Isa's Coconut French Toast

*Casie Here*

I made this Coconut French Toast using the recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz new vegan cookbook Isa Does It. I make a recipe out of her cookbook ALMOST every single day. Sometimes two times a day!  I LOVE it! 

 This was yummy, yummy! She might not like it if I give all her recipes out that are in her book. But I would definitely recommend purchasing it. I have definitely gotten my use out of it and I have only had it less than a month. I love that there are pictures for almost every recipe and I have most things in the book on hand. 

 And the best part is, she lives in Omaha with her boyfriend. She is originally from NY and met her boyfriend on a vegan cruise. She moved here and I hope one day I bump into her at Whole Foods or Trader Joes!!! Not that I'm a stalker….I just think that would be really cool! She is on her book tour now though, so I may have to wait! :)

Enjoy!

Not the oatmeal your mother made you

Oatmeal has so many benefits over cold cereal so you should find ways to make oatmeal often and exciting.  Try adding berries, apple chunks, cinnamon or vanilla extract to give each morning's oatmeal a different taste.  Don't just settle for oatmeal and water/milk.  And stay away from the instant oatmeal as old fashioned oatmeal is nutritionally superior. 

 

This morning I tried a new oatmeal flavor.  I made my oatmeal with almond milk, flax seeds(of course), crushed walnuts, sweetener and a bit of.................PEANUT BUTTER! 

 

Who said you could do that?  Who said you couldn't?

 

We are out of PB2 otherwise I would have added that instead of the peanut butter.  I only put in about a teaspoon of peanut butter and along with the walnuts, that gave enough of a nutty taste for the kids to request that I make this oatmeal version again.

 

And, of course, make sure to top the oatmeal with "bananers", as my son would say.

 

I couldn't get you to make peanut butter/PB2 oatmeal...with flax seed....and walnuts...topped with bananers, could I?

 

Regular oatmeal is boring.  Peanut butter oatmeal is pretty awesome and sure to be a hit at your breakfast table.

 



Calling all chocolate lovers!

(Vernon Here)

 

I wanted to make a healthy dessert so I was trying to think of some things to mix together.  My initial idea was to just dip bananas into the cocoa powder but I knew the powder wouldn't stick.  So, I went into the kitchen last night and this is what I came up with:

 

Chocolate Chia Nut Banana Bites

 

I made this recipe for three people.  I would recommend one banana per person.

 

3 bananas

2 teaspoons baking cocoa powder

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon ground cashews (or other favorite nut)

1tablespoon almond milk

1 packet of Stevia sweetener

 

I cut up the bananas and put them into a bowl and mixed them with the cocoa powder, Stevia and almond milk.

 

 

The chia seeds and the cashews were an afterthought, so next time I will just add them to the above mixture but I added them after I put the above mixture into the bowls. 

 

Here is a photo of the chia seeds sprinkled on...

 

 

and then the cashews.

 

I placed the bowls in the freezer for 15 minutes and then served. 

 

Sophia told me that I could make this dessert for her "whenever I wanted".

 

This was really good and only took minutes to prepare....easy enough for even a guy to make. 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Oatmeal

(Vernon Here)

 

Are you a chocolate lover but are choosing the unhealthiest of chocolate options?  Try this recipe to not only satisfy your chocolate cravings but also to reap the many health benefits of all these ingredients.

 

For breakfast today, I made a quick, healthy and tasty breakfast for the family.  Oatmeal, baking cocoa powder, almond milk, dates, flax seed, bananas and walnuts each have great nutritional benefits and I decided to combine them all together for this recipe:

 

I made enough for two adults and three children.  I used:

 

2 cups Old Fashioned Quaker Oats

4 cups Original Flavored Almond Milk

2 heaping teaspoons of baking cocoa powder

3 tablespoons of ground flax seed (found in grocer's baking aisle)

2 tablespoons of walnuts

3 pitted dates (for sweetness)

2 bananas

1 teaspoon chocolate flavored PB2 (optional, gives more intense chocolate/nut taste)

 

 

 

Make sure you adjust this recipe to meet YOUR tastes and preferences. 

 

 

I put the almond milk, walnuts and dates into a blender and blended this mixture for 30 seconds on high.  I put this mixture in a saucepan and heated the liquid for a couple of minutes on high heat.  I added the oatmeal, PB2 and flax seed and stirred this occasionally.  I added a bit more milk at times to maintain the consistency of choice.  After the oats softened, I distributed the mixture into the bowls and cut up the bananas into pieces and placed them on top of the oatmeal. 

 

 

 

 

Find out more about the benefits of cocoa HERE, HERE and HERE .

 

Find out more about the benefits of dates HERE .

 

Check out these videos for the benefits of flax seeds HERE .

 

 

 

 

 

PB2 can be found at Walmart, HyVee and Whole Foods near the peanut butter. 

There is chocolate and peanut butter flavored.

Depression

If you think you or someone you know has depression, please watch this video:

 

 

Thankful

Thank you to all of you that follow Vernon's Vision!!!

 

We appreciate it!

 

 

 

Quote

More Beans, please! If for no other reason than for your heart health.

Beans and cholesterol reduction:

 

 

Beans

Where do we get (some of) our protein?

 

BEANS!!!

 

Most beans have about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans.  I will usually consume about 2 cups of beans per day so that is about 28-40 grams of protein just from beans.  That is equal or more protein than what is in a 4 oz. hamburger patty and almost equal to 4 oz. of chicken meat. 

 

We consume a variety of beans but our favorites are black, kidney, pinto and garbanzo beans.  Our hummus is made with garbanzo beans and I often pack either black or kidney beans in my lunch bag.  I find black beans to be the most versatile for adding to recipes. 

 

Find out more about the health benefits of black, kidney and pinto beans: here, here and here. 

 

I particularly like the Eden brand of beans because they are organic and BPA (bisphenol A)

 free. You can find out more about BPA here.  Also, since we do not use iodized salt in our house, we are always looking to acquire iodine from other sources like seaweed.  Eden brand uses seaweed to improve the flavor and nutrition of their products. 

 

Here are a couple of videos by Dr. Greger regarding beans:

 

 

 

Great news, Omaha!!!!!

Isa Chandra Moskowitz(ALYSSA SCHUKAR / THE WORLD-HERALD)

Published Wednesday November 13, 2013

Local chef opening Omaha's only vegan restaurant

By Sarah Baker Hansen / World-Herald staff writer

Omaha vegan chef and cookbook author Isa Chandra Moskowitz will open the city's only vegan restaurant this spring. The restaurant, called Modern Love, will be attached to O'Leavers bar, in the former location of Star Deli, 1319 S. 50th St., which closed earlier this fall. Moskowitz describes the menu as "swanky vegan comfort food," and she said the restaurant will serve a revolving menu of made-from-scratch dishes. She'll make her own cheese, condiments and soda. She said she's working with local farms, and the food will focus on vegetables. She'll also serve homemade pie.

Moskowitz's eighth cookbook, "Isa Does It," came out last month. Moskowitz is one of the most popular self-trained vegan cookbook writers in the country. Between Facebook and Twitter, she has almost 100,000 followers. You can read her popular vegan blog is at www.theppk.com.

PCRM | High-Fat, High-Protein Diets Linked to Type 2 Diabetes

High-Fat, High-Protein Diets Linked to Type 2 Diabetes

November 13, 2013A diet high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrate may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers followed 66,485 women enrolled in the E3N-European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study over a 14-year period. Women with diets high in meat and low in carbohydrates and plant foods, which the researchers called an acidic diet, had a 56 percent greater chance of developing diabetes, compared with those eating diets high in fruits and vegetables, which the researchers called an alkaline diet.
For information on diet and diabetes, visit PCRM.org/Diabetes.
Fagherazzi G, Vilier A, Bonnet F, et al. Dietary acid load and risk of type 2 diabetes: the E3N-EPIC cohort study. Diabetologia. Published online November 11, 2013.

 

PCRM | High-Fat, High-Protein Diets Linked to Type 2 Diabetes

How unfortunate is that?

 

Thank you to L.S.C. for bringing this photo to my attention.

Morning Smoothie

This morning, the kiddos were requesting a smoothie so this is what I made them:

This is the amount I used for 3 small cups and one large glass.

3 peeled bananas,

3 pitted dates

3 cups fresh organic spinach

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 ice cubes

4 cups original flavored almond milk.

Blend and serve.

I could hear 3 straws sucking up air before I even had a chance to drink mine. 

If you look up the benefits of bananas, dates, spinach, flax seeds and cinnamon you will find that this is one healthy drink....and the kids thought they were drinking a dessert. 

How to eat an apple

Ok, so I tried this.  I have to admit that I really like the experience of eating an apple this way.  Normally, I cut the apple up but there is no waste when eating it this fashion...there was just seeds and a stem leftover.  I doubt I will ever eat my apples the traditional way again.  I can't wait to have another one!

 

 

...but don't forget to spit out the seeds!

How a lock works.

Show this video to a child and watch how many times they repeat the video.  Pretty cool way to get children to think about the internal mechanics of everyday objects.

 

 

You can find videos like this on www.youtube.com to get children interested in how things work and I think it is a great tool to get young adults thinking about the world around them.

Oh yeah, show this to an adult, too, and watch how many times they repeat the video.

"Make It Vegan" Vegan Beet Burger: Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Isa Chandra Moskowitz grew up in Brooklyn, NY, but now lives in Omaha.  She has a new vegan  cookbook out called, "Isa Does It", runs a blog called Post Punk Kitchen and rumor has it that she is going to be opening a restaurant in Omaha in the near future.   Our copy of the cookbook just arrived last week and we can't wait to make some of her recipes.

 

 

 Check out Isa's video on how to make a homemade vegan beet burger:

 

 

 Click Here To Visit Her Blog

 

 

 

Vegan Body Mass and Diabetes Prevalence

                     

 

What does the American Diabetes Association know about diabetes anyway?

 

From www.pcrm.org

Relaxing Video

Silliness

 

 

 



You Decide

Victor's Gyros Falafel & Mediterranean Food

Vernon and I FINALLY went on a date night. We haven't gone out since my birthday and before that it had been a long, long time! 

Vernon researched a new place called Victor's. We almost didn't go there as we were considering  going with one of our standard backups. 

Victor owns the place and is the chef, waiter and cashier. It's just him. It's a hole in the wall on 40th & Farnam. He is Egyptian and his food is really, really great.

 This right here folks, this is what I have been dreaming about and CRAVING since we left, no take that back, ever since I finished it! These falafels are THE BEST falafels I have E V E R had. They blow Amsterdam Falafel and Cafe Falafel's out of the water. No comparison, NONE. They were so good. 

Now, the salad left something to be desired. First of all the Greek yogurt dressing is NOT on our VEGAN list, but we didn't want to hurt Victor's feelings and send it back, so we just ate it. But it wasn't great. That bread that is on the bottom was EXCELLENT. Moist, warm, fluffy, flavorful, and a little bit dusty with flour. YUMMMMM 

This was the Falafel sandwich. I know, it's not even a sandwich, but that's what Victor wants it to be called, so that what it is called. I asked him when we were leaving if we could purchase just the Falafels separate. He said NO (like the soup Nazi on Seinfeld). Okay then. Bummer, because I would totally just order those separate and have them plain. 

 This was the Baba Ganoush. We didn't even know what that was before tonight. I guess it's like Hummus but instead of the Chic Peas it's made with Eggplant. It was good, but VERY garlicky. 

 Traditional Hummus. Mine is better. This was extremely garlicky.

 The bread for dipping in the dips. This was OMG yummy

 Lentil soup with Red Lentils. It was good. Thick and a tad spicy. 

 There are those falafels again just in case you missed them the first time.

 After Victor's, we headed downtown to Ted & Wally's to get some of their VEGAN ice cream. While we were standing in line, the kind I was going to get (cinnamon), got erased off the board. : ( But I had a back up flavor (vegan cookies n' cream). It was good. A little odd after taste, but I still liked it. 

Greatness

More about cholesterol

The number of individuals with high cholesterol and/or heart disease is staggering.  Elevated cholesterol affects so many parts of the body because of how it's role on changing the dynamics of blood vessels and blood flow.  The eyes and the visual centers of the brain are not immune to the effects of high cholesterol.

 

Lowering your cholesterol could be one of the best things you can do for yourself, your future you and for your family.

 

I posted a few heart disease/cholesterol videos back in August and here are some more from Dr. Greger's website, www.nutritionfacts.org :

 

New Cholesterol Target:

 

 

 

How Fiber Lowers Cholesterol

 

Parents, please watch this video!!

~5000 television ads that our children potentially are exposed to each year?  Those advertisements are one of the many reasons our family got rid of television.  

 

How early does cholesterol start forming in our arteries?

Are you a bit surprised by this information?

 

Fast Food....Gross

Chain Restaurant Workers Reveal The Items They Refuse To Eat

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-fast-food-workers-refuse-to-eat-2013-10?op=1#ixzz2hNZpcatX

Fried Tofu & Veggies with Couscous

*Casie Here*

There is a similar dish I made a while back, but this one I fried the Tofu. Boy was it good. 

Here is what I did:

1 cup couscous cooked according to the package directions

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 medium onion, diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, diced

1 can mushroom, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 medium yellow squash, diced

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 container of Tofu (I had extra firm, but any would work), sliced into small cubes

A few shakes of Shoyu sauce (could use soy sauce)

Sal & Pepper to taste

Directions: 

Make your couscous according to the directions and set aside.

Saute onions in cocout oil. Once transparent, add the rest one at a time as you get them chopped up.

 I added them in order above.

Mix everything in and heat through.

Add some salt and pepper

Once all the veggies are softened, fluff the couscous and then mix all the veggies in with it. In the pan you sauteed the veggies, put a little more coconut oil and let it heat up, medium high heat. 

Place the cut up tofu in the pan. LET IT SIT for quite a while. Maybe like 8-10 minutes. It has to get golden brown on the bottom before turning them over. Some may break, that is totally ok! Just try to scrape all the little bits off the bottom of the pan. When all sides of the tofu are golden brown, you are done! Add that to the veggie/couscous and mix all together.

I sprinkled on some Nama Shoyu (soy sauce) on at the end

Everyone loved it and it was especially a hit with the kids! 

Enjoy at your house!!!

Strength

Another amazing, relaxing video.

Just take a few minutes of your day to distract your mind from all of your stress in your life. 

 

Watch, listen and relax.

 

 

 

Tricks to Get Kids to Eat Healthier at Home

This is a great video from one of my favorite websites, www.nutrionfacts.org, discussing how to get kids to eat healthier at home.

 

 

Make your daughter a Fix-it Girl

 

Almost every guy appreciates that it is very important for fathers to spend quality time with their daughters.   There are so many experiences that can constitute this quality time, but I firmly believe that it is imperative that some of this shared time be finding ways to get our daughters more interested in math and science.  Why?  Because girls are interested in more than just dolls, pink toys and fairy tales.....and they are surrounded by too many influences that associate math and science with males. Don't believe me?  Look at your daughter's books, movies and toys and the manufacturer's marketing towards girls.  There may be some exceptions, but the majority of the products perpetuate the stereotypical gender roles.

 

There is no one better to influence our daughters about the wonder and applications of math and science than us dads.  If math and science is not of interest to you, don't fret.  You can still make sure your daughter is not deprived from learning more about these topics.  Even if you are bored or don't understand math and science, than at least make an effort to find shows, books and role models for your daughters that showcase women working directly with math, technology and science. 

 

Want to build your daughter's confidence?  Want to really connect or reconnect with your daughter? 

 

You can involve your daughter with hands on projects, household fix-it projects, yard projects or even just getting out the tape measure to measure things......you can measure anything as long as it does not involve cooking or baking for this activity. 

 

You can spend time playing games with your daughter, but use toys that are typically marketed towards boys. 

 

Teach your daughters to give directions using North, South, East and West instead of just right or left.

 

Have her calculate things for you.

 

Take her to a hardware store and show her all the tools and materials that can be used to create things. 

 

Have her help you work on the mower, car or bicycle.

 

Have her help you change a car tire, the wire line in a weed wacker or put together a model car/ship/train.

 

Have her measure this....and that...using and verbalizing 4ths, 8ths and 16ths. 

 

Get out your socket sets/saw/hammer and teach her how to use it.

 

Buy her safety goggles, work boots and work gloves.  Make sure they are not pink or purple.

 

Have her help you replace a faucet, fix a toilet or unclog a drain.

 

Have her help you wire a speaker or fix a table. 

 

Have her design and build things.  Give her tools and materials to work with.  Watch with wonder what she creates.

 

All you have to do is involve her with these hands on projects and the activity will be a learning one for her. 

 

Talk to your daughters about what doctors, engineers and scientists do and make sure she knows that these occupations are not just for us guys.

 

Find out what technologies she is interested in and explore all the activities that can be completed by the two of you using that technology.

 

Ask yourself if you know of any women you know that currently are in one of these type of occupations that are typically male dominated and ask her what ideas she has for getting a child interested more in math and science.  Possibly ask if she would be interested in talking with your daughter about this.

 

YOU CAN make a difference in your daughter's dreams and future by supporting her and seeking out

activities that engage here in technology, engineering and science fun. YOU, yes YOU.

 

Don't put all the responsibility on the school system or media to teach your daughter about this.

 

In most cases, you will find that you cannot come up with enough activities to quench her brain's thirst for information and involvement.  And guess what, you BOTH are going to have a great time.

 

Even if she doesn't pursue a career in these fields, she will forever appreciate all the abilities you taught her that she will apply towards so many things for the rest of her life. 

 

Her future self will thank you for every moment you spend doing these things with her. 

 

Pictured below is my daughter assisting me with measuring, marking, cutting and installing insulation in our house.  Does she look bored to you? 

 

 

 

 Thank you to D.O. for being an inspiration for this post.

No-Bake Nut Balz

*Casie Here*

If you are allergic to nuts walk away from this post right now. This is a nut allergen's NIGHTMARE!

So, I started off with this No-Bake Energy Bites recipe here from Pinterest:

Ingredients:

For about 20 bites
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed 
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla

But then I adapted it and added a bunch of extra stuff, and left out some of their stuff, in the end my completely new recipe made 99 bottles of beer on the wall ~ I mean balls on the wall! Ha! Yep, I counted ALL of them!

Here is EVERYTHING that is in MY recipe. I know, I know it is A LOT. But just throw in whatever you have on hand and like and don't put in what you don't have or can't stand. It will still be delicious!

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup rice krispies

1/2 cup flaxseed

1 TBS. PB2

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped cashews

1/2 cup chopped almonds

(AND about 1 cup of very finely chopped almonds - set aside - to roll in at the end)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup of chopped pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup chopped sunflower seeds

4 pitted dates (all I had that day or I would have used more)

10 pitted prunes (this means the pit REMOVED)

15 apricots

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup agave

1/2 cup honey

1 cup peanut butter

The food processor is your friend for this recipe. I would chop up all the nuts and seeds first if they  aren't already to a semi-fine crumble. Once those are all chopped and put into a bowl together, I would move onto the sticker parts. I put the dates, prunes and apricots in the food processor together and chopped them all up, they stick together towards the end and create one BIG sticky ball. Add that sticky ball to the bowl and try to spread it out so all the little pieces get mixed in with all the rest. Add the rest (vanilla, agave, honey and peanut butter). This is a heavy mixture and you will BUST a spatula if you try to mix this by hand. Dig out your hand mixer and spin away. Try to get everything mixed up thoroughly. Now comes the worst, most boring and tedious part. Sorry, it's true. You have to roll the balls out. ALL 99 of them. By hand. 

BLEH

Once you roll them into about 1" balls, roll the ball into the extra cup of very finely chopped almonds you set aside earlier. Then place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. And REPEAT.

This takes FOREVER. If you had some helpers, this would go much, much faster, but I didn't at the time (or didn't want their dirty little hands all over my nut balls), so I did them myself. They are so good. The rice krispies give a fun little crunch and they are very moist. Make these for a healthy snack the whole house will love. All the work will totally be worth it!!! 

Heart Disease Videos.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

 

 Like most systemic conditions, heart disease can affect your eyes.  As well, a dilated eye examination can sometimes reveal the early signs of heart disease.

 

Are you willing to do anything to lower your risk of developing heart disease?

 

If you or a family member has heart disease or you are wanting to learn more about how to reduce your risk for heart disease, these four videos by Dr. Greger are a must watch. 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Greger is a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. A founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Greger is licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition. Currently he serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States. Dr. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine.



JACKPOT!!!

I ran across this websight with the top 25+ blogs for Vegan/Vegetarian Moms!!! We are super excited to check them out and find some wonderful ideas, we hope you find some good info too!

http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/Top-25-Vegan-Vegetarian-Moms-2013

Pep Talk

 

I love inspirational videos like this! 

 

 

 

Suffer from Migraines? Watch this video:

Many of my patients suffer from migraines.  When someone has a migraine, their quality of life diminishes significantly.  All their body wants to do during one of these migraine episodes is to curl up in a dark and quiet place until the discomfort and pain subsides.  Unfortunately, most people have to proceed with their daily grind despite their migraine suffering. 

 

 

This is an interesting video by Dr. Greger for you to watch and share with anyone that experiences migraines.  Even if only one of you watching this video benefits from the suggested treatment option, then it is worth my time posting it.

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

 

Michael Greger M.D.

Dr. Greger is a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. A founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Greger is licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition. Currently he serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States. Dr. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine.



Protect your children online.

Vernon's Vision is so much more than just a site for information about eyes and nutrition.

 

 

If your children are online, you need to watch this with them!

 

 

 

 

Colorblindness

I had a colorblind patient and their parent in recently and we were joking about this very topic during the exam, so I thought I would share:

 

I try to make a point and inform all of my colorblind patients that there are some occupations that may need to be avoided like that of a  pilot, police officer, fire fighter, electrician, etc.   After stating this, the father of the child that I mentioned above then added, "....and bomb defuser".   I had to laugh because it caught me off guard and he was correct, I will have to add that one to my list.

Chris Kutcher?

OK...so, despite the horrible video quality and the sounds of screaming teen age girls is ear piercing, Chris Kutcher actually has some really great points that are worth watching with your teenager.

 

Thanks to A.H. for bringing this video to my attention.