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.