I woke up this morning CRAVING FRUIT in the worst possible way.
Well, I woke up three times today: at 8 and at 10 for dog related needs and then I slept and cuddled until the giddy realms of 1pm. This is unheard of for me!! We are having quite a windstorm here in Toronto today and there is something so amazing about lying all warm in bed listening to the wind in the eaves and knowing you don't have to go out there. (I will be going out there later, I may be blown off my feet!)
Anyway: I'm going to do a bit of a format change. Every day I'll do a 'diary' post where I chat about how I'm feeling, thoughts and other things, and a 'just the facts, ma'am' post which will have my nutritional data and recipes and weight and all that good stuff. Just so you know.
I just finished a pint of smoothie and honestly, I'm going to make another one RIGHT NOW.
All I want to eat today is fruit. Good thing we have a huge fruitbowl and a well stocked fridge, 'cause I'm going to eat EVERYTHING. I'm also going to do a hella workout today to see how my muscles are responding to the change in diet.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Day 18: Nacho Nacho, Man.
After a brisk 4.5 hours of sleep (and 2+ hours snoozing on my boyfriend's lap while pretending to watch a movie) we were up and at 'em today.
First order of the day: put the tex-mex flavoured flax chips into dehydrate for a fancy nacho dinner tonight!
Tex Mex flax chips:
1.5 cups flax meal
1 cup almond milk
1cup water
2 T nutritional yeast
2+T of texmex seasoning (chili, cumin, cayenne, onion powder etc. We like it spicy so I used quite a lot.)
Mix the dry ingredients, add the wet, stir really well, let sit for 10 minutes and pour into teflex dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for 12 hours at 115.
After all this I was HUNGRY, and for breakfast had a swampy smoothie of murky delight. If you make this, you'll see what I mean!
1 c. carrot juice
2 c. spinach
1 c. blueberries
1 c. strawberries.
engage swamp thing powers!! This one gave me a great body rush too. MMmmm. nutrition. I also had a banana to be on the safe side.
A brisk 8.5km bike ride really whetted my appetite, and I spent several hours in the company of good friends constantly snacking on fresh blueberries, strawberries and blackberries, carrots and zucchini hummus, dried figs and some few raw almonds. AND melon. They were nice melons. This was lunch.
another brisk bike ride home, accompanied by another trip to the greengrocer (I filled my knapsack for $12.45!) had me finishing my ride carrying 25lbs of produce. She Hulk!
Of course after all this I was ravenous again as soon as I got home I made a snack of some more canteloupe, some apple pie slices and the last half of the last doughnut hole *sob*. Come back doughnut holes, I love yooouuu....
and then, I made guacamole. And salsa. And cashew cheese. And then we feasted like kings! Full recipe with photos is here. There must be something wrong with me...but I kinda want another smoothie. Mmm, spinach.
Here's what I ate today: I Ate Manhattan! good thing we're about to go on a 9km hike.
I weighed in this morning still at 167.4 lbs.
Because of all the delicious nachos my stats were WAY off today: 67/24/9. I regret nothing.
First order of the day: put the tex-mex flavoured flax chips into dehydrate for a fancy nacho dinner tonight!
Tex Mex flax chips:
1.5 cups flax meal
1 cup almond milk
1cup water
2 T nutritional yeast
2+T of texmex seasoning (chili, cumin, cayenne, onion powder etc. We like it spicy so I used quite a lot.)
Mix the dry ingredients, add the wet, stir really well, let sit for 10 minutes and pour into teflex dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for 12 hours at 115.
After all this I was HUNGRY, and for breakfast had a swampy smoothie of murky delight. If you make this, you'll see what I mean!
1 c. carrot juice
2 c. spinach
1 c. blueberries
1 c. strawberries.
engage swamp thing powers!! This one gave me a great body rush too. MMmmm. nutrition. I also had a banana to be on the safe side.
A brisk 8.5km bike ride really whetted my appetite, and I spent several hours in the company of good friends constantly snacking on fresh blueberries, strawberries and blackberries, carrots and zucchini hummus, dried figs and some few raw almonds. AND melon. They were nice melons. This was lunch.
another brisk bike ride home, accompanied by another trip to the greengrocer (I filled my knapsack for $12.45!) had me finishing my ride carrying 25lbs of produce. She Hulk!
Of course after all this I was ravenous again as soon as I got home I made a snack of some more canteloupe, some apple pie slices and the last half of the last doughnut hole *sob*. Come back doughnut holes, I love yooouuu....
and then, I made guacamole. And salsa. And cashew cheese. And then we feasted like kings! Full recipe with photos is here. There must be something wrong with me...but I kinda want another smoothie. Mmm, spinach.
Here's what I ate today: I Ate Manhattan! good thing we're about to go on a 9km hike.
I weighed in this morning still at 167.4 lbs.
Because of all the delicious nachos my stats were WAY off today: 67/24/9. I regret nothing.
Raw Vegan Nachos
First thing you have to do is get your flax crisps dehydrating. These suckers can take over 12 hours. If you can make them to day before, so much the better.
ALSO SOAK 1 CUP OF CASHEWS IN 3 CUPS OF WATER. You'll want them to soak all day, or even overnight. 2 hours minimum, for sure.
FLAX CRISPS, TEX MEX STYLE.
1.5 cups flax meal
1 cup almond milk
1 cup water
2 T nutritional yeast
2+T of texmex seasoning (chili, cumin, cayenne, onion powder etc. We like it spicy so I used quite a lot.)
Mix the dry ingredients, add the wet, stir really well, let sit for 10 minutes and pour into teflex dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for 12 hours at 115. Half way through you'll want to go under it all the way around with a spatula and carefully flip that bad boy, to get the underside nice and crispy too.
about 2 hours before you want to eat, make the guacamole. It's always better if it gets a chance to sit for a bit. I vary my recipe every time I make it, but this is about standard for what I do.
GUACAMOLE
into a food processor put:
3 very ripe avocados
3 + cloves garlic or 1.5 T pre-minced garlic
2T lime juice
1T diced onion or 2tsp onion powder or dehyd. onion, whatever is on hand.
2 dashes liquid smoke
1tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp cayenne or tex mex seasoning.
puree well to mix all the ingredients, decant into a sealed container and refrigerate until serving.
OPTIONAL: well diced tomato pieces stirred in after pureeing.
 |
| It's pronounced gwace-mol. GWACE-mol. |
RAW SALSA:
Into a food processor put:
6 medium tomatoes, with the centres removed. This reduces the amount of liquid and makes for a firmer, chunkier salsa.
2 small onions.
2 T garlic (I loves me some garlic. Use less if you're sensitive).
1 T lime juice
1 habanero pepper
1 tsp chipotle powder.
use the pulse setting on the food processor to mix the ingredients well, but to keep some of the texture. You'll also want to let this sit for a while for the flavours to mingle. If you like it to be more tomato heavy, use two more tomatoes and one less onion!
 |
| if the spoon stands up in it, you're good to go! *salsa is not poison, regardless of bowl label. OR IS IT. |
RAW CASHEW CHEESE:
I really liked this, but Johnny wasn't so keen on it. Asking a vegan to reproduce what actual cheese tastes like is pretty silly, now that I come to think of it. Regardless, this was rich and creamy, tangy and I thought it was pretty cheesy. It was good on it's own, and exceptional with a chip full of guac and salsa.
into your trusty food processor put:
1 cup soaked cashews
3T nutritional yeast
dash of Braggs
2 spring onions
2 cloves of garlic
1tsp Himalayan sea salt
1 T lemon juice.
blend until a gritty cream, and slowly add water until it's the desired consistancy. We went for a thicker cheese- your milage may very. You could also use almond milk, come to think. I'll try that next time.
 |
| It's not cheese? Oh, NUT cheese. Gotcha! |
Break up the flax crisps into nacho chip size bits and serve along side your dips- OR
take the whole round flax crisp as it comes out of the dehydrator and cover it with nut cheese, then guacamole, then salsa. Break pieces off and enjoy!!
Healthy Apple Pie!
guys! GUYS LISTEN!
I made the greatest thing! Apple Pie Slices.
-slice an apple into 1/8 thick slices (better slice two, these guys area delicious).
-soak the apples in a bowl with 1/4 cup lemon juice 3/4 cup water.
-drain and toss with 1.5 t cinnamon, .5 t nutmeg and 1T raw organic cane sugar until all apples are coated.
-throw in the dehydrator for 6-8 hours.
MY HOUSE SMELLS LIKE PIE.
I am going to buy a major bag of apples and then I will have a HUGE BAG OF PORTABLE PIE.
I made the greatest thing! Apple Pie Slices.
-slice an apple into 1/8 thick slices (better slice two, these guys area delicious).
-soak the apples in a bowl with 1/4 cup lemon juice 3/4 cup water.
-drain and toss with 1.5 t cinnamon, .5 t nutmeg and 1T raw organic cane sugar until all apples are coated.
-throw in the dehydrator for 6-8 hours.
MY HOUSE SMELLS LIKE PIE.
I am going to buy a major bag of apples and then I will have a HUGE BAG OF PORTABLE PIE.
 |
| appley pie slices! |
Friday, January 18, 2013
Day 17: Giddy for Giddy Yoyo!
Today got off to a rocky start: my alarm didn't go off and I woke up an hour late. I got to work early, nonetheless but...it wasn't a fun morning. I didn't have time for a juice OR a smoothie, and let me tell you, the bike ride was pretty challenging on an empty tummy. I wish I'd had time for some of these bad boys.
Of course, once I got to work I wasn't hungry since all my blood was in my legs but as soon as I settled in I was pretty ravenous to the tune of a banana, some fresh strawberries and a serving of prunes. I even remembered to buy water- and even drink it!
My morning snack was an apple and some sugar snap peas and the tiny scrape of raw hummus from yesterday. Eaten while surfing recipes for home made raw hummus, which doesn't look to hard to make, really. I mean you have to sprout the chickpeas and some people make a real production out of it, but I've had them sprout in the fridge accidentally after I've rinsed and soaked them prior to boiling and left them in the water an extra day. So it isn't rocket science.
I was really low energy and super logie (lowgie? Lowgy? loowgie?) all afternoon until my co-worker fortuitously came back from the health food store with a salad..and a coconut water...and some RAW CHOCOLATE for me. What a champ!! We had the Spicy chocolate. It immediately turned my mood and energy right around and I am a convert to their stuff. Gush, gush.
a HUGE shout out to these guys for making a super food. Giddy Yoyo chocolate is a treat that is straight up in line with my ethics and I say, eat the hell outta it. Fly, be free, eat chocolate.
In other news, after my bike ride home I was a little snacky so I tried the latest batch of flax crackers I made up- even better than the first batch! I'm not exactly sure what went into them as it was an improv but I'm going to try to recreate the recipe. I had it with some more pesto dip I'd made, a perfect combination!
Pesto:
1.5 cups fresh basil
1 T pine nuts
1.5 T sundried tomatoes
1.5 T minced garlic
dash lemon juice
pulse well in food processor! Note the complete lack of oil; the richness is replaced by the sundried tomatoes and you don't miss it at all. Tasty.
Crackers:
1.5 cups flax meal
2T smoked paprika
1T chipotle powder
mix the dry ingredients well.
2 ish cups almond milk in which onions have steeped for an hour.
Here's the hard part- I used the almond milk that the onions for the onion rings had been soaking in, in the spirit of waste not-want not. However, I'm not exactly sure how much flax meal and almond milk got used. Basically you want a paste the consistency of pancake batter. It should be easily pourable. You'll want to put about a cup of the almond milk in to the meal, stir it up and wait for 10 minutes. Stir it again and judge the consistency and adjust accordingly.
Mix well and pour onto your teflex sheet in the dehydrator and warm for 12 hours, carefully release it from the teflex with a spatula, flip it, and warm for another 2 ish hours or until the underside is also totally dry. It should crack easily. If it folds, keep warming. It's not done yet.
after all this snacking- I'm so not hungry for dinner! We'll see what I feel like in a few hours.
Here's what I've eaten so far: Eat All The Snacks!
I weighed in this morning at 167.4 lbs. I clearly need to eat more chocolate. AND BANANAS.
 |
| The Strawberry as Art. |
Of course, once I got to work I wasn't hungry since all my blood was in my legs but as soon as I settled in I was pretty ravenous to the tune of a banana, some fresh strawberries and a serving of prunes. I even remembered to buy water- and even drink it!
My morning snack was an apple and some sugar snap peas and the tiny scrape of raw hummus from yesterday. Eaten while surfing recipes for home made raw hummus, which doesn't look to hard to make, really. I mean you have to sprout the chickpeas and some people make a real production out of it, but I've had them sprout in the fridge accidentally after I've rinsed and soaked them prior to boiling and left them in the water an extra day. So it isn't rocket science.
I was really low energy and super logie (lowgie? Lowgy? loowgie?) all afternoon until my co-worker fortuitously came back from the health food store with a salad..and a coconut water...and some RAW CHOCOLATE for me. What a champ!! We had the Spicy chocolate. It immediately turned my mood and energy right around and I am a convert to their stuff. Gush, gush.
a HUGE shout out to these guys for making a super food. Giddy Yoyo chocolate is a treat that is straight up in line with my ethics and I say, eat the hell outta it. Fly, be free, eat chocolate.
 |
| made with pure awesomeness and sparkle fabulousness. |
Pesto:
1.5 cups fresh basil
1 T pine nuts
1.5 T sundried tomatoes
1.5 T minced garlic
dash lemon juice
pulse well in food processor! Note the complete lack of oil; the richness is replaced by the sundried tomatoes and you don't miss it at all. Tasty.
Crackers:
1.5 cups flax meal
2T smoked paprika
1T chipotle powder
mix the dry ingredients well.
2 ish cups almond milk in which onions have steeped for an hour.
Here's the hard part- I used the almond milk that the onions for the onion rings had been soaking in, in the spirit of waste not-want not. However, I'm not exactly sure how much flax meal and almond milk got used. Basically you want a paste the consistency of pancake batter. It should be easily pourable. You'll want to put about a cup of the almond milk in to the meal, stir it up and wait for 10 minutes. Stir it again and judge the consistency and adjust accordingly.
Mix well and pour onto your teflex sheet in the dehydrator and warm for 12 hours, carefully release it from the teflex with a spatula, flip it, and warm for another 2 ish hours or until the underside is also totally dry. It should crack easily. If it folds, keep warming. It's not done yet.
after all this snacking- I'm so not hungry for dinner! We'll see what I feel like in a few hours.
Here's what I've eaten so far: Eat All The Snacks!
I weighed in this morning at 167.4 lbs. I clearly need to eat more chocolate. AND BANANAS.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Day 16: Water, Water Everywhere.
It's a known fact about me that I hate drinking water. I must have been W.C. Fields in a former life or something. I almost never do it, and part of the reason for this is that I almost never feel thirsty. It's like that part of my brain is broken or something. So, I'll drink something because I want the taste of it, or a hot/cold/alcoholic drink, but not from thirst.
So, what happens when I stop drinking hot/cold/alcoholic drinks (except for juices?)
Yup. I pretty much get zero hydration.
OH, did I mention I've been eating quite a bit of dehydrated fruit?
I am OH SO SMART. No wonder I've been having all sorts of difficulties. Thankfully this occurred to me this morning and I bought and drank several litres of lemony fizzy water, much to my bodies delight. You're welcome, body. Sorry for almost killing you, there.
....
So, In my apparent quest to eat All The Fibre Ever I decided that, instead of a juice that leaves the pulp out, I would blend a smoothie (whole fruit) for breakfast instead. It looked a little something like this.
1 c almond milk
1 c blueberries
1 c strawberries
1 banana
easy peasy. And more filling than just juice- I had this around 8 and wasn't hungry again until 11. Woo!
My midmorning snack was water (lemony!) and some prunes, and then some more prunes, and then the last of the dried apricots *sob*. Did I mention I love prunes? mmm.
Don't give me that look.
Lunch was more sugar snap peas and raw hummus- I liked it so much yesterday that I saved half the tub for today! I actually couldn't finish the half of the teensy tub it came in today, it's so filling. So I'll have a snack tomorrow too. *fistpump*!
I had a bunch of running around after work to do, not the least of which was hitting up my greengrocer to get the strawberries that were on Crazy Sale (2 big tubs for $2!!) so I could make a tray of dehydrated strawberries for making with the snackings later. Dehydrated strawberries, if you've never had them, are tiny super sweet flavour bombs of goodness. Try some. I've only had the non-organic processed with sulphites ones, can't WAIT to see how good they are when home made.
However, what with one thing and another, this lead me to walking around downtown for 2 hours with a super heavy knapsack on my back...and a rapidly fading bloodsugar, because I am smart and didn't bring snacks with me. Fortunately, I met Johnny for a movie and he brought snacks (also known as dinner...raisins, strawberries, one of those amazing raw doughnut holes he made yesterday) which much revived me.
I'm enjoying a salad and listening to the quiet whirrr of the dehydrator finishing up my second batch of flax crisps. Fingers crossed they're good! They smell good. Please don't let the smell be a lie.
Maybe I'll have a glass of water with lemon in it before bed, too. So I don't die.
Here's what I ate today! also I drank stuff!
I weighed in at 168.4 today.
My stats were 78/14/8 so, not bad not bad. The water has really helped.
 |
| WARRGLEBARGGGLE |
So, what happens when I stop drinking hot/cold/alcoholic drinks (except for juices?)
Yup. I pretty much get zero hydration.
OH, did I mention I've been eating quite a bit of dehydrated fruit?
I am OH SO SMART. No wonder I've been having all sorts of difficulties. Thankfully this occurred to me this morning and I bought and drank several litres of lemony fizzy water, much to my bodies delight. You're welcome, body. Sorry for almost killing you, there.
....
So, In my apparent quest to eat All The Fibre Ever I decided that, instead of a juice that leaves the pulp out, I would blend a smoothie (whole fruit) for breakfast instead. It looked a little something like this.
1 c almond milk
1 c blueberries
1 c strawberries
1 banana
easy peasy. And more filling than just juice- I had this around 8 and wasn't hungry again until 11. Woo!
My midmorning snack was water (lemony!) and some prunes, and then some more prunes, and then the last of the dried apricots *sob*. Did I mention I love prunes? mmm.
Don't give me that look.
Lunch was more sugar snap peas and raw hummus- I liked it so much yesterday that I saved half the tub for today! I actually couldn't finish the half of the teensy tub it came in today, it's so filling. So I'll have a snack tomorrow too. *fistpump*!
I had a bunch of running around after work to do, not the least of which was hitting up my greengrocer to get the strawberries that were on Crazy Sale (2 big tubs for $2!!) so I could make a tray of dehydrated strawberries for making with the snackings later. Dehydrated strawberries, if you've never had them, are tiny super sweet flavour bombs of goodness. Try some. I've only had the non-organic processed with sulphites ones, can't WAIT to see how good they are when home made.
 |
| Strawberries, away!!! |
However, what with one thing and another, this lead me to walking around downtown for 2 hours with a super heavy knapsack on my back...and a rapidly fading bloodsugar, because I am smart and didn't bring snacks with me. Fortunately, I met Johnny for a movie and he brought snacks (also known as dinner...raisins, strawberries, one of those amazing raw doughnut holes he made yesterday) which much revived me.
I'm enjoying a salad and listening to the quiet whirrr of the dehydrator finishing up my second batch of flax crisps. Fingers crossed they're good! They smell good. Please don't let the smell be a lie.
Maybe I'll have a glass of water with lemon in it before bed, too. So I don't die.
Here's what I ate today! also I drank stuff!
I weighed in at 168.4 today.
My stats were 78/14/8 so, not bad not bad. The water has really helped.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Day 15: Hot Chicks! (peas).
Thanks to my dog, who is clearly an expert in sleep deprivation torture, I got a broken nights sleep last night so I was super groggy when I got up this morning. Fussy is the technical term, if you're keeping track. I again wasn't hungry, but maybe that's just how my body works. I always think that if I'm eating the proper amount, I should wake up after not eating anything for 7 hours and be starving, shouldn't I?
...Stupid body.
This super smoothie for breakfast fixed me right up though.
The Smoothtalkin' Red Head.
2 large carrots
1/3 cup ginger root
1 tangelo
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup strawberry halves.
om nom.
Midmorning snack at work was a crazy juicy pear,
and Lunch was a banana, some more apricots (I'm an addict! Help!) and a double dose of those delicious sugar snap peas. AND RAW HUMMUS.
Holy moly guys, my local health food store stocks locally made sprouted chickpea raw hummus that is insanely good. It comes in wee little tubs and is pretty pricey, but I looked into making my own (after all, hummus is the Food Of My People-vegans, that is.) but I didn't have the wherewithal to sprout my own chickpeas this week. Problem SOLVED. What a powerhouse of goodness chickpeas are! And I only ate half the tub (1 serving) and was perfectly happy to save the rest until tomorrow. It was garlicky and nutty and chickpea-y and delish.
The chickpeas stood me in good stead through an extended mani/pedi/bitch session with my hilarious Vietnamese salon girls and most of the way home. Biking, however, made me super hungry.
Dinner Smoothie to the rescue!
I'm often fairly impatient when I'm hungry, so these dinner smoothies really come to the rescue. Minimal prep and cleanup, instant gratification. I had a massive sadface that we ran out of spinach yesterday, so I had to improvise. But it wasn't the same. Sadface.
1 banana
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup halved strawberries
1 cup parsley
1 cup boston lettuce
1 cup broccoli.
Yep. Broccoli Smoothie, it has come to this. If nothing else, I know that if I ever get all my teeth knocked out I won't be without tasty food in liquid form.
I'm not sure if I'm done eating for today...Johnny's making magic in the kitchen and there could be good things happening.
However, as it stands, this is what I've eaten today! Chicks with Peas.
I weighed myself this morning, again before my Morning Constitutional and I was still 168.8. Which is weird because I feel like I look leaner. Maybe with all the extended walks I've been burning fat and putting on ze muscles? Only time will tell.
...Stupid body.
This super smoothie for breakfast fixed me right up though.
The Smoothtalkin' Red Head.
2 large carrots
1/3 cup ginger root
1 tangelo
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup strawberry halves.
om nom.
Midmorning snack at work was a crazy juicy pear,
and Lunch was a banana, some more apricots (I'm an addict! Help!) and a double dose of those delicious sugar snap peas. AND RAW HUMMUS.
Holy moly guys, my local health food store stocks locally made sprouted chickpea raw hummus that is insanely good. It comes in wee little tubs and is pretty pricey, but I looked into making my own (after all, hummus is the Food Of My People-vegans, that is.) but I didn't have the wherewithal to sprout my own chickpeas this week. Problem SOLVED. What a powerhouse of goodness chickpeas are! And I only ate half the tub (1 serving) and was perfectly happy to save the rest until tomorrow. It was garlicky and nutty and chickpea-y and delish.
The chickpeas stood me in good stead through an extended mani/pedi/bitch session with my hilarious Vietnamese salon girls and most of the way home. Biking, however, made me super hungry.
Dinner Smoothie to the rescue!
I'm often fairly impatient when I'm hungry, so these dinner smoothies really come to the rescue. Minimal prep and cleanup, instant gratification. I had a massive sadface that we ran out of spinach yesterday, so I had to improvise. But it wasn't the same. Sadface.
1 banana
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup halved strawberries
1 cup parsley
1 cup boston lettuce
1 cup broccoli.
Yep. Broccoli Smoothie, it has come to this. If nothing else, I know that if I ever get all my teeth knocked out I won't be without tasty food in liquid form.
I'm not sure if I'm done eating for today...Johnny's making magic in the kitchen and there could be good things happening.
However, as it stands, this is what I've eaten today! Chicks with Peas.
I weighed myself this morning, again before my Morning Constitutional and I was still 168.8. Which is weird because I feel like I look leaner. Maybe with all the extended walks I've been burning fat and putting on ze muscles? Only time will tell.
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