Veggie Wash

Tap water + Friction = The cleaning power of soap and veggie washes.

10% Vinegar solution works for reducing micro-organisms.

Click here for the NY Times article

Now that I'm eating all these whole foods, I have to make sure I'm doing my due diligence about keeping pesticides and pathogens off of my plate!

Chili Dinner

Another 5 star meal! I'm in disbelief at my own awesomeness.

The menu

Sprouted mung beans

Bean chili

Quinoa

Daiya mozzarella-flavored "cheese"

Since Tuesday tends to be a busy day for me, I thought it would be a good day to start dinner in the slow cooker (I chopped everything last night and even drained and rinsed the beans so I'd just have to plop it all in the cooker this morning). After work, I put on some quinoa (brown rice takes too long!) and was eating in no time.

The chili

1 14 oz. can black beans

1 14 oz. can adzuki beans (an experiment...they are a bit light for chili)

1/2 can garbanzo beans

2 medium carrots

1 cup frozen corn

1 small bell pepper

4 cloves of garlic

1 scoop of cumin powder

1 scoop of chili powder

a tablespoon or so of white vinegar

a sprinkling of fenugreek seeds

1 bay leaf

salt

zest and juice of one lime (could have used one more zested and juiced lime)

I know I'm forgetting something...

Slow cooked all day, half the time on low, half the time on high.

I think the absence of tomatoes and onions made this dish even more appetizing for me.

(Side note: Yesterday's kitchari got two of my omni co-workers' stamp of approval today).

The Vegan Project Update

He loved his lunch today (spelt tortilla wraps with vegan mayo, mustard, spinach, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and garbanzo beans) and he is excited to come home for chili dinner!

Rewiring the brain...junk food!

I love the blog Healthy Bitch Daily. They posted an article today comparing the addictive nature of junk food and why it is as addictive as a narcotic.

My quick detox (at least it felt quick) was a gift, as I almost didn't have cravings but for sugar and white flour, and those only lasted a little while (week or so). Now I don't even crave that stuff.

I like looking back and being able to talk about this stuff in past tense : )

Kitchari for health!

Kitchari and Spinach salad

Brown Rice and Mung Bean Kitchari w/Spinach Salad

Kitchari:

(This is how much I used, but it made, like, 6 or 8 very large servings)

2 c brown rice, soaked overnight

2.c mung beans, soaked overnight

2 sweet potatoes

1 head cauliflower

1 inch fresh ginger

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

4 Tbsp dried coconut

1 Tbsp fenugreek seeds

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

2 tsp tumeric

1/4 tsp aseofotida

1 Tbsp cumin powder

black pepper

pinch cloves, ground

pinch ginger, ground

1 cup chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

Lots of water. Lots and lots of water.

Saute onions and garlic, then add ginger, then add spices, then add rice and beans, after 30 or so minutes, add the coconut and potato and cauliflower. When it's done, stir in cilantro.

Very loosely based on this ACD Kitchen Sink Kitchari recipe from Diet, Dessert, and Dogs.

Salad:

baby spinach

cranberries

sunflower seeds

walnuts, soaked overnight

sesame shitake dressing (purchased)

He loved everything.

It was delicious. We ate so much that we opted out of our late night dessert smoothie. Probably for the better!

***The Vegan Project Update***

He swears he's lost weight already (he doesn't need to, but hey). Also, he said that he hasn't felt bloated in the whole 24 hours that he's been vegan : ) In bed tonight he even said that his teeth feel cleaner.

"Frenzied", Burgers, Shelf Life, and The Vegan Project update

Why am I "frenzied", you ask?

Okay, you didn't ask but I'm going to tell you anyway : )

Because beyond operating my at-home preschool, taking care of my dogs and husband, fish and rabbit, employees and parents of the children in our program, I have to be an over-the-top conserving-the-environment crazy person who saves every plastic bag (washes it out and everything) in order to get one more use out of it before recycling.

My husband got very upset with me today because I asked him to wash out the bottles that we had excavated from our refrigerator (salad dressing, old mayo, all that expired stuff). He thought it was a waste of time...just throw it away! Well, it's not like I wash everything to recycle it, I do throw some things away (like jelly jars...jelly doesn't like to come out of the jar!). But according to me, I'm saving the planet by washing and recycling.

And this way of thinking and behaving causes me to live in a "frenzied" manner.

Burgers Yum Yum!!!

Remember these burgers? Well, I made them again tonight. Here are my comments:

1. Yum.

2. I made the "beef" wetter and they formed much nicer patties. Just a little water made a difference.

3. We decided to try gluten-free (as if we need something else to deprive ourselves of) because we suspect gluten sensitivities. Well, we suffered through the most brick-like kamut flour bread only to realize later that I made the darn burgers with bread crumbs! Duh! And we both felt very sleepy after the meal, so it made us think it was the bread crumbs. Next time I will try it with some roasted chickpea flour or maybe just more cornmeal (or quinoa flour?).

4. I replaced half of the carmelized onion for a half of a green bell pepper (roasted and diced). They were quite good.

The stack from top to bottom: gluten-free bread, mustard, baby spinach, heirloom tomato, burger, vegan mayo, bread.

One of the best things about cooking with whole foods is that almost all of the waste is compostable (or recyclable)

Side of braised garlic cloves, zucchini and shitake mushrooms (heavenly, seriously, and so easy!)

Tristan's plate...seeing him clean his plate always feels great!!!

A couple hours after dinner, Tristan felt like peanut butter cookies, so I suggested a nut butter smoothie to satiate the urge. He was very excited about it!

Contents:

1 banana

scoop of peanut butter (hey, we're transitioning here)

almonds, soaked overnight to promote digestibility

cup of almond milk

1/2 tsp. spirulina powder

3 frozen cherries

a scoop of raw cacao powder

ice cubes

love

(and yes, that is my manly hand holding that cup)

Shelf life of rice tortillas

In case it ever comes up for you, these expire after the expiration date! I ate this for dinner last night:

and stupidly checked the expiration date of the tortillas after I ate them. I didn't die. So they're still good, although they "expired" on 9/24.

See, that's why I just prefer to make stuff from scratch. I'd rather have my own mediocre home-made tortillas than have to keep wondering about expiration dates.

The Vegan Project Update

This would be my new label for my husband's vegan adventure.

1. He decided (on his own) that two weeks would be a better testament to what veganism could do for him.

2. He claims to not be eating for "taste" but for health during this time. He wants to detox, clean out his system, eat healthy, and go in for bloodwork at the end of the two weeks to see if it made a difference.

The fight is on! Stephanie vs. Tristan's Cholesterol!!!

And now I have something to focus on (a goal if you will) rather than trying to guess what wild hair made him want to go vegan.

Pressure's on...vegan food for the omnivore

My omni husband and I are accustomed to eating separately most nights of the week. We eat the same thing for dinner maybe once or twice a week. Well, that's about to change this week while he tries veganism. I personally don't think one week is going to cut it, friends. He needs at least that long to detox.

I made this menu so that I could plan and implement with ease, and so I would know how to grocery shop.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	Smoothie: banana, blueberries, oats, honey, almond butter, spinach, walnuts	Smoothie: banana, mango, blueberries, oats, honey, almonds	Oatmeal with fresh berries, orange zest, dried coconut, crushed walnuts, cardamom	Smoothie: banana, dates, almonds and walnuts, berries, kale, chia seeds, sprouted granola	Smoothie: banana, frozen fruit, nuts, leftovers
Snacks	carrots, radishes, and bean dip	carrots and nuts	bananas and oranges	rice crackers w/bean dip	carrot sticks
Lunch	wraps w/tortilla, vegan mayo, chickpeas, avocado, spinach shredded carrot, sunflower seeds	mega-salad w/spinach, nuts, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, cranberries, shredded carrots, sliced kale, walnuts, beets, quinoa, sprouted mung beans	almond butter sandwiches, side of apple, banana, and edamame	mega-salad	leftover burritoes w/chips, salsa, and avocado
Dinner	kichuri w/brown rice*	chili*	coconut rice*	burritoes	mushroom soup* w/quinoa
	spinach salad w/apple and walnut	brown rice and steamed kale	miso soup w/tofu	brown rice, pinto beans, avo, tomato, lettuce, cilantro	spinach salad w/strawberries & pine nuts

the starred recipes came from: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

Maybe if he sticks it out another week, we'll do some bbq veggie burgers, pizza, basic vegetable soup.

I'll probably be too busy cooking (and eating, ugh) to blog this week, but hopefully I'll be reporting great news next weekend!

A mate for this veganette

Me and my friends mixing up some practically vegan almost-sugar-free bowls of whatever they wanted. Their choices were dried coconut, almond butter, pure maple syrup, vegan grain sweetened carob chips, chopped walnuts, roasted garbanzo flour (for the brain!), trader joe's brand rice crispy cereal (therein lies the sugar), raw cacao powder, cinnamon, and honey (sorry, I know, I'll make it up to the bees somehow).

___

My husband just told me he wants to try being vegan! Mr. Omnivore of the year who can't go one day without meat unless he has a protein shake from powder in a container with a the most steroid-abusing body builder on the front.

He said he'll need my help. Aargh.

I know he won't be satisfied with the dinner I'm eating tonight (quinoa with sprouted mung beans on top, sprinkled with Braggs). I'm going to have to step up my game and get some Vegan for the Manly Omnivore recipes.

So say a prayer for this guy (doesn't he look like a meat-eater???):

Other wise this guy will be my only vegan family member:

___

I skipped my breakfast smoothie this morning and can I just say I have never craved leafy greens this much in my life? I saw kale in the veggie drawer and was tempted to just eat it right off the stem. I can't wait for my kale smoothie tonight before bed!!!

___

I'm not going crazy...I've been feeling "off" lately, and I thought it was vegan nutritional deficiency. Well, it's mother nature and her wonderful reproductive workings, and she decided to make a spontaneous visit to Early-ville. It's reassuring to know that it's not my diet, and although being soy free has resulted in a more extreme hormonal impact on my body/mind, it's not a dead end. It'll pass in a week! So off I go to make my kale smoothie.

Vegan Power!