I’ve been meaning to share this with you for a while now on how I became the plant-based nutritionista that I am today. I didn’t always live like this. I used to be a Big Mac loving, pizza freak. Looking back, I remember ordering pizza twice in one day. For realzies!
My Fast Food Past
I didn’t grow up on super smoothies or kale salads, but I was fortunate enough to have a Mom who stayed at home and made all of our meals with love. Family dinners were important, and it was rare that we didn’t eat as a family around the table. We seldom ate take out, or sugary cereals, and these occasions were usually only treats while on vacation. Once in a while we would eat a drive thru meal. So when I received my driver’s license when I was sixteen, I began making frequent stops through the golden arches. Quickly my once a month fast food consumption became an every other day occurrence.
I was always a tall, lean girl, and never thought I was unhealthy since society relates health to how skinny you are. I vividly remember a handful of conversations with friends and family members explaining to me that I couldn’t keep eating like this forever, and that I would lose my pretty figure. Not once did anyone mention the health ramifications of the pseudo foods that I was consuming, only that they would make me fat.
Then my health started to fall apart…
When I reached my twenties, I moved in with my boyfriend (now my handsome, husband), and we ordered a lot of pizza and take out that first year. I also experimented with cooking and I created a lot of delicious, but unhealthy dinners. Our meals consisted of the Standard American Diet (SAD); lots of dairy, meat, refined sugar, salt, white flour and preservatives. My body started fighting back and most evenings I ended up laying in the fetal position on my bathroom floor. Ugh!
On a few different occasions I was dragged to my family doctor, where he and I would speak for a few seconds, and I would leave with a trial prescription of one thing, or another. And when I say I was dragged, it’s true. I was completely forced by my husband and Mom to go. I have had a massive fear of doctors and hospitals ever since I was a little girl, which is weird since I had never even experienced them until I broke my arm when I was five, and even when that happened, I hid it from everyone for a whole day! No joke.
How nutrition changed my life forever!
I still remember the day that I decided to take my health into my own hands. I quickly recognized that my Doctor wasn’t going to get to the root cause of my problem. Something clicked inside of me, and I began keeping track of what I was eating via a food diary. Over a months’ time I had eliminated all meat, most dairy and a lot of my regular fast food habits. I immediately started feeling amazing and as time went on, my digestive problems became a thing of the past. I started having more energy, my mood was stable, I was having regular bowel movements, I was free of headaches, slept like a baby, and the back pain that I had suffered since high school had disappeared; overall I felt fan-freaking-tasitc!
The funniest part about changing my lifestyle was the backlash I received from people. No one really cared when I was eating a big mac, super-sized pop and fries every day, but as soon as I told someone I ate an organic, plant-based diet, suddenly everyone had a background in nutrition.
Throughout this time period I had begun reading nutrition book after nutrition book and I couldn’t get enough. I later attended the Institute of Holistic Nutrition where I graduated as a Certified Holistic Nutritionist. My love for reading and learning and all things nutrition came from the competitive girl inside of me, mainly because I never wanted to be stumped on anyone’s questions they had for me. I wanted to know everything about my body. How it worked, and how the food I ate directly affected how I felt. Our bodies are absolutely amazing. They’re designed to heal and to be healthy if given the proper nutrients to do so. Hell, the woman’s body creates life itself! How freaking cool is that?
If I could do it, so can you! I’m here to help.
I know that sometimes it’s easier to play the victim and throw our hands in the air and chalk our problems up to something that’s out of our hands. But the fact of the matter is that you do have a choice. Our health problems are rarely related to genetics, and actually to the inheritance of the diet and life-style choices of our family. It’s time to take back your health and jump into the driver’s seat of your life. The only person who can help you, is you! I’m not saying that changing will be easy, as its a psychological struggle and fight against everything you’ve ever known, but I promise you, it will be one million percent worth it, because without good health, what do we really have?
Now I wouldn’t just send you on your way without a meal plan for dinner tonight would I? Tell Ronald you’re breaking up. Did you know that the average person only rotates between eight different foods in their diet? That’s craziness I tell ya! We live in a world, and a time when so many amazing foods are available to us…( and I’m not talking Alphagetti and Captain Krunch)
Healthy food also does not mean you can’t have burgers and pizza’s ever again, it just means you’ll have to do things a little differently. It’s so important to remember that this is not a diet; we’re creating a lifestyle change. This is not about restrictions, its about creating new habits. Find your own path and do what works for you. Act on it. If you don’t act on the insights you’ve gained, you’ll forever be stuck.
The recipe I’m sharing with you today is the best veggie burger around, and it will make this transition easier on you. Add this delicious treat to your repertoire once, or even twice a week. You can straight up eat it with an Ezekiel bun, or have it on top of a salad. You can crumble it onto a burrito, or even add it to a pasta dish. Be creative folks.
I hope you enjoy this quinoa tandoori black bean burger recipe as much as I do!
We’re in this together. – Written by Karlie
Quinoa Tandoori Black Bean Burger
Ingredients:
1 can of 15 oz. black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of cooked quinoa
2 tbsp. coconut oil
5 garlic cloves minced
1⁄2 of a large onion, diced
1⁄2 red bell pepper, diced
1⁄4 tsp cumin powder
1⁄2 tsp smoked paprika
1⁄2 tsp red pepper flakes
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
1 cup of cilantro leaves, loosely packed
1 cup of bread crumbs (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- Boil 2 cups of water and when bubbly pour in 1 cup of quinoa and cook till done.
- In the meantime, sauté the onion, bell pepper, cumin powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes, in 1/2 tbsp. of coconut oil until cooked through.
- Add the garlic and sea salt and sauté for a minute or two more, turn off heat and set aside.
- Next, in a food processor, add the beans and cooled veggies. Pulse until just combined.
- Then add the cooked quinoa and cilantro and again pulse until combined.
- Refrigerate for at least 5 minutes to let cool in order to work with better.
- Hand form into palm-sized burger patties.
- Coat each side of the burger in bread crumbs.(optional)
- Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until the burgers are firm and cooked all the way through.
Enjoy!
At The Naked Label we absolutely LOVE Karlie and Natasha! They are two sisters who have a business called Lettuce Change. They are inspirational, kind, and a wealth of knowledge. We are so excited to be able to share their delicious recipes with you!
If you can relate to Karlie’s story at all or if you give this recipe a try let us know about it in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you! Also, please help us spread the word by sharing this recipe with your friends using the social links below. We will love ya for it!
