When your furbaby is such a good boy that you *almost* want to share your backyard picnic – almost. This week I’ve been testing out plant-based meals from Sprinly, a company that delivers fully prepared, chef-inspired and nutritionist-approved organic meals across the Midwest. Most of the time when people hear “plant-based” or “vegan” they think soy or salads; the epitomy of boring. Here’s some straight talk from an omnivore who loves plants and meats alike: it just don’t gotta be that way. Check out the dEATs below.

The plant-based arena is exploding right now and for a good reason – more and more people are realizing the value a balanced, nutritious diet with plants as the center of plate. That’s not to say that meat doesn’t have a place for some. I like a good steak as well as any meat eater, but I do try to limit my consumption of meat for a variety of health and environmental reasons. Others are taking note after an Oxford study indicated that a shift to a fruit and veggie-forward diet could lead to 8 million lives saved by 2050, a two-thirds reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a multitude of healthcare savings.

Sprinly led the charge in May 2016 when Ray Lui, who was at the time a consultant working 120 hours a week , struggled to find the time to eat healthy meals. Lui found inspiration from all the global cuisines that he came across while backpacking across Asia, Italy and Brazil with his girlfriend, Mary McCann. After this epic trip, they took a leap of faith to begin a food start-up that would offer healthy meals to like-minded people like you, me and all your desk junkie co-workers looking to clean up your diet. Lui set out to prove that healthy food could not only be convenient, but also exciting! And Sprinly was born.

There are a lot misconceptions about plant-based meals being all salads and no substance. Now let’s be real – there were salads on Sprinly’s rotating menu, but they were anything but boring and were just the right amount of filling. Sprinly offers a variety of meals plans starting at 6 meals per week, with the option to skip a week or cancel at any time. All meals are vegan, gluten-free, organic and delivered to you fresh via FedEx or UPS in an insulated box each Tuesday.

Here are the six meals I received:

1.) Ancient Quinoa with Royal Beet Medallions and Greens (shown above, top)

2.) Grapefruit Citrus Tofu & Tempeh with Soba Peanut Noodles (shown above, bottom)

3.) Mediterranean Veggie Kofta Crumble with Vegan Tzatziki and Cucumber Tomato Salad (shown below)

4.) Citrus Detox Salad with Roasted Beets and Fresh Oranges

5.) Mushroom Bourguignon wiht Roasted Cauliflower Mash

6.) Pasta Primavera Marinara with Gluten-Free Pasta and Cashew “Parm”

My favorite of the meals was the Mediterranean Veggie Kofta, a unique spin on what is traditionally a minced meat dish with spices originating in Asia. The base was a blend of lentils, portobellos and walnuts that surprisingly matched the texture of ground beef and provided an earthy flavor. Lentils are actually higher in protein than quinoa (though not all 8 essential amino acids) and a good source of iron, which is key to energy production and a healthy metabolism. Many vegetarians and vegans struggle to get enough iron in their diets since meat is a primary source, so lentils are a great alternative.

What made this dish was all of the textures and flavors that fused together to deliver a plate of complex, but unified flavors. Atop the veggie kofta was a layer of turmeric brown rice offering a slight citrus and ginger scent. Pickled cabbage woke up your tastebuds with some vibrant acidic flavor. The dish is then topped with a fresh salad of cucumbers and tomatoes, layered with a creamy vegan tzatziki sauce to tame all of the flavors. This dish was a mastery of global fusion and all you had to do was heat, and eat!

The Citrus Detox Salad was the lightest of the six meals, but was also surprisingly filling, fresh and perfect after a sweaty session at the gym. Atop the bed of greens were: cooked beets (my favorite!), matchstick carrots and radishes, Valencia oranges, pea shoots and crunch pumpkin seeds. Fun fact that 1/4 C of pumpkin seeds has as much protein as an egg! Who knew? The salad was then topped with a refreshing, yet creamy grapefruit vinaigrette that brought to life the salad. Despite the fact that I waited a day to eat the meal, the greens were still fresh. Note that Sprinly includes a stamp on some of the meals that says “Eat me earlier” to let you know which meals you should prioritize eating first to avoid spoilage. Generally all meals will last up to 5 days in the fridge though.

The Pasta Primavera was the most traditional of the meals. Gluten-free pasta was tossed with a marinara sauce filled with sauteed veggies like zucchini, summer squash, portobellos and spinach. I also like that each box lists some of the health benefits of the ingredients. On this box, Sprinly shared that, “Summer squashes are rich in minerals, and a valuable source of copper, manganese, magnesium, and more! Yellow varieties in particular are loaded with carotenoids, helping reduce the risk of certain cancers and eye diseases.” The unique aspect of this dish was the cashew “parm” which was a vegan take on Parmesan cheese made with cashews, nutritional yeast and lemon juice. I’ve written about nutritional yeast in some of my other blog posts – it really is amazing how it can mimic the flavor of cheese.

To be completely unbiased, the Mushroom Bourguignon was my least favorite of the meals, though still good. The sauce was a little too acidic for my taste, but my husband liked it. And while I liked the consistency and flavor of the cauliflower mash, it still felt like something was missing from the dish. There was a lot of “gravy” compared to the mash and I was yearning for something to bit into like a piece of paleo cornbread to help scoop up the extra sauce.

The last two meals are the Beet Medallions and Tofu with Peanut Soba Noodles. I snuck a taste of both, but am planning to fully divulge this evening. Both held up well through Saturday (five days after receiving the meals) and the peanut soba noodles get a fresh spin from chopped grapefruit and alfalfa sprouts. The beet medallions are a bit of a take on a veggie burger with a blend of black beans and beets to create a patty that holds together well as the main stage of this dish, which is served with a smokey and creamy paprika sauce.

All in all, Sprinly impressed with its unique flavor combinations that were anything but the standard vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free fare – which can get old. And if you’re like me and live to eat – this will send you on a flavor adventure with limited effort. Highly recommend you check out Sprinly if you’re in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky or the Chicago area. And if not, write to Sprinly to let them know the rest of the world needs this!

If you’re looking for a convenient option way to incorporate more healthy, plant-based meals into your diet, I’d highly recommend Sprinly!

The post Adventures of Plant-Based Eating with Sprinly appeared first on The Shooks Life.

Poppin’ these paleo pop tarts like I’m back in the 5th grade skipping down the street with my Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper in clean white Keds. Except these aren’t your average sugar laden pop tarts. Made with clean ingredients so you can happily snack while you Skip-It. Totally aging myself at this point, but if you want to take a trip down memory lane, check out the dEATs for these Paleo Pop Tarts with Strawberry Chia Jam.

Lately I’ve been curious about all those newfangled grain-free flours, but also uber confused. Anyone else? Most white or wheat flours are bleached and tough to digest, whether you’re Celiac or not. And there are tons of alternatives that deliver the same results with added nutritional benefits. Here’s a quick overview of some of the most popular options:
1.) Coconut Flour is a good alternative for white or wheat flours in baked goods with the added benefits of healthy saturated fats, fiber to aid digestion and a low glycemic load so that your blood sugar won’t spike. It’s great for those interested in a paleo or vegan diet and is a main ingredient in these paleo pop tarts!
2.) Oat Flour is a gluten-free flour has a lot of the benefits of your morning oatmeal and those vitamins and minerals are even easier for your body to digest in flour form. Benefits including lowering cholesterol, fiber that keeps you pull longer and immunity-boosting power.
3.) Tapioca Flour is primarily used as a thickening agent (for example, a good replacement for cornstarch). It’s one of the purest forms of a starch, so while it has almost no sugar or fat and is low in calories, it doesn’t add much nutritional value beyond carbohydrates. Tapioca flour derives from the root of the cassava root and is bleached, so it’s a more processed version of cassava flour.
4.) Cassava Flour is made by grating and drying the cassava root. It’s high in vitamin C and low in fat, calories and sugar, without much more added nutrient benefit.
5.) Arrowroot Flour is another good thickening agent similar to tapioca flour (and used in this recipe). Unlike tapioca flour, it maintains more nutrients since it isn’t processed with high heat, which depletes a lot of the benefits. It’s a good source of fiber, potassium, iron and B vitamins. It’s great in sauces, baked goods or as a coating to add crispiness to veggie fries.
6.) Almond Flour is loaded with vitamins and minerals including magnesium, copper, potassium, calcium and heart-healthy L-arginine. Almonds have been shown to lower bad “LDL” cholesterol and are also high in fiber. It’s incredibly versatile and used in my 5-ingredient cacao pancakes.
7.) Buckwheat Flour, believe it or not, is wheat and gluten-free. It’s actually derived from a seed and is packed with B vitamins, manganese, zinc, iron and folate. It’s a high-protein option that is often used in pancakes.
8.) Rice Flour is often used in gluten-free pastas. Brown rice flour is always a better option over white rice flour since milling and polishing brown rice to convert it into white rices destroys much of the B vitamin, iron, manganese and phosphorus content, while completely depleting the fiber and essential fatty acids.
9.) Sorghum Flour is a heavier flour that delivers high quantities of fiber and antioxidants. It also contains tannins, which are thought to help obesity. However, it works best in small quantities or when paired with lighter gluten-free flours.
10.) Teff Flour was the least familiar to me. It’s the world’s smallest grain and is high in B vitamins, phosphorous, calcium and iron. It supposedly aids circulations, boosts the immune system and improves circulation as well as PMS symptons. Like sorghum, it is a heavier flour, so used alone can make baked goods heavy or course.

Now let’s dive into exploring some of these newfound flours! We never really had pop tarts growing up because they’re pretty nutritionally devoid. These paleo pop tarts are super clean and full of nutrients from a base of coconut flour, mashed banana, arrowroot flour and maple syrup for an added touch of sweetness. While you can load these with store-bought jam, I was also curious how hard (or easy!) it would be to make my own jam. And surprise, it was super simple and keeps for a few days in the fridge. I found other uses for the strawberry chia jam beyond just toast – it was a great addition to a bowl of creamy oatmeal and a perfect use for strawberries that otherwise would have gone bad in the next day or two.

Admittedly, these pop tarts do take time and patience, but are a fun afternoon activity, especially when decorating is involved! I’d suggest using plenty of coconut oil when rolling out this dough and cutting. You may also want to consider refrigerating the dough for 20-30 minutes to reduce the stickiness. I decorated these with Pearl Butter adaptogenic coconut butter for the fun colors and superfood boosters, but you could definitely use any raw coconut butter. I’d suggest heating over the stove vs the microwave since it is easy to burn coconut butter, which gets gritty when heated too quickly.

Now, let the fun begin! Hope you enjoy traveling back in time with these Paleo Pop Tarts!

Paleo Pop Tarts with Strawberry Chia Jam
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Pastry Dough
-1/4 C maple syrup
-1/4 C ghee (or unsalted butter)
-1/4 C water
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 ripe banana, mashed
-1/2 C arrowroot flour
-1/2 C coconut flour

Strawberry Chia Jam
-2 1/2 C strawberries, chopped
-4 T maple syrup
-2 T chia seeds
-1 T fresh lemon juice

Icing
-Your favorite raw coconut butter, melted (shown: Pearl Butter Smarty Pantsuit)

Directions:
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the syrup, ghee (or butter), water, vanilla and salt to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil on the stove top, then remove from the heat.
Step 2: Add the arrowroot flour, coconut flour and mashed banana. Mix until it forms into a dough. Option to refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to make it easier to work with the dough (reduces the stickiness).
Step 3: Roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut into rectangles with a pizza cutter or knife, greasing with coconut oil as necessary to avoid sticking. You should be able to make roughly 8 rectangles or 4 pop tarts.
Step 4: To make the jam, add the strawberries and maple syrup to a medium-sized sauce pan. Stir together over medium-heat on the stove top for roughly 5 minutes, or until the strawberry mixture becomes watery. Lower the heat and mash the strawberries until you obtain your desired texture.
Step 5: Add the chia seeds to the pot. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes on low heat until the jam thickens. Once thick, remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and allow to cool.
Step 6: Spoon 1-2 T of the jam over half the rectangles. Top the rectangles with the remaining pastry rectangles to form the pop tarts. Seal the edges with a fork. Place the parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
Step 7: Allow the pastries to cool. Heat a couple tablespoons of coconut butter over the stove top. I placed in a metal measuring couple directly over the heat, stirring frequently. You could also use a double broiler. Just make sure to heat at a low temp, stirring frequently to avoid burning or creating a gritty texture. Once viscous, drizzle the coconut butter over the top of the pop tarts and enjoy once fully cooled!

You may have extra dough and will likely have extra jam. Feel free to make thumbprint cookies with the extra dough/jam and store the jam in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe adapted from A Girl Worth Saving

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