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? :-)

Vegan Kickstart Day 3

I'm in my third day of PCRM's 21-Day Vegan Kickstart meal plan, which as I mentioned yesterday, I'm following as a way to make up for my crazy holiday gluttony. It's all about whole foods and no refined sugar. I'm using the Kickstart iPhone app to guide my meals each day.

This morning started with another bowl of Apple Cinnamon Oats:

This is same dish that started my cleanse on January 1st. Though the plan doesn't repeat meals too often, I do like that you eat the same thing on occasion. Since I only cook for myself, I like to make the most of the ingredients that I buy. This makes the plan somewhat more economical than other healthy meal plans I've seen.

Lunch was a Hummus & Veggie Sandwich:

When I first saw that lunch was just a sandwich with no chips, I panicked a bit. I always eat chips with sandwiches. What would I do without my precious salty crisps? But alas, I realize that I'm banned from enjoying potato chips for now. My sandwich — loaded with Cedar's Roasted Garlic & Chive Hummus, avocado, red bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, and spinach —was quite filling on its own.

By the way, you'll notice my pita is made with white bread. I couldn't find whole wheat pita that didn't either contain l-cytasine or honey, both animal by-products. Whole Foods carries sprouted grain pitas, but that was too far of a drive last night when I was planning lunch. Oh well.

For my snack, I was allowed to have soy yogurt with berries. I happily chowed on this So Delicious Agave Sweetened Blueberry Yogurt with frozen blueberries at my desk around 4:30 p.m.:

I hit the gym after work where I spent 30 minutes on the stationary bike, followed by a little arm weight action. I was famished when it was finally time to eat dinner — Curried Lentil Soup with Couscous Confetti Salad:

Once again, tonight's meal made use of the leftover couscous salad, which I originally made for Saturday's lunch. The lentil soup was a simple combination of brown lentils, crushed tomatoes, brown rice couscous, onions, celery, and curry powder.

I feel pretty great on the Kickstart plan so far although I did experience some chocolate cravings tonight. Luckily, I was able to get that under control with an agave-sweetened cup of hot Samurai Chai from Teavana.

Veg Kickstart Kick-Off!

Hey guys! If you stopped by the blog yesterday or earlier tonight, you may have seen my post about my blog and gmail account being hacked. Thankfully, Blogger restored the original settings and removed the offending post (and the ads the hacker set up). All is back to normal. Thanks, Blogger! Now I'll proceed with the post I'd planned before the crazy hacking.

Every year in December, I totally let myself go. I stuff my face with every bit of chocolate, grease, and refined carbs I can get my grubby little hands on. The holidays are a time for indulgence, and I can indulge with the best of them. That's why every January, I go on some sort of cleanse or healthy eating plan to reboot. Last year, I did the ACT cleanse (raw breakfast and lunch, whole foods dinner, no alcohol, coffee, sugar, or gluten). But um, that was a bit crazy, and I failed about 22 days into my 26-day cleanse.

So this year, I'm taking it a little easier with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's 21-Day Vegan Kickstart plan. It's designed as a healthy diet for new vegans, and though I'm no spring chicken, I could use a whole foods meal plan to get me back on track. The plan has a website and a handy iPhone app with a menu plan for each day — breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and sometimes dessert. All meals are mostly free of refined sugar and processed foods. And the app provides you with easy recipes or cooking suggestions for each meal.

As for coffee and alcohol, well, I'm not quitting coffee. Never, ever again. But I am giving up beer and liquor during this cleanse. I will allow myself a few glasses of red wine each week.

I started the plan on Saturday, January 1st with this warm bowl of Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, a hearty breakfast free of added sweeteners:

Lunch was a bowl of Carrot & Roasted Pepper Soup with made-from-scratch roasted peppers:

And a bowl of Couscous Confetti Salad — brown rice couscous, raw veggies, and dried apricots:

For the snack on Saturday, the plan suggests rye or pumpernickel toast (for its low glycemic index) topped with apple butter and banana slices. I didn't have any apple butter, so I opted for banana and coconut butter instead:

Finally, Saturday's dinner was Hoppin' John Salad and Kwik Kale:

Gotta have your black-eyed peas and greens on New Year's Day or you won't have prosperity in the new year. Even though the Kickstart plan may be started at any time, I guess they added the Hoppin' John Salad for those folks who chose to start the plan on January 1st. The Hoppin' John Salad was black-eyed peas, brown rice, raw veggies, and a tasty olive-oil-and-rice-vinegar dressing.

This morning — Sunday — the plan suggested cereal for breakfast, but it recommends a bran or high-fiber cereal for a low GI. I went with this Nature's Path Smart Bran cereal with frozen blueberries and unsweetened soymilk:

The plan recommends a veggie burger for Sunday's lunch, so I chose the least-processed burger I know of — Sunshine Burger's Southwest Patty on rye bread with avocado, tomato, spinach, and mustard. Not pictured is my side of leftover Carrot & Roasted Pepper Soup:

Dinner was Southern Beans & Greens and leftover Couscous Confetti Salad:

The beans & greens recipe was super-simple — canned beans of your choice (I chose kidney beans), fresh kale, garlic, olive oil, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. And I love how the plan makes use of leftovers since some of the recipes make quite a bit of food. I have been halving most recipes though and still having enough left for several servings.

For my snack, I was allowed Cheezy Popcorn — air-popped kernels topped with nutritional yeast:

Though I'll probably eat most of my snacks between lunch and dinner during the plan, I opted to have my popcorn at around 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Well, that's it for now. Come back tomorrow for more Vegan Kickstart. Oh, and in case you were wondering, my cookbook manuscript is almost done. Just one final edit and it will be off to the publisher. Yea!!