Okay. So I went a little bit overboard with the zucchini buying this week. I have 1 large and 6 tiny (they’re adorable!) zucchini. I made some zucchini pasta last night to go with my RAWsome green smoothie (recipe follows). It was DELISH. I am going to use the rest of the zesty marinara to top some avocado crostini for breakfast. YUMMY!

Moving on. So. Zucchini surplus. What is it with me and an overabundance of vegetables this week? Not that I’m complaining. I love veggies. And fruit. It’s an equal partnership to keep my body happy. So. Too much zucchini (since I don’t like having pasta every night, and I’ve already made some wraps…). I’m going to make some crunchy zucchini chips.

Yes, you read that correctly. ZUCCHINI CHIPS. Spicy ones. If they turn out, I’ll share the recipe. I just have to wait for the kale chips to crisp before I spice up my zucchini and start dehydrating it.

Now for that recipe that I promised…

Green Sunshine Smoothie

2 ripe bananas (make sure they have brown spots)
1 kiwi
3 tangelos
3 kale leaves, stems removed

Place all ingredients in your blender, with the wettest (tangelos, everyone. NOT bananas. Don’t be like me.) ingredients on the bottom, kale on the very top. Blend away. ENJOY!

Happy Monday, y’all!

Has the year been good to you so far? No? Me either. It’s been a bit rough. And I realized this morning that I really need to make some MAJOR changes. I know that it’s been awhile since I’ve updated here, and for that, I’m sorry. In my puny defense, I did create a mommy blog…but I’ve realized over the past months that I am so much more than a mommy. And I’m bummed. I missed it here. So I’m back.

Skulking back, renewed, reenergized, and seriously ready for change. Let’s get one thing straight, shall we? I HATE resolutions. They suck. BIG TIME.

I hate the feeling guilty, the dwindling motivation, the guilt. So I decided this year to just make some positive life changes. I need to get FIT. (sad, since that’s what this blog is all about, right?!)

How am I getting fit? For starters, I’m taking more ‘me’ time. Sure, I love being a mommy to the most awesome son a girl could ask for, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not a better mommy when I have some time to myself.

Skip this next sentence if you want to avoid a seriously embarrassing mommy-moment. ↓

He’s great, isn’t he?!

Time to myself. I am a much happier, more balanced, centered…okay, okay. I’m less of a bitch. There, I said it. I totally suck when I don’t get some time just for me. BUT, when I do, I am amazeballs. Seriously.

In order to actually get that time, I’ve been getting up at the asscrack of dawn to workout. What workout? I’ve been working on some barre-fusion centering on Tracy Anderson’s Metamorphosis. I’m really enjoying the length and OMIGODBURNINGPAIN that comes with the muscular structure workouts. I also am loving doing the dance cardio on my rebounder.

BOING!

↑ that’s the sound of my rebounder. It’s FUN. LOTS of fun. Seriously. You should try it.

AND…I’m transitioning to a raw diet. I am SO excited. Last week, I ate entirely raw for two days, and I felt…well, amazeballs. I felt clear, uncluttered…AWESOME. More on that to come.

At least for Ish. I am so super-duper proud of him! He seems to be enjoying eating vegan, although he did mention that he “can’t wait” for an egg and ham breakfast sandwich after January 6. I’m hoping that the next three weeks will change his mind. I am happy to report that I seem to be slimming down, even if the scale isn’t moving. I’ve been super busy both preparing meals and working out (when I’m not doing my full-time job of being mommy to Tater). Tonight I made stir fry because it was easy…is that cheating? I had planned on making sweet potato biscuits to go with the ah-mazing veggie pot pie stoup that I made last night (I love soups and stews the next day because the flavors seem to really intensify), but time got away from me. Tater is realizing he has a voice-which is so much fun, but also means that he tells me ALL about it 24/7. Have I mentioned that I love being a mom? Okay, enough about my adorable kiddo. I sat down to share the progress of the ‘vegan experiment’ thus far. So…Ish is down 8 pounds (and we’re only 6 days in!), and I’ve lost inches, but not more than 1 pound. I’m actually okay with that. I’ve been doing my barre workouts, and they’re still kicking my behind. Hopefully by the end of my 30 days I can consider myself ‘advanced’!

I forgot what a great workout the P57 Classic is! Apparently, so did my legs! I think that is why I’ve stuck to the express workout for the last few months. Don’t get me wrong-I feel fantastic!! I just wish that my jell-o legs would solidify again. For those of you fellow P-57 fans out there, did you hear that they just released their second set of workouts?! They’re hot off the presses, and will give you a ‘leg up’ on the first set. From everything that I’ve read, the workouts build on the current set, allowing you to advance and tackle a new set of challenges (more thigh dancing, anyone?). I’m super excited about these workouts, but they’re going to have to wait until I master my current set. I’ll be honest…I’m hoping to get them in my stocking!

One of the things that I worked on today was meal-planning for next week. I think that I’m going to make e. & stell’s creamy cashew pasta, tempeh ruebens (although I may make those tomorrow…I’ve been craving them), scrambled tofu, veggie pot pie stew (AND some sweet potato biscuits), mushroom and sundried tomato risotto, and possibly blackened tofu…. Although everything is up for debate until I go to the grocery store. As for what we ate today…we had cereal (again), sammies (again), salads, pumpkin shakes, an apple with peanut butter, and TVP burritos with black beans, bell peppers, onions, squash, and Daiya. Yum-o! I would definitely call day 2 a success!!

I am proud to report that day 1 of Ish’s veg journey has been a success!! I’m working on dinner right now, and can’t decide between marinated seitan with cold udon noodles and peanut sauce or marinated seitan with cold udon noodles and teriyaki sauce…quite the problem! I know that I’ll be serving dinner up with grated carrots, thinly sliced bell pepper and broccoli…it’s just deciding which sauce. Right now I’m leaning toward teriyaki because I’ve already had a few spoonfuls of Peanut Butter & Co.’s White Chocolate Wonderful today (I was craving sweet, and the pumpkin shake I made just wasn’t quite what I was looking for-thank heavens for PB & Co!). I also have yet to do my workout, so that’s next on my list. I’m thinking that I’ll have about 30 minutes, so I’ll probably do either an Essentrics DVD or one of my WinsorSlim workouts (I LOVE the gadget that they use). Either way, I will get in a workout before sitting down to watch Top Chef tonight (and yes, I know that the meals they cook are not vegan, but I get some good ideas for flavor combinations…and for that matter, why hasn’t someone come out with a vegan cooking show for cable tv?!). Alright…enough chit chat. I have some seitan to marinate!

I’m going to list what we’ve eaten today for those of you who are interested (and so that I can keep a record):

Ish: homemade granola with almond milk, curried mango-tempeh salad in a pita, ‘refried’ black bean & Daiya burrito, and teriyaki seitan with veggies and udon noodles.

Brea: Kashi Go LEAN Crunch! with chocolate almond milk, ‘tuna’ sammie on homemade wheat bread with a green salad, white chocolate pb, celery & pb, and teriyaki seitan with veggies and udon noodles.

I love sammiches (who doesn’t?!). They’re delicious, nutritious…AND very versatile. I also love when I’ve got a fridge full of good sammie stuff! I know that I did my weekly prep a few days ago, but I discovered a few mangoes that I ended up not eating (shocking, I know!) and decided to make one of my favs: Curried Mango Tempeh Salad. YUM. I added 3 mangoes (yup, I love mango!) instead of one, and it ended up being AWESOME. I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow! The recipe says that the longer everything marinates, the better it gets…and it’s TRUE! That’s why whenever I make it, I let it marinate for  at least 24 hours…the anticipation is KILLING me, though! I also love this recipe because it’s become a favorite in our house-and with our friends. I’ve brought it to a few functions (yup…everyone saw me coming and knew that I had my tempeh-mango mix with me!) over the summer. Needless to say, I never have leftovers (maybe I should start doubling the recipe….).

Since I’m on the topic…I actually have plans to make quite a few sammies this week: “tuna” salad with chopped banana peppers, tempeh ruebens, baked tofu, grilled veggies…I was so excited that I even made two loaves of whole wheat bread (and yes, the brioche is gone already…but I did give a loaf to my neighbor)! Now I’m off to halve the pitas so that I can get my sammie on just a little faster tomorrow!

Since my first attempt was SUPER successful, I thought ‘why not?’ So, I made another batch of brioche this morning…but this time, I baked it the old fashioned way. (I have to say that my house smells AMAZING!) It turned out wonderfully!! I did cheat a little and let the bread machine do the mixing-there’s really no nice warm spot in my house that I can use to let the dough rise since I live in Texas and it’s 70+ degrees in the winter. Since my recipe turned out so well, I thought that I would share (and I did promise Christina that I would post the recipe). I will warn you that this recipe is DELICIOUS, and may cause you gain a few pounds since it’s hard to have just one slice.

My Brioche:

And now…

I started preparing for our month of full-blown veganism (remember that I am vegan, but Ish is not). I have to start by saying that I am SO excited!! I went to the grocery store and loaded up on all of the good stuff: plenty of veggies, fruits, legumes, and some nummy soy products. When I got home, I got started prepping. I wanted to make sure that there were plenty of hubby-friendly snacks on hand (he doesn’t like to do much prep), so I chopped some veggies, cleaned some cherry tomatoes (YUM!), and made power balls and granola. I LOVE granola. My house smells heavenly, and now I can’t stop snacking! While the granola was baking, I also made a wonderful sushi salad. It was so yummy, I ate until my tummy hurt (in a good way). I stumbled on the recipe in my new cookbook Appetite for Reduction and was definitely not disappointed. Ish even thought it was particularly yummy-in fact, the salad tasted just like my favorite veggie rolls! I will definitely have to make it again. I wanted to be sure to share my recipes for the power balls and granola, as they have been snack staples for me (just not normally in the same week), and are great for curbing those holiday cravings for less than healthy snacks.

The granola is simple (I just eye the quantities): combine 2 1/2 cups rolled oats, 1/4 c almonds, 1/4 c walnuts, 1/4 c cashews and 1/4-1/3 c seeds (sunflower or pumpkin work well) with 1/4 c canola oil and 1/3 c real maple syrup in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add in a dash (about 1/8 tsp) of salt, and some cinnamon (taste it so you don’t get too much). Then, dump your mix onto a baking sheet and spread it out. Pop everything into a 350 degree oven. Set your timer for 5 minutes-the take the granola out and stir it…repeat another few times, until it turns yummy and golden. Be careful not to let it burn! I didn’t watch carefully the first time I tried to make it, and ended up with sadly charred bits. Normally, it takes a total of about 20 minutes to cook. Once it’s done, let it cool, then you can add in any dried fruits that you may want…I like cranberries and cherries. Enjoy!

And now for the powerballs…take 6-8 medjool dates, pit them and soak them in HOT water for about 10 minutes. While that is working, toast 1 1/2 cups walnuts (doesn’t matter if they’re chopped or not) either in the oven or on the stovetop. Drain the dates really well. While that’s happening, put your walnuts into a food processor and let them go until they’re near dust. Then add in your dates, and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract. Blend until the whole thing looks like cookie dough. Now, form the dough into little bite-sized balls or press it into an 8×8 pan lined with waxed paper (if you choose to go this route, chill it down, pull it out of the pan, and then cut into bars). Chill tightly covered and enjoy! You can also vary the flavor by adding 2 tbsp of either cocoa powder, key lime juice, coconut, almond extract, etc. Get creative!

Okay…I am SO very excited (I’m actually having a hard time sitting still to type this…partially because I am SO happy, and partially because I have a massive amount of cookbooks spread out so I can barely find my keyboard!)!! Ish has decided that he wants to (wait for it…) TRY VEGANISM! Do you see why I’m doing the happy dance? He surprised me yesterday when he made the announcement that starting on December 7th, he is going to be vegan for 30 days. He knows it will be a BIG change, but I can’t wait to share my love of all things veg with him! And 30 whole days? What should I make?? He’s pretty set in his shake for breakfast/sammie for lunch routine…but dinner is ALL ME. So help me out. I obviously have my faves…black bean chili, stuffed eggplant, etc. But I am DYING to try some delish new recipes. I want to introduce him to the AMAZING flavors that are out there, and there are WAAAY too many! I realize that this is a GOOD thing, though…but the variety is killing me! So I’m turning to you for help. What are your favorite vegan dishes? This also means that I’ll be blogging a bit more (and hopefully posting pictures!) about our 30-day adventure. I can’t wait to get started. I’m going to the grocery store on the 6th and getting all stocked up. Are you as excited as I am?

I was working on getting my Thanksgiving dinner prepared (and we’re not eating until FRIDAY!), and realized that I was out of broth! EEK! With Tater it’s difficult to just pick up and go to the store. Thankfully, I had a myriad of veggies in my fridge (as always) and could spare a few to make some homemade broth. YUM-O! It turned out SO super delicious that I wanted to share. So…here you go:

Basic Vegetable Broth

THE FIXIN’S:

2-3 Tbs Vegetable Oil
1 Large Onion
5-7 Stalks Celery, with tops
4-5 Whole Carrots, washed but unpeeled
3 Whole Cloves Garlic (or more if you like extra-garlicky goodness)
1-2 Bay Leaves
15 Whole Black Peppercorns
1/4-1/3 Cup Low Sodium Tamari (taste your broth, please)
1 Gallon Water

You can also add the following: Any fresh veggie scraps from other meals, Leeks, Parsnips, Potatoes, Peppers, Turnips, Mushrooms, etc. Use your imagination!!

AND NOW…

Roughly chop your (washed!) veggies.

Heat a large stock pot with some olive oil in the bottom. Add the chopped veggies cooking on high for about 5 minutes (until things start to soften). Add the water and bay leaf. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for approximately 1 hour. Now comes the easy part: taste your broth. Add your Tamari and you’re done! Strain it out, then freeze (ice cube trays work great for freezing) for up to 2 months, or refrigerate for up to one week.