I apologize for the lack of a post yesterday. Hubby took me out to dinner at The Melting Pot last night and despite HUGE temptation I stayed within my vegetarian guidelines. I did indulge a little bit because this was a REALLY late anniversary celebration. I couldn't stop coughing last night and today I am sick with strep throat. Haven't really felt like eating today because my throat is so swollen. Will try to eat some soup later but we'll see.
On the plus side I have some yummy things in store to cook for this week, so stay tuned :)
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Day 5-A Bit of Inspiration
Feeling good tonight. Just thought I'd share a video that my sister in law Jade shared with me. Very good and very true. Enjoy:
Inspiration: Powerful Beyond Measure (how great are you?) from Ben McDonald on Vimeo.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Day 4
Four days have gone by and I'm still feeling good. We are strongly encouraged to eat with our class and today was beef stroganoff day. I was REALLY tempted to have some, but I didn't cheat and had my own lunch today. I could hear the little voice in the back of my head saying, "Are you REALLY going to blow it, for THAT?!" I was pretty proud that I didn't have any. Usually I would have justified it by saying I would do better later that day or start over the next day, which always leads to failure.
Tonight's dinner was absolutely spectacular! See?
I know...you're drooling. Wipe off your keyboard silly, I shall tell you how I created this deliciousness.
I got the idea for a meatless meatball from a couple of recipes I'd seen while browsing All Recipes, so through trial and error I came up with a super satisfying rice and lentil "meatball." While it does not have the same texture as meat, it is a pleasant texture, and when cooked in just a bit of olive oil, has ALMOST the flavor of the missing meat. As an Italian I grew up eating things like pasta, "gravy" (sauce) and home made meatballs, and I knew I would be missing that, so this is a wonderful substitute. Even my super picky husband cleared his plate. I was impressed, to say the least. Here is my recipe, for those that might be interested. The prep work was a little time consuming, but the "meat" mixture can easily be made ahead, frozen, and used as needed.
Ingredients:
For the Italian Style Lentil and Rice "Meatballs:"
-1 Cup of brown rice
-1/2 Cup of brown lentils
-1/2 Cup of red lentils (this was leftover from a failed experiment the other day. You can use all brown or whatever color you like really so long as your lentil mixture equals one cup.)
-4 Cups of veggie stock
-1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
-1 egg
-Approx. 2 tbsp chopped garlic
-I never measure my ingredients, I just dump things in little by little until they taste good, so I will tell you that I used salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, and a bit of onion powder.
-A small handful of grated parmesan
-About a tbsp of olive oil to cook the meatballs in
For the Marinara:
(PLEASE don't be on me about canned tomatoes. Fresh tomato sauce is super time consuming and I just didn't have that kind of time tonight.)
-1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
-1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
-1 small can of tomato paste
-1/4 onion, chopped
-2 tbsp chopped garlic ( I LOVE garlic, so I tend to be a little heavy handed with it. Feel free to lessen this amount if you like.)
-I used the following herbs and spices to taste: salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning, and a PINCH of sugar (to cut the acidity.)
-A small handful of grated parmesan
-a small amount of olive oil to cook the onions and garlic in
-About 2 cups of veggie stock (I keep this on hand. It is very easy to make, I will post a recipe for it later.)
For the Broccolini:
-1 Head of Broccolini, washed and the little stalks cut apart
-a little garlic
-crushed red pepper
-a pinch of salt
-a TINY pinch of sugar
Directions:
-In a pan, toast the brown rice over medium heat until it becomes fragrant (it will have a nutty smell to it.) Cover with 2 cups of veggie stock, bring to a boil, and let simmer, covered for 35-45 minutes. LEAVE THE RICE ALONE! Don't uncover it. Don't stir it. Rice is sensitive. You will hurt its feelings. Don't say I didn't warn you.
-After you start the rice, put the lentils in a separate pan, cover with 2 cups of veggie stock, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer uncovered. You will have to stir the lentils occasionally to make sure they don't stick to the bottom. By the time they are done they will have turned into a very thick, mush-like consistency. This is OK.
-In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic together in a little olive oil until the onions are translucent. Put in the different canned tomatoes and whisk in your veggie stock. Whisk in your other spices and the cheese. It's important to taste the sauce at this point to decide whether or not you need to add more seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to simmer while you are preparing the "meat" mixture.
-Remove the lentils and rice from the heat and let them cool for a bit. I put the lentils in the food processor for a few seconds to get a smoother texture from them.
-Combine the lentils and brown rice in a bowl. Add in your bread crumbs, cheese, garlic and spices and mix together. TASTE BEFORE YOU ADD THE EGG. Make sure it's good, THEN add your egg. Unlike meat, you are able to taste at this point, which is awesome :) If it's to your liking, add the egg and mix together. If not, season until it is then add the egg.
-Add a slight amount of olive oil to a pan, turn stove to medium low, form the lentil and rice mixture into balls, and cook until browned on the outside. Be careful when turning these, especially if you are used to making meatballs with real meat. These are FAR more sensitive than meat is, so just be gentle. Once they are browned, set them aside on a plate.
-In ANOTHER pan (yes I dirtied up my kitchen tonight) saute the broccolini until tender, but not mushy.
-Cook pasta to al dente. While pasta is cooking, add the "meatballs" to the sauce carefully. Don't freaking burn yourself like I did :p
Serve the sauce and "meatballs" on top of the pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese if your heart desires. Obviously my heart desired to, so I did lol. Eat alongside with your super awesome broccolini. Enjoy!
P.S. I made eight meatballs then froze the rest of the mixture. It keeps well.
Tonight's dinner was absolutely spectacular! See?
I know...you're drooling. Wipe off your keyboard silly, I shall tell you how I created this deliciousness.I got the idea for a meatless meatball from a couple of recipes I'd seen while browsing All Recipes, so through trial and error I came up with a super satisfying rice and lentil "meatball." While it does not have the same texture as meat, it is a pleasant texture, and when cooked in just a bit of olive oil, has ALMOST the flavor of the missing meat. As an Italian I grew up eating things like pasta, "gravy" (sauce) and home made meatballs, and I knew I would be missing that, so this is a wonderful substitute. Even my super picky husband cleared his plate. I was impressed, to say the least. Here is my recipe, for those that might be interested. The prep work was a little time consuming, but the "meat" mixture can easily be made ahead, frozen, and used as needed.
Ingredients:
For the Italian Style Lentil and Rice "Meatballs:"
-1 Cup of brown rice
-1/2 Cup of brown lentils
-1/2 Cup of red lentils (this was leftover from a failed experiment the other day. You can use all brown or whatever color you like really so long as your lentil mixture equals one cup.)
-4 Cups of veggie stock
-1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
-1 egg
-Approx. 2 tbsp chopped garlic
-I never measure my ingredients, I just dump things in little by little until they taste good, so I will tell you that I used salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, and a bit of onion powder.
-A small handful of grated parmesan
-About a tbsp of olive oil to cook the meatballs in
For the Marinara:
(PLEASE don't be on me about canned tomatoes. Fresh tomato sauce is super time consuming and I just didn't have that kind of time tonight.)
-1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
-1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
-1 small can of tomato paste
-1/4 onion, chopped
-2 tbsp chopped garlic ( I LOVE garlic, so I tend to be a little heavy handed with it. Feel free to lessen this amount if you like.)
-I used the following herbs and spices to taste: salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning, and a PINCH of sugar (to cut the acidity.)
-A small handful of grated parmesan
-a small amount of olive oil to cook the onions and garlic in
-About 2 cups of veggie stock (I keep this on hand. It is very easy to make, I will post a recipe for it later.)
For the Broccolini:
-1 Head of Broccolini, washed and the little stalks cut apart
-a little garlic
-crushed red pepper
-a pinch of salt
-a TINY pinch of sugar
Directions:
-In a pan, toast the brown rice over medium heat until it becomes fragrant (it will have a nutty smell to it.) Cover with 2 cups of veggie stock, bring to a boil, and let simmer, covered for 35-45 minutes. LEAVE THE RICE ALONE! Don't uncover it. Don't stir it. Rice is sensitive. You will hurt its feelings. Don't say I didn't warn you.
-After you start the rice, put the lentils in a separate pan, cover with 2 cups of veggie stock, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer uncovered. You will have to stir the lentils occasionally to make sure they don't stick to the bottom. By the time they are done they will have turned into a very thick, mush-like consistency. This is OK.
-In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic together in a little olive oil until the onions are translucent. Put in the different canned tomatoes and whisk in your veggie stock. Whisk in your other spices and the cheese. It's important to taste the sauce at this point to decide whether or not you need to add more seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to simmer while you are preparing the "meat" mixture.
-Remove the lentils and rice from the heat and let them cool for a bit. I put the lentils in the food processor for a few seconds to get a smoother texture from them.
-Combine the lentils and brown rice in a bowl. Add in your bread crumbs, cheese, garlic and spices and mix together. TASTE BEFORE YOU ADD THE EGG. Make sure it's good, THEN add your egg. Unlike meat, you are able to taste at this point, which is awesome :) If it's to your liking, add the egg and mix together. If not, season until it is then add the egg.
-Add a slight amount of olive oil to a pan, turn stove to medium low, form the lentil and rice mixture into balls, and cook until browned on the outside. Be careful when turning these, especially if you are used to making meatballs with real meat. These are FAR more sensitive than meat is, so just be gentle. Once they are browned, set them aside on a plate.
-In ANOTHER pan (yes I dirtied up my kitchen tonight) saute the broccolini until tender, but not mushy.
-Cook pasta to al dente. While pasta is cooking, add the "meatballs" to the sauce carefully. Don't freaking burn yourself like I did :p
Serve the sauce and "meatballs" on top of the pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese if your heart desires. Obviously my heart desired to, so I did lol. Eat alongside with your super awesome broccolini. Enjoy!
P.S. I made eight meatballs then froze the rest of the mixture. It keeps well.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Day 3
Good evening all! Just thought I would share a few things with you tonight.
I've pretty much always been a veggie eater...I'm not too picky when it comes to food and I'll give anything a try at least once. In fact there's only two things on this earth that I will not eat for any reason (aside from meat now that is) and those things are nasty nasty NASTY coconut and okra. With coconut it's totally a texture thing and with okra it's both the texture and the flavor. Those could be the only two foods left on Earth and I would die of starvation before eating them. But I digress...
Thought I'd share a link to the website for a film I watched maybe a month ago which helped to solidify my decision for vegetarianism (along with subsequent research after viewing the film.) It was called "Forks Over Knives" and it dealt with how the food we eat is directly related to various illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and how FOOD could help to reverse and even CURE those things.
At this point in my life I am not ready to go completely vegan as the film and research suggest. At some point, most definitely. My goal is to get through a year of being vegetarian and then who knows, that may be next year's goal. Right now I feel like the elimination of meat from my diet, along with portion control, cutting WAY down on oils, eating 5-6 smaller meals a day, elimination of highly processed foods, no fried foods, drinking lots of water and exercise are the ways to go. Aside from the elimination of meat, the other things are always what have gotten me to the start of where I wanted to be. I've never really seen eating well as a diet, but something that I should do because it's good for me...a lifestyle change really.
On another note, I was shocked that my dad has been so nice about the whole vegetarian thing since the 1st. That day he texted me and said that they were having portobella mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese, pesto, and marinara served on top of salad tossed in lemon juice (which was awesome btw...I would totally put the mushroom in a sandwich and eat that for dinner. I will totally make this one night and take pictures.) Last night he had me over, but he made sure to have TONS of veggies present for me. Tonight they had me over again, and they were making chicken corn chowder, but before they added in the chicken or the bacon, they made sure I had a portion without the meats and again provided me with various veggies to fix myself a salad. It's really more than I've imagined they would do to be supportive, which is great that they are being so understanding, FINALLY.
I leave you all (I say you all, but I don't know who actually reads it...more for me anyways, but if it helps someone else, then great) with another quote for the evening.
"Great changes may not happen right away, but with effort even the difficult may become easy." -Bill Blackman
I've pretty much always been a veggie eater...I'm not too picky when it comes to food and I'll give anything a try at least once. In fact there's only two things on this earth that I will not eat for any reason (aside from meat now that is) and those things are nasty nasty NASTY coconut and okra. With coconut it's totally a texture thing and with okra it's both the texture and the flavor. Those could be the only two foods left on Earth and I would die of starvation before eating them. But I digress...
Thought I'd share a link to the website for a film I watched maybe a month ago which helped to solidify my decision for vegetarianism (along with subsequent research after viewing the film.) It was called "Forks Over Knives" and it dealt with how the food we eat is directly related to various illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and how FOOD could help to reverse and even CURE those things.
At this point in my life I am not ready to go completely vegan as the film and research suggest. At some point, most definitely. My goal is to get through a year of being vegetarian and then who knows, that may be next year's goal. Right now I feel like the elimination of meat from my diet, along with portion control, cutting WAY down on oils, eating 5-6 smaller meals a day, elimination of highly processed foods, no fried foods, drinking lots of water and exercise are the ways to go. Aside from the elimination of meat, the other things are always what have gotten me to the start of where I wanted to be. I've never really seen eating well as a diet, but something that I should do because it's good for me...a lifestyle change really.
On another note, I was shocked that my dad has been so nice about the whole vegetarian thing since the 1st. That day he texted me and said that they were having portobella mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese, pesto, and marinara served on top of salad tossed in lemon juice (which was awesome btw...I would totally put the mushroom in a sandwich and eat that for dinner. I will totally make this one night and take pictures.) Last night he had me over, but he made sure to have TONS of veggies present for me. Tonight they had me over again, and they were making chicken corn chowder, but before they added in the chicken or the bacon, they made sure I had a portion without the meats and again provided me with various veggies to fix myself a salad. It's really more than I've imagined they would do to be supportive, which is great that they are being so understanding, FINALLY.
I leave you all (I say you all, but I don't know who actually reads it...more for me anyways, but if it helps someone else, then great) with another quote for the evening.
"Great changes may not happen right away, but with effort even the difficult may become easy." -Bill Blackman
Monday, January 2, 2012
Day 2 Dinner and Some Thoughts...
This was my awesome dinner this evening. It was a bed of southwestern style whole wheat cous cous with black beans and a bit of organic AND vegetarian Monterrey jack cheese topped with some various skewered veggies, with a lovely salad of mixed greens, grape tomatoes and toasted walnuts. I am feeling really good so far. I know I can do this. I HAVE to do this and I will do this. I was SO tempted to have just a bite of the steak everyone else had, but I didn't. It smelled so delicious and looked so wonderful, but I am proud that I told myself no and ate what I had. My super awesome husband had originally agreed to go vegetarian with me, but he has a difficult time with new veggies, so he has agreed to cut back on meats and have vegetarian dinners with me at home so I am not tempted. I am proud of him...he tried squash and zucchini this evening and liked them! It was shocking but also nice because those are two veggies that I can now add to the menu that I haven't been able to cook for him before.
I have also requested my husband that he help hold me accountable for my actions and that I will do the same for him. I get so frustrated sometimes when I confess my true weight to my friends and the response is always, "Oh you're not THAT big." Like I would WANT to make up a number that high. Sometimes I wish people would be honest and say, "You know what, that IS bad, but I am here to help in any way I can." I really wouldn't have hurt feelings. My husband was kind enough to say, "You know...you REALLY need to lose weight because I love you and I don't want to see you like this." It was just nice to hear and really encouraging.
I am headed off to bed now. Looking forward to what tomorrow brings.
"Discipline is remembering what YOU want."
Day 2-Breakfast
This morning's breakfast was a "southwestern" style sandwich. It was super delicious and filling. I appologize for the crummy phone photo (the memory card was not in my good camera at the time so I had to make do.) The ingredients are simple, it's really easy to make, and you can adjust them as you see fit:
Ingredients:
-1 Cage Free, Organic Brown Egg
-2 to 3 thin slices of an organic cheese of your choice (I used brie because it was what I had)
-A heaping spoonful of an organic salsa of your choice (I used Wholly Salsa.)
-1 bagel, toasted
-A light sprinkling of salt, garlic powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper (when I say light, I mean light. I used these for the egg.)
Directions:
-Cook the egg over easy, sprinkling with the spices
-Toast the bagel, top with the egg
-Top the egg with your cheese
-Top the cheese with your salsa
-Place into the over on 400 until the cheese is melted
-Top with the other bagel half and enjoy!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
January 1-Day 1
"I wake up every day with the realization that this is it, that there's only one shot at this life and I can either enjoy the ride and live it to its fullest and to my highest potential or I can stay the way I am."Well good morning and Happy New Year to you all! I am going to begin this journey with a photo of myself right now. Please forgive my tired face, I am sick with a cold. I intend to take a picture of myself on the first of every month to track my changes.
Right now I look at this picture and I am pretty disgusted with it. I don't want to be this person anymore and I intend to change it. I am actually excited this time and I refuse to hit 30 at my current weight, which is a whopping 350 pounds. Yeah, I know I said 340 last time, but the last time I stepped on the scale was maybe 8 months ago. What's really shocking to me is how much I gained back in a year. Last January I began a diet, starting at 350 and had lost 35 pounds by April. I was really beginning to feel better and then I hit that wall, which is where I usually fail, and now here I am right back where I started.
This year I vow to push through that wall and continue on a path to healthy eating and living. I know some people may think that becoming a vegetarian is extreme, but it all goes along with pushing through and challenging myself. I am making a lifestyle change and I am committing to vegetarianism for one year. This is day 1. Let's see how this year goes.
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