Motivation. What does it take to keep us motivated? Is it support from friends and family? Is it feeling good? Looking good? Weight loss? Muscle gain? Why does motivation seems to go up and down? I know for me it is a combination of all of the above. Over the past several years I have lost weight (gained and re-lost at times), I have exercised a lot, and then let the busyness of life get in the way and fall off. I have motivated others to eat plant-based to feel better, loose weight, get fit, and so on, but you know what.. I still struggle with motivations at times. I need to remind myself that I feel better, I look better (I swear eating this way took 10 years off me!), and stay motivated to exercise and get fit when I eat mostly whole plant-based  foods! So Heather, stop being lazy and get back to it! Who else is motivated to do it with me? Let's do this!!!! Summer is over for this teacher.. time to get food prepping, and back into the exercise routine! Time to get fit Jedi! 70 lbs down is great, but not enough... time to build that muscle and loose the rest of this flab! I may be a Grandma, but I'm not going to look or feel like one! haha! The more I eat this way, the more energy I have,the better I feel, the more fit I become!

Here are some plant-based athletes to give us a little motivation today!

5-plant-based-athletes-that-blow-the-protein-myth-out-of-the-water

My Granddaughter and little mush is getting so big (while I get smaller, yay!) She has such a personality! I just love her!

How to stay on track during the holiday... food prep! Keep healthy foods stocked in your fridge! This is one of my favorites as the weather gets cooler! 

Hearty Minestrone Soup
Ingredients:

• 1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 cup fresh green beans, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
• 1 ½ stalk minced celery
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 7 cups water
• 4 No Chicken Cubes
• 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can small white beans or great northern beans, drained
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup carrot, minced or shredded
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoon of dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 2 cups small shell pasta (I like the brown rice pasta or Ronzoni Gluten Free pasta)

Directions:

Sauté onion, for 2 minutes, add celery and carrots and sauté for another 2 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add garlic, vegetable broth, tomatoes and herbs and spices and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add green beans and zucchini and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add beans and bring soup to a boil

Add spinach at the very end to just wilt.

I like to cook my pasta, rice, or other whole grain separately and add to my bowl so that it doesn’t soak up the broth while cooking, or sitting overnight for leftovers.

Instant Pot:

 Make the broth with the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, herbs and spices and set for about 5 minutes with a quick release.

Add the zucchini and green beans and set for 3 minutes, with quick release. Open and set on sauté. Add beans to heat through, and spinach at the last minutes.

I was at work when I finished the second part and I added the pasta to make it easier for serving. Fresh soup with fresh veggies at work for a birthday lunch! Yum!

I'm a Grandma!!!! :) Love this little girl!

oh my goodness... I've been craving Taco Soup... something I've missed... found a recipe for non meat version, and made my own tweaks of course! Everyone loved it! Even my daughter who doesn't usually like beans! Next time, I may add a few more veggies, like diced zucchini.

Taco Soup

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto, drained and rinsed
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can mayocoba beans (or any white bean), drained and rinsed
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
2 small cans tomato sauce
2 no beef broth cubes (or vegetable)
4 cubs of water
Black pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning, to taste
Several drops Liquid Smoke
1 cup of frozen corn

I added this when it needed more flavor! I'll measure next time!
2 dashes of cumin, chili powder, ancho chili powder, and parsley. 

Use the water and no beef cubes to make broth.
Line a Dutch oven with a little no beef broth, add the onion and cook until the onion has caramelized slightly. Add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes more.

Add the beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce plus 2 tomato sauce cans of water. Pour in the rest of the vegetable broth, then the seasonings and Liquid Smoke. Stir and taste for seasoning.

Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, cover and cook 20 minutes, until done. Add corn a few minutes before done.

I had rice/quinoa cooked earlier, so I put a 1/2 a cup in my bowl and threw some kale on it, and heated in the microwave. 
Serve the soup over rice/quinoa mixture and kale. Yum!

Blog, blog, here, blog, blog, blog there! haha. It's been a busy summer! Helping with interviewing, having a new puppy, and becoming a Grandma are the toppers! (well, becoming a Grandma was at the very top!!!) In between the busyness, I've been trying to blog and add recipes to Dr. Carney's Website https://www.starch-smart.com/, but admittedly have not added as many as I thought I would have by now! Today I re-purposed a group on FB that I created to now encourage plant based eating and potlucks in our area! https://www.facebook.com/groups/372740702832746/

Fo Reals Life is a website that has some really great recipes one. A few I have tried, and many more I plan on trying!
Eating Plant based does not mean that you can not have Creamy! This Creamy Spinach Jalapeno Dip is great as it is, but I am thinking of trying to put some artichokes in it next time! Great with vegetables, HEB Multi grain rice crackers, and your favorite chip.
While it has jalapeno in it, it was not spicy since we did not put any of the seeds in it. If you like spicy, then add some seeds!

http://forealslife.com/blog/creamy-vegan-spinach-jalapeno-dip