I am about to begin the
fourth week of more plant based meals and less meat and so far I am loving
it! So many delicious fresh fruits and
vegetables have been coming into the house and I am trying things I had never
before considered like almond milk, for instance. At first I wasn't sure, but the more I've
tried it the better I like it. The girls
are really liking it too!
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| Whole wheat waffles, bananas, blueberries |
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| Homemade granola, peaches, blueberries, almond milk |
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| Oatmeal with strawberries & blueberries |
I'm actually shopping
fewer days and I'm shopping at different stores too. I take my time and spend a good share of my
Saturday morning acquiring our food for the week ahead. Grocery shopping has now become an event and
as a result I have a new routine.
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| Cod, sauteed zucchini & yellow squash |
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| Red beans, rice, avocado in a whole wheat tortilla |
As I shop I read
labels, a lot. I find myself seeking out more organic items
too. I actually go to that section of
the store first right after the produce department. I shop the perimeter of the store the most
and only a few center aisles for things like frozen berries, whole wheat
tortillas and toilet paper. It is
awesome!
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| Stuffed bell peppers |
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| A nice dinner salad |
I'm drinking a lot
more water too, and I thought I already drank quite a bit. I slice up lemon, oranges and limes to float
around in there. A little bit of
cucumber is nice too. And I'm drinking a
lot less coffee as well. It wasn't a
conscious decision either, it has just sort of happened.
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| Pasta salad |
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| A garden salad |
It seems like I'm
eating all of the time, but I'm not, if that makes any sense, and the things I
am eating are all things I love.
Avocados, nuts, berries, apples, bananas, all different kinds of salads,
rice, beans and pasta, even some desserts and chocolate treats.
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| Orange cranberry scone with a fresh fruit salad |
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| Vegan chocolate cake |
Last Sunday I baked
a vegan chocolate cake that was fantastic.
The kids raved about it. And they
ate most of it too. It didn't last very
long. Let me know if you want me to post
that recipe.
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| One of the lunches I packed to take to work |
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| And here is another one |
I prepare a lot more
from scratch, in fact pretty much everything, but I find I am actually cooking
a lot less. And I am really enjoying that
too. I'm excited about creating new
things and eating them too!
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| Asian coleslaw with a nice peanut dressing |
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| A snack of hummus & whole wheat tortilla wedges |
I feel good, I'm
sleeping better and I've actually dropped a little weight which has been a nice
surprise. Weight loss was not the
motivation for this change, but I'll happily take it.
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| Another one of my lunches for work - soup, salad, chips & salsa |
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| Vegetable lasagna with sauteed green beans |
The biggest surprise
of all is that my girls are eating what I am eating and they are enjoying it
too. I really thought they'd be
preparing a lot more food for themselves but that hasn't been the case. They might add an extra side dish to what
I've already prepared, but they aren't making entirely separate meals like I
thought might happen.
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| Loads of fresh produce! |
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I took this pretty bowl to work
Now I keep a fruit bowl at my desk for snacking |
I'm beginning to think
this new eating plan might be here to stay.
And that is probably a very good thing!
Congrats on your menu-eating /buying changes. I am slowly doing the same..[Trying to get hubby on the same page "not so much meat"... he has not come around yet.ha]
ReplyDeleteI love water with fruits in it.. SO refreshing, especially in the summer.
Hope you have a great week.
I hope you can get him on board. He'll be amazed at how much better he feels. I've been slowly weaning us off over the last couple of years, but this is the most drastic I've ever done.
DeleteIs your chocolate cake like a Whacky Cake? I have several no eggs/butter/milk cake recipes...from wartime, when these ingredients were hard to get.
ReplyDeleteSure, would love to see the recipe.
I try to introduce more greens and fruit, less bread and starches -- but we are unashamed meat-eaters. What can you expect, from a hunting family whose farming roots reach back for generations. I do feel better on a diet that holds off some on the carbs, though. Except for the next week, it's more potatoes because of St. Patrick's Day!
P.S. Our King Soopers, the Kroger version of your Fred Meijer, had 3-pound packages of frozen berries on sale (Signature Kitchens brand) for $3.99. Mixed berries, strawberries, blueberries. And our store wrote rainchecks...as you can guess, these were stripped pretty quickly. Maybe your store has them, too. Yow.
I've been on the look out at Fred's, but I'll keep my eyes peeled. Maybe there is a sale coming up. Yes, the cake totally reminds me of a whacky cake, but I actually think this one is better.
DeleteNice job in the transition from a meat based diet to one that is high n plant foods. We are omnivores and eat pretty much everything, but our meats are generally an addendum rather than the focus of a meal.
ReplyDeleteThat is us too. Make no mistake I enjoy a good steak, but that will be less often so I'll probably enjoy it more when I have one. :)
DeleteEverything looks so fresh and yummy. Beautiful pictures of the foods you are making. You inspire me! I have kind of a weird question and I hope you are okay with me asking this - I'm just curious. Do your girls have trouble with wheat or milk products. My daughter in law is Japanese and has told me that some people of Asian decent can't handle these foods well or especially as they get older. Her niece lives with them and is 9 -she's Japanese and Korean and can't eat certain foods. They both seem to do better on proteins like fish and chicken and rice / rice noodles, veggies and fruit. Wheat is kept to a minimum for them. Just wondering if your daughters are feeling better on your new food plan. My daughter in law and I discuss these things often trying to figure out what works best to feel best. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great question and I don't mind you asking me at all. I do know that Asians struggle with dairy as it isn't really part of their inherit diet. My girls do fine with it and wheat as well. They really like the starches but I think they are sleeping better at night since we made the change. We still eat starch, probably about the same, just more fruits and veggies and waaaaaay less sugar.
DeleteGreat.
ReplyDeleteThank you. :)
DeleteSince you shared your pizza crust with us,me, I will share with you my homemade hummus recipe... 1 can chick peas, 2 tbsp pea butter, that' it. Blenderize to your preference of smoothness. BUT... I add all kinds of seasonings..garlic powder or in oil, onion-fresh & powder, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, garlic pepper, etc. I've add red pepper in oil, chopped onion, ranch seasoning. I imagine avocado would be nice. Use your imagination. I also saw a recipe using black beans. This is so much cheaper. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, that sounds wonderful. I've never heard of using peanut butter, but why not? I'm going to try it. Thank you!
DeleteSounds like the transition to less meat is going well! All your meals look very good; colorful and healthy.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm really enjoying it.
DeleteWould you share your stuff pepper recipe at some point? They look delicious.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
- Molly
I would be happy to. Look for that here in the next little while. :)
Delete