(Don’t do this to your healthy potato!)

You’ve probably joked about people who order a big mac with a diet coke, what’s the point exactly?

But, we see your pinterest boards, and we see folks making a plant-strong meal, completely plant-wrong by adding junk food to an otherwise healthy dish!

Some examples:

A big salad. Healthy, right? Until you add the pure fat, artery clogging, endothelium damaging oil. Pouring a dressing with oil in it, or drizzling olive oil to your salad is like adding crisco to your salad, what is the point? You have made a completely healthy meal into fat with a side of vegetables.

Instead: Use salsa, balsamic vinegar or make your own no added oil salad dressing from Engine 2.

Other pitfalls: Watch the high fat plant-foods like avocado, nuts, seeds and tofu. While a little of these are great as a condiment, your salads should be largely made up of greens, vegetables, beans, whole grains and even fruit.

A baked potato. Healthy, right? Yes, a plain baked potato is a perfectly healthy plant-strong food to eat. However, when you add sour cream (vegan or non vegan), butter (vegan or non vegan), cheese (vegan or non vegan) and bacon bits, all of a sudden you have made a plant-wrong meal.

Instead: top your baked potato with greens, salsa and beans. Sprinkle a little nutritional yeast on top for a more cheesy taste. Because you are skipping the calories from all of those fatty junk foods, you can have 3 baked potatoes with toppings instead of one with all of that heart attack inducing “food” on top!

Oatmeal. For the love of grains, PLEASE don’t ruin your beautiful, healthy oatmeal. Oatmeal is healthy, delicious and filling. However when you add butter (veg/or non veg), sugar, tons of nut butter, extracted sweetener syrups you turn that cholesterol reducing dish into a cholesterol increasing dish.

Instead: Eat your oats with a splash of non-dairy milk, a little ground flax seed and some delicious fresh fruit.

Veggie Burgers: When most people think “veggie burger” they think healthy. However, most veggie burgers sold in stores are junk. Add on top of that, things like veg cheese, mayo or dairy cheese, and you have a plant-weak veggie burger.

Instead: Pick up Jeff Novick’s new DVD “Burgers and Fries”. In fact, leave a comment below and tell us why you need this amazing DVD and we will pick a winner tomorrow!

You can also check out our guide to making plant-strong burgers.

Stir Fry: We have a theory: Anything that is left in the fridge can be turned into a stir-fry. We have put everything in our stir-fry. Vegetables, lettuce, apples, tofu, beans, whole grains, you name it, if we are clearing out the fridge, we throw it in.

However, if you throw in things like oil, lots of soy sauce, sauces with fat and sodium, you turn that delicious hearth healthy dish into a heart clogging mess.

Instead: Use water or low sodium vegetable broth to cook your stir-fry. Be cautious with sauces! Use low sodium alternatives and even then, use sparingly. Use salt-free spices like curry to add flavor instead.

Whatever the dish you are making is, be sure to keep it plant-strong and watch what you add to it, so you don’t fall into the “plant-wrong” trap.

Don’t forget to enter our “Burger and Fries” giveaway!

(Susan with Rip)

We asked you what you had the hardest time letting go of in your plant-strong journey, and BOY did you respond! We got a few 100 responses from people letting go of everything from coffee to steak!

1. What was your biggest fear about becoming plant-strong?

When I first saw Forks Over Knives, I had my doubts about how much protein plants could provide. Surely plants could not possibly be as protein-packed as lean meats, fish, eggs, cheeses and milk—these were protein powerhouses and as a runner I depended on them at every meal. After almost four full months on the Engine 2 Diet, I saw first hand and solid evidence on how beneficial a plant-strong can be and how much protein I was actually getting.

I had my doubts up until about two and a half months into the diet. Yes, I know, sounds like a long time to carry doubt around but I kept at it, hoping I would somehow see some “proof.”   Soon after the two and a half month mark, I notice something astonishing. I noticed that my weak brittle nails were stronger than they had ever been. I was completely blown away by my little discovery. The only way I was ever able to achieve strong nails in the past was through a daily regimen of prenatal vitamins and biotin. My previous diet of lean meats, fish, eggs, and dairy were never enough to make give me visibly strong nails—hence the need for additional supplements. They always broke easily, split in half and I could pick and peel them back rather than clip them—ugh, awful. But on a diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and other plant strong whole foods I was able to achieve the same strong nails I had while on supplements—sans supplements.

I was never a huge milk drinker as an adult. I actually enjoy water and always avoided sodas and juices. But once I gave birth to my son about seven years ago, I started incorporating more milk into my diet thinking it was a healthy and nutritious component to add. Heck, my son was drinking milk, so why shouldn’t I drink it as well?

After a short while, I was hooked on milk and soon found myself drinking 3-4 glasses of skim milk every day. I’d have one for breakfast or with cereal, as a pre-workout and post workout snack and then another glass before bedtime. I absolutely loved the taste of ice, cold milk and really thought it was a healthy drink. Once I watched Forks Over Knives and The Engine 2 ‘Kitchen Rescue’ with Rip Esselstyn DVD, I stopped immediately. There was no weaning necessary—I just stopped cold turkey. I knew I was done with milk once I heard Rip refer to milk as “liquid flesh.” I had just bought a whole gallon of milk and thought there was no way I was going to drink another drop of milk ever again and as much as it pains me to throw food away, I dumped it down the drain and I never turned back.

Although I had committed myself to making the switch I didn’t impose it on my family—yet. I wanted them to make the switch on their own. The happiest moment of this diet was the day my husband called me from work and told me he had finally had it with milk. I was overjoyed and in disbelief. He told me he sat down at his desk a bit early to have some cereal before his day officially started and all of a sudden he could not bring himself to pour cow’s milk over the cereal. The FOK information and Rip’s “liquid flesh” analogy kept echoing in his head and at that moment he made the switch and finally agreed to make the switch for our young son as well. Joy!

After I watched The Engine 2 ‘Kitchen Rescue’ with Rip Esselstyn DVD, I listened carefully to the part when Rip suggests milk alternatives. The entire DVD is full of super alternative plant strong foods but having poured my milk down the drain I listened carefully to the milk alternatives listed and headed straight to my local Whole Foods to purchase new milk.

I had never tried any milk alternatives—I’d heard about them of course but I never had the need, never mind interest, in trying them, so I honestly had no idea what any of them tasted like—completely clueless. I looked at my choices and brought home several containers of new milks—almond, rice, soy, and oat.  I gave my family a blind taste test and we found out that we all preferred almond and rice—specifically Almond Breeze and Dream Rice milks. And for me personally, the former milk freak, I find and highly recommend Original Rice Dream, as it comes closest to milk in taste and consistency. I made the switch first and my family consumed the alternatives on occasion. When my husband finally gave up on milk, we all made the permanent switch to almond and rice milks.

Cheese was my other weakness but it was easier to give it up compared to milk. I was surprised and thought I’d have a harder time getting rid of cheese but it was rather easy. It was especially easy replacing my favorite topping—parmesan cheese—with nutritional yeast. When I first heard Rip mention it I thought, “oh boy, that doesn’t sound tasty at all,” but that didn’t stop me from trying it. I took myself directly to the bulk foods section at my local Whole Foods and purchased a bit of large flake nutritional yeast. At first it was so-so, but then after about a week I was sprinkling it on pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and veggies. It was delicious. My family was not convinced at all but after they tried it a few times they were hooked as well.

Have you given up milk? What non-dairy milks do you enjoy?

We are featuring a new series on the E2 blog all about parenting. We have lots of plant-strong parents raising plant-strong kids.

Being that this Sunday is Mother’s Day we wanted to highlight one of the wonderful Mom’s in our community, Loni from Whole Food Mommies .

First, we have a lot of winners to announce! We have had 5 giveaways in the past week, and today we are announcing all of them!

The Plant-Strong Poetry winners: (Our judges could not pick so we had to pick random winners, the judges all said that everyone deserved a copy of Kitchen Rescue, sadly we could not do that, but we did pick 3 people)

The winners of Kitchen Rescue are:

Joyness Sparklers (poem submitted by her 10 year old son!)

Steph

and, Avital!

The winner of “The Starch Solution” is:

Diedra!

and the winner of Lani’s “Fit Quickies” is:

Heather O.

All of you should get an e-mail from Natala today, if you do not please e-mail her at: natala@engine2.com

Congratulations!

Now, let’s talk about Susan’s journey!

We asked you what you had the hardest time letting go of in your plant-strong journey, and BOY did you respond! We got a few 100 responses from people letting go of everything from coffee to steak!

E2:  What was your biggest fear about becoming plant-strong?

When I first saw Forks Over Knives, I had my doubts about how much protein plants could provide. Surely plants could not possibly be as protein-packed as lean meats, fish, eggs, cheeses and milk—these were protein powerhouses and as a runner I depended on them at every meal. After almost four full months on the Engine 2 Diet, I saw first hand and solid evidence on how beneficial a plant-strong can be and how much protein I was actually getting.

E2: How did you overcome that fear?

I had my doubts up until about two and a half months into the diet. Yes, I know, sounds like a long time to carry doubt around but I kept at it, hoping I would somehow see some “proof.”   Soon after the two and a half month mark, I notice something astonishing. I noticed that my weak brittle nails were stronger than they had ever been. I was completely blown away by my little discovery. The only way I was ever able to achieve strong nails in the past was through a daily regimen of prenatal vitamins and biotin. My previous diet of lean meats, fish, eggs, and dairy were never enough to make give me visibly strong nails—hence the need for additional supplements. They always broke easily, split in half and I could pick and peel them back rather than clip them—ugh, awful. But on a diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and other plant strong whole foods I was able to achieve the same strong nails I had while on supplements—sans supplements.

E2: What was the hardest thing for you to give up?

I was never a huge milk drinker as an adult. I actually enjoy water and always avoided sodas and juices. But once I gave birth to my son about seven years ago, I started incorporating more milk into my diet thinking it was a healthy and nutritious component to add. Heck, my son was drinking milk, so why shouldn’t I drink it as well?

After a short while, I was hooked on milk and soon found myself drinking 3-4 glasses of skim milk every day. I’d have one for breakfast or with cereal, as a pre-workout and post workout snack and then another glass before bedtime. I absolutely loved the taste of ice, cold milk and really thought it was a healthy drink. Once I watched Forks Over Knives and The Engine 2 ‘Kitchen Rescue’ with Rip Esselstyn DVD, I stopped immediately. There was no weaning necessary—I just stopped cold turkey. I knew I was done with milk once I heard Rip refer to milk as “liquid flesh.” I had just bought a whole gallon of milk and thought there was no way I was going to drink another drop of milk ever again and as much as it pains me to throw food away, I dumped it down the drain and I never turned back.

Although I had committed myself to making the switch I didn’t impose it on my family—yet. I wanted them to make the switch on their own. The happiest moment of this diet was the day my husband called me from work and told me he had finally had it with milk. I was overjoyed and in disbelief. He told me he sat down at his desk a bit early to have some cereal before his day officially started and all of a sudden he could not bring himself to pour cow’s milk over the cereal. The FOK information and Rip’s “liquid flesh” analogy kept echoing in his head and at that moment he made the switch and finally agreed to make the switch for our young son as well. Joy!

E2: What were some ways you coped with getting rid of dairy? Did you read or watch anything that helped you make that decision?

After I watched The Engine 2 ‘Kitchen Rescue’ with Rip Esselstyn DVD, I listened carefully to the part when Rip suggests milk alternatives. The entire DVD is full of super alternative plant strong foods but having poured my milk down the drain I listened carefully to the milk alternatives listed and headed straight to my local Whole Foods to purchase new milk.

I had never tried any milk alternatives—I’d heard about them of course but I never had the need, never mind interest, in trying them, so I honestly had no idea what any of them tasted like—completely clueless. I looked at my choices and brought home several containers of new milks—almond, rice, soy, oat, and coconut. I gave my family a blind taste test and we found out that we all preferred almond and rice—specifically Almond Breeze and Dream Rice milks. And for me personally, the former milk freak, I find and highly recommend Original Rice Dream, as it comes closest to milk in taste and consistency. I made the switch first and my family consumed the alternatives on occasion. When my husband finally gave up on milk, we all made the permanent switch to almond and rice milks.

Cheese was my other weakness but it was easier to give it up compared to milk. I was surprised and thought I’d have a harder time getting rid of cheese but it was rather easy. It was especially easy replacing my favorite topping—parmesan cheese—with nutritional yeast. When I first heard Rip mention it I thought, “oh boy, that doesn’t sound tasty at all,” but that didn’t stop me from trying it. I took myself directly to the bulk foods section at my local Whole Foods and purchased a bit of large flake nutritional yeast. At first it was so-so, but then after about a week I was sprinkling it on pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and veggies. It was delicious. My family was not convinced at all but after they tried it a few times they were hooked as well.

E2: How did you feel about giving up cheeses, milk and eggs?

I don’t feel like I’ve given anything up with milk or cheeses. I found a great substitute for milk in Rice Dream’s Original and I simply don’t miss cheese at all. Eggs are a little harder to let go of but I do not consume nearly as much as I used to in the past. Although when I do have one egg, it is usually with some guilt—a very similar feeling to having just indulged in a yummy decadent dessert you know you shouldn’t have eaten. I miss eggs so much but I am learning to live without them.

I was always a great cook so I don’t seem to be having a difficult time adjusting to cooking without these products. Same way I have learned to cook without oil, I find myself not missing them at all. The natural flavors of foods are so delicious to me know and so strong that I find myself craving them on their own. Using cheese, milk, eggs or oil to cook with somehow masks the natural flavors I’ve rediscovered in foods rather than adding or enhancing them as I previous felt before Engine 2. My parents, who are both in their 70s, watched FOK with us but had their doubts big time. But once they started tasting my cooking sans these ingredients, they were prese

I don’t crave milk or cheeses anymore. Surprisingly, I developed an aversion toward these foods quite quickly. Once of my previous cheese weakness was for ricotta cheese. I could eat it as is from the container—a concept I find pretty gross today. I knew I was over my ricotta love affair when I recently made vegetable lasagna for distant relatives who were coming over. I made one large lasagna with nutritional yeast and no dairy cheeses and just for me and my family and the other with shredded and ricotta for our meat and potatoes visitors. In the past I was always tempted to sample the ricotta by the teaspoonfuls as I assembled the lasagna, but found myself a little turned off with the idea of doing that again. I was so proud of myself I immediately told my husband, “Hey honey! Guess what? I have absolutely no desire to eat ricotta anymore. Can you believe it?!” It was great. At that moment I felt sort of felt free from milk and cheese.

Eggs on the other hand are so difficult to let go of, although since January 1, 2012, I’ve only had about six eggs. This is a huge difference compared to having two eggs about three times a week—and two eggs every day when I was pregnant years ago. I’ve yet to venture into the realm of egg substitutes and admittedly do need help with this one.

It was rough the first six weeks of my plant strong diet. I run 3-4 times a week and depended on eggs, cheese, milk-based fruit smoothies, turkey, and other lean meats for protein. Finding protein-rich foods other than the ones listed was difficult. Food shopping was proving to be difficult as well. My family and I were already health conscious eaters—avoiding overly processed foods and all—but finding substitutes or simply learning to live without dairy or meats was a bit tricky indeed. Once we approached the one and one half month mark, I realized it became easier.

After watching the Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue, reading helpful links and resources at engine2diet.com and visiting my local Whole Foods Wellness Club, I was encouraged at finding alternatives to foods I once included in my diet. It’s difficult to wrap one’s head around a whole new way of living but I was determined to stick with it.

E2: What advice or encouragement would you give someone in a similar situation?

A lifestyle change is difficult no matter what the change may be. I personally went from 236 lbs/size 16/18 after the birth of my son in 2005 (bed rest and processed high caloric foods is not the best way to maintain one’s weight) to a lean 140 lbs/size 6 now. It wasn’t easy but it also wasn’t impossible. As with any habit, it took about six weeks to get into a groove where I was looking forward to exercising and used to eating healthier. I was so hung ho about the new me that once I reached my pre pregnancy weight, I kept at it and lost an additional 30-35 lbs. I’m healthier and fitter now than I’ve ever been in my life and having that weight loss success was encouraging enough to keep me on track to a healthier plant-strong me. Change like this doesn’t happen over night, but through hard work, determination and above all patience, it does happen. Don’t expect to be perfect and compliant 100% of the time—moments of weakness where you take a bite of a non-plant strong food—like, ummmm, an ice cream bar—may happen. It happened to me. The key to getting past it is not to beat yourself up over it and to keep trying to control those moments. With time they eventually subside and those moments become are far and fewer in between and easier to ignore.

Thank you Susan! We want to help Susan get past her egg cravings! Let’s hear from fellow E2-ers. What helped you stop craving eggs? Was there any knowledge that helped? Did you find good substitutes?

If you’d like to contribute to this series, please e-mail natala@engine2.com

I’m betting you love-loved Natala’s article How to Work Out When You’re Overweight. It’s always refreshing to read from Natala because she has been in them thar trenches of getting going with exercise for your health. And when it’s darn hard as an overweight person to get yourself into a frame of mind about it.
Lest you think I was always slim and trim, let me set the record straight. Though I’ve been teaching and training with health and fitness for longer probably than many E2 readers have been alive, it was not without its challenges in the weight department as remember I once weight 50 lbs more than I do at this time. I remember once teaching water aerobics from the side of the pool. There I was in all my weight-problem glory. As difficult as it was, I never let it my weight get in the way of my getting out there and moving, and getting others to do the same. Sometimes it was excruciating. Just so you know, I know what that can be like. And I was the one who was supposed to have it all together and be in great shape, right? So I’ve earned the privilege to talk a little bit to the subject of exercise and overweight.

Here are 7 ways to get started with a workout
1) Start by sitting less: If you are coming from the ranks of the sedentarists, meaning you have a long history of sitting for several hours at a stretch each day, then start by building standing breaks in to your day. At your work station, computer, or wherever it is that you spend a big chunk of your time seated each day, set a timer for every 45 minutes. You can even make it a phone alarm that rings a happy, inviting tune. The first week all you have to do is stand up for a minute. Or whatever goal you set. Make it something doable and reachable, because the whole point is not only to get you off your hmmhmm but to build success. Yay!
2) Walk. One foot in front of the other, YOU set the time goal. Something achievable (see #1) but to which you can say “Hey, I can do that!”. 5 minutes, 10. If you are already doing that, make it 20, 30. If you get 5 out of 7 days accomplished in the next week you call those 5 wins success. And you can get creative and combine #1 and #2, depending on where you are in the workout continuum, as the weeks progress.
3) Breathe. Slowed, deliberate breathing builds your willpower to do things compatible with your health goals. It also builds your won’t power to NOT do things in conflict with your greater interests.It relieves stress and enhances equanimity. You can do it during your standing breaks, or your walk schedule that you are working up as in #2. Aim for 6 breaths a minute for 3 minutes.
4) Imagine. See the big picture of YOU being active, moving – healthy, vibrant, and happy. Imagine yourself doing an activity – walking, stretching, dancing, lifting. Connect with the emotion of reaching your goal. Let yourself get excited about it! It happens on the inside, then the outsides catch up.
5) Don’t wear the dumpy stuff. Ambiance is everything. Don’t wear the ragged hole-riddled t-shirt,the baggy sweats. Unless somehow they make you feel gorgeous. Your workout time is an opportunity to build your vision of vitality and a fit, healthy, beautiful body. Build your vision in as many ways as you can. Try leggings – they come in all sizes and know how to stretch, believe me I know! I personally love a good 3/4 length sleeve, I feel 10 times more elegant than in a t-shirt.
6) Bank it. Pepper in 3 – 5 minute body breaks. Research tells us that short exercise segments accumulated during the day can reap us the same rewards as ‘all at once’. And if you are one of those people who either can’t find the time for a more extended exercise session or the idea of moving for30 minutes at once sends you straight to the couch, a shift to the ‘bank it’ idea might be all you need to turn the tide for you on activity. Mix this in with the ‘sitting less’ idea in #1.
7) Moving makes the eating easier. This little motivational nugget may be all you need to get one or more of the ideas in #1 – 6 implemented. In a recent study, the subjects were asked to make only one change in their life. The researchers found that people who made this one change were also automatically eating healthier , procrastinating less, smoking less, drinking less caffeine, spending less – just about anything you can imagine. And the researchers had asked them to do only one thing.Exercise. And for some, coming from a state of being total non-exercisers, that mean one day a week.Still the carryover benefits in all other areas were observed. Physical activity changes the brain in many of the same ways as does meditation, building neural density in the areas of the brain that are important for self-control. Next time you don’t want to move, remember that moving a little helps you makes the other big changes you are implementing in your plant-strong diet doable.
To make this even more fun, we’re adding a giveaway! Share YOUR ideas for getting started on working out. Think of someone just getting started – or thinking about getting started! Perhaps that is you now,or was you at one time. When the hurdle of being active seemed just insurmountable. Enter your suggestion below and make yourself eligible for winning the entire downloadable Fit Quickie collection.
Fit Quickies are short, 5 minutes-or-under targeted body shapers that you can pepper in throughout the day or string together for a longer workout or to target specific areas. Gorgeous glutes and hamstrings,Topless Muffins, Thigh Warriors are just a few of the fun and playful names for these winners. Set to music, the downloads are video and audio, complete with transcripts. You can see the entire current FitQuickie collection on Lani’s website here: http://www.fitquickies.com

Lani Muelrath is a plant-strong fitness expert! Lani is the creator of The Body Transformation Formula and Fit Quickies™ 5 Minute Workouts. She has a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and over 30 years of experience as a teacher, coach, and trainer. She has received awards for her instruction, created and starred in her own CBS TV Show, and her expertise in the area of health and fitness is called upon by examiner.com, as Fitness Expert for Dr. John McDougall’s Health and Medical Center, coach, Dr. Neal Barnard’s 21-Day Kickstart program, and Health and Fitness Lifestyle Expert for Vegan Mainstream.com. She is Certified in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University. She and her husband also built their house with their own hands!

Halloween 2003 with a half wheel of Beeler Sbrinz

october 2010 eating raclette at burrough market london

june 2011-50 pounds lighter

To follow Benjamin’s progress please check out his site!

What are your favorite starches? Leave a comment and enter to win a copy of Dr.McDougall’s new book!

Written by E2 team member, Natala

My mother is moving. As anyone who is moving knows, you find out you have A LOT of stuff. Too much stuff. She called me to tell me she found 30 spring-foam pans. I wasn’t even sure what those were exactly, but she had 30 of them.

When my husband and I decided to leave the life we had near Washington DC we decided to sell everything. I’m not kidding, everything. Every utensil, every kitchen gadget, every plate, every fork. All of those wedding gifts, most that went un-used, all of those end cap Target clearance items, which all seemed COMPLETELY necessary at the time, all gone.

We packed up our car, our 2 door coupe to be exact and hit the road. Everything we owned fit in that little car. Eventually we would settle on the following in our kitchen:

A pan (stove top)
A pot
2 dinner plates
2 cereal size bowls
2 glasses
1 spatula
2 forks, 2 spoons, 2 knives
1 small cutting board
1 kitchen knife
1 large spoon
1 small baking pan
1 colander

That is our kitchen. We cook 98% of our meals at home. We have yet to have  run into any problems. The key? Keeping it simple.

The more simple you can make your kitchen, the easier your life will be. I think one of the bigger myths about having a simplified kitchen is that somehow the gadgets make things easier, when I’ve found it to be the opposite. Gadgets end up stressing me out, and sometimes I would find myself trying to create complicated meals or I would feel guilty about not using that 125 dollar chopper in the cabinet.

Some of you like a more complicated kitchen, you enjoy all of the gadgets, and that is perfectly fine. Enjoy!

But for those of you who are feeling overwhelmed with all of the gadgets and tools, rest assured that you can  do a lot with a very little. Last week we heard from someone who is currently eating 100% plant-strong with just a hot plate, a pot, a can opener, and mini fridge/freezer! Lisa had this to say:

“Because of very unusual circumstances I have no kitchen at all, and I am not able to have more than a small box of non clothing items where I am currently residing. I am living plant-strong, mostly eating Jeff Novicks Fast Food meals, using just a hot plate, pot, can opener, scissors, a spoon and then one bowl to eat out of. I’m actually finding it easier! I eat plenty of food and really enjoy it.” – Lisa in Alaska

You can see more recipes from Jeff here.

Some of the most common misconceptions is that this way of eating takes too much time, costs too much money and is complicated. My husband and I have been eating this way for a while and have never found the need to have a more complicated kitchen life, we rarely spend more than 15 minutes preparing a meal and save tons of money over how we used to eat and live before.

Give it a try! If you currently have a kitchen full of gadgets, why not see what you could do if you were put in a position to only have very basic tools for one week.

Personally, the easier I can make living this way, the more successful I am.

How about you, have you simplified your kitchen life?

Do you have a parenting story you would like to share? Please e-mail Natala : natala@engine2.com

And please leave some plant-strong love in the comments for Lisa!

A post by E2 team member, Natala

I was 11 years old when I started to gain weight (A LOT of weight), this was also the time that I started attempts at exercising. Let’s just be honest here. I was young, overweight and already a very awkward nerdy type who spent my free time playing my violin and finding pictures of dead classical composers to put in my room (no New Kids on the Block for this teen!). I was already a weird kid. However, being a weird kid and “Sweating to the Oldies” with Richard Simmons (side note – Richard once sent me a letter and included a photo of himself chained to a fork) or going to a Jazzer-size class with my Mother and her friends? I was destined to be uncool, and to feel really awkward about working out. I once wore an all purple sweat suit to a workout class for overweight teens, I looked like a giant grape, not my best fashion choice. I was kind of fearless about all of it though, even though I was obese I tried out for the basketball team, the volleyball team and then in High School I signed up for an advanced gym class, this confused my guidance counselor a lot.

Since then I have made many attempts to find the perfect workout for me and have failed over and over again. It wasn’t until I read “The Pleasure Trap” by Doug Lisle that I realized one of our primary survival mechanisms is to conserve energy. So, unless I’m being chased in the woods by a lion, why the heck would I run?!

When I started my plant-strong journey I tipped the scales at well over 400 pounds. Needless to say, moving was a little harder for me, and even though I have lost over 200 pounds so far, moving is still hard in some situations.

I have had my share of injuries over the past few years. I am ambitious, I want to be able to run, or go for a long hike, or do a cross fit session without any trouble. However, I found out the hard way that it is an absolute MUST that you start with a solid foundation when it comes to moving and becoming active.

One of the common misconceptions is that you need to workout a ton in order to lose weight. When you are starting out, your weight loss will mostly come from the way you are eating, it won’t come from trying to get in a 2-3 hour workout every day. This is not to say that moving is not important, but you do not need to do 2 hour workouts to do something great for your body, start with 30 minutes, and feel free to stay there as long as you like.

Your best bet is to start slow. Start by walking and doing some simple balance and strength exercises. Try some of these workouts that Rip has on our exercise and stretching page.

In addition, try getting in 30 minutes of walking every day, or some other kind of movement (bike, swimming). As things improve with your health, try doing some more exercise that includes impact, impact is what builds strong bones (NOT MILK!).

As Jack LaLanne  used to say “Food is king, exercise is queen”. We are not saying that exercise is not important, but we want to see you change your diet, and get your diet completely plant-strong before you start worrying about what kind of exercise is best for you.

Lastly, find something you enjoy doing! You don’t have to go to a gym, go for a walk or lift weights. Just find something you enjoy, and do it a few times a week. Take a dance class, play a sport, go hiking, start geocaching, get a hula hoop! Heck, maybe you love “Sweating the the Oldies”, whatever works for you! Get creative when it comes to how you move.

What are some of your favorite ways to exercise? Do you have any tips for other E2ers just starting out?

Plant-strong in the air!

Recently the entire Engine 2 team traveled to The Big Island for a Whole Foods employee immersion.

Before we all boarded our flights we snapped some  photos with our cameras to show you what kind of plant-strong food the team eats when we travel.

We were surprised that many of you did not know that you could bring food on planes! So to clear up any misconceptions, we thought we would write about traveling and what  food we love taking with us.

First, the only rule regarding what you can take on a flight is liquid, so you can’t bring a half gallon of Rips’ ranch dressing. You can take about a ½ cup of it if you wanted to. Be sure you put it in a container that won’t expand when you get up in the air, you don’t want to be cleaning up  your exploded Rip’s ranch dressing on the inside of your carry on!

Some of our favorite things to take on a plane:

Wraps: we get Ezekiel tortillas, spread hummus on them and fill them with roasted veggies, spinach and cut up tofu. You can also use mashed up beans if you like.

Sandwiches: Whole grain bread (we like to toast it, so it doesn’t get soggy) – stuff your sandwich with your favorite veggies (we like making roasted eggplant sandwiches).

Jeff Novick burgers: These are our favorite plant-strong burgers! And they are great cold as well as hot. We made a few burgers to last the flight and then to have on the other side, because we knew we were landing later at night.

To get Jeff’s new dvd on how to make the best burgers (and fries) go here: https://secure2.vegsource.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=494

Big bowl! Morning flight? Why not take your big bowl dry ingredients, some dried fruit (or some cut up fresh fruit)  and a little container of non dairy milk? Be sure to bring a small Tupperware  or bowl so you can enjoy your big bowl.

Salad: This is a great one, because you can go make a salad at almost any grocery store now, or get a to go container at a place like “Sweet Tomatoes” and take your huge salad on the flight with you. We put balsamic vinegar or salsa in a little container for dressing.

Spring rolls: This one is a great one for kids. Just get rice paper, wet it (so you can roll it easily) and then fill it with your favorite ingredients. You can pack a small container of sauce for dipping.

Oatmeal crisp: This is a great food that travels well. You will have to bake it the night before though.  In a baking dish put a layer of frozen or fresh fruit (any fruit), next add a layer of oats (about 1 inch thick), next cover the oats with non dairy milk, until the oats are soaked. Put the baking dish in the oven at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until the liquid has absorbed into the oats, there should not be excess liquid when you are done. This is a big hit for the kids as well. We made one with pineapple and strawberries for our recent flight!

Hummus: Make a batch of fat free hummus and pack some cut up vegetables and whole grain pita bread.

Fruit: We learned that with some international flights as well as flights leaving Hawaii you might have to watch what kind of produce you take back with you. Check with the airport or airline if you are concerned.

Rice, beans and salsa: Brown rice, black beans and your favorite salsa make a great travel meal. You can get some whole grain tortillas or make your own corn tortillas  if you like.

Looking for good food at an airport? While most airports are not known for having the best food options, we have found some great options, when we look hard enough. If you can find a airport restaurant see if you can get steamed vegetables, baked potatoes, brown rice or beans. You can also get a big salad at most restaurants along with some balsamic vinegar or salsa.  Need something quick? Most of the small stores carry fresh fruit now.

What are your air travel tips? Do you have any favorite travel food?