22 Days Vegan: RESULTS

Results are in!!! Now I'm not disappointed because I have incorporated weight training & where there was fat there is now muscle :)

Now for weight loss, the #ladyinRed has creeped in so well see in a couple weeks what happens.

So am I going to continue my vegan journey?? I think so. When? I'll keep u posted.

But tonight I might just consume a Burger for old times lol ...maybe maybe not :)

#progressnotperfection #nonscalevictory

IM GOING VEGAN: day 22 ... JOURNEY COMPLETED

Today felt normal. No anticipation that it was the last day. I don't feel different.


TMI MOMENT!!

Except for the Lady in Red trying to creep upon my person. UGH

I'm confident that I lost inches, definitely in my belly. BUT weight... with lifting, I know I'm adding muscle & like I just said the Lady in Red is coming, so its going to fluctuate.

---

So over graduate school.

Meals:
banana, gluten free Oats & Honey granola

vegan bean soup, raw spinach, bean burger,

raw spinach/grape salad:
------sauteed brussels sprouts, onions, fried tofu, vegan chickn strips,- w/ olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.
honey roasted peanuts
.5 miso soup packet

Water: 60 oz -- try to hit 90

No Workout. booooo. I know.




Will post my measurements/weight results tomorrow. I actually don't have a scale so I won't be able to weigh myself until I go to the gym.... so I might try for a true weigh-in later this weekend. I really need to update my VeganVlogs. lol eek

IM GOING VEGAN: day 20

My re-do was so much better. Had me refocused! 

So about this Vegan life. 

So quick recap. Woke up. Cleaned the house. note to self dust once a week. 

Water: 60 oz

Workout: Worked out with the hubby. Like an actual workout lol. Elliptical & than some Crossfit. He had me huffing but it felt good. So than I did some minor lifting for legs/arms. 

We ended the night, trying out a new Korean/Japanese restaurant. We grade it a C. I basically had to create my own dish, like who doesn't make Kimchi Jiggae and why was it so expensive??? yeesh! We like our old spot better, actually we just wanna be back in Korea. I would not be vegan there lol but if I were it wouldn't be as hard. They literally had like 3 vegan options... double yeesh 

Meals:
small red delicious apple

8 grapes
avocado cucumber sushi roll, peanut avocado sushi roll

kimchi jiggae w/ tofu & kimchi & white rice

2 glasses of merlot

I tried to do my homework... ugh it was a no go blah. 

Homemade VEGAN bean burgers recipe

So how do you get your protein?

For vegans or vegetarians this is a common question. My favorite protein thus far has been beans. Now of course it can leave you feeling bloated because it FILLS you up but its better than ridiculous snacking. IMO.

There are a ton of recipes, which I glanced at for a general idea but this was an original idea for me.

I bought a ton of dried (bagged) beans -pinto, black eyed, lima, kidney, black beans, etc-- I have a container and mixed them all together. So I truly don't know what beans I used, just that it was an assortment.

Official Recipe:

• let beans soak overnight
• next day boil the beans in your choice broth--I boiled the beans in chicken broth (gasp) but for a vegan lifestyle, you should definitely boil them in vegetable broth-- on a low-medium temperature. 
• The goal is soften up the beans. 
• Seasonings: i poured olive & sesame oil into the boil, added in curry/pepper/salt/garlic powder/onion powder/cumin into the boil 
• let the beans simmer. mine simmered for 2-3 hours. i just kept adding in more water
• Test the beans occasionally, you want them to start feeling softER
• Turn the burner off, leave the beans in the broth, and place in the fridge till the next day 

So this is where it gets complicated.......................... TRIAL & ERROR

Now remember I'm a practicing vegan so while I could have used EGG I had to use a substitute.


Flax Seed is an interesting concept. I highly encourage you to READ the instructions.

Don't follow my folly.

I have various batches of the beans.

1 batch included garri  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garri & flax seed
1 batch included yellow corn meal & flax seed
1 batch included garri, yellow corn meal, & flax seed

They all tasted fine you just have to understand the flax seed consistency ....

• In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork/spoon/ -- i didn't smash all the beans nor did I worry about them being flat
• Mix in (garri/corn meal) bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. 
• Stir the Flax seed mixture
• Divide mixture into patties.

Now again it gets a bit ...... weird

So remember I had issue with the flax seed consistency. So the cooking portion was trial & error.

watch the video on my instagram

• Heat the olive oil or cooking spray in a large skillet.
• If your flax seed mixture is correct, the patties should hold together ... 
• One option is to bake your patties at 350 in the oven, let them sit for about 10 minutes, than transfer them to the large skillet to make them crispiER

Now don't worry if your patties fall apart, they are STILL edible and you can use them later for a salad, frittata, burrito, etc. 

PLEASE NOTE:

I didn't add any additional seasonings to the patties. YOU can but I didn't. It wasn't needed. Especially since I added condiments for my burger. 

Burger Toppings:
raw collard greens, onions, tomato, soy cheese
srirracha sauce, bbq sauce, 
wheat bread (perhaps gluten free if you want to get adventurous)

Sides: 

Initially I wanted potatoes, but c'mon thats a lot of carbs. So some steamed green beans with garlic & salt did the trick!

NOMNOM. 

Hope my directions weren't too confusing. 

Let me know how it turns out :)

I'M GOING VEGAN: Day 5

Today was my best today by FAR since I've started this challenge. It's becoming a lot easier to modify my meals and supplement my snacks. Eating clean, can be quite filling.

Before I discuss my day. I just want to reflect on what I learned while eating abroad. I mean it is ThrowBackThursday hehe

Breakfast can be WHATEVER you want it to be. The first week in Korea, for breakfast my roommate served me rice, kimchi, and seaweed (nori). I was like "wheres the bacon" and she said we can have samgupsyal later tonight. LOL In Korea basically anything goes for Breakfast, soups, rice, kimchi, noodles, ramen, etc. I truly appreciate that I wasn't "restricted" to a particular food image when I woke in the morning.

As such since Day 2 of the challenge, I've been drinking soup every morning. Not a bowl but a small jar of soup, I preheat the water and pour the soup mixture in the jar, and I'm ready for the day.

It's refreshing and I'm not starved. Nor do I have to rush around to try and select a particular "American breakfast item"... because let's be real our breakfast typically involves breads, meats, eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt, butter, etc. I don't have time for that and I don't even like yogurt.

__

Meals:Instant Tofu Miso Soup Soybean Paste
Steamed White Rice, Homemade Potato Soup w/ 1 potato dumpling,and beefless tips
1 TBSP peanut butter
Veggie Crumbles, soy cheese, pico de gallo, tomato, black beans, steamed rice, fresh collard greens, and tortilla chips

Water: 64oz  -- working to hit 96 oz before I go to sleep

No Workout.

Finally, if you're looking for meat substitutes, this is what I have bought so far. 

I'M GOING VEGAN: Day 3

Woke up with a fever.
Listless. Out of it.
Made it to work.
Made it home.
Consumed 1200 calories. But soo tired.

Meals:
Tofu spinach miso soup
Honey roasted peanuts
Roasted brussels sprouts, rice, quinoa, 2 morning star grillers
1/4 cup collard greens, tofu chicken & morning star riblet

Water: 76oz In Progress

No workout.

Now calling it a night.

IM GOING VEGAN: Day 2

Today was rough. I didn't get much sleep last night, running a low grade fever. Tossing/Turning. Blahhh

Woke up and rushed out the door to run errands.

Around 1pm I realized I was strongly hungry.

Ran into Walmart - for some Vegan snacks -- popcorn kernels, honey roasted peanuts, roasted almonds, bananas, and a bottle of water.

I chowed down before continuing on with my errands.

Got home around 3 and was soooo tired.... but not to tired to scarf down Sundays leftovers of Tofu Tortilla Soup w/Tortila Chips& rice. Ummmmm when I say scarfed I don't even remember what it tasted like. Which is super bad. I was such a glutton and now its around 8pm and I'm still stuffed. I already know I didn't meet my 1200 calories NOR did I meet my Water Goal.

Gotta do better tomorrow. My meals are "planned" out just need to insert snacks at appropriate times.

I really might benefit from eating on a schedule and eating smaller portions.... I'll try it tomorrow and let you know.

Workout: Focus T25 Ab Intervals

Meals:
1 apple, 1 banana, 1.5 cup honey roasted peanuts
1.5 bowl of Tofu Tortilla Soup w/ rice & tortilla chips
1 roasted brussels sprout

Water: 72oz In progress ... hoping to reach 104 oz after I finish this bottle

Tomorrows goals -- update the youtube channel with my daily vlogs. I have footage but that darn Windows Movie Maker kept crashing ugh.

... is it odd that I'm excited for my lunch of Roasted Brussels Sprouts tomorrow? hehe

Oh and its not too late to join in on the Challenge----

To stay updated on my progress SUBSCRIBE to my Blog &
Follow me on Instagram @87pages  #22daysvegan #eats87pages

IM GOING VEGAN: Day 1

Ahhhhh

Today was the first day and it was going good until it wasnt. I woke up today determined so see it through. And I did don't get me wrong. It just became a tiny struggle.

So how did I hear about this challenge?? Well Beyonce of couse. Bey posted the #22dayvegan challenge to her IG and of course the girls went wild. I've been wanting to do a revamp on my clean eating ESPECIALLY after these holidays. This challenge is all about cutting out meats-poultry-seafood-dairy products. Yesterday while grocery shopping I was eyeballing all the ingridents. If it had milk/cheese/egg whites I tossed it from my cart.

Do you know how many foods have eggs in it?! yeesh. I even had to toss back "vegeitarian/vegan" products (Morning Star/Boca Burger). My grocery store run was about 70$ -- mostly veggies. I even bought brussels sprouts... o_0 ... If I buy Okra than you'll know I'm desperate lol

I am also working on building my core -- I'm not following any regiment or workout program. I'm just going to do what feels natural ... however I am going to implement Treadmill Running & Yoga at least once a week.

I have a daily water goal of 128oz.

Day 1:

Workout:
Focus T25 -- Dynamic Core & Stretch

Meals:
Rice, Kimchi, Seaweed
Apple
Tofu Tortilla Soup, Rice, Tortilla Chips

Water:
96oz (in progress)

To stay updated on my progress SUBSCRIBE to my Blog & Follow me on Instagram @87pages