Feed. The. Hunger.

SOME PEOPLE. Let me just tell you. Although I share lots of my own advice on here and have lots of great tips for healthy vegan eating, weight loss, and strength training, I by no means ever purport that my way works for everyone. It clearly doesn't. This comes to mind because several people recently suggested that I should stop eating fruit to help me lose weight, since it has a high glycemic index. After 1.5 weeks of eating oatmeal and fruitless smoothies for breakfast, my body was craving fruit this morning. So you know what I did? I ate half an apple before my oatmeal. *SHOCKER* The sad part is that I was worried about it the whole time I was eating it and that I stressed out about whether to eat it or not in the first place. I can't wait to stop by the store later today and pick up my blueberries and oranges to start "indulging" again in the mornings. Starting my day with fruit makes my day every day and helps my digestion so much. Again, this is just me. So, today's mantra: "Feed the hunger." I'm not talking about cheesecake here people (although it has its time and place). I'm talking about when you have detoxed your body to the point where your body actually tells you exactly what nutrients its craving. It's a beautiful thing.

So now, here I sit munching down my multigrain oatmeal with cinnamon, stevia, vanilla and chia seeds. Have you ever put chia seeds in oatmeal. Chewy food lovers beware - this will be an addiction. Delicious!

In just a few hours, I'll be crying on the gym floor and loving every minute of it. I've got a protein shake (just soy milk, ice, and protein powder) and beautiful salad waiting for me when I get home. 

Raw collard greens, spring mix, broccoli sprouts, grape tomatoes, green bell pepper, and 1/2 an avocado. WHERE'S THE PROTEIN?!? you ask? In the dressing!!! See below.

For this awesome salad, I take NO CREDIT. Well, ok the vegetable medley was my making, but the dressing is the awesome creation of Kasey at http://powercakes.net/. What an inspiration this girl is. Here's the awesome dressing recipe, totaling the salad at over 20 grams protein:

• 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp. tahini
• 4 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. kelp powder 
• black pepper to taste

If you don't have kelp powder, no worries - just leave it out and maybe add a dash of salt. Also, if it turns out too thick, which mine sometimes does, just add a drizzle of unsweetened almond or soy milk. Capiche? Capiche. 

Stay healthy all you out there. And feed that hunger.