30 Day Veggers - Day 21!!!

[Liann]

Wow, day 21 already!!! Not bad.

DH and I had a really good time at the BM concert. Everyone always thinks he must put on really cheesy concerts, but he is actually very classy and is a good entertainer. The ages at the concert ranged anywhere from 8 - 70, with a lot of people falling into the late 20's to early 40's. I'm always surprised at how young the fan base is. I managed to keep it veggie the whole weekend. DH did not give me a hard time about it, so that was a relief.

I cooked DH a steak last night and he was very appreciative. We also had polenta stuffed peppers. They weren't "bad", but they weren't all "that" either. I'll probably tinker with the recipe a bit and see if I can come up with something tastier. I also made a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Vegan Planet cookbook on Saturday (before leaving for the concert) and they were a HUGE hit with DH. He actually said they were the best homemade chocolate chip cookies he had ever had. Not bad for not having any eggs or butter in them. I'm going to have to make up another batch for him because he already went through those just on the trip to Philly!

Oh, I forgot to mention, I also made some french onion soup yesterday for lunch that was a big hit. I will have to post that recipe when I get home. DH said it was a keeper.

 

[teri ket]

Good morning Lian - Im really glad your had a great time at the concert. I also made my husband a steak on saturday night and he was very grateful as well. Surprisingly I was not tempted at all. I had a lot of pasta this weekend. I need to get a little more organized and plan my meals a little better. (although I do love me some pasta)

The soup and cookies sound great. Would you mind posting the cookie recipe as well?

Can you believe we only have 9 day left on the original challange?

Have a great monday!!!

 

[Liann]

No problem Teri! I will post both recipes when I get home.

Planning meals is something I have trouble with too. I really have to think about it or else I just end up eating a salad. There's only so many salads one can eat!!!

 

[materialsgirl]

Hi Liann and Teri!

Liann, aren't those cookies AMAZING??? They're SO YUMMY! I could eat the whole batch in one sitting. Which is why DH is not allowed to make them anymore. The dough is pretty darn tasty too. And you don't have to worry about salmonella! Double bonus!

I'm glad you had a good weekend and a good time at the concert! Way to go on staying veg while traveling. That can be a real challenge sometimes.

As for meal planning... well, it gets easier as you create a larger base of favorite recipes. I use software (Shop N Cook) to organize my recipes and create shopping lists, which makes meal planning a breeze.

I'm off to lunch now. I have homemade minestrone and some honey wheat bread. Mmmmmm... soup and bread - always a feel-good meal!

 

[NY25]

I had a horrible week last week. Very unexpectedly, my cat became ill and I had to have her put to sleep (we think she had a stroke and then her diabetes went out of wack and she started having seizures and it was all very horrible - I couldn't make her keep suffering, so I gave in and let her go. The guilt has been almost unbearable). So Wednesday morning all went to heck and for a couple of days I didn't eat, then when I finally got my appetite back a bit, I couldn't think of cooking, so ordered out. Two nights in a row - and I had very bad food - chicken enchiladas on Friday and on Saturday, the worst -- a cheeseburger and fries. Bad, bad, bad, but I just couldn't think about food. I've never been a stress eater until this year when I have and have eaten terribly. I'm beginning to feel better now, and all of the good food in my fridge that I had to throw away because I wasn't eating and it went south, now needs to be replaced. My job just moved locations, as well. The upside there is that I now work one block from home, so I can walk home for lunch and can better plan and prep for dinners. So, I'm kind of starting over this week and hoping things start going better (both personally and diet-wise). Here's keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[materialsgirl]

OMG!!! NY25, I'm sooooo sorry about your kitty. You poor thing! Perfectly understandable to return to old habits during a stressful time like this. I'm sending great big ((((hugs)))). This is a great place for support. We'll be here to listen and help you get back on track.

 

[Liann]

Awe, I'm so sorry NY25!!! It's so hard losing a pet. They really become part of the family. I would be a mess. I am sending several much needed hugs your way. Hopefully, the job relocation will work out well for you and things will start to look up very soon!

 

[queenmaynie]

Hello girls...

NY25, so sorry about your cat. I'm sure you will be able to focus again on the eating soon, but not to worry right now. Just feel better! Prayers are with you.

Liann: Just wanted to chime in and tell you that I am a HUGE BM fan and went to see him last year with DH. He actually surprised me with tickets for my BD! I could not get over how many women still throw thier bras on stage at him. He was wonderful and I know every word to every song!! Oh, and sounds like things are going better with your DH and the food! Excellent!

Teri and Emily, hi and big hugs!

Eating has been going great. Since I have'nt eaten red meat for 6 years this hasn't been too drastic for me, but I do worry that without chicken and turkey I'm not getting enough protein. I'm putting most of my efforts into trying to get enough. Um, the beans are doing quite a number on my **ahem** bathroom trips. Enough said...

Gotta run for now. I have to teach Cardio/Sculpt in a bit. Our computer was down all weekend so I just wanted to come by and say a quick hi! See you all tomorrow.

 

[Liann]

Vicki - Doesn't peanut butter count as a high level protein source??? At least that is what I have been telling myself. One other way I have found to sneek it in is by throwing some silken tofu in a smoothy. Add enough fruit, soy milk, etc. and you don't even know the tofu is there. It just seems to disappear. I have still been eating cottage cheese though and that is loaded with protein. Beano is my best bud by the way. I've heard your system gets used to eating all this "natural" food over time. We'll see...

p.s. Where did you go to the BM concert? My DH and I have been to a bunch of them, so who knows, we might have been at the same one!

 

[NY25]

Thanks, ladies - I so appreciate it!
You just made me remember - I have celery sticks and peanut butter in the fridge. Hmm - lunch tomorrow! Tonight I must work out. Thanks, again!

 

[Liann]

Teri - Here are those recipes for you:

French Onion Soup
2 T margarine
2 cups thinly sliced onions
4 cups beef broth (I used 2 veggie beef boullion cubes disolved in 4 cups warm water - depends on your cubes how much it takes to get 4 cups) You could also just use veggie broth.
2 T dry sherry or dry white wine (optional - I used Sherry)
1 T veggie Worcestershire sauce - or the real stuff if you don't mind anchovies being in there
Dash pepper
1 Whole wheat english muffin
3/4 cup (or more)shredded Swiss, Gruyere, or Jarlsberg cheese (I used Jarlsberg Swiss - yum)

In a large saucepan melt margarine or butter. Stir in onions. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes or till tender and golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in beef broth, dry sherry, or wine, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut muffin open and toast in toaster. Sprinkle a little cheese on each piece and broil to melt cheese. To serve, ladel soup into bowls and float bread atop. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top of the soup. I put the bowls back in the oven and let the cheese melt before serving. Since the broiler had been on, the oven was still hot enough to do that.

Here's the cookie recipe:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup corn oil
Egg replacer for 2 eggs (I used Ener-G Egg Replace. It's a powder you can buy in the organic section of your grocery store or online. You blend 1 1/4 tsp of powder with 2 T water before adding to your recipe)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips (I just used some regular ones I had)
1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice (walnuts work great)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil two baking sheets.
2. Combine all dry ingredients (including nuts & chips) in one bowl and all wet ingredients in another.
3. I made a hole in the center of my dry ingredients and poured the liquid in, then folded over to combine (I watched a chef demonstrate this online
4. Drop dough by the spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for approximately 15 minutes.

They may look a little underdone when you take them out, but this is good. They dry a little as they cool, so they will be perfect when ready to eat. I made the mistake of putting my second batch back in for a few minutes and they were way too dry.