Yeast Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour (I like to do half ap and half whole wheat)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 TBSP Oil
1 1/2 cups soy milk (rice milk works well, too)
1 Ener-g Egg Replacer, prepared
1/3 cup soy milk for thinning the batter

Combine all dry ingredients
Add wet ingredients but leave the 1/3 cup soymilk aside and mix well.
Cover and refridgerate overnight.

The batter will probably thicken up overnight so if you desire, use the 1/3 cup soy milk to thin it out.

Let the batter sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Pour onto griddle at medium heat, flip after bubbles appear on surface of pancakes.

Enjoy!

Menu Week of 5/17

Here's my menu for this week.  I've more or less kept the same items for breakfast, drinks and snacks.  I am comfortable with my choices and I find I am not bored with the food just yet.   This week, my goal is to learn how to make ravioli and to try a vegan pancake recipe and new french toast recipe.  I'm looking forward to the results!

BREAKFAST

• Pancakes w/ Fresh Berries
• WW Toast PB & Strawberry Preserves
• Fruit Shake with Soy Powder
• Fruit Salad or other Fruit
• Zucchini or Carrot Muffins
• Vegan French Toast w/ Maple Syrup


LUNCH
• Veggie Burger on WW with Salad
• ‘Crab’ Tempeh Cakes w/ HM Remoulade
 • Crostini with rice mozza cheese
• ‘Chicken’ Salad in WW Pita Pockets
• Avocado Dip and WW Tortilla Chips
• Stuffed Potato w/ Sautéed Onions and Mushrooms
• Leftovers


SUPPER
• ‘Beef’ Stew with Biscuits
• Veggie, Cheese-less Pizza
• Herb Roasted ‘Chicken’
• Shepherd’s Pie
• ‘Beef’ Stir Fry, Veggies & Brown Rice
• ‘Steak’ and Gravy
• Cheezy Ravioli in Tomato Sauce w/ Garlic Bread



SNACKS
• Fruit
• Veggies
• Leftovers
• Toast
• Oatmeal



BEVERAGES
• Decaf Coffee w/ Soy Creamer
• SF Iced Tea
• Herbal Tea
• Water
• Iced Chai Soy Latte

Back in the Game

I took a couple of weeks off to get my house in order as it needed a deep spring cleaning.  There's a way I have of letting things lag and this blog was one of those things but no longer.  I do enjoy creating this blog and living a vegan lifestyle so the chances of me waning again are minimal barring an unforseen event.

I've had a chance to search the web for some much needed recipes and found plenty.  I am overwhelmed by the information but managed to break it all down into manageable pieces.  I decided the easiest thing for me to do was to search for my regular recipes on the net but add 'vegan' to the search engine.  My queries were successful and I came away with new spins on my favorites as well as a plethora of new recipes to try.

This week, I am learning how to make homemade 'cheese' ravioli and pancakes. All vegan-style.  I am not a big fan of pancakes but I do like them once in a while with fresh fruit or preserves.  I'm not a syrup gal except the occasional maple syrup on french toast.  Speaking of french toast, I do plan on trying a different recipe this week.

My plan for the blog in the immediate future is to post more recipes and pictures as well as my experiences living a vegan lifestyle.  I hope you stick with me on my continuing journey.

30 Days!

It's been 30 days on my plan. I did it! I made it the whole month without eating meat or dairy.  Well okay, with the exception of cheating once :-)

I have relied alot on processed food this month.  The next month, I am going to concentrate on making things from scratch, more often.  I am looking forward to trying my hand at making seiten.  So yes, this means I am sticking with the plan!  I've discovered so many products and tons of recipes that it was relatively easy for me to stay on this plan for the entire 30 days. Everything you can think of with meat in it, there's an alternative vegan product for. Even chicken fingers and ice cream sandwiches!


Things I've Missed

Chocolate.  Milk Chocolate.  It was difficult dealing with a chocolate craving as I had nothing in the house and didn't really know where to find non-dairy chocolate.  That's when I cheated.  Then, I found the Rice Dream Chocolate Ice Cream.  YUMMY!  The weather is warming up so I'll probably be eating more Rice Dream.  I'm thinking once a week for my friday night treat. 

Milk. To a certain extent.  I made toast for breakfast one morning and really wanted a glass of milk to go with it.  It's hard not to pour a glass when you have it in the fridge but I did resist.  The craving passed quickly and I settled for a cup of coffee.  I've found myself thinking more than once that I would love to take a big ol swig of milk from the jug, though.  Then I remember the cows and realize that by not drinking milk, I am not buying as much milk anymore so I just might be helping a cow in the long run.  That makes it worthwhile.

Things I Haven't Missed

Meat.  Honestly, I haven't missed meat in the least!  I do confess to thinking it might be difficult to continue this lifestyle but it passed quickly.  That was in the beginning.  Now, the sight of meat makes me a little queasy.  Today, my son wanted to buy some fried chicken at Walmart.  So we stopped to get some, he got in the car and the second the smell hit me, my stomach turned.

When I was pregnant, I was vegetarian.  I couldn't stomach meat at all.  To make things worse, I worked in a sub shop where I was surrounded by meat and had to cook it daily.  I was queasy all the time and that's how I am now;  The thought of eating meat makes me ill.  I will cook it for my family, but don't make me eat it.

Things I Didn't Expect

The Cleanse.  I lost 7lbs the first week and then 1lb a week after that.  I'm certainly okay with a pound a week.  What I didn't expect was that I was going to explode from every pore in my body!  Holy Acne Batman!  Around the third week, I broke out all over my body.  What a sight that was!  Now, everything is finally beginning to clear up but it was kind of embarassing to go out into public with zits all over my face. Sheesh, I haven't been like that for ages!

Lets see...how to put this delicately...Doctor Oz's favourite subject; poop. I'm used to going once a day. Yup, that's about it..  I also had bouts of diarhea and constipation.  I never knew from one day to the next how my bowels were going to behave.  I was begnning to think I had a disease like irritable bowl syndrome and I was getting worried.  It was one of the reasons why I went vegan.  Now, I am pretty darn consistant.  I have that 'S' shape every single time, at least twice a day. The thing is, though,  the first week I was going ALL THE TIME.  Who needs a colonic when you have veggies!  I swear half the weight I lost in the first week came from my colon.  Doctor Oz would be proud :-D

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So, today begins another 30 day journey.  I'll learn more and eat more delicious foods!  I've lost 10lbs so far and hopefully I will continue this weightloss.  As it stands right now, I don't care if I lose alot of weight. I am feeling so good inside and out that I cannot justify any other way of life for the time being.  I hope you stick with me through the next 30 days as I think it's going to be an awesome journey.

Avocado Dip

This is my favourite snack!  It's so easy to make and filling that I love to have it at least once a week.  If you are not a fan of cilantro, leave it out. The dip tastes just as good without it.

AVOCADO DIP

1/2 avocado, seeded and mashed

1/2 med sized tomato, diced finely

2 tbsp chopped onion

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 tsp lime juice

-Mix all ingredients together and serve with whole wheat pita chips or corn tortilla chips.

-To make ww pita chips, cut pita into 8 slices and tear apart to make 16 total. Bake in toaster oven for 5 minutes on 350.  Watch carefully as your oven may bake faster.  Can also put on toast setting.

Eating More, Weighing Less

Three weeks and going strong!  I am growing very attached to this way of eating.  There are soooooooo many delicious foods available and I am discovering many more recipes that I cannot wait to try!  My blood sugar has pretty much stabalized.  I find that I do not have those ups and downs anymore during the day where I get shaky and all I want is sugar to get rid of the feeling.   Now, I am satisfied all day and even in the mornings when I wake, I am not ravenously hungry.  I actually lost 2 pounds this week and I think it's because my body has realized that it's going to be fed so there's no backlash anymore.  I am eating more than ever and losing weight...who knew?

Week 4 Menu Plan

Can you believe it? Week 4!  I've almost completed my 30 day journey!  Here's the menu for this week and I've been doing a little more research so there's a couple of changes.  I am very much looking forward to eating this week LOL

BREAKFAST


• Oatmeal with Agave Nectar, raisins and soy milk
• WW Toast PB & Strawberry Preserves
• Fruit Shake with Soy Powder
• Fruit Salad or other Fruit
• Zucchini or Carrot Muffins
• Vegan French Toast w/ Preserves

LUNCH

• Veggie Burger on WW with salad
• Creamy Potato and Spinach Soup
• Crostini with rice mozza cheese
• Toasted ‘BLT’
• Avocado Dip and WW Tortilla Chips
• Stuffed Potato w/ Caramelized Onions and Artichokes
• Leftovers

SUPPER

• ‘Beef’ Stew with Biscuits
• Veggie, Cheese-less Pizza
• Tofurkey with Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Veggies
• Shepherd’s Pie
• ‘Chicken’ Stir Fry, Veggies & Brown Rice
• ‘Chicken’ Nuggets, Sweet Potato Fries, Mixed Veggies
• Stuff Pasta Shells & Salad

SNACKS

• Fruit
• Veggies
• Leftovers
• Toast
• Oatmeal


BEVERAGES

• Decaf Coffee w/ Vanilla Soy Milk
• SF Iced Tea
• Herbal Tea
• Water
• Juice

Roasted Potato and Spinach Soup

This soup turns out so thick and creamy that your tastebuds will be screaming for more!

Olive Oil

3 Large Red Potatoes

1/2 cup Spinach Leaves

1/4 cup Chopped Onions

1/4 cup Vegatable Broth

2 cups Unsweetened Soy Milk

1 Clove Garlic, chopped

Cube potatoes, add to a skillet with just enough oil to cover bottom of pan.  Brown, then turn temp down to low setting and let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Remove potatoes from pan and set aside.

Add a little olive oil to pan and carmelize onions and garlic.  Once carmelized, add spinach leaves and sautee until limp and dark (about 1 minute).

Pour vegetable broth and soy milk into blender/food processor with potatoes, onions, garlic and spinach.

Blend or process on med speed (#5 setting on my blender) for 1-2 minutes.

Pour into bowls and serve.

Add salt if desired.

Enjoy!

Heading Into Week Three

Wow!  2 weeks on this plan already.  My blood sugar is down, my blood pressure is down, I'm sleeping great and have tons of energy during the day.  I haven't gained any weight but haven't lost any this past week.  That tells me that I need to eat more veggies.  I'm a little carb-heavy the past few days and have not really eaten a whole lot of veg.  That is going to change. 

Since I have so much energy these days, I have begun spring cleaning in the house.  I am also exercising regularly for at least 45 minutes a day. I mowed the back yard today...it's 3/4 of an acre back there and our riding lawn mower died so I used the push mower.  I did it all without feeling like I was going to die. There were days before this eating plan that I would never have mowed the lawn in one afternoon.  I'd also wake up every morning stiff and sore.  Even walking would hurt my feet.  Not anymore!  I just feel better all over. Inside and out. 

There have been a couple of things that I've had to get used to.  The first being that I stop eating 3hrs before bedtime.   I am full from a snack but there is still part of me that clings to the habit of eating every night.  I often think about food and wonder if I am really hungry or is it just my mind playing games.  Having a glass of water usually helps, though it does wake me up to pee later on.

The second is that I am learning some things take longer to cook than others. like brown rice.  It keeps in the fridge so I make extra for the week if there is more than one meal calling for rice.  I do the same for pasta so I can have leftovers for lunch the next day.

I am going to take a day sometime this week and do some baking.  I'd like to make some more muffins and biscuits.  They freeze well so I'll make enough for a couple of weeks.  I have a big freezer, so why not use it?

My goal for the week is to add more veg to my meals and see if that makes a dent in the scale.  I do remind myself that I am doing this for my health, it's working and the weight will come off.  It didn't get on my hips in a day...

Week 3 Menu

I'm a day late with the menu for week 3.  The snacks, lunches and breakfasts are basically the same because I really like the choices.  I might get bored with them sooner or later but for now, it's working for me.  Supper is a bit harder and I really didn't eat anything last night because my afternoon snack filled me up.  I had fruit for a bedtime snack and that was it.

BREAKFAST


• Oatmeal with Agave Nectar, raisins and soy milk
• WW Toast PB & Strawberry Preserves
• Fruit Shake with Soy Powder
• Fruit Salad or other Fruit
• Zucchini or Carrot Muffins

LUNCH

 Veggie Burger on WW with salad
• Salad with Veggie Chic Slices
• Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad, Garlic bread topped with Earth Balance vegan buttery spread
• Leftovers
• Crostini with rice mozza cheese
• Avocado Dip and WW Tortilla Chips
• Stuffed Potato w/ Fried Onions and Artichokes

SUPPER

• Spaghetti, Caesar Salad & Homemade Biscuits
• Alfredo Style Fettuccini, French Bread & Salad
• Tofurkey with Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Veggies
• Shepherd’s Pie
• ‘Chicken’ Stir Fry, Veggies & Brown Rice
• ‘Chicken’ Nuggets, Sweet Potato Fries, Mixed Veggies
• Nothing Planned.



SNACKS

• Fruit
• Veggies
• Leftovers
 Toast
 Oatmeal



BEVERAGES

• Decaf Coffee w/ Soy Milk
• SF Iced Tea
• Herbal Tea
• Water

Vanilla Fruit Shake

With this warm weather lately, I'm craving fruit shakes in the afternoon and for breakfast.  Here is my favourite:  I use frozen fruit instead of ice to make it nice and creamy!

1 cup Vanilla Flavoured Soy, Rice or Hemp Milk
6 Frozen Strawberries
1/4 cup Frozen Blueberries
1 med sized Ripe Banana

Pulse in blender until thoroughly blended.  Pour into mug and enjoy!

Day 12

It's been 12 days since I became vegan.  Wow! Time flies.  It's been 2 weeks since I made the pledge online to begin this journey and I have to say that I am loving everything about it.  It's difficult and overwhelming at times but nothing compared to what I know our animals are going through.

I promised not to preach and I won't.  I want to make it clear as to why I am doing this.  It's for my health but I want to think that I am making a difference in the animal world as well.  It's one less cow, chicken, pig, duck, goose, turkey, etc, that has to suffer to feed me and that makes me feel good. 

That being said, I don't have much of a problem cooking for my family.  Since I started this 'health kick', my family has been eating less meat and alot more veggies.  I am cooking alot less meat as well so there are not many leftovers.  My youngest son has lost 5lbs and my oldest son is feeling better physically and also sleeping better at night. 

I am trying not to make meat such a priority in our meals.  It's not easy but it's doable.  I've grown up thinking that meat is the main ingredient in a dish.  It's really not, as someone pointed out to me.  I am now making it a point to work the meals around veggies and view meat as the side dish.  It's a nice change.

Thanks to some great advice, I am not leaning so hard on myself to perfect meals.  If they don't come out quite as planned, so what.  I'm eating it and it all tastes good to me.  I am sure that with practice, I'll be better at it. 

I've been reminding myself alot lately that in the past few months, I had already been trying to make meals healthier for my family.  I've added zucchini to hamburger helper, added whole wheat noodles to regular spaghetti noodles, made pasta sauce with shredded zucchini, carrots and brocolli stems, mixed sweet potatoes in with ground beef to make hamburgers.  My family hasn't complained once about my changes. In fact, Cayden said that it was the best hamburger he's ever eaten.  Who knew? 

I don't have any plans to make my family vegan but making meat a side instead of the main ingredient seems to be working for me.  They are becoming healthier and trying things that they've never tried before and actually liking it.  It's a good boost to my ego and though it's a bit more work, it gives me strength to keep doing what I am doing.

I Scream for Rice Dream

Rice Dream Ice Cream! TO. DIE. FOR.  I tried chocolate marble swirl and neopolitan.  Very rich and creamy, oh it was too good!  I didn't have too much, though but one serving was very satisfying!

Who needs cow's milk ice cream when there is Rice Dream?  It's indeed comparable to regular ice cream but so much better for you. Best of all, no harm comes to any cows while making this gorgeous stuff!  I am actually thinking about making my own ice dream with my ice cream maker.  That's on my To-Do List.  Rice Dream isn't cheap but it's along the same priceline as Ben & Jerry's, same serving size and most definately better tasting!

Yes, I am excited about this.  I am such a huge fan of ice cream and that bothered me to give it up, especially over the summer.  Now that I have found this (thank you Alicia Silverstone!), I can feel less guilty about indulging but I CAN indulge.  That's huge for me.  I highly recommend this product!

Overload

I'm feeling very overwhelmed today.  Make no mistake, I plan to keep going the full 30 days and at this point, I am considering making a permanent change.  The overwhelmed feeling is coming from information overload.  I asked some people for their favourite websites and boy did I get them!  I've spent half the day reading blogs and I started to think that I'd never be as accomplished as these vegans.

I have to remember that everyone starts at the beginning.  It's all I can do right now to make a menu and utilize convenience foods for my meals.  My goal is to be accomplished enough to be making meals from scratch.  For that, I need to be organized and prepared.

I am finding it...difficult...maybe that's the wrong word. Challenging.  That's a better word.  I am finding it challenging to make meals for my family and myself.  They are meat eaters. They eat dairy foods, too.  I don't find it bad to cook for them, just that I wish I could find a way to bring more vegan into their lives without tricking them.  I am finding it harder than I thought I would to be making two meals every night and I worry that once I start working, I won't have the time.  I find myself thinking that veganism isn't exactly a time-friendly lifestyle but then I snap out of it.  I have the time right now to learn and I intend to take advantage of that.

Learning...yes I certainly am learning.  I am learning that there is a vegan substitute for every single animal product on the planet.  Why eat animal products when there is so much available?  Cost? Perhaps.  I find that these products are a little more expensive than animal products but at the same time, I find that I am eating less because my stomach is full much quicker than before.  I feel completely satisfied after a meal and don't have to deal with sugary cravings anymore.

Convenience is expensive for vegans and non-vegans alike.  Cooking from scratch is the way to go if you want to save money.  I've done it while on an animal-based diet and I plan to learn how to do it while eating vegan.  It would be easy for me to give up at this point.  I could certainly cite a dozen reasons why I could give up and on the top of the list would be expense. 

The second reason would be that there is so much to learn and I don't want to be eating beans and rice for the rest of my life.  I have to remind myself that it took me years to learn how to cook from scratch.  My mother was a patient woman and by the time I was a teenager, I was cooking for the family.  I've spent my whole married life cooking for the family.  Cooking from scratch.  That's alot of time invested in one aspect of my life.  It's not going to be an overnight experience to learn how to cook vegan.

Learning something new is daunting.  It's also very interesting and feeds my curiosity.  I really haven't found anything I don't like, so far.  I am sure that there are going to be things I don't want to eat. In fact, I can list a couple of things right now; beets and turnips.  YUCK!!  Though in all fairness, I've never liked them.  I do enjoy trying new things and think of the Jamie Oliver idea to give children stickers for trying something new.  I'd like to brag about my venture by wearing a sticker, too.  SEE!  I tried something new and I liked it!  And I'd be proud of it.

So I am going to stop reading for today and concentrate on what I am going to have for dinner and snack tonight.  Easy enough. No information overload since I already have the menu set.  That's the key...organization.  To accomplish organization and preparedness, I need to rely on those who learned before me; breathe in their knowledge and lean on them for support when things get overwhelming.  I really can do this.

Week 2 Menu Plan

BREAKFAST


• Oatmeal with Agave Nectar, raisins and soy milk
• WW Toast PB & Strawberry Preserves
• Fruit Shake with Soy Powder
• Fruit Salad or other Fruit
• Zucchini or Carrot Muffins


LUNCH

• Veggie Burger on WW with salad
• Salad with Veggie Chic Slices
• Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad, Garlic bread topped with Earth Balance vegan buttery spread
• Leftovers
• Crostini with rice mozza cheese
• Avocado Dip and WW Tortilla Chips
• Stuffed Potato w/ Fried Onions and Artichokes


SUPPER

• Spaghetti, Caesar Salad & Homemade Biscuits
• Alfredo Style Fettuccini, French Bread & Salad
• Veggie Burger w/ sweet potato fries, carrot and celery sticks
• Shepherd’s Pie
• ‘Beef’ Fajita’s & Brown Rice
• ‘Chicken’ Stir Fry, Veggies & Brown Rice
• Old Bay Tofu ‘Crab’ Cakes, roasted potatoes, salad


SNACKS

• Fruit
• Veggies
• Leftovers
• Toast
• Oatmeal


BEVERAGES

• Decaf Coffee w/ Soy Milk
• SF Iced Tea
• Herbal Tea
• Water

Day 8

I did great today and tried something new; sweet potato chips.  I wouldn't want to eat them every day but they were really good and I'd definately have them for a treat on our junkfood fridays.  I think they taste better than regular potato chips and I think they are a bit better for a body, being sweet potatoes.  Today, I also bought some chocolate Rice Dream ice cream. I'll try it tomorrow. Andrew tried it and didn't like it so I am apprehensive about eating it but I WILL try it for sure.

I made a spinach lasagna for supper tonight.  I used leftover spaghetti sauce with zucchini added and mixed in some pureed navy beans.  That stretches the sauce and gives me some protein with the meal.  I used a combination of soy cheddar cheese and rice mozzarella cheese.  So good! The cheese melted nicely and tasted terrific!  I did not want for the regular lasagna that I made for the boys at all!

I had two chocolate zucchini muffins for breakfast....was a nice change from oatmeal but certainly not a daily thing.  For a bedtime snack, I ate half a cantelope.  My favorite fruit!  It's been 2hrs since I ate and I do not feel hungry at all.

It's amazing what kind of options are available to vegans.  I really don't think one could want for anything on this plan, there are so many products!  Earth Balance makes a butter substitute that is delicious on toast and they also make a shortening substitute.  In fact, I am planning on using the shortening in a tea biscuit recipe tomorrow night for supper.

I am feeling good. No headache today and energy all day long.  In fact, I had so much energy I didn't really know what to do with myself.  Tomorrow, I plan on starting an exercise program.  I have some shows to catch up with on the DVR and a mini trampoline dying for me to jump on.  If the wind dies down enough, I'll take the dogs for a walk.  Right now, they are happy chasing the ball in the back yard for exercise.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I plan to finish my menu for the next two weeks and get it posted. Then, I do a bit of baking and prep work for meals.  All this and exercise, too.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

I made these today and they are good!  They'll make a great, high fiber snack or quick breakfast.

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dry sugar substitute of your choice
1 whole, mashed banana
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup non-dairy milk (soy or rice milk works fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Set oven to 350*F

Grease muffin tin or use muffin liners.
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Mix all wet ingredients in a bowl.
Add wet to dry, mix well and pour batter into muffin tin.

Bake 18-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.  I found that 18 minutes was perfect in my oven.

Notes: 
- 1/4 cup measuring cup is perfect amount to pour batter into muffin tin.
-I like my muffins a bit moist so I added a couple of splashes more of soy milk and increased applesauce to 2/3 cup.
-muffins store nicely in fridge or freezer.

Travelling

Being vegan and travelling can be done but you have to be prepared.  I was not.  I went to Missouri to visit my son this weekend and discovered that I really hadn't thought anything out food-wise.  Live and learn. I learned from this trip, that's for sure!

I left saturday afternoon and botched the trip right away. I ordered french fries at Sonic.  I was hungry and didn't have anything to eat for lunch.  Of course, I was hungry very soon after so I started munching on sunflower seeds, cashews and raisins.  It's hard to think of how much goes into your mouth while driving so I am sure I overdid it on my 4hr drive. 

Saturday evening, I took my eldest son, Andrew to Pizza Hut.  I ordered a small pizza with olives, onions and mushrooms, no cheese and chose salad bar with my meal which I thought was a good choice.  However, their salad bar is not exactly the bees knees.  I had potato salad along with a regular salad, some other veggies and no dressing.  I think it was the potato salad and the pizza crust that did me in.  My stomach cramped so bad that night that I had alot of trouble getting to sleep.

I decided to start sunday morning off right and had whole wheat toast with jam. No butter, just strawberry jam.  It was okay but I ate too much so I felt bloated.  For lunch, Jacob wanted Chinese food so I ordered everything for the boys and decided to go with a veggie chow mein for myself with steamed rice.  They didn't have brown rice.  It was good and filled me up.

Then, the cookies...oh those chocolate chip cookies beckoning me. Calling my name so sweetly on my drive home.  I was already stressed this weekend and when I get stressed, I want sugar.  I ate those cookies.  I don't even remember how many I ate but I figured it was alot when Andrew told me that I shouldn't be eating any more of them.  Whoops...

I was so tired last night but even after all those cookies, I was starving by 9pm.  I had a bowl of whole grain cereal with rice milk.  What a night. Heartburn, sleeplessness.  Yeah, I was in a great mood this morning.  I ate a whole wheat half-bagal with pb & j and went back to bed for 2hrs.  I feel better now, not bloated anymore and my tummy has calmed down.  I didn't gain any weight over the weekend but I didn't lose, either.  I didn't have any meat but obviously I had dairy which didn't agree with me at all. 

Today is going to be a convenience day since I am behind in menu planning for the week.  Convenient, packaged food is okay but I want to make sure that I am eating foods as close to the source as I can get them.  Processed foods can definately have their drawbacks, even on a vegan diet.

We are planning another trip in 3 weeks and this time I will be prepared! I have a cooler and the hotel rooms always have a fridge and microwave so there's no excuses for me at all! I am looking forward to getting back on track and feeling better. It's obvious to me that my body appreciates a decent diet and will fight back when it doesn't get what it wants.  And I promise, NO MORE COOKIES!

Cheating

Yes, I cheated.  I had a handful of chips and two pieces of sugar free dark chocolate tonight.  It's friday and in this house, it means junk food night. I guess I didn't want to feel left out.  I was remarkably restrained.  Friday nights are traditionally a free for all.  We buy junkfood and pop and basically eat like pigs.  Over the past 3 months, I have been limiting the pop to 12 small bottles every weekend.  So 3 for each of us.  It's helped my youngest son lose a few pounds and saved my budget.  This was the first weekend I refused to drink pop and I was okay with that.

Every night, I stop eating at 7:30 because I am usually asleep by 10:30.  Tonight, since it's a weekend, I stay up a little later so my cut off time for eating was 8:30.  I ate good all day and my 'bedtime snack' was chips and chocolate.  I haven't had anything since and don't plan to until morning. 

There was a difference in the way I ate the 'junk' tonight.  I chewed every single chip with determination.  I let myself savor the flavour of salt and vinegar and made sure to thoroughly chew before swallowing.  I did the same with the chocolate; biting off small pieces and enjoyed every single sensation in my mouth.  Really, all I wanted was that handful of chips and two pieces of chocolate.  I was satisfied with that.  Would I have been last week? Probably not.  I probably would have scarfed down half the bag of chips and eaten an entire chocolate bar.

Yes, I cheated but this time was different.  This time I was conscious of what was going into my mouth.  This time, I enjoyed my food and this time, I was happy with what I had.

Food Allergies

I have alot of them.  I am allergic to nuts and fresh fruit except strawberries, blueberries, green seedless grapes and melon.  I can eat fruit and only walnuts if they are cooked.  I'm also allergic to coconut--coconut milk, too.  This makes it a little challenging to find fresh things to eat.  What I would give to grab an apple and go. 

I didn't develop allergies until I was about 14.  I ate an apple and broke out in hives. My tongue swelled up and my throat itched like there was no tomorrow.  That was my first experience.  Over the years, I have tried different fruit and now have a list a mile long of what I cannot eat.  I've tried a couple of new things since this plan and have jicama (pronounced hick-ah-mah).  It tasted like a cross between an apple and a potato.  Oh it was good but I broke out in a rash and my mouth swelled.  Oh well. I am 42 now so I am used to not being able to eat certain things and asking about ingredients at restaurants.  I know that when I cook at home, I know exactly what goes into my food so it makes things alot easier. 

Despite my allergies, I have learned that it's still okay to try new things.  I have medication to help but so far, I haven't needed it.   Tomorrow, I will be trying eggplant for the first time.  I am looking forward to it. I hope I like it and I hope that I can eat it without mishap.

Eating vegan is a new experience and I am sure I will have opportunities to try an array of foods that I have never imagined eating before. Allergies or no...I expect to have a whole new menu of great foods to enjoy in the future.

Day 3

It was a very busy 3rd day so I didn't get to blogging.  I went to bed a bit early, too.  Yesterday I felt good and didn't even think of having a nap in the afternoon. No afternoon slump!  It's not like I was sluggish and just wasn't tired enough for a nap, I was up and vibrant and ready to conquer the world!  It was very nice to feel that way as I have been doing nothing but complaining about being tired all the time.  I felt like I was going to be tired for the rest of my life and it was depressing.

Eating was good yesterday, too.  I had oatmeal and raisins for breakfast--talk about spoiled!  I love oatmeal...have since I was a kid.  My mom used to make it real creamy so we didn't need milk; just put some sugar on it and eat.  Now, I make it just as creamy and add some Agave Nectar and raisins and I am all set.  YUMMY! 

For lunch, I made crostini.  Whole wheat baguette slices with sun dried tomatoes, red peppers and garlic.  Oh it was good! Better than I thought it would be, in fact.  I am not a fan of peppers but sauteeing them with the garlic really helped bring out their sweet flavour. 

I didn't bother having a snack as I made supper early.  We had spaghetti.  I mixed whole wheat noodles in with Smart Taste noodles and nobody could tell.  There was a ton of fiber and it tasted great.  I put meat in the sauce for the boys and left some out for me.  I also added shredded zuchinni which they didn't notice, either.  I am so sneaky.  I had a slice of whole wheat bread with my meal to sop up the sauce and I was full for hours.

I make it a point now to stop eating 3hrs before bedtime.  Last night was difficult because I wasn't hungry at 7:30.  I made a small bowl of oatmeal and ate that since I knew if I didn't eat, I would be starving by bedtime and that would mean trouble.

I stepped on the scale yesterday morning.  I knew I shouldn't have...I wanted to wait a week to weigh myself but it was on the floor, staring at me.  I actually lost 3lbs in 3 days!  Now I know some of you are saying, "Oh it's just water weight." I don't care.  Weight is weight and I am not dehydrated in the least. In fact, I am drinking alot more water and peeing like a race horse (Not that you really needed to know that).

Day 4 looks promising.  I am looking forward to feeling good all day and getting some errands done without thinking that I should take a nap first.  I'll keep y'all updated :-)

Day 2

Today wasn't too different from other days. I woke up with a headache and it got worse as the day went on.  I gave in this afternoon and took some medicine and felt better almost immediately.  I know that I could have suffered through it as it wasn't a migraine but it hurt and I was stuck on the couch doing nothing. 

Because of the headache, I missed some prep time for my supper.  That was okay though because I had frozen 'chicken' in the freezer and whole wheat taco shells in the fridge.  I grabbed some avocado, salsa and soy cheese and made a couple of fajita's.  It took me all of 10 minutes to make.  Gotta love convenience!  The boys had hamburgers, which I had prepared ahead of time so it was easy to cook them up.

I find midday to be the most difficult for me.  I know it's only been 2 days but it's been like this for some time now where I feel hungry at lunch and then again an hour later, no matter what I eat.  These past 2 days have been no different. The way I have eaten has changed, however.  Instead of indulging in carbs and sugary crap, I made my lunch bigger by adding a salad with some grated soy parmesan.  I was satisfied longer and didn't need a snack for at least 2 1/2 hours.  Then, I had a fruit salad with peaches, pears and a medium banana.  I wasn't hungry until suppertime around 6. 

That's progress.

Tonight, I had a small bowl of oatmeal with raisins and again, I won't be eating anything else until tomorrow morning.  I don't feel that I have to eat but I will drink water if I am thirsty.  Tonight, it's just water. Last night it was peppermint tea.  Tomorrow night...who knows.  All I know is that I will be satisfied with whatever I choose.  That makes me a happy camper.

Deprivation?

It's funny...I do not feel deprived.  A little shaky and I have a mild headache but not deprived of anything.  I had a cup of coffee today with soy milk and a tiny bit of Agave Nectar.  How can that be deprivation?  I enjoy coffee. Too much and I never was a coffee drinker until I hit 40.  I think I drank it for the taste but also the energy.  Today I am drinking decaf but it still tastes like real coffee and I like it alot. 

Last week and the weeks before, I would eat whatever I wanted, which was really just alot of cereal.  I would get hungry, look around the kitchen and think, "There's nothing to eat."  In fact, this house is bursting at the seems with food.  I have two full fridges and a 14cf chest freezer stuffed to the gills but what do I do?  Grab a bowl of cereal.  It was easy and it would fill me up for a little while.  It would also add another pound a week onto the scale.  In 10 weeks, I gained 10 pounds. 

I ate peanut butter and jam yesterday.  Deprivation? Certainly not!  It was "just peanuts" and fruit juice sweetened strawberry preserves on whole wheat toast.  I had raisins in my oatmeal this morning and a burger for lunch! That is not deprivation. That is satisfaction!

Day 1 Continued...

I made it through the rest of the day without mishap.  About 2hrs after lunch I felt hungry so I made some whole wheat toast with peanut butter and jam.  I've never had plain pb without additives like oil and sugar before.  I like it!  So I have to stir the peanut butter. Who cares.  It sure was tasty.  That little snack filled me up for 4 hours.

The boys threw me a curveball and requested that we have burgers tomorrow night and taco's tonight. No problem.  I had everything to make them and I went ahead with my original plan to eat a vegan burger.  I gotta tell ya, it didn't look that great while I was cooking it.  It smelled okay but seemed to be leeching some orange bubbles out of the patty.  I couldn't tell you what it was but I was hungry so I didn't let esthetics get in the way of my appetite.  I put the patty on a whole wheat bun and added mustard, a tomato and a dollop of Veganaise.  Talk about a party in your mouth!  It completely blew my tastebuds away!  Yes, that means it was really good :-)

I think the Veganaise deserves a paragraph all by itself.  If you have ever eaten real mayonaise, the thought of a substitute is a little revolting (to me anyway lol). However, I tasted a little bit before putting it on my burger and noticed absolutely no difference to the real stuff.  In fact, I felt a little spoiled while eating it because it tasted fattening.  I thought, "How on earth can I get away with this?"  Apparently I can. 

I must confess to counting points and calories at least twice today.  I stopped myself but I can see that this mindfulness of dieting is going to take some work to blast out of my brain.  I suppose that if I go overboard and eat like there's no tomorrow, I will pay for it with a few extra inches on my thighs.  I don't think that's possible however, on this plan.  I feel so full after eating that I don't feel like gorging.  In fact, I didn't even feel the overwhelming need for sugar.  I can't tell you how many times I have eaten a healthy meal only to have such a craving for sweets afterward that I blow my whole diet for that day.  Today was not one of those days.

So, I am having a cup of peppermint herbal tea tonight and then going to bed.  I feel full and satisfied. 

Day 1

It's noon and I am tired.  I got enough sleep but I am dragging my sorry behind today.  I woke up this morning with an overwhelming craving for sugar.  I stopped at 7-11 to get some cash for my son, Cayden (pizza day today), and then walked out.  I passed the soda, passed the donuts, passed the coffee machine and it was HARD!  Funny though; once I got back into the car, I was fine.  It was just one hurdle I had to get over and I did. 

I got home from driving Cayden to school and made some oatmeal with some Agave Nectar.  I actually made too much and that was a satisfying feeling.  After breakfast, I cleaned up the kitchen and relaxed on the couch to watch TV for a bit.  As I said, I am tired today and that's all I felt like doing this morning.

Lunch was easy and I had been thinking about it since last night.  I mixed up some avocado, tomato, cilantro and garlic for a dip.  I then cut up 1 whole wheat pita pocket, sliced it into 8 pieces and toasted them lightly.  Oh it was good!  After lunch, I had a cup of decaf coffee with a little soy milk.  To my dismay, the vanilla soy had sugar (evaporated cane juice) in the ingredients so it almost blew my plan for the coffee.  Fortunately, I was thinking and put a drop of vanilla extract and plain, unsweetened soy milk in my coffee.  Yummy!

Burgers on the menu tonight.  I'll have my veggie option and I'll make the regular burgers for my family.  I began adding sweet potatoes to their burgers a few months ago and the boys absolutely love them.  Cayden said it was the best burger he'd ever tasted.  Whatever makes them eat, I say.

Prep Day

Well the weekend is over.  I had a blast. Yup. Laying on my butt all weekend.  I was supposed to go to Missouri to visit my son but the weather put the brakes on that plan.  Hopefully we can go next weekend.  I took it easy this weekend and watched some movies with Charles. 

I took advantage of the extra time and planned out a menu for my boys for the next week.  They approve, I am happy to say.  I tried to make it as close to my vegan menu as possible. For instance; fish and chips for them, mock crab cakes for me.  Chicken stir fry for them and 'Chicken' stir fry for me.  Hamburgers for them and Boca burger for me. You get the idea.  I want to make cooking a minimal effort or I fear that it'll be too much work to keep up.  I guess that remains to be seen.

Today my plan is to boil the hamburger and ground turkey into crumbles, make burger patties and bake muffins.  If I have the energy, I'll make a vegan and regular lasagna.  They don't take very long to do in themselves but I am making my own pasta sauce which takes a little time.

I mention energy because these days I have very little of it.  It seems that I am always tired and it's really getting on my nerves.  There is so much I could be doing but my body says, "Don't exert yourself or you'll be sorry later."  My body is right half the time.  I get some exercise in and my body feels like crap.  Why?  I am sure that it's my diet.  My sleep is fine. I get at least 8-9hrs a night.  I also drink lots of water.  I am healthy for the most part.  I try to control my blood sugar but it's getting harder these days.  That is because of my poor diet. I am sure of it.

So you're probably asking what I eat right now.  Not a whole lot of good foods.  I hardly eat vegetables and live on cereal most of the time.  My blood sugar plummets and I grab something sugary to bring it back up. Yeah, I know...healthy.   And I realize that it's not so again, the idea to become vegan seems like a good choice right now.

Today I am tired.  Very tired.  I am drinking a 7-11 french vanilla capuccino and eating a donut.  Sort of a farewell breakfast and I am hoping that I don't drop dead of a heart attack or stroke before I begin my new eating plan tomorrow.

What's weird to me is that I am really excited to start this plan. I mean REALLY excited!  I have never been this excited about healthy eating before in my life so what gives this time?  Not sure.  I guess it's all the things I mentioned in my first post but something else as well.  Maybe it's the fact that I am doing this for me and nobody else.  Just lil ol' me.  That doesn't happen very often. I might get a massage once a year but that's it.  I about fell over dead when I decided to get my hair done professionally instead of dyeing it myself last month.  Talk about different and satisfying and scary all at the same time.  Maybe it was the price tag...

I suppose I best get off this computer and get to work.  Thanks bunches for reading!

"We Eat Vegetarians!"

Those were the words out of my husband's mouth when I announced I was going to be a vegan for 30 days.  Then he said, "Let me know when you are done so I can eat you."   Depending on the depth of my husbands humour, I might be inclined to make animal noises at the dinner table.  Aside from the sarcasm and jokes, Charles is very supportive of me. He knows that I am trying to get healthy and wants the best for me and I think that as long as I cook for him every night, he'll be a happy camper.

Vegan Menu- Week 1

BREAKFAST

• Oatmeal with Agave Nectar
• WW Toast and Strawberry Preserves
• Fruit Shake with Soy Powder
• Fruit Salad or other Fruit
• Muffin



LUNCH

• Veggie Burger on WW
• Salad with Veggie Chic Slices
• Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad, Garlic bread topped with Earth Balance vegan buttery spread
• Veggie Lasagna, salad
• Crostini w/ Sun Dried Tomatoes
• Avocado Dip and WW Tortilla Chips
• Stuffed Potato w/ Fried Onions and Artichokes


SUPPER

• Veggie Lasagna, Caesar Salad
• Alfredo Style Fettuccini, French Bread & Salad
• Veggie Burger w/ roasted potatoes & celery sticks
• ‘Beef’ Stir Fry, Veggies & Brown Rice
• Baked Italian Eggplant
• Potato Soup, Caesar Salad & French Bread
• Old Bay Tofu ‘Crab’ Cakes, roasted potatoes, salad

SNACKS

• Fruit
• Veggies
• Leftovers
• Toast
• Oatmeal

BEVERAGES

• Decaf Coffee w/ Soy Milk
• SF Iced Tea
• Herbal Tea
• Water

Getting Started

My health is less than stellar, my blood sugar and blood pressure are through the roof and I am overweight.  Turns out that I can't eat like a 20 year old and still keep my girlish figure.  Ah, those were the days.  Sugar, fat, carbs galore and not one ounce of regret because I was thin and happy.  Now I am fat and happy...sort of. Not happy about being fat but life is good. 

So how did I come to the decision to go all radical and become vegan for a month?  It actually started last year after watching a video of hidden camera footage from chicken farms.  I won't go into the gory details but it completely disgusted me.  That wasn't enough to get me to stop eating meat but it made me question where I was getting my family's food.

During this time, our family doctor was insistent upon us dropping sugar from our diet.  He encouraged us to eat whole foods and to exercise.  I have a son who is bi-polar, adhd and autistic.  I already knew that the foods he consumed had an effect on him so I made it a mission to at least give him the best diet I could.  He was lactose intolerant and allergic to red dye #40.  I made sure that everything he ate was as pure as I could get it.  It was alot of work but it was worth it. 

After a while, I started thinking about why I wasn't doing this for my whole family.  If I was putting in the work for one child, why not all three? Why not my husband and why not me?  So, I looked into alternative sources of sugar.  Stevia, Agave Nectar, Sun Crystals, Somersweet, Splenda.  Stevia was a bust.  It left a bitter licorice aftertaste in our mouths.  Somersweet, while it tasted great, was extremely expensive. Shipping was very high.  Splenda was great for my husbands coffee. He likes it and uses it daily.  Agave is great with tea and I love putting in on plain oatmeal.  The jury is still out on Sun Crystals but I'll let you know when I try it.

I took the next step and stopped eating red meat.  It was a decision I made solely on the fact that the animals were consuming a corn based diet.  Corn produces e-coli in a cow's body.  An abundance of it!  Cows were not meant to be fed corn. They have evolved to eat grass.  It wasn't only that reason.  I was becoming more aware that cows were not just meat.  They were animals and I love animals.  Thinking about them being destroyed for food was upsetting me. 

Over the past few months, I started thinking non-stop about where our meat came from.  The thought of eating meat was beginning to turn my stomach.  I couldn't get the faces of the animals out of my mind.  I made the decision to at least find sources of meat that were humane and I did that.  My family eats free range chicken, pork and beef.  They dont' have a problem with that, the food tastes good to them and I feel better knowing the source. 

Then, another video.  This one of a pig farm.  The last time I cried so hard over an animal dying, it was my beloved dog; Bear.  Her passing 4 years ago literally broke my heart in two and to this day I still cannot open the bottle of fur that the vet saved for me.  All of those emotions came flooding back to me when I was watching pigs being slaughtered inhumanely.  All I could do was hold my hands to my mouth and say, "I'm so sorry", over and over again.  I watched this video a week ago.  Something had to give and this was it.

Alicia Silverstone, bless her heart, began promoting her book and her lifestyle around this time.  I sat down at the computer and started doing some real research into vegetarianism.  My main concern was getting enough protein.  I am a fussy eater. Would I even like the food.  Well, Alicia made some appearances on several tv shows and talked about her recipes.  I liked what she had done so I figured, okay, let's figure this thing out.

I read a great book called The China Study.  It taught me the health benefits of becoming a vegetarian or a vegan.  Alicia's book, The Kind Diet, spoke to me on a layman's level.  I understood her and felt like she had written the book just for me.  This was it.  I decided to make a committment to do 30 days of no meat and no dairy.

Why the extreme?  Why not dairy from humane sources?  We have a chain exclusive to Oklahoma that treats their cows with the utmost respect.  No antibiotics, no hormones...just happy cows. Yes, I suppose for a little comfort, I could keep my cottage cheese and yogurt but no.  With all of the substitutions available like soy cheese and yogurt, there was no reason for me to eat dairy.  On top of that, I am beginning to think that I am lactose intolerant.  I had gone without dairy before and felt great so why not try it again? 

I set up this blog to document my 30 day vegan journey.  I figure that if it helps me or makes me miserable, having a first-hand account to read might be helpful to someone out there.  I promise not to preach or go into excrutiating details over minute things.  I just want to pass on my experience.  Knowing is great but passing on that knowledge makes it worthwhile. 

So, hang on for a bumpy but sure to be a great ride.