Photo Credit: Shawn Laksmi

Tevia Celli-Recht is an amazing human being. She is also the very best spin instructor I've ever had. If you are in LA, you MUST run now and take one of her classes at Updog Cycling and Yoga on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood....and she has her own over-the-top delicious vegan baking company, The Lil' Vegan Baker That Could. Connect to the previous blogs about her here and here.

Tevia is an insane athlete who also has MS (multiple sclerosis). She manages her MS symptoms through a plant-based, vegan diet and some supplements, and this combination has literally halted her MS symptoms! Among her other pursuits, she has invented a fitness machine called the E-Ryde.  It's so groovy.  It doesn't require any electricity or power to work....so it's super enviro just like a spin bike!!  

I love taking her spin classes; she is seriously the best spin teacher I have ever found. I missed her SO much when I was in NYC for the play. Her class is great and difficult, deep and wonderful. She inspires you to keep adjusting and teaches joy and wellness.  She focuses on making sure her students keep proper alignment while they are spinning. I've found that many teachers do not do this and they look so unsafe on their bikes - it makes me cringe! Tevia keeps you safe while pushing you to be your best!! She is just such a bad-ass.  Her class is really a meditation, as you are constantly thinking of keeping your shoulders down, your back relaxed, trying to make your lats touch together (I'm probably saying that wrong but you know what I mean), keeping your tummy in, positioning your butt way over the seat and opening your heart.  She also teaches not to push down with your feet but to pull your legs up into your stomach, and to wiggle your toes and relax your hands. Tevia explains this better in the class....she is sexy up there with her passion, commitment and force! Her classes are empowering, they strengthen you and make you appreciate your life. She is truly a superhero to me!

I also recently met a young woman in Tevia's class named Amanda. She said she had read The Kind Diet and had her mom read it and they are now both on our journey. She is a Kind Lifer on our site. It makes me so happy when I meet you guys!

Tevia did the MS Ride for 4 years, as well as a spin-a-thon for them, and raised $600,000 for the organization!! She says they are a great organization as far as offering services for people with MS, such as paying medical bills and providing food for those who are too sick. They also do a lot of research that one day might find a cure for MS. She is now focusing her efforts on Dr. John McDougall's research, which uses a low-fat vegan diet for MS and has shown great success. Tevia decided Dr. McDougall could use her help, so she is no longer doing the MS ride. As she is now working with Dr. McDougall, she decided to resign from the National MS Society (Southern California) Board of Trustees, as she believed it would be a conflict of interest for her to keep her post there while raising money for a particular MS study. Her feelings are that she knows this diet has worked for her, and although it might not work for all MS patients, it could benefit many. MS has so many different degrees of the disease, so those like Tevia who do not have a progressive type strongly benefit from Dr. McDougall's research.

You can learn more about Dr. McDougall's research and donate to his efforts here.

I applaud Tevia for turning her efforts toward healing instead of research and such. The food that doctors provide to sick people with MS is likely not the food that could heal them. As far as the "one day we'll find a cure" idea goes, I believe that the cure is in prevention. So yay Tevia!

I just got an email from Olivia Wilde that made me sooo happy!  She is currently in Santa Fe working on the film Cowboys and Aliens... Here is what she wrote me:
 
"The catering chef on set here in Santa Fe has been using your book to cook for me...I've been hardcore vegan the whole time without having to compromise due to lack of food. For a snack today he made me your Fried Mochi. To die for. For dessert? Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups! Heaven. Sam Rockwell has been ordering what he calls the "vegan surprise" every day, along with many of the crew. So cool. Yesterday Jason the chef made your rice crispy treats!"

This makes me so happy I can't even stand it!!!!!
 
Laura Linney, who was my costar in Time Stands Still on Broadway, is doing the same thing on the set of her new show, The Big C. She is having the catering people make a whole section of vegan options, using recipes from my book!

I love these women!!!!!

A few Sundays ago, when I was still in LA, we went to the farmer’s market. When we got home, we cleaned out the fridge – which means that the dogs got lots of stuff to eat! We composted some stuff, and ate the stuff that needed to be eaten. On Sunday, that was some cabbage, the leftover red onions from my garden, some leeks, a leftover tomato, and some of our farmer’s market finds, including a porcini mushroom (look how beautiful it is!). 

We had a great day  – we cleaned out the fridge, started to cook, took care of the dogs, listened to music...the whole clean out/cooking process took 2 hours. Not bad!

Here is what we made that day:

Nori Rolls -
I made a variation of the Toasted Nori Burritos recipe from my book (p. 219). Just FYI, you never have to roll them as fancy as they look in my book... I never actually roll them like that. Mine usually look like this...I make them quick and easy!

It’s more of a fold-over-and-grab! So on Sunday I made them with Green Olive Pate (you could also use whole olives and cut or rip them into little pieces), some of my big salad for the week (recipe below), some avocado from my tree, and my Tahini Dressing recipe from the book (pg. 263). It was so delicious!
 
You can also make the roll with all of the stuff I listed above, and add this cabbage dish that Christopher created. Very yum. Here’s how we make this Cabbage dish: take some cabbage, some leeks and some onions and saute it all in oil until al dente. Then squeeze in a little lemon and throw in some salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.

Salad for the Week -
I always make a big salad to keep in the fridge for the week. This one came entirely from my garden. I picked Nasturiam flowers, purple Borage flowers, dandelion, kale, lettuce, chives and basil. It’s a bitter, but soooo healthy salad. I also put some radish in there, and threw in an avocado from our tree. I found some green beans in the fridge that needed to be used up, and put them in as well. My Tahini dressing goes great on this salad! I made a huge batch, and kept it in the fridge (without any sauce or dressing on it), and would just pull from it during the week when I was in the mood for salad.

Heirloom Tomatoes -
We got some Heirloom Tomatoes at the farmer’s market, so we just put some olive oil and basil from the garden on them, and added a bit of salt. Yum!!!! Seriously delicious...

French Mushrooms -  
This recipe is great to make for your meat loving friends! Christopher either makes it with Mataki or Porcini mushrooms. It’s fancy pants and delicious! And is great for flirts!!! Here is how we make it: heat some oil in a pan. Add the mushrooms (which ever kinds you want, we used Mataki the other day and Porcini most recently), and a healthy amount of Earth Balance butter (or any plant based butter substitute) it should feel like you are cooking French food...so it should be pretty oily and buttery...but don’t go crazy! Cover the pan for about 5 minutes on a medium to low flame. Uncover the pan, and add some more butter or oil if needed (those mushrooms like to stick to the pan). Then, add one clove of chopped garlic, a few shakes of organic, good quality shoyu, aka soy sauce, and a squeeze of grated ginger juice. Sprinkle on some salt, and sauté the mushrooms until they are soft and yummy. Then get it in ya!!!

Kind Lifer Rebecca Midkiff shared this great story of her success as a flirt, and the unexpected bonus of being able to sing better than ever before! Check out Rebecca’s story:
 
“I haven't eaten meat in 18 days, and I don't miss it at all! I really thought I would. (A year ago, I was eating meat almost daily. Six months ago, I started cutting back to save money. Now I am flirting with The Kind Diet because what I've learned about factory farming and industrial food processing grosses me out.)

Last night, a friend called me up last minute and invited me out for steak. I caught my breath. Ooh, steak sounds good, I thought. But then... no, actually it doesn't because I now know what happened to it before it got on my plate! (Just finished reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals.) I went to dinner and ordered mushroom fajitas, ate them without the tortilla, and it was delicious!

I've lost 4 lbs in 2 & 1/2 weeks - at 116 lbs, I didn't need to lose weight, but okay! Still, I was a little alarmed at how fast those 4 lbs came off just by cutting back on sugar and starches, and cutting out meat. I was still eating a few pieces of cheese every day, and chocolate after dinner. But I was dizzy, and worried that I wasn't getting enough protein or iron. So I went to Whole Foods after breakfast on Saturday and stood in the produce section until inspiration struck. It was probably the first time in my whole life that my body instinctively told me what I needed to eat: dark green salad with fresh watercress, bean and broccoli sprouts, quinoa, adzuki beans, and raw cashews. It was delicious.

In fact, in the last 18 days, everything I've eaten has been delicious! I feel my body thanking me. Thanks Alicia, for putting all these concepts about healthy eating into one place! This is way easier than I thought it would be!”
 
Rebecca updated us about her progress after five and a half weeks and was doing better than ever. This is when she noticed the change in her voice!

“It's been 5 & 1/2 weeks now, and I feel great. No more dizziness. I am eating lots of protein and no sweets except fruit. My weight has evened out at 113 lbs. (I am 5'4" tall.) My waistline looks amazing! Before, I was thin but always had a puffy tummy. Now I can actually see an indent at the sides. My skin is clearer and smoother. And I feel lighter, calmer, and just plain happier!

For any singers or actresses out there: The best part is, my voice sounds amazing!!! I quit music school in 2001 because singing was just too hard. I was always a little bit phlegmy and congested, and I struggled to breathe and relax my voice muscles. I guess there was inflammation in my throat before and I just didn't realize it then. Now it's easy, my throat is always relaxed and the music just comes out, clear and easy. My voice comes out, and I can't help but think, "I sound GOOD!" It's such a delight to sing that I'm even thinking of getting back into performing!”
 
This is so great Rebecca!  I’m so happy that you are having such great success. If any of you have a great story like this, please share!  You can post it anywhere on the site and click “like”, and I will check it out!

Yesterday on set I had the Kanten from my book and shared it with some of our Vamps people! My co-star Krysten had some and said, “This is heaven…it’s like dessert,” which made me laugh... and I said, “It is dessert!” Anywho, if you haven’t tried the Kanten from The Kind Diet (p. 281), try it! It’s a super fresh and very healthy superhero dessert.
 
It’s hot here in Detroit where we’re filming, and its super hot on set, so the Kanten was a nice treat. My assistant Megan tweaked the recipe from the book, using plums and blueberries instead of strawberries. You can use whatever fruit is in season near you!

Megan ended up making this dish again today because it was such a hit!  This is the one that’s in the picture – today she used mango (tropical I know, but she had some to use up from a gift basket...can't waste!), blackberry, and apricot.  Yum!!

A few days ago, my rockstar assistant Megan made Fruity French Lentils (p. 245 in The Kind Diet) for six of us here in Detroit (actors, producers, costume designer, and director). It was so good!
 
She also made a breakfast couscous with pine nuts, a little maple syrup and dried cranberries, and served it with steamed collard greens on the side…really yummy! (See more ideas for superhero breakfasts on p. 102 of The Kind Diet). So far, she’s also made Hot Rice with Cold Lemon, Basil, and Tomato (p. 151 The Kind Diet) - with brown rice instead of Arborio - and it was delicious.
 
If you haven’t tried these recipes yet, or it’s been awhile, give them a try! I had forgotten how good the Fruity French Lentils were, yum!! And it’s pretty.

Hey everyone – Kind Lifer Dolly Nuhfer posted her success story in the forum, titled  “Gastrointestinal Cure”, and it really is a must read!  Check it out:

“I just wanted to share my joy and newfound understanding of the ills dairy can have on one's body even after years of consuming it! After two long years of weekly doctors appointments, gastric pain, bloating and pacing the floors, my daughter (wise girl) suggested I try going off dairy as it had helped her. I did so, convinced that after 57 years of consuming it there could surely be no problem.

Within a week the bloating was gone and the pain gradually disappeared! My entire gastro- intestinal system began functioning normally without LOADS of laxatives and stool softeners (sorry if that's too much info). Shortly after getting off dairy I didn't need any gastro- intestinal medications. I was so amazed  and encouraged by my progress that  I decided there might be something to this vegan stuff and have been making meals from "The Kind Diet" for the last four weeks now with great success.

I have fibromyalgia and other health issues but have noted several improvements since starting the diet. My joints feel so much better and I no longer have swelling in my hands and feet!! My husband of 38 years is a meat lover but has enjoyed everything I have made so far! He still eats meat but I'm working on that! I love the desserts as I have always been hooked on that monster sugar. It is great to eat something so satisfyingly sweet and rich but not have that unrelenting drive for more and more. I just love it all! 

Moral:1. Listen to what your body is trying to tell you. 2. It's never too late to make healthy choices! I'm so thankful for "The Kind Diet", it really is!”

This makes me so happy!  I love your story, and I’m so happy for your success.

If any of you have stories like this one – post them on the site and “like” them.  I’ll take a look, and might feature it here on the blog!

A little while ago Christopher and I drove down to San Diego to see my parents. My aunt, uncle and cousins from Staten Island were also down there visiting, so it was the perfect opportunity to see everyone before I left for Detroit to shoot Vamps.  

When we got to San Diego, Christopher and I made the Peach and Mint Iced Tea from my book (page 212). We then took a walk with my mom’s 4 dogs... All were rescued of course! Then that night, we made a big, fun dinner for everyone.  

The entire dinner menu was made up of recipes from my book! I love that all of my favorite recipes are in one place... It makes my life so much easier when I’m planning meals! Here is the menu we prepared:

-Caesar Salad (pg. 175)
-Waffle, Sausage and Cheese Panini (pg. 153): This was sooooo yummie! I hadn’t had this one in a while, and it was absolutely delicious.
-Cuban-Style Roasted Sweet Potatoes (pg. 266): One of my cousins, Marlene, is Cuban so this was fun to make for her! These sweet potatoes turn out soooo good. We used white sweet potatoes, not the orange yams.
-Peanut Butter Pie (pg. 189) for dessert!

The whole meal was so good. Most of my family members are big-time meat eaters, and they all seemed very happy and satisfied, and thoroughly enjoyed the food. It was pretty darn sweet!

Andrew and Melissa are my little cousins who are such sweet kids. They are now 15 and 13... But I remember when their mom was pregnant with them, and I would rub her belly! And I held them and squeezed them for the last 15 years, so it’s crazy that they’re mini-adults now! Time really flies.

Just wanted to share!