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

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. 

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

Making Sexy Meatloaf... is hard.

Hey kids

Last month the hubs took me out to Cracker Barrel and decided to venture out and have Meatloaf and it was surprisingly very good. Ever since its been lurking in my mind and I've been pondering about this mystery meat.

Meatloaf is something I've read about in books and it seems to be a staple dish in most American households... yet I had no idea how to make it. Search Google and there are tons of recipes BUT I was severely reluctant to just use a random strangers recipe. I had to find a real person who enjoys this load of meat.

After a several inquires my friend Stacie sent me her mother's recipe. Unfortunately for the nitpickers --the recipe does not have any measurements. I faltered a bit in creating the dish but the below are the true encounters of my experiment  I'm adept at creating sexy dishes but I'm gonna have to think outside the box to create a sexy meatloaf.

**As a precaution I didn't use the entire meat, I decided to freeze the raw meat/veggies for another day**

Stacie's Mom's recipe. "Meat loaf doesn't sound appealing, but please believe me when I say it BANGS every time my mom makes it. HARD, trust me." -Stacie 

1. In a bowl combine ground turkey with ground beef

2. Add garlic powder

3. Add onion 

4. Add salt

5. Add pepper **I was accidently generous with this**

6. Add packet of Lipton’s soup to season it

    a. You can use Lipton’s beefy onion, or onion mushroom ** I used onion mushroom**

7. Chop fresh garlic **I used 2 garlic cloves**

8. Chop onions **I used ¼ cup of red onion**

9. Green bell peppers **I used ¼ cup**

            a.  you can mix ALL with the raw meat. 

10. Add Italian bread crumbs (not crackers) **I was overly generous with this**

11. Add egg **I used 2 eggs** 

12. Stir all the above ingredients together  

13. Place in bread pan and put in the oven

14.  Cook at 325F or 350F until you don't see any pink, about an hour.
15. Once it cooks combine tomato paste, and Hunts four cheese pasta sauce together, and drizzle it over the finished meat loaf.

Now here is where it gets difficult…. 

•Stacie said “Follow this recipe. You also have to know how to perfectly season the meat loaf. Don't overcook it and make it dry.” 

I forgot direction #15. I put the meatloaf in at 325F and only for 20 minutes. I took it out and combined the tomato paste and the pasta sauce. 

Put the loaf back in the oven for 15 more minutes. It was looking very watery and because I put the paste/sauce on the meat I couldn’t tell if it was pink. AND it looked quite watery. 

So the husband said to put it back in for 15 MORE minutes. 

So all of that was 50 minutes of cooking at 325F.

 I took it out it looked like it was solidifying, and I upped the temperature to 350F ... and I put it in for 20 minutes, saw that it was solidifying a lot more, put it in for 10 more minutes... It looked okay so I put it on for 10 more minutes. 

The hubs still wasn't satisfied with the liquid content so we let the meatloaf sit in the oven for 10 more minutes... please note the top of the loaf was sufficiently cooked (burned). 

I think the big issue was that I added the paste/sauce too early. 

So next time I make meatloaf I'll follow the directions to the letter. Because this is annoying!!!!! 

The husbands thinks that it taste like meatloaf it just looks like meat for spaghetti

Per Stacie’s suggestion: I made 2 sides.

• Garlic mashed potatoes (I used pre-cooked bag of course, using almond milk as a substitute for regular milk, and sprinkled in parsley, salt, and garlic powder) 
• Corn – for the corn I sprinkled olive oil, roasted coriander and black pepper over the corn while cooking it on the stove) as sides. 

My thoughts, combine the sides w/the meat and it taste like Shepard's Pie. Oh and next time I'm only going to use Turkey instead of Beef. 

Bon Appetite. 

After that headache I figured I’d class dinner up with a glass of Merlot. 

PS. So Christmas in Rhode Island was excellent ... once I finish being lazy I'll post some pictures, upload a video about the trip.... and yes I still have yet to upload my Thanksgiving-ish.

Butternut Squash/Sweet Potato 2.0

Hey Kids,

So the hubby (shoutout to our 1 year anniversary!) is not a fan of my soup. His words were "I wish there was something chewy in it" and "it looks like baby food."

As an aspiring cook I'm not too happy with the 'baby food' comment, so I've been playing around with this soup.

The first bit was adding more water. Again I have issues with measuring, but basically I added enough water to cover the soup and than some (because when I reheat it on the stove, the water will dissipate (no one wants that). Adding the water was the easy part, I definitely liked it more soupy and the flavor remained.

When the hubby said "chewy" I thought veggies. Nope, he wanted an animal in there! lol We tried the soup with "sweet italian turkey sausage" which was really good as a side. Next I tried some leftover baked chicken, which was super delicious, but it was a leftover. Lastly, I tried canned chicken. This worked pretty well. I used two cans for the left over soup, and although the chicken was bland, it went well with the soup. <--- br="br" check="check" lol="lol" out="out" s.="s." those="those" w="w">
Next time I'll season the chicken-- more than likely with cumin or curry. 

Oh and a quick note... if you are a horrible chopper (like me), than your soup will have bits of garlic cloves & onion throughout. I would suggest blending the onion & garlic clove and maybe pouring the blend in the olive oil to saute. I'll let you know how it goes.

Good Luck & Lemme know how your soup goes! :)

ps: this past Sunday, the husband and I celebrated 1 year of marriage! woohoo. To commemorate we did a series of Q/A. Enjoy.

Heavenly Hibernating Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Spinach Curried Soup #nomnom

Hey Kids,

As you know I'm trying to get my life together by working out and eating right. I've gained a workout buddy/Beach Body coach (Shanee) and we meet at her house to do Turbo Fire (at 6am!). We've also been hitting the gym for the Total Body X, TRX (Shanee also blog's. Click the link to see her latest post), Zumba, and Spinning classes (I LOVE Spinning!). I even tried out P90x (not a huge fan) and Insanity <--- iDIED!

Shanee and I have motivating each other and made a goal to burn 1000 calories. I've hit that 1000 several times, which is super exciting. I'm in my 4th week of consistently working out (6 days a week) and on Sunday I'll be re-measuring myself. Hopefully I lost some inches. I don't think I lost any pounds. My husband notices a difference but that might just be him encouraging me. He also tries to bribe me with CHIPS! (smh)

Spinning & TRX

So today we did a Turbo Fire HIIT 25 session, and only burned 192 calories. I didn't push hard, like at all. I need to work on getting my legs off the ground. Darn you thighs! grrr! I've only had a tablespoon of peanut butter since I've been up (545am), and I want a burger... chicken wings... french fries... brownies.. reeces cup, steak... sigh I need to get my life!

I keep saying I'll make a green smoothie: kale, baby spinach, frozen strawberries, and celery. <-- hasn't happened yet!

But the thought keeps annoying me! For some reason I have lasagna in my fridge!!! Darn you hubby. I don't even want pasta but I keep glancing at it. lol

Trying to motive myself to eat healthy and workout, is getting harder. It's colder. I want to snuggle & cuddle. Watch K-Drama's. I have my final class for this semester, something about literacy and I'm determined to ignore it.

Go away school, papers, discussion classes! 

I'm pretty sure I should be hibernating right now! 

To get my mind off school work, that annoying pile of laundry I've created without a recipe my very own Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Baby Spinach Curried soup! #yum .. I think I'll make this soup for Thanksgiving! <--deets coming soon :)

1 butternut squash
1 medium size sweet potato
2 tbsp purple onion chopped
2 tbsp purple onion blended *
1/2 bag of baby spinach 
5 baby carrots

almond milk** as needed. I used maybe 3 cups for this soup.**

Culinary Broth Thai Coconut Curry** as needed. I used over half of the container for this soup.**

ground ginger
1 tsp Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste **I added in maybe 3 tsp**
2 tsp cayenne pepper

olive oil

1 garlic clove blended*

1 garlic clove chopped

Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

1. Roast: Butternut Squash & Sweet potato on 400 F for 1 hour. I sprayed Pam's olive oil spray on both veggies, placed them on a tin foiled cookie sheet.
2. Once the veggies are done. Put them in a bowl, with a top. Pop in the fridge for the rest of the day.
3. Use a pot: heat the olive oil over medium heat and stir in the chopped garlic & onion 
4. Blend the sweet potato (skin included), pour almond milk & the culinary broth in the container. Once blended add to the sizzling oil, garlic, and onion. Don't forget to stir!
5. Pour in 1 cup of almond milk
6. Blend the butternut squash, garlic clove, onion, baby carrots, culinary broth, almond milk (skin included, discard the seeds and the stringy stuff) --don't forget to chop off the root. Add to the pot. STIR! 



NOTE! Make sure you check your blended items. You don't want chunks in the soup. That'd be rude! :)

7. Between adding the squash, et, al- to the pot, throw in some baby spinach leaves. Stir it in the pot. Add in the curry paste as well.

If your soup is sitting low, add in more culinary broth. We want the broth to be a bit higher than the veggies. I'm aiming for a creamy soup. If you want it thicker add flour.

1. Add in the rest of the baby spinach. Remember I used half a bag. 
2. STIR!
3. Please note I did not add in spices yet! Taste the soup. It should be sweet. 
4. Now turn the soup low, give a few shakes of cayenne pepper (I like spicy food), several shakes of the ground ginger, and a healthy shake of black pepper. 
5. As of now I have not added in salt. I'm aiming to reduce the sodium in my life. :)  I also let it sit for awhile and than added in 1 tsp of butter, just for a bit of richness.
   

   

   Bon Appetite.

   ps. omg I love Korean dramas!!! Currently watching The Princess's Man via Hulu. Also check out Moon Embracing the Sun via Hulu. I can sit on hours and just watch K-Dramas!
   
   
   pss. I'm also annoyed because I've noticed the water is drying out my skin & hair. I'm super itchy and now I'm on the hunt for a water filter or water softner. Any suggestions? 

Detox. Green. Spicy. - Pinterest Inspired

Hey Kids,

My body HURTS! Calves, abs, thighs. Lemme tell you how serious I am on loosing 20 lbs by T-Giving! I took a detox bath the other day -- filled the bath with Apple Cider Vinegar -- I didn't feel a difference but it was relaxing. I've been going hard core with my Turbo Fire, burning calories left & right.

 Last week I burned over 600 calories, it felt so good and my heart rate stayed up.

Yesterday I jogged 3 miles (at a very slow pace, maybe 2-3mph) in 40 minutes. I'm used to jogging on the treadmill and running on actual ground is so much harder. The inclines, the declines, the cars passing by looking at you struggle. Sheesh it was a hot mess. Beyonce almost didn't get me through it. I was so over pace, I would speed up during hills but I just loathed the entire process. BUT I'm feeling it. I am feeling it!!!! Did I mention I was FEELING IT!!! RAWWWRRRR

Anyhoo, yesterday I took another detox bath (hydrogen peroxide & ground ginger) ... I saw it on Pintrest (shrugs)

So clearly DETOX is my thing this week. and again inspired by Pinterest. I made a Green Detox Soup and again I failed to use measurements.

olive oil (to fill the bottom of the pot, an inch worth)

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

diced purple onion (I like a lot of onions)

fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (maybe a teaspoon)

fresh broccoli, cut up (I used one full tree)

1lb fresh spinach leaves

4 baby carrots, chopped (the original recipie called for parsnips, which I don't have, a quick google search told me potatoes or carrots. I went with carrots, although I LOATHE cooked carrots).

2 ribs of celery, chopped

parsley, like 6 shakes

1 can of bean sprouts

Fresh water (8 2/3 cups)

Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Apple Cider Vinegar (cap full)

Cayenne Pepper

• I only have 1 pot (which means I need to go pot shopping! woo hoo)
• heat the olive oil over medium heat and stir in the garlic, onion, and ginger, broccoli, and bean sprouts & bean sprouts water (After being in Korea, my husband and I have fallen in love with bean sprouts...so delish with the right seasoning)
• Add the broccoli, spinach, celery, carrots
• Add water throughout. (I like my soup - soupy.. So I added lots of water to cover the veggies... probably too much so feel free to cut back.--  but don't add too much water in the beginning, wait till the end/middle)
• I cooked everything a low simmer, covering the pot. I think I cooked it for 20 minutes or so until the veggies are softened.
• Add ACV.
• Add Cayenne pepper, I went heavy on this.

**The soup smells so good! I sprinkled parsley on top before consuming**
---
So how does it taste? A little watery but spicy. I think I'll play with it more next time.

Loving my Korean bowl & chopsticks.. and the mat and the little plate in front. haha

Enjoy :)

***** Stay Motivated. Help Keep me Accountable. Follow me on MY FITNESS PAL APP, username 87PageS http://www.myfitnesspal.com/87pages ***********

INSPIRED BY: 
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2011/01/detox-green-soup-recipe-with-broccoli.html?m=1

Sweet Potato, Chickpea, Sweet Pea Soup

Hey kids

Since getting married last year I've been trying my hand at cooking. I've had some successes and I've had failures but my favorite dish to cook (I've only had 2 mistakes) is Indian inspired food. One of my best friend is Punjabi - American (PT we went to Thailand & Bangkok together remember?) and her mom makes the most dee-lish samosas and dal ever!! I've been hammering PT for the recipe for the longest, haven't got it yet. I love curry and it's become a staple in our house. I make curry atleast once a month. My favorite curry is with chicken or veggie.

Today, I wanted spice but I wanted soup.

I've been nursing a cold for the longest and while sitting in my chunky sweater I thought "why not make soup"... not such a radical idea.. but each time I try to make soup it  looses the soupyness and is just thick. I call it goulash but that is not correct. My faux soup is just a hot delicious mess.

My husband has been on a sweet potato kick and I've been using them to make fries but today I used the last two for soup.

Chickpeas, sweet potatoes, sweet peas.. that's an outrageous combo but I just had to try it. It turned out so delish!! Now here's the sad part I didn't measure ANYTHING! so if you were hoping for great details I've failed in that. But I made an awesome soup. Next time I make I'll post exact deets.

This is for sure a recipe I'll be using all Fall/Winter.

Ciao. xoxo.

Recipe:
Olive Oil
Crushed Red Pepper
Paprika
Black Pepper
Salt
Ground Cumin
Ground Ginger
Thyme Leaves
Garlic Powder
Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
1/4 purple onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can of sweet green peas
1 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 medium size sweet potatoes
1 can of Coconut Milk
1 tsp of butter
1/4 Lemon Extract

• Before cooking, Peel, dice, steam the sweet potatoes, place them in a medium size bowl filled with water, cover the bowl with saran wrap, than put in the microwave for 15 mins.
• When the potatoes were done, I began by heating oil in a pot on medium, adding spices--except garlic powder & Thyme (for the spices I just sprinkled a bit, season according to your taste. I like my food flavorful)
• Next I started chopping and maybe 3 minutes after the oil had set, I began adding things to the skillet as they were chopped: onion, garlic cloves, don't forget to stir!
• Next I added the full can of coconut milk, and a teaspoon of the Thai kitchen Red Curry Paste
• STIR
• As the pot simmered, I got the sweet potatoes and blended them (water included). I dumped them into the pot
• Next I put the chickpeas in the microwave for 1 min (this is optional)
• Than I blended half the chickpeas (Sans chickpeas juice) dumping them into the pot -- note DO put the whole chickpeas into the pot as well.
• I blended half the sweet peas (sans sweet pea juice) dumping them into the pot -- note DO put the whole sweet peas into the pot as well
• STIR--- sprinkle in the garlic powder & thyme (I did at least 4 shakes for the thyme)
• After tasting I needed more salt and I added 1/2 tsp of the Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste & lemon extract
• I let it sit for awhile and than added in 1 tsp of butter, just for a bit of richness. 

My husband was still hungry so I baked

Salmon:

drizzling olive oil onto a cookie sheet, sprinkled pepper & ginger on top of the salmon. I think I put it in for 20 minutes or so... lol

Biscuits: 2 1/4 cups of bisquit mix, 2/3 cup of almond milk: using a regular tablespoon, drop them onto a cookie sheet --spray first with PAM.. bake for 8 mins.

.... um I have no idea why these bisquits aren't fluffy. I followed the recipe. Maybe its the almond milk... but it's pretty annoying.

Bon Appetite

595 Calories #yum

Soup Recipe Inspiration: 
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/09/sweet-potato-red-pepper-and-coconut-milk-soup.html
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/chickpea-and-sweet-potato-curry.html
http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2010/03/31/sweet-potato-chickpea-soup/
http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/moroccan-sweet-potato-and-chickpea-soup-312286
http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/dinner-diary/sweet-potato-coconut-milk-soup