IrinaKucheruk Healthy Journal

Vegan doesn't have to be restrictive or bland—it's just a dietary preference that can be as delicious and filling as standard diets. Free of all animal-derived products, vegan and plant-based diets are a healthy and tasty way of eating in which you can enjoy thousands of delicious recipes, including mouthwatering desserts like these yummy peanut butter cookies. Packed with fiber from oats and sweet bananas, the cookies feature peanut butter as a binder that adds a lot of healthy fats and protein. A small amount of flour makes the dough come together, while some vanilla essence, maple syrup, and a dash of optional cinnamon flavor the cookies, making your kitchen smell like a chilly morning when a bowl of steaming oatmeal is the way to go. These soft cookies are a great to-go breakfast, but also a tasty afternoon pick-me-up or a decadent dessert if served with a scoop of vanilla vegan ice cream and some vegan chocolate chips.

Oats are a delicious whole grain that is filling and packed with great nutrition. Incorporating oats in your daily menu is a cost-effective way of getting a lot of nutrition. For this recipe, you need two-and-a-half cups of oats, quick-cooking or rolled—depending on if you want the texture to be smooth or chunky choose one or the other. A cup of dry oats contains 307 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fiber, plus 2.9 milligrams of manganese, an essential nutrient key in connective tissue and bone health—the recommended daily intake of this nutrient is 2.3 milligrams per day.1

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Besides being delicious, these cookies have also added protein from the peanut butter—choose creamy or chunky according to your preference. The amount of peanut butter you need to make this recipe will bring another 19 grams of protein to the mixture. You can use salted or unsalted peanut butter, but the most important thing is to use peanut butter that is made out of just peanuts. Many peanut butter spreads have added hydrogenated oils and sugar that make them more spreadable and shelf-stable but also add a lot of unwanted fats and sugars. Choose wholesome ingredients to make healthy and filling cookies, and replace the soy milk for any plant-based beverage if there are any soy allergies. Likewise, instead of peanut butter use sunflower butter if using peanuts presents an issue. Enjoy these cookies any time of the day!2

It may seem a bit odd to put an avocado in a smoothie, but this fruit (yes, it's a fruit) lends a delicious creaminess and velvety texture. Since avocado doesn't have a strong flavor, it works well in this three-ingredient mango smoothie, which also includes orange juice. The juice and mango provide plenty of sweetness, so you won't even notice the slightly savory avocado.

The trick to making sure this smoothie is cold and the right texture is to use frozen mango, but if you happen to have fresh mango on hand you can simply add some ice. Any type of orange juice will do, so feel free to use your favorite brand or freshly squeezed. To make this healthy beverage, the ingredients are all placed in a blender and whirled together until smooth and well combined.

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You can feel really good about starting your day or ending your workout with this recipe since this smoothie is packed with nutrition. Avocados have plenty of healthy fats, potassium, fiber, and vitamins C and B6. Mangos have double the daily value of vitamin C and are high in fiber, vitamin B6, and potassium as well. If you would like to keep the sugar level low, use an orange juice with less sugar or make your own.

Enjoy this smoothie for a healthy vegan breakfast or a nearly raw food breakfast. This recipe comes courtesy of Avocados from Mexico.

Ingredients
1 fully ripened avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
2 cups frozen mango cubes (not thawed)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup water

This vegan quinoa porridge is just one of many great ways to enjoy quinoa for breakfast. It's a vegetarian recipe made with the ancient grain—pronounced "keen-wah" —cooked either in soy milk or almond milk, with a bit of brown sugar and vanilla and cinnamon for flavor. Top it off with fresh fruit and nuts of your choice. Quinoa is a good vegetarian source of protein and is naturally gluten-free, making it a better option for people who are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease.

If you use quinoa for making dishes for lunch or dinner, you can make a little extra cooked quinoa and use it in this breakfast recipe. It's also a great way to use up leftover quinoa.

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups soy milk, or almond milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar, or agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup strawberries
1 tablespoon pecans, hazelnuts, h**p seeds, chia seeds, flax oil or coconut oil, for garnish

After school snacks are useful for staving off hunger until dinner is ready, but making them is often fun for kids to partake in, too. Below you'll find our best after school snack ideas, which are easy to make, healthy(ish), and fit a range of preferences. You'll also find a list of store-bought snack ideas for those moments when convenience is key.

Valencia oranges are a summer orange with thin, golden-orange skin and sweet, juicy fruit. They can be used in cooking, in salads, desserts, and sauces, and for making orange juice, as well as for snacking on raw.

What Are Valencia Oranges?
Valencia oranges are a summer cultivar of the species Citrus sinensis, which also includes Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges, and navel oranges. Valencia oranges are round to slightly oval, three to four inches in diameter, with medium to thin skin that is golden orange in color with a slightly rough, leathery texture. The fruit can contain up to six cream-colored seeds and is made up of 10 to 12 sections of sweet, tender, juicy flesh with a tangy and tart flavor and low acidity.

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Named for the Spanish city of Valencia, Valencia oranges are extremely juicy and are the primary orange used for making orange juice. They're the classic "sweet orange," and they're available from March through September, with peak season from April to June.