Too many people cringe when they hear a baked good is vegan. Those who aren’t familiar with eating vegan might think that a vegan cupcake or cookie won’t taste good, but vegan chef Chloe Coscarelli is here to set the record straight and encourage anyone to try out vegan baking. Chloe, who has been vegan for more than half her life, can whip up a multitude of vegan baked goods that taste just as good as something baked conventionally . . . and maybe even better. We asked her for her top tips for getting started with vegan baking, and these are the four things she recommends you keep in mind.

Vegan baking really isn’t all that different from conventional baking. Once you’ve mastered the basics, like how to swap ingredients, the process gets easier and easier. Chloe recommends keeping vegan staples on hand, and her favorites include coconut milk — which she calls nature’s substitute for heavy cream — instant espresso powder for chocolate recipes, baking powder for leavening, and high-quality dark chocolate. Others obviously include your standard baking ingredients, like applesauce, everything coconut, and agave.

If you know how to bake, switching over to baking vegan recipes should be easy. Chloe said the best place to start is with chocolate chip cookies. “Cookies are simple to bake, delicious to eat, and easy to transport, making the perfect foolproof entry point to vegan baking,” she told POPSUGAR.

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No stove? No problem.

Filled with protein thanks to the quinoa and edamame.

Broccoli + quinoa + edamame + cilantro + sesame vinaigrette + olive oil + salt.

Place broccoli in a microwavable container with a bit of salt, water, and olive oil. Cover with a wet paper towel, and microwave on high for two minutes. That’s literally it.

Place half a cup of quinoa with a cup of water in a pyrex bowl. Cover with a plate, and microwave for five minutes. Take it out of the microwave, stir, cover again, and let sit for about ten minutes until all the water is absorbed.

Filling, protein-packed, and delicious (sweet potatoes are also loaded with fiber, potassium, and vitamin A.)

Sweet potato + bacon + broccoli + milk + cheddar.

It may sound weird, but the result is just as great as stovetop bacon. To make it, just lay two paper towel sheets on a plate, place the bacon slices on top, and cover with another paper towel sheet. Microwave for one minute and a half. Voilà!

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On September 8, Hurricane Irma made landfall on Cuba as a destructive Category 5 storm, slowly spinning along its northern coast for hours, before turning north toward Florida. The high winds tore roofs from buildings, uprooted trees, toppled power lines, and blocked roads across central and northern Cuba. Coastal towns and cities were swamped by storm surge waters, leaving parts of Havana submerged as Irma moved on. More than a million residents and tourists had been evacuated ahead of the storm, as a precaution. As of Sunday night, there were no storm-related deaths reported in Cuba.

A flooded street near the Malecon in Havana, Cuba, on September 10, 2017. Deadly Hurricane Irma battered central Cuba on Saturday, knocking down power lines, uprooting trees and ripping the roofs off homes as it headed towards Florida. #

Hurricane Irma driving toward Florida passing the eastern end of Cuba in this NASA’s GOES-16 satellite image taken at about 0800 EDT on September 8, 2017. #

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When you’re on a weight-loss journey, eating adequate protein is essential to your success. According to clinical and holistic dietitian Esther Blum, many of her clients start to shed pounds with ease once they increase the amount of protein in their diet, since high-protein foods take more work to “digest, metabolize, and use, which means you burn more calories processing them.” A longer digestion time also means that you stay fuller longer, unlike the crash-and-burn effect that comes from eating fatty foods and refined carbs.

Beyond giving your metabolism a boost and keeping you satisfied for longer, one study has shown that in addition to a regular exercise routine, doubling your protein intake (as recommended by the RDA) may be the key to losing fat pounds without dropping muscle mass. This is key since muscle burns more calories in the body than fat. In short, if you’re serious about weight loss, you’ve got to take protein seriously.

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The sudden death of Australian Iron man Dean Mercer has left many people asking how does a healthy athlete suffer a sudden cardiac arrest?

Aged 47, Mercer was active and seemed in peak physical fitness for a middle-aged Australian — although his medical history is unknown.

But Sydney cardiologist Dr Ross Walker has warned that too much exercise may not be healthy, especially after the age of 40.

As a heart specialist, Dr Walker is a proponent of preventative cardiology — informing patients how to best reduce activities that put them at risk of a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

He said while exercise was good for anyone, the problem for many was the amount of exercise.

“The dose of exercise for health should be somewhere between three to five hours per week,” he said.

read more at abc.net.au

abc.net.au

abc.net.au

Aside from making you cranky and crave chocolate, your menstrual cycle causes changes in your body that can affect all aspects of your life. And it’s not just during your period: The entire 28-day cycle represents hormonal shifts that can affect how you sleep, exercise, and the foods your body needs. Instead of letting your cycle control your health, you can use the different phases to your advantage and give your body what it needs on any given day.

Below, check out a primer on the four basic phases of the menstrual cycle, and get tips on how to eat, work out, and snooze better on every day of the month.

stylecaster.com

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While you’re eating samples for lunch, why not grab stuff to make dinner?

This easy chicken bake only takes 30 minutes and three ingredients to make (and because one jar of pesto is 22 ounces, you can make this recipe five times — just freeze the leftovers for later).

This no-bake dinner combines two Costco classics (the rotisserie chicken and the freshly baked croissants) to create something even tastier.

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buzzfeed.com

We talked to the USDA, a germ expert, and a prominent NYC chef.

This was shocking to me, as I had never even considered that store-bought, packaged chicken might need washing. I’ve never done it. (And FWIW, I’ve never had a problem!)

Results were split. Most people said no, but a significant number said yes — they do, indeed, rinse their raw chicken before cooking it.

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Full stomachs, full wallets.

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to share their top budget-friendly dinner ideas. Here’s what they said — along with several of our own favorites.

This version takes inexpensive pantry staples — like black beans and canned corn — and roasts everything on a sheet pan. Get the recipe.

Baked and ready in half an hour, and breaks down to just $.56 cents a slice. (Or about $5 for the whole pizza.) Get the recipe.

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