Today I’m sharing literally the easiest recipe ever with you all! This is my go to meal when I have no time at all and still want to eat healthy. This keeps me on track with my health and wellness goals. My yummy Tomato & Chickpea Soup is so delicious and filling.
I also love how easy it is to whip up for work. If I’m unsure as to what to bring with me, this recipe is great. It takes very little time to make and it’s packed with nutritious ingredients to fuel me for a long shift ahead. It’s also great as a meal prep option for go to dinners after work. It’s easy to store in a container and reheated for a quick dinner option.
I like adding chickpeas to my tomato soup to bulk it up a little and make the meal more filling and satisfying. Chickpeas are a powder house of protein too! They pack in at 14.5 g of protein and 12.5 g of fiber in just one cup of chickpeas! They also contain magnesium, iron, calcium and potassium. I feel so good about adding them to my meals for all the added health benefits.
I don’t add any oil to my meals in order to reduce the over all calories content. Just one tablespoon of oil is an added 120 calories. I don’t feel good about adding empty calories into my meals. Most people will add way more than one tablespoon of oil to meals. That’s a lot of extra unnecessary calories! It won’t add any added flavour to the meal. I feel like people put in their heads that they need it for flavour. In reality you really won’t miss it! You can add extra flavour with oil free broth, bouillon, herbs and other seasonings. Skip the oil to save on calories!
I hope you enjoy my easy recipe. Please tag me on IG @ VeganMommyDee if you decide to make it. I hope it helps you on busy days when you don’t have time to cook a complicated recipe. This recipe takes very little time and it’s absolutely delicious. I will also add the recipe video below for those of you who enjoy watching me make my easy recipes. If you haven’t already Subscribed to my YouTube channel, then please consider doing so now. I have loads of easy to make recipe videos on my channel. Thanks for the support and love! I appreciate each and every one of you!
Tomato & Chickpea Soup
Ingredients:
⁃ 796 ml can of fire roasted tomorrow
⁃ 796 ml can of whole peeled tomatoes
⁃ 398 ml can of chickpeas, rinsed
⁃ 398 ml of water or oil free veggie broth
Seasonings:
⁃ 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
⁃ 1 tsp. Onion Powder
⁃ 1 Tbsp. Dry Oregano
⁃ Sprinkle of Black pepper
⁃ Sprinkle of Umami mushroom seasoning
⁃ 1 Tbsp. of Basil, fresh or dry
⁃ 1 tsp. Oil free Veggie Bouillon (Optional)
Method:
1. Add the tomatoes, water and seasonings to a soup pot.
2. Use a potato masher to chop the whole tomatoes a little. You can also just buy chopped tomatoes in a can and skip this step all together.
3. Allow to cook on a medium heat for 15-20 minutes with the lid on.
4. Add the chickpeas to the soup and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes with the lid off.
5. I add a little Himalayan pink salt when serving the soup.
I’m enjoying my veggie garden and it’s abundance this year more than ever. With COVID-19 happening I still only shop when necessary. I love being able to grow my own veggies so I don’t have to buy as much produce at the grocery store. Being able to just walk outside and pick my own veggies is the best feeling ever!
I also love how fresh my home grown produce is. Honestly it even tastes better! Currently I’m obsessed about how my Green peppers taste. I feel so grateful to be able to grow these healthy foods. I feel so energetic and happy during this time of year. It’s probably because of a combination of things I’m sure. I eat even healthier, fresher and more organic food than other times of year for starters. I feel way more active as I’m busy gardening and taking a couple long walks daily. The amount of vitamin D I’m also getting daily makes a huge difference in my wellness.
Do you want to make a spread/dip that taste delicious and is good for you? Yes healthy spreads like this one can actually taste fantastic and be full of flavor!
I love how I can quickly make this recipe using my food processor and it stores so well in the fridge for up to a week. Part of staying on track is having those healthy snacks and foods handy. You don’t want to get tempted to eat unhealthy options. We don’t make the greatest choices when we’re hungry and in a hurry. We need easy healthy options that are already ready to go in the fridge in order to be successful.
I love making this spread because I can create a meal that’s fiber and protein rich. It keeps me feeling full for a long time and it pairs great with potatoes or rice.
I add kale in this recipe because I have an abundance of it growing in my veggie gardens. If you prefer spinach you can also use that in this recipe. Both healthy greens will work great in my recipe.
This recipe is oil free so this lowers the calories considerably. Added oil would add hundreds of calories to this recipe. In my opinion that totally unnecessary. Why add refined unhealthy oil to such a healthy recipe? I love cooking oil free. It keeps my food lower in calorie density. Less calories and more food is a reality when you eat this way. It’s life changing!
BLACK BEAN & KALE SPREAD
INGREDIENTS:
2 cans of black beans
3 large kale leaves
Juice of 1 medium lemon
Spices: Garlic Powder, Paprika & Chili Powder. Start with 1 tbsp. and adjust flavor according to preference
1 tbsp Hot sauce (optional)
METHOD:
1. Rinse canned beans and add them to a food processor.
2. Add the juice of 1 lemon and spices.
3. Place the kale in the food processor.
4. Pulse until a smooth consistency.
5. Place the bean spread into an airtight container and add the optional hot sauce if desired. Mix well.
6. The spread will stay fresh in the fridge for up to one week. If it lasts that long!
ENJOY!
I will add a video of me making this yummy dip to this post. If you haven’t already Subscribed to my YouTube channel please consider doing so if you enjoy healthy recipes.
Calling all Pesto sauce lovers!!! I have a recipe that you will not only love but it’s actually healthy too.
Do you love Pesto but hate all the calories associated with it? Traditional pesto is loaded with oil which is just empty calories. Did you know that each tablespoon you use will add on 120 calories to your meal? I don’t know about you but I’m not interested in adding on all these extra unneccessary calories. I also don’t know any person that just adds one tablespoon of oil to their food when they cook. Think about how much oil is called for in traditional pesto recipes. Add up all those extra calories. It’s actually pretty horrifying. If those extra calories came from wholesome unrefined foods then I wouldn’t worry about it. Oil of any kind has been refined and adds no benefits to our health contrary to popular belief however.
If you want to read more about the hazards of including oil in your diet I recommend you check out Dr. Mcdougall’s website and pick up some of his amazing books. The Starch Solution will open your eyes to a weath of information and practical tips.
My recipe for pesto is oil free, nut free and dairy free. I eliminated a ton of calories and I only use real whole foods. I believe that the food we eat should be full of nutrients and vitamins. This is the food of vitality and wellness. This is the food I want to fuel my body with and I hope you do too.
So what if pasta isn’t your thing? Yes some people just aren’t big pasta fans. It’s true but hard to believe I know! Don’t fret because you can also use this fresh oil free pesto sauce on baked or boiled potatoes which is amazing. It will take your plain potatoes to a whole new level trust me! It’s also a great alternative to adding unhealthy butter or sour cream to your potatoes. I also like to top my rice with a little of this pesto sauce too. It gives your rice a bit of extra flavour and colour which is really nice.
Here is my healthy and super easy to make recipe for Pesto. This recipe is made using Arugula and Spinach which is probably very easy to find for everyone. I do like to use Fresh Basil when I have it but it doesn’t have to be the staple ingredient in pesto. I love how you can play around with different healthy greens to create new and wonderful pesto recipes. You can never get sick of pesto sauce when you try new greens and create new ways of making this fabulous sauce.
Healthy Arugula & Spinach Pesto Pasta
Ingredients:
• 3 cups Arugula & Spinach Mix • Juice of 1 large lemon • 5 cloves of garlic • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds or Sunflower seeds • Salt & Pepper • 1 cup chopped Tomatoes • 1-2 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast • 5 cups pasta of choice. I used Quinoa Pasta.
Method:
1. Boil large pot of water and add in the pasta. Cook according to directions on pasta packaging.
2. Add all ingredients to a food processor. Combine well.
3. In a large bowl add the pasta and mix in the pesto sauce.
* Serves 4 people *
Enjoy!
If you want to see how I made my recipe then just take a peek at my video below. It’s my latest recipe video on my YouTube channel.
Happy Sunday to you all! I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy. It’s pretty crazy how quickly things have changed in the world and it’s definitely a scary time.
With all the extra time on most people’s hands I’ve noticed a lot more people cooking up a storm. People are trying new recipes and getting inspiration from each other. I think this is fantastic because we can now get back to basics and learn how to prepare healthier homemade meals.
Many people are worried about weight gain because of all the inactivity during isolation. This is definitely valid but It’s pretty easy to keep our diet clean. By eating whole foods, drinking plenty of water, and making those homemade meals this is easily controlled. Yes we will snack a little more but if we choose wholesome foods then we shouldn’t worry to much about weight gain. When weather permits then get outside and take a walk or go for a run. It’s not only good for our waistline but also for our mental health.
I’ve had many people ask me for my simple instapot immune boosting veggie soup. I decided to make a little video making it so you can see how easy it is to make. It’s filled with amazing immune boosting veggies and you can use fresh or frozen veggies. It will all work for this easy soup. At this point in time it’s sometimes difficult to get certain foods because of the COVID-19 situation. We are also limited to how many items we can buy so this can be difficult at times. I’ve been making this soup a lot because it’s easy to make, fast, I can use whatever veggies I have and I feel like my family could benefit from the immune boosting properties in the soup. It’s a win in every way! Let me know what your go to meal is these days in the comments.
Enjoy my recipe and please tag/mention me here or Instagram if you make it. If you haven’t already followed me on YouTube I would truly appreciate your support. Please Like and Subscribe to my channel. Don’t forget to stay connected with me across social media as well. Stay Healthy my friends!
I hope everyone is doing well! We’re entering the holiday season already!!! Can you believe it? How are we in November already? For us Canadian’s we’ve already celebrated Thanksgiving and we have Halloween behind us as well now. For my friends in the USA Thanksgiving is approaching for you guys and all the goodies will soon be eaten.
As we head into a season of over consumption that tends to throw our health goals on the back burner. We attend social engagements and host parties for family and friends. This is a time of a whole load of “cheat days”! We can’t say no to all these comfort foods and the loving people who made them. It’s definitely a difficult time and will power is at an all time low.
I don’t like to say no to goodies during the holiday season but I do try to balance my diet on a whole. I will eat super clean and indulge on a few treats or calorie rich foods at parties. I feel like if over all your eating really healthy then it’s not terrible to enjoy the season fully.
One of the things that I’ve already started to do is make as much as possible homemade. Veggie burgers are a wonderfully easy lunch or dinner but boy do they pack in the calories for each little patty! I started thinking I should just avoid eating them during this time because they weren’t as healthy as I originally thought. Then I thought to myself hey wait, I can make my own and then I can control what’s in them! That decision was the best thing I’ve done in a long time. I’ve now created some pretty epic burgers now!
Below is my latest healthy burger recipe. It’s a Chickpea & Veggie burger that’s loaded with nutrition! No mystery ingredients in these healthy burgers. My burgers are made with whole foods and I use gluten free oats in my veggie burgers as well. If you follow a gluten free diet then I got you covered too. Hurray!
If you want to see me make these veggie burgers then check out my latest YouTube video. I’ll add a link below to my channel. If your not already Subscribed to my channel please consider doing so now. Please also share my videos with anyone you know that might find them helpful. I truly appreciate your support. I’ll be posting new healthy recipes this month that will be especially helpful during this holiday season. We all need a little help sometimes and I have your back. Together we can stay on track with our health fitness and wellness goals! We’ve got this! Here’s my recipe below, enjoy!
CHICKPEA & VEGGIE BURGERS
Ingredients:
– 2 cups canned chickpeas
– 2 cups mixed frozen veggies
– 1 cup cooked brown rice
– 1 cup oats flour
– 2 Tbsp. flaxmeal
– splash of coconut aminos
– 1 red bell pepper
– seasonings of choice. I used paprika, garlic, salt & pepper, and chili powder.
Method:
1. Process the chickpeas and pepper and then transfer them to a bowl.
2. Slightly process mixed cooked veggies & flaxmeal.
3. Add the veggies to the Chickpea mixture. Add seasonings & combine well.
4. Slowly add the oats to the mixture a little at a time. Mix well.
5. Place in fridge to set for 2 hour or at least 20 minutes if your in a hurry.
6. Place scoops of the mixture on a non stick cookie sheet or use parchment paper on the pan. Mold them into patties.
7. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Flip them half way through.
Instead of starting new goals on June 1st I decided to shake it up a little and implement them now. I’m kinda in the feeling high vibrational mode and I thought why not just jump into it? New goals are a way we can say I’m important and I want to implement changes right now.
I was never one of those people who started new challenges or goals in the new year. As if January 1st will magically make you ready to accomplish all your goals. I feel like we all know when the right time is and we get that nudge to make changes when we are meant to. There is no perfect time of the year or situation. We just have to trust our intuition and roll with it. In my experiences the biggest changes are made this way.
This week my 18 year old and I signed up at a gym together. We decided that we will get healthier, fitter and work towards our goals together. This brings us an opportunity to spend one on one time together as well. I’m a mother of 5 and any opportunity for quality time is wonderful! Together we will motivate each other as well as enjoy some good laughs. After all I’m rusty and haven’t been working out hard for a long while now! My daughter has never been a gym person until now as well. Lots of learning and life experiences lay ahead.
It’s also 24 hours so even though I work 12 hour shifts I will still have ample time to fit my workout in. We made sure we picked a place that covered all the bases. No excuses! I look forward to my new challenges and I cant wait to bring myself to a healthier state. I’ll bring you guys along with me as well. I’ll post about my health journey and record videos for my YouTube channel (Vegan MommyDee).
Have you recently started implementing new things into your life? Have you set some new goals too? I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments what’s happening with you. Let’s support and encourage one another on this wellness journey!
~Vegan Mommy Dee~ 
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