Veganuary Take 2, Weekend 1

This past weekend was super cold with a bit of snow.  I got on Saturday AM and hit up the track for a workout.  It was snowing and BEAUTIFUL!

so cold, but super fun track workout!

After the workout, I decided to make some vegan cinnamon rolls.  It was a new to me recipe but I went for it.  You guys, it was terrible.  I ate one but it was not at all what I was expecting.  Maybe this time around, I need to focus on baking a bit more.  Last year I didn't bake at all during this challenge so to up my game this time around I think I will go for it.  This first one was a bust though.

Later on that evening I decided to try a frozen vegan burger, Beyond Meat "Beast Burger".  I bought it b/c it was on sale at my local Safeway and had never tried it before.  The directions are to cook it on the stove with a bit of oil on both sides.  It very clearly says not to microwave it.  I found that a bit odd and had I noticed it earlier, probably would not have purchased it.  It would have been nice to have something that I could heat at at work in the microwave.  I start cooking it and....no.  The smell is not good.  I continue on thinking....maybe I just need to get used to it.  I finish cooking it and take a bite, and throw the rest in the trash.  It was so bad.  I ended up eating homemade fries, a tomato cut up with avocado and a piece of bread.

After the disaster that was Saturday's food, Sunday I went with foods I already knew!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Veganuary Take 2 Week 1

It is that time of year when a few folks in my office go vegan for the month.  I had much less trepidation than last year and felt ready.  LOL, you know that must means things did not start out well.

I went to the store, bought lots of fresh food and started on January 2nd.  The first day was fine although I forgot my coconut creamer at home and had to drink black coffee. Day 2 passed just fine however on day 3 I was NOT feeling it.  I had a headache, I didn't feel good and was feeling OVER IT.  I thought I was having dairy withdrawals....turns out that I was eating all this fresh food but wasn't eating salt.  I had some salty peanuts and felt better within 30 minutes.  Since then I have made sure to add salt to my food and have felt fine.  I woke up on Thursday feeling AMAZING, like wide awake, cheerful and feeling good.  Thursday night I hit up the grocery store to get food and ingredients for the vegan luncheon at work the following day.  I cooked for a while and cleaned my kitchen and reoganized my pantry area.  I woke up Friday with a terrible tension headache.  I think looking down for too long at the stove, the recipe etc put too much strain on my neck.  I took some meds immeately, took the dogs out, put some peppermint oil on and got in the tub for a hot hot bath.  After that I went to bed for 30 minutes and felt much better.

We had our luncheon which was amazing, I failed to take a photo of the food, but one of the guys brought in bbq jackfruit.  GUYS, it was so good.  It looked like pulled pork and tasked amazing.  I had not tried jackfruit before, but did some google-ing and am willing to get some and try it some other ways (as well as just try it as a fruit). Another coworker brought cauliflower steak, which was very tasty and filling.  Overall it was a great 1st vegan luncheon for the year.

And with that, I'm ready for my first vegan weekend in Veganuary!

ps. To get more info about Veganuary, please go to www.veganuary.com 

Restaurant Review "GreenFare"

Last weekend I went to Reston Town Center to grab a drink with some friends.  We had no idea that Taste of Reston was going on at the same time.  It turned out to be a great coincidence. We didn't actually sample anything, we just walked around.  I did get a few cards from some of the vendors there, one of which turned out to be GreenFare.  I had not heard of it so on Thursday I "Googled" it.

They are a vegan restaurant, they don't use oil or salt in their food (there is salt on the table so you can season to taste), they use whole foods, use local ingredients and the food is great!

I posted on FB asking if anyone wanted to go check it out with me.  My friend C agreed to go check it out that night.  We got there a little after 6:30pm, there were about 3 other tables in there.  Our server asked if we had been there before and then explained more about the restaurant to us.  The decor was cozy and fun, bright red walls, book and other items for sale about plant based eating, etc.


We ordered tea (Sweet Rose) while we looked at the menu.  C ordered the spinach and sweet potato lasagna and I had the spinach alfredo pasta.

Spinach Alfredo Pasta

Magical Tea

Our food arrived quickly and we went for it.  I will warn you that even though onions and tomatoes are NOT listed as ingredients in my food, they definitely were on there.  I first tried to pick them out thinking they were just on the top for garnishment, but they were mixed into the pasta as well.  I do not like raw onions so I did send mine back to have it made without onions.  I felt a little bad about that but was very polite as was the server.  She came back not long after with a replacement meal at which time I was able to eat.  And eat it all!  I did add pepper and salt to it.  We did not get dessert so next time I will try that and let you all know!

If you are in the Herndon area or even if you are not, go check this place out!  

As a fun bonus it is in the same shopping center as Mom's Organic Market.  C and I went before dinner and I was introduced to this yummy delight:

Get in my belly!

If you have not had this YOU ARE MISSING OUT.  Yes they are pricy, but you only need 1 and it is superb.  The mint is just right, not too minty, the chocolate is also just right.  Go get this. 

Where should I go next?  Comment below!

XO-Mo

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms and single Dad's out there!  You do your thing!

My family and I went to Grafton Street in Gainesville for brunch.  It was lovely!  They had a great layout and variety of foods.  The always popular omelette bar had quite the line but was worth it.  Two different kinds of breakfast potatoes, spinach salad, pasta salad, fruit skewers, chicken, fish, grilled veggies and a glorious dessert area.  We naturally had Guinness with our brunch :) 

We first discovered Grafton Street a few months ago when we were looking for a place to meet up with my sister so that none of us would have to drive as far, a sort of half way point (but still actually it is further for her).  I found it online and we figured, let's give it a try. We first went on a Saturday and we were there right when they opened at 11am.  The food was great (I had lemon blueberry pancakes and a Guinness).  We then realized that they offered a Sunday brunch and we knew we wanted to come back soon for that.  

If you are in that area and need a good pub to go to, please check them out!

A little throwback of my Mom and I 

The Brunch Crew

Thoughts on Veganuary

How did I do?:

Overall, I did really well with Veganuary.  I did totally cheat on Saturday 1/30 and had a burger with cheese and bacon.  I also cheated one day during the snow storm, I was at work and the cafe salad bar was not open so I bought a chicken sandwich.  Could I have just had snacks and had an early dinner, sure, but I chose to eat the sandwich.

In all honesty after eating the burger, I went and walked around Target for an hour because I was beyond full and feeling groggy.

While participating in Veganuary, I noticed that after lunch I didn't get that afternoon slump.  I can really only attribute that to eating better and more nutritious food.  Does being vegan take some serious planning and food prep? Yes, it sure does.  You basically will cut out all processed food.  Imagine that? A lifestyle where you don't eat processed foods.  That HAS to be better for us.  

Lifestyle Changes:

Yes.  From this experiment, I will be eating mainly vegan, but if I truly WANT a burger or something like a warm goat cheese salad, I will eat it.  I will be more thoughtful with the food I am eating.  As a cheese lover, giving up cheese was the hardest part for me, BUT, I got over it.

This has helped to realize that I need to view food as nutrition first, taste second.  I think often we miss that aspect of it and we do not eat for nutrition.  I will be much more mindful about eating for nutrition from now on.

Take a chance and challenge yourself!  You can do this challenge for any month during the year.  

Final Thoughts:

I will be more mindful of the food I'm eating and will treat meat and cheese as special items to have only occasionally.  Food = Nutrition and Fuel

What is the next challenge?

Discussing with the ladies at work this week!  We are a little thrown off by the snow days last week so we are behind. 

What I'm eating this week

Breakfast:

Oatmeal (not quick oats) with chia seeds/hemp seeds pomegranate/blueberry.  Pick 1 seed and 1 fruit.  Also add 1 scoop of almond butter. Very filling!

Stuffed Shells:

I found this recipe on Pinterest for stuffed shells.  I did add marinara sauce on the top because the cashew sauce really dried up when baking.  Alternatively, you could make extra cashew sauce to put on top after baking is done.  Also don't be afraid to add some seasoning to this, especially the spinach and tofu.  This could be really bland if you make as listed.

Quesadilla:
Roasted Sweet Potato and Bean Quesadilla - I opted to use black beans because I have tons of them at home and want to use them.  I made a mash, by cooking them with seasoning and then using a potato masher.  Works for me!  Lol :)

Snack Attack:
Roasted Cauliflower
Avocado with balsamic vinegar
Crispy Broccoli Florets (a dried item sort of like kale chips from Trader Joe's)
Trek Mix (Trader Joe's - cashews, macadamia nuts, dried cranberries and dried pineapple)

Sweets:
Star Crunch (clean) 

The biggest trend I'm coming to terms with is that I have to make most of my food myself.  This requires meal planning, shopping lists and prep time.  I am super lucky that Joe is so into this and he is into helping me food prep.  We were talking about our weekend plans and he brought up meal prepping on Sunday.  He is the BEST.  

Massage Time!

Back in November I had purchased a Groupon for a Thai Massage.  The promo was going to expire later in January so I decided I had better get on that!

I made an appointment with Thai Healing House in Herndon for Sunday afternoon (yes during the Skins game).  You guys...I have only ever had table massage and this was a whole different experience.  You check in and then they take you to the room and give you pants and a t-shirt to wear.  There is a large mat on the ground you they tell you to lay on your back.  I would seriously sleep on this thing, it was so comfy.  Then June my massage lady comes in and she starts with my feet and legs.  The whole time we are talking and she is explaining to me how this massage is different and really focuses on stretching and pressure points.  She is really into the philosophy of it and explaining how it is different from a table massage.  She is AMAZING.

At one point, June is standing on my hamstrings.  FOR SERIOUS!  She was really able to get into the tension areas.  I was all kinds of stretched out and felt amazing afterwards.   If you get a Thai Message, be prepared for some serious close contact with your massage person.

I highly recommend the Thai Healing House  and if you go, please name drop so that I can get a $20 credit.

I plan to book a 2 hour session in March to really get in there and get relaxed.

Restaurants Week 2

Going out to eat while vegan can be challenging at mainstream restaurants.  This weekend I went to the Olive Garden and 701.

Olive Garden:
I had the make your own pasta with cavatapi pasta and primavera.  I also had some salad b.c OG (I just looked at the ingredients and realized the dressing is NOT vegan...my bad). The pasta dish was a large portion (of course it is OG).  The veggies were crisp and crunchy and the sauce had a little flair to it.

701:
Appetizer: Savory Funnel Cake.  FOR SERIOUS!!!!!! This was glorious.  There was a spicy carrot sauce on it along with roasted cherry tomatoes.  So good.

Dinner: Cauliflower Shawarma with hummus and tomato.  YASSSSS.  So filling and delicious!  I did avoid the white sauce as it looked creamy and probably dairy.

Cauliflower Shawarma

I was truly full after eating at 701.  They have a small menu, but the food is excellent.  Worth the trip to DC!

Where are the Veggies?

Veggie Love

Food Tracking:

Just a few days into tracking my food and I'm realizing that I turn to fruit as a snack but not veggies.  As a result, I'm eating WAY more sugar than I should.  My focus for the next few days will be to incorporate more veggies and less fruit so that my sugar intake can be reduced.

I am going to the grocery store tonight with a new game plan and more recipes to try.

Today at work is our Vegan Potluck, I will share the results later on!



Do you have some favorite veggie snacks?  Please share if you do!

I Get By with a Little Help

I need to mention some people that are great resources to me on this journey.  This whole thing would be much more difficult without help.

Lisa - a friend and vegan.  She has emailed me some great resources such as cookbooks, documentaries, easy recipes etc (and she is a resource too!)

Joe - The Chef!  He is helping me so much by playing along when we are on dates.  He has made two different types of hummus for me, dinner etc.  This would be much more difficult without him.

My Lady Loves! -  asking me questions, sending me encouraging notes, planning walks with me etc.  I really appreciate all of that.  You ladies rock my world!

The Ladies at work - we are certainly in this together!  Excited for our upcoming potluck.

Chugging Along

MyFitnessPal

I made sure to eat enough food and am also now using myfitnesspal (mingomo9, if you want to be friendly) to track my food, not my exercise though.  I hate when you enter in your exercise and they give you more calories to consume.  Ummm I'm trying to have a deficit here. So I skip that part of it completely but am using it for food. 

I didn't track food yesterday but I made sure to EAT more food so I did not get a headache. 

Food for the day:

Breakfast: coconut yogurt with blueberries (make sure to get the kind that is dairy free!), 16 oz coffee with coconut creamer from Trader Joe's and no sugar

Snack peanuts, chia bar, chamomile tea (plain, no sugar or "milk"

Lunch: Broccoli Soup, avocado with balsamic vinegar

Snack: none

Dinner: whole wheat rotini with veggie ratatouille 

Dessert: 2 cookies, vegan

For most meals I drink water, I do have coffee in the AM though.  I had extra food today, an apple and an orange.  Just holding onto those for another day at my desk.  

Overall, feeling so good!  I haven't done a really  hard workout yet though.  I'm saving that joy for Thursday evening.  I will make sure to add an afternoon snack in for that day. I have lost 5lbs so far.  Crazy since I have done nothing other than walk and change my food. 

Drinking More Water:

The best thing about drinking water is that I had switched to this years ago.  I drink water as soon as I wake up and then I have a large stadium cup from the Nationals 2012 season that I keep at my desk.  I drink 3 of those each day while I'm at work.  I have water with my dinner so no empty calories or sugar.  

When I'm at a restaurant I usually get unsweetened tea (occasionally sweet tea).  I just feel blah when I consume too much sugar.  I also rarely have a soda.  It should be a treat, not a daily item.  

Day 3: Headache Madness

Today was not good.  It started ok but then as the day wore on, I got a raging headache.  I mean I thought I was going to hurl at one point.  Is this dairy withdrawal?  Is this not eating enough calories?  Is this a combo of these items?  I know that I was not dehydrated so I can eliminate that  from the possibilities.

me: yesterday

I had dinner plans with my parents, I took some Aleve got on the road to meet them.  I had a large dinner, bread, salad, roasted squash.  I felt so much better after that.  Perhaps I needed a snack before dinner.  I'm not really sure.  There will be some experimenting going on this week for sure though.

PS. Non dairy coconut creamer from Trader Joe's is a decent sub for half and half.  You need to use a lot though.  I don't sugar my coffee so I need a good amount of cream in there.

Gotta getcha some!

Veganuary!

The Beginning:

The lovely ladies I work with set up a challenge to go vegan for the month of January.  I was all in for it!  I love to challenge myself with things such as this so I signed up to join them.

At work we have Yammer, and a Veggie page for those of use that are into that kind of thing.  We are using that to post recipes talk strategy for dealing with longing for certain foods etc.  One of the ladies has set up a potluck for Friday so that we can share foods and try new recipes.

I have created a Veganuary Pinterest board, which you are welcome to follow me on.  I am getting many recipes from there.  I am also following www.veganuary.com, they post basic shopping lists, recipes and support.

Grocery Shopping:

On Saturday afternoon, my Mom and I went out shopping for some basics.  I brought 3 recipes with me so that I would make sure to get all of the ingredients for those plus a ton of basics for vegan lifestyle.

3 grocery stores and about $150 later, I was ready.  I am not expecting to spend that much on a weekly basis, but I had to buy things that will be used multiple times such as nutritional yeast, mirin, corn starch, and other items that will be used many many times in the future.


What have I made so far?

Vegan Cheese: ughh - I followed recipe as written, BUT it was WAY too much garlic....like so bad on the garlic, could not even really eat it.  I will try again with 1/4 of the garlic.

Broccoli Soup: pretty good!  Joe really did all of the cooking and I did the dishes.  Definitely had to had more spice and flavor to it, but a great recipe overall.  I am having that as part of my lunch this week.

Restaurants:

Let's be real, you are not going to be at home for every meal.  Here are the restaurants I have been to so far:
The Sunflower Cafe - a vegetarian restaurant that also has many vegan options
Clydes - a few options such as salads, beet "burger" and roasted squash

Roasted Squash from Clydes

Are you vegan?  Send me some tips!

June 2015 Favorite Things

Just say yes to Summer Drinks.

House Juice 2015:
Black Cherry Rum
Grenadine
Bud Light
Sprite
Fruity Juice Drink

Directions:
1 Cup Black Cherry Rum
1/4 Cup of Grenadine
1 Can of Bud Light
3 Cups of Juice
Sprite to taste if at all
Makes one large pitcher, share if you must


Porch Juice 2015:
Black Cherry Rum (I'm really into this, get over it)
Cherry Coke or Coke, whatever is on hand really
Lime Wedge

Directions:
Fill Cup with Ice
Add roughly one + shot of Black Cherry Rum (really as much as you like)
Add Coke
Lime Wedge

When you just want a refreshing beer:

Good all day

May 2015 Favorite Things

I have been a real slacker lately...I mean here it is July and I'm just now writing a post for May.

ugh I'm a slug

It is that time of year when mosquitoes descend upon us and give large welty like bites.  Here is my favorite bug spray:

Avon Skin so Soft 

This stuff is great

You put this on after you get out of the shower and voila!  You have soft skin and the bugs don't like it so they stay away.  Plus you don't smell wonky.  Win Win Win. 

I of course have an Avon rep so if you are interested, please let me know and I will send you her contact info.  

Sunscreen:  I have recently discovered matte sunscreen for your face.  Why hasn't this been a thing before?

Coola:

Coola = Coolist! 

This is great stuff.  It has a slight tint but really not much.  I am new to  this brand so I'm still learning about it. 

I also love NOT USING A HAIR DRYER!

Just say no

This is the greatest time of year.  I hate drying my hair.  After I shower, I wrap it up in a towel while I get ready.  Then I simply brush is and either leave it be or braid it.  If I am going to work, I might might might dry the roots for about 1 minute.  This is also a good time to deep condition your hair so that it has some actual benefits.  

April 2015 Favorite Things

It is finally feeling like Spring!  That means fun weekend field trips with great friends.

Spring is also a great of year to revamp your skin care routine and make sure that your makeup is the right shade.  My skin changes seasonally and now it is a greased up disaster.  I have started using a different skin care routine and wearing less make up.  Most days it is just concealer, loose powder, mascara and gloss.  I always have gloss.  Never question that.  If for some weird reason I don't have any on hand I will purchase some.  I just can't go on without it.


What is one item that you MUST  have at all times?

March 2015 Favorite Things

Music:

Music has always been a big part of my life and lately music is just crushing it for me.  Just SO good.

I listen to Amazon Prime Music all the time.  If you already have Amazon Prime, then you already have Music too :) I have been listening to a lot of older songs, like 50s and 60s.  Music really helps my day and sometimes you just find some songs that are such a reflection of what is going on in life.

For real, you should have this

Friends:

I have some seriously AMAZING friends.  This month I was moving out of my house, putting stuff into storage and temporarily moving to a place for one month.  My friends helped me so much.  Two of them and their son came over every single night for one week to help me move items to storage.  I mean EVERY night.  For Serious.  They also cleaned up my garage like WHOA! 

I need all the helping hands on deck

I'm extra late this time with posting, trying to get better about it.  Promises.  

XO

Mo

February 2015 Favorite Things

I just have one post that has consumed my life since Meredith shared it with me:


Bulletproof coffee:

I say bring the yum!

Bulletproofe coffee = coconut oil + Kerrygold butter

Step 1: 1 slice of Kerrygold and 1 scoop of Coconut Oil

Step 2: Put in blender and make coffee

Step 3: Combine coffee into blender

Step 4: Mix away

Step 5: Enjoy!





 

January 2015 Favorite Things

Happy New Year once again!

NYE 2015

Salad:

I love a gigantic salad for dinner.  I have some variation of this most nights.  This one has romaine hearts, cucumbers, carrots, blood orange, sliced spicy chicken sausage and balsamic vinegar.  Just a few ingredients but always fresh.  Mix up the proteins and veggies and its a whole new salad.

All the salad

Red Velvet Oreos

What is this magic?  Meredith brought these home one day.  They are so good.  They come in these adorable smaller packages (which is good, otherwise I would eat them all).  These are a limited edition so if you want to try them, get them soon or it might be too late. 

Pure Magic

Scuba!

For Stephen's birthday, I found a Discover Scuba LivingSocial deal with Patriot Scuba.  It is a 3 hour class where the first hour is all instruction and getting the know the gear.  The second hour is spend in the shallow end of the pool getting comfortable with the gear practicing getting it on and off, breathing via the regulator, how to clear your mask if you get water in it etc.  The last part of class, we got to go to the deep end and swim around like dolphins.  They had us swimming through hoops and playing football underwater.  It was great fun!  If you want to take your kids, they do have to be at least 10 years of age. 

Here we are before class!

Some bright lipstick:

Sometimes I just want bright lipstick in my life!  Maybe it is because it is winter and everything is so dark...who knows, but I just feel the urge to wear some bright lip colors. 

Lipstick for the win

December 2014 Favorite Things

Whooooooo!  We are at the end of another year.  This year has been tough in many ways and I couldn't not have made it through the year without my family and friends.  Thank you to all of you for your support and time spent with me.  I sincerely appreciate it.

As the year comes to a close, now is a great time to start getting things ready for the New Year. 

Donations:

There are so many ways to donate, it can be items, money, time.  Take some time to go through your clothes and get items ready to donate.  If you haven't worn it in a year and can't legitimately picture yourself wearing it in the near future, you don't need to keep it.  If you prefer to donate money, then go for it!  Your favorite charity could use your funds to help run programs and help others.  If you prefer to volunteer your time, go for it!  Volunteer with your local group whatever it may be.

Bra Fitting:

Bodies change ladies!  Head over to your favorite store and get measured and refit.  I went to Victoria's Secret for mine and it was amazing.  I got measured and then headed into the dressing room to try on a few sizes and styles.  After each bra was on, I would push a button and the two ladies helping me would come in and check the fit.  These two ladies really took their time with me to make sure that I was comfortable and that my girls were safe and secure in the bra.  It took some time, but I feel it is worth it.

Makeup:
Winter is also a time when perhaps your skin color has changed due to less sun exposure.  Not a bad idea to double check that you are wearing the correct foundation/concealer/powder colors.  Also don't forget to wear SPF, even in the winter, your skin is still exposed.

House Cleaning:

Time to get serious and make your house look like an adult lives there.  Get rid of clutter, do some small projects to make your house look better.  I decided to tackle my closet.  I wish I had taken a before photo, but I failed on that.  I took everything out, spackled, sanded, and painted.  I painted it a really light blue, just to make it a little different.  When putting things back in, I really went through everything and got a ton of stuff to donate, and also a few things went in the trash.  I had converted to matching hangers last time I did a massive cleanout, so in sticking with that I got rid of lots of mismatched hangers.  I also threw away some clothes that were worn out looking.  The end result not only looks better, but allows me to find my items much more easily.

What a difference (you can sort of see the blue paint)

so organized!

Hugs and Loves!

M