Tag Archives: vegan

No More Dairy?!

Posted on August 8, 2011 | 5 Comments

Recently I cleaned out a stockpile of paperwork that dated as far back as 2002! Mixed in with a lot of funnier paper items (a pamphlet for a face book of incoming freshman at UT in 2003 designed to help you “meet your new best friend!” made me feel old for remembering life before Facebook) were a few things I thought were still really helpful.

Most notable was a letter from my gastroenterologist from college reporting that he urged me to give up all milk and milk products to manage my gastroenteritis and overall health. I remember that summer well actually and felt pretty good!

Well, enter last weekend when I had dreams 3 nights in a row of meeting with my doctor and being asked to go completely milk and dairy free again. After 1 night I chalked it up to the letter I found. After 2 I gave it a bit more thought and after the 3rd dream I decided to challenge myself.

Last Sunday I decided that I wasn’t going to have any [significant] milk products and have challenged myself to see how long I can last. I’m still eating an egg or egg white at breakfast but swapped the sprinkle of cheese on top with salt and pepper. Salads have been topped with extra beans or hummus in lieu of cheese. I have to say that 8 days in, the only real concern I have about not eating dairy is wasting the fresh Parmesan I bought when I arrived home.

I haven’t shifted to scouring labels and banishing small traces of dairy yet but most of the things I eat are fresh, whole foods which are naturally dairy free or are gluten free products that are parve (a kosher certification meaning 0 dairy whatsoever) or have extremely small traces of dairy.

As a reward for sticking to the “new” program, I picked up this little delight and can’t wait to try some of the recipes. I love Mama Pea‘s blog and can only imagine how delicious the recipes in her book are! The bonus – it’s all dairy free!(source)

Breakfasts these days look primarily like this (Food for Life English muffin with PB&J, cinnamon, and chia seeds plus a bit of fruit and an egg white)

Lunches and dinners are mostly a combination of lots of vegetables, beans or hummus, and / or beef or chicken.

My desserts have been a variety of strawberry fruit bars, dry cereal or a rice cake, or more fruit. The best part – I don’t feel like I’m missing anything and am completely satisfied. Mmmmm!

Have you had to cut something out of your diet recently? Do you miss it?

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Vegetable Lettuce Wraps

Posted on June 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

Ingredients:

  • 1/2c diced carrots (about 2 large carrots)
  • 1/2c minced onion
  • 2c mushrooms (I chopped 1c and sliced 1c to vary textures)
  • ~1c edamame beans
  • 1c diced water chesnuts
  • 1T garlic powder
  • 1.5T tamari (or soy sauce of your choice)
  • 1T GF Teriyaki sauce
  • 1 head of lettuce (I used Boston lettuce fresh from the farmers market), rinsed with leaves separated

In a non-stick skillet, lightly saute the carrots, onions, and 1/2T garlic powder over low heat until onions turn translucent (about 5-7 minutes). As they cook, finish preparing your remaining vegetables. Add in edamame, water chesnuts, mushrooms, and remaining garlic powder. Stir and saute allowing vegetables to begin to soften. Add in sauces and stir fry until mixture is cooked to your preference. I let the liquid cook down from the veggies and stir fried until they got a little crust on them.

Arrange lettuce leaves on plate and scoop mixture inside. Top with crushed cashews, wrap, and enjoy!

This makes 4 light servings or 2 dinner-sized portions.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

Feelin Good

Posted on June 14, 2011 | 3 Comments

Thank you all so so much for your kind words, congratulations, and support of my big announcement yesterday. I never expected such a reaction and am really touched by each and every comment, Tweet, and email I received. Thank you!

Sharing the news took a weight off my shoulders and I’ve been feeling pretty good so far this week. The positive thinker in me thinks that by putting out positive news into the universe the momentum is building. It sounds a little cooky but that’s what I’m believing this week :)

Over the weekend I bought myself an early birthday present when I feel in love with this tank top by accident. I rocked it at the gym and am even more in love than when I first tried it on!

Lastly, I discovered a recipe utilizing rice sticks on the New York Times website that I’ve been wanting to try for a few days now. I’ve had some rice sticks in my pantry for way too long and thought this would be the perfect way to use them up.

Rice Stick and Shredded Vegetable Salad

Inspired by this recipe from NY Times Recipes for Health

  • 1.5c thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 1/2c julienne red pepper
  • 1/2c julienne cucumber
  • 7 oz rice sticks
  • 1c shredded carrot (~1 large)
  • 2 T fresh mint leaves, chiffonade
  • ~1/4c cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2T fresh lime juice
  • 1/2t sugar
  • 2T rice vinegar
  • 1T low sodium GF soy sauce
  • 1T grapeseed oil

1. Place the cabbage in a bowl, salt generously and cover with cold water. Let sit for 15 minutes, then drain and dry.

2. Meanwhile, place the rice sticks in another bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for 20 minutes or until pliable, while you prepare the vegetables. Drain, and roughly chop the noodles into smaller pieces.

3. In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the vegetables, mint and cilantro.

4. Whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and grapeseed oil. Toss with the noodle mixture, refrigerate for ~15 minutes to let flavors meld, and serve.

I served this salad on top of butter lettuce with crushed almond slivers and a few cashews and a light drizzle of teriyaki sauce. It was absolutely delicious and left me feeling not too stuffed on a gorgeous summer night!

This recipe yields 6 servings (1.2c each) so you will have plenty of leftovers to enjoy throughout the week!

What’s got you feelin good this week?

→ 3 Comments

Posted in dinner, June, life, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

On Juggling and More

Posted on May 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

Happy Wednesday friends! I’m glad we’ve made it to the middle of the week. It’s been a busy one with lots going on that’s required me to juggle all of my commitments. No complaints though since it involves work, play, friends, and even time to reflect / learn about myself. That last part might sound weird but over the last few days I’ve been juggling a couple of things that have taught me more about myself!

Food has been a priority amidst everything going on though. I even had time to whip up a new recipe on Monday. By making time in my schedule to prepare dinner I avoided feelings of guilt that I should have been doing other things. The new creation – vegan lettuce wraps! And they were delicious.

For lunch I have been a little less on-the-ball. On Monday I was scheduled to go to a Marine One launch and we weren’t allowed to bring any food onto White House grounds. Due to a schedule change the President departed earlier than he was supposed to but I still caught a glimpse from just a dozen feet away!

That meant that lunch was on-the-go. I tried a new place, Devon & Blakely, and was pleased with my meal. I chose one of their small soups (Vegetarian Black Bean) and then a small salad. They have their greens already packaged in small and large containers and then you get to pick the other ingredients you want. I chose carrots, beets, corn, and sliced green olives. Yum!

Lastly, I want to share yesterday’s breakfast as it was a good one. I’ve challenged myself to eat a different breakfast each day this week and so far I’m succeeding in that challenge! I had an egg sandwich on 2 slices of Udi’s whole grain bread. One slice was topped with Trader Joe’s red pepper spread, diced green chiles, and some lite cheddar and the other side got a little sriracha. With some fruit on the side this was definitely a winning savory combination!

With a lot of things to juggle at the moment I’m trying to make sure I eat healthy overall and avoid foods that I know make me sick. This leaves me feeling clear-headed and light on my feet which is exactly what I need to power through the week!

How do you handle food choices with lots of things going on in your schedule?

→ Leave a comment

Posted in breakfast, lunch, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,