Starch Solution Review

If you are a fan of Dr. McDougall, then you probably have heard of or read The Starch Solution. I am a huge fan of Dr. McDougall and for the past few years have followed him closely. I love the work he does, he plays a huge roll in the plant based movement, especially the low fat vegan lifestyle. After hearing so many incredible reviews and testimonies from his recent book and diet plan, The Starch Solution, I decided to give it a try!

If you aren't familiar with The Starch Solution, it is a low fat vegan diet based around starches. It allows you to eat the foods you love like pasta, rice, potatoes, pancakes, and all the other yummy carbs...even bread and LOSE WEIGHT! Foods that are off the menu are meat, dairy, eggs, butter, and oils, which for me was easy since those are already off my menu! My biggest concern was the 3-5 servings of fruit allowed, coming from a high raw lifestyle, fruit is huge part of my life! I love the taste of fruit, I eat it in abundance, I absofruitly love it! But...

Fruit stayed on my menu. I continued to eat fruit for breakfast as well as for snacks. My typical day looked something like this:
Breakfast- fruit meal or banana smoothies
Lunch- rice, potatoes, or pasta with fresh or steamed veggies
Snack- fruit, usually grapes or pomegranate
Dinner- salad, rice, potaotes, pasta, and veggies

Pros: This program is super easy to follow. All the foods recommended are highly accessible to everyone. No need to purchase any superfoods or supplements, which is always a plus! The book offers a 7 day program to help you get started as well as a fairly large recipe guide for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The recipes are all very simple, no hard to find ingredients, and all budget friendly.
This is also something the entire family can follow. All the meals are kid friendly which as a mom that is important! Foods like mash potatoes with gravy, pasta with marinara sauce, oatmeal, veggie pizza are all favorites in my home already! I was really impressed with how tasty the recipes were. I already cook oilfree so that was not a difficult adjustment for us, but the book gives simple instructions for cooking without oil, and keeping the food delicious! Trust me, no flavor is lost!

Did I already mention budget friendly? Yes, but let's talk about how inexpensive this lifestyle is! Potatoes and rice are some of the cheapest foods on the planet! They are available in every grocery store as well. The program does not require you to purchase a high price blender, juicer, or dehydrator. All you need is what you already have in a standard kitchen.

It is also very easy for busy families! Breakfast foods like oatmeal are great for kids trying to run out the door for school, even toast with a simple tofu scramble takes no time to make, or just pop some waffles into the toaster!  Lunch for me was dinner leftovers, quick to pack up and take with me to work. I made dinner nightly with leftovers in mind so everything was made to feed 5 instead of 3, that way my husband and I always had leftovers for lunch. None if the recipes were complicated or very time consuming, so if you are not great in the kitchen or just don't have time, this is perfect for you!
Did I lose weight? Gain weight? Stay the same? I actually lost 3lbs, (7lbs actually, weighed myself the day after I wrote this, which was a week and a half since the 3lb loss) though I was not looking to lose weight it was a pleasant surprise.If you are concerned with weight gain on this high carb program, please don't be, it will not happen!!
Cons: None! I really think this program would work well for everyone! Not only is it great for weightloss, but also great for those already at an ideal weight. The Starch Solution is a whole food diet which means you will be eating healthfully and really what are the cons of that? Lol!

Vegan Pizza!!!!

We all love pizza! For most people it is the typical cheesy, greasy, pizza from the local pizza shack, but it doesn't have to be! Pizza is the easiest to veganize and make healthy! Pizza dough should always be vegan, really, it has such basic ingredients: flour, yeast, water and salt...but always ask because it seems like dairy or egg has been added without any need.

What makes pizza so wonderful is the perfect combination of  a crunchy crust, the blend of warm sauce and a huge variety of toppings. It is more than just cheese, it can be any flavor you desire!

Here are some of my favorite vegan pizzas:

Hummus Green Pizza:
-Preheat oven to 400
- one vegan pizza dough (I purchase mine premade from the local store)
- 1 container of garlic hummus
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- seasonings: black pepper, garlic powder, and dried basil
- roll out dough in either square or round pizza form, depending on your preference. Spread a thin layer of hummus on top of the dough. Next, layer with baby spinach, followed by mushrooms, broccoli, and sweet onions. Season basil, black pepper, and garlic powder. Bake at 400 until veggies are soft and crust is golden.

Mexican Pizza:

- preheat oven to 400
- one pizza dough
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup chopped red peppers
- 1/4 cup red onion
- 1/4 cup corn
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce
- cilantro
- green onion
- 1/2 avocado
-roll out pizza dough, place a thin layer of pizza sauce on top. place, black beans, red peppers, red onion, corn, and top with salsa. sprinkle with fresh cilantro, green onion, and chopped avocado. Bake until crust is golden brown! So amazing!!!

Salad Pizza:

This is buy far my favorite!!!
- preheat oven to 400
- pizza dough
- salad veggies of your choice
- 1/2 lime
- seasonings
- pizza sauce
Roll out dough and top with pizza sauce. Place in oven and bake until the crust is ready. Remove from oven and top with salad veggies! I use shredded lettuce, tomatoes, corn, onions, cucumber, etc. Season with herbs/spices, and squeeze lime juice on top!! Enjoy!

Potato Pizza:

-Preheat oven to 375
- pizza dough
- 2 large potatoes
-1 onion
- garlic hummus
- mushrooms (optional)
Roll out dough, top with garlic hummus. In a non stick pan, saute onions and sliced mushrooms, then place them on top of the pizza. Using a mandolin, slice potatoes very thin. Layer the potatoes on the onion/mushroom mix. Season with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Bake until potatoes are cooked. Garnish with fresh parsley if you wish!






Artichoke Hummus Pizza:

-Preheat oven to 400
-Pizza dough
- 2 plum tomatoes
- one green pepper
- 1 can artichoke hearts
- onion
- artichoke/spinach hummus
Roll out the dough, top with hummus, fresh sliced tomatoes, chopped artichoke hearts, green pepper, and chopped onion. Season with black pepper and garlic powder. Bake until crust is golden!

Pizza is so much fun to make, and it is easy to get creative! I have used numerous different veggie combinations and they always taste great! If you can make your own dough, that is even better, if you need GF dough, just shop around and check the ingredients and make sure it is still vegan. So next time you are looking for a quick family friendly dinner, try a vegan pizza! You will not be disappointed!

The best "Taco Pie" ever

Taco Pie Recipe!!

This is one of my favorite Mexican meals! I took the Taco idea & Lasagne idea, and made a "Taco Pie"!! So here goes:

Chop and roast 2 large or 3 medium Sweet potatoes! Season with chilli powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes! Roast on a cookie sheet on 375 until browned a little and soft! Place in a baking dish and smash! This is the base!

Add a layer of black beans, and top with your favorite salsa (as much or as little as you like)

In a saute pan, cook up some red & green pepper, corn, and onion (about 1/4 onion chopped). I used a small bag of frozen peppers, and frozen corn. You can use fresh! Layer the cooked veggies on top! Place in the oven on 375 for about 10 minutes!
**Meanwhile, thin slice romaine lettuce, chop half a large tomato, chop one avocado, and a 1/4 red onion. Also chop jalapeno peppers if you like a little spice :) **

Remove the "taco pie" from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes, top with your fresh veggies, squeeze a little fresh lime juice, and sprinkle with black pepper! Scoop out and serve :) This is a great mix of hot and cold just like a taco...and very filling!!

Enjoy!