Journey into the center of the earth

Well... it’s not quite the center of the earth - but our journey into veganism has been quite interesting.




Like any other thing in life - when starting veganism you have to "get your feet wet." The first few days were filled with finding things that tasted good, things we hated and just trying to keep up with cooking and making all of the things we had to in order to stay on our 28-day Engine 2 journey. We did find a few great recipes and things we really enjoyed as well as many things we just hated. Most of all we were so enthused and excited about a new challenge. And let me just explain that we were already eating about 80% vegan before we even started this diet. We still had milk or cheese occasionally, and I sometimes had sushi or shrimp... but, very rarely! Oh and we ate Greek yogurt too. So, this didn't seem like it would be that crazy of a transition.



After 3 days of being a vegan, JT started crossfit and although it was exhausting, he had plenty of energy to get through the workout. We also felt great health wise and our bathroom routines increased a lot (sorry if TMI) that applied to day 4 as well. On day 5, however, JT came home a little early from school not feeling well and when I got home I realized he was BURNING up! His temp ended up being 102. Friday I worked all day and when I came home his temp was still 102 and we headed to Urgent care - pneumonia. That made things a little rough. JT thought food tasted awful for several days and my days were filled with taking care of him, cleaning and sanitizing our home. Yuck. The only thing that JT could even consider eating was curry - so I got it, had some (cheated on my vegan diet!!! ahh!!!) and he ended up not even wanting to eat! haha. Oh well.



JT is on the mend, but through all of the craziness and misery, we've come to the realization that veganism is way too restrictive. We both understand the principle behind it. We both also understand that it gives your body the nutrition and fuel it needs to be as healthy as possible - but, we are also both practical and feel like being so restrictive is ridiculous. It was interesting, and I am going to finish out this week as a vegan (I already went shopping dammit!) but JT is done and as of next week I think we're going to stop being completely vegetarian (well... for me pescatarian... but for JT vegetarian) as well. We both still plan to eat a vegetarian/vegan diet 80% of the time, but we don't want to feel so restricted. I think one of the reasons we were able to sustain vegetarianism so long is because it was not quite so restrictive, we made decisions about what we wanted to eat and didn't feel boxed in. Things didn't taste like "replacements." And, we are NOT processed foods people so all of the vegan substitutes were pretty much out! So, we'll avoid processed foods completely still, and we'll eat lots and lots of vegetarian foods, but we're back to being omnivores. :)



I discussed with my friend Carolyn that I think the reason I tend to want to go so extreme with my eating is because I feel in control when I do that. I think that control is something I crave because I struggled so much with binging in my past. I have gained a MUCH healthier relationship with food in the last couple of years (thanks to lots of help and encouragement from JT!) but, it’s still a daily struggle. I used to literally count every single calorie I put in my body but all of those calories were empty, bullshit calories that I would eat so I didn't feel "Cheated." Some examples are: 100 calorie snack packs, goldfish, lean cuisine meals that were low calorie so I could eat more sweets later... etc... It’s always been such a struggle to strike a balance in food and I honestly think going vegetarian and vegan has really helped me find that happy medium of being satisfied, but still able to enjoy food. I mean, who knows? I might eat meat and HATE it and decide I am still actually going to be pescatarian... but anyways - the journey has been an interesting one!



On a different note - I am losing weight still and feel great. My workouts have been ok - but, I got a part in a local play and our rehearsal schedule is intense leading up to our opening, I am going to have to get my lazy ass out of bed to fit in workouts in the mornings!!! :) I can do it though.



Here is to striking a balance and living a very very healthy life. :)



Thanks for reading.

Results

I am seeing them. :)

(I started this post last week and came back to post another... realizing I didn't ever post this one... so here goes!)

Turns out the scale at my house wasn't a fluke and I did, in fact drop 5 lbs. from my last weigh in. I weighed in at 166.4 - which is just over 3 lbs. from where I started. Its not HUGE progress... but it IS PROGRESS. I am very happy and JT confirms that although I have not dropped a ton of weight, getting back into exercising and lifting has made a difference and he can SEE IT! That is probably the best part!

Our scale is still broken, so, I am working to win this next weigh in so I can take the scale our department is giving away as a prize. Our final weigh in isn't until April, but, to keep people motivated along the way, we decided to give prizes to the top three people with the highest weight loss percentages for ever weigh in as well. Its usually different people too which is pretty cool!

Oh, I did the calculations, and so far, the 28 participants have dropped 201.4 lbs.!!!!!!!! I am SO proud to be part of that.

(NEW POST)

Last night (Saturday night) JT and I went shopping (it took four hours because we had to go to 4 different stores to get everything we needed) but, we did succeed. We bought everything we needed to start and be successful with the Engine 2 diet. (click the name for the website!)

I have been talking about our plan to go Vegan for quite some time, but, we finally found a system that walks us step-by-step along the way so we are organized and feel confident in our choices. (It is quite hard to be veggie and vegan... not getting the right nutrients and relying too heavily on just carbs is a worry at times... even if we don't really eat carbs lol.)

We modified a couple of things. We don't dig fake meat so we are going to have something else on those days (such as the Black bean Coco Quinoa recipe etc....) and... unfortunately we're going to have to stop having curry for a while because it has fish  sauce in it - but, its all good, because the recipes with this diet and the food suggestions are awesome.

Today's Food:

Rips Big Bowl
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup grape-nuts
1/4 cup shredded wheat
1/4 cup Uncle Sam Cereal
1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons raisins
1/2 handful walnuts
1 banana sliced
1 kiwi sliced
1 grapefruit
3/4 cup almond or soymilk

(This is A LOT of food, but, the point is to start your day off with a huge hearty energy-packed meal and then bring down what you're eating as the day goes on)

Lunch Stuffed Pita with Hummus
Lots of veggies
quinoa
hummus

all stuffed in a pita. There actually isn't a recipe for this one, so, we're going to make it like that :)

dinner Spinach Starter Salad & Gnocchi with Red Sauce
Exactly how it sounds :)

Dessert Frozen Cherries and Soy Yogurt

We have never been big soy fans, but, due to needing to add protein to our lives, we've decided to try it for this and give it a chance. :) So, we will be trying the tofu recipes as well as using soymilk and soy yogurt when he calls for it.

We are excited. We both recently had our cholesterol checked so we'll get it checked again after this 28 day diet (life-style change) and give our results.  :)

On a different note, Johnny put an awesome quote on his wall today from one of my all-time favorite songs!

"Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain 

that is pouring like an avalanche coming down a mountain." 

- Gibby Haynes (Lead singer of the Butthole Surfers)

Healthy Options

Good Morning and happy Friday! Does anyone have any big plans for the weekend? We sure do here! JT's TOUGH MUDDER! It is down in Austin and it is going to be a BLAST! After I get done with this blog I am going to pull everything together so we can leave as soon as he gets home from school.

Overall, things here are going pretty well. I missed blogging yesterday (mostly due to time constraints and not enough to talk about). The only issue I am currently having is a severe migraine. It started during my 2nd softball game last night (very lightly) and got progressively worse throughout the night. I couldn't sleep because it kept waking me up, so, I'm just trying to relax a little to get it to at least calm down to a manageable level. I haven't had one like this in a long time - I get migraines often, but this one is something I only really ever experienced at A School when I first joined the Navy, it is like a throbbing every time my heart beats. I can feel my heart beating in my head and when it does it is painful and a throbbing pain. It SUCKS. lol. I am definitely ok though - I get headaches so often I can actually work with them if need be. :)

Ok, enough with the negative crap. I have some GREAT pictures to share today. The first thing I want to share is my DELICIOUS salad recipe - I master arts like salad making because there is no cooking involved! lol! Then,  I want to talk about "health options" when cooking at home, or juicing at home isn't possible. There are a TON of options!

My Salad -

The ingredients include: spinach, kale, arugula, green leaf lettuce, onion, half of a granny smith apple, sesame seeds, avocado, dehydrated organic cherries, organic garlic sticks, feta and balsamic vinegar for the dressing. :) Easy to make, affordable and 90% raw and whole foods. (the feta and garlic sticks aren't whole foods or raw.)

If you don't have time to make a gourmet salad at home, there are plenty of healthy restaurants as well as grab-and-go options at the grocery store. JT found a list the other day that I will try to dig up, but there are several restaurants that have a goal of health, sustainability and working with local farmers. Some of you who live in bigger cities might have actual "vegetarian" or "vegan" restaurant options, but for those of you who don't, there are still lots of options. One of those places is Chipotle. They offer a vegetarian option and it is not only delicious, but it is also affordable. I enjoyed it so much I didn't even snap a picture of it! So I got one on google images to give a representation of it.

This is pretty close to what I get, although I usually ask for half of a scoop of guac (they have a TON on theirs!) :) I usually get lettuce, black beans, corn salsa, peppers and onions, guac and usually another form of salsa. :) I sometimes also opt for cheese, but not always. This is a particularly good option if you have family that is not vegetarian because the meat is farm-raised in the local area (all of the ingredients are actually).

The next place I'd like to recommend is Jason's Deli. They are also committed to working with local farmers and providing healthy food options with no additives. Their soda's are all made with cane sugar as is their tea. They designate specific vegetarian options on their menu and they have a kick-ass salad bar! :) I have particularly been enjoying Jason's "Freshca" sandwich! :) SO yummy!!

It is focaccia bread with basil pesto (so obviously it has olive oil, which I generally try to avoid.) tomatoes, spinach and artichoke hearts. The olive oil makes it a little high in fat  and calories FYI, but it is really yummy and I feel like it is a good option. If it is not for you though, they also have several other vegetarian options including  a variety of vegetarian soups. The fruit is fresh too!

Now, if you're on the run and don't have time to juice, or need an afternoon pick-me-up between errands, a simple stop at the grocery store can do the trick! For juice, I usually pick one of these bad boys up at walmart for 4 dollars. It is a FULL meal replacement if you drink it all at once - so although 4 dollars sounds steep, it is definitely not.

The only downside to the odwalla is that it is flash pasteurized which takes away some of the nutrients. In terms of choices though, I think this is a practical one for most and a much better option than a drive-thru salad (with high-fructose corn syrup dressing on the side!) Naked is also an option - they are a bit more expensive and they also flash pasteurize.

The other on-the-go option I LOVE is raw food bars! I LOVE THEM! I eat them as snacks and meals. In fact, due to my headache I have felt pretty nauseous, and the raw food bar stayed down. :) There are several brands such as Raw Revolution, Lara, GOOD foodbar and a couple of others. They vary in price from 88cents (Lara on sale) to 3 dollars.

The bars are also great options for people with a sweet tooth! Some of them are like eating a candy bar!

Those are only a few of the many many options available when eating on the go. People always have excuses like "I don't have time to eat healthy" or "I don't have time to find a healthy option on my lunch break." Total bullshit. Those are excuses, there is ALWAYS time for health!

Thanks for reading! We'll have a great blog update come Monday with JT's results and a recap of our eating. We're going to find a vegan restaurant in Austin to enjoy! <3 Everyone have a great weekend!

The Joys of Juicing

Happy Hump Day everyone! It is another absolutely beautiful day here in Texas. <3 Lets get started with another great song today!



Im sure I've shared this before, but I LOVE this song - it makes me want to get up and dance!

This morning JT and I were dragging a bit and running late so my plan of juicing for the two of us didn't work out. After he left, however, I decided I would juice for myself! A lot of people ask how we consume so many raw fruits and veggies -- juicing is exactly how!

We jumped on the juicing bandwagon after watching "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead."  Before going out and purchasing a juicer, we did some research (Melanie also did a lot of research and shared with us!) and we found that a masticating juicer would yield the most juice. Well, masticating juicers are expensive, so we opted for a cheapo centrifugal walmart juicer just to get started and see if it was something we really wanted to do. We started with a cheaper Hamilton Beach juicer,  and then after using it for a couple of weeks traded up for a black and decker big mouth juicer. The 2nd (and current) juicer works MUCH better than the other and was still pretty cheap (about 50 dollars.) The only problem we've really found is that we cannot juice greens. So, to remedy that problem, we purchased a wheat grass juicer! HERE it is.

It works GREAT! And, the two of those are still much cheaper than a quality masticating juicer. We do plan to get a masticating juicer in the future, but for now these two things works for us.

Before I even start, I just want to say that juicing is EASY. Just pick some fruits and veggies that you love and mix them! There are also lots of resources available online with recipes you can be sure taste great. We usually focus on green juice (green apples, cucumbers, celery, spinach, kale etc....) But we've made straight carrot juice, straight apple, orange juice etc... You can do anything.

This is what I started with this morning:

As you can probably see I have one cucumber, one green apple, celery and carrots. With JT I would use 2 cucumbers and 2 apples as well as a couple of extra celery stalks and carrots.

The first thing I juiced was the cucumber. I always start with the highest yielding veggies to be sure I get as much juice from them as possible. As you go through all of your ingredients, the screen gets full, so unless you wash it in the middle start with the highest yielding stuff to get the most juice possible.

 A lot of people don't think they like the taste of cucumber juice, but we've found that the quality of the cucumber you get makes a huge difference. If you get cucumbers  from walmart that are not organic, they aren't very tasty, but, if you get them from a farmers market (or in our case the mexican market) they are SO delicious!

And like I said, they yield SO much juice and are so cheap so they are a great base for any juice you make. Cucumbers are also nutritionally dense - they are great for the skin and have a lot of trace elements that our bodies need. :)

Here is what my cucumber yielded juice wise. As you can see, more juice is still coming out!

Next, I chopped up and added my green apple.

I don't even bother seeding them or anything, the screen takes care of that kind of thing!
Next I added the celery and finally the carrots. (no pics of the celery... but the carrot juice is SO beautiful!)

This is what the aftermath of the juicing looked like.

And this is what the pulp looks like:

Another complaint I often hear is that there is SO much waste when juicing - the truth is, it is up to you how much waste you have - you have already gotten a majority of the nutrients from the vegetables or fruit anyways, and that is really the goal in my opinion,  but, you can use the pulp for a variety of things. from baking (talk about some moist and delicious carrot cake!) to dog food additives! (Toss a cup into your dog food! make sure you do research about the ingredients you use though, if you are juicing grapes for example, your dog cannot have that!)

The last step to the process (before enjoying the yummy juice of course) is clean up. The most important thing about the clean up is that you do it immediately. If you do, it will literally take two minutes. I throw the pulp in the garbage or save it in a baggie if I plan to use it. Then, all I do is rinse the pulp out of the components. The hardest part is cleaning the screen, but, if you get a bristle brush cleaner (like one you'd buy to clean potatoes) it is much easier.

Once I finished all of the juicing and clean up, I poured the juices together into one glass :) I have found that a pint glass fits under our juicer the best, so I get a larger glass to pour the juices in as I go (that way I don't get overflow!) When I am making juice for JT and I both, I use a pitcher.

 

This may have seemed like a lot of work, but it took me about 10 minutes all together (and that was with me snapping pictures after every step.) I feel great about starting my day with a nutritional and delicious juice and my energy will be up all day. Fresh juice like this is also a great way to detox your body of all of the junk you accumulate from eating processed crap.

If you are interested in learning more about juicing, here are a couple of educational links -

http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp/health_resources

http://www.veganstreet.com/veganliving/juicing.html

I already linked this one, but here it is again - http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

I hope you found this educational and helpful. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer them myself or find the answer. :)