Tomato Pie = Love

It's amazing when a fruit or vegetable dish feels like a naughty indulgence. That is the case with this tomato pie. It's the yummy nummiest perfect time of year tomato dishes of ALL kinds and I am a lover of all things solanum lycopersicum. Although the summer tomato is a perfect snack, or meal, all on it's own, I like to kick it up a notch sometimes. Jeff says he waits all year for all of the forces combining to create the perfect pie. Yesterday, all of those forces combined (basically, the best tomatoes I had seen all year). The result.....

 

 

Tomato Pie

1 1/2 - 2 lbs heirloom tomatoes (a variety of colors looks really pretty)

1-2 tsp salt

1 deep dish pie crust

1/4 C veganaise (or mayo if you aren't vegan)

3/4 C Daiya mozzarella style shred (or mozzarella if you aren't vegan)

1/2 C Go Veggie parmesan style topping (or parmesan if you aren't vegan)

1 tsp thyme

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 Tbsp chopped chives + more for sprinkling

1 Tbsp chopped basil

1 Tbsp olive oil

Pepper to taste

 

Thaw the crust (or make your own if you're good at that).Thinly slice the tomatoes, place in colander, and sprinkle with salt. Toss a couple times and let sit 30 minutes. Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Mix the remainder of the ingredients except for olive oil and pepper in a medium bowl. Spread the filling in the pie crust, arrange tomatoes over the filling, drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes, add a few turns of the pepper mill across the top, and bake 40 minutes. Add additional chives and parmesan shavings if you like before serving.

 

Enjoy! We sure did.

 

I'm only sad I didn't bake two because that pie didn't survive the night.Truly the tang in some of the heirlooms, the sweetness in some of the heirlooms, the saltiness of the cheeses, and the richness of the herbs combined to make my favorite meal of the summer.

 

I Think I've Figured It Out. It's Going To Have To Be Vegan (Mostly)

I think I've figured out why I've been having so much trouble keeping up with the "nutritarian thing" as my friend calls it. It's the pickles. I HAVE to have the pickles. And Earth Balance. I NEED to be able to sauté mushrooms sometimes. Or squash, or Brussels sprouts. And I WANT flax bread. I don't take my capitalization lightly here folks, so it's going to have to lean toward vegan (mostly) instead of fully nutritarian.

 

Also, I Facebooked my Doc before making this declaration and he said "Okay, okay, I get it. These things should not massively negatively impact your thyroid and liver." He of course followed it up with the obligatory, "Be reasonable about how much sodium, wheat and oil." And my favorite "Is flax bread even bread?" So I buy mostly kosher pickles because they are lower in sodium or make a quick refrigerator pickle at home with cukes, vinegar, Dr. Braggs liquid aminos or shoyu, and garlic.

 

But sometimes a recipe comes along that begs to break the rules and one is powerless to say no. Vegan artichoke tapenade is just such a recipe. As always, I did modify the recipe ever so slightly to my taste.

 

Artichoke Tapenade

7 green olives (I used the garlic stuffed kind)

1 clove garlic (2 if you don't have garlic stuffed olives)

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

2 tsp capers, drained

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 can artichoke hearts in water, chopped

 

Pulse everything except the artichokes in a food processor. Stir in chopped hearts. EAT!

 

Yesterday I ate it with some crackers and today I mixed it with arugula, spinach, and kale. I loved it both ways and am sad that I'm out. But, it's almost the weekend and I have plenty more of all of the ingredients at home so I will be making more. It's briny, tart, a little creamy, and absolutely delicious!

 

 

Today for lunch, I paired the salad with a side of roasted pattypan squash (one of my favorite things!) and mushroom/garlic sauté. I'm not posting a picture here because it's damn hard to get a pretty picture of mushroom sauté. I am however a happy, healthy, camper.

 

Bon appetite...........you know since tapenade is French and artichokes are fancy according to the customer who came into my office while I was eating lunch.

 

P.S. The "mostly" vegan reference in the title is my disclaimer that sometimes pepperoni pizza will be eaten. And sometimes duck or turkey. And even more frequently, but still only sometimes, CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soup For Breakfast Is My Fav! Also, Kudos To The People Who Stage Food For Photographs

For as long as I can remember I have liked odd things for breakfast; cold chicken, raw potato wedges, brie, hamburger patties with melted cheese, cold pizza, you get the idea. In recent years, soup has been my absolute favorite, and I have it most days of the week. Yes, even when it's hot. When I started my nutritarian (mostly) journey, I originally thought it would be impossible to keep up my breakfast love affair since most of my favorites were sky high in sodium, had meat in them, and/or used dairy as a base.

 

This is a good place to say that really I thought everything would be far more difficult than it has been. As geeky as I am about planning anyway, changing the way that I eat has not been that bad. My poor eating habits were really just that, habits and habits can be broken. I'm not successful 100% of the time but I am improving and I adore not feeling overly full at every meal and having my ass dragging about 3 in the afternoon every day! So, now I make my own soup and it's even more delicious than the overly processed, what's-really-in-this-anyway, supermarket choices from before.

 

Back to the soup. It didn't take digging that deep into Pinterest, other nutritarian and vegan blogs, recipe books, and my own mind to discover lots of ideas. This is one of the best soups I have ever had, hands down. It was inspired by some ideas I found on Pinterest and I filled in the blanks with my own personal had-to-haves. 

 

I went to graduate school in Boston and clam chowder is practically the house wine in many restaurants there. I adore clam chowder but started thinking: is it the actual clams which are usually tiny chunks anyway, or the heartiness of the soup that I love so much? I think the answer is in this bowl. I didn't miss the clams a bit, or the cream, or the oyster crackers!

 

Vegan, Nutritarian (mostly) New England Style Chowder

New England Style Chowder

1 Tbsp water (you can use olive oil if you prefer)

1 small coarsely chopped onion

1-2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced to your preference

1-2 tsp Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos

Black pepper to taste

6-8 ounces mixed mushrooms, sliced to your preference

1 celery stalk, thickly sliced

1 medium potato, cut to 1 inch cubes

2 sheets finely chopped nori (roll to make easier to slice)

1 1/2 C vegetable stock

1 1/2 C  cashew cream (see below)

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

 

Set a large, deep pot over medium heat. Heat the water and add the onion and carrots with about 1 tsp of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften. Add the mushrooms, celery, and another Tbsp of water if you need or if pan is too dry. Cook another 3-4 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the potatoes, another tsp of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos and black pepper, nori, and stock. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Simmer, covered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the cashew cream, tomato paste, and lemon juice and heat gently for about 7 minutes, until thickened. If the mixture too thick for your taste, add water 2 tablespoons at a time until it is the consistency you like. Serve with lemon.

You should end up with 4 servings.

 

Cashew Cream (You can use this to thicken anything!!!!)

1/2 C cashews, presoaked for at least an hour

1 C vegetable stock

2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch

 

Drain cashews. Combine cashews, stock, and arrowroot for 2-5 minutes until smooth.

 

I like my chowder thick so I didn't add any additional water to thin the consistency but it won't harm the final product if you do. Nori gives the soup the most deliciously oceany flavor. What a great tip from Veganomicon. I can't wait to use it in a million other dishes! Cashew cream is going to be a new staple for me. The vegetable broth and arrowroot temper it enough that it doesn't taste like cashew soup when you add it in. I had previously tried ground cashews to add bulk to soups that needed a creamy consistency but without add-ins it just tasted like cashews. Another great tip. Thanks Pinterest!

 

I realize the picture I took doesn't do the soup justice. I am working on my food photography I swear. The taste will make up for the look I promise!!! I've eaten it all week for breakfast and intend to make another batch this weekend! Now to find a rustic, gnarly vegan bread to eat with it. Stay tuned.

Kimchi Fried Rice

I was dying for a good fried rice dish last week so I started checking out some recipes online for inspiration. It turns out there are a drillion recipes for fried rice, a kazillion (slightly less than a drillion) for vegan fried rice, and a bunch for kimchi fried rice (most vegetarian, a few vegan) but none of them had just the combo I was looking for. I wanted fried rice, with kimchi, TONS of flavor, and other veggies that was delicious, vegan, and nutritarian. I started experimenting and voila, I very nearly met every one of my original wants!

 

Kimchi Fried Rice

2 Tbsp Earth Balance coconut spread
2 cloves minced garlic
5 chopped green onions

½ C sliced mushrooms

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
½ C Wildbrine* Thai kimchi

1 Tbsp kimchi juice

¼ C grape or cherry tomatoes
2 C cooked brown rice
1 Tbsp Dr. Bragg’s liquid aminos
1/4 tsp sesame oil
Black pepper to taste

Chili garlic sauce to taste, optional (I like Huy Fong but it’s only certified vegetarian not vegan FYI)

In wok or deep skillet, melt coconut spread. Sauté the garlic, green onion, mushrooms and cilantro 5-7 minutes. Add the kimchi, kimchi juice, tomatoes and do a few quick stirs before adding the rice. Stir to combine well and let cook another 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften. Add the liquid aminos, sesame oil, black pepper, and chili garlic sauce. Stir a few times to blend with the rice.

* I specifically use Wildbrine products because they are delicious, naturally fermented, and vegan. You can use a different kind if you like. I like the Thai version for this dish but they also have Korean and Japanese Miso and Horseradish versions.

Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice

Ok, so the Earth balance, kimchi, sesame oil, and Huy Fong chili sauce aren't completely nutritarian. Some things are totally worth bending the rules for. It was delicious, satisfying for a Chinese food lover, and hit every note I wanted it to from the briny tang of the kimchi, to the crunch of the onions, to the spice of the chili garlic sauce, to the umami of the mushrooms.

This recipe was intended to serve one but it's a lot of food. As it turns out, it's also so delicious, you may end up powering through it anyway. I mean, you might. You could I guess. I'm not saying I know from experience or anything.........

Enjoy!

 

I've Gotten WAY Off Track

It happens. Just like that. All of the focus and hard work fell away. I don't know why it happened, a series of things I guess, but I decided that putting it in black and white, here, where someone might read it, would make me accountable. So here it is. This is me calling myself out. Not harshly, but completely. Shit happens. I'm not going to beat myself up too much and I'm still going to enjoy my birthday trip to Vegas guilt free. In the meantime, it's curtains for you sugar, salt, dairy, meat and everything nasty. Don't freak if it happens to you too. Old habits are hard to break. Various articles report anywhere from 21-250 days to break old habits and/or form new ones.

It's not even like I'm talking about weeks of debauchery. A couple days of poor food choices is all it really is. When I have a problem, I like to approach the source with solution in mind. Similarly, as an atta girl to myself, I may have gotten somewhat off track food wise, I am kicking ass with me running schedule. Even when I wake up to that 5AM alarm and groan, I do it. I get out of bed and onto the treadmill. I think that's really the goal isn't it.......constant improvement NOT perfection.

I am the little engine that could. I'll think I can until I get to "I knew I could"!!

 

Peace And A Sandwich

 

I was making a sandwich for Jeff for today's lunch and really wanted something sandwichy of my own. His was turkey and cheddar with mayo on a tortilla. The ONLY thing I could have eaten there was the tortilla and one tortilla does not a lunch make. Dr. Fuhrman has a tuNO salad recipe in his book that looked pretty good but I punched it up because well, I'm getting much more comfortable making nutritarian choices and modifying my favs to fit.

 

Here's the recipe with my modifications.

 

Chickpea Tuno Salad

1 can garbanzo beans rinsed or 1 1/2 C cooked fresh chickpeas if you have them (I didn't)

1 C raw almonds

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp kelp granules (cheapest at Asian grocery stores if you have one in your town)

6 oz lite firm lite silken tofu

1 1/2 Tbsp tarragon vinegar (white wine or champagne would be good too)

1/2 tsp Coleman's dry mustard powder (regular mustard powder if you're not a fan of spice)

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp horseradish

2 tsp Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

2 green onions, chopped

1/3 C red pepper, small dice

1/2 C peas

2 radishes, diced

Pepper to taste

To serve: 2 slices flax seed bread, sliced tomato, lettuce, sliced cucumber.

 

Pulse chickpeas and almonds in food processor, add lemon juice and kelp granules and pulse until incorporated. Remove to a bowl. Puree tofu, vinegar, mustard powder, nutritional yeast, Dijon, horseradish, and liquid aminos in food processor or blender. Pour over chickpea/almond mixture. Stir in celery, green onion, red pepper, peas, and radishes. Pepper to taste. Serve on flax seed bread (Alvarado St. bakery is my favorite) with lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

 

This was just the sandwich I wanted and it did turn out to be a wonderful, peaceful lunch. My phone barely rang at all!

 

 

 

I Want A Loaded Potato Too!

Over the weekend, I made the boys one of Jeff's very favorite things, loaded potato skins. Problem was, that sounded really great to me too. I did a little digging through Pinterest, nutritarian andvegan blogs, and  nutritarian and vegan website and solved the problem.

 

Almost Everything Loaded Sweet Potato

1 sweet potato

1 tsp Earth Balance original

3 green onion, chopped

1 slice Daiya cheddar style cheese

1-2 Tbsp Addicted to Veggies Sour Cream

 

Bake the potato for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Brush with butter, top with green onions, sour cream, and cheddar style slice. Broil for about 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

 

 

I thought I had some vegan "taco" meat in the fridge to add which would have been delish but I guess I ate it on, or in, something else because I couldn't find it. I stole a couple tiny pieces of hillbilly bacon off of Sam's potato skins because, well because I'm human, and it looked really awesome. A couple tiny pieces did me just fine :).

 

I feel great, haven't had heartburn in a month,  and it's getting so much easier to make myself something that is healthy and meets my Eat To Live goals while being similar to the yumm-o things that my boys like that just happen to include meat and dairy. Also, I've lost 12 pounds since the 8th of June and my M-W-F runs are slowly getting easier with less walking peppered throughout. The sleep is sweet, the energy is such a welcome change, AND I don't really have cravings anymore. Except for pickles. They are my Achilles heel. I've been indulging some but am currently investigating low salt, salt free, sugar free home canning options.

 

A friend asked me the other day how I can possibly be okay with fixing Jeff's and Sam's food while I have to deprive myself of delicious food in the process. All I could say was that this is my life now, and I have to make good choices for my health and longevity. Also, those choices don't have to deprive me of any of the deliciousness that real, whole food has to offer. In fact, lunch yesterday was the Peanut Tempeh Rolls discussed HERE, for both Jeff and me, at his request. See some of the food is so delicious, he is asking to eat it with me now.

 

I think this is what's wrong with the American diet. Some people assume if you aren't eating shit, you're depriving yourself of something. Others seem to think that if you aren't a regular red meat eater, you almost aren't American. Shoinks! I promise, this food is delicious, satisfying, nutritious (much more so than I ever ate before), and most importantly, my body is responding just like it should and needs to.

 

That's maybe the thing I expected least that has surprised me most; friend's and loved one's response to my food. Most have been supportive but some....not so much. If you are struggling to find support in your journey, look no further. I will applaud and lift you up the whole way!

 

Good luck and happy eating.

I'm So Over Missing Taco Salad

Mexican food is my favorite. I never get sick of it and it's almost always my go-to when I don't have  a plan. Problem is, Mexican food is full of salt, oil, cheese, and meat. Basically, a naughty gut-bomb of "this is just terrible for me". Dammit!

 

I have found a way to feed my Mexican food desire in a healthy, nutritarian way that just happens to also be wonderfully delicious!

 

                

Not Missing Out Taco Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 c raw walnuts

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp Mexican oregano 

1/4 tsp chili powder

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 serrano pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp water

1 tsp Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos

Romaine lettuce

1/4 C cherry tomatoes

1/2 purple onion

1/2 zucchini

1/2 C cilantro

1/2 avocado

1/4 C black beans, warm

pepper to taste

1/4 C Go Veggie or Daiya cheddar shreds

1/4 C oil and salt free salsa or Hell On The Border

 

Place cumin, coriander, Mexican oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic, serrano pepper and water  in the food processor and run until smooth. Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse with other ingredients until roughly ground. Be careful not to over-process. You want it chunky looking like ground beef would be. Heat in the microwave or stove-top. Chop your lettuce, tomato, onion, zucchini, cilantro and avocado. Spoon black beans and walnut mixture over. Sprinkle cheddar shreds  and salsa over top and enjoy.

 

There is nothing about this taco salad that didn't satisfy!

 

 

Feeling Hungry But I Know It's Something Else

I'll start today off with the really good news. Who doesn't love good news?!? I was feeling bad about a couple of my food choices over the weekend yesterday. I was afraid of what those few indulgences had done to my progress. I was feeling sluggish and bloaty just like I had before I started this journey, even after a 40 minute run yesterday morning.

 

And then I got back on the horse because I promised I would. I feel much better today and the scale was not nearly as unkind as I thought it would be. I gained back a pound, only 1! The feeling good was the best part though. I truly shows how resilient our bodies are and how welcoming they can be to good, real, nutrient dense food. I love the evolution of this journey. I was so certain when I began that EVERY week would be exactly the same and I would get bored and be hungry all of the time but it turns out it's as simple as can be to find filling, delicious recipes, blogs with substitution ideas, and resources to help with any questions that come up.

 

To the title and the not-so-great news. Today is rainy, my office is freezing, and I didn't get the best night's sleep due to some storms. As a result, I feel snacky. I know I'm not hungry. I had an apple with some peanut butter and coconut, and a handful of blackberries two hours ago. This is my "old brain" saying hey lets go get some chips, popcorn, or summer sausage like the old days. It's just like giving up any other vice, the little things can throw you straight off track. I gave up lighting up a cigarette the minute I start the car  5 years ago after 19 years of being a smoker and if I can so that, I  certainly can give up awful snacks that do nothing for my health when it's rainy and I'm sleepy!

 

Especially when there are great lunches and dinners to be had that do all kinds of wonderful things for my nutrition and health, and make me feel great!

 

For dinner last night I had a slightly tweaked Raw Falafel Wrap In Collard Green Leaf.

 

 

The tweaks consisted of the following:

I used 1/8 teaspoon Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos instead of the pinch of salt.

I halved the olive oil. I was afraid to cut it altogether in case it was essential to binding and I'm still working out some details when it comes to substitutions.

I doubled the lemon juice, garlic, and cilantro because YUM!

 

I think next time I'll use arugula or some other crunchy green instead of red cabbage but otherwise this was a fantastic wrap that you will really enjoy. I might even add some jalapeno, serrano, or poblano to it too to give it a little kick. I think as long as you leave the solid to liquid ration pretty similar, you can play with this falafel style filling until you get it JUST right.

 

This delicious wrap will make a great carry out lunch for work whether you eat nutritarian, vegan, or raw. Luckily the recipe made 3 wraps and I was only able to eat 1 1/2 of them so another meal for this week is already made and in the fridge.

 

Happy, healthy eating.

 

 

Thug Kitchen Peanut Tempeh Summer Rolls

I don't even want to talk about this long Fourth of July weekend. I was terrible. Not even close to terrible by my old standards but there was low country boil and wine and I partook. Ma, did I partake! I will kick up the physical part of my week and see what the scale says in a couple days. I just don't have the guts yet.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I will not beat myself up. I will keep a good attitude about this journey and not let a misstep define me. I will continue with my journey positively, happily, healthfully, and with beautiful, hearty recipes that are nutrient dense and delicious!

This post is about a new recipe that I found late last week online. I adore summer rolls. I also have a relatively unrefined sense of humor. I found the perfect mix! If you have not checked out Thug Kitchen, you must. It's hysterical.

 

WARNING: If you have a sensitive, vanilla sense of humor, DO NOT click HERE. You will be offended and I warned you. I even warned you in red capital letters. Otherwise click away and be prepared for some seriously funny reading.

 

In addition to being hilarious, there are also delicious, healthy recipes available on the website. Enter the Peanut Tempeh Summer Roll. I censored the recipe for print here. It's much funnier on their website. Click above!

 

PEANUT TEMPEH SUMMER ROLLS

8 ounces of tempeh

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari (I used Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos)

1 package large spring rolls wrappers/rice paper wrappers

PEANUT SAUCE MARINADE

1/3 cup no sugar/no salt peanut butter

1/4 cup warm water

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari (Dr. Braggs again)

1-2 teaspoons Sriracha  (not exactly nutritarian but it's hard to have great Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, or Chinese without it)

1 ½ teaspoons of grated ginger

1 clove garlic, cut up into small pieces

 

Cut the tempeh width-wise into 1/4 inch pieces. You should end up with about 16 finger-sized pieces. In a wok or skillet bring the water to a boil with the soy sauce. Add all the tempeh and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until all the water is evaporated.

While the tempeh cooks, mix together the peanut butter and warm water in a cup until it is smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients for the marinade and keep mixing until it is all uniform looking. Taste and adjust the seasoning so that you like it. Pour half of the peanut sauce marinade into a shallow dish. Put the cooked tempeh on top and pour the rest of the sauce over it. Let this chill while you cut up all the rest of your shit.

Here is where you should cut up all your veggies. I used 2 medium carrots, 1 cucumber, 6 lettuce leaves, green onions, basil, cilantro, and avocado but use whatever you have hanging around. I would make sure that you have some lettuce, something crunchy, and at least one herb. Almost anything tastes good in here. Just cut up everything except the lettuce into strips about 2 inches long.

In the same wok or skillet you cooked the tempeh warm about 3 inches of water. You want the water hot but not so hot you can’t put your hand in it. Turn off the heat. Place one spring roll wrapper in the water for 10-15 seconds until it becomes bendy. Let the extra water drip off and lay down on a plate.

Fold the wrapper in half so that it looks like a taco on its side. Lay down the lettuce, veggies, herbs, and 1-2 pieces of tempeh down on middle third of the half circle wrapper thing we have going. Fold the wrapper over once tightly, left to right, and then fold the bottom over, like a burrito. Continue rolling and press the end flap gently against the roll. Keep making rolls until you run out of filling. Finished rolls will keep in the fridge for about 2 days.

Makes about 10-12 delicious rolls that people will be really f_______ impressed with

 

Because their picture gives you a preview of the awesomeness that is their website, I didn't try to outdo it with my own photo.You'll love the website visuals AND the food!

 

 

 I paired the rolls with a fabulous vegan Tom Kha. Get the recipe HERE. It was a perfect lunch and my hubby who was having bacon cheeseburger pockets commented that I should just plan on making enough for 2 next time. Score! It's killer finding nutritarian and vegan recipes that he loves as much as I do.

Nutritarian-ish In The Heartland

A couple weeks ago, we went for the first day trip I've been on since the beginning of my eat to live journey. I mentioned it in this POST. After I wrote that post and after some internet research for other restaurants who might have delicious nutritarian-ish or at least whole food, vegan, or vegetarian choices, I got to thinking. It's can be a time-consuming search and I thought others might like to have information about good options in the real world and more specifically, in my area. It isn't all meat and dairy in the heartland. Admittedly, it's a lot of meat and dairy but not all.

There are options besides ANOTHER salad. The Grotto in Springfield, MO is a perfect example. Although there were no truly vegan choices on the menu, there was a lovely veggie melt available. Roasted portabello, zucchini, squash, and red pepper are folded into vegan whole wheat pizza dough to make a wonderfully rich and hearty lunch. It was listed on the menu as being topped with locally made goat cheese. I almost asked to have the cheese left off but we had walked and sweated our butts off at the zoo so I thought a little goat cheese was well deserved.

The Grotto Grill Veggie Melt

This sandwich is beautiful, deeply flavorful, and a satisfying choice amongst a pretty meat-filled menu. Although not a low calorie choice, (I'm  guessing about 500-600 or so calories based on the ingredients) it's giant and served with a side salad, which I topped with red wine vinegar, so I wasn't able to finish the whole thing. I left about 1/4 of it on the plate so overall, certainly not the worst choice I could have made. The focus here isn't really on calories anyway but making the best choices under everyday circumstances.

Stay tuned. We like to travel and I'll be keeping my eyes open for other great restaurants and menu items with leanings to whole food, nutritarian, vegan, and vegetarian choices.

P.S. Happy accidental discovery made here too. Sam picked up the red wine vinegar that I had used to top my salad and poured some on the supreme style pizza that he and Jeff were sharing before I could grab the bottle back. A fortuitous oops indeed! They both loved the tangy note the vinegar added to the pizza and Jeff said he would be sprinkling his pizza with red wine vinegar at home as well. I took a little bite and it really is a nice addition to a classic flavor combination.
  

Some Days Are A Bitch!

Ok, it was the whole weekend. The whole weekend was a bitch for me. I was missing Jeff who was traveling for work again and Sam is starting to get exceptionally clingy while Jeff is gone. Not cute, sweet, cuddly clingy. Crazed, screaming to the point of nausea, banging, throwing himself violently on the floor the minute he couldn't see me clingy. Plus, I had book (wine :)) club Saturday at which my fellow book lovers chose a fondue buffet and a play date with a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs yesterday. I'm not going to beat myself up but I had a spoonful of cheese fondue, 4 shrimp and a touch of sangria on Saturday and I ate a meatball and the garlic bread that Sam didn't finish yesterday. Is it the end of the world? No! I immediately jumped to a self loathing place last night and then quickly stopped myself.

 

Just as one healthy meal doesn't make us healthy, one irresponsible series of bad food choices over two dinners, doesn't make us fat and unhealthy. I knew the friend with whom we were having the play date was making spaghetti and meatballs so I took a giant salad with my favorite Dijon Date Dressing, oven roasted broccoli, and what's soon to become an all-the-time fixture in our dinner repertoire. Baked cauliflower cheese sticks with marinara. They very nearly meet the nutritarian food choices I've been making. They do have one egg white which I'm not savvy enough just yet to know how to replace. Otherwise, I was able to modify the recipe ever so slightly to take out all of the oil with the exception of the spray I used so they wouldn't stick. Here's the recipe with my modifications.

 

Baked Cauliflower Cheese Sticks

1/4 of a large head of cauliflower “riced”

2 cloves garlic, grated or minced

1 large egg (white), lightly beaten

1/2 Cup Go Veggie mozzarella and cheddar style cheeses mixed

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning, divided

Marinara Sauce for dipping

Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9 by 5-inch quarter cookie sheet (covered with tin foil) with cooking spray. Rice the cauliflower in a food processor. When you’re done, you should have about 1.5 cups lightly packed. Place the riced cauliflower and the garlic into a microwavable bowl and microwave until softened, about 5 minutes depending on your microwave (no need to add any water). When your cauliflower/garlic is softened, add the lightly beaten egg white, Italian seasonings, and 3/4 of your cheese mix. Be sure to leave 1/4 of the cheese for the topping! Stir and mix well, then spread onto your prepared pan.

Bake at about 400F for about 40 minutes. You may have to play around with your oven to find the right baking temperature. Bake until they start to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven, flip the loaf over so the bottom side is now on top, and bake for another 10 minutes or so.

Now it’s time to add the remaining cheese and a sprinkle more of the Italian herb seasoning. Place back in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden. Cut into pieces and serve hot or warm. I did find that if you let them sit for a little, they will harden slightly and make them easier for dipping.

 

Commercial spaghetti sauce has an upsetting amount of sodium so I made my own spaghetti dipping sauce.

8 ounce can of no salt added tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos

1 teaspoon of onion powder.

 

Here's the one I reheated for today's lunch and it was just as good on the reheat.

 

 

Okay, okay, they didn't stop me from finishing Sam's piece of bread but they stopped me from having more bread and meatballs. They were fantastic dipped in a little spaghetti sauce. I recommend them wholeheartedly for when you're serving Italian.

 

I slipped a little. I am not perfect. I am a work in progress. And that is okay. Delicious choices like these certainly help my progress. It's also okay to be a little weak sometimes. This is definitely something I struggle with. I'm not great at asking for help, question myself sometimes as I'm sure all humans must do, and bad days happen to me just like they happen to everyone. I'll admit, after Sam was asleep last night, I cried in the tub a little. I cried for his sadness, my inability to fix it immediately, what at the time felt like a much bigger deal than it actually is in my giving in to food, and just because I was overwhelmed.

 

Honestly, that last two sentences might have been the hardest thing I've written in months. And that's okay too!

 



Amazing Nutritarian Spinach Stuffed Mushroom

Stuffed mushrooms are one of my FAVORITE things! They're usually stuffed full of breadcrumbs, or cheese, or crab, or basically all kinds of things I'm not eating as part of my nutritarian food choices. Luckily, Dr. Fuhrman put out the Eat To Live Cookbook late last year that includes an absolutely delicious stuffed mushroom recipe!

 

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

12 large mushrooms, stems separated and chopped (I used 4 medium caps)

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup low or no sodium vegetable broth

5 ounces fresh spinach

2Tablespoons raw almond butter

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast

Black pepper to taste

 

Water saute the onion with about 1 Tablespoon of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos or tamari for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, and thyme and saute until onions and mushroom stems are tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushroom caps and vegetable broth to pan, bring to simmer and cook 5 minutes (because the mushroom caps I had were kind of flat and thinner than smaller caps, I only left them in about 2 minutes so they would hold a little shape for stuffing). Remove caps from pan and place on lightly oiled baking sheet. Add spinach to onion mixture and heat until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in almond butter, nutritional yeast, and black pepper. Fill caps with onion/spinach mixture and bake 15-20 minutes.

Man it's hard to take pretty pictures of food. Here's my picture.

Dr. Fuhrman's Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

 

Here's the picture on Dr. Fuhrman's website.

 

 

Whatever, they were so good with a side salad of mixed greens, Cucumber Noodles with Coconut Lime Dressing, and sprouts, I don't care that they kind of deflated on the reheat!

 

On an exercise note: I very nearly wimped out today. Jeff had to get up and head to the airport at 3AM for a work trip and I rolled over while he was getting ready and pushed my alarm to regular time (i.e. no time for a run). When I finally got up and around, I was kicking myself in the ass for not getting with it. As the day wore on, it got easier and easier to think it was no big deal. Husband's gone, no help with Sam or around the house. Surely that grants me a pass right? Right?

 

Wrong!

 

Once I could no longer hear Sam singing to himself and knew that he was asleep, I put on my running gear and got to it. I even added 8 minutes from Wednesday. And I kicked it's ass! I think a lot of us get into trouble by thinking that we can just skip this once or that we don't have to be consistent with our healthy habits. It helps for me to know that this isn't a diet, it's my life and I want to keep on living it so I'll embrace my Friday night sweat with open arms!!! I made a promise to myself, to Jeff and Sam, and to this journey.

 

 

Yea buddy!

 

I Feel Better But How Do I Look?!?

As I've stated before, my particular journey is about health. Weight loss is just one wonderful part of that. I feel great. No more heartburn. No more drag assing at 3 in the afternoon. No more tummy issues. And no more feeling tired before I even got out of bed. My thyroid medication and my hormones are doing their jobs. My supplements are doing their jobs. And my food choices seem to be doing their job.

 

The scale is slowly but surely ticking down, down, down and it's nice to see. Just yesterday, I was able to wear a blazer at work that I hadn't comfortably worn in about 6 months. It was still in my work closet, thank goodness because my arms were freezing yesterday, where I'd hung it in the winter when it was so snug on my arms, I considered getting rid of it.

 

Check out how cute it is! It's like shopping for new clothes without spending any money.

 

 

Okay it's a little rumpled but give me a break, it was in the closet for months. Also, it's a bathroom selfie, something I promised myself I would never do. All in the name of the full disclosure I promised you from the embarrassing start!

 

My mini-victory got me to thinking, why are we so hard on ourselves when it comes to a fitness or health journey? If I say "It's only 9 pounds", then I'm totally setting myself up for failure with a defeatist attitude. The journey has to start somewhere. And not only that, if I walked into the grocery store and lifted a 10 pound bag of potatoes, I guarantee I'd think that was a lot. 9 pounds in 17 days is NOT TOO SHABBY. I allow myself to scream it from the rooftops and be proud!

 

I declare publicly, today, this very moment, to own my victories, all of them no matter how big or small. Own them, celebrate them, and share them. Today I will share that I ran 2 minutes longer than Monday. Not only did I not die, I felt great afterward. Ready to take today by the horns.

 

Don't wait another day. Start with a small victory if you need, just start!

I'm Back In The Saddle Again....Well My Running Shoes Anyway

I had a fabulous weekend. Friday night was my work bowling tournament and the pizza was a hard thing to just walk on by, BUT I did it (for the most part) and my eggplant roll-ups were awesome just as I knew they would be! Ok, I took one bite of my co-workers pizza and ate 2 pepperonis off of another. Interestingly, I bought a beer because it sounded like a good idea and come on, I was bowling, then drank less than half before I ended up tossing it. It just didn't taste as good as I thought it was going to taste. Too bad half a beer isn't available in those cases. AND in one game, I even came in second. That's me, player #2. I don't think I've ever come on second unless there were only 2 of us bowling! Turns out bowling is good exercise for the inner thigh of your lead leg. I'd forgotten that too. I'll take it where I can get it.

 

 

Saturday, we got up early and headed to the zoo about an hour East of home. We made some animal friends, saw some beautiful flowers, and I pushed the stroller up a couple of hills that felt like pretty good exercise to me. After the zoo, we found a wonderful lunch spot that had vegetarian options that were perfect for me. A grilled veggie sandwich on whole wheat pizza dough bread...ok! The bread had a seasoning mix already on it that clearly had salt in it, but this is the real world and I will do the best I can when someone else is preparing my meal. I even ate about 3/4 of the goat cheese that was on it. It was locally made and so, so, so, so good!

 

Sunday we got to FINALLY celebrate Father's Day with my Father-in-law. We had a cookout at the house and I found the most awesome vegan burger so that I could get the delicious, smoky grill flavor too. Voila, the Mushroom, Walnut, Quinoa Spicy Vegan Burger. Check out the rest of this fantastic recipe resource blog HERE. There are LOTS of recipes that can be tweaked slightly to fit the Eat To Live lifestyle.

 

 

Mine weren't nearly this pretty so I am using the photo from the website. I'm going to have to practice getting these to effectively stick together but they are so worth it. I will also grind the walnut in a mill the next time as well so that there aren't chunks of walnut in them. I love the walnut flavor but the texture was a little off-putting. I ate mine with a fat slice of purple onion, delicious black heirloom tomato, spicy mustard, a slice of Go Veggie. This is a new favorite line of mine. I'm just not sure I can have NO cheese most of the time. These are delicious products that melt wonderfully. The slices are thin but that's perfect so I can have the taste and mouth-feel without overdoing it! 

 

My modifications:

1) I used tap water because really, mineral water to boil quinoa....nope.

2) I don't care for teriyaki sauce but it did need the binder and moisture so I substituted stone ground mustard with a splash of low sodium worcestershire.

3) I didn't use any olive oil for frying. I used just enough spray to keep them from sticking, then water as needed when the pan dried out.

4) Instead of finishing them in the oven, I had Jeff pop them on the grill for me. Because they were slightly crumbly, I put them on foil first but I highly recommend this step if you're able.

 

I was also in the mood for a pretty dessert that was more than a bowl of mixed fruit. I found just such a dessert in the Raw Blueberry and Kiwi Tart on the fabulous Blissful Basil blog. Check it out HERE.

 

 

I was relatively sure my in-laws wouldn't want a piece, and thank goodness I was right, so I quartered the recipe and used a mini loaf pan instead of the full sized tart pan she used for the picture above. I only say thank goodness because we had some left-over that I intend to eat after dinner tonight! I ended up with a checkered pattern instead of a circle, and a convert in my husband. He said he especially liked the cashew cream and that he'd like for me to make it again.

 

So, to my title. I had given up running, after over a year of regular sessions, a few months ago mostly because of my energy level. I just didn't feel up to it after work, making dinner, cleaning up, bathtime, bedtime, preparing lunch for the next day, blog posts, laundry, and whatever else came up in the evening. First of all, once your body is back in maximum production mode, it's a lot easier. Seriously, if you aren't felling good, right, normal, whatever you want to call it, make an appointment with your doctor. I chalked it up to "just life", "busy mom", etc. for far too long. I've been feeling a lot more like I thought I should feel at 39 since I first started this journey.

 

Secondly, and maybe more importantly, I had the timing all wrong. Of course I didn't feel like it at the end of the day. I have really full days and I'd like my evenings to be spent with my family and doing other things I love like watching So You Think You Can Dance and reading. I decided to bite the bullet, wake up 45 minutes earlier and start my day off right! I think I might have been more excited than I thought. I woke up and hour and 15 minutes earlier than normal. I actually was only able to run for 18 minutes with 2 minutes of walking on either side today which made me sad because I used to run for 45 minutes no sweat. After I finished, I headed back upstairs and when Jeff woke up he put me straight. That is 22 minutes longer than I ran/walked any of the days in the last few months. He's totally right!

 

SO, I'm proud, energized, and down 8 pounds! Whatever it takes, don't wait another day to feel good. I'll even give you my phone number if it comes down to support. That's how much it means to me.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes It Really Is In Your Mind

I sort of can't believe this. I am hosting a bowling tournament tonight for my work and arranged for pizza, chips, and candy to be available to the bowlers. I knew the smell of the pizza would be tough for me so I packed the eggplant roll-ups from this post so that I would have a pizza-ish dish to eat with the bowlers. As I was packing it this morning, I realized that I was more excited for the roll-ups than the thought of the pizza.

 

I think it comes down to delicious food for me. If I'm not being deprived of delicious things, I don't feel sad about "missing out". Also, it's important to remember this is NOT a diet, it's my life, my health, and my dedication to living to be an old, old woman, for me, and for my family.

 

It doesn't have to be this way!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Remember that the Eat To Live food choices you make aren't always going to be the easiest way to give your body nutrients because it takes more time, preparation, and planning, than pulling into a drive thru or grabbing a quick bite from the convenience store, but your body will thank you. First of all, not to be a Debbie Downer but most of that food isn't actually food. It's a little scary to look at ingredient lists and research on fast food and prepackaged/processed items. More importantly, I haven't felt sluggish, or snacky, in almost two weeks. My energy is good. I haven't had any tummy issues, heartburn, or gastrointestinal yuck since I started eating FOOD. 

 

AND, to keep on track for my self reporting to my doctor at my next appointment (3 months away!!!!!), I am down 8 total pounds since June 9th. While eating MORE food than I did before. In the interest of keeping it fresh, I ordered Dr. Fuhrman's Eat To Live Cookbook (yay!) and I've been scouring Pinterest for yummy recipes that I can modify, try, and share with you. I found another one that is SOOOOO good, I couldn't wait to share it.

 

Cucumber Noodles With Coconut Lime Dressing

 

Due to the site's copyright, I can't print the recipe, but I highly recommend you click on the link and check it out. I found it at an outstanding blog called Rawmazing.

 

My Modifications To The Cucumber Noodles

1) I used a can of coconut milk + 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut instead of the flesh and water from fresh coconut because I live in Missouri and frankly, some ingredients aren't easy to find.

2) I used white sesame seeds because that's what I had.

3) I used 1/4 teaspoon Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos instead of salt

 

My Modifications To The Hot Chili Garlic Sauce

1) I only used 3 hot chilis so I could be less sparing than instructed :).

2) I replaced the salt with 1/4 teaspoon Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos.

3) I didn't used ANY sweetener.

 

Happy, Healthy Eating

 

 

 

Great News From My Doctor AND A Yummy Tomato Soup

I had a follow up for the thyroid and liver issues today and the news was so, so, so great. I am responding really well to the medications and Eat To Live food changes that I don't have to go back for three months!!!!!! And I can add a little bit of animal protein back into my diet. No more than 2-3 times a week but with a little planning, that should be easy peasey!

 

I know I said last week that I was going to continue to eat the same things that I liked from last week through the 5 weeks and I will continue to recycle some of my favorites but I need a little more variety now that I'm getting the hang of things.

 

I found a raw, vegan tomato soup recipe that very nearly subscribed to all of the Eat To Live program and modified a little to really fit because I LOVE tomato soup and the tomatoes at our farmer's market looked so good that I bought too many. What a happy oops!

 

 

Raw Tomato Basil Soup

 

3 medium ripe tomatoes

3 sun-dried tomato slices

2 stalks of celery

a pinch of onion powder

a pinch of garlic powder (or a giant pinch like I did ;))

1-2 sprigs basil

1/2 avocado

sea salt to taste

 

Cut the tomatoes in half and put in blender. Add sun dried tomatoes and blend until smooth. While the blender is still going, add the celery, sea salt, onion and garlic powder and keep blending until fully incorporated. Then add the basil and continue to blend. Finally, add the avocado and blend for just a few seconds to combine.

 

This recipe was adapted from Linda Wagner's fabulous blog, http://lindawagner.net/blog/. You should check her out. She has a wonderful site full of mind, body, and spirit advice and information.

 

Notes:

Linda used a Vitamix. I don't have one.....yet. It's on my wish list.

Linda used the heat from the blending of the Vitamix to warm her soup. I heated it for about 2 minutes in the microwave because I like, hot, hot, hot soup!

I didn't have any celery so I just left it out. I don't feel the soup suffered any as a result.

I left the salt out on my doctor's advice and added a teaspoon of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos instead.

 

I may have a new favorite breakfast!! Yep, soup is my favorite breakfast.

Four Dips And Dressings You Shouldn't Live Without

I like vegetables and salads! I also like dips and dressings. Commercial dips and dressings are full of fat, salt (so much salt), and chemicals that I just don't want, or need, in my diet or the diets of my boys. Luckily, there are delicious, easy alternatives to store bought.

 

All but one of these dips and dressings have been featured in previous posts but they deserve their own post with the few changes I've made to them. The changes I've made still subscribe to the Eat To Live philosophy so feel free to feel good about choosing to eat them. The dips are all great with raw veggies or homemade pita/tortilla chips. I made scads of the dressing and eat it on all my salads and steamed veggies!

 

Black Bean Hummus

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash or otherno salt seasoning 

2 tablespoons tahini

2 teaspoons Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 clove garlic, chopped

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash paprika, for garnish

Blend all the ingredients except the paprika in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth, scraping down the side as needed. Add more seasoning to taste. Add more water to achieve the desired consistency. Garnish with paprika.

 

Dijon Date Dressing

Serves 4

1 cup water [I added a touch more after blending because was too thick to pour]

1/3 cup raw cashew butter

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash or other no-salt seasoning

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

4-6 dates, pitted

1-2 cloves garlic

 

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth and creamy.

 

     Simple Guacamole      

Serves 4

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

Using a fork, mash the avocados in a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover and chill.

 

Hell On The Border

Serves 4

1 large tomato

1 large onion

 4 ounce can of diced green chiles

2 tablespoons lemon (or lime) juice

1 teaspoon Dr. Braggs liquid aminos

 

Dice the tomato and onion. Add green chiles, lemon juice and Dr. Braggs.

Note: This is my own recipe, adapted from a staple of my house growing up. My parents lived in New Mexico before I was born and this was on our table as long as tomatoes were good!

 

These are real, good for you food, easy to make and delicious. They LIVE in our fridge now.

Enjoy!

Warning Tough Week Ahead

This is going to be a really tough week. Why? Because I have things going on tonight, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Two of them are dinners with others, one of which should be pretty easy because I was able to arrange for a meat, cheese and crouton free salad. I'll have lemon juice in my purse, yay. The other is a work function at which I have arranged to give away pizza, chips, soda, and chocolate, EEK! I have no idea how I'm going to pull that off. I'll definitely HAVE to pack some of my eggplant roll-ups that have all the pizza flavor.

Tonight and Wednesday night should be okay because they're personal appointments. They are STRAIGHT after work so I'll have to pack something I can carry in like some of my delish soup. It's also my first week of switching the menu up. I'll be eating the things I really liked from last week BUT in my own order.

 

Todays breakfast was an apple and an orange with a Tablespoon and a half of organic peanut butter, yum! I used the peanut butter in place of the flax seeds because I was in the mood for creamy.

 

Lunch was the roasted mushroom and red pepper wrap referenced in my previous post HERE. I used a wrap this time instead of a pita because I was out of pita. Also, I think I just have to admit to myself that I DO NOT like tahini. I did buy a new kind to see if it was just the brand but I just think it's too bitter. I'm going to try the spread for this wrap with cashew butter or maybe sunflower seed butter next time. Maybe a little salty nut kick. Yikes, that sounds gnarly.

I had a hair appointment after work so I packed a soup thermos with my OMG good soup (recipe HERE) to eat while I got my hair done. Remember to add some Dr. Bragg's Liquid Aminos for some depth. I also left the mushrooms whole this time. I really felt like sautéed mushrooms in the soup. I also used sliced celery instead of celery juice. I think it adds another element of interest. I swear, this soup will never not be in fridge again! Write the recipe down, go to the store, make it, and ENJOY!

 

Week One, Day Seven. LOTS Of Food = Lost 6 Lbs.

My doctor asked that I weigh myself once a week to go along with the rest of my information in his chart and I couldn't believe it.......with all the food I ate, I lost 6 lbs this week. This is great but got me to thinking, you really need to make sure before you take on ANY major change that can affect your body this way, you should check with your doctor to make sure that the plan is healthy and makes sense for you. Since my journey is a medical one, as well as a general health one, I am happy to have the guidance, observation, and communication of a fantastic doctor!

 

Breakfast was mixed fruit with flax seed and unsweetened coconut. I've only ever had sweetened coconut and didn't like it so I was leary but you never know when your tastebuds are going to change so what the hell! Turns out, it was just the sugar in the sweetened coconut that I didn't really care for because yummmmmm. I am excited for when I run out of flax meal and can get some actual seeds for texture but I didn't want to be wasteful so I'm using up what I've got first.

 

 

Lunch was raw vegetables with Black Bean Hummus, tortilla crisps that I made, and an apple. To make the crisps, I cut up a whole wheat tortilla into strips and baked at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes but I would check it every 10 minutes because all ovens are different of course.

 

 

 

Dinner was Easy Three Bean Chili, Great Greens, and Banana Walnut Ice Cream.

 

 

So now, to sit down and plan my week's meals with the leftovers I have (I halved a lot of the recipes but I still ended up with a LOT of food), and new combos of the recipes I love from week one!