Recipes (Keep comments in a separate thread!)

For those of us who struggle with lactose just as much as I do.

Homemade Almond Milk

1/2 cup blanched almonds (make sure you peel off the skins after blanching)
2 teaspoons honey
2 to 2.5 cups water (depending on how thick you want it)

Grab some cheesecloth and layer it up. Toss your almonds into the blender (pro tip: soaking them overnight helps, but don't sweat it if you forget). Throw in the honey and a cup of the water. Set your blender to the lowest speed and let it run until everything turns into a thick, creamy liquid. Pour in the rest of the water and give it a few more minutes of blending. Finally, strain it through your cloth.

If it still feels a bit chunky, you probably didn't blend long enough—but honestly, just add a little more water and use those bits to make an extra batch.

If you’re planning on using this for a protein shake, there's no need to bother straining it.😁

Homemade Carrot Soup

1 onion
2 stalks of celery
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
6 medium carrots
1/2 cup parsley
water
vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Throw the onion and celery into a food processor to get them finely chopped. Melt some butter in a soup pot (or just grab the olive oil), toss in the onion and celery, and sauté them until they're soft. While that's happening, give the carrots a rough grate and throw them in with the rest of the veggies to sauté. Chop up some fresh parsley and stir that in too. Pour in enough vegetable broth to cover everything, season it however you like, and let it simmer away. If you're feeling fancy and want to use cream, stir in about 2 tablespoons right at the end—just make sure you don't let it come back to a boil.
If you prefer a smoother vibe, just hit it with an immersion blender, but if you go that route, wait to add the cream until after you've blended it all up.🙂

This works great served hot or even chilled.

This carrot soup steam is just perfection 🙏

It's edible and actually tasty 😁 vegan-style (honestly, if you're starving—you can seriously pig out, you wouldn't believe 😬 )

200g of Kroger’s vegan spread (my go-to!)
1-2 hard-boiled eggs, still warm
a bit of fitness-approved deli ham, just enough 🙏
tomatoes, any size (quarters, halves, whole, whatever’s left over from yesterday, whatever works)
salt
fresh chives

Mash those warm eggs, mix in the cheese, throw in everything else chopped fine 🙂

Genovese 4 Pesto

4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 cups of fresh basil leaves
2 heaped tablespoons of pine nuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Throw the garlic into the blender first, then toss in the basil and those pine nuts. Blend everything while slowly drizzling in the olive oil until it's smooth—but hey, save about 2 tablespoons of the oil for later. Pour the mixture into a small jar and top it off with that remaining oil to keep it fresh.

And honestly? You don't have to stick to pasta just because it's pesto. It actually tastes incredible drizzled over roasted cauliflower, zucchini, or even some fresh sliced tomatoes...

So, pesto 🙏
Saw it sitting on the shelf the other day, but honestly? Buying that store-bought stuff feels like a scam. I ended up planting this massive, lush basil bush in my garden instead—now I’m just staring at it wondering when I’ll finally kill it. 😍

I’d probably pair the pesto with some meat 🙏
Turkey, maybe. Why not? 🤷

Now for the absolute madness— keto ice cream 🤣

-a scoop of chocolate whey
-about a cup of heavy cream
-Stevia to taste

Whisk the hell out of it and dump it in a bowl. Toss it in the freezer—pro tip: give it a stir every now and then. You'll end up with two small scoops, about 250 kcal each.

Pesto is honestly amazing with meat.🙏 I love pairing mine with chicken and broccoli. I actually make this version without any parmesan, and everyone seems to love it.😍

I’m going to start posting some soup recipes and stuff soon too.😁 It’s taking me a minute because I'm typing everything out from my handwritten notebook.😬

Green Veggie Soup

1 medium onion
1 bunch green onions, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 tbsp butter
2 cups fresh (or frozen) green beans
1-2 cups beans
3 tbsp vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 tbsp thyme
1/4 tsp sage
13 cups water
1 bag frozen spinach or 1/2 bunch fresh
2 medium zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
1 small head Napa cabbage, shredded
2 tbsp fresh basil
2 tbsp fresh chives
salt and pepper

Roughly chop the onion, green onions, celery, and carrot in a food processor. Melt some butter in a soup pot and toss in that chopped veggie mix. Sauté everything for about 2-3 minutes, stirring pretty frequently, until the veggies start to look a bit lighter. Throw in the frozen green beans and the other beans, giving it all a good stir. Pour in the broth, thyme, sage, and 6 cups of water. Once it hits a boil, stir in the frozen spinach and the zucchini. Let that simmer for a few minutes while you keep an eye on it.
Next, add the Napa cabbage and the rest of the water. Bring it back up to a boil. Season with salt, pepper, fresh basil, and chives. Let it cook uncovered for about 5 minutes. You’ll know the soup is ready once the beans have softened up perfectly.
This makes a big batch, which is great because you can just freeze the extra for later.

Quietpilot87—kudos for putting this thread together! I feel like there was actually something similar posted in this PDF a while back—it just hasn't been active for quite some time. I think it went by something like "Fresh & Tasty"—if I recall correctly, siki6 was the one who originally started that thread. There are some genuinely solid recipes tucked away in there... maybe it's worth looking into merging them? 🤷

Alright, I figured it was about time I tossed a recipe into the ring myself. 🙂

Tuna pâté.

Rio Mare tuna in olive oil—where the oil actually comes from the fish itself.
So, I finally got around to picking up some of that vegan cheese from Tillamook—you know, the dairy-free stuff they have stocked at the local Kroger. Honestly, it’s an interesting experiment, if you can call it that. It’s one of those items you grab when you're trying to be a bit more mindful about what's in your diet or just navigating a fast during certain times of the year, though "cheese" might be a generous term for it. It’s definitely... different. If you go in expecting that sharp, creamy hit you get from a real block of cheddar, you're going to be disappointed. It has this specific texture—a bit more structured, maybe a little more stubborn when it meets heat—that makes you realize how much we rely on actual animal fats for that melt factor. It’s fine for a sandwich or throwing onto some toast if you aren't looking for a culinary revelation, but let's not pretend it's a direct replacement for the good stuff. It does its job, but it doesn't exactly sing.
Just a little mustard.
Freshly cracked peppercorns—whether you're going with the colorful medley or sticking to the classic red—make all the difference.
Everything just gets tossed together and honestly... I’m all about it. This kind of spread is my go-to—it works perfectly as a high-protein meal when you need to fuel up. You can easily bulk it out, too—throw in some corn, maybe some eggs, or a handful of olives if you're feeling fancy.
I’m not adding a single thing—honestly, this just works for me exactly as it is.
It’s really just a tweak on a recipe I stumbled upon here—I simply swapped out the full-fat cream cheese for the low-fat version. 😬

The PWM "desert"—that vast, empty stretch where nothing seems to grow and everything feels a bit bleached out—is a fascinating concept when you look at how it functions within the broader ecosystem. It isn't just a void; it’s more like that weird, stagnant period in a corporate restructuring where all the old processes have been scrapped, but the new ones haven't actually taken root yet. You're just standing there in the middle of a dry wasteland, waiting for some kind of momentum to kick in. It’s easy to mistake this phase for total failure, but I’ve always viewed it more as a necessary, albeit incredibly tedious, clearing of the slate. Think of it like those periods of extreme drought in the Midwest—it looks desolate, sure, but it’s essentially a reset that forces the landscape to adapt before the next big season hits. In the context of PWM, you're navigating through a space where the usual signals are muted, and you have to rely on a much more deliberate, measured approach to find any semblance of direction. It requires a certain level of patience—the kind of patience you need when you're stuck in a massive traffic jam on the I-95 and realize you aren't moving anytime soon. You just have to sit with the emptiness and wait for the environment to shift.
About two large tablespoons of non-dairy spread.
Just one single banana. One. No bunch, no snack pack, just a solitary piece of fruit sitting there on the counter. It’s almost poetic in its loneliness—like a solo act at a jazz club where nobody showed up to listen. You look at it and you have to decide: is this enough to get me through a mid-morning slump, or am I just setting myself up for a disappointment that lingers until lunch? It’s a tiny, yellow gamble.
A little bit of water.
Just toss everything into a blender, let it chill for a bit, and then you can just sit back, grab a spoon, and enjoy—it’s basically pure bliss.

Just when you thought you couldn't handle any more sugar—here comes another overly sweet dessert.

I think I swiped this from somewhere else—honestly, I can't quite remember where. 🙈

So, it really comes down to a choice between a Granny Smith or a green pear—one that actually has some sweetness to it.
Vegan cheese—or what some might call "fasting cheese"—is a bit of a tricky subject, isn't it? It’s one of those things where you either find a version that actually tastes like food or you end up with something that feels more like industrial glue than anything you'd want to put on a bagel.
pepper

Dice up some fruit, toss it together with some low-fat yogurt, hit it with a little black pepper, and—voilà—you've got a snack worth eating. 🙂

That smell of chicken... it's just not right.

It’s honestly almost too easy—but damn, it actually tastes incredible. I’m the type of person who loves playing around with different spice blends, and the best part about this recipe is that it basically serves as a blank canvas for whatever seasoning combo you're feeling.

Most of the time, you really just need the meat—specifically that lean white meat, or honestly, just grab a whole chicken.
Give it a good scrub and hit it with some salt.
And then comes the inevitable onslaught of random seasonings—you know the drill—throwing in rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, a slice of lemon, cracked pepper... just everything but the kitchen sink.
Just wrap the whole thing up in aluminum foil and toss it straight into the oven.
Watch your step when you're pulling cash out—you wouldn't want to end up with an empty pocket because you weren't paying attention.
You can also stuff the chicken with all sorts of different vegetables—it’s a great way to pack in some extra nutrition while giving you something to snack on as a side dish.

So... that's all I've got for now. 😬

Turkey Meatballs with Pistachios on the Grill Pan

I usually just toss these onto the grill—or a cast-iron grill pan if I'm feeling lazy—to skip the whole deep-frying mess. They turn out incredibly crispy and honestly, they're delicious.

Here’s what you’ll need:

A package of ground turkey breast
1 egg (just to bind everything together)
Salt and pepper
Breadcrumbs or a slice of bread soaked in milk
Pistachios (cashews work too, though personally, I think pistachios hit the spot better)
Millet...

Mix the meat with the egg and the bread, season it however you like, and then fold in some roughly crushed pistachios—don't overdo it, or you'll lose the texture entirely.
Shape them into even little balls and roll them in millet (you could use flour or breadcrumbs, but the millet gives it a bit of a Mediterranean vibe)😬
Then, throw them on the grill pan.

I typically eat these on their own and just count them as my protein fix for the meal.🙂

If you want to get fancy, they go great with some chickpeas, or maybe a yogurt dressing mixed with Herbes de Provence (you can find those herbs at Walmart $1.75) plus a few drops of balsamic vinegar...
But hey, you can figure out your own combo.

🙂 😍

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Two or three medium red bell peppers.
Ground beef, however much you want.
One egg.
A bit of rice.
Onion (and garlic).
Onion.
Parsley.
Paprika, salt, and pepper.
A small can of tomato puree.
A bouillon cube.

Mix the ground meat with the chopped onion, egg, parsley, paprika, salt, pepper, and rice, then pop it in the fridge to chill for a bit.

Sauté the onion, parsley, and paprika in a little olive oil, pour in some water, and drop in the bouillon cube. Add a bit of the tomato puree—don't go overboard, or that flavor will take over everything—and let it simmer gently. Stir in a little flour to thicken it up and a pinch of sugar to cut through the acidity of the tomato. Clean out the peppers, stuff them with the meat mixture, place them in a pot, cover, and let them simmer slowly for about 40 to 55 minutes.

For a side dish, you could do green beans with some onion, or whatever else you're feeling; broccoli works pretty well too.

unknown with mushrooms and ground beef

unknown
Ground beef
Onion
Tomato puree
Mushrooms

Wash the unknown and slice it into strips. Sprinkle with a little salt and let it sit for ten minutes, then wipe off the excess salt and put the slices into a baking dish. Sauté the onion slightly, stir in the meat, then add the tomato puree and mushrooms along with salt and pepper. Spread the meat mixture over the unknown slices and bake for about half an hour. If you're feeling fancy, you can top it with some grated Parmesan.

Serve it with a green salad or whatever else sounds good to you.

🙂

silentridge8, try making the saft without any flour—just load it up with spices. It’s killer 👍

Anyway, I just whipped up the best vegan meal I've ever had:

Vegan stuff + pumpkin oil + fresh chives + salt 🙏 🙂
Jesus, this is so good 🙂

I am absolutely obsessed with green beans 🙂

Green Bean Salad

green beans
pine nuts
canned tuna in brine
a squeeze of lemon juice
a few olives
some hard cheese
a teaspoon of mustard
black pepper
olive oil and balsamic vinegar

I toasted the pine nuts in a pan for a bit before tossing them into the mix🙂

original recipe here: http://www.coolinarika.com/recept/sa...rancuski-nacin

Honestly, this recipe feels pretty played out at this point 😁 , and after eating oatmeal for a full year straight, I’ve officially hit a wall. These days, I just toss them into boiling water with a tiny pinch of salt and let them simmer for a few minutes—which gives me just enough time to peel some fruit or grate something else—before stirring in some processed fruit. 🙂
The whole milk and yogurt routine just doesn't cut it for me anymore.

Frozen yogurt/ice cream hack

Crush some berries with a fork so you still get those big, juicy chunks (I usually toss in cranberries, blackberries, blueberries—anything super tart)
Mash up one banana with a fork and squeeze some lemon juice over it
Mix it all together and throw it straight into the freezer

Some people swear by adding sugar, but honestly? That’s just silly. For me, this is the ultimate post-workout snack.

More variations on my vegan cheese spread 😬

One massive red bell pepper
A literal mountain of garlic cloves
Vegan 😍
Salt, plus whatever pepper you're feeling...

So, here’s the drill: I roast the pepper on foil—let's say over a backyard grill?—just enough to get that perfect smoky aroma and those charred bits
Then I peel off the skin and dice it all up
Mince as much garlic as my heart desires
Mix everything together with the vegan cheese, hit it with some salt, maybe a little black pepper if I'm feeling fancy... it's honestly delicious!

And there you have it 🙂

Man, this pepper thing 🙂
You guys are legends 🙏

Beans without all that heavy grease or flour. Still hits the spot though.

Take some pre-softened beans—basically cooked, water drained, you know the drill—and toss in a few carrots, two whole onions, and some celery chunks. Season it with salt or a bit of bouillon. Once that's soft, throw it in a blender to make a puree, then pour it back into the pot—that’s how you get that thick texture. Stir in some crushed canned tomatoes or tomato juice, smash a ton of garlic (seriously, go overboard), and don't forget the pepper and a bay leaf 👍

There's zero flour and not a drop of oil in here, but if you're feeling fancy, drizzle some olive oil on top at the end. Honestly, even a little pumpkin seed oil wouldn't hurt.

I never bother making roux for my beans, peppers, or even cabbage rolls.
It’ll thicken up enough just from simmering on its own... 🤷
If things look too thin, you can always toss in a potato, mash it up, and stir it back in to get that consistency.
Honestly, you can tweak pretty much any dish to make it healthier and just better overall.
I don't stress over cooking all that much anymore, but I stick to a few basic rules:
no flour-and-fat thickeners, nothing breaded, and zero deep frying
I stick to good olive oil or cold-pressed sunflower oil—you can find the good stuff at Whole Foods or specialty health shops, though it costs twice as much, but the flavor is night and day
I use way less oil in my cooking, sometimes none at all (if you actually have decent non-stick or grill pans)
I eat whole grains
And I stick to whole wheat bread.
What's my point? You can change so much just by making tiny adjustments to classic recipes without losing any variety in what you eat...

Dana Miller2 said:I never bother with roux for my chili, stews, or cabbage rolls.
It just thickens up enough on its own while simmering 🤷
You can always toss in a potato, mash it up, and call it a day—that does the trick.

No clue, honestly. My mom used flour and roux for everything from pepper sauce to bean soup. I’ve had to tweak her recipes since those heavy, flour-filled versions were kind of a slog to eat.

So how exactly does yours get thick enough? 😕
For me, it’s never quite right unless I hit it with a blender—then it’s perfect.🙏

quietpilot87, I am loving this bean recipe of yours. Honestly, I usually blend part of them right into the pot while they're cooking.😁 🙂 Some butternut squash would probably work great too, especially since I usually toss it into my bean salad anyway.😁

Dana Miller2 is spot on—adding potato really thickens things up, which is my go-to move if you're into a heartier stew.😁

As far as Lent-style meals go, lately I've been mixing mine with some chopped tomatoes, two cloves of garlic, and then finishing it off with a sprinkle of parsley.🙏

I also think it’s delicious when I stir in some almonds. 😁

I skip the potatoes entirely—won't even touch them when I'm making stews. I'd much rather go with pureed carrots, celery, or zucchini.
Yeah, you can always blend a bit of the beans. I actually did that once because the texture was too thin and it felt 🙂
.
Dana Miller2, exactly. That’s literally the whole point of this thread, so just lay out all those little tweaks you make. 🙂