Something fishy is going on here….. (and a meal plan)

Yes, it is.  Right now, on a very seldom basis.  But it is.

Now that I have gone a year and a half remaining pretty strict, it is time I start seeing where the line is.  Do I need to be ALL VEGAN ALL THE TIME?  Or can I have some animal here and there and remain in a healthy state?

A few things to clarify.  First off, I am only going to eat wild, fresh fish.  No farm raised. I only want to consume that which is not inflammatory to the body.  Secondly, it will be very rare at the beginning.

I hesitated to even bring it up on this blog bc a lot of you are trying plant based eating to  heal diseases, as well.  Please hear this:  I HAVE BEEN TOTALLY STRICT FOR A YEAR AND  A HALF.  This has allowed my body to heal an enormous amount.  I am now going to play around a little bit.  My sweet husband is charting everything.  I will continue to report back here so you know the results.  How fun would it be for me to be able to add some foods in occasionally?  Lets just hope that Lupus cooperates!

This week will still be a vegan week.  It isn’t a normal week….so I won’t be cooking much.  But it is good to have a plan no matter what your week looks like.  This will avoid the pitfalls of grabbing something unhealthy.  Have a healthy week!

• Sunday- Reid is planning an outdoor meal and preparing it for  his Cubs Scouts badge.  He is cooking sausage (uncured, all natural) and making a fruit salad and serving it with grape tomatoes.  I will have roasted kale in place of sausage.
• Mon- Roasted Vegetable quinoa salad, prepare by Gretchen
• Tues- Leftover butternut squash risotto.  Made this as a family last night.  We all enjoyed it so much and I LOVE that the kids are finally coming around to eating things they didn’t before. Keep feeding your kids veggies, people!  It will happen!
• Wed- Bean quesadillas.  Just good and simple and easy and cheap!
• Thurs- Greek food out, possibly something else.  I just need something quick and easy this night.
• Fri- A girlfriend is coming in town….so I am off the hook!  Kids and Luck will do something fun.

Your turn!  What are you eating this week?

 

Cooking Class THIS week!

Want to learn a few plant strong recipes?  Want a night out?  Like a nice glass of wine while you learn?  Well come join me!

• Where? The Boerne Cooking Cottage
• When? Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 6:30 pm
• What? A plant based (and gluten free) cooking class taught by me!

Just  click HERE to join the fun!

Our menu will include chick pea curry over rice, butternut squash soup, some fresh juice, and a date and nut fruit pie.  There are still spaces left, so jump in on the fun now!

Wanna Bet? (and a meal plan)

Some honesty:  Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas, followed by New Years, followed by our anniversary = I have no more reasons to celebrate and splurge on eating for a while!

I am taking part in Nutritious Eats’ diet bet.  Click HERE to join.  Everyone who participates puts $25 in the pot.  You then have 28 days to lose 4% of your body weight.  If you do, you get to split the pot with everyone else who does!  Sounds fun, right?  Who can’t buckle down for 4 weeks?

I am excited about the challenge.  Honestly, I don’t care much about losing a certain number of lbs.  I am heavier than I was a year ago, but overall content.  I just want a month of being super focused on eating for HEALTH.  I’d like to focus on pulling back my appetite, kicking my sugar craving,  crowding out  my plate, and, well, having my pants fit a little bit more loosely!

YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO JOIN!!!!!  Please let me know if you do.  Or comment with your email address and I will send you an invitation.

Know how to eat healthfully, consistently?  MEAL PLAN!  Post what you will eat for the week.  You will stay accountable to it!  It helps with budgeting and with making good choices.  I will start posting my meal plans again.  I hate even doing this week’s because we have a really busy week that isn’t normal.  But here is what a busy plant based menu looks like!

• Sunday: Vegan grilled cheese with carrots, tomatoes, and cuties
• Monday: Chick pea curry (recipe coming soon!) over brown rice with roasted broccoli
• Tuesday: We have a dinner meeting where I will be fed according to my diet. Wayside rocks!
• Wednesday:  Baked potatoes (cheese on the families’, avocado on mine) and green salad with carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, and anything else I can find.
• Thursday: I am teaching a cooking class, so my family will eat “eggs in the holes” with fruit.  (actually, they like “eggs in the squares!”)
• Friday: Pizza Friday!

YOUR turn!  What are YOU eating this week?  Don’t be embarassed, shy, anything!  It can be full of meat or meat free.  Healthy or hearty!  Just put it out there.  We all get new ideas this way.  And link to a recipe if it is online!

Happy week!

Tips for a Healthy 2013!

It is a new year!  A time for fresh resolutions and determined resolve.

Today, I started off with teaching Pilates and am now embarking on a fast.  Not sure how long I want this water fast to last.  Maybe just to sunset.  Maybe tomorrow.  Maybe a few days.  (can you hear my tummy growling from your house?)

My health goals: Get back to eating plant strong.  Not just vegan, but LOADS of plants.  Crowding out my plate.  I would also like to move further in Pilates and go through Reformer training.  Some day I would love to have my own Pilates studio and I would like to start working towards that.  I also want to make a concerted effort to get off of Prilosec. The last man standing in the meds.  It may be over the counter, but I still want off.

So what are your goals?  Want to join me in kicking off 2013 right?  You don’t need to fast.  Or eat plant based.  Or eat gluten free.  Or exercise like a maniac.  Here are my suggestions for getting healthy in 2013:

• Drink a smoothie every morning.  Blend almond/coconut milk, frozen collard greens (or kale or mustard greens) with frozen berries, milled flax seeds, and a banana  (If you need it for flavor and sweetness.  I prefer without.)  Add some cinnamon and vanilla for flavor.   I believe that THIS IS THE CORNERSTONE OF MY HEALING.  Every morning, without excuse, I make this.  And I drink this.  And my body is saying thank you in SO many ways!  Read here for my GREAT START SHAKE recipe and here for a little tutorial!
• Make a really healthy soup on the weekend and eat it as your lunch all week long.  That way, you aren’t pulled into snacking on your kids leftovers or something you really know you shouldn’t eat.  Include tons and tons of veggies in your soup!  Some ideas: vegetable rice soup, butternut squash soup, vegetarian pho, lentil soup, black bean soup, and so many more!!!  I will post more soup recipes, if you would like!
• Aim for more and more meatless days every week.  Start out with 1 or 2.  You will soon see that you don’t need meat to be strong, have energy, or anything else that the world tries to sell you on.  I am LIVING PROOF, people!  Don’t know what to make?  Start here for tacos.  Then peruse my blog and many, many other recipes on the great www.  Why meatless you say?  Because more and more and more research every day shows that we consume way too much animal protein.  Animal is inflammatory to the body.  Our chickens and pigs and cows are not fed what they ought to be fed.  They are fed to make them fat for not a lot of money.  Do your research on this. I ate a healthy diet of lean, organic (when possible) protein with lots of fruits and veggies before.  I was SO SICK.  Off all of the animal, my body is healing itself without meds.  What argument is there that we NEED meat?  I am strong and still teach weight lifting classes!  Don’t buy into the “you need protein from animals” bit!!! 🙂
• Watch Forks Over Knives and every other food documentary you can get your hands on.  Most are free on Netflix.
• Eat a grapefruit at night instead of junk.  Why?  Nothing magical. It is just good and if you start, you will become as addicted as I once was and soon hope to be again.  You have to take your time and work for those little bites!  Oh, and get used to them without sugar.  Buy ruby red ones.  They help!  Then squeeze out the remaining juice and drink it straight from the bowl.  Heaven!
• Get your hiney moving.  Join a gym, come to one of MY classes (!!), start walking your neighborhood, buy a treadmill.  Just get moving.  Write up your plan, put it on your fridge, tell your kids and spouse so that you have some accountability, and DO IT!
• Meal plan!  I will resume posting my meal plans if YOU will join along!  I always think through it on the weekend and post it on Sunday.  You will eat so much healthier if you will just plan ahead.

So…please share!!!  What are YOUR goals for the year?  What would you like to see on this blog?  Please comment.  I see how many hits my blog gets and would LOVE more than anything for you to  say hi when you pop in.  🙂

 

Happy New Year!

Doc Appt and Weight

I love my doctor.

I went to see him this week.  It was a regular Lupus checkup.  My main concern was the instant weight gain that occurred in June.  Then same weight I can’t seem to get off.  The same weight I moaned about on here before.

The reason I love my doc?  He looked in my charts and agreed that my eating can NOT be the cause.  He saw one number in June.  Then just weeks later he saw a much higher number.  I promise y’all…I gained 10 lbs in just a few weeks.  How does that happen???  He is as perplexed as I am.

Most doctors tell you that maybe you are eating more than you realize, blah, blah, blah.  He said it would be crazy to attest it to my diet based on the speed with which I put it on.

And it isn’t budging.  One of the biggest perks of my new diet was that I had freedom to eat!  I felt free!  Now I feel confined and frustrated and that I don’t “deserve” treats.  How stupid is that?  I feel the need to punish  myself for gaining weight.  Dumb.

He is going to do another blood test in a few months. For now, I just keep on keeping on.  He loves where I am, health wise.  He doesn’t want me to change a thing.

I have had good days for a week and a half now!  He thinks that my last 4 months were rough because of Fifth’s Disease that I got this summer.  He attributes all of my kidney and liver markers being off to that, as well as just my general fever and fatigue.

I am so thankful for good days!  I am thankful for sweet friends.  I am thankful for foods that heal.  And I am super thankful for my doc.  🙂

 

 

Butternut Squash Soup! (vegan!)

So, I wasn’t planning on so many butternut squash recipes!  BUT, we got one in our neighborhood co-op produce box and I  had just bought a big package from Costco.  Good thing the stuff is so super yummy! And so, so good for you!  Just look at that color!  Full of nutritional goodness!

Here is a great soup you can make as a starter for Thanksgiving or to serve the family with leftovers.  Or to make on any ‘ole day.

I combined my regular vegan standby with some hints from Melanie’s over at Nutritious Eats.  Amazing food!

I love this soup because of the warming curry, the creamy coconut milk, the tangy limes, and the jalapeno and ginger.  It will warm you from head to toe!

This was for a double recipe, so don’t be alarmed by the quantity!

 

Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan)

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds butternut squash, cubed
• 1 sweet potato, cubed
• 1 sweet onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and cut in half
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
• Juice of 1 to 2 limes
• 1tsp curry powder
• 6 cups gluten-free vegetable broth
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Put butternut squash, sweet potato, onion, garlic, and jalapeno in a roasting pan.  Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil. Cook in preheated oven until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally.
3. Put cooked vegetables, their cooking juices, ginger, lime juice, curry, vegetable broth and coconut milk into a large pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Puree soup with an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender in batches and puree). Taste for seasoning. Garnish with freshly ground pepper.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Leeks, Fresh Sage, and Toasted Walnuts. (Vegan, of course!)

I adore risotto.

Nothing that I eat brings me more comfort.  A glass of wine with a bowl of creamy risotto.  Hanging out with Lucky.  Perfection.

Make this on a night in.  A night when you can take your time and stir and visit.  Since you are opening a bottle of wine, you may as well have a glass!  It is a great date night.  And one you don’t need a sitter for!  Just have a late dinner after kids are in bed and relax and unwind together.

But warning, this is not a quick fix meal!!!  Take your time and enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Leeks, Fresh Sage, and Toasted Walnuts

• One butternut squash, peeled and seeded and cut into chunks.
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 boxes (8 cups) vegetable broth
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 4-5 fresh sage leaves
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• White wine of your choice
• Walnuts, toasted at 350 for 10 minutes or until starting to brown, then chopped
• Shaved or grated Parmesan/Romano for non vegans.  I loved it without, but Luck loves it with.  🙂

1. Place squash on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and kosher salt and pepper.  Roast on 350 for 30 minutes, or until they are fork tender.  Try not to eat them all out of the pan.  If you would prefer to cook without oil, simply steam your squash!  Once it is cooled a bit, take the back of a wooden spoon and smash it down.  You can leaved some bigger size pieces.  I like it not being uniformed.
2. Meanwhile, place your vegetable broth in a pot and bring to a simmer. Once it is simmering, turn to warm and leave it there.  You will need hot broth for the risotto.  And a ladle.
3. Heat the pot you plan to make the risotto in with a little bit of oil.  You don’t need much at all. You can also water saute’ at this point and not use oil at all.  Add the leeks and a little salt and pepper and cook for 8 minutes or so until they are soft and translucent.  Add your chopped, fresh sage and stir and cook a bit longer. Remove those to a plate and set aside.
4. Using that same pot, now add a little bit of olive oil and add your dry rice.  Cook and stir for a bit.  Some say you need to cook until you hear the rice popping like a glass sound.  Just give it a good few minutes over medium heat.
5. Now add 1/2 – 3/4 cups of white wine and stir until all of the liquid is absorbed. This is how you will cook the remainder of this dish!
6. Once the wine has been absorbed, add a ladle of the warm veg broth.  Stir until it is all absorbed and repeat.  As you get down to the bottom of the broth, start tasting.  You want the rice to still have a bit of a bite to it and not be mushy, but you don’t want it under cooked.  So taste along the way!
7. Once your rice is at the perfect texture, stir in the butter nut squash and the leek/sage mixture.  Taste for seasoning!  If you need to add more Kosher salt, now is the time.  Add a good amount of fresh cracked pepper
8. Top each serving with toasted walnuts.  And if you eat cheese, top with a good hard cheese (Romano or Parmesan).
9. Grab your wine and serve with a salad and enjoy!

Kale-Pomegranate Quinoa Stuffing

Don’t you just love recipes that capture the holidays?  You can taste the  love of the generations that passed the recipes down and the layers upon layers of flavors that have been developed and carefully put together.

Sometimes when you are cooking plant-based and gluten free, you lose that.  Because quite frankly, this is NOT how our grandparents cooked!

This recipe captures all that we have come to love about the holidays.  The fresh sage, the pecans, the thyme…it is everything you will want from a stuffing/dressing.

And the most exciting part?  It is jam packed with goodness!  3 of what Dr. Oz calls “power” foods amp up the nutrition: kale, pomegranate, and quinoa.

This is going to be tripled this year for our Thanksgiving feast.  And I am betting that this will be a recipe that will stand the test of time.

(on a side note, I realize I don’t have a nice camera…please don’t let my lousy pictures deter you from the recipe!  Some day, I will get a nice one!)

This recipe is adapted from Dr. Mehmet Oz to be vegan and lower in fat!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil OR water for water sauteeing
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 4 cloves garlic, minced through a press
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked in vegetable broth)
• 1/2 pounds kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
• Kosher salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups pecans
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. 2.
2. Spray a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.
3. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil (or omit and just saute #4 in a tiny amount of water).
4. Add the minced garlic and cook until soft but not yet golden.
5. Raise heat to high, add the stock and kale and toss to combine. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated.
6. Season with salt and  pepper. Set aside to cool.
7. Add cooled, cooked kale and pecans to a food processor; pulse several times until pecans are chopped and kale is shredded but mixture is still chunky.
8. In a separate saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil (or again, just saute in small amount of water); add the onion and remaining garlic; sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sage and continue cooking until onion is caramelized, approximately 3 to 4 more minutes. Stir in the pecan-kale mixture.
9. Transfer the onion-pecan-kale mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked quinoa and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and toss to coat.
10. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
11. Garnish with pomegranate seeds before serving.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread (gluten free, vegan) and the best gluten free flour blend!

I love, love waking up and baking something yummy as a surprise to the kids!  Yesterday, I knew we had a low key homeschool day and so it was the perfect day to jump in the kitchen and make them a treat. They were so happy to wait the extra time for breakfast!  It is very moist and just the right balance of pumpkin, chocolate, and yum.  Reid likes it straight up, Daniella likes it covered in Earth Balance. I  think it is best sliced, spread with Earth Balance, and broiled until the top is slightly crunchy.

The original recipe comes from my very favorite baking cookbook.   Go get it.  Really.

Without further ado, here is the recipe:

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup agave
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 3 cups gluten free flour mix  **See Note (feel free to sub your favorite gf flour…just know that I have tried them all and this is the best!)
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups dark chocolate chips (vegan)

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease bread pan.
2. In mixer with paddle attachment, mix oil, agave, and vanilla for 20 seconds.
3. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and mix another 20 seconds.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining dry ingredients.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combines.  Mix in the chocolate chips.
6. Put batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. THEN, turn the heat to 325 and bake for another 20 mins.
7. Let the bread cool for 20 minutes or until you can’t stand waiting any longer.

**I use Cybel Pascal’s gluten free flour mix. I order the superfine brown rice flour from Amazon and buy the other two at HEB.  I make a giant batch of the flour blend and then have it on hand for whenever I need to bake something.  I have adjusted the amounts to make it easier to make in bulk.  I am stocked up right now with the holidays around the corner. Here is the recipe:

• 1 (3lb) bag of Superfine Brown Rice Flour from Authentic Foods.
• 3 cups potato starch (NOT potato flour)
• 1 1/2 cups Tapioca flour OR tapioca starch

Whisk these ingredients together in a large bowl.  Scoop into a large ziploc back and seal.  Keep in the pantry for quick baking!

Why I haven’t posted as much and a meal plan!

I know I have not been posting much….I am just in a weird place.

I am NOT in a flare!!!  Yay!  What this means is that most of the time I feel ok, occasionally I feel good, and some of the time I feel like crap.  I am napping less and can be more involved with the family.  I am SO thankful for this because the last 6 months seemed pretty brutal to me.

What I am not happy with is something that is never comfortable to talk about.  But it is part of my journey and I would not be completely honest if I didn’t write about it.

It is that ugly thing no female wants to talk about.  Weight.

For some ANNOYING reason, I am still eating the exact same way and exercising the same amount  and I am gaining weight.  Isn’t that lovely?  While everyone in the room can down meat and cheese and bread, I am over here eating veggies and fruits and nuts and “cheeze,” and yet I am the one gaining weight.  I am now teaching 6 exercise classes a week.  I am not sitting on my butt popping bon bons.

Before you ask, yes, I have been tracking my calories just to make sure I was not 1) eating too much or 2) not eating enough and starving myself.

I go in this week for blood work.  I am getting everything checked.  A month ago I had several lab results come back off.  We are checking those, as well as thyroid, hormones, and many more things.  I pray that this will reveal what is going on.  My body FEELS like I am on prednisone again, only I am NOT!  If everything comes back normal, then I just pray that my doc listens to me about this and helps me keep digging.  I know my body.  Very well.

ON TO OUR MEALS!

• Sunday: Reid’s bday and he wants egg-in-the-holes for dinner.  I will eat some foods I am practicing for my cooking class.
• Monday: Tomato soup and grilled cheese.  I now make the tomato soup with only a small amount of olive oil.  HOLY COW, I am CRAVING this stuff again!  I seriously can’t wait!!!
• Tuesday: Mashed potatoes and cauliflower, served with peppered peas and roasted carrots.
• Wednesday: Gretchen is making a tomatillo crock pot invention.  YUM!
• Thursday: Leftovers
• Friday: pizza night

Now it is your turn!  What are YOU eating this week???