I'm Alive and Other Tidbits

So, I have neglected this blog for a while due to the final preparations of my wedding, but now that I am happily married I'm trying to get back on the blog wagon.


As I've mentioned before I have been toying with the idea of introducing meat back into my diet. The first attempt was an emotional nightmare, and I decided that I didn't need the stress of that on top of all the pre-wedding stress, so I vowed to stick with my vegetarian diet until after the wedding.

The wedding was amazing and fun and I will admit that I ate my first dessert in over a year, but it was my wedding so I am allowed to have a carrot cake cupcake, right? It tasted so very yummy, but that and salad was probably all I ate that night. It's just difficult to eat at your own wedding.

Anyway, we went to Costa Rica for our honeymoon and before we left I decided to open myself up to the idea of eating chicken and/or fish on our honeymoon. Having traveled as a vegetarian in a foreign country before has made me well aware of the challenges of finding vegetarian fare that isn't full of carbs. Generally the options are limited to rice and beans when you head to Central or South America. I made the choice that I'd rather eat fish and chicken than gain a ton of weight on my honeymoon, so I left it as an option.

Sure enough our first day in Costa Rica we stopped at a little soda (a roadside restaurant that generally sells a meal of the day) and my only option was fish. So, I tried sea bass for possibly the first time in my life. Not too bad and I oddly didn't feel to emotional about it all. From that day on I ate fish and even tried chicken. I have to admit that the ahi tuna I had with a thai ginger marinade was to die for. So, honestly it wasn't too bad and it didn't make me feel horrible while eating it. In fact, aside from some digestive issues (which you don't want to know about) I felt like I had a lot more energy after I ate.

So now that we are back from Costa Rica I cooked my first ever halibut last night and I'm cooking chicken tonight. I figure I will continue adding these to my diet and see how I feel physically and if it makes a difference in my workouts and with my body.

While I feel great with the progress I have made in my weight loss I still would like to lose another 30 pounds and I have long since plateaued. We shall see if this makes a difference.

I'll keep you posted on my progress and add my new recipes as I come up with them.

I should note that it is very nice to have veggies as a side dish rather than as a main meal. I am finding myself eating a bigger variety of veggies. Funny how that has worked out.

Asparagus Coconut Milk Soup

As promised. This soup is tasty goodness!

1 onion chopped
1 T of grass fed butter (you could substitute a healthy oil here)
2 bunches of asparagus cut into 1 in pieces (discard the tough stems)
4 C of vegetable broth
1 can of coconut milk

Melt the butter in a stock pot.
Add the onion and saute until soft.
Add the asparagus and saute until it begins to soften.
Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until the asparagus is soft.
Add the coconut milk and stir.
Blend in a blender and voila!!

Neglect and getting back on the wagon

I feel bad. I've been neglecting this blog as of late, but I think I have a good excuse. I'm 29 days away from my wedding, so as you can imagine my mind is elsewhere, but I'm trying to maintain my healthy eating habits while grappling with all that needs to get done.

I recently spent a whirlwind week traveling. It's difficult enough eating a vegetarian low-carb diet, but try doing it while traveling - in Florida no less. Needless to say it was challenging. I was able to at least find eggs for breakfast, but lunches and dinners consisted of Indian food (yummy) and garden burgers. The Indian food wasn't so bad, but of course it had a lot of cream in it. At any rate I felt like crap by the time I got home. Of course, I was only home for less than 24 hours and had to hop on another plane for Seattle - this time for my wedding shower and bachelorette party.

Now it was a party and it was for me - so I did what any girl in my situation would do - I started drinking at 11 am. Mimosas - I love mimosas, but again not healthy.

By Monday morning I felt like I'd been run over. I should state that I did manage to get two workouts in last week, but I'm not sure I can count the one in Florida - the gym at my hotel was a closet with a broken bike and an equally crappy treadmill. I ran on that treadmill, but still...

Friday before I hopped on my next plane I managed to make it to my gym and had a fantastic workout. Go me!! But of course I negated any of the hard work by drinking all weekend.

So, by the time I stepped on the scale Monday morning I was terrified. I still have to fit into my wedding dress after all. Not to fear though - I didn't really gain any weight and I'm back in healthy mode with workouts and healthy eating.

Last night I made asparagus coconut milk soup. Recipe to follow.

I have a confession to make

This has been a hard month for me, hence why I haven't posted since the beginning of March. Trying to eat a low carb vegetarian diet and assure you are getting enough nutrients to live a healthy, active lifestyle is tough. I have doubted lately whether or not I am eating a diet that allows me to be the healthiest I can be. Am I getting enough Omega 3s? Am I too dependent on almonds, soy, dairy, and eggs for my protein? Would a more paleo lifestyle help me fulfill my fitness goals? 

So, I have been wrestling with the idea of introducing fish into my diet. Now this has been a huge emotional roller coaster ride for me. I suppose I should back up a bit and explain that I became a vegetarian my sophomore year in college - that's 14+ years ago for anyone who's counting. That is a very long time to be a vegetarian. My decision to become a vegetarian wasn't based on scientific research about the benefits of a vegetable based diet, nor was it initially due to ethics, but rather my neighbors my freshman year in college were all vegetarians and I found myself eating a mostly vegetarian diet and liking it. So, my sophomore year I completely stopped eating meat and became an ovo-lacto vegetarian (meaning I still ate eggs and diary). 

Over the years my vegetarianism has come to be a part of my identity. Everyone knows me as a vegetarian and a strict vegetarian at that. It has been the one dietary thing in my life I have stuck with the longest and now I have doubts about whether or not it is the right lifestyle choice for me. 

These doubts have contributed to tons of fears, fear that I'll lose part of my identity, fears that if I start eating meat I'll somehow spin out of control and start eating sugar and carbs again. 

I am fortunate enough to live somewhere that I have easy access to good meats and seafood (grass-fed, pastured, wild-caught, etc.), which makes me feel better about eating meats. I am firmly opposed to the industrialization of food, and just can not stomach the idea of factory farming. 

At any rate, after a lot of deliberation and tears I decided to give salmon a try. My fiance bought some wild caught Koho salmon and cooked it up with dill and lemon with a little asparagus on the side. I should add that he's a meat eater, who respects my vegetarian lifestyle, but loves seafood and would do the happy dance if I decided to make this a permanent part of my life. 

I tried my hardest not to freak out when he presented me with my plate, but he'd bought salmon steaks instead of fillets, which meant bones. Ugg bones - I haven't eaten anything with bones in ages. Of course I was terrified that I'd swallowed one, which in hindsight was actually pretty funny - picture me, a flashlight, a mirror, and my tongue hanging out as far as it would go. 

The experience left me with very mixed emotions and a rather upset stomach, but I have to admit that I'd had my bridal shower earlier in the day and low carb was not on the menu. I had eaten gluten and drank wine and champagne, which my body is decidedly not used to anymore, so perhaps my physical reaction was due to that. 

I haven't yet decided if the potential health benefits of eating seafood outweigh the emotional toll it took on me. I have cried far more than I expected over this, but for now I feel like I need to go back to my vegetarianism for a while, at least until after my wedding when I have a bit more time to think about it.

Better than Pasta - Introducing Spaghetti Squash

I love spaghetti squash. I could eat it almost every day. No, really, I could. It's mother nature's idea of noodles - nothing processed, just 100% food. It doesn't get better than that does it?

There are a zillion ways to eat spaghetti squash and I plan on posting a number of recipes, but my favorite simple spaghetti squash recipe is.... Nope not spaghetti squash with pasta sauce, but this tasty little recipe.

1 medium size organic spaghetti squash
2 C organic baby spinach leaves
1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes
1 oz crumbled goat cheese

A little note: I don't usually use measuring cups when making this dish so all of the above amounts are guestimates. Ultimately, add as much as you want of each of the ingredients. You can also add red onions, black olives, and if you are a meat eater I've been told that chicken would be really good in this as well.

Now to the cooking part.

How to cook a spaghetti squash 101. There are several ways to cook a spaghetti squash from microwaving, baking, boiling, and steaming- if you are one that will use a microwave you can microwave a spaghetti squash for about 15 minutes and viola. The caveat is that you have to poke about 2 zillion holes in it or you may very well have a squash explosion and then no dinner. No bueno. Then there is the pesky idea of microwaves themselves, but that's a whole other post.

I personally like to steam it, it takes only about 5-10 minutes longer than a microwave and I feel like I've got control of the food and there is no room for a squash explosion. I will say that I have a vegetable steamer, which makes things pretty easy. Other ways of cooking a spaghetti squash can be found on the internet - just google "how to cook spaghetti squash".

To steam it:

1. Cut the ends of the squash and then cut the squash in half lengthwise.
2. Remove the seeds
3. If needed cut the squash into pieces until it all the pieces will fit in a steamer
4. Steam for 20 minutes or until the squash is soft (you can easily slide a knife into the squash)
5. Remove the squash and allow it to cool (be careful not to burn yourself on the steam)
6. Scrap a fork along the squash to remove the "spaghetti"and place it in a bowl

To fix the rest of this tasty recipe:

Place the spinach in a skillet with just tiny bit of water, cover and heat on medium until the spinach begins to wilt. Remove the spinach let cool (or you can't wait for it to cool run it under cold water) and squeeze out all of the liquid.

Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese to the spaghetti squash, stir, and viola!

Trial and Error

I attempted to make paleo coconut flour waffles today using a recipe I found on the web. I have to chock it up to a failure. First, the recipe called for way too many eggs and thus the waffles had a sort of omelet feel to them. Second, it only made two waffles. What? Seriously.

So, I then attempted to modify my traditional wheat flour recipe and substitute coconut flour. I knew it meant adding additional liquid, but it was still a failure. I tried adding some almond flour and in the end I was close, but they still didn't feel or taste quite right. 

Though, I won't give up on this because I really want to perfect the ultimate low-carb waffle. Once I get there I'll be sure to post the recipe with pictures. 

Until then I'll have to learn to be okay with a lot of error in my trial and error. 

The Perfect Salad

This might be a rant, OK it is a rant. It doesn't take much to make a perfect salad for me these days. I'll admit that I used to love salads with apples and dried cranberries. I've given up the fruit (too many carbs) for hard boiled eggs so I can eat my salad and get some protein.

So my perfect simple green salad now consists of:

organic mixed greens
crumbled goat cheese
almonds
hard boiled egg
balsamic vinaigrette

I could easily make this at home and bring it to work for lunch, but I'll admit that I do not always have myself together enough in the morning to even throw a salad together (I know, I know, it's just salad, but at least I get myself showered and clothed, right?). I digress. Anyway, I recently found the perfect salad at a cafe near my work. Perfect! I've been getting this salad nearly every day this week and I'm in heaven. What I love about this salad is that they make the balsamic vinaigrette themselves and it has just the right amount of mustard in it.

Today, however, I was sorely disappointed. I grabbed my salad to go and came back to the office to find a lemon vinaigrette where my balsamic was supposed to be. Did I mention how much I like balsamic vinegar? Anyway, I am not a happy camper. This leaves me with no other alternative than to get myself together in the morning and take my simple salad recipe and simply make myself a salad for lunch tomorrow. Seriously, I can't find the time to put together a simple salad for myself? Time to rethink my priorities.

Trying Something Different

I will admit it, I've been stuck in a tofu and spinach rut. Tofu has always been my go-to protein, but I am trying to eat less of it and spinach is definitely my favorite green, but I've felt like I need to have more variety in my greens. So, tonight I went for tempeh and kale for dinner. All-in-all not a bad dinner.

Here's may recipe for Tempeh, Kale, and Peanut Sauce

8 oz of organic tempeh
1 T of organic coconut oil
1 bunch of organic kale
water

For the Peanut Sauce

1/4 C organic peanut butter (the kind you have to stir with no added sugar)
1/2 a can of organic coconut milk
1 t ginger
1 t pepper flakes (if you like it spicy)

Instructions:

To cook the tempeh:
Cut the tempeh into thin strips.
Heat the coconut oil in a large pan until melted and add the tempeh. Cook about 5 minutes or until browned then flip and brown the other side.

To cook the kale:
Thoroughly wash the kale and cut into strips.
Heat a pan on medium and add the kale plus enough water to just cover the bottom of the pan.
Place the lid on the pan and cook until just tender - about 5 minutes.

To make the peanut sauce:
In a sauce pan combine the peanut butter, coconut milk, ginger, and pepper flakes and heat on medium low heat. Stir until all ingredients are combined and remove from heat - use immediately while still warm.

To serve:

Place kale on a plate, top with tempeh and pour peanut sauce to on top. Voila!

Almond Meal Blueberry Pancakes with Mixed Berry Topping

I have tried a lot of paleo pancake recipes and found that all I got was a big giant mess. So, I played around and finally came up with a simple recipe that works.  

Pancakes:

1 T coconut oil

3/4 C Almond meal

1 pastured egg

1/4 C Almond milk

cinnamon to taste

1 handful of organic blueberries

Topping:

1 C mixed organic berries

For the Pancakes:

Mix the almond meal, egg, almond milk, and blueberries together in a bowl. 

Melt the coconut oil in a skillet and add 1/4 C of batter. 

Cook until firm and bottom side is brown.*

Flip and brown second side.

For the Berries:

Heat the mixed berries on the stovetop until warmed. 

*Note: Be patient, unlike traditional flour based pancakes, these won't bubble so make sure they are cooked enough that you can flip them without them falling apart. 

There's No Such Thing as a Diet

Here is my rant for the day. I listen to so many women complain about not losing weight and they go on and on about what "diet" they are on and how they still aren't losing weight, and I think they've got it all wrong. They are obsessed with the quick fix, but I am here to tell you that there is no quick fix and if there is one, I guarantee you it isn't a healthy one.

Weight loss is not all about calories my friends.  It took me a long time to realize that. It isn't about calories in vs. calories out. The old thought that if you reduce your calorie intake you'll lose weight, might work for some, but ultimately you need to begin changing your lifestyle.  In my experience, weight loss is more about what you put into your body than anything else.

I applaud women who want to reduce their calorie intake, but are you really helping your body if you cut out a big healthy breakfast of eggs and veggies so you can have dessert later in the day? The "I won't eat this so I can have that later" mentality won't get you very far. You have to want to change your life.

I struggled with this one. Making a lifestyle change seems so much harder than going on a "diet", but it really isn't that hard once you make the decision to do it.

I know, you're thinking, "where do I start?"

First, you need to educate yourself on what foods are and are not healthy. I'll admit that this is actually more difficult than you'd think since there are so many people out there telling us what is and what is not good for us and many of them simply have their own money making agenda rather than our health in mind.

I'll go into some recommended reading in another post, but here are some general tips:

1. Eat real food. What do I mean by real food? I mean nothing that comes out of a box or has ingredients you can't pronounce. If you don't know what you're eating why are you eating it? Get yourself some locally produced organic veggies and dig in. If you are a meat eater find yourself some locally sourced, humanely raised meat and don't forget the veggies.

2. Cut out the grains.  I cannot emphasis this enough. You know how after you eat the bread they give you at a restaurant you feel immediately full and you get sort of an ache in your intestines? Yeah, you know what I mean. Guess what? You don't have to feel this way, just stop eating grains. Our bodies were not meant to digest them and they are loaded with carbs and carbs = sugar. Which brings me to point #3.

3. Cut out the sugar. I mean this, really. Get off the sugar. There is no health benefit to it whatsoever. You don't need that bowl of ice cream or that cookie. If you really want something sweet there are alternatives.

4. Know yourself. If you are the kind of person who cannot eat in moderation then you need to embrace that. I have fairly good self control, which means I can eat only 2 tablespoons of almond butter and not want to devour the entire jar, but if you aren't someone who can do that then you'll seriously need to decide to give up those "trigger" foods. By trigger foods I mean foods that are OK in moderation, but that you simply cannot eat in moderation. I repeat, know yourself. It's OK to admit when there is something you can't do. It will take a lot of determination, but you can live without things.


Make the decision that you are going to eat real food and you will find yourself so much happier and healthier.

Now go eat your veggies.

Veggie Tom Kha Soup

It's been rainy and wet in SF, which means only one thing at my house. SOUP!

I've been craving vegetarian Tom Kha soup since I had it at a Thai restaurant in Eugene back in December. I did a little searching through my cookbooks and found in "The Carb Conscious Vegetarian" a recipe for Tom Yumm - close, but not quite, so I modified.

According to my fiance it was yummy and there were absolutely no leftovers. I think he went back for fourths!

And without further ado the recipe:

1 T of lemon grass (I used pre-sliced)

1 T of crushed ginger
4 cups of organic vegetable broth
1 can of organic coconut milk

1 T chili paste ( or less if you don't like spice)

2 T lime juice (or to taste)

1 T cilantro 

1 bunch of asparagus (remove the tough stems)
8 oz of mushrooms
1 C tempeh or tofu chopped



Add the vegetable broth, lemon grass, and ginger to a stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low 15 minutes to infuse the broth.

Remove from heat and strain through a sieve to remove the pieces of lemongrass. Return to pot.

Add the coconut milk, chili paste, lime juice, and cilantro and simmer until coconut milk is thoroughly dispersed in the broth (you don't want clumps).

Add the asparagus, mushrooms and tempeh/tofu and simmer 10 minutes until vegetables are cooked through.

This is the beginning

So begins my journey into the world of blogs, well, into a blog I'd like people to read other than me. I am fairly certain this blog will go through many changes seeing as I have been unable to find a template I actually like. At any rate...

I'm hoping that I can update this fairly regularly. My goal is to share tips on being a vegetarian and eating a healthy, low-carb diet, as well as many recipes that not only taste delicious, but are healthy too.