Super Simple Vegan Soup

I started making vegan meals this week and since I'm still juicing a ton, I wanted to make a big batch of soup that would last throughout the whole week, well, Tuesday through Friday.  I googled and found tons of recipes, took ideas from each and then just took tons of stuff from the fridge and added it all together.  And it turned out GREAT:

Although I planned to eat the same soup each day I didn't want it to have the same exact flavor so I only lightly seasoned the large pot of soup.  Then I sectioned soup out into 1 and 1/2 cup portions and added in additional seasonings individually so each day I had a little flavor variety. 

I also topped off each container of soup with 1/2 an avocado. That extra little addition made an AMAZING difference....totally recommend it.  I didn't do it on Tuesday, but I've done it every day since and mmm...so good!!

If you're finishing the Reboot or any type of cleanse really, this soup is a great way to slowly introduce whole foods back into your routine without being to rough on your digestive system. (Trust me, you'll thank me later.)  If you rush back to old foods and habits too quickly, your system will go nuts and you will loose the GREAT feelings of healthiness and lightness you gained from the Reboot.

So let's get to the recipe....

Ingredients:

-1  and 1/2 cups of Organic Vegetable Broth

-5 cups of water

-1 sliced carrot

-1 large zuchini, sliced

-2 celery stalks, sliced

-1/2 an onion, sliced

-3 small tomatoes, sliced

-1 large Kale leaf

-1 cup of Spinach

-Ground pepper

-Sea Salt

-Paprika

-juice from 1 lemon

(Optional)

Avocado for topping

Additional seasonings

Directions:

-Use a large pot and fill it with all the sliced veggies

-Add in the water and vegetable broth

-Season the soup with salt, pepper, paprika and lemon

-Turn the stove top heat on medium and let it cook for 45mins 

(You can leave it on longer to make the veggies softer if you'd like)

This makes a large batch of soup that yelds 4 to 5 1 and 1/2 cup servings.  

To make my soup taste a little different each day, I simply put it in a Tupperware container the night before and added additional seasonings of my choice.   You can also change it up by adding toppings like avocado, a dollop of plain vegan yogurt or nutritional yeast.

On you could even serve it over a bed of rice....there's so many ways to change up this soup to keep lunches or dinners interesting all week. 

Now eat up & enjoy!!

Tips on the Reboot & Making the Vegan Switch

Yes, the reboot is officially over.  How did I end my fast?  Well, by chomping on some cantaloupe slices when I got to work.  YUM.....It felt like the most flavorful food I'd ever tasted and was so satisfying!

Oh and for lunch I had my first official vegan meal.  A yummy, veggie filled soup:

Ohhh and I took progress pictures so you can see where I'm at at the end of my Reboot, check it out:

Day 1, post-Reboot went flawlessly....thank goodness, because I'll be honest, I was a little scared.  Now on to the really important stuff-->>  I've been getting TONS of messages about the Reboot and my decision to follow a vegan lifestyle, so I want to share a few resources & tips with all of you.  Here goes...

The Reboot:

1. Watch the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead:  The movie sets the stage for the entire reboot process and was a huge encouragement for me to change my way of thinking about food.  It's on Netflix too. ;-)

You can also check out the official Reboot with Joe website HERE!

Here are a few FREE 15 Day Reboot plans:

The Juice Plus Plan

Classic Reboot Plan

(I just doubled the Classic 15 Day plan to do 30 full days.)

Not ready for a longer commitment, but want to try juicing?  Here's a short 5 Day Reboot Plan.

Don't have a juicer yet?  Here's the one I purchased, am still using and LOVE:  

The Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed

Also, make sure to read all of Joe's juicing tips....lining the juice pulp basket is a huge time-saver & there are tons of other great tips on there too!

Transitioning into Veganism:

Here are a few videos to check out-

101 Reasons To Go Vegan

Gary Yourofsky's Best Speech You'll Ever Hear

Also, here are a few things I googled that gave me tons of great info-

 "Transitioning into Veganism Blog"

"High Carb Low Fat Vegan Blog"

"Why I'm a Vegan"

If you still have questions about the Reboot or converting to veganism, I'd love to chat with you....I'm not an expert or a nutritionist, I'm just a girl who's passionate about health, wellness and continual self-imporvement while sharing that whole journey with others.  You can leave a comment below or feel free to Add Me on Facebook & shoot me message.

My Juice Fast: Day 30

Oh my goodness y'all....It's here--The last day of my first ever Reboot! It's been life-changing, a HUGE learning experience, eye opening and so much more.  From learning how my body feels without meat and dairy to learning about factory farms....To loosing over 20lbs and seeing new muscles grow, this Reboot has been incredible and I'm so glad I did it!

It was worth the extra time it took to juice each evening, when I was used to just throwing a quick lunch in my bag of soup or turkey burgers....NO more...Ok, yes to soup, but NOT processed, junky soup with tons of salt that only sounds healthy. 

I also want to give a HUGE shout out to everyone who's been following my journey during the reboot, who has sent me a message of encouragement or just endured my rants about how much better I feel now...haha  I seriously appreciate all the support.  Y'all are AHHmazing!! 

(Notice how my wedding ring is sliding around now...it's waaaay looser.)

So what happens after today....I've shared a little bit about how I will be transitioning into a plant based lifestyle and will slowly starting bringing in whole foods while still juicing as well.  I can't wait to share lots of vegan food ideas and I learn more about how to fuel my body instead of use food as a source of comfort.  Plus, I'll still be working out consistently and building the It's My Evolution website...if you haven't checked it out yet, CLICK HERE!!

So what made me decide on a vegan lifestyle at this point...well, just go to youtube and type in Factory Farm....Ok, that's acctually too much.  Just try watching this info-packed video on Youtube that gave me some great perspective:  https://youtu.be/W4HJcq8qHAY

Plus, the way I feel without meats and dairy make me not want to go back...not at this point anyways!

Thanks for sticking around to share this 30 days with me and I hope you'll continue to follow along....the journey's never over :-)

PS:  And to perfectly end this 30 Day's I've been featured on the Reboot website...AHHH!!!!

My Juice Fast: Day 27

Day 27 and I feel like I'm on a roll, but this weekend is the BIGGEST hurdle, because with just 3 days left I'm flying out of town for a weekend business trip to Phoenix, AZ...I'm pretty much winging it so we'll see how it goes.  The only thing I really have to plan for is Saturday, because I won't get there till later tonight and I will be back home early Sunday morning.  If you wanna see how I make it work, be sure to follow me on Instagram:  @KTaylor427

But let's get back on track with where we are now...yesterday was Day 27 and this morning I confirmed I've now last about 21pounds, check out the progress and change from just one month:

It's amazing what juicing has done for my body, but more importantly, my overall health.  The only times I've felt less than 100% on the Reboot was the first 2 days when I had a light headache/caffine withdrawl and then yesterday when I had a sore through. (My hubbys sick, but luckily I snuck by with just a sore through.)

My pants are all loose, I can breathe clearly, the extra mucus I always struggled with due to allergies and asthma is gone.  I only coughed a bit yesterday, because of the sore throat. My hair is growing like a weed and I just have so much more energy.  The list goes on and one....

Plus, this journey lead me in the direction of veganism, I mean if I feel so good without meat and dairy, why just go back to it?  Then, I went to youtube and binge watched "What I Eat In a Day- Vegan" videos and I was so inspired....as watching these I stumbled upon a video about becoming vegan and it contained clips from Factory Farms and a light bulb went off....this is for me!  

So after Monday, I'll be sharing by journey into veganism.  Now, I don't want to say I will be a vegan forever, but it feels like what's right for me now....so we'll see how it goes.

I'm not gonna lie....I'm pretty excited!!

Have you ever tried a Reboot?  What about vegan food?  I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

My Post-Reboot Eating Plan

I've been thinking a TON about what I'm going to do once I've completed the 30 Day Reboot....I started out terrified.  How am I going to make healthy choices with all those food options?  Juicing made it so simple for me.  But after lots of research, youtubing (that's a thing, right?) and general planning, I think I have a good idea of how I am going to slowly end the reboot and transition into a healthy eating plan.  

First I want to share a few of the benefits I've felt from only juicing yummy fruits and veggies...

-I have waaay more energy.  Prior to the reboot, my energy was at an all-time low and sometimes (more often than not) I would be in bed at 7pm and still tired the next morning.

-My allergies and asthma are under control...No more coughing and sneezing fits every morning.  Before rebooting, I always felt like I was kind of sickly....that's how I've been since a kid.  Chronic upper-respiratory infections, sick every time I travel and caught something every time someone was sick at the office.  

-I've lost 20lbs.  Prior to the reboot, my unhealthy eating was catching up to me and I had bounced up to 150.2lbs (my normal range was 133-135lbs), but now I'm at 130.2lbs.  My tummy no longer looks bloated and I just feel good in my skin.

-I am focused on eating clean, body nourishing foods.  Pre-reboot I was on a fast food bender...the hubs and I were eating out more than eating at home.  Chicfila at least once a week....eating out almost every meal during the weekends....it was not healthy!

So as you've read....the benefits have been huge and honestly, I'm just not willing to give up the way I feel.  I feel soooo good, so that's why my pre-reboot eating and my post-reboot eating plans are like night and day.  So here goes....my plan is to slowly ease back into eating as follows:

Week One Post-Reboot:  Add in whole fruits and veggies while continuing to juice.

Week Two Post-Reboot: Continue Week 1, but also add in grains & legumes.

Week 3 Post-Reboot: Continue Week 1 & 2, but also add in Soy.

Week 4 & Moving forward:  Stick with a vegan, plant-based diet.

Stay tuned, because starting next week I'll be sharing lots of vegan meal ideas and tips for ending a Reboot successfully.

Have you ever tried going Vegan or are you a Vegan?  What made you decided to change your way of eating?

My Top 5 Juice Recipes

Hey everyone, I've received lots of messages on Facebook asking for me to share my fav juice recipes so I gathered my top 5 favs and am sharing them with you today.  Before we get started, I just want to give you a few tips that have helped me make juicing simple & efficient.  

First, I found a grocery store that sales all their fruits and veggies by the pound....this is much cheaper than paying per item.  The grocery store I use is Sprouts, but if you don't have one near you....look for a store that charges for weigh, it makes a big difference! ;-)

Another thing that's really helped me is having 10 or so mason jars....I was lucky enough to find mine at Dollar Tree.  I also got some large ice packs there too, which make it easy for me to take my juices on the go and keep them fresh.  I won a large cooler with wheels from Beachbody during a Team Cup contest last year and it's been awesome for traveling and taking to work with me.

Last, but not least, always have lots of distilled water on hand.  When you pour your juice in the jar, if there's any room left in the jar (I usually leave 1/2 the jar empty), then fill it the rest of the way completely full with distilled water and close the lid very tightly.  This will keep your juice fresh in the fridge for up to 24hrs. I make my juice the night before and then use my cooler and ice packs to take it to work so it's just grab, pack and go in the mornings. 

Ok, now on to the good stuff....the yummy recipes:

1 small lemon, 2 apple, 3 celery stalks, 1 carrot, 1 cucumber, 3 large kale leaves, a little parsley and a handful of spinach.

1 peach, 40 grapes, 1 sweet potato, 3 carrots, 1 small beet, 3 large kale leaves, a handful of spinach and a little parsley.

2 apples, 1 lemon, 2 celery stalk, a handful of spinach, 2 lrg kale leaves and 4 carrots

1 cucumber, parsley, 4 large kale leaves and 2 green apples

2 peaches, a handful or grapes and blueberries, 1 sweet potato and 2 carrots

Have more questions about juicing and the 30 day Reboot?  Comment below and I'll be glad to help out!  This cleanse has been a huge eye opener for me and I can't wait to see how these changed stay with me moving forward past the 30 days.  

My Juice Fast: Day 22

Happy Monday Y'all!  Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend....the hubs and I soaked up this weekend since the next month's worth of weekends I'll be traveling for work for 3 of them and he'll be going with me to see my fam for one too.  Plus, the holidays are quickly approaching so we'll probably be traveling a lot then too.  

Luckily, I LOVE to travel, see new places and spend time with our families...Keep an eye on the blog, because I'll be sharing my adventures in Phoenix, AZ, Seattle, WA, Irvine, CA and my hometown.  

Oh and on another now....I only have 8 days left of the Juice Fast and then I'm going to be eating vegetarian....maybe even vegan, we'll see.  I seriously feel better than I've ever felt....I feel de-bloated, energetic, my allergies & asthma are under control, I'm not overly emotional and i just feel so good.

I'm also down 18.4lbs and weighing 131.8lbs.  That's the lowest I've been in over 3 years....I feel healthy and fit....and I don't even miss fast food.  Isn't that crazy awesome?!

I also wanted to share my progress pictures with y'all.  I took pictures on 8/31 prior to getting started and have taken them along the way to document my progress.  I also just finished 4 weeks of Hip Hops Abs yesterday and today I started a new workout program, Slim In 6.

I can tell that my hips have really deflated and my mid section has thinned out and toned up too.

Oh and tomorrow I'll be sharing a few of my fav juice recipes with y'all, so be sure to check back then.