aerobic exercise such as walking for 10 minutes before stretching to decrease risk of injury. Hold stretches for 30 seconds without bouncing or jerking. Tip: Use a towel to bridge the distance between your hands if you cannot comfortably connect them.

Avoid High-Impact Exercise

High-impact exercises, such as jogging, running, or playing tennis on hard pavement, can put excess stress on your joints. Lifting heavy weights may also not be the best form of exercise for people with RA. Looking for a more intense workout? Talk with your doctor first to see if you can do more taxing exercises such as heavy weight lifting, tennis, basketball, or volleyball without risk of joint injury.

Balance Rest with Exercise

Fatigue is common with RA, making it difficult to feel energetic, so balance rest with exercise. During a flare, short periods of rest are important to reduce active joint inflammation and pain and to fight fatigue. This doesn’t mean bed rest, unless your doctor recommends it. Too much inactivity weakens muscles and can increase joint pain.

To view the full article click here

#rheumatoid arthritis #ra #arthritis #exercise #tips #spoonies

[thepeacefulfight]

these all look really good :) hopefully i’ll give it a try when i get back into a regular practice again

yoga for scorpion pose!

hello friends! i thought i would do a little guide for some yoga poses to help you deepen your lower back bend and build up strength for scorpion pose. keep in mind that scorpion is a very challenging inversion that requires a lot of arm, core, and back strength. incorporating these poses into your practice can help you work on all of those aspects!

arched 3-legged downward facing dog: begin in regular downward dog, and then swing your right leg back. bend the leg to the left and look up over your left shoulder. this will give you a deep back stretch and also work your arms and core.

king pigeon pose: lie on your stomach with your hands placed by your sides, elbows bent. bend your knees and gently push your upper body up, while continuing to support your back with your core.

two-legged inverted staff pose: i like to get into this by first pushing up into full wheel, and then easing down onto my forearms and straightening my legs. if you’re new to backbends, simply working on wheel is enough! transition to this one when you feel ready for a deeper lower back stretch. to come out, tuck your head through your shoulders and gently lower down onto your back. 

arched pigeon pose: one of my favourite backbends! get into pigeon and then gently look back behind you and use your core to support your backbend. you can hold onto your front leg for additional support. come back up slowly!

camel pose: standing on your knees, look back behind you and grab each leg at the ankles, one leg at a time. hold this for a couple of breaths, keep your core engaged and also feel the stretch in your quads and hip flexors. this is a great post-run pose for your legs as well!

full camel pose: much more advanced - you can get into this by lowering down to your forearms from camel, and you don’t have to keep ahold of your ankles. reach your arms back behind you to support yourself and don’t overstretch yourself!

forearm stand: when you feel comfortable doing headstands, forearm stands are the next inversion to try. go near a wall, set up so your hands are about a foot away, and get into dolphin pose. walk your feet toward your body as close as you can, then kick into it. make sure you’ve got the stability to hold forearm stand before you try to add the backbend.

forearm scorpion: get into your forearm stand, and first play around with bending your legs or incorporating a slightly bent back. you can also get used to the feeling by setting up close to the wall and gently walking your feet down and then back up - this is a great strength building exercise. as your back flexibility and strength increases, when you want to get deeper into the bend you will have to look further and further forward and shift your weight until you’re looking at the wall and not at the floor. 

remember to always take inversions very slowly and be careful. i know it seems really difficult, but if you take it slow there will come a day when it feels easier. and remember that flexibility is only a small part of the equation - one surefire way to improve at inversions is to work on strength - planks, pushups, and core. although they look very serene or easy in photos, inversions require a lot of physical strength and you will probably be sweating and breathing hard when practicing them - that’s totally normal! after a few forearm or handstand poses i always get up and give my arms a shake because otherwise they get very tired. always practice near a wall when you’re beginning and remember that yoga shouldn’t ever feel painful - discomfort from stretching is normal, pain isn’t. 

and don’t forget that modifying these poses to fit your own needs and flexibility is the best way to work on your own yoga journey. everyone starts somewhere and the only way to improve is to practice. :) 

happy inverting, friends! 

mat (provided by Manduka): Manduka Pro Black Sage

pants: Lululemon wunder under crops, summer 2013

#yoga #tips #scorpion #asana

[thepeacefulfight]

3 tips for beginner vegans

1. Educate yourself by:

-Watching Earthlings.

-Watching Gary Yourofsky’s speech on youtube

-Watching From farm to fridge

-Checking out websites such as http://notmilk.com/ and http://www.adaptt.org/

2. Research cruelty free brands of cosmetics and clothing so you will know what to buy before you go out

3. Eat enough calories so you won’t be tempted to eat non-vegan food

Also surround yourself with like minded people, tumblr has the best vegan community ever! :)

#veganism #vegan tips #beginner vegan #tips

[thepeacefulfight]

Vegan Stuffed Peppers! Sweet Bell Peppers stuffed with a hearty and filling mixture of tomatoes, wild rice, beans, vegetables and corn. A healthy, gluten free + delicious meal!

Get the recipe -> http://www.cearaskitchen.com/vegan-stuffed-peppers/

#vegan #gluten free #gfvegan #recipes #vegan food #gluten-free