How are you enjoying all of the vegan goodness that has been Vegan MoFo 2014 so far? Thrive Energy Cookbook by Brendan Brazier is my pick for this week’s vegan cookbook of the week and it is a beauty! This book is loaded with 150 plant-based whole food recipes that are not only delicious, but they are really good for you as well.

If you don’t know who Brendan Brazier is I implore you to take a look at his website. He is quite possibly one of the most inspiring people on the planet! Brendan is a former professional Ironman triathlete, a two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion, the creator of an award-winning line of whole food nutritional products called VEGA, and a bestselling author. Brendan has even created Thrive Foods Direct which delivers nutrient-dense, plant-based whole food meals right to your door.

In the introduction of this book Brendan said something that really grabbed my attention, “Eating with purpose and mindfulness became an integral part of my training and therefore of my daily life. And, as with purposeful training, intentioned eating advanced my rate of improvement in leaps and bounds. And it wasn’t just training that this purpose-driven nutrition benefited. Every aspect of life became easier. The quality of my sleep improved, my mental clarity increased, my ability to handle stress and not get sick kicked in. This was far-reaching holistic progress.”

Todd and I have been on a mission to feel better and this book fits perfectly into the lifestyle changes we are making. We are both so tired of being tired and rundown all of the time! Up until a few months ago when I started pouring through this book we were denying the fact that food had anything to do with it. It was always the stress from work or the never ending ‘to-do’ lists that come from having 2 very active kids that took the blame of our never ending need for a nap halfway through the day. We were convinced that since we eat a vegetarian, gluten free diet that we were eating the right foods to fuel our bodies, but after reading Brendan’s Thrive Energy Cookbook we have learned that just eating the right things aren’t enough. It’s as much about when you eat certain foods as what you are eating and how you combine ingredients to get the most out of your meals. .

Here are just a few of the amazing gluten free recipes from the Thrive Energy Cookbook:
Hot Apple Pie Waffle
Red Lentil & Chickpea Burger Patties
Quinoa Tabbouleh salad
Thai Wrap
Coconut, Lemongrass & Lime Soup
Chilled Watermelon Thai Basil Soup
Roasted sweet Potato, Carrot, & Ginger Soup
Caesar Sprout Salad
Yellow Peanut Curry Rice Bowl
Super-Fruit Sangria Smoothie
Coconut-Cashew-Date Energy Boost Smoothie
Ginger Nitrous Juice
Aloe-Ginger-Pomegranate Shot
Coconut Pineapple Macaroons
Kale Mojito