Lauren Brooks Fitness

This bomb ass kale salad is delicious and healthy. I believe in a healthy high fat diet with super foods and this just about covers it with a quickness. Due to Trader Joe's being one of the most convenient and fun places for me to shop, every single ingredient in this recipe can be found there. There are only 5 (now 6) ingredients so it makes it super easy and convenient, which is imperative for a busy working mom that rather spend quality time with her kids than taking extra time in the kitchen that's not always necessary. Updating this to 6 ingredients thanks to the awesome comments below.  Adding fresh lemon juice to the tahini sauce to thin it out is such an excellent idea!! Tahini Kale Salad 2-3 cups Organic Kale (I used Lacinto) 2-3 whopping Tbs of Tahini Sauce (add fresh lemon juice and water to thin it out to the consistency of your liking) 1/2 chopped Avocado Handful of raw cashews Several slices of Red onion to taste Directions: (Brace yourself ...

I never thought in a million years I would be where I am now with my current eating.  Being in the fitness industry for so long and surrounded by lean bodybuilders and athletes, I was convinced that we absolutely had to get our protein from meat or animal sources to sustain energy and physique.  I thought that if I were to ever give up animal protein I would not be able to have a lean body, would get weak, and become deficient.  Growing up, I always loved and cared for animals but chose to not think about the treatment of certain animals before I put them in my mouth.  I worked in a fine dining restaurant when I was 18 years old, where most of the dishes were rack of lamb, duck, pork chops, quail, steak and prime rib.  We were encouraged to try all the dishes so that we could properly describe the tastes to our guests and pair them with the appropriate wine.  I always felt so strange eating each bite but looking around me, no one else seemed to feel strange...

First I'd like to begin by saying how wonderful this experience has been for me.  I was able to delve into the world of living a vegan lifestyle for the month.  I know it's very possible to live this way because I felt great most of the time.  Although being that I have always been someone who generally eats a good amount of eggs, poultry and fish, going cold turkey was a bit tough for me.   I started this journey as a 3-day fruit, veggie and some seed "detox.”  Then it turned in to 7 days of mostly raw vegan since I was feeling really good.  By week 2, I felt that I needed some cooked foods, so I went ahead and listened to my body.  Coming to the end of the 3rd week I was starting to feel really lethargic and my workouts were suffering a bit.  I was still eating lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes throughout the day, along with a vegan protein powder, but I felt like something was missing.  Eggs kept calling my...

I'm in Love! This is for all the quinoa lovers out there. This has to be my favorite sweet quinoa dish of all times.  It can be eaten cold as a salad, main dish, or as a warm side dish. Perfect for the summer time, but I will definitely be eating this all year around.  This healthy recipe was inspired by a homemade quinoa salad I purchased at a local farmers market.  The flavors mixed together so beautifully that I had to hold back in finishing the whole thing.  It's completely vegetarian and vegan with little to no salt at all.  It makes up a complete protein, while also providing healthy fats, and a superb amount of antioxidants from the dark cherries.  Even my 15 month old loved it! Here is the recipe I came up with.  It's always nice when you can use some of the foods right from your own yard. I used a fresh orange off my tree and lots of fresh mint.  Yummy! 1 cup of Quinoa  (inca red or regular) 3/4 fresh squeezed orange juice 1....

This weekend I went to a Vegan potluck dinner.  My friend Melanie, made a Corn and Arugula salad that was a huge hit.  I could not believe how delicious it was.  I felt like I was at a fine dining restaurant. The dressing was made from scratch along with slicing the corn off the cob and putting it in to the salad.  All the tastes just went so well together. The recipe was derived from the Corn and Arugula Salad recipe at allrecipes.com however Melanie made some changes to it and then I made a subtle change as well.   Here it is and I will put notes of how I did it in red. Ingredients 1/4  cup  cider vinegar ( I used unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar ) 3  tablespoons  minced shallots 2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard 1/2  teaspoon  salt ( only added a dash, since I'm not a believer of using too much salt ) 1/4  cup  olive oil 4  cups  fresh corn kernels (from 4 or 5 ears; see notes) (only use...