What I've Been Eating Since Becoming Vegan

(Ugh, I spent so much time on this yesterday and I forgot to click "publish"! This is yesterday's post.)

This post has been a long time coming. I've been asked several times about what I eat since becoming vegan, and the answer was kind of boring. I eat the same breakfast and lunch almost every day (which I'll explain below) so there wasn't much to share, especially in the beginning. However, I started taking photos a few months ago to collect for a post about what I've been eating since becoming vegan in January.

I'm going to save the weight loss questions for a later post (I've been putting it off because I feel like it's going to be very long--but I'll work on it this weekend). I became vegan for ethical reasons, but I saw it as a good opportunity to clean up my diet as well; I had chronic pain and after a bajillion tests last year, still didn't have answers. My rheumatologist finally diagnosed fibromyalgia and said two of the major things that have shown good results for fibromyalgia are 1) getting enough sleep; and 2) a plant-based diet.

Side note: I didn't really understand the difference between 'vegan' and 'plant-based' at first, because they both eliminate animal products. Vegan is more for ethical reasons (animals and the environment) while plant-based is more for health reasons. Lots of vegans (but certainly not all) still eat junk food (french fries, Oreos, chips, etc) where eating plant-based is more about whole foods. I haven't eliminated junk food from my diet completely, but I very rarely eat it anymore. My cravings for it stopped! But I'll get into that in my weight loss post.

And I have to say, that I was completely SHOCKED that my chronic pain was gone after a couple of months of switching my diet. I never really believed it could work that way; my pain was so severe and had been going on for years. Even though I became vegan for ethical reasons, the health benefits have been amazing.

I originally started eating this daily breakfast and lunch because I was trying to get in a lot of fiber. Even though I was losing weight last year, I wasn't getting much fiber and I decided to concentrate on that this year. I wasn't anticipating becoming vegan (I literally gave up animal products cold-turkey with no forward thought after watching a documentary called Dominion late one night on YouTube) but eating the high-fiber diet was very helpful when I made the switch.

I really love my breakfast and lunch and haven't gotten sick of them (yet), so I continue to eat them daily:

Breakfast: Grape-Nuts with frozen blueberries and unsweetened soy milk (I started with almond milk but after trying soy milk, I liked it much better). I recently started adding flaxseed to this as well when I wanted to add more calories.

Lunch: Cold oats. I vary what I put in them based on what sounds good, but I generally make about 5-6 mason jars at a time. I add the soy milk to 2-3 and put them in the fridge, then put the others (without the milk) in the pantry. It makes a super easy, ready-to-eat-whenever lunch.

Currently, what I've been making: steel cut oats (raw--if I add the milk and put them in the fridge for 24 hours or so, they get chewy and I like that texture better than the rolled oats), cocoa powder, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, vegan chocolate chips, chia seeds, unsweetened soy milk, and a few drops of almond and/or coconut extract. When I'm ready for lunch, I can grab a jar from the fridge. I also eat a piece of fruit (usually a pear or banana).

Cold oats (steel cut oats, cocoa powder, vegan chocolate chips, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, soy milk, and peanut butter)

Like I said--boring! I've really enjoyed experimenting with and discovering new foods for dinner, so that's where it gets a little more creative. At first, I started out eating a lot of chickpeas with some sort of sauce (General Tso's is a favorite); with a high-fiber grain (like barley); and vegetables (like broccoli). I loved this combination! I ate it frequently for dinner.

When I started to experiment with other foods, this whole world of possibilities opened up and I started to enjoy cooking again. Tofu was a total game changer for me; I love it now and eat it a few times a week. I also started making sauces and "cheese" with raw cashews, which sounded completely weird--until I tried it. The thought of nutritional yeast grossed me out--mainly because of the name of it--but I've come to really like that as well.

I started using spices that I never used before, combinations of foods that sounded wacky but turned out really good, and exploring ingredients I'd never tried or even heard of. I make a couple of new recipes each week because I have loved getting familiar with the unfamiliar.

I still don't eat a ton of vegetables, but I eat much more than I used to and I've been adding them over time. I love looking for ways to add them in foods I eat regularly and I rarely throw out veggies anymore! They used to sit in my fridge with good intentions until they went bad; now I look for opportunities to add them to meals.

As far as snacks, I only eat them if I'm hungry. Lately, I've been having peanut butter with vegan chocolate chips for a treat at night (trying to maintain my weight instead of continue losing). In the mid-afternoon, a lot of times I make dinner early and eat a small portion before going to cross country practice, then an actual dinner-sized portion when I get home. Or I'll have a piece of fruit. I've been eating a lot of bananas lately, too.

Anyway, here is a collection of a lot of the foods I've made and enjoyed (there are some things I haven't liked, but I'm only including the things I have):

Tofu stir-fry with fresh green beans, carrots, peas, and green peppers

Asian pear (this was a treat from my mom last week; I hadn't had an Asian pear in SO long because I can't find them anywhere, and I miss them! She found this small one and it was $2.50! My favorite fruit.

Banana bread

Quesadilla with black beans, corn, Impossible burger, jalapeños, and nacho "cheese"

Whole wheat pizza crust with tomato paste, mozzarella "cheese", broccoli, and vegan parmesan.

Creamy gnocchi with garlic and spinach

Dried passion fruit (another favorite fruit that I can't find)

Lentil tortilla soup with avocado and tortilla chips

Mexican quinoa skillet

Vegan mac and "cheese" with roasted Brussels sprouts

Current favorite treat: 2 oz. peanut butter with vegan chocolate chips

Roasted purple cauliflower

Dave's Killer Bread with hummus, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, and sprouts

Tofu scramble on toasted Dave's Killer Bread

Pizza with mozzarella "cheese", broccoli, peppers, and olives

Avocado toast (Dave's Killer Bread, avocado, salt, and pepper flakes

My new favorite comfort food: Jerry's beans and greens

Black bean soup

Curried cauliflower over basmati rice

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies

Creamy tomato pasta with fresh basil

Garlic noodles

Korean BBQ Lentils over brown basmati rice

Lemon Pepper Tofu over mac and "cheese" (The texture of the tofu was not as it looks--like croutons! Haha)

Minestrone soup with vegan parmesan

A peach from The Peach Truck(!)

Indian-spiced potatoes (I make these a lot--they are so good!) with broccoli

Rice paper "bacon"

Whole wheat pizza crust, tomato paste, mozzarella "cheese", pan fried tofu, caramelized onions, and vegan parmesan

Tofu scramble with Yukon gold potatoes, bell peppers, and toasted Dave's Killer Bread with vegan butter

Panera Bagel with a sad avocado slice (I wrote this whole story on my blog)

Beans and greens with quinoa

Roasted broccoli and Brussels sprouts with vegan parmesan

Silken tofu chocolate pudding with vegan chocolate chips

Spicy Corn Chowder 

General Tso's tofu with rice noodles

Truffle Mac & "Cheese" (we love this!)

Margherita pizza: whole wheat pizza crust, tomato paste, mozzarella "cheese", fresh basil, and black pepper

Firecracker tofu with basmati rice

Peanut butter and jelly on Dave's Killer Bread and applesauce

Salad with cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, and lemon pepper tofu with tahini dressing

Indian-spiced potatoes with hummus

Tofu scramble with (very over-roasted) purple potatoes and ketchup

Macaroni and "cheese"

This is actually a relatively small sampling of everything I've eaten since becoming vegan! Remember, I'm not a food photographer so the photos make some of these things look not-very-appetizing--but I only included foods I've really enjoyed.

It would take forever to look up recipes for everything I've shown, but if there is one that you're particularly interested in, just let me know and I'll be happy to share (if it's available). The top five foods we really love and make most frequently:

1) Lemon Pepper Tofu Cutlets
2) Truffle Mac & "Cheese"
3) Indian-Spiced Potatoes (I use the dry ingredients listed next to the original)
4) Pizza with my favorite vegan mozzarella recipe (it's from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken, but it's not online--it's from her cookbook, Fuss-Free Vegan) and whatever toppings we have on hand
5) Lentil Tortilla Soup (the whole family--including Eli--loves this!)

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Punishment By Essay: A 1000-word writing assignment

Today, I finally started to transfer things from my old MacBook to my new one. It's going to take weeks, if not months, to transfer all of my photos because I am starting from scratch with them. My Photos app is such a mess with a million date changes, a billion keywords, and a trillion duplicates.

While I was transferring documents over to the hard drive, I came across this writing assignment that Eli was given in middle school. I had completely forgotten about this, but I'm so glad I kept it!

You see, Eli is not the one who wrote it. I did.

He was in middle school at the time and his teacher (known for being a total jerk) gave him a 1,000-word essay to write because he was talking in class. What had happened was that another boy, who had come in a little late, sat next to Eli and showed him the worksheet he picked up from "Mr. C's" desk. (I'll keep him anonymous). He quietly asked Eli if it was the correct assignment and Eli told him no, it was a different paper.

Mr. C said that the boys were not allowed to talk in class and gave them each a 1,000-word writing assignment for their short interaction. One of Mr. C's favorite expressions to say in class was, "Children should be seen and not heard"; as punishment for talking, among other things, he handed out writing assignments.

He actually had a jar on his desk filled with small, folded pieces of paper--the kid being punished would have to draw one out of the jar and the number written on the paper was the number of words the writing assignment would have to be.

I was furious about Eli being given a writing assignment for talking in class for two reasons: 1) It was a short, quiet interaction about the worksheet; and 2) Writing should not be a punishment! As a writer myself, I think kids should be encouraged to write for enjoyment or as a therapeutic way of expressing their thoughts; instead, they see it as a punishment, thanks to teachers like Mr. C.

I told Eli he did not have to write it, and instead, I sat down and wrote an essay for him. As someone who loves passive-aggression when done in a clever way, I was excited about this! I had no idea if Mr. C actually read the essays he assigned, but I really hoped he did. So, here is what "Eli" wrote. (It's actually less than 800 words--which was a page and a half in a standard Word document!)

---

I am so relieved to have received this writing assignment from Mr. C; without this assignment, I never would have learned that children should be seen and not heard. As a 12-year old boy in a class full of kids my age, it is unfathomable to me that another student should expect me to respond to his question about a worksheet we were to complete in class.

Unfortunately, my parents taught me that when a fellow student and/or friend asks an innocent question, the polite thing to do is to respond appropriately. Due to my parents' effective parenting manipulation, giving a polite response is now an automatic behavior for me. Because of this, I received a 1,000-word writing assignment.

I will have to discuss this with my parents so they will know that kids my age should not respond to questions from others. My parents were born in the 1900s and obviously don’t know anything about how middle school should be conducted. 

Children should be seen and not heard.
Children should be seen and not heard.
Children should be seen and not heard.

Maybe if I write that enough, I will finally learn that being politely social with my peers is unacceptable in this day and age. 

It is unfortunate that my mom’s occupation is a writer. Even when she was my age, she was always writing in a journal that one of her teachers had given her. Her teacher told her that writing is a gift that we should treasure and use freely. Because my teacher is smarter, I can clearly see that the teacher was trying to punish her—what a sneaky teacher! She made my mom believe that writing should be enjoyable instead of used as a punishment such as this. 

My mom enjoys writing so much that she turned it into her occupation, and she had hoped that my brother and I would enjoy writing as well. She said writing can be thoughtful, fun, creative, imaginative, and that we are lucky we can express our thoughts in written words. 

I guess I mistook our right to "freedom of speech"-- those words should not be taken literally, but rather as a figurative way of saying "freedom of expressing your thoughts in writing instead of voice". I don’t think my mom understands it, then, why writing assignments such as this one are given as a punishment. 

I just don’t feel the happiness and joy in writing that she does. Writing should not be fun! Writing should be used as a tool to manipulate kids into doing what the teacher asks. The threat of a possible writing assignment is far more effective than a simple reminder that we shouldn’t reply to questions from our peers in class. 

My mom just does not understand that by writing 1,000 words on a piece of paper, I will learn that I should not respond to one’s question at school when it is directed at me. I tried to explain to her that writing is to be used as a punishment—just ask Mr. C—but she continues to reiterate that writing is a creative and imaginative way to express oneself. Silly Mom.

Back in the 1900s, when my mother was in middle school, she was taught that socialization with other children was an important part of childhood development. As the years have passed, and teachers have gotten smarter, I think she is finally starting to comprehend that to be social, 12-year olds such as myself should simply use our body language to communicate rather than using our voices.

Children should be seen and not heard.
Children should be seen and not heard.
Children should be seen and not heard.

When a fellow student asks me if he picked up the correct worksheet from Mr. C's desk, a discreet shake of my head would have sufficed. Instead, I did the unthinkable: I told him no, that the worksheet he picked up was not the correct worksheet. Imagine how disappointed he would have felt if he had completed the wrong assignment! By writing this 1,000-word essay, I will be reminded that the act of common courtesy should not be used in a middle school setting. 

You know… now that I think about it some more, maybe my mom was right. Writing CAN be fun! Writing out these words was quite therapeutic and I enjoyed it very much. Thank you, Mr. C, for this punishment. Where else would I learn to enjoy writing so much if you hadn’t given me this assignment? 

P.S. My mom is already expecting your phone call.

 

---

I never did get a phone call from Mr. C, which left me wondering if he'd read "Eli's" essay. Eli is very creative and when he was younger, he would frequently write in a journal. I've saved some of his early "journal" pages--which eventually turned into drawings more so than words, but I will never support the idea that writing assignments should be a used as a punishment.

But what do I know? I was born in the 1900s! ;) 

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VEGAN RECIPE REVIEW: Tofu Scramble

I actually tried out this recipe about three weeks ago and I'd planned to write about it then, but that was when I took my week-long break from blogging. I completely forgot about it until I made it again a couple of days ago and I realized I never posted it.

Spoiler: I liked it enough to make it again--twice--since then.

I bought silken tofu on Amazon and it came in a box of 12. At the time, I had no idea what to do with it! But I'd eaten quite a bit of extra firm tofu by then and really loved it, so I wanted to give the silken tofu a go. A few weeks ago, I tried the recipe for chocolate pudding with the silken tofu and it was SO good. I was very skeptical of this "tofu scramble" idea, though.

When I was losing weight, I ate a lot of scrambled eggs. They were especially convenient for a quick dinner when I was home by myself. I used to make them with butter and cheese... and now that I don't eat eggs, butter, OR cheese, how on earth was this tofu scramble going to remind me of scrambled eggs?

Well, according to what I read on several websites, the key ingredient is black salt (also called kala namak). I'd never heard of it, but it supposedly had a sulfur-like smell/taste, reminiscent of eggs. Sounds appealing, right? ("Sulfur-like" is not really what I'm going for when I am looking for something to eat!) But I ordered some from Amazon because I really do love trying new things.

The black salt is actually pink and not black... definitely prettier this way.

I tried this recipe from My Plantiful Cooking--and I *really* liked it! I ate it on a toasted slice of Dave's Killer Bread with vegan butter. I'll link to it again at the end of the post.

The ingredients are really simple: silken tofu, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and black salt. 

The instructions are super easy, too. First, you mix up the spices...

(Now that I know I like this, I'm going to make a big batch of the seasoning to keep in the pantry and make it even faster. I make a lot of recipes from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken because I have two of her recipe books. I tried her tofu scramble seasoning after this one and I did not like it. I'm glad I tried this one first, otherwise I may not have tried making a scramble again.) 

Then you add the tofu block to a skillet (heated with oil):

Note: I'm really good at cooking scrambled eggs and one of my cooking pet peeves is when eggs are stirred too much while cooking. Rather than fluffy pieces, they wind up being dry and crumbly. I was curious how this tofu was going to turn out in comparison to eggs. However, I went into this thinking of it as "tofu scramble" and not "vegan scrambled eggs"--because I like to call it what it is. And comparing tofu and and eggs is like comparing apples to elephants. Completely different things. I only care about whether it tastes good, regardless of what it's called.

Anyway, the recipe specified to break into large chunks at first ("large" is all relative, so I just figured this size was good):

Then you let it cook for 6-8 minutes without the seasoning and without "scrambling"--so it will release the water from the tofu while not making it dry and crumbly. I just turned the pieces a couple of times and then added the seasoning mixture.

From there, you just gently break it into smaller pieces to incorporate the seasoning without making it *too* crumbly.

It looked more crumbly than eggs (at least how I cook them) but the texture was soft and not dry at all. I could have kept bigger chunks, but I wanted the seasoning to be uniform throughout. I toasted a piece of Dave's Killer Bread (SO good!), added some vegan butter, then topped it with the tofu and some extra black pepper.

Again, I was VERY skeptical of eating this, but also just as curious. It really surprised me! I liked it so much--I immediately had Noah try a bite and he agreed. I wouldn't try and fool anyone into thinking it's actual eggs, but I thought it was as similar as you could get. And from tofu?!

I was talking on the phone with someone and saw Jerry was eating some sourdough toast with just a few bites left. I motioned for him to stop eating so he could try it as well. I put some of the scramble on his toast and watched as his face registered the surprise. He said it was really good, and definitely something to keep the ingredients on hand for a convenient meal. All three of us couldn't believe how much the black salt made the tofu taste like eggs--without an overwhelming sulfur-smell.

Tofu continues to surprise me each time I eat it. And I just keep liking it more and more! (If you have a favorite tofu recipe--of any kind--please share. Jerry, Noah, and I have really embraced it and wish we'd started eating it sooner. Noah's not vegan (or even vegetarian) but he really likes tofu.

Jerry started a plant-based diet as a challenge to himself for the month of August--not at my request--and he said it was so much easier than he imagined. It's now been two months and he's continuing to eat plant-based indefinitely! I'm going to have him write a guest post about it.

You can find the full recipe I used for the silken tofu scramble at My Plantiful Cooking.

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Wordless

(I know the point of these posts is to be "wordless", but as the wordy person I am, I at least want to explain!)

I've had a rough emotional day today, so I'm going to skip writing. I want to spend the evening finishing up the drywall in the bathroom and then follow it with a comfort-food dinner and read some of my book.

Since I posted my recent photos yesterday, here is a photo of the day we picked out Joey from the animal shelter in February 2015 :)  (Can you believe he's about 8-1/2 years old now?!)

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Friday Night Photos #85

I'm just going to dive right into my photos because I actually have a lot to write today!

The day I had my mammogram, I thought I'd be there for a while, so I had Jerry drop me off while he went to a few places to return items. I was in and out of the radiology department so fast that I had time to sit in the lobby.

So what, right? Well, this moment I captured was AMAZING--the lobby was completely empty, it was nice and warm and cozy in there, I chose a comfy loveseat and pulled my Kindle out of my purse to read.

The best part? It was SO QUIET. My life has been chaotic for the last few months and I've been so overwhelmed, that this moment in the photo was the most peaceful I'd felt in such a long time. I texted Jerry and told him to take his good old time, and if he forgets to pick me up, no worries ;)

Speaking of my Kindle, I've been reading a new-to-me series that I'm really into right now. It's a young adult dystopian series (my favorite!) and the first book is called The Cure. This book, Awaken, is the second in the series and I'm almost done with it. A lot of it (well, most if it) is pretty far-fetched, but I like the storyline and I'm going to keep reading. I get sucked into the YA dystopian books so easily!

Jerry made dinner yesterday (garlic noodles) and he was very proud of how it turned out--he actually took this picture and said I could "use it on Friday Night Photos if I want". 

Jerry has been with his employer for 20 years and he was given a catalogue to choose a "gift" for his anniversary. The only thing in there that he thought he would probably use was a set of golf clubs because Eli's been really into golfing lately and Jerry figured he could go with Eli sometimes. Well, Jerry is left-handed and he asked if he could get left-handed clubs. It turns out that no, he could not. Instead, he chose this boombox/speaker and it arrived today.

He'd just woken up so he was wearing his hideous pajama pants, and then he started blasting 80s music with the speaker and dancing around the house. (Now I have the music stuck in my head and I *hate* 80s music!). The boombox has lights that change color to the beat of the music and it's pretty much perfect for Jerry.

Naturally, the cats had to take turns getting inside the box that the speaker arrived in.

Duck has been so needy lately because I have been so busy and haven't been able to give him as much attention as he's used to. When I was working in the bathroom going up and down a ladder, he nearly tripped me several times because he was trying to rub against my leg (or make me fall off the ladder out of spite). Finally, I went out to the garage and got a piece of plywood and made a little perch for him to sit and watch me. And of course, as soon as I did that, he lost interest and wanted nothing to do with it!

I had a bad day and was lying on the bed talking to Jerry one afternoon (I wasn't actually asleep in this picture; my eyes just happened to be closed when Jerry took it). Duck has gotten too big to sleep on my head (although he still tries) so he curled up and fell asleep on my ribcage instead. I love when he sleeps on me!

This picture must have been from my "bad day" above--Jerry saw me getting really frustrated while trying to write a blog post and he said, "I'm going to take a picture of you looking pissed." I didn't pay any attention to him, because I was certainly not in the mood for goofing around.

A lot of things were going wrong that day, but my computer was driving me CRAZY. It's from 2015, and considering the amount of time I spend on the computer, I was far overdue for a new one. However, I was avoiding getting one because they're so expensive. I was thisclose to throwing mine through a wall that day.

Jerry hates that I'm so stubborn about buying new things until I absolutely need to. He's been telling me to get a new computer for at least three years; but I don't get excited like he does about buying expensive new things that don't really do anything different from the one I had that was working.

For example, our TV. After a couple of years, Jerry is pretty much begging the TV to die so that we have a reason to get a new one, while I'm like, "WHERE'S THE DUCT TAPE?!"

And my phone... I had my iPhone 6 until fairly recently because it still worked and I didn't want to spend the money for a new phone until the old one died. Then it was so old that a lot of my apps weren't compatible anymore, so I just went in and said I wanted whatever was the closest to the iPhone 6 that I could get--I didn't want the fancy new stuff. (I ended up with the iPhone SE, which is actually very much like the iPhone 6--and it was the cheapest new phone they had.)

This morning, I finally had enough with my computer. I went to the Apple Store and bought a new MacBook. Jerry was super excited for me, but it wasn't a "fun" purchase for me--I just needed a new one. (And yes, I was acting like a child about it.)

I bought what is essentially the same computer I had, only new (and with more storage because I'm pretty sure the 50,000+ photos on my computer weren't helping any with the problems I was having). I was kind of being a spoiled brat about it, even though Jerry was giddy with excitement that I finally bought a new one. I told him that I didn't need a stupid fingerprint ID or a "Touch Bar", whatever the heck that was, and why do I care if I have an M2 chip instead of an M1 chip, whatever that even meant.

I took it out of the box and started setting it up, annoyed that I had to transfer all of my stuff over, etc. And then. This happened...

I looked at the Touch Bar settings only to try to turn the bar off, really, when I noticed that there was an option to have emojis right there on the Touch Bar! I can just tap emojis on there all I want. I yelled, "JERRY! Look at what it can do!" and just like that, my mood went from 😡 to 😆.

And, well, the stupid fingerprint ID isn't bad, either. And the extra storage, I guess that's cool. And the speediness, well, that's alright. I guess I can deal with the battery life lasting more than a couple of hours, too. 😜

(I am currently writing this post on my old computer, though, because I need time to get adjusted to the new one. Primarily dealing with my all of my photos. I don't use the cloud, so I have a billion photos to back-up and transfer via an external hard drive.)

However, my attitude has changed and I'm pretty excited about the new computer. Moving on...

The purple cauliflower I bought at the farmer's market? I roasted it and it was SO delicious! I actually ate the entire head in two sittings, haha. 

After a long streak of not doing very well at the daily Wordle, I was very psyched to have gotten this one in just two guesses! Have I ever used the word USURP? I'm gonna go with nope. But thinking strategically and then taking a big chance with the letter U, I was thrilled to guess it in two. (I also guessed today's Wordle in two, but I don't want to spoil it in case you haven't done it yet.)

Finally, I saved the best for last...

This picture is from last summer with my brother-in-law, Shawn, when we went up north to his and Jeanie's property. Shawn and I have always been close because we share a lot of the same traits--namely, generalized anxiety disorder, haha.

I wrote about Shawn (while keeping him anonymous) in this post about Alcohol Use Disorder. I called him Charlie, and wrote about how proud I was that he admitted alcohol was a problem for him, that he went to rehab at his own will, and was going to be there for a month. (Basically, a very long post about alcohol that was inspired by Shawn.) My sister followed up with a guest post about what it's like having a husband who is getting treatment for alcohol addiction (with Shawn's permission, of course!). 

The reason I mention this today is because Shawn has been sober for six months today! I can't even describe how proud I am of him. When he admitted to having a problem with alcohol and choosing to go to rehab, it inspired another loved one of mine to seek treatment in a facility as well (this person will stay anonymous unless they choose otherwise). And because of their treatment, even more lives were changed for the better.

The butterfly effect that started with Shawn six months ago has made an enormous impact on more people than I can even count!

And I'll end with that. Have a great weekend! xo

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Our First Cross Country Race of the Season

Things have been so out of order lately that I can't remember what I've posted about and what I haven't! It's hard to believe that we're five weeks into cross country season already.

Our first meet was scheduled for September 20th. It was at a school that's about 45 minutes away, and I've always loved that particular race for some reason. Usually it's at the end of the season, but it was scheduled first this year.

Jerry was off work and he knew that I was excited about the meet, so he came with me. The school is kind of in the middle of nowhere, so we have to drive the back roads to get there. Unfortunately, we came to a railroad crossing with a train at a dead stop. So we turned around and went to yet another road--and the same train was stopped there as well. I was starting to get worried at that point--not only that *I*, the coach, would be late, but that the kids wouldn't get there in time either.

I messaged the kids' parents to let them know about the train, and Jerry and I finally found a road that we could cross the tracks. I was glad we'd left early so I could get there in time. I started pinning the race bibs on the kids as they arrived and we watched as the high school girls' race started.

At that point, out of nowhere, it started lightening in the distance and the sky started getting dark. I'd checked the weather right before we left the house and it didn't show a single drop of rain coming.

Midway through the high school girls' race, the director canceled the rest of the meet; the girls didn't even get to finish their race. Our kids were only about five minutes from the starting time--it was such a bummer. I told them I at least wanted a team picture before we left, so we rushed together and got this picture... about three minutes before the rain just started pouring down hard.

So, needless to say, our first race was a bust. 

The second race was last Saturday and thankfully, the weather was great! It was at the park that I am super familiar with (because I used to run it all the time). The race is split into boys' and girls' races--we have 17 kids on the team and only 5 of them are boys.

I *hate* that I am terrible with names, because it takes me pretty much the whole season to learn all of the kids' names, and I feel so bad about it! Renee and I have always split the race up, with one of us taking the boys and the other taking the girls--and with only five boys on the team this year, I took the boys because I know all their names ;)

Such a fun group of boys!

I got the boys pinned and ready to go, then we went over the course and I explained my "race rules" for the millionth time:

1) Don't ever look behind you because you will lose time.
2) Never ever ever slow down until AFTER your feet have crossed the finish line. (I stress this at every single race, but I still see kids who slow down a few steps before the finish and then get passed at the very last moment.)
3) When you hear me yelling "CHEETAH!!" that means go as fast as you possibly can (because they are close to the finish line). Cheetah is a word that we use for "sprint" at practice.

I heard the announcer say that we could choose our starting line boxes (most of the time they are assigned). As soon as I heard that, I rushed to pick the closest to the center that I could, which ended up being perfect.

Everyone lined up and then off they ran!

I made my way toward the finish line and found a spot about 100 meters away from the finish so that I could yell at them to sprint. I'm normally a very shy, quiet person, but I get VERY loud at races, haha. I yell at the kids to pass the person in front of them or I yell to them that someone's about to pass them (whether it's true or not).

It's my favorite part of the race because you can see the instant that they hear me and pick up their speed to a sprint and it's exciting! All of the boys did an amazing job and I was thrilled when they finished. I love asking the kids how they feel when they're done with the race, and then if they say anything other than "Like I'm going to throw up" or "Like I'm going to pass out" or something like that, I tell them they didn't run hard enough and they'll just have to go faster next time ;) 

The girls did great as well. I was shocked when I got home and looked up the kids' finish times. Every single one of them had taken at least a minute off of their mile pace, and most took more than two minutes off. I cropped their names out, but you can see the difference on this:

Some of those times make me wonder if they just weren't trying their hardest at our time trial on the first day of practice, hahaha. They have the same course for our next meet, so it'll be interesting to compare their finish times on the same course.

I had planned to write about practices on here, too, because some of the kids are so cute about working hard to reach their goals (they love the awards you donated!), but this is long enough already--I'll save that for later. I just got home from practice, so I want to eat some dinner!

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 70

Remember those muscle pants? Hahaha, I haven't worn them in SO long--I think 2013? I was hoping to wear them to cross country practice one day because I think the kids will get a kick out of them, but even at this size, the seams look like they are going to tear apart at any moment. I wish I'd ordered a large! These ones are a small and could not be any tighter.

As you can see, I'm still having to prop the mirror up for my Wednesday mirror selfies. The bathroom is taking forever to finish! When Jerry works nights, he sleeps until 2:00 in the afternoon, so I don't want to wake him up by working on the bathroom. I usually start making dinner at around 3:30 before everyone has work, school, or my cross country practice. So it doesn't give me a lot of time to work on it. I've been doing a little every day, though, even if it's just mudding one or two corners of the drywall. 

Anyway, I'm still getting the hang of maintenance as far as my weight goes. I'm not actively trying to lose any more weight, but the scale was down quite a bit again this week:

I was at 127, which is down from 128.8 last Wednesday. It's ironic, really--I spent so much time counting calories to lose weight, but now I'm trying to *stop* losing weight and I'm increasing my food intake (and I assume calories). I've been adding extra food here and there; in the evenings, I've started eating a little cup of peanut butter (2 ounces) for a treat, which is 400 *delicious* calories.

I feel really good and healthy (at least physically; I still feel extremely overwhelmed mentally right now) so it's not a big deal if I lose a little more weight. But I like the size I'm at now, so I'll continue to add calories here and there until my weight stabilizes. I've never really been in "maintenance mode" before! Even when I got to my goal weight a couple of times, I was still counting calories and it didn't really feel any different than when I was losing weight.

My brain is still catching up as far as this recent weight loss. I remember being this size before (back in 2016) and feeling excited about it, but also scared to death of putting the weight back on. So I was very careful about counting calories, and eventually, I put the weight back on anyway.

This time feels so much different. I'm eating a million times healthier and I am eating what I want to eat. My choosing to become vegan had nothing at all to do with weight loss, but I'm sure it played a big part. It's just an odd feeling that this is the first time I've lost weight and don't worry about gaining it all back. I'm not saying I *won't* gain it back, because who knows what will happen in the future? But I don't *worry* about it like I used to. I am just going to continue eating a vegan diet and if need be, I'll add more calories. I certainly know how to do that ;)

I'm working on a Q&A post about my recent weight loss because so many people have been asking questions about it. I'm not really sure what to write that I haven't written already, because I'm not doing anything special. I think becoming vegan and increasing my fiber so much has had a big role in it, but I will write what I can. I also collected a ton of pictures of what I've been eating, so I'll post those as well.

I have an appointment next week with my doctor for an annual wellness visit and I asked if I could get a whole panel of blood work to see if/how eating a vegan diet has affected my health (other than my weight). I'm VERY curious about this--particularly about my cholesterol. It's been eight months since I became vegan, so I think that's a good amount of time to see a change, even if it's a small one!

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Deep Thoughts With Jerry #6

I had another busy day today (Tuesdays are the busiest of the week for me) and Jerry saw how stressed out I was while getting stuff together for cross country and cooking dinner, so he volunteered to do a "deep thoughts" post. I gladly accepted! ;)

These posts of Jerry's are just fun questions and answers... enjoy!

Q. Crunchy peanut butter or smooth?

A. This seems like a bigger deal than what it is. I remember early in our relationship Katie and I would talk about this, have friendly debates or playful banter over it. I am a crunchy guy. Always have been. She's a creamy girl. (And that sounded so wrong as I was just typing it.)  I like crunchy as long as the crunchy comes from peanuts and not bread crumbs from double dipping. We at least agree on that.

I think the real question is: in what form do you prefer your peanut butter?

Q. Would you rather be invisible or be able to read minds?

A. Easy--invisible. The only time I would want to read someone's mind is right when I walk into a room. I'm always trying to gauge what people think of me. But just think of all the fun stuff you can do if people can't see you. Not creepy Hollowman stuff either... just fun, entertaining stuff like pranks.

See? This is me, sitting on the back of a rhinoceros...

Q. How do you like your eggs?

A. Fertilized, hatched, and walking around chirping at me. Before eating plant-based, I loved them scrambled and on buttery toast. So good.

Q. Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room?

A. Could this question BE any easier to answer? Funniest. No one likes a know-it-all. And maybe it's just me, but the funniest ones get the girls. However, I bring a comfortable balance to the room, I can crack witty and quick jokes but I also have general trivia-type knowledge that makes talking to people easy. 

Q. Are you summer, fall, spring, or winter?

A. Another easy question for me... not even up for debate. I'm a fall guy. In Michigan, it's beautiful with the cooler temps in the 60's, the crisp cool air at night, and the changing colors... what a sight. However, enjoy it while it lasts because as soon as the colors change we usually get a big gust of wind that blows all the leaves off the trees and we're stuck looking at bare branches for the rest of the year.

Plus, as I get older fall doesn't seem as long as it used to be. Fall seems like nothing more than a two week transition from summer to winter. Sad. But, on the bright side, the fall welcomes in new seasons of my favorite TV shows, the baseball post-season, and football (GO BLUE!). 

Q. What fictional world or place would you like to visit?

A. Being a nerd I could go so many different ways with this. If I was basing my decision off of Star Wars, I would love to visit the peaceful world of Naboo or the industrious planet of Coruscant. Maybe I could visit Kings Landing, Winterfell, or Dragonstone on my tour of the Seven Kingdoms. Or, I could just go to Asgard and enjoy the finest meads, the most beautiful women, and hear latest tales of conquest and victory from Thor Odinson. It's a toss up.

[Katie here: I have absolutely NO IDEA what any of that means. I might as well be reading Japanese. So, unfortunately, I cannot find a picture for it.]

Q. What is your favorite sport or physical activity?

A. This answer depends on my mood. I love playing softball. Love it. However, over the years I just haven't been able to play because no one needs me! The softball community is tight knit, with people who have played with each other for years. Sadly, I'm not part of that group. Disc golf, even though I'm terrible at it, is relaxing and fun. It gets me outside and I can build relationships with whoever I'm playing with on a one-on-one basis.

See? So fun. Even when you're bad at it.

Q. Have you ever experienced a natural disaster like a hurricane or tornado?

A. Yes. We have had our fair share of near disasters here in Michigan. About 12 years ago we had a storm roll though here that caused some pretty heavy damage in the area with multiple tornadoes touching down. Nothing like you see in the center of the US, but for use we had trees down throughout the entire area to the point where we couldn't see our roads and were without power for 7 days.

But, the most memorable natural disaster I have been through was a tropical storm in Virginia Beach. In 2016, Katie and I decided to take a road trip to Virginia Beach with the kids. There was a half-marathon I was training for and planned on doing with my friend Rik.

We packed up the kids and headed off, deciding to stop in Hershey, Pennsylvania for the night. We visited the Hershey factory, took the tour, and made our own candy bars. In the evening, we started winding down at the hotel and were just relaxing when I decided to go to the hotel bar and grab a couple drinks for Katie and I. As I was waiting, I got a little chatty with some wonderful ladies at the bar when one of them said I looked familiar. After a couple minutes of trying to figure out where she knew me from she realized she recognized me from Katie's blog! Small world!

Anyways, I was explaining some of the details of the trip with them and where we were heading when she informed me that there was a hurricane starting to tear up the coast. I was completely unaware. Dads are usually all over this weather stuff and I totally dropped the ball. Katie and I had a decision to make... drive to Virginia Beach and see what happens or turn around and go home. Needless to say we made the trek to Virginia Beach, enjoyed the surge, survived the storm, and created memories that'll last a lifetime. [The post about the whole trip is here.]

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Some Fun Facts for Monday

I started to write out a post about mental health, but I am too exhausted right now after cross country practice to really write out what I want to say. I'll need to save that for when I have more time. But I haven't posted any fun facts in a while, and I thought these ones were interesting!

I'm so curious if this is true! Anyone live in Alaska that can confirm? I've always wanted to visit Alaska--actually, it's the only place in the world that I have a very strong desire to see--and this seems kind of funny that they pay you to live there, haha.  

I'm curious if the bear would have run off if another song was playing--or if it really just didn't like Justin Bieber ;)

I'm a very emotional person (I cry over everything--happy or sad!) so I can't even imagine what my face would look like, haha. 

Well, this was a bummer for him! I guess someone had to be the first, but yikes. What a way to try to prove a point! It reminds me of this episode of Stuff You Should Know (a super interesting podcast!). The episode was about inventions that go wrong (well, inventions that kill), and a man spent years trying to perfect a parachute. He tested it by jumping off the Eiffel Tower, and "dropped like a sack of potatoes" (the host's words--the way he said it was really funny!). 

This one felt very fitting, considering Queen Elizabeth II just passed away. I absolutely love this about her--that act alone shows the compassion she had. I think compassion is a trait that is often overlooked, but it says everything about a person.

I have therapy tomorrow morning, so maybe that will be a good day to write my mental health post, haha. I've only had three sessions and it's been so nice having someone neutral to talk to about all of the things that are overwhelming me right now! I actually really look forward to going each week.

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