Protein Packed Plants!

Since so many people ask me, here are some of the plant foods with especially high protein.

Keep in mind that, not only are these foods high in protein, they are also filled with other important nutrients, including calcium, iron, cancer-fighting antioxidants, phytonutrients, etc.
AND they contain NO saturated fat, cholesterol, antibiotics or other toxins found in animal products, that are linked to cancer and other diseases.

So...would you rather get your protein from a slab of cow, increase your chances of cancer and heart disease, miss out on all the other nutrients your body needs, and feel sluggish and, well, like you just ate a dead animal...

OR eat real food, grown from this amazing planet God has given us, and feel super light and energetic as nutrients only nature can provide pour into your body?

Protein Packed Plants:

Legumes
1 cup lentils= 18g
1 cup black beans= 15g
1 cup red kidney beans= 14g
1 cup pinto beans= 12g
1 cup chickpeas/garbanzo= 12g
1 cup green peas= 9g

Whole Grains (cooked)
1 cup amaranth= 9g
1 cup quinoa= 8g
1 cup millet= 6g
1 cup buckwheat= 6g
1 cup brown rice= 5g
1 slice sprouted whole wheat bread (aka Ezekiel or Trader Joe's)= 5-6g

Nuts/Seeds (Raw)
1 cup cashews= 20g
1 cup almonds= 24g
1 cup sunflower seeds= 28g
1 cup flaxseed (whole)= 31g!
1 cup pumpkin seeds= 36g!!
1 cup chia seeds= 48g!!!

Vegetables
1 cup spinach (raw, packed)= 5g
1 potato (with skin)= 4.3g 
1 cup asparagus (raw, chopped)= 3g
1 cup kale (raw, chopped)= 2.9g 
1 cup broccoli (raw, chopped)= 2.6g
1 cup cauliflower (raw, chopped)= 2g
1 cup carrots (raw, chopped)= 1.2g

Fruits
1 cup avocado (mashed)= 4.5g 
1 cup dried apricots= 4.4g
1 cup prunes= 3.8g
1 cup dates (chopped)= 3.6g
1 cup banana (mashed)= 2.5g (1 medium banana= 1.3g)
1 cup kiwi (sliced)= 2g
1 cup cherries= 1.6g

The more real food you eat, the less room there will be in your stomach for junk. So fill up on all these amazing foods and feel the difference in your health!

Note: Vitamin B-12 is only found in animals, therefore it is important to either supplement or eat fortified foods (almond milk, nutritional yeast, etc).

Sweet Potato Curry

Dinner tonight was Sweet Potato Curry, one of our favorites!

Combine the following in a Crock Pot and leave for about 5 hours:
1 cup dry lentils (sorted and rinsed)
4 sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped)
2 cups coconut milk (canned, organic, full fat)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp curry powder
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Optional: add a 1/2 cup frozen peas or broccoli about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve over brown rice, quinoa, or other grain of your choice. And don't forget a big salad too. :)

This is a protein packed, iron packed, Vitamin A & other nutrient packed dinner, sure to fill and satisfy even those who aren't accustomed to eating vegetarian or vegan meals. My husband loves it. Give it a try!

Cake Batter Protein Bars (with endless variations)!

Holy Moly these are amazing!

I made a whole pan of these before a road trip and I just wished I had made more- they were gone the next day.

I got the recipe here, but changed it a bit (see below). I loved that my son who hates oatmeal is getting the whole, raw, oats (ground up) in these without even knowing it! I did put a few sprinkles on top so they would appeal even more to my son, although next time I will be using the naturally colored kind that I just saw at Whole Foods!

3 cups brown rice crispies
1 cup packed oat flour (ground in my Vita Mix from oat groats, or blend in your blender from rolled oats)
1/2 cup protein powder (Garden of Life Raw Vanilla- the best! Or just put in oat flour here)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp vanilla (alcohol free kind, from Trader Joe's)
3/4 cup raw almond butter (or other nut butter)
3/4 cup sticky sweetener (I have been using 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup raw honey)
(I have been adding in a couple tablespoons of ground flax seed, and wheat germ lately and they are still great!)
Add ins/Variations: see note below

Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Then pour the dry into the wet and combine really well. Press into a rectangular pan lined with parchment paper (for easy removal). Chill, then cut into bars.  I keep mine in the freezer individually wrapped and take out whenever I want one (they are so nice straight from the freezer- a perfectly chewy texture). Yum!

Update July 2014: I wanted to use less sweetener, so I substituted 1/4 coconut oil for 1/4 of the sweetener. So I ended up using: 1/4 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup raw honey (instead of 3/4 cup sweetener).

Note: We have been experimenting with lots of different kinds of bars lately, so here is what we love so far. Let me know what you come up with too!

Sprinkle bars: Top with naturally colored sprinkles
*Strawberry bars: Add 1 1/2 cups freeze-dried strawberries (chopped)
Tropical bars: Add 1 cup freeze-dried mangoes (chopped) and 1/2 cup coconut
Fruity bars: Add 1 1/2 cups of any of your favorite freeze-dried or regular dried fruit!
Cinnamon bars: Add 2 Tbsp cinnamon
Chocolate chip bars: Add 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Luna bars: Make chocolate (from coconut oil recipe here) and pour over the top of chilled bars in pan (uncut). After chilled and set, remove and cut.

*Update: My son just requested a Strawberry Bar Cake for his birthday! (For the frosting I will be adding chocolate from my coconut oil recipe on top and of course some naturally colored sprinkles). To see what I came up with for his cake, click here.