Exercise Goals: Week 9

Last week wasn't a total disaster. Ben and I managed to make it to the gym twice (one short of last week's goal) and I think this week will be better.

Ben and I started taking those sleeping pills I mentioned last week to help us get to sleep at a decent hour and they work GREAT! Too great, really. They are the reason we didn't make it to the gym any morning this week. They just don't wear off in time :/ SOOO we will either have to work out at night this week or not take the pills. We will see how it turns out :)

Ben and My Journey:
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1

Beefless Barley and Vegetable Soup

Last weekend Ben and I decided to try our first recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Meet the Shannons. We also finally decided to try some of this Gardien that everyone has been raving about. OMG.

I am in love with both. The Meet the Shannons Better Crocker Project is so awesome, and all of the recipes look so good, but this soup is FABULOUS. Gardien? Creepily amazing. Not only does it taste great, but I love that it is made with whole grains and non-GMO ingredients. I just LOVE when companies do not sacrifice health for taste. All Gardien products are also high in protein which is AWESOME.

So we made the soup and love it. Below is my picture, and the original picture. Mine just didn't make the soup look as appetizing as it deserves :)

My picture

The original picture

1 package Gardein Beef-Less Tips (in the freezer section)
1 Red bell pepper, chopped
1 Red onion, chopped
3/4 C Frozen green beans
2/3 C Frozen corn
2/3 C Frozen peas
2/3 C Mushrooms, sliced
2/3 C Barley, uncooked
5 C Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base (made according to the instructions on the package)
3 Tbs Soy sauce
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Onion powder
1 Tbs Parsley
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 can Diced tomatoes (with Italian seasonings)
2 Tbs Olive oil

In a 4-5 quart slow cooker/crock pot, mix all ingredients except Gardein and 1/2 of the onion. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-8 1/2 hours, or when the barley is tender. (You can also cook this in a pot. Check out the original recipe for directions.)

About 15-20 minutes before you're ready to serve the soup, heat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a glass baking dish, place your frozen Gardein tips. Cover tips with the rest of the onion. Bake the Gardein and onion for around 10 minutes, or until both the Gardein and onions are golden brown and tender.

To serve, fill your bowl with soup and then add the roasted Gardein and onions. Store the soup separate from the Gardien so that the Gardien doesn't break down and get soggy.

Recipe thanks to:
Meet the Shannons

Exercise Goals: Week 8

Ben and I have had to completely revamp our goals. Last week we didn't work out one time due to our insane schedules. We have decided that working out three times a week is really pushing it, but is doable. We got some herbal sleeping pills to help us get to sleep on time and we are going to try getting up at 6 some days this week to get to the gym before I have to go to work. This means we also have to get our homework done by a decent hour.

For the next two months (until the end of April) we will basically be in survival mode. We just have to make it through every day until then. We can't WAIT until school is over.

Ben and My Journey:
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1

Valentine's Day—Vegan Cordon Bleu, Mashed Potatoes, and Gravy

I know this post is SUPER late, but I need to document Ben and my wonderful dinner! For Valentine's Day, we had vegan cordon bleu, mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed vegetables, and salad.

I got the recipe for the cordon bleu from Vegetalion (recipe below). The gravy recipe was one we used a few months ago on our pot pies. It is a new favorite for mashed potatoes too! The cordon bleu was AMAZING. I think it will be a new fancy meal tradition.

1 recipe Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon

~ 1 C Daiya mozzarella
4 slices Vegan ham (I used Lightlife's Smart Deli Ham)
~ 1 C Panko
~ 6 Tbs C Earth balance

Place 2 Tbs of Earth Balance in a  8x8 baking dish. Place the dish in the oven and preheat to 375.

Make Chickpea Cutlet dough according to the recipe. Divide dough into four equal parts.

To make the cordon bleu, take one of the quarters of dough and attempt to knead/stretch it until it is about 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. The bigger you can stretch it the better, but it will be really hard and you don't want any holes.

Once you have the dough stretched to a good size, take a piece of ham and fold/break it up so that it fits on the dough. Take about 1/4 C of cheese and put it beside the ham on the dough. Attempt to fold the dough so that the ham and cheese end up next to each other in a sort of pocket. Then try to close up the ends of the dough and fold it up so that there are no holes.

Remove the pan from the oven. Roll the cutlet pockets in the melted butter and then roll them in breadcrumbs. Try to get all the sides. Repeat the above process with each of the quarters of dough.

Once all four of the pockets are done, place them in the 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs begin to brown.

Valentine's Chocolates

For Valentine's Day I bought chocolates for Ben (original I know, but he is a sucker for that kind of thing). The Laziest Vegans in the World posted a blog a few weeks before Valentine's Day about a bunch of online vegan chocolatires so I checked them all out. I decided on Rose City Chocolatier. Rose City is not a vegan-only chocolatier, but has a great vegan selection.

For Valentine's Day they had hearts full of vegan chocolates in different sizes. I got the largest size so that we would have the biggest selection possible, and it was completely worth it. In total with the chocolates and the shipping in time for the day itself I spent $45. At first glance this may seem a bit pricey, but as I said, completely worth it.

First off, I got to write a little note to Ben that they tucked into the ribbon around the heart. The whole package arrived in great condition and at a remarkable speed. I loved the velvet box and ribbon and thought they were so fancy! And, even better, Ben was impressed :)

Box

My lame note

Our fantastic selection

Inside the box was a total of 24 chocolates. Some of them were doubles, but I listed all the flavors as Ben and I interpreted them below.

1 - Pure dark chocolate heart
2 - Chocolate truffle hearts
2 - Coconut log with coconut paste
1 - Hazelnut praline box
2 - Peanut butter peanuts
2 - Lemon creme circles
1 - Coffee truffle log
2 - Cordial cherry circles
1 - Strawberry strawberry creme
2 - Whole almond chocolate rounds
2 - Rose heart peppermint rounds
2 - Orange creme ovals
2 - Chocolate truffle ovals
2 - Marzipan logs

Our favorites were the coconut log with coconut paste, lemon creme circles, coffee truffle log, strawberry creme, whole almond chocolate rounds, and orange creme ovals. Our least favorite were the marzipan logs and the cordial cherry circles. All the others were still fantastic. And they were beautiful! Check out the pictures below.

Orange creme oval

Peppermint round

Peanut butter filled peanut

Strawberry creme filled strawberry

Coconut log

Hazelnut praline

Wedding Stuff Falling Into Place

I know I haven't written much wedding stuff since I announced Ben and my engagement a few months ago, but a bunch of stuff has fallen into place since then! Below is a rundown of things that we are doing, things we have bought, and decisions we have made.

Dates
Our official wedding date is July 8, 2011. We have decided to have a family-only (and close family friend) ceremony due to the location (as described below). The following day, July 9, we are planning on having a large reception for everyone.

Location
After much searching, we decided to go with a location that was under our noses the entire time. Before I was born, my grandparents purchased a plot of land in the Manti-La Sal forest above Fairview, Utah. As I grew up we built a large lodge on the property and I have been going there ever since. The lodge and the surrounding land is very special and nostalgic for me, and both Ben and I are super excited to have our wedding there. Our reception location is currently unknown.

I don't have many good pictures of the lodge, so I just grabbed the few I have. More to come!

Ben, Molly, and I on the deck of the lodge. We are thinking of having the ceremony in that small flat spot right in front of the deck overlooking the ponds below.

The lodge in the fall

Wedding Party
Since we wanted our wedding will be small, we are going with a small wedding party. My little sister, Rachel, is going to be my bridesmaid. Ben's big brother, Josh, is going to be his best man.

Rings
Ben and I have both chosen and purchased our rings. Mine arrived a few weeks after I bought it, but since Ben's is made to order it wont come for another few weeks. Even though our rings don't match, we both love them and think they suit us well. Mine is everything I have ever wanted in a ring. Ben was really set on having either a wood ring or a wood inlaid ring, and we found one that was just lovely (below). My ring is from Catbird who retailed if from the jeweler, St. Kilda. Ben's is from the Etsy shop Minter and Richter Designs.

Meggie ring

Ben ring

Dress
As of yesterday I found the dress that I want! I am absolutely in love. I have been ordering dresses online for a few months now and returning them with no luck. Though I had an appointment set up with David's Bridal for this morning, I ordered this dress from ModCloth anyway and it came in the mail yesterday. I tried it on for Ben and my parents and they all loved it, but we still wanted to go to David's. BUT going to David's only confirmed how much I love this dress. It is definitely the one. Vintage, lace, flattering to my body shape, everything.

Accessories
Thus far I have only bought one accessory, and that is my headband/halo. I have decided I am just going to wear my hair down for the wedding and will wear it wrapped around my head (as in picture #2). I bought it from the Etsy shop Mignonne Handmade.

The halo in the color I bought, ivory

The halo from another view in another color

Wok-Tossed Cabbage Salad

We were supposed to make this at Curry Night last week but I totally forgot and ended up making it a few days later. This recipe is also from the 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of the East and is FABULOUS! I love the taste of the fresh cilantro and peanuts with the almost blank taste of green cabbage. It has a little bit of spice in it from the sliced chili peppers, but is not at all spicy. Definitely a new favorite.

Vegan Valentine's Treats to Benefit Ching Sanctuary

Last year for Valentine's Day Ben and I attended the Ching Sanctuary annual Valentine's dinner. This year, for unknown reasons, Ching decided not to hold their annual dinner. Ben and I were pretty disappointed for a number of reasons. 1 because we consider the Ching dinners (Valentine's and Thanksgiving) our monetary support to the sanctuary for the year, and 2 because it meant we had to think up something to DO for Valentine's Day.

Luckily both of our problems were solved. We thought of an awesome dinner to make for Valentine's Day (post to come!) and we were able to donate to Ching in another way!

Local animal lovers Alyssa and Danielle (who I had never met before) spent two full days baking and cooking treats to sell as a fundraiser for Ching. When I picked up my little treat box, they had already raised over $500! Awesome!

I actually didn't get any pictures of the treat box that we got because we ate them all on the car ride home, but I stole some pictures from my friends who got boxes too. We got the 'Mixed Emotions Package' which contained two peanut butter cups, two 'Rolos', one orange flavored chocolate filled with orange cream, one 'Cadbury Egg,' one cordial cherry, and one raspberry truffle.

Breana's Cookie Bag (left) and Chocolate Box (right)

A Vegan 'Rolo' just like the one we got in our box

Inside the 'Rolo'

A Chocolate Mousse Filled Square like the one we got in our box

Exercise Goals: Week 7

This week was hard. And, unfortunately, the weeks are only going to get harder from here out until this semester is over. Now that I am full-time I have to get to work by 8 am, work until 10:30 and then run to French class, then run back to work by 12:30 and work until 5 pm. Then I have to go home, make food for dinner and for lunch the next day, attempt to workout, and do all of my homework before getting to bed at a reasonable hour to I can get up the next day. On Tuesdays I have class from 5 pm - 8 pm so can absolutely not work out. On top of this, I have to find time to be the Editor in Chief of UVU's literary journal, Touchstones, which is basically another full-time job.

On top of all of THAT, last week our kitten, Idunn, got conjunctivitis and needs eye drops administered 4x daily. Our dog, Molly, went in for her yearly comprehensive exam and we found out her right ear drum had burst and now she needs her ears cleaned and medicine administered 2x daily. BUT this is not a bitch and moan post because I actually feel pretty awesome today :) I just wanted to give a complete excuse as the why I only worked out 3x last week.

Ben, being the awesome and supportive boyfriend/fiance that he is, dedicated much of his time last week to helping me, shuttling me around, and managing Touchstones stuff. He was the one who took pets to the vet and is in charge of all their medicine and everything. SO he only worked out 3x last week too.

However, this did not stop us from eating an entire chocolate heart full of vegan chocolates last night as our Valentines day treat (more on this to come), and I don't feel guilty at all.

Goals this week are the same as last week, but I accept that I may not be able to complete them due to the schedule detailed above. I just can't wait for this semester to be over!

Ben and My Journey:
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1

Rising Moon Organics' Raviolis

One of our favorite vegan quick foods is Rising Moon Organics' raviolis. All of their products are vegetarian and organic, and my of them are vegan too! They have 15 types of ravioli, 6 of which are vegan.

Happily, we have tried every kind. Below are Ben and my reviews of them all! As a general note--I think they are all a little under-spiced and thus a bit under-whelming, but still good.

Butternut Squash Ravioli - This one is pretty good. I think it is basically filled with mashed butternut squash so is a bit bland, but tasty.
Artichoke and Olive Ravioli - #1 favorite! I liked this one a lot. The artichokes are pureed so its basically filled with a mash but the flavors are good.
Mediterranean Garlic and Herb Ravioli - Ben liked this one. Nothing specifically remarkable or memorable.
Garlic and Roasted Veggies Ravioli - Slightly bland. Not garlicky enough! Tasted a bit like mashed peas and carrots.
Garlic and Basil Gnocchi - Good. Again, slightly bland... but good with some tasty tomato sauce.
Spinach Florentine Ravioli - Probably my second favorite. Again, blended so no texture and slightly under seasoned.

Spinach Florentine Ravioli with tomato sauce and spinach, broccoli on the side

Artichoke and Olive Ravioli with tomato sauce, broccoli and garlic bread on the side

Curry Night

Curry! I love curry. On Saturday, my long-time friend Jessica came over and we made curry together. I picked out two curries from The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of the East. As I have said before, Ben and I have never really had good luck with homemade curries. This is actually the reason I bought this book in the first place, but this is the first time I used it! I was so surprised! The curry was SUPER fast and all the ingredients were accessible and cheap AND it was SO TASTY. Yum yum yum. Curry.

We made Aloo Saag (potatoes and spinach) and Aloo Gobi (potatoes and peas) and served them over brown basmati rice. Jessica brought whole wheat roti from the closest Indian market and we made a meal of it. Personally, I liked the Aloo Gobi the best, but I thought they were both awesome. The Aloo Gobi turned kind of turned out to be more like mashed potatoes, so I think next time I make it I will put a bit more water. The Aloo Saag was a bit more spicier than the Gobi, but I would say they were both around a medium.

Aloo Saag

Aloo Gobi

Dill N' Cucumber Salad

Another recipe from The Raw 50 that I have been eating over the last week. Here we have a dill and cucumber salad; which, to me, tastes just like pickles. It basically has all the same ingredients, and the pickles are salted and then pressed so they have a really similar consistency to pickles.

Instead of chopping the onions for the dressing I actually just put them in the food processor with everything else so the dressing was smooth rather than chunky. VERY tasty, the perfect side dish for your lunch. I made the dressing again this week but I am planning on trying it over fresh cucumbers instead of the salted ones.

Cappuccino Cupcakes

Last week for our treat Ben and I decided to make cupcakes. We picked the Cappuccino Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World which are supposed to be filled with espresso cream and then frosted. Unfortunately, we never got that far, so the picture below is just the cupcake part. The reason we never got that far is because we realized that we didn't like the cupcakes once we made them. The ground espresso in the cupcakes made both Ben and I feel sick. Ben tried eating them over the course of last week but I ended up having to throw away two of the twelve anyway.

I'm really not sure why our tummies didn't agree with these. Ben drinks coffee every day so he really shouldn't have been upset by them...and though I don't really drink coffee because it makes me too hyper I was surprised by how badly my body reacted to these.

So last week we really didn't get a yummy weekly treat. Hence my Uncle Eddie's cookie overload last Monday. Yesterday Ben and I decided to stick with the tradition of Sunday brownies and we were both very satisfied :)

Raw Sandwich and Raw Avocado Mayo

It has been over a week since my last recipe post. NOT because I haven't been cooking or eating! I am just super busy. I actually took the pictures below about a week and a half ago and just haven't had a chance to document them.

Here we have the raw sandwich! Last week (or the week before that?) I made the Avocado Mayo from my new favorite cookbook, The Raw 50. It is FABULOUS! Though it tastes nothing like mayonnaise, it is awesome on bread or even just on veggies. It is basically made of soaked raw pine nuts, avocado, a few dates for sweetness, and raw apple cider vinegar. Tasty.

To the left you can see my first attempt at using the mayo. I thought I would try to make a traditional sandwich and see how it turned out (above). I learned pretty quickly that manna bread doesn't hold up at all. So I gave up and tried to eat it in little sandwich bites (right). BUT that didn't work either.So I pulled it all apart and made little open-faced sandwich bites (below) with a little more of the mayo.

Over last week I gave up all together on the sandwich idea and just ate it all with a fork. I put a slice of bread, slices of cucumber, tomato, and avocado, and a big dollop of the mayo in a bowl. This way I got more veggies too instead of the two measly cucumber slices that fit on a piece of manna bread.

Exercise Goals: Week 6

Wow, has it really been six weeks? I feel crappy now. Six weeks and I don't feel like I've gotten any closer to my goals :P But there really isn't much I can do about it. I don't have the time to up my workouts per week or for more time at the gym with my work and school schedules. I am trying as hard as I can with my diet—eating mostly raw and eating more vegetables than I think I ever have in my life. So for now I think I'm doing as much as I can. Once I graduate (only 2 1/2 more months!!!!!) I will be able to devote so much more time to myself, I can't even wait.

Ben, on the other hand, is bulking up pretty well. We don't have a scale so I'm not sure exactly how many pounds he has gained, but I can say that he looks bigger. He is trying his hardest to eat 3,000 calories a day and for the most part is succeeding. But don't take my word for it! Check out the pics we took today (above and below) of his growing muscles. Definition is still on its way, but bulk is coming in nicely.

I think Ben and I have really found our grove as far as workouts go. I feel good with what I did last week and feel like it is the best for me. Ben is feeling the same way.

Meggie: C25K 3 days this week. Circuit training/weight lifting 2 days this week. Eat more raw meals this week.

Ben: 3 days of muscle group-targeted lifting. 2 days of cardio. Ab workout every day. Eat 3,000 calories a day.

Ben and My Journey:
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1

Vegan Starter Kit/Gift Basket

Over the last year as I learn more and more about food, my family has expressed a greater interest in healthy eating. My little brother Ryan (15) and little sister Rachel (17) especially, as they become more self-aware and conscious of the food they put into their bodies. My dad (52), who has always known about healthy eating but not always practiced it, is beginning to feel the effects of aging and the huge workload he takes on every day (he is a contractor and carpet cleaner).

A few weeks ago my little brother Ryan asked me to give him a tour of my mom's pantry and explain what foods were good for him and what foods to avoid. He asked me to give him a daily menu of things to eat at every meal and give him recipes of healthy foods he can cook himself. Both he and my little sister Rachel have been off of sweets, refined grains, and milk for nearly six months now. (I can't even express how proud I am of such young kids taking all of this on!)

Around the same time Ryan was asking for my advice, my dad really started kicking things up. He started to cut down on his portions of refined grains and sweets and start drinking veggie and fruit smoothies every day. He agreed to watch both Earthlings and Food Inc., both of which he LOVED (as much as you can love something like Earthlings).

So it was with this momentum that I decided to give my family a vegan starter kit/gift basket. Though it doesn't look like that much all spread out (below), it does make a dent in one's pocketbook! A few Sundays ago, Ben and I went to my parents house in the afternoon to deliver our gift. We explain what each item was and how to use it. Besides the many food products we included the book The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions to help my mom and the kids when they are cooking and baking. We included many of the ingredients the book calls for in our starter kit. They absolutely loved the gift and I have been getting awesome feedback in the last few weeks about how they are using it all!

About a week ago I also sent Ryan and Rachel a list of easy recipes they can make for themselves to bring to school or for snacks, including my 'tuna' salad, jedi juice, french toast, pancakes, and nachos. I sent my mom a few seitan recipes and she even made my fajitas last Sunday! Success!

Anyway, as you can tell I am very excited about my family's transition. As of now I think they have cut out high fructose corn syrup and refined grains as a family. Ryan, Rachel, and my dad are basically off of all animals products too. Awesome!

Here is the starter kit we gave them:

From left to right, we have The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, EnerG Egg Replacer, Earth Balance, a jar of whole flax seeds, organic vanilla soymilk, nutritional yeast, organic unsweetened plain soymilk for cooking, vegenaise, a green food powder for my dad's smoothies, Better Than Bullion No Chicken Base, organic butter flavored vegetable shortening, and a bag of vital wheat gluten. Yay! I am also planning on bringing them soy bacon bits and powdered soy milk this week :)