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Mustard Greens Detox Soup Recipe
healthy recipes

Bikini Detox: Mustard and Collard Greens Soup

Need an energizing, detoxifying meal to go along with your bikini shape-up plan?
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Need an energizing, detoxifying meal to go along with your bikini shape-up plan? This blended green detox soup should be on the menu. The main stars, mustard greens and collard greens, are chock-full of nutrients that aid in flushing out toxins in the body, called glucosinolates, which are found in high amounts in mustard greens and collard greens. Both greens are also high in vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and manganese, making this soup an important part of a nutritious diet. At just over 100 calories, it's high in carbs from the vegetables and has a decent amount of fiber and protein; pair it with these filling lunch ideas to stay satisfied.

Get the recipe here.

How to Make Dried Mango
healthy living

Save Your Moola — Make Your Own Dried Mango

A dried mango addiction is no laughing matter to your wallet.
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A dried mango addiction is no laughing matter to your wallet. A small container can run you almost $10! That's just insane when a fresh mango costs about $2. Aside from costing too much at the health-food store, some dried mango is made with added sugar or preservatives. Save triply on money, calories, and chemicals by making your own homemade chewy treat.

Keep reading for the simple recipe.

Best Vegan Cookbooks 2012
healthy living

12 Vegan Cookbooks For Your Plant-Based Kitchen

For new vegans who were once dependent on dairy and meat, having an arsenal of quality vegan recipes is necessary from the start.
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For new vegans who were once dependent on dairy and meat, having an arsenal of quality vegan recipes is necessary from the start. Vegan ingredients and techniques might feel foreign, but these cookbook picks feature delicious recipes for anyone following an animal-free diet. Best of all, once you get them to taste, even skeptics will love the results.

Crazy Sexy Kitchen Fresh From the Vegan Slow Cooker Happy Herbivore Abroad Main Street Vegan The Sexy Vegan Cookbook Skinny Bitch Spork-Fed
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Vegan Brunch Recipes For Mother's Day
healthy living

Celebrate Mom With a Beautiful Vegan Brunch

Treat Mom this year with a beautiful brunch celebration.
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Treat Mom this year with a beautiful brunch celebration. This special spread is completely dairy- and meat-free, perfect for the vegan women in your life. Even family or friends who regularly partake in animal products will enjoy all of the delicious dishes on this Spring menu.

Champagne With a Berry Float

Photo by Olivia Leigh Photography via Style Me Pretty

Toast with Giada De Laurentiis's fruit-filled bellini recipe that's only 78 calories per four-ounce serving, or go even lighter by just floating (or muddling) a few berries in a glass of Champagne. Set up a bar of low-calorie brut Champagne and a sampling of fresh berries to keep things simple, light, and elegant.

Veggie Scramble
Instead of an egg-filled quiche, casserole, or scramble, opt for this bright and colorful vegetable scramble starring sweet potatoes, zucchini, and chard. Watch our video recipe and learn how to cook this produce to perfection.

Vegan Eggs Benedict

There's no replacement for the texture and gooey center of a poached egg, but this vegan benedict's lemony, plant-milk-based hollandaise sauce will surprise your taste buds with its dreamy consistency. Top off everything with fresh steamed asparagus and shiitake mushrooms for extra Spring veggie power.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

End on a sweet note with vegan carrot cake cupcakes. This recipe offers all the traditional flavors of the classic but cuts the amount of sugar and calories in half. Best of all, these cupcakes don't taste vegan in the slightest — they're moist, sweet, and plain delicious.

Fruit Salad With Mint
recipes

A Berry Bountiful Fruit Salad With Mint

The long wait is over — thank goodness!
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The long wait is over — thank goodness! — and berries and stone fruit are returning to supermarket shelves (at absurdly low prices to boot). A textured Winter fruit salad has kept me going the past few months, but now I'm putting that recipe aside for this Spring- and Summer-forward fruit salad featuring all-new produce.

It's impossible to pinpoint what I love most about this combination of flavors. Sure, any old day you can combine a bunch of berries in a bowl, but here, mint, nutty Marcona almonds, and lemon zest and juice transform this into a fruit salad worthy of serving on a special occasion. The addition of sugar enhances the flavors in the fruit as well as releases more juices so the whole salad is marinated in a berry syrup.

Celebrate berry season with this fruit salad.

Vegan Substitutes For Cream
healthy living

Hold the Cream: 5 Vegan Substitutes That Are Just as Good

Heavy cream can elevate many dishes, but its high saturated fat and calorie content doesn't exactly make it the healthiest option.
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Heavy cream can elevate many dishes, but its high saturated fat and calorie content doesn't exactly make it the healthiest option. And if you're vegan or lactose intolerant, your meals may be lacking that distinct texture from the dairy product. Stop pining and get the creaminess back with these five vegan substitutes!

Avocado: The creamy high-fat content of avocados make them a perfect substitute for milk and cream. Use avocado in baking or as a base for creamy sauces; one of our favorite ways is this vegan creamy avocado pasta from Oh She Glows.

Beans: Pureed beans can offer the consistency you're missing in those comforting creamy soups. Use canned cannellini beans; not only are the white beans the right hue when substituting for heavy cream, but their mild taste also won't overpower other flavors in your dish.

Bananas: Who needs ice cream when you've got frozen bananas? Keep a few ripe ones in your freezer (peel them and put in a container before you do for easier handling once they're frozen). Before creamy cravings strike, toss one or two in a food processor or blender with a little peanut butter and freeze for two hours. You'll have a 150-calorie vegan ice cream treat to enjoy after dinner.

More vegan cream options after the break!

Spicy Sesame Carrot Salad
salads

Off the Bookshelf: The New Persian Kitchen's Sesame Carrot Salad

This simple ribboned carrot salad might not be the first thing to jump off the beautifully photographed pages of Louisa Shafia's much-lauded cookbook The New Persian Kitchen, but skimming past it would make for a small tragedy.
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This simple ribboned carrot salad might not be the first thing to jump off the beautifully photographed pages of Louisa Shafia's much-lauded cookbook The New Persian Kitchen, but skimming past it would make for a small tragedy. Vinegary and bright, with a nutty, roasted note from the toasted sesame seeds and oil, it's not only visually stunning, but also delightfully balanced and far more nuanced than its simplicity would suggest.

Even better, it's quick (and easy) to prepare and can hold up to an overnight stay in the fridge, making it weeknight dinner- and brown-bag lunch-friendly, a rare and impressive feat. So what are you waiting for? Bust out the vegetable peeler, and get down to it.

Is Dairy Good For You?
healthy living

Is Dairy Bad For You?

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Shape here on POPSUGAR Fitness.
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We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Shape here on POPSUGAR Fitness.

Q: What's the deal with dairy? I've heard so many different things!

A: Milk, despite being a dietary staple for a very long time, does have its controversial side: On the one hand, you hear that milk and dairy are good sources of calcium, so you should consume them; on the other, you're told that drinking milk is unnatural and that humans are the only mammals to drink milk from other mammals, plus it has hormones.

To the unnatural point, we are also the only species to build and drive cars, so the line of thinking that compares our behaviors to other mammals isn't that compelling. As for hormones, there isn't adequate, credible research to support that there are hormones in milk causing problems for people. Now let's take a closer look at what we do know about how healthy milk and dairy are.

Whey and casein: These are the two proteins found in dairy products. Whey is by far the most popular protein used in protein powders, and casein has been gaining popularity over the years as well. Both offer unique benefits regarding amino acid profiles and digestion rates. Whey contains an abundance of branched chain amino acids, which are key for supporting muscle growth while also helping fight soreness from your workouts.

Convenience: Whether you choose cheese, cottage cheese, or Greek yogurt, dairy is an easy way to get in a high-protein snack during the day when you're on the go — something many people struggle with.

Learn the cons of eating dairy after the break!

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Vegan

Naturally Sweet: Vegan Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bites

Loading up on a hefty dose of the white stuff isn't exactly the best way to start your morning.
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Loading up on a hefty dose of the white stuff isn't exactly the best way to start your morning. Baked goods like scones and quick breads tend to be high in sugar and fat, so if you're craving a homemade treat from the oven, then bake up a batch of these oatmeal breakfast bites. They're sweetened with banana and a touch of maple syrup, but each chewy bite has only 2.6 grams of sugar and 0.3 grams of saturated fat.

Keep reading for the simple recipe.