Need motivation?

Accountability?

A kick in the pants to get yourself back on track?

Some self-looooove instead of self-loathing?

JOIN the May 2015 Herbie Calendar Challenge!

And track your SUCCESS!!!

Recently I hosted this calendar challenge with our VIP meal plan members and it was EPIC.

In fact, the results were so awesome (dare I say revolutionary!) that I had to spread this little tip out to the masses!

Background: A friend of mine noticed how motivated her son got when he was allowed to put gold stars on the calendar (he got one if he did his chores that day).

She thought she’d try this herself and found it helped motivate her.

I then upcycled the idea to our members for the month of April.

The idea is to set a realistic goal you can complete daily for the whole month, and every day you do it, you get to put a sticker on the calendar.

For example, if your goal was to stick to the meal plans, every day you followed the plan, you would get a sticker or smiley face.

NO mark if you don’t, however.

It’s AMAZING to see the collective smiles or stickers over the month.

Because when you miss a day, or two days in a row, you can only remember the day you missed, which leads to “I suck” and self-loathing talk.

You develop negative tunnel vision and forget all the good progress prior.

Instead of ahscrewit, the calendar reminds you of the bigger picture.

Seeing ALL your success — all those little victories — added up changes your perception and MOTIVATES you even more.

But don’t take my word for it…

Our members had a wide range of goals, unique to each of them.

For example, some people set a goal of consuming no alcohol, or no sugar. Several others had exercise-oriented goals such as walking at least 5,000 steps per day, or walking after dinner, or taking the bus and not the car.

There were also goals like packing your lunch or not eating out.

OR not reading comments on Facebook (that’s a good one!)

My goal was to drink 100 oz of water (or tea) per day.

I did pretty well! I flubbed a bit at the end because I was on airplanes a lot, which isn’t an excuse (except that I HATE airplane bathrooms).

Whatever your goal is, make sure it’s realistic for you AND try not to make it too complicated or intimidating. It might be tempting to set 4 goals for yourself, but slow and steady wins the race here.

There’s also a power in setting really low quotas.

(I highly recommend reading that post!)

If there is anything I’ve learned from using the meal plans (and my OCD!) it’s that we IMPROVE what we measure.

This challenge sounds silly simple but it’s crazy effective.

And because I know nothing is more motivating than a little competition…

and prizes are even MORE motivating…

Three (3!) participants will receive a copy of my new book, the enhanced paperback version of The Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living (out May 5th!)

Click here to sign up for the Happy Herbivore newsletter (it’s totally FREE!)

Be sure to confirm your email address (check your spam box!)

and add Lindsay[at]happyherbivore[dot]com to your contacts.

You’ll receive an email towards the end of the month for how you can submit a picture of your calendar — even if you miss a few days it’s okay!

No perfection required — just your best, honest effort!

AND if you’re a meal plan member, there’s a special thread in the forums for you — share there to qualify for additional members-only prizes.

I’ll also send you a little motivation love note and progress report from time to time throughout the challenge!

Sticker up,

Lindsay

#stickerup

Annual Meal Plan Premium Memberships ON SALE TODAY, April 29th, for ONE DAY ONLY!!

Get a year’s worth of meal plans 52 weeks! Over 1,000 recipes (5 new each week!) for only $179 (retail $728!)

Only $3.44 a week (less than 50¢ a day) – a 75{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} savings!

Every recipe is vegan (no eggs, no dairy) plus gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free friendly!

As an annual member, you will receive BOTH the individual and family plans (a whopping $728 value)!

52 weeks * $7 week * 2 plans = $728 value

Payment plans also available!

Annual Membership includes:

• Private Facebook group with Lindsay
• Access to the Members Forums
• 1-on-1 with Lindsay
• Priority support/email
• Private monthly group challenges (with prizes!)
• Monthly workshops
• Get to provide feedback and try features out before anyone else
• Free books
• New bonus cookbook EVERY month
• Exclusive videos
• Live chats
• An ultra supportive family (1,015+ new besties!)
• Long-time members as your mentor

BIG BONUS: My FREE gift to you, you’ll also get the Elimination Diet ebook ($19.99 value!) and Best of Taco Recipes book!

**If you’re already have a monthly membership, you can upgrade to an annual membership from your profile.**

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It’s another week of dynamite eats on this week’s meal plan!

Not only is there “Fish” & Chips (NEW!) and Mediterranean Nachos (NEW!), we’re also bringing the Cinco de Mayo fiesta to your mouth with the Fajita Quesadilla (NEW!), Queso-Cauliflower Taquitos (NEW!), and Breakfast Nachos (NEW!).

There’s also a couple oldie but goodies making an appearance: Quinoa Unfried Rice, Fettuccine Alfredo (indi) and Greek-Style Pasta!!

“Fish” & Chips

Individual Highlights

• “Fish” & Chips (NEW!)
• Quinoa Unfried Rice
• Breakfast Nachos (NEW!)
• Greek-Style Pasta
• Fajita Quesadilla (NEW!)
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Queso-Cauliflower Taquitos (NEW!)
• Mexican Chocolate Shake
• Mediterranean Nachos (NEW!)

Get this meal plan now.

Mediterranean Nachos

Family Highlights

• Fajita Quesadillas (NEW!)
• Easy Couscous Salad
• Breakfast Nachos (NEW!)
• Queso-Cauliflower Taquitos (NEW!)
• Quinoa Unfried Rice
• Mediterranean Nachos (NEW!)
• Carrot Noodle Stir-Fry
• Greek-Style Pasta
• “Fish” & Chips (NEW!)

Get this meal plan now.

Quinoa Unfried Rice

Testimonials

“The meal plans are the gift that keeps on giving. Today it’s the conversion table. Before that it was batch cooking and prep day and advice on beating sugar addiction. I’m getting way more than my money’s worth and to top it off a wonderful support group on Facebook.“- Marina D

“I just wanted to say thank you to the Meal Mentor team and Lindsay for the meal plans. As someone who is only three weeks into this lifestyle and brand new to cooking for herself, it is so much easier. Who knew when I signed up that I would get so much more than just meal plans. I got a family!“- Jamie B

Get the current meal plan now.

Spring has officially sprung!

And if you need healthy and delicious recipes for your springtime events, I’ve got you covered with these 45+ plant-based options!

Don’t forget!! I have an ENTIRE EASTER & PASSOVER section in Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings!

• Beet Salad (p. 120)
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes (p. 129)
• Cream of Broccoli Soup (p. 124)
• Creamed Kale (p. 65)
• Creamy Grape Salad (p. 123)
• Deviled “Eggs” (p. 120)
• Lemon Rosemary Meatballs (p. 127)
• Mini Soy-Free Quiche (p. 128)
• Potato Salad (p. 123)
• Savory Glazed Carrots (p. 123)
• Stuffed Artichokes (p. 127)
• White Bean Dill Dip (p. 118)

Beet Salad, Creamy Grape Salad, Creamed Kale from HH Holidays & Gatherings

Spring recipes from the blog:

• Blueberry Bundt Cake
• Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
• Blueberry Yogurt Muffins
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Deviled “Eggs”
• French Toast
• Greens Quiche
• Maple-Glazed Carrots
• Tofu Scramble
• Vegan Latkes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes from the blog

Spring recipes from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook:

• Carrot Cake Cupcakes (p. 213)
• Corn Pudding (p. 173)
• Creamy Carrot Soup (p. 62)
• Frittata (p. 15)
• Seitan Pot Roast (p. 133)
• Spiced Carrot Muffins (p. 43)

Lemon Rosemary Meatballs from HH Holidays & Gatherings

Spring recipes from Everyday Happy Herbivore:

• Chickpea Gravy (p. 287)
• Dijon Asparagus (p. 226)
• French Toast Muffins (p. 53)
• Miso Gravy (p. 291)
• Morning Glory Muffins (p. 54)
• Rainbow Green (p. 235)
• Spinach Artichoke Frittata (p. 32)
• Tempeh Meatloaf (p. 180)

Mini Soy-Free Quiche from HH Holidays & Gatherings

Spring recipes from Happy Herbivore Abroad:

• Blueberry Bundt Cake (p. 151)
• Blueberry Cornbread Muffins (p. 249)
• Cherry Clafoutis (p. 152)
• Creamy Dijon Gravy (p. 192)
• Crepes (p. 158)
• Golden Scallion Gravy (p. 263)
• Lemon-Balsamic Chickpeas (p. 48)
• Lemony Kale (p. 78)
• Lentil Loaf (p. 257)
• Mama D’s Spanakorizo (p. 120)
• Mediterranean Chard (p. 67)
• Savory Glazed Carrots (p. 74)
• Sunshine Muffins (p. 250)
• Tofu Feta (p. 203)

Carrot Soup from Light & Lean

Spring recipes from Happy Herbivore Light & Lean:

• Bloody Mary Mix (p. 251)
• Blueberry Yogurt Muffins (p. 48)
• Carrot Soup (p. 105)
• Creamy Kale Salad (p. 180)
• Cobbler (p. 228)
• Lemony Asparagus (p. 183)
• Lemony Couscous (p. 186)
• Lentil & Pear Salad (p. 128)
• Parmesan Greens (p. 181)
• Pineapple Carrot Muffins (p. 47)
• Shep’s Pie (p. 122)
• Waldorf Salad (p. 130)

Meet our Herbie of the Week: Carol C!

Tired of suffering from allergies and taking medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol, Carol decided to try a plant-based diet after watching “Forks Over Knives” and reading “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease”.

Within a week she lost 7lbs, which eventually turned into a grand total of 50lbs! She’s also off her medications and is no longer in pain, plus she feels lighter and full of energy.

Carol also inspired her husband to switch to a plant-based diet after his doctors had concerns about his acid reflux. Almost a week after removing dairy from his diet, his life-long acid reflux was gone — and he went on to lost 60lbs!

There’s so much more to Carol’s story, so I’ll let her take it away!

I was very thin as a young woman but gained weight after my third child. I tried Weight Watchers twice and loved the community but hated counting points and always felt deprived. By the time I was 58 I was taking medicine for high blood pressure and cholesterol. I suffered from ragweed allergies, colds, aches, and pains. I had some eye problems and several ophthalmologists asked me if I had diabetes. I was caring for my grandchildren, 3 and 1, full time, six hours away from my home and friends. It was very inconvenient to have to return home for the frequent doctor visits to renew my prescriptions. It was disturbing to think I would feel this way (or worse!) for the rest of my life.

Late August 2011, I watched The Last Heart Attack on CNN with Sanjay Gupta. I was curious about the claim that heart disease could be reversed, because I had never heard that before. I was very impressed with the program and then watched “Forks Over Knives” and picked up “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease” by Caldwell Esselstyn, MD. I decided to give a no oil, no meat, no fish, no dairy diet a try. If Bill Clinton could do it, then so could I, or so I hoped! It was so different from how I had cooked for 38 years, so I decided I would do it one meal at a time.

The first week I lost 7 pounds and that got my attention. The weight continued to come off and the clothing sizes dropped so fast that I would buy a size smaller and find it too big when I tried to wear it. I was amazed! My cravings stopped and my taste buds changed. I have lost 50 pounds, most of it within the first three months and am off my medications. My aches and pains are gone. My allergies are gone, and I don’t get cold or sick despite taking care of small children. My brain fog is gone, and I feel lighter and full of energy. I feel better than I did in my twenties! My only exercise was keeping up with two small, very active children; I have since added some strength training and walking three miles on a treadmill when I can make the time.

Shortly after I made the change my husband called and said he was in the hospital and thought he was having a heart attack. His father had a heart attack in his fifties, and he died in his seventies after years of heart-related health problems. All the tests were run, and he was discharged a couple of days later after being told his heart was fine but there were concerns about his acid reflux. He was scheduled for an endoscopy to rule out Barrett’s esophagus and/or cancer and sent home with medicine. He asked how I was eating and started to follow the diet.

After a week of being off dairy, his life-long acid reflux was gone. He had a clean bill of health after his endoscopy and continued the diet. He lost 60 pounds! He was delighted that we were saving so much money by not eating out almost every day. He has been a runner since high school but it didn’t keep the weight off. We live in two different cities, so he cooks for himself and manages to stay almost 100{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} despite traveling around the world. The year after he started being plant-strong, he came in second in his age group in a half marathon. This past October he ran his FIRST full marathon, The Chicago Marathon. He came in 12th out of 557 in his age group (he is 60) and 4,371 out of 40,659 runners! He has qualified for the 2016 Boston Marathon!

My youngest daughter also saw improvements in her health when she adopted the diet. She was a competitive runner in college and used an inhaler. Now she can run without an inhaler. She ran the marathon with her Dad until she had a calf injury at 20 miles and had to stop. She was still full of energy! She is lactose intolerant so being dairy free has made a big difference in her life.

Six months after I started eating a plant-based diet I went to my doctor. He stopped in the doorway in shock and asked what I had done. I handed him the “Forks Over Knives” DVD and “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease“. Six months later I saw him again. He looked great! He has adopted the diet and is sharing the information with patients.

Everyone we shared this diet with, and who has done it 100{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9}, has seen similar results. They are sharing it with their family and friends. It has become my mission! I order books by the box and pass them out to everyone who will take them, from family and friends to strangers. My oldest daughter has made postcards with resources, including HH, that I hand out as well. She helped me present “Forks Over Knives” at our church. Five people there made the change and I just had a chance to share “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease” with another church group concerned with lowering our carbon footprint. At my age it doesn’t take more than a few minutes of conversation to hear about someone’s health issues which provides opportunities to share. My greatest hope is to reach young people so that that all of their years will be healthy and vibrant and that they will feed their children this way from the start. I look back at the way I fed my family and friends and cringe. Now I feel so blessed to have oatmeal for breakfast with my grand daughters in the morning!

To anyone who wants to start eating plant-based, learn from my mistakes. I shopped all over town to buy foods mentioned in the books. Now I say empty the house of everything not on the diet. Buy rice, grains, potatoes, lentils, beans, veggies and fruits, flax meal and some B-12. Make simple meals and eat one meal at a time and give yourself a month to feel the changes. I have oatmeal with flax meal, chia, and fruit every morning (I almost never ate oatmeal! I swoon over it now!) For lunch or dinner, I start out with greens and veggies and potatoes, or grains and add beans or lentils. I used to love bread. Now I almost never eat it. I used to be a big baker. I rarely bake now. We do have some tried and true recipes that we will make, and when we do I make extra and freeze it.

One of the first HH recipes I had was Lindsay’s Blue Corn Chickpea Tacos. Everyone loves it. I cooked for years and have a house full of cookbooks but eating this way has made a cooking minimalist of me. I don’t need several courses and lots of variety anymore. In fact, too much variety of these wonderful dishes can mean overeating for me. My youngest daughter and I cooked from Holidays & Gatherings when we got together recently and it was a little too much of good things!

When I started my journey I had to really search the internet for resources. Now there is so much information and online support and inspiration. I love all of the success stories. The health benefits go so far beyond the big three of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It has been over three years, and I feel I am still improving.

Thank you Carol for sharing your plant-based journey with us!

OIL-FREE.

HASH.

BROWNS.

Let me say that again: OIL-FREE. HASH BROWNS.

Carly (she’s on Team HH) came running into the office screaming “I MADE HASH BROWNS!”

Okay, so maybe it didn’t go exactly like that, but my heart started pumping…

and it’s so RIDICULOUSLY EASY.

Here’s how you make them:

STEP 1

Take a potato (raw) and shred it.

I used the shredder blade on my food processor.

Carly got a workout using a four-sided cheese grater.

(That’s about 4 medium potatoes worth.)

STEP 2

Once grated, give them a bath (cold tap water)

Let sit for 10 minutes.

The water will get kind of brown and gross, and really starchy.

FYI: I saved my starchy water because it makes great “creamy” mashed potatoes without using cream or butter, and sometimes I add 1-2 tbsp to cream up a pasta sauce, but you can just discard too.

STEP 3

Drain and rinse.

You can also push on them to “squeeze” out any extra water — which I did, but Carly did not and said it made only a minimal difference.

STEP 4

Cook.

Two options: griddle or bake.

We unanimously preferred cooking via non-stick griddle.

It’s faster and we liked it better taste-wise.

Baking (400F, about 10-15 minutes) makes for a dryer, crisper hash brown.

The upside is you don’t have to stand over the stove 🙂

P.S. We had NO luck with the silicone mat — you need parchment paper.

THESE ARE SO STUPID GOOD.

We can’t stop making them.

Happy hash browning,

Lindsay

AND A MILLION THANKS TO CARLY.