day #15: counting calories... :/

It's one thing we all hate doing, and one thing that I'm not good at. However, being Vegan makes you feel great, but in order to look as great as you feel, it takes not overdoing it...even on the healthy stuff. Pasta is amazing, nuts are soo yummy and mochi is delicious...but they can call add on the calories super fast unless you watch the serving size.

This week, my goal is to eat these appropriately and in moderation...and really time my meals, so that I only eat when I am hungry. Jillian Michaels (biggest loser) LOVE HER!, recommends having 3 meals a day...4 hours inbetween each meal. She is not a big snacker, and at 5'2'' looking like that, I'll believe whatever she tells me about nutrition! The nice thing is, even if I want a snack...that's what my seaweed is for :)

I'm going to stick to these three meals using this idea:

-- breakfast: oatmeal, 1/4 cup walnuts, & palmful dried fruits or my own smoothie.

-- lunch: salad, veggies or soup

--dinner: one of alicia's recipes, including grains to keep me satisfied!!

I'm also going to try to keep my dinners around or before 7pm...sometimes my boyfriend I get really busy with some stuff going on (as do we all!!), but I am working on planning ahead so I don't get stuck eating dinner at 9pm. Alicia recommends eating your final meal 3 hours before you go to bed. This way, you're slightly hungry when you sleep and your body can really go into its cleansing stage and be out of it's digesting stage!!

Seems like a lot...but I love a challenge. At least i can make my own rules :) We'll see how it goes!!

day #14: eating vegan on the go

Well, the boyfriend surprised me for a short stay in big bear...so once again I didn't have my kitchen :)

However, it's easy to eat vegan on the go! Have someone help you out and know your goals...although I didn't know where we were going, he knew that I loved toasted sea-weed so he brought along some of that for me. And then also stopped at Subway on the way so we both had healthy options for lunch. Finally, at dinner you do the best you can! Try and choose a soup and salad that meet your needs, but don't be too hard on yourself! You're always guaranteed bread to get some good grains in there. I did an amazing fruit salad without the cheese and some tomato/basil soup. Great choice!

My addiction right now: "Sea's Gift" sweet seaweed snack. also available in salty.

day #12 & 13: seriously LOVE udon noodles

A new favorite of mine! And the super-hero recipes let me eat noodles!! YES :) does it get much better? This is a great and easy dish...again perfect to add any veggies too...and makes for fantastic leftovers! I did some light veggies and hummus for lunch, so this was a great dinner that was filling & nutritious. I also made it for leftovers the next day by warming it up and adding it to 1 cup of miso soup...fantastic combination :)

This recipe of Alicia's is Fried Udon Noodles: pg. 229

- boil large pot of water, add udon noodles until al dente...mine were about 5 minutes

- meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil in skillet on medium

- add to skillet: 1 cup sliced onion, 2 tsp chopped garlic, salt, pepper & sweet paprika and cook until onions are translucent. Add a little water if the veggies start to stick.

- drain the noodles and add the veggies...sprinkle with parsley and serve hot!!

It's so easy and takes very little time, so make a lot of this dish and use as leftovers!!

day #11: sweet tooth

found my great vegan cure for my sweet tooth -- even super hero: mochi!!

I had my regular oatmeal for breakfast, left over tuna salad (kinda!) for lunch, but tried 2 new creations today...pan-fried mochi and alicia's magical healing soup! both incredible :)

I did the mochi as a mid-afternoon snack because i was getting pretty hungry and also had a really bad sweet tooth that i didn't want to give into. so instead of going out and getting something that's not going to help me, i decided to grab the mochi from the refrigerator. At whole foods they had original and cinnamon-raisin, so I went for both. It took me a couple of trial and error runs, but i think i finally figure it out!

Pan-Friend Mochi: pg. 237

- cut a few blocks out of the mochi no bigger than 2"x 1"

- place in a pan with 2 tsp of olive oil on medium

- when it gets hot, put heat on low and place the mochi squares on there...don't let them touch!

- cover and cook for 4 minutes

- flip them over and add 2 drops of Shoyu on each one

- cover and cook for 4 more minutes! sometimes they make funny shapes...mine didn't ;)

- pour a few tbsp of rice syrup or maple syrup on top!

Alicia's Magical Healing Soup: pg. 251

i LOVE this one because it is so light and you can throw in any veggies just sitting in your fridge!

- boil 3 cups of water in large pot. add 1/2 carrot & daikon and reduce to simmer.

- add 1/4 red onion chunks and cook for 2 to 3 minutes

- then add 2 celery stalks, some broccoli florets, some sliced mushrooms and 1/2 leek.

- add Shoyu and squeezed ginger juice for some taste

- cook all those for about 5 minutes, so the veggies are cooked but still firm

- add some scallions (if you prefer) and turn off the heat

finally, ladle it into a bowl and I chose to top with some nori seaweed pieces!!

day #10: think i'm starting to notice a difference?

I feel really energized today! Not overly (like caffeine), but just great. No headaches or groggy-ness and I think i am starting to see a difference in my body! I think that if i'm feeling great and doing the right things, then something's going to be changing, right?? :)

Great day today:

breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal, dried apricots and 1/4 cup walnuts

lunch: miso soup, raw veggies and some dried "Sea's Gift" seaweed snack. its the BEST!

(i had a half of granola bar in the afternoon, which i don't feel great about. because it was processed and had some sugar. didn't do much for me.)

dinner: Tuna Salad Sandwich (kinda!) pg 246

- break an 8-ounce package of tempeh in half and put on a steamer basket for 20 minutes.

- boil a small saucepan of water. add a minced red onion for 15 seconds and then place in 1/4 cup umeboshi vinegar to marinate for 20 minutes. keep the boiling water out.

- blanch 1/2 chopped carrot, 1/2 cup corn kernels, 1/2 cup thawed peas each for 10 seconds in the boiling water and then put in a mixing bowl to cool.

- strain the onions and rinse them with cold water. add them to the veggie bowl.

- cut the tempeh into small cubes. add them to the veggie bowl.

- finally, add 1/4 cup dill pickles, 1 tbsp vegen-aise, 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp fresh dill and 1 tbsp of fresh capers on top!

My pictures ends up looking like a mess, but i was very proud of it! She said you can make it a sandwich, but I kept mine open-faced to cut down on the bread. I put a date on the side for a little fruit :) in my boyfriend's an my opinion...it tastes better than the real thing!

day #9: shopping and yummy fried croquettes!

Today was a rainy day in LA, which mean i was required to be indoors anyway--so I did my MAJOR grocery shopping. Let me give a little should out first to whole foods:THEY ROCK! So, I took my entire list that I made on Monday over to the local farmers market, which was cool, but I barely found anything! This farmers market was not like I thought and it was mostly stands with food and cooked lunches and burritos with a small fresh veggie section. So, instead, i just went back to whole foods (which i didn't do in the first place because i thought there would be more variety at a farmers market!). Well, after 2 hours and some serious patience, I found almost everything on my list!! (no burdock, no lotus root. anyone know where to find these?) I was so excited that I had my groceries for the entire week and I knew exactly what I was going to cook!!

Tonight's dish: Hijiki-Tofu Croquettes

I personally love seaweed, but this is a GREAT and super yummy way to get it into your diet.

Alicia's recipe: pg 244 :)

- mash 8 ounces of extra-firm tofu in a bowl into a coarse paste.

- Let a 1/4 cup of dried hijiki sit in a bowl of water for 10 minutes to soak and expand.

- Rinse it and chop into pieces. Place in a saucepan with just enough water to cover. Season with a little soy and mirin and bring to a boil.

-Add a diced carrot (and burdock) to the pan, put on low heat and cook about 30-35 minutes. All the water will be absorbed!

- When it is done cooking. Add the 1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds and pinch of salt to create a stiff dough.

- Use your hands (yay, fun!) to shape the dough into football-shaped croquettes. 1" diameter.

- Finally heat 3 inches of safflower or sunflower oil in a deep pot on medium. When the oil is hot, increase the heat and drop 3 or 4 croquettes in the oil. They will sizzle! Cook for about 3 minutes and then use a slotted spoon to take them out and place them on wax paper.

- Keep cooking them until your batter is gone!

I served them on top of romaine leaves and with a side of fruity french lentils!! They were amazing and one of the best vegan dishes! Any non-vegan would love them too :)

It's easy to make a quick sauce to lightly pour on top before eating: 1 tablespoon ginger juice, large pinch of red-pepper flakes, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp mirin, 1 tsp fresh lemon juice!

day #8: driving & planning

today was not a productive day for me because i was driving and unorganized all day :( my meals were pretty scattered and mostly leftovers, and i am super excited about tomorrow because it feels great to be in my own kitchen again.

however, i did have an amazing time with my grandad, and some great meals too!

as soon as i got home tonight i went in 'organization mode' - which gets pretty intense for me - and mapped out my whole week of meals and a grocery list for tomorrow! i am attempting full-blown Superhero Vegan for the rest of the week and can't wait to get started...yet another challenge.

so, my pictures for today include my meal plan and grocery list :)