Recently, my friends at Vega asked if I might be interested in sampling and reviewing their Vega One bar–a new extension of the Vega One line, which already includes Vega One shake. I said of course! The Vega vibrancy bars and the Vega Sport protein bars have gotten me through many a long day and night of post-bacc life, and I’m always excited to see what new foods the company is creating. I was gifted with all three Vega One flavors: chocolate cherry, double chocolate, and chocolate almond. Lucky me! Plus, some of Vega’s signature antioxidant, EFA rich oil blend (which I’m already a big fan of), and some of their maca chocolate, which I’ve been meaning to try!   Vega One is designed to be adequate either as a meal replacement or as a meal replacement component. I can’t really do snack bars as meals, but I definitely use them to tide me over between meals, and I can use them to replace breakfast or lunch if I enjoy them along with some fruit, some veggies, or whatever else is easy to transport. Like the Vega One shake, the Vega One bar boasts a wide range of nutrition, including: 15 grams of complete protein 6 grams of fiber 1.5 grams of Omega-3 25 vitamins and minerals a full serving of greens 1 billion dairy-free probiotics per bar That’s a lot of nutritional bang for your buck–far more than a standard snack bar. The bars are also gluten free and soy free. Checkout the chia seeds! And did I mention they’re dipped in chocolate? Because they are. Delicious. These bars taste like an indulgent treat, and yet they’re full of nutrition. Sweetness comes in the form of dates and sorghum syrup (14 grams of sugar per bar–not too shabby in the world of snack bars), and I love the balance of healthy fats from sacha inchi seed/oil and protein from brown rice and peas. Such healthy, plant-based food sources of nutrients! Here are the nutrition facts and ingredient panel of the chocolate cherry–pretty indicative of how all three flavors stack up: In one recent product review, a reader pointed out cost, and I replied that I’d make a point of mentioning cost in all future reviews. I do receive complimentary food as a blogger, but I’m also a full time (and soon-to-be perpetual) student with loans, so I’m totally committed to addressing cost along with taste and nutrition. A single bar is $3.39, a box of 12 just over $40.62. Of course, these bars provide a significant amount of vitamins and minerals, so, depending on your nutrient needs, you may be able to use them in place of a multi, which makes the value much greater. Definitely chat with your health care provider about whether the bars are a suitable choice for you as a supplement. You can purchase Vega One bars at Whole Foods and health food stores everywhere, as well as online at the Vega eStore. Check them out today! My favorite flavor is the chocolate almond, but the chocolate cherry–both sweet and tart–was a runner up. And, if snack bars aren’t in your budget, fear not. You can check out my low maintenance, easy to customize vegan granola bars at Food52 instead! Speaking of Vega–and by extension its creator, Brendan Brazier–I’ll be seeing B, as well as a ton of other vegan friends, this weekend at the Seed. If you happen to be there, say hi! xo

Nearly 1,000 people have tried the Raw on $10 Meal Plans. I'm especially happy to see many of the same people coming back week after week. I love that so many are finding these plans helpful! What is A Raw on $10 Meal Plan? A new meal plan each week using easy to find and commonly available ingredients. There are no exotic, hard to locate, and expensive ingredients. Everything in these meal plan recipes can be found at any local grocery. Shopping list and meal calendar to help you stay on track!Making one raw food recipe can be easy. But making raw food all day long, every day, can be more trying ... even confusing. With a daily calendar of meals, you'll know what to expect and how to plan your day. Raw food meal plans take the guesswork out of organizing a raw food lifestyle. A raw food meal plan can help you ...About this meal plan …There are four meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert – provided over seven days. There is a meal calendar at the beginning and detailed recipes below that.Daily meals will add up to between 1200 and 1600 calories per day. If you feel you need more calories, check out the addition suggestions for foods that are about 100 calories each.There are new recipes and old favorites. All will be simple and easy to prepare. Most will take only minutes of preparation time.All recipes are for a single serving. For two or three or more servings, simply double or triple the recipe.Use the shopping list to get all the food you’ll need for the week. There will be extra, that’s unavoidable. But a list will help you avoid waste.Print the shopping list and take it with you when you shop.Some dinners are designed to last over two days of meals. Both desserts for the week are made and then frozen in individual servings for later on. Much good luck on your raw food journey. If you have any questions, please feel free ask. A NEW meal plan is available for purchase each week, will include several new recipes, and will be published each Friday afternoon.This week's Raw on $10 Meal Plan has all old favorite recipes and a more detailed shopping list. "Anything is possible, if you have the right plan." Week Nine $5.00ArchivesYou can also get meal plans from previous weeks here:Get Week One$5.00 Get Week Two $5.00 Get Week Three $5.00 Get Week Four$5.00Get Week Five$5.00Get Week Six$5.00 Week Seven $5.00Week Eight $5.00

What you'll need:2 cups of almond meal3 eggs1 cup of unsweetened applesauce¼ cup of maple syrup1 tbs of cinnamon1 tsp of baking powder1 tsp of baking sodaWhat to do: Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.Blend the eggs together in a separate small bowl.Mix together all the above ingredients and slowly stir in the blended eggs.Pour the batter evenly into 12 muffin baking cups.Cook 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown.Recipe fom Natalie over at Oven Love Want more food love, kitchen fun, and nutrition know-how? Get it every week delivered straight to your inbox right here.Christie xx

Happy Thursday! Just a reminder that, if you’re in or around NYC, I want to see you this weekend at The Seed! It’s not on the schedule yet, but JL and I will also be on a vegan business panel late in the afternoon on Saturday. Come ask us lots and lots of questions. It’s getting warmer (finally!) which means lots of outdoor activities. And outdoor activities mean portable snacks, because who wants to interrupt a hike or a day at the beach for snack time? As a student, I rely on snacks year round, and homemade energy bars are one of my all time favorites. The snack bars you see above are my most trusted formula: some oats, some seeds, some dried fruit, some sweetener, and some nut butter. Plain and simple. And oh-so easy to customize. This week in The New Veganism, I show you how to make these delicious snack bars at home. Why pay $2-3 when you can create something in your own kitchen, using simple ingredients? Best of all, creating snack bars from scratch allows you to customize them exact

Last week I had a dinner date with my dear friend Pam who I've mentioned many times on this blog. Over the years we've shared many dinners and it's such a thrill for me because, besides a fantastic friendship, Pam truly appreciates my food. She enjoys new tastes, savors every bite and is curious to know how I made each dish. For dinner I made raw fajitas - something I haven't made it a while. And dessert was this vanilla cheesecake with strawberry sauce, mixed berry chia jelly, and chopped macadamia nuts. I have to say, they turned out great! I made individual cheesecakes because I think they're so cute and I was in the mood for it, but you can make the cake in a 6 or 8" spring form pan.Since I made several mini cheesecakes, there was opportunity for different toppings! For my own decadent dessert the other night I topped the cake with rich raw chocolate sauce and chunks of dark chocolate. Yummmm!Raw Vanilla Cheesecake with Strawberry SauceChoose from a tried and true date nut crust, or a chocolate crust whic

Two days ago, I mentioned the generous and wonderful bounty basket that I received from Relay Foods. It was bursting with fresh greens, strawberries, and mint–a wonderful offering, if you ask me. I’ve already whipped up one delicious salad with it. But with all of the fresh and beautiful strawberries I had on hand, I figured I had to come up with a smoothie, too! I whipped up a refreshing smoothie with strawberries, avocado, and spearmint, and it’s a new favorite. This smoothie uses avocado for creaminess and texture, fruit and coconut water for sweetness, and the fresh mint for flavor. It’s not a high protein smoothie in its own right, but of course you could add a protein powder of choice, some hempseeds, or use my homemade hemp milk in place of the coconut water for a protein boost. Otherwise, it’s a light, energizing, and blissfully summery treat, perfect as a snack, a dessert, or a light breakfast option (for breakfast, I’d probably need to eat it with some sprouted toast to stay full). But no ma

BreakfastAvocado Strawberry Salad serves 2 ~ $2.45 per servingingredients 18 stawberries ($2.50)2 tablespoons agave ($.20)2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar2 tablespoons olive oil pinch salt2 avocados ($2.00)1 small onion ($.20)This goes together really fast, so make the strawberry sauce first and set aside.For the strawberry sauce, in a bullet type blender, puree six strawberries, the agave, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil until very smooth.Slice the avocado and arrange on a plate. Thinly slice the remaining strawberries and place on top of the avocado. Sprinkle on a bit of minced onion as well. Spoon on the strawberry sauce.nutritional information: calories: 398 fat: 31 gr carbs: 35 gr protein: 3 grLunchSummer Salad with Cucumber Dressingserves 2 ~ $2.63 per servingingredients5 ounces arugula ($2.50)1 cucumber, sliced ($.50)about 12 cherry tomatoes ($1.00)1 medium onion ($.10)dressing1 cucumber peeled and chopped ($.50)2 tablespoons olive oil ($.10)2 tablespoons lemon juice ($.40) 1 ta

Before we get to the beautiful kale, avocado, and strawberry salad you see above, I want to wish all of my readers a happy Mother’s Day. Today, I’m thinking of mothers everywhere, both human and non-human. This holiday, no matter how joyous, always makes me reflect on the many mothers who are separated painfully from their children through animal agriculture. It’s a good reminder, as always, that we can choose compassion with every meal we eat. A few months ago, the folks at Relay Foods reached out to me to see whether I might like to review one of their “bounty baskets.” I was excited; I’ve heard a lot about Relay this year. Relay Foods is an online grocery store that serves the DC, Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina area. They sell products from local stores, restaurants, and farms–from produce to speciality items–and deliver it to customers’ homes. They offer a bounty basket, which is a lot like a CSA box, full of seasonal produce from local farms, and their regular grocery section sells co

Happy Mother's Day! Hope you are having a good one. I sure am.My hubby and kids presented me with these lovely flowers, along with some sexy heels I had been wanting and my favorite Endangered Species Chocolate. For a moment, I thought it was Valentine's Day again. It's nice to be loved.Hayden also gave me a gift she made in her preschool class. I remember the days when Jacob would do the same. I can't believe Hayden is old enough now to be creating something special for me without my help (although I'm sure her teacher did some of it; thank you Ms. Penny). I just love the adorable way this work of art incorporates her tiny little fingerprints. There's no doubt they are hers.As usual, I crafted some gifts for my mom (Nana) and grandmother (Granny). In a past post, I asked for advice, while making a piece of jewelry for my mom (her most requested gift from me). Here is the finished bracelet, using both the chain and the pink ribbon to jazz it up a bit. Thank you Jocelyn for your input. I think she'll really li

They say it takes 21 days to make or break a major lifestyle habit. We should probably take this with a grain of salt, because habits run deep, and change is different from person to person. But I think there’s something to the idea that, after a few weeks of trying something new, we can at least see a vision of life lived differently. It took me a lot longer than three weeks to stop craving cigarettes, but after 3 weeks of not smoking, I could at least sense what life as a non-smoker would be like. It felt healthier and stronger, and I knew it was right for me. When we make a major dietary change–like becoming vegan, or starting to eat a healthier, more wholesome diet–it’s totally normal to struggle with cravings or setbacks. Food habits are particularly hard to change, in part because the act of eating is so much more than a physical process–it’s emotional, cultural, and social, too. I’m not a fan of restriction, which means that, from within a plant-based model, nothing is off limits to m