So, I started this diet to lose weight and feel better.  Today I weighted myself and I have gained weight and feel like a cow.  This isn't working for me.  Maybe I should just go back to eating cheese cause at least I like what I"m eating and I don't have unreal expectations about myself. 

Weight Loss

One of the benefits so fat besides always snacking on good foods, is that this seems to really be working as far as weight loss goes.  K and I have been trying to eat healthy for the past several months.  Well, maybe the last year and a half.  But, one of us usually ends up caving and soon we've eaten an entire carton of ice cream.  Also, I have found that it is sometimes much easier to make anything taste good by throwing a ton of cheese on it so that is my cooking go to- noodles, some variety of meat, a little veggie, and lots and lots of melted cheese goodness (yes, I am missing cheese a little today).  We also tend to really get the munchies on the way home from skiing or camping.  After all this good for you activity, we somehow manage to devour an entire giant bag of Swedish fish and/or a bag of potato chips.  Oops. 

So, in a week and a half of doing this WFPB thing, I have lost 5 pounds!  5 pounds!  Don't go telling me its just water weight, cause veggies are full of water.  I feel like water is most of my diet.  Just by saying I"m not allowed any processed crap, I can now avoid all the dieting pitfalls like ice cream and sour patch kids.  And I don't mindlessly snack at work- we have a candy drawer at work and its awfully easy to eat large amounts of smarties and mini snickers over the course of 8 hours if you never get a break.  Now, I pack up a bag of veggies and nuts, and I get to eat as much as I want for those 8 hours, but I"m not filling myself up with sugars and processed junk. 

Good food, weight loss- everyone wins.

Tomorrow I"ll try to post about some cooking i've been doing.  Yum

On first attempts at eating out

So, today was the first time eating out with a group of people at a non-veggie restaurant, and I learned an improtant lesson. 

We were at a McMinamens, which for the non-Portlanders, it is a popular chain of bars, restaurants and hotels.  We usually meet up with a group of friends every few weeks there so we are very familiar with the place.  Normally, we all split some tater tots and we may order something to eat as well.  Usually, I get a gardenburger or a burrito, so I figured that finding something tasty to order wouldn't be too hard. Now, perhaps a pub wasn't the best place to start with this plant based eating out thing, but I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised at some of the options.  But, even most of the veggie options had cheese or mayo or both so there would still be some special ordering required.

We both ordered Gardenburgers, figuring that would be a safe choice.  Luckily for us, the astute waiter asked if we were dairy free.  Apparently the gardenburger has cheese in it- good to know.  Instead, he would bring us the hemp burger.  (Hemp burgers!!  Only in Portland).  It was actually pretty good- no complaints on the burger side of things.  and there was a lovely little side salad.  But, after asking for dairy free patties, wouldn't you think that they wouldn't sprinkle cheese on the salad and smear mayo on the bun?

I leaned that I need to ask about and special order everything.  I'm already one of those people who orders their salad dressing and butter and, well, almost everything, on the side so I guess there's nothing different there.  I don't want to be the weird person ordering all the special diet everytime I"m out with people, but I guess that's what this will take.  Just need to be more vigilant.

Plant Based Dinner for Two

One thing I have yet to learn about making vegan meals for two...how to make it for TWO.  This stuff was really pretty tasty though, and nearly idiot proof:
4 cups bulk 13 bean soup mix
4 small yellow squashes that look like zucchini
4baby potatoes red and purple look cool
4 small zuchhini
2 bunches of chard
1 lb of baby spinach
2 green peppers
2 onions
3 tomatoes
3 bunches of broccoli
4 CLOVES garlic
About that much ginger
Basil leaves
Salt
Cumin
Black peppercorns (note: a grinding device would be better than my former meat tenderizing mallet...but mallet and patience works)

So here's what you do...soak beans in more water than beans overnight.  Drain the water and cover and fridge them if it'll be a while...  When you've got an hour to spend cooking, put 8ish cups of water, beans, cubed taters, diced tomaters, and a little salt on to boil then cover....about an hour.  

MEANWHILE....Mince the garlic and ginger and dice the onion.  Put in skillet with water (oil if you do oil) and carmalize (if that means sautee till yellowish).  Dump in pot.  Cut up veggies to small equal soup chunk sized pieces.  Destem chard.  When there is less than 20 minutes left (and more than 0) put it all in.  Dump in the smashed up peppercorn and cumin.  Squeeze lemon juice in until you feel like quitting.   Turn off stove and eat.

Oh...I don't know...cover it when cooking if you feel like it.

Making the switch to vegetarian: Hoping to make it stick

Our refrigerator on day 1

Well, I've made it to day three.  It is the end of the day and I'm fairly hungry.  But, I am surprised to say that I haven't (yet) missed dairy or meat.  I know that doesn't sound that impressive three days in, but from what I've read, the first week or two is the hardest.  So why has the switch been easy? 

Well, the first and most important.  I've got an organized and energetic wife.  But, there's more.  If you'll notice, the refrigerator is full.  That is key.  The last thing you want to do is go on a clean-out frenzy in your new-found vegan/vegetarian fervor and throw out every remnant of animal products (keep reading...you...animal rights vegan) WITHOUT having a the results of a seemingly over-sized grocery run.  I can't think of anything worse than giving up meat than finding myself 12 hours later hovering in front of a refrigerator with a bag of carrots, celery, tofu, and a carton of soy milk. 

Next, my wife found this out...put the fresh raw edible veggies in the front.  The stuff that needs cooked and the juices in the crisper.  That way, when you get hungry, the moment you open the fridge there are options staring you in the face...and they're so nutritious and low-cal that you can damn near eat all of it you can stomach.  The thing about fresh, natural, whole foods is that they're made by nature.  Their density is such that your stomach gets full at or under 500 calories.  Compare that to processed meat, ice cream, cheese.  You could easily fit 2000 calories of that junk - along with all the chemicals added - in your gut - without your stomach even being filled.

Finally, for today, I'd say shop with 2 or 3 recipes that sound good, exciting, challenging, and substantial in mind.  This way it is exciting to shop and you're looking forward to the meal.  If you are doing this for health more than animal rights then look up a good vegan eggplant parmesan recipe or something similar with a heavy tomato and feaux-cheese sauce.  It will tide you over during the palate change and make you think you've eaten something bad for you.  There are easy cheese sauces.  You'll only need:
-cashew butter
-nutritional yeast
-rice milk
-corn starch
-salt
-a little tofu (I admit...I used this...but as soon as I learn to substitute brown rice, I'm over that last remnant of processed food once and for allllllllmost (my last advice is never say never)

So, that's it.  I'm loving it.  The only drawback so far is that for some reason my energy level has been so high that I've had a few restless nights sleep...but I'm not dragging during the day one bit...and concentration at school is great thus far.

Goodnight,
-K 

Happy Valentines Day

So, my biggest concern about this whole veggie thing is that everything would taste like soy milk- Kind of bland and card-boardy. And I just don't think that eating raw veggies constantly for each and every meal sounds that appealing (yet).

 So, tonight, for Valentine's Day, and because I was having a really hard time motivating myself to actually cook a veggie meal, my husband made dinner. Now, I already know that he's a great cook. He usually just throws stuff together and its awesome. Tonight, he had to actually follow a recipe cause I told him that's what I wanted him to cook. He made this awesome eggplant parm from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com that was awesome! I would actually make this for non-veggies. Now, its not dripping with melted cheesy goodness, but, it I actually didn't miss it because the "cheese" mixture actually tasted pretty close to the real thing. No soy weirdness or bland monotaste. Who knew nutritional yeast and soy could be so tasty? Plus, I felt healthy and strong afterwards, not greasy and oily. I"m actually starting to think that maybe I don't NEED cheese. All in all, a success.

 Tomorrow, I head back to work- We'll see if I can resist the temptations of the "candy drawer." I"m a sucker for sweetarts and snickers when there's no lunch in sight or things are boring or stressful.

-L

Taking the Plunge: Day 1 Post Steak

     This is it.  12:26 AM.  The end of day one in our quest to transfer to a whole food (not the store) plant-based diet.  You've got it.  Nothing eaten that has or had a face, nervous system, mother, or father.

(Linnea just said "except an occasional fish.  I like fish.  I would like to state for the record that that is NOT part of the diet.  NO FACES.)

Anyway, so here's a tiny bit of background.  We are a newly married couple living in Portland, OR.  I grew up in the heartland - Indiana.  Though not EVERYONE in Indiana owns pigs and has a farm, everyone personally knows at least 3 people who do.  My father's family is from Southeast KY and are all farm workers.  Linnea grew up outside of Houston, TX.  That means that for her first birthday she ate a short stack of ribs with smack-yo-mama hot sauce on them.  She had french-fry baby food and ketchup in her bottle.

Not exactly.  Actually not at all, but that's where we grew up and we sure love us some meat.  Well, until this morning. 

We're not getting any younger, we're thinking of starting a family, and we want to live to see the kids get as old as we are right now.  We've recently run a marathon, we are mountaineers and avid outdoors people, but our diet...well...sucks.  I aim to climb Mt. Rainer soon and I don't want to take this belly or blood pressure up with me. 

Back to my point...so, we went to see Forks Over Knives at a local Seventh Day Adventist Church (boy are those some shiny happy nice and strange Jesus people, but that's not what this is about).  As we were walking in I think Linnea's words were "...of course we're not going to become vegan or anything."  (for the record #2: Seeing the damn movie was her idea in the first place).
Walking out of the theater we decided "sure, let's give it a shot." 

Now for MY idea.  "Honey, how about we go out for steak, a deep fried onion, blue cheese salad, and cake & ice cream to celebrate our new vegan life?"  She is an agreeable woman, so off we went. 

A $265 store run later, and a 55 gallon drum of yellow bean protien shake powder for emergencies stowed away, here we are. 

NO FACES.