Thrive Kitchen

Okay, remember way back in January when I did the Thrive Forward cleanse? No? Well, I spent all of January on a gluten-free, processed food-free, sugar-free, low-caffeine cleanse inspired by Vega founder/Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier's Thrive Forward program. And at the end of the month, I'd boosted my running distances and reset my system with clean, plant-based whole foods.

Thrive Forward is a FREE online program with videos that teach you all about macronutrients, probiotics, eating to improve immune function and digestion, and all sorts of stuff you probably need to know before you stuff your face. Well, now Thrive Forward has a new element — Thrive Kitchen!

It's another series of short, free videos about raw food, reinventing comfort foods, seasonality, and all things clean eating. And there are a ton of recipes created by raw vegan chef Matthew Kenney, Chef Susan Feniger, and Brendan's nutritionist sidekick, Peggy K. I haven't watched all the videos yet, but I can't wait to dig in. I really enjoyed the videos that went along with my Thrive Forward plan back in January.

Anyway, to celebrate the release of Thrive Kitchen, I made one of the recipes! Beet Spaghettini with Spinach Thyme Pesto.

This is a recipe from Matthew Kenney, which you can find here. It's so simple and so healthy. The noodles are made with spiralized beets (so glad I ordered that spiralizer off Groupon a few months ago) mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. And it's topped with a homemade pesto sauce made from pistachios, spinach, and fresh thyme.

I ate a giant plate of this with a side of steamed broccolini, and damn, I felt so clean afterward. As much as I adore vegan junk food, ramen noodles, and cupcakes, it's meals like this that I never regret.

Here's a fun teaser about Thrive Kitchen with the adorable Brendan Brazier.