It’s Friday, I’m in Love

I’m not going to bore you with a post

Instead, I must share with you this macro that is very reflective of Tuxie, that is until we covered the space under the fridge with a piece of cardboard

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Now, he just bats his mice under the kitchen cart, which we in turn fish out using a wire coat hanger.

Oy

Headache like none other, but that’s what I get for consuming too many dried wasabi peas.  They’re gone now (finally) so no more pain from eating too many.  As my body adjusts, I found myself having to start one more round of omeprazole (acid reflux ftl).  Overall though, I’m noticing my personality and mood taking a turn for the better, which I’m hoping is a result of this change in diet and not just a fluke.  I’m definitely feeling a heck of a lot better overall.

I think green smoothies are my newest weakness. Thus far, I haven’t made one I didn’t like (nor found one that Pete likes), and hell, it’s getting me to consume nutrient rich avocados! Go figure right?

Thanks to Miss Amy, I’ve been following Green and Crunchy. This is seriously one awesome vegan oriented blog.  There’s a lot of inspiration in that blog.

Oh! I took the last bit of vegan brownie into work and shared it with people. It smelled like soy sauce at that point but those who tried it loved it! And boo to one of my bosses, who wouldn’t try it because it was vegan, your loss pal, this was better than the regular brownie out of a box you’re used to!

In other news

Panda Cam! A new little panda was born at the San Diego Zoo yesterday.  I’ve been watching the panda cam in hopes of catching a glimpse, though it seems to be stuck on the den cam and I don’t think that’s Mama Panda and little one sleeping there

They also have polar bear, elephant, and ape cams

I should be taking pictures

Last night’s meal wasn’t impressive in looks though, but it was pretty yummy. The avocado was ripe so as I mentioned I made sushi. Avocado, cucumber, and carrot were the fillings, wrapped in nori and served with some sauteed asparagus.

This morning I’m drinking the other half of the green smoothie I made last night. This one’s a cocktail of remnants and other stuff. Avocado, carrot, cuke, spinach, strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, water, and soy yogurt. I’m really surprised at how yummy these are.

I’ve Been Bad

I made a few more boo boos.  People seem to have decided that this week they would bring us in different foods that they sell at their markets.  I ended up having a pizza bagel yesterday and today some caramel corn.  My teeth actually kinda hurt from the sweetness of the caramel corn *gag*

Otherwise, I’ve still been doing okay.  I knew coming into this I would be asking a lot to just take a leap of faith.  Baby steps would’ve been better, but then honestly, I don’t think I’d get that far with baby steps. In my current state, it might actually work now that I’ve taken an initial leap. We shall see I suppose.

I’m waiting for the laundry to be ready to go into the dryer and then I will work on completely cleaning up the apartment and fixing a dinner centered around california rolls. Now that my avocados are ripe, I’ve got the green light to have some roll making fun

Day 3

I admit, I have a knack for taking advice here and there from things I hear on NPR, because they make sense.  This morning and on the facebook feed, there was a blurb about getting the needed amount of sleep.  I subscribed myself to the siesta method and took a 3 hour nap. I probably won’t be able to fall asleep until 9, but then, I didn’t last night and still managed to get up around 3:15 like normal.

Something amazing happened this morning as well. I managed to get a decent breakfast made before I left for work. I ate it too! Sprout bagel with garlic infused Earth Balance (I should add that when I say Earth Balance, I’m referring to their vegan butter, even though they make other things and I <3 their peanut butter), and during work, I enjoyed soy yogurt with berries, banana, and cinnamon.

Lunch was a simple wrap, salad, and a piece of the brownie.

And just now, I polished off a slice of the pineapple we got (a whole one Pete decided we would get and he would clean and slice up for us), a glass of ice water, and a green smoothie. Yes, a green smoothie. I keep hearing how good these things are, and you know what? I’m on the bandwagon, they really are. Here’s what I put in mine:

~ handful of spinach, blended first with a bit of filtered water, then…

~ handful each of strawberries and blueberries

~ scoop of my protein powder

~ 3 spoonfuls of soy yogurt to make it thicker

~ banana

~ agave nectar

I think I’m going to hunt down some chard to try in there, but this is a definite yum and going permanently on my list. I also think some of the frozen pineapple and coconut shavings will make their way into one.

So I’ve definitely wanted to lapse here & there because sometimes, like with the wraps, it doesn’t taste the same without a couple things I loved to put on the particular meal (cheese and sour cream). There’s also the case of label reading, as I found out the hard way with Morning Star’s buffalo Chik Nuggets. Those have whey in them, and go me not realizing until I had cooked them and taken a bite to notice.  Yes, I did go on ahead and finish them, Emily told me to basically not beat myself up over it.  It’s a minor slip up with a food I rarely eat, so I smile and move on.

Speaking of processed foods though, NPR re-aired their interview with the author of In Defense of Food.  It’s essentially, why the western diet, with it’s over processed and refined everything, is one of the most awful diets in existence and even though we have it ingrained in our heads that we need to be healthy, the best diet is one that contains actual food. That’s non-processed, non-refined, the stuff your great-grandmother used to make in the old country food.  Which made my friend, Ralu’s comment in facebook on a different subject make all the more sense:

I grew up eating vegetables that my grandma would grow in her yard, drinking milk and eating cheese that would come from cows/sheep who ate grass and hay off the field and I can say I am probably healthier for that than a lot of people I know. I am just curious how the world “just” discovered organic food, some countries have fed their people with it for centuries.

It makes perfect sense as her diet wasn’t nearly as regulated, subsidized, pumped full of chemicals, processed, and what have you as the typical western diet is nowadays.

Speaking of this chick, she made me a pretty awesome quilt that I need to get pictures of up on here. Thank you!

The Vegan Experiment Day 2

Breakfast: plain soy yogurt with strawberries and blueberries, a slice of pineapple, coffee with soy creamer, and a slice of soda bread warmed with a bit of Earth Balance on it. All very yum

Lunch has essentially been non-existent thus far, but then, that’s normal for me. I made granola and with the leftover mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and adding some wasabi peas I had, I made a snack mix that Pete and I have been munching on throughout the day. Also made vegan brownies that taste pretty yummy, but leads me to my rant.

Our oven sucks royally.  Set at the right temperature, and even using a thermometer to double check, it’s still taking 20+ extra minutes to cook anything. It’s getting ridiculous.

Thus I think it’s going to be hard to really give a decent review on any of these recipes that need to be cooked in the oven. I mean thus far, they’ve tasted all right, it just takes them forever to cook and I’m always worried about burning stuff.

Not sure what I will have for dinner, though I need to make that soon as I like to eat my last meal a couple hours before bedtime, which, for those who know me, is at about 7.

At the End of the Day You’re Another Day Older

Today was pretty much a success. I’ve come to realize just how big of a snacker I am.  Had the fruit as mentioned this morning and then, after reading the ingredients, had a wrap made from the tortilla and homemade salsa as I was still hungry.  Drank water until Pete got up and I made us both coffee (soy creamer ftw).

Headed out to the Whole Foods on Chagrin after that as they have a good bulk section. Got stuff I needed for the soda bread and granola. Also picked up some trail mix to munch on during our venture.

Ended up in Chagrin Falls. It’s gorgeous out there and there’s a really awesome house up for sale there. Of course, since it’s on prime real estate, it’s up there in price compared to the rest of the area.  Walked around town and hung out by the falls for a bit watching 3 little ducks trying to swim their way up.

Go little guys go!

There was also this very strange cat statue that was a memorial to someone. I like cats, but this is the weirdest memorial I’ve ever seen

Hit the Whole Foods on Cedar after that and got the rest of what we needed this trip.  Pete made roasted red pepper hummus and I made Vegan Irish Soda Bread.  I wish I would’ve had my mixer as hand mixing naturally created inconsistency in the dough. Overall it’s pretty good, though some spots where it wasn’t mixed in as thoroughly as I thought were not so great.  Ftr, it uses these ingredients: whole wheat flour, baking soda, sugar, and soy yogurt. I also added in dried cranberries and golden raisins because it just needs to have the dried fruit in it. A little earth balance “butter” and it was perfect.

I think the hummus will be part of dinner tonight. There’s a bit of diced pepper left, so I’ll whip up some couscous and mix it in there.

Bonus Tuxie picture. This was before we left this morning. Tuxie was snoozing with Chaucer on Pete’s lap.