Author Archives: Emily

Vegan Challenge Thoughts, and Lunch

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We’ve completed another Vegan Month!  The husband and I both successfully eschewed all animal products (mostly; there were a few packaged food slip-ups) for all of February.  First off – No, we didn’t pick February because it’s the shortest month.  But yes, we are glad we didn’t have to go another three days!

For the most part, the challenge was a success.  Adam completed the entire month with me and I am so proud of him!  Our main goal was to push ourselves back to the kitchen and that definitely happened.  Other than the last week or so (which with 4+ tests would have been crazy even if we had a personal chef!) we pulled back from our take-out habit and got back to basics.  I made a few old favorites, and discovered some great new vegan recipes.  It was wonderful to get to flex my creative muscles in the kitchen again.

The part that wasn’t so successful was our attitude.  We started strong, but towards the end we just couldn’t wait for the challenge to be over.  I’m actually not sure I deem this longing a failure though.  It wasn’t a “I want pizza and nachos and buffalo wings, oh my!” craving, all though those things did sound good.  Instead I found myself desperate for scrambled eggs and lean meat.  All I really wanted towards the end was a turkey sandwich.  Unfortunately, since I couldn’t eat the sandwich I ate a lot of french fries instead.

Now that the challenge is over, we are going to return to our normal diet, with improvements.  Adam is going to cut back on his milk consumption and mix it up with almond milk half the time.  I’m going to continue to question whether or not every dish really needs cheese.  We are going to continue to try to ratchet up our produce consumption.  We’re going to continue to enjoy a lot of meatless meals, but we are also going to feel good about eating lean, humanely-sourced meats.  We’re excited about it.

Now on to today’s lunch.

I finally got that turkey sandwich.

Chicken actually, this was a Sandwich Thin with horseradish mustard, 2% swiss, and Applegate Farms Organic Roasted Chicken Breast (more on that in a sec).

I usually tend towards turkey because I’m afraid chicken will be slimy, but this was anything but.  I taste-tested while I assembled my sandwich last night and was very impressed.  The roasting gave a great smokey flavor and one serving has just 60 calories.

Plus another juicy pear.

Ok, secs up:  At the start of vegan month I received a rather ironic product sample –

a variety of meats from Applegate Farms.  While I don’t have a moral issue with the consumption of animals, I do think it’s imperative that those animals be treated with respect.  Applegate Farms makes products that mesh with my values.

When I opened the package to squirrel cold cuts into the freezer, I discovered they also sent a cute book, children’s illustrations alongside their food philosophy.  I think this page sums up my response to the vegan challenge pretty well –

[Eat less meat, enjoy it more!]

Do you eat (any kind of) meat?  Why or why not?  What’s your food philosophy?

GTL

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No, not gym, tan laundry; that’s gym, test, late!

Gym  Adam dropped me off on his way to school and I made my first gym visit in weeks.  40minutes on the elliptical with my metabolism flash-cards.  I was on random, level 6, but it wasn’t a very high impact workout because my legs were barely moving since I’m dying.  (Future doctor says I’m fine, but I say he hasn’t finished medical school yet and I’ve probably got meningitis.)  I wasn’t done with my notecard stack after the elliptical so I did another 10minutes of walking on the treadmill to finish up.  What I lacked in enthusiasm I made up in length.  <– that’s what she said

Test  I have my first big nutrition test today and I’m not feeling very prepared.  Think 80 multiple choice questions with answer choices A – J.  If I wasn’t queasy from dying then my nerves are taking over, so I’m not sure what the deal with breakfast will be.

Late  This evening I also have my late music class.  When I get done at 9, if I’m not too zoinked, the plan is for the husband to pick me up so we can go see a movie.  We’re wild and crazy like that.  If I post dinner at all it will be late, but do check in around noon for my final thoughts on the vegan challenge.

Do you watch “Jersey Shore.”  I’ve actually never seen an episode!

Furtive, Unfathomable, and also Enigmatic

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I’ve been away from the computer all day, it feels good to get back!  Only for a minute or two though, I’ve got a major exam tomorrow!

I think I’ve also got a cold.  Not to worry, I still blame all my tiredness on inconsiderate barking dogs, but I’ve got some definite sickness symptoms as well.  My interview went great (I don’t want to get into more for privacy reasons) but the minute I left the office I was practically shaking with exhaustion.   My neck/throat are so sore and puffy too.  Not to worry though, the husband decided that with my swollen nodes I look like a bullfrog when I shrug my shoulders; this has delighted him to no end all day long.

Thank goodness Adam didn’t have school today, he could drive me to and from my interview, and also to Wegman’s for a study session.  Thank goodness I packed a comfier outfit than my suit to change in to.

Not so great was that forgetting my socks meant I couldn’t change shoes; I felt like I was playing grown-up grocery shopping in heels.

And grocery shop we did (Wegman’s has the new Chobani flavors!), but first a study session and hot bar.

Even though the vegan challenge is over I still stuck with mostly veggies,

plus a little chicken for fun.

And when we got home hours later I snacked on another Bananas Foster Bar.

Seriously guys, make this recipe!  It’s like tasting Banana Bread and Coffee Cake’s wonder baby that could take over the world.

Dinner was delicious but secretive, I’m testing the recipe for a contest I’m entering and I can’t share.

Roasted brussels sprouts,

plus the mystery sandwich.

Tasty, and hopefully it will somehow magically make me smarter for tomorrow; fingers crossed!

Lift the veil; tell me a secret about you!

Vegan Challenge Recap

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Right now I’m walking to Wegman’s to study and enjoy a (non-vegan) lunch with the husband.  I just finished my first big interview for the program my fingers and toes are crossed that I get accepted to.  I’m going to post a recap with all of my thoughts on the Vegan Challenge tomorrow, but for now I wanted to share some of the highlights and things I learned.

Cheese is good, but quesadillas can be even better without cheese.

The healthy-living blog community is a great source of fantastic vegan recipes.

Vegan food can be fun to dip, especially in Stubbs BBQ Sauce.

Veggie sushi will rock your socks.

When cookie dough is vegan, you can eat it with a spoon.

This tastes just like apple crisp.

You can make a burger out of eggplant.

I love chia seeds. 

I’m obsessed with cocoa. 

You can totally make a banging casserole without cheese.

I think my peanut butter noodles I good enough to enter in a contest.

You don’t need cheese on your pizza either; at least some times!

Banana Foster really is my favorite dessert in any form.

Finally, I learned that vegan meals can be fun, but I like diet wiggle room better.

End With A Bang

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We’re over vegan month.  Did I mention that yet?  The thought of eating those leftovers for dinner made me want to gag.

Actually what I’m really over is the barking dog; I’ve got a huge, important interview tomorrow and a test on Wednesday and I feel like a walking zombie.  I barely got a stitch of work done this afternoon, and it’s a good thing I decided I wasn’t in a dinner mood (ha!) because the thought of heating up a plate was too much.

But it is the end of an era month.  I like to go out with a bang.

Those are Banana Foster Bars.  They are vegan.  This is the recipe.

You’re welcome.

Dunchfast

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Dunchfast = this post covers breakfast, with dinner snack (yesterday’s) and lunch (coming later today) thrown in as well.

Yesterday after dinner, I enjoyed a snack while I studied for today’s metabolic pathways quiz.

That’s a half serving of Fiber One Caramel Delight Cereal, with soy milk and a few vegan marshmallows.

After I prattled on about being recharged from my lazy weekend, I had another terrible night’s sleep!  Probably part studying until after midnight and part being so cold that I actually got up at 2am to add another layer.

Breakfast needed to be good.

It was goooood,

and pink!

On the stove top, I cooked 1/4 cup of oats with 1 cup of water and 2/3 cup (frozen, defrosted) strawberries.  In the last few minutes I stirred in 1.5 Tbsp chia seeds, and I topped my finished bowl with 1 Tbsp each chunky peanut butter and maple syrup.

I’m not sure I’d try fresh strawberries in oatmeal, but the mushy texture of frozen ones is perfect.  Strawberries add this great tangy and sweet back-flavor.  Just be carefull; they hold a lot of heat so your bowl stays really hot!

I’m heading to school early to look over past quizzes before my first big nutrition test this week.  Since lunch is pre-packed, I thought I might as well pre-post!  A serving of leftover Tempeh Hashbrown Casserole,

with a juicy D’Anjou pear.

Just for fun – apples or pears?  Peanuts or almonds?  Broccoli or cauliflower?

I’m apples, peanuts, cauliflower 🙂

Flurry

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It feels like I’ve lost my blogging mojo lately; I’ve just been so wiped out with tiredness that I’ve got a case of writer’s block.  I get my worst sleep when I’m tired (thus compounding the problem) and so the last week has been a little blurry.  Last night was supposed to be my salvation but the downstairs neighbor’s dog barked long into the night.  <– I hate them.

Part of my blogger’s block is related to the fact that we are over Vegan Month.  O-V-E-R.  It’s not a “I want nachos and pizza” kind of thing, more a “I would feel healthier eating a turkey sandwich and scrambled eggs right now.”  It feels like lately we’ve been eating junk, or nothing.  I’m going to do a full recap at the month’s end but we consider the challenge both a success and a fail.

Today’s vegan eats, even though I didn’t actually have the energy to eat until after 3pm, were a success.

From the Co-op hot bar I had sweet tofu and grape leaves,

sesame rice with raisins and corn and kidney bean salad,

and red curry tofu and seitan hash.

I also had a Lemon Steaz,

and some potato chips.

Dinner came amid a flurry of cooking.

Tempeh Hashbrown Casserole from Eat, Drink, and Be, Vegan; subbed red onions for green onions and added tons of extra paprika –

Vegetarian Country Captain from “Cooking Light;” subbed raisins for currants, skipped the almonds, skip the rice, hold the cream –

The two dishes came together nicely, yin and yang of sorts.

I loved the sweet and savory mix, and pairing the veggies with potatoes instead of rice was great, because I hate rice.

Final note – I love the word flurry, don’t you?  Similarly, whenever my BioChem teacher uses the word slurry – a thick suspension solids in a liquid – it makes me hungry.

What are some random words that you like just because?  Mine are whimsical, twitter (before it was Twitter), bubble, and temperance.

Wanted: 18 Hours

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It’s been a busy week and I’ve been sleeping fitfully for days.  It caught up to me.

We got home from school at 12:15 and by 12:17 I was in sweat pants, in bed, in slumber.  I’m up to scrounge for food and then I’m hoping to be back on my pillow asap.

I’ve got a volunteering event in the morning, but regularly scheduled blog content will return tomorrow afternoon.