WholeFoodsVeganMomma

One Size Does Not Fit All: Bodymedia Update & Meal Frequency

2012-02-08T13:21:00.013-07:00

Here was lunch (or breakfast, or whatever you want to call it. more on this later):

Cucumber slices (I got them on sale for 4 for $1!)

Sauteed spinach seasoned with Mrs. Dash & some garlic seasoned rice vinegar

Tostadas (I "toasted" my ultra-thin corn tortillas on a small non-stick pan on the stove, until crispy) topped with no-fat "refried" beans (the instant kind), tomato slices and mango/peach salsa,

Baby carrots, and

A side of fluffy (only thanks to my rice cooker, I CAN'T seem to cook brown rice on the stove to save my life!) brown rice (not pictured).

Since the beans are pretty much instant (just add hot water, although these were leftover from yesterday, so I didn't have to do that!) & I had leftover rice in my fridge (always a good idea), this meal took less than 10 minutes to throw together.

A student of mine recently had some questions about how I eat. Wanting to eat healthier, and interested in a vegan diet, she asked if I planned my meals every day. Like a lot of people who want to make better choices but don't know where to start, I wasn't surprised by the question but I did find a little funny. Me, plan meals? I suppose years ago I did, especially when I was first starting out. Now I try to think as little about what I'm going to eat as possible. I know there are a lot of foodies out there (you may be one of them, good for you), but I'm not one. Don't get me wrong. I love eating food, but only when I have time. And I love cooking and trying out recipes, but only when I have time. And time is precious comodity these days. Also, I don't want, I've never wanted, my life to revolve around what the next meal or snack is going to be (too many other interesting things out there!), so my approach to food has become increasingly simple and straightforward. So to answer my student, I told her no, I don't meal plan. I eat a lot of the same foods day to day, a lot of repetition. I know, not the glamorous response you might want to hear, but really, it's the truth.

When I do make recipes, I like to make a double or triple batch and eat leftovers (although, if I had it my way I'd never have to eat leftovers, because I think it always tastes better just made, but alas, you can't have it all, right?). Other times it's just throwing a bunch of ingredients together. Oatmeal & fruit. Greens and chopped veggies and beans and/or grains such as quinoa or brown rice. I eat a lot of brown rice. Or sometimes it will be potatoes. Lots of oatmeal. Transitioning to eating a whole foods vegan/plant based diet is like riding a bike. It takes some time, but once you get the hang of it, it just becomes very second nature.

There are so many fantastic vegan cookbooks out there--Happy Herbivore, Colleen Patrick Goudreau, & Dreena Burton (who incidentally has a new one coming out in March, I can't wait!)--are just a few of the cookbook authors who inspire me, but truth be told, I think part of switching to a more wholesome diet is also about simplifying your life. Complicated, time consuming meals are not part of that equation, at least from my perspective. That doesn't mean food shouldn't or can't taste good, but rather, this food obsession that many of us are trying to recover from, is eliminated as we focus on keeping things, simple & (and quick, please!), straightforward, satisfying, and as whole as possible, reserving decedent, time intensive meals for special occasions (which in our house, includes Saturday mornings, Sunday dinners, birthdays, holidays, etc.).

Now a bit about meal timing and frequency. I know in the past I've written about the ELMO approach (eat less, more often). I've done this approach. I've experimented over the years with various styles of meal timing and frequency, and the most natural approach, the one that just seems to work for me is eating 2 meals a day. Please, if you have read some of my older posts, I don't want you to think I'm contradicting myself, but realize that things change, I've evolved over the years and what I did a few years ago might not necessarily be my approach today as I've tweaked things as I've come across new knowledge and become more intuitive to how my body works.

If you want to read more about the concept of mini-meals (and why they DON'T boost your metabolism) check out this post by a favorite blogger of mine, Lani Muelrath. As she points out, meal frequency and timing are not the big issue. It's WHAT you are eating, and ultimately, your total nutrient intake profile for the day. Also, another myth that prevails out there is this idea that you HAVE to eat breakfast (or else...!). If you eat breakfast, and it works for you, great! But just as the myth of "anything you eat after 8 pm turns to fat because your metabolism slows down" is NOT true, the same goes for breakfast. You do not need to eat it in order to "jumpstart your metabolism." There's a lot more information on some of the myths about eating patterns and metabolism slowdown, etc. and I'll just refer you to some sites that have been helpful to me. First is Brad Pilon's ESE site. Yes, he has some stuff for sale (I did buy his ebook a while ago and found it very informative) but he also has a lot of free info as well. Another site to check out is lean gains, specifically this post on fasting, which for me, solidifies many of the things I've come to learn kind of by default. For example, the fitness industry (of which I am a part), peddles lots of "wisdom" that is just not true! Like you have to eat every few hours or your body will go into a catabolic state (essentially, your body will start eating muscle for fuel) & not only do you need to eat every few hours, but you need to eat PROTEIN every few hours (ie. whey protein shakes, bars, lean cuts of meat, and the like). A heads up, this site is geared toward the male muscle building crowd, so keep that in mind when reading, but much of what he is talking about is spot on, at least as I see it and based on my professional experience as a fitness instructor and quasi-nutritionist (I'm NOT a dietitian, so people, everything I'm telling you is for your informational purposes only. Just thought I should put that in there. You know, for legal purposes and stuff.).

Here's another thing. I've my Bodymedia Core armband for 3 weeks now. It seems to be pretty accurate in terms of calorie count. But one thing I didn't take into account was my calories from nursing, which I didn't realize this but a few days ago, the band DOES NOT track calories burned from nursing. Which I should have figured out much sooner, really. The way I figured this out was I have actually lost more weight than anticipated. I wasn't really trying to lose weight but I wanted to see how accurate the armband in terms of tracking calories burned is and I wanted to see if I COULD lose weight and if it would be as easy as the website claims it is (which means I've also had to track my food intake with precision and zeal, in order to be accurate, a pain I know, but worth the time for the knowledge gleaned), so I set my daily deficit at 400 calories. I've averaged a daily deficit of 450 calories for 3 weeks so that would equate to about 3 lbs. I've lost nearly twice that (6 lbs.), and this doesn't include water weight lost (which is an additional 3 pounds or so). I couldn't figure out how I could be losing so much until I realized that my average calorie burn of 3200 calories is in reality more like 3700 or 3800 calories when you include the breastfeeding calories! So my deficit has really been closer to 1000 calories a day! More on this in an upcoming post. But for now I mention that because I find it remarkable that I can lose so much weight eating 2700(!) calories a day. I've read in various forums about women lamenting that they're on 1200 calories a day and they just. can't. lose weight! (I think I would completely wither away if I was only on 1200 calories a day!). I know, I'm a bit of an anomaly. Who nurses AND teaches fitness classes AND has four little kids to take care of. And what can I say? I find it hard to sit still! This equates to A LOT of calories burned. So how do I break up my calories? As I said before, I eat essentially 2 meals a day. I do this for many reasons:

1. I'm busy. I don't have time to sit down and eat 5 or 6 times a day.
2. I like the feeling of being up for 5 or 6 or more hours (I'm by 4 or 5 in the morning and teach my first class at 6 am) and having done a lot of physical activity before putting something in my stomach. I have exercised first thing in the morning on a completely empty stomach for YEARS, while nursing as well, without any problems whatsoever. The last thing I want to do first thing in the morning is eat something, especially before working out. I figure my body has plenty of glycogen from my last meal, and if not, there's fat stores to draw from. I don't have any problem with energy levels, in fact I have more energy for exercise when I don't eat right before because my body is not busy processing the food I just ate. I think energy drinks, bars, powders, etc., unless you're a tri-athlete or marathoner, are simply empty calories and all just a big marketing scheme.
3. Often I eat for the first time around 10 in the morning. Sometime earlier (especially if it's a weekend) or later, like around noon, it just depends on what I have going on for that day. I don't stress about it. I fit my meals into my schedule, not the other way around. My body is smart, and as long as I'm getting my daily "fill" of nutrients, I've found it doesn't really matter the frequency or timing.
4. I'd rather eat a big, filling meal than have to eat like a bird every few hours, all day long. That's just not my style.
5. I like the feeling of lightness that comes from not having eaten for awhile. You can't really achieve this if you are eating all day long.
6. I'll eat dinner typically around 5:30 or 6. I like to not eat after I've had dinner but, again, I'm not tied to this. Sometimes after the kids are in bed I'll enjoy popcorn or some "ice cream" or some other treat with my husband.
7. I feel like I should also mention, I HAVE muscle mass! It has not completely eroded due to eating only 2 meals a day. I have increased my muscle mass eating this way, proof, at least to me, that you don't have to eat protein every few hours to build muscle. It's the resistance training baby, not the meal frequency that does it!
8. Having to worry about 6 mini-meals is enough to drive me batty! Too much work, too much effort. I've tried and failed so many times, until I finally realized, it isn't supposed to be this hard! Listen to your body, and feed it accordingly.

I think the biggest message here is that it doesn't matter all the much when you decide to eat. It's WHAT you eat. How much, and your total caloric/nutrient intake for the day. Some people find that mini-meals help them from overeating (I find the opposite is true, snacking all day long keeps my appetite up, plus I feel like I'm thinking about food all day long!). So 6 meals? 3 meals? 2 meals? I can't really say what is best for you. You know your life, your schedule, how your body responds to various ways of eating. I think one of the most important things is to pay attention to what you are eating, and let your body guide you in deciding what meal frequency works best for you. Let's stop the insanity, the obsessiveness, the guilt if one approach doesn't work for you. One size does not fit all, especially when it comes to meal frequency and timing.

I know it's easy to get distracted in the minutea of your diet (should I eat every 3 hours, or 3 square meals, or 3 meals and 2 snacks???), but remember it's about listening to your body and doing what you need to do so that you can eat wholesome plant foods that nourish your body.

One last note. About 8 years ago I lived in South America. I lived in Chile for 4 months and ate like a native since I lived with native Chileans. At the time I found their meal patterns baffling. The adults ate NO breakfast. Their first meal was at about 2 pm, and it was HUGE! Then they ate nothing until around 9 pm (they all went to bed around midnight), which was a very small dinner, mostly a light snack, like bread and some meat or vegetables. They don't snack there (although I'm sure McDonald's and other American fast food places have helped to change that). Also, there were very few people there who were overweight. In fact, when I came back to the U.S. I was shocked and appalled when I went to Wal-mart and saw how big many American's are. I saw nothing in Chile that even came close to what we have in America.

So there you have it. I'm sure there's more to say, but I'm going to go for a walk with my girls, then it's off to pick up my boys from school, and then you know the rest....

Have a great day!

Circle of Moms: Please Vote!

2012-02-02T17:23:00.004-07:00

Hey whole foods fans,

I am honored to have been nominated as one of the top 25 vegetarian/vegan mom blogs. This little ol' blog has been a passion of mine, and I appreciate you sharing in my plant-based journey. Of course I haven't devoted as much time as I would like to posting the last year since my fourth was born. I mean really, how does any mom have time to blog when they have kidlets (4 little ones, in my case) to take care of?! I know I have a hard time balancing it all, but I'm still here, posting when I can, and I appreciate your comments and support.

If you have enjoyed my blog please cast me a vote! You may vote once a day until February 14, when voting ends.

Thanks. You're fantastic!

For the love of oatmeal

2012-01-30T16:58:00.010-07:00

If I had to pick one starch to live on, it would most definitely be oatmeal.

I mentioned in a recent post how much my family loves oatmeal. We go through 25 pounds of old-fashioned oats a month. We eat it for breakfast, many times my kids want it for dinner. I eat it anytime.

Why I love oatmeal (and you should too!):

1. You can find it anywhere. Any store, any place. Get the old-fashioned, rolled oats. Much better than the packets of sugar with a little quick oats sprinkled in (you know the bagged stuff). Although I will say, I've found a few brands that do a decent job with the bagged oatmeal. Costco carries one now that is organic and is minimally sweetened. Although I don't serve the bagged kind for breakfast, I do use it as a treat food, which my kids think is dessert.

2. It's sooo easy to make. Of course you can eat it raw, but it only takes a few minutes to cook it. My husband's favorite way is to boil some water in the tea pot. Cover oatmeal with water and let sit for 5-10 minutes until the water has been mostly or all absorbed. Put a plate over the bowl and drain out any excess water by tipping bowl into sink. This leaves the oatmeal more dense and chewy, but cooked. I, on the other hand, prefer my oatmeal pretty darn near soupy. Kinda like oatmilk (which incidentally is what my son calls oatmeal), when it's done cooking, because it the water has turned milky and the oats are very well saturated. I do about 3 parts water to one part oatmeal. My husband's ratio is more like 1 to 1.

3. If eaten cooked, it's has the lowest calorie density of any grain (about 325 calories per pound of cooked oatmeal), which can help you lose weight if that's your goal.

4. I will even snack on raw oatmeal. A small handful often hits the spot.

5. My favorite toppings:

Almost anything really. Frozen berries of any kind are good. Frozen fruit, especially frozen peaches are delicious. Fresh fruit also works. Grated carrots. Grated apples. Even grated zucchini or finely chopped celery (I know what you're thinking, ewww! but really when I mix it in with bananas and berries, or carrots, it just adds a nice crunch). Sometimes I'll mix in unsweetened cocoa powder and a mashed banana/maple syrup/agave/or stevia for sweetness. Dried cherries or raisins are also delicious. Okay, okay, if I had to pick a favorite combination, I'd pick frozen blueberries and grated apple, and maybe if I'm feeling like it, I'd throw in one grated carrot for crunch and color. Oh yah, and LOTS of cinnamon (we go through one fairly sized container once a month, we all love it so much). And sometimes I'll top with a bit of almond or soy milk.

6. My kid's favorite toppings:

They're kinda boring and predictable. They pretty much like their oatmeal one way and they don't deviate: some brown sugar (yes, I let my kids have some brown sugar!), soy milk, and a TON of cinnamon. They love to eat it on top of toast. Occasionally they'll allow me to berries in. And I usually serve with walnuts or a tsp. of ground flax seed, although I can't actually put the walnuts in the oatmeal or they won't eat it. I like to serve it with some sliced oranges or orange juice to add some extra nutrition.

7. Oatmeal is cheap. It blows cold cereal out of the water any day. Cost per serving is easily 5 cents or less. I buy 25 lbs. from Winco for $13. Yipee!

8. I love the convenience of it. Often I don't have time to make a meal, but I have 5 minutes to make some oatmeal (or less, if I use the microwave).

9. Soluble fiber. Oats are one of the few starches that contain this essential fiber that has been proven to actually lower your blood cholesterol (and improve your regularity).

10. It's a "whole food." It has been minimally processed (I do like oat groats, and steel cut oats, but they aren't quite the "fast foods" I'd like them to be), but the grain is still intact. And, no Cheerios don't count as oatmeal. Sorry.

11. Yes, I knew you were going to go there. Oatmeal does have plenty of protein, so you're covered, don't you worry.

12. It's wheat free. Not always gluten free (because it's often processed in a non-gluten free facility), but it's a great option for people with intolerances.

So before you go make yourself a bowl of oatmeal (I know you want to...) check out Dr. McDougall's lecture entitled "The Starch Solution." He gives a thorough and detailed explanation why oats (or any other starch of choice) are such important parts of our diets.

Then go eat your oatmeal!

You'll Never Guess What I Bought & Quick Food Ideas

2012-01-25T12:53:00.009-07:00

I bought a bodymedia CORE armband.

But first.

My family loves oatmeal. I'm not just talking likes or tolerates, but loves. The other day, in the afternoon, we were in the car, driving home and I asked my kids what they wanted for dinner. We actually have a rotating weekly theme night (Monday is American, Tuesday Asian, Wednesday Mexican, Thursday breakfast, and so on). That night it was Asian night. I asked my kids what they wanted for Asian night. My oldest replied, "We have too many Asian nights!" (we actually only have it once a week, I guess we've been eating a lot of rice lately). So I said, "Okay, what would you like for dinner?" This by no means meant I would make whatever they wanted, but I was curious to know what they would like. One said, "Oatmeal!" Then the others chimed in, "Yay, oatmeal!" I said okay and then they all started cheering, "woo-hoo, mom's making us oatmeal for dinner!" And this is coming from kids who eat oatmeal for breakfast nearly every day of the week (Saturdays & Sundays are often waffles or pancakes). Yes, I guess you could say we love oatmeal.

On a different topic, I'm a confessed fitness junkie. I'm addicted to movement, hyper-energized, and teaching exercise classes is an awesome element to channel my creativity and energy.

Over the years I've learned some lessons as I've made some observations. Like, you can actually gain weight (I'm not talking just muscle) once you start an exercise program. In fact, exercise, in the strict definition of lacing up your shoes and pounding out a run, or sweating it out on your yoga mat, is a bit of hoax. I think the fitness industry wants us to believe that we need fancy machines, regimens. To spend hours of hours of grueling workouts a week to get the body we want. Perhaps that's true if want to look like Adonis. But, if you just want a healthy, strong heart, nice muscle tone, and a lean look, it takes much less exercise than you might suspect. I can say this with confidence, because I know, I exercise a lot, but it's not the exercise that keeps me thin (it does help, and is important, but as you shall see, it's not the ONLY, or even the most important thing).

The thing is, we can easily eat back any calories we've burned from exercise (as I've mentioned many times before). So you work your tushy off like a madwoman/man for an hour, and you burn 500 calories. What's 500 calories? A burger; a large fry; or a Cliff bar & a small smoothie. So if your purpose is to burn fat, well you're not going to do it if you just eat back those calories, which is so easy to do. Which is why paying attention to your diet is imperative if you want to change your body composition (lower body fat %). If you want more muscle tone, you're not going to do it running, walking, or by doing any cardio exercise. It's only until you add some consistent resistance training to your exercise program that you'll see some muscle definition (that is, if there's not too much fat in the way to see it).

I used to wonder why I still had a large derriere even though I exercised daily, with the fervor of a religious zealot while friends or family were thin and trim without ever going to the gym. Now I might have had the upper hand in terms of cardiovascular strength (heart is strong from all the cardio), but I was still stuck with the fat. Why? Because I didn't pay attention to CALORIES. I'm not thrilled about the idea of journaling what I eat for the rest of my life, but it's only until I realized that it's all about calories that I lost weight (lost the fat). Switching to a plant based helped me lose weight, but unless I'm eating only vegetables and other low calorie foods, it's easy to go overboard and eat too many calories from the many delicious calorie-rich foods out there (coconut milk? Dreena Burton's desserts? avocado? flour products? smoothies? Cliff Bars? nuts? the list goes on and on).

So about the armband. I recently purchased a CORE armband from Bodymedia, which tracks a number of things, one of which is calories burned on a daily basis. I've been wanting one for awhile. After all, with all of the fitness classes I teach I've always been curious to know just how many calories I've burned during each class. This device is apparently one of the most accurate ones on the market, so I'm trusting that the numbers it's given me are accurate (website says it's 90-100% accurate, which is good enough for me). It's been eyeopening to see just how many calories I'm really burning through each day. The biggest surprise of all is just how little I burn exercising. For example, teaching a 40 minute Pilates class (working hard, breaking a sweat, granted, it's not cardio, but I'm working hard, my muscles are feeling it) for me, burns a paltry 120-140 calories! I burn that many calories doing dishes or laundry! In an intense 30 minute session of cardio (plyometrics, jump rope, getting winded, etc.) I burn 230-250 calories. Not bad, but I'm working hard!! 3 hours of house cleaning, spread over the day though, will burn me about 800 calories (I do have some steep, long stairs, so this does give me an advantage, especially when I'm putting away laundry & toys). I've realized since using the armband, that while exercise is important, going to a class is not the only way to get a calorie burn. In fact the majority of my daily calorie burn comes from other activities other than formal exercise. Here's a rough breakdown using my CORE bodymedia armband (FYI, this is essentially the same thing as the bodybugg device, same company, different brand within the company). I range from 3200-3800 calories a day (I've been wearing it for a little over a week, and my average burn is about 3450).

My basal metabolic rate (what I burn just to keep my heart pumping, brain functioning, etc.): 1580

If I calculate it using a BMR calculator it puts me at about 100 calories lower; I attribute this difference to the fact that I have great muscle mass, thanks to adding muscular resistance training to my workouts, which as we know, muscle requires a bit more calories than fat to maintain).

Nursing: 600-800, depending on baby's needs for the day

Exercise (keep in mind this is 2-3 classes a day, 60-120 minutes of a variety of cardio and strength exercise): 500-700

Daily small movements (showering, eating, brushing teeth): 300

Other (dishes, laundry, chasing after baby, preschoolers, and 1st grader, playing with kids at the park, etc.): 600-800

You can see, I burn just as many calories taking care of my kids and home as I do doing formal exercise!

Ahh, I'd love to share more about the bodymedia armband, but for now, I have some pics of quick food ideas to share. These are some of the foods I've been eating lately.

All of these recipes took less than 20 minutes to throw together. Let me know if you want me to post the recipes (really just ingredients, I didn't go off any recipe, it was more like throwing a bunch of ingredients together).

Italian Soup
I used 2 bags of frozen Italian Blend mixed veggies for part of this soup. Helped cut out time washing and chopping vegetables.

Cabbage slaw I, one of the many variations

I LOVE raw cabbage. I should dedicate a whole post it's many uses. It has to be cut right (no big chunks please) and have a good vinegar or dressing, but it hits the spot so many times. Tossed with some clementines, grapes, and carrots, this was part of my lunch today.

Bananas Over Brown Rice

Crunchy, sweet, and satisfying. Just a brown rice cake with smashed banana, cinnamon, & stevia (or a little more sweetness).

Cauliflower Lentil Soup

I added a bag of frozen cauliflower (1 pound) & a can of diced tomatoes to some leftover lentil soup. Served over some leftover brown rice.

Romaine Salad I

Sprouts, sliced mini-portabella mushrooms, clementine, & romaine lettuce. Served with my favorite homemade citrus vinegrette.

Miso, Miso Soup

A good miso soup is so satisfying on a cold winter's day. Cabbage, carrots, tofu, green onions, & of course, miso. Yum!

That's it for now, I need to take my baby and preschooler for a walk. More on the bodymedia armband & my wheat free diet coming up. Let me know if you have any specific questions about the armband and I'll try to address them in the post.

Have a happy, compassion-filled day!

Feeling Amazing & Loving it!

2012-01-12T10:30:00.005-07:00

Over the holidays (November-December), I did a lot of baking and dessert making. It was a ton of fun, and my kids really enjoyed it too. All of it was vegan of course, but around Christmas, I realized that despite my best efforts to keep a moderate approach to my indulgent behavior, I was feeling kinda icky and had gained 5ish pounds. They were happy pounds, associated with eating good food with friends and family, but nonetheless they were pounds that I didn't (and my skinny jeans didn't either) want to have stick around for very long.

Fortunately, if there's one thing I know, it's weight loss. I'm a semi-pro weight loser, thanks to the four kids in 5 years thing. I nearly have it down to a science. I've tried many approaches (all vegan), but hands down the easiest is the calorie density approach. Also known as Dr. McDougall's Maximum Weight Loss (MWL), similar to volumetrics (although volumetrics isn't in and of itself vegan, but can be). The essence of it is so simple, it makes me laugh with joy--scale your calorie density down to an average of 400 calories (or less)/per pound of of food you have a day, and you will lose weight. This means eating a high volume of lower calorie foods--lots of green leafies and other vegetables, fruits with some higher calorie foods such as starches. Severely restrict or eliminate higher calorie foods like nuts, seeds, ect. Works like charm. No hunger, no deprivation, no counting calories. And the weight melts off.

I should say though, that it takes a little trial and error to figure out. Jeff Novick, R.D., says it's similar to learning how to ride a bike. It's a process, but once you get the principle, losing and then maintaining becomes uncomplicated.

Also, I want to dedicate a whole other post to this, but I will mention a bit about this next topic. Which is, I've recently cut wheat out of my diet, almost 2 weeks ago. It's incredible the difference I feel. I have so much more energy. I sleep 2 hours less a night and I don't have to take naps. This in combination with the MWL, and I don't have all the blood sugar spikes and crashes that I was experiencing during the holidays with all my treat making (and of course, eating!). The elimination of wheat is something I've flirted with over the years for a number of reasons, the primary one being that I just had a feeling that it was the cause of a general feeling of "blah" after eating it.

I noticed that wheat tends to feed my sugar cravings. But I've never had the courage to let it go. Until my 11 month old baby broke out in a severe rash (eczema) because of the wheat in her diet (you know, cheerios, crackers, all "easy" baby food we give our kids that have wheat/gluten). Once we cut out the wheat, her eczema has cleared up too. As I made that connection, I realized I should do the same, since I'm still nursing her, and I didn't want my wheat consumption to affect the milk she is getting from me. In doing so, I realized that I too, must have a wheat sensitivity since I feel so much better without it.

I know what you're thinking, no dairy, no meat, no oil, and now, no wheat?! What do you eat girl?! Good question, one that I will answer next post.

For now, have a blissful day!

Watch Forks Over Knives & Thoughts on Exercise

2011-12-21T14:20:00.007-07:00

Two things I want to discuss today.

First, a recommendation. May I recommend, if you have not watched the movie Forks Over Knives, you should/must(!) do this. I finally watched it today (while frantically trying to finish the binding on three jeans quilts I made for my kids for Christmas). It's on Netflix and you can watch it instantly. If you don't have a membership, you can get a trail membership for 30 days for FREE and watch it that way. This movie ties up all the basic info on why a plant-based diet is on your side, in one 96 minute documentary. Watch it and then spread the love to family and friends.

Second, as part of my strategy for maintaining sanity and my weight during this holiday season, I'm eating a ton of veggies (lots of raw salads, steamed greens, homemade vegetable soups), limiting refined foods (I don't completely avoid it, I just make sure I'm doing the aforementioned item and then I don't have much room for the later), and exercising less.

You heard me right. I said exercise less. Let me explain.

During the fall and winter semesters (I'm adjunct faculty at a state university), I teach a combined weekly total of 15 classes a week. That's a lot of exercise. I by no means, recommend this amount of exercise to anybody. It's completely unnecessary. I'm not complaining here (I mean, I get PAID, to exercise!), but I'm really enjoying a lighter exercise load during the winter break. I still teach, but it looks more like a "normal" person's workout schedule. And when I exercise less, I eat less. I have a more "normal," reasonable appetite. I don't crave the high-calorie junk that I do when I'm doing high levels of exercise each day. It's also much to easy to give myself license to eat seconds on dessert when I've exercised so much.

Which brings me to my thoughts on exercise. I have lots of them, but here are just some. Over the years I've developed some well-defined opinions, based on trial and error and a lot of practical, hands-on personal experience regarding exercise.

Here they are:

1. I don't want to sound like Denise Austin here, but move it or lose it. People, we've got to move our tushies if we don't want them to turn into a complete blubbery mess. I'm not talking hours a day, or even, an hour a day of straight cardio. Just assess your life and think of ways to incorporate more unstructured (like housework, walking to the library instead of driving, mowing your lawn, ect.) AND structured (group fitness classes, workout videos, lacing up the shoes and going for a jog) exercise.

2. I hate running. Okay, that's not entirely true. Sometimes I like it. Like when I'm done with it. That's when I like having done it. I sometimes like to do it when I'm really stressed out or just need some fresh air. But every day? Or a few times a week. Boring and too repetitive for my taste. Some people were born runners. These people LOVE running. They subscribe to Runners World, train for 5K's and marathons, they even "talk" running with their buddies. I have quite a few of these types in my family. I'm happy for them. Running does it for them. It doesn't for me, and I'm okay with that. I'm of the mindset, life's too short to spend it on things you hate doing. So I do exercise that I love, which is exercise that is never boring. Is always a challenge, has a lot of variety, and gives me results that I can see and feel. Here's the short list (I happen to teach these all, lucky me): YOGA! (it makes me feel amazing!), Pilates (my legs and abs have been transformed), high intensity interval training (get me in, get me out, and work me hard! we all have days where we want this), water aerobics (mostly when I'm pregnant, it makes me feel weightless and it can be an incredibly high intensity workout, if you do it right), step aerobics (I know it's a little old school, but I like learning/teaching combos, it keeps my brain humming AND it can be an excellent cardio workout, toning/body sculpting/weights (my arms never looked so good once I added a bit of weights and gave my upper body the attention it deserved), kickboxing (jabs, punches, and a roundhouse kick? what fun.).

3. Be smart about your exercise. Don't waste your time doing worthless exercises that aren't getting you the results you want. Think F.I.T. (frequency, time, intensity). You want to make each one of these elements is addressed and given proper respect and attention.

4. Do a mix of cardio/strength/flexibility training a few times a week. You can combine them in one workout session (Jilllian Micheal's style, which I love, btw) or separate them. But 30 minutes of the the first two, three times a week is sufficient for maintenance (you may want to up the cardio if you want to lose weight, but it's just as easy to up the cardio and overcompensate on calories later because you're so darn hungry!) and stretching/flexibility for an hour or so a week (or more, especially if you're into yoga). So it adds up to about 3 hours of exercise a week. Not much, when you think about it, but it the benefits are so much greater than the small sacrifice in time.

5. Just as it is much easier to spend less than to earn more, the same is true in world of weight maintenance. It's so much easier to eat less than to exercise more. Don't waste your precious time overkilling it on the cardio. It's not worth it. And chances are, if you're like me, too much cardio will just send your appetite into overdrive and you'll want to eat everything in sight (especially all the high-calorie, refined stuff). Much has been written and researched regarding the benefits of exercise, but one thing we don't talk about often enough, is that just because something is a good thing, doesn't always mean more is better, and this goes for exercise. You wouldn't run your car at full-speed, all day, every day, would you? Forget about The Biggest Loser. Nobody needs to exercise for hours a day.

6. Learn to love your weights. Buy some dumbbells if you don't have any (a good 5 lb., 8 lb., and 10 lb. set is good). Females, unless you're lifting every day for over an hour AND going on a special calorie-restricted, body building diet, you are NOT going to look too bulky! Instead, muscular resistance exercise will give you a leaner, more sculpted look. You'll fit better into your jeans. You'll feel stronger. Your bone density will increase (this is a good thing). You will combat that weight gain that comes with age as increasing and maintaining muscle mass will help keep your BMR (basal metabolic rate, important part of metabolism) at levels you had when you were younger.

7. Work out to some good music. Good music changes everything. Powermusic is one company that specializes in music especially for exercise. There are many other good companys out there. Just listen to something that motivates you to move and makes you feel good!

Guilt. Food. Happy Holidays.

2011-12-10T17:03:00.003-07:00

I should be cleaning right now.

Do you ever have those, "I should be _____ right now?" It doesn't matter what I'm doing, but I more often than not have that annoying little thought pester me.

Call me a woman, I suppose. Guilt about everything. Isn't that the truth.

Speaking of guilt. I've been thinking so much about this blog. I frequently get emails from some of you. About what to eat. Or about being a Mormon and vegan. Or what type of B-12 supplement you should take. I enjoy these. Thanks. And I'm sorry if I haven't responded yet to your email, or responded quickly enough. I have guilt about this.

It's been about 10 months since baby #4. I basically lost all my baby weight by month 5ish (July?). Since then, it's been a roller coaster ride. Sometimes I beat myself up over worrying about weight. But I'm not gonna lie. I love food. I hate food. I wanna stay in my skinny jeans. It's a battle.

I do really well with goals. Like when I had the goal of losing 25 pounds after baby #4. Once I have something to work towards, I'm good to go. I'm driven, I'm focused. I'm good with extremes. But once I've accomplished something, I'm like, now what? I can do overeating, I can do undereating (to lose weight). But maintance eating? That's another story. You may be thinking I've been gaining large amounts of weight since losing it. No. I go up a few pounds. Down a few pounds. And I let it bother me. When I was losing weight, in a way, it was easy. I knew what I had to do (eat less, eat lower calorie foods). When I don't have to lose weight, it's hard to know the balance sometimes.

Thoughts on this, dear blog reader, especially during the holiday season?

An explanation

2011-10-18T06:19:00.004-06:00

Hi all. I've been MIA for awhile, haven't I?

Well, let me explain. After the birth of my fourth (which was about EIGHT months ago, can you believe it?), I expected life to a bit more busy than usual as is natural after any birth, for awhile, but then I anticipated getting into the rhythm of things. Life would get easier. I would have more time to do things, like blog, bake, read (ha!). Fond wishes, eh?

Well reality has hit me for some time now, and I cannot deny it. I simply have to simplify my life if I am to survive. I don't want to just survive, I want to have a happy, balanced, life. (Ahh, is that too much to ask?!).

I have dozens of food pictures to upload and recipes to share, and lots of thoughts bumping around my head about books I've come across, or issues I've been thinking about.

I love this little blog ALMOST as much as one of my babies. After all, healthy living, vegan issues, these are all passions that color my world, and I've put a lot of time and effort into this thing. Not for the money, that's for sure (I think I've made a grand total of $2 this year with my Amazon Store), but because I feel so strongly about letting people know they are not alone. Especially Mormon moms who choose the plant-based/vegan lifestyle, since it can feel a bit like your the only carrot amidst all the cream of chicken casseroles and green jello molds. So I'm not ready to give up this blog yet. There are still recipes to share, issues to talk about.

One thing that has tickled me to pieces recently are the amount of veg-friendly cookbooks coming out these days. Have you noticed too?

One that I'm particularly fond of is Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet. I really love her approach--it's all about grains, beans, and veggies! And listening to your body. Making that connection.

Another cookbook that's come out recently is the Happy Herbivore. This book is on my wish list, so I don't have it YET, but I perused it's pages at my local Barne's & Noble, and this book looks like a winner. All of her recipes are plant based AND oil-free AND uses easy to find ingredients. These are the kind of recipes I'm always on the look out for.

Another book that I've come across, is by Barbara Rolls, PhD, where she shares her research at Penn State (??). Volumetrics is an approach created by Barbara Rolls that is based on the principles of calorie density. Similar to what Jeff Novick, RD, teaches, fairly effortless weight loss and weight maintenance is based on creating a diet with the appropriate calorie density. Essentially, eat a higher volume of low-calorie plants to displace higher calorie foods and you will keep your caloric intake in check. I think a light bulb finally went off for me when I realized that eating a TON of vegetables is not just for when I want to lose weight. It's a way of life. Women, especially, have to use this approach if they don't want to go absolutely out of their minds micromanaging every calorie (or point) for the rest of their life in order to maintain the weight they want. This approach has helped me realize that my weight is my choice, and I'm in control, without deprivation and guilt. Really love this approach, even though, I must say it's not vegan, but is very plant friendly.

That's all I have for now. Again, I hope you'll be forgiving of my on-again, off-again, fair-weather friendish blogging behavior. I'm still here, just a bit more boggled down by the day-to-day affairs of being a working mom of four little 'uns, which means less time for blogging. My next post I hope to finish the discussion about weight loss and breastfeeding and show you some recent food pics.

Ta ta for now, and have a happy plant-filled, blissful day!

One of my favorite breakfasts: Raspberry Pistachio Whole Grain Bowl

2011-08-26T14:23:00.011-06:00

I'm big on breakfast bowls. I like 'em so much, I don't even have to eat them for breakfast. I'll eat them pretty much any time of day, whenever I need a quick meal in 5 minutes or less.

There are lots of variations to the bowl, but the formula remains the same: lots of fruit (sometimes even veggies, like shredded carrots or zucchini) on the bottom, cooked grain or starch, topped with some "cold" whole grain cereal and non-dairy milk or yogurt. Sometimes I'll add various nuts/seeds to the mix to add crunch and texture. Always pretty, filling, and full of texture and flavor, this is a great way to start your day.

One of my current favorite versions is a recipe I received inspiration from Cinch, by Cynthia Sass (not a vegan diet book, but very vegan/plant based friendly, she offers whole sections on vegan meal ideas, which are all scrumpdidliumpcious, or at least the ones I've tried). I've tweaked mine a bit, but Cynthia is a genius, combining raspberries, pistachios, and a pinch of clove--a marvelous combination, in my opinion. I never would of thought of that combo, so thanks Cynthia.

This is filling, well-rounded, and keeps me going 'til lunch.

Here it is:

Raspberry Pistachio Whole Grain Bowl

1 cup fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries (thaw or defrost raspberries)
1/2 cup Go Lean Kashi cereal
1/2 cup puffed whole grains (unsweetened, I like puffed kamut)
1/8 cup (or 2 TBS.) Ezekiel original cereal or Grapenuts
1/2 cup plain/unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (I like the Silk brand)
handful of shelled pistachios (about 1/4 of a cup)
sprinkle of ground clove
stevia to sweeten (optional)

Coarsely chop the pistachios if you so desire. Place raspberries in a big bowl. Layer Kashi and puffed grains. Mix stevia into yogurt for added sweetness, if you're the kinda girl who likes a little sweet with your yogurt. Top cereal with yogurt. Sprinkle pistachios, clove and Ezekial/Grapenuts cereal (adds a nice crunch) over yogurt. Smile and enjoy, it's gonna be a good day.

#1 key to successful weight loss & weight maintenance

2011-08-25T12:08:00.007-06:00

I'm popping in between cleaning and the back-to-school hub bub (my oldest is going to public school this year!), to talk to you about one of my "secrets" to my weight loss. I'm trying to get back into the mode of posting, and instead of creating long posts, I think little, mini-posts will have to do for the time being.

So today's mini-post:

#1 key to successful weight loss and weight maintenance

F-I-B-E-R.

Not the powdery, icky, globby stuff you mix into drinks (ie. Metamucil or pysllium husks).

I'm talking straight up fiber. From plants. Animal foods have zippo fiber. So you've gotta get it from your fruits, veggies, and starches.

Why is fiber important? It's not absorbed by the body, so it contains no calories but it adds to a feeling of fullness at your meal, and then helps to curb your appetite for hours to come as your body processes and digest the food.

The RDA recommends 25 grams of fiber a day. I say, fooey. That's not enough.

I get about 90-100+ a day, depending on my caloric intake. I don't aim for this number, it's just what it works out to when I eat 2,000 or more calories of whole, unrefined foods.

1 cup of canned pumpkin for example (one of my favorite "desserts," more on this later) delivers only 80 calories (I'm going off of the Libby's brand) and 10, yes 10 grams of fiber.

100 grams of fiber in a day is a lot, I know. But not for me, it's perfectly normal for me. And it helps keep me going in more ways than one.

As mentioned all plants have fiber, some more than others. And if your diet is mostly unrefined plant foods, well, you can see it's pretty easy to get more than enough fiber.

Some of my favorite higher fiber plant foods:

1) Pumpkin (I eat mine from a can usually, I admit)
2) Beans! (super weight loss foods for sure, as they pack a nutritional whammy with protein, fiber, and many more good things!)
3) Bran. Kellogg's All-Bran cereal is a fave of mine. Great sprinkled on top of my pumpkin blueberry oatmeal breakfast.
4) Oatmeal. Delivers soluble and insoluble fiber. Both important for your health. Soluble fiber, not present in all plant foods, acts like a sponge, and helps to soak up cholesterol in the body.

There are many, many benefits to fiber, I'm not going to spend much time discussing here. Only to say, think of fiber as your #1 fat, cholesterol fighting friend. Eat foods that have fiber. Most or all of the time. You'll notice you need less calories to feel full, helping you to maintain or lose unwanted pounds. It's that simple.

Here's a recent meal, high in fiber:

Steamed veggies, raw salad, cooked winter squash, cooked collard greens and onions. For weight loss, eat this meal alone (and have seconds or thirds) or for weight maintenance, eat more of the squash, less veggies and add a side of hearty whole grain bread.

These kinds of meals, if I make sure to eat enough, keep me full and satiated for hours on end, and deliver lots of nutrients for very little calories. Talk about a caloric "steal"!

Weight Loss & Breastfeeding: Part 1

2011-08-11T08:43:00.006-06:00

This is mainly in response to a blog reader's (becca) inquiry regarding breastfeeding and weight loss.

I've said this many times, while I'm not an RD or other professional, I feel like an "expert" on the breastfeeding, weight loss issue since I've done it four times now, three times on a vegan diet, with great success.

Here's the scoop.

You can lose weight while breastfeeding.

Some women find it easy (yah, we're all jealous)--the weight just "slips off," with very little attention paid to diet or exercise. This is mainly to due with the fact that breastfeeding can burn anywhere from 300-700 calories a day. Number depends on weight and age of baby, and whether or not they are exclusively breast fed or not. Breast milk ranges from approximately 20-25 or so calories an ounce, do the math. If your baby is consuming 30 ounces a day, that's more or less 600 calories. A significant amount for doing nothing but sitting and letting your wee one latch on. Nice, but....there is a caveat. A lot of women, however, find it very difficult to lose weight. Part of this is that yes, you're burning a boat load of calories just breastfeeding but your appetite is kicked into FULL gear. It would be nice if you could just eat like a normal person. But you're not a normal person. You're a lactating mama and all sorts of complex and intricate biological processes are at work making sure that you EAT. Not only that, but that you want to eat everything in sight. Cravings are worse than when you were pregnant. Okay, not necessarily for ALL women, but nature's put things into place so that we are motivated to eat to insure a healthy milk supply for growing babes. Other than the appetite issue, there are a few other factors here. One that I see is a huge issue is the fact that once you have a baby and possibly multiple children to care for, it becomes a challenge to prepare healthy foods and make time to exercise (which is less important in terms of weight loss, but that's for another day). Stress, interrupted and less than ideal sleep, piles of laundry and dishes (that just keep piling up, mind you), it all adds up and before you know it, you're eating cold cereal, frozen burritos, or fast food for every meal, because you "just don't have time." Yes, I know, I've been there.

So is it dangerous to lose weight while breastfeeding? You might get that feeling after reading some of what's out there--don't lose too much weight, too quickly! Fat stores carry toxins (which they do...more on this later), so don't lose weight. Ect. So you may be worried about losing weight, even considering healthy not to lose the weight until after you have the baby. I think these worries/fears are rather unfounded.

I lost about a pound a week. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. This is a calorie deficit of about 250-750 calories a day, the average being about 500 calories a day I'm burning above my consumption. Having tracked my nutrient intake, including calories in various stages of my weight loss, I was always above 2,000 calories a day. My range was somewhere between 2,000-2,500 calories a day, which is a lot of food, and I still lost weight. 2,000 calories coming from mostly whole plant foods is more than enough nutrients to support me and ensure a healthy milk supply. For example, in this range, my average protein intake was 70-90 grams (most sources say aim for 65, but I'm active, so I get a bit more calories to spend), 80+ grams of fiber (yes, I said fiber, it's in the plants I tell ya), and so on. Reputable sources state that on a diet, a breastfeeding mom should be in the 1500-1800 calorie range. I can't imagine getting only 1500 calories a day nursing (I'd be scratching my walls with hunger). There is nothing drastic with this approach, and creating a consistent calorie deficit of 250-500 below your calorie needs, will NOT adversely affect your milk supply. You need a base amount of nutrients from real food and just as important, if not more so, is to drink PLENTY of water (I don't count, I just drink all day long).

Hopefully that answers some of your questions. I'll continue this discussion in the next post.

For now, trust your body, it's an amazing thing!

A teaser: (Some) Weight Loss Pics

2011-08-08T15:31:00.006-06:00

Why the big smile, you ask?

I lost all my "baby weight," which gives me reason to celebrate! Woohoo!

Last post I mentioned I'd share some "before" and "after" pics.

Here's the deal. I'm kinda a modest person. What I mean is, I'm not the kind of gal who wears bikinis, short shorts, shows cleavage, ect. It's just not my style.

Further, the last thing I want to do when I feel plumpish (like every time right after I have a baby), is take a picture of myself in all my chubby glory. I'm telling you this, because my "before" pic below is kinda lame. But you can (hopefully) tell the difference between the two pics (I have a few more I want to share, but I'll save those for later).

3 days afterbirth: 30 lbs. later/lighter,
approximately 5 months post-partum:

So you ready to hear my "secret"? I lost the weight all the while maintaining a healthy milk supply.

I didn't take diet pills. I didn't do a juice fast/cleanse. I didn't do anything "crazy."

Well here it is: good ol' fashion calorie dilution. I want to tell you all about it, but I'm afraid I'll have to do so in bits and pieces over the next few posts.

In the meantime, here's another "after" pic..

MOTHERHOOD: The best kind of workout

No, Jillian didn't give me these biceps, a little imp named Salem did!

Back to Bloggin': Weight Loss Update Part 1

2011-08-01T09:51:00.008-06:00

Hey all!

I'm back.

Sorry for the departure, but life has been a whirl of diapers, feedings, traveling, cleaning, and so much more. I won't bore you with all the details. I KNOW we are all super busy, and my life can't compare to how busy some of you are, but I feel like this has been the busiest I've been in my life. Let me give you a brief update:

This year so far, I had my fourth child in February and continued to work part time. My husband finished law school (whew! it was about time for us to be done with school), studied like crazy day and night for the BAR exam, and then took said BAR exam last week. Meanwhile, we put our house on the market to sell, had it up for sale for a month, then our plans changed and we took it off the market (much to my relief, now is the WORST time to sell a house, blasted foreclosures!). While hubby is off gallivanting with the legal stuff (definitely not as glamorous as it sounds--he was holed up on a typical day for 12-14 hours studying some pretty dull law books), I held down the fort--you know, just basic clothing, feeding, teaching, four young children, nothing big. My fourth child, our baby, turns out, is nothing like the others. Well, she is a little like her brothers, but nothing like her sister who was content as a clam about 99% of the time and actually made our lives easier. This little whipper snapper, Salem, gives us a run for our money. At 5 months, she is constantly moving (not crawling yet, but she never stops kicking and waving her arms, unless she is sleeping) and has an insatiable desire to be talked to, played with, and entertained. Add that to the mix of an already busy home, and I've got a recipe for non-stop action.

Good news though. Life has chilled out a bit since J took the BAR and has an extended period of downtime until he begins JAG-AF next year. So I hope to be back to my regular blogging--I've been itching to show you some of my favorite summer recipes AND tell you about my weight loss journey.

For those of you who have been following my weight loss, I'll bring you up to speed.

Here's a brief synopsis:

My pre-pregnancy weight: 140-145 (my weight always fluctuates within this 5 lb. range)

Weight gained during pregnancy: 40-45 lbs. (I can attribute about 20 lbs. of this to the 1st trimester alone, when I hardly moved and ate all things refined), tipping the scales at 183 right before I had the baby.

Starting weight & BMI at March 17: 169/25

Weight & BMI as of July 17: 141/20

Weight lost in 4 months: 28

Average weekly weight loss: 1.5

Starting jean size: 12+

Ending jean size: 4, woohoo!

How I did it: Tune in, and I'll tell you!

I hope to have before and after pictures up by the end of the week, and look for my favorite weight loss recipes, tips and tricks that worked for me, coming up in bits and pieces throughout the month of August.

Am I a hypocrite or what?

2011-05-16T21:22:00.003-06:00

Aw shucks, am I a hypocrite or what?

My last post I talked down about the "all or nothing" folks. I'm eating my words. Having grown tired of logging every morsel I put in my mouth (it's working alright, I just have better things to do with my time, turns out!), I'm throwing in the Weight Watchers towel for the MWL (McDougall Maximum Weight Loss program), which is the ultimate in strictness. The last couple of weeks I've noticed that I gravitated to mostly a MWL approach anyway (after all, fruits and vegetables are zero points on WW, thus incentivizing their consumption). I've done it before, it also works, in fact it works remarkably well. Lose the weight, never hungry (if you do it right and eat A LOT of vegetables), nutritionally sound, and you're not combating hunger pangs all day. That said...it means no tortillas, bread, pasta, smoothies, the list goes on. At least for the interim. I just want the weight GONE! I'm journaling my progress here, if you care to know more.

I'm glad I signed up for the online WW and did it for 2 months. I lost weight, and it created the transition period I needed to return to my old ways of eating. I gained greater awareness, and realized how important it is to be AWARE of what the foods I'm eating and why. I also learned that it really is possible to eat only 1/2 cup of ice cream or just one cookie.

One more thing. I have some pictures to share from a trip I took to Portland, OR. I went out to a few veg-friendly restaurants and had a marvelous time. More on that to come.

Response

2011-05-03T10:08:00.003-06:00

This post is in response to a comment made by blog reader, Bliss Doubt, on this post. My comments were getting so long I decided to just turn it into another post.

Bliss Doubt:
I think when I'm talking about being self-righteousness, I see it coming more from the veganism for health movement (many raw foodists, for example, although please don't think I'm saying that ALL raw foodists are self-righteous or obsessive), rather than the veganism for animals crowd. I know few vegans personally, so my interaction is mostly online and for a brief time with various "vegan for health" groups. I simply can't swallow or live in such a way where I never touch anything processed again. It's too strict for my taste, and the all-or-nothing approach is unrealistic for me.

I agree with you though, I believe most vegans are helpful, non-judgemental, and fairly easy going. I worry that it's not accurate or fair of me to put labels on people or groups, like vegans, because in doing so, I'm doing that one thing that I work so hard in NOT doing--being judgmental or unfair in my assumptions about people.

I'm particularly sensitive to this issue, because I've gone through periods of my veganism where I've been so dead set on following one way (ie. no meat analogues, no white flour, no high fat foods, ect.) and I saw myself being self-righteous about my choices. I have read Dr. Esselstyn's book, Dr. McDougall, Dr. Furhman, Dr. Barnard. All doctors who use some variation of the vegan diet to help heart disease patients, diabetics, and others with chronic disease. It's quite miraculous what a whole foods, vegan diet can do, but I've learned that there's not really a right way for everyone. There are variables that ought to be considered. Do I have chronic disease? Am I overweight or obese? Do I exercise? I've found the best diet is one that is based mostly or primarily on plant foods, and I think that there is room for other foods, if you so choose, without compromising your health.

To me, veganism is more than the way I eat. It has colored the way I see the world, made me more aware of how I treat others (not just animals), hopefully made me more compassionate, more understanding of where people are coming from. I haven't "arrived," still as imperfect as ever, but I do believe being vegan helps me to be my better self.

One thing that I try to be very conscious about is going to extremes, because I'm prone to extremes (again, the all-or-nothing approach, it's my weakness). Diet IS important, but I don't believe it's EVERYTHING. I don't want to live my life thinking about food, preparing & eating food, all day long. A good diet just simply helps me live a good life. It is by no means my life. Likewise, I believe exercise is important. But it's not my life. A good diet and exercise are just two of many things that help me stay sane and feeling good. Similar to taking a shower or brushing my teeth, these things help keep my spiritual/physical/mental self healthy and fit.

Thanks for your comments, I do appreciate them!

Blueberry "Cobbler" Parfait

2011-04-20T11:10:00.016-06:00

Dessert for breakfast, why not?

I'm REALLY trying to eat more regularly, you know smaller meals, more often. I don't know why I have such a hard time with this, but I just want to sit down, eat a ton, and not have to eat for the rest of the day. This way of eating, I've found, isn't ideal. I do much better if I can evenly pace my eating throughout the day.

This is what I had this morning for breakfast. Smaller than my usual breakfasts, but that's okay, because I'll eat a mid-morning snack.

Blueberry "Cobbler" Parfait

Plain yogurt has less calories than the sweetened kind. This is because it lacks the added sweeteners that are in the flavored kind. I prefer Silk's soy yogurt, which does have a bit added sugar (about 6 grams per cup). If you don't do soy there's always coconut yogurt. I like add a packet of stevia to the yogurt to give it a bit more sweetness, without adding extra calories. The blueberries also add a some sweetness to the yogurt.

To serve as breakfast, you might want to double the recipe or add a side of oatmeal or a piece of whole grain toast to make it have a bit more sustenance, or eat as dessert or a snack. This parfait is a good source of protein & calcium. The grape-nuts add iron and crunchy texture; fruit, anti-oxidants and sweetness; almonds, vitamin E (which is one of the more challenging nutrients to get on a day to day basis) and a little fat and texture.

1/2 c. (4 oz.) plain yogurt (soy or coconut, I like Silk brand)
1/2 c. frozen or fresh blueberries
1 TBS. sliced almonds
1 TBS. grape-nuts or "crunchy nuggets" cereal
1 packet stevia (optional, adds sweetness to yogurt)

Sweeten the yogurt if desired, with stevia. In a parfait dish, or pretty dish (admit it, food tastes better when it looks pretty!), layer: 1/4 c. blueberries, 1/4 c. yogurt, 1/4 c. blueberries, 1/4 c. yogurt. Top with almonds and grape-nuts. Enjoy!

Nutritional info: 210 calories, 6 g protein, 6 g fat, 32 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber

Obsessive? Self-righteous?

2011-04-19T09:09:00.010-06:00

Obsessive? Self-righteous? After reading this post, I asked myself if those words could be used to describe me.

In the post, the author (whom I respect because of her democratic and professional approach towards veganism) discusses the use of meat analogues (ie. veggie burgers, sausages, crumbles, ect.). I find her thoughts informative, and agree wholeheartedly with some of her main points: faux meat isn't "evil" and can be a part of a plant based diet. What I found as interesting were the comments and reactions of readers. The whole soy debate (soy is bad for you! soy is good for you!) is nothing new (and please don't rehash this argument here, I REALLY don't want to be a part of it), but some of the other things people said, were particularly interesting. Like:

Thank you for another grounded post Ginny. I think this new "all processed foods are evil!" self-righteousness is coming from the new "foodie" trend that is absolutely killing me lately. People are jumping the vegan ship like it's the new hipsterism, sometimes basing their arguments on "processed meat alternatives" . Granted, when I went vegan back in '94, we freaked out over Mock Duck and the like, because it was such a rarity and a nod to our dietary choices, but it wasn't a big deal because those options were so limited and didn't comprise our entire diet. I have noticed nowadays that some people do rely HEAVILY on processed meat alternatives and therefore suffer the consequences of ignoring so many other necessary nutrients they won't get in those foods…but like you said, it's not the once in awhile processed foods that are the problem, it's ignoring the other nutrients. We still indulge in processed foods, desserts, etc. etc…..sometimes even a bag of twizzlers!!! But we're also incredibly active and primarily eat a variety of whole foods over anything else. THAT is what ultimately matters.
If people want meat alternatives to help them transition, then go for it! The main point is to make sure we don't tell them that the ONLY vegan foods available are processed alternatives….but I don't think that will be very hard.

And another comment, which I really appreciate and wished I could have said it myself, although I don't know if I'd have been bold enough to do so:

It's funny: like many vegans, I started out eating a lot of meat analogues. Oddly, I ate a lot of meat analogues that I didn't even eat an an omnivore—namely sausage and hot dogs. Then I got real snooty about my vegan diet, and turned to "whole foods diet"—a phrase I come to despise in all of its cliche glory.

All these years later, what I've noticed is (and it's certainly been good for me, too!) that the vegans who DO eat the meat substitutes and don't obsess about food seem/appear to be the healthiest to me. Obsessing about food and diet is not healthy. I feel better too not thinking about it so much. Don't get me wrong: I obsessively take b-12, but that's where it begin and ends, and I think I am healthier and happier for it.

There's way too much health obsession in the vegan community — to the point that it's gotten out of control. You see vegans defending their way of eating (on the internet, especially) as if they have PhD's in nutrition, and have lived 300 years eating that way. Which is to say, it's a load of crap.

As my children are getting older, and living in "mixed" household (I'm vegan, my husband is supportive, but omnivorous), I have realized that I need to find ways to make veganism approachable and realistic for my children. For example, the kids see their friends, extended family and dad eat hot dogs, sausage, bacon, ect. I want them to know that they also eat these things, just the "veggie" version. My son calls his cheese "kid cheese," and his "meat," "kid meat." J's sausage or cheese is called "daddy cheese" or "daddy meat." There have been points in the last few years when I would have said, no way, my kids aren't touching anything processed (said with an air of self-righteousness). But now, as reality has hit, I've realized it's much more realistic to strike a balance. Chili with some veggie dogs cut up? If it makes my kids devour the chili, I'm all for throwing in one or two veggie dogs. Veganism isn't just for me or my benefit. I want to teach it to my kids, show them that they can live in an omnivorous world and not feel deprived or excluded from the omnivorous world. Yes, I want them to teach them that it's OKAY to be different, but I don't expect them to never want to eat a hot dog or hamburger, or chicken nuggets. So I need to show them that there are alternatives, and since they've never known the difference (unlike many meat eaters who try veggie versions of these things, and are often disappointed because "it doesn't taste like meat"), their "veggie meat" is normal to them.

One thing I have to say is that I'm fed up with the self-righteous, often obsessive compulsive behavior regarding health that has taken over the vegan movement. It doesn't help the cause at all and doesn't make veganism, in my opinion, realistic. I have to admit I've been guilty of "demonizing" certain foods (white flour, white rice, anything "processed"). I apologize if I've ever come across as self-righteous about my food choices, and please understand, my viewpoint and approach has changed (for the better, I hope) and softened over time.

I'm all for eating organic as much as your pocketbook allows. Whole foods, whole foods, yes. But let's remember that most people don't have the time, money, resources, or willpower to eat only organic, whole foods all of the time.

Who wants to be around someone with a "holier-than-thou" attitude, someone who is constantly preoccupied about health/nutrition/food or someone who is so strict in their dietary choices that there is never any room in their life for more than broccoli and brown rice?

One of the things I've learned over the years since becoming vegan is to be tolerant towards others food choices and practice an element of compassion in my thoughts and actions towards myself and others. To not think I'm better than so-and-so because what I'm eating happens to be organic, or vegan, or what have you.

Whole Wheat Vegan Cinnamon Rolls & Other Sweet Things

2011-04-18T10:47:00.015-06:00

I've got the recipe for these bad boys... But first, maybe I've admitted this before, but I have a sweet tooth and I like to spend time making sweet things in the kitchen. Baking and making treats is a lot of fun for me, and I get to control the ingredients. Also, I share the treats with family and friends, as well as freeze some for later so I'm not tempted to eat the whole batch in one sitting!

Here's my short list of favorite vegan desserts:

1) Ice cream. I grew up eating ice cream like it was a food group unto itself. Ice cream for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack, I could eat it any time, and did. Nowadays, it's a bit more sparing and it's sans dairy. My favorite store brand is SO Delicious. It's rich, but not too rich. I like the chocolate peanut butter and vanilla best. Add some sliced banana to the chocolate peanut butter, berries to the vanilla (I like to sprinkle a tablespoon or two of chopped nuts or grape-nuts on top for extra texture). Yum. When I have time, I like to make my own ice cream out of cashews, coconut milk, and/or brown rice with dates or agave as sweetener. I use my trusty Blendtec, which gives me a creamy, creamy, smooth finished product. And just as a side note, homemade ice cream always tastes better fresh (don't most things?).

2) Cookies. More specifically, chocolate chip. My favorite recipes are Dreena Burton's as well as Isa's (PPK). When I make Isa's recipe, I use a large ice cream scoop to disburse the dough, then flatten them a bit. They come out just they way I like--dense and chewy. I want my cookie to have sustenance. Oh, I also like to add chopped walnuts to any cookie I make. Gives it a little oomph, as well adds some good omega-3's (sures beats fish, any day!). My biggest pet peeve with chocolate chip cookies is when they come out flat and anemic looking. Both these recipes really delivery a hearty, and lip smacking worthy cookie, deserving of a big glass of cold plant milk to go with it.

3) Anything peanut buttery. Add chocolate and it couldn't get better. I made these yesterday: Homemade vegan chocolate peanut butter cups, courtesy of Alicia Silverstone. These would be a perfect treat for Easter morning, if you have kids and do the Easter candy thing. I made the peanut butter cups in the mini-cupcake pans, so they are more reminiscent of mini Reese's peanut butter cups and lighter on the calories, and more appropriate-sized for my kids. Also, I didn't have any graham crackers, but I did have a box of Annie's organic chocolate chip graham bears, which when crushed, looked and tasted exactly like crushed graham crackers. I highly recommend this recipe when you have to bring a dessert to a party--definitely a crowd pleaser! I loved Alicia Silverstone since her debut in Clueless, back in my high school days, and since she's turned vegan activist/chef, I like her even more! Her recipe can be found here. Also, for those who are doing WW, each mini-cup is worth 4 Weight Watcher points.

4) Cinnamon Rolls. Homemade and vegan, please.

This folks, is a recipe created by my husband. They are vegan. He is not vegan. But these are. And they are pretty amazing. Perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast.

Here are the rolls right before putting them into the oven:

J derived inspiration from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, completely veganizing their recipe. For those doing Weight Watchers, each roll is 7 pts.

Whole Wheat Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

4 cups whole wheat flour (J made flour using our Blendtec)

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (plus more as needed)

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

1 cup plain almond milk

1/3 c. Earth Balance or Smart Balance (vegan kind)

1/3 c. sucanat (you may use other sweetener, but this is what he used)

1/2 tsp. salt

3 TBS. ground flax seed, mixed with 1/2 c. water

3/4 c. sucanat + 1 TBS. molasses, mixed thoroughly

1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1 TBS. cinnamon

1/3 c. Earth Balance or Smart Balance

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1 TBS. plain almond milk

1. In large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour with yeast. In a saucepan heat & stir 1 c. almond milk, 1/3 c. Earth Balance, sucanat, and salt just until warm and Earth Balance almost melts; add to flour mixture along with flax/water mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour as you can.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 3-5 minutes), using additional flour as needed. Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl; turn once. Cover with a warm, slightly damp dishtowel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

3. Punch dough down, and turn out on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 9X1 1/2 inch round baking pans or 2 baking sheets and set aside.

4. To make the filling, stir together the sucanat (or white sugar) & molasses mixture, 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon. Cut in 1/3 c. Earth Balance until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

5. Roll each half of the dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle filling over dough. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Roll up the rectangle starting from the long side. Seal the seams and slice each roll into 12 pieces. Place in prepared pans or baking sheets.

6. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 minutes, until double (or chill for 2-24 hours--let rise 30 minutes before baking).

7. Brush dough with almond milk. Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven, brush again with almond milk. Cool for 1 minute. Drizzle with vanilla glaze, and eat 'em warm with a tall glass of almond milk or your favorite cup of tea!

For the glaze: stir together 1 1/4 c. sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1 TBS. plain almond milk. Should be a little runny, for drizzling consistency.

4 weeks

2011-04-13T10:13:00.005-06:00

This marks four weeks of doing Weight Watchers. I don't want to toot my own horn, but hey, I'm going to. I'm down 9 pounds from when I started four weeks ago, and have lost an average of 2.3 pounds a week. Not bad. And I don't feel like I'm "dieting." No deprevation, or feelings of guilt when I eat a cookie. Love it. That's all. Just wanted to say things are looking up. Nothing like making progress, especially when it comes to losing weight. My swimsuit isn't looking as intimidating anymore, which is a good thing since summer is just around the corner and my kids practically live at the pool from the months of June-August. Summer, here I come!

5 Meal Ideas for Weight Loss

2011-04-11T11:05:00.017-06:00

I had a conversation with one of my students the other day, one that is a reoccurring conversation amongst my students. It went something like this. Student: "I'm tired of trying to lose weight." Me: "Tell me about it." This woman was ready to give up trying to lose weight. The process seemed too slow, too demanding. I understand, I get it. I'm currently in the thick of it. Weight loss ain't easy. Our bodies are biologically adapted to survive, to withstand all the wiles of an unforgiving environment, one in which famine, drought, and other environmental factors play a role. We are wired to eat, to drink, to sleep. It's part of basic, instinctual survival. If we don't get food, water, sleep, our bodies let us know, and it's not pleasant. But what if we have excess fat stores, stores meant to get us through times of famine? And further, what if the famine, the kind that used to exist on a somewhat regular basis, rarely occurs, at least in industrialized nations like the United States? Then were stuck with fat, and it doesn't go away easily. This is just how nature has intended it. I'm afraid I'm guilty of occasionally cursing nature for this highly efficient protective mechanism. But once I realize that I need to work with nature, and not against it, things become easier. Not easy, but easier. Jeff Novick, R.D., and others in the plant-based diet movement, emphasize understanding the importance of calorie density as it relates to weight management. Simply put, the more processed a food is=more calorie dense, less processed=less calorie dense. If you were to make a scale of 1-10, 1 being the least calorie dense, 10 being the most calorie dense, here's roughly what it would look like: 1-5, in order of least to most, these are just a few examples: celery, mushrooms, cabbage, lettuce, strawberries, watermelon, cooked oatmeal, vegetable soups, bananas, apples, grapes, most other fruits, broth based soups, potatoes, peas, Lima beans, whole corn, squash, pasta, beans, cooked grains. 6-10 range: breads, crackers, juice, milk, granola bars, meat, cheeses, nuts, ice cream, fried foods, oils, butter, lard. After nearly a month of using Weight Watcher's point system, it has become glaringly obvious that it is SO much easier for me to stay within my allotted points if vegetables and fruits provide the foundation of my diet. I am not one who can eat less. Some people can, and they lose weight. Not I. Blame it on my hunger drive, which is usually in full gear and says, "eat, eat, eat!" Here are a few things that have been working for me: 1) I try to practice mindfulness. Am I really hungry? Or am I just eating to eat? Pause, savor, reflect. 2) I try to stick to a pretty predictable eating schedule. Nothing too extraordinary here. Just eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with snacks as needed. If I skip meals, I generally end up making up for it at the next meal, so it's not really worth it to skip meals. 3) Heavy on the veggies. Vegetable soups, steamed vegetables, raw salads. 4) Fruit for dessert (but sometimes I do indulge in more elaborate desserts, see #6). Bananas tend to hit the spot. For snacks I like apples, any kind of berry, or pears. 5) I allow myself dessert. I've decided I don't enjoy life as much without the occasional chocolate chip cookie, piece of cake with ice cream, or cinnamon roll (my husband made some AMAZING vegan cinnamon rolls yesterday, I will share his recipe in the next post). There's room enough for dessert, even when trying to lose weight, you just have to be smart about it. One cookie, not 6, one serving (1/2 cup) of ice cream not 5. What's life without dessert? 6) Light on the snacking between meals. If I'm really hungry between meals, I try to stick with fruits or raw veggies. Here are some of the meals I've been eating lately. But first, another picture of Sal (almost 8 weeks old!). J was taking care of her while I was at work. When I came home, I found her here: Apparently the swing calmed her right down.

On to the food. As you will see, I try to keep things fairly basic, and don't use a lot of recipes just because I'm usually short on time, but rather just put ingredients together. None of these meals took more than 15 minutes to make.

Meal #1: Raw carrot sticks, steamed veggies (out of the big Normandy Blend frozen vegetable bags available at Sam's Club or Costco), kidney beans, sauteed chard (sauteed in a little water, seasoned with Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb blend, a little fresh lemon juice & some salt), shirataki fettuccine noodles (they are the best! gluten free and made from tofu, only 40 calories for 8 oz.) seasoned with plain soy yogurt and Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb blend with a little salt.

Meal #2: My birthday breakfast. My favorite whole-grain (oats, millet, and flax) waffles. The recipe comes from the Seven Secrets Cookbook (check it out in my Amazon store). These waffles are pretty spectacular. Topped with Silk's plain soy yogurt (I added some stevia to the yogurt to make it a bit more sweet), fresh berries, with a side of steamed asparagus.

Meal #3:

Coleslaw (I buy the bagged shredded cabbage/carrot mix from Sam's Club--LOVE this stuff! I add it to everything!) seasoned with white balsamic vinegar, brown rice, black beans, chopped tomato, sprouts, and plain soy yogurt for "sour cream." Doused generously with Tabasco sauce, I can't help myself, I like it spicy.

Meal #4:

Fiesta salad. This salad was HUGE! I ate the whole thing. Lots and lots of greens (romaine lettuce, mixed greens (again, I buy mine pre-washed from Sam's Club), sliced mini-peppers, green beans (defrosted frozen green beans, bought in bulk in the frozen section at Sam's, geeze, I swear I'm NOT a spokesperson for Sam's Club!), celery chunks (I love the texture and crunch that small pieces of chopped celery add to a salad), about 1/3 cup of vegan Cheddar rice cheeze shreds, lots of salsa, a bit of vegan ranch (I made myself), AND forgive me purists, because this is not a whole food, but a tablespoon of imitation bacon bits.

Meal #5:

Sauteed rainbow chard, onions, red peppers. Slices of avocado and red pepper strips. Toasted corn tortillas (warmed up on a cast iron skillet). Jicama slices with a side of salsa.

Stayed tuned for J's amazing vegan cinnamon rolls, coming up, next post.

Ready, Set, Lose Weight!

2011-03-23T11:19:00.008-06:00

First. Good news that makes me happy: veggie burgers are taking the world by storm!

Okay, I don't expect to see them at McDonald's anytime soon (then again, who knows?), but the NY Times did a great article on how the veggie burger has evolved into more than just a hockey puck-like wannabe, into a delicious variation on the old standby, the traditional cow's meat burger.

Second. I'm glad someone is getting sleep around here, cause it's not me (or my husband)!

Salem is one month old. Night's are fragmented and I feel like I'm nursing around the clock. But the trade off is I get to snuggle with this little bundle of pink fluff. She loves to be in her wrap. I have a generic Moby-style wrap (my mom made it for me). I love it too, because I can keep her close and calm while still being able to do other things. It takes a little practice to get the hang of wrapping, but once you get it, it's a breeze.

Since Salem's hospital stay I've gotten into pumping extra, trying to build up a little stock, just in case. I'll nurse her if I'm around, but if I'm at work or have to run to some errands and she gets hungry, my husband can feed her. It makes life much more convenient.

So. I mentioned to my husband the other day, my new plan for weight loss.

"But you aren't THAT person," he said after I told him what I was doing to lose the weight.

"You've always lost the weight. You just live your life and the baby weight does come off," he reminded me.

Yes, this is true. I've always lost the weight (after I switched to a vegan, whole-foodish diet). But. It was work. I mean, I did have to practice active self-restraint, paying attention to what I was eating and how much. Over time, I do lose weight. But in the past, I've done a strict McDougall diet (Maximum Weight Loss), but after awhile, I go a little crazy because it's pretty restrictive. I love the food, but it makes no allowances for things like bread, most desserts, nuts, olives, veggie burgers, avocados, fruit (only 2 pieces allowed a day) ect. Foods that realistically, I'm just never going to give up. Since learning more about the role of calories, I've learned that higher calorie foods are not "evil." They just are more calorie dense, and you have to be aware of that. Especially when wanting to lose weight.

Also, I have to be realistic. Now that my kids are older, I eat what they eat, and I can't make very low calorie meals for my kids. The kids (especially my boys), who I'm always trying to think of ways to get more calories into them because they are so skinny (blame it on their father's metabolism and the fact that they never stop moving). It's very difficult to make a dinner of chili and cornbread with salad for my family and not have some cornbread. I don't have to eat the whole thing, I'd just like to have a slice, and on the MWL program, that's not allowed. When I'm nursing, I crave higher calorie foods--nuts, soy yogurt, tofu, seeds, breads, ect. Another thing is that I'm super active, sometimes teaching three exercise classes in one day.

This time around, I decided to take a slightly different approach. I eat A LOT of veggies and fruits (I stick with mostly apples and berries, which fill me up without being too sweet) with a healthy amount of beans, potatoes, whole grains and allow myself a small amount of bread, nuts/seeds, and/or dessert or other higher calorie foods. I also make myself a shake/smoothie (also not allowed on the MWL program) once a day for a snack.

Here's the thing my husband was giving me a hard time about. I've signed up for online Weight Watchers, which I can't believe I'm doing, because to be honest, I've always been a little judgmental and snobbish about their program. I've associated it with chronic dieters. However, Weight Watchers has come of age, and their new program reflects the research that shows that "power foods" (ie. mostly whole plant foods) are key to weight loss. The way it works, if you're not familiar with the program, is that you're assigned a personalized daily point value. Every food you eat has a number of points associated with it. Fruits and vegetables are zero points (hooray!). Everything else has a value. Processed foods have a higher value than whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice. There's more to the program, and I'll discuss more as I go along. So far I've been doing it for a week. The scale says I've lost 5 pounds, but I'm guessing not all of that was fat, since losing 5 pounds of pure fat in only a week is pretty impossible, even for someone as active as me. Point is, I've lost weight, I'm losing weight.

Here's a recent lunch: potatoes with salsa, leftover tofu scramble, and a large salad with lots of raw veggies.
So far, so good. I'm really liking the points system, it helps to keep me in check and aware of what I'm eating. Also, it's NOT counting calories (which I hate). It's easier than counting calories and feels more like a game. Since I'm competitive, this works well for me.

Lunchtime now, maybe I'll go have a veggie burger??

Balance

2011-03-19T08:16:00.010-06:00

I hope this post makes sense, because I have a feeling it's going to be nothing more than ramblings.

I am prone to exaggeration. Like: This is the best cake I've ever tasted! or I have never felt better! or This is the worst day ever, I want to die!

The truth is, I live life at level of extremes. There's no middle ground for me. Like when I decided to run a half-marathon, I went all way with my training. Hard core for four months. I am competitive, and knowing I was going to run with my siblings, I wanted to politely but affirmatively beat 'em all. And I did. At the expense of intense training, and getting severely dehydrated during/after the race because I refused to take any water breaks (I had to win, didn't I?).

Finding balance, is something I've always yearned for, but never quite seemed to grasp. The balance in my mind, looks something like this.

1. Get a proper night's rest (not likely with a newborn).
2. Eat ONLY two squares of dark chocolate with almonds.
3. Read one novel a week (I wish!).
4. Make time for daily reflection and meditation (again, I wish!).
5. Keep my house at certain level of "normal" and "clean," you know, avoid the general chaotic mess that causes us all to lose our minds.
6. Practice yoga on a consistent basis (hmm, how to fit this one in, I'm not sure).
7. Spend an equal amount of time giving individual attention to each one my children.

The list goes on, but you get the idea.

I've often thought that despite my deep desire for balance, it's simply not in the stars for me.

Now that I have four kids, that wish for balance seems nothing more than a pipe dream. I see my kids growing up too fast. I feel too short on time, and I worry that important things, the most important things (like my relationships), will suffer at the expense of less important things (like housework, perhaps??). I wish I could capture moments with my kids, somehow put them in a jar to be put on a shelf and I could take them out and look at them twenty years to come. I never want to forget the warmth I feel when I hold them close and read them a book. Or the cute things they say every day that surprise me and make me laugh.

My cousin posted this video on her blog. I've been a big fan of Mindy Gledhill, ever since J and I went to one of her concerts last year but had never heard this song before.

This seems to explain what I've been feeling lately.

Balance, whoever/whatever you are, I perhaps I will meet you, someday. For now, it seems that we are not destined to be together. At least not yet.

RSV, Car Accidents, & Weight Loss

2011-03-17T07:16:00.011-06:00

I desperately want to return to regularly blogging.

Life has been nothing but one event after another, and I feel like I must keep treading water or else the minute I stop I'll drown in a pile of laundry and dishes. I thought I was busy with three kids. Adding a fourth to the mix...That has proved to really push the boundaries of our time and energy. But we adore the newest addition to our family and wouldn't want it any other way.

Last week we had a bit of scare. First my husband got into a car accident. Not his fault. He was hit twice. The first time, he was hit by some poor sap who lost control on the snowy freeway. Didn't do too much damage, but as J, my husband was waiting for the state patrol to show up, he got hit again (while he was in the car), this time by a semi-truck who smashed up the entire side of the mini-van. Luckily, or as we think, by divine intervention, J was not hurt in the slightest, despite the car being totaled.

Then, the day after that, we had to take Salem to the hospital. Where she stayed for the next six days. A few weeks ago, my other daughter had the flu, a pretty bad case. Stuffy nose, cough, fever, all of that. Then my sons got it. Then of course, I got it. All the while, I had been doing everything in my power to shield my newborn from outsiders, not taking her anywhere, and despite my best efforts, she gets sick from me. A little disheartening. At first it started out as just a runny nose, then progressed to include a cough. Her appetite began to lag, she progressively became more lethargic. After about the third day of her sickness, my mom (who has been staying with us to help out) and I became concerned about all of the red flags, particularly, the fact that her color was not good. Her skin took on a bluish, grey tint. She had trouble breathing.

We took her into the E.R. (we had gone to the pediatrician the day before, who hadn't seemed too concerned and said to just "watch it"), after my brother-in-law, who happens to be a paramedic, urged us to do so based on the above circumstances. Once there, we found out that her oxygen level was only at about 70%. Above 90% is considered "safe." This would explain the poor coloring. They put her on oxygen and immediately her color improved. She was tested, and it was determined she was RSV positive and had a pneumonia (or a collapsed portion of a lung, they weren't entirely sure). We spent the next six days in the hospital, and are finally home. She is doing remarkably better. Eating like a horse, and acting like a normal baby. I don't want to even think about what might have happened had we not taken her into the hospital. In addition to the oxygen, they gave her respiratory treatments, suctioning her nasal passage and throat. I also applied essential oils to her chest, back and feet and used a diffuser with the same oils, which seemed to help.

On a side note I'm so glad to be back home where I can make and eat my own vegan food. Since I am nursing, at the hospital, I was brought meals from the cafeteria. I specified that I was vegetarian and ate no eggs/dairy, thinking this would be pretty clear to them (there are very few vegans where I live, and many people don't even know what the term means). Somehow they didn't get that since I would get meals with both of those items. So then I said vegan, which they seemed to get and the meals, though bland, were decent enough. Funny though, I still got some variation of jello with whipped cream with every meal (even breakfast).

On a different topic. Weight loss. I hate losing weight. I HATE the process of losing weight. It takes too much time, in my opinion. I want to lose all the weight, right now, please. I think I'm not the only one who feels this way. Fad/Lose weight quick(!) diets sell like hotcakes because it appeals to our general desire for immediate gratification.

I figured, between my four kids, I have gained 160 pounds, or 40 pounds with each pregnancy, over the last five years. Fortunately, I lost all of my baby weight and more after each of my first three kids. I was 70 pounds lighter (than what I weighed when I had my first) after having my second child. Having gained my typical 40 pounds with this pregnancy, I have about 25 pounds to lose. Have I mentioned, I hate losing weight? This is my fourth time around doing it, so you'd think it would get easier. But it doesn't get easier or funner.

I realized though, that it's more of a mental game with me. I have to switch my attitude about food, and make the weight loss game into, well, a game, rather than torture, which is what I'm apt to do. I hate constantly thinking about what I "can" and "can't" eat. I hate calculating calories, being restrictive. Pretty much I hate what most every other person hates: restraint and self-control. I want to eat what I want to eat, and I don't want to have to think too much about it. Since the way I eat is already pretty ideal, I have to put my attention into the minute details of my diet. I've used various approaches: the McDougall MWL (maximum weight loss), Dr. Furhman's program, used the CRON-o-Meter. It doesn't really matter the approach as long as a calorie deficit exists on a consistent and long-term basis. I already have the exercise thing down, and I am nursing, which both, help me to burn a lot of calories. That said, doing both of these things stimulates my appetite and if I my caloric intake dips too low when I'm nursing I get tired, cold, and cranky.

I have 25 pounds to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm aiming for a reasonable amount of weight loss each week, about 1-2 pounds. This means, if I average 1.5 pounds a week (a calorie deficit of 5250 a week, or 750 per day) I'll be back to my pre-pregnancy in weight in about 4 months. Seems like a long time. But I have to remind myself, this is how it has worked every time. Sustainable, healthy weight loss takes time. This is why we all hate it, get discouraged, and many people want to give up (and do). It takes diligence, patience, and consistency.

I've decided to try a slightly different, new approach with my weight loss this time around. I am doing something I never thought I'd do as part of my weight loss journey (don't worry, it's not a liquid diet or lipo). I'll share those details in an upcoming post. Also, I haven't forgotten, I need to share my birth story, also coming up. Stay posted.

She's Here (!).

2011-02-24T18:12:00.005-07:00

Yes, she finally came. Only 3 days past her due date.

Here's a belly picture taken when my (real) contractions began on Wednesday afternoon (February 16).

I had just gotten my haircut (the only thing left to do after having a facial, 2 massages, a manicure, and pedicure, not in the same day though!) and had gotten back from a 2.5 mile walk.

Contractions were somewhat sporadic through the evening so I decided to go to bed. After a mostly sleepless night filled with a spattering of intense contractions, I went to the hospital at 3:30 in the morning and had the wee one around 8 am.

Here she is, a little camera shy. We are really proud of her hair! Our first child to have much by way of hair at this age. I like to fluff it up after her bath, a la Rod Stewart. Born 7 pounds, 9 oz. We named her Salem.

I could not have had such an awesome (yes natural! more details on that later...) birth experience without the help of my 1) husband 2) sister 3) and amazing dula (who birthed 3, 11 pound + babies naturally!). Below, is my dula on the left, and sister on the right.

My husband and I are in agreeance. Since we've added another to our brood, it seems as if someone has hit the fast forward button. We blink, and another day has gone by, and there are still so many things left undone.

I am thrilled that I am no longer pregnant (an understatement). I feel fantastic, and my desire to eat vegetables and all the deliciousness of my old vegan favorites has returned! I'm back in the kitchen (as much as I can be at this stage), and went grocery shopping today and was ecstatic to peruse the produce aisle and salivate as I looked at the variety of colorful and vibrant fruits and vegetables.

So I'm back world! It may take me awhile to figure out how to live as a mom of four, but I'm back. As soon as I can, I will share my birth experience, which thanks to your words of support, helped in part to contribute to an amazing natural birth.

Due Dates Are Evil

2011-02-15T18:30:00.014-07:00

I have a problem with the way we approach birth. Due dates, in particular.

Due dates (often based on guesswork, unless you know EXACTLY the day you concieved, which for many women, is not the reality), set expectations for the birth to happen on or before a certain day. If it doesn't happen then, you are deemed "overdue." Yet a woman is still only 40 weeks. Since 38-42 weeks is considered full term, the "overdue" label can be discouraging to the woman and is not entirely accurate. Due dates compel many woman to get induced, often before their body is ready for labor. It's almost humorous that we expect something as ancient and instinctual (dare I say natural?) as the birthing labor process to fit neatly into our modern regimented world of planners and convienience.

Once the due date approaches the inquiries from friends and relatives start coming in, which bless them, can only heighten the anxiousness. As if your body has the ability to say, "it's February 14, that's the due date, baby come out." Our bodies are not computers and I think when we treat them as such, complications arise...

I write all of this because I myself am a bit anxious (my due date was yesterday). I admit. I can't help it. I'm trying to stay present, enjoy my kids, the time off, the opportunities to relax. But I'm 9 months pregnant for heavens sake. I have a lot of pressure on my pelvis, I tire easily, and the watermelon that is my belly often gets in the way of things now. I wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep. Or I wake up in the middle of the night and HAVE to eat something, but don't know what. Or I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (about 6 or 7 times). Not that I'm not enjoying this pregnancy party, but all parties must come to an end, and I wouldn't mind if this one did, and soon.

Aside from all this, I've taken a certain amount of time off of work, my family is in town to help out with the birth and baby, my house is clean, blankets are washed, clothes and diapers ready. We are ready. So baby, come on, make yourself known!

Why is it that the first 8 1/2 months can go by relatively quickly, but the last weeks slow to a crawl, gradually getting longer and longer. I feel simliar to Bill Murray in Groundhog Day--will this day of waiting EVER end?

I've been dialated at a three for over three weeks. I checked out at a four last week and was 70% effaced. I've had contractions, but only sporadically and not too intense.

To distract myself I've done the following: 1) gotten a facial 2) got 2 massages in the past 3 days (one a deep tissue massage and had all the labor inducing pressure points worked on) 3) got a manicure and pedicure 4) went to the movies with my husband and watched The Eagle 5) walked to the park, walked at the mall, walked some more. So I'm doing my part, clearly the labor switch has not been turned on yet.

As far as my birth plan. Here it is: 1) go to the hospital when I have to get into a fetal position or child's pose during a contraction AND have experienced this type of contraction more than a few times, at less than 10 minutes apart (I've never had natural contractions closer than 5 minutes apart before they break my water). 2) breathe, deeply 3) have my midwife (CNM), doula, and sister (a massage therapist) give massage as needed, particularly on the low back area 4) have the baby, without medication (yes, I can do this, it's worth it, is my mantra). There you have it. Oh, and I'm delivering at the hospital, but a small, intimate, and very personable hospital.

I decided today that I want to refocus on presence. Not just for the birth, but for right now (hence, the present, aspect of presence). Not getting anxious, and allowing my body to take it's time and trusting that the baby will come when the time is right for both her and me.

P.S. If you've had a positive experience with natural birth, could you write me a little note of why you did it, would do it again? I'm committed to doing it for a fourth time, but it wouldn't hurt to hear some words of encouragement!

9 Months

2011-02-07T21:16:00.003-07:00

I'm sitting in my kitchen sipping some iced sparkling mineral water flavored with a hint of fresh lemon juice (thanks to a dear husband).

So yes, this means I am still alive, with baby still in the belly.

I suppose I owe an explanation as to where I've been. Easy:

Sleeping. Eating. And being mom to three kids. And getting a house ready to sell. Teaching fitness classes (really, I still am). Which leaves little time for anything else. Although I did get a nasty cold the other week and read Tess of the Durbervilles while I laid around, which considering it's a 500 page novel, felt pretty good about myself since reading has become such a guilty pleasure in my current life.

Getting ready to have a baby, getting ready to sell a house. It's a nice convergence of circumstance, don't you think? My husband got his dream job which will require us to move from our treasured historic home to somewhere (unknown at this time) that is not here. I've been decluttering, painting, rearranging, ect. ect. All of those things you do to get a house ready to flaunt. And I love my house. I mean, I feel like it's a living, breathing thing. An art form, in the truest sense. It will be sad to let it go. But I digress.

I'm still pregnant. Less than one week till the due date. Pregnancy is hard. I'm not talking this pregnancy, but just pregnancy in general, although this one hasn't been a piece of cake (but then again, I'm not one of those blessed souls who get nine months of glowing bliss). Aside from the obvious physical changes, there's the fact that things are not just not normal. Hormones are all out of whack, eating patterns and tastes are unpredictable. It's nice to know, 1) This will end soon. 2) The end will bring a beautiful, bright, baby girl.

Also, I have a few confessions. I've been a lousy cook. I haven't tried out any new recipes in months. Dinner tonight, took less than 20 minutes--angel hair pasta, light tomato sauce, veggie meatballs (the pre-made, pre-cooked kind that you throw in the oven for 10 minutes to defrost), garlic bread, and steamed broccoli. And so it goes. Pregnancy has sucked all the pleasure out of cooking and eating. But I have faith it will return once this baby leaves my body, and it becomes mine once again (sort of).

Another thing, I have gained a healthy amount of weight. Most of it was in the 1st trimester, as mentioned previously. I've gained about 20 pounds since my 1st trimester. I'm not stressed about weight as much as I have in the past. Maybe because there are more important things in life to worry about?? Also, continuing to teach my classes has helped me to maintain a pretty high level of fitness, one that I'm sure would not be possible if I weren't getting paid to do it. My recovery after birth I anticipate will be rather painless, God willing, or at least relatively brief, and I know it will be in large part due to consistent and balanced workout sessions. I especially recommend Pilates and yoga for pregnancy. Pilates has helped me to maintain some pretty rock solid abs, for a pregnant woman that is.

On my mind now: prepping for labor. It seems so surreal. I'm actually going to have to push another baby out? Like, soon?! I'd like share some of my concerns about going the natural route (I've done it three times, but this does not make the thought any less daunting). But for now, sleep sits on my eye lids. I promise to post, again, soon. Thank you for all your kind and supportive thoughts! They keep me going.

Holiday Wishes

2010-12-22T13:37:00.004-07:00

Preparing for Christmas has been a busy and fulfilling assignment this year. I don't know if I've ever enjoyed a December as much as I have this one.

Perhaps it's because now my kids are all old enough (and young enough for Santa) to really participate and enjoy the spirit of the season, and I've been able to see the joy and magic of it all through their eyes.

We've been busy making gifts and goodies (almost finished with the jeans quilts I'm making for each of my kids), sending Christmas cards and getting/keeping the house in top holiday form. This explains my absence from blogging. I guess I've been too busy enjoying the snow (my son and I made the cutest snowman today), listening to lots of Christmas music and making paper snowflakes with my kids.

I wish I had all of your addresses so I could mail you a Christmas card. In lieu, please accept my sincerest holiday greetings.

Whether vegan or not, may we all recommit to living healthful and compassionate lives, making room for more love and more giving.

Thanks for all your comments and support over this past year, YOU are the reason I blog.

Merry Christmas,

Whole Foods Vegan Momma

Foods I'm Craving

2010-12-16T16:15:00.004-07:00

In the later part of my pregnancies, food isn't very appealing. Similar to how I felt in the first trimester, I don't get particularly excited about having to eat. I don't know if it's the hormones or what, the decrease in stomach space, or the fact that I don't enjoy the "full" feeling (and sometimes acid reflux that follows) because of the smaller stomach, but eating is definitely more of a chore.

There are a few foods that I've been really enjoying lately though (that is, I don't mind eating them):

*Dark chocolate. Mmmm. I've found a brand through Sunflower Farmers market that comes in all sorts of varieties (cocoa nib, raspberry, almond, and all vegan). Nutritionally, dark chocolate isn't too bad either. Some brands have high amounts of iron, and calcium.

*Soy yogurt. Sometimes I just want some. And it tastes good. I like Whole Soy & Co., any flavor and Silk's key lime pie flavor. A mini-meal of late: a container of soy yogurt, a handful of almonds, a sprinkle of raisins, and a banana, sliced.

*Tofurky. Don't knock the tofurky. It's not "faux meat." It's made from wheat gluten, (sorry gluten free folks) sometimes garbanzo beans, and spices. I like the fact that it's sliced very thin. Tofurky rolled up and eaten plain (or with pickles) or in a sandwich. Hits the spot. And there are a lot of flavors to choose from, I like original although today I tried peppered on sourdough, added some romaine lettuce, mustard and saurkraut for a Reuben-style sandwich.

*Nuts. I bought some cinnamon almonds & sweet cashews. Heavenly. Oh, and dark chocolate covered almonds--divine.

*Sparkling flavored water. Sometimes I'll add some lemon or lime or stevia. And lots of ice.

Another pregnancy note. I went in for an appointment with my midwife today. Blood pressure: excellent. Passed my glucose test with flying colors (although that nasty sugar stuff made me ill for about half a day). Iron levels: excellent. Weight gain: healthy. I've been holding steady for awhile, so I think I may end up gaining a total of 30ish pounds when all is said and done. Not bad, considering that it's been much higher with past pregnancies. My exercise is still daily--with my teaching schedule I do yoga, Pilates, aerobics, step, toning, and kickboxing at least once every week. And most importantly, baby's heartbeat is strong and steady.

Just 8 more weeks left...(!)

Hearty Taco Soup & Should I go vegan?

2010-12-02T12:46:00.011-07:00

A hearty taco soup recipe coming up...

But first.

The following comment, which I wanted to respond to, was posted in response to my previous post:

I have been following your blog for quite some time while contemplating the food choices in my own life. I know I feel better on a gluten- and dairy-free diet, and I really don't have much of a taste for meat...but I find I can't quite figure out how to do the vegan thing yet. And so I eat the typical American diet and feel gross most of the time. I am gaining weight, I have migraines, I feel bloated and tired most of the time... I really want a change, but I don't want to do another eating "program." I want to eat well and enjoy it, and have it represent who I am.

My biggest concern about going vegan remains these deficiencies you talk about here - especially protein - which I realize is probably unfounded...but I can't quite shake it.

Do you have any recommendations for a person like me? Should I try to track my nutrition to ease my fears? Should I ease into a vegan diet by eating vegan several meals a week or gradually cutting out dairy, red meat, etc? I find myself stuck in the place of "I don't know what to do!" while my body, meanwhile, is crying out for a change!

Dear blog reader,

You are not alone! So many of us go day after day feeling like trash, not knowing that something must change, but not knowing exactly what to do.

I don't have all the answers. But I can tell you what I've learned and give you some thoughts on my perspective, which I hope may be of some use to you.

First, there's nothing wrong with gluten or wheat, per se. They've sustained populations for centuries and served as a staple in many cultures, although there are also many cultures that use little or no wheat or gluten in their diets (traditional South American, Asian cuisine, for example).

Some people do not tolerate wheat and/or gluten--this can range from a slight allergy (can eat it, but feel better without it in their diets) to full blown Celiac disease, which is very real and can cause some nasty symptoms to arise if ignored. The majority of most populations do not have a problem with either. If you feel better on a gluten-free diet, then you need to listen to your body and go for it. If you think it may be Celiac, you can be tested for this.

Eating gluten-free really is not as difficult as it seems at first, especially when you realize that awareness and diagnosis of the disease and intolerances/allergies to wheat have made businesses perk up, and most restaurants and grocery stores cater to a gluten-free or wheat-free diet, offering lines of gluten-free options and products.

Another thing is that it is very easy to eat gluten-free if you are preparing your own foods and eating whole foods. Many people think all grains contain gluten. Oats can be purchased gluten-free. Rice, in all its varieties, quinoa, potatoes (golden, baking, red, ect.), squashes, yams and sweet potatoes, millet, amaranth, buckwheat. The list goes on of starches that are gluten-free. We've made wheat the starch of choice because it is extremely versatile and deeply embedded in the Western/European culture, but it is by no means the only grain out there. Jeff Novick, a vegan R.D., offers some excellent recipes, all of which are easy, gluten-free, and vegan.

Same goes for dairy. If you feel better without it, don't eat it! Westerners seem to think that humans cannot exist without the help of a dairy cow. Let's take a trip to Asia or Africa, and we shall see that life does in fact continue to go on, even in populations where milk drinking and cheese eating is non-existent. There are so many dairy-free products--milk, cheese, ice cream, and butter spreads are all available dairy-free. My favorite milk is almond. Follow Your Heart cheese is a good tasting vegan cheese (although I'm not big on cheese, although I like to make my own cashew cheeses for nachos or pizza). I recommend Dairy Free & Delicious for delicious dairy-free, vegan dishes. This cookbook shows you how to make any dairy food, dairy free. Recipes for non-dairy cheese, evaporated milk, creamer, yogurt, cheese cake, whipped cream, ect. It's all there, and they are all very good. I found though, since eliminating dairy that I don't need the dairy substitutes. Oh yes, it's nice to have ice cream with my pie or nacho cheese on my nachos, but these are foods I don't eat every day. I usually have plant milk every day and sometimes I'll have soy yogurt, other than that, I'm not in dire need of cream cheese or whipped cream on a daily basis.

As far as weight gain, you mentioned you've been gaining weight. Weight gain is caused by taking in excess calories. It's fairly simple math. We take in more calories than we burn, and we store those calories as fat. Whole plant foods are excellent for weight management since they are 1) nutrient dense 2) fiber-rich (which fills you up on less calories) 3) have a high content of water (which combined with the fiber, and put in a perfect plant package, helps to fill you up, again on less calories). Animal foods and refined foods have more calories by weight and volume, contain no fiber, and are typically not nutrient rich. Thus, if your diet is based on these foods, it's easy to over consume calories. Weight gain becomes easy, losing weight difficult. If you're also feeling tired, a crappy diet can do this to you, but in combination with the weight gain, you might consider getting your thyroid checked. This is a simple test, and if you do in fact have problems with your thyroid, your metabolism will take a hit. Fortunately, a good doctor can help you figure out if you do have a problem and if so, can prescribe medication that will help.

As far as taking the leap to complete vegan, well that's a hefty decision, I know. Due to the culture we live in, we are very much surrounded in a non-vegan world, and many people aren't willing to be different. There's nothing wrong with this, necessarily, but I know for me, when I know I should do something, I just have to do it. Call it conscience or whatever you will, I have to listen and act.

The decision to be vegetarian or vegan is a decision that must be based after carefully assessing your traditions, values, and what you really want in life. For me, I wanted health. Initially I didn't set out to be vegan. I just knew I felt so much better after I got the dairy out of my diet, reduced refined foods, and began eating whole, plant based meals. I didn't miss the meat and figured, if there ever came a point when I felt like I "needed" meat, I would eat it. Otherwise, I'm in a better place without it. And thanks to year round produce, eating a varied plant based diet that meets all of my nutritional needs is not an issue.

Very important note here. This is not to say one cannot be healthy eating an omnivorous diet. If you are going to eat meat, a great approach would be to stick with mostly or all organic meat eaten in small portions, 1-3 times a week. Whole starches, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds should make up most of any one's diet, vegan/vegetarian or not.

Don't stress out about labels (Am I vegan? Should I call my self vegetarian?). Just move towards a plant-based or vegan diet at the pace that is right for you. Only you know what that is. For some, deciding to start out with 2 vegan meals a day is a good place to begin. Others find that a more gradual approach, such as 2 or 3 vegan meals a week is more realistic.

Since dairy and gluten don't seem to sit will with you, I recommend completely eliminating them. No use continuing to consume food that makes you sick. As for meat, don't stress too much about it. You may want to try to make most or all of your meals plant-based or animal free, and then add meat as a side dish or condiment. If you are not ready or willing to cut the animals out of your diet, don't push it. For some people, it may never be right for them to fully commit to being vegan, for others, they just "know" because it feels right and aligns with their lifestyle, beliefs, and outlook on life. Vegan or not, you can still transform your health by sticking with plant-based principles.

Regarding protein. Jack Norris, R.D., recently updated a very informative article about vegan protein needs. While it's not rocket science, vegans do need to use some common sense and have a basic understanding of how to meet nutritional needs. One interesting point he brings up is that lysine, an essential amino acid, is only found in certain plant foods and must be consumed on a daily basis in order to meet protein needs. Read his post for more info, it's a good one. Also, tracking your protein intake, or better yet, your overall nutrient intake over a period of time (while eating vegan AND while eating meat), will help you to know if you are where you should be in terms of meeting your needs and then making adjustments accordingly.

I wish you the best of luck in your journey towards better health and happiness. I know you'll get it figured out. It may take some time so be patient, and open, willing to make the changes you know you need to make.

In the meantime, here's a recipe for you and all the other readers of this blog.

Go whip yourself up some hearty taco soup and let your worries melt away (cause you're getting your protein, that's for sure!).

Hearty Taco Soup

It seems like taco soup, at least in my culture (the Mormon one, that is) is a big hit and everyone has their favorite recipe. Unfortunately, it usually includes a lot of animal, so to that I say politely, "no thank you."

Here's my version, animal-free and tasty (if I do say so myself). I made it for dinner last night, and hoped to eat it for lunch today, but my husband must have taken the leftovers because it was nowhere to be found in the fridge today when I went hunting for it for lunch. Since it's so EASY to make, I made another batch. Seriously, takes less than 15 minutes.

I don't have many fond childhood attachments to meat dishes. Even though we weren't vegetarian, my mom never made a big to-do about meat in our meals. The one thing I did enjoy though, were my moms soups. She always threw in a pound or so of ground beef which added a lot of texture, making the soup hearty. While I don't miss the meat, I did like the texture it provided, which thanks to TVP, can be achieved in this vegan soup. If you don't eat soy you can easily replace with same amount of mushrooms (cut up in small chunks) or yellow squash (also cut up in small chunks). The secret ingredient is the Mexican tomato sauce, which gives the soup a little kick, so if you can get your hands on this stuff, make sure to put it in. It gives it just a little spice, without irritating the taste buds. My kids never mentioned anything about it being spicy or too hot, so this should be safe for most children.

4 cups water
1 1/2 cups TVP (textured vegetable protein) OR mushrooms/yellow squash (cut up into chunks)
2 c. frozen organic sweet corn
1, 16 oz. can pinto beans, drained & rinsed OR 1 1/2 c. cooked pinto beans
1, 16 oz. can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed OR 1 1/2 c. cooked kidney beans
2, 16 oz. cans organic diced tomatoes
1, 7.75 oz. tomato sauce, Mexican hot style (I used El Pato brand in the yellow can)
1, small can chopped green chilies
4 TBS. MSG-free taco seasoning of choice
1 tsp. the ZIP seasoning (The Spice Hunter is the brand of this seasoning)
2 TBS. dairy-free ranch salad dressing mix (I make mine from scratch using an excellent recipe for the Seven Secrets cookbook, a must-have cookbook!)

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add TVP (if using mushrooms or squash, saute in a small amount of water for a few minutes, until veggies are soft, but not mushy) and allow to boil on medium-high for a minute or two. Lower heat to medium. Gently pulse the diced tomatoes in a blender until mostly smooth, but not pureed. You want it a little chunky to give slight texture (my kids HATE tomato chunks, and I think it tastes better if it's mostly smooth). Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

This is how my kids ate it for lunch: served over brown rice (I made the boil-in-a-bag kind which takes 12 minutes), with a side of tortilla chips, and a simple romaine lettuce salad topped with sunflower seeds and non-dairy ranch. They gobbled it up!
And for dessert, our FAVORITE peanut butter and oatmeal cookies, with a glass of almond milk of course.
These are mini-cookies, so I ate three (hee-hee), which is about the same amount as one normal size cookie. Somehow it tastes better knowing I can eat three, even if they are miniature size.

Learning to Listen & Thoughts on Vegan Deficiencies

2010-11-30T12:11:00.006-07:00

Lately, I feel at peace with food.

Since I'm pregnant, I'm not trying to lose weight, or even maintain my weight so I think my behavior has relaxed a bit, which has been insightful. I've definitely gone through stages of thinking about the issue of gaining weight (especially since I gained so much in my FIRST trimester), but have come to terms with the fact that my body knows best, I just need to listen, use good judgement and wisdom, and be at peace with that.

So I eat what sounds good, and at times this means peanut butter oatmeal cookies with cashew or brown rice ice cream or a large spinach salad with garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, and my favorite poppy seed dressing. I mostly want to eat whole natural foods, but in the past few weeks I haven't denied myself of anything if I wanted it, and been surprised that my after a few bites of something rich, I am satisfied. My body seems to know when it's had enough of one thing, and lets me know.

I suppose I'm sharing all of this because I've realized, more internally, that it's important to listen and trust my body.

For the next two months, my body will work on putting the finishing touches on the little human inside me, getting her ready to face the world. I have faith that my body knows what I need to do that. With a little knowledge and common sense, my goal is to continue to practice intuitive eating, and only eat what, for a lack of a better term, "sounds good."

I've also realized that I think sometimes when we change our diets, in hopes of reaping greater health or just feeling better about ourselves, there is a tendency to demonize food. ______ is good. ______ is bad. But in reality, some foods may be appropriate for certain times and periods of our lives, while others might not (or ever be, depending on your allergies/intolerances). For example, right now, I am eating a much higher fat diet than I ate when I wasn't pregnant, and physically, it feels better do so.

On a somewhat related note, I've read on various blogs about concerns that people have or had as vegans or ex-vegans regarding nutrition and wanted to give my two cents on the issue of "the dangers of a vegan diet." There are some who advocate against a vegan diet because it is deficient and you need to supplement for various nutrients.

Here are the main things that people say a vegan should supplement for (I've included my thoughts on why or why not I think the recommendation to supplement is worth much weight):

Iron: green leafy vegetables, plums, tomatoes, are some examples of good sources; including a vitamin-C rich food with your meal also helps to increase iron absorption, limiting tea/coffee and dairy foods or at least consuming them separately from iron rich foods also helps to increase absorption. Personally, I have never had an issue with iron-deficiency or anemia, in fact, I have had my iron levels checked during this and other vegan pregnancies, which have shown that my iron level is healthy, and well above average.

Vitamin-D: Some people may need to supplement, but consider most people can get all the vitamin-D they need by 15-20 minutes of daily sun exposure. Since vitamin-D is a fat-soluble vitamin, your body can store vitamin-D to be used when you are not able to get adequate sun exposure. Vitamin-D levels can be tested, so if you're concerned about whether or not you're getting enough, have it checked it out.

Calcium: This mineral comes from the ground (not cow's milk, although it is abundantly present in most cow's milk, thanks to cattle feed supplementation, unless the cows are actually grass fed, which is highly unlikely if the milk you are drinking is the stuff from an average grocery store) and is found in small to moderate amounts in plant foods. Almonds, figs, sesame seeds, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, among other plant foods contain higher amounts of calcium, although this mineral is found in nearly all plants. Fortified plant milk or fortified non-dairy yogurt can also be a good source. On an average day, I consume anywhere from 1100-1800 mg calcium (tracked using CRON-o-meter), all from non-dairy sources. Absorption of calcium is also increased when animal protein (from flesh or animal milk) levels are low.

B-12: Take a daily supplement. Easy, painless, very inexpensive. I take a pill, my kids do drops.

Omega-3 fats: If you are in poor health, you may consider taking an Omega-3 algae supplement since your body may not be able to convert omega-3 to DHA. Otherwise, your body should be able to convert these fats into DHA by consuming 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed a day, a small handful of walnuts, hemp seed, or chia seeds. This will be more than enough for most people. Omega-3 fats are also found in smaller amounts in most plant foods, like beans, in particular soy, so it is possible to get these fats without taking flax or walnuts or supplement.

Zinc: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, wheat germ, wheat bran, yeasted whole-grain breads, sweet potatoes, Brazil nuts, are some examples of the many plant foods that are rich sources of zinc.

Protein: Come on. Protein is found in all plant foods. Rich sources include lentils, all beans, peas, tofu, nuts, greens. Consider that most people need only 50-60 grams. Pregnant mommas like me, need a bit more, around 70-80 grams. No need to combine certain foods at meals, just eat a variety of whole plant foods in a day.

So you can see, as long as you're smart about it (which may require some more thought and planning into what you buy and eat), you can easily cover your nutritional bases on a plant-based diet, vegan or not.

Cyber Monday Blendtec Total Blender Deal

2010-11-27T09:50:00.011-07:00

Factory Reconditioned Blendtec Total Blender for $299!

Available Monday November 29 only

I know many of you have been thinking--I have to get a good blender.

Believe me, prior to my Blendtec, I went through blenders and blades on a regular basis before I said, there has to be something better. I bought my Blendtec and haven't looked back since. No blade replacements and the one time I needed my Blendtec to be repaired, the kind Blendtec folks fixed it promptly at no charge (included in the warranty). I use my Blendtec for everything from dressings, sauces, dips, gravies, to smoothies & ice cream, milkshakes, soups, flours, and nut butters.

One of my favorite things to do with my Blendtec is to grind flax seed into a flax seed meal, which allows me to have a constant supply of freshly ground flax seed to use in cereals and baking. Another favorite way to use my Blendtec is to make fresh flours, which is great, especially for gluten free baking (think quinoa, barley, rice, & sorghum flours), and saves a ton of money in the long run. A Blendtec is well worth every penny, especially if you're any of the following: 1) health-conscious and like to cook/bake 2) want to save money (I can make my own ice cream easily, at the fraction of the cost of store-bought non-dairy ice cream) 3) are tired of trashy blenders that don't do their job and/or break down easily.

I love the power, the speed, reliability and the versatility of the blender (and it's very easy to clean, fits under most peoples cupboards/counter tops) and I use it several times a day.
So if you're like I was, and are fed up with sub-par blenders, tell Santa you want a Blendtec!

I want every one to enjoy the beauty of this machine, but I understand, for a lot of people it's just not in their budget. So if you're in the market this holiday season for a Blendtec for yourself or a loved one, there couldn't be a better time to buy.

For one day only, Monday November 29, you can get a factory reconditioned Blendtec for only $299 (includes full 3 year warranty). If you have shopped around for a Blendtec, you know the price on these blenders (like Toyotas & Hondas) rarely ever budges, even for used ones, and $299 is as low as it gets.

The sale begins at 12:01 AM (MST) Monday morning and ends at 11:59 PM (MST) Monday night. To enjoy these savings, click here or here and at checkout, enter the coupon code, CRANBERRY.

Thanksgiving Pancakes

2010-11-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

These are super quick and easy, nice for a day when you already have a lot of cooking ahead of you. Great for Thanksgiving day, since they taste like autumn thanks to the sweet potatoes and spices.

I made these pancakes as part of dinner one night last week because I wanted something fast and I had some leftover sweet potatoes that needed to be used. Since I added a little protein powder and the sweet potatoes, I considered the pancakes in and of themselves a complete quick meal. If serving for breakfast or brunch, consider pairing with hash browns, fresh fruit, veggie sausage or tempeh bacon, a veggie or tofu scramble.

(sorry about the low-quality picture, no natural lighting to speak of when you take pictures at 6:30 at night)

Thanksgiving Pancakes

A few notes. I used Eagle Mills All-Purpose Unbleached flour which looks and tastes like white flour but has the same amount of fiber as whole wheat and has more nutrients than white flour.

The kids loved the fact I made faces with chocolate chips (FYI there are lots of non-dairy chocolate chips out there). Blueberries could also work.

I added protein powder to the batter, since the pancakes were the meal (it was one of the "I don't want to put more effort than I have to meals") and I wanted the meal to include a bit more protein for my kids.

Makes 27-28 4 inch (1/3 c. batter) pancakes

4 c. whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 c. vanilla soy milk
2 c. apple juice
2 c. mashed cooked sweet potato
1/3 c. pitted dates (use less for a not-as-sweet pancake)
2 TBS. ground golden flaxseed
2 tsp. salt
2 TBS. baking powder
1/4 c. plain soy protein powder (optional)
1 tsp. cinnamon
sprinkle of nutmeg

Mix flour, flaxseed, salt, baking & protein powders, cinnamon, & nutmeg in a bowl. In a powerful blender, blend the pitted dates until dates are pureed. If you don't have a powerful blender, boil hot water and pour over dates, allow to sit for 10-20 minutes. This will soften the dates and make them much easier to blend. You can also soak the dates for several hours (if you plan that far ahead), which will also soften the dates. Add milk, sweet potato to the date/apple juice mixture and blend. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Use 1/3 cup batter per pancake and cook on non-stick skillet for 2-3 minutes, flip and cook on other side for 1 minute or until golden brown. Freeze leftovers and reheat in a toaster (I have a defrost button).

Nutrition information, per pancake: 115 calories, 4.5 g protein, 23 g carb, 1 g fat, percentage of calories from carbohydrate--78%, protein--14%, fat--8%, 1 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 220 mg sodium, calcium 53 mg (5% DV), vitamin A 3891 IU (77% DV), vitamin C 10 mg (17% DV), omega-3 fats 124 mg.

Burnout

2010-11-18T13:04:00.004-07:00

With my last pregnancy, I drank a green smoothie at least once a day, sometimes more. There are lots of variations: kale, spinach, chard, or some other green, add fresh or frozen fruit, some ice, blend.

For some people this is an easy, convenient way to get in a lot of raw greens and fruit.

With this pregnancy, I just can't do it. I cannot, for the life of me, even look at a green smoothie. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the green veggies (raw or cooked), but please, please don't blend them up in a smoothie or shake. Or else...

I suppose this is just a symptom of smoothie burn out from last pregnancy. Has that ever happened to you? You have so much of one thing, you can't even look at it anymore?

I suppose the main issue is, I'm pretty attached to chewing. Drinking my meal doesn't quite cut it for me. I like the experience of chewing, of experiencing a variety of textures and separate flavors. I do like creamy, thick smoothies, though. If it resembles the consistency of frozen yogurt in any way, count me in.

Another thing I've found is I have to go easy on the fruit. This is where fruit heavy green smoothies can wreak havoc on my blood sugar. Often several servings of fruit are needed to make the smoothie palatable, adding a lot of sugar (albeit naturally occuring fruit sugar) which for me I have to be careful with.

If you're a green smoothie lover, good for you. As for me, give me the veggies, and please let me chew them.

Green Garbanzo Bean Recipe

2010-11-15T10:57:00.012-07:00

The first time I ever had a fresh garbanzo bean (or chickpeas, as they are sometimes also called) was a few years ago at a local organic farm in Washington state. I had no idea that garbanzo beans came out of a pod (a farm girl I am not, clearly) and further, that they were green and could be eaten raw, like peas in a pod. It was a bit time consuming to have to take the beans out of the pod, but the taste was like no other. I love cooked garbanzo beans, especially in dips or spreads like hummus. So when I saw that Costco is now selling fresh green garbanzo beans (in the frozen section), I just had to buy a bag.

I've made green hummus and garbanzo "guacamole," both of which were very good, but my favorite thing is to lightly steam (only takes about 1-2 minutes to defrost) them and throw them in with a salad.

Here's the latest I've come up with.

Cran-Walnut Apple Salad w/ Green Garbanzos

I utilized what's in season right now. Large bags of fresh cranberries are now available at places like Costco and Sam's Club. Fuji apples are in harvest right now. Fuji apples are a wonderful apple for salads--they have a dense texture, are slightly sweet and crispy. One of my favorite, more versatile varieties.

The combination of textures and flavors makes this salad an excellent choice for an autumn lunch or as a side dish for Thanksgiving.

Also the nutritional stats (see below for more info) for this salad are impressive: high in fiber, protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin C, and meets your daily requirement for omega-3 fats. It's more than enough for most people as a meal, and certainly delivers on nutrition and taste.

Serves 1-2

1 cup frozen green garbanzos, or fresh if you have those available to you!
1 large Fuji apple
1 cup fresh, whole cranberries
1 TBS. 100% maple syrup
2 TBS. walnuts (about 8 walnut halves)
1 TBS. dried cranberries
Mixed greens (about 4-6 cups) (a nice combination is a Spring Mix with some baby spinach)
1/3 cup fresh, unsweetened apple juice
1 TBS. balsamic vinegar

Defrost garbanzo beans (lightly steam or run under hot water in a colander for several minutes). Cut up apple into chunks. Coarsely chop cranberries and walnuts separately (I used my handheld veggie chopper). In a small bowl, thoroughly coat the cranberries with the maple syrup (this takes away much of the tartness of the cranberry), making a slightly sweet cranberry relish. Place the greens in a bowl and layer: garbanzo beans, cranberry relish, apple, walnuts, and dried cranberries. In a small bowl, mix apple juice and balsamic vinegar. If eaten immediately, pour over salad and toss lightly. Otherwise, save until serving. Nutrition Info, one full recipe: 594 calories, 15 g protein, 12 g fat (1.5 g omega-3), 18 g fiber. Calcium, 282 mg (28% DV), Iron 11 mg (63% DV), Vitamin C, 150 mg, (170% DV). Based using CRON-o-Meter software.

Call me crazy

2010-11-12T08:24:00.004-07:00

Over a big bowl of oatmeal this morning, I amused myself by reading the Dear Abby column in my local newspaper.

One of the questions posed was of particular interest to me.

Reader #1 writes that her two nieces are vegan and at her brother's request last year, everyone was to bring vegan dishes to the Thanksgiving dinner. Naturally, she didn't like this arrangement and didn't want to do it again this year. So her question was, what should be done and is it reasonable for her to feel this way? Good ol' Abby (who in reality, is actually Jeanne Phillips) responds with, tell your brother and his daughters that, "you'll be serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year, so they can either bring something they will enjoy or make other plans."

Call me crazy, but I think most vegans are okay with going to a "mixed" dinner--where vegan and non-vegan dishes are served. I have a hard time thinking that there are actually vegans out there who only associate with other vegans and only go to vegan-food only parties, or insist that their non-vegan family members eat only vegan food at family get-togethers. Maybe this works in NYC or San Francisco, but where I'm from, I'd be completely friendless and alienate much of my family if this was my approach!

I've gotta say... (tune out now, if you don't like soap box ranting) if you're vegan, and you'd like others to have a positive experience/view of veganism, be an accommodating and gracious guest. Bring vegan dishes to share with others whenever you're invited to dinner, especially if it's a significant cultural holiday like Thanksgiving dinner. But whatever you do, don't insist that everyone eat the way you do. Human nature does not approve of this approach, and you'll potentially end up alienating and angering friends and family.

Bring the tantalizing, colorful, vibrant vegan dish to share and show others that being vegan is NOT about rigidness, depravity, or forcing others to think like you. Let the turkey eating people enjoy their turkey. And let's all just enjoy the holiday and remember that Thanksgiving is about much more than food. Isn't it mostly about giving thanks and showing gratitude for all that we have and are, not who eats what?

Prepping for Thanksgiving

2010-11-10T11:23:00.004-07:00

I recently checked out a Thanksgiving children's book for my kids. The two main characters are on a mission to go find a turkey for Thanksgiving (they don't know why, they just know that it's a tradition). After overcoming some hilarious obstacles, they finally get the turkey, who lucky him, instead of being cooked and eaten, gets to eat dinner with the family, since the family doesn't realize that the turkey is traditionally eaten as part of the meal. It's a silly, heart-warming story (with a subtle vegetarian message, although I really don't think it was intentional), and got me thinking about food for the holidays, particularly Thanksgiving, since it's right around the corner (2 weeks is "right around the corner" in my world).

This year it will just be our family, no extended, at least for the holiday, which means: I can cook whatever I darn well want to and not have to worry about pleasing anyone's turkey-lovin' taste buds (thank heavens, the omnivorous husband LOATHES turkey!).

In the years past I've made:

*Dreena Burton's fresh cranberry sauce & lemon broiled green beans --my favorite cranberry sauce recipe that uses maple syrup as the sweetener, I could eat bowlfuls of the stuff

*Mashed potatoes--roasted garlic and/or herbed w/ cashew or mushroom gravy

*Candied yams (sans the ground up horse hooves, I mean marshmallows)

*Stuffed pumpkin (stuff a pumpkin with your favorite stuffing and bake)

*Wild Rice & Lentil Timbales (recipe from Fat Free Vegan)

*Steamed sweet corn

*Home baked whole grain dinner rolls

*Sparkling apple cider

*Pumpkin Pie/Chocolate Pumpkin Pie (Dr. McDougall has a great recipe on his site & Dreena has one as well in ED & BV) with homemade cashew ice cream or my fave Seven Secrets Cookbook brown rice ice cream

I've made veggie cutlets (made from garbanzo beans, wheat gluten, and seasonings), although not for Thanksgiving. I and my family (including hubby) like them, but since my kids don't have any expectations or context for meat on their dinner plate, there's no real incentive for me to try and make some sort of turkey replacement specifically for Thanksgiving.

Since I still haven't decided on the exact menu for the holiday, I'd love to see what YOU'RE going to make, and get some inspiration from you all.

QUESTION FOR YOU: What are some of your favorite vegan holiday dishes? What vegan dishes will you be eating at Thanksgiving? Be a dove, and do share.

6 Months

2010-11-08T12:34:00.008-07:00

Some women have really cute pregnant bellys. You know, round, like a little basketball, and everyone wants to touch it. I really feel confident in saying I'm not one of those, which fortunately doesn't put me in the category of most-touchable pregnant belly. Mine's more like a watermelon.

When pregnant I shun tight clothes, especially the bigger I get. I embrace the tent-like drapery that counts for the lot of the maternity clothes out there. And black. Somehow I feel more elegant in anything black.

I'm a little shy about the whole "belly" picture thing, but here a few pictures taken yesterday before we went to church (no, we don't always look this good! usually I'm wearing workout clothes and my hair is pulled back).

Me and my baby girl #1: Baby girl #2, hiding behind the drapery.. ... awaiting her entrance into the world in approximately 3 months.

Picky Eaters: Coping

2010-11-05T08:25:00.013-06:00

In my university classes that I teach, my college students are required to do a food diary for two days, where they record everything they eat/drink. I'm absolutely astonished at some of the entries:

Breakfast--nothing
Snack--2 cups of coffee with cream and sugar
Lunch--a hotdog and a soda
Snack--Doritos
Dinner--Ramen noodles and a beer

Another one:

Breakfast--pop tart, protein shake
Lunch--nothing
Snack--Snickers bar
Dinner--hamburger, french fries, and a diet soda
Snack--leftover pizza slice

Some of the entries are so appaling to me I can't/don't even want to believe that these people are telling the truth. I wonder, how can these people not help but feeling like trash eating this way?!

Which leads me to further questions: Where do eating habits, behavior, and patterns originate? Were my students never challenged or encouraged or made to eat healthful foods as kids? Pondering this, I've thought a lot about my own struggle with getting my kids to eat a variety of healthful foods.

My kids are picky eaters. Yes, picky vegan eaters. They do eat many foods that most American kids probably have never heard of, but alas, they are still human (sorry to destroy any illusion that this was otherwise the case) and we have our fair share of battles with pickyness.

Sometimes I have conversations in my head with my kids. They go something like this:

"Hey kids! Why don't you stop being so finicky and broaden your horizons. You know, try mom's zucchini stir-fry, squash soup, ect. There's more to the world than soy yogurt, PB&J sandwiches, bagels, and cold cereal. Your picky ways are driving me crazy!!!"

Please let me not be the only parent who feels this way.

Perhaps my problem is that I only welcome the madness by standing firm and not allowing them to eat whatever they want.

Example. My oldest son is in a HUGE peanut butter craze. He'll eat sliced apples if he can dip it in peanut butter. He could eat PB&J sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (that is IF I let him, which over my dead body!). Sometimes it drives me crazy. Yes, peanut butter, the natural 100% organic peanut kind, as long as you don't have an allergy, is a great calorie/nutrient dense food for a growing kid. But, balance people.

I try to be somewhat accommodating by not making super exotic stuff for the kids (I try out a new dish once or twice a week, but I usually stick to the tried and true), or at least keep the veggies pretty non-mixed with the the rest of the meal. For example, rice and steamed broccoli with tofu is always a hit because everything is separate. Maybe it's inherent in every kid to have an aversion to mixed combinations food (like soup or stir-frys), or maybe my kids just inherited it from their father. Who knows? But the fact remains. Mashed potatoes with a side of green beans, also a hit, because again, the food is clearly separated.

And then there are the onions. I love cooked onions and would put them in 90% of my dishes if my family weren't such onion haters. A lot of times I can sneak them in, but if one of my sons realizes there is even one diced onion on his plate he pushes it away.

This is where family dinner becomes so important. You know, the lost art of everyone sitting down, TV/cell phone/radio off, while a nice home cooked meal is enjoyed by all. I'd like to say I like to do this because of the conversations we have. Maybe some day, when my kids are older and we don't have to spend all our time micro-managing spills, picky eaters, and breaking up the wrestling matches (that would be my two boys).

I like family dinner because unlike lunch and breakfast, I can have the support of my husband in encouraging and getting my kids to try new foods, eat the healthy things that they normally wouldn't. I admit though, because of our busy schedules, that family dinners are not a nightly occurrence (at least with both my husband and myself), and that makes me sad. But I do try very hard to make it happen as often as I can, because we all eat better when it happens and we get to bond in a way that can only happen over the dinner table.

I hate to say this, but I really don't think there's a solution, per se, to picky eaters. We all have our own tastes, I understand this, but I believe our palates are maliable, and changeable, and it all starts in childhood (actually research has shown that our tastes begin to forumulate in the womb, based on what the mother eats..). I don't know if kids will necessarily "grow out" of bad habits (like, never eating any vegetables). There certainly needs to be some sort of parent intervention involved.

There are things that we do to encourage our kids to try new foods and eat more variety. Here are a few things I've found helpful:

1) Food is eaten in the kitchen, at the table. No walking around or playing while eating, otherwise their food is put away. On very rare occasions, we'll do a popcorn movie party and allow the kids to eat popcorn on a blanket while they watch a movie.

2) On most days of the week we start our morning with oatmeal or some other cooked grain cereal, topped with plant milk, 1-2 tsp. of ground flax seed, and some brown sugar/sucanant/or agave. I'm not opposed to a small amount of sweetener on top--the oatmeal still has much less sugar than processed cereal and it gets the kids excited to eat a big bowl of whole grains. They usually have this with a side of fruit (oranges, berries, or strawberries) or a small cup of apple/orange/grape juice. Having a good breakfast makes the day run more smoothly and I feel better about things knowing they started it off right. I regret the days I allow them to have cold cereal for breakfast because they are hungry about two seconds later. Smoothies & cold cereal are usually served as snacks or light dinners (on days when I really just CAN'T cook).

3) I never force them to "finish your plate." But. If they want to have dessert, they must finish all of the vegetables served to them and most of their dinner. If they aren't hungry, fine, they don't have to eat, but if they want to eat anything else, including dessert, they have to eat what's on their plate. I save their leftover food and if they get hungry later, that's what they can eat. I'm not always a stickler with this, but I try to do this more often than not. Also, I try to serve reasonable portions (kids really do have much smaller stomachs than us adults).

4) You don't have to a like a food, but you have to at least try it (am I a parent, or what?). I know kids hate this (I'm sure I did).

5) My kitchen is not a cafeteria. You eat what's served, or you can go hungry. Sounds harsh, but it's a survival tactic I picked up from my mom, who had to feed a family of nine, so picky eaters were absolutely not allowed.

6) If my kids are hungry between meals and they want to snack on cookies or crackers, or have something that they've already eaten a lot of that day (like PB&J sandwiches), instead of saying NO, I say, "That's for later, or you already had that today," and then give them options, like, "you may have an apple, banana, pistachios, almonds, or we can make popcorn." If none of those sound good, usually it's a sign they aren't really hungry and/or just want a treat.

If you have any tips or tricks you've found to be helpful, please share: What have you done to cope with picky eaters?

Getting Back to the Veggies: Corn Salad & Kale Slaw

2010-10-29T10:47:00.008-06:00

I'm pausing in between housework and managing the kidlets to give an update on the pregnancy, which I haven't talked about for awhile.

I'm beginning my third trimester. The weight gain so far has been about 20 pounds (yes, I know I wasn't going to step on a scale during the pregnancy, but I realized that is not realistic or responsible, at least for me), which is more than I'd like but 15 of those occurred in the bleak, bleak, nauseating non-vegetable days of my first trimester. I'd like to keep my weight gain in check for the remainder of the pregnancy while ensuring that my body and baby are getting all the nutrients we need, especially since the baby will be gaining 5 or 6 pounds in the next three months.

So...I'm recommitting myself to eating the way I used to, before I was pregnant--lots of fresh and cooked veggies, nothing refined, and healthy sweets and flour products (bread, I LOVE bread!) only on special occasions. I have to admit once you stop paying attention, it's easy to let higher calorie foods (bread, muffins, sweets, Cliff bars, ect.) creep in and crowd out the more nutritious, lower calories veggies and making weight gain pretty effortless. Of course I want the baby to gain weight, but I have no desire to add to my own fat stores, which have clearly not been neglected.

I feel a bit more tired now that I'm in third trimester, so I try to get more sleep each night. At night I mostly want to lay around and watch movies (just watched Legends of Fall last night, oh, the tragedy, I think I cried for 3/4 of the movie!) or read books (right now I'm cozying up to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, a lovely spooky literary tale perfect for the Halloween weekend). Exercise, thanks to my profession, is not a struggle, and I'm still teaching all of my classes, which keeps me fit and feeling strong and energized (although it's getting much harder to do burpees!).

As far as what I'm eating, I've focused on more clean, colorful, and fresh foods. I know this may sound silly to someone who is not vegan. Wait a minute, you already eat healthy, right? I've mentioned this before but vegan is not synonymous with healthy AND just because you're vegan doesn't mean you necessarily eat a lot of nutrient dense foods. And thanks to Whole Foods and the like, we now have our pick of vegan convenience foods (frozen dinners, burritos, ect.). I admit to have been pretty lax about what I've been eating (too many lower-nutrient, higher calorie foods, not enough vegetables).

One of the perks of eating this way is that I feel great! No acid-reflux, indigestion, constipation, you know, the "regular" symptoms of later pregnancy. One of the downsides: I have to plan more, and spend more time washing, chopping and preparing fresh food. I still manage to make things quickly, but it DOES take more time. And another thing, I spend more time eating because I have to eat more frequently. I'm one of those who, although I love food, sometime feel inconvenienced by it, and sometimes wish I could just eat once a day, get it out of the way, and have time to do other things that I need and want to do. Alas, this is the best approach I've found. I keep my weight gain in check, I'm getting uber amounts of all the nutrients my baby and I need, and I feel great, which to me, is the most important thing.

Here's an interesting observation. During my first trimester when all I could eat was bland, high fat, junk food, my nails stopped growing. The past month or so, especially since I've recommitted myself to better eating, my nails have been growing like crazy, are strong and shiny. I admit, I haven't been faithful in taking a prenatal daily, although when I do, it's Garden of Life's RAW prenatal. I've tracked my nutrient intake with CRON, and considering that when I eat this way I always exceed my RDA's for pregnancy, I think a prenatal is bit overkill for me. So the only thing I've been really vigilant about is taking daily drops of B-vitamins (primarily for the B-12) and eating a few walnuts (for omega-3s--just a few a day will meet your omega-3 needs) or a tablespoon of hemp, chia, or flax seeds.

Here's a sampling of what I've been eating lately:

Corn Salad Tacos

The lettuce serve as the "tortilla." Green leaf works best, but romaine leaves would also work.

2 c. frozen sweet corn
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
small bunch of cilantro, to taste, chopped
5-6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
Green leaf lettuce leaves

Defrost the corn (I get mine from Costco) in a colander by running under hot water for a few minutes, or until completely defrosted. Combine ingredients and dress with 1/4 c. of Dijon vinaigrette. Serve with lettuce leaves. Recipe for the vinaigrette (save the extras to use on other salads, will keep in the fridge forever!): 1/4 cup deli-style or dijon mustard, 6 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons agave nectar.

Yesterday's lunch:

Leftover sweet potato hash from breakfast (from Dr. McDougall's McDougall Program for MWL), I used sweet potatoes instead of potatoes), jicama salad (recipe also from McDougall's MWL book), and kale slaw (recipe below, it's super easy!).

Kale Slaw

1/2 head of kale, sliced very thin
1/2 red bell pepper strips

Dress with some ginger sesame dressing: 1/4 cup regular or seasoned rice vinegar, 1/4 tsp. Asian ginger powder, 1 TBS. sesame seeds, 1/4 tsp. sesame oil, 1-2 TBS. maple syrup (depending on sweetness desired).

Guest Bloggin' & the 30 Day Vegan

2010-10-27T09:32:00.003-06:00

Hey friends:

I had the chance to do a guest blog interview for my newest bloggin' buddy, Carrie a spunky twenty-something, who went veg for a month and blogged all about it.

Hop on over to her blog where you can read the interview as well as learn more about some of the fun she's had living the vegan life for the past month (also, check out her adorable etsy shop!).

Happy Vegan Birthday, to me!

2010-10-21T13:35:00.012-06:00

This month marks four years of telling the meat and dairy to take a hike out of my diet.

I took my kids to story time today and happened to run into a fellow vegan momma who recognized me from the blog (sheesh, I'm blushing, like the two people that have read this blog, I run into one of them, at the library of all places!). We chatted for a few minutes.

She(paraphrasing here): Do you ever feel alienated because you're vegan? Like you're the only one?

Me: No, not at all.

Okay, honest response. I can relate, believe me, I can relate to those feelings. But they seem like so far away, so long ago, I've almost forgotten. There were times, especially in the first year or so, where sure, I felt like a weirdo. Mostly at parties and family gatherings. But you know what, after a while, I was no longer the pink elephant in the room. Wait a second, was I really ever THAT different to my friends and family? Probably not. Often times our reality is skewed by our insecurities. Friends/family will inevitablity find something new to gawk/poke fun at, ect. The novelty sorta wears off. At least that has been MY experience.

I feel like I've traveled the whole gamut of the nutrition/vegan world. Raw foods, animal activism. I've read all the books by McDougall, Furhman, Ornish...Read boring nutrition books about how carbohydrates are converted into glucose, trying to immerse myself in the science of just how our bodies deal with the food we give it. And I can tell you, it's so much simpler than it's made out to be. I chuckle to myself when I read the "latest" about how to lose weight or find the fountain of youth (it's just this one little secret...one little pill...).

All of the books & articles I've read, workshops and classes (I've attended and taught), can be surmised by the following.

What I know about food & veganism thus far:

Humans (and for that matter, all animals) eat food because: 1) we need energy (ie. calories). 2) because we need the nutrients that come packaged in those foods that we eat.
Our food choices are based on our culture, upbringing, tastes, social class, convenience, and food availability.
Jello is not holy (if you're LDS you'll understand this one). Ditto for funeral potatoes, pot roast and recipes that use lots of sour cream and cans of cream of chicken soup. (refer to previous bullet point)
It is not expensive to live and eat healthfully. I can buy one pound of tofu or beans for less than a dollar. I don't know of any quality meat I can buy for that price. Fruit and veggies in season can be found at reasonable prices, sometimes it just takes a little creativity.
Resist the shiny packaging, the alluring promises of youth and thinness, and stay away, far far away from hype or fad diets, fancy and expensive potions/pills/supplements, whose promises really are too good to be true (your wallet and body will thank you later).
Food is not holy. Food is fuel (even though it can sometimes taste REALLY good and look REALLY pretty). The worship of food, or the eating of a specific combination of foods, doesn't make one holier than others. (refer back to bullet point #1).
One does not need to be vegan to live healthfully.
Being vegan is more a set of principles to live by (compassion, joyful/healthful living, honoring and respecting your body through proper nourishment), rather than a rigid set of "do's" and "don'ts."
Everyone can change for the better.
Throw out the calculations, the carb-phobia, the protein mania, the obsessive compulsive dieting tendencies inherited by fad-dieting slicksters, and stick with this simple diet advice:

Eat for nourishment of body & soul. Eat colorful, vibrant foods as your budget allows. Make whole grains, legumes, tubers, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds the staples of your diet. Allow animals foods to play a marginal or non-existent role on your menu.

The lactation fluid (mammal's milk, ie. cow's milk, goat's milk, ect.) of animals is perfectly tailored to meet the nutritional needs of that mammal's offspring, and not really intended to be consumed by other mammal's not of that species.
Protein is essential to life. But beyond a certain amount (approximately 55 grams/day for an average non-pregnant, adult woman), it is overkill, unnecessary, and over time especially if it comes from animal sources, can be detrimental to your health (see The China Study).
Protein can be obtained from eating a combination of plant foods (although it doesn't have to be in special combinations). Consuming animal protein to meet protein needs is possible, but NOT essential to human nutrition.
It is possible to be a happy vegan momma amidst the crowds of non-vegans, and to raise, happy, healthy, well-adjusted vegan children.
There is so much more to life than food.
Animals do suffer as a result of our food choices. My choice to not consume them does make a difference, however small, even if it is the difference is in the fact that I'm at peace with my conscience, and invite more compassion into my life and thinking.
It's much, much, much easier to be vegan after you have a few years under your belt.
A vegan can love an omnivore (& vice-versa) and live under one roof peaceably.

So to my fellow vegan momma/blog friend whom I ran into at the library: thanks for reminding me what it's all about and helping me reminisce the journey I've taken. And don't sweat it, you know what's right for you and your family, so just do it, and enjoy the journey.

Here's to four years of happy, vegan eating and to many, many more.

Pumpkin Pie Shake

2010-10-16T10:10:00.008-06:00

PUMPKIN RECIPE #1

Here's a quickie recipe I whipped up the other night.

I have fond memories of fall-time in my college years sipping on very large Jamba Juice pumpkin pie shakes (pre-vegan days) to get me through long readings of Faulkner & Hardy.

If I haven't mentioned this yet, I LOVE pumpkin anything (I can eat it straight out of the can), especially any kind of pumpkin pieish dish. While it's been years since I have partaken of that glorious pumpkin pie shake, I had a craving for it the other night. And the Jamba version is so not vegan (loaded with dairy, sugar, and calories). Using a little creativity I created my own, vegan-style.

Here's a non-dairy, lighter in calories version, you can feel good about. Is this a dessert, a snack or a breakfast food? It can be all of the above--sweet, yet packed with a nutritional punch, this shake is definitely not just "empty calories."

NOTE: I used my Blendtec, which does an AWESOME job of creating that restaurant style blend (no ice chunks) that make this shake really creamy and smooth.
.
PUMPKIN PIE SHAKE.

1 cup unsweetened original or vanilla low-cal almond milk (40 calories per cup)
3/4-1 c. canned/pureed cooked pumpkin
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3/4-1 c. ice cubes
1/2 tsp. powdered green leaf stevia
1/2-1 TBS. agave nectar (or other sweetener, like maple syrup)

If you don't have green leaf stevia, increase sweetener to taste.

Combine all ingredients in a powerful blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy (I did 2 cycles on smoothie in my Blendtec).

Makes 1, 2 1/2 c. serving.

Nutrition Info: (based on 1/2 TBS. agave & 1 c. pumpkin) Per serving: 155 calories, 3.5 g fat, 4 g protein, 8 g fiber, 17 g sugar, 26% DV calcium, 21% DV iron, 772% vitamin A, 17% DV vitamin C, 62% vitamin E, 48% DV vitamin K.
Nutrition info calculated using CRON-o-meter software.

Dinner Last Night: Butternut Squash & White Bean Stew

2010-10-07T12:38:00.007-06:00

Last night's dinner: Butternut Squash & White Bean Stew, Cornbread, & Coleslaw.

The original recipe for the stew came from an article in Relish Magazine. I tweaked it to fit the tastes of my family (unfortunately, half of us loathe mushrooms. I'm not one of them). The coleslaw was very easy to make, and my kids, could eat bucketfuls of this stuff. They love it. The cornbread is always a hit (I use the recipe from Coleen Patrick-Goudreau's Vegan Baking--it's slightly modified, but I get the idea from her), and the soup was also a winner, although I let them layer it over a bed of leftover basmati rice, which got them more excited about eating squash, which is not always a popular with my kids (my oldest thought the squash was some sort of potato).

Here are the recipes for the coleslaw and stew (for the cornbread, check out Vegan Baking).

Vegan Coleslaw

With salads, it usually doesn't matter if you don't measure things exactly. When making coleslaw it's important to measure so you have a perfectly coated slaw (not saturated with dressing, and not skimpy on the dressing either). The trick in getting beautifully chopped, and therefore edible cabbage, is using a food processor. I chopped the cabbage into chunks and then processed it through the grater. For the carrots, I used the S-blade of the food processor. I peeled and cut the carrots into small chunks before processing.

4 1/2 cups chopped cabbage/cauliflower (I did mostly cabbage with about a half head of cauliflower--processed with the grater in my food processor)
4 medium carrots, peeled, and chopped into small pieces
1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise (I made mine from scratch using my favorite no-oil recipe from 7 Secrets Cookbook)
1 TBS. raw apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp. sweetener of choice
1/2 tsp. celery seeds (don't underestimate the power of these little seeds, they add a lot of flavor and personality to the slaw)
1/4 tsp. salt (OPTIONAL)

Toss the carrots and cabbage/cauliflower mixture. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients to make dressing. Pour dressing over carrots and cabbage and toss until well coated. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the taste marinate or eat immediately.

Butternut Squash & White Bean Stew

This soup is perfect for a chilly autumn evening. It really is a meal in a bowl, and could easily be eaten alone. I love sneaking cabbage into soups whenever I can, because my kids and husband never know it's there! The secret is the chopping it very finely (food processor does this best), but not to the point of pureeing.

1 medium onion, slivered, then chopped lightly
3 c. finely chopped green cabbage
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 14 oz. can no-salt diced tomatoes
3 cups water
2 heaping TBS. "chickenish" seasoning (vegan vegetable bouillon also works)
2 TBS. tomato paste
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
2 TBS. dried parsley (or use fresh)
1/2 tsp. salt (OPTIONAL--you can always salt your soup when you eat it to limit your sodium intake)
freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cans (about 3 1/2 cups) great northern white beans, rinsed

On medium/high heat, saute onions for 5 or so minutes in a large pot, stirring every so often so onions don't stick. Add small amounts of water if necessary. Add remaining ingredients except for the beans. Turn up heat to high until a boil is reached. Cover, then turn down and allow to simmer on medium/low for 30-40 minutes, or until squash is soft/slightly firm. Add beans and stir. Serve with fresh cornbread, toast, or crackers.

Dinner Tonight: Pancakes & Fresh Applesauce

2010-10-05T18:30:00.007-06:00

One thing we have a lot of these days: apples.

I buy a half-bushel (about 20 pounds?) of "seconds" from a local orchard for $6. Can't beat that. Right now, honeycrisp apples are being harvested. These apples don't keep well in the fridge for long periods of time like galas, and apparently they're not the best for apple pies (haven't tried personally, but that's what the nice woman at the stand told me), so what's left? Eat 'em quick, eat 'em fresh. Since they have a shorter shelf-life, honeycrisp apples probably can't be found at Wal-mart or most neighborhood supermarkets. They're more of the fruit stand variety. And boy, are they amazing! Probably my favorite apple. Crispy, light, and sweet with a slight lemon tang. Honeycrisp is definitely an appropriate name for this delightful fruit.

My husband's been ultra-busy this past week so dinners have been just me and the kids. Which requires it to be simple and fast, and more kid friendly since I don't have the support of my hubby to encourage the kids to try new/exotic foods and/or food combinations. Tonight we had pancakes topped with fresh applesauce.

The thing I love about this recipe (my pancakes are always a little different each time around since I experiment with different flours and ingredients) is that they were really fluffy and big (they puffed up quite a bit). I really liked the mild flavor created by the combination of almond milk and the two different flours. Even though I used two bananas it didn't make it taste "bananay" (although to more discerning/picky taste buds it might?), but rather gave it a moist texture. I added the flax seed for a nutritional boost (golden flax seed is lighter than regular and has a milder taste) and it acts in the same way oil and eggs do in a traditional pancake recipe.

I'm a HUGE fan of whole wheat pastry flour, which has all the fiber and nutrients of whole wheat but is lighter and more favorable for recipes in which you don't want a dense or heavy product. Also, a great choice if you're transitioning your family away from refined products. We had a bunch of leftovers--sometimes we freeze these, but usually we put them in a zip lock bag in the fridge and the kids eat them as snacks the next day.

This dinner may seem sparse, but for us it was more than enough. Add sliced oranges as a side dish, or if you're feeling ambitious, add hash browns and/or a tofu scramble.

All in all, it took me, from start to finish, about 20 minutes, maybe less, to put this together. My kind of meal.

Whole Grain Fluffy Pancakes

3 c. whole wheat pastry flour/white wheat flour (not the same as whole wheat!)
1 c. fine cornmeal flour
2 TBS. baking powder
2 TBS. sugar (OPTIONAL)
2 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 c. original almond milk
1/4 c. ground or whole golden flax seed
2 medium ripe bananas

Sift dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Combine almond milk, flax seed, bananas, and cinnamon in blender until flax seed is thoroughly blended into mixture. On a medium-high non-stick griddle, use about 1/4-1/3 c. batter (I used a round ice cream scoop to help me be precise) and cook for 1-2 minutes, flip, and cook for half as long on other side until golden brown. Top with applesauce, maple or fruit syrup, nut butter, and/or a bit of earth balance.

Makes 24, 4-inch round pancakes.

Nutrition Info: (based on CRON-O-METER) Per 4 inch round pancake, 101 calories, 2.5 g protein, 19.4 g carb, 1.5 g fat, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, .396 g omega-3 fats

Fresh Applesauce

3-4 medium/large apples (I used honeycrisp), seeded and cut into large chunks
1-2 TBS. fresh lemon juice (start out with less, you can always add more later)
handful of pitted dates (about 4-6)

Combine in blender and blend until dates are thoroughly blended. Will keep in the fridge for a day or two (but I'll bet you won't have any leftovers!).

Dinner Tonight: Spaghetti Squash

2010-10-03T18:22:00.005-06:00

Here's the simple dinner we had tonight. I loved it, especially since I felt full and content afterward but not stuffed or bloated. Love those kind of meals.

Baked spaghetti squash: Halve, seed, and bake face down for 50 minutes at 350 F. Topped with tomato sauce (lightly blended one can organic stewed Italian tomatoes, which included garlic, basil and oregano seasonings). Kids topped theirs with Earth Balance and salt. Kids weren't crazy about the texture of the squash, but too bad, this isn't a cafeteria...

Green salad: Red leaf lettuce, tomatoes from garden, peeled and sliced cucumbers, chopped carrot, sprinkled with pumpkin & hemp seeds. For dressing I used Mrs. Dash's lemon pepper & balsamic vinegar & a wee bit of dulse flakes. Kids topped theirs with Organicville's vegan Ranch and croutons. One of my sons had 3 servings of salad!

Toasted bread: Remember last post, how I mentioned I was up to bread making? I did make the bread, and I will share the recipe in a future post. It's a kamut/white wheat bread (can be made all whole wheat) so the color, texture, and flavor is lighter than whole wheat but all the fiber and nutritional punch of whole wheat. The kids gobble this up, especially with some Earth Balance on top.

Lima Beans: Just got 'em out of the freezer, cooked them for 10 minutes on the stove and sprinkled lightly with salt. Yum. And each bean is perfect for kiddie fingers to pick up.

That's it. I suppose not too glamorous, but it was easy, filling, and very nutritious.

More to life than food

2010-09-28T12:45:00.006-06:00

Okay people.

I'm alive. And well. And still vegan.

Just busy.

You know how it is: three small (homeschooled, have I mentioned this? it's a little experiment we're doing this year) children, working two part-time jobs, managing a household...expectant with a fourth wee-one. Somehow that last one seems to trump all. Being pregnant is not the same as not pregnant. I know, obvious. But everything really IS different.

Especially relating to food. While I can eat much more normally now than when I was dealing with 24-7 pregnacy sickness, food just ain't the same. First, my appetite seems to be kicked into high gear. Just 300 more calories a day they say. Hmm...I wonder, are there exceptions to this? It's not that I even WANT to eat the food, it's like this little life form inside of me has taken over my body and sends little messages to my brain saying, "EAT!! EAT!!" It's obnoxious, because I HAVE to listen. And frankly, I don't really enjoy eating anymore. I kinda see it as a chore. I don't know if it's because of the pregnancy hormones or what, but for the most part, food is food. And I've realized--there's much more to life than food.

I should note to that just veggies don't cut it like they used to. I'll make myself a huge salad, and can barely finish half of it, before I have to start eating something more filling and dense, it's as if my body is saying--"find yourself something more calorie dense woman!" This may be partly due to the fact that I haven't scaled back on my activity level and continue to teach 1-3 fitness classes a day, 6 days a week??

And too much sugar (ie. fruit) makes me queasy. So I try to limit fruit to just a few pieces a day. I eat lunch/dinner for breakfast because lunch/dinner foods are much easier to make sans fruit or sweeteners. My son asked me the other day, when he saw I was eating some pasta and veggies for breakfast, "Mom, why are you eating dinner for breakfast?" My simple reply: "Cause mommy's pregnant."

Bread, pasta, nuts (almonds, peanuts, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds...), Sunshine burgers, these really delicious falafel nuggets from Costco, my husbands homemade flour tortillas, thick & rich chili with chunks of TVP, homemade cornbread, all the creamy & rich recipes from the Seven Secrets cookbook...these foods seem to satisfy. Oh, and my husband's apple pie (with a scoop of my favorite homemade vanilla cashew ice cream)! That DOES make eating enjoyable. And, I almost forgot, my friend brought over a homemade peach pie the other day. I almost died, it was so delectable. I suppose not all is blah. There are a few bright spots.

For now, I'm going to attempt making 8 or so loaves of bread. No. I'm not crazy, just frugal, and I figure I can make one loaf of bread for about .40 as opposed to the $4 I'd spend anywhere else for a good whole-grain kind I can feel good about giving to my kids. And I must do something with the monstrous zucchini from my garden...looks like zucchini bread is next in line.

Creamy Vegan Potato Kaley Soup (and other things)

2010-09-08T13:43:00.010-06:00

Although my summer was marked by intense morning sickness, this past month seemed to make up for it:

A visit to Mt. Rainer National Forest. One of my favorite places on earth. I love the smell of pine, the sea of green, the imposing mountains and valleys. If you've never been, make it a place to visit before you die. While you're at it, add the whole state of Washington as well.
In August, my best friend and ultimate companion in life, J, and I celebrated 6 years together as husband and wife. Proof that you can love each other more than ever, even after 3 1/2 kids, lots of consuming and expensive schooling, and many sleepless nights (thank you newborns) we still find one another irresistible and when asked who we'd want to spend our time with, we both agree: each other. Proof that a vegan and an omnivore can find lasting true love.
My baby girl's ("Mali"), first hair cut. For the first time, I saw her not as my baby, but somehow all grown up. One of those teary-eyed mom moments for sure. One of my first healthy breakfasts post uber-nausea: Old-fashioned oats, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, walnuts, and some plant milk. It was refreshing to eat something healthy again.
A lovely barbecued meal on one of our lazy (sweltering hot) summer evenings: Grilled corn with red miso instead of butter which gave it a slightly salty, rich flavor (thanks Coleen Patrick-Goudreau for the idea!), veggie kabobs slathered with a mango ginger sauce (purchased at Costco). AND....

I promised to post my favorite kale soup recipe. Here's the kale (ain't it beautiful?) from my garden. Unfortunately, I mostly didn't get to enjoy it this summer as the sight of it made me want to puke. Once I got over the morning sickness (it didn't actually completely go away until about week 16...but I could start eating greens, in moderation, at about 12 weeks), I made some kale soup.

This is a meal in a bowl. I love the creamy broth, the flavor (notice how I use quite a bit of herbs and no-salt flavoring, which is so important in creating something that people, namely yourself, actually want to eat), and the contrasting colors of the kale and carrots. I like this soup, because not only do I like it, but my kids like it too.

Creamy Vegan Potato Kaley Soup

1/2 lb. red potatoes, quartered
1/2 lb. gold potatoes, quartered
4 carrots, peeled, sliced
5-6 bay leaves
water
2 onions, chopped chunky
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
1/2 TBS. onion powder
1/2 TBS. evaporated cane juice (or just plain sugar works too!)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 c. veggie soup mix (OPTIONAL)--mine was a Wellness Forum mix
2 TBS. dried parsley (or fresh, if your THAT kind of gal/guy)
1 TBS. poultry seasoning (this doesn't contain animal in it--it's just a mix of herbs)
1 TBS. organic no-salt seasoning (my favorite is either Mrs. Dash original or the Costco brand)
5-6 bay leaves
few drops of Tabasco sauce (OPTIONAL)
salt to taste
4 c. plain plant milk (plain soy works best, but unsweetened plain almond works too)
1 large bunch of kale, chopped

To make:
Heat pan on medium heat. Once hot, dump onions and stir for 3-5 minutes. Add potatoes, bay leaves, and carrots and water (3-5 cups, enough to cover the potatoes--you can always add more later if you want). Turn up the heat to high until you reach a boil. Cover and turn down the medium and let simmer for 10 minutes or so (in the meantime, do the dishes, read the kids a book, make a salad...). In a small bowl or jar, mix nutritional yeast, onion & garlic powders, sugar, veggie soup mix, dried parsley (if fresh, add at the end), no-salt seasoning, and poultry seasoning. Mix thoroughly and then add to pot. Simmer for 10 or more minutes until potatoes are soft but still firm (not mushy). Add plant milk and kale. Discard the bay leaves. Stir and let simmer a few minutes longer until kale is soft. Upon serving, add salt to taste and Tabasco (for a little kick). ENJOY!

How to gain 15 pounds in 2 months (and other good news)

2010-08-05T03:30:00.006-06:00

Good news!

I'm feeling better.

Much better. Still nauseated. But a different sort of nausea. One I can live with. I can cook, clean. I've been able to return to my prior domestic bliss. I'm no longer this half-living blob of flesh that just lies around, whose only purpose in life is to breathe, eat, and sleep.

And since I'm feeling so much better, I've kicked my Unisom habit (which btw, I believe I did experience a few mild withdrawal headaches for two days after going off it, which leads me to further believe that yes, it IS a drug). As well as my refined carb/processed/crappy food habit. I know, good news, isn't it? Oh, and did I mention I also no longer need to drink 32-64 oz. of diet Pepsi to get me through the day?

Life is good.

One of the backlashes of all this, is now I really feel like a pregnant person. For a number of reasons.

1) It's 3:30 in the morning as I write this. Why am up at this crazy hour, you say. It's funny, now that I no longer enjoy long, drug induced (thanks Unisom), deep slumbers, I'm experiencing the natural rhythm of the sleep cycle during pregnancy. Which for me at least, is completely unpredictable. I'm sleeping like a newborn. No longer than 5 hours of sleep at a time. Either I have to go the bathroom (at least 2 times during the night, already!) and/or I can't sleep.

I don't know exactly what it is, but now I feel this surge of energy, one that has carried me to doing all sorts of experiments in the kitchen as well as clean sweeps of my house. Don't get me wrong. I still get tired. Like yesterday. I didn't sit down all day except to read my kids books. Between the cleaning and the cooking, the playing/supervising/mitigating of the children, I didn't lay down on my couch until after dinner. When I did, my body was exhausted, but I was still wired. I wasn't quite ready for sleep, surprisingly, because I hadn't taken a nap.

2) I know this going to sound weird, but my bones/muscles ache in a way that feels like the baby is taking everything from me. I feel like an Animorph in slow motion--these pains are just the by-product of this slow transformation. I call it pregnancy growing pains, and they just started to kick in. I usually feel these at night, just before I go to bed, and my husband, lucky guy, gets to hear all about it. These aren't unusual to my pregnancies. I've felt them with my three other pregnancies. I think this is all part of my sixth sense, which unfortunately, is not that cool (not like I can see dead people or anything). Similar to the princess and the pea, I'm hyper-aware of all bodily sensations at all times. I have this heightened sense of body-awareness. Ask anyone in my family, they will attest to this strange talent.

3) I'm softening up, getting more curvaceous (in an expectant sort of way). There is fat on my body where there didn't used to be.

Remember the post where I talked about me bashing my scale into a million pieces, or something like that, and how I didn't want to be aware of how much I weighed during the pregnancy? Well, I have bashed my scale into a million pieces (at least figuratively) and haven't weighed myself at all since becoming pregnant. But something happened at my last midwife visit. I accidentally saw my chart. And the numbers for my weight. It was shocking. 155 lbs. I started out, not so long ago at, oh about 140. I'm not that good at math, but I think that equates to a solid 15 lbs (!). How in the world does anyone gain that much weight in such short amount of time? Yes, I wondered the same thing. But it didn't take me long to figure out the answer. I know I'm pregnant, but believe me, a baby that is two-inches long can't weight THAT much. So I can safely assume that 99% of that weight is not the baby. There's the increased blood flow and fluids, the growing size of the uterus, ect. ect. I know all of that. But these things cannot possibly weigh 15 pounds. So lets assume 2 of the 15 pounds are related to the baby/pregnancy. And I should say I was fully clothed and footed at the time of the weighing (I would love to believe my clothes and shoes weighed the other 13 pounds). How DO you gain 13 pounds in about 6 weeks (the time I was uber-sick)? I've created a short summary for your convenience:

Don't eat any vegetables.
Ditto for fruit.
Eat whenever and whatever you want, including right before you go to sleep.
Focus on refined/processed/and fast foods.
Eat lots of white flour, oils, and cheese.
Make cold cereal your go-to snack of choice-a calorie dense food, especially if it's Captain Crunch you can easily consume 5 bowls in one sitting without feeling like you made a dent in your hunger at all!
Did I mention eat lots of white bread.
Never spend more than 3 minutes preparing anything that you eat.
Eat out daily.
Avoid moving. Lounge/lay around and sleep as much as possible.*

*I did exercise faithfully during this period, but even daily rigorous exercise cannot cancel out the consequences of the above.

This is what I did, and it worked for me.

Good news is that as of about sometime last week, it was like a switch was flipped, and though I still felt nauseated, I could actually EAT and enjoy healthy food. I slowly transitioned back to my old ways, it took a couple of days (I didn't go straight for the mixed greens and steamed kale), but now I'm back to my good ol' vegan self and it feels so good! Yes, I've gained more weight than I would have liked for my first trimester. But on a positive note, I did start out at a rather low weight (healthy, but the lowest weight I've ever been at this height). And I'm not going to keep this pace up because I'm back to real, wholesome food. I also walk 5 miles every day in addition to 30 minutes of formal exercise. I hope between the two, I won't have the sticker shock I had at this last visit on my next visit to the midwife in 4 weeks.

As I alluded to before, I AM back in the kitchen and I've got recipes and photos I'm dying to share. Kale and potato soup, polenta cornbread, white bean hummus, mung bean noodle soup...oh the sweetness of being a normal person again. Anyway, I will be posting these recipes as soon as I can get to it. I can tell you my family has been happier now that we actually sit down and eat a home cooked dinner together.

One last thing, on my most recent visit I heard the baby's heartbeat. Like the beat of hummingbird's wings, hearing evidence of this baby's existence was one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard. As the midwife reassured me that, yes, the baby exists, is alive, by all accounts that we can tell, is well, comfort came to me, and all of a sudden the 15 pounds and 6 weeks of nausea didn't seem to matter as much.

Yes, life is good.

What does it mean to be vegan.

2010-07-28T08:20:00.009-06:00

This post is a response to an anonymous comment made to one of my posts, which accused me of being fake because I say I'm vegan yet I use/consume animal products.

I don't want this to be my defense of my veganism, but alas, I suppose that's what it's going to be.

First I'd just like to say that becoming vegan has been a process. I didn't eliminate all animal products overnight, and as I've gained more awareness about certain things, I've tried to align my choices to match my awareness. I try to only eat and consume animal free foods and cruelty-free products to the best of my ability and feel that I do a pretty good job. Do I eat butter? No. Eggs, meat, milk, cheese? No, no, no, and no. Am I for treating all beings with compassion and respect? Yes. Am I against animal cruelty? Yes. Do I think it's wrong to create life only to kill it. Yes. For me, this is vegan enough. I don't know what other label to use, so there it is.

I've said this before. I hate labels. I'm hesitant to label myself anything. But alas, we cannot avoid labels. I suppose it's our desire to create order that is the chaos of living.

I think people are turned off from embracing vegetarianism or veganism because there seems to be an element of perfectionism to it. Like if you decide you're vegetarian, and you happen to eat meat or twice does this no longer make you vegetarian?

This problem doesn't just exist for vegetarians or vegans. What if you're Democrat and vote for several Republican candidates over a period of time? What if you're Catholic but you never attend Mass? Do you still call yourself Catholic?

This has been something I've thought a lot about as I've been intensely nauseated and all of the old foods I used to eat have been unpalatable (an understatement!). The other morning, for example, determined to finally eat something healthy, I ate two bites of watermelon and felt like I was going to throw up (which was on top of the usual nausea). I can't eat more than a few bites of oatmeal. I find it revolting. And the mere thought of any vegetables (except for tomatoes, which luckily, I actually can tolerate) and most all fruits (except for berries...interesting, huh?) makes me want to vomit. A Krispy Kreme donut and a diet Pepsi, on the other hand, one day, seemed to do the trick and soothed my stomach like nothing else. I have to say though that this was just one moment in time. There's never much predictability in the foods that I can tolerate and the foods that actually make me feel temporarily better. But the pattern remains the basically same--processed, refined foods tend to be much more approachable than foods that are unrefined & whole. Sadly, pretty much anything healthy.

Unless you've gone through this yourself, you can't understand what it's like to wake up day after day and have to deal with this gut-wrenching nausea that doesn't let up. Out of what I've deemed is necessity, I've made the choice to eat some non-vegan foods. I haven't enjoyed it, or liked the that I have eaten these foods. In fact I hate the way that I'm eating right now (it's safe to say I pretty much don't enjoy any food right now), and wish I could tolerate a big salad or nice bean soup. So, does this mean I am no longer vegan? Should I rename my blog? I feel comfortable still calling myself vegan because in a week or two, if the stars align, I will be past all of this morning sickness and nausea and be back to my old vegan self. Because I miss cooking. I miss eating the colorful, vibrant foods I used to eat. I miss feeling good about my food choices. The fact is, I feel, more than anything, having strayed off the vegan path for a few weeks, I have further strengthened my resolve to be vegan. Like an Amish youth who has completed rumspringa, the rite of passage in which they experience what "the world" has to offer for a year and decides to return to the Amish flock, I have decided with firm resolve, that I'm meant to be vegan.

I know for some, I will never be "vegan enough." I don't understand why there has to be judgment about this, and why others bother themselves about whether or not others are enough of this or enough of that to be worthy of a certain label. Fact is, I believe in the basic principle of compassion, which is at the heart of what I understand to be what it means to be vegan. I want to live this principle because it expands to other areas of my life and I feel like living in a compassionate manner helps me to live with greater awareness and purpose.

I'm sorry if I've let any of you down. I'm sorry if you don't think I'm vegan enough to call myself vegan. But in my mind, being vegan isn't about perfectionism or abiding by a number of do's and don'ts, a list of rules that if always abide by, you're cool enough to be in the vegan club. This exclusiveness is part of the reason why veganism has in the past, struggled gaining much traction.

Being vegan, to me, means doing and living the best you can in a healthful, compassionate, and aware fashion. I say let's do away with the judgement and criticism and embrace being compassionately optimistic.

Pregnant superwoman--NOT

2010-07-21T14:52:00.012-06:00

I woke up this morning feeling terrific. I walked about 5ish miles and taught a 30 minute cardio class.

Whoa, superwoman.

Before you draw any conclusions, the above is about all I will do today in terms of anything physical.

Well, not quite. I took my kids to the park, read them lots of books, and you know, "played" with them (made sure they were playing nicely and sharing while I laid on the couch and finished reading Harry Potter's Chamber of Secrets. Yes, it is the first time I've read it, can you believe it?).

For a moment there, sometime after my walk and right before breakfast, I thought, "Oh no, am I still pregnant?" because I was feeling so GREAT! I've been so used to feeling a certain way ALL of the time. I've been feeling nauseatingly sick to my stomach awful. All-food-makes-me-want-to-hurl awful (especially, but not limited to anything that is a plant, particularly green vegetables and fruit. I know!), and I have the energy of half a comatose sloth.

So how does feeling this way play out on the self-worth of me, someone who previously prided myself in how much I can accomplish in a day. Gone are the days when I can say of the day, yes, I did the following: bike the all three kids to the swimming pool--one strapped to my back, the others pulled behind the bike in the stroller. Cleaned the house from top to bottom, and no, not a dish in the sink. Prepared three delicious well-rounded and balanced vegan meals (from scratch). Took the kids to storytime at the library. Mowed the lawn. Paid some bills. Spent some quality time with the husband. Whew, I know. Who is THAT woman. Certainly not the current me.

For the last month, I've survived. My husband has done all (I mean all) of the housework and food shopping and preparation, and takes charge of the kids whenever he's not working. He's the true superhero of this story. Me? I go to sleep whenever I can, lay around whenever I can, and when I'm not sleeping or laying, I'm trying to be a decent mother. I know, what I'm good for? Clearly, I'm only capable of making a baby and keeping myself alive.

But I see the light, in the not too distant future. Today I feel a smidgin better. Tomorrow hopefully will be better, the next day, better, until, one day, I will wake up and gloriously realize: I feel like a normal person again, and yes, I can eat vegetables now!

Speaking of which, you're probably wondering (I cringe to think), what I have been eating lately. You know that my previous (pre-morning sickness) diet consisted mostly of veggies, fruit, starches (beans and whole grains). My current diet, well, just think the the complete opposite of that. Not much has changed from last post. Refined everything, no veggies or fruits, and as I've admitted before, a smattering of non-vegan foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, the list goes on...And should I mention, I've eaten at various not-exactly your vegan friendly fast food establishments like Arby's, Taco Time, AppleBees, KFC, Kneaders, a local joint that sells sandwiches and artisan bread (love their bread I have to say).

Okay. I had some fish yesterday. Think of it this way, what do you eat if you can't stomach veggies, fruits, or most whole starches (mashed potatoes one exception, although since I can't cook, I've been eating the KFC kind)? Really. No way to stay vegan (in this state) and sane. So anyway, back to the fish. It was okay. But you know what? I don't like eating these foods. It's not like I'm secretly saying to myself, "oh I'm so glad I have this morning sickness excuse, now I can eat all of the juicy steaks and hamburgers my heart desires." For the record, I've never liked steak or beef hamburgers. And eating some of the foods from omnivorous life, well, it only further solidifies my resolve to be vegan. I know, sounds funny. But I think I was just meant to be vegan. I'm crazy about vegetables, fruits, whole foods and don't enjoy eating animals.

One other thing. There was a point, sometime, about a week ago where I said, I have to take something or I'm going to do something drastic. Not only was I completely depressed about living day after day in a wasted, stomach-flu like existence, I no longer felt like I could mentally wrap myself around the thought of trying to just suck it up and cope with it for an indeterminate amount of time. I'm au-natural girl, for sure, but after many attempts at naturally coping with the morning sickness, I said, I give up. Give me drugs. My CNM prescribed Fenigran, which incidentally I took once and decided, was not for me. It didn't help the nausea, rather it knocked me out cold and drained me of the little energy I did have and caused me to be intensely sleepy. That didn't work. Another disillusioning experience with medicine. I admit I was praying for a magic pill.

The one thing that is working, or I should say helping is taking a Unisom tablet (over-the-counter sleep aid) with 100 mg of vitamin b-6 every night. It makes the hardest part of my day (morning time) manageable, and while I still feel nauseated, it does take the edge off, at least for part of the day. I don't have guilt for taking this (it's considered safe to take during pregnancy by health care professionals and all the research I could find via Google). I took it during my second pregnancy as well.

Also, I really am hopeful. I ate some strawberries this morning and they tasted GOOD! It was first thing in the morning, and the thought of them now makes me want to, well you know. But still. I think things are looking up.

As you can see, I'm not superwoman. I almost thought I was, and then I got pregnant again. That little baby growing inside of me is sure showing me who's boss!

Guilt, weight, & scales

2010-07-08T15:59:00.003-06:00

I know there are some women out there, I have met them, who love all stages of their pregnancy, and quote, "have never felt better!" (even during the first trimester).

Folks, that is NOT me.

Pregnancy kicks my self-righteous nutritional butt and the morning sickness is forcing me to come to terms with my limits in a very humbling way.

All I want to do is sit around. All day long. Or lay around. I'm so unmotivated to do anything that requires movement. I'm still teaching fitness classes every morning, but thankfully, since it's summer, I have a break from teaching at the university, so my schedule is a little more low-key. Yes, I have three little ones running around. But it's summer and it couldn't be a better time for this to happen. J, my husband is around more and has swooped in like the superhero he is to clean, take care of the kids, cook, and do all that my lazy, nauseated, behind is unable to do.

I used to be confident of my ability to make conscious, deliberate food choices that were healthy, good for the environment, animals, ect. Now, I'm eating whatever. Twix candy bars, frozen yogurt, fudgecicles, bean burritos & tater tots from Taco Time, veggie sausage, plain toasted bagels with tofutti cream cheese, eggs. I'm not actually proud of the foods I've been eating--they just happen to be only foods that seem to sound semi-palatable, rather then gut-wrenchingly repulsive (like anything green or raw).

On one hand, I'm appalled. On the other, I have intense guilt, and a little anxiety that I'm going to wake up one morning and have gained ten or twenty pounds overnight. So I've decided, no scales this pregnancy. If I weigh myself, especially during this stage where there's nothing really to be done about my food choices, I'm just in survival mode, I'm going to go out of my mind. My midwife can inform me of my weight if it becomes a health issue. Otherwise, I'm just going to get through this nauseating (but blessed time, right?) period, which crossing my fingers, should last only a month or so more, then I will get back to eating the simple, whole plant foods I used to love.

White Bread & Pasta

2010-07-06T08:38:00.002-06:00

This is not a post to rant the evils of white bread. Rather, I want to let you know why I've been gone from my regular posting.

I have a confession to make. I've been eating atrociously. I mean, my old self is looking at my new self, in shock and horror at the foods that I've been eating--plain white bagels, tortilla chips, pasta, and not an ounce of veggies, except for tomatoes and iceberg lettuce, for weeks!

There is an explanation for all of this.

I am pregnant.

Somehow, as soon as the intense nausea and sleepiness (have I mentioned I can and do sleep 12 hours + a day?) set in (a.k.a. morning sickness, which please, can we find another name for this condition which is not limited to only the morning?), my very clean diet of whole foods did a complete 180. All I care about now is eating whatever I can manage to stomach, which is usually something white, starchy, and completely void of nutrients (does this make any sense at all?).

No. I haven't thrown up yet. Yes. I am very nauseated. VERY nauseated. Pretty much all of the time. And for those theories floating out there that morning sickness can be eased or eliminated with ginger, certain foods, or is caused by a poor diet, to that I say, hogwash. This is my fourth time around the pregnancy block, and I have to say I prior to getting pregnant this time around my diet could not have been made healthier. Seriously. I'm not bragging, just saying, there's this misconception that the perfect diet can eliminate morning sickness. It's just not true. I hate ginger. Especially ginger tea. It makes me want to throw up.

I have to say, I have been a lot more lenient with my food choices than with my last pregnancy when I wasn't nearly as overcome with morning sickness. This time around, I've had very strong cravings and aversions to food. While I'm committed to eating vegetarian during the whole pregnancy, I can't say I've been totally vegan. This may come as shock (perhaps disappointment to some?) as if you know me, I'm totally committed to the benefits of plant-based vegan diet. However, I've always felt that if my body were telling me I needed a particular food or if I felt I was "missing" something, I would eat fish or eggs or whatever. So since being pregnant the only craving for animal foods has been for eggs which I have, for the past few days been eating, without a shred of guilt. It's interesting to note, I was reading in this month's Fit Pregnancy magazine about how cholesterol levels need to be higher in pregnant women due to the increase in certain hormones needed for a healthy pregnancy. It makes sense to me that with my prior diet, my cholesterol had to be very low (which under non-pregnant circumstances is a good thing), so if this bit about higher cholesterol during pregnancy holds true, it would make sense that I'm craving things like eggs, which are a rich source of cholesterol.

The other thing that has changed dramatically is my eating schedule. For some reason, I can eat in the morning but as the day goes on, it becomes much harder to eat. So usually I'll eat a substantial breakfast, little or no lunch, and a small dinner or nothing at all. And I usually can't snack. After about 9 or 10 am, food becomes completely repulsive.

So don't worry if you don't hear from me for awhile. I'm around, just busy making a baby.

Vegan Lunch #1

2010-06-09T11:33:00.006-06:00

Summer days are here for sure. How do you know this? I'm MIA from regular posting. Sorry about that. I do miss connecting with you, dear lovely blog reader that you are.

At the present moment, I'm taking a break from our long (and I tell you what, fun, but exhausting) summer days, to share a recent lunch.

Before I do that though, I have to be honest. My lunch usually looks a lot different than my childrens. My kids usually like PB & J sandwiches, tofurky wraps, brown rice w/ soy sauce and cut up veggies, fruit salad, beans and chips, leftover pasta...simple, redundant stuff. That said, my kids (especially my 2 year old girl) loved the salad below. I have a hard time getting them to eat soup unless I have the assistance of their father who can help me enforce sitting and eating something like soup, that requires a bit more attention than a 2 or 3 or 4 year old can give in the middle of the day.

I don't have the recipe, because I just made it up. But I'll tell you what I put in it. It's inspired by Jeff Novick's Longevity Soup recipe (which really provides a springboard for endless variations of healthful yumminess).

I know what your thinking. Soup in the summer? I don't mind eating warm soup in the summer (as long as it's not too hot!) and sometimes, depending on the soup, I don't mind eating it cold or at room temperature.

Lima Bean Summer Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. bag frozen yellow summer squash
1 16 oz. bag frozen lima beans (love, love, the lima bean!)
1 16 oz. bag frozen veggie stir-fry mix
16 oz. no salt diced tomatoes
16 oz. no salt crush tomatoes
2-3 cups water (depending on how much "broth" you want)
1 cup diced frozen potatoes (I used Ore-Ida brand)
1/2 cup frozen chopped cilantro (I chop and freeze mine for convenience)

Seasoned with: Minced garlic, Mrs. Dash salt-free original blend, a few dashes of Tabasco

Simmered for about 15 minutes, until all veggies are thoroughly cooked. As with all soups, the taste was richer after letting it sit for an hour, but by all means, eat right away, and you'll most likely have leftovers for later. As you can see, I'm a fan of the frozen veggies. I eat what I can out of my garden (enjoying my kale and mixed greens, but my peas aren't doing so hot, and the radishes were kinda a flop), and do half fresh (mostly salad stuff) and half frozen (for main dish, entree type dishes).

Here's another little somethin' somethin' I non-cooked up. Inspired by my vegan sista's favorite salad recipe, I improvised and added a few extra ingredients. Jicama Artichoke Cauliflower Salad

1 medium yucca (jicama) root, diced
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2-4 green onions, chopped
1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped (I buy mine, in a jar, I make it oil free by rinsing in a colander)
Fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tomato, chopped

Seasoning: Several splashes of red wine vinegar, juice of one lemon (more or less, depending on your love of lemon), Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning, a little mild chili powder and/or smoked paprika. Sorry about not having measurements. What can I say? I'm a girl who doesn't like to measure.

Place a scoop in a big green lettuce leaf, wrap it up and eat like a taco or burrito. Yum.

Question for YOU: What veggies are you eating these days? and how? Do share.

Salad Ideas & Collard Wraps

2010-05-19T08:49:00.008-06:00

Greens, greens, glorious greens!

I love greens.

One of my pet peeves is going out to eat (which is usually not very exciting or enjoyable for me, since the quality and quantity of veg-friendly restaurants in these parts is wanting. I know, poor me), and ordering a salad only to get a few slices of tomatoes and carrots topped a bed of anemic looking iceberg lettuce, is a bit disheartening (especially when those few pieces of iceberg lettuce cost me $10).

When I tell people I'm vegan, a lot of people make some sort of comment, something to the effect of, "I could never eat that much salad." What they're really saying is that they could never be satisfied with what most restaurants try to pass off as a salad. First, let's clarify. I don't live on salads, or at least, what most people think of as salad.

What many Americans think of when we say "salad":
A cup of iceberg lettuce (apparently that's what we like??), tomatoes, carrots, and of course a LOAD of ranch or other calorie-rich dressing, croutons, bacon bits, cheese, olives, sunflower seeds (not bad, but usually roasted in oil, rather than raw)

I suppose the dressing and other calorie-bombs would make it more satisfying than just the iceberg lettuce and tomatoes/carrots alone, but still...not my idea (or anyone elses, that I know of anyway) of a satisfying meal.

MY version of a salad (which looks more like a meal, rather than a pathetic appetizer or side dish):
I start with at least 4 cups of hearty green greens. Spinach, romaine, green/red lettuce, mixed green spring mix (arugula, baby chard, ect.), sometimes iceberg lettuce (I don't think it's completely worthless, I do like the crunch it can add to dishes).

Then top with a combination of:

Shredded carrots, cabbage (purple and/or green)
Cauliflower or broccoli (chopped finely in a food processor--have I mentioned before I LOATHE raw broccoli unless it's processed this way?)
Sweet corn (I buy the frozen kind from Costco)
Peas
Cucumber slices
Kidney Beans (or any type of bean for that matter)
Sprouts
Chopped celery
Chopped green/red/yellow/orange bell peppers
Diced jicama (yucca root)
Green beans
Lima beans (I get mine in the freezer section)
Tomatoes

Then, to add even more substance, I might throw in 1/2 cup or so, depending on how hungry I am, of cooked grain (brown rice, quinoa, kamut/wheat berries).

For dressing, I usually keep it real simple (I mean, think of all the variety in the salad that has inherent flavor)--balsamic vinegar with some Mrs. Dash (no-salt herbal/spice seasoning). Lemon juice, raw apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, and nutritional yeast (sprinkled on top), are other things I sometimes use. I don't mind making salad dressings, but I've found I like the taste of the salad ingredients, and I want the taste of the veggies to dominate rather than the dressing itself.

Sometimes, I'll sprinkle raw hemp nut seeds (omega-3's), raw sunflower seeds (omega-6's), sesame seeds, almond slices, or roasted soy nuts depending on the ingredients used in the salad.

And there you have it, a very satisfying salad, which actually is the meal. You can adjust the calories in the salad by adjusting the ratio of greens to starch (peas, corn, grain). If you want a more hearty, filling salad, just add more starch.

Here are some greens, freshly cut from MY garden (applause people, I am SO proud of this). These are the first crop I've cut and I had some with my salad last night for dinner. There is something extremely gratifying about eating food that you grew, on your land. Very nice feeling. I don't actually know what kind of greens these are. I believe the seed packet read, mixed greens. It doesn't matter though. They're green, very nutritious, and tasty too. A side note though, a lot of people, if they aren't used to eating greens find the taste of many greens to be bitter. Greens are a bit bitter, but your taste buds will adjust. And mixed with other veggies and a little dressing, I think they taste delicious.

Salads aren't the only way to get your greens. I made collard wraps the other day and thought I'd share. I got the recipe idea from Anne Esselstyn.

I made my own hummus. Here's my recipe.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (reserve 1/4 cup liquid, but rinse beans)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic (or if you want to be a fancy pants, 1 clove raw garlic minced)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 TBS. lemon juice
1 large roasted red pepper (I buy mine in a jar, you really think I have time to roast my own peppers??!)
2 TBS. dried parsley flakes (or fresh)

Place all ingredients including 1/4 cup bean liquid, except for the parsley, in the food processor with the S blade and process until fairly smooth but still a bit chunky (I liked it this way). Add parsley and pulse until mixed in thoroughly.

For the wraps, take a head of collard greens (thoroughly washed and cleaned) and separate the leaves. Trim the stems. Place all leaves (stacked on top of each other is fine) in a large pot of boiling water and boil for 3 minutes (this takes away much of the bitter taste of the collard). Drain and dry the leaves. Lay one leaf flat, spread with hummus and layer with shredded zucchini (Ann had some different filling ideas, check it out here), red pepper slices, shredded carrot and shredded purple cabbage (I shred in my food processor and typically have shredded carrots and cabbage on hand to put in salads, wraps, ect. This saves time). Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the top and roll up (I brought the two sides together, with the filling in the middle, then rolled it like a burrito).

Enjoy!

Exercise Thoughts

2010-05-11T08:53:00.004-06:00

I'm a fitness geek.

I get excited about reading about exercise science (although, I must add a caveat: I don't have a degree in exercise science). In my spare time, I think of new exercise combinations and routines. You don't have to tell me. As I said, I know I'm a fitness geek.

I have some pretty defined opinions of what goes on in the fitness world, and much of it, like with diet, is hogwash. A lot of it comes down to marketing and money, and people buy into it, only to often times become disillusioned with exercise because a) they're not getting the results they want b) it's taking too much time/money/energy to do or c) it's not enjoyable and exercise becomes a bore, or worse, something that is dreaded.

The fact is, exercise should be an extension of your daily living. It shouldn't be compartmentalized into something you do for 30 minutes a day, "because I have to." Movement, as I've said before, ought to be a part of your day-to-day activities, and structured movement (formal exercise) should also play a role.

I have more thoughts on exercise that I'd like to share. But for now, check out this amazing website by Clarence Bass, a man, who I've recently discovered but am very impressed already with the wealth of information that he offers through his website about everything fitness (and diet related).

Vegan Weight Loss Challenge Winner...

2010-05-07T11:56:00.006-06:00

Finally. I have gotten my act together and chosen a winner for the vegan weight loss challenge.

Congrats to Sabrina, who is the winner of the vegan weight loss challenge, along with Steph, the runner-up (as well as all you entered), who will have some healthful goodies sent their way.

Steph: Before (January)

Steph: After 12 weeks

To all of you who participated, way to go, and thank you.

Simple, Easy, Gluten-free Vegan Recipes

2010-05-04T09:31:00.003-06:00

I kid you not, my life has been changed because of these recipes.

For anyone who knows me, my natural inclinations in daily living lean towards complicated, busy, and time-consuming. This is because I like variety, I love learning, and I admit, I do like being busy and active. Ironically, I also yearn for simplicity, solitude, and order. Sort of diametrically opposed forces that I'm combating here.

Knowing this, you might imagine how these simple, tasty, and easy recipes have been a God-send to me. They make me want to cry, they are so easy. I hear all too often--"I don't have time to cook healthy meals," or, "it's too expensive to eat _____(vegan, veggies, you fill in the blank)" or my favorite, "I just don't know what to cook and don't have any good recipes" (hardly a compelling excuse since free recipes abound on the Internet and cookbooks are inexpensive and very easy to order no matter where you live) but these recipes dissolve any and all excuses about why you just can't eat whole foods.

Of course eating healthfully is going to cost you more than eating ramen noodles, mac and cheese, and hot dogs, but it doesn't have to be complicated, expensive or time consuming. I for one, love to cook and am a cookbook junkie (love ya Dreena!), but the realities of motherhood have deeply settled in and I have had to come to terms with 5 minute meals (healthy vegan meals at that!).

You've heard me sing the praises of Jeff Novick, R.D., before, and I cannot recommend his work enough. He makes everything so simple and easy to apply, it just makes sense.

Here's an excerpt from his Facebook page (with recipes and pics!):

Examples of some of my favorite simple recipes. Most all of them can be made in about 5 minutes, have less then 5 ingredients and cost much less than 5 dollars.

These meals are very low in calorie density and very high in nutrient density so you can eat all you want till you are comfortably full without having to worry about portions size or going hungry.

Also I should mention that all recipes are gluten-free. So stop making it harder than it needs to be, check out his recipes, and start enjoying all of the time you're going to save because you won't be stuck in the kitchen all day!

Essay #4

2010-05-03T20:30:00.005-06:00

Another essay, as part of the vegan weight loss challenge wrap-up. I think Gillian hits on some good points. One, her admitting to compulsive overeating is something most of us can relate to. How many times do we eat for reasons OTHER than hunger? AND I love how she talks about not feeling out of control with food anymore. It is amazing how once we feed our body what it truly needs (wholesome, whole foods), our appetite and cravings for those foods which we previously could never get enough of settles down and we gain freedom and greater health as our palates are fed what nature intended.

Essay #4

by Gillian

When starting this challenge I had already begun transitioning to a whole food plant based diet. (Actually that transition began about 8 or so years ago, although I didn’t have the end in mind, that’s when I started considering going off dairy, I grew up vegetarian). This past fall I found the Wellness Forum (Through Dr. Colin Campbell’s webpage) and signed up! I had realized a few months prior that I was a compulsive over eater.

At the start of this challenge I weighed 163 lbs. I am 5’ 7”. I wanted to loose 1lb a week. I kept learning and working to identify my trigger foods and what emotional issues might be related to my compulsive eating. I needed to be more consistent with my diet while away from home. I felt like I knew how to lose the weight in a healthy way, but I needed time to truly make a lifestyle change that would last. To fully deal with my compulsive overeating I needed to take things slower and be very aware of what I was doing, journaling and educating myself and taking small steps. I kept reminding myself to be patient, that I really wanted this to stick forever not just get the weight off quick and then still be struggling. The compulsive eaters thread on Dr. McDougall’s board was very helpful. One food item can slowly send me on the cycle back down again. I had to learn (admit) which, even healthy, foods might be triggers for me. About 3 weeks ago, with the on going help of my husband, I finally came up with a good group of guidelines. I’m sure I’ll continue to fine tune them as I learn more. It’s been great! I mean, really great, I still feel like pinching myself sometimes to be sure it’s really me. I am almost in tears. Food does not control me anymore!! It’s a very foreign, but wonderful, feeling. Now that I am not eating the unhealthy or trigger foods and I’m getting lots of veggies (especially raw and greens) my body is getting the nutrients it needs and the desire for unhealthy food (or to eat lots of anything when I’m not hungry) is very minimal. I’m more in tune with my body. It takes less food for me to feel satisfied and to hold me until the next meal. Food used to control me and my life. Now if I get cravings it’s for healthy stuff and I can better trust my body to be telling me what it needs. I’m learning and growing in my courage to stay on my plan. I went to Tea with some friends on Fri. and it was really hard for me to ask the place if they could make a vegan option for me. They said no. But I’m OK with that. I was able to get the delicious salad and enjoy the tea and company! I never would have done that before, let alone have it be fairly painless to not be eating the (very yummy) food everyone else was eating. I know I can make healthy yummy food for myself. And I love eating veggies now, so no sacrifice there. Your posts about eating out and with others have been hugely encouraging to me! Exercise is also an important part of my life. I enjoy a variety of activities. I get about 1-2 hours in a day. I also drink lots of water. Overall I did not loose 1lb a week (but have been the past few weeks). But I feel totally satisfied with what I accomplished! I’m solidly on the road to losing the weight and being healthy and strong for the rest of my life! I now have the knowledge and resources (to keep learning) and have overcome so much that I am very confident. Even if I make some mistakes in the future I know I have the knowledge tools to get back on track. On Fri. I weighed 155 lbs. 8 lbs since the start of the challenge and 10 lbs total. My body feels better then it ever has, even though I have weighed about 15 lbs less in the past. I want to lose another 15-20 lbs. I feel that I have built a rock solid foundation these past few months and now it will be easier to finish and stay healthy!

Essay 3 (with pics!)

2010-04-30T21:41:00.004-06:00

Another entry from the Vegan Weight Loss Challenge.

Essay #3 by Sabrina

The Transition.

Before.

After.

I need to start out by saying that is has been almost a year since I decided I wanted to nearly eliminate all animal products from my life. I was dealing with chronic adult on-set acne which could only be controlled with antibiotics. If you've ever used antibiotics long-term you know what kind of havoc it wreaks on your system. It's not something anyone should be using for anything more than acute bacterial infections. I was fed up allopathic remedies that were only bandaging my problem. I started researching natural remedies for acne and came across many suggestions saying to eliminate meat and dairy. At first, it was a daunting proposition, but the more I read, the more it made sense to me. Soon, I heard about The China Study and reading that sealed the deal. I knew it was the solution I had literally been praying for. However, I was pregnant and even thinking about the rice milk in the fridge made me ill. I just couldn't make the transition while pregnant (which is why I am so impressed with you doing it while pregnant). However, once my baby was born, I was ready to dig in, sort of. I just wasn't prepared enough. I didn't have enough food in the house to keep me full as a sleep-deprived, breast-feeding mother so I just did the best I could while going the newborn stage. That's when I found this blog and while nursing, I would devour all the posts. I am pretty sure I've read every single one. It has given me a lot of strength and made me feel like this is not only possible, but so worthwhile. I was very excited when you posed this challenge because I was doing better and better with transitioning and having a little extra push in the right direction is what I've needed. I've always like whole grains, fruits, veggies and many healthy foods. My mom always made sure we ate a lot of that growing up. I just also like so many other things that aren't healthy, so it's the elimination of these things that has been the most challenging.

My height is 5'9 and when I started this challenge I had plateaued on the weight loss I was receiving from breast-feeding. I knew I had to do more. I was at 170 lbs. My ultimate goal is to reach 145 lbs, what I weighed when I got married almost 6 years ago. However, for this challenge, my goal was to lose 15 lbs. I got close at 13 lbs. I am now at 157 and it feels so good. I never lost the last 10 lbs from my first pregnancy, that I had started at 150 lbs, so it had been a long time since I'd seen that 5 on the scale. I wish I had taken my measurements because I feel like I have seen a lot of progress there. I have noticeably lost weight in my face (very evident in my before and after pictures) and clothes that hadn't fit in quite some time are fitting quite comfortably, even loosely.

More than the weight loss though, I have learned a lot of things from this challenge. The first thing, which I mentioned in my final update, is that I have the hardest time sticking to my new lifestyle (the word diet just sounds so temporary and this is a permanent change) when I am traveling, having people staying at our house or sleep-deprived. I am often in one of those situations, nearly all the time actually. I have learned that careful planning is the only way I will avoid "cheating", especially when traveling. Too often we were driving long distances and I was tired of the few acceptable snacks I'd packed and wanted something more substantial than a salad at any place we decided to stop to eat. I often gave in at times like that. I need to pack a larger variety of things. Also, because my son is not one to like a regular sleep routine, despite my many efforts to establish one, I often get less than optimal sleep. I have noticed an increase in energy even though I don't get the sleep I need, but I also give into temptation much easier that way. I learned I need to have quick, accessible snacks to grab when I am starting to feel tired, cranky and hungry because otherwise I will be hunting down my husband's candy stash. Probably one of the most important lessons I have learned is that your palate really does adjust. I often wake up and want to eat a salad or stir fry or some left over veggies for breakfast, rather than something like sugar cereal. I also no longer miss cheese, which was probably the hardest thing, aside from milk chocolate, to give up. Those things just sound so rich and frankly, kind of gross, most of the time.

I gave into temptation far more times than I had planned to and sometimes I still wish there were another way to incorporate some of my old foods without such detrimental effects. However, those are fleeting moments and they come fewer and farther between than they used to. I used to look into our pantry and just be upset because I was so hungry and I couldn't find anything that both sounded good and met my criteria. Now, I can find a number of things that sound good, especially because I keep a lot of produce around and I am usually fine with that as a snack. Also, as a follow-up about my acne, my face has cleared up almost completely and all I do is wash it morning and night with a mud soap. If I indulge in eating something I am not supposed to (most especially dairy ice cream) I almost immediately see the effects of that decision on my face. It's just another sign to me that my body does not like animal protein and I am making the correct choice to not consume it.

My next steps are to continue finding recipes that my family and I love. I have found quite a few that work now and am always excited when I can take a family favorite and veganize it successfully. I would also like to foray more into the lesser known grains, veggies and fruit there out there. I know there are plenty of hidden treasures to discover.

It has been really good for me to have some concrete goals. I will be running the Deseret News marathon this July, and my plan is to have achieved my weight loss goals by that time. I really think it's possible and it makes me excited to think about the healthy habits I am building along the way.

Essay #2

2010-04-26T16:24:00.005-06:00

As part of the vegan weight loss challenge, here's another entry. Thought I'd share--you can never have too much support knowing that there are others around you going through the very same issues that you are! Also, aren't you soo jealous, Costa Rica with Dr. McDougall? If you've never heard of these trips, they are AMAZING--they're mostly sightseeing trips with 100% vegan McDougall food (starch-based, whole foods) and great company. I'd love to do this someday with J (husband).

Essay #2
Julie

It was fun doing the challenge even though I had many ups and down along the way. I wanted to do the challenge because my husband and I have been trying to do the McDougall program since we went to Costa Rica on a McDougall trip in the summer of 2008—it was a trip of a lifetime. I tried doing McDougall in the early 90’s and was very devoted for 4 months-and felt great but very deprived. Also, my boyfriend (now husband) was not really on board and this was pre-internet and the resources and support was not available like it is now. I have always been in great health so I didn’t have that extra motivation to stick with it like an ill person might. Plus I wrongly assumed since I was a vegetarian I was eating almost as good. However, in the back of my mind, I always knew that he had it right so when my husband started having cholesterol and blood pressure issues and I felt my diet was getting more cheese(fat!) based and less plant based we took the plunge and went to Costa Rica. I knew I couldn’t do this without the support of my spouse. Well fast forward to now. I am devoted to eating vegan, but still struggle with staying on plan for all the reasons you would suspect (poor planning, overwhelmed with family work, etc., kids don’t like the food, I don’t want to cook, etc.). But I learned some great things on the challenge and I lost the lower end of weight I wanted to lose (I am not overweight to begin with but the scale was starting to creep). Some things I learned or was reminded of while on the challenge:

1) Don’t cheat-for me I need to be 100% or I will go back to my old ways.
2) Avoid sugar-see above!
3) For now, I need to not eat out since I am too bashful about asking restaurants to prepare foods without oil. I need to learn to like foods without oil so my tastes will change
4) Don’t get too hungry-this is the kiss of death, I need three meals and at least two snacks and have McDougall foods with me in the car and office so I am not caught off guard when hunger strikes
5) Focus on how good I feel and not what I am missing. Isn’t it great we know the truth about healthy eating!
6) PLAN, PLAN, PLAN-know what I will eat for all my meals and snacks-this is a work in progress
7) Don’t get too fancy. I am wearing myself out cooking new recipes each day. I need to come up with a few tried and true recipes (and ones the kids will eat-wish me luck there).
8) Clean out the pantry of processed foods. If it is not here we can’t eat it.

I am glad I found your website and loved the messages, especially about your journey to healthy eating. I hope that soon, I can look back and say “now why did I think this was so hard” and this way of eating will be second nature.

Thanks again,

Julie

Vegan Weight Loss Challenge: And the winner is....

2010-04-24T20:34:00.005-06:00

You're gonna kill me. No winner, yet (I know, can I drag it out any longer??).

The truth is, I loved reading the essays of each person that entered the contest and I thought, why not share them with you? So I'll post one a day and announce the winner and runner-up on the day I post the last essay.

But first. A few more thoughts on weight loss. One thing I've realized, through my own experience and reading about the experience of others is that a vegan diet is not a weight loss diet or even a health promoting diet. A vegan diet just means no animal foods. This is why I bring up this point, whenever I can, which is, the key to healthful diet is that is based on whole plant foods. You can be vegan and subsist largely on sugar, oil, salt, white flour, and processed soy foods. Hardly health promoting. Also, you will never lose weight if you do not create a calorie deficit. You can focus on low-fat foods, or high-protein/low carb foods, or even whole plant foods, but until you consume fewer calories than you burn, no matter what diet you're on or what foods you do or don't eat, you won't lose weight. "I'm eating vegan and I'm not losing weight." or "I'm eating organic (or even whole foods) and I'm not losing weight." Until you address why and what you are eating and the calories involved, weight loss will be a battle.

Here are a two other things I've realized:

1) Little food choices add up. We tend to think that a little of this, a nibble of that, an extra portion of this, doesn't matter. But over the course of a day this can all add up to several hundred extra unwanted calories, which when it comes down to, is what either determines whether or not we're gaining, maintaining, or losing. Take sugar for example. Many people could reduce their daily caloric intake by several hundred calories a day by simply eliminating added sugar or sugary foods. Sugar, regardless if it comes from maple syrup, agave, sucanant, ect. is for the most part, equal in calories to white sugar. It may be less refined, but it still contains empty calories. The natural foods movement has latched on to the fact that we want sugar, but sugar that is "healthy," so they've packaged it as "natural sugar" or organic sugar in order to make us feel good about the decision to buy certain foods. I can buy organic pop tarts from Costco (have you seen those?), but nutritionally, they are only marginally better than their competitor, the Nabisco pop tart. I've found green leaf stevia (a plant) powder (not the white or liquid stuff) to be a great no-calorie sweetener (watch out though, a little goes a long way and it has a slightly bitter taste).

2) Vegetables must play a large role in your diet. Vegetables are low in calories, high in fiber, water, and nutrients, making these foods filling and important in weight management (and health! and they taste good! and they're pretty!).

Okay, onto essay #1. Just a note here, notice how Steph talks about how she gained all her weight after she became vegetarian. This is not uncommon. Especially going vegetarian, where you'll still eat cheese and eggs, butter, cream, and oils. Many people simply replace the meat on their plates with equal or greater amounts of these calorically dense foods, which is, as you might imagine, a recipe for easy weight gain. Even when going vegan, many people are so shell shocked and go through withdrawals from their favorite comfort animal foods they resort to sugar, salt, oil-laden refined foods to soothe their withdrawals. Again, it's about focusing on WHOLE plant foods, rather than eliminating just one or two foods. Steph's story is impressive, and I think we can all relate a little to what she is going through. Thanks Steph for sharing, and keep it up!

Essay #1

Steph H

Beginning Stats:

Height: 67”

Weight: 206 lbs

Waist: 39”

Ending Stats:

Weight: 190 lbs

Waist: 36”

**I believe this also means I’m no longer obese, but merely overweight according to my BMI measurement. I was obese for almost ten years!

I gave birth to my first child last May and have been trying to lose the weight and get fit so I would be able to play with him like he deserves and so I could set a good example for him. He is my motivation – and I’m glad I started early because he is almost walking and he keeps me on my toes. I guess I started training so I could chase him around.

I’ve been vegan for 3 years, and I’ve been slowly transitioning to more healthful eating. I was vegetarian for seven years before that and that’s when I put on all the weight. But I truly feel it is a healthier way to live, so I took myself seriously and have been minimizing the crap food-like substances and trying to eat only foods that are good for me and the planet. Again, my son is my motivation. I’m feeding him only vegan whole foods and there are times when I catch myself putting the snacks out of his reach and thinking “if I don’t think it’s good for him to eat, why am I eating it?”

This contest was another step in my transition. Eliminating oils and other sneaky foods is definitely a step I wanted to take. Over the course of the contest I have researched how to remove oils from my everyday cooking – the baking, the sautéing, the salad dressings. I read the China Study and combed through my stack of vegan cookbooks for oil-free recipes and tips. All my experiments have been successful and easy to incorporate into our routine, e.g. trading applesauce for sugar and oil in a lot of my baking. I just needed a push to do it.

I also stepped up the exercise from a few martial arts classes a week to those plus a weights class and a high intensity interval training class. I feel so great I want to exercise whenever I get the chance! I now run to and from the studio (a mile) and will do the same thing when I pick up my son from daycare, starting next week. It’s a wonderful thing when the exercise itself becomes reason enough – I’m not trying to talk myself into it every time anymore. My son will have a great time playing with me.

A few other things that have come out of this: my husband is motivated by my success. He sees me sticking to my fitness goals and it raises the bar for him. He’s also feeling the pressure because I fit into his pants now and weigh substantially less than him for the first time since we started dating.

I’ve also noticed that I’ve become more approachable. People have taken note of my success and feel they can discuss their fitness struggles with me—something that would never have happened before, when the elephant in the room was, well, me. People now ask me for advice, and I’ve helped two friends embrace/return to vegetarianism over the course of the contest.

Things of Late

2010-04-17T20:18:00.008-06:00

[Okay, okay. I know. You probably are wondering who won the vegan weight loss challenge. You will soon know as I will announce the winner and runner-up the early part of next week (promise!)...Look forward to some pics and read more about their stories. Thanks for your patience!]

Warning: This a completely random post. But it's been awhile. And there are lots of things on my mind.

I'm enjoying [delete] LOVING [delete] relishing (every moment of) spring.

I live in a place, where, maybe it's all in my head, but our winters have only been getting longer and colder, and more unbearable. Especially the snow in April. But it's better now because it's (finally) warmer. Which has pushed me and the kids outdoors. And I'm faced with the fact that my garden is a wasteland. Not quite. It was. Now it's a wasteland with potential, since we've already planted the cool weather veggies (radishes, peas, kale, spinach, lettuce. beets). But I have a question for the universe: Why does it seem to take FOREVER for that little seed (I know it's small, but...) to actually look like something that is even close to edible?! I think everyone should plant a garden. We could all use a lesson in patience. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway. I'm learning these little sprouts take their sweet time.

Other things. As I've mentioned before, I'm working on cleaning up my diet (which I know may sound ridiculous to some who already see my choice to be vegan as extreme), which includes learning to really LOVE my veggies. I used to think I loved them...but realized I could be doing better. So a few things I've been working on: 1) Keeping it simple--no elaborate meals, at least most days of the week (do I really have time for that anyway??), but just simple veggies and starches that, if allowed, can stand on their own two feet and are deliciously simple and satisfying. 2) Make veggies at least half my meal. 3) Cut out the salt. Rely on herbs and other natural flavor enhancers as well as the food itself for flavor. I've noticed I retain water like crazy when I have too much sodium (which is VERY easy to do).

Here's what I had tonight for dinner:

Sauteed kale (sauteed in cast iron skillet with 1-2 TBS. water, seasoned with liquid smoke, balsamic vinegar, a dab of horseradish and Dijon mustard, a splash of Tabasco, and some no-salt herb blend) & Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes (half boiled potatoes, half steamed cauliflower, seasoned with Italian herbs, a small amount of plain almond milk, mashed lightly). Some people might not consider this a meal because it is so simple, but that's something I've realized, part of our weight problem in America stems from this cultural idea that every meal must be a feast or a buffet (or include some sort of cooked piece of animal).

If you wanted to add more pizazz, add a mushroom gravy and/or a side of black eyed peas or cornbread.

Onto other things.

It was my birthday. My husband made me this:

Isn't it lovely? He actually made the cake, I decorated it. He made one of my favorite cakes, wacky cake. It's actually a dairy-free recipe (shh, don't tell your non-vegan friends!), dating back to Depression days when people couldn't afford eggs and such. My grandma used to make it all the time. Loved it then, still love it. There are a lot of versions of this recipe--all egg/dairy free, so no need to "veganize" it, but if you wanted to make it lower in fat, without sacrificing taste, you can replace all oil for half the amount of prune puree (a puree of prunes, water, and a little agave). I find this works better than applesauce (I actually like applesauce as a replacement in some cakes, just not chocolate cake...). So say the recipe calls for 1 c. oil (yikes!), you could replace that with 1/2 cup prune puree OR if you're a scaredy cat, you can replace 1/2 the oil with 1/4 c. prune puree and still use 1/2 c. oil.

The cake is frosted with chocolate frosting (nothing healthy about this, not gonna lie--Earth Balance spread, soy milk, and sugar...), topped with sliced strawberries and sliced almonds. The filling includes more sliced strawberries and a "cream cheese" filling I made from tofu (and of course a few other ingredients :) ).

Yes, there IS something different about me...

I cut my hair! The shortest it's ever been. Love it. Love it. Love it. Never going back to the days of half hour blow drying sessions. Life's too short. Especially when you have sweet little babies like this...

My family recently got together (all of us, and there are A LOT of us). We love food and when we get together we have a lot of fun preparing and eating it.

My sisters and I preparing spring roll wraps for an Asian themed dinner.

Spring rolls, I've learned are very inexpensive to make, but take a wee bit of skill, such skill that I don't think I possess (yet). But they are DELICIOUS.

My dad, along with a few others in my extended family, have adopted a plant-based or vegan diet. I'm so proud of my parents and others in my family who have made some great changes in eating more healthfully!

What I know about weight loss.

2010-04-07T16:15:00.005-06:00

[Winners of the vegan weight loss challenge will be announced after April 9, so stay tuned...!]

As a way to wrap up the 12 week challenge, I thought I'd try to summarize what I've learned about weight loss over the years. I'm not a doctor, dietitian, or specialist of any kind. But I have had a lot of experience with this issue, and through much trial and error, here is what I've learned. Hopefully you'll find this helpful.

1. Calories. It all comes down to calories. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, or rather, you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. I know this simple truth, is hard to swallow. Especially when we're not losing weight and we want to (believe me, I know!).

Yes, you can lose weight on the Zone, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Sugar Busters, NutriSystem, ect. The secret to weight loss is not in the combination of foods you eat, or special foods you eat (that supposedly "rev up" your metabolism), or even ratio of macro nutrients (40-30-30 or 80-10-10), the secret to weight loss is consistently having a calorie deficit. Again, burning more calories than you consume. As long as you are completely compliant with most any particular diet, you will lose weight, because these diets have been designed to be calorie-restricted. The problem lies when you go "off" the diet and resume life in the real world.

2. Thyroid Issues. If you have a problem with your thyroid, which can affect your metabolism (or the rate at which you burn calories), this is an issue that can be easily be diagnosed with testing and proper diagnosis with the help of a physician, and can be essentially "fixed" (or at least signficantly improved!) with the use of medication in combination with proper diet. This is the one of the few instances where medicating can be really helpful. With a truly deficient thyroid, where the thyroid tissue is gone, there's no way you can "rebuild" it, no matter how many carrots, apples, kelp you eat.

3. Myths. There are so many myths out there related to dieting. Here are just a few:

Don't eat after 8 pm because all food consumed after 8 pm will turn to fat.

There is nothing magical about 8 pm. Your metabolism does not automatically turn off once you hit 8 o'clock at night. If you consume more calories in a day than you burn, it will be stored as fat, regardless of the time of day. For some people, regulating their eating to only at mealtimes and not eating after a certain hour can be helpful in reducing unnecessary caloric intake. Think about it, what sort of foods do most Americans eat after 8 pm--it's most likely in front of the TV (mindless eating) and it's probably not a big salad or a bowl of brown rice and veggies. I'd reckon it's more likely to be a big bowl of buttered popcorn, ice cream, or a bag of potato chips :).

Celery and grapefruit "rev up" your metabolism.

Focusing on a few special foods is not very effective for weight loss and long term weight maintenance. The main reason is that metabolism, contrary to popular dietary advice, cannot be manipulated, and turned on and off, up and down, like volume dial. It is true that there is a slight increase in your metabolism after eating food (it takes calories to digest food), but think of it this way--is it worth it to consume 300 extra calories, just to burn 30 calories (approximately the amount used to digest the food)? Your net gain is 270 calories. You'd be better off not eating those calories if they are not needed.

In reality, there is very little you can do to "rev up" your metabolism. While you may burn a few more calories in the digestive process after eating celery, the effect is minimal, and hardly worth mentioning. Focus on the big picture rather than one or two "special," so-called "fat-burning" foods.

Eating mini-meals will "rev up" your metabolism.

Again, more nonsense about metabolism. As if there are wide swings in our metabolism throughout any given day.

Eating more frequently throughout the day can be helpful for highly active individuals who need a great deal more calories than sedentary individuals. Since plant-foods are high-fiber, lower calories, if you are eating a whole foods vegan diet, and require a lot of calories, most likely you will not be able to "fit" the amount of calories you need in your stomach (this is assuming you're not eating a lot of nuts/seeds/avocados/refined flours/sugars/oils) in three meals, so eating more frequently is often necessary. I know when I was nursing, I had to eat many more times throughout the day then I do now. There is nothing sacred about eating 3 meals a day, once a day, or 7 times a day. The main issue is your total daily caloric intake.

"All I need to do is turn my fat into muscle."

Fat cannot be "turned into" muscle, these are two very different things--you burn stored fat as fuel when you have a calorie deficit. You build muscle with regular and proper resistance (ie. weight training, physical labor, resistance training).

Skipping a meal will destroy my metabolism.

Is your metabolism "destroyed" each night after 8-12 hours of not eating? We've designed our meal timing to fit our cultural preferences. In the US, we generally eat anytime, all of the time, with mealtime being breakfast, lunch and dinner. Other parts of the world eat one or two meals a day. For instance, when I lived in Chile for a few months, it was cultural practice to eat no breakfast, eat a very large meal around 1 or 2 pm, and eat a very small dinner around 10 pm. And despite this, somehow, the people there still have "intact" metabolisms, most people being quite thin and petite.

One of the best summaries of metabolism and the benefits of mini-fasting (abstain from food for 24 hours) is Brad Pilon's Eat, Stop, Eat. Having worked for the supplement and fitness industry and been an "insider" for years, he finally broke away, having become so disgusted with the false advertising and promotion of these myths about metabolism and supplemental products. He has compiled and researched some compelling evidence to that shatters what most people believe to be true about eating habits. What he presents is a compelling argument to return to sensible eating habits, and throw away the complicated calculations, manipulations, and obsessive behaviors that often come with dieting. I highly recommend any of his e-books (and no, I don't know the guy, but I have read some of his work and really appreciate what he brings to the table).

Eat protein with every meal because it provides satiety.

Protein, ie. flesh food, because we all know that's where we get protein, right? Right?

This is one the most overused, overrated diet scheme and doesn't work. Think about it, unless you're living under a rock, or you deliberately starve yourself and/or eat a diet of only empty calories (like sugar and oil), you're meeting the very easily achievable goal of 45-60 grams of protein a day because protein exists in all whole foods. We're all getting plenty of protein! And most of us are still struggling with our weight. Emphasis on one or two macro nutrients is one of those missteps that will keep us running in circles.

Eat some fat with every meal because it provides satiety.

Fat, usually meaning concentrated sources of fat like, oil, nuts, cream, butter.

Again, another overrated piece of nonsensical dietary advice. Americans are getting plenty of fat in their diet, we don't need to be told to eat more, even if it IS the "good fat." All plant foods, with very few exceptions (dates, nectarines, and raisins are the only ones that come to mind), contain fatty acids, the only ones of which are critical to our health are the essential fatty acids. Not going to get into a discussion about omega-3's and 6's here, but I will only say both are contained in plant foods and usable by our bodies. Just to give you an example, oats are about 16% calories from fat, soybeans 37%, olives 91%, blackberries 13%, spinach 9%, lettuce 12%, tofu 48%, grapes 13%, raspberries 16%, strawberries 12%, watermelons 7%, you get the idea.... Fat is not only found in highly concentrated sources such as oils, but in all whole (unrefined) foods.

I need to eat at special times of the day, to take advantage of my body's digestive cycle.

There aren't any special times of the day, when your metabolism is at it's "peak" and it doesn't matter what time you choose to eat. What matters is your total caloric intake. Because your brain, heart and liver and other organs of your body never shut down, your body is constantly using fuel.

Eat at the times when feels best to you. For some that means two meals a day, later in the day. For others, that's breakfast lunch and dinner with some snacks. I've realized this is a highly individualized decision--a small-frame, sedentary woman who only needs 1300 calories a day is going to have different eating patterns than a large-frame, very-active woman or man who may need 2700-3000 calories a day.

4. Being Vegan.

You don't have to be vegan to be healthy. I am an ethical vegan, but only after being a vegan for health for some time. Wait a minute, you're saying, you just said you don't have be vegan to be healthy but you became a vegan for health? Here's how I see it. An extremely health promoting diet follows these principles:

80-100% of your diet consists of:

a large amount of fruits and vegetables, fresh or frozen
whole/unrefined, intact grains and starches
legumes
occasional and prudent amounts of nuts/seeds/avocado/olives/ect.

Calorie Density. You limit your caloric intake. You don't starve yourself, but rather you don't over consume calories. There are many ways to do this, but I think the most realistic and healthiest approach is by making whole plant foods the center of your diet. Plant foods are high in fiber and water, and nutrients, making these foods an optimal tool for long-term weight maintenance. Personally, I eat as much as care to eat of calorie-dilute plant foods and by limit calorie dense foods. One of the best resources to learn more about calorie density [calorie density relates to the calories per gram of a certain food; veggies are on average 100 calories/lb. while whole wheat bread is 1200 calories/lb., for example] is from Jeff Novick, R.D., who has several excellent DVD's relating to the topic. Roy Waldorf, one of the pioneer's in calorie restriction research and author of Beyond the 120 Year Diet, also provides some great research related to caloric intake and disease prevention.

Numbers are equal to grams (side bar) and calories. [Source: Jeff Novick]

That's it. If you feel compelled to become vegan because you do not care for the taste or after-effects of eating animal foods (as I did) or because of an ethical/moral persuasion (as I did), or for other reasons such as environmental (as I did), more power to you. If you have no desire or don't feel it's realistic to become vegan or vegetarian, you can still be very healthy. Just follow the principles above.

5. Simplicity. Eating for your health does not have to be time consuming. But it often is, especially at first, when we're trying to please and impress our family and friends with gourmet fare. I've learned over the years that simple is better. Here are some of my favorite "quick" fixes that help me make meals and snacks for my family in a snap.

6. Food as Drug. Anytime you eat when you're not hungry (don't need the calories) but rather out of boredom, social pressure, habit, sadness, stress, or otherwise, you are using food as a drug or a stimulant, an escape or "filler." A way to not deal with the present or what is. Food, particularly processed food, which is stimulating (and actually can increase the appetite) is one of the most popular drugs of choice as it is the most socially acceptable and readily available.

7. Lifestyle. Your weight is a reflection of your lifestyle, which includes your eating rituals, food choices, and level of activity. If you are overweight, you are living the lifestyle of an overweight person. Seems pretty obvious, but this concept has finally clicked with me. Everyone, no matter if you do not move a finger during the day, burns calories, so the problem is not that you are not burning enough calories (as some gyms might have you think). This is called your BMR, the amount of calories you burn just staying alive. You burn these calories, day in day out, regardless of your physical activity. So if you simply adjusted your caloric intake to this amount, you would lose weight. But this is not as easy as it sounds. Why? Because we all have eating habits and rituals, that we like and consistently do. Ever heard of the set point theory? It's a theory that your body has a weight that it "likes" to be at and will do everything to stay at that weight. We cannot defy the laws and principle of energy, therefore, if you consumed fewer calories than you burned, you would lose weight, regardless of the weight you currently are. The reason why most of us maintain a certain weight, or set-point, is more likely because we are at a "lifestyle" set point. Meaning, we like to do a certain amount of activity, we eat more-or less the same foods and same amount of foods each day, therefore consuming an a set average amount of calories that keeps us at a particular weight or "set-point." Your set-point is easily adjusted by adjusting your lifestyle. Increase your activity. Get rid of eating habits and rituals that only increase unwanted calories and encourage mindless eating (like eating a huge bowl of ice cream every night right before you go to bed...which was me, about 6 years ago!) and replace them with positive habits and activities (like spending time with a loved one or spouse). That's number one key. You have to replace the food with something. Otherwise, you will keep going back to the food as a way to deal with stress, boredom, ect.

One thing that I've had to learn and daily practice, aside from eating whole foods, which at this point is just simply auto-pilot, no thought (although some in my extended family and friends may still think I live day by day on sheer willpower, which if that were the case, I'd long abandoned my vegan ways), but to practice eating when my body needs it. This has been so hard for me! I have used food as drug--to make me feel better when I'm stressed, tired, bored, when I'm watching movies, ect. And to break away from this, I have to be honest, is not easy.

8. Exercise (80% diet, 20% exercise). Find something that you love to do. Move every day in a structured way for as much time as you have as you can (an hour's good for most people). Sweat, get your heart rate up most days of the week, and do some sort of mind/body and resistance work out. I love Pilates, yoga, and kickboxing. My new favorite is Zumba (I don't teach it though), although I find it hard to squeeze in a Zumba class when I'm teaching a dozen of my own classes each week, but I love it because it doesn't "feel" like exercise--just dancing and having fun, and it's a great workout. The most important thing is to be connected to your body when you exercise. Be aware (even if you're running on a treadmill), and do it because you love it! I hope we are past the days of mindless, painful/boring/drudgery exercise, because, life is too short. There are just to many fun things to do (especially in the exercise world). If you hate running or yoga, or what have you, go find something you do love. Doesn't matter, just MOVE.

9. Time. Weight loss, changing habits, overcoming addictions, these all take time. Give yourself time. Slow and steady wins the race...

Last Weekly Update: Vegan Weight Loss Challenge

2010-03-29T07:25:00.002-06:00

I want to wrap up this segment with a few thoughts as well as tips and resources for further support. I have a lot of things I'd like to share with you just bumping around my head, so check back tomorrow for some uplifting insights into weight loss and maintenance. For today, here's Elise's last post. If you're part of the challenge, remember to update us AND email me a synopsis and pics(optional) of how your 12 weeks in order to be considered for the contest (check here for more details) by April 5.

Thanks to Elise for being willing to give us a glimpse into her life. I'm proud of her commitment to healthier living, she's done a great job juggling it all!

Week 12
by guestblogger Elise

This last week has been comparatively good. I've made dinner a couple of times (which for some reason is crazy hard when I'm pregnant--bless my husband's patience), and I've (finally!) put The China Study on reserve at my local library. I'm looking forward to reading it and getting some scientific motivation to back up the plant-based lifestyle.

We are still a family very much in transition. I haven't bought meat for cooking in several months, and our whole family is officially converted to rice milk, but I admit that I still crave and give into butter occasionally. Of all things. Although ideally I shouldn't be eating butter at all, I have finally found earth balance here, and I have been using that.

My biggest struggle is still adding fresh veggies to my diet. I anticipate that will get easier as I ease into the second trimester of pregnancy and can start to think like a sane person again. I'm just getting to the point where I have a clean house again! I think more responsible, thoughtful eating will be the next step in my "recovery" from my first trimester!

I have some regrets about my eating choices over the past three months. I have been nowhere near perfect. But I do feel like Brad and I know where we want to be with our family, and that feels good. And I also have to allow that this is a major life change for us, and those things don't happen quickly!

At the end of this challenge, I am happy to report that I am at 140 pounds. At 16 weeks pregnant, for me, that is pretty darn good. I also feel physically better than I have in my other two pregnancies. I haven't thrown up due to pregnancy at all, and I haven't yet experienced the severe heartburn that plagued me during my other two pregnancies. (I've still been slightly emotionally psychotic, but you can only blame food for so much! :) )

I am sad to have this challenge end, but I sincerely hope that Janae will give us the chance to do updates as we attempt to advance our pursuit of a healthier plant based lifestyle!

I should also add that I have loved reading about your own attempts and successes. Please continue to share those. That sort of support is exactly what I (and I'm sure many others) need to continue in our own healthy paths.

Pregnancy & the Weekly Update: Vegan Weight Loss Challenge

2010-03-19T10:04:00.009-06:00

Week 11
by guestblogger Elise

[This is week 11, of our 12 week series. If you joined the challenge, remember to update us!]

We've been doing some travelling, as I mentioned last week. And it can be difficult to live vegan in someone else's house. But we're home now, and I get to cook again. And this week I made this.
Yum!

I also have to mention that I have really appreciated Janae's tips over the last couple of weeks.

I want to talk a little bit about why I haven't been mentioning results lately. A few weeks into this challenge, I discovered that I am expecting! I am now 15 weeks along. Janae and I had some very helpful conversations about weight loss and pregnancy. She has been vastly helpful. I was hoping that I could lose body fat in the early stages of pregnancy, but she informed me that during pregnancy, our bodies resist the loss of fat.

I should say that I credit a plant-based diet for the vomit-free pregnancy I have had so far. I have been sick with other things, but I did not experience the morning sickness that I have in previous pregnancies (I did feel occasionally nauseated early on, but never actually became sick).

I should say that pregnancy cravings have made me less disciplined than I hope I would be in other circumstances. I have a great deal of admiration for Janae who began this way of life during her second pregnancy!

I look forward to my last week of the challenge!

A note by Janae:
First of all, congrats to Elise! Pregnancy is a WONDERFUL time of life, one to be cherished. This is coming from a woman who experienced three, yes three, pregnancies in three years. And each got progressively more enjoyable. My pregnancies can be categorized as follows:

Pregnancy #1:
1. My job required me to sit and stare at a computer all day=sedentary
2. Ate a TON of fast food (it was the only thing that tasted good? man, my taste buds were ALL out of whack!)=lots of processed SAD food
3. I was so sick for the first 5 months. I threw up nearly every day. Couldn't be near my husband (I slept on the couch, he slept on the floor next to me; I couldn't even sleep in our bed it made me sick!)--in fact the first time I threw up was right after he came home and gave me a welcome home kiss. To make matters worse, we were still newly weds!

So it can pretty much be summed up like this:
Sedentary (to my credit I did exercise for most of the pregnancy, loved water aerobics) + SAD food=sick, sick, sick=crazy high blood pressure/toxemia at the end of my pregnancy which caused me to be induced (but I did do it sans the pain meds/epidural)

Pregnancy #2:
Introduction to a plant based diet at about 1 month pregnant. Decided to move towards veganism. Became fully vegan 2 weeks before I gave birth (I still remember my last piece of bacon, not out of fondness either...) and haven't looked back since!

Pregnancy #3:
My yoga pregnancy. Did (I actually taught the class) yoga 4 times a week, and my body and baby LOVED it! Helped my pregnancy and birth tremendously. Although I'm not able to do yoga as often now, I'm definitely going to do yoga on a regular basis next time I'm with child. Vegan pregnancy, ALMOST all the way. I have to admit there was a time when I just had to have a SNICKERS bar, and a BUTTERFINGER bar. And some Cheetos. Only time I've eaten non-vegan foods since making the switch. But overall, great pregnancy, easy-peasy birth (one push and she was out!) and perfect, very easy going baby (seriously, I know you all think I'm lying when I say this, but she has not given us one moment of trouble at all. and aside from a few runny noses, never been sick. could be her personality, but I KNOW being a breast fed, whole foods vegan from conception has definitely been in her favor).

A few words on pregnancy. This is entirely based on my experience and research I've done. If you're currently pregnant and wanting to eat more healthfully, be easy on yourself. Take one day at a time, and focus on eating whole plant foods at every meal/snack, rather than giving yourself some sort of ultimatum, like: "I'm never going to eat an ounce of sugar this pregnancy. Or I'm going completely vegan and won't eat _____." This sort of mentality doesn't work for 99.9% of the population. Especially when you are a hormonal, very sensitive, pregnant woman. Again, speaking from experience, I know with my second pregnancy when I was transitioning to a vegan diet, it took 6 months! I would go for long stretches, eating very well, then I'd just have a craving for such and such, eat it, then feel mostly awful (physically and emotionally--I'd feel guilty). Looking back, and having changed my taste buds over the years, I've realized that it takes TIME to change ingrained habits. So enough of the guilt. Just focus on the positive foods and positive choices you're making for you and your baby, and if you eat a donut or some ice cream (there are various delicious vegan ice creams, btw), at least enjoy it for Pete's sake, and move forward, continuing to make whole plant foods the staple of your diet.

And consider that when you are pregnant, you are a different person. You're making a baby! You're going to need more rest, be more emotional, and basically be more susceptible to making choices on a whim. Maybe this was just me, I don't know. I guess my main point is, be kind and gentle on yourself and focus on making positive dietary and lifestyle choices rather than setting rigid, unattainable/unrealistic goals for yourself.

About weight loss during pregnancy. Not the time. Your body will do everything it in it's power to hold onto extra weight. It's possible to prevent unnecessary weight gain, but to actually lose weight, is nearly impossible (unless you have severe and chronic morning sickness which causes you to literally vomit everything you eat, which is NOT an ideal situation). Also, the whole "eating for two" mentality is, as you know, a little warped. You need, on average 250-300 extra calories in the last two trimesters. That equates to a sandwich or a few extra pieces of fruit a day. Not double or triple servings. But I'm hear to tell you, I know, I know. It's like as soon as your pregnant, watch out. It's like someone has switched the appetite gauge to full blast, which means for me, I want to eat ALL the time!

So, if you are pregnant, vegan or not, be kind to yourself. Focus on positive food choices, rather than the one or two things you wish you wouldn't have done or eaten or "can't"/"shouldn't" eat.

Forks Over Knives

2010-03-16T20:43:00.001-06:00

Forks Over Knives (click to see trailer), a documentary coming to theaters soon...

For those of you who are practicing plant-based nutrition, this info is probably not anything new.
For others, this info can be life-changing. I am thrilled that this message is being spread, hopefully it won't fall on deaf ears. Can't wait until it comes out to theaters!

Weekly Update: 12 Week Vegan Weight Loss Challenge

2010-03-10T09:26:00.003-07:00

(Only 2 more weeks left! Remember to update us!)

Week 10
by guestblogger Elise

This was not a good week either for eating or exercising. I did not meet my goal of aerobic exercise, and I really missed exercising at all.

Unusual stresses in our life lately have been pushing their way into my eating and exercise habits. Economic and major life changes have been immensely distracting to my attitude about healthy living. So far, vegan whole foods eating is a planning challenge. It still requires a great deal of thought and planning for me to be successful. This is usually okay. But lately there have been more pressing matters taking up my time and thought. Unhealthy eating has been creeping back in. Lately I have been just eating what I can grab--this tends to be whatever my kids are eating, which isn't always vegan. We also haven't been home much lately. We've been out of town, visiting family, and this can be a challenging time for eating too.

The result is that I've been feeling yucky. Of course. Highly processed foods do that, don't they?

My question to you is, how do you eat in a crisis? What food choices do you make when you don't have time (or maybe the desire) to eat and prepare several meals per day? What do eat when you have to grab and go?

I really appreciate your input. You guys are wonderful. And in answer to one of your questions, I attend kick boxing classes in the middle of nowhere Texas. Wish it were there in Utah! Might make vegan foods more available.

Thanks for your constant support and encouragement.

My response:

Elise, and all,

A healthful plant-based diet does require planning. But I've found that having a well-stocked freezer and pantry make my life a breeze. As much as I love cooking, I can't spend very much time in the kitchen.

Here are a few things I do to make my life simpler:

1) Stock up on frozen fruits and veggies. Yes, I know, I know. Fresh is better. But frozen is the next best option and I don't even cook some of my frozen veggies like green beans and sweet corn--just run them under hot water for a few minutes. Costco and Sam's Club carry the best selection of a variety of mixed veggies and fruits. A quick and easy meal--baked potatoes topped with some beans & salsa, and a side of frozen mixed veggies (steamed). When I'm short on time, I use canned beans, microwave my potato, and I have a meal in less than 5 minutes!

2) Freeze extras. I double the batch, and freeze for later. Soups work especially well for this.

3) I shop once a week. Period. I broke the bad habit of multiple shopping trips throughout the week--it's an energy drainer, time waster, and with proper planning, completely unnecessary. All of your produce should last AT LEAST a week.

Lunch Idea: Pitas

2010-03-05T10:14:00.004-07:00

A favorite fast food restaurant of mine is called the Pita Pit. You make your pita to go and can put whatever you want in it. They have a ton of veg options (hummus, baba ganoush, veggie patties, the whole gamut of veggies and sauces). I want variety, so I love this place. The more you can stuff into a pita, the better, in my opinion. But, it costs $5. And I'm a mom, so when do I go out to eat (other than those blessed occasions when J (hubby) and I can get away for a date)?

Also, I find it very difficult to find a good, quality whole grain pita with no funky additives (you know it's just a whole-grain pita, but the ingredient list is 10 lines long and you're thinking, hmmm, I think I'm on to them...). Maybe where you live, such a thing as a simple whole-grain pita exists, but I have had no luck. And I'm kinda picky, too. I want my pita to be BIG (the better to stuff it with). All the store bought ones I've found are tiny.

So recently I made my own pitas. It was soooo easy although it did take about an hour. But I made extras and threw those in the freezer for later. I used the same dough as my whole wheat bread dough, but instead of making it into a loaf, I made little balls of dough and flattened them out into circles. Then I baked, on a baking stone for 4 minutes at 450 F. Since it's a yeasted bread, and very thin dough in a HOT oven, they puff up and cook in no time. I found about 1/4" thick works best. I let the pita cool, sliced it in half, stuffed it with some of my favorite things in the world (grated zucchini, tomato slices, sprouts, and no-oil hummus)--delish.

The great thing about pitas is that they give you half the calories of a sandwich (one big pita, usually runs around the same amount of dough as a good sized slice of bread), so it satisfies the bread craving and you can fill it full of all sorts of delicious and fun things. Here are some ideas for fillings:

Sweet raw corn (I buy mine frozen from Costco, run some hot water over it for a few minutes and then whaddaya know, one of my kid's FAVORITE foods!)
Canned beans of your choosing
Hummus
Baba Ganoush (an eggplant dip)
Veggie/Bean Burgers
Tofu Mayo
Tomatoes
Raw sunflower seeds
Lettuce
Sprouts
Onions
Pickles
Leftover soup/rice/cooked grain
Mustard
Dijon Mustard
Green Tabasco sauce (this stuff is DIVINE)

Eat with a bowl of soup, some fruit, and/or a salad and you've got a quick and easy lunch!

Quote of the Day

2010-03-04T08:03:00.007-07:00

This is from an excellent book I'm currently reading by Dr. Joel Furhman, M.D., entitled Fasting and Eating for Health. Some of what he says echoes Joseph Pilates belief that good health is our birthright, which I firmly believe is true.

Can someone forward this quote on to all of the physicians, politicians, and insurance companies who are trying to figure out the whole health care debacle? What Dr. Furhman says here is so simple, but it really is the answer, at least in large part, to our problems. The answer is us, not them. The answer is the individual, who will take responsability for their own health.

(Note: This book was published in 1995, so I think the statistic he shares regarding medication use has most likely changed. That is, it is currently probably a higher percentage than his 50%)

People often start getting the warning signs of chronic disease when they
are young. Generally, they go to their physicians with frequent infections
as children. As teenagers they develop acne and allergies, and often take
drugs to suppress symptoms. Years later, they gradually become medically
dependent, having to take medications for the rest of their lives. Fifty
percent of our population over the age of 60 take some medication.

If we teach our children from a young age that disease is not inevitable
and not to be expected, and if we build good health into
our lives, we will have a chance have a healthy society.

This book illustrates and emphasizes a powerful philosophy, a revolutionary
way of thinking about health and disease. It is not merely about fasting,
it is about realizing that we have lifetime responsibility to maintain our
health. If we protect our families and our children from the causes of ill
health, we will prevent needless suffering in the future.

(p. 192-193)

Weekly Update: 12 Week Vegan Weight Loss Challenge

2010-03-03T12:47:00.003-07:00

(For those of you doing the challenge, remember to give us a quick update!)

Week 9
by guestblogger Elise

I feel great about this week. It wasn't perfect. But I had some great exercise sessions, and I made some dinners!

One of my favorite things that we did this week was a quick polenta dinner. We bought some prepared polenta, sliced it, heated it on the stove, and served with vegetables. It was incredibly fast. And it tasted delicious. I recommend it as a fast, yummy meal. And my kids liked it, which is important in our house. What are your family's favorite fast vegan meals?

One thing I will improve on this week is aerobic exercise. I am still struggling! I really detest feeling like I can't breathe. But this week I am going to TRY doing my least favorite thing: the treadmill. Or elliptical. I can't decide. I will do it once. For at least 40 minutes. My other aerobic exercise is kickboxing (which I love, but can only do once per week because of my schedule).

One tiny exciting development: I am developing very faint lines under my biceps. I really have some of those! It's the first time in my life that's ever happened. Maybe by the end of this challenge I'll be able to see real definition!

21-day Vegan Kickstart!

2010-03-01T09:53:00.002-07:00

My parents and some relatives are doing PCRM's 21-day Vegan Kickstart, starting today (way to go mom & dad!).

It's FREE and will provide you with 21-days worth of meal planning, DELICIOUS & easy recipes, tips, and other fun things.

Check it out!