Vanilla Raspberry Protein Smoothie / Ranchos Cocina North Park

I feel amazing today!

Before I rant, I just want to say I've been pretty bad, indulging myself with oversleeping. Although many might think I should be doing this since I have no classes at the moment, it truly leaves me feeling even more tired and lethargic than ever. Yeah, not good.
So I made it a deal with myself to wake up at 7 in the morning every day in order to get my day started before I sleep too long.
I also rekindled my friendship with one of my greatest of friends yesterday. He's legit at running and I want to be at his level, therefore, I also made it a goal to be a great runner like him!

I think you can see how my day started out now. ;)

I woke up at 7, had breakfast, practiced yoga, and then I went out in the sun for a good brisk walk/run. It was so invigorating! I've been practicing yoga for about seven years but I know getting out there for a run works wonders for your body and soul as well.

I jogged back home and blended myself a good smoothie:

Endorphins and a yummy refuel. :)

Vanilla Raspberry Protein Smoothie
(inspired by a smoothie from this website)
serves one

a cup of unsweetened "milk" (almond, soy, hemp, whichever you'd like)
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1 heaping tablespoon of vanilla protein powder (I used brown rice protein)
sweetener of choice
chia or ground flax seeds for sprinkling, optional

Throw it all in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall cup and enjoy!
Note: You can also strain the liquid if you don't want the small pieces of raspberry seeds, but this also might filter out the good stuff.

Yes, I totally recommend using a sweetener for this smoothie since raspberries can be quite sour and tangy! I would have used a ripe banana but I didn't have one on hand so I used a no-calorie sweetener. I also used unsweetened hemp milk from Living Harvest.
The nutrition facts below represent the smoothie if using unsweetened almond milk and a no-calorie sweetener.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 257
Fat: 4.4g
Carbs: 37.5g
Protein: 19.9g
Fiber: 6.7g

Yum, yum, yum. Very simple and nutritious.
If you don't have raspberries on hand, you can make the blueberry version; they are both very similar, almost identical.
Raspberries are a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, and fiber. They also have a high water content and have low calories, too!

Before I head out, I really want to share the following with you:
Rick and I had a great breakfast yesterday with our keytarist at this wonderful Mexican restaurant in North Park called Ranchos Cocina.

The front menu cover is a great read!

Their menu is vegan-friendly, ranging from blueberry and banana flapjacks, vegetable tamales, and enchiladas (all of which I had!). Yesterday morning I ordered this:

Vegan scramble with breakfast potatoes, beans, and a whole wheat tortilla on the side.

There was like, a mariachi band playing in my stomach; the meal was great! I actually had to take some of the food home with me since they are very generous with the serving size. ;) But no worries, for the price range of just about everything on the menu comes at a great price and will not leave a hole in your wallet.
All of you locals out there should check the restaurant out sometime! It's a great place for vegans and non-vegans alike so feel free to take your family and friends with you.

Have a great day, everyone!

Spicy Potato Curry with Coconut Milk

My dad is great. <3
I was pumped up and ready to cook this meal for lunch and then I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to soak and cook garbanzo beans the day before. I was super frustrated!
I decided to call up my dad since he doesn't live far and he always seems to have what I'm looking for. Although he did not have a can of chickpeas he decided to buy a can for me at the local Asian market.
How sweet! ^_^ Thank you, daddy. <3

After he stopped by to give me the chickpeas and we exchanged hugs and I-love-you's, I ran back inside the house with a smile and cooked up this delicious curry:

What I really liked about this curry was that the addition of (full-fat) coconut milk made a very creamy consistency that paired wonderfully with the Indian-inspired spices. The dish reminded me of a potato curry that I made back in March, however, the latter wasn't as saucy. I also think this meal was an Indian version of that Jamaican stew I made last year. Oh, the reminiscence that taste buds bring. ^_^
I found this lovely recipe from Yummly.com but I slightly altered the measurements and preparations, as you can see below. :)

Spicy Potato Curry with Coconut Milk
(inspired by this recipe)
serves 3

one large potato, scrubbed and washed well, unpeeled, and diced
oil spray
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh diced tomatoes
1 cup garbanzo beans
1 cup peas (I didn't use this)
1 cup coconut milk

1. Steam diced potatoes in a stainless steel colander over boiling water for about 15 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Spray a large skillet with oil and place over medium-high heat. Add in the diced onion and minced garlic. Stir, cook until onions become translucent. Then mix in the cumin, cayenne, curry powder, garam masala, ginger, and salt. Stir until the onions and garlic are coated with the spices. Now add the diced tomatoes, garbanzo beans, peas, and potatoes. Pour in the coconut milk, stir well, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes so that the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and serve with sprinkled ground cumin or garam masala on top.

Rick's plate, with rice. :)

We both thought the sauce definitely made the dish as great as it was. I'm sure you can use low-fat coconut milk but I'm not certain if it will yield the same creaminess as using full-fat coconut milk.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

(1/3 of the recipe)

Calories: 411

Fat: 18.9g

Carbs: 52.1g

Protein: 12.8g

Fiber: 10.9g

If you're trying to limit carbs, use a smaller potato and/or omit the use of peas (I only didn't use peas because Rick hates them!). You may also use chopped carrots in place of half the potatoes.

This dish is gluten-free, and is a great source of protein, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, potassium, and iron. Enjoy!

Update: Memorial Day Weekend

Homemade burgers, grilled hot dogs, and fresh potato salads: your average Memorial Day chow.
Thankfully there was room for us vegans. ;)

I got to thank our drummer, Greg, and his wife for saving my butt because I honestly did not have anything planned for Memorial Day! They were both kind enough to have us over and cook veg-friendly eats: veggie dogs, a delicious oil-based pasta salad, and fresh veggies and hummus.

Veggie dog! *bark, bark*

My goodness, how long has it been since I had a veggie dog let alone a real hot dog?! It's definitely been quite a while. Grilled just for us were "Smart Dogs" from the brand Lightlife (only 80 calories per link!). The meal was delicious and served as a great, pre-show refill. I'm so glad we got to take some leftovers of the pasta salad home with us.
By the way, I at least owe you all a link to veg-friendly Memorial Day recipes. Click here for a great source.
Now, on to talking about how our show went...

^ Also known as our trusty gig place. ^

In case you were wondering, our show went very well. Almost too well... We played at The Griffin, formerly known as O'Connell's, and we sounded great. We had a nice crowd and the sound guy was funny and was very skilled with the show lights. Thank goodness I'm not epileptic though...

Our band name? Last line.

It was nice to rock out and play a show with a belly full of yummy food! You can find out more about our band in the About Me page.
Seriously though, especially for all you locals out there, I personally don't talk much about the band mainly because I don't consider it to be my band. In fact, I rarely invite my friends to our gigs! Therefore, I apologize if I don't update you guys about shows. However, if you're interested about our upcoming performances, you can check out our Facebook page, which is run by our keytarist, Trenton.

Mmk, enough of my rambling. Have a great Memorial Day everybody. :)