New Cobbler Recipe Coming Up

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diet, eco-friendly, exercise journal, healthy foods, healthy recipe, my workout, vegan, Vegan barbeque, Vegan BBQ, vegan breakfast, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, vegan menu, vegan recipe, vegan recipes, vegan runner, veganism, weight gain, weight loss

So excited!  I’m making a Mango and Peach Cobbler as I type – it’s setting in the oven, not making itself.  haha  It smells so amazing!  Two hours in the gym tonight running, biking and lifting weights I think I deserve a little fresh fruit cobbler, right?  It’s all about moderation and I’m taking advantage of it tonight.  Mmmm  If only I could let you all have a bite, I’m sure we would be instant friends!  I’ll do the next best thing tomorrow, share the recipe.  For now, I’m taking my fatigued body and going to go check on the amazingly scrumptious smelling cobbler.  Until tomorrow.  I hope you all have a wonderful night in the Northern Hemisphere and a wonderful day in the Southern Hemisphere!

Vegan Car Race vs Weather

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diet, eco-friendly, healthy foods, vegan, vegan breakfast, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, weight loss

Saturday the hubster and I treated ourselves to a short one-day trip to Lexington, Ohio (Yes, OH not KY) for the Le Mans Race at the Mid-Ohio Race Track.  The Petrol Head husband went last year for the first time and become instantly addicted.  For me, this was my first experience at “all goes” racing in the Le Mans series.

Thanks to our neighbors (where do they go at 5AM and come back 1 hour later) waking us up, we drug ourselves out of bed early and started to get things around.  We managed to get out of the house with our Quinoa Apricot Muffins and Freshly Brewed Coffee around 7am.  Next up was fuel and a unplanned stop at a local bakery for some yummy bakery treats.  Off we set to Lexington, Ohio, just outside of Mansfield, Ohio.

We arrived and received our pre-paid tickets to the race, parked and tried to find a spot to setup camp for the day.  To our delight, we had arrived just before the first Indy pre-qualification race for the day without too many people around.  Apparently not many people come for the whole day even though you pay for all the different races, which I believe is around 5 in total.  There is an Indy qualification race, Porsche race, Le Mans Race, Lite Race and so on.  It runs for three days in total but the best day to go (as I’m told), is on Saturday.

As a vegan, goes to a secluded race such as this one a private racetrack does hold its barriers.  Thankfully just like the famous Indy 500 in Indianapolis, Indiana, race fans can bring whatever the want for the entire day.  There are people that seriously bring in coolers full of beer and a few of us health seekers that brought our health food and vegan approved snacks.  That’s what we did anyways.  We carried a bento cooler box full of yummy treats and a backpack of other vegan approved goods, not necessarily healthy food.  Gasp!  I know!  But, sometimes we can have these sugary treats right?

Our food supply for what should have been for a family of ten but just for us two:  Japanese inspired vegan naan covered sausages/hot dogs, mini cucumbers, carrot & celery sticks, chex mix, caramel corn, skittles, lemon candies, oreos, two Klean Kanteens of water and a few other things.  Yep, that was just for two people.  The husband loves to have choices so I try to feed his hunger for different foods to assure he eats enough.

We also purchased a Sports-Brella from a company supply store called Sam’s Club.  It was around $40.00 + tons of Ohio Taxes but was worth the price.  The weather was unpredictable and we weren’t sure if we could even use this rain Cabana but purchased it anyways just in case.  Thankful we saw a few other people using theirs when we arrived so we walked back to our car to carry ours to our “day camp” to use.  The weather was well into the 90-100’s with different sunlight – so the UPF 50+ protection from the Sport-brella was really a useful touch to our day.  In addition, we were decked out in our Columbia UPF 50+ shirts and hats.  There were people getting seriously sunburns around us, I’m not sure if we would have made it the entire day without our gear.

Then during the Le Mans race, it started to rain – seriously tsunami-like rain.  There were times when we couldn’t see more than 30 feet in front of us it was raining so hard.  We bulked up under our sports-brella and managed to not get that wet.  It didn’t deem to be perfect; it rained a little through the seams and miscellaneous openings.  But, people were looking at us in hatred seeing they were getting drenched.  One man walked past and stated, “You should both stay inside right now.  I’m not sure if you are aware of it but it is raining out here.”  So cute!  Three people in total asked us where to purchase a Sports-brella.  Lol  Race fans are a bit serious about their favorite driver and team but soft hearted with everything else.  A whole 30-40 people were left for the last bit of the race due to the rain.  Funny enough, most of us had the Sports-brella.  (Wow!  I sound like a salesperson for them but I have to tell you really I’m not.  We bought ours on our own and just fall in love.)

At the end of the day I had eaten so much unhealthy vegan food and drank about 64oz of water and unsweetened tea.  We had taken 280 photos and had a delightful time together chatting and seeing everyone run through the rain.  It was a day of good racing, sporadic weather, vegan food, and a good time with the husband.  So glad we adventured out together and experienced this European Racing Series in America.

Sport-Brella

Basmati Rice Burgers with Pinto Beans Recipe Review

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diet, eco-friendly, healthy foods, healthy recipe, vegan, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, vegan menu, vegan recipe, vegan recipes, vegan runner, veganism, weight gain, weight loss

BBQ season is in full force right now in our household, which can only mean one thing – vegan burgers.  Hooray!  My husband thinks Christmas is not only in December but also for the entirety of the summer months.  He loves BBQ’ing so we absolutely love trying out new recipes.  This last week we tried a new recipe, Basmati Rice Burgers with Pinto Beans.  After my days in Japan, I love just about anything that deals with brown rice.  Normally we would prefer to purchase white rice but Korea and Japan came out new brown rice crops that tastes very similar to Asian white rice.  If you’ve never had Asian rice, you need to find an Asian store nearby and try out a small bag.  You will notice that it is much more sticky and heavenly than dry American brands available on the market today.  Look for Korean or Japanese, not Chinese or Indian as these have difference textures.

Here I am rambling again, sorry about that for those of you still here with me.  Before going for a run outside, we made these brown rice and bean burgers.  The recipe comes from Neal Barnard: The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook.  I would never post a recipe without the authors permission but this recipe has been posted on the internet in different places.  I’m not sure if these writers have gotten permission or not but here is a link to get the recipe yourself at the Become a Healthier You Website.

The verdict was split right down the middle.  My husband found the recipe to be delicious.  He stated it was moist but not overly done that it was mushy.  Personally I did not prefer the recipe over other vegan ones that I have made in the last few months.  It did not have enough flavors for me.  But then again my negative opinion to this recipe could have originated from the preparation process.  It contains ¾ c panko (finely ground breadcrumbs), which just adds more calories for not a large difference in taste.  I also found that the burgers were very hard to keep together throughout the entire process.  In fact, we ended up frying the burgers instead of placing them on the grill.  I had to place a good amount of oil in the pan to fry the burgers so that they would create a hard outer crust that would keep them together.  The recipe called for cooking spray but it would just not work out.

Unfortunately this 280 calorie burger was just not up to par for me.  The husband really liked the flavor but I have a feeling it was more due to the fact that it was fried heavily with oil instead of the healthier burgers I tend to make him.  Additionally, he was disappointed that he couldn’t use the BBQ.  So, I think in our household we are going to pass on this recipe all together.  If you decide that you want to make it, please try to use 1.5-2 cups of pinto beans to make sure they stick together.

 

Stressed Stomach Muscles

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diet, eco-friendly, exercise journal, healthy foods, my workout, running, vegan, vegan breakfast, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, vegan menu, vegan recipe, vegan recipes, vegan runner, veganism, weight gain, weight loss

Lately I have been working hard out in the gym however it does have its downfalls.  Severe stomach pains have plagued my body and it’s hard to do such simple tasks as standing up and yoga.  With each pain I’m reminded that I have to stick with the plan of exercising and eating healthy.  It’s an unfriendly reminder of sorts…

My soon-to-be six-pack has changed my eating habits the last two days.  I’ve decided to reduce fat content and protein while increasing liquids.  Additionally, I’m trying to steer away from processed foods and increase whole fruits and veggies.  Not that most of you want to know, but I’m trying to clear out my system to release some stress on my stomach muscles.  Hopefully that will help out.

Breakfast I feasted on a sautéed bowl of veggies and rehydrated bean curd.  I’m testing new ideas with the dried bean curd (found at Chinese store) and this was my first breakfast stir-fry trial.  Tasty!  It included peas, corn, re-hydrated bean curd, cabbage, cherry tomatoes and some spices.  Yum!  I also had some homemade toast with vegemite and fig/sesame seed jam.

 

Chinese Dried Bean Curd

Snack:  Frozen Ice Treat – 100 calories

Lunch:  Chopped Romaine Lettuce with cherry tomatoes, Trader Joe’s Baked Teriyaki Tofu and that’s it.  My sugar level was a little low, so I had one piece of Dark Chocolate (vegan).  I also had some Organic Garden of Eating Whole Grain Baked Tortilla chips (it’s made with millet, quinoa and so on).

Dinner was made by me tonight (I know I’m a softy- it’s husbands’ week to cook).  I prepared Caulipots (Appetite for Reduction) but then I realized my husband had some leftover French fries that needed to be eaten and out of the fridge.  So, I put the Caulipots in a sealable container and placed it in the fridge for Wednesday.  At least it has already been prepared and I don’t have to worry about it.  Then I prepared Brown Rice and Pinto Bean Burgers.  Both were simple enough to prepare, just time consuming with all the waiting between steps.  I placed a burger on a homemade burger bun for my darling man.  For me, I prepared a smoothie of freshly cracked open Thai coconut water and meat, strawberries, a little almond milk and some fresh kale.  It tasted amazing!  For the husband I made the same thing but added a frozen banana and a large tablespoon of vegan protein powder.  He said it tasted like ice cream.  *happy dance*

(Sorry, I’m sitting in a Panera bread drinking coffee as I type this blog entry.  I unfortunately do not have my camera and regrettably forgot to transfer the photos from my camera.  I’ll get to it tomorrow when I have the camera.  Sorry about the inconvenience.

Snack:  a little Kashi cereal since my stomach started to grumble.  I was hoping for no snack but it didn’t turn out that way…  grrr

 

Exercise:  Unfortunately I had to listen to my stomach first and skip the workout.  The pain just getting up and down is so strong, I just wanted to give it a break.

Let the Workout Continue

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diet, eco-friendly, exercise journal, exercise log, healthy foods, my workout, running, vegan, vegan breakfast, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, vegan menu, vegan runner, veganism, weight gain, weight loss

The weekend was very calm so I knew that the first part of the week would be a good one.  The husband got up before I did; yeah, I had to double check there weren’t pigs flying out my window.

He began to make his own breakfast since it’s his week to do meals.  Unfortunately he forgets about me, so I have to make my own breakfast and lunch.  But, at least he is trying to make a few dinner meals on his own.  Note to you all out there, it’s great to have your spouse make meals every once and a while.  Not only does it give the main chef in the house a break but it also gives your spouse a small glimpse of all the hard work done every other day.  It stresses my husband out to have to make a meal but I think it’s good for him to make something that he has picked out.  Husband made himself some cold oatmeal cereal with some Organic Whole Grain Cereal sprinkled on top, a little homemade almond & coconut butter, a peach diced up, and organic coconut milk.  For me, I had baked tofu, cherry tomatoes from our own plant, and a sliced peach.  Mmmm

Lunchtime came so fast.  I was so completely busy with work that I didn’t have time to think about what to eat for lunch.  So I took advantage of the leftover mock pepperoni and made a mock taco salad.  Yum!  It is an instant favorite in our household.  Additionally I had a homemade Oatmeal Raisin cookie, one little piece of dark chocolate and a frozen Popsicle.  I went a little crazy with the snacking, I wasn’t very happy with myself.  I was still a bit hungry, but I went ahead and drank some English tea to reduce my urge to eat more.  Drinking lots of fluids helps me reduce my food cravings.  Only problem with my plan is that it makes me also have to use the restroom all the time.  Lol

I took to the gym before my husband came home.  I have come up with a plan that I want to workout at least a little before my husband comes home to assure that I get enough time to do the work that needs to be done.  Then my husband meets me at the gym or we meet outside to run in the hot heat.  Today though, he met me at the gym since we had severe thunderstorm watch and it was lightly sprinkling.  Workout:  2 hours in length.

Again it was the husband’s turn to make dinner while I did some work on the computer.  He made a questionable dinner of quinoa and chickpeas.  The recipe seemed to be missing something though, flavor.  My husband also gave me a plate of lettuce and a sliced tomato.  (haha, nothing else on it)  I ended up not eating much so we again had to have some stove popped popcorn and English tea as a snack.  He agreed though too about not enjoying the meal, thank goodness it wasn’t just me.

Workout today:

4 miles in 49 minutes on spastic treadmill

5 miles in 30 minutes on bike

30 minutes weight lifting

10 minutes stretching/yoga

3  sit-ups (my stomach muscles hurt so bad I couldn’t do anymore)

Weekend in Review

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diet, eco-friendly, exercise journal, exercise log, healthy foods, my workout, running, vegan, vegan breakfast, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, vegan menu, vegan runner, veganism, weight gain, weight loss

I know, I know, I’m a day behind but nevertheless it’s here.  Unlike the past few months, my husband and I had an uneventful weekend.  Actually, we didn’t even venture out to any community event or tourist attraction.  Hard to believe, I know, even for me.

The weekend for me starts on Friday night after I finish my last article for the week.  Amazingly I was on fire, kinda like the Northern states right now, so I had a little free time.  The weather was very questionable outside and the skies were threatening anyone without shelter.  So, after my husband called to let me know he was going to have a meeting around the time he normally comes home – I took advantage of my free time.  I took off to our gym to do a little workout.  About an hour into the workout I received a call from my husband stating he was going to be delayed yet again.  Now I don’t love my husband being gone but I do love the chance to get a 1 ½ hour workout- hooray!  My workout:  30 minutes running, 30 minutes weight-lifting, and 30 minutes biking.  I also managed to do some yoga (right in the gym baby) to stretch as a cool-down.  For dinner:  Mock Pepperoni Pieces over a bed of salad.  Simple but delicious!  After dinner we headed off to one of our local Panera Bread Restaurants for a little work on the free wi-fi outside the house.  We treated ourselves to sugared drinks:  Husband=Iced Green Tea, Me=Lemonade.

Saturday was another one of those un-inspired days.  We took off to Cleveland’s famous farmer’s market to get a bunch of fresh produce.  We are a little unhappy with the choice of farmers’ market in the area.  If you have ever lived in Cleveland, you know what I mean.  It’s hard to find fresh produce from a local farmer, especially at the Cleveland Farmer’s Market.  Some vendors actually have fresh Ohio produce but double the price compared to other imported options they have, very disappointing.  Hence, we generally do not purchase from there for this reason.  It’s inflated prices for non-organic imported produce.  We left with some flavored couscous, kale, peaches and a few potatoes.  When we returned we ended up working a little and then taking naps.  It was husbands’ week to cook meals (probably will last a day or two) so he took off to do about 3 hours of cooking (he takes longer since he’s a very precise thinking and doer). I took off to the gym for 2 hours, which he was thankful I got out of the kitchen.  I never leave him behind when I workout since we are partners in workouts but when he’s busy, I get my own freedom.  My workout: 30 minutes running, 45 minutes biking, 30 minutes weight lifting, and some yoga stretches.  Dinner:  two different kinds of Indian Curried Lentils.  After dinner we settled in for a nice Japanese movie calledダーリンは外国人 (My Darling is a Foreigner).

Sunday:  We woke up early again thanks to our loud neighbors, so we had a little spare time.  The husband, who becomes easily addicted to things, wanted to return to The Root Café in Lakewood, Ohio for some vegan pastries and locally roasted coffee.  It is a funky café that only sells locally grown organic produce; all of their goodies are done in-house.  The prices can get a little high, especially for entrees but we do enjoy the coffee and atmosphere.  We sat for about three hours working on some things that needed to get done, such as purchasing my 7 year old nieces’ birthday present and a little present for my husband too.  Then, I took my handsome man to Lake Erie to play around with my new camera.  I love my camera!  Thank you honey!!!  I took around 70 photos of him and also the boats playing around on the water.  It was perfect.  Afterward we took an unusal trip to Five Guys Burger joint for lunch.  Unfortunately they do not cater to vegetarians now vegans but they do have an option to toss vegetables on a bun.  Hopefully they will soon realize not everyone wants animal flesh.  We had an unhealthy meal but we don’t do it often so we were okay with it.  We didn’t even manage to eat one small fry together so I guess we are changing our minds on fast-food.  Needing to walk around, we took to some shops to walk around.  A trip to Robek’s Smoothie to get a Zen Berry (the only vegan option on the menu) and we were off to our house.  We headed to the gym right away.  We weren’t feeling like working out but we went anyways.  Unfortunately we only spend about 30 minutes lifting weights together.  Normally we don’t workout on Sunday’s so we weren’t disappointed with only 30 minutes.

Next was dinner which again was the husband’s duty.  We weren’t hungry after the junk food we ate at lunch so we decided on mock taco salads.  We had leftover mock pepperoni, a little leftover vegan re-fried beans and some salad each.  The husband also had some homemade Almond & Coconut Butter on homemade bread.  We topped the evening off with some stove popcorn and a good cup of English tea.  It was uneventful but sometimes that is what we all need.

Hot Baking Wife

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diet, diet log, eco-friendly, exercise journal, exercise log, healthy foods, my workout, vegan, vegan breakfast, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, vegan menu, vegan recipes, vegan runner, veganism, weight gain, weight loss

I’ve been sweating it out the last few days and unfortunately it hasn’t dealt with my running shoes.  Rather my focus has been turned to the kitchen, mainly due to the fact it’s been cooler in the morning with rain and hot/humid in the afternoon.

Wednesday

Breakfast I created a Chocolate Chip Pancake for the husband while I had a lovely bowl of Cold Oatmeal Cereal.

Lunch was of course leftovers – eliminate food waste

Dinner was something that I worked on the whole day.  I whipped together a batch of Herbed Garlic Bread in two forms to be able to have Tofurky Sandwiches.  Add a mini cucumber and it was a full meal.  Yum!

 

Exercise:  We ran 1.1 miles but ended up not working out for us.  I wore a pair of Nike shorts and running shirt that I hadn’t worn in a while.  The shorts were one of those pairs that gets hidden at the bottom of the drawer that I kept overlooking.  Oops!  Shortly after leaving the house, I found out the shorts were no longer fit for running.  It kept creeping up in the back which is never comfortable for a runner.  The front, oh the front of the shorts kept trying to cuddle up with my running bra.  One of those downfalls of being short I guess.  As a runner, it is definitely not comfortable.  I just couldn’t keep going, it was that uncomfortable.  By the time we reached home, I was so mad at myself for wearing the outfit I lost confidence in going back out there to run.  Grrr.  I ended up doing some yoga at home alone.

Thursday

Another rainy morning and steamy afternoon but for some reason the rainy weather gets me in the mood for baking away.  I’m sure my husband doesn’t mind though.  Ha-ha

Breakfast I ended up creating a new recipe for Oreo Waffles!  (Yeah, you read that correctly.)  I regrettably ate half of one along with a piece of baked tofu and two very thin slices of homemade bread.

Snack turned out to be an uphill battle with me.  I tried to calm my urge to overeat with two cups of and a cup of fresh antioxidant-rich purple grapes.

Lunch came much faster than I had anticipated and I decided something a little warmer would cool down my body.  I tossed together an easy dry tofu soup, freshly cut strawberries, a mini cucumber and a ton of water.

Dinner came a little later tonight since the hubster and I went to get a few organic things from the store.  So, we came home and I tossed together a fast dinner of Boca Spicy Chickenless patties over chopped romaine lettuce.  My husband had his patty on some homemade bread.  I combined it with a mini cucumber and cherry tomatoes.  It was a perfect dinner.

Snack time was perfect with a nice hot cup of tea and frozen grapes.

Exercise was not available today again because it was extremely hot and steaming.  Thunderstorms hit our town hard the whole day and not only were the streets flooded but visibility was extremely low due to the humidity.  It was the strangest thing.  Thankfully I worked out really hard while trying on some running shirts for the hot weather at the stores. 

Additionally I found the most amazing camera bag, hooray!  I also did some yoga newspaper reading.  Ha-ha, doing yoga as I read the Wall Street Journal on the floor.  Vegan cat did her kitty yoga alongside me – which ended up being on my newspaper as I was reading it.  Oh, the joys of being a cat parent.  Lol

Japanese Cucumber and Wakame Salad Recipe

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diet, eco-friendly, healthy foods, healthy recipe, vegan, Vegan barbeque, Vegan BBQ, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, vegan recipe, vegan recipes, vegan runner, weight gain, weight loss

This is a side dish that I absolutely fell in love with when I lived in Japan.  It is commonly seen in the summer months since it has cooling effects on the body.

1 small cucumber, sliced into thin rounds

1/4c dried wakame seaweed

2-4 tbsp thinly sliced onion

4 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1.  Put the dry wakame in a medium size bowl and cover in water.  Let it soak for about 10 minutes.  Slice it until about ½” pieces.

2.  Toss all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

3.  Put everything in a sealable container and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours.  It gets better as it ages a little.

Doorbell + Skinny Deer

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diet, eco-friendly, exercise journal, healthy foods, my workout, vegan, Vegan barbeque, Vegan BBQ, vegan breakfast, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, vegan menu, vegan runner, veganism, weight gain, weight loss

Always an interesting day, it seems like one is never alike.  At least that is what it seems like today.  Not only did the weather change to a much cooler temperature but I actually got a delightful doorbell pusher today.

It started out as any other Monday, waking up next to the handsome man and getting things ready for the day.  We try not to be rushed in the morning so we tend to get everything prepared the night before to gently ease ourselves back into the work week.  Why rush, right?  So, we ended up getting ready a little earlier than normal which meant I had enough time to make my husband a full English breakfast.  Probably sounds weird to have a vegan Full English Breakfast but it is totally possible.  (Only thing missing this time were the bake beans, we didn’t have any in stock.)  I sent the full plate of Tofu “eggs”, Home fries with Cajun Seasoning, Spinach, Tomatoes and a Vegan Sausage off with the husband to work.  We even managed to get a short puppy walk in too before he left!  That is an amazing task for us seeing that we have about 30 minutes out-of-bed to out-the-door.  See, it can be done…

After I completed the dishes and drank some of the husband’s perfectly brewed coffee, I sat outside enjoying the cooler weather while reading Kevin Trudeau’s book, Natural Cures:  “They Don’t Want You to Know About”.  Yep, I’m still reading it – tons of information so it’s not a short read.  Gotta digest the information in small amounts…  My breakfast was another bowl of Cold Oatmeal Cereal.  It was tasty and filling.  I also had a fresh, locally grown peach and also some purple grapes.  The morning was very busy: our beloved neighbors were moving, the lawn service was mowing, painters were repainting our doorframes, and it seemed extra busy outside with children and cars.  Whew!

So, when the doorbell rang, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Very soon did I realize that it was Santa in the form of FedEx 2^nd Day Delivery!  Guess he got a little busy to do it himself this Christmas in July?  Ha-ha At last!   It was my new DSLR camera!  This was a long awaited Anniversary present from my husband.  Hip hip hooray! *Happy Dance- Happy Dance* I love 6^th year anniversaries – it’s the year of the camera.  Thank you Vegan Husband!!!  It was a terrible experience ordering directly from Canon but at least we got the camera and so far everything seems to work with it.  Word from the wise, never, ever, ever purchase from Canon Direct!  They have the worst customer service (including managers) and lose your camera for weeks and refuse to tell you any information.  Grrr…  But, now it’s here and I can’t be happier (so far).  Without making you wait any longer, my husband got me the 60D!!!!  (Sorry, he’s already taken!)

Even though I was having so much fun playing around with my new camera (Thank you again hubby!), I forced myself to eat lunch.  I ate a leftover Pea Burger from the night before and it was delicious!  It does need some condiments though if you are eating it with the Homemade Fluffy Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns.  But really who cares about food when you have a new camera to play with?

The husband came home at his normal time and was completely knackered.  Most days his work isn’t too stressful but I think with the start of the new week, it being around 90F and not sleeping well the night before, he had just had it.  We ended up going to Sam’s Club for some much needed vegetables and fruits in bulk.  Mmmm  Then we stopped in to get a memory card so that I could use my camera – found out it doesn’t have any internal memory for even one photo.  Shocked!

Dinner: I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner tonight so I ended up mixing together two different kinds of Nann dough around noon – one recipe I converted into vegan and another one from Peta.org.  I wanted to test the waters to see which the best was.  Plus, I’m trying to restock our freezer so we have some backup foods just in case we get busy or want something to take on the road without too much thought.  Then for dinner I threw together some Palak Tofu from Fat Free Vegan.  We enjoyed the Indian inspired dinner however we weren’t sure if we wanted to make it again.  It was tasty but we prefer more of a curry flavor than the spinach taste.  (Aka, it was a little bland but then again we like lots of flavor.)  If you haven’t been to the Fat Free Vegan Website, I highly suggest it – you are missing out!

For a snack, we went ahead and had some fresh strawberries and grapes that we had just picked up.  Additionally the husband had some frozen Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate (vegan approved).  We freeze our chocolate so that it lasts longer and is a wonderful treat on hot nights.  Then I convinced my husband to go on a walk to test my camera out.

Sunday Review

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diet, eco-friendly, healthy foods, vegan, Vegan BBQ, vegan breakfast, vegan diet, vegan dinner, vegan food, vegan menu, vegan runner, veganism, weight gain, weight loss

After the full day of travel on Saturday, I wasn’t really in the mood to go anywhere but the husband really wanted to go out for breakfast.  For a carnivore this may not sound like a difficult task but for vegans, it is very hard since most restaurants in our area do not have vegan options for the morning.  Thankfully I remembered hearing about a café that had just reinvented itself about 20-30 minutes from our house, so we planned on setting up shop there for the morning.

The newly reinvented café is called The Root Café and is located in Lakewood, Ohio.  It is right near Lake Erie.  If we had thought about it earlier, we should have remembered to take along our swimming suits to lay out on the beach – one of my favorite summer pastimes besides working out in the sunshine.  We were gearing our brains for having maybe one vegan option that would work for us, but thankfully we were shocked to see the choices.  The café specializes in fresh, organic and local ingredients.  If that weren’t great enough, they serve three meals a day and have a good selection of vegan options!  Shocked and Happy Dance at the same time!! After much deliberation, the husband selected the Banana Nut Muffin, for me the Blueberry Ginger Scone and to share the Quinoa Peanut Butter Cookie.  All the pastries were made in-house and with all fresh, local ingredients.  Hello!  We were in heaven!  Then we heard that their coffee was locally roasted – we had to reframe from kissing the cheerful staff.  No, seriously!

After about two hours of working on our laptops, we came off cloud nine and decided it was time to get going.  One more stop to Target to get a few things such as Oreos and Pirate baggies, then we went home for the day.

For some reason I became this crazy cooking lady super-wife that cleaned the house and jumped into the kitchen.  Yeah, I was truly dancing in the kitchen at the idea of making cookies and other goodies.  My husband found his way into the kitchen too when I mentioned Oreo Cookies.  Ha ha, him and the dog both coming running when I say the word “cookie”.  We used the recipe from The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutes.  Personally I think my husband chose this cookbook merely for the Oreo Vegan Cookie recipe.  Lol…  It was only supposed to make around 12 large cookies but we had about 2 dozen in the end.  There were a lot more cookies than we anticipated but our favorite neighbors are moving so we took some cookies to them also.  I’m sure they loved the vegan cookies after a full week of packing boxes.  The husband loved them and nibbled on one cookie through a race on the television, so, it all worked out.

Then the idea hit me that I should try to find the Flaming Ice Cube’s burger recipe and recreate it at home.  I love trying to match the flavor and textures of food cooked by professional chefs.  Sometimes it can be very easy and sometimes it can take a little longer. This time it was rather easy though, I just found the TVP Burger recipe from Vegan Vittles Cookbook Here.  In the book it’s called the “Better Burger”.  Delightedly, it was the same recipe and I did not have to do much work at all.  The vegan café might have tweaked the recipe a bit but truth be told, it is the same recipe.  Additionally, I made my favorite whole wheat burger bun recipe – doubled to restock the freezer.

Darling man put on his Grill Master badge on and fired them up on the grill along with some Pea Burgers that I’ve wanted to try out for a while now.  Both were delicious and wonderfully paired with some sweet potato and white potato fries with sliced yellow zucchini.  Mmmm