Idle chat on Fitness, Vegan Food, and Lifestyles for the Healthy
i knew it would happen, and it finally did. i fell off the wagon. i did fairly well exercising every morning for about 2 weeks, then i couldn’t exercise one morning. (dr’s appointment) so i didn’t. then the next day i didn’t either. then i just kept forgetting… now it’s been about a week, and i’m a lazy bum.
this afternoon i decided to try and tickle my exercise motivation just a little by making some protein bars. i’ve never made protein bars before, so while it wasn’t a daunting task, i was a little nervous.
thankfully, they turned out great!
once again Angie at Oh She Glows busted out with some serious food awesomeness.
i made her Last Minute Protein Energy Bars, and after taste testing the first one… i want another. (oh noes!)
i tried to get pretty close to her recipe- for the protein powder, i used 1/2 a cup of the same stuff she did. i don’t know much of anything about protein powders (especially of the Vegan variety) so i figured i’d just stick with what she says is good… she hasn’t failed me yet. 
i used peanut butter and honey for the nut-butter and sweetener, and they taste really good together. i didn’t have any problems at all with there not being enough to hold the oats and rice cereal together. i also threw in a handful of raisins just for the heck of it.
the only thing i totally forgot to do was heat the pb and honey before stirring in the vanilla extract. i just whipped them all together with a fork until it was nice, smooth mixture, and dumped it into the oat mixture. they turned out fantabulous… and now i have a reason to get serious with some exercise! these bars won’t keep well… they are, after all, no-bake bars. hopefully the thought of wasting food is just what i need to get off my butt and exercise.
maybe.
hopefully.
Categories: Exercise, Vegan Recipes.
i’ve heard people say “i can’t be vegan, because i’d miss pizza too much”. that, my friends, is a lot of horse shit. vegan pizza is AMAZING. it’s delicious, and it’s no more difficult to make than a standard pizza.
you can make your own pizza crust, but i’m no baker. anything involving yeast scares the shit out of me, so i just buy a pre-made pizza crust. there are tons of cheap options- all you have to do is check the list of ingredients to make sure they don’t contain eggs. vegan jarred pizza sauce is easy to find too- i use Great Value (hello Walmart!) because it’s cheap. if you use another brand, just make sure they don’t include cheese in the sauce. i also use Daiya cheese, and lemme tell you that shit is GOOD. once it’s melted, you can’t tell the difference between it and “real” cheese. oh hey, added bonus- it won’t give you CANCER!
the toppings are my favorite part of pizza… my husband and i really load it on. i prefer artichoke hearts, mushrooms, sweet onion, tomatoes, sauteed spinach and garlic, and well, whatever we just happened to have on hand.
the sky’s the limit really.
pizza is a lame excuse to not be a vegan, because the vegan pizzas i make, are better than the non-vegan pizzas i used to make.
for real.
Categories: Uncategorized.
below, you see the exercise schedule i made for myself. i bravely said “i will follow this religiously until i am happy with my body!” or at least until after i go to the beach with a rockin’ bod. so far it’s not worked out quite as i envisioned. (imagine that) it seems that the only time i can gather the will to actually do some exercise is in the morning, before my body has had a chance to wake up and consider the shit i’m about to throw at it. i know. i’m shocked too. but hey, something is better than nothing, right? i may not be doing my exercises at night, or the daily stuff i have scheduled out, but for the past few days i’ve actually managed to go through my quick, toning routine. i’m sore as hell from it too… my shoulders hurt from the pushups, my ass aches from the squats, and my abdominal muscles are screaming from the sit ups. it feels AWESOME. (surprisingly, no sarcasm accompanied that last sentence) at the moment i’m happy slowly dipping my toes in the pool, rather than diving straight into the workout water. i’m incredibly sore just doing the small amount of exercise i AM doing, i couldn’t imagine how much i’d be hurting if i actually did all that i wanted to do. i’m not sure what my next step will be… maybe the weekly stuff? maybe just my nightly stuff? i dunno. right now i’m doing enough to break a sweat, get a little sore, and suck air like a 90 year old emphysema patient. that’s good enough- for now.
Every Day
7:30 am
1 Yoga Stretch
25 Push Ups
25 Jump Squats
40 Sit Ups
1 Yoga Stretch8:30 pm (or directly after kids go to bed)
1 Yoga Stretch
25 Push Ups
25 Jump Squats
40 Sit Ups
1 Yoga StretchWeekly
Monday
P90X CardioTuesday
45 Minute YogaWednesday
FREEThursday
P90X CardioFriday
45 Minute YogaSaturday
P90X Plyo or YogaSunday
FREEGET OFF YOUR BUTT AND JUST DO IT!
Categories: Exercise.
i don’t like Tofu. on the few occasions i or my husband have made it, i’ve grudgingly choked it down and covertly let everyone else eat the left overs. i’ve never had Tofu made by someone professional… meaning, in a restaurant setting, made by someone else, that other people have declared to be a good example of cooked Tofu.
every time i’ve made it, i haven’t been able to get rid of that faint plastic-y taste that seems to accompany every form of Tofu available to me. i don’t like the texture… that weird spongy texture that you never find in any natural foods. it just freaks me out. i’ve tried Tempeh and didn’t like it either. it tasted just like Tofu, except with a different weird unnatural texture. i haven’t given up on Tempeh yet, i still have a few recipes to try that make me think it might be possible to like it.
Tofu, on the other hand, is just icky.
which brings me to my New Year’s Resolution.
i am going to find a recipe in which i actually like Tofu in.
i’m not going to give up. i want to like Tofu.
i have a few recipes for a Tofu Scramble (the vegan version of scrambled eggs) and a few different stir frys. worst comes to worst, i’ll make a Tofu Chocolate Pudding. you can’t really go wrong with chocolate, IMO. although i wouldn’t put it past Tofu to ruin it. :0/
New Year’s Resolution 2012
♦I WILL FIND A WAY TO LIKE TOFU♦
Categories: Uncategorized.
this week i totally junked out by spending too much time in the kitchen making chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin spice gingerbread and pumpkin spice pancakes. it was worth every bite, though. well, maybe not the extra fluff around my waist line. won’t be doing THAT again for a while!. I LOVE BEING VEGAN. the one thing i love the most about being vegan is that even when i’m at my worst (nutritionally) i’m still better than your average American is on a regular basis. i still consume less calories and more healthy stuff when i’m splurging than your average meat and dairy filled meal. i love it. it gives me an excuse to feel good about myself, even when i’m being bad. of course, now i need to add some toning up to my daily regime… i’m starting to get a little fluffy. *sigh* so much for weight loss just by switching to a vegan diet, eh?
okay, so i’m not completely vegan… i still eat fish. but NO dairy. NO land-dwelling animal products. what does this make me? hmmmm… i know! i’ll invent a new word. i’m a TERRA VEGAN REX.
yes.
World, meet the Terra Vegan Rex. a person who follows a vegan diet by not eating any land dwelling animal food products, but still occasionally eats seafood. nom.
Categories: Uncategorized.
I have an addiction .
I can’t help it.
I don’t want to help it… except to maybe help feed it a little more.
Yes, I admit it. I’m addicted to Hummus.
It sounds stupid, but seriously. I can’t get enough of Hummus, or chickpeas in general. I think that chickpeas are actually a natural form of crack cocaine, except without that whole “killing you eventually” thing.
We’re members of Sam’s Club, so we get our Hummus in gihugic tubs that cost the same as the tiny tubs you get at the grocery store. ↓my favorite hummus↓
in my younger years (meaning less than a year ago) i would turn my nose up at the idea of eating hummus. it sounds so… yuppy.
but then one day came along when i was visiting my mother in law, and the only thing she had to eat that was actually vegan, was a few mushy onions, sprouting potatoes, a tub of hummus, and a bag of pita chips. you can guess what i had for lunch that day… a hint: it wasn’t the potatoes or the onions. to this day, i am still nursing a full blown hummus addiction.
it’s 10 in the morning right now, and i finished my breakfast about an hour ago. what did i eat for breakfast? a tortilla salad wrap.
i spread a generous spoonful of hummus on the bottom of the wrap, lined up 3 split grape tomatoes, some chopped celery, topped it with chopped romaine lettuce, a generous helping of sliced dill pickles, and sprinkled it all with raw pine nuts. then i wrapped it all up like a tasty little birthday gift and chowed down. i read a book at the table while i took my vitamins and thoroughly enjoyed my non-conventional breakfast. i do this almost every morning. like i said- i’m addicted.
hummus is awesome.
Categories: Uncategorized.
originally, this recipe was supposed to be cakes… but before i even stuck it in the oven, i knew it wouldn’t work out. i added a few more things, changed this and that and voila! i had a casserole. i didn’t know if it would turn out, but my 9 year old declared it “Awesome!”. so here you go!
Step 1: Boil the Quinoa with the bouillion and 2 Cups water until the water is absorbed. This will take about 20 minutes. When done set aside until needed, occasionally fluffing with a fork to keep loose. Move on to Step 2 while it’s boiling.
Step 2: Sautee onion and grated sweet potatoes (i had to use a hand cheese grater for the sweet potato) until onion is translucent and sweet potato is softer. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
Step 3: Add Garlic, Spinach, and seasonings to the Sweet Potato mixture. Sautee for another 5 minutes.
Step 4: In a large mixing bowl, combine the Vegetable mixture, Quinoa, and Flour. Mix well.
Step 5: In a separate, small mixing bowl combine 2 tbsps flax seed and 5 tbsps water. whisk, then let set up for 3-5 minutes so it can gel up a bit.
Step 6: Add Flax gel and 1 tbsp flax to the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Step 7: At this point, i used a Pyrex Pie dish to bake my casserole in. It came out rather nice, but I’m sure you can use a small square casserole dish as well. it would probably work neatly in individual ramekins too, if you have them. Grease your baking dish of choice (i use spray Olive Oil to grease my dish) and pour your casserole mixture into the pan. press it down to even out the surface, then sprinkle the bread crumbs on top evenly.
Step 8: Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are nice and browned.
Categories: Vegan Recipes.
2 cans Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
1 vegetable bouillion cube
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 apple, peeled & grated
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup oat flour (i processed some whole oats to make the flour)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp italian seasoning blend (i use Tones)
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp milled flax
1 flax egg
boil the kidney beans in water with the vegetable bouillion cube for about 10 minutes, just to soften them up a bit and infuse a little bit more flavor into them. when done, drain all the water out and mash them up with a potato masher. you don’t have to get too fine a mash- chunks are okay.
add the olive oil to a pan, and sautee the garlic and onion until tender and translucent. then add the grated carrot and apple. season to taste with the salt and pepper, then set aside.
if you’re like me and your walnuts are whole, then process them with a food processor. (or, if you don’t have one, use a blender. i used a Ninja) also process the oats to make the oat flour, and the bread crumbs. (i had to use two toasted whole wheat thin bagels to make my bread crumbs) mix together the walnuts, oats, breadcrumbs, 1tbsp of flax, basil and italian seasoning.
preheat your oven to 375.
in a mixing bowl, combine the mashed kidney beans and the vegetable mix. then add the bread crumb/flour mixture and combine well, using your hands if you have to.
in a separate, small bowl make your flax egg. to do this, just add 1tbsp of milled flax to 3 tbsps of warm water, and whisk together. let it sit for 3-5 minutes so the mixture has time to gel up.
add the flax egg into your bean ball “dough” and combine, be sure to mix well.
roll into little balls, about 1 inch across, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. don’t let the sides touch, but you can get them as close together as possible so you don’t have to use more than one pan. i was able to fit 54 bean balls on one pan. (6 vertical, 9 horizontal)
bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. serve on top of your favorite spaghetti.
Categories: Vegan Recipes.
i cooked this for dinner the first time the other day, and i was blown away by how good it turned out. i don’t remember where i got the original recipe (my slightly tweaked recipe is the one i’m sharing) so if it sounds familiar, just comment so i can give you props! this recipe is creamy, rich, and absolutely delicious. the extra pinch (just a pinch!) of nutmeg at the end really gives it a flair. enjoy!
Butternut Squash Risotto
serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vegan margarine
1 onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups white rice
3/4 cup white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups roasted butternut squash, mashed {recipe below}
a pinch of nutmeg
in a small pot, heat the veggie broth – it should be heated for when it’s time to add to the rice. heat the oil and earth balance in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. add in the garlic and stir the pot while it sautes for a minute {keep things moving so it doesn’t burn}. next add in the dry rice and stir it to coat it with the oil for 2-3 minutes. then, add the wine and stir until it has all been absorbed. add 1 cup of the hot broth and keep stirring the pot as the rice cooks and all of the liquid is also absorbed. carry on like this for each additional cup of broth, adding more as the previous cup has cooked down {in all it will likely take 20-25 minutes of cooking and stirring}. just don’t stop stirring. it’s all about the stirring.
taste a bit of the risotto to make sure the rice is cooked through, then remove from the heat, fold in the mashed squash {hopefully still warm} and season to taste with salt and a pinch of nutmeg. serve hot and warm your belly on a cold winter’s day.
1 Butternut Squash
2 tbsps olive oil
a few pinches of sea salt
preheat the oven to 400 f.
cut the top off the squash, and cut it in half lengthwise. be VERY careful when you’re cutting it in half, as it can be difficult to do. i’m sure many fingers have been chopped off on behalf of a butternut squash recipe…. remove the seeds from each half, and peel the outside off each half. (i used a hand peeler) cut it into 1 inch cubes.
toss the cubed squash with the oil & garlic and spread it out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. season with a few pinches of sea salt and pop it in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until fork-tender. once it’s really tender, remove it and mash it up with the back of a fork. keep this warm and on hand. the leftover cubes of squash didn’t survive the risotto cooking period, as my entire family (including myself) snacked on it until it was gone…
Categories: Vegan Recipes.
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Pumpkin Spice Pancake Batter:
2 ¾ cups Original Bisquick mix
⅓ cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 ¼ cups vanilla soy milk (or vanilla almond milk)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or whatever light tasting oil you have available. i’m sure vegetable or canola would work just as well)
2 tablespoons sugar*
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
2 tablespoons prepared egg replacer* (i use Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer)
after making the pancake batter, i pour ⅛ cup servings of the batter into a pre-heated electric non-stick griddle set to 350 degrees. if you don’t have one of those nifty things, you can heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat on your stovetop. grease with vegetable oil if necessary (non-stick pans don’t need greasing) cook until the sides of the pancakes are dry, then flip and cook until golden brown.
NOM
*To Make Pumpkin Pie Spice, if you don’t have any:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ginger
combine ingredients, and store leftovers in a small jar, or plastic baggy.
*Preparing The Egg Replacer:
the Egg Replacer:2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer
6 tablespoons warm water
whisk ingredients together until no lumps remain. use immediately.
*Sugar Option:
i use vanilla sugar in my recipes such as this. to make, just put granulated cane sugar in a jar with a couple whole vanilla beans, and store in an air tight container for at least a day before using.
Categories: Vegan Recipes.
