Pizza Vegan Style

Ingredients:
-Whole Wheat Pizza Dough from Trader Joes or make your own!
-Low Sodium Marinara Sauce
-Nutritional Yeast Flakes
-Veggie Toppings of your choice: I used minced mushrooms, minced squash, minced basil, and sliced tomatoes

Directions:
*This is a fast easy meal and tastes delicious!
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
1. Lay the dough out on nonstick baking sheet or stone slab, leave it open to air for about 20min
2. In the meantime mince or slice the veggie toppings of your choice
3. Stretch out the pizza dough to 8-12inches, the smaller the diameter the thicker the crust
4. Apply marinara sauce and then sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes (cheese substitute)
5. Lay on the veggies and stick in the oven until crust is golden brown 8-12 minutes

Mel's Famous Sandwich

Everybody loves this sandwich, even people who don't eat healthy & kids! It's super tasty, refreshing, and each bite has a bit of crunch.

Ingredients:
-2 slices Whole Wheat Bread Toasted
-Spread: Hummus (homemade or storebought, I personally like TJ's eggplant hummus) or Garlic Aioli
-Roma Tomatoes Thinly Sliced
-Persian or English Cucumbers Thinly Sliced
-Fresh Basil Leaves
-Spinach
-Alfalfa Sprouts
-Avocado Slices

*Optional: Caesar Dressing (fat free & low sodium) drizzle scant amount inside of sandwich for an extra kick

Directions:
1. Toast Bread
2. Add Spread of your liking (hummus, garlic aioli, or avocado mixed with lemon juice)
3. Add cucumber slices (leave skin intact, do not peel)
4. Add tomato slices
5. Add spinach
6. Add fresh basil leaves
7. Add alfalfa sprouts
8, Add avocado slices

*then optional caesar dressing scant amounts drizzled

Sweet Breakfast Bowl

This is one of my favorite breakfasts to have. It fills you up and satisfies your sweet tooth. It also has tons of fiber and some protein.

Ingredients:
-Whole Shredded Wheat
-Uncle Sam's Wheatberry Flakes
-Raw Oats
-Vanilla Granola
-Almond Milk Unsweetened Vanilla
-1 Banana (or any other fresh fruit)

Directions:
Mix equal parts of whole shredded wheat bites, uncle sam's flakes & raw oats. Top off with a small serving of vanilla granola and a whole banana and any other fruit you wish to add. Fill up with Vanilla Almond Milk.

Black Bean Burgers

I got this recipe from Dr. Esselstyn and decided to try these out. I was a little scared to how they would taste, but they came out good.
Ingredients: (6-10 servings)
1 15ounce can Black Beans drained and rinsed
1 14.5ounce of organic tomatoes no salt added
1 garlic clove minced or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 green onions chopped
1 cup cilantro or parsley
2 cups old fashioned oats
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Process ingredients except the rolled oats in a food processor until blended
3. In a bowl mix the oats with the ingredients
4. Form into parties and place on a baking sheet for 8 minutes
5. Turn oven up and broiled for 2 more minutes until sides are browned
6. Serve on a whole grain burger buns with lettuce, tomato, onions and sauces of your liking. I used barbecue sauce and it was delicious

Making Natural Sugar Syrup from Dates

Instead of using sugar, agave syrup (which is just like high fructose syrup), or artificial sweeteners you can use date syrup or buy date paste. Making date syrup is fast and easy.
Buy 1 large container of non pitted dates (costco sells them), fill the tub of dates with water up just below the brim and let them sit overnight. In the morning you will notice the water will be a thick syrup. Pour syrup into a container or gravy pourer. Add to anything you want sweetened and use as a sugar replacement. Ie- coffee, oatmeal, shakes, iced tea, etc
Afterwards refrigerate both the syrup and the dates. The leftover dates can be put in the food processor to make a sweetener paste or added to shakes for a sweeter taste.

Quick Breakfast Shakes To Go: Items to keep stocked

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! It gives you all the energy you will need to get your day kickstarted. Instead of grabbing a coffee and a muffin, shakes make the perfect alternative for those that are in a hurry, don't like eating breakfast, or want to incorporate more fruits and veggies into your daily intake. Making these shakes are quick and easy! You can pack more fruits and veggies than most people in this one drink, not even to mention all the fiber. You will feel more energized throughout your day and it will make you feel full......Oh and did I mention WEIGHT LOSS (this is great for people looking to loose weight, although if you are already at an ideal body weight it will only help maintain).
Here's a list of ingredients to keep stocked so that making the shakes are fast and easy!
**Good Blender with high watts (I use the Ninja)
Fruits:
Apples
Oranges
Tangerines
Bananas
Kiwis
Berries
Mangos
Melons
Papayas
*Costco is the best place to buy a variety of frozen fruits to keep in stock
Veggies:
Kale
Spinach
Celery
Garlic
Cooked Beets
Carrots
Parsley
-flaxseed pressed
*If you have any produce that must be used get creative and make a shake out of it! I've learned that as long as you add a banana and an orange to any shake it comes out great
Basic Starter Recipe: (1-2 servings)
1.5 cups water
1-2 leaves of Kale
Small handful of spinach
1 banana
1 orange
1 teaspoon flaxseed pressed
*add fruit of your liking (tropical:mango, pineapple, papaya, kiwi, strawberries) or (green: parsley, celery, Green apples, carrot) or (antioxidant: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
Blend all ingredients until smooth, add ice or water to your liking of consistency. If you want a sweeter taste add a few pitted dates. Pour into a large cup and out you go

Pesto Sauce

Ingredients: 4 servings
-1 ripened peeled avocado
-1/2 lemon squeezed juice
-2 ounces fresh basil (don't use the long stems)
-1 pinch of fresh crushed garlic
-1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts

Optional:
-1tsp. Garlic Aioli
-1tsp. Braggs liquid amino acids (salt substitute)

In a food processor or blender mix all the ingredients until blended well.

Make a Complete Meal
20 minutes for entire meal
-Choose Pasta of your liking
-Mix Pesto Sauce with Pasta
-Add Cooked/Sauteed Vegetables of your liking, ie: cherry tomatoes, eggplant, squash, mushrooms (all sauteed with dash herb seasoning, water, and rice vinegar)