Vegan Week Part 2!

I had so much fun during my vegan week challenge a few weeks ago, that I have decided to do it again! I learned so much about the foods we put into our bodies and what they do (or don't do) for us, and so much about new foods I didn't know about before. 

This weeks recipes come from another food blogger, Sarah Matheny. I discovered her website, Peas and Thank You, only recently, but am already loving it! I went to Borders yesterday (I was trying to wait for the next set of markdowns before getting in there, but couldn't wait any longer!) hoping to find some treasures, and I did! As I made my way to the cookbook section, I perused over to the vegetarian/vegan shelfs and found, there on the very bottom shelf, all alone laying face-up, the brand new cookbook Peas and Thank You! I'm not kidding, this cookbook just came out a few weeks ago! I snatched that baby up so fast, and nabbed the last copy! And with the Border's close-out markdown, it was a serious score! I couldn't wait to get home and dig in; in a matter of minutes I had a weekly menu planned out and a grocery list ready to go! Thanks to my previous vegan week, the pantry is pretty well-stocked with the staples, so this list was mostly produce, a fraction of the cost of last time!

Due to a little too much Sangria last night (is there even such a thing as too much Sangria? :), I went to bed last night forgetting to make my overnight oats. A bowl of Cheerios and soy milk did me just fine, however. Simple, that's how I like it in the morning.

Lunch was tofu...don't go running for the hills just yet! This recipe can make a tofu lover of even the harshest critics! One day last week I was craving some good tofu (it's true), and found a dee-licious recipe! It has been such a hit, I've made it three times and yesterday my mom requested I make a triple batch! It is so simple to make: Slice a block of tofu into fourths, wrap in paper towels and weigh down, allowing the water to press out, anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. Combine marinade in a pot and bring to boil and reduce to simmer until ready. Combine 1/2 c. water, 1/4 c. red wine vinegar, 1/4 c. Tamari (Tamari is similar to soy sauce, it has a deeper flavor but is more healthful, it is both wheat and gluten free), scant 2 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (I think coconut oil would work well here too, to boost the health factor), 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar or mirin, 1/2 tsp. each oregano and cloves, 1 tbsp. sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. I added red pepper flakes to mine, I like things spicy! Place tofu and marinade in a shallow dish or bowl, cover and let sit in fridge overnight, stir occasionally. In the morning grill it up, and slice into cubes. I added cilantro and peanuts, and a little reserved marinade back in (just enough to coat, you don't want it swimming) and refrigerate until ready to eat. So simple, so good! I had seconds...and thirds. And by the way, Fresh and Easy has the cheapest tofu I have found, 98 cents! Delicious AND easy on the budget, double win!

I've loved Larabars for a long time, and stocked up on them today as they were on sale. These treats taste indulgent, but are one of the healthiest products on the market, and leave all other protein/energy bars in the dust: every bar is gluten-free, vegan, raw, kosher, low carb (carbs that come from natural fruits and nuts only, I'll take those carbs!) and contain no colorings, additives or preservatives. How they manage to do all of that and still produce a quality product is beyond me, but I am so glad! They actually are the best tasting energy bar out there, in my humble opinion. While I found them on sale today and am happily munching away on one as a snack while I write this, they aren't always budget-friendly, so you can make your own! Oh She Glows has several recipes for the different flavors; each with only a few ingredients, each one so tasty! I would really like to try my hand at making them myself one of these days, if I do I'll let you know how they turn out!

Thai food was on the menu tonight! I LOVE Thai food. It's probably my favorite ethnic food ever, I could eat it every night of the week! I usually refuse to cook anything strongly ethnic (I also adore Indian food but will not ever make it myself, how could I possibly compete with the professionals at my favorite restaurant??), but the recipes and accompanying photos were drool-worthy, so I decided to give it a go...

 Dinner was Seitan Lettuce Wraps and Thai Crunch Salad (from the Peas and Thank You cookbook). The lettuce wraps were almost ridiculously simple to prepare, it took mere minutes! Seitan is a meatless...meat-like...thing. Lol. I guess it's kind of like tofu, but more substantial. I'm actually not entirely sure that I used the right product, but wasn't willing to make the trek to Whole Foods to be certain I got the right product (they always have the name brand or exact product I'm looking for, too bad it's so far away!). Anyway, 

Seitan? Who knows, but it was for dinner in the form of lettuce wraps, and it was actually good! I combined it with chopped water chestnuts and mushrooms in a pan, and added a sauce of Tamari, brown sugar, garlic salt and pepper, and sauteed until done, yum!

The Thai Crunch Salad was so good, but would have made a better lunch than dinner. The crunchy cabbage and carrots and peanuts contrasted nicely with the creamy edamame and Lime Ginger Dressing, it was made with almond butter and again, seemed so rich but was really so light! 

Dessert went out the window when my hubby called halfway through dinner. :) Nothing stops me from Skyping with my love when he's halfway around the world!

Overall, a great start to the week, can't wait for tomorrow!

Vegan eating is here to stay...

My vegan week is over, yet I find myself unwilling to let go. I had chicken for dinner last night, and it was so...blah. I would much have preferred one of the yummy dishes I had last week, or try a new one again. For me, I think this vegan thing is here to stay, at least mostly. I don't feel the need to cut out all animal products forever, but I certainly love the way eating right makes me feel. The alternative just doesn't seem worth it anymore. I had the vegan oats again for breakfast, so good and filling! I love the feeling from eating something so healthy, so tasty, and so filling, it's just so satisfying! And I must say, I haven't had such a natural abundance of energy and drive in a long time, imagine getting that from nature! I definitely plan to pursue a lifestyle of 'vegan lite', we'll call it. Day to day I definitely want to maintain it, but it would be nice to be able to meet friends for dinner at the last minute, or go to a bbq on the weekend, and be able to eat whatever and not make a fuss. Vegan eating, welcome to my life!

Living the Vegan Life - Day 7

My vegan week is coming to a close!
I ate the last of my vegan overnight oats yesterday and forgot to make more for this morning, so for breakfast I had some Special K something or other, and it was...very not-special.
For lunch I ate MORE leftover pizza, and as much as I loved that dish, I need a break!
We had my in-laws and some neighbors over for an impromptu dinner; I only ate salad and a rice dish (very yummy rice dish!), but was still somehow satisfied with it!
I made Blueberry Almond Chia Squares for dessert, dee-licious! It was like a vegan take on the blueberry oar bars at Starbucks, healthy! I made a couple modifications on mine, I mixed the almonds in with the dry ingredients, and packed 3/4 of the mixture in the pan, put the blueberry's on top and sprinkled the rest of the mixture over that, SO good! Everyone enjoyed it, although my neighbor made a joke that it tasted like particle board, lol. Definitely did not taste like that!

Reflecting back on that week, I have learned so much. I have learned about what is beneficial for my body, how to make sure I am getting the right amount of protein, calcium, etc. in the mix. I have learned that being vegan isn't as challenging as I thought, and eating out isn't very difficult to do (limiting, though). The hardest part for me was making the time to cook everything, and to say no when in situations where non-vegan food was present.
I feel great; I have natural energy, I have the will and drive to take on tasks rather than sit on the couch, and the most important thing? I want to make this a lifestyle choice! I can't say that I want to go 100% vegan forever, it can be really restricting, but day-to-day, absolutely. I haven't felt good about myself in a long time, and I'm starting to again. Being conscious of what we put into our bodies is so important, for both the short and long-term, and I want to live a very long, healthy life!
I am so glad I took on this personal challenge, it has done wonders for me!

Living the Vegan Life - Day 6

Breakfast was once again the blueberry oats. The recipe said that it would last 2-3 days, and it did!

My parents and I decided to go tot San Francisco for the day, and once we got there we went to the formerly Taylor's Refresher (as seen on Diners, Drive-In's and Dive's), now known as Gotts (what an ugly new name, lol!). I got the veggie burger, and while it was good, it wasn't nearly as good as the veggie burger at The Counter!

We wandered around the market, and I wish I would have waited because there was a vegan food stand! Ah well, next time...my dad  then pointed out a sign, under which was a beautiful display of organic, vegan...donuts!! I bought the Maple Candy Cap, and it was SO good, it tasted just like a maple donut! Not even lying, if you didn't know the difference, you wouldn't be able to tell! Pepples Donuts use 100% organic ingredients in all of their donuts, and are also all vegan! It was so surprising and cool to see that eating vegan really does cross all spectrums of food, you can find anything, and enjoy it without compromising!

I wasn't very hungry for dinner once we got home, so I just had some leftover pizza...again! Lol, this pizza is just so darn good! And the Peanut Butter 'Blizzard' was good the next day, but definitely is best fresh. 

Until tomorrow!

Living the Vegan Life - Day 5

One work week down, just the weekend to go!

Breakfast was the Vegan Overnight Oats again, and again, so yummy! It will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, and that is definitely true. The taste is still just as great, and the texture hasn't changed much, I added a little almond milk to my bowl to thin it out just a little bit, it was great!

I am definitely going to be incorporating this recipe into my daily diet, I'm happy to stick with blueberries for now, while they are in season,

Today has turned a bit into leftovers day, for a snack I had more hummus and crackers, and for dinner I made the same pizza I made on day one, at my sister's request! A delicious pizza that you don't have to feel guilty about eating: Win!

For dessert I made a Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Blizzard, SO GOOD! This was one vegan dish that you would swear was the 'real stuff'. It was SO GOOD! Totally filling, totally decadent, totally delicious!

Short post tonight, it's 9.30 and I'm so ready for bed! I think I've turned into a bit of a spinster with Ryan away, it's Friday night and I stayed home, cooked for myself, read a good book and am going to bed early...somebody save me! :)

Living the Vegan Life - Day 4

Off to a great start! Breakfast was Blueberry Banana Pie Vegan Overnight Oats, this recipe is going to become a staple for me! Mix some oats, almond milk and add-ins together and stick it in the fridge overnight: instant breakfast! I was intrigued by the concept of not cooking the oats and eating them cold but was pleasantly surprised! Everything worked well together, the texture was great and the flavor even better! There are an endless amount of way to change this one up too, can't wait for breakfast tomorrow!

Vegan granola! It has oats, walnuts, almonds, dried cranberries, raising, flaxseeds, and lots of other yummy stuff! Great to snack on (filling and satisfying!), or on top of oatmeal for breakfast, or berries for dessert! I ran a few errands late morning and took some with me to munch on, great as a snack on the go as well!

For a snack I made hummus; I didn't follow a recipe, just threw together what I thought sounded good, and it turned out great! I used two cans of chickpeas, one heaping spoonful of tahini, the juice of a lime (I think lemon would have been better, but I didn't have any of those!), three garlic cloves (made it extra spicy, yumm!), a small handful of parsley to brighten everything up, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and a wee it of evoo. It went great with the vegan crackers I bought, yummy!

Dinner was Veggie Burgers with sweet potato fries, and the burgers weren't bad! I kind of feel like, if you're going to eat a burger, eat a burger, but these vegan patties were pretty good, moist and had tons of flavor, I think my family enjoyed them more than I did! Everyone had seconds but me, that does speak for itself!
Sorry for no photos of either, definitely new to this!

Living the Vegan Life - Day 3

Another successful day!

For breakfast it was Cheerios once again, I promise tomorrow breakfast will actually be a vegan recipe!

For lunch I made a Mushroom, Onion and Spinach Tart with 'Goat Cheeze'...it was so good! I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, it paired well with the macadamia nuts in the 'goat cheeze', so yummy! It seemed like a rich meal, but really wasn't, so healthful! Normally I am not a fan of substituting one food for another, but in this case it really worked well, I didn't feel that the tart needed cheese because there was something similar to it, and tasty!

Dinner was Enchiladas, and to quote my sister, were bomb! The sweet potato, black bean and spinach filling was spot on, I couldn't even taste to spinach ;) and with the avocado sauce on top, the cheese was never missed! The spice factor was just perfect as well; when I eat Mexican food I expect spice, and these babies delivered!

Dessert was Chilled Strawberry Almond Butter Soup, this was the first recipe that pretty much no one but me enjoyed, I thought it was great! A perfect ending on a warm summer night, the juicy strawberries with the creamy almond butter went great together, I will definitely be making this one again!


I spent several hours this afternoon in the kitchen, prepping and cooking and baking away many vegan dishes, I can't wait to share more! I realized that I haven't shared any photos yet, I will work on remedying that! In the meantime, here are a few I snapped today:

The grocery list I made for the week. Yikes there is a lot! It was a pretty hefty grocery bill as well, but really, what cost is your health?

                           I made out a meal planner using a word template, planning out each meal for the week. I haven't gone by this strictly, as with last night, things happen and you never know where you might end up for a meal. It is a great guideline and keeps me on track, seeing it all laid out in front of me helps me with perspective, and is great for looking forward to trying out specific meals.

For me, eating vegan means trying out new foods. Here are some very different, yet very yummy itemsI've been commonly working with this week:

Quinoa is a super-food, it is a complete protein source, and is also gluten-free.

Tahini is made from sesame seeds. Much like peanut butter is made from ground peanuts, Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds. It's commonly found in hummus, and adds a great nutty flavor to sauces, spreads and the like.

Vegan crackers: I found these at Fresh & Easy, they are vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, kosher and organic...and actually tasty, too...for real! It's nice to have some item that are ready-made, making snacking easy!

Nutritional Yeast: that's the yellow stuff in the baggie. Nutritional yeast, when combined with certain foods, takes on a cheesy taste, helping make everything from macaroni and cheese to alfredo actually taste cheesy! I don't really know too much else about it, other than that it is good for you. :)

Coconut Oil: This is pretty much the healthiest oil on the market today. It comes in a solid form but cooks exactly like any other oil. It's much pricier than other oils, but is so much better for you. Again, what is your health worth?

Chia Seeds: I've learned that with the author of the recipes I'm using this week, chia seeds are a staple! Everything from granola to oatmeal gets chia seeds. They are rich in Omega-3's, help benefit diabetes sufferers, they help reduce blood pressure, they help make you feel fuller faster and best of all, they help aid in weight loss by reducing food cravings! No matter where this food journey takes me, I will definitely be incorporating chia seeds into my daily diet!
Brown Rice Pasta: made from nothing but brown rice and water, you can't get my more healthy than this pasta! It is organic and gluten-free as well, something I'm learning to look out for, and choose when possible. 

Almond Butter: I love this stuff so much, I am actually starting to prefer it over regular peanut butter! So far the creamy almond butter from Fresh & Easy is my favorite, there is only one ingredient: roastedalmonds. SO good!                                       

I came home this evening to a house full of bunco players, with loads of snacks laying all over, including one of my all-time favorites, licorice! It was pretty hard to just sit there, with all that junk food staring back at me, and not eat any. I may have been more tempted to cheat, but my family was all around, and probably would have tackled me to the ground lest I fail my challenge! My mom was great about getting it out of my sight quickly, but it was a good lesson in discipline and self-control; I'm not eating vegan because of convictions or food allergies, I'm doing it for me health, and eating candy certainly does not qualify.

My hope for this challenge is that by the end of the week, I will love eating vegan so much that I will incorporate it into my daily diet, being aware of what I put in my body, and reaching for the healthy options, rather than the convenient ones. I hope that my body will be so cleansed from all the chemicals, preservatives and all around junk that I will no longer crave it, that I will want to continue eating foods that nourish and fuel my body, enjoying new and interesting flavors and foods along the way. 

Living the Vegan Life - Day 2

This morning began, once again, with a bowl of Cheerios. I then went grocery shopping, doing a massive vegan overhaul in our kitchen. How I wish there were a Whole Foods closer to me than 40 miles away!

For lunch I made Taco Salad, romaine with red peppers, carrots, scallions, avocado and 'taco meat': three bean medley and walnuts blended in a food processor. It was...different. Not bad, just different, will definitely take some getting used to. The vinaigrette, however, was yummy!

After that I went to my grandparents house, my grandpa had a doctors appointment at Stanford University, about 2 hours away, and I offered to drive. On my way over there I realized I was getting a little hungry, so I grabbed some cheerios and was on my way; I don't think I've had Cheerios as a snack since I was a child! I had prepped everything for dinner this afternoon, but after we got there we realized we would not be making it back in time, so we went out instead. My grandparents were aware of my vegan challenge, and suggested Fresh Choice. I've never been a big fan of the place, but they have definitely improved things! There is a food guide and now every single food item has identifying marks, telling you whether it is gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, fat-free, and some other things, so cool! I was easily able to ensure that everything I got was vegan,without making a fuss! I must admit that eating out was a bit more tempting this time, not indulging in any of the usual items I might get. Every station had at least one vegan item, which was wonderful. I ended up having a large salad, herbed rice, pasta pomodoro, and even a slice of sourdough bread! Dessert was less exciting, sliced pineapple with blueberry topping, but I was still grateful for the option!

I'm excited for the recipes I will be trying tomorrow, stay tuned!

Living the Vegan Life- Day 1

Success! I had a fantastic day today! Now that it is pretty much over, I am looking back on my day with satisfaction!
I woke up a bit later than planned, so the oatmeal I was planning on cooking went out the window. At first I felt discouraged, 'already!?' but couldn't let that stop me, I've thrown my personal challenge out into the blogger world, and I can't back out now! I looked at the nutrition information on a box of Cheerios and poured myself a nice big bowl complete with soy milk, yum!
I must admit, I hate drinking milk of any kind, I've never liked it. I remember when I was a kid my mom tried to make me drink a glass of milk before I could get up from the table. When she wasn't looking I went and poured it down the sink, lol! Anyway, not a fan of drinking the stuff, but if I do use it, I always use soy. Next time you are at Starbucks, try soy milk instead, it's thick and slightly sweet tasting, so it seems rich and indulgent but is so much better for you!

I met my best friend for lunch in the bay area. As much as I wanted to forget the vegan thing and just eat lunch wherever, I knew I had to stick to my guns and speak up about it. I texted her about an hour beforehand and explained this challenge to her. I asked if she would rather me bring lunch and we could have a picnic, or find a vegan-friendly restaurant and be adventurous. She chose adventure and I'm so glad!
We went to a place called The Counter (http://www.thecounterburger.com/), a more upscale burger joint where you build your own burger! The menu was actually just a list of all the components; you checked off what you wanted in each section and they custom made your meal. It was fun and interactive, and I didn't have to feel bad about a lot of requests and instructions to make sure it was vegan, every ingredient was laid out for me already! Trisha is so supportive of me and this challenge, she went vegan with me! We both ordered the veggie burger, and let me tell you...delicious! I didn't know it was possible to put those two words together in the same sentence, but it's true, it was moist and so flavorful! We chose the burger bowl option, it came on a bed of lettuce rather than a bun. I had grilled onions (I made sure there was no butter involved!), jalepenos, diced green chilies and corn and black bean salsa, all with a dijon balsamic vinaigrette, it was so full of flavor and extremely satisfying! When we left I felt very full, but not weighed down or lethargic, like I would after a typical burger and fry meal. Speaking of fries, we did share an order of sweet potato fries, dee-licious! It came with aioli that we didn't eat (aioli is a fancy homemade mayonnaise, essentially), the fries didn't need it, sweet potatoes are flavorful enough on their own!
At first I felt a little guilty, like I was cheating for eating out this early in the game, but I realized that hey, life happens, and you don't always know where you will end up for a meal. Luckily I was able to plan ahead a little and find a restaurant that I knew would be vegan-friendly. I hate being 'that person' who makes crazy requests and demands about their meal, but I learned that it's ok to make sure the meal you pay for is what you want, and asking questions is ok! It was a great experience, and The Counter is a perfect date restaurant, the atmosphere is great, it has a full bar, and because you build your own meal, you each get exactly what you want, without compromising for the other. Two thumbs up!

For dinner I followed a recipe from Angela Liddon at http://ohsheglows.com/. I made Roasted Tomato, Onion and Basil Pesto Pizza with Vegan Parmesan Cheese...a mouthful to say, and eat...a delicious mouthful though! And it's true! I made this for my family tonight, and they all loved it! It had so much flavor that I didn't miss the pepperoni or cheese! I made the dough in the morning and let it rise during the afternoon, incorporating italian herbs into the crust was genius, it added so much flavor! The roasted garlic oil, basil pesto, roasted veggies and even vegan parmesan (I made it myself, click the link to find out how!) all together made for an incredibly yummy pizza. Again, when I was done I walked away full and satisfied! I'm excited to try more of her recipes throughout the week, I wish she had a cookbook!

I didn't realize that my whole family would be sharing the meal, so we had to stretch it a bit, the serving size was two but four of us ate it. I was still a little hungry afterwords, so I made dessert! I used a Cooking Light (http://www.cookinglight.com/) recipe, and can not get over how ridiculously simple and delicious this was!! I made 'sorbet' by blending 3 frozen bananas and 1 cup of frozen mixed berries in a food processor. That's it. 2 ingredients. So so good! I added an extra banana and half cup of berries, the serving size was 2 and there were 3 of us eating it, and it made a lot, more than you would think! I think the air incorporating in from the blades whipping up the fruit helped increase the volume. My mom, sister and I all sat around exclaiming how delicious it was, for something so simple. I can't wait to try out other fruit combinations!
I had an incredible first day, such a perfect start to this week, I am so excited to continue to learn about vegan eating and the lifestyle, and share it with you!

The Pillow

I was reading a novel one day, about an Amish family. One of the characters owned a quilt shop, and a lot of the story was centered around that. Suddenly I got inspired to make my own quilt! I thought, how hard can it be? Cut a bunch of fabric, stitch it together! My grandma is a great seamstress, so I went to her and asked for her help. Luckily, she knew just how big of an undertaking a project like a quilt is, and suggested we make a pillow first, using the same design that I wanted to make the quilt with. These pictures follow the journey as I made my first, very own pillow! I had such a great time making it, and loved being able to spend the time with the grandma helping me. I'm still ready to tackle the quilt...I just need a LOT of preparation beforehand!

The supplies, before the magic happened! Hehe.

My grandma's sewing machine, authentically retro 1960's! Very cool story...one day my grandpa was home sick, and my grandma was working on her sewing machine, making clothes for my mom and aunt. The sewing machine she was using was very old and breaking down, she kept cursing at it and had a terrible time trying to get anything done. My grandpa overheard her, and quietly called a store and ordered a brand new machine to be delivered to the house for my grandma! Such a sweet story, and she has been using it ever since! 

Getting everything cut and ready to go!

Getting all of the pieces laid out...

Pinning and sewing together the different patches...

                                                                The top is finished!

                           Sewing on the velcro to close the pillow in...hey, it's my first time! :)

The finished product! Thank you grandma for all of your help, I couldn't have done it without you!