Vegan without the MOFO

Sadly Vegan month of food (#veganmofo) is over and it's time for me to stand on my own two vegan feet.

I'm hungry.

I may or may not have mentioned on my blog yet that I bought Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet.  Until last night I had only flipped through the recipes for food inspiration but found I was selling the book short. It is critical to read the opening remarks. Like the title, it truly is about not only being kind to animals & the environment, it's about being kind to your own body.

I read a billboard on the highway recently that said 1 in 3 kids born today will live till over a 100. What if I live until I'm 90? Now my family history has not set me up to have that be my reality but what if it is!?! I need a strong heart.  I need to combat cancer. I need glowing skin. I need to manage my weight. I need strong bones. I need, I need, I need...

My head is spinning. I'm not training for a marathon. I'm not sick. I only have my own motivation. I need to learn to cook vegan dishes so that I'm not hungry. Plain roasted & raw veggies are not going to do it. I have work to do.

"So what exactly do you eat?"

If you are looking to win a popularity contest, being a gluten-free vegan is not for you. People look at you weird, sneer, laugh and roll their eyes. I even had someone say last night that I was that annoying person that servers hate. I totally get it.  I don't blame them. Maybe I am just doing it to be unique. I have so many different answers to why: optimal health (cancer/heart plaque fighting machine), lose weight, generally feel better, for #veganmofo, for shits and giggles...but not exactly for the animals as most Vegans. I love animals. I have a dog that I adore. I think kittens and bunnies are cute, however I have always been able to compartmentalize the treatment of animals and its affect on the environment to the tasty slab of meat on my plate. I used to advertise for the National Cattleman's Beef Association and have seen my fair share of slaughter houses without being fazed (except for maybe the part at the end of the line w/ the gun). I wish I could come up with a really good reason for this silly adventure but it just is what it is.

Leading to the title of this post, what exactly do I eat?...well here goes (by default everything listed is gluten-free):

Breakfast:

Homemade Oatmeal/Fruit Bars
Oatmeal/Fruit
Smoothies
Granola/Almond yogurt
Rice/Corn Flake/Granola Cereal combo w/ Almond Milk
Larabar
MacroBar






Lunch:

Salad (Lettuce, cucumber, oil/vinegar)
Nature's Path Vegan Bread w/ Almond Butter

Fruit: grapes, pears, apples










Dinner:

Roasted Veggies (Peppers, Eggplant, Squash)
Brown Rice (seasoned w/ Tamari)
Roasted Red/Sweet Potatoes
Hilary's Veggie Burger







Dessert:
Almond Milk Ice Cream
Dark Chocolate

Drink:
Wine, wine, wine

Restaurants:

Chicago Diner
Bombay Spice
Native Foods
Protein Bar
Urban Vegan
Rose's Bakery







RE my last post, I've balanced my food quantity intake. With workouts 6 days a week and a reduction of my drinking to 2-3 days a week I'm feeling pretty darn good. Hunger has subsided.

V Week 3

This week marks the third week that I have given up all animal products. Turns out that it's not that hard. I don't miss meat or crave it. The only time that I have faltered (twice) is that I literally would have skipped a meal if I didn't eat meat. I attended a fashion & food event with a friend and a work lunch that would have proved too difficult to satisfy my hunger without ordering a dish with fish.

A major lesson that I have learned in the past few weeks is how much better your body feels when you control your own food. Now as a gluten-free person this is typically my reality, but with truly embracing my new Veganism I had decided to eat out a few too many times. In the middle of my Vegan journey I felt terrible. I struggle with managing portion control when things are tasty.

Overall when you eat too much, it doesn't matter what it is, it will make you feel like crap. Classic lesson of slow down when you are eating and listen to your body. If only restaurant served 100% vegan friendly food at the exact right portion. A girl can dream.

Last side note. After reading "My Beef with Meat," I'm not sure I can ever truly consider an animal based diet every again. More to come on that.

Bird vs Bird Seed

If you are a current reader of my blog, you know that I've been on a food journey for quite some time. I'll try just about anything to feel as healthy as possible while still maintaining an entertaining and delicious experience.

In be past 2 months I've been dabbling in all things above and beyond just "gluten-free." Now, being gluten-free is nothing to balk at but at this point it's easy for me. The more you know how to be gluten-free, the more ways you know how to cheat being healthy (chips, snickers bars, candy in general...). It was time to up the anty.

I started with giving up cow dairy. That means no milk, no cow cheese (goat cheese still in the game), no ice cream, etc. I found it pretty easy as there are so many almond milk and coconut alternatives that are either just as tasty or better.

That gets me to the past two weeks. I have entered into a realm that I swore up and down I would never do as a gluten-free devotee. I went gluten-free vegan. Madness.

As a fairly savvy social media 30 something, I have become addicted to Instagram. Often I would post the gluten free food or restaurants that I have been to and tagged them with the proper monikers. And in return I would get likes or followers that are also interested in gluten-free living. One day as I was tooling around the "discovery" page I started seeing a new hashtag #veganmofo. 

Other than its apparent inappropriateness of the name, it seemed like a movement of some sort. And in fact it was. September is "Vegan month of food." There are people all over the world (literally) snapping pics and blogging about Veganism. And as I kept digging I realized there are thousands of people posting recipes daily. I was completely consumed by all the content and pretty pictures. I was in. Like all in. I've already made 3 plus recipes, have visited 5 vegan restaurants and posted 5 plus pics.

Now getting to the title of this post. In the midst of week 1 of Veganism, my cubemate/work partner in crime started a new diet as well. She is trying to reach the pure state of ketosis by giving up sugar 100%. As a recovering candy/sugar addict I see that as impossible. I'd liken the diet to the Atkins diet. She eats meat/salad/eggs/bacon/cheese. Pretty much the exact opposite of my diet.

Within our almost 2 weeks I have gained weight and she has lost weight. But this isn't about weight. This is about reaching optimal heath. I fear she is building up plaque in her arteries and she feels I'm consuming foods that are turing all to sugar (and then in turn fat). I feel like I'm a cancer fighting machine!

The diet wars begin. Stay tuned for updates in our challenge.

PB&J Smoothie

I have to start this food post by saying that this recipe is a complete rip of Protein Bar's "Pier-nut Butter & Jelly" smoothie...I hope they don't mind!

I don't normally crave smoothies during the work day however I was meeting a colleague for a quick meeting and rather than grab coffee on a hot day, a smoothie felt like a better option to get outside and enjoy the nice weather.

I ordered this smoothie and it was instant love. I can't even remember what I said in the meeting. I fell so in love that I had to recreate for home when I normally crave a smoothie post weekend lakefront run.

PBJ Smoothie

Dairy/Gluten free 

3/4 Cup Frozen Blueberries

1/4 Cup Frozen Strawberries

1/3 Banana

1 Scoop Vanilla Soy Protein

1 Cup Almond Milk

1 Large Spoonful Almond Butter

2-3 Ice Cubes

Throw it all into a blender and blend for at least a minute. Add a few tablespoons of water if your smoothie is too thick.

Yum.

Another Week Another Salad

As I mentioned in previous posts, I like to start off each work with the best of intentions. I get in a workout, I detox from alcohol and I have some kind of meat/vegetable combo for dinner.

Nothing unusual about this particular salad that I was prepping until I sat down to eat. This salad just looked pretty. In addition, the chicken was perfectly moist & seasoned and the salad leaves unique.

I introduce you to the Mache salad w/ BBQ smoked chicken, roasted red pepper & a Dijon balsamic vinaigrette.

Rise and Shine it's Florida Time

The title of this post is compliments of Ingrid Mackey...my Mom and fellow beach lover. My parents bought a timeshare in Marco Island, FL in the mid-80's and it became our regular vacation spot growing up. It's on the Gulf side in SW Florida in close proximity to Clear Water, Naples and Ft. Myers. As an adult I've had the luck of rekindling memories, most recently as an impromptu extended Mother's Day weekend.

As with any trip, even this sun soaked filled trip, it's all about the food food food. Now Marco is not notoriously know for its culinary adventures but they have seriously stepped up their game in the past few years.

Here are a few highlights:

Quinn's on the Beach 

Oh the sweet sweet Pina Colada. For me it is vacation in a cup. It's a requirement for any vacation. Per tradition, the 1st day Mom and I arrived in Marco, I dragged her over to the Marriott next door to grab a quick bite and a cocktail. Not only was the Pina Colada delicous, we were quite pleased with the ceviche and the arugula, watermelon, feta & shrimp salad. It was really the perfect start.

Starbucks! Ok I know this is not exciting, but when you are in a coffee dead zone, Starbucks is an oasis for a quick cup and Kind bar.

CJ's on the Bay 

Located in the new condo complex along Collier you'll find Starbucks and CJ's on the Bay. CJ's is a fish restaurant nestled along the boats. CJ's is by no means fine dining, but does provide a great outside patio, friendly waitstaff and fresh fish. Overall didn't blow our minds but was a great casual dinner.

Sal e Pepe 
Wow! Where do I start. This may be one of the best meals I've had all year. Located directly next to our condo building is a new hotel called Marco Beach (constructed in the past couple years). This Italian restaurant had it all. Beautiful patio with an ocean view, bold Super Tuscans by the glass, unique grilled squid, tender scallops with a beautiful mushroom sauce and for Mom a cavatelli (some type of fish ragu) that she is still salivating over.

Korals 

Sushi Takeout? Yup. Sometimes you just need a light take-out dinner while on vacation. The Marriott once again fit the bill for a quick good meal. The sushi menu was fairly extensive, the waitstaff was friendly & quick and the food itself was decent. A great option for a light dinner at the bar or take-out. And can't beat the location.

Baleen 
Mom and I took a quick overnight trip on our last night to Naples to go to a restaurant recommended by a friend. Located in a super cute almost Southern style hotel La Playa sits Baleen. Baleen I'd say is a New American/fish restaurant that has a great patio overlooking the grounds, beach and water. We had a lovely table with a friendly waitress. I can't say the food was as good as Sal e Pepe but definitely exceeded our expectations for SW FL. Mom ordered the Mother's Day prefix w/ a delish & unique gazpacho, a fish dish and finished with a creme brulee (the waitress was nice enough to subsitute for gluten free so that I could join in diving in). I had a ceviche that was fresh but a little tart and once again shocker the scallops which were perfectly cooked. This would be a great location for drinks before going out. Very relaxing with great views.


Happy Mother's Day Mom! What a great trip.