[WannaBe] Chef Antonio Beratelli AND killer workouts

Do you ever go out to eat at a great Italian restaurant and order the creamy tomato sauce on one of the pasta dishes? It's heavenly. It's very non-vegan, but heavenly. Well, I was determined to recreate it, and I've been flirting with this combination of flavors for a while. Today, I think it hit it. Even better? It's pretty darn healthy.

Vegan Creamy Tomato Sauce
1/2 large yellow onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
3 medium sized carrots, diced
2 c. broccoli, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, diced
2 cups spaghetti/pasta sauce
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/3 c. pesto
2/3 c. vegan cream cheese [I use Better than Cream Cheese by Tofutti]
2 tsp. pasta sprinkle
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

First, heat a large sautè pan over med/high heat. Add onion and sautè for 2 min. Add garlic and sautè 1 min. Add carrots and broccoli and sautè 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and sautè 2 minutes. When natural juices from vegetables start to dry up, add the pasta sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir and REDUCE HEAT to med/low.

Let simmer until heated through. Add pesto and vegan cream cheese and keep stirring until melted and mixed thoroughly. Add all spices and stir thoroughly. Remove from heat.

Serve over polenta, rice, couscous, quinoa, or pasta of your choice. [My favorite is couscous!]

Serves 4-5.

Nutrition facts:

252 calories

6 grams protein

Vegan creamy tomato sauce served over Trader Joes' polenta.
Garnished with fresh basil. 

Nutrition facts with polenta:

390 Calories

10 grams protein

SUBSTITUTIONS:

• If you don't have vegan pesto on hand, just add some extra basil and a drizzle of olive oil at the end just after you turn the heat off. If you have vegan parmesan cheese on hand, that would be a great addition as well, but I don't think it's critical to the flavor.
• You can really add whatever veggies you want to this. The sauce is what makes the dish, although I do think the green bell pepper is pretty critical to the mix of flavors. 
• If you don't have nutmeg on hand, you can also try allspice or pumpkin pie spice, as funny as that sounds. Nutmeg is the best, but the others will do the savory trick as well. 

I cannot wait to come home to eat this for dinner tonight, especially after my killer workout this morning. The last week or so, I found myself stuck in a lifting routine where I was just going through the motions. I had stopped getting sore after my workouts and really wanted to switch it up. After you-tubing a few new ideas, I am following a 2 day workout routine, 4 day split. This means I did day one today and day 2 tomorrow. Then I'll take a rest or cardio day, followed by a repeat of the 2 days. 

I also seriously increased my weight today. WOMEN - LIFT HEAVY WEIGHTS! That's an order. It is by far the most efficient way to burn calories and get in shape (not to mention start looking gooooood). You will NOT get bulky, unless you have some kind of testosterone hormone disorder.

Today's workout:

3 rounds of circuit:

Squats

Dead lifts

Lunges

Leg Curl

Calf Raise

3 rounds of circuit:

Bent-over barbell row

Barbell curl

Barbell T-row

Lat pull down

Cross body curl

I am exhausted and it feels so good. My husband joked to me the other day that there must be something wrong with me, because I like to do all the things that normal people hate. Maybe there is, but I think there must be some of you out there who are just crazy enough to love making yourself completely miserable, knowing that you are pushing yourself to new limits and a high like you've never experienced. I was always made to think that quality about myself was an unhealthy thing, but what a joy it is to fully embrace it and see what crazy things God is going to use it for. 

SO BLESSED.

Cheers,

Vegan [Wanna-Be] Housewife