vegetables Archives - Clean Program

How to build the perfect salad in 7 simple steps

Now that the weather is warming up, it’s the perfect time to enjoy big leafy green salads for lunch or dinner. The raw veggies are cooling and hydrating on hot days, especially when you’ve been in the sun or working out a lot. Salads can help cleanse, alkalize and reduce inflammation in the body. Creating the perfect salad is all about the variety and balance of ingredients that you choose.

How to easily transition to being plant-based

You’ve committed to healthier eating, and you’re ready to get started–that’s great! While transitioning to a plant-based diet from standard American fare may seem daunting at first, it can be a doable, delicious, and exciting process. Keep in mind that everyone is a bit different, and may require various approaches to transitioning their diet.

What are the best foods for skin health?

Creams, serums, and lotions can do great things for keeping your skin youthful, healthy, and glowing, but nothing is more powerful for your skin than eating the right foods. Even the most high-end skincare miracle can’t undo the nutritional deficit incurred by poor dietary choices. Periodic and ongoing cleansing, combined with probiotics and skin-promoting foods, will transform your complexion for the better.

This Brussels sprouts salad recipe is a winner

While refreshing salads may feel like a meal reserved for hotter months, we love serving them year-round, using seasonal produce. Shaved Brussels sprouts make an excellent base for a heartier salad (and pair perfectly with dates and hazelnuts). We’ve kept the dressing light and refreshing so this salad can work any time of year. We love it as a nutrient-dense lunch or as a light side with roasted chicken or lamb for dinner.

This vegan mac and cheese has all the flavor

Mac and cheese is one of those comfort foods we all grew up on. Whether it came from a box or your parents whipped it up from scratch, there’s no denying the pleasure that comes from a forkful of cheesy, fatty, salty goodness. But it turns out vegan mac and cheese packs tons of flavor too (and tons of veggies)!

Is the mediterranean diet compatible with eating clean?

Some diets go just as quickly as they come, but the Mediterranean Diet seems like it is here to stay. Let’s be real though, it’s more like a lifestyle than a diet (probably why it continues to be loved by many). Overall, the Mediterranean Diet emphasizes the consumption of foods high in omega-3s and healthy fats, like fish and olive oil, and lots of plant-based whole foods like nuts, grains, legumes, fruits, and veggies.

Yummy vegan carrot tempeh sandwich

If you are focusing on a plant-based diet, you might be looking for some new meal ideas. A hearty tempeh sandwich, with marinated protein and zesty slaw, is the perfect lunchtime meal. We’ve created this clean vegan carrot slaw tempeh sandwich to satisfy those sandwich cravings.

Plant-based diet 101

A plant-based diet focuses on whole foods and, well, plants! It doesn’t necessarily have to mean you’re “vegan” or any other label. It means you consume a diet rich in whole fruits, whole vegetables, whole grains, whole nuts, and seeds, etc. Most importantly, we are placing whole foods above all else, and limiting processed foods, just like the Clean Program.

Grilled vegetable white bean salad with dill

This white bean salad features gorgeous root vegetables that make it perfect for the transition to fall. We love a hearty salad, and the sweetness of carrots balances well with the heartiness of the white beans. Add some fresh dill and it’s a winning combination!

Asparagus and garlic quinoa bowl

We love a quinoa bowl as a heartier version of lunchtime salads. You can squeeze in just as many nutrient-dense vegetables, but the grain base helps make the meal more satisfying. You can rotate the ingredients as seasons change, simply using this recipe as a guideline that will work year-round.