Speed Bump

We have hit a speed bump in our goals as veggies. Well, I have anyway. I made this yummy vegan red beans and rice about 6 weeks ago and never posted the recipe. Or picture. I plated it so well, with a really great background even. My Kitchen table served as the stage, with a fancy pitcher on one side and a glass of purple-grape-ish looking stuff in it on the other. The french doors were the backdrop and the yard was right there...oh it's so pretty. I WILL post it...eventually.

Anyhoo, money has become an issue in my eating ventures. So for now, I will eat what the rest of my family eats. With no remorse. I don't really care anyway. Well, that's not entirely true, because as soon as it was apparent that I couldn't afford the necessary foods I need to do this, I was really, really bummed. I miss it and am almost resentful of my bills and other expenses. I want to eat vegan for a year. I have proved that I can do it for 10 days, even one month. Why not a year. True, I have to read labels and have to be super careful when I go out to eat, but we can't afford that any more so what's the worry, right? Right?

So, we'll be able, some time in the future, to afford two grocery lists.

I hope it's sooner, rather than later.

Vegan is great.

Vegan is great.
Mostly I really have a hard time not eating cheese, but I suppose that will come too.
I have to read most labels now, but that's okay.
I pay more attention to nutrient content too.
I have more energy, I'm not as tired, my hay fever and allergies are not nearly as bad as they used to be; I don't feel crappy for as long, (this time only about 6-7 days instead of two weeks), and I eat more whole grains and veggies as a result, obviously.
It makes me cut more junk out than I am willing to admit, and I
feel awesome! I've even lost 4 pounds since March 4th--when I
started and am now below where I was when I got pregnant with my second baby.
I'ts something I have been thinking about seriously now, probably for a year or two, so I
did a lot of research and reading on the internet.
I understand that calcium and other nutrients found in dairy are all secondary nutrients and are basically there because the cow already ate the grass.
I've known that for years.
I've never been a big fan of milk, so switching to Almond Milk hasn't been really that hard and it also eliminates the need for sweetener on my oatmeal in the morning.
And I realized that I didn't need as much protein as I was consuming, even though my hubby is an ovo-lacto veg.
However, I don't enforce this with my children.
If they want a ham sandwich, they may have a ham sandwich.
If it's scrambled eggs they want, scrambled eggs they shall have.
Just last night, we made pizza.
I bought some french bread dough for the crust (because it is made without dairy)and put lots of yummy veggies, (green and orange peppers, olives, fresh mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes) and left the cheese off about 1/3 of it.
Wow, was it tasty.
It's been quite an adjustment, because I
really like chocolate, and cheap cheddar cheese, but so far, the results have been favorable.

Just the Facts, Ma'am.

Sometimes, when I eat meat, I really don't enjoy it anymore. Tragic, I know, but I think I'm doing myself a favor. The thing I worry most about being vegetarian in general is serving a meal to my parents. My dad is more willing, but my mother is all about "meat and potatoes every day". She has never cooked a steak or pork chop or boneless rib very well, so I don't know how she would take a completely meatless meal. Well, that's not entirely true. She'd hate it without saying a word and stop and get a burger on her way home. (I don't even know if she's ever had a proper burrito in her life, if at all). I gave them a gift certificate to the Bombay House in Provo UT, one year, and she hated it. (because it's not American, Mexican Italian or buffet).

I still feel terrific, and my allergies only flare up on days I eat meat. For instance: Saturday we took the kiddos out for lunch and I ate a roasted chicken burrito. My nose ran, eyes watered and I sneezed quite a bit at work. So I know it's working, and I know they are directly correlated.

I am still working out, but I feel like I want to start running again. Then my knees hurt for days. In jr. high, I would have been on the track team, but my doctor told me that I have Osgood Schlatters, so a pipe dream that became. I'll stick to my pilates and my Mitch Gaylord stuff that I have on DVD. It's good, and my kiddos will do it with me too. So every one wins.

Vegan Blogs and Websites

I have included, to the side, a list of websites that has been helping me. I think they are really cool, but I still fall victim to cheese.

Most Days, I Fail...Miserably.

I have a confession. I am a failure. I tried this vegan thing as a cleanse back in December of 2010. My goal was to complete this for 10 days. After the first 3, I spent the next day in the bathroom. My colon was cleaner and I felt really awake. Not just, "I'm up for the day" but I was awake. I didn't take a nap for the rest of that week. I only slept when I went to bed for the day. It was more manageable when I was only doing it for 10 days at a time. I could bank my meat and dairy and then eat meat at the 11th day. The first time, it was a fried chicken leg. I felt terrible afterward. It was tasty, but then, the aftertaste was unexplainable. I just didn't want it any more. I believe I cured myself from fried foods. HOORAY. I mean, if I had to do one thing with the food I eat, I wanted to eat healthfully. I no longer wanted to eat fried fats on a regular basis! WIN!!!
I had the same experience as I cleansed the second time. By the third time, I had committed to eating just vegan. But I still fail. I guess that is where I qualify "mostly".
It's the cheese and eggs. I eat cheese nearly every day. This is where I fail, I eat cheese nearly every day. I hate reading labels, and I really don't like having to think about it every time I am confronted with food. I have to read a label.
Things not included on a vegan diet:
Meat
fish and shellfish--fine, I like fish, just not the kind that carries its home with it.
dairy products--I miss cheddar cheese. and sour cream on my burritos.
eggs--most complete protein in one mouthful.
honey---whatever! I still use this on my oatmeal and cream of wheat.
white sugar. (possibly processed with bone char)
most beer---I think drinking makes people smell like urine anyway, so I
just don't understand why people drink in the first place.
Some breads (made with whey, eggs and/or milk)
Marshmallows, gummie candies and frosted mini wheats cereal these are made with GELATIN
(but a lot of junk food, though unhealthy, can qualify as vegan).
Salad dressing. Most are made from milk or have lecithin (unless it's soy lecithin, is made from animal tissues or egg yolk).

Slowly, I have been discouraged, and partially convinced that I may not make my goal. I have to build my muscle because I am worried about muscle loss. That means, I must work out regularly. I hate working out. I think It will make me look gaunt, like a P.O.W. Sure, I'll do that for health, but I don't want to look like some poster-child for the world body-building federation. I think that's gross, and unnatural.

I eat cheese nearly every day. I don't get it. I love cheese, but this is my downfall.
We went to my hubby's aunts house the other day to see his grandmother and I was nearly scoffed at for my dietary choices. "if it's just about being healty, there are better ways to do it than eating vegan."one voice said, and until I quipped back with "I've lost 10 pounds". I was the one sounding foolish. "oh, well then, I guess that's okay".
So, I guess I get discouraged from all the nay-sayers and my own american cheddar cheese addiction.
I try. I really do. But I see something, and I want to eat it, I have to think long and hard as if my life depends on it and weigh the consequences. My husband has noticed that since most junk food is made non-vegan friendly, and that I have cut it out (for the most part), that is when I really started to lose the weight. Now mind you, the whole 10 pounds didn't come off when I quit sweets, but the bulk of it did. Currenly, I rest at 4 pounds shy from where I was when I got pregnant with my first baby. Most days, I am good with that, but some days, I still feel fat.
I must remember that little green guy from that one space-western: "do or do not, there is no try." But trying, and failing in my case, is sometimes much more tasty.

I Said, "Mostly"

Yesterday, being Mothers Day, (which was originally celebrated for the mothers who lost their sons in war) My children were so dang cute! They brought me breakfast in bed, but I had to go back to bed to get it. I was busy fixing 86 his bowl of cee-oo and taking care of other morning business that I had to be told to go back to bed. The sisters were so cute. I heard commotion in the kitchen about cows milk or almond milk, and they couldn't remember which one they used. I don't recall ever having breakfast in bed before now, but it was too cute. 2 brought it into my room followed by 1&3. Nothing much, but much too special. For breakfast, I received a bowl of rice krispies with Almond milk. I have never been a fan of cows milk, but Almond milk, (specifically the Diamond brand--the nut people) is really tasty, naturally sweet and leaves no room for sugar or artificial sweeteners. When I put it on my oatmeal, I never feel like I need brown sugar or honey.

I ate what ever I wanted. At church, they passed out a GIANT Symphony bar after services and I ate most of it before bed time. Boy, did I feel crummy, even after hubby helped. That was way too much processed food for me. Two- and-a-half months ago, I could have done it, but not now. I also ate: super tasty fajitas, with vegan filling and some outstanding cole slaw.
Before you get your nickers in a twist about things being made from milk, and telling me,"But Sara! Chocolate is made of milk. And Cole slaw is made from dairy as well!" ,I redirect your attention to the title of this post and specifically...the part that says "mostly".
I started out being MOSTLY, and will end being MOSTLY.
It was so delish! I think I ate too much though. I forgot to tell you about the binge of chex mix, which I love.

So I have to post the recipes of which I used.
Texas Two-Step Slaw
4 cups of shredded cabage, both colors...(more green than red)
1 small/medium red onion, sliced thinly & chopped.
1-2 cans of Mexi-corn (corn with red and green peppers--so yummy)
1 4oz can diced green chilis
1 cup (8oz) shredded monterey jack cheese (I use more, because the more the merrier...really)!
Mix together well, making sure the onion and especially corn are evenly distributed throughout. I like to mix it in a really big bowl, with my very clean hands.
for the dressing:
1/2 cup (or more, if you'd like it creamier) ranch dressing
juice of 1-2 limes
cumin, to taste
Mix in a cereal bowl, and pour over the top of the cabbage mixture. If you mix it from the bottom of a bowl, you won't get as good coverage as pouring it over.

Veggie Taco Filling
1 cup dry kidney beans
rinse and drain put into quart jar with mesh lid. put into dark place and drain and rinse daily
until sprouted about 1/2 inch. (you can skip this sprouting stage by using canned beans in a pinch, but I think the sprouted ones taste better).
marinate bean sprouts with sliced onions, mushrooms and green peppers for 1-2 hours.
Marinade:
olive oil, lemon juice oregano, chili powder

stir fry veggies and marinade (or you could fry up your onions and add them at the end, to get more flavor out of them), add about 1 cup veggie broth and cook until beans are soft. (you may need to add more liquid while the beans are getting softer. It does take a while.
Use this filling instead of meat when you make tacos, fajitas and burritos. Its' oh so tasty, and you won't miss the meat. I've never missed the meat since. Not to mention there's more fiber in it from the beans. You can skip the sprouting stage by using canned beans, but I think they taste better fresh sprouted.

In the Beginning.

I had to start this blog to report to the cosmos about what I am doing to my body. I have decided to eat a mostly-vegan diet, and in the process, I have lost weight and suspect that I lowered my cholesterol and blood pressure.

I really don't know what else there is, but please don't tout that I am malnourished, and don't get enough protein.

Did you know that Americans in general eat 40% too much protein every day? And did you also know that the calcium is only in the milk because the cow ate the grass in the first place? I've know the second for years. I just have taken my time to get myself in gear.