Polenta & Sun-Dried Tomato & Mushroom Sauce

I have always enjoyed polenta.  In the past I had purchased it in the tube and sauteed it in a pan.  Today I decided to make it myself.  It was quite simple.  It was soft and delicious.  To make it firm to saute, just simply chill and cut later.  The sauce I made was dark and rich.  Maybe a little heavy for summer, but it was so good.  We were so hungry and ate it so fast, there were no pictures taken!


Polenta:


7 cups water
1 2/3 cups yellow polenta
2-3 tsp sea salt

• In a large saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil over medium high heat
• slowly add polenta, while stirring with a whisk
• after all the polenta has been added, reduce heat to low and cook, with lid on, until all the water is absorbed and the polenta is thick, stirring occasionally
• this took about 15 min, but I let it sit in the pan for a good 30 with the lid on while I prepared the sauce.

Sundried Tomato-Mushroom Sauce

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes

8 oz baby portabella or other mushroom, sliced

1/4 cup red wine

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 med onion, finely chopped

3-4 sundried tomatoes, soaked in warm water until soft enough to dice

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

sea salt to taste

olive oil

• heat pan over medium-high heat
• drizzle with olive oil, enough to coat
• add onion, mushroom and garlic and saute for 3-4 min
• add basil and oregano and saute for 1 min
• add wine and saute 1 min
• add crushed tomatoes and sundried tomatoes.  Stir to combine and reduce heat to low
• cover and cook for 15 min, checking every 5 min.  Add small amount of water if starting to stick.
• taste and add salt to taste

New Location

Today I moved my blog from wordpress http://kinddietjourney.wordpress.com/ to blogger. I was unable to move any comments made before today. So, you'll have to look on the wordpress blog for those.

Thanks!

Alicia's Cheesecake

Baked vegan cheesecake

Today felt like it needed cheesecake. I have been wanting to bake a cheesecake forever. I think it is perfect that my very first cheesecake should be vegan. I used the cheesecake recipe in The Kind Diet. I love this book. I've yet to have a bad recipe, and this was no exception.

Mixing the Cheesecake filling in the blender

It was super easy to make and totally yummy. I put all the filling ingredients into my blender and simply poured it into the crust. I would have to warn that it is much more like a custard in texture than a cheesecake. If I was offering it to my non-vegan friends that is what I would call it. I also cheated. My local health food store had a vegan pre-made graham cracker crust, so I used that instead.

Right after I poured the filling into the graham crust

After realizing just how important and blender and food processor was I went and picked out the Ninja Master Prep Blender and Food Processor. I just love it. It's super easy to use and very quick clean-up. I will probably get a larger food processor bowl eventually, but for now this is perfect. Plus, it was really affordable.

Leftover Lovers

This morning was like any other. My husband wanted some hot cereal, so I started it for him. I'm a leftover girl. I prefer not to have to much sweet in the morning. The risotto from last night was calling my name and I thought it would taste just amazing with a baked sweet potato. So while the cereal cooked, I assembled my breakfast.

My husband is a strict, no leftovers for breakfast kind of guy. He usually wrinkles his nose and looks disgusted when me or the kids choose something savory for breakfast. So you can imagine my surprise when he came in for breakfast and saw my plate and asked if it was for him! Next thing I knew I was assembling a 2nd leftover plate. The hot cereal went to our Nuggets.

My New Favorite Thing To Cook

A little while back I made the Risotto from The Kind Diet. It was wonderful. Having always been intimidated by the thought of making a risotto, I was surprised how easy it was. So for our main meal today, I did it again. I followed the same basic steps, but I had different ingredients. This was flavored more like a pilaf. The carrots were added with the onion at the beginning and were perfectly done by the time the rice was ready. I just stirred in the frozen peas at the end. I had it with sautéed Gardein Scallopini (which I love!) and greens. My family loves this meal. It is very comforting and feels familiar to a bunch of new vegans.

Not So Fantastic Falafel

Ok, so when my husband and I were shopping last weekend we purchased two products form Fantastic. We had the Nature Burgers earlier this week and loved them. I felt like something fast and easy so we tried the l tonight. I didn't like it nearly as much. It dissolved in the oil, was way too dry and didn't taste that great. There were a lot leftover, which is never a good sign. The falafel I made a week ago were much better. Pics are here. I'm not sure if I did it wrong, so someone else might have better luck. However, making them from scratch was just as easy, and very tasty.

Dinner?

Today I made Fantastic Foods Nature's Burger for lunch alongside leftover Udon noodles from the day before. I've never made any of these mixes before, but I really loved the burgers, so did my family. They were simple to make, add hot water and let sit for 10 min, form patties and saute in pan until browned on both sides, even my hubby can do this. They were flavorful and would be wonderful on a salad or served with mashed potatoes, veggies and gravy for a comfort food meal. We had them on whole wheat buns with a variety of condiments. I liked vegenaise, fresh tomatoes, red onion & lettuce. Hubby liked mustard, pickles & BBQ sauce. My kids are simple, bring on the ketchup. I wouldn't have them all the time, but they are a great backup meal. I think I'll keep some in my pantry from now on. Just a note, the packages says it makes 6 patties. I was able to make 8 that fit our buns perfectly.

But temperatures are on the rise here and no one seems to want dinner. My husband opted to make a smoothie, my daughter and I finally caved and ate leftover cold noodles and my son had a leftover Nature Burger.

I had planned the menu for the whole week, but we are eating far less than we used to. We have all agreed that dinner should be snacks or leftovers, no one can work up an appetite in the heat. I don't even think summer has actually started yet!

Rich And Creamy Risotto

For dinner tonight, I made the Risotto recipe in The Kind Diet. I had so me beautiful asparagus I got this weekend, so I added asparagus to the recipe.

I have never made risotto before, so I was more than a little intimidated, but it wasn't hard at all, It just needed a lot of attention.

I also made collard greens for the first time. I stir fried them in a little olive oil and garlic. They were wonderful with the risotto.

Lunch Today

We had enough Tuna Salad (kinda) for more sandwiches today. I also made some peanut butter and jam sandwiches. This week I tried Ezekiel bread for the first time. Love the sprouted bread!

Kinda Tuna Salad

Today I made the Tuna Salad (Kinda) from Alicia's Kind diet. It was delicious. I was in a hurry, so I didn't blanch all the veggies, but it was still delicious. We like our veggies crunchy. It didn't hold together as well as traditional tuna salad, but it would be perfect in a pita. This didn't stop us from having it in a sandwich. It was cold and refreshing, perfect for a 90+ degree day.

Two Week Update

It has been two weeks since I started my vegan journey using The Kind Diet. I feel amazing. I'm also happy to report that in addition to feeling great, I'm down 2.4 lbs. Just a note, I spent the weekend with hubby for our wedding anniversary. My old way of eating would have made it very difficult to weigh-in this morning lighter. The foods we would have enjoyed would have been meat and dairy heavy and full of salt and sugar. I would have woke up this morning feeling lousy and bloated. Instead my husband and I found this great little vegetarian place and made good choices the rest of the time and I woke up with energy. I am so grateful to Alicia for writing her book. Yay!

Taco Night!

I was inspired by idreamoftahini to tryout my families regular taco recipe with tempeh. I had already ordered the 5 grain one from Turtle Island. No one in my family had ever had tempeh before, including me.

First I browned the tempeh with onion and garlic. It browned nicely. Then I added canned green chilies, 1/2 cup canned, chopped tomatoes with lime and cilantro, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chipolte chile powder and salt to taste. Measurements are approximate. I season until it tastes good.Then I let it simmer on low until thickened. I was impressed how much faster this took then when I make the same thing with meat. It was also delicious! My family loved it and agreed we had no need of the beef tacos we used to have.Ironically, we didn't have tacos. I opted for a burrito with tempeh, rice, beans, lettuce and tomato. My family had tostadas & burritos.

Hubby's Totally On Board

My husband has been getting more involved with the meal planning and has been doing his on research on being vegan and health. He has been intrigued by Brenden Brazier. He just ordered two of his books. From what I can tell, his views are in-line with Alicia's. We will be trying to incorporate more Superhero recipes this week. Weekends will be from the regular vegan recipes.

So excited!

Today's Version of Alicia's Quick Date-Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal

I love this oatmeal. It's on page 196 in The Kind Diet. I have to heat it a little longer that she says in the recipe, but I'm careful not to overcook it and allow it to sit with the lid on. Today I was out of maple syrup and apples. I substituted agave syrup & cranberries. My family preferred the cranberries. I love the rich flavor the dates give the oatmeal. You'll never miss the brown sugar stuff!

Quick Date-Cranberry*-Cinnamon Oatmeal

Yummy Soup

For lunch today I made Alicia's Magical Healing Soup on pg 251. It was light and wonderful. I didn't have all the veggies, so I made some substitutions. The best one is kale. I love kale in soup. The lightness of the soup was perfect for the warm weather. I also added some white miso paste just before serving.

Breakfast for Mommy

I woke up this morning to find my 13 & 9 year olds in the kitchen making breakfast. I can see that they are learning. My daughter was working on a veggie stir-fry w/greens, something she assumed I would want. How sweet.

This is my first post with an egg in it. For more about the eggs, check out my About Me & Our Nuggets pages. I haven't had an egg in about a month and didn't finish the one the kids gave me today, just too much food!

Menu:

• poached eggs
• whole wheat toast
• veggies & greens
• oranges
• tea
• homemade jams

My New Favorite Caesar!

It's starting to heat up here, today is in the mid 90's, and it is salad time. One of my family favorites is Caesar, but a vegan Caesar? I have honestly never had one. When I purchased Alicia's book I also purchased Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source with More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You. It is vegan, though she doesn't like the label, and organized by season. I think Alicia's book is better for getting into the lifestyle of being vegan.

Clean Food has a recipe for Caesar that I tried today. I would have tried Alicia's, but I didn't have the ingredients. We also made homemade croutons. My 9 yr old son actually cut them and seasoned them. He also helped mix the dressing and chop the veggies. It's so important if you have kids to get them involved in the process. He devoured two huge bowls of salad for lunch, chatting the whole time about how easy it was to make. I highly recommend Clean Food as an additional source of yummy vegan recipes.

Caesar Salad w/homemade Croutons

Homemade Croutons

1/2 whole wheat baguette

sea salt

dried oregano

extra virgin olive oil

Cut bread into cubes and place in large bowl. Drizzle lightly with oil and toss. Lightly sprinkle with salt and oregano to taste. Spread out onto a cookie sheet. Broil on highest rack in oven for 2-3 min or until golden brown. Stir croutons and put back under the broiler for 1-2 min more. Be careful and watch, this will burn easily! Let cool completely and serve with salad.

Falafel

Normally I wouldn't have had these two days in a row, but we had leftover tahini sauce from last night and chopped tomatoes, cucumbers & lettuce, so we decided to whip up a second batch of falafel. The tahini recipe is usually pretty perfect for the falafel recipe, but when my daughter made it, she put a little too much salt in and we had to double it. I thought I would take this opportunity to take some pictures this time.

The recipes are here.

Tofurkey?

A miracle has occurred. And in less than a week. My hubby who was supportive, but nervous has now completely committed himself. It happened like this. We were eating dinner and talking about how yummy it was and how yummy the food had been all week. My husband brought up Thanksgiving. Now, we have already been trying to eat more locally and we have a friend that raises turkeys. We got on the list last summer for next Thanksgiving. He suggested I call her and cancel the turkey. There was just no need to have it and feel bad afterwards when there was so many delicious things we could have and be thankful for. I can't express how happy I was. I spoke to my friend yesterday and made someone on the waiting list very happy. Too bad I can't save the turkey. We may adopt one this year though. My kids were thrilled too.

Homemade Falafel

Today was quite busy. I prefer a lazy Sunday, but sometimes exceptions are made. I was feeling pretty frazzled near the end, which is probably why I forgot to take pics of my Falafel.

It was my first attempt and I have to say it was a big hit. I will be making this again really soon, so I'll have pictures then. I researched recipes and combined features of several to come up with this:

1 can garbanzo beans/chick peas

3 T flour

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 T minced garlic

1/4 c minced parsley

1-2 T minced cilantro

1 T lemon juice

1 T olive oil

1 t cumin

1 t corriander

1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes

1 t baking poweder

salt & pepper

My hubby mashed the beans for me. After failing with a fork and potato masher, he used my hand blender and that worked OK. I think I may have finally convinced him that we should invest in a nice food processor. Anyway, after adding everything except the salt and pepper, we mixed it by hand until combined. I then tasted it, hubby was scared, and added salt and pepper to taste. We used a small cookie dough scoop to make balls of the mixture and placed them on a cookie sheet.

OK, the next part varies depending on how you like the falafel. You can bake them at 400 degrees for about 20 min or until nicely browned. They hold up pretty well, but won't compare to the crispiness of the ones from the restaurants. I sautéed some in olive oil, turning as they browned. They were crispier with this method, but turning was delicate. I used long chop sticks to do it. I then deep fried some at 350 degrees. These were perfect, crispy on the outside fluffy on the inside. Just a note. I would fry next time. Sauteing in the pan absorbed more oil than what was used in the fryer. It was also way more satisfying. Plus, I ended up only eating 4 or 5 balls, with a huge salad, & whole wheat pita. I think it worked out well. If I was eating these all the time, baking might be the way to go. This recipe made about 25 balls.

Tahini Sauce

Nothing special here, but it was delicious. I add salt to taste, since it seems to vary what is needed. I also add lots of water and stopped when it is the consistency I want. We like it pretty thin, so we can drizzle it. You can add as much or as little water as you like.

1/2 C Tahini paste

juice of 1 med lemon

2 T finely minced parsley

2-3 T minced garlic

1-2 T olive oil

My daughter (13) actually made the sauce tonight. She used the hand blender to make it smooth.

My hubby actually used a leftover tortilla and made a wrap with his. Looked good!

More Granola (Cereal)

I was informed by my hubby this morning that we were out of the granola and I had to make more. I think the family would say Alicia's Mom's Granola is there favorite recipe so far.

The chocolate event I went to yesterday wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. For one thing the cookies were made from cake mixes and just weren't that appealing to me. There was also less chocolate than originally planned. I had a little dark chocolate with me and in times of weakness, I indulged. Better than the alternative, plus it was wonderful.

Today I'm searching for a Falafel recipe. My hubby has a craving.

Wish Me Luck Today

I will be surrounded by chocolate today from 9 to 4. Before I started The Kind Diet, I volunteered to help at a Chocolate Workshop for kids. Yikes. They'll be cookies, chocolate play dough, chocolate painting & more. I'm packing a delicious vegan lunch and planning on being good.

Vegan Pizza

Rolled, Herbed, Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Friday nights are pizza night at our house. We like to mix it up with flavors, but tonight I was feeling a little more traditional. I added dried Italian herbs to the crust, delish. Here's the recipe.

3 C whole wheat flour ( use white whole wheat for softer crust - available from King Athur)

1 T yeast

1 t sea salt

1 T dried Italian herbs (optional)

1 T olive oil

approx. 1 C warm water

I use a quick method. I put the flour in the mixer first, then the yeast and salt and mix it with a dough hook on a low speed. I then add the liquids while the mixture is running. First the olive oil, then the water. Add only enough water until the dough is forming a ball and there is no remaining loose flour. Sometimes you'll need more (or less) than a cup. I let it rest and rise for 30 min or so and roll it out into crusts. It makes 4 personal size pizzas.

Crust w/tomato sauce & Tofutti Garlic & Herb Better Than Cream Cheese

I used a plain tomato sauce this time, but I prefer crushed tomatoes. I have to drive an hour to get vegan cheese, so I used what I had, which was Tofutti Herb & Garlic Better Than Cream Cheese. I've done this before, it's wonderful. I topped it with spinach ( I won't be using this again after reading Alicia's Book), tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, sweet onions, crushed pineapple, crushed red peppers & dried Italian herbs.

Veggie Pizza Ready for the Grill!

It's starting to get hot here in the Southwest, so I moved my loved pizza stone to the grill outside. I heat the grill to "medium" and put the pizzas directly on the stone, close the lid and cook for 10 to 15 min. These are fun to make and my family each creates their own, so it is a great family meal.

Pizza is Ready!

OK, Confession Time

My daughter and I ran errands this afternoon, and the next thing I know I have a handful of chewy Lemonheads. I've never tried these, they taste like sour jelly beans, but I reasoned they weren't meat or dairy. Within minutes I had a headache and a not so good feeling. I knew better, but it's truly amazing what you can rationalize. One thing that is good about this experience was how fast my body responded to the offending food item. In a previous life when I ate something naughty I finished it. Between me and my kids, we have well over 1/2 an uneaten bag left. Victory!

Alicia's Mom's Granola

This morning I felt like something cool, but filling. So, I made Mom's Granola from The Kind Diet on page 201. This was much easier to make than I had anticipated. I followed the directions, except I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, my kids don't like raisins. It was really good. I haven't purchased cold cereal in a very long time. This has been hard on the kids, since they love it. This recipe has solved the problem for everyone. We ate it with cold soy milk and it felt indulgent. Lightly sweet, filling and delicious; my kids new fave.

I Love Boca Burgers

I usually have the same thing for dinner as I have for lunch, especially since lunch is my main meal. Today was Boca Burgers. I didn't get a pic at lunch, but here's a look at dinner. I haven't purchased store bought bread in ages; but Hubby was working in the kitchen today so no baking. These buns were Whole Wheat and vegan. Dinner was a little indulgent with the chips, but I was out of everything else.

I usually have the same thing for dinner as I have for lunch, especially since lunch is my main meal. Today was Boca Burgers. I didn't get a pic at lunch, but here's a look at dinner. I haven't purchased store bought bread in ages; but Hubby was working in the kitchen today so no baking. These buns were Whole Wheat and vegan. Dinner was a little indulgent with the chips, but I was out of everything else.

Maple Cinnamon Soy Ice Cream

I made the yummiest ice cream today. I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker. It was Maple Cinnamon and so good.

Here's the Recipe

3 Cups Soy Milk

1/4 C maple syrup

1/3 C agave syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 t cinnamon (more if you want it stronger)

That's it. I like it cooked, but you don't have to if you are in a hurry. I heated it over medium heat and cooked it for about 5 min. Then I chilled it in the fridge till completely cool. If you skip this step, you just mix and put it in the ice cream maker. Pour cooled mixture into maker and operate as directed. Enjoy.

This would have been amazing with toasted pecans...next time.

Heat Up The Grill

What can I say, it's getting warm outside and I was in the mood for another burger. Plus, Hubby was fixing the sink, so I wanted out of the kitchen. We grilled these Vegan Boca Burgers up with some sweet potato slices. These were super easy. I sliced them about 1 inch thick, then steamed them with the potato I was going to be using for a potato salad. I steamed them until the were almost done, then lightly sprinkled them with olive oil before putting them on the hot grill. Fantastic.

When we want potato salad in a hurry, I make what I call Rustic Potato Salad. Meaning I don't care what it looks like, but it has to taste good! I cut 1 inch slices of potato, peel on, and steam then until done, but not falling apart. I then plunge them into cold/ice water. Not too long though. Then I loosely chop them and add veganaise, mustard, diced celery, diced pickles, Franks & onion powder. This is endlessly versatile, you can add whatever you want. I don't measure, just add until tastes yummy. Let it sit in the fridge while you get the rest of the meal ready. Yum!

I Just Can't Get Enough of That Lentil Stew!

OK, I might have a problem. I confess to having my third meal in a row that is Lentil Stew. So much for variety. Not to worry, it's all gone. Lunch will have to be something different.

I woke up this morning feeling great. Totally refreshed. This is a brand new experience. I usually have to drag myself out of bed and need at least 1 cup of coffee before actual thought can occur.

The lentil soup felt like the perfect thing to eat this morning, and no coffee was required.

Alicia's Lentil Stew

I had Alicia's Lentil Stew, pg 171 in TKD, for lunch and dinner tonight. I loved it. Totally yummy. I was skeptical about the croûtons, but they sent it over the edge. Fantastic! My family loved it too, especially my daughter.

A bowl of Alicia's Lentil Stew

Vegetable Stock

Today I'm going to make the Legume Stew on page 171 of TKD. I needed Vegetable Stock, so I'm making that first. I love the recipe for stock in the Whole Foods Cookbook. They have recipes with meat in there, but great Vegan recipes too. I am also making Whole Wheat Artisan Bread to go with the soup. I use the whole wheat recipe in Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I substitute Agave Syrup for the honey in the recipe. We live in a hot climate so I also cook it outside on my pizza stone in a grill.

My Coffee Cravings Are Gone!

I woke up this morning clear-headed. I think the Coffee Cravings are gone. What a huge relief. I had a small amount of green tea yesterday, but I'm not feeling like having any this morning. We'll see around 3 o'clock this afternoon!

I have never really enjoyed sweet things in the morning, so this morning I opted out of oatmeal, my family enjoyed it, and had Leftovers. Alicia's Fried Rice, and Stir-fried Veggies. Along with scrambled Tofu. I had left over Orange sauce from Alicia's Crispy Tofu and stirred that in. It was perfect.

Grilled Vegan Pizza

Tonight I felt like pizza. I used a simple vegan pizza crust recipe. The sauce was crushed tomatoes sprinkled with crushed red pepper and italian seasoning. I topped the pizza with green peppers, mushrooms, pimentos, spinach, tomatoes, sweet onions, kalamata olives, crushed pineapple and small dollups of Tofutti Garlic and Herb Better Than Cream Cheese.

It was amazing. My husband had cheese on his pizza and far fewer veggies. After trying mine, he's coming around. Yay!

Leftover Lunch

I'm a huge fan of Leftovers, especially when you have a bunch in one meal. Not too much of anything and tons of variety. I made some extra quesadillas with the remaining cheese and white flour tortillas for the kids and hubby. The kids and hubby aren't as committed to the vegan thing. However, they have OK'd not buying any more. That works. I hate wasting food anyway.

Feeling a Little Better

I felt much less hungry this morning. Though I did nibble on my second piece of banana bread for most of the morning. The tea was greatly appreciated, since my throat was feeling a little sore.

Coffee

I miss my coffee. I love the smell, the ritual, the warmth. I need to find something to replace it. I enjoy tea too, but caffeine is an issue there too. I'm not feeling that great, is it the absence of coffee?

I checked the book and tea is recommended, so I'll have a cup of tea this morning.

Starting to Think Clearer

I woke up this morning feeling much better. I think I ended up having a few things yesterday that may have contained dairy, dairy is sneeky, but I'm not feeling so gross today. This morning I'm baking Banana Bread. I'm adapting a recipe I created a few years ago. If it turns out well, I'll post it.

I've also created a twitter account to use as a food/feeling log.

Our First Vegan BBQ

We got home from my sons’ baseball game and felt like a BBQ. I had vegan Boca patties in the freezer, so we heated up the grill. I don’t buy store bought breads, so I quickly mixed up a bread recipe, shaped some rolls, let em rest a little and tossed them on the grill. We have a pizza stone we put in our grill so I can bake. While they were resting and baking I boiled some 3/4″ slices of potato and sweet potato, both with the peel on. When the sweet potatoes were just tender, I took them out, tossed them lightly with oil and put them on the grill. I let the potatoes continue cooking until done, but not mushy. They got a cold rinse and were chopped into a rustic potato salad. I used pickles, veganaise, mustard and Franks. They both turned out yummy. We grilled the Bocas and had a great meal.

I felt incredibly satisfied! So did Hubby.

Barley?

Lunch was delicious, and this was despite the fact I accidentally used barley instead of short grain rice for the Fried Rice.

Not Hungry

Well, I had another 1/2 cup of oatmeal and still feel the same, so it was not hunger. I think it is the change and absence of coffee. I guess I have to endure. More water.

Asian Feast

I thought it would be a good idea to kick off this adventure with food I love. My main meal is lunch, so this is it. We will be starting off with some Miso soup. The recipe came from Clean Food (another great book). Then, I'm making the Fried Rice from the Kind Diet, pg 234. I had to make adjustments to the veggies, I didn't have what was called for here, I used, carrots and onions. I'm scrambling a small amount of firm tofu with soy sauce to stir in, this replaces the egg my family loves. I'm making the Crispy Tofu Slices with Orange Dipping Sauce on pg 158. I am adding some soy sauce and sriracha to the sauce and then thickening it slightly. I'm also making a simple stir-fry; mushrooms, bell peppers, leeks, carrots, zucchini along with simple veggie spring rolls. I'm so hungry.

Hungry Already?

OK, I'm a little concerned. I didn't eat much oatmeal, about 1/2 cup, but I'm already feeling a little hungry. I haven't read anywhere that this should feel like deprivation, so I'm going to eat a little something. I'm also going to drink lots of water to see if that is it. I didn't have any coffee this morning either, so who knows. Usually I eat more protein in the morning, so it just make take sometime to adjust.

First Recipe

This morning I made the Quick Date-Apple -Cinnamon Oatmeal on page 196. It was delicious. I am usually not a big fan of oatmeal and I was a little skeptical of the recipe, but it was wonderful. Everyone in the family enjoyed it.

A Journey Begins With A Step

I’ve been overweight too long, and feel ready for a change. I’m currently just under 200lbs and 5’2″. I haven’t gained any weight in ages, but have held steady here. I have gone through an emotional journey over the last year and finally feel ready to tackle the physical part of myself.

Saturday I gave myself an early Mother’s Day gift, Alicia Silverstone’s book “The Kind Diet”. I had looked at this book a few months ago, but felt the vegan requirement was just too much. I’ve been vegan before, but it has been 10 years. My motivations weren’t my own. I feel more ready now. I want to do this for me. I spent several hours Sunday reading and planning; then grocery shopping.

I woke up this morning feeling terrible. I think it was all the meat and dairy I ate this weekend. So I’m committed. Vegan. I haven’t said it out loud to Hubby, probably for the best. We already aren’t eating meat much or dairy either, but he’s a little intimidated by the name. I think the taste of the food I cook and how we feel will be what convinces him. And I’m not completely vegan. I’m not sure the eggs from our chickens are worth avoiding or the Thanksgiving turkey from a local farm. I guess I’ll have to experiment and see. I will avoid the eggs for a week or two and then try one and see how I feel. The chickens are most definitely happy, so I feel no guilt about eating the eggs.

I got tons of grains and veggies at the store yesterday and am ready. If only I didn’t have this meat hangover, lol.