What to Do and Eat in Maine- Vegan and Kid Friendly!

     Recently, I made a trip to Maine with my family. We absolutely loved it! The weather was amazing, the sights unreal and the trip as a whole was super fun and relaxing! But, you may wonder what a vegan finds to eat in a seafood dominated state! Well, it actually wasn't as hard as you might think!

Easy Vegan Lemon Bars

When I think summer, one of the first things that comes to find are citrus fruits! For some reason, the sourness and sweetness of lemons, limes and oranges just goes with Summer so well! These Lemon Bars are the perfect citrusy, summer time dessert!

Our Jamaican Vacation (Part 1)

     If you follow me on social media( you really should!) then you will already know that I just got back from a 12 day vacation to Jamaica! The trip was amazing! We had so much fun, met some new people and relaxed by the beach! In the next few blog posts, I am going to share the highlights from our Jamaican Vacation!

Gift Guide for the Health Conscience

     Its Christmas time! Its the time for giving, being with friend and family, and enjoying all the season has to offer! We all love to give gifts to our  friends and family members and see their face light up when they open the gift, and of course we like receive gifts too!

      Knowing what to get someone as a gift can be pretty tricky, especially if they have some interests or hobbies you don't know alot about! In that case, it can be helpful to do some research or talk to someone who does know something and get some gift ideas from them! I love running, fitness and nutrition. Taking care of my body and helping others do the same is one of my hobbies. You might need to get a gift for someone who has the same or similar interests and if so, you've come to the right place!

Gift Guide for Your Health Conscience Friends

 

 

 

Fitness Accessories

 

      For someone who is really in to fitness, staying active and working, there is nothing better to receive than some cool new gear to use! Whether its a pretty water bottle, a cute headband, gym bag, ear buds, or even some new kettle bells, who ever you give them to, will love them! You can even customize it to whatever activity he/she is interested in!

     For runners, ear buds, arm belt for their phone, running ID or even a new running watch are great ideas!

     For those into weight lifting, some new weight gloves, fun workout shirts or a bluetooth speaker to blast their tunes might just be perfect!

    And for those who are just getting in to fitness, some kettle bells, light weights, yoga mat, or resistance bands are great! Whatever your fitness-buff friend or family member is in to, getting them a gift that fits their activity is always a good idea!

 

 

Reading Material

 

     If you are a health conscience person, or you know some one who is, you probably know that we are always reading up on the lastest health craze, workout trend or lifestyle. Even if we don't agree with them 100%, we still love to learn about them! Getting someone a magazine subscription to a health or fitness magazine is a great gift that they get to keep getting all year long! I am subscribed to VegNews and I love it!

     Also, books make wonderful gifts during the winter because there is nothing better than curling up next to the fire with a good book! There are hundreds of health, wellness and fitness books out there, so you are sure to find the perfect one to gift!

 

 

 

Classes

 

     Like I said, health conscience people love to learn how to be healthier, and while reading about it is great, taking a class can be alot of fun too! Taking a fitness class in somthing they've never tried, or something they already love is a great way to give your friend/family member a day to remember!

     Cooking classes are also another fun gift to give to someone who is careful about what they eat. Learning to cook healthier, better or in a differnt way can really help to inspire them to continue living their healthy lives!

     There are tons of differnt kinds of classes out there to choose from, so you will have no problem finding the perfect one! Even offering to taking the class with your friend or family member can make the experience even more special!

FOOD!

     You might be laughing now, but get in between a runner/cyclist/yogi... and their food and you won't be! :) We all love food, especially fitness and health conscience people, so giving it as a gift is never a bad idea!
    If a person has a specific diet or allergy, then getting them food that is suited to them is very thoughtful. Maybe they are gluten free but love a certain type of dessert, so you could make or buy them that dessert in a way that they could enjoy it. Or, like me, they are vegan, so you could gift them some delicious vegan food goodies!
     Food subscription boxes are another fun way to give food this season! They are offered in various catagories, such as vegan, gluten free or whole-foods, and usually can be customized. Having a box of food to look forward to every month is pretty exciting and I don't know one person who wouldn't love it!

Pamper Time

     If food, books or new fitness gear don't seem to fit your friend or family member, maybe they just need a little pamper time. Time just for themselves, to relax and chill. Giving someone a day of relaxations is always welcome, whether they are into health and fitness or not.

      A day at the spa, a nice massage or a trip to the nail salon might be just what a person needs. For those who are busy staying active, pampering themselves like this is probably something they do once every blue moon. Giving them a massage or spa session is a great way to make sure they get the pampering they deserve!
    If going to the spa doesn't sound right, having a relaxing day in might be better! Putting together a 'at home' pamper session might even be more fun! Fill a box or basket with lotions, bath bombs, teas, a cozy rob or pair of PJs or whatever would make your friend or family member feel pampered!

     Gift giving can be hard, but if you take time to learn about what a person likes, then you can give them a gift that they will not only love, but remember! Gving them a gift that is personal or specifc to their lifestyle is thoughtful and always well received!


     I hope this gift guide has been helpful to you and that you feel more confident in your gift giving this year! Please share this post and my blog with your friends and family members to spread more love for a healthy lifestyle this holiday season!

You can follow the blog via email, Google and social media!

Instagram- That_Vegan_Runner

Twitter- SpinachisGood

Tumblr- justrunningforfood

Pinterest- Hannah Plunkett

Stay healthy, happy and laughing!
Happy Holidays!

-Hannah



Favorite Books!

I love to read just about any type of book, but especially books about food, health and fitness. I find them motivational, helpful, entertaining and inspirational. I always feel inspired to eat and live healthier after I read one of these books! So, I want to share with you a few of my favorite books and maybe you can be just as inspired and motivated as me!

French Women Don't Get Fat! by  Mireille Guiliano
 French Women Don't Get Fat is one of my favorite books! Mireille is such a great writer, balancing her life story, the French tips for staying trim, and delicious recipes! I love that she shares her victories as well as failures and tips she learned along the way. Her recipes are easy to follow, delicious and all relatively healthy. She also has a 'plan' of sorts for getting started living as a French woman. I also read the sequel to the book: French Women For All Seasons and I loved that one as well.

Clean
Clean is a book I've blogged about before. It is a cleansing/detox book that explains what detoxing does, the benefits of it and how to do it! I have done a version of the cleanse twice, and I loved how I felt during and after each time! It also has several recipes that are clean and healthy!


In Defense of Food
Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food is such a great informational book about food, the American way of eating, and what we can do to change the way we eat. He also has several others books that I want to read, including Omnivore's Dilemma which I am in the middle of reading now!

Running Like a Girl
I just started reading this book, Running Like a Girl , and I have already fallen in love! The book is written from the perspective of someone who started out not liking to run, and follows her as she grows and learns to love it.  It is so motivational, funny, and informational. After reading just a few chapters, I wanted to go out for a run! I love how easy it is to relate to the author, and understand the struggles and realize that you aren't alone in your feelings towards running after all!

Body and Soul
Bethany Hamilton's book, Body and Soul is such a great book! She writes about growing up, losing her arm to a shark attack, learning to surf again, getting her life back on a healthier track, and living life in a healthier way. I love her workouts, recipes, stories, tips, and inspiration! She also is firm in her faith and shares ways that God has helped her through her life! I recommend this book for teenage girls( or anyone!) who wants to get their life back on a healthier track!

Healthy Snack Ideas

 Snacks are something that can be either a healthy, beneficial small meal...or a diet-crashing, nutrient-void and unhealthy choice. Learning the difference and choosing the right snacks can be the difference between a healthy and unhealthy diet!

 

Healthy snacks can seem time-consuming or hard, but once you get a few basics, they can be so easy! I have a few favorites and a few go-to-s and I want to share those with you!

Fruit
This might seem like a no-brainer, but most people don't eat enough fruit! Try to eat at least one piece of fruit a day( an apple of day....) Fruits like apples, bananas and oranges are great for on-the-go snacks. Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are great snacks too, just no super-portable!

Frozen Fruit
Easy my favorite summer-time snack, frozen fruit is amazing! No, not super-potable, but its a great snack to have at home. My favorites are mangoes( its like eating sorbet!), pineapple, and blueberries!

Nut Butters
Nut butters are a great snack, especially paired with fruit like apples and pears! When choosing a nut butter, make sure the ingredient list is limited to nuts only ( salt is fine as well).  You can even put it in a tiny container and take an apple along with you for a on-the-go snack!

Lara Bars
I love Lara Bars! They are super portable, so they make great snacks! Also, their ingredient list is amazingly sort and healthy! They are made from many fruit and nuts, and come in so many flavors! My favorites are Apple Pie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Cashew Cookie.

Boom Chicka Pop!
Popcorn might not be the first thing you think of for healthy snacks, but it can be a perfectly healthy choice! Boom-Chicka-Pop is a great brand of pre-popped popcorn. The ingredient list is short: Popcorn, Sunflower oil, and sea salt. Also, it only has 35 calories per cup! Put it in a zip-lock or container and take it with you for a great and healthy snack!

Dried Fruits
Dried fruits are another portable snack idea. As long as the dried fruits don't have added sugars and additives/chemicals, they are perfectly healthy for you! Add them to a trail-mix or eat them alone for a great snack! My favorites are raisins, cranberries, pineapple and mangoes!

Nuts
Nuts are great to eat for a energy and protein boost! My favorites are cashews, almonds and pecans! you can add them to a trail-mix or eat them by themselves! Just remember, portion sizes really matters with these, so keep an eye on how much you eat in one sitting!

Seeds
These might seem like a salad topping, add to bread and muffins type of thing, but they make great snacks too! My favorites are sunflower and pumpkin! You can get them roasted, salted or raw, so try a few to find your favorites!

So, those are a few of my favorite healthy snacks! I hope you enjoyed this post and that it was helpful for you! If you liked this post, please share it with a friend and family member to spread the love of healthy living!
You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett.

New post every Monday and Friday!

H. Banana

Salud! Cooking School at Whole Foods: Part 1: Day 1

   This past week my sister, Emma, and I attended a cooking school at the Whole Foods Market near us. The cooking school is called Salud!  and this class focused on different cuisines from around the world. We learned a lot about different cultures, ways to prepare food, and we ate a lot of tasty food! I want to share with you the food we made, the things we learned and how much we enjoyed the class!

The School
Salud Cooking School is the cooking school inside Whole Foods. There are several other Whole Foods that have this same school, so check the one near you. I know the one close to us didn't have one, so we drove to a Whole Foods that did have one. The instructors and staff at the store and school are all very helpful, cheerful and nice! They have classes on all different topics and all different age groups! I encourage you to look into the Whole Foods near you and see what classes their school offers!

Day 1
The first day of class I forgot to bring a camera, so I don't have any pictures (Sorry!) but we did make some delicious food that is worth talking about! This day was Italian Food day, so we traveled to Italy to make some of their classic dishes!

We made homemade pizza dough and topped it with a homemade marinara sauce and cheese. Then we made lasagna with some more of the marinara sauce and a ricotta cheese filling. Next we made a amazing kale Caprese salad with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese!  For dessert we made a teacup tiramisu. Their recipe was a bit different from ours( we use coffee and Kahlua in our recipe and they used chocolate milk---more kid friendly I guess!) but it was still really yummy!


I loved the pizza! It tasted just like the pizza you can buy in the Whole Foods deli(big surprise there!) The crust was a simple dough that we let rest and rise, then we stretched it into personal-sized pizzas. The we topped it with some marinara sauce we had made and then some cheese!

Next was the lasagna. Now, I'm not a huge fan of lasagna, but my sister, Emma, is and she assured me it was delicious! The method was simple enough, we made a ricotta cheese filling and spread it between some lasagna noodles. Then we rolled them up and topped them with the marinara sauce and cheese!

The salad was my favorite dish of the day! It was light and flavorful all at once! We used kale( Quick Tip for working with kale. After you tear it off the stem and into bite sized pieces, massage it for a few minutes with your hands. This softens the leaves up and makes for a better bite! Just make sure you have clean hands!) tomatoes, mozzarella cheese balls,  and pine nuts! Then we made a spicy vinaigrette to dress it with!

Finally, for dessert we made a kid-friendly version of a tiramisu. We made a mascarpone cheese mixture(classic to a tiramisu) and used eggs to make it into a pudding. We chilled that to help it set. Then we soaked lady finger cookies in chocolate milk and placed them in teacups. We topped the cookies with our pudding mix and shaved chocolate on top! I have to say, I like our recipe better, but their take on a tiramisu was interesting and yummy too!

So that was Day 1 of our Cooking School experience! My sister and I had so much fun the first day, that we couldn't wait to go back the next day! Be on the look out for Part 2: Day 2!

If you liked this post, please share it with a friend and family member! You can follow the blog via email and Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett.

I post every Monday and Friday, so follow the blog to stay up to date on all things healthy living!

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H. Banana

5 Healthy Snacking Tips

Snacking is something that just about every does at some point in the day. And, if done right, it is healthy for you. Snacking on good nutritional food helps to keep your metabolism up. But choosing the right things to grab for a snack isn't always easy. I am going to share with you a few tips to snack healthier as well as a few healthy snack ideas!

 

#1
Keep premade snacks handy. Having healthy snacks already made and ready to grab will make it less likely for you to go for an unhealthy option. Cutting up veggies and fruit and portioning them out to keep in the fridge is one idea. You can even portion out fruit and veggie dips( Like nut butters, yogurt or cream cheese) to grab along with your snack. Another idea is to make up healthy treats like these Almond Joy Clusters or Apple Chompers . What ever you chose to do, having ready-to-eat snacks that are healthy will keep you on track!

#2
Water first! Sometimes when you feel hungry, you actually are just thirsty. Because your stomach is empty you body thinks its hungry when really you just need some water. Try drinking a glass of water whenever you feel hungry. If you still feel hungry afterwards, have a snack, if not, you don't need a snack!

#3
Chose the more filling option. When choosing a snack, try and chose the one that will fill you up for the longest time. You don't want to be hungry in a few minutes! A few filling choices are, broccoli, Greek yogurt, nuts of any kind, or oats. The reason these are good choices is because they fill your stomach up, plus they are full of the nutrients your body needs! I love to eat broccoli raw or steamed, and Greek yogurt topped with berries is a amazing treat!

#4
Don't eat mindlessly. When you have a snack, sit down and enjoy it. Eat it slowly and drink water with it. Don't just sit down in front of the computer and chomp away on your snack because before you know it, the food will be gone and you'll ask yourself 'Where did my food go?!". Snack time is a great time to take a break from work, school or whatever and just take a few deep breaths. Eating slowly also helps to keep you from over eating because it takes a while for your body to recognize that it's full.

#5
Eat something you like. This may sound like a no brainer, but its something you need to think about. Don't just eat a snack that you don't like because you know its good for you. There are plenty of healthy options out there, so find the ones you like and have those at the ready. You can try Banana Bread Cookies , Boo-Nanas , Summer in a Smoothie, , Candied Pecans or any of the other recipes on my blog!

I hope these tips help you to stay on track when snacking and that they give you a few ideas for healthy snack options! If you like this post, please share it with a friend!

Thank you for checking out my blog and be sure to check back often for more healthy tips, workouts, recipes and more!

Keep Healthy and SAFE!
H.Banana

Follow the blog on Twitter @ Spinachisgood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett

Getting Ready for Spring Part 2

  

With Spring just around the corner, its time to start getting ready for the warmer weather! Soon(hopefully!) we will be getting out the spring clothes, planting our garden and watching the grass and trees turn green!

My last post (Getting Ready for Spring Part 1) was all about cleaning out the fridge and pantry and getting rid of food you don't need or want and making sure that what you do have in your fridge and pantry matches your healthy lifestyle!
This post is going to be about cleaning up your diet and making some changes! It is so important to examine you diet every once in a while to make sure that you aren't missing something!

#1
Detox or Cleanses. Spring is a great time to do a bit of deep cleaning for your body. Its a fresh start for the trees, grass and animals, so why not for you? Going on a Cleanse or Detox is a great way to do this. They focus on flushing out the toxins that have built up in your body and allows your body to heal it's self. My family and I went on a week long cleanse roughly based on the book Clean and I saw some great changes! There are of course plenty of cleanses and detoxes out there so look around to find one that works for you! Going on a detox or cleanse can seem a bit complicated, but it is all worth it when you feel and look so much healthier! The first 2 days are the hardest in my opinion because you aren't used to it yet, but after that it is pretty smooth sailing! I encourage you to try a cleanse or detox( 3 days is even enough to get started!) and do some Spring Cleaning for your body!

 

#2
Making a Plan, Setting Goals. While Cleanses and Detoxes are a great way to jump start your healthy diet, maintaining can be a task in itself! Making a meal plan is a great way to stay on track because, with a meal planned, you are less likely to grab for an unhealthy option! It doesn't have to be all cooking at home, but making your own food is the best way to eat healthy. Having premade snacks and meals is perfect for those who eat most of their meals away from the house. Pick a day to make all the meals you need for the week. Setting goals is a great motivator to eat healthy because you want to reach your goals. A few goals of mine this season are; Participate in Meatless Monday, complete a cleanse program and add yoga to my workout routine. Once you make a meal plan  and set goals for yourself, you will see the effect they have on your health and you will feel so much better! Make it a goal to do some Spring Cleaning for your diet!


I hope this encourages you to do some Spring Cleaning for your diet and body. Once you experience the benefits of a healthy diet you will never go back! Please share this with a friend and look for 'Getting Ready for Spring Part 3'!

Keep  Healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

Pictures from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Getting Ready for Spring! Part 1

   March is here and Spring is just around the corner! I cannot believe time has flown by so fast! It seems like just yesterday is was the beginning of January! Now that the weather will (Hopefully!) be warming up its time to start planting the garden, get out the short-sleeves and get ready to welcome Spring!

I am going to do a 'Getting Ready for Spring' series and this is Part 1!

Clean out the Fridge and Pantry
Every one has heard of Spring Cleaning, and that is basically what this is, just for you food instead of your windows. For me, I feel like Spring is a new beginning, just like the New Year. A fresh new season to make some fresh new changes.

#1
Cleaning out the pantry is probably something we don't do enough. When we do clean it up I am always surprised at what we have in there! I suggest going through your dry goods and pulling out the items you haven't used or aren't going to use. Maybe you have things in there that, now that you have started your healthy journey, you don't need or want. Cereals and snack foods really get out of hand in my house. We buy snacks and never eat them or never finish a cereal box but never throw them out. They stack up and make the pantry look cluttered. Almost empty spice containers are frustrating too! You don't know you're out of something until you go to use it. Going through and cleaning up your pantry is a Spring Cleaning must-do for anyone. I don't know about you, but I love a clutter-free pantry!

#2
The fridge doesn't usually get as out-of-hand as the pantry, but it does get dirty! When veggies and fruit go bad and we don't realize it, they leave a yucky, stinky mess that is no fun to clean up. Going through the produce drawers in your fridge regularly is a great way to make sure this doesn't happen. Also, leftovers that don't get eaten quickly can go bad and cause a mess as well. Also, the shelves and drawers in your fridge can get pretty messy (believe me, ours get pretty dirty!) so cleaning them is something that should be in your list of to-dos. Having a clean fridge makes cooking and baking so much easier and it just makes me feel better to open the fridge and not see clutter! Add cleaning out your fridge to your Spring Cleaning list!

This is just one of the steps to take in getting ready for spring. Check back for Part 2 of this series soon!

Keep Healthy and SAFE!
H.Banana

photos from Free Digital Photos.net