• Makes: 1 Servings
• Ready In: 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5-10 mins
• Cook Time:

Okay, the image above is stretching it a little — there is no whipped cream topping for this luscious smoothie, but it’s so good it tastes like there could be!

• Makes: 1
• Ready In: 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5-10 mins
• Cook Time:

Avocados in smoothies add a creamy richness that’s filled with healthy-fats. Hint: leave the avocado pit in the half you don’t use for this recipe to keep the avocado green longer.

• Makes: 1 Servings
• Ready In: 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5-10 mins
• Cook Time:

Like the “little black dress” this basic smoothie can be dressed up by adding a few “accessories”. Not in the mood for pineapple? No problem, use blueberries, or apple, or peach, or mango or … you get the idea. No chard in the fridge? No worries. Use spinach, or kale, or romaine or … Just remember, the nutritionals listed below are for the specific ingredients listed. But seriously, even if the calorie count goes up a little, it won’t be a big deal.

• Makes: 2 Servings
• Ready In: 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time:

Here are some simple ways to make green smoothies taste delicious because who wants a drink that just tastes like blending spinach or kale.

I’m thrilled to be guest posting on Dr. Greene’s perspectives blog. The topic this whole week will be Thanksgiving, which remarkably is coming up very shortly! I hope these posts will help you plan a healthy, happy, and eco-friendly Thanksgiving with your family.

One way many families are cutting back their food budgets is by eating less meat. Meat costs a lot, utilizes way more natural resources in its production than alternative protein sources, and can be bad for us. For me, a vegetarian of 18 years (my, that makes me sound OLD), it comes naturally by now. Thank goodness, because I don’t think our budget could handle the expense of meat on a regular basis.

If for some reason you can’t find a locally raised turkey, or are already a vegetarian, I offer some ideas:

1. Here is a tasty and very fancy recipe for Butternut Lasagna that I made for Thanksgiving last year.  It isn’t super easy, but it is Thanksgiving after all, and this is a rich, tasty and fulfilling dish (even my traditional, meat loving father-in-law LOVED it.)
2. Check out this menu from Cooking Light.  I love the idea of a mushroom strudel: crispy, flaky, and flavorful. Wish me luck with that phylo-dough—it can be tricky.
3. Here are some good ideas at the Divine Dinner Party. You’ll see a variety of choices to get your thoughts flowing.  Once you see something you are interested in making you can explore recipes within that theme at other sites on in cookbooks.

I think one important message here is to make this meal different for the vegetarians, too.  We are all tired of regular vegetarian food (pasta, pizza, Mexicana).  Pick something unique and original for the vegetarians at your Thanksgiving dinner.

I worry a lot about global warming — ice caps melting; temperatures rising; more frequent and severe droughts, floods, and storms; more pests; and the increased spread of infectious diseases. The scary list goes on, and it often feels like we as individuals are helpless to make a dent in this environmental crisis. But since the majority of these problems are the result of the lifestyles we humans have chosen, lifestyle changes can also make a huge positive impact.

In doing research for my new cookbook, The Earthbound Cook , I learned that often the most effective ways to reduce our individual carbon footprint is to eat lower on the food chain. In the chart below (from the NRDC’s website), you’ll see the carbon dioxide equivalent of global warming pollution released by the production of different foods (equivalents are useful to compare different greenhouse gases; for example, cattle release huge amounts of methane, which is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide). Just choosing the chicken instead of the steak at a restaurant has a notable impact — and if you choose to eat vegetarian, especially foods that use little or no cheese, your footprint is even lighter.

Eating produce-based food is often more economical and healthier. Vegetarian proteins like beans and nuts have lots of fiber and no cholesterol. My family loves meat, but I’ve found that everyone is very satisfied with smaller servings if I make lots of delicious vegetable side dishes to fill us up and round out the meal. Eating this way doesn’t have to be a sacrifice at all; it’s healthy and delicious, and it can broaden your horizons.

Bonus Recipe:

Buckwheat Pasta with Tofu and Sesame Vegetables

My new book has a whole chapter devoted to vegetarian entrées, plus many other meat-free dishes throughout; here’s one I love that features buckwheat noodles, tofu for protein, and tons of healthy fresh veggies.

The key to this recipe lies in having everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. First the tofu is sautéed to give it a golden crust; then while the pasta is cooking, the vegetables are quickly stir-fried. The result is an easy vegetarian dish loaded with tasty vegetables, beautiful colors, and varying textures. One thing that we especially appreciate about this dish is that it’s great hot, at room temperature, or cold right out of the fridge. This is a perfect budget-friendly recipe that’s great to remember when you need to make a dish for a potluck or a party.

Continue on to Buckwheat Pasta with Tofu and Sesame Vegetables recipe.

Being a vegetarian or a vegan can be an option for a pregnant woman, if you make informed choices. Here are four things to keep in mind:

1. Being sure to get plenty of Vitamin B12, typically found in animal foods (meat, dairy products, and eggs), is especially important for pregnant and nursing women (and for babies and children). Good sources of B12 for vegetarians are dairy products and eggs. Vegans should be sure their diet includes foods that are fortified with B12, like fortified breakfast cereals, fortified yeast extract, and fortified soy milk. Red Star Nutritional Yeast, Vegetarian Support Formula, for example, is one reliable vegan source of B12. It tastes great as a seasoning sprinkled on soups, salads, and even popcorn. And don’t forget, a prenatal vitamin is an important safety net for all women.

Read more from Can You Be Vegetarian or Vegan while Pregnant?

Part One – B12
Part Two – Calcium
Part Three – Variety and Organics

I often hear from parents who are concerned because their children will not eat meat, for one reason or another. A study published in the May 2002 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine provides some encouraging news.

Researchers looked at the diets of almost 5000 students at over 30 different middle and high schools, to find out how well they were meeting the Healthy People 2010 nutrition guidelines established by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

On average, vegetarian kids had healthier diets and were more likely to meet the Healthy People 2010 standards. Notably, they had a healthier total fat intake, a healthier saturated fat intake, more servings of vegetables, more servings of fruits, less fast food, less junk food, and less fruit drinks and regular soda. On the down side, they did consume more diet soda, more caffeine, and less vitamin B12.

Many parents ask me, “What about iron?” Vegetarians did a better job of getting the iron they need than their non-vegetarian peers.

Whatever may be true theoretically, the typical vegetarian diet found in real life was significantly healthier than the typical non-vegetarian diet.