Pomegranate Love

Can you believe this lunch of mine? It started as breakfast but as any mother would know that once I started to do something for myself then the kids then wanted, needed, ahhhhh help. So here it is 12:26 and I am finally sitting down for my breakfast that became lunch.

This is cantaloupe and a salad of kale, spinach, carrots and pomegranate seeds with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. I was so disappointed that I ran out tomatoes, my cucumber went mushy and my avocado went bad. I was planning to make an avocado dressing with lemon juice, oil and dill so I am slightly disappointed but my meal is amazing nonetheless.

A few days ago I made the trip to Fresh Market with the kids. There they had pomegranates on sale! Excitement! I have been wanting some for a while now. Here is a confession: I had never eaten pomegranate seeds in my life. I know, I know. I love pomegranate tea and drinks but never actually had the fruit. I have been watching the prices on them and it was just too ridiculous for me to spend so much money. So I waited. When I saw them at Fresh Market on sale, I scooped them up. When I brought them home and cracked them open, my family went mad. My daughter said they tasted like candy and ate almost all of them herself in one sitting. Thank goodness I had more. There are so any health benefits to pomegranates. Veggi-rific Living on Facebook just did an article about them. I will definitely be heading back to Fresh Market very soon to get some more.

My kids loved Fresh Market as well and have been asking to go back. I let them each pick something for themselves and they all decided on cantaloupe. I think my healthy eating may be having an effect on them. For instance, this morning my daughter had grapefruit, pomegranate seeds and cantaloupe for breakfast! My 3 year old that only eats cereal and other sugary carbs actually willingly ate a bite of cantaloupe before eating his cereal (yes, this is huge progress). My husband seems to be enjoying the foods around here as well but also has had more than the usual trips to KFC. As long as there is KFC original recipe chicken, my husband will never become a vegetarian. I'll settle for a healthier lifestyle.

All around, things are looking up and looking healthier. I am over 3 months in to my vegetarian life and still loving it. My 30 day goal was the best thing that I have ever done for myself. I want to strongly encourage everyone to just try it for 30 days, that's it! It isn't a long period of time and honestly easier than I thought it would be. Take just 30 days to change your life.

 

I Found a Local Organic Cafe

Amazingly enough, I found an organic cafe in this dinky little city of mine. I had some time to spare without kids this past Friday and so I stopped by to check out the menu. I had no intention of eating there as I wasn't really hungry and I feel weird eating out in restaurants by myself. My best friend and I "do lunch" together often and so I was researching to see f I should come back with her sometime. When I walked in to Cafe Organic , I was immediately welcomed by warm, smiling faces. The staff asked if I have ever been there before and offered information and advice about the large menu and options available to me. They specialized in sandwiches, wraps, salads and smoothies. Honestly, the prices hurt a little bit but the options and ingredients looked so tantalizing that I could not walk out without trying something. I opted for a half wrap and a salad combo. I chose the Southwest wrap and a kale salad. The wrap was made of homemade black bean and chipotle hummus with avocado, carrots, cucumber, bell pepper sprouts and greens dressed with a chipotle lime cream. It was probably the best thing I have eaten in a LONG time. I have never been a fan of beans as the texture is chalky and weird but the taste of this wrap was to die for. The kale salad was made of local kale, mashed with ripe avocado and a lemon olive oil and sea salt dressing- topped with red bell pepper and Florida tomato. It proved to be a good compliment to the wrap and I do love kale but it could have used a squeeze of lemon or something to add a little tang. I asked the staff to pick a smoothie for me to try and that I was up for anything. They made me a carrot cake smoothie that was to DIE for! It was made with ginger, cinnamon, carrots, banana and almond milk. It tasted just like carrot cake in a cup. I will be going back again very soon!

It was so exciting for me to find this place. I felt so comfortable and had a great time chatting up other patrons. It is so nice to know that I am not as alone as I thought in this new diet/lifestyle of mine. I am really hoping to do some travelling and find many more places and try new things.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous day everyone.

 

Opting out of my favourite food

I have pasted the true test of my new diet. My favorite food is dolmades from a local Greek restaurant that my best friend and I visit often. Dolmades are rice and beef wrapped in grape leaves and then they top it with this amazing sauce. I have had dolmades other places but no one makes them as well as they do. I have been purposely avoiding this restaurant because I wasn't sure I would have the self-control but after my last final exam this semester, my best friend and I went there to celebrate. While driving there, I was contemplating eating dolmades because after all, there is no hard-set rule saying I CAN'T eat meat. Really, it is just a choice I made for myself. I will not burn in eternal damnation if a morsel of meat passes my lips. Still, when I sat down, I perused the menu and asked questions. We had our favorite waitress and so I told her I began a vegetarian diet and so she was a great help. I didn't want to tell her I was vegetarian and then forget everything I just said and order meat! This gave me the self-control to try something new. I ordered spanikopita (cheese and spinach in a flaky crust) and a Mediterranean salad and opted out of the egg on top. WOW! The salad was lettuce, feta, cheese, olives corn, dill and a little onion. They gave me a homemade dill salad dressing that was a perfect touch! I could barely finish it! This gave me hope that I can survive being a vegetarian even when I have always loved meat options.
 

My next step is to go to a Thai restaurant and maintain the vegetarian diet. I know that they would offer some great choices but I have always loved Thai beef salad and curry chicken over rice. This is a fun experience not settling for the same old thing and trying new, exciting options.
 
Thanks for stopping by. Have a fabulous day!

 

Going strong but with a few less teeth

You have my sincerest apologies for not updating as of late but I am afraid there isn't much new to share. I am still going strong with my vegetarian diet. I love how I feel and am thrilled to be learning so many new things. Next step? Vegan? Well, I have been researching that and it seems like so much more work then I can manage. Also, veganism really is a lifestyle when being a vegetarian is more like a diet. I don't think I am ready for a lifestyle change.
 
The only "news" I really have is that I had my wisdom teeth out after 12 years of terror and agony. It finally got to a point that I couldn't sleep or eat so I got up the nerve to have them out. Thankfully, it was a great experience and I have no regrets. I still have some pain when I chew and I have holes in my mouth that food gets stuck in. I bet you wanted to know THAT! So now chewing most vegetables hurts too much so I have been having a LOT of soups. This has been a challenge because I really know nothing about making soups. Some have turned out, some really haven't. I did a lot of ordering out but when reading ingredient lists, I found that many of them have chicken or beef broth hidden in them! How dare they! So, needless to say I have lost 4 lbs.
 
It is time for me to head back to work. My youngest will be going to school soon and it is difficult for a family of 5 to live on one income in this day-in-age. Unfortunately, there isn't much out there. I would love to find something I am passionate about (green living, socially minded), or something towards my degree/skills (business and sales) but there is just nothing out there. I have so much to learn before I will be able to get the job of my dreams.
 
For now thanks everyone for stopping by and thank you Veggi-rific for the Twitter mention. Have a wonderful night Internet world!

 

Better Quality of Life

In tabulating how much money I have been spending in the past month due to my new vegetarian diet, it doesn't look good. I have saved money when it comes to fast foods but realistically, fast food is relatively cheap. Instead, I am buying fresh fruits and vegetables regularily. I have chosen to buy a variety of different foods that I had never tried before and so my grocery bill has been a lot higher. This has been a challenge as we are a large family of 5 with only one income. I anticipate the grocery bill going down now that I have a better idea of what I like, what I can make and what is avaliable.

Eating out has become a bit of a challenge for me now. I have to boycot my favourite Greek restaraunt as I don't think I could stop myself from eating my favorite food (domaldes). Yesterday, we went to a local taco place and there was NOTHING vegetarian on the menu but chips and salsa. How incredibly disappointing! We have been regular customers of thers for years. In this restarunt, the customers are encouraged to paint and decorate the ceiling tiles and I painted one for my husband on our anniversary 4 years ago. It's still there and we still sit under that tile. I would really hate to have to lose another favourite place.

This challenge of eating better and being more concerned about what I eat has helped change other aspects of my life. I have always sporatically exercised on the elliptical at home but only at most once a week. Now, I workout every day and have even taken my kids out jogging together with me (which they loved and I am still walking like a penguin 2 days later).

Our society in North America is so sick. Stop and take a look around. Think about what we eat and how we live our lives. Now compare it to any other country. We don't exercise, we eat processed foods that isn't even food and then rely on magic pills to make our problems all better. It is just stupid! An American friend of mine recently moved to Mexico and is living in a small village in the mountains. While living here in the Uniter States, she was overweight, ate McDonalds chicken nuggets every other day, never walked more then across a parking lot. Now 6 months later she is at a healthy weight, her hair is shiny, her skin is glowing, she is happy and has never looked better. She is only able to eat locally grown and homemade meals. In just 6 months she is a whole new person! That is so powerful. It just takes a little effort for a lifetime of happiness free from excess weight, health problems and enjoy a better quality of life. I want that. I think I can do it. What is just a few months of effort for a lifetime of happiness?

30 Day Review

I did not start this blog on the first day of my vegetarian diet. I started this a few weeks later when I had the time and a little experience in what to eat instead of meat. I officially began my vegetarian diet on October 16th so this means I made it through my goal of 30 days that I planned to stick to. Now it is time to review how my world, body and viewpoints have changed.

In the past month I have not seen any weight loss but I have never really had a problem with my weight so I wasn't expecting much of a change. I have lost inches and toned up but I have also been actively exercising. I have had less problems with fatigue but am finding my endurance while excercising has gone down temporarily and now going up again.

I am happy to say that I feel lighter. I am not bloated or uncomfortable now after my meals even when my stomach is full. I really enjoy this feeling. Truthfully, I feel younger and more able to just "get up and go" when I need to.

I have been keeping track of my calories. Before this month, my average intake was about 1500-2000 calories a day. Now, my caloric intake has been between 500 and never any more than 1300. Still, I have maintained the appropriate nutrients for my body such as protein and vitamins. I see no reason to eat meat for nutritional value as it really has none.

I am very proud of the choices I make with all foods now. A vegetarian diet can contain fried foods, processed sugars, white flours and so forth but as I have become more conscientious and aware of what I am putting in my body, I have been more aware and concerned about the quality of foods I eat as well. I choose whole wheat breads, no fried foods and make an effort to not include meals with processed sugars. My outlook on food has taken on a life of its own, beyond not just eating meat. Previously, I didn’t think twice about running to McDonalds or Sonic and grabbing a burger, fries, sodas and a side of mozzarella sticks or something. Now I feel the need to know where my food is coming from, how it is made and how it can help or hurt my body as well as hurt the ecological world.

I have not changed my children's diets. I allow them to eat the same foods as before. I cook the same foods that they enjoy. Still, I have a large variety of fruits and vegetables in my house now and they are interested. For their afterschool snacks, they used to come home and beg for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies or chips. Now they beg for cucumber slices, kale chips, green apples or berries. Dinner time, they ask for salads along with their meals and eat more of that than the main course. My 3 year old son is a horrible eater and enjoys mainly french fries, oatmeal and scrambled eggs. I am so proud to see him be willing to try new things and enjoy them. He now likes nuts and hummus even! Also, my husband has gained a few pounds since we have been married (11 years this past September) and my food choices have been giving him an added incentive to find new and nutritious foods to eat. He is on the road a lot and so finding healthy foods on the go has been a challenge but I am proud to see the choices he is making.

The new foods I have been discovering have been the biggest thrill to me. I get so excited when I can buy and make something I have never had before. This past month, I have tried fennel, kale, forelle pears, leeks, dandelion leaves, Greek yogurt, quinoa and I have fallen head over heels for Tofurky Italian Sausage. It is so exciting to find new recipes and try new combinations of foods that make such new and unique flavors. I have always hated cooking because it is too tedious to spend hours preparing meals that are quickly consumed and forgotten as if there is nothing to show for all the hard work. Now, I have been spending most of my time in the kitchen inventing different combinations of new and exciting tastes and textures.

I have done a lot of research into animal welfare and what they go through and have done to them while being bred to be consumed and I am disgusted. Now I look at chicken meat in the supermarket and want to cry or throw up. It is not even how they are treated but the hormones and chemicals that they are injected with. I am terrified to put those things on my body now!

I am very surprised that this change has not been difficult. I was afraid that my stomach would constantly be rumbling and that I wouldn't have any choices. I live in a very meat-dominated area. We are right along the Gulf of Mexico so fresh fish is a staple. We are in the South, in an area that glorifies football and tailgating. Also, we are in the same city as 2 air force bases and so there are many carnivorous "manly men" everywhere and so must supermarkets and the like tailor to this type of clientele. Thankfully Publix has been a beacon of light with some incredible, unique vegetarian products.

Currently, I am studying business in college with no clue as to what field I would see myself in one day after graduation. Last semester did a project in LEED design (Green construction) and now that I am being more aware of the environmental world around me with this experiment of mine, I have started contemplating going into a "green" field of study. It is a fast growing career field today and it does interest me. I still have a long way to go before graduation but it is comforting to have an idea of where I can see myself in the future.

I currently have no desire to go back to eating meat. I do enjoy how I feel and have no guilt as to what is going into my body. I do miss my dolmades from my favorite restaurant (beef and rice wrapped in grape leaves). I have always loved boneless chicken wings with buffalo sauce dunked in blue cheese dressing and I will be mourning the loss of that too. However, I feel losing just 2 things from my diet also equates to adding countless new and exciting healthy choices. I have no regrets.

Next step, veganism for a month? Possibly. Not yet. I am happy with who I am, what is in my body and how I view the world. Thank you very much for coming to my blog and joining me on this journey. I will be continuing it to showcase what I am learning so feel free to stop by anytime.

Have a wonderful and healthy day.

 

New type of pears. Cute but too squishy

 

I put the leftover quinoa in a pita with leeks, spinach, celery and tomatos with some lemon juice. Was good but was missing something... haven't figured out what yet....

 

In the South, we eat a lot of collard greens but I only knew how how cook them with ham and grease. I attempted to make them with sunflower seeds instead and it was GROSS! Later, I found a recipe to make them with garlic and onion and they were the best greens I have ever had in my life! I will be making this again ASAP!

 

 

Earthlings

I have no words for this documentary I found. Ellen mentioned it in an interview as to why she is a vegan and so I went looking for it. I lasted about 15 minutes into it and had to take a break. Viewers beware! Click here to watch The Earthlings.

Thank you.

Tofurky and Vegetarian stereotypes

You have my sincerest apologies for not updating. I allowed myself to get a bit behind in my homework and so I have been catching up. Next, I have a presentation due on Monday. It never ends.

The day before yesterday I made myself an amazing breakfast of spinach, tomatoes, onions and crumbing cheese in a whole wheat pita, topped with avocado and salsa. It was so great and filling but kept falling apart. Since enjoying homemade salsa, the jar stuff really isn't so appealing anymore.

Yesterday I have my usual yogurt for breakfast but I have eaten up all my fruit so I just topped it with this new chocolate delight granola made by Back To Nature. I have found a new favorite product! In addition to eating a vegetarian diet, I am also trying to eat better all around. This means no fried foods, less caffeine (I am pretty addicted to Diet Coke and coffee but slowly trying to decrease my intake) and cutting out my love of chocolate as much as possible. I think this new granola product of mine might help a lot with my late night chocolate cravings.

The biggest excitement for me has been finally making up my Tofurky Italian sausage. I didn't have high hopes for it because tofu is just squishy and weird but this stuff is AMAZING! The flavor is perfect. It did have a squishy texture but I just cooked it a little bit longer then necessary and it came out just right. I made up some simple noodles and mixed a concoxion f olive oil, tomatoes, spinach, onions, leeks and seasonings and plopped it on top. It was a huge meal but so good. I will never again eat real sausage even if I do decide to return to eating meat because the Tofurky's taste is at such a higher level of yumminess. The one and only concern I have is that I think the sausage had a lot of salt because I was very bloated after my meal. This will not be an everyday meal but it will most definately be in my rotation of great things to buy.

I have been attempting to keep up with a simple exercise routine. I run on our elliptical machine as long as I can. Unfortunately, I have noted that I just don't have the endurance anymore. I used to be able to run for an hour and a half which went down to an hour, then 45 minutes and last night I could only run for a half hour. Quite possibly there could be other reasons for this such as the times of day I run or who-knows-what but I do feel it is noteworthy.

I do believe that my diet has helped me with my fatigue. For the past year or so I have been dealing with being constantly fatigued that I was unable to function during the day. I used to get up and take my children to school by 7:30am then come back home, put my three year old in front of the TV and sleep until 11am and then be unable to really wake up or be rested enough for the remainder of the day. Now, I am able to get up with my kids and stay up. I do get pretty fatigued by 3pm but I am able to fight through it. Even now however, I enjoy the days when I can come home from bringing the kids to school and my youngest is still sleeping. I lay down next to him and sleep another few hours if I can. I don't think I will feel a quick fix to my fatigue but I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. By changing a few things my quality of life is already so much better.

I am facing a little bit of a vegetarian stereotyping. I have vegetarian and vegan friends but they are not my closest friends. One of my closest friends seems to be bothered by the fact I am defining myself as a vegetarian. I only mentioned my diet to her in passing once and yet I feel she has put up a wall to me. She seems defensive. She tells me how she hates that vegetarians and vegans seem like they are "know-it-alls" and I think she feels I will be doing the same. I mentioned to another friend my new diet plan and she told me that I needed to go spend more time wth L*** (mutual vegetarian friend) because we would have so much to talk about and not with her. It felt like I was being written off. Honestly, I haven't told any of my vegetarian/vegan friends how I have changed my diet. I have only mentioned it to one person via Facebook whom I may see only once a year at the most because she is a very educated and informed person and I thought she might help me educate myself (again, thank you for your help Rhonda!). Why is there such a stigma against people who choose to eat differently for their own personal reasons? I am not forcing my opinions on anyone and even though I have my family try the vegetarian foods I make for myself, I still cook meat for my family. I am not fanatical but I do see so many benefits to my new life that I wish I could share it with more people. It hurts to be shut out.

On that depressing note, I will sign off along with my sincerest thank you for coming to read my crazed ramblings.

Dried cranberries and crazy kids

Today was ridiculously stressful but also somewhat productive. My kids have reached a stage that they can’t stand being around each other. This is difficult because normally they are each other’s best friends. The kids were out of school for Veteran's Day and refused to stop fighting or were not listening to me. I suppose that happens as they get older but I am not okay with that.

Mondays are usually busy for me as I clean because the house is typically destroyed from busy weekends and cook as much as I can to put in the fridge for later. Part of my bad mood was probably because I didn't get a chance to make anything for myself to eat until about 1pm when I wolfed down the last of my tzatiki and pita bread.

This afternoon I made handmade oven dried cranberries from a recipe I found online. They turned out pretty yummy and even my kids ate half of them. I think I needed to squash the cranberries more during the cooking process and I did sprinkle a tiny pit of sugar on them during the last hour of cooking but I don't think that made much difference in the taste.

Dried cranberries

I made myself a salad for dinner as my dandelion greens were already starting do go bad. I also added kale, spinach, tomatoes, leek, a little bit of dill and sunflower seeds with an oil and balsamic vinegar as the dressing. I also made up the quinoa that bought from the Fresh Market. I have never had quinoa but have seen so many recipes that I had to give it a try. I was so disappointed because it tasted like the inside of a shoe. It came with a seasoning mix but it was just not good. It was a new and tasty addition when I added some to my salad though. I do have high hopes it would be good in a variety of recipes and I even have a few in mind that I am eager to try.

Quinoa and my salad

I ran to the liquor store when my husband came home from work as I felt I needed something to ease my nerves from the screaming children all day. Unfortunately, the store was closed but as it was right next to the Publix grocery store, I had an excuse to shop for something new without distraction. I bought some grocery staples along with wine coolers. I also purchased these cute little Forelle pears and Tofurky Italian sausage. The pears were so adorable that I had to give them a try. As for the faux sausage, I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to be a vegetarian, I needed to not only discover new plants to eat but also learn what substitutes for meats are out there. I have had tofu before in tacos and lasagna but it is just spongy and weird. I can’t just write off all meat substitutes because I dislike one. I am looking forward to cooking it up tomorrow to see how it tastes.

Now, about my observations regarding the effects of this experiment. I am aware that you don't want to know this but alas, it is still an interesting fact... I stink. I let out some of the most mind-altering, so-strong-it-could-take-down-a-horse farts that it is embarrassing! I did not expect this. I would have imagined that meat products and the body having to digest those difficult animal proteins would make a person much stinkier but I was wrong! So to those within 2 feet of me out in public, I am so sorry.

My last observation is that my husband complimented me as I was changing for bed tonight. I was poking my flubby belly from the 3 beautiful children that I carried and my husband mentioned that it has gone down. I appear as though I am more toned and have lost weight. Now, the scale disagrees but I may be seeing more muscle tone from exercising and decreasing my fat intake. My husband is not one to beat around with words or one to give compliments or criticism when it isn't warranted so I am taking him at his word. YEAH ME!

Thank you one and all for stopping by! Have a fabulous evening and stay safe.

*I apologize for my camera seeing to be orange. My kids do mess with my things so who knows what they did to it...

Good times and limited vegetarian options

It has been such an eventful few days. I have dyed my hair (dirty blond), went to a violin symphony, lunches and dinners with friends and even went to karaoke for the first time in my life last night. This afternoon I took a long nap just to recover from the constant activities!

New hair color.

Horrible camera and so it is a bit lighter then this.

I like it

I still am keeping with the vegetarian diet and learning to make new and exciting things. Friday, I used the dill that I bought at Fresh Market and made tzatziki sauce. Tzatzki has always been one of my favorite items from the Greek restaraunt that my best friend and I frequent. It is such a simple thing to make, which is wonderful! The recipe made SO much that I have tzatziki coming out of my ears though. Also, the recipe called for too much salt but it is still amazing and I have been chowing down on it with cut whole wheat pita bread.

Tzatziki and pita bread

I mentioned that I have been to a few new restaraunts the past few days. Yesterday I went to a fancy caribbean place before heading to the symphony. As we live along the Gulf of Mexico, fresh gulf fish is a big deal here. I have never liked fish and so I have always had a hard time finding exciting menu items even before this change in my diet. Now, it seems all I have offered to me is noodles and soggy salads. Yesterday I had a boring fettucini alfredo. It was alright but there was no substance.

Today, we went to a sports bar for lunch with friends. Of course there was a lot of chicken wing type menu items which I normally LOVE but now I am left with no options. I had a simple caesar salad that was limp and nothing to it. I have hope that other restaraunts may offer decent vegetarian choices but I am not too optimistic.

The other night my husband was working late and I can't sleep when he isn't home and so I stayed up late watching Food Inc. on Netlix. WOW, that was a powerful documentary. It didn't advocate a vegetarian or meatless diet but it was about informing the consumers as to where our food is coming from. I cried. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be making a vegetable garden come spring as I will feel so much safer knowing where at least a little bit of my food comes from.

Thanks for stopping by. I adore you. Good night.

Fresh Market adventure

I finally made it to Fresh Market! I drove to the next city over, which was about 20 minutes away. I think the drive was too long though because my 3 year old fell asleep during the ride. Normally, I would appreciate the nap but he wouldn't wake up! I had to carry him through the store as I shopped. It was a challenge trying to reach products on the shelves while carrying him and a basket. I got a serious workout from it though.

 

The trip was still a success. I found fresh dill which I have been trying to find for a few months now. I bought dandelion greens! I have never had dandelion. I also found some mangos for the kids, chili peppers, quinoa and dried vegetables for a snack. The veggies were so yummy and my son even liked them so I will be back again soon to get some more. I especially loved the green beans. What a great taste and a healthy snack. Can't get any better than that!

So when we arrived home I made a salad with my new dandelion greens. I added spinach, tomatoes, leeks and red onion. I made a simple dressing with oil, white wine vinegar and dill. It was such a wonderful and flavorful meal.

For dinner I made a simple quesadilla with salsa. Nothing special and honestly it was very filling and heavy on my stomach. I have always loved cheeses. I get a thrill out of finding new and different cheese (have you ever had buffalo milk cheese? I have) but I am not sure my body likes it so much anymore. I will be trying harder to cut out cheese from my diet but I can't get rid of it all and I still love my yogurt.

This morning I enjoyed my favorite yogurt with blackberries and sunflower seeds! I LOVE BLACKBERRIES but they have always been a little too costly for me. I found them on sale and stocked up. It's like Christmas, I am so excited.

That's all I have to share for now. Thanks for stopping by my friends. Have a fabulous day!

Just Some of my Research

I wanted to share some of the info I found. I have been noticing that the scale isn't changing and so I found this article here titled "Can Going Vegetarian Make You Fat?" Honestly, I am still baffled because I do eat low fat, low calorie foods but this still was pretty insightful.

Also, I found this article posted by someone on Twitter titled "Top 10 reasons Not to Eat Pigs". It is very disgusting how these defenseless animals are treated. Just reading this made me sick.

Thanks for stopping by!

Progress

I know, I know. I have been slacking on posting updates but honestly, I haven't been eating anything that I haven't already posted.

For instance, my breakfasts and snacks have become Greek yogurt with cut up strawberries or cranberries and sunflower seeds. Lunches are usually a salad of whatever I have in the fridge and dinner has been either another salad, stir-fry or I made stuffed chili peppers again last night. The stuffed peppers didn't turn out too well because I used a crumbing cheese that didn't melt and the whole thing was a weird mess. I ate it anyway.

Kale Chips

Random Salad

Yummy vinager I found to use as my salad dressing

My bedtime snack

Stuffed peppers. Next time I will use mozzerella

I think it is time to mention how I am feeling physically about my new diet changes as it is an important part of this experiment. One thing that I have noticed is that I have to eat breakfast every day. I used to be able to just have coffee and be fine but now I need something on my stomach. This has been the hardest challenge because I LOVE omelets but decided to cut out eggs. I have also noticed that I feel lighter. I don't have the bloated, nasty feeling after my meals that would weigh me down. This has been the best effect so far! However, speaking about being weighed down, I am a little upset that I haven’t seen a change in the number on the scale. I have been exercising regularly and eating this amazing vegetarian diet but the scale isn't moving. I suppose that can be attributed to age. I am now 30 and it isn't as easy as it was when I was a kid to lose weight.

I am running out of ideas of new things to make for myself. I suppose I could spend more time researching new recipes but I don't always have the time to spare. I still haven't made the drive to the next city over to see the Fresh Market.

I am absolutely THRILLED to see my kids making better food choices. My daughter always could survive on fruits and salads and I love seeing the excitement in her eyes when she finds fresh strawberries or bananas to snack on. My 5 year old son is a relatively good eater and enjoys a salad but also loves nasty processed foods. He has been asking me to buy him more kale (to make kale chips), bananas, yogurts and berries. The best results have been my 3 year old son who eats nothing but waffles, sugary oatmeal, french fries and the occasional chicken nugget. I have learned that he likes pumpkin, bananas and hummus! WIN!

I have been morning the loss of my favorite food. My best friend and I are regulars at a local Greek restaurant that makes the most AMAZING dolmades (rice and beef seasoned and wrapped in grape leaves that they serve with this amazing sauce drizzled on top). I haven't had them in a long time and debating if I want to go get some on the first chance after my month long experiment. I was hoping to continue on being a vegetarian after the 30 days has passed but I had only promised myself to stick with it for a month. I suppose I will just have to wait and see how I feel when my month is over.

Well, thank you all for stopping by. I appreciate all my readers. Thank you and have a wonderful day!

Batty's Bath

I wanted to take a moment to recommend an all natural product line of bath and body products. Batty's Bath actively works hard to leave no carbon footprint, reduce, reuse and recycle. Batty uses organic and natural ingredients to make the most luxurious products for every skin type. Have I mentioned that Batty is also a friend of mine since the 4th grade? Oh well, that's true too. It's because of this history with Batty, knowing the skin problems she has faced her entire life and seeing the results of the amazing products that she makes.... this makes me so confident to share them with you!

Check out her site, click around and read the amazing things that Batty's Bath is accomplishing. GO to Batty's Bath NOW!

Pumpkin Pancakes, Hummus and a sincere THANK YOU

I have learned, and am continuing to learn that natural food is so flavorful and amazing! The greasy, charred burgers at fast food places offer nothing but a plastic taste and clogged arteries.

I didn't have a chance to update yesterday how my vegetarian diet went. I had a huge test in my economics class and so I spent my free time hitting the books (I made an 80%! Considering the class average was 71, I'm happy).

We have SO much pumpkin cut up and I really have no idea what to do with it all. If you have any good and simple pumpkin recipies, please let me know about it in the comments below. I made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast yesterday. My 3 year old, picky eater ate it UP! I made mine topped with cranberries and agave nectar. The pancakes were so fluffy it was almost maddening how great they turned out. Then the cranberries were a perfect mix. The tart berries with the very sweet pancakes and agave made it such a unique and heavenly flavor. This may be one of the most exciting things I have made so far.

I ate breakfast late so I wasn't in the mood for lunch and I was rushing to class around dinner time so I just chowed down on some pita chips and hummus that I had recently found on a grocery trip. The hummus was seasoned with jalapeno and cilantro. It was a perfect mix. It wasn't too spicy and the hummus wasn't chalky like other brands I have tried. I definitely recommend Pita Pal Organic Hummus!

After class, I came home and my husband had made spaghetti and tomato sauce for himself and the kids. He saved me a bite (literally) which helped with the ravenous hunger and then ate some more of my pita chips and hummus. Exciting day, I know.

So far today I made myself an AMAZING breakfast of mozzarella cheese with spinach, red onion, avocado and a little parsley mixed together, heated and wrapped whole wheat tortilla then eaten with homemade roasted pepper salsa. WOW! I have always liked avocado in a variety of foods but could never just cut it up and eat it plain. Still, it was the best addition to my meal. My breakfast was so creamy and flavorful that I honestly forgot to take a picture of it for you all as I couldn't stop eating. If you are looking for ways to add more natural foods to your diet, try avocado. It isn't a strong flavor but the creamy texture makes a simple food that much better.

Now, I wanted to thank everyone that has come to this simple blog of mine. I see the statistics and I know there is a good many that come and read about my silly journey of finding a healthier way to live. This blog is probably not the most exciting thing you can read about in your day but it is important and exciting for me and because of that, I am so thrilled to be sharing it with you. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Get Out of the Food Rut

I forgot to mention that I recently watched "Forks Over Knives" on Netflix as it was recommended from a friend of mine who is a vegan. It was informative and went in line with what I was already reading and researching about but was still a good documentary. I recommend it!

Also, I have become an avid fan of the Chocolate Covered Kate blog. One simple thing that I have learned is that I could use agave nectur as a sweetener instead of proccessed sugars. I already had that in my cupboard, but I have always put it in my margaritas (I make an amazing margarita!). Even my 5 year old son now loves it on his waffles in the mornings.

This morning I had my new favourite breakfast which was vanilla flavored greek yogurt with cut up fresh strawberries and I topped it with Bare Naked Fit - Vanilla Almond Crunch. My sister-in-law, who has a lot of health issues when it comes to foods, accidently left it at my house one day and I confiscated it because it is seriously delicious. I love it in salads and I know this may sound weird, but it tastes great with balsamic vinager as a salad dressing.

I rushed through my lunch but I made a great salad of anything I could find in the fridge. It consisted of kale, spinach, leeks, tomatos, cucumber, carrots and sunflower seeds with lemon juice as the dressing. I also had a few walnuts I had cracked earlier and snacked on them a little bit until my 3 year old son stole them. I didn't argue as he is the pickiest eater you could ever meet. Still, I should look for new and quick recipies to have when rushing.

We had a busy day so by dinner my stomach sounded like a wild animal. The family stopped at Moe's Southwest Grill and picked up food to take home. Normally, I would chow down on two chicken tacos but I resisted! I planned to make something wholesome for myself at home but when we arrived there, my husband found he was missing his queso so I was elected to go back and get it. This meant I had to wait even longer for my food! By the time I arrived back home, the queso was calling my name so I wolfed it down with some chips and with homemade roasted pepper salsa. Yes, I love salsa and eat it most every day.

Before bed, I snacked on another vanilla greek yogurt (time to go grocery shopping again) but with fresh cranberries and the vanilla almond crunch. My first job was at a frozen yogurt bar where I had to mix the fruit or candies into the yogurt. My favorite concoxion was cranberries and orange. I know it seems odd, but it was so fresh and tangy! I haven't had cranberries in such a long time that I forgot how flavorful they were. It seems that with this month-long experience of mine that I am revisiting a lot of foods that I used to enjoy but have long forgotten.

I want to recommend this adventure of mine to anyone who is looking to get out of their rut. Get out of the fast-food cycle and rediscover some pretty amazing and HEALTHY foods. I am so excited each day to see what new things I can make, what flavors I can mix and how it all makes me feel. No heavy, bloated stomachs. No fatigue. No difficult trips to the bathroom.... yeah I know you didn't want to know, sorry. Still, this experience has been so much fun and I am looking forward to much, much more of it.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful and restful night.

Chili Relleno & Pumpkin Cupcakes

So I decided to cut out eggs from my diet, to the best of my ability. I think I would end up eating things that have eggs in the ingredients (noodles etc) but I am going to see if I can keep my foods that I prepare to be egg free. In this new outlook, I needed to find a new breakfast as I LOVE omelets. I had a pretty busy morning so I grabbed a Greek yogurt, cut up a couple strawberries, tossed some sunflower seeds on top and I was good to go. It was wonderful but wasn't very satisfying unfortunately.

 
For lunch, some friends took us to a new authentic Mexican restaurant. I LOVE chili relleno but sometimes it is prepared with meat, so I asked (and even though I speak Spanish and ASKED in Spanish, the waiter still replied in English. Little insulting. My Spanish isn't that bad!). He promised me there was no meat. Chili relleno is stuffed chili peppers with cheese, sometimes meat and sometimes veggies. My peppers were filled with cheese, spices and sauce. They were WONDERFUL! The only upset was that my lunch special also came with a taco (which wasn't mentioned by the waiter or in the menu). Usually I would enjoy the additional surprise but it was a beef taco. I was rather disappointed that I couldn't eat it but my meal was also came with simple spiced rice and fresh salsa with chips.
 
My lunch was very filling. Most likely because of the cheese and I have to admit, I did not like the heavy feeling in my stomach. I love how I feel satisfied but still light after my vegan recipes or even the vegetarian ones.
 
I spent the afternoon glued to my chair and doing homework (and mindlessly surfing the Internet). I took breaks and cut up another pumpkin I had bought and made some more roasted pumpkin seeds. I had to fight my husband for them.
 
I didn't bother eating dinner. I was too full from lunch and the afternoon snack. Still, by the evening I had all this pumpkin and had no idea what to do with it so I made vegan pumpkin cupcakes and pumpkin pie. I have never made either so it was an experiment. The pie was so bad, won’t even go into detail but the cupcakes were the best thing I have ever made in my life! I had bought a spiced cake mix, cut the water and oil in half and instead of egg I used pureed pumpkin and baked as directed. They were so light fluffy and indescribably fantastic!!!! I topped with icing and walnuts and had to stop myself after eating 2.

 
I am proud of myself that I am doing so much more cooking. I hate cooking. Have I mentioned this? I hate doing all the work and after the food is eaten, I have nothing to show for it but I am actually enjoying creating new and healthy things for myself and my family. I am also enjoying not daily going to buy greasy fast food. My wallet is a little fuller as well. I would normally spend between $5-$10 per fast food meal when I can get the ingredients for a vegan meal that would last for 3 days for $8!

Thank you to everyone that has stopped by. Have a fabulous night and remember the clocks change back tonight!

 

Already Being Discouraged

Today was eventful. This semester I received a scholarship and so today was the scholarship luncheon at the college to meet and thank the donors. This was also mantory. My donor didn't even show up! I had to get a babysitter for this and I was stuck eating soggy salad (as it was the only vegetarian food served) and making nice to a room full of people I didn't know. Mneh.

Anyways, I made up for it though and ate some very delicious foods for the rest of the night. My son brought home a small pumpkin from school and we cut the sucker up and roasted the seeds. I haven't had homemade roasted pumpkin seeds in YEARS. I dashed a little bit of creole seasoning on top and voila! Even my three year old loved them and he doesn't eat anything but cereal and french fries!

Tonight, I made myself stuffed chili peppers. I riped out the guts of them and stuffed them with a mixture of spinach, onions, tomatos, leeks and a little mozzerella. Then I rolled them in bread crumbs (most of which just fell off) and baked them. I ate them with homemade roasted pepper salsa. I also made fried plantains in brown sugar. I had these at a friends house last week for the first time and they were AMAZING so I tried it myself. They turned out ok but the plantains needed to be riper so they were a little starchy. I still have another plantain so I'll let it ripen and try again. If you have never had this, try it! The simple recipe can be found here.

 

Even if after this experiment of mine I decide to go back to eating meat, I can definately say that I am doing so much better at considering what I eat. I am more aware of the foods I put in my body and how much better I am feeling. I was so proud that even tonight while grocery shopping, my husband called and asked me to pick him up some fruit and yogurt instead of some other sugary snack. Also, right now my kids are snacking on yogurt and strawberries instead of junk.

 

I am enjoying how I am feeling and I know that there is so much more a person can do. A friend of mine was actually pretty discouraging to me yesterday when I was telling her about how I was choosing to eat. She said that there was basically no point as all our foods are chemically modified anyway, meat or no meat so there is no reason to even try. Then she told me how much it bothers her when vegans and vegetarians act like they are far superior in how they live their lives in that they eat sooooo much healthier and "they are all know-it-alls". I do have vegan/vegetarian friends who do push their ideals on others but some that don't. I think if I can keep this up, I will want to share with others how I feel but now I wonder about how my choces might effect my friendships.

 

I have so much to learn about and decide how I want to live my own life. For now, I am going to enjoy my full tummy and clean conscience. Nighty night cyber world!

Lazy Cooking

It's been a long day. My kids had an early release from school and had to take my son to the doctor because of an ear infection, I went grocery shopping and helped sit with my grand-mother-in-law who is elderly and can't leave her bed so she needs family to stay with her at all times. I still kept up with the vegetarian diet.

I mentioned how I had an egg wrap for breakfast. I am leaning towards cutting out eggs from my diet. It does hurt my conscience but they are yummy. I have need to find an equally yummy and easy breakfast if I am going to cut out my favorite breakfast.

It's a good thing I had a breakfast today. I usually don't have the time. I ended up missing lunch as I was dealing with getting to the doctor and so forth.

By the time I got home, it was 6:30pm and I was shaking. I made my family rice and chicken that they said was bland since I didn't taste-test it. I guess I need to find new ways to cook tasty foods for them if I wont be testing it as I cook. I made myself kale chips (kale coated in oil and seasoned with dill and garlic salt then baked) and a salad. I was too worn out to try and think of anything more elaborate. My salad turned out great, consisting of mainly parsley, spinach, tomato and red onion with lemon juice as the dressing.

 

For dessert, I had found this great vegan brownie in a mug recipe on Pinterest that literally takes 15 minutes to make. So good and worth it!

While getting my son's prescription at Publix, I wandered around to see what new and exciting foods  could find. They have such a fun variety of their Greenwise products! I settled for organic green beans and leeks. Can you believe I have never eaten leeks? I'll be looking up recipes tonight for tomorrow to experiment with my new food.

For now I am off to research. Thanks for stopping by! Good night world <3

Breakfast vs Conscience

One definite problem I am finding is that I have to grocery shop a LOT! My daughter loves this new lifestyle of mine because she already eats like a rabbit but now there is nothing left for me. Have I mentioned that I hate grocery shopping? Too many people in my way and I always have kids with me who whine "I want I want I want". Mneh! Also, our area really does not cater to a vegan/vegetarian life. There is a small 1 ft by 2 ft section in the fruits and veggie area of Wal-Mart for vegetarian/vegan foods and that is IT! I don't live in a small city, only a small minded one. We have a Fresh Market in the next town over and realistically it isn't that far away. I need to get over my laziness. Unfortunately, I won’t have time to make the drive until maybe Monday.
 
Well, anyway. I just finished my breakfast. I made egg whites with spinach, salsa, sour cream and onions wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. I had to eat something. Most days I just have coffee but I noticed that the little bit of wine I had last night made me nauseous this morning. I needed something substantial on my stomach. I didn't have too much to drink. I wonder if my diet has changed how my body reacts to alcohol? Maybe I had more then I thought I did *tee hee

I never planned to cut out eggs and milk from my diet (yet?!) but I have to say that my conscience is bothering me. I wanted to start this because I am so appalled with the horrible treatment of animals for consumption and what makes eggs any different? I am less upset with the milk products because it's a product from animals and not the animals themselves. Besides my husband and one son are lactose intolerant so we have soy and almond milk in our home.We do still eat cheese. Yes, I am aware of how the cows are treated to be able to make milk products but I need to draw the line somewhere, right? However, eggs are essentially baby chickens! I have a very strong opinion against abortion at any stage of development and so isn't eggs kind of the same thing? Babies in the earliest stage of development? I really I need to think this one over a bit more and decide where I stand.

Thanks for stopping by and reading about my breakfast and conscience lol. Have a fabulous day!

Stressful but Yummy

What a stressful day. Let's just say that I am typing this while drinking a glass of wine. Between having all kids home from school and babysitting a friend's 4 year old,  am ready to tear my hair out. The kids all seemed to spend every waking moment fighting with eachother. Then, I was caught having to take care of my sister-in-law as she has many health problems that culminated in vomit all over my floor.

So anyway,  still did pretty good for myself when it came to my meals. No breakfast again today, only coffee (lots of coffee). For lunch I made cheese quesadillas with homemade salsa verde. Small flour tortillas with white crumbling queso heated and folded together in a pan (no oil) and dipped in the best salsa in the WORLD!

For dinner I gave my fennel/radish salad from last night another try. I threw it in a hot pan with a little olive oil, salt and a small dash of balsamic vinager. It worked! I ate that sucka up! I also reheated the leftover potato soup from last night. Having it sit and settle for a day made it even tastier.

Time for a snack. I cut whole wheat tortillas into triangles, dipped them in a mixture of oil, fajita seasoning and tomatos that I pureed and baked them into chips. Ate them up with roasted pepper salsa! I needed to add more salt to the chips and I burned my last batch into tiny triangles of char but other then that, my snack was a success! I am so full!

I also talked with a friend of mine who is vegan and she gave me some great links for recipies and information to check out. I am off to do that now and giddy with excitement. Here are the links she told me I should see: Vegetarian Times, Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, Chocolate Covered Katie,  21-Day Vegan Kickstart and Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death (Thanks Rhonda! <3 )

That's it for tonight. Thanks for stopping by!

Fennel Fiasco

Today was very adventurous if I say so myself. I had my usual coffee for breakfast as my eyes just don't open until I have finished a pot of my favorite Gevalia Mocha coffee with Irish Cream creamer (yum!). I am the master of breakfast making but I don't make it for myself very often. I will say, the best breakfast in the world is my egg white omelet with spinach, jalapenos, cheese (usually anything white) and fresh homemade green salsa. I am salivating just thinking about it!

So anyways, on to lunch. I decided to throw whatever I had in my fridge into a salad. Vegetarianism for beginners is salad. Easy enough. I used kale, fresh spinach, parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper. VERY YUMMY! (I had never even heard of kale before this experiment of mine but I’m loving it). My salad was surprisingly filling! I had an apple I was planning to eat as my dessert but I didn't have any room for it all afternoon. This was a pleasant surprise.

By dinner time, my husband was home and asking what these weird foods were that I had in the house. When I first told him my plans to be a vegetarian for a month, his reaction was "Well, just as long as I can still eat my chicken and whatever else". No biggie. We have always had very opposite tastes and I have had to cook different meals for each of us since we were first married. I like very intense flavors. I like the spicy, the sweet, the sour and he likes the savory soul food. He could live off fish, chicken and peanut butter when I could eat anything if it had salsa on it.

So back to dinner. That afternoon I bought radishes and fennel. I have never had fennel in my life and I had no idea what to do with it. I have downloaded an app for my tablet called "Healthy Meals" and looked up fennel recipes. It seemed like you can put fennel in anything but I hit the jackpot when found a simple salad of just radishes, fennel, lemon juice and salt and pepper. I had all the ingredients so I gave it a try. The fennel smelled amazingly fresh and I was looking forward to trying this. Boy was I was disappointed with the taste. I had no idea that fennel tastes like black licorice. BLEH! Seriously, just like black licorice and I H-A-T-E black licorice. Oh well. Live and learn. I will be looking up more recipes for fennel as I still have a bulb left. Maybe if I find a decent way to cook it, then the flavor won’t be so strong.

For dinner I also made my husband some lemon chicken with herbs. I don't mind making him meals with meat in it. Eating meat or not eating it is a personal choice.

I made a potato soup for myself. I had a mix already that was pretty simple made by Cugino's. I have had their french onion soup before which is pretty great so I thought this was a safe bet. I added some radishes, kale, green onion (only had a little left so I threw it in there) and red onion. By then, the soup was tasty but boring so I added salt, pepper and a little chili powder. YUM! My only downfall was I needed to cut the kale up smaller as it was a pain to chew it. The radishes were a perfect addition.

So, all together, I had potato soup and the fennel salad for myself. My 7 year old daughter wolfed down 2 bowls of the soup. My husband ate half of his chicken and a bowl of soup. My 3 year old son ate 3 bites of the chicken, licked the soup and said it was good but he didn't want it (pickiest eater in the world). My 5 year old slept through it all as he is sick with a cough and ear ache.

Day 2 of vegetarianism is going good. My tummy is happy and full. I feel great and am so excited about what I can come up with next!

And so we begin

Greetings friends.

My name is Julia. I am a wife and stay-at-home mom while I am attending college at nights. I am the typical mom. I cart my three kids around to their play dates, gymnastics and so forth. I live for them and try to squeeze in a little bit of me time when I can. Of course, my "me time” is usually taken up by studying for the next exam or endless homework.

I am 30 years old. I eat like the average American (although, for the record, I am Canadian but I am an American resident as I married an American). I like fast food as I am always on the run. I try to eat right and instill good habits in my children but let's face it, a hamburger is so much cheaper than a salad when eating on the go.... and a lot easier to eat while racing all over town.

I tell myself and my husband that I want to eat healthier and get in shape. I was a gym bunny before and after my first 2 children but by the third, the membership fees were too much and I didn't have the time. Now I have a sexy muffin top and wider hips and a saggy butt. My husband still says I am attractive but I just don’t feel right. I don't have the energy to keep up with my life and find myself sitting my youngest in front of the TV while his siblings are at school so I can catch a quick nap. Something needs to change.

I figured that nothing would truly get me to eat better unless I make a plan. I needed a set goal to achieve and a method to measure my progress. I have seen so many articles and pictures of what is done to the animals that are bred just to be fattened and killed in such inhumane ways and it makes me sick. I decided that enough was enough and I didn’t want to support this disgusting business of killing animals and along the way, I could find better health. In comes my idea of being a 30 day vegetarian!

I plan to only last 30 days and if I can keep it up after that then all the better. For now, I am still eating eggs and cheese with the hopes to find ways to cut that out next but I need baby steps.

So welcome to my journey and I hope we all enjoy the ride and maybe even learn something new.

Peace out !