Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 11

I sit here writing this in the dark with the hope that my laptop battery can hold out long enough for me to finish. We had a bad storm last night and lost power. When we lose power, it can take days for it to come back on, and I just really hope this isn't one of those times. I checked the electric company's website and it says that 99.98% of properties have power, so we are in the lucky 0.02% that does not.

I had another not-great week, unfortunately. Nothing bad happened, but I just haven't been sleeping well at all and I'm tired. I also didn't do a single run this week, and I'm super disappointed in myself for that. I'm finally able to run three miles, so I don't want to blow it and quit again.

I need to make a set schedule; I've been trying to do Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday each week, but I think I'm going to change that to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. My excuses aren't even worthy--I wake up at 3:00 (lately, it's been more like 1:30 or 2:00 because I just can't sleep) and it doesn't get light until after 7:00. I don't feel safe running in the dark anymore (I don't know when/why that fear came about). So by then, I've already been awake for four hours and I'm usually in the middle of something by the time it's light outside.

Anyway, I had another loss on the scale this week. I was at 142.8, which is down from last week's 144.4. Since the power was out when I took the picture, this is what I got, haha:

I've definitely noticed that my body is softer than it was when I was at this weight last time. I'm sure that taking years off from running has had an effect, as well as general aging. My upper arms have SO much loose skin. I am seriously considering getting it removed, but I keep asking myself if it's really necessary. It wouldn't be just for cosmetic reasons (although that plays a part). It's very uncomfortable when wearing loose clothing (picture running without a sports bra and how your boobs just feel heavy and hindering). My armpits also make embarrassing fart noises sometimes when I reach overhead and then bring my arm down... seriously!

I have no idea how much it would cost and it just feels so impractical to spend money on something that isn't technically necessary. If the power comes back on before I post this, I'll try to get a picture so you can see I'm not exaggerating. A lot of times, people have said to me that I don't look like I have loose skin; but my upper arms and my thighs are pretty bad. I don't wear short sleeves or shorts because of it.

I'm not sure what else to write this week, but I found this picture I took a while ago of my breakfast so I figured I'd share that. I eat this every single morning, and I literally look forward to it every day--I love it! I just call it a "breakfast bowl", because it's no longer really cereal or oatmeal. I guess it's more like a muesli?

-Grapenuts
-rolled oats
-goji berries
-frozen blueberries
-ground flaxseed
-chia seeds
-unsweetened shredded coconut
-sliced almonds (unpictured, because I guess I forgot)
-unsweetened cocoa powder (did you know this has 2 grams of fiber and only 5 calories per tablespoon?!)
-unsweetened plain soy milk
-occasionally a dash of almond extract
-if I have a perfectly-ripe-for-me banana, I add that as well (but I'm super picky about bananas--they basically have to be barely-yellow without any specks of brown).

Without the banana, the bowl has about 520 calories and 20(!) grams of fiber. This is what it looks like all mixed together--once I add the soy milk, it looks pretty gross, so I'll spare you.

For some reason, uploading photos here has become extremely difficult. I'm too far removed from blogging to try to figure it out, though. On my last post, someone mentioned that it's difficult to leave a comment on my blog as well--and believe me, I know it! I have always had problems with it (half the time, I can't even leave comments myself), so I apologize for that. I tried switching to Wordpress once years ago and I became so frustrated that I just decided to stay with Blogger, as messy as it is. I have so many things that I should update on my blog, but it's overwhelming to even think about right now. As it is, I'm just impressed I've managed to stick with my weekly weigh-ins, haha.

Well, the power still isn't back on and I want to post this before my battery dies. So, I have no weekly mirror selfie. Maybe I'll update later!

Continue Reading...

RECIPE: Asian Smashed Cucumber Salad

I have been absolutely obsessed with this Asian Smashed Cucumber Salad lately. Since I have a long gap between breakfast and dinner, but I'm not really hungry for lunch, I make this and eat it in between. It is ridiculously easy, fast, cheap, healthy, light, and refreshing, with just a handful of common ingredients. It's the perfect summer salad!

Why smashed cucumbers? I didn't really get it either, but apparently the vinaigrette can get into the nooks and crannies better. And smashing it is kind of fun!

Ingredients:

1 hothouse cucumber (the kind that comes in plastic wrap)
2 tsp. garlic, minced (or 2 tsp. "jarlic"--minced garlic in a jar--which is what I use)
1-1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1-1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. sugar (I used pure maple syrup)
1-1/5 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions: Cut off the ends of the cucumber (do not peel). Using the handle of your knife, smash along the whole length of the cucumber. It will break up into large pieces. Then use your knife to slice the pieces crosswise into chunks. Use a paper towel press out as much water as possible. Place in a bowl.

Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the cucumbers. Give it a stir to coat the cucumbers and then place it in the fridge to chill for about 10-15 minutes before eating.

Makes 1 serving. 151 calories, 5 grams protein, 13 grams carbs, 9.5 grams fat, 5 grams fiber

Here is a printer version. I don't have the fancy recipe plug-in like food bloggers use, so this is just a simple google drive pdf! (For some reason, I'm not able to view it on my browser; I hope that it works, and I apologize if not. I'll keep working on it.)

Continue Reading...

A Month of Beans and Greens

I am going to post a Wednesday Weigh-In, but I just spent the last eight hours working on this post and I need a break from the computer. I may wait until tomorrow morning.

I've been putting this post off all month because I felt overwhelmed with it. I should have been more organized through the month and wrote down what I cooked in order to keep track of what I was taking pictures of. But better late than never, and "chaotic" is my middle name, so here we go...

Jerry and I had gotten into the bad habit of eating a lot of convenience foods--vegan nuggets, burgers, stuff like that. After reading about so many people in their 30's and 40's getting colorectal cancer, we decided we needed to focus on eating much healthier--no more convenience foods, at least for a while. And so I thought it would be fun to try a challenge to eat some sort of beans and greens every day day for a month.

First, I want to say that even if I was a food stylist/photographer, a lot of beans and greens meals just do not look appetizing. I would say that probably most of the photos in this post might be a turn off from the beans and greens; but remember, I am not a food stylist or photographer in any sense of the words, so please don't let these pics keep you from trying different versions of beans and greens!

Why Beans and Greens?

A grain, a green, and a bean walked into a bar...

They are pretty much the perfect meal: loaded with nutrition, lots of fiber, endless varieties of combinations, super cheap to make, easy to sub ingredients, and easy to get creative with so it doesn't get boring.

I almost always eat beans and greens with some sort of grain (95% of the time it's brown rice). A super easy "rule of thumb" for a healthy vegan dinner is a grain, a green, and a bean. (I include lentils in the beans category because they are so similar in nutrition. I also include tofu and soy curls, because they are just soy beans.

My favorite grains: short grain brown rice, brown basmati rice, bulgur, red quinoa, and barley. (If you want to switch from white to brown rice for health benefits, try short grain brown rice--it's softer and stickier than other varieties and reminds me of white rice. That's how I got my kids to like it years ago.) I would put pasta and bread in this category as well, but I don't really like bread much and I prefer rice over pasta.

My favorite greens: Collards are my very favorite because they are super easy to prep, they hold up well after cooking a long time, and they take on whatever flavor is in the dish. For this Beans and Greens Month, I also tried mustard greens, rainbow chard, kale, spinach, bok choy, and I think a couple of others. The ones I like the least are the kale and spinach, because they have a strong flavor.

My favorite beans: dark red kidney beans, chickpeas, great northern beans, black beans, navy beans. Despite eating quite a bit of them over the month, I don't really love the flavor of black-eyed peas. I usually choose beans for the texture that I'm going for in the dish: kidney beans hold up really well and don't get mushy, great northern are very soft white beans and perfect for blending into sauces, etc.

As far as lentils, I'm kind of obsessed with red lentils and black (beluga) lentils. The red lentils break down a LOT when cooked, which is good if you're not a fan of the texture of lentils or for dishes like curries. The black lentils hold their shape really well and they're very small (about the size of rice) making them perfect for salads or mujadara (a lentil and rice dish with caramelized onions--so good!). The black lentils are super versatile, so they're my very favorite.

You'll see that most of the beans and greens dishes I make are curries--some sort of sauce with spices (depending on what flavor profile I'm going for), beans (sometimes whole or sometimes blended into the sauce), and about four cups of chopped greens. I almost always serve it with a whole grain. Depending on what I'm making, I use other ingredients as well, but those are the basics.

I apologize that I don't have links for all of the recipes (honestly, I can't remember what some of the dishes even were). I'll link to the ones that I'm able. A lot of these came from the How Not to Die Cookbook, How Not to Diet Cookbook, and How Not to Age Cookbooks.

Any time the recipes called for one can of beans, I always used two. And several, if not most, of the recipes don't call for greens at all! When that was the case, I just chopped four cups of whatever greens I had at the moment and added them. When the recipe did call for greens, most of the time I subbed whatever greens I had on hand rather than sticking to what was called for in the recipe.

Here are photos of the beans and greens (and grains!) meals I made in July...

Pasta with Garlicky White Beans and Greens (How Not to Diet, p. 85). I used red lentil pasta for even more "beans", but did not like the pasta; while I love red lentils, the pasta was not a good texture for me.

Creamy Mushroom Coconut Curry by Happy Veggie Kitchen (I added chick peas and extra mushrooms and skipped the sugar and cilantro. Fun fact: when I took the DNA test a few years ago, I learned that I have the gene that make cilantro taste like soap. I never did like it!).

Slow Cooker Lentil and Quinoa Chili by Aggies Kitchen. I've made this a few times; it's super easy to throw in the crockpot and it tastes delicious! Jerry really likes this one.

Persian Black-Eyed Peas and Greens (How Not to Diet, p. 130) with barley. I used dark red kidney beans and red beans instead of black-eyed peas.

Coconut Chickpea Curry by Real and Vibrant with brown basmati rice. I can't remember if I liked this or not, but I think I remember it being bland. I used chickpeas and black-eyed peas because I didn't have two cans of chickpeas.The greens weren't in the recipe; I just added what I had on hand.

I cannot figure out what this was; clearly some sort of lentil curry!

Hoppin' John Stuffed Collard Rolls (How Not to Die, p. 158). I (obviously) didn't make stuffed rolls; I just chopped up the collard greens and added them to the sauce. Instead of rice, I served it over bulgur. 

I know this is shredded tofu and bok choy with short grain brown rice, but I can't remember what I did for the sauce/seasoning.

Coconut Curry Dal with short grain brown rice. This is currently my favorite go-to meal. (I use full-fat coconut milk instead of lite and skip the oil.) There is rice on top because I realized I didn't add enough to my bowl!

Red Bean and Tempeh Jambalaya (How Not to Age, p. 150) with purple rice. I'd only tried tempeh (fermented soy beans) a couple of times, but it had been a while. I really liked it!

I cannot remember what this was (obviously a curry of chickpeas, tomatoes, collards, and brown basmati, but I don't remember what spices I used).

This was some sort of mushroom curry, but it didn't turn out very good so I threw away the recipe.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup (How Not to Diet, p. 20). This is HEAVENLY. Noah actually asks me to make this for him sometimes because he loves it as well. (There is no cheese in it, despite the name.) It doesn't call for greens, but I added some in addition to the broccoli. The beans are blended into the soup, which makes it thick (along with the cashews). I'm actually planning to make this for dinner tonight.

Barley Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (How Not to Diet, p. 167). I used this recipe *very* loosely. I did not use cabbage; I used whatever greens I had on hand at the time. I obviously didn't stuff them; I just combined the filling and sauce to serve on top of the barley.

Black Lentil Dal (How Not to Diet, p. 137), with short grain brown rice. This is SO much better than it looks! I've made this several times (without the greens) and it's a favorite.

Smokey Black-Eyed Peas and Collards (How Not to Die, p. 127) with red quinoa. I added an extra can of black-eyed peas.

Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Butter Beans by Nora Cooks. This sauce was AMAZING. Like, I wanted to just eat it by the spoonful. This was my first time trying butter beans (a.k.a. lima beans) and I did not like the texture of them. I'll definitely make this again, but with great northern beans instead. And *definitely* with tofu.

 African Red Bean and Sweet Potato Stew (also in How Not to Diet, p. 138). This is one of my very favorite recipes ever. Like, in my top five favorite meals. It's what made me start seeing peanut butter as a savory ingredient--so good. Jerry doesn't even like sweet potatoes, but he loves this too! It doesn't call for greens, but I added what I had.

Vegan Creole Beans (with red rice). I didn't have enough kidney beans, so I used some red beans as well. It didn't call for greens, but I added what I had.

Indian-Style Soy Curls (my recipe that I've perfected over time, loosely based on butter chicken and chicken tikka masala). I make this all the time--the sauce is SO GOOD. Sometimes I make it with tofu, sometimes with beans, sometimes with the soy curls. But it's ridiculously easy--you just throw all the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until it's really creamy. Then heat it on the stove with soy curls/tofu/beans until hot. I serve this with brown basmati rice. I will post the recipe another day soon!

10-Minute Peanut Butter Curry by Healthy Living James. This didn't have much flavor, so I tossed the recipe. It definitely needed more spices.

Doing this beans and greens experiment (not really an experiment.. a challenge?) was fun! It got me out of the rut of convenience food that Jerry and I had unfortunately gotten used to, and definitely helped me with weight loss (I lost 15 pounds in July).

I'm so sorry that I had a lot of "I don't remember" on here! I really should have been more organized. Still, maybe it'll inspire you to try some version of beans and greens for a nice plant-based meal. After working on this post, I am SO hungry--I'm going to get started on dinner. I may post my weigh-in tonight, but if not, I will tomorrow morning for sure.

Continue Reading...

A Complete Daily Dozen

As I've said several times, my health focus for 2024 is to eat more vegetables. I've been really interested in Dr. David Greger's research and I *love* his books: "How Not To Die", "How Not To Diet", and now I'm listening to the audiobook of "How Not To Age". If I was a faster reader, I'd love to read them and take notes--but they are *very* long books. "How Not To Age" is over 24 hours on audiobook! They are fascinating, though, and loaded with research.

Dr. Greger has a list called the "Daily Dozen", which is a list of the ideal things to include in your diet each day. I love that he says it's an aspirational list and not to overthink it. (You know I'm a total overthinker.) I use it as a guide to push me in the right direction, but I don't expect to check off the entire list every day. Also, the list is meant to be the minimum intake. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't eat beyond what's on the list.

(The app is free and there aren't any ads or subscriptions or anything. Dr. Greger's work is non-profit because he doesn't have a hidden agenda--just a desire to learn and share facts from tons of research.)

On Saturday, I was so ready to get out of the house. Jerry and I went to Ann Arbor for Salvation Army, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods. We don't have TJ's or WF near us, so it's kind of an event to go, hahaha. We bought the produce we'd need for the week as well as some odd and hard-to-find or unique ingredients.

Yesterday, I realized that I got in the whole Daily Dozen! I took pictures (sometimes I post pictures of memorable food in a private Instagram account) so I thought I'd share the day's eats on this post. First, here is the checklist (when you tap on each item in the app, it gives more specific info). I didn't log this into a calorie counting app, but a quick guesstimate for the day is about 1600 calories.

Breakfast was rolled oats (uncooked, because they just sounded better that way), blueberries, banana, flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and soy milk. I usually eat Grape Nuts instead of oats, but since the oats are healthier, I'm going to try to have them more often. [As far as the list, this counted as whole grains, berries, another fruit, and flaxseed]

My latest obsession has been cucumbers with hummus--I cannot get enough! This counted as an "other" vegetable and two servings of beans.

Jerry bought me a few Asian pears that he'd found and this was the last one. Usually I eat fruit like apples and pears with the skin, but Asian pears have a tougher skin so I peel them. This counted as an "other" fruit.

Dinner was SO good! Ethiopian Collard Greens & Beans, from the "How Not To Diet" cookbook, served over red quinoa. Jerry and I both loved this. On the Daily Dozen, this checked off beans, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, one "other" vegetable, and a ton of spices. I also had a small salad with it, which counted for my leafy greens.

These are all the spices that were in the dish above.

In the evening, I still needed one more fruit and nuts. Usually I have pistachios and an apple, but I was kind of full from dinner, so I had a few dates with almond butter.

My B12 supplement

I got in lots of water (recommended is six 12-oz glasses and I definitely reached that). This is the tumbler that Ava, Eli's girlfriend, gave me for Christmas. It makes me feel good <3

As far as exercise, I didn't count minutes (because that would be overthinking for me)--I just did my run in the morning and went for a walk later.

I really like the Daily Dozen app; it definitely helps me to think about my choices before I eat. And I've loved adding more vegetables where I can. Jerry has been enjoying it, too. He started a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) class yesterday. He loves HIIT and likes the structure of going to a class rather than doing it on his own. When he got home, he said that it was extremely humbling and it made him really want to be healthier, especially with his diet. Having him on board helps a lot!

Continue Reading...

Two Weeks of Whole Foods

I'm still struggling with things to write about. I've been wanting to put together a post of the dinners Jerry and I have been eating lately but I was hoping to wait until I have more photos. I'm starting to forget what some of these recipes even were, so I'll just go ahead and post them.

The main goal (for our two-week challenge) was to eat more vegetables, but it kind of turned into eating mainly whole foods. Both of us really loved doing this! It was interesting to see how much better we felt--physically and mentally--when eating foods our bodies like. And that was only two weeks!

I made most of the recipes from the How Not To Die and How Not To Diet cookbooks. I don't think there were any that we didn't like; both of those cookbooks have been awesome. Keep in mind that I am not-even-a-little-bit-good at food photography, so my pictures aren't exactly appealing, hahaha. There were actually a few that I'm not even going to post because it will make people never want to try things like black lentils and black bean soup!

Anyway, here are some of the ways we got more vegetables in...

Sweet Potato Waffles (I discovered that I use far less syrup if I put it in a little ramekin and dip the waffles as I eat rather than pouring it on top; I only used half of what is pictured)

I didn't mean to include this, but I definitely ate all of these Asian pears before they went bad! Haha. 

Sweet Potato Taco Bowl (brown rice, sweet potatoes, corn, black beans, seasoning)

Millet "Risotto" with mushrooms, spinach, and white beans (we didn't like this dish only because we didn't like the flavor of the millet itself; this would be good with a different grain)

I forget what this was called--I think it was some sort of stew--but it had barley, mushrooms, peppers, onions, carrots, and chickpeas.

Lentil & Quinoa Chili

I actually forget what this was, but it reminded me of a broccoli/cheese/rice casserole. It was good!

Sweet Potato Shawarma Bowl (quinoa with seasoned sweet potatoes and cauliflower; topped with lettuce, onions, cucumbers, and a homemade tahini dressing.

Stew with butternut squash, red beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. There is quinoa under there, too ;)

This was kind of our "junk food" dinner--tofu in a sriracha marinade and baked, along with baby potatoes with "chili cheese" seasoning. 

Again, I forget what this was called. But it had sweet potatoes, cauliflower, peas, peppers, and raisins (it sounded odd to me with the raisins, which is why I picked it from the book). I don't remember what grain was under there, but it was probably brown rice. This was really good!

Well, that was the start of Jerry's and my year of being grown-ups and eating our veggies. I had really hoped that this challenge would help Jerry to like vegetables more, and he discovered that he does like sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and cauliflower (when prepared certain ways). He even admitted the cucumber in the shawarma bowls actually worked well. He has never liked cucumbers because he said that they overpower everything else and all you can taste is cucumber. I happen to love them. I think I'll make some hummus today and have cucumbers and hummus for a snack--that sounds delicious.

Now, I'm going to write up a meal plan for the week. I used to hate meal planning, but this vegetable challenge kind of made me excited to meal plan again. I'm going to try kale again this week--it's been YEARS since I tried it--and I'm hoping I'll like it better this time around. When cooking with greens, I usually go for spinach or collard greens. Yesterday, Jerry and I decided to do another two weeks of eating (mostly) whole foods. We both felt gross from eating poorly after eating really well for two weeks.

Anyway, if you have a favorite recipe that uses lots of vegetables, please share!

Continue Reading...

Recent Eats

I've been kind of at a loss as to what to post recently, since I quit doing 75 Hard. I always take pictures of my food when I try new recipes just in case I decide to write about it, so I have a ton of food photos on my phone. I always like to see what other people are eating (is that weird?!) so I figured I'd just post them all here.

I do want to mention that the color of some of these makes the food look far less than appetizing--but it's just the lighting in my house. When it's dark outside and there is no natural light, my food looks very oddly-colored!

Homemade pizza with vegan cheese, green peppers, and olives

Herb-crusted tofu cutlets with zucchini and summer squash with tahini sauce

Vegan Pot Pie Casserole (I wrote a review of this)

Tried out an "egg" salad recipe (made with tofu)--tasted good, but wasn't crazy about the texture. I may try it with silken tofu instead.

Sweet & Sour Tofu with rice (vegan "take out" food is my FAVORITE)

Dinner at Chili Mustard Onions, a vegan restaurant in Detroit. Some sort of pita wrap (too much cumin for my taste) and loaded fries (so so good!)

Dessert from Chili Mustard Onions--an oatmeal cream pie from a local vegan bakery

Breaded lemon pepper tofu cutlets and asparagus

Pasta e Fagioli

Garlic Cream Gnocchi

Spicy Peanut Noodle Bowls

Roasted tri-color potatoes with garlic

Banana Bread (I wrote the review here)

Tofu with some sort of Asian sauce (I make a ton of different ones and I can't keep them straight!) with rice and broccoli

Vegan Chicken(less) Stew

Noah girlfriend brought me this cookie from a bakery in Ann Arbor--it was SO good!

BBQ Pineapple Chickpeas over couscous (recipe book)

Pizza with vegan cheese, mushrooms, and banana peppers

Hakka Noodles (I wrote a review of this recipe)

Trying to eat healthier snacks! I had peppers and cucumbers with hummus for a few days

Mulligatawny Soup (from a recipe book)

Creamy Pasta Soup

Blueberries were on sale, so I bought a bunch of them--so good!

Yes these look gross! This was an attempt at tofu "jerky". It was surprisingly good!

Herb Butter Tofu (cookbook recipe) with broccoli and quinoa (it's hidden in there). This actually reminded me a lot of fish; I ended up making tartar sauce for the leftovers, hahaha. 

"Carrot Cake" oatmeal, when I was craving a hot breakfast. It was okay, but I don't think I'd make it again.

Screw making my own jerky--this stuff is AWESOME! Butler Foods sent me this sample when I ordered soy curls. Even my dad liked it!

Italian "meat"balls, made with TVP. These were delicious! I ate them with spaghetti (below).

"Meat"balls with spaghetti and vegan parmesan. The meatballs held together well on the outside, but once cutting into them, the inside didn't stay together like I expected. Definitely worth making them again, though--I'll just add a little more binder.

Seitan "turkey"--my first attempt at seitan--vegan mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce

Tofu Parmesan with a new recipe for vegan mozzarella. The tofu was fantastic, but the mozzarella was made with coconut milk and it didn't go well together. I like the cashew cheese much better!

My first time using soy curls! A make-up-as-you-go-along Asian sauce with peppers and pineapple, served over rice. This reminded me a lot of something you would get at Panda Express--junk food take-out is so good!

Pizza with vegan cheese (this was the same mozzarella I used on the tofu parmesan--I wasn't crazy about the pizza because of the cheese, unfortunately. But I made up for it in olives, haha. Black olives are so addicting!

Continue Reading...