The Vegetarian Challenge

We make it easy!

    You will receive a crash course taught by Chef Jackie herself on just how to be a vegetarian. Delicious recipe ideas, easy meal solutions, nutrition info, new product tips and other valuable advice will be given to you to help you along the way.You will also receive a gift basket full of popular vegetarian ingredients and shopping guides.

What you will do

• Receive the day's menu intinerary upon arrival
• Go on a virtual/physical tour of the supermarket 
• Learn how to introduce variety and broaden your tastes when grocery shopping as a vegetarian
• Cook and learn how to use the ingredients purchased
• Create and taste four main vegetarian dishes
• Develop an understanding of integrating vegetarian ingredients into everyday food
• Learn where to get protein, iron, B12
• Uncover nutrition myths and fast food/on the go options

Why Us?

  We've heard it plenty of times before: "I want to eat healthier,I want to be a vegetarian, but I just don't know how..." We can help you put an end to that mentality once you make the decision to sign up for the vegetarian challenge.

We will give you the tools and knowledge necesarry to embark on this life changing adventure, impress your friends, and even that special someone.

Greens and Kids

Quinoa: The Power Grain

So you’re rifling through your pantry trying to figure out what to make for lunch today. You can’t quite seem to find anything satisfying... so you decide to go to your local grocery store and try your luck there. Fortunately for you, Publix has just stocked up on one of the most powerful grains this world has to offer: Quinoa
If there was ever a particular ingredient that I would consider my trademark, Quinoa would be it. This is my go-to, creme de la creme, hallmark vegetarian item that I just can’t get enough of. I literally use it so often that my family has resorted to calling me Tia Quinoa; a spanish translation of Auntie Quinoa, and I would not have it any other way.
It appears that I am not the only one who has discovered just how powerful Quinoa can be. Fun fact: the United Nations has declared 2013 as the International Year of Quinoa! A quick google search on “Quinoa” will tell you that it originated 4,000 years ago in Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru and that the Incas referred to it as chisaya mama: the mother of all grains.




You might be asking yourself: But what does it even look like? How does it taste? How do I even cook it?

Well, quinoa is a small, light-colored round grain, similar in appearance to sesame seeds and it cooks in about 10-12 minutes. Quinoa is also available in other colors, including red, purple and black. Once cooked, it tastes just about the same way as any other grain would. It truly depends entirely upon how you decide to season/cook the grain itself so essentially it tastes however you want it to taste.

Brown rice, get out of the way before Quinoa runs you over because it’s coming in hot! Quinoa is rising in popularity in kitchens all over the world from the United States to Japan. The best part about this grain is that it can be placed in nearly any dish that you want to make to enhance its nutritional value.

Salads? Yep

Side Dish? Absolutely

Baked Goods? Why not?

Protein Shakes? You better believe it!

That’s right gym enthusiasts and protein pumpers, add a little bit of cooked quinoa into your shake for maximum protein intake. Whenever you want to protein spike your strawberry banana smoothie, put a little quinoa in there and “POW! right in the kissah” I am telling you, the possibilities are endless.

While doing some research on this grain, I found a very interesting chart that pretty much sums up the entirety of my support for this power grain. In the red corner, weighing in at 216 calories per cup we have Brown Rice, in the Blue Corner, weighing in at 222 calories per cup, Quinoaaaaaa!

“I want a good, clean fight!”