Note: I wrote this yesterday.
Recipe invention is an interesting thing. I'm sitting here after an attempt to create a creamy mayonnaise after realising I want some sort of yummy spread to add to tempeh and salad sandwiches. Something I do miss is mayonnaise! A thick, creamy Best Foods type of thing. Needless to say, my attempt has pretty much failed, though I have not given up, yet, and I've put what I've got so far into the fridge for later reconsideration.
I am kind of familiar with vegan mayo recipes but the two I have tried yielded unpleasing results. Either too bland or too...'tofuey'. My own experiment was based around silken tofu blended until smooth. I added a bunch of ingredients and soon realised garlic shouldn't have been one of them. I do think without that it might be a bit better, but not much.
It's pretty disappointing to not be able to find a substitute I actually like and I'm hoping on my search for recipes I might find an awesome one. Or just go to a store one day and be able to buy one. Or invent one myself and make loads of money because it's just that good!
People in America should be very grateful for stuff like Vegennaise!
On the menu tonight: peanut satay tempeh on basmati rice with a side salad. Easy peasy and oh-so-yum.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
A bit of everything
Things have been rather busy on the personal front so I have had little time to blog on this blog. I did type up a draft post last week, but seeing as how I never got round to finishing it, it's become redundant.
As of yesterday I have neither lost nor gained any weight since my last weigh-in, according to my sister's scales. I'm not sure if there is any difference between what her scales and the ones at home measure, but they are both electronic and should be pretty close to each other, if not exactly the same.
I'm trying not to each junk, but have discovered Green & Blacks 35g bars of dark chocolate, which, according to the packet and ingredients, does not contain dairy, but according to their site does... I remember reading about someone discovering it now contains dairy, so perhaps the bars I bought at from a batch made prior to the dairy addition. This has me very sad, now! It's such a nice chocolate.
Anywho, I dug out my bento boxes and have been making a packed lunch on the days I know I'll be out. Here are some photos of my first one.
Top tier
Clockwise from top: Actually roasted, unsalted almonds, but the cracker slipped over and I didn't realise until well after lunch. Seaweed rice crackers, Oreo cookie and kiwi fruit pieces.
Bottom tier
Pita pocket with baked beans and some carrot. The pita pocket and beans were not very nice at all! Would have been better toasted.
And all together
On top it says "My bear is so smile-ish when he dresses up stylish". Hehe!
As for food shopping, there seems to be a shortage of Bean Supreme tofu in stores - the only other brands available are of a softer consistency, even when labeled as being firm. This is unfortunate as I have a lot of ingredients to make pre-planned meals with tofu.
On the upside is finding tempeh and proper nooch (nutritional yeast flakes) at Highland Park health food store. It's a great store, they have a lot of vegan friendly products and lovely, helpful staff.
Until next time.
As of yesterday I have neither lost nor gained any weight since my last weigh-in, according to my sister's scales. I'm not sure if there is any difference between what her scales and the ones at home measure, but they are both electronic and should be pretty close to each other, if not exactly the same.
I'm trying not to each junk, but have discovered Green & Blacks 35g bars of dark chocolate, which, according to the packet and ingredients, does not contain dairy, but according to their site does... I remember reading about someone discovering it now contains dairy, so perhaps the bars I bought at from a batch made prior to the dairy addition. This has me very sad, now! It's such a nice chocolate.
Anywho, I dug out my bento boxes and have been making a packed lunch on the days I know I'll be out. Here are some photos of my first one.
Top tier
Clockwise from top: Actually roasted, unsalted almonds, but the cracker slipped over and I didn't realise until well after lunch. Seaweed rice crackers, Oreo cookie and kiwi fruit pieces.
Bottom tier
Pita pocket with baked beans and some carrot. The pita pocket and beans were not very nice at all! Would have been better toasted.
And all together
On top it says "My bear is so smile-ish when he dresses up stylish". Hehe!
As for food shopping, there seems to be a shortage of Bean Supreme tofu in stores - the only other brands available are of a softer consistency, even when labeled as being firm. This is unfortunate as I have a lot of ingredients to make pre-planned meals with tofu.
On the upside is finding tempeh and proper nooch (nutritional yeast flakes) at Highland Park health food store. It's a great store, they have a lot of vegan friendly products and lovely, helpful staff.
Until next time.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Weigh-in, week 3
Weight
Not bad, since I was sick last week. I am going to start actively trying this coming week, but mostly with the food, instead of exercise (I think I'd need to to sleep for about 3 days to recover from a half hour cycle time, so yeah...).
- Current weight: 80.3kg
- Goal to lose this coming week: 1kg
Not bad, since I was sick last week. I am going to start actively trying this coming week, but mostly with the food, instead of exercise (I think I'd need to to sleep for about 3 days to recover from a half hour cycle time, so yeah...).
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Spirulina and smoothies
Lately I've been having a daily smoothie that contains spirulina in powder form. Spirulina is a dietary supplement made from blue-green algae and it contains protein, essential fatty acids, as well as various vitamins and minerals.
Some people dispute whether or not spirulina is as good as many claim it is, however, I still enjoy it for the taste it adds to my smoothies (and if I know it's not going to harm me, I'm not losing out of anything by consuming it).
I wish I had an awesome smoothie photo to show you, but, alas, I do not. I will share how I make my smoothies though!
Ingredients
1 cup of fruit juice of your choice, preferably freshly squeezed
1 banana (the larger the banana, the thicker the smoothie)
1 tsp spirulina powder
Method
Blend all ingredients together in a blender, or with a stick blender, until smooth.
Serves 1.
Smoothie recipes are endless. You can put almost anything in them and they're so much fun to experiment with (remember they don't always need to be fruity ones - try vegetable, too), so I hope you give them a go. If you're already a smoothie afficionado, why not post some of your favourite combinations in the comments?
Some people dispute whether or not spirulina is as good as many claim it is, however, I still enjoy it for the taste it adds to my smoothies (and if I know it's not going to harm me, I'm not losing out of anything by consuming it).
I wish I had an awesome smoothie photo to show you, but, alas, I do not. I will share how I make my smoothies though!
Ingredients
1 cup of fruit juice of your choice, preferably freshly squeezed
1 banana (the larger the banana, the thicker the smoothie)
1 tsp spirulina powder
Method
Blend all ingredients together in a blender, or with a stick blender, until smooth.
Serves 1.
Smoothie recipes are endless. You can put almost anything in them and they're so much fun to experiment with (remember they don't always need to be fruity ones - try vegetable, too), so I hope you give them a go. If you're already a smoothie afficionado, why not post some of your favourite combinations in the comments?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Damn 'flu
Sorry for the lack of posts, last week I was really sick with the 'flu and I didn't feel like posting or even going online. I'm still not totally over it and am feeling very fatigued. I've been living off very simple foods like mashed potatoes, toast, crumpets, toasted pita pockets, potato chips (kind of) and a daily smoothie with Spirulina powder. That's when I can stomach food, though now I am much better I seem to be hungry all the time... I'm not really paying attention to "health" foods and just eating what I can stomach, when I am hungry, as long as it's vegan and not too bad for me. Calorie counting and exercise are not gonna happen for awhile.
A further bump in my blogging road is that I am going to be going away to Auckland on Saturday and I don't know for how long. I will have Internet access, because I have to study, but I wont be able to post here every single day. I will try to update every few days and definitely post my weigh-in results.
Right now I need to focus on getting well and re-introducing more foods into my diet.
A further bump in my blogging road is that I am going to be going away to Auckland on Saturday and I don't know for how long. I will have Internet access, because I have to study, but I wont be able to post here every single day. I will try to update every few days and definitely post my weigh-in results.
Right now I need to focus on getting well and re-introducing more foods into my diet.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Progress Report
Yesterday I hit a bump in the road - the slim-down road, not the vegan one - due to feeling horribly sick. I've had this on-going sore throat and 'flu thing for awhile, plus sinus, and yesterday I felt nauseated from the get-go. I could barely get through a proper breakfast, and then ended up having a veggie hotdog (why are they call hotdogs??) in a bun with tomato sauce (we don't really call it ketchup in NZ) and mustard. It was very nice and I hadn't had one in years (literally), but not the healthiest choice. For dinner I had yellow lentil and onion soup with toast. I don't remember what else I ate, but I do know I drank a couple glasses of choc soy milk. Didn't get any exercise done, either, because I was sleeping and watching movies (Becoming Jane is awesome and James McAvoy is 'lish).
I'm not too concerned about my day yesterday, but it is a bit of a pain to have my routine/swing thrown off for a day or two. I'm more concerned at the moment with making sure I'm eating vegan to the best of my ability. I can recognise the obvious animal ingredients, but I know it will take me awhile to know the more obscure ones off-by-heart, so hopefully my diet is at least %85 vegan at the moment, if we're realistic about any hidden ingredients I have yet to discover I dont't eat anymore.
By the way, if you're interested in looking at lists of ingredients found in foods, there is VeganPeace.com's list and Happycow.net's list to check out. It's very interesting to see where a lot of these originate and how they are harvested from the animal. And pretty much all of them have plant or synthetic alternatives.
Anyway, I am still feeling sick with bad headaches and general 'fluey crap. It's also incredibly cold in Gisborne today with a revolting wind, so I mostly feel like snuggling in a blanket and reading. Not the most productive thing, but I have three library books to get through so I may as well put some effort into it, yes?
I will be back later with my food log for today.
I'm not too concerned about my day yesterday, but it is a bit of a pain to have my routine/swing thrown off for a day or two. I'm more concerned at the moment with making sure I'm eating vegan to the best of my ability. I can recognise the obvious animal ingredients, but I know it will take me awhile to know the more obscure ones off-by-heart, so hopefully my diet is at least %85 vegan at the moment, if we're realistic about any hidden ingredients I have yet to discover I dont't eat anymore.
By the way, if you're interested in looking at lists of ingredients found in foods, there is VeganPeace.com's list and Happycow.net's list to check out. It's very interesting to see where a lot of these originate and how they are harvested from the animal. And pretty much all of them have plant or synthetic alternatives.
Anyway, I am still feeling sick with bad headaches and general 'fluey crap. It's also incredibly cold in Gisborne today with a revolting wind, so I mostly feel like snuggling in a blanket and reading. Not the most productive thing, but I have three library books to get through so I may as well put some effort into it, yes?
I will be back later with my food log for today.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Day 1 - Food Log
I feel like I've done ok today. Everything has been animal-product free and mostly healthy. I do need to plan ahead more, though!
Breakfast:
Mid-morning:
Lunch:
Afternoon:
Dinner:
Glasses of water consumed: 4, including breakfast. 4 more to go!
Exercise:
Breakfast:
- Porridge with grated apple and 1/2 tsp maple syrup.
- 1 piece of wheatmeal toast with margarine.
- Water with lemon.
Mid-morning:
- Regular chai latte made with soy milk
Lunch:
- Textured soy protein chili
- 1 piece wheatmeal toast with margarine
Afternoon:
- 4 salted pistachio nuts
- Banana
- Small glass chocolate soy milk
Dinner:
- Tandori tofu on 1/2 cup rice
- Small lettuce, carrot, red pepper and tomato salad with a small drizzle of Greek dressing.
- 2 popadoms
Glasses of water consumed: 4, including breakfast. 4 more to go!
Exercise:
- Exer-cycle 35mins. Used 329 calories.
Weigh-in, Week 1
It's a tad nerve wracking to post my weight and measurements in a public place! The only other person who knows how much I weigh would be my doctor. However, I believe overcoming this little hurdle of slight embarrassment to be an important step in my journey. After all, why should we be afraid of our weight, especially us women? I don't like the mentality that's developed where we are terrified of the scales and everything they entail. We are beautiful in all our shapes and sizes actually, so embrace what you have and if you're really unhappy about what that is, then change it in a healthy, psychologically sound way.
Right, blah, blah, blah, here I go!
Weight
Once a month I will also post my measurements to track what I'm losing in centimetres.
Measurements
Right, blah, blah, blah, here I go!
Weight
- Current weight: 81.2kg
- Goal to lose this coming week: 1kg
Once a month I will also post my measurements to track what I'm losing in centimetres.
Measurements
- Bust: 106cm
- Waist: 94cm
- Hips: 109cm
- Left thigh: 66cm
- Right thigh: 67cm
- Left upper arm: 32cm
- Right upper arm: 32cm
Introduction
Hello, and welcome to my vegan and weight-loss blog. These are the chronicles of a 20-year-old female embarking on two new lifestyles and smashing them together. I hope you will stay with me throughout this time and share your own experiences, too.
Today is Day 1 of going vegan and starting a more healthful way of life. Each day I will post what I've eaten, as well as what sort of exercise I've done and for how long. I will also be sharing recipes and noting the bumps I encounter in the road. Every week, on a Friday, I will do a weigh-in and share my results. Realistically I hope to lose about .5-1kg per week.
I would like to state clearly that my veganism* has nothing to do with my wanting to lose weight. It is not a diet, it's a lifestyle I am choosing to embark on for ethical reasons. I have been vegetarian for 7 years and becoming vegan (again) feels like a natural progression. I say 'again' because I have tried about 3 or 4 times in the past to go vegan, some more seriously than others, but for various reasons went back to being vegetarian. I am determined to make it work this time around, and I believe I have a much stronger conviction and stronger self-discipline to succeed.
I am not working to lose weight for a specific event or to fit into any old clothes, I just want to feel healthier and live a healthful existence as much as I can. I would like to be able to run around with my niece and nephews without feeling as though I might keel over, and I want to feel good about how I look. I don't feel terrible about it now and it's not something that constantly haunts me, but I know I would feel a bit more confident and good about myself if I can look in the mirror wearing whatever I want and feel awesome about what I see.
My goal to begin with is to lose 10kg and then see how I feel once I get there. I don't know how much more, if any, I'll want to lose after that point. I'm going more for how I feel in clothing and what size I would like to be as opposed to weight. I am from New Zealand and I would like to be an NZ size 10-12 (I think. I might change my mind and want to be 12-14, but I doubt any smaller than 10 because bones don't appeal to me so much).
Ok, I think I've nattered enough for now, and covered the basics, so I will see you when I post my first weigh-in later!
*Vegan lifestyles are "ways of living that seek to exclude, as far as is possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." From http://vegansociety.com.
Today is Day 1 of going vegan and starting a more healthful way of life. Each day I will post what I've eaten, as well as what sort of exercise I've done and for how long. I will also be sharing recipes and noting the bumps I encounter in the road. Every week, on a Friday, I will do a weigh-in and share my results. Realistically I hope to lose about .5-1kg per week.
I would like to state clearly that my veganism* has nothing to do with my wanting to lose weight. It is not a diet, it's a lifestyle I am choosing to embark on for ethical reasons. I have been vegetarian for 7 years and becoming vegan (again) feels like a natural progression. I say 'again' because I have tried about 3 or 4 times in the past to go vegan, some more seriously than others, but for various reasons went back to being vegetarian. I am determined to make it work this time around, and I believe I have a much stronger conviction and stronger self-discipline to succeed.
I am not working to lose weight for a specific event or to fit into any old clothes, I just want to feel healthier and live a healthful existence as much as I can. I would like to be able to run around with my niece and nephews without feeling as though I might keel over, and I want to feel good about how I look. I don't feel terrible about it now and it's not something that constantly haunts me, but I know I would feel a bit more confident and good about myself if I can look in the mirror wearing whatever I want and feel awesome about what I see.
My goal to begin with is to lose 10kg and then see how I feel once I get there. I don't know how much more, if any, I'll want to lose after that point. I'm going more for how I feel in clothing and what size I would like to be as opposed to weight. I am from New Zealand and I would like to be an NZ size 10-12 (I think. I might change my mind and want to be 12-14, but I doubt any smaller than 10 because bones don't appeal to me so much).
Ok, I think I've nattered enough for now, and covered the basics, so I will see you when I post my first weigh-in later!
*Vegan lifestyles are "ways of living that seek to exclude, as far as is possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." From http://vegansociety.com.
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