March Madness

Sorry I've been absent lately.  I've been getting refocused.  February didn't turn out the greatest when it came to my goals, and I had to sit down and assess what I did wrong.  I narrowed it down to these:

1. I didn't stick to my no alcohol rule.  San Antonio friend in town = drinkage.  I didn't overindulge, but when I let one thing slide, others tend to follow.
2. I had a bit of fried food the week my friend was here.  With the exception of some fries, I limited it to two pieces each time.  So one day I had two onion rings.  Another time two zucchini sticks...
3. I was also depending on gluten too much.  Apparently, sweet potato gnocchi with basil-parsley-hazelnut pesto is my weakness!
4. Most of all, I stopped doing pilates and kickboxing regularly.

February Weight Loss: 4.4 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 13 lbs

But the totally awesome thing is I lost 1/2 inch in my waist and hips...and 3 effing inches in my chest!  My back pain has eased a lot so that's great.

So this month I stepped my game up.  High raw.  Tons of walking.  Pilates and yoga with the occasional kickboxing.  I've also been putting my daily food/water intake and exercise on a site called Nutrimirror.  It calculates everything for you.  I've been eating the right amount of stuff, tons of healthy fats from nuts and such...so I feel good about it.

Mon 3-1-10
medium jonagold apple and 1 tbsp smooth almond butter
black grapes, 2 tbsp almond butter and agave
blueberry smoothie (from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen)
big green salad (romaine, spring mix, broccoli, cucumber, walnuts) w/ Basic Favorite Dressing from 500 Vegan Recipes (used Italian seasoning and added salt, pepper, and fresh garlic)
60 oz water
EXERCISE: 40 min walking, 1 hr Wii Fit (yoga and strength), and 30 min pilates.

Tues 3-2-10
green smoothie (spinach, kale, banana, dates, blueberries)
raw pb cookie bar (peanuts, dates, vanilla, salt)
medium jonagold apple and 2 tbsp almond butter
salad (cucumber, shallots, tomato, nooch, white balsamic)
8 oz almond milk w/ 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
50oz water
EXERCISE: 20 min walking

Wed 3-3-10
raw pb cookie bar and medium anjou pear
smoothie (blueberries, molasses, tahini, strawberries, kale)
coconut water
raw nori wrapped power wraps (curry flavor)
ginger snap larabar
big green salad w/ Basic Favorite Dressing from 500 Vegan Recipes (dijon insted of oil and same addins as above)
80 oz water
EXERCISE: 20 min walking

Well, I'm off to class.  I will be updating again today with a smoothie recipe and some other stuff.  Happy Friday!

Sushi Assassin and Allergy/Sinus Remedies

This week has been hell on my allergies/sinus troubles.  I've had to take those extreme allergy and sinus pills, so I've been walking around like a zombie.  I had to stop taking them because I barely had enough energy to go walking.  It was insane.

But I'm still on track.  In fact, I think I might shorten the rest of my goals to five pound increments because this is already going so much better than expected.  But I don't know.  I'll feel it out.

This weekend a friend flew in from San Antonio so we picked her up at the airport and four of us went out for sushi.  Let me tell you something about Era and our friend, Roy...they are sushi assassins.  Era especially.  It's like he's got a bottomless stomach when it comes to the stuff.  I think he ordered something like four regular sized rolls.  Alls I know is that they had to make about 4 or 5 trips to the table.  I enjoyed some agedashi tofu, inari, and the most beautiful veggie roll ever.

It seriously looked like a jewel.  The most brightest and beautifulest seaweed salad, cucumber, some carrot, sprouts, avocado, and some sorta pickled radish in the middle..all wrapped up in nori.  The radish was this translucent yellow.  Mmmm.

So, here's what happened last week.  I'm probably posting again today with the rest of this week.

Thurs 2-11-10
veggie scramble (yukon potatoes, red chard, creminis, roma tomato, and Italian Daiya)
acai juice
tofish taco w/ broccoli slaw, avocado, and cilantro lime crema
cinnamon puffins w/ blackstrap molasses and almond milk
2 bean and cheese chalupas w/ avocado, tomato, cilantro lime crema, and broccoli slaw
40 oz water
EXERCISE: 40 min walking

Fri 2-12-10
cream of rice w/ soymilk, evaporated cane juice, goji berries, cinnamon and vanilla
about 2 tbsp white choc peanut butter
hashbrowns w/ Italian and cheddar Daiya, gf bacn bits and broccoli slaw
french dip sammich (small baguette, sauteed onion, thinly sliced seitan, avocado, mayo, and dipping sauce) w/ a mixed green salad and balsamic vinaigrette*
60 oz water
EXERCISE: 20 min walking.  1 hour heavy duty cleaning (it counts!)

Sat 2-13-10
rice cereal w/ bananas and soymilk
chickpea flour pizza (sauce, gf bacn bits, Italian Daiya, cremini, kalamatas and fresh basil) w/ cucumber salad
goji berries
unsweetened plain soy yogurt w/ banana, pecans, and cinnamon Puffins
Irish breakfast tea, evaporated cane juice, and soymilk
40 oz water
EXERCISE: 20 min walking.  30 min Wii Sports (bowling, baseball, tennis)

Sun 2-14-10**
sliced potatoes w/ Italian and cheddar Daiya, gf bacn bits and salsa
agedashi tofu, 2 sm inari sushi, 1 veggie roll
40 oz iced tea
agua de coco paleta***
10 oz gingerale
1.5 glasses of wine
2 sourpatch kids
handful of tortilla chips
20 oz water
EXERCISE: 30 min pilates. 10 min skooling fools on Wii Fit Plus

*The French Dip was from Native Foods.  One of the best sandwiches I've ever put in my mouth.  And that dipping sauce!

**Not the greatest food day because of the wine, soda, and stale sourpatch kids (blech), but we were all hanging out and having fun.  Also, it didn't affect anything.

***Paletas are these Mexican popsicles made with fresh fruit, sometimes sugar, water and/or milk.  I got the coconut one that's made with coconut water and coconut cream.  It also had toooons of grated coconut.  So good.

So that's how last week went.  Depending on how many more of the sweet potatoes I attack, I may have even more blog action this afternoon.

Until then, I'd love to hear your home remedies for allergy and sinus problems.  Well, I'm off to get ready for class.

Daiya Hard Obsession

Howdy folks!  I took last week off because I did a bad, bad thing.  You know when you stick to your diet technically, but make a bunch of not-super-great choices?  That was me last week.  Eating a lot of processed foods because I was too lazy to cook.  Plus I was seriously slacking on the freshness.  So, I was at a plateau.  Instead of making excuses this week, I totally kicked my butt into gear again.  Thus, I have reached my first goal.  I am down 10.4 lbs as of this morning.  This means I can eat gluten again.  I haven't had seitan or non gf bread since December.  I'm proud I made it this long.  I might even do the robot.

Mon 2-8-10
cinnamon Puffins w/ soymilk and molasses
gf sausage crumbles and 1/2 cup applesauce
white chocolate peanut butter
2 small pears
2 tofish tacos w/ broccoli slaw and avocado
60 oz water
EXERCISE: 40 min walking, 30 min pilates, 35 min Wii Fit (rhythm boxing, balance games, step aerobics, and hula hoop)

Tues 2-9-10
lemon ginger herbal tea w/ agave
hashbrowns w/ cheddar Daiya and broccoli slaw
rice cereal w/ dried cherries, cardamom, coconut, and soymilk
strawberry banana smoothie
2 tofish tacos w/ broccoli slaw, avocado, tomato, and cilantro lime crema
60 oz water
EXERCISE: 40 min walking, 50 min Wii Fit (yoga, strength, and step aerobics)

Wed 2-10-10
chickpea pizza dough w/ tomato sauce and Italian Daiya
coconut water w/ peach & mango and 2 small Enjoy Life chocolate chip cookies*
quinoa veggie pasta w/ 5 bean salad & Italian Daiya and 1 tbsp goji berries
2 dk chocolate mint thins and Kashi's Mayan Harvest Bake (soooo good)
tahini coffee (from Vegan Comfort Food)
40 oz water
EXERCISE: 20 min walking

*I love these things.  Free of the top 8 allergens and these particular cookies are fruit juice sweetened.  So frickin good!

Okay.  Must talk about that Kashi dinner.  It's got plantains, sweet potato, kale, black beans, an 8 grain polenta, and it's covered in an ancho sauce.  The plantains MAKE this meal.  So ridiculously good.  I was not expecting that.

If  you can't tell, my latest obsession happens to be Daiya.  I don't know what it is, but when I have some in the house I'm covering ever'thang with cheezy goodness.  I ate pizza for breakfast yesterday!  Ridonkulous!  Especially since it wasn't leftover.  I made that chickpea crust (from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook) right before I got ready for class.  Hee hee.

I'm also obsessing over molasses.  Who frickin knew it tasted so good in soy and almond milk?!  Really good stuff.

Two things I think that are really helping me with this weight loss:
1. I'm finally thinking in small terms.  In the past, when I thought about all the weight I had gained things became seriously overwhelming.  Taking it ten pounds at a time and aiming for 8 a month helps me stay focused on small goals.
2. Not eating past a certain time.  These days I've been going to bed between 9 and 10 (because I get up at 6:30 to go for my morning walk).  I try not to eat a few hours prior to bed and it makes me feel more refreshed in the morning.

At the end of this, I'll definitely be talking about the things I've learned.  But for now, I'm concentrating on the next 10.  Well, I've got blogs to catch up on and a 4 day weekend ahead.  Awesome sauce.

One Month Down...

Can you believe January is over.  Time flies when you're old.  In the past few weeks I've discovered a ridonkulous amount of gray hairs.  Meh.  I'm not rushing to dye so they'll be staying with me for a while.

Things are going well for me right now.  I'm so close to my first goal that I can taste it.  I was hoping to get there by the end of January but I didn't quite make it.  But here are the stats.

January Weight Loss: 8.6 lbs.  Holla!

Sat 1-30-10
cashew tofu (celery, snap peas, baby corn, mushroom, bell pepper, and carrot) w/ steamed white rice
2 Irish breakfast teas w/ sugar and lite coconut milk
roast (yukon golds, carrots, shallots,celery, and chickpeas)
more roast
40 oz water
EXERCISE: None

The roast I made on Saturday was ridiculously good and so fricking simple.  I took 4 small carrots, 2 yukon golds, 2 celery stalks, 3 shallots, and a 15 oz can of chickpeas (drained) and threw them in a bowl (after chunking the veggies, of course).  I added a pinch of thyme and rubbed sage, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste then mixed it together.  Put it in a pan and covered the whole thing with 1.5 cups of veggie broth.  I put foil over the pan and placed in a 375ish oven for 35-40 mins.  Then took off the foil and cooked another 10 minutes.  The vegetables were like buttah.  Seriously melt-in-your-mouth good.

Sun 1-31-10
apricot halves
2 dark chocolate mint thins
1 sm pear w/ white choc peanut butter
2 chocolate mint thins
leftover roast
plain unsweetened soy yogurt w/ raisins, cinnamon, agave, and walnuts
60 oz. water
EXERCISE: 30 min pilates

Mon 2-01-10
spoonful white choc peanut butter, small pear 1/2 cup plain unsweetened soy yogurt
4 dark chocolate mint thins
rice cereal w/ dried cherries, cinnamon, pecans, and lite coconut milk
2 veggie sushi rolls w/ soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger and edamame
2 cups of unsweetened green tea
60 oz water
EXERCISE: None

My latest discovery is that a local store (Fresh and Easy) sells these awesome dark chocolate mint thins.  So good.  If you love junior mints or peppermint patties, these things rule!  I thought this was an awesome find, but somebody told me Trader Joe's has them and I saw the same thing in World Market today.  Not the same brand but the same thing.

I could live in World Market.  They always have really awesome finds.  From the incredibly good chocolate to a ton of vegan Indian food.  And they sell a ginormous thing of capers.  Digressing.

Tomorrow begins Operation: Sweetie Pots.  I'll be sure to keep y'all updated on my adventures.

Sunny Days and Pear-Parsley Green Smoothie

Today I woke up and it was all sunshiny, so I finally got to get out and walk again.  We have been pounded with rain all week.  I'm talking non-stop, all day rain...in the desert.  By midweek, we had as much rain in a few days as we had all last year!  Of course, there is no drainage system here so streets were getting flooded and there were a lot of road closures.  Anyway.  So glad the sun has returned.

This week was pretty good as it applies to food and exercise.  I managed to do more intense workouts since I couldn't get out and walk, and I incorporated more fresh food into my diet.  I also discovered the joys of the coconut, cardamom, and dried cherry combo.

Wed 1-20-10
Irish breakfast tea w/ sugar and vanilla hazelnut rice milk
tofu omelet w/ meximeat, gluten free queso, avocado, and tomato
red beans and rice
red beans and rice w/ gluten free queso
rice cereal w/ coconut, cinnamon, dried cherries, and almond milk
yumberry & black currant herbal tea w/ cinnamon and almond milk
36 oz water
EXERCISE: 20 min walk, 30+ min cardio kickboxing, pilates, and yoga

red beans and rice w/ gluten free queso and romaine & orange salad w/ poppy seeds

Thurs 1-21-10

rice cereal w/ dried cherries, cardamom, coconut and almond milk

cinnamon cardamom herbal tea

tofu omelet w/ meximeat and gluten free queso

1 orange

Irish breakfast tea w/ sugar and almond milk

red beans and rice w/ gluten free queso and romaine salad w/ blood orange and poppy seed

baked sweet potato w/ chili and gluten free queso and romaine salad w/ catalina drizzle

EXERCISE: 30 min cardio kickboxing

Yesterday was my completion of the medical front office program so my class celebrated.  I ate some coffeecake (Vegan Brunch).  I also went to a buffet with the women of my internship.  But it was a celebration!  I did really well I think...considering.

Fri 1-22-10

rice cereal, coconut, dried cherries, cardamom, and almond milk

serving of chili limon potato chips, 2 jam swirl east coast coffeecake squares

casino buffet: salad (romaine, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, black olives and Italian dressing), fruit salad, 2 mini veg spring rolls w/ sweet chili sauce, fresh strawberries, spanish rice, slice of blueberry pie

chili w/ avocado

52 oz water

EXERCISE: None.

Now for that smoothie.  Usually when I make green smoothies, I just throw stuff into the blender and hope for the best.  Sometimes I end up with some truly foul tasting things.  But this was AWESOME.  Uh, measurements are guesstimates.

pear-parsley green smoothie

Pear-Parsley Green Smoothie

2 cups filtered water

1 very ripe anjou pear, cored and roughly chopped

2 tbsp raw walnuts

2 tbsp raw cashews

2-3 tbsp ground flax seed

3 dates*

giant handful of flat leaf parsley

Combine everything in a blender and blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

*If it's not sweet enough for you, just add more dates.

Jillian Michael Pwnage

Muahahaha.  Ha.  Today I met a personal longstanding goal of mine.  There was this little cardio kickboxing dvd that I never made it through.  My attempts usually went something like this: turn it on after not working out for months, nearly upchuck after the warm up, turn off and never do it again.  This time is different.  I've been working out pretty regularly, eating decent portions, and drinking tons of water.  So I gave it a go today...and completed it!  And it was so much easier than I imagined.  ::happy dance::

This week has been a little harder.  It's been cold and rainy so I've not been walking as much.  Also not been eating much raw because I need me some hot food when it's freaking cold and moist (bleh) out.  But I am eating healthy and sticking to it.

Sun 1-17-10
rice cereal w/ 1 tbsp dried blueberries, cinnamon, almonds, and almond milk
white bean mash w/ parsley and garlic, low sodium green beans, and romaine salad w/ catalina dressing
2 pineapple rings
dark choc w/ ginger and 8 oz almond milk
millet bowl w/ chickpeas, potatoes, sundried tomatoes, and capers
60 oz water
EXERCISE: 40+ min kickboxing, dancing, jump rope, and pilates

Mon 1-18-10
millet bowl w/ chickpeas, potatoes, sundried tomatoes, and capers
English breakfast tea w/ sugar and almond milk
millet bowl w/ chickpeas, potatoes, sundried tomatoes, and capers
unsweetened pumpkin tapioca pudding w/ agave, choc chips and pecans
pear
unsweetened pumpkin tapioca pudding w/ agave, choc chips and pecans
40 oz water
EXERCISE: None

Tues 1-19-10
rice cereal w/ almond milk, cinnamon, and dried cherries
tofu omelet w/ Meximeat* (500 Vegan Recipes), gluten free queso**, avocado, and tomato
red beans (Kittee tester) and rice
60 oz water
EXERCISE: 20+ min cardio kickboxing, pilates, yoga

*used textured soy protein
**replaced the AP flour in my Not Yo Cheeze Sauce w/ brown rice flour

Not Yo Cheeze Sauce (Gluten Free Version)
2 cups water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp mild chili powder
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)

2 Tbsp margarine
2 tsp brown deli mustard (stone ground works too but adds flecks of brown)
1/2 cup of your favorite red salsa

In a blender combine water, nutritional yeast, flour, garlic clove, and spices. Blend until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and heat on medium high, stirring frequently with a whisk. When thickened, remove from heat and stir in the margarine and mustard. Stir in the salsa and heat until warmed through. Makes about 3 cups.

More to come tomorrow or Friday.

The End of Week 2

I keep a food journal because I like to view what I eat and see when I made not-so-great choices.  What is truly insane was that I started a journal in 2008, when I was so certain I'd stick to a plan.  After viewing my many attempts at losing weight, I realized that these past 17 days have been the longest stretch of keeping a food journal active.  Yay me!

So, I'm just starting the third week and I am already feeling a difference.  It's so rewarding.  I forgot how great it feels to work out and eat well.  I'm not eating as much raw as I'd like because we are cleaning out the pantry right now, but I'm already more than half way to my first goal.

I try to measure stuff but sometimes I don't.  I also work really hard to have a lot of smaller meals throughout the day because my number one problem is not eating enough meals and making up for it with huge portion sizes.

sweet potato tapioca w/ crushed dark chocolate-ginger bar and almonds

Thurs 1-14-10

flax pancake w/ almonds, agave, and sliced pear

gluten free penne w/ garlic, lemon juice, & capers and a romaine salad
12 oz soy nog
2 pineapple rings
pineapple collards (Isa tester) and black eyed peas
60 oz water
EXERCISE: 20 min walk, 40+ min kickboxing, dancing, and jump rope

Fri 1-15-10

2 pineapple rings and 8 oz vanilla hazelnut rice milk

English breakfast tea w/ sugar and vanilla hazelnut rice milk

black eyed peas w/ sweet potatoes, pineapple collards, & brown rice w/ sriarcha

black eyed peas w/ sweet potatoes

1 cup unsweetened sweet potato tapioca pudding w/ pecans, choc chips, and almonds

green tea w/ agave

40 oz water

EXERCISE: 20 minute walk

white bean mash w/ garlic oil and parsley

Sat 1-16-10

1 cup unsweetened sweet potato tapioca pudding w/ agave drizzle and sliced peach

miso soup (gluten free penne, mixed veg, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, red miso)

1 cup unsweetened sweet potato tapioca pudding w/ agave, almonds, and dark choc w/ ginger

1 cup of rice cereal, cinnamon, dried cherries, and almond milk

white bean mash w/ parsley and garlic oil, low sodium green beans, and romaine salad w/ catalina dressing

English breakfast tea w/ agave and lemon

60 oz water

EXERCISE: none

So my latest obsession is sweet potato tapioca pudding.  It's something I just sorta made up.  Some of Era's students gave him a box of sweet potatoes and limas (a cross between oranges and lemons).  I had a monster sweet potater and was fiending for something dessert like.  I used minute tapioca (fat free), almond milk, cinnamon, ginger, and 1/2 a huge baked sweet potato.  I'll put up a recipe when I make it again.

Well, I just finished my workout for the day so I've got a date with Netflix.  Werd to the nerd.

Vegan MoFo III: Trader Joe's Woes

I remember being so jealous of people who had access to Trader Joe's when I lived in San Antonio.  Well, I've been in southern California for about a year now and I gotta say it: meh.  Trader Joe's is so not all that.  I actually prefer Whole Foods, despite the douchosity of its CEO.  Of course, the closest WF is over an hour away so I suppose my preference doesn't really matter.  Ha ha.  The selection at Trader Joe's is really small and the one by my house is frequented by rich people with a ridiculous sense of entitlement.  That is not a generalization.  Every time I go there somebody does something completely rude to me.  My sister says I'm just used to Texas, where complete strangers say "hello."  She might be on to something.  Hmm...

Today I got some bbq pulled chik'n from Trader Joe's and decided to make a bowl with brown rice, corn, and red chard.  That chik'n was one of the worst things I have ever had the displeasure of putting in my mouth.  I seriously gagged.  It reminded me of the first time I ever tried store bought seitan and it smelled like cat food and I never wanted to eat vegan food ever again.

Afterwards, I went to World Market to look around.  I love the grocery section in there!  There are so many really cool things.  I could stare at marzipan all day.  Today, I found these dark chocolate bars that have insane flavors.  The two I picked up were chile limon and sea salt.  I have yet to try them, though.

Today I slacked majorly.  My Food Network Friday will be tomorrow.  I also didn't feel like doing a mosaic today because I didn't have much of an appetite.  Staying up late reading mofo entries and waking up early to do homework seriously caught up to me!  I'm a bit run down right now.

Breakfast: huge smoothie (chocolate soymilk, banana, flax meal, spinach, walnuts, frozen strawberries and blueberries).  sounds like a lot, but it was one of the best smoothies I ever had!
Snack: slice of sourdough with chocolate spread, giant apple, and some chips
Dinner: bbq bowl (bbq chik'n, rice w/ corn, red chard), spiced apple cider (like drinking apple pie)

Notes-I am fried from this week.  I'm at that point of happy delirium when I know I need sleep because everything is hilarious.  I always forget that sleep is an incredibly important part of good health.  I am the first to admit that I will run myself ragged in the name of my projects or homework.  So I'll work on that.

Tomorrow is the last day of health week.  I'm excited about budget week!  I am super good at being super cheap.  Mind out of the gutter, you bunch of filthy mcnasties!  Happy Friday to all!

VeganMoFo III: Humpty Dance Hump Day

So it's Wednesday and this week seems to be dragging on.  I'm not just saying that because I can't wait for budget week.  Nope, not at all.  Not sure, but I think the caffeine I had earlier today is making me nauseated.  I'm very sensitive to it because I rarely have anything with caffeine.  Honestly, I think the world is a much safer place when I'm not amped up.  I'm a bit crazy to begin with and I might scare the children.

Today was a great, happy, sunshiny day.  I am wearing hoodies to class every morning.  Hoodies!  Last week it was all schweaty ballz out and now it's crisp...even in the sun.  But I am longing for the cold, wet winters of San Antonio.  Any rain at all will do.  There is nothing like snuggling in the blankets with the puppies as rain pours outside.  They keep telling me that we should expect thunderstorms, but it's the desert.  I've seen it rain once.  I never realized how much I loved the rain until now.  It's the little things, people.

Breakfast: 2 pieces of celery, peanut butter w/ carob powder and agave, a nectarine, and English breakfast tea w/ agave and almond milk

Lunch: 2 slices pizza, spinach and pear salad w/ pecans and agave mustard dressing

Snack: half of a green smoothie (1/2 pear, handful of spinach, a leaf of red chard, and pepitas)

Snack(not pictured): half of a green smoothie and 1 small slice of pizza

Dinner: rice cake w/ peanut butter and raisins, an apple, bite of carrot, and apple cinnamon herbal tea

Water-5 cups

Exercise-Kickboxing

Notes-I couldn't finish eating dinner because I felt so sick.  So I drank some herbal tea to calm my stomach (as I'm out of ginger).  Today was a better food day.  I find it harder to drink enough water when I have other liquids, though.  I'm also not sure that I'm getting enough sleep, so I'm gonna work on that right about...now.

Oh, and one more thing:

Digital Underground - New Music - More Music Videos

Vegan MoFo III: Food Journals and Camouflage Grubbin'

This is just a quick post.  Just wanted to say that I really like to keep food journals because it's a good way to keep track of my eating habits.  I find I am more committed to staying on track when I can see how my body starts craving more fruits and veggies.  Today was crazy because I'm a huge procrastinator.  I ran out the door with breakfast, which I hate to do.

But today is just one day and I'll get right back on track tomorrow.  I'm saying that more for me than anybody else.  Hee hee.  One thing that today's mosaic taught me was that I was really not on top of my game.  I pretty much stuck with green and brown all day.  I didn't even realize it until I went to upload my photos.  Craziness.

Breakfast: 2 banana oatmeal breakfast cookies

Lunch: leftover kale, garlic smashed potatoes, and red wine roux

Snack: ginormous green smoothie (sweet potato, apple and spinach) with another breakfast cookie

Dinner(not pictured): pizza (mushroom, truffle oil, caramelized mushroom & daiya and veggie sausage, peppers, onion, & daiya)

Water-7.5 cups by bed time

Notes-I tried to get the fifth meal in today but was too full (that smoothie was insane) and off schedule.  Tomorrow I'm fitting it in.

Not the greatest food day, but I did get some green in.  That counts for something, right?  On a great note, breakfast is packed and ready for tomorrow so no excuses.

VeganMoFo III: Just Another Movie Monday

Oh oh oh.  I wish it was Sunday.  Seriously.  I absolutely loathe Mondays.  For some reason I always feel like I'm forgetting something which makes me feel rushed and uncentered.  Then my yoga was interrupted by my sister and husband, I thought I had wine for my dinner but didn't, and the sun went down before I could take pics of the food.  Bring on Tuesday already!  Ha ha.

This is the first Movie Monday and I am stoked about it because it's all about the vampyre.  Remember when vampires were the most feared creatures of the night?  Think really hard.  Long ago, before vampires were reduced to playing dominating high school sweethearts who get their bling on in the sunlight.  Yeah.  There was this movie called Blade II, my favorite of the series.  It has vampires killing vampires and so much kick assery, even Ryan Reynold's abs are jealous.  Wesley Snipes as Blade is as healthy as it gets.  That man just oozes bad assness out of his perfectly formed guns.  And tonight's menu is brought to you by the letter "v" for Veganomicon.  I'm basically killing two vamps with one stake, as the youth say.  I busted out some recipes I had never made before.  It was fangtastic!  One too many vampire references?  One.  One reference.  Two.  Two reference.  Two...a ha ha.  Okay, I'm done.

Blade II Menu O' Doom

Portobello Stakes covered in Vampyre Guts (roasted portobellos and red wine roux from Vcon)

Lower Fat Garlic Smashed Potatoes (mashed potato variation from Vcon)

Daywalker's Detoxifying Kale (lightly steamed kale, balsamic vinegar, and toasted pine nuts)

Chilled Holy Water

I sincerely apologize for how shiny my dinner looks.  It was quite tasty, though!  I had never made those roasted portobellos before, and my life is all changed because of them.  So freaking good!

Breakfast: 1 nectarine, 1 rice cake, crunchy almond butter

Lunch: spicy blackeyed peas & greens, ginger mashed potatoes & apples, and apple juice

Snack: 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, miso tahini dressing (Vcon), chai tea w/ agave and a splash of chocolate soymilk

Dinner: roasted portobello w/ red wine roux, steamed kale w/ balsamic and pine nuts, garlic smashed potatoes

Water-6 so far

Exercise-A little bit of yoga

Notes-This is the second day I've missed my fifth meal so I had to sit down and make a food schedule.  Yes, I'm a little insane.  I also think I may need to get some working out in before class in the mornings.  Maybe.  Getting up that early makes me cranky all day.  I'm turning off my phone tomorrow when I work out either way.

Well, I got a date with my pillow and season 4 of Weeds.  Good night, yo.  Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky...

VeganMoFo III: Domingo! Domingo! Domingo!

What a busy Sunday.  Laundry, working out, catching up on the dvr, and I still have homework to do.  SERENITY NOW!  Today marks the beginning of health week.  I'm going to be eating sensible meals and posting mosaics of my daily intake.  Of course my attempt to be sensible for MoFo means that a bunch of blogs were posting pictures of chocolate chip cookies and delicious looking cupcakes today!  I think I did pretty good, though.

So why health week?  I have been trying to lose the same amount of pounds for years.  I never really struggled with weight until I was 13.  It was a domino effect for me.  I got really depressed and stopped being active which caused me to gain weight and that caused certain jackasses to torment me for being "fat" which caused me to turn to food which made me gain weight...  The list goes on to self loathing and EDs, but this isn't supposed to be a buzzkill.  I became healthy mentally.  I was at a completely comfortable weight in my early twenties but gained a bunch when I started working full time office jobs instead of restaurants and retail.  Honestly, I really don't have an ideal weight.  I just want to have a wider variety of clothing to choose from.  Especially bras.  Is there a certain rule that says anybody above a "c" cup only gets black, brown, and nude for a color?  Digressing...

My strategy when it comes to losing weight is super simple: love what you're doing and love what you're eating.  I don't believe in deprivation.  I know how that forces a person to just give up all together.  So I try to eat 4-5 small meals a day and drink tons of water.  If I have a craving that just won't quit, I'll make a healthy version of it.  When it comes to exercise, I do what makes me happy.  I'd rather spend two hours on the elliptical than to run for 15 minutes.  I hate running with a passion.  Unless there's a psychopath wielding an axe behind me, I take no comfort in it.  So I like doing cardio kickboxing and walking around the neighborhood and pretending like I can play tennis on Wii.

At the end of the day, I'm really good at being healthy and losing pounds...but horrible at the follow through (story of my life).  I guess the main thing I have to learn is that one misstep does not mean all hope is lost.  So if I falter on this journey, I'm no longer throwing in the towel.  Enough with the jibber jabber....

Breakfast: 1/2 an apple and 1/2 a pear, 1 tbsp peanut butter (held by a monkey)

Lunch: romaine, tomato, cucumber, and cilantro salad with hot sauce coated baked tofu, salt, lime juice
Snack: banana oatmeal breakfast cookie (VCIYCJ tester), chocolate soymilk
Dinner: spicy black eyed peas & greens and ginger mashed sweet potatoes & apples (Isa weight loss testers)

Water-10 cups
Exercise-45 minutes on elliptical while watching Buffy.  The beginning of Willow and Oz...squee!!!

Coming up this week: Wesley Snipes, raw food goodness, baked falafel, repollo, pear and zucchini soup, and how to turn your fridge into a salad bar.