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