Vegan Kickstart Day 12: Sushi Night!

Day 12 of the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart plan started with my least favorite breakfast — a smoothie. Nothing against smoothies, but I view them more as snacks than meals. No matter how much I cram into a smoothie, it never fills me up for more than 2 hours.

Anyway, my Mango Delight Smoothie of mango, banana, orange, soymilk, and hemp protein was pretty tasty:

But my tummy was growling by 11 a.m. Even still, I waited until lunch for this giant Baked Potato with Coconut Butter and leftover Farmhouse Salad:

The plan didn't suggest coconut butter, but I feel like I could really use some good, healthy fats. I haven't even had peanut butter in 12 days! That might be a record for me. I believe the Kickstart plan is designed for people looking to lose a few pounds, but that's the last thing I need. Besides, coconut butter makes the world's best topping for a sweet potato.

My snack was Curry Popcorn, but I forgot to take a picture. I'd never thought to season popcorn with curry powder before, but it was delightful. I'll be subbing curry for nooch next time I make popcorn.

Dinner was Dining Out: Sushi Night! My boyfriend and I had plans to eat at Blue Fin sushi lounge downtown, but he called after work saying he didn't feel so hot. He had a 102 degree fever, and seeing as how he's a dude, this meant he thought he was dying. Guys are such babies when they're sick. So we went to the doctor instead of going out for sushi.

The doctor visit lasted 2 hours and I was starving! Luckily, I packed a Ginger Snap Larabar in my purse. Not in the plan, but since it's just dates, nuts, and ginger, it seemed perfectly appropriate. And it held me over until dinner. By the way, the boyfriend's fever went down and he was negative for the flu, so it's likely just a bad cold.

We were both famished after the appointment, so we swung by Midtown's Sekisui for to-go sushi. I ordered a warm bowl of Miso Soup:

And a Veggie Roll and Soybean Roll:

God, I love sushi! I would eat it every day if I could. But I'm always too lazy to make it at home. Inari is my fave but I didn't see it on Sekisui's menu. The soybean rolls, also called natto rolls, are a close second though.

What's your favorite veggie sushi?

Vegan Kickstart Day 11: Money Talk

Though the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart Plan utilizes leftovers, as you'll see again in today's post, it's definitely cost me way more than I typically spend on groceries in the average week. I usually spend about $85 or so for two weeks worth of groceries, but I've spent closer to $100 or more for the ingredients in weeks one and two.

Some of the extra expense has gone to pantry staples that I just didn't have, like buckwheat flour and oat bran. But I've shelled out the most on fresh veggies and fresh or frozen fruit for the varied meals and snacks throughout the cleanse. In a normal week, I might make two or three large meals and eat the leftovers for lunch and dinner all week. But the Kickstart plan has me making more dishes per week than usual. I enjoy the variety, but I couldn't afford to eat like this all the time.

Luckily, today was mostly a leftovers day, and that means saving money. Breakfast was the same old Smart Bran with Blueberries and Soymilk:

Lunch was leftover Creamy Broccoli Soup from last night and the last of the Missing Egg Sandwich spread on rye:

My snack was grapes — a new snack on the list. I ate lots of these at my desk and again after dinner during True Blood Tuesday:

Dinner was a little new since I made this Farmhouse Salad — a lettuce-less salad of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, capers, and chunks of multi-grain French bread:

I enjoyed my salad with more leftovers of last night's Quinoa Pilaf:

How much do you spend on groceries in a week? Do you rely on leftovers or do you cook every night?

Snow Day! Vegan Kickstart, Day 10

It snowed in Memphis last night! Snow is a crazy thing down here. We're lucky if it happens once a year. Before the first flakes fall, everybody freaks out. Grocery stores are jam-packed. Businesses close early. Working from home is a sure bet. That's exactly what I did today, and though I'd much rather be in the office, it was kinda nice working so close to my kitchen.

There's 11 more days to go in the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart meal plan, and working from home gave me easy access to today's meals. Breakfast and lunch today were made up of dishes you've seen me post before, but dinner was all new.

Breakfast was more Oat Bran with Mashed Banana, Maple Syrup, and a splash of Soymilk (added after the shot). Check out that white snow in the background!:

Lunch today was another Sunshine Burger on Rye Bread with leftover Mexican Corn Salad:

My snack was a sweet, juicy Pink Lady Apple and Carrot Sticks:

Of course the gym was closed due to inclement weather, so I did a little floor work from the Skinny Bitch Body DVD. Then I made this yummy dinner of Creamy Broccoli Soup made with potatoes, celery, and broccoli (duh!):

On the side, I had this Quinoa Pilaf — a cumin-spiced grain dish with carrots, onion, celery, and garlic:

The best part of my day was probably that Pink Lady Apple. I don't eat enough fruit, and thankfully, this plan is correcting that bad habit. I always forget about Pink Ladies, but if I could eat one everyday, I would!

Do you eat enough fruit everyday? What's your favorite fruit?

Vegan Kickstart Weekend Wrap-Up (Days 7, 8, & 9)

Saturday marked one week of being on the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart plan. So far, so good. I feel great. I don't feel deprived (although I could really go for a vegan peanut butter cup right now). And I'm not hungry all the time. This weekend boasted a fabulous meal plan!

Friday
I started the last day of the work week with this hearty bowl of Breakfast Rice Pudding made from leftover brown rice, soymilk, maple syrup, cinnamon, and raisins:

Lunch was a giant Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing. The creamy dressing was homemade and simply contained ground sesame seeds, orange juice concentrate, and rice vinegar. I added chickpeas for protein:

My snack on Friday was this tropical bowl of Ambrosia — a fruit salad made with bananas, dried cranberries, pineapple, oranges, coconut, and almond extract:

Dinner on Friday was a big ol' plate of Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Simple Marinara Sauce and my leftover stir-fry veggies. The sauce was made with red wine and it was oh-so-yummy:


Saturday
I started the weekend with a hearty bowl of Oat Bran with Dried Apricots and Cinnamon. The plan suggested oatmeal, but I had to buy oat bran for another recipe and I wanted to get my money's worth. I'd never had oat bran before but it was delicious!

Lunch was a Missing Egg Sandwich with homemade Tortilla Chips and Salsa. The Missing Egg spread was like a tofu egg salad but it's made with silk tofu instead of firm. Different, but tasty. The chips were baked wedges of corn tortilla:

My snack on Saturday was Frozen Mango Cubes. I couldn't find plain frozen mango, so I had to pick the cubes out of a bag of mixed smoothie fruit. A few pineapple chunks made it into my bowl on accident:

Dinner was Barbecue-Style Portabellas with Quinoa and Steamed Kale. The homemade 'cue sauce was quite different from the sauce I'm used to. It featured a roasted red pepper and tomato juice base. The mushrooms were slow-simmered in the sauce. So far, this was one of my favorite recipes in the plan:


Sunday
This morning began with another bowl of Smart Bran with Blueberries and Soymilk. Simple and satisfying:

Sunday's lunch was another "eating out" option — Salad Bar! I chose the Whole Foods salad bar since it has the healthiest options of any other salad bar in town. This salad was piled high with raw kale, greens, spinach, chickpeas, orzo pasta, sesame sticks, wasabi peas, English peas, cauliflower, corn, bell peppers, radishes, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and balsamic dressing:

My snack today was Oranges and Raisins:

Dinner was Simple Bean Tacos and Mexican Corn Salad. These tacos were made by spreading refried beans onto corn tortillas and then warming them quesadilla-style in a dry skillet. They're topped with salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, and green onion:

I also got a dessert tonight — Berry Mousse. This was similar to Thursday's chocolate raspberry mousse but sans the cacao powder. Tasty and very pink:

Vegan Kickstart Day 6 (with Dessert!)

Six days into the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart plan and I finally get a dessert! The plan allows for four desserts spread throughout the three-week program. But before enjoying my much-deserved sweet treat, I enjoyed this hearty breakfast of Buckwheat Blueberry Pancakes and Fakin' Bacon:

The recipe for pancakes made 16 little pancakes, but today is the only day with pancakes on the menu. So I made one-fourth of the recipe and cooked two large pancakes. They're not all that pretty, but buckwheat pancakes never really are. They did taste delicious with a little warmed maple syrup though. The bacon, also made from a PCRM recipe, was unlike any tempeh bacon I've made before with hints of cumin and garlic. But it was so, so good.

Breakfast was mighty filling, so it was fitting that lunch was a simple snacky meal of Easy Bean Dip and homemade Tortilla Chips:

The bean dip was simply black beans, habenero salsa, and cumin, and the chips were made from baked corn tortillas. Much healthier than the fried chips I ate at On the Border last night.

I finally got to enjoy my dessert — Chocolate Raspberry Mousse — as an afternoon snack at my desk:

Though it was simply made from silken tofu, raw cacao powder, maple syrup, and raspberries, this creamy mousse tasted totally gourmet. I'd forgotten how much I love tofu mousse desserts.

I had a glass of Syrah after work at a sushi joint with a few co-workers (and a former co-worker), but I waited until I got home to eat dinner — Easy Stir-Fry and Always Great Brown Rice (their name, not mine ... though it was great):

This super-quick dinner was made from frozen stir-fry veggies, tempeh, soy sauce, and brown rice that I'd cooked the night before. The recipe suggested using a vegan chicken substitute or beans, but I'm trying to avoid processed foods during the cleanse and I'd eaten lots of beans at lunch. I did, however, have some tempeh left after breakfast. Delish!

Dining Out on Vegan Kickstart (Day 5)

Once a week on the PCRM 21-Day Vegan Kickstart plan, those following the meal regimen are rewarded with a "dining out" night. Tonight was that night! But my day started with a simple breakfast of Fantastic Fruit Smoothie — bananas, blueberries, So Delicious Agave-Sweetened Vanilla Soy Yogurt, apple cider, and hemp protein powder:

Sorry for all the flash photos, by the way. Keeping a daily food diary requires me to take some shots before and after daylight. It was still dark outside when I downed this smoothie at 6:50 a.m. Smoothies never stay with me for long, and I was starving by 11 a.m. But I held out until lunch for this leftovers plate of Curried Lentil Soup and Southern Beans and Greens:

My snack was Edamame with Cedar's Roasted Garlic & Chive Hummus on Pita Bread. I ate this at my desk around 4:30 p.m. before hitting the gym. This kept me satisfied through my workout:

For Dining Out Night, I was supposed to eat Mexican food. The plan urges you to make healthy choices at the restaurant, so I opted for On the Border (where the boyfriend bartends) because I know they have a great veg menu with plenty of healthier options. I chose the Sizzling Fajita Salad with portabellas, onions, black beans, guacamole, corn, pico, and a low-fat mango vinaigrette:

I also enjoyed tortilla chips and salsa, but unlike with most of my Mexican restaurant outings, I made a conscious effort to only have a few chips. I typically stuff my face with chips without even thinking about how much I'm eating. I also don't typically opt for this salad, instead going for the fried avocado enchiladas or the taco salad in a fried shell. I deserved a few chips for choosing the healthier salad. Oh, and I had another glass of merlot tonight with dinner!

What sort of healthy options do choose at Mexican restaurants?

Vegan Kickstart Day 4

Wow. Day four of my 21-Day Vegan Kickstart meal plan is almost over. Since this whole foods "diet" is based on hearty grain, bean, and veggie dishes, I've stayed mostly satisfied throughout the day. That makes this cleanse seem to fly by, very much unlike last year's ACT cleanse which drug on and on forever!

This morning, I was allowed another bowl of Nature's Path Smart Bran Cereal with Unsweetened Soymilk. This time, I added bananas instead of blueberries to shake things up:

The lunch suggestion for today just said "Vegan Soup and Bread" with a recommendation to try a healthier soup like Dr. McDougall's or Amy's brand. I opted for Dr. McDougall's Black Bean Soup with a slice of Rye Bread:

Dinner was DIY: Couscous, Lentils, and Kale:

Though the Kickstart plan provides most of the recipes or convenience food brand suggestions, DIY meals give Kickstarters the freedom to put a dish together sans recipe. I don't really need a recipe for a grain and veggie bowl, but this is a great feature for new vegans who may be using the Kickstart app as a way to learn about vegan cooking. DIY days allow newbies the freedom to be creative.

I topped brown rice couscous with sauteed kale (cooked in a little water, no oil) and tender red lentils. The dish was seasoned with Bragg's, hot sauce, and nutritional yeast.

Snacks for today were an apple and carrots. I ate a Granny Smith apple at my desk at around 3:30 p.m., but I forgot to take a picture. Of course, y'all know what an apple looks like. I saved my carrots to bring to True Blood Tuesdays with my bitches. We used to have O.C. Night, but we watched all of those. Now we're on to True Blood. Notice the Tru Blood drinks in the background. I didn't drink those:

I also enjoyed a small glass of red wine at True Blood night. I'm allowing myself to have a few glasses of red wine each week on the cleanse. The last time I attempted giving up alcohol for a month, my social life suffered. And that was incredibly boring. Thankfully, red wine has antioxidants so it's kind of like vitamins, right? :-)