Saturday, April 30, 2011

Seitan BBQ Sandwich


Yummy BBQ Sauce
Jake persuaded me to make my own BBQ sauce in order to make this BBQ sandwich. Jake was up to something! I created the best BBQ sauce ever! This even tops the few sauces at the store that do not have chemicals, sugar, and salts added to them.

Thanks to the Skinny Bitch: The Ultimate Everyday Cookbook I was able to make the best home-made bbq sauce!

YUMMY!!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Project Seitan


Project Seitan: Success!!

My adventure began yesterday, I decided to make some Seitan! So I found a recipe from Bryanna Gorgan. The cooking took the better part of the day like most good things! I must say this Seitan was a HIT in my family!!  

I thought Ed was going to hate it. But, He said he liked it. The boys ate tons of it! Jake actually said this is so good I would like to eat it in a BBQ sandwich. JT said that he thought I made "real" meat but knew that I could not. Being that our home rule is only Vegan food will be served in this home. 

Next time I plan on making this Seitan more like chicken. Then I can see if I can make some un-chicken nuggets for the boys and hot un-chicken wings for Ed!



Brazilian Black Beans with Brown Rice

Seitan Yummy!!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Where does your chocolate come from?

What can you do about this?

Your consumer dollars are votes for how fellow humans are treated.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Mexican Casserole ~Fiesta

It's Mexican Fiesta Night!!

Since we began Eat to Live Mexican night is one of my favorite meals!
We usually have a Mexican Casserole. Tonight is no exception.
I layered roasted tomatoes, salsa cheeze sauce (made with the mashed steamed cauliflower), vegan whole wheat tortillas, spinach, white beans, to make this lovely concoction! Then we topped it off with a generous portion of lettuce, tomato and avocado (Ed and JT added vegan cream cheese).  YUMMY!




Quest for health

Vegetables in a wicker basket
Farm animal, a rooster
How are we going to get healthy?
I have been researching the ways to a optimal health. And the answer lays in the past not the future of food. We have changed food so much that our great grand parents would not recognize some of the foods that are in the market today.  Why does food have to be so processed. I have been on this journey for the last few years. First, it was the eye-opening view of farms in America. 
WOW, my thoughts of a field with animals was a delusion. I then cut back on meat intake and bought only Grass fed beef/free range chicken/eggs. Boy this diet really did not change how my family ate. Then I realized when we ate out we were eating #$%$. 
(I also read Food, Inc, and several other eye-opening books)
Dairy cows on farm
 Then it was when I read The China Study.  I then started to think about nutrition. The data showed that it was better to eat a mostly vegan diet with up to 10% of calories can be meat.
So, my quest began.
Tractor and farm in Germany
I stumbled upon Eat to Live. This diet seemed to be the answer to my many questions. 
I use the diet as a Health Guideline.
So we eat out and that is our only time when we are off the diet. I hold a strong policy that this house will only serve Healthy food.  We use the 10% as meals out of the house.

My take on the diet:
Basket of fresh strawberries
  • eat at least 1 pound raw and 1 pound cooked veggies
  • eat at least 4 fruit
  • eat no more that 1 cup starch (veggies or grain)
  • eat 1 T flax seed a day
  • eat 2 oz avocado
  • eat 2 oz raw nuts
  • eat no more that 2 T dried fruit a day
  • eat at least 1 cup beans/tofu/tempeh a day
So Am I hungry? NO, I eat more now than before. And it feels good to have so much food to choose.





Tuesday, April 26, 2011

BBQ meatless meatballs with Creamy Mac & Cheeese and salad




Trader Joes meatless meatballs in BBQ sauce
creamy mac&cheeese


bbq dinner
Meatless Meatballs: 
Trader Joes meatless meatballs
Trader Joes BBQ sauce

Creamy Mac & Cheese:
pasta
cauliflower, steamed and pureed
nutritional yeast
almond milk, plain unsweetened
seasoning
Vogue VegBase
raw cashews

Mental Health: Chocolate Chai Tea

My Mental Health Break today

Chai Tea
Chocolate Chai Tea Fair-trade

rishi Chai tea
un-sweetened plain almond milk
1 pack stevia
hot water
sprinkle of cinnamon

Lunch Salad daze

Mango topped Salad

Mango Salad with dressing

Channa (chickpeas) Korma
Channa Korma
Chickpeas
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
Sharwood's Mild curry powder
2 cups unsweetened almond milk, plain
Carrots
Peas

My goals

Spring is here.
Spring is a time of re-birth. A time of reflection. A time of change. I am going to document my growth changes. 

Areas of change in my life in which I will focus developmental growth are:
Health, Spiritual, Family, Mental Health, Physical Health and Cooking.


Health: loose 20 pounds

Spiritual: read Bible more


Family: Make more time for family

Mental Health: read more books


Physical Health: start running again.

 Do yoga 20-30 minutes a day.

Cooking: make more healthy foods
be creative with vegetarian menu

Cheesey Lasagna

Salad with handmade salad dressing

Hot cheesey spinach lasagna

My dinner

Yummy!!
Ingredients:
whole wheat noodles
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 container tofu
1c nutritional yeast
8 oz vegan cream cheese
Italian spices
garlic
lemon juice
1 pound roasted cauliflower
1 pound frozen spinach

This menu was a modification of Lasagna with roasted cauliflower ricotta and spinach recipe in Appetite for Reduction.  As you can see, I did not put cheese on the top of the lasagna.  I must say I thought my family would give me grief for not including it....BUT, My family gives this recipe thumbs up! I must make again. YAY!

New Start

I have decided to restart my journey to health blog.
Where do I begin?

Me I am in good health looking to loose 20 pounds. I have good blood pressure (99/73).  I am working on eating more veg and eat less treats.

Ed- he began this journey with blood pressures of (150/90). Boy, when that doctor gave him 2 kinds of medications I flipped out. 1 of the medication was for kidney. Did the research--its a downward slide.  I have done 3 months of cooking high nutrient foods and his new blood pressure has move to (130/80). What a huge change!!! New challenge--need to lower his pulse. His pulse has been over 100. NOT good.

Jake- he is recovering from a spine surgery. He had a surgery on 2/22/11 for spinal cord un-tethering. He had a few complications to healing. While we were in Johns Hopkins I chose vegan menu for him. In addition we ate salads, sushi, and veggies/fruit from the cafeteria.  Jake just needs to heal and be a teen.

JT- he is the athlete that is dependent on a healthy menu. He is normal health. Football season begins in July!!

Good Health to you!