body positive? body honest? or both??

Body positive + Body honest –  do they go hand in hand?

As I have been getting healthy and learning how to make being vegan a permanent life style change and not be on a “diet” I have come upon more and more articles about being “Body Positive.”  I myself, have lacked self-confidence most all of my teenage and adult life.  I was the tall redhead with glasses my whole life (carrot top/four eyes).  I never felt as thin, pretty or as smart as those around me.  Last year I turned 43 and I have finally started to build up my self-confidence (better late than never I guess).  Not sure why or when it exactly started.  Sometimes I think I have come to that half-way point in my life and I want to live the next half of it healthy, aware and positive.  So, Body Positive, yes I have come to except my body, hair color, glasses and all.  Heck, my body allowed me to give birth to my two beautiful children.  My husband tells me every day I look beautiful or hot (I like both) no matter what I weigh.  I wear short shorts even though my legs are not tan and summer ready.  I agree we should be Body Positive, but when is it not a good thing?  When do we really need to be “Body Honest” with ourselves too? Shouldn’t Body Positive AND Body Honest go hand-in-hand?

vegan fajitas & spicy refried black beans

Skipped the gym last night as my hip was still hurting pretty bad.  All was good as I had an amazing dinner I wanted to cook up for J.  I have made veggie fajitas many times, but was really happy with this recipe!  The marinade really made the difference on this recipe. To go with it I whipped up some quick guacamole and spicy refried black beans.

Making these worked out great as Friday at work we are having a going away party for a co-worker.  The menu - Mexican...beef, chicken, cheese...you get the picture.  I know I am safe with rice and hopefully the beans if there isn't cheese on top.  However, now I am armed with a mason jar filled with vegan fajita leftovers that I can bring in and enjoy with everyone else!  Again, thinking ahead will save you every time!

Vegan Fajitas
From: Diary of a Nutritionist

 Fajita Marinade

•          2 T. Water
•          1 T. Orange juice
•          Juice of 2 limes
•          3 Chipotle chiles, chopped
•          3 T. Roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
•          ¼ tsp. Ground cumin
•          ½ tsp Chili powder
•          ¼ tsp Paprika
•          1 T. Gluten-free tamari, low sodium

Fajita Mix

•          8 oz. Portabella mushrooms, sliced into strips
•          1 Yellow bell pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
•          1 Red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
•          1 Orange bell pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
•          1 Red onion, diced
•          1 Cup scallions, chopped
•          4 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
•          8 Soft corn tortillas

Heat a medium pan to medium-high heat. Add garlic, peppers, red onion and 2-4 T. of water or vegetable broth to prevent sticking. Sauté for 4 minutes and add mushrooms and scallions, stirring constantly. Sauté for 4 minutes, or until peppers and onion are sweating, and add remaining marinade ingredients. Cover and let steam on low heat for 6 minutes to absorb marinade flavors.

Edit: The recipe really didn't tell how to use the Marinade very well.  I mixed mine up before starting the Fajita Mix.  Once I added the mushrooms and scallions I added the Marinade to my mix.  Seemed to work great!

The black beans were pretty simple.  I used two cans of low sodium black beans, rinsing them first, and placing 1/2 in my food processor along with jalapenos and spicy carrots. Pulse until slightly lumpy. Add those, the other 1/2 of black beans and 1 T. of garlic powder into a pot and heat on low until warm all they way through.

Enjoy!

know your calories & oil free hummus recipe

Knowing your calories keeps you accountable.

For instance, this morning I had enjoyed one of my green smoothies at about 280 calories.  My darling husband offered to stop by my office and bring Starbuck - Humm....black coffee or a Chi Tea Soy Latte? The Latte did sound like heaven - Google Nutritional information at Starbucks = 310 Calories. "Black coffee please!"

edamame-potato salad wraps

Sunday I whipped up a new lunch mix to get J and I though the week.  I love making one large batch of something and not having to worry about it all week long.  I used my edamame-potato salad mix a couple of different ways: in a wrap, in a mason jar to top of sprouts and just over a bed of spinach.  All very tasty!  Oh, J liked his between two pieces of whole wheat bread!

 

Edamame-Potato Salad Wraps

 

1 Extra Firm Tofu, drained and pressed

4 Red Potatoes, cooked

1 Bag  Frozen Edamame

1 Red Onion, diced

1 small can Green Chilies

1 can Artichoke Hearts

2/3 C. Hummus

2 T. Sunflower Seeds, without shells

1 T. Garlic Powder

1 T. Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning Blend

Collard Greens for wraps

back to another monday - spicy mexican veggie burger recipe!

Crazy, crazy weekend - but aren't the all?

Friday night was dinner and baseball with my darling husband J.  He picked me up from work and we hit our favorite vegan place Pomegranate Café for dinner.  We both tried something new for dinner, myself the burger special for the day (which was spicy and very delish!) with a side of hummus.  J had the Rainbow Wrap, which he enjoyed as well.  When we left we bought a vegan almond joy bar to take to the game to enjoy later.  I have been DYING to try one as they look amazing!!

keeping the day light and fresh

Wasn't sure if I could beat my current 5k time at the gym yesterday, but surprisingly without throwing up I did it!  LOL!  Not sure why but by the end of my run my stomach was not very happy with me.  Sometimes the heat effects me and the gym was a tick on the warm side.  However, really happy with my time and even HAPPIER when I got on the scale this morning and hit my 30 lb. weight loss goal!! Achieved!!  Woohoo!!  What a great way to start my Friday morning!!  Tomorrow my plan is to take my running outside early in the morning and see how it feels.  One of my dogs is a great runner, so I figure maybe she can keep me going.  :)

If you went shopping over at Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth yesterday you'll have found they sold out of just about everything.  Including the tank I had ordered.  A little bummed out as I liked that style, but ended up ordering a different one that I liked just as much!  My goal this weekend is to stay out of the stores - NO clothing shopping Katherine!!  When you lose weight, feel great and everything fits again it's darn near impossible I'm finding - so please wish me luck!  ;)

I know I said yesterday that there would not be any cooking going on in my kitchen, but as I threw my lunch together I wanted to use up  a few fruits and veggies before they went bad and decided to create a yummy little Cucumber & Strawberry Salad for today.  I love that J and I hardly EVER eat lunch out at work.  There are vegan options out there, but I hate not being able to control what's "really" in there and then there is the $$ factor.  We save lots not eating out and have noticed that our weekly grocery bill has not changed at all before going vegan.  Again, sticking to a weekly menu and shopping list, shopping what's in season and freezing what we don't use from that week has really helped.

Okay, back to my salad -

Cucumber & Strawberry Salad

1/2 C. Cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 C. Strawberries, sliced
1 T. Balsamic Vinegar
1 T. Agave Nectar
1 T. Walnuts, chopped

Mix all ingredients in a bowl or mason jar.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Perfect on a warm hot summer day!

Weekend plans?  I am looking forward to a little TLC as I get my hair done tomorrow and we have a new foster puppy join our family tomorrow as well!

TGIF!

spaghetti squash & vegetable casserole

Yesterday was a happy day for me as I now fit into the smallest size of pants that I own!  I can really see how the running has made a difference in how my body not only feels, but looks.  Vegan chicks are hot I tell you!!  LOL! Okay, that came from this awesome video:

Really glad that Tuesday night I cooked up my spaghetti squash ahead a time for Wednesday nights dinner.  Made whipping this up quick and easy.  The recipe came from Undressed Skeleton, but I did make a few changes.  Here is my version, enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash & Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients

5 Cups of cooked Spaghetti Squash (I used 2 small ones)
1 Red Onion, diced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, diced
1 Orange Bell Pepper, diced
1 T. Garlic
2 T. Vegetable Broth
1 Extra Firm Tofu, drained and pressed
1 T. Garlic Powder
1 T. Cumin
2 T. Red Pepper Flakes
5 Large Tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 Jar Pasta Sauce (no salt)
1 T. Parsley Flakes
1 T. Nutritional Yeast
 

carrot ribbon pasta in a jar

Was blessed to have my teenage daughter join me yesterday at the gym for the first time! Didn't do my normal 5k workout and instead hit the cardio machines to shake up my workout some. I felt amazing when I got home and had non-stop energy!  So much in fact, that I thought I would try something new for lunch the rest of this week.  Introducing Carrot Ribbon Pasta in a Jar!

Carrot Ribbon Pasta in a Jar

Makes: 4 jars

Ingredients

4 Large Carrots
2 T. Vegetable Broth
1 Onion, diced
1 T. Garlic (I used jar Garlic)
1 Zucchini, diced
1 Orange Bell Pepper, diced
1 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Cumin
1 T. Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning Blend
8 oz. Jar Diced Green Chilies
16 oz. Can Black Beans (no salt), rinsed
1/2 Jar Pasta Sauce (no salt)

smoothies, broccoli-slaw and enchiladas oh my!

After our Father's Day weekend it was really nice to get back on track yesterday and fill my body with healthy goodness!  Started out the morning with my go to Green Smoothie. Thanks to my Vitamix it is the perfect way to start off the morning and super easy to make.  My little Cavalier iHop loves them too!

Go To Green Smoothie

Ingredients

1 Banana (or Avocado)
1/2" Piece of fresh Ginger
1/2 Cucumber pealed and sliced
1/2 cup of baby Carrots
1cup frozen fruit of your choice
2/3 cup of filtered water
1 cup of Spinach
2 T. Ground Flaxseed
1/2 cup Oats
Ice Cubes as needed

tofu scramble & something for the dogs

Happy Monday to you all!  It was a slow starting day today as we celebrated Father's Day a little too hard yesterday lol.

Father's Day morning started with J's favorite vegan breakfast - Southwestern Tofu Scramble.  If you are trying to cut eggs, but love a good scramble you really have to give this a try!  J and I both agree that the Tofu actually taste better than eggs ever did.


Southwestern Tofu Scramble

Ingredients

12 oz. Tofu Extra Firm (pressed)
1  teaspoons ground Turmeric
2 tablespoons of water
3 tablespoons vegetable broth or water
1 Small Red Onion
Several Peppers (I like red, orange and yellow)1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder                                            
1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 cup Sliced Jalapenos
1/2 cup Diced Green Chilies
1 cup Spinach
2 Tomatoes Diced
1 Avocado (for topping)                                           
Salsa (for topping)   

vegan clean the fridge out veggie pizza

Decided I needed an extra long weekend and took yesterday off.  Good choice on my part!  Enjoyed a nice day with J - little shopping, lunch and the gym (beat my 5k time!).   

Then it was time to make dinner! One of my favorite vegan meals that's quick and easy is making pizza.  I am in love with the crust from Whole Foods, so after a drive over there yesterday to pick up a crust it was pizza making time!  This is a great way to use up leftover veggies in your fridge and basically anything goes!  Here is my easy recipe:

keeping on track made easy

I am a list maker. 
I admit it.
And I love it!

"Sometimes" I get a little carried away, but for me keeping a list or journal helps keep me on track with any project I am working on - health being one of them.  Here are a few ideas and options that might work for you as well:

Keeping a Journal

Whether you are trying to lose weight or work on a fitness goal keeping a journal is a great way to track your progress, make notes or write down your thoughts for the day.  I have found that this keeps me focused and I love looking back seeing the progress I have made.  When we started our work fitness challenge I knew that I wanted to accomplish a few things with my journal:

only one little pound left...

Around March 20th of this year I was sitting at work thinking about how I really needed to go buy a new pair of jeans as my size 14 were starting to feel a little on the tight side.  I pulled up a photo that one of my co-workers took of me just a few weeks before (they thought they were funny putting a Kyle Bush cut out in my office, as I cannot stand him!).  I thought I looked pretty cute over the winter months.  I got lazy.  Lazy is easy.  Lazy can be fun. Lazy really makes your body feel bad and God, I felt like crap all of the time.

That photo told me another story.  Wow, I had really started packing on the pounds.  I knew why, I'm not stupid -

At that same time that I was contemplating jeans in a size 16 I had a co-worker came into my office showing me her cute new jeans, that she also just purchase in a larger size.  Okay, enough was enough.  I am smart enough to know that I need to take care of myself and this was not good! I had thought of an idea a few nights before so I brought up to my co-worker the idea of doing a summer weight loss challenge for the women in our office (most all of us needed to drop a few lbs), and the challenge was formed!  With the blessing of our bosses we invited all to join us with a $20 entry fee that would go towards the grand prize at the end (July 1st).  March 25th was our first weigh-in an we ended up with a total of six of us joining in (we are a small office).  My start weight was 176.2 (I am 5'10" tall just FYI) and I gave myself a goal of 146.2 (30 lb. weight loss total).  I figure that was a doable number for the amount of time of the challenge.

chipotle mac & chesses with roasted brussel sprouts and some redhead chatter

Last night I tired out a new recipe for a vegan Chipotle Mac & Cheese with Roasted Brussel Sprouts, in the past I had great success with another recipe, but I am always up for trying something new. I love when I am at work and talk about making Mac & Cheese for dinner and I get, "What do you do for the cheese?" It is beyond amazing that you can MAKE cheese from cashews and when I tell them this they don't believe me.  LOL! I have also discovered that most people do not like the taste of Brussel Sprouts, but I guess since I was not subjected to them as a kid I really don't mind them at all.  The original recipe says to drizzle them with olive oil before roasting, but I cooked mine on parchment paper without the olive oil and they turned out great! I have to say it was a VERY easy recipe and did not take much time at all. I doubled the recipe as well so we would have some left overs for the week.  Here is the recipe for Post Punk Kitchen:

Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes || Active time: 15 minutes

8 oz macaroni (gluten-free, whole wheat, or any type)
1 lb brussels, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil (I skipped this and cooked on Parchment Paper)
For the sauce:
1 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
4 chipotles, seeded
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons miso (I used chickpea miso) (I skipped this and used lemon juice and a little mustard)
Salt to taste
1 can of diced green chilies (I added this)

Preheat the oven to 425 F for the brussels, and prepare a pot of salted water for the pasta. In the meantime, prep the brussels and make the sauce.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the quartered brussel sprouts with olive oil and a dash of salt. Bake for 18 minutes, until lightly browned. No need to flip them, just let ‘em roast.
To make the sauce: Drain the cashews and place all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend away until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Depending on the strength of your blender this could take from one to five minutes.
When the macaroni is tender, drain it in a colander. Immediately place it back in the pot you boiled it in and stir in the sauce. Place pot on low heat and stir for 3 minutes or so, until the sauce is thickened a bit and everything is deliciously creamy. Taste for salt, toss in the brussel sprouts and serve!

weekend babbling from the redhead

Happy Monday! It is wonderful waking up on a Monday and feeling so energized and ready to start the work week! I started my Monday off today with some steamed kale splashed with a little red wine vinegar.  Trying to eat more greens in the morning and making my normal green smoothie every other day (Inspired by Chef AJ).

Today I wanted to blog about three different topics:

1.Eating healthy at sporting events

2. Weekend Prep For The Upcoming Week

3. Recipe: Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes

Saturday night was a fun date night for J and I as we had tickets to the Diamondbacks baseball game here in Phoenix.  They had a big bobble-head give away, so we knew even though the game started at 7:10pm we would need to be there really early.  We weighed our eating options as we know that eating vegan at the ballpark would be near to impossible and we didn’t want to be starving and cranky while there.  I looked for some vegan choices using my favorite app Happy Cow and we decided to eat at our favorite vegan place Pomegranates Café.  This place is beyond amazing!! Everything comes Vegan or Vegetarian, so you have that option.  We have been slowly working our way through the menu and this time tried a couple of their bowls.  I had the Dragon Bowl, very tasty, lots of wonderful flavor and FILLING!

Most ballparks now let you carry in items such as water and snacks (check first with your ballpark).  We have a vendor where we park that sells water cheap, so we picked up three along with a bag of peanuts for munching on.  Come on, you have to have peanuts at a ballgame!!   

The long line to get in was much worth it as we received our bobble-heads and had plenty of time to get some extra walking in.  We did a nice lap at the park checking out the food vendors and much to our surprised found some great vegan and vegetarian options!  Red Hot has a Veggie burger (however the bun does have dairy and eggs) and another had fruit and veggie bowls to go! Okay not a ton of healthy options but sometime some are better than none.  J and I also give ourselves a 2% rule when we go out.  At home I can make sure every ingredient going into our meals are vegan and whole, going out can you really trust that they are?  No.  So, if by some chance there is say dairy or egg in one part of our meal…we aren’t going to go all crazy and freak out.  It is what it is.  When outside of the house there is no way to control it all and I am not going to let it stress me out or ruin a good time.

So, there you have it – go out and have fun!  Bring your own snacks if you can. Eat before. Look for options that may work for you.

sesame-honey tempeh & quinoa bowl + my start to running

Last night I whipped up dinner from a new recipe I found on Pinterest.  I wrote before that one thing I love about being vegan is replacing/adding/removing ingredients from a recipe and how easy it is to do.  What I plan on doing is sharing the recipe I started with and make notes of how I changed it up, so if you want to try the original you can or if you want to try my version you can do that as well!

The first time I used Tempeh way back when I sucked it all up.  My daughter and I couldn’t stand it.  Then I learned how to use it right and recipes that made it POP and taste amazing, but for those of you who have never used Tempeh here is some basic info on it:

What is Tempeh?

Tempeh is a soyfood made by controlled fermentation of cooked soybeans with a Rhizopus molds (tempeh starter). This fermentation binds the soybeans into a compact white cake. Tempeh has been a favorite food and staple source of protein in Indonesia for several hundred years. But it is now rapidly becoming popular all over the world as people look for ways to increase their intake of soy, known for its health benefits. They discover tempeh's versatility and delicious taste. Especially vegetarians and vegans find the structure and protein content interesting. Tempeh has a firm texture and a nutty mushroom flavor. It is very versatile and can be used in recipes in different ways. Normally tempeh is sliced or cut in cubes and fried until the surface is crisp and golden brown. You can also grate it like cheese. Tempeh can be used as ingredient in soups, spreads, salads and sandwiches. Tempeh is now commonly available in many supermarkets (I buy mine at Sprouts next to the Tofu) and health food stores.

Using Tempeh in your recipes

Fresh tempeh has a nice mushroom and nutty flavor, but in recipes it will readily absorbs flavors of other ingredients. Often, tempeh is marinated before cooking to give it a stronger and savory taste. You can substitute all or part of meat in your favorite recipe with tempeh.

Cooking methods

You can cook Tempeh by: boiling, steaming, baking, microwaving, stir-frying or grilling.

Sesame-Honey Tempeh & Quinoa Bowl

cooking in the vegan kitchen

Experimenting With New Recipes

I love to cook and experiment with new recipes and one of the joys of being vegan is changing things up while cooking.  For example, say a recipe has asparagus in it and maybe you have yet to become a fan of asparagus – so add something in its place, sliced zucchini, green beans, red pepper…the choices are endless!  Experiment and have fun while cooking.  I love when J tells me a meal is “two thumbs up” and I have no idea or memory of what all exactly I added in it lol!    Don’t be intimidated by ingredient you don’t know either.  That’s what the Internet is for, Google for an image to see what you’re shopping for and then ask a store clerk if you are unable to find.  There may even be a substitute for that ingredient you do have in your kitchen, use that instead.  Please, don’t be afraid of the recipe or your kitchen. Think of a recipe as a starting place and who knows where it may end.

 

Tools of a Vegan Kitchen

This is another exciting part for me – lots of cool kitchen gadgets and appliances!!  I have for years been using the little old cheap blender that I think I may have received as a wedding gift almost 19 years ago.  My dream was a Vitamix blender…the blenders of all blenders.  I have read many blogs telling amazing tales of their great feats.  Mixing nuts into cheese sauces, incredible smooth hummus and smoothies to dies for!!  Yes, please sign me up!! Now these baby’s don’t come cheap normally $340-$1000 but I knew that I didn’t need a restaurant top of the line one, so I did my research and found that Bed Bath & Beyond had a model in my price range along with being able to use a 20% off coupon!  They also will take it back if I didn’t like it – yea, that didn’t happen.  Out of the box this thing was a beauty!  My first green smoothie took seconds and was the creamiest smoothie I have ever had!! I was in appliance love.

welcome!

Hello and welcome to my new blog!  In the past I have had a blog documenting my love of scrapbooking and crafting, and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share my vegan and running journey. I have a love for being vegan….running?  Well that I am trying to love. LOL!  Why start a blog on this?  Well, I have had lots of questions regarding being “plant strong” as to, where to start?...how to shop?...and then there are the opposers saying it’s just another diet.  No, it’s not.  It’s a lifestyle and a lifestyle I choose.  I agree it may not be a lifestyle for everyone, I mean why would everyone want to feel great?  Okay, something about me – I tend to say what I think without a filter.  Anyways, J (my darling husband and my biggest supporter!) and I have tried to stay away from meat as much as possible in the past but always end up back at the bar eating junk…killing out bodies.  That changed in March, J had his physical for work coming up and knew it was going to be a bad outcome.  Myself, I was getting ready to try on a pair of size 16 pants and had enough.  I talked my co-workers into starting a Summer Weight Loss Challenge I was ready to drop this weight!  First step was my diet.  I knew what I needed to do.  I’m not stupid.  More veggies and fruits, whole foods, non-processed food…that was my starting point and thank God for a husband that wanted to join me!  That was March – fast forward to June – I am 25 lbs. lighter, J has dropped 30 lbs. AND stopped snoring!!  LOL, sorry but it was a big deal for us.  Our physicals went amazing and all of our levels perfect.  We had to apologize to our doctor for being so “boring” as we had no pains or aliments.  He actually said that he wished he had more “boring” patients like us.

 

Where to start?  Books, Blogs, where not to start!  There is a wealth of information out there that’s for sure.  For us the Engine 2 diet hit home.  Rip is a fire fighter as is J, and his writing is easy to follow.  Instead of thinking “vegan” he likes to talk “plant strong” both will get you to the same finish line…a healthy body!  For me Vegucated hit me the hardest.  I am an animal lover and learning more about how our farm animals are treated just did me in.  I love this quote –  “I’ve often said that if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” – Paul McCartney.

So, now you’ve read the books or watched the videos time to go crazy and buy everything you can!!  Easy mistake.  Yes there are those stock up items that are great to have, but I have found buying them as needed works just as well.  My number one tip – plan your meals for the week starting with a grocery list as well.  Looking for that great meal to make Pinterest rocks my ever loving world!  Start an account and start pinning!  And look for those recipes where you know what all the ingredients really are (or google if you’re not sure about one).  After you have that list time to go shopping.  I find that what works best for our family is having everything ready to grab-and-go!  Sunday is normally my day that I put on my cute apron, turn on a movie and start dicing!  Fruits such as strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple all get sliced up and ready to eat.  Any carrots, apples, etc. get washed and put in eyes view.  Then I plan one simple grab-and-go lunch for J and I for that week.  Normally a salad or soup of some type.  I make this up as well and we are ready for the week!  Sounds like a lot, but really it’s not.  Again, make it fun turn up your iPod and burn off some calories while slicing and dicing your way into better health! 

 

I guess you could eat out and have this guy making your food –

 

I’m going to say no thank you and pass.  Another tip – I cook larger dinners so I can freeze them for a quick go to dinner or weekend lunch!

Again, thank you for stopping by and I hope you stick around to enjoy this journey with me!!

xoxo
K