Day 11 Two Breakfasts

Menu Log
Breakfast: blueberry muffin and orange scone
Lunch: pancakes and eggs
Supper: beans and rice

Today was the day of breakfasts. Bethany and I had our normal breakfast while the boys slept. On the nights when Brad works till about 4am at Panera he doesn't get up till about noon. Today was one of those days and I was at a loss on what to make for lunch so we had breakfast again. You all know what pancakes look like so no picture. You also know what beans and rice look like but I hate posting without a picture so.....

I'm sure all of you know that beans and rice make a complete protein and I'm always looking for ways to get my much needed protein. Brad brought the bread home from Panera so that was a good addition. I ate 2 bowls and several pieces of bread.
I also had some chai with almond milk later in the evening. Now I am facing the hunger that hits me like a mac truck every night about this time. I'm going to have to do some research on some good filling foods that I can eat before going to bed. If anyone has some ideas for me please help me out. I'M STARVING. Going to go raid the fridge now.

Day 10: Chicken?

Menu Log
Breakfast: Steal cut oats ,cinnamon roll
Lunch: Chicken? wraps
Supper: left over tofu stir fry

The interesting meal of the day is Seven Grain Crispy Tender wraps AKA fake chicken. Brad has tried some of these at work and said they were really good so we got some and made wraps out of them. They don't taste like chicken but they are crispy and have a sort of nutty/potato flavor. I really enjoyed them. Didn't miss the chicken at all. I took a picture of the packaging so if you want to try them you can. The individual pieces are small so I used 2 per wrap. They have 8 or nine to a package so enough for 2 people.

As you can see they look like chicken tenders. I put shaved carrots, cucumbers, and ranch dressing with mine. I'm glad Brad stumbled on to this item. I will be eating them again.

Day 9

Menu Log
Brunch: pancakes and eggs
Supper: Tofu stir fry with rice
Bethany has been sick the past couple of days and slept very poorly last night so I got very few hours of sleep. We slept in and Brad was a saint and fixed us a yummy brunch. I snacked on apples, granola etc. in the afternoon and then fixed a good supper. The picture looks really orange for some reason but it turned out good. I am not a huge fan of tofu and I think it's because I really don't know how to cook with it. I found a website that gave some good tips on cooking tofu so it wasn't soggy. I cut the "firm" tofu into about 1 inch slices and pressed it between a clean cloth on my cutting board.You have to press it firmly enough to squeeze out the extra liquid without breaking it. Then I dry fried it in a nonstick pan on low heat until most of the moisture had cooked out of it and it had a golden brown crust. I made a marinade of soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and garlic, stuck all the tofu and marinade in a bag in the fridge and let it sit for about 30 min. After that it's easy. I made my favorite peanut stir fry sauce that has soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, peanut butter, garlic, and brown sugar for the veggies. I threw the frozen vegetables in the pan, let them steam till they were done, added the peanut sauce and tofu and heated in all through. I like to serve it over rice. I was full after eating but again it didn't stay with me for as long as I would have liked. Such is the life of a nursing mother with a greedy baby.

I know that most vegetarians use tofu as a substitute for meat so I looked up its ingredients and how much protein it has. Here is what I found: it is the "Nasoya" brand but be aware that all tofu is not the same. The nutrition facts will vary.

INGREDIENTS: : Water, Organic Whole Sprouted Soybeans, Calcium Sulfate, Nigari (Sea Water Extract).

I am going to try and find some other tofu recipes to try. Some of you might be interested in the fact that I bought 1 14oz package of organic tofu for 2 dollars. 1 pound of organic ground beef costs roughly $7 per pound.



Day 8

Menu Log:
Breakfast: Yogurt and granola
Lunch: left over spinach lasagna
Supper: Vegetable soup



Today I cooked beef. Not for me but for a family from our church that needed a meal. I made them stew. When I cooked the meat I thought I might really want some but it didn't make me drool like I thought it might. I put all the veggies and bulgur wheat together and braised the meat separately for a while. Then I took out enough for our supper tonight and added the meat to their part. It turned out very tasty without the meat. I think the key to enjoying food is not necessarily the fat. I think the flavor really comes from adding the correct amount of salt, herbs, and spices. I had to try the meat stew to make sure it was seasoned properly but I made sure not to get any beef pieces.

One of the veggies I included in the soup was garbanzo beans. Below you can read about their nutritional benefits from an article I read. The web address is at the end if you are interested in further reading.



Nutritional Data

Garbanzo beans are full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. A 100-g serving of cooked garbanzo beans without salt contains 27.42 g carbohydrates, which helps to create energy; 7.6 g dietary fiber for good heart health and a healthy digestive system; 2.59 g fat; and 8.86 g protein. Garbanzo beans also contain vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K. Minerals contained in garbanzo beans are calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/314874-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-garbanzo-beans/#ixzz2LVjZptSM

Day 7

Menu Log
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, banana
Lunch: Quinoa salad
Supper: veggie burrito

I didn't get a picture of the burrito because I ate it before I remembered. Today I just ate left overs. Lots of snacking too.
We have survived a week. My meat cravings are almost gone. Still trying to find food that will stay with me longer than 30 minutes after eating. Hopefully, Ill remember to take some pictures so my next blog will have a little more to it.

Day 6

Menu Log
Breakfast: Ezekiel cereal with almond milk
Lunch: butternut squash, carrot, and sage soup
Supper: spinach lasagna and garlic bread

 

The food we ate today seemed to fill me up a bit more. The soup was very good. Brad sautéed all the veggies with onions and garlic and then cooked them down with a little bit of liquid till they could be blended. I also ate a bowl of quinoa salad with it. I was pleasantly full from supper. Maybe it was because the lasagna had ricotta cheese. We couldn't find a substitute so had to use the real thing.

We also enjoyed some hot chocolate with almond milk tonight and it was really good.



 

 



Day 5

Menu Log:
Breakfast: orange scone from Panera & an orange per Bethany's choosing.
Lunch: Cod fish fillet with mixed baby potatoes. I cooked it in a foil pouch with plenty of olive oil, salt, cilantro, and lime.
Supper: quinoa salad and bread.
The salad has red and white quinoa. I sautéed some onions and garlic, roasted a couple of red bell peppers, and opened up a can of corn and black beans. I added some salt, cilantro, olive oil and lime juice. Pretty tasty. This would make a great summer salad.
I had to do a little research on the quinoa. I knew it was a complete protein but wasn't aware that it is gluten free. The article I read said one cup of quinoa had 8 grams of protein as opposed to one egg which has 6. It also has lots of calcium, and iron. There are other good things about it but those are the facts that struck me as most important. I think we will be eating more quinoa in the near future.

 

 

Day 4

Menu Log:
Breakfast: Cinnamon scone from Panera. Yum!
Lunch: California rolls!
Supper: last of the left over lentil soup and bagel

Mine had mangoes, English cucumbers, crab, and sesame seeds. Brad added avocado to his. Avocado makes my stomach hurt so I don't eat it. Brad made a yogurt cream sauce to go with them. You can see that these rolls have about 8 pieces in them. I ate 2 entire rolls! Brad couldn't finish his one. I was full for about 30 minutes and then had to find a snack.

 

I thought I'd share some of what I eat for snacks since I'm always talking about them. Yogurt, apples, oranges, bananas, pistachios, peanut butter crackers, trail mix (which includes,  honey granola, cashews, dried cranberries, fake chocolate chips, and a few raisins), cliff bars, apple sauce, animal crackers, and other random things that I can get my hands on. All edible of course. I think next time we go shopping I will add olives to the list. If any of you have any ideas of protein or fat rich foods that are vegetarian then let me know. I want to eat them!

Day 3

Day 3 is almost done. Still trying to find ways to stay full. Eating a cliff bar and drinking a glass of almond milk as I type. Brad thinks his body is starting to adjust to eating more vegetables. He said it was almost like his body has realized that it really wants healthier food. We have both wondered what might happen if we do eat red meat when our 40 days are over. I've heard of people getting physically ill. I will admit that I have thought about eating a nice juicy hamburger now and then. I'm hoping that those cravings don't last the entire time. If I could just get full......
Menu Log:
Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese
Lunch: Left over lentil soup, bagel, salad
Supper: grilled fish tacos

This picture of my fish tacos is the only pic for today since it is the only food you haven't seen yet.

 

I thought I'd share what I've learned about lentils today. I knew they were supposed to be good for me but wasn't sure why. So I've copied an article that sums up the health benefits of lentils.

Heart Health
Studies have found that people who eat high fiber legumes like lentils have a much reduced risk of heart disease. The high levels of folate and magnesium in lentils also go a long way in protecting the heart.

Stabilize Blood Sugar
Due to their high fiber content, lentils help in regulating blood sugar by providing steady, slow-burning energy and balancing blood sugar levels.

High In Iron Lentils are loaded with iron and are a great way to replenish the body's iron stores, especially for people who don't eat red meat like vegans and vegetarians.

B Vitamins
Lentils are a great source of B vitamins, most notably folate and niacin (B3). B vitamins are important for the healthy functioning of the nervous, digestive, and immune systems.

Lower Cholesterol
Lentils are a great cholesterol lowering food due to their high levels of fiber.

Protein Packed
Protein makes up 26% of the calories in lentils and they have the third highest level of protein than any other plant food. It's no wonder that they're a staple in many parts of the world.

Copyright © 2005-2013 HealthDiaries.com. All rights reserved. Brought to you by Little Shoe Productions, Inc.

Day 2

Menu Log
Breakfast: Ezekiel cereal with yogurt
Lunch: Polenta with marinara sauce and roasted asparagus.
Supper: Lentil soup

Don't know if you can make out the heart shapes in honor of Valentines Day.

I ate 2 big bowls along with a bagel. It filled me up but by bedtime I was hungry again so had to eat some trail mix. I also snacked on peanut butter crackers and ate a boiled egg at different points during the day.

Holly told me about how eating things that require more chewing/digestion uses up more calories and that we should make smoothies. This makes sense. Brad eats a smoothie on the nights he works at Panera. Apparently they have some really good ones.

Feeling good. Haven't noticed any changes in energy. Haven't had any red meat cravings yet either. I'm sure they will come.

If anyone has a good vegetarian recipe let me know. We will cook it and tell you what we think.

Day 1 of 40

Day one of our new healthy eating program(this is not a Diet in the way most people think) has begun. Brad and I both had Ezekiel cereal with Almond milk. If you've never tried almond milk you should. Bethany loves the stuff!
Lunch was a nice salad with eggs.

We made quinoa burgers for supper. They are called Qrunch(Crunch) Burgers. Quinoa is a complete protein and these pre-made burgers are pretty tasty. They have a good crunch to them like they claim. No soggy mess. We got some vegan mayo to dress them and I was pleasantly surprised by its similarity to the real deal.

You can see that we piled on vegetarian cheese and roasted red peppers. Yum!
My only complaint so far is one that I've been experiencing already. Because I'm breast feeding I am hungry all the time. No matter what I eat or how much I eat I won't stay full very long. I can eat enormous amounts of food whether it be a quarter pound hamburger with a side of fries or a huge plate of salad with a bagel. I will still be hungry an hour later. So tonight before we went to bed Brad made huevos rancheros with eggs, cheese, salsa, black beans, and cilantro. I ate two of these bad boys and could still eat more.

So far we have enjoyed all of the food we've eaten. Brad has commented that he feels good for eating good food but is feeling the same way about being hungry even after eating. Maybe it's psychological but I would say that we both agree that our bodies are a bit confused right now. 

 

Finally, I wanted to explain what prompted Brad and my decision to try and eat a primarily vegetarian diet. Brad has a health screening done for free every year by Whole Foods. After he had that done he started thinking about ways to improve his health. We have also been watching some pretty interesting documentaries about becoming vegetarians. They make some pretty good arguments and present some convincing research about the benefits of eating a plant based diet. Here is the list of what we've watched if you are interested in that kind of stuff:

Hungry For A Change

Vegucated

Food Matters

Forks Over Knives

 

Veggie Tales

It has been a long time since I blogged so I thought it might be fun to log our family's Lent adventure. Every year Jessica sends out her Lent Police letter and asks us what we will be giving up for Lent. This year Brad and I decided to give up red meat, poultry, most dairy products, and coke. We will still eat seafood, fish, yogurt, vegetarian cheese, eggs, and small amounts of butter. We have been talking about trying to eat a vegetarian diet so decided this might be a good time to start. Our hope is that it makes us feel better, more energetic and gives us new ideas of how to eat healthy foods.
Because today was Fat Tuesday we celebrated like all good Catholics do and pigged out on red meat, cheese, and cola. Our supper was Jambalaya. Spicy and delicious as you can see in the picture below.

This is our fridge loaded with all our fruits, veggies, and milk/dairy substitutes and the top of Bethany's head.
                                

I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about these next 40 days. I think it will be really good for us to step out of our old eating habits and try some new ones. My one concern is that I might have trouble eating enough complete proteins. That's why we kept eggs and fish.
My goal is to blog about what we eat and how we feels during Lent so stay tuned for an update really soon!