I'm BAAAAACK!

Well I am back after a looooong hiatus. Kinda just happened after a trip out of town then got sick when I got back then daughter brought home not one but two viruses in a week and took a little while to get over that and well, just pure plain laziness. Gotta call it what it is. I am turning over a new leaf, one of the many leaves on my tree of good intentions.

 So what's happened in the weeks I have been gone. Lost 14 lbs altogether(since I started in July, not since Oct when I blogged last). Still not eating meat even though we did try putting fish back in but after not eating meat the texture just didn't thrill us so we took it back out. Just had a whole week of being just vegetarian and at the end of the week figured out that I have no control unless I stick to my mainly vegan diet, go overboard too much and it just snowballs downhill. The candy at the checkout at stores became a battlefield and I lost a lot last week. But am now able to win the battle, there is a miniature Reese's cup sitting on my desk and has been taunting me for 3 days now and I have resisted it. But I do wish someone else would see it and capture it....I'll have to give away it's location to one of the girls. Figured out if nothing else then I am a vegetarian, no going back from that now. Won't say I will never eat meat again because 'never say never" but it would have to be a pretty special occasion, say my birthday next year at Bubba Gumps and then it would be just shrimp and lots and lots of it. I AM planning that already, hehe. If I had an awesome memory I would remember other stuff these last weeks but I don't so I'll just start fresh now because I have taken everything out of my memory that is there.

This week I have started something new. Hubby comes home from work starving especially if he's eating straight vegan. You get hungry more often when eating a good vegan diet, at least that is what we found. So I started making a pot of soup or a salad so when he walked in the door he had something good for you to eat and then we had a later dinner that was more on the light side. He is such a happy camper. Doesn't even notice I haven't cleaned too much house this week, the key is the tummy, keep it happy, lol. Only problem is that the recipes are made for a family of six, not a typical P. family. So I was thinking I would have leftovers for lunch and quickly figured out that I need to double soup recipes because by the time we have ate and put away for Harry's lunch, nothing left very often. Good things I have cooked this week: Homemade minestrone, butternut squash soup(oh so yum), pasta and veggie salad, and MACARONI salad(vegan)---there is a choir of angels singing that in my head. I love, love, love macaroni salad and it tasted like macaroni salad. Happy taste buds! Last night's dinner was a huge hit. I'll post the recipe below. Black eye pea stew, so simple, clean and yummy. Whew I am typed out so I will thrill you with more another day. It's good to be back. Feeling more centered already.

Black Eye Pea Stew

8 cups of collard greens cut up

2 cups veggie broth plus 2 cups water(may not seem like enough but greens wilt)

1 can petite diced tomatoes

12 ounce small red potatoes cut in 1/2in dice

1 can black eye peas, rinsed and drained

Salt and Pep to taste

Place veggie broth, water and collard greens in dutch oven and bring to boil and cover then cook for about 15 min. Then add tomatoes and potatoes and cover and cook til potatoes are done, around 20 min. Then add black eye peas and cook til they are heated in stew. That is it. Just so light and clean. Only 180 cal. 1 fat. and 8 fiber for those of you  who count.

Dog Days

I really do feel like I am one of those dogs that no matter how hard you try they just don't get it!! I mean they do the the same thing over and over again and you think, "really, you don't have a brain in your little head." Well me and my diet are the same. I see the benefits, I feel the benefits, and I love the benefits but seem to slip back into the cheese and dairy again and again. I have lost 12.8 lbs and 4 inches from the waist but it could be so much better. We are now playing with the idea of adding fish in and hoping that would take away the cheese and dairy problem, well actually Harry already added fish back in. The Dr who recommended this diet does eat the fish. The health benefits from fish are good as long as you check out how much of what fish to eat so not to add too much mercury to you diet. In the beginning we actually wanted to add fish but decided not to so maybe we'll give it a try. Not really craving it but a good tuna sandwich does sound heavenly. I do think fish is much better than cheese and dairy. My face will probably think so too. I need my good complexion back. I don't know, just rolling things around in my head. I just want to do what is healthy for me and all meat but fish is not. What do I call myself now? Not a vegan, not a vegetarian, I think it's a, crap, don't remember, had it but it went out of my head. Maybe the moral of the story is I shouldn't label myself and just eat what is right for me. I am tamatarian!! Any thoughts? Anyone?

It's Been How Long?

Gracious I didn't realize til this morning that I had not blogged in forever. I think that this is just because I am so used to this no meat world now that it's not a big deal anymore. But I find that I am better at a more vegan based diet if I am blogging, it's my police so I have to come out of hiding and blog more so I can feel the guilt if I eat too much dairy and cheese. Tomorrow I will add sugar to this. This has just been such a amazing journey of trying new things and finding I do have weak will power when it comes to cheese. But the truth is that I am not losing weight anymore because I am cheating over and over again so I need to stop and lose some more weight. I want to get rid of my heartburn meds so bad so I need to lose more to stop it. I have tried a few new things lately so I will get back on here tomorrow when I have more time and delight you with my little tidbits.......

But on the bright side......3 MONTHS of NO meat.  Yippee!!!

When Will I Learn?

Yes you should eat breakfast, everyday! I have yet to learn that lesson. I got up and had my coffee and a little diet pepsi and then decided to just get out and get my shopping done, without eating. I just didn't  want to eat. Thank goodness for my can of peanuts. I bought a can of peanuts and keep them in the car and when I get out and get weak from hunger I just buy a diet coke and have coke with peanuts....some of you southerners know what I mean....you actually pour the peanuts in the coke and eat and drink. Hits the spot and gives a protein boost. Now I am just cooking spaghetti for dinner and doing a minimum clean up then wish and hope and pray that the pantry fairy comes and puts away everything I bought today. I am going to count on it.....hope the fairy is reading this.   ;))

French Tofu Toast

French tofu toast may not sound yummy to most but I have to say it was good. I have ate tofu three out of the last 4 days. This is from someone a few months ago did not want to cook it or look at it or eat it and now I'm looking through my cookbooks for more recipes that I want to try. All the changes in my life in the last year are mind boggling to me but it all feels right and good. Back to my tofu breakfast, I took the silken tofu, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla and blended til smooth then dipped the bread in it and fried like reg. french toast. The egg flavor with syrup always got to me a little so this solves that problem and it browns up just like the regular. I added too much oil to the first few pieces and that caused them to be a little soggy so next time I am going to just spray with pam and I think that will work better. Topped with real maple syrup, good start to the day but going to have to have some leftover soup soon to calm down the sugar rush from the toast AND my coffee. I made a big pot of veggie soup last night and it's always better as leftovers the next day.
I am not even gonna talk about Friday night.....all I can say is my love for cheese is a little diminished after those cheese fries. So maybe I can control myself for the next week. I hope so because I feel better when I behave. Well it's time to put on a pot of beans for dinner. That with some potatoes and turnips is going to be a good start for the week.

11 lbs and 3 inches!

Sounds like a short and really fat baby, huh? :) But thinking about the statement, my oldest was 11 lbs and 4 1/2 ounces so when you look at it that way then it's seems a lot better to remember the hunk of fat you lost then just looking at numbers. I've lost the equivalent of a fat baby! This so far is simply without trying at all because I just can't seem to get in the hang of totally healthy eating. But the really, really funny ironic part right now it I have to lose almost the same weight still that my oldest weighs right now. Oh well it will happen eventually, at the rate I am going only another 2 yrs and a few months. Guess I should behave and ramp up the losing......I'll start Monday.
Still no craving for meat. Yes still having cheese some so I should classify myself right now that I eat a vegan type diet with the exception of cheese on more than rare occasions. Oh and those of you who couldn't sleep the other night wondering about if I went to subway or not----yes I did!  But last night I made a phenom dish. Fried tofu like my favorite restaurant makes with stir fried veggies in a homemade Asian veggie broth and fried rice, it was sooo yummy!!! Tonight is gonna be a surprise, hopefully it's good because I ate at taco bell today and now I have a little tummy ache.....it happens almost every time I eat at taco bell so maybe I should avoid it unless I am desperate. I was today. Maybe hubby will take me out to eat, I can probably persuade him. He needs to get out and relax before starting to study anyway, right? Ooooh another mystery, will I persuade him or not?

10.2 lbs

Yes I am celebrating my .2 because now I can say I have lost OVER 10 lbs. Small victories will add up to a big victory. Wish the small victories would come faster but you know that would take will power that isn't present right now, at all. But I did have tacos last night without cheese and am glad for that but by lunch today the cheese called and I resorted to a wee little bit on my Amy's Burrito and the most devastating part is that it was so good it didn't need the cheese so lesson learned, only use cheese as a last resort. It would have been a totally vegan burrito and I goofed it up. Just look for the Amy's burrito that is bean and rice but no dairy. I was totally shocked at how good it was. Tonight is a dilemma, I can't find my tofu. I think it got thrown away after the fridge incident on Sat.( cran-grape juice spilled all over fridge). So it looks like a trip to store or subway........ah don't the mysteries just kill ya?

Twisted Ankle, UTI, and Cheese

The title says it ALL!! Going good last week and then Friday rolled around. I was out weeding the many, many flower beds I have and twisted my ankle, luckily not a bad twist, didn't even swell or turn blue. I immediately hobbled in an put it on ice and it's just sore now when I do something stupid. Well didn't want to hobble and cook so it was pizza because and I needed comfort food and that's my excuse. Then around 9:30 that night uti hit right out of the blue, I mean NO little hints it was coming that I usually get so that I can flush it out fast. Hardly any sleep that night and urgent care doesn't open til 12:00 and I was there at 12:05. Getting that under control now. But in all this process it has made me a cheese fanatic, it's what I want for comfort food. I don't want meat at all still and don't want dairy except for cheese. Even my posts are about cheese. I just love the word, CHEESE! A slab or slice or hunk of.....remember school house rock? Ok enough of me justifying and on to other stuff. Last night we had spaghetti, with a tiny bit of shredded *%$&. Tonight I had a request for lentil tacos, my hubby would turn into a lentil if I cooked them as much as he wanted me to. It usually involves curry too. Lentils and curry. I can handle the lentils but the curry is something I still have to adjust to. Not my favorite spice.

I AM going to have self control today. I AM going to have self control today! But what's a taco without................tune in and find out, does she or doesn't she?

10 LBS.....YIPPEE!!!

Don't have much time now but will get back on here later. But I have lost a total of ten lbs and forgot to put it on here. Eating healthy not too much but still slowly losing. Still striving for eating healthy.....think I will always be striving, lol. Especially if there is cheese in the world ;-)

Full of Beans! Yes I am!!

My tummy is either thanking me or telling me off, not sure which but I am going to go with it being thankful. I really could eat a bowl of pinto beans every day. Cooked with just salt, no oil or ham hock. I am back on the vegan style diet and have forsaken cheese for now. Although it has not been super healthy it is basically back on track to getting it healthier. Monday I was all set to cook creole beans and rice and thought I had the stuff to make it but when I went to cook dinner the ingredients were no where to be found....some pantry pest made off with my beans! Well it was that or I have to admit I just totally forgot that I had made it the week before and used all the ingredients, uh pantry pest took it definitely. So since I hadn't been to store I sent Bethany to taco bell, they made me a crunchy taco, no meat, no cheese, add beans. It wasn't bad. Sunday night I had made veggie soup and have been eating off that for lunch and breakfast, hey, anything goes for breakfast....don't judge. Basically for my soup I just throw cans of whatever veggies I want in it, liquid and all, some spices, and then add v-8 juice til it's covered with enough liquid to simmer. This time I cut up 3 zucchini and cooked with it to give it that thicker texture and when the zucchini is done then basically the soup is. It's quite tasty. Last night it was Thai food, gracious that stuff is good. But eating out is not healthy so I decided to cook the beans tonight with cabbage and mashed potatoes. I put too much butter in potatoes so I am going to have to cut down on that, eventually. Oh and cornbread, the old fashioned way, not too healthy but very yummy. I did accomplish breakfast this morning so I do deserve kudos for that. Bowl of oatmeal with a banana sliced in it and some raw sugar. Filled me up!  Well the problem with cooking is that I have a kitchen to clean, ick ick ick! So off to clean I go, yuck!

Oh and I have lost another .8 lbs which brings the total to 9.8 lbs , almost to 10. Slowly I go ounce by ounce.....

Tomorrow is Another Day

Tomorrow I am getting back on track....I have started to feel bad like I felt before I started this diet change. My bursitis is getting worse, it hadn't bothered me in weeks. My hair is getting oilier and face is starting to break out so I think that is a sign that I was doing something good for my body. Going back to a vegan diet and continuing to cut down on sugar, oil, and processed foods. Still having a hankering for a hunk of cheese so I am going to try a few things to deal with it, I'll let you know how it works. Any ideas are appreciated.....greatly!!

Very Bad Days

Ok, true confessions time. I have had a rough time this week in that I can call myself a vegetarian this week because I have fallen off the vegan wagon bad. I got so obsessed with cheese it was totally affecting every part of my life. I didn't want to cook because I didn't want to eat. If it wasn't cheese then I really didn't care what I ate because it was just for the sake of eating. It really was the worst craving I have ever had and I resisted for a few days then decided that if my body wanted something that much then maybe I should just have some. Maybe it needed it. We went out to eat and I had REAL cheese and it was good and it didn't satisfy me like last time. I still had cravings and still obsessed. I decided a little break was in order and have been having dairy and eggs this weekend. Have NOT had any cravings for meat at all, have no desire to have any and for that I am thankful. Monday will start afresh and try to have better coping skills. Not sure what to do when those cravings start because nothing I tried to substitute would take the cravings away. Maybe I need the dairy, only time will tell. I'm gonna do some research. I don't want to stop all the benefits I have seen so taking it a day at a time.

I am a Bad Blogger!

Ok I am pms-ing bad so I find I don't want to cook or eat. I am bloated so the scales need to taken out and shot. I know in one part of my mind that I shouldn't pay attention to the number til the bloating stops but the pms totally beats down that part. I am starting to have cravings so tonight's dinner will be an unusual fare. Don't think we have had anything new in the last few days, just the basic stuff. But tonight I want those whole potatoes in the cans with a cheesy sauce, new fake recipe. I want also this recipe that calls for vegetarian baked beans, macaroni, and french fried onions(the ones in the can). It sounds like a casserole from hell but on the other hand today sounds absolutely heavenly, I am obsessed with it today, I think I can save it's soul with a little onion, ketchup and tiny bit of brown sugar. To keep the hubby appeased it will be a quinoa and red lentil type stew for him. Oh and rolls, yummy rolls. No I do not want to cook but these things are a must so I guess when I end this I will start cooking. Hopefully this means I am near the end of this hated woman thing since I want to eat tonight. You know the actual concept of me not wanting to eat is still SO foreign to me. I kind of like it in some ways, it means I am changing my body and not letting the food control my day. On the other hand when you have to cook and can't rely on eating out it helps to actually want to eat. I should just listen to my body it won't let me starve to death, it'll tell me when I need to eat.

Sept 9, 2010

Today I stepped on the scales and had lost a little more weight, so now I am up to 9 lbs. We've been going almost 8 weeks so that would be a little over a lb a week average weight loss. Not bad at all! Must be all the beans from the chili and last night was pinto bean night with turnips and fried potatoes. In the spirit of eating healthier I only put about 2 tbsp oil in a big skillet and put the potatoes in and cooked with the lid on so it would help steam the potatoes. Then when they were cooked through I took off the lid and turned up the heat and browned them. That oil was the only fat in the whole dinner.

This morning I decided to cook oatmeal in the microwave. I put it in a big enough bowl that it would not spill over and then cut up a fresh peach and put in and sprinkled a little raw sugar in it. Nuked it for about 2 1/2 min. Then added about another tbsp of raw sugar, which is a LOT less then I normally use for oatmeal. It was pretty good but may add a little vanilla or almond extract tomorrow morning. I think that will give it the umph it needs. Guess what I had for lunch, you got it---beans! But for dinner it was Baked Ziti! Instead of ricotta the recipe called for tofu seasoned up. It was good. I had a side salad with it. That was the first salad I have had in a long time. I thought I would be more dependent on salad but hardly ever have one. Today was a totally unmotivated day so I am thankful I got dinner done. Not tired or sick just unmotivated. Tomorrow I have to find motivation, I think it may take the form of coffee!! Early and lots of it!

Fantastic Weekend

I haven't blogged since Friday but that was the start of our Labor Day weekend and it was a good one. We went to a Trader Joe's up near Cleveland in search of red lentils. Love TJ but this one was the size of a good sized convenience store, they were doing construction so hoping they are expanding(fingers crossed). Went to a Books A Million and found a good cookbook and and a book called Eating Animals that I am in the process of reading, I will let you know how that one is. Since we didn't find the red lentils at TJ's then it was off to whole foods which was just right across town. I found my red lentils, they were in the bins and I pulled it too long so I have enough red lentils for the the next year.....or two. Saturday I made Harry a dahl, basically a red lentil curry type stew. I am not a big fan of curry but he LOVES it so I guess some nights I'll be making two dinners. Had to buy a spice called Cardamon for the dahl, which now I will take an insurance policy out on. It was almost 12 bucks a bottle but have since learned I could have bought it cheaper at Whole Foods, go figure. Got our computer desk and home office started on Sat and a little shopping at Sam's club. On Sunday we went to the Toledo Zoo. I spent 3 hrs walking around and Harry commented toward the end that he was impressed at how much energy I still had. He said a few months ago you couldn't even walk through Walmart without slowing down. So I feel like I am starting to get my life back. In two months with no exercise my energy level and endurance has shot through the roof. I am very very pleased!! On Monday I did have to take it easy because my legs and ankles were yelling at me but overall I spent 3 days going, going, and going and I recovered quickly because by yesterday I was ready to go again. Did I say I feel great?!?!? My knee is complaining a little but I just tell it to be quiet!

Ok so what else new have I cooked lately. Gracious I really need to blog more often because I have no memory. Oh I made an Invisible Roast. I put onions, potatoes, and carrots in the crock pot in big chunks and then took a vegan dark broth(g washington was the brand) and poured over it and salt was the only seasoning( I need to figure out a good spice for a beef flavored dish) then cooked til potatoes done. Had some green beans and rolls and it was good. Actually had it twice in the last week. I cheated on Jo Wok and ate at Bangkok Kitchen in Toledo on Sunday. I don't feel guilty I will just have a polygamist relationship with both. They each have their own unique yumminess. One husband but two Thai restaurants, it's a happy life! Oh I almost forgot I made chili last night. It was good. I used Seitan, a meat substitute but really will just add an extra can of beans next time because I couldn't really taste any flavor it gave so why not just put in extra fiber. Need to figure out how to get it thicker. I think I know so when I get it perfected I will add it to here. Well enough for one morning, I will be back later and hopefully that means tonight or tomorrow morning.

I Had CHEESE!

We had decided last week(before my blood work) that we would take birthdays and have a little of the stuff we have been really missing. Surprisingly it is not meat we really want, it is cheese!!! So last Tue. was Harry's birthday but he had two really big days at work coming up so we decided it wouldn't be best to take a chance on upsetting the tummy before this. So last night we ordered pizza with REAL cheese. OH my it was like eating a little piece of heaven. Harry just wanted plain cheese but not me I had to have Marco's White Cheezy....tomatoes, onion, no bacon, different cheeses including feta. I have to say it was so so so good. I am gonna be honest here and say I was scared to death that once I took that first bite of cheese that from now on I couldn't not resist it. So it was kind of a test for me to see if I could eat something and go right back to eating vegan again. After eating 3 slices my tummy was quite insistent it was time to stop. Then my tummy preceded to grumble and growl for....well it's still going this morning. Harry and Jo were sitting beside me and heard it clearly. And I hit the bed early because then my tummy started to hurt and felt this bad fullness that I haven't felt in a long time. This morning I really have no desire to go our and eat something off the plan so it was a success I guess. Feeling more relaxed now that I know I didn't go off the deep end of a pool of cheese! And looking forward to next birthday, crap it's not til April......hmmmm pizza for Thanksgiving!! Unless someone wants to come celebrate their bday with me, any takers?

You CAN'T be a BAD Vegan and Get Results!

Well now I know that you can't just eat anything that is vegan and get the blood work you want. I got my results back and not a big improvement and in fact doubled one part. Over all cholesterol dropped from 180 to 170, LDL dropped from 125 to 103(good drop), HDL hovered around 35 each time, my triglycerides almost doubled from 98 to 164. Eeeek that last one threw me til I realized what I have been eating the last few months and realized that I have not in the least been watching my sugar intake or processed food intake and "white" carb intake so I shouldn't be surprised at that one. Now comes getting rid of all that other stuff at least a majority of the time and see what the next results in 3 months are. The doc took me off half of my zocor so I really have to watch what I eat now or my numbers will shoot through the roof. So Tuesday I am mostly cutting out the other stuff that is bad. The people who got the good numbers did not eat what I have been eating so I guess I can't have my cupcake and eat it too. So phase two begins in a few days....the hard hard part. The great part is the blood results did not make me want to go out and just eat meat. Even if this doesn't work eventually I may never eat meat again anyway. Because in the end I have lost 8.6 lbs and 2 1/2 inches from my waist and feel waaaaay better than I did before so it is working just not in the big way I want it to yet!

Catching Up!

Hubby asked last night if I had blogged and I said a few times but not much which got me to thinking that I should. I just do better if I sit and write down thoughts and other such stuff. Haven't heard back from Dr. yet, hope to today. But he doesn't work on Wed so maybe not. Just feel blessed to have a Dr who is not afraid to do things different. Haven't been eating well lately. The one thing this life change did is cure my addiction to eating all the time. I tend to just not eat or forget. This is so abnormal for me. That's all my mind would think about some days so I am trying to make a concerted effort to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I find myself not feeling good and realize that I haven't eaten. So my feeling bad is my own darn fault! I actually had a slice of whole grain bread with peanut butter this morning so I am off to a good start. Gonna munch on some fruit in a little. Not really been trying new recipes and except for cupcakes for hubby's birthday yesterday. We've been having a lot of rice and stir fried veggies lately but today I am going to change that. It's roast night.....without the roast! lol I found some seasoning packets that seem like they would mimic beef broth so I am putting potatoes, carrots, and onions in a crock pot and cooking them like there is a roast there. Jo's been asking for green beans so there is also a packet that looks like it mimics chicken broth so I will cook the green beans with those. A little corn and tomatoes and I can't wait for dinner. Gotta fix beans sometime this week too, been to long without them. Oh yes the cupcakes, the margarita ones turned out pretty good and pretty. I had one even though the tequila was not cooked out in the icing. Probably shouldn't have. There was not that much in it but I did have a little reaction to the alcohol. Oh well guess this diet didn't help that little problem with alcohol sensitivity. The gluten free vegan not quite my cup of tea, might be if I left the flax seed out. Whew those little things leave a strong taste in food, good for you but not good for the taste buds in the amt in recipe. Might leave out next time. My next cupcake next week is red velvet. I hope it's good.

Nervous!

Tomorrow I do my first blood work since starting this diet. I am nervous that there will be no change but know that if not a tweaking may be needed. Can't see myself stopping this diet anyway. I feel too good to stop it. So I will check back in tomorrow and let you know if I get results back and how Harry's Margarita cupcakes turn out for his birthday.

Movies that make you think!

Well I have been complacent in my diet lately and not making the changes that I need to make and I think that God smacked me on the head tonight. Last week in the paper I noticed that there was an interesting article on a movie premiere in the area at one of the local high schools. The movie was called Forks over Knives  and is a movie based on the whole foods plant based diets and two of the leading Dr's who have researched the good effects of this diet. We happen to have both books these Dr.'s wrote. The movie will be released in theaters on March 11, 2011. The screenwriter lives here in this area in the summer so a local deli/store sponsored the movie to be shown here first. It really drives home what this diet can and does do. So I am going to make a more concerted effort drop the things in my diet that I still need to get rid of. The personal stories through out this movie really drives home the fact it does work. But saying goodbye to oil, processed sugar, processed foods will be a chore and may take a little longer than it took to do the animal, dairy, and eggs. But this IS what I need to do. I am more convinced than ever. I see the Dr. Monday and get blood work done next week to see if just cutting out what I have will have made a change. I am sure it is not as big of a change that I will see once I have cut the other stuff out. So here I go to phase two, expect plenty of failures but in the end hopefully great success!!

It's been a busy couple of day. It seems like I haven't had a moment since Sunday to do this. Every time I have had the time I simply forgot to blog. Got my son off the college again, middle schooler started in school, and car shopping since our son took our car because his bit the dust. On the bright note I have lost 8.2 lbs altogether now and about 2 1/2 inches from my waist. Really can't tell you what I have ate in the last few days, just the usual fare I think, nothing new. Been trying to make healthier choices though. Hopefully things will settle down and I can get back to trying some new stuff. So I AM going to keep up with this better, really!

Jo Wok...I love you....psst don't tell Harry!

You ask who is Jo Wok, I'm not sure but it is the name of the restaurant we went to today. A truly wonderful little Thai place in the next town over. Wasn't hip on cooking tofu again so brainstormed and decided to try a new Thai place. They had vegetarian options and since there is not too much cheese or dairy in Thai food then we felt it was a pretty safe bet. Harry had curry w/tofu and I had veggie deluxe. We ordered a fried rice and just had them leave out the egg. It was ultra yummy!! And we went back to Qdoba last night. So now we have a few options to eat out that are very satisfying and that will help when the weak moments roll around in the future. On the home front I haven't met a fake hot dog I really like. Still full from lunch so thought we'd just have a little fotdog. Harry liked it better but that was probably because you couldn't taste the hot dog what with the mustard, relish, onions, chile sauce, and other assorted things. Well tomorrow I have to go back to cooking, no excuse. Maybe will try fake chicken Parmesan or fake meatloaf, you know your mouth is watering just thinking about it.

What did I eat yesterday?

I had a very bad eating day yesterday. Nothing of any real nutritional value. If the tofu scramble had turned out then maybe I would have had at least one thing nutritional. I don't think it turned out bad just not my taste. Ok I had 3 oreos, 4 peanut butter and crackers, a diet coke and peanuts, and for dinner----spinach tofu scramble, fausage, and biscuits. Yep I'm really ramping up my good eating huh? But the good news is that my bloating is going away and maybe I will start losing again. I have tried to be better today. NO OREOS!  And I am going to eat some fruit soon as I get off here. I'm just not a breakfast person, not in the sense I don't want to eat it just in the sense I wish someone would cook it and bring it to me. I need to just cook and cook. My hubby, he who has the will to do anything for any length of time is wavering. Gotta pour over the cookbooks for recipes I have cooked and need to cook to get his hankering for protein satisfied. I am sure this is a good thing and just need to refocus to get him going again. We might add fish in, just thinking about it. We had planned on eating fish all along but changed our minds, may change it back now. It'll be a mystery for the time being.  Ok I am going to go eat my fruit before I forget. And take my vitamins, my legs have hurt since I started this so I am not getting something or getting too much of a med. so on the 30th going to check in with doc.

Weak Moments and Fantastic Findings

Yesterday Harry and I went to see a movie so I cooked dinner early(creole beans and rice) so we could go to an early movie. By the time we were out of the movie we were starving! At this point is where you start really craving everything in site because right around you is every fast food joint known to man, just a slight exaggeration. I figured we would just find a Wendy's and grab some fries. We noticed a little Mexican rest. beside Wendy's  so I thought I'd just google it on my phone....guess what????? It's the same type of restaurant as Chipotle which is totally awesome. I got my fries then we made a backtrack to Qdoba Mexican Grill. Oh my it was fabulous! I had a burrito with flavored rice, pinto beans, corn salsa, tomato salsa, guacamole, and lettuce. It weighed a ton and I actually brought it home and served half of it to Nate. It was all legit too! I think that I need to open my eyes and look around and do some investigating, there is no telling what I will find. Oh and on a side note, I had pinto beans for lunch, hehe. I think I might turn into a cute little pinto bean someday!

Oh Cupcakes why can't you leave me alone?

I have had a bad relationship with cupcakes these last few days. I really have not used a lot of oil these last few days as in cooking but oh my the futter(fake butter) is going to make me fatter. Sounds like a Dr. Seuss book!  Futter will make you Fat  ok I have gotten off track here. Where was I? Oh yeah, bought cupcakes at whole food, didn't learn my lesson last time. Then yesterday was my oldest turned 23 so I had to make her a gluten free cake, and Jo had a reg. cupcake leftover from whole foods, and I thought I'd make a homemade batch of cupcakes for me and Harry. You notice I didn't have cupcakes left over. Hmmm I taste tested way too much. The icing was just as good as the can. I judge some things by the store bought because it's the best. The cupcakes were really more like a very sweet muffin. I think I'll try a new recipe next time for the cupcakes but the icing worked. Really any icing recipe can be converted easily by just adding the fake butter and soy milk in the place of butter and milk. Bethy could take the soy in the icing but I must be use to the taste but by the third one I could taste the soy a little. Yes I said third one, they were not big ones, really. All that work made me hungry. I seem to be cooking three different versions of things a lot. Luckily Nate eats any of it. But generally I cook the gluten free, vegan, and regular. Love the days when one thing works for everyone.

Other than the cupcakes I have been on a bean feast. Monday night had pinto beans, mashed potatoes, turnips, and squash. Oh gracious I want some more. So yesterday I had leftover beans for breakfast and leftover beans for lunch. I think I still have some in fridge so there is my lunch again. Since Bethy was the birthday girl she got to pick dinner and she picked..........subway. Yes the vegetable hoarder was working but I didn't know who he was so now I know him and can request....Pile on the veggies!!! Bethy must have been tired from working and decided she just didn't want to eat out because we were all rooting for a restaurant. Oh well Harry's bday is coming up so we have hope to eat out. I figure on birthdays when we eat out I may have a little something something, you know? A little cheese maybe or dairy. But maybe not, I'll just keep pondering on it for a few weeks.

ONE MONTH!!!!

Yes I have made it to the one month point! Woohoo, Yippee, uh well that's about it. I could say I went out and celebrated with a big burger......but I didn't, didn't even want to.  Did go to whole foods Sat night so I have been munching on their deli section samplings for the last few days. Just had reg pasta and sauce last night because the deli foods made me feel bad. I have figured out that my cooking is what keeps me feeling good and while I love to cook it's very depressing in a way to know I can't just hop up and go to any rest. and eat. That is the biggest thing that would hinder me is just getting tired or feeling bad and wanting to just  go and grab something fast and quick. It's an ongoing learning process and I think my solution is to cook a couple of meals every other day so I have something in fridge for lunches and leftovers in case I just want to not cook. And there is always subway but the one here has vegetable hoarders, I'm like come on give them up-- they are just veggies. Guess I'll have to start asking for double veggies. Good news is that I have lost 7.4lbs this month! I am bloated right now so I am not going to step back on scales for a few days, what did I just say? I mean I am not going to pay attention too much to the weight, some habits just are hard to break. I think it's funny though that now I can feel when I am bloated because before I really couldn't I just felt bloated all  the time. Now I have this lighter feeling and am really shocked that the scale doesn't say 20lb weight loss because that is what I feel like I have dropped. So after a month I am saying I am ready to keep going. I feel GOOD!

It's been a while!

I just realized that I have not blogged since Wed. It just seems like yesterday. Guess I've been busier than I thought I had. Okay wed. night I did end up having the lentil tacos and Mexican salad again. I went with refried beans for mine, as explained in comment section of wed.'s post. Thursday was a little unorganized so we decided to eat out. I was in S. for a dental appt that ran way over so the rest of the family met me and Nate over there to go to Chili's. It was the first time we ate out in a sit down rest. in 3 1/2 weeks, those who know me well know that this is some kind of mini miracle. They actually have a vegetarian fajitas that is not on the menu and we had the beans and rice with it. And the chips and salsa appetizer is vegan. Me and Harry discussed that we can't be all freaky about the fact that something may have some ingredient hidden in it. When we eat out we just make the best decision that we can and don't worry about it. So am I a deep rooted vegan, nooo, it just best explains how we are eating. I can't get caught up in every little ingredient that I can't even figure out what it is. I do think that something we had at Chili's wasn't legit because of the way my body was yesterday. I find that I am more in tune with my body and know when I have not been eating healthy. Could have just been all the oil it was cooked in, because it was greasy!

Yesterday I had a little oatmeal and bean burritos fresco style. But for dinner I was wanting a hamburger realll bad so we had boca burgers and Jo and Beth had real burgers. I had to buy the meat at the store, I have to tell you that after having read comments from people who work at slaughter houses it takes everything I have to just buy the stuff much less cook it. I let Beth cook it when she got home from work. I do have to admit though that the smell of a real burger while eating a boca burger made me think it was better than it was! So my smell helped me. I loaded that burger down too and to top it off.....I made homemade onion rings. YUMMY! I put onion rings in soy milk then in flour then back in soy milk then in panko bread crumbs then fried them. Yes I could have baked them but just wanted to have that really fried taste. Next week I have to start cutting down on oil so I am having fun while I can!! Whew my fingers are tired, I guess I shouldn't wait too long about posting again.

P.S. when I mention I used soy milk it is always the silk, organic, no sugar added version. If it's any other I will say so in the blog
Oh and for all you southerners----the vanilla almond milk in the dairy section, I buy it at walmart, tastes like boiled custard. Harry was a happy camper.

Pleasant Surprise

I got up this morning and stepped on scales and have now lost 6.8 lbs altogether and an 1 1/4" off my waist!! and really I am not watching what I eat. I just try to make most of the day healthy. I am loving this.

Monday I did not get the lentil tacos made and neither did I last night so tonight I have to. Monday I went with a black eye pea and collard green type stew. Sounds healthy huh? Well I made fried cornbread to go with it so the health factor went down a little bit. And last night was Moo Shu Veggies with fried rice. All I had to do with fried rice was leave the egg out. I just added some yummy veggies. The two main meals were from Supermarket Vegan, the cookbook I blogged about the other day. Utterly Fantastic cookbook, some of you may be receiving one as a present from me. I'm sure there is some little copyright issue with me typing half of her book on my blog. Tomorrow night I have to have pinto beans, I absolutely CRAVE beans now. I just want a big bowl of beans all the time!!! The only meat dish I miss is hamburgers, it's the only thing right now that I look at and just want to have. You know there are a LOT of hamburger commercials on tv, really, a lot. Oh and Master Chef made me want an egg reallll bad last night but I am over that, it was a fleeting craving. Well I am off the the local health food store later to see what they have. I have not been in it since I starting eating vegan so I hope they have some pleasant surprises.

I am home!

I made it back to Ohio and am looking forward to doing some cooking. Officially lost .2 lbs while away....please notice the dot in front of the 2. It's not 2 whole lbs but just .2 but I consider that a victory because I did not watch fat intake whatsoever I just ate bad vegan all week. So the grand total for 3 weeks is..........(drum roll)..... 5.2 lbs and about an inch off the waist. Not bad for a highly stressed traveling time! But today I have to get back into cooking and it will be something easy. Harry has requested Lentil Tacos but I think that is a stretch today or maybe not. Guess we'll see what the day holds. I do NOT want any subway or taco bell. I did however get to have pizza Sat. night. There is a restaurant in Bowling Green KY called Greener Groundz and they have vegan options. The pizza was great but I forgot I don't like sun dried tomatoes so next time I am in town I will have to change the topping around a little. Guess I should go and get my house together.....my hubby would not make a good bachelor.

Ugh--Food Boredom and Thought Provoking Books

It's been a few days since I have been on here but I've eaten not much except subway veggie subs and well subs and spaghetti and some more subs. Oh I did break the monotony and ate at Panera twice. Greek Salad without feta cheese and Mediterranean Veggie Sand. without feta and yummy black bean soup. It was a nice break. Haven't been able to cook much and looking forward to getting back to my stocked kitchen but this is where I am needed now and wouldn't be anywhere else. Looks like my Dad is doing good and may come home tomorrow and if so I will head back to Ohio Saturday because I am sure peace and quiet is what he will be needing. Have been reading a couple of good books I have picked up at the bookstore. One is The China Study and is more of a clinical type book which seems really interesting. The other one is called Skinny Bitch and I LOVE this book. I highly recommend it unless you are easily offended then don't pick it up. Quite a few different 4 letter words in it  but it is so entertaining and informative that if I had read this and didn't know what vegan was I may have become a vegan before this. A few of the pages were hard to get through but if I ever get a craving for meat all I have to do is think about these pages and I don't think I will have a problem not eating it. Lisa, some of it had to do with the truck full of chickens you told me about seeing on the road.....it was rather disturbing but necessary for me to read. Well those are my thoughts today. Hopefully I can keep up better now that things have calmed down a little.

Traveling

It seems that traveling is as hard as I thought it would be if you are just starting out trying to be vegan. I have not ate anything I couldn't have but it's certainly not healthy and I am soooo craving some good food. Tomorrow I think will be less hectic so I am hoping to get something cooked instead of eating on the fly. I started out yesterday morning on the road trip with not much for breakfast( would tell you but I really can't remember what I ate), Wendy's fries and a fresco bean burrito for lunch and a couple of nutter butters. As soon as I got to KY I left to go see my Dad in hospital and then grabbed a veggie sub from subway in hospital. I think next time I need to pack better than I did because my munchies just didn't cut it. I did stop by store and grab some essential items.....Kroger here rocks!!! for my essentials. Had another veggie sub today for brunch since I got up at 3:30 to get to hospital I didn't even begin to try to eat. I can't even remember what I put in my mouth today....just made sure it was ok and ate. My Dad made it through surgery and is doing good. Here's hoping that tomorrow I will have a more healthy v day! Think I will go and grab some rice krispies, yum.

Biscuits and Gravy

Yesterday I got the hankering for biscuits and gravy and after looking at several cookbooks I decided to try to make it vegan....not healthy but vegan. So I got up this morning and took a little time to wake up. I am not someone who can get up and cook breakfast right away so if I am cooking of the morning it is more like brunch. I have scars from trying to cook before I get good and awake. So anywho, I found a recipe for drop biscuits, easy and quick. Then I just made gravy like I normally do but with oil instead of bacon grease, soy milk(silk organic, no sugar added) instead of milk, and a vegan breakfast sausage instead of reg. sausage. A lot of the fake meat has eggs and milk added so you just have to read the ingredients to get the ones without. It was soooo good. It's not something I would cook and eat every day or even once a week. More like every few months because it was not too healthy but just feels great to know when I want a good old southern breakfast I can make it. The rest of the day is just snack around although the urge for fries hit big time so off to Wendy's we went and they hit the spot. Not a very healthy day I am having, I'll confess Nutter Butters too, yes read the back no milk or eggs.
Tomorrow I am traveling so it should be interesting. I think Taco Bell because I need the fiber of the bean burrito(without cheese or ordered Fresco). Got to pack a snack bag tonight. Yummies to keep me straight!

Just had the most awesome dinner. Lentil tacos and Cinco de Mayo Mexican salad. They were both sooooo yummy. I have a cookbook to recommend. You don't have to be vegan to like it.  It's called "Supermarket Vegan" by Donna Klein. I have yet to find a recipe that I have not liked. I have tried about 5 and have a dozen more I want to try and have every confidence they will be as good. So if you are trying to incorporate more veggie dishes in your diet you can't go wrong with it. Also had the boca chicken patties for lunch.....ok it really does freak me out a little when it looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, but it's definitely not chicken. It was a success. Jolie even had to have one after she tasted mine. She has become more adventurous in her eating. She loves the tofutti ice cream cuties.
Had my first feeling of weakness today. I had a little craving for a burger. Not to the point that I wanted to go and get one. I was reading a book and the character was having a nice juicy burger....ah just for a minute I thought that sounds so good. But it was gone after a bit so all is well. Also I miss just going to a restaurant and sitting down and eating. Gonna have to look on my restaurant list and find a place to go soon.

I think my body realized yesterday I was doing something different. It was protesting off and on all day. I had a pain in my right side most of the morning but then just periodically the rest of the day. Finally managed to get out but was wiped out. Amy reminded me that it's usually the second week that the body figures out something new is happening and it doesn't like it. This is usually when things start getting tough but surprisingly it doesn't make me want to go out and eat a burger.  I don't have any desire to "cheat" yet. We ended up just grabbing subway again. I see a lot of it in my future. I will be traveling Sunday, I think, and am trying to find my options  of eating on the road. Cracker Barrel is definitely out. I've looked up websites and one will say something is vegan and other will say it isn't. It's very frustrating but just came to the conclusion that I am going to go with the website that looks like it did the most research before putting it online. I am not going to fall up and cry my eyes out if I happen to accidentally eat something I shouldn't. That would be a sight on the side of the road, wouldn't it? Anyway, I am just going to make the best choices I can with the info I have and go with it. I am traveling because my Dad is probably having a valve replacement on Monday and the hospital has a subway downstairs so I'm sure I will have a few meals there next week. I think just being around the hospital will give me the motivation I need to stay with this. My Dad has gone through a lot with his heart and I just don't want to go through what he has if I can help it. Keep him in your prayers this week.

Today was try a new recipe or two day...new twist on soup and salad for dinner. I made a lentil soup but some how didn't realize that a cup of lentils will not make a tremendous amount of soup. I know next time to double or triple. And to go with it I made a Thai tofu salad. Harry loved it but I do not love tofu enough yet to love it. Other than that I had leftovers all day with a little watermelon and have been munching on blackberries all afternoon. Just washed a bunch up and went by and grabbed a few every time I passed them. I was craving pizza so I made a vegan one quick and it was not as satisfying because I was too lazy to cut up veggies to put on it. That somehow sums up my day...lazy.  I think it sums up this blog entry too. Anyone wanting either recipe give me a yell and I'll type them up tomorrow. I don't think I have the energy tonight. So before I bore you to sleep I am heading off to bed.

I seem to have forgotten to blog last night...must have been that I piled up on the bed and took a nap. Yesterday was a pretty boring eating day. Instead of trying new recipes I decided to clean out my pantry and take stock of what I had and throw away a few things out of date and got rid of some stuff nobody would eat. Now today I am ready to cook. Had a good meal last night of beans, potatoes and mac & tomato juice!! Now I crave beans, all the time. A friend reminded me "you are what you put in your body." At this rate I will be an old fart!! Yesterday for lunch I had a can of veg. chili, ick, it was just bitter. I think I can definitely do home made better than that. Think I will wait for cooler weather though. I do really think I could have macaroni and tomato juice everyday. I just cook up elbow mac. and drain then add a can of tomato sauce. It is so simple but just so good. I use the mac that has lots of fiber so it's giving me some good stuff. Just add the tomato sauce to suit you taste for how much pasta you have. Well I am going to try to post again tonight to get back on track. See ya in a few hours!

Did not quite get my blog accomplished last night. Fighting off a little virus last night. Poor hubby worked all day, came home and mowed the yard( and actually at this point I was out weeding the many gardens), and ended up finishing dinner for me because I was just out of it. I did manage to get some spaghetti down. Pretty much had oatmeal and leftover enchiladas so not a very exciting recipe day. I just ate the last of the 4 cupcakes, thank goodness!!! Now I can get back to healthier eating. I just feel dirty after I eat one it's so rich. Sometimes a good dirty and sometimes a bad dirty. Wonder what today will bring....I feel like trying a new recipe!

Veggie Enchiladas

Oops forgot to put it at bottom.

3 peppers, can be green red orange or yellow or combo cut in strips
1 med sweet onion cut in strips
salt, cumin, chili powder to your taste, I always use more cumin than chili powder
canola oil to saute veggies in
1 can enchilada sauce
vegan cheese, mozz and cheddar, I use Daiya(I think that's the way it's spelled)
1/3 package silken tofu
Portabello mushroom if desired, sauted with veggies or I just sauted them in a different skillet and added to a
1/2 of enchiladas----Harry's half
6-8 flour tortillas

Saute peppers and onions in canola oil with the spices until crisp tender.
Spread about a TBSP of enchilada sauce on each tortilla then add a thin strip of tofu and sprinkle a little of both kinds of cheese over it then add the veggies on top of that and roll them up and place in a 8x11 baking dish that has a little sauce spread on bottom==continue and divide mixture into rest of the tortillas....once all are in pan pour remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas then and leftover veggies I just poured on top and sprinkled with a little more cheese. Cook at 350 for about 30 min.

The combo of the silken tofu with the vegan cheese on top of it took the form of the cream cheese---when you bite into it you can't tell that it isn't cream cheese. And a word of warning a little vegan cheese goes a looooong way. Too much will just about choke you. And this would be great not vegan just sub real cheese and a little cream cheese instead of the tofu and fake cheese on inside.

One Week

I made it one week, yes!!! And I just made killer enchiladas! The best I have ever tasted, not to brag, just happy that when I have a recipe floating around in my mind and it comes out tasting just the way I wanted it to I am a HAPPY girl! I used to make a recipe that my bestie Lisa made and loved them but no ground beef and no cream cheese anymore so when Harry said he wanted Mexican food I immediately thought of these and then my mind turned to how to get them vegan and how to get that cream cheese taste. So I will put the recipe at the bottom and apologize because I didn't count anything so hopefully you can follow it without too many problems if you want to make them. Kind of just snacked around today til dinner. Had a 6" veggie sub again, some fake Tso chicken, some black quinoa slaw, and some club crackers. Oh and a cupcake, they came in a 4 pack so I have to make them last because we won't be going back to Cleveland for a few weeks.
Today is Nate's bday and he didn't want a cake and instead wanted chocolate chip cookies. He's a bit of a health nut and doesn't care for cake but cookies are another thing. So I made some big cookies and luckily I have a chocolate chip cookie left over from the store yesterday so when the craving hits tonight and it will because I see the cookies every time I walk in the kitchen, I will have one to fall back on.
Overall it has been a very successful week full of pleasant surprises. Biggest surprise is that I absolutely love eating this way!! Will I want other things someday, sure, I am positive I will have moments of cravings but I think this is the plan for me.

Day 6

I feel like I have went off the deep end and have cheated so bad. I haven't! Everything I have ate today has been vegan but years and years of dieting and feelings of the immense guilt that goes with it rears it ugly head over and over again. I ate a cookie and a cupcake both V but they tasted so good that I had feelings of guilt. I think that a lot of what I are today was just rich tasting so in my diet abused mind it had to be bad. We ran to whole foods for a few things that I needed to stock up on and ordered the veggie vegan pizza before we started shopping. It was good but too much feese(fake cheese). I think next time we will order it with just half the cheese. Had my version of blt for breakfast. In a way so glad whole foods is a little piece away because they make the best food. Peanut butter cookie was the best I have ever had, anytime and the cupcake I couldn't even really finish it was so rich. We went by the deli counter and they had vegan dishes. Stacie they did not have the sesame tofu, I asked. But we got a little of the General Tso's chicken, it was soooo good. I cut a piece off and it looked like chicken. I was greatly impressed and will ask next time what fake chicken they used, I need to know!!! Kids really would not know the difference if you did not tell them.
When I stepped on scales this morning I had officially lost 4 lbs since Monday, yeah!! See in my mind just now I thought "well that is till I ate the cupcake and cookie". I just need to tell that voice to shut the heck up, huh? Except I didn't say heck, hehe. The funny part was I wasn't even really craving sugar. I think it was that I hadn't eaten enough before going in store and just the abundance of vegan foods all ready made and ready to eat just was too much for me. One day I will learn my lessons, hopefully!!

Day 5

Well I broke down and went to subway....not I didn't cheat!!! I just needed a veggie sub today and it was good. No cheese, no real mayo, just veggies and bread with a little vinegar and a little oil. I came home and put nayonaise on it and it hit the spot. Still finding I am not craving sweets, really weird not to be craving sweets. In face we went shopping today and I of course forgot to eat and Jo wanted something so I just grabbed chips at miejers and a sweet tea at sonic....I almost couldn't finish it. It didn't taste good...it tasted normal but not good to me anymore. Guess I should be thankful so I will be.
Like I said yesterday there are some foods you just shouldn't smell, well I think there are some foods you should just close you eyes on...vegan boca burgers. They look a little not tasty but did taste good. I don't think the family wants me cooking with my eyes closed though. I think I could do it though, lol.
Been reading other things on internet today about veganism....really sad how people can't just accept that some people just want to stop eating meat and products from animals. I'm doing it to see if it does have a good effect on my health. Some people do it for other reasons. I'm not trying to get anyone else to do it, not even my kids. It's a personal choice and it just saddens me some people are so narrow minded. And I am soooo thankful I have supportive friends and family. Love you all!!

I think I figured out why I lost a lot in 2 days....not due to diet or not eating enough, just that time. I'll still take the 3 lbs though however it came off!! Really did not have an appetite when I got up so this morning instead of grabbing a couple of vegan cookies I just grabbed some nuts. Figured that would be better for me than the sugar. Then a little later I made J and I some oatmeal. I forget how much I like oatmeal, of course it wasn't as healthy when I added sugar and fake butter but I will gradually reduce those things as time goes on.
#1 lesson for the day--don't smell things, especially if it is fake meat, just cook and see if you like the taste. It does not usually taste like it smells, thank goodness! Found that out with Fotdogs(fake hotdogs) but I just added mustard and relish and was able to get it down. I find that I probably won't use much of the fake meat because it just doesn't do it for me. Now boca burgers are another story, love those. We did the southern thing tonight, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, fake kielbasa and sauerkraut. So it was a fairly easy night. I have a request for Mexican tomorrow night so I guess I will try a new recipe. I'll let you know how it goes.

Day 3

I fear I am doing something wrong! I get a little lightheaded in the afternoon and wonder if I am not eating enough. I think what I am eating keeps me satisfied and I don't feel the hunger pains but then get dizzy because I haven't ate enough. I have lost almost 3 lbs since Monday so maybe I am not eating enough. Can I say eating enough too many times? haha I feel fantastic other than being lightheaded. Systems are running smooth, TMI huh? Still loving my FLT(Facon and tomato sandwich) for breakfast and my yogurt, fruit and chocolate chips for an afternoon pick me up. Tonight was pizza night and it was way yummy. Pillsbury pizza crust and ragu pizza sauce are both vegan. Throw a bunch of veggies on and then the fake cheese(can't remember the brand) and it was a success. Of course we had 3 pizzas--mine and Harry's vegan--Bethy's gluten free--and Nate and Jo's regular. Bethy's had homemade crust and homemade sauce, not mine, I went for easy. The grilled cheese for lunch was not as successful. Not all the cheese melted and the texture was a little weird. I think I will try to find some other brand of sliced cheese when I go back to whole foods.
My goal for tomorrow is to remember to eat more often and see if that helps.

Tofu stirfry: Stirfry cut up tofu(1 1/2 cups) in peanut oil in a wok with a little sesame oil til tofu is browned. Then add some garlic and about 4 or 5 cups of veggies of your choice(broccoli, red pepper, onions, green onions are good) saute til crisp tender then add a combination of 3 tbsp of hoisin sauce, 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, 1 tbsp sugar mixed together and pour over and cook additional 2 or 3 minutes. I think next time I will add a little ginger. Then serve over rice. I am typing this from memory so if you need additional help just let me know. I may have forgotten something. OK I checked recipe and the amounts are right. For you tofu avoiders chicken can be used.

Day 2

Two days down! Only weak moment was when I was leaving Walmart and the smell of the fried chicken wafted over my way. Ahhhh the smell! If I had just remembered everything on my list I wouldn't have been there anyway. But am coming to realize I will have to go to grocery store more often because I buy more perishables now. Also find I am not craving sweets much the last two days. I thought it was my diet coke that was making me crave sweets but I am still drinking those. No I have not become a total health nut.....just can't give up my diet pepsi yet. I tried and tried but I need a vice and that is it for now! It is vegan, I think, not looking to find out! Don't tell me if you do know it is. Ignorance is bliss sometimes!!

Loving Ezekial 4:9 bread toasted. Today I added nayonaise(fake mayo), fake bacon bits, and a tomato fresh out of the garden and that was my breakfast. It wasn't bad but I think tomorrow I am going to try a new facon(fake bacon, haha) to go with it. The leftover beans was my lunch spiced up with fritos(yes they are vegan, yes). I cut a watermelon in half today and have ate a whole half of watermelon today, just went by and would grab a bite so that was my snacks today. And yes we did have tofu tonight and I ate it and liked it. I will add the recipe and you can replace the tofu with chicken. Just serve it over rice. It was extremely yummy!! It versatile too since you can just add whatever your favorite chinese style veggies are. I won't probably get around to adding it til tomorrow. I am typed out today! So nite all!

Creole Beans & Rice

Requested Recipe

This has been a favorite of ours. I just do it by memory so this will be not recipe style.

Saute 1 med onion in a big pan in a little canola oil. After a couple of minutes add 1 small can of green chiles and 1 cup of rice and mix and stir for about a minute. Then add 2 cans of vegetable broth, 2 cans of black beans(rinsed and drained), 2 cans of pink beans(rinsed and drained), and 2 cans of tomato sauce(the 15 oz ones). Simmer and stir frequently. Will take about 20 minutes for rice to get tender and for it to thicken. I like to add corn to mine when I put it in the bowl. I will try to find the recipe because I have the ww points added on it. It has tons of fiber.

I made it through my first day as a vegan...had a close call when Jo left her leftover pizza laying on counter. It's that old mother thing where you just pick up what your kids have left and eat it. It's funny because Harry had come home for a few minutes and he almost did the same thing. Found out today that I looove Amy's lentil vegetable soup but it doesn't love me. Oreos are vegan...yes O*R*E*O*S are on PETA's approved list of grocery store items. And lay's potatoes chips. Yes I am eating for health but the 1st month I'm told is the hardest so any little treats are fantastic. I will wean off after I have gotten use to this. It is hard going in the grocery store though. I didn't realize just how little you find in a store that is vegan. We got to the checkout and I looked around and told Harry that everything you see you can't have. Peanuts was the only thing on the checkout aisle you could buy. It was a little depressing when I realized that all those candy bars are off limits now but then again there is a very clear line on what I can and cannot have so in one sense it is easy. Favorite thing of the day was my blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries with soy strawberry yogurt put on top and sprinkled with vegan chocolate chips. YUM! Our old standby for dinner was creole beans and rice. I've been making it for years and it's one of our favorites so I'm sure once a week it will be on the menu. Tomorrow I am breaking down and making Harry a tofu dish. It sounds good. We'll see. I will try to keep an open mind.

On a side note it's funny how people think this is radical but how much more radical is it that someday a dr may take a vein out of my leg and put in my heart. Hmmm I think I want to try to avoid that. May not but I am going to give it a try!

Well I have spent the last few weeks eating foods I will not be eating for a while or very very rarely. I am ready for this now I think. Over the last few weeks I have realized that while traveling I will probably be a vegetarian. It just seems so hard to travel and be able to fit the vegan lifestyle in. Maybe after I have done this a while it will be much easier than I think. Took the trip to whole foods last night to stock up on a few things we need to get us started. They make vegan pizza in their pizza section, isn't that cool? We would have tried it but there was 2 pieces left and guess what the people in front of us ordered...you got it....2 pieces of veggie vegan pizza! I tried not to be angry and just ordered the last two sausage pieces....they were goood! Next time we are just going to order a whole pizza before we do our shopping. The vegan not the sausage, I think! lol

Ok so my goal is to blog almost every day and basically keeping a record of what I'm eating and what works and what sucks! Hope there is not too many of the last. And record my slips, on purpose and not on purpose. I will have turkey on Thanksgiving not tofurkey. Unless I find I love it, I somehow don't think so though. So tomorrow here I come. Taking pictures, measurements, and weight and we'll see where I am at in a month. Won't be posting these things yet, I'm not that brave people!! Wish me luck! See ya tomorrow!

Ok I put a real life pic of me....fat. This was a monumental decision and my hands are still shaking!!

So how did I get to this point where I a southern born, EVERY food loving girl decide she needs to forsake eating all meat and meat products....well I am glad you asked! It has a lot to do with my good looking(his words) hubby. We had made the decision a few months ago to try to start putting more veggie meals in our diet and that went downhill pretty fast so that probably makes you wonder then why in the world is she wanting to go the big "V", eeek, yes I squeak when I think about it too hard! Well it all started the week before last when my husband came in from the Dr. waving a paper in my face, grinning from ear to ear saying "Look at this and it was totally unsolicited!" You would have thought he hit the jackpot and I guess in his mind he did because he's been slyly trying to get me to go v for a while. It was the recommendation from his Dr. that a vegan lifestyle would lower his cholesterol and promote overall better health and weight loss. I must admit I did do the eye roll, a couple of times! But I started listening and started thinking about all the times I have tried dieting, over and over and over again. The failures and the extra weight I gained back every time and most of all the all consuming counting of EVERYTHING I put in my mouth. Let's just state the fact the my husband has a much better will power than me...I kind of don't have one. But I'm gonna buy one before I dive into this....anybody know where to get one cheap??

Here's where I tell you the serious stuff....My fraternal grandfather dropped dead of a massive heart attack at age 52, my dad had his first heart attack at 42 and has had many procedures so you see where this is going. It certainly looks like I am next in line if something drastic isn't done. I am already on 80mg Zocor for my cholesterol and at least, ok this is the very very hard part, 125 lbs overweight! That was really really hard typing that, in fact the computer wouldn't save it at first so it was have sympathy feelings for me too but the facts are the facts and hiding from them is not going to get me anywhere. I'm starting to have other health issues and I see the writing on the wall--hospitals and needles--nowhere near the top 100 of my favorite things!! So instead of "living to eat" I am going to learn to "eat to live" or put another way I am not going to "eat to die" anymore. Well that is in 2 weeks when I DIVE into this new adventure. For the next two weeks I am going to explore the world of veganism and start trying to figure it out enough that I have a clear plan and won't drown in the pool of failure! Then I am jumping off the deep end. I don't plan on trying to convert anyone. I just want a few friends on this journey for support....my husband is of course happily on board, even the kids are supportive but not forcing them to convert just encouraging better eating. And I know Lisa and Amy you will be there supporting me every step of the way so I am saying Thank You now. So here we go!!