Lost

Gah!  Here I am.  Lost.  Back in the world of meat and other things I tried to cut out.  But, still trying to find my way back.  I grocery shop soon, so I am working on my list.  Trying.

New guy, new life, and he has no problem with my vegetarian thing, he's a meat eater, monster meat eater and I can respect that because he respects me.  He will compromise for me, so compromising for him will not be a problem for me regardless of how I feel.

I feel a new outlook, like some type of toxicity has been removed.  I feel able to do this.  However, I dread getting my kids back on track, so I am thinking of starting fun.  Like burgers, chickpea patties or black bean ones.  Sweet potato fries.  I wish I had an oven, so that I can bake them and really dive in.  But I will work with what I have.

It's missed, that good feeling of eating good food.  Real good food, not food that's good because the shit's been cooked out of it, or because it's loaded with stuff it shouldn't have.

Walking has become somewhat of something that I noticed I push myself to do a bit more than required.  My car is down, so to save on cash, I will catch one bus instead of two and walk the rest of the way to work.  I walk my daughter to school, and then sometimes while waiting on a bus, I will walk back down to my son's school.  These are not short distances.   But I have lost about fifteen pounds since August.

I will keep on, I am back.  With a vengeance, maybe?  But I am crawling back...

Struggling

Still in the game barely. Not as much veggies going on as I would like as hectic schedules makes us so exhausted that I scrape together what I could and flop into bed. Tonight wasn't too bad, we had veggie burgers and chips with apples and grilled plaintain. No complaints from hubby, yay! We been eating a lot of chili, various ways, curried, chili powdered, tomato sauced, and on and on. TVP and black bean chili, tvp and pinto beans. Brown rice, spelt elbows, tricolour pasta, but not as much salad as I would like. The thought of standing up to make a fresh salad would bring me almost to tears somehow. I don't know. The joys of being a women, ey? I miss how I was feeling though. The veggies made a difference, I always made sure, they took up at least half the plate for me. Siiiiigh...still pushing on though. :)

Grrrrrrrrr...:)

Here I am! Where do I start? My tablet is doing the freakout thing and not letting me post since blog-spot updated its look. Grrrr. It's been a frustrating past week with complaints about quinoa from hubby (to be expected) but from the kids who ate their full of it at the veggie class. That pissed me off severely, needless to say. Tonight was good. Last night relatively okay. Last night was tuna egg patties with brown rice, zucchini and tomato strips on romaine with homemade vinaigrette. Hubby ate two plates. Said it was different and he liked it, somehow he does not remember I have made those patties before. Always to the reaction from people, "Tuna and egg?" Yeah, boil the egg, mash, add to the tuna, crack a raw egg in, pour in a heavy dose of flaxseed, mix and use an icecream scoop to lay em on the grill. Yes, me and flax are still fierce friends, teehee. Tonight was cheesy peasy couscous. Homemade vegetarian cheese with sweet peas in couscous, yum. Also, we had coleslaw with zucchini in it and I did turkey with kidney beans. The bag of beans I did in the crock-pot last night got left on the dinner table today when I left for work, and were slimy when I got home. :( Can you say pissed off. I didn't even blink, I went to a plan B I didn't even know I had. Turkey. I bought the turkey, as I usually do these past weeks with meat, to "soften the blow" of my complete vegetarian/vegan/raw rage. So Sunday evening I cooked parboiled rice and a steak. I ended up with that rice because Friday, no money, no grocery, my cousin hands me two humungous chicken legs/thighs with a bag of rice, happy was she to help. So I took it. I had to feed my family. I used one leg to feed them three, and I just ate everything else. Then the other leg got cooked Sunday afternoon to go with the quinoa cause I knew, quinoa is new, there ga be a fight. Just wasn't expecting the kids to kick off over it. smh So steak and rice it was Sunday night, but I got 'em, they had tvp with their rice, not steak. Hubby had the steak. So I have been noting mentally how I feel. I feel freer, I feel more intrigued. I had literally started coming home and be almost in tears because I had to make rice and some type meat "new again". I was just plain exhausted. I am not on this new kick just for something new, but because I feel so good when I eat the way I am eating. When I look out for new recipes, I discover that the world of vegetarianism seems boundless, more creative and more intriguing than the meat eating world. There seems to be less limits, and almost in a bid to prove that eating healthy can be just as tasty, if not tastier, recipes are coming at me faster than I can try them. And I love this. And tonight I sat and told him he is supposed to wake up hungry. That's what the argument was this morning, he woke up hungry, and he doesn't usually. *rolling my eyes* Your body is responding to my healthy assault on it. He will eat his raw oats in the morning with almond milk and and a bit of honey. Honey I proudly scored from Andros. And he was asking about the raw palm sugar I bought. There is hope yet... :)

Links & Recipes (check back often)

Here are a couple of recipes/blogs/links that I am using and picking up along the way: Oatmeal Cookies Two Bean Meatless Meatloaf Zucchini Quiche Tofu Spinach Lasagna Vegetable Tagine with Yellow Split Peas http://gozamos.com/2012/01/fat-happy-crispy-microwave-potato-and-turnip-chips/ http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2010/08/homemade-vegan-yogurt-in-the-crock-pot/ http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2010/10/playing-with-pumpkin-raw-pumpkin-pie-raw-pumpkin-breakfast-smoothie/

Up and Down

So, yesterday was my sister-in-law's birthday. And the usual spread was served, grilled various meats, peas n rice, corn and crab salad. And birthday cake. And I sat there, with the kids, held hostage, because dinner wasn't done at home and my eager puppy eyed hubby thought that he was doing a good thing by giving me a night off from cooking. *roll eyes in impossible directions* Anyhow, back on track tonight. Zucchini quiche. Mashed sweet potatoes with coconut milk. Julienned zucchini and bell pepper on lettuce with homemade vinaigrette. Colorful plate of food. Real good. My kids? Once again, surprising. My son kills the quiche and bell peppers with zucchini. Pitches a holy fit at the potatoes. My daughter pitches a fit at the quiche (yes, she at the quiche last time when HE DIDN'T - go figure). But she eats plain zucchini with vinaigrette, announces the potatoes taste bad but eats them under my watchful eye, lol. Hubby ate two plates of food, heh heh heh. He had no quiche. In an effort to finish up the meat left in here, which includes two steaks, one porkchop and some shrimp - I did shrimp for him tonight. So that's done, shrimps- all gone. Now the steaks will be by weekend.

Plodding On

So with a renewed vengeance, today was okay, slightly better than recent days. Yes there is a pack of dairy cheese in my fridge, and a loaf of white bread, but that is a long story of a day that was almost wrecked. Not to mention I can just blame it on hubby right? lol For dinner we had tvp done in a sauce Chrissy showed us yesterday. So I tweaked it, all I had was some chili prepared tomatoes from the can and ketchup. I cut up the onions, sweet pepper and threw in some thyme and rosemary and garlic. That ish smelled AWESOME! Threw in some corn and the tvp and let it simmer. It was the pale tvp to mimic chicken. Got sucked down good and asked for a second bowl by my son. My daughter who is on a shun corn campaign picked through it. They had it over whole wheat penne pasta. And on the side was good ole cole slaw, this time with less carrot and more zucchini. THAT of course was sucked down by her, of course. My hubby had meat with his pasta and cole slaw. I couldn't be bothered today with him and tvp because I've been down that road before. Pick your battles. :) So, here I am before bed, with a quiche in disassembled array on the counter, strawberry muffins in a container to put up. I had to make somehting to go with the kids' snack for tomorrow, I am trying to not buy $#!t to put in their bags. I just made cheese, minus the cashews. Forgot to look for some properly in the store when I went in. I remembered I needed cashews when I was at the register, but couldn't remember what for, DOH! It came out nice though, tastes really good. Found yeast flakes by mistake in another store I went in so that prompted me to make the cheese, which was originally to go on the pasta, but I was too exhausted at the time to make it. Kids in bed, hubby in bed, these stolen moments are mine! YAY! So, back in the kitchen. This quiche is take two, cause I have more zucchini and it was originally a hit. Plus, I just made cheese, did you hear me? This will be tomorrow's dinner with somethnig or the other I will find to go with it. But I will be that much further ahead... :D

Duck Church - Attend Class

Awesome! Went to a class led by Chrissy Love, Sha King and Rhonda Wright. Words don't do it justice. A very informal, familial atmosphere. Came away feeling like I could do this. I can take my family on an incredible life journey, with healthy foods and thoughts. It helped that they came with me, and tasted the samples of an array of quick simple, vegan or vegetarian or raw foods, depending on whatever was being presented. I was overwhelmed by what wasn't new info to me, overwhelmed by how much 'I knew better'. And looking at my weight, my hubby's age, and my kids, I feel that core need in me to do this. And I came away with the knowledge that my lilmama who is so anti veggies, will eat raaw zucchini in vinagrette, if it's presentd as spaghetti! She even tried spinach, though she skinned up. And killed the quinoa, and later the bean thread vermicelli and no meat sauce. My son ran the gamut, he did the green smoothie, mushrooms, vermicelli, quinoa, spinach, zucchini...it was great to watch. I feel reprepared to tackle this week. And informed my hubby, if he wants 'crap' to eat, he can feel free once a week to get it from he knows just where, lol. Otherwise, 'eet no hya!' anymore.

Still Trying...

So, veggie tagine anf couscous was great. My darling daughter ate the couscous with no problem. My son, hmmm, he was more whiny. Hubby ate TWO plates worth, but I digress.... Tonight was casual, storebought veggie burgers, dressed with orange sweet pepper, onions, chili prepared tomatoes, and romaine with a dab of mustard. Side dish - sweet potato slices grilled with salt and paprika. The kids had cole slaw with theirs, my son the only one out of them who had the sweet potato in addition to the slaw. Too lazy to look up a recipe for vegan banana bread, I used a King Arthur Flour recipe book (that can pass as an old world Bible). Only half cup of butter, half cup brown sugar and two eggs were the non-vegan or non-vegetarian ingredients. The bread is slowly disappearing...

Success

Came home on time after work. Got my son, headed to the store, grabbed tomatoes, veggie cheese slices and whatnot. Returned home, unable to find the recipe online, frantic, so many things to get done and a lost recipe was not in the plan. Got ingredients together and finally found it! Threw it in the microwave because I don't have an oven just yet.

Then turned to handling the cole slaw, ripping romaine, cutting tomatoes, heating brown rice...end product:
Hubby - porkchop (yes just one lonely leftover piece), brown rice, salad, coleslaw and zucchini quiche - he asked for seconds!
Son - quiche and slaw, didn't feel like brown rice - didn't eat all the quiche
Daughter - brown rice, quiche and of course slaw - cleaned her plate
Me - salad, peas n carrots, quiche and slaw

It's funny that the two I most worried about are surprising me at the oddest times. My daughter and her father just love sweets, savouries and she cannot stand veggies. But, with her love of quiche, I foresee sneaking other veggies in this way. Adding tomatoes has to have had something to do with it.


So, split peas are done, home waiting for me in the crockpot. Couscous and veggie tagine...mmmm.

I think I will start posting links! (Might help with the whole going missing issue as well!)

Ha-HA!

*rubbing hands gleefully* Methinks me will make zucchini quiche tonight! Why index card so many recipes and not pay them any mind? Because I seem to always be in a time crunch and forget having had noted these things to make life easier.

So, tonight - zucchini quiche, cole slaw, tomato/lettuce and brown rice because hubby will 'need' it. :) And as I do that, prep for tomorrow's meal.

Friday looms, it's usually casual food night. So hmmmm, maybe a box of veggie burgers, then grill some sweet potato pieces????

Dee. Zas. Struss!

Perfectly good beans, mixed with herbs n seasonins', tossed in oats and at the last minute eggs. When I did the herbs, I threw some eggplant in to get chopped too.

It over powered the patties with its flavour and the kids skinned up and I was like, yeah it's okay. So, tonight I'll figure out something as I put the split peas in ghe crockpot to try a split pea tagine with couscous recipe I am salivating over.

The brown rice is now fully accepted and whole wheat spaghetti was gobbled up night before last. There are still hotdogs, dairy cheese and such there but I can't engage in wrangling with hubby til I am satisied with how much I am slippibg him healthwse, lol.

'Tis to laugh...

So, in my excitement, the 'meat'loaf is in the microwave aroma-ing up da house. Taste test:
Me: Oh lawd, I can't lose no weight, I ga crawl in the dish
Son: Mmm, good. No - yuck, don't gimme dat. (He eats it in a sandwich with coleslaw on the side)
Daughter: Ew, cheese sandwich please. (Smt, cheese it is, with a side of slaw.)
Hubby: Oh, you know I like anything sweet. I ga kill dat AND my porkchops. (And so he did, with corn and ppita pockets.)

Oh that sweettooth man, the glaze on the meatloaf is real nice, but slightly sweet. I see where improvements can be made personally. I will let the glaze sit on it when I make it the night before so it can soak in real good.

Well. I for one am pleased/surprised/not-as disappointed-when-girlchild-shot-me-down since hubby, the Tooth Fairy's dream, a dentist's best friend and sugar's best customer likes 'dat veggie meatloaf'. :D

I won't give up, it's only Day two...

Nature

Subconsciously, I have been going toward this change. I just made some iced tea with some quart teabags I picked up last week sometime. I was speedwalking through the supermarket and they caught my eye. Ingredients absolutely acceptable, green tea, apple, natural pomegranate flavours, hibiscus, rose hips, licorice root. Me likey. Aaaah.

So french toast for all, ginger, cinnamon, sucked down. Eggs, not sure I am relinquishing those. It's safe to say I'm addicted, lol. We have plans for our own chickens though, over a year now. Since we have the picket fencing, enough to finish the open front and northside of the yard, leftovers will give the dog her own free run. Then I'll just have to workout a chicken run area.

And then, the garden. I have sort've decided to container grow what I can, then some ground space for viney plants. (Truth be told, I been jonesing for the chance to buy piece of the property in the back of us. To farm part and throw up another building as well.

Siiiiiigh. I am pleased with the progress, and even though my darling daughter is a vegetable phobe, I will kill her with cole slaw (purple cabbage preferred) until with relentless coaxing she tries something else. I mean carrots and cabbage pack a punch of vitamins and ssuch, with an amazing plus of them being eaten raw!

More beans in the crockpot, lol. Preparing for this week. Definitely, patties. Either for stuffing pita pockets, or side for whole wheat psghetti...ooooh or maybe try a chili recipe instead!

Switch!

For a while, the earth has been calling me. Loudly. For a while, I've managed to put her off. Even in the light of the busted blood vessel in my eye, high blood pressure's severe reminder...

So, fedup, my recent grocery list cast financial worry to the wind and picked up whole grain this and whole wheat that and couscous and brown rice and vegetables. No meat, well except the pack of bologna the hubby is going to whine for and his boychild asks for. But Imma work on that!

So tossing garbanzos in with pintos, I put the crockpot on and figured real late they'd be done. Four hours later, hurray! So in the fridge sits a 'meat'loaf to be baked tomorrow with the glaze alongside to be poured on. I'm excited, the batter was awesomely flavourful and just plain NICE.

Today I snacked on tuna and rye crackers, steamed fresh green beans, corn, 'chikn' nuggets and felt tthe difference. Cole slaw, brown rice, leftover turkey pieces was dinner. My son had chicken noodle soup on his rice, his daddy - porkchops, green beans, con on the cob and rice. Lil mama stuffed down cole slaw and bown rice. Everybody food laced with ground flaxseed. Lol

I ate things I shouldn't have. Sipped a bit of kool-aid when a sugar craving hit. But, all in all when I strayed, lugginess dragged me, but the 'good foods' made me feel lighter. I so desperately want the kids to understand the necessity of eating better. Of taking care of one's body. And I have to lead by example.

I agonize over my lil slim ting, his love of all things greasy, sugary and drug lapses scare me. I want him to not just live longe, but be lil agile with it. Degenerative disc? Yeah, junk food round the clock with cigarettes, recipe for a mess and then some.