Today is Day 4 of being vegan, no cheating. I've noticed a couple of things.
First, I have a ton more energy than I normally have. Now, I normally have zero energy, so the fact that I'm a little energized is a huge thing for me. So that's awesome.
There's also some crazy digestive things that are going on that I won't elaborate on, but it's good.
So let's talk food. I had vegan cheese (Daiya brand) for the first time last night. I made brown rice and broccoli, and I thought it would be a good place to try adding some in. Out of the bag, it tasted a little like playdough. But I thought I'd take a chance, and throw some in. And... it was actually cheese-like. I used the mozzarella style, shredded, and I'll use it again. Look. It's not cheese. If you go in expecting it to be cheese, you're doing to be disappointed. But one of the things I'm craving most is something warm and creamy, and this works as a fix for that. I was really impressed with the way it melted, and the flavor could've passed as cheese if I didn't really think too hard about it. So I'm happy with it.
One of the other challenges for me as been the idea of junk food. I like some junk food, mostly chips/salty/crunchy. Nuts doesn't fill this need for me. I decided to have a bag of chips today, and I struggled to find one from the neighbor business store that wasn't filled with crap or dairy (why do bbq chips have dairy??). Cape Cod Waffle Chips only have potatoes, oil, salt. Winner!
Okay, I know, the whole idea with this is to NOT eat junk. I get it. But I have to work into this. I'm trying to find solutions that will work with my cravings instead of just telling myself to not eat junk. I'm not going to eat potato chips daily. I do have some whole grain pita chips that I've been dipping in hummus, but I consider those healthy. I think it's important for me to find these items that will fill a craving early... it will help keep me on track.
Alright, enough justifying. Except... I did eat those chips instead of taking part in a potluck we had at work today. I know it would've been the awesome move to bring a killer vegan dish to share. I know that. But I couldn't decide what to make, and, at the last minute, I brought nothing and didn't take part. My cube-mate was kind enough to get fried chicken with Polynesian sauce from Chick-fil-A (one of my favorite things), and literally hold his fan up to it towards my desk in order to envelop me in the scent. If I didn't adore him, I would've killed him.
Beyond chips, I have a delicious-looking lunch waiting for me. I made what I'll simply call Zucchini Not-asean. No recipe, just sauteed onions and garlic along with a whole bunch of zucchini and some veggie broth, cooked all the liquid out, threw in a bottle of Bertolli mushroom tomato sauce, cooked that down, and placed it over brown rice. I would've made rice pasta, but I didn't want to boil water. I think I've mentioned I'm lazy.
There are several things that have been difficult about this so far... Not having creamer in my coffee, no sodas (I've cut out diet sodas completely), and the ice cream I was consuming at an alarming rate. I'm drinking at least 60 oz of water a day, and I'm trying to increase that, which is pretty difficult, even cutting out sodas. But even these things aren't that hard. Now I think it's lunchtime!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
No Baby Steps Here!
I will say this about eating well... if you aren't willing to cook or can't afford a personal chef, it's not going to work. I spent a large part of this weekend shopping, prepping, cooking, and sorting food. Overall, I like being in the kitchen, but it was a lot of work.
With my son around, who is approaching three, it's hard to spend that much time doing anything that isn't directly related to him. For several reasons, he is GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free) and has been for a little over a year. I've decided to keep him on that diet for now and allow him to continue eating meat. I'll adopt most of his GFCF ways, and the boyfriend will, with the utmost support for the both of us, continue to strive to eat healthy, but will not be giving up the meat or dairy (this is okay by me). So I spend some time in the kitchen now, and more time in the grocery store than I used to, just making sure I'm getting him things that he can have. I've complicated our household grocery list even more.
So today I jump right into veganism. I spent the weekend filling up on my favorite things in preparation for this change. I know that sounds ridiculous, right? But I don't know the next time I'll have a pepperoni pizza or ice cream, or if I'm ever going to want these things again. Anyone who tells you making a change in your diet isn't coupled with a mourning period is lying. There is a sense of loss, which sounds so bizarre. But it's there, nonetheless.
Food. It has such a hold on us. As an American, I have little to worry about. There is always food. In fact, we have too MUCH food, most of us anyway. I am fortunate that, while I have never been wealthy, I've never gone without food. The crazy thing is that, as a majority, we are killing ourselves with this food! And most people are aware of it and do it anyway. I've always been one of those people. Now, I guess I'm not.
So I'd like to share what I'm eating today. I'll warn you, I'm not big into measuring. It typically seems like a lot of trouble when I can easily make an educated guess. I just don't have time for all that. So when I post a recipe, it's going to be an estimation.
One of the things I wanted to do was find something simple for breakfast. I don't typically like breakfast much, but I know it's really important to have it. I went through a phase where I would just have a protein smoothie, but I would be really hungry by mid-morning, and then I end up eating a bag of Cheetos at 10 a.m. That's not going to work here.
I am a pretty big fan of oatmeal, but I like the instant maple sugary kind. I don't want to make time in the morning to get out a pot, measure out oatmeal, cook oatmeal without burning it while getting ready for work, packing up hot oatmeal, etc. Not going to happen in my world. BUT, I found several ideas online that lead me to this:
No Stove Night Before Oatmeal!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup oatmeal (I used the old-fashion kind bought in bulk at the Whole Foods)
1 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
a healthy dash of cinnamon
a handful of dried cranberries
Directions:
Mix in a container of your choosing (I used a small, plastic one), throw in the fridge, remember to take it to work the next day.
That's right. That's it. I tossed it in the microwave at work for 1 minute, added a handful of chopped walnuts, and it was the best oatmeal I've had since I was a kid. It actually tasted like my grandmother. I mean, not that I ever ate my grandmother, but it was exactly like the oatmeal I remember having as a kid. I told several of my co-workers how much it reminded me of being a little girl and how happy it was making me. I think they're worried I've lost my mind with this vegan thing. And maybe I have, but I'm really happy with breakfast!
I have soup, hummus and pita chips, and a variety of fruit to get me through the day. Hey, I'll post the "recipe" for my soup, which my son tried and couldn't get enough (my son likes every fruit and veggie except for cucumbers - every one, even the "weird ones" normal kids won't touch - mangos and avocados are two of his favorite things).
CCS Soup
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen spinach
2 cups frozen cauliflower
1 can chickpeas
1 big spoonful veggie base (I use Better Than Boullion)
a dash of olive oil
a few cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
water (4-6 cups?)
Directions:
Saute the garlic and onions in a little bit of olive oil. Add all other ingredients, stir occassionally, let it cook down for about 30 min or so, and that's it. Makes 2-3 servings.
With my son around, who is approaching three, it's hard to spend that much time doing anything that isn't directly related to him. For several reasons, he is GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free) and has been for a little over a year. I've decided to keep him on that diet for now and allow him to continue eating meat. I'll adopt most of his GFCF ways, and the boyfriend will, with the utmost support for the both of us, continue to strive to eat healthy, but will not be giving up the meat or dairy (this is okay by me). So I spend some time in the kitchen now, and more time in the grocery store than I used to, just making sure I'm getting him things that he can have. I've complicated our household grocery list even more.
So today I jump right into veganism. I spent the weekend filling up on my favorite things in preparation for this change. I know that sounds ridiculous, right? But I don't know the next time I'll have a pepperoni pizza or ice cream, or if I'm ever going to want these things again. Anyone who tells you making a change in your diet isn't coupled with a mourning period is lying. There is a sense of loss, which sounds so bizarre. But it's there, nonetheless.
Food. It has such a hold on us. As an American, I have little to worry about. There is always food. In fact, we have too MUCH food, most of us anyway. I am fortunate that, while I have never been wealthy, I've never gone without food. The crazy thing is that, as a majority, we are killing ourselves with this food! And most people are aware of it and do it anyway. I've always been one of those people. Now, I guess I'm not.
So I'd like to share what I'm eating today. I'll warn you, I'm not big into measuring. It typically seems like a lot of trouble when I can easily make an educated guess. I just don't have time for all that. So when I post a recipe, it's going to be an estimation.
One of the things I wanted to do was find something simple for breakfast. I don't typically like breakfast much, but I know it's really important to have it. I went through a phase where I would just have a protein smoothie, but I would be really hungry by mid-morning, and then I end up eating a bag of Cheetos at 10 a.m. That's not going to work here.
I am a pretty big fan of oatmeal, but I like the instant maple sugary kind. I don't want to make time in the morning to get out a pot, measure out oatmeal, cook oatmeal without burning it while getting ready for work, packing up hot oatmeal, etc. Not going to happen in my world. BUT, I found several ideas online that lead me to this:
No Stove Night Before Oatmeal!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup oatmeal (I used the old-fashion kind bought in bulk at the Whole Foods)
1 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
a healthy dash of cinnamon
a handful of dried cranberries
Directions:
Mix in a container of your choosing (I used a small, plastic one), throw in the fridge, remember to take it to work the next day.
That's right. That's it. I tossed it in the microwave at work for 1 minute, added a handful of chopped walnuts, and it was the best oatmeal I've had since I was a kid. It actually tasted like my grandmother. I mean, not that I ever ate my grandmother, but it was exactly like the oatmeal I remember having as a kid. I told several of my co-workers how much it reminded me of being a little girl and how happy it was making me. I think they're worried I've lost my mind with this vegan thing. And maybe I have, but I'm really happy with breakfast!
I have soup, hummus and pita chips, and a variety of fruit to get me through the day. Hey, I'll post the "recipe" for my soup, which my son tried and couldn't get enough (my son likes every fruit and veggie except for cucumbers - every one, even the "weird ones" normal kids won't touch - mangos and avocados are two of his favorite things).
CCS Soup
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen spinach
2 cups frozen cauliflower
1 can chickpeas
1 big spoonful veggie base (I use Better Than Boullion)
a dash of olive oil
a few cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
water (4-6 cups?)
Directions:
Saute the garlic and onions in a little bit of olive oil. Add all other ingredients, stir occassionally, let it cook down for about 30 min or so, and that's it. Makes 2-3 servings.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
It's Time
I'll start with this: I feel sick. All the time. Every day. Mostly it's my stomach, but I have incredible back pain that shoots down my legs daily, bad headaches, I'm exhausted every day, and it's a fight to get out of bed every single morning.
I feel like I'm dying. More specifically, I feel like every thing I do, every breath I take, it's all just steps towards killing myself. I'm doing it to myself.
I didn't always feel this way. About four years ago, I lost 79 lbs on the south beach diet. I had been close to weighing 250 lbs, and I turned that around. Then I had my son. And although I lost a good bit of my baby weight, I've now gained it back. I'm weighing in at close to 200 lbs, and my clothes don't fit. And then there's the feeling bad thing. That's the worst.
I've been reading about the health and societal benefits of becoming vegan for so, so many years. I've always felt that, in my heart, that's how I should be eating. I've gone vegetarian several times in my life for periods from 6 months to about a year and a half, but it's never lasted.
So it's time to begin a whole new journey.
I feel like I'm dying. More specifically, I feel like every thing I do, every breath I take, it's all just steps towards killing myself. I'm doing it to myself.
I didn't always feel this way. About four years ago, I lost 79 lbs on the south beach diet. I had been close to weighing 250 lbs, and I turned that around. Then I had my son. And although I lost a good bit of my baby weight, I've now gained it back. I'm weighing in at close to 200 lbs, and my clothes don't fit. And then there's the feeling bad thing. That's the worst.
I've been reading about the health and societal benefits of becoming vegan for so, so many years. I've always felt that, in my heart, that's how I should be eating. I've gone vegetarian several times in my life for periods from 6 months to about a year and a half, but it's never lasted.
So it's time to begin a whole new journey.
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