Chocolate Date and Nut Bars!

Hi Everyone! 

This weekend my boyfriend and I were looking for things for him to take to work for lunch. He works in an office and he usually brings left overs and some fruit, but he just needs one more thing, one more power filled snack to get him through the rest of his day and it was a challenge figuring out what that could be. At first we thought mixed nuts, and then we thought granola bars... but my boyfriend is pretty high maintenance. He is prone to getting sores in his mouth, cause by the weirdest things; oats, walnuts, sesame seeds, peanuts, coconut.... So as you can see pretty much all store bought granola bars and nut mixes are off the table. In the end is it such a bad thing? All the store bought ones he wants are full of sugar and when you buy the nut and fruit mixes there are often lots of sugar or salt on the fruit and nuts. 

So I went on a mission: To make home made granola bars that tasted delicious and were good for you. But I could only use almonds or cashews. I looked at so many different granola bar recipes on pinterest. But soooo many had oats in them. It was really hard to try and find one that met all of our requirements, but I did find a few that I wanted to try.

Today I made Chocolate Date and Nut Bars from A Tasty Love Story's Cocoa & Cashew Bars. I essentially made these according to their recipe, but as I don't have a scale I changed the measurements to cups. In the future I would make some changes. I don't think the coconut oil is entirely necessary and might remove it as just two tablespoons adds 28 grams of fat. I would also add some chia, flax or hemp seeds to try and up the protein in them. But for now, if my boyfriend likes them, then I will be happy and ready to change them up for the next round. These are Vegan, Paleo, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, and could easily be made oil free. I look forward to trying a different kind of granola bar for next week!

Isn't it a great rich colour?

Chocolate Date and Nut Bars

Makes 8 bars, alternatively could roll into little energy balls.

1/2 Cup Cashews

1/2 Cup Almonds

1 1/2 Cup Dates (I used matazafi dates as they are really soft and gooey)

2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

2 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and roast nuts for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.
2. Blend Almonds in food processor or blender until finely chopped/semi ground, remove and place in medium sized bowl.
3. Blend Cashews for a shorter amount of time, just until roughly chopped remove and place in bowl with almonds
4. Place remaining ingredients in the blender or food processor and blend. I'll admit my blender did not handle this very well, I did as much as I could and then I just put them in the bowl with the nuts.
5. Mix the nuts and date mixture together in a bowl until you get a well mixed sticky dough. I used my hands and this was a sticky delicious mess. 
6. Place mixture in a lined pan, I used an 8x8 square pan, press the mixture down into a firm square with a spatula and place in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours. 
7. Remove from the pan and cut into desired shapes, I cut mine into 8 bars.

Nutrion Facts

1 serving = 1/8 of the recipe

Calories: 237

Protein: 4.25g

Fat: 11.34 g

The bars are full of whole foods that do nothing but feed your body exactly what it needs. They are great to grab if you missed breakfast and you need to run, or for a pre or post workout snack...or if your boyfriend just to get you to the end of your work day. I think that I met my goal of a healthy granola bar that my boyfriend will enjoy, we'll find out today after we go to the gym! 

Cinnamon

xx

insta: @cinnamonheartvegan

twitter: @cinnamonheartv

Calories, eh?

Hello!

It's day too on the healthy eating journey and I am feeling pretty good! The one thing that has surprised me is that I don't eat as many calories as I think do... I have been using the MyFitnessPal app on my phone, and I don't get it 100%. I feel like it shows that I am burning way to many calories on the elliptical, but it doesn't show any calories being burned for strength exercises. Huh? And I never understand if I am supposed to replace the calories I am  burning, or just eat the recommended 1500, because if I ate the ones I'm replacing won't I not lose weight? You can totally tell I'm a newbie here. 

Meals

Breakfast - Half a cinnamon raisin bagel with some margarine

Lunch - Left over simple summer corn soup, a cup of fresh strawberries and about  half a cup raw blue berries

Dinner - A wrap using gardein lime chicken, a tortilla, spinach, cucumber, tomato, hot sauce, and garlic pickle

Post Gym Smoothie - Handfull of spinach, frozen banana, 1 tbsp chia, 1 tbsp flax, 1 tsp spirulina, 1 1/2 cups chocolate almond milk

Other Snacks - Three dates, a cup of miso soup.

Total Calories 1,260, minus my exercise. Apparently that is too low!

Water - I drank three 27 ounce bottles of water (my own steel one), one 8 ounce mug of green tea, and I am about to drink 1 litre of peppermint tea.

Gym

Elliptical - 33 minutes

Toe taps - 3/15 each leg

Flutter kicks - 30 seconds x 3

Plank - total 1 minute 30 seconds

Bicycle Crunchs - 30 seconds x 3

Russian Twists - 30 seconds x 3

Mazafati dates I bought today, so good!

Spinach, chocolate, banana smoothie!

I just know I am going to hurt tomorrow! But it will be back arm day, so I think I will be ok. 


What did I listen to while working out today? Tove Lo's album Queen of Clouds

Day 1 Check In

Alright! Well, I guess today was the official first day of me trying to live a healthier life style. Even though I am doing all those things I said I wanted to do, I can't help but feel lazy because I am unemployed and even though I did go to the gym and work out for an hour, and ate healthy all day and drank tonnes of water...the rest of the time I was lying around. I lay in the sunshine for a while, I watched a couple episodes of friends... and then I just sit around and wait for my boyfriend to come home haha. Also, even if I want to work out for a few hours a day, to try and take up more time and get more fit, I'm not at a place where I am even physically fit enough to really do that. 



I need to start coming up with some hobbies haha. I love to read so I should start doing more of that and I have always wanted to get better at art so I should also try that as well. I've been browsing pinterest to try and find new recipes, exercises and fun things which has been good to. For today, I've decided to post a few pictures of me right now, as well as my measurements.

These shots are from today, after the gym. Probably not the most flattering time to take selfies, but hey you can see this is the real me. As you can see from the collage below my skin is not having the greatest time right now. I attribute this to stress as well as drinking too much alcohol and pop...and the fact that I am totally a picker, I can't help it!. I am really hoping with drinking 3-5 litres of water per day that this improves. I met my goal today water wise. I have drank almost 2 1/2 litres of water and 1 litre of green tea so far and I still have 1 litre of peppermint tea to go before bed! I was surprised that I didn't even feel like I had to force myself to drink that much. Between the gym and lying in the sun I wanted to drink lots of water!

I also took my measurements today which was depressing. I've never actually taken measurements of myself so I don't really have anything to base it on, I just hope to see these numbers shrink. I also don't have a scale to weigh myself and there isn't one in our apartment buildings gym so I really only have these numbers to base my progress on.

Measurements

Wrists: 7.25 inBicep: 14 inBust: 44.25 inUnder Bust: 40 inStomach and Hips: 43.25 inButt: 50 inThighs: 29.5 inCalf: 18 inAnkle: 10 in

I also went to the gym today and worked out for half an hour on the elliptical, and then did leg day! I'm thinking of getting a fit bit so I can more accurately check how many calories I'm burning because these machines don't even have a heart rate monitor on them so I think they aren't very accurate. Savannah, you're unemployed and broke, remember? Oh right, never mind.

Exercise

• 33 minutes on the elliptical, 4452 "strides"
• 3/15 side leg lifts, each leg
• 3/15 front leg lifts, each leg
• 3/15 lying butt lifts
• 3/15 lying toe taps, each leg
• 10 minutes of stretching

This totaled a bit over an hour of exercise and my legs were burning at the end, but I was very happy that I got through it. I am thinking of adding some yoga to my mornings as well to take up some more time in my day but also as a form of exercise that is highly beneficial but also won't tire me out too much for my gym session.

I did well on the eating thing today I think. I am going to re-download the myfitness pal application on my phone so that I can better keep track of my calories and exercise. The most frustrating part about those apps though is trying to calculate for your own dishes, like soup or dal. How can I accurately guess exactly how much of each thing was in one serving? Oh well, at least this will help be a guideline for how much I should be eating every day.

Meals

Breakfast - Left over dal makhani with rice, weird brekky, I know.

Lunch - A large spinach salad with cucumber, pepper, tomato, carrot and avocado with a balsamic vinaigrette. And a quarter of a small water melon.

Post Gym Snack - 1 cup of cashew milk with turmeric, a cup of blue berries and a handful of raw almonds

Dinner - Simple Summer Corn Soup from Minimalist Baker's website slightly modified, and half of a whole wheat bagel.

Snack - The boyfriend wants popcorn later which will have a bit of margarine and nutritional yeast.

Simple Summer Corn Soup

Cashew milk with turmeric and black pepper

Not so bad right? You know, I don't even know if anyone is reading these, but that's ok. If it keeps me on track, if it makes me feel better to share then I am going to keep on posting.

Cinnamon

xx

insta: @cinnamonheartvegan

twitter: @cinnamonheartv

Healthier Vegan Dal Makhani

Hello!

Today I am going to share a recipe of a dish I love, but isn't normally very good for you. Dal Makhani. My boyfriend is Indian and that means he has taught me so many good Indian dishes, but a lot of them are heavy on the butter, oil or cream, Dal Makhani being one of those dishes. If you have never had Dal Makhani you are missing out. It is a rich, and hearty, very satisfying dish. But this dish is traditionally definitely not vegan. Makhan literally means butter in Hindi so it's pretty obvious there is supposed to be a lot of that.

Dal Makhani with Rice

I wanted to have the creamy delicious dish, but with less calories. I based this recipe off of Veg Recipes of India's recipe here. Their website is absolutely amazing for vegetarian Indian dishes, but they are not vegan for the most part. There are different kinds of Dal Makhani, Dharba Style, Restaurant Style, and Home Cooked Style. This I would say is a mix between dharba and restaurant style. I replace the butter with margarine, though in the future I think I would like to try it with coconut oil instead, and I replace the cream with Silk's creamy cashew milk which is really delicious and very low in calories. The kind of lentils you need are called Urad Dal or Black Lentils see here, I find them at my local Save On or Fruiticana. You should be able to find them at an "ethnic" food store, or if you have a well stocked grocery. You want to buy the whole black lentil, not the split ones. Enjoy!

Dal Makhani

• 1 cup Urad Dal (can take out 1/4 cup and replace with 1/4 cup of red kidney beans)

• 3 cups water for pressure cooking (+extra if needs more cooking)

• ½ cup finely chopped onions

• 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped

• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste or 6 to 7 garlic + 1 inch ginger

• 2 large tomatoes or 1 cup tomato puree (I usually use salt free canned diced tomatoes and blend them)

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

• 2 to 3 cloves

• 2 green cardamoms

• 1 small cinnamon stick

• 1 small to medium bay leaf

• ½ tsp red chili powder

• 1 cup of water or add as required

• ½ cup Silk Cashew Milk (You can use any plant based milk you prefer,  I find this the creamiest)

• 2 Tablespoons of Margarine

• salt as required

1. Soak lentils and kidney beans if using over night or all day in water, then drain and rinse.
2. Place the lentils and kidney beans if using in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water, place on high heat and cook for 20+ whistles. Pressure cooking is more of an art than a science and you really will just need to check a few times to see if they are done. They should be very soft, squishable between your fingers. If when you check they aren't done, add more water and pressure cook for an additional 5 whistles at a time. Once done keep the lentils, and their water aside.
3. In a heavy bottomed pot heat margarine over medium heat and then add whole spices: cumin seeds, cardamom pods, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Saute until they are aromatic.
4. Lower heat to medium and add the onions, cook until soft and golden.
5. Add ginger/garlic paste and green onions and cook until the raw smell of the ginger/garlic paste goes away.
6. Add tomatoes and chili powder, simmer until you see the margarine releasing from the sides.
7. Add cooked lentils and kidney beans if using, and their water to the pot, with 1 cup of water (or more if necessary) and stir. 
8. Simmer on low, with no lid for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently and adding water as necessary. It should not be too thick or thin.
9. When the gravy has thickened enough add the cashew milk, stir, and turn off the heat. It is ready!

Dal Makhani with Chapatti

You can eat dal with rice, chapatis, or naans. Feel free to throw some fresh chopped cilantro on top, I just hate cilantro with a firey burning passion.

Now that you are eating Dal Makhani, you can listen to the song Dal Makhani! It's from the movie Dr. Cabbie which is really good, about a young Indian doctor who moves to Canada for a better life. It's got comedy, drama, and romance, what more can you ask for?

A new healthier me starts today.

Hi everyone!

If you're here you probably already know that I have a blog called Cinnamon Heart Vegan. I haven't been the best at posting here on the blog but that is about to change. I am currently un-employed, and might be for the whole summer. Fingers crossed that I get an internship starting in September, but until then I have decided I don't just want to sit here and finish every season of Friends on netflix (let's face it, I'll do that too), I also want to try and get healthier.

I am 23 years old, I have been vegan for 2 years, vegetarian since I was 12. I live with my boyfriend of almost 3 years, who is a lacto-vegetarian and has a ridiculous metabolism so he eats whatever he wants, which makes me eats crap but I gain weight and he stays skinny. But who said life is fair? I have seen people who go vegan and magically lose a whole bunch of weight, or who cut gluten out and magically go down 10 sizes, but that's not me. For me it is going to take more work.

18 year old me

I have never, ever, been skinny, and to be honest I don't think I ever will be completely skinny. But I do want to be healthy, and losing weight will be one of the ways for me to be healthier. All through middle school and high school I stayed at a pretty steady 175ish pounds, which isn't great, but looking back at my photos from then I wish I was still that thin. I thought that I was fat back then but I realize now that I wasn't. I now sit more around 220 pounds and I'm not happy about it. A lot of my clothes don't fit anymore and every time I try on an old pair of pants, or an old blazer and it doesn't fit anymore it's another blow to my confidence. 

I know that getting healthy isn't going to be easy, and it's not going to be quick. Three things I know I need to do are: I need to stop eating so much processed foods, I need to drink more water, and I need to exercise more. When you just look at those three things it doesn't sound so complicated right? Complicated no, but it will require dedication and hard work. 

So I hope that this blog will do a few different things. I hope that it keeps me accountable and on track. I hope that it helps me find people going through similar situations and share my story, and I hope that helps me l                                     like my own body again.

The current me!

So my goals are:

• Drink 3-5 litres of water a day
• Exercise 5 times a week for at least an hour
• Cut out as much processed foods as possible
• Drink less alcoholic/sugary beverages
• Eat less take out food
• Blog regularly
• Be happy!

The current me!

Cinnamon

xx

insta @cinnamonheartvegan

twitter @cinnamonheartv