hello all, my week has been ridden with sniffles and headache. it seems about this time every year i finally get the "winter bug" that everyone else has already gotten over. anyways, i am feeling a lot better today - and i think this is partly thanks to my new diet! i'm now at 33 days and i've never felt better (minus the whole head cold thing)! anyways, i thought i would share a few of my favourite meals from the week - most of these are eaten "out."
first, sushi. this is my one love. although i cannot partake in the actual "sushi," i find myself craving kappa rolls almost everyday. this night, my best friend and i indulged in: kappa rolls, kappa and avocado rolls and vegetable rolls (dynamite for her). we also had a bit of vegetable tempura, but i was afraid of egg content, so i quit early. i find that i never crave meat, but instead i crave baked goods that can only be created with plenty of milk and butter.
i had my first bad restaurant experience. after perusing the menu, i asked about their pan bread - it contained eggs. so, i ordered the cliche mixed greens with oil and vinegar.. when it came, i was greatly disappointed. the greens that i had asked for came with apples on top (which i don't oppose, but i specifically asked for "just" greens), and the oil and vinegar came in a little bowl. anyone with experience knows that the oil merely sits on top of the balsamic, which results in a very oily dressing. i ate it anyways, and clenched my jaw as i paid the $8 bill.. really? jeeze.
on a brighter note! i came across (and altered) an awesome recipe for fibre-rich muffins:
sunny boy vegan muffins:
1 flax egg (mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp warm water)
3/4 cup rice milk
2 tbsp canola or veg oil
1/2 cup organic sunny boy cereal
1 1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup raw sugar (this came out a bit too sugary for me, but i like my muffins fairly wholesome, not sweet)
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
soak the sunny boy cereal in milk for about 20 minutes (or overnight if you do not want texture in your muffins). combine liquid ingredients in a medium bowl, and dry ingredients in another medium bowl. add dry ingredients to wet and mix well. place batter into greased muffin tin and bake at 375 F for 18-20 minutes. you could add dried fruit into this recipe as well - i didn't this time, but i will probably try cranberries next time!
note: the ingredients for sunny boy claim it "may contain traces of milk and eggs" due to the nature of the company - this is due to the use of these products in the factory, not in the processing of this specific product. i have not been that specific in my veganism.
take care, animal-friendly followers
xx ashley
so, today was a relatively boring day. i woke up early, had breakfast, watched tv, and headed out the door to work. unfortunately, work was pretty dead, so i thought about how hungry i was - all day. and having forgot my snack at home, i was not very happy. anyways, i started the day off right with some oatmeal. i like to customize my oatmeal so i don't get tired of it. today it was: plain oatmeal, dried cranberries, raisins, brown sugar, granola and rice milk.
i didn't used to like dried fruit, now i find myself craving its sweetness. has anyone else ever experienced this? i've also found my sweet tooth is a lot easier satiated with an apple or fruit - this is awesome!
my favourite meal of the day is breakfast - i love fruit, grains, and being filled throughout the day. therefore, i tend to eat a lot more at breakfast, while eating less over the day.
some of my other favourite oatmeal "fixings": almonds, maple syrup, fresh berries, coconut milk, puffed wheat, toasted/untoasted coconut, carob chips, peanut butter (all natural).
to me, oatmeal is a blank canvas - what it lacks in flavour, it makes up for in substance. therefore, i mix thousands of things into my oatmeal in order to differentiate it from yesterday's. please do not get bored of my oatmeal - it will definitely be a constant.
for dinner, i had a sushi date with one of my best friends - we go for "sushi sunday." because she fully supports my veganism, we stuck to vegan-friendly rolls.
i started the meal with some miso soup - i realize that this is packed with sodium. it's a weekly ritual though - i'm not budging. then, i munched cucumber (kappa) rolls, avocado rolls, cucumber and avocado rolls (i know, redundant), and vegetable rolls. we also ordered vegetable tempura, but i found it fairly greasy and unenjoyable.
after all of this, i'm eating crackers and homemade dill pickle dip. i'll hopefully post that recipe tomorrow - it is delicious and protein-packed.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
i recently decided to make "the switch" from not-so-strict vegetarianism to strict veganism. i have suffered from stomach aches and discomfort for the past six or seven years - so far, the pain seems to have subsided. i am currently on day 14 and i have yet to sneak or cheat.
the main benefits i've found:
- a lot more energy
- much better sleep
- higher degree of concentration
- a lot more organized
firstly, i must disclose my love for cooking. i love starting with raw ingredients, and slowly (or quickly) creating something completely different to indulge in. therefore, my first conclusion: if you don't like cooking, don't become vegan. when adopting this lifestyle, i viewed the change as a chance to eliminate preservatives - if you do not cook things from scratch, your body will run the risk of being preserved by tofu dogs and meat substitutes.
when i initially adopted the diet, i underestimated the change that it would have in my life. because i had barely eaten meat for the past four years, i figured there was little change in giving up other animal byproducts (which, by the way, is a disgusting word). the first day, i made cookies. cookies are my weakness - i started out with an oatmeal cookie, and finished with a carob chip - these two easily made it into my cookbook.
ashley's vegan oatmeal cookies
1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup rice/coconut milk (can use soy)
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut
whisk together peanut butter, oil, sugar, milk and vanilla. mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients - voila. drop onto an oiled baking sheet and bake at 425 F for 8-10 minutes (until tops are golden brown). remember these are oatmeal cookies, so they will seem undercooked, but they will continue to cook once out of the oven - and they will harden up.
ashley's vegan carob chip cookies
1 1/4 cups spelt flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola/veg oil
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
3/4 cup carob chips
in one bowl, stir together dry ingredients (other than carob). in a second bowl, stir together syrup, oil and vanilla. combine oil mixture with flour mixture and stir until combined. fold in carob chips. drop onto parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.
i would have included a picture of the cookies (and i plan to in the future), but there are none left.. i've just put another batch in the oven, so hopefully later on i will be able to present a picture. if you are a vegan with a sweet tooth (as i am) - these are for you! these two recipes got me through the "snacking times" at which i would usually have prepackaged sweets.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
